Fishing around in his kimono, Jin produced a small blue bundle. He had always been bad about losing things, and he had no real reason to keep this particular item around…yet he had been strangely reluctant to part with it. That bundle represented all he had known, all he had loved, and everything he had once stood for: the tattered remains of his indigo-blue gi, carefully wrapped around the shattered remnants of his katana. A wave of emotion washed over him as he approached the gravesite. Kneeling, he removed a few stones from the top of the grave and gently placed the bundle inside.
He closed his eyes and sighed, recalling bittersweet memories...
They had been rivals, at first. Yuki was naturally jealous of Enshiro's pet, his prize pupil…the strange, silent boy who was the sole pride and passion of the Master. Tongues wagged ceaselessly, fueled by envious lesser students (who were always badly outclassed and outmatched). Yet, despite all the whispers and gossip whirling around him, Jin remained unfazed. He simply did what was required, and excelled. He took to the sword and the Master's teachings as naturally as a bird learns to fly. The Master loved him for it, while the others grew openly scornful…and afraid.
Yuki had desperately wanted the limelight, never passing an opportunity to spar, even though his skills were sadly lacking. Time and time again he was beaten, his youthful enthusiasm no match for the older boy's terrifying raw instinct, speed and skill. But, he persisted- no matter how badly he lost, he simply refused to give up. Indeed, Yuki was the only one at the dojo whose passion and drive matched his own.
Perhaps they had been kindred spirits, or maybe it was Yuki's sheer stubbornness and determination, or simply his lack of fear…whatever it was, Jin found himself growing quite fond of the hotheaded boy. But, time eventually brought to life new passions, new drives. Gone were the children they had once had been, replaced by the beauty of young men approaching maturity's full bloom. They eventually became inseparable, pledging their lives to one another with the innocent exuberance of youth in love. It was their fate, their destiny…
But, fate can be cruel.
"I just wanted…to be you." Yuki's dying words had broken his heart. He never meant to hurt that boy; no, he would have gladly given his own life to protect him. Indeed, he gave up everything that night- his Master, his dearly beloved Yuki and his life…he fled in shame, alone, rather than drag Yuki down into the abyss- all to no avail. Instead, he had unwittingly hurt Yuki so completely and thoroughly that there was little else to do, except accept what fate had dealt them both and end it. Forever.
Death and rebirth... He had been seeking death all along, stumbling alone in the darkness. Until I met them... Perhaps Yuki had been right. The boy he once was, the man he had been- that person died with Yuki on the riverbank that night. Replacing the stones, he realized with cold finality that the spot was two graves in one. Two lives had been lost; this was their final resting place. But unlike Yuki, who had long been lost to bitterness and rage, he had been reborn.