A Warm, Sunny Day [Doujima]

[Kensei Musashi]

The day was warm with a light breeze blowing through the streets as the village center was lively. People walked about, occasionally stopping to chat amongst each other as they went about their daily business. Young children ran about and played games with each other, enjoying the time of their youth in the best way they could. Many more were simply passing by, heading towards the marketplace to collect their daily necessities. Amongst them all, a single man stood out amongst them as he walked through the streets, chewing on one of various plums he carried with him in his arms. His clothing was simple and plain, dark with a lighter brown haori worn over it, but a katana resting in it's sheath, held to his waist by his obi sash, along with his distinctive scar down the left side of his face, his red eyes and a missing pinky finger on his left hand gave him away to all.

Something of a celebrity amongst them, people opened up a path for him as he walked casually amongst them, giving them all warm smiles as they watched him, little children staring up at his sword admiringly whilst older men showed him respect by trying their best not to bother him in any way. Amongst the ranks of the Emperor's Samurai, there was only one with these distinguishable traits and he was praised as one of the best swordsmen in the land. Given the formal title of 'Kensei', which he took for his own family name, this man, despite his casual, calm, relaxed demeanor, was Kensei Musashi. A man whose reputation was known throughout the land.

Of course, he himself chose not to care much for it - Beyond taking Kensei as his family name, he had no pride to speak of. He did not brag about his exploits, the people he had defeated or other such things. He was happy with what life gave him. In this case, they had given him delicious plums. Finding a seat by the road, he allowed himself some few moments of rest as he continued to eat the plums by himself whilst the rest of the village went back to their own business. "Ah, this is a wonderful day" he spoke aloud to no one in particular. "I am very lucky, it seems. Perhaps when I return to the dojo, I shall consider letting my students off a bit earlier. Not too much, of course - I wouldn't want for their skills to diminish because of my generosity..." he murmured, only to suddenly hear a crash behind him. He had been sitting just outside a bar of sorts, and apparently something or someone had just fallen. Curiosity getting the better of him, he poked his head in to see just what had happened.

[veesquared]

'No way in hell you could win twelve times in a row, Yuki! There's just no way!'

Doujima sat, her white kimono sleeve hiding the smile on her face. Across from her sat a large man, nearly seven feet in height, a scar over his left eye and tattoos adoring his arms and neck. A vein in his head was throbbing as he glared at the white haired wanderer in front of him.

'Oh come now, Ichi-kun. Are you suggesting that I'm cheating? I'm a true lady and ladies don't cheat.'

Doujima batted her eyelashes, knowing full well that she had, indeed, been cheating the entire time. Playing Pai Gow with a con artist did have its set backs. Up her kimono sleeves were several dominoes which she would inconspicuously slip on the table when need be. A new game was started, Doujima being the one to shuffle the dominoes. Reaching towards the domino pile, Doujima's wrist was snatched by a large hand. In one movement he had her across the table, her kimono sleeve yanked, exposing her steel fans and extra set of dominoes. 'I knew it!' he roared, snatching the dominoes and throwing them across the room. 'Nobody cheats me, female or not.'

He raised hand, striking Doujima in the face, sending her across the room. She stood up, slightly off balance from the force of the hit and a mixture of alcohol she had been drinking for hours. Angry and inebriated, Doujima cracked her neck, charging at the large man. She landed a combination of hits; a left kick to the ear, a right hook to the jaw, and two solid palms to his sternum to force enough space between them for a next attack. Quickly, she pulled her fans out of her kimono sleeves, standing in a defensive position waiting for his next attack. He got up, rubbing his jaw, before charging at Doujima like a bull. Doujima jumped, using Ichi's shoulders as a tumbling mat, catapulting herself far enough away from him. His speed and weight, combined with the alcohol, made it impossible for him to stop and he crashed through one of the back doors of the bar.

Doujima calmly walked over to him, a smile on her face. 'You're a pathetic thug, Ichi-kun.' she laughed, hitting him full force in the face with her steel fans, causing him to black out. 'And now, I'll be taking what's left of your money.'

[/blockquote]

[Kensei Musashi]

"Ah... While I don't approve of cheating, violence is no answer, either..." muttered the young swordsman as he walked into the bar. He hadn't seen the action yet, but he had managed to hear everything that happened before he got up, turned around and entered the doorway with his plums in one arm, his free hand scratching his head a bit. He looked at the sight before him of the young lady stealing from the thug and stopped for a moment, blinking. Rather unusually, the young lady bore a head of white hair, a sight he hadn't seen in any place across Japan. Curiously inspecting her, he forgot to move for a moment as she took the last of the thug's money, only to suddenly remember what he was in the bar for in the first place. Stepping forwards, he now blocked the exit before walking towards her.

"Ah, sorry, I suppose I shouldn't just speak without introducing myself, should I? My name is Musashi, miss, and I believe that this money is not yours" he remarked calmly, hoping she would at least be reasonable with him. He wanted to keep the peace in this situation. True, for resorting to violence, he'd probably take the thug in to the proper authorities, but he also needed to have the woman hand back the money she'd just tried to steal. It wasn't necessarily a good thing to do, after all, even if it was from a bad person. "I understand you must not want to, but there is no need for it. If you need some money for food, I am willing to lend you the spare change" he remarked. Maybe that wasn't the smartest thing to say to someone who was already known to be cheating at gambling, but he had to say something. Plus, it was in his nature to be just that - selfless.

Awaiting her answer, he popped one of his plums into his mouth, only to pause for a moment as he chewed it, take a hold of another with his left hand and proceeded to offer her another of the plums as a token of his generosity. If she looked at the way he held it, she would notice something off about his hand - the on the left hand, he only had the first three fingers, whilst the pinky finger had become something of a stub without it's end, an odd sight. "So, miss, might I ask your name now that I have given you mine?" he asked, raising a brow in hopes she would answer him.

[veesquared]

Doujima smiled brightly, like a child receiving a gift as she took the money from his robes. He didn't have very much money left from all the bets they had made, but there was enough for a few glasses of alcohol. As soon as she slipped the money into her kimono she heard a voice from behind her. She froze, her head turning slowly, her eyes wide in panic. His remark about violence not being the answer told her it wasn't one of his pals that frequented the bar. No, she had never seen this man at any of the gambling games she had attended.

She smiled up at him, her eyes closed tight, and waved her hands frantically in front of her as a sign of submission. 'It's not what you think! He lost this money fair and square. Well, not really fair, but anyhow, he lost. I cheated, yeah, but he's not exactly a person of upstanding moral. At least I'd do something good with the money.' she blabbered, trying to protect her innocence in the situation. She was in no way innocent, but she was the most innocent if it was a choice between her and Ichi. 'I'm actually considering it payment for the large bruise he left on my face.' Doujima said, showing the man who called himself Musashi the side of her face that was turned away. A large blue welt was forming on her otherwise porcelain skin. It reached from above her eyebrow all the way to her lower jaw and was starting to hurt a bit.

Doujima stood up, rotating her jaw, trying to ease the throbbing feeling. She smiled at the man's kindness as he offered her money for food. She shook her head, placing her steel fans in the rightful place and removing the money from her obi and placing it on the table. 'I don't need it. I have enough. I'm just an evil doer. What can I say?' she joked, poking fun at her extracurricular activities.

She gave a polite nod as she took the plum from his hand, which had obviously seen battle, and popped it in her mouth. 'My name? Why? You gonna turn me in?' she said, her mouth still full of plum. 'No use, anyways. Everybody knows about me already. I'm Tanaka, Doujima. Most people in this village call me Yuki.' Doujima sat down at the bar, ordering a glass of sake with her own money. Yes, it was a bit early to drink but the popping noise from her jaw when she spoke said otherwise. 'Pardon my unladylike behavior. It's been quite awhile since I've needed to use manner. This' she said, pointing to the passed out Ichi. 'Is the calibur of people I hang out with.'

[/blockquote]

[Kensei Musashi]

"Ah" Musashi spoke, inspecting the discoloration of the skin on her cheek. "That is a rather large bruise. Fortunate it is only a bruise then, though admittedly, I am not sure if the right way to take punishment on a man is to steal from him whilst he is unconscious..." he remarked, mulling it over in his head for a moment. Well, this woman was making a point, though in the end stealing was, as he was taught, wrong. He remembered that day long ago, when he had first encountered his master - Miyamoto Bennosuke, an old man yet a powerful and competent master of swordsmanship. When he had attempted to pickpocket the master, he'd been caught, but the old man only stopped him to give him the money himself in an act of generosity unlike any he'd seen up until then. Perhaps, then, that was what made himself so generous to others.

"Miyamoto-sensei always was like that..." he mumbled under his breath before shaking his head, returning his gaze to the young lady. "Ah, Doujima-san, if I may call you that, I am afraid I don't quite remember hearing of you before. The name is vaguely familiar, at best. My apologies" he remarked, only to pause as he noticed a slight movement from the figure lying on the ground behind them. All of a sudden, the figure rose back up, clutching their head in pain before they turned back towards them, glaring from the corner of his eye. 'Ichi-kun', as it were, was only out for a few moments. Evidently, he was tougher than they'd given him credit for. In a moment fueled by anger, the man snapped out with a back-handed strike, but before he could hit Doujima, Musashi intercepted.

No doubt changing the woman's perceptions about him entirely in one move, his right hand shot up to take hold of his wrist, stopping the motion of the attack for the moment it took his left hand to move upwards, pushing up his elbow and twisting his arm around. All of a sudden, the man was pulled around and pushed flat to the floor, held down by a sort of defensive grappling technique that prevented him from attacking in any way, shape or form. "Aikido, Ikkyo" Musashi spoke, apparently explaining himself. "This is the first technique of Aikido and the most basic. Don't worry - this won't hurt you, though I don't intend to release you until you calm yourself down" he told him, though the man simply glared back up at him, seething as he grit his teeth.

"You... Who the hell-!" Ichi-kun stopped himself mid sentence as he looked up at him. With red eyes, that scar and, over the shoulder, he could see he was missing part of his left little finger too... It couldn't be, could it?! The Emperor's Samurai?! "You... Kensei! Y-You're really him, aren't you?!" he exclaimed, a hint of fear in his voice as he realized he'd just messed with the 'Sword Saint', the youngest dojo teacher of the Emperor's Samurai, Kensei Musashi. In response, Musashi only gave a sheepish look back to Doujima, a little embarrassed.

"Ah, I guess my name is a little well known around here, too" he remarked, face a little red.

[veesquared]

Doujima's face contorted into somewhat of a pout as Musashi dismissed her bruise. She was far from vain, but the discoloration would become horrible the longer she had the bruise. Soon it would turn purple, black, and later green, which against her snow white skin would look terrifying. Gingerly, Doujima felt her bruise, tenderness already setting in. She had always been tough, almost indestructible by others standards but the Ichi-kun had been almost a foot taller and over a hundred pounds heavier. Sure, he was more bark than bite, but his size gave him something Doujima lacked; brute strength. She was a pacifist and never found a reason for brutality when her agility and defense were her best offense.

Doujima glanced at Musashi from the corner of her eye as she ordered herself yet another drink. With one quick throw back of the head it was gone and her jaw was feeling a bit better, though the joint felt like it needed to be oiled. 'Doujima-san, eh? That's a pleasant change.' she mused, remembering all the times she was called Yuki or just 'You, woman!' She never had honorifics attached to her name, except f0r the chan her mother used to use. 'I'm not surprised. I'm less savory than most characters. Popular with the children and drunks.'

Doujima saw movement out of the corner of her eye, dismissing it as another patron. Before Doujima knew what was happening Ichi-kun was back on the floor, with Musashi on top of him this time. She gave out a hearty laugh, patting Musashi on the back rather aggressively. 'You just can't win today, Ichi-kun.' She gave both the men a wide smile before downing one more glass of sake.

She watched as her gambling mates face went from rage to fear as he tried to stutter out the identity of Musashi. Doujima had never really been one to keep up with formalities or anything society deemed important. After all, she was a young woman, who should've been married long ago by normal standards, who gambled and drank like a man. While Ichi-kun was clearly impressed by who this man was, Doujima was left to wonder. She stroked her chin, trying to imitate deep thinking, but was clearly too drunk to accomplish such a feat. 'So, according to Ichi-kun, you're pretty important, eh? I would like to apologize, again. With my lack of manners comes a lack of other things. Such as basic knowledge on who's who. I sit in bars all night and sleep all day. I'm afraid I've never heard of a Kensei Musashi while doing either.'

[/blockquote]

[Kensei Musashi]

"Ah, I see..." Musashi responded. Well, she didn't seem to be the same as those 'unsavory characters' she referred to in his eyes. Maybe a little rough around the edges, but by no means unsavory. Even as she ordered some sake for herself, he just didn't see it. She was far more civilized than some of the people who frequented these bars, like the man known as 'Ichi-Kun' whom he had pinned down, as well as more... Well, decent then the courtesans that he knew did dwell within certain places such as these. A cheater and a thief maybe, but neither of those were particularly evil vices, as far as some vices go. At least, he couldn't point a finger at her for her thievery - he himself had been no better in his youth. Perhaps, then, it was best left to him to help her shape up?

As he held down the brute, he was given a somewhat hard pat on the back Doujima, who seemed to laugh at Ichi's position. At once, she proceeded to state how she had never heard of him either, despite his apparent renown, so he decided it best to introduce her himself, giving a small smile. Though before he spoke, he listened as she mentioned her own life - how she slept all day and stayed in bars each night. Not a way to live one's life as he saw it. Perhaps it was rude of him to intrude on how she lived like this, but surely she could do better than that. She wasn't a bad person, so she didn't need to live her life like one, as he saw it. "Ah, then allow me to explain myself. My family name, Kensei, I actually took from my own title, meaning 'Sword Saint'. Though I feel I do not deserve it, the Emperor was willing to offer me the title and a place within the Palace Dojo. I am one of Emperor Yamazaki-Sama's Samurai" he introduced himself, giving a slight inclination of the head in place of a bow.

"As for you, Doujima-san, are you sure that is the kind of life best suited to one such as yourself? Surely you must grow weary of staying in bars all night and sleeping during the daytime, as you have described your own life" he spoke, though trying to refrain from being disrespectful in any way. He was a little quirky like that - He was almost too nice, too focused on remaining polite and respectful towards all those he met, which stood out strongly against the reputation he should have had as a fearsome, skilled swordsman of great renown.