http://www.l5r.com/story/conjunctions-aspects/A tale of young samurai and their business in the Imperial City, and of the sudden and unexpected developments following therein.
Conjunctions and Aspects
By Nancy Sauer
Edited by Fred Wan “This isn’t getting us anywhere,” Yoritomo Saburo complained. He looked across the table at Akodo Shunori, who was trying to teach him the finer points of go. “Winter is ending, the wars in the north and south are renewing, and we are sitting around in the gardens of the Imperial Palace? Why? There must be something better we can be doing.”
Doji Ayano looked up from the conversation she was having with Utaku Kohana. “You wish to gain an audience with the Empress, but cannot explain to anyone why you need to speak to her,” she said, and then swept her fan about to indicate the garden around them. “Yoyonagi-sama would not arrange an audience, but she did grant you permission to visit the palace’s private gardens. Now you must spend enough time here to be noticed by the others who have permission to be here, so that they will know that you have very powerful patrons. Then you can start to approach them and negotiate for an audience with the Empress.”
Listening to her speak, Kohana thought, one would never guess that Ayano had already explained this twice already. It was an amazing show of discipline, and it made the Battle Maiden slightly sorrowful that the Crane Clan hadn’t seen fit to train Ayano as a warrior. She would have been splendid at it.
“It is costing us time! Time the Empire doesn’t have.” Saburo built up a small stack of go stones and then destroyed it. With every day word came of the southern armies being pushed back a little more. With every day the memory of the comrades he had left behind to die became a little sharper.
“It is taking time,” Shunori said, “but it cannot be helped. Common soldiers do not barge into the general’s tent; they go to their superiors and offer their reports. We need to follow the protocols of court if we are to succeed.”
Kakita Hideo paused from his endless pacing of the clearing they were in. “Akodo-san is correct,” he said, causing everyone to stop and look at him. “We need to use the court, not fight it.”
“The Empress is now back in the palace,” Kohana said. “Surely that favors us.”
“She is back, and so is the crowd of bottom-feeders that follow her around, trying to curry some advantage from her,” Saburo said. Shunori quickly looked away, in case Ayano wanted to glare at him without loss of face, and noticed a Seppun samurai standing in the entryway of the clearing. The Lion tensed slightly, but the guard simply looked over the group and departed.
“What a unique description of Imperial Court,” Hideo said. “I am sure the Amethyst Champion and the Imperial Treasurer would find it fascinating.”
“I’m not talking about the courtiers who have things to do,” Saburo said.
“None of us here–except for Ayano-san, of course–knows enough about court to understand all that happens here,” Kohana said. There was never an Ide around when you needed one, she thought to herself, and then plunged on. “But we have gotten here, to the Empress’s own gardens. That is progress.”
“It is too slow,” Saburo said. “The Prophecy won’t wait.” He stood up and started walking towards where the clearing flowed into the greater gardens.
“Where are you going?” Hideo demanded.
“To find a way to see the Empress,” Saburo said. “What else?”
“We have a way,” Hideo said, “and it requires that you stay here.”
“I don’t like this way,” Saburo said.
“You called us together and sent us into the Shadowlands! You left Kitsuki Taiko to die there! And now you refuse to see a plan through because it takes too long?” Hideo did not move, but something about the way he stood changed.
“Taiko died to help stop the Destroyers!” Saburo replied. “And I will see that the Empress will hear of it!”
“Hideo-san, Saburo-san, please do not shout,” Ayano said.
“We all need to be patient,” Kohana said.
“Seppun-sama, how may we be of service to you?” Shunori said.
There was a moment of silence, and then the other four followed the direction of the Lion’s gaze to see three Seppun guardsmen staring at them. “The Empress commands your presence,” one of them said.
* * * * *
Saburo stared intently at the floor and tried to gather his scattered thoughts. While he had said he wanted to see the Empress quickly, he had in mind ‘sometime this week’ and not ‘ten minutes after she heard shouting while waking in her garden’.
There was a slight breeze, as if from a door being slid open, and then Togashi Satsu, the Voice of the Empress, walked into the room and stood before the screen on the dais. The group prostrated themselves before him, all of them somehow aware that the Empress was now sitting behind the screen.
“When I was the Champion of the Dragon Clan,” Satsu said, “I became aware that a young woman in the Kitsuki was marked for an unusual destiny. I gave her a tattoo, which intrigued her daimyo considerably. The Kitsuki have passed to other hands, but the Daughter of Heaven has not lost her interest in Kitsuki Taiko. It is her command that you tell her how she died.”
Saburo breathed out a quick prayer to the Dragon of Thunder. “Divine One, I am Yoritomo Saburo and I am one of the guardians of the prophet Kitsune Narako. This has bearing on Taiko’s death, but it will not be easy to explain why. I beg your patience in this.”
“Proceed,” Satsu said.
“It begins in the Kitsune Mori with the Sons of Winter,” Saburo began. He explained their connection to the Shadow Dragon, and the prophet, and related the Second Prophecy. As he spoke it he felt as if a great weight were dropping off of his shoulders. He then told of their journey into the Shadowlands, glossing over the unfortunate conflict between Hideo and Shunroi and detailing in full the bravery shown by Hiruma Aki, Bayushi Eisaku, Moto Juncheng and Kitsuki Taiko. And he told everything he knew about the malevolent power that Juncheng had named Kali-ma, and the nightmare creatures that served as her soldiers. When he finished he found he was shaking slightly.
The room was silent for a few moments after he finished, as Satsu looked from one of the group to another. “You grieve for Taiko’s death,” he said to Hideo.
“I grieve that I could not die by her side,” Hideo answered quietly.
Satsu turned his attention to Shunori. “You did not hear the Second Prophecy, but you went in to the Shadowlands with the others,” he said.
The Lion reached up a hand and ran it over his face. “The oni’s attack changed nothing, and everything. I didn’t know what to think. But when they said that they were going to fight for the Empire, it seemed right for me to help them.”
“And you?” Satsu said to Ayano.
“Voice of the Empress,” she said, “I have known Hideo for many years. I knew that he knew this request–to see the Empress without having to explain why–was so impossible as to verge on idiocy. But he was seeking it anyway, which meant that his reason was quite dire. I had to help him.”
“All of you who heard the Prophecy knew that a great threat was approaching the Empire, but you told no one,” Satsu said, and a note of judgment rang through his voice.
Kohana breathed deeply, as if gathering herself for a jump, and spoke. “Narako knew of the Empress’s ascension before it happened. What where we to think but that she spoke the commands of the Celestial Heavens?” she said.
Satsu looked at them all once more, and then he walked up the steps of the dais and went behind the screen. The young samurai exchanged glances among themselves, but none of them dared to speak. When Satsu emerged from behind the screen they bowed down again. “The Divine One finds you blameless in withholding your knowledge of the Second Prophecy,” he said, “and she commends the courage and determination you have all shown in bringing word of this Kali-ma to her. She will inform your daimyo and those of your fallen comrades that you have preformed a great service to the Empire. In the meantime, you will not leave the city without permission.”
* * * * *
The streets were noisy and filled with people going about their business. Shunori moved through the crowds without noticing them. He had been in the presence of the Empress and received her praise. He had achieved the goal of every Lion samurai, but instead of being filled with joy it made him feel hollow and unreal.
“Shunori!” A familiar voice called out behind him. “Shunori-kun!” He turned around and saw Matsu Takeko striding through the crowd towards him. “Shunori-kun, I–” She stopped abruptly and looked embarrassed. “Excuse me, Akodo-san,” she said, bowing deeply. “I had mistaken you for an old friend of mine. Please pardon my poor eyesight.”
“Takeko-chan,” he said, startling her. “It is me, Shunori.”
“I–you look so different,” she said.
“I was at the Wall,” Shunori said. “There was an oni who attacked my unit. I survived, but it changed me.” Takeko took a step back, and Shunori fought down a surge of anger. “Do not worry, there was no Taint involved.”
“I am sorry, Shunori-kun,” Takeko said. “I was at the fight where Matsu Robun was Tainted; I am pleased that you escaped his fate.”
“We need not speak of apologies,” Shunori said.
Takeko smiled in response. “Are you at liberty now? I have finished my duties for the day, so we could go to a teahouse and talk.”
Shunori was about to refuse when a thought struck him. Satsu had not called them to secrecy, so he could tell Takeko about the Empress. “Yes,” he said. “I have much to tell you.”
They found a teahouse not far away, and Shunori insisted on getting a private room. When the servant had come and gone he started in on his story, beginning with the oni and going on to explain the samurai he had met afterwards and what had led them to the Wall. Takeko listened in rapt silence, eyes shining as he described the battles he had been in.
When he reached the point where those left behind had covered the retreat of the others, she clapped her hands in approval. “How fortunate they were, to die in the Empress’s service!” she said. “Though of course you are fortunate too, as you may continue serving her.” Shunori remembered what it was like to face the oncoming wave of Destroyers and bit back his reply to her.
“Our problem then was to see the Empress, to tell her what we had learned,” he said instead. “But today it happened, in a way we hadn’t guessed. We spoke to her Voice, and in her presence we were able to pass on our report.”
“What was she like?” Takeko said. “Does she really attract songbirds out of the air and glow with the light of a dozen suns?”
“I–don’t think so,” Shunori said. “We did not see her directly; she sits behind a screen and spoke to us through her Voice. But you could feel her spirit–as soon as she came into the room you knew there was someone there.”
“You have been in her presence,” Takeko said wonderingly. She stared off into the distance for a moment, then shifted back and prostrated herself before him. “You have brought great honor to the Lion today. I am honored beyond all telling to be your friend, to be allowed to share tea with you. Should you ever have need of my service, you need but ask.”
Shunori found himself smiling at her enthusiasm. “Thank you, Takeko-chan,” he said. “You are a good friend, and I will remember this.”
* * * * *
Hideo put down his tea cup and glanced at his two companions. Neither Kohana nor Saburo had spoken since the server had brought their tea, and given the way they were staring at their cups he didn’t think either of them would start soon. “Congratulations, Saburo-san. You found your way.”
The Mantis looked up. “I wish my way had involved a little more time to prepare. I’m happier when I can see the hurricane on the horizon.”
“What should we do next?” Kohana asked.
“Nothing,” Saburo said. “We have delivered the Prophecy to the Empress. The matter is over.”
“You don’t really think that,” Kohana said. “None of us do. That is why we are here,” she waved a hand to indicate the porch of the tea house, “instead of going off to our own business.”
“She is right,” Hideo said. “It feels…unfinished.”
“Utaku-san is very observant,” a new voice said. The three looked up to see a monk with a straw hat and a bell-tipped staff looking at them from the garden.
“Brother Furumaro!” Kohana said.
“You have met?” Saburo said, glancing from her to the monk.
“I have met a few of your companions,” Furumaro said, “and now that you have spoken with the Empress, I thought it was time to meet with you again.”
“How do you know we have met the Empress?” Hideo said.
“How do you know when a man has been walking in the rain? Or has been in a battle? Destiny has no secrets.” Furumaro gestured at the table. “May I sit, samurai-san?”
“Destiny?” Saburo said, and then gestured for the monk to sit. “What do you mean?’
Furumaro settled himself comfortably. “I thought I had made myself plain. The Empire is beset by armies from the Shadowlands in the south and the burning legions of the Oracle of Fire in the north. Plague stalks the land, killing high and low and leaving uneasy corpses in its wake. Can there be any doubt that now is the time for great heroes to arise? And you three will stand among them.”
“And that would make you Shinsei, I suppose,” Hideo said dryly.
Furumaro laughed. “Shinsei? Me?” He reached up and tapped a shoulder. “I would have to find a crow first, yes? But what was Shinsei? A man who knew enough to see the web of destiny being woven together, and who cared enough to act on what he saw. By that reckoning, I suppose I am Shinsei. Or one who follows in his path.”
Saburo found himself thinking of the scar that ran down his chest, the one he had earned from a moment of inattention at the Topaz Championship. He had given up his hopes of becoming a magistrate after that, knowing that his embarrassment would follow him always. But since then he had done undreamed of things and received the praise of the Divine One herself. Furumaro’s words seemed incredible–but were they any more incredible than what had happened to him already?
“What should we do next?” he asked, hoping that the answer was not, ‘gather four other samurai and go kill Kali-ma’.
“That is difficult to say,” Furumaro said. Saburo sighed to himself in relief. “Did the Empress give you any orders?”
“Only that we were to stay in Toshi Ranbo,” Hideo said.
Furumaro nodded. “She thinks you may be of use to her, then, and seeks to keep you close. So now you must wait.”
“Oh, good,” Hideo said. “Patience is our strong point.”
Kohana quickly picked up her tea and drank it down, gurgling a little as she did. Saburo gave Hideo a level stare. “Do you have any other suggestions, Kakita-san?” he said.
“None at all,” Hideo said. “Except, if you are going to take him seriously, we will have to find Brother Furumaro a pet crow.”
* * * * *
It had been a very long, strange day, Saburo decided. He walked through the twilit streets towards the noodle shop that had become his favorite, wondering what to do after dinner. Since he no longer had to worry about rising early and going to the garden he could go to one of the sake houses near the Mantis embassy and do some drinking. Or maybe he could find a copy of the Tao and read it. He laughed to himself as he reached the shop’s door, almost running into another samurai who was also trying to enter.
“Excuse me, samurai, but I am trying to go through this door. Perhaps you should finish your laugh before seeking your entry,” the other samurai said.
“I can walk on a kobune deck at sea, so I am sure I can laugh and walk at the same–” Saburo’s voice cut off as he recognized the other man. “Miromoto Ichizo-san,” he said quietly.
“Yoritomo Saburo-san,” Ichizo said, equally quiet.
The two men stared at each other for a moment, and then Saburo grinned. “Mirumoto-san, are you free to have dinner with me tonight? I have a story to tell you.”
Ichizo blinked slightly in surprise. “A story?”
“An amazing story,” Saburo said. “You will like it; it involves a prophecy. And a monk.”
