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“Ginro!” Kinro’s scolding carried through the hall almost just as fast as his feet. “Ginro that’s enough! Come on,”
“NOOO! We trained yesterday!” Ginro felt his stone shoes nearly spinter the wood under him as he turned down the sleeping quarters. “I’m sore!”
Ginro had been able to evade Kinro through sliding past corners and sharp turns in the ship’s hall much faster than his brother, still getting used to depth perception. But in a straight shot, like the sleeping quarters were, he didn’t stand a chance.
“That’s why you need to train more!” Kinro’s voice was closer this time. He could either make an even madder dash to the area they kept the animals or-
“Please be empty, please be empty,” Ginro muttered as he pushed one of the doors in the hall open.
As quickly as he slipped, he leaned against the door to stop it from swinging. As still as he could, he spread out his limbs in the doorway, not daring to look in the room yet. A second passed and he hadn’t been yelled at, and the next second he heard Kinro’s footsteps pass by.
Even still Ginro held his breath for a few more moments. With Kinro, if he breathed too hard, Kinro would be there telling him to train.
When he was sure, Ginro opened his eyes and relaxed his stance. “Phewww,” Which came to a great relief to Ginro cause he really was sore. “I really don’t get how Kinro does it,” Ginro groaned as he gathered his surroundings…
… which to be honest wasn’t much. Nothing littered the floor, the bedding was neatly folded and clothing hanging up.
What is this Kinro’s second room or something?
But those weren’t village clothes. Those were-
“Ohhh I’m in Tsukasa and Matsukaze room,” Ginro glanced between the lion’s pelt and Matsukaze’s shirt. “They’re probably out training with the others,” Ginro mocked without any actual venom. “I mean of course they are! I swear it’s like those guys never get tired. Doubt they even sleep,” Ginro huffed. “They were born strong and then they expect me to be as good as them?!”
Did they even know what it was like to look up at an opponent who towered over them? (Well maybe Kirisame and Kohaku did but one of their bounds could well make up for that).
“Or how quick they strike! Even before I have time to blink Boom! I’m on the ground! And that’s who Kinro wants me to train with?!” Ginro blew air through his lips. “Can’t be natural,”
Ginro’s first thought was to blame some kind of magic but he knew better. (Though if anyone in the Fighter Team did admit to magic usage Ginro would be first to say “I knew it!”.) So if it wasn’t magic or that bunch of plants he ate once what could it be?
Ginro paced the room, with his nose down, like he could find the answer sketched into a floorboard. After looking through all the boards visible he paced up to the bunk bed against the wall. Maybe those under the bed-
Ginro’s vision was suddenly bombarded with leaf green. “Wha-ack,” He swatted as he stepped back. Though his face fell when he realized it was just Matsukaze’s shirt. “Course, it’s just a shirt,”
Actually…
Ginro looked over the garment again. Yuzuirha said she had styled after what Matsukaze had described so maybe that’s what his village’s clothes used to look like. Compared to Kirisame’s or Moz’s outfits, it looked pretty close to his village’s clothes. Only they never had sleeves that looked like that.
Oh maybe that’s it!
Like wearing longer selves in the cold. Maybe wearing long sleeves helped Matsukaze move faster.
And if it doesn’t, oh well. It’ll be one of those experiment things Senkuu and Chrome are always talking about.
Taking the shirt off the hanger, Ginro noticed how much sturdier it was than his. The puff of fabric by Matsukaze’s neck was actually a whole another layer under neath.
Quickly undoing his rope, he slipped on the white layer over his own shirt. As he flatted out the shirts against each other he noticed they were nearly identical except for the collar.
Next Ginro put his arms through the overshirt’s sleeves, folded one flap over the other, and to finish, wrapped the much thinner rope (loosely) around his waist. With pride pumping through him Ginro put his fists on his hips and puffed out his chest to the world.
And!
Ginro waited a second. “I feel no different,” His shoulder’s dropped. For one the selves were too long on him, and two the puffy collar was kept brushing against his hair. “Darn it. Not that either,”
Though something did feel off. And why were there still two strings hanging up?
Crrk
Ginro spun around before the door had time to close again.
“Lord?”
Both Ginro and Matsukaze stood frozen for a while. Ginro thought to break the silence by saying something, but something in the way Matsukaze’s voice shook stunned him. Matsukaze had always called everyone by that title with no hesitation. Though normally he added their names after.
Ginro’s eyes followed Matsukaze’s down to the layers he was wearing. “Oh. OH!” Ginro realized. “I’m sorry Matsukaze! I was just curious about-,” Okay don’t say that! “Uh something! I can put it back!”
Matsukaze’s eyes lost the glazed over look. “Ahh yes of course. Forgive me for intruding,” He’s voice steadied with his usual formality.
“Ack it’s nothing really,” Ginro found himself nearly wrestling the belt’s knot he had tied. “You’re room after all,” The sleeves kept getting into the mix.
After a second of watching him struggle Matsukaze asked, “Forgive me, but why didn’t you tie up the sleeves?”
“Huh?” Ginro paused.
“The sleeve ties,” Matsukaze pointed to the two strings still hanging up.
That’s what was missing!
“Might have forgotten about those,” Maybe Ginro didn’t have to untie this knot after all.. Maybe he'll melt into a puddle of embarrassment and the clothes would lay neatly on top of him.
Matsukaze leaned his wooden staff on the wall. “I see,” He stepped forward and knelt before Ginro. “My lord… My original lord also had a hard time undoing his belt,” Matsukaze’s fingers pulled at the strings of the knot till it came undone. “He too used to wear his sleeves long,”
The hairs on the back of Ginro’s neck stood a little taller. “Oh! Why’s that?” Ginro glanced around the room for something to look at.
Right, nothing in here.
“He said it helped him make up for his stacure,” Matsukaze stood. “He used to compare it to the wings of a butterfly, and how strong they must be to keep them in the air,”
A butterfly? But they were so small. He’d take a centipede like Hyoga, or if he couldn’t be tall, maybe a grasshopper like Kohaku.
“Hey, Matsukaze,”
“Yes?”
“You said I look like your lord right?” Ginro met Matsukaze’s eyes.
“Yes,” He replied. This time it was Matsukaze’s turn to look away. “So much so, sometimes it’s hard to believe you aren’t,”
That wasn’t the answer Ginro wanted to hear. “Then how did he do it? If we’re that similar, how did your lord fight against people taller than him, or stronger than him, or- or,” Come on, there was a third thing he was forgetting.
After a small pause, Matsukaze answered with,“Truthfully, I never asked him,” At that Ginro’s face sank a little more. “It’s not something I ever had questions about. I don’t think anyone did. Even my lord,” A smile pulled at Matsukaze’s lips. “My lord had a lot of questions but I don’t know if he ever questioned his personal abilities,”
Ginro’s brows knit. “So he was just naturally strong?”
“No, I’d always see him train. My lord would be the first awake and then the first to fall in training. Despite that he never believed he couldn’t,”
Ginro wanted Matsukaze to continue but he started to think that was the point. “So to be this greeeeat warrior that Kinro expects I have to be able to convince myself I can?” At the end his tone came a bit sharper than he meant it.
Without snark or impatience, Matsukaze nobly answered, “Yes,” Because of course he did.
And of course he said it with full confidence. Despite everything to the contrary he had seen over the past few weeks, he still said yes. “Okay, but if I run away again, could you chase me instead?” Ginro shrugged off the outer layer and peeled off the middle layer. “I can get away from Kinro by turning corners,”
“If that’s what you want, but I don’t think I’d do much better. You’re quiet fast,”
“You think?” Ginro beamed.