This Duty, My Duty

Chapter 5. Support

(A/N: I hope you all have been enjoying the fanfic so far!)

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The time spent with the two swords seemed short after a long day had gone by tending to the chores. Nighttime fell onto the citadel as the dark starry sea spread across the night sky. It was a beautiful sight to take in as the fireflies appeared out of nowhere around the large pond. By this time, the two boys had already taken shelter in their rooms after having a good bath with one another. Horikawa could finally say to himself that he had fully adjusted to Kuwana's nature and the two spoke freely about their former masters with one another before going separate ways for the night. Tsubaki, on the other hand, had much to discuss with Konnosuke.

Silently, the two of them sat within the viewing room, taking in the scenery of the crescent moon before them,

"Aruji-sama... when I see a moon like this, I can only think of one person, Mikazuki Munechika. I presume the government has taught you well about the swords but... I can't help but wonder how powerful that sword truly is..." Konnosuke said as the two of them simply gazed at the night sky.

"Mikazuki Munechika... one of the great five swords of Japan..." Tsubaki muttered softly as she tilted her head, "...You said that we had received a letter from the government, right? It's only been a few days since we reached the citadel... Surely they don't have a mission for us already?" Her voice was slightly concerned, as she didn't feel like they were ready to take on any missions. After all, the swords had yet to train since manifesting, so there was no guarantee that they'd be skilled or not. Getting used to a human body was no light-handed matter.

Unfortunately, it was just as Tsubaki had said; the government had given a mission for her citadel to take on. With a tap of his bell, Konnosuke revealed a plethora of information virtually onto the floor. With her touch, she was able to move the images and documents around as she scanned through the information thoroughly.

"Hakodate... but Horikawa..." Tsubaki said as she furrowed her brows.

"It doesn't seem like it'll be the Battle of Hakodate. Take a look at this Aruji-sama," Konnosuke said.

Konnosuke shifted his paws over the floor, moving a piece of document that Tsubaki had missed into the front,

"It'll just be an expedition mission to gauge how the atmosphere is there, Aruji-sama," Konnosuke said to reassure her.

Tsubaki let out a sigh of relief at the information that Konnosuke had just given her.

"If it's only an expedition then alright... Let's prepare for the mission by summoning another sword. Until the proper amount of members for a team is reached, I will accompany them on the missions," Tsubaki said as she stood up from the floor.

"Of course, Aruji-sama," Konnosuke said tapping his bell collar once more, recalling all the information away.

With their discussion coming to an end, the two of them traversed into the smithing room. The heat of the furnace embraced her as she entered the room, remembering the feeling of her last extrusion all too well. There was no time for her to feel anxious for she knew what needed to be done, and so she would see to it. With hands pressed together, Tsubaki focused her energy into the flames once more,

"Now! Come forth my newest touken danshi!!" She shouted as the flames erupted in front of her. The room lit up as the new sword warrior spawned right before them,

"Hehe...! I am Atsushi Toushirou, a tantou sword forged by the Awataguchi Yoshimitsu! Amongst my brothers, I'm classified as a yoroidoushi... nice to meet'cha!" (A/N: yoroidoushi is a type of tantou that is thick and pierces through armor.)