A Hero's Death, Chapter One
by Rich
Wulf and Shawn Carman
•
Kyuden Miya - The
Heart
"It is always an honor to serve
you, Aunt Yumi-sama." Miya Shoin bowed deeply from his kneeling position,
his forehead very nearly touching the floor. His hands were still dusty and
aching from the rigorous kyujutsu practice session that had been interrupted by
his summons to an audience with his daimyo. He wished that there had been time
to make himself more presentable, but it had been an urgent summons.
The elderly woman sitting opposite
him smiled warmly. "Shoin," she chided, "you know that you do
not have to be so formal with me. I have known you since you were an infant,
and your mother for nearly that long. How is your mother?"
Shoin smiled. "She is well,
Aunt Yumi-sama."
Yumi chuckled. "You call me
'aunt,' when it is I who should call you 'uncle.' Your father, Dosonu, was one
of my greatest ancestors. That makes you one of my grand-uncles, I
believe"
"The War of Spirits has left
many legacies," Shoin replied carefully. "The strangest of which may
be the struggle to undo the knots spirit-mortal couplings left behind in our
lineage. Perhaps I may technically be your grand uncle a dozen generations
hence, but it would make me less confused if I could call you aunt,
Yumi-sama."
Yumi chuckled. "Well said. So
be it." Her warm smile remained in place until she glanced to her left,
where Shoin had set his belongings after rushing in from the field. Her gaze
lingered on the small bow he carried, the yumi, her namesake. Her eyes became
wistful, almost sorrowful. She quickly glanced away to look at the door to the
main court chamber. That chamber had been sealed since the disastrous events of
the Winds' failed Winter Court some months previous. Finally, she spoke again. "Your
training with the Wasp Clan goes well?"
Shoin cleared his throat slightly,
looking flushed. "The Mantis are very gracious hosts, Aunt Yumi-sama, and
yes, the Tsuruchi are excellent teachers." The Wasp Clan, technically,
were no more. Correcting Yumi made him feel uncomfortable, but such was
necessary to avoid dishonoring his sensei.
There was another long pause from
Yumi. "Do you often see Ashin-- I mean Tsuruchi Ichiro? I understand he is
very much involved in the teaching of the students at Kyuden Ashinagabachi."
"Yes, Aunt Yumi-sama,"
Shoin said quietly. "I am honored to meet with him twice weekly for
instruction." He watched the faraway look in Yumi's eyes with mild
distress. It pained him to see her old wounds this way. Finally, he could
restrain himself no more, even if it did mean a slight betrayal of trust. "He
asks after you often. He has often recounted to me the tales of his travels
with you during the Clan War." He paused, then added "And of course
with Sanzo and the shugenja Koan as well."
Yumi lowered her gaze to the floor. It
was several long minutes before she raised her head again, and Shoin suspected
she was fighting tears. When at last she looked up, her smile had reappeared. A
lifetime in court had made her an expert at locking away her emotions. "Those
were different days," she said, her voice thick. "The world was
falling apart around us, and all that we could see was the adventure of it all.
Had we known what we were up against, I wonder if we would have gone on."
"Of course, Aunt
Yumi-sama," Shoin said. "You were heroes. You could do no less."
Yumi smiled. "Heroes are a
product of war," she replied. "The Miya do not seek glory, only
peace. So there are no Miya heroes. Did I not teach you that?"
"Of course, Yumi-sama,"
Shoin said, bowing his head respectfully.
"Had things been different, had
your sensei and I not both been destined to lead our families..." Yumi
paused again, then cleared her throat quickly. "Nephew, forgive an old
woman her reminiscing. You were called here to receive a summons from Otosan
Uchi, and I have kept you waiting with foolish stories." She withdrew a
scroll from the folds of her kimono and held it out for Shoin to take.
With trembling hands, Shoin accepted
the scroll. The seal was unmistakable. Shoin could imagine no possible reason
for such a thing, and thus was filled with a sort of nervous terror. He
carefully broke the seal and unfurled the scroll. Shoin read it in silence,
then re-read it. When at last he set it down, he looked up at Yumi incredulously.
"There are five more scrolls in
this pouch," Yumi said, lifting a small satchel from beside the low table
and offering it to Shoin. "They are to be distributed as per the
instructions in your own scroll. All arrangements have been made for your travels."
"I must prepare to leave at
once, Aunt Yumi-sama. It seems I have a long journey ahead."
"I wish you good fortune. Be
cautious, nephew. These are dangerous times. May your father's spirit protect
you in your journey."
•
Shiro Utaku - The
Hunter
Spirits.
Why did everything in her life
revolve around the dead?
The day she was born was the same
day that the Iron Chrysanthemum began his attack upon the Empire.
The day she was apprenticed to her
older sister to begin her training as a Battle Maiden was the same day that she
learned her father had died in combat with the spirit armies of the Moto.
The day she was to be given her
gempukku, Bayushi Tozasu and his spirit minions arrived in her village, taking
revenge upon the descendants of the Unicorn who had killed them at White Shore
Plain. They slew every Unicorn samurai they found, including her mother, her
brother, and her three sisters. Had she taken her gempukku a day earlier, she
would have been slain as well. She often wished that she had been.
It seemed as if every important
event in her short life had involved the dead.
And now this.
The battle maiden paused, bokken
clutched in both hands as she stared silently across the practice dojo. A thin
young man with a pale face stood at the entrance. His skin glowed faintly in
the dim light. He smoothed a wicker cloak over one shoulder as he glanced about
the chamber.
"You are Utaku Yu-Pan?"
the man asked, glancing down at an unfurled scroll in his left hand and then
looking at her. His tone was swift, precise, as if he was already certain of
the answer and was simply informing her of his conclusion.
"I am Yu-Pan," she
sneered, holding the practice blade defensively. She did not move from where
she stood, nor did she lower her weapon or grant any sort of respectful
acknowledgment.
"Ah," the man replied. A
look of discomfort flitted across his face. "My name is Miya Shoin. I am a
messenger from Otosan Uchi. I apologize for disturbing you at this late hour,
but I only just arrived and my message is quite urgent. Lady Xieng Chi told me
that I could find you here if I needed-"
"What do you want?" Yu-Pan
demanded.
Shoin frowned. "As I was
saying, I have a message for you," he said. He drew a rolled scroll from a
pouch at his hip and displayed it in both hands. A pale red wax seal gleamed in
the candle light.
"Leave it there," Yu-Pan
said, pointing at the floor with the tip of her blade. "I will read it
when I am finished."
"I... see," he replied. He
bowed briefly and set the scroll gingerly upon the floor, then took several
steps back. Shoin folded his arms in his sleeves, and peered at Yu-Pan with
curiosity. "Is it not somewhat late at night to be training?" he
asked.
Yu-Pan stepped forward, saying
nothing, watching the man carefully as she snatched the scroll from the floor. "You
are young, for a spirit," she said. "Did you crawl through Oblivion's
Gate?"
"I am only half-spirit,"
Shoin replied. "It is unusual for one such as myself to carry the glow of
the Spirit Realms so late in age, and I must confess it is something of a
wonder. It is only visible in the darkness, or when I am taken by emotion. It
has been theorized that perhaps my spirit father-"
"Your spirit father should have
stayed dead," Yu-Pan interrupted, tucking the scroll beneath her arm. "You
have accomplished your task, shisha. You are finished here. Go."
Shoin's brow furrowed. "Utaku-san,
there is no reason to be so rude."
"Isn't there?" she hefted
the bokken in her hand again. "Did you take offense? Perhaps you would
like to instruct me in etiquette, shisha?"
She would kill him. If he made any
move, any gesture, she would kill him. The spirits had given her nothing but
pain and death. Why should she show them anything in return?
Shoin gave her a long, careful
glance. "I believe that I shall take my leave now, Utaku-san," he
replied. "Now that I have fulfilled my duties here."
Yu Pan said nothing, but watched him
as he left. As he passed into the darkness, she could see the pale glow
surround him once more. She listened to his receding footsteps for several
moments, then broke the seal on the scroll.
A look of confusion crossed Yu-Pan's
features.
"An invitation to the Imperial
City from the esteemed Otomo Kakasu?"
•
The Izaku Libraries
- The Fire
"Who in Jigoku is Otomo Kakasu?"
Agasha Chieh asked, her tone brittle. She pushed the scroll aside on the low
table and gazed down her hawk-like nose at Miya Shoin. Chieh had the sharp,
aquiline features of a Phoenix, but the thin, long-limbed frame of a Dragon. Her
shaven head shone in the light of the sun, only adding to her exotic
appearance.
Several of the monks tending the
garden where Miya Shoin and Agasha Chieh met glanced up at Chieh's curse, but
when they saw the source they quickly returned to their meditations. They knew
better than to risk her wrath.
"Kakasu is a minor functionary
in Otosan Uchi," Shoin replied. "He simply asked that I deliver that
message. I know nothing of its contents."
"Of course," Chieh said. She
pulled one foot closer to her body, resting her elbow on that knee. The kimono
fell away from her leg with the gesture, showing a rather scandalous amount of
flesh. Shoin politely glanced the other way, but not before noting a triumphant
gleam in Chieh's eyes. That piercing gaze was entirely Kitsuki, despite the
fact that her fiery orange kimono was emblazoned with the mon of the Phoenix. Chieh
knuckled her chin thoughtfully. "I, an experienced Emerald Magistrate and
guardian of the Izaku Libraries, have never heard of this Kakasu, and yet he is
important enough to dispatch a shisha to Phoenix territory, through the lines
of the war between Phoenix and Dragon, to procure me. How curious. Perhaps I
have simply been away from the court for too long?"
"Perhaps," Shoin said. He
felt a strange tickle at the back of his mind.
Chieh smiled. "I commend you,
Miya," she said. "Your face, your gesture, your body all conceal your
lies from my eye, but you cannot fool the kami. They see into your very heart,
and they favor me. I know the truth."
Shoin blinked. "Apologies,
Chieh-san," he bowed deeply from where he sat. "I did not mean to
offend. However, if you will simply hear me out--"
"Explanations are
unnecessary," she said with a dismissive wave. "I see deception in
your heart, but that is all I see. There is no harmful intent. However, I am
disappointed by the fact that you know nothing more than I do..."
"I know that there is no Otomo
Kakasu," Shoin replied. "I know only that someone important among the
Emerald Magistrates wished to see us both, as well as four others, in the
Imperial City."
"Hm," Chieh gave a bemused
smile. "Any idea why?"
"I believe it has something to
do with our fathers," he replied. "Mine and yours. As for the
others... well, I haven't figured those out yet."
"I see," Chieh replied. "Then
return to Otosan Uchi. Tell your Kakasu that I will arrive presently."
Shoin gave a relieved sigh. "I
will do that," he replied with a nod. A look of sudden concern spread
across his pale features. "But tell me... are you not at all offended that
I concealed the truth from you?"
Chieh laughed. "If the
best this Kakasu could do to hide the truth from me was hide it in your mind,
then I am neither concerned nor insulted. I am merely curious. Tell Lord Kakasu
that he has my attention." She smiled slowly. Her lips were painted the
color of fresh blood. Shoin found her exotic appearance unsettling, but not
wholly unappealing.
"I will tell him,
Chieh-san," he said. "Though I will be there at the meeting as well. You
can tell him yourself."
"Excellent," she replied,
"I look forward to that. But while you are here, I don't suppose you could
tell me who else this Kakasu has summoned?"
Shoin frowned uncomfortably. "It
would be outside my duties to reveal such privileged secrets."
"Privileged?" Chieh
chuckled. "If Kakasu does not exist, he can take no offense if you share
information. Besides, I am an Emerald Magistrate. Our bones are duty and our
blood is honor. You can trust me."
Shoin rose an eyebrow. "My aunt
always tells me to never trust the ones who say 'trust me.'"
"Your aunt is correct,"
she replied. "Now are you going to tell me who else you're seeking? I
promise to look surprised, for you must know I have already taken the
information from your mind."
"So why ask at all?" Shoin
replied.
"Etiquette," she answered.
"Much like one still appreciates being given a gift, even when you already
know what it will be."
Shoin laughed out loud. "Very
well, then, Chieh-san," he said. "I will tell you. First, while I am
here in the northern mountains I have been told to seek a certain Ox..."
•
Shiro Morito - The
Rock
"A summons for Kijuro, eh? Hah!"
Kijuro snatched the scroll from Miya Shoin. He patted his broad belly with his
free hand in a proud and expansive gesture as he turned to grin at the other Ox
bushi lingering in the courtyard. "Perhaps Morito-sama has finally noticed
the great treasure lying unused in his own lands!" Several of the others
laughed heartily at Kijuro's joke.
The Ox were boisterous, hearty men
accustomed to the hardships of being samurai in a Minor Clan. Positioned
between the warring Phoenix and Dragon, the Ox Clan had been in a constant
state of readiness for months. Patrols were maintained along the borders for
days on end, and extended scouting trips to investigate the position of the two
Great Clans' armies were not uncommon. It was vital that the Ox Clan be aware
of what was going on around them. Ignorance meant extinction in times of war;
the Dragonfly Clan had already learned that lesson.
Many of the Ox bushi wore the rough
fur cloaks and strange leather clothing of their Unicorn forebears, or carried
strange gaijin weapons the likes of which Shoin had never seen. The young
herald simply stood among them, shivered uncomfortably, and waited for one of
them to invite him inside so he could find a fire to restore feeling to his
fingers and toes. Even though it was summertime, Shoin found the cold of the Ox
Clan's mountains intolerable. Now he knew why Agasha Chieh had just traveled on
ahead to Otosan Uchi instead of accompanying him here. For their part, the Ox
bushi seemed naturally immune, strolling about the freezing courtyard in light
leather clothing or piecemeal armor.
"Well, my friends," Kijuro
said as he paced the courtyard, "clearly a hero is needed if they are
sending for me." He gestured with the rolled scroll as he spoke, as if it
were a grand scepter of some sort. "I suppose I must go and save the
Empire once again!"
"You'll save the Empire only if
it is under attack by sake and women, Kijuro!" called one of the others. The
room burst into laughter, and no one laughed harder than Kijuro.
Kijuro was a stocky man, some might
even say portly as his heavy build denoted a love of rich Unicorn-style
cuisine. His features were blocky and wide-set, more gaijin in appearance than
most. His skin was darker as well. Shoin guessed that he must have strong Moto
ancestry.
"What say you and I go get a
drink?" Kijuro asked, grinning broadly at Shoin. "The first round is
mine. It is my custom."
"Inside?" Shoin stuttered.
"Of course, Miya-sama,"
Kijuro replied, gesturing at the small sake house at the edge of the court
yard.
"I would b-b-b-be m-most
honored," Shoin replied, putting on a stern expression. "However, we
must not dally long. You must be prepared to leave within the hour."
Kijuro arched his eyebrows in
surprise. "That gives me precious little time to make arrangements with my
lord. Command of my patrols must be designated to others in my absence. I must
see to my children's welfare. I must feed and saddle Koji. And I had hoped to
pray at my family's shrine for good fortune in my journey as well. Is such
haste truly necessary, Miya-sama?"
"You will do as your are
ordered, Ox," Shoin said, momentarily giving in to the stress and pain of
his long journey. "I have traveled many miles to find you and have many
more to go before this mission is complete. I will not have my word - the word
of a Miya shisha - challenged by a samurai of a Minor Clan."
Kijuro's perpetual grin disappeared.
In its place, a vicious snarl formed. The Ox took a single step forward and
placed his hand upon the hilt of his strange curved sword. Shoin noticed many
wide rings mounted along the back of the blade. He wondered vaguely what they
were for.
Realizing his situation, the herald
took two quick steps backward with a look of utter horror. Imperial Herald he
may be, but he was in Ox territory now, alone. Kijuro seemed to sense Shoin's
shame and fear, and quickly regained his poise as best he could, removing his
hand from the hilt of his sword. "Miya-sama," he forced through
clenched teeth, "may I ask your name?"
"Shoin," answered the
herald quickly. "Miya Shoin, son of Miya Dosonu, herald of Hantei the
27th."
"Shoin?" asked Kijuro, chewing his lower lip thoughtfully. "Oh my. An unfortunate name in these parts, Miya-sama. There was an Ox samurai named Shoin. He was a foolish young man. Well-intentioned, to be sure, but unable to control his wagging tongue. Always saying the wrong thing to the wrong person, Shoin was. One day, he insulted a ronin, just because he thought the man beneath him. The thing is, Shoin never realized the simple truth. We're all the same, when we're alone. That ronin just cut Shoin down like a dog in the street and fled." Kijuro gestured with one hand, making a vertical cut in the air, pointing at Shoin's head as he did so. "So we have a saying here among the Ox." Kijuro leaned toward Shoin for emphasis. "A knife in the back knows no oath of fealty."
"Is that a th-threat?" Shoin
replied, not knowing whether the stutter was brought on by the cold.
Kijuro looked aghast, then smiled
quickly. "Of course not! It is simply a story that I remembered upon
hearing the honorable herald's name. How long did I have again before we needed
to leave, Miya-sama?"
"Three hours," Shoin
answered with a faint grin.
"I shall be ready,
Miya-sama," Kijuro grinned, bowing stiffly from the waist. "It is my
honor to serve you. As I promised, the first drink is on me."
•
The Nirukti Ruins -
The Phantom
"Are you prepared to serve,
Toritaka Akemi?" said a voice from the darkness.
Akemi did not bother to open her
eyes. In the shadowy temple, attempting to see would do more harm than simply
not seeing at all. It had been among her first lessons. She could sense the
presence several feet away from her, a large, looming figure. Her sensei. She
sensed him moving from left to right, searching for her in the darkness.
"Toritaka Akemi," the
voice said again, more impatient this time.
"Hai," she said, and could
feel him turn in reaction to the sound.
"Akemi," her sensei said. "Your
time has come. Are you ready?"
"Hai," she said without
hesitation. What other answer could there be?
"The path will be
dangerous," he said. "Already three have perished in the quest you
will be given. Are you prepared to die?"
"Hai," she said.
"Are you prepared for fates
worse than death?" he asked. "For those await you as well, should you
fail."
"Hai," she said.
"Are you prepared for the most
terrible fate of all?" he asked.
"Hai," she said. "I
am prepared to find that which I seek."
There was a long pause, as if her
sensei were gauging the sincerity of her comment.
"Very well, then, Toritaka
Akemi," he said. "You will go to Otosan Uchi. There, a man named
Otomo Kakasu has need of a Phantom Hunter."
"Hai," she said.
"There will be others," he
said. "They will be foolish. "They will seek that which they are not
prepared to find. You must protect them from what they will find, but you must
protect them from themselves as well. Are you prepared? Will you meet with the
Miya now?"
"Hai," she said.
"Have you any questions before
you depart?" he asked.
"Only one, sensei," she
said.
•
The Cliffs Near
Kyuden Gotei - The Witness
"Why me?" Moshi Kakau
asked. Waving a chunk of driftwood as he spoke. He knocked another bit of wood
loose with his whittling knife and watched it tumble down the face of the
cliff.
"I am uncertain,
Moshi-san," Miya Shoin replied, standing several feet safely away from the
edge. "I am only a messenger, and a tired one, at that. Had I known the
voyage across Umi Amaterasu would be so difficult, perhaps I would have sent a
pigeon."
Kakau chuckled, turning his face to
the salty breeze. "I'm not very eager about the idea of making that voyage
again, either," he said. "The air here isn't like the air in the city.
It's strong, pure. The Yoritomo believe that if you face the wind long enough,
it will cleanse your soul of all impurities."
"Is that true?" Shoin
asked.
"Dunno," Kakau shrugged. "If
it is, I think I'll need to sit on this cliff a while longer." Kakau's
tone was humorous, but he did not smile. The young Mantis' weathered face did
not look as if it smiled often.
"I realize this is abrupt,
Moshi-san," Shoin said, stiffening somewhat from Kakau's informal tone,
"but the summons of the Otomo--"
"I know my duty, Miya,"
Kakau said firmly. "All Mantis know their duty. I will be there. I will
meet you at the harbor. Arrangements will be made."
Miya Shoin nodded, bowed, and
quickly walked away, leaving Kakau to his whittling.
Kakau frowned into the wind again. Legend
had it that decades ago, Yoritomo's father hurled himself into the sea from
this very cliff to protect his son from the machinations of gaijin assassins. Yoritomo
later risked his life and honor to demand recognition as a Great Clan from
Toturi the First. Yoritomo's gambit during the Clan War could just as easily
have destroyed the Mantis and their allies, had the Great Clans taken offense.
The Mantis were a clan that
accomplished nothing without risk, without sacrifice. Ultimately, the paths of
all Mantis heroes ended in death, from the first Mantis to the last. Glorious
death was still death all the same.
It was a difficult lesson, but Kakau
was learning it.
Kakau shook himself from his
reverie. It would do no good to constantly relive the events of that fateful
night. Whether the assassin had survived or not, no one could say. Yet Kakau
felt strangely unfulfilled, as if the matter was not yet closed. The arrival of
the Miya had proven it.
Perhaps there was still a chance
that justice might be found...
Kakau sighed. Perhaps the lengthy
voyage to Rokugan would give him the time he needed to put his thoughts in
order.
•
Otosan Uchi - The
Meeting
Miya Shoin pushed the shoji screen
to one side and found a very small, very crowded room. Moshi Kakau stood beside
the shisha, looking at those waiting within carefully.
"Who are these people?" Kakau
asked.
"They are here for the same
reason we are," Shoin replied.
"What is that?" Kakau
asked.
"We shall find out," he
replied, stepping into the room.
"Miya-sama!" Kijuro looked
up with a grin, stood, and bowed. "It is about time you arrived! Though
truth be told, I could have waited a bit longer. The ladies have been excellent
company."
Utaku Yu-Pan, Toritaka Akemi, and
Agasha Chieh also sat at the table. As Shoin entered, Chieh and Akemi rose and
bowed as well.
"Kijuro-san has been
entertaining us with his stories," Chieh said. "He is a most
intriguing character." The Phoenix was dressed in robes of deep emerald,
emblazoned with the mon of the Emerald Magistrates. Her eyelids and lips had
been painted with a dark green pigment, giving her a strangely reptilian look.
Shoin returned the bow gracefully. "Kijuro's
tales are indeed most entertaining," he agreed. "I should share the
tale of the unfortunate Ox, Shoin, sometime. May I introduce Moshi Kakau, of
the Mantis Clan?"
"Kakau-san," Chieh nodded
at him. He bowed quickly, awkwardly.
"Everyone sit," Shoin
said. "I am certain our mysterious host will not be long now that we are
all gathered here."
"He can take all the time he
needs," Kijuro said, sipping deeply from the cup before him. "The
sake our host has here is excellent, and I for one wouldn't mind hanging around
and drinking more of it. I could stay here and drink till New Year's Day. What
do you say to that, Akemi?" he asked, toasting her with his cup.
The Falcon simply sat quietly at the
other end of the table and watched everyone with haunted eyes.
"Pretty and quiet! Just the
sort of woman I like!" Kijuro laughed and drained his cup. "If she
could cook, I would not let the Emperor himself bar my path. Can you cook,
Akemi?"
The Falcon said nothing.
"Did any of you have any
trouble in your travels?" Shoin asked, quickly changing the subject. "I
heard rumors of Tsuno activity in the provinces of--"
"Enough," Utaku Yu-Pan
snarled, pounding one fist on the table. "You have us all here,
half-spirit. Just like you wanted. Now where is Otomo Kakasu?"
"There is no Otomo
Kakasu," Agasha Chieh said, sipping from her cup. "He is a
fabrication. The Miya lied to us all."
Kakau coughed on his sake. Kijuro
peered from Chieh to Shoin and back, his wide face slightly comical in its
curiosity. Akemi continued to stare intently, and a low growl rose in Yu-Pan's
throat.
"Chieh," Shoin said,
casting the magistrate a betrayed look.
"What?" Chieh replied. "Your
falsehood served its purpose. It gathered us here as you wished. I see no
further purpose in the lie so I have discarded it. I told you that you could
trust me, and I have proven it by showing exquisite judgment."
"You lied to me, spirit?" Yu-Pan
snarled angrily. "Tell me why you tricked us all into coming here or by my
grandmother's blade-"
"It was not my wish to bring
you here, I was merely following the command I was given," Shoin snapped
back at the Battle Maiden. "I know only that each one of us were selected
specifically."
"Why?" Yu-Pan snarled. "By
whom?"
"Clearly some connection that
we all have," Chieh commented. "Some connection that another wishes
to exploit. The only question that remains is what that connection may
be."
"Connection?" Shoin asked,
his tone thoughtful.
"There is no connection,"
Yu Pan snapped. "I have never met any of you before."
"Death," Akemi said
suddenly, her low voice immediately drawing their attention. "We are all
connected by a web of death, the web of the Spirit Realms. We are connected by
murder..."
"Murder?" Shoin
asked, looking at the Falcon. "Whose murder?"
"Whose indeed?" asked a
voice from the hall as the shoji screen slid open. "That, good ladies and
gentlemen, is exactly what we are here to discuss."
A thin man in green robes stepped
into the room, accompanied by a massive yojimbo with a deep scar across his
face. Miya Shoin's eyes widened in recognition. He rose and bowed deeply. Chieh
did the same. The others simply stared.
"Is this our host, the
fictitious Otomo Kakasu?" Yu-Pan asked with a chuckle, neither rising nor
bowing.
"I think not," the man
replied, stepping further into the light. He had a thin, angular face and a
dark black patch over his right eye. "My name is Hantei Naseru. Perhaps
you have heard of me." He made the remark a simple statement of fact
rather than a question.
"The son of Emperor
Toturi?" Utaku Yu-Pan said, rising and bowing, her face flushing with
shame.
"The same," Naseru said,
pleased by her show of respect, or by her discomfort, or perhaps both. "Now
be seated, all of you, and be silent. I have precious little time to
waste."