Chapter 1
Lucas took a deep breath and looked out the window. They were now flying high over the Pacific Ocean. Was this life changing decision a mistake? He was finally following his dream. Since he first began to learn about the samurai of Feudal Japan at age 12, he was completely fascinated. He began looking up every book he could possibly find on the samurai, their swords and Bushido. Since he couldn't possibly travel back in time, his dream was to devote his life to training in the ways of the sword and Bushido. He was not even sure if there was a place that he could do such training. So he began writing letters and making phone calls. Sure enough, he discovered that there was a place in Japan still teaching the art of swordsmanship the way that it was taught centuries ago.
Three months after his eighteenth birthday he found himself on an airplane headed for Japan. It took dozens of letters and quite a bit of convincing, but the master in charge of the school finally agreed to let Lucas into the school to train. He left behind everything he ever knew; this was going to be his new life. He only brought three things with him: the clothes on his back, The Holy Bible and all of The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan. Aside from books on the samurai, The Wheel of Time was his life. He was almost as obsessed with the series of books as he was with learning the sword and just couldn't bring himself to leave them behind. He opened Winter's Heart and continued reading.
Hours after the plane landed, Lucas found himself walking on a gravel road. After getting off the plane, he used the last of his money to take a cab to the edge of town and decided to walk the rest of the way. He shifted the backpack containing the books that were now his only property. He never realized before how heavy books were. The road had long since stopped being paved and was now gravel. The road crunched underfoot with each step. How much further?
A bird sang in a tree to Lucas' right. He looked up but the bird was well hidden in the top of the tree. He had heard that Japan was a beautiful place but he was stunned by the beauty of these hills. Although he had been walking for a good three hours he did not realize it being so caught up in the scenery and thinking about what awaited him. Was he making a mistake? Would he even be a decent swordsman? Well, there was only one way to find out. He continued to walk and imagined the swords he might have one day: one with a leather wrapped handle, perhaps one with a pure gold tsuka, maybe one with a heron on the blade like Rand Al'Thor had in The Wheel of Time; but of course every sword he imagined was hand folded. He shook himself out of his dream. Fool. He thought to himself. It doesn't matter what the sword looks like, all that matters is how the swordsman wields it.
Suddenly, he saw it. How much longer had he walked? What time was it? He didn't know since he didn't have a watch but the sun was low in the sky not quite touching the horizon. The place he was going was an old montesary. One could even say that it was still being used as a montesary. The grounds had been abandoned around World War I. It stayed empty and untouched until about thirty years ago when Master Fuju moved in, restored it and turned it into a place for those who wished to learn the ways of bushido the way it had been taught for centuries. The idea was for the Japanese people to get in touch with the way their ancestors lived and he only accepted students who were Japanese. Lucas was the first exception. It had not been easy but he had convinced Master Fuju that he truly respected the tradition of bushido and was serious about learning.
Lucas had dreamed about this day since he received the letter in which Master Fuju agreed to allow him to come and train. He walked up to the big red door. What now? There was no door knob or knocker. What about a doorbell? He looked to both sides of the door and sure enough, on the right side of the door hung a gong. The gong was made out of brass and about a meter in diameter. It made sense, it was a big place, and a gong allowed someone at the door to be heard. Lucas picked up the mallet that hung next to the gong and struck it. The gong sounded echoing off of the hills. He returned the mallet to where it had hung and sat down.
After a while, he figured it was about ten minutes, he heard sounds on the other side of the door like a bolt being undone and quickly stood up. The door opened with a great groan. On the other side stood a man dressed in a brown hakama and tan gi; both were well worn. Behind the man was a courtyard which Lucas figured was used for training and practice. When he spoke he spoke in Japanese. Luckily Lucas had tried to study the Japanese language for as long as he had studied the samurai. While he was not completely fluent, he was proficient enough to communicate.
"You must be Lucas-san."
"Yes."
"I am Kenju, sensei's top student. He has been expecting you. Please follow me."
Once Lucas had entered, Kenju closed the door and secured the bolt. He then turned and began walking along the covered corridor that skirted around the courtyard. They walked past a number of rooms but all of the doors were closed so Lucas could not see what was going on inside. He did not see anyone so he figured they were all in lessons or something. He then changed that opinion when he smelled the delightful odor of food cooking and decided it was probably meal time. They came to the entrance of an interior hallway and Kenju signaled Lucas to remove his shoes. Once they were off they continued down the corridor making a number of turns. Suddenly Kenju stopped and slid open a door, signaling Lucas to enter. Once he was inside the door shut behind Lucas.
The room had traditional paper walls just like the other rooms Lucas had walked by. The far wall was adorned with beautiful hangings; some with dragons or tigers and others with writing which Lucas did not know how to read. Also on the other end of the room was a raised platform, on which a man with a shaved head sat. This could be no other than Master Fuju. Lucas walked to the center of the room, slid off his backpack and dropped to his knees lowering his eyes. Master Fuju also spoke to him in Japanese. It was clear that they would not make any changes for him, and Lucas was glad, it was exactly what he wanted.
"Lucas-san; I've been waiting for you. So you want to learn the way of bushido."
"Yes."
"If you are to be my student, you will address me as Sensei, just like all the other students." He snapped.
"Yes Sensei."
"Good. I want you to understand that you will get no special treatment. I will expect the same from you as I do with any of my other students. Do you understand this?"
"Yes Sensei."
"You must also understand that the training will not be easy. It will take much time and it will be rigorous work. You will train constantly if you wish to master the use of the sword. If you are not sufficient in your chores and training, you will be beaten. Do you understand this?"
"Yes Sensei."
"And you still wish to train?"
"Yes Sensei."
"Very well then. I understand that you are Christian. Is this true?"
"Yes Sensei."
"We have a few other Christians here as well. You will not be prohibited from practicing your religion. However, as part of your training, you will be taught about the ways of Zen including meditation to focus your mind."
Perfect. Lucas thought to himself.
"Kenju-san will show you to your room. You will begin training tomorrow with the beginners. Many are children, the youngest is seven. I hope you can keep up." Master Fuju laughed. "You will also wear the proper garb which will be in your room. You may leave now."
Lucas stood up and bowed. Grabbing his bag he walked to the door and slid it open. Kenju was kneeling in the hall waiting. When he saw Lucas he stood up. After Lucas slid the door shut he said "This way Lucas-san." Lucas followed him down the hall once more. After several more turns Kenju stopped. "Here we are Lucas-san. I will see you in the morning. Be to your first lesson at six." With that, Kenju turned and disappeared down the hall.
Lucas slid open the door to his room and stepped inside. The room was plain with no decorations. One simple, wooden cabinet sat along one wall where he could put a few belongings on top of which, sat a lamp. In the corner were a bed roll and some folded clothes. Of course the clothes included a hakama and gi, which was exactly what he expected. He opened the cabinet and inside he stacked his wheel of time books and Bible: the only belongings he had left.
By the time he had finished his talk with Sensei the sun had set and it was dark. He unrolled his bedroll and prepared for bed. After he took off the clothes he wore on his trip he placed them in the cabinet as well where they would sit untouched for a very long time. He put out the lamp and climbed into his bedroll. Tomorrow it all began. Only Lucas had no idea how big of a beginning it was.