Empire Before Family
Seppun Takashi
The Ishiken-do looked into the Void and said. “As with his sensei. Empire more than family, Yet always Seppun”
By P. D. Waltman
It was dark, the only light slipped through cracks in the stonework, or through the walls ahead. Flickering reddish light formed a line of the target door... Hands touched the outer and inner wall to allow movement in darkness with a handful of Seppun Guardsmen in the lead. It was his task to trail the pack lest some Scorpion, Crane, Lion or Phoenix decided to explore other tunnels not taken instead of their desperate mission. Speed was the essence but no one was trying to make noise in the passage. The clamor of battle was clear through the door; its forceful opening probably required a craftsman to fix. Yet the passage appeared to be worth the risks. The last cohesive force of the Emperor’s loyalists were blocking the main arriving force but the passage once known only to the Seppun Guards allowed entrance around the loyalist defenses. They burst into the Imperial Court, too late. They were able to witness the death of the Dowager Empress and her death curse, before turning their blades and anger at those within the court, including the Steel Chrysanthemum himself. Only one of the tunnel-Seppun Guardsmen managed to not get himself killed in the fighting. This was the fate of Seppun Takumi, to survive with the Emperor’s blood on his blade.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The boys played in the courtyard, most a couple years from heading off to school and being forged into men. They fought their pretend battles with pretend weapons from sticks and the ferocity, as one would expect of the Seppun. At Shiro’s side was a young man, fresh from his gempukku, not more than four years older than the oldest boy playing with sticks. Shiro could sense his impatience with this child spectacle.
“Watch,” Shiro said to his younger brother, as the boys gathered into sides, and fought anew. One group of boys was larger than the other, but in time the smaller defeated the larger. Each day before the attending to duties Shiro and his brother would sit in the sunshine not far from the boys and each time Shiro would say, “Watch.” One day, some boys brought longer sticks or ropes. Different weapons brought different tactics from one group of boys that was different than the others’ wild swinging. For a few, it mattered not which weapon was in their hands they fought well, for boys.
A day came that the younger brother said to Shiro, “we have a young tactician, and several who are skilled in whatever comes their way. Have you noticed the way their tactician lets one of the other be the leader, and the way he cocks his head before he does something surprising?”
“Cocks his head?” Shiro asked silently acknowledging the lesson he wanted his younger brother to see.
The younger brother smiled so Shiro could see it briefly and said, “Watch.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The boys were less active than usual, the Hakori thought. He had heard one of the bushi had given the boys a new way to fight (with knotted ropes) and he guessed that tired them out of their energy. He began his lesson on Duty. Each day he spoke on one tenet of Bushido hoping to give them their foundation when they went to their school. This day it was the ultimate duty to one’s lord. The lesson was going as well as could be expected but he noticed that young Takashi seemed not to be paying attention, or perhaps not paying attention to him. As he prepared an admonishment young Takashi startled him with a question.
“Hakori-sama, what of the Steel Chrysanthemum and the Guard that fought him, was the duty to the Empire ever more important than duty to one’s lord?’ Takashi asked. Astonished and unprepared for the required answer, all Hakori could respond with was to dismiss the boys to other studies. Takashi lingered as if to ask more frightful questions, but Hakori’s expression convinced him to follow the other boys. When all the boys were out of sight, Hakori made his way to the Lord’s dwelling. Someone was speaking of centuries old questions that haunted the minds of Seppun leaders and historians, and such knowledge should not infect the minds of the young quite yet.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Excitement was all through the boys as a one of the Imperial Guard was coming to the castle and he was going to speak to them. Each wore the best of his clothing and each was as still as possible as the very imposing samurai strode into the courtyard. That he was less than twice their age didn’t matter. “He served the Emperor in the Imperial Palace, and he had come to speak to them,” was one conversation. “He assisted the sensei at the Seppun Guard School as well, so he was to see if any were ready to begin their training,” was another. All the speculation settled as watched and listened to the boys as they showed their knowledge and skills. At the end of this, he said aloud, “I will see a few of you again soon, at the school”
That part done, as most of the adults left the area, the Guardsman spoke on the topic of the Steel Chrysanthemum, explaining that it was a lesson normally saved for those learning at the school, but that Hakori-san had asked him to speak on it. In very basic terms he explained what had happened five centuries before and how the Seppun Guard that took part tried to save the Dowager Empress but could not, and how they all died. And that each of them would see the shrine to their courage once they attended the school and would learn more of it” Hakori looked at Takashi, and asked, “you have a question?” giving the boy his best glare to not have a question, to no avail.”
“Was Takumi-sama’s name also at the shrine even though he did not die until after the final battle…?”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
“This feels like an Otomo’s doing Juro-san,” the visiting Guardsman told Takashi’s father. “Have you made an enemy of an Otomo? This is too perfectly executed to be accidental” At Juro’s head-shake, Seppun Akida continued, “How he knew Takumi-baka’s name and role is something not gained by anyone short of an enemy. That name is recorded nowhere Seppun that I know of; I thought it erased and forgotten centuries ago.” Akida paused before delivering worse news. “Regardless of the plot against you and all of us, we cannot allow the viper of that knowledge in the school. It is not the boy’s fault, but he cannot attend the Seppun Guardman School. I know that for fourteen generations the eldest son of your line has always been bushi; for seven all sons have served in the Guard. That history ends now and unless you find a Great Clan school to accept him the longer history ends as well. I suggest moving him to his school soon, to rid the other boys of him, to prevent an entire group of boys from this area to be unacceptable to the School.” He left Takashi’s father in his silence and bowed to Hakori. “You have done a service to us Hakori-san, by exposing the potential before the boy came to the school”
“He shall be dead to me,” Seppun Juro interrupted, “My eldest has died,” he continued as he left the room.
Hakori and Akida looked on. Hakori sighed, “ Takashi has been ill used in a plot to weaken us, I fear you are correct in that. Is there by chance something you can do regarding a bushi school for him? He shows prowess with weapons and a keen sense of tactics I am told. It would be best for the Empire, I would think if he could serve it in some way.”
It was Akida’s turn to sigh, and respond quietly “Very well, otou-san, I know the sensei at the Moto Bushi School; I believe he will take him should I ask. I will send a message. I hope he thrives with the Unicorn, I doubt he will be much welcome here.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Takashi was awakened well before dawn by his mother. She had watched the son she would not see for quite some time if ever again, sleep. Servants had packed for him in their quiet way, and she could not bear the talk to come. Shiro’s pacing in the outer hall reminded her that she had so little time, so she woke him.
“You begin the travel to your school this dawn, Taka-chan. Wheels have turned in unfortunate ways, and I believe the misfortune will only continue until you leave here. Your talk of Takumi and the Steel Chrysanthemum has concerned others greatly. Be truthful, how did you know all of this that you should not know?”
Meekly, he replied, “We are to revere the ancestors, and it is an ancestor who speaks to me of this. He comes at times and tells me things and demands that I uphold the standards of the Seppun, even though I have not been yet to school:
“I suspected so,” his mother replied. “It is Takumi-sama himself, yes?” To her son’s nod, she continued, “my mother’s grandmother was of his line, and the words the shugenja said to me after your birth, make all the more sense as you have learned much from your ancestor. The Ishiken-do looked into the Void and said,
“As with his sensei
Empire more than family
Yet always Seppun”
“Shiro-san is outside. He will take you to your school; my younger sister went to this school, and I think it will serve you better than the Moto will. Still, if you have your heart on serving as a bushi, Shiro-san also bears a message from Akida-sempai that should grant you entrance there. In any case, you must leave now. Both lie in a similar direction and you may decide upon the road. I fear you can only return when your name is so highly regarded that they cannot turn you away.’
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The imperial messenger looked young, at best fresh from gempukku in normal circumstances. Yet the Sensei knew this particular messenger had already served two years in his role; Seppun Takashi had come to the school at a much younger age that he normally saw first students. Yet for all his youth he also progressed through the school quickly. He was ready for the special task at hand. The Sensei didn’t understand everything but he did not need to, he had his instructions from his Daimyo.
“I have a special task for you. Two messages to deliver to persons whose locations I do not know .I do not know if they even live, yet as you complete your future tasks and between the assignments, you will look and listen for signs that they do still live and seek out where they might be. The meaning of the message is neither for you nor me to understand. Perhaps in time, you’ll get different names or be done with this task altogether. A loss of these messages is not severe and indeed could result in success without your knowledge. Still appearances must be made. You will know the what writing is on these messages as you may have to relay it verbally, though the written message is still important. There are ways to convey thoughts that do not rely on what the words say.
And the story continues……….
