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Tetsujin stepped back from the duel circle and bowed, first to Takako and then to the three judges watching from the sidelines. As he stepped away he began to breathe more easily.
That had been the most difficult duel of his life! He had thought it would be a simple matter to defeat a shugenja – someone who wasn't even trained in the art of iaijutsu. But Takako had seemed to make up for an obvious lack of skill with sheer desire to win.
Undoubtably her close connection with the elements had something to do with it as well.
As he walked to the water barrel set up for the contestants on the sidelines Tetsujin began to realize just how much effort the duel had cost him. His hand shook a bit as he brought the dipper to his mouth and drank his fill. The other contestants, sitting on short stools in a line before the judges, politely pretended not to notice.
The three judges conferred for a few moments, then the crowd of peasants watching from the field quited as Doji Shiju rose to speak.
"The final duel of the day shall be fought between Seppun Nikana and Mirumoto Tetsujin. The winner shall be declared the champion of the Festival of the White Orchid. The duel shall commence immediately."
Nikana stood and walked to the dueling circle without a word. Tetsujin took his place opposite him. Both bowed, and then dropped into their dueling stance. The crowd quited and the judges leaned eagerly forward on their chairs.
The two samurai stood motionless. Nikana had the classic stance of the Seppun dojo – derived directly from the Kakita style. His feet were level, his left hand held the saya of his katana in place, his right hand resting palm-upwards on the hilt of the bokken that had replaced his katana for the duel.
Testsujin's stance was that of the Mirumoto. His left leg stood slightly before the right, with both knees slightly bent. His right hand rested against his obi, his left held his daisho in place at a curious angle, ready to draw his wakizashi the instant after his right drew his bokken.
An eternity passed.
Tetsujin found himself off balance. The slight sounds from the crowd, the sound of a fly buzzing past, all distracted him more than they should have. He had come to this duel unready – still suffering from the duel with Takako. If only he had had time to regain balance... a half hour to meditate...
Suddenly both samurai held their weapons. The clack of the wooden blades sliding against each other seemed the only sound in the world as the crowd pushed forward to see who had struck first. Nikana's bokken was resting against Tetsujin's left shoulder. Tetsujin's own blade had stopped a hairs-breadth from Nikana's belly, his wakizashi almost in position to knock Nikana's bokken aside.
A loud sigh broke from Shiju.
Tetsujin stepped back, returned his blades to their saya without flourish. He bowed low to Nikana. It was obvious to any trained duelist who had won.
Nikana paused for a moment, as if unsure of what had just happened. Then he whirled his bokken into its saya and bowed low to Testsujin. Lower, in fact.
In that moment Tetsujin knew that they understood one another. Nikana knew that the duel with Takako had cost him too much, that if they had come fresh to this duel the result would have been different.
"The winner is Seppun Nikana!" Doji Shiju stood again to address the crowd. "All hail the Champion of the White Orchid Festival!"