18. Untouchable

He is cold and unrelenting, at least, that’s what he appears to be. His focus is as sharp as a razor’s edge, and that alone can cut down anyone that stands against him. That is the armor that he’s crafted for himself: a frozen shell of malice and resentment, born from years of loneliness and an act of betrayal he will never let go. He keeps warm hands away, not because he fears losing his armor, but because he would never want to expose what’s underneath.

She is a fire that burns eternal, a blaze never wavers no matter how the winds may howl. She leads with a will of steel—the same steel that she wrapped her heart in on that day so long ago. Her words are hard, like her resolve to never forget how she felt when she lost what was most important to her. A stone barricade against a soothing touch.

——

He is one born to lead. The weight of a people rest on his shoulders. Yet shadows cast their weight on him as well, past memories haunting him in the night when no one is near. A flashy grin is what he wields to chase them away, and a defiant laugh to mock them as he spreads his wings to take flight. But as he soars, he runs away from a gentle hand that could ease his fears on the darkest nights of all.

He is one born to serve. An ever-watchful eye meant to keep a careful balance between progress and recklessness. But he has his own burdens to bear and his own beast to tame. He feels the chains rattle and strain, but he cannot dare to think of asking someone to help him restrain that monster lurking below the surface. His stoic face and careful manner is all he can use to pass the day to day, a prison-like mask of his own making.

——

A heart can only bear so much before it calls out to another. For some, however, their call can never be answered.

They can never take away their armor, else they may crumble away to nothing.

There was almost no way to ignore the beauty that stood below them on the grounds under the ridge. The only thing that could break the spell happened by just as the thought came to mind, a brisk wind cutting through light clothing. No matter the effort, the shiver couldn’t be hidden; it was too close to fall. Anyone would have done the same, but it didn’t stop one of the two from huddling from embarrassment.

“You cold?”

The question, asked with a casual concern, still managed to startle.

“Ah, no… Please, don’t worry. I’m fine.”

The rustling of the treetops was the only sound that passed between them for what seemed like the longest moment. A meager squeak finally broke the awkward air as one dropped his jacket on the other.

“It’s my summer one, so it’s kinda thin. Sorry”

The ill-fitting thing looked almost comical when it was finally pulled on, but that wasn’t what swallowed the other whole. It was the scent. The scent, and the heat, and the thought of who it came from, and why he’d even given it at all.

A flood of thoughts came all at once, wrapping themselves around the other’s head until a haze formed, a muddled state of mind tinged with happy thoughts that would never be spoken of out loud.

“You’re a bad liar, Fujisaki. Just tell me next time.”

“I’m sorry, Oowada-san. But thank you. I’m… very warm now.”

shslhittou:

“I just like keeping you on your toes. If I don’t spice things up every now and again, they’ll get stale. Get it?”

“Believe me, I’m well aware of the things you try to do. It doesn’t go unappreciated.”

(Source: blackfeatherheart)

shslhittou:

“Still interested in that? Yeah. I was thinking about taking a dip. Though, will you still be able to watch my back?”

“You know I would never fail in that.”

(Source: blackfeatherheart)

“Hm… I seem to recall you mentioning something about going for a swim earlier. Am I mistaken?”

“‘Born’ into this life… What idiocy.”

For all his preaching and fleeting glimmers of intelligence, it was clear Naegi didn’t understand a single thing about the life he, Byakuya Togami, the Super High School-Level Heir, was living.

Of course, logically, he shouldn’t have expected him to understand anything at all. There were too many intricacies to comprehend. Politics and planning, careful maneuvering, forging your own legacy: all of it was part of being one of the Togami clan. It was far too much for someone like him to even grasp.

True, the Togami name granted liberties and freedoms many could only dream of, but it was not something given. It was something earned.

He was Byakuya Togami. Everything he had done in his life—everything he had gathered and sacrificed—had earned him that prestigious name and the title of Super High School-Level Heir.

“To be ‘born’ into something… That’s nothing more than a handout. As if I would ever need stepping stones. I am Byakuya Togami. I was named heir to the Togami conglomerate because of all I’ve done and all that I will do.

“The fact he can’t understand something like that… I overestimated him.”

There was a pressure so intense upon him that it felt as though he was the one that had been injured. Sitting by his lord’s bedside as he slept was all he could do for now. The doctor had come and gone. The servants had, as well.

It was only the Dragon and its Right Eye, as it had been for time on end, it seemed.

Kojuurou sat there, ever vigilant, watching the slow and steady breath of his master. The image of him collapsing in exhaustion played through his mind over and over, and in silence, he scolded himself for letting Masamune push himself beyond his limits yet again. It was one of the few things he could never truly stop the young man from doing.

Ever soaring, he thought to himself, and never thinking of how far he had to fall.

He worried for him, if only because he knew his lord would never worry for himself. There were too many other things already weighing on him for him to even consider it any longer. So it was a burden Kojuurou shouldered silently, constantly, until it threatened to overwhelm his mind. There were several nights where the thoughts plagued his mind in the darkest hours of the night, sending him to one fitful night of sleep after another. But that wasn’t something that needed mentioning to Masamune. Hardly any of his worries were, unless it affected the young lord directly. That was simply how it should be.

A small sound brought Kojuurou out of his remembrance of the battlefield briefly. Masamune began to shift, his brows furrowing at some bad turn in whatever dream he dreamt. Kojuurou barely hesitated to lift a hand and set it gently on his lord’s head, a touch that would never pass between them otherwise. Relief passed over his face as Masamune settled down once more, the feeling of his hair remaining on Kojuurou’s fingers even after he took them away.

He worried for him, but he also had faith in him. He knew his lord would recover. He knew his lord would fight again. He knew he may very well be sitting at his bedside like this again.

But that was his duty. To protect and to serve, to worry and to be strong, to uphold and to support: all of it was what he swore to do so many years ago. And it was what he would continue to do.

A Right Eye until the end.

“It has been some time since I looked out over these mountains. The land of Kai is a beautiful one, isn’t it, Sasuke?”

The ninja lounged easily in the boughs of a tree, scratching at his nose. “I suppose you’ve got a point, Master. I got used to looking at it over the years from traveling around so much, but now that I’m sitting down and looking at it like this, it’s kinda got some charm to it.”

“Charm that will last for centuries,” said Yukimura, a faint smile passing over his face. As the sun started to dip behind the landscape and painted the sky a fiery red, the warrior thought of many things: his Lord, the warring days they’d left behind, his rival. A sigh left him. “Things will be very different now, won’t they, Sasuke.”

“Yeah,” came the quiet, almost contemplative response. He stayed silent for a moment as he watched broken clouds pass overhead before he jumped down from his branch, landing at Yukimura’s side. “There’s no going back. It’s a new trail we’re walking down now, Master. I don’t know what’s at the end of it, or even if we’ll cross the finish line anytime soon. Either way, seems like we’ve still got some work ahead of us.”

“Yes, it would appear so. But it brings joy to my heart to see so many people have come to see us off.”

“There’s a few faces in the crowd I didn’t expect, but you’ve got a point. Looks like a lot of people really respected you, and rightly so.”

“They respected us both, Sasuke.”

“Heh.” The ninja turned and scratched at his forehead a moment, a silent laugh working through him. “Right. Both of us.”

“Sasuke… Do you think I did enough?”

“You did what you could. That was a lot more than people asked for, in most cases. You’ve got nothing to worry about. Kai will survive.”

“I pray you’re right. But for now, we must move forward and see what awaits us at the end of this new journey.”

The shinobi gave a casual stretch, fixing Yukimura with his devilish grin.  “It’ll be interesting, that’s for sure.”

“We’ll find out together. Right, Sasuke?”

“Of course, Master. I always told you I’d follow you to the end and beyond, didn’t I?”

toujirou:

“Thanks. I’ll make it up to you.”

“Don’t concern yourself with such things, my lord. Just take care of yourself.”

toujirou:

“I wasn’t the one doing the yanking. He’s the one who lost his grip on everything and threw it aside.”

“Yeah, well, you’re the one shoving his nose in the carpet now. If you keep it up, he’s gonna end up biting you, too.”

(Source: blackfeatherheart)