Endless Road - Part 3

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Shaiga, lands of the Tsuruchi family, on the 20th Day of the Month of the Akodo, IC 1138

Kitsuki Ketsumei sat quietly in the common room of Inari's Blossom with a scroll unrolled before him. He had read it several times in the last few days, and it was the reason he was sitting in a small teahouse in the heart of this small farming village. The charcoal strokes were sloppy and obviously made in haste, yet that didn't take away from the kanji's importance.

Whomever wrote them had saved his life, and yet Ketsumei still didn't know why. The matter had weighed on Ketsumei's mind ever sense he left Crab lands. Slowly the pieces of the puzzle had come together. The trouble Ketsumei had obtaining a boat from Otosan Uchi was a means to funnel him into that location. To a place where men would be waiting to kill him and yet could be explained away as a simple bandit attack.

The rescue itself concerned Ketsumei as well. It was an arrival that was too timely, too coincidental. And it was from the rocks above him, not from another traveler on the road. The fletching on the arrows was mostly green, with a subtle mix of black and gold. The latter was the colors of the former Wasp Clan, now a part of the Mantis. And the expert way that the assailants were dispatched pointed to a master archer, such as one from the Tsuruchi. The site of this meeting, the home province of his prime suspect, only confirmed things in Ketsumei's mind.

His savior had been Tsuruchi Renraku, and he had been in on the attack from the beginning. He had met Renraku a few months ago in southern Crane lands, and his initial read was of the man was that he had an honorable yet troubled soul. He knew that Ketsumei would be in Otosan Uchi, the Dragon had told him as much, and the Mantis could exert enough influence to deny him passage via ship.

So now the Kitsuki sat in a nearly empty teahouse and waited. He was aware this could be a trap, but he didn't think it was. Renraku had something in mind for Ketsumei, something other than death: if Renraku had wanted him dead he could of stood idly by and let those thugs finish him off. There was something larger going on, and the Dragon's curiosity had been aroused.

Now if only Ketsumei didn't become the proverbial cat...

A sound at the entrance of the teahouse caught his ear. The Dragon looked up to see a timid-looking servant approaching with a scroll. Ketsumei accepted the scroll, noticing that it can from quivering hands. The courtier then silently watched as the boy fled: there was no other word to describe the speed at which the servant left.

More than a little concerned, Ketsumei opened the scroll. As he read the kanji on the parchment, the Dragon felt his pulse quicken. He read the scroll again to make sure the symbols didn't change from the original viewing, then idly left a few coins on the table before leaving the inn nearly as quickly as the young boy did. It wasn't fear that empowered his steps though, it was purpose.

It was almost dusk when Tsuruchi Renraku finally heard the knock he was expecting. "Enter" he called out, his hand gripping his yumi in case he was wrong about who was on the other side of the door. It proved to be an unnecessary precaution as a familiar member of the Dragon Clan walked into the room, shutting the screen behind him.

Ketsumei watched Renraku set the bow back down, his own heartbeat slowing only slightly. The courtier knew he was at this man's mercy, yet his training told him he could trust him, and Ichi Miru hadn't failed him yet...

"Took you long enough," Renraku said, breaking the silence.

Ketsumei's response was simple. "I've been busy."

The Tsuruchi's eyes hardened. "Busy? BUSY?!?!" The wooden walls shook with his fury. "DID YOU EVEN READ IT?"

Ketsumei didn't flinch from Renraku's gaze. "Hai, I read it. It was very useful." The Dragon reached into his kimono, revealing that scroll and two more. He watched as the storms in the Mantis's eyes slowly subsided. "The next week will be very interesting to say the least," Ketsumei said as he replaced them, drawing a resolute nod from Renraku.

Seating again in the Inari's Blossom, Ketsumei waited. To say the courtier was nervous was an understatement, still he held his composure as the man he invited to lunch finally arrived. Yoritomo Ajiwau sat down opposite from him, giving the common room a distasteful glance. "Not as nice as Crane lands, that is for sure." Ajiwau looked at the younger man with a pointed glance. "So where is the entertainment?"

"There is just you and me Yoritomo-san," Ketsumei said simply. "I asked you here so we could talk."

"Talk..." Ajiwau seemed to be tasting the word. He didn't find it to his liking. "You brought me out here to talk..."

The Dragon nodded. Going through the bureaucracy to arrange this meeting took some effort, but it wasn't difficult especially once Renraku told Ketsumei that Ajiwau was already in the area. "I have heard some very interesting things about you Yoritomo-san. I wanted to discuss them with you."

Ajiwau rose from where he was sitting. "I am a very busy man. I do not have time to talk to someone of your lowly station."

"Is that what you told that samurai-ko at Seawatch Castle?" Ketsumei said idly. "That she was beneath your notice?"

The Mantis paused, looking at the Dragon as if for the first time. "Idle gossip," he replied.

"Well you know how we courtiers revel in gossip," Ketsumei said as he pulled the first scroll from his sleeve. "Still, sometimes it is much more than mere words."

Ajiwau slowly set back down, eyeing the Crane mon on the scroll as if it was dangerous. Which it was, to him at least. "Where did you get that?"

"I pulled some strings," Ketsumei said with a shrug. "Sometimes it helps being useful to an Emerald Magistrate."

The Yoritomo waved him off. "That is just one samurai's word against mine. And since it isn't coming from a family diamyo or higher, we both know you have nothing."

"Hai, assuming it was the only thing I had," Ketsumei said before he removed a second scroll, this one with a Crab mon on it from his kimono. "Which it isn't." This one was harder to get than the first, but having spent the winter in Kyuden Hida allowed him to know which questions to ask to whom.

The Mantis shrugged, silently wishing he was far away from this meddlesome Dragon. "So you know how to talk to people from different clans. I imagine you probably bored them to death..."

Ketsumei shrugged. "Depends on the audience I imagine. I would tell you about the wonderful time I had in Beiden Pass recently, but I would rather finish this tale first." A third scroll appeared from his kimono, setting it next to the other two. It was the same scroll that Ketsumei received days earlier in this place.

The Yoritomo blinked upon seeing the Tsuruchi family mon on this one. "Renraku," he whispered. The Dragon could tell that Ajiwau was starting to get nervous, although he covered it very well. "So what?" Ajiwau scoffed loudly, putting up a brave front. "You cannot arrest me."

"Correct. I am not a magistrate, or even a yoriki." Ketsumei said, confirming the Yoritomo's statement. "I have no jurisdiction here."

"What then? You plan on blackmailing me?" Ajiwau sneered. "You must be joking..."

"No, I have no use for such methods. The Kitsuki resolve themselves to the truth and revealing secrets, not hiding them." The Dragon's smile turned icy, which stopped the Mantis in his tracks. "Earlier today I provided the Tsuruchi provincial diamyo here a gift. A gift of knowledge about a criminal within his borders."

"No..." he stammered before a sound caught his ear. He looked up to see two Tsuruchi bushi approaching their table. "Yoritomo Ajiwau," the shorter one said, "Tsuruchi Meiji-sama requests your presence." His tone made it clear that it wasn't a request.

The Mantis gave a venomous glare before being led out of the common room. Ketsumei sighed audibly before finishing his sake. He knew he had one more task to complete while in the city...

Lord Sun's first rays of light were rising up a hillside just outside Shaiga where three men were gathered. Renraku, kneeling in the face of the rising Sun, was dressed in solid white. Beside him stood Ketsumei, here to perform one last act for his friend. A little further back stood Tsuruchi Meiji, watching his vassal meet his fate with more bravery than most.

Just before the light caressed him, Renraku spoke his last words:

An impatient youth His rash choice brought much pain Justice comes at last

Setting the scroll down, he took his wakizashi into hand, and gave Ketsumei a short nod. The Dragon returned it, raising Renraku's katana into the air. The Tusurchi then plunged the short blade into his own stomach, pulling it from left to right. A second cut followed with trembling hands before Ketsumei sensed the time was right. The courtier brought the longer blade down, ending the honorable life of Tsuruchi Renraku.

A short time later Ketsumei was speaking with Tsuruchi Meiji in his court. "Thank you for aiding Tsuruchi Renraku in redeeming his honor," the diamyo began. "Although I noticed how troubled he was, I acknowledge I was not able to help him as you did Kitsuki-san."

"It was an honor for me to call him a friend," the Dragon said. "I trust the Kharmic Wheel will favor him on his next turn through Ningen-do."

The Mantis lord nodded. "The Kitsuki and Tsuruchi are two families dedicated to the pursuit of justice. Perhaps closer ties should be kept in the future." He offered a scroll to Ketsumei. "Take this to your lord Kitsuki Baishon-san. I am certain he will find my thoughts agreeable."

"Of course -sama," Ketsumei said with a deep bow.

"One last thing, before you go." Meiji reached over and picked up a yumi from a nearby stand. "This bow was Renraku's. It has protected you in the past. I feel it should continue to do so."

"I will always remember Renraku's actions," Ketsumei said. "It was his honor that protected me. This fine weapon deserved a more worthy bearer."

"By giving it to you, I am entrusting it to an honorable samurai. There are none more worthy than that."

Ketsumei bowed deeply. "My lord, this bow should go to his family along with his swords."

"Renraku has no family, his line ended with him," Meiji said sadly. "I am certain he would rather see it serving the Empire than sitting on a rack unused."

Ketsumei bowed again, accepting the weapon. "And so it shall serve at my side. No matter what road I walk, it will be there with me."