Koichi Part 1
Koichi Chapter 1
THE REIGN OF FEAR
Jumping from tree limb to tree limb, I can't help but marvel in the wonderful sounds of the woods. The chirping birds, the wind's low whistle and the groan of wood as I land silently on the boughs of trees. I stopped in the foliage of a mighty oak and sniffed. The oak's musty smell reminded me of home, home in Kyoto. Home has no meaning anymore. Not since I lost my family. I twitched my fluffy tail and stretched out on the thick branch. I felt the heat of the sun wane to a light spark as it set in the sky. I love sunsets, even though I haven't seen one in twenty years. I am blind.
My name is Koichi Morisoti. I have lived in Japan all my life, but never in the cities. I've lived in the woods. I grew up, a normal squirrel, on the outskirts of Kyoto. My father and mother, may they rest in peace, were farmers. Simple folk. We never wanted or needed what society had to offer. We were happy. My father taught me everything he knew. Farming, carpentry, and most importantly, jui jitsu. It is my greatest skill. Everyday after chores, I'd practice. I grew faster and stronger everyday. Then on my twelfth birthday, I was given the greatest gift. A katana. My father had worked so hard for other farmers to earn the money for it. It was a simple design. A straight blade, honed to razor sharpness. A bamboo handle wrapped in leather. A hilt made of iron. Then he said, that I was a man now. That meant the world to me. He meant the world to me. Then, that night, I lost two of my most treasured gifts. My parents and my sight.
I never should have left that night. How silly I was to think I could take on a cobra nest by myself. When I woke that evening with my katana in hand, I felt immortal. I had set out, to kill the terrible Hsi-Sen, the spitting cobra. He had terrorized the farmlands of Kyoto for so long, longer than I could remember. He had killed Mr. Irakowa, the blacksmith. He had killed Mrs.
Takuyi, the teacher. And he had killed Koji, my brother. Maybe that's why I chose to kill it. Revenge for my younger brother who died at the age of seven, when I was only nine. Now I was a man. I had to avenge Koji.
I still remember the sounds of that night. The rustle of the tall grass in the wind. The hoot of the owls. And the screams. Oh my gods, the screams. My father had found me gone that evening. He tracked me to Hsi-Sen's dwelling. He saw me battle Hsi-Sen with my katana. He jumped in and held it for me to deliver the final blow. The damned serpent bit him, filling him with the lethal
poison. And then before I could strike, he spat at me. The poison hit my eyes, scorching them. My screams of pain mixed with my battle cry as I sliced his evil head off. I made my way to my father, and with his last breath, he said. "With age comes wisdom. I hope you have learned from this." He died because of my foolishness.
I made my way back to my house. When I stumbled in, my mother grabbed me and wrapped my head in linen. I choked out my story, and she cried with me. We adapted to the loss. Me better than my mother. She was a small frail woman. The shock had hurt her spirit. She no longer had the zeal she was famous for. Six months after my father died, she committed suicide. I found her body, and felt the slashes on her wrists. I left home that day. I wandered the plains of Kyoto for several years. I learned how to use my remaining senses to navigate through the country. Jubei, the legendary swordsman, found me. He trained me further. But that's another story
As I sat silently with my blade at my side, I heard a faint rustle in the tree next to me. I smiled and gripped my katana, ready to strike. I could smell it. A tigress. She moved silently, or so she thought. I could hear her clothes rustle the slightest bit. Even her stomach rumbling was audible to me. I took a light breath and said. "Before you pounce, I have a question." I pulled a powder bomb from my pouch. "Are you afraid of the dark?" I threw the bomb at her. Her scream told me I hit dead center. Inside the bomb was a poison that would blind her for a few seconds. That was all I needed.
I jumped and sliced the tree branch she was standing on. She landed on her feet, as did I. I stood ready for an attack. "Why do you not strike me?" She asked. "You are a woman. Only weaklings attack females." I sheathed my katana and stood up straight. "That poison will wear off in a second. You should be able to see then." I turned around and crouched, ready to jump back up to the oak's top. She decided to rush me. I jumped and torqued my body, twisting it around and landing behind her. I heard her clothes rustle as she turned to elbow me in the nose. I blocked and punched her in the ribs. She screamed and kicked at my legs. I jumped and held onto a low branch above me. I swung myself up and kicked her in the chin. "Are you finished? I'm very tired and have been moving since dawn." She threw a star at me. I jumped higher and then jumped down and kicked at her chest. She fell down gasping for air. I knelt down next to her. "I don't want to hurt you anymore, miss. So could we stop and tend to your wounds?"
"You're blind."
"Yes I am."
"How could you beat me?"
"You make very little noises when you move. And the whistle of air as your leg or fist fly through the air is as loud as a flute to me." I held out my paw. "Do you desire a paw to help you up?"
She batted my paw away and jumped up. "I desire nothing from anybody." As she turned to jump back to the tree, I grabbed her tail. "You can't fool me. You're arm is broken and you need it to be set and bound. If you jump now, you will surely damage it worse." She sighed and relaxed. She sat down and said, "Then bind me and then let me leave."
As I poked the fire with a stick, I heard the tigress tiptoe up behind me. "Have you a name, miss?" She sat across from me and groaned as her bound arm moved too much. "My name is Kygeto. And what is yours, squirrel?"
"Koichi Morisoti. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Kygeto." I leaned back and removed my sash. "I trust that you will not try to eat me as I rest." I could feel her smile. "No promises."
I woke to the sounds of growling and moaning. Kygeto was having a nightmare. I moved to her and shook her. She awoke and swung at me. I jumped high and landed next to her. "Kygeto, it's me, Koichi!" She stopped and grabbed my paw. "Oh gods, what a nightmare!" She let go off my paws. I felt her paws brush past me as she reached for my bottle of sake. She took a few hits and sighed. I held out my paw and she gave the bottle back. "Want to talk about?" I said as I corked it. "No, it's not important."
She lay back against a tree and sighed as the sake worked its way through her nerves. "What is it, Kygeto? You can tell me." She bolted straight up and roared, "BACK OFF!"
I backed away and leaned towards the fire. "You will tell me, Kygeto. Soon."
She scoffed. "And why, pray tell, would I want to stay with you for much longer, squirrel?"
"Because you may need me." That made her stop breathing. She knew I was right. "Come. Sit by me and tell me your story. And don't lie," I tapped my ear. "I'll know if you do." She moved closer to me and sighed. "Where to start?" she muttered to herself. I smiled. "Where else? The beginning."
She breathed deeply and started her tale: "I am one of the first female ninja to make the elite ranking. I am also the leader of a group of shinobi. We were sent to catch a mad beast. He was indeed the craziest of samurai I've ever met. He'd kill anybody in his way and never look back." I could hear her heart beat faster. "I've seen him kill children. Children, for goodness sake. And the rape." Her head dropped a bit. "Oh my life, the rape." I placed my paw on hers and squeezed it gently. "Don't bother with the gruesome details, Kygeto. Tell me about this....mad beast."
She took a deep breath and continued. "We came so close to stopping him, but he's like smoke. We couldn't touch him. But he could touch us. His speed was incredible. He killed three of my shinobi with one swipe of his giant sword." Her voice choked a bit. "I'm the only one left. He must be killed, before he hurts anymore innocent furs." I wrapped my arm around her and rocked her gently. "I will help you." She moved in closer to me and squeezed my paw. "Doma arigatou, Koichi." She fell asleep soon after, but I stayed awake, my mind racing. Who was this killing samurai? An hour later, I finally succumbed to sleep, my mind's eye opening, releasing my dreams.
*:Where am I? Is this home? There's my father's wheelbarrow. And over there, my mother has finished putting the laundry out to dry. Wait....I can see! My eyes, there aren't any scars from Hsi-Sen's poison. Over there, is it? No, it couldn't be. Koji? Brother? Koji!! I want to run to you, to hug you and kiss you, but I can't move. Something's holding me back. I wonder what
is.... AAAAAAAAAAAAA!! Hsi-Sen! No! I killed you! What are you holding in your coils? *gasp* Father? Father, it's me! It's Koichi! Why are you just letting the serpent crush you? Run! Hold on, I'll rescue you! Wait, I can't move! What? Koji what are doing? Why do you hold me back? Koji? What are you doing? Put that Kunai knife down, Koji! Nnnghh! Koji....why did you stab me?:*
*"Time to die, brother. Just like you left me to die in Hsi-Sen's lair."*
"No! I tried to save you! Koji!!" I felt a paw on my shoulder. A tigress paw. The paw shook me vigorously. "Koichi!" I opened my eyes. Darkness. Was it still night? No, I can feel the sun's heat on my legs. I'm blind again. "K..Kygeto?" I moved my paw to her muzzle. Her fur. Oh my, her fur, it's softer than a cloud. I felt her breathing. It was fast. I focused and immediately my senses awoke. I could feel the world again. I could 'see' again. Her heart. Beating fast. She's scared for me. I breathed deeply. "Sorry if I woke you, Kygeto. I had a bad dream." I reached for my flask and drank some sake. My heartbeat soon slowed to normal.
Her heart was slowing too. "You scared me, Koichi." She held my paw and squeezed it. "What was that about?" I tipped my head to the sky. "Old demons. Things I thought I buried, but I guess they didn't want to stay buried."
"What kind of demons, Koichi?"
I sighed and thought about last night. She had opened up to me. Now it was my turn. "When I was nine, my little brother and I were playing someplace where we shouldn't have. Have you heard the legends about Hsi-Sen?"
"Yes. But they are only legends."
"No, Kygeto. He was real. I know. He killed my brother, Koji." I gripped my sword as I thought back to the day. "We were near his den, and Koji went too close to the mouth." I covered my eyes. "We never found his body. He died, and was denied a decent funeral."
Kygeto patted my paw. "I'm sorry." I smiled weakly. "It's okay. I killed Hsi-Sen. I lost my sight but I avenged Koji. So it evened out a little."
I held my paws out. "Kygeto?" "Yes?" "May...may I feel your face?" I could feel her smile. "Yes."
I ran my paws over her face slowly. Her fur was so soft. Her muzzle was short and well formed. No scars or pieces missing. I
felt her mouth and her smile. I formed a picture in my mind and added in color. "You're very gentle." She giggled. I smiled. "You are very beautiful, Kygeto." Her paws wrapped around mine and she moved them down to her chest. "Do you wish to feel anything else?" she said slyly. My face burned. "Not yet. But maybe later. Right now we should be on the move." We rose and climbed into the trees. "Try to keep up." she said with a playful tone. She jumped and landed on a tree branch to my far left. I
jumped after her. "Are we going to move at this slow pace all day? We'll never find him at this rate." She laughed and sped up. I think she was starting to like me.
We traveled for a good two hours, jumping from tree to tree until we came to a city. We landed on the ground and stopped. "Kygeto?" She turned to me. "Yes?" I bowed my head, feeling very sheepish. "May I hold onto your arm? I...I can't navigate very well in cities, there's too much "white noise" for me to focus." She took my arm and I could hear her purr. "No problem."
We walked through the loud market place, asking people about the killing samurai's whereabouts. I helped by listening to heartbeats, trying to tell who was lying or who was scared that we mentioned him. After a long day of searching we stopped to rest at a small inn. As we ate, I could feel people staring at us. Surely they've seen a blind squirrel with a sword sitting next to a tigress armed with ninjutsu weapons before. Hasn't everyone?
Someone approached us and sat down across from me. "I understand you are looking for the killing samurai?" Kygeto tensed and leaned forward. "We are. Do you know something?" He reached for one of my rice balls, and I slapped his paw with my chopsticks. "Hey, I thought you were blind." I smiled. "I am. Doesn't make me numb to the world." Kygeto drew a kunai knife. "Tell us what you know." He swallowed and cleared his throat. "He calls himself Yukio and he's living in a cave not ten kilometers from here." He got up and left, muttering. "Damn bitchy tigress whore." Kygeto didn't hear him, but I did. "Hey!" He stopped and turned. "What do you want cripple?" I got up and threw a star at the space next to his head. "I want you to apologize to the nice lady. I heard what you said." He laughed. "Stupid squirrel, I'm not apologizing to that whore." I jumped and drew my sword. I sliced at him but he ducked. I ended up cutting a support beam. I heard him draw a weapon. Wooden clicking, metallic clinking. Nunchakus. I turned and ducked as he swung at my head. I dropped and swept his feet out from underneath him. As soon as he hit the ground, I had the tip of my katana at his throat. "Apologize." He turned to Kygeto. "I am sorry, miss. I apologize." I let him up and he ran. I reached into my gi. "Who is the owner of this inn?" Someone to my right spoke up. "I am." I tossed a jewel to him. A small one, but it was valuable. "I apologize for the mess." I grabbed Kygeto and we
left.
When we reached the edge of the city Kygeto slapped my face. "Why did you do that? I can defend myself." I rubbed my face and sighed. "I apologize, it was the way I was raised. Defend women and treat them with respect. Chivalry." She ran a paw along my face. "One of the reasons I became a ninja was to show that I'm not helpless. Please remember that." I held her paw against my face. "I'll try. Now let's go get Yukio."
We tramped our way to the cave where Yukio was. I drew my sword and readied myself for battle. Kygeto armed herself with Kunai knives and a bamboo staff. I took a deep breath. "I'm ready." Kygeto chuckled. "Wish I could say the same." I reached out for her free paw. I grabbed it and kissed it. "Be brave, Kygeto. Fight for your clan." She squeezed my paw. "I shall. And before we do this, I want to tell you something." She kissed me. "I...I think I love you, Koichi Morisoti." I kissed her back. "I think I love you too. But let's kill Yukio first, okay?"
We came to the mouth of the cave and stood on opposite sides. I listened carefully, but couldn't pick up a heartbeat. "I don't hear anything." She growled a little. "And I can't see anything." We entered the cave. Kygeto moved closer to me. "It's too dark for me to see."
"Allow me to shed some light on the situation." A voice said. I heard something drop and could feel heat. I smelled smoke. "Kygeto? What's going on?" I could hear the panic in her voice. "We're in a ring of fire! Yukio has trapped us!" I listened again, but couldn't make out a heartbeat. "I can't hear him! It's as if he's dead!" I heard something land outside of the ring. "Hello
Koichi." I held my sword at ready. "How do you know my name, Yukio?"
He moved closer, but still out of my range. "I know everything about you," I could feel him smile. "Brother."
To be continued.....
Koichi Morisoti, Yukio and Kygeto (c) Donald Moore 2003