Jake's Story on Mutsunokami

Mutsunokami suffered greatly. He was sad because he was not as great of swordsman as Mikazuki was. Mikazuki is a tenken gokken and Mutsunokami is just a sword boi. 

He has to rely on his gun because hes not a great swordsman and he feels bad about that because he wants to be good at his craft. He feels that hes powerful when holding a gun and isnt as strong with his sword. 

He sometimes cries himself to sleep thinking about this as his training just doesnt always pay off. 

He often day dreams of duels against mikazuki and overpowering him with his swords. But when actually presented these opportunities he has a tendency to reach for his gun but Mikazuki knows better than that and always gets the upper hand no matter what.

He suffers daily as this weighs on his conscience and its hard to get through the days. He would just rather sleep all day and not worry about training, because in the end, what is the point? 

He will never be as good as the great Mikazuki. He has come to accept this as no training could help with his battles. He will instead only rely on his gun because he knows that at least gets the job done, maybe not to the best effort, but no longer cares anymore.

Some time has passed and his sword is not rusted and dull. But again he doesnt care about that, he has his gun and it disposes enemies just as well, even faster than a sword. It may not be ideal or the style of a Sword soul, but Mutsunokami has lost his will. 

When spending time with Monoyoshi, The young sword soul pointed out the rust on his blade, and asked why he hasnt sharpened and cleaned it up. 

Mutsunokami paid no attention to him and just grunted. Monoyoshi asked if something was the matter? Mutsunokami just replies with "If it matters so much to you, why dont you clean it?" and proceeds to throw his sword on the ground and walk away.

Monoyoshi stared in confusion, wondering what was the matter. But he wanted to help out a fellow sword so he picked up the blade and took it with him. 

Days passed and Monoyoshi managed to clean up Mutsunokami's sword, it looked brand new. He presented this to the troubled soul hoping to improve his mood. 

Mutsunokami just looks at him in a questionable manner and says "Why did you even go through that trouble, I dont use them anyway."

Monoyoshi looked a little disappointed and replied "I just wanted to help a friend out is all."

Mutsunokami did respect the gesture and took the sword from the boy. "Thank you, he said. But it was a waste of time."

He walks away twirling his revolver as he does.

Mutsunokami finds that his masters don't use him as much as the other sword souls, and that also hurts his morale. He wishes he was as favored as the other swords such as Yagen, or even the weird surfer guy Sasanuki. The guy doesnt even have a last name, so why bother wasting your time with him? 
He sits in his room most of the day, day dreaming about battles and how he can improve his abilities. However his last battle with Mikazuki really affected him personally. His gun proved inaffective against the tenken goken. Mikazuki would just slice through the bullets like they were butter.
How can you go up against someone like that he ponders. He distances himself from the others, possible why the other masters dont want to use him. As he just shuts himself out most of the time. 
When given the chance to go out on missions with the other swords, its shortlived. Masters will give him a try, but wont commit. This really hurts his feelings, and makes him feel unwanted.

Mutsunokami sat in his room alone. He could hear the other swords waking up for the day and drinking tea in the common area. They conversed together, getting ready for a new day. 

He heard a knock on his door. "Mutsunokami-san? Are you awake? Your tea is ready." It was Monoyoshi. 

He didn't answer back. After a few moments he could hear the doorknob turn. He got on his feet and saw the door open. 

The boy stood at the doorframe, checking in on him to make sure he was okay. 

"Leave me alone." Mutsunokami says aggressively. Monoyoshi frowned and looked concerned. 

"We're partnering for todays mission. Just want to make sure you will be ready for it." He says.

Mutsukami scoffed at him. "Go on without me. I'm not needed." He turns his back to the boy. 

"That's not true." Monoyoshi says with a faint smile. "We're a team, and I need your strength." 

"Take it then." He responds, and tosses his sword over to him. "You'll make more use of it than I would."

"You know, I'm not skilled enought to use your type of sword." The boy says. "You're better trained with it than I." 

"Come on, with the two of us, we can make complete this mission quickly. No sweat right?" Monoyoshi smiles. 

Mutsunokami sat there in silence. Not reacting to what was said. 

"I'm just a waste of space." he mutters. 

"Why do you say that?" The boy questions. "I specifically requested to be paired with you for this mission." 

Mutsunokami was taken by surprise. "Why?" 

"Because I admire you. I've seen you fight, I mean you even train with the great Mikazuki. That's impressive to me." The boy says. 

"He still kicked my ass." Mutsunokami responds. "But whatever, lets get this over with." He grabs his revolver and places it in his holster.

The two exit and partake in their mission. Monoyoshi notices little to no effort being done on Mutsunokami's side, but he was able to get him out on the mission, so it was a start. 

As they returned from their mission -which was a success- Monoyoshi expressed gratitude to working with Mutsunokami on this mission. 

"We should pair up more often." He says with a smile.

"I wouldnt recommend that." Mutsunokami replies. "I work better alone." 

"You just spend all your time alone in your room." Monoyoshi rebukes. 

Feeling called out. Mutsunokami ignores the comment. "Whatever." He says and walks over to his room and closes the door behind him. 

Monoyoshi planned to pair himself with Mutsunokami for future missions. Hoping to cheer him up soon. 

A few days went by, and Mutsunokami was sitting in his room as per usual. Everyone else was out in the common area having tea preparing for the day. 

Mutsunokami heard again another knock on his door. He knew it was Monoyoshi as they had another mission planned for the day. 

Mutsunokami forced himself up and opened the door to greet the boy. 

"Ready for another mission?" Monoyoshi asked, smiling. 

"If ready is what you would call it." Mutsunokami grunted. He walked out, brushing passed Monoyoshi somewhat aggressively. 

As the two headed out of the lodge then embarked on their mission together. 

They were to dispose of some demons not far from where they were. Monoyoshi had his sword in hand, ready for battle. 

Mutsunokami kept his sword sheathed, and walked along twirling his revolver. 

"You know, how about for todays mission you try using the sword?" Monoyoshi suggested. 

"Mind your own business." Mutsunokami responded. "This gets the job done either way." 

Monoyoshi frowned. "I guess you aren't as skilled as I thought you were." He said as they walked. 

"Great, now you think like everyone else." Mutsunokami said back to the boy. 

"Why do people think that?" Monoyoshi asked him. 

"I already told you to mind your own business. Let's just get this mission over with so we can go home." Mutsunokami scoffed. 

Monoyoshi stopped pestering the poor soul, and the two continued walking in silence. 

As they reached their destination, they encountered the demons they were seeking out to exterminate. Their purple glow noticeable in the distance. 

Knowing their duties, the two sword bois made haste with fighting the evil spirits. 

Monoyshi was able to dispose of the demon he was battling, rather quickly for that matter. 

After finishing his battle he glanced over at Mutsunokami and was taken by surprise. 

Mutsunokami was laying on the ground unconscious. The demon stood before him preparing its killing blow. 

Monoyoshi acted fast and ran towards his companion. He attacked the demon, but due to its larger size it left it unphased. The demon grabbed the boy and held him up. 

Mutsunokami opened his eyes, still dazed by being knocked out. He reached for his gun but it was not in his holster. 

Panicking, he reached for his sword and brandished his blade. He rushed towards the demon and sliced it in two. Killing it instantly. 

Monoyoshi fell to the ground. The boy was coughing, trying to regain his shortness of breath. 

"You... you saved me?" Monoyoshi looked in surprise. 

"You were no match for that demon, it would have torn you in two given the chance." Mutsunokami said, avoiding eye contact with the boy. 

"Thank you Mutsunokami. Really, I am very grateful." The boy smiled. 

"Just don't be foolish anymore. We have jobs to do." Mutsunokami grunted. He sheathed his sword and saw his revolver laying on the ground a few feet away. He grabbed the gun and holstered it on his side. 

Monoyoshi thought back to seeing the unconscious Mutsunokami nearly losing his life. But out of respect for the Sword, he chose to not dwell or mention it. 

The two gathered themselves. With their mission complete, and having safeguarded history again, they made their way back to the lodge. Monoyoshi feeling that the barriers between them had indeed lessened. 

---

As days had passed, Mutsunokami and Monoyoshi continued partnering for missions together. Monoyoshi could feel them bonding more with each completed mission, however Mutsunokami still acted as if he was uninterested in being with the young sword. 

Halloween was approaching, and a costume party was being planned for everyone at the lodge. Monoyoshi entered Mutsunokami's room, where the sword was having some alone time, as he always does. 

"Mutsunokami-san, will you be attenting the party tonight?" The boy smiles. 

"I'm not one for parties." Mutsunokami grunted. 

Monoyoshi could hear chatter coming from outside the room. "Everyone else seems excited, you really should make an appearance." Monoyoshi said. 

"It's a costume party, there is no way you are getting me to put on a ridiculous costume." Mutsunokami responded.

"Then don't dress up, just come hang out with us. It will be fun." Monoyoshi exclaimed. 

"Whatever." Mutsunokami turned away. 

Outside the room in the common area, the other swords were getting ready for the party. 

Yagen and Sasanuki were chatting together about their costumes.

"What are you dressing up as?" Yagen asked Sasanuki. 

"I'm going to go as Mikazuki." The surfer dude laughed. 

Mikazuki approached him from behind overhearing their conversation. 

"Do that, and I will snuff your soul and put you in a museum." He said softly, but aggressively. 

Sasanuki's grin immediately vanished. "I was only joking, haha." He says awkwardly. "I think I'll just go as a surfer." 

"So you'll wear your common clothes. Great." Mikazuki walked away. 

"He really doesn't like you." Yagen said to Sasanuki. 

"Yeah, I don't know why. Maybe it's because I'm so charming." Sasanuki grins widely.

"Sure. That's why..." Yagen rolled his eyes. 

Later that night the party began. People gathered in the common area, many dressed up for the occasion. 

Mikazuki and Lena emerged, dressed as Barbie and Ken. A man dressed as Waldo approached them. 

"Great costumes you two! You look great!" The man said. 

Lena could immediately tell this person was Yagen, given the fact that he had a striped outfit, he still was wearing short shorts. Those leg's were definitely Yagen's.

"Thank you Yagen, you look great yourself." Lena smiled. 

Lena and Mikazuki looked around at everyone admiring the costumes the souls had chosen to dress up as. 

Monoyoshi stood off to the side. Dressed as a sailor, He looked around trying to spot Mutsunokami but could not find him anywhere. 

A little disappointed he decided to mingle around with the other sword souls. 

After a few moments he heard a door open down the hall. Mutsunokami emerged and entered the room. 

Monoyoshi smiled as he saw his friend join the party. He walked over to the sword soul, greeting him. 

"You're here!" Monoyoshi smiled. 

"Relax, I'm only here because you guys are making so much noise. I can hardly hear myself think." Mutsunokami said to the boy. 

He wasn't in costume, but Monoyoshi was still glad to see him come out to join everyone. 

Monoyoshi handed Mutsunokami a glass of Sake. "Hm, maybe this party isn't so bad after all." He grabs the Sake from the boy and downs it in one swig. 

Mutsunokami sat down and refilled his cup of Sake. Omokage began walking over to him. He was dressed as a White Clam.

"No costume today?" The soul said grinning at Mutsunokami. 

"If you ask me, I'm the only one here that doesn't look like a complete fool." He says, downing some more Sake. 

Omokage stopped smiling. "Well the way I see it, you're the odd one out here." He stumbled off away from Mutsunokami. But he paid no attention to him and continued drinking his Sake. 

Monoyoshi sat down next to him. Mutsunokami poured another glass and downed it immediately. 

"Don't overdue it, we still have a mission to complete tomorrow." Monoyoshi said concerned. 

"I'm not worried, you seem to know what you're doing anyway." He said to the boy.

Monoyoshi looked over at him. "Was that a compliment?" He said, staring at Mutsunokami. 

"Call it what you want. I'm just saying we work well together as a team." Mutsunokami said pouring another glass. 

Monoyshi could sense Mutsunokami was probably drunk by now, but he still appreciated the kind words from his partner, even if they weren't entirely true.

"Yeah, we really do." Monoyoshi smiled. 

As the night went on, little by little everyone slowly began passing out from partying all night. Having enjoyed themselves with a night of eating and drinking, the sword souls had a much needed time of relaxation and rest. Only for the missions to continue the following day, and things to be back to business. 

---

Mikazuki Munechika was a Tenka-Goken, a legendary sword of Japan. He was well liked by many swords, as well as the masters. Mikazuki always put others above himself. He was a true protector to those around him. When training with the other swords he always offered constructive criticism to help improve their fighting styles. However this was not always the case with certain swords.
Mutsunokami was another Sword Soul who Mikazuki had trained with a few times. He had noticed that Mutsunokami wouldnt take their fights seriously and would always resort to pulling out his gun near the final stages of the fights. Of course this proved no issue for Mikazuki, as with his lightning reflexes he was able to slice through any of the bullets coming his way. 
Another sword that was problematic to duel with was a sword by the name of Sasanuki. He seemed very laid back and uninterested with training material, and only cared about spending time at the beach and surfing when he could. This frustrated Mikazuki as he knew he could better use his time to train with swords who actually wanted to better themselves. 
Mikazuki was always the first one awake in the morning, and would brew tea for the masters and swords for when they would awake. He made sure to note of everyones favorite flavours of teas, so he could prepare for them and have it ready when they would awake. 
He would also tend to the gardens to make sure the flowers were healthy and lively. He meticulously made sure that the home was clean for those who would stay, he always had room for people to stay with him, whether they were a sword soul, a master, or just an ordinary townsperson. 
One evening while cleaning up after a grand feast, a master came over to Mikazuki to ask him for a favor. Her name was Lena. 
Lena had mentioned that she was not getting enough sleep at night, as her mattress was uncomfortable and would tend to give her aches and pains every morning, thus attributing to her being unable to train properly with the other swords. 
Knowing this, Mikazuki graciously offered his own room for her to sleep in for as long as she needed. He offered to take her room, as didn't want her to suffer any longer than she already had. Before saying good night, he offered her a hug and went off to his room for a nights rest.

However only getting 1 step away he feels a hand reach for him abruptly. He stops in place and turns around. Lena has grabbed his arm stopping him from leaving. 
She says to him, "I can't have you sleeping on that mattress, its unbearable. You deserve a proper place to rest."
Mikazuki looks at her and says "I have not prepped any of the other rooms though, so your room is the only vacant one at the moment."
Lena pauses for a moment. "Well, why dont you just stay with me in your room tonight. It would just be for one night, and then you can prep for the next few nights."
He gave it some thought. He very much appreciated Lena as a master, and secretly she was one of his favorites to be with. 
"Just for tonight, okay." he nods.
They begin walking to their room, Lena's hand still holding Mikazuki's wrist. 
They enter the room and close the door behind them. Lena disappears in the bathroom to change and closes the door behind her. 
After a few minutes she remerges and moves towards the bed and lays down on her back. 
Mikazuki still standing near the door, sits down on the floor with his back against the wall. 
Lena looks up at him and stares briefly. "You're going to just sleep there? That seems more uncomfortable than the mattress I had."
Mikazuki brushes it off, and says its no problem. Just one night, right?" he chuckles. 
Lena lays back down on her back. "If you're okay with that, then I wont argue."
Lena sits up again, "However, I have also been having some pretty bad dreams lately and I tend to wake up in a sweat from them."
She pauses briefly, her cheeks blushing slightly. 
"Could you maybe hold me while I fall asleep? I feel if I had you close by my side, that could help with my slumber. This bed does fit 2 people."
Mikazuki looked over at her, and without hesitation he stood up. "Of course, I only want the best for you."
He lay down next to her, Lena turned to her side and stayed there. Mikazuki moved close to her holding her at the waist tightly. 
"I promise to hold you close until you fall asleep." he whispered in her ear. 
After a few moments Lena fell into a deep sleep. However unbeknownst to the both of them, Mikazuki feeling content himself also fell into a deep sleep.

The next day Mikazuki awoke early in the morning as he normally does. His arms still wrapped around Lena's waist as she lay there peacefully. He stood up and paused for a moment to stare at her as she slept, realizing how precious she looked laying there. 
He exited the room and began preparing the tea for the others to start the day. 
As the day went on, it was a day like any other, training commensed, he cared for the garden and helped prepare another feast for the group. 
Mikazuki felt much more fulfilled today than he normally did. He also felt much more well rested and energized. Normally he feels this way, but today it was different. 
As night approached he still had not prepared another bedroom for him to sleep in. He honestly did not want to, he secretly wished he could spend every night with Lena by his side. 
Lena was sitting on the porch by herself as the sun was setting. He walked outside and sat next to her. 
She was happy to see him. She had a big smile on her face. 
"I never got the chance to ask, how did you sleep last night?" Mikazuki asked. 
Lena looked over at him. "I had the best sleep I've had in months." She replied. 
"Thank you for letting me use your room." she says. 
"What about you? I hope you slept good last night." She adds. 
Mikazuki had a slight smile forming on his face. "I slept quite well actually, I felt great today." 
Lena keeps smiling. "I guess we part ways tonight though." She says slightly pouting. 
Mikazuki grabbed her hand. "Is that what you want?" He asks her.
Lena began to blush. "What do you want?" she defers the question. 
"You know that I only want what is best for you." He says.
Lena fumbles her words "I-I enjoy having you by my side, and I -ddon't want anyone else but you there."
Mikazuki smiled. "I'm glad we feel the same way." and squeezes her hand.
From that night forward, they would spend their nights in the same room together.

As days passed, Mikazuki and Lena grew closer to one another. They spent as much time as they could together and would train all the time. 

Lena was learning so much Mikazuki, not just from training, but who he was as a person. She enjoyed getting to know on a more personal level, and he felt the same way about her. 

As night approached, most of the swords had taken rest for the night. But Mikazuki, and Lena were still awake together. Sharing stories about their lives. They would talk for hours and hours without getting bored of each other. 

Lena looked at him in the eyes, "I feel like I really know who Mikazuki is now." She said. 

He smiled, "And who exactly am I?" he responded.

Lena was starting to overcome her anxiousness when around Mikazuki, and felt she could be more open with him. 

"You're unlike anyone else I have ever known. You're elegant, and respectful. You listen to what I have to say, and pay attention to me." she says

He continues smiling. "I also feel... warm when I'm around you. Like I would want to be anywhere else, but in your presence." She adds. 

"But enough about how I feel. How do you feel about me...?" She asks shyly.

He chuckled, "You're always on my mind if I'm being honest. I think about you constantly."

Lena blushed. "You're sweet." She says. 

"Whenever you enter a room you shine bright, and I can never take my eyes off you." He adds.

Lena felt very flustered from these remarks. Mikazuki could also sense this as well. 

He reached out and grabbed her hand gently. "Don't ever change Lena." He says, and kisses her on the cheek. 

Lena felt overwhelmed with joy, she never wanted to leave Mikazuki's side. 

She wrapped her arms around his arm and held him close. Squeezing him tight. 

With his other hand he reached around and hugged her. She looked up into his eyes, as they both stared at each other 

Slowly reducing the distance between them, they shared a soft kiss. 

As they pulled away, they continued looking in each others eyes. 

"It's getting late." Mikazuki says

"Yeah, think we should turn in?" Lena says 

"That would be a good idea." He nods. 

They walk down the hall to their room and close the door behind them. 

Lena enters the bathroom to change. While Mikazuki stays in the bedroom where he can change. 

In the midst of this, Lena opens the bathroom door to see Mikazuki standing there shirtless.

"Oh I'm sorry!" She says, shielding her eyes out of respect. "I'll give you some more time." She adds

"Sorry for what? Did I do something wrong?" He asks innocently. 

"No... it's... it's just that you arent fully dressed yet." She says 

"It's not like I want to hide anything from you." He responds. "You know so much about me already, so I don't see anything wrong here." he smiles. 

Lena could feel herself blushing heavily. She didn't know how to continue with this, as this has never happened to her before. 

Mikazuki approached her and brushed her cheek with the back of his hand. 

"You're cute when you're nervous." He says. 

He leans in to kiss her. Lena's could feel her heart beating incredibly fast. 

"I guess it is rather hot in here." She says jokingly. He smiled at her. 

They both lay down together on the bed. Mikazuki laying on his back as Lena cuddled up next to him. 

He kissed her again on her head, and would rub her arm as she lay there. 

She looked up towards him and they shared another kiss, before they both fell into a deep sleep.