Chapter one
All great samurai begin as only a learner.

“Ryuu, Ryuu:” it was the call from my one and only friend Sauka Sakura. I saw her running up to me with her usual smile and with all of her energy. “Hey Sakura what’s up” I 発言しました “your father wants to see あなた Ryuu” she said. I wonder what my father would want to see me for; he is a samurai and unfortunately doesn’t have much time to spend with me. I pick up my bokken and put it in my belt, Sakura grabs my arm. “Come on lets go” she says exited. Ever since we met when we where little kids we did everything together, we have faced pretend danger with our pretend swords and when we got in trouble we would both be there to face our fathers together. It was the Edo era in 日本 so until I’m officially a samurai I am not aloud to wear a full sized sword; I instead carry around my wooden sword, the bokken. Sakura has a kind of ナイフ called the tanto that her mother gave her when she passed away. I remember when her mother passed away because we where both there to cry with each other, I was 8 and she was 7 but that was 10 years 前 and now I’m 18 and she is 17. Sakura walked me into my father’s house and we met my dad at the door. “Come Sagara Ryuu, あなた Sauka Sakura will stay outside” my father said. “But” Sakura began to protest. I give Sakura a gentle キッス on the cheek. ”it will be ok Sakura あなた can wait outside for me, can’t you?” “Ok” she said. I walk into the house and my father closes the door behind me and sits down at the end of the room 次 to his swords. “Sit Ryuu” he said, so I sat in front of him like a formal meeting. “The shogun himself sent me a letter that I received just today, now as あなた know I’m not a very rich または important samurai but he has called on your help.” He said. “My help, but I’m not even a samurai yet” I said. My mother comes in carrying a set of two swords on a soft cushion; she is carrying a typical long sword known as the katana and a short sword known as the wakizashi. My father picks these swords up and hands them to me and he says “well now あなた are a real samurai.” “So father what was it that the shogun needed me for?” I ask taking my swords and my mother leaves the room. “He didn’t say in the letter he just 発言しました あなた need to visit him at the Edo palace.” That’s going to be some walk because we are in Kyoto. “Take the letter too so あなた can prove that it is you” he said. “Good idea” I 発言しました knowing I would wave forgotten otherwise. My father hands me the letter and I put it in my pocket. I stand up and put my swords in my ベルト and walk out the door to find Sakura waiting anxiously just outside. “Oh wow Ryuu あなた have 2 swords, あなた must be a samurai now just like your father” she says with excitement. “Yes I am Sakura” “hey Ryuu あなた don’t mind if I….” she pulls the katana out of the 鞘 and swings it a few times. “Sakura your not supposed to use full size swords” I say “what are あなた going to レポート me” she says taunting me and running into the woods. She did the same thing when I got my bokken; she took it and ran of into the woods and she started using it to cut down branches on a tree, so I can only expect that she will do the same now so for the sake of the 木, ツリー I ran in after her.
    I catch up to her and another samurai is near her and he draws his sword. I told her she shouldn’t have run off with a katana. I draw my wakizashi and charge at the other samurai. The samurai tries to bring his sword down on Sakura but I block his sword with mine. “Ryuu you’re here.” Sakurai cries. I take my katana from her and hold it in my right hand and the wakizashi in my left. The samurai goes for me and tries to スラッシュ at me horizontally. I block the attack with my wakizashi. The samurai brings his sword for a vertical スラッシュ but I put my katana in a position to strike horizontally and スラッシュ before he can attack. My sword cuts into his chest and causes blood to spurt out of the wound in the samurai’s chest where my sword hit. The samurai falls down to his death bleeding on the ground. A few もっと見る samurai come in to the forest near me and see the fallen samurai. “Who are you?” says one of the samurai. “My name is Sagara Ryuu” I 発言しました “son of Sagara Riku” the first samurai draws a huge sword from a 鞘 on his back and the 秒 one draws a small one from the 鞘 on his belt. “An odachi and a kodachi” Sakura says. Both samurai run at me at the same time but because of a weight difference in the swords I parried the large one first and the smaller one 次 and slashed at the guy with the large sword cutting him and he falls over unable to attack but when I スラッシュ at the samurai with the short sword he blocks it. I don’t worry I just take my left hand off the katana and go for the wakizashi and スラッシュ him with it. I pick a piece of cloth out of my pocket and wipe down my sword’s blades and put them both in the scabbards. “Wow あなた just killed your first three samurai Ryuu” 発言しました Sakura. “Yes I did” I 発言しました looking down at the samurai corpses lying on the ground before me. “It feels weird” I said. “What do あなた mean によって it feels weird Ryuu” she said. “Well it’s a weird feeling, あなた know killing a man.” She put her hands on my shoulders and said. “Well its not like it’s every 日 あなた kill a samurai” “That is true, こんにちは we should go back down to our houses and gather supplies for a trip to Edo.” I said. “Why Edo though?” she asked me. “Well the reason I stand before あなた as a samurai is because the shogun has sent my dad a letter asking for my help, not my dad’s help, mine. So I need to go to Edo to meet him in his palace.” “Well Ryuu I don’t care if the shogun wands it または not but I’m coming with you.” “It’s not an easy road Sakura but I’m sure あなた can handle it” “you know I can.” She says while pulling out her tanto. “Ok so for tonight let’s get some rest and we will take off tomorrow.”