Chapter 2
Weeks later, Raiden received Fujin in his study again and said: "What have you found?" Fujin created several hundred small puffs of cloud that formed images of men and women, old and young, ethnic groups up and down the spectrum as Fujin spoke. "It was harder than I thought my Lord. At first, I thought that martial prowess would be vital as that you yourself have mastered several fighting styles." Raiden said: "750 but I stopped counting at 700." Fujin smiled at the small joke and continued with: "I eliminated, figuratively speaking, several candidates as they were strong but close minded in their fighting systems. Unable or unwilling to embrace other systems and methods of thought," As he said this, many of the images vanished. Fujin spoke again: "Looking into those souls I could as that my ability in that regard is still uncertain, I eliminated others for the fact that their souls told me their mortal lives would end soon for the usual variety of reasons that mortals die." Several more puffs vanished. "Some others I disqualified for the reason that they would be ill-suited to the powers and responsibilities of a cosmic office."
Finally, only three puffs remained. Fujin said: "Of these three, I think this one would be best." The image in the puff of cloud expanded to show that of a plain faced man. He wore a mustache and goatee combination, and his eyes seemed fluid, one moment deep and penetrating, the next dead and empty. As the image enlarged, it showed the man's life like a movie.
His birth, his life, his experiences. Both formal military and formal martial art training. Raiden looked over to Fujin and said: "What makes you believe he would be best?" Fujin said: "Although he is an American, his soul has a unique resonance. During his souls' journey, he has been poet, philosopher, farmer, and samurai. In his current mortal existence he lost his innocence early yet still retains the capacity to forgive. He chooses to look to the good side of any event or person, refuses to carry grudges and has trained in many fighting styles. Also, he has no family of his own though not for lack of trying to be sure, and drives himself to a level of performance above what is required of him. Raiden considered this and said: "What's his name?" Fujin smiled and said: "That is the most encouraging sign my Lord. Like his soul which has traveled many paths, so too has his name. His name is Ronin.
The man known only as Ronin, stopped in the middle of the kata or training form, he was doing and looked around a moment. He could've sworn he was being watched but couldn't know at that moment, two gods were observing him. Ronin looked around the main room of the dojo or training hall; he was in and shook off the feeling as he continued his kata. His life was both simple and complicated, friends, siblings, a job, but no real prospects for the future that he could see. No serious relationships. Hobbies and activities he enjoyed, yet still he felt an emptiness that he couldn't place.
Ronin lost himself to the kata and tuned the world out as he focused every fiber of his Ki, or spirit, into the form. Time lost meaning for him in this mental state. When he was done, he knelt in the center of the dojo floor with the picture of his Sensei, his teacher, he spoke aloud: "Sensei, I wish you could be here to advise me right now. I feel lost in life right now and I don't know what to do. I know Seppuku is not an option that you would advise or support but I just don't know what to do anymore. Though I find simple comfort in my day to day activities, what's it all for? I wish you could hear me and advise me once again."
As he finished, the air in the dojo carried a charged feeling as of something changed or about to change when he heard a dry clapping from behind. From his kneeling position, he leapt to his feet and was in a fighting stance in the span of three heartbeats, Ronin looked to the source of the clapping and saw a man wearing geta sandals, hakama pants and a half-tunic across his chest with an exquisite katana sword on his hip. From what Ronin could see of his chest, he was well-muscled without being grotesquely so and he had long, shoulder length white hair tied back into a ponytail. His eyes were white, with no visible iris. Then he saw small electric arcs float across the orbs.
Ronin said: "Who the hell are you and how did you get in here!" Raiden walked towards him and said: "If you defeat me Ronin, I'll tell you."