Getsumei the Sun Eater
Getsumei stood twenty paces from his greatest nemesis, Haru of the Setting Sun clan. His hand rested on the kashira of his sheathed katana, its silver crescent tsuba glistening in the moonlight. Getsumei had the upper hand, being a child of the Eternal Night clan, but his time was quickly running out as the sun began to peak around the tops of the Akaishi mountains. Haru stood upright and confident, for he was the prodigy son of his clan, which dominated the island for as long as Getsumei could remember. The forced worship of the sun had pushed those who resisted to the Eternal Night and to the worship of the moon.
Haru drew his katana and tossed its saya aside into the dirt, an act considered an insult to any self-respecting swordsman. Getsumei scoffed and slid his hand down the length of his katana's tsuka. He readied himself, crouching low to the ground ready to lunge forward at a moment's notice. Haru laughed and brazenly approached, his sword now raised above his head, poised to strike. He may be a cocky asshole but he is still a master in his own right Getsumei thought to himself. He shifted his stance into a more aggressive one, doubled over in the crouching tiger style. He kept his sword in its saya, remembering his master’s words, a hidden blade is the most dangerous. He felt a hum vibrate through the blade, itching to leave its saya. Haru shifted his stance in response. He lowered his katana, expecting Getsumei to strike low, Haru guards his right leg.
By now Haru was getting impatient and approached Getsumei more quickly, still keeping his balance, but loosening his grip on his katana. When he got within ten feet of Getsumei he let out a roar and began his lunge. His golden sword sparkling in the early morning light, its blade catching fire as he cuts through the air. He swung upwards, missing Getsumei’s face by less than an inch but Getsumei did not flinch. Haru’s second strike came from above as he tried to split Getsumei’s head in two. Getsumei noticed a lack of polish in Haru’s fighting style, relying on his brute strength rather than any semblance of skill. Still, Haru swung with enough force to split boulders. If one strike landed that would be the end of their duel.
Getsumei danced back and forth, sliding between Haru’s attacks, barely breathing so as to not get caught by the blade. This duel had gone on for long enough and as the sun was rising, Getsumei needed to finish the battle quickly. Luckily for him, Haru was becoming exhausted, swing after swing had made his arms sore and each strike came with less force.
“Do you plan on running away forever? Fight me you coward!” Haru’s taunts bounced off of Getsumei, Haru was going to need to do better than that to anger him. But Getsumei thought that he would give Haru what he wanted and dug his feet into the ground. In one quick motion, he drew his katana upwards and lunged toward Haru, bringing his blade down on Haru’s head. Haru brought his katana upwards to meet his blade. The sound of metal slicing through metal rang out across the empty field. Getsumei’s blade sank into flesh and blood sprayed the nearby Sumire flowers, turning their violet color into a dark mulberry red. Haru’s katana fell to the floor, cut clean in two halfway up the blade. The fire had made Haru’s blade soft and malleable, an easy target for Getsumei’s quick and precise blade.
Haru let out a single breath before keeling over. Getsumei drew the sword from Haru’s body and sidestepped him. He lined up his katana and claimed Haru’s head, as was the right of the victor. Despite the brutality, Getsumei had made sure to cause him as little pain as possible. Although he hated Haru, he deserved to die a warrior's death. Getsumei slashed the air, flicking the blood from the blade before he returned it to its saya. He picked up Haru’s broken katana and returned it to its saya as well. He bowed to the fallen Haru before leaving, one last sign of respect that Haru did not earn. Getsumei would take Haru’s broken katana as a trophy to show to the Setting Sun clan. With the death of Haru, the tides of the war had shifted to the Eternal Night clan’s favor and as Getsumei set forth on his way back home he felt hope for the first time in a long long time.