Month of the Horse 14th Day Mid-Summer
You read over the reports coming in from the various Imperial Legions for the most part Ginchiyo is more than capable of handling this, but with the tension between her and the rest of the council, you find yourself looking things over just to make sure no one decides to set each other on fire.
The Legions are slowly filling up, it'll be another year or two before they're ready, but nearly a decade after the War of Dark Glass, they're finally returning to full functionality.
Leaning back and stretching, you stand up and walk around the room a little to get the blood flowing even as your mind casts over to the two problems that seemed so primal at the council meeting.
Despite himself, Shem-Zhe seems to have found a lot of success sending out monks and priests to the Jewel to convince people of the correctness of Shintao, but at the same time the apostasy is spreading on to the Pelmyrians, which worries you. The Zanj are fair enough away that a holy war won't impact you much, but the Pelmyrians only have to sweep through the now defunct lands of the Yobanjin to get to you.
The Yobanjin, you had told Chitose last year that you expected the next major challenge would be from there, why had eluded you, just a gut feeling, maybe it was time to send scouts out there to find things out.
Then there was the Lion, once you could rely on them and you did still in many ways, but they were far from happy with the Imperial Legions, the tension had always been there. The Legions had been from the beginning something of a counter weight to the Lion's immense military might an implicit question to their loyalty that they resented. For centuries that had been mitigated by the Lion mostly making up the Imperial Legions, but Hida Ginchiyo had not cared to continue the practice, instead focusing on recruiting from everyone at a smaller percentage but with more absolute numbers and drilling them to perfection.
You look at your desk and decide that you've done enough for now, time to go take care of yourself, there should be some time in the dojo for you to work out. After putting away the papers carefully, you begin travelling through the palace. Ever present Seppun guards walking in silence behind you.
Doors open to the dojo as you walk on to the tatami mat, stretching as the martial training gi hangs loose on your shoulders.
You are about to ask one of the guards to spar with you when the door opens again, and walking in, no gliding in is Shosuro Ayumi, lithe grace that was familiar to you, but at the same time this felt different. You weren't sure why though as she moved forward, her outfits were always provocative that was just her way. Now though, it was cut to show off not only a figure that made most envious but also her more martial side.
The wakizashi at her side is new too, the dark red lacquered sheathe standing out from the usual humble black that she wore.
Questions are about to be asked when slowly Ayumi bows low and asks.
"If it pleases the Emperor, may I be his opponent today?"
Something in her voice, reaches you, it isn't easy to define, a bone deep need she seems to have to be here, to be with you. To stand in front of you right now. Most would counsel you that any Scorpion who feels that desperate, is clearly preparing themselves to kill you.
But, you know Ayumi, you know her as a favoured counsel, constantly keeping you up to date on matters outside the Empire, constantly reassuring, constantly standing with you, even when the Scorpion were less than loyal to you, she was constant.
So the idea that she means you harm is absurd, and yet...
"Hai Shosuro-san." You say with a bow.
She smiles and then approaches you with another bow before setting into her stance. Your eyes take in her form, the subtle energy of her breathing the way it seems to invite you to just watch a work of art.
Forcing it aside you make the first move, striking forward with a careful set of palm strikes, the Hidden Fist style preferred by many Scorpion is all about counter punching, deflect, dodge, attack. You have no intention of falling into that trap.
Yet rather than deflecting, rather than evading, Ayumi seems to block, to move closer to you with every step, her breathing becoming rapid as she matches you strike for strike, pushing forward into your range cutting off your abilities. Too close to punch, too close to kick, you have to resort to knees and elbows that she catches.
Something is wrong, Ayumi is skilled you've seen her fight, she is if not the greatest fighter in the empire, certainly skilled enough to give many runner ups to that title a challenge.
And this isn't how she fights...it's too brazen too direct.
And then her hand reaches around your neck, a grapple? She would never....
Time stops as her lips touch yours a desperate, hot, kiss that seems to burn you even as you can feel the bruise already forming.
Kissing back feels almost instinctual, as you realize that through out the fight she'd been forcing you to touch to be aware of her, of Ayumi the woman, not Ayumi the councilor.
Then you're blown away as a blast of wind forces the two of you down, and the Seppun rush you.
"What..."
"Emperor please stay down." A fresh faced samurai says.
The distant part of you that always works no matter the situation recalls his name was I something.
You can hear the sounds of struggle from where Ayumi lay, less a person and more a wild animal, as if someone had torn a tiger from it's prey and it wasn't having it.
"Seppun-san...what's going on?" You say, listening to the guard for now.
The younger samurai, Isshin that was his name answers.
"The Hidden Guard has detected a blood sword...and it's on Shosuro-sama."
A blood sword.
Shahai....
The sound of a shugenja chanting and then silence. Isshin seems to be given some signal and turns.
"My Emperor the threat is contained."
You stand up and look over to Ayumi, her clothing torn, fingernails dripping with blood, her breathing still rapid as one Seppun is binding her tight with rope. The other Seppun around her look like they nearly lost , their faces and arms bloodied and bruised, and at least one holding a dark wound to her side as another shugenja sees to it.
And on the floor standing straight up, a brilliant ruby wakizashi stands straight up pulsing faintly with want...
"Have her taken to the infirmary." You say softly. "And find out how this happened"
"HAI MY EMPEROR" the Seppun chorus.
Most of them depart, leaving you standing in the dojo, looking at the sword. Had that kiss...even been real? Or just madness brought on by the sword? You're not sure you'd like the answer in either direction.
-------------------------
Next Day
A day and reports had been coming in from all over the Empire of similar disturbances, similar problems, people close to those in power given a blade they thought by their lord and then...madness happened, sometimes it was stopped, other times it wasn't.
Whether Togashi Satsu would ever see again was still unknown. You had summoned your Kizoku and Jade Champion, you wanted answers.
"Otomo-san, what happened." You ask Otomo Kotaro.
Kotaro opens his fan closes it and then gestures towards the wall where a map of the Empire hangs.
"Nearly a decade and a half ago, the Anvil of Despair was stolen from Shinden Asahina, by unknown parties, we tried to find out who, but never did. As the war in the west began to come in earnest efforts were redirected as no one seemed to be using the damn thing" Kotaro says.
"It appears that Shahai was planning for this, and has spent the previous decade taking talented individuals one by one, never enough to form a pattern that we would notice, particularly during the Scorpion Purge, and well making them into blood swords. They aren't quite the quality of the true Bloodswords, they're still powerful enough to make people act on the greatest sin they have."
Shem-Zhe cuts in here.
"We've tentatively begun calling them Sin Swords, they seem to be some what...mercurial in power, the greater the sin that is being fought, the more powerful the sword...so it is dangerous to those who are especially morally pure and honourable. While those already corrupt are somewhat immune at least for a time."
"Then Shosuro-san?"
"The Sin Sword for her pushed against her desires until it overwhelmed her. Reportedly the sword was a gift from her lord for the work she'd done over the last few years...but so far as the messenger sending goes, we don't know..." Shem-Zhe rubs his neck.
"Don't know when it will stop influencing her either to be honest, might be today, might never be. We'll just have to wait."
Kotaro opens and closes his fan again.
"She keeps beating us, I don't know how but..."
Kitsuki Akane walks into the room, holding a large bundle of loose paper.
"That's rather simple, because she has someone working for her inside the Imperial City and has all this time. I've taken the liberty of looking into suspects."
Shem Zhe takes the bundle of paper and sets it down on the table.
"Kitsuki-san is right I think, but right now the Sin Swords are still out there, un-contained and causing havoc, before we begin looking into that, we have to find a way to get them, all of them."
"Can the swords be destroyed?" You ask.
All three of your subordinates shrug.
"The Phoenix have offered to try, while the true Bloodswords have never been broken, these new ones? Who knows." Akane says.
"So then how do we contain them?" you ask.
"Carefully, Kisada's order is currently preparing a place to keep them along with the Sword of Shadows...for now until we have a better place we're keeping the ones we have there." Shem-Zhe says.
Kotaro frowns looking at the map.
"I can help Kitsuki-sama find the traitor or Horiuchi-sama find the rest of the swords, which do you wish me to do?"
[] Swords, the traitor isn't going anywhere ,but those swords are corrupting a lot of people
[] Traitor, you're tired of Shahai always having the advantage over you
AN: Shahai is a lot of fun as a villain.
