#this embarassing interaction brought to you by Saitou Hajime

[once-a-turncoat]

Shinsenvember 3: Swords

Prompt list here.

There were many parts of his life that Toudou Heisuke avoided talking about. Unfortunately, one of them was the sword at his waist: the work of Kazusanosuke Kaneshige, famed swordsmith of Tsu domain. Understanding had dawned in the other Shieikan members’ eyes when he named the sword to them, and he hated that. Perhaps he should have sold the sword; it’d be worth quite a lot. He didn’t want to be known everywhere as the bastard son of the Tsu daimyo.

He also didn’t want to lower himself. This was his only birthright as a descendant of a great samurai clan. However little his old man had cared about him, he’d been given this sword. So he used the Toudou name and kept the sword with him.

It was complicated, and everyone knew not to press him about it.

Until Saitou Hajime, lover of swords, came to the Shieikan. Saitou hardly even spoke to Heisuke in those first days. But his blank blue eyes lit up with an unexpected fire when he saw Heisuke’s sword and heard its name. He asked politely if he could examine it, and when Heisuke agreed, held it with a reverence that was unnerving.

“It’s real,” Saitou whispered.

Was that surprise? That had to be surprise. His face hadn’t changed, but why would he say that if he didn’t think -

“Wait, you thought Heisuke’s sword was a fake?” Souji, who was watching their interaction with interest, expressed exactly what Heisuke had been thinking.

Saitou now was definitely taken aback. “No. I was merely commenting that it is indeed a Kazusanosuke Kaneshige. You can tell from the mark here –“

“Saitou!” Heisuke protested. He wasn’t really offended if Saitou had thought the sword might be a fake. There were plenty of such fakes out there. But he’d pretend to be upset if it helped cut off the discussion of the swordsmith’s background.

Souji was doubled over laughing. “Saitou, you really are something.”

“I did not think Toudou-san was telling a falsehood about the sword’s provenance,” Saitou replied stiffly. He turned to Heisuke. “If I have offended you, I am very sorry. It is a magnificent sword.”

“It’s just a sword,” Souji interrupted before Heisuke could reply to Saitou’s apology. “If it cuts people, it does its job. Doesn’t matter if it’s a fake or not.”

“It is not a fake!” Saitou snapped. “It’s a genuine work of a great master.”

“I wasn’t the one who called it a fake.”

Saitou took a deep breath, as if he was ready to launch into a retort, but then said nothing. He was staring now at Souji as though he were scrutinizing the other man’s face for clues to his intentions. Souji smiled back brightly.

“It’s all right, you two,” Heisuke said quickly. “Saitou, he’s just teasing us. He’s always like this.”

Saitou nodded slowly. “I thought that was the case.”

That sent Souji into another fit of laughter. Saitou ignored him and held out the sword to Heisuke. “Thank you for letting me examine your blade. It was a privilege to handle it.”

“Ah you’re welcome!” Heisuke said quickly. He nearly added Anytime you like but bit down on his tongue. Under the circumstances, he’d prefer if Saitou kept away from the sword.

“Okita-san isn’t wrong,” Saitou continued. “Kazusanosuke Kaneshige was a great swordsmith because his swords still cut as well as when he forged them.” A small shy smile appeared on his face. “This sword is fortunate to now have a master who will use it rather than keep it on display, Toudou-san.”

“Thanks,” Heisuke replied, feeling completely flustered by Saitou’s intensity. “Eh, you know you can call me Heisuke.”

Saitou nodded gravely. “Thank you, Heisuke.” That was the cue for more merriment from Souji.

Perhaps Saitou had got the point – unlikely – or perhaps he was just saving his lecture on the sword’s history for another day without Souji’s mocking presence. Whatever the case, they’d avoided that painful subject for now, and Saitou seemed like a good guy. He was strange, but everyone at the Shieikan was a little bit weird, weren’t they? 

Heisuke hoped that Saitou would stick around.

Notes: I do believe that Hakuouki Reimeiroku actually covers how the other Shieikan members reacted to Heisuke’s sword, but it’s not translated anywhere, so here’s my take. There’s also a comedy drama CD where Saitou’s appalled at Heisuke for wrecking it at the Ikedaya.

Also, historically, Saitou was stil going by his original name, Yamaguchi Hajime at this point, but I checked and Hakuouki used Saitou even in the flashbacks, probably to avoid confusion. So I have followed their lead.