Aiko couldn't believe it was almost a year since she lost her parents. The damned judge nearly declared her a ward of the state. That was until Hiroto, her uncle from her mother's side, intervened. She had never met the man, but there was something about his kind and calm demeanor that Aiko trusted. She would never forget the drama in the courtroom that transpired. Hiroto entered the courtroom with an immaculate three-piece suit. The ponytail was odd, but it blended in with his suit. The judge and everyone else in the courtroom didn't notice.

"Are you a blood relative of Aiko Takahashi?" the judge asked.

"I am indeed," Hiroto said.

"What kind of relative?" the man in the black robe, known as the god of this courtroom, asked.

"I'm her uncle."

The judge didn't look at all convinced.

I don't want to live with this man, but he is my mother's brother, and I don't want to live with another awful family. So I hope I can stay with him.

Aiko dared to hope that she could be adopted by a relative who would teach her the ways of the samurai. Her father forbade her training in the art of the warrior. She had known he had been such a man, but it was his wish that his daughter learn the non-violent ways of a scholar. Aiko's burning desire to find and rid the world of her parent's killers fueled her black heart. Aiko's world of achievement and knowledge was forever banished from her heart the moment she discovered her father's body. She wanted to bathe in the blood of her enemies. She knew that this shouldn't be the thoughts of a twelve-year-old, but she couldn't sleep. Her father's gaze met her own every time she closed her eyes.

Stolen novel; please report.

"I have doubts that you can care for a young person."

"That isn't true. I have the means to support Aiko and give her a proper education," Hiroto said.

"What is your profession, Mr. Abiko?"

Hiroto hesitated before answering. "I'm a bodyguard."

The judge gave him a stone-faced stare and then conferred to some papers on his desk.

"I see that, according to my notes, you've only been on US soil for less than 90 days over the past four years. You're hardly the example of a stable guardian."

"It isn't true. I don't know where you got your information, but it's inaccurate," Hiroto said.

A tall, regal-looking woman sat beside Aiko and put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Get off, lady," Aiko said.

"Quiet, please," Judge Melson said.

"He will not win. I hope you know that. You'll be back under my care before too much longer," the woman she knew as Auntie Paige said.

Aiko's dark visions from the past year overwhelmed her. The sleepless nights. Her confinement.

"I've heard enough; I'll make my decision at 10 a.m. tomorrow," the judge said.