Samurai NOT

Chapter 1

Tadayoshi could hear. He heard leaves blowing in the wind, the waters of a small stream, birds flying. But the sound reaching his ears weren't from the forest. He knew what it was right away. Had heard his entire life. The low sound of metal clanking. The sound of a sword.

The sun shone brightly and the rays passing through the treetops created a beautiful scene. But the man wasn't paying much attention. He walked leisurely on a small path in the forest, but two shadows followed him, hidden between the trees. Or at least they believed, since Tadayoshi noticed them immediately. 

He wasn't worried enough to stop though. He wanted to meet someone. It didn't matter whom they were, or their intentions. It had been a long time since he talked to someone, unless if he counted those after his head. If it were they, they'd have already attacked by now, thought Tadayoshi.

"Stop!" one of the shadow screamed and two men jumped from their pathetic hideout, blocking Tadayoshi's path.

The smaller one had two front teeth missing. The other had a scar on his cheek and the raised tip of his nose made him look like a very ugly pig. The swords on their hands were too shabby to pose any threat; small scratches on the surface, chipped along the edge and rust had begun its work.

Their appearance and the pathetic weapons would make Tadayoshi laugh, but the twisted and somewhat desperate expressions made him uneasy. A cornered man is a dangerous enemy his master had taught him.

"Give everything you have!"

The man almost laughed, all the apprehension leaving him. It was the last thing he expected. Do I look like someone who has anything of value? Me? His clothes were proof of that; a very baggy one-piece kimono made for a man three times his size. It was so torn and patched up with pieces whose colors didn't match, with pink, green and flowers stamps, you couldn't tell the original color.

Even so, they're trying to rob me. Now Tadayoshi could barely keep himself from laughing. He raised his right arm and stared clothes intently, as if making a deep and serious self-evaluation of his state.

"Thank you very much. You two made my day," he said, making an exaggerated curtsy to hide his smile. "Wherever I go people treat me as last class citizen. But you guys consider me important enough to have something of value. Thank you!"

The bandits exchange looks. From the dirty and dust, it seemed they have being hiding between trees ever since the sun was up, waiting for someone and rob their money and valuables. But the path through the forest wasn't much used, and since war started approaching the region, travelers rarely chose this path.

"What's that?" The smaller one pointed his sword to the man's left hand.

Tadayoshi's hand was on the shoulder, as if massaging the neck. Looking closer, you could see a sash, and tied to the other end, a discrete package on his back. Like his clothes, the cloth wrapping was in the same shabby state, and most wouldn't notice. Not these desperate bandits though.

"This?" The man slowly held the long and thin object before them. With one hand, he pulled a bit of the almost torn cloth and revealed the handle of a katana. "Just a memento of my old life," he said, his smile disappearing at the same time.

"A samurai! Brother, let's go!" The fear in his voice and the tremor in his body made the man chuckle. He was even trembling a little bit.

I can't blame them, Tadayoshi knew the reason. The only samurai around probably either worked for the local lords or were ronin, the samurai without a lord. Either case, the bandits weren't stupid enough to mess with those who had mastered the sword.