The Prince of Astoria-Chapter 56: LVI - The Kid and the Sword

Etienne sat on the floor of his living room with all of his weapons spread out across the floor.

Etienne stared at the polished kurisigama, the sickle and weight gleaming with pride. He turned slowly and looked at the meteor hammer, still dented after his battle with Cupid. He looked over at the neat bronze chains and weights of the kusari-fundo.

Gabe stood behind Etienne and watched as he stared at his weapons.

After several minutes, Gabe finally broke the silence, "Is something wrong, Master? Shall we get some new weapons for you?"

Etienne sighed and scratched his head, "These are toys, Gabe..." Etienne shook his head, "No, I take that back. They are deadly weapons in the right hands, but compared to my sword, they are nothing more than kids’ toys. I can fight with these, but when I was on Tashiro Island, the sword became second nature. It became an extension of me."

Etienne clenched his fist tight, "If I want to compete against the meta humans here, I need every advantage I can get. It goes without saying that Aunt Princessa and Uncle Elliott are involved with the Black Company in some aspect, so once I’m able to compete with the Black Company, I can go after my family confidently."

Gabe frowned, "I remember you mentioned a reverse-edged sword. I couldn’t find one anywhere before, so should I start looking for it again?"

Etienne stood up and dragged the box of shurikens next to the weapon pile.

"You won’t find it," Etienne stated matter-of-factly, "At least, not the one I need. It’s a one of a kind weapon."

Etienne paused for a second before asking, "Do you remember when you asked me who Shu Takino is?"

Gabe’s eyes widened, "Y-yes, of course. According to P.I, Shu is the person who brought you back to the United States. Did you remember something?"

Etienne nodded his head, "I still don’t remember what happened the month before I came back. But I remember how me and Shu met. And how he made my sword, Regret."

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Etienne stumbled through the forest holding a splintered wooden sword. His body was covered in shallow cuts and blood seeped from the wounds. He placed his arm against one of the trees and attempted to catch his breath.

"This training is brutal. These ninjas are not human. I don’t know if I can do this..." Etienne thought to himself.

He coughed up blood and wobbled forward. After a few shaky steps, he tripped over his own feet and tumbled forward. He rolled past the line drawn deep into the ground and looked down at his body in horror as he waited to catch fire.

Etienne closed his eyes, braced himself and bit his lip, but nothing happened.

Etienne opened one eye and thought to himself, "Huh? What’s going on? I’m okay..."

Etienne stood up slowly, looking down at his arms and body.

"So I don’t have that same restriction when it comes to this barrier," Etienne thought to himself, "I don’t know if that’s a good thing or bad thing, but at least I’ll be able to leave easily when I finish my training. I was a little bit nervous about that."

Etienne continued through the forest, past the barrier line until he heard the sound of rushing water. Stepping to the edge of the forest, Etienne spotted a sandy beach.

Waves rolled onto the shore lackadaisically before retreating. Each one rushed up the beach with a soft roar, spreading itself thin across the sand before sliding back down with a whisper. White foam gathered at the edges, full of tiny bubbles that popped and vanished in the sun. A lone child sat on the dividing line between the dry sand and the ocean, his toes dug deep in. He held a branch from one of the forest’s trees and poked at the sand again and again, making little dimples that filled with water and disappeared.

There was a solemn, contemplative, almost sad expression on hiss face.

Etienne sighed and walked up to them. He thought, "This is a good time to practice the Japanese I’ve been learning."

The kid’s eyes opened wide as Etienne approached and put his hands out in front of him.

Etienne looked down, "Right. They’re not used to seeing somebody with this skin color..."

He put a hand to his chest, "Me...I am Ikki-kun. Don’t want to hurt you. I am...ally. Friend."

The kid put his hands down and a small smile crept up his face, "Your Japanese is pretty good. My name is Shu. Shu Takino."

"Good to me—nice to meet you, Shu," Etienne struggled out.

Shu narrowed his eyes, "Why are you covered in cuts?"

Etienne looked down at his bloodied body, "Training."

Shu chuckled, "Where are you from?"

Etienne sighed, "I’m from the U-United States."

Shu’s eyes practically gleamed with excitement, "Wow, you’re from the United States! Can you tell me about it?"

Etienne’s eyes widened as well. He thought to himself, "Wait, this kid has heard of the United States? Nobody in the ninja village has heard of it besides Hattori-sensei."

Etienne nodded his head, "Okay, I can teach—tell you about it. But first, you have to tell me about this place."

Shu nodded his head eagerly, "Yes! Okay! This is Tashiro Island!"

Shu pointed to the small collection of buildings behind him, in the opposite direction of the forest, "That is my village, Taimuresu! Our main exports are fish..." Shu grinned at Etienne, "And swords!"

Etienne sat down next to the kid, "Swords? So there are blacksmiths living there?"

Shu nodded his head quickly, "Mhm! There are three families of blacksmiths living there, including mine! But..." Shu’s expression morphed into the same solemn one, once again.

Etienne crossed his arms, "But what?"

Shu sighed deeply, "Father says the sword industry is not ’profitable’ anymore. Whatever that means. He says we may have to take jobs as fisherman from here on out."

Etienne nodded his head slowly, "I get it. So that’s why you’re out here, huh?"

Shu looked at Etienne, still beaming with anticipation, "But you! You’re from America. Is it really the land of opportunity like they say? Is anything really possible?"

"Damn it, he’s talking so fast, I can barely keep up now..." Etienne thought to himself.

"Y-yes. Anything is possible in America. It doesn’t mean it’s easy. But with enough work, it’s certainly possible. Do you want to visit one day?"

Shu shook his head, "No—well, yes, I do. But I don’t want to go for fun. Father says our family business is failing because no one on the mainland is placing orders anymore. So that’s why I want to be a traveling blacksmith! I want to go beyond Japan and sell our swords across the world. I think everyone will appreciate them, especially in America!"

Etienne scratched his chin and thought, "To be honest, the demand for swords in America isn’t all that high either. He’ll struggle to find a customer base, besides enthusiasts and cosplayers. Actually, no...he could sell to heroes too..."

Etienne smiled, "That sounds like a great idea, Shu. I like it."

Shu smiled with pride, "Thank you!"

"Have you told your father about this dream? What does he think?" Etienne questioned.

Shu just shook his head. He put his hand out to Etienne, "Let’s be friends, Ikki-kun! We can help each other out! I can teach you more Japanese and tell you about Tashiro Island and Japan, and you can teach me English and help me get to America!"

"That’s not a bad trade off. Although I feel a little weird being friends with a little kid..."

Etienne shook his hand, "You have a deal. I have one more condition, though. I want you to make me a weapon. A katana."

Shu looked away from him, "My father won’t let me touch the forge without his supervision. And he only makes weapons for paying customers, never as a favor."

"I didn’t mean today," Etienne responded, "I plan on being on this island for a while. Before you set off for America, I want you to make me one. Do we have a deal?"

Shu nodded his head, "We have a deal. My father is probably looking for me, I need to get back to my village. But I have one more question, Ikki-kun. Are you staying in that village hidden in the forest, Ukiyo?"

Etienne looked down at his wounds and touched one of them. He nodded his head, "Yes, I am."

A momentary look of fear came over Shu’s face, before returning to a neutral expression, "You should be careful. My father says I should never go into the forest; anybody who goes there goes missing."

Etienne stood up, holding his splintered sword, and walked back toward the forest.

"He’s right, Shu. Stay far away from this forest. There are some dangerous people living there. You should go home to your father now. I’ll see you soon."