Tales of the Last Capital
Crossover Fragment: Paired Swords (ZZZ x Kagurabachi: Featuring Hoshimi Miyabi & Rokuhira Chihiro)
The silver steel reflected the pale moonlight of that night, one where a boy and a girl were standing out in the open, the latter wielding an unsheathed weapon.
"This is…."
"A wakizashi, a samurai always wield one alongside their Katana-"
"Because the wakizashi is more ideal for close combat or when quick maneuvering is needed, moreso if one is fighting in an enclosed space."
Chihiro wasn't surprised that Miyabi interrupted him on top of being right. Of course she knew the Wakizashi's typical use and purpose, she's an accomplished swordsman after all, compared to his sheltered self, she knows better, on this topic and many others.
"Yeah, I forged it for you."
He internally cringed at how fast he stated the fact, knowing that it was a lame attempt to equalize his standing with her.
And he hated that his heart felt a pang of satisfaction and happiness at how it got her to turn to him, with eyes filled to the brim with surprise and awe.
"...you forged this… for me?"
"With dad's help, I doubt that it'll turn out as good as it is if he didn't help."
He admitted, intentionally killing his ego and smothering whatever burst of pride he received from her reaction earlier.
"...And I probably wouldn't be able to finish it on time if it weren't for his help either…"
To celebrate her achievement in becoming the youngest person to join H.A.N.D., something even grander than him getting his father's help to make a half-decent Wakizashi, one that will be paired with the Hoshimi family's heirloom and legendary sword, the 'Tailless'.
…He shouldn't have done this. Chihiro should have better known his place, he was out of line for even thinking that a novice swordsmith like him could present a weapon worthy to be wielded by someone like her.
"...I don't deserve this."
Which is why he was utterly shocked when those words, a perfect summary of the exchange, were uttered by her and not him.
"...I… joined HAND to protect New Eridu's citizens from the most dangerous Hollows. I've decided that I will be in the frontline to respond to any Hollow disasters and protect everyone… to cut down any and every Ethereals…But that will not always be the case."
Her voice carried the tone of calm contemplation, the same one that he had gotten used to hearing a hundred times over and would always smile for.
Yet this was the first time that the undertone of uncertainty was so clear.
"Hollow raiders…rebels...and just about any other person who entered the hollow for whatever purposes…I will encounter them too."
Chihiro clenched his fist, already familiar with her tone and knowing the direction where this was going.
"I will have to cut them down…." She finally admitt-no, she correctly peered into the future. "This blade… made by someone as kind as you are…
"..."
She turned to him, an expression of fear, shame, and honesty, alien to the
"Yours are blades made to protect everyone, Chihiro. It should not be carried by me who ventures forth for petty revenge…"
With skilled movement she sheathed the blade, returning it back to its creator, wholly undeserving
It was four years ago that Hoshimi Souichiro brought his daughter and their priceless family heirloom, the only Katana who can compare to his father's enchanted blades, to the Rokuhira household.
Because only Kunishige Rokuhira can construct a hilt, tsuba, and sheath that could contain the cursed Foxfire sealed within the legendary weapon. For the same purpose, the family of two have made routine visits to their hidden adobe for the purpose of maintenance.
And where does Chihiro Rokuhira fall into the picture? He was not his father, who had more than earned his title as a peerless swordsmith despite being unknown throughout the land. Neither is he like his surrogate uncle, whose brilliant mind could come up with inventions and plans that he'd never wrap his head around.
And he most definitely is nowhere close to the girl next to him. His best friend who is now taking her first steps into etching her name into New Eridu's history…. Or at least, that's the person who he thinks she is…
It was only now that he realizes that despite the inevitable, that despite the hero she will rightfully become, she's as much of a person as he is.
A deeply contemplative woman, older than him for sure, but also one who is still questioning her place in this small world, while struggling with her past.
One stained with the blood of her own mother.
"Katanas have always saved lives and sliced open new eras…but… they're still tools of killing…"
Miyabi stood silently as Chihiro spoke, nodding along as he shared his inner thoughts and perhaps confessing more.
"That's what dad told me, the stuff that's 'ain't so bright and shiny' he warned me about when I decided to follow his footsteps."
He reached out for the blade he forged, feeling the slightest of tremor conveying his best friend's fear.
"And most important of all, that as swordsmiths, we are complicit in the deaths they caused."
He took the weapon off her hands, seeing how the tension left her shoulders. It was fitting that they'd talked about this here, at the backyard where they spend countless days cutting down straws and practicing their swing.
So that he can better learn to forge greater swords, and so she can learn to better her swordsmanship. With practiced ease, Chihiro unsheathed the blade and took a stance.
"Katana should be wielded by those dedicated to vanquishing evil and protecting the weak… when the day comes for me to relinquish my first creation… is the day I'll have to bear the biggest weight heavier than any steel…"
He swung the sword in an arc, a soft whistle of the steel cutting the silence of the night.
"Principles and accountability, that's what a swordsmith needs the most, more than the skill to produce any masterwork. To always keep in mind that the weapon we forged could fall into the hands of evil, that it can be misused to kill good people."
He lowered the weapon and looked up to the night sky.
"It was something else you know, seeing my dad that goof around all the time getting serious like that… asking if I can carry that kind of burden."
"...All the more reason then…!" Miyabi half-shouted, wholeheartedly agreeing with him "I shouldn't-you shouldn't carry my-"
"Back then I answered that I didn't know, and even now, I still don't. But that's only half of my answer." He cut her halfway, turning to her with an easygoing smile.
"Miyabi, I'm telling you what I'm telling my father. I'm going to become a swordsmith."
He turned to face her for the first time and offered her the Wakizashi. This time there was no doubt, no hesitation. Chihiro believes that this was the best that he could do.
"No matter the uncertainty, I'm committed to take on the burden. And I might be overstepping here, but I want to give you what my dad gave me."
He knew the person in front of him, her aspirations to unveil the corruption that brought the downfall of Old Eridu and has since festered throughout the new capital, and cut them down in one swift strike.
Chihiro was practically cheating his way out of the dilemma his father warned him about, but this was the person he decided to trust his life's work to even if right now it doesn't amount much right now.
"My trust that you'll do the right thing by the blade, because I know you, that even though you claimed to swing your sword to avenge your mother, you will always put the safety of others before your vengeance."
Because she's the swordsman that he'll accompany, and one that he swore will one day stand on equal to as a swordsmith.
"I believe that's how you feel when you swing your sword, so just like my dad did with me, all I have to do is believe in you."
So once again, under the warm moonlight, he offered the blade to the one he trusted the most.
"You said that you fear the blood that will come with your cause and pursuit of truth and justice, then that's all the more reason for me to give you this, so that even if only partially, no matter how little, I can proudly take on your burden too."
This time, he pushed the blade onto her, so that they're both holding the weapon and each other's hands.
"...even though…I don't know where my path will lead. What manner of foe I'll face…what kind of people I'll have to cut down."
"Yeah, we're gonna take a look at the world with our own eyes, and think carefully about them."
His words only pushed her further into contemplation, and that's alright, because that's what he's here for, what he can help her with even now.
"Even if we have to ponder it everyday, we'll do it." He grabbed ahold of her fingers, adjusting so that they'll hold the Wakizashi proper.
"Slowly but surely, we'll learn them together, what is the corruption that you need to cut down, and what kind of Katana that I need to forge so you can face them, but before that…"
Next he grabbed the sheath, and slowly pulled it out to reveal the blade underneath.
"I'd want to rest easy knowing that at least my first ever Katana will be in good hands. Though I guess that'd throw the whole Katana analogy out the window, being a Wakizashi and all."
His sudden attempt at humour finally got his friend's out of her deep thought, a look of surprise and cringe adorning her face as her gaze switched between the unsheathed sword, the sheath he's holding, and his nearly blank expression showing only the thinnest of grins.
But Miyabi knows Chihiro, just as much as he knows her and enough that
So she finally chuckled, and soon enough her face was now full of mirth.
"That's unfair Chihiro, you know I love jokes like that."
"Yeah, you're just about the only one who ever found dad's shirt cool too. Should I be worried about your fashion sense?"
To his horror, Miyabi tilted her head in clear confusion at his words.
"I do not understand, Uncle Rokuhira's shirts are indeed always fashionable on top of being entertaining."
"...Right, remind me to tell Uncle Souichirou to handle your wardrobe permanently, or at least stick to HAND's uniform?"
She nodded and Chihiro made a mental note to never ask his best friend for any fashion advice.
"Well, I'm glad that we've gotten over everything at least, so, what do you think?"
Miyabi didn't need any que to know that he was referring to the blade in her hand. No longer ridden with self-doubt and worry, she allowed the weapon her full attention.
She stepped away from her friend and into the middle of the backyard, tracing the weapon with her other finger.
Chihiro might put himself down by calling his debut work inferior, but that's only because his point of reference was his father's masterwork, the seven enchanted blades that ended the Seitei war.
Barring her Tailless, all sword pales in comparison to the armaments contracted to the six Sworsmasters, Chihiro's blade included.
But, as she positioned her new weapon's sheath on her hip there was no denying that the wakizashi she held was a fine weapon, and if it was any clue of how her best friend's tale as a swordsmith would unfold….
Miyabi swung the weapon with renewed vigor, each strike leaving no sound in a testament of her skill and the blade's quality.
That night the two became entranced, the boy by the beautiful yet deadly dance of slashes that the girl displayed, and the girl by the near-perfection of the weapon that the boy had given to her.
She knew that with his blade, there's no foe she cannot face. He knew that in her hands, his creation would live up to its fullest potential.
'They' will shred through skin, rend the flesh, and tear apart the bones of their foe…
It was a promise for the future, an oath for what's to come. Two people swore without a word that no matter what, they'll always have each other back, sharing their burden of the blood that will undeniably be spilled in the name of justice.
And together, they'll be able to slice the corruption that brought down the old capital, and cut open a new era.
How long did the dance last? How long did Miyabi swing their sword taken away by its splendidness while Chihiro breathlessly watches her impeccable sequence?
Neither of them knew and neither of them cared. All that mattered was, under the beautiful moonlight of that day, the wakizashi on her grip and the hand that wielded his blade were just right.
For that moment, even if it lasted for only that long, everything fit perfectly together and felt just right.
Her last strike was a flawless vertical slash, decisive as it is deadly and sure to put an end to the fight and her opponent's life.
Thus the battle ended with their victory, blade in hand and doubt clinging to them no longer.
Miyabi could face anything and anyone, so long as it's Chihiro's blade in her hand. Chihiro can forge the strongest of Katanas, so long as they're meant for Miyabi to wield.
He will continue to forge swords, each stronger than their predecessor. She will continue to fight, growing stronger after overcoming each of her adversaries.
And they'll ponder the aftermath, the blood spilled, together. Further honing their craft and growing until they can finally fulfill their roles and realize their goals.
With their battle over, the swordsman wiped the blade off their blade and ceremonially sheathed her weapon. Yet it can't be clearer that they're ready for the next fight, to face whatever it is that came their way…. And speaking of which…
"What exactly were you fighting earlier?" Chihiro couldn't help but ask.
Sheltered as he maybe, he knows how to swing a sword propper, he received instructions from Mr. Samura, after all. So he at least knows the typical movements and pattern of drawing's one blade against another person.
And Miyabi's movement was nothing of the like, so naturally he just had to ask, and he didn't need to wait for his curiosity to be sated.
"I was fighting a gigantic praying mantis."
"...a gigantic praying mantis?"
His friend nodded. "Yes, I once heard that if they are the same size, a praying mantis would be able to easily behead a dragon. So I imagined it as my foe earlier."
Chihiro knows Miyabi, after all, she is his closest and only friend. And while anyone would draw the conclusion that she was joking, in a 'I'm pulling your leg by saying the most ridiculous thing with a deadpan expression' kind of way, Chihiro fortunately or unfortunately knows that she meant every word.
That and his dynamic vision was keen enough to pick up that she was fighting something with two blades, though a giant praying mantis was admittedly low on the list of what he'd guess specifically.
"...Right, of course. So did you win?"
Years of dealing with a goof of a father however, more than prepared him to respond in a way that's not at all belittling while keeping a neutral face, and how her ears perked up
"Of course! They wielded their scythes as an extension of itself, but I was able to turn things around by going into extreme close range. As expected, his blade cannot reach me there, and your wakizashi easily cuts through its carapace!"
Although her enthusiastic response most definitely pushed his calm facade to his limits. Even more than his father ever did in his fourteen years of life.
"...glad that I've been of service then. But I think that's enough training for tonight, it's already really late."
And they still need to take care of their fathers. They came in late afternoon for a celebration after all, and their parents have already knocked themselves out because uncle Shiba brought alcohol. Ironic since neither of them are even of drinking age."
"Indeed, even though I believe that one's training never ends, pushing too hard would be detrimental."
"Well if you want to get a silver lining out of this, we'll get a decent muscle
"Oh! That is indeed a good way to look at it! You're wise as always, Chihiro!"
"More like used to my dad's antics than anything, and now I'm kinda worried because not even uncle Souichiro could resist it…"
And he was the smartest person he knows, so what does it say that his dad could drag him into his shenanigans.
"Then it's a good thing you're here, because we'll figure out that together too, right?"
At that, the young swordsmith could only smile.
"Well when you put it like that..."
They walked side by side back to his home, his gift rightfully settled on her hip. Come next morning after Miyabi and Uncle Souichirou left, his dad insist that what they did was as 'advanced as unprotected handholding' and spent the rest of the day giving him the talk.
XxXxX
So got onto the ZZZ train, and although I'm mostly only there for Vivian, the setting is charming and the gameplay is great. So between that and my other ongoing fixations this ended up happening. Might write something along this length more often.
Anyway enjoy!