~Koryuu Kagemitsu~
小竜景光

Requested by FHEtsuko!

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"So, what do you think of Master?" Kasen asked while hanging the linens on the bamboo poles.

"She's doing well, but there's room for improvement. Why, you dislike her?" Koryuu took a piece of cake as he answered. Although she was young, he never failed to notice the effort that she puts into everything she does. He was contented with it, but a certain sword voiced out extreme dissatisfaction to his new master ever since he came here.

"Is she a qualified person to own us?"

"It's been only a month, Kasen. She needs more time to adapt."

"You're soft towards Master, Koryuu. She's not up to my expectations. Just look at all those armouries, they are all bronze! And the protection amulet, we don't even have one!"

"All right, I've heard enough. I'll leave you to handle the laundry."

Turning at the corner, Koryuu was surprised to see his master. She placed a finger on her lips, not wanting him to announce her presence. Once they went further away, Koryuu stood in front of her, pulling her close to him. He could feel her stature shiver against his touch.

"I apologise for what Kasen had said earlier, Master." He whispered, patting on her small back.

"He's correct, unfortunately. I'm the last candidate among the hundred applicants. I almost failed my training. I had difficulty creating swords. What others did well in was never my forte."

Koryuu furrowed his brows, not wanting to hear such negative words from her. 

"Every person has their own merits, Master. The time will come where you excel as our leader, Master."

"Charisma is one thing that I like about you, Koryuu. Those words of encouragement are good enough for me." Turning to leave, Koryuu retracted his outstretched hand, not knowing how to console her.

~~

Koryuu took his blue cape off and hung it on the coat stand before sitting on the chair, rubbing fatigue off his eyes.

"You look tired, Koryuu. It's time for you to rest."

"Ah, Mitsutada. Did I interrupt something?"

"No, not at all. My ears are suffering from Kasen's constant complains about Master."

"Master heard it, unfortunately. She didn't say anything, but I'm sure it affected her badly. Today's sortie was a complete mess." 

The sage had messed up with the team compositions and the locations, causing both teams to return severely injured. Kasen was the first to voice out as usual, but he almost lost control, and Koryuu had to drag him away and shut him in his room. 

"Oh, right. Have you seen Master? She didn't come to the hall for dinner."

"I've been searching for her as well. I'm worried that something might've happened to her."

"I'll make sure he stays in his room for the next few days to cool himself down, Koryuu."

"I'll let you handle that, Mitsutada. Have a good night."

Leaving the room after changing to his internal affairs outfit, he took his sword along for safety, searching the entire citadel for the next two hours. Thinking of other locations that she might have gone, he then heard a piercing scream from the northeast direction.

His heart dropped.

Sprinting towards that direction, he looked around frantically before locating the sage on the ground with a snake just inches away from her. Picking it up using his sword before throwing it towards the bushes, he then went over to her, checking for any visible injuries before he cupped her face with his hands. She tried to escape, but he held her tight and tried to calm her down.

"Master, it's safe now! No snakes, no danger. It's me, Koryuu. Calm down and look at me. Follow my breathing pace, alright? Good, you're doing well..." Making sure that she wasn't hyperventilating, he then placed a hand on her shoulder while the other under her knee as he carried her back to her room, placing her down on the bed before getting a clean set of clothes for her to change.

"T-Thank you, Koryuu..." She mumbled as she passed the pile of soiled clothing to him.

"It's my duty to protect you, Master. Forgive me, but where did you go for the past three hours?"

She shifted against the bed as she hugged on the pillow tighter. Koryuu didn't want to force her if she didn't want to tell him, but she soon made her mind.

"Koryuu, am I a qualified Master?"

"Of course. You are my only Master."

"Would my disappearance act as a blessing to everyone?"

Koryuu looked up and stared deep into her dark orbs as he took a deep breath, figuring a way to answer her question. One slight mistake could cause her to lose control.

"Master, I will not abandon you no matter what happens. Whatever happened today will act as a reminder for future sorties."

She let out a laugh, surprising the sword. It was a soulless laugh.

"What if I disappeared and everyone's happy about it? What would they do to my dead body? I guess they will celebrate, isn't it? Look at their smiling faces-"

Koryuu could no longer hold himself back. Holding her close, he swallowed, taking deep breaths as she stopped resisting gradually. Fear was eating both of them alive, but Koryuu had to keep himself intact.

"Master, please...! Please don't say that. It hurts me to see you in such a way, F/N. Forgive me for being a selfish sword, but I will not let that happen as long as I'm alive. You have my word."

She broke free, getting near the desk to grab the letter opener before pressing it against her throat. Koryuu tensed as he took his sword with reflex, but loosening his grip as he held his hands out.

"You can't stop me, Koryuu! Look what I've done! Twelve swords almost died because of my silly mistake!" She let out her despair and anger. Blood slowly seeped through the small cut.

"What's your choice? Tell me, Koryuu! Without me, everyone will rejoice!"

With a swift movement, Koryuu grabbed her arm and twisted it, forcing her to drop the letter opener. Gently, he embraced her as she let out muffled cries, clenching on his jacket tight with her hands. Her heart felt lighter as time passed, relieved of her suffering.

It wasn't until ten minutes later before he felt her weight leaning against him.

"Master? Are you alright?"

She pushed against him weakly, barely supporting herself using her arms. As she fell backwards, Koryuu's arm went behind her almost immediately, breaking the fall. He panicked, bringing his hand to her cheeks before he gasped at the temperature difference. The continuous repairs must have taken a toll on her body.

"Master, lie down slowly. I'll be back soon."

It would be great if she could restart everything.

~~

Waking up to a wet sensation on her arm, Koryuu was beside her, wiping her using a cold towel.

"Master, are you feeling better?" She tried to sit up, but her body felt extremely heavy. Even lifting her head up from the pillow was difficult for her. 

"What time is it now?"

"It's 5 in the morning, eight hours after you passed out from an extremely high fever. Yagen said that it must be linked to the repairs that you've done without taking a rest in between."

She swallowed, trying to make herself feel comfortable. 

"Do you really mean it when you said you want to keep me alive? What if I keep finding ways to leave this place?"

"Yes. If you are able to leave this place successfully, I'll gladly follow behind." 

She nodded, wondering what would happen if she had talked to him about her insecurities instead of hiding away like a coward.

"Master? Are you listening to me?"

"Yeah, I'm listening."

Koryuu took her hand gently, kissing her the back of the hand before sticking his forehead against it.

"F/N. Can I call you using your name?" She was surprised at his tone of voice. It was deeper with a hint of seriousness behind it.

"I don't mind..." It was the first time that a sword has decided to call her by her name, and it was a big leap between their relationship.

"Due to safety considerations, I've already kept Kasen in his locked up room. What do you intend to do with him?"

"Oh, him..." She had almost forgotten about that sword who almost tried to kill her yesterday. 

"Shall we talk to him?" She said after minutes of hard thinking.

"Talk to him? His mind's a little..." Crazy. He held himself back to not sound disrespectful.

"If it wasn't me, Kasen wouldn't act like that, Koryuu. I need to work harder than anyone else."

"Alright, I'll accompany you then. But first, you should rest. The fever's not gone down completely." 

~~

The next few days were a blur to her.

Hesitating to knock on the door, Koryuu took the initiative. Apart from helping her take the first step, he ensured her safety as he stepped in, looking at Kasen who was lying on the mat. A part of him was afraid that Kasen might attack her if he saw her again.

"Kasen, can I have a word with you?"

The sword opened his eyes, squinting at the sage before he sat up, letting out a huge sigh.

"Master, I see that you're doing well."

"I want to apologise for not being the qualified person to rule over this citadel."

Kasen looked surprised for a moment before he laughed, covering his eyes with his hand.

"Besides that, what do you intend to do with me? I would have killed you if it wasn't Koryuu who took me away. That makes it an attempted murder, isn't it?"

She recovered from the deep bow, confident about her final decision.

"I can't guarantee that I'm the right person for you to address me as 'Master', but I'll keep trying until everyone has acknowledged me."

Kasen stood up all of a sudden, causing Koryuu to jump into alert. As Kasen saw him grabbing his sword, he laughed, getting a few books from the shelf.

"Read on them. They're written by the elite team of sages who has decades of experience. And my sword. Keep it as a form of my punishment." Kasen knelt in front of her, presenting his sword to her. It meant confinement in the citadel and no participation from sorties, but he showed no regret on his face.

"I understand. Thank you, Kasen." She said, taking the sword from him while Koryuu took the pile of books before leaving the room.

"Master, it is a success. Congratulations!"

"If not for your help, I wouldn't even dare to enter his room. Thank you, Koryuu. Ah, put those books beside my table."

As they spent their time in the office for the rest of the day, the sound of china breaking into pieces was heard from Kasen's room.

Taking a piece of it, he stared at his own reflection for a moment before blood stained across the mats.