Togashi Iroshi laid the needles out on the silken mat, placed for just that purpose. He arranged each instrument with the utmost care, as if they were fragile. His reverence continued as he stood and walked silently across the wooden floor, stopping in front of a beautifully carved cabinet. Iroshi used his finger to trace the outline of the dragon that made up the latch for the cabinet before lifting it to swing the polished door open. Within the cabinet rows of shelves were revealed. The shelves were filled with numerous glass jars, each labeled and marked, though the symbols did not match any commonly known kanji from Rokugan.

Iroshi lifted one jar from its place and carried it back to the mat with the other instruments of his art.

The silence was broken suddenly, but not in an unpleasant way. Iroshi smiled as he heard the light singing of the young monk assigned to defend the temple. It was a peasant song - one that was sung by the farmers as they worked their fields. Most samurai would consider singing such a song to be inappropriate, but she did not concern herself with the ways of the samurai overmuch. It was one of the things that Iroshi liked about her.

Togashi Miyoko stopped singing as she entered the temple. She knelt and bowed deeply in honor of the kami and supplicants of the temple, past, current and future. As she rose her long black braid fell across her shoulder and she flicked it off with a quick shake of her head.

"Good morning Miyoko-san."

"Good morning Iroshi-sama. Lord Sun is smiling broadly today. The birds are singing and the breeze kisses the mountains. What could be better?"

Iroshi bowed his head in agreement. "Is there a day that you cannot find the good in, child?

Miyoko shrugged. "I suppose it is possible, but why would I try?" Her laughter made the old monk feel younger. Sometimes, when war came to a land, it was far too easy to forget the wonders all around. He silently hoped that Miyoko would never forget, and would keep reminding the rest of them.

Miyoko looked down at the jar and instruments. "Are you working on me today, Iroshi-sama? I think there may still be some room on my back."

Iroshi looked at the tattoos covering Miyoko's arms, all of which had been revealed by the instruments that were now ready to be used again. "Not today. I am being met today by a Kitsuki. She wishes a tattoo as a keepsake."

Miyoko's eyebrow crinkled. "A keepsake? That does not seem like the sort of work that you usually do. Your tattoos are not merely decoration. They are unleashing what is hidden inside. They are the legacy passed to us through Togashi, first to Hoshi, then to Satsu, our leader in both mundane matters and the will of the heavens."

Iroshi listened to her litany. Sometimes the newest beliefs were the most fervent. "Sometimes, ink is just ink, and not the blood of the Kami."

"My apologies for interrupting." A new voice joined the discussion. Both monks turned to see Kitsuki Taiko standing in the entrance, head bowed. She wore the simple robe and crest of a Kitsuki magistrate and stood barefoot. "I was sent here to see Togashi Iroshi."

"That is who you have found, Kitsuki-san. I have been expecting you."

Taiko bowed deeply and then repeated the gesture to Miyoko. "I am Kitsuki Taiko." Miyoko returned the bow and introduction. "I could not help but to overhear your concerns, Miyoko-san. I wish to give no offense. I am not one of the Togashi and do not believe I have earned one of the holy tattoos from Lord Satsu. I merely wish a tattoo to help mark certain successes."

Iroshi dismissed her statement. "I have no reservations, Taiko-san. If you would kneel here, I can begin. You can keep your kimono on as I can see where the mark needs to go." As Taiko followed Iroshi's instructions, Miyoko said, "Successes? If you do not mind my asking, what sort of successes are you speaking of? Tattoos are not trophies."

Taiko started to shake her head but Iroshi stopped her. At first she recoiled slightly at his touch, but she quickly relaxed. "It is not a trophy, Miyoko-san. It is just a reminder." "A reminder?"

"A reminder of who I am."

Taiko's eyes never left the box. "I found it outside my room. It has none of the standard tricks for a box of that type. I can find no hidden buttons or levers."

Ryushi's eyes narrowed. "It was just left outside your room? That sounds suspicious. Are you sure you should try and open it?"

"Of course it is suspicious, Ryushi-sama. It would not be so interesting if it were not."

Ryushi frowned. "It might not be the sort of trick you should be interested in. It could be dangerous. Opening it could expose you to the Taint, or kill you outright. You should not be exploring this without some sort of assurances."

Taiko smiled. "You taught me that there are no assurances in life, Ryushi-sama. Still, what would you suggest? Ignoring it?"

It was Ryushi's turn to smile. "What sort of Kitsuki would I be if I suggested that? No, I just ask you to be cautious about it. Take the box to the Togashi and ask them to examine it using the Jade Mirror. They can ensure it is not a Shadowlands deception."

Taiko sighed. She could not argue his logic, but she couldn't help but think that the mirror could solve the puzzle... and that would be cheating.

The gruff Ieshige did not respond to her implied question and instead only said, "Can I help you, Kitsuki-san?"

"If you please, Togashi-sama. I wish to consult the Jade Mirror."

Ieshige scowled. "The Jade Mirror is not some trinket for idle amusement. Some truths are better exposed the old way, with faith and knowledge."

Taiko bowed again. "Just so, Togashi-sama. I agree totally, but my sensei wishes that I explore this avenue." She removed the puzzle box from the folds of her robe. "This was left outside my room. As you see, it is unmarked and there is no obvious way to open it."

"It is a toy."

"Respectfully, I do not believe this is the case. My sensei has requested that I halt my investigations until I confirm that it is not a trick of the Shadowlands or the like. Once the Jade Mirror does that, I will continue solving the puzzle."

"And if it turns out that your sensei fears are correct?"

"Then I will leave the box to those better suited to dealing with such things and I will turn my investigation over to discovering who left such an evil thing outside my room."

Ieshige looked at her for a moment longer before nodding and motioning for her to follow. He led her deep into the temple, far past the areas that most see. Finally he took her to a room where an object rested on a pedestal, covered in a silk cloth.

He motioned to a spot near the pedestal but not directly in front of it. "You will stand here. Do not attempt to see your own reflection. That is not why we are here and if your image mixes with that of the box, the result may not be accurate. In addition, if this thing is damned in some way, merely sharing the glass of the mirror may have other unexpected consequences. Do you understand? This is very important."

Taiko nodded and Ieshige removed the cloth from over the mirror. Taiko could look at nothing other than the mirror. From where she stood, it reflected nothing but an empty corner of the room, but even there she could see movement. There was nothing else in the room with them, so it was unclear what was causing the movement or whether it was a reflection at all, or something in the mirror itself.

Ieshige broke her concentration by saying simply, "The box."

Taiko held the puzzle box up, in front of the mirror but at arm's length, so she could see the reflection. What she saw almost made her drop the box. In the mirror it was ablaze, blackened with the heat from the fire. Then it changed. The box was under water. The image was so realistic that she could almost feel the heat from the fire become the cool of the water. Just as quickly, the box was on a mountaintop, within the rushing wind swirling amongst the stones. Then a large stone fell on the box and it popped open revealing... the reflection faded to nothing.

Taiko looked from the mirror to the box to see that it was still intact and unopened. Ieshige covered the mirror with the silk and said, "What did you see? Is the box dangerous?" Taiko shook her head. "I do not believe so, but what I saw was... unclear." A smile snuck onto her face. "The box is still a mystery."

"Might I join you?" Taiko looked up to see in the torch light that the voice came from a samurai, clad in the familiar green and gold armor of the Dragon, with a bowl of rice in one hand and a bowl of water in the other. "I am Mirumoto Chojiro."

"Kitsuki Taiko. Please feel free."

As Chojiro sat he said, "It is nice to see someone other than a monk. I respect the Togashi a great deal, but they do not make great conversationalists. Sometimes there is no deeper meaning to rice."

Taiko smiled. "I suppose so, but I may prove no better this evening. I fear I am a little preoccupied."

Chojiro nodded towards the box. "It has to be something if it will bring you all the way to the Togashi. I take it you didn't get the answers you were looking for."

Taiko sighed. "Merely new questions."

Chojiro laughed. "Is that not the way? Sometimes the monks fail to realize that not everything has to be a mystery. Sometimes the truth is exactly what you see in front of you."

Taiko started to say something and then she stopped. She looked at Chojiro for a moment and then back at the box. She then got to her feet and took one of the torches from outside the building and thrust it at the box.

"What are you doing?" There was some alarm in Chojiro's voice.

As the flames started to blacken the box, Taiko took the bowl of water from Chojiro's hand and doused the flames. She then used the hem of her robe to fan the air at the box. Finally she picked up the largest rock nearby and dropped it onto the puzzle box, with the Mirumoto looking on in astonishment.

"You will destroy it!"

The box did not break. Instead, it opened.

Taiko let out the breath she hadn"t realized she was holding and knelt down to see what the box had been hiding. Inside there were three pine needles, and nothing more.

Miyoko looked puzzled. "Pine needles? Why would someone go to all that trouble to hide pine needles?"

Taiko smiled as much as she could with Iroshi working on her cheek. "Because the box wasn"t the puzzle. It was the pine needles."

"I always loved this tree." The voice was rich and sonorous. Taiko looked around but could not see the speaker. "I always thought I could hear my grandfather here. Now I come here to speak to my father."

Uncoiling from amongst the rocks and trees of the mountainside was a great snake. Taiko could see the scales and momentarily thought that it was a Naga. Yet this creature was too large. Finally the head of a great dragon rose into view and Taiko dropped to the ground, prostrating herself before her Champion. "Lord Satsu!"

"You may rise, Kitsuki Taiko. After all, I invited you here."

Taiko raised her head, but stayed on the ground. "Lord Satsu? You left the puzzle box for me?"

"I did. Did you enjoy the challenge?"

"I did, Lord Satsu-sama. Very much."

"I knew that you would."

"But..." Taiko stammered, unable to keep her question to herself but unwilling to question her Champion.

"Why did I do it? Is that what you wish to ask?" "Yes, Lord Satsu."

"I did it to see if you could solve it. You are a very talented young woman, Taiko-chan. Your skills are of benefit to the Dragon clan. I wished you to know that I see you and what you can do."

"I am greatly honored."

"Yes. You should also be grateful for your skills."

"I am grateful of the opportunity to serve, Satsu-sama."

"Ah, humility is an admirable trait, but that does not mean you should deny your accomplishments. Never forget who you are, Taiko-chan. Never forget how you can serve the Dragon."

Taiko smiled. "Yes. I decided then that I would mark any great puzzles I solve with a tattoo to better acknowledge who I solve these puzzles for. I seek not to aggrandize myself but to serve Lord Satsu and the Dragon Clan. I may not have the tattoos using the blood of Satsu, like the Togashi, but I can still wear his marks."

"And you are finished." Iroshi put the needle back down on the cloth.

Taiko rose and bowed to the tattoo artist. "Thank you Iroshi-sama."

After Taiko had left and Iroshi was cleaning his needles, he handed the jar of ink to Miyoko and said, "Could you please put this back in the cabinet?"

Miyoko bowed and took the jar. As she approached the cabinet she read the symbol on the jar and stopped. She turned back to Iroshi and said, "But this is..."

She trailed off as Togashi Iroshi smiled.