There was something off about that, but Yamanbagiri couldn’t put his finger on it. That aside, why his Brother seemed so interested in mundane human subjects was beyond him. Swords only needed to know basic math and physics, with an understanding of the Theory of Relativity on the side so they could sail by time-travel paradoxes.
‘Don’t tell me, this is another one of those things for Kane-san?’
“That depends.”
“Are they round or pointy?” He crossed his arms. “I’ve heard of something that’s about nothing but triangles.”
Horikawa let out a drawn out “ehh” before falling back to the words “Is that so? I actually refer to the one where it involves all of the shapes, round and pointy, not just triangles. Tricky-know-my-tree sounds difficult within itself.” Dark brows arch in both worry and pitiful admiration for his saniwa, who seems to be quite skilled in many of these. He felt that Kane-san seemed to gravitate towards them for this very reason. Not to mention that there truly have been inquiries in which the wakizashi just couldn’t give an answer to.
“Forgive me, though. You have heard our master say something along the lines of ‘good chemistry’, correct? Why our master would bring up shapes of all things eludes me. I’ve thought of something like how a puzzle piece would fit to complete a bigger picture, but it seems sort of… strict, do you think?”
Near inaudible crunching of verdant blades whispered into the wind. With one foot forward into the next, Charles glances around almost wearily. A mass of hours have certainly passed by, and every second brought a worrisome query. Where did that certain malfunction send him? That he simply could not figure out. “…Hrm.” His lips slack into a frown. Certainly I could just be called back, but why haven’t I? The secondary question boggles the executioner enough for him to almost feel curious irritation.
He began to pay these questions less attention as he walks into these vast plains. One minute multiplies into thirty as it felt more like an aimless desert of verdant life. Not too long after, Charles found the outline of civilization, or at least that’s what he thought it was. It appeared to be the vague size of a camp, but it was too far away for weary eyes such as his. “If that is an encampment, should I even try to communicate with the residents?” That is, if they don’t attempt to kill, or capture him on sight. “Mm…” Irritation, caution and weariness plagues Charles endlessly yet… there was something off.
Every second longer made the sensation grow. Gentle presses of anxiety slip down his spine – whatever this paranoia could be trying to say; it certainly took hold of his attention. The executioner could no longer shrug off this overbearing sensation, there was something lurking nearby. If it was impossible to ignore, then… Charles-Henri stopped in his tracks. Cerulean eyes sharpen as he whirls around. Six illuminated shadows lunge forth. Not even a second was missed by their assault. Surely, even an prepared warrior would find death in their embrace.
By their saniwa, Horikawa and other swords of his master’s choosing had been tasked to investigate the enemy sector to observe their movements. It was essential to plan accordingly and take advantage of the flaws in their forces, after all, since they outnumbered the humans. Despite their progress being sluggish, the wakizashi found this to be a great example of brains over brawn. He had to give props to his saniwa for not only being able to gather a legion from the swords themselves, but also for their ability to use their cunning to lay out plans for them to follow. Not that he undermined how his fellow swords’ tactics; nothing stopped them from steering away from what they had been given. They usually just couldn’t think of anything better.
Expeditions were treated differently than the ones who charged forward in the front lines, since it was discouraged of Horikawa and the others in his party to engage in battle unless if it were absolutely necessary. As they climbed the saddles to their horses, the personified blades briefed over their plans and where they were going to be. Horikawa had been assigned to follow along the East. He doubted that there would be anything remarkable there, considering that the last time they looked at the map, there was a river running through it without a bridge. The enemy too would know that their horses wouldn’t pass, and having a skirmish between archers would be a laughable decision since they could take cover in their fortifications.
Alas, he could only keep his feelings to himself. The personified blades moved out, with the reminder to avoid any fights resurfacing in their minds once again. Hooves beat themselves against the fields as the wakizashi separated from his comrades, crushing the emerald blades beneath their feet. The wind not only brushed the man’s cheeks, but also carried the sound of metal clashing. Interest piqued, Horikawa whipped his reins, causing his steed to quicken its pace. Closing enough distance, he could now see that monsters had flanked a man dressed in black. His figure was easily distinguishable due to how he clashed with his bright surroundings. There was little to no room to observe him for long; the danger for the other was clear.
There was no way that Horikawa would leave him for dead! He would rather break these rules to save someone rather than live with the guilt. Jumping off his horse, he unsheathed his sword and confronted the ogre that had been the closest to him. As if sensing the sword’s presence, the hulking monster turned, readying his oodachi. Horikawa’s blue eyes followed where his arms were raised, and in the short amount of time that he was able to consider his options, he hastened himself to the right. He could feel a burning sensation from his cheek as the enemy’s blade grazed him. The wakizashi grit his teeth to keep his focus off the pain and swept up his blade once he was close enough to the ogre’s exposed chest, managing to leave a deep gash due to the amount of blood he had thrown off.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t the end of their battle. The ogre staggered back but in apparent anger, his eyes shone a bright purple as he lunged at Horikawa. The latter held his blade up to meet the enemy’s, causing his feet to drag itself against the ground and dig up some soil. Horikawa was nowhere near as shaped as the one he engaged with, and the difference in strength showed as the man could feel himself being pushed back no matter how much force he put in resisting the other. As their swords grinded against each other, Horikawa took the time to glance at how the stranger was doing, and then over his shoulder. A monster carrying a yari readied his weapon, a wicked grin distorting its already disgusting visage. Realizing that he was going to be impaled, the wakizashi pushed against the ogre in desperation. By the time the speartip was thrust in his direction, Horikawa managed to sidestep. Another acute pain made itself present on his arm, and this time Horikawa couldn’t suppress an agonized grunt.
Gathering his breath, he straightened himself as the ogre recovered, and the spear-wielding monster keeping its ground. Horikawa was determined not to have it end here, but without his partners, he would be reduced to nothing before him. He didn’t even have troops due to their mobility. Almost completely forgetting about the man he was trying to help at this point, Horikawa took a few steps back, anticipating who would act first. These monsters – enemies against humanity truly had no sense of chivalry. Then again, it was childish to think that they would. He gripped the handle of his sword tightly, keeping its point trained on the two before him. The wakizashi ignored the blood seeping from his cheek, and the fact that the area around the cut in his arm was darkening his sleeve.
❝Ooooh! So Horikawa-kun wants to try some okonomiyaki?❞ The delicacy wasn’t something they could consume often, as it was not an easy dish for one to cook. She had some spare koban that was left from today’s shopping, so it shouldn’t be much of a trouble if she spend it just a bit… right? ❝…Sure thing! Let us buy two! I’m hungry, anyway.❞
“Eh?” Horikawa stops in his tracks, looking over to where he had been pointing. Instead of the goldfish-scooping game that he wanted to try his hand at, he’d been unknowingly directing her attention to the grill stand. Realizing this, he quickly composed himself and let out a giggle to conceal his misunderstood intention. “Mmmm, sorry about that, Master! I’ll be sure to pay you back somehow!” He wasn’t even sure if she’d even have enough to pay for a game session afterwards. There was nothing wrong about eating again; he was neither starving yet at the same time it had been quite a while since he last ate. Surely with the digestive system that he was given (just how the saniwa was able to do that was beyond what a sword could imagine), it was considerable.
The wakizashi did find the fact that a grilled fish stand stood right next to a goldfish-catching game was a bit morbid. Some particularly sensitive children would think that some of the food on display came from the game itself. As they approached the stand, the smell of grilled food filtered into Horikawa’s nose, and the heat from the apparatus they used to conduct their cooking could be felt when they stood in front of the stand. Horikawa turned his head to observe the people in the stand next to them, struggling as they tried to get a goldfish to stay in their nets.
Somehow, that comment affected Ichigo more than expected, and that it was merely a silly joke went straight past him. Had Horikawa seen through him? He knew the fellow sword was a bright one, so it wouldn’t be too much of a surprise, but this was bad, very bad!
“A-a..ah…?” Not to mention that bad word! What if one of his younger brothers heard it? “..I…I’m good.”
Seeing the other’s reaction caused Horikawa to hang his head back and laugh. He would feel terrible if he allowed his fellow sword to go on with his life thinking that something was off, yet at the same time he had to give himself a pat on the back for his acting skills. “I’m sorry, I just had to see what you would do if I said things like that! My humor was a bit too forward there, in fact, now I feel slightly ashamed to have even spelled out that certain word.” A sheepish smile played on his lips as he scratched the back of his head, slender fingers digging into his raven-colored hair. Little would he know of any truth that he actually touched with his jest.
“Wow. I wonder how many lives were lost when testing out the 350+ spices on tigers in order to get these findings.”
That information honestly sounded a bit unreliable, even more so since Horikawa apparently got it from some random passerby. But hey, that passerby looked like a wise hermit, since he had the look and all, so it could be legit. He wondered though, about when the people of the future began calling people who looked like hermits ‘hobos’. Eh, probably some new word developed that meant the same thing or something. Probably nothing to be concerned about.
“I too wonder about that, but hopefully the first death inspired people to take more measures when it comes to predicting the nature of such animals, and knowing what would be effective against them,” His blue eyes shifted away from the other sword, reflecting upon his own decision on trying to test out the pepper. “Indeed I am. All I just need to do is take the pepper and put it in there --” His gaze then tilted back up at the cage and the animal who stalked around in its habitat, muscular shoulders as it took a step with its huge paws. The holes in the gate were large enough for Horikawa’s hand to fit through, but he knew that offering the grain using that kind of method would cost him a limb and thus would make life considerably harder. Composing himself, he slowly approached the barrier keeping the beast from attacking the two of them and looked into the bag as if it were a last-minute check that it didn’t magically disappear. “If he – or she doesn’t like it, then we’d know right away. Care to watch?”
“When I see something I like, I need have it. I love it. I’d go crazy for it!” Determination lit Horikawa’s blue hues as he clenched hishands into fists. He extends an arm to a goldfish stand, a slender digitpointing in its direction. “Please, allow me to try! I must bring one of them home!”
It would be a complete lie to deny that he’d been trying to fuel his ego, yet at the same time he would use those words as an assessment. Of course it would be silly to sacrifice practicality for beauty, but Horikawa still had to wonder if he were to balance the scales like Kanesada would.
“We are creatures of the underworld. We can’t afford to love.”
What Horikawa meant by the Underworld was the fact that theywere both involved in something that may cause the end of their country. Atleast, that’s what he saw his situation to be; the enemy wouldn’t hesitate inthe slightest to take advantage of any hesitance and blunders that the oppositeside must show. Blue eyes locked themselves into pools of green, his speechgrim and sharp as his very essence as a blade. “I hate to admit it butsomething like that could become a distraction enough to turn your story into atragedy instead. The same goes for me…” A sigh left him, yet knew that therewere his friends to go back on. A shame if he ended up having to feel like he’dtake a step further.
▲ [hello~! \o/ i apologize for his current appearance, but i swear this is your Brother...!] ^^;
Horikawa’s chin was held by his hand, his brows pressedtogether. Upon seeing the other, the contemplative expression he had faded intoa warm smile. “Ah, you’re just in time.I’ve been thinking more about this than I should have.” He paced around thespace they had before he stopped, raising a finger before he parted his lips tospeak again. “Chemistry is the one withthe shapes and stuff, right?” His face held no hints that his questionmeant to be a joke. Indeed, he refused to look it up until he figured it outfor himself. These concepts weren’t foreign to him, yet there was an inklingfeeling that he had been mixing up his subjects.
“Sorry, we don’t serve liars here. Can I get you a cup of BS for the road?”
A smile spreads across Horikawa’s features, although how henarrowed his blue eyes made it obvious that it wasn’t genuine. Despite beingmild-mannered becoming a joke to him, his voice fell on a mocking note as alast-minute attempt to silently tell the other that there was only a slither ofrespect left.
