a/n: Sorry about missing the update last week, I was going to squeeze it in between a friend's mum's wedding and drama camp - which overlapped - but I didn't get home till 10:30 and I was exhausted. So here it is, late, please enjoy.
Chapter Twelve
There was a gasp around the audience as both Shinko and Shinya increased their speed, darting back and forth with only the crack of wood and wood and the occasional split-second of equilibrium when the two strained, blade to blade showing what was happening.
Shinko twisted around Shinya's blade, striking for his side, but he blocked it with his arm, before sliding his blade under Shinko's and twisting it away.
"Doesn't count?" He asked after Shinko had parried his counter-attack and dodged back.
"No, it would've been a scratch."
"Okay." Shinya lunged in, swinging his blade up towards his sister's stomach, but she scooped it off, thrusting towards Shinya's heart. He twisted sideways, mimicking her, and stabbed for her side, the padded point connecting just below the right side of her ribcage, and she staggered back, her teeth clenched, nodding her acknowledgement of the strike, before she darted in around the side, attacking at Shinya's left.
The boy dodged, dropping low under the attack, but Shinko jumped up, thudding her blade into her twin's shoulder, hard enough to force him to his knees and using it to alter her trajectory around behind him. She landed clumsily, rolling on the floor in a tumble of limbs and cloth and wood.
"Your point." Shinya said as he got back to his feet, massaging her right shoulder as Shinko began to pick herself up, swearing loudly. "My arm's gone numb."
"Damnit! I nearly had that!" She growled, getting to her feet, ponytail half undone and flopping in her face. She staggered as she did so, letting out a gasp of pain and stumbling forwards, her left leg buckling under her. "I think I twisted it..."
"...Tie?" Shinya asked after a moment, holding out his hand to shake Shinko's
She nodded, her bandages rough under his palm. The hall was quiet, everyone staring at the twins, many with scandalised expressions at Shinko's vocabulary.
"I think I'm going to be in trouble if I keep getting myself injured like this." She said, favouring her left leg as she limped back towards her seat, Shinya and Kenji following.
"Is it sprained?" Kenji asked, kneeling down in front of her to check her ankle.
"Don't think so – it should be fine in a few minutes. I just landed on it a bit off." She said, drawing circles with her toes. "See? Better already."
"Where did you learn the acrobatics? I mean, you didn't have enough height for ryuitsuisen, except that I was low to attack, but you got around behind me; how?" Shinya asked, holding his shoulder.
"It was meant to be a cartwheel – using my blade and your shoulder as a platform..." Shinko said, looking embarrassed as the two boys stared at her. "Remember when we were thirteen and saw the circus? Well, I tried some of their tricks, you know, cartwheels, handstands and flips, thinking that they might help with Ryutsuisen or Ryuikansen." She said, shrugging. "They're kind of helpful as exercises and such, but I can't use really them in a fight."
"Impressive." Kenji said quietly, standing up. "Maybe you could show us some of them later? They do seem to be useful."
Okay, but I'm going home now – I want to get back to my drills, where not everyone will be gaping at me." She walked down the hallway, still limping slightly.
By the door, she was stopped by a tall girl in a green kimono patterned with yellow leaves, and tied with a plum obi, shot through with gold.
"She's pretty," Shinya murmured, as Shinko began to talk to her, and they walked out of the dojo together.
*
"So, how did you injure your hand?" Natsuko was a pretty young girl, a year or two older than Shinko, and had stopped her by the door, asking her about how she'd learned to fight.
"I did a back flip onto a gravel road, holding a shinai. It broke..." She shrugged, not exactly wanting to explain about being shot at by some skinny man in western clothes.
"Wow, so, how long did it take you to learn to fight so amazingly? You're probably the best fighter in there!" She grinned, her dark blue eyes alight.
"Well, I've always trained with shinai and bokken – my father, as well as Kenji-kun's parents are swordfighters, Kaoru-san owns a dojo..."
"A woman?" Natsuko asked, shocked.
"Yeah, she doesn't fight so much anymore, but her style, as well as the one Kenji's father used, is the one that the three of us use, sort of."
"I wish I could join a dojo..." She sighed, tucking her hands into her sleeves.
"Well, if you're ever in Tokyo, you should look up Kamiya Kasshin." Shinko said with a smile.
They chatted for a while longer, Natsuko saying that she wanted to learn judo, rather than kenjutsu, but her father wouldn't hear of it.
"I was lucky – None of my family really mind me learning kenjutsu – except haha – they don't understand either though." Shinko said when the talk had swung back to being allowed to learn how to fight.
"They think that you should learn more appropriate skills?" Natsuko added, with an empathetic sigh.
"Mm. Kaoru-san, she's like an aunt, almost, she owned a dojo and practised kenjutsu until she had Kenji, and gave the dojo to my chichi, but haha says that was different, for some reason." She rubbed her hands together, as they reached the Aoi-ya. "This is where we're staying – it belongs to... family friends."
"Mm, I've heard of it, but my parents say that it belongs to seditious spies..." Natsuko said, surveying the building suspiciously.
"Hardly," Shinko said with a nervous laugh. "They're just a harmless family with some unusual talents."
"Oh..." Natsuko said, looking slightly disappointed.
"Konichiwa, Shinko-chan!" Misao said, coming out to greet the two girls. "You're back earl- who's that?"
"This is Natsuko-san, she was at the dojo, and wants to learn judo..."
"Well, I..." Natusko blushed, looking away, and shrugging.
"Judo, eh? You'd probably have to ask Aoshi-sama about that – I only know Aikido, Karate, Ninjutsu, Jujutsu, and a little bit of kenjutsu I picked up from Yahiko-kun..." Misao said, listing them on her fingers.
"Uhhh... Misao-san?" Shinko said with a pointed look at Natsuko, who was wide-eyed and staring at Misao.
"Well, I don't really use it much anymore..." she finished lamely, shrugging.
"Oakaasan!Shinko-nee!" Yuki shouted, running out, a few blunt kunai dangling from her fists. "Shinko-nee, come see, I managed to hit Kyoto on otosan's map."
"Well done – how far away were you standing?"
"...by the door." Yuki said shiftily.
"Sure... well done then." Shinko said, hoisting Yuki onto her back with a smile, and wincing slightly at the pressure on her ankle. "Anyway, I came back to work some more on my drills, I fought Shinya in the dojo and nearly took myself out."
"Silly," Misao said, shaking her head at Shinko. "You do know that the thing that Tsubame-chan will be most concerned about is your ability to defend yourself, rather than fast and fancy attacks."
Shinko paused, thoughtful, before nodding.
"Well, I'm going to go work on my drills and defensive stances. You can come with me, or get Misao-san to show you the basics of budo..."
*
When Shinya and Kenji came home, they found Natsuko, flushed and with her long black hair stabbed into a bun with a pair of chopsticks, and talking with Misao, discussing various different styles of martial arts.
"Konbanwa, Kenji-san, Shinya-kun. This is Natsuko-chan, she's one of Shinko-chan's friends. She knows lots about theoretical martial arts, but she offered to help me cook dinner tonight in exchange for practical lessons!" Misao waved the two boys over, introducing them, slightly unnecessarily.
"Konbanwa Natsuko-san." Shinya and Kenji said, bowing slightly, Shinya with a faint blush as Natsuko stood up, the old ninja garb she had borrowed from Misao looking slightly scandalous on the taller, more shapely girl.
"Konbanwa, Kenji-san, Shinya-san..." Natsuko said, folding her arms around her in an attempt to preserve a greater degree of modesty. "Um... it's getting close to dinner-time, and I should go home soon... but I'll show you my haha's recipie for okonomiyaki."
"We used to have okonomiyaki all the time – when I was younger, there were two ladies who lived here – married now and living elsewhere – but one of them was called Okon, so we made it all the time!" Misao laughed cheerfully, grinning. "You remember Okon-chan, don't you, boys?"
Kenji and Shinya nodded as NAtsuko dragged Misao into the kitchen, grabbing a neatly folded kimono and obi on the way.
"Where do you think Shinko is, Kenji?" Shinya asked as they walked into the Aoi-ya.
"Probably training in the courtyard." Kenji said shrugging as Tsubame came down from upstairs, smiling.
"Konbanwa, how are you two?" She said, grinning. "I found this lovely silk shop just a few streets down from here – I got enough materials to easily make another kimono for Shinko really cheaply! Natsuko-chan told me about it! Isn't that girl just so delightful?"
"You're making Shinko another kimono?" Shinya asked, looking after Natsuko.
"Of course – she needs something nice to wear while she's in Kyoto." Tsubame said cheerfully. "She can't just wear your clothes all the time, can she?"
"Um, haha, Shinko hates Kimono..." Shinya said, looking back at his mother.
"Well, now that she's made a polite, female friend, I'm sure that she'll be less stubborn, instead of always trying to fit in with you boys."
"Um..."
"Anyway, Natsuko is a very nice, sensible girl. I'm sure that she'll be a wonderful influence on Shinko, so I'm making a kimono to celebrate. And she's very pretty too, isn't she?"
"Yes..."
"Tsubame-san, Natsuko-san wants to learn Bujutsu and was wearing one of Misao's shinobi outfits – which were made for a much smaller person. Are you certain that she is such a good influence?" Kenji asked, focussed on the door behind Tsubame's shoulder. It lead to the garden courtyard, and was ever so slightly ajar.
"Oh, well, that's because there weren't any other clothes she could wear on such short notice. It's important for girls to know how to defend themselves – look at Kaoru-san, living all alone in that dojo for months before Kenshin-san arrived – that's why we let Shinko continue her kenjutsu for so long, but Natsuko doesn't focus entirely on fighting, she knows how to cook, clean, she is even a talented young artist, and Misao says that she's a keen learner too..."
"And pretty." Shinya muttered. "Did you see her–?"
"Not letting Shinko-san train in Kenjutsu would have been a tragedy to everyone who's ever lifted a sword. She has talent, and an artistic approach to kenjutsu that is very rare." Kenji interrupted Shinya, leaning forward onto the balls of his feet, his dark blue eyes intense. "She can learn just by watching – like Yahiko-sensei – and is innovative, analysing the situation before fighting strategically. You should have seen her this afternoon. She may not be particularly strong, but..." Kenji broke off, shrugging and looking away, his face becoming impassive again. "There are more important things than cooking."
"You're a damn poet, you know that?" Shinya said, with a dark look at Kenji. "You sound like you think she's better than you."
"No, I don't. I am stronger, faster, and a better strategic thinker, as well as having a better grasp of the techniques of kenjutsu, Hiten Mitsurugi ryu and even Kamiya Kasshin, but she is better than you, and when I fought her back in Tokyo, she held her own." Kenji said, bowing slightly to Shinya and his mother before walking towards the courtyard door. "I will see you at dinner."
"What, are you in love with my sister, Kenji-kun?" Shinya demanded as Kenji placed his hand on the thin rice paper of the door. The red-haired warrior froze, not looking around.
"I value Shinko as a friend and a warrior... and a person." He said quietly, sliding the door open.
Shinko was sitting listlessly under one of the trees by the small deck when Kenji came out. There were dirt-stains on her bandaged hand and knees, and she was balancing a bokken on one finger, watching it seesaw back and forth as she rolled her wrist.
"Listening at doors is a bad habit, you know." Kenji murmured, coming to squat under the tree with Shinko.
*
NB about Misao's talents: Misao knows Aikido, a type of self-defense, Karate, which everyone knows about, jujutsu, which turns the opponents force against them, useful for small people, and ninjutsu, which is necessary for any ninja, or onmitsu/shinobi/kunoichi... obviously. All of these martial arts (as well as any other martial arts) are known as Budo, Bujutsu or Bugei.
Other than that... this chapter isn't that good. Sorry.
*