[Touken Ranbu] Countdown

"You have great potential. Would you like to come work for me as a Saniwa?"

"A Saniwa? What's that?"

"It's a noble profession. You awaken the Tsukumogami sleeping within swords, then lead them in protecting the proper course of history."

The little girl gazed at the flower fox before her. It was clean, unlike her, huddled in a corner with blood running down her body. Even standing on dirty ice formed from melted snow and muddy water, it remained spotless, its fluffy fur just like the plush toys she had so often seen behind glass, displayed high out of reach.

"Can... can I pet you?"

"Huh?"

It was something she could never have.

It was a wish she could never bring herself to voice.

The little girl reached out to the fox before her.

Snowflakes drifting down from the sky melted into water on her bruised, purple hand.

"If you let me pet you, I'll say yes."

"You can."

The brightly colored, almost comical fox thought it over, then leapt from the ground into her arms and sat down obediently.

"You're so warm."

She couldn't help carefully wrapping her arms around the fox, as if holding a blazing brazier. Afraid of being burned by the flames, yet unable to resist reaching for the warmth within her grasp.

In a life where she kept losing everything, this was the one time she got to have something.

**The author is terrible at writing blurbs, so... here's an excerpt instead.

**A gift for my dear friend Jiang Jiang, whom I adore. Mwah!

Warning: The ending is set. I personally don't think it's anything special, but I've heard it's, um... If you can't handle it, run while you can.