flameguard | mygod | pc catchall

[ ubububu DON"T DO THIS... he ends up tearing up, like, obviously so, when iwatooshi catches his eye - it's the kind of statement that means a lot to him. it means a lot to him to have someone understand.

he nods, a little slowly, and then more assured. you're right, you're right. ]

... I know. [ his voice wobbles a little, and he nods. ] Thank you, sir.

[ he smiles warmly. rondo is so - human, all the best parts of being human. ]

Your humanity is one of the many things that we love about you. [ weapons like him, he means, but also... anyone around him. ] I trust that you won't lose sight of it.

...How long ago was this, on your journey?

I won't. I'll follow it to the end. With the blue flame as my soul and my guardian, I always will.

[ that pure blue, azure heart of his is his best feature, after all. iwatooshi's words mean so much rondo, arguably more than nearly anyone here. for as overblown as his reactions can be sometimes, they are just utterly, completely genuine.

so. a little flustered and a little touched like a baby, rondo sniffles, rubbing his wrist across his eyes. they're brief, happy tears, so he can answer his question, too, with a little wet laugh. ]

...Barely a week or so. It's - honestly, things have been moving so quickly lately that it's hard to track.

[ (square enix voice) timelines aren't real]

Edited 2024-06-26 21:15 (UTC)

I wish I could be there to see it.

[ but they're from different worlds, with their own missions, so of course that chance won't be his. still, iwatooshi imagines it'll be as bright as rondo himself always is, brilliant and warm and everything he deserves. ]

It always happens all at once, doesn't it? Even on the missions that last years. Just take care that you still find time to rest once in a while.

[ spoken like a true grandpa ]

[ iwatooshi is truly too kind to him always... the praise makes him duck his head even further, and he has to clear his throat to keep from getting too emotional. ]

... I'll do my best. There's not much time to rest, here, after all.

No, but we must use the time that we can. We owe it to ourselves, and to everyone we're trying to help.

[ murdergame mechanics might disagree, so another memory plays before them:

"Hey, Iwatooshi," Imanotsurugi calls back to you as you watch your former masters' backs retreat down the road. they'll be safe, you think. you've done your jobs well, but the satisfaction vanishes the instant that he continues speaking. "Do I exist?"

...as the moment you've been dreading finally arrives. you freeze in place, unsure of what to say. words won't come, no matter how hard you try, and when he prods you for an answer... you laugh as you would any other day, like a reflex.

"Of course you do!" you assure him cheerfully, dropping a hand on his shoulder. your own doubts matter so much less than his peace of mind. after all, imanotsurugi is your entire world. "If you didn't exist, you wouldn't be here, right? Don't think about it."

the ease with which he agrees leaves guilt settling heavily in your heart as you watch him run off again. was that the right thing to do, you wonder? what are you supposed to do now?

"A priest who tells lies is like the walker's cicada - rather hard to find, right?" a voice cuts into your ruminations, and you aren't in the mood to entertain such things, so you keep your eyes trained away, jaw set. defensiveness makes your shoulders tense, though you have no right to be.

"Are you calling me a liar, Mikazuki-dono?"

"What? I can tell it's a white lie."

a sudden anger spikes in your chest, and you whirl to face him, insisting, "I didn't want him to get hurt."

"It seems you've got yourself figured out. However, that's what you want. What about Imanotsurugi?" you pause to frown at him. what about imanotsurugi? you know him best, certainly better than mikazuki. "Well, that's your kindness. That reminds me! Perfect timing. Shall we have a look?"

confused, you ask, "Where are we going?"

"Kindness comes in many shapes," he answers, smiling that cryptic smile of his. though you aren't sure what he means, you follow.

---

he takes you to a spot overlooking a road, a checkpoint, where a pair of priests have been stopped by a guard. but not just any priests - you'd recognize those two faces anywhere. that's you and imanotsurugi's former masters, musashibou benkei and yoshitsune-kou themselves, in disguise. instantly, you know what he's brought you to see, but still not why.

as the tale goes, they needed to speak with yoshitsune's older brother, but he's had the guards cut off all roads and stop all priests to prevent just that. and so, the guard is suitably suspicious of the two, and declares that if they really are priests, they would have no issue reading their subscription list to prove their status. they have no such thing, of course. but benkei, once a mountain monk himself, is clever, and pulls out a false scroll to being reciting the sutras by heart.

--

"That's..."

"Does it remind you of something?" Mikazuki asks, not taking his eyes off the spectacle before you both. you gnash your teeth anxiously, thinking of the play that you couldn't finish, the scene that's yet to come.

"Is this what you wanted to show me, Mikazuki-dono?"

"Yes, I knew you two were rehearsing this story."

--

once the recitation finishes, the guard sends them on their way. except - when yoshitsune moves past, he stops them again. the young monk resembles the lord kuro, he says, suspicious once more. and of course he does - "kuro" is his other name, the man himself. they've been caught.

instead surrendering, benkei roars and grabs a fist full of yoshitsune's plain shirt, throwing him roughly to the dirt while brandishing his staff.

"Do you have any idea how much trouble your resemblance to Yoshitsune-kou is causing me? Now that it's come to this, I have no choice!"

as he raises his staff above his head, yoshitsune kneels to accept the blow, and so - benkei strikes his own master, ignoring how it must be tearing his heart to shreds. once, twice, three times. he doesn't even drop the act when the guard tries to stop him, screaming in rage that he doesn't care if he kills this young man for all the trouble he's caused. he carries the blame, so he should be punished. benkei hits him again, again, again, again, and again, screaming to the heavens how much he hates this boy, and doesn't stop until the guard himselfs moves in the way to block him, giving them permission to pass. bleeding, in pain, yoshitsune struggles to his feet and limps down the road, benkei trailing after him in silence.

--

"Mikazuki-dono." your voice is soft, contemplative.

"Hmmm?"

"Kindness comes in many shapes, right?"

"To help him," Mikazuki explains, instead of answering you directly, "Benkei beat Yoshitsune, a man whom he respected. Yoshitsune believed in Benkei and let himself be beaten. And the guard was struck by their devotion and let them pass. All three showed kindness." he smiles and says, "I love that play."

it's different from how you saw it before, bringing a new perspective to how you think of it. your master is a stronger man than you realized, isn't he? to show his devotion in a way you couldn't have dreamed of, not so long ago, in your fear of hurting your beloved partner.

and it isn't just about the subscription list, either, is it?

"...My kindness may have been selfish," you admit, solemn. it may have been a white lie, but it was still a lie. you owe imanotsurugi the truth.

"it's up to Imanotsurugi whether he gets hurt by the truth. You can't treat him like a child forever. I think he's more mature than you think. In my opinion, he's forcing himself act be more childlike for your sake."

"You're right, Mikazuki-dono. I still have a lot to learn."

"Don't we all?" he laughs, not unkindly. "We repeatedly make mistakes and take detours. That's how we grow."

...and it's not an easy one, for him, so iwatooshi turns away briefly to take a deep breath. ]

[ whoa. that's - that's a lot, it's just. it's a lot to take in all at once.

iwatooshi's protectiveness, first, strikes him. then, the entire story. it makes his heart jolt - each strike, from benkei to yoshitsune makes him ache, sympathetic and awful, because it just hurts, to watch, to understand. how badly that must have hurt him. to know what that kind of strength is, and how it's nothing but - how it's brutal.

he's silent for a long, long moment when it finishes, letting mikazuki's words echo in his head.

kindness takes many forms... ]

... I don't...

[ .... ]

I... don't know if that's true. To have that strength is one thing, and to have the chance to get it yourself is, too, but... [ he can see where iwatooshi is coming from, just as much as mikazuki said in the memory. he says, after a long moment, reaching up to rub his eyes, just a little wet, and shakes his head. ] ... you care very much for your junior, Sir Iwatooshi.

Of course I do. Imanotsurugi is the protective sword of my former master's lord, and a dear friend.

[ he's more than just iwatooshi's junior. he's even been in the citadel longer, but it feels natural to look after him. ]

I would do almost anything for Imanotsurugi.

mygod | pc catchall | iwatooshi

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