Transient

Such a fine sword; and now, it's time for it to return to where it belongs.

Once again and for the last time, Atago gingerly ran her fingers through the burnished, reflective surface of the blade; even without touching the cutting edge, she could feel the sharpness that belied its age.

It was patently clear that the sword was not one of the Navy-issue mass-produced gunto; instead, it was a family heirloom, a proof of one's lineage, a priceless artifact.

If only human life could last as long as this blade…but no, no more sorrows, she told herself. That person was gone, and Takao was right; she should not cling to it. It took an argument with her sister for her to realize it, and Atago could not help but chuckle at the memory.

Ah, my ever-sensible and well-meaning sister; how I am glad you were there to remind me of my folly.

Returning the blade to its sheath, she then laid the item on a fine cloth she had prepared beforehand on the floor before wrapping it around the weapon. If someone told her it probably wasn't necessary, she would have agreed, but she would also say to them it's an honorable thing to do, as she earnestly believed.

So caught up in what she was doing, Atago was unaware of Takao observing her by the threshold—a small, warm smile gracing her typically stoic face. When she did notice, her cheeks grew red, but she continued what she was doing regardless.

"Oh, are you going somewhere important today, Takao-chan?" Atago inquired, seeing that Takao was clad in full uniform. Instead of answering right away, the cruiser simply set her foot inside the room and sat erect beside her sister, with her own sword laid before her.

"Dai-senpai asked if I could take some time to be her escort today. I see no reason to refuse such a request; after all, Hiei-san is unavailable."

"Oh," Atago laughed lightly. "Good luck having to endure those dreadfully boring talks, then."

"It's acceptable; she has done a lot for us. As for you…you are finally letting that go?" Takao glanced at the old sword, remembering how they argued over it.

"Oh my, wasn't it you who told me to?" Atago answered as she put the finishing touch to her work by tying the remaining unraveled cord into a neat knot. She examined the covered sword and made a satisfied smile; even though she was never particularly deft at wrapping things, this one turned out to be alright.

"Tr-true; but truthfully, I do feel that perhaps I was too harsh on you and that you might-"

"Heheheh; glad you did, Takao-chan," Atago pressed a finger on Takao's lips, preventing her from finishing what she said while flippantly waving her other hand. There was a playful smile on her face, and Takao could not resist smiling back, despite her reservations.

"…You … did not despise me for rebuking you like that?"

"How could I ever hate you, Takao-chan? You are kind, more than I will ever be."

Takao's smile disappeared, and her brows furrowed at those words. Yet another self-loathing, she lamented. Ever since the war ended, Atago would occasionally let it slip whenever she spoke, whether she realized it or not. It was usually subtle but undeniably there.

Takao rose abruptly; the suddenness of the movement surprised Atago, and even more so after she found a pair of arms embracing her from behind with Takao half-whispering into her ears.

"Say those words no more. You, too, Atago, are kind and caring; you would not do this otherwise."

Atago placed a hand on her sister's, cherishing the warm feeling before finally speaking.

"Thank you, Takao-chan. It…means a lot."

"…Then, I suppose I should not tarry too long; dai-senpai is waiting," a pleased Takao released herself from Atago and picked her sword off the floor before heading towards the door.

"Take care," Atago waved Takao goodbye.

"Same to you," replied the latter, briefly looking back. Atago watched her sister leave until she was out of sight and took the bundle with the sword, holding it close to her with the utmost care, not unlike a mother holding her child.

***

The outside was as cold as yesterday, and even trails of snow—a leftover from winter—remained. But even then, the breeze was blowing with a charming fragrance to them.

It was still early for the flowers to bloom, though. Whenever they do, Atago wished they would help clear the bitterness.

As she strolled through the streets, she was well aware of all kinds of looks directed at her, be it scornful, fearful, or judgmental; but she had learned to overlook them and take everything in stride; more often than not, it's the worst they could do after all.

The neighborhood she was currently in had been hit by air raids. Many of the homes have been reduced to ruins, their former occupants forced to scrape what they could salvage; a few luckier ones survived albeit severely damaged, and even fewer survived intact.

"Do you know the residence of the Haruno family?" She would ask the few residents she stumbled upon, but so far, nobody had been helpful; at best, they would politely shake their heads and quickly run. A few, though, harshly sent her away.

The ordeal left her a little shaken, and Atago soon found a secluded spot behind a ruined house where she decided to rest and collect herself, not caring about dirtying her clothes on the dusty ground.

However, just as she began to sit, a group of children arrived. Some of them immediately backed away as they saw her; however, they did not scatter but began whispering among themselves. It was not long until a girl—apparently the oldest among them—stepped forward and bowed.

"Sorry if we are bothering you; if it's okay, we would like to play here."

The girl spoke in such a courteous way that Atago could not form a response straight away while she kept bowing. She only raised her head when there was no immediate answer.

"Ah…no, I'm not bothered at all. Maybe I'm the one bothering you instead? You know, I'm a KAN—" Atago finally answered, looking slightly flustered while the girl looked on, confused.

"No, you are not bothering us at all; why would you say that?"

"No, nothing; please, don't mind me."

The girl reacted with a hesitant nod before joining her friends and telling them it was all right to play. The children wasted no time starting; even as she spoke, some had already begun a tag game, running around loudly.

"Yuki-chan, you cannot join the tag; let's play with Koma instead," Atago heard a boy talking to his friend who had lost a leg, offering a spinning top which she gratefully received.

As she quietly watched the proceeding, she just realized that even if some were missing a limb or an eye, they didn't seem to care. The ones whose bodies are intact, too, weren't treating them any differently.

I see that none got left behind, just like you, wasn't it?

The children kept playing without a care in the world until…

"Waaaaaaah!"

One of them slipped and fell on her knee, scraping it; the others abruptly stopped moving as she wailed and circled around her, murmuring among themselves, yet it was clear they were at a loss on what to do. Seeing Atago approaching, they made way for her, hoping she could do something; she could see it in their eyes as she kneeled before the girl.

A quick glance told her the wound was not deep, merely an abrasion, but still, leaving it untreated may lead to complications. She had no medicine to treat such injuries, but she did remember being told that kissing a wound might help in the healing process. Thus, despite her own misgivings, Atago lowered her head and pressed her lips into the bleeding knee, whispering, "pain, pain, go away."

Within her mouth, she could taste blood mixed with dirt before withdrawing and wrapping the wound with a handkerchief she happened to be carrying while the others observed; some were amazed, some confused.

"…Does it still hurt?" She asked the girl, who had begun to stop crying; she shook her head and smiled back.

"A little… It's better now. Thanks… nee-chan."

"Glad to hear. No problem…hm?" Atago felt a tug on her sleeve; the oldest girl then bowed at her again.

"Thank you for your help; I was so worried…I wish we could repay you somehow…"

Atago wanted to say it was nothing, but then she remembered what she had come there for. "Perhaps you could tell me where the residence of the Haruno family is?" She asked; however, she did not expect the girl to be that surprised at her question.

"What a coincidence; that's where I live. And it's about time all of us head back anyway. You can come with us, nee-chan."

***

The girl led her peers through the neighborhood's winding paths; they were orderly but not solemn, occasionally cracking jokes and breaking into a song, while the able ones helped the less able to walk. The trip was short but slow-paced, and Atago had many opportunities to observe the surroundings. She quickly regretted doing so—no matter where she looked, all she could see were women grieving for lost loved ones.

She couldn't help but wonder—had they known she was shouldering the same pain, would they hold her in contempt still?

"I have not told you my name, have I? My name is Hanako. Haruno Hanako," the girl, who insisted that Atago walk beside her instead of behind the group, introduced herself.

"Ah, what a great name; as for me, my name is Atago. You are…his niece, then. He had many stories about you," Atago replied, amused at the girl blushing over what she said.

"He did? Ah mou; I would love to hear them though…ah, here we are."

The group stopped in front of a mostly intact house. A group of women came in and out of it, carrying bundles with them. Hanako told the group to wait and went inside, coming back outside not too long after with a young woman who did not seem too pleased.

"Hanako-chan, why are you bringing someone from the military here and a KANSEN, no less?" Even though she looked tired, the woman snarled with such intensity that the children immediately backed away.

Atago made an effort to remain calm; she had been through this kind of situation a lot, just like some of her peers, and she had plenty of practice. She told herself that this would not take long, and then she could just leave and not return.

"I am sorry if my presence here aggravated anyone," Atago spoke cautiously; the woman didn't seem to be moved, but she continued regardless. "I just wanted to return this ancestral sword to the Haruno family where it belongs, and then I shall take my leave," she bowed, presenting the bundle. The woman before her did not take it and burst into tears instead while the children watched, bewildered.

"How come it ended up in…the care of someone like you? What took you so long to return it anyway? Don't you know how important it is for us?" She furiously demanded, violently seizing Atago by the collar of her clothing, with the latter too taken aback to react.

"Enough," a voice belonging to an old woman was heard.

"B-but …mother…"

"I said enough," the old woman repeated with more force, and the young woman eventually removed herself from Atago.

"I wondered what was with all the noise outside, and it turned out to be a KANSEN. What business do you have here?"

Though she was shaken, Atago nonetheless bowed again, grasping the bundle firmly; she nearly dropped it during the commotion. The old woman, though stern-looking, appeared to be sensible—maybe she would not judge her.

"I… would like to return this…sword; the heirloom of the Haruno family…Please accept it, and I will not disturb you further."

"Oh dear, I thought it was lost. Shinobu, please take it, place it near the altar, and prepare tea for our guest," the old woman spoke; the young woman opened her mouth, likely to object, but she was quickly silenced by the look the older woman gave her. Gritting her teeth, she approached Atago and grudgingly seized the bundle before storming into the house, once again bursting into tears halfway.

"Please don't take it to heart. She's been grieving," the old woman offered an apology; Atago dismissed it by weakly shaking her head.

"No, I…I can understand. After all…she was…no, never mind. I shall take my leave."

Knowing that she had fulfilled what she wanted to do, Atago bowed again, intending to leave in haste—but soon, she found the old woman blocking the way with her cane.

"No, no, that won't do. Stay awhile for tea, at least," she said; it sounded more like a subtle demand than a suggestion, or so Atago thought.

"But I am…a…KANSEN. Don't you…hate me?"

"It is unbecoming of us to drive you away like a wild animal after you went through the trouble of returning the sword. See, even Hanako wants you to stay."

Atago turned to the girl, who was already beside her, pleading silently with her eyes.

She decided to give in.

***

When Atago stepped inside the house, the first thing she noticed was the butsudan, rustic like the rest of the interior; she could still smell the incense, though they had long burned away. A framed photograph of a man in naval uniform she knew well was placed nearby, as well as the sword, now free from its coverings and bindings.

Hanako had impatiently sat her down on the tatami and began asking questions about what her uncle had told about her, getting embarrassed by each answer yet not wanting to stop; after a while, the young woman arrived, bearing a tray with cups of tea, and left quietly after setting them on the floor, returning to the kitchen and worked on something else. Eventually, Hanako joined her to help, leaving Atago and the old woman behind.

"You seem to know a lot about my son. Could it be you are the onee-san he talked about?"

"He…he did…?"

"Oh yes…he did; he would often tell about this sisterly KANSEN who looked after him and others in his letters. His betrothed was jealous over that, that foolish child."

"…I see."

"And to think, when the war is over, they were supposed to get married…and probably open an orphanage. It was his dream; he was a very kind and caring person. Ah, sorry, I'm getting long-winded here."

The old woman stopped talking, discreetly observed the woman sitting before her, and realized something.

"…So…I was wondering…why have you gone through all that trouble to return our sword…?"

There was a rather long pause before Atago replied; the old woman noticed that she was shaking as she did.

"…It is the right thing to do. I know how much it meant to you…"

"…I see … that's admirable," the old woman gave a slight nod. "It's hard for you, isn't it?"

Atago did not answer and merely lowered her head, hiding her face from the old woman, but the teardrops falling onto the tatami were telling enough.

"… I'm sorry. For a long time, I…I'm clinging to it, wanting to keep it to myself. Because of…because…" Atago muttered in a choked voice; whatever the words she wanted to say died in her throat.

The old woman kept her silence and waited until Atago raised her head; she saw a smile directed at her when she did.

"…Then perhaps I also owe you an apology."

"…Eh…?"

The old woman leaned forward and gently laid a hand on Atago's shoulder; it stopped shaking the moment she did.

"All of us here…we hate … no, we feared your kind, the KANSENs. We thought of all of you as unfeeling beasts who only know to wage war…A cursed existence. However…What you did today proved us wrong. And for that…I thank you. Thus, there is no need for you to apologize. More importantly, why don't you wipe those tears off your face? Surely you don't want to look like this in front of my son, do you?"

It did not take long for Atago to smile back and do what the old woman told her before she bowed her head again, this time out of gratitude.

***

"Wait!"

Atago stopped walking, cautiously watching the young woman running after her, but her apprehension soon turned into relief and then curiosity; the other woman, to her surprise, did not seem to be as angry as she had before. Not from the way she's fidgeting and looking for words.

"…Listen…I… I guess I owe you gratitude…for helping that injured girl and for returning his sword," she finally spoke, then bowed, though the gesture was curt. "And… I'm sorry because I was rude before. I shouldn't have. I—"

"It was nothing. I understand how you feel," Atago cut her off. "Your pain…is my pain too. But I hope…you wouldn't dwell on it," she finished and turned to walk away, but before she could go further than a step, the woman called her again.

"…How…do you feel about him?"

Atago gave no answer save for a smile.