Daini, astride the horse Sukune had provided, gazed out on the long plains of the Crane lands. He had wandered too far east; become disoriented in his distraction. His planned goal had been the lands west of the Dragonfly, in the lands patrolled by the Unicorn. He had not watched the maps of his advisors, not heeded their directions, but merely allowed himself to be carried along on the wave of shame and disgrace which had carried him from the mountains to these plains.
Hitomi was somewhere to the west of him; his sister, proud, fierce, and distant. She had received orders from Yokuni to draw her own armies south - the Family House Guard, and the armies in fealty to the Mirumoto. The strength of the Mirumoto was gathered, subject to her whim, and Daini knew - he KNEW - that it mattered not at all to Hitomi.
He could imagine her, striding in her careless, perfect manner; gliding through the mustering of the Dragon, casually posting guards, detailing the provisioning of troops, assigning duties to her underlings; easily divesting herself of any responsibility for the upkeep of her army. Everything would be attended to, everything would be absolutely the way it had to be -- and it mattered not at all. It was simply that which needed to be taken care of so that Hitomi might concentrate on her true goals. Everything that Daini desired for and burned with the need to attain, Hitomi dispensed with in her abstracted, casual way! That which Daini struggled with in his army, the sentries, the supply lines, the positioning of men, the scout teams ... Hitomi would quickly outline for her lieutennants, spontaneously creating the plans whole-cloth, and then dismiss it.
Daini knew her objective, knew her motives. He had not been present when Satsu had died; his memories of his brother were no more than tales told to him from his earliest days. His honor burned within him to erase the shame of that duel, but he knew that it had been just, had been fair - when two men fell into their stance, one man was right and the other man was dead. Satsu had simply not been skilled enough, and he fell before the Crab Hero. He felt shame rise in him as he contemplated this, but knew it to be true.
Hitomi, however, had focussed her entire life upon revenging herself on this man, because he had defended his own honor. The flame of her spirit blazed within her, and burned out anything which competed with this duty, this blood-feud. Hitomi's path of blood and revenge left Daini nothing but longing and emptiness where he should have had family and honor. She was perfect, unapproachable,and represented a darkened image of everything Daini wanted to become. Mirumoto Hitomi left Daini nothing but aching need and the taste of ashes at each of his accomplishments, knowing that Hitomi had attained each of these glories on her own, and simply hadn't cared.
Now he would have to pass through the lands of the Dragonfly, where Hitomi had her own armies, fulfilling her own duties to Yokuni in her flawless, abstracted manner, training with the sword of the Dragon that she might revenge herself upon the Crab Hero. Daini would stand beside her, for she was family, but he would be a minor figure in a tale sung by the poets of a thousand years - she was a legend in the making already, where Daini himself had only the task of giving over the armies of the Dragon -- HIS armies -- to another.
He touched his side gingerly with his fingers, probing the newly healed wound there. This is my station, he thought to himself bitterly, to receive wounds from the hands of samurai-ko for the honor of others. I killed a samurai-ko who challenged a woman's honor in court; my brother tried to do the same and he failed. Satsu has honor, glory, and Hitomi would die to restore his name; I am alone, sent to renounce my army. I bear two scars from samurai-ko - one on my body, and one on my heart.
He jerked his horse's head around, to storm back into camp, and found himself facing Kesuan, who had walked up silently. The wings of the crow on the youth's head seemed to embrace his face. His eyes seemed afire reflecting the sun setting behind Daini's back.
"Lord," the youth bowed gracefully, deeply. He stood again, gazing at Daini with those bird-bright eyes. "Sukune sends word from the scouting teams. The River of the Drowned Merchant runs south of here; we might follow it westward and so not be led astray again as we move. He has seen an army of the Phoenix moving far to the East; he does not know why they are on the move. We have seen no other signs of armies marching." His eyes seemed to bore into Daini's face. "Are you well, Lord?"
"I am well, Kesuan." the young lord said, There was no sign of the madness which had gripped Kesuan but two nights before, and Daini was apprehensive about the young ise zumi. "Are you certain the army was Phoenix? They have never been partial to the forming of armies."
"Sukune himself gave that report, Lord." Kesuan answered steadily, "and he waits to give you the details himself. Perhaps there is something afoot in the lands of the Crane."
"Perhaps," Daini said. "It is unlikely that the Phoenix would invade the lands of the Crane." He began to ride forward, towards the boy, who stared at him with eyes luminous with the setting sun; his worries and shame somehow settling within him as he engaged his mind on the present situation. "Perhaps..." he began again, but left his thought unfinished, as he descended with Kesuan back to the camp.