01 A Hot Summer At War

Itsumi purses his lips in response to the Scorpion holding back a response. He sneered at Bayushi Akami as (s)he(?) sized him up, returning the cold gaze with a measured one. He looks again to Inara with a feigned smile, "Damsel, is it? I did not realize. Again, I apologize for any rudeness. What can I, Kakita Itsumi, do for you, Inara of the Phoenix clan?"

Inara bowed a little as the Lady Bayushi addressed her. "There is a time and a place for etiquette, my lady. Though, I fear, it is neither here nor now. I will seek you soon, I’m sure."

She turned to Itsumi, the return of her magical senses both giving her comfort and confidence, and driving her with the desperation of their situation. "Come with me, Kakita-sama," she said, with a careful edge of command in her voice which she hoped the military man would respond to. "There is something I must show you."

She led the way down a corridor until she found what she was looking for – a small, sheltered courtyard, open to the sky but still contained within the castle walls. She had passed by it earlier that evening, and noted its location; she had wanted to return later to meditate. Tonight, though, it would serve a different purpose.

The center of the courtyard housed a small spring-fed pond filled with ornamental fish. Inara walked to the water’s edge, and beckoned for Itsumi to follow her. She knelt, touching the water’s surface gently. "Don’t be alarmed, Kakita-sama," she said to the Crane general. "But this is critical, and words do not suffice. So allow me to show you directly."

She closed her eyes, speaking a quiet prayer to the kami inhabiting the waters flowing through the lands surrounding the castle, asking for their help in learning what troubled and threatened them. She hoped it would spur the general to action, and give her insight into what could be done to help the kami weather this storm. She felt them tremble at her touch, fearful and hurting, until finally they had gathered the courage to share what they were experiencing.

Water kami could be extremely intense spirits. Yet, despite their deeply emotional nature, the visions they used to communicate were always emotionally sterile. Inara sought them out deliberately so as not to overwhelm her host with the depths of their sorrow and fear. They showed the fighting in the village nearby, flashes of armed peasants with hollow eyes. Inara shifted her weight uneasily, confusion tainting her thoughts with worry, and asked what the spirits knew of the shadow which had so suddenly appeared in the north. Inara regretted the question immediately, but the response was instantaneous. The surface of the water shook violently, and with a single wave of fear, the kami fell silent and the vision ceased.

"There is more," she said to Itsumi, standing before the general could ask why Inara had brought him out to show him what he doubtless already knew. "There is something moving to the north, something that does not belong here, something dark and terrible. After you retired for the night, it seemed to appear out of nowhere, at the same time the screaming began. I asked the kami to show us the source of that… but even the mention of it was enough to cause them to flee and break the spell. I apologize for the rudeness of my insistence, but I believe you and your men, and the people of the village, are in terrible danger." She bowed low. "Please, I need to speak to any shugenja who may be in the castle."

Itsumi gave Inara a measured look. He had his doubts but the water did not spontaneously act in such a violent fashion on its own, "There might be some truth in what you say." Itsumi was not all together ignorant of the Kami having some small connection to that preternatural essence himself, "Let's be swift. I will send word to my men to stand by until after we speak with the shugenja."

Itsumi turns to step off to speak to the Shugenja. His strides long and wide, moving swiftly but just shut of a jog.

Two down, still one to kill, and that could be resolved right now. Or so tried Reiko at least, targeting the heart of that third opponent, but that didn't go exactly as planned. Instead of his heart, Reiko pierced through his left arm, despite everything a little concerned by the arrival of her secretary.

In a cry of pain mixed with rage, that one attacked the Magistrate, throwing his pitchfork forward to aim for the Samurai-ko's flank, in a gesture devoid of grace and style, if not pure brutality.

One moment later, 4 more opponents joined the melee, and attacked Reiko from all sides, some aiming her head, others targeting her legs.Concerned for his student, Suzume rushed to help her, choosing the most direct path to get to her: through one of his enemies. Or, to be more precise, over one of enemies.

Leaning on his opponent's knee to jump in the desired direction, he took advantage of this temporary flight to kick him violently on the back of the head.

But the way was not as clear as he hoped, 3 new enemies immediately intervened the instant he put his foot on the ground, while the one of the previous two still standing charged him in his back, weapon forward.In a cry of pain, while undergoing the attacks of 4 of the peasants, Sakura tried to escape with a roll. Maneuver which she succeeded, at the cost of her tonfas which remained on the ground.But out of breath, and her blood starting to flow from minor wounds, she couldn't calm down enough to relaunch the attack.In less time than it took for an exhalation, a series of flash images had passed through Itsumi's mind, and he easily recognized a village not far from the castle, a village which seemed to suffer at the same moment an attack from strange enemies, while 3 warriors were trying to defend it.

Inara had finally succeeded in making Itsumi understand that she sensed a harmful danger, and the latter, inclined to listen, had invited her to follow him, to meet one of the Shugenjas of the Crane clan.
Not unknown to Itsumi, ASAHINA Yukiyo worked late in her studio, half filled with parchments arranged on shelves, and half with objects of all kinds, obviously worked with finesse.
If Itsumi could sense the presence of spirits in the surroundings, Inara, she, discovered a powerful Shugenja, accompanied by kamis which seemed to be connected, on their own will, to the surrounding objects.



Concentrated on her task, she did not notice the arrival of the young Shugenja and the Bushi.

One pair of hands can only do so much work... Thought Suzume as even more as the strangely berserk peasants show up. What was going on in this village? Those peasants did not look like Lion ashigaru levies. He doubted that the flying leap would work again, his opponents probably expecting it now. He needed another way to reach his pupil. Perhaps... This might be crazy enough to work and he was starting to get desperate... Suzume turned around, toward his lone pursuer and at the last moment, dropped into a defensive stance, preparing to throw him with Way of the Willow on one or more (hopefully all three) of his new opponents, creating an opening for him to reach his pupil...

Inara looked around curiously as they reached the entrance to the Crane shugenja’s studio, and she gave an exhausted, but genuine, smile. Finally, something familiar, and someone who might understand. The presence of the many kami linked to the shelved objects surprised as much as charmed her. A quick check told her without doubt that they were quite free, and had chosen the links for themselves.

She forced herself to stand quietly behind Itsumi’s shoulder, politely waiting to be introduced. No amount of comfort, familiarity, or homesickness could forgive barging into another mage’s workroom uninvited.

Itsumi began to enter through the door to the Shugenja but was halted by a sudden vision. The vision was for only a moment but as his world returned to him he inhaled sharply. Remembering where he was he bowed deeply before the Shugenja, "Yukiyo-san, pardon our interruption. I have just seen a grave and foreboding image of a village on fire! Three warriors fending off strange creatures..." his voice trails off as he remembers Inara's prescence, "but, the reason for my intrusion is to introduce you to Inara-san of the Phoenix clan. She has grave news regarding the Kami."

He steps aside to allow her to enter the room.

Inara stepped to the threshold and bowed low. "Indeed so," she said solemnly. "The kami of this land flee in terror before a dark and terrible energy which has emerged to the north of Shiro Daidoji." She hesitated, then pressed on, hoping against hope that her trust was not misplaced. "The Phoenix have sensed their withdrawal for some time. I was sent here by the Council of Five to investigate, and to help bring an end to the conflict that brings them so much suffering. But we have not seen anything like this before, to the best of my knowledge. Please," she said, still bowing, desperation and fatigue finally getting the best of her, "I need your help."

Brutally brought back to reality facing her, Reiko owed it only to her long years of training to dodge the deep wound she could receive from the attack coming, but one of the pitchfork's branches sank in spite painfully in the flank of the Magistrate.
The burning of the wound, though not really serious, was violently present in the mind of the fighter, a perfect reminder of the risks incurred once the blade was drawn, and she focused again fully on the fight in front of her, while an arrow whistled in her ear, and crashed into the forehead of one of the attackers.

"My apologies, MATSU-Sama, but I had to carry your luggages, as I supposed you wouldn't want those to be stolen."
Overzealous and sarcastic at will, Reiko knew well that her second only displayed this mask for her, a way of keeping face and trying not to disappoint his superior.
That arrow, and the opponent less, created an opportunity for Reiko to dodge the incoming attack, succeeding in extremis, by jumping backwards, and only collecting scratches. For the moment, as she was, again, facing 4 opponents.

KAWANABI being the newcomer in the battle, the darkened peasants didn't hesitate to charge him too, and with his bow already reloaded, he was facing 2 opponents, one of them charging from Reiko's side, while the last one of the attackers came from a street near the archer.It was a desperate method that Suzume was trying in order to rescue his student, clever for sure, but risky enough to involve significant risks, and he was perfectly aware of those, but drastic times needed dangerous measures. Switching his stance from attack to defense in an instant offered him the possibility to throw his nearier opponent onto the three others. And thanks to his quick thinking, two of them fell to the ground, entangled with the one who flew, though the last one only took a few step backs. If not for long, the opening he was hoping for was here and now, and the monk didn't think twice before rushing to come to Sakura.

As for the youngest monk, she needed one second to catch her breathe, but seeing her teaching fighting had helped her remember what she had learned under his tutorship, and instead of charging again as an Otaku, she turned around and leaned against the wall to jump over her opponents. She was now at the side of her master, and instinctively positioned herself back to back with him. And both of them found themselves surrounded again, ready to display the whole efficiency of Master and Student fighting alongside.

Right in the middle of these simultaneous actions, Suzume saw something out of the corner of his eye, due to the low light of the night, only a shadow of human appearance under a tree, watching over the battle in the village at some distance. If the fight with the peasants was pressuring him, this one brief glance was enough to make him feel a deep fear, as the monk he was recognized the danger of that appearance.ASAHINA Yukiyo blinked, as she was disturbed from her work, and the porcelain that she held in her hands broke, freeing the Kami within in a shower of sparkles and as a scent of sulfur wafted through the air.
Frowning, she turned around to face the intruders in her lab, and then opened her eyes wide.
"Wh ...? KAKITA-Dono ?" she asked rhetorically, while Inara introduced herself and the reason she was here.
After listening to the ASAKO lady, she looked into Inara's gaze, and the latter had the impression of being immersed in the heart of the ocean.
"So, then, the Phoenix clan not only learned about the ongoing conflict against the Lion, but also deduced that the origin of the conflict was spiritual? However ... what leads you to believe that your clan is concerned, ASAKO-San ?"

Frowning again, she continued her tirade and gestured to the remains of the porcelain.
"But ... It is true to say that these past few weeks, it has been especially hard to work with Kamis, as you can see it right now.
And you're saying that is because they are suffering because of something dark ?"

Her eyes looked then into Itsumi's gaze, asking silently if she had to talk more freely about such matter with a stranger of the Crane Clan, and while awaiting the authorization of her commander, she contented herself with a question for the young Phoenix ambassador.
"What exactly do you need my help for ?"

"Well at least you're here now..." Reiko said while gauging her wound.
It wasn't too deep, but might pose a problem if she kept being attacked on that side. She decided to shift her stance with a feint and keep defending, looking for an opening. Her first attacker tried a lunge when she feinted to change her stance and she easily deflected the blow, throwing he opponent off-balance. She had to turn the deflection into a full turn with a twist of her body as the second attacker tried to take advantage of it on her weakened side. She avoided the blow but her attacker stayed with her and she parried a second blow. Taking step after step backwards in an effort to keep her attackers in front of her, and to make them impede each other, Reiko parried a late coming blow from her third attacker. It was clumsy because her attacker tried not to hit his compatriots, and she was able to use her parry to open the enemy's guard fractionally by deflecting the blade low. She wasted no time using that opening and aimed a blow towards the shoulder...
Kawanabi fired at one of his attackers, impaling his throat. He kept running for a couple of paces before he gurgled to the ground, clutching the missile stuck through his throat. As his second attacker reached him, he had dropped his bow and was drawing his Katana, parrying the blow that was coming straight for his own throat.

Suzume stared at the distant figure under a tree for a moment. Not wanting to get distracted or worry his pupil for nothing, he focuses back on the combat at hand. He had managed to reach his pupil and they were fighting back to back now, but they were still out in the open where they could easily get surrounded and swarmed. the samurai-ko which had came to their help seemed to be facing the same problem, plus Suzume noticed she had just been injured...

Quickly evaluating their situation, Suzume spotted an alleyway nearby. If both groups could make their way there, it would make for an excellent choke point where only a handful of attackers could trickle in at a time. But right now, he had 5 opponents in the way, soon to become 8... Things were quickly getting out of hand and it required another daring, some would say desperate, maneuver. Suzume slid his arms behind Sakura's locking their elbows together. This would hopefully help in providing the necessary momentum. "Sakura, follow my movements, when I say "Now", push back on my with all your strength, and when I say "Kick", kick the opponent in front of you so he falls back on those three on the ground, then follow me..."

Once again, he waited for his his opponents to make the first move, then moving to the side at the last second, forcing his opponent to sort of line up, he yelled "NOW!" and using the momentum from Sakura's push, attempted to kick the first one in the face...With a loud crack, Suzume's feet connected with his assailant's chin, sending him flying backward towards the other assailants. Using the momentum from pushing with his foot on another body, Suzume did not waste any time, shouting "Kick!" as his foot was about to break contact with the possessed man's skin, adding this momentum to Sakura's own kick to her own opponent, who flew into the three who were already on the ground in a heap...

"NOW! FOLLOW ME!". Both monks ran towards the narrow alleyway, but not before Suzume stopped to shout at the samurais fighting for their lives. "SAMURAI-SAMA! OVER HERE!".

Inara straightened herself and faced Yukiyo fully once the Crane had finished speaking. "As I said, the Phoenix shugenja have felt the withdrawal of the kami within our lands for some time, but it is not universal. The worst of the disturbance seems to be radiating from the Lion-Crane border, and so it is here that I began my search for answers, and a solution."

She closed her eyes for a moment, then looked directly to the other mage, hoping she would understand. "The kami are more than a source of power for me, they are my friends." She raised her hand slowly, smiling as the warm sparks danced on the skin of her palm for a moment before darting off to explore something else. "I will do whatever I can to protect them. I’m sure you can appreciate the importance of that partnership, Asahina-san."

The young shugenja glanced at Itzumi, then back to Yukiyo. "I knew precious little more when I came to your gates tonight. The closer I came to the castle, the more distant the kami seemed to become. It was… disturbing. I want to thank you for your hospitality, Kakita-sama, and I apologize for how rude it has been of me to disturb you all at this hour. But not long after I had settled in for the evening, suddenly, all of those lost feelings came back – but they were filled with pain, and terror. And they came with the arrival of some dark presence north of the castle… near the village, perhaps, or in the Lion lands north of the river, I cannot tell."

She looked behind her, to be sure they were alone, and lowered her voice. "Rumors of darkness it is best not to speak of have reached the ears of the Council of Five. I did not want to believe them, and I am merely an ambassador of the Council, so I can say no more." She shook her head sadly. "When I arrived, I had hoped to spend time researching in the esteemed libraries of Shiro Daidoji; I have heard your histories rival our own. But I fear there is no time. So… please, for the kami, and for the safety of both our peoples, help me find a way to end this before it is too late."

Itsumi returns Asahaina Yukiyo's glance but doesn't understand what she is trying to convey, "Before my vision I had no interest in Inara-san's problems, Yukiyo-san. But now, I feel that her mission is tied to to our strife with the Lion. Honor dictates that I must go to the battle field, and soon, but if you can help her with the kami, I will return after the battle to assist."

Itsumi was beginning to grow anxious that he would be found insubordinate if he did not make it to lead his men, and soon. Punctuality was something he valued and this Phoenix was too much of a disruption now.

One step back, defend yourself, then another step back, and defend yourself again. A strange ballet, for the untrained eye, that Reiko unleashed to defend herself, awaiting the opening which was sure to arrive. She used that opportunity to invalidate one of her opponents and cut his arm off at the shoulder. The blood spurting would be lethal in a few minutes, and the peasant used his last breathes to jump forward on the Magistrate, trying to bite her brutally on the neck. Luckily, her maneuver disrupted the movements of the other two enough that she could deal with the dying peasant, if necessary.

In the meantime, Suzume grabbed Sakura by the arm, and managed to throw another opponent,a woman, on the three already on the ground, before they had the time to get up, and used the inertia of that spin to kick another opponent. It was time for the two Dragons to turn the table around, and they ran to an alleyway, and thus, now having to manage 2 opponents instead of 8.

Each trained fighter had only one opponent facing them, but they knew at once that this situation wouldn't last more than a few seconds. It was time to act, and to put everything into order.Yukiyo bowed before Itsumi.
"At your service, KAKITA-Sama. I will handle the negociation with the Phoenix clan."

With a quick gesture, she brushed Inara's arm, inviting her to follow her to her laboratory.
"I guess that, with your earlier words, you are a Shugenja from the Phoenix Clan ? Your families are quite known to be well versed in the mystical arts. Maybe another point of view on those matters could help to settle what's going wrong."

As the mystic spoke, Inara could feel the presence of different Kamis around them, surprisingly discreet. It was like they wanted to know who she was, but, at the same time, did not want to introduce themselves. And from the corner of her eye, Yukiyo didn't miss a thing of the scene that was occuring before her eyes.

Walking through the lab, Inara was discovering the place, strange mix of powder scents, vials, books, equipment of all kinds, and talismans placed on the shelves. She heard of it, of course, the talent of the ASAHINA family for both healing and enchanted items. Her natural curiosity for everything that had to do with the spiritual regained the upper hand, despite the hunger that was beginning to twist his stomach, and the fatigue that was accumulating.

Seeing that Inara's matter was being handled well, and that she was in a good hands, that was a problem less to manage for Itsumi. The young commander knew this responsibility, especially in times of war, was hard to bear, but actually living it showed him how heavy this post was.
The scouts he had sent to the village, after hearing rumors of battle echoes, would come back in less than 1 hour and a half, and so, before they were back to report, given the castle was calm and silent, Itsumi finally had time for himself, maybe to rest a little.
A question was still bothering his thoughts: why BAYUSHI Akami was interested in the newcomer?
But was it worth digging into now, just hours away from the next battle with the Lion.

Finally, a bit of a breather... Still, it was no time to let one's guard down. there was no telling if opponents would circle around and trap them in that alley, or perhaps burst through the wall, like they did at obaa-san's place... Both Suzume and Sakura greeted their respective opponent with a flurry of feet and fists...

The fatigue from his daring moves was starting to show as Suzume's movements were a bit slower than usual, but still enough to dispatch yet another opponent.

Reiko, seeing the dying peasant try to tear out her throat with his teeth, frowned.
She then tutted loudly and added Can't have that...
She took a step to the side, prepared for the move her opponent would have to make to come at her, and started the strike that would behead him cleanly.
Behind her, she heard a couple of grunts, and the sound of steel cleaving flesh. As the headless one-armed torso crumpled to the floor, she risked a look towards the sounds and saw Kawanabi turning from a second slain enemy.
The magistrate and her secretary then turned to the last 2 men standing in their way, and prepared to fight shoulder to shoulder (Kawanabi, rather tactfully, taking his place on his master's wounded side without commenting on it)

"I guess that, with your earlier words, you are a Shugenja from the Phoenix Clan? Your families are quite known to be well versed in the mystical arts. Maybe another point of view on those matters could help to settle what's going wrong."

Inara smiled, a genuine liking for Yukiyo shining through her fatigue. "I am, indeed. The work of the Asahina healers is likewise extraordinary; I hope we do not see an increased need for that service in the near future. And I'm glad to know you agree, that we have a better chance of discovering what is wrong if we work together."

The young Phoenix was accustomed to travel within her home lands, but between the great geographical distance and the seemingly unending weirdness that had plagued the evening, she was feeling more and more like a stranger in a strange land by the minute. So no matter how grateful she might be to Itsumi for his hospitality, she knew he could not understand the depths of what troubled her - the presence of another shugenja and the familiar sights and sounds of Yukiyo's workroom put her racing mind at ease. "Like I said before, I had hoped to visit the library to see if your people had records of a... darkness... like this touching Rokugan in the past. Your historians are well-known to the Phoenix, and I admire the work of your scribes. But we don't have time for that search." She paused. "I know I have no right to ask, but what do you know of this darkness that you are able to tell me? I have heard terrible rumors, and the Council of Elemental Masters suspects worse still. I don't know what is happening, and I want a peaceful solution, if possible. You of the Crane know better than most that knowledge is power."

She looked around as she spoke, noting the behavior of the various kami around the room. Some studied her warily, while others shifted and moved like shy children. But they all watched her, curious yet reserved; Inara could almost feel their gaze, and with them, Yukiyo too kept a close eye on what was happening.

Inara bowed deeply, trying to include them all in the gesture. "Hello," she said softly, and sang to them a warm, gentle prayer song of reverence and greeting, blending her desire to help and protect them into the music, and through the song giving them a way to see and Know her in a way that her name, job, and clan affiliation simply could not convey. The music was full of hope... but contained the sorrow of knowing she could not do this alone, and her prayers turned to the reality of her duty - that far from what it appeared to an untrained observer, she served at the kami's pleasure, and her magic had its uttermost source in them. "Please," she sang in their own strange, ceremonial language, "I am here to serve. Grant me the strength and the wisdom to see us through this crisis."

Finally she fell silent, the last notes of the prayer song hanging like mist in the air after a summer rain, and she waited for their response.

Itusmi Katika makes a quiet exit and moves to await the reports from his scouts.

That late in the night, and while a thick mist covered both the ground and the corpses, everything was starting to get blurry in the eyes of all the warriors, as adrenaline mingled with fatigue.

The number of opponents had seriously decreased, Reiko had just beheaded her most immediate assailant right before her assistant came to her side, after defeating his own opponent.

Shoulder to shoulder, the two charged, blades horizontal, aligned with the line of the shoulders, and each aimed at the hearts of the peasants in front of them. Charge against charge. Charge against charge. Billhooks against katanas.The situation was much more complex for the two monks. Knocking out the peasants was more difficult than killing them, required more finesse, and therefore restricted their possibilities of action.

It was upon realizing that their enemies would more than double a few moments later that the two Dragon chose to use more lethal skills.
Sakura punched her opponent under the chin while jumping at the same time. Suzume, on the other hand, jumped in the direction of his assailant, knee forward, hitting him in the stomach.

Both of these techniques could have been lethal, but the two Ise Zumi altered slightly their moves to try not to kill the peasants. Sakura by targetting the chin instead of the nose, Suzume by hitting his opponent in the stomach, instead of the lungs.

At the moment they both landed after their attack, they were assaulted by the remaining dark peasants, the very ones who had been repelled by the combined acrobatics of the teacher and the student moments before.Yukiyo was taken aback when she heard and watched Inara singing for the Kamis. Even among the Phoenix, Inara was quite unique in that she truly viewed the Kamis as her friends and acted with them as such. And they tended to answer the same way, and so, Kamis of all elements started dancing around her, timidly.
Rubbing her left arm with her right hand, watching this, the Crane's shugenja took the time to think about the words of the young Phoenix.
The darkness she was talking about, could it be related to the Dark Scrolls ? Rumors, among the elders of the clan, referred more and more to these old legends of the past.
But they should be just that. Nothing but legends, nothing but stories.
And wasn't it the duty of the Crab clan to protect the kingdom from the Shadowlands ?
The Crane had already a lot to handle with the current war against the Lion, without having to worry about old nightmares.
Even so, it would be prudent to pay attention to this child's concerns, if only to check if they had any substance.
"Come to me, friend of the kamis, and if you agree, share your visions with me."
Inviting Inara to follow her, she moved with catlike stealth and caught a ribbon with a blue topaz in its center and some incense in the process, then walked over to the brazier in the center of the room, in which she dropped the incense.
"Wrap your hands with this ribbon, forming the infinity sign, and place your forehead on the stone. Then pray the Kamis so that they throw your memories within the smoke. Think of those feelings, let those memories be clear in your head. Remember."