• Chapter 5

    Hidariude had been contemplating Ryu's request to train him. He did not know how to answer. He asked Kichiku for advice while working the rice paddy. "Kichiku I don't know what to do. I am a weapon, what good can come from Ryu training me?"

    After some thought Kichiku said "Strike me with your long blade."

    "What?"

    Kichiku pointed to his forehead. "Right here."

    "You can't be serious!"

    "Do it."

    Hidariude did as he was told and struck his friend in the forehead...

    Though the blade touched Kichiku's head, it did not draw blood. He held the blade between his hands so firmly that Hidaiude could not move it even a micron in any direction. "With a slight movement I can bend your blade, a more powerful movement in another direction and I can break it, but I will do niether, for all I require is simply to hold it to prevent it from harming me. This is what Ryu will teach you, restraint."

    As Kichiku let go of Hidariude's blade, he retracted it. As he went back to tending the rice paddy, he contemplated Kichkiu's point. It was a small and minor demonstration, and yet it said so much.

    When they finished their work for the morning they went in for lunch, rice noodles in daikon broth. Hidariude decided on his answer to Ryu, "Master Ryu, I would like to train with you."

    "I am happy to hear that. We will begin after lunch."

    Ryu led Hidariude back to a stone room. He held two katanas and handed one to Hidariude. "I already have blades, I hardly think I need another one."

    "Show me your blade." Hidariude released his blade. "Impressive, now show me the other one."

    "Um, I only have it on this side."

    Ryu raised his eyebrow, "Only on the one side, eh? Sounds like room for improvement to me. Put it away, I know how good you are with that, but wielding a sword is different, so we're going to start with the basics."

    Hidariude retracted his blade and took the sword.

    "First you must learn proper stance. Hold the sword with both hands like this and stand with your feet like this. Good. Now a basic slash like this."

    "This is so basic, I'm better than this, can't we move along?"

    "You think you know everything because of a training simulator, but that was completely different from the real world."

    Hidariude was stunned, "How did you know..."

    "Because I designed the training program. They couldn't keep giving you different cyberarms as you grew so they gave you virtual reality to train you. A headset for audio and visual input and special program to translate nervous impulses to simulate the arm you didn't have connected directly to your extant nervous system. But I know they edited that program to hone your body to become their weapon. You never learned the morality I wanted to teach you. Traditionally, a samurai's soul in his blade, but I can already see that even though that arm is a part of your body it is not a part of your soul. I wield my blade as if it is an extension of myself, and you must learn to do the same. The point is not just how to fight, but how to claim that natural flow. Until you learn that, you know nothing and I will treat you as a novice."

    The training continued like this for days. First Hidariude learned form in the dojo, then balance on a log bridge, then plum flower posts, and then bamboo stalks. Though Hidariude could hold his own, he could never best Ryu.

    After many, many days of this, Hidariude grew frustrated and faltered. However, just when it looked like he was losing the sparring match, he released his cyberblade and parried, instinctually.

    Ryu smiled, "Now you are ready to learn how to use both blades together. Now you learn Gishudo, the way of the artifical arm."