The Death of Hantei

The Death of Hantei

A Twisted Shadows Short Story by Larry Soracco

Shadows play along the walls of the Embassy buildings, dancing to the rhythm of my brother's performance. As he locks blades with the other performer garbed in sinister robes, the rest of the guests watch on with suspense as the battle between our first Emperor and his cruel brother is reenacted. It's always a pleasure to see him perform; he always puts his all into Furuyari-sensei's¹ works, and the Death of Hantei² truly is a masterpiece.
      My eyes drift over to our audience; I'm not to make my appearance for another act. The inner court is well and truly packed. Even Governor Shiba is here, his wife Omoko-sama at his side. Kagi-sama so rarely appears with his wife at his side these days, and while it's not my place, I cannot help but be glad they are together tonight. But he's not the one who I'm interested in. No, it's the ambassador, Shosuro Sadato-sama.
      Dressed in his usual understated finery, he stands towards the back of the crowd, and next to him are Kijensen-dono and Tanagi-dono from the Sentaku Tribunal. It's not often that Tanagi-dono comes to our functions, but I'm glad he's here. He even seems to be enjoying himself, mumbling to whatever spirit walks beside him excitedly about the performance. "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," he says, though his face wrinkles in discontent not long after he speaks.
      Kijensen-dono's conversation with Sadato-sama is much more important, if harder to follow. "So, how has the the pest control problem been developing, Bayushi-sama?" asks the ambassador. With a languid wave of his fan, Kijensen-dono responds. "Unfortunately Kitsu-sama and I have made little headway on that. We've made our proposal to the Governor, but in the end it is his decision to make. He's understandably conflicted about the issue, rats are sacred to Daikoku. You and I both appreciate that, but it's clear to everyone involved that the situation can't keep going on like this."
       While the rat population within the district has been rising, it's not a matter Sadato-sama would need the cover of a play to discuss with Kijensen-dono. Shijima-nii has been dying to know since he realized what Sadato-sama was doing during his performances, so the least I can do is try to figure it out for him. I'm going to be an awful Doji-no-Kami, at least compared to Shizuka-senpai, so I need to have something to make up for that. I do my best to follow Kijensen-dono's line of sight, but it's no easy task with his mask and the way the shadows flicker over his eyes. I don't need much, just a moment of clear view to see where he's looking... ah! The shadows pull away from his eyes for just the briefest moment to reveal -
      "You're almost on, Kiyomi-chan. I hope you've been rehearsing on your own since we last practiced." Shosuro Shizuka says from behind me, causing me to jump the tiniest bit. When did she get off stage? Has the first act already ended, and Hantei-no-Kami has received a mortal wound from Fu Leng? "Ah, well, Seppun-sama is still recovering from his accident, so I haven't had much time-"
      Not even letting me finish, she lets out a sigh as she stalks around into view, the long dark robes and exaggerated stage makeup marking her as the Dark Kami seemingly twisting in the shadows. "I'm not expecting you to live up to my performance at Shiro Gisu³, Kiyomi-chan. Just don't embarrass your brother out there, okay? Now go-" The actor playing Lord Genji shouts for Doji-no-Kami and Akodo-no-Kami to come quickly. "That's your cue!" Shizuka gives me a saccharine smile as she pushes me onto the stage.

---

The ten layer kimono weighs heavy on my chest, suffocating me as my brother is carried into the room. "My eyes must deceive me, dear brother. What has become of you?" I tentatively step towards Hantei-no-Kami as Prince Genji lays him on the futon. A long bloody stain tears down his robes, sickly streaks of black running across the wound. Has Fu Leng truly grown so powerful with Jigoku's might that even our Emperor cannot stand against him?
      "Ah, tis but a flesh wound, dear sister. Our brother's parting gift." He tries to tell me this lie with a smile, but a trickle of blood escapes his mouth. "Son, we cannot return to the battlefield quite yet, but our people must have a leader." My brother gently - weakly - gestures for his son to come closer. Akodo-no-Kami is here now, stone faced as he takes in the state of our Emperor.
      The Prince takes his father's hand, tears in his eyes. "I know what I must do father. I will return in your stead, and bring you news of our victory!" His voice is filled with confidence but his face betrays his fear. Solemnly, my brother lifts his sword and places it in the Prince's hands. "Take Kunshu," he whispers. "May it serve you well." Bayushi-no-Kami is here as well now, or perhaps he was always here. As the Prince leaves, I know I must attend my brothers wounds, but my knees lock up. I can feel the eyes on me, watching, staring, judging.
      "Sister dear," my brother says with a weak chuckle, eyes as sharp as daggers. "We know that this must be a shock, but even we are sometimes in need of your care. Won't you bandage this fool of an Emperor up?" I cannot meet his gaze, and I turn to Akodo-no-Kami, who glares at me. "Do not just stand there! Our lord has need of you!" he whispers. It feels like an eternity before I gather up the courage to kneel at his side. I peel back his torn kimono to see the already festering wound. I can feel the tears threatening to burst from my eyes.
      An awkward silence drags on far too long, the only sounds my brother's labored breathing and the flickering of the paper lanterns. Lord Hantei looks to our brothers, then to me. To the fourth wall of the chamber, then back to me. "Why so grave, dear sister? Surely Kakita-kun has come home with worse wounds? Tell me sister, brothers... Will we survive these wounds?" My attention snaps back into focus, finally, and I manage to find my voice. "Of course dear brother. I will have to clean this, and you will need your rest, but you shall be fine in no time." I do my best to give him a convincing smile, but I know I must look a wreck.
      "Indeed brother! A wound such as this will not keep the man who bested me down for long." Akodo-no-Kami gives a grim smile, trying to raise our brother's spirits. It's a lie, though. It must be clear to everyone here. Such a wound is beyond my power, and all we can do is hope to make his passing peaceful. I try to brace myself for what is coming next. But Bayushi-no-Kami shakes his head as he speaks. "You two shame yourselves with your lies. My brother, these wounds will be the end of you."
      The Lion Champion snarls furiously, turning to face the Scorpion. "Bayushi! You would burden our brother with that knowledge while his son fights in his stead? Where is your compassion?" A sad smile blossoms beneath Bayushi-no-Kami's mask. Even now, he and I can both appreciate the irony of Akodo-no-Kami's words. "Because, brother, I care not for Hantei's wounds." He turns to look at the paling Hantei-no-Kami. "I care for his soul, the very center of Rokugan. However harsh the truth is, it will not shatter." I watch the tears begin to stain his mask as he kneels at the Emperor's side, tightly grasping his hand.
      "So that is what shall be? We shall die here in this bed, and leave you all behind? Fate truly is too cruel." Even facing death, still he thinks of us first? My face breaks like a dam, and I try to stifle the ugly sob that tears out of me in the shoulder of my kimono. Akodo-no-Kami is at a loss, uncertain of what to do, or to say, and who can truly blame him? But the Scorpion knows. Tenderly, Bayushi-no-Kami removes his mask for his Emperor one last time, and speaks.
      "Yes, Hantei-sama. You are going to die, and you are going to be alone. But one day, we will come after, to be by your side again."

---

"You're lucky that the audience could buy that you were just overcome with grief Kiyomi! How many times did we rehearse this? I don't know why I ever let Shizuka talk me into letting you play the part of Doji-no-Kami!" Still dressed in the garb of the first Emperor, Shijima-nii has nothing but criticism for me now that we're backstage. I can't blame him though, he's right. I froze on stage. "I'm sorry, nii-san. I'll do better next time, I promise." A disappointed sneer marring his face, Shijima-nii replies, "Don't make a promise you can't keep. Next time isn't going to be any time soon if you can't even handle a role as simple as that."
      "Oh, come now Shijima-san. Only you could call portraying Doji-no-Kami a simple role." Shizuka-senpai, still wiping off the makeup from her Bayushi-no-Kami costume, comes to my defense. I wish I could just disappear! It was embarrassing enough going out on stage like that but now Shizuka-senpai is going to rile my brother up? "Cut your sister some slack, she's been quite busy assisting Seppun Sugita at his estate, is it any wonder her heart wasn't in it tonight? That whole arrangement was your idea, and Kiyomi's fumbling of her lines was perhaps a better show than the actual play, so it all works out in the end!" The flawless smile on her face is enough to make my brother turn red.
      Slowly, his hand raises up, palm open and facing towards us. I flinch in anticipation, but Shijima-nii just pushes past us and slides the door open to leave with an angry grumble. A cruel smirk spreads across Shizuka-senpai's face, and with a wink she starts to speak. "Well, there goes our little kabukimono⁴. What crawled up his a-"
      "Don't call him that. You know he hates it. And you know he didn't want me on stage tonight because he's been wanting to perform this play ever since he wintered at Kyuden Gotei⁵." In the dim candlelight, the flickering shadows look almost like knives at Shizuka's throat. "Stir the pot with the governor all you want, but leave Shijima-nii out of it."
      At first, she looks almost amused at my outburst, and I wonder if I've made a mistake. I know what she's capable of, and we're alone. But her grin falters after a moment and.. is that the tiniest flicker of fear in her eyes? "Well, well... Kiyomi-chan, it seems I've been underestimating you. That's my mistake. So have it your way. I'll entertain myself with Amaya-chan then." Shizuka-senpai backs away towards the door, still grinning, but less like a cat toying with a mouse and more like a cornered animal. "I'll remember this though. You won't catch me off guard twice."
      She exits the room, finally leaving me alone. As I finish changing back into my own clothes to rejoin the party, I can't help but wonder what Shizuka-senpai meant by that. It was out of character for me to speak so... boldly... but surely I'm not that intimidating? Hopefully Shinobu-san won't have already settled in for the night by the time I'm able to leave. Shijima-nii will need time to cool down and I'm not looking forward to seeing him tomorrow.

---

While it usually brings me little comfort, for once I am glad to be wearing my mask again. A simple, elegant domino mask not unlike the mask that Bayushi Kachiko once wore. Grandfather gave this to me as a gift for my gempuku. As little as it conceals, with I can pretend to be the polite, unflappable Soshi Kiyomi that Shijima-nii needs me to be. Not the nervous, shy, junshin that I really am. I replace the light colored, elaborate Crane robes with my preferred red and black simple kimono, and finish off by tying my hair off to the side, holding it in place with my iris flower kanzashi⁶.
      Whatever reaction I expected to find in the courtyard, this was most certainly not it. "Excellent work, Soshi-san! A marvelous debut!" Bayushi Kijensen-dono gives me a polite bow as he congratulates me. Numerous guests are nodding in approval and offering token praise. Kitsu Tanagi-dono approaches me as well, asking me if my portrayal of Doji-no-Kami will was meant to allude to the Crane's current weakened state and the Regent's passiveness. He takes my confused smile as an affirmation before I can even begin to respond.
      Sadato-sama silently nods in my direction as well, which does not go unnoticed by Shijima-nii. It's as if for every bit of praise he's receiving tonight I'm receiving twice that. It's only because I'm a newcomer and our Lion guest drastically mistook my poor performance as a commentary on the Crane, but after all the work he put in to making sure this production was perfect and the heart he put into performing his role, I'll deserve every bit of his ire in the coming days. I can only hope that Sadato-sama has something to keep him busy with.
      The rest of the evening starts to blur. Almost as if I'm watching from outside my body, I humbly accept whatever praise the guests have for me and try to give my brother the credit he deserves. Before I know it the night is almost over, and I cannot wait to rush out. Until the last person I was expecting to see approaches me.
      Her dark brown hair done in her signature double half ponytail style, looking positively radiant in her bright red and gold robes, is Isawa Ayame. I didn't see her in the audience earlier! Was she here as a guest of the Governor? "Ah, Isawa-san..." What do I say? Why is she coming here to talk to me of all people? It can't possibly be about that, can it?
      "Good evening, Soshi-san. I just thought I'd offer my praise. You and your brother Shijima-san make quite the pair out there," she says with an effortless smile. Of course, it would be about the play, why wouldn't it be? "In any case, it looks like you're on your way out, so please, don't let me keep you. Have a good evening." And with that, Ayame makes to walk away. Come on, say something, say something!
      "Umm, Isawa-san!" Too loud, too much! The Gem of the Phoenix stops in her tracks, almost as surprised as I am. She turns to face me once again, and the words nearly dry up in my throat. Before the pause becomes unbearable, I force myself to speak. "Thank you, Isawa-san. Your praise means a lot! I hope I'll be able to put on a better show for you next time you visit the Embassy!" I bow deeply, and almost miss the melancholy smile on her face.
      "Well Soshi-san, I'll look forward to your next performance. Goodnight." She rejoins the tall Shiba I saw in attendance earlier, her yojimbo most likely. On that note, I make my exit from the embassy. It's only when I'm alone with my thoughts on my way to the ryokan where Shinobu-san is staying that I remember.
What could pest control mean in relation to Shiba Omoko?

1. Shosuro Furuyari was a famed playwright and actor from the late 3rd century.
2. The Death of Hantei was one of Shosuro Furuyari's most important and controversial works, portraying an apocryphal account of the first Emperor's death in contradiction with the Ikoma Histories.
3. In 1121 IC, the Asako family hosted their own Winter Court at Shiro Gisu, where Shosuro Shizuka gave her famous performance as Doji-no-Kami in a rendition of The Death of Hantei.
4. Kabukimono is a term that refers to a type of delinquent samurai known for dressing ostentatiously and forming street gangs. The term is the origin of the name for Kabuki theater and some Asako scholars posit that kabukimono were a precursor to the modern yakuza and firefighter gangs that take root in most cities.
5. Kyuden Gotei is the capital of the Mantis Clan, which hosted the infamous Imperial Winter Court of 1123, where Hantei XXXVIII was assassinated by the Ruby Champion Agasha Sumiko.
6. A kanzashi is a broad category of hair ornaments typically worn by upper class women.