“Now, Shinobu, you hold your sword like this!” Her sister spoke, showing her how to turn the sword in her hands so that it was much more comfortable to hold. “If you do that, you can put your self into your swing, and that’ll make it just that much more powerful!”
Still, the object felt weird in her hands. Like something a young girl shouldn’t want to hold.
But even then, she did. She had to.
Her sister didn’t really want to show her how to fight, how to kill like she did. Why would someone want that for their younger sibling after all, to risk their life when they could live their life comfortably?
But still, she showed her how to swing, how to hit, how to protect herself.
And that alone was enough to satisfy the young Shinobu’s spirit.
Her sister, Kanae, tapped her shoulder as she noticed that Shinobu was lost in her own thoughts instead of focusing on their little self defense lesson. Sometimes it was simply hard to not get caught up in things, to know that even though she was being taught to protect herself, she was also being instructed to not use that to protect others too, and that alone was its own pain to bear.
“If you're not able to focus, perhaps we should take a break for now?” Kanae suggested.
“Yes, perhaps.”
Kanae shook her head and smiled as she began to walk off and into the house. It was like her to have already prepared a snack for the two of them, knowing her sister better than she knew herself sometimes. It would have been like Kanae to know that Shinobu would think about wanting to follow her into the Corps, but Shinobu had no reason to — her reason was protecting her older sister, but she didn’t want to be protected, so these training sessions were their compromise. But it did help them grow closer, even if it was just a compromise.
Shinobu herself walked to the house, sitting down on the engawa and breathing out a sigh.
One day, she would protect her sister. One day, she would be just as strong as she was.
Shortly after she heard her sister's soft footsteps approaching, and before she knew it there was company beside her. With her, she held a plate of onigiri, but upon closer inspection one could see that it wasn’t completely well put together — they must have been made in a hurry, but with care.
Kanae let out a laugh, “I know they don’t look the best, but I thought we’d both want a treat, and I didn’t have anything prepared…”
“It’s more than fine, I’ll enjoy them all the same.” Shinobu said, placing her hand on her sister’s shoulder.
And enjoy them they did, for this was the routine and familiarity that they knew, and that they both hoped nothing would change.
Oh, they both hoped that nothing would change this.
.
.
.
Shinobu sat up as straight as she could upon awakening. The same dream, the same recollection of her times training with Kanae always circling her dreams, leaving her present duller than ever before. She longed for those times, more than she would let herself ever admit; she needed to be strong, for her and Kanao, not stuck in some idealistic past of her and someone that was no longer around. She had to be strong for Kanae, too, as she so promised and as she was never demanded to be.
Even without their parents, Kanae only wanted to make sure that Shinobu had a good childhood. She never wanted or required her to be strong, only to live and let live, and believe in happiness. Perhaps Shinobu only really believed in her sister and not herself, but that was enough in the end, was it not? It was fulfilling to say the least.
And surely, she could pass on that sentiment to Kanao too.
Kanao need not be strong for the two of them. Shinobu could do that on her own. But just like her, she was determined to help, to be there for her older sister.
And who was Shinobu to deny the young Kanao that right? The right she so longed for herself in her own childhood?
She breathed a heavy sigh. Such matters should not be on her mind this early in the morning, early enough that the sun had not risen yet. It was almost certain that she was the only one awake in the house, the only one who had begun to stir; to this she took it as a sign that she should at least make some tea for when Kanao did awake. There was nothing like a nice cup of tea to start your day, and she knew just the herbs to make it with so that they could stay alert all morning while they tended to their errands. Yes, while they tended to their errands and begun training once more.
Sure enough, it was at least a few hours before Kanao awoke within the house, and quietly but surely she came to seat herself by her sister. The tea had gone a bit cold, but it wasn’t hard to light something to heat it up, if Kanao had cared all that much. It was much nicer knowing that Shinobu had thought to make the tea in the first place.
And like that their day had come, and the sun had risen, and it was warm out as the birds sang in the trees. The errands they needed to run into town for could wait, both Shinobu and Kanao thought, as they walked together towards the backyard. Both of them took a deep breath of the fresh air as Shinobu turned around to grab something. Appearing behind her younger sister without a hint of ever actually leaving, she spoke,
“Now, Kanao, hold your sword like this. If you can do that, you can put your self into your swing, and that’ll make it just that much more powerful.”
