KIKO KOHAKU
Chapter One
(The Man in the Red Cloak)
Chapter One
(The Man in the Red Cloak)
“My name is Kiko Kohaku... I don’t know what’s happening, but everyone is... screaming...”
I was 3 years old when He came. It was a peaceful day, I woke up and no one was in my tent. "Mom? Dad?" I murmured, “Probably went shopping in the town.” I looked around, on the floor was wolf fur, dyed dark blue, the tent walls were also a dark blue, unlike any other tent in our village. I stepped outside and saw a group of five year old boys playing soccer a few yards from my tent. When I gazed around the clearing and saw that everything was already abuzz, adults were cleaning out there cream colored tents or sitting down to a fresh meal of fox or rabbit. I looked up; the blue sky had few white, puffy, clouds. My gaze soon fell upon the boys again, which I found was not a good idea. Then one boy tapped another on the shoulder and pointed to me. Soon all but one boy were heading toward me. “Hey!” I greeted them.
“Why hello there!” the boy who brought me to their attention said. I could tell that there was fake cheer in his voice. The boy next to him dusted his browned cream outfit, “Are your parents here?” I counted five boys not including the one that hung back “Hmm…” I said “and who are you?”
“My name is Arlin Folc-” the third boy over interrupted, “Don’t tell her your name!” he whispered.
“Well I’ll check for you.” I said and closed the flaps of the tent, me inside.
Now I had to think fast, I knew the boys wanted trouble. I pretended to have a conversation with the village leaders, my parents.
“Arlin Folc and his friends are here to see you” I said politely.
“No visitors!” I said in my low adult voice.
“I will tell him your message” I told the thin air in front of me, and soon stuck my head out the tent, “I’m sorry but there not seeing anyone right now.”
Ok I’m only three you can’t blame me, but my “adult low voice” doesn’t sound to adult like.
“They’re not there Maxus.” The third boy said to the first one.
“Good.” Maxus smiled.
“What do you guys want? Go away!” I exclaimed.
“You wish!” The fourth boy finally spoke up.
“Yeah! You think you can get anything you want, just because you’re the leader’s daughter!” Arlin joined in.
I think something snapped in me just then. During my short, short life I hadn’t wanted to be the leader’s child. I didn’t want to be different, I wished for the life of normal nomads, but there was nothing I could do. The worst of it was that no one understood that I didn’t want to be different, and they ridiculed me.
Like I said I snapped, I dashed forward sliding between Arlin's legs. From there I hit Arlin and the second boy in the pressure point on the back of their leg. I had sat in on a training lesson that my father taught. The boys fell onto their knees.
Maxus spoke again, "Now you’ve done it brat!" He turned around with a vicious glare.
"Bring it on peasant." A unique smirk that I’d had since birth appeared on my face, and I got into a defense stance that my 8 year old friend Marla taught me.
To tell you the truth I really hadn’t wanted to call him 'peasant' because that would be somewhat hypocritical, seeing how I technically wanted to become one. But the insult rolled out of me like they always have. Unfortunately for me that’s when a giant hand landed on my head and a husky voice grumbled thoughtfully, "Now wouldn’t that be enough princess?"
"DARNIT DAD! I told you not to call me that!!" I tried to shake his warm hand of my head.
By now all five boys had turned around and lined up side by side in front of my tent, bracing themselves for a scolding. "Daddy to the rescue" I could barely hear Maxus mutter. A huge frown was spreading across my face and I looked up to see what Daddy would do, but it seemed like he didn’t hear.
"Now young men names and ranks please." I’m guessing he was trying to sound official to match his looks, but I knew him too well.
"Shane Morlin ranking 2," The fifth boy said.
"Mathen Shonin ranking, 2" the fourth.
"Arlin Folcon ranking 2," the third.
"Torms Morlin ranking 2," the second.
"Maxus Debius ranking 2, but my level 3 ceremony is in three days," the first boy said proudly.
"Ah I see, very well then carry on with what you were doing." My father nodded.
The boys hurriedly went back to their soccer game obviously relieved, and one mother came up to my dad. They murmured something to each other and my dad made a gesture that I think meant, "I’ll be right there," then he patted me on the head and said, "We leave in three suns so don’t settle down too much." I nodded, frown settling on my face, and retreated to my tent. I threw myself to the floor struggling to hold back the tears. I failed. Tears started to roll down my cheeks as I buried my nose in the dark blue wolf fur. "Why are adults so stupid! How come he couldn’t see how those boys were treating me! IT’S NOT FAIR! I never wanted to be the leaders' daughter! IT’S NOT FAIR!" The crying wore me out; I soon fell asleep... and awoke to the smell of fire...
~*~
"What! I couldn’t have slept all day!" I gazed around, it was dark. "Darn already dark." I sat cross legged and wiped my cheeks where the now dry tears were. It was starting to get hot, hotter and hotter. "Huh?" I sniffed “That’s a lot of smoke for a simple fire.” I stood up ‘the only time there’s a really big fire is… the ceremony!!’ I thought, and then exclaimed “I couldn’t have slept for three days!” I dashed out side so quickly that when my feet hit the dirt I slipped and fell “Ow!” I squeaked, and sat up. I opened my eyes, only to be horrified.
Every tent was on fire, excluding mine. “W-wha-” Jumped up and ran through the village, looking around I found that everyone was dead. Tears streamed down my face and I soon slowed to a stop. I wiped my eyes, ‘How could this have happened?’ I heard a scream, my mom’s scream. I ran, faster than ever in that direction, and just when I reached the outskirts of the village is when I saw it. My father being slain…. By a man in a red cloak. My dad’s bloody body landed on my moms. “No.” I took a step forward. About 50 yards away the man in the red cloak turned his gaze to me. “You-“ I started, but he…. Disappeared? I ran toward my parents but was soon stopped. The man in the red cloak appeared in front of me when I was only a few yards from my deceased family, I fell backwards. He squatted next to me and smiled, it annoyed me, ‘How can he be smiling!’ I jumped up and looked him straight in the eye.
“You have much courage to confidently face me when everyone else is dead.” He didn’t sound the type to sleigh a whole village.
He wiped my tears, “Crying will get you nothing in this world and neither will depending on others. Trust only yourself, and you will always end up as the one… alive.”
I backed up a step, and he stood up. “You never liked this life, this village. Now that there all gone you won’t have to deal with naive adults and rude misunderstanding kids.
‘How did he kno-’ my jaw dropped slightly.
“I did this for you Kiko.” He pated me on the head and disappeared leaving a piece of paper behind. I picked up the paper and walked over to my parents. I knelt there and remembered how my mom denied me reading lessons. ‘You’re too young,’ she said, ‘maybe when you’re a five.’ I tried to think of all the good times my family and I shared, I couldn’t think of a single one. “My whole life I haven’t liked them, could he be right? No, I mean my whole life isn’t much I’m only three.” I stood up and clutched the paper, ‘how did he know so much about me?’ I thought as the last of my village burned to a crisp. Only my tent stood. “Heh, I guess I’m officially leader of the Kohaku tribe.”
CHAPTER 2
MY SENSAI
I walked around the village avoiding the ruins and made my way to my tent, once there I gathered what few things I had; a jacket some pants, and my slingshot. There was some leftover rabbit meat that was preserved with salt. I wrapped all of this up in a sack and through it over my shoulder. I exited the tent, not bearing to look at my parents things anymore, and gazed around outside. “I can’t stay here.” I solemnly stated…
I had been walking through the forest for two days and felt perfectly at peace. I had often wandered in the forest and sat in a tree back in the village and that’s what I’ve been doing the past couple of days. Of course I found myself sitting in a tree eating the food I packed before I left the Kohaku tribe. The only problem, that was the rest of it, I was all out of food. "I...I guess I didn’t think too far ahead. It’ll take at least a day to get back to the village and there’s no guarantee that there will even be any food left, soo.... I- guess I’ll have to catch some myself. 'Aww what am I thinking? I don’t know how to hunt!' I sighed and jumped down from the low tree branch... 'Maybe there will be a village nearby... hopefully.' I started off in the same direction until the sun started to set. My legs were weary and so were my eyes. I squinted at the orange sun. "I love it when the sun looks this way." Overcome with weariness I bundled my sack up and rested my head on it. ' I have to remember to put my jacket on before I go to sleep' I yawned, and surrendered to my exhaustion.
I awoke to find something heavy on my back and a spider on my sack/pillow “ACK!” I jumped back, then noticing something on my back I spun around and pushed it off. It was a blanket. “Oh…. HAHAHA!” I laughed, “Getting so worked up over a blanket.” My smile faded, “Blanket? I never brought a…” My voice trailed off and I glanced around nervously. ‘Who put this here?’ I looked up in the tall trees and my growling stomach soon broke my gaze. ‘That’s right! I need food.’ The blanket being too heavy, I abandoned it there and kept walking. I took plenty if breaks at a stream to get a badly needed drink, and soon came to a river, it was well into the afternoon. There was tall grass and fewer trees, I saw when I struggled through the bushes, but what amazed me was the field. Across the river was a mammoth field. It stretched miles! As far as I could see, ALL I could see, was field, a green field with grass to my stomach, white dandelions spotting the grass and few bunches of pink, purple and red flowers dancing in the breeze. My stomach interrupted my marveling. (It was sort of making a habit of that.)
“Oh no, there’s no village anywhere.” I hunched my shoulders over. I felt like just rolling over end dying. Dropping my sack a was about to sit down when:
“It’s beautiful isn’t it?” came out of nowhere, or more accurately behind me. The cheerful voice startled me and a tripped pitifully into the river. I wished I had known how to swim. Struggling to keep my head from under the water, I managed to make out the person who startled me- the man in the red cloak- I kept on struggling to breathe, even after he pulled me from the water and carried me for a few meters.
“Now now! Stop that you’re getting me all wet!” He said holding me as far from him that his arms permitted. I obeyed.
“Now then” he put me down, “Looks like you’re out of food!”
“How-” Before I could finish my question he made known the familiar blanket behind him. Where he pulled it from? Not sure I want to know.
“Come now, you don’t think the spider and blanket fell from the sky?”
“More likely the sky, then you, and you put the spider there too?”
“It was a present!” He nodded and beamed. I, sitting cross-legged, my hands on my ankles frowned up at him.
“HAHAHA! You were supposed to eat it!” He sat down as well, “Are you trying to catch some thing?”
“Uhh… huh?”
“Cause if you stay in those clothes, you’ll catch a cold! Ahhhahahahaha!”
My frown widened “You’re really annoying.”
“You know this is probably the first time anyone’s said that and lived!” He laughed again then walked over to my sack and rummaged through it, I didn’t mind although it was quite annoying how he tossed everything out.
“You have no spare clothes!” He mumbled “And I was really hoping you’d have some food, I’m starved!”
“YOU JUST SAID YOUR SELF I DIDN’T HAVE FOOD!!”
“Did I?”
I stood up ,quite upset, and stormed around gathering my things and putting them in a pile. He reached behind himself again, this time taking out a black shirt and pants with a blue trim, just my size. He held it out to me, still not wanting to know where it came from I snatched it from him and started off back to the forest to change.
“Where are you going?” He asked clueless
“To change, smart one.”
“I know you’re about to change but where are you going?”
“I’m not changing here in front of you!” I pointed an accusing finger at him.
“Sure you are” he smiled ((like that ^.^))
I scowled and changed while he ran around like an idiot getting rocks and sticks, I soon found out he was making a fire. I warmed myself by the fire as the sun shrunk behind the trees and the cloak man caught fish on a fishing line he made. After cooking the three fish he chowed down on the first two. “Do you have anything else to eat?” I asked hopefully
“If I had something else I wouldn’t have went through the trouble of fishing or asking you for your food. Now don’t be picky and eat.” I obeyed.
Once my belly was full I sat back onto the grass and gazed at the stars, I had almost forgotten that the man I just shared a meal with killed my parents. He dowsed the fire, you don’t want to know how, and said something unexpected. “I am your sensei now.” I sat up Quickly. “Yes I will be training you from here on out.” He said, I had never seen him look so serious, except when I first met him. I suddenly remembered the paper. I pulled it slowly from my pocket, and murmured, “That’s what the paper says?”
“No no!” His goofy grin returned to his face, I wanted to punch him, “Hahaha! That says eat the spider!” He laughed and laughed, I noticed his laugh seemed somewhat evil. Oh well. I soon drifted to sleep the week’s events crowding my mind.
CHAPER THREE
HARD TRAINING
I awakened by a sharp pain in my side, and a goofy looking man staring down at me. I was no longer in a dense forest, sitting on a branch eating the finest of wolf meat. I remembered the previous day’s events. “Oh… I’m HERE.” I muttered, and sat up.
“Ah! You’re awake!”
“No really?” I asked sarcastically
“Good, now swim across this river”
I stared at him, ‘What the heck is wrong with this guy?’ I thought, ‘I can’t swim across that!’
“Yeah, I’m not doing that.” I said standing up.
“Hm?” He said, now that I was standing, and he was squatting, we were at eye level.
“I can’t do that. I can’t swim across. I can’t do it!” My hands tightened into loose fists.
In one swift motion he stood up pulled out his long sword and thrust it down over me. It stopped centimeters from my nose.
“Sure you will.” He still had that goofy grin, so I wasn’t too afraid, it didn’t stop me from flinching. He sheathed his sword and shoved me toward the river. I tried to protest but it was too late. I was tossed into the river.
After struggling helplessly for air and wearing myself out for a while I started to give up. The way I saw it, if he didn’t kill me along with my parents, why would he let me die now? My head bobbed up and down in the rushing water as the life was draining out of me. I caught a glimpse of my sensei, squatting further up the bank. He looked sad. SAD? ‘He doesn’t look like he’s going to save me at all! It looks like he’s already figured me dead!’ Life surged within me again and I began struggling again. The next glimpse I caught of him, comforting as it may seem it should be, wasn’t comforting in the least. Back to his old grin again. ‘Death by river? Doesn’t sound good. Death by some idiot that pushed me in the river? Sounds worse.’ I made my legs and arms move in a more rhythmic pattern and started to put more force with each stroke, and after making all my limbs aim in the same direction, I made it to a rock.
I looked at him and no sooner that I did, he disappeared. I gazed around for him but soon gave up. I was tired so I just sat helplessly on the rock in the middle of the river. It only took another few seconds for him to appear in front of me. Right in front of me. I was so startled that I fell backwards into the water, and he immediately lifted me by my collar and placed me back on the rock. I sat cross- legged and folded my arms, after looking up at him for a few seconds I realized that he wasn’t standing on the rock he was standing behind it. I leaned forward onto my knees to better see beyond the rock. The water beyond the rock wasn’t shallow and there was nothing to stand on, yet he was standing there, perfectly dry.
“Ah, you’ll learn Kiko… You’ll learn.” He smiled
‘Yea.’ I thought, ‘he’ll probably through me in the water again and watch me drown!’ I slunk back and folded my arms once more, “and who says I wanna learn?” I scowled.
“I do!” He beamed.
I opened one eye then realized something, “What’s your name anyway?”
“Okay, when you can swim across this river, no sweat, I’ll grant you the honor of knowing my name.”
“What honor?” I mumbled, “I just wanted to know what to call you.”
“Mistake number one,” His voice rose, “You said ‘I just wanted to know what to call you.”
“So?”
“So, why would you want to know my name if you were just going to runaway or leave soon? It’s a verbal sign that you’re going to stay. And I know enough about you to know your intentions for saying most of what you say.”
“Huh?”
“Mistake two, your only hopes of survival here is with me, so if you’re too mean I just might get upset and leave you. I have feelings too you know.”
“No you don’t”
Apparently I shouldn’t have said that because for the rest of the day he left me on the rock, while he was half the time crying in a corner… or pretending to cry.
As the sun shrank behind the trees my stomach yelped for the umpteenth time.
“Please can I have some food?!?” I called toward the shore, where a fire was blazing and the sweet smell of disgusting fish floated toward my nostrils.
“Not until you apologize and give me a hug!” He called back.
Ok I’m half starving so an apology doesn’t sound so bad, but there’s no way in-… I’m not going to hug him.
“Besides Kiko, I thought you didn’t like fish.” He smiled.
“Well let me see,” I said loudly to him, “if it’s either fish or dying… What do you think I should pick.”
“If I was supposed to pick for you then I would be you and you would be someone else”
“HUH?”
“So how about that hug?”
“How can I hug you if you’re so far away?”
“Ah, so you’ll apologize then?”
“It would hardly be an apology, because I’m not sorry.”
He appeared in front of me and grabbed me in his arms. A hug.
“That’s what I wanted to hear!” He said and then something strange happened. It was like all of a sudden we were in slow motion but we were moving so fast. He ran so quickly I couldn’t blink before we were at the fire. He let me drop from my arms and said, “You’ve just experienced your first ‘Hi-Sen’.” [Pronounced “He-Sen”]
I coughed and gagged. I would have thrown up if I had anything in my stomach.
“So…” He said sounding innocent. “…Hungry?”
I glared up at him.
“Oh and what’s that look for?”
“What the heck did you just do?” I muttered still sick from the sudden jolt.
“I told you,” He smirked, “A ‘Hi-Sen’ It’s like a Light Dash.”
I gave up on him; he had just walked on water and stalked me for two days. Not to mention the fact that he killed everyone in my village and burned it to the ground.
I snatched a fish from the heat of the fire, and chomped on it trying my hardest to not use any manners.
“Ah Kiko, you don’t seem very grateful.”
“Ah Sensei, what was your first clue?” I mumbled sarcastically.
“Perfect!” He shouted. I took a break from my fish to watch him thrust his arm in the air.
“What is it?” I sighed.
“Until you achieve the honor of knowing my name, you shall call me ‘Sensei’… Ok?” He said, and not wanting to repeat previous events I just nodded and finished my fish. He did the same.
CHAPTER FOUR
THE NAMING
It had been five days and I couldn’t say I was getting any better. He often threw me in the river to see how my swimming progress was and then smirked when he found out that it hadn’t increased. I learned to ignore him for the most part, and it never helps to think about my parents. Tomorrow he would begin to teach me weaponry having already taught me the basics of fist fighting. I must admit I’m a fast learner.
The morning was cool, I noticed, when I awoke. I stretched and sat up, scratching my back. I glanced around the grassy bank; the sun was just barely up. I thought of what Sensei had said to me yesterday, he told me that we would work with weapons.
“Weapons? I’m too young to handle a weapon,” I murmured, “Where is that crazy guy anyway?” I glanced around for my Sensei, although I wasn’t surprised when I saw an empty blanket next to mine. I stood up, more aware of my surroundings and walked over to the river. When I peered down I saw plenty of tiny fish and decided to try out a technique that Sensai was using. He calls the technique Cho. Who knows why, I guess he just made it up. I reached my hand up in the air with my elbow bent and my fingers facing the water. Once I found a fish that I wanted I brought my hand down on it and pulled my hand back up quickly. I Opened my wet hand only to find a stream of water droplets. No fish.
“Taken a fancy to Cho eh?” Sensai’s voice sounded behind me. I turned to look at him. He was still wearing the red cloak, and his arms were full of bread and cheese. I stood up, ignoring his question, and ambled over to my blanket. I began to fold it up while Sensai spread his out. He tossed two loaves of bread and a lump of cheese over to the far side of his blanket, he devoured the other loaves and cheese. I crawled over to my breakfast and looked at it glumly.
“Where’d you get this?” I poked at the meal.
“What does it matter?” He mumbled through a full mouth.
“You stole it didn’t you,” I murmured.
“If I did?” My mentor challenged.
“Then I’m not eating it!” I glared up.
“So… I can have it?” Sensai’s eyes grew wide with hope.
I fell backwards onto my back and waved my hand weakly as if to say, “I don’t care.” He was never taking anything seriously. I clasped my eyes shut and felt his presence get stronger as if he were closer. ‘Probably to take my breakfast.’ I was regretful that I hadn’t eaten anyway. Stolen or not it’s still food and I still need to eat.
I expected his presence to get weaker as he returned to his usual eating spot to finish off my food but it hadn’t. I opened my eyes in time to see a loaf of bread land in my face. Swiftly removing the bread I sat up. He was hovering over me so I almost hit him in the head with my own.
“Eat it Kiko,” Sensai advised. He had lost his childish glow, if only for a moment.
“O- OK.” I said picking up the bread and taking a bite.
“Good,” Sensai said, sitting back in his corner of the blanket, “Yep. Today’s the day.”
“Hm? For what?” I mumbled through my full mouth.
“You’re gonna swim!”
I sighed, “He’ll never quit…”
Minutes later, I was stripped down to my pants and thrust into a river.
“COLD!” I almost leaped out of the water, wondering why I couldn’t wear a shirt.
“Relax, not just tread in the water,” Sensai said surprisingly reassuring. He stripped down to his pants and jumped into the water as well.
“COLD!” He yelped, almost leaping out of the water. I frowned. He smiled. Easily swimming to the other side of the river, he climbed out and held out his hand. “Swim toward me,” he said, his voice was gentle now, not childish or commanding. I began to move my arms and legs all working in synch toward him. It was as if I was being drawn to him, like I knew him from a long time ago. I felt like I was thrown into a daze and the next think I knew I was on the other side of the river bank. I stood up and ambled toward the flowers and grabbed a bunch in my hand. The breeze carried them away.
“Kiko.” Sensai’s voice brought me back to earth.
I looked at him, “Something I’ve gazed at for so long and couldn’t reach. Now I can reach it…” I muttered to him
“It’s so not that deep Kiko. All you did was swim.”
“Yea, I guess you’re right.” I chuckled, “So-“
“It’s Ryoku. Ryoku Koukatsu.”
“Oh… well hello Mr. Koukatsu.” I finally knew his name.
“Just Ryoku.”
“Oh, ok.” I said, surprised. Ryoku picked me up and a “Hi-Sen” later we were back on the other side of the river. This time I didn’t gag, I only felt sleepy. Sleepy and wet. I curled up on my blanket and slept, Ryoku threw his blanket over me. I guessed it was because I was wet.
“Tomorrow we’ll practice with your weapon.” Ryoku said gently. Then I was asleep.
By the time I woke up my clothes were changed and I was dry. It was about midday and once more Ryoku was nowhere to be found. I stood and stretched. Walking over to the river, I remembered Ryoku saying, “Tomorrow we’ll practice with your weapon.” At the river I glanced around again for him before bending down to take a sip of water.
I heard something fly just over my head. It whipped through the air like a giant boomerang had just flown over head. I was so startled I plummeted into the river. I swam back to the bank and climbed out.
“What’s the big idea?” I panted. I was sure it was Ryoku.
“Now, now, Kiko” A voice sounded from behind the bushes that bordered the river area.
A pretty tall guy; black hair, red cloak, goofy grin, you know him, stepped out of the bushes.
“Control your temper.” He sat himself down, placing his head in his hands, with the same old goofy grin.
“And don’t throw things at me!” I muttered, planting myself in front of him.
“Now then,” Ryoku seemed to have forgotten about our argument already, “I said we’d be working on your weapon today.”
“And I said that I was too young to handle a weapon.” I challenged.
“Ah, but you also said that you couldn’t swim across the river.” He won.
“Okay, whatever.”
He stood up and dusted himself off. Pulling from behind him once again, a small sword. No, a tiny sword. But it certainly wasn’t a dagger. I stood up too, and he handed me the mini sword.
yeah I doubt I'll add any more any time soon
