Cruel Reminders

Cruel Reminders

A Twisted Shadows Short Story by Larry Soracco

Lady Sun rises once again on the Glory, Eastern Wall of the Miwaku Kabe¹ and her light shines through the crystal torii arch that marks the border between the unclean outer city and the pristine inner city.  Once, I would have risen with her, so that I might do my duty.  But for nearly eleven hundred years, I have had no need to sleep.  A fact I am most grateful for; threats to Otosan Uchi never sleep, and the city has been restless of late.  More and more Guardians of the Eastern Wall have passed on to Meido to receive their judgement in recent years, and violent conflict at the Wall has been blessedly rare since the Battle of White Stag².  With fewer and fewer comrades, my duties become ever more important.
     Morning finds me in the Southern Gatehouse, as usual.  The living soldiers and magistrates are abuzz welcoming a new arrival to the Kanjo District.  An Ishiken by the name of Isawa Sakimi bound for the Isawa Embassy likely meant to help maintain stable operations while a new Master of Void is selected.  Isawa Ujina... yet another failure on my part.  Shame tears through me at the thought - though not a single spirit ancestral or elemental within the Ekohikei³ has a single clue as to what happened to the shugenja, the safety of this city is my responsibility.  Yet another great leader is brought low on my watch...
     I shake the doubt from my mind, I have little time for it.  A new watch bill has been posted and the remaining Guardians must be apprised, and then I will have to report on the status of our defenses to Ikoma Kimura-sama.  That will have to wait though, for it seems I have a guest, though one not entirely unexpected.  Kitsu Tanagi-sama is among the few shugenja within the Enchanted Walls that I can stomach extended conversation with, but we usually cross paths on the banks of the River of the Sun.
     The Sentaku Tribunal representative approaches with... is that a bento box?  "Nokori-sama, I hope that I'm not inconveniencing you at this early hour."  He bows deeply, as one would when meeting an honored elder.  "Not at all, Tanagi-sama.  You seem in good spirits this morning."  He is inconveniencing me, in fact, but it would be rude to dismiss him outright.
     "I am indeed.  Lady Sun shines brightly upon us this morning.  You have been recognized for your millennia of vigil by the Otomo and granted authority as a representative of the Imperial Families, and I myself have found myself blessed with a rather productive few weeks myself," Tanagi-sama speaks with a pleasant smile, but after a brief pause continues in a more subdued tone.  "But I find myself at an impasse, and was hoping I might impose upon you this evening for your time and wisdom."  For my wisdom?  I have served faithfully in life and in death as a soldier, not a sage.  But before I can refuse him outright, he unwraps the bento.  "Here, my offerings to you.  Steamed vegetables, salmon nigiri, and a healthy portion of rice.  I've also brought along a bottle of sake I'd been saving for a special occasion."
     That scent, that heavenly aroma...  No, Nokori, stay strong!  I have too much to do, I cannot accept these offerings, as tempting as a bottle of Emperor's Rain may be.  "Tanagi-sama, I am honored that you would come to me with your troubles and such fine offerings.  But I am not a spirit of Yomi for the sodan-senzo⁴to call upon for aid -"
     Ah.
     He's starting to pout.  I've made a mistake.
     Kitsu Tanagi-sama is a stern man.  A calm, logical, level-headed man.  Except, that's all appearances.  While there are few living samurai aware of this, I am but one of the many spirits he can bare his heart to.  Kitsu Tanagi is a very sensitive man, prone to wild mood swings and impulsive outbursts, and right now, I have clearly upset him.  And were we on the banks of the River of the Sun, I would have little issue allowing him to drop his face and cry or shout, but we're not at the river.  We're in the Southern Gatehouse to the Ekohikei, within earshot of not only the honorable soldiers of the city guard, but an entourage from Starry Heaven Sanctuary.
     Truly, I am cursed.  If I am to go about my duty as I should, I will allow Tanagi-sama to besmirch the honor of the Lion, but to keep him calm and save face, I will be derelict in my duty!  Think, Nokori, make a decision!

---

"I cannot believe I agreed to come see a play with you, Tanagi-san.  I had no idea you were so interested in theater."  A small sacrifice for the sake of the Lion is no sacrifice at all.  But really, to think I would find myself dragged to the Scorpion Embassy to help Tanagi-san concoct a strategy to force the Governor's hand in dealing with a political malcontent.  This is hardly within my area of expertise, but if nothing else, the offerings of food and sake the Scorpion have set about for the spirits are quite delectable.
     "I'm not especially, Nokori-san, but Kijensen-sama insisted it would be an excellent opportunity to plan our attack, and I'm hard pressed to disagree.  At a public event such as this, our mutual attendance will not be questioned.  We will have the chance to observe at least one of our enemies, and the majority of the guests will be focused on the play.  From what I understand, Sadato-dono has a shugenja who will ensure our secrecy, if need be."  Tanagi-san prattles on as we approach the Embassy.  The three small, unassuming buildings are perhaps the Scorpion's greatest contribution to the city.  They are simple, leave little space to hide oneself, and are all around antithetical to the usual tastes of the followers of Bayushi-no-Kami.  Numerous other guests are filing in.  Mostly Phoenix and Scorpion, but there are a handful of other Lion in attendance, and I think I spy a single Crane in attendance.  An Asahina, I believe, receiving quite a bit of attention from the female guests.  I can see why, as he is attractive... for a Crane anyway.
     Many of these guests are gossiping.  I take the opportunity to make my rounds across the inner courtyard to see if I cannot overhear anything relevant to our cause.  Even with the abundance of spiritually sensitive samurai here, only the Kitsu of the Lion can clearly see that I am an ancestor.  As much as it rankles me to take advantage of that fact to... spy... on these courtiers, as Akodo-no-Kami said, all is honorable on the battlefield.  And Tanagi-san has made it very clear that this is a battle.
     Unfortunately, my efforts are fruitless.  I learn that this has been a much anticipated production starring a rather popular Soshi actor.  I learn that the Crane is indeed an Asahina by the name of Orochi, here to provide some family his services as a matchmaker.  Ironically, he seems to be proving more popular than his charge.  There are some rather discourteous comments and rumors beginning to swirl about when the Governor and his wife arrive, and it galls me that he does not respond to such public disrespect.
     I return to Tanagi-san's side to inform him of my findings, or lack thereof, as the play begins.  And I am certain that if my heart still beat, it would have stopped here.  How dare he?  How dare he make me watch this mockery of the Battle of Four Winds⁵!

---

Steel clashes against bone and claw as I charge the horde of monsters.  Ahead lie hundreds of goblins, ogres, and desecrated corpses.  The smell of rot overwhelms the senses.  At my side and my back are bushi sword to Akodo-no-Kami, to Bayushi-no-Kami, and to Shiba-no-Kami.  We are all that stands between these demons and the Eastern Wall of Otosan-Uchi.
     I charge like a rushing ox into a pack of goblins, a trio of my kin beside me every step of the way.  My tachi slices through them like a scythe through wheat.  Before I can react, an ogre swings at me with a club, solid as the mountain.  Kimiko takes the blow for me, her armor - no, not just the armor - shattering like Crane porcelain with a sickening crack.  "Rrrragh!"  Fire in my heart, I strike back, disemboweling the beast.  No time to watch it bleed out, keep dodging, keep cutting, keep killing.
     "Toki!  Signal the archers!  Push, whatever the cost!"  A chorus of roars overshadows the growls of the goblins and the sound of steel.  Like lightning, we press into the path our archers have opened.  Like the thunderclap, we shatter whatever semblance of formation our enemies maintain.  For every bushi at my side that falls, we take at least five of these foul beasts.  But it is becoming clear that it isn't enough.  The armies of the Dark Kami outnumber us ten to one.
     Suddenly I am on the ground, head spinning.  I try to blink the blood out of my eyes as the cry of "Oni!" echoes across the battlefield.  Our very shadows betray us as it works its foul sorcery against us.  "Sengo!  Don't leave formation you damned fool!"  That idiot is going to die for nothing now, and there is nothing I can do to save him.  Finally dragging myself to my feet, I say my prayers as I bet the fate of my soul on the strength of my sword.
     Gamu no Oni slithers across the battlefield, its hulking form sending shivers down my spine.  The leader of this contingent of Fu Leng's minions is here before me.  Sickening venom drips from its obsidian maw leaving broken bodies in its wake.  "What does it matter, whether he stays in formation or not?"  I watch as Shiba Sengo attracts the oni's attention, only to be torn to pieces in an instant.  "You'll all die just the same!"  The demon's sickening laugh is something I will never forget, nor the sight of my beloved's lifeless eyes disappearing down it's throat.
     "That is what you will never understand, you fiend!"  I bark out at Gamu no Oni, tears streaming down my face.
     "Silly little girl, I need understand nothing but the fact you will taste all the sweeter next to your lover in my stomach."  Naught but three dozen or so of us remain in the face of some nearly a thousand remaining enemies. 
     Unbeknownst to me, the Eastern Wall begins to glow a soft golden light.  "I do not fear death, you monster!  I am a Matsu!  A Lion!  No bushi on this battlefield today expected to live!  From the moment we swore our lives in service, we were as good as dead, but it is a price we pay gladly!  Honor before reason!"  I do not have to finish the battle cry. 
    "And death before dishonor!"  Hundreds of voices echo mine, as the Eastern Wall shines with the light of Lady Sun.  The spirit of every fallen soldier slain here today marches out onto the battlefield.  Gamu no Oni's wretched grin sinks as the forces of Rokugan replenish.  "Even in death, we still serve!"

---

The enchantments upon Glory, as it would come to be called, were the only reason the eastern front did not fall to the forces of Gamu no Oni.  But even after we plucked victory from the jaws of defeat, it was for naught.  While it was never formally announced, an oni had sneaked past our forces, most likely past my forces, into the Forbidden City, where it poisoned Hantei-no-Kami.
     The Battle of Four Winds may not have been the day our Emperor died, like this wretched play claims, but it was still the battle that sealed his fate.  "Tanagi, you didn't mention what play we were going to see."  I manage to say through grit teeth.  He absentmindedly nods as he replies that he hadn't actually read the invitation himself, and that Bayushi Kijensen never mentioned it in their conversations.
     "Soshi-kun may be a bit of a... handful off the stage, but even I can't deny he does our Emperor justice, Nokori-san."  As we speak, this whelp of a Scorpion dares to portray Hantei-no-Kami in some imagined battle against Fu Leng.  Heat boils within my soul to the point I am certain I must appear bright red to anyone who can see me.
     "That brat on the stage could not hope to portray even a fraction of the brilliance our Emperor possessed.  I would know, as I fought in his name!  Or have you forgotten?"  Realization dawns on his face too late.  "Not only have you wasted my time, you insult me by forcing me to relive my greatest failure!  May the Fortunes bless you with a son so smart he learns the mourning prayers before his gempuku!"  I tear out of the Embassy.  I will not suffer this indignity any longer.
     My departure is not unnoticed.  A tall Shiba yojimbo tenses as I let my rage get the better of me, his eyes darting about while a hand hovers near the hilts of his daisho.  For a second, I see Sengo, ready to lay his life down to buy me a brief moment of respite.  But he is long gone.  The enchantments on the Eastern Wall only bind the Fallen Guardians in death for as long as they lived.  A scant 19 years did he remain by my side.  Sengo has long since passed on, and reincarnated, while I remain here. 
     Not even another thousand years of service could wipe away the shame of not preventing the Emperor's death.

---

As I make my way back to the Gatehouse to try to make up for lost time, I hear a commotion beginning to break out.  A shrill scream rings through the air, and I rush to see what has happened.  Not far from where the candy seller sets up his cart, I find a panicking woman standing over an unconscious man. 
    My eyes scan the area, looking for an assailant.  The only tracks I can make out on the road are those of this unlucky pair.  A ranged attack then?  Sight lines from the rooftops are clear enough, but if someone was there, they departed in the time it took for me to arrive.  On guard, I approach the man to examine him closer. 
     He's a middle aged man in black and red dress, marked with the Bayushi mon.  Strangely, there's no sign of attack though.  Aside from the yellowed beginnings of a bruise where he fell, there isn't a single wound on him.  What could possibly have happened here?  A pair of yoriki arrive on the scene to calm the woman and examine the man, so I give the area one last sweep before I go.
     It's only out of the corner of my eye.  It may very well be a trick of the light, my mind playing tricks on me.  But in the shadow of the tree the pair were standing near, there is a silhouette.  My blood runs cold.  It's gone the second I focus my gaze on the darkness.  Whatever it was, though, it wasn't human.

1. The Miwaku Kabe is the Enchanted Wall that separates the capital's Outer Districts from the Inner Districts.
2. The Battle of White Stag was a conflict in 442 against gaijin forces within Otosan Uchi that claimed the life of Empress Hantei Yugozohime.  This led to the current restrictions on gaijin trade and the ban on gaijin pepper.
3. The Ekohikei consists of the four Inner Districts of Otosan Uchi, the Kanjo District, the Karada District, the Chisei District, and the Hito District.
4. A sodan-senzo is a spirit medium from the Kitsu family with the power to act as a bridge between Ningen-do and Yomi.
5. The Battle of Four Winds, occurring in the year 42, was the first major victory against the forces of Fu Leng.  The battle was won in large part due to the legendary enchantments placed upon the city walls.