Swords & Saniwa

String

~Yamanbagiri Kunihiro~

  山姥切国広  

Requested by TiffanybvnnyPastry!

Hope you've enjoyed it! ^^

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Before he could put up his wall of his self-acclaimed inferiority, he realised something.

"A-Ah... I am Sakura... Pleased to meet you.." She said, handing her hand out, but touching the handle of his sword accidently. 

"Uwah! I am sorry!" She quickly retracted her hand back, hiding it behind her.

"Aruji, do a proper handshake to end the introduction."

"Y-Yes!"

Handing her hand out again, she waited for a warm hand enveloping hers. Her secretary, Shokudaikiri Mitsutada, then looked at the latter, wanting him to shake her hand. Stretching his hand unwillingly, he then took her small, delicate hand into his.

"I'm Yamanbagiri Kunihiro."

~~

"Why.. can't she see?" The sword asked as the secretary gently closed the door to her room. 

"She had an accident when she was 16, and it caused her blindness. Her family background was prestigious and they kicked her out in order to preserve the family name. That's what Aruji told me. It's been 2 months since she came here."

He didn't know why, but he felt a moment of empathy towards his master.

~~

Dawn.

She opened her eyes, but darkness greeted her as usual.

"Good morning, Aruji."

"This voice... Is it Kunihiro..?" The sage asked, and broke into a smile.

"Starting from today, you're my secretary! I'll be relying on you!"

He was taken aback, but still he accepted it. The only thing that he didn't understand was her optimism in everything.

Why, after all the hardship that she had gone through?

As she stood up and started walking, he quickly stood up and stayed by her side, guiding her to the place that she wanted to go. When he took her hand, she pulled away from his grip.

"I want to be more independent."

Walking around her room, her hand glided through objects such as the wardrobe, the table, the floor lamp and the dressing table before tripping over the tatami mat accidently. Catching the falling figure in time, he gave a sigh of relief.

"Tell me where do you want to go. I'll guide you."

~~

As time passed, more and more swords were awakened. 

"Kunihiro."

"What?"

"Here's the team formations for all 4 teams. We'll attack Edo tomorrow at dawn." Handing him the paper, she then stretched her body and stood up. About to leave her office, she felt her arm grabbed by him. When she was about to speak, she was pulled into an embrace.

"Kuni..hiro?"

"I...just want to h-hug you..."

Hearing him stutter for the first time, she then wrapped her arms around his frame.

"You can do anything you want when you come back from Edo."

~~

When all preparations were done, three teams were about to set off when the sage ran towards the entrance.

"W-Wait!"

"Aruji-sama? What's wrong?"

Handing them an omamori each, she then smiled.

"Come back safely!"

As she waved, all the teams stepped into the portal and disappeared.

~~

"How empty.."

As the three teams split up as soon as they reached Edo, no enemies came charging at them. The streets were surprisingly quiet. As they walked to the castle, there were still no enemies or kebiishi.

Something was awfully wrong.

"The citadel!" He realised and shouted to the team.

It was all a plan by the historical revisionists.

~~

"A-Aruji..." 

"Hakata!" She ran towards his voice, but all she could feel was his sword.

"General!" Yagen ran towards her and saw the blades that she was holding onto tightly.

Midare. Hakata. Higekiri. Horikawa. Gotou.

Yagen was the only one left out of the main team.

A few hours after the teams set off, the sage was at the armory room when the barrier was forcibly broken. Enemies soon came invading. 

Most of the main forces of the citadel were in Edo, leaving the not-so-strong swords to guard the citadel. Only Yagen was the strongest one out of the entire main team. No matter how much he slashed, the number of enemies didn't seem to decrease. 

They surrounded them, not leaving a single gap of chance to escape. A yari was seen charging at the tantou.

She wanted to protect everyone, but she couldn't.

She thought that this was the only chance left.

"Thank you, Yagen."

Shielding him against the yari, he was thrown aside as she felt the blade deeply plunged into her chest.

Before Yagen could react in time, all three teams reached the citadel. As they saw her collapsed in a pool of blood, they were deeply angered.

Not even a single enemy was left alive in a matter of five minutes.

~~

As soon as the last enemy was destroyed, Yamanbagiri then threw his sword away and ran towards her, who was barely hanging onto the lifeline. Yagen kept his hands pressed on the wound to reduce blood loss using his jacket.

He didn't know what to do apart from looking at her.

"Call the Government and inform them! Souza! My medical box!" He shouted, giving orders to the rest of the swords.

"K-Kunihiro-"

"Don't talk! Yagen, how's she now!"

"That thing missed his aim, if it wasn't slightly off the mark she would have died... But it's too serious... The blood wouldn't stop flowing! General, don't fall asleep! General, General!" 

All she could hear was their muffled shouts getting further and further away.

~~

Waking up was most probably the best thing she could ever wish for.

"Aruji!"

A certain figure with a white cape was seen as she turned her head at the source of his voice.

"Kunihiro.."

She felt water drops dripping and staining her blanket.

He was crying, no, wailing.

She was saved.

"Sorry, Kunihiro... And thank you.."

She was really happy to have him by her side as a sword and a friend.