A/N: Sorry for the slow update! School is starting soon so I won't have as much time to write as I should. Thanks for the favorites and follows. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. I tried. UvU
Disclaimer: I do not own Sengoku Basara or any of its characters. I also do not own the cover picture.
"Bold" - Masamune's Engrish (if this wasn't in English)
Italics - emphasis or thoughts
Even though Aiko was a samurai, she still had obligations as a member of the compound to help in daily chores Most of her work consisted of cleaning, but often the women would let her learn his to cook, which she would always love to do, having her love for food, thus cooking. Also sometimes, Aiko would be sent to do errands outside of the compound.
Once, she delivered a letter to the blacksmith (and got lost, but shh). Another time she got sent out to hunt- she imagined it was Masamune's idea to amuse himself. one task that had become more of a routine deal ever since she was invited to do so was collect items from a checklist for the army. With the four compound guards, they would travel to the town together and finish the chore together. Unlike Masamune, the men treated her with the utmost respect (as a samurai) and the greatest care (as a friend).
For the life of her, Aiko could not understand how these men came to care for her so, but either way she was grateful for their welcoming arms despite not knowing anything about her. Someday, she would tell them her story, but is she relished in their company that reminded her so much of home.
Aiko walked steadily along the dirt path next to the horse and cart as it was pulled. There was a comfortable quiet for a while as Bunshichi led the horse safely past the villagers who bowed slightly in respect. Aiko wiped her brow with the sleeves of her training clothes, having no time to change before the men (jokingly) threatened to ditch her. As if unable to hear the silence, Magobei began to tell a story about something that happened the night before. Samanosuke would comment every now and then and before the story ended, Yoshinao would crack a perverted joke that would make Aiko flush but still break into laughter with the others.
While walking through the farms, Aiko passed by a group of girls who glanced back at her and started to giggle, which was really strange to her. She looked down at her masculine kimono and suddenly felt ashamed; doubts she hadn't realized she had emerged in a barrage. Should she have worn the woman's kimono instead? Did they think she was weird from the way she acted? Just exactly how did she look like from another person's point of view?
Noticing her tensing features, Magobei gave her a grin and a wave of a hand. "Don't worry about them, Miss Aiko! All these women are commonly known as gossipers, but no one could hate you!"
The other men agreed, trying to talk of all the wonderful deeds she had done for them and the army. Most of them were true, but after stories upon stories, Aiko could hear, with immense amusement, some fictional stories of her saving them from a dragon with the use of her fire-bending. Understanding the men's sentiment, she felt grateful once again and laughed at their antics to make sure they knew she was fine. "Thanks, guys," she said, her cheeks hurting from the constant laughter. "What would I do without you?"
"Cleaning," Samanosuke piped in with a wink.
"Training," Bunshichi said, pausing, "again."
One of the men riding on the cart, Yoshinao, laughed and slapped his knees in agreement. "True, true! If you don't see Aiko in the compound, she's out on the courtyard!"
Blushing modestly, Aiko replied back the jab, a smile dancing on her lips, "At least I train, unlike you guys!"
"Man... She got us there!" Laughter filled the air, and even the horse riding with them snorted as if agreeing.
With a horse pulling their empty cart through the village, they reached the marketplace soon enough, and seeing that Aiko was a newcomer, they gave her a tour of all the things that were traded amongst other lands and items that were made in Oshuu itself.
"Is that Miss Aiko?"
"It is! It is!" Before the cart could reach its destination, Aiko found herself being surrounded by a crowd of girls, similar to the one she passed by earlier, who were trying to shake her hand, admiration making their eyes sparkle in the midday sun. As they spoke all at once, voices overlapping each other, Aiko could only step back with hands holding them back. Overwhelmed by the barrage, she nervously tried to calm them down.
"Miss Aiko-!"
"-so brave!"
"Is it really true-?"
"Wait! Wait!"
Quickly, the babble died out and the girls looked curiously at Aiko who struggled to talk. "I'm not sure what you girls are saying," she explained. "Could you go one at a time?"
"Yes, Miss Aiko," they chorused, surprisingly obedient to her words.
One of the younger girls seemed to take the silence as an opportunity and she piped up with her question. "Is it true you're Lord Date's samurai?"
Quietly surprised by the question, Aiko nodded in confirmation, and the girls broke out in "oooh's," making her feel the excitement ooze from the girls in front of her. The more questions they asked, the less comfortable she became, unsure of what their questions were leading up to.
"How long have you been training?"
"A few months..."
"Ooh! So you learn how to fight and do all that?"
"Yes."
"How did you become his samurai?"
"I-" Aiko paused, thinking this through. Was it appropriate to tell them? Though, if she just told them the truth or part of the story, it would probably be okay. Looking into the girls' eager faces, the female warrior answered, "I was saved by Lord Masamune, so I now serve as his samurai to pay off my debt- sort of." The last part she mumbled was drowned out by the girls' vibrating anticipation as they began to speak together, trying to overlap one another. Although this time, Aiko did hear some coherent sentences.
"Is it scary-?"
"You're really brave, Miss Aiko-!"
Blinking in confusion, Aiko calmed them down again and asked back, "What do you mean that I'm brave?"
The youngest girl chirped up an answer as if it was obvious. "No woman's ever been in the army by Lord Date's side before, so that's really amazing! And also," she continued, "you're doing what is right and what you want to do, which is really brave of you!"
It was brave of her to do what she pleased? And then Aiko realized, as she observed the farmer's clothes and the babies on some of the women's hips, these ladies were the common women in Oshuu. It irked Aiko that she was considered abnormal, and thus brave.
As if recognizing her uncomfortable expression, one of the older women said kindly, "It isn't just your willingness to follow your heart that makes you brave, but also your loyalty to our lord in the midst of danger. After all, you'll have to protect him during battle, am I right?"
Without a single pause, Aiko nodded calmly. "Yes."
Smiling endearingly already, the young mother continued, "I believe you'll be the one thing the army needs most. Call me a fool, but I think they need a lady's touch." She winked. "You'll be by their side, caring for them, but you'll have earned their respect by fighting with them."
The older lady smiled as the other girls silently looked up in admiration, happy to be able to convince that the female samurai had nothing to be ashamed of. Suddenly a loud, woman's voice rang out, calling the group of girls back to where they came from. Immediately, the girls began to run back after giving her a respectful bow, waving her goodbye even as they sprinted at their top speed back to the farms.
Aiko chuckled and felt comforted by the sincerely encouraging women who welcomed her as a samurai. Though she had been worried, it seemed that she had nothing to worry about anymore. If the ladies believed she could become the one thing the army needed most, then she could become that.
The landlord who had called them back tsked in impatience and walked toward the direction she had called them back to, giving Aiko only a single glance. She bowed to the landlord politely onto to earn a derisive snort in return. Before Aiko could have time to feel offended she heard the landlady mutter under her breath, "How a selfish whelp like you could gain the respect of the ladies in town with your lack of common sense is a mystery to me. You'll be the end of the Date Army."
If this was at another time, if she was just insulting her and only her, Aiko would've kept quiet and let the lady run her mouth. But to accuse her of being the downfall of the Date Army, to accuse her of being less than fit to serve her lord caused a flare of anger to emerge.
"With all due respect ma'am," she said coolly, "I am a samurai that will protect my lord with all her power. If that doesn't give me or my family any honor, I don't know what will. And I swore on that day to serve Lord Masamune with all my being, and I'm doing exactly that."
Aiko only looked long enough to see the landlord's stunned expression before she turned around, a little surprised at her sudden burst of cool rage, but even more so at the fact she felt no regret over snapping at the landlady. After all, what she said was the truth. She was going to be what the army needed most, and even if she wasn't now, she'd work hard to become exactly that.
She owed that group of women that at least.
After gathering the items back into the cart, Aiko sat on the cart as the horse pulled it toward the compound. Now, what did her lord want her to do when she got back?
Oh, right.
Horseback riding- Aiko smiled. She couldn't wait!
Aiko loved animals.
Cats were cute. Dogs were adorable. Squirrels- don't even get her started on them. Bears were cool to look at (from afar). Birds were a sight to behold. And, certainly, if there were the possibility of meeting dragons, Aiko would definitely fall in love with them at first sight with their fierce eyes, crystalised scales, and majestic wings.
Now horses- horses were something warriors always rode on in battle; there was really nothing else you could ride (aside from Vietnamese elephants and the occasional Thailand tiger). Thus, Aiko had always wanted to learn how to ride a horse, and she continued to want to do so even after she worked in the barn scooping manure for the whole day.
It was a shame the beautiful, elegant, ebony horse she rode on had the personality of Masamune Date.
"G-go, uh, f- forward!" Aiko stuttered, her voice's volume fluctuating in uncertainty. She continued to squeal even further when, instead of going forward like she asked, the horse amazingly began to trot backwards. (Of all things.)
Shrieking in panic at the lack of control, Aiko pulled at her reins while looking fearfully back. "I said forward-! No! No! Nonononononono-!"
All through the screaming, the horse merely neighed continuously as if it was laughing at the foolish girl that was trying to ride it.
Meanwhile, Kojuurou stiffly stared at Aiko as she screamed her head off, his fingers twitching as he felt the immense urge to tug upon the reins and go help the girl. He leered at his lord who rode on his horse casually with his hands crossed and his lips stretched into a wide grin. Masamune whistled and then spoke, failing to mask the amusement that he partook in seeing Aiko act… well, like a girl.
After a few minutes of non-stop shrill yells, Kojuurou closed his eyes and asked as calmly as he could, "...Are you going to help her any time soon, Lord Masamune? Like you said you would... insistently." He opened his eyes and stared at Masamune patronizingly, hoping he would get the message by now.
Distractedly, Masamune responded, "Hm? Yeah. Of course." There was a pause, and for a moment Kojuurou actually thought he was going to help the female samurai.
Instead, Masamune took upon himself to approach Aiko to yell out, with laughter mixed in, "Calm down, Aiko… It sensesfear!"
"Why doesn't it like meeeeeeeeeeee-?"
Unable to resist the urge to slam his face into his hands, Kojuurou did so as he heard the high-pitched screeches, the laughing neighs, and the amused but unhelpful voice of the One Eyed Dragon.
His lord never failed to surprise him.
(Even as Masamune stops teasing Aiko and helps her, or even after Aiko forgives him again and again as they laugh, Kojuurou can only sigh.)
It was almost the end of summer and the weather was getting cooler and cooler by the day. The sun was slowly setting and rising earlier, but that didn't stop Masamune or Kojuurou from training Aiko the same amount of time, if not more. By the time they finished, the female samurai had to also do her compound duties, helping out in the kitchen, harvesting the garden, and cleaning the halls all in the light of dusk.
After she had a soak in the bath, she went for a walk, enjoying the night air on her skin when she saw Masamune and Kojuurou sitting in a room. Before she could pass them completely, she saw Masamune wave her in once and already she was in the room, kneeling down next to them.
"Come on, Aiko," Masamune said, pointing toward the seat across from the chess board in front of him, "you'll be staying for a while so sit comfortably."
"Err- okay," she responded awkwardly, unused to seeing Masamune or Kojuurou after training hours and in a casual yukata. Aiko settled in the seat, glanced toward the retainer inquisitively, and waited for his answer.
Ignoring Masamune's mischievous smile that Aiko couldn't recognize, Kojuurou cleared his throat and began to explain the reason for her presence so late at night. It didn't take long for Aiko to nod in understanding and then tilt her head curiously.
"...Shogi… That's… Japanese Chess, right?"
Nodding in affirmation, the "Right Eye" continued, "It's a great method in learning some strategy in battle. It's quite a good plan… but I'm rather surprised that Lord Masamune came up with this idea in the first place." He gave his lord a glance as if telling him to behave himself, but Masamune seemingly waved it off and brushed off the insult that came with his words.
"Ha! I do come up with some good ideas once in a while, Kojuurou," Masamune said pointedly, looking back at his retainer.
While the two of them spoke without any exchange of words (by this time Aiko was used to such amazing communication in this relationship), Aiko scanned the board and picked up a piece, examining the kanji written on it and wondered if it was similar to chess at home.
"Lord Masamune-"
"Alright then," Masamune said loudly, purposely drowning out his retainer's rather patronizing tone. He placed himself right in front of the board as Aiko placed down the pieces in their proper places, excited to learn how to play with Masamune as her teacher.
"Okay, so what do I-"
"It's about time I bet someone besides Kojuurou in this game."
.
.
.
"...What," Aiko deadpanned, feeling incredulous. "Aren't you going to… teach me?"
Masamune blinked in faux-innocence, but then couldn't hide the mischievous smile (oh so that's why he was smiling) that appeared once again. "I never said that, did I?" Laughing inwardly at the stunned silence, Masamune casually set up the board, making sure each piece was in order. Despite his calm outlook, the One Eyed Dragon couldn't help but feel extremely light when talking to Aiko. Every word exchanged with her felt like a summer breeze, and every reaction he got from her made him feel like he was on Cloud Nine. And whenever he saw that fire in her eyes… He didn't think he'd get addicted to that look. To think she would affect her to this extent was unspeakable, but it wasn't like he didn't enjoy feeling this way.
"...My lord…" Kojuurou breathed out, staring at his lord like he had grown another head for the fifth time. In Masamune's perspective, it looked like he was resisting the urge to facepalm.
"...By the way," Masamune drawled, "if you make an illegal move, I automatically win, so I guess you better learn what each piece does and fast~!" He grinned and waited for the explosion that was to come, but was surprised when Aiko began to giggle instead. He could only stare at her, perplexed, wondering where he went wrong on the plan to piss her off.
To be honest, Masamune's childish actions did annoy her, but was it bad that she thought it was cute seeing him like this? Of all people who would fool her like this, Masamune's mischievous smile was the only thing that made her heart skip a beat. "Oh gosh, I hate you," Aiko spoke casually without bite or sincerity. Her face held a soft smile as she looked upon Masamune who knew she was kidding (because really, could she even hate a person over small things like these?) and was smiling so wide it reached his eyes as a glimmer.
Sighing at his failed plan (but had it really failed?), Masamune placed his hand on both of his knees, looking into the female samurai's eyes, for the first time, not willing away the warmth that began to spread in his chest. "Unfortunately," he said factually, "I'm afraid that sentiment isn't going to help you any." He gave her smirk. "You want to try beating me?"
With a sudden excitement that almost took her breath away, Aiko returned that smirk, her poise completely relaxed with the people she now called her family.
"Why not?"
An arrow landed three rings from the middle of the target, and another landed one ring above. Grunting lightly in effort, Aiko pulled the arrow back onnthe string hard with her right hand, her left hand becoming the guide that let her shoot well. With the straight aim, her arrow flew smoothly, not getting much friction from incorrect use or brushes, and landed even closer to the bulls-eye. Smiling in pride, Aiko glanced toward Kojuurou and beamed even brighter at his nod of approval.
Aiko picked up her bow again and aimed, only to be jolted from her concentration at Masamune's sudden voice at her right ear. The arrow flew off the target and she winced, hoping it didn't hit anything. She spun around and glared at the warlord who grinned, not denying his mischievous purpose of causing her trouble.
"You missed," he said in a factual tone, leaning forward and staring at her in mock-disappointment.
Of all the things... She growled inwardly, her mood dampening at the thought of just when she finally seemed good at something-! Irritation building inside of her at her ruined moment, Aiko snapped back sarcastically, "I wonder why."
Smirking at his blatant success in annoying her, Masamune continued to speak, hoping that her irritation would spark a little more heat into her.
"Same here. Maybe it's 'cause you suck?"
Refusing to rise to the bait any further, Aiko merely made a face at Masamune and returned back to shooting her bow and arrow. With her anger, she tightly gripped the bow and carelessly released her arrow without much aim…
And it lands right in the middle of the target.
"What the heck-?" Aiko blurted out before she could stop herself. How did she do that?
She felt an arm on her shoulder and she turned toward Masamune, whom she no longer bore any annoyance (like always) to, who was smiling. Approvingly, he nodded and ruffled her hair lightly, giving her a higher feeling than she felt when she got that first arrow in the target.
"Good job, Miss Samurai," he said. "You have a natural talent for this, so don't think too much about it, alright?"
Aiko blinked. "Oh," she responded, unsure on how to respond to the change in Masamune's attitude from unforgiving to encouraging. "Okay then."
Masamune, seeing her confused expression, snorted in amusement and patted her shoulder. "You got the hang of it."
Recovering from her bout of surprise, Aiko gave a small laugh and grinned. "Of course! I have to be awesome at something, right?"
"Riiiiight."
"Okay, what was that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing."
"Sure..."
Masamune stared at Aiko silently after her distracted response, recognizing her intense gaze at the target as her moments of focus. When she released the arrow, he felt time slow down to let him take in all that she was: tired (sweat), determined (eyes), beautiful. But maybe that only happened because she suddenly took his breath away.
She was absolutely stunning.
Masamune cleared his throat and continued to look at the target instead, the arrows beginning to fill every inch of it. It was a while until anyone said anything, the arrows making contact with the target conjuring any of the noise at all. As if bored, Masamune piped up once more.
"...You want to learn how to shoot and ride a horse at the same-?"
"No."
Masamune's suggestion was immediately shot down with a collective deadpan from Kojuuoru and Aiko. They shared a look, as Masamune tried to reason with them, and sighed.
Autumn swung by quickly, littering the streets with colorful leaves that had been blown off from trees in the courtyard. In retrospect, the courtyard itself was quite tidy, having been swept every day to allow Aiko to train. Though it had been only two months (give or take), the female samurai was proud of what she had learned in the short time period, be it little or large. Small victories made her a warrior, and that was all that mattered; and no matter how much work was needed, she knew she would do everything in her power to succeed.
If enduring months of being beaten left and right by her lord was required, Aiko would do it. If it would take her what she thought was forever to even get a single hit on him... She'd do it. She desperately wanted to do it.
Letting out a short cry after being disarmed once again, Aiko fell back on her bottom and glared at Masamune who was, in her opinion, looking a little too smug at defeating a novice like her. He tapped his shoulders with his wooden sword as he looked down at her, grinning at her from his vantage point.
"Ha! Is that really all you got, Miss Samurai?" He sneered, making Aiko purse her lips in annoyance and crawl away to grab her sword that was a few feet away. She huffed and stood up, trying to calm down, only to feel her anger flare again when she heard him taunt her.
"No," Aiko said coolly, holding up her bokken, "I'm not done yet."
Masamune smirked and waved a hand for her to start as she lurched forward and attacked with all she had again and again and again; each time, she tried different tactics she had either just learned or picked up from the person she was fighting with. In a way, she was a skilled learner, according to Kojuurou, but for Masamune, it seemed that it was never good enough.
The One Eyed Dragon let out a low chuckle as he managed to hit Aiko squarely on the side, having seen the opportunity to watch her as she struggled (which was undeniably cute to him for some reason, but shh). She growled at him, to his own delight, and got up again.
Sometimes, like now, Aiko wondered if he knew what he did to her. A single word could have her bouncing from wall to wall (mentally) or have her ripping her hair out (metaphorically, of course). A smile could make her head float; a laugh could make her melt. Masamune had a dangerously powerful influence on her, but it didn't seem like he understood that as clearly as he should. Although his constant mockery (joking as they may be) more often than not caused her annoyance, the anger only came because she couldn't believe how ignorant he was to her hurt feelings. After all, a person can only handle so many jabs until they blow up in some way.
When Aiko faced her lord again in battle, the emotion that ruled over her actions after Masamune's comments was desperation: if she couldn't manage to get a good fight in this duel, she wouldn't know what to do with herself anymore. Thus, without much thought, Aiko waved her sword not at any particular place and suddenly feigned surprise as she pointed behind Masamune and yelled, "Oh my god! Look!" as if hoping blindly that her plan would work.
She used the oldest trick in the book.
You know, the realization dawning to her at the blank expressions on both of the dragon's, maybe there's a reason why it's the oldest, thus no-longer-used, trick.
"...Aiko."
It was obvious that Kojuurou and Masamune were trying to keep their faces straight, but if she looked closer, she could see Masamune tremble slightly in effort and Kojuuoru shuffle in place. As the hot red of embarrassment started to creep up from her neck, Aiko tried to squeak out an excuse, but her voice only got so far until-
"...Did you just-"
Masamune let out a snicker and, for once, tried to hide his laughter (failing miserably) behind his fist.
And Aiko's face went bright red.
For a while, all she could do was stand awkwardly with her two hands clasped together in embarrassment as she heard the muffled but hysterical laughter. Kojuurou, she saw, was turned around, undoubtedly laughing at her, but at least he had the decency to hide it well.
Unlike this guy.
"..Lord Masamune..."
Aiko bit out stiffly, extremely uncomfortable in her situation and completely regretting a plan that sounded great in her head for five seconds. But as she continued to hear Masamune's joyous laughter, even at her expense, she couldn't help but sigh exasperatedly and allow him to continue to do so. A pout formed on her lips, but she was less angry, less annoyed because at least her lord was the happiest he's ever been since she saw him.
Crossing her arms, she huffed, "It wasn't my best idea, but you don't have to laugh so much."
At her coherent words, Masamune seemed to sober up a little and slow down enough to wipe the tears of laughter from his eyes and look at Aiko with crinkled eyes and a seemingly permanent smile.
She kind of wanted to punch herself at the fact her heart skipped a best in joy at the thought that she was the one that made him look like this.
"Right," he said, amusement still in his tone, "not the best idea, but... you tried." He ruffled her hair in a display of endearment and turned around, announcing that he was done for the day.
And all Aiko could do was agree with his statement. No matter what, she would forgive him.
Aiko groaned and laid out on the courtyard despite Kojuurou's amused smile. Even with all that said and done, she still had a lot of things to do to become a true samurai; even if she had to go on this emotional roller coaster, she'd do it.
Over and over again.
When Kojuurou had said "this is all for today" Aiko almost collapsed right on the spot. Instead, she sighed in relief and wobbled a bit before she walked toward the wooden stairs and plopped herself down. One hour of getting beat up by Masamune (though she was getting better), one hour of training solitarily, and then one hour of getting beat up by Kojuurou, but he actually helped her avoid making mistakes again, unlike the former. If it wasn't her open stances, it was her lack of aggressive movements to strike back. Surely, but gradually, she was getting there.
All her hard work would pay off, she could feel it.
Kojuurou passed by her as he stepped up the stairs to the compound and placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked up to see his encouraging smile, but it passed by as quickly as it came, Kojuurou leaving her to tend to his garden.
She did a good job, did she? Aiko couldn't help but feel content and close her eyes, leaning back on the taller steps. With these fast improvements, she could now see a glimpse of hope in returning home. Although Masamune had promised before, she wasn't really sure if she could actually go home during this time of war. But now, with her new strengths and the two dragon's combined, she could clearly see the way to home, wherever that may be. If she had a home, someone was looking for her, and they would know.
And yet, despite these hopes, Aiko could feel a glimpse of regret in leaving everything she had in Oshuu behind. Her new friends, her new town, her new family, her...
.
.
.
Masamune.
She would regret leaving him the most.
Aiko opened the eyes and stared at the sky that was beginning to be filled with clouds, wondering if she really wanted to get home in the first place.
It had been raining the whole day. Everyone was trapped inside, but they were all as busy as usual. Aiko walked quickly through the open halls having just finished bringing the laundry in before it got wet and glanced longingly at the courtyard that was currently being bombarded by the rain shower. Now that her work was done, she itched to train and become distracted once again. If not then…
I wonder if I'm doing the right thing-
Grunting in frustration, Aiko shook her head and gripped her hands into tight fists; she shouldn't be thinking like that, not when she needed to be confident in her decisions, confident in her loyalty to Lord Masamune. Taking a deep breath and releasing it shakily, she swept her hair up and held her head, trying to think positively. Upon opening her eyes, she saw that it had stopped raining and immediately grabbed a hold of her sword and ran out onto the courtyard, eager to move.
Her sandals slid slightly on the wet pavement every time she moved, splashing up water from those tiny puddles of water. Despite the weather, Aiko loved the cloudy afternoon when it was cool and calm, which was strangely the opposite of what she felt.
Inside, she had a burning need to prove everyone, to fight, to be better. And just when she thought that swinging her sword around would calm herself, she spotted Masamune under the roof of the compound, beginning to move toward her with his own sword.
Holding her sword down, Aiko took a deep breath before turning toward her lord and addressing him. "Lord Masamune," she spoke, "why are you out here?"
Shrugging, Masamune answered back, "Well, like you, I wanted to go swing my sword around. But since we're both here..." He walked away from Aiko and spun around, lifting his sword toward her. He flashed her a wide grin. "...Why don't we have a match for old times sake?"
Giving him her own smile, Aiko prepared to fight, her two hands gripping her sword as her throat tightened in anticipation. "Alright, then," she said, pursing her lips, eyes ablaze.
"Let's do it."
Settling back into attack position, Masamune narrowed his eye and smirked. "That's exactly what I wanted to hear..."
.
.
.
.
Just before they started, there was this one pause of silence, one pause of held breath, one pause for eye contact that made Masamune see the flaming fire deep within the girl's smoldering eyes and take his breath away. Time seemed to slow down as he breathed out, focusing in on the girl in front of her who was no doubt doing the same.
That pause was but only for a moment.
Grunting slightly and knowing she would never be able to spot any weaknesses on Masamune's guarded front, Aiko pushed forward with quick steps, though she never intended to be the one to land the first strike. Grinning freely at this seemingly aggressive and thoughtless move, Masamune swiped down one of his six swords to meet Aiko's at his right, only to hit at nothing. She had, in anticipation for her lord's attack, quickly leaped to the side in hopes of catching him off-guard. Determined to prove her worth, Aiko yelled a battle cry and went for her lord immediately after side-stepping, but was met with his sword.
"Heh, that was pretty impressive," Masamune said, grinning ferociously, staring into Aiko's focused eyes. He stepped forward, pushing Aiko and making her slide her feet back. "But you'll have to do better than that!"
"That's what I was planning to do!" Aiko spat back, eyes flashing in determination, and swiftly ducked under Masamune's katana and tried to attack him from below.
Masamune jumped back, still grinning with the adrenaline kicking in to make his blood pump faster. Relentlessly, Aiko followed after her lord, a burning sensation from within threatening to overwhelm her; she grunted, pulling the sword from her left to slash the space that was supposed to be Masamune. Again and again, she tried to get a hit on him but was either side-stepped or parried. However, it didn't deter Aiko from raining attacks on the defending swordsman as she felt the high of having her mind completely focusing on the man she swore her life for.
Sliding on the wet pavement, Aiko took a deep breath before pressing just as fiercely as before. Yet despite the slight trouble Masamune had in keeping track of her movements, he still let his mind wander. When had she grown? He mused, flickering his eyesight over her lean and strong arms and lithe movements she had developed in record time kept his undivided attention. Her elegance with the sword surprised him no matter how many times he saw it. Every time she maneuvered with such agility and skill, Masamune could feel pride… and a fire from deep within burn hotter.
Finally striking the girl's sword back, causing her to leap back, Masamune jumped further away from the girl, grinning wider than before. Going into an aggressive stance, Masamune sent a feral growl to Aiko, "Come on, Aiko! Go crazy!"
Those words only spurred Aiko to do exactly that. A pulse resounded from her body. The flames from within traveled from her chest to her hands and emerged as a real fire that engulfed her sword. Using pure instinct, Aiko dragged her sword on the ground as she ran toward Masamune, creating an enormous amount of sparks before lifting it from the ground and summoning her power to release a wave of flame, which resembled the wing of a bird, toward her target. "Wings of Flame!"
Surprised, Masamune dodged it by ducking to the side, the flames missing his hair by a mere strand. He whistled, impressed at the show of elemental power. "Well," he huffed, showing his trademark smirk, "I guess I'll have to take you a little more seriously."
Realizing his next action, Aiko sprinted toward her opponent to take another hit at him with her fire-imbued sword, but it was unsuccessful. Masamune leaped up, spreading his arms to call forth all of his six swords and then bore all his fangs toward Aiko. Electricity crackled around his sword, giving Masamune exhilaration that pumped even more adrenaline to his blood. He could feel it course under his skin and chest and everywhere when he looked with his good eye the non-existent fear and complete determination that the female samurai showed.
She was better than he could have ever imagined.
"Are you ready?" He shouted, grinning ferociously at the girl before him, excitement filling him as he saw her further grip her sword and prepared to fight. And it gave him pride when he saw her move for him first.
"Fire Roulette!"
"Death Fang!"
Aiko ran toward Masamune and then turned sharply, spinning a 180° while pulling her sword at a quick rate to create a flaming half-circle, which was made immediately after her lord used his three swords to inflict his own attack. And truly, going against the One Eyed Dragon full force was taxing and dangerous. Leaping away from Masamune's range, Aiko had hoped to be able to take a breather and gauge her state, but Masamune, especially with all his swords, began the aggressive, attack relentlessly as she had. Though, with Aiko and her one sword, she could barely react fast enough to block all of them fully. Jumping up backwards, Aiko released a few birds of fire down at Masamune.
"Phoenix Wave!"
"War Dance!"
Unable to stop grinning since the battle started, Masamune merely enacted his quick moves to slice down the birds and onwards. Immediately after Aiko landed on her feet, she was suddenly in a showdown with Masamune. His six swords and her one sword locked in one position, but it didn't stay in one place for long. Aiko began to be pushed backward, and seeing the chance, Masamune ripped his six swords, pushing Aiko back and to the ground with her sword flying up and landing in the wet ground too far for Aiko to reach. Both breathing deeply (one from exhaustion, one from anticipation), it took them two minutes in the courtyard to be aware of the battle's outcome rather than in each other.
Aiko had lost.
She hung her head and sighed, scraping her nails on the wet pavement. She had hoped to at least prolong the battle a little longer with her new-found strength, but it was all for naught. Aiko glanced up at Masamune who was extending a hand toward her. Smiling gratefully, she took his hand and he pulled her up with one swoop. Unable to say anything at the heat of the moment, Masamune simply stared at Aiko, the anticipation still there for her further improvement, and then grinned. He ruffled her disheveled hair and told her, "Nice work, Miss Samurai."
With his six swords by his side, Masamune slowly walked away, basking in the afterglow of battle and pride of the girl he personally trained with his heart and soul. "Keep it up!" He said, and left Aiko in the courtyard alone once again.
"...Haha..."
As the adrenaline left her body, Aiko could feel her every fiber tremble from exhaustion and the sheer intensity that the battle had. Passion, excitement, anticipation, pride: these were all reflected clearly in the One Eyed Dragon's eye. Collapsing onto her knees, Aiko breathed heavily, gripping at the outside of her shirt.
Underneath these feelings of battle and friendship, there was always the underlying, unidentifiable emotion that had been there since she met him.
And now, it was stronger and, albeit, identifiable.
Then, she thought, she was stronger too. Before she realized it, she had become the warrior she had always wanted to be. It was because of Masamune; and she hoped Masamune knew it too.
Aiko could feel a light feeling push her spirits up and get rid her of her exhaustion. She wasn't sure if it was the high after the fight, but at that moment in time, she had never felt so in love with Masamune Date.
She began to laugh.