The Cloaked Samurai

"Today is our day off," Farrah explained on Sunday morning. "Farren usually plays with the children of the town."

"I know. I saw them last week," you nodded.

"So that was you in the window!" Farren smiled. "It was hard to tell through that veil!"

"Yes. It's much nicer to walk around without a veil blocking your vision," you said, helping Farrah clean up from the afternoon meal.

"Teacher!" a boy shouted, opening the door to the dojo.

"I'm coming!" Farren replied, standing up. "Would you like to come, Akio?"

"Yes! They wanted to play with me last week. I should make it up to them," you smiled. You followed him outside to where a group of children had gathered. One of them had a ball.

"Who's he, teacher?" one of the boys pointed to you.

"This is Akio. He is a student staying with Farrah and me in the dojo," Farren explained. He knelt down to their level. "Would you like to see a trick?"

"Yeah!" they all cheered. Farren straightened and took a cloth out of his sleeve. He tied it around your head in front of your eyes.

"What are you doing?" you asked. You felt him hand you a wooden practice sword.

"Now, throw the ball at Akio! He'll feel it coming and knock it away!" Farren said to the children.

"Wait, Akio will do what?!" you couldn't believe your ears.

"Neat!" a boy shouted. "Here I go!"

You tried to concentrate. You suddenly felt the wind from the ball flying towards you. You raised your wooden sword and knocked it away.

"Wow!" the children gasped in awe.

"Let me try!"

"Let's get another ball!"

"Can he block more than one?"

The children were definitely having a good time, and Farren was undoubtedly getting a kick out of it as well.

"This is the best game ever!" a girl exclaimed. You knocked another ball away. You're afraid of the force and speed of the last one.

"Hey, not so hard! If I miss, that'll really hurt!" you complained.

"Then don't miss," Farren said with a hint of laughter in his voice. You firmly gripped your sword with both hands. When the next ball sailed towards you, you knocked it in the direction of Farren's voice. You heard the ball collide with something. The children started laughing.

You smiled triumphantly. "How fun is this game now, teacher?" you asked, taking off the blindfold.

"Teach us how to do that!" one of the boys shouted.

"Yeah, teach us, Mr. Akio!"

"Please, teach us!"

They started crowding around you.

"Maybe later," you said, remembering your own lesson in sensing attacks.

"Then let's play another game!" a boy grabbed your sword. He brandished it, holding it high in the air. "I'm the best samurai in the world!" he boasted.

"Yeah, invincible and immortal!" a girl joined in.

"But you never take off the sheath of your katana," another added.

"If you do, it means you're gonna kill everyone," a little boy said.

"Well, they're creative, but sort of in the wrong direction," you commented to Farren, watching them.

"War is all they know, growing up in a time like this. Their fathers are often called to battle neighboring kingdoms," Farren said. "Everyone dreams of a samurai like the one they describe. They need some sort of hero of justice to give them hope."

"They all look so poor," you remarked, seeing their torn and worn-out clothing. "Why don't they have any money for new clothes?"

"The taxes are very high."

"Are they? I never knew Prince Keiji was so greedy."

"Not from Prince Keiji. He may be the Prince, but neither he nor his father set the taxes for individual portions of the kingdom," Farren said carefully.

"Then who made the taxes so high?"

"Lord Natsu."

A fire began to burn inside, filling you with rage. "He did no such thing! Pa- Lord Natsu never hoarded money!"

"The luxuries you grew up with came at a price," Farren said gravely.

"It isn't true! Lord Natsu was a fair ruler! I don't believe it!" you disagreed, your voice rising.

"Don't make a scene," Farren reprimanded you softly. "Even the children know it."

You watched the children's play-acting.

"I'm Lord Natsu! You there! Give me your horse! You didn't pay enough!" one of the boys stood on a rock and pointed to a girl.

"But there was a famine this year!" she said.

"Then take both her horses!" the boy pretending to be your father commanded. The one being the samurai sneaked up behind the "Lord Natsu" and pretended to stab him. "Lord Natsu" fell to the ground, writhing in fake pain.

"You see?" Farren asked.

"But how can it be true? He was always so kind!" you remembered your father's smiling face and comforting words. "You don't know him at all! I don't believe you!" You turned around and ran back into the dojo.

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"Akio? Is everything okay?" Farrah noticed you coming inside.

"Farrah, is it true that my papa imposed unfair taxes?" you asked, sitting down next to her. She remained silent.

"Yes," she said quietly after a minute of silence.

"I never knew. Everything seemed fine," you said, thinking back to how content everything was inside your home.

"I've heard news that your other home, the one in Sakyo, has been looted. When everyone found out about your death, they stormed inside and took all they could carry," Farrah said slowly, waiting to see how you reacted.

"I guess it's compensation for all Papa took from them," you sighed, imagining the sight of your home in ruins, all of your old things stolen or broken.

"I'm sorry. I know this news must be hard," Farrah put a hand on your shoulder.

"I'll be fine," you assured her. "Besides, I no longer have any connection with that house. I have severed my ties with my past, remember? So I suppose someday soon I'll be able to cope with the public image of Lord Natsu."

"I saw the kimono intended for your wedding," Farrah changed the subject. "It's beautiful!"

"Did you see Lady Kioko's?" you asked. "It's even more amazing than the one for Lady _____!"

"The red silk? Hai!" Farrah sighed dreamily. "I would love to wear such a kimono!"

"Perhaps you shall someday," you smiled, standing up.

"But if you remain... the way you are... you never will," Farrah said, looking up at you.

"It's okay!" you said cheerfully. "I don't really want to get married."

"To my brother, you do," Farrah teased.

"Farrah!" you protested. She just laughed. You dove at her, pinning her to the floor and tickling her.

"Stop, stop!" she begged, still laughing.

The door suddenly slid open, revealing Farren and the children. They stared with wide eyes at the image of you pinning Farrah to the ground.

"Um... never mind," Farren shut the door quickly.