"Jidaraku - depravity, self-indulgence."
Struggling with the Kanji character, she stared down at the paper set before her by the Uchigatana. Once again, practicing with his calligraphy... Although, it was an eerie thing for him to depict. It felt om...
Cringe. Konnosuke did not appear concerned as they looked down at the body lain out on the floor in front of you. The very humanoid body that collapsed upon arrival, barely managing to draw the Citadel's gate open before he fell down in a pool of his own blood. Both of them stood frozen in an instant, looking down at the injured soldier who had returned late from battle.
Well, now they both knew why he was late coming back, right?
Oh, boy...
The next few minutes were filled with panic as the sight before the Saniwa and the pipe fox finally registered in both of their minds. Kashuu was lifted and rushed inside, to the repair room, where he was put down on a cot. Rushing around the room, you gathered supplies to prepare to mend the heavily damaged boy - if you could. You weren't a doctor, and he was covered in angry wounds. Blood flowed profusely from a myriad of gashes that littered his thin frame, gushing out on the floor and staining the sheets that the boy had been lain upon. Since when did swords bleed? He wasn't a sword anymore. This was a human body and it needed a human hospital - but rather than permitting you to call for emergency medical care, you were supposed to somehow fix him on your own. According to Konnosuke.
Somehow, you were supposed to listen to and believe in...a talking fox.
'Oh.'
You couldn't really think of anything else. No other word summed up the way you were feeling quite so completely as you sat in the repair room alongside Konnosuke. As he walked you through the process of repairing Kashuu after he returned from the Front Lines battered and bloody, you cursed internally.
You knew that was too fast. He'd had no training, was being provided with no support, and he was going alone. Tilting your head to the side, you finished the repairs in a jiffy under Konnosuke's calm guidance and made your way out of the room. At the small pipe fox's behest, you tasked the smith with the forging of a new sword and additionally went to the armory and created some troops.
Kiyomitsu's wounds lingered in your head - you couldn't unsee it, and you couldn't seem to clear the image from your mind. He had lost his battle - and his loss was your loss. You were responsible for him - so why hadn't you prepared him properly? Why hadn't you asked further questions? Considered the proposition that Konnosuke made, regarding sending Kiyomitsu into battle, a little more...carefully? It was clear you couldn't leave things as is - and you definitely couldn't send Kiyomitsu out alone again. He might not come back next time - and that was an even more terrifying thought.
So many troubling thoughts were parading through your head, growing and itching with every passing second that you spent trying to bury them.
You had hoped that perhaps the addition of your first smithed sword would lift your spirits. Unfortunately, when you got your new Touken Danshi and saw him standing before you... Well.
"I am Sayo Samonji. Whom do you wish revenge on...?" What a line. And to come from such a young-looking child, at that. Tufts of soft blue hair framed a round face, inlaid with joyless eyes and a mouth that looked like it had never smiled - and never would.
Perhaps it suited well enough for Sayo to have come home so soon, considering the joyless event that had just transpired - Kashuu coming back gravely injured from his first run, weeping at his failure despite it being all your fault. Even so, you couldn't help but be bewildered by the timing, internally questioning if there was a reason why Sayo turned up when he did. You certainly had every reason to wish for revenge at this particular second, even though ordinarily you might never have thought to lash out at someone. In the year 2205, there were not a lot of major conflicts that could cause one to wish to plunge a blade in another man's gut. Of course...
Your gaze jutted sidelong at the boy walking beside you. His gaze was trained keenly on you, and he said nothing. Those eyes still quietly demanded an answer to his earlier question, although you had no idea how to respond to such a boy.
A narrowed gaze filled with malice, wordlessly spilling curses into the space around him - this was not the energy that should belong to a child. And yet that was the form that the tantou named Sayo Samonji had taken. Ceaselessly reputed for his countless tales of revenge... It was little more than peoples' long and trivial hours spent on grudges that appeared to fill this sword's spirit.
How sad.
You didn't have a response for him, even though you already had someone in mind the moment he asked about your desires for revenge. The Time Retrograde Army which had wounded Kiyomitsu so grievously. If revenge was Sayo's purpose, then maybe...
Making your way back to the armory, you created another set of troops quickly and went to work the only way you knew how. Equip Sayo, equip Kiyomitsu, and... Send them back out. Together this time, and properly.
Waving to them as they left, you heaved a sigh and turned back towards the Citadel. They'd be returning soon. Hopefully this time without a hitch...
In the meantime, you would call forth one more comrade to greet them upon their return. After all, there remained a lot of work around the Citadel that you didn't really think could be accomplished by just three people and a fox.
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Ah, and how the time flies. From a slow start and terrible introduction, to introducing your two boys to all the people you called home with the Smith, your honmaru filled up quickly.
At least, it was enough to be able to create two teams of six - and then some. Although...you burned through resources swiftly in so doing, and ended up dipping into your personal cash to restore it.
The turnout was pretty lucky. Honebami, Souza Samonji, Horikawa Kunihiro, and...Heshikiri Hasebe, who has been trailing after you nonstop. Nikkari Aoe joined you next, and while you were waiting for the additional sword you had commissioned, Sayo and Kashuu brought Midare Toushirou home - as well as Yagen. Another forging attempt brought you Urashima Kotetsu, and you sent him off to meet with Hachisuka who came before him.
Shortly after, you surprised everyone with Kousetsu Samonji, Kogitsunemaru, and Ichigo Hitofuri. The smithing escapades ended after Mikazuki Munechika, mainly because you were afraid of draining any more resources. Still, you couldn't help feeling lucky to bring these guys home so early on.
