Nihonryōri Clan Holdings
1939

CLANG!

The air rang out with the sound of swords clashing. It was followed up with grunts and swooshes as the two kitsune circled one another. One was a grey-furred female with five similar-colored tails and wearing a traditional practice kimono. The other was a pink-furred female, shorter than her sister. She wore a more racy black and pink yukata and had six vibrant rainbow-colored tails.

CLANG!

Where most practices would be with wooden bokken or shinai sticks, when it came to the sisters only naked steel would do best. Healing salves and natural kitsune magic would handle that.

"You're getting sloppy, Hitomi-chan!" the grey-furred kitsune said with a sneer. Hitomi narrowed her eyes and swung again, only to be met with an easy defense.

"Ayano-chan.. nngh.. it's never about winning," she replied. The two kitsune often called one another by their true names, eschewing the formal titles they'd been given. But then again, they had spent over two hundred and fifty years growing up together.

Ayano laughed. "It's always about winning! Why else would you do it? Besides, you're the one wearing your concubine's gear.... thinking you'll distract me?" She laughed again.

"I've.." CLANG! "I've got a mission later."

Ayano swept along the ground, making Hitomi jump to avoid the blade.

"Seems like a waste of your power to be on the seduction line.... You should be on the front lines with me. Those Chinese are a good source of power..."

"You mean kegare... because you torture prisoners.."

CLANG! Ayano swung hard, shifting Hitomi back on one foot. She had barely brought her sword up to defend against the blow, the steel cutting her sleeve but just barely avoiding cutting her.

"We can't all be whores to the kami to gain our tails." Ayano seemed to be more and more jealous that Sakura had earned her sixth tail after the Great War and had been throwing herself into more and more direct fighting missions. There were rumors circulating that she had been consuming souls again.

The comment had made Hitomi frustrated and she swung wildly, making Ayano dance back. "Damn it... Maybe if you'd actually cleanse yourself and take your miko duties seriously... You wouldn't have to resort to kegare..."

"Ah but dear sister..." Ayano said, a twisted dark green foxfire ball swirled into her hand and she threw it at Hitomi's feet. The pink kitsune cried out as she was nearly burnt by it, and she tumbled out of the way. Her sister pounced, and slammed the hilt of her sword into Hitomi's head, laying her flat on the ground. Ayano kicked her sword away and grabbed a handful of Hitomi's hair and dug her sword right at her throat. It cut just enough to draw blood and signal the end of their duel, but she pressed with enough force that Hitomi wasn't sure she was going to go too far. "It's how I can beat you and the kami." Hitomi swallowed, breathing hard.

Finally Ayano took the sword away and dropped Hitomi's head, grinding her muzzle into the ground. "One day, Hitomi-chan... You'll see the true light and you'll take your proper place next to me in the clan, and we will lead Nihon to its rightful place in the world for the Emperor's glory."

Ayano walked away, leaving Hitomi to pick herself up. She rubbed her throat and sighed. Nihon's rightful place... Was that even where she wanted to be anymore?

----

The eternal struggle between two sisters, one who has taken the path of the natural and light, and the other who has taken the corrupt and dark. Sake and Sakura are powerful beings, and there is a reckoning coming, as one day Sake will find out that Sakura wasn't killed in World War 2, but that she had defected due to the dark path her clan and land were taking....

This is a fantastic picture of Sake and Sakura, done by  hanazawa I split it with  WolfRider as we've wanted a piece of them together for quite some time now. There is certainly more to come with the sisters in the future... Reckoning is coming after all.

Art ©  hanazawa
Sake/Sumiko Ayano ©  WolfRider
Sakura/Sumiko Hitomi © me