The Excuse

So, my excuse for not getting this up yesterday is three-fold. One, I hadn't written it then (oops!); two: I had a friend over for most of the day (fun!); and three: my siblings got me addicted to Ninja Warz, one of those little flash games on Facebook (pathetic!). Needless to say, having started it yesterday, I am now almost to level 16, I have 7 ninjas, and a whole lot of gold. Anyway, I'm sure you can tell where my mind was simply by reading my story...I would like to point out, however, that it is not historically accurate, and may not even take place in any actual historic time. I may have just made it all up :). Enjoy!

3/7/10

Prompt: “There was going to be a fight this time. We’d both crossed the line; neither was going to let that go.” (NaNo)

With slight intake of breath, I turned back to glare at him. There was going to be a fight this time. We’d both crossed the line, and neither was going to let that go. He met my gaze with a challenge, his eyes seeming to scream “Come and get me.” I bared my teeth in a snarl, sliding my razor-edged tachi out of its sheath as I did so. I held it out in a challenge, at an angle, with the flat of the blade at a level with my shoulder. Only one of us would walk away this time, and I intended to make sure it was me.

His eyes held my gaze as he slid his swords from their sheaths. Nakatu fought with two swords, a katana and a wakizashi, while I preferred the stability granted by a single, larger weapon. But that didn’t mean he was faster. My smaller size gave me an edge, as did my many years of practice. Nakatu was older than I by two years, but while he was always flitting about the countryside, I was in the dojo, practicing. I knew one day it would come to this, and I intended to walk away from it alive.

Our weapons met in a clash of steel and sparks, the beginning of a deadly dance that wove through the dojo and out into the fields. Our dojo was situated on a hill, a ways out of town, so we did not need to fear being discovered. Our battle would remain our own, with no outside interference. That was how I wished it.

We fought, swords against sword, strength against speed. Nakatu was better than I thought, but I still remained confident. I would win this. Putting on an extra burst of speed, I feinted to the left, then leaped left, using a nearby boulder as a launch pad to catapult myself over his head, so I could land behind him, my sword weaving through his defenses and brushing his throat. I held it poised there, waiting, a hair’s breadth from his beating pulse. I could finish him off now, if I wanted, one nick, and his lifeblood would flow away as the life ebbed from his body. I could kill him.

His weapons dropped to the ground and he regarded me with a level eye, as if doubting my resolve. My blade never wavered, but a little spark flashed in my eyes. I wouldn’t kill him today, and he knew it. That realization was quickly followed by a gasp of surprise as he suddenly whirled into action, his hands slapping my blade away and his foot lashing out to hook behind my knee. I was unprepared for this type of assault, and landed heavily, barely managing to twist out of the way as he commandeered my tachi. I avoided the blade, scissoring my legs up and sending the weapon flying. Now we were both unarmed, fighting viciously. I wasn’t giving up, but I knew he’d won. Hand to hand had never been my strong point, whereas Nakatu had taken to it like a duck to water.

I was right. Although I put up a good fight, it was only minutes before he had me pinned beneath him, my arms locked above my head. I glared up at him, my eyes spitting sparks, but he just laughed breathlessly. Both of us were breathing hard, and I was pleased to see a bruise forming over one of his eyes where I’d landed a hearty blow. He grinned down at me, shaking his head.

“You’ve gotten good, sui-toha-to. Almost as good as me.”

I wriggled under him and demanded he let me up. Once his grip loosened, however, I brought my knee up in a hard jab, catching him unawares. I was on my feet in a flash, making a mad sprint to where both our weapons had landed. I scooped them up, sheathing my tachi on the run, and clutching his swords tightly. I flew back to the dojo, leaving him cursing as he tried to catch me. It wouldn’t happen. I could outrun him even if I had a sprained ankle. Well, maybe not then, but any other time for sure. My feet pounded the grass and I finally slid into the dojo with a breathless sigh. I’d won. Finally, I’d won.

Several minutes passed before I heard his footsteps approaching. I glanced up at him, my eyes sparkling with laughter. He grinned at me, and soon we both were chuckling together, laughing at our respective appearances. He looped his arm around my shoulder and I turned my face up for a kiss. We started back to town, both of us knowing we needed to be back in time for the ceremony. After all, it wasn’t every day one was wed, and we needed to look our best.

Total Time: 20 minutes
Word Count: 813