The girl walked up to the saloon's swing-hinged doors and, before pushing through, buttoned up her army shirt. No sense in showing off the goodies to the type of riffraff that was probably in there.
She peered over the doors to get a good view of the place. The decor was like that of a Nineteenth Century western saloon, with a few touches of late Twentieth Century night club neon. It was rather dim, lit only by the tops of the tables and the bar counter (At least by the lights that worked).
She removed her shades and stuck them in her shirt pocket. She didn't think that anybody in there would be looking for a teenage psychopath with red eyes, considering how dim it was. And they certainly weren't going to be looking at her eyes.
As she entered the saloon, she gagged on the smoke of burning tobacco and marijuana. The whole place was dirty, smelly, ugly and loud. There was a heavy metal rock band upon a stage, 'John Zit and the Blackheads', who screamed a vile cross betwixt country and western, punk and rap.
"Nice place," the girl mused sarcastically. As she entered, all eyes automatically turned towards her. Even the band stopped their screeching to see what had just walked in, then resumed their music a second later. Some of the clientele were mewling and puking the booze they swilled while others shot the horse they purchased from an Establishment-owned vending machine.
And then there were the B-girls, old, ugly and used. They took an instant loathing of the girl who was now grabbing all the attention of their customers. After all, who was going to look at them when a pretty young thing in tights come strolling in?
But there were three gentlemen who took a quick interest in her, the vikers, and she didn't like the way they were whispering and giggling to each other. To get an idea of a viker's mentality, one only need to listen in as they converse about their current point of interest:
"Hey, check out the meat!" Observed Viker #1 to his two chums.
"Mmmmmmmmmm, nice tender young flesh," noted Viker #2, slurping his lagur.
"Well, as long as I gotta face, she's gotta seat," commented Viker #3, drooling lustfully.
Real thinkers, eh?
The girl stepped over an unconscious drunk to the bar, which was tended by a huge, fat blob. He must be the proprietor of his fine establishment. First, she'll get a little drinky-pooh, then engage this upwardly gentleman in conversation. She might learn something about Nimrod. "Homer?" She called to the bar keep in a pleasant tone.
"That's me," the 'friendly' bar keep growled. "Name it."
"Name it?" The girl asked.
"What's your poison?"
"Poison?"
"Whaddaya wanna drink?"
The girl finally understood these arcane questions. "A glass of milk, please."
"Milk?!" Homer roared. "Hey, this ain't no dairy farm, kid!"
"Okay, how about a pop?"
"Pop?!"
"Ya know, a soft drink."
"Look kid," Homer grumbled, "All I got is booze. Lagur, whiskey, vino, sake, vodka, alcoholic substances. Booze!"
"How about a glass of water? I know ya got that. I mean, ya gotta water the drinks down somehow."
"What's wrong with booze? Everybody else is drinking it."
"They're also passing out, throwing up and making the place smell like a urinal. Alcohol is the devil's urination."
"Well piss off then!" Homer shouted as he turned his back to her.
"Well, so much for quenching my thirst," the girl mentally mused. "Maybe I can still get some info from Homer here." She looked towards the gigantic bar keep and called to him. "Homer?"
"Now Whaddaya want?" He asked irritably.
"I was wondering if ya could help me? I'm looking for a guy..."
"Oh?" He interrupted as he suddenly brightened up. "And you want a REAL man, right? Well I close shop about two..."
"I ain't looking for a date, Homer."
"Oh," he sighed disappointedly. "Knocked up and looking for the daddy, eh?"
"I ain't knocked up either! I'm looking for Nim..."
But before she could continue, the girl felt a tapping upon her shoulder. Turning around, she found one of the three vikers standing behind her. He was a big, 300-pound bubba with a long, scraggy beard, half his teeth missing and rancid breath lethal enough to kill plants.
Vikers always know just the right words to pick up a girl. "Ya gotta cute ass."
"Oh great!" She lamented mentally. "Gift of gab, don't fail me now!" She looked up at the giant viker and girlishly responded, "Gee, I bet ya say that to all the girls, eh?"
"Me and my associates were wondering if ya like to join us in a little gang ba...uh, I mean, a little get together and go ape shit. Whaddaya say, bitch?"
"I'm in big trouble, that's what I say!" The girl thought as she replied with a nervous smile, "Gosh, I'd love to join your little gang ba...uh, I mean, little get together, but I've got a basket full of goodies to take to Grandma's house and..."
"I ain't asking, I'm telling!" Interrupted the viker. "We ain't had a good piece of ass in a week, so take off those pants and ASSume the position!"
So much for her gift of gab. The girl looked over towards Homer, hoping that he would put a stop to this, but all he would say was, "Hey assholes! Don't rough her up too much! I still ain't got the blood off the pool table from your last little gang ba...uh, I mean, little get together!"
She glanced to the customers, only to find them clearing out of the way due to fear, drunkenness or apathy. She then heard giggling coming from the B-girls, who seemed quite content with her situation. Not only will they be rid of this new distraction, but they also won't have to worry about the vikers hitting on them.
There are some things that even a whore won't touch.
The girl turned back to the viker. "Look, I think ya better..."
"Shaddup!" He shouted as he grabbed her. "Look, we don't care if you're dead or alive! And we dig cold bitches! Now what's your answer?!"
So much for diplomacy. All she had now was extreme violence.

Chapter One-Kids these days: A boy named ‘Phillip’ arrives in the Tetzu Empire.

The boy was about a block away from the school, an old temple renovated by Keiko Okami, the late wife of a former Shogun, Osamu Okami, 'The Old Wolf', who resigned his commission in 2236 to be with Keiko, who was dying of cancer. He has been running the school since. The boy was now close enough to see the front of the school. There, he saw a group of children encircling two others as they held hands and repeated a chant, "Fushijin! Fushijin! Fushijin!"
One of the children within the circle was a boy about eight-years-old. He was taller than the others, sporting a soup-bowl haircut and oddly large ears on the sides of his elongated head. Arrogantly, he looked down upon the other child, a little red-haired girl in a black leotard who appeared to be about five-years-old. She held her head down and kept her eyes closed as she listened to the taunts being flung at her by the others.
"We shouldn't call THIS by a Tetzu slander," the boy huffed. "That would be too good for it."
"Outta my way, Kito," The little girl said calmly, struggling to control her temper.
"We should give IT a Euro name."
"I ain't an 'it'. I'm a person."
"You?! A person?!" Kito laughed. "It calls itself a person!"
"Leave me alone, Kito!" The girl demanded, still fighting the temptation to strike him.
"You are not a person, freak! You dare show such arrogance by contradicting me? But I did say we were going to give you an Euro name. How's about 'abnorm'?"
The chant began again, only now it was replaced by a different word for 'freak': "Abnorm! Abnorm! Abnorm!"
The girl lifted her head and looked into Kito's face. He was hoping to see within her eyes a look of defeat, so that he could further torment her and inflate his own ego. Instead, he saw a glare of defiance. "Let me through!" She demanded, clenching her hands in fists. "I got other things to..."
This angered Kito. How dare this inferior defy him, the son of a Daimyo! He grabbed her shoulders and shoved her to the ground. "Listen to it, will you!" He sneered hatefully. "It thinks it can tell me what to do?! Such blatant arrogance!"
It was then that the blond boy decided to act. "Hey you!" He yelled to Kito. "Pick on someone your own size!"
Kito and his cronies glanced over to the approaching boy. "Well, another Euro," he observed with disgust.
Ignoring Kito, the blond turned to the red-haired girl. "Are you alright?" he asked gently.
"Piss off!" She returned, climbing to her feet.
"Watch your language!" Everybody in the vicinity ordered.
"Keep outta this! I don't need your help!" she added.
Ignoring that, the blond boy glared to Kito. "You must be a real tough guy to pick on little kids like her," he said.
"You must be new around here," Kito said with an air of contempt. "Apparently, you don't know who I am."
"Eiji Kito," the blond answered, "Son of the Daimyo Hayuo Kito, owner of the Kito Kabuki theater. Now what did she ever..."
But before he could finish, Kito punched the boy in the jaw, knocking him to the ground. Quickly, the red-haired girl kneeled beside him. "Hey pal, ya hurt?!"
"What do you think?" He returned.
The two then began to hear Kito and the other children laughing. "Here's the proof for you," he snickered, "The might of the Euro Race! I felt like I was hitting a girl!"
With a bitter glare, the red-haired girl jumped to her feet and faced Kito. "Okubyo! Ya wanna fight?! Let's see how ya do against..."
"Bubbie !"
Upon hearing that name, the red-haired girl froze as all eyes turned towards the source, an old man standing in the school doorway. "Sensei?" the red-haired girl returned.
"You!" Kito hissed with disdain.
But the blond boy recognized the old man, hiding his face from him. "It's the Old Wolf!"
He was a short man, about five-foot tall, and rather stocky in build. Despite his age of 67, he was still in better shape than most men in their twenties. His graying hair was long and flowing, though balding on top. He wore a long, Fu Manchu mustache. Holding the sash that encircled his waist, Okami looked down upon the children and asked, "What's going on here?"
Immediately, Kito pointed to Akai and the blond boy, saying, "It was them! They started trouble with us!"
"That's a lie!" the red-haired girl responded. "Kito started it and he sucker punched Prince Charming in the jaw!"
"Prince Charming?" The blond boy thought, arching an eyebrow.
Okami looked down at the blond boy for a few seconds, then back to Kito, who was snarling at the red-haired girl. "It is you who lies, mixed-blooded burakumin!"
Burakumin.
The term meant 'unperson'. In ancient Japan, the word was an insult against those of an inferior caste. It was often used against Japanese of mixed blood. Even today, where there's a little somebody in every Tetzu's woodpile, there are still those who refuse to accept this little fact of life, considering themselves the true descendants of the Tetzu people, pure and free of what their narrow minds call 'ethnic pollution'.
"I know who the liar is, Kito," the Old Wolf said with a scowl.
"Of course," Kito returned. "Naturally you would take that freak's side over mine, considering your 'relationship'."
"That does it!" The red-haired girl cried as she prepared to attack Kito, but the Old Wolf jumped in between them.
"No Bubbie !" He ordered.
"But Sensei, he..."
"I know what he said!"
The red-haired girl glared at the Old Wolf, standing down quietly, yet grudgingly.
"So!" Kito exclaimed arrogantly as he crossed his arms. "Our once great shogun is training okubyo, eh? Why am I surprised, since he has proven to be one himself?"
Again, the red-haired girl was tempted to avenge her sensei, and again Okami foreboded her from doing so. "I'm doing it as a favor to you," the Old Wolf told Kito. "Now get outta here before I call the keisatsu!"
And with that, Kito motioned to his friends and said, "Let's go. The stink of Euro filth makes me ill." But before he left, he gave the blond boy one final look of disgust.
And as the group ran down the street, the red-haired girl looked up to her sensei and asked, "Why did ya do that? I could've taken his ass..."
"Watch your language!" Both Okami and the blond ordered.
"I didn't want ya to get in trouble again," the Old Wolf explained.
"Again?" The blond boy asked.
"Last week, Bubbie was attacked by an older kid and she nearly crippled him."
"Oh, I see, she..." It then dawned upon the boy as to what Okami had just said. "Huh?!"
"He needed his spine broken," the red-haired girl murmered.
"And do ya know what would've happened had ya did that to Kito?" Okami asked sternly. "He is the son of a Daimyo, and if ya did anything to him..."
"Okay, I get the point," she returned. "Why can't they just leave me alone?"
"Because they're jerks," answered the blond boy.
The Old Wolf eyed the boy suspiciously. "By the way, who are you, boychick?"
"Yeah," the red-haired girl added, "who is yon knight in scruffy armor?"
"You can call me Fel..." the boy paused a second, "Philip."
The red-haired girl smiled. "I'm Akai."
"Philip, eh?" Okami repeated, still eyeing the boy. He then looked to Akai and said, "Come Bubbie, you're a little late for your workout." His gaze returned to Philip. "And I'm sure your friend here would like to stick around, wouldn't you, Boychick?"
"Sure, why not?" the boy said with a nervous shrug.
And as the Old Wolf entered the school, Akai smiled to her new friend. "Uh, Philip?"
"Yes?"
"I wanna thank ya for coming to my rescue."
"That's not what you were saying a few minutes ago."
"Sorry about that. I ain't used to having people on my side. So, whaddaya doing in Dendo Bay?"
"I'm, uh, visiting friends here," He quickly answered.
As the two started into the school, Akai took Philip's hand. "Wanna be my boyfriend?"
This caught Philip off guard. "Boyfriend?"
"I've always wanted a boyfriend, and ya did come to my rescue."
"Aren't you a little too young to be thinking about...boyfriends?"
Akai batted her eyes at him. "Well, we can pretend."
"Akai, I think there's something you should..."
"Oh nevermind." Akai shrugged as they entered the Dojo, which was divided into three sections. One section housed various athletic equipment, the second was used for unarmed combat practiced and calisthenics, and the third, Akai's favorite, was used for kendo, Japanese sword fighting. The school was filled with students of various ages, each either working out or practicing some form of defense technique.
"You come here often?" Philip asked.
"Yeah," Akai answered. "My Mom usually teaches here, but she's visiting a friend up north. She won't be back until tonight."
"I'm surprised she left you alone."
"Okami's watching me until Dad gets off work. Besides, I didn't wanna miss practice, speaking of which..." Akai looked around the Dojo for a second. "Now, where to start?"
"I don't think there's much you can do around..." But before Philip could utter another word, Akai started walking towards the uneven bars.
"Ya know, I need a little more practice on my gymnastics."
And as she approached the bars, Philip followed, musing mentally, "Those bars are too high. I don't think..." But before he could finish, the child squatted, then leapt into the air, grabbing the first bar and swinging into her workout. Philip was amazed at the speed, agility and coordination that Akai displayed. "Erstaunlich!" The boy murmured in amazement. How does she..."
Then suddenly, Akai slipped, crashing upon her left wrist. "Omigod!" Philip exclaimed as he rushed over to her, only to crash into a wall of obscenities most foul.
"Damn! Shit! Hard on!" The child cursed, holding her injured wrist. "Cute Akai! Real frigging cute! Ya missed the damned bar, ya silly fat cow!"
"Watch your language!" Philip reprimanded. "Are you okay?"
Akai looked up and glared. "Oh, I'm just fine, ya frigging git! I love breaking my arm, sending streams of unbearable pain to my brain! Ya should try it sometime, Prince Charm..."
"Shut up!" Philip yelled. Oddly enough, it actually quieted the young gymnast. "Now, let me see your wrist."
"Huh?"
"I want to examine your wrist." Akai held out her wrist and the boy started his examination. Gently, he felt around the wrist, rubbing along the joint.
"Don't ya need a scan or something?"
The boy smiled. "Not really. I know a little trick. Nothing feel broken."
"Gee, I guess that makes ya an abnorm too, eh?"
"I don't consider myself a freak," the boy returned as he helped her off the floor, "and you shouldn't either."
"Most people say I am."
"You look pretty normal to me."
"Look at my eyes."
Philip looked into her eyes. "So they're a little different. The rest of you looks normal."
As the two started walking towards the nurse's station, Akai said, "I can leap over people's heads, I can learn fast, my senses are twice as acute than normal, I can see in the dark and can also lift about 70 pounds over my head."
"You should be proud."
"That's what Okami and my folks say, but..." Akai bowed her head, "for some reason, nobody likes me. Ya saw how they treat me outside. The only time they even go near me is when they wanna tease me”. Sadly, Akai stopped and turned away from her new friend, her small fist clutched tightly. "It's like I have some deadly, extremely contagious disease, Akai-itis."
"Akai-itis?" Philip responded. "Now don't be silly. You're not the one at fault here, they are."