Disclaimer: Don't own Beyblade or any of the characters... I wouldn't mind it though... Too bad...

Full Summary: Samurai, royalty, demons, priests, and the son of an advisor... this story is situated in a mythical history. An attempt on the life of the princess has the king's samurai on full alert. What's more, a mysterious samurai of the exclusive King's Order has come to protect the heiress, and only days before a devastating blow happens upon the palace.

Warning: This fic is rated for gory violence.

A/N: First off, this story will in no way interfere with the posting of my other story Craving Freedom but will be a second (hopefully weekly) fic. Anyway, Of Age and Era takes place in a mythical history of Japan. For the purposes of this story, I am going to have a slight mixture of European history in it as well. Precisely, there is a stone castle in it and a religious stronghold (etc. etc.) So, anyway, I hope you enjoy this first chapter and please don't forget to leave a review on your way out!

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Of Age and Era

Chapter 1: The Assailant

The moon is hidden and the castle walls mourn their loss. Everything is so dreary covered in this shadow.

A girl sighed as she stared out her window on the upper levels of a great stone castle. She sat alone staring out at the courtyard hidden mostly in darkness apart from the few circles of light provided by burning torches. She lifted her eyes to the stars instead.

Her name was Hiromi Tatibana. She was princess of the land and only child and heiress to the king. She had shoulder-length brown hair and brown eyes to match She wore only a white night gown in the heat of the night. It was also the heat that kept her from sleeping. She was hidden from the view of her door by the curtains hanging from her bed in between.

Lately, the land had been in peace, having no substantial quarrel with its people or others. The samurai knights, whom protected the royal family, were the only residence of the castle moving about, on constant alert for intruders.

Yet in the blackness of the night of the new moon, an uninvited guest went unnoticed. He ran along the corridors of the palace as quietly and swiftly as a shadow. His uniform also provided a cloak of shade to blend him to the surrounding environment. Only his hands and eyes were bare. He wore all black: black shirt, black pants, black shoes, black belt. Upon his belt, a black sheath was tied that hid the sharp blade attached to the silver and ruby hilt showing at the samurai's side. A scarf wrapped around his neck, mouth, nose and hair, allowing only his piercing eyes to show through his disguise. Every few corners, the young samurai slowed his pace to ensure safe passage and lack of security. His course was predetermined and never did he falter at a divide in the hallway.

Finally and suddenly, he stopped at a doorway. As quietly as ever, he opened the door and entered the room ghost-like as if never crossing over the entrance of the room. He unsheathed his sword and crept to the bedside. The bed was surrounded in a purple-pink veil that gave a false security to whomever slept within it. The samurai held up his sword in his right hand and reached out to the veil with his left. In an abrupt moment, the samurai swept away the curtain and thrust his sword forward only to pull back immediately. The bed was empty.

Meanwhile, Hiromi's attention was taken away from the stars and back to her room. She heard her bed rustle. In confusion, she drew back the curtains and was surprised to see someone staring back at her. On the other side of the bed, a samurai stood covered in black and sword held high.

The samurai reacted before she could move and walked around the bed. Hiromi screamed. The boy had only reached the other side of the bed when he heard the samurai knights coming. Leaving the princess, he went to the door and moved Hiromi's dresser in front of it. Then, he lifted his sword, gripped it hard and, as if answering his hand, the sword began to glow. Shortly after, a fire was twisting its way along the sword. The fire burned hotly and melted the metal of the door, moulding it shut. Once done, the young samurai turned his attention back upon the princess.

Hiromi was standing at the end of her bed, leaving the window sill with curiosity at what the intruder was doing. However, now that the deed was done, and the samurai was advancing again toward her, she began to back up to the back of the room. She backed herself into the corner before she stopped. She was trapped, the samurai knights were at the door, but unable to get in, and the samurai before her had a fierceness in his eyes that only spoke of her destruction. There was no escape.

Finally, in a last attempt, or possibly in hysterics, Hiromi threw herself to the floor. She wasn't crying, her composure wasn't even completely lost, but although she didn't show it, she was fully terrified. "Please... don't... please..."

The samurai looked at her with nothing but a cold expression and ultimately, when the samurai's sword was inches from her neck, Hiromi realized this was it. She was about to die, and there was nothing she could do to change it. Everything she had hoped for in the future would never come. Her hopes and dreams would be gone. Everything she ever wanted to try or say would never be accomplished. She would die at the hand of an intruder she didn't even know the face of, staring into those dark, cold orbs.

Hiromi stopped begging and instead sat on her legs, tears running down her face silently. And, with a sudden jerk, the sword was withdrawn. Three samurai had just entered the room through the window, swords at the ready, and with the intrusion on his work, the black samurai had refocused his attention.

Hiromi recognized the three by the window. They were the three top samurai knights in the palace. Arakawa, Yamada, and Kinomiya, the best samurai in the kingdom, even better, as rumour has it, than the trainer and master of the King's Order, a group of elusive samurai knights believed to be the best samurai anywhere. Kinomiya was a flexible, elderly man, in which his age only helped rather than hindered with the experience he brought to every one of his tasks. His grey hair and wrinkled skin hid his skills and gave him an added ability of catching his opponent's off-guard in many fights, although his greatest duels had come when he was still in his youth. The unfortunate part is that no one was still alive from those days to tell the tales. However, judging by the look of worry and defiance in the intruder's eyes, he knew, or at least heard, of Kinomiya's greatness.

The two other samurai, although not as strong as Kinomiya, still completed the group of the top three samurai of the palace. They were much younger, both with black hair and scars of previous fights. Arakawa had a scar across his left cheek from a duel he had had against a traitor fourteen years previous. Yamada supported a scar that ran down his neck and was lost in his robes which he never spoke of how he earned it.

With the three of them standing in the room, Hiromi's hopes dashed forward. She was saved after all. Once again, her life had been spared.

"Why are you here?" Kinomiya demanded. The dark samurai didn't answer.

"He's just a kid! How did he get by all our guards?" Arakawa asked his comrades.

"They've gotten real slack, that's why!" Yamada answered.

Kinomiya continued to study the boy, though. He knew there was something more to this opponent than meets the eye. "Who sent you?" he asked again.

At last, he got a reaction. The boy before Hiromi lifted his sword and darted at the three of them. They barely had a chance to hold their swords to their defence before the black samurai swiped across all three blades. The swipe was just to assess their abilities. The intruder seemed to have learned all he needed, however, for he held his sword at the ready, inviting the others to come at him.

"Be careful," Kinomiya whispered before nodding his head at the other two to attack. All three of them spread out and attacked the sole samurai in the middle.

Swords clashed and after the first attack, the match was a stalemate. The samurai knights continued to attack the stranger, and the stranger responded with dodges, deflections and counters. Hiromi, meanwhile, continued to watch. The black samurai showed exceptional skill against the three strongest defenders. Arakawa and Yamada were loosing their composure but Kinomiya was still studying his opponent. The kid was much better than at first glance, much like Kinomiya himself.

Kinomiya stopped attacking the black samurai. "Three on one is not a fair fight," he said.

"You're right," said Arakawa, "we should fight one on one."

"No," Kinomiya barked, "you two fight him together. He'll be enough of a match for you. Just be careful and don't underestimate him." Kinomiya whispered his advice so only Yamada and Arakawa could hear him. The others seemed to scoff at him as they started their attack. Kinomiya didn't have a chance to stop them.

The black samurai moved so swiftly it was done in a manner of seconds. Arakawa reached him first. The boy hit Arakawa's sword upward and then turned his sword in his hand so the blade followed down along his arm. Next he brought his arm down, and with it, the blade came, piercing the upper chest of Arakawa. Arakawa was dead.

The blade was withdrawn as quickly as it had entered and it was brought up to stop the next attack of Yamada's. The mysterious samurai pushed Yamada away from him and lunged forward. His sword stabbed into Yamada's stomach and he promptly ran the blade up through the ribcage and out. Yamada was dead before Arakawa even hit the floor. Kinomiya stared in silence. Hiromi stared in fear. Unlike Kinomiya, she was not used to death. In fact, this was the first time she had seen it. She was shaking. Whoever this stranger was, he was strong.

The black samurai stopped moving and stared at Kinomiya who now had his eyes shut and seemed to be reflecting upon the turn of events.

Finally, Kinomiya spoke. "Very impressive. Perhaps," he opened his eyes to see the reaction of his opponent, "if you stop now and explain yourself, you may come and train under me." Kinomiya had never, once offered to personally train anyone, including his own son and grandson. The black samurai's skill must have been phenomenal to even merit such a request. "I can get a pardon for you. I know you are working for someone else; you have no need to kill her Highness otherwise. You have nothing to gain from it. Your training is great, you fight with enormous skill, but there are a few flaws in your technique. I can help you overcome them. Consider what I am offering you."

The samurai didn't reply. He stood for a moment unflinchingly and then with his usual abruptness, lifted and pointed his sword at Kinomiya. "Fight me now!" he exclaimed in a maturing voice. Kinomiya had no choice; he lifted his own sword, encrusted with the symbol of a dragon, and charged. The blades clanged with collision after collision. The young samurai was matching the great samurai attack for attack. After several strikes, Kinomiya found an opening in the dark samurai's defence and struck. The boy backed off. Hiromi tried to understand what happened (they were exchanging attacks so fast it was hard to tell) and then she saw it. The young samurai had been slashed across his stomach.

The boy tried to pressure his wound to keep it from bleeding, but to no avail. Blood began to seep through his fingers and, for the first time, his legs shook. It was a critical hit for Kinomiya and would cripple the young samurai in the rest of the duel. Most likely, this signified the outcome of the match. Surprising Hiromi, and the young samurai, however, Kinomiya put his arm down from the ready position and held his blade lazily at his side. It was the first time the youth showed any surprise at all.

The dark samurai yelled at Kinomiya, "Fight me!"

Kinomiya shook his head. "Become my apprentice." The kid reminded Kinomiya of a match long ago, a samurai who was Kinomiya's rival and most worthy opponent. As a samurai, he constantly searched for ways to improve and rivals who would push him to do that. And with this samurai, he may once again have found someone who could do that. "There is no dishonour in giving in now. You are defeated; there is no need for you to throw your life away. Pledge your allegiance with the King and I will train you."

The boy's defiance was reflected in his eyes. He decided instead to make one final charge. He attacked Kinomiya with all his force. Kinomiya reacted swiftly enough and blocked it sending the ruby-encrusted sword upward. But the black samurai's reaction was just as smooth. It seemed like it was his signature finishing move. He spun clockwise and brought his sword back with double the force. The youth had moved so quickly, Kinomiya had no time to react. The black samurai's sword, lit again with its enigmatic flames, cut through its target with one swipe. In that moment, the greatest samurai of his time was defeated: beheaded by a young and unknown samurai, never even seeing the face of his killer.

"Kinomiya!" Hiromi yelled.

And now, it was Hiromi's turn.

The samurai stumbled as he tried to regain his balance. He seemed to be trying to understand exactly what he had just done. In addition, now, without an opponent to be vigilant of, he was feeling the pain of his wound much more.

At last, he turned his attention back on the girl in the corner, who seemed herself to be speechless at the outcome of the duel. The black samurai limped toward her, keeping some pressure off of his left side which had a much deeper wound than the right side of his stomach. She tried to run but couldn't stand. Instead, she tried to crawl to the side. He stopped her by grabbing her back and pushing her against the wall. He kneeled beside her and grabbed her hair, holding her head up and leaving her neck bare. He reached down to grab his sword which he had put down at some point when Hiromi didn't notice.

Before he had a chance to lift it, another intrusion came. The samurai who were working on opening the door had finally succeeded. The young samurai gave one last look at the princess before sheathing his sword and running to the window. Without stopping, he jumped up onto its ledge and out. Hiromi was too shaken to see whether or not he made it to the ground alive.

"Princess, are you alright?" "What happened here?" "Oh my! Master Kinomiya has fallen!" The voices were loud but barely penetrated into the princess' mind as she tried herself to understand what had happened, and how.

"Princess, where is he?" This question got to Hiromi. Why did he leave? The answer was simple: because he was wounded. He could have probably taken on the entire castle with the way he fought, but being hurt, his chances of being killed were much higher. He had had no choice, he was forced to leave. In the end, it seemed, Kinomiya had done his duty. He had protected the royal family, and had given his life to do it.

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How'd you like it? I hope it was as fun to read as it was to write. The next chapter should be up next Friday and will be called: The Worst Samurai. Until then!

- Fey Phantom