This will be the only disclaimer in the story.
I own nothing. Bleach and all related characters are the intellectual property of Tite Kubo. Not from lack of trying mind you! Who would've guessed that he surrounded himself with a horde of ninjas? I mean I didn't! Anyways I digress, Seven Samurai was made by Akira Kurosawa and I only own a DVD copy of it. If you have not seen it, go out right now and buy it. Right now.
This fic started as both an exercise in writing and something to put in my account because it looks so empty, so yeah. Rather than jump full throttle and start a story I decided it would be easier to simply take Akira Kurosawa's classic and reflavor it for Bleach. The stars of the fic, I decided, would be some of the minor characters (and Renji, seriously, I have no idea how he sneaked in there) just because we rarely get any stories with them. Also, although I'm basing this on Kurosawa's film, it won't be a word-for-word adaptation. So yeah, expect some changes if you've watched the film.
Part 1- Cry to the Heavens! / The Cruel Gods.
Dust clouds were kicked into the fresh morning air in medieval Japan as a large group of heavily armed men rode through a country road. Two of them rode ahead, leading the way.
One wore full battle armor of a samurai, if a bit old and used up, along with a helmet adorned with a golden half-moon. The second wore a lighter armor but most distinctively carried a firearm - a musket.
The bandits rode proudly, knowing no one would stand in their way. For many years these had been the rulers of the countryside. They took anything they wanted: food, horses, women; and mercilessly slaughtered those who stood against them.
As the leader saw a village appear in the horizon, he raised his hand, signaling all of the other bandits to stop their mounts.
One of the bandits spoke, "Let's attack that village! We should take their food and women!"
There was laughter and agreement from the others, but the leader opposed.
"No!" he said, "We took their rice last autumn. Right now, they have nothing worth taking. When the barley is ripe, we shall return!" and rode back.
The others followed their leader's command and rode away. Within minutes all evidence of them was gone.
As the bandits rode off, they failed to see a brown-haired thin man crouching on the side of the road. After he was sure he was safe, Asano Keigo got up and ran as quickly as possible back to the village.
---
Nearly everyone on the village had gathered in the center square, women were kneeling and crying, while men were arguing what to do.
The women wailed and cried.
"The Gods have abandoned us!"
"Taxes, wars, labor obligations, droughts, and now bandits!"
"Our lord doesn't protect us!"
"We pay taxes! He should protect us!"
"The inspectors only come after a bandit raid to count the dead…"
"It is our lot in life to suffer. We are only peasants."
"Better to hand everything to the bandits and hang ourselves! Perhaps then, our lord would listen!"
Finally, a girl stood up. A determined look in her eyes, "We will fight!"
Everyone turned to look at the girl as though she had grown a second head.
"Let's make bamboo spears! Let's fight for what is ours!"
Asano approached the girl cautiously, "W-we can't fight Tatsuki-chan. We're only peasants! Besides if we fight, we would all be killed! Not event children or pregnant women would be spared!"
"And you call yourself a man?" Tatsuki said as she glared at him.
Keigo looked down to the ground and laughed nervously, "We… we were born to suffer. It's our destiny, so… so let's just give them everything they want… and let's bow our heads and ask them to leave us just enough to live. "
"And would they listen? Would they?"
No one answered. Every one remained silent for a few minutes, looking fearfully at the two teens: Tatsuki glaring at the weak little man, while Keigo avoided her eyes.
Finally, another teenage boy stood up. "Let's ask Gisaku, he's very wise. He'll know what to do."
"The old man? He can't even see anymore. No offense to your grandpa Misuiro."
"Well, does anyone have a better idea?"
No answer.
The villagers walked over a bridge to a mill. Inside, a small, hunched old man was sitting in the floor.
---
Finally the old man opened his eyes. "We will fight."
Some groans, some cheers, but mostly mumbles were heard from the crowd.
"We can't fight we're just peasants!" Asano said.
Gisaku continued, "We will hire samurai to protect us. Log ago, before any of you were born, when I was still just a boy there was a situation like this. Bandits had ransacked and burned all the villages in the valley, but as we fled to the hills and I looked back, I saw, that amidst all the fires, one village stood unharmed… they had hired samurai. That's what we'll do."
"How? We aren't rich! We can only offer food. Samurai are proud; would they work only for food?" Keigo shouted.
"Then find hungry samurai. Offer them meals. Even a bear comes down from the mountains when he is starving."
"How many samurai should we bring? How many can we feed?" Tatsuki asked, obviously in favor of the idea.
"Bring three or four at least. Asano and Mizuiro will go with you."
"What? Why?" Asano protested.
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