Vocaloid Tales: The Summer and Winter Garden

Chapter 6: The Dancing Samurai

"You claim to be a what now?"

The blonde queen regarded the purple haired foreigner kneeling before her throne with amusement.  "A dancing samurai?"

The blue-haired prince regarded him with wide-eyed wonder.  "I must see a demonstration!" he said, excitement in his voice.

"Now, now, Prince... I've given you plenty of tutors to spend on this frivolity.  At your age, you need to be studying battle. This man is a noble swordsman, you should be trying to learn more of war from him."

The youth seemed unswayed by his mother's scolding.  "If it's not too much trouble, sir."

The samurai rose to his feet.  He held his blade as though it were an instrument.  "If it will make the prince happy," he said with a coy smile, "I believe one can learn as much of battle from methods of the spirit as well as methods of the body. My trusted companion, Miburi, shall aid me."

The prince sat spellbound as the samurai began to perform a melody in a surprisingly rich and enchanting voice.

'In the light drizzle, the old autumn town, the northern light, from the big window, I can see the sea. I am alone!'

But more importantly, the samurai seemed capable of channeling the music through his entire body.  As he sang, he began to perform elaborate sword routines.  As he danced with his sword, light as the air around him, the Prince realized that the samurai had transformed "frivolity" into a weapon of its own – by surrendering himself to the song, he'd become capable of ignoring anything that could distract him from the battle field.

'I am now spreading wings that belong to no one, if you love me, then goodbye, burn me in your heart, and forget me...'

Everyone in the throne room gave him a wide berth, wondering if he'd ever slip up as he stayed so devoted to his delicate act of song, dance, and swords.  Yet so polished was he that it became difficult to tell the difference between pure combat and dance... one could only imagine how terrifying it would be to fight a warrior so unconcerned with the threat you posed that he made the act of cutting you down into a performance.

The samurai completed his song of swords.  In spite of the incredible physical feat he'd performed for the Prince, he seemed barely winded.

The Prince stood up and knelt before him.  "Wait!  You're the prince!  You shouldn't...!"

"O Samurai..." he said softly, "if you'll have me, I'll become your student..."

The samurai laughed loudly.  "Now, now, I thought I was supposed to be guarding you!"

"Then we can aid each other," the Prince said, "I shall be your pupil, and in exchange, you shall guard my family."

And so it was that the "Dancing Samurai" became both the humble servant and strict teacher of the Prince...

"Hmph, Dancing Samurai," Gakupo said to himself, "Haven't done that in some time."

Ever since he'd become a ghost, he'd lost the ability to sleep.  He supposed as long as he had a body that couldn't really tire out, he had no need for it.  But the long endless waking hours wore on him over the years.  The release of sleep, to lose oneself in the perspectives of dreams... both things he'd taken for granted in the past.

He'd instead learned to rely trying to mentally throw himself into other places.  Sometimes he'd ruminate on past battles or experiences.  Other times he'd distract himself with long remembered stories.