| [Oct. 18th, 2015|11:55 pm] |
“—and then you tie the bow like this,” Amaya finished.
“What if I don’t want a bow?” Kakashi said.
“Everyone wants a bow,” Amaya said firmly, with the rock-solid confidence of a child who’d grown up loved.
Kakashi considered the paired swords in their beautiful wrapping. Amaya had used a dark blue cotton furoshiki to bind the swords together, then added the red ribbon. The bow was a cheerful adornment.
“It is pretty,” he allowed.
“And you can use the furoshiki as a cleaning cloth with the oil,” Amaya said, tucking a bottle into the crook of Kakashi’s elbow.
“Did you add that to Ueno’s tab?” he said.
“Of course,” Amaya said, and turned to smile at her father. “Ueno-san owes us another 200 ryou.”
Katsuko looked honestly impressed. “You’re going places, kid,” she said, and took back her promissory note to include the addition. She returned the note to Nobuhira — who smiled as if his daughter extorting strangers was a perfectly normal event — and then turned to raise an eyebrow at Kakashi. “I thought they trained you to resist torture and interrogation.”
“Nobody warned me about civilians under ten,” he said. “I’m going to file a complaint with Intel.”
Amaya grinned. “Come back and see us when you’re good enough to use something with a proper edge, ninja-san.”
Har har.
Kakashi glanced at Katsuko. “I’m sure my sensei will see fit to provide me with additional supplies,” he said mildly. “When they’re warranted.”
Katsuko’s face was as solemn as a bodhisattva statue. “You haven’t reached that step in your journey towards true mastery yet,” she said. “But if it helps, you are my favorite student.”
“I’m your only student.”
She beamed. “Yes.”
Well, he’d walked right into that. Today was just a day of Katsuko getting one up on him.
For two fine swords and the promise of a future where he could learn something worthwhile with time, room for error, and the assistance of a master, he’d take a little humbling.
A very little.
He collected his new blades and bowed to Nobuhira — and then, after a fractional hesitation, to Amaya, who blinked, but recovered quickly enough to bow deeply back.
“If you need any help getting settled, the mission office is always looking for D-ranks to give to genin,” he said, tipping a glance at Amaya. “And they’re never too young to steer towards a good weapon.”
Nobuhira considered that, thoughtful. Amaya looked predatory.
“Thank you both for your help,” Katsuko said, and led the way out of the shop. Kakashi fell into step at her heels, slinging his swords over one shoulder. The weight of them was satisfying. They smelled like clean steel and fresh lacquer, eager to be broken in.
His fingers itched to wield them, but that one earlier swing had made every muscle twang. If he pushed it today, he’d regret it tomorrow — and for the rest of the week, if the lieutenant heard about it.
That didn’t mean he should do nothing, though.
(Ideally, something beyond polishing his handwriting, learning how to be a social dilettante, and whatever else Genma had suggested.) |
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