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 Posted: Wed Jun 24, 2009 8:38 pm
Near the training grounds lies a small garden that samurai often go to to relax. A wide, shallow stream cuts through the traditional garden. Over it, there is an arched bridge upon which a tall man stands; a warrior, by the looks of it. Keichirou gazed into the lively, burbling stream, his disposition calm. The samurai was simply robed and his hair was down. His expression was unguarded, making him look years younger than usual, although the savage scar cutting across his face spoke a different story.
Most considered him good-looking; handsome, even, although some felt that his scar rather disfigured his face. It all depended on if you appreciated samurai or not, really. Any noble might turn their nose up at a harsh warrior such as Keichirou, and certainly detest his scar, but another samurai would see it as more of a sign of respect. The mark of a battle.
The man shifted slowly, his thoughts straying nowhere in particular. He was too often forced to think distasteful thoughts -- thoughts of the hated new emperor, of how his class was so horribly disrespected. He thought it might be much nicer to instead contemplate the Shirabyoshi; they represented samurai honorably, after all. The beautiful women were both elegant and graceful, even if Keichirou disapproved of the thought that though the wielded swords, they could hardly defend themselves.
He didn't mind much. He'd had a few young loves who had been shirabyoshi years ago; that seemed far-off now, as if it were someone else's hazy memories he was recieving. He smiled softly and shook his head lightly at the thought. He was thirty-two now, a widower, and his passionate feelings extended more toward war and politics. Kei laughed softly, slightly shocked to hear the musical sound escape his lips. It had been a long time since he'd thought about women again. Perhaps he associated with them too rarely.
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Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2009 9:23 am
Shinju had left the performance hall after the emeperor and his ministers left her performance. She was pleased with herself that she had done so well, even if it was just a practice. Now she was headed on a walk. The air was clear and fresh, and she took a big breath in and held it there for a moment before releasing it back into the atmosphere. She walked toward the small garden that lay near the training grounds. The stream bubbled as it ran through the grass and flowers. Peaceful.
It was then that Shinju spotted a man gazing into the stream. He wasn't a noble, she could tell that much just by his clothing, but he looked more dignified than a common man. Not that a common man would be within the palace walls anyway. She quietly shuffled towards him, her eyes focusing in on the small details: his eyes gazing into the water, the smile that had just spread across his face, and the scar.
A scar: the sign of a battle. A samurai. Shinju hadn't come across a samurai in a very, very long time. Maybe he would be nice? Some samurai are thought to hold the painful memories of battles won and lost, of their friends, and even family, dying before them. It was a terrible thing to think about, let alone see. Shinju smiled calmly after quickly erasing the thoughts from her mind. She stood before the tall man. "Hello, sir." She bowed in respect.
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Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2009 9:39 am
Keichirou's attention shifted to the shirabyoshi as she walked up and he regarded her silently for a moment or two after she'd greeted him. "Hello," His deep voice held an undertone of gentleness as he observed the woman. He hadn't minded his reverie being interrupted; sometimes it was better not to muse for too long. It could lead to the surfacing of painful memories.
His dark eyes found the clear water of the stream again, and he leaned lightly on the side of the bridge. "I am Fujiwara no Keichirou." He wondered if she really even cared or if she'd just greeted him to be polite; decided he didn't care to discern between the two. It was nice not to be at war, after all. Nice not to be so tense. Still, the man had an air about him of honed awareness; despite being relaxed, you could probably imagine him just as soon changing his mind and drawing his sword. It was his philosophy that things were mercurial; the world changed very quickly. You always had to be alert or you were liable to be the next victim.
Kei had might as well enjoy the company while he still had it. His colleagues were often hard to communicate with. War could make you or break you. You either grew a harder skin or you allowed your mind to waste away, torn up by savage and groteseque images. Keichirou had chosen the former; true weakness only shows through after the war is done.
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Posted: Sat Jun 27, 2009 2:07 pm
The man had turned to Shinju once she greeted him and looked at her for a moment before finally speaking. The smile on her face remained. It was a small, quaint smile so that she wouldn't seem like she was there just to annoy him. Shinju respected others no matter who they were, which is what she was taught.
As he looked back to the water and introduced himself as Fujiwara no Keichirou, Shinju bowed once more with her reply, "Nice to meet you Fujiwara-san. I am Shinju." She looked back up to him, the turned her head to gaze at the water. "What is it that brings you here to this lovely stream?" As the water ran quietly on by she looked back to the tall man. "Does it calm your mind?" Shinju didn't want to seem like she was prying into his buisness, so she turned her whole body to face the water, her head tilting up slightly to look at a tree's canopy nearby.
She had known better than to ever pry into another's buisness. Sometimes it was just better to leave the past behind because the memory itself was so painful. But, then again, sometimes pondering on the past can open new doors to the future. Shinju knew this very well. Her own past was a little painful, but nothing she couldn't handle now that her life had blossomed and she had become a Shirabyoshi.
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Posted: Sun Jun 28, 2009 9:52 am
Keichirou hadn't believed this woman to be annoying when he'd first seen her. It had seemed as if it were a sort of natural intuition that had come to him; of course, it was also easier to read people after years of experience. All you really had to do was take one look at their posture, expression, and general body language and you knew. Intent was a simple thing to expose, and Shinju's intentions were good.
"Shinju-san." Keichirou tried the name out on his tongue, nodding as he registered the sound of it in his own voice. There was quite a bit to be said for names, after all. "A nice name."
He turned his attention to her as she inquired as to why he was here. Kei shrugged languidly, his brown eyes finding the clear waters again. "It's as good a place as any for contemplation." He explained, his expression grave. He didn't feel Shinju was prying at all; he knew better than to think about something like that. Sometimes speaking with someone could be a form of contemplation in itself, after all. It was nice to have a break from the usually violent practices of the samurai.
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Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 6:01 am
It was as though Keichirou liked the sound of her name in his own voice, and she smiled. She smiled to him with the compliment. "Thank you very much, Fujiwara-san." The sun seemed to brighten up the area a little more with its warmth.
With that, he had replied to her question. His expression showed that he was thinking of something that wasn't at all pleasant. Maybe a previous battle? The loss of a friend? Shinju's own expression became more concerned with the slight upturn of the corner of her eyebrows. "Is something wrong?" She leaned forward only slightly, wondering what could have been the matter. As a samurai Keichirou was sure to have some troubles, but maybe Shinju could help calm his mind a bit.
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Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 1:58 pm
Keichirou angled his face slightly to the sun as he felt the day warm up, slowly relaxing. The warrior's attentiveness did not appear to dampen at all and his dark eyes were altogether alert. He was a man weathered by extensive battle, so much so that he was never off-guard. He couldn't afford the ease with which he might have once held himself as a young man any longer.
"There are many things in the life that are terribly wrong, Shinju-san." The samurai's lips curved up in a wry smile as he observed his companion. "We just have to remember to search for the good; you will always find it, if you look." This was something he told his children, but something that he saw as invaluable information. He had a feeling Shinju would understand.
"Just don't go searching for the bad." Keichirou's eyes darkened as he glanced to Shinju, regret flickering over his facial features as quickly as a lightning strike. It wasn't difficult to percieve that he knew all too well what pain and stuggle were.
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Posted: Sat Feb 06, 2010 10:39 am
Shinju listened intently to the samurai. She knew as well what it was like in life when things never turned out as they planned. She knew all too well... As Keichirou said that all to do was to search for the good, Shinju nodded. It was one of the few things people could do. Life is difficult for anyone, even nobles and aristocrats. People suffered with disease, loss of family and friends, poverty, etc. But there was also the good side of life: the birth of a healthy child, a wedding between two individuals who were deeply in love, making new friends, etc. Shinju smiled with this thought and nodded, agreeing with him.
Shinju glanced at the samurai as he said his last words. "If we do not go searching for the bad, then we cannot find the good without difficulty." Shinju hoped that those words sounded as if hope was on the horizon. She watched as two birds sang together in the trees. "The bad may be more prominent that the good, and vice versa, but that doesn't mean that we should give up hope." She smiled a warm-hearted smile to Keichirou. She hoped that the samurai would understand where she was coming from in what she was saying.
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