Yukimura

(While the far right one seems fun, it almost seems too easy. I'll take a stab at the left one.)

She was a beautiful flower of the south. Smart, well-spoken, yet humble and kind. She was the goal of every man in town. Kelly had a life of leisure laid out before her. Marry, have kids, raise them well, and keep smiling. She was happy enough with the thought of a life like that, but there was always an itch. Everyone has it she supposed, the desire to do the other thing. So she let it slip from her mind, save for the hour each day she would get to shoot her latest man's gun. She found herself infatuated with her suitor's gun more than the man himself. It seemed to give her wings to fly to another life.

Until she met that cowboy. His name was Mitch, and something about him drew her. He was a man who seemed without a future, doing whatever odd-jobs around town he could find. She knew that this wasn't the man her parents would pick, but then, she was never the type to let herself be controlled. She began seeing him quite often, and in no time, they were head over heels in love. Every day, Mitch would take her to the shooting range for hours, getting her fill. Not only that, he would teach her, and encourage her. He loved the fighting spirit within her, and it was the first time she felt like she was supposed to be that which she already was.

Every now and then bandits would come to their town. That was the fate of any pioneer town. Some group of thugs would get it in their heads that they could overtake the town. Their sheriff was old, and their enforcers were few. Yet, each time, Mitch would send them off again. Of course, it didn't take him long to get the job of sheriff, and it seemed to Kelly as though she would be able to settle into both of the lives she had wanted.

Then the Guapos came. A bandit force of a hundred men, all experienced low-lifes. They had been moving constantly through the pioneer country, taking what they could and moving on before reinforcements could come. When they came to town, the people hid immediately. They could have what they wanted, none of it was worth their lives. They spread over the town like a dark mist.

Mitch grabbed Kelly as she made for the door. "No. We don't stand a chance, there's no point in fighting this battle. All they can take are our things." Kelly chuckled at him, "Are you scared my love?" Mitch yelled, "This isn't a game Kelly! This isn't like some thug that just wandered in. These guys have been doing this a long time. You know me. You know I want to fight. I'm not afraid of dying, but losing you..." Kelly smiled and wrapped her arms around him. They kissed, and she spoke. "Mitch, look out that window," she said, pointing, "See those bags they're carrying out of the bank right now? That's old miss Wingleworth's savings. She was going to have a well dug on her land so that her family could finally have the water they need. Now what will they do?" Mitch could only look back into her loving eyes. A stern look came on her face when she spoke again. "Now look, I'm going out to meet them on the tracks, and you certainly don't have to come." With that she ran out of the door before he could stop her. He stood there for a moment, and smiled. He could feel a burden lift from his heart as he buckled his gunbelt and ran out the door. She knew him so well.

(Oy, that one felt weak.)

__________________
Maybe the answer is in the very light reflected off our blades. Maybe that's what it means to be this creature known as samurai.