That day had set out according to plan, and whilst there was no real visible progress with the ship, and there hadn't been for a couple of days, he'd still felt optimistic. Things were going according to plan. But no matter how intelligent you are, you'll always be faced with unexpected things, such was the chaos of life.
And what he had been presented with now, was one of the last things he wished to deal with. He did not want to bring these two women – who were both very important to him – into a war. And yet here they were, holding blades up, so that they could fight in his name.
It angered him that his men could be so blind as to bring them along. Perhaps they could fight, but what of it? Anyone with a sword will be able to use it to some degree, but there was far more to being a warrior than that. Jikouji had taught him that a while ago, after he had killed his first man.
And so when he shot forth, and swung, he did so fuelled by genuine aggression, startling Rin into action, after his sheathed sword collided with the pole of her naginata.
Akiko saw that there was no talking him out of it, and sought to secure victory quickly, so that no one would get hurt. She went behind him whilst he was still busy fighting Rin, and thrust toward his back, taking extra care so that she would not hurt him too badly.
But her lenience was revealed to be a weakness, as he sensed the blade coming toward him, and dodged slightly to the side, before swinging downwards, hard, sending a powerful vibration up the weapon, forcing her to drop it.
He easily parried Rin's halfhearted strikes, as he used his foot to flick Akiko's fallen naginata away. And then, he gave all he had, and charged toward Rin. She could not keep up with the ferocity of his strikes, and was gradually driven back, as he continued to close the gap. In desperation, she held her naginata out in front of her, attempting to block his strike. Their blades pressed against one another, as they grappled, trying to secure a favourable position. But after he drove forward, putting more strength behind his blade, she was sent tumbling onto the sand.
Akiko was rendered unarmed, and Rin was collapsed on the floor in the sand. It was absolute domination. They had made the mistake of not giving the fight their all, and they had been punished for it.
"Do you see now?"
He asked, putting his sheathed sword back into it's belt, as he turned his back on them, and walked over to have a word with Ii, wanting to find out just what he had told the girls.
"…Not done yet."
Rin said through gritted teeth, ignoring the sand that clung to her clothing as she held her weapon ready. Akiko stood alongside her, having collected her naginata.
He turned around, giving them his attention once more. It seemed their faces had hardened, and they were willing to take this seriously.
"Fine."
He approached the task with a renewed aggression. He would defeat them as many times as it took for them to learn their lesson. All they proposed to offer was their fighting prowess, and so he would assess them with the utmost criticism, for they lacked the mindset the other men had adopted.
This time, they stuck together. One woman defended the strikes, whilst the other one continuously attacked. But it was far from good enough. He'd fought on multiple battlefields and was used to fighting from numerous different fronts.
He feigned an attack on one, whilst he parried the thrust that was coming his way, before he did as Kitajo had done, and abandoned his sword, wretching the naginata from Rin's grasp, as he whipped it around, and drove the butt of the pole into Akiko's stomach, winding her.
Even though she was unarmed, Rin attempted to close the gap, and tackle him to the floor, but a swift, ruthless strike with the unbladed end of the naginata ended that effort.
He cast it aside, having secured victory once more, and retrieved his sword. It was a merciless display. The gap between them was startlingly obvious, and the men began to grow sympathetic toward the battered Rin and Akiko. In truth, they were a little surprised. Because Kitajo had struggled in handling Rin, they had expected – since it was 2 on 1 – that they would at least be evenly matched.
Togashi released with a start that Gengyo had improved once again, and by this point, his swordsmanship likely surpassed his own.
"Leave it. My point has been made."
He spoke, as Rin once more attempted to reach for her place.
"Now, Ii, what did you share with these two, hm? What would make you all come here, whilst we are in the middle of upgrading the ship?"
"I… Told them about the robbery."
He'd had time to think about what he was going to say during the fights, and was able to get it out when he was asked this time.
"You did, did you? And what did they think of that?"
"We… don't mind…"
Akiko said, holding her belly, struggling to get her breath to return.
"Heh…"
He was a little caught off guard by her answer, but did his best to hide it.
"And what made you all come here, with my sister and lady Niwa in tow?"
The men remained silent once more. Whilst they held certain opinions, they did not want to ruin their relationship with their leader, as they trusted him, and his competence was unquestionable.
"We heard how you don't even tell them your plans, Nii-san. We can understand you keeping us in the dark, but you have to be open with them at least, right?"
Rin said despondently, sitting in the sand. She had been made painfully aware of the difference between their fighting ability. After sparring with the other women for so long, she had allowed herself a certain confidence in her ability, but in comparison to her brother's, it was average at best.
"..?"
He squinted, not knowing quite what to say about that. It was not as though he intentionally kept his plans to himself because he did not want them to know. It was just how he operated. He did not have to consult anyone before executing something. It was quicker and less stressful.
"I agree with her a bit, Miura. I think, if you trusted in us a little more, your load could be lessened, and things could get done faster."
Seeing Togashi – one of his most loyal men, and a good friend besides – speak up was surprising. He always thought he would be the last to voice discontent.
'Trust them more? Of course, I trust them… I rely on their help to complete tasks… but I suppose that is not what they mean.'
"What do you mean, Togashi?"
His voice had lost its coldness, and he spoke as he normally might.
"I don't mean to knock you, my friend. You have a sharp mind, and your planning is difficult to criticise. But I feel your task would be easier if you allocated some of the responsibility to us. There are some amongst us who are capable of leading, and that will free up your time for other things."
He was quiet as his subordinate spoke, and listened. Nothing he said was incorrect, and he articulated his point clearly. He stood there for a little while, unspeaking, pondering what had just been said.
There were no obvious disadvantages to be had with cultivating more leaders amongst his men. In fact, that was something he should have been doing from the start. An army was not lead by a single man – it was a structure built on top of numerous supporting pillars. In his life, he had been used to working alone. He made use of people when necessary, and when they were willing, but he never asked anyone to function autonomously on his behalf.
By autonomously, he meant without his input. He had never merely assigned them a task, and allowed them to plan how they might tackle it themselves. He had always undertaken the planning himself, believing that it was better for everyone that way.
But seemingly, from this unexpected confrontation, his men – the same men that he had fought alongside and trusted – felt that he was taking on too much himself. And perhaps they were right. He had neglected to think of anything of the sort, because he was so preoccupied with staying busy.
It seemed, that instead of focusing merely on developing his army, he should have spent time focusing on developing men as well, and developing people. No doubt it was as Togashi said, and there were certainly men among them that could command the respect of others and lead effectively. Morohira was one. He was jovial in his outlook, and perhaps a little simplistic, but underneath all that was a concrete bed of complete competence.
"…Togashi. What you have said is correct. I will work on this immediately. I thank you for bringing it to my attention."
He did his best to ensure the men that they had been heard. He had been quick to anger after seeing his family had been brought along, but on this point, they were certainly right, and he did not want to scare them out of suggesting things in future, because this criticism of theirs – it was meaningful.
"Do not feel pressured, Miura, merely do what you think is best."
His bearded friend said, with a slight bow. Jikouji watched their interacting with approval – Togashi had done well. He did not think he would have had the same persuasive effect on the lad.
"Akiko, Rin. Come over here."
He said, his voice calmer now. He was still unhappy that they were here, and that they had been brought into this new world of theirs, but he had proved his point: their fighting skill was not a good enough reason to put them into danger, for they lacked it. Now, he was willing to hear them out.
"Are you alright, Akiko? I didn't hit you too hard, did I?"
He asked gently, seeing that she still held her stomach delicately.
"No, no. I'm okay, really."
She quickly reassured him. She would have to endure pain far greater than this if she was to train with the men regularly, and she didn't want him to think of her as weak, at least, no weaker than she had already proved herself to be.
"So, is it the same for you? You don't like being left out of my planning?"
He said with a small smile.
"Pfft. No. I mean, that's part of it, and it'd be nice to know what was going on. But I'm sick of being at home all the time. I want to fight alongside you, Nii-san! I don't want you to die without me being there to help."
"So, it's fine if I die as long as you're there to help the enemy do it?"
He teased, making fun of her wording.
She stuck her tongue out at him, pleased to see that he was loosening up a little.
"Is it the same for you, Akiko?"
"Yup. You promised you wouldn't leave me behind anymore, so now I'm making you do good on that promise!"
"You know what we do, don't you? We're going to committing theft. Innocent people will die, and innocent people will get hurt. Does that not bother you?"
She shook her head with a little smile.
"Nope, as long as I can be with the people I care about, I don't care about any of that."
He sighed and looked around at the rest of the men.
"Well, I guess we have two new members fellas."