Draft 6

At first glance, the Vice Captain of Roshigumi may appear as a scary man. At second glance, he'd also be a scary man

With a robust frame chocked full of muscle and a face that ooze of intimidation, the man would not look out of place as a character from Baki. It is a feeling you won't get to experience a second time if you get to stand in front of him

"So you are the one whom Okita has been talking about" A deep rumble escaped his mouth, shaking my senses. I blink hard to focus, trying to keep my gaze off his intimidating face

"Yes. She told me to meet you here"

In the morning, I set out to the Roshigumi's camp

Okita's talk with me yesterday allowed me to reflect on some things. For the first time since I came here, I had truly sat down and think carefully about my situation

I may have already altered history the moment I came here. A few treated patients could bring out unforeseen consequences hundreds of years in the future. In the worst case scenario, entire bloodlines could be wiped out and Japan as we know it may cease to be the same

Now that I've made contact with an organization that is a vital part of Japanese culture, there's no telling what may happen. The only way to fix it, or at least to mitigate the damage, is to join them on their journey toward Kyoto and ensure nothing happen

"Where is Okita-san?" I squint my eyes as a ray of sunlight flashed through the foliage covering us

"She's in there, training" Toshizo calmly replied. He inspct me for another while, before seemingly losing interest in me "Just wait a few minutes and they'll be done"

So we sat there for what seems like minutes

I don't know Hijikata, and it probably is the same on his end. No way a warrior who thrive in battle will pay attention to a lowly doctor like me. Thinking like that, there shouldn't be any middle ground for us

___________

The moment I entered the courtyard, I was greeted with cheerings and shouting

Looking around, there was a huge crowd of Ronin in the clearing, all forming a circle in the middle of the yard. The distinctive sound of thumping and clacking could be heard beyond that, couple with pained shout that made me wince

I jumped as a body fell before me, scattering clouds of dust in its wake.

It was a burly man holding a wooden sword in his hand, his eyes having turned white as he lost consciousness

Before I could reach for him and check his condition, a second body followed up. And a third. Three Ronin's holding practice swords were felled simultaneously

'It's a sparring match, but who is fighting against them?'

If they could take out three men in such short notice, it would either be Shinpachi or Kondo Isami, who were known for their technique and physique, respectively

However, once I actually raise my eyes, the second surprise came jus as quickly

The petite form of Okita stood amidst the circle of men. Her top has been taken off, replaced by bandages around her chest with her blue robe tied around her waist. The sight temporarily made me lose my focus

She held up the blade in her hand and bellowed

"Who wants to go next?!"

A roar came in reply as one of the men strode in with a blade of his own

She grinned, parrying his heavy swing with a flick of her wrist before stepping forward. Okita's sword moved in a blur, hitting the man's thorax in a single, decisive strike

And just like that, he collapsed to the ground unconscious

What the fuck kind of human are you?

It shouldn't be physically possible to strike at the three men with enough force to push them back so far away. In consideration of the force used, the muscle mass must be proportionate to that of a body builder, not a midget like Okita

While I was busy thinking about the anatomical impossibility in front of me, the crowd has seemingly been intimidated

"Captain Okita is too strong, isn't she? Isn't that kind of unfair to have her as our sparring partner?"

Most of the veteran here only shake their head. In a battle of swordsmanship, Okita reign supreme. If it's pure strength, only captain Hijikata could defeat her

"Hey, what's this guy doing here?"

One of them noticed the crouching doctor who are checking the downed men. Some recognized him as the doctor of the village. They turned to each other with raised eyebrows

"Isn't it the guy who often talk with Okita-san?"

"Speaking of which, I saw her hanging around his house yesterday. Do you reckon they have something between them?"

"Knowing how bullheaded our vice captain is, I won't bet on it. Would be hilarious to see her reaction though"

The snickering Ronin circled around the thoughtful Doctor.

Before he could react, they hoisted him by the arm from each side, and shove him forward

"Huh? Wait!"

Okita look over to see the familiar doctor holding the practice blade pointed toward her. Her eyes narrowed

"Captain. This guy here wants to challenge you to a duel!"

Okita don't make out what he said. However, her body already blurred into the motion the moment the blade was raised in front of her

It was an instinct coded into her at birth. Years of practicing swordsmanship drilled into her the danger of an armed opponent, then rerouting it to the most efficient way of dispatching them

With a snap of her wrist, the blade sailed through the air and passed inches in front of his face

The sound of swift wind resounded in its wake

He dodged it?

_________

"Ooh, that guy's fast!"

I ignored the awe-filled voices coming from behind me in order to concentrate on my predicament

A sword came close to hitting me in the face just mere seconds ago, its movement too fluid and swift to be called human

The only reason I can dodge it is the fact that I slipped on my foot, letting the blade sail past my head at the last moment

I rolled out of her range just as the second swing came, impossibly faster than the first one, yet this time it missed me by the width of a hair.

The erratic movement must have thrown her perception off just enough for that one fraction of a second for an evasive maneuver

I landed across from her just as the crowd burst into cheer. I heard snippets of "I can't believe this" and "He dodged the captain's first strike!", but my eyes are too occupied on the woman to care

"That's a strange style of swordsmanship you have there" Okita observed me with a critical eye "Which school taught you that?"

"It's self-taught Kendo" I grit through my teeth "Listen. Can we just stop fighting since I'm a doctor?"

"Ooh. Sorry about that" Okita laughed "This is a spar. You can only exit by getting knocked out from the ring"

"..."

I shifted my stance and clumsily bring the sword forward

Realistically, I can call out and resolve the misunderstanding before it could end. However, it would be a lie to say I am not curious about her

How could Okita move at such speed. Furthermore, what is the secret to her strength. Such data could bring about revolutionary change into how the human body works

I dash forward, swinging the blade forward in a clumsy way that would make most Samurai commit seppuku out of shame. As opposed to dodging it, Okita moved forward, her blade split through the air as she aimed for my arm

I drop my blade at the moment, and watch as Okita's eyes widened

Yeah. Only a suicidal madman would ever think about dropping your weapon in the middle of battle

The thing is that swordsmen have a certain kind of discipline driled into them to respond to a set form of attack, such as slashes, parries, and stabs, to maximize reaction time

The only possible solution to avoiding that response is to eliminate any preconditioned factor—hence, ridding myself of the sword and going in bare knuckles. Her brains will automatically be occupied trying to come up with possible counters

Within that timeframe, I made another step before instinct take over. Okita's blade swerved over and hit me square in the face

Her reaction time is abnormal even compared to a world-class athlete. Still, I was prepared for it. A hit to the face would be extremely painful and provide distration to your next move. Therefore, it would be impossible for someone to recover in time, hence the next attack is most likely to happen right after—-

Yup. Still too fast

"Okita-san Daishori!"

_________

No matter how much you have predicted your opponent's move, they can still outspeed you

On that front, Okita is impossibly fast. It won't be surprising if she turns out to be a character straight from a manga

"Are you sure? I did hit you pretty hard back there"

"No, seriously. I'm fine. It's just a single bruise" I chuckled

After the morning spar, the Ronin hauled me back to the hospital wing to be treated for the wounds in my face

Okita did follow us, but she hadn't say a word ever since she saw the dark patch of skin on the bridge of my nose

It doesn't matter since she's too much of a worrywart to be scary to me. In fact, the contrast between the brutality she displayed in combat and her usual self can be endearing to a degree

"We'll talk about it later. For the meantime, I heard from Hijikata senpai that you've agreed to escort the Shogun to Kyoto"

"I have business in the capital" I sat up from the mat. "Many famous doctors live there. It would be an honor to learn from the brightests of our field"

"Right. You practice medicines right?"

"I was a neurosurgeon to be exact"

Okita tilt her head. Oh, right. 19th century Samurai can't understand modern science

"Think of it as doing surgery in the brains...the stuff sticking to your blade whenever you stab someone in the head"

"I know what a brain is!" She huffed "Mostly. Anyway, didn't you say you have to take care of the villagers here?"

"My assistant has just returned from her trip. She will take over my office for a time, doing mostly basic treatment for the afflicted in my absence"

"You have an assistant?"

"In the loosest sense of the word" I replied "She don't work for me, but I taught her medicine"

A student wouldn't be the right word either. I created a Homunculus and gave it the equivalent of all my medical notes in hope of creating a half-decent intern

However, people would freak out if they know I used Magecraft to create life. One is seen as a taboo. The other is an act against God. I would be burned at the stake in no time

Then again, my existence as a time traveller is already heretical enough without them

"Since you've made up your mind, I'll introduce you to my colleagues later" Okita grinned "You've already met Hijikata right? How was he like?"

"Don't remind me about it..."

________

We left at the start of dawn.

When I walked to their camp, all the tents and weapons have been removed. The ronins are all geared up and ready to go, having unloaded their belongings on the horses

I was soon approached by Hijikata, who is sporting his Haori uniform. He soon gave me a rundown of their structure

"There are six teams leading the escort. Okita and the more experienced swordsmen take the charge as vanguards while I secure the flanks. Meanwhile a specialized team led by our trusted commander will travels with the main carriage to act as the Shogun's personal guard"

"What about me?"

"Following the main team are two reserve units that protect our supply convoy. You'll travel with the second one near the back"

Fair enough. My specialty makes me most useful as a non-combatant, even if that means I won't get to be near Okita-san. Well, there's just kne problem with that

"I don't actually know any of them. Will they be inconvenienced?"

"Considering the type of person the reserve squad captain is, you'll get along with him" Hijikata frowned "Don't stand out too much though, or you'll catch his interest"

What the hell does he mean by that?