THE HIDDEN EMPEROR

The Hidden Emperor

A bright moon shone down on the palace walls glistening on ornaments of silver and gold. On the balcony, a silent figure stepped from behind a softly sliding door and leaned against the wooden railing, her pale Crane eyes cathing the light of the stars. Above her, in a slight breeze, the wolf mon of the Emperor swayed in the faint breeze. "Toturi," she thought, "Where are you, this night? You said you would lead us, guide us; you said the dark times were over. You lied."

The wind rose and caught at the banner, tugging at the maiden's long white hair. A storm was coming. She drew her silken kimono more closely about her shoulders and shivered. A faint noise behind her turn, and from the shadow of teh doorway stepped a man dressed in white.

"Hiroru..." she breathed, and stepped toward him.

"We leave tonight, the ronin and I," Hiroru began. "You are certain you will be safe here, alone?"

"Someone must stay. The Naga have attacked one of the Great Clans. There will be retribution." She sighed. "I must make sure there is still an Empire when Toturi returns." She stepped closer to him, her silks moving softly with each swaying step.

"He will return."

She smiled, her lips curving in the pale moonlight. "If he is alive, yes."

The ninja scowled. "You have heard nothing, then?"

She shook her head. "The court is alive with rumor. The Crane blame the Lion, the Unicorn believe it was the Scorpion, and no word at all comes from the high mountains of the Dragon... even Yokuni was not this silent in times of war." Her eyes were weary and troubled.

"And the Crab?"

"Yakamo has retaken Hiruma Castle with his Naga allies, but now, without their help... he is lost." A pause. "As we may all be."

The pale shadow of a smile crossed his face. "We have allies in dark places, my Lady, and friends we do not yet know." His movements, as graceful as those of a stalking cat, brought him to the balcony's edge.

"Friends such as Ginawa?" She kept her face turned away from his searching glance. The wind lifted her fine hair from her shoulders and her eyes seemed lost in thought. After a few moments of silence, she murmured, "Forgive me."

"You would be wise to reconsider your feelings about him," Hiroru said coldly. "He is a butcher."

"He is a samurai, and loyal to the Emperor." The darkness echoed the whistling of the rising breeze and the crash of the ocean's waves far below.

"I- I am afraid of you, Hiroru. So much has already been lost. The Emperor, his Champion, even the Scorpion, vanished like floating dust." She turned and stepped back toward the glowing candles of the inner chamber. "Will we never be rid of the shadows of our hateful past?"

A brush of his hand against her cheek, the sigh of silks in the wind and the lingering darkness beneath a setting moon was the only answer he gave.

A single shaft of light pierced the dark room, illuminating the pile of filthy clothes, dirty bedsheets and bloodstained silks. A rumbling snore erupted from the pile, broken by the hacking cough of a drunken man. Beside the bed a man crouched, his face turned in an attempt to avoid the foul smell. With a swift kick, he rocked the mass on the floor. He was rewarded by a muffled curse.

"Get up." His voice was rough, harsh with disgust. As he backed away, fists clenched and eyes narrowed, the thing under the sheets began to move. The darkness of the chamber seemed a fitting home for the beast, a dark cave in which to hide from the sun. A place to hide from life. From dishonor.

"Go 'way, Hiroru." The voice was caked with alcohol.

"Get up." A beam of moonlight illuminated his white hakama. "I need you."

"You need a kick in the face."

Hiroru squinted. "And you need a bath."

Ginawa pushed himself up, the covers falling to the side with a rancid thump. "No," he said. "They make you leave your sword at the door."

"Your sword will get you killed one day, and then you'll be a stinking dead man."

"I'm already a stinking dead man. What's one more day?"

Turning, Hiroru threw a fresh kimono in Ginawa's face. "Put this on and get out of bed. We leave immediately."

"What's the difference?" the ronin said, falling back into the sheets. "The Scorpion are gone. Banished." He closed his eyes. "There aren't any enemies any more."

"You let one Akodo daimyo die. Are you going to make it a habit?" The sneer was palable.

Ginawa rose up slowly from the sheets, his eyes fixed on the hooded figure before him. "You know I didn't kill him."

"I don't care if you killed him."

For a long moment, the two were still, each ready for the other to move. Neither of them did.

Finally, Ginawa said, "Everybody's looking for Toturi. What will two more matter?"

"Everyone says they are looking for him."

"You don't trust them?"

Hiroru shook his head. "I don't even trust myself."

"What makes you trust me?" Ginawa smiled.

"I know you still feel the pull of the sword. And I know what the sword will do."

Ginawa shook his head. "No. The man who killed my lord is far, far from here."

Hiroru's eyes flashed under his hood. "You are wrong. He is closer than you think." The ronin shot to his feet, his hand reaching for his saya, red as a sunset.

"Show me," he said.

"Find Toturi, and we find him." Hiroru stepped toward the door. "He was able to kill one Akodo lord. He can kill another." He paused as he slid the paper panel aside. "The horses are waiting. I'll be waiting with them. At least they smell better than you do."

As Ginawa jerked the kimono over his shoulders he said, "The stink keeps the girls away." He smiled. "You should try it."

Hiroru closed the door behind him, smiling faintly under his hood.

Ginawa was not smiling as he swung himself up into the saddle. Rain pounded his head from the outside as the remains of last night's liquor pounded it from within.

"You look like you're going to die at any moment," Hiroru said, a chuckle in his voice.

"Funny, I was going to tell you the same thing," he replied, fingering the blade in his obi.

"That's why I need you with me, old friend."

"To threaten your life?" Ginawa growled.

"No. To make me laugh. We'll need it where we're going."

Ginawa turned his horse toward the castle gates. "And just where are we going?"

"You'll see. I can't say now." Hiroru turned his own horse to stand next to the ronin's. "Too many shadows about to say."

Ginawa shrugged. "The Scorpion have all gone."

Hiroru shook his head. "But not all the ninja."

The ronin spit into the rain. "All I need is one."

Hiroru pointed out toward the dark horizon. "He's out there."

"Then all we're waiting for is you to show me the way."

Hiroru nodded again. Then he tugged off his hood and threw it to the ground. He looked up and let the rain splash on his face. "Feels too good to taste the rain, to feel the night arir. I've missed it."

"You miss your pretty Crane poet, Lion."

Hiroru looked at the ronin through wet black locks. "Haven't you ever been in love?"

Ginawa looked directly into the ninja's eyes. "Only once."

They were locked there until they both turned away. "Besides," Ginawa grumbled. "Love only gets you martyrs and hostages. I learned that the hard way." The ronin looked up at the ninja again. "It is a lesson I hope you never have to learn."

Hiroru shook his head. "Duty and love cannot live under the same roof, Ginawa-san."

"Is that why we are out in the rain?"

The ninja nodded. "I think so."

"Then let us ride. You can ride and talk, can't you?"

The ninja laughed. "Yes. I can. We have a lot to talk about."

"Seven years worth of talking, I think."

"I think."

For a moment, there in the darkness, a brief light shone between the two old friends. Two different paths had led them to this moment. But from this moment on, they would travel the same path. One would reach the end sooner than the other.

Across the plain, the distant moon shone its light brightly upon Shiro no Matsu. Beneath it, two figures wove their way through dark corridors and empty rooms. The castle was undecorated, cold grey stone and blackened torch holders. Inside the Matsu walls, two fingers crept in an open window, vanishing past the guards and into the heart of the castle.

"To the left," the first man whispered, moving as if he had come this way many times before. "We have to find the new Matsu daimyo - only she can recall the Lion troops before there is open war."

"I still say its a stupid idea. They're Matsu." The second man, a broad-shouldered, foul-smelling, bullish bushi muttered. "We never should have come here..." He cursed once, loudly, his hoarse voice scraping against taut nerves. At the sound, the second figure tensed, his hand reaching instinctively for his chained weapons.

And the sound of iron-shod boots paused in the corridor.

Turned.

And stepped toward them.

With a swift movement, the white ninja vanished into the stonework, drawing the weapon from his belt. The second man, taller and broader by a hand's width, shook his head warningly, and reached for the sword bound in its blood-red saya. When the torch rounded the corner, both weapons struck with deadly accuracy...

But both met nothing, and the torch fell to the floor, sparking ashes across the stone. Behind the corner, a woman's voice mocked, "So it is you, you old bandit, Akodo Ginawa... first a traitor, and now skulking through the corridors of his old home. Are you planning to add thief to your list of crimes, ronin?"

"Ginawa. Only Ginawa now." The ronin's face darkened on the other side of the stone, and his thick brows furrowed. "Ketsui?" he asked, recognizing the woman's voice, the sword humming in his tight grip as he fought to control its rage.

"You've returned, and the penalty is death." Her voice, cool and laughing, echoed strangely in the narrow corridor, and far away, he heard the sshhhh of a rice paper door. "Why should I spare your life?"

"You... spare me?"

"The Matsu follow me, now." Ginawa glanced at his companion.

"Never..." Hiroru hissed, and her laughter was his only reply.

"You brough a friend, I see." She murmured.

Ginawa snarled, "We need your help. For the Emperor."

"A dead Emperor." The whisper flicked like a stinging whip. "And a dead Empire."

"This is a Lion's voice I hear?" Ginawa's fists clenched. "Or is this the Scorpion Palace?"

More laughter. "Always the idealist, old friend. Who do you expect me to serve? That fool Chancellor? The Mantis psychopath?" The torch flickered on the hallway floor, casting strange dancing shadows. "If this was a trap," Ginawa thought, "this was a good place for it."

"Serve your conscience, Lady Ketsui." Hiroru whispered. "Recall the troops which march on the Crab borders. Stop this foolish war."

"Tsuko's brother!" Her voice hissed, barely able to mask its surprise. "Back from the dead, I see. Some company you keep, ronin."

"Recall the troops." Ginawa moved, trying to gauge the distance around the corner.

"No."

"You want a war?"

"I won't betray Tsanuri."

"She's an Ikoma." snarled the ronin, his sword quivering in his hand.

"She's my Champion. Now where's that loyalty you praised.?"

A pause, silence. Hiroru grasped Ginawa's tattered sleeve and pointed toward the passage, where movement echoed. "An Ikoma was never meant to lead the Lion!" Ginawa hissed, tearing his sleeve from Hiroru's hand.

"You don't think I know?" Her voice was harsh, filled with malice. "You don't think the ancestors remind me with each breath? I hear Tsuko's voice!'

"Ketsui..."

Go now, ronin, and take your ghost with you." The daimyo's words tore from a ragged throat. "No one can recall the troops. It's already too late." There was no reply from the darkness as she leaded back against the corridor wall, the torch sputtering on the ground.

Within moments, the House Guard came around the corner, hands on their katana. "My Lady Daimyo-sama," One said, surprised. "I... I'm sorry to disturb you. One of my men heard voices ..."

"Yes, Aikeku-san," she turned to stare at him, her black eyes thoughtful. A lock of red hair, dyed in the tradition of the Matsu clan, fell over her face as she turned away. "Voices and ghosts. Nothing more.'

As she walked away, the torch guttered, and the light died.

The shadows deepened around the throne of Jade, the pale moon glimmering from the smooth, carved forms of dragons and lions which decorated the chair. In the alcoves surrounding the throne room, chrysanthemums wilted, their pots empty of water, neglected by the heimin.

Footsteps, smooth and silent, across the polished wooden floor. A hushed sliding, and then another as the door closed again, and the room was empty once more.

The darkness choked sound, stole light and ruined her attempts at following the silent figure. The walls of the throne room were empty and foreboding in the darkness. Moments later, her hands found the catch behind the chrysanthemum, lifting the delicate wood and sliding aside the panel. A thin crack appeared. With a deliberate motion, Shizue stole through the hidden doorway. A cold breeze blew through her hair, but her trembling hand was not from the chill.

The soft swish of silk, ahead in the passage, a faint light, voices.

Danger.

"The first steps have been taken..." a whisper spoke. "...implication is clear..."

She had been following the traitor for days, waiting for a single slip. A single chance to find the truth. As Shizue listened, the light of the distant lantern flickered, making shadows move and dance. As she approached, the light dimmed, and the shadows pulled closer.

Laughter.

"The Unicorn fight even now, for our purposes," the voice smiled to its companion. "Though they do not know it, they serve us best of all."

"My Lord..." the second man spoke, and his soft kimono rustled as he moved. "The Mantis march upon Otosan Uchi, and each step Yoritomo makes is another crack in our guard. We may not remain undiscoved for long."

"Foolish boy," the Master's voice was dark, filled withm silken promises. "The Mantis are a puppet, ready to be swayed by bright gold. Show them the lands of the Phoenix, and their greed will lead them away. They have nothing we desire." He moved, the lantern swinging against his brown robes.

The spy's back straightened, as if struck by a stinging whip, and his head bowed. With a gentle tone, the man with the lantern continued, musing thought aloud as if speaking to the shadows themselves. "The Mantis will come, my friend, and when they do they will seek to place a new Emperor on the throne. And we will let them try."

"But there is other news, my Lord." The spy raised his head and his hand shifted unconciously to his daisho. "The Lion march on Crab lands and without a leader, the descendants of Hida will be crushed. If they fall ..."

"Excellent."

"My Lord?"

"Times have changed, my devoted friend. Armies march, and the Emperor has been lost. Soon, the shadows will have to speak." He turned and the man rose to his feet, bowing.

"Go now." The lantern swung away, and Shizue turned, hurrying down the corridor before her soft footfalls could give her away. She closed the panel behind her and glanced about the still empty chamber. The crow of a courtyard bird pierced the still air of the throne room, and the jade of the throne seemed dull and lifeless as the gray of dawn began to break the shadow of night. She had escaped.

As he heard the faint click of the hidden panel, the Master turned once more to his rising servant. "One more thing, Taro-san." The knife slid easily between the folds of the soft kimono, piercing the flesh of the man's unprotected back. The lantern shook, light spinning crazily along the empty corridor, and a gasp of shock echoed into the shadows.

The monk's eyes, slowly emptying of life, hung to his Lord's as he slid to the ground. His knees buckled. A trickle of blood ran from his open lips as he choked, "Kage... why?"

"Because child, you were not the one I wished to tell." He smiled down at the dead body until all life had fled its cold, questioning eyes. Then, with a soft smile, he lifted the shining lantern, the sharp threads of light illuminating his aristocratic features. He would not need the lantern any more.

Dawn had come.

A rain poured down, soaking Hiroru to the bone. The wind was cold, and the sun hid behind thick, gray clouds. He glanced at his companion, racing beside him on a sturdy brown pony. Ginawa's face was haggard, lined with care and drink.

Hiroru tugged on hi horse's reins. "We camp here! It'll be dark soon, and my horse is tired." He had visited these fields before, and it was by no mistake he had chosen this copse of trees. Beneath a wide oak, a small clearing remained relatively dry, and the horses shook themselves gratefully.

Ginawa spat upon the ground, a brown stain on the gray rock. Without answering, he turned his steed into the nearest copse of trees, seeking the shelter of their branches.

"What are we doing here, Lion?" The word was a sneer as Ginawa dismounted, keeping his hand on the blood-red saya at his side. "This is Dragon territory. We stay here, we're likely to be found by Hitomi's men."

"The Dragon Champion?" Hiroru cursed, crouching beneath the sheltering boughs of a sturdy oak. "She has more to concern her than us, old friend." A silent pause, then a whispered, "Much more..."

Ginawa roared, and the sound startled the horses, making them rear and pull away. "I'm tired of games, Hiroru!"

"Games?"

"You said we came here to find the ninja! Well?" Ginawa's hand reached for the hilt of his sword. "Where is the ninja?"

As he spoke, Hiroru drew himself to his feet, his pure white eyes seeking something in the darkness. "I brought us here, hoping to find an ally. A woman with great knowledge of the darkness, Akodo. If she cannot help us, then the Emperor is truly lost."

"A woman?" You've lost your mind. First the Crane and now..."

"Shh..." Hiroru gestured suddenly. "she comes."

"Who? bah!" Ginawa dropped to the ground, squatting and peering up through the rain. "Useless. This is all useless."

"She is coming." Hiroru said again, this time more loudly. "get up, you fool."

The wind storm rocked the trees, and leaves fell to the ground in brown, wet clumps. The bitter cold cut through their clothing, sharp tongues of ice.

"You wanted to see my ally, Ginawa-san." Hiroru's voice spoke of respect and a strange awe that Ginawa had never seen in his arrogant friend. Ginawa looked up, annoyed, and saw movement in the trees. The darkness was intense, unreal, and for a moment, the clouds parted and Ginawa caught a glimpse of starlight.

A woman stepped into the clearing. The samurai leapt to his feet, drawing his sword in an instant, the blade humming with eagerness.

"What is she?" Ginawa hissed, staring.

The woman was dressed in simple robes, her face clear and young. Despite the fierce storm and thick clouds of rain, she seemed unharmed by the elements, and her long black hair hung undisturbed be the reckless wind. She turned to face the ronin, calm and peaceful, and he stepped back, unsure.

Her eyes were filled with the light of a thousand stars.

"Kaede..." the ninja whispered.

"Be at peace, Lion." She raised one hand, "For I cannot stay long. The Oracle... still calls. I have not learned all I must." Her head turned to the side, listening to voices in the wind. "I know what you are looking for. There is a man, a Dragon-man, whom you must seek. One who knows much of the shadow-walkers. He alone has the answers you must find. He alone can tell you of those who hold the Emperor in their grasp..."

"Then Toturi isn't dead?" Ginawa interrupted.

"No, not dead." She whispered, but her voice was as loud as thunder. "Though he may soon wish to be."

"His name. Kaede...his name." Hiroru's stepped closer, as her voice began to fade. "How will we know this man?"

As she spoke, her body began turning to stars,drifting first one, then many, and then vanishing into the wind. "Know him by his face..."

"His face?"

"His face has not yet vanished..."

And with that, and a thundered warning from the storm, she was gone...