Dear Diary, a condensed historical account: "Live By The Sword"

Dear Diary - Live By The Sword

    Chiaki Bushido was born in Fukuoka in the Kyushu region of the southern island of Japan. She was born to a rather humble, yet not poor family. Steeped in tradition yet never lost to the past, Chiaki grew up like most youg Japanese girls, surrounded by media and technology as well as an extended family. Only there were two things that made her different.

    One was that she happened to be born into a very old family of Samurai. Since the beginning of time, or at least as far back as the family kept track, the young boys in the family were trained as full Samurai and the girls were given lighter training as well. The training went on even into the modern age because it contained very rare and valuable skills that could not be allowed to disappear into history.

    The second was that she was born an only child to another only child. Her grandfather and grandmother had only her father, who was trained as a Samurai. Chiaki was born before her mother survived uterine cancer and was no longer able to bear children. Therefore to prevent the loss of valuable Samurai skills, her father and grandfather together decided to give a girl the full training regimen, something that had never been done before in the history of the family.

    Since the Meiji era most Samurai trained in secret. At first out of necessity, because Samurai were considered undesirable and anarchistic, going against the flow of Japan's slow move toward institution and government. But the secrecy continued, because after many of the Samurai families died out or lost their skills to time, the Samurai art became something of legend, something the average person didn't believe in.

    So Chiaki trained every day before and after school. At first she was left exhausted as she was started on physical training to make her more fit, to make her body and mind work as one. She went to school bruised, and at some point the school officials contacted her parents. They assured her that Chiaki was undergoing martial arts training, but they didn't specify which kind. To avoid more suspicion, Chiaki was forced to take Karate classes in school as well. That made her more exhausted yet helped build her strength.

    On her twelfth birthday Chiaki was issued wooden sword. With that she would practice - at first with a dull blade, striking objects, trying to exhert her will through that stick. And when she became accomplished with it she would be permitted to sharpen the blade. It is said that once she mastered a wooden blade a steel one would be an easy transition.

    Around that time Chiaki became driven to succeed. Her father encouraged her, never said an unkind word to her as she trained. He didn't have to, because at age twelve Chiaki watched her grandfather descend into gradual, horrible senility. The once strong and proud old man weakened with every day, and his memory faded. By the time she was fourteen a nurse had to be hired to care for him.

    It was during those two years that her grandfather's words struck her heart. That the way of the Samurai was hers, and it must never be lost. As she watched his mind deteriorate she began to understand why - because life was too fragile, and because time was the most cruel enemy of all.

    Even more cruel than the schools she went to. As she got older, as was traditional in Japan, she began testing into better and better schools. These schools were very competitive, both mentally and physically, and she was grateful for the discipline her earlier training had given her.

    By her mid-teens Chiaki began to see things clearly. Things about herself, and about life. Her grandfather finally passed away when she was fifteen, and she was sad up until she realized how merciful death was when it finally came to him after his slow and painful decline. For the first time in her life she realized that sometimes death could be a release, and was nothing to fear. But also that those who were still full of life needed protection from death.

    And that's how she began to see herself - as a protector. Death could come much too easily to anyone. There were too many people in the world who treated death casually. It was her responsibility as Samurai to try and protect those who wanted to live from those who played with death.

    It was that realization that earned Chiaki her own custom made steel sword, and she still has it to this day. Branded with the image of a lion at the base of the blade, and her name written in fancy Chinese characters on the lion's side. The fabric wrap of the handle and the tie in the center both tinted a deep purple, a color she selected herself at twelve years of age. The sheath too was selected at age twelve, and was pitch black.

    Since then she commissioned two more swords on her own. She mostly uses those two now, having retired her first as something very personal and protected like someone might protect a family heirloom. One of the two newer swords is hardly used, is ceremonial, and is very ornate with golden designs printed on the side of the sheath a golden blade guard, and a much more exaggerated length. The other she carries daily, and it mimics her original sword except is a slightly different design.

    At age eighteen she graduated from school and was immediately given a full University scholarship from a most unlikely source - a foreign company in Paradopolis offered to pay fully for her education at the University of Toyko. The scholarship only had two catches - she had to take certain courses in Business, and she had to learn functional English. She also was told that her room and board would be taken care of, and she'd be given an allowance.

    Naturally, she thought of that as a great opportunity - going to Tokyo, considered the New York City of Japan. Living for free, studying at her own pace, and learning. She said a tearful goodbye to her parents, packed a few things, including her sword, and took the Bullet Train North.

    When she arrived she was met by a company liaison, who seemed to be a rather shady character in a suit. She dismissed that thought quickly when he took her to her own furnished luxury apartment high above Tokyo. The view was beautiful! She was also given a car to take to University, and a number she could call if she ever was in difficulty.

    Chiaki called her parents every week while she attended University. They were always happy to hear from her. She visited them during holidays and during Spring and Summer break. Both while in Toyko and at home she continued training.

    She took her time with her education, unknowingly running a fairly large tab against the scholarship - yet her benefactors never complained once. She still got her allowance and was allowed a fairly liesurely life. She fell in love once, and had a two-month long fling with a fellow student before having her heart broken. Even so it was nice to feel free.

    Eventually she graduated, and it was only then she learned the nature of her mysterious benefactor. Akiko Masamune, the owner of the foreign corporation which sponsored her, came personally to Tokyo to meet Chiaki after her graduation.

    Akiko congratulated Chiaki, and then praised her for having saved all of the allowances she'd been given instead of frivolously spending it. She asked Chiaki about her childhood, her parents, her sword, and seemed genuinely interested. Akiko didn't even laugh when Chiaki admitted she'd been trained as Samurai. In fact, she seemed even more interested.

    That's when Chiaki learned the biggest catch to her windfall education. Akiko expected to contract her as an associate for a time equivelent to the money she had paid to educate and house Chiaki. And since Chiaki was educated both in business and as Samurai, she expected Chiaki to behave both as a bodyguard and a business associate.

    Chiaki was frightened at first, but Akiko seemed fairly practiced at breaking in someone new. She brought Chiaki to her Tokyo office at first, and Chiaki was informed that Akiko would remain at that office until Chiaki managed to get settled in and learn her role properly. After that, Akiko told her, they would travel far away to Paradopolis where the job would get more complicated and dangerous.

    It was only weeks into the new job that Chiaki Bushido earned the nickname 'Psychic Samurai'. Akiko pinned that name on her after several incidents where Chiaki would accurately predict actions Akiko's rivals would take. Chiaki insisted that it was only common sense and logic, but Akiko claimed it was something a bit more than that.

    The name stuck after Akiko was impressed at Chiaki's success stopping an assassination attempt - without a single death taking place. Akiko was in the midst of a meeting with a rival who had two bodyguards with him. As the rival spoke, Chiaki noticed a very subtle change in the way the two guards were behaving, and she leapt into action and struck them both unconcious before they even moved. Their boss quickly fled.

    For a brief time Chiaki was doing so well at Akiko's Tokyo office, she was convinced she would stay. Especially after her first screw-up was caught by Akiko and she was reprimanded privately in her office. Chiaki was immediately struck by the beauty of one of Akiko's top enforcers, and began dating him privately. Akiko strictly forbade that, however, and put an end to it quickly. The man was sent away to one of Akiko's other offices and Chiaki never saw him again.

    That slip-up prompted Akiko to take Chiaki to Paradopolis where her fastest growing businesses existed. It was both to force Chiaki to prove herself, and at the same time to put her in an unfamiliar enough place so Chiaki wouldn't be tempted to interact with people too much.

    But while Chiaki was uneasy at first, she seemed to adapt quickly enough. Her polite, quiet disposition and her tendency to adapt quickly aided her immensely. Meditation and training gave her a place, at least in her mind, where she could still be at home wherever she was. She impressed both herself and Akiko with her adaptability.

    She worked for Akiko for nearly two years before she managed to save Akiko enough money, enough grief, and enough attempts on her life, to consider Chiaki's debt paid. One morning she told Chiaki that she hopes to still work with her sometimes as a friend but she was no longer obligated.

    By that point, Chiaki had become friends with Akiko. They no longer treated each other formally, and Akiko had come to respect Chiaki's keep sense of morality. Chiaki and Akiko's organization had become something of a big family. And since she saved and invested nearly every penny she got from Akiko, she had enough to live comfortably even if she never worked again. And she knew she could keep it in good conscience knowing she never killed to earn that money.

    Eventually she managed to meet the Lair Legion, who seemed both impressed by her demeanor and a little spooked by it as well. Her cryptic nature attracted Hatman and led to an affair which burned brightly but burned out quickly. The two remain friends.

    To this day Chiaki has the amazing talent of having two near enemies, Akiko Masamune and the Lair Legion, both know they can depend on and trust her.

-- Story written and copyrighted (C) 2006 by Jason Froikin, and may not be
-- reprinted without permission.
-- Yuki Shiro designed by Jason Froikin, based on designs by Masamune Shirow
-- Liu Xi Xian and the Psychic Samurai are original design by Jason Froikin
-- Lara Night is an original creation by Jason Froikin

Post By Anime Jason Mon Sep 25, 2006 at 04:27:35 pm EDT	Subject Dear Diary, a condensed historical account: "Live By The Sword"

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