(Ps all the dialog in this is Japanese unless I make an exception while writing.)
(Also the story is set back in traditional japan)

Hanzo sat quietly on his favorite boulder a ways into the forest, an open book in his lap and an intense expression on his features. The air was peaceful, a pleasant warm breeze slowly drifting past and slowly moving the leaves of the trees. Hanzo was eight years old, but was surpassing his grade in school and was already training in advanced subjects. His five year old brother however, well lets say he wasn't as passionate about the different arts of learning.

Hanzo shifted his reading position to a more comfortable one, then heard a noise as he was getting back into his book. He closed the big book and listened more intently, especially because he knew there were creatures in the forest with him. He heard another noise similar to the first, so he put down his book on the boulder and slid own the rough surface.

Hanzo pulled his sling shot from his back pocket and readied it, aiming towards the ground until he had a target. He crept silently on the forest ground, nearing the noise. In front of him a shrub began to shake, as if something was inside struggling. He crept wearily up to the brush.

"Hello?" he asked simply, nearing the source of disruption. Just then a little boy rolled out of the shrub, clutching something in his small fists.

This boy looked to be about Hanzo's age, his skin coated in dirt and mud, and scratches littered his once smooth child complection. The thing he gripped stopped struggling. It was just then that little Hanzo realised the other boy had caught a bird, who was most likely just finding food on the ground. The new boy quickly stood and backed up slightly. A fearful look in his big eyes.

"Are you alright? Do you speak?" little Hanzo asked curiously.

"I-I do." the child answered, hiding the bird behind his back defensively.

"Why have you caught the bird?" Hanzo asked, immediately realizing he hadn't asked his new acquaintance their name.

"Food." the boy said, tone hostile as if hanzo would have wanted to take it. Hanzo was visibly taken a back.

"What your name? Where are your parents?" Hanzo had to ask the second one, he never got away from his parents for long, surely other parents were like that to.

"The names Jesse. And I ain't got parents." he replied, looking hurt. Had hanzo said something wrong?

The little boy brushed it off and turned back to the more pressing matter, why was the boy on his property? Why was he catching birds for food like an animal?

"I-I gotta go" Jesse confessed, his stomach making a terrible grumbling noise. If his clothes weren't so baggy Hanzo could probably see prominent bones through the boy's tan skin.

"Wait-" but before hanzo could finish interigating Jesse, he had darted off with the little bird.

Hanzo unloaded his slingshot and stored it back into his pocket, deciding it was time to go inside for the evening. He collected his forgotten book and headed to the path to his big home. His small arms swing slightly as he trudges down the path, the small dragon painted on his arm looked happy, but really his mother just wanted it to look that way to make Hanzo happy.

The boy got to the edge of the forest, and looked back one more time to see a small movement. As if someone was watching and ran before Hanzo could see. This made him suspicious, but he was broken from his thoughts by a yell from his mother on the porch. Hanzo walked away from the trees and headed towards his mom.

"Hanzo dear you were in the forest again. We have talked about this." his mother scolded.

"Yes mother." Hanzo agreed reluctantly, removing his sandals at the door and stepping into the house.

He walked past his father's office and headed straight to his shared room. Sadly he was forced to share his room with his brother, genji, but his father said when he was older he would be allowed his own room! Until that day hanzo would try to keep his side of the room as clean as he could.

The older Shamada stepped into the big room and was immediately struck in the face with a stuffed dragon. It bounced off his head and landed next to the bed genji sat in, laughing his head off at the attack.

"Genji. Really?" Hanzo asked, picking up the stuffed toy and throwing it directly at Genji's face. That stopped his laughing. Genji hopped off the bed and with a mischievous smirk ran out of the room. Hanzo rolled his eyes and plopped down on his bed. He closed his small and tired eyes. A few moment later he heard a thundering yell from downstairs, his father calling his name.

Hanzo sighed and rolled out of bed, then climbed down the stairs to his fathers office. He stood with a stern expression on his face, genji hiding behind him with a smug look.

"Hanzo, did you attack your brother with a toy?" his father asked, peering down at the small Shamada.

"Yes father." Hanzo answered, shooting a look at Genji.

"But father-" Hanzo started "Genji also-"

"I don't want to hear it!" their father commanded. "You will not attack your brother on any circumstances. Go to your room without dinner."

Hanzo hung his head and turned, shooting one last hurt look at Genji and exiting his fathers office. He walked passed his mother and sniffled. How dare Genji do this to him. He reached their shared room and laid down on the floor. He didn't have the energy to get up and lay on his bed. Hanzo soon found himself dozing on the floor, and little time after that he had passed out on the wooden planks.

Hanzo woke up the next morning and got up. His muscles were sore from sleeping on the floor all night. He crept down to the kitchen, grabbing breakfast. He ate quickly and headed out to the field where he would be practicing archery for the day under a master that his dad had found. These lessons would lead into lunch and almost into dinner. Hanzo sighed and mentally prepared himself for the lessons.

-+-+-+-

After Hanzo's lessons he quickly headed straight towards the forest, keeping his bow and arrows with him. He successfully reached past the tree line before his mother or father could catch him. The Shamada made his way to the place he last saw Jesse. He had hoped that he could see the curious young boy again, as he was very fascinating. Just then Hanzo heard a noise in the distance. He calmly and cautiously moved from his position into the under brush. He heard the noise again and pulled closer. Then he heard something that chilled him to the bone.

A scream.

More specifically, a young boy's scream.

Hanzo rushed through the under brush and dodged trees, running towards the source of the sound. He readied his bow as he ran, remembering some of the things his teacher taught him.

Hanzo entered a clearing and saw the scene that caused the scream. Jesse was on the ground clutching his leg as a bear circled, getting ready to charge. Hanzo crept around the clearing and got the best angle. He readied the shot, and let the arrow lose, aiming for the bear's eye. It hit, and the bear reared and bellowed as its left eye was punctured. Hanzo wasted no time in prepareing another arrow and shot again, this time hitting the bear in the right eye. The bear gave a hearty roar and turned away from the two boys, running fast away from his attacker.

Hanzo ran to Jesse with a worried expression.

"Are you alright??" Hanzo asked, clutching his friends shoulders.

Jesse was crying as he gestured to his leg. It was bleeding a lot and he looked paler than when hanzo first met him. He was also shaking a lot. Hanzo crouched and hoisted Jesse onto his back, piggy back style. Jesse didn't protest, he just hugged Hanzo tightly. Jesse buried his face into Hanzo's shoulder and was still trembling. Hanzo walked quickly through the shrubs to the path and on the more even ground broke into a jog, as Jesse was losing a lot of blood. Hanzo got out of the woods and ran up to the house.

"FATHER, MOTHER!! HELP!" he shouted, standing outside the back door.

Genji was the one to open the back door. He jumped out of the way as Hanzo ran into the room with Jesse on his back.

"Where are mother and father?" Hanzo asked urgently, rolling up Jesse's pant leg.

"They're out. They should be back any moment, who is this? Hanzo, brother why is he bleeding?" Genji asked, an uneasy edge creeping into his voice.

"Get me bandages. Hurry Genji. NOW." hanzo commanded, taking a look at Jesse's wound. Jesse was still crying but quieter.

"I-I feel sleepy..." he hiccuped.

"No Jesse. You can't fall asleep. If you fall asleep now you won't wake back up. That's what my dad told me okay? So keep awake."

Genji rushed back in the room with their mom's medical kit in his tiny arms. Hanzo grabbed out a bottle of his dad's liquor and poured a tiny bit on Jesse's wound, it looked like the bear had clawed his leg. Jesse screamed loud and hanzo put a wad of fabric in his mouth so he could bite down on it. Hanzo had seen his mother do this many times to his father's wounds and was taught how to dress wounds at a very young age. He learned to do a lot of things at a young age. Hanzo then grabbed the bandages and started wrapping the other's leg. He pulled them tight and tied them. He heard horses outside, signaling his parents were back. Genji got up hurriedly and ran to fill in their parents on the situation. Hanzo scooped up the thin boy and ran up stairs with him.

He set Jesse in his bed and propped up the leg on a pillow. Jesse had tears streaming down his face and he looked tired. Hanzo sat on the bed beside the younger boy and spoke to him calmly. He needed to keep Jesse answering and asking questions.

"Why was the bear attacking you?" Han asked, placing a hand on Jesse's shoulder to reassure him.

"I went into a c-cave, and, and, he was in there... I just wanted a place to rest."

"But don't you have a house?"

"No.. I live in the forest."

"I see. That's why you were catching birds." little Hanzo connected the dots in his head.

The two Shamada parents opened the door into the room.

"Hanzo is what your brother told us true?" Hanzo's mother asked, taking a few steps into the room.

"Depends on what he told you." Hanzo shot back,

"You ran into the house with a small boy on your back who was bleeding from his leg. Judging by the small boy laying in your bed with his leg bandaged I would say it is." their father interjected.

Hanzo nodded and felt the temperature of the boy's forehead. From the looks of the wounds they weren't that deep, just ugly looking. But now he had to con his parents into letting the boy stay till he was better.

"Mother, father, may I let Jesse stay here until he is better? He got attacked by a bear in the forest and hasn't eaten in at least a day." Hanzo asked.

"I suppose, but he is your responsibility." his dad said, clear disgust in his tone. Hanzo nodded relieved and his father and mother left the room.

Jesse had fallen asleep. He needed rest anyways. Hanzo was so tired from the adrenaline and the carrying of his new friend that he climbed in to the bed next to the other boy and passed out. Both of their breaths syncing as they decended into sleep.

•°•°•°•

The next morning Jesse woke up with a dull throb in his leg and a small boy laying next to him. His head full of black hair rested on his rising and falling chest, and he looked so peaceful Jesse didn't want to wake him. The other boy started to stir however, and soon sat up. Jesse sat up too and stretched.

The other boy who he had caught his name as Hanzo, began inspecting the bandage job he had done yesterday. The wrapping was still tight, so satisfied, Hanzo hopped off the bed and offered a hand to Jesse. Jesse excepted it and carefully lowered himself from the soft sleep surface. Since it was summer it was already humid and he could feel the sweat on his brow and in his hair, not to mention how dirty he was. Suddenly he felt bad for sleeping in Hanzo's bed.