Innocence Becomes Experience
By Misao's Angel
"So Shishio-san is really dead huh?" Soujiro said as he looked
sorrowfully, or as sorrowful as the emotionless boy can get anyway, at
the burring building that held the last memories of the man who taught
him all he knew. "And Yumi-san too..."
The usually cheerful boy stood for a moment, as he began to remember all
the moments he shared with those two. 'oh well, I was going to leave them
any way...' The boy thought. 'And there is no point in reminiscing about
the past or I'd be just like Battousai.'
"Well, I guess It's time I went..." Soujiro decided, while he turned
towards the tree-lined path leading away from Mount. Hiei, where
Shishio's hide-out once rested.
The muscular monk standing across from him, Anji the Myouou, asked the
young Tekken, "Where are you planning to go?"
The prodigy turned only slightly, and with his ever present smile
replied, "I'm not sure, but if I plan on finding my own answer, I gotta
go."
And with that, Soujiro left Mt. Hiei, planning to never return again.
That was a week ago.
Now he was wandering around Osaka looking for a place to stay, or some
thing to do at least. 'Chou was originally from here, wasn't he?' Soujiro
asked himself as he looked around the market place filled with a mix of
cheerful sellers and clueless buyers. 'Maybe I'll run into him! Wait!
Isn't he in jail? Oh yeah! Only Iwanbo and I got away. Figures.' Just
then, the young swordsman felt a light tap on his back. Turning his
bewildered head around, Soujiro found the familiar broom-haired man
smiling at him, Katana-Gari no Chou.
"Never thought I'd see ya over here!" The sword collector from Kansai
said.
"Chou! I thought you were in jail!"
"Oh... Well, I made *ahem* some deals and I managed to get released only on
one condition.
"What?" the bewildered tekken asked.
Chou adverted his eyes from the ice blue shade of Soujiro's and instead
stared at the ground, to hide the sudden blush of embarrassment that
invaded his cheeks.. "I have to work for the government..."
"Hah! Really?! Shishio-sama wouldn't be happy to hear that..."
"S'okay... I'm leavin' as soon as I find anything more interestin'.
"He'll be glad to hear that."
"So whatcha doin' over here?"
"Well I..."
Their conversation was cut short by the appearance of another familiar
face in the crowd ahead of them.
"Yumi-san?" Soujiro said in a confused tone.
"Um... Soujiro? You okay?"
"Hmm?" Soujiro turned to the tall broom-haired man, then back to where he
saw his now deceased friend. Who was gone, as he expected. 'Wow, my
imagination is getting the better of me!' he assumed. But still, he had
that sickening quenching feeling in the pit of his stomach. 'What is this
feeling? Is it fear? No... it couldn't be... I never feel fear. Not since...
back then...'
"Soujiro?" said Chou, who was impatiently waiting for his young friend to
tell him what he saw. "What happened?"
"Oh... uh... Nothing really. I just thought I saw something... It doesn't
matter. Well anyway, ever since Himura-san beat me, I truly wondered who
held the right answer. Shishio-sama, or Himura-san. So I decided that I
should figure out the answer myself, by traveling around Japan for ten
years." He said half-heartedly, while thinking of where he would rest
that night. 'Maybe I'll rest in that inn I passed earlier... I have no
where else anyway...'
"Well actually Soujiro, It's quite a coincidence that I should run into
you of all people. Actually, I'm 'sposed ta catch ya and put ya in jail,
cause ya worked for Shishio-sama and all, but, well, as a favor to an old
friend, I'll forget I saw ya." Chou winked while telling the prodigy.
Then, the broom-haired sword-collector heard a whistle, and turned his
head to find police men searching for him. "Well I gotta go, I'm plannin'
ter live in Kyoto for a while. Ya know, as a reminder. And don' worry
Soujiro-kun, I do plan on spreadin' Shishio's teachin's. I'll probably
never see you again, huh... Awell... all good things gotta pass sometime.
Sayonara! It's been fun! And if ya ever want ta visit, my door is always
open. Good luck on yer journey!" And with that, Katana-Gari no Chou left
for Kyoto.
Soujiro, now getting a little sleepy, due to the fact that it was already
past eleven, decided to visit the inn one more time. The inn taker was
happy to have Soujiro stay, for there was a large decrease in business
lately. Offered a room for half price, Soujiro happily, as always,
accepted and went off to check out his room. 'Wow! I've never been in an
inn alone before! Usually Shishio-sama or Yumi-san went with me... Oh well
no point in being retrospective. Just spend the night here and leave
tomorrow morning.'
*~*~*~*
The next day, Soujiro woke bright and early, around 5:00 in the morning,
paid his bill (with the money Shishio-sama gave him before he died), and
left for a new place. He spent three weeks roaming
Around the perilous mountains atop of the friendly city of Osaka, and
later, when he later decided that he might be
hungry, he
stopped at a small restaurant on top of the mountain. "I'll have... some
tea and mochi please!" said the smiling assassin, remembering the last
time he had mochi. It was with Kamatari and Shishio-sama, ::snicker:: and
let's just say that was when Kamatari learned she didn't like mochi very
much. And also when Shishio-sama learned he should never give her mochi
again, for his clothes' sakes. We had to buy him a new robe right after...
hee hee... those were good times.' As he was munching his sweets, he
suddenly felt a cold chill. Like if someone was talking about him. He
looked out to see if he could find anyone, but instead he found a road he
didn't see before. 'Perfect' he thought. After he paid his bill, he asked
the old woman who owned the restaurant,
"'Mam, could you tell me where this road leads?"
Oh that one?" she replied, "I'm not sure exactly but I think it leads
north."
He thought about that for a moment. "Well its summer so it's gonna' get
warm soon... perfect!" He said, with the sun shining upon his smiling
face.
And thus, Soujiro the tekken left for Aizu. Or so he thought. After about
6 hours of wandering around an extremely dark forest, and passing the
same bush around 50 times, Soujiro figured that he might be lost. Every
direction he went seemed to bring him only to... more trees. To the left... a
tree. To the right... a tree. Behind... a squirrel. And in front... another
tree. "Isn't there anything around here that isn't a tree?!" he wondered.
Just then, the "sad puppy-dog" faced squirrel said, "Don't I count for
something?" Only to remain ignored. (Do squirrels talk? Hmm...) So, the
enraged animal pulled a Yahiko and with eyes glowing white, started
gnawing on Soujiro's head. It seemed that Soujiro STILL didn't notice,
for he just stated, "I wish I could have a katana to practice my kata
again... that was so much fun..." The ignored squirrel began to cry in
frustration, and with tears streaming down its face, it unsheathed the
katana strapped on Soujro's hakama and preformed squirrel seppuku.
Soujiro seemed to at least hear the sound of the sword severing the
animal's flesh, for he turned behind him to see what happened. There he
found a dead squirrel lying next to his katana. 'Oh! That's just what I
needed! And so he picked up the dead squirrel and began practicing his
kata.
*~*~*~*
That night it was hard to sleep. He lay on the grass, facing the sky
while he kept starring at the stars, waiting for something to happen.
Something to make him glad he was alive. Glad that all that was close to
him disinagrated in a second, that all of his thoughts and beliefs were
stripped from him, stealing all of his identity, just from one short
phrase. Happy that the only part of himself he still had was his smile.
But that was one thing he will never let go of. That smile brought him to
realize the truth. This time, he had to find out his own truth, and he
was ready to accept what ever came his way. 'Was Shishio-sama right? Was
the Meiji government useless? And the human hierarchy rated by how strong
one was? Or was Himura-san correct and human life should never be harmed?
That's something I'll see for myself soon enough I guess.' He shut his
eyes, hugging his katana as though he was a child hugging a teddy-bear.
And with his left hand, he pulled the covers over his shivering
shoulders. It was then that he finally managed to drift off into slumber
land.
*~*~*~*
The morning sun washed gently over his shut eyelids. He opened his eyes
slowly, and stared into the vast light blue sky. 'Where am I?' he
wondered. 'Where is Shishio-sama? And Yumi-san?' He looked around this
unfamiliar place, and saw the bluebirds humming in the trees, the grass
he sat upon and his katana. It was then that he remembered. 'Oh yeah.
They're gone.' That wasn't the first time he woke up like this. In fact,
this was how he woke up every morning since their death's. Why couldn't
he just get used to it? He stretched his arms and began to roll up his
blanket. Making sure no one was around; he slowly took off his sleeping
yukata and switched it with his day gi and hakama. As He slipped on his
white dress shirt, he realized that there were many tears in the
material. 'That looks beyond repair...' he thought, 'I guess its time for
some new clothes...' None the less, he slipped the battered clothes over
his shoulders and set of to the nearest town.
Soujiro searched around this small town, Nagoya he believed it was
called, for a seamstress. Searching the city at least ten times, he
guessed that this town was to poor to own one, and pondered buying the
material and making it himself. If its one thing living with Shishio-sama
taught him, it was how to kill. Opps! I meant how to sew. Yes, maybe it
was Yumi-san who taught him and not Shishio-sama, but none the less, he
had learned. Now all he needed was the material. He stepped into the
small, cobweb-full shop that looked at least 50 years old. Soujiro
wondered how the old thing managed to remain standing at all, with all
the creaking it made just to walk in. "Oh well" he sighed, "Even this is
better than nothing." He looked around the small shop, finding beautiful
silk kimonos gis and hakamas hanging on one side, and battered torn
garments on the other. Soujiro wondered why they would even bother
keeping the old dirty clothes, but it wasn't his business, so he didn't
think about it any longer. He walked to the counter, and asked a young
woman behind it, who had her back facing him.
"Excuse me..."
"Hmm?" The woman turned around, revealing a beautiful, pale face that
reminded him so vividly of a porcelain doll. Her raven hair was waist
length, and it hung loosely around her shoulders, bouncing with utmost
grace as she turned her torso towards the bewildered tekken. Her eyes
were a brilliant shade of emerald, and shone brightly with the lamplight
that illuminated her face, but there was something missing about her ki.
Her voice was soft and gentle, but filled with a hidden sorrow.
Soujiro was too surprised by her beautiful features to reply. All he
could mutter was an astounded, "uhh..."
"What is it you wanted?" She asked again as quietly as before.
"Oh... uh... how expensive would a new gi and hakama be?" He asked nervously.
"Depends which one you want." She replied apathetically.
Soujiro looked at the arrangement of clothes hanging by the store window.
He picked out a light blue gi with dark blue trimming, and a dark blue
hakama. Much like his old clothing in fact. He guessed it matched him the
best.
When he brought them to the counter, the young woman starred into his
blue eyes, and asked him, "Are you a rurouni?"
"A rurouni?" Soujiro thought about it for a while. 'A rurouni like what
Himura-san became after the Bakumatsu? Wandering with no definite
destination, with no more possessions than a sword and the clothes on his
back?' When he thought about this, he came to one conclusion. "Yes. I
Am."
"Oh... Than... do you mind... bringing me along on your next journey? I need to
get out of this place."
"Um... sure... Why?
"...I can only tell you If I know I can trust you. And I don't yet."
"Then I will get to know you, and then I'll let you judge."
"I'll look forward to it."
"What's your name?"
"Nayami."
Then Soujiro nodded, and left the small shop with his new garments. He
set out to find an inn, for he decided to stay there for a little longer
than he first intended.
~*~*~*~
It had been two weeks since he first met Nayami. They had met every day
by the river, and began to learn more about each other with each visit.
Soujiro couldn't understand why, but he felt that he was starting to...
like her? Nah. Impossible. Not him. He's never liked anyone before. The
only comfort he had ever needed was his katana. But then again, he was 18
now. But maybe he just thought of her as a friend. He didn't really
know. All he knew was that she was his only friend now.
Although that everything they discussed was cheerful, for some strange
reason she always seemed... depressed. It confused him. Not once since the
entire time he had known her did she smile, let alone laugh. He first
thought that she was just a gloomy person. Now he wasn't so sure. It must
have been strange to see the two together. The woman who never smiled,
and the boy who never ceased to do so. They were an odd pair indeed.
By Misao's Angel
"So Shishio-san is really dead huh?" Soujiro said as he looked
sorrowfully, or as sorrowful as the emotionless boy can get anyway, at
the burring building that held the last memories of the man who taught
him all he knew. "And Yumi-san too..."
The usually cheerful boy stood for a moment, as he began to remember all
the moments he shared with those two. 'oh well, I was going to leave them
any way...' The boy thought. 'And there is no point in reminiscing about
the past or I'd be just like Battousai.'
"Well, I guess It's time I went..." Soujiro decided, while he turned
towards the tree-lined path leading away from Mount. Hiei, where
Shishio's hide-out once rested.
The muscular monk standing across from him, Anji the Myouou, asked the
young Tekken, "Where are you planning to go?"
The prodigy turned only slightly, and with his ever present smile
replied, "I'm not sure, but if I plan on finding my own answer, I gotta
go."
And with that, Soujiro left Mt. Hiei, planning to never return again.
That was a week ago.
Now he was wandering around Osaka looking for a place to stay, or some
thing to do at least. 'Chou was originally from here, wasn't he?' Soujiro
asked himself as he looked around the market place filled with a mix of
cheerful sellers and clueless buyers. 'Maybe I'll run into him! Wait!
Isn't he in jail? Oh yeah! Only Iwanbo and I got away. Figures.' Just
then, the young swordsman felt a light tap on his back. Turning his
bewildered head around, Soujiro found the familiar broom-haired man
smiling at him, Katana-Gari no Chou.
"Never thought I'd see ya over here!" The sword collector from Kansai
said.
"Chou! I thought you were in jail!"
"Oh... Well, I made *ahem* some deals and I managed to get released only on
one condition.
"What?" the bewildered tekken asked.
Chou adverted his eyes from the ice blue shade of Soujiro's and instead
stared at the ground, to hide the sudden blush of embarrassment that
invaded his cheeks.. "I have to work for the government..."
"Hah! Really?! Shishio-sama wouldn't be happy to hear that..."
"S'okay... I'm leavin' as soon as I find anything more interestin'.
"He'll be glad to hear that."
"So whatcha doin' over here?"
"Well I..."
Their conversation was cut short by the appearance of another familiar
face in the crowd ahead of them.
"Yumi-san?" Soujiro said in a confused tone.
"Um... Soujiro? You okay?"
"Hmm?" Soujiro turned to the tall broom-haired man, then back to where he
saw his now deceased friend. Who was gone, as he expected. 'Wow, my
imagination is getting the better of me!' he assumed. But still, he had
that sickening quenching feeling in the pit of his stomach. 'What is this
feeling? Is it fear? No... it couldn't be... I never feel fear. Not since...
back then...'
"Soujiro?" said Chou, who was impatiently waiting for his young friend to
tell him what he saw. "What happened?"
"Oh... uh... Nothing really. I just thought I saw something... It doesn't
matter. Well anyway, ever since Himura-san beat me, I truly wondered who
held the right answer. Shishio-sama, or Himura-san. So I decided that I
should figure out the answer myself, by traveling around Japan for ten
years." He said half-heartedly, while thinking of where he would rest
that night. 'Maybe I'll rest in that inn I passed earlier... I have no
where else anyway...'
"Well actually Soujiro, It's quite a coincidence that I should run into
you of all people. Actually, I'm 'sposed ta catch ya and put ya in jail,
cause ya worked for Shishio-sama and all, but, well, as a favor to an old
friend, I'll forget I saw ya." Chou winked while telling the prodigy.
Then, the broom-haired sword-collector heard a whistle, and turned his
head to find police men searching for him. "Well I gotta go, I'm plannin'
ter live in Kyoto for a while. Ya know, as a reminder. And don' worry
Soujiro-kun, I do plan on spreadin' Shishio's teachin's. I'll probably
never see you again, huh... Awell... all good things gotta pass sometime.
Sayonara! It's been fun! And if ya ever want ta visit, my door is always
open. Good luck on yer journey!" And with that, Katana-Gari no Chou left
for Kyoto.
Soujiro, now getting a little sleepy, due to the fact that it was already
past eleven, decided to visit the inn one more time. The inn taker was
happy to have Soujiro stay, for there was a large decrease in business
lately. Offered a room for half price, Soujiro happily, as always,
accepted and went off to check out his room. 'Wow! I've never been in an
inn alone before! Usually Shishio-sama or Yumi-san went with me... Oh well
no point in being retrospective. Just spend the night here and leave
tomorrow morning.'
*~*~*~*
The next day, Soujiro woke bright and early, around 5:00 in the morning,
paid his bill (with the money Shishio-sama gave him before he died), and
left for a new place. He spent three weeks roaming
Around the perilous mountains atop of the friendly city of Osaka, and
later, when he later decided that he might be
hungry, he
stopped at a small restaurant on top of the mountain. "I'll have... some
tea and mochi please!" said the smiling assassin, remembering the last
time he had mochi. It was with Kamatari and Shishio-sama, ::snicker:: and
let's just say that was when Kamatari learned she didn't like mochi very
much. And also when Shishio-sama learned he should never give her mochi
again, for his clothes' sakes. We had to buy him a new robe right after...
hee hee... those were good times.' As he was munching his sweets, he
suddenly felt a cold chill. Like if someone was talking about him. He
looked out to see if he could find anyone, but instead he found a road he
didn't see before. 'Perfect' he thought. After he paid his bill, he asked
the old woman who owned the restaurant,
"'Mam, could you tell me where this road leads?"
Oh that one?" she replied, "I'm not sure exactly but I think it leads
north."
He thought about that for a moment. "Well its summer so it's gonna' get
warm soon... perfect!" He said, with the sun shining upon his smiling
face.
And thus, Soujiro the tekken left for Aizu. Or so he thought. After about
6 hours of wandering around an extremely dark forest, and passing the
same bush around 50 times, Soujiro figured that he might be lost. Every
direction he went seemed to bring him only to... more trees. To the left... a
tree. To the right... a tree. Behind... a squirrel. And in front... another
tree. "Isn't there anything around here that isn't a tree?!" he wondered.
Just then, the "sad puppy-dog" faced squirrel said, "Don't I count for
something?" Only to remain ignored. (Do squirrels talk? Hmm...) So, the
enraged animal pulled a Yahiko and with eyes glowing white, started
gnawing on Soujiro's head. It seemed that Soujiro STILL didn't notice,
for he just stated, "I wish I could have a katana to practice my kata
again... that was so much fun..." The ignored squirrel began to cry in
frustration, and with tears streaming down its face, it unsheathed the
katana strapped on Soujro's hakama and preformed squirrel seppuku.
Soujiro seemed to at least hear the sound of the sword severing the
animal's flesh, for he turned behind him to see what happened. There he
found a dead squirrel lying next to his katana. 'Oh! That's just what I
needed! And so he picked up the dead squirrel and began practicing his
kata.
*~*~*~*
That night it was hard to sleep. He lay on the grass, facing the sky
while he kept starring at the stars, waiting for something to happen.
Something to make him glad he was alive. Glad that all that was close to
him disinagrated in a second, that all of his thoughts and beliefs were
stripped from him, stealing all of his identity, just from one short
phrase. Happy that the only part of himself he still had was his smile.
But that was one thing he will never let go of. That smile brought him to
realize the truth. This time, he had to find out his own truth, and he
was ready to accept what ever came his way. 'Was Shishio-sama right? Was
the Meiji government useless? And the human hierarchy rated by how strong
one was? Or was Himura-san correct and human life should never be harmed?
That's something I'll see for myself soon enough I guess.' He shut his
eyes, hugging his katana as though he was a child hugging a teddy-bear.
And with his left hand, he pulled the covers over his shivering
shoulders. It was then that he finally managed to drift off into slumber
land.
*~*~*~*
The morning sun washed gently over his shut eyelids. He opened his eyes
slowly, and stared into the vast light blue sky. 'Where am I?' he
wondered. 'Where is Shishio-sama? And Yumi-san?' He looked around this
unfamiliar place, and saw the bluebirds humming in the trees, the grass
he sat upon and his katana. It was then that he remembered. 'Oh yeah.
They're gone.' That wasn't the first time he woke up like this. In fact,
this was how he woke up every morning since their death's. Why couldn't
he just get used to it? He stretched his arms and began to roll up his
blanket. Making sure no one was around; he slowly took off his sleeping
yukata and switched it with his day gi and hakama. As He slipped on his
white dress shirt, he realized that there were many tears in the
material. 'That looks beyond repair...' he thought, 'I guess its time for
some new clothes...' None the less, he slipped the battered clothes over
his shoulders and set of to the nearest town.
Soujiro searched around this small town, Nagoya he believed it was
called, for a seamstress. Searching the city at least ten times, he
guessed that this town was to poor to own one, and pondered buying the
material and making it himself. If its one thing living with Shishio-sama
taught him, it was how to kill. Opps! I meant how to sew. Yes, maybe it
was Yumi-san who taught him and not Shishio-sama, but none the less, he
had learned. Now all he needed was the material. He stepped into the
small, cobweb-full shop that looked at least 50 years old. Soujiro
wondered how the old thing managed to remain standing at all, with all
the creaking it made just to walk in. "Oh well" he sighed, "Even this is
better than nothing." He looked around the small shop, finding beautiful
silk kimonos gis and hakamas hanging on one side, and battered torn
garments on the other. Soujiro wondered why they would even bother
keeping the old dirty clothes, but it wasn't his business, so he didn't
think about it any longer. He walked to the counter, and asked a young
woman behind it, who had her back facing him.
"Excuse me..."
"Hmm?" The woman turned around, revealing a beautiful, pale face that
reminded him so vividly of a porcelain doll. Her raven hair was waist
length, and it hung loosely around her shoulders, bouncing with utmost
grace as she turned her torso towards the bewildered tekken. Her eyes
were a brilliant shade of emerald, and shone brightly with the lamplight
that illuminated her face, but there was something missing about her ki.
Her voice was soft and gentle, but filled with a hidden sorrow.
Soujiro was too surprised by her beautiful features to reply. All he
could mutter was an astounded, "uhh..."
"What is it you wanted?" She asked again as quietly as before.
"Oh... uh... how expensive would a new gi and hakama be?" He asked nervously.
"Depends which one you want." She replied apathetically.
Soujiro looked at the arrangement of clothes hanging by the store window.
He picked out a light blue gi with dark blue trimming, and a dark blue
hakama. Much like his old clothing in fact. He guessed it matched him the
best.
When he brought them to the counter, the young woman starred into his
blue eyes, and asked him, "Are you a rurouni?"
"A rurouni?" Soujiro thought about it for a while. 'A rurouni like what
Himura-san became after the Bakumatsu? Wandering with no definite
destination, with no more possessions than a sword and the clothes on his
back?' When he thought about this, he came to one conclusion. "Yes. I
Am."
"Oh... Than... do you mind... bringing me along on your next journey? I need to
get out of this place."
"Um... sure... Why?
"...I can only tell you If I know I can trust you. And I don't yet."
"Then I will get to know you, and then I'll let you judge."
"I'll look forward to it."
"What's your name?"
"Nayami."
Then Soujiro nodded, and left the small shop with his new garments. He
set out to find an inn, for he decided to stay there for a little longer
than he first intended.
~*~*~*~
It had been two weeks since he first met Nayami. They had met every day
by the river, and began to learn more about each other with each visit.
Soujiro couldn't understand why, but he felt that he was starting to...
like her? Nah. Impossible. Not him. He's never liked anyone before. The
only comfort he had ever needed was his katana. But then again, he was 18
now. But maybe he just thought of her as a friend. He didn't really
know. All he knew was that she was his only friend now.
Although that everything they discussed was cheerful, for some strange
reason she always seemed... depressed. It confused him. Not once since the
entire time he had known her did she smile, let alone laugh. He first
thought that she was just a gloomy person. Now he wasn't so sure. It must
have been strange to see the two together. The woman who never smiled,
and the boy who never ceased to do so. They were an odd pair indeed.