Wolf and Keeper

Chapter 29: The Long Road to Kyushu

When Maru had arrived in Nagato, it had somehow been before Sen and company. If he had a guess, it would have had to been because of the illness his yokai was suffering from. Their battle together in Kikukawa had been enlightening, to say the least. Sen fought like a veritable demon, and if he had to guess, it was because the yokai had been the one to train him.To be honest, he hadn't expected him to be anything more than a peasant swinging around a sword that was too big for him, yet there he had been in full armor looking the very image of a samurai... Even if he didn't exactly fight like one.

He sat on a crate down by the docks, chewing in a piece of dried fish and thinking hard about precisely what he wanted to do when Naoyuki approached him and leaned casually back against the wall of the warehouse. "So," Naoyuki rolled his head to him and raised his eyebrows, "they're here." Maru glanced at him and nodded as he turned his attention back out to the sea. "Should I send Pretty Boy down to offer him that duel?"

"Think he'll take it?"Maru asked as he once again looked back to Naoyuki.

"Only one way to find out."

---

Sen had chosen a good spot. The large cliff overlooked the ocean, and the sound of gulls and waves permeated the entire atmosphere. It was calming, if nothing else. Maru had turned out to watch the waves as he tried his best to mentally prepare himself for the fight. He could fight yokai, and he could fight men. Fighting a man who fought like a yokai was... something else.

After a time, Maru felt Avery slap his  shoulder and gestured to Sen and Hashi with his chin when he finally noticed that the two had arrived. Nobuhiko gave a quick bow of greeting himself before Maru fully turned to face the two. He honestly had half expected Sen to bolt for Kyushu and skip out on the duel altogether. He couldn't have really blamed them, but he had to smile at the fact that at least Sen was keeping his word. "Beautiful morning for a duel, eh? You picked a nice spot for it."

Sen hesitated for a minute before he nodded, "If one of us has to die, might as well be with a view, right?"

Maru smiled and nodded, "You came. I can't say that I was expecting that, honestly."

"I don't go back on my word," Sen's hand slowly went to his sword, his eyes locking onto Maru's as he moved towards him.

Maru smiled and nodded as his hand went for his own sword, "That's good. My terms still stand." All of Masakage's old lessons were slowly starting to ring in his mind. All of his lessons on dueling were going to be put to the test as he watched Sen draw his sword.

He stilled himself, letting himself narrow his world down to just Sen. No one else in the world existed but the two of them.

If he had to die today...

Well, at least it was with a view.