In the Den of the Scorpion (semi-closed RP)

[Shosuro Honzo]

OOC- this thread picks up after "Fleeing Shadows", in which Utaku Mai, shiotome and battlemaiden, has escaped the clutches of the dangerous/insane maho tsukai and ronin Shoju only to wind up prisoner to the Shosuro family daimyo Shosuro Honzo at Shiro no Shosuro. Honzo, distraught and possibly losing his sanity after the death of his twin brother Honsou at the hands of Shoju, blames Mai for the whole affair and has placed her in a secret chamber of the castle at Shiro no Shosuro known only as 'The Oubliette'. Meanwhile, Mai's love, the Kenshinzen Crane swordmaster, Kakita Sojiro, is outside the gates to Shiro no Shosuro demanding entrance to the city to search for Mai...

[Shosuro Honzo]

Utaku Mai woke up in a room she did not expect. After being poisoned yet again by the nefarious Shosuro daimyo, she was helpless as several Scorpion samurai hauled her limp body away from the secret chamber that entered the city from the underground river that brought her all the way from Ryoko Owari. The guards had slipped a black silken hood over her head to prevent her from seeing where she was going.

She had been carried for some time. At times she had seen spots of light that differed from area to area. In some the light was a harsh glare, leading her to think that this might have been sunlight. After being underground for a couple of days, this seemed plausible.

Another area had her barely making out a blood red light leaking through the hood. It was much darker in this area than the previous, and there was a draft that she could feel brushing her skin. She broke out in a sweat, a cursed side-effect of the poison coursing through her veins. It left her chilled and she shivered involuntarily, making the guards grumble when they had to strengthen their grip to prevent her from dropping her.

The shiotome had smacked her head hard on the stone floor when the dart's poison robbed her of her body functions. Her molar had snapped and she had seen it spit out of her mouth. Her tongue she bit and it had swollen up pretty good. She could not swallow, so the blood and saliva that welled up in her mouth drooled out and soaked the hood covering her head.

Mai was furious at the Scorpion and had wondered why she had attacked the daimyo. She was trying to talk her way out, when a fit of rage gripped her. Why had that happened? It was not like her. She would never have done that. It was against her nature. Then she remembered her time with Shoju and the Rain of Blood. Was this the cause of her inner turmoil? Had she been tainted? Or was this some other side effect of her captivity? Perhaps even something to do with the poison that filled her body now. It was a mystery to her, but she planned to find out somehow.

She had been so filled with anger and frustration, a feeling she could not suppress. It made her feel weak, as if she could not control her thoughts or behavior. That was something that chilled her even more than being captive of the Scorpion. For if she lost her sense of self, what was she becoming?

After several more areas, she felt herself being carried up what felt like stairs. Curious, as she thought for certain that the Scorpion would take her down into some dungeon and deposit her. Up and up she went. She felt the guards change positions and hand her off to others who were fresh, and then she was carried up another flight. Several times this happened and by the time they had stopped, several of the guards were breathing heavily. She could feel the palms of their hands slick with sweat as they grabbed her and hauled her forwards, not up.

Suddenly she felt the hair on the back of her neck rise as well as on her arms. An electricity was in the air and it made Mai itch. That was an annoying sensation, as she could not scratch herself at all. More troubling was the fact that the guards felt the same irritation and did not seem to care, they just hauled on Mai all the harder, eager to be relieved of their burden.

The temperature changed in an instant. Still unable to see, she felt cooler air. Then she was deposited onto a soft surface and left there, the hood still on her head. She wished she could kick one of the guards for neglecting to at least take the hood off her.

Despite herself, after awhile Mai fell asleep. Her dreams were filled with flashes of the past several weeks, as well as hallucinations of blood and fire and rage. Several times she woke, her limbs feeling the effects of the poison draining away. She was so thirsty, and her belly grumbled. How long had she been out? A day? Two? Would the Scorpion let her die of thirst, or starve to death? Not likely. If the Shosuro daimyo wanted her dead, he could have done it by now.

When at last she could start to feel her limbs again, she slowly, slowly reached towards the hood. Suddenly she felt lithe and gentle hands upon her and urgent whispers. "Take it easy Utaku-san. You must rest. I will see to your hurts."

As Mai struggled to move, she noticed that her armor was missing. She had also been repositioned as well into a recovery side-sleeping form, as if she had been victim to a seizure. She sincerely hoped that was not the case. Her tongue was still swollen and sticky, coagulated blood filled her mouth. It made her gag and she wanted to vomit.

As the hood was gently pulled off her head, soft lantern light illuminated her prison chamber. The Oubliette was not like she imagined. She was in a room of lavish style, more fit for the Emperor than a prisoner. She could see no doors or windows, which puzzled her. How did she get in here?

A servant girl in Scorpion colors attended her. She knelt beside a bowl of water with a cloth soaking in it. She used the cloth to wipe away the blood from Mai's face. Mai could feel that the left side of her face was swollen badly, probably a nice shade of black and blue as well. She let the girl work, finding the cooling feel of the water trickling over her face a welcome relief, even with the stinging she could feel in her tongue and cheek.

Mai looked down at herself. Her armor was not on her body. She had been dressed in the most lovely kimono of a deep purple with a gold trim and obi. Embroidered upon the silk were the shapes of horsesm, the detail lovely and admirable to behold. The mon of the Utaku battlemaiden was upon her left breast. Looking around, her head still groggy, she saw her ancestral armor upon a wooden stand. It had been repaired and polished to a high, lacquered shine. It looked as if it had been freshly made, instead of being generations old.

The servant girl was young, perhaps no more than fourteen. She was pretty, with high cheekbones and a small nose. Her eyes were a lovely honey brown with gold flecks and they had been painted on her lids a lovely shade of pink. Her lips were painted a bright red, to match her kimono and her hair was done up in a tight style, with sticks to hold it into place.

"My name is Rykia, Mai-sama. I will attend to your every need whilst you are my master's...guest," she said politely, not wanting to say the word prisoner. "My master will be visiting you shortly, once I have informed him that you have recovered from the Sleeping Viper. Please help yourself to anything in the room you wish." Mai noticed she gestured to a tray that held a lovely spread of fish, rice and tea. She even noticed a bottle of sake and a silver dome that the servant girl lifted to reveal spiced meat more common to the Unicorn culture's tastes. Dried fruit and nuts were also available in a bowl off to the side. For a prisoner, she certainly was starting to feel otherwise.

Mai was about to ask Rykia something, but her mouth was still quite swollen and a big wad of congealed blood spat out instead. The girl immediately attended Mai, apologizing profusely for forgetting about her injuries, with promises to bring her medicine that would help the swelling. Mai inwardly knew that eating would be difficult at best in her current state and would probably be painful with a bitten tongue and a missing tooth.

Rykia cleaned up the mess and wiped Mai's face again, as gentle as a mother cleaning her babe. When she was finished, she bowed and said she would return later. With that she walked towards one of the walls. Mai was curious as to how the girl would get out of the room. A secret entrance no doubt, she thought.

Instead, Mai saw the girl approach the wall and just as she got within a foot of the wall, the girl disappeared.

[Utaku Mai]

When Rykia returned some hours later, she would see the food untouched and cold from where it had been placed in the hours previous. Eating seemed more likely to split open her wounds than anything else, even if Mai could trust that none of the food was drugged with something to keep her compliant and weak. She much preferred the truth of the emptiness of her belly to the false banquet that the scorpion had provided for her. Her hunger was the only thing she still had control over, and that was a level of autonomy she wasn't about to give up on just yet.

She sat on her futon, trying to massage circulation back into her hands after her second dose of the hated poison. Feeling had returned at last, but the sensations that greeted her were intense and painful. There was no door creak to indicate Rykia's entrance, so it took a few minutes for Mai to notice the woman. When she did, she instantly became more alert, and managed, after some effort, to bring herself to something akin to military attention. When Rykio tried to touch her wounded face, Mai pulled back instinctively, managing to say through the swelling, "You and your clan have done quite enough, don't you think?"

Rykio seemed taken aback from Mai's brusqueness, and tried to placate her with pretty words and soothing tones. Mai would hear none of it. She raised her hand to stop her, and continued speaking.

"I have no desire to be treated like a rag doll to be prettied up, played with, or thrown about at your master's leisure. And I certainly have no desire to play along with the farce that I am anyone's guest."

Mai was in no mood to placate, and her eyes became furrowed in intensity and focus.

"If you want to help me, then tell your master I am recovered as much as is necessary and am ready for his audience. If my wounds at his hands prove too much for his delicate sensibilities, then perhaps you can kindly suggest that he wears his mask over his eyes. I have no time for your clan's games. Innocent lives are at risk, and if delay of even one minute prevents me from fulfilling my oath to protect my people, then your clan will truly know what it means to face the wrath of the Utaku. And you, Rykia, will be no less complicit for delaying me. Is that clear?"

As angry as Mai had felt on numerous occasions at her present circumstances, her tone was careful and measured to the woman. She spoke of retribution as easily as she spoke of the blueness of the sky, or the existence of wind on the plains. It was not in her nature to be so stark and vengeful, but the stakes were much higher than anything she had yet faced in her short life. If Bikami remained safe, then all of the heartache, injury, and captivity would be but a small price to pay. But if, despite everything, Bikami fell, when she could still breathe and raise her hand in its defense...then everything since Kyuden Doji was all for nothing.

[Shosuro Honzo]

Rykia recoiled as if burned. She kept her look neutral, her body language non-threatening. The battle maiden was definitely feeling better. When she had arrived to the Oubliette, she was in bad shape. Her convulsions and seizures while under the more potent effects of Sleeping Viper had disturbed her Master. The adjustments made to Shosuro Kotaro-sama's poison had been effective, if not a little too brutal. Kotaro-sama was a skilled poisoner with decades of experience. Her Master's agents had not had much time to prepare the new elixir, and her Master had experimented with the first sample, with tragic results.

Rykia had attended Mai night and day, only sleeping a few hours when Mai's body would collapse with fatigue and the poison would relent for awhile. She had made sure she stayed hydrated and administered anti-toxin that was deemed necessary to keep the Unicorn shiotome's body from giving out.

Now, with her efforts, Rykia could take a sense of pride at her work. Her master had given Mai 50/50 odds of surviving. Rykia was challenged to keep Mai alive and she had done so. Her master was pleased when Mai's body began to expel the toxin. Rykia had done her best then, to clean Mai up and get her body back to strength. The fact that the battle maiden knew none of this was testament to her attitude at her current situation.

Rykia felt no pity, no remorse for Utaku Mai. She was not the first guest of the Oubliette, nor would she be the last. Her master only sent those he deemed to have value to them to Rykia. Each guest of the Oubliette was tested. The test determined just what her master would ask for in ransom. If a guest showed particular promise, they might even with their freedom without ransom. So far, Mai was failing, and the price of her ransom was going up dramatically.

Rykia bowed politely. "Utaku-sama, my apologies if you feel that my services seem inadequate. I only wish to help you recover fully from your ordeal. My master would punish me greatly if anything ill should happen to you."

Mai would have none of Rykia's apologies. She spoke of her master in a tone of animosity and spat her words with venom and anger. She also spoke of innocent lives at risk and of how she was the one who was needed to save them. Rykia was intrigued. What made Mai so special that only she was capable of saving these innocents. Her master had also charged Rykia with gathering information, and it seemed that this task was possibly easier than attending to her injuries. Guile can be a powerful tool when coupled with compassion. The Scorpion used both to manipulate their enemies, as well as their allies.

"Tell me, Mai-sama, of these innocents you wish to save. I can inform my master of your duties, so that he might expediate your return to the lands of the Unicorn. I have been charged with getting you well and strong again, and to that duty I will hold. Please allow me to assist you further by trying to get you home. Tell me what duty is so pressing."

[Utaku Mai]

Mai sighed once more. She was tired of having to explain herself, tired of waiting for someone else for answers, tired of apologizing for varied and imagined slights. The Scorpion were acting as if Bikami were a fond hobby, and the thought of yet more delays leading to needless suffering only seemed to fuel her anger.

Her eyes looked past the Scorpion woman and found her mother’s armor on its borrowed stand. I’ve done so much that I never thought I would be capable of, She thought silently. I’ve shamed myself over and over again. I’ve betrayed my love and subjected him to unspeakable danger. All to keep them safe, to ensure that their sacrifice meant something.

Is this my penance? Has my dishonor made me as worthless as they treat me? Will Bikami fall because I am not worthy to protect it?

The armor said nothing, but the look of it filled her with memories. When it gleamed in the sunlight as Yun-Li, proud and tall atop her gray stallion rode to her own death at the hands of the Yobanjin. When Mai wore in her mother’s memory, pledging her loyalty to Kaneka in gratitude for his action that was just barely too late to save her. When she was in Toshi Ranbo, praying for the dead of both sides before another day of battle. When she put it on with trembling hands in Kyuden Doji before riding silently to Bikami's defense. When Shoju’s knife bit away the protective plates, finding her arm as she furiously tried to find flesh with her own blade. One thought became crystal clear in her mind as she looked at the aged yet pristine plates.

There are times for compassion and courtesy, and there are times for courage.

Without another word she sprung forth from her sitting position toward the scorpion woman. Her legs unfolded while her hand came across to Rykia as easily as drawing a katana.

"Stop wasting my time!" she growled as she moved. Her fury gave her speed, and her mother’s memory put feeling into her blow.

Her punch connected solidly in the scorpion's face, causing her to topple backwards, right into the food table.

Bowls and boxes went in all directions, filling the room with the sounds of clanging metal, broken pottery, and the wet drips of spilled soup and rice, much of which ended up smeared on the fine kimono the woman wore.

Mai shook her stinging hand as she moved toward the display stand, inspecting each item carefully before methodically removing it from its perch. She removed her fine silk outer kimono and proceeded to tear it into strips to wrap her hands and shins before putting on her kote and suneate. She ran her hands over the inside of her do, making sure there were no burrs or other irritations before putting it on over her chest.

Rykia began to stir from her place on the floor, her vision allowing her to see the complete transformation that had taken place in her charge. The weak woman in fine silks was gone, and in her place stood a fierce warrior. She looked at Rykia with something a little like sadness, but turned away to fling open the sliding paper and wooden walls with a determination that would give anyone pause. She looked out into the narrow hallway, picked a direction, and marched out of Rykia's view.

This was the woman who defied Shoju over and over again and still lived. This was the woman who rode across the empire to defend the innocent. This was a woman who was not going to sit around and wait for her fate to be decided.

[Shosuro Honzo]

The woman known as Rykia stirred from the ground. Her face felt as if she had been smacked with the Great Kaiu Wall. The Utaku battlemaiden caught her off-guard and the blow landed cleanly and heavily. The feast that Rykia had spent so long preparing was everywhere.

Mai's fury had caused some sort of ripple in the air. The resounding effect of her anger had broken through the illusion surrounding the exit to her lavish room. Mai didn't even notice as she marched to the shoji screen that was previously invisible and ripped it aside.

The narrow hallway led Mai into a maze of sorts. Each corridor looked the same and after several twist and turns and double-backs, Mai began to get frustrated all the more. Rooms that she visited looked the same as she had just left. Some shoji she opened only to bare walls. And still others were darkened so deep that Mai could feel a harsh chill in the air and before she stepped inside, something inside her told her not to enter.

Rykia appeared behind Mai and the Utaku whirled around to see her Scorpion 'nursemaid' standing calmly several meters from her. Rykia's servant garb was gone, replaced by the robes of a shugenja master. Her face was covered by an ovoid mask of deepest obsidian, polished to a high shine. Upon the forehead of the mask was the symbol of Void. Mai had seen similar masks back in Ryoko Owari when Shoju and the Scorpion shugenja masters fought with powerful magics. She had remembered a master for every element, except Void. Now, she found herself facing that Master.

"Welcome to the Labrynth, Utaku Mai. My master congratulates you on escaping the Oubliette with your anger and fury. However, don't get too excited. The real challenge is about to begin. The Labrynth is my master's way of testing you. He blames you for what happened in Ryoko Owari, says you are bad luck. Bad things happen when you are around others, don't they Mai-san? I wonder what the people of Bikami think about you? The attack on those poor innocents must have terrified them. Did you save them? Did you make the tsukai go away? Or will he return with his full power and destroy them all?

"What happened in the City of Lies could have been avoided. Contemplating the Void, this I can see. It is for this reason that Shosuro Honzo bids you to test yourself against the Bushido. Complete these challenges and you are free to go. Fail, and you will wander aimlessly...forever."

Soshi Rykia waved her hand in the air at a panel to her right. A shoji with black panels appeared with red kanji on them. Rykia gestured for Mai to go through. Mai stepped up to the door. She looked at the kanji upon the door.

They each said the same thing: Gi (Honesty).

[Utaku Mai]

Mai was taken aback by the audacious claims of the void master. Just more of the scorpion lies and tricks, meant only to make her weak. She reared back as if to charge, even with no weapon to fight against what was surely a powerful foe, before a tug in her mind stayed her movement.

Were they lies? A voice of doubt whispered in her mind. Mai had no idea if it was her own mind, or the strange magic of the labyrinth, but whatever it was, she fought to keep the voice from getting the better of her.

Your failure in the court killed your mother, did it not? You blamed Naseru for his weakness and flocked to his brother's banner...a maneuver that easily took the blame away from yourself for your poor showing in Kyuden Doji...

Mai shook her head angrily at the accusation, barely noticing that her breathing was suddenly becoming harsher and more sudden.

What of the gatehouse in Toshi Ranbo, where your misstep lost you so many? They looked on you with trust and love, jubilant from their victory. They died in shock that their commander had left them behind to be crushed...

The walls seemed to swell inward, playing their all-too-familiar game. Mai could feel the air pressing in around her, like a fist gripping her ribs. Mai knew what was coming next, and so, it seemed, did the Voice. It became louder and clearer in her mind as she spent all of her willpower fighting the inevitable panic attack.

Your dreams revealed your beloved Sojiro to your enemy, dragging an honorable Crane into your mess. He bargained his own blood to a maho tsukai to save you...but for what?

Mai fell to the floor, weak from her staggered breathing, hiding her tear-filled eyes between bent knees. The walls leaned over her small form, colors and shapes dancing in her view. Heavy pounding began in her ears and head. She would black out any second now, like in Shoju's cell...or Kyuden Doji...

In politics, war, and love, you have fallen short, and even your compassion serves no one. Kibukito is a charred ruin at Shoju's hands, and Bikami...

...Well, when you think of Bikami, all you can think of is Haru.


"Stop!"

The pounding stopped, and the walls receeded at her shout. She took a long breath in and out, and slowly, was able to move herself back to her feet. Cold sweat crossed her brow, but the claustrophobia and fear that had nearly taken her completely now showed no hold over her.

"You're wrong," she said simply. "You're wrong about me, and so is your master. Judge me as you like now that the danger has passed, and you are safe in your cloiser. I don't recall seeing you there when Shoju fought against your lord with his terrible magics. If your power is so great, why weren't you there? You could have warned me, or fought alongside the other masters."

"I did everything in my power to fight him, until the actions of your master caused my body to fail from poison. I heard his rage as I was carried away, but I could do nothing to stop him, or even give a word of warning. Who then, was the cause of whatever ill fortune befell Ryoko Owari?"

Mai swallowed hard bile that was rising in her throat. Bad news from the city of Lies could only mean that Shoju had somehow bested all of the elemental masters. She looked at the panel door with its brilliant red kanji. She thought of what the cost of failure would mean, not only to her, but to the people that she loved and served. The only way out was through.

"You're wrong, and one way or another, I'm going to prove it to you."

And with that, she stepped through the doorway.

[Shosuro Honzo]

As Mai passed through the threshold, she felt a chill wind and a harsh blue light blinded her. When she could see again, Mai found herself back in her ancestral home in the Unicorn lands. She emerged from her home to the bright shining light of day. She took in a lungful of clean, crisp air as Winter gave way to Spring. The feeling of freedom and of home was a joy she had not experienced in a long, long time.

Suddenly, she saw Kakita Sojiro running towards her. Her elation arose anew at seeing her beloved. She ran to him as he ran to her. She stopped suddenly as she saw that something was wrong. Sojiro was covered in blood, his blade as well. He looked over his shoulder and Mai saw a contingent of samurai on horseback riding hard on Sojiro's heels. They were at least a couple of miles off, but they would be here in a matter of moments

Sojiro collapsed in Mai's arms. He begged for her help. He had taken a couple of wounds, but a majority of the blood on him was not his own. Mai's brow was furrowed in concern for her beloved, for why was her lover running from these men?

Sojiro stood up with Mai's help and they sought the shelter of Mai's hut. Mai heard the thundering of hooves of the horses and emerged from her home to see an Imperial Magistrate and his yoriki glaring down at her.

"Excuse me, Utaku-san," The Magsitrate said, "We are seeking the criminal known as Kakita Sojiro and we saw him head this way. He is wanted for murder. Have you seen him?"

[Utaku Mai]

Mai tried to hold down her shock as she supported Sojiro through the foyer of her ancestral home, ordering a futon brought in to give him some comfort on the polished floor as she tried to stabilize Sojiro from his wounds and exertion. Something itched in the back of her mind, something...off. She couldn't recall exactly what she was doing the moment before she saw him running toward her, but it was something important...

She could hardly reflect on it before she had hastily washed her hands of Sojiro's blood and made her way to the gates of the estate to speak with the Imperial and his men. Her focus was needed in the present more than the past right now.

"I am Utaku Mai, and Imperial or not, you are trespassing on the land of dozens of my ancestors. You will not come one step further until you tell me exactly who you are, and why in the name of the fortunes you are putting charges of common murder at the feet of the hatamoto of one of the most powerful families in the great clans."

She folded her arms in front of her and looked up at the magistrate, finding comfort in the familiar weight of a daisho on her hip and the authority she carried in this small sphere of the world.

[Shosuro Honzo]

The magistrate stiffened in offense. His mustaches drooped in a scowl and his hands upon the reins of his Rokugani pony wrung tightly upon the reins. He stood tall in his saddle as he glowered down at the Utaku battlemaiden.

"Now see here, Utaku-san. I am Otomo Chudo, Emerald Magistrate on direct authority of the Son of Heaven to dispense justice. I trespass nowhere! The yoriki behind the magistrate sneered down at Mai and a couple fingered their jitte as if to dare the Utaku samurai-ko to be foolish enough to do something rather rash.

The magistrate continued,"Utaku-san, with all due respect to you and your ancestors, I am seeking a wanted criminal. His name is Kakita Sojiro and he is sought for the murder of several people. I am not at liberty to discuss the details with you. But if you know of his whereabouts, then tell me now and true. For if you hide him from me, you will be arrested for colluding with Sojiro-san. The penalty for such will be the same as for Sojiro-san...hanging by the neck until dead."

[Shosuro Honzo]

Shosuro Honzo stood next to the Scorpion shugenja Void master. He noticed how sweat beaded her brow and her eyes were clenched shut in concentration. Her hand was outstretched over an unconcious Utaku Mai. With fingers splayed, she pulled along the fate lines and guided magics that were never meant to be in a Scorpion's possession. Mysteries surrounded how the Soshi had come to be in possession of the secrets that the Phoenix clan guarded very carefully. Her very existence was a closely guarded secret. For if the Phoenix knew, a price would be put on her head.

The Void Master faltered, and Honzo rushed up and caught her before she fell. "What happened? What is wrong?" The Master of Shadows asked.

The fatigued woman sighed, holding her head as she swooned. She opened her eyes and it took several long moments before she replied to her Master. "This isn't working. She resists me at every turn. She will not do as we intend."

The Master of Shadows seethed at this. For Mai's part in Honsou's death, he could not entirely fault her for how things went down. However, she was Shoju's captive, and he was appalled at how weak Mai seemed. She had inner strength, to be sure, and a fine warrior. Honzo did not doubt her courage nor her strength. It was that she refused to hone them, make them a pure and potent tool. Honzo had been told by the Void master that Mai's destiny was a great one. She was foretold to be someone of great importance, someone who might be part of Shoju's downfall. So far, after everything Honzo had witnessed, he had doubts. Now that Mai was resisting so hard, his doubts redoubled. "Is there anything you can do? Any vision or other test that might steer her back onto the path that we have laid out for her?"

The Void Master shook her head. "No Master. She is too stubborn. Her will is too strong and she hates us. Her rage at her confinement muddies her reason. Her interpretation of the bushido is different from ours, and she will not listen. No test we give her, no vision that I conjure will change that. Utaku Mai is a wild mare. You cannot break her, nor can you tame her for your own needs, my lord. I am sorry, I have done all I could. I have failed you."

Honzo shook his head with empathy. "No, the fault is mine. I never should have done this to her. I blame only myself. You are right, we cannot tame the wild mare. She will only resist until she breaks free or is released. So, release her..."

The Void Master looked startled. "My lord? Just like that? Not even try to ransom her back to the Unicorn? With the war and all...and her status within the clan..."

Now the Master of Shadows became angry, and the Void master shrunk against his ire. "Release her! Mai-san is but a single samurai in the entire Unicorn clan and with their Champion missing, it could be a very long time before a new leader is chosen. And should that be Mai, the Unicorn could make our lives very miserable indeed. As it is, her relationship with her own clan is troubled, and any such ransom demands are likely to be ignored. As such, an irate and imprisoned Utaku Mai would be a headache that I would rather soon avoid. So, release her! Do not question my command again!" The Master of Shadows turned on his heel, his long flowing black robes concealing him in darkness. Then he was gone.

"As you wish, my master," The Void master said to the empty space Honzo had just occupied. She looked down at Mai's prostrate form. She scowled in irritation. All her hard work was for naught. She would have delighted in toying with this Unicorn for longer, to see how things might have gone. But her iron will was too much. Her master was right. Releasing her was for the best.

****************************************************
Utaku Mai woke to find herself on a carpet of soft, lush green grass. Her body was healed and she felt no pain. She felt strong and healthy again. Her limbs didn't feel shaky or numb. The poison had been leeched from her, and she felt herself once more. Her clothes were plain and drab, unadorned and bearing no mons. She felt at her hip and found nothing. Fearing that the Scorpion had stolen her wakizashi from her, she frantically searched around. She could not find it around her body or the ground.

She looked around her. With Spring in full bloom, the land was alive and flush with all sorts of life. Animals and plants flourished here, and there was a familiarness about this place. It took her only a moment to see that she was back home in her ancestral lands, just across the border. The nearest village was only five miles off, and she could see a road just down the hill from where she had been left.

Mai heard a whicker of a horse to her left. Turning her head, she saw a magnificent mare, well muscled and freshly groomed. The mare had a shiny coat, red as flame and coppery when Lord Sun's light shone upon her. The mare was saddled in the Unicorn style, with fresh provisions in the saddlebags and her ancestral armor strapped atop the bedroll on the rear of the saddle. Tucked into the right saddlebag was a bundle of black silk.

Mai stood up and approached the mare. The mare was hobbled to a small tree, one of many along a line that stretched along the hills. Seeing the black bundle, she pulled it from the saddlebag. About four handspans long and as thick as her forearm, the bundle was tightly wound with a ribbon of scarlet silk. A small note was stuffed into the ribbon. Mai pulled this free and tucked the bundle under her arm as she read the note.

It seems that I underestimated you. I see great things for you, Utaku Mai. Take this and the horse as my apology and gift to you. The man you thought was I in Ryoko Owari was really my brother. You are the only one in the Empire who knows this besides me. His death was not your fault, but I chose to take my grief and anger out on you. Go home. Should you need me, I will be your ally. If you would rather be my enemy, so be it, though I will be saddened.

May the Fortunes be with you and guide you
Shosuro Honzo

Mai unwrapped the bundle and found her wakizashi, fully restored and polished to a high shine.