Kenshiru’s Journey – Story 1

Three Friends

As Kenshiru journeyed to the town of Tsuma where the Topaz Championship was to be held, he encountered two fellow competitors who became his travelling companions. One was Shiba Jinsho, an impetuous young shugenga of the Phoenix clan, and the other the beautiful Otaku Shiniko, a Shiotome Battle Maiden of the Unicorn clan. At that time none of them could have anticipated how tightly the threads of destiny would bind them together over the course of the festival.

Megumi

Near the outskirts of Tsuma, Kenshiru, Jinsho and Shiniko encountered an old man laden down with a large chest. As they approached, the man, who was only a peasant, recognised the young samurai as being of superior status and attempted to show his respect by bowing to them. Burdened by the weight of the heavy chest however, he staggered and toppled from the edge of the road into the reeds of a small stream. Although as samurai the three friends were under no obligation to assist the old man they did not want to see him drown and there was no one else about to help him. Hurriedly they scrambled into the water and pulled him out.

The old man was profusely apologetic for his clumsiness and after much bowing and scraping offered to show his gratitude by performing the tea ceremony for his saviours. This puzzled the young samurai because peasants do not normally know the art of performing the tea ceremony but they decided to humour him and accepted his offer. They were even more surprised when he opened the chest and removed an exquisitely crafted tea set from inside. When Kenshiru commented about the quality of the craftsmanship the old man, who was called Megumi, responded that he was looking after the tea set for his master.

The group’s astonishment only increased as Megumi performed the tea ceremony flawlessly. Kenshiru had never seen the ritual completed so expertly. He was convinced that there was more to the old man than met the eye. When the ceremony was complete Megumi told them that his master had instructed him to offer the contents of the chest as gifts to the first honourable samurai he encountered. The young friends had proven themselves to him and so the items were theirs. He gave Jinsho an ornate box that contained a magic scroll, Shiniko a beautifully crafted katana of a design that was slightly unlike any that they had seen before, and Kenshiru the tea set.

Afterwards he bid them farewell and resumed his journey along the road.

“Good fortune old man”, Kenshiru called as he departed.

“And to you young sir”, Megumi responded with a twinkle in his eye.

At that moment a blue-collar crane distracted the three samurai as it burst from amongst the rushes and took to the sky and when they looked back the old man had disappeared.

A short while after their encounter with the mysterious Megumi the three travellers passed a peddler who was selling charms and nick-nacks by the side of the road. Jinsho and Kenshiru both purchased lucky charms from him. Kenshiru’s was a small copper crab on a chain.

The Drunken Crab

After reaching Tsuma, Kenshiru, Shiniko and Jinsho washed and tidied themselves before heading off to present themselves at the Championship registration hall. On the way they encountered a drunken Crab bushi by the name of Hida Fujizaka. The young samurai recognised them as contestants and hailed them loudly from the doorway of a nearby tea house, declaring that he would also be competing in the tournament and wanted to buy them all a drink. The friends politely declined to join him as they were going to the registration hall but Fujizaka was not satisfied with this and took offence at their refusal. Fortunately he was too drunk to do anything about it so they left him and went on their way.

Their second encounter with Fujizaka came at the registration hall itself. As they were leaving, having completed their enrolment, they witnessed his inebriated arrival. Unsteadily the drunken Crab staggered towards the registration desk. This time he ignored them.

They had been told to return for the opening ceremony in four hours, so to pass the time they took a short walk in the gardens. After a while Jinsho suggested that they go to the teahouse for some refreshment.

When they reached it, they found Fujizaka had returned and was well on his way through another jug of sake. He loudly challenged any patron who came near to drink with him.

Concerned that the drunken crab was embarrassing both himself and their clan, Kenshiru had a cup of tea with his friends and then excused himself so that he could join Fujizaka. He intended to try and make his fellow clansman see sense. It was quickly apparent however that Fujizaka seemed to be oblivious to any tactful suggestions that in order to be at his best for the tournament he should not drink quite so much. He continued to fill Kenshiru’s cup and offer toasts that Kenshiru could not easily refuse. They toasted the Emperor and the Emperor’s family, and the Sun goddess, Amaterasu. Fortunately Kenshiru has a strong constitution and after three or four drinks he ended the challenge by declaring that he intended to do his best for the clan in the tournament and so would drink no more. To this the disgruntled Fujizaka responded by calling him a woman, but Kenshiru did not allow himself to be provoked. He replied that as Fujizaka was drunk he would excuse the insult but that if the samurai knew what was good for him he would not press him any further. An awkward moment ended when Fujizaka laughed and downed a last cup of sake before passing out.

At this time about two-and-a-half hours remained before the opening ceremony and Kenshiru was in little doubt that as things stood the unconscious Fujizaka would not make it. Taking pity on his fellow Crab Kenshiru paid for a geisha to sober him up and make sure he attended. Then he returned to his friends.

The Opening Ceremony

The opening ceremony was a mass of bright colours and sound. A long procession wound its way through the town and, as predicted, the prestigious reputation of the championship was heightened by the attendance of the Emerald Champion and the Emperor himself. The experience was far beyond anything the three young samurai had ever encountered before.

Two noteworthy events occurred during the ceremony. The first was when a young Scorpion clan samurai of a similar age to Kenshiru, Jinsho and Shiniko passed them in the procession. He must have been of some importance as he was amongst the Scorpion clan delegates and was talking to one of the most influential members of the Scorpion Clan, the beautiful Lady Bayushi Kachiko. He gestured towards the three watching samurai and said something mockingly, which caused the delegation to laugh. Needless to say the three characters took an instant dislike to the arrogant young individual.

The second was at the end of the ceremony when Fujizaka, still looking slightly the worse for his drinking, came to apologise to Kenshiru for his earlier behaviour and thank him for maintaining his honour. Kenshiru replied that the debt would be repaid if Fujizaka performed to the best of his ability in the tournament and made the Crab clan proud. The two shook hands and wished each other good fortune in the days ahead.

The First Day

The Topaz Championship itself is held between around a dozen contestants and consists of twelve events held over three days. The events test a wide range of physical and courtly skills that a samurai is expected to master. Five events are held on day one, followed by six on day two. Each competitor must achieve five victories in order to qualify for the third day. On the third day those samurai that have qualified take part in a knockout competition involving fighting Iaijutsu duels with blunted weapons until only one victor remains

Sumi Wrestling

The first event was Sumi and involved each of the twelve contestants being drawn against an opponent whom they would wrestle in a single bout to determine six victors.

Although Kenshiru had no particular Sumi training he hoped that his general athleticism would stand him in good stead against anything other than a skilled opponent. It would all depend on the draw so he hoped that the Fortunes would smile upon him, and his friends. His luck held and although his opponent was no pushover he was no Sumi adept and could not match Kenshiru’s athleticism. So Kenshiru successfully claimed his first victory.

Shiniko and Jinsho were equally successful, Shiniko surprising her opponent with her agility and quickness and Jinsho performing a slightly unorthodox move against his opponent, another Shiotome Battle Maiden, Shiniko’s cousin Otaku Shiko. The three friends also noted with some annoyance that the arrogant young Scorpion clan samurai that they had seen during the opening ceremony was also a contestant. His name was Bayushi Sugai and in his bout he followed through on his winning move against the third samurai-ko in the competition driving her to the ground with more force than was required to win. She was left winded and took a few moments to recover. These were not the actions of an honourable opponent.

Heraldry

The second event was a test of the samurai ability to identify nobility from their banners. Kenshiru was not particularly looking forward to this event because, as a member of the Crab clan, his training had focused on practical military skills and he was not skilled in the social arts. However he already had one victory and there were plenty of events to go so he decided to relax and give it his best shot. Miraculously the banner Kenshiru was given reminded him of something he had been told by Gakumo in a story. He tried hard to recall the family concerned and hesitantly gave his answer. To his astonishment he was correct. He clasped his lucky talisman and thanked the Gods. Two victories from only two events was more than he could possibly have hoped for, and the third event was to be a race over obstacles which he ought to be good at. Also very few of the other samurai had been successful, and those that had were the more studious Shugenga who had not done so well in the Sumi event. Kenshiru was the only contestant to have two victories at this stage.

The Foot Race

The third event was to be a test of athleticism. It was a foot race incorporating a number of obstacles like walls and a log crossing a small river. It was an event that Kenshiru was well suited for, though one should never under estimate ones opponent. This time Kenshiru was less fortunate in that respect, as he was drawn against Shiniko’s cousin, the same Otaku Shiko whom Jinsho had narrowly beaten in the Sumi. She was lithe and looked fleet of foot. Kenshiru felt certain that she would be one of the harder competitors to beat, but hoped that his stamina would see him through.

At the start of the race Shiko stayed close behind him and it seemed that her tactic was to shadow him and then kick past him at the end, but as the race went on and they negotiated the obstacles Kenshiru sensed that she was starting to tire. She did not give up however and Kenshiru was impressed with her determination not to let him get away from her. At the end she was flagging and Kenshiru had enough for a last kick for the line to gain yet another victory. He congratulated Shiko on a well run race and thought to himself that it was a shame that they had been paired together for she would have certainly beaten many of the other competitors.

Shiniko won her race fairly easily but Jinsho was to face a much tougher challenge. He was drawn against the arrogant Scorpion, Bayushi Sugai. Shiniko and Kenshiru wished Jinsho luck and hoped that he would find a way to prevail against the confident looking bushi, who they had determined was one of the competitors who was favoured to do well in the tournament.

The race between Jinsho and Sugai began with Jinsho taking the lead, although Shiniko and Kenshiru noted that Sugai seemed to have allowed him to do so. They discovered the reason why when the runners reached the log-bridge across the stream. With a burst of speed Sugai caught Jinsho and pushed him, from behind off the bridge into the muddy water. Jinsho quickly recovered but had lost a lot of ground on his opponent. He dug deep within himself and pressed on to try and close the gap. Ever so slowly Jinsho closed on Sugai, but as they entered the final stages of the race Sugai left the track and disappeared amongst the trees. Jinsho was concerned as to what the dishonest Sugai was up to but decided that he would continue on. It had just been long enough for him to relax when from a tree branch above an object was hurled down ahead of him. Hitting the ground the wasp nest, for that is what it was, split open and an angry swarm of wasps rose in a cloud to block the path. Jinsho could just see Sugai drop from the tree beyond the swarm and continue the race. Hesitating only momentarily Jinsho put his fate in the hands of the Fortunes and plunged through the swarm after Sugai. Although stung a number of times Jinsho gained an opportunity to turn the tables on the overconfident Sugai. The race was nearly at an end and Sugai was confidently loping towards the finish. He did not expect that Jinsho had negotiated the swarm so quickly. Mistaking the shouts of excited spectators for cheers he did not hear Jinsho closing on him and almost at the line itself Jinsho flung himself past to take the victory. Sugai was furious.

While Jinsho received Kenshiru and Shiniko’s warm congratulations, and some attention for the wasp stings, Sugai stormed off in a black mood.

Mid-day

People were also becoming aware at this stage of the Lion clan representative. The Lion clan were a proud clan who had not been doing too well recently. As a result, before the competition, the Lion clan daimyo had declared that if their representative was not good enough to reach the final stage of the tournament he was not good enough to be a Lion. Unfortunately this meant that to maintain his family honour the representative would have to commit seppuku if he did not achieve five victories over the first two days. After three events he had yet to score and the pressure was mounting.

Horsemanship

After a break for something to eat the competitors gathered for the fourth event, a test of horsemanship. In this event each competitor had to ride around a course striking sword and archery targets from horseback. The Shiotome Battle Maidens, Shiniko and Shiko, were ideally suited for this event, being part of the finest cavalry in Rokugan, and even possessing their own horses, which were much bigger than the ponies that normal samurai tended to ride. Like most of the other samurai, Kenshiru was not particularly comfortable in the saddle and hoped that his skill with sword and bow could compensate for his lack of riding ability.

Once again his luck held as did Jinsho’s and they both gained further victories. Kenshiru’s success was causing quite a stir at this stage, as he was somewhat of an outsider and was still leading with four victories from four events. He was only one victory away from qualifying for the third day and it was still only the first day. Whether it was skill or luck Kenshiru did not know but he had to admit that the Fortunes did seem to be smiling upon him. As was expected Shiniko and Shiko also won, as did Bayushi Sugai.

Bushido

The fifth and final event of the first day was a test of the contestants’ knowledge of bushido. Although in practice Kenshiru followed the tenets of the samurai code he did so more by instinct than by knowing the nuances of the rules, so he didn’t rate his chances that highly. Never the less he had been doing so well that he was kind of hoping that he could continue his flawless record. Unfortunately it wasn’t to be. However as Shiniko and Jinsho were successful they also had four victories and the three friends ended the day in joint first place. They had all performed better than they could have hoped for and although they could not afford to be complacent, with each of them only requiring one more victory from the six remaining events, they were all in high spirits.

The Evening Banquet

That evening there was a banquet in honour of the festival. All of the competitors and a number of important dignitaries attended it. Kenshiru, Jinsho and Shiniko were seated together along with Shiniko’s cousin, Shiko, and a young Phoenix clan shugenga. Being unused to such events, and thus somewhat lacking in the required skills of etiquette, Kenshiru spent most of the evening trying not to make any mistakes. Shiniko helped him out in this on a couple of occasions.

Sugai sat with the Scorpion clan nobility and occasionally glared at them, particularly at Jinsho, who was too caught up in conversation with Shiko to notice.

As the evening drew on it was obvious that Shiko and Jinsho were enamored with one another. Shiko was quite beautiful, she was direct and forthright, a little naive and somewhat outspoken at times but very pleasant company. Kenshiru liked her, and could see Jinsho’s attraction to her.

The Evening Calm is Shattered

After the meal Shiko, Jinsho, Shiniko and Kenshiru went for a walk in the gardens. It was clear that Shiko and Jinsho wanted to be alone together so Kenshiru and Shiniko left them and took a different path. Under the magic of the stars Jinsho and Shiko fell in love. He sang to her and she gave him a ribbon from her hair.

A distant shout and the clash of metal on metal broke the evening tranquillity. Somewhere in the gardens, possibly on one of the islands in the lake, there was a fight going on. Both couples heard it and hurried to investigate, meeting up with each other on the way.

Shiko, Jinsho, Shiniko and Kenshiru headed deeper into the gardens towards the sounds of fighting, which slowly lessened and then ceased. They crossed a small bridge onto the closest of the islands and there amongst a small glade of trees they found the bodies of five men. They recognised one of the men from the banquet; he was the clan daimyo of the Badger clan. The other men appeared to be his retainers. It would seem that they had been ambushed and cut down by one or more unknown assassins who had fled the scene. It was quite alarming that this had happened amidst the relative security of the Topaz championship.

As the companions were about to summon assistance, Bayushi Sugai arrived on the scene. His sword was drawn and bloody.

“What are you doing?” he demanded. And then in a shocked tone “You’ve murdered the Badger clan daimyo.”

“This is not what it appears”, Kenshiru stated more calmly than he felt, “our swords have not been drawn, we found these men here after they had been slain.”

Sugai eyed them suspiciously.

“And how is it your sword is drenched in blood Sugai?” Shiko blurted out accusingly.

“How dare you accuse me, it was I who slew one of the assassins who was escaping.”

“He’s lying”, Shiko added unwisely.

“What did you say?” Sugai demanded.

“Shiko is just upset, as is everyone” Kenshiru placated, giving Shiko a quieting glance. This was no time to be fighting amongst themselves. “Let us summon the guards and let them deal with this.”

Sugai hesitated for a moment, uncertain of whether to press his challenge with Shiko. “I was already going to do that” he eventually sneered. “Wait here and I shall fetch them.”

He turned and ran off.

Imagining what story Sugai would tell the guards if left on his own Kenshiru headed after him.

Questioned by the Emerald Champion

It was not long before Kenshiru, Shiniko, Jinsho, Shiko and Sugai were brought before the Emerald Champion. A number of other important people were also present, the Kakita Family head, a number of magistrates and the Lady Bayushi Kachiko.

Each of the young samurai was asked in turn to give their account of the events surrounding the murder of the Badger Clan daimyo. Kenshiru prayed during Shiko’s account that she would follow his lead and say nothing against Sugai. They had no proof of his involvement and for any slight he could justifiably seek satisfaction. He breathed a sigh of relief when she had finished.

After all the accounts had been given and the body of the assassin that Sugai had killed had been inspected, the Emerald Champion deliberated for a moment before making his judgement. Finally he declared that from the testimony that he had heard he was satisfied that no blame could be attached to any of the young samurai. Except for the unidentified man killed by Sugai the assassins had evaded capture. Additional investigation would be carried out into who was behind the death of the Badger Clan daimyo but those present were free to go.

Unfortunately in the moment of silence that followed this statement Shiko decided to lose her composure.

“But he’s lying”, she blurted out, “He’s involved in this somehow. He knows who the killers are.”

Sugai’s eyes narrowed and Shiko fell silent. A deathly hush fell across the hall. 

Turning to the Emerald Champion the Scorpion snarled, “these accusations are a slur against my character and the honour of my family, they shall not go unanswered. Either the Shiotome bitch withdraws her lies and begs for my forgiveness or I demand she face me in single combat… if she has the courage.”

Shiko blanched but remained defiant. She would not back down from him, no samurai could and retain face. Her fate was sealed.

Kenshiru tried desperately to think of some way to prevent the inevitable from happening, but there was nothing to be done. The code of Bushido entitled Sugai to this. Soberely the Emerald Champion nodded.

 Sugai stepped forward and a space cleared around him.

“Otaku Shiko I challenge you” Sugai spat.”When I strike you down all will know that you speak falsely.”

Loss of a Friend

Shiko stepped forward to face him. Kenshiru glanced at Jinsho and could see the fear and horror in his friend’s eyes, but there was nothing they could do.

Sugai and Shiko faced each other in an iaijutsu duel.

Kenshiru’s gaze flicked back and forth between them, looking for the tell-tale signs that one looked for when duelling. From their stances and small body movements Kenshiru could see that Shiko was out-matched. Sugai already had the advantage and they had not even moved to draw their blades. Suddenly in a flurry of motion Shiko went for her sword, but before it had cleared the scabbard Sugai’s katana flashed out in an arc and cleaved her head from her shoulders. Her body fell to the floor.

Kenshiru gritted his teeth in anger and frustration as Sugai disdainfully wiped Shiko’s blood from his blade on the folds of her kimono. He then turned to the Emerald Champion, bowed once and left the hall.

There was nothing that could have been done. After Shiko’s outburst Sugai had been perfectly within his rights to challenge her. She had accused him so the matter was between the two of them. Even if another samurai had wanted to take her place they had no right to do so. Kenshiru vowed that some day Sugai would pay for her death.

Slowly everyone left the hall until only Shiniko, Jinsho and Kenshiru remained. Kenshiru noted that Jinsho still clasped a ribbon from Shiko’s hair in his hand. After the body had been taken away, they took Jinsho home, and knowing that they had a long day of competition ahead of them they retired to their rooms. None of them slept that night though.

The Second Day

The tragic events of the night before had seriously dampened the high spirits that had been apparent at the end of day one. However, each of the young samurai was obligated to continue the competition and do the best that they could. The reputations of their clans depended on it.

Kenjutsu

Jinsho and Kenshiru went first to the temple of the Sun Goddess to pray that Shiko’s spirit would pass smoothly into its next life, and then attended the first event of the second day, event six. This was to be a test of weapon skill. Once again contestants would be paired into bouts and they would fight with blunted weapons until first blood. As bushi Kenshiru was confident of his ability with the katana but he needed to clear his mind of the turmoil caused by Shiko’s death. It was important that he focused on the competition and not make any mistakes. Kenshiru was glad that he was not paired against Sugai, for not only was the Scorpion a dangerous opponent but it would also be difficult for Kenshiru to maintain his concentration under the circumstances.

In the end Kenshiru’s skill was sufficient to see him through and as it was his fifth victory he qualified for the final. Shiniko was equally proficient in her bout and joined him. Jinsho did less well however. Whether it was due to the loss of Shiko or to the fact that he was a shugenga and thus less skilled with the sword, he was defeated and remained on four victories. Sugai attained his third victory, but once again demonstrated his nature by injuring his opponent when it was unnecessary to do so to win the bout.

Poetry

Event seven was poetry. Contestants would be judged on their ability to write a haiku. Fortunately at Gakumo’s insistence Kenshiru had learned to write poetry. It had seemed unimportant at the time but Gakumo had said that there was more to being a samurai than being a great swordsman. Now his sensei’s training allowed him to gain another victory. Fittingly somehow, Jinsho gained his fifth victory and qualification to the final in this event by writing a haiku dedicated to the beauty of Shiko.

At this stage, with four events still remaining, the three friends were the only samurai who had qualified for the third day. Shiniko and Kenshiru still led on six victories, Jinsho had five, the Crane clan representative Doji Kuwanan had four and a number of others, including Sugai had three. The Lion clan representative had achieved two victories at this stage.

Etiquette

Event eight was a test of court etiquette so not surprisingly Kenshiru missed out on another victory here. Shiniko on the other hand succeeded once again, continuing her almost unblemished record, having only missed out in the heraldry test on day one. Jinsho remained on five victories and Sugai won again to increase his tally to four.

Go

In event nine, which was a game of Go Kenshiru came up against his fellow Crab clan representative Hida Fujizaka. Kenshiru seemed to have the game completely under control but then, to his annoyance, made a stupid mistake and allowed Fujizaka to defeat him. Another victory had slipped through his grasp. Kenshiru congratulated Fujizaka on his skill and wished him good fortune in the two remaining events. Fujizaka needed to gain victory in both to qualify but he had given a good account of himself anyway. For his part Kenshiru was concerned that having qualified himself he was becoming sloppy and was determined to do better in events ten and eleven. Shiniko to her credit was continuing her run and now had eight victories out of nine. Jinsho had joined Kenshiru on six having received a bye in the last round due to the absence of Shiko. Sugai had lost to the Lion clan representative who miraculously had reached four victories now and only needed one from the remaining two events.

Archery

Event ten was archery. Competitors had to shoot arrows at each of three targets positioned at short, medium and long range. The person with the most hits, and in the event of a draw the closest to the bulls-eye, would be the victor in each pair.

Although Kenshiru’s ability with the bow is fairly average he only missed the furthest target and was able to achieve his seventh victory. Jinsho on the other hand was only able to hit one target and remained on six.

Having completed their bouts early on in the event the two watched nervously as the draw continued knowing that Sugai only needed one more victory to qualify and that other than Shiniko he was probably the best archer in the field. However as the draw continued and neither of these two were selected Kenshiru and Jinsho began to hope that they would be drawn together and that Shiniko would teach the arrogant Sugai a lesson. Eventually with only three competitors left Sugai’s chit was drawn, “Bayushi Sugai will face Otaku Shiniko” the marshal declared.

Jinsho and Kenshiru offered Shiniko warm wishes for the contest, knowing that she was an excellent archer and had a good chance of beating Sugai.

On the short range and medium range targets both hit the bulls-eye, so it all came down to the shot at long range. Who would keep their nerve? “Come on Shiniko”, Kenshiru thought. The two arrows sailed towards the target. Sugai hit the target but outside the bulls-eye and Shiniko hit another bull. She had won. It was hard for Kenshiru and Jinsho to contain their delight but it would be improper to display such emotions.

Hunting

And so it came to the final event, hunting. For this test the competitors were tasked to go into the forest and return with any three of a number of flags that had been hidden there. Jinsho and Kenshiru decided to team up and aid each other. They felt the advantages of working together would outweigh the disadvantages of having to find six flags.

The status of the competition by now was that of the original twelve competitors Kenshiru, Shiniko, Jinsho, Doji Kuwanan of the Crane Clan and a shugenga named Asahina Tadamo had qualified for day three. Three of the other competitors, including Sugai and the Lion clan representative were on four and needed a victory in the hunting to qualify and the rest had already failed to qualify. Shiko of course was dead.

Jinsho and Kenshiru headed into the forest and spent some time searching before Jinsho spotted a number of the flags hanging from the branches of a tree. Being the athletic one Kenshiru volunteered to do the climbing. Part way through collecting the flags Kenshiru discovered that one had been placed in the vicinity of a shrikes nest, not only was this a particularly thorny area of the tree but he would have to fend off the savage little bird. Kenshiru was not to be deterred and despite suffering some nasty cuts in the process, he soon descended in triumph with the flags, taking a moment as he did so to pull a particularly large thorn from his left upper arm.

There was not much time left so the two hurried back towards the checkpoint that they were supposed to return the flags to. Suddenly out of the trees and bushes around them appeared a group of men armed with bows. Jinsho and Kenshiru froze.

“Hand over the flags and no harm will come to you” one of the men said.

Kenshiru was tensed ready to attack but he could see that he was unlikely to be able to win. He knew Jinsho was not as proficient with the sword as he was and there were at least eight men standing against them. He could not bring himself to back down however.

“Hand over your flags” the man repeated.

“We should do what he says” Jinsho sighed.

Kenshiru did not answer. He wondered if the men were prepared to risk death over a few coloured flags. Was this some kind of test?

The bowmen pressed closer and another man appeared. He began mumbling and gesturing. He was obviously a shugenga and was beginning to cast a spell.

Jinsho shifted nervously, but Kenshiru remained defiant.

There was a flash of light and the next thing Kenshiru remembered Jinsho was helping him up. The flags were gone.

Jinsho told Kenshiru that he had been knocked unconscious for a few minutes and that the bandits had taken the flags. Jinsho had not been able to stop them. Kenshiru did not blame him. He knew that he would probably have been forced to do the same eventually. The two friends scoured the forest but could find no sign of the thieves or any more flags. As time was running out they returned empty handed.

The judges were somewhat disappointed at the surprisingly poor performance in the hunting that year for only Bayushi Sugai had returned with three flags, thus assuring his qualification to day three. Somehow Kenshiru was not surprised.

Kenshiru also recognised that by cheating to assure victory in the hunting Sugai had contributed to another death, for by denying the Lion clan representative a fair chance at victory he had prevented him from qualifying for day three. Now the Lion would have to carry out the order of his daimyo and atone for his failure by committing seppuku.

Kenshiru made a point of personally congratulating Sugai on his hunting skill. The irony was not lost on the Scorpion. The hate that flowed between the two of them was tangible.

The Last Day

It was the final day. Six of the original twelve contestants remained. The six were Hiruma Kenshiru of the Crab clan, Otaku Shiniko of the Unicorn clan, Shiba Jinsho of the Phoenix clan, Asahina Tadamo and Doji Kuwanan of the Crane clan and Bayushi Sugai of the Scorpion clan.

By having iaijutsu as the deciding event the tournament was biased towards bushi and so the remaining shugenga, Jinsho and Asahina Tadamo, would be the weakest in the final stage. Shiniko was a highly skilled Shiotome but Kenshiru suspected that in the iaijutsu duels she would not be in her element. This left Sugai and Doji Kuwanan as his main opposition. Though Kenshiru was unusually proficient in the art of iaijutsu for a Crab, having been taught by his Crane mentor Gakumo, he knew that his chances of winning were not good. As Doji Kuwanan represented the Crane clan he would be an expert iaijutsu duellist and Kenshiru had already seen Sugai’s duelling ability when he defeated Shiko.

The draw for the first round of iaijutsu duels was held.

First Jinsho was drawn against Asahina Tadamo. The two faced each other, there was a moment of tension, and each man steadied his breathing and searched for a telltale weakness in his opponent’s stance. Then Tadamo stepped back and bowed, acknowledging that he accepted that Jinsho was the superior swordsman.

Next Kenshiru was drawn to face Shiniko. Kenshiru wished her luck and then readied himself for the duel knowing that even the slightest mistake could turn the tables and give her the victory. They faced each other for long moments. Kenshiru tried to relax, to let his breathing rise and fall, to be one with the contest. He watched Shiniko’s eyes, waiting for the slightest sign that she was about to draw. After what seemed an eternity, but could have only been a minute or more, Kenshiru sensed more than saw that Shiniko was ready. Her body tensed slightly, and his arms were in motion. His katana slid from the scabbard in one smooth movement. The blade flowed through the air towards her; Kenshiru could see everything so clearly, just as Gakumo had taught him. As Shiniko brought her katana up his own blade slipped inside hers and before she could land her blow he brought his down to rest across her neck. She froze, her own blade still inches short of it’s mark. She relaxed and nodded, giving him a slight smile, although he could see her disappointment. They stepped apart and bowed to each other.

“You have more than done the Shiotome proud Otaku Shiniko” Kenshiru whispered to her “few have ever reached the final with nine victories to their name.”

This left the last bout to be between Bayushi Sugai and Doji Kuwanan. Kenshiru watched with interest to see who would prevail. Sugai still exuded arrogance and Kenshiru hoped that Kuwanan would wipe the sneer from the Scorpion’s face. Suddenly there was a flash of movement, almost too fast to see, and Sugai was drawing his blade. Kuwanan was nearly as fast but the Scorpion had gained the advantage. As Kuwanan’s blade swung around in a tight arc, Sugai’s came plunging down point first. It struck the Crane in the throat and his head snapped sideways with a crack. Though blunted the blade had been driven home with tremendous force and Kuwanan crumpled to the floor. There was a gasp of shock from the crowd. Doji Kuwanan was dead.

This was not the first time, and would not be the last time, that a contestant would be killed in the iaijutsu duelling. Although the weapons were blunted the iaijutsu duel was still dangerous. It was just far more likely that contestants would end up injured rather than dead. Two things made Sugai’s actions unpopular; firstly that the blow had appeared to be intended to kill or at least seriously injure, and secondly that being the Crane clan representative in a competition held in the Crane lands Doji Kuwanan was the local favourite.

Now only three competitors remained Jinsho, Kenshiru and Sugai. Two names would be drawn to fight first and the winner of that duel would face the third in the final. Kenshiru was aware that Jinsho was completely outclassed in this contest. However the draw went it would be down to Kenshiru to face Bayushi Sugai, though based on what he had seen he had little chance of beating the Scorpion either. His other concern was that Sugai had demonstrated that he was quite capable of killing one or both of them in the remaining duels. Kenshiru felt that he at least could survive the contest, but was not so sure about Jinsho. It would be best if he was drawn against Jinsho in the first bout so he could defeat him without harming him.

The tokens were drawn. First was Shiba Jinsho’s. Kenshiru waited with baited breath as the second token was drawn. The young shugenga would fight Bayushi Sugai.

Knowing how Jinsho felt about Shiko, Kenshiru did not insult his friend by suggesting that he back down, but in his heart he hoped that he would.

The two samurai faced each other, their eyes locked, and then Jinsho looked away. He stepped back and bowed. Kenshiru was relieved but knew how hard it had been for Jinsho. Sugai sneered mockingly.

“Beat him Kenshiru”, Jinsho said through gritted teeth as he walked back past him, head bowed “Make him pay for what he did to Shiko”

Kenshiru took a deep breath. Sugai had made himself the villain here, everyone wanted the arrogant Scorpion to be defeated, but Kenshiru had seen him in action and knew that Sugai was too good for him. He looked around the crowd, at their faces, at Jinsho and Shiniko. All their hopes rested on him. He could not deny them. He stepped into the ring.

The Final Duel

There he stood amidst the ring of spectators facing Bayushi Sugai, whom he had come to hate. He tried to focus. Tried to let the stream of thoughts flow through him, so that they did not disrupt his concentration. Sugai looked at him with a mixture of loathing and mocking laughter in his eyes, and Kenshiru glared back at him defiantly.

In his mind he heard Jinsho again “Beat him Kenshiru, make him pay for what he did to Shiko”. The look in Shiko’s eyes at the moment she died, and the sight of Doji Kuwanan’s broken body crumpling to the floor still haunted him. He knew that Sugai would kill him too if he was able. Kuwanan was a better duellist and he was dead now. Yet Kenshiru could not back down. Maybe there was still a chance, He was strong and he could withstand Sugai’s blow. If he focused everything into completing his own strike then though it would be fractionally slower he could still turn defeat into victory. If the attacks were close together and Sugai came out more severely injured, the adjudicators might still decide in his favour. Particularly as the crowd was behind him. It was slim hope but the only other option was to concede, and he could not bring himself to do that.

Moments ticked by, Sugai looked relaxed as Kenshiru focused all his concentration into preparing to strike. It would have to be perfect timing; there was no room for error. Both contestants knew that Sugai had superior skill, and that Kenshiru would be forced to make the first move. This is what gave Sugai the advantage. Kenshiru waited for as long as he could.

At the moment he reached for his blade Kenshiru thought that he recognised an old man in the crowd. It was only a glimpse but it looked like Megumi. He was wearing a bright blue scarf, At the time Kenshiru was not really conscious of it but afterwards he wondered about it. The blade flowed smoothly from its scabbard, but Sugai was already performing a similar motion. In unison their swords swung free carving through the air in bright metallic arcs. Sugai’s blow was closing fast, Kenshiru steeled himself to take the impact and continue his own strike. Everything was in slow motion, closer and closer it came, and then Sugai’s katana hit the cloth of Kenshiru’s kimono and the blade shattered. Both contestants were equally surprised. At the last instant Kenshiru deflected his own strike, pulling out of the blow so that it merely grazed along Sugai’s cheek. Sugai staggered backwards clutching the side of his face as a trickle of blood ran from the wound.

“What…what is this trickery?” he stammered.

“I do not know”, Kenshiru answered truthfully, looking at the broken pieces of Sugai’s blade. “If it is your wish then we will repeat the contest?”

By this time however the crowd was going wild. The Emerald Champion stood on the Emperors podium and in a loud booming voice he said, “By the rules of the championship I declare Hiruma Kenshiru the new Topaz Champion.”

Kenshiru started to protest, but his words were drowned out both by the crowd and by Bayushi Sugai cursing him and promising that he would make Kenshiru pay for his trickery. Sugai stormed off and Kenshiru was ushered towards the Emperor to receive his prize. In addition to the honour of holding the title of Topaz champion for the next year Kenshiru was presented with a Kakita blade. These weapons are rare and are renowned as being the finest quality katana in the kingdom.

Despite the slightly dubious way in which Kenshiru had won he was very proud of his achievement. General opinion seemed to be that only a true and honourable samurai could win the tournament and so, as Bayushi Sugai obviously was not honourable, the Fortunes had leant a hand to make sure that a true samurai was victorious. Kenshiru wasn’t sure that he believed this version of events but could not explain how the hard edge of Sugai’s blade had shattered against the soft cloth of his kimono. In the end he was just pleased that both he and his friends had given such a good account of themselves and that the insufferable Sugai was not champion.