Letters from Meiko

[Derek Raines]

Written in the season of Spring, delivered in late Summer



My true Companions,

The duties of the day rise as high as Yama sano Kaminari, but I find my thoughts turned towards each of you.

I have heard tales of your glorious battles, Jin-kun, and of your many victories. How the soldiers must love your courage and easy smile. And of courage, the Jade Magistrates whisper of the darkness gathered near the Kaiu Wall. The wise often say: "Darkness reigns at the foot of the lighthouse." I know that you stand defiant, Daizu-kun, as vigilant and unyielding as the brightest watchtower. Dear Ayame-chan, I have heard little of your travels, but you are the Moonflower that blooms at dusk. I know your talent and beauty graces the Empire, even when it cannot be seen save for a select honored few. How I do wish to see you, all of you, if it were possible to do so.

My days have been filled with learning the ways of governance and High Court. While these are important skills, please permit me to confess, I often long for something more. Honor binds me learn the ways of the pen, even as I train with blade late into the evening. Perhaps the righteous servant must learn to wield them both with the same measured zeal. I find that the elegant stroke of the katana carries more meaning for me.

Do you think of the Topaz Tournament often? I cannot sit beneath the shade of a lotus tree, or by the stillness of a garden pond, without having my thoughts return to that time. It is the place we each became Samurai, a heavenly honor without compare, but it was also the moment true bonds were formed. Like the masterful folding of a paper crane, or the forging of a fine blade, I will be forever shaped by the crafting of our friendships.

I also consider the great tragedies that took place there. Of the demise of poor Hitoshi-san, the march of the Oni's dark forces and the corruption of Tsuma.

There is also the death of Toshimoko-sensei, master duelist and great teacher, who slew the terrible Oni when no other could harm it. Kakita Toskimoko, who took his own life to keep his honor, and whose light was removed from the world by a newly gifted sword. I have not touched that daishō since returning home. Those are weapons meant for death only, and so I train with the borrowed blades of my family instead.

How does one deed erase a lifetime of loyalty and glory? How does one failing end the story when there are many other chapters that could be told? I think of the katana that took the life of the Gray Fox, the blade of the Topaz Champion, folded thousands of times to keen perfection. Does one sunder that blade should it become nicked or is it allowed to find its edge once more?

I dream of Moto Batbayar's horse often, majestic and powerful, running in slowed motion before a full and silver moon. I see the strength in the dark pool of its eye, but also the burdens of its tragic fate. That steed is Kakita Toshimoko, slain, but for a stumble. The horse is the village of Tsuma, its culture and history ruined in the fires of a single battle. I see the final arch of a blade, folded thousands of times to keen perfection, in the hands of a girl. A girl no longer. A story ends before it is over.

Must this be the soil that new stories grow from?

The river of Fate runs two paths, however, and Lady Sun still smiles upon us. Thank you for allowing me to speak from the heart, safe behind the Shōji of our friendship. It is my greatest hope that we will all see one another soon, as the ebb and flow of honor permits. May you continue to find abundant glory, yes, but also peace in the quiet places of the world.

I commit my bond to paper, and trust it finds you well.

~Kakita Meiko~

[juliek]

Meiko-chan,


Forgive the tardiness of my reply; I fear that the pull of duty has kept me far from home of late. Is it weakness to admit I am fulfilled but exhausted? Daizu-kun would certainly say so. The moonflower might bloom at dusk and thrive in the light of Lord Onnotangu, but in the sun, it is looking a bit wilted and tired. A rather blunt analogy; please excuse my weariness, and try not to be offended by my current lack of wit.

Speaking of weariness, I can just picture you learning the ways of government, Meiko-chan. Sitting at a desk, as poised and aloof as a cat, while politicians buzz and whisper in your ear like mosquitos. If only they knew the true deadliness that lies beneath that serene smile and gentle nature. I do express my sympathies, administration was something I never had the patience for.

I must admit, Meiko-chan, I did not expect to receive a letter from you. Imagine my surprise when I returned home to find a scroll with the seal of the Crane gracing my desk. My honored mother was afire with curiosity and suspicion, but I told her it was simply a note congratulating the students who passed their gempuku in Tsuma, as a Crane having friendly correspondences with a Scorpion is unheard of. But the Scorpion are known for the secrets they keep, and mine is that I allowed relationships to form where they should not, and now, when I think of you, Jin and Daizu-kun, it brings a smile to my face and a warm fondness that I have not felt before.

I know this is unwise. I know duty will almost certainly set us on opposing paths, and when that happens, I pray that we will come out of it unscarred. But the friendships born at the Topaz championship were forged in blood, tragedy, honor and sacrifice, and cannot be so easily erased. I do think of Hitoshi-san, and Toshimoko-sensei, and wonder about the concepts of duty. How a single act can change the course of the future.

Meiko-chan, I was…unkind to you, the day we met. I implied that you were a coward for not tracking down the bakemono horde, and for that, I humbly apologize. How was I to know that a Crane, the rival of my clan, would become a confidant, a sister-in-arms, maybe even a friend?

Perhaps it is foolish to hope. Perhaps I should warn you away now. Every clan in the empire will tell you not to trust a Scorpion, including the Scorpion themselves. But, you showed me that not all Crane are arrogant court peacocks, concerned only with perfection and their own honor. You treated me as samurai, not as Scorpion, and for that, I consider you a true friend. I only hope you do not come to regret it.

I pray this letter finds you well, and may the Fortunes guide your path wherever it takes you,

Shosuro Ayame

[Derek Raines]

Written at Court, within the City of Peaceful Hills. During a time of Imperial Peace



Ayaka-chan,

Is it not a curiosity, how the senses can conjure memory with such splendid clarity?

My fondest memories are summoned by the scent of Spring sakura, and in the dissonance of koto strings attempting to find their harmony. In the subtle brush of kimono silk, the syrup of a peach, the chill of a mountain spring, or a vista aglow in the mystery of a new dawn.

Many are of you.

Do you remember when we were girls and we sampled stolen sake beneath the Keyaki trees? We drank until our skin was flushed, and we had to press our faces into our sleeves to keep from laughing aloud. To this day, I cannot taste of sake and not picture you smiling beneath the shadows of that fading afternoon.

Another memory, ushered to my thoughts by the clarion call of my father's horagai, is one that is not so pleasant.

Do you recall the sound of that horn, bold and bantam, heralding the return of our fathers from their hunt? They would ride through the gates like they had only just returned from war, proud as the Kami descended, and we would rush from the gardens to see them. Before the true spoils of the hunt were brought to the larders, our fathers would gift us each with treasures from their journey. A fox tail for little Ayaka or a garland of camellia for Meiko. A lucky frog, a pheasant's feather, a pouch of pine nuts or a smooth river rock. In was in those moments that I loved my father most, not for his giving of gifts, but for the genuine joy that touched his normally stern features. Regarding your own father, I know you felt the same way, for there was a time when we trusted one another with such candid emotion.

But the final day came, as all final days must, when the horagai did not sound their return. No familiar song of conquest, but a silent dirge of deepest despair. They say it was a tragic incident, that our fathers conducted themselves with courage and honor, but the bandits were too many.

I never wanted to hear the sound of that horn again, but I could almost hear it in the shattering of your tea cup last night. Your eyes would not meet my own, instead your gaze fell upon Togashi Jin, and you declared him a murderer for all to hear. Not so long ago, you begged for my blade to be an instrument of murder on your behalf.

My servant gathered the shards of that broken cup, and I have spent the day repairing it. The missing pieces have been replaced with pressed river clay, contrasting with the pristine porcelain, and it has been painted to match the original design. The color is not perfect, and cracks run like strands of hair along the surface, but it holds tea as well as it did before the fall.

I will not kill to sate your grief, and I cannot support the claim that Togashi Jin is a murderer.

Nor will I admonish you for feeling the weight of your great loss. I am your friend, Ayaka-chan, and I will mourn with you.

We can sit beneath a Keyaki tree, shared sake between us, and you can unburden your heart without question to your honor. I will gift you, as our fathers once did, with a tea cup; one that is scarred, but broken no longer. I would see you rise from this as the Phoenix rises.

Our friendship is more than just a memory,


~Kakita Meiko~

[cassusaevum]

Note: Given the narrow span of time, there will only be time for your letter and Ayaka's reply before the next session...

Note 2: Originally, Ayaka's father was alive and it was her father's lands that had been taken by the Dragon.  In order to fit the shared tragedy, I'll just swap that to say the lands that Mirumoto Bokai took were held by Ayaka's mother, instead. So, any previous references to "my father" that Ayaka has made, just think of them as "my mother" instead.

Cultural Note: The use of the -san suffix in Ayaak's reply is an intentional distancing and veiled insult, which Meiko would realize.

Meiko-san,

It is odd that you speak so dismissively of my need for vengeance, particularly since rumors, like sakura blossoms on the wind, have drifted to my ears.  It is said that you have sworn your own oath... a vow to avenge a fallen Mantis, a man you knew for only a few days span.  Imagine my shock, when my own cry for justice was rebuffed, only to hear that you were willing to take actions that I can only assume include drawing your storied blade to avenge a stranger.  Such is the value of our friendship, I suppose.  Such is the value of memory.

Your precious Dragon friend invaded the lands of the Phoenix without warning or provocation. He and his clansmen slaughtered our people. And it was his blade, all unprovoked, that took my brother from me and sent him across the rainbow bridge to dwell once more with our fathers.  And why?  Because we happened to own a piece of land that his master wanted.  You wrote of the day our fathers died, the day we learned of the bandits' deeds.  And how would you feel, Meiko-san, had you walked into a garden to find me blithely sharing a laugh with those selfsame killers?  What would you do had I sided with those killers?  After all, by all accounts our fathers fought well.  They died honorable deaths, did they not, caught up in the heat of battle?  Do you feel that their killers, likewise, were not murderers, Meiko-san?  

I think you have spent too much time in the company of the Scorpion.  You twist words as well as they do, and in such a fashion as suits your present needs.  Our fathers' fall in battle was tragedy and crime; my brother's death just Rokugani politics as normal and his killer a right and honorable man.  My own call for vengeance is tantamount to murder; yours is but the righteous expression of your compassion for a stranger.  And you shall not admonish me for my grief?  Such arrogance can only fly from the wings of the Crane.

For the sake of our former friendship, I will not move against you directly.  But my need for vengeance against the Dragon will not be placated by empty words and broken cups.  Whatever claims of friendship you make, it is clear that you are not my ally.  So be it.  But know that if you stand in my way, I will have no choice but to name you my enemy.

~Shiba Ayaka~