Fleeing Shadows (Semi-closed RP)

[Shosuro Honzo]

[OOC-This thread splits off of "Down the Imperial Road to Nowhere". Shosuro Honzo, the Shosuro daimyo, in disguise as an elite guard and his yojimbo are fleeing the city of Ryoko Owari with Utaku Mai, a Unicorn Battle Maiden who, up until recently, was the hostage of the ronin and maho-tsukai Shoju. If you wish to join this thread, pm me and explain exactly how you wish to be a part and wait for my permission to post. Utaku Mai will be the first to post here on this thread. This is purely for story explanation purposes and to establish the thread]

[Utaku Mai]

Mai could not help but feel like the current circumstances she found herself in were not exactly an improvement to her former situation.

She had raised her blade in final defiance to the tsukai Shoju, only moments before the Shosuro's poison had finally taken hold in her. Her arms had turned to lead, her legs to rubber, and her tongue had seemed to swell in her mouth until there was nothing about her own body she had any real control over.

Such a feeling was was starting to become frighteningly common.

They took her into the narrow passageway, and into the underground tunnel. Mai's skin began to crawl as they crossed the last threshold. Tears began to fall silently from eyes that tried desperately to shut out the cold, confining presence of the walls around her. Her body began to shake in a way not exactly attributable to the poison, and cold sweat began to permeate the layers of her clothing and armor. With no other recourse Mai could only retreat into her own mind, but that proved to be a poor sanctuary. She could only think of the impossible battle against Shoju, the display of power that, Mai now realized, she was completely unmatched against. She thought on her promise not to fight, given under duress but finally broken in a final fit of desperation to save what was precious to her. She thought of Sojiro, of the dangers he was likely facing to obtain Shoju's bloodsword, of the cost he might still have to pay if Mai couldn't reach him in time.

After so many hours in the winding tunnels, the confinement, the claustrophobia, the bouncing of the guard carrying her, and the thoughts running through her head became too much for her to handle. Feeling the rush in her belly, the metallic taste in her mouth, Mai gave a tonal groan from her throat in a vain effort to warn the guard before she began to retch uncontrollably on the dirt floor. His training, or perhaps simply his experience with poison victims, allowed him to react before Mai could cause any additional shame to herself or him. Within a moment she was on her side facing a stone wall, the guard holding her head in an attempt to help give her some stability for what was coming.

The first inklings that the poison was finally starting to run its course was the instinctual convulsions moving through her whole body as she tried to purge herself, though she still had no ability to brace her muscles against the onslaught or even move her hand to wipe the bile from her face. After the long, painful moments and dry heaves, the sickness in her could finally subside to a somewhat manageable level.

She looked around with alert eyes to the guards, finding the officer who seemed to be in charge. She still couldn't speak, but her lips tried to form the words. Water...please...

Her cheeks flushed with the humiliation of the whole thing. She hated being so helpless, so degraded.

[Shosuro Honzo]

In the gloom of the cavern, the Utaku was a pitiful sight. No dignity left to her, her body expelled toxins that had flooded her system and immobilized her body. Deep beneath the City of Lies, Utaku Mai was safe from a public display that was degrading. It was a sad sight that even the Master of Shadows felt compelled to turn away from, if only to save face.

Her mouth still dripping her bile and stomach contents, she formed words that still could not be voiced. Honzo studied her, appraising the effects of the poison, taking mental notes. She begged for water, but he had none to give her at the moment. Their flight from the audience chamber was fleet; no time to bring provisions with them. Fortunately, Honzo's agents had the boat fully stocked with everything they would need. It was not far now.

"I'm sorry, you will have to wait a little while longer for something to drink. Don't worry Mai-san, I will take care of you. You are safe from that monster now." Honzo whispered the words in her ear. He didn't trust that they were not followed by Shoju yet. His twin was strong in his communion with the kami, but the monster was powerful and Fortunes only knew just what had happened above. Discretion and secrecy and stealth were the best things at the moment.

Honzo signaled to his yojimbo that they had to move. The yojimbo nodded and helped to haul Mai onto his shoulder again. With a swift but careful speed, the two Scorpions and the Utaku battlemaiden made their way down, down, down the long and twisting paths, secret doors and tunnels that made up the labrynth beneath the City of Lies. Carved by hand over the centuries, the secret tunnels ran through the Scorpion provinces to numerous places. In such ways, the Scorpion could move swiftly and secretly to areas without the need for travel papers or the risk of encounters with wandering patrols.

A half a day's journey passed before the trio finally made it to the boat. An underground river, deep beneath the surface, ran with a silent but swift current. The small boat could hold five, but their need for provisions meant that the extra space was only for supplies. Their smaller numbers would also speed their voyage. In the darkness, Honzo finally sought to shed light to their situation. He produced a small figurine of a butterfly from the boat. Whispering a word of power, the figurine glowed with a soft blue light. Now they would be able to see perfectly in the tunnels. Honzo and his yojimbo averted their eyes from the glow so as not to ruin their night vision, but used the ambient light to guide their way.

'Here we go," Honzo declared, untying the ropes that held the small vessel to the shore. Both he and his yojimbo grabbed oars and began to row. The current sped their progress and soon they were drifting smoothly along the waters to their destination, Shiro no Shosuro.

[Utaku Mai]

Mai's eyes flashed angrily at the officer's utterance of the word "safe" -- safe seemed the exact opposite of what she felt right now -- but her sharp-tongued response could go no farther than the corners of her own mind. Her fists balled up in frustration, an action that indicated that the poison's hold on her limbs was finally loosening. She spent the next several hours reacquainting herself with her fingertips, her fists, and wrists as she was carried, so that when they reached the underground river and provisions, she could manage, with some effort, to cup her hands to receive the long-awaited-for water. She even managed a raspy "Thank you" after cleaning her mouth and face.

Walking was another matter entirely. She could balance herself somewhat on her own two feet, but putting one in front of the other still proved highly taxing. She moved her hands to try to remove the armor that was weighing her down, but still had trouble with fine manual dexterity. She convinced one of the guards to help her, the same one who complained about carrying her form earlier, and with his help, managed to put everything into a compact bundle. One firey look at the guard was enough to convince him that Mai was not going to let it get left behind, and he dutifully held it for the rest of the journey.

With some support from the guard, Mai took some shaking steps toward the boat and settled into a sitting position, her head resting on arms folded over her knees, huddling into herself as if trying to keep the darkness at bay. The magical light produced illuminated the cavern, but only made Mai feel more anxious at the thought of being in such a confining place. The anxiety became obvious to everyone else in the boat -- her breathing quickened, and she began to shiver in a cold sweat. Mai tried to regain control over herself, to fight it off, but she simply couldn't. The awkward silence began to press in on her as much as everything else, and after a moment, she managed to speak through nearly clenched teeth.

"Shosuro-san, please...I need some kind of distraction...please tell me something of yourself...I can't sit in silence on top of everything else."

[Shosuro Honzo]

The trip down the river was blissfully uneventful and peaceful. Their progress was quickened by the strong current and the small blue glow emanating from the butterfly figurine gave a tranquil twilight to the cavern.

The poison was metabolising a lot faster than Kotaro-san had estimated. The Utaku was a hardy woman, it seemed. His mental calculations and notes continued to pile up about the poison called 'Sleeping Viper'. It's applications were near limitless, but the efffects would need to be re-adjusted in their potency depending on the target. More to discuss with the Master of Poisons at another time.

Mai had begged Honzo to speak, to distract her from the small confines and gloom of the underground tunnel. Honzo could see she was quite uneasy in tight places, but from where this phobia came from, he could not say. As a tradition, the Unicorn rode the plains in wide open spaces. For her to experience some sort of trauma that led her to manifest such a terrible claustrophobia, was testament to the fact that Mai had suffered some calamity to bring about the undesirable effect.

Honzo kept his voice low, practically a whisper as he took oar to the water in a soothing rhythm. "I understand your concerns, Mai-san. But it is probably for the best if we keep as silent as the shadows in this place. We may not be alone here. This place is old. Very old. And although my Clan uses tunnels and passages such as these, the underground river which we travel on is natural, and older than the Empire. There are stories amongst my family of things hidden down here. Things that even the most courageous samurai would be hard put to face. Forgive me if I seem less than pleasant. I only mean to pass to my home in silence, so as to secure our safe passage. After we arrive, there will be plenty of time for conversation."

Mai bit her lip in frustration and anger. She tried to bunch her hands into fists, but her fingers were still clumsy and her hands simply felt limp and cold. The poison cycled in random ways. She had been able to move her hands minutes earlier, but now they were lifeless. It seemed that the venom was not done with her just yet.

The other guard, the big man sitting towards the rear of the skiff was of no help either. The burly samurai, still decked out in his armor said nothing and refused to all but look at her. He was still slightly embarassed about his comments he made about her earlier and had been unable thus far to come up with a suitable apology.

Fortunately for Mai, when the first day of their journey was beginning to come to a close, the tunnel opened up into a vast underground chamber. The ceiling of the cave rose up too high for them to see, leaving only an inky blackness above. Likewise, the water was dark and burbled along the shore where small ledges of rock jutted from the walls of the enormous chamber.

"We'll make camp here tonight", the Scorpion officer said to Mai and the big man. After piloting the skiff towards the right side shore, it took them several minutes to reach an area that revealed a small, natural dock. An old iron post with a length of silken rope had been hammered into the bedrock to act as an anchor for any vessels that the Scorpion used to ply the waters on their secret missions. It was this that the Scorpion officer aimed for and leapt out nimbly onto the rock before tying their vessel securely to the post.

With a few hand signals sent by the officer, the big Scorpion nodded and drew his steel. Mai looked worried for a moment, wondering what was going on. Honzo saw the look on her face. 'Just a precaution, my dear. I just want to ensure that our campsite is secure is all."

The big man returned shortly, sheathing his katana. He sent some hand signals to his master. Honzo nodded and smiled under his mask as he looked at Mai. "So far, so good."

Mai still did not feel 'good', but kept this opinion to herself. She was regaining control over her hands again, but her lower lip felt puffy and slack. Also, her lower back and tailbone tingled and her legs felt like jelly. She could still move them, but she felt that if she were to try to stand, she would not make it. She was beginning to hate the Shosuro daimyo for poisoning her. It had been that bastard that had laced their food and tea with that damnable venom. She felt her anger burning in her gut. She would certainly 'thank' the Shosuro later for her current state.

"Do we risk a fire, sir?" the big man asked.

"I'd like to say no, but for the moment I think it is safe enough for now. It may also keep anything else in the cavern at bay. The light and heat may be anathema to them."

The big man set about, rummaging in the boat for suitable fire-making materials. The cavern was devoid of wood, but there was a box made of pine in the bottom of the skiff that held foodstuffs. This was emptied to free up the wood, to which the big man smashed the box upon the rock to make kindling. He also tore strips from a couple kimono that had been packed. Mai saw they were courtly kimono and richly embroidered. The large samurai was shredding the fine, exquisite silk as if it were some cheap rags, but any fool could see that the silks were very expensive. She supposed that if Shoju caught them it wouldn't matter if they were dressed well or not. Dead was dead.

In a few minutes, the big guard had a small but suitable fire blazing in the gloom of the cavern. They took the time to cook a small fare of dried fish, rice rations and tea, boiled in a small cooking pot stowed amongst the supplies of the boat. They ate in silence, with the two Scorpion keeping their backs to the fire to keep their night vision keen, while Mai struggled to feed herself. Her chopsticks fumbled in her hands numerous times, and her lower lip, still awkward from the poison, made her spill her food and drink from her mouth enough to embarass her. The two Scorpion bushi ignored her, allowing her to save face in such an awkward moment. It was for the best, she assumed, that the two men did not fault her for lord's actions.

When the meal was finished, Honzo suggested that they rest for a few hours. "We'll take shifts. Mai, get some rest. It will be better for you to sleep off the effects of the poison. We shall guard you while you sleep. Do not fear anything or let nightmares concern you. Nothing will harm you under our watch, I swear it."

[Utaku Mai]

Mai was amazed at how dark everything was. Even on the darkest nights on the plains, there were at least stars to give some sense of perspective. Here it was just...nothing. They could be walking straight into the Festering Pit itself for all she could see in any direction.

She looked warily at the offering of food, and could not find much appetite even if she could manage to hold her chopsticks. Everyone seemed to eat from the same pot, and no one seemed to slip anything special in Mai's bowl, but Mai couldn't help feeling like she could never be sure. Next time I'm in Scorpion lands, I'm only eating from my own rations, she thought irritably.

Her eyes lit up as the supplies were unpacked and the stock of everything finally given. Sojiro's wakizashi, that she had relinquished to the guards on arrival, happened to be one of the few objects taken in the rush from the governor's mansion. She reached out toward it, and held it close to her in her right hand, her other clutching some kind of charm around her neck. For the first time Mai seemed to find some measure of comfort in her surroundings, though she could not completely shake an inner fear within her. She laid the blade beside her bed roll, within easy grasp should it prove necessary, even though the thought of her being combat ready in her present state seemed laughable. Her ears perked up at the Shosuro's words, and she addressed him seriously.

"Don't make promises you can't keep, Scorpion-san. If there is still danger then there's no oath that can prevent the worst from happening. In which case your word will be worth no more than..."

Her voice trailed off somewhat for a moment, and her eyes cast themselves downwards. "...no more than my own."

Her honor...a thing that until now Mai had put significant value upon. What was it worth now, here in the darkness and nothing?

She laid her head down with these final thoughts. She began to feel a rush of pins and needles through her arms and legs that seemed to signify a final, painful return of her feeling and circulation. Neither her body nor her mind, it seemed, would allow her much rest this evening.

[Shosuro Honzo]

The Master of Shadows watched as Mai lay her head down to rest. Her words almost made him lose his temper. His promises were one thing that Honzo prided himself on. If he made an oath, he honored it. There was not much else that Honzo felt was worthy of honor. Honor was one tenet of Bushido that Honzo ignored most often. Honor got good samurai killed for little benefit. He did not see the good of honor, most of the time.

But when it came to his promise, his word, that was another matter. If a samurai's word could not be trusted, what use for him is left? Lies were a currency that Honzo dealt in spades, but there were lies and then there were solemn promises.

For Mai to question his oath, his word, was an insult of the gravest sort. Thus far, he had treated her as gently as possible. Her forced incapacitation, it seemed, had unnerved her to her core and brought out an irritability in her that bordered on repulsive. It was not an attractive quality in the battlemaiden.

Honzo knew much about irritability in women. His own wife, a Doji from the accursed Crane Clan, was one such woman. A marriage not made of love, to be sure, he married Katsumi in order to infiltrate the Crane at will. He had learnt much in his time visiting the Crane lands, and many of his plots against the Crane were only possible due to his ties to Katsumi. His wife, and her Clan were none the wiser, and it would stay that way. If it were to come to pass that Katsumi ever discovered Honzo's plots, there would come a time soon afterwards in which his wife would suddenly fall ill and never recover.

The Master of Shadows took the first watch. He was not tired. He was worried about Honsou. He had not received a message from his brother, a message that would tell him that everything was okay and that Shoju was either captured or his body destroyed or that he had fled. There was nothing, and it filled Honzo with a cold dread that was sobering. He would find no rest now.

His yojimbo accepted his master's offer of taking the first watch. Within moments, the big man's snoring could be heard. Both he and Mai were fast asleep. Honzo waited for several more minutes before he decided to move.

Honzo stripped down. He took off his armor, his kimono and his mask. Bare from head to toe, none would see his true self. He padded silently to the edge of the water and slipped ever so slowly beneath the surface. The cold leeched the warmth from him so suddenly that he barely resisted hissing out his shock. He sucked on his teeth instead and balled up his fists. It was so unnatural to have nothing hiding his true face. There were not many opportunities for him to just be free from hiding his identity, but he had a purpose in doing so.

Slowly taking a deep breath, he sunk beneath the water. From his many journeys down here, he had discovered many hidden caves and places hidden from the eyes of the Empire. He didn't need the light to know where he was going. He had made this descent numerous times and he knew exactly how long and how far he would have to swim before he would come upon the hidden subterranean chamber.

When he breached the surface, he sucked in a lungful of cool, crisp air. He gripped the rock with his hands that shook from the intense cold and hauled himself out of the water. Through mental exercise and discipline, he kept his shivering form from going into hypothermia. Within moments, he had his heart pounding, sending blood throughout his body and gradually becoming warmer.

He walked through the pitch blackness several paces, turned to his left, forward five more paces, turned to his right, six paces, turned left and stopped. Kneeling, his hand found a jutting piece of stone. Pressing down on the stone, a grounding, grinding sound filled the small chamber. The two sleeping samurai above would hear nothing. Reaching into the hidden cache he brought forth what he sought.

When he returned, he was not surprised to see the two samurai sleeping soundly still. He had only been gone a total of fifteen minutes and was both unheard and unseen. Mai had her back turned toward him, which made it safe for him to emerge once again with his face bared.

Unwrapping the package from its waterproof container, he quickly pulled out the contents. Everything was as it should have been and he quickly donned the clothes that were in it. With his true mask on now, he pulled on his shinobi garb. Ninjato, shuriken and kusari-gama, his weapons of choice, were tucked in to his obi and several concealed pockets. His soft soled shoes made the man's steps silent. When all of his tools were in place, he moved to the farthest reaches of the shore to the northern wall of solid rock.

Pressing on the wall, he finally found purchase on the hidden pressure release. A rope ladder dropped from the inky blackness above. Honzo sprinted and jumped, grabbing the rope ladder that dangled several feet off the ground. With expert moves, he stealthily ascended the ladder to the top of the gloomy chamber, far above.

When he reached the circular hole in the roof of the chamber, he pulled himself through. A small, circular room, dimly lit by a scarlet paper lantern hanging from an iron hook embedded in the rock wall. A door was carved into one wall, made of bamboo slats that could slide into the rock on a track. Honzo opened this door now.

Inside, a Scorpion samurai in a black kimono waited. His mask was a simple silk screen across his nose and mouth, embroidered with a scarlet scorpion mon over the lips. Honzo addressed him now. "Get down below and dress in the guard's uniform. When Omura wakes, give him the signal to indicate the switch."

"Hai, Master. It is good to see you again." the shinobi responded. He stripped naked and removed his mask. He dropped through the hole in the floor, slipping down the rope ladder silently. When Honzo felt two tugs on the rope, he hauled it up and stowed it back on the release mechanism built into the rock, ready for use for another time.

Going back into the hidden room, he pulled up the tatami mat that the shinobi had been sitting on. Underneath, carved into the rock was a circle, inscribed with symbols and kanji. Honzo stood in the center and spoke several words of power. He waited a moment, and the circle began to glow. From somewhere far away, another circle would be glowing as well.

When the circle strobed three times, Honzo knew that the shugenja on the other side was ready to cast the appropriate ritual. Honzo spoke several more words, coded to ensure proper communication. On the otehr side, the circle strobed several times, passing the message. The circle on Honzo's side began to glow brighter and brighter. Honzo knelt in the circle and felt the dislocation from the teleportation spell being channeled through the circle.

When he opened his eyes, he saw the shugenja standing before him, breathing heavily."Welcome...home...Master", the priest said, his energy taxed from the ritual. He slumped onto a large, overstuffed cushion.

"Hai, good to see you too old friend. When you recover, prepare our best suite of rooms for our guest."

[Utaku Mai]

Between the environment and her own thoughts, Mai slept fitfully, waking often at a perceived sound or sight. After a few hours she gave up, and addressed the guard on what must have been the second watch.

"We should wake the other and make ready to leave, Shosuro-san. I'm sure we'll all rest easier once we get to wherever it is we're going. I'm certainly not going to get any more rest in this kami-forsaken hell hole."

While they made a hasty meal and began to clean up the makeshift camp, Mai began to test out the limits of her body now that the poison had mostly worked its way out of her system. She slowly lifted herself to a standing position, her limbs still heavy, but at least obedient to her mind's desires. She fought off a feeling of sudden lightheadedness, clenched down her jaw until she was convinced her teeth would break, and began taking a few slow, deliberate steps forward. Her muscles burned as if she had run for an entire day up a mountain, and sweat began to bead on her forehead, but between her unicorn constitution and her own firey will, she managed to move of her own accord.

The guard on watch observed this display intently, waiting for the inevitable stumble, but it never came. Instead, Mai was able to move to a nearby outcropping of rock and sit down heavily, trembling slightly as she rested her head in her crossed arms, breathing deeply for several minutes. It's hard, but not impossible, she thought, a feeling of triumph slowly coming into her person. And from here, surely, it can only get easier.

"If you happen to have some kind of antidote to whatever it is your daimyo gave me, it's far past time to offer it. I'm not going to try to escape -- I haven't the slightest clue of where we even are, and I have no desire to die wandering around trying to find out -- but if you don't have anything that can help me recover at least some of my full strength..."

She paused to take another deep breath, winded slightly from the speech, "...if you can't give me something, I'll need someone to support me as I walk. It'll be slow, but not so slow as being carried like a sack of rice."

She looked at the guard who had complained about the burden yesterday, and despite everything, she managed to smile slightly at the sheer absurdity of the situation. It certainly wasn't worth blaming him for Mai's condition -- he was simply following his orders. Now that the worst was behind her, Mai was fare more willing to allow herself some feelings of compassion, even toward these scorpion guards.

"It'll be safer as well as faster, since you'll both be in a better position to face any threat we might still face."

Mai stood up again, somewhat awkwardly but nonetheless of her own power. "Let's go."

[Shosuro Honzo]

The Scorpion officer heard Mai's plea for an antidote. Sadly he had none to offer. Sleeping Viper by its very nature was a non-lethal substance and as such an antidote was rarely ever given for such things. The Shosuro poisoners spent their talents creating counter-acting agents for the most lethal of poisons. That way, the most efficient means of creating, sampling and testing each poison was created. To do so otherwise would seem a waste of talent, time and hard work.

The Scorpion captain told Mai as much. Her disappointment showed on her face, which still sagged a portion of her mouth, giving her a truly queer countenance when she frowned. The captain's eyes alone were the only thing that smiled at her comical appearance. For to openly laugh at her would be to invite trouble and he didn't need an irritable Unicorn battlemaiden in his presence.

"We must go the rest of the way to our destination now. Walking won't be necessary."

Mai was confused as to how they were going to take the skiff further. The large, cavernous chamber that they found themselves in seemed to have only one entrance and exit, which was they way they'd come. She decided to play it on faith, as she was a stranger here and the Scorpion seemed to be at home. The big man readied their supplies and pushed off the shoreline. Between the two Scorpion elite guard, they began to paddle out onto the water and into the gloom beyond.

The soft blue glow from the butterfly numeranai lit their way once more, but its radiance was limited in range. Mai could only see a few meters out before utter blackness consumed the rest of the vista. A chill ran in the air and Mai was not entirely sure it was due to the temperature of the cavern.

When they had paddled for awhile, the captain announced they had reached the next destination. Mai could not see what he was talking about but did not press him for details. Within a few moments, the large lake came to a small inlet, where the big man splashed out of the boat and dragged the skiff up onto the shore with the other two samurai still inside. The feat of strength was impressive, Mai had to admit.

The big Scorpion bushi walked over to the rock wall and began to feel the stone with his hand. When he came to a seemingly normal part of the wall, he dug his fingers into a small cleft in the rock. Grunting a bit, he squeezed his hand further inside. Another moment passed and finally the big man shouted with elation as he found what his hand sought to purchase. With a supreme effort and a large tug, Mai heard a large grinding noise of stone upon stone.

Water began rushing away from the shoreline. The captain yelled at the big man to hurry and within heartbeats the large bushi shoved their boat back into the water. The two Scorpion paddled quickly to the terminus of the inlet, where the water was sinking fast. Their skiff drooped with the outgoing tide of water and soon Mai began to see why.

A large portal, just big enough to allow the skiff and its passengers had ground open beneath the surface. When it had opened, the water began to rush through the newly opened tunnel. If any vessel were to attempt to pass into the tunnel, only a limited amount of time was available before the tunnel flooded completely.

The skiff rushed towards the portal. The captain urged the big man to paddle harder, as the rush of water began to rise around them. Within moments, the trio was soaked. Mai was even forced to take a small bucket that was in the bottom of the skiff to bail out some of the water that was splashing over them. Just as the skiff passed through the portal, the captain reached his bamboo oar above his head ever so slightly. Mai heard a hard knock, as the oar struck something.

The sound of metal chains echoed off the walls of the tunnel even as they sped down the tunnel, powered by the rush of water. Mai heard the sound of grinding stone once more and a large, dull booom as the portal shut behind them. Their progress through the tunnel did not slow, however as Mai saw other small holes in the walls as they sped along in the cerulean glow that gushed water in foaming white jets. The spray was what kept their skiff powering down the tunnel.

"Here is where it gets fun Utaku-san! Hang on tight!" The big man bellowed. He actually seemed to be enjoying himself as he put the oar into the bottom of the skiff beneath his knees and held onto the rails of the boat. Mai saw that the captain had done likewise, so she followed suit.

Mai wondered why the big man was holding on, his knuckles white from the tension. She did not have to wait long to find out as the tunnel took a sharp dive into utter blackness, the speed of the skiff denying the glowing butterfly to illluminate any details for Mai. All she saw was water and blackness. All she could feel was spray, cold wind and her stomach lurching into her throat as they plummeted.

Mai could not help but squeak out a little scream, until her meal from last night decided to leave her body in a most embarrassing manner. The only comical thing that followed was hearing the alarmed cry of the big bushi as Mai's lost dinner found him. The captain glanced back and laughed but quickly turned his head back towards the front of the boat.

The skiff splashed down in a torrent of water, soaking the trio a second time. The captain whooped in delight. The big man spluttered and was seen by Mai wiping his face of water and vomit. Mai looked apologetic, but the big man waved her off as if to say forget about it.

The Scorpion captain took out his oar once more. "From here we travel for another few hours and then we will be there!"

****************************************************
When the trio finally arrived to Shiro no Shosuro, it was not to fanfare, a hot bath and a finely cooked meal. Instead, what awaited Utaku Mai were an entire squadron of elite bushi with their swords drawn.

"Seize her... and take her to the dungeon." Came a siblilant and cruel voice. Mai had not seen who had spoken, but it came from the shadows just off to the right.

The big bushi and the captain, who had been her erstwhile companions over the last couple of days suddenly changed their demeanor. They now looked at her like she was an enemy. Before she could protest she found herself being grabbed by the big bushi. Even with most of her strength returned, she still lacked the power to escape his grip. The captain unsheathed his katana and held it to her throat. "Don't resist...please", the captain said, his eyes pleading with her.

[Utaku Mai]

"Oh, you cannot be serious..." Mai said, searching in vain for the figure behind the command. "How dare you treat me this way! I have been nothing but cooperative! I gave your daimyo the information he wanted willingly, at no small personal cost, and was promised that no harm would come to me, a promise given after I had been quite needlessly poisoned, I might add!"

She looked into the eyes of the bushi who had accompanied her for the last few days. He clearly didn't want to do this.

If they wanted to kill me, I'd be dead, she thought. That's the only advantage I have right now...

She went slack in the big bushi's arms, the sudden dead weight surprising him, perhaps thinking she was reacting to the remnants of poison in her system. The other guard's katana pulled back reflexively, giving Mai her one and only opening.

She brought her head up hard behind her, landing squarely in the big bushi's face. She heard a subtle crack indicating a broken nose. The surprising action was enough to loose the grip fully, and Mai went for the wakazashi that they had not yet bothered to confiscate. The gleaming blue steel managed to deflect the strike delivered by the other guardsman just in time, though Mai suspected it was only a moment's hesitation on his part that allowed her to avoid serious injury.

The rest of the guards would not be nearly so easy to take care of. Mai looked for a way out in vain. What exits there were were blocked by numerous scorpion bushi. She put herself in a defensive stance, and stared them all down with a fiery look in her eyes.

"I demand that you either tell me what is going on at once, or kill me where I stand! I have come too far and undergone too much, and I'm simply not in the mood to become someone's prisoner again."

[Shosuro Honzo]

The Scorpion stood there, weapons drawn. The Utaku battlemaiden's temper flared, but they did not shirk an inch. The big bushi cradled his nose as it fountained blood, his cheeks reddening from embarassment. The captain who lapsed in his duty quickly regained his composure. Mai had no way out, and she knew it. Shouting demands and holding a wakizashi against her captors would do little to aid her in her situation.

The sibilant, unseen voice returned. "You are now my esteemed guest, Utaku Mai. You have cost me greatly for that little stunt you pulled back in Ryoko Owari. To recompensate me, you will stay here until your Clan decides just how badly they want you back."

Mai could not pinpoint where her 'host' was. She demanded for them to come out and show themselves. The guards did not move, for they were not ordered to yet. They had been told to seize her, not kill her. As she had a weapon presently, they would have to disarm her first without hurting her. To damage their guest would invite political backlash. That simply was not an option.

"Drop your weapon Mai-san, and remit yourself to my custody. Failure to do so would be most unwise. I would have to resort to less than cordial means of securing you for your stay. If you cooperate now, I may choose to upgrade your status as my guest and let you stay in more 'hospitable' quarters. If not...well just cooperate to make things easy."

[Kakita Sojiro]

One day, I will learn my limits.

The ride had been hellish. While his lung had been healed, some of his ribs were still broken, and the bandages had only done so much to cushion the impact as he drove his horse on - a horse he had purchased from Ryoko Owari with most of what remained of his traveling money. Ignoring the Scorpion priest's protests, Saiko's admonishments, and his own body's unwillingness to cooperate, he had purchased the fastest horse he could with the funds he had and set out for Shiro Shosuro.

In the middle of winter.

With a surgical incision in his chest.

On the positive side, the cold wind numbed the pain from his healing cheek nicely. He was also in no physical shape to wear his armor - which was stowed in a pack slung from his saddle - so he didn't have to deal with being wrapped in frozen steel the entire ride.

On the negative side, he felt every single bump, jolt, stone, and dip in the snow covered road in his ribs. On top of this, the relief from his concussion had been temporary for the most part, and he was positive that he was running a fever now. The two combined to make the ride something of a blur. At a few points he had almost fallen asleep on his mount, staying awake only because the physical motion of slumping forward in the saddle produced an entirely new variety of pain from his ribs.

At last, he finally arrived at the gates of the city. As expected, they were closed and heavily guarded - Rokugan was in the middle of a war, after all. He gingerly reined in his new steed and, as loudly as his injured ribs would allow, announced his presence.

"I am Kakita Sojiro, Hatamoto and Karo of the Kakita family of the Crane clan, decorated veteran of the battle of Toshi Ranbo, and defender of the true emperor Hantei-dono. I am injured from facing a deadly foe of the Scorpion clan and have urgent personal business in Shiro Shosuro. I seek entrance to your city."

Confirming his identity wouldn't be difficult. Even if the guards didn't recognize his unique features from hear-say, the Crane and Kakita mon on his winter traveling clothes were plainly evident, to say nothing of the Kakita blade on his hip.

He wasn't aware of it, but his injured state was fairly obvious to anyone with eyes in their head, as well. Sojiro was pale. His eyes gleamed with what could only be fever, and his posture in the saddle revealed that something was definitely wrong with his right side. A less observant Scorpion - was there even such a thing? - would still be able to see the minor bloodstains on his clothes and the stitched wound on his left cheek.

The horse stood panting in the snow bearing it's rider, obviously tired and steaming from exertion. Sojiro's fevered eyes scanned the gates for activity, but a keen observer could see that he had trouble keeping them focused - his eyes almost seemed to swim in their sockets at certain points.

[Utaku Mai]

The voice was talking, but not attacking. Mai took this as a good sign. She spoke to a spot in the room that she thought the voice might be coming from, putting considerable effort into keeping the edge of anger and exhaustion out of her voice.

"I am deeply regretful about the life of the Master of Fire, Shosuro-san, more than I think you realize. I would like to make some recompense to his family, so far as such a thing is even possible, but a bureaucratic envoy to the clan leadership is not the way to go about doing it. The Unicorn are currently putting their resources into breaking a Dragon siege, and I can't think that a messenger bearing scorpion colors would do well to seek them out."

Mai thought back to her last interaction with the Unicorn clan champion, and her neck reddened slightly at the memory of the shame she had brought to herself so long ago. How likely was her daimyo to simply let her rot in the middle of Scorpion lands? she tried to shake the feeling away as she continued trying to negotiate.

"I am truly sorry for any unpleasantness caused in Ryoko Owari, but you'd do well to remember that the threat was not of my own making, but was caused by a member of your clan, one who had already caused considerable damage and sorrow to a township in the Unicorn provinces. So if you want to open up a dialogue of costs, my esteemed Scorpion, perhaps the emissaries in the Unicorn would be well served to start there."

Mai spoke with steeled courtesy, and immediately wondered where the inspired bit of rhetoric had come from. Perhaps I am more of a daughter of the Crane than I thought...or perhaps I've just lost my mind completely, going toe-to-toe with a Scorpion... Her blade was still held at the ready, as ridiculous as it seemed to everyone in the room, including herself. She hoped she was managing to be at least somewhat diplomatic, in spite of the current circumstances. Anything to keep her from being thrown behind bars would be a step up at this point.

"Throwing me in a dungeon will serve you very little, except to ensure a lifelong enemy of the Scorpion clan, and the end to any of the cultivated relations between your champion and the first clan of his wife. Is that worth putting a shiotome of no particular rank or importance in her place, in your mind?"

[Shosuro Honzo]

A grizzled looking sergeant appeared at the top of the gates into Shiro no Shosuro. His scarlet and black armor were polished to a high shine in the daylight and his yari looked battered and notched from much use but still quite deadly. His scowl at seeing the Crane kenshinzen was deep and made his mustaches droop.

"And what business do you have in my lord's city that is so pressing? Where are your travel papers, Kakita-san? What enemy of my Clan do you speak of? The Lion? The Crab? The Unicorn? Tell me true and loyal soldier of your urgency, for I know not who you are nor your intentions!"

A squad of archers appeared at the top of the walls. Garbed in ashigaru armor so as not to hinder their skills, they did not draw upon the Kakita swordsmen, but nocked an arrow and awaited orders.

The grizzled sergeant could see the injured state of the Crane samurai. When he heard Sojiro speak of his name brag of his reputation, the sergeant was unmoved. A truly mighty warrior, but in this war there were many spies. One could simply not just open the gates to anyone, lest he wish for a swift execution at the hands of his own Clan.

[Shosuro Honzo]

The mysterious voice in the room spoke from the shadows. "I have asked you to drop your weapon, shiotome. I have asked you to cooperate and not resist your detainment. I have even offered to place you in more suitable quarters rather than the dungeons. If I wanted you dead, you would already be so." The voice trailed off, as if the one who spoke was moving around the room.

The guards circled Mai, as if to emphasize the point that the voice made. They held their weapons in a defensive posture, showing no aggression for the moment. The Scorpion officer held his blade out and motioned for Mai to drop her sword, his eyes pleading with her. The big bushi whose nose Mai had broken looked furious. His face bled freely down his face beneath his mask and he pulled his large sword from his back, ignoring his injury.

The voice had moved, now coming from Mai's left. She tried to pinpoint its location, but failed to discover whom she was entreating. "And as to your petty threats of me making an enemy of the Unicorn, you yourself stated that you are a samurai of no real significance or rank. I seriously doubt that you could command such a danger then, if that be true. And do not speak to me of Haruka-dono," the voice seethed at saying her name. "That one has betrayed my Champion and my Clan more than you could know and I care not for angering her or her former Clan."

Then Mai saw a figure step out of the utter blackness that surrounded her. The guards moved away from him, as if they were terrified of him. Dressed in robes of the purest black, the light seemed to flee from him. His mask was likewise made of the darkness and covered his face completely. Only a small, scarlet mon of the Shosuro family was embroidered upon his left breast to indicate any allegiance.

His hands were tucked into his sleeves, which drooped long and low to the floor. To Mai's eyes, she could almost swear that his robes were moving, as if they were alive. But that would be impossible and insane. He bore no weapons that Mai could see, and that sent a shiver down her spine for reasons she could not fathom. He was completely at ease, as if he felt no danger in approaching an armed Unicorn battlemaiden with nothing to protect him.

The man seemed familiar to Mai, as though she had met him before. She could not quite place him for long moments until it finally dawned on her that she had seen this man. She had seen him not more than a couple of days ago. But that was miles and miles away, and the last she remembered, he was fighting against Shoju! There couldn't possibly be any way that this man was speaking to her now. That would mean one of two things: That Shoju was dead at his hands, in which case Mai felt a deep sense of relief and dread. Or, this man had been spared by Shoju and he had somehow travelled a long way in a short time in much the same way as she had. Perhaps the Scorpion daimyo had taken a different secret route from Ryoko Owari, one that sped him here faster than she, and he had merely been waiting for her arrival.

The Shosuro Daimyo, Shosuro Honzo was before her once more. Mai felt a sense of deja-vu that did little to do anything but unsettle her. From what she had experienced, this man was dangerous and perhaps a little insane. He had poisoned her and Shoju and had secreted her away to safety only now to detain and/or imprison her. The audacity of it! The nerve! It brought up Mai's temper to the fore and she stepped into a battle stance, her wakizashi held in a white-knuckled grip and a look of fierce determination and defiance upon her face.

Shosuro Honzo shook his head in disappointment. "As I said...most unwise." He sighed then, his shoulders heaving once. "So be it."

Quick as lightning, his sleeves snapped with a sound of thunder. HIs hand darted out in a blur. Mai attempted to dodge, but a shadow behind her caught her unawares and cracked her in the back of her neck with a blade hand, sending her right into the dart's path. Mai felt the prick of the needle in her neck.

She turned and slashed at the shadow, but it was gone. Turning back to the Shosuro daimyo with rage in her eyes, she charged with a battle cry upon her lips. She made it only a couple of steps.

The Scorpion captain slid forward and slapped her wakizashi from her grip, though Mai's brain could not fathom how. Her battle grip was strong and she had never been disarmed so easily. Her steps faltered even as she continued her charge towards the daimyo, who thus far had not moved from where he stood.

When Mai was a couple of meters away and she thought that she would strangle the Scorpion daimyo for his insolence, her body betrayed her. Her feet felt like lead and she tripped over them. Her arms went slack and fell to her sides.

She fell at Shosuro Honzo's feet. Her head smacked the cold, unforgiving stone, gashing her chin open and knocking one of her teeth out. She bit her tongue, which began to swell and bleed. She felt cold. This feeling was familiar too and she hated the Scorpion even more for it. The poison that she had just recovered from was assaulting her system yet again, but this was much stronger. Apparently, the man had improved upon his concoction in the last couple of days, or at the least had used a stronger concentration. She theorized that adding the venom to food had a different effect than using it in weaponized form.

She hated the Scorpion. She hated Shosuro Honzo. She wanted nothing more than to ram a sword through his cold, black heart. She hated him even more than Shoju at the moment, and that was saying something. She wanted to scream her vitriol at him, but her mouth refused to work. She could do nothing but lay there, cold and numb and helpless, and she hated the Shosuro daimyo all the more for it.

Shosuro Honzo turned on his heel, his robes flitting soft and silent as shadows around him. As he walked away he turned his head ever so slightly to address the guards. "Take her to the oubliette..." Then he was gone, as if he were never there.

"Hai, Master," The Captain said, and his men carted Utaku Mai off to her cell. He grabbed the wakizashi from the floor and reverently carried the weapon for safekeeping.