| Home | ||
| Previous | Seppun Takako | |
| Next | Shinjo Yul |
Alive and as well as he can be.
Tetsujin's family is a part of House Zurui, a vassal family of the Mirumoto family of the Dragon clan, and is responsible for a tract of farming land for House Zurui. His family's wealth has never been great, and they have never produced any famous samurai, but they have, until recently, been reliable in their responsibility to help feed the great Mirumoto family. Shortly after the Scorpion Clan Coup, Tetsujin's grandfather Teruo fell prey to one of his vices, and ended up gambling away most of the family assets. This would have ended in a disaster for his family, had a companion and friend, Isawa Nichiren[A], not stepped in to relieve the debt Teruo had incurred. Sobered by his dishonorable losses, Teruo spent three months helping his son, Hyosuke, begin the path to financial recovery, then traveled to Mirumoto castle, where he requested, and was granted, permission to commit seppuku by Mirumoto Hitomi.
Hyosuke despised his father's carelessness, and greatly resented the aid given by Nichiren. His focus for the first decade spent as head of the family was to repay the debt as quickly as possible, especially as tensions between the Dragon and Phoenix were growing due to the defection of the Agasha. In 1134, after the Battle of Oblivion's gate, and Toturi's return to the throne, Hyosuke was able to repay Nichiren in full. He considers the debt fully paid, and feels no obligation toward Nichiren's family, an attitude shared by Tetsujin's oldest brother, Katai. In fact, both still resent the whole deal, wish it had never happened, and do their best to forget. Tetsujin's mother, Narumi, on the other hand, in considerably more grateful.
Tetsujin was born in 1142[B], and is the third son and fourth child in the family. When it was clear that Tetsujin, an albino, had been born unlucky, Hyosuke left his education and upbringing in the hands of Narumi. She was able to help instill in Tetsujin a sense of obligation toward the family of Nichiren, as well as a gentler outlook in general than the rest of his siblings. His perceived unluckiness was only enhanced when it became obvious that he had problems speaking clearly and without stuttering. When it came time to send Tetsujin to the Mirumoto Bushi dojo for training as a samurai, Narumi and his sister were the only members of the family who were sad to see him go.
Tetsujin made few friends at the Mirumoto Bushi school, as many were afraid to grow close to one so blatantly unlucky. He did well in his training, though, until he became sick during his fourth year. The sensei, fearing greater unluck on his school, sought the permission of Hyosuke to either return Tetsujin to his family, or send him to one of the tattooed monk orders for recovery. Permission for the second was received, and Tetsujin was given to a passing tsurai zume for care. Thus began his training with the Hoshi.
Again, Tetsujin did well, despite his health problems, which continue to this day, and will likely plague him for the rest of his life. He learned the Tao of Shinsei, and took in the learning offered by the Hoshi. He spent a total of three years with the order, during which time an event occurred that changed his life forever. After two years, a group of new students arrived. Each new acolyte is assigned to an older student to learn the ways of the monastery, and make the transition into training. Tetsujin was assigned to guide a new student from the Monkey clan, a young girl named Sarusou. Tetsujin found, for the first time in his life, that he had made a friend. Sarusou was only half his age, but he found more to talk about with her than he had with anybody else save his mother. He found that he was more relaxed and focused than ever, and his health rapidly recovered, as much as it ever would.
A year later, word of his recovery prompted Hyosuke to order Tetsujin's return to the Mirumoto Bushi training, so as to have a proper samurai, rather than a tattooed monk, in his family. While disappointed that he would be leaving Sarusou and the rest of the acolytes, he felt a determination to prove his strength. He left, having gained knowledge, patience, a new friendliness, and a few tattoos[C]. He returned to the Mirumoto Bushi training, and after two months, was back up to speed with his training. He found that any time he began to feel strain or despair, he merely had to think back on the Hoshi, especially his young friend Sarusou, to regain his focus. The years spent with the Hoshi did delay his gempukku, which didn't happen until his seventeenth year, but he was granted full status as a samurai of the Mirumoto family, and began receiving assignments.
His perceived unluck meant that his assignments were minor and lacking in any chance at real glory or status. He went from minor posting to minor posting for years. One bright spot in this time came when he was able to divert his travels from one post to another long enough to attend Sarusou's gempukku ceremony. It was on that meeting that he realized that he felt more than merely friendship toward the younger girl, but rather love. He spent some time at his next posting meditating on this, and finally decided to request his father's permission to offer marriage. Hyosuke, however, flatly denied such permission. While no marriages had been arranged, he explained in a letter, he wanted to maintain the possibility of such, but on his terms, not Tetsujin's. This nearly shattered Tetsujin, and caused him to seek solace in drink, which again changed his life forever.
While sunk in a drunken stupor one evening, he met Shosuro Ridachi. A well-trained Scorpion manipulator, Ridachi soon coaxed the tale from Tetsujin. Ridachi's words helped Tetsujin see that all was not lost. If Tetsujin would continue to prove himself a worthy samurai, despite the lack of grand postings, he might eventually win his father over to allow the marriage. His words also helped Tetsujin notice a fatal flaw in his desires. Tetsujin had not yet expressed his feelings to Sarusou, and had no idea whether she returned his feelings or not. As a result, Tetsujin abandoned his drinking binge, and returned to full duty as a samurai of the Dragon clan. He also composed haiku to express his feelings for Sarusou, and sent them to her over the course of the next year.
At that time, Tetsujin was given a new assignment. When he arrived, he was startled to find that Sarusou was there as well, though she would be leaving shortly. He arranged a private conversation, where he stammered out his feelings in person, and asked what she felt. While she didn't express love in return, she also didn't deny the possibility, and asked for some time to think on it. Tetsujin was content, and continued in his duty after Sarusou left to return to the Hoshi monastery.
Over the next couple of years, Tetsujin continued to be shuffled from minor assignment to minor assignment. One such assignment stands out, though no particular glory was earned in it. Tetsujin was assigned to visit a small monastery in the Spine of the World Mountains to look into Dragon interests in the area. While there, he was snowed in for two weeks by a sudden storm. Also snowed in was Kakita Kinuyo, a duelist of some repute. Rather than sitting idle, Kinuyo approached Tetsujin with a request to spar with each other to keep in top shape. Tetsujin agreed, and spent a few hours each day practicing the sword with her. From her, Tetsujin learned the first kata in a series, developed jointly by Kakita Kaiten and Mirumoto Uso, designed to highlight the similarities between their respective sword styles, rather than the differences. When the weather lifted enough for both to leave, they parted as friends, and have corresponded with each other a few times a year since. Kinuyo has also promised to teach Tetsujin the rest of the kata in the series when his technique has advanced enough[D].
Tetsujin has continued doing his best in all assignments he has been given. Once a year, he again petitions his father for permission to offer marriage, which his father always denies. He also continues to meet and/or exchange letters with the three people he considers friends: Shosuro Ridachi, Kakita Kinuyo, and Sarusou. He and Ridachi periodically run into each other, and have realized that there is a kharmic tie binding them together, although they haven't been able to determine why. And he continues to write to Sarusou, and find excuses to meet with her when possible. She never turns him away, though she still hasn't revealed whether she returns his feelings or not. At the very least, he considers her a good friend, and is growing more confident that she does, or will, realize her love for him in return, and add her petitions to his own to help convince his father, and hers, to allow the marriage Tetsujin hopes for.