Tanuki To Ryuu

Hello Again! So we finally get another attack from the now named Lord
Akutsa. What shall we learn about the next of the elite, the naginata
wielding Ayane? Oh, and anyone that feels up to drawing her, feel free
to send me a private e-mail.

Chapter 9: Ayane Of the Elite

"I'll tell you what this is all about," Ayane said in disdain
toward Kaoru, "AFTER one of us is defeated!" Ayane twirled her
naginata around as if it were a twig and stepped forward past the opened
gates. Kaoru held her position with her bokken in her hands as she
studied her opponent.

"Hold on a moment," Kenshin said as he walked between the two
women with his palms open and arms held up. "Ayane-dono, for what
reason do you wish to fight Kaoru?"

"She answered the challenge, Battousai," Ayane said without
waver, "so you best step out of the way,"

Kenshin gave Ayane one of his stronger glares then continued,
"Do not assume I won't strike a woman. Answer my question,"

"Lets just say my Lord is very upset that the last of his elite
failed so miseraby and sent a stronger challenger," Ayane said with a
smirk. Kenshin looked straight into Ayane's eyes and saw the woman
would not waver in her resolve to fight Kaoru, so he relented.

] "Alright, but I will not allow anyone to die before me," Kenshin
answered as he stepped out of the space between the two women and
started to walk to the house. "Kaoru, your skills are greater than
her's, but there is something strange about that woman, so keep your
guard up," Kenshin said as he passed Kaoru.

"She's not a man, is she?" Kaoru asked Kenshin while she kept
her eyes on her challenger.

"No, this is something much... stranger," Kenshin replied as he
sat on the porch. "Be careful, Kaoru," Yutaro and Yahiko both sat on
the sidelines next to Kenshin and surveyed the two combatants on the
field.

"A naginata? That's more striking power and superior range,
isn't it?" Yutaro asked the two other males on the porch.

"Got it right in one, cat-eyes," Yahiko answered, "But a
naginata's much heavier than a bokken, thus Kaoru would have the speed
advantage," Kenshin nodded to Yahiko's observation.

"Its good you pay attention to Kaoru's lessons in defense
against different weapons," Kenshin said as he patted Yahiko fondly on
the head. "The most common schools in the use of the naginata usually
employ long sweeps, and Ayane's stance does not suggest otherwise,"

"So shall I begin or you?" Ayane asked with a grin. Kaoru
stayed silent and did not move an inch in either direction. "I guess
me then!" Ayane shouted as she ran towards Kaoru and made a wide slice
towards her from the left. Kaoru stepped back from the swing, then
sidestepped to the right. "YAAAAH!" Ayane screamed as she made a diagnal
slice from the right. Kaoru stepped out of Ayane's range yet again and
continued to circle around her opponent. "You won't win this fight by
backing out!" Ayane shouted as she twirled her naginata and advanced on
Kaoru yet again.

"My goal is to control your movements," Kaoru said in a calm
voice.

"Control THIS!" Ayane screamed as she lept up and made a lunge
towards Kaoru with her naginata in mid-air. Kaoru rolled forward under
the thrust and got behind Ayane.

"This fight is over!" Kaoru shouted as she hit Ayane's back with
such force that Ayane, still in mid-air, flew a good six feet from the
blow. Kaoru turned to face her fallen opponent but did not lower her
guard. Ayane stood up from the ground, brushed the dirt off her hakama
and picked up her naginata.

"That was a good swing, especially with a bokken," Ayane noted
as she held her weapon in attack position again. "But you don't have
what it takes to defeat me. Your strength is nothing compared to
mine!" Ayane screamed as she made another swing towards Kaoru. Kaoru
leaned back away from the swing then charged in when the naginata's
blade barely missed her. Kaoru saw her target and striked upward.

The tip of Kaoru's bokken wedged up in Ayane's armpit and lifted
the naginata wielding woman up into the air again. Kaoru stepped back
as Ayane landed on her feet. "How's your arm?" Kaoru asked as she
studied her opponent to see if she succeeded in dislocating the woman's
shoulder. "We aren't that much different, Ayane. I don't want to
hurt you,"

Ayane laughed and readied her naginata. "Like I said before,
you don't have the strength to defeat me!" Ayane charged forward and
made much smaller, more controlled swings at Kaoru. Kaoru dodged each
swing but found that Ayane left few holes she could utilize to attack.

***

Back on the porch, Kaoru's two students couldn't' believe what
they were seeing. "How can that Ayane woman still stand up?" Yutaro
asked, astonished. He knew Kaoru wasn't as strong as Kenshin, but she
certainly seemed strong since she could defeat Yahiko with utter ease.

"Hey Kenshin, why isn't Kaoru using the ougi?" Yahiko asked,
worried for his instructor's life. So far, Kaoru was not hit yet, but
it was only a matter of time before her stamina ran dry.

"The naginata is a much different weapon than a katana," Kenshin
answered. "The guard right beneath the blade makes the Kamiya Kasshin
Ryuu's ougi ineffective due to the extreme range between the blade and
the user," Kenshin's eyes narrowed as he regarded Kaoru's dodges.
"As it is, Kaoru has only a few options left to attack,"

***

Kaoru leaned her head back and barely avoided Ayane's blade.
Ayane shrugged off her two earlier good hits but at the same time the
naginata woman closed any holes in her offense as well. Then, Ayane
made a swing that was JUST wide enough for Kaoru to attack and Kaoru
charged in and slashed at Ayane's stomach and scored a solid hit.
Ayane spun her naginata to attack the dead angle Kaoru opened up at
close range and slashed her bladed polearm at Kaoru's back. Kaoru
rolled to the left and avaided the blade by a hair even as the back of
her shirt was ripped. Ayane lept away from Kaoru's reach and held her
naginata in a relaxed posture.

"You want to know my reasons for this battle?" Ayane asked
Kaoru. "I'll tell you then," Kaoru gave Ayane a hard look and
contemplated why this woman who attacked so fiercely wanted to take a
pause from battle.

"That last hit got you, didn't it?" Kaoru asked. "You want to
recover and that's why you want to tell me a story, right?" Ayane
narrowed her eyes and smashed her naginata against a wooden bucket.
The force of Ayane's swing shattered the bucket into splinters and Ayane
kept her fiery eyes trained on Kaoru..

"You still haven't hurt me yet!" Ayane screamed. "I just want
you to know why I will send you to the underworld, Kamiya Kaoru!"
Kaoru kept her eyes even and her expression did not waver. "The Ishin
shin took everything away from me. You say we are alike? I think we
are nothing alike, Kamiya Kaoru! Your dojo was handed to you by your
father, and you lived a sheltered life, shielded from the chaos of the
Bakatasu and the tyrrany of those that rule the Meiji! The Bakamatsu
claimed my father and my brother, and a few years later my poor mother
died of grief. I survived on the streets up north with no shelther
from the hard times. But I refused to sell my body, but instead fought
in the streets like a wild animal!"

"I sympathize for your loss and hardships, but what does that
have to do with me?" Kaoru asked, in hope that she could talk Ayane out
of battle.

"I'm not done yet," Ayane said in a cold voice. "The brutal
cold winters on the streets and constant abuse from street fighting
lowered my skin's sensitivity to the point where pain doesn't register
or matter. A monk found me on those streets and trained me in the use
of my weapon; the naginata. Constant training strengthened my body and
mind. The monks' helped me focus and toughen my body even further to
the point where blunt weaponry cannot possibly hurt me. You could say
that I was happy to live in their temple, well, at least until the
buddhist hunts," she added. "I was once again thrown onto the streets
to fend for myself and the Ishin Shin rule took yet another precious
thing away from me." Ayane's eyes started to moisten. "Its amazing
how much one revolution would take away from one life. I then started
to work for a samurai family as a bodyguard for the youngest son and it
seemed like this godforsaken era finally paid me back for all the pain
it caused me,"

Kaoru still could not understand what this has to do with her.
If Ayane worked for a samurai family, then why was she not still with
them?

"The son was a very kind, polite, and educated young man. We
talked often about the social climate and he treated me with respect,"
Ayane stated. "I fell for him but he hardly noticed me, a woman that
dressed like a man. He soon married someone else and it became torture
to stay by his side. When the weapons ban was introduced a few years
ago, I left with little hesitation." By now Ayane was crying but still
held the fierce look in her eyes. "These are my hardships, Kamiya
Kaoru, that were brought on me, a woman that tried to live the way a
woman that wields a weapon should live! One misfotune after another
plagued my existance! The Ishin Shin taking bits and pieces of my life
away! My goal is to bring back the old ways and destroy anything that
violates them! You, though, hold a sword and violate everything of the
old ways, but what has been taken from you, Kamiya Kaoru of the Kamiya
Kasshin Ryuu?"

"You think that having a dojo means an easy life?" Kaoru asked
Ayane. "When I took over for the dojo after my father died, I lost all
but 8 of his students. Even then, it was a struggle to keep the ones
that stayed," Kaoru started to walk in a circle around Ayane. "You
don't know me either, Ayane,"

"Perhaps not," Ayane said with a sinister grin. "Even if you
suffered from your ideals, they were ultimately wrong, Kamiya Kaoru. In
the end we must bring destroy all western influence in Japan and put
things back to the way they were before the Ishin Shin, the Meiji or the
Bakamatsu! This is the truth that my master, Tonno Akutsa-sama taught
me! He found me after I left that samurai family and he gave me new
purpose! The first step is killing you!"

Kenshin's head lifted up when he heard the name. "Tonno
Akutsa?" he asked aloud to no one. Kenshin's eyes narrowed again as he
went deep in thought.

"Now you know my reasons, Kamiya Kaoru," Ayane answered as she
assumed an attack position again. "Its time to resume this battle!"
she screamed as she made a swing at Kaoru's head. Kaoru ducked under
the swing and thrust the tip of her bokken up at Ayane's chin. Ayane
didn't even flinch from the thrust and kicked Kaoru in the face. "You
have to do better than that!"

Kaoru stopped her roll from the force of Ayane's kick and stood
up. Without a thought Kaoru wiped away the trickle of blood from her
lip. "I will do better then," Kaoru said. "I protect life, Ayane,
especially my own. I cannot lose to you because it would mean my own
death," Kaoru held her bokken in guard position again and started to
walk towards Ayane again. "You have a weakness, Ayane. One that wll
give me victory,"

"I HAVE NO WEAKNESS WHEN COMPARED TO YOU!" Ayane screamed in
anger as she made a powerful swing at Kaoru which shattered the ground.
Kaoru flipped high above the swing and landed behind Ayane's back.
"Behind my back? Just try it! I have no weakne-URK!" Ayane's sentence
was cut off when Kaoru held her bokken across the front of Ayane's neck
in a sleeper hold.

"The neck's still a weak point on the human body. If pain
won't bring you down, a lack of air certainly will!" Kaoru shouted.
Ayane let go of her naginata and tried to pry the bokken off her neck,
but found that she lacked the leverage. "Yield, Ayane!"

"I'll never yield to a woman like you," Ayane said in a fierce
whisper. Ayane tensed her legs and lept straight up in vain hopes to
shake Kaoru off. Kaoru hung onto her bokken for dear life. When
Ayane reached the peak of her leap she felt herself blacking out.
Ayane momentarily lost consciousness and Kaoru let go of her sleeper
hold and leaned away from Ayane's prone body. Kaoru landed a few feet
away from where Ayane's unconscious body hit the ground. The force of
the impact forced Ayane awake, but it was definitely an impact Ayane
felt.

Ayane stumbled to her feet in a slow and clumsy manner. She
picked up her naginata and used the polearm to support herself. Kaoru
looked at her opponent and decided to yet again offer Ayane mercy. "Do
you yield? You can barely stand right now so continuing would be
pointless,"

"I'll never yield to you. Yielding to you would be like
yielding to this era!" Ayane shouted as her ki flared brightly.

"Fine, Ayane. Then we shall finish this fight," Kaoru said as
she held her bokken horizontally parallel to her shoulders.with her let
hand on the blade.

***

Alright! The longest battle I've written yet! I promised it
so...
The Making of Ayane- It all started when I was thinking of others that
will fight Kaoru in this arc and 'naginata girl' just popped into my
head. I was thinking of a way to distinguish this girl from Kaoru so I
thought she should have a more masculine personality than most girls in
the Meiji era would have. I picture her to have short hair and a
headband, possibly a small ponytail. For her face, I picture a face
like Naru's from Love Hina. I got the name 'Ayane' from a prereader's
suggestion. I decided to have the whole coldness/lack of pain thing
when I realized a naginata would leave wide enough openings for Kaoru to
hit Ayane and the fight needed to be prolonged. I'm a bit worried I
made her a female Sano*gasp*, but I think I pulled it off reasonably.