Levi 2
Yukifuri no Hizoku: The Bandit of Snowfall
Disclaimer: Dun own Bleach, just this fanfic I did for a Mythology project last semester. This has got to be the most G-rated fanfic I have ever written since it was for school.
Snow.
When winter came, they did not have snow. Technically, their winter did not exist, since it only grew cold.
One small group in Feudal Japan wreaked havoc in the winter. A group of seven wielded dangerous swords that they thought they received from the gods themselves. These seven bandits were known as The Band of Seven, which was named by their leader.
The leader's name was Toshiro Kaida.
Toshiro could only be described as "cold as ice." He was cold and ruthless to everyone else but his girlfriend, Sakana. He had pure, white hair and ice-blue eyes; he would be very gorgeous were he not a bandit. He had a sword as tall as himself, which housed an icy dragon spirit that froze anything in its path.
Toshiro's gang comprised of seven members including Toshiro himself. The two brothers named Shunsui and Juushiro Hiroshi were dastardly indeed. Shunsui had brown hair and wore a pink flowery women's kimono and a straw hat that shadowed his mischievous eyes. His brown eyes were always on the lookout for a cute girl. His double swords stirred up great winds and blew over houses. His brother Juushiro was a little less ruthless; he had white hair from the tuberculosis that ravaged his lungs. He was very fast; nobody could catch him. The descriptions of him that were passed on through the villages said his speed resembled lightning; in fact, his sword brought down thunderbolts from the heavens.
Then there was Gin Taro and Sosuke Goro. Toshiro recruited these two men after hearing of the duo's exploits as famous thieves. Gin's sword blinded beings while Sosuke's sword trapped them in darkness for eternity.
Byakuya Sakurako was snobby and aloof, but his personality resembled that of a block of stone. No secrets could be extracted from behind his cold pewter eyes. His sword sent dangerous cherry blossom petals flying which could chop down anything in its path.
Lastly, Sakana Hiroko, or as the men affectionately nicknamed her, "Kana-chan," had a fiery temper with a blazing sword to match. She had a playful personality but grew angry very quickly when the slightest thing did not go right for her.
This band of seven wreaked havoc among the peaceful villages. The humans fled from them, and demons refused to cross paths with them. They only occasionally slaughtered villages when they refused to cooperate. This group had earned the title of the most feared criminals.
But their ruthlessness would be their downfall.
The Band of Seven was currently meandering down a beaten path. They just finished plundering a village, and now had twelve horses, gold and silver, rice, and other goods. Shunsui laughed heartily and slapped Toshiro on the back.
"Once again, your quick thinking saved us, and we got a load of goods out of it!" Shunsui said cheerfully. The icy bandit smirked.
"That village didn't stand a ghost of a chance. It was inevitable for them to try to resist," Toshiro said casually.
"Well, what'll we do with all these goods?" Sakana asked. She was in charge of the bandit's spending habits. The woman was very bright, and knew what Toshiro was going to say before he said it.
"We'll pawn these off at the next village, minus seven horses. Ah, is that a village over yonder?" Toshiro asked, squinting into the bright sun. Gin peered into the direction of the ox-tiger and grinned.
"I do believe that is! What luck! Maybe we can pause and have a good drink!" Gin crowed. The others shouted in agreement and spurred their horses to go faster to the village that had coincidentally appeared in their midst.
The god of war and the protector of the law, Bishamon, watched the Band of Seven as they rode to the town with their stolen goods. Bishamon sighed, trying to keep his anger under control. This group of bandits constantly caused trouble for the god. How was he, the protector of the law, supposed to keep the peace with the bandits constantly disturbing it? Fed up, the god came up with an idea to teach the Band of Seven a lesson. If they did not heed his words, they would face the consequences. With this thought in mind, he disguised himself and went into the village.
The Band of Seven was just emerging from a pawnshop when an old monk came up to them. Byakuya glared coldly at the monk who went up to Toshiro. Who was he to approach their leader?
"You are the one they call Toshiro Kaida, yes? The leader of the Band of Seven?"
Toshiro glared at the old monk. "And what if I am, old man?"
"I have sought for you. I have a message from the Protector of the Law, the god Bishamon. He implores you to stop wreaking havoc amongst the villages," the monk said. "Settle down while you still can. The gods will forgive you!"
Byakuya stepped up, interrupting the monk. "And what if we don't?" he snarled. The monk did not shrink down under the bandit's intense glare.
"You will face the consequences. Nothing good comes from evil deeds, but if you forgive for your sins, the gods will give you a second chance. Keep that in mind."
Juushiro was tired of listening to the old man, so he drew his sword and smacked the monk upside the head with it.
"Shaddup, old man! Nobody cares. We'll continue doing what we do, and nobody will stop us!"
"We're the Band of Seven. Be grateful that we are sparing your life," Sosuke said, sneering at the old man. They left the monk lying in the middle of the road as they went to cause more trouble, laughing the entire way.
The old monk transformed back into his original form; it was Bishamon, and he was enraged. The way that they had treated him made him extremely angry. Fuming, he followed the Band of Seven. If they did one more bad deed, he would take desperate measures.
He followed the bandits to a shrine; in fact, it was Bishamon's shrine. Sosuke rushed up to the shrine, noticing the offerings left by travelers.
"Hey, gods! Take this!" Sosuke shouted, drawing his sword and slamming it against the shrine. The other six bandits joined their comrade in desecrating the shrine.
Now fully-enraged, Bishamon paid a visit to his friend, Okuninushi, the god of magic and medicine.
"Okuninushi! I require your services," he called. The other god listened to Bishamon's request and brought him a special potion. The instructions were very simple: put a few drops into the leader's drink, and once he drank it, the potion would take effect.
Now, Bishamon was approached with the problem of slipping the potion into Toshiro's drink. An idea flashed in his head, and he smiled. Now, he would exact his revenge against the Band of Seven.
The Band of Seven was currently in The Icy Wyrm Tavern, having a good time. Toshiro was only slightly intoxicated when a beautiful woman in a gold kimono with silver flower patterns came up with a pitcher.
"Would you like our special? It's called Tatsu Mizugusuri, or the Potion of Dragons. It smells and tastes different for every person. I'll give it to you on the house, if you want it!" the woman said with a wink. Toshiro raised his sake dish.
"Why not?" The icy bandit said.
As Bishamon poured the potion into the dish, he grinned inwardly. His revenge was complete; now he just sat back and waited for the potion to take effect.
Toshiro lifted the drink to his lips, but not before sniffing it. It smelt like garlic to him. But when he took a drink, it tasted like citrus. It was an amazing taste, and he drank it with earnest.
Belching loudly, he stood up and wiped his mouth.
"It's time to hit the trail. There are many more villages left to be pillaged!" Toshiro called to his gang. The Band of Seven gathered themselves and left the tavern.
As they walked along the foot of Fujiyama, or Mt. Fuji, Toshiro felt extremely cold. What was wrong with him? He noticed that the rest of his gang was staring at him strangely. Suddenly, there was a bright flash of light and a scream that slowly transformed into a terrifying roar. Snow began to billow around in huge gusts, uprooting trees and freezing the ground.
The Band of Seven was disbanded that day. Shunsui and Juushiro disappeared to places unknown. Byakuya became a master of nature, living in a small forest of cherry blossom trees. Gin protected his home village, scaring away the demons with his sword, while Sosuke trained in a dark cave. He never emerged except to hunt.
As for Toshiro, the potion that Bishamon had unknowingly given to him had turned him into a giant ice blue dragon. He was forever condemned to the summit of Fujiyama in the winter. Every winter his rage towards the god of war and the protector of the law would return, and his roaring would summon the snow while the flapping of his wings in his attempts to escape would cause blizzards. In the spring, Sakana, who lived at the base of Fujiyama, would go to the top and quell the dragon, returning him to his human form. During the spring and summer, the duo wandered around, seeking redemption for their wrongdoings. They assisted everyday common folk in things from demon slaying to repairing a shed. They did this in hopes that one day, when they were reincarnated, they would have a better life.
At the bottom of Fujiyama, next to Sakana's small house, was a stone with kanji engraved on it as a reminder to all who visited the mountain...
"Here is Toshiro, leader of the Band of Seven, forever condemned to the summit of Fujiyama for every winter for all eternity. Learn well and do good to avoid facing the wrath of the gods as he did."