Act III: The Truth Is Told Kenji's journal: Three months have passed since the deaths of Jitsurou and Reibun. The students of the village have been moving at their own pace. None greater than Naitsuu. Awhile ago I decided he could make use of a haburi kedemono. The boy does not know yet of his destiny or of the power his feline possesses. He doe not even know of his true power within him. I must make clear to him the truth. Naitsuu wakes one morning to see Kenji staring directly into his face. "Ah! Sensei! You startled me," says Naitsuu snapping awake. "Good morning. Get dressed and ready for a hiking trip. We are going up the mountain this weekend. And bring along Yamaneko, too." "Yes, sensei." Naitsuu gets up and gets ready to make the trip with Kenji. Yamaneko plays in the bedding until Naitsuu comes over to roll it up. "Haha, do you ever stop playing, Yamaneko?" The cat mews and hops onto Naitsuu's shoulder when he kneels. "Well, I suppose you are still small enough to fit there. Come on, we're going on a trip. You get to come with us!" The cat mews again and purrs while wrapping it's tail around Naitsuu's neck. "Ah! You're tickling me. Stop it." Naitsuu laughs and the cat jumps to the floor and walks a few steps ahead of Naitsuu. "Don't waste too much time, Naistuu!" calls out his mother. "Kenji-san is waiting." "Yes, mother." "Have fun." "Okay." Naitsuu meets Kenji outside with a backpack. Yamaneko walks by Naitsuu's side. "Alright, let's go." The two start walking towards the base of the small mountain. Kenji speaks, "I know of a cave near the peak. We can stay there. It will be a good place to get in touch with the peace within." "Yes, sensei." The two stay rather quiet for most of the hike up the mountain. In the late afternoon they reach the cave Kenji had talked about and set up camp. "Sensei? How long are we staying here?" asks Naitsuu. "As long as I feel we need to be," is Kenji's answer. "What will we be doing?" "Communing with nature, meditating, sparring." "Sparring?" "Yes, I brought along some weapons to practice with, and I wish to advance your Aikido studies if your mind will allow it," replies Kenji. "Um, okay." The two do nothing more than sit and watch the day turn to night. Yamaneko gets excited when the fireflies come out to greet them. Kenji silently observes Naitsuu laughing, while Yamaneko chases the fireflies around, with his eyes slightly open. Suddenly, Kenji's eyes flash open. Yamaneko has crouched into a new pouncing position. Naitsuu watches expecting to get a big laugh at the likely failure of his cat. Yamaneko starts to jump when he incredibly transforms into a large gray panther. He crushes the insect beneath his paws. Naitsuu stares confused. "Yamaneko! What? What happened to you?" questions Naitsuu. He turns to Kenji, "Sensei, what happened?" As Yamaneko slowly transforms back into his usual self, Kenji speaks, "I suppose I have to tell you now. Yamaneko is what we call a haburi kedemono. A Power Beast. When threatened, or on command, they morph into a creature much larger than their original size. Yours is still young and has not learned how to keep from transforming when just playing. That's why he changed just now." "Wow!" exclaims Naitsuu. "There is more I must tell you. It concerns the man you saw a couple months back. You, well, you are a prince of the Kintei. Ordained to end the threat of terror in this world through various deeds." "Wha...?" "I know, it may be hard to understand. You were placed on this Earth for a reason. You were sent to us to end the terror of a certain powerful individual. I believe that the individual is the one named, Rakushoda. The one you saw." "I'm destined...to defeat him?" asks Naitsuu astonished. "As best I can tell." "Wow. Ah, then we must train. Come on!" Naitsuu gets up and into a fighting stance. "No, Naitsuu. Take your time with your training. You are nowhere near ready yet. That is why I gave you a haburi kedemono. He is to act as your guardian." "Yamaneko, will guard me?" "Yes. I think you should spend your time up here training Yamaneko to act on your command and to learn to defend his master." "Well, I will try." "You will do." "Yes, sensei." The two of them settle down for the night. Yamaneko purrs next to Naitsuu all curled up in a ball in his regular form. As he sleeps, Naitsuu has a dream. In his dream, he is remembering what happened only previously. He thinks of his first night with Yamaneko. He remembers him playing with the piece of string. He also remembers that his thoughts were that Yamaneko is HIS cat. Back in the real world, Naitsuu mumbles in his sleep exactly what he thought, "My cat, you are my cat. Mine." Suddenly, in Naitsuu's dream, the scene changes from his room to some place around the stream. He is there enjoying himself with Yamaneko, when a dark figure steps out of the shadows by the trees. Although until this point, Naitsuu had trouble remembering what the man looked like, he knew this was him. He recognized in his dream a physical characteristic he had not noticed before. The gash next to the man's throat. It looks healed, but seems as though it was deep when first received and as if something had been inserted when the wound was open. Although Naitsuu stopped running when he saw the man, Yamaneko was not paying attention. While still in original form, Yamaneko gets picked up by the back of the neck from the man. Without hesitation the man hurls the feline high into a tree where it has no choice but to smash against it and fall the ground badly injured. Naitsuu stares at his cat with a pained expression on his face and softly says, "No." The man rips out his sword from it's sheath. The similar dull shine of the man's non-accentuated katana reminds Naitsuu of that one night. The man starts moving forward towards Naitsuu. Thoughts ring out in his head, Do not stare into the eyes of your opponent; avoid mesmerization; do not let him intimidate you; don't let him steal your energy; do not focus on him at all. The struggle within himself is futile, though. He stares into the man's eyes and his empty, sadistic gaze entrances Naitsuu and brings him pass the threshold of control. Now the man has Naitsuu completely in his domineering power. Naitsuu sees the way he brings up the blade, he sees the man do the same thing he did before driving the sword through Jitsurou. Naitsuu is panicking, but he is paralyzed in the man's cold eyes. The man is now right in front of Naitsuu. His arms are setting back about to thrust. The movement of his arms start quickly forward and...Naitsuu wakes in a sweaty daze. He looks around, first he finds Yamaneko still sleeping warmly by his side, but He can not see Kenji near him. Naitsuu stands up and does a short morning stretch before embarking on his search for Kenji. It does not take long for him to find Kenji, legs folded, in deep meditation. This was not the first time Kenji had brought him up the mountain. True, it was a new spot, but they had been on trips like this before. In the past, Kenji had told Naitsuu, that if he woke after Kenji, he would most likely find him meditating. He also told Naitsuu, that if he found him doing so, he should attempt an attack from behind. Half of the time, Naitsuu managed to wake before Kenji, simply because he did not wish to attack someone he held so dearly without giving them a fair chance to fight back, but still, Kenji had stopped every attack during the other half of the time. This time, though, Naitsuu felt Kenji was in an even deeper mode of meditationwhere he ay not notice anything of the physical realm. The competitive spirit rose up in Naitsuu, and he chose to make a move. As stealthily as he could, Naitsuu walked up behind Kenji. He quickly moved to grab Kenji by the neck from behind and try to toss him to the ground, but Kenji grabbed Naitsuu's arm, flipped him over and Naitsuu landed hard on his back. "Ah! Sensei! How do you do this?" asks Naitsuu. With eyes still closed and seemingly still meditating, Kenji answers, "My compassion is strong. Strong enough to encompass even the worst of foe, and definitely you, my boy. Once I have done that, I can see straight into any attack, by any person. Although I could not "see" you coming up behind you. Even though you were careful not to let me hear you, I could still "see" through your attack, and act accordingly." "Can you teach me to do that?" "I, as your teacher, can only tell you so much, young one. It is entirely up to you to devote your patience to discovering how the Art of Peace works," is Kenji's answer. Naitsuu seems very agitated, "It can not all be philosophy, sensei. You teach me the actions of Aikido in the dojo, I spar with the others, but I know they are no match for me. You tell me to try to attack you every time we leave on a journey like this, and every time I fail, you give me the same lesson. The exact same words every time. I know the words, I have them memorized. Why will you not teach me how to "see" another's attack?" "No, you memorize the words, but do not remember them." "What? You make no sense to me." "Recite what I have just told you." "‘I, as your teacher, can only tell-‘" "No!" cuts in Kenji. "In your own words." "You, my teacher...can not tell me all there is to know. It is up to me to...practice the Art of Peace...until I understand it." A new look of understanding comes across Naitsuu's face. Kenji speaks, "Do you truly understand now? Do you "remember" what I have taught you?" "Yes, sensei. I understand...I "remember" now. I understand that I must focus myself on the philosophy of Morihea Ueshiba. Then, one day, I will be able to do all that you try to show me. I will be able to "see" through my enemy's attacks. Thank you, Kenji-sensei." With this, Kenji unfolds his legs and stands up slowly with a grunt. "I believe my years may be overtaking me. Come, my pupil. We shall pack up and head home." "What? Not even two days?" asks Naitsuu about their relatively short trip. "I have told you the truth that you needed to know, and you have finally learned the lesson I have so often tried to get you to learn. Now, I have some more techniques I wish to show you." "There's more than what I already know?" "Do not be so confident, Naitsuu. I have always said you have much to learn," replies Kenji. "I always thought you were referring to philosophy." "On the most part I was, and with these "special" techniques, I will have to teach you more. Let's start with the first words you will have to memorize next. In your training, keep in mind that: Progress comes To those who Train and train; Reliance on secret techniques Will get you nowhere." "That sounds to me like I should not be learning anymore," comments Naitsuu. "No, just that you should not "rely" on them. Remember that there is more than just techniques behind what you do. There is your mind and spirit, too. Keep also in mind that if you master the divine techniques of the Art of Peace, no one will dare to even challenge you." "You have been saying that since when I first started my training." "Well, it is an important thing to know," says Kenji. "Well, I guess when we get home, I shall practice until I master the new techniques you train me to do." "And the philosophies along with them." They have by this point packed up their belongings and are starting on their way home. Naitsuu says mockingly, "Yeah, I know." Kenji puts a smile on his face. "At least you know that much." "Hey! I know many things!" retorts Naitsuu. "Oh, you do, but not nearly enough to fight Rakushoda." "That reminds me. I had a dream last night. One that disturbed me." "What happened?" asks Kenji. "That man appeared. He hurt Yamaneko and then nearly killed me the same way he did Jitsurou-san just before I woke up. I could not help but look into his eyes, The same way he looked before killing Jitsurou-san. Once I saw them, I was paralyzed." "Well, I hope you learned from that dream that you must not stare into your opponent's eyes. They will freeze you." "I know, but I was more worried about Yamaneko. He is the first thing that I have felt is really...mine." "He is the creature that protects you, it is natural to want to return the favor." "Yes, I suppose that is why. I did not like envisioning him getting hurt." At that point, Yamaneko moves away from chasing butterflies off the path and rubs against Naitsuu's legs nearly tripping him. "Watch it, Yamaneko! You sure pick the right times, don't you?" Naitsuu reaches down and gives the cat a long pet along it's back. "Yeah, you know we are talking about you." The cat purrs and then meows. Then, Naitsuu starts jogging to catch up with Kenji who did not stop walking when Naitsuu did. Yamaneko hurries up close behind. Once next to Kenji, Naitsuu says, "So, how many others know about me." "What do you mean?" asks Kenji. "About being a prince of the Kintei." "Only your mother and myself. If your father was still around, he would know too." "Kenji-sensei? What ever happened to my father?" "He left the village one day, and simply did not come back. Non one really is quite sure what happened to him." "Did he...abandon my mother and myself?" "Not likely. You father was an honorable family man. He lived only for his wife and child, oh, and the shrine." "The shrine?' "You know, the old one that has become overgrown with weeds in the little valley near the village." "Was my father the caretaker?" asks Naitsuu. "Yes, he was," answers Kenji. "Why has no one taken care of it since my father's disappearance. My mother, or someone in my family, should have taken his place." "Normally, but no one wanted to be at the shrine. The shrine had fallen into disrepair before your father came and decided to fix it. The original reason it was in such bad shape, was because it is a shrine to the gods of war. The people here are mostly at peace. Almost everyone in our village follow the same principles I teach to you, at least in some form." "So, then what happened?" "Your father did a great job. The feeling of the temple that he created made the people believe the gods of war were not always going to cause problems for them. But, your father died, and the people feared that the shrine was cursed." "What? My mother would have taken his place. She does not believe in curses." "You can not blame her, Naitsuu. It was her love who vanished. And it was the conclusion the people of the village gave to her. She accepted it, because there was nothing else to believe." "Kenji-sensei?' "Yes." "Will you take me to the shrine sometime?" "Perhaps. For the spirit of your father, yes. He was devoted to that shrine. That is why your last name became Hachimanguu. He renamed the family after it. So, yes, one day I will." "Thank-you." The two stay silent for the rest of the walk home. Once there they a warmly greeted and their lives continue as usual.