Chapter 2: Watching You
'Finally, I'm done.' Kaoru wiped the dirt from her hands and made her way to the nearest water spiket. Her eyes drifted over the lazy clouds in the sky. A smile breaking through the dirt on her face. 'I'm almost there. Almost to freedom. But what did I give up? I shouldn't have been so eager, should have waited for information first...' She splashed her face with the luke warm water after rinsing her hands. 'At the same time though, anything I get from the boy... josai? No, that wasn't it...damn me and my faulty memory!' she sighed. 'Any info from him is bound to be slanted. I won't know what side I'm truly on until I meet the man I'm spying on... Or the family I'll be 'adopted' into... Damn my impatience....'
Walking into her hut, Kaoru saw a note on her bed. 'Did that boy..?' She frowned and scooped it up. Turning it over, her name was scripted in fancy cursive. 'Thank Kami I paid attention when father was still able to pay for a tutor...' Kaoru stared a moment longer. Then she ripped it open. A piece of paper stuck out with the same high-class writing. 'That's his name, Soujiro!' She read the letter twice, and smiled. A coach would arrive at sunset to pick her up and Soujiro would be waiting with a file on the Battousai.
Smiling she raced around her little hut and gathered what few possesions she had and tied them all up into a blanket. 'I would prefer to have some type of bag... but this will have to do.' Kaoru glanced out at the sun. 'I still have time... Might as well leave a parting gift to Master Hiruma Gohei and his brother.' Her smile twisted into a glaring smirk. They would pay for her suffering.
Leaving her things, she walked into the dojo. Their prized student was practicing. 'Like always. they aren't very good teachers, letting a boy of only 9 hold a sword without supervision! It's time the boy got a real lesson.' "Boy, What's your name?" Kaoru called to him, schooling her face.
"Myojin Yahiko. Who are you and what do you want? I'm busy." he glared but didn't stop his training.
She bristled. Anger slipping through Kaoru's mask. "I am Kamiya Kaoru. I want to spar."
Yahiko stopped. "Aren't you a slave?"
"What does it matter?" She walked up to the rack of dusty wooden swords. 'which were the ones he was supposed to be practicing with.' Kaoru's mood soured.
"It doesn't, I'll just have to put you in your place." he took an unsteady stance.
She tossed him a wooden sword which skidded at his feet, then turned and said, "I have no sword, so to make this fair, we'll use these." Kaoru grabbed one for herself. and turned to face him with the stance her father taught her before he was lost. Sadness welled up at the memory, threatening to ruin her composure. She held it down with her nightmare-come-to-life.
The boy was gawking. "You can't be serious! How can you have a serious duel with wooden swords?!"
She rolled her eyes. 'This better not take long, I have plans after all.' "I said I wanted a spar, not a duel. I don't want to die just yet, and nor do I feel like shedding innocent blood. Wooden swords will do, now pick it up."
He grumbled, attempted to sheath his sword, and ended up cutting his hand. "Stop, Just toss it aside." she commanded.
He glowered at the sheath, then at his hand and obeyed. "Is it deep?"
"Not enough to keep from putting you in your place." He growled. 'Good tolerance for pain... but will he be smart and--!' He grabbed the sword and made a charge straight for her. 'Guess he's not going to wrap it then.' She dodged.
He charged again.
She dodged.
He charged.
She dodged.
"Sit still will you?!"
"No opponent in real life would do that, why should I? We are practicing after all."
She charged. He stepped to the side and made a swing aimed at her lower back. She dropped the sword and blocked with her arms crossed above her head. Grabbing the sword she yanked it from his grasp and grabbed hers. Leaving him unarmed. 'Well that was short... I thought he'd been trained at least a little better than that!' "Do you forfeit?" She watched his face. He was astonished at first, so much so that he hadn't even realized his sword was gone, then he was flooded with anger.
"HOW DARE A SLAVE BEST ME?!" He started shouting, eyes closed. 'Throwing a tantrum... typical.' She rolled her eyes. "I AM THE TRAINED STUDENT AND YOU ARE A NOBODY!!! HOW COULD YOU POSSIBLY--!!!" She walked up and knocked him in the head with her fist. He fell to the floor, sufficiently astonished into silence once again. She placed the wooden swords by the door, and left.
'Master Gohei should have some trouble with him now. That boy'll be begging for a secret technique that doesn't exist because the only thing Master knows about swords is how much they cost!' She started giggling. She turned her face to the sky, about to start laughing, when she noticed its color. The sun was setting! 'Shit!!! I shouldn't have wasted so much time!!!!' She ran back to her hut, grabbed her things and booked it to the front of the front gates of the compound. She spotted Soujiro walking towards the coach just as she rounded the corner.