Our eyes met and I felt exposed. It seemed like the Yamabushi's gaze went all the way into my soul, weighing the rights and wrongs of my live. It was a disturbing thought and I had to try hard not to be caught by his silent glare. A mute curse went through my head. How can you even beat a man if you do not dare to look in his face? I took a few deep breaths to calm myself while I continued to circle around him. He stood on one leg, the other lifted up from the ground and somehow managed to follow my movement around him.
I lunged forward, circling my Katana from its high position down toward his left chin, but the Yamabushi effortlessly blocked the blade with his Naginata and I retreated back to my former distance. Mokuyo, the migrant monk, watched me and waited.
My discomfort increased, when I felt my father's presence. Had he come to gloat about my failure, again? Anger arose in my chest and I attacked again, with quick, short strikes I tried to push him back, but the Yamabushi continued to dismiss my advances with ease. I noticed he didn't even move his legs and his left hand was still on his hip, while he wielded his sword-lance with just the right hand, when suddenly I felt a pain on the back of my head. I was struck with surprise and wood at the same time, as the butt end of Mokuyo's Naginata hit me in his first offensive move. He whirled around in a pirouette and I watched the sword-lance's shaft made a wide circle before it hit my knee. The power of the impact made me stumble and I had no time to counter the next blow that hit my chest, pressing the air out of my lungs and knocking me over.
I found myself with the back in the courtyard's sand and standing over me was the Yamabushi, his head slightly tilted to the side and a mild smile on his lips.
I was breathing with effort and my chest hurt from Mokuyo's strike, but I blushed when I thought of the humiliation I just inflicted on myself, when I saw father appear at the Yamabushi's side. Father's face wore the mask of disfavour he always put on when he had to watch his misguided son do something worthy of disapproving, which in our relation was pretty much always.
"You handle the sword well, but you will never be great if you don't do it with honour," he said and I felt a surge of pain, as if his voice hit me like a Tanto's cold blade thrusted mercilessly through the gaps of my ribcage's protective cover, deep into my most vulnerable inner self.
Father looked down on me, both literally and figuratively, slightly shook his head in disdain and turned away.
Until his appearance disturbed my concentration I held my ground against the best fencer in Aki province – at least I tried to convince myself – but as always he succeeded to make me feel like a playing child, who broke the porcelain in his reckless games.
Still lying on the ground I closed my eyes one more time and let out a deep, frustrated sigh.
* * *
Table of contents:
Chapter 1: Unseemly
Chapter 2: Shady
Chapter 3: Deadly
Chapter 4: Downfall
Chapter 5: Exile
Chapter 6: In Search of a Purpose
Chapter 7: A New Home
Chapter 8: No Quarter
Chapter 9: A Year in Hyuga
Chapter 10: Two Blades Combined
Chapter 11: Cleanup
Chapter 12: Considerations