Thanks to Narukami, Raizel, RenshuChan, TeenyTae and MisakiShishido for leaving a comment on chapter 2. Every comment is deeply appreciated, and it truly motivates me to write
CHAPTER 3
The chatting in the dojo suddenly stopped when both women grabbed their bokken and locked eyes, slowly moving towards the center of the room. Rena could see in her peripheral vision all the seated samurais following their every move, and she now could almost hear a pin drop as no one dared making a single noise in the audience.
Yuki had insisted on taking her revenge after losing by a small margin against her at the last kyudo's tournament. It had honestly surprised Rena to win against the archery master of the clan, but she assumed Yuki's slight distraction during the event probably had something to do with the older Watanabe sister's presence.
Rena didn't miss the way her samurai friend had been interacting with the younger girl this last month. Yuki was definitely fond of her, and judging by the admiring looks the shorter girl had been giving her in return, the feeling was more than mutual.
"Are you ready, Kashiwagi-dono?" Rena inquired, carefully studying her opponent. She received a swift nod and serious look in reply, and she immediately knew her friend had more than decided not to lose a second time.
Unfortunately for Yuki, Rena was in very good shape this afternoon and, most of all, did not have the added pressure of a certain young pair of very expectant eyes on her. The referee announced the beginning of the fight and Yuki didn't waste a second to move her right foot forward, announcing her intention to surprise her with a swift attack.
However, Rena had very keen eyes, and she calmly deflected Yuki's first attack, and the others that swiftly followed. Rena smiled to herself when her friend's expression gradually changed into a slight frustrated one as the minutes went by. It was really unusual for Yuki to get so excited over a fight, and Rena knew it would be a matter of minutes before she started making mistakes. Rena continued to protect herself from her energetic bokken, while carefully watching her every move in search of an opening.
Rena suddenly caught one on Yuki's less protected left side - perfect for a tsuki - but for some reason, she decided not to go for it just yet. She could tell by the samurai's many attempts that she was trying really hard to beat her - not leaving her a second to breathe - and Yuki's relentless attacks really surprised her.
Rena was the clan's kenjutsu instructor and, as such, remained unbeatable in her field of expertise. Only one person had managed once to find an opening in her impeccable defense: Momijimori no kami. Unfortunately, Yuki wasn't the head of the clan and, most of all, she was really starting to lose her temper, reducing her chances of winning against her.
Rena really wanted to see how far her friend would be able to go, but as the fight went on, she realized nothing could change its issue. Startled eyes looked back at her when her wooden sword finally hit Yuki's left side in a swift and assured movement. The referee immediately announced her victory, and Rena lowered her weapon, sending a small smile towards her opponent.
"Congratulations, Matsui-dono," Yuki said a few seconds later, respectfully bowing at her. As she gazed anew at her opponent her surprise was still obvious, and she was still trying to understand what she had done wrong when Rena's voice pulled her out of her thoughts.
"Thank you. You fought well, Kashiwagi-dono," Rena replied. It was not entirely true - the kyudo instructor had made a few minor mistakes during their fight - but it was the proper thing to say after a fight, especially in front of an audience.
The dojo progressively emptied, soon leaving both women alone and allowing them to drop the little act they always had to maintain in front of other people.
"Rena-san," Yuki chuckled, amused by her solemn words. She was well aware that her friend was being slightly dishonest with her, "you could have let me win,
for once."
"I could," Rena admitted, a small smile grazing her lips as she placed her bokken back onto the stand, "but it would have been obvious to everyone."
"Don't tell me," Yuki sighed, her voice now void of any amusement, "I was that bad?"
"You were distracted," Rena chided, her eyes briefly falling on the Watanabe sister waiting at the dojo's entrance, before turning to her friend anew, "
again."
Yuki was well aware of what she was implying as she followed her gaze on the young girl but she chose not to answer, instead smiling faintly at Rena. "Did I really stand a chance anyway?"
"I managed to beat you at kyudo, didn't I?" Rena replied, amused by her friend's sudden desperate expression, "but you can't win when you let your emotions out."
It was the golden rule of kenjutsu, and despite knowing it full well, Yuki had broken it in a matter of minutes. It was not like herself to lose control, but she had to admit her friend was not entirely wrong. She had indeed been a bit distracted lately.
"By the way, I don't recall seeing your protégée in the room," Yuki stated, now quite eager to change the subject. She wasn't really a competitive person, but she was still bothered by the fact Rena's attack took her by complete surprise.
"No, she wasn't present," Rena conceded, not very surprised by the younger sister's absence during the fight. In fact, she still had not spoken to her once since her arrival at the clan. "I have a feeling I won't see her much during her stay here."
"This girl sure is something, isn't she?" Yuki murmured. As she studied her friend's features, it occurred to her Rena didn't seem really bothered by the young girl's refusal to spend time with her.
"That's a nice way to put it," Rena raised an eyebrow. The younger Watanabe sister's behavior during her meeting with Momijimori no kami was still very much engraved in her memory. "I believe
rude is the word you're looking for."
Yuki absently nodded at Rena's affirmation, admitting that she was not entirely wrong. The younger Watanabe sister was an aloof person and she had not seen much of her either, even less spoken to her. As the two samurais made their way towards the dojo's entrance Yuki's eyes fell on her protégée's gentle smile, and she wondered how two sisters could have such opposing personalities.
The fire was consuming everything and the air was becoming difficult to breathe. Jurina's eyes fell on the katana on the floor, her fingers gripping the tsuka tightly. The weapon's weight did surprise her at first, but she soon disregarded this small fact, her furious eyes falling on the woman responsible for their misery. The distance separating them was quite short, but as she moved forward with determination, her steps were soon stopped by the strong hand of a man. Jurina did her best to disentangle herself and she managed after a short struggle, her feet leading her towards her target anew. She was so close. So damn close. Eyes locked as the armed woman turned towards her, an amused smile on her lips.
"You're not strong enough, Jurina."
As the eight year old girl threateningly raised her katana two men immediately seized her, and a desperate cry left her lips when her weapon loudly landed on the wooden floor. Forced to fall on her knees, she struggled anew, in vain against the strong hands that kept her firmly in place. Breathing hard, her eyes followed the sharp blade now placed against her father's neck. Jurina knew what was about to happen, but she still refused to look away, especially when she noticed how much pleasure the traitor was getting from hearing her sister's cries. She was not going to give her that satisfaction, even if it meant that moment was going to stay engraved in her memory her whole life.The name left Jurina's lips in a cry and her eyes shot open, the woman's silhouette progressively disappearing from her vision. She could still feel the heat around her and she had to restrain herself from extinguishing an imaginary fire on her clothes. One hand moved to her heart as she listened to its erratic beating, while the other went to rest on her sweating forehead. Why did she have to relive that moment? It was a never ending circle, one that had been disturbing her sleep for ten years now.
"Another one?"
Jurina stilled at the sudden small voice directed at her, her breathing still erratic when she sat up on the futon and absently started wiping the sweat off her forehead.
"I'm sorry I woke you up," Jurina murmured.
Jurina could feel her sister's eyes on her but she sheepishly refused to meet them. It was not the first time her nightmares woke Mayu up, and she wished she could find a way to stop these occurrences from happening.
"I wish you could forget about that day," Mayu sighed, her hand now softly caressing her sister's arm.
"I can't," Jurina retorted, this time tilting her head to meet her interlocutor, "I never will."
The words were uttered with such determination that Mayu couldn't help but feel a pang in her chest. A part of her wanted to try and convince her that her nightmares were going to come to an end sooner or later, but it seemed her sister was still unable to put her past behind. Jurina suddenly raised to her feet and Mayu's eyes widened in surprise when the younger girl started to put her grey kimono on.
"You're going to the village again?" Mayu asked, her voice raising slightly in concern. It was not the first time Jurina left their room after one of her turbulent nightmares, and she always wondered where she was heading to.
"Yes," Jurina simply replied, refusing to elaborate. She reached for her tanto and placed it at her waist, before looking back at her sister. "Go back to sleep."
Mayu absently nodded as she watched her move to the door and slid it open, soon setting foot in the corridor. "Be careful."
A mischievous smile instantly fell upon her, and Jurina's reply came shortly after. "I always am."
Mayu was about to retort that it was definitely not the case but the complaint never left her lips, the girl already far gone before she could utter a single word.
Three weeks ago, when Jurina had presented herself in front of the same door for the first time, the guard had merely stared at her and refused to let her in. She was that close to punch him in the face when Churi suddenly appeared, and thankfully intervened. Now, the same man didn't even blink when he saw the boyish girl clad in a grey kimono in front of him, and Jurina couldn't help but smile in amusement when he took her tanto away, as the rule prevented her from entering the place armed.
As she set foot in the house her eyes immediately wandered around the room, in search of a familiar face. Despite the late hour the place was quite busy - a few women were currently entertaining three clients - and judging by the missing faces, Jurina knew a few other ones were also upstairs. A keen inspection of the main room told her the woman she was looking for was occupied upstairs and she moved to an empty table, knowing she would have to wait a bit for her friend to arrive.
Jurina watched as a waitress served her a cup of sake and she took a sip of it, absently watching one of the women interacting with a slightly drunk client. Judging by his loud laughs and his hands wandering over the girl's body, it was a matter of minutes before they would head upstairs.
From her peripheral vision Jurina noticed a woman approaching her, and she didn't need to look up to know who it was. It was always the same one.
"Nobunaga," The seductive voice tickled her ear as the woman took a seat next to her, her hand soon encircling her arm as she pressed her body against her, "it's nice to see you."
Jurina had to restrain herself from rolling her eyes at the woman's behavior. Three weeks ago, when she had stepped in the house for the first time, a few women had also tried to make a pass at her. It immediately occurred to her that she would need to make herself very clear about the reason of her presence, if she didn't want to be disturbed by their incessant attempts in the future. Her reply owned her a few surprised looks in return, but when it became clear she was not going to change her mind, no one dared to bother again with vain seductive acts.
The woman practically now sitting on her lap was the sole one that refused to take no for an answer. At first, Jurina found her stubborn behavior quite amusing, as it successfully distracted her while waiting for her friend to arrive. Now, after three weeks of calmly rejecting each one of her advances, not so much.
"Annin," Jurina warned as she felt the woman's free hand sliding inside her kimono. You would believe her refusal to cooperate would put the woman off, but not at all. On the contrary, it seemed to stir something in her, as her actions kept getting bolder and bolder.
"Churi is currently busy," Annin purred, burying her nose into the crook of Jurina's neck, "why don't you come with me for a change?"
Jurina had to admit she did ponder at one point Annin's offer. If anything, she was a very good looking girl, and she understood well why she was one of the popular ones. However, despite the woman's very attractive features, she never managed to let herself convince to pass the door of her room.
"Don't waste your time on me," Jurina replied, catching the daring hand that was now moving upwards between her legs, "it's not worth it."
Jurina's declaration immediately put an halt to Annin's seductive act and she pulled away, staring at her in disbelief. "What is she doing to you?"
Jurina didn't miss the frustration in the girl's eyes, and an amused smile moved to her lips. Most of the girls didn't understand the nature of her relationship with Churi, and Annin was definitely at the top of the list. "More than you'll ever manage to give me."
The always so composed Annin released a displeased groan, and Jurina had to restrain herself from laughing at her unusual reaction. Someone was definitely not happy to be rejected. Again.
A shrieking sound suddenly erupted and the room immediately fell silent, all eyes directed at the staircase in surprise. Jurina's ears perked at the alarming cry, stiffing when she recognized the voice. Her gaze fell on the guard standing by the door, but the man chose to remain impassive despite the second cry that swiftly followed. When it became obvious he was not going to lift a finger Jurina abruptly stood up, soon feeling a hand on her arm.
"It's none of our business what happens in these rooms," Annin said, tightly gripping the sleeve of her kimono.
Jurina ignored her warning eyes and yanked her hand away, before moving towards the staircase and escalading the stairs. She was trying to convince herself that it couldn't be as bad as it sounded, but as she heard Churi's frightened voice anew, she knew she couldn't afford to wait anymore. She had to know what was going on behind that door.
Her gaze immediately fell on the man hovering over the girl as she barged in, her eyes seething with anger as she witnessed him slapping Churi's face. A quick look at a terrified - and very naked Churi - told her she had been right to not stay idly downstairs, and she immediately grabbed the man by the collar of his kimono - throwing him on the floor a few feet away from the futon - before raising her fist and releasing her anger on him.
"Stop it," Churi's trembling voice interrupted her as her knuckles were about to make contact with the man's cheek for the third time, "he's drunk."
Jurina briefly gazed at Churi before approaching her face to the man, and smelling the alcohol on his breath. Jurina suddenly caught the sound of someone quickly escalading the stairs and she tilted her head, watching the guard now at the doorstep.
"Get him out of here," Jurina exclaimed, raising to her feet and pointing her index at the man who was barely moving on the floor, "I don't want to see him anymore."
The guard locked eyes with her - obviously not liking being given orders judging by his angry stare - before relenting and exiting the room with the drunken man under his arm. Jurina closed the door behind them and she tried to compose herself, despite her fists still trembling in fury at the memory of the man's violent behavior on her friend.
"Nobunaga," Churi's voice pulled her out of her thoughts and she turned around, watching the girl who was now retrieving her green kimono on the floor, "you shouldn't have done that."
Jurina's eyes widened in surprise at the reprimand and she approached her, studying her features carefully and noticing the bruises on her face. "He was hitting you."
"Yes," Churi admitted as she finished to dress, her hands still slightly shaking, "but he had every right. He paid for it."
Jurina stared back at her in shock, not believing what she was hearing. Was her friend truly condoning what had just happened? "I can't accept it."
Churi's mouth tugged into a faint smile and she approached, her fingers moving upwards to caress Jurina's left cheek, pausing on her scar. "You're a good person, Nobunaga," she murmured, soon resting her head against Jurina's shoulder and encircling her waist, "but that's how it works here."
Jurina wanted to retort that she definitely did not agree with her, but she decided to stay quiet instead - listening to Churi's soft sobbing - and making herself the promise to never let such an occurrence happen to her friend again, no matter the consequences.
TO BE CONTINUED