A middle-aged man worked the fields beneath the midday sun, his movements slow and measured. The soil was dry, cracked in places, clinging stubbornly to the roots.
A small boy followed close behind him, dragging a bundle of tied stalks across the dirt. The weight would have needed a cart normally, but the boy carried them with relative ease.
"Set them there," the man said, pointing.
"Yes, Father!"
The boy grunted softly as he hauled the bundle over, boots slipping slightly. His tail flicked, not with playfulness, but with focus.
Budō paused and watched him.
"That boy grows fast…"
He turned back to the field, his expression darkening.
"This may be the worst yield we've ever had. And winter is coming."
The thought gnawed at him without rest.
His family might not make it through winter.
Budō exhaled slowly. If it came to it, he could still enlist. He was still a former high-grade Martial Apprentice. Injuries be damned. Winter wars always needed men.
And if he didn't return…
"At least they'd be compensated."
"Father!"
Budō turned. The boy stood beside the pile with a big smile on his face. Dirt clung to his sleeves. His hands were scratched where the rope had bitten into his palms.
"I finished tying them."
Budō laughed softly and placed a firm hand on the boy's head.
"That's enough for today. Go home and check on your mother."
The boy frowned. "But I can still help. I'm not tired at all."
Budō's smile softened.
"I know. That's exactly why you should stop now." He crouched slightly so they were eye to eye. "Your strength isn't the problem. Your mother needs you more than these fields do."
The boy hesitated, then nodded. "Understood, Father."
He headed toward the cottage, glancing back once to see his father limping toward the next row.
There was still too much left to do... and too little time.
————
"Mother! I'm home! I helped Father with the crops!"
No answer.
A knot formed in his chest as he stepped inside. He found her collapsed on the kitchen floor.
"Mother!"
He rushed to her side. Fortunately, she was breathing. Just unconscious.
Without any effort, he lifted her onto the bed. Moments later, her eyes fluttered open. Her face looked pale, drawn.
"Where… am I? Silly me… did I fall asleep again?" she murmured weakly.
"You fainted," the boy said gently. "Father told you to rest. You don't need to cook anymore! Ringo's been practicing. It's… um... edible now."
She smiled faintly. "But—"
"No buts, Mother. Please don't make us worry. Rest."
"…You're right."
She chuckled weakly. "It's funny. When your siblings brought you home, you were the one under my care. Now it's the opposite."
She looked at him warmly.
"We were lucky to find you, Merun."
——————
Merun.
That was the name the Furutsu family gave me.
It's been nearly five years since they found me injured and half-dead. Somehow, I was lucky enough to be taken in by a family that treated me as their own.. even with my tail!
And honestly… I feel the same. These past five years, I've come to really love the Furutsu household.
My mother, Nashi, looks to be in her late forties, with pale blond hair. A few years ago, she was the picture of health—thin but tireless. She refused to let her children shoulder household burdens, determined not to repeat her own harsh childhood.
But ever since father returned with dreadful injuries, she began weakening.
No one knew why.
Fortunately, the potions father regularly buys from the village somewhat helps her condition. However, each potion costed almost three day's worth of food, significantly reducing our food stocks this winter.
————————
That afternoon, Father returned.
"Welcome home," Mother said weakly.
"Just rest," he replied, kissing his wife's forehead. "No need to greet me, dear."
He glanced around. "Have the children returned yet?"
"Not yet, father. It's only your favorite son here." I said.
He sighed. "If not for my injuries, I'd go hunting with them."
"It's just that beasts go deeper and deeper into the forest around this time." He continued, "My limp would slow us significantly"
"We know," I said quickly. "But Mother needs you! You also handle trading with the villagers! Leave the hunting to elder sisters! I also need my father's embrace!"
He chuckled and ruffled my hair. "You talk too much, my boy."
Maybe it's because I grew up hearing the language daily, but their speech came naturally to me; even if I couldn't read or write. Actually no one in our family could.
Peasants like us didn't have access to education.
As Father prepared to leave again, I asked, "Are you going to see the village chief to buy those potions again?"
"I am. I'll also sell what little we harvested, as well as the beast materials your sisters collected. Maybe do some odd jobs too."
"Can I come?"
"Maybe next time," he said. "It's just boring stuff."
He smiled with a tired expression and waved as he left.
I stood outside and watched him walk towards the village center.
"I wish you luck, Father!"
My father, Budō, has short dark hair and a broad frame, I could see what he had once looked like in the past—a powerful warrior... though injuries from the previous war have left him thinner each year and even worse, left him with a limp. Mother said he had so much potential... if only he'd gotten on the Clan's Noble scion's good side.
During the last war, he refused the order to lead his squad to a suicidal position, which would have ensured an advantage for that noble scion's group.
Bullshit. He said.
Having been kicked out of the Clan and left with a disability, his life as a Martial Artist had ended.
Fortunately, he still had his family farm.
He's always working: farming, hauling, taking whatever jobs he can.
He reminds me of my father back on Earth. Always struggling to keep his family happy with what little he has. He has my respect.
Our village is called Owari, a farming settlement in the far outskirts of the Sekigahara Confederate's territory under the protection of the noble Kinzoku Clan.
Protection is… generous wording if you ask me. Their low level martial artists harass peasants openly, and the local lord looks the other way.
My father told me the local lord was once kind and fair, often going out and mingling with the village folk, but after the previous war, he's been recovering in his estate.
...doesn't bode well if you ask me.
We're lucky our home sits at the forest's edge, sparing us from all that shit.
That was also the first time I realized where I was.
S-Sekigahara? As in Sekigahara Confederate?
in Panama?
...On planet Gaia? haha
I was... in Martial Unity.
That novel my brother recommended and wouldn't stop spoiling me at every chance he got, that Martial Unity?
If so, then. Fucking awesome, I know the future!
...Well, some of the future.
I only read enough to the point where they defeated the chimera final boss... it felt like the turning point of the story... happy ending yada yada.
I can already tell what was gonna happen. Rui becomes emperor of mankind.
After all, with the amount of power he had during that time, no martial sage would ever disobey his vision of the future.
...In hindsight, I probably should have read more.
Maybe not fucking awesome.
Anyway. this meant that if we're following the story, I'm on a doom timer.
As soon as the Kandrian Empire becomes a threat to the other powerhouses, my family will be in grave danger. Not only after the Massacre of the masters event during the great war, but also the fucking beast horde after the roar.
I couldn't stand the thought of any of my family members being harmed.
Some of the deaths were at the hands of those mindless beasts were depicted gruesomely.
That's why, at the age of five, I started training on my own.
Beginning my journey to find my martial path.
... Saiyans can have martial paths right?
That late afternoon, sweat poured down my face.
"Two hundred ninety-eight… Two hundred ninety-nine… Three hundred!"
I collapsed onto the dirt, gasping.
"Push-ups are easy when you're small, but Three hundred is still impressive, right?"
Saiyan physique really is ridiculous. A few breaths and my muscles already felt refreshed. I feel like a machine. Back on earth I did go to the gym, doing each set to failure. Then dry heaving for like a full minute while staring at a wall, contemplating about life.
The problem was... food.
I was always hungry. Starving.
But so was everyone else.
I kept it to myself.
I wasn't some ungrateful bum, I had to do something for my family soon.
I'm thinking next spring... how can I convince my father to use fertilizer? or some stuff I read on those kingdom-building novels about crop rotation and whatnot?
While I was brainstorming, i felt a sudden chill, starting from my tail, running up all the way to my chest.
I rolled forward instinctively.
"Caught yo—OW! How'd you do that?" my sister shouted, sprawled on the ground.
"hehehe. I can feel when you're up to no good, Elder Sister!"
"That's unfair! Your instincts are better than a beast's!"
Technically, I am a beast. or alien. or whatever. I think to myself.
This was Mikan, fourteen, orange ponytail, and the scout of the family hunting party, perfect as she was at the exploration stage with observation and evasion oriented techniques father had imparted to her. She was always active, bubbly, and at times, very annoying.
"Clean yourself up," another voice said.
Our eldest sister stepped into the yard. "We're home. It was a successful hunt."
"Welcome back, eldest sister!" I saluted.
She laughed and ruffled my hair. "I told you, just call me Ichigo."
"It would be my honor, eldest commander Ichigo!," I jokingly continue.
She laughs then asked, "How's Mother?"
"She... fainted again. But she's alright! She's resting now."
Ichigo's expression tightened. "Alright silly boy. We'll go tend to her." She said with a soft tone, walking toward the cottage.
I noticed the blood on her arms... and a gash on her back.
"You're injured!"
"This? Don't worry about it. Stronger beasts appear every winter, didn't I tell you? We just got caught off guard, won't happen again."
She stood tall and dependable with her long red hair tied in a bun. Since Father's injury, she led the hunts. Carrying Father's Katana, she was taught some swordsmanship forms and then one day.. she became a Martial Apprentice. Next spring, she'd be old enough to be considered an adult.
As we were talking, a huge shadow loomed behind her.
"WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!", I shout as I assume a fighting stance... well... I don't know any styles at the moment... but I'm sure in some form of stance.
I was frozen until I heard my sisters laughing.
Huh?
It was actually being dragged.
"Elder sister Ringo! What is that?!"
An enormous boar corpse slid across the ground behind her.
"Erymanthian boar," she said calmly. "Semi-squire level beast. Tough battle."
Ringo was twelve—short, petite, maroon hair wild and spiky. Frail-looking, but terrifyingly skilled in the defensive techniques father had imparted to her. She had her hands wrapped thick with straw and hemp... and bruises all over her body. She was just on the cusp of reaching Martial Apprentice. In the party, she was definitely the tank... if only she had more to eat, then she could have the mass to solidify her defensive fighting style.
Of the three, Elder sister Mikan was noticeably lagging behind the other sisters realm-wise... but it seems like she's content with being a scout for now, since father only knew a few of her favored style of techniques...
Looking closer at the boar, it looked fucking intense. Two large tusks and dozens of oddly short fangs protruded from it's snout, tough defined muscles covered in cuts, and not to mention... the size! this thing was on it's side and it's still as big as an adult man! How'd the heck did they hunt this thing??
I point at the beast, "May I help?"
"Suit yourself.", She grunted.
I grabbed an end of the rope, and pull. "HUUUP!"
She blinked, surprised as I pulled it with ease.
These past few months, I've been training as much as my tiny body could. Running, calisthenics, foundation work... all the training stuff I remember from my past life. My body felt closer to seven or eight years old now.
I remember Gohan fighting cell at around 10-11 years old. I doubt I would grow as strong as him at that age, for a few reasons.
1) Lack of nutrition,
2) I don't master Piccolo,
3) I'm no battle genius,
4) I have no formal martial arts training.
Even still, while lacking all of those, it was undeniable.
I was growing stronger. Maybe not with martial skills, but will with pure strength, speed and durability my Saiyan body innately has.
I think I'm also supposed to be feeling Saiyans call Ki, but I haven't really got a clue on how to tap into that... so for now I'm focusing on my body.
More than that... I really want to go back to my pod and check my power level!