PROLUOGE
'That will do for today Jin." The old man slowly walked across the room and put away his weapons, he turned to instruct the young girl of her plans for tonight's events but found the paper screen door closing at his words. He let out a low sigh and continued his straightening up.
Outside, the young woman walked her usual way back to her room. The monastery that she called home was located on top of a mountain; needless to say that wildlife embellished every corner of her home. Lush gardens covered the majority of the estate. Jin was particularly fond one of the more secluded gardens. The sent of the spring flowers filled the air making it almost impossible to not take a moment to take in the beauty. Wild flowers sprinkled the lush green hills with radiant pinks, bright oranges, rich purples deep blues, surrounding the dojo and throughout the monastery. It was truly breathtaking, hills upon hills of green trees and wind blown fields. The mountains on either side of the monastery we majestic in their size and beauty. Jin spent most of her free time in the gardens, thinking, reading, or just watching the clouds.
Jin had been raised by the monks in the monastery all of her life. Her mother had given her up a week after her birth. All that was passed to the monks was that she was to train everyday and become strong in the way of the sword and hand combat and that on her 20th birthday she travel to Konoha. The monks were not aware of the reason for her needing to go so far but they would comply with the mothers wishes. This was all her mother had said, there was no "Tell her I love her" or "I will come back."
It burned Jin up inside to think that she was so much a burden that she was thrown aside with no remorse from her "mother." Jin was never told the reasoning behind it but she had learned to push it aside as she grew older. The word mother had lost its meaning long ago for Jin. The monks were very content with raising a little girl and Jin was thankful for having them.
Once she was of age, although frowned upon by some, she started her training. She had a very tight schedule by the monks. She was to wake up at five every morning, and attend morning meditation. Then she was sent to the dojo with her teacher Kisho. He was fairly young. Jin would have guessed 38, compared to the others he was the better looking one. He was indeed younger but the wrinkles of his forehead, his calloused hands, and the few grey hair hairs that had sneaked into his dark brown hair, were reminders to himself and others who came into contact with him that he was weathered and had a tough past.
Jin picked up the way of the sword rather quickly, much to the monks and Kisho's surprise, she was a natural. At 14 she was the only one who could spar against Kisho equally. It was only natural for her to take quick to hand to hand combat. Her timing and aggressive fighting technique made well for building good defensive skills and helping her learn more elaborate moves without having to worry about the danger of been caught off guard. By the age of 17 she had mastered hand-to-hand and was deadly with a sword. She was the pride of the monks; they couldn't help but indulge in a little bragging about their Jin, the joy of the monastery. She had trained hard and long for 9 years. Her state of combat knowledge and fighting skills would more than surpass her mother's expectations.
Which brings us back to the present. Today was Jin's 20th birthday. Tomorrow she would start her journey to Konoha. The monks had based their monastery on an island to the east of the Land of Fire, meaning the trip would take no longer than two days to reach Konoha. It was unknown to Jin the true reason for her departure from the mountain; she had simply been told that it was a part of her training. The monks had planned a special dinner for Jin to celebrate what might be her last night ever at the monastery.
Kisho had finished his work at the dojo and went to find Jin. He had become aware of her favorite spots and had no trouble finding her. She was seated on the bench centered in the middle of one of the smaller gardens, gazing out into the open fields as the sun pulled the subtle colors from the sky as it hid itself from the worlda behind the mountain.
Kisho observerd the girl sitting in front of him. The memories of her as a little girl were whirling in his head. But Jin was no longer a little girl anymore, she was a woman. A strong, smart, and talented young woman who could hold her own in any situation and still be considerate to others while doing so. She not only had grown emotionally but also physically.
She had grown tall, her legs were slender but toned from her rigorous training. She had a petite frame, not fragile in anyway but her limbs were longand slender, thus made her movements elegant in combat along with a natural social grace. Her hair was brown that held a golden tint when the sun would hit it at the right angle. It had grown long and reached her mid-back. The only time she took her hair down was when she fought, mostly, she kept it tied back in a ponytail with a long white ribbon. This helped showcase her stunning looks. She had magnificent light brown eyes, they held something within them that lit up any room she walked into. Her skin was perfect, she had a beautiful olive complexion which only added to her beauty. Her nose fit perfectly onto her face, it was thin and petite which led you to her soft pink lips. She was a gorgeous young woman. Kisho was proud of her for being strong and staying cheery even when he knew she was hurting inside.
"Jin." The voice brought her out of her daze and back to reality. She turned to see kisho standing next to the bench and staring where she has just been looking. He turned to face her. He was so proud of her. She has become the top swordsman…''swordswoman" on the island. He had surpassed Kisho's own skill, though he would never tell her this in fear of her getting a big head. A small smile spread across his face.
"Isn't it time for you to be getting ready for tonight?" She looked at him and a spark played across her eyes. She had forgotten all about the dinner! She was so wrapped up in thought about Konoha that it has completely slipped her mind. She quickly got up and bowed before darting to her room to change.
"THANK YOU!" Jin yelled while running. Kisho chuckled, she might be twenty but she would never stop being the little girl he knew.
He returned his gaze to the horizon. The night sky sure was a sight that night. Light pinks and translucent purples blanketed the mountain tops and spilled upward in the slowly setting starry sky. The tiny white lights and been scattered across the navy sky. He let another low sigh escape him. He thought to himself Why konoha? Why now? Will she be able to handle it?... Will they be able to handle her?
Jin woke up the next morning more tired than she had expected. Who knew monks knew how to party? She let out a small giggle, thinking back to last nights events.
They had mad a special dinner just for her and had decorated the main garden with paper lanterns that gave the place a romantic and enchanting look. They had enjoyed their dinner outside under the night sky and reminisced the time that Jin had spent with them. Not to mention they had all had about a bottle worth of sake each. After they had finished their meal. The head monk had made a lovely speech, although slightly slurred due to the sake, giving many respects to Jin and proposed that Jin would be the pride of Konoha, just as she had been the pride of the monks and their monastery.
Jin got up from her bed and went to bathe. Once she was clean, she had reached for her clothes that she would wear for the duration of her trip konoha. She had on a pair of black flats for shoes. A very short, spandex-like shorts ended further up on her thigh, her olive colored legs were almost completely exposed, she wore these not only for comfort but because it allowed her to move about more easily when fighting. She had on a faint brown colored, small, sleeveless, kimono like dress. It fell right above the small black shorts, allowing you to see just the end very end of them. It had a 3 inch slit on one side. It hugged her small form in the most flattering way. The top of her small dress was sleeveless and the fabric that came down from one shoulder, overlapped the other, the v cut came to the swell of her breasts, just exposing a modest amount of cleavage. Jin was a very modest girl, despite her show of skin. Around her waist was a white silk yukata obi. It was tied loosely around her waist and had a very beautiful bow in the back. Her hair was tied into a low ponytail with a white ribbon, as usual. Her hair rested on her left shoulder, the dark brown of her hair made the color of the white obi pop. In such plain clothes Jin was still breathtaking.
Jin looked herself over in the mirror. "I hope it's not too much." She turned around checking herself from all angles before deciding that she was presentable enough and walked across to the chest on the other side of her room. She opened it and grabbed the katana that had been given to her last night. It was Kisho's sword that he had used in battles and during the war, prior to his commitment to the monastery.
"There is no one else I can think of who is better suited to wield this sword." He looked at her with a seriousness she had never seen before.
" You have talent that in unheard of these days. I know you will use this weapon with respect and caution."
Jin had never been given a gift with as much meaning as this before.
"Kisho" she looked into his eyes with a questioning look. Why was he giving me his most prized possession? She thought to herself. Doesn't he know that I will come back after my training in Konoha is complete? She modestly accepted his gift.
"Arigato
Kisho" she had tears in her eyes.
He wrapped her in his arms
and gave her a comforting hug to let her know that it was all going
to be fine.
She took the sword and slipped it into the leather case that hung from her hip. She took one more look around her room before she grabbed her bag and walked down to the dock. All of the monks had come to see her off. They all gave her their wishes and hoped for her to have a safe trip. They had all given her a different flower from the gardens surrounding the mountain. Each was unique and special. After the last monk had given her his flower. The head monk came to her with a small white box with a black silk ribbon tied around it. She looked at him as if asking to open it here.
he shook his head "This is for when you reach Konoha." She took it and hugged him tightly. She took a step back and looked over them. She was going to miss them.
"All of you mean more to me than anything else in this world. You took me in without hesitation and treated me as if I was your own. There is no way for me to repay you for your kind and generous acts. Before I leave I just want to let all of you that I will miss you dearly and that no matter what happens I will return as soon as my training is complete." She smiled brightly.
Her last statement caused the monks to find a sudden interest in the ground beneath them. Guilt tugged at their hearts, she still did not know the reasoning for her leaving. But they could not tell her, it was what her mother wanted. They finally looked up to see her giving them a quizzical stare. They immediately snapped out of it and told her that she meant everything to them and to make them proud.
With that she stepped
of the dock and into the boat with Kisho. She waved from the end of
the dock and watched their figures fade away into tiny dots along the
edge of the ocean. She looked to the sky and thought to herself
"This is going to be fun" With that she smiled and
enjoyed the view. She couldn't wait to see what Konoha had in
store for her.
