Defenders
By Nancy Sauer
Editing by Fred Wan

One day before the Celestial Tournament
The ruins of Otosan Uchi spread out for miles, its abandoned neighborhoods marking a rhythm of destruction. Shattered, burned, shattered, burned, burned, shattered--and very, very rarely, a few intact buildings for effect. Matsu Yoshike wondered about the intact ones: Had they been the property of highly virtuous people, or extremely wicked ones? He had no way of knowing.

He moved closer to one of the survivors, taking care to move quietly. He feared no enemy--Asahina Sekawa and his Yotsu allies had cleansed the ruins years before, and besides, he was a Matsu--but he had been trained among the Miya, and their reverence for the fallen capital had bled into his soul. A warrior's firm stride seemed sacrilegious here. Yoshike put his hand out to touch one of the walls of the house, wondering what story it could tell, and froze as the sound of voices drifted through the air. Ghosts, was his first reaction, and he almost turned and fled. Discipline reasserted itself quickly: He would need more information to report to the Kitsu, so that they might determine what type of ghost there were. Leaning closer he focused himself on listening.

"...will make the apostate regret his defiance of the great ones!"

"But will it be enough?"

"The shokansuru is sure of it. He does not yet have his master's full power, but even the lesser oni we will bring forth will remind them that it is Jigoku, and not Tengoku, which they should be worshiping."

"All glory to the great ones."

"And what of the apostate's people? We have not seen any of them since arriving."

"Pulled away on one of his mad schemes, no doubt. More proof that we hold the true favor of Jigoku. We all know what is to be done now. All glory to the great ones!"

"All glory to the great ones!"

Yoshike was so intent on remembering what he heard that he almost missed the importance of the sounds of rustling cloth and footsteps on floor. Acting quickly he slipped around the corner, away from the door he now heard rattling open. He crouched down and carefully looked back around to see a file of about a dozen people head down the street. They were all thin, haggard and ragged, but there was something about the way they carried themselves that made him reach for his sword. When he was sure they were gone he made his way back to the street and began to run.

* * * * *

Akodo Shigetoshi thanked Yoshike for his report and dismissed him. As he left, the Lion Champion looked around his tent's receiving room, noting the reactions of his advisors. Akodo Setai was disturbingly calm; Yoshike might have just reported the day's weather for all the effect it had on him. Matsu Kenji and Ikoma Otemi had both begun the meeting pretending that there was nothing at all untoward with them being in the same room together. That air had vanished quickly; now Kenji sat just a bit forward, as if already scenting a battle, and Otemi was sitting back with a look of calculation in his eyes. Kitsu Kiyoko looked outraged; Shigetoshi couldn't decide if it was the idea of an assault on the Celestial Tournament or oni-summoning in general that bothered her more. Perhaps it did not matter.

"Once again evil has taken root in Otosan Uchi," Shigetoshi said.

"It was to prevent this that Nimuro had it burned in the first place," Otemi said bitterly.

Setai spoke, just before Kenji opened her mouth. "It was the heart of the Empire for over a thousand years. We should not be surprised that its death has generated ghosts."

"If they were real ghosts, I could deal with them easily," Kiyoko said. "It is only the living that act in defiance of honor and Heaven."

"They must be stopped," Kenji said. "We must move quickly, before they can complete this ritual."

"How?" Otemi asked. "With what force? We came to a tournament, not a battle."

"There cannot be that many of them," Kenji said. "Between we who are competing, our honor guards, and Setai-san, we should have more than enough."

"That would mean abandoning the tournament," Otemi said. "We cannot jeopardize our clan's chance to provide the next Emperor."

Kenji looked at him in disbelief. "You would let this go unchecked?"

"There are the Seppun," Setai said quietly. "Or the Mantis. They brag enough about having taken possession of the outlying villages."

"The Seppun are required here, to aid in administering the tournament," Kenji said. "Those villages are full of heimin and merchants--and we have all seen the Mantis delegation. If the Tournament is to be protected, we must do it."

"I think Kenji is right," Kiyoko said.

"The Heavens have summoned us to participate in this Tournament," Otemi said. "If they feel it is threatened, they can act to protect it."

Shigetoshi stood up, cutting off the discussion, and walked to the doorway of the tent. Opening up one flap he looked out over the tournament grounds. After a moment he released the flap and turned back to his advisors. "The Heavens have brought the matter to the attention of the Lion Clan," he said. "What more action need they take?"

There was silence as the others considered his words. "Your will, my Champion," Setai said. "But you must know that there are some at this tournament who will try to use this against us, and claim that our absence is a slight against the authority of the Voices."

"There will be no slight," Shigetoshi said. "Kenji will remain to represent the Lion in the competition." Kenji looked startled, then approving.

"Shigetoshi-sama," Kiyoko said, "we know that our enemies will be doing something in the city, but we do not know what, or what else. What if we go there, to discover that the true danger is here?

"An excellent observation," he said. He smiled slightly at the young woman. "But Kenji will be here."

"The presence of the Matsu daimyo solves both problems," Otemi agreed.

"There are many other problems yet to be solved," Shigetoshi said. "We shall move out in the night. All save Otemi will go now and brief your people on what must be done. Otemi-san, you are familiar with Otosan Uchi, you will stay here and help me begin developing plans. The rest of you return in two hours."

* * * * *

The day of the Tournament
Kenji idly looked around the tournament, feeling bored and slightly irritable. Shigetoshi's decision to leave her here was the correct one on all counts, but that didn't change the fact that today the rest of her kin were going into desperate battle against the enemies of the Empire while she had yet to face a significant challenge.

Her mood lightened as she watched a Bayushi walk stiffly toward the dais were the Voices sat and bowed before them. The Scorpion were not doing well today, she thought--their vaunted 'efficiency' seemed to desert them under the unblinking gaze of Heaven's messengers. Kenji thought that they should take this as a lesson on the power of bushido, but she doubted that would happen--some people never learned.

The Scorpion's opponent came up to the dais, and Kenji scowled at him. It was a Moto, Moto, she searched for the name, Jin-Sahn. Moto Chen had earned a small grudging respect from her by bringing himself before the Voices of the Sun and Moon for judgment, but Kenji remained perplexed as to why the Voices hadn't simply incinerated him and every other Moto on sight. It seemed a simple enough matter to her.

The two men bowed to each other and squared off. Kenji watched, her scowl changing to a thoughtful frown. The Scorpion's stance was stiff and most of his attention was on the two Voices. The Unicorn, on the other hand, was relaxed and focused on his opponent. Kenji tapped a finger against her sword's sheath. The Voices had observed several of her matches, and she had gotten through them by reminding herself that she had nothing to hide. Jin-Sahn seemed to have a different attitude; it was as if being observed by the gods themselves was an everyday occurrence for him. Jin-Sahn sprang on his opponent with a shout and after a flurry of blows the Scorpion went sprawling. Kenji began to smile. Whatever else was going to happen today, at least she had one good fight to look forward to.

* * * * *

It was a scene that belonged in darkness, Shigetoshi thought, hidden away from the heavens' first rays of sunlight that now crept over the horizon. It would be blasphemous under any conditions, but to see it lit fully by sunlight, as it would be in only a few moments, would simply emphasize its wrongness.

Four tall wooden pillars had been set up in the plaza, establishing a square oriented on the cardinal directions. A series of smaller pillars were arranged on the sides of the square. A body had been tied upside down to each pillar and its intestines had been pulled out and tied to the intestines of the body on the next pillar in a mockery of the paper ropes that protected a shrine. In the center of the square was a tori gate, and though he could not be certain at this distance its color made Shigetoshi think it had been completely painted over in blood. There were a dozen tsukai arranged in ring around the torii gate, and Shigetoshi could faintly hear the sound of their chanting. Whenever the chant rose to a certain pitch one of them would slash himself with a knife, the space framed by the torii gate would film over to blackness, and an oni would appear within it.

Outside the square there were already around thirty oni. They were corpse-white and somewhat man-shaped, but larger and spindlier with two sets of legs were there should be one. The head was set directly on the shoulders with a lizard's wide mouth and a long red tongue. Rolling among the oni were large, flaming cartwheels, but he could not determine what their purpose was.

Shigetoshi abruptly shook himself out of his fascination and looked to his right. There the honor guards for himself, Otemi, and Kiyoko were arranged, their faces all showing the mix of horror and determination he was feeling. He turned to his left and looked at Otemi and Kiyoko. Otemi was armed and armored like the rest, but he would be remaining here to act as Kiyoko's yojimbo. Kiyoko looked red-eyed and exhausted; she had spent the entire night invoking ancestors and kami to put blessings on the Lion soldiers. Despite that she stood straight and firm, and when he looked without looking, out of the corner of his eye, Shigetoshi thought he could see a crowd of ghostly figures surrounding her.

"It is time," Shigetoshi said.

"The blessings of many go with you," Kiyoko said.

"There will be no trouble here," was Otemi's comment.

Shigetoshi nodded, then turned to the others. "For the Lion!" he yelled. "For the Empire! FOR THE EMPEROR!"

"FOR THE EMPEROR!" came the answering roar, and Shigetoshi began to run down the street that led to the plaza with his force following. The noise they made did not go unnoticed, and there was a pause in the chant as the tsukai realized they were about to come under attack. In the last moments they were in his view Shigetoshi saw one of them make pointing motions in the Lions' direction, eyes wide with fear, and then he and his force were rushing into the plaza.

The battle quickly became a swirling mass of smaller fights. The size and strength of the white oni made one of them a match for most Lion samurai but they could not coordinate their attacks, and two Lions working together could dispatch one with ease. Shigetoshi squared off against one the demons alone, noting carefully how its legs moved. When it rushed in he moved to the side and hamstrung one of its legs. As it struggled to regain its balance Shigetoshi swung into its zone and sliced open its torso.

As he danced back to avoid being sprayed by ichor Shigetoshi found himself near one of the wooden pillars. He glanced over at the body on it and felt his heart stop for a moment as he realized that it was still alive. The victim hung with his back slightly arched against the pillar, mouth frozen open in a scream that would never begin and could never end. Blood and bile dripped down from the shredded abdomen, circling around the maddened, staring eyes and replacing the absent tears. Shigetoshi struck off the man's head, praying to Jizo, the Fortune of Mercy, that this would be enough to let him die. Then he turned back to the battle.

* * * * *

"Ancestors!" Kiyoko whispered. "They are alive!"

"Who?" Otemi said.

"The pillars!" Kiyoko pointed to the the body that now dangled limp and headless. "The ones on pillars are still alive!"

"Fortunes have mercy on them," Otemi said, his voice quiet like a prayer.

"We must help them to die," Kiyoko said.

"There is nothing we can do--they are surrounded by the fighting, and we cannot get close without putting you in danger."

"You have a bow."

"Our Champion has ordered me to protect you, and nothing else."

Kiyoko blinked away her frustration and took a deep breath. The thought of souls being left to dangle in the margin between life and death tore at her, but there was little she could do about it. Shigetoshi's order was perfectly sound, and honor could not allow Otemi to do anything to break it. But--

"Otemi-san," she said, "for the tsukai to take the time to arrange their victims so must mean that the arrangement is important to the ritual they are conducting, yes?"

"I know nothing of maho, but it is a reasonable conclusion."

"I would be much safer if their ritual was disrupted, would I not?"

Otemi looked at her for a moment, then he pulled out his bow and begun stringing it. "It is as you say, Kiyoko-san."

* * * * *

Shigetoshi didn't know where the laughter came from, but he trusted his instincts and leaped to the right. He had the impression of a flaming object rushing by, and then there was a scream. Shigetoshi followed the sound and saw an Akodo samurai being run over by one of the flaming cart wheels. The wheel rolled back and forth over the man, grinding the body into paste. When it was done it wheeled around and Shigetoshi saw that there was a head where the spokes would join to the axle. The head locked eyes with him for a moment, then gave a mad cackle and pivoted around to rush towards him. Shigetoshi spun about, katana held low, and then cut upwards with all of his momentum when the wheel-demon came within range. The wheel shattered into pieces of flaming wood as the wailing head bounced helplessly along the ground. Shigetoshi took two quick steps and stomped on it.

Suddenly there were shrieks from the direction of the tsukai, followed by a chorus of Matsu war cries. The soldiers around Shigetoshi raised an Akodo war cry and redoubled their efforts against the oni. Shigetoshi smiled. The terrain had made it impossible to approach the tsukai without giving them time to react, so instead of taking advantage of the terrain he had chosen to use his opponent's minds against them. His force had taken the tsukai's attention, pulling all of their forces over toward them--and now Akodo Setai and Matsu Kenji's honor guard were attacking on their unprotected flank. It would not take long now, he thought, and plunged back into the fight.

* * * * *

The roadside shrine was tiny and dedicated to Koshin, the Fortune of Roads, but it had a well and a sanctified tori gate and that was all Kitsu Kiyoko needed.

Shigetoshi stood patiently while a soldier helped remove his armor, then he walked to the well where two more stood with buckets ready. They poured water over him to remove any trace of blood or ichor. When he felt clean again he walked to the entryway of the shrine and purified himself at the fountain that bubbled up there, washing his hands and mouth in its holy water. Kiyoko was standing in front of the tori gate, offering the prayers for purification for a group of Matsu. When she was done they rose and one by one walked through the gate.

Shigetoshi walked past the line of those waiting and knelt down before her. "Arrows?" he said softly. Kiyoko's mouth compressed into a stubborn line, then she raised her hands and began reciting the purification prayer. Shigetoshi decided not to pursue the matter. When she finished he stood up and walked though the gate, feeling the weight of impurity drop off of him.

Right now, he knew, the tournament at Seppun Hill was underway. It was possible, if they moved at top speed, that he and his men could return in time to at least witness its conclusion, perhaps even competed. That would be for the best, as the Unicorn Khan had wished to speak with him, and he did not intend to offer insult by failing to speak with him prior to their departure. Regardless, Shigetoshi did not know who would rule the Empire tomorrow, but he did know that the Emperor's ascension would go smoothly.

The Lion had already proven their devotion to the Throne. He hoped the other clans would do the same.