Chapter 6

(A/N: I know it's taking a while, but D/S fluff will abound in the next chapter!)

Danny's silent reflection was interrupted by a messenger.

"Pardon, my lord, but the shogun wishes to see you."

Frowning, Danny stood and went to the palace. Arriving a short time later in one of the courtyards, he saw Masutatsu Varada sitting by a koi pond.

"Ah, Daniro, I'm so pleased that you could make it."

Varada was a slender man. Not grotesquely thin, but not fat, either. His grey hair and beard were immaculately well-groomed, and his armor concealed the finest of kimonos.

"Okay, Vara," said Danny, somewhat annoyed, "I'm here. What do you want?" Vlad merely chuckled in response, and then said, "Ah, Danny. You're making progress on controlling that infamous temper of yours."

Standing up, Vara wrapped his arm around Danny's shoulder and they started walking and talking. "Simply put, Daniro," said Vara, "I've come to repeat my offer for you to come and work for me." "How many times do you have to be rejected," Danny hissed, "before you get the point? I'm a warrior of the Empress, not a murderer."

"Danny, be reasonable," replied Vara in a smooth voice, "with each passing year, the Shogunate gains more and more power, and eventually, evens the Empress will be forced to give control to us. When that happens, the samurai will have more authority than ever. A promising young man like yourself could have a big position in the new government if he allied himself with the right people early on. You're a smart man, so do the smart thing: Join me, and all that surrounds us could one day be yours."

"You'll never take power," Danny snarled, "The lower-ranking samurai are loyal only to the Empress, and we number in the thousands. We outnumber the daimyo two to one and the shogun four to one." "You may have us outnumbered," said Vara, his voice now dangerously low, "but you overestimate the loyalty of some of your comrades."

"Varada, I will never join you. And neither will my mother. So why don't you just go back to Edo?" Having said his piece, Danny left. For a while, Vara just stood there, glaring coldly at Danny. Finally, he said to himself, "You will see your mistake, boy."

Sam was sitting outside, thinking about Danny, a sort of dreamy smile on her face. She felt her heart was beating slower, and yet faster at the same time. Every thought of him brought a surge of spiritual ecstasy to her being. She was certain now: She was in love.

Suddenly, her quiet reflection was interrupted by Danny's soft voice. "Sam?" he asked softly from behind her. "Yes, Danny?" she replied.

"Tonight, is the OBon festival, held to commemorate the new spring. It is, in a nutshell, a magnificent party held in the woods after dark. And since it's considered unfashionable to go alone . . ." Danny hesitated on the last part, "I was wondering if you would go with me."

"Excuse me for a second," Sam said. Quickly running behind a tree and jumping up and down for joy like a little girl for a while, she returned and said, "I'd love more than anything to go with you."

Agreeing to meet her by his house at sunset, Danny walked off happily, a new spring in his step.

Several hours later, as the golden sun set on the islands of Japan, Sam examined herself in the mirror. Jazz had found her a lovely black and purple kimono with no sleeves that only just went to her knees. She had let her hair down, and it fell free around her shoulders. Wearing special shoes that were designed to enhance the curve of her legs, she knew that she would turn some heads. Danny's head among them, hopefully. She stood in the doorway, the screen closed. She smiled to herself at the thought of Danny's reaction to her when he opened the screen and saw what was waiting for him.

Danny was ready. He had shed his normal dark-blue kimono and instead wore Chinese clothing, a black suede vest with gold trimmings and pants made of fiery orange silk. He wore a gold sash around his waist, into which was tucked his swords. The ordinary binding strip that normally held his sacred chonmage, or topknot, in place had been replaced by a ribbon of fine silk.

Finally, steeling himself with a deep breath, Danny opened the screen and entered his house. "Hi, Danny," said a voice from the side of him. He turned and saw Sam.

For a minute, Danny couldn't even breath. She was, without a doubt, the single most beautiful girl he had ever seen in his entire life! Even Sanchazu Porina, a young and rather stuck-up noblewoman who prided herself on being the most desirable female on all four islands, could not compare to Sam.

"You look amazing," said Danny, his voice slightly horse. Sam blushed, because she could tell that he meant it. "Thank you," she said politely, "You clean up rather well, yourself." "Well, shall we go?" asked Danny, hold his arm out. "Let's," replied Sam, taking his arm as he lead her out of the house.

(A/N: I don't want Danny and Sam to get together too quickly, so I'm taking it slow, putting in a few fluffy moments.)

TO BE CONTINUED.