Ishan Ashte dashed back to his family hut. As he approached he could see his father was bent over a bow. There was a large split in the wood. He knew that repairing it was meticulous work that required patience in abundance. His father had been teaching him across the Summer.

"Father, Yoshi Yeesu and the others are going fishing, can I go with them?" he said excitedly.

"Son, you know that you have your training to do." his father replied without looking up from his work.

"But father, I have done all of my chores and it would nice to try something different for a change."

Yoshi looked up, and met his son with a steady gaze. He so wanted to tell him that fishing was insignificant, that it was a job for peasants and Ainu, and that there was no honour to be found in outsmarting a fish. He wanted to explain that there was only one honourable way to lead your life, and it took extreme dedication, devotion, and years of practise with both the sword and the bow. But Yoshi was a man of few words, and he knew that these were things that he couldn't say- things that he had silently carried with him for years, and would continue to do so until he went to his grave.

"Son, we've spoken about this before. How many skilled fishermen are there in the village?"

"About twenty."

"So there is no need for you to learn. How many archers are there in the village- and I mean archers not hunters- someone who can hit the seam in armour at forty paces?"

"Three." said Ishan Ashte.

"Four." corrected his father. "For some reason you always forget Miyoshi. So you can see the need..."

"But father, please, I just want to have some fun for a change." pleaded Ishan Ashte.

"... and how many swordsmen?"

"I just want to..."

"How many swordsmen?!" insisted Yoshi.

Ishan Ashte didn't reply.

Yoshi studied his son carefully, and could see that there was a storm brewing. But he had the benefit of wisdom on his side, and knew how to tackle his son. He turned back to the bow in front of him. "Did you hear about your sister?" he said to nobody in particular as he worked on the bow.

"What about her?" asked Ishan Ashte with a puzzled look on his face.

"Akiko was up before sunrise today for some extra sword training with Kachemaru." There was an awkward silence. Yoshi continued without meeting his sons gaze. "It was a favour in return for her help at the forge." Another silence. "Did you know that Kachemaru has bruised ribs...?" he continued with a faint smile "... where she bettered him in one of their sparring rounds this morning."

Ishan Ashte stood stock still with a shocked look on his face.

"I believe it's the first time..." reflected Yoshi, his concentration fixed firmly on the bow "... but she is becoming quite accomplished with those two wakizashis." Finally he looked up from his work. "So what's it to be today- bow or sword?"

"I'll get both." replied his son, and hurried inside.

Ishan Ashte has been brought up with the ways of the Bushi as far as Yoshi has been able to manage. It has not been straightforward doing this in the environment of the Ainu village, but Yoshi has continually reiterated the need for professionally trained fighters "should the need ever arise", although Ishan Ashte's mother has managed to have a degree of influence in her sons learning.

Ishan Ashte has grown into a confident teenager- perhaps overly confident. Whilst he is skilled with both the bow and sword, he lacks the focus and dedication shown by his older sister Akiko (and carries around a chip on his shoulder about this). In the clique world of the teenager, Ishan Ashte has spent time with the other children of the Bushi, finding more in common with those that share his mixed race background. In particular he and his siblings have built up good friendships with Kachemarus children (who also seem to have been brought up with a strong influence from their father).