Don't own Oofuri, don't sue.

This was written for a "cliché" challenge at SHINE, where we were given a list of clichés that we could write about, and allowed to choose a fandom. I chose Oofuri, obviously…as well as "Feudal Japan", "Rich/Poor", and "Secret".

I did a bunch of research before I set to write this, so hopefully, the terms are correct. This takes place sometime during the Kamakura and Muromachi Shogunates (shortly before the Sengoku Jidai/Warring States).

Something to note when the characters give their names: In Feudal Japan, family names were only allowed for those with high status, or have done a favor for the daimyo or nobles. Thus, everyone introduces themselves by first/given name rather than their family name.

Another note is that the merchant class were highly looked down upon in Feudal Japan. Also is that villages were divided into sections, and the higher classes were often separate from the lower classes.

Other notes/terms for the chapter:

Niisan: Big Brother

Kaasan: Mother

Tousan: Father

Otou-sama: Father (very respectful way to say it)

Daimyo: Ruling overlord of the land

Shoen: Noble(s)

Doushin: Feudal Police officers

Hinin: Outcasts (thieves, bards, etc) that make up a rank lower than the four-tier system

Ainu: Another outcast group from the feudal ladder/four-tier system, they're mostly ethnic minorities and slaves

Mon: Type of currency during the feudal era (along with less valuable imitation coins due to shortage of the real thing), traded from China

Haori: Lightweight silk jacket worn over a kimono

Katana: Japanese sword (also known as the "samurai sword") with a length that exceeds 23.6 inches.

Wakizashi: Short Japanese sword between 11.8 and 23.6 inches

Tsuba: Hand guard of a Japanese sword

Forbidden Fruit

Chapter 1

"Shun, don't."

It was simple, it was low, and it was also a very stern warning combined with a slight growl to punctuate the sentence.

A boy of eleven with messy black hair and large blue eyes pouted at the taller boy that stood with him. Both wore the typical tunic and pants of commoners in the Feudal era, as well as tabi (sandals) on their feet.

The older was fifteen years old, and though he wasn't exactly the tallest for his age, he was still larger than his brother, which helped to give him some leverage. Like Shun, he had black hair that stuck out everywhere, and blue eyes, though his were more of a charcoal blue color.

"Aww…but aren't you curious, Takaya-niisan?" Shun tried, once again, to peer over the fence that separated the higher class folk (like the daimyo and samurai) from the lower class peasants, artisans, and merchants.

Takaya grabbed Shun by the back of his tunic and yanked him down. "Not curious enough to risk being decapitated for being caught in the territory of the local daimyo. Get down from there, and let's keep going. We have to get to the market to sell the goods."

Shun groaned. "But I hate that! Everyone looks at us like we're filth!"

"Better than the looks that the Ainu and Hinin get. Now, come on."

Again, Shun pouted, but let his brother drag him out of the back alley.

"Besides, it's not like we're completely merchant class…we just sell what we make instead of passing them onto someone of the merchant class."

Shun sighed.

That was where their parents were, as a matter of fact. Though the two boys learned the trade of metalsmithing; more specifically, katanas, they weren't nearly as accomplished as their parents. Thus, it was their job to sell the creations at the merchant fair area. Currently, Takaya carried the bundle of katanas on his back to be displayed and sold in the market.

Their village wasn't a large one, but it wasn't tiny, either. It was moderately sized, so there was a bit of a walk between the artisan district and the merchant district. Of course, that meant there was even more of a walk between those districts and the daimyo section, which was blocked by fences between buildings and houses.

The market was its usual hustle and bustle of activity, as some folks were able to operate out of their homes and sold their wares in the buildings nearby. Most of the people, however, set up stands, carts, and tables on the sides of the road.

If merchants were lucky, they could get some Mon out of the deals; otherwise, they had to settle for Ming Imitations or trading of goods.

The Abe family had made a few Mon, since katana blades were a necessity amongst the samurai class, which was needed to guard the daimyo.

"I still don't see why I had to come," Shun groused.

Takaya rolled his eyes. "So you can learn how the market works. I'll probably be helping tousan make the weapons, since I sometimes have to hang back and test them, anyway."

"But we're not merchants…why do I hafta learn how to act like one?"

Takaya rolled his eyes. "Because, dope, we sell our own goods instead of cutting a deal with a merchant. Kaasan keeps up the house, tousan makes the weapons, we sell them. It's worked, but the number of samurai are growing; we'll need to make even more weapons if we hope to compete with other 'smiths. Thus, I'll be helping tousan soon, so you need to learn how to do this."

Shun just sighed dramatically as he helped to set up the weapons at their stall. "I wish we could cross into daimyo property. That'd be cool. It must be great to be a daimyo and have all that freedom and stuff!"

Takaya grinned. "Well, you keep on wishing it…you, and every other person that isn't a shogun, daimyo, or samurai…"

Shun scowled at him.

Takaya snickered as he finished setting up the weapons. Though, if I was perfectly honest with myself, I'd admit that I, too, would like to leave the poverty behind. Who doesn't wish for that, barring the rich that already have it?

It had been a slow day so far, as common folk had little to no use for katanas (at least, if they wanted to keep their heads on their shoulders). The only days where the family really profited were when the nobles came into the marketplace to purchase equipment for their vassals.

That, or just squander money around at the other vendors.

Shun yawned, then glanced at his brother. "Niisan…won't that expression make customers go away?"

Thus said, as Takaya had an extremely bored look on his face, combined with a frown and a slightly stoic mask.

Compared to the smiles that the other vendors gave, as well as shouts for people to come buy their merchandise, their own stand was very quiet if not for Shun asking questions now and then.

"Nah. They don't care, so long as I don't mouth off to a buyer. If they're here to buy, the just want the item, and nothing more. We're nothing but dirt on the bottom of their tabi, so it doesn't matter."

Shun cringed at the analogy, but couldn't argue it. "But…but the other merchants are all loud and smiling! And people are going over there!"

Takaya let out a long suffering sigh before he spoke, "Shun. Those are false smiles. Like the higher ups don't really give a damn about us, most merchants don't give a damn about their buyers, so long as the person buys their merchandise. So, they try to hook people to their stands with false smiles and quick talking. All those smiles you see? Yea…they're fake. Same with the interest the merchants sometimes show their customers."

Shun's shoulders slumped. "Seriously? That sucks."

Takaya nodded and resisted another yawn.

"I'll be different, then! I'll smile and greet our customers with enthusiasm!"

Takaya glanced at his brother. "Just don't be too enthusiastic. Our customers would happen to be servants of the daimyo, or on occasion, the daimyo, himself. You have to be extremely cautious around them. The Daimyo treats his village fairly well, but there are still laws in place. Oh, and remember to bow if they come around here. That's very important…"

"Jeez…you worry too much, niisan!"

"I'd rather my little brother have his head on his shoulders. Sorry if it's a crime to worry about that."

Shun flushed. It wasn't often that Takaya actually expressed his concern, as he was rather hesitant (Shun would dare to call it "shy") about displaying his emotions. The little Abe had no doubt that Takaya loved them, he just didn't know how to properly express it. As such, he often came across as cold and uncaring, which was far from the truth.

"I…I understand, niisan…" Shun finally managed to stammer out.

Takaya gave a nod, and some of the worry in his eyes decreased. After all, when they were out at the market, his little brother was his responsibility. He loved his family, and wouldn't do anything to put them in danger.

It was Shun's habit of being prone to distraction that had him pointing at the alley that they had explored in just earlier. "I think I hear someone calling for help, niisan…"

"Hah?" Takaya glanced up, just in time to see a boy stumble out of said alley.

The guy was average height for his age of fifteen, though perhaps an inch or two shorter than Takaya. He had unusually light brown hair, and wide hazel eyes. There was dirt on various spots of his clothing, including his vest, which was splashed a bit with mud. His tunic probably cost a lot more money than most, just by the way it fit, and the colors weren't as bland as the commoner tunics. In fact, it looked like he was even wearing a haori.

Though, that was difficult to tell what with all the dirt and mud on his clothing.

A few people in the market paused to take in the scene. Then, mass hysteria hit.

Thieves weren't at all uncommon, particularly ones that lurked around the market to try and shoplift an item or two. It was rare for them to go after a target specifically instead of for an item, but perhaps this kid had money on him that the thieves saw.

Either way, nobody wanted to get involved, since there were two thieves, and both were armed. Both were breaking the law not only by stealing (or attempting to rob another person), but also since the two both held wakizashi.

Someone, or multiple 'someones', was shouting for the doushin in hopes that they were in the vicinity to arrest the thieves.

Most people, however, were taking cover behind their stands, or in the case of the shoppers, near the merchant stands they were closest to.

After all, nobody wanted to make themselves a target to thieves.

Takaya, however, wasn't about to watch another teen get sliced up to death to satisfy the thieves. The doushin were probably on their way; the village wasn't very large, so they most likely heard the ruckus from another market street and were headed over.

However, and the elder Abe knew this, that would be meaningless if the thieves killed their victim and escaped before the law officers got there.

"Shun, stay down, and if anything happens…tell kaasan and tousan that I'm sorry."

Shun only had time to blink before Takaya grabbed one of the katana that was on display at their shop, foregoing the sheath that sat next to it, and raced off towards the nearby commotion.

The victim cringed and held up his hands as if to ward of the sharp weapon that headed towards him now that he had tripped and fallen to the ground. He thought that, by at least getting to a populated area, the thieves would run or someone would help him.

However, everyone seemed just as afraid of the thieves.

Then again, the thieves had weapons, and unless some of the potters decided that clay made good shields, nobody was going to go bare-handed against a pointy object.

The teen squeezed his eyes shut, and rather than feel a lot of pain, he heard the clash of steel on steel. Since his scrapes throbbed, that meant he wasn't dead.

Thus, he risked opening his eyes…

…and his mouth promptly dropped open.

There was a commoner boy in front of him that had blocked the blade from the taller thief with an obviously new katana.

The thief was momentarily surprised, which gave Takaya the advantage. He slid the blade down so that the tsuba of both weapons met, then gathered his strength and pushed out and upwards.

This left the thief exposed, as he stumbled back.

However, the other thief, who was thinner than the first, was ready to take his place, and slashed at Takaya.

Takaya stepped to the side slightly to dodge, but not so much that he would be putting the victim at risk again from the weapons. Of course, this earned him a small cut on his left shoulder, but it was shallow, and with adrenaline pumping through his system, he barely felt it.

Takaya lashed out with his foot, and caught the recovering tall thief in the midriff since said thief had raised his weapon. As that happened, he managed to block the second strike from the thin thief, then slammed his foot down on the thief's foot.

The thin thief howled in pain as the tall one gasped to regain the breath that had been knocked out of him.

Now, Takaya wasn't a samurai, and thus, there would be high punishment for killing another person, even if they were a thief. He also wasn't about to commit homicide, either. He could hear the whistles of the officers as they approached, but that wouldn't be enough; once these two recovered, they would go at Takaya full force.

Thus, Takaya quickly flipped the katana in his hands so that the dull end faced outward rather than the sharp end, and executed a perfect shoulder slash to the tall thief, who had regained his balance and went in with an overhead slash.

The slash never hit Takaya, as the katana was able to strike at a longer distance than the wakizashi, and thus, it was Takaya's blow that landed first.

The thief stumbled a bit with a grimace of pain, but Takaya didn't give him time to recover this time, and quickly performed an overhead strike to the collarbone.

There was a cracking sound, and the tall thief dropped like a sack of rice.

By then, the thin thief, had recovered, and went at Takaya again.

Takaya blocked the side strike with a side block using the sword, and once again lashed out with his foot. This time, his target was the knees. Since his opponent's knees were slightly bent, it was easier to locate them this time.

There was a pop, and the thin thief went down in a howl of agony as he clutched at his damaged joint.

Takaya let out a breath of relief, and noticed that the law had finally caught up to the situation. A bit late, I suppose…

The other teen stared at him with wide eyes, just about filled with awe.

Before either could say a word, the two law enforcers took in what they could of the situation; someone important down, one unconscious thief and one moaning thief, and an unknown teenager that stood, armed with a katana.

"Drop the weapon!" the police decided to go after Takaya, who was the only one that still had his sword.

Takaya couldn't say he was too surprised that they demanded this, since, due to the fact that they hadn't seen the fight, his position looked fairly bad. He didn't expect, however, to be tackled to the ground shortly after he relinquished his sword to the ground.

One officer all but sat on him and pulled Takaya's arms painfully behind his back, while the other one came over and pressed the teen's cheek into the dirt of the street with his foot, while his other hand reached for his katana.

As the officer started to rattle off crimes that Takaya didn't commit, he could vaguely hear the panicked shouts of his brother.

"Niisan!" Shun had pushed forward through some of the crowd that that had gathered now that the danger was over. None of them, of course, put in a word for the downed teen, and figured that he would lose his head or be punished severely for not only fighting, but being in possession of a weapon.

"Stay back, Shun!" Takaya shouted over the whispers of the crowd.

Shun skidded to a halt as tears rolled down his cheeks. He knew what the punishment would be if he raised one of their katanas to the officers, but he couldn't just let htem hurt or kill his brother!

Thus, he turned to the officers, gave a quick bow, then launched into the tale. "Niisan was just helping! The sword…we're from a family that makes them! We were selling them in the market, when these thieves showed up, and…!"

"Silence!" the freed katana that the standing officer had out pointed in Shun's direction.

Shun opened his mouth as if to protest, when he was cut off.

"Shun! Don't argue with them! Just…it's okay." Takaya frowned, and couldn't look his brother in the eye. He was doomed, after all.

Shun rubbed at his wet eyes, which shone with regret as he bit his lip.

Takaya mustered up a grin to reassure his brother, and hoped that they didn't kill him on the spot. The last thing he wanted to do was traumatize his brother. If Shun had to witness a public execution, that was bad. It was even worse if it was Takaya's public execution.

"S-stop!"

It wasn't Shun, nor was it any of the people gathered.

Rather, it was the teen that had been under attack.

Said teen got shakily to his feet, and stood as tall as he could.

The two officers turned to look at him.

"But…" one started.

The teen shook his head. "Release him! He…he saved my life!"

Takaya idly wondered who this kid was that was able to talk to the officers like that.

The unnamed teen gestured to the two unconscious thieves. "Those two…attempted to rob me! I…was separated from otou-sama on our way in…got lost…and they jumped me. When I wound up here…he…"

Here, a gesture was made in Takaya's direction.

"…was the only one…to stand up to them. Release him!"

The officers, much to the surprise of the crowd, actually did as they were told.

The first one let go of Takaya's hands and stood up, while the second finally lifted his foot from Takaya's head and stepped back.

"R-restrain the thieves!" the mystery teen ordered.

"Yes, sir!" the two went about their chore.

The teen turned to look at a shocked Takaya, who had gotten uncertainly to his feet.

"I…wish you to…follow me. My father…is probably waiting. I'd like…to introduce you." As the mystery teen said this, he brushed off some of the dirt from his haori and clothing.

Takaya's eyes widened, Shun's eyes were as big as saucer plates, and a gasp rippled through the crowd when they caught sight of what had been hidden by dirt and mud before on the teen's clothes.

The royal symbol patched onto the haori…

…the teen was Ren Mihashi, the heir to the most wealthy shoen family (that might as well be daimyo class), the Mihashi family.

TO BE CONTINUED…