Fan Fiction ❯ Bushido ❯ The Great Dragon ( Chapter 7 )

Chapter 7: The Great Dragon

Fall was here again, and Koichi found it hard to believe it had been almost a year since his training with the tengu. Then again, he was making slow progress. Now he was at the far end of Mino--only two provinces away from Ise. Traveling on foot was very slow going, but the ronin enjoyed the landscape. In fact, he purposely made his pace very slow and took roads that went all around a province before leaving it-- just to get a good look at everything.

Things were still quiet. He never had called Yuuchou--there was no real need to. Indeed, he would have enjoyed chatting with his friend, but didn't wish to interrupt on the tengu's priesthood training. There had still been no more attempts on his life by Oshima's goons, and that could only be good. Perhaps the daimyo had decided going after the ronin wasn't worth his time, no matter how much his brother bugged him. That, or, he had completely lost track of Nakano. Koichi could only hope it was one or the other. He personally didn't like the feeling that he was being followed and watched.

Just like he felt now.

Koichi stopped and looked around. To the left, endless miles of empty, dead, yellowed meadows. To the right, the same. No trees in sight, so that eliminated the possibility of an overhead assault. However, the grass grew very tall here. That fact made him very uncomfortable, but he decided to continue on and act as casually as possible. Hopefully it would draw his stalker out, if there was any.

He didn't have to wait too long until two men appeared on the path in front of him.

"Oi, ojisan, whatcha doin' out here by yourself?" the first and chubbier of the two men queried, "Someone may get the crazy idea of robbing you."

"Bandits. I was wondering if I'd ever meet your kind." Koichi replied calmly.

"Well, I guess Lord Buddha felt we should grace you with our presence then, huh?" the taller of the two grunted, pulling out a rusty tanto. "I think you should give us an offering for giving you such an honor. Don't you agree, Eiji?" The fat thief nodded in agreement, pulling out his own knife.

"Yeah, and we'll be most displeased if ya try to decline."

"And if I do, in fact, decline?" Koichi asked in challenge, "What will be my fate? Impaled by the not-so-silent-assassin behind me?"

The two men frowned as a surprised gasp emerged from behind the ronin. Koichi turned around to see a third bandit, holding a yari and staring at him in shock.

"H-how...?" he stuttered.

"You need to practice on your stealth skills," Koichi advised, "If you make that much noise every time you try to sneak up on someone, you may not only fail in trying to kill them, but instead lose your own life." The thief behind him bit his lip before thrusting the yari forward, hoping to surprise the ronin and impale his throat.

Instead, Koichi knocked the stalk of the weapon aside with his knuckles before it came even close to his vital area.

"Lack of training and discipline put you at a great disadvantage," he warned, "I'll give you this chance to leave, or I will be forced to hurt you." The thief growled and swung his yari upwards, only to have the shaft cut cleanly in two as Koichi's katana blade was removed from its saya.

"What the--?" He never finished his sentence, for in an instant the bandit felt a foot make contact with his abdomen, and he went flying.

"If you insist on making things difficult, then difficult they will be," Koichi commented as the thug landed in the grass. The ronin knew things would get messy soon, and was not naive enough to convince himself that he would be able to keep his hands clean this time. It was rare you fought thugs, won, and it didn't result in the demise of the latter. If thieves such as this trio lived, even after given a talk to, they were very likely to continue to kill, mug, and endanger others.

The bandit stumbled back up and charged. Koichi's katana found its way to the man's gut, stopping him almost instantly. The thief cough and sputtered before slumping over as Koichi removed his blade. He sighed briefly in regret before quickly regaining his defenses, facing the other two.

"I don't really like to kill, but, as you see, I am capable of it. Leave now or you will face the same fate as your partner." They were heedless to his warning.

"Bakayaro!" The corpulent bandit screeched, rushing forward, tanto at hand. Koichi leaned forward, at ready. Steel sliced across the large man's shoulder and chest. Dropping his tanto, the criminal hit the ground with a dull thud that shook the nearby ground. Thankful for his good balance, Koichi stood straight and glared at his only remaining opponent.

"Two down. Will you make this a wipeout, or will you flee? The choice is yours. Death, or life." The thief growled and apparently chose death, for he, like his friends, charged forward. And, like his friends, he met the unforgiving blade of a ronin. Koichi sighed deeply as the last thief gasped his final breath and fell silent. He hated killing, but seemed to be less bothered by it than before. He wasn't sure why, and this mildly disturbed him.

"I hope this journey doesn't turn me into a ruthless murderer," Koichi mumbled, wiping his blade off with a cloth before returning it to its scabbard. Once it clicked in, Koichi went to work. He dragged the three bodies to the side of the road, only having difficulty with the fat bandit. Once they were out of the roadway, the ronin began to dig using the broken yari.

It was a clumsy and hastily made hole, but it would suffice. Koichi hopped out, dusting himself off. He had already wasted some time here, when he knew he should be venturing onward. The samurai dragged the bodies, one by one, into the hole. Using his hands as a makeshift shovel, Koichi filled the hole back up with dirt, patting the small mound down as he finished.

He searched for some rocks and soon found some of reasonable size. He laid the three stones out on top of the mound, creating humble grave markers. His work now done, Koichi clapped his hands together twice and bowed his torso, praying for the dead and for forgiveness. It was the least he felt could be done, considering he had brought them to their graves, literally and metaphorically.

"Such a waste, but karma is karma," Koichi sighed, turning away. His thoughts nearly caused him to trip over the sack on the side of the road.

"Nani...?" The samurai looked down at the bundle at his feet. He knelt down, opening it up and examining its contents. Without a doubt, the bag belonged to the late bandits. Hundreds of coins, mostly ryo, filled the inside, and Koichi noticed a few decorated tanto, most likely for looks, not for battle. What a steal! He wondered how the thugs managed to get their grubby mittens on something like this.

"Even a daimyo would eye this bag with interest..." Koichi mumbled to himself, searching the contents with his hand. His fingers scraped over something perfectly smooth, and much harder than the coins. "Nani?" Koichi clasped the strange object, pulled his arm out, and examined it. The object was about the size of his palm, almost oval-like if didn't have edges, and was a dark, golden red in color. Koichi "hmmed," flipping it over in his hands and squinting. He flicked his fingers against it, "Ow!" The hard, tough surface hurt his fingertip.

"What could..." Then it clicked. "A dragon scale!" That explained the vast amount of riches in the loot bag. Although he'd never seen a dragon in his life, he'd never doubted of their existence. What perplexed him the most, however, was how the bandits managed to escape with a dragon's treasure alive, even only a small portion of it.

"It must have been stolen recently, while the dragon wasn't in his nest," He finally concluded. Koichi knew he had three choices: One: take the loot for himself; Two: Leave it here-- perhaps the dragon would recover it later; or Three: take the loot bag and try to return it. He immediately eliminated choice one -- too dishonorable and risky for him. What if the dragon caught him with it? He'd be just as guilty as the thieves who took it originally. This also meant choice three involved equal danger. The dragon may find him on his way returning the loot and misunderstand.

Koichi sighed, running his fingers through his dark hair, clenching his high-topknot ponytail in thought. Closing the bag up and slinging up his shoulder, Koichi made up his mind, "This needs to be returned to its rightful owner." And so he hefted the heavy load down the road, searching for any signs of a dragon's home.

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Koichi panted, plopping the loot down as he sat upon a rock, trying to recover his breath. The load was heavier than he'd thought. The young man estimated he'd only gone a few miles in the past three hours. Even for him, that was slow going. It probably took two, maybe three of those bandits to heft it around... then again, maybe the porky one was enough to lug it. He ran his fingers through his long bangs, wondering if he'd passed the dragon's home yet, or if he was even anywhere near it at all.

Once his gasping stopped, his ears picked up the rushing of a large river. The ronin shot up. Anyone knew most dragons were kami, kami that usually resided in rivers, lakes, ponds, or streams. With newfound strength, Koichi lifted the bag over his shoulder, dashing off to the sounds of the water. He knew he was near when his zori began to slid through mud. Going at a slower pace, he went through the tall grass until he saw it -- large riverbank connected to a wide and deep river. Scanning the area, Koichi spotted a moderate-sized wooden shrine by the river's edge.

He trudged through the muck to the shrine and stepped up, pulling the loot with him. At the end of the shrine lay a large, open offering box. Koichi wagered he'd found the right place. Dragging the bag over, the samurai open it and began shoveling every koitome and trinket back into the box. Once sure all the treasure was returned, Koichi stood up and left the shrine.

Just as his feet touched the muck, a loud rumble broke through the air, large waves soaking the shore and the ronin as a large, golden red dragon emerging from the river.

"So, mortal, you have tried to repent for your crimes by returning what you took? I would normally be merciful if my gifts hadn't gone missing for three days!" its voice was as deep and loud as could be expected from a kami. Though thoroughly startled, Koichi managed to get to his knees and bow as deeply as he physically could in great respect.

"Great dragon kami of the river," he spoke, "though I do not intend to insult your wisdom and integrity, I am not the thief, nor one of the thieves that took your offerings." The dragon's tongue flicked briefly between its lips before it leaned down, sniffing the human. Koichi felt strong winds tug at his clothing before the dragon regained its original posture.

"No, you do not smell of the fools who took my gifts," it admitted. "But then, who are you, mortal?"

"Great dragon kami of the river, I am but a humble ronin who was attacked by those who stole your treasure. I killed them in defense, and, after burying them, I cam across your loot. After realizing it must belong to a dragon, I sought to find its home a return it."

The kami made no vocal reply, but instead snaked over to the shrine, rummaging through the chest with its long talons. After a few minutes, it thrummed in approval, returning to the waters.

"You speak the truth, mortal. Every piece of my treasure is back. Speak, for I want to know your name."

"I was given the name Nakano Koichi, great kami." Koichi replied, still in deep bow.

"Then, Nakano Koichi, I thank you for your noble deed. Come to your feet, so I may speak with you properly." Koichi, somewhat grateful to leave the uncomfortable position, stood up. The dragon introduced itself with a bow of the head, "Nakano Koichi, I am Higashi." Koichi thought he felt his jaw drop.

"Higashi?! The great dragon of the east?!"

"That is correct. I am honored you know me."

"With all due respect, Higashi-sama, I know of none who don't! You and your Western brother are said to be the greatest dragon kami of all! I am honored to be allowed to speak with you!" Higashi chuckled.

"I am flattered, but you may dismiss the formality, young one. I allow it, to show my gratitude for what you have done. Not many would be brave or honorable enough to do so."

"Then... Higashi-san...?"

"Higashi-san is fine. Wait a moment, Nakano-san." The dragon slithered over to the box again, pulling out the scale. He handed it to Koichi, who clasped his hand tightly around it. "Keep it. It is a symbol of my thanks and of my respect. Any who see you with it will know I have blessed you. If you ever need my help, Nakano-san, hold this scale towards the east, and call for Higashi. I will come."

Koichi bowed at the waist, "I'm grateful for your gift and blessing, Higashi-san. I shall carry it with me always." He slipped the scale into his gi, next to the relic he'd received from the Tengu. Higashi gave him a toothy smile.

"You may leave now, mortal, for I'm sure you have a long road ahead of you. I leave you with my blessing." The great kami sank back into the river depths, leaving Koichi alone at its banks. The ronin bowed once more before heading back towards the path. He soon found it, wiping the caked mud off his sandals in the grass before continuing down the seemingly endless road, towards an unknown, but welcome, future.

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I know, it took me forever to write one chapter. @_@;;;; Gomen, gomen!

Does Koichi seem a bit OOC? He probably does, but this is basically how I meant for him to be. Kind, yet tough and a little ruthless when he needs to. And if anyone knows about bandits back in feudal Japan, it was rare that you could stop them from killing/stealing/mugging/etc without killing them yourself. That's just the way things were back then, and there weren't always loopholes. So, I hope you guys aren't too put off with the way Koichi's written here.

tanto - small knife

karma - Buddhist and Hindu belief that a person's actions and its consequences determine the nature of one's next life

As a note, in Shinto, dragons are usually kami of rivers, streams, lakes, ponds, etc. They're also often symbols of honor and good fortune, much unlike the destructive, man-eating Western dragons.

Author's Notes: As a reminder, www.bushido.hcmrworld.com has the story as well as my Bushido artwork, background history, making of the characters, and soon, multimedia (Once Studio MX gets delivered to my house and I figure out Flash, I'll prolly make some Bushido related Flash animations and such. XDv). So check that out for extra things.

Mitsu Tsuki, thanks for reviewing every chapter, that's more than I usually get. ^^ As for chapter 5, it's not really contradictory. Koichi merely wanted to get better at fighting so he could defend himself better, even if it meant have to train under someone. Working for someone and training under a martial arts master are two different things. And although Rurouni Kenshin is one of my fav animes/mangas of all time (I even painted al life-size Kenshin on my wall!) I promise you this not basing off of it, not intentionally at least. ^^;; But thanks for complimenting the story anyway, I appreciate it. XD Sorry if this chap took a while to do, that's usually the case with me. I consider myself more an artist than a writer in the sense that it's easier for me to draw, paint, and doodle stuff than write it. Anyway, if you wanna drop me a line, e-mail me at hollychan@usa.com to just talk or even get my rear in gear and try to get me to write faster. ^^;