“ARE YOU READY!?” This was the vocal cry that filled the air. For in the gardens, by the side of a walkway, stood Chieko, her apprentice sitting nearby with a tip jar, and… A mysterious stranger.
“We come to you from the far reaches of Japan!” Chieko continued, speaking to the people of the park. Many were there for a date, some there to get some park food from a vendor, and some just trying to get a nice walk in before the sun set. But at that moment, eyes were being drawn. Pulled from their mundane and dull lives to the exotic trio. With a fan in hand, Chieko held it up high. Demanding attention through a focus point.
“We come from a shinto temple, buried deep in the mystical homelands.” There was a rattle of the coin jar, so the odd audience member might toss in their change. “Indeed, our trials have been hard, but our convictions have never softened. But, this is thanks to my faith in the great goddess Amaterasu, and her brother Susanoo! And then more so to the brave warrior who carried us through peril! The great, Usagi Yojimbo!” She stepped aside, fan snapping shut as she gestured at the warrior woman standing to her side. A rabbit mask added to hide her face.
“With grace, precision, and talent, she cuts with the grace the gods had given her. As we shall demonstrate NOW!”
Her foot kicked at the air, and struck a basket of fruit. Apples, oranges, pears oh my! All flying high into the air, and arcing down upon the stage.
Within a mere second’s span, the odd yojimbo moved, hands towards the sword, making several unnecessary flourishes but yet… each arc speaks of experience. With a final thrust, they caught one on the blade of the katana, pushing up the mask slightly to take a bite out of it. There was an air of smug arrogance to all their moves, but yet it wasn’t derogatory. Smirking, they bowed before the audience.
It took but a mere fraction of her speed to accomplish these feats, but to move faster than that meant the audience couldn’t follow the action. Ninjitsu was disguise. Disguise was performance. In terms of performance, she was unparalleled! Or at least, that’s how she liked to think.
There was another shake of the coins, and the fan snapped back to full length. “Once more, the talent of the old ways shines through. Such talent and grace has only just now come to your lands. But we shall be back, tomorrow! And the next day! Another dazzling display of skill each night! And during the day, I can read your fortunes!”
By the time she was done, the crowd had begun to depart. Stage performance was so simple, and yielded such small rewards as far as money could be concerned, but there was something thrilling about such independence. As the crowd vanished into the night, Chieko smiled, giggled, and glanced at her assistant.
“Soooo, Tomo-kun, how much did we make today?” Chieko winked, despite her assistant’s constant frown.
“My name’s not Tomo…” He said, tapping the bandage on his forehead. “But, this was a good night. We put on five shows in the last hour, and made roughly two hundred francs in donations. When you can cut up fruit, people feel just a bit more invested in keeping you from turning to crime and poverty, huh?”
“Huh, I guess that is a factor. Well, for now, a performance marked so well, and if we keep this we’ll be able to afford dinner at a fancy restaurant.” Chieko said, turning to Hanzo. “Hey, think of it as my treat when this is all over and you’ve got your wish.”
Hanzo had already sat down, sighing. No matter how long she did it, or how experienced she was, there was always that odd feeling whenever she put on an actual performance, one that had audiences turn up to see her specifically. It never ceased to make her tired, but there was also that feeling of satisfaction whenever she finished one.
“Ah, I’ll be keeping you at your words then.”
In truth, she wasn’t sure of her own survival; from what she had seen, the enemies they faced were strong. A ninja never fights a battle they know they cannot win, but… practically, that sometimes cannot be avoided. Hanzo was doing everything she could to win, of course, but one small misstep and…
“We’ll definitely win.”
It wasn’t much to say… But the smile between them made it clear. Even if they both died, they were still a cut above the expectations. “Good to hear that, now lets get packed up. That way we can start scouting for the war.”
