Fight for Honor (Open)

[Zhuo Jina]

Jina's recent induction into the Date not only gave her a boost of confidence, but also access to tons of training opportunities. She had spent the last couple of weeks training with her bow. Jina was quite the shot and eager to test it.

One of her comrades had lent her his bow since he would he in bed healing from injuries for at least a week or two. Jina hadnt purchased her own bow yet.

Walking out of the camp, she pulled the bow off of her back and held it in her hand. While testing the weight, she could hear that off in the distance, people were yelling. Had she not left the camp just a few minutes ago and had been walking quickly, she would not have been close enough to hear.

Who were the men, or women in the distance? Why were they so close to the Date camp? She was eager to find out.

[Morei Haji]

I was hired to retrieve a stolen item. A pendant that held some sentimental value to the owner. It just so happens that my travels led me right outside the Date camp, but even though that was a bit unsettling, I couldn't let it deter me from what I had to do.

And that's how it ended up with me pointing my weapon at some men who had their's drawn, my shield in my other hand. One of them was wearing a pendant that matched the description to the letter, and yet he insisted that it belonged to him. Maybe it did, maybe it didn't. All I knew is I was doing what I was paid to do. They were yelling an awful lot though, and there were plenty of them... I wondered if they were Date soldiers, or just some guys who took camp here. I didn't want to end up in trouble with the Date themselves, but...

"Sigh... this isn't going to be easy."

[Zhuo Jina]

Jina hurried towards where the screaming was coming from. She contemplated going back to the camp to inform her officer, but she figured she could survey the situation first and then decide if she needed backup.

Upon reaching the clearing, she noticed Haji, a man she had met on the beach with Katsu-roshi. He was kind, quiet and certainly someone who typically wouldn't be caught up in a situation like this. Haji seemed...well, like he cared a bit too much. 

Why then was Haji here? Jina watched for a moment and listened to the men yelling, "You can't take what isn't yours!" "Yeah!" "You tell 'im!" "Don't push your luck, kid" said the guy wearing the pendant. It seemed that for whatever reason, Haji wanted what this man had. 

The man reached toward his neck and grabbed ahold of the pendant, pulling it off of his neck. "You want it? Come get it!" The man yelled! It was then that Jina pulled an arrow from the quiver and shot the arrow straight through the palm of the man's extended hand!

"Hah-ha!"

[Morei Haji]

My eyes widened as an arrow came out of nowhere, shooting the man straight through the hand. I turned to face the one who fired that arrow and saw... "...Jina? What are you doing here?"

I would also make a mental note not to mess with her in the future, not wanting to get shot myself. The girls I met were all pretty scary it seemed. It seemed her little shot angered some of the man's friends though, for they began to advance, mostly on her. I jumped in front of her, bashing at the men with my shield while blocking some of their strikes, while I swung my sword to disarm some of them, slashing at their weapons or hands.

"Nevermind that, we can talk after this is all settled." I called back to Jina, a bit peeved since I wasn't planning on getting into a fight today.

[Zhuo Jina]

Jina grinned widely as the men approached her. She quickly put away her bow and drew her hook swords. As a man reached her, she spun to the side, pulling the hook of her blade through the top of his thigh, leaving a deep wound. 

As another man came up to her, she hit his blade with hers, shards of glowing metal (coming off as sparks) flew from his blade. Without hesistating, Jina made a deep cut along his forearm with her blade, weakening his grip. 

"HAJI, YOU OKAY!?" Jina yelled after she slid her blade along his and cut off two of the man's fingers with her hilt-blade, rendering him unable to fight at all. He was screaming loudly, blood rushing from his fingers.

Without waiting for Haji to answer her, Jina asked the men, "Anyone else wanna take a shot?" She grinned.

[Morei Haji]

I just stared at Jina as she began to attack, completely dumbfounded and stunned. I didn't think much of her when we had first met as she was just a girl who stumbled along hungry at the beach, but... holy crap, was she violent and scary! The way she wielded those hook blades, I was both impressed and horrified, especially when she took a guy's fingers off. Seeing the blood spray, I couldn't help but cringe.

One man approached me while I was distracted, but luckily he was screaming. As he raised his blade to try and strike me down, I would shield bash him in the face and knock him out. I parried another weapon from the side from another man, disarming him completely and pointing my sword to his throat. He raised his hands in defeat. I didn't feel like dismembering anyone today.

"I'm just fine, Jina. Thank you for your assistance." I would call over to her. "Now... about that pendant..."

[Zhuo Jina]

When no other men stepped up, Jina watched Haji deal with the last two men. She smiled and took out her oil rag to clean the blades she had used. First, she wiped them on the glass, leaving a red streak across it. She did this with both blades and then began to wipe them down as she walked towards Haji and the man with the pendant. 

"Glad to see you can actually handle yourself." Jina smiled. She didn't like violence but she would protect those she cared about. She didn't know if Haji could have taken all of the men on, so she was glad she stepped in.

Sighing, she slid one blade back into its sheath and came up behind the man with the pendant who was kneeling on the ground, breathing heavily and staring at his hand. He hadn't moved since he was shot.

She took his sword out of the sheath and threw it off to the side, and the man just sat there, staring at his hand. It seemed that the string of the pendant had actually been punctured and cut by the arrow and had fallen to the ground next to him. She watched him sit there, motionless. He seemed in shock.

"He's over here, Haji."

[Morei Haji]

I shrugged as Jina made that comment about me. Maybe she was like most others who assumed I couldn't fight, despite the fact I could control the light itself. But I guess I was much too gentle a lot of the time.

I sheathed my blade back into its sheathe in the shield, walking over and bending down, picking up the pendant. "Thank you, Jina." I would give a quick smile to her before looking at the man before me. She was... quite ruthless, far moreso than I would have been.

"...Hold still."

Grabbing some fabric nearby, I would tear a strip of it off. I would then use my light to pull the arrow out carefully, snapping the head off so it didn't go through the man's hand again. From here, I would apply a bandage carefully and tightly so he didn't lose too much blood. After I finished, I would stand up, facing Jina and looking at the pendant I retrieved.

"What are you doing way out here? Last I saw you was in Seto."

[Zhuo Jina]

She blushed, it seemed Haji wasn't used to seeing traditional Date armor. "I was invited to be a hand for the Date. I now have pledged my body to the people of Oshu." She loved to have this feeling of honor. To Haji, she may have seemed ruthless but since she had joined the Date, an overwhelming sense of pride and accomplishment had come over her. 

She had never in her life done anything to be remembered and being a part of these wonderful people was something that she cherished, and would fight to protect.

"These men are not enemies of the Date, and I will have them treated at the camp." She was glad that none of the men had been mortally injured, though the one missing his fingers would not be able to fight again during his life. She felt a bit sick, violence was not something she enjoyed. She felt it was necessary to protect someone she knew. Katsumi was someone she cared about and she could see how much Haji meant to her.

She would protect what she could. "Would you like to come with me back to the camp?" Jina didn't know if he was allied with a faction, and she couldn't tell from his armor or demeanor, so she decided to be friendly and attempt to help him however she could.

[Morei Haji]

I was honestly surprised. Jina went from a starving girl on the beach to a fighter with a cause, a purpose. She had someone she fought for, a faction to whom she could pledge her loyalty to and fight in their name. And yet, for all of my journeying, I had yet to call a place my home. I lived for Katsumi, took on jobs to raise a little money, and that was it. In a way, I kind of admired Jina, maybe felt a little envious, but I had yet to find a leader who resonated with what I believed in.

I looked at the men around us as she spoke, and I nodded, relieved that she'd be getting them care. It seemed she only jumped into the fight on my behalf. Maybe if I was a little more forceful, she wouldn't have felt the need to jump in at all. Nevertheless, it was a bit refreshing to see a familiar face around here. It wasn't often I got a job on this side of Japan, and for something so small at that.

An invite to see the Date camp though? I had to admit, I was curious. I had only seen the Oda and the Takeda up close, and now it seemed I would have a chance to see the Date. I wondered what kind of people they were, but if Jina was with them, they couldn't be bad, right?

"I... yes, I would be honored, Jina." I bowed politely as I spoke, showing appreciation for the hospitality she was offering. My job here was done, but it didn't hurt to stick around for a bit longer.

[Zhuo Jina]

Jina's calmness quickly changed to a wide smile and excited, bright eyes! She was genuinely happy that Haji had agreed to come with her. She didn't get to know many people in the camp since many were focused on their training, or their own missions.

Haji was so kind and respectful that it surprised her, but did not deter her excitement.

"Alright!" She giggled, somewhat nervously. "Let's head back to the camp and inform my officer of these men. He will make sure they get back safely." 

She began to walk off, chattering about the Date. She was truly happy now, free from marriage and free from oppression. With the Date, she felt like she could be herself. And Haji was letting her talk, so she took advantage of the minutes they had before they reached the gate. She went on about her training and invitation. She talked about how the Big Boss had talked to her personally and her lips moved more than ever in this short time.

Once they reached the gates, she quieted and spoke with a man who was standing guard.

"Zhuo Jina and...Haji, guest. Some men a few minutes west of here attacked this man and we were able to subdue them. They are injured and need to be treated."

After she had spoken with the guard, and then her officer about the situation, she invited Haji to dine with her. He must be hungry. She thought.

[Morei Haji]

Her sudden cheerfulness caught me off guard, she seemed awfully excited about me going back to camp with her. But then, it wasn't like I had too many friends to see either, so I could understand why she'd be so excited. Jina and I were nothing more than acquaintances for the time being, but I could see us becoming good friends, especially if she knew Katsumi as well.

I nodded as she spoke about her officer tending to these men. It was a relief that they wouldn't just be broken and battered on the ground, at the least. As we walked, I listened to her talk. She had a lot to say, but a lot of it were things of interest. She sounded a lot happier than when we had previously met, she sounded like a heavy burden was lifted off of her shoulders. The way she spoke of being free of her old life, I couldn't help but feel happy for her, and she made Date Masamune sound like quite the guy. I wondered what kind of man the One-Eyed Dragon of Oshu was, having only met an imposter once before (who Masahiro and myself beat the crap out of, mind you.)

After Jina spoke to the guard and we were on our own again, my stomach seemed to take her invitation for dinner before I could, and I chuckled a bit nervously. "Yeah, that sounds really good. Thank you, Jina."

Wherever she went right now, I would follow. I didn't know anyone else here, and did not want to get on anybody's bad side. "So it sounds like you've been a lot happier since you've joined the Date. I'm truly glad for you."

[Zhuo Jina]

"I am" She responded, "I realized that I don't do when when I don't have something to fight for. Needless violence seems to hurt me inside." She touched the spot where she could feel her heart beating. Having someone, or something, to fight for made her life feel so much more worthwhile.

In fact, her life felt like it finally made sense, like she belonged. They walked into the dining area together and received large portions of a fish and rice meal. The food wasn't exceptionally good here, but Jina found that adding a bit of salt she collected by straining water through a cloth purse made quite the difference.

When they sat, she offered a pinch to Haji. "Around here, it's offensive to add things to a cooks dish, but nobody notices a small pinch of salt." Her eyes seemed to twinkle. Friends were something Jina wasn't used to, but if Katsumi trusted this man (and loved him in spite of her past), then she figured it wouldn't be too much of a stretch for Haji to be a friend too.

"In my home country, we often added spices and sauces to match our own personal taste, but here it seems if you don't like something the way it's cooked, you deal with it. Isn't that strange? Japan surely is a strange country."

[Morei Haji]

I nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly with her response. She didn't exactly like violence, the same as myself in that regard. I did not like fighting at all, and only did to protect that which I loved. Someday, I hoped for a world where fighting wasn't necessary, but it seemed like it would be far into the future, if it ever happened at all.

Fish again, huh? In an island country like this, it was hard not to have fish. In fact, every meeting I had with Jina involved fish. I wasn't complaining though. Food was food, was I opted to try out the salt she offered me.

"Ahh, thank you, Jina." I spoke, sprinkling some of the salt onto the fish I was served curiously. "You know... I never really thought about that. I always assumed other places were the same, but taking freedom over your own food... hmm. It doesn't sound half bad."

I was instantly reminded of Takehiro's flavor sticks.

[Zhuo Jina]

She chuckled at his words. Taking freedom over ones own food. While she ate, she engaged herself in a deeper internal discussion about freedom. She wondered if around the world, there were other parts of the lives of the people that weren't regulated so harshly. 

She had often heard of people who worshiped a god and forgot their ancestors, but they were far to the west of anywhere she had ever traveled. She imagined these people to be unsophisticated an unintelligent, but thinking of it as the freedom to choose who you worship was something she had never even considered until now.

It seemed to shine a whole new light on things...

By the time she had finished her own mental debate, the food in front of the two friends had disappeared. Both seemed more pleasant, satisfied and happy. Food had a way of doing that, especially for Jina. Good food reminded her of her mother.

"So, Haji. How did you and....." she paused, hardly remembering what Katsumi's other name was. "Hiroshi...meet? You two seem close." Jina was careful to disguise her words, still unsure of if Haji knew of her identity. From their last conversation on the beach, he appeared to have known but the discussion never unfolded enough for her to be sure.

[Morei Haji]

I was in the middle of taking one last bite when Jina's question caught me off guard, causing me to almost choke on my food. After coughing and catching my breath, I would blink as I looked at her. I thought she knew about Katsumi's identity? Though perhaps her pause meant she didn't know if Haji knew about her identity?

"Well, um... Kat-.. I mean Hiroshi and I... we met by a river, and sh-.. he was injured. And I helped he-.. him. And one thing lead to another... close is an... uh, understatement..."

He chuckled nervously, not sure how to go about this. He didn't want to just blurt out "oh hey we're dating!" or anything, especially if he wasn't exactly sure how much Jina knew of her identity. As he looked at Jina though, he realized that just maybe Katsumi wouldn't have to hide her identity anymore. If Jina could walk around safely, so could Katsumi, right? The men that troubled her were dead now.

[Zhuo Jina]

"I also met...Hiroshi by the river." She wasn't sure how to go about it, but if Haji knew of Kat's identity, then he would realize what she meant by her next words.

"He was bathing when I found..him" To just anyone, those words would have meant nothing. To Haji, she hoped that he realized that she also knew of the woman's other identity.

Jina watched at Haji choked slightly and listened to him talk about their closeness. It seemed...gay. Well, only if Hiroshi was a man, which she wasn't. So it's not gay, right? Jina had actually never encountered male partners before, so she assumed now that Haji knew of Kat's true sex.

"She really loves you, you know." Jina spoke with a mouthful of food, sprinkling rice onto the table in front of him. Then her voice got serious, "So you better not hurt her."

[Morei Haji]

Really loves me... I was aware of it. The way she embraced me when we met, the way she cried for me when I crawled over to her despite my injuries. The way she talked to me, looked at me, held me, or even just how she was around me... no one else was that caring of me, no one else loved me like she did. For all of my lack of friends or standing in this world, she made it all worth it.

"I... I know..."

And I would never dream of hurting her. If Jina knew of the night Katsumi was kidnapped, and what I went through just to make sure she made it home alive, even if it cost me my life... I had always put Katsumi before me, no matter what was at stake.

"She's... she's the entire world to me. My sole reason to keep on going. I don't know what I would ever do without her."

[Zhuo Jina]

Jina cracked a smile, she was glad to hear that Haji had no conflicts with being Kat's forever. She knew what it was like to be forced into something you didn't want, and she was glad to see that two starcrossed lovers had somehow found each other. She wanted them to be happy, it was something that gave her hope for herself.

Jina genuinely wanted to find someone someday. Her husband was not someone she chose, wanted or even was attracted to. The man simply wanted a young bride and Jina's father had agreed to the dowry (Chinese Bride Price) that the man had offered her father. She remembered her wedding day...

She hoped that one day, she would be able to remarry. She wanted to find a man that meant as much to her as Haji did to Kat. She was saddened by her own loss, but brightened at the same time by Kat's. She wanted nothing more than for those she cared about to be happy, and she certainly cared about Katsumi.

"I'm happy to hear that." Jina paused. "Wouldn't want to see you disembowled." Her face was serious, but only for a moment. Then she smiled widely, showing that she would do it if need be, but didn't expect that she would have to.

"When you guys get married, be sure to invite me. I want to make Kat look...well, I want to make sure that she takes the air straight from your lungs when you see her."

[Morei Haji]

I chuckled nervously, not keen on the idea of being disemboweled. That said, I'd be lying if I said that I hadn't come close to having it happen to me in the past. Or having my head nearly taken off. I had come to close encounters with death plenty of times, but the sort-of-threat from Jina felt scarier than anything I had encountered previously. Hell hath no fury like a woman's scorn, right? But I never planned on hurting Katsumi, ever. I would sooner die before I let that happen.

"I... wouldn't want that either."

Marriage... huh? I always wanted to be with Katsumi forever, but... Marriage? I always wanted to have my own family, but I never seriously took a long thought about it. In this age, men had plenty of wives, but... Katsumi was the only one I would ever want to make my wife. It wasn't befitting of a man of this era, of this country, but I truly loved her and her alone. To that end...

"If she would truly grace me with such an honor... then do not worry, you would be invited in a heartbeat." I spoke with a soft smile. "And... I would hope that on that day, she would finally be smiling."

She had not smiled even once since I've met her, despite the happiness she's known. It was my goal to someday get her to smile, no matter how long I had to try at it.

[Zhuo Jina]

Jina chuckled at his comment. "The real question is if SHE wants to be married. She's a tough cookie (what's a cookie?) and I don't know if she would be ready to be tied down any time soon."

She paused for a few seconds, "we once had a sow who didn't want to be mounted. Suffice to say, the poor piggy got a nasty kick to his family jewels. Protect your jewels Haji, don't mount her too quickly."

She attempted to contain her outright laughter but couldn't and got many stares from the soldier around her. "God she would kill me if she heard me comparing her to a pig I once owned. Don't get me wrong, pigs are feisty creatures, but Kat is too graceful for that."

Jina watched as Haji stared at her blankly, maybe he didn't understand the joke (maybe he didn't find it funny). Jina didn't really care and she stood up from where they had eaten. "What now?" she asked.

[[ooc: read this Shinomori Katsumi ]]