The Jade Hand

[Hida Togeriso]

Greetings!!!

With the yahoogroups slowly biting the bullet and my old computer being prickly, I thought it best to palce some of my old fics in the JH Library.

This was the first fic I wrote on the Crab yahoogroups, though I have lost the date it was written. Please excuse the old writing and enjoy.

***

Obligation: A Tale of the Crab by Hida Togeriso

A journey. An ambush. When the bright purity of snow is tainted red, amends must be made. Read of the tragedy told of by a Unicorn magistrate, a Ronin bandit and the spirit of a Hiruma samurai.

Okay, before I get to this story, I'll add a little piece of information: This story is told from three different people. The first is a Hiruma berserker. The second is a ronin/bandit, and the third is a Unicorn magistrate. I tell this story paragraph by paragraph, with the order of paragraphs going: Hiruma, Ronin, Unicorn, repeat. I know that some people might get confused by this, but I tried putting 'The Hiruma', 'The Ronin' and so on before each paragraph, and it did not look good. So, I have put a space between each paragraph, and an asterisk as an indicator of a change in character. I'm pretty sure that one can figure out who is doing what, but I'm just making sure. Should anyone like to place this on another server or site, feel free to do so(with the usual, obligatory credit), but please keep the asterisk/breaks in it.

See ya!!!
Hida Togeriso, Crab Clan Lorekeeper,

Obligation: A Story of the Crab

Pain tore through my side yet again. I breathed in once, and as I exhaled, I forced the pain out of my mind. The cave was within sight now, and I could see the light of their fires within. I could see no guard. I gripped my sword tighter and walked on, aware of only one thing...

***

We were celebrating afterwards, heady from our easy victory. The Yasuki caravan had been lightly guarded for once, with only half as many guards as there were bandits in our party. Our leader waited until the terrain was in our favour, and we attacked. For being merchants, they put up an incredible fight. There was no panic, no confusion. At once, they formed ranks and met our charge head on. They took out horses instead of men, attempting to cost us our advantage in mobility. A group of bandits armed with small bows fired again and again, trying to break them. I found myself knocked from my horse, but I recovered quickly. A samurai had driven his naginata into my stead, and he now had his sword out to finish me off. I drew my sword, and announced that I was the ronin Yamada. His name was Yasuki Sanso. Why did I announce myself? I fight to survive, but no man should die without knowing the name of their opponent. It did not matter anyways. He was a better spearman than swordsman. We crossed swords once, and then he fell dead at my feet. I looked around, and saw my companions finishing off the last of the guards. I sheathed my sword, and went to the caravan...

***

Yes, my lord, I was traveling to meet a magistrate in the Crane provinces when I saw smoke a short distance away from the road I was traveling on. I feared a bandit attack, and charged with my horse. I arrived to bear witness to the remains of a slaughter. The wagons were on fire. The horses or bulls that had been used to move them were missing. At the end of the caravan were the bodies of fifteen samurai bearing the Yasuki mon. Each of them had died in battle, although one appeared to be slain in a duel. How do I know? The others had several wounds, many caused by tetsubo or other blunt weapons. The body I saw had only one cut across his light armour. It was a good technique. Yes, something else did catch my attention. Bloody footprints. At first I thought that one of the bandits had been wounded and had been carried away by his comrades. My training told me otherwise. There were two dead bandits among the bodies. If the bandits did not care to take their dead with them, I did not think that they would have taken anyone who was heavily wounded. Yes, my lord, heavily wounded. I may not be a Kitsuki but with that much blood among the footprints, it would have to be from a fatal wound.

***

I was at the cave entrance now. Their horses were tied there, along with the pack animals that had been in the caravan. They were not nervous at my presence, but then, I was no threat to them. I did not take time to untie them and let them go. I was obligated to hurry, and the animals would probably freeze in the snow. They had done no wrong. Those I was about to meet though...

***

It was our leader who found the woman and child first. She had a tanto in her hand, and she attacked him immediately. She had some skill with the blade, her first strike taking him expertly by surprise and digging into his shoulder. Our leader has survived five attempts to kill him though. He cut once, and she fell without a sound. No magistrate, I did not see how that happened...I was busy with the items we had come to steal. It was a rule with us...you have to understand the practicality of it all. We do not hold ourselves to honour. Honour does not feed us, nor does it keep us warm! But it does not matter. I only steal. I do not do such things. I only steal. That is my karma. I only steal...

***

The footprints followed the many hoof prints that were in the snow, and I saw that the blood would help me in tracking the bandits down. No, my lord, I did not leave right away. Before I left, I found a small grave that had been hastily dug into the frozen ground. I did not have an eta to dig for me, but it did not matter. There was a piece of paper pinned to a wakizashi that was driven into the ground beside the grave. The writing was a mess. It was hard to read and smeared with blood. The letter stated that the bodies in the grave were those of Hiruma Nashiko and her child Satsuno. They had been the family of Hiruma Kanshi, and had been traveling with a group of Yasuki merchants who were going to the Crab provinces from Otosan Uchi. On the ground, also pinned down by the wakizashi, was a pouch with several koku wrapped inside. No, my lord, the pouch had been torn, and you could see the koku. As I have said, I did not have an eta to search for me. The paper asked that whoever found the bodies would take them to a proper burial. I mounted my horse, and followed the bloody trail. Someone would have to avenge their deaths...

***

The pain was gone now, the constant thought of fulfilling my obligation driving away such things. Was it good not to feel? It did not matter when I had first made myself stand up, and it did not matter now. The cave was deep, but the firelight drew me to my destination. I kept looking for guards, but then I heard the celebration. I smiled. There would be no guard to alert them in time...

***

I stayed away from the sake yet again. It had caused me to fail once before and have to now live as a bandit. I would not let it do so a second time. We were not alert, nor on our guard. We had heard the heavy winds outside. No one would find our tracks. As I said before, we were heady with our victory, so it was quite a surprise to find a samurai in our midst, covered in frost and blood. He was as a corpse come to life...

***

It took me an hour on horseback to find the cave. The bandit's tracks had disappeared, but the blood led me there. Yes, my lord, it was easy to see. No snow fell upon it, though I have no idea how late I had been after the raid. It was a sign of the Fortunes that I could find so fresh a trail.

***

They were celebrating! They had killed for possessions! They had killed my family! One man saw me, and reached for his weapon. I must have been quite a sight. He screamed for some kami to save him as I struck him once, twice, three, four... I felt the nothing sweep over me, the same way it did when I was along the Wall. The screams began, and nothing stopped me from fulfilling my obligation...

***

One man saw him and screamed. It was a gaki! It was an Oni! It was a Kitsuki! It did not matter. he walked towards us, and we fell. he was struck a hundred times. Arrows, cuts, kicks, strikes--nothing stopped him from slicing into us with quiet precision. Yes, magistrate, I have heard of the Deadeyes, but I had never witnessed them before. I wish I never had...

***

Yes, my lord, I went into the cave. There were several animals inside the entrance. I thought to untie them and let them go, but I heard a voice from further down the cave. My sword was already in my hand, and there was a light from a fire that I ran towards, unaware that there would be no opposition...

***

I saw him! The one who slew my family! He saw that I knew his foul deed, and tried to run. Fool, no one would be allowed to escape! I had made that promise over the grave of my wife and my child. It was my obligation. It was my duty. He screamed for help, and they attacked me. One died for him, then another and then another. I had held off waves of goblins, ogres and demons--these bandits were nothing before me! They fell and they died and then only their leader was left in front of me.

***

He tore into them with a quiet fury. Nothing stopped him. He should have died so many times. The power he had! Yes I feared him! If you attacked him, you died. If you tried to run away, you died. If you begged for mercy or life or anything, you died. Yes, I did nothing. He was a samurai. Nothing short of Osano-Wo was going to stop him! Our leader should have realized his, but he was a fool. He had his sword out and at first, he tried to attack the samurai. They crossed swords twice, and then the samurai was pushing him back. The force of his blows against the leader's sword echoed and was deafening. Then the samurai struck once more. It snapped through the blade of our leader, and then it sliced through our leader. The rest were dead. No one had survived, and then the samurai turned to face me...

***

It was an execution ground, my lord. Each bandit had tried to fight, and the blood on their weapons showed that they had hit the Hiruma, but they all died. Yes, my lord, they looked like beasts that have been trapped. Yes, my lord, I did find the bandit leader. He was cut in two, as was his katana. He looked the worst of them all. He had seen his own death, and he had died a coward. It was just after my inspection of the bodies that I saw the ronin and Hiruma...

***

There was one man left. It was difficult to move now. The nothing had left me after I had slain the killer of my family, but my obligation was almost over. He did not try to run or fight, even though I would not have been able to stop him. I sat in front of him, and spoke to him...

***

He sat in front of me, and told me that his name was Hiruma Kanshi. He told me that he had come to kill those who had participated in the deaths of his family. I was to live though, but only for a short time. He already knew that I would die, magistrate. He told me that his family required a proper funeral, that his body was to be burned with his family, and that I was to report everything that had occurred to the magistrates. Then he closed his eyes and I knew that he was dead. Why did I not run? Simple. There was a fire still burning, and the samurai had been fighting for several minutes in mass combat, exerting his very being into killing the bandits and our leader. He was still covered in frost.

***

The ronin was sitting in front of the Hiruma, and he did not try to run away when I approached. He bowed immediately, and told me all that the Hiruma had told him before he died. Yes, my lord, the body was covered in frost. It was very strange, considering the heat from the fire. I took the ronin with me, marked a trail to the cave, and traveled to the nearest village. With the ronin, several eta, and a monk that was at the village, I supervised the gathering of the bodies. The Hiruma, his family, and the Yasuki guards were given full ceremony, and their ashes were blessed by the monk. I left with the ronin to bring him for testimony and justice shortly after the funeral. Not once did the ronin try to escape. I did see the Hiruma's body before it was cremated. He had many wounds on his body, but only one bears attention. There was a severe wound in his left side, perhaps caused by a spear. It was deep, and had cut through bone. I am sure that it was the wound he received during the bandit raid, and it should have killed him instantly yet he was able to walk for several hours and have the strength to kill over twenty men by himself. Yes, my lord, I admire him. He must have been a valuable samurai to the Hiruma, which is why I humbly request permission to be allowed to travel to the Hiruma Daimyo and report of this incident.

***

The ronin Yamada was executed immediately after he had recounted testimony to the Imperial Magistrates. Several days later, Magistrate Shinjo Yuchimoto arrived at Kyuden Hida, where he presented a copy of the testimony, as well as the swords and ashes of Hiruma Kanshi, to the Hiruma Daimyo. I have sent a gift to Kitsu Seikanji, the shugenja who sought out the spirit of Hiruma Kanshi during the Magistrates court.

Hida Togeriso, Lorekeeper of the Crab Clan, has scribed this account
during the reign of Hantei the 38th.

Date of writing:
_________________
See ya!!!
Hida Togeriso, Crab Clan Lorekeeper
Might have had a hand in this...

I have seen many like you, I have known many like you. You only need to know this about me: should you fall I will remember you and tell your tale. No one is forgotten.