Author's Note: You're still here? Or did you skip the prologue? Either way, I'm happy to see you! (Yes, I know I'm corny as hell; I blame it on my breakfast cereal, which I'm having for dinner tonight by-the-way). I hope you liked the prologue and here is chapter 1:

Chapter 1

The village turned out to be more of a city; there was a market place, a tavern, a boarding house with a restaurant, and some other buildings made of stone. Then, a little away from the downtown area, there were houses of various sizes, some made of stone rather than wood and at the edge of town was a large manor. The lord living here must be very wealthy, indeed, Bankotsu thought as he strolled through town square, ignoring the looks he got from the people he passed. He had made up a story, of course, to explain why he was alone and ragged, holding onto a weapon twice his size, but he didn't plan on telling it to everyone he passed, only the ones who mattered. He set Banryuu against the sturdy wooden wall of the boarding house, trusting no one would touch it as he gazed around at anyone who eye'd him dangerously and slid inside the building. A middle-aged woman rose from a floor mat to greet him as soon as she saw him.

"Hello," Bankotsu said pleasantly, gazing around the room, which decorated quite tastefully. "I would like to rent a room for a night or two, if you have any vacancies, that is?"

The woman blinked at him curiously, "Are your parents outside, young man?"

"No ma'am," Bankotsu said, hanging his head a bit and lowering his voice to a sad whisper. "I'm alone."

The woman's dark eyes widened in compassion as her something inside her fed her a story of what could have happened. A maternal expression came over her face then, "You poor dear, what happened?"

"Bandits. I was traveling with my Dad and they surrounded us. He told me to run to safety and he'd come to get me later. I hid in the woods for two days! He never came to get me, so I...I figured I'd look for him. Maybe he got lost."

The woman's lips trembled and her eyes watered a bit as she smiled at Bankotsu warmly, "Maybe he did, dear. Come, let me take you to the room I've set up for special guests."

Bankotsu hid a smirk. Women were so easy. He hoped her husband wouldn't come around until after he was settled. It was hard to kick a poor orphan out after he's aleady gotten a room and been settled in. He let the woman put her arm around his shoulders and lead down a narrow hallway lit by the many windows carved into its walls. They stopped before a single door, and she parted the beads so that he could see inside. In the room was a large futon with two pillows and a blanket sitting atop it, a small night table, a larger round table perched on the floor for dining, and even what looked to be a door that led into a powder room. "Does this room have its own privy?"

"Yes it does, dear, and the bath house is out back," the woman smiled.

"Thank you ma'am," Bankotsu said dutifully, giving her a bow. "How much do I owe you for tonight?"

The woman simply patted his shoulder, "Don't worry about that. Are you hungry? I was about to prepare the afternoon meal."

Bankotsu nodded his head shyly.

"Well, after you've taken advantage of the privy and bathhouse, the food should be ready. Just come into the restaurant and I'll serve you. You and a few locals will be my only customers, so you won't have to worry about many people being there and asking you questions. People in this town can be rather nosy, myself included," she giggled. "My name is Nasuti; what is yours, young sir?"

"Bankotsu," Bankotsu said. He'd considered giving her a fake name, but thought he wanted to start making a name for himself as soon as possible and hiding behind aliases wouldn't help that.

"What an unusual name," Nasuti commented after a beat.

"My father was an unusual person." He'd told her no lie then; his father had been unusual.

"And your mother?"

"Never knew her, she died giving birth to me." If he hadn't had her suckered in before, the woman was definitely going to be molding clay in his hands now. He saw her eyes glaze over with tears, and he automatically melted into the woman's light embrace.

"You poor baby," she tsked. She took in the state of his clothing and his long messy hair. "While you're bathing, I'm going to see if I can find something for you to wear. I didn't throw out any of my sons' old clothes when they were about your size I think, and I'll bring you a comb. You'll find towels, soaps, and robes in the bath house. I'll leave the clothes on your futon."

"Thank you, Nasuti-sama," Bankotsu bowed again.

Nasuti ruffled his hair and ambled away to cater to his needs.

He wanted to pat himself on the back! He couldn't have pulled that off any better! He explored his new room and pushed the braided beads away from the other door in the room. He grinned when he saw that it was indeed a powder room and another door inside of it led to the outdoor privy. Excellent.

He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror and grimaced. He had truly been a pitiful sight to behold for the woman. His normally immaculate raven hair was littered with leaves and twigs and the braid he wore the heavy mass in that was just shy of reaching his waist by a few inches was unraveling. His face looked a bit drawn from fatigue and his skin wa paler than usual. She had also probably assumed he was younger than 13; he certainly didn't look his age in this state. She may have guesses 10 or 11. Well, the younger she thought he was the better. He would 10 for her, if that was what she believed him to be.

He pulled his hair free of its messy braid and ran his hands through it to straighten it a bit. If he tried to wash it while it was this tangled, he'd never be able to straighten it out. Maybe he should cut it. His father had always complained that he should, but Bankotsu liked his hair too much. It got in the way and it was hard to manage, and it was going to be even harder with the new lifestyle he was about to take on, but he shrugged; he would deal with it.

Shaking his head and letting his hair fall about his shoulders he rose to make use of the privy and then head out to the bath house.

The bath house was a large wooden structure with a heavy beaded curtain to shield bathers from peeping toms. Bankotsu had the privilege of having the hot bath all to himself. The tub turned out to be a moderate sized pool and the bath oils and soaps he selected were scented. He dove into the warm pool and took a quick swim before lathering his body up for cleansing. He washed his hair last and then floated around in the water on his back in perfect bliss. Father never would have allowed such a luxury.

It really was nice to be rid of that old man. Those samurai had done him a favor.

He reluctantly pulled himself from the bath, feeling a trifle light-headed, as his stomach growled angrily for lack of attention. He'd taken long enough in the bath, so he figured lunch should be ready. He chose a white robe from the folded pile on a low shelf after toweling himself off, and pulling it around his nude body. He wrapped a towel around his head, planning to comb out his locks once inside his room again and re-braid it. He stepped into the bamboo sandals he'd founded lined up just under the robes and walked out of the bath house nearly stumbling into a pretty young girl with an armload of bath soaps.

"Oops, sorry Miss," Bankotsu helped steady the girl and was taken aback by the glare he received.

"I'm not a girl," was hissed at him, and then he was brushed aside as the boy entered the bath house.

Bankotsu's eyes widened. Not a girl? He parted the beaded curtain to take another look at the effeminate lad that had passed him. The boy's black hair was wavy and as long as Bankotsu's with a glossy sheen to it that most people lost in infancy. It was pulled back into a low ponytail by a blue ribbon. The boy arranged the new bath soaps carefully, then went about draining the bath pool.

So he worked here?

He let the curtain close and moved back to his room. He smiled at the pile of folded clothes that laid on his futon and the comb sitting on the night table. Perfect. He slid off the robe and tried on the clothes complete with undergarments. The light blue pants were a little long and the white shirt was a little big, but they would suffice. He tucked the shirt in neatly and tied the sash. Then slipped back on the sandals he had gotten from the bath house and unwrapped the towel from his head, releasing his hair. He looked at the comb with a sigh; this was going to be unpleasant.

He sat on the futon and began to run the comb through his tangled locks, grimacing slightly at every snare. Once he got his hair straight enough for him to be able to run the comb through it with it only catching once or twice, he went about plaiting his hair and securing the end of the braid with the small white tie he'd discarded in the powder room earlier. He gazed at his reflection again, noting the drastic improvement...though, he frowned, he now looked a little older. But, he batted his eyes at himself, it made him that much more handsome to look at. If Nasuti could be charmed by youth, she could also be charmed by beauty. That was no doubt why that other boy was working in the boarding house. How old was he? He couldn't have been much older than Bankotsu, maybe 14. If he could befriend the boy, perhaps he'd tell him where the best place to find the kind of work he was looking for outside of the village was. It'd be too suspicious to ask an adult that question.

He left the room and trekked back to the main room to enter the restaurant. As Nasuti had promised there were only two other men in the room, both sitting at different tables, eating from the steaming dishes in front of them. He sat at a table by himself as well and waited for Nasuti to appear. She did after a moment and noticed him right away. She beamed and disappeared back into the kitchen, emerging with a tray loaded with food.

Bankotsu's stomach gave a pleased gurgle as the tray of food was set in front of him and he inhaled its pleasant aroma. "Did you have a nice bath?" Nasuti asked as he began to stuff his face.

"Yes, ma'am," he said after swallowing a huge bite of fish and rice. He'd never tasted anything so delicious. He wasn't sure if it was truth or hunger raving about the meal though. Maybe he had better food somewhere else before, but right now he couldn't remember it.

"Good," she smiled, then laughed at the way he was inhaling his food. "Slow down, or you'll choke. When's the last time you've eaten?"

"I'm not sure....maybe a day," Bankotsu said between bites.

"A day? Oh my!" Nasuti gasped. "Well you eat up and if you want more, Josue should be out in a bit. Just tell him you would like seconds and he will gladly get them for you. I'll tell him to serve you whatever you want."

"Josue?" Bankotsu asked, taking a sip of the soy milk that sat beside the small tea pot in a tall cup. He hadn't acquired a taste for tea yet, he figured that would come with age, and was happy Nasuti had thought to give him milk as well.

"My 'odds and ends' day helper," Nasuti said offhandedly. "He's a local boy, you've probably run across him, looks a bit like a girl." Nasuti took the seat across from Bankotsu, in position he'd seen most of the women he'd met take when they were ready to gossip. "He lives with his father a little ways out of the city. The old man's a drunk and makes that boy do awful things to keep himself in sake. When you walk around town you'll find a lot of people who disapprove of me letting him work here, but..." Nasuti shrugged. "I pay him in meals, and I think it may be the only food he gets. I'm not letting a child go hungry."

Bankotsu smiled at the woman after wiping his mouth. He was glad he'd come here. It was just his luck to run into a bleeding heart, who'd gladly tell him any bit of information she had without misgiving. "Josue? That's not a Japanese name."

"No," Nasuti giggled. She seemed to relax a bit more, probably glad for some company. Where was her husband? Bankotsu wondered. "I think it's one of those European names. His mother came from one of those countries. She ran off though, and I don't blame her, but I wish she would have tried to take the boy with her. He doesn't fit in here."

Bankotsu blinked. The boy had looked a tad different. His eyes had less of a slant, his skin was paler, and his hair was wavy with a slight tendency to curl at the ends, and Bankotsu could also tell he was going to be very tall.

"I've heard he likes other boys," Nasuti leaned in. "Oh, I'm sorry, dear! Here I am telling you these things like you're another person my age. You don't need to hear about such things."

"Not at all, Nasuti-sama. I'm 13, I've seen and heard much. I am not new to things such as same-sex relationships. My father was once a soldier loyal to a daimyo. He spared me nothing when he decided he was going to teach me all he knew."

Nasuti's eyes widened. "Oh...so you've been trained to fight?"

Bankotsu nodded, "I want to be a samurai, ma'am. I left my weapon at the door. It's a little big for me now..."

"That humongous sword? You carried that into town?" Nasuti covered her mouth with her hand. "My, my, you are a very strong boy. We'll have to move it inside though, dear, before someone takes it. I'll have Josue help you bring it in. You know...Josue has been trained with swords. That drunkard Aiko used to be a soldier too. That's how he came across his beautiful European wife, in fact. He took her from one of the ships. He was a pretty good sword smith back then, I believe. I don't know if he still makes swords now, but schooled Josue with the ones he'd already made, I'm guessing. Maybe you two could practice together one day. You won't have to worry about Josue...liking you or anything. He's a few years older than you. But I would like to see him with someone near his age having a little fun. I don't believe I've ever seen that child smile, not that he has any reason to."

Bankotsu's interest in the boy had escalated. Not only could he get information from him, maybe he'd find a suitable person to practice with. "Alright, Nasuti-sama. Should I ask him, or will you inform him of me?"

Nasuti patted his head, "You're such a sweet boy. I'll tell him. He's a bit...nervous...around people."

And cranky. Bankotsu remembered how the boy had brushed by him.

"He'll be along shortly. Oh my, I didn't realize I'd been sitting here talking your ear off for so long," Nasuti laughed. "You're the first decent company I've had in weeks since my husband and sons went off on tour. I'll come and check on you later on today, ok?"

"Ok." Bankotsu nodded and smirked as the woman walked away. He was really beginning to like her. He would have to do something nice for her before he left to let her know he'd appreciated her help.

He began eating again. The food was still good cold. He gulped down the last of his soy milk and started in on the bean pies. It wasn't until he was licking the last crumb from his index finger, did he notice Josue was in the room. The tall boy was wiping the tables with a cloth. Bankotsu studied the unfriendly looks tossed in Josue's direction form the two other men in the restaurant. Josue avoided their tables, keeping his eyes to the floor.

Bankotsu rolled his eyes at the attitudes of everyone in the room and wave a hand to get Josue's attention. The fair boy looked up with a slight start of surprise before recognition settled in on his face. He approached the table cautiously. "Would you like seconds, sir?"

Bankotsu thought about that. Did he really need more food? He was full, but he knew he could eat more, but then he'd be miserable. "No. Did Nasuti-sama tell you about me?"

Josue nodded, looking guarded.

"How good are you with a sword?"

"I wouldn't know. I've never sparred with anyone," Josue admitted. His voice had the musical timbre of a young woman's. He imagined this boy was picked on a lot by other boys larger than him. He studied Josue's willowy frame that was teetering towards being dangerously thin.

"Would you like to spar with me and find out just how good you are?" Bankotsu hoped he sounded friendly, because Josue looked ready to bolt at any sudden movements made toward his person. "Come on, I promise I'll go easy on you."

Josue's eyes lit up for a brief second, before they dulled again. He looked down at his feet, then back at Bankotsu and gave him a nod of compliance. "I have to finish cleaning up in here and go home to fetch a sword, but when I'm done, I can come to your room. If...that's ok?"

"It's fine!" Bankotsu said cheerfully. "In fact, why don't I help you? Nasuti-sama has done much for me today, and I must do something for her in return."

Josue shook his head, "She wouldn't like that at all. You're a guest here. I'll come to you once I'm finished. It won't be long."

"Alright."

Josue hadn't lied. There was a slight knock on the wall less than an hour later, and Josue stood anxiously by the door with a long sword strapped at his waist by a belt a size too big for him. "Yo! Lets run out and get Banryuu and we can get started!"

Josue turned out to be an excellent swordsman, though he'd had his doubts about the fairness of the match when he'd seen Banryuu. He held his very well, especially since Bankotsu hadn't truly mastered the large halberd yet. They dance with their blades until near sunset. Josue was the one to bring their match to an end. He gazed at the sky fearfully, "I have to be home soon. T...thank you, for letting me fence with you today."

"Oi, can we meet again tomorrow? That was good practice for me. You're really good," Bankotsu wiped the sweat from his brow as he spoke.

"Your halberd is impressive. Tomorrow, I'll bring a sword better able to deal with its weight," Josue promised, giving a slight bow and turning to leave.

"Ja ne, Josue. I'll see you tomorrow at the same time!"

Josue was already jogging off, but he waved a hand in parting. Bankotsu smiled; he liked Josue as much as he liked Nasuti. The boy fought well and didn't ask many questions. Bankotsu hadn't had a chance to question him yet. Tomorrow he would find out the best direction he should travel to look for work, more practice, and maybe an adventure or two.

He went back to his room to find Nasuti waiting for him with a large grin on her face. "Thank you for spending time with Josue today. I'm sure it meant a lot to him."

Bankotsu shrugged, "He's really good. His working with me meant a lot to me. We're going to meet again tomorrow."

"So you've decided to stay on?" Nasuti looked hopeful.

Bankotsu froze. He hadn't really made up his mind on how long he was planning to stay. He had initially only wanted to stay a night or two, but he was having such a good time here. The food was good and the practice was even better, but sooner or later his luck was going to run out. Nasuti would start expecting something from him in return; maybe she'd check up on his backgrounds. The townspeople would start to talk about him. He couldn't bring that sort of attention to himself; eventually someone would curious enough to ask around about him and discover who his father really was and just what Bankotsu did when he traveled with him. Townspeople didn't take too well to mercenaries, not even young ones, but still...he didn't want to leave so soon.

"Um, for a few more days yes. My father has friends a few villages over, and I think they'll take me in. They all used to be soldiers too. I can finish my training with them and get recommended for a position."

Nasuti's face fell, "Oh. I see, dear. Well, I should have expected as much. A child like you would never find himself without a home to go to. Well, would you like some dinner after you've washed up some. It's just going to be you and me tonight."

"Sure!" Bankotsu grinned. He hadn't realized it before, but he was starting to get hungry again. "I'll help you if you like!"

"Boys do not belong in the kitchen. I know from experience..."

"What about Josue?"

"Oh, he doesn't count," Nasuti giggled. "He's... gentler. But I have many a broken dish that will tell you young boys do not belong anywhere near a kitchen while food is being prepared. You wash up and find something to amuse yourself with, and I'll come and get you when it's time."

"Alright." The woman smiled and left. Find something to amuse himself with, huh? Another bath certainly sounded like a lot of fun. He grinned to himself as he stripped out of his sweaty clothing and into the white bathrobe he'd had on earlier. He would try a new fragrance than the one he'd used that after noon, and he would be careful not to get his hair too damp. He didn't want to have to redo it again. What a pain.

He wondered what Josue did with all of his hair? Did he wash it every night and comb it free of tangles? It appeared he did, since his hair was so neat. Maybe tomorrow he could find out what Josue did to his hair to make it easier to manage. He laughed to himself; he sure was looking forward to a day that wasn't there yet. It was something he'd never done before, and it felt wonderful.



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Author's Note: Well that's it for chapter 1. I promise it gets more interesting. Thanks for reading and please feel free to leave me a review telling what you think and be honest. Take care!