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. 9 START

FIVE YEARS LATER

Kagemasa's blade plunged toward Kojiro's head, sunlight glinting off the polished wood of the sword. Kojiro raised his blade to meet the blow, catching the strike with his sword, a few inches above his head. He stepped forwards, using his sword's contact with his opponent's to force it down towards the ground as he started to make an attack of his own. Rather than risk himself in whatever Kojiro was planning, Kagemasa chose to disengage, pulling his blade backwards and hopping away. Fortunate for him, since had he chosen to try and respond with a bladelock or an attack, Kojiro would have used the opportunity to step into the man's guard, before pushing his sword into Kagemasa's neck. Such a move would have ended the duel immediately.

He was pulled from his musings by Kagemasa attacking him. First was a swing from the left, a cursory attack if there ever was one, forcing him to shift his blade ever so slightly to deal with it. Once his blade was out of position, Kagemasa reacted instantly, stepping forwards with a mighty, if textbook, slash straight down. Had he tried to use strength to block that, the awkward angle would cause his grip to loosen, allowing Seigen's younger brother to capitalize. He backstepped that one, much as Kagemasa had backstepped his own swing, only to be greeted by the tip of Kagemasa's blade darting for his chest. Rather than retreat, he jumped forward, using his own sword to protect himself from the attack. Unfortunately, due to the position he'd used to defend himself, with his blade pointing towards the ground, rather than use the sword to attack, Kojiro instead hammered at Kagemasa's throat with his hilt. Kagemasa leaned back out of range, before using the time gained to bring his sword to bear. Kojiro had to use his own sword to bat away an attack, instead of making a follow up on his own assault. The duel returned to a neutral position.

Kojiro moved to strike first, breaking the tension with a diagonal slash that aimed to cut across Kagemasa's torso left to right. Kagemasa used a similar attack, the two swords meeting with a thump. Kojiro forced a bladelock, even if it was disadvantageous, given Kagemasa's strength, hoping to buy some time. He shoved his blade forward fiercely, almost unbalancing Kagemasa until the man braced himself and pushed back with all of his might, intent on shoving Kojiro to the ground. The moment Kagemasa did so, Kojiro pulled himself to the side, and Kagemasa's own power sent him stumbling forward. Though Kagemasa managed to catch himself quickly, that was enough time for Kojiro to finish the duel, pivoting around the man and bringing his sword to Kagemasa's back. Rather than the thud of flesh on wood, the click of blades was his result. Somehow, Kagemasa had managed to block Kojiro's strike without looking. He made to strike again, but Seigen interrupted his next move.

In the silence of the early morning, Seigen's voice seemed to resonate exceptionally loudly. The old man spoke, a smile crossing his face, "Congratulations, Kojiro. It's your victory."

Kojiro's mind blanked, eyes going wide in disbelief, as adrenaline shot through his system at the thought of victory.

Kagemasa spoke up, his voice piercing Kojiro's confusion, saying, "This test was meant to see if you could handle an opponent on the skill level of a master samurai. A master samurai would not have been able to recover from that strike."

Kojiro let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding, and eloquently said, "Oh."

Kagemasa chuckled at Kojiro's stupefaction, saying affectionately, "You're still as tricky as ever, kid. Had I been a normal samurai and this a real duel, I'd be dead."

Kojiro smiled gratefully at the compliment, looking to Kagemasa, who he'd grown rather close to over the last five years.

Then, a thought crossed his mind and he asked in a tone of false mockery, "But you're not a normal samurai, are you? Yet I still managed to fool you? Perhaps you're getting old, Uncle!"

His uncle sputtered in annoyance, before waving a hand at Kojiro's face like he was trying to shoo a cat away.

His uncle groaned, saying, "Regardless of my age, good job, Kojiro. You've come far."

Kagemasa walked away, presumably to wipe his sweat off and he turned to Seigen, bowing low as he spoke.

"My thanks for the judgment, Grandfather."

Seigen snorted, looking at Kojiro with a raised eyebrow before speaking, "There you are again, with that humility of yours."

Despite the words, the old man's eyes told Kojiro all he needed to know. Those eyes were proud of him, and gleamed with an unspoken joy.

Kojiro's grandfather patted Kojiro on the shoulder as he spoke, "You've now proven yourself the superior of an average master swordsman in terms of skill, despite your still growing strength. Your graduation trail has come to a close. You are successful."

Of course, it should have been quite obvious that Seigen wasn't really claiming Kojiro to be Kagemasa's equal in skill. Kagemasa was by no means an 'average master swordsman,' given the fact that he'd gained the ability to use Embodiment. In modern terms, Kagemasa had been sandbagging to give Kojiro a chance to prove himself. The older man had limited himself to an average level of skill and by forcing Kagemasa to go beyond that, Kojiro had proven himself. Basically, Kagemasa had been pretending to be an ordinary, if skilled, samurai. Since Kojiri had proven himself superior at that level of skill, Seigen was content to announce Kojiro's graduation from samurai apprentice into a full-fledged samurai. The promotion made him the first actual samurai of his generation, despite him being ten years younger than the next youngest.

Speaking of the rest of his generation, he went to visit their training fairly often on Seigen's advice, but after sparring as often as he had with Kagemasa and Seigen himself, who were just far better fighters than he was, his senior brothers had simply been far too slow. Sure, plenty of them had enough upper body strength, enough to break his arms with a twist of their own, but they'd have to touch him first. None of them had managed, Kojiro simply sidestepping and dodging every swing and attack until he could land a duel-ending blow. Eventually, after he'd defeated each of his generation in a one on one duel, he'd moved onto two versus one. When he bested every duo in the dojo, he moved onto three versus one. It was excellent practice in perception and awareness, not to mention the dexterity he gained from trying to fend off three opponents at once. He turned that into a practice too, making sure to have consecutive duels to build up his stamina. He'd grown from that practice, and the many others before it. He was much taller now, stronger too. His growth spurt had been so significant that his at-the-time odachi-sized kodachi had become an actual kodachi. He hadn't gotten it replaced, simply keeping the blade on him as a treasured memento and using the Dojo's practice swords whenever he fought.

Seigen's voice drew him from his thoughts of training and back into the real world. The old man spoke, saying, "Kneel, Kojiro, so I can finish with the ceremony."

Kojiro's knees hit the ground within a second and Seigen put a hand on his shoulder, before the man began to speak.

Seigen intoned his words, saying, "Sasaki Kojiro, my apprentice! I, Toda Seigen, founder of the Toda Dojo, declare your samurai training to have been completed. You have attained mastery in the art of the blade, bow, and horse. You have attained mastery of the language of the land, demonstrated the ability to write proficiently, and have proven your skill in mathematics. You are a fully-fledged samurai now. I grant you my own surname of Toda and the name Seiji, meaning 'clear heart,' in the hopes that you may live your life with a clear conscience. I command you thus. live as you will, with your heart to guide you from wrong and lead you to right. Rise, Toda Seiji, and be proud."

Kojiro rose, and once he straightened, lowered his head in a bow to convey his gratitude. He spoke up hesitantly, saying, "Ah, Grandfather. I really don't mind my new name, but I truly prefer my current one. You gave it to me when I was but a child and I have grown to cherish it. May I keep it?"

Seigen looked like he was about to reject the idea outright, before Kojiro finished his explanation. The old man sighed and an indulgent smile crossed his face before the man spoke, "That's fine, Kojiro. Toda Seiji will be your honorary name. Just remember to announce yourself as Toda Seiji when you duel someone, okay?"

Kojiro nodded gratefully. He'd feel terrible about rejecting his new given name out right, given that the name obviously meant something to Seigen. He looked almost melancholic as he announced Kojiro's new name, and Kojiro was determined to figure out why.

From the corner of his eye, he noticed Kagemasa returning to the room, a sheathed blade grasped tightly in his hands. Evidently, Seigen noticed his glance and turned to greet his brother. With a nod, Kagemasa handed the blade off to his elder brother and stepped back.

The old man turned, looked over the sheathed blade with a careful eye, before holding it out to Kojiro.

"Here," Seigen said nonchalantly, "this was commissioned for you. Name it what you will."

Kojiro knew by Kagemasa's wince that the blade had likely been an expensive commission, and as he unsheathed it, Kojiro understood why. The blade left its sheath with nary a whisper, and the very moment Kojiro bore witness to it, he was amazed. The blade had been hand forged by a master smith, the waves within the steel telling Kojiro how much work had gone into it. Not only was the blade beautifully forged, the rest of the sword was just as well-crafted. The tsuba, the handguard, held a delicate flower pattern and the handle was carved from wood, painted black and in-laid with gold filament. The sheath itself bore the same decoration as the handle, except it was far more decorated, with flowers and dragons made from golden in-lay dancing about the sheath. The sword itself was an odachi, roughly five feet long. Immediately, a name sprung to mind.

"Monohoshizao…?" Kojiro whispered, before shaking his head.

The name was a good enough descriptor, but it was just that, a descriptor, not a name. At the very best, it was a nickname. For now though, it would have to do.

Seigen laughed at Kojiro's failed effort, saying, "Naming your sword can take quite a bit of time. Don't force it. This blade will be your closest companion from now on."

He tapped his own sword, saying, "My own blade is name 敵討ちの剣, Sword of Vengeance. I named it when I was young, after having it forged by a blacksmith to avenge my family. To this day, it reminds me of the things that I have done and why I did them."

The Seigen made to turn away and excuse himself, but Kojiro called out to the old man before he left.

He asked tentatively, "Grandfather, if I do not overstep, may I ask why I was given the name Toda Seiji? You seemed sad when you gave it to me. I'm willing to have it changed if it truly bothers you."

Kagemasa winced, tensed, and froze all at the same time, while Seigen seemed to shrink in upon himself.

The old man frowned sadly, shaking his head before speaking, "I…! Alright, Kojiro. I suppose that's a fair question. I named you Seiji, after my son. Given that I raised him alone after my wife died in childbirth. I was lucky that at least one of them survived. His name meant 'star child,' for I had high hopes for him. He was to succeed me as heir to the clan, but a battle with Oda Nobunaga's armies saw that dream come to an end. He was only five years older than the rest of your generation when he died."

Seigen took a deep shuddering breath before he continued, saying, "His son was yet unborn when he died, and I saw it fit to name him after his father, another Toda Seiji, meaning "rising star," hoping that he would have a brighter future. He too, died in the Asakura's war. I cut off relations there, refusing to lose another member of my clan. Kojiro, I named you Toda Seiji not from some misbegotten attempt to reclaim what I've lost, but to remind myself. Your name means 'clean heart.' Since the stars do not appear to favor me at all, I have chosen to disregard them. Kojiro, do not let something as obscure as fate guide you, live according to your own desire, as I should have long ago."

Seigen turned to leave, and Kagemasa chased after him. As the old man walked away, for the first time in Kojiro's life, Segien moved like a man his actual age, at a slow and plodding pace, with a hunched back and tired movements. Though Kojiro knew that Seigen was perfectly healthy, a pit formed in his stomach in spite of the fact, one he tried to ignore.