(-VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED-)
[ June 7th, 1920 | 19 years ago ]
Shakaromi is currently holding a festival for the founding fathers. The night sky was filled with fireworks, the air had the heavenly aroma of nearby food stands, and of course, people were gathered all around.
"C'mon mama! I want to go get some more kakigori!" A young, small Asami said while tugging her mother's yukata.
"Okay, okay, but don't cry to me when you get a tummy ache later! You wouldn't want to eat your food afterwards, Momoki." Her mother said softly while picking up young Asami.
The festival ended 15 minutes later, and the fireworks are still lighting up the sky. Asami and her mother began to walk back home.
"Mama, mama! I had so much fun! Can we go back again next time?" Young Asami said with a bit too much energy.
Asami's mother chuckled softly, and she nodded, patting young Asami on the head. "Absolutely darling, the summer festival is right around the corner, so we can-"
Before she could finish speaking, five armed bandits appear from the dark , wielding sharp blades pointed at young Asami and her mother.
"Give me your yen! We know you have it because you have expensive jewelry on, and your husband is filthy rich!" One of the bandits yelled out.
Young Asami whimpers and clutches onto her mother's yukata, "M-Mama… What's going on…? Why do those bad guys have... pointy small swords…?"
Asami's mother clutches young Asami tightly, and she looks up at the bandits, "I will not give you a single coin! You're just going to have to-"
Suddenly, one of the bandits tried running towards them; however, Asami's mother pushed him away… hard.
He stumbles backward on a tree trunk, and his blade flies out of his hand, impaling his hand. "AAAGH! YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT, YOU DAMN WITCH!"
That's when Asami's mother puts down young Asami and pushes her far from the fight. Young Asami lets out a cry, trying to run back to her mother, "Go home, Momoki! Run home, and don't look-"
STAB!
Asami's mother… felt something warm trickling down her neck, and she slowly looked down to see a blade lodged in her throat. When she tried to speak, the blade moved slightly, causing blood to splatter onto young Asami's face and her yukata...
"GO MOMOKIIIII!!!"
Asami's mother screeches out. Young Asami cries loudly as she begins to run away from her mother, and the last thing she saw before her death was her mother falling to the ground, smiling.
She manages to run back to her home, where her father is sitting in the main room drinking sake.
"Who the hell is at the door? It better be you, Mayu…" When he turns around, he sees the young Asami standing there with tears and blood staining her face, blood on her small yukata, and no mother near her side.
Since her father is drunk on sake, he doesn't even realize how bad the situation is. "Papa… Mama is gone… she-" Suddenly, her father threw his almost empty bottle of sake at the wall next to the young Asami, which shattered the glass on impact and splattered the sake all over her.
"Momoki… do you have any idea HOW LATE IT IS!? Go to your room, I'll deal with you later. Right now, I'm gonna have a little "chat" with your useless son of a bitch mother…"
Young Asami lets out a yelp and stumbles backwards. She tried to tell her father about her mother's death, but he got even angrier. "Damn it, Momoki, I said go to your room!" Her father barked. She had no choice but to run to her room, crying her eyes out.
The next morning, the sounds of glass breaking could be heard in the main room, which jolted the young Asami awake. "Momoki, you'd better get in this room right now!" Her father yelled from the room on the other side of hers.
Young Asami slowly walks into the room, and her little eyes widen, staring down at the destroyed living room. "P-Papa… What are you doing…" She says softly, her small body quivering in fear as she stares up at her father.
That's when he whips his head around and glowers at her with malice. "You! It's your fault!" He angrily walks up to her and points a finger at her.
"You're the reason why your mother is dead! If only she hadn't pushed you out of the way, it should've been you who died, not her!" He hollered at the top of his lungs.
[Apparently, Asami's father was so drunk last night, he didn't get the news of Mayu's (Asami's Mother) death the night prior, and also no one knew about the attack because the fireworks that were still going off silenced the screams. Her body was found dumped in the woods near the main entrance of the inner village of Shakaromi, with multiple stab wounds to her body to the point of her almost being unrecognizable.]
Poor young Asami only watched as her father reprimanded her. Suddenly, he said something that she will never forget, even to this day…
"I wish…. I wish you were dead. I wish I never had a sorry excuse of a daughter." He muttered under his breath.
Young Asami let out a choked sob, and she looked down at the floor, "Papa… why do you have to be so mean to me… I didn't do anything!!"
Her father growls and picks her up by the front of her still bloody yukata, which she wore yesterday, lifting her off her feet.
"I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU SAY! I HATE YOU! I WISH YOU WERE-"
Suddenly, his grasp on her yukata abruptly let go, and young Asami fell to her knees and gasped for air. She slowly looks up at her father, and he's currently clutching his heart, aching in pain, and doubling over.
"P-Papa! What's happening!? Papa… PAPAAAA!!!!" She yells in despair to her father, but shortly after doubling over, he stops breathing… He's dead.
In the span of a day and a half, Asami lost both of her parents.
She was taken in by the Shakaromi Samurai Defense League and soon after, and throughout her years there, she learned multiple things. One of the most important things she learned… is that you can't really expect the unexpected.
One day, while training her sword swings, a sudden female voice lets out a loud, annoyed sigh, which causes Asami to let out a small yelp.
"Oops! Sorry, Asami-Chan… did I startle ya?" A beautiful woman with long, messy hair, golden, glistening eyes, and sharp teeth said with a raspy voice. Her appearance was similar to a specific person…
Asami smiles and places her sword down, "Oh! Hi, Mrs. Himoka! You didn't startle me too badly. How's Namo doing?"
Mrs. Himoka gives a hearty chuckle and ruffles Asami's hair, "He's not doing so bad. He has a bit of a cold, but he'll be alright. Mr. Yama takes care of him while I'm out patrolling." Asami slowly nods and looks down at the ground with a small frown.
"Mrs. Himoka-" As Asami was about to speak up, Mrs. Himoka cut her off,
"Please, call me Rumi. Hearing that makes me feel old, and I don't want to feel old. Plus, I'm not even married, so it would just be Ms. Himoka…" She corrects.
Asami looks up at her and slowly nods again. "Rumi… how do I prove my worth to you…? I want to be as strong as you when I get older and protect the people!" Asami declares.
Rumi lets out a sigh, crossing her arms and shaking her head, "Rule number one: Don't be like someone else. You wouldn't want to be like someone you look up to; you would want to be better than them."
She paused before continuing,
"Rule number two: Ask yourself this question, 'What is my purpose in the league?' Once you know your answer, come talk to me, yeah?"
Rumi leans down, caressing Asami's small face and giving her one of her signature mentor smiles,
"You've got heart, Asami-Chan. Keep aiming high, and one day, it'll just come straight to you…"
[ June 7th, 1939 | Current Day ]
Today marks the 19th anniversary of her parents' death.
As Asami continues to break down on the railing, one of the shoji doors slowly slides open, which causes her to jump up and quickly wipe her eyes.
When she slowly glanced behind her, she saw Daki in her nightgown, wearing a sympathetic look.
"It's that time, huh?" Daki says while walking up to Asami.
That's when Asami began tearing up again, and she cried on Daki's shoulder,
"I… I don't know… why I'm not… over the pain…"
Asami says while trying to catch her breath. Daki sighs and pats Asami's back, trying to calm her down.
The whole night, Daki helped Asami calm her racing heart until she slowly but surely went right to sleep.