“Betrayal By Blood”
Part 14
Oukami joins with Mizuto and Masatuko. They look at him with devilish smiles on their collective faces. Mizuto breaks their silence with the following: "How did it go?"
"The seeds have been planted. In time, we will harvest the fruit that her emotional frustration will bear," responds Oukami.
"Nice, did you think that line up all by yourself?" mocks Mizuto.
Oukami grinds his teeth while he speaks. "Enough. Let us go back. The mistress would like to receive a report on what transpired here just now."
Masatuko nods and adds on with "Yeah, but can we stop and get something to eat first? Watching your sorry butt has made me hungry, Oukami." Mizuto chuckles while Oukami glares at the duo. He elects to insult him in return.
"I can smell your breath from here, Masatuko. From the odor, it smells like you've already eaten... eaten a big tall pile of dog waste."
Mizuto laughs. "Oooooooooh! He got you!"
Masatuko growls back. "Your mother is a big tall pile of dog waste!"
Oukami sighs. "My mother is dead."
"Yeah, Masatuko ate her." Mizuto laughs again after adding that comment. Masatuko punches him in the arm and the trio head back to meet with Sawaka.
The next morning Nori entered into the dojo to do her daily workout enraged and hurt by Oukami’s news last night. She could not help but throw herself into her workout, overworking her mind and body. While Nori was working out, she knew that she had company. Soji and the others were watching her.
She stops, resting her hands on her hips she says, “Are you four going to stay out there and watch me all day or are you going to come in and give me a reason to work out?”
Soji, Shinpachi, Tetsu, and Sanosuke walk in the dojo door. “You seem to be troubled over something Nori; I have never seen you push your self like this.” Soji tells her.
Nori turns looking at the four of them, “Are we going to work out or stand here and talk? I knowI came in here to workout.” Nori says in a displeased tone; the look in her eyes was of pure hatred.
“Soji, Shinpachi, Tetsu, Sanosuke I will fight all four of you, do you think you can defeat me?” Nori adds still standing there with an ice-cold look on her face.
The four of them look at one another and then nod stepping onto the mat to confront Nori. Nori smiles a malevolent looking smile as she just stands there with her hands on her hips watching Tetsu handing them their sparring weapons of choice.
She looks at each one of them. Soji, Tetsu, and Shinpachi with their wooden katanas and Sanosuke with his bo staff, encircle Nori while taking a stance. They all stand there looking at Nori, wondering what she has in store for them. She is neither moving nor does she seemed concerned that she is enclosed by three of the best Swordsmen the Shinsengumi has.
Sanosuke attacked first has he spun his bo staff in the air bringing it down onto Nori. She stepped out; going to Sanosuke’s right clinching her fist and punching Sanosuke between his shoulder blades.
She picks up Tetsu’s presence coming up behind her. Nori spins, jumping up and over Tetsu, as she is coming down she brings her right heel down on Tetsu’s back. Nori lands like a cat in a crouched position when she saw Soji and Shinpachi from the corner of her eyes come running toward her katanas raised and ready to strike.
“She is not moving, Soji!” Shinpachi yells.
They both get in striking distance of Nori as she springs to life. She jumps up, spinning to her left kicking Shinpachi in the side of his head. Soji starts to bring down his katana as Nori punches his right hand and hitting his left arm causing him to release his sword. Soji’s sword becomes airborne as Nori grabs it as it falls to the floor. She jumps flipping herself over the top of Soji and landing behind him still holding his sword.
Soji turns quickly as Nori lifts the sword up and pitches it back at him; Soji catches the sword and takes his stance once again. Nori clenches her fists and takes her own stance. Soji lunges at Nori has she dodges his attack, Soji spins attacking again as Nori punches Soji full force in his chest Soji falls to his knees on the floor still holding his katana.
“Get up Soji.” Nori tells him. Soji looks up at her trying to catch his breath. “GET UP SOJI!!” Nori yells at him.
Sanosuke attacks Nori as she grabs him flipping him over her back, bring him down on top of Shinpachi that has tried to attack Nori as well. Soji finally gets to his feet and looks at Nori. “What are you doing, Nori? This is only a workout... why are you taking it so seriously?” Soji asks her.
Nori looks at Soji, not saying a word as she lifts her hands and motions for him to attack her again. Soji takes a stance holding his katana at waist level in front of him. He quickly steps forward three times raising his sword each time in an attack. Nori dodged the first two attacks, quickly dropping down and flipping herself backward, using her Kogetsu kick against Soji.
He dodges her kick, but Nori is quickly struck by the third attack, on her left cheek. She glared at Soji and smiled as she touched her cheek. She motioned for him to attack again; Soji attacked her again using the same technique. Nori again dodges the first two, but hit by the third this time it was on the right cheek. Nori looks at Soji and motions for him to attack once more.
“Nori, what are you doing?” Soji asks her.
“ATTACK ME SOJI!!” Nori yells at him.
Soji attacks once again Nori this time does not move. Soji goes to execute the third attack as Nori punches the blade of the katana with her left fist and force it to the floor with her right hand as the katana hits the floor snapping it in half.
“Now if you wanted a challenge, why did you not come and get me, Nori?”
Nori, Soji and the others turn looking at Hijikata walking into the dojo. He had a smile spread across his face. Nori turns her back on him looking at Soji.
“That is why I did not come to get you, because I wanted a challenge.” Nori said crossing her arms over her chest.
“You are a slight bit cocky are you not, Nori?” Hijikata says to her has he walks up behind her.
“You are confusing confidence with being cocky, Hijikata.” Nori says.
“Well then you should not object to sparring with me then.” Hijikata tells her.
Nori turns and smiles at Hijikata saying, “If you want to be exposed as a fool, then yes, I will spar with you, Hijikata.”
Hijikata laughs saying, “Everyone stand back and let me teach you how to defeat her.”
“Hijikata, here you can use my sparring katana.” Tetsu tells him.
“I have no need for that. I have my own.” Hijikata says lifting his true katana.
“Hijikata, you cannot spar with that you will hurt Nori.” Shinpachi says.
“What do you think you are proving?” Sanosuke says.
“No, Hijikata. You cannot do that.” Soji tells him.
“If she is as good as she claims to be, she will never experience my blade.” Hijikata says smiling.
The guys still protested about Hijikata using his true katana as they were all speaking at once, Nori holds up her hand saying, “I will be fine. If Hijikata thinks that using his true katana will save him, he is sadly misguided.”
Hijikata smiles saying, “Then let us get started then.”
Nori takes her stance as Hijikata takes his, placing his hand on his sword but not pulling it from its sheath. Nori stands there not moving when Hijikata steps quickly forward pulling his blade swiping across Nori’s chest. Nori quickly springs backward to avoid the attack, the ones watching gasp for air as Hijikata’s katana slices into Nori.
Soji steps forward yelling. “Stop this she is cut!”
Nori smiles looking at Hijikata saying, “Not quick enough, hun. Sorry, better luck next time.”
Hijikata growls gritting his teeth, standing there staring at Nori. She stands there glaring back.
“Why does she not attack, Soji?” Tetsu asks.
“I do not know, Tetsu.” Soji replies.
All of a sudden, Nori makes her move running toward Hijikata. He starts to draw his katana as Nori places her foot on the hilt pushing the sword back into the sheath everyone stands there in astonishment, just then Nori jumps up using Hijikata’s katana for balance lifting her up she swings her leg up and around kicking Hijikata in the side of his face.
Hijikata falls to the floor as Nori spins her self in the air landing in a crouched position.
Nori rises from the floor brushing her self off saying, “Lesson over,” she straightens her clothes not looking at Hijikata or the others and leaves the dojo to start her day in the kitchen.
