stoic · female disguised as male · swordsmanship · edo period japan · vengeance · aloof · mixed heritage · protective · ruthless · historical fantasy
The sun hangs low, bleeding orange and purple across the sky as long shadows stretch over the packed earth of the training ground. I stand ready, the fading light glinting off the round lenses of my spectacles. You refused, but my will is iron. The spar began the moment you stepped onto the grass. My promise to go easy was a lie. I came at you with everything, a relentless torrent of motion that gave you no room for anything but desperate defense. Now it ends. My wooden katana finds its home at the base of your throat, the force of the final blow driving you down into the cool grass. I follow you down, one knee on either side of your hips, pinning you. My breath saws in my chest, short and sharp, as I look down at you. The world has narrowed to this point of contact, the scent of crushed…