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Act I
Gifts of the Young
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Chapter Three: Lonely Scythes
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Mission: Choose your life weapon
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As Rimiko and Sayako entered the dojo they were greeted by a grinning young man.
"So here is our little warrior Rimiko! Ready and eager to challenge any ninja, even one as advanced as Masaki. "Oh, how dare you dishonor me like that, Masaki! I'm going to threaten and challenge you despite the fact that I'm barely four feet tall!" What were you thinking?!"
"That's a terrible impression of me Atsutane! Be quite!" Rimiko shot back.
The young man shook his head sadly. "Oh, Rimiko, you are growing up into such a graceful and well-mannered young lady." He sniffled and pretended to wipe away a tear, then captured Rimiko into a tight headlock.
"Get off of me!" Rimiko shouted, punching Atsutane in the stomach.
"Well seeing as how you have so much extra energy I guess I'm just not training you hard enough, now am I Rimiko? How about I start doubling up your lessons? Or maybe we should stop feeding you so much, that might calm you down." he suggested thoughtfully.
"Are you saying I eat too much?!" Rimiko growled.
In one swift movement she jumped up and wrapped both her legs around Atsutane's neck. With a mighty pull she brought him crashing forward, pinning herself beneath him in the process. Two resounding smacks echoed throughout the room. Sayako watched all this with detached interest. She gave a polite cough which somehow got their attention.
"Yes?" they both said politely.
"If you don't mind, we had better hurry along with this lesson. We are going to be cut short today because of the ceremony." Sayako reminded them.
"Oh yeah!" Atsutane said, standing up and throwing Rimiko to the floor.
Their lesson was indeed short, and passed with Rimiko and Atsutane muttering insults the entire time. Sayako frowned as her muscles insisted she could have done more and was disappointed when Hinageshi came to retrieve them. Atsutane accompanied them to the hall where the ceremony was to be held, play fighting with Rimiko the entire way there.
Atsutane was the girls' personal trainer. He was nearing the age of adulthood but still had a youthful face with a very cheerful smile. Without their father, Atsutane had become very important to the girls.
Waiting for the trio in the hall was the same group who attended the meeting the previous day. Lord Godha sat proudly before a table filled with weapons. Ayame sat at his side with a serene look on her face. Sayako tried to calm her heart, convincing herself that her mother did not just give her a look that said "I already know".
Taro and Kiku sat on the other side with Hinageshi. Taro looked like he was about to jump up from his seat at any moment. Ceremonies such as these excited him to no end. Taro was passionate about fighting and had actually tried to convince Lord Godha to hold this ceremony sooner so he could join Atsutane in his private training of the girls. He fidgeted around in his seat with a look of pure excitement on his face. Kiku rolled her eyes, being embarrassed on behalf of her husband.
"Ah, my sweet girls, this day is long in coming." said Lord Godha happily as the trio knelt before him. "Indeed, we have all been looking forward to this ceremony." and here he gave a pointed look to Taro, who was now eyeing the table full of weapons greedily.
"So I do not feel it is necessary for this ceremony to drag on with needless speeches. Let us go straight to the choosing. Which of you would like to go first?"
Sayako and Rimiko exchanged a quick look. Not for the first time was Sayako thankful that she and Rimiko were twins. In mere glances the girls were able to convey desperate messages to one another.
You go first, Sayako's eyes pleaded.
Not a problem, Rimiko's small smile responded.
"I believe I shall go first, Lord Godha." said Rimiko calmly.
Rimiko stood and approached the table laden with weapons. Weapons of every type were there before her, some she had never even held before. With one long sweeping glance she took in the entire table, then reached down and grasped a long sword in a sapphire scabbard. She lifted it carefully and attached the scabbard to her back in the same manner that her father had done.
"Excellent, Rimiko! That is a fine choice!" Lord Godha said proudly.
But Rimiko was not yet finished. Once she had the sword to her back she reached down again and took a pair of twin blades. Carefully, she strapped these to the lower back of her waist, low enough so that they wouldn't hit the sword scabbard on her back.
"Rimiko, I do not understand..." said Lord Godha slowly.
Rimiko turned and smiled prettily at him. "This is my choice, Lord Godha! I am going to master both weapons!" she said happily.
"But Rimiko, that will be very difficult for you. Why do you not choose one and master that weapon fully?" Lord Godha questioned.
Rimiko shook her head. "No, I cannot do that, Lord Godha. I have been long in thinking about this matter, and I have realized that I will never be able to choose between my father's weapon or my mother's. And I know..." she said when she saw her mother about to protest, "that there was never any pressure for me to choose either one, but I do honestly feel that I am drawn to both weapons, so this is my choice, and my choice only." Rimiko said firmly.
Ayame's protests died on her lips. She looked proudly at her daughter. "As long as you have made this decision of your own free will and are made happy by it, than I am happy." she said.
"This is excellent!" Taro suddenly exclaimed. "We'll have to up your training hours, Rimiko, and you'll probably need more training from me instead of Atsutane, yes, this will require a lot of training!" Taro said, nearly jumping up and down. Kiku rolled her eyes.
"Oh fine, take Rimiko away from me. See if I care." Atsutane pouted.
Taro did not seem to hear this. "And you've fastened your weapons well! They do not interfere with one another in any way. I am very proud of the choice you have made, Rimiko! You're father would have been as well."
"That he would." Ayame agreed.
Rimiko beamed at the group and knelt back down by her sister. Satisfaction simply glowed about her. Errantly she would trace her hands over her new weapons to make sure they were secure.
"Well now, let us not forget about Sayako. I believe it is your turn now to choose your weapon." Lord Godha said.
Sayako nearly groaned. She wished the ceremony had ended just then, with everyone beaming with happiness at Rimiko who was properly honoring both her parents. Sayako sighed slightly, and only Rimiko noticed the slight hesitation in her sister's movements as Sayako approached the table. At the very bottom of the table lay what she desired; a pair of twin scythes. The scythes looked lonely and abandoned. Sayako gently traced her hand across their handles and picked them up, vowing that the bond between her and her weapons would be the strongest any ninja had ever seen, even if no one approved of her choice.
There was a long and heavy silence before Sayako said defiantly, "My choice of weapons are the twin scythes". There was a slight edge to her voice that dared the group to disapprove of her decision.
Ayame was the first to speak.
"That is a wonderful choice, Sayako. The twin scythes will serve you well."
And with that the ceremony ended, everyone seeming genuinely pleased about the choices both girls had made. Rimiko stayed in the main hall, discussing her new training schedule eagerly with Taro. Sayako however slipped out quickly, as if waiting for someone to change their mind and yell at her for her selfishness.
She ran all the way to the sakura garden, thankful to find that it was empty. She held out her new scythes and admired them. With graceful sweeping movements she used them to cut the night air. Slowly her movements evolved into a dance of lethal beauty as she allowed the scythes to move her instead of the other way around.
A shadow flitted across the surface of the lake.
Sayako somehow knew that Yasha had just departed, but remembering his promise, she continued on with her dance.
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End of Act I
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