OK heres my re-submittion. Hopefully it's better the second time around. I haven't prof read it mainly because I don't feel like it and I know you're eager to see it DV. Hope that all will enjoy!
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For people who didn't know "shinobi" is another word for "ninja".
The Shinobi's Code
Five-hundred years ago in the Hokaido mountain range of Japan, Kaya awoke with fright at the sound of her husband, Hattori, in the night. "What's going on Hattori?" she asked and he simply put a finger to her lips to silence her. Kaya could tell that this was important and she grabbed their 10 yr. old child, Akira, and went to hide in the basement. She could hear the footsteps of Hatorri and suddenly the footsteps of another man. She could faintly hear the conversation between them.."Why are you here?!", Hattori asked and the man responded, "You know why.. I'm here to settle something that should have been done years ago.. I'm here to kill you.". Kaya then heard a leap by both men and a deadly gnashing sound of steel grinding through the bone of its foe. Then there was silence.. "If Hattori was still alive, surely he would have come to get me out wouldn't he?", thought Kaya. She waited until morning in utter horror of what might await her on the wooden floor in her small 3 room hut. As she came up from the basement she saw her husband's dismembered body covered in blood. The only trace of the killer left was a shuriken in Hattori's forehead that had a note rolled up in it. The note was written in Hattori's blood and read "No one can leave his home and forget his honor. Let this be a lesson to all that once a shinobi, always a shinobiâ¦.until death."
5 years later
"Akira! Where are you?" yelled Kaya, "I'm coming mother!"
Akira was now 15 and a wonderful warrior who had toppled countless shinobi with his bloodstained blade. Many called him ruthless and didn't know when to stop, but his mother saw that when he fought he was really crying out for help and would end up going into a rage because of the incident with his father.. At heart he was a gentle peace loving person, but on the battlefield he became a demon. He would thrust his blade with all his strength every time and he would leave none standing. Everyone feared making and enemy of him and tried to stay away. He spent most of his teenage years alone, training in the woods.
"Yes mother?", asks Akira ,"Sit down my son, it is time I told you the details of your father's deathâ¦.I believe you are old enough now and you have the right to know." Akira sits down and listensâ¦â¦.
Akira sat there for many minutes after his mother's story in silence. It was a lot for a young man of his age to take in when he formerly knew very little of his father. He told his mother that he would be back once he cleared his head. While Akira was gone his mother waited very impatiently, for she was worried that he might suspect something from her story and demand the real truth..
When Akira returned he was very calm. He carefully packed his armor, survival equipment, some food provisions, his bow and quiver, and last, but not least he strapped his katana to his belt. His mother asked him what he was doing and he replied that he was going to search for his father's murderer and would not return until he killed him. Kaya tried to stop her only son by waltzing into his own grave, but he was utterly determined to avenge his father and shrugged off her words.
He left his mother's hut, the place he had lived all his life, for a journey to find his revenge. He followed the rivers and listening to the sound of the water flowing, the leaves flittering in the breeze and the soft sound of animals scurrying across the forest floor calmed him temporarily. He had searched many villages, to find nothing of use. He had been living off animals he killed with his bow and forest berries that grew vibrantly during the spring for a whole month now. Akira then met a traveling man, whose appearance was that of the frailest gentleman, but Akira also had the feel that he was once a great warrior. Akira approached the man asking for assistance in his quest. The man said, "Be careful my son, for you know not what you are going up against, for I do know the man you seek and his skills aren't to be taken lightly.", Akira replied, "You think I care about that! He killed my father and I vow to slay him! If you know anything about this beast of a man tell me! Please!". The man then said, "You seem determined young one, go. The man you are searching is name Makoto and he lives in a small house in the nearest mountain to the east. May god watch over you and give you strength. Now go, just go.". With that Akira left the man's presence and headed of to the east.
It didn't take long for Akira to find Makoto's house and his plan was to attack during the middle of the night in hopes of an easy kill. Unfortunately things didn't go as planned.. Akira walked straight into an ambush. He was surrounded by 20 shinobi and behind them was his foe cloaked in black. The murderer spoke, "Why have you come? Did your mother not warn you of the dangers?" Akira responded angrily, "I came to avenge my father by slaying the wretch that killed him!". "As you wish.", said the murderer, "Go ahead and try it!". At once all the shinobi lunged at Akira. Blood stained the room, limbs flew through the air and the night turned red. Once the sound of steel on steel and blood splattering against the walls stopped, one man stood in the center of the room victorious.
Akira was blood stained and covered in numerous wounds, but none were enough to fall him. Makoto spoke, "You have trained well and have won. I will give you the chance to run now while you suffer no fatal injuries. I would rather not kill without purpose". "I will not run! My mother told me what you did to my father and how just because he abandoned being a shinobi you killed him!". "Is that what she told you?", Makoto responded, "You mother has lied to you boy, the truth is that SHE was the shinobi. She was missioned to kill your father years ago, but she ended up falling in love with him and yielding his only son. Hattori was once a prince and we had been trying to kill him for years. We didn't want another of his bloodline to take the title of emperor. In hopes of hiding him from us, the emperor had him moved to a small hut to be hidden. Once he fell in love with Kaya, he faked his death with her and had her kill the guards to fool the emperor. He wanted to live a quiet life with Kaya away from the publicity of the throne. Even I was fooled by this ploy for some years, but once we heard of Kaya's failure I personally set out to complete the mission.". "Your father was killed to complete the mission and to remind her that a shinobi must always complete their task without fail. That is the Shinobi Code!". Horrified Akira stood there, he was paralyzed in fear and awe due to this unbearable truth that he just learned. He was of royal lewd and had his parents not have disassociated themselves from the main society, he would have led an easy carefree life. The two people that he loved the most and had admired since childhood were no more than frauds now.
Makoto spoke once again, "I gave you the chance to run, but it appears that you won't take it. I am sorry for the truth that you just learned. Ignorance and lies can give you happiness, but they can also ruin you completely. I hope that you were at least more honest than your parents in what short time you spent on this earth. May you rest in peace with your father in the heavens, for I cannot allow the former emperors bloodline to continue.". With a single thrust Makoto elegantly & gracefully slipped his blade between Akira's ribs with prefect accuracy, thus ending Akira's life.
The End
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I'll review yours later howlett.
