My first YnM drabble, written for the then brand new fuda_100 community. The theme was "legacy." Betaed by Eliza.

The sword has been in his family for generations. There are rituals to its use, rituals to its cleaning, and rituals to its display. Where the Ko Kaku Rou is half of his legacy, the sword is the other.

Only once has he violated the rituals that bind his duty to it. When he cut the Shinigami, he allowed the blood to linger on the blade. Then, he wiped it clean with a length of raw white silk meant for softer arts. The blood dried clear, and the silk gained a new sheen.

It shimmers in his hands in the candelit dark.

~END~