Chapter Text
Kashuu Kiyomitsu was your first sword, and he prided himself in it. He was proud in more ways than one: proud of his beauty and of his skills and how he knew that he held a special position in the entire citadel as the first. He always carried himself with his head held high, his heels clanking and announcing his presence with every step.
He was careful to always be beautiful even in skirmishes, and would always take time to fix his hair and clothes after every battle. He was kind of a narcissist, and some of your swords tend to show their displeasure one way or another… but not you. You knew underneath that confident façade was someone afraid to be left behind and forgotten… afraid of being thrown away… afraid of being neglected. Every single time he finishes fixing himself, or you finish patching him up, he would give you a small fleeting glance… and his lips would twitch in a confident grin the moment he sees that smile on your lips.
Aruji-sama is still pleased with me…
Aruji-sama still likes me…
I’m still beautiful…
I’m still usable…
I’m still presentable…
She still loves me…
Those things he frequently thought… and you remembered how his eyes would widen in fear whenever an injury would present itself upon his blade.
Those were the thoughts that plagued your mind as you stood outside his quarters in the middle of the night. You had just finished repairing him that afternoon – he ended up with a major injury after once again trying to prove his worth, and you had no time to reassure him seeing as he immediately left the forgery and locked himself in his room.
You lightly slid his door open and silence greeted you. You saw him tucked under his futon, his head hidden under the blanket with a hand poking out of the sheets. You inwardly giggled as you sat down beside him, and held his hand. Almost immediately, he got up, and your eyes met with surprised red orbs…
“A-aruji-sama..?!”
What were you doing here...?!
“Good evening, Kashuu.”
His hair was all loose and disheveled, his clothes were wrinkled, and none of his ornaments were on him. His white bedtime yukata was off one shoulder and there were even traces of drool – both dry and still wet – on the corner of his lips and chin. You giggled good-naturedly, reaching out to wipe the corner of his mouth with your sleeve. His eyes widened even further and he stuttered and was about to scream in protest when you giggled yet again. “Shh… you’ll wake everyone up, Kashuu.”
He groaned… “Argh…!”… and ran his free hand though his hair in attempts to tame it, and upon realize his unruly state, his entire demeanor changed yet again to that of a nervous child. “To have you here when I look so unsightly… and you even used your sleeve to wipe me… I'm sorry... Please don’t look at me…”
You released his hand, and after a grunt of disapproval - goodness where did all of his confidence go?! -, reached out to him. You ruffled his hair violently, sending more strands out of place. You smeared some of your lip coloring on his face, ignoring him as he shrieked and struggled to break free from your grip. You wrinkled his clothes and yanked the already loose hair tie, sending his hair all over his face… and you nodded in approval at the mess you made.
Kashuu, however, upon seeing his reflection on the mirror, was frightened, and you could almost see the thoughts floating within his mind…
I look disgusting…
Unsightly…
She’s seeing me in this state…
Am I going to be abandoned…?
Am I going to be thrown away again…?
And you wrapped your arms around him, surprising him.
“I have seen you at your best… And now I have seen you at your worst." You inwardly laughed. "I have seen you both clean and bloodied… No matter what you think, I am never abandoning you.” You whispered… raising a hand to pull him towards your chest. “You are beautiful, but even if you are not, I will still love you… You may be a child beneath the river, but you are my child of the river, Kashuu Kiyomitsu… Do you understand?”
“…Yes…” And with a weak croak, raising a hand to weakly touch your own, he answered... relieved. “Thank you… Aruji-sama…”
The next day, however, the polish was on his hands, adorning his nails with red, and you could only shake your head fondly. Though you might have comforted him last night, some things just cannot be changed.
“Kashuu, prepare squad one! We’re going on a sortie!”
"Alright, Aruji-sama!"
Well at least it's the usual Kashuu now~
END