It takes two

Prologue

The town of Niga was quiet for now, but the sun was just rising and even some of the local businesses had yet to open. The lone figure who just walked into town noticed this as well.

"Thank the kami that I was able to leave when I did" Ryo Matsumori thought to himself as he arrived in town.

He left the farmstead that overlooked Ito village because of what Saito told him about the state of the town of Niga and how it would not only be a blow to Yakuwara, but it would be another good deed done.

A few days earlier

"Akane really wore you down to a nub, didn't she?" Saito laughed as he took a swig of sake from his jug.

"Please don't talk to me of such things so loudly" Matsumori groaned "She'll hear you, then think to strap me down and ride me till I die."

Saito chuckled and handed him his sake jug while he grabbed a water pitcher and emptied its contents onto himself, making himself wet in an attempt to help sober himself up.

"Your still young. You'll survive this. You just got to go with the flow sometimes and then sometimes you have to take the initiative and show ladies like her that you mean business" Saito replied as he began wiping his face and rubbing his eyes.

"If I survive" Matsumori muttered to himself as took a swig of sake with his right hand.

"Speaking of business" Saito sniffed "What's next for our favorite scumbag Yakuwara? He's not going to be happy that we raided his tribute to the shogun. He's going to retaliate" he continued on as he ran his hands through his hair trying to straighten it while undoing both the knots in his hair and the days of accumulated filth.

"I was thinking about that too" he answered while he began to rub his chin with his left hand. "Would he have any connections to scum and other criminal types?" he asked Saito as one of the Bandits of Chibu passed him by and gave Matsumori a sour look. "Not that present company is scum of any kind or has anything to do with Yakuwara."

"I've heard talk of him relaying on Yakuza throughout the domain" he answered as he itched his nose with the index finger of his right hand. "The town of Niga is no exception. The poor commoners there often get beaten up by the local Yakuza for not paying protection fees, loans or even Yakuwara's taxes. The common folk sometimes have to sell themselves into servitude or their children to "make ends meet" Saito answered acidly.

"So, who's the boss of those dirtbags?" Matsumori asked.

"Some dung-eater by the name of Akiro. It is said that he came to power through treachery, blackmail, lies, bribery and even the cutting of throats for those who were in his way. The "man" might as well be Yakuwara's bastard of a brother" Saito spat some phlegm.

"That settles it, I am off to take care of some Yakuza scum" he stood up fixing his swords into a comfortable position to his left, grabbing his water jug in his right hand, then tying it to his belt then grabbed Saito's sake jug and with his left hand he tore off a drumstick from a chicken that was being fire-roasted over a spit.

"Leaving so soon?" Saito asked.

"If I don't leave so enough, Akane will find me and then I will never leave" he replied while stuffing his face with chicken and gulped down the last of Saito's sake.

Saito laughed, as he did his fellow bandits while Matsumori was leaving the Ito farmstead behind him.

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As Matsumori was thinking about the past few days, the sound of wood clunking and metal clanging brought him back to the present. He could see that it was the sound of local merchants and businesses opening up. He could smell something being cooked and his stomach began to immediately growl.

"Wow, I was so busy trying to get here that I never thought about a proper meal" he said to himself.

While the chicken drumstick and his jug of water held him for a day, he got hungry again and found himself eating bugs and grass while drinking water from the occasional stream. Not much of a meal and it wasn't tasty, but it held off his hunger from time to time.

"Well, better get me a proper meal."

Chapter 1

"You certainly pack away your food" the male server replied as he served Matsumori what was his fourth dish that was sushi. "I hope you are able to pay for this" the server then looked at him with suspicion.

Matsumori reached for his purse and pulled out one ryo. The server gave a very wide smile. Before the server could take it, Matsumori took away.

"A jug of sake too. Make it warm" he said handing the one ryo to the server. The server bowed to Matsumori with a smile as he went to get him his order.

A feminine voice chuckled in the corner of the restaurant, causing Matsumori to turn his head towards the source.

It was a woman who was dressed in ronin attire similar to his, except for the fact that her attire was of a dark shade of purple with red linings. She had a flat kasa behind her and she had both a katana and wakizashi like most samurai would carry. Her physical appearances, however, were what really got him focused on her.

Her face was perfectly symmetrical like that of Akane's features with bright violet eyes and a wonderful smile of bright pink lips. Her black hair showed a slight shade of purple in what little sunlight shone in from the windows. Her hair was set in a downward ponytail. The way she looked and dressed made her look more like a nobleman's daughter than a Onna-musha.

"The server isn't wrong" she chuckled on. "The way you consume food is as if you hadn't eaten since the Sengoku Period."

"If you were on the road for days on end eating nothing but bugs and grass, you'd be starving too" Matsumori replied as he got up to walk over to her table. She motioned for him to sit down and share the table with her. The server came out from the kitchen with the warm sake and moved towards the table that Matsumori was now sharing with the woman.

"Will there be anything else?" the server asked.

"You have any Shrimp Tempura?" Matsumori asked and the server nodded. "Then I shall have an order of that" he answered.

"Make that two, he's buying for me as well and bring another cup for the sake we are about to share" the woman replied as the server bowed while smiling, then moved on to the kitchen.

Matsumori looked at her funny. "I find it odd that an attractive woman like you would want me, a stranger, to share the table with you. Why would that be?"

She smiled "Maybe I just want some pleasant company. I haven't exactly had any of that lately in my travels. Bandits, highwaymen, the typical scum who often wanted me to pay in more ways than ones. I recently had to deal with a trio of the local brutes that were hanging around the town's outskirts. They wanted me to help them feel warm on a cold night. It was then I introduced them to my pair of swords" she answered plainly

"You didn't? You know? Remove their manhood?" Matsumori asked with a look of interest.

"What? Oh no, I did no such thing. I just knocked one of them with the scabbard of my katana in their manhood hard enough to make him regret getting up close with me. The other two who tried to avenge their comrade with their knives, lost their pants to my wakizashi" she answered as Matsumori chuckled.

"You certainly got a way of handling the local ruffians" he replied as she smiled. The server arrived with the extra cup of sake and two plates of steaming hot shrimp tempura. The server knowing that the two wanted to converse more bowed and left.

"By the way, I never got your name" Matsumori said as he was pouring the sake in both cups.

"My name Sumika" she answered as she took her cup of sake. "What would yours be?"

"Matsumori" he answered back as they both raised their cups of sake and then both drank at the same time.

"So, what brings you here?" Matsumori asked Sumika.

"Why, the hot springs. After a long hard, journey, one cannot simply help passing up a nice soaking, getting naked and resting their sore body. Does this motivate you to want to take a soak?" Sumika asked with a trace of seduction in her voice.

Matsumori's face grew flush with embarrassment and was about to answer her when he heard the sound of rushing feet. A group of angry looking men stormed into the place. They turned towards the direction of Matsumori and Sumika.

"Are you the bitch who embarrassed my men?" one of the men asked with fury in voice. He was clearly the leader of the group.

"So, what if I am?" she replied apathetically as she took the sake jug and poured the contents into cup before taking a sip.

"Then you shall pay for what you did to my brothers" he shouted at her as his left hand was held tightly onto his scabbard.

"Considering the fact that you "men" wanted me to take turns with them on keeping them warm during a cold night was reason enough for me to do what I did. Your attempt to avenge them is quite laughable" she again replied apathetically as she poured herself some more sake and drank from the cup.

"You dare to mock our Aniki?" another member of the group replied with fury.

Before she could respond, the male server from earlier came out from behind the kitchen with a look panic on his face. He came up to the side of the group.

"Please don't fight in here. If you do, then I can't-" he was interrupted as another member of the group, grabbed him and shoved the server into a group of patrons that were suddenly interrupted by their host crashing into them.

"Shut up Waku and mind your own-" before the group leader could finish his sentence, the sake jug was broken upon his head and caused him to fall. His fellows grabbed ahold of him to ensure that he never fell to the ground completely.

"If there is anything I hate more than my food and drink time with a pretty lady being interrupted by scum like you" Matsumori replied as he rose to his feet reaching for one of his swords "is seeing scum like you bullying common folk who are trying to make a living.

"Ronin dog" one of the group members shouted as he reached for his sword "How about I teach you a lesson in minding your own business?"

"How about you keep that sword in your scabbard?" Matsumori said to him mockingly. "You'll hurt yourself waving that thing around" Sumika giggled as he said that.

The thug's face turned lobster red as Matsumori said that. He drew his sword and charged at Matsumori with an overhead strike.

"Figures you would attack that way" Matsumori sighed as he stepped to one side and tripped the Yakuza member. The thug crashed into the table that Matsumori shared with Sumika.

Before the thug could rise, Sumika took her Katana and knocked the yakuza member on the back of his head with the butt of her sword.

"Looking to join in?" Matsumori replied with a smile.

"When it comes to fighting local scum? anytime handsome" she replied with a smile as she hefted her sword onto her shoulder while she bent over to pick up her wakizashi. Matsumori smiled in returned.

"Why don't we take this outside wimps?" Matsumori statede plainly as he drew both his swords and crossed them in an X-like pattern, causing the group of ruffians to shuffle on outside with their dazed leader.

"You want to go first?" Matsumori asked Sumika as he then hefted the right sword onto his right shoulder.

"Why thank you very much. I think I will" Sumika smiled as she moved past Matsumori towards the door to the restaurant.

Chapter 2

"Fight, there's a fight outside Waku's place" a random civilian was shouting out to anyone within hearing range. People began to panic as they scattered in different directions. Whether Akiro's group or not started a fight, anyone caught within sword's length got cut down by Akiro's men whether they were involved or not.

Sumika casually walked out of the restaurant as if she was going to the market. She drew out her wakizashi as she did her katana. Matsumori followed along with both his swords hefted onto his shoulders, crisscrossed on each blade. He acted as if he wasn't preparing to fight a group of armed thugs that were out for blood.

"So, which one these maggots do you want to cut down? I already took out the screaming whore that seems to be their boss." Matsumori asked Sumika casually.

"How about you ronin dog?" one of the gangsters shouted as he charged at Matsumori with his sword held at In No Kamae stance.

"About time someone attacks me in a different stance" Matsumori said plainly as the gangster attacked from his left side, which then Matsumori causally blocked his left sword, while with his right sword, smashed the butt of his sword in the gangster's face. He fell down howling in pain and began to crawl away when Matsumori kicked him in his behind, causing the thug to scamper off. Matsumori looked back at Sumika with a smile.

"I was really hoping to go first. You already took out the hopeless braggart of a boss" Sumika pouted.

"Then I guess two more will take you" one yakuza member shouted out as he drew his sword while another did at the same time. They held their swords with both hands and were in a ready stance.

The one who shouted at her charged with a thrusting motion, which she swung her katana downwards while his colleague came at her left. She raised her wakizashi in time to catch the blade. She then put all her weight into her body and then shoved the thug to the ground.

His friend came at her with his katana overhead and charged at her. She then put herself in a defensive stance, but instead of putting up her sword, she brought her right leg up and put all her effort into her right foot as she struck the charging yakuza into his manhood. He groaned loudly in pain as he fell to the ground and curled up into a fetal position.

"Your right Matsumori. Overhead strikes are easily countered" Sumika commented as the first yakuza who attacked her came at her again, only this time she took both her katana and wakizashi to an x-block when the thugs blade came close. She struggled a bit, but she then put all her strength into her arms and hands, that she broke the thug's sword.

The attacker was shocked as Sumika smiled and then sliced the belt on his pants with her wakizashi. His pants then fell. Completely embarrassed, the thug pulled up his pants and sword then preceded to run away.

"Killing these punks seems to be a waste of time" Sumika said to Matsumori as he broke the guard of another yakuza by kicking him in the knee.

"Can't argue with that" he replied as the same yakuza came at him. Matsumori flipped the blades on his swords to the blunt side. He deflected the attack with his right sword, then he struck the yakuza on the bridge of his nose with the sword in his left hand, causing it to break as the yakuza howled out in pain.

"This band of losers couldn't fight a band of drunkards, let alone the pair of us" Matsumori replied with a smile, which Sumika returned as she sliced off the belt on the pants of another yakuza.

The only two yakuza left were the boss and his subordinate that was holding on to him. The boss of the group regained consciousness, only to see his underlings sprawled about in pain or trying to hide their shame.

"Just you wait" he tried to yell in a slurred voice while stumbling to gain his balance. "You haven't heard the last from us. The chief himself will have your heads" he concluded as he continued to stumble. Some of his fellows limped away with him down the street. Matsumori and Sumika watched them go until they were out of sight.

"Well, that was interesting. Hardly worth of interrupting a meal, but still interesting" Sumika said plainly to Matsumori.

"This is Akiro's group?" Matsumori replied sarcastically "if this was his best, I would hate to see their worst."

"They'll have the worst alright and after what you did, they now will have every reason to use them" the voice of Waku replied as Matsumori and Sumika turned to him at the door of his business.

"I guess I should not be surprised" Matsumori said as he re-sheathed his swords. "You could at least thank us for stopping them from killing you and burning down your business."

"They might as well do both" Waku replied sadly.

"Worry not" Sumika replied politely as she handed Waku a small sack that was obviously filled with coins. "For the damages" she replied as Waku graciously took the sack and giving her a thankful gesture as he went back into his restaurant. She followed him in and a few moments later came out with her flat kasa.

"So, what happens to us now?" Matsumori replied.

"Remember what I said about the hot springs" Sumika replied with a smile.