Test for Enlightenment

By Dennis Quearry

The dawn crests over the mountain tops, and the dew filled air carresses his skin as he sits upon the pillow. His arm resting on the wooden stand to his side. He thinks quietly to himself, and pulls over his writing table. The brush is dabbed into the ink slowly and gently, and his strokes over the parchment are as beautiful as any calligraphy master. His countenance is stern as the brush continues to follow the same lines over and over again until he has made a scroll for everyone, for every clan daimyo to read. His servant kneeling at the base of the raised dais stands slowly. He bows before his lord and takes all the scrolls into his small hands. A slow and whispered voice comes from the helmeted daimyo in front of the servant,"Have these delivered to the sons and daughters of the kami, and to the minor clans as well. I must find this evil and I need the most enlightened of the clans to help me, as I cannot do this alone, a mortal must help." The servant bows quickly and is gone.

A gruff sigh escapes as the fist pounds onto the table in front of the great bear. Kisada looks up at the fist and his son Yakamo stands in front of him. "How can he expect us to send someone all the way to the mountains?"

"He needs someone, a mortal he says. Bring me some able body from the wall. I cannot expend any of my clan at this time. Bring me a ronin.", the great bear says sternly to his son. Yakamo nods solemly and disappears from the champion's room. Moments later Yakamo appears with a short ronin, whose armor barely fits upon him.

"This is Toku, my father. He will go to the dragon mountains with the letter from the Togashi lord.", he speaks sternly. The small ronin nods his head in compliance.

"I shall give you a years worth of koku and a week of paid entertainment. This will be spent at Teardrop Island in Ryoko Owari on your way back from the Dragon's tournament. Is this acceptable?", the great bear speaks quietly.

Toku falls to his knees and almost weeps as he accepts this momunmental task from the great crab lord. "Hai, I shall do as you ask and represent your clan to my utmost potential. I shall not disappoint you.", he speaks quickly and courtly.

The first envoy into the lands of the Phoenix goes missing. The second envoy sent to the clan is sent to the lands of the Crane. Where the Champion Shiba Ujimitsu is helping the Crane's rebuild their castles and villages. The message is delivered into his hands, as he drops a log he was carrying to a home he and some samurai were building. He wipes his hand over his sweat ladened brow, and opens the scroll reading it slowly. He looks at the envoy and nods. The envoy speaks gently from a kneeling position,"The first of our envoys disappeared travelling into your lands , my lord." Ujimitsu's eyes grow cold a moment as he is bewildered by this response. The envoy bows low and then leaves upon the horse that brought him to these lands.

The Phoenix daimyo walks towards a tent as the samurai continue to build the house. He sends his servant to get his pupil, Tsukune. He also sends for the grand master ronin, and the acolyte of void who is studying under him currently here in the Crane lands. After a few minutes pass all three are assembled before him.

An hour later the three are standing outside bowing to the Phoenix Champion. The grand master raises his arms as winds sweep in from all directions and raise the three aloft. In moments they are whisked away to the mountain keep of the Togashi.

The Lion shungenja swung his leg from one side of the beast and hopped off the cloth saddled horse. He smoothed out his kimono and looked at the large double doors that stood before him, the doors that led into the mountain keep of the Togashi family. He had come at the behest of Akodo Toturi, the Emperor himself. The Emperor had asked the unseemly shungenja to come to the tournament that Yokuni had called for. The Emperor thought it would be best to have a champion of his own here and to have someone here who could report back what might be going on in the mysterious dragon keep.

He sighed softly and was about to announce himself when two riders approached from behind him. He turned slowly as his hand went to his katana, as he turned the smaller rider dismounted from his unicorn steed. He removed his mempo slowly, and Okura's eyes scanned the samurai and noticed the mon of the Scorpion.

Within the next second, there was a flash. Okura's blade was out of it's saya and was speeding towards the Scorpion's throat. Then in a second almost too soon, the Scorpion evaded the blade as a blast of fire seperated the two samurai.

The ise zumi, Mitsu, stood to the far left side of the two men, the flames curling about his mouth slowly as he let out a low chuckle. "No one shall die within the lands of the Dragon for any genocidal reasons."

"You hunted one another once, but now you come to champion for a greater cause." The ise zumi spoke slowly and sternly. "You come here to find out what is slowly destroying our empire. We are here for the good of all."

The Lion and Scorpion fell silent and then nodded in a solemn agreement. At that moment the beautiful and intimidating Unicorn dismounted from her Otaku steed. She slowly walked towards the three men and smiled, "When shall we begin?"

The doors to the great castle opened slowly, as the ancient wood the doors were made of sighed, like an old man beginning to speak. The three men and one woman made their way slowly into the courtyard of the Togashi. Within the great walls of the massive keep, an assemblage awaited the travellers. A lone ronin, with armor greater than his size stood near a grove of cherry trees. Sitting upon a bench to the left of this ronin, sat an older man wearing the robes of the grand master of the elements. Standing to either side of the master were women. A woman of slight looks, who also wore robes of a Phoenix shugenja, and to the other side a beautiful woman in a lavish Phoenix kimono with her daisho. The three men and one woman walked into their midst and bowed in respect to one another.

The air here was very cool, and the dew kissed the skin of all the travellers as the ise zumi and a few other Dragon servants showed their esteemed guests into the garden of the Togashi daimyo. As they entered all eyes were drawn to the silent figure sitting on a plain mat in the lotus position. His features were obscured by the great helm he wore. The garden was silent and tranquil. The stones situated in the perfect patterns and the small stream of water, that cut through a portion of the garden, leant it's natural music to the wind whispering through the blossomed trees that provided shade throughout the garden. The daimyo raised his head slowly and looked upon the procession that had now disruppted the harmony of his garden. He then bowed his head low,"Thank you for answering my summons, and my family is honored by all of your families for sending you all with such haste." He then rose from the mat and bowed slowly,"Would you all care for some cha after you have been seen to your residences for the time of the tournament?"

Tournament? The thought rolled through his head again as he placed his daisho on the stand near the futon upon the floor. He removed his mempo once more and tossed it upon the futon. What has Shoju gotten me into now? More thoughts filled his head as he began to unlace his armor. He squinted his eyes out the window of his room as he could see the cherry blossoms floating through the breeze, but beyond he could see that Lion shugenja standing there in the gardens, staring right back at him. He sighed, what am I to do. Sent to this place where I am to compete and spy for my lord, yet here is one who wants nothing but to slay me and he is shugenja no less. Tangen sighed once more as he took a towel from next to his futon, I will bathe and then have cha with the rest of my fellow travellers.

It was time for cha. The travellers gathered in a large pagoda that the Dragon daimyo's servants had led them too. They all were seated about a long table with six spaces open. They looked about at each other as they sat in silence awaiting the other possible guests and the daimyo. The servants of the Dragon were kneeling near the shoji-screens waiting to open them for their lord and his guests. Moments later they arrived, and took their seats at the head of the table, five men wearing kesa signifying that they belonged to the order of Shinsei and the daimyo. The great lord began to speak,"Welcome, my guests to Kyuden Togashi. I trust you have all been shown to your rooms and given proper time to bathe."

"The guests that have accompanied me here are the acolytes of the five rings of enlightenment."

He gestures to each monk in turn,"Koichi, Acolyte of the Void." "Hitoshi, Acolyte of Earth." "Takao, Acolyte of Fire." "Suana, Acolyte of Water." "And our own Togashi Jadome, the Acolyte of Air."

"They will judge you each on your training in the ways of shinsei and how enlightened you each are. They have prepared tests which will place you against a fellow guest, and the one of you who passes the most tests shall leave Kyuden Togashi with me. The most enlightened of you and myself shall travel our empire and seek out what I believe to be the greatest threat to our empire. I have felt the power of evil within the empire, and it is greater than that of even the most horrible oni overlord."

The room falls silent and in turn every shugenja and samurai nods his or head with a solemn understanding. The servants then rise from their positions and begin turning over the small cups in front of each person and filling the cup with hot cha. The Dragon daimyo smiles and whispers under his great helm, "We shall begin after they contemplate this tournament and what it is they test themselves to do."

The day had begun with a beautiful orange haze hanging over the courtyard in Kyuden Togashi. The cherry trees lining the courtyard, where the tournaments were to be held, blew their delicate sakura blossoms through the air. These blossoms surrounded the assemblage, floating in front of them and about them in the cold breeze. The five acolytes sat upon small straw mats in the center of the courtyard, as if they had been sitting there all night. Their eyes were closed and their breathing slow as if in meditation, and about their waists and legs lay many blossoms. Then at once all the acolyte's eyes opened and gazed upon the men and women who came to test themselves.

Takao spoke slowly as his gaze settled upon two people,"Tangen-san and Okura-san." He raised himself from the mat slowly and strode to the two men with his hands behind his back, and then he pulled his hands from behind his back. He held two boken and they appeared from out of thin air. He whispered gently,"You both shall accompany me, you will perform the test of fire." The two men looked at one another slowly and then bowed to the acolyte."Hai", both men said in unison and then followed the monk to their area of the courtyard.

Togashi Jadome began to rise suddenly from his seated position but remained in the lotus position. He floated in the cold air about the assemblage. He floated towards two of the gathered and smiled softly,"Kuro-san, Tsukune-san, would you both please come with me. We shall test your oneness with the wind." The man then floated across the courtyard to an area set with a target and two bows. The Phoenix and the ronin followed the floating monk, though Kuro had a slight grin upon his face at the antics of the monk.

Suana sat in his lotus position as the assemblage gazed at the three remaining monks. Then as if from out of nowhere his hands were upon the shoulders of Kamoko and Kaede,"Forgive my intrusion into your personal space, but we have a game of go we must attend to. This way please." He was at the board before the two women arrived, a perplexed look was upon both of their faces.

Hitoshi pick himself up with a gruff sigh. "Well now, that leaves Mitsu-san and Toku-san to me, or would you rather test them Koichi?" The acolyte of the void gazed up at Hitoshi, and his eyes were pure black. He shook his head slowly and then Hitoshi chuckled softly,"Well then, boys. You are mine to test, come this way. You both are a little too scrawny for a sumo match, so we can test your martial skills." Mitsu then turned and looked at the even smaller Toku. He grimaced slowly and nodded, pushing the little samurai along with him.

Koichi sat in the center of the garden, his eyes closing once more. He became one with his surroundings once more. When next he would open his eyes, things would be very different. Very different indeed. The blossoms floated by him and all about him slowly, and then he heard the voice of the Dragon lord in his head, "Test them well, I need the most enlightened to help me find this evil. You know what evil I speak of, as I know you can feel the balance changing, Koichi." The monk nodded slowly in his meditation, and the reply was known by the Dragon lord.

Kamoko slowly placed her piece upon one of the board divisions and then looked up at Kaede. Kaede's eyes narrowed slowly, and then began to concentrate. She had lost much of the advantage on the board. Master Suana sat between the two women and watched the game with an upturned eyebrow. Kaede looked back at the board looking for the position her stone should be placed but could not discern a good strategy. She sighed and looked over at Kamoko and then bowed slightly,"I am grateful for such a challenging game lady, but I regret that I must bow to your superior strategy." Suana nodded his head and then smiled at Kamoko,"Your strategy was very cunning and by outwitting Kaede, you have attained a piece of enlightenment which she cannot."

Both the phoenix and the ronin pulled back upon the bow strings. Jadome smiled softly,"Tsukune you shall fire first. You both will only get one shot. The target is a hundred yards away. The one who can feel the changes in the wind and become one with it, will hit the target, preferably in it's center. Now, Tsukune, you may fire." Tsukune pulled the bow string back slowly and aimed it at the target, her aim arced a bit. She felt the breeze blowing over her slowly and closed her eyes to feel the wind flowing through her hair and then over her skin. She let the arrow go with her eyes still closed and the arrow hit the outer ring of the target. She smiled softly, and then bowed to Kuro so he could fire. Kuro then did the same, his eyes closed, and the wind picked up slowly about him as if it favored being near him. His fingers let go of the arrow and it traveled through the breeze quickly and then landed within the center ring of the target. Tsukune bowed to Kuro, and then Kuro walked off with the acolyte of Air to the next test.

Okura tightened his grip upon the boken and looked across the way towards Tangen. They stood inside a small circle of dirt. Both men had their boken to the side, and were looking upon one another. Their eyes met as they seemed to focus upon the other's stance. Okura loosened his grip and then tightened it once more, as he felt the moment when he was about to strike. Just when Okura was about to lunge forward to strike, Tangen began to scream,"Prepare to face the Dark Sword of Bitter Lies!!" Tangen then plunged towards Okura, and the Lion shugenja quickly threw up a defense, but Tangen's strike broke through Okura's boken and slammed down upon the shungenja's chest. The Lion lay on the ground clutching his chest and gasping for air. Takao looked at the Scorpion, he nodded his head slowly,"You shall come with me Tangen-san." Servants then helped Okura to his feet. Okura watched Tangen leave and glared at him, as his chest had a long cut down it and was bleeding from the boken strike.

Hitoshi grimaced at the two men standing in their gi. Mitsu began to flex slowly dropping into a low fighting stance, his stance of the Mantis showing his martial expertise. Then Toku looked at him, and began to take up a short stance. He then looked at Hitoshi, as did Mitsu, Hitoshi nodded and the fight began. Both leapt into the air and flew at one another, feet kicking at one another's feet, each strike blocking and counter striking the others. They both landed with their backs to one another. Toku turned towards Mitsu, and the ise-zumi grimaced slightly, and brought his hands up in quick motion to a defense in front of his face. He itched his thumb against the side of his nose and then Toku launched himself from his position and ran across the area , his arms a blur as he struck quickly at the tattooed man. Mitsu blocked every blow and then on the last blow brought his arms up between Toku's and slammed both his open palms into Toku's chest. Toku flew across the area being knocked back by the inner power of the ise zumi. He did not get up for quite awhile. Then servants helped the ronin up, along with Mitsu. "Sorry, little brother, I did not mean to hit you so hard." Mitsu chuckled loudly and then grinned at Toku offering him a bottle of sake. Both men drank and then Mitsu advanced to the next test.

Mitsu, Tangen, Kamoko, Kuro, and Koichi. They all sat upon a raised platform in the middle of a beautiful garden. Koichi sat in the middle of the four. He whispered slowly,"Welcome to your final test. Each of you have gone through the four previous tests and bested the person you were matched against. Now you sit with me, and we shall contemplate the balance of the garden. I have removed a certain item from the once perfect harmony of this garden. Can any of you tell me what it is?" His voice seemed to be displaced at times, as if floating between his listener's ears. The four then closed their eyes and began to meditate. Koichi did the same and then awaited the answer from each of the four, Tangen was first. "There is a rock missing from the stream?" "No.", was Koichi quick reply.

Kamoko began to speak, hesitated and then said,"I hear a butterfly." "No."

"Well, I know...the five of us?", Mitsu said with a slight enthusiatic chuckle. "No.", was the curt answer.

Kuro meditated more and then his spatial awareness surrounded him slowly,"The branch on the fifth tree, on the left side of the garden, is broken." Koichi smiled softly,"Very good, Ronin."

Just then the gate to the garden burst open as a large and intimidating man strode into the courtyard, his gruff demeanor showing his crab heritage."I demand to be allowed to represent my clan in this test of yours." His proud lion heritage showing through now, and as Koichi began to speak. Kuro flew through the air towards Yoritomo and touched his finger upon the Mantis' forehead,"Silence." The Mantis daimyo froze in place as if the blood flowing through his veins had frozen. Koichi then smiled,"I believe we have found the most enlightened here." He strides towards Kuro,"Thank you for bringing the balance back to the garden."

A few days later after the others had left , Kuro emerged from the chamber followed by Gaijutsu and the Dragon lord. The old ise zumi bowed to them both and left them to begin their journey. The Dragon daimyo walked in front of the ronin and left through the gates of the great castle. He was soon followed by the ronin, his right arm bare, as the sleeve from his kimono was removed for now to allow his arm to heal from his newly gained raven tattoo.

Return...