"…"
In the cove, they had already been at work for a couple of days, and progress was good and steady. All the equipment the s.h.i.+pwrights had at this disposal – and more – was strewn over the floor. To a set of eyes that was not their own, it might appear disorderly, but to them, it was ordered to perfection.
The task that they were charged with was a difficult one. Within a day, they had completed a pulley system that raised and lowered the lower half of the mast, and Gengyo had been immensely pleased with their progress. However, that was the easy part. Where the difficulty lay was in attaching the lower and upper masts so that it was stable, but also so that the upper mast could be lowered onto the deck.
And that had proved to be a great challenge. For two whole days they had worked, but they had not yet achieved something that could match those standards. They brought their supplies down to the sh.o.r.e – which did not flood entirely, even when the tide was in – and slept amongst the sand.
Even when they attempted to sleep, their brains were attempting to tackle the problem that they had been presented with, hoping to find better solutions.
And it was on such a day, that the unexpected occurred. He had thought he heard voices coming from the top of the cliff, but was not entirely certain, as the lapping of the waves against the sh.o.r.e was sure to distort any sound that reached his ears.
And then, with the light beginning to flag, he had noticed a group gather on top of the cliff, by the pa.s.s that lead downwards. At first, he had felt a degree of anxiety, thinking they had been discovered by some foreign group. He even walked over to fetch his sword.
And then, with a bellowing laugh, Morohira had come cras.h.i.+ng onto the sand.
Seeing his father appear so suddenly, he had no idea how to react. He had not expected any sort of visitors for a while. At least not until after they had completed the s.h.i.+p itself. But there he was, grinning like a cat that got the cream.
"What are you doing here, father?"
He managed to ask, despite his shock, just before Rokkaku hit the floor alongside him.
"Man my a.s.s is wet."
He complained, having slid the final part entirely on his bottom.
"For fun!"
Came Morohira"s answer, as he wandered over to the s.h.i.+p to take a look at their progress.
"Mmm, you haven"t done much, have ya? Probably best stop slacking, otherwise it"ll be a year before we manage to get out."
Morojo shot Gengyo an annoyed glare, as to ask: "who"s this f.u.c.k.i.n.g sweet cake?"
Gengyo merely shrugged in response, because he himself did not know quite what he was doing here, having not been given a satisfactory answer himself.
Rokkaku was walking around whistling, as though he didn"t want any part in the conversations that were being had, and was attempting to claim innocence. That only raised his masters suspicions further.
Jikouji hit the ground a moment later. He too did not broach the topic of why they were here, and merely acted casually, as though this was a prearranged agreement.
"How"s the progress, lad?"
"…Not quite where we want it to be…"
They kept hitting the floor, one after the other. Each of the men under his command came down.
"They were bored, is that it?"
He thought, rolling his eyes at their childishness. But that did not seem to be the case, as next down, he saw an unexpected face.
Instead of sliding down on her bottom as the men had, she attempted to do so whilst standing upright, and she managed it rather gracefully. That was, until, the incline suddenly changed and she hit the sand. It would be a bit of a stretch to call that landing "smooth", especially as sand now filled her mouth.
"Pwoo! What"s this stuff? It"s soft… But it tastes really bad."
Rin muttered, spitting the sand out of her mouth. Gengyo merely stared at her, unsure how to react. He thought he"d been rather clear about what it would take for her to join him on missions, yet here she was, having tagged along with the men.
She barely even looked his way, and was staring back up the slope, attempting to encourage someone else down.
"Go on, Akiko! Just do what I did. Well, maybe not the last part. But it"s better than getting muddy, right? Come on! It"s not scary. Just go!"
Apparently encouraged, that darkened figure began down the gentle slope, as her screams gradually increased in magnitude.
"AhhhhhhhhHHHHHH!"
She cried out, expecting a good amount of pain. Her speed had only continued to increase the further she went down the steep slope, and by now, she was unable to slow herself down, and was destined to land rather heavily on that earth below.
But Rin was there to cus.h.i.+on her landing, and she ended up in her arms, with a terrified look on her face.
"Ah… I"m alive… Thanks Rin."
"Hehe, no worries!"
He felt as though he wasn"t even there. Everyone was either wandering around the bay, or talking to one another. He and Morojo stood there, gobsmacked, wondering what on earth was going on. Not only had his little sister come along, his lover had as well. It was not a relevation that was met with his approval.
They were out in the middle of nowhere, on a rather unknown stretch of land. At any point the unexpected could happen. They could be a.s.saulted by the previous owners of the bay, and the women would be caught up in that.
He stood there, patiently, waiting for them to finish. Someone would have to explain themselves to him, and if he was not happy with their reasoning, then he would have to hand out his first punishments since he became the master.
"Well?"
He asked loudly, threateningly. The men ceased their pretend interest in what the s.h.i.+pwrights were doing, and came wandering over, looking like guilty puppies, with tails between their legs.
He had a face like thunder. Not only had they avoided answering his questions, they had also brought his family along with them. Even Rin and Akiko looked slightly put off by his expression. He was clearly not happy.
"Ii… It was Ii!"
Rokkaku said quickly, and the rest nodded in unison, firmly dropping him in it. The boy glanced around, shocked that he had been betrayed so quickly. And when he met Gengyo"s gaze, he began to quiver, knowing that he was in for a rough time.
"Ii, is it? Talk."
He fixed the boy with his piercing gaze.
"Well… Uhm…"
"Speak clearly, so that I can hear you."
He said firmly, his voice laced with a hidden threat.
"We challenged the men to a duel!"
Rin spoke out on his behalf. The more Ii stammered, the more uncomfortable they felt, and she felt compelled to speak on his behalf, as pathetic as he was.
"..? You did? And, what of it?"
That was in no way a suitable explanation for why they were here, as of now, inside the bay, interrupting the progress of the s.h.i.+pwrights.
The Morojo"s were in no way part of what was going on, but even they felt uncomfortable from the tension that was thick in the air.
"We won! We proved ourselves, so we want to join you, and help you."
"Is that right? And who did you fight?"
He asked the questions calmly, but his voice was chilly.
"I fought Kitajo, and Akiko fought Ii."
He looked toward Kitajo and Ii, attempting to confirm what they said, and both men nodded.
"Ha. Rin, you are my little sister, and I do care for you. But do not lie to me. You did not defeat Kitajo. Someone of his calibre and experience - no matter how talented you might be - would not be defeated by you."
He announced, immediately calling her out. She visibly flinched. What he said was true. In reality, she had lost. It was merely due to Kitajo"s respectful surrender that she was able to claim a "victory". But it hurt, hearing him say that. It meant that he did not believe in her chances of success, and she was unable to stop that hurt from showing on her face.
"Do not misunderstand, Rin. I am not undermining your talent. But as you are now, it is not possible for you to defeat any of the ex-special forces men."
"…And Akiko?"
She asked, her voice cracking. The pressure he was exerting was too much. She had not expected him to be so angry.
"It"s plausible. Ii has not been with us long enough."
"Miura, with respect, your sister fought impressively against me. And so I surrendered, allowing her the victory."
Gengyo did not even turn around to acknowledge his words. It was enough for them to have brought his family into this new world – he had lost his patience.
"Irrelevant. On a battlefield, she would have lost."
He commanded the entire s.p.a.ce around himself, emitting a cold chilly aura. Their reason for coming had not yet been announced, but he suspected he already knew. They had told the two women of their recent dealings.
"Akiko, Rin."
The two flinched as he announced their names and fiddled with the belt through which his sword was sheathed.
"You are not ready. Allow me to demonstrate that."
He tested that the scabbard was firmly secured to the sword, and continued his proposition.
"Use those naginata of yours, and attack me. You will be unable to land a single slash, and I am not even the most skilled member of our force. Should you go up against father or someone like him upon the battlefield, then you would be killed within a matter of seconds."
They stared at him, confused. Was he asking them to attack him together? They looked at each other, and hesitantly a.s.sumed a ready stance.
"Take off your sheaths. Attack me as if you mean to kill me, and attack me as one."
"But Nii-"
"Do it."
She attempted to protest – there was no way they could swing with the intent to kill if the blades were exposed. Neither of them wanted to hurt him. But it was a test, it seemed, and he insisted.
The other men looked as though they wished to intervene. They had misjudged their leader"s reaction. They knew he would be angry, but not to this point.
They slowly slid the sheaths off, and cast them onto the floor, even more nervous than they had been that morning when duelling.
Morojo and his sons gathered round to watch the fight. They had their employer pegged more as a businessman than a fighter, and were curious to see how he would perform against two opponents.
Morohira seemed to be the only one who wasn"t uncomfortable, as he merely looked excited. Perhaps he was still revelling in the indirect compliment that he had been given.
There was but a single reason why Gengyo had sheathed his sword: he did not wish to kill them. When he fought, even if they were family, he would do so to the best of his abilities, to firmly educate them on the difference between them.
He forced them to unsheathe their own weapons so that he could fight properly, with the fear of the death present. Else it would not be authentic.
"To defeat me, you merely have to draw first blood. Do you understand?"
The two girls grasped their blades with shaking hands, but managed to nod at his words. The man that they had come here in order to support was asking that they harm him. It was difficult to come to terms with.