She struck forth with the wood of her practise naginata.
"YAH!"
They had the entire rear courtyard to themselves, with the men gone. Some of the other female guardswomen came to train at times, but it seemed they preferred to spend some time with their family rather than improve their skill as a warrior.
Her strike was easily blocked, as Rin shot forth with a strike of her own, controlling the unwieldy naginata with skill and precision.
The speed at which she reacted was too much for her opponent, and she struck the leather of the padded training armour, securing herself a point.
"You're getting really good, Rin."
Akiko praised, covered in sweat, as she took off her helmet.
"Mm. I'm doing okay, but it's not enough, is it?"
"No, you're right. But that's not your fault."
The young girl uttered a sigh. It was frustrating. She had trained so hard, but her brother was so preoccupied with ruling a village that he did not have time to find her something to do. Or atleast, that's what he felt. And she knew that, but she also also believed that he did not need to spend extra time decieding on something special for her – she was just as strong as the men, if not more so.
"Mm… How is Nii-san doing? It's been a couple of days since he last came to visit."
Her training partner pulled a face of surprise at that.
"Did you not know? He's going to be away for more than a week."
Rin stared at her gobsmacked, the hurt obvious on her face.
"He could have told me…"
"Hey, don't look like that. You know how he is. He just focuses on what's in front of him, doesn't he?"
She nodded. A truer description of her brother could not have been said. But still, she had to wonder.
"How did all this happen? Just a few months ago we were working in the field together… And now he has such a position."
Her friend put a hand on her shoulder.
"Rin-chan… It'll be okay, you'll see. We just have to be patient."
She wore a scowl on her pretty face after receiving that last comment. The last thing she wished to be was patient. Her brother had saddled her with the responsibility of caring for their mother, but there was nothing she could do to care for her!
Their meals were delivered by the servants, and they were handed to Fuku. All she did for her mother was share conversation when she returned home from guard duty. But her father was there for that too – it was unfair to leave her behind for such a silly reason.
"I'm done being patient, Akiko. I want some action! Masaatsu was my brother too, why does Tadakata have to take all the fun?"
"I know but-"
"There's nothing we can do right?"
She nodded.
"Yup… We could pressure him into doing things our way… but I don't want to put any more stress on him, Rin. He sits in my father's old office studying all day. He barely even sleeps!"
Insead of backing down after hearing that, Rin's resolve only grew stronger.
"See! That's why he needs us! He needs to stop taking everything on himself, and put some trust in us! And then he wouldn't be so warn out and stressed."
Akiko smilled lightly at her ferocity.
"You're so kind, Rin-chan… But what could we help him with?"
"There are lots of things! We can fight. There are other women in the village who can fight too. We don't have an army at the moment. He would be able to think of more opportunities for our village if he just considered us."
"I know you're strong, Rin. But how do we compare to the men? They've been in far more battles than us. And if we're weaker than all of them, we'll drag them down."
"Why don't we go and find out, then?"
Rin proposed, with a smile lighting her face, as though she had just thought of a new idea.
"What do you mean?"
Her friend asked, frowning.
"Brother's men will being training too now – let's fight them!"
She explained, as she turned around and began to make her way around the mansion at speed, quite clearly excited and captured by her new idea.
"Rin! Wait!"
Akiko called out, having to jog to catch back up to her.
"RIN!"
She was getting left further and further behind. Rin hurdled her way over the small courtyard pond, and continued to run towards the gate.
"Good morning, Miura-san."
The guardswomen said respectfully as she passed.
"Hello!"
Came her, as she passed through the gate, intent on sprinting toward where the men were training before Akiko could stop her.
A few seconds later Akiko also arrived at the gate, breathing heavily, exhausted after having to run so hard just to put up with the whims of her exciteable friend.
"Good morning, lady Akiko…"
The two women posted at the gate called out as she passed, a little put off by how fl.u.s.tered she was. It seemed that her and Rin were engaged in some sort of game.
"Good… morning…"
She said, holding her knees as she struggled to catch her breath.
"RIN!"
She shouted, making the guards beside her flinch as she struggled to get her friend to slow down.
But Rin did not even turn back, and should she wait any longer, it was inevitable that she would lose sight of her, and so, with a deep sigh, she began to run after her once more.
Down the path into town they ran, steering away from the forest. Rin abandoned it halfway, and began to run across the open plains, down toward where the road between Toyone and Tobishima could be found.
She disappeared after descending a hill, causing a weary Akiko to increase her speed further so that once Rin slowed down, she might be able to stop her before she did something stupid.
"Hah… Hah… Hah…"
With heavy breaths she reached the top of the hill, just in time to see Rin approach the men.
Those men served under Gengyo's had made the decision – without even having to be told so by their master – that they should spend each day training. And though they did not want to, they kept up with their running as well. After which, they would spend a few hours duelling with one another.
Jikouji was not present, as he had the matters of the household to attend to whilst Gengyo was away. But apart from him, everyone attended, and they met the task with vigour and discipline.
There were days when dawn came, and the cold was still very much at play outside and they simply did not wish to leave the warmth of their beds. But even on those days, the men made their way outside. And all it took was a few minutes, and they were glad to have come.
They were at work, duelling one another now, completely focused on their task. But like a guided missile, Rin was nearing ever closer, causing Akiko's to beat ever faster, as she worried about stopping her in time. The last thing Gengyo would want was to have his men's progress slowed by his little sister.
But it was too late.
"Rin…"
She breathed, almost collapsing as she finely arrived. But the practise had already been interrupted, and a boy, not much older than them, was holding his sword ready, as if to duel her.
"Oh, Akiko! You finally caught up? I'm going to duel this guy. Kitajo, right?"
"Yes, I am Kitajo."
He responded respectfully. He was well aware of who Gengyo's little sister was, and treated her approprietly, not willing to say no to her request. The rest of the men were the same, and they had already ceased their own practise in favour of spectating this duel.
"But Rin…"
"Sh, Akiko, just watch okay?"
She was gutted that she had not managed to stop this before it was carried it, but by this point, it seemed, it was too late. The practise had been interrupted, and Rin would get her way.
"I'm going to start. Are you ready?"
Rin spoke.
"I am."
"Let's go then!"
She leapt forward off her backfoot, holding the wooden naginata, and sending it crashing on top of Kitajo. Her eyebrow raised in surprise, as she saw the boy's face harden, as he adopted a serious approach the task. He slammed his feet into the ground, and blocked her strike with authority.
He controlled the pole of her weapon, throwing it off to the side, as he closed to the distance between them, and slashed toward her head.
'What…'
Rin could barely comprehend what had happened. He fought differently than she was used to seeing. In her strokes there was something. Experience, of course. But there was also something else. It was as though with each strike, he was genuinely trying to kill her.
She whipped her head back, as the blade caught on her hair, and she barely avoided it. A beed of sweat dripped from her forehead.
'That was way too close.'
She sprang back, reinstating the distance, seriously shaken.
A quick reappraisal of her opponent. Of the men in general. They were not shouting, or cheering. This was serious. They approached the duel – even though it was not their own – as though it was the most important thing going on in the world that second, and they dedicated every ounce of their concentration to it.
Why? Why were they so serious? This was merely training. She did not understand their reasoning, and the atmosphere was impressive. She had come here excitedly, and in truth, she had been prepared for a fun bout that would demonstrate her skill. But this duel was certainly not fun. If she not give it her full attention, she could be seriously injured. Or even worse, killed. Had that strike toward her head landed, then it would not have been pretty. And there would be no one to protest either.
This was their world, one that she had decided she wished to step into. And the welcoming… It was harsh. She had picked him because she thought he looked the weakest, but when he gripped the blade, he was a different man. His eyes held a different light. And it was only then that she noticed the scars that covered his face and hands. He had seen death, multiple times. And what was she? A mere little girl who wished to play at swords.
Akiko could not see all that she could, for she was a just a spectator. But she understand that her friend was losing this fight, and gritted her teeth.
'Damn… This is… Not what I expected.'
Fear, is what she felt. She did not want to get hurt. It was odd – why was there such a difference between the two of them? She had fought, and she had killed, but it was as though the two were from entirely different words.
They stared each other down, daring the other to move. Kitajo held his blade in two hands by his ear, ready to cover any attack might come, and his feet were positioned firmly, so that he could thrust his sword through the chink in her armour as soon as she made the mistake of exposing it.
She stared to fret about the little things – the sweat on her hands that made her grip on her blade loose. The numbness in her legs that could be mistaken for tiredness. She wished, in that moment, to simply drop her blade and call it a day.
And then she remembered the sight of her brother's body after it had been pierced by multiple screams. She remembered the anguish she felt when she found out Masaatsu was never coming home. And then, she reaffirmed her resolve.