Scroll Four: The Struggle

"Never before has our village been blessed with such an amount of life-giving water from the heavens. Many of the people believe that the presence of an Imoogi has resided in a location that is close to our home and proceed to prepare a tribute for its generosity. Our hope is that our benefactor will remain content and choose to remain here for time on end."

~Jeoung Soo, Chief of Village

Dawn brought a new day into the sleeping village, though those who needed to be awake were already so. The effulgence from the sun was not as bright as midday, but there was enough light so that everything could be seen. Birds sang to each other as they flew across the clear skies, empty of any clouds. And yet, all of these things were lost to the practicing student.

He was up before the sun even thought about peeking over the horizon, swinging his shinai in the different forms that were drilled into the students every day. Sweat formed on his brow and dripped down his green hair, which was starting to lengthen. Shaking his head to get rid of the water that came close to touching his eyes, Zoro continued to train his body. He saw the sun come up, but instead of ceasing, he increased his speed. It would soon be time for breakfast, and he wanted to work a bit more before he would be forced to recover his energy supply.

On the other side of the dojo, Koshiro sat outside on the wooden passage, listening to the boy's constant shouting. It was not usual for a person to show such dedication, especially in the morning, but the Master knew that the boy's, no, the Imoogi's dream gave him the determination. Of course, many of the dojo's inhabitants complained about him at first, calling his early morning practice a nuisance, though gradually they became used to the noise. It was probably better this way, for the boy certainly would not allow such complaints to deter his exercises.

Koshiro heard another walk towards him, taking the spot adjacent. Without turning around, he addressed the new arrival. "Ishido-san, what brings you here so early in the morning?"

The other man smiled to himself, although the shadow from the building made it hard for his face to be seen. "How can any person sleep through that youth's fierce cries? No, I was about to head to the dining area when I noticed that you were sitting here alone. May I ask, Sensei, what you are doing outside at such a time?"

"Just meditating, and occasionally listening to Zoro-kun's practice."

"That boy is certainly something special, is he not? Most children his age would still be asleep in their futons instead of honing their skills."

"The other students are progressing well in their training, too; Zoro-kun simply possesses more resolve than them."

"But Sensei, it's not only his physical training; he even excels in the studies of our homeland. From what I've heard, he absorbs the information faster than the other pupils, even though he doesn't share our blood. In fact, I believe he can fluently speak our language, almost as well as his native tongue. And it has been less than a year since he joined our dojo…"

"Well, I never believed that he was a 'normal' child when I first met him. An interesting meeting it was; were you not the one who talked to him first, Ishido-san?"

"How could I forget his insolent attitude? Not that it has altered enough for me to change my opinion." Ishido grinned at his sensei, who smiled back. They thought about Zoro's behavior, which both characterized as a mix of impudence and pride. "Still, everybody is surprised at how far he's come in such a short amount of time. I think he has won against every student his age, even some of the upperclassmen, at least once…of course, with one exception."

Koshiro nodded. "Kuina."

"Exactly. No matter how hard he tries, the boy always fails to land a single hit on your daughter, and it's not like he doesn't try to either." Ishido paused to choose his next words. "I suppose this speaks for your daughter's strength."

The Master did not reply to Ishido's comment, quietly remaining in his thoughts. He found it a little strange that Zoro had not yet won a single match against Kuina. As a father, he admitted that this fact comforted him because it meant that his daughter held on to her life. Zoro promised that he would not take the Yeoiju out of the girl, at least until he could beat her in a fair duel. This vow remained to this day, with no signs of the boy breaking it, yet Koshiro could not help but wonder what caused Kuina to consistently defeat the Imoogi, unless he was really lying about his identity. To the Master, this did not seem the case, for Zoro's behavior confirmed his trustworthiness, his refusal to tarnish his honor.

Although he wanted to respect the man's silence, Ishido continued. "On a better note, we've been blessed with a generous amount of rain these days. The extra precipitation has definitely helped out our rice paddies, which in turn has produced enough food for every person living here. In fact, I believe we have a surplus that we can trade with the other villages for necessary supplies. All thanks to the rain, of course."

Perhaps it is his power. I have heard that the natives consider the Imoogi to be benevolent creatures that provide the waters for the earth, and that they can control the very nature of the rain. In any case, this increase began after he joined us…

The call for breakfast interrupted Koshiro's meditation and the conversation. Getting up from the floor, Ishido waited for Koshiro to rise before starting for the dining hall. Once every person was seated and the food was served, neither said more on the subject as they ate the meal in silence.

"Kuina! I challenge you to another match!!"

The said girl looked up at Zoro for a second before she resumed wiping the floor with a damp cloth. "We're on cleaning duty right now, idiot."

That day, their age group was given the task of washing down the different practice rooms in the building; an easy task, considering the fact that their class had the most students, but still time-consuming nevertheless. But the other groups had their own chores that must be completed, so the students carried out their task without complaint. After all, everybody had to work together if they were to survive. Of course, the extra work did not give enough reason for Zoro to break his routine.

"So what? Nobody will know that we stopped for a bit to have a fight."

Kuina nodded her head towards the other students. "And what do you consider them?"

"They would care less about what we do. Besides, I bet they'll think that our match will be more interesting than this whole cleaning business."

"You're never going to give up, are you?"

Zoro lowered his voice so that only Kuina could hear him. "Not until I get my Yeoiju."

"Well then, prepare for another loss."

One of the students noticed the green haired boy running for the shinai barrel at the opposite end of the room. Shaking his head, he turned to another. "I think they're going at it again."

A boy with short, curly brown hair heard the remark and joined the conversation. "But it's only morning."

"You know that time never stopped Zoro-kun; he'd challenge Kuina in the morning, afternoon, or evening. Didn't he once wake her up before the sun was out?"

The first student smiled. "Yeah, Kuina kicked his ass…and then threatened that if he ever woke her up that early again she would never accept another challenge."

"Haha, that definitely stopped him from asking too early in the day."

"Why don't we rest for a bit and watch? I mean, even though we already know the outcome."

"I don't know. Zoro-kun has to win eventually, right?"

The rest of the students ceased working and started to head towards the two opponents facing each other. Once again, Zoro held the two wooden swords in his hands while Kuina settled to have one sword. They both nodded to each other, silently imagining the official word that would them permission to duel. In their minds, they saw the hand of the unseen referee come down, signifying the start of their match.

Zoro flew at Kuina, swinging one of his swords in a wide arc. The girl dodged the attack by stepping back, and then initiated her own assault. Each blow was aimed at different parts of his body, but the green haired boy managed to block every one of Kuina's hits. He had definitely improved, learning to use a more refined style than when he first held a sword. He never knew that there was much more to swordsmanship than simply wielding the weapon; the steps and forms that he was taught were beneficial, but it was too early to flaunt. Not until he beat Kuina could he say that his practice paid off.

His attack became aggressive, causing Kuina to go back to the defensive. Swift movements had to be used to throw off the boy's shinai; a single moment of hesitation would end up becoming disastrous for the young girl. To the other students, the weapons were indistinctive shapes whipping through the air; the speed at which Zoro swung his shinai was unreal, too rapid to be caught by their vision. And yet, Kuina still did not give an inch and parried the boy's attack without too much effort.

Zoro watched her carefully, through the midst of his fierce assault, for an indication of a possible counterattack. A telltale sign, something that would warn him. Then, it came at him; after pushing off a particularly nasty blow, Kuina swiftly raised her shinai above her head and prepared to bring it down. Zoro smiled to himself.

I'm not going to fall for that again.

Gripping his own shinai, he crossed and raised them high enough to stop the oncoming strike. He was ready for the strike this time; he would not suffer defeat in the same manner. The shinai fell, his arms tensed for the block, and the attack never came.

A feint, done to get the exact reaction that was given, was the true intention of the crafty girl. By the time Zoro realized this, it was too late to retaliate. Kuina brought the shinai away from his head and towards the middle of his body. He felt the blow through his uniform, the light fabric doing little to abate the sting from the shinai.

The sudden force caused him to drop to the ground, though he did well to keep his weapons in his hands. However, the loss was his, and once again Kuina stood triumphant over him. A bemused smile formed on her lips as she gazed condescendingly at the fallen boy. It had always been that way, ever since their first match; Zoro could not understand why he could never gain an advantage over her.

He never had this problem when he dealt with the other students, but Kuina never ceased to perplex him. Her ki emitted a blinding radiance that continually distracted him, no matter how many times he went up against her; even if he tried to overlook it, in those quick seconds before her victory, the energy would burst out and overpower his own ki. Not that he was trying to make excuses; it was simply frustrating to watch victory swept away from him. He needed to somehow overcome this obstacle. But for now, he could do nothing but accept his defeat, even if it left a bitter aftertaste in his mouth.

"How many times have you challenged me now? I think with this one makes it a thousand matches, with you taking a thousand losses." Kuina gave a look of pity to the defeated boy. "Why don't you just give up? As a man it should be painful to keep losing every time. But then again, you're an Imoogi, not a man, right?"

Zoro pushed himself off the ground, unwilling to give in to the taunts. "Stop insulting me! I'm not going to give up until I beat you!!"

"I guess I have to give you credit for your persistence; most would get discouraged after the hundredth match."

"Well, I'm different from most people." He looked defiantly at Kuina, who was the only one who understood what his words truly meant. "Just wait, I'm going to beat you next time."

"If you're going to continue challenging me, can you at least make it worth my time, Imoogi?" She watched as Zoro ground his teeth in an attempt to control his anger. Picking up the white washcloth, she walked across the room to replace her shinai in the container.

For the other students, it had ended too quickly, just like every other fight between the two. They were unsure if it was because they had moved too fast for them to follow, or if Kuina was just too much for Zoro to handle.

"Wait, so Kuina won again, right?"

"Well, yeah. What fight were you watching? She gave the final blow seconds ago."

"Dang. And Zoro-kun looked as if he was prepared to block her attack."

"But it still hit him. He still lost the match."

"He did better than you would have done. I just don't understand how he could lose so much."

"It's too bad. But did you guys notice how she always calls him a…what was it again? Emuri?"

One of the boys shook his head. "No. I think it was 'Imoogi'. Apparently, the natives use that term to refer to someone who is average, who lacks skill or power. Maybe she was using that word because she doesn't think he'll ever beat her."

"That's a little harsh, huh?"

Zoro heard them talk, but did nothing to retaliate. He kept his eyes only on Kuina, who was starting to leave the room. She had finished cleaning her area before their match had started, so she was off to spend her time elsewhere. When she reached the door, Kuina paused for a bit, then turned around to return Zoro's glare.

"A word of advice. You really should think about cutting your hair. If it gets too long, it'll start getting into your eyes and hurt your performance."

It was too much for Zoro. "Get out of here, damn it!! And don't tell me what to do!!"

"Oh, and one more thing. The long hair makes you look feminine, but then again, I shouldn't tell you what to do." And with a smirk, she walked out, sliding the door behind her.

After she was gone, the other boys came up to Zoro and started to encourage him, some of them patting his back.

"Don't worry about it, Zoro-kun. You'll beat her someday."

"Yeah. I heard rumors about how Sensei secretly teaches her techniques that we don't even get to see. So she has an unfair advantage over you."

"And she acts like she's the best. She's always looking down on you."

Although he could not explain why, Zoro started to feel slightly better, his anger dissipating slowly. The consolation from humans should not have done so much, but after spending a great deal of time with them, he found that they were not a bad company. Perhaps he was wrong to judge them before he even had contact with them. Then, one of the quieter boys spoke up.

"Um, Zoro-kun. I think what Kuina said about your hair was right, though. It looks like you haven't gotten it cut since you came here, which was months ago."

"Shit!"

The green haired boy stormed out of the room, leaving the other students to talk amongst themselves, though none contradicted what had been said. Once he was out of the room, he felt the strong ki of the Yeoiju coming from the end of the dojo, the Earth energy more prominent than the rest. Growling to himself, Zoro walked in the opposite direction in hopes to get as far away possible from the irritating girl.

Koshiro sat in the same place where he had his morning conversation with Ishido. This time, the sun brightened the landscape in front of his eyes, though he still remained in his thoughts. The serenity of the empty courtyard brought him peace, giving him time to meditate. He always treasured these moments, for his mind needed rest every once in a while; he did not complain about running the dojo, his home, but it felt nice to get away at times.

In the middle of his thoughts, he felt another presence approach, but, instead of turning, Koshiro closed his eyes. The person stopped a few feet away, as if he wanted the Master to acknowledge him. Without opening his eyes, Koshiro addressed the new arrival in a voice that held no animosity.

"Yes, Zoro-kun? Do you need something?"

"Um…Sensei…I…that is…"

A small smile flitted across the man's face. He had never heard Zoro sound so uncertain about something; usually, the boy was impulsive, revealing his requests without hesitation. "Is there anything that is bothering you?"

"…Not really. I just have a…question…Sensei."

Koshiro opened his eyes. "I will see if I can help you, Zoro-kun, but you will need to speak, first." It surprised him to see the boy turning red, almost as if in embarrassment. He was definitely seeing a new side of his student today.

Zoro tried to control himself, but found that he could not meet Koshiro's eyes. He felt the heat on his face almost driving him insane. After much effort, with his eyes refusing to move from the wooden floor, he mumbled his query.

"…Where…can I get my hair cut?"