Swords & Saniwa

The Killer

~Ishikirimaru~
石切丸

My first oodachi in my 2nd day of playing, and he's one of my favourites. Well mannered and humorous!

Grinding for Tarou to come home as I write this oneshot :)

Enjoy~~
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The two tantous, Atsushi and Gokotai hung their heads down, and dare not speak a word. At this point you were frustrated.

"What happened?! How many times must I tell you not to mess or play around in the kitchen!? Don't you remember the rules I placed the moment I set foot in this citadel?! Atsushi Toushirou!! What is rule number 2?!" Growling at them, you pointed the mess they made, which include broken crockery and spilled sauce all over the kitchen floor. It was really...messy.

"...to never make a mess in the kitchen..." The poor tantou muttered as you stared at him with cold, sharp eyes.

"Then why? If you remember the rules, then both of you should not have done it!" You sighed and crossed your arms infront. Apologies were heard from the two boys. Gokotai was near breaking down, with tears almost falling down his cheeks.

"Clear this mess up by the end of the day. Both of you are on farming duty for two weeks, and no front line battles as punishment. Don't you dare sneak out doing something else!" Barking at them, the tantous immediately proceeded to clean up as you stepped out of the messed-up kitchen.

"This is the second time I've seen you so fierce towards them, Aruji-sama." Beside the pillar stood Ishikirimaru as he crossed his arms front. You tapped him on the shoulder.

"Ishikiri, they ought to be punished. This time I am harsh on them. Remember what happened last time? I only asked them to clean up the kitchen and that's all. No duties added or extra chores given. But look at this time.. They even spilled my precious salad sauce I brought from Hokkaido..." You said as you brought your fingers on your temples, massaging them gingerly.

"Are you okay? I've seen you massaging your temples from the moment I saw you." The tachi put his hands on your shoulders and gave them a gentle squeeze. All the tiredness and soreness on your body were relieved as he gave yet another squeeze. Turning your back, you faced him and gave him a smile. "I am fine, Ishikiri. Just that I didn't have a good rest last night. Don't worry." Assuring him, you decide to go to the smithing room when the two tantous came running out of the kitchen, surprising you.

"Atsushi and Gokotai! What did Aruji-sama say to you!? She said to clean up the kitchen-"

"Nooooo there's a cockcroach flying around! Yucks!" Atsushi ran towards the fields along with 5 little tigers sprinting with him. Ishikirimaru was about to check the kitchen when he realised something was wrong with his master.

"Aruji-sama...?" He looked at you when he noticed a six-legged creature on your forehead.

"Ishikiri. T-That's a roach r-right..?" You gave a forced smile to convince yourself that it wasn't the infamous roach.

The moment he nod his head, you feel your vision turn blur and black out as you see the figure dashing towards you to break the fall.

~♤~

The first scene Ishikirimaru saw was you opening your eyes and jolting up from your futon. It was nightfall.

"Aruji-sama! Are you alright?!" The green oodachi grabbed your shoulders and looked deeply into your eyes. He was really worried as he has never seen you faint in front of him.

"No, no, I am fine, I am fine." Calming him down with your reply, he released you from his grip and apologised for acting rashly just now. Humming as a response, you beckoned him to sit beside you by tapping on the tatami mat.

"Ishikiri, can you accompany me while I sleep?" You blushed and slightly scratched your cheek, obviously embarrassed at your own little request. Of course you added on, "until the roach is killed!" Laughing quietly, he agreed.

And now you find yourself worrying about the roach still lurking around the citadel, as you laid back on your futon with the oodachi lying beside you, steady breaths heard. Even with his accompany, it couldn't erase the fear you felt. After numerous tossing and turning, it seemed to wake him up.

"Couldn't sleep?" He propped his head up while facing you. The dim lantern lit the entire room, allowing you to see his figure vaguely.

"Y-Yeah.. The roach really scares me." Tossing, you faced the ceiling and sighed.

"I shall exterminate it then." With a swift movement, he whipped out a tantou and swung it towards you. Shocked, you closed your eyes with fear, anticipating the impact. But what you heard was the short sword piercing the small tatami mat beside you, with a sigh of relief heard from the oodachi. You sprung out of the futon and lit the room. The sword's tip held the roach in place, dying in a rather brutal way.

"It's dead. Aruji-sama, now you can sleep-"

"ISHIKIRIMARU! IT'S AN ORDER!!CLEAN THIS ROOM RIGHT NOW!!" Screaming at him, you stormed out of your room, leaving the oodachi behind.

You didn't feel guilty for waking your swords up at three in the morning.