Prologue

Japanese Islands
Shuri, Okinawa
1583 A.D.
Spring



Dark rain clouds formed over the capital city of Okinawa. The day was darkening, and not just because of the coming storm.

A young man trudged down one of Shuri's dirt streets.

This man's name was Shenzi Fujimoto, and he was confident he would find a way to adventure.

Shenzi was only 19, and had lived a comparatively good life so far, as his Father was a wealthy merchant. The merchant business was dishonorable in the society, but it paid well, and business had only gotten better during Japan's current civil wars. But still, Shenzi yearned to leave the day-in day-out routine at the family's large estate not too far from Shuri Castle. He felt he needed to see more of the world, and to young Shenzi, that was worth far more then gold coins.

Suddenly, in a nearby building, one of the many rice markets in the area, Shenzi heard a loud crash.

He raised his head and raced toward the small wooden marketplace.

Finally....something new, He thought.

He smiled and tried to elbow his way through the crowd that had assembled in the last 5 seconds. It was amazing how quickly everyone reacted.

Then he got a good look at what had happened.

One of the farmers who had come to sell his goods, laid flat on the ground, the remnants of his cart beside him.

Another man stood not far from him. This man, a bandit by the looks of him, had a nasty scar across his ugly face. He also wore a black helmet with a long sliver of metal attached horizontally to it. Besides that, the man was nearly as badly clothed as the farmer who was trying to get back up.

"HOW DARE YOU INSULT ME! I WILL TAKE WHAT I WANT, AND YOU SCUM WILL NOT GET IN MY WAY!"

The bandit drew a short sword from a sheath attached to a poorly made belt.

The farmer's eyes flashed with fear, and he immediatley tried to get into a bowing position, trying to submit by placing his head flat on the ground.

"Please, sir!! Have mercy! I meant no offense..." The farmer began to weep quietly.

"I DON'T CARE! YOU WILL PAY FOR YOUR IGNORANCE!"

The bandit roared as he raised his blade, poised to strike at the farmer's neck. The nearby onlookers began to scream and retreat to a nearby stonewall to watch.

The bandit was about to end the Farmer's miserable existence when the unexpected happened.

"Stop." Said a loud, commanding voice.

The bandit lowered his sword and walked toward the retreating crowd.

"WHO SAID THAT!! STEP FORWARD!!"

A man in a blackish-gray Kimono stepped forward. The man had a well-proportioned face, and had his hair in a topknot. He also wore a long katana, and small ceremonial knife.

A Samurai.

"I said it."

The bandit laughed, "Ha! Who do you think you are? Samurai are worth little more then trash!! I fought them, I know!"

The Samurai said nothing.

The bandit cocked his head to the right and took a step forward, his hands fidgeting on his sword.

"Oh...so you're just going to let me disrespect you and your kind? HA!! Proof that you are worth nothing!"

The man turned around for a moment, but quickly turned back.

"I'll just kill you first, Samurai."

The people watching retreated even further, moving to the other side of the street into a small shop, and began watching from the windows.

The Samurai did not have his hand on his sword, in fact, it was no where near his weapon.

Aren't Samurai always supposed to be ready? Thought Shenzi.

Suddenly, the Bandit ran at the Samurai, screaming, with blade in the air, poised to strike.

And then something unbelievable happened.

With amazing speed, the Samurai unsheathed his sword, and swung with amazing accuracy across the bandit, from his left hip to right shoulder. All in a single motion, and it was so fast, it seemed to just appear there.

The bandit halted, his eyes wide in surprise.

He looked down at his chest and dropped his sword. Blood began to seam from a perfect line in the man's shirt just as his sword hit the ground.

Shenzi stood with his mouth wide-open in surprise as the bandit crumpled to the ground in a growing pool of blood.

The Samurai sheathed his sword, which was surprisingly clean, there was nearly no signs of violence on it. No blood, no scratches, nothing.

Without another word, the Samurai let out a breath and walked back into the street, the crowds clearing the way for him. Several curious onlookers ran over to the bandit's body and examined it.

Shenzi had found the adventure he was looking for.

He ran over to the Samurai and bowed to the ground in front of him.

Keeping his eyes downcast in a sign of deep respect, Shenzi prepared for what he was going to do.

"Noble Samurai!! My name is Shenzi Fujimoto! Please accept me as your disciple and teach me your ways!!"

He awaited the Samurai's response, which could either be acceptance, or a quick death.....

Booya! Samurai fic, straight up my alley! Very nice Commander, you were very accurate on your facts.

Thanks Fish!! Yeah, I spent a long time making sure my facts were in the right place:D There will be more Samurai Awesomeness soon to come!!:D

You must be sure to include Musashi at one point or another! It's required. :carms:

Oh, you'll see...you'll see, maybe even a bit of Nobunaga, Hideyoshi...and definately some Musashi:D

Ooh, good start. :D Nice job. :)

read

Chapter 1


Shenzi waited for the Samurai's answer.

But no answer came for a few minutes, Shenzi keeping his head on the ground the entire time.

The Samurai took a step back.

"I do not have the means to travel with a disciple. Besides, you would not wish to follow me, there are many others who are more skilled than I."

Shenzi remained in bowing position.

"No...please, Samurai, please accept me as your disciple. I can hold my own and provide for myself."

The Samurai began to walk away, and Shenzi stood quickly.

"I will follow you whether you allow it or not."

"No. You are young, and have much to learn. I do not believe you are ready to embark on the Journey of the Warrior. Perhaps when you are older and wiser, and more able to understand the way."

Needless to say, Shenzi was hurt, and kept his gaze downward, feeling ashamed and refusing to make eye-contact with the Samurai.

The Samurai walked around him and Shenzi could feel a small tear in his eye as he heard the Samurai walk past.

After he was sure the Samurai was a way off, the young man stood and brushed himself off, the crowds of Shuri all walking past him as if he were not there.

Somebody bumped into him from behind and he flinched facing whoever it was quicky.

It was an older man, holding a tray of food, a street merchant.

"Oh!! I am sorry young man. Excuse me, I've been trying to sell these rice balls, and haven't been paying much attention to where I have been going. Please forgive me."

Shenzi sighed a breath of relief and nodded, "I hold no offence against you...."

A feeling of hunger came to Shenzi's stomach.

"Uhhh...how much do those rice balls cost?"

The man smiled, knowing that he may finally have a customer.

"I can give you 5 for a single gold piece! I'm sure you won't find a better bargain anywhere else in Shuri! They're quite fresh, gathered not too long ago by the rice farmers outside of Shuri! Though some have been...imported from Tarama Island...they're not as fresh..but these are!! Please, buy one, they taste wonderful!"

Shenzi raised a hand to calm the man down and handed him a gold coin. The man was selling the rice balls for a rather expensive price, but chances were, Shenzi wouldn't come upon any other merchants for right now.

The man handed him 5 rice balls, wrapped in a small cloth.

The Merchant nodded, "Oh, by the way, my name Gorobei Isoru, traveling merchant, in case you couldn't tell."

Gorobei chuckled and pointed to the street beyond, where the Samurai had went.

"I saw that you were trying to become a Disciple of that Samurai...very bold, very brave, but I wouldn't say that you proved yourself to him very well...."

Shenzi nodded as he took the cloth-covered rice balls, and took a bite of one. He swallowed and looked at Gorobei again.

"Might I ask, what do you mean?"

Gorobei smiled, "It is not as easy to become a disciple as most are led to believe, sure there are a few Samurai that let people come and go as disciples as they wish..but often those Samurai are not very good, and what wisdom they can offer is little...."

The merchant rested on large stick that he used to help him walk with the load on his back.

"...a truly wise Samurai would choose his disciples wisely...to choose someone who has genuine promise if they follow the way of the Martial Art."

Shenzi was about to say something, but Gorobei spoke faster, as if he already knew what Shenzi was going to say.

"I am not saying that you do not have promise, but only that proving yourself able and willing to learn may get you where you need to go."

Shenzi nodded, and bowed in thanks. He had one question, though.

"Isoroku-san...I am extremely grateful for what you have said, but....how do you know all this?"

This made Gorobei smile, "I wish you luck, young one. You may want to eat those rice balls soon...that is if you don't want them cold."

The merchant left, chuckling quietly, and leaving Gorobei's question unanswered. Shenzi tried to follow to get an answer, but the man disappeared into the crowd.

Shenzi shook his head and let the question go, going back up the street where the Samurai had gone. He spent the time thinking on what he had to do.

How would I prove myself to be a worthy student? He is undoubtedly a great swordsmen....I've heard many stories on how Samurai like him can be very prideful...how do you prove yourself to them?

He accidentally bumped into a suspicious looking fellow, who wore a sword on his hip, and held a club in his hand. This man made the bandit at the marketplace look like a child in comparison.

"Out of my way, child!"

The man pushed Shenzi hard onto the ground.

"Watch where you are going!! You peasant scum know as little as the cattle you tend to!"

Shenzi stood, and a few other men came to this new bandit's side.

The boy stood tall, "Someday, people like you will be punished! If I were more skilled, I'd finish you right now!"

Shenzi's sense of honor had been violated by this man, but he should've been careful onto what he was saying. He had nothing to defend himself with, other then his hands, and even his skill with those were not much.

The big man took a step forward and cocked his head to the right.

"Ah! The child speaks!! And has insulted me, to think that he could possibly kill me! Hmpf! You need to be disciplined, young pup! No one insults the Great Saito and lives!"

The man, Saito, took out his small blade. Shenzi dropped into a lower stance, trying to think on what to do.

He couldn't believe what he just got himself into. The boy should've thought a bit farther ahead when he sought to defend his honor. He had no idea that he'd just insulted the local crime lord.

Shenzi took a step back, right into the arms of two of Saito's thugs. He hadn't noticed them until two late, but now, his arms were restrained and he couldn't escape from their iron grip.

Saito began to walk forward, caressing his small blade with each step.

"You should know your place, boy."

Shenzi roared and elbowed one of the thugs in the stomach, but it wasn't enough to make him let go.

Saito came extremely close to Shenzi, the boy could smell the man's foul breath, which reeked with the smell of sake' and rancid meat.

"Perhaps we'll teach you a lesson....maybe we should cut off your tongue, or carve out your eyes...."

The man held his blade close to Shenzi's face, waving it slowly in front of his eyes.

Shenzi spat on Saito.

"Do your worst."

The man recoiled, wiping the saliva from his face.

"Hmm...you are bold, boy. A pity you won't have that for long."

Saito reached out and grabbed Shenzi by the chin, forcing his mouth open.

"We'll just cut out both...."

Shenzi began to struggle, kicking, punching, just moving in any way possible. He had to get out of the thug's grip.

Saito stuck his knife into Shenzi's mouth, and was about to finish the job, when something unexpected happened.

"Let the boy go, Saito."

The criminal pulled the knife out.

"Who dares!?"

Saito moved out of the way, and Shenzi was able to see the man who just saved him.



It was the Samurai he'd seen earlier.

That was a good chapter, CQ.

I thought how the Samurai returned to Shenzi's aid at the end was a little bit predictable. But with the story not be all that developed yet, It was a good move, considering you didn't have much to work with.

I did like it, though, and I think it would make a sweet manga. :)