#landesolate

Whenever Kasen manages to somehow wash Yamanbagiri's cloak, he ruins it by rolling around in the mud. Of course, this leads to long-winded complaints from Kasen about how he finally got it to be a sparkling white colour, and now it's been ruined. 

Kasen also wants to understand it from Yamanbagiri's side, but he simply can't fathom wanting to wear clothes covered in filth. No matter how he thinks about it, he draws a blank. 

He does wonder if that's why they can never seem to reach a consensus when it comes to the cleanliness of one's own clothes. If it's others' clothes then they have relatively the same views, so he can't help but wonder why his own clothes are always an exception to that. 

He even got others' opinions on it, because maybe if he understood Yamanbagiri's side, then he might finally make a good argument that Yamanbagiri will accept his clothes being cleaned. 

But in the end, the only answer he reached was that his clothes are a representation of his low self-esteem. Doesn't that mean that, as long as he doesn't think well of himself, nothing will change?

Kasen might be stubborn, but he knows when not to force something. Yamanbagiri's reaction to compliments after a sortie says it all. That such actions would only exacerbate the issue, and cause stress, it won't help nor change anything. 

Ichigo

Having many younger siblings, Ichigo is a very good at hugging, whether he’s jumped for a spontaneous hug, or one needed for comfort, he’s used to both, so he can quite easily adapt and provide for them in the moment.

When hugging for comfort, Ichigo would trace patterns along the others back in a slow manner, as it always seems to work in soothing his brothers. He’s used to providing words of comfort in these times, his soft voice calming, and maybe lulling some swords to sleep after a good cry.

When jumped, Ichigo is the type to drop everything to catch them so that they don’t get hurt, though he’d scold them that they could’ve gotten hurt.

Being very used to such an affectionate family, he’s not the type to hesitate in initiating hugging, though he does make sure the other party is happy with such contact. 

Of the night time, when everyone is settled into bed, Ichigo always ends up with two or three of his brothers sleeping in his arms.

Cuddle piles are a frequent, probably weekly occurrence. Everyone’s on top of each other, many vying for the spot on Ichigo’s lap. Cuddle piles also happen when certain swords are feeling upset, they’d be at the centre, and everyone would play various games, or talk interesting events, or anything, really, that would put a smile on their brother’s face.

Atsushi can be surprisingly good at easing others worries, though he doesn’t seem to realise it, when they’re worried about something going well, or something relating to their past, it’s the way he talks them through it, objectively, that can put them at ease. And if things don’t go well, then they have him and the rest of their brothers by their side.

Gokotai and Akita, often times, are among the first to cry holding each other, when ghost stories are told. They’re the first to let out a scream, startling the citadel, when it’s dark and Midare shines a light over his face.

Snowball fights at the beginning of winter, always happen. Various swords get dragged into it by Namazuo, or Midare and Houchou. In a citadel with the Awataguchi family gathered together, you know winter has started when you wake up to the sound of a massive snowball fight, and everyone playing around.

Hey all am back from the dead! Had some health issues to sort out but I’ve finally managed to get back into writing recently, naturally my writing is rather rusty atm since I’m just getting back into the swing of things.

Imanotsurugi

It's not exactly rare for Imanotsurugi's memories to haunt him in the form of nightmares. He's not exactly plagued by them, but they are frequent enough for him to not be surprised when he has such dreams. 

His nightmares are usually about his former master, the feeling of his own master's blood on his blade, that wretched feeling of blood dripping down, and the ever so painfully slow process of watching him die. 

He always finds himself crying in those moments, even if he’s self aware that it’s just another dream. Reliving it once again, those moments, it’s simply unbearable. 

Sometimes, he has dreams where he and Iwatooshi are in their former master's positions. Those nights are truly the worst, and he can't help the sniffles and cries that follow as he awakens.

On particularly bad nights, he'll go outside to calm himself down, but, more often than not, Iwatooshi is right by his side to help him navigate his emotions during such moments of weakness. 

Fudou

Everything was in flames. The feeling of burning metal, and everything covered in that molten red. This was why he dreaded being sober and falling asleep sober. 

Because he was reminded of that time, of that pain he never wanted to witness nor experience ever again. 

As always, once waking up from such dreams, he would immediately drown himself in alcohol, to avoid thinking about it.

The possibility that he could lose this place, too, to a fire, is always on his mind, to the point where it's plain destructive. Such thoughts always overwhelm him like that, which is why he drinks and drinks some more.

Because he doesn't know what else to do, or how to face such fears, he only knows how to run away from them using alcohol. 

It’s easy for such nightmares of pop up, if he were to see a fire. Even if it’s something like a candle, it springs up those memories, and by the time he realizes it, he’s already had that dream once again. 

Been struggling to successfully write so I decided to just stick to warm-up writing pieces until my brain remembers how writing works. But anyway, enjoy a distressed yamanbagiri. 

Yamanbagiri

He’s just stuck there, at a loss for what he should do. What he can, should do. Wonders if it’s somehow his fault, despite there being nothing between them that could possibly cause this. 

He wonders if it’s better for him to just leave, of course, someone like him could be of no help, let alone comfort when they’re at their most vulnerable, if anything he’d just make matters worse. 

Yet, he’s hesitant to just leave and abandon them like this. That’s just far too cruel. So, he’d probably opt for calling another sword; Ichigo, Mitsutada, any sword that’s good with this sort of thing. That knows how to deal with someone’s tears. 

So he’d search for someone, with the thought that anyone else would do, as long as they can remove that horrible expression. As long as they’ll smile at the end of it. 

If the Saniwa stopped him from going to get someone else, and asked him to stay, he just freezes. Is it okay to just stand around and wait for them to calm down? Shouldn’t he do something to soothe them? Such thoughts swim around his mind endlessly.

He’d settle for sitting beside them, holding their hand, maybe rubbing circles on their back. His actions are awkward and hesitant, almost robotic seeming. Because he’s afraid. Afraid that he’ll somehow make it worse, rather than help them. 

He’d mutter iterations of “it’ll be okay” over and over again, just streaming out words of reassurance, whatever comes to mind. Things he remembers Ichigo telling his distressed brothers. Words he tells himself each and every day while trying to live his self-deprecating mindset. Anything that might help ground them. And it’s hard to tell whether it’s for him, them, or the both of them. 

Sorry for the long wait! Here’s the first two characters, and the remaining three will be done over the next few days!! I hope you enjoy!

Himetsuru

Himetsuru simply adores his little master, and is definitely the type to try and spoil them. Every chance he gets is filled with play time and sneaking them snacks that swords like Hasebe and Shokudaikiri insist they need to refrain from eating too much of.

He’d likely end up becoming one of the little Saniwa’s favourite swords, as he always let’s them have their way. At the same time, he’s always getting yelled at by the other swords. Though, he never pays much attention to their yelling, so it goes in one ear and out the other.

He doesn’t like the fact that the government is having a young child fight in a war, and see the ugly realities of what it’s really like. A child like them should only see what it’s like in kids story books, they don’t deserve to be exposed to such danger and death so early on.

Though it really bothers him, he refuses to mention it to the Saniwa, as he doesn’t want them to worry. At the very least, when they’re in the citadel, spending time with him, or the other swords, they should forget all those things and play without a care in the world.

Other than playing with them himself, he loves watching them play with the other tantou’s. Whatever antics they get up to, he enjoys seeing it, and is likely to involve himself in the playtime, especially if they’re playing a game like hide-and-seek.

Playdates. He definitely prepares playdates for the Uesugi tantou’s and the Saniwa, as he just wants to see all his favourite’s merrily playing and getting along with each other. 

Pretends to watch over Kenshin and the child Saniwa cooking, but in truth he’s a useless third party that only causes trouble for them. However, it’s that added chaos that makes those moments all the more enjoyable. 

Hand-makes presents for them. It’s likely that most, if not all of the Saniwa’s plushies were made and gifted by him. They might even have a special blanket that few are allowed the privilege to see, let alone touch, which he also gifted on a special day.  

Norimune

Norimune would be the young Saniwa's grandpa. He would speak of various tales, some of his past, the things he bore witness to, and others, fairytales and mythical stories that he has heard over the many years he's been around for.

The stories he tells are always full of excitement, tension, and sometimes the embodiment of utter chaos. They leave the saniwa and tantou's on the edge--excitedly awaiting the resolution.

He saves the simpler, trivial-seeming stories for nighttime when they ask him to tell them a tale until they fall asleep. Even if they only request that he stay by their side until they're asleep, he would still end up telling such stories. Some of which are from events within the Citadel, he simply loves the way their eyes glimmer with recognition of the event he is talking about. Whether it be the horse manure fight, the ghost hunt, the kitchen cockroach massacre or whatever other problems the swords find themselves in. 

He'd end up as something of a mentor for the Saniwa. He's more than happy to teach them how to fight and defend themselves, and think it's important that they can do so, considering they're leading a war. He'd have no issues in teaching them to play dirty since all methods are valid as long as it ensures survival and safety.

He may forget to tell them not to perform such dirty methods during sparring sessions with the other swords, however, and may end up with quite a few coming after him after a small little incident. Though, he'd just laugh their complaints off.

Norimune would probably be one of the few go-to swords they rely on for genuine advice, as he always listens to their concerns and validates their feeling. And more often than not, if it's an issue with a solution, he always guides them along the best course of action.

Norimune doesn't really run around much while in the Citadel, a child's stamina is far too much for an old man to keep up with. He'd tire out far too quickly. As such, the two would play games together, mostly card games, or maybe creating handicrafts.

Sorry for the very long wait, I just wasn't satisfied with the second half of this no matter how many times I wrote it. I think I'm satisfied with this, though the quality may be worse near the end. Even so, i hope your still able to enjoy this! Again, apologies for the incredibly long wait.

Shokudaikiri:

Chances are, he's had his suspicions about this fear before they developed such a tight bond. He's no fool, it's easy to tell when someone is dealing with their fear, and the little things that showed they were behaving differently than normal seemed to prove it.

But he never quite picked up on the exact cause of it, as there can be many factors that affect them in their day to day life. So while he had his suspicions, he wouldn't decide on the cause of it until he can confirm it with his own ears or eyes.

He could've easily found out by asking, but he knows that he certainly wouldn't want someone to try and pry into his own innermost fears, even more so when he tries to hide them so desperately, and he felt that they may be the same way, so he didn't act on it.

He was, however, always prepared to be there for them, and do what he can to help them get through their fears. Whether it be with tea, or soothing words, or doing anything they want of him in order to bring that smile back on their face.

So when he finds himself in a situation where he can help them, he is naturally quick to act.

The first time, he doesn't really know what he's doing. Different people are comforted through different means, and it's hard to say which would be effective.

Normally, his go-to for comfort would be some tea to help calm their nerves, but that would hardly help if they're constantly hearing the thing causing their currently panicked state.

So he led them to a room when the noise can't really be heard and asked them to focus on his voice. He'd hold their hands and speak of many stories, ones from the citadel, his past, whatever came to mind. He just wanted to keep their interest in him, away away from the thunder roaring away outside.

Once the thunder settles, if they're still feeling unnerved, he'd make them some soothing tea to help ease their tension.

He would make sure that their room is soundproof, as of all places, that's one where they should always be safe from their fears.

After the first time, he has a much better time helping them through their fears. As he now has a good idea of what works best during such times.

Inspired by the recollection with Kenshin and the line where he talks about these two. Also he has such adorable nicknames for them?? Goko and Kenken?? I wasn’t expecting this man to be so adorable?

Gokotai

Himetsuru loves to just hug him at random, he’s definitely the type to just pick him up for a hug. Sometimes surprises Gokotai by doing this when he’s not aware of Himetsuru’s presence. 

He quite enjoys seeing Gokotai’s flustered face, as he finds it to be quite adorable. As a result, he’s developed a habit of teasing him. 

Sometimes, he doesn’t even mean to fluster him when he just speaks his true thoughts, heaping on the praise as Gokotai gets more and more flustered.

He does know Gokotai’s limit however, and is careful to avoid teasing him too much, and will backtrack if he feels that he may gone a bit too far with his words. After all, he wants Gokotai to enjoy their time together and remember it fondly, not be completely overwhelmed by his words and actions. 

He likes it when Gokotai relies on him, asking for advice on what he can do for the Saniwa, what sort of gift he could make for Ichigo, or seeking his help in regards to his history.

He just simply adores being someone that can be considered reliable by those he cherishes, because for all he jokes around, and while he loves playing around, he loves the fact that Gokotai is willing to go to him for support. Even more so since Gokotai has so many brothers and other swords that he could speak to instead, but Himetsuru was still his first option.

Kenshin

Due to Kenshin’s personality, Himetsuru ends up naturally giving him advice, he just says whatever comes to mind, going with the flow, and more often than not, this stems from him wanting to play or carry him, while Kenshin is hesitant to do those things because he “needs to act like an adult”

As such, he keeps accidentally giving Kenshin advice and something he can think on to improve himself, just by naturally doing what he always does. 

He finds himself rather happy with this arrangement, since, as a result, Kenshin does indeed rely on him for advice and takes his words to heart. Though, he does wish Kenshin would take his words about playing around more seriously too. 

Himetsuru can only hope that he's doing a good enough job to help Kenshin play without any sense of guilt, and truly enjoy the time spent together. 

Himetsuru goes at his own pace, so more often than not, he’s pulling Kenshin along, whether it’s for a ride around the citadel on his shoulders, or a playdate with him and Gokotai, or to play some sort of game.