"chirp chirp"
"squeak squeak"

"Hmm, well, there are some clearings in the forest here, which would be great for camping out.
But I don't think you should sleep there, because we don't know what might come at night."

Aiko-san told Takeshi as the two of them walked past the village enough to not even get a glance at it.

She was in her usual attire, holding a well-lit lamp on one hand and holding it out to light the way, while carrying an unlit one on her other hand.

It was so that she could hand one over to Takeshi and return to the village, using the other.

"rustle, rustle"

They moved past fallen leaves, fruits, and bushes and shrubs of varying heights. There are tall trees, fruit-bearing trees, and non-fruit-bearing ones.

This forest was the one that acted as a shield for the village. It was also the source of their resources, which they used to make food, shelter, and various other things.

But the villagers were very much careful, not to take this for granted and overuse it. They were very grateful to Mother Nature for her blessings and thanked the gods that provided them.

"But, like you said, there are indeed some caves here. But I don't think a lot of them can be used as a dwelling. Some may be home to some wild animals, and some may be blocked off.

But I'll find you a good place to camp, so don't worry." Aiko said as she pushed through branches that extended far from the tree.

"Thank you, Aiko-san. I really appreciate this, although it's fine if the cave isn't too comfortable. As long as it's usable, it's good enough for me.

I didn't really come here to rest comfortably, so a sense of discomfort might come to my advantage in achieving my goal faster." Takeshi touched his scar as he said this.

"Ahh, that reminds me, I wanted to ask you something."

"What is it, Aiko-san?"

"I know for a fact that you are a samurai, either in training or a vagabond.
But where did you enter the village from?

I don't think you came from here, since you seem unfamiliar with this forest.

By any chance, did you come from the Ancient Emperor Style Academy Village? or perhaps, through there?"

"Ahh..." Takeshi raises his hands, brushes them against his hair, and laughs lightly.

"Well, I do come from there, but I'm not a student.

Well, at least, not yet."

"What do you mean not yet?"

"Well, I haven't passed the trial yet, so I'm not a student there officially. But I used to live there for the past 2 months. Sensei allowed me to stay there until I passed the trial, but I failed miserably in my first fight and got injured pretty badly.

I thought, I should train myself well enough before I attempt it again, and for that reason, I crossed the river to this side in order to look for any places where I can train myself in seclusion.

I want to enroll there properly, and no shortcuts can take me to reach that goal, hence this."

"Ohh, I see. That is indeed an admirable goal." Aiko-san turned and smiled at Takeshi.

"Thank you."

They continued to walk and check out caves and finally reached one cave. While it wasn't in the heart of the forest, it was quite some distance from the village. Aiko checked the cave, took the necessary supplies from Takeshi's hands, and set up a place to sleep there.

She also set up a fire for him, and a clay pot with water in it was placed on the side.

"Well, do keep the fire lit during the night as you sleep, got it?

Caves such as these tend to be damp, and they could get really chilly at night.
And you wouldn't want a cold to keep you away from training now, would you?

And, here, keep this lamp, just in case." Aiko says this as she extends her hands, carrying the lamps, to Takeshi.

"Hahaha, you're right, I'll keep it lit.
Thank you for the lamp too." Takeshi takes the lamp from her hands.

"Good, good.

Although you will be training here, do come by the village often. Sachiko-san seems to have taken a liking to you. And besides, if you run out of any necessary supplies or feel hungry, do come by at any time.

There are two extra idiots there, which we are feeding anyway. It'd be nice to feed a good boy like you." Aiko-san smiled mischievously, arching her eyebrows, and told him in a teasing manner.

"A-Ahh, yes, I will." Takeshi got taken aback a bit, but recovered soon enough.

"Aiko-san, about Sachiko-san..." Takeshi tried to inquire.

"Ahh, you are wondering about that, eh?

Well, she's like that, she loves to see people like you, brimming with energy and youth, and likes to watch them grow.

She lost her son and her grandson to war, and her grandson was around your age. Her daughter-in-law went crazy after learning about this news and committed suicide.

The reason why the majority of the population in the village are women, and the fact that they welcome people from outside is because of this.

Most of them have either their husbands and children sent to the capital to join the army, or they are no longer in this world.

They are alone, with their sad, grey lives. When travelers come here, they indulge themselves in knowing them, listening to their stories, and helping them in any way possible.

They find their happiness in that.

Which is why I'm skeptical... because not everyone coming here will have good intentions.

I hope you understand what I'm trying to say and why I said what I said, while in the village earlier.

But now I have a better idea of what kind of person you are, so I hope you will come to visit as much as you can. For any help you need, please don't hesitate to ask us." Aiko bowed to Takeshi as she said this.

"Please, Aiko-san, raise your head. I understand what you mean, and I'm glad that you bothered to explain this to a total stranger like me. I really appreciate your kindness.

Ohh, and if it's not too much trouble, I'd like to help the villagers repair the bridge I broke. While it may be old, I feel that I am somewhat responsible for it.

So please, let me assist you!" Takeshi said as he bowed his head.

"Alright, you may help us. Come by the village tomorrow, and we can talk about what we can do, okay?"

"Yes!"

Aiko smiled as Takeshi spoke with such enthusiasm. She somewhat felt a really positive energy coming from him, which made her really happy.

"Well, you are going to train now, right?

I'll leave you to it. There were some rice and tempura in your randoseru, I heated them up before heading out. So have it while it's still warm, and go on about your training.

Also, come by tomorrow morning. Just walk straight from here, and once you see a couple of buna trees, with their broad, green leaves and sturdy trunks, you will be able to see the village."

"Okay, got it." Takeshi nodded.

"Well, I'll be off then. Good night, Takeshi-kun." Aiko-san said this and started to leave while checking the surroundings outside the cave.

"Alright." Takeshi slowly walks towards the cave and enters it.

He examines his surroundings and sets down the lamp by the futon.

"crackle, crackle."

He then adjusts the firewood that was burning and adds a few more pieces to the bonfire.

He then takes his sword from his obi and unsheathes it. Proceeds to place it on the ground.

He then takes a stance, which is the starting position for the First-draw style.

He goes through with the entire set of movements for the first phase and finishes it, wobbling at the end.

He tries it again, only to obtain the same result.

"Hoof" Takeshi exhales heavily.

Takeshi tries to remember what he saw in his dream. His grandfather, Tachibana, was swinging his sword while perfectly performing the First-draw style, in his own way.

He then recalls the conclusion he had reached back then, about how his grandfather moved. The way he moves his body in an elegant manner, in order to counter the effect of the condition of his leg, all the while making use of the extending feature of the legs.

Flow (流れ).

This was the conclusion he reached, and this was what was on his mind. It flooded his mind in every way possible, while he tried to comprehend it. On how he could use it, to beat his disability.

While he did decide that he wouldn't use exactly what his grandfather did, he thought it'd be good to analyze it, understand what it really is, and use that to make his own technique.

Of course, this is a task easier said than done. Takeshi is fully aware that this isn't an easy task. His grandfather trained long and hard to attain the level he reached during his lifetime.

Every single movement in the technique he demonstrated was a culmination of years of his blood, sweat, and tears. He fought well and hard, through all his hurdles.

To replicate such a technique, of that level, or to even think of doing such a thing, is just foolish. But he had to determine what it was that went through his grandfather's mind, as he reached his enlightenment, and forged his own path.

Suddenly, something hit his mind.

One of the things that he saw that occurred in a recurring pattern in his grandfather's vision in his dream, was this...

He swung his sword relentlessly and tirelessly. There was no end to it. No matter how much he advanced, he kept doing it. Takeshi recalled that, even during their travels, he kept on swinging his sword.

No matter the place, every day, for a certain period of time, he would swing his sword. Even his back hurting wouldn't keep him from doing it.

"That's the level of determination I'm gonna have to have, if I should reach his level." Takeshi said to himself.

Takeshi takes his sword, positions himself well, and swings it. He swings it in three directions to start his practice; straight, left, and right.

"Hmm..." Takeshi keeps on swinging it.

Five minutes later...

"Hmmmm..." Takeshi keeps on swinging it, with sweat slowly starting to pour down, like clouds condensing.

Fifteen minutes later...

"Hahh Hahh HAHH" Takeshi visibly panting and sweating profusely. His swinging is getting visibly slower.

Thirty minutes-...

No, that certainly did not happen.

Takeshi stopped right after seventeen minutes had passed. He couldn't keep it up for longer than that.

"How the hell do people keep swinging this?
HAHH, HAHH... I... I-I can't even keep this up for half an hour.

My hands are sore." Takeshi said, as he looked at his hands, which were really red and looked like a freshly made umeboshi, and it was really hurting.

"And grandpa kept on doing this for hours every day. He's... He's...

He's a mad lad.

No wonder he's so strong. Of course, there's a lot more than that, but yeah, I get it." Takeshi was sitting down, with his hands on his knees, which were raised. He looked up at the cave ceiling. breathing intensely.

He rested for some more time. He then took his sword and looked at it. He looked at the natural shine of the sword as he ran his fingers over the blade side of the sword.

He then suddenly grabbed the hilt and raised the sword. The memory of his grandfather swinging the sword, the bluish-white glow that emanated from it, and the sheer elegance of the view.

He wanted to see what would be, if he were able to reach that level.

He stood up, dusting his back off.

"Alright, time to get back into this."

Takeshi continued his training by swinging his sword.

Be-beng...
Plink...

******

At the academy village.

"Hahh, I wonder how Takeshi is doing." Kenichii sighs as he munches on his tempura.

"Hamph sfwure hwes dweoing wohkay" Hisako said as he was chewing on his food.

"What?" Kenichii asks him, startled by the weird sounds he made.

"Don't speak when you're stuffed up like that. It's gross, and moreover, no one is understanding anything you're saying, Hisako."

Hisako gulps down his food and drinks some water.

"I'm sure he's doing okay.
There, clear enough?"

"Yes, thank you." Kaori said as she drank water.

"You really think so? I'm a bit worried." Kenichii leaned forward and replied to him.

"Geez man, It's only been two days.
And besides, he can take care of himself.

He's probably focusing on his training.

or becoming leopard chow. (says softly)" Kaori says this in a nonchalant way, ending her last statement with a smile.

Kenichii coughs heavily, spilling water in front of him on the table.

Kaori and Hisako laugh as he does this.

"Hahaha, I'm sorry, I had to do that. And I swear, if you had spit on me, I would've killed you, haha." Kaori said, giggling continuously.

"It'll be fine, and you shouldn't worry too much about him. He'll come back stronger than ever."

"Yeah, I know, I'm just..." Kenichii stands up, walks out of the tent, and looks at the empty arena. He then adjusts his black obi.

"Come on, focus on the stuff that's going on here, there's some really good fights that are about to happen in the next couple of days. The nine clans aren't all here, but it is still exciting, no?" Hisako patted Kenichii's shoulders as he said this.

"Yeah, I guess."

"Well, If you are really gonna worry about something, then it is when he comes back." Kaori remarked as she walked up to them and turned to look at him.

"Ohh right, yeah, I did hear about that." Hisako added.

"What? What is it? Don't leave me hanging now."

"Depending on when Takeshi returns, he'll be either competing against or joining the star generation as a junior. Well, that is entirely based on the assumption that, well, he clears it at all, but yeah, that is the gist of it." Kaori spoke with a slight mocking tone.

Just as Kenichii was about to enter panic mode, Hisako strongly planted both of his hands on his shoulders to make him snap out of it.

Kenichii, now face-to-face with Hisako, looked alternately at him and Kaori.

"It... will... be... fine...
You got that?" Hisako firmly reassured him.

"Okay, okay... I get it. I get it."

Hisako removes his hands, and Kenichii walks slowly towards the arena.

"He doesn't get it, does he?" Hisako asks Kaori as he keeps on looking at Kenichii.

"Well, you've known him for a year now, what do you think?

Oh well, let's go." Kaori and Hisako follow Kenichii as they walk towards the arena.

Be-beng...
Plink...

To be continued.