The Promise
By Rich Wulf
"In this year it came to pass that the Emperor's reign was secured for all time. Let the Empire rejoice!"
- Miya Satoshi, Imperial Herald, 1135 by the Isawa Calendar, the Thirteenth Year of the Glorious Reign of Hantei XXXIX
* * * * *
Many Years before the Day of Thunder. . .
"The choice has been made, Aramoro," Bayushi Shoju said, dark eyes emotionless, looking down at his kneeling half-brother. "In the spring, Shosuro Kachiko and I will wed."
"Congratulations," the ninja hissed through gritted teeth. He kept his gaze focused on his brother's feet.
"I know how you feel about her, Aramoro," Shoju said, voice echoing behind his fearsome metal mask.
Aramoro looked up at his brother. "And you wish to know if I still love her?"
Shoju nodded.
"I do," the ninja said, bowing his head again, "but my loyalty is to the Scorpion. If you fear I will betray you, kill me now and be done with it."
Shoju chuckled. He stepped forward and placed one hand on Aramoro's shoulder, making the younger man flinch. "I know you, Aramoro, as you know me. Deadly you may be, but never disloyal."
Aramoro looked up at his brother. "Then why do you ask?"
"Because I love Shosuro Kachiko," Shoju said, "but I do not trust her. You are the master of shadows, Aramoro. You have never failed the clan. I know that you are the one man in all the Empire who can truly protect her."
Aramoro did not reply at first. He only looked into his older brother's eyes. Unlike Aramoro, who had inherited the handsome features so typical of the Bayushi line, Shoju had been born disfigured. He kept his features well hidden; Aramoro was one of the few men alive who knew the future lord of the Scorpion's true face. Shoju was a talented leader, but he knew his limitations. Now his eyes shone with fear and uncertainty, fear that his new love would betray him because of his ugliness.
"I do not wish to be near her," Aramoro said at last. "I do not want the temptation."
"And I would not give you such a difficult task if I did not know that you were strong enough to bear it," Shoju said. "I cannot rule the Scorpion Clan if I am distracted by my heart. I ask you one last time, Aramoro. Will you protect Kachiko?"
Aramoro bowed his head again. "Yes, my brother," he said, his voice thick. "I will protect her with my sword, my honor and my life. Always."
"Thank you, Aramoro," his brother said, and for the first time in all the years they had known one another there was a genuine warmth in Bayushi Shoju's voice.
* * * * *
The Present day. . .
Only a fool would dare sneak into the Imperial Palace of Fu Leng. Only a madman would even attempt to gain access to the throne room itself. Only a man who truly had no regard for his own life would spy on the Emperor himself.
As Bayushi Aramoro crouched in the secret passage and watched the Emperor meet with his court, he tried not to think about things like this. He concentrated only on remaining still and quiet. For seven years he had skulked through the shadows of the Emperor's Palace, quietly watching the mad Emperor hold court with those too insane or terrified to oppose him.
The Emperor sniffed disdainfully as he released the Lion shugenja's throat. The man crumpled in a heap on the steps leading to the throne. The guards who attended the throne room masked their fear and shock; those who had survived this long knew not to attract the Emperor's attention when he was in such a mood.
"My Emperor. . . " the fallen man groaned, looking up at Fu Leng. Blood trickled from one corner of his mouth. "We. . . will try harder . . . I did not mean to offend you!"
"You failed!" the Emperor shouted, delivering a swift kick to the fallen man's chest. A wet snap sounded, and the man groaned. The Emperor stalked back to the Emerald throne, turned and sat upon it. Ripples of darkness spread through the green stone where the Emperor's fingers touched it. A deep crack still split the rear of the throne. Aramoro's brother Shoju had caused that crack many years ago; he had been the first to see the shadow that would spread across the Empire. Fools like Toturi had killed Shoju for his prescience, called him a traitor, and had doomed Rokugan by doing so.
At the Emperor's side, the Empress Kachiko sat quiet and serene, studiously ignoring the carnage. The Emperor looked at her, his dark eyes gleaming with violence.
Aramoro drew his sword from its saya a fraction of an inch, as he had a thousand times since the Day of Thunder. If the Emperor chose to slaughter Kachiko, there would be little the ninja could do. It made no difference. A promise was a promise.
"Do you disapprove of the way I treat my visitor, my dear?" the Emperor asked in a mild voice. The tone put Aramoro's teeth on edge.
"The Emperor is incapable of injustice," Kachiko said. "Surely if the man did not deserve such punishment for the message he delivered, he deserved it in return for some other crime."
A slow sneer spread across the Emperor's features. "Is that so?" the Emperor replied. "Perhaps you are correct. In that case, perhaps there are even greater sins for which he must atone. The Emperor cannot allow injustice to persist." he waved one hand vaguely in the direction of the fallen Kitsu. the man shrieked as his robes burst into black flames. He rolled feebly about on the steps for several moments, then lay still.
Kachiko looked at the burnt corpse and shivered. Aramoro knew that the gesture was fake; after all the horrors she had witnessed in the dark Emperor's throne room, one more could hardly affect her. And yet, she knew that if she did not react in some way the Emperor would only cause more pain. The ninja slid his sword back into its saya and nodded silently.
The doors of the throne room opened, causing the Emperor to look up curiously. The pale form of Hoturi the Heartless, Obsidian Champion, stood on the threshold. His handsome features twisted in a cruel smile when he saw the corpse on the floor. "Greetings, Lord of Darkness," Hoturi said with a deep bow. "Shall I arrange to have our visitor removed?"
"Do not bother," the Emperor said. He waved his hand again and the corpse was thrown from the stairs by unseen hands. It crashed against the wall, settling in a pile of bones and broken armor. "It adds to the overall atmosphere, I think."
"Of course," Hoturi replied. "The Dark Council awaits your consideration."
"Send them in," the Emperor replied.
The Obsidian Champion turned and left the chamber again, sparing a final smile for the Empress. Kachiko had loved Hoturi once, before Fu Leng had slain him and transformed him into an undead abomination. Their secret affair had led to the birth of a son that Shoju had nonetheless claimed and cared for as his own. The anger the Crane had brought his brother was enough to make Aramoro hate Hoturi; it was only exacerbated by his jealousy for the love Kachiko showed him in return, and the pain that showed in her eyes every time she looked at what the Emperor had made him.
The Obsidian Champion returned, standing to one side so that the Dark Council could enter. They strode into the throne room side by side. Three wore the heavy robes of shugenja. The fourth wore only a loincloth and a metallic circlet capping his charred scalp; the nimbus of flames that constantly surrounded his body allowed for little else.
"Greetings, Master," the Emperor said, a bitter edge to his voice.
"Good Morning, Son of Heaven," said Yogo Junzo. His spectral voice echoed hollowly from his fleshless, cracked skull. Of all the Masters, Aramoro despised Junzo most of all. Once he had been a Scorpion, but he had betrayed their trust and opened the First Black Scroll. Had it not been for Junzo's arrogance, Fu Leng might never have risen again.
"A good morning, is it?" the Emperor snarled as he turned his fearful gaze to the master of Water. "Your kinsman has failed to find Hida O-Ushi's camp, Okura-san."
Kitsu Okura looked at the mangled corpse nervously, opened his mouth, but no words came. The Master of Water was obviously terrified of the Emperor.
"The Crab whore is as crafty as her father," replied Kuni Yori, smiling obsequiously as he stepped in to cover his dumbstruck comrade. "I shall dispatch one of the Chosen to attend to her at once."
"Send three," the Emperor said, rubbing his chin with one hand.
"Three ashura?" Yori replied, his eyes lighting up at the thought. "Excellent! That will set an example for the others, to be sure."
'Enough," the Emperor said impatiently. "Why are the four of you here? Ill tidings, I presume. That seems to be the only reason the four of you gather of late."
"Your highness is as masterfully perceptive as always," said Isawa Tsuke, his voice crackling wit the power of the fire magic he commanded. "We regrettably bring most unfortunate news. . . this information is sensitive. You may wish to dismiss your pets." The Master of Fire gestured at the guards, but his eyes rested on Kachiko.
"You would dare speak so to the Empress?" Kachiko said in a low voice.
"Leave, woman," the Emperor said, not looking at her.
Kachiko's eyes widened, but she said nothing further. She rose and left the chamber.
Aramoro breathed a quiet sigh of relief. The Empire thought Kachiko was a traitor, a willing concubine to Fu Leng. Aramoro knew the truth; she was not an equal here, she was a prisoner. If it were not for her presence, for her refusal to fully capitulate to the dark god's whim, Fu Leng might have disposed of all pretenses of ruling Rokugan and simply exterminated all life in the Empire. If she appeared to strong, Fu Leng might become frustrated and slay her. If she appeared to weak, he might become bored at the challenge of conquering her will. It was a careful balancing act. Not all samurai could endure seven years at the side of a mad god, weighing survival against a god's homicidal whim. Kachiko was far stronger than she looked. She was the greatest hero he had ever known. Aramoro's heart ached to be near her. He turned to exit the secret passage, to guard her as she returned to her chambers, but something made him pause. He turned back and peered through the crack in the wall, listening to hear what the Masters would say.
"Now." the Emperor said, folding his hands across his chest and leaning back in the throne. He looked at the Masters expectantly.
"We have discovered some disturbing news, Your Highness," Junzo said, bowing his fleshless head in obeisance. "What we say might disturb you at first but I assure you that we would not bother you with such - "
"Bah, get to the point, Scorpion," Kuni Yori cut in. "You are dying, Dark Lord."
The Emperor laughed. "I am immortal," he replied. "So long as the Twelfth Black Scroll remains sealed, I shall remain immortal."
"Your spirit is immortal, this is true," Yori replied, "but your vessel is not. Tell him, Okura."
The nervous Lion looked up and nodded sharply, his chins jiggling. "I first suspected last winter, when you called upon me to renew the wards that protect your chambers. I noticed that you seemed more lined, more aged than on the Day of Thunder. I communed with the spirits of Jigoku and they confirmed my fears. You are aging more slowly than normal, but you are definitely aging. So long as your spiritual essence does not fully inhabit the Hantei's form, you remain immortal. However, your body will continue to age as it always has. In time, it will die."
"Unacceptable," the Emperor said. "Surely it is within my power to prevent such a thing from occurring. I am a god!"
"And therein lies the problem, Yogo Junzo answered. "Your presence in this realm is inextricably linked to the blood of Hantei, the brother who betrayed you denying you your place both in the Heavens and in Rokugan. It is your own divine power that keeps your body as it should be - a true Hantei. That is why the wounds the Thunders bestowed upon you on the Day of Thunder eventually healed, returning you to your most perfect form."
"However," Yori added, "that also means that your current body is effectively indestructible. Only old age can defeat you."
"But even that is not the end," Okura said. "We believe that your spirit would remain in the mortal realm even without a body."
"So I would live on as a fleshless spirit?" the Emperor demanded, eyes gleaming red. His hands clasped the arms of the Emerald Throne firmly. Waves of utter darkness now pulsed through the entirety of the ancient throne. "Like some worthless kansen?"
"You could always open the Twelfth Black Scroll and fully enter this world," Junzo offered.
"And make myself mortal?" the Emperor laughed. "I think not. I would prefer to be an immortal ghost."
"There are other options, Highness," Tsuke said. "When your body dies, simply find another Hantei and possess him."
"Idiot," the Emperor said with a snarl. "the Otomo and Seppun are all dead."
"The traitor Daigotsu carries Hantei blood," Okura offered.
"What would become of him once he was possessed?" the Emperor asked.
"His spirit would be snuffed out and consumed just as the spirit of your current body was annihilated," Tsuke said.
"Perfect," the Emperor said. "Go forth and find Daigotsu."
"He is powerful, Dark Lord," Yori said, "What if we cannot capture him alive?"
"Then kill him," the Emperor said in an unconcerned voice. "It makes no difference. I believe I have another plan." The Emperor rose from his throne. "You are dismissed, Dark Council."
* * * * *
As the Emperor strode through the halls of the Imperial Palace, Aramoro followed. Hiding from the eyes and ears of a god tested even the ninja master's skills, but Aramoro ignored his fear. A dark suspicion now crept into his heart; he had to know what the Emperor planned next.
The Dark Lord slid a section of the wall aside with a glance and entered the catacombs beneath the palace. Even before the Day of Thunder the tunnels had a reputation for housing all manner of dark spirits. Legend claimed they were haunted by spirits of dead emperors, by dark creatures that once served Iuchiban, by the spirits of gaijin slaughtered far from home, by just about anything else one could name. The last time Aramoro entered the catacombs had been during the coup, on the day his brother died. He entered them now without hesitation. Whatever might be haunting the catacombs surely could be no more terrible than the man he followed now.
Fu Leng strode down the spiraling stairs, moving unerringly through the total darkness. Aramoro clutched a small netsuke in his hand, a figurine in the shape of a scorpion poised to strike. Even with its aid he could hardly see well enough to place one foot in front of the next without stumbling. Aramoro knew that he was taking a terrible chance following Fu Leng this far, but his instincts screamed at him to continue.
The dark Emperor paused at a huge open doorway. He extended one arm through the threshold and smiled. Wisps of smoke swirled around his hand like angry spirits, stripping the flesh from his hand in an instant. Once through the threshold, muscle and skin grew over the Emperor's hand again. With a satisfied nod, the Emperor stepped through the door. The flittering spirits stripped the flesh from the Emperor's skeleton. A moment later, his flesh restored itself again. Even his kimono was perfect.
Aramoro stopped at the edge of the doorway. He doubted that he could survive passage as the Emperor had. Instead, he leaned as close as he dares and listened. In the room beyond, he could make out the figure of the Emperor. He was standing before what looked like a large slab of meat, hanging from the ceiling by thin chains. Aramoro's stomach turned when he realized it was the body of a man, stripped of its limbs. He was even more horrified when the body lifted its head, long hair spilling over its face.
"Greetings, brother," Fu Leng said, straightening one sleeve as he paced the room.
The hanging body was none other than Togashi, divine founder of the Dragon. Aramoro's blood ran cold. What sort of monster could do such a thing to his own brother?
"Konichiwa," Togashi said in a rough voice. "I though you had forgotten about me."
"I could never forget you, Togashi," Fu Leng said, touching the man's chin with one hand.
'Why Fu Leng," Togashi said. "You look older." The Dragon's eyes gleamed in momentary triumph.
"You knew!" Fu Leng roared gripping Togashi's chin fiercely. "You knew that my body would not last forever! This is all part of your infernal plan! Your Thunders are dead! Your Empire has failed! And still you think you can win?" Fu Leng shook his brother, causing the chains to dig deeper into his flesh.
"You are a fool, little brother," Togashi said with a pained smile. "As much as you plot, plan, and deceive, in the end your greatest enemy is yourself."
"You think that you know all," Fu Leng said, releasing his brother with a shove "You are wrong. There will be a Hantei to carry my spirit, even if I must create one." He turned his back on Togashi. "The Hantei blood flows through these veins even now. I need only an heir." Fu Leng smiled. "The Scorpion looks fertile enough. She should do nicely."
"You cannot," Togashi said in a weak voice.
"Can't I?" Fu Leng asked in a mocking voice. "You say that I am the one who always defeats himself, yet it was your own Dragon Thunder who tore all your plans apart."
Togashi said nothing. He looked past Fu Leng, toward the shadows near the doorway, directly at Aramoro. In the silence six words echoed in the ninja's mind.
"You know what you must do."
"I hear the mountains of the Dragon are consumed by the Lying Darkness," Fu Leng said. "How do you feel about that?"
Aramoro never heard the Dragon's reply. He was already gone.
* * * * *
Aramoro knelt as low as he could, head bowed, one fist pressed against the marble floor in supplication. He waited silently, patiently. The hollow eyes of Yogo Junzo stared down at the ninja in contempt.
"Where has he been all these years?" Junzo asked in his ghostly voice.
"He claims that he has been hiding in the Hub Villages," replied the oily voice of Shosuro Sugita the Dark Master's sycophantic advisor. "It is well known that the villages house some pockets of resistance. If it were not for our gainful trade with foreign nations through their merchants, Ujiaki would have razed the Hubs long ago."
"And the Lion may yet have his chance if the Hubs are housing dangerous vermin like this," Junzo said. "Aramoro was the most deadly assassin in the Scorpion Clan at one time. Of course, now he is nothing. Pathetic wretch."
Aramoro said nothing. He bit back his rage, keeping his eyes trained squarely on the floor.
"Ninja," Junzo continued in a disdainful voice. "Your kind are like beetles, scurrying from the light. I wonder how many more of you we would find if we began turning over the stones of the Empire."
"He claims that he wishes to serve us," Sugita said. "He surrendered voluntarily. Aramoro was an assassin of some reputation before the Day of Thunder. Perhaps he could be of some use."
"I am uncertain," Junzo said, still watching the ninja. "His loyalties are questionable. Where were you when your brother, Shoju died, Aramoro?"
"I was protecting his wife at his command, Junzo-sama." Aramoro said.
"And where were you on the Day of Thunder, when your Lady was taken by the Dark Lord?" he asked.
Aramoro sneered behind his mask. "I was leading the armies of the Scorpion into battle, at Kachiko's command," he replied.
"How convenient," Junzo replied. "Every time your lord is in danger, you seem to be conveniently somewhere else."
"No less than you, Junzo," Aramoro said, looking up at the shugenja. "You were not there when Shoju died, either. You were at Shiro Yogo, far from the battle, at his command."
"But I avenged him," Junzo said fiercely. "I punished all those who defied him. The power that Shoju sought to contain has now consumed them all. Now they realize how wrong they were."
"You are wrong, Junzo," Aramoro said. "Toturi still lives. Accept me as your vassal and I will find him for you."
"Why should I bother?" Junzo asked. "You will simply fail the Dark Lord as you failed all of your other masters."
"Then I find it advantageous that the Dark Lord is immortal, and can never be defeated by my mistakes. give me the power of the Taint, Junzo-sama," Aramoro begged. "We will protect the Emperor as we once protected Shoju. I will watch from the shadows while you guard him with your magic. Together, none can conquer us." Aramoro hoped that the desperate play to Junzo's ego would work; in life the shugenja had been insufferably arrogant.
Junzo was silent. His skeletal fingers drummed the arm of his high-backed chair thoughtfully.
"Very well," he said after a long moment. "You will serve us, Bayushi Aramoro." He placed his left hand over Aramoro's face. A sliver of cold passed through the ninja's body.
Aramoro opened his eyes. "Is that all?"
"It is done,' Junzo said. "Now go, ninja. I will call upon you before long."
Aramoro nodded. Rising, he quickly departed from the Master's tower. As he ran through the streets of Otosan Uchi, he felt new power surging through his limbs. His skin itched terribly, and scratching only made it worse. He had been running through the darkened streets for twenty minutes before he realized he had not been using his nemuranai; his eyes were perfectly adjusted to the darkness. Pausing in the courtyard of the Imperial Palace, he searched for the secret entrance that would lead him to Kachiko's chambers. A low growl escaped the ninja's lips; he had trouble concentrating. This was taking too long. Impatiently, he ran directly up the side of the tower that lead to Kachiko's rooms. Surprised, he stopped and looked around. he was standing perfectly straight on the side of the tower, just outside of Kachiko's window.
Aramoro looked at his right hand. Wiry black hair began to sprout from his skin. Steel claws extended from his fingers. On impulse, Aramoro flicked his wrist. The nails launched themselves from his fingers, embedding themselves in the stone wall like shuriken.
"So this is the power of the Taint," Aramoro whispered as he crawled through the window.
Kachiko sat at a small table near the bed, reading from a small book. Her mask was gone, her body covered in a thin silken robe. Aramoro's heart quickened at the sight of her. Her scent intoxicated him. Was it lavender and cinnamon? He moved toward her, kneeling by her side and bowing his head.
"My lady," he said.
Kachiko looked up wit ha start. "Aramoro?" she said, rising. She looked toward the secret passage. 'I did not see you enter."
Aramoro looked up at her.
"Fortunes," she swore. "What has happened to you?"
And Aramoro told her his plan.
* * * * *
Some time later. . .
For hours he had crouched on the side of the wall, watching Kachiko's chambers. Even when the snow began to fall, Aramoro did not move. A dense covering of white powder now covered his shoulders and back. The snow did not melt when it touched his jet-black skin. His breath made no mist when it struck the freezing cold air. If any looked up from the courtyard below, they would see nothing more than a ripple in the shadows of the night.
Bayushi Aramoro had changed much in the last nine months. He would not watch over Kachiko for much longer. The Taint's hold upon his body and mind had grown stronger in the recent months. Soon, he eared, he would be unable to control himself any longer. He would be a willing vassal of Fu Leng, a liability. After today, he planned to vanish into the northern mountains and not return. Surely there was a place in that wilderness for an animal like him.
Kitsu Okura paced the Empress' bedchambers, pausing only to shout at the Empress' midwife.
"That is the child of a god you handle there, not some fishmonger's spawn!" Okura roared. "Careful!"
For seven hours this continued. Aramoro never looked away. Finally, the midwife stood and the cry of a newborn child filled the chambers. The midwife displayed the child proudly. "A girl," she said.
"Give me that," Okura snarled, snatching the baby away from the old woman.
Aramoro growled. It was all he could do not to leap through the window and put his hand through the Master of Water's chest.
"This child carries its father's heritage in more ways than one," Okura hissed to Kachiko. 'If she is not Tainted, you will have much to answer for."
"Then use your magic and see," Kachiko said, showing no fear.
Okura nodded and looked down at the child, whispering a dark prayer to the kansen. A blue-black radiance surrounded the baby, and Okura nodded in satisfaction. He handed the infant back to the midwife. "The Dark Lord will attend you shortly," he said to Kachiko. The Master of Water turned on his heel and left.
"The midwife gave the child to Kachiko, who cradled it gently.
"What will you call her?" the midwife asked.
"I am sure that the Emperor already has a name chosen for her," Kachiko said, "but she will always be Yakusoku to me."
Yakusoku.
"Promise."
A small smile spread across Kachiko's face, a smile reflected on Aramoro's once-handsome features.
And then he was gone.