The New Winds

Only a silent nod is replied. The young lion releases Kaidan and begins walking out of the room. A single glance over his shoulder back at Kaidan at the door frame, to final smile flashed outward joyfully, then he vanished around the corner. Off to the gempukku ceremony and immediately out to answer...

With a graceful touch Kichiro parts Kaidan's long hair from shrouding his face. A gaze into Kaidan's eyes much like before but instead ignited with life. Gone was the pain and the storm of internal conflict. Instead Kichiro saw with perfect clarity. Slowly he leans forward, feeling an unnatural pull...

Pulling Kaidan's hand inward, Kichiro pulls him into a warm embrace. A long moment is spent with his arms wrapped around Kaidan holding him close. "Your not a failure Kaidan-san. You are so much more than you think you are. If I could change the way that you see yourself... show you how much you mea...

Sick of his own self righteous act Kichiro kicks himself into action. Those tears too much for him to stand idly by. Reaching across the small table he grabs Kaidan's hand. "Honor dishonor what does it matter? I never asked for this life. I only hope to live up to those expectations set upon me to p...

Yes thank you so much for hosting this. I had alot of fun

Shattered. Full alert. The melancholy ridden Kichiro immediately vanishes and is replaced by a blushing fool. "What?!" He shouts and coughs in surprise into his arm. "I mean nooooooo no no not at all wait no YES I mean yes!" He facepalms hard with an audible slap. What was the protocol for this agai...

With ironclad resolve Kichiro marches up to his superior, Akodo Eiko, to claim his birthright. Years of education and hardship has broken him down and refined him to finally be acknowledged as a samurai worthy of his father's legacy. He might not have taken the championship but with total pride in h...

Kichiro wraps his arm around Kaidan to better support him as they reenter the laughing carp. A slow march forward with any comfort brought by their half embrace forcibly blocked out of his mind. A conflict of thoughts and feelings between them. An unspoken connection. Hard to ignore but Kichiro was ...

Kichiro grinds his knuckles into his end of the bench for a moment. A lifetime of training on self control rendering these swelling emotions numb. Demands of bushido commanding him to suppress these thoughts and remain resolute in duty. His cold eyes glance over to his side to see Kaidan seemingly d...

This was it! The final match! Lion vs Crane! It took every fiber of Kichiro's being not to roar in cheer for Qiang to bring home the win. Instead he say and prayed. Fortunes guide his blade.

Kichiro leans in close. Face close to his as he stares deeply into Kaidan's eyes. A stern glare into Kaidan's soul as if trying to decipher something. "Blue eyes. Just like hers. Just like the crane." Kichiro stares with a hint of focused wraith. That same empty look Kichiro gave back at their duel....

"It's confusing... Please don't laugh but I think I met a Kitsune. A beautiful fox spirit goes by the name Yukihme. She's fun... Makes me laugh... Seems complicated and layered... I don't know." Kichiro shrugs. Face blushing from embarrassment. "Must be my visits to yume-do playing tricks on me. Thi...

"Ahhhh you speak directly to my sense of accomplishment coming out of this tournament." Kichiro smiles himself. "I try to distance myself from people. Acknowledge the samurai but not the person behind the family name. Safer that way. I can understand that attachments are hard... but despite my fooli...

"A peony? Not my first choice. I'd say amaryllis." Kichiro replies. Unable to resist mirroring a hint of joy from Kaidan's laughter. Ignorant of the Kitsuki's terminology for peony. "If we're defining our own crowns of glory I'd say I managed to win mine for this tournament."

"A completed milestone within your culture hai but this is different. We move past the classroom, past these celebrations, and into the reality of our caste. A bushi scorpion has its own expectations. A bushi of the lion within these trying times..." Kichiro clutches a small scroll he had received e...

"Ah yes so the saying goes." Kichiro scratches the back of his head and turns away for a second. "I am not one for crowds myself... Couldn't wait to escape the opening ceremony. This ceremony is important however. Its the end of a chapter in our lives... and a new beginning. " Suddenly the reality o...

Kichiro hops on over the bench and takes a seat. Now formally bowing as is custom. "What are you doing out here all alone? We need to get going to the final ceremony soon."

Kichiro locks eyes with the agitated kitten and whispers a shhhh with a index finger pressed against his lips. Not every day the boastful lion get the jump on a beguiling scorpion. Best not let it go to waste. With hastened step Kichiro sneaks up behind Kaidan while quietly bringing attention to him...

Stepping outside of the Laughing Carp in a fashionably sharp kimono, Kichiro began his journey back to the Kakita Academy for the gempuku ceremony when he was interrupted by a strange sound. A voice familiar to a passing dream? The pain from his bruised head returned alongside the memory. It couldn'...

"True knowledge is in knowing, to observe heaven without stepping outside.” Kichiro quotes Sun Tao. "Challenging one self to broaden their available skills will assist you in... Any ship as you would put it. Any path. I might have ultimately lived up to the typical expectations of the Akodo without ...