Pushing Oneself [Solo/Training]

Kioshi had his eyes closed as he stood beneath the cherry tree at the villa. Around him, he could hear the petals dropping gently to the ground, the wind making his hair sway slightly. With a deep, cleansing breath, he moved into the first position of his kata. He held Hana perfectly level with his shoulders before shifting into the next position smoothly. His breaths never changed from their steady rhythm, even as he twirled and shifted into the next position. There was something centering about performing with Hana. It was like a dance with a partner. When he heard someone clear their throat, his violet hues slipped open to spot one of the other bodyguards with their katana, an inquiring look on their face. Kioshi offered a small nod before moving into position with Kuru sliding into position across from him.

No words were spoken as they shifted and swayed around each other, making small feints and jabs at each other, warming up to more powerful attempts. Every step and slice was carefully controlled as they circled and slashed at each other. Kuru was one of his favorite comrades to train with, the other man similar in personality to him. Some of the others were loud and boastful, but Kuru understood the beauty of silence and humility.

After what seemed like minutes but was closer to hours, they came to a draw, both of them panting just slightly. Each gave a deep bow to end the sparring session before retiring to the steamy bath house. Even here, they were quiet and reserved, simply enjoying the relaxing properties of the hot water. Kuru rose from the water, his soft voice confirming their training for the next day and Kioshi nodded in acknowledgement. After several more minutes, he also pulled himself from the tub to retire.

---

The next morning dawned crisp and clear, a chill in the air as Kuru and Kioshi met outside of the villa. The game of the morning was a version of tag and by the time the sun was high in the sky, they had ran, jumped, ducked and rolled their way through a makeshift obstacle course designed to hone their reflexes. After a light snack, the afternoon was filled with kata and sparring, Kioshi coming closer and closer to pushing past Kuru’s guard with each strike. At the end of yet another draw, the men retired to the bathhouse for a soak.

This continued for a week, Kuru pushing Kioshi further each day, stretching the limits of the samurai during each spar. On the last day of the week, Kioshi was panting heavily near the end of the spar, determined to break the other man’s guard. A slice, twirl and quick twist on the hilt of Hana and Kioshi finally broke a small smile as the tip of his blade came to rest at the base of Kuru’s throat. The other guard matched the tiny smile, nodding in defeat before they both sheathed their blades.

During their nightly soak, Kioshi replayed the week in his mind, trying to pinpoint where he would need further training and determining which strategies and techniques had been most helpful in his spars. Kuru offered quiet words of advice, promising to train again with him in the near future, seeing potential in Kioshi. Kioshi thanked the man for his help, retiring early, weary after the week of training.

[Strength Specialization training from D -> C 560/500]

Kioshi sat in calm meditation under a tree in a field outside of Remano. It was harder and harder to simply wander through the city with the rebellion gathering steam. While some citizens cared not for his obviously Kou heritage, most were at least cautious around him, if not outright hostile. He had even avoided trying to visit Bianca too often, afraid that the hostile citizens might take their anger out on her for associating with him. He had several days of freedom from his duties and had chosen to escape the city, finding peace in the foreign landscape. It was not like the green, rolling hills of home, here the land was rockier, harsher looking, but still had its own beauty. It was easy to appreciate the sight of plants struggling to survive in the drier, rockier terrain. There were still plains and fields, but everything felt much less… fertile than at home.

He missed his homeland, though he was enjoying the exposure to another culture. But he yearned to see cherry blossoms and slinking tigers dashing between dense trees. He especially missed the Jade Dragon mountains, their breathtaking beauty could not be matched by the mountains here in Reim. He wondered if Bianca would ever like to visit his home, to see the friendly village he came from surrounded in Sakura trees and rice paddies. They were a simple, calm community, despite being populated mostly with swordsmen. The villagers were friendly and quiet, similar to Kioshi’s own temperament.

Kioshi lost himself to his thoughts as his hair was tugged by the breeze, he had left the dark strands loose around his shoulders, wanting only to relax and perhaps perform some kata outside the confines of the villa. With a deep, soothing breath, he rose and drew Hana, working through a series of kata in quiet, controlled motions. He had always felt the blade was an extension of his own body, the weapon a natural fit for his body type and personality. While he could admire other weapon types some of the other’s in his village had, he had always practiced solely with his beloved katana, the Sakura design matching the mark on his shoulder as a symbol of his clan.

Kioshi shed the top portions of his kimono and hakama the longer he went through the kata. He was soon bare chested and a light sheen of sweat covered his body as he danced with his blade. He dropped the formal kata, freely flowing with the blade in a deadly dance, equal parts art and practicality. The more creativity he maintained while training, the less likely he was to be caught off guard. While the basic positions of the kata were an excellent and necessary building block, if he confined himself to only those steps and moves, he would find himself at a loss when faced against an opponent. It was not so hard to fight the air, but another person typically provided a much greater challenge. His steps were silent as he moved through the swaying grass.

As he moved through different steps, he lost himself to the simple pleasure of the dance, his mind and body solely focused on Hana and how she was effected by his muscle movements. Even the slightest twitch could make an incredible difference in how the blade behaved, something that had inspired awe and respect in him, ever since he was a child. The difference between a scratch and a mortal cut was nothing more than a flex of his arm or a step with his foot. He was so lost in his dance that he did not hear the approach of footsteps, his attention not drawn until an angry voice invaded his peaceful haven.

“Kou dog… Don’t you have a master you should be heeling to?”

Kioshi lowered his blade, his eyes opening cautiously as he looked at the man that had spoken. He looked to be a veteran of the Reim military. He was lacking a uniform, but had the look of a man with experience in blades and death. Kioshi spoke quietly, his voice calm.

“Please leave. I am causing no disturbance here.”

The man sneered at him, drawing a short sword and lunging forward. Kioshi reacted on instinct, swaying out of the way of the incoming blade while raising Hana back up, prepared to defend himself. The man lunged forward again and once more, Kioshi swayed out of the way.

“I have no desire to risk harm to either of us, sir. Please leave.”

The words seemed to anger the man and he jumped forward, blade raised above his head with both hands, intending to bring the sharp weapon straight down on Kioshi. Operating purely on survival instincts, Kioshi did not think as he put immense force and intent behind his blade, moving it in a horizontal strike across the man’s mid-section. The Wicked Blow caught the man by surprise, his eyes widening as Kioshi’s blade cut through the heavy leather armor around his middle and making it fall to the ground in a useless heap of scraps.

“Again, please leave.”

Kioshi gave no indication that he had not intended to react in such a forceful manner, knowing better than to display weakness to an opponent, let alone one that had fallen into an irrational state of rage. Kioshi raised Hana at shoulder level directly in front of him, looking down the blade with a deadly look. His hair blew to the side, the dark strands breaking up the pale skin of his face but not drawing his gaze away. The man that had attacked him growled, logic filtering in now that he no longer had the leather protecting his midsection. It seemed his bravery was based on the assumption that Kioshi would be defenseless or unskilled with his weapon.

The man scurried off and Kioshi did not lower Hana until the man was gone from view, finally sheathing the blade. With calm motions that did not betray his racing heart, he put his clothing to rights, making sure everything was in place, even tying his hair back to contain it in the breeze. Saddened that he had been unable to escape the judgmental citizens, he made his way back to the Villa.

[Training 1045/1000]

Ability Trained: