The red orangish tint of the sky hangs high over the trees and plains, two lines of soldiers facing each other with waves of men behind one another. I find myself staring into the eyes of my first prey, we will win this battle and that's not just optimism. This is the first battle in my life "The Defense of Owari". This battle decided the fate of my homeland once again I was thrown into the mix of turmoil, this battle was my rite of passage to becoming a man. Even now I have to find myself earning the old mans favor, I thought this time had long passed for fucks sake I'm forty years old! Going by this battle, that means I'm about fifteen years old. Taking a look down checking on my hands and arms, they seem much more thinner than what I'm use to but how is this possible. Time travel is impossible, this must be a joke by the gods I know I've corrupted my soul by my ambition but nobody deserves this torment. How long before I can reunite with my Shiho.
As much as I hate this feeling of uncertainty, I have to focus at the task at hand. Ill make myself useful and thrust myself into power as quickly as possible by my feats on the battlefield. As we stand at the ready, awaiting the call for war the signal that starts it all. I ready my Yari, as soon as father lifted up his war fan and aimed forward, "Charge first row of infantry!!!" He roars across the, and for a split second I hear my own voice from the command, I never realized how much the son is like the father. I charge head forward into the fray my ears ring with the war cry's from my fellow soldiers. I feel my whole body surge with power, with energy. using one hand to hold my Yari behind my back, I leap into the air moving in a circular motion, using one hand to spin with the Yari to bring it down knocking multiple soldiers back.
A few enemies approach me with their own Yari's and my own soldiers with me confront theirs. The sounds of blades clashing all across the battlefield. The soldier in front of me aims for my legs and I flip over them, and retaliate with a swing knocking him back. Pushing my offense even more, I put one hand on the back of my Yari and have another hand on the center while I palm strike multiple times into the Yari, making rapid thrusts into my enemy. Multiple holes open up across his body, blood spraying out from the holes made across his torso as he crumbles to the floor. After the first ones taken down, I look around and I see horse's collapsing and screeching as they are put down with spears and our soldiers being pushed back. I move up on the next soldier, with a swift strike to the neck decapitating him as his head rolls on the ground, a red shower sprays all over the troops. One by one were putting a end to these duels between soldiers and turning the tides to drive them back. I haven't had a battle like this in decades, these small numbers are easy to turn the tides.
I wipe my eyes the blood sprayed from my enemies, have blinded my vision. All I'm hoping for after this is a trip to the hot springs. I walk amongst the corpses of recently slain enemies, breathing hard and sharp, exhausted as I put my Yari into the ground breathing catching my breath. Looking around I see one horse in the tree line, It isn't Jizu but its a mount. Its got a golden color and its mane is blonde, and flows nicely, truly majestic. I climb onto of him seeing how he reacts, not a single ounce of rejection "Nicely done" the words escape my mouth as I pull my Yari up as I lead the horse forward. He gallops towards the enemy cavalry, I raise my blade and cut right through the nape of the horse sending the soldier crashing down. I wind up again knocking enemies off horseback. Akio is the name I bestow on this horse because of its bright color, Akio kicks two soldiers back knocking them unconscious. I forgot how hard the life of a soldier is these battles are tiring, much more than this young body can handle but its almost done.
My arm is throbbing like crazy all the clashes with blades and carrying it, has really put a strain on me, I miss the feeling of using a katana. As I gallop towards the enemies main camp, the bodies covered across the battlefield, crows pecking at the eyeballs of the decapitated. the way the eye ball pops out when he pulls it, disgusting creatures bottom feeders. My eyes are met with the soldiers invading the main camp. The flags I see, ahh yes the Shinjitai clan. The so called strongest of The Warring States. They got pushed back by such a small clan, one day I'll devour their clan, though they aim for the same goal, I cant stand their snobby higher ups, barely spend a day on the battlefield. They've grown weak, a false idea of peace, surrounded by predators and too ignorant to realize it. These thoughts fill my head as we make our stopping point and my father is currently in a duel with Kiba Shinjitai, The brother to the Daimyo of Shinjitai. "Your just a tool for the Ishiro clan, A fucking dog!!" Kiba screams at the top of his lungs swinging his Two-handed club smashing down onto my fathers Odachi. Father parries and pushes his club up, and swiftly delivers a three hit attack. One cut to his shoulder near his neck, then a jab to the ribs, and finally a cut on the other side of the ribs, in what seemed like a blur. You could've missed it if you blinked. "You expected to challenge the great warriors of Owari, when you yourself are just a angry child?!!" He exclaims ridiculing Kiba. Almost instantly, Kiba goes into a tantrum swinging his club like a toy sword, not phasing my father he just deflect the passing blows.
Running him out of steam, he deflects one final blow and my father leaps off his horse grabbing the off balance Kiba, slamming his face into the ground. The words muffled under my fathers palm, but it was pretty obvious it was nothing but curses. "This is over, maybe your brother will learn to never send a child to do a mans job, though I'm pretty sure my son could've won this battle." He says ridiculing Kiba one last time before moving his hand back and sliding the odachi across his throat severing his head clean off. He picks up the head showing everyone, that the battle is over "We are victorious" he roars and screams putting a end to my first battle in this timeline at least. My father looks around and catches me at the corner of his eyes and signals me to move forward which I do. "Wrap this up and collect the armor we have to send his armor and head back its tradition" He hands me the head and leaves, as the soldiers bring me a cloth. I wrap his head up the look in his eyes, you can tell his last moments were filled with regret, anger and sadness. Finishing that up and attaching it to Akio, along with the armor I ride back alone.
Later that night everyone was assembled in the main hall, most of everybody was cleaned except for me another rite of passage. I was bought to the front and forced to speak about my battle tales, thinking back in my life I never had kids, I had two adopted sons though but they never came to age. Orphans of war, and I was training them to be my tools of war, but at least they had a home and food to eat shouldn't have been all that bad. I wish they could have had a moment like this with me, despite my upbringings I treasure moments like these, they define who you are. I told my story, the multiple soldiers I killed, my father almost seemed impressed but of course he had to hide it, but then this happened like usual. "WAHAHAHAHA THATS MY BOY!!!" He said obnoxiously and loudly, he always did this when he started drinking, that's just how it is. He pushed a jar of saké in front of my face "Drink up, drink up son put some hair on your chest HAHAHA!!", I start chugging down the jar, usually it wouldn't be anything but this body of mine, isn't used to it now and everything feels humid almost instantly. My body becomes completely relaxed and I keep drinking and eventually everything seems to move slow. I remember I use to use liquor in combat before I became almost immune to the effects. "The Drunken Fist" I should practice that art again since I have to boost my immunity, from scratch. I stumble a bit walking over the unconscious bodies of our retainers. Accidentally bumping into a few of them making them groan "Grughhh" as I make my way to the back of the compound. The light of the stars and moon glare down on this steamy water, the condensed water in the air clearing my senses. I inhale taking in a deep breath.
I start shedding my armor, unclamping the straps on my armor, removing my gloves, and un wrapping my hakama off. Looking down at my torso, I'm much more skinnier than what I'm use to. As unsightly as it was for a daimyo, I do miss my belly, like a extra form of protection, now ill have to exert more energy into being nimble. I walk slowly into the hot springs, the warm water just melts the soul and I inhale once again sitting leaning against a rock. Looking up at the full moon and the light it gives off, a sudden realization comes to my mind, this is before I met Shiho. Suddenly dark thoughts begin to cross my mind. "What if I don't meet her this time around she could live a fulfilled life without it coming to a abrupt end." However that's just wishful thinking on my part, this is the warring states, people have died for less, I would know I've taken more than enough. "No matter how you look at it, you need to meet her, you know that don't you" The voice echoes into my mind, nobodies around, this isn't a physical voice its a internal debate with myself. "Yeah but how could I determine theres a way to protect her what if im destined to lose her, she could have a family and have sons, who will carry the next generation something we never had because of my ambition!!!" I scream internally with anger and frustration at the scenario I found myself in. "You don't know if you could or not, and even if you didn't have all those things, whos to say she wasn't the happiest when she was with you, there's always a way you cant let your anger dictate your future, she was your best friend, you can already compare your life with and without her, which world feels better to live in the one with or without her?" He explains like a calming older brother, these internal debates, to see both sides of a spectrum, one of the many traits a daimyo needs.
The waters from the hot spring, soothes the pain from the cuts and scratches I received, I take my hair tie off before dipping my head into the water. I arise with my jet black hair, with a couple white strands going through it, I was always told I got this hair oddity from my mother. People from her clan always had white hair at a early age but even with that mine is far passed the normal. My hair clings to my face soaked wet and I sweep it back it hangs down my shoulder's, I walk forward getting up out the hot spring, the water on my body drips off. I walk back into the compound, my family's estate. The hall leading towards the hot spring is usually closed off from there, the sliding doors, and wooden floors are quiet. Everyone must be asleep, I make my way to my own bed chambers, the armor of my grandfather resides in my hallway. He started the Oda clan, with a few pals of his, they were mainly bandits who looked out for their village until they were forced to become something more. Back before the Oda clan was even a thought, people from all over the warring states were trying to establish their rule. My grandfather and his families were just a bunch of farmers, and hunters, they were being oppressed by the Kunabi clan. My Grandfather Rarojin Oda wouldn't stand for it, he raised a army of peasants, and taught them his own marital arts, this fighting technique, is one he created using the motions of farming, hunting, and sacred dances. My father believed that the techniques of Rarojin were considered weak and that was only meant for combat among peasants. But how I see it is that it was a style for the people and not lords, lords cant protect everyone, sometimes you have to protect yourself. Rarojin pushed the corrupted lords out of this land, to free his loved ones from being overtaxed, to stop his friends daughters from being taken forcefully as wives, and to stop their mothers from being used as concubines and being taken advantage of. Champion of the people that's exactly who I wanted to be but unlike myself, my grandfather never had to get his hands dirty, never had to corrupt them for the better future. That's enough story time, I wasn't even there for it that's just what I know from the story passed on from my old man. My eyes begin to weigh heavy as I walk into my room I'm greeted with a mirror, another gift from the foreigners. I look into the mirror and see my own reflection, Ruby red eyes, Pale skin, broad jaw and chin, and damn I really blame my father for this big nose, kind of looks broken even though its not, before I had wrinkles and facial hair everywhere. I never believed I'd see my face all smooth again. I turn away from the mirror and look at my futon, and I immediately fall onto it closing my eyes instantly falling asleep.