Hida Kisada and Asako Kimuri had retired to a small room of the Crab palace to talk privately. A servant quickly brought sake and left. Normally, Kimuri wouldn't indulge in drinking alcohol but the crab daimyo had insisted. It would have been rude and disrespectful to refuse.
The Great Bear gulped his first cup of sake. Kimuri did too more slowly and was trying to keep a straight face, that stuff was strong !
Kisada wasn't the kind of man to beat around the bush. He went directly to the point "Do you know why my son went into battle only in a kimono ? Why he suddenly ignored all the basic precautions against the shadowlands he was taught since birth !?"
"I have only suspicions, my lord. He talked while he was delirious but most of it was nonsense born from his pain and fever"
Kisada frowned. Those phoenixes couldn't answer questions clearly if their lives depended on it "Tell me what you think, Asako ! No riddles, no flowery metaphors and no verbal dodge either... What you say will not go beyond this room, on my honor !"
Kimuri put her cup down on the table and took an air of seriousness. Whatever hypothesis she had devised, Kisada was sure he wouldn't like it.
"Hida-sama, are you familiar with the tale of Doji Hotei ?" Uh ? What was she talking about now ?
"No. And I don't see why some crane samurai's history is relevant to our current affair" Kisada was getting annoyed with her, that was obvious.
"It is relevant in the measure that Ranma's mother was a Doji herself. Genealogy is my favorite pasttime. I checked your son's family on the Crane clan's side. He is a descendant of Hotei's brother, that is certain for I verified it many times"
Kisada was now puzzled, wondering where she was going with this line of thought "So ? What has it got to do with my son ?"
"A long time ago, Doji Hotei was the Crane clan's champion. When his beloved wife died without giving him children, he went mad. He abdicated as champion, leaving his brother in charge of the clan, took his samurai gear, a horse and simply left. Two of his most loyal retainers went with him against his wishes"
Kimuri let kisada fill her cup, took a sip and continued :
"In the following years, Hotei became a subject of ridicule for all of Rokugan. His madness urged him to attack inanimate buildings, mistaking them for shadowlands monsters. He also courted several women of low virtue as if they were the finest courtesans of the imperial court. Witnesses said that he was constantly speaking in poetry and believed he was a great hero on a quest of vital importance"
"One day, the Lion and the Crane were caught in a major battle. all seemed lost for the Crane's armies when suddenly the Lion's rear was attacked. It was Doji Hotei and his two faithful retainers. They died a heroic death allowing the Crane to regroup and counterattack. Now Doji Hotei's memory is held in high regard by the Doji family and the Crane clan"
"It was an amusing tale... Now talk ! What is my son's problem !?" Patience had never been Kisada's forte but only out of battle.
"Sometimes, those who share Doji Hotei's blood are afflicted with various forms of insanity. Maybe Ranma-sama is following his ancestor's path"
Kisada exploded and Etiquette was thrown to the wind "NO ! I refuse to believe that my son is going mad ! He never showed any signs before. You must be wrong !"
Kimuri didn't seem to be intimidated by the Great Bear's anger. She stayed the picture of serenity and control.
"There is another possibility though. Doji Hotei's spirit may have influenced your son's behavior"
"Why ? I would think he would rather choose a Crane to torment !"
"I do not pretend to know the spirits' way of thinking, my Lord. From what Ranma-sama said, I would assume that Doji Hotei wants him to finish his quest but..."
Asako Kimuri looked nervous. Kisada could tell that there was something that disturbed her greatly "What is it ? Talk ! That is an order !"
"My Lord, Ranma-sama was delirious. Surely you can't take seriously the ravings..."
"It is MY decision to make to trust my son's words or not. What does that Crane ghost want ? ANSWER ME !"
Kimuri faltered at the display of the Great Bear's full anger, how could she not when most shadowlands creatures would show fear if they were in her position "He... he... your son...said... over and over... the same phrase... that he had to stop him..."
Kisada's anger seemed to deflate but the Crab daimyo still looked like a volcano on the edge of explosion "Him ? Who ? Who has to be stopped by my son ? What was that phrase he kept repeating !?"
Kimuri was starting to sweat and was looking rather afraid as she said three words that would change the Crab clan's future :
"Fu-Leng is coming..."
*****
Deep down in the Kuni libraries, Isawa Kiima was going through ancient scrolls, relentlessly searching for her way to greatness.
Since birth, she had demonstrated an unusual talent for spellcasting, fire spells in particular. As her training progressed however, she got curious about alternate forms of magic. The Agasha's alchemical spells and the Iuchi's word magic proved that there were other means than praying to the kami to obtain power. Some old notes found in the Isawa library hinted at the existence of a 'pure' blood magic, free of Fu-Leng's taint.
She needed to discover more. Who better than the Kuni to give her the information she desired ? All the studies they made on Maho-tsukai would certainly lead her to the answers she was seeking. No matter if a few were corrupted by the knowledge kept here in the past, she was stronger than them and nothing would stop her !
See other episodes by Jamil Nate
(Posted Tue, 22 Oct 2002 15:03)
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