S2E32: Metamorphosis

Ide Makujin and Buro arrived in the emperor’s audience chamber to arrest Bayushi Kachiko, who was in the middle of her morning briefing with the Son of Heaven. Courtiers, servants, and bodyguards looked on as Makujin and Buro put forth their case to have Kachiko arrested for conspiring against the empire.

Kachiko called into question Buro’s honor and reputation. She felt it was ludicrous that someone of such low honor and renown would make such wild accusations against her. She reminded the emperor of Buro’s many faux pas at court, his disdain for custom and culture, and informed Hantei of Buro’s embarrasing reputation within the Scorpion clan. When Kachiko spoke, she filled the room with a simultaneously inspiring and intimidating presence, stirring the heart of every single person in the audience chamber.

Annoyed with Kachiko’s obvious attempt to divert attention away from herself, Makujin told Kachiko to leave Buro’s reputation out of this, and proceeded to present the evidence he had found against her to the emperor. 

Hantei 38th, realizing that he did not know Buro very well, began to question and scrutinize Buro’s actions and reputation. The emperor was clearly intrigued by what Makujin had to say, but he could not ignore the counsel of Kachiko-- his single most trusted retainer.

Enraged, Buro retaliated against Kachiko. In that moment, she ceased to exist as an individual, and became a symbol of the strict, rigid confines which Buro had been rebelling against since his youth.  She was the Scorpion Clan, she was his father, she was the Soshi name, she was bushido. Buro’s words, however, rang hollow as the Lady Scorpion cast her shadow upon the hall. 

Kachiko then began to cast doubt onto Makujin’s intentions, claiming that his recllusivity, and unwillingness to join the the Emperor’s court combined with his fervent demands to increase the size of the Imperial Legions has lead to a widespread rumor that he himself is plotting against the Emperor. Kachiko mocked the Emerald Champion that he chose the most inauspicious of circumstances to finally step foot into Hantei’s audience chamber.

Makujin tried his best to ignore Kachiko’s insults, and stuck to what he believed was right: convincing Hantei of Kachiko’s crimes and bringing her to justice. Despite his wisened, stoic demeanor, it was apparent that Kachiko’s venom was beginning to spread. 

Hantei 38th continued questioning Buro in order to find the source of his motivation. Buro continually put out arguments to justify his actions and discredit Kachiko. However, at each turn, Kachiko was there to refute and outmanuever Buro’s words.

In a last ditch effort to impress the Emperor, Buro told him the true fate of the Martyr Monk, Togashi Yoshi. He told him that his spirit lives on in his armor. To Buro’s dismay, this offended the Emperor.

Hantei informed Buro that he has interrupted the Wheel of Judgement—that it is not the place of mortals to be deciding the fate of the deceased. It was Yoshi’s fate to have his karma judged by the kami and reincarnated as they saw fit. Buro interferred with the celestial order. 

The Emperor then passed his judgement not on Kachiko, but on Buro. The Son of Heaven had heard enough. It was clear to him that Buro’s loyalty did not lie with his clan, or with his family, but with his friends, and because of this, he had forsaken the code of Bushido. His commitment to his friends over his family and his clan lead him onto a new path-- the path of waves.

Credits

Art by Dylon Munoz

Music

"Rokugan Theme" by Brandon Spain

"Long Note Two" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

"The Gaijin's Journey" by Podcast of the Five Rings

Artwork by Dylon Munoz

Music by Brandon Spain & Podcast of the Five Rings