To the untrained eye, it seemed little more like dust, tattered cloth, and scattered bones: a pile of burned trash. Of course, that sort of thing didn't belong in the Way. Nothing belonged in the Way. There was no garbage in the Way, there was only endless nothing.

A hideous scream filled the corridors of the Way as the twisted, blackened refuse rose into the air. Sinew popped as it stretched over shattered bones. Cloth tore and wove anew as it resumed its accustomed form. In moments, where once there had been nothing Yogo Ishak now stood, shuddering with the pain of his rebirth. The Dark Oracle of the Void was unsteady on his feet, limbs shaking and jaw quivering with weakness. His eyes were narrowed with anger, and drool hung from his slack lips.

"Filthy Otaku slut..." he snarled. "How dare she... how could she..."

He glanced down at his left arm, now ending at the elbow in a withered stump. The tendons in his neck tensed as he stretched the limb with all his strength. A bone suddenly erupted from the stump, but no more. He had been destroyed so utterly that he did not even have the strength to recover himself completely. He kicked the pile of scorched bones that lay scattered at his feet, sending a burnt skull tumbling down the corridor. A heavy booted foot suddenly appeared to stop the skull's movement, and laughter echoed in Ishak's ears.

"Hacharui, old friend," said Moto Yotogi, bending to pick up the skull in one hand. "Do not be so tempestuous. Death is only a minor setback for our kind. You must be patient. Your arm will grow back in time. Consider this - things could be worse. You could be her." He held up the skull so that its hollowed sockets stared at Ishak.

"Damn Battle Maiden," the Dark Oracle of the Void growled. "Thunders aren't supposed to throw their lives away like that!"

"Then perhaps your blessed son was wrong in his assumptions of the Thunders' identities," Yotogi answered. He removed his scowling mempo with one hand, revealing a face disarmingly young and handsome. Yotogi looked upon the skull with a certain distant sadness. "Sachiko was never the Thunder. Never, though it could have been. I could have told you that much. Her destiny lies elsewhere..."

"If you knew, then why didn't you tell us?" Ishak demanded. "You could have saved us a lot of trouble."

Yotogi shrugged. "The Day of Thunder comes and goes," he replied. "Even when good wins, evil is not abolished. What does it matter who wins? Personally, I prefer having a bit of good in the world. Makes the battle worth fighting, don't you think? No, I never entered into the Stormbreaker's plot with any greater goal than my own personal gain. But you know how that is. You have your own plans, don't you, Hacharui?" "I would prefer that you do not call me that," Ishak said. "That name is long dead, as is the man who bore it."

"If you say so, Oracle," Yotogi replied. "Some of us need our illusions. I, on the other hand, am the only honest man in the Empire. Even thus, it has been a pleasure working with you. I assume you will be riding out your servitude to the monk until this matter is concluded."

"Of course," Ishak spat back. "Are you going somewhere?"

"I am returning whence I came," Yotogi said, glancing down at the skull. "I have what I came for, now."

"The Stormbreaker will not be pleased to hear of this betrayal, Moto," Ishak snarled, trying in vain to stretch his withered arm once more.

"Ah, don't fear about that," Yotogi said with a smile. "I've left a suitable replacement. One with great interest in the future of Rokugan. He will make his presence known soon enough, I imagine. Our dark creator was more than happy to accept him, as we were once accepted."

Ishak's lip quivered. "An akutenshi? A new servant of the Shadowlands?"

"With some dark magic of his own to throw into the mix," Yotogi said. "I think you will like our new brother, Massad. Good luck, Oracle. Both for the Day of Thunder and for your own aspirations. Though of course a loyal servant such as yourself surely has no aspirations beyond serving the Stormbreaker."

Moto Yotogi turned and disappeared into the darkness of the Way, carrying the skull of Otaku Sachiko in one hand. Yogo Ishak said nothing, but his face was twisted in hatred.

Kenyu poked his head through the window, glancing back and forth to see if anyone was coming. Luckily, the street faced nothing but the backs of buildings. The trucks that used this alleyway to make deposits or pick up garbage were not present at this time in the evening. Planting his hands on either side of the window, the Unicorn quickly squirmed out, hopping to the ground. He turned and helped Zin climb through as well.

The window suddenly filled with a large, reptilian face. Szash's eyes flashed a bright red. "I cannot fit," it said. "The window is too small. Do either of you have any ideas?"

Zin glanced from Kenyu to Szash, worried. "There has to be some other way," she said. "Some other way out."

Kenyu tugged at his long hair, looking up and down the back wall of the library. An opportunity simply refused to present itself. "I could go get some butter," he suggested lamely. "And we could grease you up or something."

Szash sighed. "I do not think that will be necessary, Unicorn," he growled. "I'd hoped not to draw any attention to us, but..." He grabbed either side of the window in his massive, scaly hands and pulled. Brick walls six inches thick tore like rice paper in the naga's hands, exploding inward in a shower of dust and stone. Szash tore at the sides of the window for several moments, then slithered out into the street through the widened passage. His eyes flicked from one end of the street to the other.

"Bright Otaku," Kenyu said, looking ruefully at the mess Szash had made of the wall. "I had no idea you were so strong!"

"Someone must have heard that," Zin said, looking down the street warily. "We have to get out of here."

Szash nodded and fell into step behind her as she jogged off down the street. Kenyu stared at the ravaged wall for a moment more, then followed as well. Far off in the distance, a slight wail carried through the air.

"I hear it, too, Kenyu," Zin said, not looking back at them. "Just keep running."

"What?" Szash hissed. "What do you hear?"

"Sirens," Kenyu replied. "Man, the Neo Shiba cops are fast!"

"You must have left one of those men alive back in the library," Szash snarled, looking back over his shoulder as he slithered forward.

"Huh?" Kenyu replied. "I left all of them alive, Szash! Why would I kill them? They didn't do anything to me!"

"They were going to kill you, Unicorn!" Szash growled. "We are in the midst of a war, here! Can you possibly understand that?"

"Hey, I'm no killer, I'm a writer!" Kenyu replied.

"Fine, then," the naga replied. "The next time a situation arises, leave it to me. I know I can do what must be done."

"Both of you, be quiet!" Zin whispered at them. She turned and dodged into a side street, leading the way. Szash and Kenyu followed, the Constrictor giving a quick glance to the path they had taken to make sure they were not followed. Nodding in satisfaction, he vanished into the alley.

Zin pressed herself against the wall and crept forward, watching the street at the other end. Four police cars zipped past in a wail of sirens, and she relaxed. Kenyu moved up beside her, his expression bleak.

"They'll come back," he said. "When they don't find anything in the library, they'll search the neighborhood. Cops are thorough like that. Believe me, I was raised by them. Maybe I should go get my motorcycle. It's still parked by the library."

Zin shook her head. "Szash can't ride on a motorcycle," she said.

Kenyu frowned up at the big lizard. "Can't he sneak away through the sewers and meet us later? That's what the big friendly monsters always do in the movies."

A low rumble emanated from Szash's throat.

"I was kidding," Kenyu offered.

"What will we do?" Szash growled. "We are unlikely to find refuge in this city. As you are fond of reminding me, Unicorn, we do not exactly fit in among humans."

"I'm thinking," Kenyu said, looking back at the street again.

"Wait," Zin said, pointing at the street. "Is that not Sumi's yojimbo?"

Kenyu looked in the direction she indicated. "What?" he said. "Huh? Who are you talking about, Zin?"

"There," she sighed, grabbing the sides of his head and pointing it at the opposite street corner. "The man in the orange armor. Is that not one of the men that fought beside us in the Shinomen?" A single Phoenix in plasteel armor stood on the street corner. He seemed to be reading a newspaper, but kept glancing in the direction of the library in the manner of a blunt person trying to appear inconspicuous.

Kenyu shrugged. "I dunno, maybe that's one of them," he said. "All Phoenix look the same to me."

Szash crouched behind them, peering across the street as well. "Yes," the naga said, nodding. "That is Shiba Jo, the one who remained behind to guard the wounded."

"Oh yeah, that guy!" Kenyu said. He looked back at Szash. "You remember his name?"

"And his scent. A wise warrior remembers his allies and his enemies, Unicorn," Szash said, narrowing his eyes at the scrawny shugenja.

"You never remember my name," Kenyu replied.

"You are beneath my notice in either regard," the naga said.

"This isn't the time for you two to stand around and insult each other," Zin said. "Kenyu, maybe you should go out there and see what Jo is doing?"

Kenyu nodded, peering out into the street again. "Okay. If I'm lucky, nobody will recognize me. Like the big guy says, I'm beneath notice." He turned with a smirk, then stepped out into the street.

Kenyu tried to appear calm and nonchalant, whistling to himself as he walked. He made a point of staring down the street at the police surrounding the library. Everyone else was staring; he wouldn't have seemed natural if he'd ignored the spectacle. Luckily, it looked like they were ignoring his motorcycle. Crossing the street, he hopped onto the opposite curb and headed toward the lone yojimbo.

"Hi there," Kenyu said amiably.

"Go away," the Phoenix said without looking up from his newspaper.

"Er... no," Kenyu replied. "I'm Iuchi Kenyu. I know you, remember?"

The Phoenix's eyes flicked up irritably, then suddenly widened. "Oh, Iuchi-sama!" he said quickly. "I'm so sorry!" He quickly folded his newspaper over, tucked it under his arm, and bowed.

"Hey, calm down," Kenyu said, glancing to the left and right. "I'm trying to look inconspicuous here."

"Of course," Jo replied. "Sorry. Kenyu-sama, something terrible has happened-"

"I know!" the Unicorn replied. "A bunch of Phoenix and a Crane came into the library looking for Zin and Szash, but we were able to get away. I think they called their friends, though." He pointed one thumb over his shoulder in the direction of the gathering police vehicles.

"That's not even the worst of it," Jo said in a hushed voice. "Sumi-sama has been taken into custody by Shiba Gensu."

"Custody?" Kenyu replied. "What the heck did she do? Isn't she your daimyo or something?"

Jo nodded. "It's complicated," he replied. "He found an esoteric precedent in a forgotten group that has power over the Phoenix daimyo - the Inquisitors. Somehow he curried favor with the Elemental Masters and was able to have her taken into custody. They accused her of maho. Maho!" The young yojimbo's face began to turn a dark red. "Can you believe the gall, the temerity? And the whole time, I was forced to just stand there!" The newspaper began to crumple under Jo's arm as he clenched his fists.

"Hey, calm down, buddy," Kenyu said quickly, looking around again to see if anyone had noticed the scene. "Let's just get out of here. We can figure out what to do about Sumi later. Zin and Szash need help now. Do you have a car or something?"

Jo pointed at a medium sized van parked down the street. "Right there," he said. "I figured that you might need help so I brought a vehicle large enough for the Constrictor."

"Good thinking," Kenyu said, hurrying toward the van. "Give me the keys."

"But that's my friend's van," Jo replied, following along behind.

"And your friend will be well rewarded for his service to the Empire," Kenyu answered, opening the driver's side door and hopping inside. "Now we're getting out of here."

A dozen dark blue vans cruised through the streets of Little Jigoku. They were far too new, too clean, too expensive to belong here. They were as alien as the Senpet who had come through only weeks before. They were out of place, and anything that was alien to Little Jigoku was surely up to no good.

With that in mind, Inago Sekkou followed the caravan, cruising a block behind the final van in a dark black sedan he had stolen only hours ago. Kaibutsu crouched in the passenger seat, sitting low so his head wouldn't scrape the ceiling.

"What's going on, Sekkou-sama?" Kaibutsu asked. "Who are those people?"

"Dojicorp," Sekkou replied, pushing his long hair out of his eyes. The Locust had removed his helmet again; he was virtually unrecognizable without it. "Cranes. The vans don't have any markings, but I'd know one of those Daidoji security vehicles anywhere. They seem to be closing in on Shotai's."

Kaibutsu chewed his lower lip nervously. "They going same place we are?" he asked. "Going to find Toturi's Army?"

"Possibly," Sekkou replied. "We'll have to see. For now we'll just follow and be quiet. I want to see what happens."

Kaibutsu scratched his cheek underneath one side of his mask. "What if they start fight?" the ogre said.

"What if they do?" Sekkou replied. "It's none of our business. Yesterday, Toturi's Army were our enemies. I have mixed feelings about helping them now."

"What if they hurt Jiro?" Kaibutsu asked. "Jiro friend."

"Is that so?" Sekkou shrugged. "I tend to disagree. Jiro's a traitor, Kaibutsu. Figure it out. He only joined the Locust so he could spy on us for Toturi's Army. He stole the Oni's Eye and split on us. Does that sound like a friend to you?"

Kaibutsu frowned, and did not look at Sekkou. "Jiro was nice to Kaibutsu."

"Yes, he was nice," Sekkou replied. "And if nice Jiro hadn't stolen the Oni's Eye, I could have found out that Inago was an undead tetsukami monstrosity in time to save the Locust from destroying themselves. I'm sure you'll understand if I'm having trouble working up any sympathy for little Jiro. If he lives, he lives, and knowing the strong sense of self-preservation in that particular street rat, I'm sure he's already abandoned his friends in Toturi's Army, too."

At that moment a large delivery truck suddenly barreled down the street past them, headed in the opposite direction. Sekkou brought the car to a screeching halt. "Speak of Fu Leng and he rises," Sekkou mumbled.

"I thought we were following Cranes?" Kaibutsu asked.

"Not anymore," Sekkou answered, turning the car around to follow the truck.

"Where we going now?" Kaibutsu asked.

"Jiro," Sekkou replied. "He was in that truck that just passed us." Sekkou hit the accelerator and followed.

Sen finished her sandwich, crumpling the bright foil wrapper and tossing it in the trash bin. She loved the food in Otosan Uchi. Especially the greasy, meaty, high calorie deli sandwiches. She enjoyed them immensely, and if they had an adverse effect on her figure than so be it. Fat was nothing that creative use of maho or stealing a new body couldn't deal with. Not that she was in any hurry to get rid of this particular body. The appreciative gazes Shosuro Kochiyo's form drew from the other customers and employees behind the counter drew a sly smile from her in return. Under other circumstances, she would attempt to bring one of them along. That always made for an amusing evening; bringing a human home, getting to know them, finding out what made them who they were.

The looks on their faces when she killed them were always so priceless.

Sadly, she had no time for that. Not today. She pushed open the door to the restaurant and glanced up and down the street. Where was she supposed to meet him again? Her eyes fell upon the construction site, half a block down.

"Of course," she murmured, sidling down the street.

A young couple passed in the opposite direction, holding hands and smiling at one another. Sen put a bit more sway in her hips as she walked and looked directly at the man, giving him her most enigmatic, seductive smirk. He looked back, surprised, and Sen kept walking. A moment later, as she reached the entrance of the construction site, she heard the woman slap him.

"Well?" echoed a gravely voice from deep in the shadows behind the chain-link fence. "Are you done playing?"

"Never," she replied, licking her lips. "But I'll always take a break for you, Kunisada."

"Spare me, Sen," he said. "The body is more alluring than the last, granted, but the soul within is still the same."

"How disappointing," she said, stepping through a gap in the fence with a sigh. "I'm beginning to wonder if I'll ever find out whether there's a man under all those rocks." She grinned at a nearby heap of bricks and rubble. The pile shifted, suddenly warping to form the shape of a huge stone man dressed in samurai armor.

"Did you kill him?" Kunisada asked. "Did you kill the Lion?"

"Akodo Daniri is still alive," she said, seating herself on an overturned wheelbarrow with a pouty frown.

"Why did you fail?" Kunisada asked simply. He folded his massive arms with the grind of stone on stone.

"Because he's a lucky bastard, that's why," she said, resting her chin on both hands. "I don't know. There's something strange about him."

"You're right about that," Kunisada nodded. "According to Ishak, he's a Thunder. That's why you were supposed to kill him."

"Are you sure about that?" she looked up at him. "I mean, he's not even a Lion. He's not even anything. I mean, he's a wuss. He's still in love with this Kochiyo chick, even after she, like, destroyed him. Not to mention the fact that she's dead. What a loser."

"Why didn't you kill him, Sen?" Kunisada asked, his flinty eyes unblinking.

"I... don't know," she shrugged. "I couldn't bring myself to do it. Something happened. Maybe there's something wrong with this body. Maybe what's left of Kochiyo still has some feelings for him." She giggled, covering her mouth with one hand. "They were totally in love, you know? Isn't that pathetic? A fake Lion who falls in love with a fake Scorpion. Hard to tell who's the bigger liar in that relationship, eh, Kunisada?"

"Shut up, Sen," Kunisada said with a tired sigh.

Sen frowned, looking up at the Oracle. "You're mean," she said. "Besides, it's not as if you had much luck killing him, either."

"I didn't know he was inside that robot," Kunisada replied. "Or he would be dead, believe me."

"Oh, come on," she said. "You didn't know Akodo Daniri was in the Akodo War Machine?"

"What in Jigoku is an Akodo War Machine?" Kunisada snapped, brow furrowing in bewilderment.

"You don't even know that that's what its name was?" she shook her head in pity. "Really, Kunisada, where have you been for the last century? Living in a cave?"

Kunisada nodded. "Society is a blister."

"Oh, yeah," she giggled. "I forgot. You were living in a cave."

"They don't actually call that ugly thing the Akodo War Machine, do they?" he asked.

Sen nodded.

"Stupid Lions," he snarled, shaking his head. "It doesn't matter. Where is Daniri now, Sen?" he asked.

"The cripple who calls himself Dairya sent Daniri to the #14 Monorail Station in Little Jigoku," she reported. "He's supposed to meet Bayushi Oroki there, but Daniri doesn't know that."

Kunisada looked doubtful. "The one who owns the Labyrinth?" he said. "The one who slew Hotaru? Are you sure? How did you discover this?"

Sen looked annoyed. "I am the Dark Oracle of Air, Kunisada," she replied in an offended tone, tossing her hair over her shoulder with one hand. "I have every air kansen in Otosan Uchi prowling that building. I know everything they said to each other. Even the stupid, annoying, humdrum human crap that doesn't make any sense. Do you want to know what Mikio had for dinner tonight? I can tell you if you want to know. Really, Kunisada, I know I can be a bit flighty, but I do my job well. Have a little faith."

"All right, all right," Kunisada growled. "I believe you. It just irritates me when I don't understand something."

"That explains your constant state of irritation," she snipped back at him.

Kunisada did not reply, but turned to stomp heavily away. With each step he took, he sank a bit further into the ground. It was the Dark Oracle of Earth's preferred method of travel. He could go nearly anywhere he wanted unseen, leaving only a slight rumble of the earth in his wake.

"Wait," Sen called out to him. "Where are you going?"

He looked back at her. "I'm going to kill Akodo Daniri," he said. "I am going to kill Bayushi Oroki. They have done me quite a favor by gathering themselves where I could strike at them at once. What do you think?"

"You don't know anything about the Scorpion," she said. "You don't know whether Daniri brought his War Machine along or not. You don't know who will be at that monorail station. You don't know anything. You don't know what you're walking into."

"Point taken," Kunisada said, turning away from her and sinking further into the ground. "I have a plan."

"A plan?" she laughed. "You? What is it? 'Kill everyone?'"

"Exactly," he replied. That plan has never failed me."

"You're a brute," she said.

He shrugged and kept walking

"Oh, wait just a second," she said quickly, standing up and chasing a few steps after him as she came to a sudden realization. "Mass havoc and destruction? Take me along! I barely got to have any fun at KTSU."

"Don't whine, Sen, it's annoying," Kunisada snarled. "You've got power. Get there yourself." The crest of his helmet vanished beneath the surface, and the Dark Oracle of Earth was gone.

"Men," Sen sighed. She quickly exited the construction site and ran off into the night.

"All right, people, this is not a drill!" Ginawa shouted, leaping down the last few stairs into the common room of Shotai's diner. He was dressed in a dark leather jacket, with a pistol openly holstered on one hip and his daisho on the other. Tokei and Mikio were just behind him. Mikio carried a large rifle in both hands and had his hair tied back in a headband. Tokei's ring of spell cards hung from one wrist.

"Amaterasu!" exclaimed Goemon. The young bushi was enjoying a bowl of rice at a table near the stairs. "What are you three all geared up for? The Day of Thunder?"

"If this isn't the Day of Thunder, it may as well be, kid," Ginawa replied. "Munashi's on to us and he's on his way here with one hundred Daidoji. We have to get packed and get out of here, ASAP."

"We're running?" Akiyoshi retorted, rising from her seat at the counter with a confused look. "Why don't we fight? We fought the Senpet! We fought the Locust! We're supposed to run away from a bunch of Cranes?" A chorus of agreements rose from the assembled teenagers, though the older members of the gang remained silent, eyes fixed on Ginawa. Behind the counter, Shotai quietly polished a soup bowl and chewed on a cigarette.

"This is totally different," Ginawa replied sternly, eyes searching the crowd. "This is Dojicorp. They're on the side of the Emperor, right or wrong. Fighting back against them is an attack against the Emperor himself. Even if we can fight them off, the Unicorn and the Lion will come after us next. What will we do then? Fight every samurai in Rokugan?" "If we have to," Akiyoshi shot back. "What would you have us do, Ginawa? Abandon Little Jigoku? What's the point of Toturi's Army, then?"

"To survive!" growled a voice from the behind Ginawa and the others.

Every eye in the restaurant turned as Dairya entered the room, seated in a wheelchair pushed by Godaigo. The grizzled old ronin was still immobilized by limb braces and casts, but his eyes were as fierce as ever. "The point of Toturi's Army, girl," he said in his gravely voice, "is to survive."

"You're a hypocrite, Dairya," Akiyoshi shot back. The young girl's face was flushed with anger. "You told me once that Toturi's Army doesn't fight because we can win. We fight because it's the right thing to do."

"And what would be the right thing to do, girl?" Dairya hissed, glaring up at her from his confinement. "Start a battle in Little Jigoku over stubborn pride? And how many friends and family members would die in the crossfire? Fighting the Crane won't gain us a damned thing, Akiyoshi. It's time to run."

"Where will we go?" asked a numb, frightened young man sitting at a small table.

"We'll hide out at the docks," Ginawa replied. "For now."

"The docks?" Shotai asked, shaking his head. "That place is a disaster area! Where will we live? What will we eat? I can't leave my diner!"

"The diner isn't a concern, Shotai," Ginawa said with a shake of his head. "Just grab all the valuables you can. As for where we'll go after the docks, Hida Yasu is trying to make arrangements for us right now. Now let's move, people."

"Jurin," Gohei said hoarsely. The Lion hoisted himself to his feet, clutching the wound in his side with one hand. He leaned heavily against the wall, and his face glistened with sweat.

"Your wound is serious, Gohei-sama," the zokujin said, scampering to his side and gazing up with pale yellow eyes. "We must find treatment. Jurin-san will heal you. I will go and-"

"No," Gohei barked. "You can't disturb her. What she's looking for is more important than me. I can handle this on my own."

Argcklt blinked and cocked his head slightly. "Of all the sins of your kind, none has killed more than pride."

"I wouldn't rather die from any other," Gohei said with a fierce grin. He pulled himself away from the wall, standing straight and tall with some second wind. "Stay here, Argcklt," he commanded. "You have to protect Jurin. Make sure she finds what she's looking for." The Lion daimyo staggered down the hallway toward the exit, pistol still clutched in his free hand.

"Gohei-sama," Argcklt called out, hurrying after him. "Where are you going? Surely you cannot travel with such a-"

Gohei turned, the glare in his eyes fearfully intense. Argcklt retreated a step. "You heard what that Wasp assassin said. I would be removed, and my family would be seen to. I wouldn't let that idiot kill me and I'm not going to let him harm the Lion, either. I'm going back to Golden Sun Studios."

Argcklt frowned. "If you wish to warn them, could you not... call them?" he pointed through the door of the maintenance office, at a phone sitting on the desk. "Perhaps they could send an ambulance, as well."

Gohei looked at the phone, then looked back at the zokujin, wavering a bit on his feet.

"You do not need to charge into everything alone, Gohei-sama," the zokujin smiled.

Gohei laughed. "That's hardly the way of the Lion, but I guess it'll do for now," he said. The Lion daimyo wiped the sweat from his brow, seemed somewhat surprised to see the pistol in his hand, and returned it to its shoulder holster. "I guess I'm not in the best shape," he admitted. "Yeah, thanks, Argcklt. I'll go call Golden Sun. You go check on Jurin."

Argcklt didn't say a word as the Lion limped past him into the office. "Humans," he grinned to himself as he ambled down the hallway.

Daniri tried to keep his mind on the road. His life had changed a lot in the last few weeks. He'd gone from being the biggest superstar in the Empire and the Emperor's Diamond Champion (however briefly) straight back to nothing. He tried to tell himself that he couldn't be too angry about it all. He knew the ride would end some day. However, he never thought it would end like this.

"You still tearing yourself up about Kochiyo?" Jiro asked, glancing over from the passenger seat of the borrowed truck. "I thought you were over it already. You shouldn't have talked to her again."

"It's a little hard to get over," Daniri muttered. "It was my life."

"Yeah, I guess being a worthless heimin is really rough," Jiro said sarcastically. "Get over it Daniri. At least you got to be a movie star for a little while. That wasn't your life, it was Akodo Daniri's. He never existed. You were just borrowing his name."

"You don't know what you're talking about, Jiro," Daniri said, ignoring how close Jiro's words came to his own thoughts.

"Yeah, well I know one thing," Jiro replied. "If there's one thing you never learned from dad, it's how to keep a secret. The only way to do that is to tell nobody. You really screwed up by telling that girl anything. I don't care what you thought you felt about her."

"Okay, now you really don't know what you're talking about, Jiro," Daniri snapped. "You can't live your life hiding from everyone. Is that idiot Hiroru telling you crap like that?"

"Nah, this crap is all mine," Jiro said. "You'd get along a lot better if you didn't trust anybody, Daniri. Take it from me." Jiro huddled down in his seat, folding his arms and staring out the window as the traffic zipped past on the multi-tiered highways.

Daniri looked over at his brother, a regretful expression flickering across his face. "Hey, Jiro," Daniri said. "I'm sorry I ran out on you and mom. I really thought I was doing the right thing at the time. I wasn't trying to pull a repeat performance on what dad did to us. I was making money for you guys, and that's what I thought was important. Come on, Jiro. You're a bright kid. Don't tell me you thought mom's new car and all that expensive food came out of her pension?"

"Okay, I suspected," Jiro said. "I figured you were out there, helping us. I knew we wouldn't have been able to get along without the money. Somehow, that wasn't the same as having you there. You should have been there, Danjuro."

"Well, it's over now, Jiro," Daniri said with a sigh. "No more Golden Sun. No more movies. No more sports cars. No more money. I'm Genju Danjuro again. Good enough?"

Jiro blinked, and turned to Daniri. "No more money? What happened to all your money?" "Well, okay, granted, the money's still there," Daniri said. "And there's a lot of it. I did have a contract, so I guess there's no way they can take that away from me. Hey, thanks, Jiro. When my emotional life goes to total crap I guess I can count on you to remind me of what really matters - material wealth. I'll buy you a Vehement when this is all over."

"Cool," Jiro said. "Don't think I'll forget you said that. Where are we going, anyway?"

"Good question," Daniri said. "We're supposed to be meeting a friend of Dairya's at the monorail station."

"Anybody we now?" Jiro asked.

Daniri shook his head, eyes still on the road, expressionless.

"Did he tell you who it was?" Jiro asked.

Daniri shook his head again.

"Um, red flag, bro," Jiro said. "This may just be my aforementioned distrustful nature again, but I don't think this is a meeting we should show up for."

"I'm sick of hiding," Daniri said. "I'm sick of not knowing who my enemies are. Whoever this guy is, I'm going to meet him head on and find out what he wants."

"And what if he's not friendly?" Jiro asked.

"Then I'm going to get the War Machine out of the back of this truck," Daniri replied, "And hammer him into the ground."

Hatsu tried to cough up the dust in his lungs, but just spat up a mouth full of blood. His hands scraped shattered wood and broken glass. His eyes watered from the smoke. He could feel the fire that was now consuming the building. His vision went black and he slumped to the floor again.

"Hatsu! Hatsu... up! .... killed if we...."

His vision swam into focus for a single moment. As he tried to rise again, he thought he saw a large figure looming over him, sword in one hand. Everything blurred again and he saw Sachiko, consumed in a fiery explosion as she wrestled with the Dark Oracle of the Void. The strength drained from his limbs and he slumped to the floor again.

"Damned useless... you Dragons would just stand up and... going to die!"

Hatsu shook his head, trying to clear away the pain and confusion. His hand settled on something cold and metal, and he realized with a start that it was the blade of the sword that Mirumoto Chojin had given him. He remembered abruptly where he was and why he was here. He was in Chojin's apartment, a safe-house of the Hidden Dragon, and had been fighting Yogo Ishak until...

"Sachiko!" Hatsu exclaimed, sitting up with a start. He glanced around. The entire floor was ablaze, destroyed furniture and overturned weapons racks everywhere. A large figure crouched before him, holding a sword in one hand. Through the painful haze that burned his eyes Hatsu recognized Orin Wake, the gaijin he had met upon his arrival here.

"About time you woke up, damnit!" Orin said, shaking Hatsu by the shoulder. "Can you walk? We have to get out of here!"

"I... the fire... I..." Hatsu stuttered. He felt as if his entire body was on fire. He felt as if he were slowly being burned away. He blinked, trying to shake away the sensation, and felt the room swim around him. He realized dimly that it was the power of his tattoo that was confusing him; he was feeling the fire all around him and it was disrupting his concentration so much he could barely stand. He tried to shut away the sensations, but could not even summon up the will to do that.

"Hatsu!" Orin shouted again, shaking the Dragon now by both shoulders. "Snap out of it! We're in danger here! The Dragon are in danger here!"

Hatsu could sense the havoc on the floors above and below. The men and women running in terror, their confusion, their pain. He could sense the men on the street below, the weapons they carried, the confidence they exuded. He suddenly snapped back into cold, keen focus, eyes fixed upon Orin's. "There are men outside, surrounding the building," he said. "The ones Ishak mentioned. We have to get everyone out of here."

"Glad you could join me back in Otosan Uchi, detective," Orin said, nodding sharply. "Now, can you walk?"

"I think so," Hatsu said, rising and snatching his dragon-claw katana from the floor. He glanced about the blaze. "Where's Sachiko?"

Orin only shook his head.

Hatsu nodded grimly. His heart went cold, but he didn't have time to deal with it. Not now. Orin turned toward the door, but Hatsu quickly blocked him.

"Not this way," Hatsu said.

"That's the only way out," Orin said.

"No," Hatsu said, shaking his head. "It's too dangerous." The doorway led into the main hall, the top of the stairwell where most of the men waiting in ambush were concentrated. A sudden burst of machine-gun fire echoed from that direction, and a scream.

"What the hell do we do, then?" Orin demanded, glancing about the flaming apartment. "Stay here and burn?"

Hatsu closed his eyes and turned, extending his senses into the fire despite the pain. A moment later, his eyes opened and he pointed his sword into the fire. "Don't ask questions, Orin," Hatsu said. "Just follow me."

"Damned Dragons," Orin grumbled. "Why couldn't I have been trapped with the Crabs? They don't seem so awful hard to understand."

"Just follow, Orin," Hatsu answered, "and try to run faster than you burn." The detective darted forward into the flames.

Orin hesitated for a single instant, then followed. In the end, he figured, there wasn't really any other alternative. For a moment, he was enveloped in terrible, consuming heat. He covered his face with one hand as he charged forward. Just as he was beginning to fear that burning to death would be every bit as horrible as he had heard, the floor suddenly dropped out from under him, and he plummeted. Orin landed with a crash and somehow, fortunately, managed not to land on his sword. Scrambling to his feet again, he glanced about to take in his surroundings. Hatsu was standing nearby, holding his katana in one hand. They seemed to be in a darkened laundry room. He looked up the way he had come and found he had not fallen through one floor, but two, to land in a heap of discarded sheets.

"Hatsu, how did you know-" Orin asked.

"Sachiko's grenade blew a hole in the floor," Hatsu whispered, walking slowly toward the main exit. "You couldn't see the hole through the flames, but I could. You may not believe me, but I have a magic tattoo that gives me incredible senses."

"Don't jump to conclusions," Orin replied, taking the hint and whispering as well. "The Dragons have taught me that suspension of disbelief is a very important thing. Why are we whispering?"

Hatsu stopped just beside the door, then turned back toward Orin. "There are three men on the other side," Hatsu whispered, holding his blade low and to one side. "Each is wearing plasteel armor, and each is armed with a submachine gun. They're covering the stairs and gunning down every Dragon that tries to escape. In a moment, I'm going to open the door, and we're going to jump out there and kill them. Are you with me?"

Orin frowned, drew his own sword, and nodded. "Then what?" he asked.

"Then we run," Hatsu said, "before the four men behind them realize what we're up to."

Orin moved to the other side of the door, gripping his bear-sword in both hands. When they were both prepared, Hatsu kicked in the door and they sprang into the hallway. True to Hatsu's prediction, three men in dark blue armor crouched in the hallway, covering the stairs with short, thick rifles. Hatsu's blade was a blur of shadow, slicing through the first man before he could react. Orin charged into the other two, shouldering one roughly to the ground and cleaving his sword upward through the body of the next. The front doors of the building lay open and four more guards stood just outside, eyes wide in surprise. Orin ducked down, snatched a rifle from a fallen guard, and sprayed the front steps with bullets. Hatsu turned, halfway up the stairs.

"I thought we were going to run!" Hatsu called back.

"I don't leave enemies behind me," Orin replied, throwing the empty rifle to the floor and picking up another. "Go find Hisojo and the others, Hatsu. I'll cover the door."

Hatsu nodded, turned, and ran up the stairs. Hatsu wasn't sure exactly how a gaijin like Orin Wake had found himself among the Dragon. Whatever the reasons, they were unimportant. Anyone who would stand against the Dark Oracle of the Void was an ally as far as he was concerned. A half dozen bodies littered the stairs. One was an ise zumi, with the characteristic shaven head and tattoos. Two were only children, caught in the wrong place in the wrong time. Hatsu scowled as he launched himself upward. Those were Dojicorp soldiers outside, and it didn't take a great leap in logic to figure out who was behind their presence here.

Asahina Munashi would pay for this.

But not now. No, now Hatsu had to find the Dragons and get them out of here, somehow. He dodged aside as a flaming ceiling tile plummeted past, and kicked open the door to a small apartment.

"Hello?" he called out. "Is anyone in here?"

He heard no answer. He quickly continued down the hallway to the next door, shouting all the while.

"Hello?" Hatsu cried. "Someone, answer me! Is there anyone left?"

Gunfire erupted from downstairs, and was returned in kind. Hatsu prayed that Orin could hold them off for a while longer, and that the soldiers didn't just storm the building from all sides. So far, the fire seemed to be holding them back but a single command from Munashi could change all of that.

"Hisojo!" he shouted. "Chojin! Anyone! Is anyone here?"

Hatsu realized suddenly that he had been knocked out for an uncertain amount of time. What if the Dojicorp soldiers had already stormed the building? What if they had ignored the room where Hatsu and Orin were trapped because of the fire? What if he was too late? Bodies littered the hallway. Whether the fire had killed them or they had burned after being killed by the Dojicorp soldiers, Hatsu couldn't tell.

"Someone answer me," he screamed, sweat dripping down his face from the heat. "Are there any Dragons left alive?"

He reached out with his heightened senses, but felt nothing. The fire, the heat, were too intense to see anything. His vision began to cloud, senses overloading from the chaos and confusion. He stumbled and fell to one knee, dragon-claw blade digging deep into the floor for balance.

"Sachiko..." he whispered. "Where are you?"

"Her part in this is over, Thunder," whispered a strange, echoing voice. "Don't give up now. Your part is just beginning. Soon, you will understand..." A shimmering serpent seemed to weave through the shadows of the burning building. A single, crystal eye turned to Hatsu, winked, and was gone.

"Dragon of the Void," Hatsu growled. "What do you want from us?" He staggered forth, yanking the blade flee of the floor and swiping at the flames, clutching the sword in both hands. "This isn't a damned game, this is our lives! Leave us alone!" Hatsu screamed so hard that his throat was raw. He staggered backwards, woozy from the heat, pain, grief, and power of Lord Hoshi's blood coursing through his veins. He slumped to the floor, still clutching the katana in one hand, and waited for the fire to take him.

A door opened at the far end of the hall. "Is somebody out here?" said a voice. A young girl with dark orange hair poked her head into the hallway. Hatsu dimly recognized her.

"Togashi Meliko," Hatsu groaned. His voice was too quiet. He knew she would never hear him. The door began to close.

A small, sharp bark sounded from the room behind her, and a ball of fur suddenly scampered out into the hallway with a rattle of claws on wood. "Akkan!" Meliko shouted. "Don't go out there!" She stepped into the hallway to follow.

"Meliko, leave the damned dog behind!" Chojin's rough voice shouted from deeper in the room. "We have to evacuate!"

The dog dodged around flaming debris and leapt over the fallen body of a Dragon samurai to crash into Hatsu's lap. Oblivious to the carnage and terror all around them, the little dog began to vigorously lick its master's face. Hatsu couldn't sense anything in the room behind Meliko. It was just one big void.

"Akkan," Meliko called out again, her voice ringed with terror. She stood on her tiptoes to see where the dog had gone, then her eyes widened. "Seven Thunders!" she exclaimed. "Hatsu!" She ran out into the hallway, hands covering her hair.

"Meliko!" shouted another voice. Daidoji Ishio, the big Crane Hatsu had met earlier, charged out into the hallway after her. In moments, the two of them were at Hatsu's side.

Meliko skidded to her knees and placed one hand along Hatsu's face. Her eyes were wide with worry. "Hatsu!" she said. "Where's Orin?"

"Downstairs," Hatsu choked. "Covering the door."

Meliko nodded, rose, and ran on down the hallway. Ishio stood a few feet away, blinking in surprise. "Um, Mel?" he called out. "Shouldn't we help Hatsu?" He pointed at the collapsed detective.

Meliko glanced back. "You can handle him. I'm going to get Orin!" she shouted, turning to run again. "And don't forget Akkan!" she added.

"Sorry, Kitsuki," Ishio said, helping Hatsu to his feet with one arm. "Usually we're more polite during rescues, but I think she has a thing for the gaijin."

Hatsu just nodded, clumsily returning his sword to his belt with his free hand. "Get me... away... from the fire..." he mumbled.

Ishio nodded and quickly carried Hatsu back toward the end of the hall. The little dog trotted along just ahead of them, leading the way. The door stood open now, and Chojin was waiting with a look of concern painted on his round face. He took Hatsu's other arm as the two entered. The room was small and dark, but crowded with men and women. The walls were painted a strange blue, and Hisojo sat exactly in the middle, deep in concentration. Hatsu suddenly felt his head clear as he entered the room, and the power of his tattoo faded. The fire was gone. His strength quickly returned. He was himself again.

"I'm going to get Mel!" Ishio shouted, quickly ducking out of the room again.

"What is this place?" Hatsu asked, glancing back behind him. In the hallway, the fire still raged. This room was untouched. He saw Ishio disappear as he dodged through the flames.

"This room is close to the Way," Chojin replied in a hushed tone. The old man was dressed in brilliant green armor; helmet tucked under one arm. "Here, we're safe from the fire so long as the building still stands. Hisojo is working on opening a portal now, so they can escape to Togashi Mountain."

"They?" Hatsu repeated quickly. "Does that mean you're not going, Chojin?"

Chojin nodded. "I'm just seeing them off," he said. "Before all this happened, we put out marks, summoning every Dragon in the city to this safe-house. If somebody doesn't escape and live long enough to take them back down, the Cranes might kill every last Dragon in Otosan Uchi."

Hatsu nodded. "I'll help," he said.

"No, you won't," Hisojo said from where he sat, eyes closed in deep concentration. "You're a Thunder, Hatsu, and I think it's about time the Thunders stopped risking their lives foolishly. We've already lost one of you and I'm not sure exactly how we're going to come back from that. You're coming with me to Togashi Mountain where it's safe."

"Hisojo-" Hatsu began to argue.

"Shut up, Hatsu," Chojin said. "The best way you can help us now is by staying alive. When the portal to Togashi Mountain opens up, you're going through it. If I have to knock you unconscious and throw you in myself, then so be it."

Hatsu met the old weaponsmith's gaze. There was no exaggeration, no humor in his eyes. Chojin did not resemble the fat old couch potato Hatsu had first met when he returned to the city; his eyes were every bit those of a warrior, every inch a Dragon. This is what he had trained for. He would protect the Seven Thunders, even if it meant taking them down to do so.

"All right," Hatsu said bitterly, leaning against the wall and sliding into a sitting position. "But you have to promise me something."

"Shoot," Chojin replied.

"Ishak said that a hundred more troops were on their way to destroy Toturi's Army," Hatsu said. "They have to be warned. They're hiding out in a diner called-"

"Shotai's," Chojin said, nodding quickly.

"You know?" Hatsu's eyes narrowed.

"We're the Hidden Dragon," Chojin replied. "We have managed to learn a thing or two about Rokugan during a century or so of lurking in the shadows, kid. Don't worry. I'll warn your friends just as soon as I can get out of here."

"Thanks," Hatsu said, sincerely.

Chojin only nodded and continued to watch Hatsu.

"Chojin, the portal's about to open," Hisojo said from the center of the room. "You may want to step outside now. Are you certain you'll be all right in the fire?"

"It took me my whole life to forge this armor," Chojin replied with a smirk. "If that fire can touch me while I'm wearing this, then I deserve to die. Good luck Hisojo. Hatsu."

"Carry the Fortunes, Chojin-san," Hisojo said. His ancient eyes opened as he bowed and smiled to his old friend. Chojin returned the bow and was gone, launching into the hallway with surprising speed.

With that, the room filled with light, and the Hidden Dragons were gone.

Shiba Jo's van pulled up in front of a large, stately mansion. The home was at the edge of Neo Shiba, and was relatively new. A pair of large gates separated the mansion from the rest of the city. Whoever lived here was the sort of person who could afford not to be bothered by strangers. Jo hopped out of the driver side of the van, trotted over to the intercom, and waited to be recognized. A single security camera swiveled over to point at him.

"Jo," the speaker called out. "You're back. Did you find them?"

Jo nodded. The gates suddenly opened, and the yojimbo returned to the van. He glanced around before stepping back inside. "So where's Kenyu?" he asked. "Did he get lost or something?"

Zin turned to face him from the passenger seat. Her face was impassive, but Jo could tell from the tenseness of her shoulders that she was somewhat nervous. "Maybe," she said. "You never know with Kenyu. He could be sightseeing. Keeper of the Lands and all that."

Jo frowned. "You don't trust me, do you?" he asked. "You think this might be some sort of trick. That's why he went back alone to get the motorcycle."

Szash's head appeared from the back of the van. "Demonstrate for me how this city has given us a reason to trust, human," he growled. "By attacking us? By attacking your own leader? You Phoenix are traitorous, pathetic scum."

Jo sighed and climbed into the van, slamming the door. "Not all of us are like Gensu," he said, shifting the vehicle into gear. "Some of us are still loyal to the Soul of Shiba, no matter who carries it. Like me."

"And like your friend?" Zin said, looking toward the mansion.

"Yes," Jo said. The van lurched forward and made its way through the walls into the estate beyond. "You'll see," he said. "He is a good man."

"I hope for your sake you are correct," Szash replied.

For nearly a minute the van wound through the sprawling lawns of the estate. Finally, they pulled into a large circular driveway before a house that was simply breathtaking in both size and beauty. Multi-tiered pagodas rose from the roof and spiraling ramps led to doors on each of five stories. The mansion was a bizarre product of modern design, painted entirely in bright, fiery red.

"Some house," Zin said, looking up in wonder. "It is even larger than Sumi's estate in the city."

"This may come as a surprise," Jo said, "but Shiba Sato is richer than the Phoenix daimyo."

"A vassal richer than his lord?" Szash rumbled. "I thought that things did not work that way among you Rokugani."

"Well, we like to pretend we're still a feudal system, but these things happen," Jo said, opening the door and stepping out of the car. "As it turns out, Sato's estates back in the old Phoenix provinces have historically been some of the most remote and worthless. The only resources it ever had were veins of chalky, worthless stone, used mostly for costume jewelry. The family fortunes changed a bit right after the Shadow Wars. That chalky, worthless rock was actually a stratum of crystal silicates, which came into high demand when people started discovering things like semi-conductors and transistors. After a few choice deals with the budding tetsukami corporations, the value of the family holdings went from worthless to priceless. Shiba Sato was born one of the nine richest men in the world. He gives a good deal of his wealth back to the clan, but the fact is he's literally got more money than he can spend. The interest alone is enough to keep him living better than the President of the Ivory Kingdoms."

Zin stepped out and walked up to Jo's side. "And this is a friend of yours?"

"Yep," Jo grinned. "He's an old retired yojimbo. I think you guys will like him. He's quite a character." Jo darted on ahead, hopping onto the nearest ramp and heading up to the second floor.

Zin and Szash followed behind. Zin looked dubious as she studied the garish red mansion. "Why would a man with such wealth work as a bodyguard?" she whispered to Szash. "It makes no sense."

"Well, I shall say one thing for him," Szash replied as they started up the ramp. "I appreciate this man's taste in architecture. I never understood the Rokugani fascination with dreadful, dreadful stairs. I never became quite accustomed to stairs."

They quickly reached the second floor, where Jo stood waiting with the door open. They entered a large study, full of bookshelves, with a large fire crackling under a television screen roughly nineteen feet in diameter. A large oak table stood in the center of the room. A withered old man in an orange jumpsuit sat in a wheelchair near table, eating directly from a bag of cookies as he chatted with Iuchi Kenyu.

"Kenyu!" Zin exclaimed. "What are you doing here?" Kenyu smiled sheepishly from where he sat.

"Hee hee," the old man chuckled. "The guards caught him prowling around outside on his motorcycle, so they invited him in. Sit, sit, all of you!" He gestured widely at the table. There were two chairs and a massive bean bag.

"Zin, Szash, this is Shiba Sato," Jo said. "Shiba-sama, these are the Zin and the Szash." Shiba Jo bowed deeply to the old man and seated himself. Zin did the same. Szash simply peered curiously at the bean bag and coiled awkwardly into it.

"Like the bag?" the old man asked, leaning forward eagerly. "I had it ordered special when I heard you were dropping by! Wow. Real nagas. I'd heard stories about you but I'd never hoped to really see one, let alone two. In the flesh! This is quite a day."

"What do you want from us?" Szash asked bluntly, red eyes fixing on the old man as he flexed his fingers.

Shiba Sato's grin faded as he chewed on a cookie. "Not every human wants something, Szash," he said. "That's a generalization. Like saying every naga is a xenophobic, cold blooded monster. That would be untrue, wouldn't it? Cookie?" He pointed the bag toward the naga.

"No thank you," Szash hissed. "It has been my experience that with rare exceptions humans never offer assistance without promise of reward. What does a man like you want from a band of refugees like us?"

Sato shook his head, then took another cookie from the bag. "Consider me a rare exception, then. I don't want anything. Heck, I don't need anything. Does it look like I need anything?"

"Please, excuse them Shiba-sama," Jo said quickly. "They have been through much and-"

"I know what they've been through, and I've told you a thousand times to call me Sato!" Sato said tersely. "The naga asked me a question, and I'm going to answer it! Szash," he turned to the naga again. "You saw the house, right? Took a good look around outside?"

"Truly a monument to human extravagance," Szash nodded.

Sato shrugged. "Grandpa Toma's fault," he laughed. "He designed it. Never build two stories when five will do. Never install a carp pond when you can put in a merry-go-round as well. That was Toma. Do you know when I moved in here?"

Szash merely looked at the old man, his eyes gleaming with annoyance.

"Ten years ago," Sato answered. "I had to. The pain in my legs got so bad that I couldn't even feel them any more. Before that, I'd lived all my life in a barracks in the old Shiba lands."

"In a barracks?" Zin asked.

"I was yojimbo," Sato said, raising his chin with a hint of pride. "Our family have been yojimbo for two thousand years. The Day of Thunder didn't stop us. The Crab taking over our duty to the Isawa didn't deter us. Even coming into money didn't call us away, though it came damn close. You see, for my family it's never been about whether we're needed. It's not about whether we're even wanted. Damnit, I'm a Shiba, and if I'm alive then the only reason I exist is because I'm protecting the Soul. Nothing more. The money's a fun diversion for an old man, but that's about all. Without loyalty, without honor, without family, you've got nothing. That's one thing that bastard Gensu will never get through his head. Cookie?" He pointed the bag at Zin. "They're pretty good. I own the company."

"Thank you," Zin said, taking a cookie with a smile.

"And thanks for your help," Kenyu said. "We'd still be hiding in an alley if it wasn't for you."

Sato grinned. "What goes around, comes around," he said. "Shiba Ikuyo is my granddaughter, and if it wasn't for you, Unicorn, she'd be dead. It was the least I could do. I thank you. Jo thanks you. The whole Shiba family thanks you, Kenyu. Well, at least the ones who still deserve to call themselves Shiba thank you."

Kenyu stared for a moment, then a sudden sly look spread across his face. "Hey, Sato-sama," he said. "Are you into publishing at all?"

"I'm into everything," Sato replied. "I have a lot of free time."

"Cool," Kenyu said. "See, I'm writing a book, and-"

"We don't have time for this," Szash growled. "Sato, I must admit you sound sincere, but words are only that. It is time to prove your sincerity. What do you plan to do to help us find Sumi and get back to Otosan Uchi?"

"Me?" Sato blinked. "Well, I don't know. I've never really been all that creative. Soldiers and tycoons don't need to be creative, they both have people to tell them what to do. I am, on the other hand, very, very rich. Figure out what you need to get her back, and I'll arrange it."

"Sato-sama, are you certain you want to become involved in this?" Jo asked. "Shiba Gensu is a very powerful man. He's technically the successor to the Shiba family and has an impressive following in the city. You risk much by helping us."

"Bah, I'm not afraid of Gensu," Sato waved his bag of cookies dismissively. "He may have a lot of allies, but he has no honor, and an opponent who fights without honor will defeat himself. Shiba said that. And remember another thing Shiba said - it's always good to have rich friends."

Kenyu grinned. "Shiba never said that," he said.

Sato looked sharply at Kenyu for a moment, then winked. "Well, he would have, if he had thought of it. Cookie?"

"Tengyu's not going to be too wild about the idea of all those ronin running loose in the Kyuden," Hayato said, huddled low in the gunner seat of Ketsuen.

"He'll just have to live with it," Yasu replied, gazing into the dim green monitor of the War Machine. "Ginawa and the rest helped us when we needed it, and they fixed Ketsuen. What's more, Asahina Munashi doesn't like them. I'd wrestle Fu Leng to keep that stick from getting anything he wants." The Seeker chuckled.

The two Crabs were quiet for a moment, watching the screen as Ketsuen prowled through the dark, quiet waters of Golden Sun Bay. To their right, the broken mast of an ancient ship hovered. A school of bright white fish were caught in the War Machine's running lights for an instant, then darted away as a single entity. Hayato frowned thoughtfully.

"Yasu, what do you think happened to Kamiko and those Daidoji?" the scout asked.

Yasu shook his head. "I try not to think about it," he replied. "I'm sure it wasn't pretty."

"That's pretty callous," Hayato answered. "You're not worried about them? Worried what he might be doing to them?"

"Come on, Hayato, you know me better than that," Yasu said. "Kamiko's a friend. She won my respect during the assassination attempt. It's not every girl that'll shove her fist into a dead guy's head. If she's lucky, she's dead right now. If she's not, I'd rather not think about what's happening to her. If I seem unemotional about it, believe me, I'm not. I'm very, very, very, very, very, very pissed. When I get my hands on Munashi again, the stick is going to find out just exactly how pissed I am, no matter how many nine year old oni girls he throws in the way."

Hayato laughed. "I'd hate to be Munashi when you get your hands on him," he said. "I've never seen anybody so far on your bad side."

Yasu gave Hayato a quick look. "Hayato, Munashi hasn't seen my bad side yet."

A quick burst of static rose from the control panels of the War Machine, drawing a quizzical look from Hayato. He glanced at Yasu, then back at the control panel.

"What?" Yasu asked. "What was that?"

"I dunno," the scout replied. "It should have been a query message from Kyuden Hida. It's not." Hayato leaned low over the panel, tapping at a flashing key repeatedly. "Ketsuen to Hida. Come in, Hida. Over."

They waited several moments. Nothing.

"That isn't good," Yasu said. "I thought that whatever was blocking the Kyuden's transmissions from the city didn't effect Ketsuen."

"You and me both, man," Hayato replied. "This definitely isn't normal." They could see the dark surface of the Kyuden looming above them now, a great black cloud on the surface of the water. "None of the sub-surface docking bay doors are opening. I don't even see any running lights. Should we try to go in?"

"No," Yasu said, his eyes cold and dead serious as he stared upward. "I'm going to surface. Let's get a good look at what we're getting into."

Hayato nodded. Yasu pulled at the controls and Ketsuen responded smoothly, gliding up through the water with amazing grace and speed. Moments later, the gunmetal blue robot burst through the surface of Golden Sun Bay, it's slit black visor fixed upon the artificial island that was Kyuden Hida. Yasu and Hayato said nothing, but stared in open horror at what they saw.

Kyuden Hida was in flames.

Ryosei moved through the shadowed hallways of the Diamond Palace, through forgotten passages and darkened chambers long forgotten by most. She had lived here her entire life, and often explored when she was bored. Though even she never stumbled on the mammoth chambers of the Agasha until recently, she knew secret walkways and hidden routes that most imperial historians were not even aware existed. She followed one of those routes now, her heart in her throat. Though she had taken this passage many times, never had she felt the terror, the trepidation, the pure fear she was feeling now.

"What do you think you're doing?" snapped a voice from the shadows behind her.

Ryosei whirled around, dark eyes wide. "Who?" she called out, drawing a short knife from her robes.

Isawa Saigo held his hands out passively as he stumbled forward. "Hey, it's just me!" he said quickly. "Where were you hiding that thing?"

"Family secret," she said, palming the knife again. "My father showed me, once. I never carried it till now."

Saigo sighed. "You're going to meet your brother, aren't you?"

Ryosei nodded. "I have to, Saigo. I have to find out what's happened to him."

"You know what's happened to him," he said. "Munashi's turned him into some kind of monster. He's going to call down the wrath of every country in the world."

She shook her head. "Kameru would never declare war. Not the Kameru I know. I have to find him, find out how I can reach him. There has to be a way to make him change his mind."

"I can't argue your bravery, but don't you think this time could be better spent getting the heck out of here?" he asked.

"Out of the Palace?" she asked.

"More like out of Rokugan!" Saigo replied. "We may not even be standing here tomorrow! You don't have to be a prophet to see that! You wouldn't believe the vision I just had. Ryosei, the Palace is doomed."

"Doomed?" she asked.

"Doomed!" Saigo repeated. "No ifs, ands or buts. This isn't a possible outcome. This isn't a future that can be changed. This was the purest, most concise prophecy I've ever had. The Diamond Palace is going to be utterly, completely destroyed. Whether or not it takes the rest of Otosan Uchi with it, I don't know, but I'm not going to stick around and find out! We have to get out of here!" He took her hand in his and tried to lead her off, but she wouldn't budge. She only looked at him, her eyes calm and sad.

"I can't leave Kameru, Saigo," she said. "If it was me, he would do the same. I have to stay here with him." "What it's his destiny to die here?" Saigo asked.

"Then I guess it's mine, too," she said, holding Saigo's hand tighter. "I'm sorry, Saigo, but I can't leave. Not now. I have to do this."

Saigo fidgeted, reaching for his hair with his free hand. He blinked when his hand came up empty and laughed. "Still not used to this new haircut," he said, looking at the floor. He squeezed her hand.

"Saigo," she said. "If you want to leave, it's okay. I understand. I can't see what you see. If I could see your visions, they would probably make me want to leave too."

Saigo nodded, still looking at the floor. His eyes seemed to be growing slightly moist. "I'm going to stay," he said.

"But I thought you said-" she began.

"I know what I said," he answered, still not looking up. "I know it's true. But right now it's important that I stay with you."

"Saigo?" she said, stepping closer to him with a curious expression. "There's something you're not telling me, isn't there?"

"You know what?" he said, swinging her hand in his, "I heard this funny story once. It was about a girl who was cursed by the gods so that she would always see the future. Her prophecies always came true, but no one ever believed her. The more she tried to warn people about the terrible things that were going to happen to them, the worse off things always ended up. Every time I hear that story, I always see myself in the part of the little girl. Well, except that I'm not a little girl and everything. I'm a twenty something ex D-milk addict who's in love with an Imperial Princess but you know what I mean."

"I know what you mean," Ryosei chuckled. "Saigo, I believe your prophecies. You know that."

"That's not the point," Saigo said, looking up with an odd smirk. "The point is, everyone who's born with prophecy hears that story. Everyone knows about it. That's the reason why we act the way we do, why we talk the way we do. The reason why we warp everything, cover everything in riddles. That story is a warning. I'm worst than most, I guess. I'm a coward. I hid most of my life in a drug-induced haze. I've spent my whole life hiding from the truth."

"You're not hiding any more," Ryosei said, touching his lips with the tips of her fingers. "And you're no coward. You saved me, remember?"

"And I doomed the rest of Rokugan," he said, placing his hands gently on her shoulders. "That's not my point. The point is, there aren't any riddles. When a prophet wants to see the future, he sees it. We can see it just as cold and clear and vivid as I'm seeing you right now. Most of the time our minds cloud it up so that we won't have to worry about the pain and doubt that always come from people not believing us. But sometimes, it's clear."

"Saigo, what are you saying?" she asked, worried now. "I've never heard you talk like this."

"Ryosei, I have to tell you something now, and if you don't believe me it's all right. Do you promise to listen?" Saigo held her hand tightly and waited for her answer.

"Yes," she said. "I promise."

"It's about why I really want to leave," Saigo said. "Why I really want to leave Rokugan."

"Go on," she said.

"Otosan Uchi is going to be destroyed," Saigo answered.

"I know that, Saigo," she said, laughing a quick, relieved laugh. "You've already told me your vision about the Thunders."

"No, Princess," Saigo said. "Otosan Uchi is going to be destroyed tomorrow."

"Oh," she said. Yoritomo Ryosei suddenly became very pale

"Yeah," Saigo nodded rapidly. "If you want to stay, I'll stay with you, but I'd rather not do the glorious death thing. So can we please get out of here now? I'm not really prepared for the apocalypse."

Ryosei thought about it for a long moment, then turned to Saigo again. "No," she said. "We can't leave. Not yet."

Saigo nodded sadly. "I was afraid you'd say that. Let's go talk to your brother."

"He's late," Zou said, barely concealing the suspicion in his voice.

"Patience, Zou," Oroki said, leaning back against the trunk of his black Otaku Vehement. In the distance, the wail of the approaching monorail could be heard. Figures hurried through the parking lot around them, toting luggage or carrying children toward the train station. Most gave the masked Scorpion and his black-garbed Enforcer a wide berth. These people were leaving Otosan Uchi to get away from trouble, not in the market to make more.

Zou marched back and forth across a small area, hawk eyes scanning the crowd for any possible threats. His shoulders were tense. He resembled a tightly wound spring, ready to snap at any moment. "We should not have come alone, Oroki-sama," Zou said tersely. "We could have brought others, from the Labyrinth-"

"To what end?" Oroki asked. "To our true enemies, a thousand Bayushi bushi would make no difference. The only weapons of any account are your strength and the Migi-Hidari. Together, we have everything we need. Anyone fighting at our side would just be throwing their life away."

"But if we must fight, I would prefer it be on familiar territory, Oroki-sama," Zou said.

"Agreed, but this is the best we can hope for," Oroki said. "Besides, this is hardly neutral territory. We have connections here. I know the nuances. I would prefer the Labyrinth but, sadly, the Lion would never be so mad as to agree to meet us there. Not if he's who I think he is. Jigoku, even if he's not. What fool would meet a Scorpion in his own den outside of Kitsuki Hatsu? Oh, how I long for the cops and robbers days of Kitsuki Hatsu. Armageddon is too complicated for a simple man like me."

Zou nodded, and returned to pacing. He would not question Oroki further. If his master chose to explain himself, he would, and it was as simple as that.

"As I see it, there are few possibilities," Oroki said. "As I discovered in my earlier investigations with the 'late' Hatsu, there are four consumers of tetsukami circuitry with interests in the city, and thus individuals with reasonable connection to the Stormbreaker. I can discard myself from the equation for the moment, as I am reasonably certain I am not the Stormbreaker. The Locust are no longer a player, as they were kind enough to eliminate themselves. Reasonably, the most likely candidate is Kitsu Ikimura, creator of the Akodo War Machine. As Daniri is the pilot of said War Machine, it would stand to reason that he might know something."

"But wasn't there another suspect?" Zou asked. "You said there were four."

"Of course," Oroki replied. "As Hoshi Jack is the descendant of Shinsei, I gave him the benefit of the doubt."

"Oh," Zou said, laughing. "Sorry."

"Don't be," Oroki said, eyes suddenly focusing upon the far end of the parking lot. "Be ready, instead. Our enemy could be anywhere. I think this is the one we're waiting for."

A large truck was maneuvering its way into the parking lot, awkwardly making its way through the rows of vehicles. The driver was obviously struggling behind the wheel, unaccustomed to driving such a large rig. Oroki turned to whisper a command to Zou, but the Enforcer had already vanished into the shadows. Oroki moved into a casual walk, heading for the #14 Station. He would meet the Akodo there, inside, amid a crowd, where he could not bring his War Machine. As amusing as it might be to see Zou dismantle Akodo with his bare hands, there was no reason to let the situation escalate just yet.

The inside of the monorail station was unique, an odd mix of old Rokugan and new. The columns were borrowed bits of Amijdal architecture, but the lacquered wooden stairs and lanterns were pure Hantei-dynasty. Flashing electronic billboards here and there proclaimed the latest film releases and news. (Usagi Rage II would premiere in a mere three days and Prince Kameru's declaration of war was everywhere.) The people hurried about their business, buying tickets or scurrying to wait for the trains. As usual, far more people were purchasing tickets leaving Otosan Uchi than were flowing in. The entire place had an air of purpose, of focus, of change. Oroki loved this place. Even for Little Jigoku, especially for Little Jigoku, the monorail station had a touch of class.

The Scorpion smiled when the metal detectors conveniently clicked off as he passed through. He nodded to one of the security guards who responded by scowling and ignoring him. Oroki would note that reaction in his records; these men did just as they were told. He would have to increase their bribes accordingly. Oroki paused long enough for a guard to ineffectively pat him down for weapons and then lost himself in the crowd.

Several moments later, he saw the Akodo. Brazen and bottle-blonde as ever, Daniri strode through the gates of the monorail station. Surprisingly, no one reacted to his presence. There were so many Akodo Daniri impersonators in the city that there was no reaction to him in a mundane place like this. The real Akodo Daniri would never have any reason to come here. Daniri purchased a ticket, stepped through the metal detector and strode into the station, searching the crowd behind mirrored sunglasses. Oroki simply waited where he was until the Daniri wandered near where he was waiting.

"Long way from Little Jigoku, aren't you?" Oroki asked, folding his arms across his chest as he leaned back against a thick column. He tried to appear confident and relaxed, while keeping his back protected. There had been a passenger in Daniri's truck, and Oroki didn't see him now. He would take no chances.

"You," Daniri said, removing his sunglasses and turning toward Oroki. "You're the one that wanted to meet me here? A Scorpion?" Daniri took a step forward.

"I am Bayushi Oroki, and that's quite far enough, Danjuro," Oroki replied, holding up an admonishing finger.

"What do you want?" Daniri replied, stopping where he stood. He seemed irritated, confused, not quite certain why he was here. "And call me 'Daniri.' Only my family calls me Danjuro."

"You have your mask, I have mine," Oroki answered with a careless shrug. "I am hunting an individual known as the Stormbreaker. You will tell me what you know about him."

"Nothing," Daniri said, glancing back at the exit with a sigh. "Sorry. Is that all you wanted?"

Oroki paused. He'd expected denial, even violent argument, but this was odd. The Lion didn't seem to even care about the accusation. "You know who I'm talking about, of course." Oroki said sharply.

Daniri looked back at the Scorpion. "Yeah, yeah," he replied. "The boogeyman who's supposed to be behind the Locusts and all that. The one who's going around sticking things in people's heads." He tapped his temple with one finger. "Sorry, I don't know anything. I have my own problems. I'm going to go now." The actor turned around.

"Wait!" Oroki hissed. Daniri turned around, confused.

"Yeah?" the Lion said, rising an eyebrow as he replaced his sunglasses.

"It can be no coincidence," Oroki said, standing straight and glaring at the Lion. "The tetsukami technology of the War Machines, decades ahead of everything else in the Empire. It has to be connected with the tetsukansen somehow. You are connected to the Stormbreaker, whether you wish to recognize it or not. There's no other way."

"Sorry, Scorpion," Daniri said with a laugh. "You must be slipping. I don't know what in Jigoku you're talking about. But while I'm here, do you want an autograph?"

"No," Oroki said, eyes narrowing. "I do not want an autograph. Watch your back, Lion."

Daniri nodded. "I'm not a Lion," he said. "And watch yours. Freak." He walked away.

Oroki gritted his teeth in anger as he watched Daniri wander off. How could he have been wrong? There was no other conclusion. There was no other possibility, unless Shinsei was the Stormbreaker and that was simply ridiculous. Could the Lion simply have been lying? Oroki considered himself an excellent judge of the truth, and either Daniri was the most skilled liar he had ever met or he had made an error in judgment. Well, Daniri was an actor, even if only an action film star. He was skilled in pretending to be that which he was not, and had even pretended to be a samurai for a long period. No one had suspected him then. Obviously, he was still lying now.

Oroki drew the small cellular phone from his breast pocket, unfolding it and holding the device to one ear. "Zou," he said. "Daniri will be emerging from the station soon. I want you to follow him. See where he goes."

"Yes, sir," Zou replied. "I..." There was a long pause from the other end of the line.

"Zou?" Oroki said. "Zou, what's going on?"

"Seven Thunders," Zou swore. "Oroki-sama, you have to get out of there!"

The monorail station shook from a sudden thunder, and the large front windows were illuminated by the ball of orange fire consuming the parking lot.

"Well, this is a new variable," Oroki said. "Zou, I'll call you later." Oroki calmly returned the phone to his pocket as he shouldered his way through the crowd.

Sumi was angry.

Never had she been treated so brusquely, so humiliated. The image of the Inquisitor Asako Yao burned in her mind. Never had she come so quickly to despise a person as she had Yao. After he had taken her into custody and removed her from Shiba Gensu's estate, his veneer of polite decorum quickly faded. He introduced her to two large, nameless thugs that obeyed his every command. They had dragged her to a small abandoned temple near Eikisaku and introduced her to a cell in its dungeon-like basement. The three men had searched her, stripped her, and interrogated her ruthlessly for three hours on her journey through the Shinomen. They grilled her for any and all details that might implicate her in the use of maho or a plot to dishonor the name of the Phoenix, seizing upon the most mundane details as if they were damning evidence. Only when the interrogation was complete was she allowed to dress, and was given only a ragged t-shirt and shorts. She could hear Yao chanting sutras in the temple upstairs. The man was insane. He was inconceivably paranoid, and convinced that she was at the heart of some dark conspiracy against the Phoenix.

"I am not afraid of you, Sumi," he had said as he locked her cell. "All of the secrets that you contain within your dark heart will soon be mine."

After this was over, Sumi promised herself, she would give Yao a reason to be afraid of her. Sadly, she couldn't do a thing to back up that promise right now. The cell was pitch black, and every attempt she had made to summon her magic had failed. Somehow, the temple was cut off from the kami. She knew that in many areas of the old Shadowlands, the efforts made to cleanse the land of Taint had stripped away all forms of spiritual energy, leaving zones of "dead magic." No doubt she was in one of those now. She had even tried to summon Ofushikai several times. That, too, had failed.

A strange metal click sounded in the darkness. Sumi realized that someone was opening the door to the cell. She could still hear Yao chanting. She rose to a crouch, which was as much as she could imagine in the dim, tiny cell. A light shone from in the hallway, and she saw one of the square, brutish faces of the two guards. He smiled.

"What do you want?" Sumi asked, folding her arms across her chest to try to cover the ragged, revealing garments Yao had given her.

"To apologize for wasting your time," the guard replied.

"What?" she said. A sudden glimmer of hope. "Are you here to help me?"

"Sort of," he replied, shining his flashlight into her eyes. "You did well against Yao back there. You answered all of his questions very well. Didn't incriminate yourself at all. Even he was sort of convinced that you aren't what he thinks you are, and that's not easy. Congratulations."

"So he's going to let me go?" she asked.

The man shook his head. "Nope," he said. "He's going to send for a friend of his, a guy who's a real expert at torture and humiliation. Yao knows what he wants to hear, and he's not going to stop until he gets the answer he wants. You may think you have it bad now, but this place is a picnic compared to what's coming next. Shame, too. You're quite pretty. You won't be when they're finished."

Sumi scowled. "So you came here to gloat."

The man shook his head again. "Nope," he repeated. "As fun as it would be to see the torturer go to work, it really doesn't fit in to the timetable. You're needed back in Otosan Uchi. I'm going to make sure that you get there, tonight."

Sumi looked confused. "So you came to help me?"

The man just smiled. His chest suddenly heaved, but he continued to smile. A sickly ripping sound came from his torso, and a dark stain spread across his shirt. The man glanced down and looked back at her, then smiled more broadly. "Asahina Munashi sends his regards," he said. The man's chest suddenly tore open, spraying Sumi and the cell with blackened blood. The man screamed and toppled to his knees, then fell dead. The door of her cell unlocked and clicked open.

Sumi staggered into the hallway, stunned and in shock. She looked down at the man, but he was already dead. His flesh was blistered and rotted, his internal organs desiccated as if left in the sun for weeks. Muffled laughter filled the hallway as a handful of black worm-like creatures the size of goldfish crawled from the body's chest cavity and disappeared through the cracks in the stone floor. Sumi stepped back a pace as she realized each of the worms had a human face, and the laughter was coming from them. A second later, they were gone. What in Jigoku was he? The sound of footsteps down the hallway drew her attention, and she looked up just as Asako Yao and the other guard ran down the stairs.

"Amaterasu!" Yao exclaimed, jaw dropping in horror as he saw what had happened to his guard. He pointed at Sumi. "Tsukai!" The man beside Yao drew a small black device from his belt and pointed it at Sumi.

Sumi knew there was no way to explain herself, so she grabbed the nightstick from the corpse's body and charged the pair, screaming. That was as far as he got before the taser dart took her in the leg.

"Find the problem and lock it down!" Tengyu shouted. The Crab daimyo could only remember three times in his life that he had been so angry. The first was in his youth, when his father was killed in action in the worst neighborhoods of Ryoko Owari, hit in the back by friendly fire. The second was six years ago, when a twelve year old Yasu stole an all terrain vehicle to take a joyride into Downtown. The third was right now. All of the critical systems in Kyuden Hida had shut down at once, a fire had broken out in Engineering, and no one could tell him why any of it was happening.

"The sensors in that area are off-line!" the technician replied, his face pale in terror before his lord and commander's wrath. "We can't get any readings at all, much less what the problem is! No one in that sector is responding!" "Toshimo!" Tengyu snarled. "Does the Kyuden have backup systems?"

Kaiu Toshimo sighed, an irritated look creasing his features. "Of course there are backup systems," Toshimo replied. "Every critical system in the Kyuden has six levels of redundancy. This should not be happening."

"Then you should have installed seven!" Tengyu shouted, bringing his fist down hard on the metal counter.

"Well, your going around breaking the control panels isn't going to help anything, Tengyu," Toshimo huffed. "You know as well as I do there's no possible way the Kyuden could have broken down so quickly under normal conditions. We must have some sort of saboteur on board."

"No saboteur could have gotten into the Kyuden," Tengyu hissed.

"No human saboteur," said Kuni Mokuna smoothly. The tsukai tsugasu strode smoothly into the room, two tall figures with white-painted faces following just behind him. "Of course, we as Crab are used to dealing with the unusual. I believe you should let me handle this, Tengyu."

"Are you sensing something, Mokuna?" Tengyu asked, turning to the shugenja with concern.

"Nothing specific," he replied. "Just a general instinct. When no other reasonable explanation applies, I always assume the cause must be supernatural. I am usually right, as you know."

"Fine, then," Tengyu replied, waving his hand dismissively. "Go, search the Kyuden all you like. Take as many Seekers as you think you'll need. I pray to Amaterasu you'll find something."

"I'll do my best, Tengyu-sama," Mokuna replied, bowing and darting back out of the room again. His two assistants followed.

"Those witch hunters hardly seem human at times," Toshimo said, shivering as the door slid closed.

"Good," Tengyu replied. "The Shadowlands aren't human either. I should hope that after fighting them for two thousand years that we should be able to come up with something just as good."

"Uh oh," said another technician, tapping desperately at the keyboard before her.

"Elaborate on 'uh oh,' if you please," Tengyu said sharply, metal boots clanking as he marched across the bridge to stand over her shoulder.

"Sub-surface Bay number three has just opened at seven per cent aperture, Tengyu-sama," the technician reported. "That's both internal and external bay doors."

"Hida's blood!" Tengyu swore. "The Kyuden will sink!"

"Yes, sir," she replied, continuing to tap at the keyboard.

"Override, override!" Toshimo shouted, running up beside his daimyo.

"I'm trying, Toshimo-sama!" she answered. "I can't reach that section at all! The entire control system has gone off line! Someone's diverting control of the Kyuden!"

"That's it," Tengyu snapped. "Someone get me a gun. I'm going out there and-" "Tengyu, no!" Toshimo snapped.

"Excuse me?" Tengyu repeated, livid as he glared down at his old friend.

"Tengyu, need I remind you that the Kyuden is an enormous tetsukami?" Toshimo replied, staring up at Tengyu fearlessly. "This particular kami is rather fond of the two of us. It sees us as its parents and protectors. Should anything happen to either one of us, the entire Kyuden's power levels will drop by thirty per cent. Do you really want to go out there, get yourself killed, and risk making this whole damn catastrophe worse?"

"Well, what do you want me to do, Toshimo?" Tengyu retorted, holding his hands out helplessly. "Stand here and watch us sink?"

"No," Toshimo said, tugging on his thin beard.

"Well?" Tengyu asked, holding his hands out helplessly. "What do we do?"

Toshimo turned to the technician. "Get up," he said.

The technician quickly darted away, and Kaiu Toshimo took her place. "No one say a word," Toshimo said, fingers moving to their accustomed places on the keyboard. "I need to concentrate if I'm going to figure out what in Jigoku is going on here."

The greatest engineer in the Diamond Empire went to work. After several moments, his eyes suddenly widened. "Yes," he said quietly. "Yes, this may just be it. We just might not be as bad off as we thought."

"What is it?" Tengyu asked. "Did you find a way to close the doors?"

"No," Toshimo replied. "But I found a way to deal with our saboteur. Ketsuen is here."

"Ketsuen?" Tengyu said, an eager note in his voice. "Yasu?" A cheer rose in the bridge.

"Yes," Toshimo laughed. "Yasu and Hayato. I'm routing communications now."

"It will not be long now, Rathan," Athmose said, bowing his head low as the elevator descended.

"Excuse me?" the General replied, looking over his shoulder at the Senpet. A nervous look flitted across Carter's broad, weathered features.

"My apologies, General Carter," Athmose said, looking up quickly. "Your language does not come easily to my tongue. Just a final prayer in my native Senpet."

"To your gods?" Carter asked

"No," Athmose replied. "To my son, Rathan. He was killed when the Fire Dragon took Medinaat-al-Salaam. I do not pray to any gods."

Carter squinted. "What's wrong, don't believe in them?"

"No," Athmose said simply. "I just do not believe they are worth worshipping. If the gods of the Senpet cared for their people, they would not have let the Jewel of the Desert die."

"You have to believe in your gods," Carter chuckled. " A man's got to believe in something."

"I envy your faith, General, but I fear I have none left," Athmose said, his face expressionless.

The elevator came to a halt, opening into a large underground hangar. The structure was dominated by a massive hovercraft armed with racks of missiles and high powered machine guns. Athmose stepped into the warehouse, looking up at the vehicle with mild surprise.

"Thoth," Athmose said. "The new generation of carrier craft, based on the design of the Scarab. There are only a few prototypes, even in my own country. I never expected to see one here."

"And you aren't seeing one now," General Carter replied, striding up to stand at Athmose's side. "Don't look so surprised, Commander. Our countries weren't exactly on the best of terms before this whole Rokugan nonsense sprang up. I'm sure we have plenty of secrets that have leaked over to your side."

"Perhaps," he said. "But I would not know. I am a soldier, not a spy."

"In my experience, there's no difference," Carter said with a nod. "Well, take a look around. Let me know when you're ready for the briefing." The general ambled away, plucking a cigar from his pocket and puffing it alight as he walked.

Athmose smiled, briefly. He could not help but like General Carter. The man was blunt, honest, serious. He reminded the Senpet very much of himself. President Maximillian was also quite a personable and likable fellow, hardly the capitalist pawn that the Pharaoh made him out to be. In better times, they would have made excellent allies, perhaps even a friends. Sadly, the time for that sort of thing was long past. As he looked up at the massive form of Thoth, Commander Athmose realized that there was only one thing left for him now.

Revenge.

"One little two little three little onis..."

Chobu walked over to the far corner of the tunnel, knelt, and scratched at the floor with a piece of chalk.

"Four little five little six little onis..." Chobu crawled to a second corner, dragging the chalk behind him.

"Seven little eight little nine little onis..."

He hopped over his line drawing and headed to a third corner, drawing another intricate pattern.

"I wonder," he said to the open air. "What is the plural for oni, anyway?" The Badger pondered this for a moment. "Maybe there isn't one," he concluded out loud. "If you want more than one, you're just asking for trouble, right?"

Chobu slapped himself in the face. He'd spent way too much time in Downtown. The place was starting to get to him. He'd heard stories about the old Shadowlands, how people who stayed too long became a part of the place, how the Taint crept into their bodies and minds. He wondered if that was happening to him now. No, that was nonsense. Those were just stories made up at the end of the Shadow Wars when the Fire Dragons exploded, before anybody really knew much about radiation sickness or mutation. The freaks that lived in Ryoko Owari were the result of twisted genes, not "Taint."

He glanced quickly around the dank sewer tunnel nervously. Something was watching him. Something was always watching him. Why had Kashrak left him here instead of killing him outright? Was this some kind of a game? "Who is it?" he cried out.

"Is it... is it... is it..." Chobu's voice echoed through the tunnels. The echoes sounded different with each return, till it sounded almost as if someone else were answering back. He liked the voice. It was funny. Chobu laughed out loud.

Chobu scratched at the side of his neck. He'd been scratching there all day now, and was starting to develop some kind of a rash. That really worried him. This whole area was pretty old and run-down. Maybe they used it for some kind of testing. Maybe the whole place was contaminated, poisoned, even radioactive. He didn't believe in Taint, but he did believe that nobody in there right mind would abandon a piece of real estate in the middle of the capitol without a damned good reason. They must have closed it up because of some kind of chemical spill, and then Kashrak and his monsters moved in. Yeah, Chobu could believe something like that. He wiped the sweat from his brow. Was he coming down with a fever or something?

He had to get out of here.

Chobu stumbled to the edge of the tunnel. He took a tiny flashlight from his coat pocket, aiming its light into the darkness beyond. Here, the corridor met with the rest of the sewers. Chobu looked off the edge of the ledge at the blackish-green slop that churned past. He'd have to wade through that to get out of here, and the Fortunes only knew what might be swimming in it. Maybe he was better off back in the tunnel, waiting for Kashrak.

Waiting to die? Chobu laughed out loud, then stopped when he realized he had been laughing hysterically for several minutes. Yes, he definitely had to get out of here. This place was screwing with his mind. He whispered a quick prayer to the kami for good fortune, then hopped into the muck. It came up to his knees, and was disturbingly warm. He didn't know which way led where, but the stream had to be leading somewhere. Maybe Golden Sun Bay. He waded downstream.

A wiry claw snagged Chobu's right ankle and something thick and heavy clubbed into his calf. The Badger yelped in pain as he fell face first into the sludge. He struggled for several moments, his mouth too filled with refuse to properly phrase a spell, when he realized it wasn't a creature who had him at all. He'd simply tangled his foot in something stuck to the bottom. He grabbed his flashlight from where it bobbed on the surface and reached down to pull himself loose. He felt a chain around his leg, connected to a short staff. Curious, he pulled the item from the murky goo to see what it was.

Nunchaku. A pair of nunchaku covered with tarry black muck.

"What in Jigoku?" Chobu mumbled. He wiped at the weapon, trying to clean some of the stuff away. His eyes widened when he saw the glint of green and white beneath. The nunchaku were pure jade and crystal, though the stone darkened to pitch black near the ends of the staves.

"How did these end up down here?" he asked himself, staring at the weapon in wonder. Images of eagles in flight and strange kanji Chobu had never seen were carved over the staves in loving detail. This was a high quality, very expensive piece of weaponry. Maybe this hadn't been a waste of time after all. As he closed his hands about the staves, Chobu felt his fever begin to recede. His neck stopped itching and he felt a little less nervous, as well. No wonder; Chobu always felt better after he'd managed to turn a profit.

Something small and red shot out of the water nearby, screaming as it lunged toward Chobu's throat with claws outstretched. The Badger reacted without thinking, spinning the nunchaku and clubbing the thing across it's plump body. A flash of green lit the tunnel, and the thing disappeared in a puff of acrid smoke. Chobu glanced down at the nunchaku, then looked around the tunnel again to see if there were any more creatures.

"I definitely have to get out of here," he said to himself. He continued down the tunnel, holding the nunchaku before him in both hands.

"WORMS!" Hida Kunisada roared, bringing both fists down on the surface of the parking lot and shattering the earth. The cars ruptured with satisfying bursts of flame, eliciting screams of terror from the scampering humans.

"WORMS!" he bellowed. "ALL OF YOU ARE WORMS!" He lifted a compact vehicle in both hands, hurling it through the air toward the monorail station. It crashed through the great glass front of the station, landing in the confused tangle of escaping passengers beyond. The Dark Oracle grinned. Sen placed such value on subtlety, but subtlety was hardly this satisfying.

"Akodo Daniri!" the giant shouted to the crowed. "I am Hida Kunisada, Dark Oracle of Earth! Come out and fight! Face the power of Jigoku or watch these fragile mortals die!"

Kunisada looked around the ravaged parking lot with glee. The flames burned brightly and the earth shook on his command. He didn't like modern technology much, but he would admit readily that the modern world's reliance on electricity, combustion, and gasoline increased his destructive potential a thousand fold. He barely had to lift a finger to cause a major catastrophe. Set a fire in the right place, and technology did the rest. Most modern inventions and vehicles practically helped you destroy them if you knew what you were doing, and Hida Kunisada was a connoisseur of mass destruction and chaos. Even before he became an Oracle, when he was merely a siege master, it was what he did best. Then one night he found himself trapped on the wrong side of the Kaiu Wall late at night and happened upon the Dark Oracle of Earth, in the throes of death from a chunk of jade catapult shot. A deal was quickly made, and the Crab's life was changed forever. Now, though he still bore the name he used as a mortal, he was Hida Kunisada no longer.

Now he was death. Now he was destruction. For centuries, he had been a Dark Oracle.

While he waited for his quarry, Kunisada experimentally picked up a compact car in either hand and slammed them together. The gas tanks exploded spectacularly from the sudden puncture, spraying Kunisada and the area all around him in liquid fire. He laughed as he tossed the tattered remnants of the vehicles aside, then stumbled forward through the flame and wreckage. That was the only bad thing about gasoline; the fire was so smoky. It made things hard to see sometimes.

It certainly made it hard to see the huge golden fist that collided with his chin.

Kunisada soared through the air, leaving a deep gouge in the earth as he skidded across the pavement. He snapped back to his feet instantly, laughing as he massaged his jaw. The tall golden robot stood thirty feet away, sword drawn, eyeing him warily.

"I've been looking for you, Akodo," Kunisada growled, taking a step forward and closing his fist with the sound of crumbling stone. "I knew you'd be foolish enough to show yourself again if I killed enough of these whelps. Are you ready to finish what I started in the KTSU Building? What I started with your reporter friend?"

"Keijura..." Daniri replied, edging to one side warily as the Oracle approached him. "You killed Keijura..."

Kunisada smiled, displaying slate grey teeth. "Maybe not," he laughed. "Perhaps it was some other giant stone samurai. Perhaps you have me mistaken for someone else. You're an idiot, Lion."

The War Machine shrugged, pointed one arm at the Dark Oracle, and let loose with a volley of missiles. Kunisada screamed in rage and crossed his arms across his face as the miniature rockets exploded into him, hurling him backwards once more. The force of the blow shattered the stone skin on his arms and chest, destroying his armor. He crawled to his feet once more, a low growl rising from his throat as ichor streamed from his shattered arms.

"Looks like you're not as tough as you thought," Daniri shouted, darting out of the smoke left by the missiles and slashing across Kunisada's chest with his long blade. The great katana left a deep gouge and threw another spurt of black blood into the air. Daniri suddenly stopped in mid-swing, and looked up in surprise to see that Kunisada was holding the end of his sword in one hand.

"You're not listening," the Oracle said. "Hurt me all you like, you can't kill me. You can't win." A massive stone fist rammed into the War Machine's throat. It flew backwards, bouncing on the pavement with a clang, flipping end over end to land flat on its stomach.

"See what I'm talking about, Lion?" the Oracle laughed, the ground shaking as it marched toward him. Kunisada now held Akodo's katana in one hand. His arms were already whole once more.

In the shadows of the monorail station, Oroki watched the battle curiously. Beneath his mask, his face was twisted in confusion. Nothing was adding up here. Nothing made sense. If Daniri was a minion of the Stormbreaker as he had assumed, then why was a Dark Oracle here trying to kill him? Could it possible the whole thing could be a ruse to draw him out? Or perhaps Daniri was being eliminated because Oroki was on to him? No, none of that was possible. Oroki shook his head and cursed himself for being paranoid. He wasn't thinking clearly. He wasn't getting enough rest. Something wasn't adding up here, something that by rights should have been perfectly clear.

It was the pistols. The Migi-Hidari. It had to be. In the legends, they drained the chi of their wielder, turning their life force into destructive energy. As a result, there wasn't a thing alive that they could not destroy, but he who wielded them would be destroyed in time as well. The price did not bother Oroki. He had lived a full life and destroying the Dark Oracles was worth his own existence. But this? To be alive and yet not functioning at his full capacity? Unable to reason out a riddle that should give him no more than a moment's pause?

Perhaps it was not the guns at all. Perhaps he was merely paranoid. The Stormbreaker was a madman, bent on the destruction of Rokugan. Perhaps there was no reason to be found at all in the Stormbreaker's action. Like Fu Leng, he was a madman. A force of nature that simply consumed everything in his path. There was no way to predict what such an opponent would do, what course of action they would take.

"No," Oroki said with sudden realization. "There is a way."

He reached into his jacket, drawing out the dark velvet pouch that contained the Oni's Eye shard. The kolat once used the Eye to spy upon the entire Empire. Surely this small piece still held enough power to find the Stormbreaker. Unfortunately, to use it would alert the Dark Oracles and draw their wrath.

But that was solved simply enough. Here was a Dark Oracle right now, just waiting for Oroki to kill it. He tucked the Oni's Eye shard back into his pocket and drew the Migi-Hidari from their sheaths, aiming the twin pistols at the massive rocky back of the Dark Oracle of Earth.

"Tornado."

The wind suddenly whipped into a frenzy, lifting Oroki into the air, slamming him through the glass wall of the monorail station. He crashed into a wooden bench with a thud, the twin pistols clattering on the floor a dozen feet away. Oroki blinked through the pain and looked for his attacker. A young woman in a red dress approached him with a smile.

"Silly Scorpion," she laughed brightly. "You don't think we'd come alone, did you? Not after the last time..."

Ketsuen settled onto the surface of Kyuden Hida, pistons closing with a hiss. The mechanical sensors in its face plate clicked and hummed quietly as it turned to survey the situation. Yasu gave Hayato a questioning look.

"Looks like the fire is coming from engineering," Hayato said.

Yasu paused for a moment. "Anyone left alive in the Kyuden?" he asked.

Hayato glanced down at the readouts again. "Yeah," he said. "Looks like there's still plenty of life inside, but not in engineering. I wonder what's going on?"

Yasu frowned. "Let's go get a closer look," he answered.

The War Machine moved forward, footsteps resounding on the grey steel surface of the Kyuden. Ketsuen moved beneath the shadow of one of the battle platform's great cannons; a weapon so large it dwarfed even the War Machine. The great castle that stood in the center of the platform was silent. There was no movement visible. Nothing. As they grew closer, Hayato pressed his fingers to his ear-piece and looked at Yasu.

"I hear gunfire," he said. "Someone in there is shooting at something."

"Gunfire?" Yasu replied. "Who would be insane enough to invade the Kyuden?"

A sudden spray of liquid erupted from the main exhaust vent, very much like the spray from the blowhole of a whale. Something small was propelled by the blast of water, flying high into the air. As it began the drop back to the earth, the two Crabs realized that it was a human body.

"Amaterasu," Hayato breathed. "That man is so dead."

Yasu's fists tightened about the controls, and the War Machine suddenly sprang into action. The massive vehicle surged forward, accelerating into a sprint and launching itself into the air. Boosters on the back of the robot roared to life, magnifying the leap far beyond anything possible for such a large and cumbersome metal beast. It soared thirty feet into the air to intersect with the falling body, caught it deftly in both hands, then dropped toward the deck of the Kyuden. The boosters flared once more, slowing the War Machine's descent so it landed with only the gentlest metallic clank. Hayato was pressed against the back of his seat, startled by the sudden movement. He looked over at Yasu and exhaled. "Nice catch!" he exclaimed.

Yasu was still frowning. "It's Mokuna," he said simply. He maneuvered Ketsuen to set the man down on the deck, then quickly opened the hatch.

The two Seekers hopped down to Mokuna's side. The man was barely recognizable. His body was battered and bloody. A broken bone pierced the skin through one thigh, and one eye was completely swollen shut. His breath was ragged, though he tried to sit up when he recognized them. "Yasu... Hayato..." he wheezed, his voice garbled by broken teeth and pain.

"Just lay down, Mokuna-sama," Yasu said, kneeling by the man's side. "We'll stay with you till someone comes for you. You'll be all right."

"Oh, so... I'm at death's door and suddenly... it's Mokuna-sama?" the shugenja chuckled. "To Jigoku with me! Stop... stop the blasted oni!"

"Oni?" Yasu repeated tersely, eyes narrowing. "Where?"

"Engineering," Mokuna said. "It's... Mizu, the Terror of Water... he killed my men... he's a shapeshifter..."

"Yeah, we've met," Yasu scowled. He looked off in the direction of the castle, then looked down at Mokuna again. "Mokuna-sama, will you be all right here?" he asked.

"No, you idiot, I'm probably dying..." the shugenja snarled, coughing a trail of blood that spilled over his chin. "So I don't need your help at any rate. Go... save... the Kyuden!"

Yasu nodded, turned, and began climbing the War Machine. Hayato stood where he was for a moment, looking down sadly on the Kuni daimyo.

"You heard him, Hiruma!" Yasu shouted. "You going to be my gunner or are you going to stand there and let his life go to waste? Let's move!"

Hayato nodded and quickly scrambled up the side of Ketsuen back into the cockpit. A massive metallic roar sounded from deep inside the War Machine as it rumbled to life once more.

"What the heck?" Hayato asked, glancing at the controls. "What was that noise? Did you make Ketsuen do that?"

"Nope," Yasu said. "Ketsuen did that on her own. She's angry, and so am I. You wanted to see my bad side, Hayato? Well, whatever's tearing up Kyuden Hida has officially gotten on my bad side. Let's go kick some ass."

The helicopter rose swiftly above Shiba Sato's manor, it's engine hardly even emitting a whisper. From the lawn, Sato waved as they pulled away. Shiba Jo nodded to the old man from his seat at the window and quickly turned away. The young yojimbo seemed as if he were deeply disturbed by something.

"Jo?" Zin said from the seat beside him. "Is there something wrong?"

The yojimbo nodded. "I have a bad feeling," he said.

"What sort of bad feeling?" she replied.

"Hard to explain," Jo answered. "Like nothing is going to be the same after this. It's funny, isn't it? Every time, it's always the same. I wish it could be different. I know it's too much to ask for history to stop repeating itself, but I really would've liked our turn to go a little differently."

"I'm sorry?" she said, looking a little worried. "What are you talking about?"

"The Phoenix," Jo said. "Every time the Empire is in danger, every time it really hits the fan, it's never the enemy that puts us out of the fight. We Phoenix always defeat ourselves. Isawa died without ever escaping the Shadowlands, and Shiba died looking for him. On the first Day of Thunder, it was Isawa Tsuke who set the torch to the whole clan and this time it looks like Gensu will do the same."

"You don't know that it will be the same," Zin said. "Gensu isn't an evil man, just a confused one. He thinks he's doing what's best for his clan, and Sumi just happens to be in his way. As soon as we can rescue her and restore her to her proper place, the rest of the clan will fall into line."

Jo looked out the window again, his eyes still sad. "Not an evil man?" he mused. "Not all monsters sling maho and live in the Shadowlands, Zin. Gensu places arrogance and ambition ahead of what's honorable. Even worse, he encourages others to do the same. If that's not evil, I don't know what is. People listen to him. Most of the city heeds his commands before Sumi's. Even with Sato's help, I don't know if we'll be able to stop him. I don't know if we'll be able to get out of this without a fight."

"Don't worry about that, human," Szash snarled. The giant Constrictor coiled uncomfortably in the rear of the helicopter. "If Gensu desires a war, it shall not be one he will win."

"As much as you accuse me of not understanding the naga, I think you understand the Phoenix even less," Kenyu answered back from the front of the helicopter. "Jo and his clan are pacifists. A civil war is the most terrible thing that could ever happen to the Phoenix. If Gensu causes a break in the Phoenix clan, then they've already lost."

"Pacifists," Szash growled awkwardly. "I do not know this word."

"They are like the vedics," Zin answered. "They seek the cause of peace."

"Peace," Szash laughed. "The world is war, Phoenix. Chase peace and you may as well chase dreams."

"I think that's sort of the point," Kenyu said, glancing at Szash in the rear view mirror.

"Bah, enough philosophy," Szash snapped. "When will we be landing?"

"The church should be coming into view in just a few minutes," the pilot answered.

"And you are sure your information is reliable?" Szash hissed. The big naga was hunching low in the back and trying not to look out any of the windows. It was quite clear that he was not happy to be so high in the air.

"Quite reliable," Jo answered. "Sato found the information for us."

"Does he have spies in Gensu's guard or something?" Kenyu asked.

"No, nothing like that," Jo replied. "Sato doesn't use spies. Well, not on his own clan, at any rate. He just placed a call to Asako Kul, daimyo of the Asako, and asked him a few questions about the Inquisitors. If this Asako Yao really is an Inquisitor, then there are very specific regulations on his behavior. If Sumi is suspected of maho, which Yao was implying, then the usual procedure is to take her to an area of dead magic for interrogation. The best such area in Neo Shiba the northwest lesser temple of Eikisaku. The Isawa who originally purified the land were a little overzealous and ended up turning it into a miniature Kuni Wastelands. Nothing grows there. Nothing lives there naturally, and there are no kami or kansen. The dormitories in the basement have been converted into cells and are perfect for holding suspected tsukai. Sumi will be there, and she won't be heavily guarded. Inquisitors don't like a lot of spectators. Their interrogation techniques are pretty ugly, from what Sato told me."

"What if she isn't?" Zin asked.

"She will be," Jo said. "Sumi's still the clan daimyo. Yao can only take her out of the city against her will if he has concrete evidence that she is, indeed, a tsukai."

"What if he fakes it?" Kenyu asked.

"He wouldn't do that," Jo shook his head. "Kul says that Yao is a bit overzealous, but he would never be a party to such a thing. He's Gensu's toady but there's no reason to believe Yao is a tsukai himself. The Asako are good at ferreting out that sort of thing. The guardians of the Seal watch out for Taint all the time."

"Funny," Zin said as she looked grimly out the window. "They missed Nitobe."

Jo had nothing to say to that. None of them said anything else for the rest of the helicopter ride.

"I know you," Oroki snarled, blood dripping from behind his mask. "You're the Scorpion, the one that always follows the Lion... Shosuro Kochiyo."

The girl gave him a sidelong look, leaning against an overturned column and stretching. "Not quite Kochiyo," she said with a subtle grin. "Though there is a resemblance. You're the one who killed poor Hida Hotaru."

"I don't know who you're talking about," Oroki said, rising to his feet.

"I'm sure you remember him," she replied. "You're lucky you ran into me first. Kunisada is Hotaru's brother. The big oaf would have torn you to pieces by now if he found you. Me? I'm willing to negotiate."

"I'm listening, Oracle," Oroki replied. He saw the two pistols out of the corner of his eye, laying well over twenty feet away.

"No you're not," she laughed. "You're pretending to listen and buying time. You want the guns, don't you, murderer?"

Oroki nodded. "Yes," he replied. "You threw me into a wall. I would like very much to shoot you in the face."

She laughed. "Such blunt honesty, from a Scorpion?"

"Scorpions are always honest," Oroki replied. "But no one ever notices. You said you want to negotiate. Here are my terms. Give me the Migi-Hidari and I'll put you out of your misery."

"You're a truly arrogant little man, aren't you?" she asked. "We'll have to work on that. "Suffocate."

Oroki gasped suddenly as the air was torn from his lungs. He showed no other sign of weakness but stood perfectly straight, eyes fixed upon the Dark Oracle of Air. His gaze was a look of pure hatred, and an amused smile spread across her face as she studied him. He was strong. She moved away from the column and approached him slowly, careful to stay out of the Scorpion's reach.

"Willful," she said with an approving nod. "The kolat train their agents well. You're a great improvement over the old variety of your kind, the 'skulk in the shadows, steal babies, kill yourself so on one figures out the grand plan so all encompassing even you don't know quite what in Jigoku you're doing' variety of kolat. Are you proud of your heritage, Scorpion? Are you proud of the filth that you grew from? Criminals so petty and miserable that they were willing to trade the most powerful artifact of magic ever created in return for another chance to continue behaving like the kami's spoiled children?"

Oroki said nothing.

"I suppose you're at a loss for words, being unable to breathe and all," she laughed. "But if you could talk, what would you say? Would it be another kolat lie or another Scorpion truth? What would you say? Breathe, and tell me." She smiled as the air flooded back into his lungs.

"I would say..." Oroki said, his voice raspy from lack of breath, "To look out behind you."

The Dark Oracle of Air turned just as Bayushi Zou rammed the fallen column into her skull. She flew across the station, hitting the wall with an audible smack and crumpling to the ground.

"Well timed, Zou," Oroki said, straightening his lapels with a hoarse breath. "My thanks." Oroki quickly picked up the Migi Hidari and ran toward the monorail track. The train was just rounding the corner of the track, windows full of frightened faces staring at the fires consuming the station.

"Oroki-sama?" Zou asked, turning a worried glance to the battle outside as he followed his master. Akodo and Kunisada were still battling in the parking lot. "Should we not attend to the Dark Oracles?"

"We can't," Oroki replied. "Not now. After the beating she just gave me, there's no telling what the Migi Hidari will do. The guns might kill me, or might not fire at all. We have to get out of here." The train decelerated into the station, doors opening with a hiss. Oroki shoved his way inside, Zou just a step behind.

"What about the Akodo?" Zou asked.

"I guess he'll have to fend for himself," Oroki replied as the doors closed. "If he kills Kunisada, we know he's not with the Stormbreaker. I don't think the Stormbreaker would appreciate a lowly minion killing his Dark Oracles."

Across the station, the woman that had once been Shosuro Kochiyo rose to her hands and knees with a groan. Shattered bones and torn muscle shifted as they aligned themselves. Sen caught a glimpse of herself in a shattered bit of glass and winced. Her face was no longer beautiful and probably never would be again. That didn't really matter; she could get a new body later. Now, she had work to do. She looked around the station, but saw no sign of the Scorpion, only the dim light of the monorail streaking off into the night.

"Oh, no," she sneered. "Not that easily. Wind."

A sudden rush of air whipped around the Dark Oracle. She took to the night air in pursuit of the train.

A single vehicle rumbled through the darkened forest. Of Mantis design, the automobile was designed with four-wheel-drive and constructed to deal with a variety of harsh environments. It made its way easily over the uneven rocks and stones, emerging at the foot of a great mountain.

Mojo whistled. "Wow," he said. "Is that where we're headed?"

In the seat beside him, Teika nodded. "Indeed," the Oracle replied. "I told you this vehicle would be useless."

"This vehicle is not useless," Mojo replied. "This vehicle is a 758 deluxe model Sea Spider. There isn't a place in Rokugan this thing can't go. We could drive up the side of that mountain if we needed to."

"The terrain is not in question," Teika replied. "The Washi monks are not fond of technology. If we bring this monstrosity into their territory, they will not help us and that is that."

"And why do we need their help, Teika?" Mojo asked, eyeing the Oracle carefully. "You haven't been very forthcoming about what exactly we're doing in the first place."

"I told you," Teika sighed. "We must restore balance-"

"To the Oracles, yeah, you told me that," Mojo said. The yojimbo leaned back in the driver's seat, drumming his fingers on the door. "It doesn't make any of this make any more sense. Tell me real quick, Teika, how long have you been an Oracle?"

"What does that matter?" Teika asked.

"How long?" he asked again.

Teika paused for a moment. "Almost a month now, but experience is irrelevant in such matters as-"

"A month," Mojo laughed. "You've had your job for a month and already you're the expert on how to save the universe. I knew there was something not quite right about you when I first saw you, Oracle. You don't know what in Jigoku you're doing."

Teika frowned. "The knowledge I have was passed on by your own Master of the Void," he said stiffly. "The Oracles are in terrible danger. I admit I am unused to my power. Were it to come to a confrontation with Oni no Akeru or Yogo Ishak no doubt their greater experience would allow them to defeat me with ease. That is why I have sought your help, and why we are seeking the order of Washi."

"So the plan is to surround yourself with people who know what they're doing so you can make yourself feel better?" Mojo asked. "Well, at least you're honest about it. I'll give you that."

Teika turned away, looking out the window. "Your words are crude, but at the heart you have the truth of it. I am the last mortal that will be granted an Oracle's power until we can rid Rokugan of the unnatural imbalance that is Ishak. If we cannot find and destroy Yogo Ishak before the Day of Thunder ends then there will be no Oracles of Light or Darkness left. A bit the world's magic will be lost, which would be a terrible thing, as there is precious little left. Oh, you may look upon your clan's achievements at the Great Seal and the proliferation of tetsukami devices and believe that the magic is stronger than ever, but this is untrue. The kami are becoming weaker. In time, they will die. The loss of the Oracles will speed this catastrophe in coming."

"Slowing a catastrophe down is well and good, but do you have any plans to stop it?" Mojo asked.

"I do not know," Teika said. "My predecessor was close to an answer, however. He believes that the order of Washi hold a piece of the puzzle. If we can enter their temple and speak with their leader, perhaps we may learn something."

"Perhaps," Mojo said. "You dragged me halfway across Rokugan on a 'perhaps.'"

Teika shrugged. "Perhaps I could have left you in that swamp monster's gullet, Shiba."

Mojo nodded. "Good point. Let's go visit these monks."

"Hatsu!" he shouted. "You still alive?"

No answer.

Orin was pinned against the wall next to the doorway. Every time he moved toward the stairs, he was greeted with a hail of bullets. The Cranes were shooting wild, and so far he hadn't been hit, but he couldn't hide here forever. The fire was spreading. There was nowhere to go. He'd have to leave, and soon. He turned and fired his rifle wildly through the door, then ducked back to his former position. The gunfire stopped for a moment, then began again. He'd killed at least a dozen of the attackers, but there were still seven times that number waiting outside.

"Hey! You people out there!" he shouted over the gunfire. "Hey!"

The gunfire ceased for a moment. The Cranes seemed to be waiting to hear what he would say.

"I have a proposition for you!" Orin shouted. "If you all put your guns down right now, I'll let you surrender!"

Orin grinned as the gunfire started again. He was probably going to die here, but he wouldn't let them beat him. He checked the ammo in his rifle a final time. If he didn't hear anything from Hatsu in the next few minutes, he would charge outside with his gun blazing. Maybe that way he would take out a few more of them before he went down. Funny. Whenever he thought about death, when he was alone, late at night, or whatever, he was always frightened. He never figured he would die in a place like this, in a situation like this, but somehow he didn't mind it. It felt right. He belonged here.

"Hatsu!" he called out a final time. "You better answer me quick before I go 'divine wind' on the Daidoji out there!"

Again, no answer.

Orin took a deep breath. This was it. He braced his gun against his chest and fell into a runner's crouch.

"Orin!" came a voice through the blaze.

Orin stumbled and flattened himself against the wall again. He looked up the stairs and saw Meliko dart through the smoke and flames. He quickly grabbed her by the arm and pulled her away from the door as the gunfire erupted. She crashed against the wall beside him, out of breath, her face stained with soot.

"Orin!" she breathed in relief, slumping against his chest and wrapping her arms around him tightly. "You're alive!"

"Mel, where's Hatsu?" he asked. "Where's the others?"

"The others?" she looked up at him with innocent blue eyes. Why did she always have to change her eye color? "They went back to Togashi Mountain."

Orin gaped. "Togashi Mountain?" he exclaimed. "Just like that? And they left us here?"

"They were in kind of a hurry, I guess," she said.

"Oh, well that's just perfect," he snapped. "How in Jigoku are we supposed to get out of here?"

"I don't know," she said. "I just didn't want to leave without you."

"Too bad the others didn't feel the same way," Orin growled.

"Hey!" shouted a voice from the top of the stairs again. A big figure stumbled through the fire. Ishio. Orin dodged forward again and grabbed his arm, pulling him aside just as the Cranes fired.

"Wow, they really mean it, don't they?" Ishio asked, looking at the bullet ridden stairs. He glanced at the dead Cranes at the foot of the stairs. "Hey," he said. "I know a couple of those guys."

"Sorry," Orin said. "Hope they weren't friends of yours."

"Nah, they were jerks," Ishio said. "Good riddance."

"Hey," Orin said, his eyes widening suddenly. "Ishio, do you think you could talk to the Cranes outside? Get them to let us out of here?"

Ishio laughed. "Yeah, right," he said. "Like all Cranes know each other."

"You knew the guys on the floor," Orin pointed at the corpses.

"Hm," Ishio thought about that for a second. "Nah, it wouldn't work," he concluded. "They'd shoot me as soon as they'd shoot you. Those fellas on the floor there were from Munashi's personal guard. Snooty upper level bozos. They always thought they were better than everybody else. That even includes me, and I was one of Meda's bodyguards. Wish I'd have gotten to 'em first." Ishio helped himself to a rifle off one of the dead guards.

"Damn," Orin said. "There has to be some way out of here."

Ishio shrugged. "I was just considering running out there shooting. Sure, they'd get me, but I'd get some of them, right?"

"That's the stupidest idea I've ever heard, Ishio," Meliko snapped. "Throwing your life away like that. What are you thinking?"

"Yeah, I guess that's a pretty bad idea, Ishio," Orin said. "Any other suggestions?"

The stomp of heavy metal boots echoed from up the stairs.

"Who is it this time?" Orin asked. "I thought everybody left."

Green smoke suddenly billowed from the fire, spilling down the stairs and out into the street beyond. The heavy footsteps grew louder as they approached, until the noise seemed to herald the approach of a creature far too large to fit into the apartment building. The dark silhouette of a huge samurai appeared amid the flames. It's eyes shone as two pinpoints of bright green light, brighter than the fire.

"What in Jigoku?" Ishio mumbled fearfully.

"Chojin's just trying to make an entrance," Meliko giggled. "Funny old man."

The Cranes outside desperately opened fire on the approaching figure. The bullets pinged harmlessly off the armor as Chojin proceeded down the stairs, footsteps thundering.

"MORTAL FOOLS!" his voice suddenly echoed. "YOU HAVE DARED TO RAISE YOUR HAND IN ANGER AGAINST THE CHOSEN CHILDREN OF TOGASHI! IN THE NAME OF THE SUN AND MOON I CURSE YOU!" The Cranes shouted among themselves in terror and confusion Chojin emerged from the flames and stepped forward onto the steps of the apartment building. His emerald green armor was untouched by the fire. A fearsome dragon mempo covered his face, making him very much resemble the images of the original Togashi. Bullets continued to ricochet harmlessly off his armor. He suddenly pulled a smoking sphere of swirling white fluid from his belt and held it high in the air.

"IN THE NAME OF THE HIDDEN DRAGON, DIE!" he shouted, and hurled the sphere at the Cranes. There was a deafening explosion and a sudden burst of light. Screams echoed from the ranks of the Daidoji.

"What's he doing?" Ishio asked. "And why didn't he do that earlier?"

Chojin suddenly ducked back inside, pulling away his mempo with one hand. The old Dragon's face was covered with sweat. "Come on!" he shouted, beckoning to them. "Run!" He turned and darted off down the stairs.

Orin, Meliko, and Ishio followed not a step behind. The bodies of the Cranes littered the street. Some twisted and groaned where they lay, while some were very still. "Did you kill them?" Orin shouted to the Dragon. "What did you do?"

"Flash-bang grenade and a lot of showmanship," Chojin replied, still running. "They'll be down for about thirty seconds, max. I suggest you pick up the pace, gaijin."

Chojin ran even faster, setting an impressive pace for a man of his age and girth dressed in full armor. Orin and Ishio had a hard time keeping up. Meliko actually outdistanced him, ducking around the corner of a building. By the time they caught up with her, she was caving in the window of a parked car with a brick.

"What are you doing, Mel?" Chojin shouted, grabbing her arm and attempting to drag her along with him. "We have to run!"

"Hey, let me go!" she snapped. "I'm getting us transportation!" She squirmed out of his grip and ran back over to the car. She opened the door and hopped inside.

"Mel, you'll never hot-wire it in time!" Orin said, running to the side of the car and glancing back desperately toward the Cranes. He expected them to pour down the street any second now.

"I'm not hot-wiring it," she said. "This is one of the new Phoenix models. Tetsukami engine. Watch this." Meliko pressed her fingers to her shoulder, where a tattoo depicting swirling clouds suddenly appeared, extending down both arms to the fingertips. Her eyes lit with a strange inner light, and she smiled. "Hello, little sisters," she said. "I'm sorry about the window, but I really need your help. Can you get us out of here?"

"Meliko!" Chojin shouted. "What are you doing?"

The car's engine started.

"I'm getting us out of here!" she replied with a grin. "Now get in before those Cranes wake up!"

Chojin, Orin, and Ishio glanced at each other for a moment, then piled into the car. It was a compact model, so the three large men were quite cramped but somehow Orin and Ishio filled the back seat while Chojin in his armor crammed himself into the front. Meliko threw the little car into gear and spun it around, taking off down the street with a squeal of tires just as the first of the Daidoji soldiers rounded the corner.

"That was amazing," Chojin breathed, pulling off his helmet and wiping one hand through his sparse, sweaty hair. "But it was a terrible risk, Meliko."

"Not really," she replied smugly. "I always know what I'm doing."

Chojin peered at her curiously. "Young lady?" he said. "Have you used Lord Hoshi's sacred tattoos to steal cars before?"

Meliko's mouth clicked shut. She looked at Chojin for a second, then turned her eyes back to the road. "I, er, really don't want to discuss that right now," she said.

"Under the circumstances," Chojin laughed, "I think I'm quite willing to drop the matter entirely."

Ketsuen stood at the top of the great exhaust tower in the center of Kyuden Hida. Down in the depths of the fortress, Yasu and Hayato could see the smoke and flames. They imagined they could hear screams and battle, but it could just as well have been the whine of the tortured engines. Ketsuen slipped a bit, stumbling on the flat surface.

"What the hey?" Yasu asked, turning to Hayato. "Is the equilibrium off in this thing or something? Everything's tipped."

"No," Hayato said nervously. "The readouts are all normal. I think the Kyuden is sinking."

Yasu frowned. "We don't have much time, then," he said. "What do you think? Should we just jump down the exhaust tower and see what happens?"

The radio suddenly crackled, drawing Hayato's attention. He turned the dial for better reception, and soon a voice was audible. "-in Ketsuen. Do you read me, Ketsuen? Over. Come in Ketsuen. Kyuden to Ketsuen. Do you read me, Ketsuen? Over."

"Toshimo?" Yasu said, grabbing the radio in excitement. "Is that you, uncle? Are you all right?"

Toshimo sighed. "Yes, I'm fine, Yasu," he said. "You're a Seeker, though. Act like one, and use the proper signals. What is your position, Ketsuen? Over."

"Oh," Yasu blinked. "We're standing at the top of the main exhaust tower. We can see some sort of fires going on below. There are noises, too, but we can't quite make them out. Other than that it looks fairly clear. Possible point of entry to main engineering. Over."

"Amaterasu," Toshimo swore. "I hope you weren't about to try to climb down the inside of that, were you? Over."

"Actually, I was just going to jump," he answered. "More of a surprise that way. Over."

"Don't be stupid, Ketsuen," Toshimo replied. "The thing that's down there has complete control of the Kyuden's systems. If you try to climb down that way it'll send the engines into overdrive and fire so much radiation up that tower you'll be fried inside your War Machine like a baked potato. Do you understand me? Over."

"Um... I read you, Kyuden," Yasu said. He adjusted the controls so that Ketsuen took several steps back from the edge of the tower. "Recommendations? Over."

"Try climbing down the side of the fortress, Ketsuen," Toshimo replied. "There should be a point of entry at the lowest southwest corner large enough for you to enter. Over."

"I read you, Kyuden," Yasu said, handing the radio to Hayato. Yasu took the controls in hand and Ketsuen lurched into a run, circling to the southwest corner of the tower. The robot stopped at the edge as Yasu looked around in thought.

"Well?" Hayato asked. "What are you waiting for? Why don't you jump off the edge and slide down using the claw and the boosters?"

"That'll tear the heck out of the tower," Yasu said. "Remember, Hayato, after this fight is over, we have to live here. Keep property damage to a minimum."

"Yasu?" Hayato blinked at his friend. "Who are you and what have you done with Yasu? I know the words, but that sentence doesn't make any sense coming from you! You're scaring me. Are you possessed or something?"

"Damnit, Hayato, stop mocking me and help me figure out a way to get down from here."

"Ketsuen!" the radio crackled. "We don't have much time! If that oni gets into the reactor core, he can turn the Kyuden and half of Golden Sun Bay into a gigantic fireball! I don't care what you have to wreck, I'll fix it later! Now move!"

Hayato shrugged. "Well, you heard the man."

"Dad will kill us for this," Yasu grumbled, taking the controls. "

"Oh come on," Hayato snapped. "You never worry about breaking all of Toshimo's other inventions. Stop dawdling and get us down there so we can kill the oni!"

"All right," Yasu sighed.

With a sudden bound, Ketsuen hurled itself off the side of the exhaust tower. Turning in midair, the War Machine buried its serrated claw in one side of the tower, leaving a wicked scar in the metal surface as it plummeted downward. Even using its boosters and the tower for resistance, the ground came up quickly. Yasu and Hayato braced themselves for impact. With a sudden crash, they came to the earth. Ketsuen stood at the bottom of an enormous crater-like dent in the Kyuden's surface. A few sparks erupted from its knee joints, but it seemed otherwise unharmed. The huge machine turned to face the tower again.

"There's the door Toshimo mentioned," Hayato said, pointing at a great reinforced steel door that stood before them. It stood over twenty-five feet in height and was nearly that wide. Spray-painted across the surface in great red stenciled letters was the warning "AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY."

"That warning seems a little excessive," Hayato remarked, leaning on the control panels. "I mean, who would be able to get in through that door if they didn't want him to?"

Yasu shrugged. "Me. Open that door."

Hayato nodded, activating his targeting grid. Ketsuen drew the tetsubo from its back, twisting the handle and pointing the end toward the door. The tip of the weapon hummed and a single large missile erupted from the tip, exploding in a cloud of sticky red fluid that coated the door. A bright pillar of white flame erupted as the chemicals in the fluid reacted with the metal, reducing a large section of the door to molten slag in seconds. The Crab War Machine took a step forward, then stopped.

"Careful Yasu," Hayato said with a cautioning tone. "That stuff takes a few seconds to dry. Trust me, you don't want to get that on us."

Yasu nodded and moved forward more carefully, steering the War Machine cautiously through the opening to avoid any drips. Ketsuen stepped forward into the Kyuden's main engineering section. The chamber was enormous, the size of a small football stadium and full of complex webs of wiring, pistons, and electronics. A dozen huge engines were pumping in unison, lined across the floor. Two or three had stopped moving entirely, and one engine had become a blackened husk. Fires rose from other computer banks here and there and the bodies of dead Crabs and nezumi lay everywhere.

"What the?" Yasu stared at the scene, shocked. "How could one oni kill so many people?"

"Check the environmental levels, Yasu," Hayato said, pointing at a readout on one screen. "He filled the entire chamber with toxic exhaust fumes. If weren't in a sealed environment, we'd already be succumbing to it. That must be how he managed to take out Mokuna and the others."

Yasu's mouth drew into a thin, tight line. His hands tightened on the controls, and Ketsuen lumbered forward with a metallic growl. There was no sign of the oni, only the crackle of fire, the hiss escaping gas, and the echoing clang of Ketsuen's footsteps.

"Mizu," Yasu shouted, his voice amplified by the War Machine's sound systems. "Mizu, get out here and finish this."

"Oh, it's the little lost Crab Thunder," came the reply, a strange bubbling voice that echoed through the chamber. "Catch me if you can, little Thunder."

Hayato looked at Yasu. "You're a Thunder?" he asked, surprised. "Since when?"

"People keep telling me that," Yasu growled, waving off the remark. "Don't pay any attention to it. I want to be a Thunder about as much as you do."

"Hey, I'd love to be a Thunder," Hayato replied. "Think of it. The fame, the chicks-"

"Hayato, shut up!" Yasu snapped. "I'm trying to kill an oni here! Okay?"

"Man, lighten up," Hayato replied. "So now you're a Thunder and you can't laugh at death any more? You suck, Yasu."

"My thanks, little Thunder," the voice called out again. "Thank you for leading me to your Kyuden. Thank you for being foolish enough not to notice the part of myself I left attached to your truck, for being moronic enough not to notice my presence in the bowels of the fortress all this time, for being idiot enough to step away long enough for me to begin the end of your clan, and for being polite enough to return in home in time to watch the Crab Clan die."

"So, tell me, oni," Yasu said. "You going to come out and fight or just gloat all day?"

"Oh, I plan to gloat," the oni replied. "After all, I'm already sinking the Kyuden. In an hour, any Crabs who don't flee will drown and those that do will surely be picked off by the Mantis navy. The Mantis don't like you very much. Can't imagine why. Oh, I'm no fool, little Thunder. Not like Taki-bi, Jimen, and Kaze. No reason to fight when you're already winning. Oh, yes, I plan to gloat. I plan to hide where I am safe and swim away when I am done to kill you pathetic humans another day."

"Well, tell me this, then," Yasu replied. "What sort of music do you like?" The rhythms of the Asako One Hundred Drum chorus suddenly erupted from the Crab War Machine, filling the huge chamber.

"Don't insult, me little Thunder, that's the first thing I thought of," the oni replied. "Seriously, do you believe I would fall for the same trick twice? You must either believe I'm mildly retarded or that I think on the same levels that you do. Stop trying and die. I've won."

"Kyuden," Yasu said, picking up the radio. "Are you there? Over."

"I read you, Ketsuen," Toshimo replied. "Over."

"The drums aren't working," Yasu said. "Can you think of any reason why the drums wouldn't work? Over."

"Hmmmm," Toshimo replied. "A counter-rhythm could cancel out the sound of the drums. The engines in the control room could be geared to produce a counter-rhythm if they were appropriately programmed to do so. If the oni was close enough, he would be able to ignore the effects of the drums. Over."

Yasu shook his head. "Could an oni do something like that? Reprogram the Kyuden's engines? I can't even do that. Over"

"You're not an oni," Toshimo sighed. "I think our over-reliance on tetsukami is presenting a bit of a problem here. Mizu has been able to bully some of the lesser kami in the engines into playing along with him, and has used them to subvert the entire engineering section. I've been able to regain control of the monitoring systems, but not the engines themselves. The kami are just too afraid of Mizu to defy him. Until you get that oni out of there, there's nothing I can do to save the Kyuden. Over."

Yasu nodded. "Can Mizu monitor our transmission, Kyuden?"

"Of course not," Toshimo replied. "That's the first thing I took care of. This radio signal is protected by the greater mikokami of the mountain we used to create the Kyuden. Nothing as small as Mizu could scare the mikokami and, frankly, it's disgusted by the behavior of its smaller siblings. The line is secure. Over."

"Great," Yasu said. "And you say you can monitor the engines? Over."

"Affirmative," Toshimo replied.

"Find out if any of the engines still in operation are operating erratically," Yasu said. "If so, tell me which one. Over."

"What if there's more than one?" Toshimo asked. "Over."

"There won't be," Yasu said, eyes narrowing. "Oni never have a backup plan."

"Neither do you," Hayato retorted.

"Shhh!"

"Little Thunder?" the voice of the oni called out, laughing lightly in its mocking tone. "What are you doing, little Thunder? The way you're just standing there in your big robot I might almost believe that you're thinking, but I know that can't be it. Are you praying? That's what I'd be doing, if I were you, but I can't see any of the Fortunes embarrassing themselves by answering the prayer of a slug like you. If it were me in your position, I'd turn those missile launchers on myself and save the Mantis the trouble. I'm sure the Day of Thunder will be just fine with only six Thunders, wouldn't you say?"

"I'm getting really sick of this oni," Yasu said in a low voice.

"I'm starting to feel sorry for him," Hayato replied.

Yasu gave Hayato a curious look, but before Hayato could explain the radio crackled again. "Ketsuen, come in," Toshimo said quickly. "Over."

"I read you," Yasu said.

"You were right," Toshimo replied. "Engine number 7308A is the only operative engine that's functioning erratically. It seems to be cycling in a constant but abnormal rhythm."

Yasu flipped a few switches on his own panel and pointed at one on Hayato's. "Target that engine," he said.

Hayato's eyes widened. "With that? You sure, Yasu?" he whispered.

"Just ready it," he hissed at the scout. "Kyuden, how badly will the Kyuden be affected if I damage that engine? Over."

"Damage it?" Toshimo replied. "Define 'damage.' Over."

"Complete obliteration," Yasu answered. "Over."

Toshimo paused for a moment before replying. "It'll hurt," he said in a pained voice, "but it's better than losing the whole fortress. Do what you have to, Yasu. Over."

"Use the proper signals, Kyuden," Yasu said. "I am Ketsuen. Over." He turned the radio off.

Ketsuen broke into a run, sheathing the tetsubo as it charged toward the engine. Simultaneously the War Machine fired a large missile from a port on its shoulder just as a beam of pure green erupted from its translucent green left hand. The missile exploded brilliantly, coating the engine in liquid napalm. A twisted scream filled the massive chamber and a great bubble of blue fluid emerged suddenly from the blaze. Flames coruscating through its surface. Two orbs of darker blue that served the oni as eyes writhed in the mass of fluid as the heat increased.

"You're on fire now," Yasu said tonelessly through the loudspeakers. "Must be a new experience for you, being made of water and all."

Yasu turned the jade laser toward the creature's eyes, focusing the laser there until it retreated into the flames.

"Wretched Thunder!" Mizu shrieked. "Release me! Release me and I will restore your blasted fortress!"

"Too late for negotiations," Yasu said. "You really should never have called me 'little.' Now you're going to be in a lot of pain." The oni emerged from the flame with a shriek, but Yasu quickly blasted it with jade again, sending it back into the fire.

"That was a really big napalm missile to set off inside the Ketsuen," Hayato said, staring at the fire wide eyed. The engine tilted slowly as the floor beneath it began to liquefy.

"Oop, here he comes again!" Yasu said. The oni had emerged from the fire again; Yasu quickly fired jade into its eyes to drive it back.

"Will the fire kill it?" Hayato asked.

"It'll boil it," Yasu replied. "The jade will kill it. Eventually. Let it stew for a while. Every time it tries to come out of there, I'll shoot it again. Sooner or later, it'll die." Another jade beam drove Mizu screaming back into the napalm.

"You see what I'm talking about now?" Hayato asked. "This is why I said I felt sorry for the oni."

Yasu smiled, and continued slowly killing Oni no Mizu. Around the Kyuden, systems began coming back on-line.

If Jigoku was the Rokugani version of hell, then Otosan Uchi was about to go there. That much was clear. It was only a matter of time, now. That was probably the worst part about being an Oracle. You knew all the really terrible things before they happened. Naydiram sighed as he pulled the dingy yellow cab up to the curb. He took a sip from the thermos he kept ever at his side. The coffee burned his throat on the way down, and he promised himself to mix less shochu into it next time. He knew that he shouldn't be drinking and driving, but heck, he was immortal. Besides, most of these people would be dead after the next few days, anyway.

"You have to stop thinking that way, boy," he said to his reflection in the rear view mirror. "You're becoming downright depressing."

Mazaque' and Selena must be rubbing off on him. Since they'd lost their powers, both of them were impossible to be around. Selena never stopped talking, whining at Carfax, trying to find out some reason for what had happened, trying to figure out how they had failed, trying to devise some scheme for getting her abilities back. Mazaque' was even worse. The giant spent all of his time kneeling in the middle of Carfax's apartment and chanting to himself. It wasn't loud chanting; it was hardly even noticeable at first. After a while, though, it got to you. Naydiram was finding it difficult to resist the urge to pitch them both out the nearest window.

He had to get out of there. Carfax didn't like it. He felt they were unsafe on their own, especially now, but Naydiram could care less what Carfax thought. He had given up taking orders from that white boy one hundred years ago. He just listened to him now and then out of respect, and because every so often he made sense. When Carfax stopped making sense, Naydiram stopped listening. This was one of those times. The Thunders didn't need the Oracles. They did just fine on their own. Naydiram was a busy man. He couldn't waste his time sitting around Carfax's apartment waiting for something to happen. He had things to do. He had other friends.

Well, he would have other friends. He was meaning to get some, but sixty years ago, after the last of his friends died of old age, he'd never gotten around to making more. He kept people at a distance. He moved from place to place, changing his name often. Otosan Uchi had been a longer stint than most, twenty years as a cab driver, but that had been Carfax's suggestion. The Oracles knew the Day of Thunder was coming long before anybody else and they knew where it would hit worst.

So here he was. Standing on the beach before a tsunami.

"Why did Yoma have to pick me?" he asked himself. "What in Necropolis are you doing here, Naydiram?"

As usual, there was no answer. Ever since a little over a century ago, things had stopped making sense. The day his perceptions were suddenly blown open to the dance of the elements he'd had to readjust somewhat. He had the answers to everyone else's questions, but there wasn't anyone to answer his own. Maybe things would have been different if he'd ever had the chance to meet his predecessor, find out the way things were supposed to work, but it seemed unlikely. Naydiram had a lot of time to wander the Diamond Empire and had seen a lot of things. Sadly, one of the most profound things he'd discovered in his long journeys was that the people who were the wisest and most enlightened also seemed to be the most confused. It was the idiots who were always right at home, comfortable with their lot, unquestioning.

"I used to be an idiot," he grumbled to himself as he opened to door of the cab and stepped out into the street. "I wonder where I went wrong?"

Naydiram glanced up and down the street as he slammed the door. There were no cars, nobody walking. The neighborhood had never been a friendly one and the Senpet and Locust had only helped property values plummet even further. Most folks had moved out of the city and those that had stayed behind usually closed themselves up long before sundown. Naydiram noticed the decline in the neighborhood, but he didn't really care. There wasn't much a bunch of punks or muggers could really do to him, and finding a decent apartment in the city was nearly impossible for a gaijin.

The Oracle of Earth shoved his hands deep into his pockets against the cold. The temperature didn't affect him, but he still reacted to it as he once did. Carfax seemed to enjoy the power of being an Oracle, the rush of being more than human, but Naydiram loathed it. He didn't ask for this; he didn't want this. He was born a human and damn it, he was going to act like one. With this in mind, he shivered, and quickly headed toward the steps of his apartment building. He fumbled with his keys for a moment, then stepped inside.

As soon as he stepped through the doorway, Naydiram froze. Something was wrong, he knew, as he peered into the darkened hallway. Something was different.

"Ah, you must be him," chuckled a voice as two red slit eyes suddenly appeared in the corridor. "You must be the Oracle of Earth." A dim blue light appeared in the air below the eyes, the radiance of a dimly glowing pearl. As the light grew, it revealed the shape of a large, reptilian creature. It's flesh was pitted and ragged with sores. Tentacles with the heads of cobras rose from its body and its trunk ended in multiple thick tails. It's mouth was large and filled with sharp teeth, like the crocodiles that swam in the rivers where Naydiram was born. A smell like rotten flesh wafted toward the Oracle.

"What are you?" Naydiram asked, eyes narrowing.

"A servant of the Stormbreaker," the creature said. "I am the summoner of Oni Lord Akuma and destroyer of the Naga race. Through my machinations, a viper has been placed at the heart of the Crane Clan and the Porcelain Mask of Fu Leng has been affixed to the Emperor himself. I was created to slaughter the world. I am Shahismael. I am the Destroyer. I am the Kashrak, and I know who you are, Oracle. Now you will answer a question for me. Who is the Oracle that lives closest to here?"

Naydiram felt a sudden rush of power surge through his mind and body. He struggled against it but knew, in the end, he could not. An Oracle was supposed to answer a question for each mortal, and now Naydiram was forced to answer the Kashrak's. "Jared Carfax," he said through gritted teeth.

"Thank you," Kashrak said, hooded eyes staring down at the Oracle in satisfaction. "Now, I believe it is time for you to die."

The door behind Naydiram suddenly slammed closed. He glanced back fearfully, then turned toward the Kashrak once more. "Earthquake!" he shouted, pointing at the creature.

The ground shook savagely, but Kashrak remained where he was. After a few moments, the monster smiled. The floor and walls began to splinter, and the ground shook even more savagely, but Kashrak was still unaffected. Naydiram realized with a start that, at this rate, the building would collapse in moments. "Stop!" Naydiram shouted. "I command you, earth, stop!"

"Never jump to conclusions, Oracle," Kashrak said in an amused voice. "My statement was not a threat, merely an observation. I made no threatening move against you; I merely closed the door. The way I hear it, an Oracle of Light must never use his power against another, except in his own defense. That seems to be what you have done. You have broken the rules. Thus it is just as I said, time for you to die. Goodbye, Naydiram."

The Kashrak vanished into a cloud of billowing black smoke. Naydiram had barely enough time to scream in frustrated anger as the ceiling collapsed on him.

"So what do you think, Doctor Kuni?" Hinako asked, clasping one arm to her side nervously as she paced through the demolished office. "What did it want?"

The old doctor looked up fearlessly at the enormous jade statue that now stood in the center of the wreckage. Nine inch fangs jutted from a mouth large enough to swallow a man whole. Eyes narrowed in anger, once red, now dull green from the doctor's magic. "Well, it's an oni all right," he said. "I had thought they were no more."

"An oni?" Aihime asked, skipping up to the doctor's side and staring up in awe at the dead creature. "Like in the storybooks?"

"Yes, my dear," the doctor laughed, patting her head. "Like in the storybooks. They have not been common since the Shadow Wars. Since Akuma was destroyed, the Great Seal has prevented a creature of such pure evil from entering our world. The appearance of such a creature changes matters greatly. Oh, yes, this changes things indeed."

"What do we do, Doctor Kuni?" Hinako asked. She knelt to retrieve a broken photo from the rubble.

"Please, Hinako-san, call me Zuiken," he said. The old doctor settled with a grunt into one of the few intact chairs. He considered the gigantic weasel again. "This is a species I confess I am unfamiliar with. If the oni are not only returning but evolving as well, then this is certainly grim tidings indeed. Why now, of all times? Why here? What did it want?"

"Maybe it wanted Karasu?" Aihime asked, holding up the little crow with a smile. It squawked and cocked its head to study the old doctor.

"No, no, Aihime, it-" the old doctor paused suddenly, eyes widening. "Seven Thunders," he breathed. "I'm such a fool. Of course! Of course, that's it!" He rose from his chair, excited, and crouched to look at the little bird again. "Why didn't I see this earlier?" He held forth one finger to stroke the bird's feathers. It hopped onto his hand and pecked his nose curiously.

"You don't seriously believe that an oni came to our house looking for my daughter's pet bird?" Hinako asked.

"Oh, I do indeed," Zuiken said, bushy white eyebrows flaring with excitement. The bird fluttered up onto his shoulder. "Oh, this is exactly the sort of thing we've been waiting for! Exactly the sort of thing we're supposed to be looking for!"

"Who?" Hinako asked. "The Seekers? The Kuni? Your associates at the university?"

"Them?" Zuiken laughed. "No, none of them." He opened his doctor's bag on the counter and began rifling through it for a few moments, looking for something. "I'm afraid I haven't been completely honest with either of you, but everything shall be explained in time. The four of us will have to go on a short trip."

"A trip?" Aihime replied, running up to the old doctor's side. "Yay! Where are we going?"

"Togashi Mountain," Zuiken replied, "but not yet. I have to make a call first." Zuiken found what he was looking for, and drew it out of the bag. A crystal globe sparkled in his hand, a perfect sphere containing a tiny dragon sculpted from a single piece of jade.

Daniri was in pain. He'd been hurt before, lots of times. While working on Akodo War Machines he insisted on doing all of his own stunts, and sometimes things didn't work out quite the way they should. One time while leaping across a seven foot gap between two rooftops he fell between the buildings, and would have died if his ankle hadn't latched onto a fire escape. As it was, his ankle was shattered and the Kitsu healers were working on him for weeks before he could film again.

That was nothing compared to what he was feeling now.

Then there was the other time, when they were testing the experimental Akodo stand-in. The robot looked very similar to Akodo, from a distance, and could even walk a bit. The upside was that it was inexpensive to build so, unlike Akodo, it could be blown to pieces during a shoot. Unfortunately, the electric insulation in the stand-in wasn't quite what it could have been, which no one realized until Daniri stepped into a puddle while piloting the thing. He was blown clear by the shock, luckily, but he was in a coma for a week.

That was nothing compared to this.

The worst was, without a doubt, the stunt where he leapt off of a bridge onto a passing speedboat. The speedboat was padded appropriately so that he wouldn't be harmed when he fell into the back seat. Unfortunately, the stunt coordinator was a bit drunk that day and accidentally told Daniri to jump off the wrong side of the bridge. He fell with a rather resounding smack into Golden Sun Bay, breaking seven ribs and his wrist. That hurt.

That was pretty close to this, but this was still pretty bad.

Hida Kunisada rose Akodo over his head in both hands, and then rammed its back onto his knee again. The War Machine hit the Oracle with a metallic crack, sparks erupting from its torso. With a chuckle, Kunisada tossed it away again. Approaching calmly, the Oracle delivered a powerful kick to Akodo's midsection.

"I'm bored, Akodo," he snarled. "I thought you'd put up a better fight than this."

"Well," Daniri replied, rising weakly to one knee. "You're cheating... You won't die."

"Yeah, it's a shame, isn't it?" he answered, displaying his slate teeth in a fearsome smile again. "Well, enough wasting time. You're in the way, Lion. Nothing personal, but I'm going to kill you now."

Daniri rose painfully to both feet. He could feel bones broken inside his chest and blood was dribbling down his chin. He could barely feel his left leg. He looked at the Dark Oracle of Earth fearlessly. "Bring it," he said.

Kunisada laughed. "Bonus points for bravado, Lion," he said. The Dark Oracle caught a glimmer of movement out of the corner of his eye, and turned quickly, just in time to see the car hurtling through the air toward him. With a savage roar, he tore through the flying vehicle with his fists, sending shrapnel flying to either side. "Who?" he growled.

A large man stood atop a heap of wrecked cars, dressed in some sort of strange masked black outfit. No... not a man... The Dark Oracle could sense the creature's Taint from here.

"An ogre?" Kunisada called out, taking a step toward the creature while keeping an eye on the Lion. "What are you doing here, ogre?"

"Kaibutsu came to fight," the ogre said simply, clenching its hands into fists and taking up a shoot-fighting stance.

"I'm the Dark Oracle of Earth, little creature," Kunisada laughed. "There's no reason for me to destroy another child of Jigoku. I could destroy you with a thought. Are you sure about this?"

"Kaibutsu's family thought the same thing," the ogre replied. "Kaibutsu still here. Fight or run away."

The Dark Oracle laughed. He glanced back over one shoulder. The Akodo War Machine had fallen in a heap. The Akodo couldn't even walk. Surely he could keep for a moment. This might be amusing. He stepped toward the ogre. "Fine, then, Kaibutsu," he said. "Let's fight. Earthqua--" The Oracle staggered slightly, a look of pain crossing his features.

Kaibutsu roared and charged, gripping one fist in the other and delivering a powerful blow to Kunisada's midsection. The Oracle toppled over onto a demolished bus, a large chunk of shrapnel piercing upward through one leg.

"Earth--" He gasped again, eyes bulging with a sudden pain. Something was wrong. "Earth... earth..." He felt so weak. Why?

"Shut up and fight!" Kaibutsu shouted, smashing his fist into Kunisada's face. The Oracle's head snapped back and he swallowed a broken tooth. "Fight! Fight! Fight!" Kaibutsu hammered the Dark Oracle again and again. Cracks spread through the stone skin of his face and neck.

With a sudden final burst of strength the Oracle kicked outward with both feet, driving the ogre back. He pulled himself from the wreckage of the bus with a painful grunt, scowled at the ogre, and said a single word.

"Earthquake!"

Nothing happened.

Kaibutsu charged again, leapt into the air, and drove his heel into Hida Kunisada's chin. The Dark Oracle of Earth's head shattered in a cloud of chalky gravel, and his body toppled to the ground with an earth-shaking thud. Kaibutsu hooted wildly and did a little dance around the fallen body.

"Thanks," Daniri said with a groan, rising to one knee as he nodded to the ogre.

"Don't thank us yet, Lion," Inago Sekkou said, appearing suddenly at the ogre's side. "Kaibutsu, bring the War Machine. I want to talk to the Akodo."

Kaibutsu nodded, sauntering forward and punching Akodo once in the chest. The weakened War Machine toppled backward with a clang as Daniri was knocked unconscious. The ogre grabbed Akodo by one leg and dragged it away after Sekkou.

"Damn it Danjuro," Jiro whispered from where he hid in the husk of a demolished car. He waited until it was safe and followed after them.

Yao's hands were shaking as he poured the tea. Never had he seen such a foul display. Never. Of course, he'd never seen a real maho-tsukai; he'd only read about them in books. Even still, he'd never even heard of something so terrible! The way the girl murdered that man, tearing him apart from the inside with dark magics. From the look of his organs, it seemed almost as if he'd been laid out to rot for weeks. The Inquisitor poured a bit of the sake in to mix with the tea. Maybe that would calm his nerves.

The phone rang. Well, it didn't really ring. It just emitted some sort of strange, chirping noise that passed for a ring. Yao looked at the little plastic device sourly and tried to remember how to unfold it. A lifetime cloistered in the monastery with the other few remaining Inquisitors had not prepared him for the technological nightmare that was Neo Shiba. Everything was too smooth, to plastic, too curvy. This was the future, and he wanted to be a part of it desperately, but it frightened him. As much as he wanted to return the Inquisitors to their former greatness, to find a place beside Shiba Gensu when he became the new daimyo of the Phoenix, he wished just as often that he could just return home and sit by the carp pond.

"Ah," he said, finally finding the catch and opening the little phone. Fortunately, the caller had been patient enough to let the phone ring for the minute or so Yao had required to puzzle things out. The Inquisitor extended its small antenna and held the device to his ear. "Yes?"

"Problem with the phone?" came the voice of Shiba Gensu.

"Er, no, no!" Yao answered quickly. "It's a very nice phone, very nice indeed. Thank you."

"It's yours, Asako," Gensu replied. "For your excellent work. I spoke to Master Munashi. He was very deeply disturbed to hear what you had to say about our lady."

"No less disturbed than I!" Yao said, rising from his chair and pacing rapidly. He felt a rush of heat in his face. Munashi! The new Master of Air, concerning himself personally with what he had discovered! This was a dream come true. "I recommend that you waste no time on this matter, Shiba-sama!" Yao said rapidly. "Sumi should be dealt with swiftly and severely! The entire clan should be notified of the foulness that lies within her heart! Any and all possible accomplices, especially those who accompanied her to the Shinomen, must be interrogated at once! We can leave no stone unturned! They may have murdered Doctor Asako Nitobe, you realize!"

"I agree that this is an important matter," Gensu said smoothly. "I would not have taken such measures as I have did I not agree, and the death of Nitobe is very disquieting. The question now is, what are you willing to do, Inquisitor? How far are you willing to go?"

"Excuse me?" Yao said, halting his pacing for a moment. "I do not understand."

"Sometimes we must step forward two paces by stepping back one," the man replied. "The clan cannot be made aware of what has become of Sumi. Rumors cannot spread, not yet, not until we're sure how far her corruption extends."

"I suppose you may be right, Shiba-sama," Yao said. "But surely the Asako family can be trusted with this information. The keepers of the Seal and my fellow Inquisitors at the very least need to know. Asako Kul, perhaps a few trusted members of the Crab Seekers-"

"No one finds out," Gensu said sternly. "Not yet. We can't be entirely sure that she does not have powerful allies within the clan. You understand. After Sumi has been dealt with, that's when we can announce her crimes to all of Rokugan. Until then, I ask that you find someplace safe for yourself, Yao, and stay there until I call upon you again. When the time comes, your testimony will be crucial to damning Sumi for her crimes and making certain that I rise to the position that is rightfully mine. Anything else could generate uncomfortable questions. Do you understand?"

"I suppose," Yao said, though he was a bit uncertain. "But how does it serve the Empire to hide the fact that one of her daimyos is a tsukai? Does not the Emperor-"

"I'm certain that Munashi-sama will notify the Emperor when it is appropriate to do so," Gensu said, his voice harsh and angry now. "Do not question me again, Inquisitor. Only obey. I am your daimyo now."

Gensu was most certainly not the daimyo now, but Yao said nothing. In fact, Gensu sounded angry, and afraid. Yao wondered, vaguely, if he had made a mistake.

"Yao?" Gensu said. "Are you listening?"

"Yes, Shiba-sama," Yao replied. "I am listening." Yao pushed those silly thoughts out of his head. Of course Gensu had his best interests in mind. The Shiba's only interest was in justice. Why else would he go to the effort to ship Yao in from that distant monastery? Why else would he hand pick Yao from all of the Inquisitors available? Surely because Gensu's sense of justice was the equal of his own. After seeing the handiwork of the dark woman-beast that Gensu had delivered into his keeping, there was no doubt. Yao felt ashamed for his mistrust. "I will do exactly as you command," he said finally.

"Excellent," Gensu replied. "You serve the blood of the Phoenix well, Asako Yao. You will be rewarded."

"I do what I must," Yao replied, hanging up the phone. The Inquisitor smiled, but just a bit. He couldn't help feeling a sense of pride for being able to serve such an individual as Shiba Gensu.

"Do you hear a helicopter?" asked the large man as he entered the room. Yao didn't remember his name, or the name of the man who died. Master Munashi had supplied them both, but said nothing more. Yao had no reason to remember their names; they served their purpose well enough.

"Helicopter?" Yao said with a short laugh. "Don't be silly. I don't hear any helicopter."

"Are you sure, Asako-sama?" the man said, moving to one of the windows and peering out. "I was almost sure I heard one."

"Don't be foolish," Yao said. "I'm certain if there was a helicopter outside, that I would have heard it. Now stop wasting time and return to collecting those samples."

The man reared back from the window suddenly, a startled look on his face. "What the?" he exclaimed. He reached for the pistol in his jacket, but an enormous green claw suddenly burst through the glass, fastened around his collar, and pulled him through the window. The man screamed once, before an enormous reptilian face filled the broken pane.

"Where is she?" the creature snarled, teeth glistening white. "Where is Sumi?"

Yao was terrified. He had never seen such a creature in his life, but he summoned up magic to defend himself. "By the power of Amaterasu, I command you to begone!" Yao shouted. He pointed four fingers at the beast, each erupting with a glistening green beam of jade. The energy struck the creature full in the face.

The creature sat exactly where it was before, looking slightly dazzled by the light but unharmed. "All right," it snarled, coming to its senses once more. "That's it." It grabbed the window pane with both claws, tearing great chunks of the wall away to widen the opening.

Yao stared for a single moment, then turned to run deeper into the temple, toward the front entrance. To his dismay, he heard the heavy wooden doors open with a crash.

"Fan out!" shouted a voice. "She has to be here somewhere!"

Yao swallowed the lump in his throat and made a quick left, scampering down a flight of stairs toward the basement dormitories. He ran to a cell at the far end and leapt inside, slamming the door behind him. He huddled in the darkness, curled in a ball with his arms wrapped around his head. He could hear the footsteps of the creatures above him, stomping about as they invaded the sacred temple.

"Sumi!" one shouted, a woman. "Sumi, if you can hear, answer me!"

How terrible they must be if even jade could not harm them! What foul abominations to mimic humanity so closely that even their language seemed that of just another Rokugani. Yao prayed to every Fortune he knew that they would not think to look for him here. He prayed that they would leave and find someone else to feed upon. He did not care that he had locked himself in this cell and could not open the doors himself. That was nothing compared to what the demons of Fu Leng no doubt had in store for him.

He began to weep. Why did he have to be born into the Inquisitors? Why could he not have been born to a life that did not require such dedication, such heroism? He rued the day he had ever met Shiba Gensu, and the hell had come for him because of his beliefs.

Something heavy pounded on the door outside. "This is the only one that's closed," he could hear the beasts say. "All the other ones are empty."

"Do you think she's in there?" came the reply, from the woman. "Kenyu, do you have a flashlight?" Yao could not have heard that properly. What need would minions of evil have for flashlights? Perhaps they were trying to deceive him. Yao's heart hammered in his chest.

A beam of light suddenly flooded the cell. Yao blinked up at it, but could not see beyond. He huddled in a ball again.

"No, that's not her, that's just some pathetic looking guy in robes," said another voice.

"That must be Yao," said the first voice again. They even knew his name! Perhaps they planned to take his name from him? He had heard legends of such things happening to Inquisitors. The Shadowlands prized the souls of the righteous. Yao whimpered. His right arm began to cramp, terrible pain shooting from his wrist to his shoulder.

"Where's Sumi?" demanded one of the voices. The door rattled, but did not open. "It's locked. What have you done with Sumi?"

They were seeking their tsukai master, of course! Yao huddled deeper into the corner. They would find nothing from him. The pain in his arm increased.

"Answer us!" snarled another, more monstrous voice. It sounded like the beast he had seen upstairs. He could hear the door shake in its frame as the monster tried to tear it asunder. "Tell us what you have done with her, Inquisitor!"

Yao's mouth was dry and his feet felt numb. He had never been this afraid. He felt a bit dizzy.

"Where is she?" the door shook again.

"Back off, Szash, I'll get it open," said one of the others. He heard chanting outside. Were they casting maho? This was too much!

"Kenyu, magic doesn't function here," said the woman. "Don't you remember?"

Yao suddenly drew himself to his full height, ready to face his attackers. Sweat cascaded down his forehead and cheeks, but his face was a mask of fevered zeal. He wobbled uncertainly and could not feel his legs, but he ignored that. "Tsukai!" he shouted triumphantly. "Your magic will not work here, and the doors are too strong for you to break! Your foul mistress has been sent to answer for her crimes, and when she does all of you will face the justice of... the justice of..." He felt very weak. His chest hurt. He stumbled.

"Bright Otaku, there's something wrong with him!" said a voice. "Szash, pound this door open now!"

A single thunderous collision hit the door knocking it off one hinge and laying it open. Yao saw the men and woman who stood outside. One of them was Sumi's bodyguard, Shiba Jo. Another was a Unicorn he didn't recognize. The last two, he realized dimly as his vision went dark, were the two nagas. Certainly allies of Sumi, but tsukai? The Inquisitor laughed out loud. He felt a little silly.

Asako Yao collapsed to the ground.

Kenyu ran to his side, kneeling on the ground and placing two fingers alongside his throat. "Oh, Mother Kamoko," Kenyu breathed, looking up at the others. "He's having a heart attack."

Sirens wailed outside, coming quickly closer. "Police," Zin said. "Jo, are the police in this city loyal to Gensu?"

"Guess," Jo said grimly. "They'll be here in seconds. Can you heal the Inquisitor?" he asked Kenyu.

The Unicorn shook his head doubtfully. "Maybe," he said. "Not in here, though. No magic, remember?"

"Szash, can you carry him?" Zin asked.

The Constrictor looked slightly embarrassed. "No," it said. "I have problems with stairs. I will not be able to climb quickly bearing that dead weight."

"My lady trusted you completely," Jo said, turning to Zin. "What do we do?"

Zin glanced doubtfully from the fallen Asako to the stairs. "Leave him," she said.

Kenyu looked aghast. "He's dying, Zin!" he said. "I can't-"

"The police will find him," Zin retorted. "He'll be fine." She turned to head for the stairs. Szash and Shiba Jo fell into step quickly. They ran up the stairs to the next floor, Szash climbing clumsily with both hands and his tail. The wind from the helicopter filled the church. As Jo ran toward the exit, Zin turned back, confused.

"Kenyu?" she called out. The Unicorn was gone.

Szash looked back at the basement stairs. "He is below," the Constrictor said. "I smell him."

"We have to go!" Jo shouted back at them. "The chopper will leave without us!"

"Kenyu!" Zin yelled. She turned back for the stairs. Szash quickly seized her by the arm.

"He has made his choice," Szash said, looking into her eyes. "It will do no good if all of us are captured."

"Hurry!" Jo shouted.

Zin looked back at the stairs a final time. Could she leave Kenyu behind? Szash shook his head, a look of sympathy flitting across his hard reptilian features. Zin closed her eyes, turned and ran toward the helicopter. Jo was already waiting inside, gesturing wildly for them. She jumped in and turned to help Szash climb into the back. As the vehicle pulled up into the sky, she saw dozens of orange patrol cars surround the church. Kenyu would never be able to get away from them. She hoped she hadn't made the wrong decision.

In the basement of the temple, Kenyu pounded upon Asako Yao's chest.

"C'mon man," Kenyu begged. "Don't die, Yao. I'll feel really stupid if you die..."

The sun set on the Diamond Empire, painting the sky above Togashi Mountain in a firestorm of color. It was sometimes said that the brilliant sunsets were a gift of the Fire Dragon, a mixed blessing left behind from the pollutants thrown into the sky by the nuclear explosions which concluded the Shadow Wars. Hoshi Jack sat alone in his chambers, one wall open to the sky. He sat at the very edge, legs crossed, hand held out to his sides, oblivious to the sheer drop directly before him. His eyes were opened, but his spirit was elsewhere. The eyes of the descendant of Shinsei looked out into infinity, out into oblivion.

"Jack-sama?" said Koan, sliding open the door to his master's chambers and peering in cautiously.

Jack did not reply, but turned his head so that one ear faced his visitor.

"Jack-sama, the Emperor has given his address. It is only a matter of time before the world is consumed by war."

Jack inclined his head slightly, so slightly that Koan was not sure if he had even moved at all.

"What will we do now, Jack-sama?" Koan asked, stepping into the room and kneeling on the floor. There were not many men in the world to whom Koan showed any respect at all, but Hoshi Jack was surely counted among those few.

"We do what we always do," Jack replied. "We wait for the end, and then we play the parts that we have been given. What news from Asahina Munashi?"

"The identities of five of the Seven Thunders have been confirmed, given the information we have been provided," Koan said. "Munashi has yet to divine the identities of the Crane or Scorpion, but he has put his considerable resources into action in order to destroy or incapacitate the other five. He expects to report success before the evening is done. Looks like that about wraps everything up, eh? No Seven Thunders, no Day of Thunder. Thank you, come again." Koan sighed, as if he were disappointed with the outcome.

Jack turned where he sat, a sad smile painted on his ancient face. "That is why Munashi will always fail," he said with a small laugh. "He fails to recognize when he is wrong."

Koan blinked. "I don't understand, Jack-sama," he said. "If you know that Munashi will fail, then why don't you warn him?"

"Koan, my friend, don't you see?" he said. "After all your years wandering the Empire, don't you understand?"

"Um, apparently not," Koan said. "Pardon the pun, but do you think you could enlighten me?"

Jack chuckled. "Of course," he said. "Asahina Munashi's great problem is his greed. In wishing for everything, he is willing to accept compromise and half-victories, and a half-victory is not a victory at all. I assume Munashi thinks the way that you think, that if he can kill even one of the confirmed Thunders, then the Seven Thunders will never be able to rise against us."

"Well, wouldn't that stand to reason?" Koan asked, removing his straw hat and scratching his bald head.

"Reason has little to do with this," Jack answered. "We have been given seven riddles. Munashi has followed these riddles to their logical conclusion, and supplemented his logic with the known activities of the Hidden Dragon, who we assume to know the identities of the Thunders. Through this counter-play, he hopes to learn who the Thunders will be and kill them before their time. However, he hopes that in killing the five that are known, the two that are unknown will never come to be a problem. It is in by discarding that which he believes to be irrelevant that Munashi exposes himself to failure."

"Okay," Koan said, not really understanding.

"The Thunders stand as one," Jack continued, his voice even and melodious. "They always have. They always will. Though their interests may seem diverse, they are as cohesive an entity as the Champion of Jigoku. In the end, they are always prepared to fulfill the part that is required. By ignoring two of the Thunders, Munashi fails to realize that he has left two unknown enemies to unravel his schemes. It is these individuals that we must fear."

"So you're saying Munashi shouldn't strike until he knows all seven?" Koan replied. "Do you want me to call him and tell him?"

Jack rose a hand and shook his head slightly. "No," he said. "To restrain Munashi's bestial urges would defy his nature, and I would not do such a thing to an ally. We shall allow him to wage his war against the Thunders, and to make his own mistakes. Hopefully, his gambit may force the remaining Thunders to tip their hands. Then, we shall be prepared for them."

"Then we'll kill them all, right?" Koan asked.

Jack looked somewhat disappointed. "No, Koan," he said. "We will not kill the Thunders."

"We won't?" Koan replied.

"That is not the purpose of this contest," Jack answered. "If the Seven Thunders do not face the Champion of Jigoku, then all has been for naught. If there is no contest, then there is no victory."

Koan frowned. "I really don't understand," he said. "If you don't plan on doing anything about the Thunders, then why have we gone through so much trouble to find out who they are?"

Jack rose from where he sat, old bones popping as he stretched. "We cannot destroy the Thunders, to be sure," he said, nodding. "However, to ignore our enemies would be foolish. I wish to know who the Thunders will be, so that we may be prepared for them."

"So did you clue in Munashi to this?" Koan asked. "As far as I know, he still plans on killing them."

Jack shrugged. "Let him try," Jack answered. "He will fail, but perhaps he will manage to weaken them somewhat." He crossed the large meditation chamber, bare feet padding across the wooden floor. "After all, perhaps Munashi cannot kill the Thunders, but there are no rules against his maiming them. Or scarring them mentally. Or killing their friends. Or just causing general havoc. Asahina Munashi is quite skilled at that sort of thing."

"Oh, by the way, one more thing," Koan said. "Munashi has figured out who you are as well."

"Has he, indeed?" Jack replied, his strange, tortured eyes fixing upon Koan.

"Hey, it wasn't me," the monk said quickly. "Kameru told him. I didn't say anything."

"I know you didn't, Koan," Jack replied. "It is good that it is known."

Koan looked puzzled again. "How is it good that someone knows you're the Stormbreaker?"

"Soon," Hoshi Jack said, focusing upon some distant point that Koan could not perceive, "Very soon, Koan, there will be no further need for secrets. Soon, you shall open the door for the Thunders as I have promised and all that is hidden shall be made true at last. Soon, it will be time for an ending..."

TO BE CONTINUED