Sachihiro

‘First form,’’ the 14-year-old sempai calls out and all the children plus three adults in his class take and hold the stance.

Footing balanced, arms out and steady as we move to form 2 with the instruction from our teacher. Form 2 is a retreating form, a stabilising form, a defensive form with feet flat on the ground for power.

‘Third Form!’

We move with the call, the whole class of 20 shouting their count as we take the stance moving from 2 to 3 retreating back to 4 and going back to 5.

‘Sixth Form!’

‘Roku!’ We all shout taking the sixth form, Asriel, Mira and I following the instructions to a crossed ‘t’.

‘Seventh Form!’ We are there with the call taking and holding the new stance, straining my body in ways it isn’t accustomed to.

‘Eight Form!’ We are there, moving through the 33 forms of the Hito sword kata empty handed as all novices to the forms aught to.

‘Ninth Form!’

By the time we get to the 33rd form my muscles are loose, shirt is drenched in sweat and I feel like I could run up a ountain. As strenuous as the forms are on muscle and ligaments they always warm me up nicely for the sparing sessions that follow.

‘’Take your places,’’ the very serious 14 year old says which is our cue for Mira and me to leave this class and go join the big boys in a forms-based sparing session.

Entering the dojo we are always met with a collectively hostile aura but no one actually says anything as Uruka Sensei watches over the sparring sessions with a hawk’s eye.

Here it’s like a tournament where everyone gets a chance to face everyone else with wooden training weapons. In a day I have to face all 44 opponents in the class one after the other as they themselves face opponent after opponent until every single one of us has faced 44 opponents under the watchful eyes of Ukura Sensei. Plenty of bruising and swelling to go around but never any broken bones or serious injuries, I enjoy this part of my days immensely.

‘’Fight!’’

I step forward to give another beat down with a wooden stick.

*

Sachihiro enjoys beating up the other trainees, he’s very good at hitting people and takes a twisted pleasure from it.

He faces Hiroshi, one of the better fighters; their stick swords rattling against each other with Sachihiro using his superior strength and size to dominate the smaller but slightly better fighter. The forms are clearly visible in Hiroshi’e moves; his guard keeping Sachihiro off, his attacks tight getting into gaps.

Sachihiro grabs the stick as it’s about to slap into his face, pulling he shoulder checks his opponent in the face while sweeping Hiroshi’s front leg from under him.

Hiroshi goes down in a tumble, Sachihiro landing his knee on his opponents chest.

‘’Stop! Sachihiro, we are training in the sword here not your tribal brawling. Azami, come.’’

Azami disengages from her current opponent to face an excitedly nervous Sachihiro, they bow to each other take their stances and clash in the same breath.

[Wack][wack] [plutter], wood smashes against wood before finding Sachihiro’s fleshy thigh.

Limping back he disengages from the petite dark eyed dark-haired warrior watching him dispassionately, he grins before powering forward.

[Wack][wack][wack]-

Sachihiro grabs Azami’s bokken pulling his opponent who doesn’t resist, climbing on him while delivering pointed knuckles knees and elbows in a flash before twisting her wrist breaking his hold on her wooden sword to land facing a stunned Sachihiro.

She’s so tiny, his mind says to him while his bruised body pulses with the evidence of how dangerous she is.

The others snicker as Sachihiro wipes the blood snorting down his nose, grinning he takes a stance. Azami attacks.

*

‘’What happened to you?’’ Mira asks as a bruised and battered Sachihiro is brought into their borrowed house supported by a short well-muscled young man.

They slump together onto the floor, the host Kuyoki coming in, frowning in displeasure at the blood tracked into the house and disappears hurridly.

‘’This one was given a lesson in humility,’’ the stocky guy says with smug continence.

[Pff], I snort at that.

‘’Barbarians don’t learn humility from being beaten, you'd have to kill him to make the lesson stick,’’ I can’t help but be amused at the state Hiro is in. He seems quite pleased though, his aura one of accomplishment even as he grunts supporting his side as the young man pushes off him.

‘’I’m Hiroshi,’’ muscles bows politely.

‘’Mira,'' I introduces myself, ''what happened to him?’’

Kuyoki walks into the chamber, shakes her head and immediately starts nursing the idiot on the floor.

‘’It was just some sparing,’’ Sachihiro says while letting Kuyoki undrape the kimono from his shoulders. ‘’I learnt a lot actually.’’

‘’Really? Like what?’’

‘’Rely on skill before resorting to strength,’’ he tenderly touches his swollen face.

‘’Yea and how to use your face to block,’’ Hiroshi snickers before turning on his heels leaving the house.

‘’Thank you Lady Kuyoki,’’ Sachi says relieving the cold pack from her delicate fingers.

‘’Just Kuyoki, come, I will show you to the springs. The water will make you better before zenith gathering, come.’’

Kuyoki helps him up and leads the limping Sachihiro away, those two are so cute together. Mhmm, I wonder if Kuyoki would be acceptable to enjoying him with me, is such even done here?

*

Sachihiro

I’m in a different group of people practising the forms while Mira is still practising with the younglings, it seems I have been promoted. I must have impressed someone with how well I took that beating yesterday, I was singled out to come here. I already enjoy this practice more; the soft grass under my feet instead of hardwood, the songs of the birds are clearer, the sweet scents of nature under the pale blue sky, sweating with the breeze to cool me off.

‘Form 8.’

Hachi!

...

‘Form 9.’

Kyuu!

...

Form 10.’

Juu!

...

The forms come easier and easier. We’re using actual training swords in hand, mine an especially heavy piece making the movements that much more difficult to keep. I welcome the challenge. I see some snicker at how much I struggle versus their gracefulness not realising I’m also wearing weights as well as carrying a heavier weapon.

Deep breathe, muscles tremble sweeping around of the toe in an arch with the exhale; the move is tricky because I simultaneously change the grip on my weapon.

Form 11

Juui-chi!

I nail it; hold it long enough that my butt cheek is twitching unhappily.

‘Form 12.’

I stumble here but I’m not even a step behind in righting myself, I hold it at the breath, it feels good to sweat through this. To challenge my body thus while learning a skill.

‘Form 13’.

There is an hour after the morning forms with my ‘peers’ that I have to myself, 'tea time' for most of the villagers. A medicinal hot drink that soothes the mind, I join some older men in their stronger drink and I take all the weights off before going to the sparing. Yesterday I was sparing with all my weights on but I learnt my lesson after that beating by Azami.

We face off trading blows with wooden swords, I don’t like how light and short the bokken are but I won't complain with words.

The first opponent I use as a warmup, try to incorporate the actual forms into my movements and surprisingly it works well. The moves are tight, sharp, dangerous I lunge from form to form pushing my opponent around with my speed and power. Don’t use strength Sachi, I decrease my strength volume and immediately spot the gratefulness of the asshole I’m facing.

[Internal snort], these kids are too worried about embarrassing themselves in front of their peers to get really good at these sword forms.

Once I stop battering him hard my next opponent is on me like white on rice, fast and smooth as I try to do the forms on him he blocks and counters me at every turn. I’m on the back foot taking a few hits but I stick with the forms regardless of their predictability, see Uruka? I’m a good student.

I feel the sensei scoff which amuses me. Can you hear thought or am I that obvious Uruka Sensei?

My next opponent is also all over me, punishing me for my unfamiliarity with the forms by getting into all the gaps before I can counter them. She’s fast, she’s ruthless, she nearly pokes my eye out but I give her a few good hits to keep her on her toes.

The forms actually don’t have to be followed in the exact order of practice I realise after getting two fingers fractured. Form 1 transitions smoothly into form 2 which transitions into 3 but I can also mix it up if my footing is in the right place. I learn this because it’s used against me, I learn this the hard way but such lessons tend to stick.

I face over 40 opponents while concentrating on mastering the forms, using the forms to face them instead of my strength, size, speed and superior gall. I get a beating even from Hiroshi who taunts me the whole time, I can't tell if I like him or hate him.

My last opponent of the day is Azami, sweaty and tired herself yet she moves like she could do this all day. Her gaze dispassionate and bored as we stand to face each other at the last pairing of the day, she moves I block and counter.

[Twack][twack][twack].

Our wooden weapons make a symphony of sound as I unleash my full speed and strength to dominate her, it doesn’t work. She fights differently from the others, moves differently, her sparing sword an option but not all she relies upon to fight me back. Her entire body is a weapon but so is mine.

We throw kicks, we roll punch and grab at each other amongst the whacking with sticks. I’m much faster than I was yesterday, looser without the weights on. We are evenly matched in speed but I school Azami in ferocity.

It is instinct and aggression I rely on now not the forms but I find them coming out in my movements seemingly on their own accord. Form 7 pushing her back, I grab at her ponytails but her head swerves under my arm, form 22 blacking her strike as I knee upwards.

She blocks.

We are evenly matched for 15 or so minutes but her stamina flags quicker than mine, skilled but soft these Hito. I feel her speed decreasing and punish her, she starts making mistakes in her forms and I punish her. The tempo of our match decreases again till we stand facing each other panting with the bruises all over her now not me. Easily I could keep going.

‘’Time; change partners.’’

Everyone shifts, oh, they were all watching us. I lost track of my surroundings at some point but now I suddenly find myself facing the most dangerous opponent in the class.

‘’Now it’s my turn,’’ Kichiro says with open malice raising his bokken to face me for the first time.

Shit, I thought we were done for the day.

I grin taking my own stance as I face my 45th opponent of the day.

*

Mira

Sachihiro comes in supported by the young man Hiroshi from yesterday, they slump together on the floor. Hiroshi not as amused today as he was yesterday by the state of things.

Kuyoki is by his side a moment later with a steaming bowl of water with leaves floating within. Dipping a cloth in the steaming water she wipes the blood and soaks the bruising around his face and head with practised ease.

‘’Where did you learn that?’’ He asks feeling immediate relief from the hot press on his face.

Her movements are graceful even wringing a towel out, ‘’we take care of each other in the clan during samurai training, we all know how to treat wounds.’’ The soft-spoken Kuyoki responds while washing the now half-naked brute who is scandalously enjoying being bathed in leaf water too much. His eyes linger on the round of her chest area before gazing back at the ceiling closing his eyes.

‘’Is that all you learn, because Sachihiro here looks to have other thoughts on his mind.’’ Why am I so aroused by the thought of these two coupling, ‘’do you have a man Kuyoki? How did you come to be our host here in this lovely guest house we are so grateful for?’’

‘’Tea?’’ she asks me indicating to the pot.

‘’I’ll get it,’’ the pot is heavier than it looks. I pour tea under Kuyoki’s direction as she bandages up Sachihiro who is silently attentive. Tea is apparently not just pouring hot water on leaves and Kuyoki enjoys her tea.

‘’You are samurai?’’ the brute asks whipping his hair back in that ragged charm of his. Does he do that on purpose, is Sachihiro flirting with our mature hostess?

‘’I am samurai, warrior servant of the people.’’

We discuss much over tea while getting to know our hostess this here. Kuyoki the Samurai, she has ‘earned her blade’ she says showing us an art-piece of a weapon.

‘’Made from the metals of the gods,’’ she says pouring water to run over the silver of the blade making a shimmer with the light. These swords are bound to a samurai for life, they cannot dull or break unless the spirit of the samurai falters. Mine is called a wakizashi,’’ Kuyoki introduces us to her sword and the legends and stories of her people.

*

The days take on a comforting regularity to them as the season changes while we’re here, how long has it been since I was home now? I wonder how everyone has been, would ma even recognise me now I wonder? Clean shaven and hair cropped short to keep it out of my eyes, the food and tea has me looking leaner as well.

[Deep breath], mountain air has me a bit paler but otherwise I’m still myself.

I like wearing kimonos and sandals now, my tastes are changing more the longer I stay here. There is discipline here but life is soft, I enjoy good food I don’t have to catch, a good sex life keeps my spirit cheerful, I enjoy laughs and exercise in a balance that hasn’t weakened me. As a matter of fact, I have grown, there is something to be said about leaving home in order to grow.

‘’Hello,’’

‘’Hello,’’ I greet the pair walking by on my way to training.

I’ve gotten really good with the sword staying amongst these sword obsessed people, really good. It’s all about movement and trickery but more intricate than that, a dance of death. The forms come insticticly now, even Mira is in the advanced sparing class while I’ve been invited to train with the samurai.

Real swords today not bokken, I’m excited. I can’t remember the last time I sparred with the potential for being cut at the back of my mind.

[Humpf].

‘’This is a place of warriors half-breed,’’ Kichiro a wanna be rival from my previous classes says getting in my way.

[Wack]! He takes a plank to the head.

[Hahahaha], I can’t but laugh at his outraged betrayed expression as he holds his head protectively.

‘’We are here to train not bender petty egos, now you three go over there and watch closely while we practice the five stances. ‘’

‘’Yes Sensei Sanada,’’ we say bowing in unison.

Azami is also here. I like these samurai already, we take our places and observe the stances. There is always so much to learn amongst the Hito, I hope things are okay at home.

As per usual, the session starts with stance practice, this is different from the forms. We take a stance and repeat it over and over before changing to another, with a sparring opponent in front of us.

Chūdan-no-kamae the middle level with the tip of the weapon pointed at my opponent's throat. Gedan-no-kamae, the lower level posture. Jōdan-no-kamae, upper level posture. Hassō-no-kamae, the wood stance to attack in any direction and waki-gamae, the light stance.

It’s funny, the forms are all about movement but the stances about stillness until the right action reveals itself. There is a lot going on with the way the Hito view sword fighting, being samurai, there is a lot to learn.