Disclaimer: I don't own SC2 or its characters....or do I?....No....or do
I?....No.
A special thanks to jadephoenix for accidentally teaching me some Japanese.
CHAPTER 3 – A FARMER'S SON
"I had a dream, which was not all a dream. The bright sun was extinguished, and the stars did wander darkling in the eternal space, rayless, and pathless, and the icy earth swung blind and blackening in the moonless air;" -Darkness, Lord George Byron
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The farmlands of Bizen had never been calm. Perhaps once and every so often in the dainty crevices that lingered in between frequent warring and raiding. Heishiro could not remember a time without war, a time without fire on the land. He was content to farm the land and keep it as his father wished, but he no longer saw any use in trying to rebuild after the raiders passed and destroyed each new crop where it stood.
Now the first snows of the season had fallen, coating the fields that lay before Heishiro in a calming white hue. It made the boy, only recently turned fourteen, more tranquil and sedated his fiery thoughts. He closed his eyes, looking out from beneath the eyelids upon his homeland.
"Heishiro, come. You have not eaten in too long. Do not linger."
Heishiro sighed deeply and turned, dragging his feet through the snow. Do not let your brothers devour all the food before you've had your fill." Heishiro's father almost forced the laugh as he walked towards his teenage son, "Why do you hang your head, Hei-chan? Does something trouble you?"
"No..." replied the boy, raising his head to look upon the smiling face of his only remaining parent, "It is nothing. I just do not like winter. The cold is bad for our fields. I yearn for spring and my spirits will return when it has come, otoo-san."
"Good. I am glad that you finally show some concern for the farm. Soon you will be just as adept at farming as your old man and I do not doubt you will surpass him." He grinned from ear to ear, but Heishiro knew that his comforting warmth was only a façade. Life for him, his father, and family was degenerating as the raids continued.
"I don't want to surpass you, otoo-san. I will merely assist, I will not replace you."
Heishiro's father put a firm but tender hand on his son's shoulder, his eyes twinkling in a strangely melancholy but proud way, he looked at his son, his smile slowly fading, "Hei, you must someday. You may not be the oldest of my children, but I prize you as much as I do your brothers. You must all learn the ways of life in this time of civil war...Since your mother passed, we all had to continue...The same must happen when...when..."
Even though he might not have continued anyway, his voice fading, Heishiro's father was interrupted by a set of raucous yells that echoed off the sky's very walls. He turned swiftly, looking across the untouched whiteness of his fields.
"Raiders, Hei-chan," he whispered out of the corner of his mouth, "Get to the house, hurry!"
Heishiro didn't move. His face slated as he looked out, almost immobilized, at the silhouettes plastered against a grey horizon. They were taller than men, so they must have been on horseback. Heishiro could clearly see their weapon shadows cast on the snow as they galloped wildly back and forth, randomly hacking at the air and the few remaining crops that stood. The horsemen came slowly into full view, weaving around each other in a disorganized clump like a band of bellowing brigands.
"Come." Murmured Heishiro's father again, clamping his usually gentle hand onto his son's arm and pulling him backward, "They cannot do that much damage. They have no need of us, so they will leave us alone if we do not trouble them."
He pulled his son reluctantly backward, half dragging him as the slush grew deep and harder to extract one's limbs from. The two of them stumbled awkwardly towards the small house Heishiro lived in as the mounted raiders scattered about the fields, chopping down whatever they could with their crude blades, mostly farming implements altered to look more imposing.
"Otoo-san, we cannot let them do this any longer!" cried Heishiro, breaking free of his father's grasp and staggering forward into the knee deep, ice cold water formed one of the many puddles that pockmarked Bizen now, "We cannot just move out of the way when they come and allow them to have their way with our land!"
He pushed himself up from the water and clamored onto the colder snow coat of the ground. He snatched the hoe that he had dropped before and clutched it firmly in both hands as he sprinted towards the marauding raiders. He did not hear his father's frantic cries as he shot towards his family's foes.
"You!" he cried, "Get off of my father's property now!"
One of the horses wheeled around suddenly, swerving nimbly on its hooves. Heishiro stopped in his tracks and narrowly avoided falling backwards as he found the horses wet muzzle less than a foot from his face. The beast snorted indignantly as the rider looked down on Heishiro, grinning stupidly as he assessed the teenager.
"Your father's property, eh? I did not think peasants owned anything around here. This property belongs to those who are strong enough to claim it and I have formed the opinion that I am much stronger than you, little whelp."
The other steeds maneuvered about, the primitive looking folk on top of them looking with perverse glee as their leader brought his horse forward slightly. Heishiro pulled the hoe in front of him, holding it like a naginata, and narrowed his eyes at the man. He had to step back as the steed cantered forward, edging him closer and closer to another large depression filled with melting snow and mud.
"That is your opinion. You may be stronger in body, but I have the stronger will. Any man who seeks to gain from the loss of others is weak!"
The horse almost bounced forward, flicking Heishiro backward like a fly. The boy was sent sprawling into the slush, the hoe in his hand clattering onto the frozen layer of ice. Heishiro scrambled up and tried to jump forward and grab the makeshift weapon, but the horse cut him off sharply and he fell again as it blocked his path suddenly.
"Insolent runt!" roared the marauder, "I'll make sure that you never open that drivel-spouting mouth of yours again!"
Heishiro clearly saw the man drive his heels harshly into the miserable steed's haunches. The beast swung sideways from the impact, now facing Heishiro, was was on the ground groping for something to use as a weapon. He found nothing and turned again to see the horse backing up and picking up momentum for a charge. The marauder atop that animal raised his own menacing looking weapon and grinned evilly, a sinister glint in his eye.
A thousand thoughts coursed through young Heishiro. He was such a fool. He had wasted his life because of his damned stubbornness and pride. He braced himself for the impact that he knew was coming. His eyes shut firmly as the horse ploughed forward and...
He heard a slicing sound over his head and indeterminable noises that were probably horse hooves on either side of him. A moment later, he distinctly heard a loud thump to his left. The boy's eyes sealed fully, still expecting a swift blow...none came.
Slowly, his eyes drifted open and his head turned towards the sound of the thump.
Beside him lay the body of the marauder with half of an arrow protruding from his unarmored chest. His warm blood seeped out onto the whiteness around Heishiro as he stood up hurriedly, backing away from the limp heap of lifelessness that had been a living man less than a minute ago. He had seen death before, but the sudden jolt of seeing that face, devoid of all color except the crimson that was gurgling from its lips, had knocked a forceful sense into him.
The man's horse was braying madly and circled behind Heishiro, taking off immediately for the other end of the field, followed closely by the remaining bewildered brigands. The 14-year-old turned again to see another steed halt expertly beside him, pawing the snowy ground beneath it impatiently.
Atop the new animal sat a man who could've been mistaken for a brigand, but obviously wasn't. He had a stern face and gait, but a more noble air about him as he lowered his longbow. He looked down with sharp, keen eyes at young Heishiro and goaded his horse forward.
"You're awfully young to be trying to fight off mounted raiders." He said calmly, a pleasant and nonchalant demeanor very visible in his gruff voice.
"Young or not, I must still defend my family's land." Replied Heishiro, almost meekly. He had a defiant nature towards most people who patronized him, but this man had just saved his life and deserved better than that. He bowed his head slightly as he saw his father rush up to him and the rider with the bow.
"Many thanks, my friend." said his father, also bowing, "You have saved the life of my son and my land. I do not know what I can possibly do to repay you..."
"It's Ieyoshi, sir, of the Urakami Clan, that is what I am called. You need not repay me. I did not slay that wastrel because he attempted to dispatch your son, I slew him because, like all of his kind, he is blemish to this nation as does not deserved life or the luxury he receives from it. I accept your thanks, but no more than that."
"We can offer you something. Some food, drink, rest, anything you need that we can procure is yours."
"No, sir. I need none of that. The Urakami Clan provides for me well enough and my duty is done here. Those brigands will not trouble Bizen again and that is all I care about."
Heishiro's father nodded contemplatively but Heishiro stepped forward suddenly and took the horse's rein, which severely alarmed the horse and seemed to annoy the rider. It was a bold gesture, which Heishiro had put no thought into, but an ingenious idea had formed in his mind.
"Kind sir, though you do not wish it, I will repay you in what way I can."
Both Ieyoshi and Heishiro's father looked at him for a moment. Heishiro's father looked both puzzled and appalled, while Ieyoshi looked puzzled and intrigued.
"You are a member of the Urakami Clan, correct?" said Heishiro boldly. He barely gave time for the rider to nod glumly before he continued, "Take me, then, as a disciple of your clan, to train beneath you and serve your lord. It is the least I could do."
"Hei-chan, you do not know what you're saying!" exclaimed his father, pulling him back from the horse. Heishiro looked at him swiftly and spoke quickly in a whisper, "Otoo-san, this is my chance. I can learn the way of the warrior and defend our home from those who would do it harm. I will repay my savior and learn an invaluable skill. Also, he said that the Clan of which he is a member provides for him. If they adopt me, you will no longer have to make food or room for me in your household. It is the best way."
His eyes sparkled with a stern eagerness. Heishiro's father saw this, his own face souring as he looked at his youngest child. The rider beside them pulled his horse around and it lumbered over to the boy and his father. Ieyoshi of the Urakami Clan looked down on the teenager, his eyes prying into the child as if trying to unlock him like a door. He leaned down slowly, eying Heishiro, and then promptly pulled himself back up.
"The Urakami Clan accepts your service. What's your name, boy?"
"Heishiro, sir." replied Heishiro, drawing himself up and puffing out his small chest to look as imposing as a teenager of his age could look. Ieyoshi grinned for the first time and drew the horse sideways so that its flank was facing Heishiro.
"Mount, Heishiro-chan. There is a long journey ahead of you."
Suddenly, the boy realized what had happened. It seemed to him that the last day had been but a dream which was now focusing into reality. He'd just signed his life away to man he hardly knew and a clan that might be filled with boorish heathens...But it was too late to turn back now. Everything had gone by so quickly, so swiftly and without warning. He barely knew what was going on.
Despite the protesting cries of his mind, Heishiro swung himself up onto the horse behind Ieyoshi just as the animal dashed forward. He looked back as the world slowly began to stop spinning around him and saw his father and the white fields around him disappear.
A special thanks to jadephoenix for accidentally teaching me some Japanese.
CHAPTER 3 – A FARMER'S SON
"I had a dream, which was not all a dream. The bright sun was extinguished, and the stars did wander darkling in the eternal space, rayless, and pathless, and the icy earth swung blind and blackening in the moonless air;" -Darkness, Lord George Byron
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The farmlands of Bizen had never been calm. Perhaps once and every so often in the dainty crevices that lingered in between frequent warring and raiding. Heishiro could not remember a time without war, a time without fire on the land. He was content to farm the land and keep it as his father wished, but he no longer saw any use in trying to rebuild after the raiders passed and destroyed each new crop where it stood.
Now the first snows of the season had fallen, coating the fields that lay before Heishiro in a calming white hue. It made the boy, only recently turned fourteen, more tranquil and sedated his fiery thoughts. He closed his eyes, looking out from beneath the eyelids upon his homeland.
"Heishiro, come. You have not eaten in too long. Do not linger."
Heishiro sighed deeply and turned, dragging his feet through the snow. Do not let your brothers devour all the food before you've had your fill." Heishiro's father almost forced the laugh as he walked towards his teenage son, "Why do you hang your head, Hei-chan? Does something trouble you?"
"No..." replied the boy, raising his head to look upon the smiling face of his only remaining parent, "It is nothing. I just do not like winter. The cold is bad for our fields. I yearn for spring and my spirits will return when it has come, otoo-san."
"Good. I am glad that you finally show some concern for the farm. Soon you will be just as adept at farming as your old man and I do not doubt you will surpass him." He grinned from ear to ear, but Heishiro knew that his comforting warmth was only a façade. Life for him, his father, and family was degenerating as the raids continued.
"I don't want to surpass you, otoo-san. I will merely assist, I will not replace you."
Heishiro's father put a firm but tender hand on his son's shoulder, his eyes twinkling in a strangely melancholy but proud way, he looked at his son, his smile slowly fading, "Hei, you must someday. You may not be the oldest of my children, but I prize you as much as I do your brothers. You must all learn the ways of life in this time of civil war...Since your mother passed, we all had to continue...The same must happen when...when..."
Even though he might not have continued anyway, his voice fading, Heishiro's father was interrupted by a set of raucous yells that echoed off the sky's very walls. He turned swiftly, looking across the untouched whiteness of his fields.
"Raiders, Hei-chan," he whispered out of the corner of his mouth, "Get to the house, hurry!"
Heishiro didn't move. His face slated as he looked out, almost immobilized, at the silhouettes plastered against a grey horizon. They were taller than men, so they must have been on horseback. Heishiro could clearly see their weapon shadows cast on the snow as they galloped wildly back and forth, randomly hacking at the air and the few remaining crops that stood. The horsemen came slowly into full view, weaving around each other in a disorganized clump like a band of bellowing brigands.
"Come." Murmured Heishiro's father again, clamping his usually gentle hand onto his son's arm and pulling him backward, "They cannot do that much damage. They have no need of us, so they will leave us alone if we do not trouble them."
He pulled his son reluctantly backward, half dragging him as the slush grew deep and harder to extract one's limbs from. The two of them stumbled awkwardly towards the small house Heishiro lived in as the mounted raiders scattered about the fields, chopping down whatever they could with their crude blades, mostly farming implements altered to look more imposing.
"Otoo-san, we cannot let them do this any longer!" cried Heishiro, breaking free of his father's grasp and staggering forward into the knee deep, ice cold water formed one of the many puddles that pockmarked Bizen now, "We cannot just move out of the way when they come and allow them to have their way with our land!"
He pushed himself up from the water and clamored onto the colder snow coat of the ground. He snatched the hoe that he had dropped before and clutched it firmly in both hands as he sprinted towards the marauding raiders. He did not hear his father's frantic cries as he shot towards his family's foes.
"You!" he cried, "Get off of my father's property now!"
One of the horses wheeled around suddenly, swerving nimbly on its hooves. Heishiro stopped in his tracks and narrowly avoided falling backwards as he found the horses wet muzzle less than a foot from his face. The beast snorted indignantly as the rider looked down on Heishiro, grinning stupidly as he assessed the teenager.
"Your father's property, eh? I did not think peasants owned anything around here. This property belongs to those who are strong enough to claim it and I have formed the opinion that I am much stronger than you, little whelp."
The other steeds maneuvered about, the primitive looking folk on top of them looking with perverse glee as their leader brought his horse forward slightly. Heishiro pulled the hoe in front of him, holding it like a naginata, and narrowed his eyes at the man. He had to step back as the steed cantered forward, edging him closer and closer to another large depression filled with melting snow and mud.
"That is your opinion. You may be stronger in body, but I have the stronger will. Any man who seeks to gain from the loss of others is weak!"
The horse almost bounced forward, flicking Heishiro backward like a fly. The boy was sent sprawling into the slush, the hoe in his hand clattering onto the frozen layer of ice. Heishiro scrambled up and tried to jump forward and grab the makeshift weapon, but the horse cut him off sharply and he fell again as it blocked his path suddenly.
"Insolent runt!" roared the marauder, "I'll make sure that you never open that drivel-spouting mouth of yours again!"
Heishiro clearly saw the man drive his heels harshly into the miserable steed's haunches. The beast swung sideways from the impact, now facing Heishiro, was was on the ground groping for something to use as a weapon. He found nothing and turned again to see the horse backing up and picking up momentum for a charge. The marauder atop that animal raised his own menacing looking weapon and grinned evilly, a sinister glint in his eye.
A thousand thoughts coursed through young Heishiro. He was such a fool. He had wasted his life because of his damned stubbornness and pride. He braced himself for the impact that he knew was coming. His eyes shut firmly as the horse ploughed forward and...
He heard a slicing sound over his head and indeterminable noises that were probably horse hooves on either side of him. A moment later, he distinctly heard a loud thump to his left. The boy's eyes sealed fully, still expecting a swift blow...none came.
Slowly, his eyes drifted open and his head turned towards the sound of the thump.
Beside him lay the body of the marauder with half of an arrow protruding from his unarmored chest. His warm blood seeped out onto the whiteness around Heishiro as he stood up hurriedly, backing away from the limp heap of lifelessness that had been a living man less than a minute ago. He had seen death before, but the sudden jolt of seeing that face, devoid of all color except the crimson that was gurgling from its lips, had knocked a forceful sense into him.
The man's horse was braying madly and circled behind Heishiro, taking off immediately for the other end of the field, followed closely by the remaining bewildered brigands. The 14-year-old turned again to see another steed halt expertly beside him, pawing the snowy ground beneath it impatiently.
Atop the new animal sat a man who could've been mistaken for a brigand, but obviously wasn't. He had a stern face and gait, but a more noble air about him as he lowered his longbow. He looked down with sharp, keen eyes at young Heishiro and goaded his horse forward.
"You're awfully young to be trying to fight off mounted raiders." He said calmly, a pleasant and nonchalant demeanor very visible in his gruff voice.
"Young or not, I must still defend my family's land." Replied Heishiro, almost meekly. He had a defiant nature towards most people who patronized him, but this man had just saved his life and deserved better than that. He bowed his head slightly as he saw his father rush up to him and the rider with the bow.
"Many thanks, my friend." said his father, also bowing, "You have saved the life of my son and my land. I do not know what I can possibly do to repay you..."
"It's Ieyoshi, sir, of the Urakami Clan, that is what I am called. You need not repay me. I did not slay that wastrel because he attempted to dispatch your son, I slew him because, like all of his kind, he is blemish to this nation as does not deserved life or the luxury he receives from it. I accept your thanks, but no more than that."
"We can offer you something. Some food, drink, rest, anything you need that we can procure is yours."
"No, sir. I need none of that. The Urakami Clan provides for me well enough and my duty is done here. Those brigands will not trouble Bizen again and that is all I care about."
Heishiro's father nodded contemplatively but Heishiro stepped forward suddenly and took the horse's rein, which severely alarmed the horse and seemed to annoy the rider. It was a bold gesture, which Heishiro had put no thought into, but an ingenious idea had formed in his mind.
"Kind sir, though you do not wish it, I will repay you in what way I can."
Both Ieyoshi and Heishiro's father looked at him for a moment. Heishiro's father looked both puzzled and appalled, while Ieyoshi looked puzzled and intrigued.
"You are a member of the Urakami Clan, correct?" said Heishiro boldly. He barely gave time for the rider to nod glumly before he continued, "Take me, then, as a disciple of your clan, to train beneath you and serve your lord. It is the least I could do."
"Hei-chan, you do not know what you're saying!" exclaimed his father, pulling him back from the horse. Heishiro looked at him swiftly and spoke quickly in a whisper, "Otoo-san, this is my chance. I can learn the way of the warrior and defend our home from those who would do it harm. I will repay my savior and learn an invaluable skill. Also, he said that the Clan of which he is a member provides for him. If they adopt me, you will no longer have to make food or room for me in your household. It is the best way."
His eyes sparkled with a stern eagerness. Heishiro's father saw this, his own face souring as he looked at his youngest child. The rider beside them pulled his horse around and it lumbered over to the boy and his father. Ieyoshi of the Urakami Clan looked down on the teenager, his eyes prying into the child as if trying to unlock him like a door. He leaned down slowly, eying Heishiro, and then promptly pulled himself back up.
"The Urakami Clan accepts your service. What's your name, boy?"
"Heishiro, sir." replied Heishiro, drawing himself up and puffing out his small chest to look as imposing as a teenager of his age could look. Ieyoshi grinned for the first time and drew the horse sideways so that its flank was facing Heishiro.
"Mount, Heishiro-chan. There is a long journey ahead of you."
Suddenly, the boy realized what had happened. It seemed to him that the last day had been but a dream which was now focusing into reality. He'd just signed his life away to man he hardly knew and a clan that might be filled with boorish heathens...But it was too late to turn back now. Everything had gone by so quickly, so swiftly and without warning. He barely knew what was going on.
Despite the protesting cries of his mind, Heishiro swung himself up onto the horse behind Ieyoshi just as the animal dashed forward. He looked back as the world slowly began to stop spinning around him and saw his father and the white fields around him disappear.