Raion was thirty two and extremely bored. Life had become easy, pupils came to His door daily asking for tuition and in general He refused. Money had never interested Him, there had always been enough and now because of His modest needs He was comparatively comfortable with no intention of seconding His own studies for the simple acquisition of wealth.
His father had been a conscientious provider, forever striving for greater and greater financial stability, one of the new Japanese who had turned the loss of warrior position through military defeat into a constant search for commercial victory. Raion hated the financial elite, found their bending of samurai value into capitalist dogma reprehensible. Certainly His generation reaped the benefits, but He would never allow monetary freedom to diminish cultural imperative.
He was perplexed that His parent so insisted He take the boy as a student. Bad enough that it would detract His ability to practice, disturb the routine that He had set for Himself, but the boy appeared to be a dullard, unequivocally lazy and with an attitude that suggested superiority to anything or anyone without the slightest redeeming feature. Raion disliked him on sight, from his western style reptile skin shoes to the fancy Italian polyester shirt that adorned his torso.
"Yakuza."
Raion had spat the word in disgust and refused point blank to consider it. Twice He had been admonished, finally His father had insisted and from respect Raion had no alternative but to accept.
That very first day Raion regretted bowing to His fathers will. The boy was arrogant, pompous, unwilling to learn and worse of all late. The moment he arrived in a chauffeured limousine that was a totally unnecessary status symbol, dressed in obviously newly purchased expensive kimono and haori he had the Sensei's ire. Raion spent the day looking for some acceptable way of expression and finally it came. The boy had been set to practice a simple solo kata but insisted on showing his prowess in mock combat. Raion with suitable hesitancy accepted and delivered a sharp shinai blow to the boys shoulder in response to an apology of an attack. For all his bluster and arrogance the boy was a coward and a weakling, reduced from strutting peacock to a weeping chicken in a moment. Raion turned His back to the sight and walked away giving no further consideration to the matter.
Raion had little real concept of time. For Him days easily became weeks, weeks months and months years. He spent as much of His life on each interest as He saw fit. If a sentence took a moment to write He was content, if it took a week He was equally happy. Some sentences take a lifetime to finish and He had bowed to that simple truth many years before. He did not forgot the incident, but had rather put it into the box labelled distraction and let it rest there quite contentedly in the knowledge His time was again His own.
Raion rose from His bed and accepted wakefulness. Sleep was a luxury that came to those deserving, tonight He was not one of the recipients so blessed. At first He considered His disturbance simply a matter of mental unrest, something that happens on occasions even to the most focused, but then something in the atmosphere made Him tense. The noises were miniscule, perhaps less than a fly might make walking across a ceiling but it was enough and Raion picked up the Katana from aside His bed roll.
It had been over a week since the incident with the boy and Raion had accepted with some gratitude that he would not return. True the absence was a mild insult, but small enough to be shrugged off casually, far less important to Raion than it appeared to be to His father who seemed genuinely concerned over the matter. Raion had considered asking directly for an explanation but had decided to allow time to perhaps resolve the issue and put the matter out of His mind. His fathers continued escalating stress suggested matters might be heading towards some conclusion. And now without any warning the eruptions commenced.
The first intruder was heavy set and slow. Something about his build reminded Raion of a failed sumo, not impossible considering the attackers new profession and He felt no sorrow as the fool hit the matting face first following one sharp blow to the head from the edge of the saya. The assassins blood wasn't worthy of an unsheathed blade.
The outlines of the second and third attackers froze at the sound of their much larger comrade's fall. Slowly, painfully slowly they slid forward till they stood either side of the prone form one staring down with an expression of amazement the other carefully peering into the surrounding darkness.
Raion watched silently for a few moments from the shadows before slipping the silk knotted cord around the first man's throat. A quick blow to the back of his knees and he was down and hogtied in a second. The second man glanced back to see nothing then down to see his compatriots bulging eyes and imprisoned limbs. He began to stoop to ease the chocking loop before being halted by the feel of the razor sharpness of Raion's blade at his throat.
As with all men of low character the assassin's tongues had flapped without any need for undue force and Raion's footsteps now took Him directly to the home of His antagonist, the father of His unwanted and recalcitrant pupil. He skirted the front entrance, guarded rather poorly by two unobservant henchmen and quickly reached the back courtyard. A quick glance through the lighted bedroom window caused Him a smile and a raised eyebrow. The yakuza boss was bound quite securely shibari style and was being buggered by his slim young wife with a very long and thick strap on dildo. The boss was making no noise because of the ball gag very tightly fastened around his head but from the expression in his eyes was utterly overpowered with lust. Raion had no disgust for what He saw. The sexual peccadillo's of humanity had long ceased to amaze Him and He now found the wide spectrum of fantasies and fetishes strangely reassuring. Man had for so long seemed to lose the drive to evolve but at least in this one carnal area they continued to explore. He withdrew His cell from the depths of a sleeve and carefully aiming pressed record.
Raion entered the room silently through a carefully incised cut in the paper doorway. His footfall even in geta was totally silent. Hours of practice ensured that surprise was His friend not His enemy.
"I am sorry to interrupt your pillowing."
He had taken the precaution of wrapping one arm around the geisha's slim waist and the other hand gently across her mouth. She could neither fall to the floor in a shocked faint nor scream. Pleasantly she did neither, rather pushed her very pert buttocks back into Raion's groin where they rested contentedly.
"Nod if I can remove My hand from your mouth without reaction. You understand your word is expected to be truthful and consequences of falsehood severe."
The wife nodded respectfully and Raion was almost certain her lips pushed against His hand as He drew away.
"You will excuse Me boss yamato if I do not give you the same courtesy. I feel our conversation will go better if you remain hogtied and silent."
The boss had descended from his ecstasy quickly although his anus still gasped like the mouth of an earth bound carp searching for oxygenated water.
"Please be assured I have no wish to publicize your particular fondness for bondage and buggery, although I did take the precaution of shooting a short video whilst you were unaware of My presence and still full of black latex."
