3 Road Trouble
—2 years later—
(First POV)
My brother and I are both 6 and have completed our intro training. Along with that we were taken out to greet the people we would be fighting for and I have to say. This place is way worse than I originally thought.
The crime rate is insane, I've seen samurai completely abandon the code of honor and the way women were treated was mind boggling. Just last year, I found out that if their husband was a samurai and he messed up, it was her duty to commit seppuku in his place. I've had to attend the rituals and even witnessed my own father almost get assassinated.
It was by a kunoichi no less and I was more surprised because I know that ninja and kunoichi were introduced around the Edo period. A samurai was able to easily behead the woman and she was put to rest.
While this just scratched the surface of some of the problems in this country, it wasn't anything I couldn't handle. I didn't really care about the people they killed, how they killed them nor why they killed them.
We all gonna die one day, so personal when, where, how and why doesn't matter.
On a bit of a brighter note, today was the day that me and my brother graduated from intro training with our father. He felt that we would best learn at a samurai school among other aspiring samurai.
We were given our tanto, which was a graduation gift. It was for self-defense both from physical and spiritual harm. That's what they told me anyway. Apparently after they prayed on it from Izinami and Izinagi it would keep demonic and evil spirits away from me.
The tanto had red lacing on its short handle and fit perfectly in my hand. The sheath was black with the Shimazu crest on it. I was currently wearing a red traditional kimono along with socks and clogs.
My hair has been growing fast, so I'm able to put it in a little ponytail, but I don't know what to do with my bangs. I'll just let them grow out for now.
Toyohisa was standing next to me, wearing the same thing and had received his tanto. He put it under the obi that was wrapped around his waist as we waited to be sent off.
"While you're there, I expect you to come out at the top of the school. Follow the Bushido code at all times and try to go easy on the kids. They aren't as amazing as you." He said playfully.
"Try to come back in one piece okay? I'll be worried if you come back all scar'd up." Nejime said as she hugged them.
"Scars are just proof of their toughness. It might do them some good to get a few." Father mumbled.
"Ehh, I'd rather be so skilled that my opponent doesn't touch me at all." I said with a smile.
"That's my boy. Remember while counter attacks and parries are good, try to keep some pressure on the opponent." He said to me, I nodded as he looked over to Toyohisa.
"Your style is very good. But you leave yourself open to too many attacks. Although you make up for it in your instincts, one day you might make a fatal mistake." He said to Toyohisa.
"Stay guarded and be quick to kill." He said as he rubbed his hair. Toyohisa nodded and we were set to get into the carriage. Two samurai would be guarding us and the driver himself was in the stealth division.
"Takeru, what do you think the school will be like?" Toyohisa asked me as the carriage was on its way through Satsuma.
"I think we'll just be training like we did before, but more intense. I can't really say." I replied as I looked out of the window.
"I hope the people there are as strong as you. If not, I think it'll be boring." He said with a sigh. At six years old I'm able to punch a dent into a tree and make a fist print.
I train a lot during the end of the training day. While Toyohisa would meditate with his time I was doing more physical training. Ever since we were like 5 and two months he hasn't been able to win one sparring match against me.
"Meh, we can see what they do, but even if they don't compare to me we should still respect that they want to be samurai." I said.
"I know. Unless I have a reason to, I'd never disrespect another warrior." He said seriously.
"Cool." I replied.
…
*BUMP*
*CRACK*
The carriage suddenly bumped really hard and the sound of something breaking was heard as the carriage came to a stop.
"What happened?!" Toyohisa asked.
"It was probably a rock and the wheel broke." I said as the two Samurai got out of the carriage. They told us the wait inside as they went to inspect what happened. I peeked my head out of the carriage to see what they were doing, but as I did something caught my eye.
We were on a road, but to our left and right were hills, so we couldn't see over them. As I was looking, I saw a man come on top of the hill with his bow and an arrow already in it as he aimed at them.
"Behind you!!" I yelled out. The samurai looked at me and then behind them, but it was too late. The sound of an arrow being released from a bow was heard and the samurai went down with blood spilling from his neck.
The next Samurai pulled his blade and dashed up the hill and the driver, who was secretly a ninja, took out some daggers and coated them in poison from a bag he kept on his waist.
He came over to our window and spoke in a grave tone.
"Quickly, get out of here. There's always more than one ronin and I'm sure this will be our last fight, so run!!" He said as he dashed up the hill.
"Damn ronin!! Let me take his head!!" Toyohisa said as he jumped out of the carriage and unsheathed his tanto.
With a heavy sigh, I kicked my door open and unsheathed my tanto. There was no way I'd just sit back. After all, the best type of training is experience or so I've been taught.
Regardless I couldn't let this chance slip. I needed to test my current strength and ability, so it is what it is and like I always say. If I die then I die, we all gonna die someday.
Me and Toyohisa made it over the hill just as we saw four ronin cutting down the samurai and our driver. They looked over at us and smirked.
Rōnin. A samurai who has lost his master due to death or has lost the privilege of his master and is now masterless. These are former samurai who don't want to integrate back into society because they believe working as a regular person is beneath them.
Rōnin also means drifter or wanderer which basically describes who they were. Wandering samurai.
These rōnin looked as any other did. They were messy, stinky, and looked disgusting. Although rōnin were perceived as these cool, dark, mysterious and skilled samurai that seek peace with themselves, it's not like that at all.
They kill people to test their blades, they rape woman that they come across and have destroyed whole families because they were "looked at in some kind of way that annoyed them."
They were former samurai and with people knowing that, they didn't mess with rōnin and instead let them off. Peasants and other low class citizens would often join rōnin for the money, protection, and some type of authority over people.
It was like gangs in the modern day.
As these disgusting guys looked at us we glared back at them.
"What do we have here?" One said as he put his katana over his shoulder.
"Two children hah!!" Another laughed.
"You men are scum and I, Toyohisa of the Shimazu clan, will end your lives right here!!" He said. The hatred in his voice could be felt as he dashed towards them.
I followed suit and we nodded to each other, as we both decided to try and handle two men each. I was low to the ground as I dashed towards one of them. Quickly, I slashed my tanto at one of their Achilles' tendons. Blood shot out as I ran between his legs and turned around.
"Guahhhh!!" The rōnin yelled as he fell to one knee. The second one dashed at me with the sword up. I ran at him and as he brought his sword down, I jumped to the side and with all my strength I threw my tanto.
It went straight into his eye and he dropped to the ground.
'Must have hit the brain.' I thought as I went to retrieve my tanto. I looked at the man on one knee and was about to stab him in the forehead when I heard the sound of metal clashing and a low grunt from Toyohisa.
'I forgot he wasn't like me!' Immediately I stabbed the guy in the head and ran over in Toyohisas' direction. When I got there I had to stop in place as I saw him standing there with a big crazy smile.
He had a cut on his right cheek, but around his lip the blood smears which indicates he was licking it. He stood there like a true devil in war.
"Brother, stay back. I'll handle them alone!!" He said. He took a deep breath in as there was silence.
A slight breeze swept over us and immediately Toyohisa blasted off. He was fast, and definitely could keep up with my full speed. The rōnin were caught off guard and Toyohisa quickly jumped up and slashed his throat.
The other rōnin jumped away at the last minute, but was cut on his jaw. As Toyohisa landed, the rōnin ran at him with his sword low, showing that he was going for an upward slash.
Seeing this, Toyohisa ran forward and jumped up just as the blade was also rising. He used his tanto to block the blade as it flung him forward and upwards enough that he was able to stab the rōnin cleanly in the forehead.
"See, I told you I got this." He said with a wide smile and a thumbs up.
"…yeah. Anyways, we need to find a bath or something. We're pretty far away from home so walking back would be a no. Besides, it'd be awkward to instantly come back right?" I asked.
Toyohisa ripped the tanto out of the dead man's head and nodded as he walked next to me.
"So we should continue on the road?" He asked.
"I think so, but even then. We could get killed by one of those random samurai that kills for fun at night." I replied.
"Right."
"Either way we'll be in danger, so let's start heading towards the school." I said as I went over to the carriage and took the map that was sitting in the coaching seat.
There was a clear path drawn out and all we had to do was follow the landmarks.
"Alright, Toyohisa release the horses and let's get going." I said. He did it and they ran off immediately as we started our trip to school.
'This is definitely how parents describe how they had to walk to school.' I thought with a slight smile.
"Why're you smiling?" Toyohisa asked.
"Nothing. Just thinking about what we'll learn at school."
"I see."
