Session Two; The Winner Anounced

Katsumi surveyed the scene, or what remained of it. The world still stood as it had before the ogres, but their bodies faded away like all the others had. The tent was toppled. That’s right, the tent, and those bats. She glanced over towards the strange cave, sitting there where she was almost certain it hadn’t been the day before. There wasn’t any movement but never had she seen so clear of a sign on where to go next. If the bats had been causing the problems, and they still had to find the problem, then the cave was where they needed to head. Katsumi leaned her bisento against her shoulder and watched Matsu go through the motions of cleaning off her already clean blade before sliding her katana back into its sheath. Shiba was collecting her spear that was sticking out of the ground at least five feet behind where the ogre had been. And Asahina stood stringing a bow. He seemed to always be ahead of the game, or at least cresting the lead. First to run after a task, and now preparing for the inevitable fight against aerial creatures. Katsumi absently gazed at the cave, wishing she had a bow to conquer their foe with.

“By the way, the bats…” It was Shiba’s whispering voice. She did this nearly each time she spoke, start off but never finish her thought until everyone was staring at her waiting for that last word to come. “The bats, they went that way.” She was holding her spear with one hand, but pointing timidly towards the cave with her other, barely gesturing at all.

Katsumi watched her; this one wasn’t much of a talker, or a leader. Come to think of it, she wasn’t ever first to strike either. The spear had been the most aggressive Shiba had been since Katsumi met her yesterday, and even that missed probably thrown off by shaky nerves. Shiba seemed to need someone to lead her, which could be something to work with. She smiled to herself as Shiba fixed on Katsumi, obviously noticing just then that she was watching Shiba.

“The bats went over there.” Shiba was pointing with more conviction now that someone was paying attention to her. She was waiting though, Katsumi could tell, probably for someone to give her an order. “So… we should probably go after them.” Shiba finally suggested. Katsumi continued to stare, wondering if the Phoenix would go mad without receiving a response.

“So you saw which way the bats went?” Asahina ruined it. Shiba quickly refocused her efforts to be helpful on Asahina.


“Yeah, they went that way.” She looked so relieved by Asahina’s acknowledgement. Yeah, this was definitely something she could work with.

”Alright. Let’s go.” Asahina started making his way towards the direction Shiba had pointed. Shiba scurrying after him, followed by Katsumi, Matsu, and Hikaru.

“There’s a cave up ahead. They flew in there.” Katsumi offered a little further explanation. Shiba wasn’t very forthcoming when it came to details. It seemed to be a struggle to just put a sentence together for her, Katsumi tried not to imagine what a normal conversation would entail.

They were passing the last of the tents on the other side of the dueling grounds when Asahina stopped and stared to his right between a few still erect. It was only a matter of seconds before Katsumi and the rest of the party had halted next to him and was also laying their eyes upon the strange little man standing in the road.

Strange was probably a relative term in their circumstances, but he was curious to behold. He was a Dragon in colors, green with gold accents. His left side was facing the group and he was staring at the scenery, slowly taking it in, which made things all the more odd when he turned towards Katsumi and the rest with a look of utter befuddlement. Katsumi was probably making the same face, granted it went unnoticed due to her mask, but her companions wouldn’t be so lucky and mirrored the same expression back. He held crutches in each hand, seeming to be a cripple that could still walk with great effort. And he was older than all of them, easily. He was most certainly another guest of Jashuwa’s game, but to think that a cripple was to be brought into the fold was just cruel.

“Um,” Shiba squeaked, breaking the awkward silence. “He looks real. Solid. Real.”

Katsumi tilted her head down at Shiba, taking her eyes off the new comer for only a moment. “You’re very astute, Shiba-san. How lucky we are to have someone so observant.”

When she looked back, Asahina was bridging the gap between the Dragon and himself. Of course he was. Always the first to make a move.

***

Kitsuki Anjin awoke from what felt like a very deep sleep. Those types of rests where you’re not sure how long you’ve actually been asleep because grogginess still has its hold on you. Blearily he took in his surroundings, a few tents stood pitched, most of them rather large, the sky was hazy with overcast, and everything was muted. He could only conclude that he must have been sleeping for a while because he didn’t remember dressing or walking out of his tent, yet here he was, outside, clothed, and dull of sense. His traveling pack was securely fastened to him, another thing he didn’t recall. When did he pack up his tent, and for that matter, who helped him? Anjin wasn’t exactly the most capable of people when it came to feats of strength, like pitching a tent, or walking. He had been stricken lame as a very small child and has required the use of crutches for mobility ever since. Granted, he could maneuver on them well enough, but dismantling his tent seemed a little far fetched, and not remembering it even more so.

He began scanning the surroundings for a clue, slowly pivoting. The sky wasn’t overcast, it was just… grey. And the buildings weren’t obscured by fog; they were just… washed out. Things were making less and less sense the more observant Anjin was. The ground wasn’t right either. And the tents, this was supposed to be the third day of the tournament, there should be more people. Speaking of people, Anjin glanced around nervously. Shadows in human form were passing by him. Most looking to be laborers, but that wasn’t the point, they were shadows. How peculiar.

Sudden movement brought his attention to something moving towards him from between two tents about ten yards away. It was blue, and white, and tall. A man, a Crane, walking directly at him. He was vibrant and solid and had a look of purpose. Anjin tilted his head; behind the Crane were more robustly colored people, their choice of clothing giving most of them away. A Phoenix woman, confusion written across her face, she was gesturing towards him. A Lion woman with a lion by her side, ah, a Matsu for sure. She was whispering something to the third that was taller than the other two and wrapped as the Spider he had met the day before had been.

The Crane stopped directly in front of him, at a respectable distance but not too far as to indicate he held any fear of Anjin. With a bow he introduced himself. “Asahina Kyuzo at your service. I assume you’re just as confused as the rest of us.” He gestured towards the group behind him.

“Asahina-san,” the Spider called out, “What are you doing? You don’t know what it is.” Anjin was taken aback. From what he could see, he appeared to be as normal as he ever was, what did this person mean by ‘what it is’?

“It looks like a person.” The Phoenix retorted.

“So did those ogres, well, they looked like ogres. And Jashuwa looks-”

“As I was saying,” Asahina began speaking again, leaving the Spider and Phoenix to bicker amongst themselves. “I’m sure you’re as confused about this whole ordeal as we are. If not then please consider any information you may have.”

“Let‘s see…” Anjin said, trying to shut out the group behind Asahina. “I watched the tournament. I spoke with some Spider clan members after competing in the tournament. I went to bed and must have fallen into a long and deep sleep and woke up here. I have no idea how I got here, or why.”

Yesterday had been the second day of the Topaz Tournament. He remembered everything clearly, that is, until he woke this morning. He remembered watching the archery competition. He remembered the Unicorn’s food stand, how bold they were to vendor meat in the middle of Rokugan. His placing second in the poetry contest. The Spider who approached him. Even the fireworks from the night before. None of it seemed out of the ordinary nor gave any indication to why today started in such an odd fashion.

“Do you hear the noise?” The Phoenix had said. Asahina went quiet, glancing back to his comrades. “No, there’s no noise, it’s silent-”

Asahina shifted, moving closer to Anjin and creating a barrier between the background conversation and theirs. “Please forgive me for my abruptness,” he continued. “But I don’t think we have time to explain everything right now.” Asahina lifted his right palm and showed him a peculiar spell; there was a set of numbers, disappearing in descending order, and some very beautiful, yet ancient, calligraphy below that. “Can you see this?”

“That’s incredible. I’ve never seen anything like that before.”

“Well, for lack of a better word…” Asahina looked to be reaching for the right word to use, “There’s this spirit who calls himself Jashuwa and says that he brought us here for a game. And this,” he waved his hand towards Anjin, “is part of the game. The problem is basically…” Asahina paused, overhearing something behind him, he cocked his ear towards the group, listening.

“We could always just stab him.” The Lion said in such a casual tone it ran a shiver up Anjin’s back. Asahina smiled as politely as he could, inching a little closer to Anjin again.

“Don’t mind them. They’re… eccentric.”

“I’ve ignored far worse.” Anjin pressed his lips remembering some of the more bitter things people had said about him, some even to him over the years.

Asahina nodded and prattled on. “Essentially there has been something coined the Noise which is disrupting the area. It comes across as these scary looking creatures that will attack you quite viciously-”

As if on cue, a buzzing began in the background. It was like a chain being twisted around wet rocks, grinding into the stone. It was more than that, though, it was also some sort of ghastly groaning, making it pool in his chest. He could almost feel the ringing and screeching of the sound.  Asahina swung back from Anjin, opening the barrier he had created so Anjin could see the small group again.

“Does anyone notice anything special about this?” Asahina quickly scanned the area, bringing his pack to his front.

The group wasn’t paying attention. The Phoenix was pointing to her ear and still arguing with the Spider, it seemed. Her voice was so mild Anjin couldn’t make it out above this new skull filling hum. The Spider was bristling. Anjin had been around enough court settings to know when someone was losing their temper. He could almost see the Spider clenching its jaw under its mask, he could definitely see the way the Spider grasped its polearm, and even noticed the end of its staff digging into the ground. The Phoenix continued with whatever it was saying, nodding to herself.

“Shiba-san! I highly suggest you watch your tongue.” The Spider erupted.

Anjin glanced at Asahina, wondering if he would do anything to prevent what appeared to be inevitable conflict between his companions. Asahina was readying a flute, either uncaring or unaware of the growing tension behind him. It was poetic in a way. Here, lost amongst the dismal world, peculiar things abound, friends fight each other while their charismatic Crane captain plays a melody. But what were they fighting about?

Anjin tried to parse out the conversation from the bits he overheard behind Asahina. The Phoenix had been repeating something about the Noise they were hearing. Her tone was mocking and her mannerisms treating the Spider as a small child. That was it, and then the Spider lashed out, thankfully with just a warning. He had heard what the Spider were capable of, and although he held no prejudice, his feelings held no sway over the actions of both parties. Now the Phoenix opened her mouth, and promptly shut it. She did it a second time.

“Choose your words very carefully.” The Spider said in a tone that carried more weight than those five words could hold. It wasn’t a suggestion, it was a threat. The Spider hadn’t relaxed yet, its fist still tight around the bisento.

Asahina began playing his flute, drowning out the conversation from the party. Whatever the Phoenix said, it had diffused the situation, Anjin watched the Spider ease up. A jovial song filled the air; it was lighthearted, quite out of sorts for the events that just took place. However, that sound still persisted above and beyond Asahina’s playing. It was starting to grate on Anjin. Perhaps once Asahina finished his spontaneous flute playing maybe they could get back to those explanations he had claimed there was no time for. No time to talk, but time to play a melody.

“What is that atrocious sound?” Anjin finally asked as Asahina put his flute away.

Asahina shrugged. “I don’t know, but it’s a bad omen. It usually occurs when there‘s a physical disturbance in the real realm.”

It was nothing Anjin had ever heard of. He had a knack for recognizing omens, both good and bad. It came with living the life of a shut in. He spent most of his time watching the world pass him by and eventually he began observing the patterns and nuances of the world. He had been interested in the subtleness of both people and nature, and delved into several books based on the lore of omens to appease one aspect of his interest. The other wasn’t learned form reading.

The small group Asahina had told him to ignore approached, with the Spider in the lead. It offered a deep bow to Anjin, who watched the character carefully. “Hello, Dragon-sama, it is a pleasure to meet you even in this type of environment.”

Asahina leaned in. “Someone will eventually teach her etiquette.” Oh, it was a her. It was hard to guess not having anything to go off of besides her eyes. Her height and build could have put her in either category, she was as tall as he was, 5’4” and slender, not dainty. Granted, his affliction kept him from reaching his full potential in height, but he was also older than the Crane, Phoenix, and Lion, so he assumed the same applied to the Spider which meant she could have been in her boyish youth.

“We enjoy her company despite her flaws.” Continued Asahina. “She is an excellent fighter.”

The Spider tilted her head. Anjin was almost certain she was pleased by the compliment, as he had noted before, her body language spoke volumes even when she didn’t. “Thank you, Asahina-san. You are more than adequate yourself.” It may have been a compliment, but the wording wasn’t right. Anjin now understood what Asahina was saying about her lack of etiquette.

The Spider met Anjin‘s eyes, and he found two different colored ones staring back at him. It was an omen, or at least one that was mentioned in some of the books he had read. The information forced itself to the forefront of his mind. The Evil Eye, it was bad luck to be near someone with it, for they invited evil into themselves and their lives. He wondered if the others had noticed yet, with how amiable they were being towards her. He wasn‘t one to judge or hold prejudice, but the rest of the Empire wasn‘t so quick to accept those that were different. Like himself.

“I am Daigotsu Katsumi. And as one of our…” There was an obvious pause as Daigotsu eyed Shiba. “Traveling members have pointed out; you don’t seem to be something we are looking to fix.”

Anjin bowed his head in return. Bending anything below the shoulder was too trying for him to attempt in most occasions. So as to offset any disrespect caused by his lack of physical maneuverability, Anjin made up for it with words. “It is a great honor to meet you as well.”

Anjin nodded his head in Asahina’s direction. “I apologize, I didn’t introduce myself. I am Kitsuki Anjin. I’m in a bit of a daze; I’ve never been in a situation quite like this. I’m afraid I have no idea where I am, or what’s going on. I’m not sure if I can be of any help. I’m quite a keen observer, I can’t fight very well to save my life, but I would be much honored to help you if there is any way that I can assist.”

“What do you know of our current situation?” The Phoenix piped in.

“I know simply that this man has a very strange tattoo, and this ringing in my ears is driving me mad.” The next thing Anjin knew, Daigotsu was holding his hand, turning it palm up. He recoiled from her grievous breach of etiquette, she touched him. She was quick which only indicated she had done so without any pause for restraint, nor did she show signs of guilt for the physical contact now. Afraid she would grab him again he stared at Daigotsu wearily, who obviously accomplished whatever she had set out to do because she leaned back on her heels as if nothing had just happened.

“Well…um…” The Phoenix quietly began. “We’re all…dead.”

“Dead?” Daigotsu‘s behavior was shocking enough, now he was being told they were all ghosts. He had been conversing with spirits! Anjin unintentionally leaned back, as if putting mere inches between himself and the others would somehow save him from their insanity.

“Oh. Yes, yes.” Daigotsu confirmed.

“See, that’s the thing.” Interrupted Asahina. “I wasn’t trying to divulge that information because I don’t trust Jashuwa so we don’t even know if it’s fact.”

“It doesn’t taste right to me.” Daigotsu said while nodded with Asahina. Anjin’s head began to swim.

“Jashuwa is this…” The Phoenix trailed off, reaching for some word.

“Foreigner.” Finished Daigotsu.

“Foreigner. Who… apparently explained that we were all dead.”

“I’ve never been told I was dead before. So, frankly, I don’t believe it.” Asahina said coolly.

“I’m glad I’m not the only one.” Chimed in Daigotsu. They were all speaking so calmly and collected about the whole thing. This wasn’t every day conversation, this was life and death and foreigners and monsters. And the realization dawned on Anjin, if they were dead, then…

“Am I to take this to mean that I am dead as well?”

Everyone answered at once. “I would assume so.” “Looks like it.” “Probably.”

Anjin accepted it. To him it no longer had to make sense. He didn’t care where he was, or how he got there. He knew he just was, and that was okay. Having the answers wouldn’t change things. “I thought that death would be much less pleasant.”

“It will become very unpleasant very quickly.” Daigotsu assured him. “Brace yourself.”

***

Mikoto had been quiet throughout the conflict between Shiba and Daigotsu. She was literally in the middle of things, making sure to be out of the way enough so she wasn’t blocking their conversation, but close enough to prevent any swings from one to the next. At least that was her hope. The Lion fought, not as often as the Crab, and more times than not it was just words being thrown around during a rowdy night drinking. It rarely led to anything. The Phoenix weren’t like that, always saying what they mean, at least that‘s what she was told. And the Spider? Mikoto really had no idea. She assumed they were constantly battling amongst themselves, they were tainted and even Lost, and the firm grasp of Jigoku surely had something to do with their violent nature. She had watched the two cautiously, until they suddenly started talking about uniforms. The fight had just died.

Shortly after that she learned of this Dragon’s name. Kitsuki. She wasn’t certain if she trusted him or not. He was pretty pathetic, being crippled and frail looking. It wouldn’t have taken much to just stab him and end his life if he turned out to be something other than what he appeared. She had suggested it to Daigotsu, to show her support in being wary of newcomers that just pop into existence. But now Daigotsu was cordially conversing with Kitsuki, saying more to him than she had said to Mikoto over the last few days. Come to think of it, Daigotsu had also run off with Asahina when Mikoto was making her intentions clear earlier that morning.

Mikoto sighed inwardly. That would just be her luck, to pick the one woman her charms wouldn’t work against. She sized Kitsuki up. He wouldn’t be much of a challenge to overcome if it came down to swooning Daigotsu; he was a cripple after all. Daigotsu surely wouldn’t be interested in someone so frail. Especially not when she could offer so much more to Daigotsu, things Daigotsu probably hadn’t yet imagined. Asahina wasn’t even a consideration; there was no way Daigotsu was interested in him. She was a Spider, and he a Crane, that’s like oil and water. It would never happen.

Asahina ushered Kitsuki a few steps away from where Shiba, Daigotsu and she stood. They were talking in hushed whispers about something she couldn’t quite put together. Honestly, she didn’t care too much about what sort of secrets those boys kept between themselves. Asahina didn’t say much to any of them besides where to go and what to do. Yes, Mikoto wanted to get out of this place too, but he too, seemed to be talking to Kitsuki more than he had the entire group since they met. Maybe there was something to this Kitsuki, or maybe Daigotsu and Asahina felt badly that he was a cripple. Perhaps it was something else entirely for Asahina; maybe he was like her and preferred the company of the same gender. Mikoto smiled and looked over Daigotsu again. She was squinting at something in the distance, towards the cave they were headed to. Daigotsu did that. Stared at things, and people, and nothing. Now that Mikoto was thinking about it, she had noticed Daigotsu doing it more than a handful of times over the last day. Unlike normal people who took in their surroundings, Daigotsu just looked at one spot when idle.

“Hey, everyone.” Daigotsu’s voice actually startled Mikoto a little. She hadn’t noticed how quiet everyone and everything had gotten, until Daigotsu demanded their attention.

“I think we have to get going. There’s a child and I’m pretty sure that’s not someplace they should be.” With that Daigotsu began a slow jog towards that spot she had been looking just moments ago. Shiba took off after her. Mikoto strained and saw what looked like the form of a hazy child, standing by the mouth of the cave. She saw Shiba catch up to Daigotsu, then they both stopped, turning back towards her, Asahina, and Kitsuki.

“Why don’t you go ahead? I’ll stay here with Kitsuki, and I have my bow if anything should happen.” Asahina suggested.

Mikoto nodded and tapped her leg to have Hikaru follow, only Hikaru wasn’t next to her. Quickly she searched the area, locating Hikaru about fifty yards away standing next to Daigotsu. Hikaru was nuzzling her! What in the Celestial Heavens was going on? Hikaru was bonded with her. They had lived a life together that no one else could share. And now Hikaru had run off with Daigotsu, showing affection that should be reserved for her. She shook her head in disbelief and made her way towards Shiba, Daigotsu, and Hikaru. He was going to get a stern talking to later tonight.

“Asahina suggested we continue without him and Kitsuki. That way we aren’t slowed down.” Mikoto grumbled as she reached the group.

“Is he sure?” Daigotsu peered past Mikoto to the men folk below.

“Yes. Let’s go.” Mikoto tapped her fingers against her leg, giving Hikaru a disappointed stare.

As they approached the cave Mikoto could make out more details pertaining to the child. She was young, perhaps four or five, wearing Scorpion clothes, but young enough to not have a mask. She was standing, sobbing at the entrance to the cave. Mikoto shifted her weight from one foot to the next, not sure what to do. Shiba got close to the shadow girl and nudged his foot into her. They had found out the previous day that by touching the shadow people you could hear their thoughts, especially when they were upset. Shiba’s face softened as she listened. Suddenly the Noise picked up.

“We have a problem.” Shiba said. It was probably the first time Mikoto had heard Shiba say something definitive. No stutter, no trailing off.

“Calm her down.” Daigotsu said. “Like you did with the Dragon at the tournament. You seem to know how to deal with these imprints.”

Shiba looked around nervously. “Um… I don’t know what to say. Matsu-san, you handled the other Scorpion, you take this one.” She stared at Mikoto with pleading eyes.

Mikoto didn’t know what to say either. It was an upset child. She basically raised herself, never receiving much affection growing up, so what she had to go on for comforting and consoling probably wasn’t what a child would require.

“Strong people don’t usually fold under pressure. It’s a child, just talk to her.” Daigotsu was goading Shiba.

“She’s lost and doesn’t know where her parents are. What am I supposed to say? I don’t know where they are either.”

“Why don’t you tell her to go towards the camp?” Mikoto really didn’t want to get involved with this. She wanted to help the girl, but there was a difference between finding the child’s parents and calming her down. She would rather do the former.

“Yeah, come do that.” Shiba stepped away from the girl.

She sighed, knowing she wasn’t going to be able to pass the burden off on Daigotsu and begrudgingly approached. Barely immersing the tips of her fingers on the girl’s shoulder she heard all the sadness the child had. It was quite emotional and almost brought Mikoto to tears. She could feel the pain of possible abandonment, the fear of never finding her parents, the confusion as to where to go, and the desire to just be held. Mikoto could relate with all of those feelings, even if she wasn’t experiencing them through the shadow child, she knew the way each and every one felt from her own life.

“There are people down below, little one. They’ll help you find your parents.” She said as gently as possible. The girl sniffled and started moving towards town. It had worked! Mikoto, comforter of children. Silently she followed the little girl. The pain and torment she experienced growing up quickly smothering her elation for helping. It was a cold life, and this child would learn it someday. Mikoto gazed forlornly at the ghostly image walking in front of her.

Even lost in thought she could hear the Noise, it had steadily been growing as they moved closer to the camp. Quickly she placed her hand on the child’s head, attempting to gain some insight into why she wasn’t feeling better, but instead worse. Being lost was at the forefront of the girl’s mind, but a gnawing feeling of nervousness was blotting out the sadness, ushering in fear related to the strangers she would have to approach. People she didn’t know that she would have to speak to.

“Is it me, or is the sound getting louder?” Daigotsu asked casually.

“I noticed that too.” Mikoto responded. “She doesn’t want to talk to people she doesn’t know. I’m trying to locate a Scorpion group, or tent, or something else so at least she’ll be with people that look familiar.” She looked around but colors were pretty hard to discern in this gloomy world. Many people had already left, and no one looked to be searching for a child.

“Matsu, what’s going on?” Asahina joined their small party, now that Daigotsu, Shiba, the child and herself had made it nearly to the tournament grounds.

“She’s lost, and afraid of speaking to someone she doesn’t know, so I’m hoping we can find someone from the Scorpion clan.” She was starting to get tired of being the go between. If everyone was so curious, they could come and find out themselves.

“Matsu-san seems to have a way with children.” Daigotsu informed Asahina. “Something that Shiba-san froze up on. We should keep that in mind the next we have to confront a child.”

“This… little girl is part of… the real world. And we’re sending her, the Noise at the moment, directly towards others.” Observed Shiba. “This could be a very bad thing.”

“You think we should just leave her to cry by a cave?” Mocked Daigotsu.

“Not at all. But maybe we should… cheer up the little girl? Instead of sending the horrible terrifying monsters towards the camp.”

“How do you expect to do that? You wouldn’t even talk to her.”

“What about the cave?” Asahina broke in. “The Noise got louder the further from the cave she went, maybe that’s where she’s meant to be.”

Mikoto glared at Asahina. He couldn’t be serious. “You want to send a child into a cave?”

“We could go in. We could check it out.” Asahina offered.

“That’s not the problem.” Mikoto blurted. “She’s a child missing her parents, afraid of strangers. It’s not about where she’s meant to be, it’s about cheering her up. How would you cheer up a distraught child?”

She could see Asahina was getting annoyed. “Maybe her parents are in the cave. How did she get there in the first place?”

“Asahina-san?” Daigotsu timidly interrupted. Asahina shot his annoyed face at Daigotsu, waiting for her to finish. “Do you know any… what are they called? Songs mother’s sing to their children to soothe them. Lullabies, right?”

Mikoto smiled at Daigotsu dreamily, that was spot on for solving this issue. She could see Asahina also shake himself from the tension that arose because of her and his recent arguing. He nodded and pulled out his flute. “I could give it a try, I suppose.”

Asahina scooted towards the girl, brushing his leg against hers and began to play. It was actually a beautiful song. Mikoto hadn’t heard it, but she could just imagine sitting in a blanket while her mother hummed it and swept her fingers through Mikoto’s hair. She had never known her mother. Apparently her birth was not an easy one and her mother didn’t survive. Even so, Asahina’s lullaby conjured images of a childhood Mikoto never knew, and she felt like she belonged there. When he finished Mikoto came back to reality, the Noise had all but disappeared and the child along with it. They were still in the same spot, but nothing remained in the area except for the buildings and tents. All the people had simply faded away at some point during the melody.

“Asahina-san, perhaps it is you we should have deal with children in the future. That was…” Daigotsu left it open ended, as if she couldn’t bring herself to give a sincere compliment.

Beautiful. Mikoto filled in the rest in her mind. Beautiful would have been a good word to use, Daigotsu. Soothing. Lovely. Wait… She pushed those thoughts back. She was betrothed to another, and his memory brought up the bitter feelings towards men Mikoto had grown accustomed to. Asahina just played a nice song; it held no reflection on him as a man.

“Have you figured it out yet?” Joshua’s voice filled the air. He appeared in the middle of the group in the partial seconds that it took her to blink.

“You mean music versus the Noise?” Asahina scratched his neck, unsure of himself.

“That’s part of it.” Joshua smiled.

“The child‘s agitation. The more upset she was, the louder that noise was.” Kitsuki pointed out.

“That’s a very good indicator. But, have you figured out the question?” He clasped his hands behind his back waiting. Everyone stayed silent. Asahina made a move to speak, but closed his mouth with a second thought. Shiba fidgeted. Daigotsu stared at the ground

“Oh, let’s catch you up.” Joshua pointed at Kitsuki. “You’re part of a game. Every ten thousand years I get to judge humanity. If humanity fails, I wipe them off this planet.” He smiled evilly and swept his hand across the air as if pushing away a bug. “Now to clarify, you’re dead. If you fail this portion of the game, if you fall to the Noise, you are removed from the cycle of reincarnation. You don’t get to go to your heaven. You don’t get to see your ancestors. You’re gone. Forever. Erased.

“In addition to that,” Joshua raised a finger and began pacing. “In order to participate, you wagered the most important thing to you in the world. It is on the line. If you lose, it is also gone. But you get your life restored to you, you will no longer be dead, if you win. Whether or not you win, humanity will be judged and you will get to live for as long as humanity also gets to.” He stopped pacing and steepled his fingers together. “Now, what is the question?”

“How do we get rid of the Noise?” Shiba almost whispered.

“Correct.” Joshua nodded towards Shiba. “So what is the Noise?”

“Negative emotions.” Responded Shiba.

“Fear” Both Kitsuki and Daigotsu coined together.

“Negative emotions and fear. And how do you get rid of negative emotions and fear?” Joshua raised his brows and looked around at each of them.

Mikoto looked down. “Comfort.”

“Maybe.”

“Joy.” Shiba cooed.

“Maybe.”

“Companionship.” Came Daigotsu’s voice.

“Maybe.”

“I would say Bushido.” Asahina said with confidence.

“Bushido is passable, I suppose, but Shurido is just as passable. And with all the others, isn’t there still a negative side to it?”

“Bushido imbues all things.” Asahina attempted to defend his answer.

“We get rid of the noise by existing.” Stated Daigotsu. “We impact everyone, whether we’re in the Realm or not. But at least in the Realm we have more of an impact.”

“That’s an interesting conclusion.” Joshua seemed to be considering Daigotsu’s words.

“The choices we make and the actions we take.” Asahina paraphrased.

“In a way, yes. I can see that. That could be acceptable.” Joshua nodded. “You’ve proven to be entertaining so far, but I have one more question. Out of all the people in the Rokugani society, who do you think produces the least amount of Noise?”

Mikoto looked around at the group. She was aware everyone was from a different clan, but it wasn’t until now that she even considered they were so different. Breaking the group up into individuals who have their own cultures and customs, she started ranking them from least likely to make Noise to most likely. Shiba seemed to be doing the same. Asahina chewed on his lip, considering the question. And Daigotsu was staring at Kitsuki, who in turn was lost in his thoughts.

“The balanced.” Kitsuki said, thoughtfully.

“Correct.” There was a pregnant pause that Mikoto took advantage of to scold herself for not thinking of the answer. “I’m impressed.” Joshua began to pace again, placing his hands in the small of his back. “Two days. That’s all it took to figure out what the Noise was and what causes it to stop. Now that you know, what do you plan on doing?”

Asahina spoke first. “I would like to find some balance.”

“How, what are you going to look for?” Posed Joshua.

“Problems to solve.” Daigotsu answered for him.

“You look for things that upset balance and offset them.” Kitsuki expanded upon Daigotsu’s answer.

Joshua turned to Daigotsu, a smug smile touching his lips. “I think you need to find balance yourself.”

Mikoto felt the need to add her input. “I will live a full life living the Bushido way.”

“If that’s what you take from this.” Joshua shrugged. “Two days. Pretty close to a record. I’ve tried this in other places and they don’t tend to find balance or peace so quickly. Now, none of you have actually obtained balance or peace yet.” The group shared glances with each other. “But I think it will come. Some of you are close.” Another round of glances. “But I suppose it has been long enough, I will let you get back to your tournament.”

He snapped his fingers and Mikoto’s world went dark.

***

The canvas colored roof of Morasahi’s tent greeted her when she opened her eyes. She sat up, half expecting this to be a dream, to come to her senses and be back in the gloomy world she spent the last two days. Nothing changed. She was in her sleeping kimono, covered from the waist down by her blanket, which had fallen when she sat up. There was noise all around her, coming in from the cracks where her tent brushed the ground, the sound of people talking, walking, eating, and shouting. The sound of setting up, cooking, and working. It was the sound of life, something she had missed but hadn’t known until now. The silence from the last two days along with that terrible screeching, it was gone from the world, but not from her memories. She smiled, closing her eyes and just listening to the world.

Morasahi quickly dressed and made her way outside. It was most definitely some day of the tournament; the city was too busy to be otherwise. Seeing as how the last time she was here, in the Realm, it was the second day, logic would dictate that it was the third and final day. Though how did she live through days that hadn’t yet come? Maybe it was just a dream. Maybe it was a vision of the future; given to her so she could prevent ill fate from befalling those she saved in that other place. Wherever that was. The words of Jashuwa echoed in her ears, “Now that you know, what do you plan to do?”

What did she plan to do? She turned the question over in her mind along with all the events that had taken place between yesterday and today. Offsetting the Noise was the task at hand, and she overcame that by preventing bad emotions from running amuck. That’s right, today was the iaijutsu tournament. One of the problems they had fixed related to this one, that Scorpion woman. Perhaps just changing something enough to keep the flow of events from being exactly the same would render what she had witnessed obsolete. That’s the way fate worked, right? If it was meant to be, it would be, and if not then the smallest pebble could change the course.

Morasahi grabbed a fast meal before heading to the dueling grounds. The seats were basically empty since the tournament wasn’t going to start for close to another hour and the line up hadn’t been determined yet. That was perfect, it gave her the opportunity to sit where she wanted, specifically being where the Scorpion woman had sat during the first duel. Maybe, if she was feeling particularly fierce, she would shake her head and give the woman a knowing look. Maybe…

The seats began to fill as it came closer to the start of the tournament. Morasahi could feel a knot growing in her stomach when the Scorpion woman arrived, taking a seat a few down from where Morasahi sat. As fate would have it, a Mirumoto and a Bayushi faced off for the first duel. A Dragon and a Scorpion. The Mirumoto appeared no different than he had the first time Morasahi laid eyes on him. He was fidgeting and seemed to be upset about something. She grit her teeth, hoping to not bare witness to what would surely happen once the duel started.

The Dragon noticeably calmed down, was this the moment she had calmed him in the vision? They dropped into their dueling stances… and it was over. The Dragon had won and the Scorpion was still standing. Nothing happened. Morasahi watched the Scorpion woman intently, she didn’t flinch. Perhaps it had worked; just moving seats had changed fate. She couldn’t help but feel proud of herself for having a hand in the uneventful first match.

“Next match: Asahina Kyuzo, Matsu Mikoto.” The announcer called.

Oh, how interesting. A Lion against Asahina. The Kakita duelists were well known to be one of the best in the Empire, and the Lion were brash beings, usually not at all skilled when it came to the focused required of iaijutsu. Plus, Morasahi had seen Asahina in action, in the land of shadows and… was it even real? She had met Asahina as an opponent in a Go tournament yesterday; perhaps she just conjured him up from there. On top of that, the first duel didn’t turn out as she had anticipated, it wasn’t the same. There were a million chances for a Dragon and Scorpion to match off; it wasn’t so farfetched they had. Perhaps she had seen them over the last two days as well, put them into this dream she woke from where she was the vanquishing hero and was tasked with finding balance in life. Now that she thought about it, it was more probable that it was a dream instead of some vision of the future where she impacted what was to come.

Matsu and Asahina approached the match area. Morasahi started at the sight of the Lion, she was 5’ with chestnut hair, beautiful, and although Morasahi was sitting too far away, she could guarantee Matsu had amber eyes. She had seen this one too in her vision! Though it wasn’t in a duel, at that time they were running to rescue the previous duelist’s sister from the Scorpion plot. This was becoming too strange to be coincidence. Morasahi glanced around, trying to locate the other two who had been privy to the dream events. A Dragon on crutches and a Spid- before she could finish the thought she had found them.

The Dragon, Kitsuki, stood not far from her, only a few feet from the stands. He was surrounded by Spider, a rather large group of them of various heights. They were speaking, one of the Spider and Kitsuki. It looked almost like they were introducing someone to him. The conversation was short, and soon a rather familiar Spider came walking towards her. Morasahi peered at the Spider, seeing one brown eye and one blue staring back at her. Daigotsu.

“Shiba-san.” Daigotsu said as if they had known each other for years.

“Y-yes?” Morasahi timidly responded.

“Could you please make room for Kitsuki-san?” Daigotsu gestured towards the crippled Dragon.

“I suppose…” She moved over as much as she could without touching the person sitting next to her. She wasn’t certain what to do, or say. If it hadn’t been something more than just a dream, just a vision, they why was she finding familiarity with all the characters who had been a part of it? She turned back towards the duel, hoping to get her mind off of the impossible oddness of her current situation.

“Good morning, Shiba-san.” Kitsuki smiled at Morasahi.

“Yes, good morning, Kitsuki-sama.” Morasahi pulled her shoulders closer to herself. This whole thing was confusing and starting to get uncomfortable, especially since they were talking to her.

Asahina and Matsu had taken their positions and were watching each other intently. Things were about to start.

“Shiba-san?” Daigotsu had somehow pushed out the Cranes who were previously behind Morasahi and was now leaning quite close to her ear.

“Yes?”

“Have you done this dueling before?”

Morasahi slowly turned and stared at Daigotsu. “Yes.” What a silly question. Anyone trained in combat has participated in a duel at some point during their schooling. Iaijutsu was the rice of being a samurai; you couldn’t hope to accomplish anything else until you knew the basics.

“Okay,” Daigotsu nodded. “Explain it to me.”

“What? You’ve never dueled before?” Morasahi was taken aback. She obviously stood corrected, not everyone trained in combat knew what it meant to be a samurai.

“No.”

“Um… okay.” Morasahi tried to think of how best she could sum up the lustrous history of iaijutsu in the span of a few sentences. There was so much more than just the rules, there was the honor, the code, the basis of Bushido… “So, you have to start off by…”

“Standing there. I got that.” Daigotsu wasn’t even looking at her. She nodded towards the match that Morasahi should be watching instead of teaching a Spider new tricks.

“Yes, but it’s more than that. You’re assessing your opponent. Trying to figure out how they’ll react to your planned attack.”

“Right, standing and staring. Got it.”

Morasahi sighed with resignation. “Okay. Next you focus yourself. You block out everything else so you can concentrate on applying what you learned from assessing someone.”

“Easy. Find their weakness and use it.” Daigotsu nodded again.

“Once you’re focused, the duel commences.”

“Okay.”

“But no tricks. You can’t attack before you both are focused. And you can’t cheat by using anything else besides your katana.” Morasahi had never seen the Spider duel before, but if one were to believe the stories, they weren’t about being honorable and fair. Perhaps Daigotsu would have thrown sand in their eyes, or tripped her opponent, or something equally disgraceful.

“Yeah. No. I understand. Now, this duel, I heard something about first strike?” Morasahi hoped Daigotsu actually did understand and wasn’t just saying it. Daigotsu was still not fully paying attention to her, probably not even gaining all the information she was trying to provide.

“Yes. That means you only attack once. Whoever hits first, wins.”

“But hurting them is okay.” Daigotsu stated as if it wasn’t really a question.

“A little. It’s avoided if possible. We don’t want people getting crippled from a duel in a tournament.”

“Have you seen my katana? It was gifted to me today. I’ve never had one before.” Daigotsu pulled the weapon from her obi, showing Morasahi the blade.

It was beautiful! It was a forged handle hilt, not cloth wrapped like hers. It was patterned in the same colors Daigotsu wore, ones associated with the Spider clan, black and white. The colors were actually inlaid in the steel, not lacquered on! The blade was expertly crafted, down to the etched spider by the hilt. Daigotsu had no idea what she had. It was something the likes Morasahi had only seen in the home of her sensei. Something a Spider who had no idea how to use it shouldn’t be trusted with.

“That is an exquisite blade.” Kitsuki said, also admiring the katana.

“Agreed.” Morasahi nodded, trying not to show her overwhelming desire to own the blade herself. She turned back towards the duel between Matsu and Asahina, listening to Daigotsu slide the katana back into its sheath. It’s not fair. She tried to push it from her mind, watching Asahina move with lightning speed and the duel was over as Matsu’s mon fell to the ground.

***

Kyuzo gave Matsu one last smile as they turned towards each other, having taken their places on each side of the dueling grounds. He kept running into her as if their fates were intertwined. Since he arrived, there hadn’t been a day Matsu hadn’t made an appearance in his life, even in the gray world he had lived in the last few days, she was there. And now, out of everyone he could have faced off against in the iaijutsu tournament, it was Matsu. It was a tiny bit regretful that it had to be her; she didn’t have a chance against him when it came to iaijutsu. Not only did Kyuzo possess an almost unnatural ability for iaijutsu, he had also bore witness to Matsu’s fighting techniques in that other realm and it was safe to say that she lacked the grace and focus of katana use. He was certain she knew it too with what she had said before they took their positions. She had said her respect had grown for him over the last few days, and she believed he had great talent.

Kyuzo dropped into the widely recognized dueling stance belonging to the Kakita Duelist School and watched Matsu intently. She took her stance, hand on her katana; she must not be a fast draw Kyuzo noted. She had her right side forward, giving her more reach once she drew to make a strike, however, with her katana on her left, this left her entire right side open and closer if she didn’t draw fast enough, an easy target. Matsu’s feet were shoulder width apart, a good, solid stance for battle, but she wasn’t applying her weight in the right areas of her feet. Kyuzo could tell from the way her joints bent, and how she held herself.

He kept his breathing steady, now was time to connect to the void, the emptiness, the calm of life. He cleared his mind, pushing Matsu’s pretty face from it. Storing those sweet things she had said for later consideration. He felt the ground under his feet, the weight of his katana on his hip. He saw Matsu twitch, it was time. He was a blaze of movement, on her before she even drew. With an upward swing his blade brushed the silk above her left breast, cutting cloth and leaving the skin untouched. Kyuzo was now behind Matsu, katana pointed towards the ground, his back to Matsu’s. He slid his katana back into its sheath and turned towards Matsu with a bow.

“Match goes to Asahina Kyuzo, Kakita Duelist Academy.”

“Asahina-san, you honored me with your grace and experience.” Matsu gave a bow in response and walked off, leaving her mon on the ground.

Kyuzo tried not to show how pleased he was with himself as he moved towards the stands to wait for his next match. He had never attempted to remove a mon before, believing it took many more years than he had trained, and the experience from multiple duels in order to gauge the right amount of force to cut silk without piercing the skin. But he did it. He had looked over Matsu and focused and did it. Even if he hadn’t succeeded with many other competitions at the Topaz Championship, this was something he could bring back to his sensei.

“Next Match: Shiba Morasahi, Kakita Junpai.” The announcer introduced the next duelists.

Kyuzo watched Shiba take the field against the Kakita he had trained against. It was going to be a close fight, Junpai was talented. They assessed each other, then came the time allotted to center themselves. Both moved at the same time, their swords clipping the other instantaneously. They had hit at exactly the same moment. He knew it would be close. The flag holder raised both flags indicating a tie. At least Shiba would go into the next round, but so would Kakita. He was pretty sure he heard Shiba let out a sigh as she returned to her seat.

“Match is a tie. Shiba Morasahi, Shiba Bushi Academy and Kakita Junpai, Kakita Duelist Academy.”

“Next Match: Mirumoto Roshi, Daigotsu Katsumi.”

Kyuzo raised his brows, a bit surprised by the name. A Spider was going to participate in iaijutsu? That seemed almost blasphemous. Iaijutsu was the most honorable contest of strength and restraint for samurai, and although the Spider were a great clan, and were samurai by name, they weren’t the sort to live like a samurai would. They completely forsook Bushido, the code of the samurai. They showed no respect for the tradition of iaijutsu. And the stories that were told about them, it couldn’t all be lies. He had seen Daigotsu do some questionable things, and what she said wasn‘t any less appalling at times. This had to be a joke, a way for the Spider to laugh at the Empire more than they already were.

He watched Daigotsu and the Dragon, Mirumoto, take their positions. He half expected Daigotsu to walk out there with her polearm, he couldn’t recall seeing a katana on her belt in the days before, only a wakizashi. To say he was relieved that she appeared with a katana tucked in her obi would be an understatement. Mirumoto took his stance; Daigotsu seemed to be standing lax completely unaware the duel was beginning. The Dragon closed his eyes, he was focusing, and Daigotsu… she shifted her weight, putting her hand on her katana. Was she even taking part in this duel or did she just plan to stand there and let Mirumoto hit her? Mirumoto opened his eyes and took his steps across the space between Daigotsu and himself. Oh, this wasn’t going to be good, Daigotsu wasn’t ready at all.

Kyuzo cringed as the Dragon drew and slashed at the space Daigotsu had once been standing in. She had twirled around Mirumoto, drawing and cutting in a single movement, catching his outer thigh with her steel. There was an audible gasp from the crowd as the blood began staining the Dragon’s clothes. It wasn’t a deep gash, Kyuzo could tell that even from where he sat, but Daigotsu had still cut him. You weren’t supposed to cut them. There are many ways to strike an opponent without harming them, and she cut him.

“Match goes to Daigotsu Katsumi, Order of the Spider Monks.”

The crowd began murmuring and Kyuzo shook his head. The Spider group nearby snickered and giggled. He was pretty sure he heard one intake a deep breath, as if he was smelling the area. Mirumoto turned and bowed, Daigotsu returned it, and then the Dragon limped off the dueling grounds. Daigotsu, on the other hand, flicked the blood off her katana and spun it around in a rather fancy fashion before sliding it away. She tapped at her mon twice, the patch set over her heart, and pumped her fist towards the Spider group, most of whom had collected themselves. A few already jesting about the encounter. Dishonorable.

“Next match: Mirumoto Sahi, Kakita Yuki.”

Kyuzo stayed nearby, watching each duel. He had been looking forward to this day since he arrived at the tournament. He never tired of watching people duel, and he never tired of dueling. Everyone had a different way of performing. Even among the Kakita School no two duelists would be the same. It was as much an art form as painting was. No two people would paint a picture the same, so each duel brought a new experience to both participating and watching. The preliminaries wrapped up rather quickly, leading into the semi-finals.

“First match: Daigotsu Katsumi, Kakita Junpai.”

This wasn’t going to end well. Daigotsu may have won by a fluke against the Dragon, but Kakita wouldn’t make the same mistakes the Dragon had. Kakita made it into the semi-finals with a tie, so he would be doubly concerned with proving himself and taking his spot in the finals. Kyuzo leaned forward, interested to see how events unfolded. Kakita dropped into his stance, staring at Daigotsu. She was different than the last time, standing silently and looking over Kakita as well. She must be a quick learner to change so drastically from one match to the next in the same day, Kyuzo thought. She reached for her katana, Kakita started his attack, but Daigotsu was quicker. Kakita managed to draw his weapon, but by the time it was unsheathed he was already missing a piece of his sleeve. Daigotsu had done it again. This was starting to get impressive. Who would have thought a Spider could duel like the best of those in the Realm?

“Match goes to Daigotsu Katsumi, Order of the Spider Monks.”

Daigotsu turned and walked towards Kakita who offered a bow, Daigotsu only nodded her head in return. She twirled her katana the same as last time, sheathing it and repeating the same tapping and acknowledgement of her Spider group who had started taking over the end of the stands instead of standing. Most of the crowd had conveniently moved away from where they were standing earlier, and seats next to them also emptied. Kitsuki was sitting amongst them, acting as some sort of barrier between the rest of the Empire and the Spider creeping in. He was saying something about Daigotsu to a Phoenix next to him, the Phoenix nodded jovially. Kitsuki turned towards another person and they reacted in much the same manner.

“Next match: Kakita Yuki, Shiba Morasahi.”

Shiba took her position opposite Kakita Yuki, resting her hand on the hilt of her katana. Kyuzo watched the small Phoenix, wondering if she was going to come back with a vengeance. He was aware she was an excellent strategist, having been beaten by her in a Go competition the day before, or should he say three days before? Would the time spent in that strange place count as time passed, even if they were now repeating the days from that place? Shiba looked intense, Kakita the same. Kyuzo could have sworn it was quiet enough to hear a feather fall, though he was aware the crowd never really stopped conversing in hushed whispers creating a never ending rumble of noise. Shiba took a step, Kakita followed suit. They met with swords drawn, Shiba striking and Kakita realizing the match was over before her blade reached Shiba.

“Match goes to Shiba Morasahi, Shiba Bushi Academy.”

The duelists turned to each other and offered a respectful bow.

“Next match: Shiba Morasahi, Asahina Kyuzo.”

Kyuzo rose from his seat and met Shiba on the dueling grounds. She had proven to be a contender, but he was sure of his abilities, and believed they would outshine Shiba’s. Shiba did end her first match in a tie, her opponent being beaten by Daigotsu, and Asahina was certain Daigotsu wasn’t nearly as trained as he was. Shiba wasn’t consistent in her dueling manner. The last match she was superb, but one doesn’t make you skilled. Besides, Kyuzo didn’t want Daigotsu to face off Shiba in the finals, they had some bad blood between the two of them, and only the Celestial Heavens knew what foul play Daigotsu may attempt. He still wasn’t sure she could be trusted, though proving to be an even better fighter than he had previously believed. And he already thought highly of her combat prowess.

They bowed and Kyuzo took his stance. Shiba adjusted accordingly. Their eyes met. Kyuzo could see the calculated calm inside Shiba, it was the same look she had when they were playing Go. It was tremendously different from the Shiba outside of these competitions. That Shiba mumbled and stuttered and struggled to find the right words. Kyuzo pushed the memory, the thoughts from the forefront of his mind. He listened to his breathing, keeping it steady. He felt the ground beneath his feet, the weight of the katana on his hip. Shiba touched the handle of her sword and they were both moving. He drew his blade, sliding it across the silk above Shiba’s heart, cutting through cloth but leaving her flesh unscathed.

Shiba’s mon gently fluttered to the ground.

“Match goes to Asahina Kyuzo, Kakita Duelist Academy.”

There wasn’t as much to this mon removing technique as Kyuzo had thought. Twice now, with little effort, he had managed to pull it off. He had been top of his class, but this was far surpassing head student status. He was about to win the Topaz Championship. He was about to be the lead student of the entire Empire. At this moment, Kyuzo didn’t think anything could stop him.

“Final match will be Asahina Kyuzo and Daigotsu Katsumi.”

Kyuzo watched Daigotsu make her way from the stands. He had expected some sort of murmur from the crowd about how ridiculous it was for a Spider to be one of two finalists, but instead it looked like people were just as excited as he was. He had spent two days with Daigotsu, two days where he had heard her breech of etiquette many times. Two days where she had shown a lack of focus except when combating with a pole weapon. Two days where he had believe she didn’t even know how to wield a katana, lacking the weapon as part of her outfit, let along compete and succeed at iaijutsu dueling. She was full of surprises, it seemed, and not all of them were ones he disliked.

The bonge unfurled the banners for each of their clans. Asahina’s a white background with the symbol of a crane in beautiful soft blue. Daigotsu’s was also white, but it looked to have been made just recently, and not of expert dying quality, a shape somewhat resembling a spider stained the middle of the sheet in black ink. It may have even still been wet. The stands were completely filled; people had surrounded the dueling grounds, encapsulating the two. This was the moment everyone had been waiting for.

Daigotsu bowed in a manner that showed true sincerity. “I am deeply honored to be competing against you, Asahina-san.” She paused and could only be smiling underneath her mask with the way her eyes crinkled and the way her voice took on a perverse tone. “I shall enjoy this.”

“Daigotsu-san, I am impressed that you made it this far and I intend to honor you with my full attention.” Kyuzo bowed back.

“Anything less would be unacceptable.”

Kyuzo dropped into his dueling stance, bringing his hand over his katana. Daigotsu spread her feet and mimicked him. Well, sort of mimicked him. The way a small child learns to eat from watching their parents is more akin to what Daigotsu just did. He wasn’t sure if she was mocking him by standing so awkwardly, or if she was had learned from her previous round, the Kakita, and was improving upon her technique. Her first round she had just stood there, her second she at least had a stance, this time she seemed to be posing. It was a little off-putting. Her technique was confusing as well, not repeating the same strike, or even step off. And now, even viewing her twice before, she was a mystery.

***

Katsumi smiled. This was going to be fun. She had observed Asahina and his ability to fight on previous occasions in Yume-do, where she had played Jashuwa‘s game in that dingy world. Impressed may not be the right word, but he was capable. She had even had the opportunity to see him dueling both Matsu and Shiba, and overcoming them easily. Katsumi didn’t doubt he would have. She was aware of Matsu’s weakness without her Hikaru; it wasn’t a surprise when Asahina had finished his attack before she even drew. Shiba was acceptable, but her strength was in teamwork, or at least that‘s how it seemed to Katsumi since Shiba was always delivering the final blow; one on one didn’t seem to be her strong suit. She was even certain Asahina would defeat her.

The katana wasn’t a weapon she had much experience with, and this was her first time even dueling. But she was a fast learner and proficient with most weapons; there wasn’t much you had to learn in order to kill someone with an item. You could murder with something as seemingly insignificant as eating utensils, a katana was much easier to apply the basics to since it was designed to damage. This wasn’t to say the previous matches she won had been flukes, just people less skilled than they believed, and she was quick. But Asahina was quicker, and Katsumi knew it. He was first to react, first to move, first to strike. This was to first strike, it would surely be in the bag for Asahina. Now, if it was to the death that was something she could weather. Growing up Spider came with certain advantages when it came to pain and tolerance. Asahina could be first all he wanted, but she would be last.

Asahina dropped into his dueling pose. She had seen him do this each time, and even the Kakita she had gone against repeated this stance. Katsumi took a breath and slid into something similar, attempting to mirror the Crane stance. It obviously had merit to it, with how many from the same school had made it to semifinals. She was aware her stance wasn’t quite right, perhaps her feet weren’t far enough apart, her hand was in the right place, she could see that.

“Ah, what a match of yin versus yang.” Katsumi heard Kitsuki orating from the crowd. “We have control and precision versus passion and fury.”

The crowd grew in volume, this was unprecedented. Not only because her clan had recently become part of the Empire, but because she knew what people believed about the Spider. Kitsuki just said what everyone was thinking. No one would expect a Spider, a Daigotsu, full of passion and fury, to have the centered control to best opponent after opponent in matches of strength and control. That’s where they were wrong, and she gained the advantage. They don’t know the training it takes to become part of the Order of the Spider. They don’t know the tenets of Shurido, where passion has no place. The Spider did away with Bushido and the emotional beliefs that went with it, and found a better path through self-reliance.

Katsumi took another slow, deep breath. There was more at stake here than just winning a tournament. Though the title was an objective for her clan, one they could gloat about for the remainder of the year holding over the heads of the rest of the Empire who believed themselves to be better than they, it was secondary. She was there to show the Empire the power the Spider held, the power that the Empire feared. To bring witness to the irresistible force that Rokugan changed to accommodate, for the Spider could not be resisted. The first steps in taking what was rightfully theirs. Something she had already accomplished by being a finalist here, today. Something that would be ever more prevalent if she could manage to bring Asahina down.

Asahina was moving. He was so fast. Katsumi drew her weapon and brought it up, cutting the air behind him. It was over before she even swung, she just hadn’t realized it. She looked down and her mon was gone, a crumpled piece of silk lying on the ground. The crowd was in an uproar. She spun to face Asahina; he had already sheathed his katana and bowed to her. She did the same.

Katsumi bent to retrieve her mon from the dust. He was skilled, that was certain. She hadn’t even felt the pressure of his sword as it had cut through her kimono. She glanced towards the Spider who had previously taken over an entire bench. The cluster of their dark colors now fanning out into the crowd, ready to spread the word of her accomplishments and how others could obtain that power, and more. Perhaps even win the tournament next year, when they had time to train in the ways of iaijutsu and prepare students suited for this championship. Yanagi sat on the corner, still watching Katsumi. He nodded his head before turning and disappearing behind the wave of people coming to congratulate Asahina.

Katsumi straightened out the piece of cloth. She dusted it off as best she could, the white silk had been soiled from hitting the ground, but at least the black spider hid most of the dirt. She made her way through the wall of people approaching Asahina; it wasn’t so difficult, she was still a Spider after all and most were still afraid of being tainted by their mere presence. Katsumi came in close to Asahina, tucking her removed mon into his obi, and passing by without a word. In this stampede of people he would never find it, and she didn’t want him to lose his trophy. He earned it, after all. In all the times she had been bested in a fight, this was the least painful. Second wasn’t so bad on this side of the Empire.