by Ryan Kirk
Possibilities ran through his mind. In a moon he would be killing bandits with ease! He imagined glory and battles and helping those weaker than him with his skills. He could find lost animals! He would hunt like Shigeru, for now Ryuu knew how he did it. If you knew where the animal was going to be every time hunting would be a simple task.
Shigeru attempted to get Ryuu to focus, but he saw he was fighting a battle he couldn’t win. Ryuu tried, but he might as well have tried to stop a thunderstorm. Ryuu laid back down on the stand and attempted to focus once more, but his excitement was too great. Shigeru tried to hide his disappointment. No one ever succeeded on their first attempt. That much he knew. The boy had, but he lacked the ability to replicate the ability. Shigeru had felt Ryuu’s sphere of attention expand. His sense had expanded out in all directions, like tendrils searching for any life they could find. To be able to use the sense in a manner that was so natural would serve the boy well. He hoped that the initial success wasn’t just a fluke.
It was clear no more success would visit them today. Shigeru could feel the boy trying to focus, but he was six and didn’t have such a high level of control. He sighed inwardly. He was beginning to realize just how patient his own tutors had been with him. No man could ever accuse Shigeru of being impatient, but even the simple training of a young boy was enough to push his limits.
The problem was his potential. If the boy had been ordinary, just another boy, or even the type of boy the monasteries found and trained, Shigeru wouldn’t have had such high expectations. But the boy was special. He interacted with the sense in the old ways, in the ways that Shigeru himself had been trained. It was the natural way, the stronger path, but here on the mainland, no one followed the old ways anymore. The monasteries, corrupted by political influence and crippled by the knowledge lost in the Purge, had lost the way, and the sense was passed down in a new way, a shell of the power it had once possessed. Ryuu had potential to be great. Possibly even greater than Shigeru if he worked hard enough at it.
But Shigeru, like the boy, had to remind himself success did not come overnight. He wanted the boy to be great almost as much as the boy himself wanted it.
The following moons and cycles passed by in a blur. Ryuu thought the previous training had been a dream come true, but the new training, which included instruction in the sense and combat, was pure bliss. It wasn’t to say it was easy. It was the hardest task Ryuu ever set himself to. There were days of physical training, conditioning, and combat. Mixed in was training in the sense. Over and over Shigeru brought Ryuu to the edge of complete exhaustion and then brought him back, giving him a day of rest while they focused on developing his sense.
The days were filled and busy. Chores, studies, training, more chores. Ryuu was never bored with his environment. He learned how to cook, garden, hunt, understand the importance of the stars in the sky and the different ways to navigate through the world. He learned the geography and history of the Three Kingdoms and could recite distinguished bloodlines while performing challenging workouts.
One technique Shigeru often employed was mixing learning with physical tasks. They would work with numbers while out running, or Ryuu would have to answer questions about the world while sparring. He became an expert at thinking on his feet while the world spun around him.
Shigeru sharpened Ryuu’s love of observation. Before he met Shigeru, Ryuu had been curious about his surroundings, but through his new master he learned how to turn that curiosity into useful information. He learned how to tell if people were lying, how to mix his visual observations with what he learned about his environment through the sense and most importantly, he learned how to be aware of everything happening around him at every moment. The training even extended into his sleep as Shigeru taught him how to maintain a relaxed sense-awareness at night. As his sense skill grew he became like Shigeru, impossible to sneak up on.
Two cycles went by in this manner. Winter had turned to spring long ago, and spring turned into summer, fall, and winter again. Ryuu had determined where he lived now was more temperate than the village where he had been born. There was still snow during the winter, but it didn’t blow and drift at Shigeru’s home the way it did on the plains of his early childhood. In the same way summer wasn’t too warm. The trees and the terrain kept much of the land shaded and cool.
Ryuu had never had much, but with Shigeru he learned how to do with less. They possessed little. Shigeru carried his weapons everywhere, but besides garden implements and cookware, there was nothing else in the house. At times Shigeru would make journeys and return with reading materials for Ryuu to practice with, but Ryuu didn’t have the toys of his younger days.
It was spring when Shigeru began to act distracted. Ryuu could tell there was something on his mind but decided not to ask He would discover in due time if he was supposed to. If Shigeru never spoke of it, it wasn’t for him to know. Whatever it was, it distracted him every day. Often Ryuu would catch Shigeru staring off into the distance as if the horizon was hiding the answer he was looking for.
One evening over supper it finally broke.
“Ryuu, in a couple of days I am going to leave. I’ll leave on the new moon, just for tracking time’s sake. I plan on being gone for several days, but it may be longer. I’d like you to stay here.”
Ryuu accepted the news without comment. He had been expecting something of the sort. He had often been left alone at the hut but never for more than a few days. His childhood fears began to surface, bubbling through the protective layer he had hidden them under.
Shigeru weighed his words. “I believe that it is time for me to take a journey. It touches on my own past, and I haven’t been sure about it, but I’ve made up my mind. I thought about taking you with me, but there is some danger involved and I would rather you remain here.”
“Will I be fine here without you?” There was a hint of doubt in Ryuu’s voice.
Shigeru flashed a smile at the question. “I don’t think you realize it yet, but though you’re only eight you’re probably the strongest warrior besides myself in the area. I’m sure you’ll be able to handle yourself, and I don’t expect anyone to show up here. I’ll make sure supplies are taken care of. I don’t want your training to change. You know how to push yourself. You’ve been doing it now for several cycles, it will just be up to you to motivate yourself to keep training for the next couple of days.”
The morning after the moon turned, Shigeru prepared to leave.
“I’m hoping I will only be gone for a half moon, but if you see a full moon before I return, you need to accept something might have happened to me. Go down to the village just like I’ve talked about in the past. You need to tell them I was your uncle but that I disappeared. Pretty much anyone in the village would be willing to help you. Just stay away from the monks. If I’m alive, I will find you.”
Ryuu nodded his consent, but couldn’t help running up to Shigeru and embracing him. The move caught Shigeru by surprise. The two of them weren’t given to hugging. Still, Shigeru returned the embrace and tussled Ryuu’s hair. Then he turned around and was off without a backwards glance.
Shigeru’s absence didn’t affect Ryuu as much as he expected. He followed Shigeru’s instructions to the letter. Being busy allowed him to forget he was alone in the world. Every morning he did chores and trained. He would play for a while and then finish the day with more chores and more training. He even pictured Shigeru’s stares of disapproval anytime he made a small error. It wasn’t hard to do.
It was only at night that his fears manifested. Ryuu still had occasional nightmares. When he was awake he couldn’t remember his mother’s face anymore. He wished that he had a painting or something he could use to remember her, but she existed in his memories, locked away during the day. Every time she came to mind all Ryuu could think of was the final look she gave him, but even that look was was decaying in his memory, leaving only the feelings of her death, exaggerated with every remembrance.
Ryuu took to getting up and walking out of the little cabin at night when the nightmares would wake him. Walking naked in the night, he would come out into the cool air surrounding the hut and would look up at the night sky. On the cloudy nights there was no relief, but on the clear nights Ryuu would stare at the moon. As the days passed it stopped fading and began to grow, a little more each night. As it grew Ryuu would look at it and think, “Shigeru will be on his way back soon. Just a few more days and he will be back. I just need to be strong until then. He would make fun of me if he knew how much trouble I had when he wasn’t around.” Repeating this mantra over and over, Ryuu would succumb to sleep.
Shigeru returned two evenings before the full moon. Their meeting was a warm one. Ryuu sensed him coming from quite a distance away. He broke from the house and met him while he was still deep in the woods. Ryuu had expected to get in some trouble for his rashness, but Shigeru said nothing, answering Ryuu’s enthusiasm with his own grin. The two left much unspoken in a tight embrace.
Shigeru didn’t speak to the purpose of his journey, but he was carrying a large package on his back. It was long and narrow, wrapped in a cloth that was covered in dirt and grime. It didn’t seem like something someone traveled many leagues to find. When they got back to the hut, Shigeru kicked Ryuu out to go play. Ryuu knew he was being sent away because of the package. His curiosity was overwhelming, and he tried several times to sneak back to the cabin, but Shigeru’s sense couldn’t be fooled, and he was yelled at from behind the closed door every time. Ryuu finally gave up and ran to play in the woods.
When Ryuu returned closer to evening Shigeru was more prepared for him. There were a couple of new items around the cabin, but Ryuu knew that something more was still afoot. The package had been too large and the new items Ryuu could see around the house did not add up to the space of the package. A new pot and some spices did not a long journey make. Shigeru, as always, knew what Ryuu was thinking. He laughed out loud. “There’s really no use in trying to hide anything from you, is there?”
Ryuu shook his head. Shigeru groaned to himself and thought for a minute, giving Ryuu the look he always dreaded. It was as if Shigeru was trying to stare right into his soul. Finally Shigeru seemed to reach a decision. “Fine, I think you’re ready, at least for the gift itself. I’ll show you the real purpose of my trip tomorrow. What I am going to do is something that should be done during the daylight, and so you’ll have to content yourself with one more night of waiting.”
It turned out one more night of waiting wasn’t a problem at all for Ryuu. He was so tired from his sleepless nights he fell asleep early and slept in late. He awoke disoriented. It was unlike Shigeru to let him sleep in. The truth was apparent when he looked over and saw Shigeru asleep himself.
Ryuu determined he was going to get a jump on the day. He did his best to complete his chores as quickly as possible, and much to his frustration Shigeru seemed content to try to sleep the entire day away. Ryuu had done all his chores and completed his morning training before Shigeru stirred from his slumber.
To Ryuu’s dismay, Shigeru went about his morning routine as if nothing was different. He awoke, ate a light breakfast and went through his own morning routine. Having nothing to do, Ryuu watched his master, his father. He was so fast, and even though Ryuu had been training with him for almost three cycles, there was still no way for Ryuu to track all of his movements, although he was getting better.
Shigeru finished his training and went into the house. Ryuu sat, pretending patience. When Shigeru reappeared Ryuu saw he was carrying a large bundle wrapped in the dirty cloth again. Shigeru nodded and the two of them went walking. It didn’t take Ryuu long to realize they were going back to the small clearing in the woods.
The arrived and Shigeru knelt down to the ground, placing the package in front of him. Ryuu followed his master’s lead, facing him from three paces away.
Ryuu’s breath caught as Shigeru unwrapped the package. His actions were deliberate and Ryuu thought he wouldn’t be more careful if he was unpacking a baby. It was a pair of swords, both the long and the short. The sheaths were simple black but beautiful. They were similar to Shigeru’s. The hilt was simple, but when Shigeru pulled the blade from its home, Ryuu knew he had been given an incredible gift. The blade was as fine as Shigeru’s, which Ryuu knew was unique in the Southern Kingdom. It was a sword fit for a prince.
Ryuu bowed forehead to the ground as Shigeru presented him the sword.
“These blades belonged to a dear friend of mine. I think she would be glad for you to have them.”
Ryuu’s ears perked up at the mention of a “she.” Shigeru never spoke of women. He filed it away as his eyes continued to drink in the vision of his gift.
“Take care of them, please.”
Ryuu looked up. There was a surprising amount of emotion in Shigeru’s face.
“I will.”
Shigeru nodded. After a few moments of silence he composed himself again.
“Always remember. You hold a weapon designed to take the life of another. It is a tool for killing. Never forget that. However, perhaps through one man’s death you can protect another. I pray you will succeed in your responsibility.”
Ryuu was overwhelmed with gratitude and joy and excitement, but he just managed to catch what Shigeru said under his breath to no one in particular.
“I pray that you’ll do better than me.”
CHAPTER NINE
The first three cycles of Takako’s servitude were as pleasant as growing up in a brothel could be. Parting from her father had been difficult, but she had always looked on the bright side and it didn’t take her long to settle into her new life. Madame did not push. She checked in every day. Despite Takako’s attempts to demonize her, it was hard not to like and respect her. When she came in she was warm and maternal, asking questions and listening to Takako’s answers. She frowned when Takako was upset and smiled when Takako let herself relax.
Takako was always on the lookout for that inner steel she had felt upon her first meeting with Madame. But it never reappeared and Takako began to wonder if she had imagined it all. Madame was nothing but caring and concerned. Perhaps she had judged Madame too soon?
She decided to wait and see. If Madame was kind, Takako could be kind as well. But she wouldn’t let down her guard. After four days as a self-imposed prisoner she decided to face what was in store for her. She couldn’t put it off forever even if she wanted to.
Madame put her to work the moment she stepped out and from then on Takako was too busy to be depressed. She was up early every morning to do chores, cleaning and repairing the place from the night previous. Sheets needed to be washed and rooms needed to be picked up. The chores took her most of the morning. When she was done she reported to the kitchen to learn and work. She learned how to cook and bake breads. She learned about spices and how to combine them to create savory, sweet, or sour dishes. Beyond the techniques, she learned about food: where different plants came from, how much meals would cost, and other areas of conversation with men who might be interested in food.
Lessons were always practical. Every instruction she received related to the satisfaction of the men and women she would one day serve. The thought never bothered her when she knew she would get a small portion of her culinary efforts for her own mid-day meal.
After lunch Takako received the education she’d always dreamed of. Although the work was difficult it was one of her favorite parts of the day. Learning how to read, how to write, and learning about numbers was satisfying. She liked being able to write her thoughts down. It was powerful to think she could write something down and someone else could share in her experience in a different time or in a different location. But what she enjoyed most was the history and her lessons about the Three Kingdoms. Growing up she had learned about her village’s history, but even that was limited. There were stories and rumors about the world outside, but in general everyone kept to their own business. Survival was hard eno
ugh. It was exciting to hear the stories of old, of heroes and villains who had changed the course of history. Every once in a while her instructors would catch her daydreaming, imagining being caught in one of the stories read to her.
Takako learned about the Great War and how the wickedness of the nightblades had been forever wiped out from society. Like all in the Three Kingdoms, she had heard of them before, but now she learned why the Purge had been necessary. She learned about the monasteries and how they worked to protect the Three Kingdoms.
After the afternoon study sessions Takako was given a little time to relax. She had toys to play with, and as she learned how to read she was given books. It was in the evening when the house was most busy, so the hours between her afternoon studying and evening chores became some of her most precious time. She was also given paper to write on although never too much. Paper was expensive and Takako was always grateful to Madame for allowing her to write. She wrote letters to her father in small neat handwriting so she could fit as much on the page as possible. She never asked if she could send them for fear that Madame would say no. When she had filled a piece of paper back and front with her small handwriting she would fold it up and put it with the rest of her meager possessions.
Evenings were another round of chores and learning. Some nights she would shadow a particular client or one of the women. Takako was taught how to be a keen observer, to notice how the women made men comfortable, made them want the women. Madame's women were the best in the city. They were educated and could talk of philosophy, theology, politics, history, food, drink, whatever the man was interested in. The men who came knew this. Sex was easy to find in New Haven. There were many brothels and even more street-women. Men came to Madame's because they wanted something more and were willing to pay for it. They wanted the illusion of a relationship, the comforting world of having someone to talk to whose only concern was their well-being. Takako found it sickening. Many of the men who came in were married, many of them middle-aged or older.