The Last Samuri

"Try your luck hitting the targets! 1 yen for 5 shots!" yelled a stall manager. "Want to take a shot litle brother?" I laughingly asked while playfully rustling Shinjiko's hair as I spoke. "Why not?" He replied also laughing. As I took my place with the bow in hand I tested the strings and the arrow's weight. When I was sure of myself I took aim and let loose one arrow after another until there were none left. As I handed the bow back to the astounded stall manager he finally stammered out "5...5...5 Direct hits in the center of each moving targets! You are tge first to ever do that! You get two items off of the shelf......" I got a wooden sword and wooden chest armour as Shinjiko steped up to the stand. Usually we were equal archers but I guess he was trying to show off because he hit all 5 of the targets but only 3 in the center. "Better luck next time little Bro," I said putting my hand on his shoulder, "You still made 5 of the shots!" I said doing my best to be reasuring as we moved on. For making all 5 shots he got a wooden sword also, but since he didn't make them all in the center he only got one prize. As we walked toward the food stalls with Shinjiko in the middle me on the right and Julena on the left we all sat down to eat some ramen.

 

"I think it was really nice how you hit all the targets Aizen" Julena said while we were eating. " Well" I said in between mouthfulls of ramen "Shinjiko is a........much better archer........ than me....... he was just.......having a.... More ramen please!....... bad day........ that's....... This ramen is amazing!........all....." I said attempting to defend Shinj while wolfing down my ramen. "Um, why are you eating like that Aizen?" Julena askedj "Eating.......... Like what?........." "Umm, like you are," "Oh.......This?........" I set down my bowl and chopsticks and wiped my mouth. "I do not know when the next meal will come, so I eat each meal like my last. There was a time when I stole a loaf of bread and called it a feast." I explained to her looking out into the night sky. "I refuse to forget what hunger is like, so I enjoy each meal and eat as much as I can." "Oh....." Julena said while she and Shinjiko quietly and neatly finished their ramen as I continued to wolf down mine.

 

When we finally left the ramen stall I was feeling a tad full, but it was too bad they had a limit to how much you could get. Shinjiko and I went our seperate ways for the rest of the night like we always did with the agreement to meet at a certain slow where we had been meeting for years. As we said goodbye I was expecting Julena to go with Shinjiko but instead she went with me! I figured I could just put in a good word for him. As I walked away from the festival like I did every year after we split up, I went to the spot where we arranged to meet to wait for him and relax. I sat down on a bench I gazed up at the sky and started to talk to Julena when she sat down next to me.

 

"So, what do you think of Shinjiko?" I asked her suddenly. "He's ok, but he always acts wierd around me for some reason , why is that?" she asked me. "Maybe, just maybe, he thinks you look pretty." I said doing my bet to ease into the subject. "Curse this wordplay! Shinjiko would do this much better than I ever could." I thought to myself fristrated. "Really?" She said then smiled, looked at me, blushed and scooted closer to me. "Do YOU think I'm pretty?" She asked me. I looked at her long black hair and her big blue eyes, I almost said yes, but I couldn't, if I did it would mean to betray Shinjiko, and I refused to do that. "Um, no, but Shinjiko really likes you," I said nervously as I scooted away. "Is this you or Shinjiko you are talking about?" she said as she scooted closer to me. "Shinjiko, it's Shiniiko!" I said scooting away to the end of the bench. "Well I think it's really honorable that you are sticking up for your brother but I like YOU not Shinjiko!" Julena said as she scooted closer, then kissed me. I wanted to pull away but I couldn't then Shinjiko's face came to my mind and I pushed her away and stood. "This is wrong!" I said in a loud voice. "Please leave." I said pointing away from the spot and the festival. I watched as sh left and heard Shinjiko behind me say "What did I mis?"

 

Was my romance attempt successfully or no? And should I bring her back with Aizen or Shinjiko? You decide, if you have ideas follo me then tell me.

 

It had been a month since Julena kissed me, I just couldn't bring myself to tell Shinjiko though, so I simply tried to forget about it. One night as I was heading home I noticed I was being followed. I naturally grabbed the katana I always kept at my side when I left the compound. But when Shinjiko and I passed we would both have better katana's forged custom to fit our styles. For now I clutched my katana and prepared myself to fight. As I felt the presence move closer I bided my time until it was in range enough not to be able to leap away and far enough to not be able to get me. I really wished at that moment that I had brought my second katana, but it
was just out of place and I figured I wouldn't ever need it, I knew then that I was wrong for I knew instantly that I was dealing with a very good fighter. I attacked anyway.

 

My oponnent imediatly ducked the blow that almost took off his head, he then pulled one of the small dual swords from his back, rolled to one side and swung, all in one fluid motion. I moved backwards and barely escaped unscathed. I knew I couldn't beat him with one katana. So I threw it down and put up my fists. I was going to fight a better way. My opponnent was shocked to see me do this so I took the chance and grabed his sword arm and managed to get him to drop his weapon. He then immediatly drew his second one but as he swung downward I blocked and punched him had in the stomech, he then doubled over and droped his weapon, I might as well have won.

 

As I stooped over and picked up his Dual katanas I relized how different the weight was between two dual katanas and two regular ones. Dual katanas were made for two to weigh the same as one regular one. But, no worries, it would just be easier to fight. As I swung at him he blocked my blows with some sort of metal arm covering, but when I kept attacking it it started to crack, but so did the katanas! I broke the covering at the same time as I broke the katanas, but before I could throw the first punch he ran. I chased him threw him down and took off the mask.

 

A boy about my age looked back at me, his blue eyes both angry and full of fear at the same time. "Who are you?!?!?! Who sent you?!?!?!?!" I yelled at him. "I am Cojon Uchorok heir of the Ochorok clan! I am here because of my sister, Julena."

 

I stared at him unbeleving, Julena was from the famous Uchorok clan???? Even before the Tamoro household took me in I knew to avoid Uchoroks, the Tamoros were famous themselves and at about rank two of how powerfull their clan was, when the Kurisakis were killed the Uchoroks moved to spot one. I helped him up and asked him "Why was an Uchorok following me?" "To speak with you. " He said still glaring at me "Well, sorry I nearly took your head off." I said in a desperate attempt to smooth things out, "You should be! But as I said earlier I want to speak with you about Julena, now take me to your home so we can talk. " I imideatly thought about how Shinjiko would react to learning about what happened, so instead I decided to take him to an alternate estate that belonged to me and where I was allowed to stay any night aslong as training wasn't schedualed. I told the gaurds to warn me if anyone tries to enter and to hold them at the gate until I identify them, I then told the servants to stay away from my room, then I let in Cojon and sat down to speak with him.

 

"You have embarresed an Uchorok, that is unforgivable, Julena has been moping around since the night of the festival, I know everything that happened, she told me finally yesterday so I made arrandments, you will come to the dinner as Julena's escort or else. " "Or else what?" I questioned him. "Or else I will tell Shinjiko everything." "Oh yeah? What if I tell him myself and he forgives me?" "Then he will be killed. Your call." He said cooly as he got up and left.

 

As I looked up at the house so big that it made the Tamoro home look like a broom closet. I'm doing this for Shinjiko I kept reminding myself, I had to do this or Shinjiko would die. I met Julena outside of her estate. She was wearing an expensive looking long-sleeved blue kamino, her hair was very smooth and silky and hung down to her waist, her blue eyes were shining brightly and looking happily at me. "I was very glad when Cojon told me you wanted to escort me Aizen, I almost thought you hated me," She said wraping her arms around mine as we walked to the door "I knew inviting you was a good idea". I rested my left arm on my Katanas and made sure I had both of them, this was going to be a long night.

 

I bit into a large piece of meat and indulged myself in eating, I didn't want to be there but I would still take advantage of the situation. I suddenly felt something gently tugging my traditional black samauri kamino, I relized it was Julena and looked up. When I looked up I saw the entire tablefull of people staring at me astounded, I put my focus back on my plate and continued eating.