A Blade For Shadows

This next strike will decide it all. Are you prepared, my opponent?

Wherever my feet carry me, there is the battlefield. I made my peace long ago, my opponent.

Phew... Your skills are truly magnificent.

When I heard there was a samurai training here, I simply had to come... But you surpassed my expectations.

You honored me with our match. I cannot thank you enough.

The pleasure was all mine.

Both of us seek to reach further heights. Let us both give our best efforts, and perhaps spar again sometime!

By the way, friend Akane. Do you perhaps have a sister?

A brother, yes, but no sister. Why do you ask?

I have seen a young woman in Rinde who looks similarly to you, sometimes.

I assumed perhaps you and she were twins, but was I mistaken?

(Hm. This reminds me of the matter in Garulea. Has someone from another world wandered here?)

Is this...sleepwalking?! Or perhaps...what we call the afflicting shadow?!

An affliction? I have never been afflicted with any kind of illness, at least, not to my knowledge.

No, an affliction of the spirit... What do the Westerners call it...

Ah! A doppelganger!

A...apologies, a what?

I understand it little myself. But it appears to refer to a sort of shadowy figure that resembles you.

A shadow... (A shinobi?)

It is said they lurk and watch for a chance to replace the one whose face they wear, with no one the wiser. You should take care, friend Akane.

Thank you for this information, Lady Azami.

Forgive me, I've just recalled a matter of some importance. I should be going.

A shadowy figure who seeks to replace me in secret... They must be targeting either my honored brother or my Lord Shigure. But they chose their face poorly.

I shan't wait for these embers to spread, but stamp them out myself. To Rinde, with haste.

And depending on what I find... My blade will drink deeply today.

Pardon me, sir. I would ask you some questions. Do you have the time to answer?

Hm? Oh, Akane. What's going on?

Sir Aldo. Just the one I wished to see.

Have you heard of of a shinobi named Sir Doppel? He would be wearing my face and targeting my brother.

......Huh??

Apologies, did I speak too quickly? Then let me start over. You see, there is a shadow targeting me known by the name Doppel Gangar...

Gyaaaaah!

What was that?!

That's...

How dare you turn your blade on one with no weapon of his own! A samurai's blade is sworn to his lord. It is not to be swung about carelessly!

My brother says the same...

Wait...that blade on your back! That's my brother's blade!

Did you steal it from him?!

Of course not. This blade is a treasure of my house, passed down to me by my father as he lay dying.

I have forgotten some of the specifics, but rest assured it is a storied blade with many feats to its name, which...is...

In any case, it is very special!! I certainly did not steal it!

Akane! Oh wow, you're fast.

Wait a minute, that's...

Akane! Are you causing trouble again?

...Wait. Two Akanes?

How do you know my name? Have we met somewhere before?!

Damn it, the clever bastard even hired a body double for his sister...

The same name, the same face... I see. You must be Sir Doppel. I expected a shinobi to be more prudent when attempting to become me.

Even I would surely think for a full three seconds before drawing my blade in the city streets.

Think for longer than that!!

Become...you?

...Ah! You must be one of those doppel things my nanny told me about! You hunt down your target and kill them, then replace them like you were them all along!

Hmm. It is at least gallant of you not to deny it. Why are you targeting me?

Hang on, this all feels like it's one big misunderstanding.

Yes, it is! Thank goodness at least one of them is willing to listen.

Let me say it louder for you! I! Am! Akane! ME! Not you! You're NOT AKANE and you're probably NOT EVEN REAL. Okay?! Get it?!

Never mind... Why did I get my hopes up?

You refuse to admit it? Then I have a proposition.

Let us duel! The winner shall earn the sole right to the name Akane!

Whaaaat?!

If words won't work, then we'll settle this with our blades! I'm getting fired up!

Shall we settle this on Serena Coast?

That works for me. Let's get going!

Neither of them listened to a single word I said.

No, I can complain later. Right now, I need to convince them not to kill each other.

...... I hope I can.

Haha... You appear to be in quite a bind.

Shion!

I am truly sorry for the trouble my younger sister has caused you.

She's just so stubborn... Once she has an idea in her head, it's the devil's own work to talk her out of it.

Are you...Shion?

Ah, you know my name? Fascinating, fascinating.

Forgive me. I saw you having trouble with my younger sister, and I felt compelled to speak up.

Um, have we met?

Forgive me. My name is Shion. I saw you having trouble with my younger sister, and I felt compelled to speak up.

Huh?! Little sister?! You're nothing alike...

Haha. I get that quite a lot, but I assure you we are related by blood.

And so? You seem rather troubled. Is there any help I can offer?

I just don't know how to stop those two from killing each other over a misunderstanding.

In that case...

Bring this hawk to her. She'll surely listen to you then.

Thanks so much. I was really at my wits' end there...I was about to ask the straw dummies for help. I'm going after them!

Well, I didn't expect her to be here on this side as well... Still, I expect she'll find life here to be much more peaceful than her life over there. And if there's anything I can do to ensure that is the case...then I'll gladly do it, of course.

Your technique...is it self-taught? It resembles Fugen Itto-Ryu in form, but it's an incomplete thing.

Yes! I learned by watching!

Merely by watching...I see. You are truly blessed by the blade. But that makes it all the stranger. Why would you turn to the path of shadows when you have such talent?

I wouldn't! I've always liked walking in the sun a lot more.

I finally found you two! Now would you PLEASE listen?!

Do not stop us, Sir Aldo. I am in training to become a bride, and a bride's duty is to protect her home. I must uncover the true identity of this creature who seeks to wear my name and my face.

I don't think that usually means in a physical sense, you know?

Huh?! Really? I figured Shigure was looking for reinforcements to defend his manor... Isn't that what matchmaking is for?

What kind of matchmaking...?!

(Okay, Aldo. Calm down. Focus. You've got to remember, this is Akane.) (If I keep letting her get to me, we're going to be here all week.)

Oh, right! Shion gave me this hawk...

Tamazusa?! But how would you...

Shion gave her to me to hold onto. He said if I showed her to you, you might actually listen to me.

Look, can you two please put your swords down? This is all a big misunderstanding, I'm sure of it.

Well, if my brother says so...

You put your sword away. Does that mean you surrender?

Yes.

Then, to claim my place as the real Akane...

I will take your life!

Indeed... A samurai's life is as a bubble on the water's surface, easily lost.

Akane?!

However, I am afraid I cannot submit to your blade, even in surrender.

If I were to perish, it would sadden my brother greatly. Thus, I must never die.

Besides, I cannot break my promise to Lord Shigure to inherit the dojo.

Huh? You're friends with Shigure, Doppel?

I am his betrothed. Did you not know?

I didn't have a clue! I don't even know who you are.

...... Then...you aren't attempting to take over my life? Was... Was this all a misunderstanding?

...I shall slit my belly open to atone!!

Hey! No! Swords down!!

So, there's another world out there, and this Doppel lady is me from there...

Yeah. We call them Parallel Time Layers.

I don't know that much about them myself, but we actually visited one not too long ago in Garulea.

Yeah, I don't understand any of it!

But, I see that Doppel challenged me over a misunderstanding!

I can only apologize...

Don't worry about it! I almost cut people down over misunderstandings all the time!

(Don't say anything, Aldo. Don't let her get to you.)

Ah, yes, you seemed prepared to cut down that townsman in Rinde too.

Oh, he wasn't a townsman.

He said something about capturing me and "showing that strategist bastard he can't just do as he pleases," I think?

Strategist...

I don't know any strategists, so I don't know what he was on about.

So I figured, what the heck! I'll just cut him down!

You can't just do that!!

Lady Akane, do you remember where that man fled to after that?

Nope, not at all.

I see. Then we have no choice but to speak to every man walking along this road.

Whoa! What's going on?

Damn, they saw through me.

Him! It was him!

Tch!

I thought I'd be able to learn which one was the real one, but...

...I will not let you escape.

Looks like I shook them.

It is far too early for you to relax, friend.

What? When did you...

You sought to capture "me" in order to punish a strategist, yes? Your gear identifies you as a man of Mi. Why do you target my brother?

So you're the sister, after all...

Don't act all innocent. You surely know what sort of hell we've gone through thanks to your monster of a brother.

No, I have no idea.

Yeah, I knew you would say that... Try not to make him any angrier, please?

So you don't want to listen. Fine...I guess we do this the hard way.

Is it time for violence, then? Thank you.

For what?

I have always wanted to face a shinobi in a true battle to the death. Thank you for allowing me to stake my life on your blade.

I'm just here because it seemed fun, but duels to the death are what a samurai lives for! Count me in!

Uh...

Hey! Listen to me carefully! If things get bad, I'll stop them. Don't be reckless! If you feel like you're in danger, drop your weapons and surrender right away!

The small fry have scattered. Which leaves only...

Okay! Okay, match decided! Victory to Akane! Everyone put your weapons away now!

Look, he doesn't want to fight anymore. Let's talk this out!

...Fine. It would be unfitting to wield my blade against an opponent with no more will to resist.

Okay... So why did you do this? You had to know it was dangerous.

I wanted to make that strategist bastard squirm, that's why! I heard he was soft on his sister, and I figured if I held her hostage, I could twist his arm to our benefit.

The attitude he takes with our Lord... It's unacceptable!

Really? He seems pretty polite to me.

No, he's the worst! He's a demon! And every time he mouths off to our Lord, our Lord gets upset and starts sulking... And then he makes us shinobi do dances or go looking for legendary treasures just to make him feel better!

So basically, you're too afraid to just tell him to knock it off!

It seems to me that you are afraid to take your own initiative to better your situation, rather than blame others.

You're not wrong, I guess... But give the guy a break.

Gods, his sister is just as bad as he is! I swear, someday you two are going to pay for our humiliation!

Hey, wait!

He fled again.

Yeah. But I think it's probably okay to let him go, don't you?

How can you say so with confidence?

I imagine he's learned pretty well what's going to happen to him if he tries anything funny again.

(I know I wouldn't want to try to kidnap someone who doesn't listen and draws her sword on a hair trigger...)

As my brother often says, sometimes one need not even light the kindling to smoke out the truth.

Oftentimes waiting is enough.

......I'm tired. I guess we should head back to Rinde. I have to give Shion his hawk back.

Hm? Speaking of, where did it go?

The pretty hawk? I think she flew away right before we started fighting. No idea where she went afterward though!

I imagine she returned to my brother. She is well trained, and likes him well.

However, Sir Aldo. Tamazusa is not my brother's hawk. She belongs to...

Damn it, I didn't expect the strategist's sister to be such a monster herself.

How rude. Do you often speak of people's younger sisters in such fashion?

Sir Strategist... What brings you to the West?

Gathering intelligence on other countries is my duty, after all. Still... "The West," you say. Only the West?

Well, if you yourself haven't realized, that's just as well. Now, let us return home, shall we?

This lovely lady will be wanting to see her former master soon, I think.

What say you?

Meaning that if I refuse, I'll end up like that former master, huh... You and your sister really are monsters.

So basically, Shion seized that hawk from his lord?

Yes. My brother banished his overly idle lord from the castle in punishment for his refusal to govern as a lord should. He only let him back in once the lord gave him the hawk as proof of repentance.

That's pretty crazy. Sounds like your brother, though...

My brother is a gentle soul, but he will fight like a wild beast when such ferocity is merited. He especially despises abuses of power and actions that offend the virtuous code of human decency.

So your brother is like that too! My brother scolds me a lot.

Of course, then I forget what he yelled at me for and I just do it again!

But I know he only gets mad because he cares about me. He's the best!

I see. He is a fine brother.

Yeah! He's super cool and super strong!

Fascinating... Is he stronger than you?

Yeah! He's the strongest samurai ever!

I would love to face him.

Would you be willing to introduce me to your lord brother, Lady Akane?

Oh, I have no idea where he is! But he's definitely somewhere on this continent. Let's look for him together!

Excellent. Thank you.

What about you, Sir Aldo? Would you like to come with us?

No... I'm going home. And staying there for a bit.

I see. In that case, farewell. Until we meet again.

Forgive me, Shion... I know I should try to rein them in, but I just don't have the strength.

And hang in there, other Shion...

Ooh, I just got a cold chill. Must've just been my imagination...