Strength
By Gabriela
Tsubame and her father walked hand in hand through a field of
waving grass. The little girl's expression was solemn, but inwardly
she was smiling. These walks had become rare lately, and she was glad
to spend a little time with her father.
When they reached the top of a hill, Cigogne stopped abruptly
and sat down on the grass, motioning for Tsubame to do the same. She
settled herself beside him, carefully arranging her skirts under her.
For a few moments, the two quietly watched the sun set. Then Tsubame's
father turned to her, breaking the silence.
"Tsubame, I'm going to tell you a story with an important
lesson," he said. "So listen carefully."
Tsubame nodded silently, tilting her head in interest at this
new way of teaching.
"More that a century ago," Cigogne began, "there lived in
Japan a young orphan boy named Soujirou. He lived with his half-
brothers, and since he was very small and weak, they were able to bully
him, beat him, and make him work all day and all night.
"But one night, Soujirou's life changed forever. A great
swordsman named Shishio came to the family's house, and saw that
Soujirou had the potential to become a warrior too. He taught Soujirou
the same thing that I have been teaching you: the strong shall
survive…"
"And the weak shall be trampled." finished Tsubame dutifully.
"Good. So Shishio taught Soujirou how to fight, and how to be
strong. Soujirou became one of the greatest swordsmen of his time, and
no one ever dared to bully him again. And also, after Shishio began
teaching him, Soujirou was never sad or lonely…he was always cheerful
and smiling, and life was a game for him. What lesson does that teach,
Tsubame?"
"That to be happy, all you need to do is be strong," said
the girl.
Cigogne favored her with a pleased smile.
"Good, Tsubame. You are learning quickly."
"Papa, what happened to Soujirou afterwards? Did he have
fights and adventures?"
"Yes." Cigogne said shortly, standing up.
"What kind of fights and adventures? Tell me more, Papa."
"It's getting dark," said Cigogne, ignoring her request. "We
should start back."
"Papa…"
"I have told you as much of Soujirou's story as you need to
know in order to learn the lessons I am teaching you."
Tsubame sat alone under the darkening sky for a moment longer,
before getting to her feet and following her father back to their
mansion.
~ Eight Years Later~
Tsubame flipped through the history book, looking for a
reference to Sagara Souzou. Each person in her class was supposed to
choose a historical figure from the Meiji Era and give a report on him
or her, and she had had the good fortune of finding a rare book
containing historical accounts actually written during the Meiji Era.
As she turned the pages, a name suddenly caught her eye, and
she froze, stopping at that page.
"Soujirou"…?
She mentally scolded herself for the absurdity of her reaction--
it couldn't possibly be the Soujirou she knew of. Still, she couldn't
resist satisfying her curiosity, so she looked over the page more
thoroughly. With growing amazement, she found herself reading the same
story her father (stepfather, she reminded herself) had told her as a
child.
When she put down the book a few minutes later, her expression
was thoughtful, and her mind far away. So that was why her father
had refused to tell her more…that's what he meant when he said that
what he had told her was "as much of Soujirou's story as you need to
know." Because if you knew the whole story, it taught a completely
different lesson.
Shishio had indeed been a great swordsman, as her father had
said. But what he hadn't told her was that Shishio was also a madman
bent on toppling the Meiji government and taking his revenge on those
who had tried to assassinate him, threatening the lives of thousands of
innocent people in the process. Tsubame thought of all the other
things her father had said to her, finally seeing the truth of the
story instead of the distorted half-truths she had been told:
"…Shishio taught Soujirou how to fight, and how to be strong."
No…not how to fight, but how to kill. And not how to be strong
but how to hide inner weakness, even from himself. In the end,
Soujirou had learned the difference.
"…he was always cheerful and smiling, and life was a game
for him."
So it had seemed to everyone. Even Soujirou himself believed
that his emotionlessness was real happiness. But the perpetual smile
actually concealed hurt and bitterness, stored up for years…the
frightened, angry child he thought he had left behind was only hiding
behind a mask of cheerfulness, as he had learned to do to avoid being
beaten.
But in the end, Soujirou had found escape and redemption…he had
turned away from the philosophy of "the strong live, the weak die"
just as Tsubame herself had. A supposed enemy's determination and
unexpected compassion had shown the young swordsman that there were
more important things than physical strength, and that he couldn't run
away from his emotions forever.
Hibari, Tsubame's own enemy-turned-savior, had shown Tsubame
the happiness that came from friendship, and from a family's love. The
things Hibari and her family had shown her were so simple…cheerful
photographs of special moments together; a dinner prepared with lots of
enthusiasm and very little talent, but appreciated nonetheless for the
love and effort that went into it. Tsubame had never before imagined
that such things even existed.
Tsubame shook her head in wonder, amazed at the parallels
between her life and that of her childhood role model. It seemed, to
her, the final confirmation that she had chosen the right path; and the
only way she could think of to properly acknowledge it was to share the
story with Hibari…and with the world. She picked up her pen, turned to
a fresh page of her notebook, and wrote a new title for her report:
"Seta Soujirou."
By Gabriela
~ Eight Years Later~
