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When they were only cold metal taken in to be treasured for eternity, there was a big difference between their spirits. One of them could walk around freely, exploring the vicinity they were now supposed to call home and greet the others who had met the same strange, yet fortunate fate. Spirits weren’t visible for human eyes, but they were used to it by now; their thoughts would remain unspoken, their memories unheard. Even as a spirit however, it was possible to feel surfaces and get to know the area. The only thing this one spirit couldn’t achieve, which he wished dearly that he could perform, was to do pranks and surprises to those who took care of their physical forms. Things were already getting a tad boring now that he would never get to experience the battlefield again.
It was one rainy night that he encountered the other spirit, who was by itself in a small room which was usually hidden behind a locked door. This particular day however, it was open , with a small crack in the doors. That was what made him curious in the first place, and led him to slid inside through the paperthin hole. Luckily for him, spirits could do so at will. Inside there, he could spot what was unknown for the human eye; a spirit, without much notable traits at all. Lack of memories, he quickly assumed, as it was their memories that determined their appearances and traits. A name tag was right below the sword itself:
Ichigo Hitofuri.
Tsurumaru let out a gasp, he had heard Hirano talk about him when they were drinking tea with Uguisumaru one day. He did tell that time that his older brother was around as well. Or at least he thought so, as he had heard the humans talk about him now and then and how grateful they were that they could reserve the blade for years to come, despite its past.
‘But if it had a past, how come that it had no human traits at all…?’
“I’m Tsurumaru Kuninaga!” The ‘crane’ gave a bright grin to the other, hoping that he would at least get an answer of sorts. It would be awfully boring if he had to talk to a ‘wall’ this rainy night, and he was not found of that particular idea at all.
There was no reply at all. However, Tsurumaru could see that the spirit was looking at him. It was there, awake, and aware of his presence. He can move at least, that’s good right?
“It’s nice to meet you, Ichigo Hitofuri!” He gave a bow similar to those he’d seen previous masters do while greeting new people, not expecting much from in reply.
However, the other spirit, faceless and without much of an identity besides his name, gave him a bow back. Even if he showed no signs of being capable of replying, at least he could still use body language and gestures to communicate. That alone made Tsurumaru smile: they could have some sort of talk this rainy night, and it would not be a dull time!
It kind of was, anyway.
To be limited to asking yes or no questions was fun for a little bit, but not for long. He couldn’t learn much about the story behind the faceless spirit, much to his disappointment. The spirit was clearly sensing the disappointment as well, as his head began to hang low.
“...Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you feel bad too. It’s just that everyone else has had some sort of appearance and stories to tell, you know?” Tsurumaru moved closer to the spirit to pat his head. He knew that Hirano enjoyed that, even if the tantou himself denied it , so why wouldn’t his older brother like it as well?
His hand went straight through the spirit as if it was air. Hot, burning air .
“UWAH- ” He retreated his hand in surprise, and the spirit itself seemed to be shocked as well by the sudden gesture. There was a moment of silence where Tsurumaru, now holding his ‘burnt’ hand, could almost see the spirit’s widened eyes , which was mirroring his own.
“I was surprised!” The spirit let out a snort then let out a cheerful laugh. It was a laugh he hadn’t really experienced himself yet; it was tickling his stomach a lot and crawling up his throat. Was this what humans referred to as uncontrollable…?
He didn’t notice how the other was moving his hand up to his mouth, his shoulders shaking a bit from holding back what would’ve been a soundless laugh anyway.
“Aah, what a shame though!” Tsurumaru wiped away a tear while straightening himself up, letting out a sigh.
“I wanted to give you a head pat or handshake or something to cheer you up, since I made you feel down, but it seems like it’s… Difficult.” Tsurumaru gave Ichigo’s hand a glance, and Ichigo himself appeared to study it as well, his fingers moving one by one. The stable spirit let out a nervous laugh and scratched the back of his head, fearing that he might’ve made the other feel down again.
Instead, Ichigo stretched out his hand, as if to say try again.
“...” Tsurumaru couldn’t help but feel doubt for a second, since even if he felt no pain, he still felt a burning sensation from moving his hand through the other spirit by accident . Ichigo moved his hand a tiny bit as to sign to the other that he wanted to give it a go again, and this time, Tsurumaru couldn’t exactly say no.
His hand moved forward, and just as he thought their fingertips were meeting--
--the hand dissolved into thin air.
“Wah, you’re full of surprises, aren’t you!” Tsurumaru let out a small laugh, but observed as Ichigo was looking at where his hand was supposed to be, waiting for it to take shape again. He did not seem to be disappointed, but instead curious about something . Tsurumaru assumed it was the weird feeling of suddenly seeing your hand disappear and come back, because that was certainly weird to him.
The sound of birds chirping away made Tsurumaru jump a little. The time had passed by quickly after all--
“I need to go back… Uguisumaru and Hirano is waiting for me, I’m sure.” He gave yet another bow, and expected the same in return.
However, Ichigo seemed to want to tag along. He appeared to try to stand up, only to get stuck to his sword again. He wasn’t strong enough to walk on his feet yet and separate himself from the blade, judging from how he bounced straight back again to sit behind it.
‘Of course you want to see your younger brother, he really wants to see you too.’
“We’ll come visit you, alright? He’s been mentioning you and has desired to meet you, too!” Tsurumaru gave the sword a grin. Those words were enough for Ichigo to calm down, and he got a nod in reply. He could sense a small sigh in relief as well, perhaps he was relieved this wouldn’t be their first and last meeting?
Seasons passed, and the spirit of Ichigo Hitofuri gained more strength as days passed by. It was still one of the biggest surprises when he joined them one spring morning, sitting down by their side to see the birds teach their little ones how to fly. The sight of seeing someone fail over and over again, but still going on was an inspiration to the four of them. Especially the fourth member, who still had so much to learn.
In summer, it was normal to meet up and watch as the sun rose on the skies, greeting everyone to yet another day. The flowers were blossoming around their home, bugs were everywhere, and they got to see a caterpillar go from a cocoon to a beautiful butterfly (which Ichigo proceeded to follow everywhere, much to the others amusement). It made Tsurumaru wonder if they ever would see Ichigo himself go into a cocoon and then become a beautiful butterfly… Of sorts.
As fall came by, Ichigo appeared to be worried about the leaves covering the ground in many different colours. Why were they falling, he seemed to wonder, as he was looking at the three others while pointing at the ground. They had to tell him that such happens every year, and it’s to allow the tree to welcome new buds who also wants to grow.
Winter came, and even if they felt cold, they still met up every single morning to see the snow fall. In fact, much like the leaves in the fall, snow was also new to the spirit, and even if he could not physically touch the first snowfall, he still eagerly held out his hand like his younger brother.
Along with the seasons, his spirit was also growing stronger, and even without a voice or a face, the three others could sense that his personality was being built based on his memories with them.
It was another rainy night when they were just the two of them again. Years had passed, but it truly felt like it had only been a few days since they met for the first time. The longer you are alive, the shorter the days and years feels.
Observing the spirit that used to be stiff and inhuman was fun, as Tsurumaru could notice how his gestures were similar to Hirano and Uguisumaru; gentle, well-mannered and neat. It was almost an insult that he didn’t sit more like him , since he was the one who had found him that rainy night years ago. Yet, he couldn’t help but chuckle.
“I hope you’ll find your appearance soon. You’re still in that cocoon, you know?” He leaned back a bit and looked up at the cloudy sky.
“I wonder how you’ll look as a butterfly…” He viewed the other one from the corner of his eye, and could see how his hand was moving up to his mouth for another soft laugh, like usual. No sound-
His eyes widened.
“Ichigo, I heard you laugh just now!” It certainly wasn’t soundless like usual, he was certain he heard a laugh coming from him just now--
Ichigo himself appeared to be puzzled, then looked at Tsurumaru as if he was expecting something from him.
Make me laugh again.
He held out his hand, much like that rainy night years ago. That time, it meant ‘ try again’ , and it had become his way to signalize that exact phrase, so Tsurumaru was fully aware of what he meant. He cleared his throat, and tried to come up with some kind of funny joke--
--But to no avail. There was nothing he could really think of in that very moment, which made him sigh deeply.
Somehow, that made Ichigo snort .
“There it is again!” Tsurumaru quickly brightened up, and he could once again hear a soft, gentle laugh. Somewhat of an awkward laugh, if he had to judge it in all honesty, but still ever so sweet.
“Try to say something!” He was feeling very eager now, and observed as Ichigo tried to figure out what to say. These would be his first words if he spoke after all, and that wouldn’t be forgotten by Tsurumaru anytime soon.
“...nk… ou… Ts...mru..” The words were fading out, but Tsurumaru could still understand them, and felt a surge of joy burst through his chest. Was the cocoon about to burst open, perhaps?
Ichigo’s head sank a bit. He wanted to say so much more, but no words would come out anymore.
Thank you for allowing me to grow Tsurumaru, and I promise I’ll burst out of this cursed cocoon soon and be a butterfly like everyone else.
He didn’t hear his voice anymore after that rainy night.
When he opened up his eyes, the first thing he saw was someone dressed in a military uniform. It was a tad surprising to suddenly have to breathe to be able to talk, but his introduction to this saniwa of his went smoothly. This saniwa, however, did not appear surprised by his arrival, which was a letdown. This first meeting was enough for the crane to quickly learn that emotions had more of an impact in his new form.
‘Wow, feeling disappointment is a completely different story in a physical form, my chest feels heavy.’
“Please come with me.” His saniwa had a much sweeter voice than he’d assumed at first when he saw that uniform, and her smile was certainly of the warmer kind. She was so easy to chat with; as they walked through the hallways, she informed him about the state of the war, how their army was, and how he was one of the later arrivals to the citadel.
“Well, at least you didn’t have to rob a grave to get me.” He snickered, which made her giggle.
“We’re no grave-robbers, don’t worry.”
Just as they went outside, they met someone else. He did also have an uniform, but it was more of the flashy kind. His hair was also noticeable with how teal it was, it wasn’t exactly an ordinary colour. The weird part was that Tsurumaru felt a familiar, warm air as he saw this other sword, but he couldn’t put his finger on why.
“Oh, you’re back! Did it go well?” His saniwa spoke, and it was when the other one replied that he realized it.
“It did, without any casualties. And I assume this is a new arr...iv…” Ichigo’s words stopped as he saw Tsurumaru next to their saniwa. His hand, which was resting neatly on his chest, was also slowly slipping downwards his uniform and down to his hip.
“It’s been forever, Ichigo!” Tsurumaru gave a wide grin, feeling a sudden bubbly sensation in his chest. Ichigo laughed, it was the same as Tsurumaru remembered it the rainy night they talked, and held out his hand.
“It certainly has been, Tsurumaru.” He was smiling calmly, yet gently. Even if this was the first time Tsurumaru had really witnessed it, it still felt like it he had seen it many times before.
He was about to joke about how the other tachi, who appeared to be just as tall as himself, had grown into a butterfly, but Ichigo cleared his throat and shook his hand a little.
Try again.
“Oh!” After years and years of not being able to as much as letting their fingertips touch, this time, it would work for sure, right? He gave a nod, and allowed his hand to meet Ichigos.
“Your hands are warm … At least you don’t burn me anymore.” He couldn’t help but joke about it, but his chuckle was stopped by the look of Ichigo’s face. Was something wrong…?
“...Your hands are cold.” He replied, almost looking pleased by realizing so as he began to show a small yet warm smile, almost as if he was feeling nostalgic . Seeing that made Tsurumaru’s eyes widen, as it wasn’t a reaction he’d expected. Besides, no one had ever called his hands cold--
“Ah, did I surprise you?” Ichigo’s laugh, as awkward as ever yet still ever so charming, made Tsurumaru blink. It was still strange to actually hear him speak so clearly for the first time, but it didn’t feel like the first time at all. It was as if the voice coming out of his mouth was exactly the one he’d heard for years while they were imperial treasures together, and Ichigo was merely a spirit shaped as a human. Tsurumaru laughed.
“You got me again alright.”