Disclaimer: I don't own any Sly Cooper characters; they belong to Sucker Punch Productions/Sanzaru Games.
Claimer: I own all of my original characters.
And here's the start of a Rioichi story! A request from 'LightBlueLightning' for a Rioichi story, so, here it is! I know this chapter is a bit short, but it's only chapter one and the rest of the story will be longer, I promise. Granted, this was requested a while back, so I'm sorry for the delay in starting this, but it's started! :D Anyway, please read, review, and let me know what you think! Thanks!
Memoirs of a Ninja
Chapter 1: The Noodle House
Northern Japan, 1339
"Arigatou," the young squirrel thanked me as I handed her the plate of sushi. I bowed my head to the child, smiling as I did so while I watched her trot to her mother, who wrapped an arm around her small shoulders.
"You are very welcome, child. I do hope that I will see you again." the mother turned to me with a small smile on her face, nodding her head as she escorted her child from the restaurant. I followed behind them, ready to shut and lock the front doors to my sushi house once they started to stroll down the streets of the village. It was dark outside and late in the evening, a sign that I should close for the night. Placing my paws on the front doors of my restaurant, and home, I looked to the dark sky, inhaling the cool, moist air of the town I lived in. The bright stars and moon twinkled against the black sky, illuminating the village, casting long, dark shadows everywhere; the perfect conditions for a master thief and ninja. Letting the wind blow through my fur, I decided that this would be the opportune night to go on a little shopping spree, the ninja way, of course. Stepping back, I closed the doors, letting the hinges squeak loudly as I did so before sliding a plank of wood down to lock the doors. I squatted down to the mat in front of the door, lifting the corner and pulling out my cane from underneath. It was my most prized possession and the key to my thievery. I looked over the can, running a paw down it before spinning it over my head and placing it in its holder on my back. Returning the mat to its original position, I stood and stretched, ready go out and see what there was to steal.
I climbed the stairs to the upper level of the restaurant, the section I used for living in, and made my way to a back window. I quickly climbed out the window, making my way to the roof of the building. I crouched on the roof and surveyed my surrounding, curious to see where would be a good place to start stealing. There weren't many rich villagers here, mainly middle-class families who lived to serve the emperor and the shogun, the military leaders. But, there were a few in the village, mainly palace guards, who carried hefty amounts of coins in their back pockets. Standing once again, I pulled my hood over my head and got ready to leap down and find a guard to relieve him of his heavy burden of coined money, when my stomach rumbled. I placed a hand over my noisy abdomen, remembering that I hadn't eaten anything today. I would need food in order to go on a heist. I briefly considered returning to my restaurant and make sushi, but in all honest I didn't feel like cooking and I was quite tired of eating sushi. Since there were only two decent restaurants in the village, mine being one of them, I knew which one I would eat at…the noodle house.
I jumped from the roof to another ahead of me. I scurried across the rooftops, making my way to the other side of town towards the noodle house. As I sprinted towards the building, I knew that it would be a bit of a tricky situation. Because there were only the two restaurants in the village, competition between my sushi house and the noodle house was steep. The owner of the noodle shop was always competing with me for business, but always fell short in coin totals at the end of the month. So, I knew that going to the restaurant for dinner would be on the tricky side, but I couldn't resist; the owner was such a talented chef…with looks to match. I leapt to the ground, landing on my feet silently as I stuck to the nighttime shadows made by the buildings. I slid into a thick shadow created by the building sitting in front of the noodle house, keeping my cover until the rest of the customers had left.
The moments trickled by slowly as the guests left one by one, each smiling and waving goodbye before leaving. I moved my head to get a better look at the door, trying to see the own that had come to the entrance of the noodle shop. I smiled when I finally saw her standing in the threshold of the building, a soft paw touching the wood of the frame as she used the other to wave goodbye to the final customer. Kasumi Bandicoot, in my own eyes, was beautiful. She was small in stature and size, giving her a look of soft, gentle innocence. Her hair, which was normally wrapped in a tight bun on the top on her head, was as back as parchment ink, yet was as soft as Chinese silk. She was always dressed for business, adorned in beautifully made kimono's with soft, floral prints and obi's of gentle, solid colors. She walked with grace and finesse, spoke softly, and was usually a gentle person to be around. Unless you managed to make her angry or I was in her presence, that is. Kasumi had a temper on her, one that would make her blood boil and her skin hot to the touch. I didn't mind that she had a temper because it showed to me that she wasn't afraid to speak her mind like most women in the village…but I was concerned for my personally safety if I ever angered her when she was within an arms reach of her noodle knives. She was often ranting to me about how I always stole her customers and hurt her financially. But I knew other wise, however. Not only was Kasumi a talented chef, but was a thief as well. Like I have, Kasumi reigned from a family of thieves and she was no exception even with a trustworthy business to take care of.
Kasumi was perfect…almost. The one thing that angered me about Kasumi was the way she reacted towards me at times. It was no secret, to her or me, that I loved her and would do anything for her. I showed this to her, quite often as a matter of fact, but every time I would try to show her these feelings, she would shake her head, brush off what I said and would either change the subject of our conversation or simply walk away. As a ninja, I tried not to wear my emotions on my sleeve and make myself vulnerable to enemies, but there was something about her that made me a soft dumpling full of feelings. Something that pulled me to her and made me want to hold her to me, but she refused to even acknowledge how I felt about her. I shook my thoughts from my mind, not realizing how long I had been standing there, staring at the doorway. The lights had dimmed a bit inside and she was about to close her noodle house. Not only did I want to visit the raccoon before I robbed the guards of their coins…but I needed food. I stepped from the shadows and to the front doors of the noodle house. I walked inside silently, shutting the doors quietly behind me before walking to the counter. Kasumi stood over a pot of steaming liquid, her back to the door and to me. It looked as if she was closed for the night, but was fixing her own plate of food. Seeing that this would be a great opportunity to surprise her, I walked up behind her, peering over her shoulder.
"Chicken and beef dumplings, quite different from your legendary noodles, Kasumi-san." I whispered into her ear. She let out a shriek of surprise, the dumpling dough falling from her paws and onto the floor below. She whipped around, growling loudly when her gaze met mine. She grabbed a butcher knife from the counter behind her and swiftly slammed it forward, pinning the sleeve of my shirt to a chopping block behind me. Her face was close to mine, the smell of cherry blossoms and chicken broth coming from her, and a low, frustrated growl coming from her throat. I smiled, chuckling nervously at the female, wondering why I had decided to startle her when her knives were right beside her.