It was still pretty early in the morning, but that was of no consequence to devoted students. The dojo could provide lodging for it's students, but Oichi always insisted on staying at her father's forge, also their house. The building was quite empty ever since her father passed away, and fell out of favor. Customers had little trust in the young Oichi for providing them with the tools they needed, and so Oichi lived only from what little money she inherited. She quickly got ready, putting on her Iaidogi and Hakama, colored white and red, grabbing her Bokken and leaving the house. The town was busy, even this early, with traders, merchants and what not preparing for the day ahead of them. Most of them knew the Oichi's father and his family, the Akimis, so they would wave at the girl with honest smiles and Oichi would give them back their greetings. This part of Edo, the capital, was not the richest, but it had been her home ever since she was born. Without her father around anymore, it felt different, empty. Her training was the only thing that kept her afloat, kept her from drowning in her own sorrow. The dojo was not in this immediate district, and Oichi had to make quite a walk every morning which was one of the reason she rose a little bit earlier than necessary. She did not mind. Master Haciro's dojo was her second home, but also housed her dream. It was within the walls of this dojo that she hoped to acquire the necessary knowledge she needed to be able to become a great sword smith. 

At a good distance from there, as Oichi entered the dojo, another girl was already in heated practice. Katsu lived in the Akihiro dojo, along with her father, the master. It was easier for her to train hard and late, have a good rest and be back on her training routine the next morning. Lately, she had quite angry at her father and refused to hold any long lasting conversations with him, proving her father only furthermore of her lack of understanding towards the matter keeping him from giving her the title she was seeking with such devotion. She was a good girl, and a good student, but extremely hard headed and, sometimes, her stubbornness would make her blind to the obvious. Katsu knew she was too fiery, but even hard practice seemed not enough to model her spirit into a more balanced stance. It did not matter how hard she tried, the flame within seemed like it would never die. Katsu quickly sheathed her Bokkens and walked off towards her favorite spot. In the inner yard of the Dojo was a very traditional pond, and Katsu would sit there often. Now was one of those moments. 

She just looked within the waters as if she was searching for something, but the answers she was seeking were, of course, not at the bottom of a pond.