Basic Intro. (Attempt 1)

       "Sano, Yosuke, Sun, and Kiriko. Step forward and hear the judgement that has been pronounced upon you." I raised my head slowly and glowered darkly up at the voice above me. My hands, though shackled to the yoke around my neck, clenched in indignant rage at the disgrace and dishonor being forced upon us.

       I glanced to my left, and saw Sano and Kiriko, their heads hung in shame as a powerful light was shone upon us, revealing us for all the world to see. To my right, I could practically hear Sun grinding his teeth together in restrained fury, yet holding the kneeling position that he had been ordered to assume for this punishment. We, who had done no true crime, who had simply yearned for something more than the doldrums of day-to-day life, were going to be executed for crimes against tradition. My heart blazed in my chest as I waited for my chance to speak, eager to tell these so called 'aristocrats' exactly what I thought of them. A scribe approached, bearing a large scroll across his arms. He was pasty, probably he had never held a sword in his life. Yet, this man was to read out my death. Life has such a sense of humor.

       "You four have been charged with high treason against the land of Iron, practicing the dark arts that have been forbidden by our order. How do you plead?" His nasal voice grated against my ears, and I could feel my hackles rise as I restrained myself from attempting to kill the weakling.

       "We plead guilty to only one thing." I growled darkly, my eyes flashing with pride as I slowly stood to my feet and stared at this worm of a man eye-to-eye. "And that is attempting to save this country, by whatever means necessary."

       "You have plead guilty!" The man replied, a slight smirk covering his milky face as he rolled up the scroll once more, "Therefore, your punishment has been decided. There is only one option left that will allow you to retain some modicum of honor." With that remark, he gestured with his hand towards a small table in front of us. On the table, four swords had been placed. With a motion from the scribe, the locks holding our hands were released, and we were each shoved towards the table.

       "Suicide?" I whispered, staring at the swords in front of us, "Is that your meaning of the word honor?" However, in one part of my mind, I knew that what he said made sense. If I was to end this now, my family would suffer no shame. My name would be associated with treason, but my dead would absolve me of the guilt.... As if I could be bought for such a paltry price. I turned my head to the sides and glanced warily at my comrades, to see them all meeting my eyes. Our thoughts were the same.

       "Go to hell." I spoke, grasping the sword by the handle and dashing towards the man as quickly as I could. He was shocked by my speed, the fool had apparently believed that we would simply kill ourselves without a fight. He was wrong. The guards around him rushed to stop me, but my blade had intent behind it, and with a single stroke, a spray of crimson and a sharp cry signaled the end of him. He had only a moment to clutch the wound on his chest before I sunk the blade into his chest, piercing his body and evoking another pained shriek from his mouth before he slumped onto the blade, the strength and spirit gone from him. The guards were unable to stop us from fleeing, too occupied with the dead body of the man they were supposed to keep alive to chase us into the woods.

       We ran for hours, until we finally came to the edge of the land of Iron. I turned slowly to my comrades and looked them over quietly, "So my friends..." I began, mustering a smile and a broad sweep of my hand, "We have before us an opportunity! We can either test our new skills in a land unfamiliar to us, or we can return to execution. In my opinion, honor dictates that we move forward, and live our lives. Wouldn't you agree?"