Disciple

"I can't believe Kakesu's dead," Hagewashi muttered. The other three men around him remained silent in their contemplation. They were all students of Master Taka, a man known throughout the countryside as a saint of the sword and a wise instructor of its use.

"You must continue your training. Death is inevitable, and grief is for the weak. Those who take the time to shed tears might also find their blood being shed as well." The four remaining students rose at the sound of their master's voice, turned to face him, and gave him a respectful bow. He returned their bow and began their lesson.

The day passed as it always had, the master instructing and the students learning. As the sun began to set, the master allowed his students time to meditate alone as he himself went to meditate under the nearby waterfall. Hagewashi opted to join his master. "Master Taka, how do we know he will not return?"

"Finally, you ask; and I ask you, Hagewashi, how can you even wonder? Whether he is a decided rival or only a vagabond, he has found satisfaction in challenging us. He will return, and he is expecting more resistance with his return."

"Then should we not prepare accordingly?" Hagewashi urged his master in a respectful but slightly pressing tone.

"I would expect more from you, Hagewashi!" Taka stopped and turned to give his best disciple a stern stare. "Can you not see that we have been preparing all day?"

Hagewashi was stunned and ashamed at once. "Forgive me for my lack of faith, master." He bowed silently and his master returned the bow. The two turned to depart.

"Of course he could be a rival or a wanderer. He could also be one of us, Master," Hagewashi thought out loud as he disappeared into the bamboo grove, his chosen place of meditation.

The students and their master returned to the small training hall at nightfall. They had a simple meal and prepared for sleep. They wasted no time, for they knew that they would be awakened within a few hours for midnight training. They had been trained to eat and sleep only as much as was needed.

Master Taka woke in the dead of night to see Hagewashi standing in the open doorway, the blade of his drawn sword reflecting the moonlight. "Master, Koujaku is dead," he uttered in a matter-of-fact manner. Taka rose quietly and saw that the only student left asleep was Karasu.

"What of Hayabusa?" The master seemed calm and patient, not in the least disturbed.

"I didn't see him. I only saw the murderer attacking Koujaku. He was wearing a simple mask and had his hair drawn into a tail. I attacked him and he ran into the woods." Taka looked to Karasu, who often kept his hair drawn into a tail. Karasu stirred in his sleep as if he knew he was being examined.

"Master, you don't think..." Hagewashi also looked to Karasu. "Even if he could do such a thing, it doesn't seem possible that he made it back without a trace."

The master nodded then turned his gaze to Hagewashi. "Yourself, Hagewashi?"

"I awoke early and decided to spend my time in meditation. I was on my way to the grove when I saw Koujaku fighting the killer. I did not see Hayabusa." He nearly stopped short as his eyes widened. "Hayabusa!?"

"Hagewashi! Never judge a man out of mere suspicion. We will wake Karasu and go searching for Hayabusa." Taka walked closer to Karasu, then looked down at him. "Karasu, we must leave at once!" he announced in a loud voice. Karasu awoke, quickly gathered his bearings, and stood. "We must deal with a situation, Karasu. Koujaku is dead."

Karasu scowled, looking to the ground and remembering the master's earlier lecture about grief. He quickly drew his gaze toward his master, holding an unwavering look of determination in his eyes. Taka nodded, then looked to Hagewashi.

"Hagewashi, lead us to Koujaku's body." The student did as he was instructed, the three of them ready to draw their blades at any moment. The paused as they saw a figure running toward them in the distance. It was Hayabusa, and he appeared to have been fighting.

"Master! Hagewashi, Karasu!" Hayabusa's deep voice resonated with urgency. "I have crossed blades with him!" They knew exactly who he was referring to. As he came into view, they noticed a small cut on his cheek and a stream of blood running down his face. "He nearly took my head."

"It is good that you have survived, Hayabusa. Let us return, it is time for us to continue our training." Hayabusa wiped the blood from his face and nodded. "Perhaps it is best to refrain from finding Koujaku's body."

"Yes, master. That's a wise decision," Hagewashi solemnly agreed.

Once again, their training went uninterrupted. When they finished, they returned to the training hall for a small meal and an hour of rest before sunrise. Karasu, however, found no sleep. When the others were fallen asleep, he quietly rose, drew his hair into its usual tail, and walked into the forest.

"Karasu?" Hagewashi woke just as Karasu returned. "You could not sleep?" The man shook his head in reply. "I doubt you'll find him out there. He's probably returned to wherever he hides, the coward."

"It is no matter." The two turned to their master as he spoke. He had already risen from his sleep, though they did not notice. "I will go to meditate, now. The three of you stay here." He stepped outside and began down the path to the waterfall without another word.

"Fear not, my friends. I have a revenge to seek for our deceased as well as myself, now," Hayabusa spoke solemnly. "I'll kill him when he returns."

"Did you study his technique?" Hagewashi questioned.

"He struck me three times. Once to the legs, once to the stomach, and one final stroke toward the top of my head. I deflected them all, though his last strike gave me this cut." He looked down a moment, seeming almost bitter as he finished his description. "His strength was incredible and his style was solid."

"You should leave this to me, Hayabusa," Hagewashi commanded with a rather confident tone. "I'll make sure he doesn't take our lives."

Hayabusa stood and announced indignantly, "Hagewashi! This is not your fight. You may be Master's best student, but I am the only one to have survived this lunatic's attack. It's my place to kill him!" The two men stared at each other for a moment, then turned away.

"If you've got something to prove then quit messing around and prove it. You're still alive, but so is the murderer." With that Hagewashi stepped outside and toward a nearby tree, leaning his back against it and crossing his arms, waiting silently for Master Taka to return.

"Karasu, you shouldn't go out like that anymore. I am clearly his next target. There is no need for you to risk your life for my sake." As he pleaded, Hayabusa turned to face Karasu who nodded in quiet agreement. "Thank you..."

A moment later, Master Taka returned and continued training his students. After training, they divided for daily meditation. Hagewashi, Hayabusa, and their master met afterward at the tree in front of the training hall and waited patiently for Karasu.

"Master, I must go find him. He might be in danger!" Hayabusa asked, fear for his friend wavering through his voice.

"Very well, Hayabusa. If you must go, then you will go alone. Hagewashi and I are going to eat. I will leave a bowl out for you." Hayabusa gave his master a bow of gratitude and respect. Taka bowed back and, without hesitation, the concerned young man turned and sped into the forest.

"Hayabusa!" the master called loudly, only a few moments after his student had left. "We have found Karasu!" Hayabusa returned with haste only to pause completely as he stepped over the threshhold. There he saw Karasu's body, mauled by the murderer's blade.

"Karasu! You.. always meditated here? I should have known.." Hayabusa trembled as he turned to his master, who was standing over Karasu's body beside Hagewashi. "Master, we must do something!"

"What are we gonna do, Hayabusa? Run around in the forest and let him pick us off one by one?" Hagewashi snapped back as he took a step toward Hayabusa.

"Silence, both of you! Have you no respect for the dead?" Taka scolded. "Hayabusa, you will carry his body outside and we will dig a grave for him." Hayabusa ignored Hagewashi and nodded, quickly moving to lift Karasu's body.

The two remaining students and their master buried their friend under the tree in front of their home. Hayabusa struggled to hold in tears the entire time. He and Karasu had known each other long before they traveled to train with Taka and shared a closer bond than the other, lone travelers. The men retreated to a brief meal and a period of rest.

Hagewashi awoke to find Master Taka asleep and Hayabusa gone. He grinned as he stealthily arose and stepped outside. He immediately saw Hayabusa sitting under the tree, apparently in silent meditation. "I knew he'd be there.. perfect." He moved quietly behind Hayabusa.

"I knew it was you, Hagewashi. I knew it," Hayabusa growled rather unexpectedly, suddenly rising and turning to face Hagewashi.

"What are you going on about now?" Hagewashi seemed slightly perturbed by Hayabusa's curt greeting.

"You know what you did and so do I!" Hayabusa drew his blade and rushed at Hagewashi who drew his own blade in defense. "You killed Karasu! Didn't you!?"

"Hayabusa, stand down! It wasn't me! I came out here to settle things between you and me!" Hagewashi insisted angrily, pushing forward into the blade-lock.

"How can I believe you!?" Hayabusa pushed forward even harder, managing to force Hagewashi to his knees.

"Hayabusa! Stop this, please!" Hagewashi's tone was as demanding as it usually was, though he never used the word "please". It was enough to cause Hayabusa to draw back completely, sheathing his blade.

"What have I..? Hagewashi, forgive me." His eyes were filled with sorrow. "I had planned to leave my pain with my meditation."

"It isn't that easy. You might have to bleed your pain out, you know." They stared at each other for a moment, an unusually strong wind whisking past them. Hagewashi then sheathed his sword. "Still, forgive me for interrupting." The two bowed deeply to one another then turned to leave.

"Thank you, Hagewa-" Hayabusa's expression of gratitude ceased abruptly, causing Hagewashi to spin around and face him. He watched as Hayabusa's body slid forward across the length of a blood-coated blade. Behind slain Hayabusa stood the murderer, his hair drawn into a tail and a strange black mask covering all but his eyes.

"Hayabusa!" Hagewashi drew his blade. "Human, demon, it doesn't matter what you are. I'm going to kill you tonight!" Hagewashi shouted loudly as he rushed at the murderer.

"How brash!" the strange man scoffed in a twisted voice. He leapt over Hayabusa's body and met Hagewashi's blade with a harsh strike that sent him reeling back. "Indeed, foolish!" He continued with a horizontal stroke toward Hagewashi's neck.

"You judge me only by my first action?" Hagewashi taunted as he leaned back and countered at once with a horizontal stroke toward the man's abdomen, causing his opponent to hurriedly step backward.

"So you are indeed the challenge I have been hoping to meet. Then attack me!" The strange man shifted into a ready stance, waiting for Hagewashi's attack. Just as he predicted, Hagewashi rushed forward with his blade held high.

"It's time to end this!" he called out as he neared the murderer. The man waited a moment more, then suddenly unleashed a blindingly fast vertical stroke that would have split Hagewashi's skull. Would have, had Hagewashi not stepped aside at the last moment and countered with a low stroke to his opponent's knee.

"You-!" The strange voice was cut short as Hagewashi wasted no time in dragging his blade across the man's stomach. Without hesitation, Hagewashi followed through with a final, vertical stroke to the man's head, the powerful impact causing the mask to shatter and the man to fall onto his back, dropping his blade. Hagewashi immediately stepped forward and kicked the fallen blade further away.

"You don't even deserve an honorable death!" he shouted as he drew his blade back for the finishing blow. He did not follow through, and his eyes grew wide as he stared down at the fallen warrior. "Brother!?" The man looked up at him, blood trickling down his forehead.

"I thought I was the only one to have ever been taught the Hawk Talon Strike." His voice was no longer distorted but rather like his brother's only smoother and with a slight waver.

"He didn't. I was just applying everything he had already taught me." Hagewashi lowered his blade and knelt beside his brother. "Hagetaka, why did you do this!?" His voice quaked with anger, his eyes trembled with agony.

"It is the fate of all swordsmen to die by the blade, brother. We are taught death, we bring death, and we are ultimately overcome by death. Our land has no more need for us, have you not realized?" His eyes seemed to plead with his brother for understanding.

"You think that's what this is all about? You trained under Master Taka for five years and you think that's the true meaning of being a swordsman?" Hagewashi's voice now carried a hint of disappointment.

"I did not learn this from Master Taka. I learned it from experience. A warrior is nothing but a dangerous blade; and when that blade has outlived its purpose, it is put away to rust and eventually crumble to dust." His voice became more resolute as he spoke.

"Seems to me as if you just wanted to kill one last time. Don't try to play hero with me, brother. I know why you left and why you came back. Just tell me one thing. Were you going to kill me, too?" Hagewashi's voice choked faintly as he pushed out that harsh question. His brother's eyes wavered, then gazed firmly into his.

"Yes," he uttered without a moment more of hesitation.

"When father died, you swore to mother that you would look after us. You swore that you would protect me, and now you've come back to kill me! Maybe you really have become a demon..." Hagetaka did not reply. He remained silent as Hagewashi stood, raised his sword, and brought it down through his brother's neck.

Hagewashi returned to the training hall only to find it empty. He waited until sunset the next day. When Taka did not return, Hagewashi went to the waterfall only to find the master's usual meditation space vacant. He sat and meditated there himself, then stood and quietly left to return to the village from which he traveled five years ago.