Ujira at first received nothing but a favorable impression of the small village he had stopped in for refreshment and respite from the road. The small inn, large for such a rustic place, was explained kindly by the proprietor to be a result of foot traffic between a much larger road and the local mine.

�The men used to come, and sit on my mother�s floor as she served them,� she spoke softly, as he was sure she had to many travelers before him, �Mother was then living in the house of my uncle, himself a farmer, but kept full possession of our old home. After working for several years in such a small place, she needed more rooms and added them accordingly, and then my husband and I did the same after she passed away.�

The young man simply nodded kindly, not having asked but not wishing to offend hospitality to one that did him the honor of asking no embarrassing questions, and understood now why the road was so wide and well worn. He had known upon arriving only that this area was remote enough to be calm, and calm enough that his quarry might well have taken shelter here; any more he might learn merely cast shadows on the clear path of his duty.

He requested a peaceful place he might take tea and read, once the woman was finished, and she pointed him towards the small balcony on the second floor. The small building was still enough to tower over the others in the village, giving Ujira a clear view all the way to the road. Smiling at the serenity and wholeness of this place, he watched as children did their chores, taking turns at being free to run about or chase before a parent would catch them in order to lightly chastise.

Relaxing in warm yet soft light of a late-day sun, the ronin produced the book always present in his belongings, laying it carefully before him on the table as he gently sipped his tea. This copy was his own creation, made as he painstakingly memorized every curved line of script, and it was a prize that he cherished above all but his very ancestral daisho. It was this book which gave him meaning after his father�s disgrace had led to personal shame, causing his expulsion from all that he knew, born again into a world coarser than the one he had left and with no discernable purpose or way. This book, the gift of Sun Tao�s immortal wisdom to those willing to accept it, along with a sensei that could recognize something worth salvaging from the wreck that once was a proud Usagi, were a favor of Fortune Ujira was eternally thankful for.

Forged out of the raw, a child again in more ways than new birth, Ujira had taken into himself the principles of battle in both peace and war that Sun Tao gave freely to any that would listen; he recognized in this path something greater than himself that he might strive for, and might one day lead to his redemption. Hope, steel, and wisdom together reared him from injured creature into proud beast once more.

It was while pondering these simple truths in self-contemplation, and thus opening himself up in some small way to the Void That Is, that the very thing Ujira had come looking for instead found him. His only regret was that it would ruin the gentle image he had formed of this little shelter on the side of a road.

�Ronin, you disgrace yourself and offend me with your arrogance,� came a gravely, irritated voice from behind, �I believe that I expressed my sentiments to you and your sensei quite clearly when last we met. Now, lest his eye has miraculously reformed, I doubt he at least will have forgotten what exactly the result of that dispute was.�

Ujira carefully returned the scroll he was reading to its proper case, making sure to move slowly and calmly despite the man�s obvious attempts to cause a foolish reaction, and returned it to its place among the others in his satchel before standing and turning around.

�Those true scholars of Sun Tao do not wish for dirty ronin such as yourself to continue your association with his great legacy,� said the small dark man Ujira found himself facing once he stood, �I, Togera Haera, was educated by men who studied their entire lives the truths and meanings of his writings, have been advisor to generals, and friend to great lords.� The noble-blooded one that would offend such an idyllic scene let that hang in the air, a pedigree that he obviously considered enough to end any sort of dispute; Ujira let it fall like the worthless refuse such talk usually was. �I have endured nothing but embarrassment whenever you pathetic duelists or fawning scribblers make yourselves known,� the Togera continued, �And will not stand by allowing it any longer.�

Ujira did not respond, instead looking the man over slowly while attempting not to show the anger or disgust he felt; the man was surely who he claimed, the graying hair and distinctive family colors making that much clear, his almost demented fervor also coinciding with the manner of the man that he had seen fight.

The ronin�s master had done nothing but approach the minor lord in interest, as one scholar to another, in order that they might share knowledge and perhaps grant one another a small amount of increased legitimacy. Instead the red-faced and hateful man had taken so extreme an offense at the very idea that he had called for a duel so that he might publicly humiliate one that would claim to use Sun Tao�s style. Even the man�s fellows, one or two of which had dealt with the sensei before, could not restrain his reckless tongue. Although aged some great amount, Ujira�s master accepted the challenge, despite the private advice of his only student, out a fierce sense of pride and had acquitted himself respectably before being gravely injured well after the duel should have ended in the younger man�s favor.

Haera�s own family noted this latest in a line of similar incidents with interest, afterwards politely requesting that he leave for a while in order to keep him from causing more trouble or further questioning of the family honor. The advisor�s own personal honor being drawn into question, he was left with little choice but to do as he was told.

The young ronin had not found it so easy to let things settle, but refused to raise any sort of public concern over the matter. Instead he had made several discreet inquiries, one of which eventually set him on the road to this small place, and the very set of light wood boards on which his feet now rested.

�I have come, not to bandy small words or defend my ways with them, but to show you what we of The Gaze of Sun Tao have taken from his great work, and to bring justice to you for the way in which you disgraced yourself in the duel with my sensei,� Ujira finally replied, slowly, knowing that his words were true but also that in saying them he was challenging this man in such a way that he might not refuse even the fallen of a minor clan, �I can only hope in great anticipation that you might accept my offer of small wisdom gleaned in a small and chaotic number of years.�

The other man glared with hatred bordering on madness, and Ujira knew it was all he might do to keep from attacking this impudent ronin then and there, before nodding with obvious anger and stomping through the establishment in a manner most disruptive to the other guests. Noting this, the young samurai paused briefly to apologize to several individuals the lord had bumped or disturbed, causing the other man to wait in the street for him to arrive.

Ujira could tell that this person was no more fit to a position of authority than any of the children that gathered to see what was occurring, and wondered just how much of the Togera family�s resources had gone towards politely concealing the rash actions and temper tantrums of this man; how else might he have been as successful as he was? Letting such things slip from his mind, however, he stepped calmly into the street and placed himself just outside of the normal range of an iaijutsu strike. Each of the men watched the other, sliding robes or other smaller pieces of fabric out of the way so that they might each move freely.

It was understood that this was not a formal duel and that there could be no official involvement even if there should be, for there was likely no one but the two of them with any such power for many miles. This was simple confrontation, to be played out by the rules each of them now acknowledged wordlessly.

Haera struck first, moving swiftly forward and in, his weapon slipping through the robes a mere inch from Ujira�s flesh and then curving outward in order to leave a clear �scar� where the injury would have occurred. The ronin�s face remained passive as his own blade seemed to leap up, snaking around that of his opponent and threatening to dislodge it from his grasp should the other man not withdraw. Once again both men stood facing, but the Togera now seemed much more sure of himself, his face intent and yet not as red as it had been, though a sheen of sweat had now formed across his neck and upper chest.

�The enemy�s first strike is either a test of your skill, or an affront to it; the best way to respond to either is with an attack of your own,� Ujira said calmly, striking quickly but allowing the other man to block the downward sweep, surprising the iaijutsu student by using the pressure of the contact to balance him and suddenly leaping over the blades.

Haera grunted, lowering his sword quickly in an attempt to arc it over, only now finding his sword was facing in the wrong direction as the ronin had merely skipped a few feet to the right when the arc was at its apex, leaving the Togera�s back entirely exposed. Frightened by such an opening, Haera spun, leaping away from his opponent and then dashing in once more, making an immediately apparent attempt to drive his sword through Ujira�s shoulder.

�Always welcome an attack that will not strike the heart or sever the limbs, for this throws your opponent�s balance awry, and will likely cause not only his attempt to falter but create an opportunity for you to instead strike true,� Ujira said a bit more loudly than the last time, breathing more rapidly as he shifted gently and spun his blade horizontally in his grip. By rolling the hilt over his hand he placed the edge of his blade behind that of Haera�s, in a position that would be considered threatening but untenable in iaijutsu dueling; allowing the wild motion of the strike to drive it, however, he tilted the edge of his blade out towards Haera�s feet and let the dull side skid downwards to drive the swing directly into the dirt.

Both men paused then, because it was at that moment that Haera noticed his enemy�s blade now rested against the joint of his thumb.

��A battle can take many forms, and may conform to the rules of the combatants or the conditions in which they find themselves,�� Ujira spoke calmly, quoting his sensei directly now, ��In all ways place justice, honor, and victory at the tip of your spear, and even should you go mistakenly into the unknown, your master�s ends will be accomplished.� I would apologize that my methods are not exactly as the rules usually prescribe for such a duel, but I am of the understanding that we both entered into this contest knowing the other�s heart. Are you prepared, Togera Haera, to admit that you went too far in your fervor and exceeded the accepted limits of your duel with my master?�

Haera grimaced, and looked as if he would speak to end this affair with what could be accepted as minor losses on either end. Then, as if realizing once more exactly what that acceptance would entail, he frowned fiercely and shook his head.

�If you knew anything about what it is to be honorable you would not have lost the colors of your clan, and you would know I exceeded no such boundary,� he said with venom. He might have said more, then, if not for the scream of pain that erupted when it was clear he had answered the question in the negative. The thumb fell free of his hand, making barely a sound itself as it rested in the grass, and its owner collapsed beside it moments later.

Ujira returned to his table in order to collect his things, smiled in thanks at the friendly old woman who had been so kind, even though she now refused to look into his eyes while taking his payment, and left. It would be a long journey home, but he knew that staying in this village after what had just happened would be a mistake; its illusion had been shattered for him, and his work here was done.