The Dragon of the North Wind (ON HOLD)

Chapter 3: Training

Genji had trusted me with the katana that he had taken off of the display. I thought he was stupid for doing it; mainly because I thought I would either stab myself or stab him. He had showed me how to properly hold the katana, some basic slicing moves and, the most important part, katana care; as in cleaning the blade, sharpening it, etc.

I thought the katana training was absolutely pointless. I knew I would never be a scout or warrior for the Shimada clan. I was only a peasant; nothing more but anything less.

I was sitting on a bench, finishing sharpening the blade of the katana. Genji took it from me with a nod and walked back to the display case. He put the katana back onto its stand. He then turned to me.

"Tomorrow I will teach you how to sheath and unsheath the blade without jabbing yourself. My Sensei wasn't thoughtful enough to have taught that part to me," he rolled his eyes at the memory. I cocked my head and then realized what he meant.

"You stabbed yourself?" I asked out loud. I had never thought anyone of such high authority would have room for mistakes. I knew I didn't.

"Yes, I did. It took a while for me to recover from it," Genji replied.

I stayed quiet after that, not knowing how to reply correctly. I sighed and looked at my feet. I really was greatful for everything Genji was doing, but I didn't know why he wanted to train me. He was being so kind, while my Sensei would yell at me and punish me for everything. Genji sat down next to me. "Is everything alright?"

I nodded quickly. "Yeah," I replied quietly, looking over at him. He looked back at me and tilted his head a bit.

"Are you sure?" He asked. I nodded at him and looked away.

"Yes, I am," I replied. "I wouldn't lie to you, Master."

"Genji," Genji corrected me with a soft smile. I looked back at him and smiled back.

"Genji!" I heard a yell. Genji's head perked up and so did mine. I looked at the entrance to the dojo over my shoulder and spotted Hanzo. He furiously looked from Genji to myself.

"Genji, what are you doing?" Hanzo snorted.

"I was just-"

"Toying around with the slaves now, ey?" Hanzo narrowed his eyes. "You know what, I don't care. Get up and follow me." He turned and stormed off, leaving the door open.

I blinked in confusion and looked at Genji. "What was-" I started.

"Nothing, don't worry about it. You should go back to your position. I'll be there eventually," he said, standing up and jogging to the door, the claws on his shoes clicking. I stood up. He looked over his shoulder, nodded, and ran off.

I returned to the kitchen quickly. Shimoa and the other two slaves were there as well. Shimoa looked at me, confused.

"Back so soon?" the old woman asked.

"Yes, Master Hanzo had come to get Genji," I replied, jumping up so I was sitting on the counter.

Shimoa groaned. "I wonder what that child did now. He is always getting himself into trouble. And I must warn you to watch out for that one; he's a notorious playboy."

I blinked and felt my face start to heat up. "What are you talking about? He was just giving some extra training since I didn't know how to handle a katana."

Shimoa shrugged. "I was just warning you, dear. Now it is almost the lunch hour; help Natalie wash some more of the dishes. I'll start to prep the dough for bread."

I nodded and jogged over to the sink, greeting Natalie. She was a slave who was taken during a crime spree the Shimada clan had been on a few months ago. I had been taken when I was 12. I hated to remember what had happened. I pushed the memories away. I wasn't sure, but I believed that Natalie was around 15. I nodded to her with a smile and she nodded back the same way.

I began to wash the dishes and to think about what Shimoa had said. Soon enough though, I pushed the thoughts away, beginning to think about how I would, if Hanzo reported Genji with me, get out of an unwanted situation. I was definitely not too persuasive, especially because I'm known to stutter a lot when under pressure.

I sighed and tried to clear my mind completely. It took a few minutes, but I had finally done it.

That was when I heard a familiar shout that everyone knew meant something bad:

"Kasai!"
(sorry if the translation is off, I used Google Translate lmao)

~
And that's about it for this chapter! Sorry it was shorter and less eventful than the others; I felt like I had to update this one soon because it's been like two days since I've last updated a chapter.
Well, I hope you like it!
Bye~!

word count: 841