Revenge
Cool air blew on Jestr's cheek, he was outside somewhere with the crew. "We made it out?" he asked and heard the Snail say, "Yeah..." as he felt himself falling. Torajiro Takeda had forgotten about revenge, there was no room for it where there was love. Miya Heike worked at the Sakura Inn, it made no difference to Torajiro that she was of low birth and he had no family to protest his interest. He came to the inn every night for sake and found opportunities to speak to him, she was quiet but strong, she wasn't afraid to speak her mind. She was gentle in all her ways, even her most vehement was a summer breeze. They made love one night and he never saw her again, she'd left the inn and no one knew where she went. He was devastated and spent the rest of his years in his house brooding.
Takashi used the resources of the Nishimura house, his house, to search for the assassin while he meditated on the steel. First he would know each thing as itself and then try to learn their unity. To shape steel one had to understand the nature of steel, to make a sword one needed to shape the steel, but he couldn't understand why the monks gave him a bonsai tree, it didn't seem to fit. He really understood none of the items, not certain where to begin he turned his attention to the steel. With the thought of beginnings still in his mind he realized to know steel he had to know its beginnings. He worked in the mines pulling out the raw ore until he understood its life below the earth, he worked in the foundries until he understood its fiery rebirth and then he returned to his room. He picked the steel up and looked into its nature, it was of the earth, strong and durable and it was of the fire, changeable. Steel was born to be strong and made to be shaped, to create something with it was to fulfill its destiny. To shape the steel he had to be in harmony with it, he was strong, founded, that was his monastery background but like the ore he had to be torn from his home to be completed. He had been discontent with his lot, all he wanted was to go back to the monastery but, like the ore, there was no going back, not in his present form. He needed to go through the fire to begin his purpose and he wondered what that fire would be.
Unless he were stricken down in his isolation his trial wouldn't come where he was, it was time to go out. He didn't care where he went, it was the going that was important, in tune with life, open to whatever comes. What came was a town, an inn and a woman. He'd been walking outside for nearly a month and saw a town in the distance, he decided it would be nice to rest inside for a night and headed for it. Near the edge of town was an inn and he went inside and found a table. A sad, pretty woman came and took his order and over his meal he couldn't help watching her. It wasn't her beauty that had his attention, for some reason her sadness touched him, he wondered how one so young and pretty could be so troubled. It was an odd thought, he knew the world can be a dark place for anyone, still, he couldn't stop watching. She noticed and grew uneasy under his gaze, when he ordered another drink she was fearful. When he finished his meal he got a room and went to bed, he slept deeply and woke early. Dawn was still a hint in the sky but he smelled food and went downstairs to see if he could get breakfast. On the way down he came across the woman from the night before sitting on the stairs weeping, he thought he should pass but stopped anyway.
She looked up at him, wondering what he wanted, clearly there was room for him to pass. He was looking down at her, not unkindly but there was a sharpness to his gaze that made her feel naked. He asked something but she couldn't understand his words, her grief was too loud. He asked again, "Do you need help?" She saw the markings in his forehead that said he was from the monastery, she pointed to the mountain where it sat, "Can you take me there?" She took the hand he offered her and Miya Heike left the Sakura Inn and the one she grieved for behind.
Takashi used the resources of the Nishimura house, his house, to search for the assassin while he meditated on the steel. First he would know each thing as itself and then try to learn their unity. To shape steel one had to understand the nature of steel, to make a sword one needed to shape the steel, but he couldn't understand why the monks gave him a bonsai tree, it didn't seem to fit. He really understood none of the items, not certain where to begin he turned his attention to the steel. With the thought of beginnings still in his mind he realized to know steel he had to know its beginnings. He worked in the mines pulling out the raw ore until he understood its life below the earth, he worked in the foundries until he understood its fiery rebirth and then he returned to his room. He picked the steel up and looked into its nature, it was of the earth, strong and durable and it was of the fire, changeable. Steel was born to be strong and made to be shaped, to create something with it was to fulfill its destiny. To shape the steel he had to be in harmony with it, he was strong, founded, that was his monastery background but like the ore he had to be torn from his home to be completed. He had been discontent with his lot, all he wanted was to go back to the monastery but, like the ore, there was no going back, not in his present form. He needed to go through the fire to begin his purpose and he wondered what that fire would be.
Unless he were stricken down in his isolation his trial wouldn't come where he was, it was time to go out. He didn't care where he went, it was the going that was important, in tune with life, open to whatever comes. What came was a town, an inn and a woman. He'd been walking outside for nearly a month and saw a town in the distance, he decided it would be nice to rest inside for a night and headed for it. Near the edge of town was an inn and he went inside and found a table. A sad, pretty woman came and took his order and over his meal he couldn't help watching her. It wasn't her beauty that had his attention, for some reason her sadness touched him, he wondered how one so young and pretty could be so troubled. It was an odd thought, he knew the world can be a dark place for anyone, still, he couldn't stop watching. She noticed and grew uneasy under his gaze, when he ordered another drink she was fearful. When he finished his meal he got a room and went to bed, he slept deeply and woke early. Dawn was still a hint in the sky but he smelled food and went downstairs to see if he could get breakfast. On the way down he came across the woman from the night before sitting on the stairs weeping, he thought he should pass but stopped anyway.
She looked up at him, wondering what he wanted, clearly there was room for him to pass. He was looking down at her, not unkindly but there was a sharpness to his gaze that made her feel naked. He asked something but she couldn't understand his words, her grief was too loud. He asked again, "Do you need help?" She saw the markings in his forehead that said he was from the monastery, she pointed to the mountain where it sat, "Can you take me there?" She took the hand he offered her and Miya Heike left the Sakura Inn and the one she grieved for behind.
Excerpt from Shadow Stalkers by S.E.Estes
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Posted by RevrendZ - 4/22/2005 12:26:00 PM
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