Chapter 5- Sensei
Hmmmmmmm.... Fresh Onion soup, lightly charred fish, and the smell of hot pot, cooking, that's when I realized, I should be dead. I sat up straight, groping around the bed for a weapon, but nothing, that's when I realized bed? Where was I? I got up from the Futon I had slept on and noticed that I was in a room with tatami mats, somebody's home, a wisteria flower crest was on the door. Pushing it open I saw another room, wide open, the door ajar and I saw my brother Tanjuiro, lying fast asleep, curled up in blankets. Seriously what is going on?
I followed the smell of the food, I decided I would scout and then escape with Tanjiro when I got back. The kitchen was a traditional Japanese one filled to the brim with pots and pans. A man, wearing a red mask, stood in it staring into my soul. "Ahh, Renjiro, you have awoken from your slumber."
"I'm sorry if this sounds rude but who are you?"
"Urokodaki, you can call me Urokodaki Sensei, because today your training begins!"
Over the few hours of rest that the man allowed me after my long slumber, I managed to gulp down some food and listen to how he found Tanjiro and I after getting a letter from the man who fought me on the mountain, whose name seemed to be Giyu Tomioka, and I was right, he was one of the Hashira!
"Renjiro san, you have 5 options, you may train in the art of the sword, knife, scythe, staff, or spear. Each weapon resonates with different breathing styles, your earings speak to me, but I am not sure about your potential, however being the former water Hashira, I can teach you the breathing style of water! Now pick!"
I thought about my options long and hard, I felt like a staff or spear, would be great for flowing and swirling, breathing style, much like water or wind, swords or knives would be fore like flame and a scythe, it is not attached to anything, it is ambiguous and does not match any style, much like myself.
"I'd like to train in the way of the dual scythe!"
Urokodaki-san was no expert wordsmith, yet he had two metal scythes of mediocre strength in his house and he gave them to me to practice with. Sensei's demonstrations were amazing, he could cut ten trees with just a single strike. I practiced every day, swinging and parrying with my dual scythes, and soon I was able to cut down a pretty thick tree. Coupled with this vigorous exercise, sensei tasked me with learning the art of breathing.
I found that it increased my strength, awareness, and senses, but I found it difficult to cultivate it into something like a breathing style, for some reason, I couldn't form an attack, for days and weeks I practiced, swinging and breathing, only stopping for meals and drinks. The pain was no longer there.
Tanjiro stays asleep most of the time, Urokodaki-san was teaching him not to hurt humans, but to protect them, he gets his energy from sleeping, not killing and eating. The poor boy has to suffer so much, what I must have felt was nothing. This drove me to train even harder. I was tasked with cutting a boulder, I did it first try and then came the day. Urokodaki sensei had me facing him, ready to duel, but I was only allowed to use Water-breathing moves, I had tried multiple times and was clutching multiple bruises.
For some reason this drove me mad, charging at Urokodaki sensei I screamed, "Breath Of The Water- Surface Slash!" The waves of water erupted from scythes, both of them leaving trails of water vapor as the slash flew towards Urokodaki sensei, who parried it easily but instantly stopped the duel to hug and congratulate me.
Over the months that followed, Urokodaki sensei drilled into me the remaining 10 forms of water breathing and I learned some better than others, but by the time I had somewhat achieved "Dead Calm," a letter arrived at Urokodaki-san's house, something about a final selection. He explained what this meant and it's importance but what confused me was the tears in his eyes as he hugged me. Sensei was more of a father figure than a teacher now.
"Come back to us, Renjiro, come back to your brother, he needs you!"