Samurai Champloo Fan Fiction ❯ Twin Souls ❯ Chapter Four ( Chapter 4 )

He did not sleep, hoping that she would return before they were to meet in battle.

 

But Venom did not make another appearance, even in her own room.

 

Jin dressed as the time neared and sharpened his blades. His heart was as close to being broken as it ever had been, and his soul was aching and empty. This woman with a warrior's fire akin to his own, was so intent on leaving this world and him behind that she could not even fathom the promise of a future away from all that her life currently knew.

 

Downtrodden and silent, he made his way back to the gambling house. Within a few feet of the doors he could hear the cheering. Taking a deep breath, he pulled the doors open and set about finding Mugen and Fu.

 

Mugen was easy to spot. He slapped Jin on the shoulder almost the instant he walked across the threshold.

 

“And just where the hell were you all night?” he asked with a sneer.

 

Jin did not answer.

 

“Oh hell with it,” Mugen rolled his eyes. “I got some major cash off the fight I was in. Took the guy out in like 2 moves. These poor fools took me for a street thug. Can you believe that shit? I showed them, though, and now we have enough money to eat for a week!” He was noticeably bragging in an effort to get a rise out of him, but Jin was ambivalent.

 

The unmistakable sound of a snapping neck indicated to Jin that the fight in the arena was over. Mugen's ramblings became nothing more than distant mumbles as he heard the announcer call for him. Solemnly, and without words or ceremony, he made his way into the arena.

 

Venom was called. Moments passed, but she did not make an appearance. Had she left on her own? That brief thought brought short-lived relief to Jin. Even if she did not want to go with him, at least she had the courage to leave this way of living. Those feelings were cut short, however, when the crowd parted and his heart sank at her approach.

 

She was every bit the womanly warrior. Her tunic was cut low and tied tightly high above her waist, between her breasts, as to expose her well-toned abdomen. Instead of a gi, she wore two long fabric swatches, one covering her groin, the other her buttocks, and both almost floor length. Simple gold chains connected the two at her hips. Jin noticed that secured to the back of her tunic were the same fans she used to bid on him with. The garb was completed by a ninja's cloth that covered her face from the nose down, and her waist length tresses were again tied tightly back in an ornate braid.

 

She bowed to him out of respect upon entering the arena and he returned the gesture. The announcer called for all bets to cease and then, after a quick count of the monies wagered on both sides, gave the command to commence the fight.

 

Jin never had the intent to be the first to strike, but he was amazed with how quickly Venom took the initiative. She did not even contemplate anything other than taking his life, and dove into the fight without hesitation.

 

Thankfully for him, his dodging was as quick as her attacks. On her first pass, he stepped from her path and drew his sword, swinging back around only to have his blade caught by one of her fans. He paused, realizing that when the weapons collided, both rang out with metallic yelps. Her fans were more than ornaments. They were razor-plated.

 

The battle intensified, both combatants swinging weapons and dodging blows. Venom proved more agile than Jin had given her credit for, and she often did an impressive back flip or simply jumped straight into the air to avoid his moves.

 

At last, on one charge, both swung simultaneously, and left twin crimson rivers on each other's torsos. Both exchanged a look of disbelief before continuing the battle, which seemed a draw. Never had Jin faced an opponent such as her, next to Mugen. Only Venom was more like fighting Mugen if Mugen had any discipline. Try as he might, Jin could not find a weakness in her stance or technique that he could use to his advantage.

 

Then he remembered the events of the night before. He recalled how they were two of a kind as warriors and as lovers. She echoed him; that was her technique. The weapon and fighting style she used did not matter. She was paying more attention to what he was doing, and was only copying it to defend. It was an old trick employed by many to get through a simple sword fight, and Jin cursed himself for not having seen the simplicity of the strategy earlier on.

 

Now that he knew, it would only be moments before this match would be over, one way or the other.