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Never Gentle	By : MidoriBond Category: +S to Z > Samurai 7 Views: 1588 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Samurai 7, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1
- 2
Never Gentle

by Midori Bond

Chapter 1

Dawn broke
over the village of Miroden. Many of the men were already out either
tending to the animals, or getting ready to set sail. The Nobuseri
hadn't been by in nearly a week. Peace was starting to settle over
everyone's minds as the rumors of their defeat reached far and wide.

The village
elder, Tayama Jiro, sat comfortably in his home. He received word
that the new Magistrate, Ukyo had sent samurai out to aid various
villages against the threat of the robotic bandits. The idea was
sound. Many villages needed to be saved from the atrocities they
caused. Miroden, however, was not one of those villages.

The door to
his home opened, allowed a slim figure to enter. Eyes the color smoke
were nearly hidden by a deep green mask and headdress. "You're
up early Grandfather," a woman's voice whispered.

Jiro smiled as
he was brought out of his thoughts. She was the reason why Miroden
survived for these past few years. She had placed herself between the
Nobuseri and the village too many times to count. "I was simply
thinking," he confessed. He looked at his adopted granddaughter
and fought a sigh. She stood in the shadows, always trying to hide
herself. "The Magistrate's samurai should be arriving sometime today."

Her eyes
narrowed as she pulled down the fabric covering her face. "So it
is true," she said before ripping her headgear off. Mouse brown
hair fell in waves down her back. Tanned skin was marred by a thick
white scar that covered the left side of her face. "You do know
that this Ukyo is going to get us all killed," she said,
furious. "Does he not even realize that some villages have
worked out trade agreements with the Nobuseri?"

"I fear
he does not."

At his quiet
answer, she stepped closer to him. Once she was close enough, she
practically fell to her knees, gray eyes imploring. "Grandfather,
you know I despise the Nobuseri. They ripped my life, and my family
apart. Out of everyone here, I have the most reason to want to see
them all cut to pieces. But even I know that if I make a move against
them, everyone else will suffer. How do I sit back and let these...
these barbarians into my home and allow them to destroy everything
that you've worked so hard to build."

Jiro frowned
as she bowed her head. He knew how she felt. She was torn between
wanting to rid the village of the threat that hung over them all, and
wanting to keep everyone safe now that there was a fragile balance.
He placed a wrinkled hand on her hair. "I am the village elder.
I must always seek the answers that will insure the survival of my
village. However, with the passage of time, I believe that we will
have to follow the path Kanna Village has taken," he answered gravely.

"You want
us to fight the Nobuseri?" she asked with widened eyes. As she
looked into his face, she saw his solemn nod. "Why?"

"The
younger generation fears them. They will grow to hate them, and learn
to fight back. That may happen now, or during a time where you are
not here to protect them."

She turned her
face away from his tender expression. "I am just a woman, Grandfather."

A small,
familiar smile crossed his face. "You are Samurai, Nari."
As she shook her head, he continued to smile. "When your uncle
Seiji brought you to me, he told me of your family. He wished that I
made sure you were raised as a respectable woman. One that knew her
place and stayed by her husband's side. But I failed him. I allowed
you to practice with the sword he left with you. I allowed you to
fight battles that you were never meant to be in. With your build and
cowl, the Nobuseri first believed to be dealing with a boy with more
mouth than sense. After Jin-dono learned the truth, he allowed the
masquerade to continue. You earned his respect, and I now fear,
something else."

Nari looked
away from him. "If I have his respect, why would you have us all fight?"

"Would
you marry him?" Jiro asked suddenly. He nodded as her eyes flew
to him. "He is one of the few men that have power over the
Nobuseri. It is by his law that we even have a trade agreement. If he
came here and demanded your hand, for the sake of Miroden, what would
you do?"

"I would
have no other choice, I would marry him."

Jiro nodded.
"And that is why I want you to lead the Magistrate's
samurai." He slowly stood and made his way to the door. "I
was supposed to raise a respectable woman. I raised a samurai with
more of her father in her than anyone could have guessed. If you wish
to marry someone out of love, then I will stand by and not utter a
sound. But I will not allow anyone to entertain the thought that I
raised a whore."

Nari stayed
frozen as Jiro left the small house. He had made his decision. He was
going to break the trade agreement, condemn the village- people she
learned to love as family- for her honor. Her head lowered, mouse
brown locks dusting the floor. "Don't you realize
Grandfather?" she whispered into the wood floor. "I'd
rather be a whore than a monster."

* * * * *

It was midday
when one of the young men standing watch over the village saw the
small troop. He easily climbed down from the tower he was stationed
in and ran up to Jiro's house, where the elder was sitting
thoughtfully. "There are about ten," the teen said nervously.

Jiro merely
nodded as other villagers started to gather in front of his house.
"That is fine. We will need as much aid as possible if we are to
stand against the Nobuseri." He noticed the gasps coming from
many of the women, and chose to ignore them. Nari needed to know his
reasons for his change in attitude, they did not. "Please, Kei,
show them to me." As the guard nodded and ran back towards the
tower, Jiro turned to look over his shoulder. Nari just emerged from
his house. Smoke eyes were bloodshot, and Jiro could guess that she
didn't sleep after their talk earlier. "I will only allow them
to stay, if you lead them," he told her in a hushed voice.

She placed her
hand on his shoulder. "I am a woman," she whispered.

"You are
your father's daughter."

"Then
that is more than enough reason for you to give up this train of
thought," she breathed. "Remember, my father abandoned our
home. He left me and my mother to die. What makes you think I won't
do the same?"

Jiro looked at
her with serious onyx eyes. "Because you are Samurai."

Nari shook her
head and sighed. "I hope your age isn't starting to affect your
sanity Grandfather," she said as the crowd parted before the
coming samurai.

A man only a
few years older than Nari stepped in front of Jiro. "We are here
on the behalf of the Magistrate, Lord Ukyo," he said formally.
"With the Nobuseri's defeat in Kanna Village, he has expressed
his desire to rid this threat from the other villages under his domain."

Jiro looked at
the men surrounding them. A few of them were little older than Kei.
They each looked desperate to prove something to someone. A frown
settled on his face. Desperation could lead to recklessness. The
other warriors looked old and seasoned, but they also looked
bloodthirsty. There was no doubt that if given the chance, they too,
would have chosen the metallic existence of the Nobuseri. Jiro
brought himself out of his thoughts. "It is very kind of Lord
Ukyo to think of the people. I, myself, started to have thoughts of
mirroring Kanna Village," he said diplomatically. Again, he
ignored the surprised sounds of his villagers. "However, I must
inform you, there is a samurai already living here. If you intend to
fight on our behalf, you will have to take orders from her."

The leader of
the samurai felt his eyebrow arch. "Her?" he asked
before he could stop himself. "You expect us to follow a woman
into battle?"

"Nari's
better than a bunch of men like you!" a little boy's voice shouted.

Behind her
cowl, Nari smiled. Kou's faith in her abilities never seemed to
waver. But as one of the larger men stalked over to the boy, she felt
her eyes narrow. When his hand started to elevate, Nari moved from
Jiro's shoulder. "If you hit that child, I will take your
hand," she said coldly.

The bear of a
man slowly turned towards her. His eyes raked over her form before he
laughed. "I fought in the Great War," he boasted. "If
the Nobuseri ain't take a part of me, what makes you think you
can?" he taunted.

Everyone stood
in shock as Nari shrugged. "Because I can get closer to you than
they can," she answered easily. Before he could respond, she was
at his side with a duel bladed sword at his throat. As she glared
into her opponent's eyes, she pitched her voice so that everyone
could hear her. "That's the advantage of staying human. Nobuseri
are bigger, all bulk. But if you get close enough, a little sword can
take out critical wiring and bring it crashing down." She
stepped away from him, never breaking their eye contact. "You
don't have to follow me. Each of you came here, you know how to leave."

The leader of
the troop smiled as he walked over to Nari. "What is your
name?" he asked curiously.

"Nari,"
she said simply.

He frowned.
"No family name?" he asked. When smoke eyes glared at him,
he bowed respectfully. "I am Fujimiya Shido, the leader of this band."

Nari continued
to glare at him. "What do you want?" she asked bluntly.

"Proof of
your skills," Shido said easily. He looked at his men and
smiled. "It's only fair. We can only follow those that are
stronger, and if you wish to lead us, then you will have to prove yourself."

"Nari
doesn't have to prove anything to you!" Kou argued. His blue
eyes widened as Nari placed her hand on his shoulder. "Nari, you
don't," he whispered in a soft voice.

She squeezed
his shoulder. "Go to Grandfather," she told him softly. As
he moved away from her, she looked at the crowd around them. "All
of you, go to your homes."

The bear next
to her snorted. "See, she's too chickenshit to take on Shido.
Why would we follow her anywhere?" he said with a laugh.

A pair of the
older samurai laughed, but settled when Shido gave them all a look.
His eyes were focused on Nari. She had a slim fighter's figure.
Because of the cloth covering her face, it was nearly impossible to
tell she was a woman. Before she spoke, he thought she was another of
the village's teen guards. But the way she held her sword, never
tense, never relaxed, it reminded him of someone.

Nari looked at
Jiro and nodded only once. "I will take on whoever attacks,"
she said simply. "I will only hold back death blows." Her
eyes cut to the man next to her. "But do not think of that as weakness."

Shido shook
his head as he drew his sword. "I will be your opponent. If I
fall, whoever wishes to leave may still do so." Without any
further warning, he rushed Nari. Their swords locked in a stalemate.
Trying to gain an advantage over her, Shido sidestepped. As Nari
moved with him, he was reminded of a taller man, with flowing brown
hair. He was brought back to the fight on hand when Nari threw her
weight down and easily rolled him over her shoulder.

She moved away
from him, not bothering with the look of shock on his face. "Keep
your mind here," she spat. Her eyes looked at the stunned men
around her. "I wouldn't want the men to think that I cheated."

Shido jumped
to his feet. Focused purple eyes stayed on her as she rushed him with
fluid grace. He raised his sword and blocked the blow intended for
his side. He looked at her with a deep frown. "I thought you
said you were going to pull your blows."

A single
shoulder shrugged. "I wanted to make sure you were still paying
attention," she said simply. As his frown deepened, she kicked
his leg out from under him. Again, he had gotten a far off look in
his eyes. She stepped away from him and re-sheathed her sword.
"If you're not going to focus, if this is the best you have,
then leave," she ordered. "I will not step over the graves
of my people for this carelessness." She turned her back to the
samurai and started towards Jiro.

Shido felt his
breath leave him as he looked at her. There was no way that it could
have been possible. He had been told that his one time commander had
a wife and daughter, but all reports said they were both dead. He
stood, now realizing who he had to please. With an assassin's
stealth, he ran after her.

Nari turned
and drew her sword at the same moment. Before she could react, she
slashed mercilessly at his chest. As he fell to the ground, she felt
the cowl she wore slide off of her face. Her eyes were hard as the
other samurai looked at her in shock. The villagers that were still
watching were motionless. She always hid the scar on her face. The
belief that it was a hideous reminder of the first battle she was
ever in kept her in various masks and cowls since she was a child.
Her hair flowed with the breeze as she walked over to Shido's prone
form. "That was stupid," she said going to one knee.
"Don't you know I could have killed you?" she asked.

He looked at
her in amazement. It would have been so easy to trade her features
for her father's. A slow smile crossed his face. "You held
back?" he asked gingerly touching the cuts on his chest.

"I should
have went for your gut," she said simply. She easily reached for
the top of his tunic and ripped it open. He was bleeding badly, but
there was still a chance to save him. "Sara," she called
out. As she turned to Jiro, she saw the eldest of his granddaughters
standing at his side. "Can you please take Shido-san to
Grandfather's home to be treated?" she asked.

As Sara
started towards Nari, the bear of a samurai went to Shido's side.
"I'll carry him," he said easily lifting his commander.

Nari nodded
once. "I take it that you're staying?" she asked dryly.

"I'm
Seguchi Momotaro," he said before walking towards the attractive
woman with the large green eyes. "After Shido-dono is taken care
of, we will follow you with complaint," he said over his shoulder.

* * * * *

Two days
later, Shido woke to the feeling of cool hands dressing his wounds.
He looked up to see a young woman with soft blonde hair and gentle
garnet eyes. "Who are you?" he asked softly.

She smiled as
she looked at him. "My name is Hotaru," she said easily.
"I've been one of your keepers since you screwed up."

He frowned as
she continued to wipe at his chest. "Most would be impressed
that I was able to survive a mortal wound like that."

"I would
have been more impressed if you had never fought with Nari to begin
with," she muttered. With a frustrated sigh, she shook her head.
"I don't know what she or Grandfather have been thinking. With
her sword and skills, she could slaughter the Nobuseri that come here."

"You
think highly of her," Shido said lowly.

"Well,
the trouncing she gave you wasn't even a fraction of her skill,"
she said with a smile.

Shido closed
his eyes. "Do you have to insult me at every turn?" he
asked tiredly.

"I'm just
giving you what you and your men gave my cousin," Hotaru
said in a low voice. When he opened one eye to look at her, she
shrugged. "It's true."

He stayed
silent as he continued to think about Nari. He allowed Hotaru to
change his bandages and frowned as he forced himself to sit up.
"Where is she?" he asked politely.

Hotaru
gathered her herbs and bandages. "She should be outside with the
troops. They're all making arrangements and preparing to fight the
Nobuseri when they arrive." She stood and went to the door. She
knew that she should tell him to lay down and rest, but for some
reason, she knew that he would just ignore her. "If you decide
that you want to come outside, there's clean clothes for you just
next to the screen."

Shido watched
her as she left. It appeared like Miroden had more than one woman
that didn't know her proper place. As he forced himself to his feet,
a smile crossed his face. Miroden was going to be a refreshing change.

* * * * *

Nari frowned
as she watched Momotaro and Shen spar. The younger man was trying his
hardest to score a hit on the veteran, but he was just making a fool
of himself. She stepped off of the tree stump she was standing on and
walked over to the pair. "Shen-noji, you have to stop thinking
so much," she said lowly. "Let each move guide you into the
next." She took Shen's sword and faced Momotaro. "If he
blocks," she started, lunging at the larger man. When the blades
met, she moved both swords in a circle away from them all, "then
you find a way to negate his attack." Before either could do
anything, her foot came up, barely missing Momotaro's face. "Your
sword isn't your only weapon."

Shen nodded
slowly as she returned his sword. Everything she said made perfect
sense, he was just having a problem with putting it into his own
mind. He bit his lip and faced Momotaro again. "Okay, let's try
it again."

Nari shook her
head. "No. Do it," she ordered. She walked over to her tree
stump and rang a small bell Kou had given her. She looked at the few
samurai, and villagers that were trying to sharpen their combat
skills. "The Nobuseri have missed their last two pick ups,"
she started. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Shido and Jiro
walking closer to them. "I don't want you all to think that just
because they aren't here, the threat is gone. It's not. In fact,
until we receive word that all Nobuseri are destroyed, the danger to
us all only increases."

Shido leaned
back against a tree as he watched his... her men. They all were
caught in the spell of her voice. Soft, regal, confident. Just like
her father.

"I know
you all have been doing your best to improve, but today is the last
day that I will be training you," Nari announced. "If I
don't see improvement in your fighting abilities, then I will order
your assistance elsewhere." She looked at Shen and saw how his
head lowered in shame. "There is no honor in dying a needless
death. If you could make a better archer than swordsman, I would all
the sooner hand you a bow and arrow. If you are a technician, then by
all means, go with Nyogo-dono. He needs help desperately. I will not
waste time and assets when the danger to the women and children grows."

Jiro stood
next to Shido and smiled. "She is a natural commander," the
elder said easily. "And very skilled with sword and arrow."

"Yes,"
Shido agreed. "Her father will be thrilled to see what a woman
she's turned into."

Widened eyes
looked at the injured samurai. "You know who she is?" he
asked in a whisper.

Shido nodded.
"I realized it when fighting her. She's the daughter to one of
the greatest heroes of the Great War."

"Do not
mention it to her. She has... issues with her father." Jiro saw
the way Nari was sparring with Kei. He couldn't hold back a low hiss
of sympathy when her elbow connected with his jaw. "If you want
to stay on the good side of her blade, you will do your best not to
mention Shimada Kambei."

TBC...
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Never Gentle