❛ — so you think i look strong ? ❜ indra suddenly gives a wry smile , her tone growing lighter as she tilts her head in a manner so coy , it’s almost patronizing . still , she tries not to tease him too much . after all , she can’t look a gift horse in the mouth . this man is cleaning out a meal for them , from his own supply … she ought to be just a little more grateful .
the more he spoke , the less indra felt he was an inherent danger to her . that hunger , that search for strength , that endless pursuit of what he felt was the elite class to fight … wasn’t he just trying to reach them ? surpass them ? indra could understand that . fighting was all she ever knew — since she was as young as five years old , she’s been training to become what she is . her father wanted her to lead , once upon a time . this man wasn’t so different from those that had been a part of her unit .
but not everything is familiar . her family is still alive . she didn’t grow up poor , or not knowing what demons were . she’d been more than prepared when she’d killed her first . killing demons was a birthright , in her family , one that had never been hidden from her . she has struggled — traveling alone as a person of her gender and complexion to the east hasn’t always been easy . combined with the fact that she wasn’t a member of the demon slayer corps and often refused pay for her work … life was hard . but had she ever had to bide her attacks until sunrise … ? no . of all her struggles , that had never been one of them . it’s humbling , makes her simmer down and play with the frayed knot holding her pants up .
❛ — no , actually . i’ve always had this blade . it’s never broken . ❜ a pause . ❛ you don’t have a nichirin blade , even ? ❜
her manner in behavior shifted , allowing a change in his own . musashi dawned on many victorious up until now . he had every right to feel how he did : growing up from nothing , fleeing into the mountains for a life away from the ones who rejected him . survival & battle is all he’s ever known , & it’s a path he’s always been destined to walk on . now , that it seemed as if surpassing his current limits was just a single grasp away , musashi could hardly contain the crooked grin that formed .
now , soon as his demeanor settled , his expression flipped to what looked like sudden confusion , brows furrowed as he tried to process her response . a blade remaining intact no matter how long it’s been wielded ? bullshit . what was it made out of , & what the hell is a nichirin blade ? is it the sword she carried on her now ? he had no clear way of making the heads or tails of it unless he addressed his thoughts verbally . he was set on learning everything about all of this , whatever it took to achieve his goal . ❝ huh ? how has your sword never broken before ? & i don’t know what a nichirin blade is so mind explaining all this to me ? is that what you need to kill demons with ? ❞
a lack of education & the proper training needed for a man aiming to be the strongest was to blame for his lack of knowing . however , it was also this absence of a real guiding figure , raising himself in an environment never meant for a child , musashi was able to master an aloof appearance when it was time to obtain something valuable .
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