Passion
by
Rich Wulf


The dojo was relatively quiet this day. The great lord of the Crane, Doji Kurohito, had returned from the war against the Crab only days before and had requested privacy. For hours he had practiced his forms and kata, moving from one stance to the other, letting his mind slip away in the perfection of his art. The movements of his lean limbs were precise, graceful. His long bleached topknot swirled in his path like the ribbon of a dancer. He was quick, deadly, and beautiful, everything that it meant to be Crane.


For the first time in many months, Kurohito was at peace.


As the shoji screens at the western end of the dojo slid open, Kurohito realized that peace was at an end. He turned and sheathed his sword with one deft movement as he regarded his visitor. A slim man waited at the door: Asahina Sekawa, newly appointed to the post of [Jade] Champion, the highest-ranking shugenja in the Empire.


"Sekawa-san," Kurohito said, smiling slightly as he bowed. "I am honored to have you in my house. Your success at the Test of the Jade Champion has brought great esteem to the house of the Crane. I apologize that I was not able to attend. I heard that there were… difficulties."

"Indeed," Sekawa said grimly. The man did not smile as he returned the Crane lord's bow. "That is not what I have come to discuss. I have come here on official business."


"Oh?" Kurohito strolled across the dojo to stand before Sekawa. "The Jade Champion's purpose is to hunt black magic. Do you think to find some here?"


"Perhaps. I have heard rumors that you do not carry the Celestial Sword the Fortune of Steel forged for our clan."


"This is so."


"The other clan Champions all wield the Fortune's Gift. Yet you do not?"


"I do not," Kurohito confirmed. "The katana I carry was found on the shores beneath Kyuden Doji on the day I was born, the single bright omen during a dark time for our clan. I carry it hoping to guide us to the future its discovery suggested."


"I see. I would like to share a story with you, my lord, if you would indulge me." Sekawa cast a sidelong glance at Kurohito's sword as he stepped into the dojo.


"Of course, Jade Champion," Kurohito replied, regarding Sekawa.


"I begins during the time of Iuchiban. Four twisted blades were forged to cut out the heart of an Empire. The man who forged the blades was a Crane, and his name was Asahina Yajinden. These blades were called the Bloodswords, and each was created to feed upon the vices of mortal men, to destroy the leaders of four Great Clans. Shortly after acquiring Jonetsu, the Bloodsword of Passion, the Champion of the Crane professed his love to a girl just barely older than a child. Torn with guilt and shame, this forgotten daimyo hurled himself from the cliffs below Kyuden Doji. The Bloodsword was in his hand when he died, lost to the depths of the ocean. For centuries, the sword was never found. Most never even suspected its true purpose."


"I see," Kurohito replied. "An interesting story. Now let me tell you mine.


"Centuries ago, when the Empire itself was barely a child, there was a man named Yasurugi, a mighty samurai, and an expert weaponsmith. He forged Kunshu, the blade Hantei Genji wielded in the battle against the Dark Brother. He forged Shukujo, the Ancestral Sword Lady Shinjo placed in the Heavens. He forged Naishi, the blade my cousin Yasuyo wields, and Kanpeki, the blade Yasuki Hachi now carries. His greatest work was Chukandomo, the 'middle child', a blade forged after its maker had reached the height of his mastery, but before he allowed the quest for perfection to cloud his judgment." Kurohito smiled. "Chukandomo was intended as a gift for the Matsu family, at a time when perhaps such a gift would have mended the divisions between our great clans. The blade was lost at sea. Its creator was the son of Lady Doji, the Kami whose name I bear. His name was Doji Yasurugi, and had misfortune not skewed his destiny, he would have been the Crane Thunder."


"And you believe Chukandomo is the sword you now carry," Sekawa said.


"But you believe Jonetsu is the sword my mother's servants found," Kurohito answered, fixing the Jade Champion with his ice blue eyes.


"I am uncertain," Sekawa answered. "If you would allow me to study it-"


"Do not study the sword, Sekawa, study the man," Kurohito replied. "You are shugenja. Look upon me. The legends of Jonetsu are well known to my family. Do I look to be the sort of man who would succumb to such foolishness, who would allow himself to take up such a dangerous blade without realizing the danger? Do you think that my wife, the daughter of a Thunder herself, would allow me to wield such a dangerous weapon?"


Sekawa was quiet for a long time. He did not look away from the Crane Champion's cold stare. He seemed to see something there, deep within Kurohito's soul, and nodded.


"No, I do not," Sekawa said, shaking his head. "Yet I am confused. As you say, the legends of the Bloodsword are well known. Surely you must know how rumor travels. I may not be the only person in Rokugan who suspects you carry the curse of Iuchiban."


Kurohito nodded. "I realize that."


"You could assuage the people's fears quite easily," Sekawa said. "Reveal the truth to them."


Kurohito sneered. "Why should I? The other clans despise us for our perceived weakness or fear us for our true power. Why should I remove their fear? Those I command already know the sort of man I am. They know that my judgment is pure, my honor is true. The others? Such rumors only give them more reason to be wary of our power."


"I see, my lord," Sekawa nodded. "I apologize if my curiosity offended you."


"Bah," Kurohito said with an abrupt wave of his hand. "Such is your duty. I would expect nothing else." The Crane lord paused, his eyes meeting Sekawa's again. "But be warned, Asahina Sekawa. Now that you know my secret, keep it close. I am not a man to be trifled with." No trace of emotion lingered in Kurohito's eyes, no hint of passion whatsoever.


"Of course, my lord," Sekawa replied, his voice barely a whisper. Doji Kurohito might not be a pawn of dark magic, but he was certainly a man to be feared. Sekawa excused himself; as he closed the shoji screen, the Jade Champion was already chanting the spell to whisk him to his next destination.


Unconcerned, Kurohito returned to his practice.