Shun couldn’t wait to get back home to tell his father about his first academy lesson. He only learned how to throw a kunai, but he knew that Shuichi was a huge fan of Nao’s. He got a bit distracted on his way home, stopping by a shop that sold weapons, much like one his father ran. His eyes skimmed over the weapons and he raised his head to the shopkeeper as she approached.
“See anything you like?” she asked with a pleasant smile.
“Ah, I was just admiring your work! My father also crafts, but your style is quite different,” Shun replied. The shopkeeper smiled.
“I appreciate the compliment, but this is not my work. What you see in this store is all the work of my late husband. He had quite the collection, and he wished for me to sell it if anything happened to him.”
Shun bowed his head politely at the news of her loss, raising his head once more. “I would love to purchase a set of kunai if you have any,” he decided after a moment of silence, and the woman lit up with a bright smile.
“I have just the set for you.” She disappeared into the back, and Shun looked over the weapons quietly as he waited.
The swords on display were magnificent; something about the long blades drew his attention, but he didn’t feel the desire to purchase one just yet. He had a lot more to learn about combat before he was ready to handle a larger weapon.
Shun’s attention returned to the woman as she came back to the front, settling a smooth black pouch on the counter. “Go ahead, you open it,” she spoke with excitement in her tone.
Shun smiled brightly, opening the pouch from the top and pulling out one of the kunai. It was a beautiful iridescent tone, patterns of blue and white shimmering across the blade. He noticed that light didn’t reflect off it, but bounced around inside the blade much like a diamond. The handle was definitely made of metal, the silver sheen impossible to mistake for anything else. “These are beautiful,” he murmured, his voice soft as he couldn’t tear his eyes away from the weapon he was carefully cradling in his palm.
“Lovely, yes, but deadly. Blades made of diamond, reinforced with your own chakra once you become attuned to the weapon. The edges are sharp enough on their own, but they contain the smallest ridges along the sides that will grab like teeth to cause more damage. Truly a masterpiece, a beautiful creation that looks decorative but is disastrous in battle,” she spoke, awe in her tone as she admired the pieces as well.
“How much?”
“Consider these a gift from me.”
“I couldn’t,” Shun denied, but the shopkeeper was having none of it.
“Only one condition. Once you get a bit stronger in your training, return to me for another weapon. Training kunai free of charge, but I know that won’t be the only blade you ever wield,” she stated firmly.
Shun felt awful for not buying anything, so he looked along the swords for a moment. “At least allow me to buy something for my father, that way he can see the work your husband has done.”
The shopkeeper allowed him to pick a blade to purchase, and he chose a short sword that had caught his eye while she was in the back. The sword had this sense of etherealness to it. It’s blade was sleek and polished, curved gently to catch the light perfectly along its pristine surface. The handle was black with the faintest glitter sheen on it, sparkling like his mother’s eyes. He had a feeling Shuichi would love the sword.
With the blade purchased and wrapped to sit along his back and the kunai settled in his bag, he continued on his way home. Upon reaching his house, Shun stopped at the gate to the garden. The roses were growing nicely along the bushes, berries growing neatly in their rows and vegetables looking about ready to harvest. He would take his time working on them later, after he gave his father the gift and did some more training on his own.
Shun stepped into his house, calling out “I’m home!” for his father to hear. Shuichi was settled in the kitchen, cooking up a dish that brought a smile to Shun’s face. “I can’t wait to tell you all about my lesson today,” Shun stated as he carefully set the sword down in its wrapping. His satchel was hung on the wall next to the door, and he settled down at the dining room table with his father.
“I can’t wait to hear as well. You made a little stop on the way home, I see,” Shuichi spoke up as he set dishes on the table, his eye catching the wrapped sword leaning against the wall.
“There was a lovely weapons shop. The shopkeeper gave me kunai for training, and I couldn’t leave without paying for something. So I got you a gift,” Shun spoke, his eyes falling to the table as he smiled softly. “I think you’ll like it.”
Shuichi’s lips turned up faintly, and he began setting the meal on the table between them. Once the father was seated, they began to dig in together. Shun told him all about his lesson and how he got to know the head of the Med branch throughout his lesson, news that Shuichi was extremely proud of him for. Shun also told of his training and what he learned, and how he would need his father’s help setting up a training area at home so he could keep up his practice.
After dinner was consumed and dishes were washed and put away, Shun carefully picked up the weapon he had bought and offered it to his father. Shuichi took the sword and slowly unwrapped it, his eyes widening at the sight of it. They stood in silence for a moment, simply admiring the blade. Shun looked to his father’s face for any hints to how he felt about the gift, only to find tears slipping down his cheeks. “Dad?”
“Sorry, it’s just…” Shuichi sniffed, a sad smile lifting the corners of his lips. “It reminds me of your mother. Even the hilt...it sparkles like her eyes.”
Shun felt a sting in his eyes, and he moved to wrap his arms around his father’s waist. “As soon as I saw it, I knew it was the one to get you. I’m sorry if it makes you sad…”
“It makes me happy. A good way to remember her, dangerous but beautiful,” Shuichi spoke, wrapping his free arm around Shun’s back. “Thank you, Shun. I love it.”
Shun hugged his father for a little while longer, then Shuichi set up a mount above the door to the garden for the sword to be displayed in memory of Reijun. Shun managed to drag his father out to help harvest the vegetables while he trimmed the rose bushes, picking a few of the flowers to replace the ones in the vase indoors. Once the garden was properly cared for, Shuichi went to the backyard to begin setting up Shun’s training area.
“See anything you like?” she asked with a pleasant smile.
“Ah, I was just admiring your work! My father also crafts, but your style is quite different,” Shun replied. The shopkeeper smiled.
“I appreciate the compliment, but this is not my work. What you see in this store is all the work of my late husband. He had quite the collection, and he wished for me to sell it if anything happened to him.”
Shun bowed his head politely at the news of her loss, raising his head once more. “I would love to purchase a set of kunai if you have any,” he decided after a moment of silence, and the woman lit up with a bright smile.
“I have just the set for you.” She disappeared into the back, and Shun looked over the weapons quietly as he waited.
The swords on display were magnificent; something about the long blades drew his attention, but he didn’t feel the desire to purchase one just yet. He had a lot more to learn about combat before he was ready to handle a larger weapon.
Shun’s attention returned to the woman as she came back to the front, settling a smooth black pouch on the counter. “Go ahead, you open it,” she spoke with excitement in her tone.
Shun smiled brightly, opening the pouch from the top and pulling out one of the kunai. It was a beautiful iridescent tone, patterns of blue and white shimmering across the blade. He noticed that light didn’t reflect off it, but bounced around inside the blade much like a diamond. The handle was definitely made of metal, the silver sheen impossible to mistake for anything else. “These are beautiful,” he murmured, his voice soft as he couldn’t tear his eyes away from the weapon he was carefully cradling in his palm.
“Lovely, yes, but deadly. Blades made of diamond, reinforced with your own chakra once you become attuned to the weapon. The edges are sharp enough on their own, but they contain the smallest ridges along the sides that will grab like teeth to cause more damage. Truly a masterpiece, a beautiful creation that looks decorative but is disastrous in battle,” she spoke, awe in her tone as she admired the pieces as well.
“How much?”
“Consider these a gift from me.”
“I couldn’t,” Shun denied, but the shopkeeper was having none of it.
“Only one condition. Once you get a bit stronger in your training, return to me for another weapon. Training kunai free of charge, but I know that won’t be the only blade you ever wield,” she stated firmly.
Shun felt awful for not buying anything, so he looked along the swords for a moment. “At least allow me to buy something for my father, that way he can see the work your husband has done.”
The shopkeeper allowed him to pick a blade to purchase, and he chose a short sword that had caught his eye while she was in the back. The sword had this sense of etherealness to it. It’s blade was sleek and polished, curved gently to catch the light perfectly along its pristine surface. The handle was black with the faintest glitter sheen on it, sparkling like his mother’s eyes. He had a feeling Shuichi would love the sword.
With the blade purchased and wrapped to sit along his back and the kunai settled in his bag, he continued on his way home. Upon reaching his house, Shun stopped at the gate to the garden. The roses were growing nicely along the bushes, berries growing neatly in their rows and vegetables looking about ready to harvest. He would take his time working on them later, after he gave his father the gift and did some more training on his own.
Shun stepped into his house, calling out “I’m home!” for his father to hear. Shuichi was settled in the kitchen, cooking up a dish that brought a smile to Shun’s face. “I can’t wait to tell you all about my lesson today,” Shun stated as he carefully set the sword down in its wrapping. His satchel was hung on the wall next to the door, and he settled down at the dining room table with his father.
“I can’t wait to hear as well. You made a little stop on the way home, I see,” Shuichi spoke up as he set dishes on the table, his eye catching the wrapped sword leaning against the wall.
“There was a lovely weapons shop. The shopkeeper gave me kunai for training, and I couldn’t leave without paying for something. So I got you a gift,” Shun spoke, his eyes falling to the table as he smiled softly. “I think you’ll like it.”
Shuichi’s lips turned up faintly, and he began setting the meal on the table between them. Once the father was seated, they began to dig in together. Shun told him all about his lesson and how he got to know the head of the Med branch throughout his lesson, news that Shuichi was extremely proud of him for. Shun also told of his training and what he learned, and how he would need his father’s help setting up a training area at home so he could keep up his practice.
After dinner was consumed and dishes were washed and put away, Shun carefully picked up the weapon he had bought and offered it to his father. Shuichi took the sword and slowly unwrapped it, his eyes widening at the sight of it. They stood in silence for a moment, simply admiring the blade. Shun looked to his father’s face for any hints to how he felt about the gift, only to find tears slipping down his cheeks. “Dad?”
“Sorry, it’s just…” Shuichi sniffed, a sad smile lifting the corners of his lips. “It reminds me of your mother. Even the hilt...it sparkles like her eyes.”
Shun felt a sting in his eyes, and he moved to wrap his arms around his father’s waist. “As soon as I saw it, I knew it was the one to get you. I’m sorry if it makes you sad…”
“It makes me happy. A good way to remember her, dangerous but beautiful,” Shuichi spoke, wrapping his free arm around Shun’s back. “Thank you, Shun. I love it.”
Shun hugged his father for a little while longer, then Shuichi set up a mount above the door to the garden for the sword to be displayed in memory of Reijun. Shun managed to drag his father out to help harvest the vegetables while he trimmed the rose bushes, picking a few of the flowers to replace the ones in the vase indoors. Once the garden was properly cared for, Shuichi went to the backyard to begin setting up Shun’s training area.