Jealousy
A Story Told by Kakita Kyoumi for Winter Court 5
Once, before the Day of Thunder, before the end of the golden age, before the changing of many things that once were," she begins, "There was a famous sensei, a mighty Kenshinzen. He was a hard teacher, but fair, and never cruel. He had many gifted students. Among the most gifted of the whole clan were ranked among his students."
"This man had a particularly gifted student. He was naturally talented in every way. He trained constantly. Many other masters murmured about what a credit he would one day become to the ranks of the Kenshinzen. But the sensei had detected a flaw, just one."
"The student was brash. Impatient. Eager to claim the glory that he was so certain awaited him. To teach the student, to tame him to humility and discipline, the sensei was careful to restrain his attention, not offer this student any more or any less than any of his other students, no matter how weak and untalented they were. The student, however, believed he deserved more, and chafed at how the sensei ignored him."
"The student began to go to ever greater lengths to win the attention of the sensei. He started duels, killed, as a chance to demonstrate his skills. Some of the other masters were impressed. But his master wasn't. Eventually the other masters granted him the opportunity to test to join the Kenshinzen. The student tested. And succeeded in defeating his opponent. But his technique, and his manner of behavior before the test, demonstrated that he lacked the honor required to be Kenshinzen. His attempt to join was denied."
"Skill was not enough. It never had been."
The student was furious at being denied. His loss haunted him. His spirit demanded vengeance. And so, when the opportunity arose, he struck down the young son of his sensei while training him with the boken...not a fatal blow, but an injury so severe that it meant that the boy would never be able to follow in his father's footsteps. "
"The broken child devastated his father, and in his grief and driven by the taunting of his student and his student's allies, he made a major breech of etiquette, he swore that his child would be Kenshinzen. Something that, all knew, could never be. The master was shamed....or would have been. It was then his daughter, a young dancer by training, also only a child, stepped forward and claimed that she would stand for her brother and father in this, and she would take up the dance of the sword."
"The deed was considered so honorable, so well said, that the student was humiliated again, and roundly mocked for trying to put his noble sensei to shame."
"One day, sensei and student stood among the very last of the Kakita Bushi fighting the False Hoturi at Kuden Doji. The student, burning with his lust for the position of Kenshinzen and fury, cut down his sensei from behind and joined the False Hoturi."
"The honor of the Kenshinzen drove him. The honor of the Kenshinzen destroyed him. The honor of the Kenshinzen created him. The honor of the Kenshinzen kept him from destroying them from within. The honor of the Kenshinzen is why they have honor still."
A Story Told by Kakita Kyoumi for Winter Court 5
Once, before the Day of Thunder, before the end of the golden age, before the changing of many things that once were," she begins, "There was a famous sensei, a mighty Kenshinzen. He was a hard teacher, but fair, and never cruel. He had many gifted students. Among the most gifted of the whole clan were ranked among his students."
"This man had a particularly gifted student. He was naturally talented in every way. He trained constantly. Many other masters murmured about what a credit he would one day become to the ranks of the Kenshinzen. But the sensei had detected a flaw, just one."
"The student was brash. Impatient. Eager to claim the glory that he was so certain awaited him. To teach the student, to tame him to humility and discipline, the sensei was careful to restrain his attention, not offer this student any more or any less than any of his other students, no matter how weak and untalented they were. The student, however, believed he deserved more, and chafed at how the sensei ignored him."
"The student began to go to ever greater lengths to win the attention of the sensei. He started duels, killed, as a chance to demonstrate his skills. Some of the other masters were impressed. But his master wasn't. Eventually the other masters granted him the opportunity to test to join the Kenshinzen. The student tested. And succeeded in defeating his opponent. But his technique, and his manner of behavior before the test, demonstrated that he lacked the honor required to be Kenshinzen. His attempt to join was denied."
"Skill was not enough. It never had been."
The student was furious at being denied. His loss haunted him. His spirit demanded vengeance. And so, when the opportunity arose, he struck down the young son of his sensei while training him with the boken...not a fatal blow, but an injury so severe that it meant that the boy would never be able to follow in his father's footsteps. "
"The broken child devastated his father, and in his grief and driven by the taunting of his student and his student's allies, he made a major breech of etiquette, he swore that his child would be Kenshinzen. Something that, all knew, could never be. The master was shamed....or would have been. It was then his daughter, a young dancer by training, also only a child, stepped forward and claimed that she would stand for her brother and father in this, and she would take up the dance of the sword."
"The deed was considered so honorable, so well said, that the student was humiliated again, and roundly mocked for trying to put his noble sensei to shame."
"One day, sensei and student stood among the very last of the Kakita Bushi fighting the False Hoturi at Kuden Doji. The student, burning with his lust for the position of Kenshinzen and fury, cut down his sensei from behind and joined the False Hoturi."
"The honor of the Kenshinzen drove him. The honor of the Kenshinzen destroyed him. The honor of the Kenshinzen created him. The honor of the Kenshinzen kept him from destroying them from within. The honor of the Kenshinzen is why they have honor still."
