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**written when I was in the seventh grade, so it's not up to par with my current writings**

Spring 6th, 1273

My mother Yukiko has given me this journal for my 11th birthday. She has never given me more than the essentials. So for her to find a leather-bound expensive book consisting of fresh pages was quite amazing!

She always favored my older brother, Tomohisa. He having the agility of a rabbit and cunning of a fox is the apprentice of a samurai. So of course mother adores him far more than usual. He's thirteen, thick headed, and a coward. I really don't know how he of all people shall grant our family any honor. Apparently I lack the ability to gain honor…

I hear a horse's hooves! Has father come home form Korea? He set off on a journey two years ago to that country! Hopefully he shall come home bearing gifts of wealth from there. Just like he said he would. He's a merchant. Mother calls, " Akihiro, Boy come here quickly" finally Hayagawa family shall be known! I must hurry!

Spring 10th 1273

Nausea erupted through my throat. Why? My father is a famous merchant on my island, Okinawa. Had a good future ahead of him. With honor, perhaps close to his grasp, to our family's grasp, in fact.

It was a messenger that was riding his steed to our small and perky farm. To tell a mother and her chubby, short, frazzled haired son, the fate of a loved one. Mother cries in the night, though is little but solemn around me. There has to be more to what the messenger told us! I can't stand this torment.

Kublai Khan's warriors have killed my father. There was a skirmish southwest of Korea, and that's just where he happened to be at the time. The darn Mongols burned the village down too. So all Father had bothered to bring to Korea or got there is gone.

Now I must take up trading. Sadly though, I would much rather lay in the pasture next to Anzu, our cow. Looking up at the sky, I would daydream while milking her. Then Anzu would usually pull me back to Earth by walking off to graze. It was such serenity.

Now I will trade with other merchants, getting up far earlier than usual to hook the oxen up on our cart. Proceeding to travel from village to village trading for anything I can get my hands on. With only milk, a few fish, and the regular rice, and wheat.

Pleasant isn't it? No, excruciatingly not. I can only imagine what joy Tomahisa has being a samurai in Kamakura. So very close to our shogun: Minamoto Yoritomo.

Spring 11th 1273

I'm sore, grumpy, and in turmoil. Mother is being irrational. She doesn't know how hard it is to do all this physical labor! Well, I know I'm no the fittest person around, as Tomahisa often teases me of… but Mother is thinking as if nothing ever happened! She acts as though she's mentally ill. But it's not at all a dream! She goes through life; very mechanically thinking that father will come home at any moment! No, she must be strong, brave, and hold onto the little honor we have left! There needs to be change and I'm going to bring it.

Spring 16th 1273

No change. Got into a fight with Mother, outside with Anzu, feeling very drowsy. Still, there is no change. There is a wisp of wind, which I cannot grab. For it escapes my grasp.

Spring 21st 1273

I can't believe it, I was right, Mother and Father were wrong. Little, big Akihiro was right! Correct! Accurate! Spot on! And it sticks with such precision in Tomahisa's mind he can't just shrug it off. The moment is fleeting, and I need to pack immediately if I'm going to make the next boat…

Spring 23rd 1273

I narrowly made the boat, and I'm heading to Kamakura right now! I was seasick a lot yesterday, but the captain of the boat says we'll dock in Kamakura at about sun up tomorrow so that's good. There's tons of time, the sun is at its highest and well, I need to explain what happened.

When Tomohisa read our letter he decided to come back home to help us with the farm. He went on a trading boat that was sailing to Okinawa; the biggest of the Ryuku islands, which is south of Japan. Well once he arrived here I realized he was just as distressed as Mother. The coward is officially staying at our farm now. I don't blame him for being in sorrow; I feel the same way.

Now this is where it gets good. Since father paid a lot for one of his sons to become a samurai, I'm going to be a samurai! You know how I was saying "Little, big Akihiro was right!" Well, I always said to everyone, even to some of the other villagers that I would match Tomahisa one day. Now I will! Just at age 11 too!

Spring 24th 1273

I'm so excited! We're going to dock soon. I can even see Mt. Fuji! What a beautiful sight! Wow, I never thought that the sunrise over that white-topped peak could be so amazing.

Spring 49th 1273

I now realize why Tomohisa came home so quickly at our letter. He was looking for an excuse to leave here. I mean I don't get me wrong; it's beautiful with its Buddhist temples, bamboo forests, and the view of the ocean and Mt. Fuji. Seriously though, my master, a man with a mask and hood over his face all the time, is pushing me to the limit. He's making me move, bend, and swerve in ways that are painful! I've gotten some weight off, and I can do the martial arts easier now, but it's still a struggle. I'm a tad bit bigger than my master, so he can use it against me. He often is able to flip me over, knock the air out of me, and badly bruise me if I use too much of my bulk. Of course there is also horse riding, archery, and fencing, but I'm pretty sure he needs me to be more flexible before do any of those things. We practice in a big open patch of weeds, and dirt in the bamboo forest. It's a good 20 meters across.

Spring 57th 1273

I've made a friend here! His name is Hansuke. He's 13 and is also training to be a samurai. He has a mischievous smile, like he'll pickpocket you if you look away. He's helpful when practicing, so I think I've advanced a little with him. Heck, he even convinced master Kenji to let me start training with the bow and arrow! We will often go horse riding throughout the bamboo forests, leading our horses to a pond after a long day of vigorous practice sessions. We'll even put up targets around the pond and pretend that we're shooting them in some great battle.

Once, Honsuke fell in the pond when he tried to cut one of the targets with his dagger. I had to fish him out with a nearby bamboo stick; he ended up barfing up some muck from the bottom of the pond after. He's great to be around really, because there's adventure!

Spring 73rd 1273

You know the mask master Kenji wears? Well, he's always telling me that if I can rip it off then I'll be able to use a sword. I've got riding a horse while firing arrows semi-good! In martial arts I'm actually very fluent. I just can't seem to get that mask though! I almost don't even have to think, but just as I was about to rip the mask off today, master Kenji abruptly tensed up. I didn't know why.

Right as I got a grip on the mask, I pulled. He keeled over with it. Immediately I know the mask was wrapped around his head, and tightly too.
After that he grabbed my wrist, and bent my arm backwards. I was determined though, and hooked my foot in his leg and almost got him on his back. He had just caught himself, and hobbled to the other side of the clearing.

We stood there for a little bit just looking at each other, trying to catch our breaths. Then he bowed saying, "Congratulations, I shall be seeing you at the blacksmith, young one." He straightened, and then left. Joy burst through me, "I'm getting a sword! Will I get a katana or a wakizashi first?" Then I realized I didn't know when to meet master Kenji at the blacksmith. So I bolted after him.

Spring 84th 1273

It's definitely getting warmer here, so I think that spring is converting into summer. I've gotten better with fencing, martial arts, and archery. So I think I myself have slowly been converting into a samurai. As the season passes along, I feel as though I'm moving with it.

I looked in the pond the other day, but didn't recognize the farm boy in my midst. I saw not a chubby face, but a lean face, with keen, serious eyes. I didn't see a cloudy, dreamlike gaze, with a jaw hanging limply on its hinges. I saw a face that shouldn't have looked so stern, so sure of itself. For a minute I thought my brother had somehow gotten inside the pond without me looking. " That's impossible," I had thought. Then a light flickered inside of my mind; it was I. The farm on the prairie was gone, replaced by stone paved roads and booming temples.

I smiled, and my reflection followed suit. I had evolved, and it felt awesome.

Summer 6th 1273

During archery practice today I kept getting distracted, and most of my arrows didn't hit the stuffed dummy like usual. There had been a lot of scurrying around in the city today. Everyone was restless, and bustling around more then usual. Even master Kenji, who is usually calm.

When talking to Hansuke today I asked him about it. He was lounging against a tree, and shrugged, then muttered something. I'm pretty sure he was half asleep though.

Summer 7th 1273

Now I'm worried, some beggar was running around, arms flailing, in the middle of the road. I'm not too sure what it was about, but still, he was yelling about something like, "War is among us! Run for your life!" Who knows what the crazy guy was thinking?

Summer 8th 1273

There's definitely something wrong, but on one's telling me anything. Hansuke insists that he doesn't know anything, at least I trust him though. Everyone else… I don't know. Master Kenji is pushing my training to the limit again. Just to make me stop asking questions, but I'm actually bewildered by all of this. What's so bad that you can't tell a samurai who's supposed to be brave?

I sent Tomohisa and Mother a letter, telling them I'm okay, and how the trainings have been going. Mainly telling them about all of my observations. Out of all the people in Japan, they'll tell me if there is anything I need to know. You know it just occurred to me… they're so far south; they might not know anything about this.

Summer 9th 1273

Master Kenji practically sliced my arm off when I asked him what was going on. Basically he knocked the wakizashi out of my hand and lunged forward. My instinctive urge was to grab his wrist and twist it to get him to the ground, but my bones were stiff from the excess practice. I was also shocked by how he had a sudden burst of rage. I was paralyzed.

"Child, do you persist in such matters often? Or are you trying to drive me insane?" Master Kenji asked, but in a different tone then usual. I think it might have sounded higher, like a girl.

He was trembling. I've never seen him like this, ever. I was feeling weak, and had no idea what to say. So I muttered, "no master," Then repeated, louder this time. "No master, I would never attempt to drive you insane. No one seems to want to answer my questions though."

He apologized and told me that if I wanted to know what would happen to go ask the beggar that lives near the temple of the Great Buddha. So I hope to venture there tonight.

Summer 11th 1273

It took me a couple of hours to get there on my own since I didn't ride my horse. The beggar was sleeping since it was dark. He had raggedy clothes covered by a long tan robe. He looked filthy, unshaven, and greasy.

I woke him up and he told me the story of how we was a farmer in China, married and had a new born child about a year ago. They named her Hachi. Then mongols came and he and his family had to flee. Basically his family is still in China, but he wound up here somehow. I wasn't sure, because I wasn't listening.

Finally after about a half hour he told me that the Mongols were going to invade Japan, and every samurai was expected to fight them. They wouldn't make children like Hasuke and me fight would they? If they do then might as well throw this journal away, because my life is over.

Autumn 32nd 1273

Well, I threw this journal at a wall a long time ago. So I guess that counts. Then I forgot about it. I found it under my stuffed mat a few days ago though. I don't know what to write other than the Mongols are probably savage beasts. When they come, I will most likely die. I'm loyal to my homeland, brave for my people, and will gain honor for fighting. I believe in my fellow warriors, my master, and friends. We shall see what happens.

Winter 40th 1274

I shall pack again for a crusade. Instead of water, I will be traveling on dirt. The Mongols are coming, so we must hurry. We are heading for the Sea of Japan.

Winter 45th 1274

Well, I should fear for my life, but I don't. It hasn't hit me yet that death is imminent. So I guess that my training has paid off. I'll be able to fight without thinking about it. At least I'm positive that I'll last a little while.

Spring 2nd 1274

My name is Taniguchi Hansuke. My good friend Akihiro died a hero's death, and so did my master. Akihiro wasn't with me when his time came, but there are rumors of what occurred. Many warriors swear he fought three Mongols at once. I guess he was able to kill two of them, but the last one slit his throat. It was a noble feat actually. It's sad that he had to leave so early.

I was near master Kenji when a lone Mongol on horseback swung his spear at him. Master Kenji dodged it and stabbed the horse's calf. The Mongol was quick though, and got up as soon as he hit the ground. He swung his sword at my master; it was blocked. Then a flash of silver shot out to master Kenji's throat. As my master fell, I gouged out the Mongol's eye. I beheaded him as he howled in pain.

I learned that master Kenji was a girl, and it shocked me when I saw his face; or rather, her face. I respected her for so long… to know she's a woman degrades me. What if she didn't know how to do something, thus, didn't teach me it? Then I would be an uneducated samurai. I can only hope the Mongols won't return. Would they?