"That doesn't give any reason to fear her" Sakura said.
"Not neccisarily yes, but the fact that the brothel owner busted her, and ended up dead, dug up the old legend of the Kazuna Akuma, one born from the rebellious samurai Benkei, that and, she killed two highly trained imperial guards that very same night the brothel owner died"
Sakura felt her guts stir, this Baiken wasn't a pushover after all, and that was all the more reason why Sakura had to find her.
"I'm not afraid of the legend, broadcast that I'm taking the bounty, and call off all other bounty hunters, or I swear I'll kill every one I find"
The two looked at her stunned.
"W, well, ok then"
"Any clues as to where she went?"
"That night they confirmed she was heading for the north gate, that should be a good place to start"
"Three years ago?"
"Yep"
"Fuck!" She said slamming the table and leaving with haste. Sakura didn't quite care if this girl had a three year head start, if Baiken used the north gate, she might actually have kept heading north, which means the chances of her finding the Toshin kuro kosai was great, and there Baiken would learn all she needed about her father, and about Sakura.
***
Baiken followed Miamoto to an isolated room in the house, she was asked to be seen alone so Tachibana proceeded to help Miamoto's wife in preparing dinner. When Miamoto opened the sliding door of the room Baiken saw it was a tatame room, complete with Jo, Bo, and real katanas on a stand one side.
"There are many hardships facing you Baiken-chan, the best I can do for you as your grandfather is teach you the Kazuna style of sword fighting"
"Kazuna style?"
"It's something my father developed, and taught me, so I taught your father. It is indeed a shame he couldn't have taught you, it's after all our family heritage"
"Is this style a lot like Bushido?"
"It's similar, but different and I will show you, collect a Jo from the rack and bring me one as well"
Baiken quickly headed over and brought it.
"The Kazuna style mixes Bushido, and Goyo-ryu style marchal arts, it's sword fighting and karate mixed. Stand ready and let's have a quick spar, you will notice the difference"
Baiken felt her stomach bubble, a style of fighting unique to her bloodline, this should be intetesting.
"You know Bushido right?" Miamoto asked.
"Yes sir"
"Then let's clash blades, and watch the difference"
Baiken nodded, she came in with an attack she knew Yamamoto always had to evade due to it's abstract angle of execusion and speed, but to Baiken's amazement he didn't dodge, Miamoto brought the Jo over his head wile ducking, his Jo ended up flush against his arm and in an upward angle, when Baiken's Jo connected his it got diverted up by a slight shunt from Miamoto's elbow, Baiken's eyes grew, just like that and she was completely exposed, Miamoto brought his Jo up and poked her chest, if it was a real katana, her heart would have been pierced.
She stood back trying to remember how Miamoto succeeded to defeat her with one counter, and absolute minimal effort.
"Goyo-ryu is a Karate that focuses on self defence, but in such a way that your defence becomes attack. Where one would normally swing the arm down to block, Goyo-ryu teaches you to srike into your blocking motion, causing it to become an attack"
Baiken didn't understand this Goyo-ryu, but she bowed quickly, very low "Pease teach me"
"Yes, of course my child"
Baiken happily erected herself again and got ready with her Jo
"No Baiken-chan, for now you can go put the swords back, from here on forward you will learn Goyo-ryu first"
Baiken nodded and replaced the two wooden swords back on the stand. When she returned Miamoto was already in a stance, his hands stiff next to his hips, his feet together.
"Join me" He said. Baiken watched how he stood and followed it.
"Now, ball your fists, and lift them upside down next to your ribs, from here we puch forward, One!" He said punching, Baiken punched.
"On the second punch you will draw back your forward fist, and fire out your next fist at the same time, with same speed, twisting your returning fist upside down again, Two!"
Baiken found it easy to follow, there was nothing to it really, it was very basic, but had powerful stances and attacks. The blocks was as Miamoto said, strikes, and they were aimed to break the arm they block, meaning the enemy won't use that same arm again. It was only five days until Miamoto was satisfied she knew how to mix the Goyo-ryu with the Bushido she already knew.
"You picked it up very quickly, it was as expected, your father also snapped it well. All you need to do is practice these techniques every day for at least an hour, and you'll become a great samurai just as your father did"
"Thankyou grandfather, I will take this knowledge with me always" Baiken said formally bowing.
Tachibana was waiting for her with bags packed in the main room of the house.
"You ready?" He asked as she came in.
"Yes, where is our next stop?"
"Tokyo Japan"
***
Kurusaki heard the noise outside his house, but with that came something different, silence, total and utter silence. He stood up from his position and walked out the door, only to he met by a gruesome sight; his entire clan laid sprawled over the grounds of their small settlement, some beheaded, some only in a pool of blood. There were even some completely dismembered.
"What is the meaning of this!? Who dares attack my clan!?"
"Sensei..." He heard her voice and looked to his right. There stood Sakura, a wicked evil smile on her face, and her entire body red of blood.
"Yuna, chan"
"I thought this was a village of shinobi, it seems I was mistaken" She said slowly approaching, her two short blades in each hand extended next to her.
"Why have you done this!? This is your home! Your people!"
"I am looking for someone, it should only have been a peacefully visit, but the very sight of this place reminded me of how everyone hated me"
"It wasn't hate Yuna, you were only misunderstood"
"Was I?"
"Yes, and now look, you will never be able to prove to them how powerful you have become, using your own special ability"
"I already proved it to them, they lay dead, and I stand painted with their blood"
"You became a witch, a Miko!"
"I don't care, I'm looking for Benkei's daughter, did she come by here?"
"Why should I tell you?"
"She belongs to me, Yamamoto sold her to me in return for Benkei's death"
"How cruel, in I thought he was a true samurai"
"He is, in terms of skill, but when it comes to his own selfish desires, he's nothing but scum"
Kurusaki felt his heart ache, how foul demons can reside inside the most unsespectant of people.
"I will tell you nothing"
"Then you will die old man"
"I do not care, you will never get Baiken, she is a free sprit, destant for greatness"
Kurusaki's words were barely silent when Sakura lunged in and stabbed both blades into his chest, he gasped grabbing her by her shoulders.
"Your, path, is dark Yuna-chan"
"That's why I need an Akuma, to guide me in the darkness"
"She will never..." Sakura drew the swords and decapitated him before he could speak further. She spat on the ground and entered Kurusaki's house. It took Sakura five days to find this place, Kurusaki must have moved the clan hideout countless times to avoid them being discovered, so naturally Sakura was in a hurry to find any clue that might lead her to Baiken.
After searching the whole place she only managed to find Benkei's sword. But Kurochi-nomai was missing, so either Baiken has it, or Kurusaki got rid of it. She took Chi-mai and left the massacred camp back to the path, her next stop was the harbor town Suichigo, there she will ask around for either Baiken... Or Hayabusa, she realised he wasn't in camp.
Along the way she found a stream to wash herself clean then headed in towards the docks. Her suspicion was that if Baiken fled from Yamamoto she would want to leave the island, so the first thing she needed to make sure was that Tachibana didn't check out in a boat. Baiken herself won't buy a ticket, she'd probably hide to conceal her face. At the ticket office she rang the bell.
"Can I help?" A man asked coming out the back.
"Yes, I'm looking for someone who might have checked in here to buy a ticket? His name is Hyabusa Tachibana"
"One moment" The man walked to a large filing cabnet and went down the alphabetically placed files, Sakura got annoyed.
"Seriously!? Why don't you people invest in a computer?"
"A what?" The man asked frowning over his shoulder.
"Nevermind, please continue" Sakura said forgetting the emperor is anti-technology, maybe she shouldn't have killed Benkei back then, then now she wouldn't have waited for this scrawny little man! To finish his file search!
"Found it" He said taking the file out "Yes, Hyabusa Tachibana, bought two tickets to Okinawa"
"Who was he with?"
"Uh, it doesn't say, that's strange"
'It's her!' Sakura thought, Tachibana somehow got a ticket to a no name person, that must be Baiken.
"When is the next ship to Okinawa?"
"Tomorrow at seven"
Frustrated Sakura took out money from one of her many utility bags and held it to him, but too late she realised the notes were still red of blood. The man behind the counter stared at the money, then looked st her.
"I hope that's not blood"
"It is" Sakura said thinking quickly "I'm a bounty hunter, it gets messy sometimes"
The man pinched the notes with his forefinger and thumb then carefully brought it close to his face.
"Urg, ok then, I guess money is money" he said and handed her a ticket.
"Thanks" She said and left the office.
Sakura went to the nearest bar and ordered herself hot sake. Senario's ran through her mind on what Baiken might be up to, and one specific one came to mind, she's on her way to Japan. She scanned her surroundings and when she was sure no one was watching her she took out her mobile phone and wronte a text.
'Entei, I'm in persuit of a girl but she's a few days ahead of me, go to the port of Tokyo and find out if a certain Tachibana Hysbusa checked in? Make it snappy!'
She hid the phone quickly as someone passed her. One thing was for certain the emperor banned technology from Saipan, fuck knows why, but if someone is caught with it it's a death penalty, Sakura always wondered why, maybe one day she'll go on a mission to find out.
After an hour and half a dozen sake bottles later Sakura sat head spinning when the phone vibrated against her leg. She squinted around to make sure she's safe, and took it out.
'No Yuna, no such person checked in yet'
Good, this means Baiken is either still on Okinawa, or on her way to Japan main.
'Rally tthe men, iii wantt, outlookss, evverywere. Tafhibana is with a girl in her twenties, eeewhite eyes, shs probbly try to hide hr face' ... Send...
... Reply...
'Are you drunk again!?'
'Fuck ifff, get it dome' ... Send...
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'LoL! On it'
Sakura hung her had back, that fucking bastard Entei, she'd be sure to whip his ass extra hard when she sees him again.