By Brian Yoon
Edited by Fred Wan
Ten Thousand Temples Monastery, Toshi Ranbo
The two of them knelt together in the quiet of the morning. She dressed in a kimono of pure white with a hint of a red undercoat, punctuated by the black quilt that lay below her. He looked positively drab next to her in the garb of a Dragon magistrate. The morning sun blazed brightly in the horizon and the golden leaves of the large and majestic tree did much to block the heat. As they watched, the leaves drifted one by one to the ground. An acolyte approached their position with a rake in hand to clear the walkway of the gathering debris. They ignored him and continued to survey the city below them.
“Do you remember the day we met, Ryushi-san?” Bayushi Saya asked quietly. She placed her hands in her lap and her fingers idly caressed the ridges of her fan.
“Of course,” Ryushi responded promptly, his eyes fixed on the courtier. “It was the morning of the seventh day of Hida of 1164. You arrived with the Scorpion contingent for Winter Court and went directly to the guest quarters. The snow sparkled in your hair and your cheeks, half-covered by your mask, glowed pink with the mountain wind.”
Saya smiled. “Whoever dreamed a Kitsuki’s attention to detail would be so appealing?” She shook her head. “I do not dispute your memory, Ryushi-san. I was thinking of a more… personal encounter.”
He nodded slowly. “Of course. You refer to the dinner the Mirumoto daimyo held for the Scorpion delegation welcoming you to our home.”
Saya nodded. “By chance–”
“Or fate–” Ryushi interjected.
“We ate across from each other,” Saya continued. “We spoke of shougi, go, and the War of the Rich Frog. You promised you would be my opponent whenever I found myself in Dragon lands.”
“You wore a kimono of the finest black silk.” Ryushi mused. “Your hair pins of gold and ivory reflected the light of the torch. They twinkled like the stars. And you, Saya-san, were the only sun in the room, blinding me with your radiance.”
Saya laughed. The bright, cheerful sound seemed out of place on the somber temple grounds. The acolyte startled and jerked toward her. He fixed her with a stare for a few brief moments before remembering his place and returning to the task at hand. “I fear you will never be a poet, my darling Kitsuki,” she said.
Ryushi’s eyes stayed fixed on hers. “Though I may sound like a fool, Saya-san, you make me feel like the most prestigious of poets,” he said.
Saya smiled brightly. With one smooth movement she rose to her feet and brushed nonexistent dirt from her clothes. “Shall we go?” she asked. “The day is ready to begin.”
Ryushi nodded. “The day, and the rest of our lives.”
* * *
The small house at the Ten Thousand Temples monastery was dwarfed by the large central temple adjacent to it, but it looked well kept. Ikoma Akiyama had made this walk several times over. Seppun Kiharu claimed to use this building when acting as the leader of the Ten Thousand Temples, but Akiyama knew the truth. Kiharu used the building whenever he wished to avoid countless meetings and work as Seppun daimyo.
A Mantis samurai stood in front of the door. He held himself upright and his cold eyes followed the Lion as he approached. The Mantis did not react and simply watched the elderly Lion for any sudden movements.
“I am Ikoma Akiyama,” he said, “omoidasu of the Lion Clan. I am here at the behest of Seppun Kiharu-sama.”
The Mantis stepped out of the way without comment and opened the door. Akiyama nodded and stepped into the residence. The room was small and many would believe unfitting of a daimyo, but Akiyama knew instantly that it fit Seppun Kiharu. It was humble and filled with a sense of serenity. The old man sat behind a small table, papers spread out in front of him. Akiyama paused and for a brief moment saw the young man he had first met during the War of the Spirits. Kiharu looked up and smiled.
“It has been many years, Akiyama-san,” Seppun Kiharu said. “I apologize for summoning you at such an indecent hour.”
Akiyama shook his head. “Alas, as the years pass I find that I wake earlier and earlier. Soon I fear I will not be able to sleep at all.” The aging Lion bowed deeply to Kiharu. “I do not recognize your yojimbo. Who is he?”
“His name is Tsuruchi Mochisa, a promising young man who has served as a magistrate of the empire for over fifteen years. I like him. He’s quite receptive to my advice.”
Akiyama raised an eyebrow. “A young man who has served for over fifteen years?”
“Compared to us, he is youthful and full of vigor,” Kiharu said. “Come, rest your legs.”
Kiharu gestured to the empty seat across his table and Akiyama knelt onto the cushion. An acolyte entered the room and placed a cup of hot tea in front of Kiharu. She then turned to the Lion and placed a duplicate of the first in front of Akiyama.
“Thank you,” Akiyama said. “Of course, you did not summon me simply to feed me excellent tea.”
“After the unfortunate death of my cousin, many of her duties fell to the new daimyo of the Otomo,” Kiharu said. “As he is presently overwhelmed by his new station, I offered to take some of the responsibilities. Of course, he was wary of giving away secrets from his house, but I managed to convince him to delegate some work in my direction.”
“That is quite noble of you, Kiharu-sama,” Akiyama replied. “You have duties of your own, after all.”
“Not as many as you would think, Akiyama-san,” he said. “We are old men and we must prepare others for the inevitable. I have assigned many of my obligations to my successors. I teach them everything that I can and it frees up a lot of my time.”
“Giving you time to meet old friends,” Akiyama said knowingly.
“Precisely,” Kiharu said, chuckling. “While going through the handful of files now in my possession, I noticed that Hoketuhime-san had promised many things to your Clan for your support in her endeavors. She is no longer with us but her word is still as binding as it was when she put into writing.”
Akiyama nodded, remained silent, and watched the Seppun daimyo.
“Otomo Hoketuhime wanted a deserving samurai to fill the post of Imperial Librarian,” Kiharu continued. “I can think of no clan more deserving than the Lion, and no individual more suited to the role than you. The Otomo will see to it that the Lion receive the needed funds to support you in the additional duties that come with being the Imperial Librarian. Congratulations, Ikoma Akiyama. May you face the tedium of bureaucracy with courage.”
“Thank you for this honor, Kiharu-sama,” Akiyama said. He bowed deeply to Kiharu who nodded in return. “It is just as evident that I will need to move to the capitol city at once to attend to my responsibilities.”
“Excellent,” Kiharu said. “Perhaps you could visit an old friend once in a while to reminisce about the past.”
* * *
“The ceremony was wonderful,” Bayushi Hisoka said. His smile was apparent under a mask that merely covered his eyes. “I am glad to see that our proud alliance is being strengthened by the union of two dedicated servants of the Empire.”
A general murmur of agreement went through the room. More than half of the room had attended the wedding of Bayushi Saya and Kitsuki Ryushi; the Imperial Court was her playground for many years, and many had learned to fear both her attention… and her disdain. The peace in the court was brief and transient. The sparring resumed, delayed only slightly by the glow of the celebration.
“That was a rather transparent attempt to deflect accusations, Hisoka-san,” Yoritomo Sachina said with a contemptuous twist of her head. “The Scorpion Clan must answer for their abysmal defense of Rokugan. The Mantis Clan suffered greatly for the Scorpion Clan’s negligence and they must be brought to task.”
The doors opened and Shosuro Jimen entered the room. He wore the Armor of the Emerald Champion and his distinctive mempo as if he was armored for combat. Courtiers bowed to acknowledge his presence but he ignored them as he walked directly toward the Mantis. “Brought to task, Sachina-san?” Jimen said loudly. “For what crimes should the Scorpion be brought to task?”
Sachina bowed to the Emerald Champion and spoke, though her eyes would not meet Jimen’s. “The subject at hand is a grave yet simple matter. The Mantis Clan vigilantly protects our people, but the unknown enemy struck directly at our heart. Many gallant nobles perished in the night. I cannot help but ask, where was the Scorpion Clan? Why did they fail to protect us from the shadows? Have they forgotten the mandate given to them by the Kami Hantei himself?”
“Do you suggest that the Crab must be punished every time the Shadowlands manage to infiltrate the Empire?” Jimen demanded. “Do you suggest the Lion be censured for failing to end all wars and battles that occur in our land? Perhaps the Mantis should be reprimanded whenever a criminal creates a base of operations in unaligned lands?”
Jimen turned to appeal to the rest of the courtiers and he thrust his hands in front of him in wild gestures to punctuate his statements.
“The assassinations have hurt every Clan. I myself suffered a great tragedy when my trusted friend Tsuruchi Ki fell to a coward’s blade when he protected me from the initial strike. I assure you that I am investigating exactly how this happened and I will uncover those responsible for this insidious plot. It will do us no good to fight amongst each other and to blame others for failing. We have all failed. It is now our chance to rectify that loss together.”
“I am sure you will do your best bring justice to our enemies,” Yoritomo Yashinko said. She spoke sincerely without a hint of scorn, but the members of the Court could easily imagine sardonic mockery behind her words.
“The Emerald Champion will do his job, as he has done since taking over the position,” Doji Masako said. “Our enemy expects us to squabble amongst each other in the aftermath of his attack. We should not dance to his tune.”
Surprise flickered in Jimen’s eyes for an instant at this unexpected support from the Crane but he showed no other signs of being caught off guard. He nodded to Masako in acknowledgement and turned back to Yashinko.
“Masako-san, neither is your clan blameless,” Ide Eien said, his oily voice filled with insinuation. “The Crane are adept at hiding their tracks but they cannot silence all rumors. Reports of Crane soldiers occupying Shiro Usagi were slow to reach the ears of the Khan, but one cannot stop the transfer of information. It is interesting how much effort the Crane have made in suppressing these events. One might draw the conclusion that they have something to hide.”
Masako looked unflustered by the accusation. “The Hare Clan has suffered many tragedies over the years, including an attack by an army of Bloodspeakers. They did not escape the attacks we discuss without casualties. They requested our aid in defending their castle and we graciously offered our allies troops for ease of mind.”
“A likely story!” Yashinko spat. “The Bloodspeakers you speak of attacked years ago, and when they–”
The doors of the room flew open once more with a loud crash. The yelling stopped as the courtiers turned as one to the disruption. Hands flew toward their sides on reflex before the yojimbo realized exactly where they were. Guards rushed forward to greet this new threat and stopped, perplexed, as the identity of the newcomers became apparent.
A Crab shugenja stood in the doorway, and a woman in the garb of the Scorpion stood next to him. The mark of Tengoku clearly shone in both of their souls and the very air tingled with intangible energy. Their eyes moved across the room, and several courtiers standing among the Court suddenly felt inadequate and immoral. In the silence, Yasuki Takai shuffled forward and bowed deeply to the floor. “Lord Omen,” he said. “How may the Imperial Court assist you?”
“I am Omen no longer,” the man replied, “but the Voice of the Sun.”
“And I am the Voice of the Moon,” his companion said.
“We are here as representatives of the Celestial Heavens to inform the world of what is to take place.”
“The Heavens are displeased,” Agasha Miyoshi said. She sighed. Her face was pale and the makeup could not hide the clear effects of long-term exhaustion on her features.
“Man has destroyed the natural order of things and bickers with himself when they should be focused on the dangers that he faces,” the Voice of the Moon said. Her voice, filled with disapproval, cracked through the air like a whip.
“Lord Yakamo and Lady Hitomi have been expelled from the Heavens. Man was not meant to hold those prestigious positions. The Jade Dragon and the Obsidian Dragon sill reign over the sky where the two humans once stood.”
At the Voice of the Sun’s proclamation, several people gasped and hid their faces behind open fans. Most looked grimly at each other; they had heard the news about the fall of the Sun from the late Lady Amika’s letters. The Voice of the Sun mercilessly continued his proclamations.
“The Heavens will no longer stand aside and watch Ningen-do fall further into chaos. There must be balance in the mortal realm. An Emperor must sit on the throne.”
Ikoma Akiyama stepped forward. “Toturi Shigekawa still stands as the closest man to a legitimate heir to the throne. He still acts in the best–”
“The line of Toturi is finished,” the Voice of the Moon interrupted. “Another must assume the throne. Someone worthy must become the new Emperor.”
“But how will we decide who is worthy to assume so much power? We have debated and argued over the candidates for years,” Bayushi Hisoka protested. “We cannot come to an easy and unanimous decision, Maru-sama, even at the order of the Celestial Heavens.”
The Voice of the Sun raised a hand, palm forward, at the Court. “At the beginning of the empire, the Kami created the rules of society that you adhere to today. So it will be with the new dynasty that will rule over Rokugan.”
The Voice of the Moon nodded. “One month from today, we will gather on Seppun Hill, the location where the Kami revealed themselves to man. We will host a tournament to find the Clan most worthy of the position. Send your greatest nobles to represent your Clan and they will be judged. Do not send your mindless warriors, for the contest will not be determined by martial prowess alone. The one who best exemplifies the essential elements of the samurai will prevail. The Heavens shall reward the Clan that triumphs and one of them will become the Favored of the Heavens.”
“One month from now, Rokugan will have its Emperor.”
*
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