Disclaimer- I do not own Samurai 7. I only own my OCs...whose names shall be a mystery until chapter 2.
I peered through my binoculars at the crowded streets below. Many people were walking the street. Old people, young people, samurai, and peddlers of all sorts. None of them interested me.
What did interest me, however, was a girl I had seen before, asking samurai if they were willing to protect their village from the Bandits for rice, the samurai didn't even like the question. Every samurai she asked simply frowned at them, crossed their arms, and with their noses in the air, walked away. The girl was wearing a blue and red top that stopped just below her rib cage and a skirt that didn't pass her knees, but the skirt had a long back to it.
I looked down to my outfit. I was wearing light brown pants and a matching T-shirt. Over that I was wearing my white, long, thin, coat with a hood on the back. My katana was tied to my waist and my sleeves jingled a bit from the hidden daggers within. While her cloths looked more feminine than mine. Hers was a little to revealing for my tastes.
Something that surprised me as well, was that the magistrates son, Ukyo, was talking to her and was now giving her flowers.
'What is he doing? Is he getting that girl for his harem? Doesn't he have enough women for his harem? And why is he perusing her, by her looks she isn't from around here...the man I had seen in her company earlier looked like a farmer. Is she a peasant?'
All these questions raced through my mind, and none of them were really answered. I clambered down from the roof I was on get a better view and be within my hearing range.
"There you see? The flowers are so happy in your arms." Ukyo flattered. "Now what's your name?"
"Kirara." The girl answered.
"Really!" Ukyo exclaimed, "well that's why they bloomed. Your names so sweet."
"What is this really about?" Asked Kirara.
While her face was hidden behind the roses, I could tell she was blushing red.
Ukyo leaned in a bit and continued to sweet talk. "You make me sound so wicked. The truth is I came down because I heard about your search."
Kirara gave a small gasp and looked up at Ukyo with what I think was surprise. I don't think she knew how quickly her search news had spread.
"I know the mightiest samurai of all," he lied, " and he has accepted your offer. But his skills have made him something of a celebrity here. He avoids going out in public, so he asked me to bring you to him instead. We'll take my coach."
"No, stop." Kirara started to protest as Ukyo put an arm around her.
"Enough." A low voice said. A large man with a pipe in his mouth seemed to appear out of nowhere and hit Kirara on the back of her neck. Kirara went limp and fell into Ukyo's arms.
"I will be most unhappy if there is a bruise on her neck." Ukyo complained to the man.
"Don't worry, she'll be fine... Let me take her." The man answered, he held out his arms expectantly.
"Nnno." Ukyo said, "she's mine."
I finally recognized the man who had knocked Kirara out! It was Tessai, Ukyo's bodyguard.
Tessai stepped back and grunted. Ukyo carried Kirara to his coach that had been hidden by the crowd. Once inside the carriage started to move.
I followed a ways behind. I knew that my sisters were going to scold me for this, after all it is very dangerous for my kind to be out in the open, but I couldn't just leave. I had to do something, even if it was just tailing the coach. Besides, I was camouflaged well enough, wasn't I?
'Let's just hope that that boy with the green hair I saw with her can help before she gets to Ukyo's harem.' I thought.
Not long after the carriage had moved I heard a voice yell, "Lady Kirara!" I didn't look back, but I knew he would catch on that she had been kidnapped and come to her rescue.
I walked and followed the coach all the way to an elevator, once there I lost track of them. I found them again thanks to a large metal man driving his sword into the carriage. He sliced the top off the coach, the noise was like a jack hammer hitting concrete.
Ukyo cowered in the roofless and exposed coach, Tessai had his hand on his sword, and Kirara looked up in amazement and fright at the huge metal man.
"Lady Kirara!" The boy shouted.
"You are Kirara...right?" The metal man asked.
"That's... right." She answered clearly baffled.
"He's a friend, let's go." The boy said, picking Kirara up bridal style and running to safety.
My attention drifted back to the metal man who was still standing by the destroyed coach.
"You wear fancy cloths for a thief." He said accusingly.
"Who is this monster?" Ukyo asked Tessai.
"A nobody and he will soon be dead." Tessai said bluntly, shoving Ukyo to the side and drawing his blade.
Ukyo got out of the coach and stumbled to safety. Tessai was behind him, brandishing his blade in defense of his master.
They turned a corner, I heard Tessai mutter 'Don't hurt the girl.'
At least five men...well strange looking men passed them. One had a funny looking hat and skinny robotic arms. Another had a silver lining around his eyes, it made it look like a long eyes cyclops. The biggest one looked burly and had a triangle sort of helmet that hid his features. The others looked just as ridiculous.
Their ring leader sped forward to the front of the group and shot something attached to a lead from his long sleeves. The weight hit the red robotic man's arm, tearing it completely off.
"Your arm!" The boy exclaimed.
The big man looked down, "Don't worry kid, it happens all the time."
Three of the men in the group rushed toward the two samurai and the girl, one was laughing stupidly and the others had huge grins on their faces.
"You guard the girl." The robotic man said to the boy as he rushed forward to meet the three men.
The boy drew his sword and held it in front of him in a defensive posture.
"We're alright Lady Kirara," he assured, "just don't let go of my hand."
"Okay." She answered.
I looked to the fight with the three men and the big robot. It turns out there was no fight. The three assailants had nimbly dodged the robot and were headed straight for the boy and Kirara.
One of the men lashed out with his extendable arm. The boy deflected it easily, only to find that it had be a diversion, as a second arm grasped his sword and wrenched it from his grasp.
Seeing that the boy was unarmed one of the men rushed forward, trying to tackle or stab him I assume, he was simply kicked to the side by the youth. However, the 'cyclops' man had snuck around behind them. He hit the boy solidly behind the neck, causing the youth to fall forward and lose his grip on Kirara's hand.
"Well so much for 'don't let go and we're alright." I muttered under my breath.
"Katsushiro!" Kirara cried.
'So that's his name...huh.' I thought.
Katsushiro had fallen heavily on his side. The red robot heard Kirara's cry and fought harder against the rest of the gang of assailants he was facing.
Katsushiro looked up from his place on the floor, "We have to get you out of here." He yelled to Kirara.
"Well, he finally figured it out." I muttered.
The 'cyclops' grasped Kirara's arm as another man tried to kill Katsushiro. The man failed since Katsushiro had grabbed the red robots fallen arm and blocked the blade inches from his body.
I was now torn. Do I risk my identity to fight or do I continue to do nothing and watch? I was unconcerned about fighting, I could easily best these men, but if my body decided to randomly reveal my...inner self...then I was screwed.
I begrudgingly decided to let the boy handle his own fight. It was a good thing I did too. The boy threw the arm at the cyclops and it latched onto his face. The man was forced to release Kirara as he tried to pry the offending appendage off of his face.
Kirara ran to Katsushiro, "There's too many of them!"
Katsushiro put himself in front of her, but was suddenly gripped around the neck by one of the enemies extendable arms. The arm dragged Katsushiro to the ground once more.
"Just run away...mi'lady!" He yelled. "RUN!"
Kirara looked stunned, but she didn't question the order. She turned around and sped down the ladder behind her.
While Katsushiro looked like he could use some help, I followed Kirara. After all she can't defend herself.
Kirara was running down stairs, her assailants following behind her. She ran into a large pipe. I followed right in after her. When I entered the pipe it was very dark, but I could hear the loud slapping of her sandals against the pipe. I was on the right track. The footsteps echoed louder as I got closer. The noise suddenly stopped. I saw a light at the end of the tunnel that I assumed she went through. I ran to the light, but instead of seeing her, I crashed right into her!
We fell heavily onto the floor, she yelled and kicked at me.
"Hey, stop that! I'm not one of them." I cried, shielding my face from her feet.
She stopped kicking at once and stood up. "Then who are you?"
"I...I am someone who wants to help you." I answered.
The two men that had been following her had finally caught up.
I maneuvered myself in front of her, my hand went to the hilt of my katana. Kirara must have finally noticed my sword because she gave an audible gasp. I looked behind me, there was nothing but a huge drop. The wind blew and my back started to ache.
'Oh god, not now! Not in front of the girl!" I mentally scolded my 'inner self'.
"End of the road fa- Oh, looks like we have too lovely looking ladies." One of the men said. The man had a wide sort of hat, he was the one with the extendable arms.
The other had a mohawk and just looked ridicules. "You better come back to safety before the wind blows you off. It's a long way to the bottom."
Kirara and I said nothing. I was looking at the men while Kirara was looking out and
down.
"The master gives his women a life of luxury, better than death, don't you think?" The man with the extendable arms asked.
They continued to walk closer and Kirara continued to look down. I knew she was concerned and worried, but not truly afraid.
She finally looked back at the men and then to me, swiftly putting her hand around my wrist.
"I know a way out." she barely whispered over the wind.
I nodded, my eyes still on the two men.
I felt my hand be taken closer to the edge. I took the step back, sort of understanding her next move.
"Stop!" One of the men yelled when we stepped off the edge together.
The wind wiped my hair upwards. My back was now past the point of aching, it was now stinging and throbbing.
'Thank goodness I took the pill, if I hadn't she would see them. If she sees my wings she will figure it out... if she turned me in it could mean enough money to by a hundred samurai...let's hope the wings choose to stay sealed in the tattoos where they belong.' I thought.
We fell toward a street, Kirara's eyes were trained on a man with white robes. For a split second their eyes met before we sped past it. The floor below got closer and closer. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a white blur. I looked at Kirara. The man she had looked at had jumped off the street and come to save her.
'Was that why she was staring at him...must be.' I shrugged.
The man in white looked around. He drew his sword and pulled us toward an elevator going down. He cut its line making it fall at the same speed as us.
"Grab on." He told us.
I didn't ask question I just grabbed onto two parallel bars on the top of the elevator. Kirara landed to my left and the man in white on the right. The elevator continued to fall. The man in white had stuck his sword into the top of the elevator and was looking out, not down. When he finally did look down we were only about a hundred yards away from the floor. The man pulled his sword out of its position and stuck it into the grinding cogs and wheels that made the elevator go down. The sword caused a shower of sparks and the elevator slowed but continued to go at a speedy pace. I stuck my sword in alongside his, sending out more sparks. This slowed the elevator a little more, but not by a significant amount.
'We aren't going slow enough, we are going to smash right into the ground!' My mind screamed. My body was now forcing the tattoo seal to release my wings.
This time I couldn't resist.
I felt the tattoo release. White feathers tore through my shirt and out the sides of my coat. Kirara gace an audible cry of disbelief and fear. The man, however, did nothing. My wings spread to their full length of five feet. They beat powerfully in the air, making a great 'whooshing' noise. The elevator slowed considerably. At about twenty feet from the ground the man grabbed Kirara in his arms and jumped off the elevator. This gave me time to grab my sword, jump off the elevator, and fly to a safe hidden perch not far from the elevator. Of course the elevator crashed into the floor, but instead of a fiery explosion it just sank into the ground.
The man looked at Kirara and said some words, she said something back but my ears were ringing from excitement I didn't hear what the words were. When they finally stopped ringing the man was pulling his sword out of the elevator. I mentally cursed myself at what he picked up next.
It was one of my feathers. He examined it and looked around. I ducked a little, his eyes wavered where I was hiding and I knew I had been seen. I put my hand on my sword, but surprisingly he passed over my hiding spot and pretended he didn't know where I was. He shared some more words with Kirara and she said something. I didn't dare poke my head up any more than it was and listen, I just kept my eyes on the pair. After a couple for minutes they left, the man in white by Kirara's side.
I could only think of one thing now.
I was going to tell my sisters about my amazing time! And my sisters were going to listen and then probably scold and yell the hell out of me...damn.
When I was thinking about the style of my mystery OCs coat, I looked at Kyuzo's coat...but I minuses the length of the collar and added a hood and changed the color to a solid white. Tell me what you think of it so far! Thanks!