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TMNT Travels #1
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TMNT Travels #3
travels_2.rtf
Keywords male 1108942, rabbit 127825, turtle 9721, teenage mutant ninja turtles 5896, usagi yojimbo 212
The path they were on cut through a forest of bamboo. Still frightened from their experience with the demon, Jotaro did want to be put down. He stayed curled up in Usagi’s arms with his face pressed against Usagi’s chest.

Leo could see the worry etched on Usagi’s face and in the way he held Jotaro close. He kept a quick pace, determined to get to the next village before night fall. They were off course and the promise of the hot springs was put on hold for now.  

According to Usagi, there were priests in the village just beyond the bamboo forest. As the sun began to set, the sounds of people cutting on the bamboo could be heard in the distance. What Leo saw when they emerged from the forest was not what he had expected.

It was not a simple village. A large estate that was surrounded by a wall, stat in on a small hill and several homes and businesses stretched out in all directions. The furthest from the estate were the farm lands, mostly rice fields.

“This is where the lord over this province resides,” Usagi explained. “I have never met him but I hear he is a just lord, content with his small holdings. The village we passed is within his domain.” This meant that the village was the lord’s responsibility, as was ridding it of the demon.

They headed straight for an inn and Usagi waved down a young boy. “Go fetch one of your village priests.”

With a stiff nod the boy ran off on his important errand. The innkeeper approached them and bowed his greeting. “Noble samurai, what brings you to our village?”

Usagi returned the gesture with a bow of his own. “I have come from the village across the river, about half a day’s journey back. It seems that a oni has taken root there. A priest is needed so that no other travelers will come upon it and so the dead villagers can finally find their peace.”

The man took a step back, “Did you see the oni?”

“No,” Usagi answered. “But we heard him.” Taking a deep breath, Usagi let it out slowly. “We have been traveling all day. My we please be seated while we wait for the boy to fetch the priest?”

“Of course,” the mad said and gestured back to an empty table. “Will you be staying the night with us as well?”

“Yes,” Usagi nodded.

They were taken back to a table and served some dumplings and tea. Jotaro stayed in Usagi’s lap, refusing to eat. Leo didn’t blame him, he didn’t have much by way of an appetite either.

“I am sorry this has happened,” Usagi said as he pushed a dumpling across his plate with his chopsticks. “I knew that there would be dangers here and that there was a chance that you would have to fight but I did not expect for you to have to face such horrors.”

“I’m alright,” Leo smiled. “It’s not like I have never faced a demon before.”

Usagi chuckled softly and ran his hand over Jotaro’s head.

It wasn’t long before the young boy returned followed by the priest. Usagi told the priest about what had happened, leaving out no detail. The priest silently listened to the story, his eyes occasionally moving to Jotaro. When Usagi finished with his story the priest stood. “Come with me to the shrine. I would like to take a look at the boy to make sure.”

Usagi nodded and stood, “He says that he did not see the oni.”

“Children do not always speak the truth when they are frightened,” the priest said as a matter of fact.

Usagi paid the innkeeper for their food and they followed the priest to the shrine. As soon as they entered the shrine the priest ordered that Jotaro be taken for examination. With a great deal of reluctance Usagi handed Jotaro over to another priest.

Jotaro fought them, clawing to stay in Usagi’s arms. “Uncle Usagi,” Jotaro called out, reaching for Usagi as he was carried away. “I swear on my mother honor. I didn’t see the oni.”

“The priests need to make sure,” Usagi replied, fighting to keep his composure. “Be brave. Everything will be alright.” Jotaro continued to cry out as he was carried into another room. Once they were out of sight Usagi dropped to his knees and pressed his clasped hands to his forehead. “I will never forgive myself if he is not okay.”

Leo placed his hand on Usagi’s shoulder. “He will be fine. He’s just scared.”

“I pray you are right,” Usagi breathed without looking up.

Usagi stayed on the ground until a priest approached him. Regaining his composure, Usagi stood, faced the priest and bowed. The priest bowed in return. “Thank you for bringing us this information. We are already making the necessary preparations for our journey. Is there any more information about oni that you can tell us?”

Leo shook his head, “We did not see it but it sounded heavy and like it was dragging something behind it.”

The priest nodded his head. “Thank you.” He bowed once again. “The information you have given us will help us to defeat the creature.”

“I pray you can rid the area of the monster before anyone else falls victim to it,” Usagi said and bowed in return.

The priest bowed once more before leaving the two of them alone. All of the bowing was going to take some getting used to. Splinter had taught them to be respectful but not to this extent.

Usagi heaved a heavy sigh and his eyes stayed fixed on the room where they had taken Jotaro. Fortunately Jotaro’s cries had quieted but it didn’t seem to ease Usagi’s worry. Leo couldn’t imagine what Usagi must have been feeling.

When the door slid open, Usagi’s ears perked up in anticipation. A priest emerged first and Jotaro trotted out behind him. “I was as brave as a samurai,” Jotaro announced and rushed over to give Usagi a hug.

The priest smiled, “Your son was very brave.”

Usagi froze and Jotaro turned to look at the priest. “He is not my father. My mother and father were hurt so Uncle Usagi agreed to look after me while they got better.”

“My mistake,” the priest bowed. “He just looks so much like you.”

“It is alright,” Usagi said, lifting Jotaro.

“I am pleased to tell you that he is without any taint from the oni,” the priest said. “He was true to his word as a noble samurai would be.”

“Thank you,” Usagi bowed. “We will leave you to prepare for your journey.”

“I will see you out,” the priest offered, gesturing in the direction they would need to go. Then his eyes widened as he looked past them and his arm dropped. “Please, no blood shed within the shrine,” the priest beseeched them.

Usagi and Leo both turned to see who the priest was talking to. Ten samurai stood with their hands on the hilts of their swords. “I am Mako, General to Lord Tomehame,” the lead samurai stated. “Why are you here?”

Once again Usagi bowed and Leo did the same, making sure to fight the urge to reach for his weapons. When they straitened Usagi spoke. “I am Miaymoto Usagi, a Ronin. This is Leonardo, a friend from a distant land and Jotaro. We had come here, when we encountered a demon in a nearby village, to seek out the priests so that they might rid the land of the creature.”

The general’s eyes narrowed as he looked them over. “Very well.” He signaled to his men and they all turned to leave. Leo waited for them to exit the shrine before leaning close to Usagi.

“What was that about?” Leo whispered.

“I do not know,” Usagi answered. “They are on guard for some reason. We will leave first thing in the morning to avoid any problems.”

Leo inwardly sighed. With ‘turtle luck’ on their side, come morning, they were going to have problems.

By the time they got back to the inn Jotaro was asleep in Usagi’s arms. Leo was almost asleep on his feet as well. It had been a long and exhausting day. Usagi paid for a room and they were allowed back. It wasn’t anything fancy. The room was small with one large tatami mattress on the floor.

Usagi placed Jotaro in the middle of the bed and his swords close as he lay down. Leo followed suit. He was asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow.

Leo was awoken when Jotaro jumped up on his chest. The small bunny looked down at Leo with a sparkle in his eye. “Good morning, Leonardo san.”

“Good morning, Jotaro,” Leo smiled up at him. “I am happy to see that you are in good spirits again.”

Jotaro puffed up his chest, “I am from a noble samurai family. We do not let things like yurei or oni frighten us for long.”

“You will be a brave warrior one day and you will serve your lord well,” Leo said and Jotaro’s beamed with pride.

“I will be the best,” Jotaro declared. “Between what I will learn from you and what I will learn from Katsuichi sensei, I will know how to defeat samurai and ninja alike.”

“Bushido is about doing what is right and protecting others, not doing harm,” Usagi told Jotaro. His tone was corrective but not harsh.

“You cannot protect others if you cannot defeat the ones who want to hurt them,” Jotaro countered.

Leo couldn’t help but smile, “I can already tell you that he is a smart one.” Lifting Jotaro from his chest, Leo sat up and reached for his swords. “I am hungry.”

“We will eat and then leave as soon as we are done,” Usagi stated. “I would like to make up for some of our lost time.”

They ate a breakfast of pickled vegetables and rice, paid the innkeeper one more time and were ready to be on their way. The sun was just starting to rise and the air was moist but there weren’t any clouds in the sky. They had just stepped out of the inn when the samurai approached.

The general looked to be on a mission and Leo hoped that it had nothing to do with them. As luck would have it, it did. The general and his men walked up to them and bowed. “Lord Tomehame wishes to see you.”

“We would be honored,” Usagi replied.

They were led up to the large estate of the daimyo. Jotaro was kept in between Leo and Usagi. The young rabbit seemed to understand that it was the safest place for him, if anything were to happen. They were led through a large room with bamboo floors that chirped. Leonardo had heard of such floors before. The squeaky floor boards were not a sign of disrepair but were of masterful design. Daimyo used them as an early warning system. The challenge of soundlessly crossing the floor was almost too much for Leo to resist. Only a master ninja would be able to achieve it.

Leo’s eyes roamed around the room, looking for any and all possible exits and he knew Usagi was doing the same. Even Jotaro seemed to be on alert. They made it about halfway through the room when a large bear man entered. He wore simple robes but his top knot and the way he carried himself told Leo that he was the lord of the land. Leo and Usagi bowed in unison.

“These are the samurai who brought us news about the oni, my lord.” Mako said as he bowed.

“Thank you, Mako,” Tomehame said to his general and then turned to Usagi. “Master Samurai, I thank you for bringing us the information about the oni. I was about to send a few of my samurai to check on the village. They were late in sending their representative with their taxes when they are usually early. I would have lost those men to the oni and I cannot afford to lose any more.”

Tomehame started pacing, making the floor sing again. “It seems that the prosperity of my small province has drawn the attention of one of the other lords, who wishes to claim it as his own. I do not know which one, there has been no declaration of war. But he has been whittling away at my lands for the past year and has even sent assassins. There is no honor in his tactics. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was the one who unleashed the oni on that village.”

He stopped pacing and turned to them. “Have you heard anything in your travels that might suggest who my enemy might be?”

Usagi shook his head. “I’m sorry but I have not and I am not one to make assumptions. You are in alliance with Lord Noriyuki, are you not?”

Tomehame nodded, “Yes I am. Our families have been in alliance ever since the shogun came into power. My son is with Lord Noriyuki now. They are friends and with all that is happening here, I felt that he would be safer there.”

Usagi thought for a moment before saying, “Although I am not one to make assumptions, Lord Hikiji has been known for his desire to expand his lands. His battle with my late lord, Mifune was almost lost to him. If it wasn’t for one of my lord’s generals being easily paid off, we would have defeated Lord Hikiji.”

“I have suspected as much myself,” Tomehame confessed. “Sadly there is no way to prove it.”

“I wish there was a way we could assist you more,” Usagi said in all honesty.

“I can test your security for you,” Leo offered, “and help you improve it where needed.” He continued to look around the room as he spoke. “I have already found a few points of entry where a ninja could make his way through and into your bedchamber.”

Leo looked over at Usagi who looked back at him in disbelief. Leo then shifted his gaze up to Lord Tomehame and bowed. “I can give you demonstration, if you like.”

“What would a samurai know of ninjutsu?” Mako asked, placing his hand on his sword.

“I only wish to help,” Leo said, keeping his own posture unthreatening. “I have had some ninja training and know how ninjas work. I can help you with your security and show you some of the likely ways a ninja will try to get to you.”

Lord Tomehame held up his hand, “You may try to get into my bedchamber without being noticed.”

Leo bowed again and turned to leave the room. “It is broad daylight,” Mako said. “There is no way you will be able to get in.”

“He crossed the floor without it making any noise,” Jotaro pointed out as Leo headed out the door.

Leonardo made quick work taking advantage of the few weak points in the building’s security and landed silently in the bedchamber. He was impressed with his own time but decided to wait a few moments before opening the door.

“I knew he could do it,” Jotaro exclaimed.

Tomehame turned in stunned surprise. There was fear in his eyes as he addressed Leo. “Can you make sure that the way you entered cannot be used by another?”

“I can,” Leo nodded. “When I’m done, no ninja will be able to enter your home.”
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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TMNT Travels #1
TMNT Travels #3
Keywords
male 1,108,942, rabbit 127,825, turtle 9,721, teenage mutant ninja turtles 5,896, usagi yojimbo 212
Details
Type: Writing - Document
Published: 9 years, 1 month ago
Rating: General

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AngelCakies
6 years, 3 months ago
aaaayyyyyy, helpful leo.
SadoraNortica
6 years, 3 months ago
He is only happy to help.
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