Kohana soaked the small towel the umber-haired man had lent her and watched the blood mix with the clean water. She plunged her right hand into the water and scrubbed the dried blood clean with her other hand. This was her blood...
"What's your name?"
Kohana cleaned off more of the blood, sweat, and grass from skin. She could still hear the way Gōro's voice caught in his throat, the way he begged for his life... People were certainly different in the face of death...
"Will you tell me your name first?"
The serene man nodded. "Satoru Osamu. Jōnin."
Smiling as genuine a smile she could manage at the moment, Kohana cast her gaze towards the sheathed blade on Osamu's lap. "Does your chokutō have a name?"
"She is called Wasurenagusa."
The red head hummed. "That's a flower, isn't it?"
Osamu looked at Kohana. "Yes."
"Well?" she grinned, and Osamu caught it and gave her a perplexed expression.
"What?"
"What does it mean?" Kohana asked eagerly, squeezing the water out of the cleaned towel.
Osamu looked away. There was the faintest of blushes coloring his cheeks. "True love." Kohana almost laughed at the discomfort he probably felt, but she pressed on and gave him a mischievous grin. "Why true love?"
He certainly looked less uncomfortable now as he admitted, "She was from a lover who named her for me after she gave her as a present."
Smiling, Kohana folded the towel and placed it on her thigh. "Can I see it?"
Nodding, Osamu handed her his sword. Kohana held it delicately in her hands as she unsheathed it. The blade was shiny, well kept. It actually looked brand new and Kohana couldn't help but feel both impressed and amazed. She was impressed that Osamu looked like he hardly ever used it and amazed that she was actually holding a chokutō in her hands. It was the first time she ever touched one and it felt heavier than she expected it would... in more ways than one.
This sword must have shed a lot of blood.
"She's beautiful," Kohana remarked. She scared Kohana.
"Are you interested in swords?"
Kohana nodded vigorously. "Of course! I used to read about them all the time. Someone even taught me how to handle one a long time ago, y'know? I just... never quite finished learning!"
Osamu hummed thoughtfully. "Whatever happened to your kenjutsu training?"
Kohana pursed her lips. What happened indeed...? She shrugged. It was a story Kohana didn't know how to tell. "It just ended before I could hold a real sword."
Osamu nodded understandingly. He didn't seem to show any desire to ask about this person who once taught Kohana, and she was happy he respected her silence about the matter.
"You never told me your name," he pointed out.
"Oh! Right, sorry. My name is Fuyu Kohana! I just graduated recently."
Osamu looked utterly surprised. "I was correct. What is a genin doing in this village?"
Kohana let out a hearty laugh, but Osamu failed to see what was so funny. "This was supposed to be a C-rank mission, but while we were traveling, we were attacked by two chūnin. I think they were called the Demon Brothers. We found out that our client omitted some details and now... we're four genin handling a B-rank mission."
YOU ARE READING
The Red Maelstrom
Fanfic[Formerly Crimson Thread] There are very few things in life that Fuyu Kohana could confidently say she truly cares about. Orphaned and ostracized, she was born with nothing to lose, and everything to gain. However, as she embarks on a journey with h...
