Night Storm (Part 1)

It is raining gently tonight... the drops falling from the big magnolia leaves create a soft drumming rhythm that blends easily with the wind chimes' soft notes drifting on the lazy breeze. My imagination playfully chases the notes across the fields and they are transformed into the sounds of the silver bells tied to the saddles of the Samurai's warhorse.

The rain falls a bit harder and finds ways to get into Kensho's black lacquered armor as he dreams of a far away time when he played with his friends. They ran in the fields during summer showers. Laughing... playing tag or hide and seek or chasing the girls to put grasshoppers down their backs. This memory brings a slight smile to Kensho's face. "There is something to be learned from a rainstorm." his father confided one evening. "Life is sometimes like a sudden and unexpected shower. You must learn to walk between the drops."

The soft call of an owl breaks the memory and returns Kensho instantly to the present. He leans forward in the saddle and gazes intently towards the distant line of trees. There is a slight taste of smoke in the air and dark shadows seem to flow among the ancient trees... His hand falls lightly to the hilt of his katana...

It is raining gently tonight... a shimmer-flick of his optics and he can now make out the forms of several Ronin positioned among the tree line... neural systems come online and adrenal nanonics charge his body with quiet forces. As the rain slows to a drizzle another storm builds silently. Kensho patiently awaits the first flash of lightning. Tonight he will walk between the drops...