Although it was a time of peace throughout the land, there was still much turmoil to be settled. It seemed so recently that the taste of blood was still in the air. The men of these times fought not only for themselves, but they also fought to drown out the unyielding cries for blood coming from their dormant swords.
The once proud samurais were now filled with a new type of pride. Rather than fight to defend the motherland like they had previously done years ago, these men turned to each other for the same satisfaction that they received from The Great War three years ago. Murder and marauding was no longer a necessity; now it had become a sport.
Two men stood calmly in the moonlight. The gentle wind whistled as it breezed between the stalks in the bamboo forest. Rai-shin stood rooted like a tree on the left while Lee wavered uneasily on the right.
“There is no need in proceeding. Drop your weapon and we can end this senseless bloodshed between us,” said Rai-shin. Lee’s only response was a straightforward rush across the battleground. With his blade still sheathed, Rai-shin ducked below the lateral attack. With a quick sweep, Lee was knocked off of his feet.
Rai-shin leaped backward to place distance between him and his opponent. Time seemed to crawl as he analyzed his opponent. The eyes of his adversary had grown dark. His opponent’s breath had changed to a heavy pant. Based on that fact alone, he could tell that Lee’s heart rate was increasing. Whatever adrenaline had been pumping through his blood stream had surely increased his reaction time. Rather than hold the sword with grace and respect, Lee’s knuckles turned white and his wrists cracked as he clenched the hilt. The last thing Rai-shin managed to notice was that Lee stepped forward in a low manner starting with his left foot. From the countless battles he and Lee fought together, Rai-shin knew that his opponent’s attacks always began with his dominant right leg.
Lee’s strike started down low close to the ground and ran vertical up to the sky. At this point Rai-shin unsheathed his sword at an angle to parry the blow. This was the first time our hero had shown his sword to any opponent since the war three years ago. “Your Ryu Shou Sen was weak. The Lee I know to pays much closer attention to his sword techniques during battle.” Lee’s eyes grew colder as they focused on his opponent.
Lee was determined to end the battle with one final blow. Rai-shin quickly flipped his sword around so the cutting edge faced away from his opponent. Saving Lee became his number one priority. The sword seemed to crash down in a silver flash as it reflected the full moon. It came down on Lee’s thumb. The impact was strong enough to break his thumb. The pain was paralyzing. “I have spared your life,” said Rai-shin solemnly. “However, with your injury, you won’t be able to to hold a sword properly for the rest of your life.” Rai-shin left his opponent writhing in the bamboo forest as he walked off just as the sun began to rise.