Hakuji
“Don’t be fooled, I am No Hero..”
“Come now child, you can stand there all day and you will find nothing.” Words he would often hear most as a child. Back when he would awake early every morning within the estate and stand at the end of the path that led out into the thick brush of the woods just at the end of the mountains. He would stand there for hours silently watching and waiting for his father to return home. He would leave for days to hunt for the family and return only when they had a large supply of meat to last them through the winter. He always opted to accompany him but his father insisted that he was too young. That his place was with the rest of the women in their family while he was away to protect them. Of course in the mind of a naive child he assumed that one day his father would take him with. Maybe just maybe if he had been persistent enough then perhaps one day he would take Akito to see the world around them.
He would wake up every morning long before his mother and sister stirred and stand for hours on end in the same spot. His feet would ache, his legs would tremble, and his body would grow tired but he never moved. Not unless he was summoned by his mother of course. But for hours he would stand in that same spot at the end of the path and wait for his father to return. Hoping that he would so Akito could travel some day beside him.
However, as the days turned into weeks, months, and even years Akito found that his father returned only when he could and not when he dearly desired for him to. The rare visits he of course brought numerous gifts for Akito and his sisters in hopes that it would please Akito. He cared very little for the gifts he brought him; grateful as he was, he really only wanted his presence. He wanted to sit with him for hours on end and tell him all about the wonders of the village, and how he would travel every day to the highest peaks he could. How he enjoyed lying in beds of grass staring up at the sky and it’s fluffy white clouds trying to decipher shapes and the like. But most importantly how he wished he could accompany him some day.
His hopes and desires of course were met with the same response he usually received, silence and a stern no. His father was never one to speak, well nowhere near as much and often as Akito anyways. And by the end of the day or the very next morning he was gone. It was a constant cycle and over time it became incredibly exhausting. He was beginning to become discouraged and it appeared that it wasn’t long before his mother took notice. Deciding that it would be in Akito’s best interest if he remained distracted from his father’s absence it wasn’t long until his mother found another woman in the village with a son similar in age with Akito. The two become quick friends and on days that he needed a distraction he’d always seek out his friend and the two would spend hours together. It helped, but it didn’t entirely cure his desire to be by his fathers side.
So, rather than awaken before dawn as per usual, Akito was awoken when his mother awoke. Together they would travel to numerous villages that they had allied with and heal their ill, sick, and dying. Together they would heal wounds and offer prayer to those in need of it before finally returning home at the end of the day. A new cycle to keep the child on track and away from the ridiculous idea of becoming a warrior like his father. He was after all a child, and the ideas of war should have been far from his mind.
For many months Akito traveled with his mother; seeing bits and pieces of what lies outside the village and for a time he greatly enjoyed himself. He enjoyed meeting new faces and even helping out those that were in need of his help. Of course he befriended many other children along the way but there was always that ache in his chest that wanted more. Desired it. He loved his family and he loved being around them but there was so much more out there in the world he desired to see and to learn. True he In fact he wanted to travel the world with his father and fight if needs be. But deep down what he truly desired... he wanted..
Freedom.
From then on Akito proposed a desire to train further. Even going as far as seeking out an old and retired swordsman within the village to help him train in the art of combat. Day after day he trained hard and always brought his best forward. At first he couldn’t even manage to take a hit. He constantly waddled home at the end of the night with various bruises and even some pulled muscles and broken bones from his training but each and every time he returned determined to get better, and only after he bested the old man did he then turn to a priestess within the village in his desire to learn archery. Given his very first bow when he was all but fifteen years old as a gift from his mother and father. He spent countless days out in the fields shooting arrows at designed targets aiming to hit each and every one in the bullseye. His fingers would ache and on the tips of his finger tips grew calloused and rough. Certainly not a trait captivating for a young man. All his marks, and bruises were signs of hard labor and dedicated work.
But it never seemed to bother one person, Touya. His dearest friend and partner in crime. The two would spend hours together at a time and most of the time they’d race up hills, sword fight with sticks, and even playfully combat one another. Touya had become a very special person for Akito and the more time they spent together the more fond of the young man he became.
But no matter how many days he’d spend with his friend his mind and heart were dedicated to someday leaving the village to forge a path of his own. As a child he knew that he wanted to travel alongside his father but not as a burden. He wanted to some day walk beside him rather than behind him. He didn’t wish for him to continue worrying for his well being even though he knew it was inevitable. He wanted to show him that he was more than capable of caring for himself, but now as an adult that wish was starting to fade. Now he hoped that some day their paths would cross and when they did hopefully his father would welcome him not as the child he once knew but as the young man and fighter he had become.
But that was a dream that would never come to pass.
On that fateful day dusk was finally settling over the village, and many of the inhabitants were returning back to their homes for the night exhausted after yet another day of hard labor within the fields. A celebration was held to acknowledge the end of fall and beginning of winter. The night was cold and they had all gathered around a massive bond fire within the center of the village. Everyone was there and all was calm, a calm before the storm. He couldn’t recall when the slaughtering started but all he remembered was the fear.
He remembered the blood curdling screams, the blood, the slaughter, and the agony. He had been amongst the few that took up arms against wicked demons that came in the masses. He fought relentlessly and honorably. But it seemed that every demon he fended off three more came to take its place. It was then he remembered his father turning to him and encouraging Akito to flee, naturally he refused at first but the more the numbers came he was left with no choice. His mother had taken him by the hand and rushed him back into their home. Shutting and barricading the door behind them she took Akito and hid him under the crawl space just beneath the floorboard of her bedroom. He resisted and begged his mother to hide with him, but all he could remember was her terrified expression and the tears that steadily flowed down her round cheeks.
“Promise me Akito, that no matter what you hear or see you will not come out from this place. Promise me.” Her desperate pleading made Akito’s stomach sink but he recalled nodding his head perhaps to make his mother feel better, and only because he didn’t know what it was he was truly agreeing to.
That’s when he recalled the door to his home breaking and shattering. His mother screamed as she shut the trap door on her son encasing Akito in darkness. Through the cracks of wood in the floor he could only make out small things. Like the top of his father’s head and the wall behind him. His father screamed as he lunged into the invaders in what Akito hoped had been a devastating and lethal strike, but all he heard was the sound of bones cracking followed by the spray of blood against the wood. His eyes widened in horror as he listened to his mothers screams as she begged for mercy. Her throat wrenching scream that soon turned into a blood curdling gurgle as her head was ripped from her body which hit the floor board right above him with a horrendous thud.
After which only silence consumed his home, the only sound over the deafening silence was that of the demons massive footsteps walking further and further away and the dropping of red crimson that had seeped through the floor boards and drizzled down onto Akito’s clothes and face.
- - -
The air was bitter, it was cold. For too long darkness had been his only companion and yet now..he was lying on his back. His eyes invaded by the sunlight that crept in through the break in the floor board from outside. He must have fallen unconscious after everything he had witnessed the night before. He groaned while simultaneously lifting a hand up to try and block the light out of his eyes. His attire was dirty and covered in crimson. His body littered with black bruising and even some dirt from the burrow. His lips were pale in color and heavy dark circles formed under his eyes. His body felt...weak, light even.
His skull felt as though it would crack open any second now, but had to go. He knew he had to go. Finding all the courage he possibly could he forced himself out the hiding hole and the moment he pulled himself out his eyes widened in horror at the remains of his parents bodies. His father’s entire left side had been completely torn in half and his mother...in the corner he saw her decapitated head and he felt all the complexion on his face go pale. His stomach threatened to vomit as he lurched forward. Clamping a palm over his mouth to keep the contents of his stomach inside his body.
Unable to stand the sight any further he rushed out of the entry to his home and found only more and more dead bodies. They lied scattered everywhere and blood stained the dirt at his feet. His breathing became rapid and his eyes trembled in his sockets.
“H-How…” he whimpered, unable to cope with everything he saw. Everyone he had ever known and grown to love was...now lying in a pool of their own blood. “H-Help..” he at first muttered before he found the strength in his voice. “H-Help! Somebody! Someone!!”
