Duel of the Apprentices

[Takina's POV]

(Inner Castle, Rooftops)

With Takahashi-san's guide I climbed out the window and started to crawl my way up to the sixth floor....

I reached my hand out to one of the ledges, and grabbed onto it. "Hrghn...!"

Dumbass me grabbed the air and missed the ledge. "Kyah!"

S....safe... "Hah...! Hah...!"

That mistake almost cost me my life there... It's really fucking tall up here, at least as high as a 7-story apartment.

I still haven't got used to my lack of depth perception, that was why I missed.

"Hoo... Hah..."

You can do this Kyrielle... you can do this. No going back down now!

"Gulp...." Forcing down all desire of me to give up and call for help, I climbed farther up.

(A few minutes later...)

"Hmpt!" I groaned out as I bring my foot over the ledge, and then use both my leg and my arm to pull my body up over the roof of the sixth floor...

I made it... somehow....

"Hah.... Hah.... I didn't peed myself... did I...?"

Climbing a Castle wasn't as easy as movies and video games make them seem! If I had heart issues I'd have died of cardiac arrest long ago now!

There is no doubt that this hike is one of the most terrifying thing I've done in my life...

I took a small breather lying on the tiled roof, looking out to the blue blue sky... Somehow there hung a big kite out from the castle top's lookout, from the eighth floor. I don't know why it's there, but perhaps it's there to read the wind's direction?

That floor is where Kenshin-sama is on, I'm headed towards there.

Once I regained my wind I finally got back up ready to move again.

"Phew... Right, no time to lose." Now to look for a window to climb into...

Then, a large shadow casted onto the floor flown past me. And along with it, the sound of someone screaming.

"Wahh-!"

"What is that sound...?" And why is it getting closer?

Hmm? Something is flying towards me-

'Thud!' "Guh?!"

With the sound of an impact, something had hit me so hard in the stomach that I almost puked out my breakfast.

"Guhah...! Cough cough...!"

I-I can't breathe...! This asshole is crushing me under their weight-

"Urgh.... My head hurts... Everything is spinning...."

It was a woman dressed in a maid kimono, and I actually know her since she's my personal maid.

"Kazou-san?!..."

"Urgh... Takina-san..." The girl made a face of disgust as she opens her mouth.

"Oh shit..."

I gently pushed the woman to the sides, with her facing towards the end of the rooftops.

Then, with two pats to her back...

"Bweh-"

(We'll be right back....)

"How disgusting... You good?"

"Urgh.... I am alright..."

The maid stood back up on her feet, and with a shaky hands she reaches towards her back to take out a kunai dagger.

"Kazou-san, why did you..."

"My true name is... Katou Danzo... I am the kunoichi that was sent... to spy on you!"

"So you were a ninja all along... Fine, I'll just have to cut you down as well!

But before that, pray tell me who sent you here? Is it Genji-sama, or someone from the Oda Clan?"

"Fool, Kenshin-sama himself sent me in the first place. He told me that you may be a traitor to the Uesugi Clan, and that's why he sent me to spy on you as a maid!"

"Kenshin-sama did that since the start? Well the old man was a bit too soft on me so I suppose he's just trying to be safe..."

"Hey, don't ignore me! I will now challenge you go a death match, be prepared!"

"If it's death that you want, then it is what I shall deliver to you..."

Katou Danzo was a famous shinobi back at Earth's history. It seems that in this world he was instead a she...

More importantly it was said that Katou Danzo of Earth did flown on top of a kite. It seems that this world's counterpart did the same thing just to counter me, though vomiting her breakfast in process.

I don't know much else about the original person, sadly, I should've paid more attention in history classes....

"...You face Fujiwara Takina."

"And I am Katou Danzo, or you can call me Kazou or whatever you like... Names don't matter to a rogue ninja like me."

"Very well, let us begin."

I'll end this as quickly as possible.

"...." (2x)

In the total silence, we observed each other.

She took a lower stance ready to rush forward anytime, while I took a high one in order to swing my attacks with more power.

I sheathed my katana back into my sheath... I'm ready. Come!

"...Hyah!"

She reached her back and thrown out a shuriken towards me... A shuriken that was spinning unsually fast, that is.

Shadow Cross!

'Clang!' I drew my blade the instant it reaches and parried the Shuriken off to the wall. In that same moment the woman closes into me- 'Tank!'

Kazou swung her dagger with all her momentum behind it, yet wasn't strong enough to faze me.

"Weak!" I directed her dagger to the sides and throws her away. 'Shing!'

The woman fell to the floor, but instantly pushes her arm off the ground, flipping her body back up.

"Hah... Hoo...!"

"Hmph..." Insane mobility, as expected of a ninja.

But it's not like I am less agile, I just chooses not to do it.

I reached for my back pocket and took out the dagger that I kept from earlier...

"Sei!" I fling the dagger at the woman, and lunged towards her with a thrust. Piercing Stream!

The woman ducked her face down to avoid the dagger and took out a second kunai- 'Clank!'

All just to catch my sword in a lock using the two daggers.

"You use my own tactic against me?!"

"I'm a copycat you know?"

"Hyah!" She throws my sword off the lock and jumped away.

"I won't let you!" I threw a second dagger at her while she was midair...

Then, she flung another projectile aiming for my dagger. 'Tink!'

'Psst!' It was a metal ball, and when the dagger hits the ball it released a white cloud of smokes covering the entire area.

"Gas grenade?!"

Luckily I didn't breathe it in. However, combined with the fact that I've lost one of my eye, I can't see shit inside this cloud.

'Thud!' But then, the sound of her kicking off the ground could be heard... and in the split second afterwards, a Shuriken comes flying towards my face.

"Shit-!" I swung my blade at the shuriken and parried it to the sides.

I need to rush at her to catch her off guard!

I kicked off the ground and dashed towards where the shuriken came from... There was no one outside of the smoke screen?!

"Shit!" From behind!

I turned around and swung at my back whilst jumping away. 'Tank!'

My attack was deflected, but I safely jumped away. Sure enough she was right behind me and almost within striking distance. "Tsk..!"

Immediately upon landing on the ground, I took the dagger from my back pocket and flung it at the ninja. Right immediately, I jumped to the air towards her.

While I was midair she flung one of her daggers at me hitting my body... Though it wasn't enough to stop me. "Seiya!" One Line!

'Thump!' Right I slammed my sword down on her, the ninja dashed backwards and avoided my attack.

She kicks off the ground and instead rushed forward at me... Idiot.

"Hmph!" Following up my slam I thrusted my sword forward at her, aiming at her leg. 'Stab!'

"Urgh...!"

Whilst she falters back in pain, I took the time and assumed a proper attack stance. "Hah!"

'Tank!' As she blocks my attack her leg slipped, I have broke her stance. "Argh...!"

"Don't move or you're dead." I said as I put my sword on her neck.

"Urgh... I give up..."

"I admit, I was almost tricked by your Shuriken there... Luckily I could hear you jumping behind me.

That Shuriken was stuck on the wall earlier, and you made it fly towards me with wind enchantment imbued into it. Good thing I've heard about it from Monkey-san."

"You have sharp senses."

"Haha, me?" Compared to the likes of Genji, Kenshin-sama and Takahashi-san? "I still have a long ways to go..."

"...Watch out!" She tells while pointing to my back.

"?!" Another ninja?! Only, there was no ninja behind me.

"You tricked me-"

"Have a smoke!" She threw out yet another projectile towards my face, I had no choice but to slash at the bomb. 'Boom!'

Dusts and smoke was blasted towards my face when I cut the bomb. I even breathed in some of it, this is bad!

I jumped backwards and dashed out of the smoke cloud, but now it felt like water had some how leaked into my throat.

"Cough! Cough cough! What the hell did you put in that...?!"

"Don't worry now, it's just a simple concoction to irritate the lungs. But be careful though, Inhale too much of it and you may destroy your lungs."

"Cough cough...! You asshole...!"

"I must admit, I cannot defeat you even with my tricks. But I'm not here to kill you and I've already fulfilled my objective here, so farewell to you."

"Wait-"

The woman jumps off from the rooftops, landing herself on the lower floors. For someone who was stabbed in the leg she's oddly agile.

"Cough... What the hell... Cough!"

I bet her mission is to just distract me in order to buy time. There may be even more trouble up ahead.

_________

(5 minutes later....)

(Inner Castle, Hallways)

It took a little rest, but eventually I stopped coughing as much. Once I was alright, I continued on my way deeper into the castle...

There was no way to climb to the 7th floor (dojo), so I have to continue forward via the insides of the castle once more.

There were nobody on the sixth floor, I was able to climb the stairs without anyone getting in the way. Soon, I had reached the 7th floor where the castle dojo is.

(Right outside the dojo entrance)

"Hoo... Hah..."

I have a bad feeling about this....

'Goo...' I opened the dojo door.

"There you are, we have been expecting you, Fujiwara-dono!."

Inside the dojo there were multiple soldiers and guards with their weapons raised. The one speaking to me is the captain of the squad.

"Tsk..."

"Oh, don't be like that. We are delighted to welcome you to this dojo, since you're walking right into our trap hahaha!"

1... 5... 9...

11 of them. Unfortunately however, I cannot take on them all at once, especially in such a tight space.

Time for plan B I guess.

"A trap you say...? Sigh... Surely Kenshin-sama would be disappointed in you."

"What did you say?"

"Seriously... Was this really the best course of action for you?"

"It's 11 on 1!"

"Indeed. See your mistake?"

"..!" (?x)

"Hold on captain, she's bluffing." Said one of the soldiers standing to the sides of the dojo.

He walked out towards the middle of the dojo, with a katana in his hand.

"What are you doing soldier? Do you have a death wish-"

"Sorry captain, I know that she's bluffing but I don't this fight is beneficial to us. Even with 11 of us, it is very likely that with her skills she'll take down at least 6 of us before she falls."

"...." He isn't that wrong.

"Then what are you doing?" The captain asked in confusion.

"I'll handle her myself, captain. I know her moves, I can take her."

"You... Very well, I'll allow it."

"...." Who the hell is this soldier?

"Takina-ojou, or should I say Shishou-dono..."

Shishou-dono...? Have I taught him before?

"-let's settle what we started last time. I challenge you to a duel!"

The soldier got into a lower stance while sheathing his katana into it's saya. This is clearly the stance of the Shadow Style, I think I have taught this soldier some time in the past.

"...." Without saying another word, I also got into my Shadow Style stance. "Hoo.... Hah...."

It's safe to assume that he knows my moves... I don't have a lot of options to deal with him without it being non-lethal.

But, I have just the trick to deal with hot headed fighters like him.

My eyes only locked on the twitching of his feet, and his hands...

"..." (2x)

The man leaned forward slightly, shifting his weight forward. I can read him like a book.

'Thud!' He dashed forward at me with lightning speed, closing the distance in split second.

"Sei!" With a draw of his sword, he launched an extremely powerful slice aimed at my sword arm.

'Fwoosh!' I stepped my body backwards as I drew my katana, his blade's reach wasn't enough to hit me and only glanced on the edge of my katana.

I didn't attack with any techniques, merely drawing my katana out was enough to throw him off.

"?!" The man tries to correct his whiff by redirecting his sword into a second swing - a Shadow Cross.

With a simple step forward, and a generic diagonal cut to his shoulder, I avoided his attack twice while launching a counter of my own.

I used the flat side of my sword and swung it at his exposed hand, knocking his katana out of his hand. 'Tank!' "Urgh...!"

"What?!" (?x)

"Heh." I got used to my one-eye sight and was able to read our range correctly now, even without depth perception... This is great news.

"The decisive blow is not the strongest attack, but the one that counts. Both me and Kenshin-sama told you that before, right?"

I swung my katana to the sides in a motion to fling off blood, and then sheathed it back to it's saya. 'Ching.'

I looked around the dojo, and the few soldiers around only had the surprised generic-look of a side character in a story.

"Argh!... My hand is-" dislocated.

"Sorry. I'll go get Enna-san to patch you up later."

I picked up my katana...

"Now then, it's time for me to go see Kenshin-sama."

"Wait, I didn't say I'll let you go even if you won the duel, this kid only acted out by himself!" He says as he stands in the path to the stairs that leads farther up.

Idiots like this needs to be shut down by force!

'Shing!'

I drew my katana and points it towards the captain's neck, only slightly touching his throat with the tip of my blade.

"Captain!" (?x)

"Out of my way, or things will get messy."

"Hah! Is this supposed to be a threat? Killing me wouldn't do anything, it'll only make an enemy out of the entire Uesugi Clan, fool!"

The few soldiers behind had also drawn their weapons, they are ready to fight at anytime.

I can't believe I'm admitting this but it seems I'm truly cornered here... I can't kill this guy, but I can't get past him without using force either.

"...Fine I'll admit it. You've caught me like a fish hooked by a delicious bait." I took my blade off the captain's throat and sheathed it back.

"Hmph, guess you aren't a total idiot. Guards, take her back to her room-"

Before the captain could finish talking however, the voice of a old man sounded in the dojo.

"I expected you to put up more of a fight, Takina. Is this all the Crimsom Weaving Blade has to offer?"

"Kenshin-sama!" (?x)

"Kenshin-sama...! I am here to seek audience with you-"

"Hahaha, enough with the formalities already! Let's talk at the castle lookout, where we can have a bit of... privacy."

"O-oh... Yes Kenshin-sama."

"Kenshin-sama, what's the meaning of this?! You're going to just take her away?! How will I explain it to Genji-sama when he-"

"Captain, she won... And you know what happens when you go against the Warrior Code of the clan's military?"

"...I understand. Fine, you have it fortunate today, Takina-ojou. I will admit defeat in this round, just as you did so gracefully." The captain said as he bows his head to me.

"...I am honored, captain. Before you leave, can I at least have your name?"

"Haha, this hurts a bit you know...? I am Nozomi Shigenori, an elite swordsman."

He was a colleague of mine in the dojo, a fellow Uesugi Elite Swordsman.

"Ah... Ahaha, I couldn't recognize you in that set of armour!"

"Tsk, it doesn't get any less annoying even if you say it like that... But still you're a formidable opponent as always. Keep up the good fight, and don't make Kenshin-sama wait long for you."

"Very well. Farewell, Shigenori-dono."

_____________

(A few minutes later...)

"So you're saying that Genji betrayed you for the Dragon's Blood and also to take the Severance sword huh...?"

"Yes, my Lord."

"Well now... I never did thought that he'd go through with it."

"He talked with you before? About it?"

"He only hinted at it. But now he's really gone and made a mess of this whole situation...

And what does he even strive to achieve with that power? Carrying superior blood doesn't immediately grant you the strength to fight armies on your own- Cough, gue... cough!"

"Kenshin-sama... Are you alright?"

Is that blood that he just coughed out...?

"Cough! Cough... Urgh... I am alright..."

"..."

"Hahaha... is that a look of worry from you? To be given pity from a young lady as yourself... it's unimaginable for the young me."

"No, Kenshin-sama. I am just worried for your health... I may not know your body as well Enna-chan, but you're still my master. You're too sick to be fighting in a war right now."

"Hehe, is that so? But when battles calls to us it's not a choice for us to choose whether or not we'll fight... Anyway, that is enough side tracking for now."

Kenshin cleared his throat and spoke to me in a loud voice.

"My grandson has done something truly unforgivable, he needs to be taught a lesson, and for that reason I will help you."

"You have my gratitude, Kenshin-sama!"

"I know where Genji went, and I can help you find your young Lord, but I have one condition for you... You are absolutely not allowed to kill my grandson."

"...!" It'd be stupid to make Kenshin-sama my enemy out of all people, I should just listen to him.

"He is my grandson and I spent a lot of time into raising him as a Lord and a retainer... He practically runs the whole clan now since the war begun, so it'd be troublesome if he died.x

"..." He made such a threatening demand for such stupid reasons? "...Very well. I promise I will not kill Genji-sama in my attempts to rescue my Lord."

"Then it's settled. Your Lord wouldn't be harmed, Genji may be ruthless but he is not a monster, so rest assured at the moment..."

"I see... But where exactly did Genji-sama went?"

"Toyama city to the west, to the front lines itself."

"He took Sora-sama to such a dangerous place?!"

(Chapter end)