Turning Swallow

Summary:

OR, One morning, four-year-old Sasaki Kojiro remembers a life not yet lived, and decides to do something about it. History changes. SI!Sasaki Kojiro. Expect general lightheartedness, but dark topics when the time comes.

CH. 3 START

Kojiro's little hut wasn't actually all that far off from the ground of the Toda Dojo, being on the edge of what could properly be considered Dojo territory. That was an important distinction, for by order of Toda Seigen, none but those belonging to the Toda Dojo were allowed to enter said territory. That meant that all game and herbs within the bounds of a rather large stretch were reserved for those of the Dojo itself, rather than Ichijodani Castle Town. To do so would be considered theft, and that tended to carry the burden of heavy punishment. So though the hut 'wasn't all that far off,' it was still a quarter hour's stroll through densely packed forest upon an unpaved road. Even though the Toda Dojo's territory was fairly large, it was small in comparison to the size of Ichijodani Castle Town proper. The town was home to roughly ten thousand people, a sign of Echizen's prosperity and the economic skill of Toda Seigen. Even still, compared to the rest of the Echizen province, Ichidojani was tiny. Compared to the rest of Japan, Echizen amounted to a small hill. And Japan, compared with the rest of the world, may as well have been a backwater. There was a world out there, just waiting to be explored, China and Europe, and even the Americas and Africa beyond them. The world was still new, yet unspoiled by the hands of man. Kojiro wanted to be the first samurai to experience it, to leave this little place and make his mark upon the world. But to do that, he needed the ability to at least defend himself. The Toda Dojo, then, was his port of call.

The Toda Dojo was striking, when one approached it from the front. The tall walls and wide open doors of the Dojo's gate made for an imposing image. From afar, you could make out the dojo part of the Toda Dojo, rising above all the other buildings, perhaps thirty feet in height. Within the bounds of the Toda Dojo walls was more than a single impressive building, rather, to an outsider, the place was a maze of complex buildings and structures, neatly interconnected by paths of paved stone and gravel. If one turned onto the leftmost path, you'd find yourself in a vast and gorgeous zen garden, filled with various bonsai trees and artfully placed stones. Turning right brought you into the living area of the Dojo, where the kitchens and barracks for the Dojo's students were placed. The center most path, paved with smooth stone, was perhaps a hundred feet long, and was wonderfully decorated with an array of flowering trees and neatly-trimmed shrubs. All of that ostentation led to the dojo itself. The building took on the form, if not function, of a luxurious minka building, for while the roof was in the traditional style, the interior of the room was open to the air. The walls were less protection from the environment and more support pillars. As he passed through the gates of the Toda Dojo, guarded by a group of four of the Dojo's students, all of which greeted him merrily, he let out a breath of relief. With his new frame of mind, the imposing stature of the buildings actually had meaning, showcasing the wealth and power of Toda Seigen, the very man he was here to meet.

He made his way towards the building silently, until he heard the fierce clashing of wooden blades, despite being a small distance away from the building. He slowed his approach, making sure his footsteps were just loud enough to be heard over the sounds of clashing blades. It wasn't entirely necessary, mind, but samurai, even those in-training, tended to be jumpy folk. The 'stab first, apologize later' type. For a samurai, people who were expected to be warriors, it was a good instinct. It was one he'd been on the wrong end of, when he was younger. Thinking it fun to try and surprise one of his older martial brothers, an address that was supposed to enkindle comradery, he'd taken a wooden blade across the stomach before he could react. He'd learned his lesson the first time, thank you very much, and the man had even apologized for his violent reaction. Truly, Toda Seigen was a clever fellow and the way he managed to foster such a brotherhood between his students, by turning a competition into an effort of teamwork, was genius. It made the Dojo's atmosphere surprisingly jovial, despite it being a martial and military institution. Considering his previous behavior, that general laziness and disdain for hard work, he had been surprised to be so welcomed. He'd even been waved down by the four at the gate and been offered advice.

Though that fact was nice, it mattered less and less as he arrived at the stairs up to the dojo. HIs footsteps had announced his arrival so he simply took to the flight of stairs without pause, striding up them with confidence. When he arrived at the threshold of the dojo, he bowed deeply to the room, for doing so showed respect to not only the people currently in the room, currently consisting of Toda Seigen and his immediate family, but also the Dojo as an institute. If he was to be a samurai, he'd be a cultured one. What good was it if he got into the history books, only to be portrayed as one common thug or another? There were already enough samurai like that, he needed something to differentiate himself. The first thing that came to mind was the gentle confidence that Toda Seigen possessed. Honestly, it was difficult to think about anyone else, given how large of an influence the man had on his life. Not to mention that he'd seen Seigen move. The man moved like he expected to be made way for, and sure enough, the people parted for him.

He tried to imitate that posture, straightening his shoulders and letting out a breath to relax himself. The end result was that his back was straight and his shoulders were held high, even as his head looked directly on. Funnily enough, he truly did feel more confident. It was another thing that his previous self had lacked. He had walked with surety, but that surety stemmed simply from not understanding enough of the world. He'd walked into the Dojo like he owned it, without a care for status. Kojiro supposed that he simply hadn't felt like part of the Toda Dojo enough to honor it as such. This was despite the fact that everytime he came to clean, which was only once a week as the rest of the week were for lessons, the practice of the students always happened outside, allowing Kojiro full view of how people older and stronger than him trained and fought. Not that he'd appreciated such thoughtfulness before. Ignorance was bliss, and though that careless attitude was perfectly fine most of the time, some things, some people, deserved respect. Like the person who had housed, fed, and taught him, free of any actual charge.

He stepped inside the dojo fully, slipping off his sandals and setting them aside. The clashing of blades continued all the while, and when his eyes finally adjusted to the relative darkness of the Dojo's main room, he made out the two combatants who were locked in ferocious battle. The first was Toda Seigen's nephew, a young man of roughly fifteen years, musclebound and tall, named Toda Kagekatsu. The vigor of youth had evidently blessed Kagekatsu, for despite his muscles seeming to have muscles, he moved quickly. The second was Toda Seigen's younger brother of two decades, an older man named Toda Kagemasa, father to Kagekatsu. The damages of time were evident enough on the older man, if one cared enough to look. The man's muscles weren't as big as his son's and his face was full of age lines. In spite of the two's difference in physique, Kagemasa was by no means frail, and though his son was young, he still managed to overpower him. Such as now, when Kagemasa finished his own array of blows with a step forwards and a harsh downward slash. He could hear the wind break, and even as Kagekatsu brought up his own blade to defend himself, the strength behind the blow sent the Kagekatsu's blade from his limb hands, and sent Kagekatsu himself stumbling backwards. The younger man quickly scrambled for his blade, and when he snatched it from the ground, he turned, stance braced for another of his father's attacks. Once he saw no such blow coming, Kagekatsu stepped forward, ready to engage his father in battle once again, before another's voice broke the tension.

"Kojiro," the voice said out over the fight, "come! Sit by me."

The voice in and of itself wasn't particularly loud, nor were those words spoken with any real force. Despite these facts though, the voice still demanded attention, and immediately, the father and son duo straightened themselves and turned to Seigen. The old master carried himself with the poise of a man who expected to be obeyed without question and it was obvious why. The man was not only a samurai, but a high-ranking one, and most importantly, an old one. He'd probably been used to leading armies into battle far decades before Kojiro was a glimmer in the eyes of his absent parents, and thus, his voice was one that carried. Kojiro's eyes shot to the man's figure, some forty feet away on a small platform positioned above the room's floor. Unconsciously, he straightened, and called back in affirmation.

"Hai, Seigen-dono!"

He took the time to bow at the pair in the Dojo's center, just low enough to show the appropriate respect, before hurrying around the combat area towards Seigen. They returned a bow, slightly higher than his, to show their acknowledgement, even if their faces showed how confused they were at the strange, for him, show of respect. He arrived at the raised podium and bowed low to the man, a gesture the old master returned with a nod.

"Ohayo, Seigen-dono," Kojiro said, "good morning."

He greeted the man with the respect Seigen deserved, even making sure to use the formal version of the greeting, even if it chafed at him somewhat. It had occurred to him that he'd never actually thanked the man for taking him in, and until he did so properly, he'd treat the old man with the respect that kindness was due in return. At the greeting, Seigen looked at him with an odd glimmer in his eyes that Kojiro couldn't quite place, before chuckling lightly.

"Good morning to you as well, Kojiro," Seigen stated, patting the cushion next to him as he did so, "come, sit with me."

Before Seigen returned his eyes to the dojo's center, he made one more comment, speaking in such an idly tone that had Kojiro been looking away or not known better, he would have assumed Seigen's disinterest, and saud, "I see you've brought your blade today."

Kojiro nodded, simply replying, "Yes, I have."

Seigen turned away then, humming quietly to himself, and deciding he was done with making conversation for now, called out to the two combatants, yelling, "Hajime, begin!"

The two turned from staring at Kojiro's interaction with the old man and on some mutual, unknown signal, sprung back into motion. Kagekatsu took the first move, rushing forward, blade ready to deliver a flurry of blows. The first move came out as a testing strike, made almost casually by Kagekatsu. It was quickly deflected by his father, before Kagekatsu seemed to blur into motion. The son took an aggressive step forwards before swinging. Kojiro heard more than saw the next moves. As far as he could tell, the first attack was a swing from the right, just below the range of vision if you were staring at your opponent's face. This one was deflected with a deft twist of Kagemasa's wrist, sending his son's blade flying back. Kagekatsu was undaunted though, and slashed again, this time from the left. This attack was parried without difficulty, with Kagemasa almost casually raising his blade to deflect the attack. The final blow was a forward thrust, biting forwards with stunning speed. Kagemasa caught this one too, but instead of throwing his son's blade to the side, he somehow pulled it in, sending his son into a forward stumble. With his blow intercepted and its' force turned back upon him, Kagekatsu had no options left. The three exchanges had happened in what felt like a fraction of a second, Kojiro only reconstructing what had happened from the blurs of brown that he could remember. In reality, Kojiro only saw the result of the exchange, and as Kagekatsu tried to scramble back, his father moved to finish the fight. For a terrifying moment, Kagemasa resembled not a man, but a tiger in human skin, his visage so fierce and his bloodlust so palpable that Kojiro could feel it. Evidently, Kagekatsu could too, judging from the expression on his face. The blade was brought down swiftly, and Kojiro watched helplessly as the tiger extended its jaw to sink its fangs into the skull of its prey, before abruptly, the blade came to a screeching halt mere inches away from Kagekatsu's skull. The bloodlust and fiery glare vanished like the wind, stowed away like Kagemasa's sword into its own sheath. Kagemasa took a calming breath, before speaking.

From across the room, Kagemasa's voice drifted and Kojiro listened in on the conversation.

With a low growl in his voice, Kagemasa spoke, saying, "The duel is finished. Had I truly been a foe, you would have died there."

His son winced, opening his mouth before closing it, upon finding he had no argument. Kagemasa continued, "Despite this, you have improved noticeably. Had I been one of your peers, your ending flurry would have finished me. Congratulations."

Kagemasa turned to his older brother, an eyebrow raised in question, and spoke, asking, "Was there anything else, brother Seigen?"

Seigen shook his head, smiling softly, before speaking, "I have nothing to say about your teachings. You have trained your son well, Kagemasa. He outpaces even you, at that age. I should congratulate you on your own achievements, now that you've finally taken the next step."

Kagemasa grinned, taking the high praise for what it was. Obviously, there were things that a swordmaster could comment on, but Seigen had more tact than that. Likely, he was speaking to give Kagekatsu some form of accomplishment. Doubtless, his father would beat it out of him soon. Personally, Kojiro even expected that the younger brother might meet with his elder brother to get advice on how to improve further.

Kagemasa grinned and grabbed his son by the shoulder, saying "Let's grab a bite to eat, kid."

It must've been obvious to the other man that his elder brother wanted to speak privately with his wayward charge.

Once the father and son pair had cleared out of the Dojo, Seigen turned to Kojiro and asked a single question.

"You have changed, Kojiro," Seigin observed, "what has happened to you?"