"Dyed in choshu blood"
Something I can never forget, nor forgive them for. My father was a great craftsman his swords were excellent. I was told many times how the day he finished his finest sword was also the day I was born. Almost as soon as I could walk he began training me in defense, and only defense. His reasoning behind this was simple he said "Aki, I want to teach you how to defend what you love." I never really understood this till the day I ran from home. Mother had remarried after father died of an illness, and she visited the shrine of kwannon, the goddess of mercy, every week. Kohaku-san, as I referred to him as, never came. After only a few years living this way, Mother died of an unknown cause. Kohaku-san insisted that I continue going to the shrine as mother had. The shrine was an hour's walk, and an hour back. Mother stayed an hour, so I would only return home after three hours. A mere four months later, I had accidentally over slept my time to visit the shrine; Kohaku-san was very strict. I quickly and silently got dressed and went out my bedroom door with utmost care. I heard many voices as I went into the hall outside the den, at least thirteen, all male. The door was only a crack open so I peeked inside to see the strangers, and what they were doing here. One of the men quieted all of them down to commence the meeting. Thoughts raced through my head as they said such things as they must bring about a new government destroy the current shogunate, reform the entirety of Japan. They had also mentioned how they must keep their location in secret or else be hunted by the wolves of mibu. Almost every word struck my as a skilled blow with a bokken. However the finishing blow came as they left. A man asked if Kohaku-san's wife was at the shrine, this man had apparently been absent when this was discussed. Kohaku replied "What? No, she's long gone."
"What happened?"
"She stated she'd go straight to those shogunate dogs and sick them on us! I could not jeopardize our cause so I had to kill her."
At that moment I ran back to my room grabbing father's favorite sword. I soon disappeared out the back door, unfortunately my emotions had gotten the better of me, and the noise alerted them to my presence. They started to chase me so I sharply turned a corner and hopped into a wooden tub near a garment weaver's shop. The choshu had sent one man down the corner and he had hid in the barrel next to me before hand. He stood up and leaped out to kill me. In one moment his short sword fell from its sheath towards me and I grabbed it holding it straight up, in the next he landed on it and me as well... dead. When he landed on the sword, blood sprayed all over, mostly within the bin. It took some time for me to move his heavy body so I could get out; as I looked back I realized the tub was filled with red dye, and now blood. As I cleaned my self off I noticed the dye did not wash away from my clothes, nor my hair. I washed myself at a stream as I watched the blood flow away, staring deeply into the red water; I knew what I must do. I would become Shinsengumi no Akaiken Hogo, and defend Japan, dyed in choshu blood.