Chapter One: The Samurai's Past
Suzuka at age 10 was beautiful. Her long raven black hair tumble over his shoulders like a dark river, and her face shone with wisdom and grace. Everyday, she dressed in a kimono of silk, with yellow and jade-green ribbons woven through her hair. She laughed and danced, and even sang. Her songs would call birds of different kinds from the trees, and people would stop in their daily work to listen to her. Life seemed so perfect.
One day, a young boy of her age appeared in the village. He was thin and pale, like her, with wide wondering eyes. As soon as Suzuka laid eyes upon him, the young girl fell in love. Everywhere the boy went, she followed him, in secret. She never wanted him to know that she longed for him.
"Why do you follow me?" the boy asked one day. Suzuka was behind some bushes, watching the boy as he sat by the river.
She didn't answer his question.
"Please tell me, Suzuka," he asked, gently.
Reluctantly, Suzuka stepped out from the bushes, and turned pale pink in the face. The boy was dressed in green like her, and looked very handsome.
"What's your name?" she asked quickly. The boy laughed softly. "It's Roiyaru."
Suzuka smiled back. She sat down next to the boy and looked at him. "Where are you from?"
"I came from the south," Roiyaru answered.
"The south? Wow. What about your family?"
Roiyaru didn't answer that question. Suzuka knew better than to press further into the matter.
"I hope to talk to you more, Roiyaru," she said as she stood up.
"Same here, Suzuka," Roiyaru replied, smiling at her. Suzuka walked away, feeling as if she could just fly she was so happy.
Chapter Two
The years past and the friendship of Roiyaru and Suzuka grew stronger. Being a merchant's daughter, Suzuka's family had to desire for her to learn the art of swordsmanship, but Roiyaru taught her. He taught her how to block, jump, attack, and set out with her on meditation trips. Suzuka enjoyed ever moment of it.
"Strike!" Roiyaru cried. Suzuka leapt forward with her sword, smashing it into Roiyaru's.
"Damn it!"
"Watch how I block, Suzuka," Roiyaru warned her.
"I am, I am," Suzuka said, flustered.
"Well, watch more closely."
Suzuka lowered her sword and gave Roiyaru a flirty look. "okay."
"What was that for?"
"Nothing."
Roiyaru shrugged his shoulders and slid his sword back into sheath. "want to meditate?"
"Nope."
"What do you want to do then?"
Suzuka smiled. "umm..."
"'umm'? The great Suzuka said 'umm'?"
"Yes I did, you bully."
"Oh haha."
"Yes haha!" Suzuka laughed, and tweaked the boy's ear. "nyah nyah!"
"ouch!" Roiyaru exclaimed, and jumped back. He rubbed his ear and moaned. "what was that for?"
"For making me feel mushy," Suzuka answered quickly, and then shut her mouth.
Chapter Three
"Making you feel mushy?" Roiyaru repeated. "what's that mean?"
"Nothing," Suzuka answered, turning light pink in the face.
Roiyaru gave her a puzzled look. "Suzuka, do you uh...oh never mind."
"Do I what?"
Grasping the girl's hand in his, Roiyaru pulled her closer. "what's going on?"
"Nothing."
"Then what's that look on your face?"
Suzuka blushed even more. "I'm not feeling well."
"Yeah right," he muttered. His hand released her's and he walked away.
"Wait, Roiyaru!" she called after him. "I really do care about you, if that's what you're asking."
The boy looked over his shoulder back at Suzuka. "that's all that you wanted to say?"
Anger boiled underneath Suzuka's calm face. She took a deep breath and tried to say smoothly, "were you expecting me to say something else?"
"In a sense, yes," Roiyaru said coolly.
"What the Hell is that supposed to mean?" Suzuka exclaimed, reaching out a hand to slap him. Roiyaru grabbed her wrist and gave her a harsh glare.
"Don't even think about it, Suzuka, don't."
"let me go!"
The boy brought her closer to him and his lips found her's.
Chapter Four
Suzuka froze as Roiyaru pressed his lips against her. Her eyes widened as an invading tongue entered her mouth. Hot breath swept over her as Roiyaru mashed himself closer to her. Moaning, she pushed him away.
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because I said no."
Roiyaru moved his arms down to around Suzuka's waist. "I thought you cared about me."
"I do but--"
"But what?"
Suzuka didn't move away from his grasp, and she didn't answer his question either. Sighing, she leaned her head against his chest. "Didn't you ever guess?"
"That you loved me?"
The poor girl blushed. "ever since you came here."
"Is this the village?" the young man asked.
"Yes, it is," the older man answered.
"Hitoriga, what business do you have here?"
"patience, Tamoru," Hitoriga replied. "There's some merchants here with many valuables."
The boy Tamoru grinned. "Shall I do the work?"
"No, I will take this job."
Hitoriga lifted a hand, and flames began to burn along the roofs of the houses in the village.
"Roiyaru, something's...not right," Suzuka whispered.
Roiyaru looked up and his face turned white. "the village!"
Bright fire rose into the sky as the two of them ran as fast as they could.
Suzuka at age 10 was beautiful. Her long raven black hair tumble over his shoulders like a dark river, and her face shone with wisdom and grace. Everyday, she dressed in a kimono of silk, with yellow and jade-green ribbons woven through her hair. She laughed and danced, and even sang. Her songs would call birds of different kinds from the trees, and people would stop in their daily work to listen to her. Life seemed so perfect.
One day, a young boy of her age appeared in the village. He was thin and pale, like her, with wide wondering eyes. As soon as Suzuka laid eyes upon him, the young girl fell in love. Everywhere the boy went, she followed him, in secret. She never wanted him to know that she longed for him.
"Why do you follow me?" the boy asked one day. Suzuka was behind some bushes, watching the boy as he sat by the river.
She didn't answer his question.
"Please tell me, Suzuka," he asked, gently.
Reluctantly, Suzuka stepped out from the bushes, and turned pale pink in the face. The boy was dressed in green like her, and looked very handsome.
"What's your name?" she asked quickly. The boy laughed softly. "It's Roiyaru."
Suzuka smiled back. She sat down next to the boy and looked at him. "Where are you from?"
"I came from the south," Roiyaru answered.
"The south? Wow. What about your family?"
Roiyaru didn't answer that question. Suzuka knew better than to press further into the matter.
"I hope to talk to you more, Roiyaru," she said as she stood up.
"Same here, Suzuka," Roiyaru replied, smiling at her. Suzuka walked away, feeling as if she could just fly she was so happy.
Chapter Two
The years past and the friendship of Roiyaru and Suzuka grew stronger. Being a merchant's daughter, Suzuka's family had to desire for her to learn the art of swordsmanship, but Roiyaru taught her. He taught her how to block, jump, attack, and set out with her on meditation trips. Suzuka enjoyed ever moment of it.
"Strike!" Roiyaru cried. Suzuka leapt forward with her sword, smashing it into Roiyaru's.
"Damn it!"
"Watch how I block, Suzuka," Roiyaru warned her.
"I am, I am," Suzuka said, flustered.
"Well, watch more closely."
Suzuka lowered her sword and gave Roiyaru a flirty look. "okay."
"What was that for?"
"Nothing."
Roiyaru shrugged his shoulders and slid his sword back into sheath. "want to meditate?"
"Nope."
"What do you want to do then?"
Suzuka smiled. "umm..."
"'umm'? The great Suzuka said 'umm'?"
"Yes I did, you bully."
"Oh haha."
"Yes haha!" Suzuka laughed, and tweaked the boy's ear. "nyah nyah!"
"ouch!" Roiyaru exclaimed, and jumped back. He rubbed his ear and moaned. "what was that for?"
"For making me feel mushy," Suzuka answered quickly, and then shut her mouth.
Chapter Three
"Making you feel mushy?" Roiyaru repeated. "what's that mean?"
"Nothing," Suzuka answered, turning light pink in the face.
Roiyaru gave her a puzzled look. "Suzuka, do you uh...oh never mind."
"Do I what?"
Grasping the girl's hand in his, Roiyaru pulled her closer. "what's going on?"
"Nothing."
"Then what's that look on your face?"
Suzuka blushed even more. "I'm not feeling well."
"Yeah right," he muttered. His hand released her's and he walked away.
"Wait, Roiyaru!" she called after him. "I really do care about you, if that's what you're asking."
The boy looked over his shoulder back at Suzuka. "that's all that you wanted to say?"
Anger boiled underneath Suzuka's calm face. She took a deep breath and tried to say smoothly, "were you expecting me to say something else?"
"In a sense, yes," Roiyaru said coolly.
"What the Hell is that supposed to mean?" Suzuka exclaimed, reaching out a hand to slap him. Roiyaru grabbed her wrist and gave her a harsh glare.
"Don't even think about it, Suzuka, don't."
"let me go!"
The boy brought her closer to him and his lips found her's.
Chapter Four
Suzuka froze as Roiyaru pressed his lips against her. Her eyes widened as an invading tongue entered her mouth. Hot breath swept over her as Roiyaru mashed himself closer to her. Moaning, she pushed him away.
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because I said no."
Roiyaru moved his arms down to around Suzuka's waist. "I thought you cared about me."
"I do but--"
"But what?"
Suzuka didn't move away from his grasp, and she didn't answer his question either. Sighing, she leaned her head against his chest. "Didn't you ever guess?"
"That you loved me?"
The poor girl blushed. "ever since you came here."
"Is this the village?" the young man asked.
"Yes, it is," the older man answered.
"Hitoriga, what business do you have here?"
"patience, Tamoru," Hitoriga replied. "There's some merchants here with many valuables."
The boy Tamoru grinned. "Shall I do the work?"
"No, I will take this job."
Hitoriga lifted a hand, and flames began to burn along the roofs of the houses in the village.
"Roiyaru, something's...not right," Suzuka whispered.
Roiyaru looked up and his face turned white. "the village!"
Bright fire rose into the sky as the two of them ran as fast as they could.