The Fujiwara Effect

Celestial

The front yard of The Tanuki's Glee was lit only by torchlight when Ryūzaki Sanosuke once again arrived by his preferred method of transportation. This time the entry was not as empty as it was when he first arrived. In the shadows just at the edge of torchlight, a pair of intimidating figures lurked.   One was obviously an oni, although his proportions were more slender than the average for his race. From his battle-scarred armor to the grave expression on his weathered face, he bore the look of a veteran despite his apparent youth. His companion was even more extraordinary. Towering and bulky, with bundles of muscle straining at his pale skin, this "man" looked for all the world as though someone had plopped the entire head of a horse on a great oni's shoulders. A single horn jutted proudly from his equine snout. For all the bestial power his aspect suggested, this stranger's dark eyes did glitter with intelligence and his gear marked him as a Samurai.

Upon seeing Sanosuke's arrival, the two stepped forward as though they had been waiting specifically for him. The slender of the two introduced himself as Hayashi Genjirō Nobunao, a leading member of the esteemed Hayashi Clan. As Sanosuke gave his own name, his mind raced through what he knew of the organization. The Hayashi were powerful stake-holders in the Mōri Clan, largely because of the Iwami-Ginzan Silver Mine where they dwelled. This seemingly-endless deposit had contributed in significant part to Mōri Motonari's explosive rise to power. The leader of the clan and overseer of that mine was one Hayashi Hidesada. An ancient and powerful mystic, he held enviable power within the Mōri but mostly kept to himself as a recluse.   After a moment of reflection, Sanosuke realized Nobunao was speaking again. Nothing could have prepared him for what came out of that battle-scarred oni's mouth now. He was asking about Shōta. Specifically, just how much did Sanosuke know about that cretinous youth? Come to think of it, the Silver General had indeed noticed a change in Shōta's behavior since the youth was so brutally slain at the tournament. It was subtle—the boy was still as insufferable as always—but his confidence and presence seemed to have improved significantly. That was because, as Nobunao confessed, the clan's patriarch had taken Shōta's body for his own.   But that didn't make sense. Of all the people to be, why would anyone choose Shōta? Apparently that was just the reason he might have done it in the first place, according to the other Hayashi. Nobody would suspect such a horrible boy as hosting the intellect of one of the most dangerous men in Japan. Things hadn't gone quite that well, however. "Shōta" had stopped checking in. Indeed, he seemed to be avoiding his former family most fervently now. Both Nobunao and his half-brother, Hayashi Umanosuke, were worried that he might have gone rogue.   That was all well and good—Sanosuke filed away the information he'd been given for later schemes—but what did they want him to do about it? In answer, the oni reviewed what he'd already said. Shōta was avoiding them, and was quite good at it. With the ancient Dōhan's intellect and supernatural skill at his behest, he was nearly uncatchable. For whatever reason, he seemed to have developed an interest in Sanosuke, however. The Silver General might have a chance. If he'd deliver Shōta to them, through whatever means proved necessary, Nobunao would see Sanosuke well-rewarded. With the oni brothers' silver fortune, it seemed well within their power to offer a handsome bounty. Still hesitant, not wanting to get involved in whatever new madness this was, Sanosuke accepted.   The two thanked him and moved back into the night until even Umanosuke's ponderous head was out of sight. They'd be staying in town and easy to find, should he have an update. All Sanosuke had to do was ask around for the enormous horse man. After a moment to clear his head, the Silver General turned and made for the door of the Glee once again. As his hand was about to land on its wooden handle, however, he was intercepted by another mental message.   This time it was from Takenaka Hanbei and, thankfully, good news. Her ploy had worked. Kumagai Nobunao was even now evacuating Tachibana Castle and had swallowed the story and dream whole-heartedly. His only desire, according to the tactician on the other end, was to meet up with Sanosuke at some point for a rematch. He mused that it might be worthwhile to visit the big oni sometime. Then, sliding the door open, he entered quickly before any other lingering plots could interrupt him.   Inside, lit by a merry array of torches and a fire somewhere in the back, the tavern was much as he'd left it. His own party, comprising Aoki Michiko, Shigeaki Tōno, and Ryūzōji Ryōka, crowded around a table in the back. Closer to the center, the man pretending to be Shōta still sat flanked by two beauties. Both Hōzōin In'ei and Niiro Tadatsuru, however, looked a lot more bored than when he'd first departed.   A look and a few words were all it took. Kensei In'ei was only too glad to join Sanosuke outside for their long-awaited battle. Sensing that something spectacular was about to occur, the rest of the tavern's patrons soon funneled out onto the porch and lawn as well. Kono Minoko was amongst them, and had indeed been busy. A heavy pouch at her belt jangled with all the bets she'd collected. As Sanosuke and In'ei took up positions opposite each other on the stone path, he got the queer impression that some betting far greater in scope was taking place in a realm not so far away from his own. That bizarre sensation was soon dispelled by Minoko shouting out her proposed rules. No death, she emphasized. This was entertainment for her tavern as well as a destined duel or whatever, and she didn't want to risk spoiling any appetites.   While the others arranged themselves, In'ei commented that it would be her first time fighting someone as supernaturally "enhanced" as Sanosuke. That, and Minoko's muttered comment in response, made the Silver General acutely aware of how much he relied on others for his immense power. Neither seemed to offer any objections to the situation, however. Soon there was nothing to be done but fight.   As the call to fight sounded, Sanosuke seized the initiative, if just. He leapt forward to engage his opponent in melee. As he approached, he took in In'ei's curious form. With only an umbrella held slackly in her six arms, four of which were going unused, he was reminded of another time he'd fought against skilled opponents wielding multiple weapons in Kuzunoha's Temple. Although it was not that long ago, so much had transpired in the interim that it felt as though years had passed. Still, his arm ached in sympathy with an injury long overcome.   The two clashed in a flurry. Their weapons moved almost too quickly for the audience to track, bursting with small shockwaves every time they connected in the air. Through the exchange of blows, Sanosuke became aware that In'ei was blocking him quite skillfully, using that umbrella of hers as a shield to deflect and a staff to counter. Of course, none of the wooden pole's strikes had come close to piercing his many layers of protection, but Sanosuke could tell that In'ei's skill was not to be underestimated. On a measure of sheer mastery, she obviously surpassed him.   The Silver General had not attained his current power by relying on mastery alone, however. He finished his final strike, feeling power building in the hand with which he gripped the nodachi's long hilt. Once that energy finished suffusing the blade, he'd be able to strike with enough force to move mountains. As her opportunity to act arose, however, he was reminded once again not to take his foe lightly. Claiming that she'd be testing him against a "basic technique," In'ei then unholstered her cross-pronged spear and thrust it with such skill that it slid easily into the flaws of his armor. A flash of pain, not unlike that which he'd remembered before, shot through Sanosuke's arm as the blade pierced his shoulder.   The crowd gasped.   Sanosuke chided himself. He'd have to do better than this if he wanted to defeat Susano'o's champion. Taking advantage of a break in the onslaught, he swapped the enormous blade for two of more "reasonable" size. Wielding a full nodachi in one hand, he held Aretí's glittering length in the other. By striking with one and using the other specifically for parrying, he'd be able to greatly close the gaps in his defense.   In the crowd, Shōta was doing his best to be a nuisance. Burping, spitting, and generally being disgusting, Sanosuke kept an eye on the youth just in case he decided to try anything more active to interfere in the fight. So far everyone else had kept their distance, but he couldn't afford to put anything past that horrible boy. As his eyes swept back, Sanosuke through for a moment that he saw a barrel lid, nestled in the lee of the nearby stable, fall back down. Any further investigation was arrested by In'ei's renewed assault. The six-armed woman was now wielding her umbrella and spear with two hands each. Seeming to mirror Sanosuke's own strategy, she used the former to block while the other probed at her opponent's defenses. For now, Sanosuke was able to keep her at bay. He was only able to land a single glancing hit to his own name, however. Aretí cut through her light armor like it wasn't there, but In'ei's ki-infused carapace shrugged off anything lesser than a telling blow.   The unending flurry of stabs from In'ei's spear grew ever closer to wearing down even Sanosuke's iron defense. Finally, however, his awaited technique was ready. Calling upon everything he had, every ounce of strength his muscles could give, every blessing the Storm God bestowed, and all the energy he'd been pouring into his weapon for the past several exchanges, Sanosuke unleashed it all. Aretí flashed like golden lightning. The impact of each blow sent sparks flying into the night, and the sheer force of their clashes made the audience struggle to keep their feet. And yet somehow, impossibly, In'ei was blocking them. Her pointed feet dug into the ground with perfect intent, the Kensei's stance did not waver. Tapping Sanosuke's weapon at just the right place each time, his blade missed her by mere centimeters on each stroke even as it flashed like thunder.   The Guardian of Nara herself seemed delighted. She'd known Sanosuke was holding back, and this display of power was exactly what she'd wanted to see. As impressive as it was, however, she made sure the Silver General knew that there was nothing that could not be overcome with enough training. What she had just displayed in her defense was pure mastery. Skill great enough that even the stroke of a god could be turned away.   Feeling his strength sapped and the power of the Storm flee his body, Sanosuke despaired. That should have been powerful enough to fell anything in this mortal world, and yet his opponent still stood without a single wound. While panic raced through his mind, however, other, deeper workings were already planning out a solution. In'ei seemed to place a great deal of emphasis on her stance. The placement of her feet and arms when she'd deflected those blows had remained perfect in their intent, without ever an interruption or misplaced move. Perhaps if he somehow disrupted that stance, he'd be able to prevent her from using that insane technique to block his attacks again. At least, in one small mercy, she did not seem able to launch a counterattack when so deflecting his godly blows.   Meanwhile, Shōta was lurching to his feet, the only among their observers to have been bowled to the ground. Nestling himself into Niiro Tadatsuru's tall frame as she helped him up, a cunning smirk stole across his face. Sanosuke, however, could spare no time for that cretinous boy's farcical performance. His grip on Aretí tightened as he prepared to force his drained body back into the fray.   Then, he paused. Falling to one knee, Sanosuke felt the memory of pain once again shoot through his shoulder. He spoke what seemed like nonsense, holding one side of a conversation with a party Hōzōin In'ei could not hear. Unknown to her, Ryūzōji Ryōka was providing the other half of the dialogue, telepathically speaking directly to Sanosuke's inner being.   Perhaps she could have ended it there, but In'ei held back. In a show of respect for her opponent, the kensei allowed this little drama to play out. It gave her a chance, too, to recover her balance from the pervious exchange. As Sanosuke stood again, the clouds rumbled and flashed overhead. A storm was gathering.   The Silver General's keen mind had been working at the problem even through his despair, and he thought he now had the answer. Pulling off his cloak, the air around him crackled with barely-contained energy. The air tasted coppery and lightning arced from his broad shoulders. It was as though Sanosuke had become the nexus for his own personal storm. Then came the thunder.   Weapons discarded, channeling pure lightning through his fists, Sanosuke slammed his foot into the ground and pushed forward. The liftoff was so powerful that it caused the earth itself to shudder. He'd tried to direct as much of the force as possible toward In'ei, but there were no half-measures with strength that great. Half the watching crowd fell over, the Tanuki's Glee creaked ominously as it bowed to the side, and Kono Minoko's angry shouting was drowned out by the sound of her stable collapsing in on itself.   For all the violence of the impact, Hōzōin In'ei was not fazed. She took a half-step back to maintain her balance. Even this small movement, however, seemed to break her stance. In'ei could not perfectly deflect Sanosuke's attacks as she did before, and was forced to rely on using her ki-charged umbrella as a shield. This she did adroitly. Sanosuke's first and second punches slid off the parasol's unnaturally rigid surface without a chance to impart their full force. The third, however, pushed past that barrier and struck In'ei herself. The kensei was lifted partially off the ground by the force of Sanosuke's blow. He breath driven out as electricity shot up and down her body, she barely managed to keep her feet.   It seemed that In'ei's intense physical conditioning came to her aid. Even after such a hit, she would not fight at anything less than her full capacity. Sanosuke could tell though, veteran that he was, that his opponent would not withstand another such blow. The kensei seemed to realize it as well, but she showed no sign of fear.   Rather, In'ei's thin lips tugged up at the corners. Her eyes shone with an intensity to match the lightning crackling about Sanosuke. Finally, she exclaimed, he'd come at her full force. That meant that she no longer had to hold back either.   When the Guardian of Nara moved next, it was almost too quick for Sanosuke to follow. Her leap was indeed too agile for him to turn around as she flitted through the air over his head. Landing with her feet already perfectly set, In'ei delivered a perfectly-aimed strike to Sanosuke's back. He simply couldn't block in time. Fortunately, his body was enhanced by more than just training. With a twist, Sanosuke let the spear skid across the hardened muscles of his abdomen. Certainly, the blade met plenty of flesh, but without a direct hit, it could not pierce his ki-powered fortification.   Putting the momentum of his turn to good use, Sanosuke answered by slamming the ground again with an inhumanly precise exertion of power. Met with kinetic energy that countered it exactly, the ground abruptly stopped shaking. In'ei had been ready for another quake, but not this. Shifting her weight, she overcompensated and fell backward in a tangle of limbs and fine cloth. Of course, a man of the Silver General's reputation could not allow such an opportunity to go wasted. Stepping forward, he pressed the assault.   Even supine as she was, In'ei made a great show of deflecting Sanosuke's attacks. It helped that he was aiming for her head with each punch, apparently aiming to knock her out rather than deliver a deathblow. As a result, however, his attacks were predictable. In'ei almost blocked the first one. When it slipped through her guard, the punch had hardly enough force left behind it to be any real threat. Still, Sanosuke remained conscious of the destructive effects his titanic strength might have on an unprotected head. He stopped the first just shy of In'ei's head. In response, the kensei could only accuse him of underestimating her. She bowed her head forward, knocking it ungently onto Sanosuke's knuckles. To the Silver General, it felt like punching a solid metal plate.   As to underestimating her, however, Sanosuke could deny that in good faith. While In'ei had been preoccupied with mocking his hesitant punch, the Silver General drew another one back. Seeking to hide his movements as much as possible, he launched an uppercut straight at In'ei's chin. The sneak attack was partially successful. While the kensei managed to get her umbrella in the way, it was much too late for a full block. Only partially hindered, Sanosuke's fist cracked against her chin, forcing her head to snap backward. Her eyes swam for a moment, but then refocused. Sanosuke had once again held back his full strength, in a bid not to kill his opponent, but such an attack had also failed to down her. As In'ei managed to disengage and regain her feet, laughing about feeling fear for the first time in a while, Sanosuke reflected that this wasn't an opponent he'd be able to defeat without going all-out.   It seemed more and more likely, however, that he'd missed his chance. The incredible power flowing through Sanosuke, that rupture of destiny which allowed him to exceed all mortal limits, was beginning to ebb. At the same time, In'ei had increased her pace, calling upon that same inner storm that Sanosuke had been tapping since his first real assault.   The two clashed like a pair of circling hurricanes. Sanosuke's fists were a hail of thunderclaps, but they each failed to penetrate In'ei's skillful defense. When he launched a particularly powerful strike, she would just fall back upon a perfect defense which could not be pierced. Not so long as she held her stance. In return, the kensei's cross-tipped spear moved like lightning. It stabbed, twirled, and thrust, always seeming to find a way behind her opponent. Most of her attacks were futile. Shed of the weight of his weapons, Sanosuke could move like a cloud, parting and shifting in response to most any series of attacks. Some of them struck their mark, however. When they broke again, the Silver General was bleeding from more wounds than just the one on his shoulder. Inflicted upon a lesser man, they surely would have been fatal.   Pushed beyond his limits long ago, Sanosuke cast about for any plan that might save him. In'ei was tired too, he could tell, but destiny was quickly withdrawing its favor from the Silver General. If he didn't end this soon, there'd be no way he could keep up with his opponent's superior skill. What's more, In'ei had already seen his ploy in shaking the earth. She likely wouldn't shift if he tried that again. Gathering up all the electricity he could in one leg, he tried something different.   His limb thundering with energy, Sanosuke swept the leg. In'ei blocked the attack easily, of course. She was far too experienced a fighter to be taken off-guard by such an obvious ploy. Or, that would have been the case if Sanosuke's ploy was just to trip his opponent. Cast off from his swing, the lightning storm gathered and roiled in the center of the yard. Raw electricity crackled and arced around In'ei at the center. From the darting of her eyes, the Silver General could tell that she felt threatened. He held his next attack back, waiting for her to play into his hands.   She did just what he expected, leaping behind Sanosuke with such speed that he shouldn't be able to follow, conveniently exiting the static storm in the process. This was exactly what he'd been waiting for, however. Sanosuke's foot hooked up and axed downward, catching the side of In'ei's head midair. There was no hesitation this time, no glancing hit, no hindering umbrella. The full force of Sanosuke's titanic kick crashed into and through Hōzōin In'ei's head.   The Silver General winced. This was not how he'd wanted it to end, but what choice did he have? If he held anything back during that fight, he was sure he'd not have emerged the victor. A macabre mosaic unrolled in his head, tiled with pictures of In'ei's head bursting like a melon, spraying red and grey, the horrified gasps of the audience, the awful mess that Minoko would have to clean up, and the hollow feeling that always came from slaying a worthy opponent. Why did all of Sanosuke's fights have to end this way?   Except that this one didn't. Hōzōin In'ei landed sprightly right in front of Sanosuke. She was cracking her neck and a thin rivulet of blood ran down from the side of her right temple. But she was very much alive. For all intents and purposes, In'ei claimed, however, she had died. That made Sanosuke the victor. Any evidence to her still being alive, not having her head crushed like an overripe berry, must just be a fluke of fate.   For a moment, Sanosuke just stared as he struggled to process this. A pressing thought broke through all the confusion, however. He had won. The Champion of Susano'o had fallen, and he would take her place. From this point forward, he was truly a vessel of the storm, with the great power and responsibility that came with it.   While the monumental implications sank into her darling's skull, Ryūzōji Ryōka was busy trying to work out what had just happened. She shouted something to congratulate him, but the wheels in her head were turning all the while. Eventually, the answer came from an unexpected place. The only thing that Ryōka could reconcile to what she'd just seen was a trait specific only to humans. While often weak, fleshy, and small-minded, the greatest of humans possessed an uncanny ability to defy fate, destiny, and even physics in their direst moments. That was the only thing that made sense, but Hōzōin In'ei wasn't a human, was she? There was, of course, the rumored ability of Susano'o's champion to steal the abilities of those they defeated in a fair fight. Perhaps In'ei had, at some point in the past, vanquished a human hero...?   Across the yard, Maxim had just shouldered his way through a weirdly adoring crowd. He'd been drawn, no doubt, by the cataclysmic symptoms of their battle. And, judging by the loving reaction Maxim's arrival had inspired in the audience, it seemed like he was bringing some new bullshit with him. Ignoring the chiseled chin and sparkling eyes that were not Maxim's normal face, Sanosuke turned and dispersed the lingering lightning with a great heave of his mighty lungs.   A moment after, In'ei grabbed his hand with one of her many. She lifted it to the sky, where a storm was only now starting to calm. Thunder pealed one last time as the kensei proudly announced Susano'o's new champion. Now he just had to choose his prize.