Saito back story

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Some are born warriors. They take to the sword as easily as the lungs take breath. Destined for greatness, they carve their own destiny in the flesh of their foes. Those born to the Dragon Clan of High Elves are not born with silver spoon in mouth, but sharpened steel in hand. They have an almost instinctual gift for battle, and an unquenchable lust for blood and conquest.
The same cannot be said of Shintetsu Saito of the aforementioned Dragon Clan. As much as his family would have loved for him to be born a naturally gifted warrior, Saito was not so lucky. A small, weak, uncoordinated child with a kind heart, it seemed he would never become the warrior his clan wanted him to be.
The odds were already stacked against him at birth. Saito’s father, Shintetsu Kenshin, who fits the mold of the Dragon Clan war monger nearly perfectly, once performed a great deed of heroism for a rival clan, The Mantis Clan. As his reward, Kenshin took as his wife the beautiful Mantis Clan noblewoman Bangirasu Kaguya. From birth, Saito was torn between two clans, the warlike Dragon and the peaceful Mantis, who hold a strong belief in equality for all races and classes.
And so eventually Saito was born, a black sheep to two families. As a child, Saito was a mamma’s boy, never far from the warmth and kindness of his mother. Even his father, who trained him in the Shintetsu family’s ancestral style of fighting with two swords, was far easier on him than usual for Dragon Clan trainees. Since his combat abilities were less than stellar, it was decided that Saito would become a liaison between the Dragon and Mantis clans. And so his life as a warrior ended and began anew as an ambassador. Or so he thought.
The Shintetsu family is a samurai clan sworn to serve the house of Hakuryu, one of the oldest and most influential families of the Dragon Clan. A sacred mission was bestowed upon the Samurai of

House Hakuryu: march into the Blight and reclaim ancestral Dragon Clan lands. The mission was led by none other than Hakuryu Sora, the head of the Hakuryu family and one of the oldest and most
respected leaders of the Dragon Clan. During the mission (of which Kenshin was a part of), Sora was stabbed with a black bladed dagger and gravely injured. Sora’s personal bodyguard, who was considered to be the greatest warrior in the Dragon Clan, died gloriously in battle securing his master’s retreat to safety.
After his recovery, Sora had to pick a new bodyguard, a position of unequalled prestige known in the old tongue as the “Yojimbo no Mao”. All of the families in service of Hakuryu sent forth their best warriors, for a tournament was to be held. It was a gathering of young talent not seen for centuries. This included the Shintetsu family. So Saito was forced by tradition to audition for the lucrative position of Hakuryu Sora’s Yojimbo no Mao.
Saito thought this was a waste of time. There he was, standing in the midst of the best young warriors the Dragon Clan had to offer and he’d barely even practiced swordplay in years, aside from the cramming he’d done with his father in the weeks prior to the event. His goal was to not embarrass the Shintetsu family, and he was not keen on his odds of accomplishing this.
Before the tournament, Sora personally interviewed each of the young combatants in private. Saito was not particularly nervous during the process, for in his mind he had no chance of attaining this position, nor did he want it. He and Sora had a brief but meaningful conversation about philosophy, politics, and family. Saito became instantly enamored of the old elf. He was wise, kind, and one of the few elves Saito had met who didn’t seem to care about his dual parentage. Saito was glad to have met Sora.
But he lost in the first round of the tournament. He put up a good fight, but his lack of experience cost him the match. The tournament as a whole was a sight to behold. The young Dragon Clan warriors were impressive in their skill and power. When the dust settled and only one elf was left standing, Sora took the stage and announced the name of the elf who would become his personal bodyguard.
Shintetsu Saito.
A roar of shock and outrage swept through the crowd. The only quiet elves were Saito and his family, who were stunned into slack jawed silence. Sora then calmly explained that at no point was it stated that the winner of the tournament would become his Yojimbo no Mao. And so, Saito’s duties as Yojimbo began.
His combat training resumed in earnest. Soon the awkwardness of his youth gave way to the confident strength of an elf in his prime. All the years of training paid off as he gradually became a warrior worthy of the name Shintetsu. A dragon katana was forged especially for him, a sword of the finest make made of combat hardened silver. His mother also gave him a wakizashi that once belonged to his grandfather, a holy blade named “Kamakiri” used to defend the world against demons. His years studying to be an ambassador paid off too, as Yojimbo no Mao’s duties also included training peasants in self-defense, entertaining (and profiling) Sora’s guests, and other tasks Saito actually found himself well suited for because of his diverse skill set.
One day, Saito asked Sora why he chose him to be his Yojimbo no Mao. Sora replied, “I’ve always been a pretty good judge of character, and old age has only made me better at that. I saw something in you. You’re not the smartest, wisest, or strongest. But those things can all come in time. I saw potential in you Saito, not just to become a great warrior, but also a great elf. You’ve got something these other meatheads don’t have: a good heart, a sense of justice, and individuality. That’s why I chose you. No one else seems to think those are good qualities, but I do.”
But all was not well with Sora. He’d become prone to fits of rage, doling out harsh punishments where none were needed. Sora’s mood would also become dark periodically, and he’d say and do things so out of character that onlookers were shocked. Saito got to where he could sense when Sora

was becoming “dark”, and would send guests away and take him to his quarters to isolate him. It was in these moments that Saito would speak to “Dark Sora”. Sora’s words, normally filled with wisdom and kindness, became nothing more than curses and vulgarities.
Saito knew that his master was possessed by a demon. A demon who was becoming increasingly cleverer as time went on. It got to where “Dark Sora” would only manifest himself when no one but Saito was around. Any attempts Saito delicately made to get help for his master or let others know of the problem fell on deaf ears. Hakuryu Sora was a man in such a high position that an exorcism or priestly investigation on him was unheard of.
Things got steadily worse with time. Sora would be normal in public but change in the blink of an eye once no one but Saito was around. Saito could no longer tell which persona was in control. It seemed Dark Sora had started mimicking the words and actions of Sora himself, so well that no one, not even Sora’s wife and children, could tell the difference.
Things reached a climax one day when Sora attacked one of his children in a rage. Saito had to bodily hold his master back from strangling his youngest daughter, Yukari. After this incident, Sora emerged and told Saito words that broke his heart. “Listen to me Saito, If I do anything to harm my family, my dear wife or beloved children, you must take my life. I cannot fight this creature any longer. This is the first time I’ve been able to come out in weeks. I know this will be hard for you but you must do it. This beast will cause too much harm in my body. He could bring about the end of the Dragon Clan. You cannot let this happen. I just hope our people will have the wisdom to see that you have committed no crime if it comes to this.”
Saito got one more day with his master. The next night Sora rose from his bed, took his sword in hand, left his chambers, smiled evilly at Saito, and walked down the hallway to his daughter’s room. Saito followed him.
“I know what you’re planning, demon.” Saito growled. “You know what my master said to me. I’ll end your foul scheme if you try to harm one hair on her head.”
“Oh, I know you will Saito-Chan. But at this point what have I got to lose? I’ve got you breathing down my neck 24-7, and if I start doing the fun stuff again, the other pointy eared idiots will start to realize something’s up. I’m basically trapped here. And you know who’s fault that is? YOUR’S.” the demon snarled. “I had this all sewn up. I’d slowly take over this old fart then take over the Dragon Clan and destroy it from the inside. Do you have any idea how glorious it would’ve been? But nooooo, Sora in his infinite wisdom had to pick you, a sniveling, weak, worthless little mamma’s boy as his “yojumbi on rice” or whatever it’s called. Any of those other brainless muscleheads would’ve slaughtered Sora’s whole family on his (heh, heh... MY) command, but no. He had to pick you. Well you’ve pooped on my party long enough, sister. If I can’t take down the Dragon Clan in its entirety, I’ll at least screw over you and pops here.”
The demon opened Yukari’s door. She sat up and saw her father standing in the doorway, katana in hand and bloodthirsty smile on face. She screamed. “Hope you like seppuku, Saito-Chan, because it’s what’s for breakfast!”, laughed the demon as he rushed towards her bed, katana held up to strike her down.
Saito darted forward, grabbed the wrist of the demon’s sword hand while locking the beast’s other arm behind it’s back. Sora’s head turned an impossible 180 degrees. The eyes that stared into Saito’s had glowing red irises and black sclera. The skin on its face was cracked and oozing what looked like molten lava.
“Oh, it ain’t gonna be that easy Saito-Chan. I’ve got more than a few tricks up my sleeve, or should I say, down my throat!” Sora’s head spun back around to face Yukari. Its mouth opened, impossibly wide. An orange glow eminated from the creature’s throat. The room got hotter. The air in front of its mouth started shimmering and pulsating with heat. Flames flickered from its nostrils and ears. A low roar like an onrushing of flames filled the room.

Saito released Sora’s arm, drew his katana, and plunged its blade through the back of the man it was made to protect.
Saito caught Sora’s body as it fell. Yukari rushed forward, tears streaming down her face. “It’s him”, she sobbed, “It left him right before you struck, I saw it in his eyes. Oh father!”
“Yukari, my love.... I’m so sorry. Sai....to...this...was.... not.... your.... doing...”
Hakuryu Sora passed from this world. Saito gave himself up without a fight. He was immediately ordered to commit Hara Kiri the next day. Kenshin would cut his head off. No one listened to Yukari’s protests. There was no evidence of demonic possession in Sora’s countenance. Saito was thrown in the dungeon to await his execution the next day.
That night, Saito was awoken by Yukari and someone else, one of the priests Saito had talked to about Sora’s demonic possession. The guards were asleep.
“Yukari,” said Saito, “I appreciate this, but I will not run. Despite the circumstances, I have taken my master, your father’s life. I willingly accept the punishment for my crime.”
“No Saito”, replied Yukari, “My father would not want this. He would want you to live. He saw something in you. He believed in you, and so do I. Now that my father is dead, you are now obligated to serve me, and I order you to run away from here. I order you to not commit seppuku. I order you to go find a new life somewhere else. Somewhere you’ll be happy.”
Saito gave her a wry look. “You know that’s not how it works, right?”
“I don’t care! You can’t do this! It’s not right!”
“If anyone should want me to kill myself, it’s you! I killed your father!”
“That thing was not my father! You should’ve heard the horrible things it said to me when you weren’t around! They were so horrible I dare never to repeat them! And that.... that THING is still out there somewhere! It took my father away from me and it’s still out there!”
Yukari fell to the ground, sobbing. Saito took her in his arms. She wept heavily into his chest. He whispered to her, “That thing will not have an easy time of it. If it thinks it’s free of me forever, it is sorely mistaken.”
Yukari lurched forward a bit. Saito was holding her up, but now he was gone. She and the priest left before anyone realized they were behind Saito’s escape.
Saito knew his father had taken his weapons and armor. He went to his parent’s house to find his father awake and waiting for him.
Saito began, “Kenshin”.
“Saito”.
“Will you fight me? Disown me? Strike me down and restore honor to the family name?” “Not tonight. Tonight you are my son, and I love you. If I see you tomorrow, or any day after
that, I will kill you. Your things are in the chest at the foot of the bed. Try to put them to better use.” Saito retrieved his things, said, “Sorry father”, and left.


--Ryan Carter 2017