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The Art of Execution - Part I, Heaven's Lightning [Solo | Plot] Wed Dec 13, 2017 4:22 pm
Raiu Mizuki
Retired
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Mizuki and her father had travelled to this remote place, the rain incessantly dripping as if to emphasise the sadness of this very day. Mizuki wasn't looking forward to what was about to happen, but her father had insisted she was ready to take the first steps into becoming a proper executioner of those sentenced to death. Her father had been taken over the mantle of traditional executions from his father, who took it from his father, and so on. Soon, since Erisu had fled the family since long, Mizuki would be next in line.
These honourable deaths... perhaps did not hold quite the right wording. There was nothing honourable about death, or inflicting death, for that matter. It was just so that some people were offered the honour of being killed with a single, merciful strike rather than to suffer torture until their dying breath. And as a lineage of executioners, that 'honour' befell Raiu Kiyoshi. It was an honour unrelated to the clan's name, instead simply passed on from parent to child, or from master to teacher in the case this was proven to be a more fitting choice.
Mizuki's dutiful nature had convinced her father that she would make a most fitting successor, even if the young woman had plenty of other duties and concerns already going on. At times, she felt like the whole world weighted on her shoulders, heavy on expectations and pride from countless other people. Today, those expectations were once more being called upon as Mizuki would be the one who would perform the execution for a first time.
Memories of her B rank mission flashed through her mind. Her first actual kill, driven by necessity to survive and fulfil her mission as a Kumogakure kunoichi, had taken a long time for her to get over the emotional trauma it had inflicted. Lin had been there to pull her through it, but she couldn't say she had ever been the same person again. Something valuable was broken, and it would not ever return to make her whole.
As the farmland the Raiu were supposed to reach came into sight, Mizuki briefly clenched her fist around the heft of her katana. She knew she'd hate this day for an eternity to come, but fate had already struck before she was able to avoid it. There was no turning back now. t hadn't been the case since a while.
All this time, her father remained quite, marching about two meters before her. Her turquoise eyes looked up, looking at how the rain trickled down his straw hat in vain, plummeting down towards the ground helplessly. As her feet ploughed ever forward in the mud, trampling upon the fallen raindrops nobody cared for, she could think of only one thing: rain was just such a dreary, sad weather, wasn't it?
Was this what shinobi life ultimately was about? Sadness? Loss? Death? She hated to accept that, but the way life had presented itself lately it was hard to shake of that daunting feeling. Her mother was deadly ill, her sister was gone, Lin had vanished and performing her first execution today could only mean one thing: her father too would soon be gone as she remembered the rumours that hung around this 'Art of Execution'. The ultimate test...
Mizuki mentally shook her head. This was not how she should be thinking about things. Kumogakure was still around. She had still friends. And the execution of a man who had chosen to die as such was not the same as the assassination of a pirate that threatened her life, or that of the Village. She was helping someone to avoid suffering today. Right?
"We're almost there."
Her fathers words made her snap out of her thoughts. If they were almost there, it meant she would have to mentally prepare her for the big moment. Father had told her executions weren't exactly a party. They would come, stick to formalities, perform their duty and leave again. Such people had earned their quietude, and even though her father had always done his duties without complaint, he had never taken pleasure in his part of the greater scheme of things either. It was just as it was. Another duty towards an unmentioned peace. Not one that directly affected Kumogakure, but one that could affect Kumogakure nonetheless if ignored. Sometimes protection was not about weapons or shields, but about finding a disguise. A disguise that allowed her father a reason to watch the Village's safety from the outside. A disguise shrouded in the dreaded, down-to-earth presence of inevitable death. Reputation and presence. Two powerful tools too often ignored.
"Raiu-sama", the village elder greeted as the two arrived on the spot. He looked at Mizuki with mild curiousity.
"This is my daughter, Mizuki. Today, she will perform the execution in my name, as soon enough she will take over my position."
The elder looked like he didn't quite understood what that meant, but not wishing to be rude or pry in the affairs of others, nodded and beckoned them to follow. Leading to a small pond, overgrown by long grass and home to plenty of insects, a group of people had gathered. A few strong men were holding the culprit on his knees, his head lowered and unwilling to even look his executioner in the eyes as they approached.
"It's unfortunate that this has to happen...", the elder began. "He was a good man, really, but the the heart is a dangerous opponent of the mind. Garrett, for the murder upon your own wife as well as Ronse, you were sentenced to death. The law states a month imprisonment under the unstoppable dripping of water, but I hate to see a good member of our community suffer such punishment."
A moment of silence followed, the air laden with emotions of all kind. From the wavering voice of the elder, it was clear that he disliked the thought of an execution or the loss of yet another member of his community, but the people around seemed not always of a similar mind. Pity, disdain, anger, sorrow. All of them were present.
Mizuki gritted her teeth, not sure why such rules even existed but even Lin could have done nothing against it as this area fell outside the Village's jurisdiction despite still being part of the Land. The lords ruling here generally cared little for small villages, and this rice farm didn't seem to be any different, leaving it up to the elder to keep a semblance of peace and law. For a moment, Mizuki glanced at her father, hoping to read any of his thoughts on the matter, but the man remained stoic, his hard eyes staring before him.
Could she really ever be like him?
The sentenced man grunted briefly, shrugging his shoulders. A hint of anger for the injustice of his punishment remained, his heart filled with equal parts of pain of loss, wrath of betrayal and desperation for his situation. He knew there were precious few other options, and seemingly had come to terms with the decision to have his life being taken swiftly.
"Do what you must do. Just make it quick", he grunted.
Hearing this confirmation, the elder nodded to Kiyoshi and he in turn looked at Mizuki. She swallowed hearable, avoided her father's gaze, and raised her chin in an attempt to get over her own thoughts. She couldn't fail her father now, as this wouldn't only incur his wrath but also irrevocably destroy the years of preparation towards this point. She couldn't say that the thought didn't occur though. What would a life be without this tradition? What would become of her, of her family? How different would the future be if she had fled like her sister instead? She'd never know.
"Kneel and lower your head, please."
Garrett looked up, not expecting a woman's voice. Looking at Mizuki, confusion and sudden doubt flickered in his eyes, and as his body tensed, the muscled men holding him down strengthened their grip in turn.
"Wait, I thought he was the executioner?", he sputtered, nudging in the direction of Kiyoshi.
"Please, don't make this hard upon yourself."
"No. No! Why are you wielding the blade instead of him?"
"Because such is my duty today.", Mizuki replied colder than she had intended.
"I refuse. Let that man do it."
"Mizuki. Now.", her father chimed in, his words barely even to herself.
She understood that if this kept going on, the man before her would try to break loose rather than embrace an inescapable sentence. While her mind doubted once again the necessity of this all, she also reminded herself that a struggling opponent would only make the execution much harder. What was important was to give the sentenced person a certain peace of mind.
Mizuki stepped forward, thumb resting upon the tsuba of her blade. She nudged towards the two men holding Garrett down, and crouched before him herself.
"You acted out of love before, now rekindle that feeling once more. Realise that you will soon be able to share such moments with her for an eternity."
Suddenly feeling the weight of having lost his one love, the man slumped down. Feeling that a life without her would be far harder to live than this brief moment of courage, he nodded and eventually did as what had been requested. He knelt, and lowered his head, whispering a soft, "I'm so sorry", as his parting words.
Not allowing the moment to persist, Mizuki drew her katana and took on the familiar basic stance of her father's well-taught Heaven's Sword style. Blade high and ready to strike, she took a deep breath, and allowed the weapon to swiftly come down in perfect synchronisation with her breathing out. With a dull thud, the head rolled over the floor and the body sunk lifelessly to the ground. Trembling as she pushed back the memories of her first kill, Mizuki remained still for a moment. Then finally, regaining a hold of herself, she shook the blood of her katana. The blood splattered on the floor. The rain splattered on the floor.
Why could rain wash away the essence of life so easily?
[EXIT]
1737
These honourable deaths... perhaps did not hold quite the right wording. There was nothing honourable about death, or inflicting death, for that matter. It was just so that some people were offered the honour of being killed with a single, merciful strike rather than to suffer torture until their dying breath. And as a lineage of executioners, that 'honour' befell Raiu Kiyoshi. It was an honour unrelated to the clan's name, instead simply passed on from parent to child, or from master to teacher in the case this was proven to be a more fitting choice.
Mizuki's dutiful nature had convinced her father that she would make a most fitting successor, even if the young woman had plenty of other duties and concerns already going on. At times, she felt like the whole world weighted on her shoulders, heavy on expectations and pride from countless other people. Today, those expectations were once more being called upon as Mizuki would be the one who would perform the execution for a first time.
Memories of her B rank mission flashed through her mind. Her first actual kill, driven by necessity to survive and fulfil her mission as a Kumogakure kunoichi, had taken a long time for her to get over the emotional trauma it had inflicted. Lin had been there to pull her through it, but she couldn't say she had ever been the same person again. Something valuable was broken, and it would not ever return to make her whole.
As the farmland the Raiu were supposed to reach came into sight, Mizuki briefly clenched her fist around the heft of her katana. She knew she'd hate this day for an eternity to come, but fate had already struck before she was able to avoid it. There was no turning back now. t hadn't been the case since a while.
All this time, her father remained quite, marching about two meters before her. Her turquoise eyes looked up, looking at how the rain trickled down his straw hat in vain, plummeting down towards the ground helplessly. As her feet ploughed ever forward in the mud, trampling upon the fallen raindrops nobody cared for, she could think of only one thing: rain was just such a dreary, sad weather, wasn't it?
Was this what shinobi life ultimately was about? Sadness? Loss? Death? She hated to accept that, but the way life had presented itself lately it was hard to shake of that daunting feeling. Her mother was deadly ill, her sister was gone, Lin had vanished and performing her first execution today could only mean one thing: her father too would soon be gone as she remembered the rumours that hung around this 'Art of Execution'. The ultimate test...
Mizuki mentally shook her head. This was not how she should be thinking about things. Kumogakure was still around. She had still friends. And the execution of a man who had chosen to die as such was not the same as the assassination of a pirate that threatened her life, or that of the Village. She was helping someone to avoid suffering today. Right?
"We're almost there."
Her fathers words made her snap out of her thoughts. If they were almost there, it meant she would have to mentally prepare her for the big moment. Father had told her executions weren't exactly a party. They would come, stick to formalities, perform their duty and leave again. Such people had earned their quietude, and even though her father had always done his duties without complaint, he had never taken pleasure in his part of the greater scheme of things either. It was just as it was. Another duty towards an unmentioned peace. Not one that directly affected Kumogakure, but one that could affect Kumogakure nonetheless if ignored. Sometimes protection was not about weapons or shields, but about finding a disguise. A disguise that allowed her father a reason to watch the Village's safety from the outside. A disguise shrouded in the dreaded, down-to-earth presence of inevitable death. Reputation and presence. Two powerful tools too often ignored.
"Raiu-sama", the village elder greeted as the two arrived on the spot. He looked at Mizuki with mild curiousity.
"This is my daughter, Mizuki. Today, she will perform the execution in my name, as soon enough she will take over my position."
The elder looked like he didn't quite understood what that meant, but not wishing to be rude or pry in the affairs of others, nodded and beckoned them to follow. Leading to a small pond, overgrown by long grass and home to plenty of insects, a group of people had gathered. A few strong men were holding the culprit on his knees, his head lowered and unwilling to even look his executioner in the eyes as they approached.
"It's unfortunate that this has to happen...", the elder began. "He was a good man, really, but the the heart is a dangerous opponent of the mind. Garrett, for the murder upon your own wife as well as Ronse, you were sentenced to death. The law states a month imprisonment under the unstoppable dripping of water, but I hate to see a good member of our community suffer such punishment."
A moment of silence followed, the air laden with emotions of all kind. From the wavering voice of the elder, it was clear that he disliked the thought of an execution or the loss of yet another member of his community, but the people around seemed not always of a similar mind. Pity, disdain, anger, sorrow. All of them were present.
Mizuki gritted her teeth, not sure why such rules even existed but even Lin could have done nothing against it as this area fell outside the Village's jurisdiction despite still being part of the Land. The lords ruling here generally cared little for small villages, and this rice farm didn't seem to be any different, leaving it up to the elder to keep a semblance of peace and law. For a moment, Mizuki glanced at her father, hoping to read any of his thoughts on the matter, but the man remained stoic, his hard eyes staring before him.
Could she really ever be like him?
The sentenced man grunted briefly, shrugging his shoulders. A hint of anger for the injustice of his punishment remained, his heart filled with equal parts of pain of loss, wrath of betrayal and desperation for his situation. He knew there were precious few other options, and seemingly had come to terms with the decision to have his life being taken swiftly.
"Do what you must do. Just make it quick", he grunted.
Hearing this confirmation, the elder nodded to Kiyoshi and he in turn looked at Mizuki. She swallowed hearable, avoided her father's gaze, and raised her chin in an attempt to get over her own thoughts. She couldn't fail her father now, as this wouldn't only incur his wrath but also irrevocably destroy the years of preparation towards this point. She couldn't say that the thought didn't occur though. What would a life be without this tradition? What would become of her, of her family? How different would the future be if she had fled like her sister instead? She'd never know.
"Kneel and lower your head, please."
Garrett looked up, not expecting a woman's voice. Looking at Mizuki, confusion and sudden doubt flickered in his eyes, and as his body tensed, the muscled men holding him down strengthened their grip in turn.
"Wait, I thought he was the executioner?", he sputtered, nudging in the direction of Kiyoshi.
"Please, don't make this hard upon yourself."
"No. No! Why are you wielding the blade instead of him?"
"Because such is my duty today.", Mizuki replied colder than she had intended.
"I refuse. Let that man do it."
"Mizuki. Now.", her father chimed in, his words barely even to herself.
She understood that if this kept going on, the man before her would try to break loose rather than embrace an inescapable sentence. While her mind doubted once again the necessity of this all, she also reminded herself that a struggling opponent would only make the execution much harder. What was important was to give the sentenced person a certain peace of mind.
Mizuki stepped forward, thumb resting upon the tsuba of her blade. She nudged towards the two men holding Garrett down, and crouched before him herself.
"You acted out of love before, now rekindle that feeling once more. Realise that you will soon be able to share such moments with her for an eternity."
Suddenly feeling the weight of having lost his one love, the man slumped down. Feeling that a life without her would be far harder to live than this brief moment of courage, he nodded and eventually did as what had been requested. He knelt, and lowered his head, whispering a soft, "I'm so sorry", as his parting words.
Not allowing the moment to persist, Mizuki drew her katana and took on the familiar basic stance of her father's well-taught Heaven's Sword style. Blade high and ready to strike, she took a deep breath, and allowed the weapon to swiftly come down in perfect synchronisation with her breathing out. With a dull thud, the head rolled over the floor and the body sunk lifelessly to the ground. Trembling as she pushed back the memories of her first kill, Mizuki remained still for a moment. Then finally, regaining a hold of herself, she shook the blood of her katana. The blood splattered on the floor. The rain splattered on the floor.
Why could rain wash away the essence of life so easily?
[EXIT]
1737
- Training:
STR C -> C-1
END C -> C-1
PER C -> C-1
1725 wc + 300 ryo
Hokage: 
Kazekage: 
Raikage: 
Tsuchikage: 
Mizukage: 