Young Swords I

After winning the CM tournament several months ago, Kurokawa has spent his time wondering the vast continent trying to determine what to do with his life. He won 500 tales of gold from Lord Zando and a commission as a territory governor for six months. Fearing his father, Taketoshi, would force his way into any governance of any territory, Kurokawa refused the latter reward. During the tournament, Kurokawa's clan mate, Zhou Xiong was beheaded by Demon Devin. Enraged at first that Zhou would loose to a female fighter,  Kurokawa would soon develop a respect for the red-headed vixen. After winning the tournament, Kurokawa decided not to return his father's Seven of Dark Tomorrow clan for some time to decided where to go with his life. With the 500 tales of gold he knew he could live for many months without going hungry. Being impressed with Demon Devin's sword skills and taken with her good looks, Kurokawa invited the killer of his clan mate to accompany him on his travels.

Kurokawa and Demon Devin have spent months wondering the countryside, keeping a low profile. They have trained intensely during this period. Both working on their sword skills, sharpening their techniques, practicing their Iaido, Jujitsu, and Karate skills, and strengthening their bodies through good diets and intense physical exercises. During the first few months Devin and Kurokawa would not speak much of their past or why they entered the CM tournament. As the months past, their trust in each other has grown. One day while walking through a field Devin asked Kurokawa about his past and why he never returned to his father.

Kurokawa was at first reluctant to discuss his past, but feeling that Devin had a similar life, one filled with hardships, he opened up. Kurokawa begins, "I was born into my father's clan of noble sword fighters. My father, Master Taketoshi, was the son of a long line of Kogasuma sword fighters for the emperor, him being the 18th generation to serve. It was custom within this social class of fighter that when a boy came of age, he would after a long training, challenge the patriarch of the clan to a death dual. If he would win, he'd be the master of the clan. When my father was seventeen he challenged my grandfather to a death dual. My grandfather was sixty-seven years old, having killed several of his sons over many different death duals. My father, though badly cut, killed my grandfather. In doing so, he became master of the clan. Others within the clan considered a seventeen-year-old master unacceptable and refuse to accept my father as their master. Enraged, my father decided to kill all the members of this clan and their families. He savagely massacred all twelve clansmen and killed their entire families within a few days time. The emperor was outraged and called for Taketoshi's death. My father fled and decided to form his own clan, the Seven of Dark Tomorrow. He would choose any man that he deemed powerful enough in the art of the sword to this clan. Over the years many members have been chosen, some dying in service to his clan, other dying at the hands of Taketoshi. The emperor would die several years later and many forgot the death sentence imposed on my father."

Kurokawa continues, "I was born to my father's second wife. I was beaten as a small child. I had a brother from my father's first wife named Takogama. When Takogama was sixteen (and I was ten) he challenged my father to a dual. Taketoshi ruthlessly cut down my brother, slashing him to the point that he was unrecognizable. I witnessed this all. My blood turned cold that day, seeing my beloved brother destroyed like that. My father killed my brother like a swine." Devin notices Kurokawa's face turn red with anger. She asks, "What happened to your mother?" Kurokawa replies with a empty stare into the evening sky, "My mother was a young beauty who was forced to marry Taketoshi. Her father was a village elder who respected strong providers, to which my father was with is clan. When I was eleven, a year after my brother's death, Taketoshi came to me one night and said my mother was dead. I asked how, she was in good health. In return for that question, I was beaten with his bamboo cane. I never saw her body, but her room was badly bloodstained and I was told never to enter or else I would be beheaded. I believe Taketoshi killed her in a rage. Over what I will probably never know. Taketoshi would soon tell me that I would learn the art of the sword and when I believed I was a man, I had to challenge him to a death dual. He told me if I was not strong and skillful enough, he would kill me without mercy and sire a new child. He would tell of how his father had seven sons and only he, the seventh, could take his mighty grandfather down."

Kurokawa turned and saw Devin's green eyes fixed to his story and continues, "I was given a sword soon after my mother's death. This sword was this very long-sword I have today. It belonged to my grandfather. Taketoshi would confine me to his home's cellar and would train me with the sword everyday he could. I could only leave the cellar if I achieved a skill to his satisfaction. I remember I once refused to fight. Hungry, cold and tired of life. He brutally beat me, tied me to the wall and thrashed me with a wire whip. My back, arms, and legs where shredded. He later beat me that day with a club. I vomited and defecated blood for days. He vowed that if I ever complained about life or his treatment, he would chop my ears off, to deform me to the world. Only the memory of my mother and brother would give me any hope of  there being humanity in the world. As I grew older, Taketoshi noticed my skills improving and that I was growing his size and strength. This only elevated his treatment to me. The harder I trained, feeling out his techniques, the worse he beat me. When I was about fifteen, I slashed him during training. At first he was impressed that I was able to get first blood on him, but he then slashed one side of my face open with his katana and wrestled me to the ground and tore my shoulders out of their sockets. He dragged me into our livestock barn and locked me into a cage that was used to transport monkeys. The members of his clan at that time were told to 'train' me for the following week. They all tortured me to the point I nearly begged for death. My hatred of them all and my father was so intense I felt like a savage beast. After I returned to Taketoshi's training I dreamed about challenging him to this death dual, knowing if I won I would be free of him, if I lost I would leave this horrible world with some honor. The only thing keeping me from challenging him was that fact that my brother was so grossly unskilled at that part of his life to even match my father. I knew I was not his equal or his better. I knew time was on my side and I would only grow stronger. By the time I as eighteen I was skilled enough in his art of the sword to be entered into his clan. This didn't stop Taketoshi from his harsh training. Soon after I entered the clan he demanded upon me to kill an elderly couple, for what I was never told. To this day I could hear their howls of pain as I did as my father ordered. Believing I had done my duty, he smashed my fingers with a horseman's mallet, breaking most of my fingers, telling me that I had to learn how to hold a sword in pain. Taketoshi takes great delight in telling me how weak I am and how at my age he was already a clan master. I have suspicions that he has spawn a few children in the past few years believing I'm too weak willed or unskilled to ever defeat him. I have come to the conclusion that most people are weak and it's up to you to take what you want or else you die." Devin asks, "Did your father show any sight of compassion toward you?" Kurokawa turns and says, "It is his honor, his place to treat me like this. I may hate him deeply and will kill him one day, but I still respect him for training me in his style. When I have mastered the sword in his style, I will be unbeatable. I will have no equals. I will be of legend. Taketoshi once told me that a legend lives on after their deaths. He says that two hundred years after his death, his name will still strike fear whenever it is mentioned. That is my goal."

Kurokawa turns to Devin and asks, "What is your past orange-haired girl? You are very skilled with your katana. You must have had a great master?" Devin at first is reluctant to bring up her past but believes after Kurokawa gave a summary of his past, she felt obliged. Devin begins, "I was born into a clan of masked fighters who defend a territory of villages from any trouble makers or invading forces. My father was named Demon Zeus. He was a top member of this clan of ninja. On my birth the elders of my clan believed I was a bad omen because my hair was red. The elders wished for my parents to kill or abandon me. My mother, a deeply religious woman, wanted me dead. My father refused to have me killed. He hid me for days before he was able to persuade the elders and my mother that I should live. While a young girl I was belittled by the other clan children and my mother soon left my father. When I was seven most of the clan was slaughtered while I and my father were away. Their slaughter was the result of the elders alliance with a recently toppled CM Lord. My father left me with his cousin for safety as things were dangerous. He would send money to me over the following three years. On a mission to recover gold, he died in a boat sinking at sea. Without money for my upbringing I was soon unwelcome to stay and when I was thirteen I was forced to live on the street. I became a thief, steeling whatever I could to survive. My father taught me to fight at an early age and I was able to defend myself. I would fight with others my age who were living on the streets. They soon learned to respect my skills in fighting and thievery. I knew as a girl I had to fight harder then any male. My luck wasn't good many times. I was caught by merchants and local police quite often. Over time they lost any patients with me and beat and tortured me. For some time I would go through a cycle of thieving, fighting which ended with me being tied to a post in the village square. Villagers would kick, punch, humiliate me without mercy. I learned to vomit and defecate upon myself to keep men from raping me. By the time I was fifteen my life was headed for death. One cold night after I was caught, beaten and tied to a post in a village square a young girl, my age, come to me in the night and untied me. She gave me shelter in a monastery and secretly hid and fed me. Her name is JC Fox. She was at the monastery to learning a series of sword techniques. JC would keep me hidden near her bunk, in a large whicker basket. She would bring me carrots and oranges every night, calling me 'carrot juice' or 'orange peel'. I later learned that what little food she gave me was sometimes all she was allotted  each day. Every night when she returned from her training, we would talk, in hushed tone, for hours about our lives. She was very easy to talk to, a true friend. After her four month lessons were over she helped move me to another village were I was safe. She gave me what little money she had so I could start a new life." Kurokawa asks, "JC Fox, the Lavender Blade. I have heard her name. She is said to be a master with many bladed weapons." Devin replies with teary eyes, "She is indeed a master of many blades. Over my life only two people have ever shown kindness toward me, my father and JC Fox. Almost everyone else has looked down upon me, humiliated me at every chance they got. I, too, have lost any real compassion toward people. I would spend the last few years wondering the land, fighting for money. Fighting like a dog for the bets of  the filthy crowds, knowing my death will come one day to a unlucky strike or for a crippling injury. This is no life for me. I entered the tournament hoping to win enough gold to follow a different direction in life "

Kurokawa thinks over what Devin has said and looks over a map he has pulled from his pocket. He asks, "I am determined to exploit the weakness of society for my own gain. People have treated us like animals for all of our lives. We could either let them continue to do so or we can become the predators. We are both strong, skillful master of our arts. For all of our lives we have been outcast of our societies. I have a  map of a town, Agostah, not too far from here, a day or two by foot, that has a gold and silver depository." Devin asks, "Those depositories are usually well guarded. If we were able to secure the gold and silver, how could we take it? It's not worth our lives if we can only take what we can carry." Kurokawa laughs and says, "I propose that we take the town, let them move the gold and silver for us. The town only has 300 people. Most are peasants and will not fight. After we take out any guards and take a few hostages, we could use some of the peasants to move the gold and silver to a secret location we choose. With this gold and silver, we could build a clan like my father did twenty-five years ago. I don't want to be a master over his clan. I have dreamed of having a clan that could challenge his Seven of Dark Tomorrow, defeat them and then I could challenge him to his death dual. There is nothing I want to do more than humiliate him to the world before I take his head." Devin looks over the map. She says, "We need to scout this town out, to do our homework before be strike. We are only two people. Even as skilled as we may be, we have to calculate this action well." Kurokawa says, "Yes, I agree. We will have to see how we can cut-off the town from the outside world, until we get what we want." Devin thinks over this proposal and says, "Maybe we need a few others to join us before we challenge a town?" Kurokawa laughs and says with his voice bellowing, "I'm a man, I have been trained by the best swordsman who has ever lived. No one in that town will be my equal. The ninja in makes you sheepish, uneasy. You have a strong skill with the sword. Let that hatred in you boil, let that rage show if they try to challenge us. I'm a man who has a destiny to fulfill. This will be my time to become a legend!"

shall be continued......

by, Jesse Nightingale ©2009

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