Order of the Lost Samurai Ch. 05

"What?" Dr. Nguyen said, blinking in confusion. "Why?"

The two left the room and closed the door behind them. Nicky stood and started to undo the towel from his waist before pausing. He looked at Tamiko.

"Wow," the twins said as they seemed to see his torso for the first time.

Tamiko didn't seem otherwise concerned with it, though she shrugged slightly and winked at Nicky. She blushed again, but didn't take her eyes off of him as he grinned and let the towel fall to the floor. The three girls who hadn't already seen him fully naked gasped at the sight.

"Is your cock bigger!?" Kasumi asked as she licked her lips.

"I don't, um, think so?" Nicky said uncertainly.

"It certainly looks bigger," Mayumi said dreamily.

"Well, in his defense," Sakiko cut in, "he did just have sex twice in less than twelve hours. Maybe it's just swollen a bit from over-use?" she offered.

"Na-uh," Mayumi said. "No way."

"Yeah, it wasn't that big whenever we got done with him the day we met," Kasumi said.

"And we fucked him nearly all day," Mayumi said.

"That was heavenly," Kasumi reminisced.

"It is bigger," Tamiko said in a low voice, as if she wasn't sure if she should comment or not. The others looked in her direction with a mix of shock and amusement on their faces. "Not by much, but it's certainly noticeable."

She was blushing to her roots again. The bombshell of a girl seemed to be blushing constantly around Nicky and he wondered if he'd ever seen her when she wasn't red in the face.

"I didn't get to see it when it was erect earlier," Kasumi said, starting toward Nicky.

"Yeah," Mayumi said as she reached for his cock. "Let's see it when it's fully hard."

"No," Nicky protested, backing up and gently guiding their hands away from their plotted course toward his dick. "We need to get home, then we need to talk." They all turned their eyes toward his at the mention of a conversation needing to happen.

"What about?" Sakiko asked.

"I need to fill you all in on what happened to me while I was out," Nicky explained as he got dressed. "I also need to watch the tapes of the entire fight," Nicky said, gaze fixed on Sakiko. She lowered her head and nodded slightly.

"You're right," she said. "You need to know what happened at the end after you fell unconscious."

"Whose home, though?" Tamiko asked.

"Right," Nicky said. "I don't have a home here. Maybe Mr. Nakamura will let me have a room at his place? I don't think the Saitos would appreciate having to suddenly house five people. Kai's a great friend and all, but I don't want to put that kind of burden on him."

"You could come to mine," Sakiko said apprehensively. "I'm the only one that lives there, now."

"Oh," Nicky said. "Are you sure? I don't want to intrude."

Sakiko rolled her eyes. "I just fucked your brains out. I just told you that I, um," she stammered, realizing she hadn't intended to reveal her confession to the others yet. "Well, we're practically married already. You called me your wife earlier."

"HE DID!?" Mayumi cried.

"What about ME!?" Kasumi exclaimed.

"He called me his wife, too," Tamiko timidly replied.

"NO FAIR!" the twins proclaimed with disappointed pouts.

"Yes, you two are my wives as well," Nicky said with a playful grin to the sisters.

"YAY!" the twins exalted.

"So, your place, then?" Nicky asked.

Sakiko nodded happily. "It's not overly spacious, but it'll accommodate the five of us, I think."

The door opened as Sakiko was talking and Mr. Nakamura walked in. "Speak of the devil," Nicky grinned. "Literally."

"Fuck you, kid," the old man said. "Your mom told me you were fully healed, huh? That mean you're ready to get out of this germ-infested death trap and go home?"

"Um, I don't have a home, Mr. Nakamura," Nicky said. "Sakiko was just offering us her home since, well..." He trailed off, not wanting to further exacerbate Sakiko's loss.

"Ah. She told you then, huh?" the old man asked. Nicky nodded. "Well, that's all fine and dandy but my place is bigger, if you want to stay there. There's plenty of room for the five of you and I won't get in your way unless you need some sense knocked into that elephant-sized ego of yours."

Nicky laughed. "It's always a pleasure to be insulted by Moses himself," Nicky said with a grin."

"Careful, kid," the old man said. "I got a staff, too, and I don't mind parting your skull down the middle with it! Now, are we going, or not? This place is giving me the heebie-jeebies."

"Girls?" Nicky asked as he looked to the women in turn. They all nodded with a smile. "Lead the way, oh savior of the Jews," Nicky told Mr. Nakamura.

The old man ignored the jibe as he walked out the door. "So, what level are you?"

That brought Nicky up short. He paused so suddenly that Mayumi plowed into his back. She took the opportunity to reach around and grab his dick through his shorts.

"Level," Kasumi said in confusion.

"Level??" Sakiko asked from behind her.

Nicky groaned. "One of the things I need to talk to you all about."

"Keep acting like a dickhead and I'll tell them even more before we get home," the old man said with a chuckle.

"More?" Mayumi asked. "What, more?"

"More!?" Nicky asked. "You know more?"

"I know more than you think, kid," the old man replied. "Come on. Keep quiet about it until we get home and I'll tell you all about it."

"Fine," Nicky said. "But you owe me one, big time, if you've been keeping information from me."

The old man paused just outside the door. He turned to look at Nicky with a sobering expression.

"Kid," Mr. Nakamura said. "You don't know it, yet. But I owe you way more than you realize."

"Whoa," Nicky said, surprised at the genuine affection in that simple statement.

"Come on," the old man grumbled. "Let's get the hell out of here."

"Where are you going?" Dr. Nguyen asked. "I haven't completed my examination yet."

"Sorry, doc," Nicky said with a shrug. "You had your chance but you blew it by standing there slack-jawed at my apparent increase in strength."

"Bu-but," the doctor stammered before pleading with Nicky. "Please, Mr. Devore. Not just for scientific curiosity, but also for my piece of mind."

Nicky stopped and turned to the lanky Vietnamese doctor. "Tell you what. Give me your card and if I get some free time the next couple of days, I'll give you a call. I'll even let you draw a little blood to have a look at in my presence. Agreed?"

Dr. Nguyen looked disappointed. However, realizing he really didn't have a choice in the matter, he nodded his head. "Agreed," he said and handed Nicky his business card.

"See you later, doc," Nicky said and walked down the hall.

"Nicky," his mom called. "You need some shoes, baby. Here. I brought you some flip-flops."

Catching the sandals, Nicky looked incredulously at his mother. "Ma," he protested. "These things are like, three sizes too small!"

"Well I don't know how big your feet are!" she replied. "I just brought the biggest ones I could find!"

"I know how big his feet are," Kasumi said with a coquettish giggle.

The other girls smiled or laughed and Nicky blushed. He pulled the hospital grippy socks off of his feet and put the sandals on. He drew the attention of many comical smiles as he strode confidently from the hospital with what looked like tiny kitchen sponges on the bottom of his feet.

~ ~ ~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~ ~ ~

"So," Nicky said, as they settled into Mr. Nakamura's living room. Sakiko perched on his lap, with her feet resting on Kasumi's lap to his right. Kasumi leaned in close to Nicky's right side, while Mayumi snuggled up against his left. Meanwhile, Tamiko knelt on the floor, her arm wrapped around Nicky's left calf, leaning into his leg, as she gazed intently at Mr. Nakamura. All of them were poised to listen closely as the old man began to speak.

"You know there are plenty of other seats, right?" the old man asked the girls.

"Yes," Tamiko said confidently, though with her trademark blush.

She didn't comment further so the old man just shrugged and eased himself into his favorite chair.

"So," he said as he looked at Nicky.

Nicky didn't pressure the old man. Rather, he waited patiently while the old timer collected his thoughts. Mr. Nakamura relaxed into his chair and put his feet up on the ottoman in front of him. He groaned out a sigh of contentment as his muscles relaxed.

"What gives?" Nicky asked with a smirk. "You're not usually this scared to speak your mind."

"Scared!?" Mr. Nakamura blurted. "What makes you think I'm scared?"

"You're stalling, old man," Nicky replied with a good-natured grin. "Come on. Out with it. What's up?"

The old man crossed his feet at the ankles and clasped his hands behind his head before speaking. "Millennia ago," he began, "long before the start of the Yamato Dynasty, there existed an elite group of warriors with unmatched skills in budo, bujutsu, and kenjutsu. Budo and bujutsu refer to hand-to-hand martial arts, while kenjutsu refers specifically to sword-fighting. These warriors were tribal kings and leaders of their respective communities. They were often at war with each other over land disputes, trade agreements, diplomatic relations, etc. Until one day, a young upstart with delusions of grandeur, and rightly so, began to unite the kingdoms under his rule. He claimed to be the direct descendant of the sun goddess, Amaterasu. With no one able to openly oppose his claims, he began to cultivate a fiercely loyal and devoted group of supporters who fervently believed in his cause."

"You're talking about Emperor Jimmu and the start of the Yamato Dynasty, aren't you?" Nicky asked, excitedly.

Mr. Nakamura sat up straight and raised his eyebrows in surprise. "You know about the Yamato Dynasty??"

"Most of what I know is only speculation," Nicky replied. "I have my own theories of how it began, but please, continue."

The old man eyed him curiously before continuing his lecture. "There was, as you can imagine, high opposition to young Jimmu. While most of the followers of Amaterasu and her brother Susanoo immediately flocked to his side, the followers of Hachiman were suspicious of the young man's claims. Hachiman's followers began to form peace treaties with the clans and kingdoms of the other deities of ancient Japan with the intent to overthrow Jimmu from uniting the country under one banner."

"But wouldn't that have been a good thing for the country?" Tamiko asked. "Aside from the obvious of it benefiting Japan. Why, then, did they oppose it so?"

"They were under the impression that Amaterasu and Susanoo wanted to take over as the prime deities of Japan," Mr. Nakamura replied. "The followers of Hachiman brought those of Inari, the fox goddess, Benzaiten, Daikokuten, and Ebisu under a dome of peace, presumably until Amaterasu and Susanoo could be defeated, and their way of life restored to feudal Japan. Unfortunately for them, Jimmu's army was much too strong for them to defeat outright.

"After months of open warfare on both sides, as well as guerrilla warfare by those opposing Jimmu, the final stand came in the form of a battle of honor between Jimmu and the leader of the resistance. It was a six hour long battle between the two combatants, with neither gaining the upper hand. There were very few breaks between sword strikes. Almost too exhausted to stand, both combatants ended up locking swords at the end. Jimmu proved to be the slightly stronger of the two as he pushed his sword forward and ended up slicing through his opponent's jugular."

The room was silent for a few heartbeats. The girls kept quiet, but Nicky finally spoke up. "Okay, so, Jimmu won and went on to unite the country under one banner. The Yamato Dynasty had officially begun. How does that play into what's happening to me, to us?"

The old man took a drink and grimaced slightly. "Cold," he mumbled as he looked into his teacup. He looked back up at Nicky before answering. "The resistance still didn't trust Jimmu. Though they were honor-bound to obey him, they still prayed to their gods for a way to overthrow Jimmu's rule should it become too much for the Japanese people. Thus, was born the legend of the samurai."

"Wait," Nicky said, holding up his hand in protest. "The first samurai didn't emerge until the Heian period, which wasn't until 794. Now you're telling me they existed far earlier than that?"

"You know much about Japanese history for a common American," Mr. Nakamura grumbled.

"What can I say?" Nicky said. "I've always been fascinated with Japanese history."

"You're right, of course. They did exist before they 'officially' existed. They were sort of a secret society of warriors tasked with reigning in political corruption, much like the modern-day CIA. When the Emperor learned of their existence, he formed a sort of bastard version, if you will, of the warrior caste. Since he wasn't able to locate any of the current samurai of that time to learn about them, he used the little information that he had about them to create an elite warrior that was loyal only to him. That version is what we are familiar with today."

"So, you're telling us that there is a completely different version of the samurai?" Kasumi exclaimed, wide-eyed.

Mr. Nakamura nodded. "Not only that, but the original samurai were much more deadly than their honor-bound descendants."

"How so?" Mayumi asked. The twins were on the edge of the couch now, eager to hear more of the story.

"They were honor-bound to no one," he answered. "They rooted out any corruption within the empire and eradicated it with impunity."

"So they were like Ronin?" Sakiko asked.

"Yes, and no. They served a master, if it could be called that. It was more of an ideal than an actual person."

"Hold up," Nicky interrupted. "We're getting a bit ahead of ourselves. How did they come about? How were they created?"

For the first time, the old man smiled excitedly. He sat upright in his chair and leaned forward. He clasped his hands together in his lap as he looked at the young people in front of him.

"As I said before, the resistance never trusted that Jimmu was going to be a competent leader for Japan," he explained. "So, a number of them went into hiding. They prayed to the gods for direction for an entire year. They interrupted their prayers only for the most basic bodily needs, and even then, they performed only the minimum necessary to stay alive. In the end, the gods rewarded them for their sacrifice with knowledge and abilities."

It was Nicky's turn to sit upright in expectation. Sakiko joined Tamiko on the floor between his legs as Nicky leaned forward to pay attention to the old man's next words.

"What kind of knowledge and abilities?" he asked, trying and failing to contain his interest.

"First and foremost, the knowledge of a divine artifact that, when the world needed, would activate inside a person," Mr. Nakamura instructed, never taking his eyes off of Nicky. "The knowledge that, when activated, the artifact would give the person near god-like strength and abilities.

"Secondly, the knowledge of a divine relic that was dismantled and scattered throughout the world. They didn't know what it was or what it did, only that it was seven pieces, with each piece in a particular part of the world. Since they had no concept of countries and continents, they thought the seven pieces were solely in Japan."

"But they weren't, were they?" Tamiko asked.

"No. One piece is in Japan, certainly. The rest, however, are somewhere on the remaining continents."

"And no one knows where?" Sakiko asked.

"Only the whereabouts of the one in Japan is known at this time," Mr. Nakamura answered.

"What about the abilities the warriors received?" Nicky asked, steering the conversation back to its original path.

"Some minor enhancements to strength and vitality," then with a twinkle in his eye he added, "virility."

The girls giggled slightly at that.

"Some developed minor elemental abilities such as the ability to cast fire or ice magic."

"Magic?" Mayumi asked.

"I want to learn magic," Kasumi said.

"Last question," Nicky said, and the old man's smile grew. "You're one of them, aren't you?"

Four women's heads snapped in Nicky's direction, but he only had eyes for the old man.

"What makes you say that?" Mr. Nakamura asked as he sat back in his chair, resuming his original position of his feet propped up on the ottoman with ankles crossed and his hands clasped behind his head. He had a grin on his face so wide you could drive a bus through it.

"That's the only explanation of how you know so much," Nicky said with a smile of his own and the girls' heads snapped back to look at the old man, confusion written all over their faces. "The only thing I'm wondering now is are you immortal? Were you there? Were you one of the warriors that prayed with the others? Or are you a descendant of one of them with the information passed down from generation to generation?"

Mr. Nakamura burst out laughing. His small belly shook with mirth. He sat up as his laughter subsided, wiping jubilant tears from his cheeks.

"No," he chuckled. "I'm not immortal. But, I am one of them. I spent my year in seclusion and was gifted abilities and knowledge. What information was lacking was passed down from my mother. None of what I told you about our history can be found written anywhere. It's all word of mouth."

"Did you, um," Mayumi started to say.

"Get an elemental ability?" Kasumi finished excitedly.

Instead of answering, the old man smiled and clapped his hands together. Holding them in place, he began to rub them vigorously and with purpose. It reminded Nicky of Mr. Miyagi in The Karate Kid when he clapped his hands together to heal Daniel's knee enough so he could continue the tournament. After a few seconds of this, Mr. Nakamura's hands began to gradually glow red until they burst into flames. The girls gasped in shock while Nicky just smiled.

The old man began to rotate his hands in a forward motion. It almost looked like he was trying to form a ball out of the fire. Sure enough, a moment later the flames coalesced into a cylindrical shape about the size of a baseball. He grinned wickedly at Nicky. Nicky's eyebrows rose in apprehension just before the old man suddenly flung the fireball in his direction. Nicky was too stunned to move. Belatedly, he tried to block the oncoming ball of flames but he missed. The potent fireball slammed into his chest and spread quickly, setting his shirt ablaze.

"NICKY!!!" the girls cried out in alarm as he stood and pulled the burning shirt off of his body. With a swift motion, he balled up the shirt in his hands, trying to extinguish the flames that were engulfing it. A short time later, the flames died down, revealing the charred remains of the fabric. Nicky panted, looked from his ruined shirt to the old man with his toothy grin, and then to his girls.

"I'm alright," he assured them as they began to surround him to check his body for wounds. Then, upon realizing he wasn't injured at all, they looked up at him in open, disbelieving shock. He looked back at the smiling old man.

"It seems you have some secrets of your own, don't you, kid?" Mr. Nakamura said, still grinning like a cheshire cat.