synflux | ( OPEN ) MAY CATCH ALL

Were any others stored here? [It'd be like Tsurumaru finding friends, he guesses. Though considering the state of this place, is it possible some of the swords survived rather than getting stolen after all these years? Weapons were weapons after all. The shrine doesn't look like it's been trampled or attacked, just overgrown...] The kaiju left this place alone.

Just me!

(Only he. The only sword at the shrine.)

Mhm. Whether the old gods are still here or not... it's like a miracle.

(Anyway, here they are now, back on the main grounds, in front of the main shrine they saw when they first arrived. They really did just go around in a circle to come back to where they started.)

Let's pay our respects first.

(Again. Though, this is a different shrine so it would, in turn, be for a different god so it makes sense.)

I'M GONNA KILL YOU!!

[Stop leading him on like there might be more swords here! What the hell are they looking for here if Tsurumaru's blade is probably gone and no one else is here?! FUCK!! Not even gonna touch that comment about the old gods.

At least they're back at the main shrine and Bakugo stomps off to stat looking through the nearest building. Tsurumaru can do his respects. Though to the blonde's credit, he handles the building respectfully. No attempts to break anything or be rough with the items. He's careful when he picks something up, then replaces it where he found it with equal care.]

Did anything other than swords get spirits?

(He's just going to ignore Bakugo while he knocks out another round of prayers. It feels a little more drawn out than the previous shrine but considering this is the main one, maybe he feels the need to be especially respectful.

While Bakugo searches, he'll be able to open the first entrance of the shrine if he wants to. Inside, he'll find altars with offering tables, old sake bottles, dusty and rusted instruments, streamers, and more.

After he's finished his prayer, he'll come over to help properly,)

Anything can have a spirit if you consider it enough. For example... have you ever had a tool last an especially long time because you cared for it? Or maybe a toy from your childhood that made you feel especially safe despite it being an ordinary thing?

[Bakugo's never had the time or patience for prayers. He thinks that kind of thing is more rooted in tradition than anything belief-based. New Years, yeah. His parents dragged him to that enough times as a kid, he accepted it and still goes to the shrine for a prayer and occasional bell ring. But beyond that? Not really. (The only other times are funerals and he'd rather not think about that right now.)

He goes into the entrance of the shrine, testing the door first to make sure it won't fall off. Altars, tables, bottles, a bunch of things that either weren't significant enough to take or simply missed the time frame of evacuation. It's kind of sad, knowing such a place has been abandoned for so long. A quiet testament to what this world's been through.]

Don't be ridiculous. That kind of thing doesn't exist in my world. [Tools, not really, but he does have toys and collector items, all All Might, from his childhood that he stores and takes care of well. But safe? They don't make him feel safe. He has his Quirk for that.] Tsukumogami have to last over 100 years or something to gain a spirit.

[Such is the legend at least.]

Doesn't exist or can't be seen?

(He muses,)

It's the same in spirit. Whether there's a spirit there or not, if you take care of your things, they'll take care of you in turn.

(He'll follow Bakugo over to check out the shrine. It's dusty and things are a little knocked over in places so he'll start to upright some things.)

You don't need a hundred years to return the favor.

It's myth and legend. Usually there's some kind of explanation.

[Whether it's a prank via a Quirk, or some kind of natural phenomenon misunderstood as something phantasmal. Bakugo's world's Japan still has its cultural history. Stories and folktales still exist. But in the world dominated by superpowers, heroes and villains, technology and science, that kind of thing is pretty old fashioned and steeped in tradition.]

Che, only an idiot wouldn't take care of something he wants to rely on.

[Whether he's working on his gear or sending it to the Support Department to fix, Bakugo at least agrees with Tsurumaru on that aspect. He just doesn't think it's a spirit or anything.]

Not always a fool. Sometimes just someone careless.

(Why care about things that can't feel? Not all things are important enough to warrant the same level of care.

Anyway, as they search about the shrine and clean up, Tsurumaru will go to find a broom or some rags to at least dust down some things. He checks under the stairs of the shrine and finds... a box! Too small for a sword but he pulls it out,)

Ah, what a surprise... (When he opens it... inside there are some treasures. A polished mirror, some gold bells, and silk ribbons,) Look at what was left behind.

These are for rituals.

Careless people are idiots too.

[It's not a matter of the feeling thing, it's a matter of expecting something to be reliable when you don't take care of it. Things that you don't rely on don't require the same care, if you're willing to accept the results.

Bakugo glances at Tsurumaru when he starts cleaning. It's tempting to use a landmine blast to clear off the dust, but the shape of the rest of the shrine? Yeah, that would destroy everything else.]

What? [He walks over to the sword and looks down at the box. Treasure? Or just stored items.] Are they common?

[It's not like Tsurumaru just found the Regalia of Japan...]

(Nodding.)

Mhm. Most shrines have their own versions.

(Gently, he turns over the mirror and Bakugo may recognize the familiar symbol of the shrine's crest that decorates parts of the shrine-- the locks on the doors, some of the faded silk scrolls, and so on.)

There may even be multiples at each shrine... maybe that's why these were left behind.

(Even if they're in good condition, they still look worn, as if they'd been used quite a bit before they were put away.)

I wonder what else they decided to leave behind...

(And he'll start digging under the dusty stairs to see what else he can find. There sure is a lot of dust and cobwebs under the stairs but he doesn't seem to mind this time. It looks like more brooms, some folded banners and signs for old events, nothing very special... but among the banners, he finds else and he reaches all the way back for it........

And loses his balance. He just crashes into a pile of junk sorry.)

Versions?

[He's not asking what a version is, but whether the shrines have actual themed pieces unique to them or if it's a set grouping for shrines of one category versus another... or if it's just a different assembly line number.

Bakugo picks up on the shrine crest on the back of the mirror. He glances to the door, then scans the scrolls, finding the same symbol on each. Huh, so guess that means it's a unique image to each shrine. That's kind of cool.]

Or they didn't get to them when they were evacuating.

[There's no story or history as to when or how Kyoto had been vacated. The Imperial Palace bore notable damages caused by kaiju attacks, so the idea of people leaving in a hurry is pretty prevalent. Also because they haven't discovered any morbid remains of people who died here.]

For a world that's lost 70% of its population, I haven't seen a single damn skelet- OY!

[Bakugo dashes to the cacophony of Tsurumaru and a mess of items, skidding to stop by the storage under the stairs.]

Stop messing around!

I'm not!

(Except when you're a clown on regular, no one believes you when you're being serious. He's fallen face first and picks himself up with a groan. Next to him is a pile of old brooms and flag staffs but he reaches for the thing wrapped in cloth. As soon as he touches it, he knows what it is and he brings it closer, careful as he removes himself from the cluttered storage. He emerges holding the kimono-wrapped object in his arms. It's long and thin and Bakugo should be able to guess what it is.

Unwrapping it slowly... under the cloth is a long blade with an elegant curve. Just like a certain sword Bakugo would have seen before. There's no scabbard, no fastenings, and it's just a simple, bare blade. On the piece of metal where the handle would be is a name: "TSURUMARU KUNINAGA.")

My, my... what a suprise.

Who the hell can tell?! [Calling him out on that behavior. Bakugo isn't even offering to help him up. One part mean, one part knowing Tsurumaru can do it himself. Unless he got impaled or some shit like that. He frowns at the things scattered around. It looks like a small storage chamber (because what else are you going to do with the space under the stairs?) though Tsurumaru seems to have found something. Bakugo backs off to give him some room, a brow arching at the shape of the item.

Guess? Well, he could hope that it's a blade, but in this place, it could be anything from a bundle of sacred reeds to a tubular incense burner. Yet the flicker of light off the blade inside is an entirely different story. Bakugo holds his hand up and ignites a small continuous explosion to shed light around the area, and the blade. He finds the name easily on the tang.]

Are you fucking kidding me?

[Someone stashed the sword UNDER THE STAIRS?!]

Nope!

(The blade is in good condition despite where it was being kept. It's been kept safe from the elements and away from harm this entire time,)

Look at you! You must have been bored to tears all of these years!

(Absolutely miserable, he thinks and he holds it up,)

Ah, this is seriously impressive for a replica!

(Maybe this a bombshell of a revelation but it seems perfectly normal to Tsurumaru. This isn't the real Tsurumaru Kunianga. It's just a replica meant for public display purposes. The real one will always be kept away in its special collection reserved only for the most elite ceremonies.)

DON'T ANSWER THAT!!

[It wasn't asking for one in the first place! Ugh, how the hell is this guy still alive?! His Master must have been an extremely patient person. Or found Tsurumaru's antics endearing.

Bakugo makes a face when the sword starts talking to the other blade like a lost puppy. Though he has wondered a few times if Tsurumaru could communicate with other spirits... so maybe?]

It's a replica?

[Hold up. On the one hand, that's not... impossible to think. A national treasure might not be kept in the location it's reported to be in, but rather a replica to ward off attempts on it. On the other hand... it's a fucking replica?]

It better not have a fake you inside it! One's enough.

(Sometimes you're one of the first spirits a saniwa summons and you establish yourself as a reliable and endearing vassal for a patient and understanding master...

He nods, holding up the blade for Bakugo to see,)

Yeah. Check it out. If I didn't know better, I'd say this was me. (He's impressed.) What a beautiful blade.

(Just like him. Don't let anyone ever tell you he isn't confident.

He stops to think and leans in, pressing his ear to the blade as if to listen to it......... he suddenly goes quiet. He isn't saying a single word.)

Hmm? Hmm.... mhmm...

(He's nodding to himself. Is he having a conversation with another spirit? But then,)

Nope! He must be sleeping! Or maybe he never awakened in the first place...

(He doesn't know.)

Don't worry. You still have me for now.

[Bakugo frowns at the blade, though doesn't reach out to take it. That's for Tsurumaru to do. With the light from the explosions glowing overhead, he scans over the sword, following the molding and honed edge.]

So the real one is stored away elsewhere, while the shrine got a replica for display.

[That's not a bad idea to keep the original safe from people wanting to make off with it... There's a brief scoff when Tsurumaru puts his ear to the blade, though Bakugo's the one who asked if there was "another him" inside.

A few hums, thoughtful. Fuck, is he really communicating with a spirit? Didn't say anything, but he could be, uh... spirit talking through other ways? Bakugo's face drops in a scowl at getting punked again. Bastard!]

Lucky me.

( OPEN ) MAY CATCH ALL

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