A Blade in Exile

The Samurai Roleplay. For a setting, think "The Last Samurai" time period.


1v1v1- Brandon, Dream, and Avalon.

Chika Koji will be my character of choice.

Do you want me to post her bio on here for easy access?

Yeah sure. I will get back on here after I get done skyping with my girlfriend. Sorry, been busy all day.

Basic
Character Name: 散花 孤児 {Chika Koji)- which means 'Scattered Flowers' with her last name marking her as an orphan.
Nicknames: The White Rose
Age: 23
Sex: Female

Features
Species: Human
Ethnic: Japanese/American
Skin color: A soft shade of peach.
Height: 5'8"
Build: Chika has a slender beautiful figure that is the very definition of what a woman is supposed to be, in the eyes of many. However behind her ample bosom, flat stomach, elegant sides, and curvaceous hips there is strength many times more than first meets the eye. Although she is not bulky in any sense, her muscles are dense and strong allowing her to wield her heavy sword with ease. She is taller than most due to the fact that her father was American.
Weight: 129
Hair (color/style): Her hair is a deep shade of black, the kind that doesn't turn to a dark brown when in the sunlight. It's silky soft and flows with wind. She's grown it out to come down to just below her rear. Most of the time she keeps it tied up in one long ponytail behind her head when she hasn't styled it for a formal meeting (refer to both pictures below)
Eyes: A chocolate brown color that deepens in the darkness of the night and softens in the sunlight of day.
Distinguishing Features: Chika's body is lined with scars from the blades of her opponents, many whom she felled. The most notable scar is one that runs
Tattoo: The outline of a small rose is carefully tattooed on her right shoulder.

Dressware

Spoiler:

Battle Attire: Chika was trained to fight without armor of any kind. She makes up for the lack of protection with incredible speed and precision, often turning an opponents constrictive armor against them. The way she sees it; there are few types of armor that could stop a Katana either way.
Formal Attire: It is not often she wears this outfit but when she does, it's usually when she's meeting with an important leader or powerful shogun who is interested in hiring her. She even had a special sheath crafted for her Nodachi that holds the same elegance as her clothing.
Jewelry: She wears a small green emerald pendant around her neck on a black leather string, the necklace her mother gave left her with at the Dojo.

About Character
Relationship status: Single.
Sexuality: Straight.
Personality: Like her name suggests Chika is very much a scattered flower in terms of her personality. Most of the time she is described as being happy, bubbly, and optimistic about pretty much everything. However there are times when she'll become dark and quiet. At these moments her eyes will hold hatred and anger the likes of which could make a man shiver in fear.
It's very much hit and miss on how she'll act when you meet her on the street, at her Dojo, or when she's training in the forests.

Hobbies: Archery, Dueling, and Working.
Background:From birth Chika was an unwanted child. Her mother could not afford to raise a child so she did the only thing she could think of; she gave the child to a Dojo in the hopes that they would be able to raise her daughter to be something. Anything at all would have been more than she could offer to her child and so the young girl inherited the last name Koji which was meant to identify her as an orphan so that all those around her would know that she had no parents. It was not meant to be a way of segregating or demeaning her as a person, it was simply the way the Dojo dealt with being given orphans to care for. The young girl was always a trouble maker and never seemed to be able to sit in one place until her training began at the ripe age of 6. At last she found something she could put all of her energy and heart into.

Upon graduating from the Dojo at the age of 21 she went straight into the world of paid swordsmanship. She was, for all intensive purposes, a mercenary and bodyguard for hire. However more often than not she didn't accept money for her jobs. She worked for two things; the respect of those who hired her for whatever job they required her to carry out or for a sword. Whenever the latter was involved though it took a very high-quality sword to get her interested. If the sword was up to par with her tastes, she'd carry out the job and bring the sword back to her Dojo where it would be added to their collection of fine weapons. It was her way of paying the Dojo back for raising her so lovingly.

On one of her jobs, a bodyguard mission where she was assigned to protect a member of a very powerful family, she met one of the family's most skilled Samurai. One by the name of Fujinaka. Little was said between them as they did not exactly see eye to eye for the beginning of their short journey together but when their convoy was ambushed by a neighboring family's Samurai, the two fought together as if they had been trained side by side. He saved her life that day.
Ever since the two have become friends and although at times they still do not see eye to eye, the bond she feels with him is incredibly strong. Perhaps even too strong as she would be willing to give her life for him in a heartbeat for the second chance at like he gave her in the past.

Swords of Choice:

Spoiler:

Character Bio

Basic
Name: 同人いちご- Fujinaka Ichigori
Age: 28
Gender: Male

Features
Ethnic: Southern Japanese.
Skin color : More on the tan side.
Tattoo : A green and gold scaled, eastern style dragon that wraps around his torso.
Height : 6’2”
Build : Ichi is an average bulk, for a samurai. His muscles are very much defined as he has to have to stay in top shape to be part of the Emperor’s Royal Guard. He is also quite a bit taller than most Japanese for a reason unbeknownst to him.
Weight : 190lbs
Hair : His hair is long and smooth, just passing his shoulders. Its color is that of a dark chestnut brown. It has a certain shin to it when the sun glints off of it. Usually he has it tied into a ponytail that even still runs past his shoulders.
Eyes : His eyes are deep brown with streaks of light brown and hazel all throughout.

Dress ware

Spoiler:

Spoiler:

Spoiler:

About Character
Relationship status: Single
Sexuality: Straight
History: Ichi was born under a man and a woman by the names of Akumi and Takeshi Fujinaka. He was the middle child of three; an older brother and a younger sister grew up with him. As a child, Ichi and his brother were always pit in rivalry. Seeing as they were only two years apart, it’s only natural for that to happen. Their parents began to think it was unhealthy though, considering they fought constantly. It was unhealthy for the house hold. They now had a decision to make, which son to remove. Although Ichi seemed to be growing up as the superior brother physically, his parents believed his older brother, Hiroshi, would bring them more wealth in his future. Hiroshi was also the first born. Subsequently, at the age of 12, Ichi was removed from his household dishonorably. Now, though, he was left to fend for himself considering no father wanted a child that would bring dishonor to his own family.

Ichi became a wanderer for a few years in his life. Passing from town to town, begging and living in the slums. Every day was very much a struggle to keep the strength to want to keep living. Deep down though, Ichi always thought he was destined for something great. Surprisingly enough, Ichi was able to gain a very optimistic view on life. Constantly using the fact that his life was hard to reinforce him and keep him pushing forward. This came to advantage, as one day he was spotted by an elderly blacksmith that had perfected the craft of forging katana for the top Samurai in the region.

This famous blacksmith saw a strong future in this boy, so he decided to take him under his wing and train him. The blacksmith began with teaching Ichigori the basics of all martial arts, slowly working his way up until weapon training began. Almost immediately after having a wooden training katana placed in his hands, it seemed Ichi was born to wield this blade. Around the age of 17 the blacksmith believed Ichi was finally ready to receive his own blade, forged in in heat of the famous blacksmiths own fires. It took him many grueling months to master the perfect mixture of material to create this boys blade. However, once it was complete, it would be measured to rival some of the most famous legendary blades of Japan. He named it the “White Dragon”.

Soon after Ichi had received his right of passage in form of his new blade, a group of Ronin samurai kidnapped him and forced him into their ranks. These Ronin were nothing more than an underground criminal group of samurai that use their skills for their own personal gain. Noticing Ichigori’s skill as a swordsman, he was welcomed quickly and his ability quickly overwhelmed those in the lower ranks. He soon worked his way up though, becoming even second to the leader of this Warrior Gang. Just as it seemed Ichi had his life on track for glory though, he and a group of his gang members had been ambushed and captured by the Emperor’s Royal Guard. They outmatched him purely on their level of discipline. Fighting in a gang had made him sloppy. After capture, Ichi was left to rot in prison for a year before he was brought out to the execution blocks. Being in jail had brought him to his senses; he came to terms with himself and regretted much of his actions in the past. As he was walked to the blocks, he could see all his past successes and failures his life running through his mind at a million miles an hour. He closed his eyes and he was knelt on his knees, he could smell the dried blood from the criminals of previous offense. It almost made him gag, but considering the fact he was about to die, the feeling never actually came. To his surprise though, neither did the feeling of death.

Then he heard it. He heard him. It sounded like his brother, but it couldn't have been. Why would his brother have happened upon the same city Ichi had? He opened his eyes to the execution being stopped and he being stood up by a group of the Emperor’s Royal Guard. His brother was at the lead. After that beautiful reunification of blood, Ichi became a disciple in the special training the Royal Guard received. Ichi was at the age of about 28 now; he had reached his brother side at head of the Royal guard. He felt he had finally made up for his life of so much treachery by serving the Emperor loyally. Ichi had now been given word that the Emperor had now died unexpectedly and a younger relative of his was now in power. Ichi didn't like this, but he was bound to his Emperor, no matter who he was. With this news of a new man in power, he also received new orders that he and the other guards were going to be sent to battle with a rivaling dynasty to the north. However, he had some downtime before he was actually said to leave, so he decided to take odd jobs here and there to occupy time.

One of these jobs consisted of being assigned to guard one of the Emperor’s cousins. On this mission, he was accompanied by a female blade who called herself Chika. She was a freelancer. A mercenary for hire, he would have judged her, had he not been with the Ronin for so many years himself. She actually turned out to be a very pure hearted girl and he respected that. The fact that she was so bubbly and talkative was the one thing that bothered him though. A swordsman must be cold and calculating. Smiling and talking the whole time does not help with that image. However, it was inevitable that the cart would be ambushed. When they were attacked, Chika and Ichi were fluid in combat, almost as a double bladed swordsman. They had bonded that day, unexpectedly to Ichi. However as much as they might disagree at times, he sees her as somewhat of an attachment. She became the Yin to his Yang. Something he decided he would protect with his life.


Weapons

Katana:

Katana:

Tanto:

I'll be ready to start whenever you are!
Once you've finished up with the final details of your bio of course. No rush.

:The Meiji Restoration Period in Japan:

Spoiler:

Soon after that job, Ichi was deployed to battle. However, the mission had been an utter failure. This resulted in the death of the majority of the Royal Guard, including Ichi’s brother. Feeling extreme pain and uselessness as he felt he carried full responsibility for the death of his brother, he returned to the kingdom with destroyed emotions. He was engulfed in shame and gave it no thought when the Emperor gave him and the rest of the guards the command to commit Seppuku for their failure.

Ichi returned to his quarters and removed his dirtied and bloodied battle dress and got into his ceremonial Samurai Kimono and Hakama before falling to his knees and unsheathing his Tanto, Pure Absolution. This blade was used by the samurai to be and offhand parrying weapon. Perk is, it could be doubled as the easiest way to commit Seppuku, considering he could actually gain the reach to make a stabbing movement since the blade was much shorter than the Katana. Ichigori placed both hands on the handle of the Tanto and outstretched his arms; his brother was the only thing on his mind. The serenity of an honorable death and finally being able to join Hiroshi in the afterlife....

Chika moved quickly through the outskirts of the city as fast as her legs would carry her. She knew that she only had minutes before it would be too late. Having just gotten back from a job of her own, she discovered what had happened to the Honor Guard and the fate that had been decided for them upon their return in front of the new Emperor. He was displeased and without so much as a second thought to their loyal service, which had been unfaltering under the old Emperor, he ordered them to perform the strange Samurai ritual of Seppuku. It was a ritual that the girl understood but she did not agree with. Not when there were so many factors that deemed the suicide of the Honor Guard unnecessary.

Upon reaching Ichi's home she found herself faced with a sight that was unusual. Stood at the front entrance there were two guards, dressed in armor that identified them as being royal guards but they were not those who existed beneath the old Emperor. These men bore the symbol of the new Emperor and when they saw her, they both faced her suddenly.
"These grounds are off-limits for civilians! Be gone!" The leader of the two spoke while flashing the hilt of his sword. Such an action did not deter the girl, if anything they spurred her on. Something deep inside her told her that there was trouble brewing amongst those in power.

When she did not back off and instead took a few steps closer they both drew their swords as a final warning. Chika knew that in a split second she was going to need to make a choice between letting her friend die an unjust death or becoming an outlaw for the rest of her life. The decision was made for her when the leader made a move on her.
She moved with a mixture of instinct and surprise as she drew 'Elegant Death' from where she carried the sheath over her shoulder, immediately bringing the blade down in a clean diagonal slice. The poor man barely had time to see the blade coming much less judge the distance she had over him with her longer sword.

The second man charged at her, quickly closing the distance between them, and Chika was forced to bring her sword up to parry his blow, swinging it back around to counter with a strike of her own. The man was not as skilled as he thought he was and in the next two clashes he found himself staggering beneath his opponents strength. The girl took advantage of this the moment she saw it and with a forward thrust she buried a foot of cold steel in the man's chest. With a thump the man landed on the ground lifeless.

Without hesitating to think over what she had done, she continued her run up along the walkway leading to the house. The orphan tore through the front door and two more doors until she found where her friend was crouched, wearing his kimono, with a blade in his hand.
"Ichi, you must stop!" She cried as she stood in the doorway of the room breathing heavily, her brow furrowed with worry as well as anger.

Right as the blade was closing the distance to his heart, he heard a voice. One that was calming and smooth when it reached your ears. Regardless of the fact that she was yelling, he still enjoyed that sound of her voice. Chika. Ichigori held the blade in place on inches from death. He had now made even more of a dishonorable decision, not following through with Seppuku. Ichi didn't even turn to view the distressed sounding girl in his doorway. Almost immediately after interrupting the ritual and realizing what this meant, Ichigori’s emotions got the best of him and he dropped the blade as he broke out into tears.
A rush of emotions hit him as he rocked over and his head now lay in a puddle of tears. He didn't know what to think, he had just broken the one code he lived pretty much his entire life by. The Bushido. The only thing he could do was lie there now, he had no idea what to do with his now, useless life.

When she first entered the room the only thing she could think about was the blade that was only inches away from the exposed stomach of her friend. One small thrust away from performing the deadly ritual that was Seppuku. There was a moment of pause and in that second she thought he had not heard her but then his body crumbled. The sound of his sword hitting the ground produced a sharp clang and although she knew that he had cracked, she approached him slowly with a glance around the room just to make sure that he was not being observed from inside the way his house had been on the outside. The last thing she needed was to shed any more unnecessary blood.

At first she crouched down and then she reached out to place her hand on his shoulder.
"We must go.. There are men coming for us. If we stay here, we'll die like dogs!" She urged him in a quiet voice as she remained crouched by his figure, looking him over with eyes that were filled with both pity and understanding for the state he was in. She knew what it was like to go through a moment of complete despair. But there would be time to grieve once they had both gotten clear of the city.
"Please.."

Ichigo's fists clenched tight as the soft spoken words reached his ears. He knew it was true, but he was so torn apart about the fact that he would never see his brother again. And now...he was going to have to lead a life of wandering yet again. Chika might have been able to accept it by now, but Ichi himself did not know anything other than to live life with honor now. He knew not how his journey would now end.

Slowly, Ichi stood. Pure Absolution now clenched in his hand. He sheathed it and tied it on his waist. Moving now to gather his two katanas and a few other supplies. His armor was all but ruined from the battle he had just returned from, not spending the time to get it repaired, so he left it in a pile on his floor. Perhaps he can get a replacement one day. The tears that were shed, now dry on his face, cast a slight reflection from the sun shining through his window.

After slipping into his tabi socks and sandals, he glanced to Chika. "Ready." This was the only word he shared with her before running his hands across his hair, pulling it all back into his ponytail save a few strands that fell back out as bangs. Ichi stepped out of his room to see a bloodied ground. Guards? What uniform was that? It didn't matter for now, the only thing that did was escaping. They could figure out the rest later. "Where to, Chika?" His voice low and calm. His right hand rested on top on the black, green, and gold laced handle of his Loyalist Blade as he looked back over his shoulder at her.

Ooc: Hey sorry it took so long, my characters Kaito (link in signature) Please let me know if he's acceptable. I was thinking my character would run into you on your way out of the city.

Chika slowly stepped back as her friend pulled himself off the ground. Although she knew he would not attack her, she kept her hand on the very top of the hilt of her shorter sword just in case anything happened. Either to do with Ichi or reinforcements of the guards who had attacked her minutes before. Perhaps that was what confused her most. Why would the new Emperor want one of his own devoted servants to kill themselves when they did nothing wrong? That was something she was never going to understand about the way of the Samurai. In a way it was also what kept her away from joining them although she knew her skills were more than up to par; the fact that they could not take failure nor could they turn down a mission of insurmountable odds like the one Ichi was sent on.

Without a word he moved from where he had fallen on the ground to pick up his swords and prepared his things to leave. Words could not describe the emotions that were probably going through his head. The orphan did not try to understand them. She merely did what she could to keep her friend alive in the hopes that he would one day come to accept what happened to be something that was not his fault in the slightest. Had anyone else been in his stead the very same would have happened to them only they would probably not have survived the battle at all.

When he said he was ready she glanced up at him with a small nod of her head, the faint outline of a smile on the corners of her lips. It had always amazed her how tall he was. She was considered tall by many but Ichi was a giant! Perhaps that was one of the things that made him so famous as a Samurai. He was huge but had the same skill as someone half his size.
"I've arranged for someone to bring us out of the city. From there we'll go to meet a friend of mine in a village not too far from here. She attended the Dojo with me. Hopefully that will get us far enough away that he can sort ourselves out further."
She said this while pulling Elegant Death from her back so she could hold onto the hilt while carrying the sheathed sword on her shoulder for easier access. She wasn't sure if they were going to run into any more trouble on the way out of the city.

ooc: Fiddler. You have not once PM'd me about joining...nor told me anything about how you were going to fit in. So before you post ANYTHING else, PM me so we can figure out how to properly fit you in. Also, this will be a more realistic rp, so the white hair will be a no-go. :S

Ichigo nodded at his companion, his complacent face still in place. Almost to the point of being statue-like. "Hopefully these 'friends' of yours are to be trusted..." Ichi waited as Chika stepped out and propped her decorated sheathe for her beautiful Nodachi on her shoulder. He hair picked up in the wind slightly and she glanced in both directions before heading out.

Ichi's hand soon left the handle of the katana that was issued to him once he made it into the Royal Guard. Loyalist Blade had become his trusty weapon ever since, becoming almost as an extension of himself. He left White Dragon at secondary now. Mainly only keeping it for sentimental value and since it was so beautiful, he would bring it to formal events or showings of skill. Also, in the back of his mind, he always thought of all the innocent blood it had drank since he had joined the Ronin gang. Using it only constantly reminded him of that dark past, so he liked to keep it away as much as possible now. Even though it had seemed he was well on his way to being back in that life, now that he was running away into exile. With a mercenary of all people. He kept it to himself, but he still did not like this at all.

Upon glancing left then right she turned her head further to look at Ichi over her shoulder, finding that she was looking into the cold eyes of a man who had isolated himself mentally leaving him as a cold statue of a shell. It was a look that she had seen before but only once. Certainly not the kind of look that she liked seeing on his fact but at this point there was nothing she could do. Now was not the time to focus on anything other than escaping from the city without being found by whatever force the new Emperor had sent upon them.
"If anything you'll like her a lot more than you do me, Ichi." She replied to his comment with a joking statement only she could make in the dire situation that they were both in.
Not even being made a fugitive could dampen her spirits.

Walking down the path led them to the entrance where the lifeless bodies of the guards still laid where they had fallen. The orphan only glanced down at them for a split second before diverting her attention towards both directions on the roadway-path. In the direction she wanted to go she spotted the signs of a large group pushing through the peasants, who were going about with their days innocent of what was happening, trying to get to the house the pair had just left.
"Damn it." Chika murmured before she turned and began in the opposite direction at a quick pace.
"We'll need to hurry. If they find the cart before us we've got a very long walk ahead of us that I can't promise we won't have to do running." She explained while climbing further up the populated hillside, carefully threading her way through the busy streets.

"This way." She motioned with her hand and ducked into an alleyway, carefully stepping over a street cat as she walked through the narrow gap between two buildings. It was more than enough space for the both of them but she doubted the men following them would be able to follow any more than single-file which would slow them down immensely.
As soon as she reached the end of the alley she glanced both ways before quickly setting off at a jog up the street, knowing her companion would be able to follow with ease. Ichi was no pushover.
She was going to move as quickly as she felt was necessary.

Hey guys! Finally got this thing all written up and looking pretty (:

Spoiler:

Basic

Character Name: Sakura Yamazaki 桜山崎 (Which means cherry blossom)
Nicknames: Little one, Kitten, Monkey.
Age: 20
Sex: Female

Features

Species: Human
Ethnic: Northern Japanese
Skin color: Creamy pale, with a slight olive tinge. Faintly pink around the lips and cheeks.
Height: 5,1” However usually she wears tall wooden shoes, making her 5,6”
Build: Small, but with very noticeable curves. She is quite tiny, and delicate like a flower, however she is very athletic and flexible, giving her a proper curve to her waist and behind. Sakura is a dancer, giving her much tone and softness to her small frame, although she has a rather average-small chest. She is rather fragile looking, however looks may be deceiving.
Weight: 109lbs
Hair (color/style): Sakura’s hair is very long, and the kind of dark brown that is closer to chestnut than black. Is it usually worn half-up, or in some kind of elaborate, elegant way that must have taken hours, however seems to look effortless. In the light, it is a two-dimensional kind of ash brown that seems to defy gravity in the wind. But in the dark, it appears as if it is charcoal black.
Eyes: Usually they are blacker than night itself, with a small ring of hazel around the center, and very large, in a doll-like sort of fashion that tends to make her look very young, especially when she wants to appear more mature. Sakura’s eyes are her downfall, because they are so easy to read emotion from.
Distinguishing Features: Sakura has very large, plush, baby lips that seem to pout even when she is in a good mood. They can be found on an apple-shaped face, with soft cheekbones and a slightly pointed chin. Following a button nose and a prominent cupid’s bow, are her softly arching eyebrows, framing her face in a way that seems both innocent and mischievous.
Tattoo: Cherry blossoms blowing in the wind, in a very faint white ink trailing from the top of her left thigh around the hip, circling inward like a vine down toward her inner ankle. Hardly noticeable, except for when directly in the light.

Facial Appearance(Without Geisha Makeup):

Spoiler:

Dressware

Battle Attire: In her years at the Dojo, Sakura was trained not to use armor. However, when she is dueling or training in combat, she likes to wear a movable outfit of baggy pants, tie-drawn around the shins, with a fitted top, usually revealing her toned stomach for better flexibility.
Formal Attire: When she dances, Sakura receives beautiful kimono’s as gifts from men and her admirers. She can usually be found in a beautifully embroidered silk kimono, fitted around her tiny waist with wooden shoes and some form of accessories, whether it may be a rice fan, decorated with expensive inks, or a sun umbrella, usually matched to the color of her kimono.
Jewelry: One can find a number of accessories on Sakura at any time of day. Whether it’s a beaded pearl hair clip, a flower pinned into her elegant up-do, or some form of small comb with expensive jewels embellished into it.


About Character

Relationship status: Single
Sexuality: Straight
Personality: One word…firecracker. Sakura has a very bright outlook on life, even when she didn’t have a very good past. She is very doll-like, however, past her innocent features lies a bright, clever girl who would never let anyone try to tell her she’s not. She is rather stubborn, however friendly enough that she doesn’t mind not getting her way. Sakura let’s her emotions flow into her dancing quite frequently, being an amazing acrobat, she could probably join the circus if people would allow her to. She’s very mischievous, getting herself into trouble rather easily, however never really seeing anything bad happening because of her actions.

History: Sakura came from a very poor family, however, they always seemed to have enough to get by somehow. She took lessons for fighting when she was six, her acrobatic nature making her both a graceful fighter, however getting her into trouble when she would get side tracked with impressing her friends with cartwheels and flips. She was always very small, and when it came time to fight with swords, she turned from graceful, spry monkey into a clumsy duckling. Her teachers thought it would be better if, instead of most of the other students, she would fight hand-to-hand, like some of the older children did. So, although it was hard, and her fellow students could never go easy on her, she learned how to fight melee, without a sword to assist her.

At the age of twelve, everything changed. She was beginning to turn into a blossoming young woman, and people were beginning to notice her grace, and her flexibility, including her parents. The Yamazaki’s were facing poverty, to the most extreme extent. Sakura would give her food to her mother, or to her father instead of herself, not wanting them to starve, or die from exhaustion from their work. However, many nights she went hungry. She would have died, if not for one of her friends at the Dojo. Chika was like a sister to her, although Sakura was a couple years younger, Chika didn’t mind much that the annoying little monkey hung around her so often.

One night, her father took her out of bed. They hadn’t eaten in days, sipping watered down soup and eating rice every once and a while, when they could get their hands on it. Her father took her, in the pouring rain, down to the village…where he sold her for a great amount of money to the Geisha House. The owner, a woman named Ume, told him she had been watching the girl for some time. She was born to be a dancer, and a dancer Sakura became in a short amount of time.
So, as her friends at the Dojo grew up fighting, Sakura grew up dancing. She snuck out to see Chika on a regular basis, whenever she could get out, however she never thought of running away from the Geisha House. They treated her well there. Giving her beautiful clothes, taking her to parties, and training her in ways to become a beautiful young woman. Sakura is currently the highest paid Geisha for her age.

Weapons: Although Sakura’s main focus is dancing, she could never give up her training. She was too graceful, too acrobatic not to. Her preferred weapon would be bare hands, however she is known to use iron fists in a true battle.


Overall Usual Appearance:

Spoiler:

"If anything you'll like her more than you do me, Ichi" Pretty much the only reason Chika and Ichigo had managed to stay friends this long was her unwavering ability to somehow keep a sense of humor around him. Despite the circumstances they might find themselves in. Despite how little he showed it, Ichi enjoyed this about her and hoped she could keep the attitude as long as they are together. It has helped him get through some of his weaker days. Today is no exception.

Ichigo's eyes followed Chika's as she turned her head to see some of the new Emperor's guards pushing through the crowds. Ichi assumed they were coming to follow up on the dead men he had noticed at his front gate. Chika turned down the opposite street and Ichi followed her, his left hand naturally falling to brace the top of his blades. His black and gold kimono blew in the chilly air along with his messy ponytail, as he could feel his companion picking up pace.

They had made it to a tight alleyway and Chika hadn't even seemed to hesitate before pushing though. Ichi followed without a second thought and then came to another street before stopping for a moment. "Are you sure you know where to go, Chika?" His voice still calm and collected as usual. "Just curious as to how far away our destination is. Soon enough, this whole town will be crawling with those guards." The first smirk of the day shot across his face, but was gone just as fast as it came. "Not that I'm afraid of conflict. Releasing pent up feelings is always the key to inner peace." A hint of sarcasm could be picked up in his voice, only noticeable to those keen of hearing.

Ichi kept up enough to where Chika could hear his voice behind her as she moved through the street at as fast a pace as she felt they could get away with without drawing too much attention to themselves. After all, it wasn't uncommon for people to walk around carrying swords but if they were running it immediately drew the eye. The very last thing they wanted to do with guards tailing them.
She glanced over her shoulder past her companion to make sure the guards had not followed, which they had not, and then pushed on further up the hill towards the very outskirts of the city where she had already arranged a meeting with someone she knew.

The orphan was so focused on trying to find the easiest way to their meeting point that she almost forgot she had been spoken to. Quickly she refocused herself so she could answer his question without making any mistakes.
"I know where I'm going. The only thing that's hanging in the balance is whether or not we'll have to walk to our final destination. If the guards find our ride out of here, then we'll be forced to make haste by foot." She replied as they neared the very edge of town where the poorest of the poor lived.
Many who lived along the street looked up curiously as the two companions passed through but thought little of their presence.

"There!" Chika motioned towards an oxen driven cart that was stood further down to road just rice field's distance away from where they were jogging along. It was a simple wooden cart but more than enough for the both of them. An old man sat on the front seat, a farmer, and waved when he spotted the two of them.
The orphan waved back before picking up her pace, knowing they were running on borrowed time. The longer they remained in the city the more dangerous it became for the both of them. There was no doubt in the young warrior's mind that the bodies at Ichi's house would have been found by now.

Just as they came within sprinting distance of the cart there was sudden motion in front of them as four men, clad in the same armor as before with the symbol of the new Emperor upon their chest plates, appeared from one of the side alleys. Immediately they split into pairs and moved to stop the two fugitives.
Chika left the two on the right for Ichi and moved towards the two who had their eyes set on her. The first was an archer who drew back an arrow and let loose only a split second later. She dodged the arrow with a swift duck. Before the man could let loose another arrow she drew White Dragoness and threw the sword the distance that still separated them, burying the blade in the man's chest.
He fell with a look of amazement at the blade protruding from his chest while she pushed past him, drawing her Nodachi upon the second corrupt Samurai. He parried her first strike but her second swing in quick succession caught him still in the first parry, resulting in his arm and head being separated from the rest of his body.

Chika straightened up, flicking the blood from her blade, and moved to retrieve White Dragoness from the still twitching body of her first opponent. No other guards had shown up to reinforce these ones so she assumed they were simply a search party.
"Let's get on our way." She said with the full knowledge that Ichi would have taken care of his guards. He was just a skilled with his sword as she was with hers, if not slightly superior.
She approached the farmer, spoke quietly to him, and then climbed into the back with a sigh.

ooc: Just going to jump in, and hang out for a while until we all meet up, heh.
bic:


The silence hung in the room like a thick blanket, heavy, with suspense and curiosity. Sakura stood in the center, eyes closed as she breathed, the circle of men around her quietly drinking sake, but not daring to speak. When her large eyes finally opened, the music started and her body began to move, the fabric of her kimono acting like an extension of her skin, and the soft light of the lanterns around her catching on her pale white face. The umbrella she held became something more than a simple object, as she danced and moved around the space. It matched her kimono perfectly, the soft blue color only making her appear as more of a mystery, more of a strange creature in the center of the room, eye-catching like a rare jewel.

Spoiler:

When Sakura danced, nothing else mattered. When the small girl let her face catch in the warm light of the lanterns, all eyes were following. It seemed impossible, for such a creature to move with such grace in those tall wooden shoes, however she danced like she was a petal blowing in the breeze. She danced as if she was the flowing water of a river, as if she was the wind tickling at your cheek on a cold evening.

The music stopped, and so did the girl, umbrella drawn over her face as she felt a small, coy smile tugging at the corners of her lips, nose scrunching up as she began to grin, her red lips drawing over perfect white teeth as she laughed lightly, the noise fluttering around her as she straightened. When she stood, her face was back to completely neutral as she gazed toward the men around her. They clapped, faces awestruck.
She walked out of the room, taking small, delicate steps until her form was hidden behind a rice paper wall, leading her down the hall of the Geisha House to her room. Sakura had the largest room of the house, next to Ume, the lady who owned all the girls.
The room was close to the back, with a large set of sliding doors leading out to the gardens, and a desk that held all of her makeup and intimate possessions.
She sighed as she closed the doors of her room behind her, still hearing the men talking and other geisha girls going out to serve them more sake and entertain them for the rest of the night. Carefully, she set her rice umbrella in a beautifully painted pot that held her other ones, and began to take the delicate accessories out of her hair, letting it down loose, falling past her shoulders like silk.

“Sakura? Little one, are you there?” She heard the voice of Ume behind the door, and she stood slowly, tucking her long hair behind one of her ears and going to get the door.
Ume’s old face was beaming as she opened the door, taking Sakura in her arms and laughing. “You did well, little one.” Ume whispered in her ear, and Sakura felt herself smiling into the tall, old woman’s chest.
“Thank you, Ume-san.” Sakura broke the hug, bowing politely to the woman who had taken care of her when her parents sold her. Sakura could have been sold to a different Geisha House, one that sold their girls to men, for money and gifts. This one took pride in their old ways, with dancers and entertainment. Sakura was a dancer, not a whore.
“Tomorrow you will be going to the north, where a group of American men will wait for you.” Ume told the girl, and Sakura nodded respectfully, her smile dropping. The Americans frightened Sakura, they were always much too forward, offering her sake when she had to dance and touching her kimono. But she was bringing a lot of money into the house with this job. She had no choice.

Ume left the girl to her thoughts, and slowly, Sakura brought herself to the doors that led to the garden, opening them and gracefully dropping to the steps, looking up at the rising moon and feeling the soft breeze lifting her hair. A girl like Sakura wasn’t meant to be cooped up in such a place for this long, and she wished she didn’t have to leave tomorrow. But Ume was her superior, and telling the older woman she didn’t want to go would be disrespectful. Although Sakura was a bit of a troublemaker, she wasn’t dishonorable.

Ichigo stood by as he watched his companion defeat her adversaries with much finesse and elegance. Despite the wild sword throwing, her form was decent. Better than most. The two guards that had split to apprehend Ichi watched as their partners were cut down without much challenge. This wavered their charge, but only momentarily now. The were upon him now and one lead with an overhead swipe. Poor choice. Anything purely vertical is only practical when in execution. These men clearly had a different and worse master than the previous group of Royal Guard.

The swipe catches air. As if Ichi hadn't moved and the man had missed on purpose. It was easily avoidable by Ichigo, he simply side stepped. However, the two men seemed baffled by the fact that he was able to avoid it. Ichi's eye were now squinted as he assessed his opponents. One was slightly bigger, more of a brute. He was the first to rush in. Bullheaded. His size will be his downfall. The second was of average size, it is unknown what his capabilities are at the moment.

After he avoided the first swipe, Ichi took one step back into the path of the man still falling forward from momentum and slides The Loyalist Blade from it's sheathe. The end of the handle being thrust violently into the large man's gut. The soldier paused, as if hung up in mid-air, unable to move from the spot where Ichigo hit him. Viciously, though, the man then began to spit up blood. The guard fell and began cringing on the ground; grasping his midsection and squirming in the dirt. Ichi's gaze remained straight forward, his eyes now slowly shifting to his second opponent, the guard was unknowingly awaiting his turn to be utterly defeated as well.

It seemed the second man had a bit more knowledge of the arts as the previous though. More of a thinker than a muscle head. The more average size guard now held his black and gray blade in both hands as he slowly circled Ichi. His steps, even and concise. The outcast samurai kept his eyes locked on this man, turning slowly when necessary. Ichigo now had his thumb resting on the hilt of The Loyalist Blade, slowly, he slid the bottom edge of the blade out to only have the sun glint off of it barely. Ichi awaited his opponents first move.

Then it came. The man rushed Ichi, swinging in an uppercut motion cutting from Ichi's right hip to left shoulder. In one fleeting motion, Ichigo released his blade from its holster and caught his attacker's katana in midswing. Both blades collided for a second before clanging off and shooting from each other. The guard countered and returned again, but this time with a diagonally cut from top right to bottom left. He left himself too wide open with this second attack, though, which allowed Ichi to spin inwards on the balls of his feet and raise his blade up so it pierced straight through his adversaries chest. Blood spat out onto Ichi's hand, blade, and some getting onto his kimono. The Royal Guard's eyes seemed to go blank and Ichi slowly slid the sword from the man's body. He proceeded to flick the blood from his blade and wiped it quickly with his kimono.

After this, he gave a short bow to both opponents. One left dead, the other still writhing in pain. Ichigo, now left the two and got back to Chika's position, following her into the ox pulled cart. Glancing to her shortly he sat in silence. Then he averted his gaze to look off at nothing in particular. If he could help it, he would leave all of his blades in sheathe for as long as possible.

Ichi then untied both katana and placed them tip of sheathe down, leaning them into a corner. His tanto he removed, but kept horizontally on his lap.

Chika didn't even need to watch her companion as he took care of his two opponents. She knew him well enough to know that he would dispatch them with ease and grace that easily matched her own. It was amazing to her that she could even compare though considering the fact that he was a top-tier Samurai. However the matching levels of skill were mainly due to the fact that each had their own fighting style that they had mastered over many years.
If Chika were to attempt to take up Ichi's style she would fail miserably. The same went for him trying to pick up her style with her sword, he would be at a huge disadvantage against his enemies. They both excelled in their own styles.

By the time the young warrior climbed into the back of the oxen driven cart where her companion was waiting, the wooden frame had begun its journey along the dirt road that led out of the city. Chika had no doubt in her mind they were escaping with their lives. Had they stayed behind they would have been massacred by the army beneath the new Emperors control. As efficient as they were, they were not immune to being swarmed from all sides.
Eventually they would take enough damage to where they could no longer fight back which would result in their deaths. For now they would live to fight another day side by side.

As she settled herself down in the corner the voice of Ichi reached her from where he was sat drawing her gaze towards his figure. She watched him for a few moments as she processed his words before she let out a very feminine giggle at the thought of him no longer drawing his swords. That was going to be a very difficult oath to keep judging by the situation they had gotten themselves into.
Not drawing his sword was much like signing his own death warrant at the hands of the Samurai loyal to the new and corrupt Emperor who was more than certainly going to send his entire force out to search for them.
For now though they were going to have a head-start.

"I guess that means I'll be the one protecting you, huh?" She remarked in a tone that was playful in nature. She knew he was more than ready to protect himself if he truly needed to but at the same time she felt that he was worth laying her life on the line for. He had taught her the definitions of loyalty, discipline, and honor. Although she had not taken these things to heart, as she did not need to follow the Bushido, she respected him immensely for his strength in these areas.
As the sheathe of her sword came to rest against her shoulder she let her gaze drift towards the city that was shrinking into the distance.
"So the journey begins.." She murmured quietly more to herself than him.

-- 5 hours later --

Chika was beginning to recognize her surroundings as they neared the Aomori Prefecture. A very large expanse of lightly populated forests with many large cities situated all along the main road that connected it to the rest of the Prefectures. The city of Aomori itself was where they were headed and were due to arrive within a matter of hours at the very most.
Most of the scenery around them was bland but every now again they came across a beautiful flowing river that filled the silence with the soft sound of flowing water. It was calming to the soul and appealing to the eyes.

Spoiler:

The young warrior drew her gaze away from the passing forest to look at her companion.
"You'll have to prepare yourself. The place we're going to is very much welcoming towards male patrons. Of course, I don't mind if you want to spend a night on your own in one of the rooms.." Chika could not help but laugh at the mere thought of Ichi hiring himself one of the many dancers their destination had to offer.
The image of him sitting quietly as they danced around him made her want to giggle like a schoolgirl but she suppressed that urge as much as she could.
"But the person we're meeting works in one of the largest Geisha Houses in the province." She finished with a small smile at the thought of being reunited with her friend after so many years of being apart.