Strike at Midnight: Everything Dies
by Ree Soesbee

Battle screamed across the wide plain like a living being, consuming the souls of the fallen and twisting the skies into black, fluttering clouds. The day had not changed. The dawn was no more than another moment, passing beneath shining blades.

Battle was all-consuming. Nothing else existed in this place.

A Phoenix legion camped briefly beneath a spreading forest, their helms battered from wear. The Mantis had taken a hard toll on the Shiba guardsmen, sending hundreds of the Phoenix to their death. Now, armies of the Phoenix marched against their enemies, avenging their clan with the blood of their enemies.

The war had lasted for as long as they could remember, one battle after another in a ceaseless stream of days and nights. There was little rest, and the legions of the Great Clans gathered in small clusters, warring on their ancient enemies in moving strikes, attempting to inflict greater losses with each attack.

"Someone comes." The scout squinted past the trees. "Wearing Phoenix colors."

Members of the legion looked up from their rest, the coals of the past night's fire crackling at their feet. One man carrying a broken spear pushed through the brush and paused when he saw the legion. They were twenty men, all darkened with ash and fatigue, their once-right kimono torn and bandaged. Some carried naginata, and one bowman stood among the group, but most held their katana at their sides. Hands calloused with war clenched as the lone Phoenix swordsman approached, then relaxed when they recognized his colors. He was a Shiba, and new to this place.

"Friend," the Shiba captain smiled. "Welcome. We are in need of your strength. Hurry, there is little time. Yoritomo's men are but a few minutes from our position, and their shugenja aid their steps with the magic of the winds. "

"I am... Odoshi," replied the newcomer. His voice seemed confused, weary. "We are the Fallen Petal legion, medium regulars from the gates of Shiba Palace itself. My name is Shiba Atano." The captain nodded briskly, pointing out past the forest's edge before continuing. "The Mantis are there, marching on our position, the Crane stand to our west, and the Scorpion mass to the east."

"The Scorpion? Are we at war with the Scorpion?" Odoshi said heavily, his tongue thick in his mouth.

"We war on everyone, Odoshi," the captain replied seriously. Before he could explain, a scout screamed in pain as an arrow pierced his eye. The man fell from his high tree branch, clutching his head in choked agony, and the Mantis attacked.

The clearing detonated with fire and ash as the Mantis raced through the forest into the Phoenix, surrounding them. The Mantis held strange weapons - kama, twirling chains and short knives, that rang against the katana of the Phoenix samurai. They leaped toward the Shiba in a wave, completely disregarding their own lives and burying them beneath the weight of their numbers. Odoshi staggered back, his knees shivering with weariness, but his sword was quick in his hand and one of the Mantis fell screaming at his feet.

A rush of bloodlust overcame Odoshi, and he howled in rage. Beside him, three more Phoenix charged with lowered spears, tearing at Yoritomo's men. Another shout rose from the east, and Odoshi drew his sword through a Mantis just in time to block an unexpected blow. He spun to face the opponent, and for a moment, their eyes locked.

The thought was a blow, and both Odoshi and the unknown Mantis staggered back from the fighting, their swords lowering.

"No," Odoshi whispered. Another flash of memory, and the face of a terrible oni echoed the Shiba yojimbo's mind. The Mantis's sword shook, and his eyes closed as if he, too had seen the beast's face.

"You... you can remember..." the Mantis said quietly, beneath the roar of the battle around them. "And with you, I can remember as well. Tell me!" His eyes lit with an almost insane rage, and he lifted his sword once more. "Tell me what you know!"

"I don't understand..." Odoshi backed away.

"You must know!" Enraged, the Mantis leapt at Odoshi, and the Phoenix barely had time to lift his sword. The Mantis's charge was too hasty, too unprepared. He sank onto the Phoenix's sword with a gasp, his own weapon falling numbly from his fingers. Clutching at Odoshi's vest, the Mantis whispered through bloody lips. Odoshi could barely hear the his voice as the Mantis clawed his way forward. "Please," the man hissed, "Tell me how we died..."

Odoshi had no words. He watched as the young Yoritomo warrior fell to his knees, dragging Odoshi's sword to the ground as he died. Around him, more Mantis fought and died on Phoenix spears, their screams cut short by the swift strikes of the Shiba guard. He stumbled, and one of the Mantis nearly fell over him with a shout as Yoritomo's men pressed their faint advantage. Soon, the numbers would be even, and the Mantis samurai would be forced to fight or run.

Drawing his sword out of the fallen Mantis, Odoshi once more joined his companions in combat, lending his strength to their aid. Questions would come later... and with them, rest. The combat seemed to last for hours, bloody beneath the forest's green leaves. At last, the Mantis commander signaled to his battered legion to withdraw, and Yoritomo's samurai began to move backwards, out of the forest grove and back onto the plain.

"Shall we let them go, sir?" shouted one of the Shiba as their lone bowman pelted the fleeing Mantis with arrows.

"Hai!" called the Captain. "We've suffered too many losses to leave the shelter of the trees. Let them retreat, and count your wounded."

Odoshi pressed his back to a nearby tree, gasping for breath. The combat had been savage, the ground littered with corpses.

"Ten, sir," called one of the sergeants. "Three who will not rise for days."

"Bring their bodies. We move the camp immediately, farther into the forest. There is another grove, less than a li from our position. Bring the others along when they rise."

"Days?" Odoshi blurted out, surprised. "Sergeant, their throats have been cut. Those men will not rise - now or ever."

The soldier simply looked at Odoshi with sad eyes, and turned away. At his feet, one of the dead began to move, reaching for their weapon as their wounds began to close.

"By Shiba himself, Taisa-sama," Odoshi said, using the captain's formal title. "What is this place?"

"This is Toshigoku, Odoshi-san." The captain said with haunted eyes. "The realm of spirits killed in honorable combat. We are the Legacy of the Forge, the lost souls who cannot complete our quests for Jigoku."

"Toshigoku..." Odoshi sank to his knees, his sword limp in one balled fist. "Then... I am dead?" "Hai." Emotionless, the taisa turned away.

"Captain-sama," Odoshi said softly, and the captain turned to look back at the samurai. "How... how did I die?"

"You must discover that for yourself, Shiba," said the commander. "We cannot help you."

It was a dream. Oni roared, their claws lifting flesh from bone, tearing through the gathered samurai like scythes through grass. The moon shone down hollowly on a bloody cliff, and an Oni raised its arms in victory...

Odoshi screamed once, sitting up from his tortured sleep, and then was silent. The scout glanced back at him, barely noticing his distress, and kicked the low ashes of the fire into a soft blaze. The Shadowlands had come to the Phoenix lands. He had died of the Taint.

Odoshi looked at his hands, but could not see any sign of corruption. Perhaps not. "The captain said that we all rise, when we are killed here." Odoshi began quietly, catching the ear of the scout. "Will the Mantis rise, as well?"

"Hai," the scout said. "And fight again, so rest. You will need it."

"No." Odoshi threw back the cover of his cloak, reaching for his sword and pushing to his feet. "I have to go."

"Go?" The scout laughed. "Go where? This is Toshigoku, samurai. There is no place to go."

"I must go to the Mantis, and speak to them."

"Madness. Do you think that because you cannot die, you are immortal?" Stepping toward him, the nameless scout pushed his finger into Odoshi's face. "There are tortures, samurai, such as you have never seen before. Many things can be done to a man's flesh when you know he will always return." Shuddering, Odoshi stepped back. "I must. And if you stop me..." He reached warningly for his katana, placing his hand on the comforting silk wrappings of the hilt.

"Return if you can, then," the scout smiled, watching Odoshi back into the woods. "We will be here. We will always be here." His chuckle, dry and ironic, echoed through the forest like a man gone mad.

Outside the Mantis camp, one man waited. "I knew you would come, Phoenix. Our destinies - even in this bitter place - are intertwined." "We died together." The words had a ring of truth, and the Yoritomo soldier narrowed his eyes. "My name is Kanbe. I fought in the Clan Wars, and I served at Yoritomo's side. I do not fear you, Phoenix."

"I do not want your fear," Odoshi said. "I only want your assistance. I must know," Odoshi whispered, then reached to grip the Mantis's wrists in strong hands, twisting their fingers together as a shudder shook the ground beneath them. "I must know how we died." Shocked, the Mantis looked up. Their eyes locked.

"The Shadowlands came for us," the Mantis said as they clutched one another's hands, unable to part. "The oni destroyed us, even as we fought to reach Hitomi's side. I can see..."

"The Scorpion..." said Odoshi. "He..."

"We were the last." Odoshi did not know who spoke - himself, or the Mantis samurai, but the words were true.

"I will go!" shouted the Mantis, pushing his way past the Phoenix at his side.

"You do not deserve the honor, dog," Odoshi heard himself cry out. Blood spilled from bitter blades, and the oni's claws slashed through them both with a single stroke. They had died together - fighting against each other even as the oni destroyed them both.>

"No!" Tearing himself away from their vision, The Mantis placed his throbbing head in his fists, blotting out the sight. He twisted out of Odoshi's grasp, stunned by their shared revelation. "We are dead, and the Empire has paid the price." He said, but his voice was no more than a low growl of emotion. "The oni defeated us. By now, her final stroke has been completed, and with no second to protect her, the oni will have torn her to ribbons. Nothing can save the Empire now." Kanbe snarled, facing away from his dishonor. "We were the lucky ones. At least our deaths were quick. There is nothing we can do for the Empire now. It cannot be saved." He pulled his cloak more tightly about his shoulders, stepping back toward the glowing lights of the Mantis camp. "Go now, Phoenix, and let me spend my eternity in hatred."

Odoshi moved before the Mantis, stepping between Kanbe and the Mantis encampment. A dark fire burned in the Shiba's eyes. "My clan fought for the Empire once, until it burned us to the ground. We gave our lives - our very soul - to see that it was safe from danger, and by the Seven Fortunes and the Kami, I will not give up now!"

After a pause, Yoritomo Kanbe nodded. "I saw the strength of the Phoenix fires when we took Kyuden Isawa. Many of my clan died that day... but many more will die, when the Moon does not rise." "We were her champions!" Odoshi raged, pounding his fist upon his chest. "How could we fail?"

Kanbe's voice echoed hollowly from the barren field around them, "We failed because we did not expect to lose."

"I cannot exist with this shame," Odoshi whispered, his fury rising. "Knowing that we have failed, that the Empire will suffer for my defeat - Shiba help me, but I cannot go on with that dishonor in this empty land."

"And what can you do about it, Shiba?" Kanbe snarled. "Die once more?"

"I can try. I was once told that a Phoenix can have two deaths - one in shame, and one in honor." Odoshi fell to his knees, freeing his kimono and baring his chest. "If for nothing more than my father's memory and my clan's trust, I must. Let my second death be here. Let it signify that I was willing to keep my word, even after death."

"Then I, who took your life before, will give you death now. An honorable death," the Mantis amended. "For the sake of all our souls. In honor of those who died fighting to save Hitomi... and the Empire."

"I should trust the word of a Mantis?"

"I cannot make that decision for you," Kanbe said.

Odoshi nodded. After a moment, he drew his wakizashi and pondered the light upon its blade. Then, without a thought, without even sinking to his knees, he plunged the short sword into his belly and tore apart the skin. His face paled, his eyes locked onto Kanbe's eyes, and their minds touched once more.

Because the Empire is more important than our war...>

The Mantis's blade sang through the air, slicing Odoshi's head from his body with a stroke as true as thought.

Tsukune's eyes.

"Death brings life, samurai - to die by the hand of the one who killed you, in honor and in remorse. That is the path to return...and Shiba taught you well."

A brilliant light, and then...>

The darkness lifted, and the oni stood before Odoshi once more. Its back was turned, and its claws and fangs shone with blood in the light of the swelling moon. On the ground, bodies littered the bloody grass, their flesh torn apart, their swords broken. A moment ago, he had been one of them. He looked down at the still forms, and recognized Kanbe's face. It was filled, not with anger or hatred, but with the still peace of death.

The oni charged up the mountain toward the silent figure at the peak, lifting its bared claws in gleeful victory. It raked its claws toward Hitomi's unprotected throat, her sword frozen in the final motion of seppuku. Lunging directly behind the oni, Odoshi lifted his sword in a mighty blow, cutting the oni's arm and protecting Hitomi from its assault. The blade seared through the oni's wrist with a smell of decaying eggs, and smoke whispered from the cut. Mere seconds had passed, not hours or days. Seconds, and Hitomi's seppuku was not yet complete. The oni howled, sensing that victory had been stolen from its grasp, and turned to claw Odoshi. "I killed you!" it shrieked through terrible fangs.

"Only once." Odoshi snarled, and plunged his sword into its heart.

When Hitomi completed her stroke, Odoshi stood behind her, the oni's corpse at his feet. With a clean stroke he freed her silent spirit, and together, they ascended into the heavens - the Moon and her reborn star.

The Scorpion beneath poisoned knives -
But only the Phoenix know the path to return.
- Shiba's Koan>

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