5 The first month

He sat up and looked over his body, at the muscles that were starting to cover his body. He smiled. "This work is helping a lot, I can feel the changes in my body so far. Adding the techniques from my time are helping to speed up the process." He flexed his arms, smiling. "I've always wanted to do that. Hahaha. Now I can." He looked up at the sound of the ringing bell and ran out of the room he was in and joined the others for a meal.

"When I first got here, I didn't realize there were many people living on this mountain. Now I know. So many masked monks and their students." He stood in line to collect his food, and sat against a wall in silence, watching those around him.

"It seems you've been training hard. I haven't seen you in a while." He turned and looked at the group of young adults talking amongst themselves. "Yes. I'm getting close to the age that I have to leave here, and my master is really pushing me hard for the show of strength competition. Silly name for a competition if I do say so myself."

"Hahaha... They're a bunch of weird masters on this mountain, but there is one master I really wanted to have, but he never took interest in my performance or style with the sword."

He smiled. "I wonder who they're talking about this time, since he's always complaining about something."

"Who are you talking about? I have seen many masked monks wanting to teach you, and mentor you with your sword."

"Do you remember about the legend on this mountain? The one about Yoshitsune?"

"Of course... The story goes that he walked around the mountain and came across a tengu masked monk by the name of Sojobo. The king of the tengu."

"That's the one. Are you saying you have been wanting to learn from the white haired monk all this time?"

He saw the young man nod. "I have seen his skills with a sword, so I guess he's the decedent of the one who taught Yoshitusne."

He shook his head in surprise. "They're dreaming. He's just an old crazy monk who doesn't like being called a monk."

"Have you seen him recently?" He watched as the young man shook his head. "He's been following some new student around, teaching him, and annoying him non stop. Its as if the student monk doesn't want to see him."

He nodded. "That's right. Sojobo knows how to use a sword, but he's a big fool at times. Quite annoying."

"Do you know the one who Sojobo has been following around?" He smiled when he saw them shake their heads. "No. We just know that they're new, and are from some special family. We don't know anything else about them."

"Ahh. There you are Masanari. You're needed in the shrine sutra reading pavilion." He turned and looked at Sojobo, standing up and looking at him. "Yes. Sojobo. What about the stairs that I have to sweep."

"I seen the steps, they're swept clean. I have another task for you instead, and I'll find another to sweep the steps. I also see that your arm muscles have started to grow. Come on." He followed Sojobo, and turned looking at the small group, staring in his direction. "It seems we've found him. Go see Sojobo. He's right there, and he might listen to your request, since you're nearly about to graduate from Kurama."

He turned and looked at Kurama's back. "Sojobo. You're about to have some annoying company."

"Is that so? Well, I'll let them try and deal with you first. Hahaha." He nodded, and looked at his back in understanding. He stopped, turning facing the group coming to see Sojobo. "Move it monk. We're here to talk with Sojobo." He shook his head. "Sojobo, has asked me to stop you, as he doesn't have time at the moment to talk. He has been requested to the sutra reading pavilion."

"It'll only take a short amount of time. I just need to ask him a quick question, since I'll be graduating shortly and leaving Kurama." He shook his head at the young man. "What is your name?"

"I'm called Masanari... I thought names aren't important on Kurama."

"They aren't. What about your family?" He shook his head. "I don't need to tell you my family."

"Hattori Masanari... Hurry up with them. We need to be in the sutra pavilion now." He sighed and bowed towards the group, turned and started to walk towards Sojobo. He could see the smile on Sojobo's face under the tengu mask.

"Wait. Masanari. You've given me a great disservice. I demand a spar with you, if you win I'll take this as my own misunderstanding of the Bushido way. If you lose, I demand the apology and also the chance to talk with Sojobo."

"Fine. He accepts the terms. Go Masanari. Spar and win." He looked at Sojobo bowing. "As you request."

He walked forward, and place his hand on the wooden hilt and lowered his body, spreading his legs, and turning to the side. He closed his eyes, taking a long breath, opening them staring at his opponent who had already drawn their wooden sword. "He doesn't know any forms. Look at him. You can win this."

"Masanari. Hurry up. We don't have time for this." He nodded and took another breath waiting for his opponent to make a move. "What's he doing he hasn't even drawn his weapon. I think he's scared of you. Take him down, and show who is stronger."

"Here I come. If I break your arm or leg its not my fault, just your ignorance." He watched as his opponent ran at him. He saw the sword move slowly towards him. He smiled as he took a side step watching the wooden blade miss him. He felt the wind of the blow strike his face. "If that hit me, I'd be on the ground with a cut on my head."

He bent his legs further, and pulled his wooden blade out of its sheath striking at the ribs of his opponent, quickly sheathing the blade in a smooth movement. He stood up and watched his opponent drop his weapon, and hold their ribs coughing in pain. "You're fast. I'll remember you Hattori Masanari." He bowed at his opponent, turning to Sojobo and walked behind him in silence.

"Your Iaido technique is very smooth, simple and precise. You've really mastered it, over your time here. I'll have to teach you some more techniques, that deal with speed, since you seem to prefer to attack that way." He nodded. "Thank you Sojobo. I'll be happy to learn whatever you desire to teach me."

"Your next lesson is here." He watched as Sojobo opened the doors to the sutra pavllion and saw a large brass bell hanging in the middle of a stone garden, while tengu monks sat on mats outside the garden reading sutras aloud. He followed Sojobo to the bell, watching him pick up a stick which he used to strike the bell.

"You need to hold this stick like this. Whenever they read you must time the ring of the bell to their words... If you miss it, they'll have to start the sutra from the beginning. Take it." He bowed and accepted the strange stick from Sojobo, walking to the bell, and striking it, listening to the sound it made."

"That's too hard. You need to strike it to the sutra they're reading. If its a long sutra, than you need to strike the bell heavily. If its a short sutra you need to hit it gently. Make sure you use the grip I showed you. Your arms may be strong, but we need to work on those wrists of yours now."

He bowed at Sujobo, and caught a glimpse of a large stick on the ground near the bell. "Sojobo. What's that?"

"Ahh this is what you'll use when your wrists become stronger. See you have it hold it from it's hilt, and than the tip is fourteen feet away. Once you master that, than you'll be able to use your sword, and a spear without any trouble. If anyone faces you in the future, they'll lose. Start your training." He nodded and looked at the bell with the stick in his hand. He turned and stood waiting for the others to start reading the sutra aloud. "They're waiting for you Masanari. Start hitting the bell, and listen to their words."

He felt his face start to redden, turning to Sojobo. "Apologies. I'll start now." He started to ring the bell. He hit the bell with the stick, and listened to it ring around the pavilion. He felt his heart move in time to the ringing of the bell, and listened to the deep voices reading out the sutra. He hit it again, in time with their voices.

"You can also change the sound of the bell. If their voices are deeper you hit the bell at the base, if their voices are high pitched you hit the bell near the top of the neck. Understand." He turned, bowing at Sojobo. "I understand. I can do this. I'll work hard, and help them in their readings."

"Good. I'll go now. I have other things to do. Once I hear you've mastered this, I'll shall return and we'll focus on the next thing." He bowed, watching Sojobo leave the pavilion, turning back to the bell and started to hit it again. "This isn't so hard."

He frowned when he heard a deep voice behind him. "Again. You mistimed the strike. Concentrate." He turned, bowing at the voice behind him, and struck the bell listening to their voices in time with the bell. He struck it again, this time near the base to match their low voices. "Not hard enough. Time it better. Again."

He nodded and spent the rest of the day hitting the bell in time with the readers of the sutra. "That's enough for the day. Come back tomorrow before dawn." He bowed at the group of tengu masked monks, walking out of the pavilion and back to his small room. He looked at his wrists and felt them throb in pain. "That's surprisingly difficult. I need something to compress my wrists while I do this training." He looked around his room, and found some old clothes, ripping it into strips. He wrapped them around his wrists and hands as tight as he could. "This should help with the training to strengthen my wrists." He closed his eyes in thought. "What else can I do to help my wrists?" He smiled as he found a memory he could use.

He stood up and opened his palms facing the ground and arms stretched out. He than bent his wrists towards him, and then slowly bent his wrists to make his palms face the wall. He grunted in pain as he stretched out the throbbing pain in his wrists. "When I hit the bell it causes my hands to shake as well. That's not good. I need to tighten my grip on the stick so I don't feel that vibration in my wrists."

He smiled as he knelt on the floor in his small room staring out of the small single window. "It seems he's now working on my sword grip... Its strange he also mentioned me using a spear. What are they planning for me I wonder?" He watched as the moon started to shine over Kurama. "A full moon tonight." He smiled and watched the moon from his small window. "Definitely peace is here on Kurama. The fights and wars on the lands below, don't reflect up here. I wonder how they're able to avoid any conflict?" He sat in thought as he stared out the window.

"Could it be the shrine and temple are considered neutral ground?" He smiled, "if that's the case, I'll have to remember that, it may become beneficial in the future."

He turned and looked at his small futon on the floor and crawled in it. He check the bandages on his wrists, and closed his eyes. "Tomorrow will be a long day of training, I can't become lax, maybe I'll find out the reasons why I was sent here. I wonder is this what happens when people die?" He shook his head. "There's a reason. I'll work it out one day, and get back at Grant for what he did." He smiled as he fell into a deep sleep.