I continue to look at Kyo, she was a redheaded ninja almost unheard of. Her violet eyes almost looking into my insidious soul, I've done unspeakable things in the name of unification. Almost like she's judging me and I just smirk in response and then she turns around her shoulder length hair flowing softly as she did. "Well were not gonna fight here I want you two to come to the courtyard, much more room down there and scenic after all this is a battle that decides our fates." she says almost cheerfully no doubt she expects to win. She doesn't even take the rope ladder down, she instead jump out the window and glides her way down the pagoda. Exactly what you would expect from a ninja. Fumikage would then follow suit not being outclassed by a enemy ninja. What am I going to do with all these ninjas running around? I take the rope ladder down sliding down it and hopping off onto the floor. I walk out into the courtyard, the sight is still just beautiful. The cherry blossoms swirling around the winds guiding them. The moon shining down on the courtyard, all around the arena even bigger than the one in the pagoda. There's fire cauldrons surrounding the outside of it the fires being carried into the wind. Jaded yin and yang symbol in the middle of the floor, seeming like they have some Taoist belief. I keep myself outside the ring and I look from the distance, Kyo's pale skin glistening in the light. Hopefully Fumikage wont be distracted. Fumikage removes top of his garb and tosses it to the side, readying himself in his combat stance looking at his enemy in front of him.
Kyo removes her face mask, revealing a slim jawline, and a beauty mark underneath her bright pink lips and the way that Fumikage looks at her almost makes him drop his guard. He obviously didn't expect her to be so beautiful. As beautiful as she may be, I only have eyes for one woman, my Shiho. However if things go right we might have just found a candidate for Fumikage to marry, yes that would be a good move to combine the ninjas of our nations once I take this land. Kyo quickly adjusts to her combat starting with the horse stance. Bending her elbows in and having her wrists at her waist, Before bringing her defending hand out switching to shuffle stance. These stances, I've seen them before. My time as Daimyo, I've made many trade routes with many different countries for what I need. Even manuals to learn the several different martial arts, this one would be classified as Wing Chun. A defensive to offensive style of fighting and swift too surprisingly created by a woman too. Its a effective martial art unfortunately I can interfere, win or lose that would destroy Fumikage's confidence. I cross my arms watching them both circle each other. Fumikage switching his style to match more like mine which is unusual. where did he learn to do that. He places one leg extended forward, the other foot just lightly back, one hand up towards his chin, and the other in front of his mid section bouncing back and forth lightly. A small bit of my fighting style is derived from the Wing Chun style. He's only mimicking my style he wont be able to utilize its full potential. They begin inching towards each other and before they even finish closing the space, the sound of the Taiko, gets send through the air multiple times shaking the flames of the fire signaling the start of battle.
Kyo continues to shuffle, as she patiently awaits a attack from Fumikage, she eyes his stance almost questioning it, it seems like. Fumikage would throw out a feint kick attempting to throw her off and then proceed to throw a jab in quick succession after the feint. She raises her leg in reaction to the kick and still has her hands up, she deflects the jab. It didn't land, and she directed his blow down and pushes him forward and delivered a series of blows to his back sounding like a chef beating meat. Fumikage would spit up some blood from the flurry of bunches to his back no doubt it bruised his ribs and spinal area. "Is this all a Orushu ninja has I expected more from you, you couldn't even beat a child in my clan!" Kyo sticks her tongue out playfully clearly trying to ruffle Fumikage's feathers. He takes in a deep breath bouncing slightly getting his breathing right. He would run at her and do a flying a kick that was pretty obvious I wonder what he's planning. She obviously dodged it circling behind him trying to do another attack from behind. He lands but leans himself back, and a Image flashes in my mind, at the same time he does the movement. He extends his hand back wards copying a move directly from my drunken stance. The strong unexpected tap lands against her chin as he spins around looking at her. He caught her off guard, she got knocked down from that hit. She quickly swiped her chin and kicked up, a child could see the flare of heat coming from her eyes, he's obviously pissed her off. She starts stomping her feet and huffs and puffs like a child, a spoiled one at that completely losing the cool façade she had earlier.
"You big meanie your supposed to let the girl win asshole, now I'm gonna go serious against you!" She deeply inhales and moves her arms in a circular motion before shifting her knees inwards. One after another spectral versions appear out of her, like copies of herself. These are afterimages, she's using her spiritual flow. The spirit flow is the energy running through our bodies, you can achieve higher versions of this through multiple development techniques. Spirit flow is not only the energy in our bodies, but its also what connects to us to the other side, the afterlife. It's even said that those who master these can see spirits and oni and can even talk to their own ancestors for guidance. These are just the basics, I never studied into that side of things I never needed to, but this time around I should, I need to see my mother. She's devoted her whole life into the understandings of such things. I stand there shaking my head, this is gonna be a rough fight for Fumikage, its one thing to fight a physical battle but he has no experience fighting things on the spiritual spectrum. Fumikage's eyes keep shifting between Kyo and her afterimages. "I land one lucky hit and suddenly you wanna start pulling cheap tricks. No matter how many you send after me I'll take them down." He says calmly swiftly circling bouncing on his toes and looking at each afterimage. "Cheap huh no way!! You country dogs just don't know true martial arts, its more than just physical strength, its about inner strength as well!!" She begins to run at him with her afterimages, as she yells out.
Two of the afterimages close in on Fumikage, throwing two hooks at him he ducks and uses his hands as a core and kicks his legs back expecting to bounce off the enemies kicking them back and instead he flies through them stumbling. The real Kyo hits him in the jaw, sending him stumbling she then swiftly kicks the back of his leg, and uses her palm to hit his jaw almost dislocating it and a swirls her arms quickly back to her waist before sending a double palm strike to his gut sending him all the way back to my feet. She unleashed one hell of a combination of Fumikage, if i was still awake after that I wouldn't want to get up. However further advanced she is in the spiritual flow, she's not a master far from it. She can only make partial afterimages but one day she will be strong enough to make actual physical copies of herself. Fumikage twitches before coughing up a steam of blood and he shakily gets up. Looking as if he's having a hard time even raising his fist, through sheer willpower and loyalty to his commander and future daimyo. "I cant give in, I wanna sleep so badly right now and I feel like shit, but if we lose here my lords first campaign will be in failure..." I bet he's barely even conscious and I feel compelled to step in. I walk into the ring and wrap my arms around Fumikage letting him fall down. "You did good my friend, I'm lucky to have a comrade like you. However I cant have you getting killed for my sake not when I can help it, our journey has just begun. We'll both get stronger with due time now rest up my friend." He fades unconscious, as I let him down on the ground gently. I turn over to Kyo with my hands out and looks down at her into her eyes. "So how does this work are you gonna lock me up and throw the key, or gonna deliver me directly to your daimyo." She smirks and looks up at me as she takes my wrists and ties them together in front of me and pets me softly on the cheek. "Such a good doggy, and here I thought you would throw a fit of some kind." She leads me to the entrance of the cave. "Yeah yeah just take care of my ninja and make sure to tell him to go to my father's unit. I've been removed off the board. Don't blame me for murdering your daimyo either if he tries something dishonorable." I say arrogantly just walking with Kyo and I look up at the sky sighing a bit.
"You talk a big game, for someone who's ninja was just utterly crushed in a one sided battle now keep moving." She says acting all strong and I snarl at the comment. "My ninja isn't me since when are daimyo weaker than their subordinates. Your trick would have never worked on me, even I can see that your technique is incomplete. I'm honoring our deal but I could break you and march into your daimyo domain as prisoner myself." I make my fist tighten popping all of my knuckles and looking down at her with hatred in my eyes. As my anger began to spark, the looks in her eyes changed, no doubt its her spiritual flow that she can see the manifestation of my anger. Even I cant see it. Her legs begin to shake as she gulps and she nods her head continuing to lead the way. I take a deep breath and calm myself down before speaking. "Your daimyo will die, I suggest you heed my warning and this isn't false bravado. He will die by my hands even if I am just a prisoner now, so what I need you to do if you want to ensure the safety of your clan is to teach my ninja to use spiritual flow. He's your guest now so don't disappoint me. Finally one last thing, he doesn't leave here until he learns. Only then he will return to my father." We make it out the entrance and I get into the cart that was waiting outside for us and she helps me into it and before she turns to leave I look her dead in the eye. "Am I understood? Would you prefer your beautiful pagoda turned to ash? Your clan wiped from the history?" I ask her awaiting patiently for my answer. "No sir I don't want any of that." she looks down at the ground avoiding eye contact. "Look at me in the eye when you talk to me!" I instantly flex and break the restraints as I demand her. The once strong ninja flinches almost becoming weak in front of me, whatever she seen has truly shaken her. She slowly raises her head gulping looking directly into my eyes. "No sir I don't want any of that and your are understood, Lord Ishi." I nod my head and signal her to go as I look at the trees surrounding us preparing to be a prisoner for the remainder of the war or at least that's the plan. As the carriage gets lead by its horses going the route without anyone by my side, or without my troops it would appear that I have a lot of self reflecting the road ahead.