Twin Sword Bearer

(16 years and 7 months after reincarnation)

[Takina's POV]

(2:01 p.m.)

We got to the train station without much problems.... When we got there, the train was already parked right at the rail road, waiting to pick everyone up.

Once the paperworks and head counting were done Genji - leader of this group, we were finally allowed into the train.

"Have you got your things in check, Sora-sama? Your luggage, your basic things.... Everything."

"Mmm!"

"Good, let's head to our room."

It seems that someone built this train to serve customers in a cruise-styled fashion.... There are countless accommodation rooms in the train just like a hotel, which we get to relax in as the train drives towards the next station. It's like we are on a vacation.

"How luxurious...." I said as I opened one of the doors that lead to our room.

"Of course it is luxurious, this train was made to be used by the emperor!"

"Really? And they are letting us use this like a normal train?"

"I don't know what are considered as 'normal' trains because this is one of a kind.... but this is specifically made for carrying important people like the Emperor, as well as Envoys across the three major clans : Uesugi, Takeda and Oda. It makes perfect sense that we'd ride it, as we are Envoys!"

"I see.... Wait, I heard we are moving east from here, does that mean we are going to take people from the Takeda Clan as well?"

"Mm Hmm. I heard that this meeting with the Emperor and Oda Nobunaga is very important afterall, we won't be the only ones that show up at the Palace."

"Right.... Well after that fight with the beetle I am too tired to care about that. For now...."

I flopped myself onto the lower bunk bed of the room.

"Ahh.... How soft...."

"Takina-san, no fair! I wanted the lower one!"

"It's first come first serve, my Lord.... I need a long nap now...."

"Grr.... Takina-san I hate you!"

What a disrespectful kid.... I'd be giving him an earful now normally but I'm just too tired to give any care.

Ah.... I've been sleeping on futons so much.... that I forgot how nice a bed.... really.... is....

"Zzz..."

"Damn, she's already asleep...? I guess she really wasn't lying huh?"

__________________

(2 hours later....)

(4:02 p.m.)

'Gong....' (?x) The sound of vibrating metal, and wheels grinding along the road was heard.

"Zzz.... Mmm.... So shaky...."

Who's shaking my bed... Wait. "Huh!"

I looked around the small room.... I saw our luggage set on the corner, but I couldn't see the kid anywhere. "Sora-sama...?"

And so, I went out to search for him.

_____________

(20 minutes later....)

Where the hell is he?!

I searched all over the train! From the storage where I got bit by a snake, and even the men's bathroom where one of the guy invited me into bathing with them!

Where did the boy went?! Did I accidentally left him in Niigata?!

The only place that I haven't checked is the front of the- Wait.... no way.... no fucking way he's at the engine compartment.

I made my way to the front is the train.... Making my way out to the joint of the train that is open aired, a large amount of winds blows at my face the moment I opened the door. 'Fwuom!!!'

"Damn!" This train is stupidly fast for a prototype!

I carefully made my way over the connection joint of the train and then onto the next cart... Which is the final cart. Opening the door that said 'staff-only', I entered the front cart.

Inside this cart there are 2 engines burning coal as fuel on each side....

"...?" (?x) Countless other workers manning the engines started looking at me.

"Can I help you, lady?"

"Yes, have you here seen a boy about this height here?"

"Yes, he's at the front of the train.... And he's a bit too playful especially when we are working so close to fire. It's a bit dangerous."

"Sorry for the troubles that he has brought upon you, I'll take him back at once."

"Oh don't worry, while he's a bit annoying he wasn't disruptive to us."

"I see.... But still, I apologize for the inconvenience."

And so, I made my way past the tight engine room where I entered the driving compartment.

"-and this is the lever that stops the train if there's an emergency. Back in my world, they have a button that do this even on passenger carts, but I don't have the technical ability to make it functional here...." A man riding on the front seat of the train explained out to the boy.

"Wow! I can't believe there's a world with so many advanced technology!"

"Ahem.... Sora-sama."

"Takina-san! Listen to this, this man came from another world!"

"....Huh?" What's this kid rambling on about?

"It's true! He said he came from the future where there are countless things more advanced and incredible than even this!" Sora said as he points to the complicated looking control panel of the train.

However, that wasn't what stuck me odd.... No, what made me dumbfounded was this 'time traveller' that Sora was talking about.

"...! I see.... My Lord, you shouldn't bother the pilot uncle like this, let's head back now shall we?"

I should find him and talk to him again.... About the possibility of him being an other worlder just like me.

"Okay.... Well, it sucks that I can't play here for now but I'll come back later, uncle!"

"It's alright, you have another chance to visit here when you go back from Kyoto as well, there's no real hurry for us."

"Yay! Let's go, Takina-san!"

"Right...." I gave the man one last glance before I headed back out.

"Sora-sama, you are soaked to the bottom with sweat! How long did you play in the engine room?!"

"Umm.... I wasn't playing here, I was studying!"

"Studying?"

"Yes! I'm very interested in this 'train' thingy and so I am analyzing how it works!"

"I see.... But regardless, you are drenched in sweat, I must clean you up first."

"I can do that myself!"

Do that himself.... In the men's bathing area?

(Flashback)

"-Let me wash your body for you, pretty lady!"

(Present)

Yeah.... There's no way in hell I'm letting him into that bath area full of dirty hairy old men and soldiers.

"....No. You'll be coming with me, to the women's bath area."

"Whaaat?! Isn't that like.... really embarrassing? I'm a boy you know...?"

"It's alright, you are a kid. Come, let us go."

"No! It'll be full of naked pretty ladies, I don't wanna-"

(Women's bath)

"Wha....." Was the only word that came out of his mouth when he entered the women's bathing area and saw only ugly old ladies inside.

He was wearing his undergarments as well so he's not naked and neither am I, because I'm not even bathing.

"....Pfft haha...."

"Why are you laughing?"

"Did you really expect there to be beautiful naked ladies in here? There aren't even many young women in the samurai class, let alone ones that'll use this bath."

"Grrr.... You've played me, Takina-san!"

"Right right.... Now come here and wash yourself up."

I grabbed his hand and got him to one of the empty shower where a magic shower head is at.

"Sit here and spray water on yourself." I said as I hand him the shower head.

"Umm.... Can you do it for me?"

"Why?"

"I can't use magic items... I don't have mana at all."

"Seriously...? Alright..."

I grabbed the shower head and started spraying warm water on him....

"Get your shirt open, I'll wash your back."

"Wait-"

When I pulled open his undershirt, I saw a large tattoo on his back.... It isn't like any other tattoos either, because this tattoo was drawn out of runic words and made in the shape of a magic crest.

The shape of the crest is in the shape of a seal... A type of enchanting magic that restricts certain things or functions, I just didn't expect to see it on a human's body.

"...?!"

"This is why I said wait...."

"What is this...?"

"I'll tell you about it.... Later."

_______________

I finished washing him up and in the end, I washed myself as well because I got soaked by water when I was cleaning up Sora.

And once I was done, it is already 5 p.m. The time that I'll go get dinner with Sora.

As I was washing myself, the train stopped at another station.... The station at Edo city, modern day Tokyo. The train stopped here to pick up the people at the Takeda Clan, who ruled over Edo as of now.

And because of the time, the train will stop here for the entire evening before continuing onto Kyoto tomorrow.

Because of the Takeda people getting on the train as well, a new influx of people flooded into the train and made the entire place even more crowded than before. It took me some effort just to make it to my room with Sora.

"Sora-sama?" I said after I opened the door.

"Mmm. I'm here."

"Good...." I headed in and closed the door while wiping my long hair with a towel.

"So... Do you want to hear about it?"

"The crest on your back?"

"Mmm."

"Go on...."

"There is a reason I couldn't use magic items, it's because my body lacked the ability to channel mana. That giant crest on my back is the seal that does exactly this."

"I see...." So he's just like me huh? But unlike me, what was sealed in my body was my soul, not my Reserve Mana.

"I need this seal because.... I have a sword inside my body. With Mana poured into it, the sword will manifest out and cause grave injuries to me."

"I see.... But a sword?"

"Yes.... A sword by the name of Severance."

"The Severance Blade...!" That's the sword that is as looking for!

"Well, the one inside me is not exactly that one because it's split up, I have the second half of that sword.... Because of this, the effect of my sword is weaker."

"Kenshin never told me about this...." That sly old man....

"That's because he doesn't know.... He would never know."

"You didn't tell him?"

"This is a secret to everyone except you and my family.... Well, not just my family, but the higher rankings of the Takeda Clan as well. The reason I was sent here to live at the Shibata Castle in Niigata was because my family wanted to protect the blade, and me."

"Is that why no one accompanied you? So that it wouldn't be suspicious?"

"Indeed."

"But then why can't you just remove the sword and be done with it?"

"I can't.... I'll die, for real."

"What?"

"I don't really know about the process of this sword being sealed inside me, but I know that the sword's ability has something to do it.... While the sword is called Severance, it has another less known ability - the ability to fuse things together in both the physical and conceptual sense."

"I see.... What do you mean conceptual?"

"Well in simpler words, it just means that this sword can fuse back together what it seperates.... Souls are conceptual, and it is actually possible to fuse two souls together using this sword that lies in my body, it is very same power that was used to seal the sword inside me as well."

"Right.... It's just such a vague ability that I have some trouble understanding it's limits."

"It has no limits.... It may be weaker in terms of scale, but it's ability to seperate and join things remains unlimited, so long as you have enough mana. I can't remove it from my body because it's fused to my soul. If you take the sword out forcibly, it'll leave an injury to my body that'll never heal."

"I see... Well, we are getting off point here, I wanted to ask you something."

"What is it?"

"Sora-sama.... Is there any way for you to give the sword to me?"

"Yes, I'd-"

"Actually, let me phrase it again.... Would you like to remove the sword from your body?"

"...!"

It doesn't take a genius to figure out that Sora doesn't like this burden of safe keeping such an insane sword.

"All this - Your arrival at Shibata Castle, Being unable to meet your parents or your friends.... So much hardships and expectations, all because you were the vessel to the Severance blade.... Am I right?"

"....Mmm.... You're right...! You're more than right!"

Sora clenched his fist, and he gets visibly annoyed.

"Finally.... Someone gets it.... You get how it feels to be expected to be someone that you aren't supposed to be!"

"Hmpt..." I smiled a bit and patted him on his head. He reminds me of myself....

"Mmm.... Thank you, Takina-san...."

"It's alright. So, would you like to remove this blade from your body? In doing so, I can take and use the sword as well as feeing you from the responsibility of it all...."

"I... I'll have to tell my parents about it."

"Indeed you have to.... But don't worry, I'll be there for you, because you're my Lord."

"...Mmm! Very well, then I want you to help me seperate the sword from my body, the weapon that was fused into my very soul!"

"Yes!.... That being said, how can we even go about this?"

"Well.... I have no idea...."

"Hmm.... You said there's a second sword right?"

"Indeed. It was sealed inside the body of another child just like me.... a girl by the name of Akiyama Youzora."

"Right.... In theory, we can seperate the sword if we used her second half of the sword on you."

"Wait.... That could work actually...."

"Indeed. Once the sword is out from your soul, we can use your half of the sword to do the same to her, effectively removing both swords at the same time. How does that sound?"

"Hmm.... I think it is worth a shot. However there's a problem, we don't know where the second Sword Bearer is."

"Damn... We haven't even got started and we already hit the first roadblock. However, I think Kenshin-sama might be able to help us this time."

"He can?"

"Indeed. You see-"

I told him every thing about me.... Specifically, about how he and I was looking for the Severance Blade.

"-I figured that because he was the one to send the sword to the Takedas in the first place, he'd be the one that can find out where and who the second Sword Bearer might be."

"That makes sense..... But we literally have just left Niigata today, it will be at least half a month before we meet with him again."

"Yeah, that sucks.... I guess we'll have to wait for now."

"Mmm...."

"Now, it's getting late so let's head for the canteen and grab some dinner, as I'm actually starving right now."

"We did talked for a long time after all. Let's go!"

___________

[Third Person POV]

(Meanwhile...)

Genji stood at the front door of Takina and Sora's room.... he eavesdropped on the entire conversation between these two.

"The Severance Blade...."

He knew exactly what sword Sora had in his body. As a boy, he saw his grandfather using that very same sword.... brandishing it against the enemies of the Uesugi Clan.

He had always wanted to wield that sword one day.... and it is also what inspired him to continue on his path into becoming a leader of the Uesugi Clan one day.

In other words, Genji has always wanted to find that sword just like Takina.

"...."

After gathering what important information that he got from these two's conversation, Genji left.

He did wanted the sword, but if claiming it will result in the death of that boy, then he would still deny it.

But.... who knows if his obsession towards this legendary magic sword will embolden when given time?

(Chapter end)