In line with RWBY's characters being created with allusions, Gin was also created with one. Zatoichi, the badass motherfucker himself. Though, the 2003 movie with the actor Takeshi Kitano because I saw that one first. Gin will even have some traits that allude to him, such as his first hairstyle, hair colour(kinda) and final height which are a homage to Takeshi's Zatoichi. I made Gin a twink because I thought the contrast with the old man would be funny. I'll try to make other traits subtle.

Although, Zatoichi isn't technically the inspiration for my character. The whole Blind Swordsman thing was actually inspired by the RWBY fan animation, 30 Days-Angel. It was so fucking good, I almost shat myself and it made me love the idea of a Blind Swordsman character in the world of RWBY, to the point I'm making this fanfic. The character of Gin then evolved over time, taking inspiration from other characters like:-

Atsushi from Bungou Stray Dogs, though only the hair. Maki from Jujutsu Kaisen, you'll see how later. Sho from Fire Force, the inspiration for Gin's Semblance. Because I loved the idea of the "Delayed Slashes" anime trope being explained by time powers, though obviously, I couldn't do a full-on Za Warudo.

There will also be another allusion in this story, though not in the classic sense…

Chapter 3: A Father's Regrets

"I am sorry for my actions, father." Gin sat on his knees in a seiza on a cushion across from his father while bowing deeply.

Jin - who was also in a seiza on a cushion - nodded, "I accept your apology. See to it that this does not happen again."

"Understood." Gin sat straight again but he didn't raise his head.

Jin's posture then became more casual as he smiled, "Well, what's done is done now. And though we should learn from our mistakes, let us not dwell on them to the point it prevents us from moving forward."

Gin's own posture was still stiff, "Yes, father."

"Anyway, if you don't mind me asking, why did you agree to unlock that boy's aura?"

"Well, he asked me to and he said he had his parent's permission..."

"Ah, wanting to help a friend is a good motivator," Jin nodded."Though, I don't suppose purposely breaking a clan rule also had something to do with your agreement?"

. . .

Just as Karin suspected, Jin thought ashe sighed softly and got up. He then sat cross-legged next to Gin with both of them facing the same side.

"Let me be honest with you, Gin. I somewhat approve of your actions."

"Huh?" Gin turned to him with wide eyes.

"Though don't tell your mother I said that, or the rest of my words," Jin quickly warned. "Now back to what I was saying. If it weren't for the danger of having your Aura unlocked, I'd absolutely approve of your actions. The thought of angering the Elders by purposely breaking clan rules is an amusing idea. Why, I have half a mind to start teaching the clan's Ultimate Technique to everyone who even slightly holds a weapon."

Gin couldn't help but laugh. "I doubt many of them would be able to properly use it, father. It's the clan's ultimate technique for a reason, after all."

"Eh, I'll just make them work hard enough to the point they master it or die," He laughed and then suddenly stopped. "Uh, don't tell your mother I said that either. She'll kill me if she thinks I'm a bad influence on you."

Gin laughed, "I won't."

Jin made a show of wiping off sweat from his brow and releasing a big breath of relief.

"On a side note," Jin began, "Mr Arc agreed to inform me of the things I'll need to know about having Aura to prevent things like this from repeating in the future. He didn't do it last night because it was already late so I will be visiting his home today. You should come with me so we can learn them together." He smiled, "I wanted your mother to come with me but you know how she can be with new people."

Gin chuckled. "Alright, I'll come."

"Good," Jin said cheerfully.

"Can I bring my bokken?"

"Hmm. Fine, why not. Do you want to bring one for Jaune? Maybe you two can have a friendly spar again."

. . .

Jin looked toward his suddenly silent son.

"Ah," Jin made a sound of understanding. "I take it that you feel some resentment towards the boy?"

Gin turned toward him in surprise.

"Your mother suspected something like this would happen," Jin smiled. I had doubted her concerns, Jin thought, but it seems she was right about them. As expected from the love of my life.

Gin looked down, "I don't resent him, it would be childish of me to blame him when the fault is… not entirely his, and some of it is mine but..."

"Hmm." Jin turned his gaze to the front, "Last night when your mother voiced her aforementioned suspicions, Mr Arc mentioned that he was livid when he first heard you unlocked his son's Aura."

Gin winced.

"But Jaune was the one who calmed him down."

"What?" Gin's eyes widened.

"Indeed," Jin nodded. "He said that the fault was entirely his for tricking you. So, no blame should be placed on you." Jin chuckled, "Willing to take the fall to help a friend, an admirable trait. Especially for one so young."

Gin seemed to be frozen in contemplation.

"You yourself have admitted that some of the fault is yours. A sign of maturity and strength, from both of you." Jin placed a hand on his son's shoulder, "Still, you two are young so mistakes are inevitable. And even more, will be made in time. But some friendships can overcome them and grow strong enough to rival kinship." He paused, "That is, if both are willing to give each other second chances."

. . .

"I… I will try," Said Gin.

"Good," Jin smiled with closed eyes.

I hope my words can help you, my son, Jin thought. I truly do...

/-/

Someone rang the doorbell.

"I'll get it!" Jaune yelled.

He opened the door and looked up to see a man he didn't recognise.

"Hello there," The man said with a smile.

Jaune then noticed the other person - whose hood covered his eyes and was holding a wooden katana - next to the man and his eyes widened, "Gin!"

"Hello," Gin said softly with a slight bow.

"Dad! Gin and his dad are here!" Jaune yelled. Then he turned to the visitors, "Please, come in. I'll show you two to the living room."

"Should we take off our shoes?" Jin asked as they entered and Gin pulled down his hood.

"Umm, no need?" Jaune said uncertainly.

Jaune guided them to the living room where he proceeded to turn off their holographic TV.

Then Nicholas came into the room. "You're here. Welcome to my home—" Nicholas suddenly shivered and his hand reached for a weapon that wasn't there.

"Thank you for inviting us into your home," Jin gave a slight bow followed a second later by his son.

Nicholas looked at Jin who had a mischievous smile on his face.

"… Right. It's my pleasure," Nicholas nodded slowly as he relaxed. "Please, take a seat. I'd offer you two tea but I'm afraid the tea I can make is pretty terrible and my wife and daughters who can make good ones are out."

"Oh no, don't worry about it. It's fine," Jin said.

Nicholas sat down on a chair and the visiting father and son took the couch. Nicholas felt the weird sensation disappearing and he wondered what it was as he looked at the two.

Jaune had stayed standing. "Um, Mr Suzume?" He started.

"Yes?"

"It was my fault that Gin unlocked my Aura. I basically tricked him into doing it, so please don't punish him," pleaded Jaune while lowering his head.

Jin looked pleasantly surprised with a smile while Gin looked quite shocked.

"And Gin," Jaune addressed him. "I'm really sorry for tricking you."

. . .

"It's fine," Gin slowly began. "It wasn't your fault. Or at least, I'm partly to blame. But uh, for what it is worth… I forgive you?" He said uncertainly.

Yet Jaune's face lit up all the same.

Jin and Nicholas both grinned like proud fathers.

Jin coughed to get their attention on him, "Jaune, I understand your words but Gin is not without fault here so some admonishment is unavoidable. Still, I shall heed your request and refrain from harsh punishment." Not that Jin ever planned to anyway.

Jaune winced, "Okay. Thank you, I think?"

"You're welcome."

"Hey Jaune," Nicholas said, "I won't mind if you want to spend time with Gin in your room or something. I've already told you the regulations and rules for Aura users so you can fill him in on it yourself."

"Really?"

Nicholas nodded.

Jaune smiled and turned to Gin, "Wanna come?"

"Umm..." Gin turned toward his father.

"Of course, you can." He smiled.

"Alright, then." Gin got off the couch and followed Jaune.

Nicholas shivered again.

"I hope you don't mind," Nicholas said as he untensed himself. "Jaune seems to really like your son and I thought letting them be alone together might help with any… misgivings."

"I don't," Jin replied. "In fact, I'm grateful for it. I truly hope our sons can be friends." He smiled, "Jaune shows great qualities as a young boy. You've raised him well."

Nicholas grinned at that, "Thanks. And the same to you, Gin is really well-mannered and mature for his age."

Jin nodded with a proud smile, "Thank you." Then he looked thoughtful for a second, "I suppose in order to avoid any… future misunderstandings, I should mention that Gin is nearly completely blind."

Nicholas' eyes widened. "… Jaune didn't mention that."

Even if that kid didn't look obviously blind, Jaune should have noticed it by now, Nicholas thought.

… right?

Jin laughed, "That's probably a good thing. It would mean that my son's blindness doesn't matter enough to Jaune to warrant mentioning. Something Gin appreciates very much."

"Yeah..." Nicholas said uncertainly. Honestly, Nicholas wouldn't be surprised if Jaune just forgot. His son's not exactly the sharpest— Ah crap, he hopes Jaune doesn't try to get his friend to play video games or something. Dammit, why didn't I think of that sooner?

"Does he use that wooden sword as a cane to move around?" Nicholas said hoping to not think about his son's potential faux pas. "Though he doesn't seem to use it and can move just fine."

"That would be thanks to an Aura technique that allows him to sense the shape of almost everything within a circular space. Aura users can feel when it encompasses them, as you did earlier."

"Ahh, so that's what that was…"

Jin nodded with pride, "My son is incredible with it. I myself can only sense the rough shape of objects as if they were made of smoke while he can sense the exact shape of something if he concentrates."

"I never knew a technique like that existed," Nicholas stroked his beard. "Is it some sort of a secret technique of your clan?"

"Something like that," He said with a raised eyebrow. "Curious. Do you also come from a… traditional clan? You seemed sort of familiar with my situation last night as well."

"Yeah, you could say that," Nicholas scratched his head. His expression took on a far-off look, "My family - though not big enough to be a clan - has a long history of being heroic warriors, so there were a lot of expectations for Arc children to be Huntsman or Huntresses with no exception and numerous other such rigid rules. Even marriage was only permitted with other Huntsmen of some renown. I take it you can relate?" He asked with a wry smile.

"Very much so," Jin nodded with a laugh. "Though not with the Huntsmen part. My clan despises them and its history instead lies with swordsmanship revolving around a particular sword style with the values of bygone samurai." He smiled, "My wife likes to say the clan's traditions and practices are obsolete nowadays and I agree. Some bias against them and towards my wife is involved though."

"Heh, sounds like your clan's got its fair share of issues."

"Quite," Jin said. "Hmm, if you don't mind me asking, did your family also… disapprove of your wife?"

"They definitely would have," he said with an annoyed look, "but luckily they never met her. I left the family due to... a messy incident and I disowned myself from them in all but name and never contacted them again. I don't even know if they're still alive or not and I don't care so long as they stay away from my current family." His eyes hardened a bit and started muttering, "I'll be damned if I let them have any influence on my children. I refuse to let them go through what I did…"

. . .

Nicholas noticed the other man having an odd look on his face.

"Maybe I should have left too..." Jin's voice was quiet and low, "at least when I married my wife. Then my wife and son may have had better lives..."

. . .

"Did they... give your son a hard time because of his blindness?" Nicholas hesitantly asked.

"Well, yes that was a part of it but… well my clan values swordsmanship above almost everything. And Gin has no talent in the sword. He would often fall behind his peers despite working harder than most which earned him ridicule. Along with his mother being a normal civilian. And then there's the fact that Gin's genetic eye disease comes from his mother's side, which just further reinforced the clan's bigoted notions." He let out a frustrated sigh, "This led to my wife and son being discriminated against despite my best efforts to prevent it."

Nicholas sneered, "Disgusting. Your clan, I mean."

Jin snorted, "Indeed." He gave a wry smile, "If I'm being honest, the aforementioned Aura technique is probably the only good thing Gin received from them because it made his life much easier and I'm grateful to them for it. Though I'm unsure if that gratitude is even necessary because I heard that there's a device that can help blind people to the same effect as the Aura Technique."

"I think I've heard of it too. Its acronym is 'Ada' I think, but I forgot the full form."

Jin hummed in slight interest.

Nicholas looked like he wanted to say something. "By the way," he began, "I hope you don't mind me asking but my son mentioned that you're looking for employment, is that right?"

"Indeed. At the moment, we have enough funds to last us a month at least but my wife and I both hope to find occupations. One of my sisters helps us with money but I don't want to impose on her too much." He smiled, "My wife did research on Ansel and small towns in general and learnt that book-selling was a profitable occupation. She is already working on her plans of opening a bookstore." Truly, she was too good for him.

"Oh yeah, I heard that Ansel has been hoping to get a bookstore for years now but hasn't been able to, not sure why though. This will be the perfect chance for your wife."

Jin nodded with a smile, "Indeed, that's why we chose Ansel."

"Then, will you also be working?"

"Of course."

Nicholas nodded. "I'm asking because I can tell that you're strong and from what I've heard so far, you have skills with the sword."

Jin chuckled, "Indeed, though I'm nothing special."

"Then would you like me to recommend you to the town's militia? It pays well because they're responsible for keeping watch for Grimm and defending the town. I sometimes participate in its activities too. You have Aura but have you fought Grimm before?"

"I have. And as for your previous question," Jin looked at him with honest eyes, "I would be extremely grateful to you."

"Ah, It's no problem," Nicholas said awkwardly. "The militia is mostly made of retired Huntsmen so it's not too dangerous. Though, you'll have to be tested to get into it."

"I would expect no less." He rubbed his chin with a smile, "I had planned on finding work as an artisan but this work seems more reliable. Though maybe, I can be an artisan on the side and earn even more."

"Oh? Did you work in something?"

"Swordsmithing, though mostly as a hobby. I've been meaning to work on other things too. Ah," Jin smiled as he realised something. "It seems we've gotten sidetracked. Not that I'm complaining, today has turned out more fruitful than I was ever expecting. Though, I don't know what came over me when I revealed so much about my past to someone I just recently met."

Nicholas laughed, "Same, honestly. Maybe it's because we've been through similar experiences or something."

Jin chuckled, "Quite."

/-/

A few minutes ago in Jaune's room.

"So hey, do you read comiii… uh..." Jaune cringed as hard as he was physically capable of.

. . .

Gin couldn't help himself and he laughed, hard.

"I'm sorry," Gin grabbed his mouth with one hand to control himself. "Today has just been, uh…"

"A roller coaster of emotions?" Jaune offered.

"I think that's the right word for it."

Gin took a deep breath and finally calmed down. "To answer your question about whether I read comics or not, not exactly. I don't read them myself but my mother narrates them to me."

"Huh, like telling a story?" Jaune sat on the bed, "Also, you can sit if you want."

"Indeed," He nodded and sat on a chair. "It's not just limited to comics, sometimes it's novels of various genres, though I prefer the former. She's very good at narrating them as well. The flow at which she reads out the scenes feels seamless, she emphasises things that are possibly Chekhov's Guns and she even pauses sometimes for dramatic effect which tends to make me really excited. She even involves me in it sometimes, when a story has a mystery in it, she encourages me to ask questions and speculate about things and what they might be, she even provides her own thoughts and theories and we would always discuss them. It feels incredible when our theories turn out to be right," He rambled excitedly.

"Man, your mom is pretty cool," Jaune said. He wondered what a Chekov's Gun is but he didn't think now was the right time to ask.

Gin grinned at that, "Absolutely. She once offered to buy me an audiobook but I refused. I don't want her to spend money on that. And besides, I love hearing her narrate them and the things we do together much more." Gin remembered the time he told her that and she hugged him so tightly he felt his bones crack. "Oh and hey, do you have a magnifying glass?" Gin asked.

"Uh, nope. Sorry."

"Hmm, it's fine. You have comics here, right? Can I see one?"

"Huh? Uh, okay." Jaune got up to grab a comic from his shelf and brought one to Gin.

Gin got up and activated his realm.

Jaune shivered. "Man, that still feels weird," he mumbled.

Gin walked to the window and stood next to it. He pushed his Aura to his eyes, then he read the book, alternating between pulling close to his face and pushing it away. "Oh, it's the other way."

"Umm, you can uh read it?" Jaune asked uncertainly.

"A little. I have Retinitis Pigmentosa, a type of blindness which is basically tunnel vision and no night vision, meaning the eyes don't adjust to the dark."

"Oh. I didn't know blindness had different types," Jaune muttered. "So, uh you can only like uh, see in small holes?"

"Essentially," Gin said as he read through the pages. "Though what I can see is quite blurry, Aura helps a little but only from close distances. RP also comes with colour blindness and light sensitivity." He looked up and smiled slyly at Jaune, "Though, on the bright side, my eyes aren't too lightsensitive."

"Uh, that's cool?"

"… Quite," Gin turned his attention back to the comic. "It means I can suffice with a hood instead of having to wear sunglasses."

"But why? I mean, why don't you want to wear sunglasses? They're cool as heck."

Gin shrugged, "They don't fit me whatsoever."

"How can you tell?" Then his eyes widened, "Wait, no nevermind— I didn't mean to—"

"It's alright, Jaune," Gin said with a chuckle. "There's nothing wrong with asking questions out of genuine curiosity. Also, I can still see my appearance from a mirror or even a photo."

"Ohhh, right."

"Besides, even the completely blind will care about having a good or decent appearance. No one would like to look bad. Though it depends on the individual, I suppose," said Gin. "Oh, and colour blindness is a spectrum too, I don't have complete colour blindness, I just can't differentiate between some colours."

"Ah, I get it."

Gin closed the comic though he didn't read all the way, "Hmm, I guess it was true that Valean comics were different from Mistrali ones."

"Oh yeah, I heard that too. I've always wanted to try reading some Mistrali ones but I never really found the right time."

"Hmm, Do you want me to recommend to you some of my favourites?"

"Sure!" Jaune exclaimed with a big smile.

"Ah, but I'd need to know what your tastes are. In case, our tastes aren't the same so I can recommend the ones you might like instead."

"Yeah, I'll tell you." Jaune then smiled sheepishly, "And maybe we can talk about them sometimes like you do with your mom?"

Gin smiled, "Of course, that would be great fun."

"Yeah!" Jaune grinned and pumped his fists. "Oh right, I forgot. I should tell you what dad told me last night."

And the two chatted for half an hour until it was time for Gin and his dad to go home. Gin could have stayed but he wanted to help at home a bit more despite his father's words. Though he promised to hang out with Jaune again tomorrow which made Jaune ecstatic.

But right now Jaune was suffering, doing push-ups with his sister Amber on his back.

"Come on Jaune, ten more! You can do it!" She cheered.

"Why… do I… have to… do this again?" He said in between his push-ups.

"Because Jaune," Nicholas began from where he sat, "you need to build a proper foundation. Even if you're stronger now thanks to Aura, your muscles are still weak. Also, your form is slipping. Remember, quality is always better than quantity when working out."

Jaune plopped down after finishing his final set, "At least, sparring with Gin was more fun than this..."

/-/

The next day, Gin - with his eyes closed - stood in the forest near his house again swinging his sword.

But this time, he held his wooden katana in an unorthodox reverse grip. His swings were no longer the practised and familiar forms of the previous day.

Even his movements and stance were different. Where before, it was solid and firm, now his body was like a spring constantly moving and eager to pounce.

He dashed forward and swung his sword to left, this time with both hands even though he still held it in reverse. He fully spun around and stabbed at the right, pushing the pommel with his other hand to give it more force. Now, he'll spin the sword back into a regular grip with one hand—

The sword slipped and in trying to catch it, Gin missed and slapped the sword away which caused it to fall to the ground.

Gin huffed and moved to pick it back up.

The reason for this sudden change started last night. Gin was sitting on his bed, giving his bokken a few swings when he had a thought, I don't have to use the Ganryu anymore. Why don't I just use a different sword style, or rather come up with my own sword style? I never liked the clan's stupid sword style anyway, the oversized katanas were annoying.

So, Gin was testing out various moves to see what worked and what didn't. Though, that was mostly being judged based on his personal likes and dislikes instead of any practicality.

Gin picked the sword back up and held it in front of him, Maybe I should train to be ambidextrous with the sword? That would be quite useful.

Then he opened his eyes and smiled as he turned, "Hello, Jaune."

"Yo," Jaune came and waved at Gin. "How did you know I was here?"

"Aura Sensing, remember? Plus, yours is now more visible than the other day."

"Oh right," Jaune voiced. "Hey, I forgot to ask, what does Aura look like to you?"

Gin rubbed his chin, "Coloured fire, basically. For normal people, it's small and around their chest. When Aura gets unlocked, the fire becomes bigger and even overshadows the body. And when Aura is activated, the fire turns into the shape of the body."

"Ah, that makes a lot of sense." Jaune raised a hand and made his Aura glow, "I already knew this but Aura really is amazing."

"Oh, and uh should we continue our training?" Gin asked.

And like that, Jaune visibly deflated, "Please, no. Dad made me do so many workouts I'm sore in places I didn't even know could be sore. He said I needed to build a stronger foundation before I even learn how to defend myself."

"Ah, why didn't I think of that? I did feel that you were unusually weak."

Jaune gave him a dirty look. "Anyway, I didn't want to stay at home because my sisters are so annoying. So, I came here to hang with you instead."

Gin smiled.

"I did notice three other presences in your house yesterday, were they your sisters?"

"Yeah, I have seven of them and I'm the only boy and the third youngest."

Gin looked surprised, "Huh, not even my clan had a single pair of parents with that many children."

"Yeah, I get that a lot, kinda." Jaune stretched. "So by the way, will you be coming to my school after spring break is over? It's the only school in Ansel after all."

"Hmm, maybe?"

"That's great!" Jaune said excitedly. "If we go to the same school, we can hang out every day. I can even introduce you to some of my other friends. We'll have so much fun."

Gin chuckled, "It does sound quite fun."

"Yeah!"

And they talked for a couple of minutes more, with Jaune telling Gin about his school. Which teachers were nice and which ones sucked, what subjects were the worst and other things like that.

Then Jaune decided he wanted to show off his tree-climbing skills and bragged about them from atop a tree. Gin tried to one-up him by running up a tree using his Aura to create strong friction, he jumped off it to grab a branch but it broke and Gin fell with a scream. Jaune quickly got down to check up on him, luckily Gin did a break fall and had Aura up so it didn't even hurt that much. After realising he was okay, Jaune started laughing and Gin joined him in laughing.

/-/

Meanwhile, Nicholas and Jin were walking out of Ansel in the afternoon.

Jin wore a violet keikogi with a black martial arts belt, his loose pants were grey and he wore martial arts slippers. His left arm was sleeveless and had a samurai bracer. He hand-carried Tree Cutter, a rather simple red odachi that didn't have a handguard. The red scabbard had a silver metal spike at its bottom, "You have my gratitude for taking the time out of your day to help me."

Nicholas was in the lead carrying Crocea Mors - a simple sword with a blue hilt and rusted gold crossguard and pommel with a white scabbard - on his hip, "It's no big deal. The captain trusts my judgement so this test is more of a formality than anything. To see how you do against Grimm and fully confirm what I already know."

Jin laughed. "You flatter me. I've faced Grimm before but it was my younger sister, Kyouka who did most of the work. She would always drag me off to do dangerous things with her even though they weren't permitted by the clan," A fond smile took over his face.

"Oh? Is she strong?"

"Absolutely!" Jin exclaimed. "She's the most skilled Swordswoman in the entire clan. A genius the likes of which are born only once a century. Why, she was already challenging and beating adults when she was only fourteen. Though she's a bit lazy in everything besides the sword. But she never lets her talent get to her head and is always respectful towards others."

"... You really like her, huh?"

"Indeed, I am proud to be her brother." Jin suddenly sighed in anguish, "If only my other siblings were like her. Why did they have to be such insufferable shits?"

That was so unexpected coming from the man that Nicholas snorted and laughed.

Jin grinned and laughed with him. "What about you, do you have any siblings?"

Nicholas smiled, "I had an older sister, Sylver Arc. In a way, she was like yours. Very talented but never became arrogant because of it. She was always kind to others too, especially me. Always there for me when our parents expected too much and gave too little. Any boy would have been proud to be her brother." His smile took on a sad tone.

. . .

"She must have been a great person," Jin said with closed eyes.

"Aye…"

For a few minutes, a comfortable silence filled the air.

"I've been wondering, unlocked Aura attracts Grimm, correct?" Jin broke the silence.

"Yeah, why?" He turned to Jin.

Jin stopped, followed by a confused Nicholas.

"Then perhaps..." Jin closed his eyes and concentrated.

Aura Realm

Nicholas shivered and gripped his sword. "Is that the Aura Technique you told me about?"

"Indeed. If I make it as big as I can - which is about a radius of forty-five meters - then maybe it will— Ah, it worked."

Some time later, bestial growls came from every direction as the two were surrounded by a dozen Grimm. Monsters with red glowing eyes and pitch black skin and fur. They wore bones with red markings that served as armour, masks, claws, spikes, etc. These ones that looked like werewolves are called Beowolves and were usually led by a leader called an Alpha that was bigger than the rest.

"Well, I guess this works too," Nicholas said as he mecha-shifted his scabbard into a heater shield - in its centre was an emblem of two yellow crescents that looked like a rainbow - and he drew the sword from it. "Careful, these ones must have some intelligence if they were already surrounding us before we saw them."

"Noted," Jin pulled back the scabbard to make drawing the long katana easier. He then planted the scabbard into the ground and took a stance in front of it.

Nicholas dashed at the nearest Beowolf who was too slow to react. He quickly pushed its head up with his shield and stabbed its unguarded neck, killing it almost instantly.

Instead of pulling the sword back, he pulled it out from the side to slice the hide open and he moved to the one next to it. This one didn't even have its head turned and was still looking at the spot Nicholas disappeared from. Nicholas decapitated it with a downward swing. Another instant kill.

The one next to it retaliated this time, but Nicholas deflected its claw attack with his shield by moving into it and beheaded the Grimm with his sword in the same motion.

The Alpha charged at Nicholas while being flanked by two others. The Alpha made a great leap at Nicholas - who instead of trying to shield himself or back away as the Alpha probably expected - dashed forward in a low position and stabbed the Alpha's chest. Then the Grimm's own momentum caused the blade to cut open its front.

Nicholas rolled to a stop and quickly dashed towards one of the two flanking Grimm who skidded to a stop as they looked at their dead leader in confusion. One got beheaded without even realising it.

Then Nicholas charged the beowolf on the other side while using the evaporating Alpha as a smokescreen, he emerged with his shield up without blocking his eyes and he used it to push the Beowolf's head up, he stabbed its neck and pulled his sword out to the side.

There were no flashy moves, just sheer efficiency from a Huntsman who needn't flaunt himself before prey.

On the other part of this battlefield, Jin hadn't made a move. He stood steadfast and patiently waited for his foe to come to him.

The Grimm didn't charge mindlessly at him and were instead wary to approach.

However, that changed when the Alpha died.

Now, without their leader to coordinate and control them, they charged without a strategy.

The beowolf who was in the lead of the charge was the first to pounce on Jin.

And it was immediately fully cut in the middle by Jin with a two-handed-downward slash.

Two more Grimm came, Jin took two steps forward and bisected both of them with a single side slash to the right.

Another came right after them and this time Jin wasn't fast enough to perform a full swing. The Grimm opened its maw and Jin let it bite his armoured left arm. Before it could even try to rip and tear, Jin slammed his pommel down on its head. The creature's entire skull-like mask cracked and its jaw loosened, allowing Jin to violently pull his arm out. Then he pulled his leg back and kneed the monster's head up hard enough that it exposed its front to him.

Jin fell his sword with both hands and the monster dropped as two.

Jin swiped his sword and let it lean on one shoulder as he turned with a smile, "So, did I pass?"

"No doubt about it." Nicholas had already killed another two Grimm and sheathed his sword. "I was going to leave you half but I guess I lost myself to the flow," he shrugged.

Jin raised a brow with a smile, "Sure, you did."

Nicholas smirked back.

The ground slightly shook as something heavy took a step.

The two men turned to a bear-like Grimm called an Ursa.

"Does one of these count as two of the previous kind?" Jin asked.

"This one is an Ursa Major, more dangerous than its counterpart, the Ursa Minor. So, I'd say it definitely counts as two. But, we still won't be even if we count the Alpha as two."

"Eh, I'll take it." He walked towards the Ursa and took a two-handed stance that was different from the one before. His arms crossed each other as the sword was held next to his face and was perpendicular to his body with its edge towards the sky and its tip pointed at the Grimm.

The Ursa slowly moved towards Jin and stood up on its hind legs to tower over the man and roared.

Jin didn't flinch a bit.

The monster swung its arm to claw the man.

Jin stepped forward, swung his sword down and cut its arm off.

But before the sword completed its descent, it changed direction without stopping and moved into the Ursa and came out through the shoulder.

All was still for a moment.

Then the Ursa's upper part slid and fell from the diagonal cut.

Jin finally relaxed.

"That… was impressive," Nicholas said with some awe. "Without even losing its momentum, in fact, I think it got faster."

Jin nodded. "The Tsubame Gaeshi, my clan's most prized technique. Usually, it's meant to move straight up after luring an opponent in and cutting them from groin to chin."

"Ah, I see. Attacks from below are already difficult to defend against, but adding a false sense of security from the feint of the first swing makes it twice as effective." Nicholas scratched his beard, "A real devastating move."

Jin chuckled, "Indeed." He moved towards the planted scabbard and when he got close to it, he closed his eyes.

He used the Aura Realm, though to a smaller size than before. Then he tossed his sword high towards the scabbard. The sword turned and it landed perfectly inside the scabbard.

Nicholas rolled his eyes with a smile, "There is such a thing as too much showing off, you know."

Jin shrugged with a grin, "I couldn't help myself, I personally came up with that trick." He pulled his weapon off the ground. "Ask me how I did it."

"No thanks," Nicholas turned and walked back towards Ansel.

Jin followed. "The Aura Technique I mentioned and used before, it also helps with accuracy. With it, you could even plant a needle on something and thread it with a single hand without looking."

"Can you do that?"

"Hell no. Though my son can. But more about me. The next phase of the trick is—"

"Using the residue of Aura left on the weapon to slightly manipulate it." He smirked, "That part's not particularly unique."

"… Very well, just kill my fun then."

"You've had enough fun."

"That sounds similar to something a wife would say."

Nicholas opened his mouth and then paused, "… Yeah, fair enough."

And the two warriors returned to Ansel while bantering all the way.

/-/

A few months have passed and the Suzume family have settled quite well in Ansel. With a more than stable income from Karin's home bookstore and Jin's job in the local militia. Jin had even taken up carpentry on the side and was in the process of refurbishing Karin's store to look more professional.

Gin seems to be able to adjust to his new school thanks to the assistive technology on his Scroll and his own drive to not let his disability make him fall behind others so he was able to get good grades. Also, it turns out that there was another blind student - Lizzy Harper - in Ansel who was in high school so the school had some experience with blind students which made it a bit easier for Gin. Jaune also had a big hand in helping Gin fit in and making him comfortable. Though, Gin was adamant against having an aid, his mother was able to manage as a substitute.

In a way, Jin was glad that the clan made the choice for him when they banished them. But he also hated that he did not choose to leave much sooner.

There wasn't really anything tying him to that place. The clan would have scorned him for leaving but they wouldn't have done much about it. He was a good Swordsman but nothing special and he certainly wasn't going to be the clan head being the youngest son and all.

Yet he stayed, and made his wife and son endure hardships they didn't have to.

He'll regret the mistakes he made for a long while. But for now, he'll enjoy spending time with his family and prepare for the worst while hoping for the best.

"Come on, you can do it." Jin was slowly guiding Gin into a lake. "Don't worry, I'm holding you. You have nothing to fear."

The Suzumes were on a family trip to a lake not far from Ansel.

"Father, know that if you let go of me for whatever reason, I swear I will get vengeance." Gin held tightly onto his father's biceps as his feet left the ground and he floated.

Jin chuckled, "I promise I won't."

"You're doing great, Gin!" Karin called out from nearby.

"Mother, I hope you're not recording this!" Gin yelled.

"Pfft, don't worry I'm not!"

"She's recording this, isn't she?"

Jin turned to look at Karin who kept moving around to get a better angle on her Scroll's camera, "No comment."

Gin sighed, "At least, no one's looking at us right?"

"They aren't. Besides, there's nothing embarrassing about learning how to swim. There are even plenty of people older than you who can't swim."

Gin just hummed in response. He closed his eyes to focus on floating upright.

"Learning to swim in a day isn't very possible so for now we'll just focus on learning how to float. We can come back another day for more practising."

Gin nodded, "Alright."

Jin smiled, "And remember, having fun is the most important part."

End of Chapter

I had a lot more things to say in these Author's Notes when I first started this story, but most of them were just things about the story like what I wanted to portray in that fight scene. I really want to talk about them but I'll refrain from it because I think it would against my whole "Show, Don't Tell" schtick.

And yeah, the Tsubame Gaeshi. But the real-life equivalent, not the Fate/Stay Night version, unfortunately.

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Not yet, anyway.