A/N: Hello, Sly-Cooper-Fandom! This is my first chapter story for the Sly Cooper genre, and I'm pretty excited to be writing it! I've been a huge fan of the games since I was a little kid and I was super excited when Sly 4 came out last year! This story revolves around Sly's ninja ancestor, Rioichi Cooper, and my personal take on his past life and family. This story also takes place about half a year after the events with Le Paradox and what would be if everything just went back to normal (including Sly's story but I'm not giving away the ending of the game). So without further ado, I will stop talking and let you carry on with the story! Please do enjoy and reviews would be wonderful!

Disclaimers: I do not own Sly Cooper and Co. but I do own the OC's mentioned.

The evening sun was still hot and humid when Sly reached the small, peaceful Japanese village known as Mountain Peak. Nodding his head in greeting to the wart hog guards standing near the wooden gates of the entrance, he smiled and inhaled slowly as he stood on the dirt road. The guards politely nodded back and one unlocked the gate leading into the heart of the village. These were the proper guards for the sleepy village, not El Jefe's brainwashed goons. Sly knew he could relax now that there weren't any tigers out to capture him this time.

Sly Cooper was back in feudal Japan, this time in non-emergency. The raccoon managed to defeat Le Paradox about a year ago, and since then, his family line, and his own life, was once again at peace and free of harm. The Thievius Raccoonus was safely secure in Bentley's hands again, his ancestors were saved from the cruel fate that the evil skunk had planned for them, and everything was back to normal. So why not use the time machine again, just for fun?

The present-day Cooper was back to visit his ninja ancestor, Rioichi Cooper. He had promised all of his ancestors at some point during their rescue, that he and his gang would be back to visit and make sure everything was alright again. Of course, he would have to limit all of this time travel business, since he was interfering with the past. But one little visit couldn't hurt. Just as long as his ancestors were the only ones who knew who Sly really was, no harm was really being done. Sly made it to the village, but his trusty team was nowhere to be seen. Bentley and Murray had yet to arrive, since Murray wanted to go fishing to have fish for dinner before they sought shelter in their previous hideout they had last time. Sly had mentioned that they could just go to Rioichi's shop and save the time, but the raccoon knew his large friend wanted to go fishing for the experience. Bentley had told Sly shortly after leaving Japan the first time that Murray had missed fishing so much and enjoyed the task of fetching fish for Rioichi. So, Sly had agreed to just meet up with them at the hideout when they were done fishing at sunset. He told them that he was going to find his ancestor during the wait.

The present-day Cooper adjusted his rather oversized shirt and tightened the lace around it. He wore the typical attire of a villager in this time period to help fit in with everyone and to bring down any suspicious thoughts of him being a possible threat. Sly remembered that the villagers could still be on high alert after the happenings with El Jefe, even though it's been almost half a year since then. Looking around, he made sure to put on a warm smile and greet any villager that passed by him, in which he received the same friendly response. A small class of school kids were still in session, touring around the village and pointing out the different kinds of plants and trees. The children followed their teacher in awe and interest. Sly also walked past the small fruit shops that were still open, waving hello to the store owners in friendly greeting. He even bought a couple apples to help speed up the slow business.

The one thing that caught the raccoon's eye was the shadow that flew over him every so often. He couldn't tell what the shadow exactly was because the creature flew too fast for him to study it; he could only hear the sound of feathers beating against wind and assumed it was a kind of bird native to this land. He began to wonder just exactly what species of birds existed here and in this time period.

He never did brush up on his history about feudal Japan.

Shaking his head and merely ignoring the issue, Sly walked around the corner of the dirt road, close to his destination.

Sly knew he was getting close when he heard furious yells and the sound of hands hitting hands, wood being smashed and broke, and the metallic clang of weapons striking each other. He came around a maroon red building and stopped with surprise in his eyes.

Sly had approached a sparring session among ninjutsu students. He made sure to stay out of view when some students happened to walk by, for he knew he was probably not aloud to be anywhere near the training grounds of the village's best martial artists. Looking around, he saw many sparing circles occupied with some of the best fighters Sly had ever seen. He watched a black panther spin around and strike a snow tiger's weapon, slicing it into two useless pieces, and then delivering an effortless roundhouse kick to the chest; all within five seconds.

There was also a wiry-looking monkey, performing a series of warm up exercises consisting of punches and kicks near the training equipment. When Sly thought he was only warming up to take on another student, the master snatched a blade that was driven deep into the tree from which he swung on, and threw it straight towards another student; an unsuspecting snowy white fox. Sly felt the urge to cry out a warning, but reminded himself of his hidden position. Luckily, the fox didn't need a warning. Though her back was turned, she spun around and snatched the airborne blade that was nearly half the size of her out of it's path, catching it at just mere centimeters from the back of her head. Sly felt a relieved breath escape him. Though he was watching master martial artists, he couldn't shake off the anxious feelings he got when watching those dangerous attacks and how one wrong move could result in a quick, yet painful death.

It was then that he realized that the fox was also a female. The electric blue design on the front of her black uniform was those of professionally designed flowers and vines; her long black hair styled back in a long braid with gems within the braids also giving away the hint of being a girly girl behind the fighter within her.

The fox unsheathed the two blades from behind her back, twirling them with experience and confidence. Like lightning, they were thrown back at the monkey, who was slightly caught off guard and fell back off of the branch of the tree he stood on. He was quick though, landing perfectly on his feet and sending a hand full of ninja stars back at the fox, who dodged them effortlessly without even facing her opponent. And the cycle continued.

Sly's eyes darted in every direction, looking within this large class of trained professionals for Rioichi. He knew that if all of these students were here, he had to be too.

And surely enough, he was and Sly smirked.

Rioichi Cooper was sparring with another ninja master, an elderly wolf, this one being a lot more skilled and even wiser than the raccoon himself. Sly also noticed how much older this wolf was compared to the other students, and guessed that he was the wise grandmaster himself that dedicated his life in training them in this beautiful art of fighting and defense. This was also really the first time Sly really got to watch his ninja ancestor fight like a professional he was deemed to be. During the short period of time that Sly spent during his last visit, he never really got to see what Rioichi could do as far as fighting and combat.

He watched as Rioichi leapt out of the way just before a dagger blade came flying at his head and he returned the attack on the other master by deflecting a sword blade aimed for his neck and sending it back, which was again blocked skillfully and without difficulty. Rioichi breathed heavily as he started to perform an attack using his bamboo cane, spinning it and bringing it down powerfully on his opponent's weapon, shattering it into mere pieces and sending it out of the wolf's hands upon impact. Sly could still hear the sharp snap of metal shattering as it rang through the air.

However, the elder wolf was not intimidated by this. He grabbed Rio's cane just as it struck his weapon, and twisted it in a direction that would twist Rioichi's arms with it rather painfully, slamming him to the ground and giving the wolf a chance to attack him. The younger blocked any oncoming attacks and jumped back up quickly when he had the chance to. He ducked and flipped back just in time before the sword blade would have hit his forearm, catching only the young master's fur.

Sly arched an eyebrow and shook his head. 'All of these guys sparring with real weapons instead of wooden? I would never last…' he thought. 'Rioichi sure did have some tough and steady training to be this good.'

The sparring match came to an end when the old wolf attacked but Rioichi blocked it and reflected the attack, sending a sharp kick in the teacher's direction. The old master stumbled a little in exhaustion when dodging the kick and held up his weapon to stop the spar. He laughed in a hearty manner as Rioichi regained his footing and lowered his guard.

"Excellent, young Rioichi…" he said, bowing. The red furred raccoon did the same, catching his breath. "It seems you have finally mastered that last attack. Very, very good…" the wolf's voice was slow and wise. He was definitely up in age; his accent was very strong and barely understandable when he spoke English.

"Thank you, Master Akio." Rioichi said, dipping his head in respect to his mentor. He sheathed his katana sword and picked up his iconic bamboo cane off of the ground.

"Take care of that special piece." the wolf smiled warmly, noticing Rioichi's studious expression as he checked over his cane.

"With my life." Rioichi replied back. He paused in his comments when he seen his master eyeing something behind him, looking concerned.

"What's troubles you?" he questioned, eyes narrowing.

The elderly wolf just nodded his head in the direction and Rioichi turned around. His ears perked up when he seen another figure standing near the training hall's entrance.

He walked towards this intruder, gripping his cane tighter and tighter the closer he got. No one but him, the other students, and Master Akio were aloud in the training grounds; even the average villagers knew this strict rule. If the wrong people ever got inside the training grounds and had access to all of the weapons, chaos would surely ensue.

And this stranger did not look like another student. When he got close enough, he launched himself forward and prepared to attack this 'spy'.

"Woah, woah, wait!" Sly cried out, flinching away from Rioichi's prepared strike. "It's me!"

Rioichi lowered his cane immediately upon recognizing his descendant's voice. A rare smile formed, showing off perfectly straight teeth. "Sly-san. You were the last person I expected to see."

"I saw that you were in the middle of a spar with your master. I didn't want to be a bother." Sly said. He pointed out the other sparring ninjas, "And I'm guessing guests aren't welcome here, and I would have been turned into a pin cushion if I was found by someone else."

"Originally, yes," Rioichi agreed. "We have strict rules around here. However, I believe we can alter those rules a little," He motioned for Sly to follow him. "Come."

The ninja led his descendent out in the training yard to where his mentor remained standing and away from the other fighting students. The elderly wolf no longer seemed cautious, but instead happy upon seeing Sly. Any friend of Rioichi's was a friend of his.

"Konnichiwa," he greeted. "Genki desu ka?"

Sly stood silently, having no idea how to respond back.

Another thing he didn't study before coming here were the basic greetings and sayings in the native Japanese language. As a response, he shot a confused glance to his ancestor. Rioichi saw this and chuckled softly.

"He doesn't speak our language, Master. Just English." he said.

"My apologizes, young one." the wolf smiled, speaking English now but his accent lingered. He was fluent in both languages. He held out a shaking gloved hand, revealing his old age. "Greetings to our village. I'm Master Akio. Who do I have the honor of meeting?"

"My name is Sylvester. But everyone just calls me Sly. It's a pleasure to meet you." Sly dipped his head in respect and shook Akio's hand.

"What brings you here to our humble village? A friend of Rioichi's, perhaps?" Akio asked.

"Family." Rioichi replied simply.

Akio's eyes lit up upon hearing this. Sly could tell he was surprised, but could also sense confusion at the same time. He himself became confused when Akio studied him for a moment and narrowed his eyes. "Family? I see. From where, I may ask?"

Both Coopers fell silent. Rioichi knew he made a mistake revealing Sly as family. Just as quickly as he said it, he realized that Sly's true identity was to be hidden from others. When Rioichi let his eyes trail over to Sly in hopes of a response, Sly cleared his throat and looked down awkwardly. "The future…" he coughed. He just couldn't lie.

"Pardon?" Akio asked in a surprised manner.

Before the coon could answer, Rioichi stepped in. "Master, do you recall when El Jefe was here? He arrived here in a source of time travel. Sly is my descendent, and the hero that ended El Jefe's terror." he explained.

Akio nodded slowly. "Descendent, did you say? From the future?"

The two Coopers nodded their heads.

"Well, it is nice to meet you anyhow, present or future, young Sly. Enjoy your stay." he laughed awkwardly. He had yet to adjust to the time traveling nonsense after El Jefe's visit. Lucky for Rioichi and Sly, Akio was convinced of time travel after having to deal with El Jefe once or twice when he was a threat to the training hall. So revealing Sly's true identity surely wouldn't alter time too much.

As the wolf grabbed his bo staff to help him hobble along the rocky path, he paused. "Since you have company, Rioichi, you're dismissed. However, I will see you bright and early in the morning. You may be titled a master, but more training awaits."

The red furred raccoon smiled and nodded. Before Akio started walking away, he laughed. "Perhaps now would be a good time for me to finally show Manabu that block attack," he pointed out a younger wolf having trouble dodging the attacks that were being thrown at him. Rioichi only smiled again. As the wolf was walking away, Sly and Rioichi heard him mumbling about how confusing time was nowadays.

Rioichi turned back to Sly. But Sly was busy watching just how amazingly talented the other students were.

"So these are your classmates?" the grey raccoon finally asked.

"They are." Rioichi replied, crossing his arms and leaning back against a tree, lowering his hood to wipe away the sweat drenching his forehead.

"Are they just as good as you? Are you better than them? Are they better than you?" the questions came out in a very quick sentence.
"We're all pretty much on the same level, except for poor Manabu over there," Rioichi dipped his head in the direction of the struggling wolf. Both Coopers watched as Manabu spun a bo staff, deflecting some ninja stars that were being thrown at him, but when he stopped, he wasn't prepared for a series of kicks aimed for his legs and fell with a thud, leaving the abandoned bo staff to fall onto his head with a hollow thunk!

Sly had to laugh. "He's not too bad. I mean, he got the twirling part right."

"He's new." Rioichi smirked. "He's from a line of ninja masters, but he's still got a lot to learn to catch up to the level that we're at."

Sly let out a gasp when Rioichi suddenly grabbed his arm and pulled him to the side. He looked back to where he was previously standing to see a sword with a chain wrapped around it stabbed into the ground.

"Was that coming at me?!" Sly cried as his widened eyes never left the weapon.

"Possibly," Rioichi replied casually. He sighed with a bored expression when he seen it was the same monkey Sly first saw who had thrown it. He stood a ways away laughing uncontrollably. "But it was probably intended for me. They might think I'm still sparring with them. Let us leave."

As they started walking away, Sly's eyes were darting in every direction on high alert, feeling anxious after his 'near-death' experience. Rioichi was the opposite, walking next to him casually and calmly.

The ninja raccoon caught an arrow just before it flew between both him and Sly, which made the grey raccoon flinch again and eye his ancestor with an expression mixed with disbelief and shock. The shooter, a grey and white crane, approached Rioichi as they walked towards the exit.

"Where ya going, Rio?" the crane demanded. Sweat soaked his feathers from the intense exercise and he was eager to continue fighting. "Usually you'd return that arrow!"

"Usually," Rioichi smirked, tossing the arrow back to the crane carelessly. "Master dismissed me."

"When are you coming back? We have a fight to finish!"

"I won't be back until tomorrow morning, Isamu."

This so-called Isamu suddenly eyed Sly. "Who's the peasant?"

Sly lowered his ears at the rude address. Rioichi nudged Sly to get his attention again and they kept walking, but Isamu followed them. "He's a friend." Rioichi finally answered.

"Don't lie, Cooper!" Isamu laughed. "I heard you introducing him to Akio! He's family?! You have family here?! Since when?!"

Sly noticed Rioichi starting to look troubled by the last couple of questions. Then again, it could have been annoyance too. Sly began to wonder why but when Rioichi cleared his throat and gave a small smile, he relaxed. "Yes, I do."

"You didn't have to lie, ya know!" Isamu repeated. "I have ears like a hawk! Except I'm a crane…" He then gave an apologetic smile to Sly. "Sorry if the arrow seemed like it was aiming for you, old friend! I was really aiming for him!" he ran by the ninja raccoon, shoving him a little when he did so. "I'll see ya tomorrow! Don't forget that match you walked out of earlier!"

Rioichi rolled his eyes at the childish crane. He pushed open the large wooden doors, allowing Sly to walk out first. Rioichi closed the doors behind him with a loud click. All the chaos and loud yelling was left behind the gates, leaving Sly and Rioichi with the peace and quiet of the village before them.

"Seems like you're pretty close to them," Sly brought up as they started walking again.

"I consider them family. We barely see ourselves as just classmates." Rioichi spoke, twirling his cane within his fingers. "I grew up with them."

"What did that Isamu guy mean when he spoke about fam-…" Sly was interrupted when a loud gong sounded just down the dirt path to their right. He heard his ancestor sigh, followed by an irritated growl.

"What's wrong?"

"I didn't realize it was getting so late," Rioichi muttered. "I still have to restock fish for my sushi shop."

"Fishing?"

"Yes." Rioichi looked to the sky, eyeing how much the sun was already starting to set. "Perhaps I could still make it out to the river and be back before it's too dark. Care to join me?"

Sly nodded. "Sure, pal. It's been a while since I've been fishing."

Rioichi chuckled softly and proceeded in going to the shop to pick up his fishing supplies, and head down to river.

A/N: All Japanese translations were used with Google translate and other language translating sites.

Konnichiwa- Hello

Genki desu ka?- How are you?