Prologue
Long ago, in the Edo Era, there was a samurai who killed thousands of people. He never stopped killing people. So many challengers have been taken down by him. He was compared to a wild animal, and later on, that wild animal became a Tiger.
Chapter 1
"Another boring day"
Said by the Tiger who is now sitting in a nearby tree. No one has challenged him since the time he was called "Tiger" so for a warfreak like him, he was bored to death.
He was always resting in this tree, after a battle, but today, he is resting because of boredom. He tried to ease his boredom. He tried to catch a fish in the nearby river, he tried to climb mountains, and he tried swim to the river. It was enjoyable for him, but nothing can replace the enjoyment of fighting, for him at least.
A week has passed since that day, and he was called by Tokugawa Iehyasu, the most powerful and influencial man in Japan at the Edo Era. Tiger is confused, why is a man like him, be called by Tokugawa Iehyasu?
Regardless, he still came despite his question. He was hoping that it was going to become a way to kill his boredom.
After a journey, he finally arrived in front of Tokugawa Iehyasu.
"May I ask what you need from me?"
Asked politely by Tiger.
"So your Tiger huh? Your body is thin and your arms are not toned, you don't look like a warrior to me."
That sentence fused a fire on Tiger's anger, he even forgotten that he was talking to the most powerful man in the country.
"Then, do you want me to prove it to you!? Bring your strongest warrior here, and I will defeat him!"
Tokugawa's servants are all shouting,
"Such insolence! Know your place fool!
But Tokugawa made them stop, and he spoke:
"I give you permission, but... you'll be fighting to the death, and no one will stop unless your opponent is dead."
Tiger smirked and shouted with confidence:
"Fine by me!"
+++++
After a minute, they released their strongest warrior. He is wearing a black kimono and a white hakama and has a large body build, you can tell at a glance that he is a warrior.
While Tiger on the other hand, has a yellow kimono and a green hakama, a coal black hair tied with a rubber band. His bodybuild are average, and his arms are thin. He is more fitting as a civillian than a warrior.
The two didn't talk and let their swords do the talking.
"All Right! Fight!"
The moment they hear the signal, the two unsheated their katana's. The warrior's katana is a typical katana you can see everywhere while Tiger's katana has chips all over it. You can hardly call it a sword.
Tiger rushed in to the warrior and was about to slash him in the belly but the warrior saw it and reflexively blocked it. The moment the warrior blocked Tiger's attack, he used his sword as a catapult to make him jump high.
He wasted no other time and shouted:
"The First Soul Seal! Dead Calm!"
The moment he landed, he slowly slashed the warrior's neck and severed it's head, and that ended the fight. The audience was shocked by the move Tiger made.
"Amazing! You defeated our strongest warrior! Therefore, you have proved yourself strong enough!"
"I have proved that I'm a strong warrior, so could you now say your intentions, My Liege"
Tiger stared Tokugawa Iehyasu with eyes full of bloodlust. His guards sensed Tiger's bloodlust but too scared to act.
"Okay, I asked you to come here to fulfill a request of mine."
Tiger just gave a heavy sigh and thought along the lines of:
"It better be worth my time."
"I want you to kill someone."
+++++
"Assasination Job huh? Never got this kind of job for a long time"
Tiger was asked to assassinate Tokugawa's former bodyguard. No one knows his name, so everyone gave him a nickname just like Tiger. He was known for the name of Kakuju.
Tiger was asked to go to Kyoto, because he was last seen there. He was escorted by a driver as of now. Tiger is just sitting at the back seat, staring at the scenery while the carriage moves.
The driver is too scared to have a conversation with him so time passed for Tiger with nothing better to do. In the carriage, he is just going to sit. He can't do the things he used to do if he is bored, like fishing at the lake, climbing the mountains and swimming through the river.
Despite all that, Tiger reached Kyoto without any problems.
"Now, time to do my job. I still don't know the reason for giving me this job, but work comes first, I'm going to ask that later!"
He searched Kyoto all-day but found nothing and just wasted his efforts. He spent all-day searching for his prey, because of that, he didn't notice that it's already nighttime.
"Oh well, I'm just going to search again tommorow."
Tokugawa Iehyasu already reserved a room for Tiger, so he doesn't have anything to worry about. It was in a secluded inn no one knows. He slided the door to open it but... the moment he opened the door, a sea of blood is in front of him.
All the staff, guests, and everyone was killed. Tiger closed the door again and mumbled:
"Looks like I have to stay in a different inn tonight."
"Oh no, You don't!"
Suddenly, a rope with a blade attached was thrown to him. He dodged it by jumping at the left.
"Anyone who was associated by Tokugawa Iehyasu should be killed, after I kill all of his subordinates, I'm going to kill him myself!"
The rope was pulled back by a man sitting in the top of a tree. The man has a short brown hair and wearing a white hakama, that is now stained by blood, he's also topless.
"It seems you killed all of the staff and guests in this inn, huh?"
"Yeah! This inn was supposed to be Tokugawa's property! So I killed them!"
Tiger and the man just stared at each other with eyes full of bloodlust.
"Say, are you Kakuju?"
"Huh? I was known at that name."
Tiger smirked and thought to himself:
"Then, there's no reason to hold back!"
Tiger jumped through the tree and immediately attempted to slash Kakuju. Kakuju dodged it by intentionally falling.
The moment Kakuju landed at the ground, he threw the rope to Tiger. Tiger can't dodge it since he just landed an attack so he blocked it with his sword, and the rope was sent flying at the back.
Tiger jumped down and slashed the body of Kakuju.
"Tsk! Too shallow! Still not enough!"
Kakuju smirked and shouted:
"Come Back!"
Kakuju pulled the rope and came back. Tiger didn't saw it coming so he was stabbed in the abdomen by the blade in the rope.
The wound is deep and there's no way he can still win the fight in his state. So he just lay in the ground, unable to do anything.
"Is this it? Am I going to die? I'm too naive, aren't I?"
Tiger is just lying in the ground and breathing heavily, unable to do anything because of the wound he took.
"Hey, kill me already."
"I'm going to do it, even if you don't tell me."
Kakuju pointed the blade at Tiger's neck
"Then, goodbye."
The moment Kakuju said that, Tiger lost consciousness due to blood loss.
+++++
"What is this bright light? Is this heaven? I'm still going to heaven even though I'm a murderer? God is very generous if it's like that."
"Hey, so your awake?"
"Ehhhh?"
Someone talked to Tiger despite him being a murderer is already surprising enough, so he just let out an "ehhh?"
"Miss... Is this heaven?"
"What are you talking about? Did you also hit your head? This is the hospital"
The one talking to Tiger is just a plain, ordinary young nurse, nothing more. But Tiger was too shocked in the nurse's outfit.
He looked at his surroundings to see if it's really a hospital, and just talking to himself.
"There are patients, all right, but... What the hell is that bright light!? That mysterious outfit!? And that thing where the patients are lying down!? It's supposed to be a tatami mat!"
Tiger was already creeped out by what's happening here. Strange things are what he's seeing.
"Miss, one last question, where is this hospital located?"
"The Capital Of Japan, Tokyo."
That sentence fused a fire on Tiger's head.
"What are you saying?! The Capital Of Japan is Yokohama"
"Huh? It's already so long ago! Do you live at the Edo Era!"
"Yeah! I lived at the Edo Era!"
Tiger's shouting took all of the patient's attention. It's only natural, he is shouting in a hospital.
"Then, Miss, if it's not Edo Era, then what period is it already?"
Tiger asked the nurse with a question he has confidence.
"If your asking for the date, it's March,5, 2019."
"2019? It's supposed to be 1867, right?"
Cold Sweat are dripping from Tiger's body. He don't know where is he, so it's only natural. Because of the shock, he didn't move even a finger from what happened.
"It seems your physically okay but your mentally unstable. Your identity is a mystery too. You don't have any birth certificate or any ID on you, so we don't have a way to contact your relatives."
Tiger just touched his stomach and the wound that almost killed him is still there, but it's covered with bandages.
"Do you know any of your relatives, so we can contact them?"
"Relatives? Then, do you know Kanzai Hokuto?"
The only person who came to Tiger's mind when a relative was mentioned, is his master, Kanzai Hokuto. But Tiger even doubt that he was here, not in this very unfamiliar world.
"If your looking for Hokuto Kanzai, then isn't he the one who is sitting next to you?"
Tiger looked beside him and saw an old man reading a book, that Tiger don't even know.
"Wait! Master Kanzai! Your here!?"
Tiger looked at his surroundings earlier but he didn't found him, so that's strange.
"Good grief, what a disciple you are, should we have a talk on the rooftop?"
Tiger just nodded.
+++++
Mixed feelings are what Tiger's feeling right now, as they climb the stairs to the roof. He's feeling nostalgia because he didn't saw his Master in a long time, a sense of relieve because he saw someone normal and curiousity, because he don't know why his master ended up here.
In no time, they reached the rooftop.
"Master Kanzai, would you mind explaining it to me? Please start from the beginning!"
"Good grief, are you a monkey? Don't shout, will you? How do I begin?"
With that, Tiger's master answered all of his question.
Apparently, Tiger is in the future, 250 years from the year he came from. Tiger didn't believed it at the start but after seeing the evidences, he later believed the explanation.
"I get the part that I'm in the future, then, why am I here? What caused this?"
"I don't know, before I knew it, I'm here already. I spended 5 years here already. At first, I want to go back, but later on, I thought that... maybe I should not go back after all."
"Why?!"
"You'll realized it soon enough."
Tiger can't understand his Master's way of thinking. Why? He don't want his home anymore? I can't think of a reason.
"Do you even know what trouble you caused for me, you problem child!? While I'm taking a stroll in the streets you suddenly appeared in the sky and slammed me! Everyone thought that you fell from a building!"
"So that's what happened, huh?"
After that, the two just laughed it off and forgotten that incident. From a third person perspective, they just like a grandpa and his grandson, having fun together.
+++++
"Then, Master Kanzai! Where is my Tiger Saber?"
"The Hospital confiscated it, deadly weapon are forbidden in this era."
Tiger just showed a sour face and couldn't move an inch. And his Master Kanzai, looked at Tiger, confusedly.
"You can take it back, sooner or later, it's just a short floppy knife after all. Why are you wielding a knife like that in the first place?"
"Knife?"
Tiger was triggered by the words of his master. He can't take an insult to a sword where he put his blood and sweat in making it. Also, he's a good blacksmith, but because he's a murderer, he has no costumer, so he just made the sword for himself.
"Master! Don't insult my katana! I put my all into making it, you know!?"
"If you don't believe it, see it for yourself! Were going to be discharged someday, so..."
Before he knew it, Tiger just disappeared beside him. It seems he have gone to find his sword.
Meanwhile, Tiger was asking everybody and any human he sees if they saw a katana with chips all over it. The people he asked was all confused but they assumed that it must be some kind of props to a play. Tiger continued to ask until he found himself asking to a security guard.
"I don't know a katana with chips in the blade but I knew a knife with chips."
The guard disappeared for a minute, then brought a knife with chips with him.
"Is this yours?"
Tiger checked the knife's handle and saw his sculpted name on it. That's why Tiger gloomily answered that this knife is his.
"So... do you want it back? It's not a deadly weapon because it's so floppy and not hard enough to kill, but... you need to wait until you get discharged to retrieve this!"
So... Tiger went back on the rooftop gloomily and almost going to cry. After he get back, he found his master eating potato chips.
"So how did it go?"
Tiger told his master all that happened while he's searching for the Tiger Saber and his grandpa is right, that his sword became a knife and a floppy knife at that.
"Why did it became like that?"
"Say, My Disciple, Are you using Soul Seals?"
Tiger looked at his Master full of shock, as if saying, are you a fortune-teller?!
"Yeah, but how it is related on my sword?"
"When I was transported here, my strength was depleted and I can't fight normally. I fought with a sword but I don't use Soul Seal on my sword, but on my body, so when I was transported here, I became weak, so my theory is..."
"your Soul Seals will escape, huh?"
Tiger continued his Master's speech. Tiger thought for 5 minutes and silence enveloped the whole rooftop.
"Master, I need to retrieve the Soul Seal's to get my sword back right?"
"That would be correct, but... it will not be easy."
"It's okay! I will never back down!"
Another silence enveloped the room but this time, it was mixed with determination and resolve.
"Then, to retrieve a Soul Seal, you need to solve problems, and do Odd Jobs."
Tiger was lost for words, how does doing Odd Jobs will take back the Soul Seals?
"Listen well, Soul Seals are needed to be attached to an object, and that object will be the catalyst for the Soul Seals to activate. It can be anything, a human, animal, things or even plants. In my case, I attached the Soul Seals into my body, so the moment I came here, I became weak and unable to fight."
"So that's why."
"I will continue, your sword is different, you attached the Soul Seals on your sword right? So the moment you came here, your sword became floppy and short, unable to wield power."
Tiger understands the situation now. But "how is it related to doing Odd Jobs?" are what Tiger's line of thought now.
"Sorry for the pause, I will continue again. When I tried to stroll in this world, my body reacted to something, I saw a girl walking around the park, it was a little girl. But the moment I saw her, I knew from the very start that she has one of my Soul Seals, so I tried to talk to her. After that day, the little girl are always going to the park to meet me, and after a month of talking to each other, she said something about her family, she said that her parents are always fighting, that makes her sad. I tried to cheer her up but her mother came to get her daughter already. I saw the little girl's sad face and reflexively lectured the mother. I know that I shouldn't be meddling with someone's family circumstances, but I can't just leave the little girl. A month has passed since then, and I saw the little girl's smile early in the morning, she said that her parents just decided to stop fighting and she was very happy. The moment she said that, I felt the Soul Seal came back to me. After that day, the little girl never showed up again. End of story!"
Tiger paused for a minute to process his line of thought and came to a conclusion that his master's story is "ridiculously long!"
"Do you want me to continue? My Disciple, for a conclusion, the moment the Soul Seals escaped, they're going straight for a human. In our time, Soul Seals can be extracted from a human if you kill them, but doing that in here is out of the question."
"Why is that?"
Master Kanzai shivered for a moment and unable to utter a word, so this is a symbol to Tiger that there is something terrifying will happen if you kill them.
"Because... in this world... if you kill someone... you will face a certain organization called The Japanese Self Defense Force, they will fire you a cannon that 3× stronger than our cannon and it was called bazooka, they will also cage you to a box called "prison" like a bird!"
In reality, you will only be caged, JSDF will not waste their time on someone like a prisoner, the Master just watched a drama, so he learned that things. But it greatly affected Tiger and caused him to get terrified as well.
"So do you understand now? You can't kill humans in this world. So my method is much practical! My theory is humans who has Soul Seals on them, has a depression along with it, and to extract the Soul Seal, you need to... clear the depression and the Soul Seal will be extracted by itself!"
Tiger just let out a "Woooh!" sound and didn't moved a finger. So he let his master to continue:
"Then, your last question, how to go back? I don't have an idea! But for now, collect the Soul Seals."
Tiger just nodded in return and lately spoke:
"Then, master, how many Soul Seals have you collected since then?"
"Nothing, I only got one, that's all."
"Forget I asked"
+++++
With that, Tiger spent his days on the hospital, while reading books that his Master lent to him, to learn about the Modern World, and after 2 weeks... Tiger has been discharged in the hospital!
After retrieving the Tiger Saber, Tiger is the first who have gone outside to see the world. He only saw buildings on the rooftop, after all.
He saw trains, buildings, so many people and establishments. Master Kanzai let his disciple to live in his house. While in the way to the house, Tiger was shouting all over, and the people thought that he just came from a province.
"What's with this outfit, anyway?"
"My Disciple, it's called Jeans and a T-shirt."
Tiger was not used to move around in those clothes, and he is much used to kimono and hakama, but he still wore the jeans, because he didn't even have a kimono and a hakama!
"Here we go, my house, it's a bit small, though"
Master Kanzai's house is a traditional one, so Tiger is not out of place there. In that day, Tiger just watched TV, and read books. In short, he just have fun. Tomorrow has came:
"Master! This world is so convenient! No wonder you don't want to go back!"
"It's just one of the reason, but I have a real reason, why I don't want to go back."
Tiger just sat in the tatami mat, and thought for an answer but left it because he will know sooner or later.
"My Disciple, how old are you?"
"16 years old, why ask?"
Tiger was surprised for his Master's sudden question, but he saw his Master's sparkle in his eyes.
"Then, you can still do it!"
Tiger felt an energetic vibe coming from his master, a really strong and bright aura that similar to looking to the sun.
"You can still go to an establishment, called "high school". Basically, it's just a school, but not for kids, it's a school made for people 16-18 years old!"
"Why do I have to go to school anyway? I already learnt a lot from your school and dojo."
"My Disciple, you don't understand! In this era, pen is mightier than the sword! If you don't have knowledge, you will not survive! Things like swordfighting are just entertainment here!"
The moment Tiger heard that word, it stabbed a blade in it's heart. Tiger can't accept the fact that the sword mastery he put his soul into learning are just a kind of entertainment.
It's true though, kendo and other swordfighting styles are just a kind of sport and entertainment this days. Because of the shock, Tiger couldn't utter a word, so his master continued his speech.
"Going to high school will make it easier for you. No one knows when we're going to go back, so it's better to be practical in this world. If your going to find your Soul Seals, it raises your reason to go to high school. Majority of youth are going in high school. I don't have proof, but I think Soul Seals will go to young people. So what is your decision?"
Tiger just bowed his head and spoke his words:
"Allow me... to think about it."
"Your free to do it."
After that, Tiger went outside to stroll around and think. Tiger walked and walked unconsciously, because his mind is working, he doesn't have a grasps on his surroundings. In other words, he is daydreaming.
He was walking silently until he encountered a sparkling riverside and it was surrounded by grasslands. He didn't mind it much, because there's so many riversides in his era. But suddenly, his sword known as Tiger Saber started vibrating.
Tiger grabbed his sword and tried to stop it but... he suddenly felt a strong and eminence aura. He was shocked by what he's feeling right now. This feeling... is a... Soul Seal!
+++++
He looked around, trying to track the Soul Seal he felt not too long ago. He took a glance in the riverside and saw a black silky hair. It was a hair of a lady, and it was sitting beside the river.
When Tiger closed the distance, he saw more clearly. It seems that the girl with black hair is staring at a canvas.
Tiger knew that the girl that is staring at the canvas, is the one who holds one of his Soul Seals!
"Calm down, she is my first target. What would I do? Do I retreat and come back with a better plan? or take the chance right now? There's no guarantee that I will see her again tomorrow, so... taking this chance is the best!"
Tiger approached the girl and he made it with point blank range.
"Then, how do you talk to a girl again? I spent all my time fighting, so I didn't married anyone, even though I am in the age where I can marry. Regardless, I need to talk!"
The girl didn't saw Tiger as he looked for a topic that they can talk about.
"I need to start a conversation! It can be anything!"
After that, the girl saw Tiger's fidgeting and asked:
"Umm, how can I help you?"
Tiger finally saw the girl's face. The girl has a cute face, a white pale skin and clear sky blue eyes. Her hair and her face are in par with each other. Tiger was in the verge of panicking when he saw the canvas, she was staring earlier.
He was amazed by the painting in the canvas that he can see. It was a painting of the riverside and the grassland they're currently stepping on.
"That's a beautiful painting, isn't it?"
Tiger just uttered the words the moment he saw the painting.
"Really? People used to say that to me."
"Used?"
"Nevermind that"
The girl just let out a chuckle but Tiger did not.
"Hah, I need to go now, mister, see you again."
"Hey, I'm not a mister, I'm just 16 years old."
The girl was amazed, when Tiger said that, and immediately apologized to Tiger. Then, the girl attempted to run and it seems she was in a hurry. Tiger didn't do anything to stop her.
+++++
Tiger got back on his master's house and the moment his foot set on the floor his head suddenly felt a slam from some kind of paper fan.
"You moron! Don't go out on your own! What if you got lost!?"
"I have a good sense of direction, so I'm okay!"
After that, Tiger told his master all that happened and asked for advice.
"I'm not saying that you took the wrong flag, because I only solved a problem of a little girl, and I don't have any experience in teenagers, sorry, my disciple, I can't help you."
"It's okay, I'm expecting that response."
Tiger just wished for the girl to come again in the grasslands. Tomorrow came on Tiger, and he woke up, and spent his time thinking about the girl who was staring to the painting.
"Why would a girl stare at a painting that much? I can't answer this question, I need more clues!"
He immediately opened the door, wore his so called shoes and gone out to the grasslands. He ran and ran as fast as he could, and so fast that the eye couldn't see, he's the legendary samurai after all.
After some running, he reached the grasslands, and saw the same girl he saw yesterday.
"I came here again without plan, as expected of me."
He approached the girl again like yesterday, but today was different. He was determined to engage to a conversation.
"Yo, how cha doin?"
"..."
The girl didn't replied to him, that caused Tiger to have chills. He saw some guys do it yesterday, so he thought that it was the way of greeting in this world. Tiger's face became red due to embarrassment, but endured it for a while.
"I am fine, chow!"
Tiger was froze for a moment there. The girl just got along with Tiger's way of greeting, so Tiger won't get embarrassed.
"What are ya doin?"
"I'm staring at my painting, chow."
The two talked with that accent for a while, but later on, they grew tired of it and talked in a normal way.
"Umm, why are you staring at your painting?"
"...."
The girl didn't answered Tiger's questions and just let out a "mm mm" sound. Tiger didn't talked too, and after a while the girl finally talked.
"Because... this is the only thing that I can do. I can't paint anymore, so... staring at my painting is the only thing that I can do."
Tiger just stared the girl and listening to her stories.
"Then, why can't you paint anymore?"
"Secret. You need to be my friend first! Saying the reason is confidential, you have to be my friend first!"
Tiger thought to himself for a while and while smiling, he gave an ,answer.
"If your going to be my friend, then, your the first friend I had in my life."
The girl just stared Tiger for a while and said while tears coming out from her eyes.
"Me too, your my first friend!"
Tiger dedicated himself in fighting and learning swordfighting so he don't have any time playing with kids around his age. He didn't made a single friend in his time, but he made so many enemies.
"Why is that? You don't have any friends, too?"
"I focused solely on painting, so... I didn't made any friends, they're always saying that I'm arrogant or something."
For the first time in Tiger's life, he faced a people with the same reason he can't make friends. Deep inside Tiger, he's actually glad to have made a friend.
"Then, since were friends, how about I know your name?"
Suggested by Tiger while smiling mildly.
"That's right, my name is Hideko Shiori, nice to meet you!"
"Nice to meet you too, My name is..."
Tiger don't know how should he introduce himself, he was known for the name Tiger, for the longest time that he even forgot his own name. So he tried to dig his memories to remember his own name. He searched his brain, finding answers, trying to remember every last event that has happened to him.
He saw a woman, embracing a baby and singing a lullaby for the baby.
"Wait, is this me? There's no way, right? I can't even remember my mom or dad, so why can I see her?"
After the woman finished the lullaby, she soon said something:
""Are you asleep now? Kazuya."
At that moment, he remembered his own name, and that was...
"Huh? Is there something wrong?
"Sorry for the delay, Hideko, my name is... Kazuya Satoru."
END OF CHAPTER 1