Post by Shizuminoru Yorokobi on May 8, 2013 18:08:06 GMT -5
"Phantoms of the Past"
"Ancient Teachings"
It was early in the morning when Shizuminoru got woken up by the sound of a bell on the courtyard. To some, this would be a sign to get out of bed and get ready for work, though it meant something else entirely for him. For years without end he had been forced to dedicate himself to Iaijutsu upon the request of his father, the head of the Yorokobi family. Shizuminoru had never been much of a fighter, hating violence of every form, though his father refused to have an heir that would not stand up for himself when he needed to do so. For that reason, Shizuminoru spent one week of every month at a special dojo that had been located at the foot of mount Fuji. Back then, everyone knew about the dojo and it's legendary swordsmen, training only those that had the determination to become the very best of their profession.
Those that enrolled in the Swordsmanship classes were forced to swear an oath of secrecy, promising that they would never reveal the things they had learned to others. It was their way of limiting the teachings of the Fuji Dojo to the dojo itself, Keeping outsiders from getting out with the teachings they had passed down for generations. The master of the Dojo was a kind old man known as Daidoji, the man that had inherited the dojo from his father, whom had it passed down from his father before him. It was how the Dojo and it's secrets would always stay within the family for as long as they had a son to follow it up. Despite his kindness, his training methods were no laughing matter, going as far as to force discipline through pain and fear of the sword.
One of the main things they had to learn was how to time their strikes when they drew their blade from it's scabbard. This was a lot harder then it seemed, being that one had to draw their sword with perfect timing in order to block a strike from one of their sparring partners. Being a kind lad, Shizuminoru was always careful to not hurt anyone, for the swords they used were sharp enough to cut off limbs if they were not careful at handling them. In the history of the dojo, many had lost a finger or a hand by being careless, each of these times marked on the Dojo's "Wall of shame". Here, everyone had to write their name in blood after they lost a limb, having to restart all of their training and starting with day one all over again.
Even though the methods of teaching were harsh to say the least, they were very effective. Many of the local lords such as Shizuminoru's father had their servants sent to the Dojo in order to become honorable and strong man, worthy of defending the estate's against trespassers and bandits. Shizuminoru had been sent for a different reason, this being to toughen him up and make a man out of him like only the Fuji Dojo could. Over the years, Shizuminoru never let go of his angers towards his father, though he started taking pride in his skills with the sword, often testing his skills against other trainee's such as himself by using Boken, wooden swords that would not cut anything off in a million years.
In all of his time spent at the Dojo, there had only been one man Shizuminoru truly feared, the man that was known as "Hido the Skull". It was a rather simple name, seeing as it was making a reference to a very simple concept, Hido wore a large skull fragment over his face, held in place by strands of red hair. Many rumors went around as to what kind of skull it was, whom it may have belonged to before him and why he wore it to conceal his face. One rumor was even more outlandish then the other, some claiming it was the mask of a demon, other claiming that his face beneath the mask had been mangled by masked demons.
Even though he was also a trainee like the others, there was something that set him apart from the others. Next to the fact that he lacked several fingers and had a body filled with scars, he was several years older then the other trainee, proving that he had probably been sent back a couple of years for failing his training and being too rash, resulting in physical injury. After checking, it seemed that the name Hido had been written on the wall at least seven times. Rumor had it that after some kind of event in his live, he put on his mask and changed his entire life. Many of the people in the dojo believed that the mask had evil powers that had corrupted Hido.
It was a wild claim, seeing as no one could prove it. One of the things that had changed was the fact that Hido stopped training with other trainee, yet often challenged one of the others to a spar with real swords, inflicting severe wounds upon them and sending them back to the start of their education, causing many to simply drop out. It was a way for Hido to prove that he was better then others, that he had no remorse for weaklings that could not place a new scar upon his body. Shizuminoru had always been able to sense spiritual pressure, as well as being able to see spirits, always seeing a dark aura surrounding the man, though he chose to ignore it.
In his fifth and final year, Hido and Shizuminoru were the only two left of the class that had started five years ago. Shizuminoru had not lasted as long as he did because he was just that much better, but because Hido had never once come up to him with the trial of honor. On one faithful night, Shizuminoru woke up, seeing Hido standing outside of his window, telling him that his time would come soon enough. After giving him a time and place, he disappeared, leaving Shizuminoru behind to bask in the fear that had been left behind. He knew that he could not possibly beat a man as skillful and evil as Hido, so the only thing he could do was drop out of class.
The next day, Shizuminoru went to see Master Daidoji, asking him for forgiveness and clearance to leave the dojo. After a brief scolding, Daidoji told him about what had really happened to Hido, the man that had once been Daidoji's son. He told Shizuminoru that the body that had been left behind by his son had been cursed after losing a fight against a powerful Hollow that went by the name Hido. The mask he wore was a testament to that, explaining that the red strings were the catalyst that held the mask, and the curse in it's place. When the man got down on his knees and begged him to defeat Hido, Shizuminoru felt that it was his destiny to fulfill this request.
Training fiercely for the remaining days he had left until the Trial, Shizuminoru excelled, improving his swordplay and his timing by miles each day. Working hard with Daidoji, he was allowed to learn techniques most people his age should not even be hearing about. Daidoji had been breaking his own rules, though he wanted his son back, while Shizuminoru wanted to hold on to his life for the sake of his younger sister. If he died, there would be no one left that could stop the arranged marriage she had been thrown into at the age of six. As the days went by, his resolve strengthened to the point where he was no longer afraid of Hido. He was ready to take him down.
When the day of the trial came, neither of them had much to say to the other, stepping into the ring and engaging in the fight that had quite a lot of things riding upon it. Hido was the first to draw his sword, striking like a wild beast in an attempt to cut and disqualify Shizuminoru, if not strike to end his life. Using his wits to step aside whenever a strike was inbound, he refrained from drawing his blade to fight back, further angering Hido and causing him to strike with even more ferocity, yet losing all subtlety he had at the start of the fight. It was then that Shizuminoru saw his chance to strike, stepping to the side and drawing his blade from it's scabbard, slashing upward in a crescent moon strike, hitting the red cord.
The cord had been cut by Shizuminoru's sword, causing Hido to fall down to his knees, screaming as if his entire body was lit on fire. When the mask started coming off, Daidoji stepped forward, grabbing a hold of the mask and throwing it down the mountain, landing in the river and being carried off with the current. Shizuminoru had been victories, though he had received a deep cut on his left shoulder, meaning that despite winning, he had to do the entire educational process again. This did not matter much to Shizuminoru, because now, he would be able to go back home to his little sister, while Daidoji had gotten his son back. After writing his name on the wall, Shizuminoru said his goodbyes and went home.
He was not sure as to how he would be able to explain to his father that he was not going back, though he now had something he did not have when he first went to the dojo several years ago, Confidence. His father would never truly be proud of him, nothing would ever be good enough to please him, so there was no point in trying to continue the farce. All that mattered was that he had become strong enough to help people while denying his fathers will, so there was no shame in returning home.
Amount of words: 1684
Total GP: 22GP