Nocturne Phoenix
Chapter 1: The Notorious Thief of Jipangu
Yumiko currently trekked through the mountain range, never faltering in her gait. Her outfit was a questionable one, with a good portion of her stomach bared. A green charm was placed above her navel, a pretty decoration one would’ve thought suitable for a whore rather than a shinobi. Though Yumiko walked with light-footed certainty, easily traversing over obstacles such as stones and sunken pits. As she treaded through the pathway, however, a group of bandits prevented her from proceeding further. The leader of the ragged group then said, “Pay the toll if you want to pass.”
Yumiko suppressed a smirk.
“A toll? Tell you what. Why don’t we play a game? A little gambling, if you will.”
The leader seemed interested by the turn of events, and his other cohorts seemed intrigued by the idea. However, when he turned back to face Yumiko, he said, “What are the conditions of the game?”
“If I win, you let me pass without paying the toll. If you win, however…” Yumiko then gestured to herself provocatively. “This charm protects me from diseases and pregnancy. Besides, if you play this game, you’ll probably get some extra yen for the toll. How does that sound?”
The bandits looked amongst themselves, before turning to Yumiko. With a flourish of her hand, she held a couple of bone-dice in her hands, tossing them into the air before catching them in her palm. They eyed her with interest, probably more so for the prospect of carnal indulgence rather than the extra coin. Most women would dare not pass through somewhere as isolated and bandit-infested as this area, except for Fujiyama Yumiko. Even though she is a shinobi, and she could’ve easily slit their throats one by one, Yumiko though she might as well pass the time this way. She needed a little entertainment in her life now and then.
All of them formed a circle, Yumiko then said, “So what is it? Odds or evens?”
The bandit leader licked his lips. He anticipated a good game, and Yumiko anticipated robbing the mall of their money. She would at least lure them in a false sense of security, before she took all the yen that they had in their possession. But first, she must lure them in, and she did that by promising her body if she lost. Not that she had any intention of losing. As much as she loved carnal indulgences like pleasures of the flesh, she didn’t want to sleep with all these men.
“Odds,” the bandit leader said with confidence, and Yumiko took a little s tone bowl that the bandits let her borrow and shuffled the dice underneath it, switching and swapping it around with amazing exterity. She stopped, and the bandits paused as well.
“Are you sure your’e sticking by your decision?” Yumiko said with a smirk, before the bandit leader said confidently.
“This game is as good as won,” the bandit leader said. “My luck is legendary, and no one has ever bested me at gambling before.”
“Well see about that,” Yumiko said, before she revealed the dice underneath, which was evens. “Oh, better luck next time, I suppose, big boy.”
“Another,” the bandit said with a dangerous gleam in his eye. Yumiko complied. She used the stone ball and the dice again, and every time she called ou the possibilities, the dice landed in her favor. Growing more and more frustrated at the moment, the bandit kept on feeding her more money and yen, her sacks and purse fat with coin. After a while, Yumiko grew bored, and she stood up while taking her dice with her.
“Looks like I won this game. So if you don’t mind, I’m going to cross.”
“You must’ve cheated,” one of the cohorts said. “No one beats Juro at gambling.”
“We had an agreement before, didn’t we? If I won the game, then I’m allowed to cross this bridge without any toll. Don’t be bitter that you didn’t get any from me. I’d love to stay and play another game, but unfortunately, I got places to go. That sort of thing.”
“Who are you? What kind of woman are you?”
A slow grin started to sprawl across Yumiko’s face, her green eyes narrowed into a cat-like expression of amusement. The flash of white teeth were intimidating, despite her seemingly innocuous smile, though there was something about Yumiko’s visage that was predatory. “Thanks for playing a game with me, boys. Too bad you didn’t luck out, especially since you don’t have enough money left to buy yourselves a whore.”
“Wait a minute,” one of the bandits said, taking a better close look at Yumiko. “You look familiar. Where have I seen your face before?”
“I’m pretty sure that I’m an unforgettable face,” Yumiko said with a smirk. “Men are so stunned by my beauty that they have my fine visage ingrained into their minds.”
One of the other bandits spoke up. “Yeah, she does look familiar…but who is she?”
Recognition flashed in the bandit kings eyes when Yumiko just packed up ot leave with her money.
“You’re Fujiyama Yumiko, aren’t you? The legendary gambler and notorious thief of Jipangu?”
“Looks like I’ve been found out,” Yumiko said with a laugh, before she said. “Don’t bother trying to retrieve your money. It’s as good as mine now.”
“That doesn’t matter anymore. With the bounty on your head, we’ll be able to buy ourselves the entire capitol. Boys, bring down that bitch.”
With a theatrical flick of her hair, Yumiko merely shook her head at the bandits surrounding her, each bearing wakizashi, kodachi, or naginata. Currently, Yumiko bore no weaponry and wore minimal clothing that would protect her from the sharpened blades. Yet Yumiko remained confident, wearing an infuriating smirk that only incensed the bandits further. She merely closed her eyes and made no move to attack--her posture was casual, with one hand on her hip in an undisguised display of arrogance. “Swords aren’t toys, you know. You little boys ought to know when you’re out-matched. I have no need for weapons to take down the likes of you.”
“Don’t fuck around with us, whore,” the leader of the bandits, Juro, said. “You’re dressed like a cheap prostitute. You even claim that the charm you wear on your stomach protects you from pregnancy and diseases. We’ll take our time with you, slut, and when we’re finished with you, we’ll throw your dead body in a ditch.”
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Before anything else could be said, a kunai streamed past Juro’s face, leaving a cut against his cheek, before embedding itself deep into a tree. Spitting out a curse, Juro turned to face his attacker, who happened to be a teenager no older than nineteen. Silver eyes narrowed toward the bandit as the teenager twirled a kunai, before catching it by the hilt. “I don’t condone several men attacking a woman. Nor do I approve of bandits trying to haggle travelers of their money. So let this woman pass unharmed.”
“Bastard. Who the fuck do you think you are? Stop with your pretentious drivel. This is an age of war and bloodshed. It’s a cutthroat affair. Besides, the woman you’re defending is a wanted person.”
The shinobi merely smiled at this display.
“To be honest, I don’t care who she is. All I know is that armed men were planning on attacking a woman. If you don’t mind, I would like passage through here as well.”
“As if we’re going to let you through without paying the toll. Pay up, or we’ll cut you down.”
The shinobi’s smile didn’t waver, not once.
“Seems like I don’t have a choice, then.”
Performing a hand seal in a quick succession of movements that couldn’t be seen by the eye, the shinobi then summoned a fierce wind that roared throughout the valley. The tsunami-like force rent the bark from trees, sending them hurtling away into a blue sky. The bandits struggled keeping their ground, covering their eyes from the debris and dirt that swirled their way. When the powerful wind finally passed, the bandit finally lowered his arms from his face, before saying, “If you think that such a cheap parlor trick is enough to stop us, then you’re sadly mistake--“
Before the bandit could speak further, several lacerations appeared across his body, scoring across flesh in vibrant red streaks. Finally, he sank to the ground, coughing blood into the ground, his fingers raking through the soil. This time, the shinobi was no longer smiling--his originally carefree attitude was replaced with a more serious demeanor.
“I wouldn’t put too much strain on your body, if I were you. If you attempt to attack us while we cross the bridge, then you will suffer internal damage. You can still get proper treatment from a village not too far from here. Have your men carry you there. However, if I see you do something like this again, I won’t give you a second chance.”
With that, the shinobi grasped Yumiko by the hand, leading her through the group of bandits who immediately parted away and gave them a wide berth. Once they crossed over the bridge, the shinobi finally turned and smiled at Yumiko.
“Are you all right?”
“I could’ve taken care of myself, you know,” Yumiko said. “Though I suppose I have to thank you, all the same. So, what are you? It’s not every day you see a technique like that, even if you’re a shinobi.”
The shinobi merely laughed, disregarding her question with light-hearted humor. Running a hand through his dark hair, he regarded her with the palest shade of blue she ever seen.
“How about this. I won’t ask you about your past, and you won’t ask me about mine. Fair deal?”
“Doesn’t seem like I have much choice, then. You did save me back there, even if I could’ve taken care of all those bandits.”
“You’re an interesting woman. Let’s travel together and in peace.”
Gauging Kazan’s appearance, he appeared to be about her age. Yet considering the flashy jutsu he displayed earlier, he was a formidable opponent. It was best to have him on her side, rather than an opponent. Not that Yumiko wouldn’t have been able to handle someone like him, though it was a complication that Yumiko didn’t want to tarnish her hands with. After all, interesting developments could probably come about traveling with this strange shinobi. In due time, she will eventually learn all that she needs to about him. Yumiko certainly knew many methods about how to coax such information, from seduction to espionage. Trailing slightly behind him, Yumiko then thought to herself, Don’t worry, Kazan. I will figure out everything that you’re hiding. I’ll unearth any hidden secrets you may have.
Outwardly, however, Yumiko put her natural charisma to good use. She gave him her sweetest smile, before saying, “Well, I’m pleased to meet your acquaintance, Kazan-san. I look forward to traveling with you.”
His own smile was as equally disarming.
“Of course. Let us hope that we are blessed with great fortune by the gods.”
“So where are you heading to, anyway?”
“To be honest, nowhere, really. I’m just a vagrant, traveling around.”
“That sounds so exciting. I always wanted to go and explore other countries. I always wondered what the rest of the world was like.”
“So I was correct. You are indeed an interesting woman, Yumiko-san.”
“You certainly know how to flatter a woman.”
Kazan laughed with unmistakable mirth. They began walking into a small village, which was a decent establishment that catered to wayfarers that crossed the bridge and the perilous mountains where bandits infest the area. These people were kind and welcoming, and wouldn’t hesitate to shelter a traveler. Yumiko didn’t steal from people like these. Even so, the coins jangling in her lightweight pouch was recently swiped from one of the bandits. A thief such as herself was well-trained--she was able to pickpocket from anybody with her prestidigitation fingers. The pouch she snatched was a tribute to this. Low lives like the bandits didn’t deserve a single piece of yen. The yen should be given to honest people, like these villagers who welcomed and smiled at both her and Kazan.
“I think we ought to stop by somewhere that sells food,” Kazan stated unexpectedly. “I’m starving.”
Before Yumiko could even react, Kazan already made his way to a booth, already ordering an insane amount of food. Not that Yumiko was going to protest against getting a good hot meal. She had been traveling on foot for several days, without anything except a water skin to sustain her through her rigorous journey. Even though she survived under even worse conditions, Yumiko was inclined to take advantage of an opportunity whenever it presented itself. So she ordered herself a steaming bowl of unadon, with several savory pieces of eel slathered in a tantalizing sweet sauce. Despite the seemingly fathomless void of her stomach, Yumiko exhibited more restraint than Kazan, who simply ate dish upon dish of food.
Once both of them finished their meal, they each paid for their respective meals. Despite the mess of food that Kazan consumed, he happened to have enough yen for his several meals. They both bowed in respect toward the vendor, who was well-pleased with business, before they wandered throughout the town.
“Well, Yumiko-san,” Kazan said. “I’m glad that we’ve met. Doesn’t it feel like destiny, somehow?”
“Destiny?” Yumiko said while wodnering about it. “I don’t believe in that sort of thing.”
“Neither do I, but the stars seemed to have aligned perfectly. We both have our pasts, and we’re trying to cope as best as we can with them. So why don’t we work together and accompany one another on a journey?”
“Are you saying that I owe you a debt?” Yumiko said, before Kazan scratched his head.
“I intervened because I don’t like the thought of men taking advantage of a woman like that. I wasn’t expecting payment in return. However, I think the two of us have a common goal, don’t we? Why not work together for it?”
“Do you even know what my goal is?” Yumiko said.
“Let’s just say that I hear things whispered on the wind. We’re both looking for someone, right?”
Yumiko glanced towards Kazan warily. He seemed to be a wind shinobi, that’s for sure, and if he was rumored to be a shinobi tha could hear the wind of untruth from someone, she wouldn’t be able to lie to him easily. She hated being an open book to someone else, with all her secrets and whatnot, but she knew that lying to Kazan would be a futile exercise and only make her look foolish.
“I’m looking for my brother. What of it?”
“Since you’ve confessed the truth, I have a confession of my own that I must make,” Kazan said. “I’m looking for someone…to kill them. My past complicates things, but if there’s one person who desesrves to die, it is this man.”
“You’re not…talking about my brother, are you?” Yumiko asked, and Kazan shook his head.
“Your brother is an unfortunate part of a conspiracy that is to take down the Capitol,” Kazan said. “But he’s innocent. I do not take innocent lives.”
“You’re looking for revenge?” Yumoio asked, while Kazan had a sad cast in his eye.
“I would like to think that I’m doing this for noble reasons…” Kazan said. “But I’m a killer in the end. But even if I must stain my hands, this man must be stopped to prevent further deaths. So evil if I fall into hell with my Sins, then this man will be coming with me.”