Honor of the Ken, Part I (407 hits)
Category: NoneRating: 2 on 9 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by Anthony Locascio (View user info) at 2004-03-24 23:44:29 EST
Five hour candles had burned to their bases, and still the silent Hiruko sat meditating before the small Shinto shrine. His light was the only one still burning in his humble castle, the few servants having retired hours ago and his troop of soldiers, fresh-in from patrol, camping on the plains below. Next to him, wrapped in black leather, were his katana and wakizashi. He had been preparing for hours, but the next step, falling upon his own sword to disembowl himself, had not come. Instead he, had sat and meditated upon what he had done, only the smell of burning incense disturbing his five senses.
As the night drew on towards the witching hours, Hiruko slowly opened his eyes when a shuriken whistled out of the darkness above, snuffing the flame of the last burning candle.
"I would have thought you would have acted by now," came a voice from the darkness.
"How long have you been hiding?" Hiruko responded, not addressing the veiled accusation."
"Since you returned."
"Why do you hide, old friend. Come into the light where I can see you, Kazuya."
From the darkness in the rafters above, a dark, lithe form dropped, landing almost without sound. The garb of the figure was one that would have sent any fighting man scrambling - that of a ninja of the Sokyu clan. Hiruko was relieved to see that the ninja still had his weapons sheathed.
"Had the daimyo sent you to watch, or to act?"
"There is no need for me to act, Hiruko. The action is meant to be on your part."
"And yet you came to watch regardless."
"I cannot make a report on things that I have not seen."
"Then you did not see the starving women and children that I saw in place of the dangerous rebels I was sent to kill this morning."
"They are traitors. They have withheld tribute from their Lord."
"They are starving and cannot feed themselves. Shall they give their food away? Should I lend them my swords that they might have a quicker death?"
"That is not your decision!" Kazuya snapped. Hiruko let an eye drift to Kazuya's hands, which were inching slowly towards the hilts of the blades sheathed at his hip. "You have disobeyed the order of your Lord. He has given you the opportunity to die with honor. I will assist you, if needed."
"I have no shame to run from." Hiruko said, with more confidence than he felt. He suddenly wished he had kept his blades at his side. "I will not call sparing the innocent a cause for dishonor."
"You have no honor, Hiruko."
"I am not the one who must hide his face, old friend."
"Then you know that you must die, then? A traitor's death."
"If I die today, it will be with honor in my heart, if no one else's."
The two stood looking at each other for several seconds. Kazuya blinked, and in the instant that his blades came from their sheathes, Hiruko was diving for his swords.
User Reviews
Submitted by Jungle_Jimanee (user info) at 2005-05-06 10:33:41 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by Method (user info) at 2004-03-25 06:03:10 (#)
Ranking: 2
Good post, too bad it has been mostly passed over by everyone.
Submitted by creep_firebombing (user info) at 2004-03-27 10:14:20 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Oooh.
Submitted by StrangeDos (user info) at 2004-03-25 13:55:07 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Good post...definitely worth reading. Keep it up!
Submitted by Heimdallsman (user info) at 2004-03-25 10:57:56 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Wow, very good. I hope this continues.
--HeimdallsMan
Submitted by smokymtcsw (user info) at 2004-03-25 10:34:36 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Really good. I wondered what Ken did after he and Barbie broke up, I guess he became an awesome ninja.
Submitted by RideJohnnyRide (user info) at 2004-03-25 10:26:32 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Oh yeah and the ending was perfect.
Submitted by RideJohnnyRide (user info) at 2004-03-25 10:26:08 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
That was a neat first read in the mornign today.
Submitted by Method (user info) at 2004-03-25 06:03:10 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Good post, too bad it has been mostly passed over by everyone.
Submitted by maiorano84 (user info) at 2004-03-25 02:41:17 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
I liked this. Keep it up.