"Earthquakes are zen compared to me, right now," Katsuko snorted, and ran her fingers over the hilt of her mother's katana for probably the fifteenth time in the last five minutes. The guard on the eastern parapet was almost on top of them; she could feel him, making eddies in the air with the swing of his armor and the smell of freshly oiled steel. Just a couple of feet more...just a couple and--

Oh, fuck it.

Katsuko dug her toes and fingers into some chinks in the stone and nearly flew up the wall on adrenaline and muscle strength alone, unable to trust her chakra to not give her away. Her head pounded in time with her heart as she reached the very top and swung herself up and over. The guard glanced over his shoulder as she drew her kodachi but it was already much, much too late for him to shout for help.

One gloved hand clapped over his mouth as she came up behind him and yanked his head back, exposing the soft, vulnerable flesh of his throat. He jerked once as she sliced her kodachi neatly across his neck, nearly decapitating him with the force of her attack.

Cloth rustled softly behind her and Katsuko glanced back as she hauled the body towards the parapet railing. Ryouma was looking around, alert for unseen enemies and surprises. After she dumped the guard's corpse over the edge, neat as a maid emptying a chamber pot out the window, she turned to him and signed, All clear?