The Weight of a Sword

When Naito came back, he had strapped a daishō to his waist, refilled the quiver on his back and was holding another set of daishō along with a bow. He handed the swords to Ryuka along with the second bow.

[[*daishō - the Japanese term for the pairing of a short sword and long sword together. In this era and case, the long sword is the tachi, while the short sword is called a tantō. This would be replaced later with the advent of the katana to the standard pairing of a katana and a wakizachi that would be worn as a status symbol by samurai, until the public carrying of swords was banned by Japan in 1876, eight years after the Meiji Restoration.]]

"Here take them."

She frowned as she looked at the swords and accepted the bow, which was her own. Yet, Naito urged her to take the daishō, too, with a casual remark, "They won't need them anymore."

"I don't need swords," Ryuka said as she shook her head.

Naito sighed. "You may not need them now, and you might not want them. But I don't want them to be left for bandits to claim."

She understood that her friend didn't want to arm potential enemies, but did she have to take them?

As if he could read her mind, Naito spoke, "Those guys were sent to capture or kill your mother. What would they have done if they found you?"

"What?" alarmed, she looked at Naito with shock and questions.

"You need to learn to defend yourself by any means necessary. You haven't learned how to handle a sword yet, but I can help you with that," he went on.

Her eyes widened as even more questions came to her mind. "You have wielded a sword before?"

That was when Naito realized what he had just said. Wait. He knew how to use a sword. How? Fragments of memories swirled in his head as he found that among them, he really had learned how to use a sword.

In that moment of confusion, he stared at the weapons in his hand blankly before nodding. "Yes. I have... and I'll teach you."

"When?! Ryuka blurted out the various questions on her mind. "When have you held a sword?! Father didn't have one. Did someone in the village teach you? And what do you mean, when you said they were after my mother?"

Naito raised a hand, calling her to stop and calm down before answering.

"I don't know when, but I have. You know I don't recall much from before meeting you. As for the bounty hunters," he paused as he considered how much to tell her. "The bounty hunters... they were sent by your mother's clan."

"Her clan?" she repeated and looked at the swords again in thought.

She thought of all the stories her father had told her about her mother and voiced her thoughts.

"My mother had a low standing in the imperial court. If I recall correctly, father said that it was because she was an orphan of some minor family. However, she had been brought into one of the clans to serve as a lady in waiting for one of the noble women."

Naito listened as she spoke and arched a brow at the part about Ryuka's mother being brought in as a servant. That didn't seem quite right. No one would send mercenaries to hunt down a servant to bring them back.

"I don't think your mother was a servant," he plainly stated.

This statement drew Ryuka's questioning gaze, which prompted him to continue.

"Those guys.... They were contracted to find 'a lady of the Fujiwara clan', whom the priest absconded with. Meaning, your mother was a lady of the Fujiwara clan. Not a servant. When your father said she was brought into the clan, I have a feeling that she was adopted by them."

Seeing comprehension was dawning on Ryuka's face, he carried on.

"Also, those men mentioned that the clan wanted to use your mother. Marrying her off to some figure in power, which is why they were instructed to locate her."

Her face changed so much in these few moment with each new understanding. From puzzlement to surprise, then to questioning and further shock, before settling into anger and resolve.

So many choices that her father had made, and facts he had obscured, were now making sense.

Starting with, why leave Kyoto with her mother. Simple. To flee an arranged marriage.

Why move to some remote village? Again, makes sense, if you must hide from powerful adversaries.

Why send bounty hunters after he mother? The clan needed her. As she was the best tool they had.

Which made her understand something.

"My father is dead, isn't he..."

It wasn't a question by the tone of it, but rather, a statement of a fact that Ryuka had to accept. Naito pitied the loss of ignorance, as it took the last shred of hope to see her father again from the girl.

She reached out to take the swords from him then. The unfamiliar weapons in her hands carried both a physical and mental burden. As she silently swore to make anyone pay for forcing her or her parents to act against their wishes.

Naito watched the changes in her quietly. Nodding both in answer and approval of the decision she was making. For he understood that by Ryuka taking on the swords, she was accepting that she may have to bloody her hands directly in the future.

Killing someone at a distance was impersonal and wouldn't influence a persons' mind but killing with a sword was personal. You would see the life leave your victim's eyes. You would know and accept the burden that you had robbed someone's future.

It would not be easy, but he would make sure to be present when that day came. He was her guardian after all, and he would be there to support her and do whatever he could to keep her from crumbling.

Setting down the swords, Ryuka picked up the bow and strapped it to the quiver that she put on her back. Then, she remembered that there were three swordsmen and two archers, so she had to ask.

"What did you do with the other bow and swords?"

"Snapped the bow and buried the other," he stated without emotion, like it was the most natural thing to do.

Which made her almost want to ask why he didn't bury these swords too, but she decided against it. She got the unspoken point of giving her the swords. He wanted her to know that her mother was hunted, and by relation, she was in danger too.

She handed the gathering basket to him and picked up the swords.

"You know, I don't know how to wear these properly, right?"

He sighed and requested her to trade with him. "Here. Take the basket and I'll take the swords. I'll help you wear them."

After the items were shuffled between them, he moved to her side and showed her how to tuck the scabbards in at her obi and tie them off to secure them. It would have been easier if she was wearing a hakama, like the one she would wear as a part of her miko attire, but this would have to make do.

Ryuka's face was flush with embarrassment as Naito had to loosen her obi a little to make room for both swords. His cheeks were also a little rosy in doing this too, but he quickly stepped back and turned away from her once he was done.

Like this, they continued through the forest without talking to each other. Both wanted to put distance between themselves and the bodies, as well as distance themselves from the stray thoughts they just had.