Hello, Internet.
I don't really know if anybody truly reads Samurai 7 fanfiction, but okay then…
Enjoy and please leave reviews. :3
It was years before the Great War erupted. Samurai, peasants, and the merchants all lived in peace with one another. This was an era of peace and prosperity; any thoughts of war were never even thought of. All was calm and well. It is truly a shame that such a peaceful time was corrupted and destroyed.
A young boy with wild blonde hair silently sat in his room as he gazed outside. His mother had countlessly told him to go outside and play with the neighbors' children, yet he had refused each time. He didn't like the other children that much and he didn't like rowdiness. In fact he didn't like the city that much either. It was too noisy and crowded, but he was thankful for not being a peasant. He and his family lived on the outskirts of town.
He was thinking about the samurai for the hundredth time. Oh, how he dreamed of becoming one himself, despite the fact that he was only nine years old at the moment. He vowed to learn from the best master there was when he was old enough. But he had his doubts. His parents would probably not allow him and he was a bit frail. But simple training and rigorous practice could improve his small muscles.
"Hey!" A voice cried out. It was high-pitched and feminine, but had a slightly rough tone, as if the girl used her voice a lot. The boy snapped out of his daydream and irritably looked down. He did not want to bothered now, but the girl seemed sweet enough. "What?" He replied, brushing some hair away from his face. The girl smiled and flicked her curly, chocolate hair over her shoulder.
"You always look lonely up there. Why don't you come down here and play?"
"I don't like to."
"Why not?"
"I just don't. Now go away."
"What if I told you I had…" the girl paused and lifted a massive book out of the miniature knapsack that was slung over her shoulder. "A book that has everything on the samurai?"
Now the boy was interested. He couldn't train his body now, but it would be worth training his mind for the time being. "Alright." He agreed. The girl laughed and said, "Yes! But you have to tell me your name and promise to be my best friend, okay?" C'mon, they were nine years old. Cut 'em some slack.
The boy raised a blond eyebrow but nodded anyways. "I'm Kyuzo and I promise to be your best friend. Happy?"
The girl giggled. "Yup. Now come outside! We've got a lot of reading to do!" She replied with a grin. Kyuzo secretly rolled his eyes but sprinted downstairs anyway.
"Where are you going, darling?" Kyuzo's mother called as he opened the front door. "I'll be outside for awhile." He replied and shut the door behind him. The girl who talked to him from his window was eagerly rocking back and forth on her feet when he saw her. Now that she was closer, he could see her hazel eyes and warm expression.
"C'mon, let's go somewhere quiet so we can concentrate. I'm Kiyoshi, by the way." She said. Kyuzo smiled a bit and followed Kiyoshi when she began running. The two stopped in front of an abandoned building. Kiyoshi led the way and Kyuzo found himself upstairs on the top floor, which was only the second one.
The little niche next to the window had an army of pillows propped up and tons of plush blankets spread on the floor. A tiny bookcase with several volumes of books sat underneath the window. Kiyoshi kicked off her shoes and jumped onto some pillows, laughing when she landed. Kyuzo carefully took off his shoes but didn't hesitate to jump like Kiyoshi did. He laughed too. It felt wonderful to laugh.
The nine year olds rolled onto their stomachs and carefully opened the book on samurai. They marveled the delicate, precise drawings and diagrams. They got through most of the writing because they didn't quite understand some of the words. But Kiyoshi had gotten up and fetched some sort of dictionary. Now the reading was much simpler to understand.
Soon their stomachs began growling with hunger, but the day was still young. "Let's go get some chow." Kiyoshi said as she fished some coins and a few dollar bills from the depths of her pockets. After some careful counting, she announced, "We have enough money to go buy something awesome from a street vendor. Hurry up and get your shoes on!"
Kyuzo slipped his shoes back on as Kiyoshi tied her sandals. The two left the abandoned library and began walking down the street. After a few minutes the smell of delicious food was in the air. Kyuzo smiled and Kiyoshi took his hand to lead them through the crowded walkway. He didn't expect Kiyoshi's strong tug when she began sprinting towards a little vendor. The sign on it read, "Sushi".
"Have you had sushi before?" Kiyoshi asked. "Yeah, but only a few times." Kyuzo shyly replied. "Don't worry! You'll get a lot more this time!" Kiyoshi said before bravely marching up to the chef. She placed her order with confidence and the chef smiled at the little girl's courage. He told her she didn't have to pay the total price and even placed extra sushi on the little plate Kiyoshi was given.
Kyuzo followed his newfound friend to a nearby bench and hopped on. Kiyoshi handed him the chopsticks and the two ate in a comfortable silence. The sound of the city filled their ears.
"Kiyoshi? Can I ask you something?" Kyuzo asked. "Yeah, what's up?" She replied with a mouthful of food. Kyuzo chuckled. "Well, I was just curious as to why you're so interested in samurai." He asked. The girl kept chewing both to finish her mouthful and to think. "I've always admired the samurai because my great-granddad was one."
"Really?"
"Yup. He was amazing. My dad knows the way of the samurai too, but he can't become one."
"Why not?"
"It's some sort of really weird tradition in my family. Only the great-grandchild can become a samurai."
"But…"
"But what?"
"You're a girl…"
"So? I'll learn better than any boy. When we're samurai, I'm going to beat you fair and square!"
"Good luck with that."
"Hey!"
The young two burst out into fits of laughter before throwing away any remains of their lunch. They chatted back and forth until reaching the abandoned library once more to resume their reading.
Once the sun slowly began to set, Kiyoshi stood up and stretched, yawning as she did so. "Let's go home now. We'll come tomorrow after school. What do you say?" She said tiredly. "Sure. Thanks."
"For what?"
"For everything you did today."
"No problem! And… thanks for being my friend." Kiyoshi shyly finished. Kyuzo took her hand without another word but with a smile.
He made sure Kiyoshi got home safely before he headed home himself. He was actually looking forward to tomorrow.