Smoke drifted by outside the tent door, and the cries of the wounded could be heard mewling faintly from the far distance. Two massive men, their armour black with caked blood, stood to either side of the entrance. The man who faced them was slight, and his armour more ornate than theirs, but he too wore the emblems and mon which marked him as a Crab. The bundle of scrolls beneath his arm was enough to tell the guards that he was Kaiu.

"Enter!" the thunder bellowed from within, "Be swift."

Bowing slightly to the honour guard, Kaiu Toshikan'in entered the war-tent of the Great Bear.

The tent was hardly large enough to hold the Great Bear and the three advisors who spoke with him, in his hushed tones which resembled nothing so much as the speech of mountains. Kisada glanced up, and deemed the Kaiu no threat, and turned his gaze back to the map under his hands. One of the advisors - the youngest son, Toshokan'in realised - turned, and looked at the arrival. Eyes hollow, the young Hida forced a cracked smile.

"You bring news from the Yasuki."

A statement, not a question. Even so sickly, this was the son of Kisada. Toshokan'in felt his eyes search for the floor. He could not meet Sukune's gaze for fear that Kisada's eyes would also find his.

"Hai. The Crane have hired ronin. The Mantis. Their 'fleet' hinders the shipyards. Hida-sama, I have a suggestion."

Sukune raised one brow, questioningly. He was obviously impatient. Worried about something else entirely.

"Yasuki Kojiro believes that an entreaty to the Mantis daimyo might bring him to our side. Give him the recognition he desires so. The Mantis have sought for years to prove themselves. Their daimyo is, after all, family." The Great Bear glowered at the Kaiu strategist.

"SUKUNE!" Kisada roared. "You will take the Pass.."

Silently, Toshokan'in withdrew.

"Hai, my Lord." Toshokan'in looked into the eyes of the new daimyo, the son of the Great Bear. Strength was there, and honour. Toshokan'in knew then that he would do whatever this man desired, even march alone to storm Kyuden Hiruma. Truly, this was Kisada's son.

"You spoke of the Mantis in front of my father."

"Hai, my Lord, I did so. It was a feeble strategy, and came to no end." Toshokan'in was unsure where his Daimyo was leading this discussion. He held his place at the door of the tent. He had come bearing the plans of Otosan Uchi, the plans which his Lord had requested. One last search of the plans, before the morning's seige.

"If Yoritomo lives through the day, there will be a new Great Clan in the Empire." Hida Yakamo seemed to be searching the strategist's face for something, some sign.

"I do not understand, my Lord." An honest reply.

"I remember your words. I believe now that they may hold some merit. If the Mantis become a Great Clan, it would be wise to remember the ties of family. Can you write?" "You will stand off of the field of battle. You will watch. Watch everything. And remember. When the time comes, you will be our emissary to the Great Clan of the Mantis."

Smoke and blood and screams and dawn. Fire and darkness pour from the battlements of Otosan Uchi, pearl of the Empire. Those who die rise again to strike against brothers, fathers, sisters, sons. Death mans the gates. Death swarms down from all sides.

The Seven Thunders form a close-knit unit, following Togashi Yokuni toward the fortress. Around them, a score of samurai fought against the tide of dead men. Light, green and black, (black light, he thought, how strange) spilled out from a pair of hands. Suddenly, the gates burst wide. The mass of dead men was pushed back, torn and battered. A half-dozen men had forced wide the fortress, and done what none since Kisada had done - smashed their way into Otosan Uchi. A half-dozen men, and at their head, Yoritomo.

He fought with fury as deep as the depths of ocean, with the force of the thunder itself (Seven Thunders? he thought, only seven?). Where he stood, death fell destroyed. His men stood about him, driven by the inspiration of their leader. They fought with the courage of men who stood at the side of a Fortune itself. With this man leading them, death held no fear. Toshokan'in watched. And remembered.

So long as he lived, he would remember. The Seven Thunders fought the Dark God whose Name must not be spoken, and slew a god.

This man fought an army, and stormed Otosan Uchi, and won.

And while he remembered, the Great Clan of the Mantis would not forget.

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