A ronin was wandering thru the streets aimlessly, confused with the bright lights and bustling streets. Having been a vassal to a lord from a remote district in Shikoku, the city seemed nearly overwhelming. The loss of his lord in a pitched battle had also resulted in the deaths of most of his comrades ... his friends.
He had come to Edo in search of a new life like so many other orphaned warriors. Initially full of hope, his search for work proved fruitless. At first, he tried to seek a position in the local police force, but they were disdainful of ronin - regarding them as a menace to shogun peace. He then tried to become a yojimbo - a bodyguard to rich merchants. Unfortunately, so were many other ronin - many of them more skilled than he. Swallowing his samurai pride, he entertained drunks and simpletons with his swordsman skills in exchange for whatever they threw at him.
Clutching his daisho by his side, and mentally counting the few copper coins in his pouch, he looked wistfully at the soba dealers yelling out their wares in the marketplace. Hunger gnawed at his stomach and he was acutely aware of it. As his gaze shifted from one soba dealer to another, he realized that his real emptiness lay in his mind & his life, not just his stomach.
As the rain poured down, he sought shelter in a small bookstore. The ronin was educated, but had never read a book out of his own will. Now, wandering thru the rows of shelves in the dimly lit store, an ancient tome caught his eye. It depicted the artwork of a samurai, whose name he had never heard before - Usagi. Dusting off the revenge of time on the book, he glanced at the images of the samurai - in poses both fearful and peaceful. Intrigued, he pulled out an equally old book - this one detailing the adventures of the samurai.
Reading thru the book, he was captivated by this new figure. He read thru the first book, found a second and devoured that with enthusiasm and then went onto another. A few hours later, the wrinkled old bookkeeper, unamused, but aware that the customer squatting on the floor bore the daisho of a samurai apologetically informed him that the bookstore would be closing. The ronin was taken aback as he realized that it was already the hour of the boar. Without hesitation, he emptied half his purse to the bookkeeper and paid for three of the books. He also told the bookkeeper, in no uncertain terms, that he would return the next day and if the rest of the books were not there - he would take the bookkeeper’s head in exchange.
The ronin headed out into the rain and into the cheapest looking inn. There he ordered a large bowl of soba and throwing manners aside, he slurped down the noodles while reading thru the books. By the time he left the inn, he had read and reread each of the three books thrice. As a rested his head in an empty temple on the outskirts of the city, his thoughts were filled with the tales of the samurai Usagi. However, it was more than that ... the tales of the samurai held hidden meanings - about life & death, about good & evil and how the lies between them can be blurred just like the changing of seasons.
In the days to come, the ronin bought more of the books and returned to the same cheap inn to nourish his stomach and his mind. It was the only time that his mind was at peace. With each book that he read, he learnt more and discovered more about himself & his life. He took the thoughts & tales of the samurai with him each day as he awoke and ventured into Edo for work. Every day was a new day with new challenges for his skills...
In his mind, he had begun the Warrior's pilgrimage.
_____________________________________________________________
Edo is really NYC (I moved here a couple of months ago) and the old bookstore is Forbidden Planet near Union Square. For those familiar with the area will also recognize the soba dealers as the numberous hot dogs vendors
. I used the word ronin in a double context, signifying a job and a relationship. The cheap inn really exists, although in Brooklyn on the intersection of Myrtle & Knickerbocker. I also managed to sneak in references to the books "On the brink of life & death", "Seasons" and Jei. Some of the other things, I have exaggerated a little - I never did threaten any bookkeeper with decapitation and I don't sleep in an empty temple 
Well, that's my little story of how I got involved with Usagi - hope u enjoyed it!
Now, I have an appointment to keep at a cheap inn ... Abayo!
.