Hidden Emperor 2
A single shaft of light pierced the dark room, illuminating the pile of filthy clothes, dirty bedsheets and bloodstained silks. A rumbling snore erupted from the pile, broken by the hacking cough of a drunken man. Beside the bed a man crouched, his face turned in an attempt to avoid the foul smell. With a swift kick, he rocked the mass on the floor. He was rewarded by a muffled curse.
"Get up." His voice was rough, harsh with disgust. As he backed away, fists clenched and eyes narrowed, the thing under the sheets began to move. The darkness of the chamber seemed a fitting home for the beast, a dark cave in which to hide from the sun. A place to hide from life. From dishonor.
"Go 'way, Hiroru." The voice was caked with alcohol.
"Get up." A beam of moonlight illuminated his white hakama. "I need you."
"You need a kick in the face."
Hiroru squinted. "And you need a bath."
Ginawa pushed himself up, the covers falling to the side with a rancid thump. "No," he said. "They make you leave your sword at the door."
"Your sword will get you killed one day, and then you'll be a stinking dead man."
"I'm already a stinking dead man. What's one more day?"
Turning, Hiroru threw a fresh kimono in Ginawa's face. "Put this on and get out of bed. We leave immediately."
"What's the difference?" the ronin said, falling back into the sheets. "The Scorpion are gone. Banished." He closed his eyes. "There aren't any enemies any more."
"You let one Akodo daimyo die. Are you going to make it a habit?" The sneer was palable.
Ginawa rose up slowly from the sheets, his eyes fixed on the hooded figure before him. "You know I didn't kill him."
"I don't care if you killed him."
For a long moment, the two were still, each ready for the other to move. Neither of them did.
Finally, Ginawa said, "Everybody's looking for Toturi. What will two more matter?"
"Everyone says they are looking for him."
"You don't trust them?"
Hiroru shook his head. "I don't even trust myself."
"What makes you trust me?" Ginawa smiled.
"I know you still feel the pull of the sword. And I know what the sword will do."
Ginawa shook his head. "No. The man who killed my lord is far, far from here."
Hiroru's eyes flashed under his hood. "You are wrong. He is closer than you think." The ronin shot to his feet, his hand reaching for his saya, red as a sunset.
"Show me," he said.
"Find Toturi, and we find him." Hiroru stepped toward the door. "He was able to kill one Akodo lord. He can kill another." He paused as he slid the paper panel aside. "The horses are waiting. I'll be waiting with them. At least they smell better than you do."
As Ginawa jerked the kimono over his shoulders he said, "The stink keeps the girls away." He smiled. "You should try it."
Hiroru closed the door behind him, smiling faintly under his hood.
For two months, the Chancellor Takuan has ruled in Toturi's stead, fending off warfare and violence amid the restless Great Clans. Lawlessness and banditry are rampant, and the Rokugan struggles to maintain its lands against the rising tide of chaos. As the Imperial Court struggles to keep the peace between the Clans, the rising tides of ambition and loyalty threaten to crush the Empire in an iron grasp. The silent mountains of the Dragon, once known for their peaceful solitude, have become host to an armed legion of Naga warriors, bound for blood at any cost-and giving no reason for their treachery..
As if the loss of the Emperor were not tidings dark enough, news of the death of the Emerald Champion has spread like wildfire throughout the Jade Empire. The Crab armies, once allied with the traitorous Naga but now left to defend themselves, have become trapped within the ancient Hiruma Palace. Around them, the hordes of the Shadowlands gather, eager to begin their revenge upon one of the Thunders that destroyed their leader.
Meanwhile, the borders of the minor clans have become filled wiht strife and warfare, as the clans beneath Yoritomo's control seek a common goal in warring against each other. Despite the powerful threat of the Mantis armies, the Alliance has erupted into petty mercenary behavior. The Brotherhood, once powerful behind their ancient leader, have now retired to the solitude of their temples.
The Empire that Toturi struggled to reforge is on the edge of open warfare. The Great Clans of Rokugan watch the empty throne with covetous eyes, and even now, armies mass on the borders. While the Naga war in the Dragon lands, the struggle for the Jade Throne begins... not with the rumbling thunder of war, but with the subtle movements of shadows once thought destroyed.