Diving into the Past

A Few Days Later.

It was half an hour after sunrise. The air was cool and the scenery was still. Tōsō had brought Sakutarō outside for some training.

"Do I not get to eat first?" Asked Sakutarō.

"Eat after." Replied Tōsō.

They started off with hand to hand combat; learning how to defend from an attacker, and how to start an attack of your own. Having shown Sakutarō basic maneuvers for an hour, he gave him his first challenge.

"Sweep me." Commanded Tōsō.

"Sweep you? Just sweep you?"

"You're going to see how hard it really is. People are not going to just let you sweep them off their feet."

"But you haven't shown me how to properly sweep."

"I know. You will have to figure it out. You will not eat until you have swept me."

Sakutarō got into his stance, right leg back. He brought his leg forward a couple times, going through the motion. When he was ready, he took a deep breath and twisted his hip as hard as he could, following through with his right leg. Upon impact, Tōsō let out a sigh.

"What was that?" Tōsō asked, disappointed.

"You... told me to sweep you?"

"Are you giving me a massage or trying to kick me? This is why strength training is important. However... you did not hit me correctly. Try again."

Without hesitation, Sakutarō kicked his father in the leg again. As soon as Sakutarō brought his leg back to the ground, Tōsō stepped forward and kicked the inside of Sakutarō's left ankle, sweeping it out to the side. Falling off balance, Tōsō allowed Sakutarō's head to fall into his arms, gripping the back of his head. Before Sakutarō knew it, he was less than an inch away from his father's knee.

"You see that?" Said Tōsō. "I swept your ankle because it is easy to get you off balance. This brings your upper body forwards, making it easy for me get a hold of your head and striking your face with my knee."

Tōsō released Sakutarō from his grasp. Breathless, Sakutarō bent forward, placing his hands on his knees to rest.

"Father... why didn't you tell me you used to train with Daisuke?"

"Hmmm... because it didn't matter. Plus, you never asked."

"Why would I randomly ask that? It never even crossed my mind that you used to train with a Samurai."

"When we used to train, he wasn't a Samurai yet. We both started to learn. We had always been interested in the way of the Samurai. But a time came where I changed my mind, and he obviously carried on."

"What made you change your mind?"

"Your mother... when she passed away I decided to dedicate my life to being with you and Genji."

"Oh... do you ever regret it? I mean... couldn't you have become a great warrior?"

"I don't know. Maybe. I don't really think about it, son."

"Who was better, out of you and Daisuke?"

"Haha, I knew that question was coming. Well, to be honest, we were pretty equal hand to hand. Then there were sparring sessions where one of us would have to be handicapped. But... if we are talking sword to sword, we fought 193 times."

"193?! That's a lot, father!"

"It is. I only won 90 of those."

"So... Daisuke won... 103? That's near enough equal isn't it?"

"If you look at it like that it doesn't seem so bad, does it? Although, the times I won he really did push me to the limit. The times he won, many of them weren't close at all."

"That doesn't matter though. There are no excuses in battle. A win is a win."

"You're early today!" Tōsō called out. Sakutarō leaned to the side, trying to look past his father. It was Daisuke approaching.

"How did you know he was coming?" Sakutarō' asked.

"You father has always had weird senses. He can smell like a dog and hear like a fox." Daisuke jokingly responded.

"When it comes to the physical things, Daisuke wins. But, when it comes to tracking and planning, that's where I make up for my lack of physicality." Tōsō stated.

"I'm taking the boy with me now." Daisuke said. "How was training?"

"He needs to figure out a way to sweep me. I've shown him how to do it by using the ankle. He needs to find another way. Only then will he eat." Tōsō replied.

Daisuke nodded, showing that he understood the assignment. He flicked his head to the left, signaling for Sakutarō to start following him down the path. Daisuke took a quick look back, and stopped in his tracks. He noticed Tōsō staring at a group of trees in the distance. Tōsō then looked at Daisuke. As he did so, Daisuke placed him hand around the handle of his katana.

"How long has he been there?" Daisuke asked.

"I'm not sure, but I just realised he was there."

"I wonder how long he has been following me."

"I wouldn't pay too much attention to it, Daisuke. Whoever it is, they're by themselves."

Daisuke took his hand off his katana and continued to walk. Lost in thought, Sakutarō didn't realise he was being left behind. He hurried quickly behind Daisuke, trying to keep up.

"Who do you think was following you?" Sakutarō asked.

"I'm not sure. If I were to guess, I'd say it's a spy hired by the government. The fact they were by themselves, most likely an ex-Samurai, or a Ninja."

"Are they going to try and kill you?"

"If the rumours are true, then most likely."

"Are you not worried?"

Daisuke stopped walking. After a slight pause, he responded.

"I don't fear any man or beast. Neither should you. Death is a path we all must take. Once you accept that reality, you will have peace."

Daisuke then continued to walk. Sakutarō followed, still pondering over what Daisuke had said.

"What are we going to do when we arrive?" Sakutarō asked.

"We are going to eat."

"Didn't your hear what my father said? I can't eat until I manage to sweep him."

"That's easy. I'll show you how. I have a better challenge for you."

"What is it?"

"You're going to steal your food."

"What?!"

"You heard me. A Samurai must be stealthy, fluid and strategic. This is something young Spartan's were tasked with. You will eat when you're able to steal the food without being caught."

"I'm only 11 you know. If I keep getting caught i'll starve to death."

"When I was 11... I had already killed men over three times my age."

"You killed people... when you were so young?"

"My mother was... always working. So, I hardly got to spend time with her. It also meant I would go hungry the majority of the time. I had to steal to eat. Whenever I got caught, I would fight my way out to avoid being punished. One day, Makoto found me. This was in another village. He promised to take me away for a price. My mother took the money. She told me going with him would change my life for the better."

"Have you had contact with her since you left?"

"I tried... but she's dead."

"I'm... so sorry."

"She was murdered. The man that done it was executed."

"My mother is dead too." Sakutarō whispered.

"I know."

"I wish I could've been old enough to remember her."

"Your mother... Haru... she was an amazing woman."

"You knew her?"

"She was best friends with my lover, Mitsu."

"Where is she now? Mitsu."

"She died... a few days before your mother. There was an attack on the village. Me and Mitsu made our way to your house. You were only a baby at the time. Your brother just newly born. Tōsō wanted me to remain in the house, so we could all be together. I couldn't. As the protector of the village, I had to go out. But, he promised to keep everyone safe until my return. When I came back... Mitsu was dead, and your father and mother were unconscious. Your mother died a few days later from her injuries."

"Father never... told me this. Is this why you two aren't close anymore?"

"Yes. He made a promise. Which he didn't keep. If it were me, I would've died trying to protect them."

They finally arrived at the village centre.

"Right, Sakutarō. Here is what you must do."