Shadow Blade.
Book one:
The Occupation.
Prologue:
The Floating Girl.
It was on the shore of the Sea of Oshio that the long journey started. It was a warm summer day in the seaside village of Oryama. Four kilometres down the beach sat a strapping young fellow. He was sixteen, the youngest graduate of the Shitsumo dojo, a trained samurai. He was walking along the beach, stopping to look at the sea and at the shadow that the mountains cast over the ocean as the sun settled behind it. He was looking at the ocean when he saw a light about halve way between him and the horizon. It was a ship, more precisely: one on fire. About a third of the way to the burning ship he saw something drifting in the water. He recognized the form; it was a person. He immediately jumped into the water. He swam to the form drifting in the water. He gently took hold of the girl and pulled her to shore. There he messaged her on her chest. After about a minute she coughed and started breathing again, she remained unconscious however. He sat down next to her, collapsing into the position from his exhaustion. "You gave me quite a scare there young lady." He said jovially.
His name was Kuhey Arusaki.