Superfluous tales 1.0

East Blue, Shimotsuki Village,

Inside a valley encircled by low mountains, the vegetation was of auspicious green. The wind was blowing over the trees, and the sound of an insect army was heard on twigs, trunks, and on the edge of streams. This setting gave an old, warm and peasant lifestyle kind of feel.

On the lower side of this magnificent valley, villages were scattered, some following the others in a clustered manner. The place looked very welcoming and seemed nice to settle in, especially for the elderly. It was the perfect place to take retirement and leave peaceful, carefree, and lighthearted days.

On the high side of the valley, a dojo was located on a small mountain peak.

On the insignia mounted on the roof of this house, one could read the characters "Isshin Dojo" engraved.

This dojo was recognized by the inhabitants of the neighboring villages to be a place where one could practice a martial art from the new world, "Kendo".

It was very early in the morning, and at this precise moment, most of the people living there were still asleep. Usually, if someone arrived here later they could witness children uttering cries full of feelings and faith, while at the same time swinging swords, following a very clean rhythm; orderly and methodical. It was a routine to which they obeyed strictly and assiduously.

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Right now, there was only one girl present. The girl had dark blue hair and blackish brown eyes, she held a sword to her waist and was going towards a training field situated behind a high patch of grass. Once she arrived she unsheathed her sword and began swinging frantically.

If someone was here, they would see the passion the girl held towards the sword, she looked as if every additional swing looked easier, and you could not see any kind of grief coming with the irrational effort she put in the exercise.

She was still very small and had yet to reach her teenage years, but the wind resulting from the sword stances made very loud sounds. If she was a bit older maybe she would provoke a small hurricane due to the strength of the vertical strokes. What was even weirder was that the sword she held was almost as large as her entire frame, but she did not feel the strain of the weight. She was obviously used to the practice and it was to wonder when she undertook such a procedure.

“Haa!” She finished a series of a thousand swings and sat on the ground to rest for a bit. She was sweaty all over as she spent only fifteen minutes to complete the series.

She smiled and looked at the sky. This was the part she liked the most, relaxing alone here after her routine.

She was born as a woman, but for some reason, her father decided to train her in such a manly art of war from a young age. At first, she was very against this idea, but as the years went on, she discovered the rewards coming with her sufferings and sacrifices.

She was able to beat up people who were years older than her and right now, no one her age had half her metabolism and dexterity. She was a stamina monster and could train from the rise of the sun, till its fall.

However, no matter how strong she got, she felt that she lacked something in her life. She was not sure as to what it was yet, but she really felt an urge for this something...a real urgency, like if she was born for this purpose.

“Kuina! Come and get breakfast, your mother is waiting for us at home.” A man with a kimono and queer glasses appeared behind her all of a sudden and said.

“Dad? I told you before that you need to stop doing this everyday…” She got up and ran behind him joyously.

The man smiled and disappeared with mysterious steps; heading over to the house on top of the hill.