Breath of the Void

Breath of the Void: Chapter 8

Train arc, train arc! I edited this instead of working on a paper that was due. So here's an early chapter.

To those who stopped reading until the movie: That's totally fine. From this chapter onwards this going to have Manga spoilers. This is the LAST warning to those who are ANIME only. Those who read and watch KnY... well, we're gonna fix some stuff. And break some other things. If you're curious about to the extent, the Tags for this story on Ao3 kind of summarize it. Anyways, SPOILERS AHEAD! YOU'VE BEEN WARNED, ANIME ONLYS, THERE ARE SPOILERS.

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After the Pillar Meeting, the weeks passed without too much incident. Shinazugawa was still pissed about the Kamado siblings, but he didn't go against the Master's orders. Musashi didn't bother with paying much attention to the Wind Pillar's grumblings if she could help it.

Nonetheless, after a few missions on a smaller scale, the Void Pillar found herself with new orders. Orders that detailed a mission with Kyojuro, but unfortunately, the said mission involved trains.

Trains always unnerved Musashi. No matter what era she was warped into, they unnerved her to no end. Boats were fine, but the idea of being in an enclosed space moving at max speed? She wasn't overly fond of it.

And the other Pillars knew it.

The first train came to Japan two hundred years after she was born and even though she had been dimension hopping for most of her life, it was still unnerving to her. Especially since she was used to being on foot or horseback during most of her travels.

So, Ubuyashiki had always been careful about where she was sent. Missions that were farther from her location were always accompanied with a few bills and coins for her to get access to a horse. Missions that she was required to use the train (usually in cases of urgency) would end with her restless and constantly twitchy. In response to it, Kocho had created a type of sedative that would lull her to sleep, yet still keep her senses alert in case of an attack. It worked both ways for her and whoever she was with.

Usually, it was with Kyojuro. Occasionally Kanroji or Kocho, but more often than not it was the Flame Pillar.

The Flame Pillar had jokingly complained that he was tired of having to tie Musashi up in his Haori to keep her still.

(Kocho would later tease the man with Uzui about it, telling him that he definitely didn't mind. Musashi would later wonder if Ubuyashiki was trying to create a set-up.)

Musashi had just returned from a mission, reporting in to Ubuyashiki at the same time the Flame Pillar had been. The two of them got their next orders then and there— investigate the Infinity Train. To be exact, Kyojuro had been ordered to investigate the train and the strange disappearances that surrounded it. Musashi had been asked to accompany him, despite her deep aversion to the locomotive. But she couldn't go against Ubuyashiki's orders (it would be like kicking a puppy— a blind puppy) so she had gone to Kocho for the sedatives she made.

A good thing too...

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Kyojuro had gotten tired of her twitching and leg bouncing before the train even started moving. He eventually tossed her the small container of sedatives and she was asleep within minutes.

The Flame Pillar glanced over to the sleeping swordswoman with a soft look on his face. In all honesty, he was glad that Oyakata-sama had Musashi join him. He figured that he could take on whatever this mission was by himself, but she was always welcome.