A Witch, A Knight and The Black Cat

Chapter 8

Their swords returned to clashing, each collision harder than the last. The crowd cheering loudly for the intense duel.

"I've never thought that Kumiko," Mitsuhide fought. "Not once have I ever thought that. I left that sword for you because I knew you were strong enough to wield it. You've always been strong."

Swinging her sword wildly Kumiko yelled, "You abandoned us! It's too late to make excuses. Nothing you say will ever make up for your leaving. That's why I'm here."

Tears streamed down Kumiko's face as each of her attacks were repeated. They were both panting and sweating, tired from the long contest that seemed never ending.

"I don't expect you to forgive me, but you need to know the truth," he hollered.

"You left, you stopped caring -what's left to know?" she challenged.

Mitsuhide brought his sword down with bone crushing force that shook Kumiko's frame. His face flared up a dark red as his voice boomed out of him "Kumiko Lowen you may be twenty, and you may hate me but that gives you no bases to say I don't care! You are my sister and believe it or not but I do care and worry about you," he yelled.

Mitsuhide didn't let up as he brought Kumiko to the edge of the ring, their weapons clanging together like the final cries of war.

"Nice words, if only they were true," she spat.

His eyes narrowed at her as he jabbed his elbow into her forearm knocking one hand from her sword. "Jomei-sensei always said how you leave your right side open. He also mentioned how light-footed you were. You were one of his favorite pupils," he said tonelessly.

Kumiko stared up at the tall man startled at his knowledge. Their parents didn't know about her lessons with Jomei-sensei so they couldn't have told Mitsuhide, and she never would have spoken a word to him about it. How did he know Jomei-sensei taught her how to use a sword?

"How-?" Kumiko began.

"I know you hate me, but I still checked up on you," he stated.

"Why?"

They were pushing against one another, Kumiko struggling with one hand, her right sore and throbbing at her side from his sharp elbow. Her cheeks damp with irritated tears and hood falling back to reveal her flushed face, and wide scared eyes.

"Because you're my sister," Mitsuhide simply answered.

Tightening her hold on her wooden sword Kumiko shoved him back. Swinging her weapon in an attempt to end the duel so she could leave. She wanted to get as far away from him and the castle as she could. Suddenly the sword didn't seem as important or precious as Kumiko remembered, it was just a hunk of metal.

"I don't have a brother. He's dead. You can't bring him back now, not after everything I've fought for. Not when I swore to prove that I don't need him anymore," Kumiko cried out.

Mitsuhide was calm as he dodged the wild attacks. He nodded at her as a broken smile tugged at his face. It was a ghost of the proud grin he used to give her when they were very young, back when her hero always came running when she cried. His expression caused Kumiko to stumble in her usually perfect footwork.

"You've more than proved it over the years Kumi-chan," he calmly stated.

"D-Don't call me th-that," she stammered.

Raising her sword Kumiko smashed it into Mitsuhide's, but the force behind it was weak and that of a cranky child. It shouldn't have knocked his weapon aside yet there Mitsuhide stood disarmed and "defeated."