"My Lady Champion," the Hiruma scout's light voice echoed through the hall as she pressed her forehead to the cold stone. Goblins and oni had tread this floor a year ago, but it was once again the stronghold and home of her family. Once again, the Hiruma were complete.

O-Ushi looked over the scout with her customary iron gaze. "I have heard from your commander that you have a most interesting story to tell, young Tsuneko."

"Hai, O-Ushi-sama." Tsuneko's eyes never left the cold, stained stone. She had never spoken to her Champion, when it was O-Ushi's father, Kisada, or even her brother, Yakamo.

A moment of silence passed, and Hida O-Ushi raised an eyebrow. "Would you care to recount this tale for us, Hiruma?"

Tsuneko fought back the heat she felt rise in her face, and raised her back, so she was still kneeling before O-Ushi. "Hai, sama." She closed her eyes, attempting to remember every detail, trying to find the words that would describe the wonder she had witnessed. When she opened her eyes again, Tsuneko's gaze found the large form of Hida Chono. His smile reassured her, knowing the friend she called Big Brother was as proud of her as any brother could be of their true sister.

"When the yours forces, supported by Ikoma Tsanuri's Lions, reached Hiruma Castle, I was near the inner gate with my cousins, for we had hoped every day of this chance..."

Ikoma Hatori sat atop his steed, gazing out over the fields of the Matsu palace. Lady Sun was near setting on the horizon, and the warm lights made the entire scene nearly breathtaking. The words of his rival, Ikoma Ujiaki rang through his head. He had stood outside the gate to Shiro Ikoma, waiting as a stablehand had brought his horse.

"You charge into the Unicorns ranks on a mission of peace, boy. Did you expect I would lend you a troop of samurai for such a foolish mission?" Ujiaki's cold eyes regarded the younger Lion with clear disdain, and half-hidden anger.

"We were peacekeepers, once." Hatori's eyes turned to the horizon, towards the castle of the Matsu, where the Unicorn attacked.

Ujiaki looked away from Hatori, and said "Only Cranes speak of peace when the war has begun." The stableboy brought up a fine horse, and Hatori quickly rose up in the saddle. "You would try this yourself, then, Hatori?" Ujiaki's voice took a slight note of concern.

Hatori looked down from the horse, "I would think seeing me dead might improve your mood, sensei."

The older Lion's eyes narrowed again, "Go, then. Run from your duty as a Lion. And when the Shinjo refuse you, run like the coward you are, then. Run to the honorless dogs you call brothers, the dirty ronin." Ujiaki pointed an accusing finger at Hatori, "I know, Hatori. You cling to Toturi, hiding behind what you call honor. Your love for the Emperor is no more than a useful shield, to protect you from your failings as a Lion. I knew this day would come again," He began to advance on Hatori, his voice raising, "Four years ago, you had to choose between your family and a filthy ronin, and I knew you'd do it again. So go, Ikoma Hatori." Ujiaki's hand dropped, and he turned to enter Shiro Ikoma. "If you return, it may be your life. You are no longer welcome here."

Hatori turned his horse to go, "You cannot deny me, sensei. You may turn your back on me, but Ikoma himself would side with me, and he has. You may take my home away from me, but my name was given to me by my father! I will allow none to strip that last piece of him from me." With that, Hatori had sped off towards the fortress of the Matsu.

Ujiaki had stopped and turned suddenly, but Hatori had never seen it, nor heard when the elder Ikoma's voice cracked with tears, "Your father..." he whispered.

That had been a day and a night ago. And as the purple banners could be seen on the horizon, Hatori charged at them, to his destiny.

One of the other men, a former Mantis now called simply Hatori, pointed to the Castle on the map. "I have been to Kyuden Matsu many times, Kanjin-sama. Their defenses are sound, but there is a small weakness on the southern wall here."

Shinjo Tama, Kanjin's yoriki, nodded. "Hai, Magistrate. Hatori's report does concur with our own intelligence. The Lion armies feared reprisal more from the Crane than anyone after the Day of Thunder. Kyuden Matsu was the farthest from their reach, thus it has fallen into a small amount of disrepair."

Kanjin furrowed his brow in confusion. "It almost seems too easy." The shugenja's face had gone from unshaven to a trimmed beard since the time he had fought against the Mantis. It had seemed almost a decade since Toturi had gone missing, war had broken across the Empire, and the banners of the Unicorn had spread quickly to try and maintain the Emperor's peace. But now, Toturi the First had returned, and in a single order, had crushed all of Kanjin's hope.

"Destroy the Lion," The Emperor had said to him and the other Unicorn Magistrates, "Remove their corruption from our lands."

The Iuchi Magistrate had yet to see this corruption the Emperor spoke of. Ikoma Tsanuri had led a large part of the Lion force to the Crab, to aid them in their defense against the Shadowlands. Nearly all the rest of the Lion samurai were devoted to protecting the Crane-Lion border from the sudden attack by Daidoji Uji and his men.

Kanjin stood, and looked over the map again, scratching his beard. Suddenly, a cry split the air, "Surprise attack! To your horses!" He recognized the voice of the watch officer, and quick looks were passes through the tent before Kanjin, Hatori, and Tama all shot out of the tent.

Hatori looked at the horizon, and his hand went instinctively to his no-dachi.

"What is it?" Shinjo Tama barked to the officer, unable to recognize the nightmare that stood half a li outside the encampment. He had never been outside the Unicorn lands before.

Iuchi Kanjin's eyes narrowed. It was true.

Several of the Crabs cheered, and even O-Ushi slammed her fist on her throne in appreciation.

"I tried to stand," Tsuneko continued, "but as I rose to my knees, the first oni, a spawn of the black Kyoso, grabbed my by the throat. It hissed in the language of its kind, and laughed gleefully as I struggled to break free. A pain like I have not felt in my life coursed through my body then, as its hand began to glow with an unholy flame. I thought I would die, then."

"Is that when you saw him?" Hida O-Ushi leaned forward, her intrest obvious.

"Nearly, sama," the Hiruma replied. "That is when I heard the bell."

Every man and woman in the room cast their eyes down in rememberance of when they heard the same bell. Each Crab's eyes shone with a pride and spirit that could nearly be felt in the chamber. "My cousin, who is now called Silence," Tsuneko continued, "pulled the cord that signaled the end for the dark army."

"And then I saw him."

Tsuneko remembered then, the Kyoso's attention was drawn first, by the sound of the bell. The oni looked back at her, "Hate and anger clear on it's face," she said, "The thing's free hand reached back to take the life from my body, but stopped suddenly. I could feel a warmth behind me, and the oni's face turned from rage to fear. In an instant, the Oni was blown to dust, and I landed on the ground."

Tsuneko nodded to herself as she said, "I turned to look who had banished the foul thing, and I saw a samurai standing bathed in a fading light. As the rays of light faded, so did his form. Before it was gone completely, O-Ushi-sama, I swear I could recognize him."

"Sukune-san," O-Ushi whispered, ans Tsuneko said the name.

"Ryu," he responded. "Ryu no Kage, sensei." Ryu did not have to see the man to know who spoke to him. He could feel the man hiding in the shadows as a hand feels the grain of sand tucked in its folds. The man was also known as Kage. And Ryu hated him, though he could not remember why.

"You may never know, Ryu," Kage said as he stepped from the darkness, to stand before his student. The stone floor beneath them both was illuminated by a small hanging lamp, but outside that lighted circle, darkness stretched forever.

Ryu stood a good half foot taller than his sensei, and his black hair was tied back with a simple string. The man noticed that his skin was fairer than his sensei's, and a word burned in his mind. "I am not like you, sensei." Ryu spoke, looking over his hand. "I am.. gaijin?"

"Hai," Kage said, "but it is no matter. We are all one. We are all the same now."

Ryu nodded, inwardly seething a little. Something about Kage made him hate. He wanted to strike out at this man, but not with fists. "Tell me, sensei," Ryu said suddenly, "do you remember your favorite color?"

Kage's face contorted in shock as he caught a glimpse of the man the Shadow had thought destroyed in Ryu's eyes. "I..."

"No. I see," Ryu said, kneeling on the floor. "You are as trapped in this Darkness as I, Kage."

Kage glared at the gaijin. The Goju would not tell him why, but the man once known as Togashi Amadan had been nearly impossible to take into the Shadow. It was perhaps the blood of the kami that burned in his veins, or something to do with his heritage. "I am trapped in this cage as a beast master is trapped." Kage replied, hate dripping off his words. "I am only confined long enough to break the beasts to my will."

"Do you remember the Unicorn, gaijin?" A voice suddenly echoed from the darkness. Kage recognized it as the Goju who he called sama. Ryu had never heard it before, but knew it was the voice of his true master.

"Hai, sama," Ryu said turning his gaze from Kage to the empty Darkness.

"Good, my student. I wish you to do something for me." The voice paused, and a man in a loose kimono and a wide jingasa smiled evilly at the kneeling gaijin. "You must kill a man known as Iuchi Kanjin for me. Will you do that, Ryu?"

"Hai," he responded without hesitation, "sama."