Chapter 2184: De-escalation
"Vahn-dono...I believe there has-"
Raising his hand to silence the nervous-looking swordswoman, Vahn said, "What you choose to believe has nothing to do with me. If Amaterasu wishes to apologize, she knows where I live. You have no right or reason to speak for her..."
"I-"
"Have misinterpreted my words? Yeah, I noticed. Don"t worry, even if Kotoamatsukami attempts to wage war against the Sage Dragon"s Hearth, I have no intention of holding anyone but the people in charge accountable. Stop looking at me like I"m some kind of monster that"s going to appear in your territory and start slaughtering innocents. I am not your G.o.ddess."
"..."
As she had never been the most sociable person, Kens.h.i.+n found herself at a complete loss in the face of Vahn"s words. This seemed to amuse Musas.h.i.+ Black quite a bit, a cheeky smile developing across her no longer bored expression as she remarked, "Wow, you really know how to put people in their place, don"t you? If you"re half as good with your sword as you are with your-"
Interrupting before her counterpart could finish, Musas.h.i.+ Pink stated, "Don"t even think about it, doll face. Unless you"re prepared to spread those pretty little legs of yours, you shouldn"t involve yourself with this one. He has a thing for strong-willed women and you won"t be able to get him out of your head once he sends you back to foundation building..."
Though the thought of Vahn dominating another Musas.h.i.+ made her more than a little giddy, Pink would much rather be rid of the raven-haired swordswoman. As novel as this encounter had been, the world had no need for two Miyamoto Musas.h.i.+(s).
Demonstrating she wasn"t all that different from her sakura-haired counterpart, Black gave Vahn a clearly intrigued look. She was no stranger to the relations between men and women. Rather, once you reached her level, there was little else to do but drown yourself in alcohol and debauchery.
Unfortunately, like many of the most powerful swordsmen in the East Side, the only people Black would sleep with were those she recognized as her contemporaries. For one reason or another, this meant most of her partners in the last three hundred years had been female. Her last male partner had been Sasaki Kojiros, but, ever since he got played to death by the Purple Demon, the reclusive swordsman had spent more than fifty years in seclusion...
Seemingly having made up her mind, a smile developed across Black"s face as she replied, "Sounds like fun."
Though she wasn"t particularly surprised by her counterpart"s brazenness, an exasperated sigh still escaped Pink"s lips. She had once been willing to give up everything, even her soul, just to pursue the path of swordsmans.h.i.+p a few steps further. Instead, Vahn showed her countless paths she had never even considered. Now, even if she were to fight against an innumerable number of her past selves, they might not even be able to comprehend how they died...
Simply put, if Vahn humored Black, the raven-haired woman would doubtlessly become obsessed with him. Pink wouldn"t have been bothered if Black was anyone else, but, imagining Vahn calling out the name "Musas.h.i.+" while he was with another woman caused a chill similar to sword intent to exude from the very core of her being. Thus, before she even realized the words coming out of her mouth, she locked eyes with her raven-haired counterpart, a vicious smile on her face as she said, "Over my dead body..."
Undaunted by her counterpart"s words, an equally vicious smile developed across the face of Black as she retorted, "Don"t tempt me with a good time, Pinky..."
Recovering a bit thanks to the actions of the two Musas.h.i.+(s), Kens.h.i.+n cleared her throat, a mask of calm veiling her previous nervousness as she stated, "That isn"t the reason we came here, Musas.h.i.+. If the two of you are insistent on determining the "True Musas.h.i.+", I suggest settling things at Gojo Ohas.h.i.+. Quarreling like children behind closed doors is inappropriate for people of your status and ability..."
Though she would normally abide by Kens.h.i.+n"s words, a snort escaped Black"s nose as she replied, "I"m to learn propriety from someone who invites an a.s.sa.s.sin into the home of a person they are trying to make a deal with? Shave your head and go preach somewhere else..."
Inhaling an inhumanly deep breath, Kens.h.i.+n"s hair and clothes began to bristle as if acted upon by a powerful wind. This caused the color to drain from Black"s face, but, having known Kens.h.i.+n for more than three hundred years, she was fairly certain the highly principled swordswoman wouldn"t attack over a few teasing words...
While Black"s a.s.sessment of the situation wasn"t entirely incorrect, she had failed to account for the fact that Kens.h.i.+n was even more upset by the situation than she was. She abhorred such tactics, yet, due to her status as the "Peerless Under Heaven", she bore the burden of executing Amaterasu"s will.
Causing Black to pale even further, Kens.h.i.+n, with a pouty expression and tears beginning to build in the corners of her eyes, pulled out a piece of folded was.h.i.+ paper, a j.a.panese-style long brush, and a high-quality inkstone.
"H-Hold on a minute, Kens.h.i.+n! It was just a joke! A joke...!"
Ignoring Musas.h.i.+ Black"s words, Kens.h.i.+n suppressed a few sniffles as she aggressively prepared her brush for use. She was fully intent on issuing a challenge letter to her longtime friend and rival, but, before she could finish sc.r.a.ping the inkstone, Vahn interrupted, asking, "Uh...can we get on with our discussion? As much as I"m enjoying this little exchange, I have other matters to attend to. You also need to inform your Master that she has crossed my bottom line. I would feel guilty if I showed up and she had no idea why I was punis.h.i.+ng her..."
Wiping away the evidence of her indignant fury using the sleeve of her kimono, Kens.h.i.+n managed to regain her mask of calm as she said, "Vahn-dono is correct...please forgive my imprudence..." in an audibly strained tone.
Restraining the urge to scratch the back of his head, Vahn forced a smile as he said, "Don"t worry about it...now, where were we?"
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Though Musas.h.i.+ and Kens.h.i.+n ultimately refused his services, Vahn didn"t particularly mind. He knew their only intention had been gathering information. Since his contract and services weren"t exactly a secret, he just treated the interaction as entertaining guests.
Going into the discussion, Vahn"s only goal had been introducing Musas.h.i.+ to her counterpart in the Nine Dragons Sword a.s.sociation. The appearance, heck, the very existence of Hanako had caught him completely off guard. Thus, while he was more than a little incensed by Amaterasu"s disregard for the safety of his children, Vahn didn"t mind putting off her potential execution so he could help the peculiar Demon Lord get settled.
With this in mind, Vahn linked the Temporal Axes between their two territories before asking Da Vinci to return to the Sage Dragon"s Hearth. When she heard the reason for his request, she didn"t even hesitate before dropping everything else she was working on, as, compared to the mundane task of conquering the West Side, investigating an anomalous existence on the level of Hanako was infinitely more interesting.
Seeing Hanako for herself, albeit after using quite a number of advanced detection spells, Da Vinci"s eyes s.h.i.+fted like a kinetic painting as she remarked, "Oh my...had I not already conducted 1,307,492 studies into non-existent physiologies, I would never have imagined such a person could exist...well, appear to exist..."
As Vahn had been her primary focus for the better part of 50,000 years, Da Vinci had done "a lot" of research into his anomalous properties. She was even aware of the existence of the Law of Ident.i.ty. After all, she was literally the person who planted the idea of creating her Template in Vahn"s mind. Thus, as tantalizingly intriguing as Hanako"s physiology was, Da Vinci wasn"t particularly impressed by it. Compared to Vahn"s ability to separate himself from the Axes of Time, s.p.a.ce, and Reality itself, Hanako"s ability was quite a low level...
Realizing she was, once again, comparing one of her subjects to Vahn, specks of pink appeared in Da Vinci"s eyes as she sent a playful gaze his way. At the same time, the inordinately thick tail that dangled from the bottom of her skirt perked up slightly. It wasn"t enough to show anything but it was more than enough to plant ideas in Vahn"s mind...
Shaking his head, Vahn resisted the urge to ruffle Da Vinci"s indescribably smooth hair as he said, "I need you to develop an upgrade for Will and the Companions. Though it could sever the concepts binding Hanako-"
"Someone else would invariably appear as her replacement. Worry yourself no longer, my beloved. Now that I"m here, the matter may as well be settled. Just make sure you prepare a suitable reward, okay~?"
Wafting a few her pheromones Vahn"s way, Da Vinci"s already picturesque smile become a peerless masterpiece as she saw his pupils contract into thin slits. He might keep it concealed at most times, but, deep down, potentially serving as the foundation of his very being, Vahn was still a Dragon. She had restructured her body countless times in order to be completely irresistible to him, so, while he no longer pushed her down the moment she teased him, Da Vinci took pleasure in knowing he had to stop time just to hold himself back...
"Unless you"re going to start painting me, I"d rather not continue holding this position..."
As her SS-Ranked Embodiment of Beauty compelled her to present her best angle when she was smiling directly at someone, Da Vinci couldn"t help speaking out to interrupt Vahn"s gawking. The very faint blush that developed across his face caused her smile to become even more prominent, but, thanks to him averting his eyes, she was able to return her attention to Hanako, saying, "Shall we move to my lab? Don"t worry, none of the tests I"ll be conducting are invasive in a manner that might cause you any harm. I swear by every Gift I have and ever will possess."
With a Gea.s.s Roll literally appearing in response to Da Vinci"s words, Hanako was able to breathe a little easier. She had long grown indifferent to the pain and suffering wrought by human curiosity and experimentation, but, if given the option, she would rather avoid it. Da Vinci gave her a similar impression to the Scientists who once held her captive during her brief stay in the West Side. They had also worn kind smiles, but, shortly after agreeing to let them "protect" her, they stored her away in an underground containment facility and performed all manner of inhumane experiments on her.
Though there were various loopholes to be exploited when it came to Gea.s.s Rolls, there were few greater a.s.surances than a person swearing by their Gifts. If they violated their promise, they would never, under any circ.u.mstances, be able to make use of a single Gift. This included tools, and, more notably, things as instrumental as water produced by a Water Tree. In other words, if Da Vinci broke her promise, she wouldn"t even be able to eat or drink if said food and water were produced from a Gift.
Extending her hand, Hanako accepted Da Vinci"s with a smile. Her nature made it impossible for her to ever truly trust another person, but, much like an actual Lost and Forgotten child, Hanako could be remarkably gullible in the face of kindness, real or otherwise...
Seeing through each and every one of Hanako"s thoughts, an indescribably motherly expression promptly developed across Da Vinci"s face. She could understand why Vahn would want to help such a girl, so, even if Hanako never trusted her, Da Vinci swore in her heart she would never let either of them down...
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(A/N: Alternate t.i.tles: "We have ourselves a Highlander situation here...","Kens.h.i.+n is surprisingly cute xD...","Every time Da Vinci appears, she immediately puts herself into contention for the t.i.tle of Best Girl...")