The Two Swordmasters

A Little Brother

A Little Brother

Soft clanking of wood against wood could be heard in a small room. A light blue haired teen held an arrow in his hands as he placed his hand made bow on his work table. He inspected the arrow in his hands silently as he turned it over and over, looking at it in several angles. His teal eyes narrowed slightly when he saw a small chip in the arrowhead. Frowning, he picked up a small dagger on his table and swiftly, yet carefully sliced the string that held the arrowhead at the tip.

The teen placed the shaft on his table and got up to find a whetstone. The room was small and had several shelves containing a various amount of materials to make anything. The small space didn't bother him at all. In fact, it reduced the amount of walking to do. Without much of a thought, his left hand swiped up a whetstone and began sharpening the arrowhead. He stood there as he skillfully made a quick work of the chip, reducing it to a sharped end. Once he was finished, he placed the stone back in its original place. As he sat back down, his hand automatically grabbed a ball of string and began to reattach the arrowhead to the shaft.

He worked in silence, not having any reason to make any noises. He could hear the sound of the rustling leaves outside his window and the familiar chops of his brother cutting wood outside. Just faintly, he could hear his brother lightly singing a recognizable song through the closed window. The teen smiled as he wrapped the string around on last time before securing it. He returned the leftover string on the shelf and checked his handiwork.

Knock, knock!

Blinking in surprise, the teen looked up from his arrow and looked at the window. There, standing right behind it, was a blonde haired teen waving at him to open the window. The light blue haired teen placed his repaired arrow on his table and got up to open the window. He pulled the window panes inward and gave the other a stare.

"Sorry to bother you, Yukio, but I need you to do something while I prepare for tonight's dinner." said the blonde haired teen. Yukio, the light blue haired teen, blinked slowly.

"I'm done." he deadpanned in a subdued, quiet voice. Eugeo, the blonde haired teen, was Yukio's twin brother. Although they didn't have the same hair color, they shared nearly everything else. They had the same teal colored eyes, same height, weight, and even facial features. Both of them were practically mirrors. But, there were differences. Yukio had a slightly slimmer build than Eugeo, and barely ever speaks. Eugeo did most of the adult things around their small home, giving him a slightly stronger build. He was older by only a few minutes. Eugeo smiled brightly.

"Great! Just get a couple of herbs, alright? I just remembered that we're low on thyme, and poppy flowers." he said as he leaned against the window sill. Eugeo glanced behind him and smiled slightly when he spotted the bow. "Was there another chip again?"

"Un." was his response. Although it didn't sound like much, Eugeo quickly got the message with a nod.

"Alright, you be careful, okay? And don't take too long." Eugeo advised as he released his hand. Without a word, Yukio turned away from the window. He smoothly picked up his bow and arrow and strode into the living room. He paused at the short row of hooks near the front door. He took his full quiver down and a small pouch for the herbs. He slipped in the arrow and walked right out the door, strapping on the quiver and tying an empty pouch to his belt. Even though he was only picking herbs, it was dangerous to walk around unarmed. He would be foolish to even consider it.

Yukio paused for a moment and looked at the forest that surrounded his home. The birds that usually chirped were unusually quiet. The wind was still but the air was still cold. He pressed his lips together and tightened his grip on his bow. A feeling of unease made him shiver slightly. The forest was strangely silent today. Putting up his guard, Yukio headed deeper into the forest to find the herbs Eugeo asked him to get.