Soshi Konomi walked among the dead bodies of what were until now her fellow scorpions. They thought they could just lock her up and dispose of her, didn't they... She showed them the error of their ways.
Bayushi Shoju had lost his mind. The bloodsword Ambition had twisted him into the Empire's worst enemy, casting away his oath of Loyalty. The man really thought he was in the right, pathetic. She had read the prophecy too, didn't he see his rash actions are inviting disaster on Rokugan ? Of course not. There is no price he wouldn't be willing to pay in order to sit on the emerald throne.
She and a few others, too few, had tried to warn him that the Coup he was preparing was a folly. Nobody listened to them. Scorpions held loyalty as the most precious of the virtues of the samurai. So much they were blinded by it : Shoju's orders were law, he had efficiently replaced loyalty to the emperor by loyalty to him. Those who persisted in disapproving the scorpion daimyo's course of action were silenced, definitely.
She had been accused of Maho whereas her superiors had ordered her to join the Yogo in their research in the first place. Thrown in a dank cell of Ryoko Owari, her trial had been swift and she was condemned to death, how convenient. Her dire situation pushed her to extreme measures. She was a true scorpion, loyal to her emperor. She had to escape and warn him of her clan's treachery.
And so, she cut herself and used blood magic. She knew the theory thanks to her studies. It worked and she was free. Free to do her duty.
But then the whispers began.
They knew she had escaped, they sent assassins after her. Without ofudas to cast spells, she resorted once more to the power of Maho. She didn't have a choice. She had to survive at all costs !
The whispers grew in intensity as her magic grew in force. The first signs of the Taint appeared.
Slowly, she began to wonder. Why should she save the emperor ? He was a weak old man, unworthy of his ancestors. Her clan could burn now as far as she was concerned. It was written in Prophecy. They couldn't do anything to stop Fu-Leng's rise. How foolish of her to try to stop the inevitable. She wanted... What did she want, anyway ?
The answer was evident : Revenge.
Her path was clear. Fu-Leng was the rightful ruler of Rokugan. She would be her servant and he would grant her the power to make all who betrayed her pay.
The whispers became a dark and powerful voice. she knew what to do.
Yogo Junzo was dying and couldn't stop the tainted woman from taking what his lord gave him for safekeeping. His family's curse had struck once again. He had loved his clan and his daimyo sincerely and for that, he was failing them both "Curse you, Konomi... You tainted whore, you don't know what you are doing..."
She crushed his skull, making him shut up for eternity. She opened the case he and his escort were protecting and found what she was seeking.
The Black Scrolls of Fu-Leng. The only things keeping her master sealed away. There were only eight but they would suffice for now. Normally, the Dark One would have waited for this part but unexpected happenings in the Crab lands had forced his hands.
Soshi Konomi took the first scroll in her trembling hands. She felt its power pulse through her fingers like a living thing, urging her to open it, tempting her with secrets of power she would never have dreamed of. What remained of her former integrity and loyalty were swept away by the growing Taint in her body.
She opened the first scroll...
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(Posted Mon, 11 Nov 2002 15:24)
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らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
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