Birthday Blade

>Hands in your pockets, you slunk through the dusty flea market in search of your prize.
>Yuri's birthday was coming up, and you wanted to find her a nice gift.
>A blade of some type sprung to mind, and you thought the best place to find a unique and antique one would be here.
>However, no such luck thus far. Stalls of cheap Chinese crap and mall ninja material.
>While a fidget spinner blade that looked like a ninja star that also functioned as a lighter would impress a child, Yuri was a woman of class and refinement!
>No, you needed something distinct. Spotting another booth of blades, you walked toward it and entered.
>Well, it was a little better than most. The tables in the center at least had some normal knives and swords, but the walls were still lined with reproductions of swords from popular media.
>Taking your time looking through the weaponry, you managed to resist the inner child in you wanting to buy a replica Frostmourne. You didn't resist gripping the handle and feeling like a huge dork, though.
>While the selection was decent, it still didn't have that kick to it. The actual weaponry that seemed authentic was pretty plain, and the more intricate swords that weren't copied merchandise were all knock-offs made of shitty steel, from what you could tell.
>Oh well. Maybe you could just get her a custom engraved one off of the internet?
>You were just about to leave when a hand fell on your shoulder.
>"Young man, what were you looking for?" A thick, eastern accent spoke.
>Turning around, you faced an old Japanese man, who looked extremely... stereotypical. White hair, Fu Manchu mustache, a robe, the whole nine yards.
"Oh, I was just looking for something special for a gift. Something antique, ya know?" You answer.
>"Ah, I see, I see. You have an eye for the extraordinary. I think I may have something that will interest you. Follow me." He motioned to follow him, and after an initial confusion, you follow him behind a curtain into a small room behind the cash register.
>In the room, a small table is set in the center, with a pillow on either side. On the table rests a blade, the handle wrapped in a red fabric that was tied around the scabbard.
>The man sat on one pillow, and gestured for you to take a seat on the other.
>After doing so, he begins to speak.
>"The weapon you see before you is a very special katana, indeed. It was passed down through many generations, made by my ancestors during the Han Dynasty. I am getting old, and have no family to pass it down to. I will entrust it to you, young man."
"Really? Wow." You reach for the blade, and hold it in your hands. It feels powerful, as if it is surging.
>"Yes. But on two conditions; one, you must not open the blade until the time is right, and you sense it."
"Okay. And?"
>"And I need to know that you are a serious owner. Someone who treats these as they are; dangerous weapons. Not playthings."
"How do I prove that?" You sit on the edge of the pillow in anticipation.
>"Fifty dollars." He states with a grim expression.
>You snort at his dumb joke, and take out your wallet. Normally, you would want to see the blade before you spent any amount, but something about this felt right. That sword was special, and you knew it.
>Handing the money to him, he smiles.
>"Thank you, chǔn lǘ, for continuing my legacy. This blade is yours."
"Chun Lu? What does that mean?" He sits for a moment.
>"It's Japanese for Young Sparrow."
"Oh. Thank you for the opportunity, mister..."
>"Lin. You may call me Master Lin."
"Well, then thank you, Master Lin!" Standing up, you bow to each other and you take the sword. "Have a nice day!"
>"You too, chǔn lǘ." He smiles as you leave.
>Making your way to the exit of the flea market, you look at the sheathed sword in your hands. The straightness of the sheath confused you; you thought katanas were more curved.
>Oh, well. Maybe that's just how they made them back in the Han Dynasty. Excitement overwhelmed you at the cool gift you got for your purple!

>The day had arrived, and it was going off without a hitch.
>You had taken Yuri out to eat at a nice Italian restaurant, where you had a nice spaghetti dinner.
>Afterwards, the two of you returned home for cake, and you went to the closet to retrieve her gift.
>Bringing out the wrapped weapon, you held it behind your back as you walked toward her.
"Hey, honey, I got you somethin' I think you're really going to like!"
>"Oh, really? If it's anything like that teapot you got me last year, I think you're right!" She smiled with satisfaction at the thought of your previous gift.
>It was kinda cool, a trick teapot with two compartments that you could store different liquids in and pour them out depending on how you held it. But this was gonna knock her socks off.
>Producing the bundle of wrapping paper from behind you, her eyes lit up.
>"Is that a sword?"
"Yep! I know how much you enjoy collecting those knives, so I thought I'd get you something special! And this katana has a story!"
>After she unwrapped it, you relayed Master Lin's tale to her. The look on her face went from one of wonder to one of thinking.
"Honey? What's wrong?" You asked.
>"You said he sold you this as a katana? And that his family made it during the Han Dynasty?"
"Yeah."
>"The leather on this scabbard can't be more than fifty years old, and it's too straight to be a katana." She looked at it studiously as your heart sank and you looked down at the table.
>Damn it, you thought you got something good. You were disappointed in yourself.
>She must've felt that, though, as soon enough you felt a hand cover your own.
>"H-hey, it's alright! I like it a lot, and figuring out what it is can make it special too, right?"
"You sure? I'm pretty sure I could take that old guy and get the money back if you don't want it."
>"It's fine! I promise." She says with a sweet smile that causes you to give one back. "Now, let's get it open and figure out what it is."
>Her hands deftly unwrapped the binding from the scabbard, leaving it hanging from the handle as one hand grabbed the hilt. Just then, your mind flashed back to Lin's words.
"Hey, Yuri, you might want to-"
>Just then, the sword clicked out of it's holding, and the lights in the house flickered out.
>As you looked around in confusion, the candles embedded into the cake blew out, and you and Yuri were left shrouded in darkness. You looked back to the purple Doki, whose eyes were transfixed on the sword that was being pulled out.
>The light of the moon shone through the window, and as the double edged blade was fully revealed, the tip glinted in silver.
>Her eyes drifted up to match yours, and the blade engulfed in orange energy, lighting up the room
>"Gahahaha! Foolish mortals! You have unleashed me from my sacred binding, and now I curse you!" A voice booms, cackling.
>Both of you yell in fright and back away from the table as the voice continues.
>"Now that I am free, I curse the holder of the blade with insatiable bloodlust! You will never be able to sheathe me again without killing another human!" It continues to cackle maniacally.
>You continue to freak out as Yuri looks at you, a confused look on her face.
>"I don't feel any different. And did you say that I couldn't sheathe you again?" She speaks up.
>"That's right! And uh, what do you mean you don't feel any different?"
>"Okay. I know what must be done." She looks at you, determined.
>And drops the sword while stifling laughter.
>"W-wait, hold on. You're uh. Not supposed to be able to do that." The voice says, cracking in nervousness.
>"Anon, I know what kind of sword this is. It's a jian, or a Chinese short sword, and judging by the markings on the steel it was made in the 1900s."
>Looking on in confusion and slight horror, you open your mouth.
"So..."
>"You bought a Chinese knock-off thinking it was a Japanese, and it was possessed by a demon. But given that the sword isn't some fantastic old thing, I think the only demon that would possess it is one that isn't very powerful. It can stop itself from being sheathed, and can do minor tricks, but it can't actually do all that much."
"Oh." You look at the sword on the ground, lying motionless.
>"H-hey! I'm powerful! Just, uh, watch this!" The voice pleads.
>The lights in your house come back on.
>"Fuck!"
>The two of you laugh at the pitiful thing, and shove it in the closet for the night as you talk about it over cake.
>As time would pass, you'd learn that his name was Huizui, and that he only possessed the blade a few years ago when Lin summoned him after reading some thread on /x/.
>Lin had gotten tired of him, and decided to pawn him off to some unsuspecting fool, being you. You went back to try and get a refund, but Lin's stall was gone.
>During their time together, though, Huizui had been used as a culinary aid, and so he was put to work in the kitchen where Yuri would use him as a knife while making meals and he'd give insight on recipes and the like.
>Honestly, he wasn't that bad of a guy, even if his jokes were a bit corny and sometimes fell flat.
>And it seemed like Yuri really liked your gift, even if it wasn't what you thought it was! Everything turned out great!

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