Demon Tamer

Chapter 17: Resolve?

Yoriichi stood in front of you, Michikatsu also there as you opened your eyes. Just a moment ago, you were meditating. It was in a path, behind them was a cottage which felt strangely nostalgic to look at. But that didn't really matter, the two men gazed at you with their swords in hand. Clearly they didn't take you as a threat, you would have been dead otherwise.

What would have happened if you died? The last thing you remembered was meditating on your futon, the rain outside pattering against the walls while you crossed your legs and decided to meditate.

Michikatsu looked at you and pointed his sword, which his brother pushed down with his own. You stayed sitting down for a moment before pushing yourself up. Michikatsu narrowed his eyes on you and you narrowed your own in return. He then rested his finger to his chin and hummed, "you're strong but you don't know how to control it." He concluded, "your swings have force but there isn't a crowd-friendly level of force. You're very destructive." He added as an elaboration and you raised an eyebrow at him.

"Oh, I see it now." Yoriichi agreed and took your hand in his, seeing the rough palm and firm fingers. "So you're here to practise?" He queried and spun you to Michikatsu.

"I suppose she is. Do we help her? I don't see what good it does if she fails though." Michikatsu eyed you. You eyed him back.

"She's a rare case. She isn't human." Yoriichi explained and Michikatsu leaned into your face.

"What is she then?" He questioned coolly.

"Well, I would say she's God's favourite... but he doesn't have favourites. What's the opposite of a demon?" Yoriichi pondered for just a moment, "I suppose an angel..." he hummed.

"So what is she? An angel?" Michikatsu poked you as if you weren't real.

"It feels a bit romantic." Yoriichi debated with himself.

"Can we just continue?" You brushed off their hands and pulled out your sword. They looked at each other and then you thought of yourself. How old were you? You didn't act how you often did. "What even is this?" You looked around and decided to question.

"What do we know?" Yoriichi returned and walked away, you had to catch up to them. It was strange. It was like you knew them your whole life, and still, you knew you were Yuna Mizuchi of the Meiji Era. Here you sat in the Sengoku era, didn't you? Both of them sheathed their swords and you decided you should do the same. They took you into the woods, where you were told to sit and wait. Which you did. They also told you not to meditate. So you didn't. But you wondered why.

They arrived some time later with sacks of rice, metal sheets and clay utensils. Yoriichi looked up at the sky, "the night will be long." He promised and looked at you, "so my brother will teach you." He explained, Michikatsu was ready to protest but didn't.

You spent the day doing a range of things, you were told to do. Such as cleaning a sack of rice with a duster. You groaned at the thought, often, you let gravity do the work and you'd shake the thing, but Michikatsu made sure you didn't. With the sheets of metal, you were ordered to bend them. Which confused you, since that did take a lot of strength. But when you tried, you felt the metal snap. You looked at it and then at Michikatsu, who looked at you, and had to look away before he laughed in your face.

"What!?" You looked at it.

"The metal can be bent but it's very... very brittle as well. I want you to be able to bend it and make a shape out of it." He ordered and crouched down to point at it with you, "so don't snap it too hard. If you can do that, then you can show pretty good restraint." He explained and looked around for his brother. "I don't see why he bothers teaching people who will never be like us." He tutted and you looked at him.