Ryoma fell to his knees. His confidence, much like his sword, had been broken. The remnants of the blade shook in his trembling hand, something he hadn’t even noticed. Rather, his concentration rested solely on Tetsuo Takamaki, the monk standing over him with nunchakus. In that moment, he was the harbinger of death.
“Please, don’t hurt him!” Himiko exclaimed. Ryoma’s eyes drifted to his companions. The maiden had gripped her gohei as though she were ready to retaliate against Tetsuo, yet her body remained still. He supposed that a similar sense of fear gripped her as it had himself. Yuki, in the same fashion, refused to move, though that came as no surprise to the samurai; as much as he respected the kappa, he still knew the poor creature to be a coward.
That left Tetsuo for Ryoma to stare down. The samurai looked into the monk’s eye and was met with a chilling sense of apathy. He couldn’t discern the correct interpretation of the nunchaku wielder’s intention. Nevertheless, he feared for his life all the same. The samurai turned his attention to the ground beneath him, closed his eyes, and awaited death’s embrace.
Tetsuo sighed. “You’re boring.” He said. Ryoma opened his eyes and looked up inquisitively. “What did you say?” He asked, the fear of mortality in that moment receding. Tetsuo said, “You’ve bored me, samurai.” He loosened the grip on his nunchakus and returned his arm to his side. Then, he turned around and began walking toward Himiko and Yuki.
Ryoma’s protective instincts kicked in, but his body betrayed his motivation as it wouldn’t lift him from the floor. Instead, he simply yelled, “Don’t you dare hurt them!” Without turning back and without missing a beat, Tetsuo said, “I have no intentions of harming your associates.” He then arrived next to Himiko and Yuki and grabbed his empty cup. Pouring another drink, he moved the kettle over the other two cups he had procured and filled them as well.
“Tea, anyone?” Tetsuo asked. He looked to Yuki and said, “I’ll even offer you a cup, demon.” He took a sip, noticed that Yuki was hesitating to accept his offer, and said, “Please, I insist.” Yuki and Himiko looked to one another, shrugged, and took a cup apiece. Himiko sipped gracefully, moved her lips away, and exclaimed, “This tea tastes incredible, Tetsuo!”
“Why, thank you, maiden.” Tetsuo said. “My brothers all appreciate my talents in brewing a nice kettle or two. I’m glad you have quite the refined taste. And you, kappa?” Yuki had already slurped the entirety of the tea down his gullet. He belched and said, “Sorry about that. It was delicious, Tetsuo!”
Ryoma sat there across the floor, befuddled at the interaction. Mere moments ago, he feared for his life as well as the well-being of Himiko and Yuki, yet now, his companions were sipping tea, for the most part, with the man he considered an enemy. “What is going on?” He asked. “I thought you were going to kill me.”
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“Not anymore.” Tetsuo said. “All I needed to do was cross blades with you, if you’ll excuse the metaphor. More can be learned from a battle than a conversation. And through this battle, I’ve ascertained that I shouldn’t waste my time on you further. In fact, I feel a little sorry for you.”
“What do you mean?” Ryoma asked. “Why feel sorry for me?” His genuine bemusement was palpable. Tetsuo answered, “I feel sorry for you, samurai, because you’re far too brash. Your intentions may be positively charged, but you’re too quick to throw yourself into the fray. For instance, you judged me so quickly and jumped right into the swordplay. How rude.”
Ryoma, without a hint of irony, became incensed and yelled, “But you judged us first!” Tetsuo took another swig of tea and said, “Of course I did. What rational human being wouldn’t be wary of an oni attacking him so soon after their invasion?” He turned to Yuki and said, “No offense.” The kappa shrugged, so Tetsuo returned his attention to Ryoma and continued, “It seems, however, that the demon wasn’t who I needed to be concerned with. My focus should rest on you, dear warrior.”
Ryoma didn’t have a comeback to Tetsuo’s statements nor did he have the wherewithal to reflect on the words presented to him. All he could do was sit quietly without retaliation. Himiko, however, was keener on interjecting, so she therefore asked, “So, what is it that you wish upon Ryoma, anyway? If you pity him, and I mean truly pity him, why not put him out of his misery? What else would you hope for him to accomplish?”
Tetsuo finished his tea and said, “Believe it or not, I would like to see him achieve his goals. The sooner the emperor is disposed of, the sooner the demons will disperse.” Ryoma reacted quite furiously to Tetsuo’s declaration, but before he could protest, Tetsuo said, “Perhaps that was a poor choice of words. I meant you must dispose of the demon residing within the emperor.”
Ryoma’s anger then gave way to confusion, and he asked, “Wait, how did you know the emperor was possessed? I told you I was on official business from the emperor, but never disclosed the nature of the situation. How could you have possibly known the current state of affairs?” Tetsuo sighed and said, “It wasn’t hard to infer, samurai. A lapdog such as yourself wouldn’t leave the side of the emperor unless something had happened to him. Given the outpouring of demons recently, it wasn’t difficult to discern what stressed you so. And like I said, I could feel your urgency, your fear, while we sparred. Your emotions are worn on your sleeve, warrior.”
Ryoma finally rose to his feet and regrettably said, “You’re right. I am fearful for his safety. A being known as Orochi has consumed him. That is the reason for my urgency; I must save him at whatever cost. But you’re also right in that I was too steadfast in judging you. Please, accept my apology, Tetsuo.” He then bowed to his former opponent. The monk smiled and clasped his hands together. “Well then,” he said, “I do believe I’ll accept that apology of yours. Now, allow me to return the favor and tell you where to head next. That sword of yours looks like it could some serious repair, and I know just the man for the job.”