The Day of Thunder

Makime stood at the fire, despite the events of yesterday the dreams of the night before had done something to lighten her mood. She suspected the first meeting of the day was going to be unpleasant. And she knew the second one was if that foolish Dragon boy was still clinging to the traitor like a scared child to its mother.

She picked up a bit of firewood and tossed it in. Watching the flames spark higher briefly as the whole mass of already burning wood shifted under the new weight.

Sora approached at a species of easy saunter... and not alone.

He strongly suspected that the meeting was going to be vigorously unpleasant for all concerned, but probably better than the consequences of letting matters drift.

He just hoped that the Makime daimyo had not forgotten how to count.

Kumori walked alongside Sora into the camp early that morning.

Her thoughts flowed this way and that as they often did… but she was confident things would flow in the proper way.

"I would tell you the information we gathered, but I suspect you know part of it given what Ryoshun Nao told me yesterday." Makime didn't turn around, her eyes on the fire. "The traitor's life is now forfeit. It lasts until her usefulness is at an end. I will see justice done, My Lord's way of Honor demands no less of me." There was a stress on the 'My Lord', a clear reminder she was ultimately Akodo's creature.

Everything about this woman screamed distrust and disrespect towards her and Sora.

The image of her own mother easily slid over the tied up brown hair that wouldn’t even look at them as she spoke. The words were the same words she would speak… the attitude the same.

Kumori nodded… though Makime was unable to see due to her posture.

“An empire without justice isn’t the empire we have. I am the daughter of Shiba… to whom your lord swears undying and eternal fealty. I was birthed by Jiyo the Lawgiver whose laws hold jurisdiction in this part of the realm. The Emperor’s own brother was not exempted from the error of endangering the empire and its citizens.”

She paused, “Neither will this woman be exempted from the demands of justice. Nor anyone… high or low.”

"While we're ont he subject of justice and fealty, Lady Makime, I'm somewhat amused that you only deign to contact representatives of the Imperial Families with information you know we already have. After all, in this land claimed by no Clan, Lord Akodo's jurisdiction in matters of law does not extend. But let that pass for now, while we discuss the timing of things."

He paused.

"And some information I have from her own lips. She claims to have only a single knowing co-conspirator in this village, and has offered to try to talk them down from completing the path they began. We should permit the attempt, because I don't know if you've noticed, but we're heavily outnumbered here. The other villagers follow her loyally, but are unaware of what she was going to enact- to move openly against her before we have improved our own standing with them would invite a bloodbath we can ill afford. Unless you think these people trust any of us more than they do her? So. We need her for the time being. We agree on that. She needs to be watched closely. We agree on that. She needs to face justice. We agree on that. The traits that let Wu Zhe make a liaison the villagers would actually speak to make him incredibly ill-suited to standing a meaningful guard on her. We agree on that."

He glanced at Kumori.

"There are some I would trust to do what is required in the event of further betrayal. We will keep one of them close to her at all times. But we cannot move on her in force- not without turning the entire village against us. And that would defeat Shinsei's purpose in bringing us here. He would not have cautioned us to form bonds and avoid paranoia if the villagers had no part to play on our side of what will happen here soon. If you've read the ritual and know what she intended, then you know that their deaths in this place will only serve our enemy. So. We proceed with caution. But we proceed."

Makime remained with her back to them, "My fealty is to Lord Akodo and through him the Emperor. I do not owe any to the Imperial Babysitter and his ward, daughter of the Emperor or not. My authority here is from consensus of my fellow daimyo. As for the information. I was in the process of compiling it when Nao burst in with word of the Chouri's true nature. I had suspected she was complicit in some manner of treachery but to be so directly tied to the enemy. At which point it largely is moot. The only further I believe I can add is that the shugenja present are pouring over the ritual to fully understand it. And the existence of a corrupted jade mine that seems to be the source of the rivers unnatural power."

Another bit of firewood, "The traitor is a rotten tree and from a rotten tree only rancid fruit. Anything she says is suspect. And I care very little for the opinions of these fools who listened to her sickeningly sweet lies, including the one currently bedding her."

"But we are left having to postpone justice for the sake of saving the realm." She crossed her arms. "But it is merely postponed."

"Your disrespect for the Princess Kumori is noted, Lady Makime. But as you say, justice is being postponed for the good of the realm."

"And Chouri will suffer the consequences of betrayal." Makime added, turning around to look at the two, her stony expression wasn't particularly pleasant. "As will any others who sided with the forces of Jigoku against the realm of mortals. If Imperial justice brings collective punishment on the Crab for its crimes and allows this woman to walk free. Then Imperial justice is a lie."

"I'm sorry, Makime, did I stutter? Did either of us say she wouldn't?"

He leaned closer to her. Smiled.

"Because I thought we had been quite clear on the subject."

"Then we proceed with whatever may come." Makime turned back to the fire and tossed another piece in. "We tracked Shinsei to the shrine. I have it under watch and Anjing is going to try and bring the fool out. I have no love for Shinsei but he isn't a fool or a willing traitor. Still...I told Anjing we can not risk the lives of our own to save his nor allow him in his present maddened state to interfere, if it comes to it then he dies. Beyond that we have warded the camp to protect ourselves from further attacks by the shadows."

"For now we are left waiting for the shugenja to work out how to use the ritual."

"Good. Anjing and I may not be friends, but I trust her to handle a fight if one comes up, and to get her people out alive. And Nozomi and I have discussed what happens if we can't save Shinsei."

"Nozomi is his disciple? And the other fellow he nearly killed." Makime stood there eyes on the fire, "Do either of them know whatever vital information I am sure Shinsei has kept back? About the Thunders? That remains the biggest missing piece in all this."

"I believe Nozomi might be able to replicate the process with the aid of my eye, should it become necessary. Twenty years ago it was a sort of mystical perception that he employed to select the four of us who went with Hantei. It was knowledge used in the moment, not a list he'd had saved during our trek down there. I don't know everything he taught her, but I know that he taught her a great deal."

"I am not thrilled with any of this, but when can the process begin?" Makime clasped her hands behind her back, "I have an unsettling feeling that everything is coming to a head very soon. And we are stumbling to even be halfway prepared."

“Perhaps we stumble blindly because you refuse the light of the Heavens in your efforts…” Kumori said calmly.

“I know your Lord… I know of his respect for the Heavens… I know his Loyalty, and Courage, and Duty, and all of it… And I know from where it comes.” She said.

“This fight is to be led by those who live on the realm of humans… But they do not have to fight alone. If you derive your authority only from yourselves and willfully reject what the Heavens can offer… We stand alone.”

She shakes her head slightly, “I do not know why you are filled with such distrust and antipathy towards me and my family name… I do not care about your insults… for they are made in the dark with no knowledge of who or what I am.”

She looked at her intently, “So I will tell you what you need to know about who I am… I am Shiba. I bear the authority of the Heavens. The Heavens chose us to lead. I bring with me its power and support. I do not come to lord over you… to deny you… or dismiss you… or take anything from you at all. I come to unite… to uplift… to strengthen… to embolden the people of this world so that we can defeat the evil that besets it.”

She came around to stand in front of Makime and then lowered herself to be at the same height.

“I ask you to trust us… We both have tasks assigned to us.. our own Duty. They do not stand at ends with one another. Let us do our part and you do your part. Don’t shut out the power of the Heavens… Or you will find another power waiting to consume you.”

She stood upright, “So… when does the process begin? When you allow it to begin. We will not force your choices… We stand ready to help whenever you are ready to trust us.”

Makime raised an eyebrow at this, "You are a Shiba, one of several daughters and not even the heir. Like my daughter Ayano is a Makime. Power was not gifted to her fiat because I gave birth to her. Nor had she the right to demand or order my appointed officers and lords by virtue of being my heir. Those things I entrusted to her when I felt she was ready to take them on."

She does not flinch, "You see insult and distrust were there is none. I made a statement of fact: neither of you are owed my fealty, unless you mean to tell me your father appointed you General over his armies. In which case you need simply have asked and shown the badge of office or convinced the other daimyo of that fact, then I would have surrendered command. Though I would wonder why you shirked the duty to a mere subordinate you find so distasteful such as myself. Or was Sora's fumbling attempt to put me over those who are my equal purely of his own doing."

"You were never bared from council. Sora attended at least the first. I would have only objected if you had pushed into the initial private meeting were I spoke to my fellow daimyo. And I took your apparent desire to not seek any of us out as a sign you did not wish to provide input into the decisions being made. You seem to believe it because I did not seek you out to daily tell you the many mundane decisions of command or the small tedious increments that were made in the investigations that I slighted you."

"And further we have buried the matter. Replace me if you want or don't, I can have someone find the others if you wish to make the case. Otherwise we are having a discussion on saving your father's empire and the part we are stuck having to play."

Kumori stood firm.

“Like I said… It your choice. I know who I am and why I am here. You can choose to accept the help or deny it… I will fight for the Empire either way.”

She shrugged, “I do not find you distasteful… I do not offer insult… Or call you a ‘fool’ as you called me. I speak to you as one person to another. Not as someone beneath me… I have respected you and the others from the beginning; I have not imposed myself where I was not wanted. And you have returned that respect with disrespect and doubt… Your posture now shows this disrespect… and your judgement of my character shows the doubt you hold in your heart.”

She continued after a brief moment, “I view the role of leadership as one of service. I will continue to serve… And I will continue to advise you to open yourself to trusting the Heavens. To believing in that which you do not have expertise. To accept strength when it will avail you.”

She turned to leave, “I trust the rest to Sora. He comes in the name of my father and has my support. I do not know why you would want to deny us our role… But I promise that Sora and my family will do our Duty. Those who stand with the realm are welcome to join.”


/Kumori makes an exit

"If the young Princess continues to demand I defer to her status as a child of the Emperor," Makime rubbed her temple, it was too early in the morning for this, "Then my first duty is protecting a beloved daughter of our sovereign is it not, and as such would be required to place her under protective care in a well guarded and warded area. Someone may wish to remind her of that. And that such an opinion is likely held by the other daimyo."

"You really are exceptionally good at giving me a headache." She lets out a sigh, "We have an idea of what the ritual does, and hope that our own can weed out any of the Harbinger's influence in it. And yes even if the traitor is completely sincere, we both know Jigoku lies and deceives, all the more so to its puppets."

The Lioness turned to Sora, "But what of the Thunders? Do we have any idea what role they play?"

Sora watched as Kumori handled the situation far better than he would have done- her father's daughter, thank the Fortunes- then cocked his head at Makime.

"You know, it's the clenching of your jaw like that that's giving you the headache. As far as Thunders and their role? I think you're going grind your teeth some more, because I hate it and I have far more experience with spiritual matters."

He took a breath.

"It's an essentially arbitrary situation defying all rational logic, but one representative of each Clan will fight in the final battle with Jigoku's Champion. That is their role. Whether they're actually warriors or not. And while this is highly speculative on my part, based upon the last time something like this happened, it won't even be the most skilled or deadly of each Clan, but rather those who best embody desired traits."

He gave a grimace that would equal Makime's worst.

"The only solace I draw is that we're contesting with a demon fixated upon dreams, so inner qualities will matter more. The easy part is knowing who, according to the prophecy, will not be doing that."