Awakening - June 1, 2016 - Fukuoka Japan: Ranmaru Vizzini
The dreams are getting worse.
They had started as flashes, sharp sensory moments without coherence or cohesion: a mother's tears, the gleam of light off of a blade, crackling flames, the copper tang of blood...
They were disturbing, but not particularly disruptive so long as there was enough coffee in the morning.
But they've been changing over the past few weeks: the flashes have been repeating, grown longer, organizing themselves into context. The dreams have formed two distinct narratives.
The first narrative is a familiar story: a troubled child watches his mother become a monster, terrified as she lashes out in the name of protection.
The second narrative is something else entirely: The temple is burning. Outside, steel meets steel, as the screams of the loyal pierce the air. Inside, a lord is defiant even as he thrusts his blade into his own body. It is an end. But there are no regrets.
It is after this last nightmare that Ranmaru wakes up. It is 6:30 a.m.
Ranmaru rolled over in the bed and looked at the clock with disdain. He only had an hour to get to work which meant the train was out of the question. With a heavy sigh he crawled out of bed and ran through a couple of the more meditative forms he knew before heading into the bathroom.
After a hasty shower, he quickly applied some eyedrops to reduce the puffiness and redness in his eyes along with some concealer.
He dressed quickly with barely enough time to pop a caffeine pill and wash it down with coffee before heading out the door of his condo and into an awaiting taxi.
In the taxi he reviewed his schedule for the day, forcing both narratives out of his mind. The first led to places he definitely didn't want to revisit, and the second, had no time to wonder why he was thinking about a period drama.
Great, his first meeting of the day would be translating between Japanese, Italian, and Korean between two international resort companies, and his own company that was handling the financial merger.
The taxi takes Ranmaru to the Sasori Building. Named for the family that owns it and his current employer. The Sasori Building stands tall and proud in the heart of the Tenjin.
The lobby is tasteful and elegant, if sparsely furnished. A beautiful ukiyo-e print hangs over the reception desk, calming the spirit.
The receptionist, Akiko, a fresh-faced young girl in her early twenties, dimples at you. "Good morning, Vizzini-san!" She stumbles over the consonants in Ranmaru's name that have no Japanese equivalent, and ends up with something closer to "Bijinni" but she's improving.
She has a very obvious crush on Ranmaru.
"I've heard some news. Sasori-shachou has been displeased with Takeda-kaichou's performance. Takeda-kaichou has been transferred to one of the other companies. Sasori-shachou will be sending someone to take his place!"
*shachou = company president
*kaichou = chairman
Ranmaru sighs inwardly at Akiko's attempt to say his name. He nearly changed his name in high school. After realizing how much paperwork was added due to his dual citizenship. He decided to honor his father's wishes and keep the name.
He exchanges a few additional pleasantries with Akiko-san while trying to get a bit more information about Takeda-kaicho's departure. "Takeda-kaicho has been a valued member of the board for so many years. You don't happen to know who replaced him do you?" Ranmaru gives her one of his patent pending smiles.
Akiko blushes at Ranmaru's smile. She leans in to whisper, "I'm not supposed to know this, but it's going to be Kouga-kaichou."
Normally Akiko would not be so informal, but the man she is referring to is Sasori Kouga, the only son of the company president.
This particular Sasori is generally in charge of company operations in Tokyo. He has a reputation of being brilliant and ruthless. It is rumored that he is the reason for the company's sudden rise from respectable relic to financial powerhouse.
Ranmaru winks at Akiko and tells her that he'll keep it secret. He looks down at his watch and hurries on to his meeting.
The meeting is taking place in a large conference room. The Boards of Directors of both companies are present already. They seem uncomfortable. The Directors of the Italian company are murmuring back and forth amongst themselves. The Directors of the Korean company are quieter but still appear concerned. The chairman is not present.
Both groups look up as you enter and one of the Korean directors clears his throat. "Hello, Mr. Vizzini. We are merely waiting for Mr. Takeda so that we can begin."
Ranmaru smiles pleasantly and answers the Korean director's question. "Takeda-kaicho will not be joining us this morning. However please rest comfortably, a new representative will be joining us shortly. Please excuse the interruption." He bowed twice and repeated his statement in Italian.
Other members of the Sasori group wait patiently to one side of the room. Ranmaru gives them a calming look and absorbs all the conversation in the room.
He focuses on all the conversations happening in the room at once so that he can provide the new chairman with any additional information he might need to know. He subconsciously holds onto the good luck pouch his father gave him shortly before his death.
The Italians are whispering amongst each other, some rumor about Takeda-kaichou and the Suzuhana corporation. The Koreans are speculating about the identity of the new representatives.
The Sasori delegation is hiding their confusion, and seems happy enough to follow Ranmaru's lead.
Fortunately, there isn't that much time to speculate, as at that moment, the door swings open and Sasori Kouga enters the room.
Sasori-kaichou is a tall man in his thirties, handsome enough in a stern foreboding way, and wearing a suit that cost enough to feed a middle class family for a year. He studies the group with the eye of a bird of prey until he sees Ranmaru.
"You would be Vizzini-san, the translator?" Sasori appears to have no difficulty with Ranmaru's name at all, and even gives it the proper Italian emphasis. "Translate the following: Please accept my regret for the delay in these proceedings. My name is Sasori Kouga and I will be taking the place of Mr. Takeda in these proceedings." His tone is expressionless, but somehow carries the impression that the delegation should consider this a considerable honor.
When Ranmaru sees Sasori Kouga enter the room, a strong sense of deja vu hits him. And for a moment he sees a man in o-yori with a blood drenched spear. The moment passes and he bows respectively and translates as instructed.
The meeting goes smoothly, with no hiccups despite the change in chairman. Sasori has clearly done his homework. He does not project the same warmth and friendliness that was Takeda-kaichou's trademark, but the directors respond to his calm authority.
Sporadically during the meeting, Ranmaru notices Sasori looking his direction. His expression is calm and thoughtful, but somewhere deep within Ranmaru's memory, there was the smell of burning wood.
After the meeting is concluded (a successful merger, no complications), Sasori stands. "If you'll come with me to my office, Vizzini-san. There are things we must discuss."
A feeling of foreboding comes over Ranmaru as he keeps his emotions off his face. He bows and follows Sasori-kaichou to his new office.
Sasori's new office is quite nice. Large and open, with windows that look out over the Tenjin. It is much nicer than Takeda-kaichou's office, but family has its privileges.
"Please have a seat, Vizzini-san." He gives Ranmaru a quizzical look. "You seem tired. Have you been having strange dreams?"
Slightly taken aback, Ranmaru masks his confusion with a smile and slight bow and takes a seat in the nearest chair. Taking every effort to seem relaxed and confident. "I'm honored that you would feel concern for me. But I scarcely have time to remember them, or concern myself if they were strange or not. I know this may seem silly to one such as yourself, but I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for pronouncing my name correctly. You are the first non-Westerner to do so in recent memory." Ranmaru uses the utmost formal and humble speech. After a short pause, he continues "Pardon me for sounding rude but, was there some other reason you wished to see me?"
Sasori smirks slightly. "It is not a difficult name, Vizzini-san. You are correct though that I did call you here for a reason." He produces a day planner. "I see here that I am scheduled for meetings with Eisan International and Laboratoires Pierre Fabre in the next week. Please cancel them and express my sincere regrets for the inconvenience. I would appreciate it if you would clear your schedule as well."
Ranmaru looks at Sasori confused and becomes somewhat defensive. His recent dreams could have been his brain telling him bad things were about to happen; and Sasori Kouga may be the cause. "I don't mean to seem rude, but doesn't your secretary handle these things? Also, I can't just clear my calendar. Vice-Chairman John Felkan from Fiat will be here next week, he's a very important client; and has specifically requested my translation services during his visit."
"I do not yet have a secretary. I am afraid that Ms. Yamakawa has gone with Mr. Takeda. She will be replaced, but until then, I am sure that this task is within your capabilities."
He considers. "I will speak to Vice-Chairman Felkan. I am sure he will understand."
Ranmaru's eyebrows and mouth twitch slightly. His speech gradually becoming less humble while maintaining a formal style. "And what will I be doing with my soon to be free time?"
"You will be accompanying me to the Shofukuji Temple, where you will undergo training. You will not have much free time." Sasori nods. "We will depart tomorrow."
Ranmaru sighs heavily and stands up. "I believe we have a misunderstanding Sasori-kaichou. I'm sorry but I don't think I can work for you. Becoming a monk was not one of my life's goals." He heads for the door. "I'll be sure to properly submit my letter of resignation." The very last thing Ranmaru wants to do right now is set foot in a temple. The memories from the dreams disturbed him. The very idea of being at peace with impending doom right at the very doorstep because you completed your duty to your lord was just too archaic for his modern sense.
Sasori does not attempt to stop Ranmaru's exit. He merely opens his day planner and makes a note. "As you will, Mori-san."
At this, Ranmaru is shaken to his core and quickly exists. He lets his immediate supervisor know that he's fallen ill and heads home in a taxi.
By the time he gets to his condo, he's sweating profusely and his head is pounding. There's no way that Sasori could have known about his dreams. He'd been compared to his namesake before, this just had to be one of those coincidences. It had to be.
Ranmaru takes a cold shower and then grabs his two favorite kotachi and does the most vigorous katas that he can practice alone. At first every movement reminded him of his dreams but as he focused his movements everything melted away. there was nothing but the movements. He loses track of time in his movements and when he finally stops, he realizes that 1) he's still completely naked, and 2) over an hour and a half has passed.
Sighing, he takes another shower before stepping into the ofuro to soak for a bit. All the while wondering why Sasori disturbed him.
While he was absorbed in his martial art, Ranmaru received an email from his immediate supervisor on his cell phone. This email notifies him that the Fiat meeting has been postponed until further notice. The supervisor wishes him a swift recovery.
Ranmaru sees the email after he finishes soaking. He sighs, somehow he knows that submitting a letter of resignation isn't going to be as easy as he thought it'd be. He types up a formal letter, prints it out and places it in a formal envelop ready to deliver when he goes into the office in the morning.
He downs a couple of sleeping pills, hoping the drug will make for a dreamless rest. After a few minutes he drifts asleep.
Ranmaru sleeps deeply and does not dream this night.
They had started as flashes, sharp sensory moments without coherence or cohesion: a mother's tears, the gleam of light off of a blade, crackling flames, the copper tang of blood...
They were disturbing, but not particularly disruptive so long as there was enough coffee in the morning.
But they've been changing over the past few weeks: the flashes have been repeating, grown longer, organizing themselves into context. The dreams have formed two distinct narratives.
The first narrative is a familiar story: a troubled child watches his mother become a monster, terrified as she lashes out in the name of protection.
The second narrative is something else entirely: The temple is burning. Outside, steel meets steel, as the screams of the loyal pierce the air. Inside, a lord is defiant even as he thrusts his blade into his own body. It is an end. But there are no regrets.
It is after this last nightmare that Ranmaru wakes up. It is 6:30 a.m.
After a hasty shower, he quickly applied some eyedrops to reduce the puffiness and redness in his eyes along with some concealer.
He dressed quickly with barely enough time to pop a caffeine pill and wash it down with coffee before heading out the door of his condo and into an awaiting taxi.
In the taxi he reviewed his schedule for the day, forcing both narratives out of his mind. The first led to places he definitely didn't want to revisit, and the second, had no time to wonder why he was thinking about a period drama.
Great, his first meeting of the day would be translating between Japanese, Italian, and Korean between two international resort companies, and his own company that was handling the financial merger.
The taxi takes Ranmaru to the Sasori Building. Named for the family that owns it and his current employer. The Sasori Building stands tall and proud in the heart of the Tenjin.
The lobby is tasteful and elegant, if sparsely furnished. A beautiful ukiyo-e print hangs over the reception desk, calming the spirit.
The receptionist, Akiko, a fresh-faced young girl in her early twenties, dimples at you. "Good morning, Vizzini-san!" She stumbles over the consonants in Ranmaru's name that have no Japanese equivalent, and ends up with something closer to "Bijinni" but she's improving.
She has a very obvious crush on Ranmaru.
"I've heard some news. Sasori-shachou has been displeased with Takeda-kaichou's performance. Takeda-kaichou has been transferred to one of the other companies. Sasori-shachou will be sending someone to take his place!"
*shachou = company president
*kaichou = chairman
Ranmaru sighs inwardly at Akiko's attempt to say his name. He nearly changed his name in high school. After realizing how much paperwork was added due to his dual citizenship. He decided to honor his father's wishes and keep the name.
He exchanges a few additional pleasantries with Akiko-san while trying to get a bit more information about Takeda-kaicho's departure. "Takeda-kaicho has been a valued member of the board for so many years. You don't happen to know who replaced him do you?" Ranmaru gives her one of his patent pending smiles.
Akiko blushes at Ranmaru's smile. She leans in to whisper, "I'm not supposed to know this, but it's going to be Kouga-kaichou."
Normally Akiko would not be so informal, but the man she is referring to is Sasori Kouga, the only son of the company president.
This particular Sasori is generally in charge of company operations in Tokyo. He has a reputation of being brilliant and ruthless. It is rumored that he is the reason for the company's sudden rise from respectable relic to financial powerhouse.
Ranmaru winks at Akiko and tells her that he'll keep it secret. He looks down at his watch and hurries on to his meeting.
The meeting is taking place in a large conference room. The Boards of Directors of both companies are present already. They seem uncomfortable. The Directors of the Italian company are murmuring back and forth amongst themselves. The Directors of the Korean company are quieter but still appear concerned. The chairman is not present.
Both groups look up as you enter and one of the Korean directors clears his throat. "Hello, Mr. Vizzini. We are merely waiting for Mr. Takeda so that we can begin."
Ranmaru smiles pleasantly and answers the Korean director's question. "Takeda-kaicho will not be joining us this morning. However please rest comfortably, a new representative will be joining us shortly. Please excuse the interruption." He bowed twice and repeated his statement in Italian.
Other members of the Sasori group wait patiently to one side of the room. Ranmaru gives them a calming look and absorbs all the conversation in the room.
He focuses on all the conversations happening in the room at once so that he can provide the new chairman with any additional information he might need to know. He subconsciously holds onto the good luck pouch his father gave him shortly before his death.
The Italians are whispering amongst each other, some rumor about Takeda-kaichou and the Suzuhana corporation. The Koreans are speculating about the identity of the new representatives.
The Sasori delegation is hiding their confusion, and seems happy enough to follow Ranmaru's lead.
Fortunately, there isn't that much time to speculate, as at that moment, the door swings open and Sasori Kouga enters the room.
Sasori-kaichou is a tall man in his thirties, handsome enough in a stern foreboding way, and wearing a suit that cost enough to feed a middle class family for a year. He studies the group with the eye of a bird of prey until he sees Ranmaru.
"You would be Vizzini-san, the translator?" Sasori appears to have no difficulty with Ranmaru's name at all, and even gives it the proper Italian emphasis. "Translate the following: Please accept my regret for the delay in these proceedings. My name is Sasori Kouga and I will be taking the place of Mr. Takeda in these proceedings." His tone is expressionless, but somehow carries the impression that the delegation should consider this a considerable honor.
When Ranmaru sees Sasori Kouga enter the room, a strong sense of deja vu hits him. And for a moment he sees a man in o-yori with a blood drenched spear. The moment passes and he bows respectively and translates as instructed.
The meeting goes smoothly, with no hiccups despite the change in chairman. Sasori has clearly done his homework. He does not project the same warmth and friendliness that was Takeda-kaichou's trademark, but the directors respond to his calm authority.
Sporadically during the meeting, Ranmaru notices Sasori looking his direction. His expression is calm and thoughtful, but somewhere deep within Ranmaru's memory, there was the smell of burning wood.
After the meeting is concluded (a successful merger, no complications), Sasori stands. "If you'll come with me to my office, Vizzini-san. There are things we must discuss."
A feeling of foreboding comes over Ranmaru as he keeps his emotions off his face. He bows and follows Sasori-kaichou to his new office.
Sasori's new office is quite nice. Large and open, with windows that look out over the Tenjin. It is much nicer than Takeda-kaichou's office, but family has its privileges.
"Please have a seat, Vizzini-san." He gives Ranmaru a quizzical look. "You seem tired. Have you been having strange dreams?"
Slightly taken aback, Ranmaru masks his confusion with a smile and slight bow and takes a seat in the nearest chair. Taking every effort to seem relaxed and confident. "I'm honored that you would feel concern for me. But I scarcely have time to remember them, or concern myself if they were strange or not. I know this may seem silly to one such as yourself, but I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for pronouncing my name correctly. You are the first non-Westerner to do so in recent memory." Ranmaru uses the utmost formal and humble speech. After a short pause, he continues "Pardon me for sounding rude but, was there some other reason you wished to see me?"
Sasori smirks slightly. "It is not a difficult name, Vizzini-san. You are correct though that I did call you here for a reason." He produces a day planner. "I see here that I am scheduled for meetings with Eisan International and Laboratoires Pierre Fabre in the next week. Please cancel them and express my sincere regrets for the inconvenience. I would appreciate it if you would clear your schedule as well."
Ranmaru looks at Sasori confused and becomes somewhat defensive. His recent dreams could have been his brain telling him bad things were about to happen; and Sasori Kouga may be the cause. "I don't mean to seem rude, but doesn't your secretary handle these things? Also, I can't just clear my calendar. Vice-Chairman John Felkan from Fiat will be here next week, he's a very important client; and has specifically requested my translation services during his visit."
"I do not yet have a secretary. I am afraid that Ms. Yamakawa has gone with Mr. Takeda. She will be replaced, but until then, I am sure that this task is within your capabilities."
He considers. "I will speak to Vice-Chairman Felkan. I am sure he will understand."
Ranmaru's eyebrows and mouth twitch slightly. His speech gradually becoming less humble while maintaining a formal style. "And what will I be doing with my soon to be free time?"
"You will be accompanying me to the Shofukuji Temple, where you will undergo training. You will not have much free time." Sasori nods. "We will depart tomorrow."
Ranmaru sighs heavily and stands up. "I believe we have a misunderstanding Sasori-kaichou. I'm sorry but I don't think I can work for you. Becoming a monk was not one of my life's goals." He heads for the door. "I'll be sure to properly submit my letter of resignation." The very last thing Ranmaru wants to do right now is set foot in a temple. The memories from the dreams disturbed him. The very idea of being at peace with impending doom right at the very doorstep because you completed your duty to your lord was just too archaic for his modern sense.
Sasori does not attempt to stop Ranmaru's exit. He merely opens his day planner and makes a note. "As you will, Mori-san."
At this, Ranmaru is shaken to his core and quickly exists. He lets his immediate supervisor know that he's fallen ill and heads home in a taxi.
By the time he gets to his condo, he's sweating profusely and his head is pounding. There's no way that Sasori could have known about his dreams. He'd been compared to his namesake before, this just had to be one of those coincidences. It had to be.
Ranmaru takes a cold shower and then grabs his two favorite kotachi and does the most vigorous katas that he can practice alone. At first every movement reminded him of his dreams but as he focused his movements everything melted away. there was nothing but the movements. He loses track of time in his movements and when he finally stops, he realizes that 1) he's still completely naked, and 2) over an hour and a half has passed.
Sighing, he takes another shower before stepping into the ofuro to soak for a bit. All the while wondering why Sasori disturbed him.
While he was absorbed in his martial art, Ranmaru received an email from his immediate supervisor on his cell phone. This email notifies him that the Fiat meeting has been postponed until further notice. The supervisor wishes him a swift recovery.
Ranmaru sees the email after he finishes soaking. He sighs, somehow he knows that submitting a letter of resignation isn't going to be as easy as he thought it'd be. He types up a formal letter, prints it out and places it in a formal envelop ready to deliver when he goes into the office in the morning.
He downs a couple of sleeping pills, hoping the drug will make for a dreamless rest. After a few minutes he drifts asleep.
Ranmaru sleeps deeply and does not dream this night.
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