~Yamanbagiri Kunihiro~
山姥切 国広
Requested by The_Insane_Reader
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The fact that he was a duplicate did not turn her away. Instead, she drew herself closer to him.
She didn't care about a genuine or a duplicate sword. What matters was their heart and mind.
But sadly, a certain sword just do not understand her at all.
What's so good being a duplicate? It was simply just a copy of the original; a fake one. An original always does a better job than its copy.
"Look Kunihiro, you are the one and only 'Yamanbagiri Kunihiro' to me! In other words, you are an original sword!" She said happily, trying to change his perspective. Of course, fellow duplicate Sohayanotsurugi did try to change him, but that didn't work as well. He was perplexed at his behavior; why would someone mind about whether is he a duplicate or not?
"I'll excuse myself for a while~" Telling him, she went to the washroom and started coughing, unable to hold it back anymore. She took her hand off from her mouth, and saw blood on it.
This wasn't a common sight to the sage. Years of work and fatigue had caught up on her, giving her illnesses.
It could not be cured.
Washing off the blood and rinsing her mouth, she looked at herself in the mirror, trying to get herself back in shape.
She didn't want him to know about it. Only Ichigo and Yagen knew about her condition, both utterly shocked at her sudden illness. They had to keep it to themselves due to her pleas to keep it as a secret.
Yagen did his best to find a cure, but it did not succeed. She often saw him throwing the medical texts when he couldn't find the cure to vent his frustration. Even a doctor from her world could not help, saying that surgery or other types of treatment would not work. Medicine would only be able to prolong her life.
It's natural, she thought. The human life is fragile and meagre as compared to her swords. All life are bound to end someday.
She could feel her heart ache a bit whenever she saw him still trapped in his mind.
If only she could change him.
~~
Days flew by, and her health was decreasing.
"Aruji!" The eyepatch called her, breaking the fall. She suddenly lost strength in her hand and broke the teacup before collapsing. He acted quickly and caught her in time, glad that she didn't hurt herself.
"I am fine.." She uttered, trying to stand up without his help. A thin layer of sweat covered her forehead. With a quick scoop, she was on his arms.
"W-Wait..! Mitsutada!" She struggled, but one look from him caused her to stop her movements completely. He was really worried about her.
Setting her down on the tatami, he made the bedding before he was about to carry her.
"It's fine.. I can stand." She told him as she stood up, staggering to the futon.
"Aruji... I apologise for my rudeness, but are you hiding something from me?"
She flinched slightly at his sudden question as she thought on her answer.
There was no use in hiding it.
"Call everyone to my office. I'll tell you everything."
~~
The truth shook them badly.
Some of the tantous couldn't hold their feelings and ran out from her office before she ended the sudden meeting. Ichigo was about to chase them when she stopped him.
"Let them be... I know how hard is that feeling."
She glanced at the duplicate, curious about his reaction.
He was angry...?
As he stood up, he stomped over to her and slammed his hands on the table.
"Why didn't you tell me!"
"Do not be rude to Aruji, Yamanbagiri Kunihiro!" Hasebe warned him, trying to control the situation.
"Shut up! Tell me the reason!" He shouted at him before keeping his attention on her.
"I couldn't tell you... I just don't have the courage to do so..."
"Courage? Stop joking! This is your life!"
"That's because you are special to me! The one and only Yamanbagiri Kunihiro that I have in my entire life!" She stood up and rebutted him, causing him to widen his eyes for a few seconds before taking his sword and leaving her office hurriedly. Wanting to chase him, she made her first step before a dull pain took over her body. She held on her chest painfully before collapsing, panicking the others.
"General! Wake up, General!" Yagen picked up her body and shook her while calling her.
She could feel her cheek being tapped and her body shaken, but what he did couldn't stop her from losing her consciousness.
He then looked back, regretting his actions as he saw her lying on the tatami.
If only she could change him for one last time.
~~
Fluttering her eyes, she saw the tantou along with Yamanbagiri who were anxiously watching over her.
"Y-Yagen.... Kunihiro..." She uttered their names feebly before trying to sit up. Kneeling behind her, he let the sick sage lie against his frame.
He could hear how weak her breaths are every time she breathed.
"Yagen, can you help me write a letter for me?"
"But-"
"It's fine, I won't die until I have told everyone my wishes."
Taking a brush and paper, he wrote down her words.
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To: Swords
My first day being a sage was a total hell.
No resources to make armory or swords.
No horses.
No swords except Konnosuke who was with me the entire day.
That day was most probably the worse day I had in my entire life.
I know that it was hard for everyone. I am sorry for keeping this to myself. Everyone cared about me, and I appreciated it very much. I gave my many 'firsts' to you. Talking about this, I could still vividly remember the time when I took almost a day just to repair a tantou. How hilarious..
A new sage will be assigned to take over this citadel, but the memories I had with everyone will not disappear. Please also move on instead. Every one of you are precious to me, so don't treat yourself badly and look forward to the future. Guide the new sage if any mistakes were made. I know everyone can do this well.
Lastly, there is a bag of omamoris left in my drawer. Ichigo will be distributing them out to every one of you. Take it and treasure it. Don't lose your life on the battlefield, and make sure you return to the citadel after every sortie. If there are new swords, make sure to guide them well too.
It was an honour for me to work alongside with everyone. I wish the best in all endeavours.
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Finishing her letter, she gave a sigh as she lied against Yamanbagiri.
She felt tired.
As she was about to close her eyes, she felt a raindrop landing on her cheek.
He was crying.
Raising her hand up to wipe off his tears, she gave him her usual smile, only that it was weaker than before.
"Don't cry. Promise me something."
"W-What?"
"Don't call yourself a duplicate anymore. Be the 'Yamanbagiri Kunihiro' that I knew the best."
~~
He stood with her for the whole night, and it was soon dawn.
As he woke up, he felt something was off. The air was awfully cold. The atmosphere was dead and quiet; too quiet for a usual morning.
Touching her body, he almost threw himself back.
Her body was ice-cold without any temperature left.
Shaking her body, he tried to wake up her up even though he knew that she was gone.
"F/N!!"
That was the last time she could get to hear her true name from his lips.
~~
"Hey Yamanbagiri, do you miss her?" The new sage asked as she sat beside him, enjoying the scenery of the sakura tree.
"Of course.... She was smiling till the end." He said as he looked upon the sky, remembering her looks.
Smiles were her only traits.