Chapter 19: May 6th, 1645

“I must return to the village Kensei,” Tatsu told Musashi as he straightened his kimono.

It was dawn when Tatsu felt the urge to return back to the village. He felt drawn to the place, and he needed a chance to recollect his memories, revert back to his form, and make sense of what happened that night. He also felt drawn to do something, and that was to see Haru again. Why he felt that way was something he wanted to figure out for himself.

“Hmmm,” Musashi thought. “I am not here to stop you. Do what you want. However ... I do sense that there are many reasons that you want to go there ... perhaps it is because of that woman?”

Tatsu shook it off. “I do not know. I just feel that my answers are becoming clearer as time progresses. I did not get a chance to ask all the people there yet. I also need to revert back to my form away from people, and the paths are barely used from what I have seen.”

“It is your choice what you want to do. The more time you are here, the more you are learning. You are doing well so far, but even my best students have had years of training compared to you. You would be in tough matches against them.”

“Then I will make an effort to come back regularly, almost daily, to continue to train with you. I promise you on that. I enjoy the long walks back and forth anyway. It allows me to consider and think about things along the way.”

“You can do what you wish. I have already said everything that needs to be said.”

Tatsu got up as he situated his bokken and scabbards on his belt. He turned to look at him and bowed to him.

“I promise to return, Kensei. Thank you for your kind gift.”

Musashi nodded his head. He kept a neutral face as he watched the dragon leave his home. As Tatsu left, the older man scanned his will carefully. He looked at the tall human leave as he took out his pen and began to make some modifications to it. He tapped his finger on the table as if satisfied with his decision.

As Tatsu walked down the steps of the cave, a thought had occurred to him. “Haru wanted a flower...”

He began to scan the area thoroughly. There were a couple of flowers that were growing here and there, but he finally found it as it led to the path towards the distant monastery. It was a purple-colored flower that grew from a tree known as Japanese Wisteria. He walked towards the tree as he reached the bottom of the steps.

“Hmmm ... she did not say what type of flower that she wanted,” he said to himself. “I will take one of these flowers.”

He plucked one of the endless streams of the hanging flowers as he put it on his kimono. He looked at the path again. It was going to be a long walk again back to the village.

Tatsu was about ten minutes from the village. He could see the very edge of the entrance of the remote area from the forest path.

“I like these new scabbards. I can walk so freely now without the fear of my swords falling off,” he commented out loud as he patted them with his hand.

He stopped as he thought about his surroundings and was looking forward to seeing Haru again.

“Haru ... Hmm ... Why am I thinking about her more and more when I come to this village?” he asked himself. “I even got a flower for her. Why does she want a flower? She needs something better than this. She needs something that will help her in the state she is in.”

He turned to look at the various trees, and an idea hit him. It was an idea that even made him smile. Again there was no one around him. The forest of trees still blocked out any line of sight to him as well. He stepped to the largest cluster of trees and closed his eyes as the light emitted from his body. His body returned back to the 8-foot tall walking dragon that he was. He looked at a single tree and focused his attention on the branch. The branch was as thick as his arm and stretched out with its leaves to twice his height.

“Yes, this will do,” he said as he began to look at his claws from his fingers. The claws were razor sharp. He could lacerate anything that got in his way. They extended bigger than any human fingernail. His reptilian like eyes marveled at his frame. “So amazing these humans and how powerful we are compared to them.”

He stopped looking at his hands and got close to the branch. He lifted his arm high, and with a powerful downward swing, he swiped at it hard. The razor-sharp claws drove through the branch like a sharp knife through butter. Several large cuts appeared on the branch as it waved in the air a little bit. He cut deep into it. One more swipe would do it.

He again lifted his clawed hand as he swiped again. The razor-sharp claws cut clean through the branch as it fell to the ground with a thud. Leaves and dirt were thrown about as Tatsu then picked up the cut wood. He went and sat down by the tree. His wings and back pressed against the tree as his tail rested comfortably in the dirt and grass.

Tatsu began to take the large branch and carefully, with one claw, began to peel the outer bark of it. Slowly with each cut, the bark began to come off like peeling an onion. Wood chips began to pile on the ground as he would carve the wood slowly piece by piece. The branch began to shrink as it was being formed into a new shape. He thought about Haru more and more as he was reforming the bark. He began to think about her leg. Then he began to think about her thighs. Then he began to think about her waist. Then...

He stopped as he looked at what he was doing. “What am I doing?” he asked himself out loud. “I just met her, and here I am doing this for her. She is a human being ... I am ... not human.”

Tatsu stared at the branch as he then felt drawn to continue carving it. He could still see no activity on the road as he used his pointer finger claw to chip away the branch. Slowly but surely, the branch was turning into a cane. He even carved a resting section for her armpit to be able to rest on.

“I can always cut it down to make sure her small frame can use this...”

All the bark was stripped from the branch as he looked at it. He ran his finger on the rough cut surface. His scales were able to handle the numerous splinters as it flaked off.

“I don’t think that smooth skin of hers would be able to handle these wood splinters. I must keep carving.”

His claws were the perfect tools as he continued to shape the wood. His kimono was covered in wooden shavings. His mind was focused on one thing, and that was making the perfect tool for her.

“She probably will never use this ... she may never be able to walk again, and all I am doing is just wasting time, but then ... why I am driven to finish this?”

The cane was turning into a light brown color as it appeared straighter and straighter as his finger was nonstop shredding it to a good shape. He remembered Musashi’s cane, but this time he felt the modifications to what he saw would fit better for Haru.

He would spend at least an hour as his dragon eyes scanned every detail from the cane. It was beautiful. It was long and straight. She could rest her body to the cane itself completely without it threatening to topple her over, or at least that was what he hoped. There was no way to know unless she used it.

“Haru ... Haru... , “ he said as the Japanese characters appeared in his mind. “Yes ... I will add that to the cane.”

He then began to stab the cane’s center and slowly etched out a name that would appear on the front.

“She will really like this,” he said.

Tatsu spent another couple of hours carving out the cane before he resumed his human form and finished his walk to the village. He felt a form of relief, finally reaching the quiet remote town. There seemed to be the same amount of activity as before. He could see the fisherman hunt for fish while the farmers tilled the soil. All in all, it was a peaceful day.

The people of the village didn’t seem to notice Tatsu as he walked in. He carried the flower and the cane with him as he walked. Without Haru in his arms, the people didn’t seem to care too much if he was there or not. It was not like that was a bad thing to him, though. There was no hatred in the people’s eyes or any signs of fear towards him.

As he reached the boundaries of the houses, there was one person that did notice him, and that was one of the older women of the village. She walked forward to Tatsu, and they bowed to each other with respect.

“Thank you for helping Haru out these last couple of days,” she said.

“I was doing what I could do,” Tatsu replied. “I came back to the village to check up on her and everyone here.”

“She is home and still recovering,” the woman said.

Tatsu noticed her back was arched up as she walked. Age was not kind to her as she was slow, but she was also kind and respectful nonetheless.

“How is the village?” Tatsu asked.

“It has been a normal day,” the woman replied. “The only excitement we had here was Haru being brought in. They are talking about you and the stranger that saved one of our own.”

“That is wonderful to hear.”

The older woman quietly bowed again as he bowed back in response. She walked away as his attention went to the home where Haru and her father Noritaka were at. As he approached the home, his heart began to beat faster.

He still had the cane and flower clutched at his hand.

“Odd... , “ he said quietly to himself. “Why do I feel this way?” He quickly shook it off as he used his free hand to tap the doors with his knuckles.

From the largest home in the village, Kiyoshi peacefully saw the tall man that he recognized immediately as Tatsu as he arrived at the door of Haru. At first, he was on alert, but later on, he got back on his knees as he tried to meditate peacefully. He was at peace, but he soon saw something in his hands that made him discouraged. The samurai watched as Noritaka opened the door and welcomed Tatsu to enter.

Kiyoshi’s eyes went from peaceful to anger as he saw the flower in the tall man’s hands. He then got even angrier as he saw the cane that was in his hands as he saw Tatsu hand the cane to Noritaka. It caused him to stir from his meditation as he stood up and watched Tatsu enter Noritaka’s household...

Inside the home of Noritaka, Tatsu stepped inside with the flower in his hand. Noritaka seemed happy to see Tatsu that handed the cane to him, but the flower had him nervous.

“It is good to see you again, Tatsu,” Noritaka explained to him. “Why did you bring this to my home?”

“It is to be given to Haru...” He replied as he stood in the massive living room.

“Ehmm...” Noritaka seemed to be confused a little bit. “You wish to see her?”

“Yes, I do.”

“I am here,” came a voice inside the other side of the household that resonated inside the home. It sounded feminine and had to be from her.

Tatsu’s manners were not exactly the best as he beckoned Noritaka to give the cane to him so he could give it back to him. Noritaka was once again displaying a look of confusion as he gave the cane back to him.

“Thank you ... this is for her,” Tatsu told her father. Noritaka was not in the position to argue back.

Somewhat frustrated, he watched as Tatsu went to the bedroom where Haru was at. He left the living room and went outside.

Inside the bedroom where Haru was at, Tatsu stood outside the room entrance as he looked inside. He had both the flower and the cane in his hand as he kept his composure looking at the woman he rescued not long ago.

He had barely been in this room to give Haru the privacy she needed. However, she had basically beckoned him to come to her room. It was simple living quarters as expected. She had a bed that she was resting on. She could not sit cross-legged as her broken leg prevented it from happening. Instead, she simply knitted with one leg cross-legged to herself while the other damaged leg splinted was stretched out. It was awkward for her, but there was nothing to do for her on her situation. Tatsu was used to seeing her like this the night that he spent in the home before he departed to see Musashi again.

“It is good to see you again,” Haru said as she put her knitting gear down again. She almost tried to put her hands down in an attempt to stand up again, but she calmed herself down as she rested on her butt again. She wore a different kimono as she did before from the day she was injured. Her hair was still tied up as he saw her before.

“I brought you this flower,” Tatsu told her as he took a knee and handed it to her.

“Thank you. You listened to what I wanted,” she replied. She took the flower and held it close to her.

“Why did you want a flower?”

“You have truly lost your memory if you don’t understand what a flower means to a woman,” she smiled at him. Her eyes looked down as if she seemed to apologize to him for mocking him. “Forgive me...”

“You don’t have to apologize to me. I took no offense to your words. The only way for me to regain my memories is to be exposed to everything... , including being with you.”

She smiled again. “It is a tragedy what has happened to you. You are a strong-willed man to be able to do what you are doing. To persevere without knowledge or memory. Your parents must be worried about you if they are alive.”

Tatsu almost shrugged to her. “I don’t even know if they are alive or if I even have them at all. To me, doing the things that I am doing now is the only way to trigger memories inside of me.”

“I am happy that you returned...” Haru said almost lightly and under her breath to him.

“I believe that I am happy as well,” he replied.

She paused for a moment as she smiled at him. Her gaze went to the cane that was in his hand. “What is this? Did you...”

Tatsu focused on the cane that he held as her words reminded him of what he was carrying.

“Ah, yes...” He presented the cane to her. “I have a gift of my own for you. I don’t know if you are well enough to stand ... but I took a branch and craved it into a cane for you to use. I didn’t know if I have it in the right dimensions for you or not, but I can easily cut it down for if need be.”

“That was so nice of you!” she almost yelled at him as she quickly blushed and shied back up a little bit. She took the cane in her hand as she looked at it closely. The wood was smooth to the touch. You could smell the fresh-cut wood as she admired it. “How long did it take for you to make this?”

“About a couple of hours,” he answered truthfully. “I used my ... I mean that I found it on the ground and began to carve it up.”

“I can see my name on it ... Tatsu, this is wonderful. Such wonderful work you did in making this. You might be a carpenter and not even know it.”

Tatsu shrugged, “Maybe that was what I was long ago. I wish I knew.”

Haru had a look of compassion on her face as she gave a look of serene and happiness in her face. “I want to try it out. I have tried to stand up a couple of times, but it is hard for me. I can only use the bathroom with the pot, and that is hard for me...”

She put aside the flower as she took the cane with her hand and put the rest towards her armpit.

“Lift me up,” she told him.

“What?”

“I am tired of sitting here. I wish to see if your cane works. Stand me up; my leg still prevents me from standing up too well, obviously.”

“Alright...” He said reluctantly. He got up and bent his knees enough to get a firm hold as she nodded her head to him to go ahead. She opened up her arms to allow his hands to go between her armpits as he lifted her up gracefully and without any difficulty.

“Such strength...” she remarked as she felt her leg try to straighten out with the cast and splint in place. “Do not let me go. I need to see if this cane works or not. It’s the only way ... agh...” she groaned.

“Do you want me to put you down?”

“No ... no, I need to stand up. I want to see if your gift works.”

She was fully standing up with the help of Tatsu’s strength. She placed the cane and propped it to her body. The cane’s length was a little too long, but it was enough that she was placing it to the floor.

“Lower me enough so I can put my full weight on it,” Haru commanded him.

There was that feeling in Tatsu as he held her there. His heart began to race a little bit as he watched her struggle to position the cane so she could try to stand.

Slowly she got it in position as he carefully allowed her weight to press down on the rest of the portion of the cane. She nodded her head as the cane’s length pushed her to the right side a little bit. The hard floor was not perfect as it threatened to slip from her weight. Tatsu still had his hands to her armpits in case she slipped and fell. If that happened, she wouldn’t fall to the floor either.

“It’s a little long ... I can feel myself be able to stand a little bit. I can lean on the cane to help push my weight away from the leg. Tatsu, this is a wonderful gift. They were in the process of making a cane for me, but it was going to take time.”

“I am happy that you are happy,” he told her. He realized his hands were still on her.

She simply looked at him as she grinned. Her eyes seemed to pierce his soul with an intensity that he could not understand.

“Let me rest all my weight on it,” she asked him. “I want to stand again.”

He again lowered any tension on her body as he slowly let go of her. His hands were still in position as all her weight pushed on the cane. The cane was strong enough to hold the lightweight of her small frame.

“I was so ... worried ... that I could never stand again,” Haru explained. “My leg ... it does not seem to be getting any better. It is ... well it isn’t good.”

“You don’t feel any better than a couple of days ago?”

She shook her head. “I feel that it is better, but I am looking at it. It looks like it is turning color. I think that it is ... starting to rot.”

Tatsu’s eyes closed as she saw him feel some remorse.

“Don’t worry...” She told him. “I choose to do that. It was my choice to be under that tree that cost my leg. In the end, you are making great steps in trying to help me for my mistake.”

She was standing up though under her weight. Her other leg was working hard, holding her up as she kept all the pressure away from her damaged leg. The cane was doing its job, holding her weight up.

“I can stand...” She remarked. A tear came running down her face. “I can ... wah!”

She tried to shift her body as the cane lost grip on the wooden tile below her. Tatsu was already in position as her weight fell to his hands. The cane slipped from her hand as it fell to the floor.

“I got you!” he told her.

“Thank you ... thank you for not letting me fall. I was able to stand for a little bit. That alone is wonderful. Thank you for doing that for me.”

Tatsu nodded his head as she wrapped her arms around him. She pressed her head to his chest as he felt the same feelings as before.

There was a moment that seemed to last minutes for them, even if it lasted for seconds. Finally, she had to pat him on the arm.

“Go ahead and put me down,” she commanded. “It was nice to stand up again on my two legs even with this problem. Thank you.”

Tatsu did as she instructed as he lowered her back down gently to her bed. She sat comfortably and easily on the bed as Tatsu let her go and took a knee beside her.

“Well ... I will try to cut the cane down a little bit,” Tatsu explained. “I think if it’s shorter, you can be able to stand on it a little better. Someone told me that you have to train yourself over and over again to make things perfect.”

She replied with a grin. “Do you plan on staying in the village for a while?”

“I was thinking of d... , “ he was interrupted by a loud voice that echoed distantly from the outside of the house.”

“Tatsu!” yelled a familiar male voice.

Tatsu’s attention was aimed towards the door.

“No...” Haru said.

“Tatsu! Come out of the house now!” yelled the male voice again.

“Kiyoshi...” Haru said as her head lowered.

“Is he angry?”

Haru shook her head. “Tatsu ... it’s my fault. He is angry at you for the wrong reason. It’s...”

“I will go out there,” Tatsu almost cut her off. “I will deal with it.”

“Tatsu, I am sorry ... forgive me.”

Tatsu was not fully aware of what the issue was about. He did not fully understand what she was remorseful about, nor did he understand why there was an angry voice that came from a person who gave him a free pass into the village not so long ago. He had to investigate it and be prepared for what was to happen.

He got on his feet and gripped the handles of his bokken. Before he fully stepped out of the room, Haru had one last thing to say to him.

“Don’t kill him, please ... Tatsu. Kiyoshi is a good man. He is just angry and confused. Please...”

“I will do what I can... , “ he said as he left the room. Haru put her hands to her face as she shook her head. A tear ran down her face.

Tatsu’s shoes materialized on his feet as he opened the door to the home. As he stepped out, he could see an angry Kiyoshi in his kimono. He had his hand gripped on the handle of his katana as it was still sheathed. There were a couple of people gathered at a safe distance as Tatsu stepped out. Noritaka was in the crowd of people.

“Tatsu! What do you think you are doing!?” Kiyoshi stated as he saw the tall man standing by the round path near the home.

“I came back to see the village,” Tatsu explained. “Is there a problem?”

“I saw you carry some things for her. Care to explain what it was that you brought?”

Tatsu thought about it carefully, trying to be diplomatic as possible. “I brought a flower to her. I wanted to make h...”

“Flower?” he interrupted. “You do realize what the flower means!?” he yelled at him.

Tatsu understood enough of what he meant. “She asked if she could have...”

“You place the blame on her, you piece of shit!” Kiyoshi fumed again. “What was it that you also brought too?”

“It was a cane. I made the cane for her to help her walk.”

“We were constructing a cane for her. Noritaka, can you explain to me what you saw on the cane itself?”

Noritaka swallowed hard. “It had Haru’s name on it.”

Kiyoshi frowned hard as he looked at Tatsu. There was some confusion with some of the villagers as they watched the scene unfurl.

“Was I committing an act that hurt you or the villagers? If I did, then I will leave.”

Kiyoshi stomped the ground. “You piece of shit! She is to become my wife!”

Tatsu looked at the other villagers as each had different looks or concern on their faces. “I did not know. If she had told me...”

Kiyoshi shook his head. Tatsu was beginning to understand what was happening and why Haru told him about Kiyoshi.

“Let me ask you something, Kiyoshi. If you were to be engaged to her, why were you not with her in the forest a couple of days ago and taking care of her situation?”

“What? How dare you? I didn’t know!” he explained.

“Besides ... if you are to marry her, then you must be protecting her. I was the one that brought her back. The way she talks, she never once mentioned you.”

“Errr...” Kiyoshi’s lips curled. “She is mine! You have come to this village to take my future wife. You dishonor her with your words.”

“Kiyoshi, she has not once mentioned about you when I was sleeping under Noritaka’s roof. I don’t think she has any feelings towards you...”

This did not make the situation any better. Any words that Tatsu was saying were only making things worse.

“Kiyoshi...” a random woman called out from the group of people. His eyes momentarily looked into that direction. Tatsu’s eyes noted that the woman was young around the same age as Haru. He did not know who this woman was, but she was pleading him to calm down. It didn’t seem to work, though.

“You have dishonored me by trying to steal the woman I am supposed to be with. Tatsu...” Kiyoshi’s face nodded. “I challenge you to a duel!”

Tatsu was well aware of what that meant. He was now going to have to fight him. He thought about just leaving then and there now. Honor was something he was still trying to understand again. The catch was that if he left, then what about Haru? Haru was still recovering, and it seemed that Kiyoshi did not care much about her from at least what he saw.

“I see...” Tatsu nodded. “Who gets to choose how this fight works?”

“We get to use any weapon you choose. Looking at your two swords ... I would say that you can only choose one weapon.”

“Where and when?” Tatsu asked.

“Now. I will not wait any longer than I have to. I sensed something was going on between you two. You bring her back injured, most likely from your own inept actions as you come back here trying to play some hero so you can ravage later on.”

“It isn’t true, Kiyoshi. We just met. How could we have done anything? Noritaka was there the whole time I was with her.”

“I am not talking about the past; I am talking about right now. You have interests in her. She is supposed to marry me. Your actions disgrace us, and for that ... I must protect who is going to be mine.”

Kiyoshi went and put his hand and unsheathed his katana and firmly gripped it with both of his hands. He was a safe distance as the villagers got to a safer range away from both of them. The blade that Kiyoshi had was not a wooden sword that Tatsu had but made of metal. The edge was sharp, capable of cutting through most materials with a single slash.

“Haru did not want me to hurt Kiyoshi,” he whispered to himself. These were the thoughts that ran through his mind as he pulled out both the bokkens that were in his scabbards. He took one sword and plunged the wooden blade into the dirt and grass beside him. He then took one sword and held it in his right hand. He kept his other hand free and by his side. “While it is true that the humans may or may not hurt me,” he whispered to himself. “I must ensure he does not hit me. I might be in danger of having my form exposed to the public. My human disguise will be alerted to everyone.”

“However...” Kiyoshi said as he positioned his blade and pointed it at him from beside his shoulder. “If you wish to use something other than that wooden blade of yours, I will give you a chance to get one. I have a spare that can be given to you.”

“That will not be necessary. I do not wish to hurt you.”

There seems to be some hesitation in Kiyoshi’s eyes when he told him that. He could see what Haru meant when she said to him that he was a good person. It was his job to ensure that he knocked out his opponent rather than try to kill him at the least to try to respect her wishes.

“So be it...” Kiyoshi said.

Tatsu remembered his training. This would be his first true battle since his mock battle with Musashi. He had nothing but a bokken in his right hand as he kept his other hand free. He assumed a defensive stance as he began to sidestep a little bit to his left.

Kiyoshi seemed to sidestep to the right a little bit, maintaining his distance in the process. He was falling perfectly in the trap that Tatsu was performing. Slowly but surely, he followed the direction.

“What are you waiting for!?” Kiyoshi demanded. “Attack me!”

Tatsu remembered his training. Let him get the first strike. Those that attack first usually are the ones that leave themselves open to being hit. Instead of saying anything, he simply stared at him back. He kept sidestepping until he was in perfect position. Kiyoshi followed until his direction was pointing directly at the sun. The sun’s rays were pointing at his face. The glare was making him flinch a little bit in response. If he attacked, then the sun was aimed at him. Tatsu held his ground. Kiyoshi then maneuvered his sword to his side.

“Argh!” he yelled as he charged at Tatsu. He raised his sword high like he was going to do a downward strike on him. Tatsu observed the ground carefully. His moves seemed reckless. This was almost the same move set style that Tatsu tried to do on Musashi, and it failed miserably. He closed the distance and was on him in seconds. The dust from the ground kicked up. People and villagers were nervous as they watched the scene unfurl. Even Noritaka seemed to flinch a little bit watching the battle.

It was as if time slowed as Tatsu began to calculate the battle. Everything went in the direction he wanted. With his right hand, he turned the handle of the bokken a little bit as Kiyoshi’s blade was swinging downward towards him. Tatsu lightly moved to the left a little bit as he swung the bokken to counter the blade of the overhead swing. The wooden blade made contact with the metal blade as it barely countered the swing. The deflecting swing pushed him towards the ground.

Kiyoshi had no time to react. His blade went straight to the dirt as it cleaved into sand and grass. He was now vulnerable. Tatsu clenched his free hand into a fist and drove it straight into Kiyoshi’s face. The punch was hard and fast, as even he had no time to react.