Swords & Saniwa

Poke

~Jiroutachi~
次郎太刀

Requested by oOPanda-ChanOo!

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He thought he wasn't drunk when he saw a petite fox running across the bridge and towards his master's room. Worrying for her safety, the sword then paused his drinking and went to her room.

"Aruji~ I am here~"

"What's wrong? You stink of alcohol."

"That's mean~ I got it... I'll leave now. Have a good night, Aruji~" He said while pouting, leaving her room and went back to his favourite spot under the sakura tree.

"Looks like she isn't in danger... I am glad~"

~~

On the other hand, the paw then left the button of the recorder as the sage drowned in her own thoughts.

Yes, she was a half fox, half human. Her father was a mortal while her mother was a demon fox; both fell in love after an encounter in the deep mountains. She was their gem, and was sent here to work as a sage in order to protect her. The outside world lurked many dangers of scientists kidnapping half humans, researching and performing experiments that weren't considered humane at all.

Till now, no one in the citadel knew that she was a half fox except the Government. It was her weakness as well, often worrying when will the Government exploit it. A small number of sages aren't fully human, and their abilities could bring more victories than any other human sage. Just that fact alone made her shudder in fear.

With a cloud of mist, she returned to her human form.

~~

He was sure that his eyes wouldn't lie to him. The fox that he saw yesterday was running past the stables this time, avoiding the kicks and steps made by the frightened horses. Unfortunately, a hoof hit her, sending her to the pillar. The animal laid there for a few moments, panicking the sword. He paced himself quickly, gently carrying the fox in his wide palms.

"Shh... Why are you here again, you cute fox? Don't move around, I am bringing you to my room." He said gently as she tried to move away from him. It was weird; feeling his warmth transmitting to her current form wasn't an unpleasant nor a relaxing feeling either.

But as she looked up, all she could see was the edges of his face defined clearly from the moonlight.

It was certainly a beautiful sight.

~~

The next morning, she woke up, snuggling out from the covers. The drunk sword was still asleep soundly, luckily. She then left his room without making as much sound as possible, returning to her room quickly.

Transforming into her usual human form, she looked down to see a dark purple bruise on her ribs, hissing in pain as the sage gently grazed her fingers across the patch. Dunking a painkiller, she wore her clothes, ready for a planned sortie after breakfast.

~~

"Send out the scouts." She gave the order calmly, as Jirou dispatched the troops. A few moments later, the enemy formation was found out. "Horizontal... Get into crane wing formation. Begin the battle when ready." The swords abided her orders, changing to the said formation as they braced for far-ranged attacks.

It was an easy victory with the experienced team.

"We won, Aruji~" He said while throwing himself to her for a hug. She hissed at the pain and cringed her face. The oodachi didn't let those details go unnoticed, as he asked the sage. She brushed it off hurriedly, telling him that she was having cramps on her stomach, acting out as well to make it even more realistic. Although he knew that she was faking, he acted along as well, carrying her up and riding the horse back together as fast as he could.

~~

"Thank you, Jirou..."

"How did you get that wound, Aruji?" He said bluntly while pointing at his side, hinting her. Her face turned into a serious expression as she sighed and told him the truth.

"I am half-fox, half-human. Shocking, right?"

"Well... Not really... I'll go get some ointment from Yagen, so wait here."

The sage was quite surprised at his reaction, expecting to yell a long 'what' at her. As she pondered at the thought, the sword came back with a case in his hand.

"Shall I help or shall I leave it to you to handle this?"

"...Help me."

Removing her top slowly with his help, his fingers then grazed through the patch of bruise as he took a good look before rubbing the ointment on the bare skin. She then hissed in pain, trying not to make loud noises in case it distracted him.

"I am almost done..." Jirou told her while applying another layer before keeping the lid back to the case. Seeing that he was done, she felt the urge to tell him her story, just like how he did when they first met.

"A lot of people were after me back in my world, so my parents sent me here before they passed on." She said as the sword kept his gaze down.

"It must be hard... to live by yourself, right?"

"W-Well... I am quite used to it now."

"Really?"

Smirking, he then poked her at the side using his index finger, but what happened next shocked him. Before the sage could shriek from the itch, she turned into a fox, looking at him with her sharp eyes.

"A-Aruji... You're sensitive to pokes?"

The fox nodded its head and bit his finger as a punishment, sending his screams around the citadel.

Well, she did get her 'actual' revenge eventually with Tarou's help.