- Heaven's Last Breath -

War Goddess

- Jade -

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My eyes fluttered open as the beaming rays of the morning sun poured through the open shutter window. Slowly, I sat up on my futon, raising my hands to my face. Unfortunately, I was still seven years old meaning I still had to wait many years before becoming a full fledged samurai.

"Onee-san! Wake up!"

A soft voice called out from my left and as I looked over, the shutter door to my room opened with a swing. Through the doorway, a young pitch black haired girl stepped through, her beaming smile brighter than the morning sun.

"Come on onee-san, today's the day!"

Without waiting for a response, the young girl ran over to me, throwing herself on top of my body as the two of us fell backwards on the futon. No more than three seconds later, we were both laughing at the awkward position we had found ourselves in.

"Tomoe, you need to get ready. Otoo-san won't be happy if you're late on your first day." I spoke sensibly, reminding the young girl about what was important.

"I am ready!" With a spring in her step, Tomoe stood up, showing off her outfit.

She was wearing a sunset red kimono, the gradient darkening to black at the cuffs and by her feet. A crimson red obi belt was tied around her waist, the young girl's hair scruffy and unbrushed. Then she looked up to me, her eyes widening as she put on her best puppy dog eyes and I could already see where this was going.

"You can brush your own hair now, you're old enough."

"But I like it when onee-san brushes my hair!"

I knew I couldn't refuse my younger sister when she was like this, asking her to fetch her hair brush. With a beaming smile, the young girl dashed out of my room, returning with her tsugegushi.

Tomoe sat down with a smile, handing me the boxwood comb as she waiting patiently for me to brush her hair. Just like all the days before, I started to gently brush through the young girl's hair.

"Are you excited for your first day?"

"Yeah! I can't wait to learn about those cool swords!"

With a smile, I slowly shook my head at the young girl's excitement. "They aren't just any old swords, Tomoe. They're the Twelve Blades of the Kami."

Tomoe's excitement was tangible as I mentioned the twelve blades by their name, "Yeah! They sound so cool! Do you think I'll be able to use one?"

"Who knows. I heard that only the greatest of swordsmen are able to wield those blades. But even the Twelve Blades of the Kami don't compare to the katana that the Shogun use. Only the greatest samurai of their generation have the potential to wield those swords and even then, the blades choose only the best of the best."

As I rambled on, I realised that Tomoe was unusually quiet. Whenever I brushed my sister's hair in the morning, I would tell her old folktales and stories that I'd heard around town. Each time, she would listen along excitedly but this was a little different.

"What's up Tomoe? You're real quiet all of a sudden."

That seemed to stir the younger girl from her thoughts as she replied, "I want to see you use one of the Shogun's blades one day! I know you can do it onee-san!"