Actions

Work Header

A Soul For A Soul

Summary:

In which Tsubaki finds a meister, under very different circumstances

Chapter 1: A first meeting

Chapter Text

The rain fell in heavy drops over the Star Clan camp. It made the earth a thick mud, that stuck to anything that so much as brushed against it and threatened to swallow the few bodies still laying around whole. 

 

Tsubaki had never been to Needle Village before the attack, but she imagined that if the people who had lived there could see it now they would barely recognize it. Houses had been torn down, the few fields surrounding it were so massacred that it was impossible to tell what they’d been used for, and the guardian statue in the middle of the village appeared to have been crushed by something. 

 

She looked at it, where it laid in the mud, and tried to discern what it had originally looked like, all the while the sounds of light footsteps grew closer, more noticeable through the rain. If she wasn’t mistaken, and she rarely was, she was being surrounded. Slowly, she raised her hands. 

 

“I am not here to fight,” she declared. “I want to speak to your leader.” 

 

The sounds stopped, and Tsubaki remained still. She let her eyes wander over the surrounding buildings, but couldn’t see anyone living. Only the corpse of a young boy stared back at her. 

 

“We have no leader,” a voice suddenly came from somewhere behind her. It was low, coarse as though either overused or not used in a long time, and followed by scattered murmurs of agreement from the surrounding buildings. 

 

“Then take me to your strongest,” Tsubaki insisted. “I can pay.” 

 

The murmurs returned, as though the clan were discussing amongst themselves. Tsubaki waited patiently, until things finally quieted down again and the first voice spoke, now coming from slightly to her right. 

 

“Very well. I will show you.” 

 

A woman stepped out from behind a building. Her form was unclear, distorted by the rain, but Tsubaki could at least make out the woman waving for her to follow. 

 

They walked through the village, with at least three people still tailing them, from what Tsubaki could hear. She found it a bit unnecessary. If they were trying to intimidate her it would take much more than that, and if they were genuinely planning to attack her they should know better. Nevertheless, they followed and she paid them less mind the closer they got to the outskirts of the village, where one, single house was lit up. 

 

“In there,” the woman said, stopping a few meters away from the house. Tsubaki nodded in acknowledgement, then stepped past her and up to the door. 

 

She stood in front of it for a moment, trying to hear any sounds from inside. It was remarkably quiet, and she began to suspect that whoever was in there knew she was coming. Quickly, she checked to see that she still had the coins with her, then reached out and knocked on the door. 

 

A few seconds passed by without a response, and Tsubaki finally opened the door herself. Doing so revealed a single, open room, made that way by the walls being torn down. It was, quite frankly, a mess, looking almost as much as a battlefield as the village outside. Various farming tools and simple weapons were strewn about, some bent out of shape and some driven deep into the floorboards. And in the middle of it all sat a boy. 

 

He eyed Tsubaki, not with malice but with the curiosity of a kitten who’d just seen a small bird for the first time and was starting to ponder where exactly in the food chain the thing belonged relative to himself. He couldn’t be more than thirteen years old. Probably younger. 

 

“Who are you?” He asked, straightforwardly, and Tsubaki considered for a moment before responding. 

 

“I’m a potential client. They tell me you’re the strongest here.” 

 

“I’m the strongest everywhere.” The boy’s eyes narrowed to slits and Tsubaki forced a smile. 

 

“That sounds promising,” she said as she stepped closer. She thought the boy might try to stop her, but he remained where he was and just watched as she approached and sat down opposite him (after pushing a bent sword aside). 

 

“I came here to ask for your help. There’s a man whose soul I want to take, but I can’t do it alone,” Tsubaki explained. “I’ll pay you well if you can take him down.” 

 

“Why can’t you do it by yourself?” the boy asked. He’d sat up a bit straighter, evidently not completely uninterested in the conversation. 

 

“Because I need a meister.” Tsubaki cringed at the word ‘need’. It was her one shortcoming, compared to Masamune, but it made her feel leagues behind. He could whine and wallow in his self-pity all he wanted, but he still had that independence. 

 

“You’re a demon weapon?” The boy looked even more interested now, and Tsubaki forced the thoughts of Masamune aside. 

 

“Yes. Have you ever wielded one?” 

 

“Never.” The boy shook his head. “I can’t pick ‘em up for some reason.” 

 

Tsubaki cast a quick glance at the mess in the room, then looked back at the boy. She’d only known him for a few minutes, but he already didn’t strike her as the type to consider a weapon’s wavelength before picking it up, which would explain his issue. If he really is the strongest of the star clan, she thought, even Masamune might have had some trouble working with him . It was a reassuring thought. 

 

“Would you like to try with me,” she suggested sweetly and the boy’s eyes widened. A smile slowly crept over his face, seeming almost subconscious, and revealed his razor-sharp teeth. 

 

“If you think you can handle me,” he said and stood up. Tsubaki followed, gave the boy a quick nod and then transformed. 

 

She chose the chain scythe form, and was delighted to find that the boy caught her with good form, if a bit tense. He weighed her in his hand, then tossed her in the air and caught her. 

 

“You’re lighter than I expected,” he commented. Tsubaki said nothing in return, instead focusing on trying to get a grip of his wavelength. It was strong, as she'd suspected, but had a surprising lightness to it. Tsubaki tried to picture the kind of damage she'd be able to do in the hand of this boy. She could only guess, of course, but the images that came to mind were of quick, yet heavy strikes. 

 

'If you think you can handle me.' She almost laughed. It was an odd wavelength, for sure, but it wasn't impossible to work with. 

 

"Try hitting something," she suggested and the boy happily obliged. He hurled her at one of the few remaining walls, hard enough to pierce through it completely, then yanked her back and got a sizable chunk of wood with him, leaving a jagged hole through which you could see the rain outside. With a laugh, a cackle, he kicked the wood off and threw her again, this time at a supporting beam towards the edge of the room. Tsubaki’s chain wrapped around it, and the boy pulled, soon bringing the thing down with a loud creak. The whole house seemed to shudder, but the boy paid it no mind. Tsubaki could feel his hands tremble, and his wavelength going haywire. 

 

“This is perfect,” he mumbled. “ You’re perfect.” 

 

I know, Tusbaki thought. 

 

“Thank you,” she said. For a moment she considered going through her other forms, but she decided the boy had played around enough for now. There was no need to show off. She transformed back to her human form, not missing the disappointed look on the boy’s face, and sat down again. 

 

“Now, about my request-” 

 

“I have an idea,” the boy cut her off. “It just so happens that I also have a certain soul I want to take. You don’t have to pay if you help me out.” 

 

“A soul for a soul, you say.” Tsubaki considered it. It wasn’t like she’d have anything better to do after taking down her brother, and while money wasn’t an issue for her it was always nice to save on pure principle. The boy didn’t say anything as she thought, just watched her intently. It was honestly a bit cute, he’d acted very sure of himself for the entire conversation but now he looked almost, almost nervous. 

 

“You’ve got a deal.” Tsubaki smiled and extended her hand. “What’s your name?” 

 

“I’m BlackStar.” He shook her hand and grinned. “I’m the man who will transcend the gods.”

 

“I’m Tsubaki, heir of the Nakatsukasa clan.”