Kida

Kida’s life was unremarkable until the night the fire took everything from him. He was only six years old when a house fire killed his parents and left him with a scar that would follow him for the rest of his life. Too young to understand why the world had suddenly become so cruel, Kida spent the next four years living on the streets and surviving however he could. Eventually, he discovered that stealing food from roadside shrines was one of the few reliable ways to keep himself fed. He always felt guilty for it, but hunger left little room for pride.

Those years were made harder by a severe drought that had settled over the region. Crops were failing, food was becoming scarce, and the people were growing desperate. Kida had a small cave in a cliffside where he could shelter from the elements, and he developed a simple routine: wait for travelers to leave offerings, then take what food he could carry. It wasn't much of a life, but at least it was one he understood.

That routine failed when a worker caught Kida stealing from a shrine. The man was furious, convinced that the child's disrespect was part of the reason the gods had withheld the rain. Before he had the chance to run, the man beat him and dragged him to the nearest village, where an angry crowd quickly gathered. Some called him a thief, others a curse, and several blamed him for the drought. Surrounded by shouting villagers, Kida curled up in the dirt, fearing the worst.

A Mightyena dressed in black robes and a wide rice hat suddenly stepped between Kida and the crowd. With a sword at his side and the quiet bearing of a samurai, he was enough to make the villagers hesitate.

“If you show mercy,” he said, “I’ll make sure this boy doesn’t bother you again. I’m leaving in the morning, and I’ll take him with me.”

The promise was enough to disperse the crowd. The Mightyena then turned and walked away, leaving Kida to hurry after him.
The stranger led Kida to an inn and ordered him a hot meal. Kida was initially too afraid to touch it, but at the simple invitation of “Well? Are you going to eat?” he quickly devoured everything put in front of him. That night, for the first time in years, he slept with a full stomach. The stranger introduced himself as Yūutsu, though he offered little else about himself.

The following morning, Kida accompanied Yūutsu on his Mudsdale. Several hours into the journey, Yūutsu stopped at a fork in the road and told Kida to get off.

“There’s another village about a mile that way. Find some work. You’ll figure something out.”

Kida was horrified. He had spent the night imagining that Yūutsu might take him in, perhaps even become the family he had lost. “You said I could come with you!”

“I said I’d make sure you didn’t bother those people again.”

When Kida began angrily cursing at the man, Yūutsu smiled. “I’ll tell you what. If you can keep up, I’ll make you my apprentice.”

With that, he rode away.

Kida ran after him.

Yūutsu eventually made camp in the woods, assuming the stubborn child would give up. Near dawn, however, he awoke to a noise in the bushes and reached for his sword, only for Kida to stumble out covered in mud, scratches, and leaves.

“I did it!” Kida gasped and fell to his knees in exhaustion. “I kept up!”

Yūutsu was baffled at how the boy had managed to track him through the wilderness, but he had made a promise. Begrudgingly, he kept it. Kida became Yūutsu’s apprentice.

The years that followed shaped the man Kida would become. Yūutsu taught him swordsmanship, discipline, reading, and the principles of samurai honor. They traveled constantly, exposing Kida to countless cultures and traditions while keeping him in constant training.

Training kept him strong, but it did not make him easy to teach. Kida was stubborn, impulsive, and quick to anger. His fighting style was much heavier and more aggressive than Yūutsu's, relying on overwhelming force rather than patience or precision. His fiery temperament often got him into trouble, and Yūutsu had to remind him more than once that having strength did not give him the right to use it however he pleased. Still, Kida learned. Perhaps more importantly, he learned what it meant to protect someone weaker than himself.

Yūutsu never let him forget what had happened in that village. Kida had stolen because he was hungry, but that did not make stealing right. The villagers had beaten him because they were angry, but their anger did not make cruelty just. There was a difference between being wrong and being evil. There was a difference between strength and violence. And there was always a choice in what a person did with the hand they had been dealt. Those lessons stayed with Kida.

By nineteen, Kida was old enough to take jobs on his own, and he and Yūutsu sometimes spent days apart before meeting again. One evening, Kida returned to their inn to find only a note waiting for him.

You’re old enough to take care of yourself now. Good luck.
— Yūutsu

Kida searched for him for weeks, but Yūutsu had disappeared without a trace. The only person Kida had ever considered family had left without saying goodbye. It hurt more than he cared to admit. But Yūutsu had taught him how to stand on his own, and Kida had never been particularly good at giving up.

Over the next several years, Kida built a life for himself. Eventually, he settled near the Scorched Mountain, where bounty work was plentiful. It suited him well: the work kept him moving, gave him a chance to test his strength, and provided enough money for him to finally have a home of his own.

For the first time in his life, Kida had something resembling stability. He had a place to return to, work he enjoyed, and eventually friends who knew him simply as Kida rather than an orphan, a thief, or an apprentice.
He still had a temper, and the scars of his childhood never truly left him. But Kida refused to become the kind of person who had once hurt him. He knew how cruel the world could be, and he intended to spend the rest of his life making sure he was never the reason someone else had to learn the same lesson.

Likes: Fighting (both for sport and work), whittling, tea, quiet places, calming music and natural sounds, campfires from a safe distance, good food, working with his hands

Dislikes: Injustice, wastefulness, dishonesty, people who make promises they don't intend to keep, relying on others (even if he needs the help)

Extra:

✦ His preferred weapon of choice is a battle axe 戦斧 (Senpu).
His axe was crafted by a renowned artisan and commissioned by his master specifically for him. Forged to withstand Kida's immense strength and relentless fighting style, it was unlike any weapon he'd trained with before. Its name is etched into the metal: Heaven-Splitting Axe [ 天裂 ], Tenretsu.

✦ Kida whittles in his spare time, mostly carving little toys and figurines to sell. It's a simple way to make a little extra money while keeping his hands busy.

✦ Kida was encouraged to pick up a hobby outside of combat to help him relax and clear his mind. He ended up learning the shakuhachi, a traditional bamboo flute. It's small enough to carry with him on his travels, and he enjoys playing when he needs a little peace and quiet. He's not exactly a master musician, but he's pretty good at it.

✦ He cannot sing for the life of him, but that doesn't mean he still won't give it his all if he's drunk enough!