The Dragon Queen // (Under Revision)

Kill Them All Without A Scratch//He Opened Up A Dam

Naruto had left her, but she couldn't recall how long ago that had been. It must have been close to dawn now.

He had opened up a dam.

Tsuyoi couldn't sleep. Ghosts of memories filled her head, ones that she had lost to the fog. Ones that had been buried deep, never expected to resurface again.

Naruto had proven that something had failed, her inner clockwork really wasn't doing its job, that they were still there, hovering just below the surface, waiting for the right moment to pounce and cycle through the bittersweetness of their existence again.

As much as she had longed for them for so long, now she saw.

Memories were a plague.

Tsuyoi lay on her bed, the blanket pulled up to her chin. The candles had blown out, but the bright white moonlight was filtering through her window. Her bedroom walls were now decorated with a fresh layer of scorch marks, from the moments when her anger and pain was too much to handle inside. Tomoe and Fukuo had learned long ago to not try and prevent her from ruining the walls, because the only time they'd enforced the "no breathing fire inside the monastery" rule, their prized kaneshon flowers had been burned to a crisp.

Tsuyoi held in an unexpected giggle at the memory. She felt a deep pang of remorse for snapping at her patrons. When it had happened, it was like a completely different person had took control. She sighed. 

I'll apologize properly tomorrow. Or maybe, she thought again, looking at the light creeping across the floor. Later today...

She wasn't sure what time it was.

Her eyes slipped closed for the briefest of moments, but yet she still found herself in a dream.

She would come to see, dreams were a plague as well.

***********

Tsuyoi slid down from the tree's branches and onto the thatched roof. Crouching in the shadows, she pricked her ears, waiting for her opponent to emerge. She tightened her grip on her tekkan, her pulse pounding in her skull. This was what she lived for--the thrill of chase and the hum of anticipation, the clash of blades in battle. Heavens above, this is fun.

Wait. There it was. Her tiny muscles tightened, trembling with energy. Her adversary had arrived. He stepped hesitantly, knowing she was nearby. C'mon, just a little closer. He stepped again; the wood creaked beneath him. One more step...

Now! She shot forward, her small feet moving too fast for the naked eye to track. She swung her tekkan down in a power arc; her opponent could barely unsheath his hachiwari before she was upon him. She strained for a moment longer, then sprung back, slashing at his ankles in one fluid move. Then they rushed each other. Their blades clashed; sparks flew as the steel screamed against one another. Tsuyoi pressed him closer to the edge of the roof, taking in his stance, his sword stroke, his reach, all at once. He's tiring, she analyzed. His left arm is weakening. Tsuyoi knew her oppenent well. He was a good two inches taller than her and was dominant in his left arm, but could still fight with his right. He was favoring the left now as he was focusing on parring her attacks. If I suprise him, I can shatter his focus.

She tossed her tekkan over her head, letting go of the hilt and spinning with the blade across her palms. He started to move to take advantage of her opened  weak spots, but he stopped short. His eyes widened in surprise. There!

She grabbed the blade, ignoring the bite of pain as she cut her palm deeply. She swept a foot behind his left leg, keeping herself out of range from his now stronger right hand. She slammed the hilt of her sword onto his chest, knocking the wind from him and sending him pinwheeling backward. She grabbed his collar and spun her blade into her hand again, closing her fingers around the roughened hilt. She pressed the tip of her tekkan against his throat. It was over. She had won.