memories, (wip)

[minakami masaki]

Ssk. The sound of metal scraping together could be heard as Masaki removed his kusarigama from his right hip. He released his grip on the kama, letting it drop until the chain around his hand tightened to suspend it. He watched as the simple weapon dangled like a pendulum. It was December 16th, his birthday. Today he turned twenty-five, and such a thing only brought heartache.

The fact that he lived on for another year only meant those he had lost were gone for another year. He wondered how much longer until he would reunite with them. Months? Years? He dared not to speed up the process in anyway, for he knew that his loved ones would only berate him for not trying to live on in their name. His eyes narrowed as he looked to the kusarigama. It had been his partner for years, and a gift from his father on his third birthday.

『 twenty-five years ago 』

“K-Kaizō--!!” Came the loud shriek of a feminine voice. She was middle-aged and with child, baby bump rounding profusely to show that she was at least seven months along. She had been squatting on the ground in front of a very confused Ikeda, currently three years old. The lavender haired runt clung to the very same kusarigama he would carry for the next couple decades as his eyes looked at it with an odd mix of appreciation and confusion.

“Yes, dear?” Responded a man who was also middle-aged, but had aged rather well. His figure was neither burly nor imposing, but he had a habit of being so calm in certain circumstances that it was unsettling.

“Are you an idiot!?” Began the woman again, reaching up to her husband's shirt and seizing him by the collar.

“I think you are! Just who do you think you're handing a weapon to!?” Cried the woman once more before closing her eyes and breathing heavily. She wasn't actually physically exhausted, she was just trying to calm herself down before it got to that point. Kaizō's hand would rest reassuringly atop his wife's head as he leaned in and pressed the tip of his nose against her forehead.

“Sanae, relax! He's got to learn some day, right? ..Right?” All he could back himself up with was a hopeless attempt at a reassuring grin. Even though he wasn't exactly making a genuine effort to convince her, Kaizō could only sit there with his mouth agape at the next words to leave his wife's lips.

“You're right...”

[minakami masaki]

Looking to his mother and then to his father, young Ikeda only sat by in utter confusion. He was not sure what exactly was going on, but he did know that his mother just said that his father was right. That, in itself, was enough to send the boy's mind spiraling. Mom never admitted dad was right. Even in the off chance that he actually was. Perhaps the pregnancy was affecting her. Or maybe she had forgotten to eat breakfast that morning! Either way, Ikeda would only firmly grip the kusarigama that his father had given him, as he was sure that the argument pertained to whether or not he would keep it.

“Don't worry, Sanae. I'll just give him the basics. And he'll be using something much more easier to manage!” Suddenly Kaizō would point to his son, causing the boy's eyes to widen a bit in surprise.

His father was an unpredictable man with a quirky sense of humor. There was no telling what the smile on the man's face meant for his future. With the pointing of two fingers towards his son, Kaizō would cause some form of detonation that caused a light cloud of smoke to appear between the boy's hands. Before either Ikeda or Sanae could scold the man, they would find that the boy's new weapon had morphed. It was the same style of weaponry, only the chain had become rope and the kama had become wooden.

“H-Hey--!!” whined Ikeda upon realizing what had happened. The real kusarigama had returned to his father's grasp, and the man snickered mischievously at his son.

“Oh? You didn't think it'd be that easy, did ya son~?” Kaizō chuckled cruelly as if to mock his son's enthusiasm. On the contrary, he found it rather inspiring. It was such hopelessly hopeful children that he trained to protect. He helped Sanae to her feet and led her to the doorway before looking at his son from the side of his eye. If there was one thing Kaizō was talented with, it was reassuring smiles. Somehow, even though his dad had pretty much stomped on his expectations, Ikeda couldn't help but smile back at him.

“Prove yourself with your new toy and I'll have no problem with giving you Tonbogiri!”