Arisu Okita

Souji had been young when his sister had left him in Kondou's care, and had abandoned him forever. He hadn't seen or heard from her since, and was now decidedly cautious and resentful of women. Back then he had never thought he could bring himself to love the very kind that had betrayed him and left him for good. But Arisu was unlike his sister, he had found. He no longer felt bitterness to women knowing that the likes of her existed amongst them. Instead, she had rekindled a love in him that had been long forgotten.

One particular day hung vivid in his memory. As usual, he watched Arisu from his place in the far corner of the dojo, leaning smugly against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest as she trained with Kondou. She swung her wooden katana accurately and hard at Kondou as they trained, but her defense was lacking. Her blocks were weak – he could tell by the violent ripples that pulsed through the wood of her weapon each time Kondou's struck it. The battle ended with Kondou's mock katana poised against the curve of her waist. She was slow with her retaliations.

"Very good," Souji called in a voice dripping with sarcasm. "But you'd be dead by now if it weren't for your fake weapons and Kondou's kind nature. You rely too much on the knowledge that you won't die, won't be wounded – by Kondou, at least – and won't ever become a true warrior."

Arisu glared at him, angrily retracting her sword from its position in the battle and pointing it directly at Souji. His words had cut at her, as Souji had wished, and his smirk grew wider.

"A katana is a blade that slices, not punctures. Shouldn't you know that by now, Arisu-san? Turn your weapon parallel to me, and I might actually take you seriously," he continued, his naturally malicious humor magnified by the fact that he was addressing a woman. To him, Arisu was not better than his sister. She too would someday betray a man and hurt him, he was sure of it.

"Okita-san, I am here to receive lessons from Kondou, not from you. If you have something more to say, don't bother opening your mouth. You will merely be a hindrance to my lesson," Arisu retorted. Souji growled at her words. He was not a hindrance! He had spent years telling himself that, trying desperately to deny that his sister hadn't regarded him the same way. He opened his mouth to retaliate, but Kondou beat him to it.

"No," Kondou began, his voice strangely thoughtful. "You should let him speak, Arisu-san. Souji is my finest student, and will one day become a trainer just like me. It would be beneficial for the both of you to use each other. Souji, you will train Arisu-san from now on."

Arisu's eyes widened, and she protested violently to Kondou's proposal – a reaction that was validated by the presence of a wooden stick in her hand – but he would hear none of it. When Kondou set his sights on something, nothing and no one could sway him from his decision. Souji had learnt that long ago. Souji shrugged himself away from the wall and sauntered towards her, a dark expression of triumph pasted on his face. He grabbed the end of the stick she pulled it, sending it clattering to the ground. Begrudgingly, she eyed him as his chastised the weakness of her hold.

"I agree. But come, Arisu-san, let's put our differences aside," Souji said lightly, mockingly. He was a predator and she was his prey. Though not entirely defenseless, she would be an easy target. "We have a very long way to go."

A month passed quickly, and every day Souji would train and challenge Arisu until she could take no more. At first, he was pleased that he found her to be weak and clumsy with her blade. He thought her a woman, and women would always be inferior to him. But she quickly progressed, and now her blade crashed confidently against his, and she held her ground against him. Though she was not agile, she was strong and balanced.

"A battle is not only about your blade, Arisu-chan," Souji taunted. He had recently taken to using familiarity with her – it was easier for him to disarm her perfectly agile wit. "It is your feet that carry you. They are the only thing besides your blade that will keep you alive in a fight."

Arisu grunted as she blocked yet another hard swing of Souji's blade, but he pushed her back. She was well grounded, but she needed to move if she wanted to avoid being struck. Souji took another swing at her, but before his blade could make contact with hers, Kondou's loud voice boomed across the dojo.

"Souji!" Kondou stalked into the dojo, resolute expression fixed upon his face. Souji drew back his blade and sheathed it, greeting Kondou with a slight bow.

"What is it, Kondou-san?" he enquired, glancing at Arisu. The girl had not moved from her position, but her blade was lowered before her as she watched them. Souji smirked; so she had learnt from his constant attempts to surprise her with attacks to stay alert.

"I will need the dojo soon to train our new recruits," Kondou began. Souji nodded along, knowing already that it was the time of the year that most new recruits came to the dojo. Although there were few, Kondou was dedicated to training them well. It was one of the things Souji had always admired about Kondou. "I will ask you during this time to secure the passage through the village for them. You know that there are often bandits in these woods, and our new recruits are defenseless against them. Take Arisu with you, and secure the road."

Souji nodded, unfazed by Kondou's order for Arisu to accompany him. If they did meet bandits, he was well equipped to discard of them by himself. But she could defend herself with the meager skills she had developed if the circumstances called for it. She would not be a hindrance to him. He bowed again, and Kondou left. He turned to Arisu.

"Well then, let's see how well you fight. I expect you not to let yourself get killed. It would be a bad reflection on my abilities as a teacher," he smiled, though his eyes retained their sinister glint.

"You'll regret those words, Okita-san," she replied lightly, sheathing her sword. She looked him directly in the eye, challenging him. "You'll regret them when I am not the one who needs to be saved." Souji watched her walked away from him, a slight smirk playing at his lips. In that moment, he saw himself in her – the younger, more naïve boy that he had once been. Frowning, he felt a strange pull in his chest. He felt the desire to protect her.

They patrolled the path to the dojo silently. Souji walked a little ahead of Arisu, watching for any signs of bandits in the woods surrounding them. He was confused at the strange pull in his chest that remained even now. His senses were tuned to her too; he heard her every footfall, and he did not miss a breath. Suddenly, a cry sounded from behind them and a group of five bandits jumped onto the path, swinging their swords at Arisu.

Souji growled; how could he have missed them? This girl was distracting him too much. Arisu was slow to produce her katana, however, and she took a blow to her arm. Souji felt anger boil up inside of him at the sight of her injury, and he pulled his katana from its sheath, pushing Arisu behind him. He felled three easily, taking them down with a quick swipe of his blade to their stomachs. Meanwhile, Arisu had recovered, and although she clutched her arm, she managed to strike another bandit down as he went for her – the easier target.

"Get back!" Souji growled at her, angry that she would try to fight in her injured condition. Arisu pushed him aside and met the last bandit's blade before Souji could kill him. She would prove him wrong, even if it meant her death.

"No!" she cried, hacking violently at her opponent and driving him successfully back. "You will not have the better of me any longer. I am equal to you, and I will prove it!"

With one last swipe of her sword, her blade found its place in the bandit's skin and he fell to the ground, dead. Arisu turned to Souji, breathing heavily and splattered with blood, the red pool on her arm growing as her wound wept. Souji was shocked, stunned by her actions. But even moreso, he was stunned by the terror that had pulsed through him when she had pushed him away to take on the last bandit herself. He was terrified that she would die; scared that he would lose what little he sought to protect in his life.

"There. You cannot tell me that I am inadequate as a warrior now," she announced. But Souji disregarded her challenge, feeling defeated at last by her. He sheathed his weapon and carefully composed his face. Pacing forward, he abruptly pulled her to him, and his heart rejoiced that she was there, breathing and alive against him.

"Don't ever do that again, or I might just have to kill you," he said, smirking. But he soon resumed his seriousness. "It is my desire and purpose in my life to protect what I must. I am determined that the no blade should ever cut you down."

"You cannot protect me forever, Souji Okita," she replied, her chuckle tainted with uncertainty. Just what was he saying? "I will go my own way soon enough."

Souji drew back and frowned at her. "No. I cannot agree to that. You are mine to protect," he protested. She smiled contentedly at his words. He was still a boy at heart, clutching at the chance to prove himself as a man. This was his chance. "The only way that that will ever come true s if I marry you-"

"Then marry me."

Souji Okita. I found this one a little hard to write. He's a difficult character to write for, since I find his true character a little elusive. So I hope this does him justice. Please review and let me know what you think!