░『Zephyr』░(KNY OC STORY/ KNY OC X KNY-OLD/DISCONTINUED)

𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝟷𝟹: 𝙱𝚎𝚎𝚝𝚕𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙼𝚊𝚐𝚙𝚒𝚎𝚜

Fukurō's arm tenses as Sanemi wraps a bandage around the bruises on her forearm, trying to ignore the pain as he tries to use compression to reduce swelling. She sits on the porch of the Wind Mansion, Sanemi sitting beside her. There's an awkward silence between the two.

"... I was a bit harsh on you, wasn't I? Didn't mean to be at that extent." Sanemi says, glancing at Fukurō, who is staring deeply at the scars on her arm. She looked troubled, and lost in thought once again. "Hey." Sanemi snaps his fingers in front of his tsuguko's eyes. "I said something." Sanemi frowns.

Fukurō snaps her head back at him. "Oh. Uh- It's fine. I could take it. I don't mind continuing, actually." She claimed simply, wincing slightly as he continues to bandage her arm.

Sanemi shakes his head, "No. Nothing to do with one-on-one fighting. You're just going to go through simple trainings for now. I don't want you fainting mid-session." He says, "You need help with your awareness, and put in deep thought what your next move will be."

"But Shinazugawa-sa—"

"No excuses. Now get that scarf you got from Natsumi-san." Sanemi orders.

* * *

Fukurō holds the scarf in her hand, glancing at Sanemi. ".. So.. You want me to sit in a clearing, with the scarf covering my eyes, just to listen to the sounds I hear?" She confirms. "Mhm. That's all." Sanemi replies. Fukurō exhales as she obliged, sitting cross-legged on the dry ground. Once she had tied the scarf over her eyes, she listens intently. Ears perked, she clears her mind to focus.

She could hear Sanemi's footsteps fade away, although she was aware he wasn't away from the area. The soft blows of wind made her listen more closely, trying to drown out the gusts. Although it was silent for a while, she kept listening. ".. It's pretty windy today, Shinazugawa-sama. Are you sure this is the right weather?" She asks.

"Don't question me. Im sure." Sanemi replies, "And it'll just help you more."

Fukurō sighs, placing her hands on her lap. From her reaction, she definitely seemed displeased that she couldn't actually train. What was the problem, anyways? It was just bruises. But although she didn't want to, she continued on with the training.

"Tell me each sound you hear, and from where you heard it."

Fukurō nods. Oh. So he didn't just want her to just silently listen. He wanted for her to prove she could hear. Great.

Almost exactly after Sanemi's statement, she heard a series of chirps. Birds? She wonders. She clears her throat before speaking. ".. Magpie, and a few of them passed by in the air." She tells him.

"Good. Keep listing until I think it's enough for today."

* * *

"Sekiei-kun, Look!" Fukurō says in a hushed whisper, pointing at the black, blue and white-feathered bird. It looked beautiful. Every time they would trail through the trees, they would only find the usual ravens and sparrows. But seeing such a unique bird was such a sight.

Sekiei looks over at what she was pointing at, and exhales sharply through his nose in amusement. "Mhm. I see it, Fukurō-chan." He says. "You know, we should keep track of each kind we see. I'll draw, and you write. I'll see if I can find some empty books back home."

Fukurō tilts her head, ".. But why do we need to do that?" She asks him.

Sekiei smiles at her oblivious face, "Because we don't know if we'll ever see such things again, right?" He nudges Fukurō's arm.