private Bushi no Tamashi

[Azura 1,107]

Akira held her sword with two hands and pointed it towards Saigo as she started circling around him. Her eyes her locked onto his blade, prepared to block his attack if he decided to strike first. 'I'm at a disadvantage..' She started sprinting towards him with her sword pointing at the floor behind her, and as she approached him, she swung her blade from the bottom up.

[Chickey 383]

Saigo noticed she was dragging the sword behind her and knew there was only a few ways she could end such an attack. He used the practice sword to block the underhanded attack and forced it down as hard as he could to keep his distance from the sword. Afterwards, he slid the blade up her own sword and towards her body. 

[Azura 1,107]

She knew he was going to attack her, so she quickly reacted to his blade and jumped backwards before his blade touched her. She tried to push his bokken upwards and away from her as it approached her but his strength was no match compared to her. Aki almost lost her balance from avoiding the wooden blade and manoeuvring backwards but right after she recovered, she charged straight back at him with full strength, her bokken flying straight towards him, hopefully stabbing him right in his chest.

[Chickey 383]

Saigo watched as she charged him, noticing where she intending to strike and parrying upwards, catching the sword and holding it up. "You're making your attacks too clear to me as soon as you charge." He said as he stopped the tension that held the blade up. While he was still close to her after his block he slashed at her shoulder, still keeping his eyes on the bokken she held.

[Azura 1,107]

His blade struck against her shoulder. It hurt quite a bit as she wasn't wearing any armor, but neither was Saigo. She did think about avoiding it by teleporting but that would have broken her own rules. "Then how about you show me how you do it?" She said as she walked a few steps backward and stood there in a rather defensive stance, ready to block any attack that goes her way.

[Samurshy 708]

Arashi walked up the dirt path on the large hill, which he was almost at the top of. The weather that day was just about as nice as the weather the day before. As Arashi walked, he breathed in the fresh spring air, the vegetation around the dirt path was in full bloom. Arashi was so close to the marina that he could smell the salt in the air from the ocean, but he could not see the ocean until he reached the apex of the hill. Finally, Arashi reached the apex of the hill that overlooked the marina, and the village that the marina sustained. Thousands of fisherman and their families had made their home here, but also soldiers of the Narumi army resided here as well. Even though the village received government funding for the usage of the marina for military purposes, they did not even need to funding to sustain themselves. The village was rich and prosperous from trading marine life alone. And thus, every home within the village was large and well maintained because of it. Every passerby was happy, every shop willing to give out free samples. This village was truly the hub of Narumi, next to Hana castle, which was the political hub of Narumi. 

Every time Arashi laid eyes on Jinzo city, he couldn't help but smile. The city was so full, so brimming with life, that Arashi wished he lived in the city instead of the Barracks, (less than a half of a mile north of the city). Most of Arashi's time, nowadays, consisted of paperwork, and being confined in his office. Although he was honored to have been chosen for the job and title that he had received, sometimes he daydreamed about leaving it all behind and becoming a fisherman in Jinzo, and maybe having a family to go with it. He would never go through with it, of course. Arashi was enjoying the adventures he was having within the Shogunate, and someday, he would have many stories to tell his children. Or would he have children? Arashi, hadn't given it much thought, But whenever he was in Jinzo, it seemed the thought crossed his mind. And every time the thought crossed his mind, he always answered it to himself in the same way.

I do not want the responsibility of a family, not yet anyway. And that was that.

Arashi continued walking at the same pace, crossing streets and districts. Many shops trying to give free food to the Shogun, which Arashi always politely turned down. He eventually made it to the military docks, which consisted of five different docks and five different ships, four of which where battleships, and one of which was a luxury transport (which was the one reserved for the team). Arashi hadn't seen the ship in person, but had seen diagrams and paintings of it. None of those compared to what he was face to face with. The ship was 900 feet long, 300 feet wide, and 100 feet tall. The ship was made of redwood, with yellow trim. The sails were sky blue, with a Narumi flag waving on top. Arashi was informed that there were 5 decks, 4 of which were for the passengers, one of which was for storage. Arashi knew he would be sleeping in the captain's quarters on the main deck, because, officially, he was the captain of this expedition. However, he had not the nautical training to be piloting a ship, and so he had on board a navigator that would do that for him.

Arashi boarded the deck and was immediately startled. He thought he was going to be meeting a new person, the navigator. But instead, he was met by a short, skinny, black-haired, attractive female. One that he knew all too well. It was Haruki, the maid.

"Well, I always loved the seas. So I took to nautical training. I even passed the official navigation test, so I am an official navigator. I have no clue why I was chosen, though. I mean, out of all the other 12 candidates, Hana-dono chose me. I wonder why..." Haruki's right index finger on her chin, to accentuate her pondering. 

Dammit, Lord Hana! I know exactly why he choose her. He knew it would make my life a living hell. I bet he is laughing it up right now. 

"Oh, and by the way, there is only one bed in the Captain's quarters..." Haruki smiled devilishly, "And you can't possibly think that I would be sleeping in the living quarters under deck, can you? I guess we will be sharing" She said grinning all the while

"HANNNNNAAAAA!!!" Arashi screamed, fists to the sky

Meanwhile, in Hana Castle. Hana was reading a scroll, and sneezed.

[TheBreech 91]

Unsure of what to after his morning bath, Fenikku had asked one the servants for advice. The small woman was intimidated by him and stuttered that that his group was leaving on a ship today. He thanked her and headed for the docks. As he headed there he got mixed up and ended up around the restaurants and shop owners. At the mention of free food, he nearly trampled people for a plate of rice cakes. He continued this trend in a few other places, almost undoubtably limiting any future giveaways for the shops he passed. As he had some sushi, he finally remembered where he was supposed to be headed and arrived to the docks, hearing the commander's yelling. "Commander what happened?!" Fenikku shouted as he ran over, *accidentally slamming some woman into the water nearby.

[Chickey 383]

Saigo watched as she took the defensive position now, closely watching her every move. After a few moments he started walked towards her. "So be it." He said as he suddenly charged, his bokken staying right next to him up until he reached Akira, quickly swiping from the lower right side out of nowhere once he reached her. The best way to charge an enemy is to keep the direction of the attack a mystery up until the end. 

[Octavia's Bow 2,035]

@@Samurshy, @@TheBreech

 

Natsuki had followed this... idiot all morning, paying for his damages and protecting people he was carelessly endangering. Include this poor woman, who's wrist she'd grabbed a moment before a brief dip in the deep that, with her linens and lack of experience, probably would've killed her. This oaf had strength, but lack either the discipline or the knowledge to wield it properly. Maybe both. She was glad for one thing; she could relieve herself of some blood-money. Being a ninja... sometimes paid a little too well. Even so, she grabbed Fenniku by the ear and lead him on the ship.He probably could've broken free, if he had been expecting it. "You ow me somewhere between  fifty-thousand and sixty-thousand yen. You can't just barrel through people and destroy storefronts and market stalls in your endless pursuit of food. Don't you have anything between those horns of you. It isn't enough to be strong, you oaf! You have to be smart." To demonstraight, she poked a pressure point behind his ear, which caused him to fall to his knees. "I'vekilled some many men from this position... Stand. Knowing what you're capable of, you should be able to do it for this." She stepped back and pulled out a sweet roll, holding it out of his reach, but at eye-level.

[Gyro Zeppeli 120]

@@TheBreech,

@@Samurshy,

 *Shiho arrived at the boat just in time to see a girl nearly fall off into the water. Shiho walked up the gangplank onto the boat to see Arashi, Fen, and Natsuki standing there. She tapped Arashi on the shoulder and led him a bit away from the others and quitely gave him some advice.* "Fangirl, I presume? Easy solution to that, though it might not work." *Shiho began.* "You gotta either find, or pretend to have a lover. This will either have her give up hope, or drive her insane to the point where she will try might resort to.... drastic means. My brother had that issue once. This one girl was on his heels for weeks, then he started to see someone, and first she shied away, but a couple days later she just came back with with a vengance. It was violent." *Shiho flinched recalling the event.* "Anyway, this is a nice ship. Well made and seaworthy. The winds seem to be in our favor as well. Lets hope they stay that way for the duration of the trip." *Shiho remembered something.* "Oh, and I also changed my mind about the tournament. I think I will be participating after all, Im feeling alot more confident about myself than I had been before."

 

(Damn it Dawn! Ninja'ing me.)

Edited March 20, 2014 by Knight Artorias

[TheBreech 91]

@

 

By the time he'd realized what was happening with being dragged, Fenikku felt a sudden poke behind his ear and couldn't move his legs or arms, before the logic part of his brain could react he saw the sweetroll and his instincts trampled it as he lunged forward and ended up with Natsuki's entire hand in his mouth, as he finally noticed, he rolled his eyes up and said to her, "Way... Wah?" muffle by his mouth full of hand.

Edited March 20, 2014 by TheBreech

[Octavia's Bow 2,035]

@@TheBreech

 

She blinks twice, "You..." She sighs, "According to the laws of the state, I could keep you as an indentured service, the amount of debt you owe me... The idea amuses me slightly, but you're just not smart enough to be of much use then senseless fighting and maid dresses. Hmmmmmmmm... Is it worth filing the paperwork?" She looks him over and noddes, "With Arashi's stamp of approval, it's an official document. And fortunately, I happen to have a contract on my person. I knew sacking those slavers was a good idea. Fenniku, do you understand any of this?"

[TheBreech 91]

Some part of Fen's tiny thinking brain was flipping the hell out. It was desperately trying to gain control but the best it could manage to get was for Fen to slowly pull his mouth off of Natsuki's hand and after a moment of stillness ask her, "Um... can I eat that please?"

[Octavia's Bow 2,035]

Some part of Fen's tiny thinking brain was flipping the hell out. It was desperately trying to gain control but the best it could manage to get was for Fen to slowly pull his mouth off of Natsuki's hand and after a moment of stillness ask her, "Um... can I eat that please?"

 

She rolled her eyes, and tossed him the sweet roll, "Best get used to being in my service. You're gunna learn to read, buddy. She took out a scroll and began filling it out. It was rather simple, especially for paperwork. Looking over to Arashi, she saw he was busy. She put it away and looked over her soon-to-be servant. She wasn't especially impressed, but at least this would keep him out of legal trouble. For now.

[Azura 1,107]

Her pupils shrunk from fear as she had no idea how to block his attack. It felt like time slowed down as his blade approached her. She teleported backwards by a few meters away from him. Akira unmaterialized the two blades and said "I- I can't take it anymore.." She started breathing heavily, and drops of sweat formed. 'How can I take on the Narumi if I can't even hit Saigo once?' She told herself.

[TheBreech 91]

She rolled her eyes, and tossed him the sweet roll, "Best get used to being in my service. You're gunna learn to read, buddy. She took out a scroll and began filling it out. It was rather simple, especially for paperwork. Looking over to Arashi, she saw he was busy. She put it away and looked over her soon-to-be servant. She wasn't especially impressed, but at least this would keep him out of legal trouble. For now.

Still on his knees, Fenikku caught it midair with his mouth and was happily eating his prize as his new Mistress filled out the paperwork. He noticed a slight calmness as the part of his brain that tried avoid this situation had quieted down from shock or from giving up on him. Either way, he was enjoying the sweet roll too much to care about it.

[Octavia's Bow 2,035]

@@TheBreech, @@Samurshy,

 

She took a breath and approached Arashi finally. "The idiots rooming with me. If you would stamp this document with your seal, he can begin paying of his debt to me. He ruined storefronts for half the stores in town. And that's forgetting the people in his way. His extrenuous talent aside, he needs some serious training in discipline and self control. And owes me a lot of yen."

[Samurshy 708]

Haruki noticed that all of the members had arrived
"Well, it appears that we should shove off soon. I will be in the captain's quarters arranging for our departure." Haruki said, and with that she left.

Arashi looked at the group that had all gathered there on the deck of the ship. Shiho offered some advice that Arashi considered.

"Hehe. Well, I would consider doing that... but..." Arashi hesitated, pushing his two index fingers together as he blushed because he was being beta as fuck. "It's not like I hate Haruki or anything... I am just not used to the idea of... romantic endeavors. So, even having a fake lover would be too much. But I am still in my prime. I am 21 years old... I have plenty of time to worry about female companionship. For now, I think I will just keep rejecting her. Maybe eventually she will take the hint." Arashi said with a dejected smile. "But, I digress. Let me explain the boat to you all. This deck, the main deck, is the deck that we will be holding our tournament on tomorrow. And I am glad you changed your mind, Shiho-sama, that adds one more to the roster. The second deck, the one under us, is the living quarters. That is where your rooms are. There are also areas to converse with each other, and play shogi down there as well. Underneath that, the third deck, is the mess hall. That is where we will all be gathered for meals. Also, the chefs on staff will be available 24/7, so you can ask for a snack any time you will like. The deck under that one, the 4th deck, is the armory deck. That is where you can go to train against dummies, sharpen your sword, and lightly spar with each other as well as other members of the crew. The final deck is not that important, but that is where we store our food and equipment for running the ship. There is a lot of room on this ship, and you can choose how to spend your time here. We will be floating for 3 days and 2 nights. The tournament will start at noon tomorrow. I would suggest using your time today to possibly train. But it is up to you."

As soon as Arashi finished his explanation, the ship shoved off and began to drift out towards open sea.  
 

After Arashi finished his statement, Natsuki approached Arashi with an official document requesting the servitude of Fenikku. According to the document, which explained in full detail the extent of the damage, and the debt owed to her, Fenikku was to either become the servant of Natsuki, or be arrested as per the law of debt. 

"Well, I certainly need Fen for this mission, so if it is this or him getting arrested, I would rather have him under your care. But I do not want to see you abusing this, nor do I want to see him on such a loose leash that he destroys the ship. Please try and actually teach him the meaning of discipline and conditioning." Arashi said as he slightly drew his katana, enough to expose the blade so that he could cut the palm of his left hand slightly. Arashi felt the slight, sharp pain of the laceration and withdrew his hand. He then cupped his palm so the blood would pool and stuck his right thumb in it. Then using his bloody thumb, he stamped his thumbprint onto the paper, and signed his name by it.

Arashi relinquished the paper over to Natsuki with a, "Do I make myself clear?"

Edited March 20, 2014 by Samurshy

[Chickey 383]

Saigo watched Akira teleport away, his swing only hitting the empty air now. He watched the bokken disappear from his hand with a slight sigh to see the battle didn't end later. "I may need to train you if you're up for it. I don't know much about magic. But dueling, especially other swordsmen is more my forte." He said casually as felt the boat wash up into the beach of the island. He turned around leaning off the side of the boat to see the sand below. "Hopefully Rin and Isamu aren't still eating." He commented.

Edited March 20, 2014 by Pumkin

[Azura 1,107]

"Y-You'd train me?" She said as she blushed a bit. "How could someone turn down such an offer from such a talented warrior.." Akira looked up and smiled. "I'll be looking forward to our first session of training!" She turned around and looked behind her, only to realize that they've already arrived at Tani and the ship was no longer moving. "It's been quite some time since we left the dining table. They can't possibly still be eating, right?"

[Gyro Zeppeli 120]

@@Samurshy, 

"Alright then." *Shiho said.* "In that case, I will be off to claim a room and then Im gonna explore the ship a bit."

*Shiho waved to Arashi with a smile then walked off. She went down to the regular quarters and picked a room. She placed her bag of stuff and her tanto on the ground, but kept her Uchigatana with her. She then went to the kitchen, and claimed a glass of milk, and some food, quickly ate, then went back to the deck of the ship. She looked around a bit and then climbed up to the crow's nest. She stood there, looking out into the distance for a moment before climbing back down, she noticed one of the crew members humming a tune, one she recognized. Shiho happily started to sing the lyrics to the song the crew member had been humming. The crew member looked surprised, but then he started singing as well, a few other crew members joined in on the song as well, still effortlessly doing their jobs as they sang. At the end of the song they all shared a hearty laugh and then they began to chat as the crew members continued their work.*

[Octavia's Bow 2,035]

Haruki noticed that all of the members had arrived

"Well, it appears that we should shove off soon. I will be in the captain's quarters arranging for our departure." Haruki said, and with that she left.

 

Arashi looked at the group that had all gathered there on the deck of the ship. Shiho offered some advice that Arashi considered.

 

"Hehe. Well, I would consider doing that... but..." Arashi hesitated, pushing his two index fingers together as he blushed because he was being beta as fuck. "It's not like I hate Haruki or anything... I am just not used to the idea of... romantic endeavors. So, even having a fake lover would be too much. But I am still in my prime. I am 21 years old... I have plenty of time to worry about female companionship. For now, I think I will just keep rejecting her. Maybe eventually she will take the hint." Arashi said with a dejected smile. "But, I digress. Let me explain the boat to you all. This deck, the main deck, is the deck that we will be holding our tournament on tomorrow. And I am glad you changed your mind, Shiho-sama, that adds one more to the roster. The second deck, the one under us, is the living quarters. That is where your rooms are. There are also areas to converse with each other, and play shogi down there as well. Underneath that, the third deck, is the mess hall. That is where we will all be gathered for meals. Also, the chefs on staff will be available 24/7, so you can ask for a snack any time you will like. The deck under that one, the 4th deck, is the armory deck. That is where you can go to train against dummies, sharpen your sword, and lightly spar with each other as well as other members of the crew. The final deck is not that important, but that is where we store our food and equipment for running the ship. There is a lot of room on this ship, and you can choose how to spend your time here. We will be floating for 3 days and 2 nights. The tournament will start at noon tomorrow. I would suggest using your time today to possibly train. But it is up to you."

 

As soon as Arashi finished his explanation, the ship shoved off and began to drift out towards open sea.

 

 

After Arashi finished his statement, Natsuki approached Arashi with an official document requesting the servitude of Fenikku. According to the document, which explained in full detail the extent of the damage, and the debt owed to her, Fenikku was to either become the servant of Natsuki, or be arrested as per the law of debt.

 

"Well, I certainly need Fen for this mission, so if it is this or him getting arrested, I would rather have him under your care. But I do not want to see you abusing this, nor do I want to see him on such a loose leash that he destroys the ship. Please try and actually teach him the meaning of discipline and conditioning." Arashi said as he slightly drew his katana, enough to expose the blade so that he could cut the palm of his left hand slightly. Arashi felt the slight, sharp pain of the laceration and withdrew his hand. He then cupped his palm so the blood would pool and stuck his right thumb in it. Then using his bloody thumb, he stamped his thumbprint onto the paper, and signed his name by it.

 

Arashi relinquished the paper over to Natsuki with a, "Do I make myself clear?"

"As the mirror pool, sir." She claimed the document, and took out a new sweet roll. She figured Fen would come by the smell, so she walked downstairs to find her quarters and arrange the room to provide modest privacy for her and her servant. Well, servant was a stretch....

[TheBreech 91]

Following the sweet scent Fen crashed through the ship's deck followed the trail to Natsuki's quarters. His mind began to finally register his new servitude with mixed emotions. On the one hand, it wasn't pleasant to be forced to do anything, but at least Natsuki was nice and could give him decent structure as he obeyed her. "So what happens now?"

Edited March 21, 2014 by TheBreech

[Octavia's Bow 2,035]

Following the sweet scent Fen crashed through the ship's deck followed the trail to Natsuki's quarters. His mind began to finally register his new servitude with mixed emotions. On the one hand, it wasn't pleasant to be forced to do anything, but at least Natsuki was nice and could give him decent structure as he obeyed her. "So what happens now?"

She was seated cross-legged with her eyes closed, roll on the table. "For now, we meditate on what happened today so far. You may have the sweet roll. You may want to ponder how to fix all the things you broke getting here. Including the door." As she said that, the door fell of its hinges. "You need to learn your own strength, Fenniku."

[TheBreech 91]

She was seated cross-legged with her eyes closed, roll on the table. "For now, we meditate on what happened today so far. You may have the sweet roll. You may want to ponder how to fix all the things you broke getting here. Including the door." As she said that, the door fell of its hinges. "You need to learn your own strength, Fenniku."

"But I didn't break/" fen started as the door fell. "Oh... I'm sorry..." Fenikku sat down, carefully watching for anything he could accidentally break. After a few minutes, his thoughts began to fester and he tried to think about something different. He began too look at his Mistress and noticed how small she was for how easily she'd just dragged him. He began wondering just how strong she was, a little intimidated.