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Honor Bound

"I love the name of honor, more than I fear death."-Julius Caesar

(Opening credits roll and heavy breathing is heard, progressively growing louder as as the darkness clears and the picture resolves. A stern man dressed in traditional robes slowly, steadily makes his way up a long set of stairs, sweating profusely.)

Man: ...

(A single katana in an ornately decorated hilt on his belt knocks loudly against his hip as he walks. The man shuts his eyes briefly to blink away a drop of sweat, and a barrage of images assault him in the dark, as well as a piercing female scream. His eyes shoot open and he shakes his head, continuing his ascent as he tightly grips the handle of his sword.)

Man: (sighs) ...

(The camera zooms out, revealing the staircase is carved into the side of a mountain, as the title is displayed. As the man reaches the top, he pauses to survey the flat land of a tree-ringed natural arena before an ancient temple, as well as the armor-clad man standing across from him.)

Second Man: ...

(The second man grins wickedly at the new arrival, hefting a massive spear off of his shoulder and allowing its impact against the ground to echo across the field.)

Second Man: (in Mandarin) I was beginning to wonder if you were coming.

Man: (angrily, in Japanese) You don't know me as well as you thought if you doubted my arrival.

(The first man whips his sword out of its scabbard, dropping low into a defensive stance, as his opponent chuckles with amusement.)

Second Man: (in Mandarin) You're awfully ill-prepared...Only one blade?

Man: (in Japanese) A single blade is all that is needed...To kill a single vermin.

(The second man's smile transforms into a harsh, hateful scowl, and with a yell he rushes his adversary. The latter breaks his stance and charges, slashing upwards with his katana as the spear plunges downwards. The instant before the weapons find their marks, the camera zooms out and resolves first on the eye, then the entire face, of the first man.)

Woman: Rin!

Rin: Hmm?

(Rin glances up and meets the gaze of a young woman sitting cross-legged opposite him in a small, paper-walled dining room. She giggles with amusement.)

Woman: (smiling) You've been sitting in silence for a good while now. What's on your mind?

Rin: Apologies, Ayaka...It is nothing.

Ayaka: ...You're concerned for the march on Tokyo.

(Rin nods solemnly.)

Rin: More and more, I'm beginning to think that nothing is going to change...That all of our work and preparation will be for nothing, and that I'll be leading my men to certain death in a short time.

(Thunder rumbles outside, and a light rain begins falling. Rin gazes out the window and watches the steady fall, the sky and clouds slowly growing darker and gaining a crimson tint.)

Rin: I see nothing but sinister omens and visions...Premonitions foretelling my death at General Xiang's hands, and his at mine...

Ayaka: You worry yourself far too much over simple things, my love...Your mirror dream mirrors your concerns of failing as a leader and a man.

Rin: Perhaps...But the doubt still remains. I promise those who follow me a new Japan, a better Japan, and I have always prided myself in honoring my word. If we fail...Then honor is lost, and my word becomes no better than a common dog's.

(A silent stillness falls over the room as Rin smiles wanly and sips a bit of sake from a shallow dish, then rises.)

Rin: Please have my horse fed, watered, and brought around. I plan to leave for Kyoto before the sun sets.

Ayaka: How long before you depart?

Rin: (shrugging) An hour, two at the most. I need some time to rest and gather my thoughts before I go.

(Ayaka nods and gives a small, curt bow before rising to clear the table. Rin walks to the door and steps out into the hallway, sliding the door quietly shut behind him.)

Rin: ...