Homecoming (Zenke)

The sight of Yokuda City, glowing like a beacon in the center of the massive cavern that the Kijin call home, was something that Kanetsugu Nakamura would never get tired of seeing emerge from the rock as he made his way to his birthplace from the surface world. It was fifty years since the Kijin people had become aware of the world beyond their world, and things had changed dramatically in Kijin society in the intervening years. When Yokuda received a visitor named Merlin, from a land that the caverns of Yokuda resided in called Ka'Lesa, in response to the dark magic that had been detected from the Shino clan quarter of the city, speculation had been rampant about what lay in the land above. In the aftermath of the Black Night, one of the bloodiest and - in Kanetsugu's opinion at least - the lowest points in Kijin history, plans were formed to investigate Ka'Lesa. A new organisation had been formed, in order to both address the Ka'Lesa issue and provide necessary oversight and support in order to prevent a repeat of the Black Night, the Lotus. Each division of the Lotus had a specific function within the organisation, with the Black Lotus being created by the Nakamura clan, specifically Kanetsugu's father Shinsuke Nakamura. The Black Lotus represnted the Nakamura clan's tradition of being the Kijin's foremost spies and assassins, and Kanetsugu and his brother Kojiro were proud to be a part of it.

With the Lotus being established and ratified by the Council, the decision was then made to send Black Lotus operatives to the surface world in small numbers to explore and report back with intelligence on what lay beyond the caverns of Yokuda. Kanetsugu and Kojiro had been two of the operatives selected for this assignment, and they had made many forays to this point. On his travels, Kanetsugu had discovered a vivid world full of distinct features that varied wildly from area to area. The exit that Merlin had shown the Kijin was situated at the base of a mountain range in the south of a region known as Mondolin. The Kijin learned about the various peoples that inhabited this land, Humans and Eldari and Heanta and eventually Asentari in recent times. They also learned about the instability of the land as well, with the lawlessness of the Free Lands and the tension between the major powers of the land providing a chilly backdrop to the stunning beauty that also existed there. Kanetsugu was amazed that he could always find something new on each of his missions, but the feeling of returning home was a much-anticipated part of these trips as well.

But after he absorbed the moment that he looked forward to every time he returned to Yokuda, Kanetsugu's mind returned to what he had to report to his superiors on this occasion. The news was, alarming to say the least. He entered the city of his birth and headed straight for his clan estate, informing his father of his findings. Within an hour, the Council chamber was filled with the reprentatives of each noble clan, as well as the division heads of the Lotus. Once everyone was present, Kanetsugu delivered his troubling report. In his journey north, Kanetsugu and Kojiro had heard troubling reports while in Sunshield Hold of a recent attack on the Hold by a force of undead soldiers. Seeing the parallels between these reports and what he had witnessed in the Shino clan estate all those years ago. He requested permission to inspect the damage and the bodies, and his fears were confirmed by what he saw. Enquiring about what happened after, Kanetsugu and Kojiro had been told that Knight-Lieutenant Kairi Thorne had led a small force north to a small village called Calixto to investigate the source of these reports. The witnessed the aftermath of the attack on Calixto, as well as the creature that emerged from the wizard who had been controlling the undead in the area. They were about to step in to help, but the young woman who had confronted the creature defeated it, though she was injured in the process. The brothers decided that the Council needed to know about this, and inform them that the Kijin may be required to get involved. Kojiro remained to watch over the area around Calixto, while Kanetsugu returned to Yokuda to inform the Council.

Once he had finished his debriefing, Kanetsugu was excused while the Council and the Lotus leadership deliberated on what to do next. Kojiro had agreed to follow Kanetsugu two days behind to inform them of any developments, so Kanetsugu used the time to try and get some extra training in. His gut told him that they would need to help, if even just to stop the possibility of another outbreak of the same horrors that caused the Black Night, and he told the Council as much. After changing into his training garb, Kanetsugu strode out into the main training area of the Lotus with his weapon in hand. He set up an array of training dummies and began to practice his stances. He started with the Tsuno's beginner fighting stance, spraying a few speculative strikes against the dummies. He then changed to the Sanada power stance, and began to more heavily rain blows on the dummies. Kanetsugu had prided himself on the adaptability of his style of combat, a style he called the "Five-Form Blade Style". He combined aspects of every school he had studied under, creating a unique style consisting of the Power and Speed styles of the Tsuno school, the Sanada Rush and Defense styles, and the Nakamura ninjutsu sword discipline, and put extreme emphasis on being to flow from one to the other seamlessly. He finished with a few flips and somersault attacks from the Nakamura school, before stopping to meditate between rallies.

Asaka Tsuno, second in command of the Lotus, sat among the council and leadership of the Lotus as Kanetsugu Nakamora of the Black Lotus delivered a report on his recent discoveries in the lands above. His most recent trip came with extremely troubling news. Undead had surfaced in the lands above, and it was easy to see the similarities to what had happened 50 years ago when the Shino had gone rogue and started raising corpses to do their bidding. Silence fell over the council as Kanetsugu finished his report, and when he was done, they dismissed him. And then, when the Black Lotus operative left, chaos erupted, as the entire room, barring Asaka and most of the Lotus leaders, started to speak at once. Some wanted to intervene, while others argued that the situation had no bearing on their problems.

Asaka’s brother Kitamura was a strong supporter of engaging with the lands above fully, and believed that now was the time to reveal themselves, as helpful allies against the undead. “Start off on a good foot with our neighbours.” He said. Someone agreed, demanding Taisho send the lotus, and was interrupted by another who began to argue that the Lotus was needed here. “What if the Koroi Tsuno get wind of our plans, and attack when we’re weak?” He shouted. If the Koroi Tsuno heard about the surface world in general, they would escape the caverns and become an even bigger problem. There was no shortage of bandits and thugs for Eijiro to hire up there, from what Asaka read in the reports.

The arguing became worse, and the noise level rose to unbearable in the room. Asaka had no patience for back and forth bickering and time wasting, and as such she stood up, grabbed Mizutsune by the sheath and slammed the tip of the scabbard into the table. The crack of the weapon against the table reverberated around the room, and silence fell, and the council looked at her. “Compose yourselves!” She said. “Sitting here arguing about it like children will get us nowhere.” Taisho, who had so far said nothing, nodded in argreement. “It is hard to think, when you cannot hear your own thoughts. I suggest we take a break and reconvene when everyone has calmed down. Tomorrow perhaps. This news is unsettling, and we need more information before deciding how to proceed.” He said. The room grumbled an agreement, and slowly began to disperse. Asaka left immediately, avoiding the leader of the head of The Kusanagi clan, who had waylaid her before to talk about the admirable attributes of her son. She had made herself clear before, but the Woman was insistent and hadn’t taken the hint.

Asaka had no interest, or time, for relationships. She certainly had no interest in marriage or popping out children. She had work to do. Between the Koroi Tsuno, Taisho and now Undead resurfacing, she would likely be missing out on sleep. Asaka walked at a stormy pace, and thankfully nobody got between her and her destination as she returned to the Lotus headquarters. The guards at the gate nodded to her and let her pass without incident, and she headed towards her office on the second floor. Her path brought her through the training facility, one of her regular haunts. When she wasn’t doing paperwork, reading reports or making sure Taisho was doing what he needed to do, she came here. She had no intention of stopping, but she spotted Kanetsugu, who was going through his forms in silence. Asaka felt pleased to see him for a moment, before she shut down the part of her that felt anything other than respect for the Black Lotus warrior. Kanetsugu had been a long time sparring partner, someone who’s skill with the sword along with his fighting prowess impressed her enough that she saw him as an equal. Others might call that a friend, but she didn’t have time for such things. A quick sparring match on the other hand…

She stood in silence as he moved through his forms, letting him work through them, and his short meditation before making herself known as he stood up again. “Your Tsuno forms are sloppy.” She said by way of greeting, stepping onto the straw training mats. “To much time hiding in bushes, watching the world above.” She felt mildly jealous of the time he got to spend on the surface. She’d been once or twice, but not much further than the mouth of the cave. The sky had been breathtaking, literally, the vast nothingness above enough to make her momentarily panic. Of course, that had been as the captain of the Red Lotus, when she had very little reason to go out there. Now, she could probably think of multiple reasons, this new report included. If she had the time. “Do you need me to run you through it again, Nakamura San?” She asked.

Kanetsugu stood up from his solitary reflections, body relaxed and mind clear. As he did so, he heard a familiar voice from behind him, chiding him on his poor Tsuno form. He smiled and turned to see the unmistakable form of Asaka Tsuno. Asaka had been present in the Council chambers when he gave his report, though as the second-in-command of the Lotus she was forced to remain for the Council deliberations. She was once his betrothed in order to foster a closer relationship between their two clans, but they had decided long ago to take their own paths. Kanetsugu still considered Asaka a close friend and, despite her professional exterior, he felt she considered him the same, though they both shared a strong sense of duty which led both of them to put their obligations to their duties first.

Kanetsugu approached Asaka after her gentle jibe. "Indeed? I didn't want the Tsuno style to look too easy." He tied his unruly hair back as she continued, noting that he had been spending too much time hiding in bushes on the surface. Kanetsugu recognized the mischievous glint in Asaka's eye, but there was also a slight longing in her gaze, one that he felt he could readily explain, though he knew their duty meant that she would have to wait before she could be permitted to venture to the surface world. Kanetsugu chose to change the subject. "I take it the Council did not reach a decision?" He knew once his report was concluded that there would be conflict within the council.

Ever since the encounter with Merlin, there were opoosing views on what to do with the revelation of the surface world. Some thought the Kijin should remain isolated for security reasons, while others expressed a desire to venture out and learn about the new world, forging alliances along the way. Kanetsugu was firmly in the latter camp, having seen both the dangers and rewards such relations could bring. Asaka broke his reverie by asking coyly if he wished her to help him improve his form. Kanetsugu raised an eyebrow, though he did appreciate the opportunity to spar with an actual person as opposed to inanimate dummies. Drawing his sword, Kanetsugu nodded and walked slowly to the center of the training ring. "Assuming the Council embraces reason and decides to take action, it would be good to be ready." He bowed to his adversary and gripped his weapon and its sheathe in preparation for battle.

Kanetsugu responded calmly to Asaka’s remark, mentioning that he hadn’t wanted to make it look too easy. She raised an eyebrow but said nothing, accepting his excuse. In truth she knew he was an exceptional fighter, although she found his fighting style unorthodox. She preferred the speed and power of the Tsuno style over the Sanada’s and other clans styles. She had studied how to fight against them, something she had to do or she may not have made it through sixty plus duels, undefeated by anyone in formal combat. After a few moments of silence, he changed the subject, guessing that the council hadn’t come to a decision. “They are worse than bickering children.” Asaka replied. “The lands above will either be overrun, or will have dealt with this issue before the council decides on what to do.” Asaka knew the right thing was to help, if only because if the lands above failed, the Kijin would once again be in danger of an undead incident.

Kanetsugu seemed surprised by her offer, but accepted nonetheless, mentioning that it would be good to be ready, should the council decide to send the lotus to help the world above. “Indeed, and I have no intention of staying on the sidelines.” Asaka said in agreement. She was a warrior first, before anything else. Rank, position, they served only as a tool for her to do the thing she was born to do; fight. Kanetsugu stepped back, and bowed, placing his hand on his weapon. Asaka removed her haori, draping the red cloak across a bench, and stepped into the ring proper. She wore her usual attire, designed with combat functionality in mind, over anything else. Some found her style of dress to be too revealing, but Asaka cared little for other people's opinions on her attire. Asaka placed her hand on Mikazuki’s hilt and bowed in response.

Silence feel over the training area, as the people around them realised what was happening. She saw them slowly shuffle over out of the corner of her eye, then turned her attention fully back to Kanetsugu. Asaka focused on her breathing, even and calm, as everything around them faded into the background, and it was just her and Kanetsugu, and the mats beneath their feet. One second she was standing still, the next she was rushing forward, sword drawn in the flick of her wrist. She went straight into a two handed downward slice, an easy and predictable start to their fight, that gave her multiple follow up options. And follow up she did, switching her hands on the hilt to bring it back up quickly and down into a right to left diagonal slice.

Kanetsugu nodded as Asaka lamented the Council's usual discord when it came to making a decision about the potential undead outbreak on the surface world. She echoed the fear that Kanetsugu himself had, that the Council would not be able to reach consensus before the outbreak became a disaster. She finished by stating bluntly something that Kanetsugu had already taken for granted. She was going to fight. Kanetsugu nodded as Asaka removed her haori and took her position across from him in the training ring. "My brother will be back in two days. We will know then how bad things are, and what we need to do." Though he knew his brother, Kojiro, was a compentent and highly professional operator, Kanetsugu still had concern for his wellbeing. Kojiro was a more skilled secret operative then Kanetsugu, having eschewed advanced sword training in order to focus completely of the Nakamura ninjutsu arts, but he was also headstrong and prideful, and Kanetsugu hoped his brother would realize the scale of the potential problems they faced and curb his more brash tendencies.

Back in the present, Asaka charged at him to keep his mind focused on the here and now. The Tsuno scion led with a downward slice that Kanetsugu sidestepped, before leaning back to avoid the follow-up diagonal chop. Responding quickly, Kanetsugu partially un-sheathed and sheathed his weapon in a lightning-fast motion, attempting to catch Asaka in the side with the butt of the handle. He then drew his weapon fully, keeping one hand on his scabbard as he deliver a rapid draw strike diagonally upwards from his side and followed with another upward diagonal from the opposite side. He finished with a flat left-to-right horizontal slice, retreating as he slashed with a jump backwards, preparing for the return.

Kanetsugu didn’t let her down, easily avoiding her opening attacks with a sidestep followed by leaning back. He attempted to strike her with his pommel, but Asaka easily stepped out of range of the strike. Kanetsugu followed up with with his favoured opening, a drawing slash that drew on various techniques from his multitude of styles. Asaka turned his blade up with her own, then brought it down into his second attack to intercept it. As he followed up with a horizontal slash she dropped one hand from her sword, summoning a copy of Mikazuki in her free hand. She blocked the strike with crossed blades, before effortlessly stepping into her assault stance, sacrificing Agility(-1) for speed(+1) as she moved into her counter attack.

She stepped forward, slashing left to right with both swords, before splitting them and aiming a diagonal cut with her left hand across the chest. She followed up with a downward slash from the right hand, then stepped forward crossing the weapons and attacking with a scissor style slash to the midriff, before bringing both weapons back up to slash diagonally in opposite directions. She followed up with several more quick light slashes, one aimed low for the side of the left calf, another uppercut diagonal aimed at Kanetsugu’s sword hand.

Kanetsugu was unsurprised at the lack of progress he gleaned from his own opening salvo. She turned aside his draw-strike, before deftly interrupting his mirrored follow-up with a well-placed chop and blocking the horizontal with crossed swords. Kanetsugu was familiar with Asaka's ability to conjure up a copy of her weapon to facilitate her favored dual-weapon style, and it was something he kept an eye out for. It meant that she was going to take this fight seriously, and her change in stance confirmed his theory. Kanetsugu smiled grimly, and prepared for the assault. When it came, it was fast, numerous and to the point.

The first attack was a double slash across the horizontal axis, which Kanetsugu ducked, before swatting away the strike to the chest. He moved his sword hand out of the way of another strike, then used his weapon to intercept the scissor strike, jamming the blade in the middle and using strength and leverage from his superior height to push the strike down and away. The reply to this nearly caught him out, and he backflipped out of the strikezone of the reverse scissor strike that came back up. A flurry of slashes followed, forcing Kanetsugu to retreat as he swatted them away. He hadn't settled into his rhythm yet, and it was showing as he was forced on the defensive.

Thinking quickly, Kanetsugu decided to go immediately on the attack. He knew that if he let Asaka dictate the pace and exert control on the fight, it would most likely result in defeat. He took one more step back after the last strike before launching forward and unleashing a two-handed assault of his own. He launched a diagonal slash from each side before spinning with the second one into a horizontal slash, then reversed the momentum and thrust viciously before jumping backwards with a parting sweep of the blade left to right.

Kanetsugu dealt with her assault, but just barely. She could tell, because as soon as he got a chance he went onto the attack and attempted to take control of the pace. Asaka switched to a reactive stance, dismissing her second sword and taking a two handed grip to better deal with the anslaught Kanetsugu struck with. She turned her blade to intercept each diagonal strike as it came, angling the weapon to deflect and redirect the blows away from her. He followed up with a horizontal strike that she back stepped, spinning out of the path of his follow up thrust before moving back in, sliding by his partial sweep of the blade before springing up into a two handed uppercut, not giving Kanetsugu a moment to relax.

She moved straight into a left to right slash, and began to build up abyssal energy around her sword. As she followed up her horizontal slash with a back step slash in the opposite direction she unleased a 3 foot blade of abyssal energy from her sword that shot towards Kanetsugu, which would deal average damage if it hit. She didn't follow up immediately, instead backing off a few steps, holding her reactive stance and attempting to lure him in.

Kanetsugu realized quickly that in order to try and impose himself on the fight, he had in fact fallen into Asaka's trap. He saw her change in stance immediately as he delivered his fusillade of strikes, and he inwardly chastised himself for playing into his longtime friend's hands. She had pressed the attack early in order to force him into changing his own approach, and thus making him fight reactively instead of proactively. Asaka used her more defensive stance to deftly deal with his attacks, before pressing her advantage quickly. Kanetsugu leapt back from her as she slashed across him, and he noticed an energy build up in her weapon. Having seen her use this ability numerous times over the years, Kanetsugu had a defense prepared. He activated his Barrier Jutsu, forming a cylindrical barrier around himself just as Asaka uncorked an energy slash from her sword.

The barrier stopped the attack in its tracks before disintegrating, and Kanetsugu saw Asaka hold her ground for him to engage again. He smiled, not taking the profferred bait. "So, we're using powers? Can I assume this means that you are now taking this seriously?" Kanetsugu created an Abyssal Kunai in his hand and threw it with his customary accuracy, aiming for Asaka's shoulder. Then Kanetsugu activated his Devilchain Jutsu and fired it at Asaka in an attempt to grapple her with it. If he succeeded, he would pull as hard as he could on the chain to pull her towards him, before unleashing a horizontal swing with both hands as she approached. If the grapple failed, Kanetsugu would instead charge forward and throw another Abyssal Kunai at his target before sending a trifecta of horizontal slashes Asaka's way, the first two at neck height and the third a low sweep.

Asaka had lured him in, but he was quick enough to avoid her counter attack and leapt away. Kanetsugu caught on to her follow up attack, throwing up a barrier to block the energy blade as it came in. He asked about the sudden use of powers and Asaka frowned. "When do I not take something seriously?" Asaka asked. Especially combat. "I we go to the surface, I want to be ready." She needed to be at her absolute best. Always.

Kanetsugu returned fire with one of his signature Abyssal Kunai, which Asaka deflected easily. He followed up with a chain attack that Asaka 'Failed' to react to, letting him pull her towards him. She recovered her footing as she approached, angling her blade downward to deflect Kanetsugu's strike upwards. She switched to a one handed grip and created Mikazuki's copy and aiming her own horizontal slash towards Kanetsugu's gut, stopping the blade short of actually gutting him if he didn't avoid it. Following that, she would back away, making some space before the next exchange.

Kanetsugu nodded as Asaka replied to his observation about her using her powers, but his expression changed to one of grim determination. "Indeed. I believe we will all need to be ready." Asaka handily deflected the Abyssal Kunai, but she was snared by his Abyssal Chain. Kanetsugu realized the danger however, as she maintained her balance and brought her blade up to deflect his horizontal swing, before forcing him to jump backwards to avoid the slice across his gut, though he did note that Asaka had pulled her swing slightly just in case he was too slow to avoid it. He exhaled as he saw Asaka retreat as well, allowing a small pause before what would come next.

Kanetsugu sheathed his sword, then created three more Abyssal Kunai in his hand and threw them in a horizontal fan-like formation at Asaka, and this was the signal of his approach. He charged forward, leading with a upward draw strike from the left side, then followed with a diagonal uppercut from the right side. He then brought his sword back across with a horizontal strike. Then, in a change of pace completely, Kanetsugu leapt back, gripping his weapon with two hands in a style reminiscent of the one of the more defensive variants of the Sanada-style sword school. He waited for the retort, curious to see what Asaka's next move would be.

Asaka watched as Kanetsugu sheated his blade and threw three more Kunai. Blades of water surged up to intercept the Kunai knocking them from the air as Asaka gave away the reason for her sudden retreat, to move closer to the water barrel next to the training ring. She hadn't needed to be close to use her manipulation, except to execute a faster surprise attack. More water surged around her, drawn from the barrel as Kanetsugu charged back in. He preformed a drawing slash, striking from the left which she blocked with her blade. A quick diagonal slice had her stepping back, and as he finished off with a horizontal slash that she deftly deflected, Asaka returned fire with a trio of water blades.

Kanetsugu jumped back and she watched as he took A sanada stance. While she wasn't trained in their style, she was familiar, partially from Kanetsugu's use of it, but also because she couldn't be the best warrior in Yokuda if she didn't know her competition. Asaka moved in slowly, circling to the right. Then suddenly, she lunged, blades of water slashing towards Kanetsugu to test his defenses, before adding her own weapon to the mix, slashing left to right followed by a vertical uppercut.

Asaka began to utilize more of her power, neutralizing Kanetsugu's kunai with blades made of water. Kanetsugu chided himself internally for not spotting the obvious move to get near to a water barrel, a resource for Asaka that he had somehow failed to spot. Water surged all over as his next flurry of attacks came in, with Asaka using a deft combination of parries, dodges and water manipulationto avoid them all. Kanetsugu was then forced to dodged left and right as a trio of water blades came his way while he retreated. Once he had transitioned to the Sanada stance, Asaka made her move. She stepped around to his left before lunging in with a pair of water blades, which Kanetsugu was forced to duck and weave to avoid. The Tsuno scion then followed with her own sword, with Kanetsugu parrying the horizontal slash downward, then knocking the uppercut to the side.

Kanetsugu then opened up his stance and began to respond. He led with a pair of diagonal uppercuts, one from each side. Then he uncorked a pair of downward diagonals, again one from each side but this time advancing slowly at the same time to try and force Asaka either backwards or to the side. He then finished with a horizontal slash left-to-right, followed by a step back to gauge reaction.

Asaka backstepped as Kanetsugu came in with double uppercuts, sword moving left to right to turn each blow as it came in. He went staight into a pair of downward slashes, trying to force her back slowly. She let him, blocking the blows and stepping back each time, water floating up to move around her in thin strips. Kanetsugu finished with a horizontal slash and Asaka stepped back out of range, and he retreated almost as fast himself. Asaka switch stance, a second blade appearing as she switched Mikazuki to a one handed grip, and she lunged forward after him, a barrage of waterblades exploding towards him in a crisscross pattern. She followed the water blades, lunging in with a thrust for Kanetsugu's gut with the right blade and slashing the left upwards as she stepped forward with her left foot. She flowed through the slash into a low sweep with the right blade, leaping to throw an unexpected kick towards Kanetsugu's face before dropping back down with a vertical slash of her left blade. While she was used to her friend's defenses holding up, she was ready to pull a strike if it came to close to actually hurting him badly.

Kanetsugu's attacks commenced, and Asaka dealt with them in her own efficient manner. She swept his initial uppercuts away with her blade, before backing away and blocking the follow-up attacks as she went. She jumped back out of range of his final slash, and temporarily retreated as well. As she measured for her next move, Kanetsugu smiled as he revelled in the challenge that his oldest friend provided for him. A dark cloud began to permeate his thoughts then, however. Kanetsugu began to remember what he had seen in the forest near Serenity Valley, images he had hoped never to see again. Though Kojiro and he had stopped short of venturing too far into the forest to investigate what was happening, they saw enough to invoke memories of what the Nakamura clan had found in the Shino clan district. Given the measures that were deemed necessary in response to the Shino's machinations, Kanetsugu feared for the surface-dwellers, who were no more guilty than the Shino children had been.

Kanetsugu was brought to his senses by Asaka's sudden advance. A flurry of water slashes were sent his way, forcing him to duck and parry and evade, until Asaka herself followed. He sidestepped the thrust while knocking the uppercut up with his own blade. He leapt over the attempted sweep, but he was then forced to check a quick kick with his free arm, and he blocked the down slash with a two-handed grip on his weapon. Quicker than a hiccup, Kanetsugu allowed the blade to slip to the side as he stepped the opposite way and struck with a quick thrust to the gut, followed by a trio of horizontal slashes and then spun into a low leg sweep with his own appendage. He was simultaneously trying to clear his mind, trying to hide how much he was rattled from his friend, knowing how disappointed she would be if he lost focus.

Kanetsugu dealt with Asaka's attacks as deftly as she his, and his return consisted of a thrust that Asaka dodged by spinning to the side, pushing in closer as she did. She met his blade slash for slash with her own and got taken down by the leg sweep. But instead of falling flat she quickly reacted, using her water manipulation to catch and push herself back to her feet. Asaka silently berated herself for Falling for the low sweep, and tightened up her defenses slightly as she instantly reengaged with Kanetsugu, coming in with a double strike from both blades, attempting to bypass Kanetsugu's own defenses. She pair a rising thrust with a rising slash, quickly stepping to his left to strike with a rapid arcing overhead and followed up with a horizontal slash from her second blade.

She moved again, trying to keep him off balance and lashed out with several water blades to distract, while charging up her abyssal slash one more time, and with a low sweep she fainted launching the attack, before rising and launching it diagonally. Then she lunged forward following it, and tried to capitalise on her trick with a slash to the throat, though she pulled her blow if she did somehow surpass his defenses.

Asaka dealt with the next onslaught with her customary skill, spinning past the thrust before closing quickly and dealing with the slash with one in return. Kanetsugu did manage to connect with the leg sweep, taking Asaka's feet out from underneath her quickly. She used her water powers to right herself however, and Kanetsugu could see that she was not happy at having succumbed to the attack. She re-engaged with gusto, and Kanetsugu was forced to backpedal to avoid the double strike from the sides, followed by backflipping beyond the upward thrust and slash combination. He dealt with the overhead slash with a two-handed parry to the side, and then used the same grip to knock the horizontal slash upwards, relying on the strength of his grip to allow him to defend without disrupting his posture too much.

Kanetsugu didn't have time to reflect, as Asaka did not back away this time. She unleashed more of her water blades, forcing Kanetsugu to answer with a flurry of parries. Asaka then charged energy into her blade before surprising him with a low sweep, which he jumped over. This left him open to the actual attack, which was a rising diagonal slash with the Abyssal power added. Kanetsugu rolled to the side with urgency, barely avoiding the energy slash, though it took off a piece of his training sash that trailed behind. Regaining his feet, He turned into an attempted throat slash, and his instinct kicked in. He activated his Substitution Jutsu, disappearing in a puff of smoke and being replaced with a log that took the brunt of whatever Asaka had intended for him. He reappeared 50ft behind her, sheathing his weapon and raising his hand. "I yield. I am sorry." Kanetsugu took a deep breath, regulating his bloodflow and breathing to rest levels after his exertions. "Forgive me. I am somewhat distracted. The Council's debate on the next course of action is a... concern to me."

Asaka hounded after Kanetsugu even as he dodged and parried her attacks, until she overcame his defences with her last strike, and would have ended with her blade millimetres from his throat had he not used his substitution ability to escape. But she knew that getting the close shouldn't have been so easy to begin with, and as she turned away from the log to face Kanetsugu she took one look at his face and understood what was wrong. Kanetsugu yielded, sheathing his sword with an apology, before explaining that he had become distracted by the council meeting and everything that had happened. Asaka opened her mouth to chastise him for losing focus, something she would never allow herself to get away with, but she changed her mind as she remembered that his brother was still in the field. Not only that, but he was an inherently good person, and was probably worried about the village of people he'd left Kojiro to watch. Even if the Order of the Sun was there, they had no idea what they faced. The Kijin could tell them, but only if the Council hurried things along. Which was definitely not going to happen. Even with only 5 members on the council, they took far to long coming to decisions.

Mikazuki's copy vanished, and Asaka sheathed the blade. She bowed to her opponent. "Given the circumstances, I'll forgive you this time. But do not expect me to go as easy on you when all this is over with." She said in response with the tiniest hint of a smile. She hesitated as she considered asking if he would like to grab lunch, but decided against it. She had to much to get done. "I need to get back to work. If the Lotus are to help, I want to have a logistics report ready for the Blues, and orders for the Reds. We can't leave Yokuda undefended either. When you get a chance, ask your captain to do up a report on potential routes to the undead. We may also want to consider declaring ourselves to Mondolin, they don't take kindly to new races showing up on their doorstep." Asaka trailed off. There was allot to do, if this actually went ahead.

The expected chastisement did not come, to Kanetsugu's surprise, instead just a begrudging acceptance of his forfeit followed by a warning to do better next time, though there was the barest hint of a smile when she said so. She definitely seemed to understand at least, and he listened as she outlined the stuff she had to do. He nodded at her suggestions, accepting the wisdom behind them. "Indeed. Thank you for understanding. I have to go and meet with Captain Tomoshibi myself shortly. He has requested my presence in order to fill in some intelligence gaps he has found." He gathered his things and replaced the training equipment before bowing politely to his once-betrothed. "You'll have the report from my father within the hour. I'll see you later, Asaka." With that, Kanetsugu left to drop his things off at his quarters, before heading up to the office of the Captain of the Blue Lotus.