Out of the swirling mists that covered the forest's floor came two shadows. One, slender with a mane of pure-white hair, the other tall and muscular, also with hair of pure white, in the traditional Crane clan style.
The tendrils seemed to grasp at the cloaks of the two shadows as they followed a planned course into Unicorn territory. As the beautful rays of Amaterasu shone over the distant mountains and heralded the start of a new day in the Emerald Empire of Rokugan, the mists lost their hold and burned away as each golden beam peirced the forest veil. The slender figure turned to its large and silent companion, and pushed the hood of her rich skyblue cloak back, and shook her tied-up, Crane-white hair free.
"Well, Hiro-san, we are almost at our destination. Should we take to the main road? We seem to be safely out of Matsu and Ikoma territory," young Asahina Shizuko queried, her light voice echoing musically in the morning air.
Beside the young shugenja, the large figure also removed its hood, revealing bland features that did not catch the eye, but rather sent it onward, in search of more interesting things. It was a feature that was both Daidoji Hiro's greatest blessing and a curse. It allowed him to blend in with his surroundings, be they forested woodlands of the Kakita, the deep impenetrable depths of the Shinomen Mori, or the courts of the various nobles. People just simply didn't notice him unless he made it a point to bring their attention to him. Unfortunately, this meant that few people remembered that Hiro even existed, so he recieved little chance for glory. Gazing down into the deep blue eyes of Shizuko, Hiro thought back to when the two had first met, all those years ago...
"Shinji-chan, you stand out like a Crab bushi in a Kakita Court! Use the techniques you've been taught and blend in with the shadows, use them to your advantage!" Daidoji Uji-sama's voice hissed at the young students. It was a regular day for the Daidoji daimyo's prized pupils: wake up at dawn, gather your pack, and head out for a day of field maneuvers learning the techniques of the Daidoji family that made them the Crane clan's best defenders.
To the side, young Daidoji Hiro, a relative of the daimyo, silently waited the next instructions to come from their sensei. Hiro had been both blessed and cursed since birth. The son of a Crab mother had given him the immense size of a Crab bushi, while the unassuming heritage of his Daidoji father had given him the blandness of features and posture that cancelled out his height and let him go unoticed. At only 12, Hiro had just passed six feet in height, and he showed no signs of stopping. Yet for all of his size, he could blend in with any surrounding's flawlessly.
As his attention wandered, Hiro's trained eyes caught a glimpse of blue moving through the trees, deeper into the forest. Intrigued, Hiro glanced back and saw that Uji-sama was still upbraiding the oh-so-haughty Shinji-san, and wasn't showing signs of stopping any time soon. Besides, it's not like Uji-sensei notices I'm gone unless I point it out, Hiro thought bitterly as he slipped into the woods in search of the figure.
Whoever the figure was, it certainly had extensive knowledge of the forest, for as the young Daidoji raced silently to catch the figure, it continuely eluded him by slipping through the most minute spaces between trees and bushes. As Hiro raced into a sudden clearing, he realized that he had lost the figure. Looking around in disappointment, he felt a brush of air at the back of his neck, and felt the cool kiss of a steel blade on his skin. Shifting his eyes to the right, he saw a young girl dressed in a short blue gi and hakama pants holding the hilt of the wakizashi at his throat. Though she was of average hieght, and couldn't have been any older than him, there she was, sitting on a low tree branch, mischief dancing in her blue eyes as she watched him go dead still.
"You're lucky, Daidoji-chan!" the girl announced cheerfully. "If you weren't a Crane, you would be at the mercy of my magic now, instead of my blade!" The girl laughed as the boy's eyes widened.
"You're an Asahina?" he finally got out, amazement tinging his voice, though he tried to keep it out. The small figure laughed again, and withdrew the samurai shortsword, returning it to it's saya in her thin obi.
"Hai, I'm just not a pacifist like the well-respected cousins are!" she replied, then leaped into the air, twisting in her course and coming to land on her feet right next to the startled Hiro.
"Ah, you are from the Nishizo Asahina family," Hiro observed in sudden understanding. That explained a few things. Two hundred years ago, during the day's when civil war had split Rokugan in the time of the 39th Hantei, a minor Asahina family had fallen into conflict with the main branch, in reguards to the philosophy of total pacifism that ruled the Asahina family. The minor family had argued that total pacifism led to ultimate destruction. The current Asahina daimyo, Tamako, had barely kept himself from banishing the family, except for the fact that the Crane Champion of the time, Doji Hoturi, had forbidden it and actually given the small family land on of the very edge of Crane territory.
The minor Asahina's kept to themselves, but were always first, after the Daidoji, to answer the call to battle. They trained themselves not only in spellcraft and etiquette, but also sword techniques. They were known for their powerful offensive magic, and their motto: the only way that darkness triumphs is if good people stand by and do nothing but pray. As if reading Hiro's thoughts, the young girl laughed again.
"I see you have heard of my family! Good, for I have a feeling we shall be good friends one day," she said, her eyes twinkling merrily. She began to head back into the forest, then turned and shot off a parting remark. "You had better get back to your sensei, Hiro-chan, for you are not as bland as you think you are."
And with that, she was gone. Shaking his head in a daze, Hiro turned and made his way back to his group, just in time to hear Uji-sensei finish reprimanding Shinji-san. Though it had seemed longer, evidently Hiro hadn't been gone as long as he thought. Briefly, he wondered what the girl had meant, when she said that they would one day be good friends.
Hiro was not to see the girl again for many years.
"...Hiro-san? Hey, Crab boy!" Shizuko's scathing but friendly insult brought Hiro back out of his memories. Embarrased, he barely kept from flushing in shame.
"Gomen nasai, Shizuko-san! My mind wandered for a moment. What did you say?" he covered swiftly, wincing as he realized that Shizuko wasn't going to let this little incident slip by.
Shizuko tilted her head up and studied the bland features of her long-time friend and companion, and remembered when her childish prophecy of so many years ago had come to pass. Hiro's attention still wandered from time to time as it did back then...
"...Asahina Shizuko, Daidoji Hiro, step forward and take your places!" came the commanding voice of Miya Hiroko, the beautiful Imperial cousin who was arbitrating the Topaz Tournament for the current season. From across the packed-dirt dueling ring, 16 year old Shizuko smiled to herself as she remembered the first time she had met her opponent in the Kakita forest. Hiro hasn't changed much, was her first thought, then she took in his great height. By Jigoku, he's certainly gotten taller though!
Indeed, the Daidoji had continued to grow, and had finally topped out at the astounding height of six feet, eight inches, all of which was pure muscle. Shaking her head, she walked forward, carrying the blunted katana with which she would duel. Hiro didn't remember her of course, though Shizuko had recognized him from when they had met again on the road to the Kakita Dueling Academy, where the Topaz Tournament was being held. She had kept silent, and pretended that she had only just met him, enjoying the confusion on his face as he remarked that she reminded him of someone he had met years ago. Shizuko had chuckled, and teased Hiro a bit. That was the same day that they had met the fascinating old heimin called Megumi. It was also how Shizuko had ended up with a gorgeous katana in an enameled blue saya.
Hiro also walked forward, and looked down at the shugenja, a quizzical look on his bland features. Inwardly, Shizuko laughed, wondering what they must look like facing each other. Outwardly, her face was grinning smugly with not a hint of remembrance. First, the two bowed to the judges, then to each other. Taking a few steps back, the two combatants prepared to draw and strike in the form of Iaijutsu, the art of drawing and striking fatally in one motion. The two looked at each other, staring into the other's eyes for an indefinite span of time. Around them, the crowd had fallen silent, for the winner of this last duel would be the Topaz Champion, and recieve a position from the emporer himself as an Emerald Magistrate. Shizuko felt her world narrow as she focused intently on her opponent. Then, as if in sudden agreement, both drew and struck, but only one connected.
In an echo of a long ago meeting, Shizuko stunned Hiro and, like a bolt of lightening from Osano-wo, knocked his practice katana from his hand, bringing the blunted blade to rest against his neck. In that moment, realization dawned in his sharp grey eyes.
"You? Why...?" he whispered.
"Who's attention is wandering now, little Crane?" Hiro poked gently. Shizuko grinned up at Hiro's form, and touched the jade tablet of a magistrate that hung around her neck.
"Just remembering the past, Hiro-chan," she replied, refusing to let Hiro get the upper hand in their ongoing contest to see who could catch the other unaware the most. Currently, Shizuko was winning, and she had no plans to give her lead up.
"But don't you usually say that we should live in the present?" Hiro asked innocently, throughing Shizuko's own words back at her. At that she did flush slightly.
"Hiro, shut up before I slice you into sushi," she muttered. Hiro chuckled, and soon Shizuko joined him. Bringing herself under control, she continued. "But seriously, shouldn't we be able to take to the road itself now? We are out of Lion territory, after all."
Hiro frowned in thought, and looked around. "Iie, Shizu-chan. We're investigating those damned maho-tsukai rumors, so I think the last thing we need is to go along the emporer's roads announcing that we're magistrates on a mission, ne?"
Shizuko couldn't deny the logic, and nodded. "Agreed, but I have to admit, I was looking forward to sleeping in an inn tonight with proper baths!" Hiro chuckled again at that, and shook his head.
"We can, but..."
"We risk tipping our hand to any Bloodspeakers in the vicinity, hai. I know, but I had to ask, old friend," the shugenja sighed. Stretching, the Asahina turned around and headed back into the forest.
"Well, come one, snail-san! We don't have all day!" Shizuko threw the taunt at Hiro, who smirked and followed the woman he had been assigned to protect into the forest.
"Who's a snail? A wager then, my lady? First one to the nearest clearing gets to hunt for supper tonight?" Hiro asked, laying out their usual terms of engagement. Though he had the greater stealth and woodlore ability, Shizuko had the greater speed and agility, plus her magic. In the end, Hiro knew it evened out, but that wouldn't stop him from racing and keeping an eye on his charge at all times. Though he too was an Emerald Magistrate, his first duty was to keep the crazy Asahina safe, and make sure she survived to complete her missions. It was a job Hiro had taken on 5 years ago, and never once regretted. It wasn't the most glorious, but it was one of the most exciting and useful assignments he could have been given. And in the depths of his heart, he kept accepting the assignments out of love for Shizuko, thought never would he admit it...
Never, at least, unless Shizuko admitted it first. No way in Jigoku was Hiro going to confess, for he'd never be able to make up the humongous lead that the Asahina already had.
