Lessons of Bushido/First Friends

[AN: You may have noticed but the Takamura family is kin to the Koubuin house not the Takatsukasa in this story

"It is a man's obligation to teach his children moral standards through the model of his own behavior. Some of you do not have fathers, thus I, as your liege lord, I shall take that role to ensure your future as my retainers are not compromised. For those of you that have fathers, I ask that you take my words into consideration alongside your fathers.

Now, while some would insist on teaching Caligraphy, or other things you will learn in school, I will instead teach you things that will be your greatest asset. if you have not yet learned to read, listen; If you can read, follow along with me using the scroll in front of you." Takamura Masatada informed his makeshift class of students. These children were all the heirs of their respective Tozama families.

Thirteen boys between the ages of three and five sat on cushions inside a large dojo on the Takamura land. In front of each boy was a low table with a rolled scroll atop it. While most of the boys aged four and five quickly unfurled the scroll to read along, only one 3-year-old grabbed his, this boy was Genkei. Once he finished opening the scroll, he read the kanji at the top right, "Bushido: The Eight Virtues of the Samurai." Though Genkei did not know why, those words resonated within him, a giddy feeling rising up from his gut.

"Righteousness(Rectitude) and Justice," Masatada began, "The great scholars of the past described it as such, 'Rectitude is one's power to decide upon a course of conduct in accordance with reason, without wavering; to die when to die is right, to strike when to strike is right.' Another speaks of it in the following terms: 'Rectitude is the bone that gives firmness and stature. Without bones, the head cannot rest on top of the spine, nor hands move nor feet stand. So without Rectitude, neither talent nor learning can make the human frame into a samurai.'" Masatada waited a moment, looking at each boy's face before asking, "Do you all understand why this is the most important aspect?"

One boy, that Genkei didn't know the name of stood and bowed before asking, "Takamura-dono, shouldn't the skill with a sword be the most important aspect?" Masatada looked over the boy before asking, "Nobu, correct?" to which the boy nodded.

"Nobu, all the strength in the world is useless, lest you know when to act and how. No matter how strong a warrior is, they would never be worthy of being called Samurai, if they were ignorant. How are you to make informed, righteous decisions in the future, if all you can do is fight?" Masatada explained, ending with a question. Nobu thought on this before bowing and apologizing, sitting back down to let Masatada continue to teach.

"The great author Sun Tzu once said, 'Supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting', This can be thought of in the same vein as Nobus' question. If you are morally upright and righteous, and use your knowledge and skills to act at the right moment, most fights will never happen, and you will win without drawing your blade. Your greatest blade is your words, remember that."

"Hai, Takamura-dono, the children answered.

Masatada took a moment to drink from his teacup before moving on, "Bravery and Courage, most would say they are one and the same, however, the Samurai in the past believed differently, Bushido distinguishes between bravery and courage: 'Courage is worthy of being counted among virtues only if it's exercised in the cause of Righteousness and Rectitude. In his Analects, Confucius says: 'Perceiving what is right and doing it not reveals a lack of Courage.' In short, 'Courage is doing what is right.'"

Masatada continued on once the children were done pondering the words, "Any man can show bravery, even committing evil requires bravery. A man would have to be brave to murder or be a thief. However, Courage is choosing to do what is morally right even when the opposite would be easier. It is better to die fighting courageously than to live from being brave enough, to do evil."

Masatada looked them over before speaking once again, "We shall go over two more virtues today, I will then have you choose two of the four virtues for you to write a Haiku about. We must endeavor to be not only righteous warriors, but cultured scholars in the same breath."

Without much of a break, he continued onto the third virtue. "Benevolence and Mercy, A man invested with the power to command and the power to kill is expected to demonstrate equally extraordinary powers of benevolence and mercy: 'Love, magnanimity, affection for others, sympathy, and pity, are traits of Benevolence, the highest attribute of the human soul. Both Confucius and Mencius often said the highest requirement of a ruler of men is Benevolence'."

"When you are grown, some of you will become soldiers, politicians, or even teachers, as the children of Samurai, you are destined to lead the plebian masses and set an example. If you are unable to empathize with them, you will be no better than a tyrant. A general without love for his men is left behind to die, a politician that doesn't love his country is killed or disposed of, and a teacher that does not love his students will never pass on his knowledge. Endeavor to always follow this teaching, and it will take you far in life."

"Now, the last virtue for today," Masatada announced, "Is Politeness, a Samurai must not be Servile but instead polite and courteous, knowing how properly express the difference will keep you from being walked over by those around you. For a true man, courtesy is rooted in benevolence: Courtesy and good manners have been noticed by every foreign tourist as distinctive Japanese traits. But Politeness should be the expression of a benevolent regard for the feelings of others; it's a poor virtue if it's motivated only by a fear of offending good taste. In its highest form, Politeness approaches love."

Masatada then rolled up his scroll and walked towards the sliding door of the dojo, "You may take the scroll with you, but if it is damaged, you must work to replace it. If you wish to stay and take advantage of the dojo and its trainers, feel free, But do not feel obligated, as you still have to write the poem. Now, I expect you all to be here at the same time tomorrow, dismissed." He finished, closing the door behind him.

Once the door was closed, most of the boys began to break into a conversation with each other one boy walked up to Genkei to start a conversation as well. "Hey, which virtue do you plan on writing about? I'm Yamashiro Kazuki by the way." Genkei looked over the boy who was around 4 years old. He had short spiky black hair and didn't open his eyes all the way. He looked quite dopey if he was being honest. While Genkei had not recovered his past memories, he was still highly smart for his age, by virtue of his birth, so he was able to keep up with Kazuki's words.

"Umm, I was going to write about bravery and courage, maybe about fighting the BETA," Genkei answered a little shy. Kazuki was one of the first boys he had ever talked to, and as with most people with high IQ's, they are either extroverted or introverted, he was of the latter category. Preferring to stay with his own thoughts or in the comfortable normalcy of his family to the unknown waters.

Kazuki's eyes popped open a little revealing purple iris's before saying, "Really?! Me too! By the way, what's your name?" Genkei opened his mouth a few times before quietly saying, "Kouzuki Genkei...." Kazuki nodded his head before grabbing Genkei's arm and dragging him off towards a group of other children while saying, "Let me introduce you to my friends! By the way, did you here were finally making our own Gekishins?" While Genkei was nervous about meeting new people, his ears perked up at the mention of a TSF, he was fascinated with them.

"Really?" he asked to which Kazuki nodded and said, "Yep, I cant wait to fly one, I'll fight the BETA like they do in Europe!" By this time they had reached the other two boys and Kazuki introduced them. "The one on the left with girly hair is Iwami Darui, careful around him, he might bite you!" He said sinisterly to which Genkei exclaimed, "Bite me?!" and took a step back.

"Oi, don't go making me sound like a rabid dog!" Darui said angrily to his hyper friend. Genkei got a good look at the boy and noticed he was the tallest here and had the longest hair as well, it almost reached his shoulders. Similar to Genkei's own ponytail that his sisters wouldn't let him cut.

"Do you, have any sisters Iwami-san?" Genkei asked in his small voice to which Darui gave a blank face and blinked before saying, "Yeah, how did you know?" "Your hair...My sisters won't let me cut mine, so I thought...." Before trailing off at the end of his sentence. Darui laughed and said, "Hey, your pretty smart, what's your name by the way?" To which Genkei answered in his meek tone, "Kouzuki Genkei."

It was around this time when Kazuki's attention span ran out and he walked behind the only un-introduced boy in the group and pushed him forward. "This one is Noto Iruka, he's kind of puppy since he yips a lot. Here watch!" And pinched the boy's side making him jump and let out an 'EEP!' of pain and surprise, causing the group to laugh along with some other boys that saw it.

"Kazuki-san! I told you not to do that!" To which the hyper boy just shook his hand back and forth while saying, "Yeah, yeah, whatever, go ahead and introduce yourself, wavy." He ended with the boy's nickname due to his short, curly hair. Genkei and Iruka exchanged greetings and soon the group of four were talking about what boys their age do. Icky girls, the BETA, Bushido, and swords. Okay, maybe not what most boys talk about, but those of Samurai families.

[AN: Expect the next 10-20 chaps to be about his early life leading up to him recovering his memories and becoming a TSF Pilot. If I'm going to be doing this, I'm going to do it right, so don't expect it to be rushed. Also, don't worry, he won't stay shy for much longer. I hope you all enjoy the chap and leave a comment or review. Don't forget to roast me on the Discord https://discord.gg/TavCbDV2qg]