“Come on Shou, we should go before the weather gets any worse.” Mr. Takamori hurried Shou at the door, he was holding a small leather bag with his right hand, and with his left, he was banging at the half open door making a useless noise.
Shou was stuck at the doormat that says ‘Sato Family’, he was carrying luggage a little different than Takemori; Shou was holding three bags - as big as his legs, on each arm and a straw-box-like container on his back, he was dragging himself to the outside, slow and steady.
Takemori claimed it was part of his Training, but Shou knew he just didn’t want to help carrying anything. The only reason he agreed to carry that single bag was because he didn't want anyone to see what was inside.
“We will miss you” His mother’s eyes were watering and her face turned red, although it seemed she was fighting a wide smile that stuck to her face.
“Shou, though I am sure you do not need him, Heijirou has promised to take care of you, and whenever you feel homesick or tired we are always here. Be strong, my son. A long journey awaits you, a journey similar to the one your father and I had to go through.”
her voice stoic and dead and her expression more confident than most, head high, shoulders stiff.
And yet, Shou can still sense his mother is upset.
“You are making it seem very dramatic, Mom. I am going to be fine. This is not goodbye forever.”
A breath of relief escaped Hellen's grasp “You are just so different… your brother was balling his eyes out before he left, but you, you show no emotion, that will serve you well in the future.”
Out the mother’s back Aoi appears, leaning in and her violet eyes scanning around curiously on the two.
She had a fruity voice, it was sweet and gentle “Good luck Heijirou, you have a tough child in your hands. I hope you can make a man out of him.” yet she does give a wide devilish grin, which made Shou’s ears Redden and his eyebrows clunch “because at this state no one would want to marry him.” she claims.
Aoi pushes her blueish hair back, something she does only when she feels nervous, and what is there not to be anxious about? She is parting ways with her nine-year-old brother, who is going to war, and she is only twelve years old.
Although it doesn't look like it, Aoi is quite fond of her little brother, she teases him only because her parents spoil him too much, she thinks her teasing makes him stronger.
But now, it seems, her little brother is on his own path to becoming a man.
Reminding her of their father, long straight hair of a black color that faded into pale purple as it approached his waist, and how his lime-green eyes burned bright; it all strikes a fuzzy and calming feeling in her.
“Sis, I will come back a lot stronger, stronger than you. And I will be able to lift a lot more wood than you, burn a bunch more coal than you, and cook better than you, most definitely.”
His sister’s smile slowly withers away, as she drowns within her little brother’s eyes.
She knows how they are, and how dangerous they can be when they turn bright blue.
She also knows they never truly look at her, never noticing her.
He was of a completely different dimension than her, she knew that.
Yet all she wanted was to hug him, and for once feel like she was close to her little brother as she imagined in her head.
“I am sure of that, be safe now, I will take care of Mother.”
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
the caravan's wheels were heard squeakily pushing the snow, inside the caravan, it was a lot warmer - white sheets covered the caravan from all sides but the front, so Takemori could get to his driver seat whenever he saw fit.
The caressing sound of whispers from the trees, the warm feeling of being wrapped in his blanket, it all made him yawn.
and so he leaned back and let his eyes slowly close...
but then there it was, the occasional pat.
although it was faint, Shou was clearly upset.
he sighed and looked at the pulsing pile of blankets and clothes.
how could Takemori sleep so loudly, he asked the heavens.
Even under the influence of winter drain, he was still as loud as usual, as odd snoring was sure to be heard across even back to his home.
as if snoring wasn't enough, he kept crawling and moving as well, making the caravan a lot tighter than it truly was, and making Shou stick and fold into his own ball.
Shou tried crossing his eyes once more.
this time he saw the darkness for a short while, enough to make him believe he had conquered the wakeness,
to no avail, of course; another pat was heard.
This time, the pat was loud, loud enough to make Takemori up to his feet, grunting and whaling.
"Shou! Where am I?! I can't see a thing!" he rushes to scream from under the pile.
Shou's voice had already given up, sounding quiet and a little unclear "Mr. Takemori, you fell asleep."
Shou rests his head on the white sheet behind him. but since you kept moving I had no choice but to throw you under the pile."
try after try, cry after cry, Takemori struggles to escape the prison of cloth.
standing up was not an issue even under their heavy luggage.
the issue was getting the blankets off his face.
"pile! what? what pile? hello? Shou? it's so dark in here!"
“So, my parents were a part of the corps?”
Shou puts a finger up as if he was counting numbers.
it has been a while since Takemori escaped the prison realm. He now had decided to lay down with hands behind his head, and he took out a weird tube-looking thing and stuck it to his mouth; it was burning and smoke came out of it, Shou did not dare ask a thing regarding it.
the only squeak that was said before Shou dropped the heavy question, was about driving Yami. to which Takemori only answered by laughing, and mentioning something that has to do with fish.
“Yes,” Takamori responds, he takes the tube out his mouth, and breathes out smoke.
is this a part of his magic, Shou was tangled by this mystery, but before his mind drifted again, he quickened to add “And you were also…?"
“I still am.” a yawn escapes Takemori's grasp, maybe he has not yet escaped the winter tiredness?
“But you were also their friend… or on their team, I suppose?”
Takemori lifts his head to face Shou as he sighs a little. He understands there is no breaking out of Shou’s mind-drilling talks.
“In the corps each person was mostly on his own, doing their missions… even though we are first divided accordingly into parties of three.” Takemori gives a few seconds for Shou to catch up on his words “I was partied with your mother and father. Your father and I go way back, but your mother, I first met at the exams.”
Shou raises an eyebrow and looks at Takamori confused.
“So… if you all were friends, why would my parents hide me from you, or the corps? Didn't they send my brother out as well? Also, what do I actually do as a part of the corps? What is my job?”
Shou kept tossing questions at Takamori’s head, but Takamori did not puff, or redden. instead, he jumps up and widens his chest and his mouth opens like a gate to prepare for a roar
“WE WILL TEACH YOU HOW TO MAKE COOL SLASHES!”
…
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
The scene was frozen in time for a few moments,
Shou even signals Takemori to sit down, but Takemori would not budge.
“Aha… anyway,”
Now, Shou finally understands;
why Takemori acts the way he acts, the tube, why he recruited an aspiring lumberjack like himself.
- Takemori is a moron
And so he gives himself a little bump to the head, muting his brain to surf on Takemori’s waves “Where are you taking me?”
"That's a good question, finally" Takamori breathed and leaned back, to feather down slowly among the heavy luggage. "We're headed to the Academy of the Butterfly Estate, which is located in the Hirosaki domain of the Mutsu Province. Since you live in Rishirifuji, which is an island, we'll have to travel by sea. it's going to be a long journey, I don't know the exact time of arrival, but we'll have to take a few breaks to refresh ourselves. Our first stop, Rishiri!" Takemori raises a clenched fist in the air, his face dazzled with excitement "We'll spend the night there before continuing the journey the next morning. So, prepare yourself!"
Shou tilts his head to one side in confusion, his eyes widen before he quickly swooshes his face in the other direction.
“Do you have any more questions?”
“No, got it all.”
Takamori can clearly see Shou’s cheeks reddening with embarrassment,
he also noticed; that Shou is a morron.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Mr. Takamori! I can see it! The gates!” Shou’s eyes lit up with excitement “We're finally getting off this horrible road!”
“If that was painful for you, I do not know how you're going to survive our travels.”
Shou glances back at Takemori and mumbles “If you made it so far it means I'll probably be fine…”
Suddenly Mr. Takamori notices something, in the corner of his eye beyond the white sheet walls of the caravan.
“Shou, be ready, you have the dagger I gave you, right?”
It was a glitter of light, only for a second.
Takemori took control of Yami, for him now everything seemed an out-of-focus background except the city and the light.
And with a small touch of Takemori’s fingers running across the black Sleipnir's back, Yami started galloping towards the big steel gates.
Shou was in awe at the speed at which the air was blowing at his hair, it made Shou glance an eye at the luggage, but it was just resting - glued to the caravan's wooden floor.
Magic.
Shou bites his lips hesitantly before speaking up “I am going to be a burden to you on this journey, aren't I?”
Takamori's bright yellow eyes surveyed behind his shoulders searching to meet with Shou's glare “Yes. So you better make something of yourself.”
It didn’t take long before it appeared before them, a huge open black gate. It seemed to have been brewed with magic, as its metal rods were filled with weird swirly signs.
The gate was surrounded from either side by white walls, which were twice as big as the gate itself.
“The gate is open, but I don't see any guards...” Takemori says, his fingers lightly tapping around the weapon tied to his hips. it was covered by a while cloth, and a pattern of grey smokey clouds was stamped into it.
“Be careful, if you notice anything suspicious, tell me, will you? And don't do anything alone. Stay by my side until we're sure there's no more danger.”
This time, slowly they enter the city.
The voice of the caravan wheels hitting stones and bumps was the loudest noise they could hear, it startled them even.
the cobblestone street was so big that at least five caravans like Takemori's could fit, so the heavy echo made the atmosphere even more unsettling.
There were also a lot of houses rising from either side of the street, they had little to no gaps in between them - as if they were trying to block the way behind them.
This made the silence even more earring - because the houses were clean and looked recently visited; some even had clothes hanging outside to dry, and some had gardens filled with beautiful flowers. A few even had smoke coming out of their chimneys, and the smell of cooked fish filled the aroma.
“Shou… I sense a large mana source in the middle of this town, there shouldn't be any demons since it's morning, but still, I have to ask you to run away in case something happens, alright?”
Although Takemori was concerned, Shou was only confused - not for a moment did he feel threatened, because he had already seen such tension in mana before, from his brother when they were training alongside their father.
As they approached the end of the street, behind a convoy of houses they noticed there was strange light flashing. With each step, it kept getting stronger.
“Do you see that, Mr. Takamori?”
“Yes… I think this is work from a light Shinto god follower, but I can't sense it has a purpose… brace yourself, Shou”
Going behind the corner revealed it finally; the light was coming from a fountain in the middle of an open field, a center you could say, with limestone flooring instead of cobblestone.
This is also where the people were - hundreds of whom fill the town’s square to the brim, are staring right at it.
“Mr. Takamori! I think I know what’s going on here. Today marks the tenth year anniversary of the blessing. It happened before I was born, I heard about it from my father but never really asked.”
Mr. Takamori nods in understanding "Yes, a prayer, you could say”
Mr. Takamori approaches a man in the crowd, pats him on his back, and says in a gullish voice “Hey, why is everyone acting like zombies?”
The man’s eyebrows scrunch together he pushes Takemori away from him and responds
“Shhh! It's The Five Minutes!”
And then the light dims, and soon after it disappears, the fountain becomes a normal fountain of water again.
“What do you want? Huh? I was praying, for God's sake! Do you not know about the blessing?!”
Takemori slowly starts to back down while pushing his pinched hands up and down trying to calm the man.
“I know, I know, I just wanted to know how come this town is blessed.”
The civilian suddenly takes a big step backward as well. His eyes glare at Mr. Takamori and he points a finger at him.
“T-T-Takemori?!?! F-Forgive me, I did not know who you were, forgive my rudeness earlier, I just did not expect a man of your caliber to be visiting here, nonetheless in winter.”
The man’s face finally started showing behind the dimming lights; he had a small beard attached to his straight jaw, and his eyes were as brown as autumn leaves. His black hair was hidden under a straw hat.
The man was also the biggest man Shou had ever laid eyes upon, even fatter than their village’s Keibu.
“Please, I am an innkeeper, if you want I will let you stay the night, it will not cost you or your…. Pupil a dime, I assure you.”
“A man of his caliber…? I think you have the wrong man in mind” Shou is quite surprised to hear of Mr. Takamori’s reputation, as his first impression was not the best.
“Boy, I do not know who you are, but that's the King Of The Shroud you are talking to! Do you understand? The mist pillar? There are only seven of them in all of Japan! Besides, Mr. Takamori is the first ever Mist Kenjutsu Master to become a Hashira in the history of the Corps, he's that impressive!”
The fat man’s eyes had shined brighter than the fountain light but his posture seemed fragile and he looked like he was about to faint.
“Do not worry, Shou is only nine years old and he's my student, he's comfortable around me.”
Takamori puts his arm on the man's shoulder as a sign of acceptance, he grins, showing his bright white teeth “We will gladly take your offer, we just need to stay here for a night or two.”
The man begins to tremble, his speech is broken but it is comprehensible “Sure thing, the streets here can be a bit confusing, so I'll have you to follow me, for now we'll be going there.” The man points to one of the many open streets leading to the Town’s Square. Now that everything is cleared up, the town seems built like a cobble-web, and the Town’s Square represents the middle.
“Wait, you have not told me why this place was blessed? And why is the town still up and running?”
Mr. Takamori’s face fell pale as the light dimmed, and his eyes looked as sharp as kitchen knives stabbing into The innkeeper.
“Ah… yes, that happened ten years ago, The Wave was rough, but you see, this town also has a name that speaks for it! We have produced some of the greatest talents currently in the Slayer Corps over the last twenty years.” the man stops for a few moments, his eyes meet the ground and his fists clench “But they were still young, and even with the help of our townsgaurd we could not fend off The Wave.” The man’s voice went down a tone, he did not seem so excited anymore.
“some of our best youths were killed during that battle, and the city certainly lost some homes… but then he appeared, I saw it with my own eyes! Sun Kenjutsu… The long-lost Kenjutsu said to scorch demons as if the sun were striking them! He kind of resembled this kid you have with you…”
The innkeeper weaves his looks to glance at Shou.
“Anyway, he helped us beat- no, it's not fair to say he helped, he wiped them out almost completely by himself… more than that- instead of taking the mana from the cursed demon’s heart, he imbued it in this stone, and we made a fountain of it, this helped us grow our town exponentially, and it blessed all the people in it.”
Mr. Takamori scratches his chin and nods “I see, so you are one of the few towns that have survived a wave… how come I have never heard of this story?”
“Well, we are a greedy people, you know! we don't like sharing, or the spotlight, so we asked to keep it a secret for now."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Booking their rooms was not tough,
But after one girl recognized Takemori from the side there was no escaping it.
Now everyone knew who he was, and it meant the girls in town would not stop nagging them.
Takamori is quite the handsome lad, one of the few silver-haired people in Japan, still in his twenties and surprisingly unmarried.
They were both at the booking booth waiting for their room’s keys. They could both hear the giggling behind them, and also the many a people that were outside of the inn’s glass walls and door looking inside to catch a glimpse of the living legend “So, Mr. Takamori, or should I call you Master Takamori now… what is that ‘Wave’ he was talking about?” Shou asks, he tries to break the silence between him and Takemori,
He understood that Takemori did not want him to perceive him as a legend or master, so Shou would keep calm and motivated.
But Shou knew it could never happen,
because he already concluded to himself -
that Takemori was a morron.
“Well, you will learn in the future, in any case, you are my pupil now if you haven’t realized that, so I suggest you better get used to this. We will be departing from this town in two days since this mister so kindly let us stay here for free. In any case, prepare yourself. We will sail towards the coast of Japan, and in due time, we will arrive in Teshio, a city much bigger than this one, you will find it a lot more amusing there.”
Shou leans more towards Takemori, he wraps a hand to try and whisper “Don’t get ahead of yourself, you know? This doesn't change how I think of you at all!”
It took Takemori a few moments to take in what Shou's sentence meant, but when he did - all he could do was chuckle his absurdly wicked laugh.