Samurai 2.0 - Destiny: A Harem Fantasy Adventure

by April O'Malley

  “What do you mean, 'the tale'? I thought grandfather handcrafted the sword himself?”

  “Oh, he did. But the material that it is made of is not from this Earth.” She leaned in close, as if to tell him a secret. “It came from above.” Her slender finger pointed upward, toward the Heavens. “That is why it is so powerful.”

  The young man’s eyes narrowed. “Surely you fib,” he said, crossing his arms at her. “Where would metal like that come from if not from the ground?”

  Her grin was so wide, like none he had ever seen before on her face. “Come, I will take you to the place.”

  The pair moved through the house and outside, making sure not to wake anyone else. They passed through the gate and he let the guard know he would be back shortly should his mother look for him.

  Satomi and Akio walked toward the outskirts of the town, and then took a left into the deeper woods that very few ventured into. They were known for their large predators, the dense undergrowth that hid dangerous snakes, and many other dangers. However, Satomi did not seem scared at all. She advanced through the forest without a care, and as swift as a dragonfly in the moonlight. He was amazed at how quietly she was able to move, how limber her body was at her age, and how he suddenly could barely keep up with her.

  They walked for a long time, and soon the sun was peeking over the mountains to the north. Finally, she paused and studied something around them. Then, she moved more to the north, and he followed. They continued to walk in silence until she stopped abruptly. He moved up beside her and found that they were at the edge of a large crevice in the ground. Grass covered everything, but he could see there was a great scar in the earth here. He moved down into the indention and looked around. The sides, while worn down, were still waist high to him.

  “So, he found the metal here? In these woods?” Akio was astonished that the pair of lovebirds had been out this far into the wilderness.

  “Yes, he did.” She pointed to a spot in the indention that was slightly deeper. “Right in there. He found a large chunk of the metal. It had a beautiful purple glow to it, and pulsed like a star.”

  Akio knelt and ran his hand along the ground. The grass did not feel normal here. It seemed to be ‘electrified’, for a lack of a better word. As he moved his hand along the grass, the green blades moved to meet his hand. He jerked it back and the leaves lay back down into their normal spot. Pausing for a moment, he decided that he had been seeing things in the dim light. So, he placed his hand back near the ground. Once again, the grass seemed to want to touch his fingers, and rose to meet them.

  Behind him, he heard a small giggle from Satomi, who was now right beside him. “It recognizes you too,” she said.

  “What do you mean? I’ve never even been here before.” He looked up at her, an astonished look on his face.

  Satomi smiled. “Because you carry your grandfather inside of you, Akio. You are his blood. So, the grass, the trees, everything here recognizes you.”

  It was then that Akio glanced up and noticed that the trees were reaching out their branches in his direction. There were small animals that had come to the edge of the crevice that were watching them, and the air was still in anticipation. “What is this place, Satomi?” he whispered, not wanting to break the spell.

  “It is a place of magic,” she whispered back. “But only you can unlock it, Akio. Only you and no one else.” She placed a hand on his shoulder. “And no one can know. Ever.”

  He looked up at the seriousness in her face. “I swear that I will never tell anyone about this place,” he said, with all of the honesty and promise that he could. This seemed to be what the animals were waiting for, as they began to move away. Akio stood up, scanning the area for anything else that he could find.

  As he moved to explore another part of the crevice's trail, the bell in the town square began to toll. Both he and Satomi froze. A bell this early in the morning was never good news. The two scrambled up the side of the crevice and Akio mentally noted the path that they took as they made their way back down the hill.

  Toward the edge of the woods, Akio spotted men walking in the direction of the town below them. He paused and pulled Satomi down next to him. They watched the procession moving closer and Akio realized that they were not any type of invasion force, but his father's soldiers. Excitement welled up inside of him as he recognized the colors of their armor and a few men.

  However, his excitement quickly turned to horror as he noticed the stern expression on their faces. No one was happy to be coming home. And toward the middle of the procession was a casket.

  Instantly, Akio knew that his father's body lay inside. He froze in place, not wanting to move, not wanting that realization to be true. But as the procession passed in front of them and the casket floated by, carried on the backs of his own soldiers, Akio could deny it no longer.

  He stood and bolted through the woods as fast as his legs would carry him. He did not move deeper into the woods, toward the place they had been with Satomi, but instead along the road and past the curve that removed his father's procession from his view finally. He continued to race through the forest, hot tears of anger and heartbreak flowing freely down his face and landing on the foliage around him. He let out a deep scream of horror at the idea that his father was now gone.

  As he began to slow down, and finally stopped, the sobs overtook him and he found himself on his knees in the dirt. Familiar dirt. The dirt of the special place where he and Kiso trained constantly over the years. Dirt where his father had taught him how to dodge and strike in ways to save his life in battle. Dirt where he had bled occasionally. Dirt that knew him deeply.

  He placed his hands on the ground and leaned forward, allowing the full blow of his father's demise to wash over him. The powerful man who he loved with all of his heart was now taken from him. The other parts surrounding his father's death, such as what this now meant for Akio, never crossed his mind. Only the loss that he was feeling struck deep inside him, overcoming everything else around him.

  He had no idea how long he was in this spot, kneeling in the dirt, but at some point he heard someone approaching. He wanted to see no one, not even Kiso. But it was not Kiso that appeared; it was his mother. Upon seeing him, she too fell to her knees and pulled him into her arms. The pair sobbed together in each other's arms, filling the soil below them with more tears than it had ever known.

  “Son...” she sobbed out, “I... your father...”

  He wailed slightly and hugged her tighter. “I know, mama, I already know.” With that, his mother fully broke down against him and he was forced to hold her up, lest she fall into the earth and disappear. For several long moments, he held her close, stroking her hair with one hand and holding her tight with the other. He realized that he was now the man in the family, he was the one in charge, he was her protector.

  Finally, she composed herself and sat back slightly from him, wiping at her eyes. He was taken aback by tiny details he had never noted before: small lines around her eyes and mouth, a few graying hairs at the top of her forehead, and a couple of small dark circles under her eyes. He never thought that his mother was getting older, but these signs forced him to recognize that he would lose her one day as well.

  She straightened her robes and swallowed hard. “I have... I brought...” She couldn't finish the sentence, as more tears threatened to rob her words. Instead, she produced a large object that she had sat down behind her. Wrapped in a beautiful silk cloth, purple and gold, the colors of their family, was his father's sword. His grandfather's sword. His sword now.

  “I will leave you to do what you wish,” she finally was able to speak for a moment. “However, I need you home shortly to help with matters.”

  He nodded and stood with her to help her up. “I will mother. I'll be along shortly. I promise.” He kissed her cheek. “I won't let you deal with this alone. Give me a few moments and I'll be right behind you.” She nodded and kissed his che
ek in return, then turned and followed the path back toward their manor house.

  As she disappeared from view, another figure appeared to his left. This time, Kiso came into view, her face creased in sadness. “I knew I would find you here,” she said as she moved to where he stood. “Are you okay?” she asked, already knowing the answer.

  He looked down at the sword wrapped in silk he held in his hands. “No. But I have to be, I guess.”

  Kiso moved forward swiftly and wrapped her arms around him, pulling him closer than they had ever been to each other. She smelled like fresh flowers and sunshine to him, and he leaned into her hug, burying his face in the soft flesh of her exposed neck above her armor. He knew she was a girl, but often forgot as she had always been his best friend, a training partner, just another one of the guys. But now, suddenly, he realized that she was growing into a beautiful woman. He was afraid to touch her, yet he couldn't pull away.

  Her hands stroked his back lightly as she hugged him, expecting nothing in return. Finally, he raised his head, their faces inches apart. They stood like that for a moment, and then he kissed her on the lips out of the blue. She raised her face slightly to kiss him back, and they paused for a second, their lips touching, their breathing matched. Until she pulled back.

  “It isn't the right time,” she whispered. “I... well, you should get home. I know your mother is waiting.”

  He nodded. “Yes. I know.” But neither of them moved further than the few inches that separated them. Her kiss had electrified him inside and he longed to kiss her again; however, he worried that it might offend her. Somehow, Kiso knew what he was thinking and kissed him again, harder this time. He dropped the sword at their feet and took her in his arms. Her smaller arms snaked through his and around his body as their kissing grew from just lips touching to more. Her tongue thrust into his mouth and sought out his own, and he eagerly met hers.

  Before either knew it, hands were moving and rubbing in places neither had even thought of before. Clothing began to shed and land in the soft dirt around them. Soon, both were undressed on the pile of clothing. As Akio moved toward her exposed breasts, Kiso whispered in his ear, “This is my first time.”

  Akio paused before anything further happened. “I don't want to hurt you,” he said, rising up above her.

  She smiled a beautifully brilliant smile up at him. “It will be okay.” She leaned up and kissed his chest. “Just go slow.” Then she gently grabbed him and placed him between her legs. He moaned and the two were intertwined as one.

  After a couple of minutes, both were finished and she lay on top of his chest as he held her against him. He wanted to say something but was unsure what he should say. She looked up at him. “We can never let anyone know about what just happened,” she said.

  He cleared his throat lightly as she got up and began to put her clothing back on. “Uh, no, of course not,” he agreed. “We are training partners, after all.”

  “Yes. Training partners.” She nodded, her back to him.

  He admired her sleek frame as she wiggled back into her leggings and began to cover her porcelain back with her silk undershirt. He stood and stretched and began to put his own clothing back on, shaking the dirt off of everything as best he could.

  When they were both dressed, she put her cap back on and the transformation was once again complete. Kiso was no longer the beautiful woman he had just made love to, she was now his training partner, his best friend. He smiled widely at her.

  “What?” she asked, blushing.

  He shook his head. “Nothing. I'll just never be able to look at you the same now.”

  “What? Why?” she asked, clearly worried.

  “Oh no, not for that reason,” he stammered, “simply that I'll never see you as one of the guys again. I'll always see you as you were just a few moments ago.” Again, she blushed.

  “Well, we can never do that again,” she said, crossing her arms. “We just... we needed to get it out of the way I think.”

  He laughed. “Okay. Never again.” From the distance, he heard his mother calling for him. He'd taken too long. He ran off down the path toward home. “I'll see you later, Kiso.”

  She nodded and headed back toward the town down another path.

  ***

  Rusty swords clanged against one another as the monk tried to keep up with the young man. Ratnakar feigned and dodged, slid and laughed, continually catching the other man off guard. Finally, the monk was finished. “Ratnakar, I am done for today,” he said, out of breath. “I have duties to attend to.”

  Ratnakar was obviously disappointed, but he knew there was nothing more he could learn from this man today. “All right,” he said. “I should probably do my studies too.”

  “Yes, you should,” the monk said as he quickly left the sand pit.

  Asas appeared and clapped his hands a couple of times at Ratnakar's win. “Good job, son,” he said. “I'm proud of how far you have come with training.”

  Ratnakar sighed and tossed the rusty sword on the sand beside him. “These weapons are horrible, Asas.” He looked at the small rack at the edge of the sand. “Everything here is extremely old and worn. Some of them are even broken, just look at that axe. We need to get new weapons to train with.”

  Asas smiled. “Well, how often do you think we monks have to fight?” The young man stood quietly for a moment. “You've been here over ten years now. Have you ever seen one of us go into battle?”

  Ratnakar shook his head. “That doesn't matter. One day, you will need the weapons. What if someone attacks the monastery? What if they are trying to kill all of you? You'll have to defend yourselves.”

  The monk looked at him and slowly shook his head. “If we are attacked and killed, then that is our fate.”

  The boy scowled and let out a small growl deep in his throat. “That is not fate. That is stupidity.” He turned and moved to walk out of the sand pit, but Asas stopped him.

  “Listen, I know that you remember some of the things of the outside world before you came here as being tough, having to fight for everything. But that is not the way here. We are peaceful in this community, and the towns around us know this. They come here for healing, for meditation, for prayer. Not for war. That is not the way.”

  Ratnakar stopped, his back to Asas. “It doesn't matter. Someday, someone will come and you will wish you had heeded my warning.” With that, the young man walked away swiftly.

  Asas watched him go, a cold wind traveling up his spine. After a decade, his protégé still gave him horrible feelings deep inside at times. He'd made great strides in his training; he could read and write; he was very formidable with several of the types of swords they had; he could grow or hunt his own food without problem, and he was in better control of his emotions than some of the monks that were years older than he was. Asas was proud of the young man he was becoming. However, he knew that Ratnakar would not stay with them forever.

  The following day, as Asas was about to make his rounds in the gardens, he saw Ratnakar headed toward one of the back walls. He realized the young man was being secretive about where he was headed, so he followed at a safe distance. He watched as Ratnakar reached the wall and knelt down, pushing on a large stone in the wall. The stone moved outward easily and Ratnakar went behind it, right through the wall to the other side, then pushed the stone back into place. Asas immediately fought back the urge to follow him. Ratnakar would surely hear the stone moving behind him or see Asas coming out of the wall. He could not let him know that he knew of this escape method. Instead, he waited at a distance until he returned that afternoon.

  That evening at dinner, Asas asked Ratnakar how his studies were coming along and what he had learned that day. Ratnakar smirked slightly and said, “I learned that we need better weapons and you don't agree.” Another younger monk nearby giggled lightly, which was cut short by a stern look from Asas.

  “Tomorrow, I would like for you to start learning fro
m me in the infirmary,” Asas told Ratnakar. “I feel that you are ready and that you have a gift to share with the world.”

  Ratnakar continued eating for a moment, then turned to the man and said, “No, thank you.”

  Asas' mouth fell open on the table, along with others around them. Training in medicine under Asas was one of the highlights of a healer in this area. People sent their sons from many miles away for a chance to train under him; other nations sent their top healers to learn from him. It was an honor to be offered to learn directly under him at such a young age. “No, thank you?” one of the other young monks said. “Are you crazy, man? Don't you know how much people would pay to learn under Master Asas?”

  “Then let them,” Ratnakar replied, shoveling another bite of rice into his mouth. “I'm not interested.”

  Asas' face was a deep red. He took a breath and rose from the table, gathering his plate. He turned and walked away without another word.

  The monk who had questioned Ratnakar glared at him. “What the hell is wrong with you?” He placed both hands on the table. “That man has raised you ever since you showed up here. He's treated you like a son. I cannot fathom how you can just dismiss him like that. You are not as smart as you let on to be. Anyone would train under him to learn his techniques, even if they weren't wanting to be a monk. You are an idiot, Ratnakar.”

  The young man continued to eat quietly until he'd chewed the bite that had been in his mouth. “I'm sorry you feel that way,” he replied, and in one swift move, he swung his fork across the table and stabbed the other man in the hand. The fork was driven with such force that it went straight through the man's metacarpus and into the table. The monk sat there for a moment, staring at Ratnakar, determined not to show the pain that was screaming throughout his flesh.

  Ratnakar grinned. He was thrilled to have an adversary that refused to show weakness. He reached over and grabbed the top of the fork, keeping his eyes locked on the other man's eyes. The other man never blinked. Ratnakar carefully twisted the fork, causing the tines to jerk out of the table, twisting them until they popped loose from the wood below, splintering into the man's palm. The man grimaced, but refused to make a sound.