Episode 1: Welcome To Valor

                                Episode 1: Welcome To Valor

A young girl raced through the downtown city of Kyoto Japan arrayed in a ebony black leather body suit and a pair of matching jet black sneakers. Her skin tone was brown like hershey's and her narrowed eyes were of a honey gold brown tint. Her lips were a thin curved, rose pink. She was only five-feet even and maybe a stretch 5'1 on a really good day. And her long cocoa brown hair was in a ponytail which came down to the middle of her back.  Her name was Amaya Nakamura. She carried a dark sheath on her back with housed her katana blade. She knew someone was chasing her. She just wasn't sure who. Anticipation danced around her tongue at the mere thought of it though. She made a reckless move and darted out into a busy intersection.

A Kia Serrento came right at her with it's blaring headlights. The driver honked loudly.

The young girl leaped into the air and landed on the hood of the car as it stopped. She stood there for a moment, smirking. 

"Hey! Are you crazy?!" the old man inside the car questioned, blaring his horn even more.

Maybe she was a little crazy. Or maybe she was just daring. But isn't there a thin line between pyschotic and bold? But she didn't have anymore time to waste. The stop light was now red. She could make her way to the warehouse now. She gradually descended the car, her eyes on the driver, and blew him a kiss to taunt him. Then she sped off around the corner through the darkened night. She finally made it to the warehouse she was looking for.

This warehouse was a twenty feet tall green building. Which was also the place was a young girl was being held captive.

She grasped the doorhandle and to her surprise it wasn't locked. She quickly pushed it open. She saw two men with semi-automatic pistols standing over a young crying woman.

Both of the men were arrayed in ninja masks and dressed in all black attire. But one was black and the other was clearly Japanese. They both were six feet tall.

The young woman was gagged, tied to a chair, and bound by ropes on her hands and feet. She had raven mangled black hair and flushed dark eyes. She appeared to be Asian.

"Amaya Nakamura," the black killer stated.

"That's my name," Amaya said, leaning up the wall, completely relaxed.

"You shouldn't have come here. Especially alone," the Japanese one spoke. 

"And you shouldn't have kidnapped a poor defenseless girl. But you did anyway."

"Always so confident," the black man spoke, grasping the woman by her hair as she continued to sob. 

"You don't wanna do that," she said, straightening up and taking two steps forward.

"I think I do."

"No, you don't. Cuz if you do, this is gonna get messy. Real quick."

He cocked his gun. 

"Suit yourself," she said, quickly extracting her Katana blade.

The other man fired shots in Amaya's direction.

She dodged the errant bullets by tucking and rolling across the room. She took her blade by the handle and flung it in the direction of his hand.

Her cutlass slashed through his hand and caused him to drop his gun.

"Aaaaah!" he yelled as his hand began bleeding out.

She then dropkicked the black man with the other gun which caused him to drop it.

He then ran at Amaya, throwing punches and kicks at her.

She countered each of his attempts and twisted his arm behind his back.

"Uuuuh!" he groaned.

"I told you to leave her alone!" She then gave him a hard kick to the nuts.

"Ooooaaaaaahhhhh!" he yelled, dropping to his knees immediately.

The Japanese man finally removed Amaya's katana from his wounded hand.

She instantly seized it from him. "Thanks for holding this for me," she said, beaming from ear to ear. 

He then punched her with his injured hand as hard as he could.

She fell back onto the hard ground, dripping blood from her lip. That was the hardest she'd ever been hit in her life. Now her vision was blurred. The hit sent her katana sliding across the floor. Moderately, her sight came back into focus. And now she saw that the Japanese man had her katana blade held over his head about to plunge it into her. She began speaking Japanese:  "Where'd you learn to hit like that? Your wife?  Cuz i'm sure she's the only one with balls around the house!"

He returned with some of his own: "Amaya, always joking around! And that's the reason you're about to die!"

This gave her the opening she needed. She kicked him under his feet which caused him to fall. She kipped back up to her feet and stepped on his wounded hand.

"Aaaah!" he screamed, turning her katana on her.

She pinned his other hand to the ground with her foot too. "Drop it!" 

"Aaah!"

"Now!"

Finally he released her katana. 

The other assailant was at last back on his feet now after her low blow to the nuts and creeping up behind her.

She smiled wickedly and without delay clenched her blade. She turned to him and plunged it deep within his stomach. She left it there a moment for him to suffer. 

Dark blood emitted from his mouth to the floor.

Then she immediately removed it.

His dead body slowly hit the ground with a thud.

Then she felt a pistol pressed up against the back of her head.

"Don't move," the voice of the other man ordered seriously.

"You sure you can pull the trigger with two bad hands?"

"One good shot is all I need."

"Is that all you ever have with women?" she questioned, positioning her sword.

He chuckled a moment. "Goodbye Amaya."

She instantly spun around and sliced off his shooting hand before he could pull the trigger.

"Aaah!" he screamed as more blood began oozing onto the floor.

She then stabbed him through the heart with her katana. "Goodbye." She pulled out her katana and watched his body hit the ground. She then rushed over to the young woman and began untying her. "You're gonna be okay."

"Thank you so much!" she said with joy and relief. 

Then suddenly the doorway opened and two men entered.

One was a 5'9 young Japanese man with medium sized bronze colored eyes, super thin light lips, and puffy top highlighted hair. He was wearing a white collar button down tee and a pair of tight black jeans.

The other was a bald, 6'3, caramel colored young black man. He had small hazel brown eyes and full lips. He was arrayed in only a black vest, matching grand apparat cuff bracelets, and black jeans.

"Hey guys," she said, turning to them with delight. "Felt you following me."

"Don't 'hey guys' me," the Japanese man said with slight annoyance, gazing at the bloody carnage. "You were supposed to wait up on the rest of us." He couldn't believe she'd ditched them once again. Blatantly ignoring his advice.

"And if I had, this poor innocent woman would be dead," Amaya revealed, helping the girl to her feet. "What's your name?"

"Grace," the woman spoke softly, glancing at each of them.

"Grace, go ahead and tell Dex."

"She's right. If she had waited, I would've died."

"There you go. Straight from the horses mouth....no offense."

"None taken."

"Enough. Master Yukrina wants you back at headquarters ASAP," Dex replied. "Jacobi, you can see to it that this young woman gets home safely." 

"I can do that," the bald black man finally spoke, giving Amaya a pleasant smile of approval. "Follow me," he said, ushering Grace to the exit. He was impressed yet again with the skills of their newest acquistion. But he did his best to hide his pleasure in Dex's torment.

                                                  Valor

That brings us to Valor. The cartel of young assassins brought in by Master Yukrina to be trained in combat tactics for defending residents of Kyoto. Master Yukrina would scour the world for young talented people to train in his temple the last five years. A group of five until as recently as last week.

We've already met two of the original five.

Dex Eshimoto: the first member of Valor. Master Yukrina found the eighteen year old in Tokyo, Japan at a local sushi market and was very impressed with his natural agility. More than his ability to perform fancy foods catches but his ability to wield a crossbow and almost always hit the bull's eye. 

Jacobi Blackwater: the second member. Master Yukrina found this young twenty-year old living in Orange County, California and immediately recognized he was interested in studying jiu-jitsu. So the master agreed to teach him all he needed to know about martial arts if he came to Kyoto. Needless to say, he did. And not only did he become part of Valor. After learning to harness the power of his samurai sword, he was made the leader of the group.

We finally arrive at the Valor fighting gym in the heart of Kyoto. The gym was approximately 30x30 square feet. The borders were painted in wine red color while the outside exteriors were of a white color. The entrance way was layered in a long blended navy and red colored carpet. The inside of the gym housed a gold shrine of the Master in his traditional monk robe posing in a horse stance at the very top of the far wall. Decorations of gold drapes hung from all around this lobby room. Each had Valor written across them in Japanese. The floors were also covered in the same carpeting as the outside. Wall sconce torch lights lit all of the gym. Below the statue of the Master were two revolvable double doors of a navy blue tint. Through those doors was where the sparring would take place. But there was one single door on the left which led to the dining table where Master Yukrina would gather with each of his proteges for a meal once a day. And the door on the far right would be where the group would meet up to discuss missions and possible concerns. The board room if you should call it that. And that's where we were now.

Inside the board room was a single long ebony black table with a capacity for a least ten people. It was mostly dark in the room right now. The only illumination was from the single sconce torch light on the table next to Master Yukrina.

Master Yukrina was a bald fifty-nine year old Japanese sensei. He had a medium sized grizzled gray beard, his eyes were a bluish gray color, and his tiny lips were barely seen underneath his imperial. He wore a long white monk robe. He sat there smoking his Marbolo cigar. Huffing every few seconds. But he wasn't the only one in the room right now. He was joined by three others.

"Master Yukrina?" one of the young men uttered, gazing at the cigar in his hands. This young man was a sixteen year old black indian. He had big bright emerald green eyes and full sized lips. His hair was colored chestnut brown and styled in dreads which stopped at his shoulder. He was wearing a black tank top and a pair of dark blue shorts to match. He was only 5'6.

"Yes Russell," Yukrina responded, continuing to smoke.

"Shouldn't Dex and Jacobi been back with Amaya by now? Maybe the rest of us should go check on them."

"If Amaya hadn't run off in the first place, we wouldn't be here right now," one of the others chimed in. This one was a high yellow eighteen year old Chinese man. He had slanted dark colored eyes and slim reddish pink colored lips. His hair was auburn colored and in a back ponytail style bun. He wore a white tee underneath his opened black suit jacket and matching dress pants. He was clutching a Miao Dao sword in left hand. He was only 5'4.

"She just joined us last week," the last guy interjected in a passive tone, twirling his Kukri knife between his fingers. He was an nineteen year old Asian with light brown tiny eyes, bleached blond hair in a side part straight hairstyle, and skinny light colored lips. He was decorated in a navy blue chinese collar body suit. He was 5'5.

So the Chinese Amaya hater would be Benson Faux. The third overall member of Valor. Master Yukrina traveled to Shanghai, China where he found Mr. Faux trying to learn Tae Kwon Do in a Shaolin Temple. It took some convincing to get Benson to agree to travel to Japan with him. Master Yukrina had to best him in a fight in order to win him over.

Then there's this guy with the Kukri knives. That would be Nash Woods. The fourth in Valor. The Master found him in his travels to the Big Apple. Where Mr. Woods was working in a Chinatown restaurant. The Master would eat there for several weeks just observing Nash skills with knives and his cooking. His recruitment was predicated a bit more on his ability to cook.

And lastly, Russell Riddell. The young shy kid from Atlanta, Georgia. Master Yukrina took notice of him while attending his high school. He watched bullies trying to pick on Russell based on his quietness. Eventually Russell had enough of it and fought back to defend himself. Not only did he knock the taste out of their mouths, he showcased raw flexibility and talent while doing so. Master Yukrina could not pass up the opportunity to bring him in.

"So that's gives her the right to usurp us all, Nash?" Benson questioned, irritated. He scoffed at the notion that some newbie could just come in and garner Mr. Yukrina's love. Who the hell does she think she is?

"She's young and raw," Nash said softly, turning his attention to Benson. "That's a good thing in my book." He always relished an opportunity to stir up Benson. He would intentionally stay so calm just because he knew it pissed Benson off.

"But Benson does have a bit of a point," Russell said softly. He was mostly intimidated by the aggressive nature of Benson Faux. In a way he was his whipping boy, despite being a part of the group for five years.

"Exactly, Riddell agrees," Benson said in a victorious tone.

Within a few seconds now, Dex Eshimoto and Amaya Nakamura paced inside the board room. 

Amaya still clutched her bloody katana in her hands. "Hey guys."

"Amaya finally," Master Yukrina spoke, putting out his cigar.

"Master Yukrina," she responded, placing her katana back in her sheath. She then cupped her hands in a praying position and bowed briefly.

"Take a seat please."

She quickly sat in between Nash and Dex. "So....what's up?"

"You know what's up!" Dex snapped, scoffing. The pure audacity of this chick just drove him crazy. Acting like she didn't know what the problem was. "You did it again!"

"I saved someone's life again," she said, folding her arms. "Took out two clowns all by myself."

"But it looks like someone hit you this time," Russell spoke, noticing the bruise on her lips. 

"Who's side are you on Russ? I thought we were friends."

"We are."

"What are you in Dex's pocket now too? Like Benson?" She was astounded by how much the majority of the guys could push Russell around and he wouldn't stand up for himself. There was only so much respect she could have for a guy like that.

"Don't get off the subject," Benson ordered.

"So is this gang up on Amaya day?"

"Hey, I'm on your side," Nash revealed with a side smile. "Amaya has been saving some lives on her rogue missions."

"Yes she has," Master Yukrina agreed. "But what's going to happen the day that she fails to let us know where she's gone and the task becomes overwhelming? As gifted as you are Amaya, you cannot conquer everything alone."

"I know," Amaya stated. "But I possess the courage, the sheer determination and will. And isn't that the reason you recruited me for Valor?"

"It is. But unfortunately, Dex and Benson are right. You are arrogant and stubborn. This is the third time you've done this in the week you've been with us. And that leaves me with a.....most difficult choice."

"What choice?" she asked, glancing around the room at everyone. "What choice?"

"I say we send her back home," Dex retorted at last. "She's not right for Valor. We ran things much smoother before she got here."

"Agreed," Benson replied. "I say we put it to a vote, Master."

"So be it," Master Yukrina said with difficulty.

"Wait," Amaya tried. She just got here seven days ago and she was already in danger of getting kicked out. She had already lost her mother a year in advance and had been staying with her father in Tokyo before now. She was never truly happy with her life there. Something was missing from it and this was it. She just knew it.

"All in favor?"

Benson and Dex both raised their hands in unison.

Amaya's eyes darted over to Russell who slowly raised his hand. She scoffed loudly when he did. Typical.

"All opposed?" Master Yukrina continued.

Nash was the only one to raise his hand.

"Well then. Amaya Nakamura. I think this is where we say good-----"

"Not so fast!" a familiar voice spoke, entering the room. It was Jacobi Blackwater. He realized immediately what was going on. This is the reason why Dex wanted me to go take the girl back! So he could get Amaya banished in my absense!

"Jacobi, so nice of you to join us," Dex said nonchalantly. "You're too late though. We've already put it to a vote. Amaya's out."

"Master Yukrina, I have to oppose," Jacobi said, stepping over to the head of the table. 

"Oppose? On what grounds?" Master Yukrina queried curiously.

"You made me the leader of Valor. So my vote should counter any put forth by the rest of the group."

"Bull! Then why have a group vote then?!" Benson expressed, outraged. 

"Unfortunately, Benson's right. Your vote alone cannot keep Amaya here. You have two votes as it stands for her," Master Yukrina divulged. "Unless...."

Amaya began to sense a slight glimmer of hope. Something was about to change.

"I cast a vote in favor of keeping Amaya."

"What?!" Dex outcried, almost falling out of his chair. "Is that even possible??"

"It is now."

This is insane, he thought to himself. Why are they fighting so hard to keep such a liability?

"Well now you have three votes each," Nash revealed as a devilish smile spread across his lips. "We all know what that means."

"No, we don't all know," Amaya expressed, perplexed.

"Well simply put Ms. Nakamura. In order to break the tie, they have to fight. Jacobi and Nash versus Dex and Benson. Should Jacobi's team win, you can stay. Fail and you're exiled from Valor. Forever," Master Yukrina revealed.