The samurai leave in the late evening. The path toward Kanawa Taki is well marked, and very easily found barely north of Shiro Gisu. While Amaterasu descended for rest while walking the path, Onnotangu rose to grant them some light. An hour after nightfall, they came to the place where they needed to leave the age-worn path.

Off the path and into the mountains, the ground becomes very treacherous, as the path wound along the Phoenix mountains, precariously close at times to the edge. Despite the level path behind and the promise of a valley ahead, it is very obvious that this is the heart of the mountains. Reflecting on the narrow paths and the long drops, Aramoro is suddenly glad that there are no horses, and that Lord Moon is lighting their way.

Finding a path through the mountains for another few hours, at around midnight the samurai suddenly stop. Just ahead is a large valley, much less rocky and treacherous than the journey behind them. Rice paddies line the sides of the valley and there are a dozen buildings on the floor. This is a small farmers' village; none of the buildings look to have any sort of military function.

At the end of the village closest to the samurai is a large bonfire, with about 30 people surrounding it. A few may be samurai -- the village protectors possibly -- but most seem to be farmers. One man is wearing shugenja's robes and staring into the fire as he chants softly.

Kadokawa studies the people and the shugenja for a moment, attempting to discover what exactly he is seeing happen, if anything important at all. He stares at the people below for a while, but notices nothing out of the ordinary.

Roshii peers at the shugenja and tries to decipher what he is chanting. Then he turns to his companions, "What should we do about that. Maybe we should ask them if they had seen anything.

Aramoro resists the urge to knock Roshii upside the head. "Perhaps, shugenja, these are just the people we are looking for. Consider this location. Why would there be a small unknown village so far out of the way that horses can't even travel there. There is no point to building in such a place unless they wish not to be found." He surveys the area. "We should approach in secret and learn what we can by watching and listening. If this is the destination of the ronin archers we are surely outnumbered. They will fight viciously to defend their village."

Nyoko raises a hand for silence, lost in thought. "Shinsei said, 'It is the loudest voice that is shouted down.' I ask you, why would wave-men seek to bring such attention to themselves? Even the Phoenix would crush them for such a slight... in their own way, of course," She adds with a slight smile in the direction of the clan's representative. "They knew they would be tracked, how could they not? No, if they did not truly wish for their crime to be known, they would have come in the night like the fabled ninja. The ronin wanted to be noticed."

The shugenja clasps her hands behind her back and looks at her companions, raising an eyebrow in bemusement.

Shinjo Iruko stands from where she was crouching to observe the valley. "Yes, Nyoko-san, you are right. It seems that the Dragon do hide a wisdom that few perceive." With that, the samurai-ko begins to walk the path to the valley floor.

Suddenly, the wind in the valley shifted slightly and carried some of the shugenja's words to Roshii's ears. He suddenly realizes what's going on in the valley below. Roshii clears his throat and speaks. "I have seen this before. It is the ritual performed at one's funeral. I am still unsure about it, though it might be a trap." After saying that, he begins meditating an what to do when they find the ronin.

Aramoro scoffs at the Dragon as he follows close behind, "You give the honorless thieves too much credit, Agasha. You speak of the ronin as if they were Crane in disguise. If they wish to be noticed let them step forward with both honor and humility." He thinks back to the charred corpse of Iuchi Taiga. "Certainly we have noticed them, and just as certainly they will receive the wrong kind of attention for their destruction."

The Akodo shakes his head ruefully and addresses their Unicorn escort. "I will not fight a foolish battle, Shinjo-san. You are the presence of Shinjo Iruko-sama and so I will regard your judgment as such. I would be negligent if I did not point out that this tactic is not encouraging. We are outnumbered, in the dark, in unfamiliar territory, and in enemy lands. And make no mistake, these ronin are the enemy. They became the enemy when the first arrow struck the caravan." He looks to Otomo Jin, curious what the courtier thinks of their situation.

"'Too much credit'?" Nyoko echoes, a hint of a smile on her face, contrasting with the glint of something else in her eye. "Perhaps, Akodo-san, you do not give them enough. It is because they are ronin that they do not step forward in court. Which court would have a pack of wave-men, mm? Your own Lord Toturi's, perhaps? Or the lady of the Lions, Matsu Tsuko. They would, no doubt, be thrilled beyond measure at ronin demanding recognition and certainly not slaughter them to the last."

At that, the Dragon stops to turn and bow at the waist towards Iruko. "However, Aramoro-san does speak truthfully, Iruko-sama, that I cannot dispute. One would even go so far as to speculate that since we are outnumbered, in the dark, in unfamiliar territory and in enemy lands the ronin of the village might know we are here already."

"Aramoro-san, like his kin, is wise in matters of battle," the Unicorn replies turning to Aramoro, "and for that I thank you. Yes, marching down to battle would be a foolish thing to do, and doubtless we would all be slaughtered by their archers before we could engage them, especially since only Aramoro-san and Shitasu-san carry bows and only Roshii-san you, Nyoko-san, speak with the kami.

"However, you are wise in matters of the mind, Nyoko-san. If this scum had wanted you dead, they have already had ample opportunity to see to that. That you live means only that they want you alive for their own ends. We go not to battle, but to negotiate. These ronin want something of us. And there is only one way to find out what it is." And with that, Iruko turns and begins descending the path into the valley.

For himself, Aramoro thinks about Iruko and Nyoko's words as they descend into the valley.

As the group begins to head towards the village, Pajaro speaks up. "There is a better way to handle this," the Falcon says. The samurai all turn and look expectantly at Pajaro. He stands there silently, apparently having said what he desired. With a sudden grunt, Iruko turns again and heads toward the valley below.

As the eight samurai descend into the valley, ripples of conversation and pointing begin as those around the funeral pyre notice them coming down the path, still some hundred yards away. All the men surrounding the pyre stand. No few of them pick up swords and slide them into their obis. One looks questioningly at his neighbor and asks something quietly. The man he asked says something quietly, pointing first at the Dragon, and then at the pyre behind them. The other man's eyes suddenly grow cold as he stares at Nyoko. The Dragon suddenly recognizes the second man, and realizes that they are definitely in the right place.

Several of the farmers receive instructions from the standing ronin, and they run away, towards the buildings. A few run into the different buildings, and shortly afterwards, two dozen more ronin flood into the street armed with yumi and begin taking up positions atop the buildings. The last one of them twice stops at a door, kneels outside of it, and calls to someone inside.

From the first door emerges a man in his middle years, but with a look as deadly as a wolf. His head is shaved except for a long mustache and a long lock of hair at the back of his head. He wears the rough dress common to ronin, but he stands with a much more respectable bearing than most.

From the second door comes a woman wearing light armor. Her features might once have been considered delicate, but have long since been hardened by the long scar running down the right side of her face and ruining her eye. Where the man's bearing is that of a samurai in his home, hers is that of a wolf stalking its prey. Even standing still, she moves slightly in anticipation.

Along with the shugenja, the dozen sworded ronin around the pyre move to join the two of them, gripping the hilts of their katanas tightly. With Shinjo Iruko and company still almost 50 yards off, the man steps forward. "I am Niban!" he exclaims. "This is the Village of the Nightingale!" he adds, gesturing to one of the flags flying on the buildings. In the dim light, the mon on the flag is almost indistinguishable from the rest, but now it can be seen to be a stylized nightingale. "We welcome you here," he continues from the distance, "and ask what business brings you to our home?"

Sleeping lightly just outside the village he found, Toshidaka is awoken around midnight by a shout from the valley below.

"I am Niban!" the voice exclaims. "This is the Village of the Nightingale! We welcome you here, and ask what business brings you to our home?"

Moving slowly to look into the valley, Toshidaka sees on the other side of the village seven samurai whose aquaintance he left that morning, as well as a Unicorn that he doesn't recognize. Facing them are forty armed ronin, as well as dozens of angry-looking unarmed peasants.

Toshidaka observes from afar the dialogue between the ronin and his friends. Although he is too far away to hear the exact conversation, he feels that there is nothing more that he would be able to add. After all, politics are not the Crab's strong suit. So, for now, he chooses to remain hidden.

Nyoko bows, just long and deep enough to show she regards Niban as an equal. The Dragon clasps both hands behind her back, and smiles. "We seem to have misplaced some property, and hoped you could help us find it."

Hida Katsu stands quietly while the dragon speaks. He leans slightly towards Asako Shitasu and quietly whispers, "Do you think I will finally get the chance to swing my axe? That would make me a happy man."

Aramoro, on the other hand, only becomes more disgusted with Nyoko's approach to the situation. A shugenja who they had known and traveled with for weeks had been slain and burned. Iuchi Taiga's death would bring no glory to his family. The eight samurai stood here and faced those responsible for Taiga's dishonor, as well as their own, and the Dragon chooses this moment to be trite. For all her lofty quoting of Shinsei, Aramoro could not see that she had grown any wiser for it. Briefly, he reflects on the nature of personal face, the proof that a samurai has the honor they claim - the thought and deed they show to the world.

And, having done this, Aramoro stands impassively and holds his tongue. He rests his palms in their accustomed place on the hilt of his katana and clears his mind, preparing himself for the battle he is sure will come. He knows that battle here would be foolish. Likewise he knows that he is not trained to negotiate. But surely a skilled negotiator could greet the ronin on even terms without making light of the ronin's offense.

Jin, after some time of just watching, steps forward, and after bowing low to the ground, stands to say, "Greetings in the name of our Glorious Emperor. We only ask that we may be permitted to look for some things, as my friend has said, that are... misplaced. We would appreciate the grace to search for them, if we may."

"Misplaced," Niban replies, seeming to think on something. "Yes, Otomo-sama, in the same way, something dear to us has also been 'misplaced.' Perhaps our shared misfortunes can be the solution for each other. What you seek, we can find, and what we seek, you can find."

Hands clasped behind her back, Nyoko regards the ronin leader for a long moment. "Tell me, Niban-san, do you know the story of Gusai? Not many do. He was a Mantis, and had a healthy dose of the ambition most of them seem to share. He wished for his Clan to have a family name, like a few of the other Minor Clans have. A rare honor. During Winter Court, I believe, he went to the Hantei and made a bold claim. 'If I can prove to you that steel is stronger than words, all that keeps my Clan from having our own name, would you grant one to the Mantis?'

"The Hantei, amused, agreed. Gusai stuck a hidden tanto to the Son of Heaven's throat. 'There is your proof, my Lord.' The Hantei nodded, and decreed that Mantis could take the Gusai name. Gusai bowed and turned to leave, but the Hantei stopped him.

"'Gusai-san,' he said, 'Remember too that words can also be stronger than steel.' Gusai looked confused. The Hantei smiled and signed his execution order."

The Dragon raises an eyebrow. "There is wisdom in this, I would think."

The samurai-ko behind Niban raises her eyebrow at Nyoko's tale, but remains silent. She is obviously well-disciplined.

"Your parable is misplaced, Agasha-san," replies Niban. "You must realize that the position we hold in it is that of the Emperor, not Gusai."

The Dragon bows. "I said only there is perhaps wisdom in the story. I did not say for whom."

Aramoro holds his position silently. He looks around at their surroundings and the people there with an eye for danger or anything he can learn that's useful. Unfortunately, there is little to see. He is about sixty yards from the ronin they are speaking with, and the buildings of the village are behind them. The mountain path behind them is definitely the best place to be if these negotiations take a wrong turn. The steep mountain wall on one side and the steep drop on the other make it by far the best defensible place they can run to.

Jin bows low showing his sincerity, saying, "Please enlighten us as to how we can serve you and give you the needed assistance."

"The Isawa have stolen our honor, so we have stolen theirs," Niban replies. "You are here to defend the honor of the Isawa, and we stand to defend our own. The scrolls are safe, as are you, unless you do something foolish. We shall hold them in safekeeping for now. But we will hold them, until the Isawa decide to recognize our rights as samurai. We are not dogs to be kicked aside, and we demand that we not be treated as such. Surely you have noticed that which we speak of."

"The Isawa have nothing to do with this!" Iruko yells in return. "We are here to defend our own honor, and that of my lord, Shinjo Gidayu, the protectors of the scrolls that were stolen. The Isawa have nothing to do with this, save Isawa Roshii," she says, nodding at the Phoenix.

"Iruko-san," Nyoko says soothingly, stepping to the side of her new Unicorn friend. "Be at peace. It is rare that two of our Clans get along so well. I would hate to see such a relationship ended prematurely." Her eyes flick, pointedly, to the surrounding wave-men archers.

Niban raises an eyebrow in surprise. "The Isawa don't know the scrolls are missing yet, do they?" The ronin lets out a loud, short laugh. "I am impressed. You have managed to get your caravan into Isawa lands without the Elemental Masters finding out their prized scrolls are missing. I am truly impressed.

"Very well, protectors, let me tell you what has happened. The Setsuban Festival begins tomorrow, and at the end of the week is the esteemed shugenja competition hosted every year by the Phoenix. We wish to enter. My friend Koan, here," he says, nodding at the ronin in the plain robes, "is a very capable shugenja. We merely wish to demonstrate our honor and potential to the rest of Rokugan, and we could see no better way than to enter Koan in this competition, which is open to 'all' shugenja.

"But the Phoenix refused us. They sent us away like stray dogs begging for food. We do not beg! We ask for nothing other than the chance to test ourselves against the rest of Rokugan! We do not even ask to be seen as equals, merely competition.

"We meant to send a message to the Masters to not underestimate us. That message seems to have been... intercepted. But make no mistake, the message is this: The Masters will get their scrolls back when Koan is entered in the competition. Not before."

Hida sizes up this Koan fellow in his mind. He quietly laughes and under his breath says, "Looks like a pansy to me. I hope I get to take a crack at him... Or several."

It is like the dawn has suddenly risen in Aramoro's eyes, blinding him. Not ten minutes ago he had dismissed the ronin as honorless thieves in much the same way the Isawa had dismissed them. The irony is not lost on him, to his embarrassment. The difference is that Aramoro had based his conclusion on the attack at Sleeping Thunder. The Isawa had no basis for their rejection. He argued that the ronin should have come forward honorably to be noticed. It turns out that they had. With that fact the Lion sees these samurai in a whole new light. He can imagine himself doing the same thing in their position.

True to his nature, the brash samurai has spoken without thinking. He does not consider the possibility that the meeting with the Isawa may not have been the way Niban describes it. Perhaps the Isawa did have solid grounds for their decision. He does not begin to imagine that the Niban may be lying outright. He is blinded by dawning realization and humiliation.

For Aramoro the necessary action is clear. The 'protectors' are there to retrieve the scrolls. Here is an opportunity to retrieve them and also, in his mind, to right a wrong. "If your shugenja is capable, Niban-san, he has the right to enter the open competition. We-" Suddenly he remembers he's not in charge, "I will make sure that point is clear to Iruko-san before we leave your village." Aramoro steps back behind Shinjo Iruko and gives a meaningful look to Otomo Jin.

"The Isawa perhaps only see the surface," Nyoko mused. "If properly persuaded, perhaps they would let your Koan in." She looks Koan directly in the eye. "Koan-san, what would you say towards being sponsored by the Dragon Clan?"

Iruko looks at Nyoko, realizing her intent. "Or the Unicorn," she says to Niban. "We here represent six major clans, one minor, and the house of the Emperor himself. Surely one of our daimyo will have enough leverage to enter Koan-san."

Niban ponders this a moment. "You speak with sense, Shinjo-san. I am impressed with the lengths which you will go to for your honor, but yes, this would be acceptable."

"Koan-san," Kadokawa asks, "judging from the animosity of the Isawa, you have obviously offended them somehow. Why else would they deny you entrance to the tournament?" He studies the ronin closely, looking for any signs of his pre-ronin allegiances. He sees none, but he continues observing the man, to see if he lets anything slip.

"Yes, we offend them, Crane-san," Koan says, in the most sincere manner he possibly can, since Kadokawa's ascetic lifestyle has left his garb without many identifying marks. "We offend them with our lives. To them, we ronin are a worthless waste of noble blood. We are samurai. They cannot deny us that, but because we have no master, they do deny us employment, they deny us respect, and they deny us honor. All we ask is a chance to prove ourselves -- not to be given anything at all -- and they turn us away for no other reason. We fight to defend our honor, which is the only thing we ronin have that they cannot take from us." He looks at Kadokawa's nearly monk-like demeanor for a moment, then quickly decides to address the next question to the whole group, just to be safe. "Would you not do the same?"

Roshii steps out from behind the group. "I apologize on behalf of the Isawa family. I can't really take either side in this because I don't know the circumstances. As for the part of Koan being capable there are ways we can test that right now."

Koan thinks on this a moment. "Not Taryu-Jiai, Roshii-san. I have no desire to harm you. If you wish a test of skill, I would be more than happy to oblige. I will even volunteer your comrades to judge between us. I do not fear that they will find my skills lacking."

Niban nods his head in agreement. "Yes, this is reasonable. If you wish to challenge Koan, I will agree. And since there is no danger to either of you, you will not need to explain the situation to your Isawa lords, letting you keep your secret. And your fellows are more than welcome to judge the results themselves. I have no doubt in Koan's skills either." The ronin waves his arm, and the archers withdraw their bows, and begin leaving their positions on the buildings around the village. "Well, Roshii-san? Shall we proceed?"

Roshii agrees to the terms, as they are exceptionally in his favor, and begins to think that Koan may very well be as skilled as he claims. "It is too late for such a thing now," Niban says, looking at the midnight sky. "Come, places to sleep will be prepared for you all. It is too late to travel back tonight anyway, and you are no doubt tired from your full day of traveling. Rest the evening, and in the morning, we can finish this discussion, and then travel back to Shiro Gisu together."

Still listening to their conversation, and noticing the archers all withdrawing and his companions walking into the village, Hiruma Toshidaka decides that it sounds like a good offer. The Crab walks from his hiding place on the opposite edge of the valley and shouts "Yes, a night on a mat indoors certainly beats a night sleeping on the ground."

Several of the ronin, surprised to hear a voice from behind them, turn quickly with the bows drawn again. Niban looks toward Toshidaka, surprised, and then turns back to the other samurai. "Another companion of yours?" he asks.

Iruko's eyes narrow suspiciously, but she has not met Toshidaka yet. "Hai," Nyoko answers. "He left us this morning to track you. I was beginning to doubt his success until now. If he has given away his position voluntarily, he is not a threat to you. He is Hiruma, and even though he follows the ways of the Kuni, he would not enter a battle unarmed and announcing himself."

Niban nods in agreement, and the archers again lower their weapons. Places are made in an unused building for the ten samurai to sleep, and the ronin again retire for the night. Despite the apparent hospitality of the Village of the Nightingale, Iruko arranges a night watch for their room, and the rest of them drift quickly to sleep.

The next morning, the village is up early, as word has spread of the challenge between Roshii and Koan. The farmers have never seen such a spectacle, and likely never will have the chance to see one again. For that matter, few of the ronin have seen a competition between shugenja, so everyone is interested.

Before the challenge, the samurai are served a simple, yet nice breakfast of fresh fish and rice, and the rest of the introductions are made. Niban is the leader of the village, and the ronin samurai-ko that stood with him the night before is Tobuko, his second-in-command. Niban also takes a moment to introduce Kocho, a young boy whose ronin parents were killed some time ago, and since he has been with Niban, training as his apprentice. Koan also introduces his apprentice, a shugenja samurai-ko named Uisako.

After the meal, Roshii and Koan take their places at the opposite ends of the clearing in front of the village. The residents all gather around excitedly, anticipating the show to come. Roshii's nine companions are given a position of honor at the side of the field so they can judge between the two. Niban stands in the middle of the field, and waits for Roshii and Koan to prepare themselves. He asks the shugenja if they are ready, and then steps off the field when they both nod.

To no one's surprise, Roshii announces that he will use the Ring of Fire. Koan announces that he will use Water. Roshii begins by preparing his Summon scroll – his best chance for a spectacular display – and begins chanting. Koan pulls out a scroll and begins to do the same. After a short moment, Roshii extends his hand, and from his palm, a fire begins to burn. The flame wisps around his arm and slowly begins to rise from his hand. As Roshii chants, the fire takes a more definite shape, and slowly coalesces into a familiar form – the flaming bird that is his clan's mon. It is a truly remarkable display, but Roshii begins to sweat, not from the heat that he can easily ignore, but from the force he is using to maintain his concentration on the spell.

Meanwhile, Koan keeps chanting and raises his arms out to his sides. From the ground in front of him springs a small pool of water that grows and grows. Suddenly, the pool erupts into two large tendrils of water springing forth from the pool and reaching for the sky. The tentacles of water dance and sway in the air as Koan chants, and slowly they change their form into that of two men ten feet tall – one in a shugenja's robes and the other in a samurai's armor, complete with feathered helm. As Koan chants, the two figures approach one another, as if walking on their own. They seem to have a short conversation between themselves, and then the water-samurai kneels before the water-shugenja.

The samurai judges are taken aback by Koan's display of skill, especially when they recognize that he has just recreated the famous meeting between Shiba and Isawa. Roshii is so surprised by Koan's display that his concentration breaks and his flaming mon evaporates into the air. Koan quickly stops chanting and lets his two figures evaporate as well. "You show much skill, Roshii-san," the ronin says as he bows to his opponent. "Your name will be known far and wide before long if the Isawa continue training you this well."

"And you honor me with your words, Koan-san," Roshii says as he returns the bow. "Your skill is far greater than I would have imagined. We will gain you entrance to this competition."

The ten samurai returned to Shiro Gisu along with Koan, Uisako, and Kocho. The scroll cache itself remains in the Village of the Nightingale, awaiting word from Kocho that Koan has been entered into the tournament. The boy is the only one that Niban will trust delivering the message. Niban himself declined to come, saying that he had pressing business to attend to in the village.

Young Kocho tries hard to act like a samurai, but he is only about 8 years old and has been raised by ronin, so his social skills are a bit lacking. He knows enough to keep respectfully quiet during important events, such as the earlier competition, but on the four-hour hike, the boy becomes very friendly and talkative towards the samurai, inquiring of what their families are like, what their usual assignments are when not on escort duty, what kind of land they come from. The boy seems especially fascinated with Iruko, and asks her questions about her family's horses almost as often as he asks anyone else anything. He absolutely loves horses, although he's not very good at riding them. He is sure that when he is bigger, he will do much better.

Fortunately, one of the situations that Kocho knows to keep quiet during is the meeting with Shinjo Gidayu. In fact, the boy excuses himself before the party enters the Unicorn tents and darts off into the crowds gathering for the Festival. "It's all right," Koan says, "Kocho knows what he is doing."

Judging from Shinjo Gidayu's reaction to their story and the return not with the scroll cache but two of the ronin, the samurai begin to wonder if they know what they are doing. "These curs," he shouts, "attack an imperial caravan, steal a sacred cache of scrolls, and kill one of its protectors, and you mean to bargain with them! I do not want a deal, I want satisfaction!"

"With all due respect, Gidayu-sama," Koan says, bowing low, "we did not attack the caravan. As your samurai can no doubt tell you, not a single arrow struck them; we merely wished to draw them out and hold their attention away from the scrolls. Yes, we did steal the scrolls from the Phoenix, but we did so not as brigands but as samurai defending our besmirched honor. And yes, I did kill Iuchi Taiga-sama, but tell me, would you not kill to protect your honor? I tried to end the situation peacefully by putting him to sleep, but he anticipated my action and blocked it. As he readied his own spell to kill me, I had little choice but to strike him down. I am sorry my Slumbers did not work on him, but I cannot and will not apologize for the actions I took to restore my honor."

"And how do we know you can be trusted with this honor? How do we know you will not simply be an embarrassment to the Unicorn if we do gain you entrance into this competition?"

"Again with respect, Gidayu-sama," Koan replies, "I am a better shugenja than any in your retinue, and quite possibly better than any shugenja here today. I say this not as a boast. It is a mere statement of fact."

Koan's response seems to settle Shinjo Gidayu's rage, but it takes another half hour of discussion for him to agree to the plan. The Isawa, however, prove even more difficult to convince. The group of twelve grows again as Shinjo Gidayu and his two yojimbo join the samurai to convince the Isawa to enter Koan in the tournament. The fifteen walk across the Festival grounds to the tent where the Isawa are registering the participants in the competition. Fortunately, this late in the week, few are signing up, so the tent is empty at the time. Two shugenja are sitting behind a small oak table with a sheaf of paper and several quills sitting on it, and they look up at the rather large crowd that has come to see them. Isawa Todoshi and Isawa Kenjo are the two in charge of managing the tournament and its entrants.

"The Unicorn would like to make an entry into the competition," Gidayu says after all the samurai have filtered into the tent.

"Very well," says Todoshi as he draws a piece of blank paper from the top of the stack and wets one of the quills. "Name?"

"Koan," Gidayu replies.

The Isawa raises one eyebrow as he looks up. "Iuchi Koan?" he asks.

"Just Koan," Koan replies with a straight face.

The shugenja's eyes narrow as he looks at Koan. "I thought I recognized you. We have already spoken to this man, Gidayu-sama. He is not eligible to enter this competition. We are sorry that this ronin has wasted your time."

"He is not eligible? The only disqualification I know of from entering this tournament is to be a prior champion. Koan-san, you have won this competition before?" Gidayu asks the ronin sarcastically. "Why did you not tell us this?"

"Gidayu-sama, let me be blunt," Kenjo says. "This competition is for all of Rokugan, and ronin, just as they do not have a proper place in the Celestial order, have no proper place here."

"You will allow them to live on your land, but not enter your competition?" Gidayu asks.

"That was the decision of Ujimitsu-sama; you would have to inquire with him as to his motives. We two, however, are the ones in charge of this competition, and we will not allow an unschooled, unproven ronin to enter."

"He has proven himself to us," replies Nyoko. "His skill is greater than that of most Phoenix or Dragon I have ever met."

"A wandering vagrant such as he cannot be trusted to even show up if he is entered."

"The man has a home," Toshidaka replies, "and it is a village far more stable than many I have seen. It takes great care and patience to grow so much rice. I wonder, are you also going to refuse to eat their rice when it is harvested?"

Kenjo reddens and begins to sputter, but Todoshi continues on. "He is an honorless ronin. We will not taint this festival by allowing him to participate," he says bluntly.

"I wonder," Aramoro says, "which is less honorable, being born into no home, or turning away a man simply because of his manner of dress. Or is it that you are turning him away because you know he is better than any shugenja you have trained?"

The two Phoenix erupt at this, and the shouting continues on both sides for many minutes. Finally, Gidayu tells the two that as the protectors of the scroll cache, Koan's entrance into the competition is something that he requires of the Isawa, and under no condition will he relent. The Isawa finally agree, but on one condition – Koan may not under any circumstances win the competition. For him to win would be an indelible stain on the reputation of the Isawa and would cause the family to suffer an incalculable loss of face. He may enter the competition in order to prove his "adequacy" to a certain extent, but if he finds himself in the final round, he must lose deliberately. Under no circumstance will he be allowed the prize.

Koan considers this a moment, and reluctantly agrees to their terms.

Koan finds Kocho and sends him back to the village so that Niban will send the scrolls. It is already late in the afternoon, so no one is surprised that the boy does not return until the next morning. He is accompanied by Tobuko and two of the village's ronin protectors who are carrying the scroll cache in a nondescript burlap sack. Gidayu takes the cache from them and holds it in his tents until the day before the festival, when he gives it to the Isawa.

The competition itself draws nearly the whole crowd of people who have flocked to the Shrine for the week, as well as many who have recently arrive just for the competition, including the Phoenix's five Elemental Masters who will be judging the competition - Isawa Tsuke, Master of Fire, Isawa Eju, Master of Air, Isawa Tadaka, Master of Earth, Isawa Tomo, Master of Water, and Isawa Ujina, Master of Void. There are about forty entrants vying for the prize, but most of them will be sorted out rather quickly.

The first round is simply a show of skill, with each entrant casting one spell from each of the four tangible elements – even Isawa Ujina recognizes that judging mastery of Void would narrow the competition to his students and about five others. The entrants are judged by the five Masters, and eight move on to the second round, one selected by each of the respective four Masters for showing the best control over that element, and four more judged to show the best all-around mastery of the elements. Four Isawa move to the second round – one all-around winner, as well as the winners for Erath, Air, and Water. The Fire winner is an Agasha, and the other three all-around winners are two Asahina and Koan.

In the second round, the entrants are paired against each other in a display of skill, just as the one between Isawa Roshii and Koan earlier. Each entrant casts one spell, to be judged by the Masters according to their skill and control. A shugenja will increase his chances of passing this round if he can come up with some new spell or effect while casting. Koan passes into the third round by recreating his image of Shiba and Isawa that he used in the village earlier that week, along with the Phoenix Isawa Uona and Isawa Toboku and the Crane Asahina Akie.

The third round is another round of paired spellcasting, with the two Isawa paired against each other and Koan facing Asahina Akie. Koan takes this opportunity to bow out of the tournament, waiting for the Crane to cast her spell first, and then giving a demonstration he knows will be slightly inferior. The Asahina bests him with a brilliant display, using the winds to pick up dust and swirl it into a recreation of the artisan Asahina Tenju's tapestry he created for the coronation of Hantei XXXVIII. Uona, for her part bests Toboku with a conjured Air spirit formed as the Dragon that obeyed her commands to fly over the amazed audience.

The final round between Asahina Akie and Isawa Uona consists of the two of them standing before the assembled Masters as the five of them call out names of spells. For over two hours, with regular breaks for meditation for the finalists to regain their center, the Masters called out spells and Uona and Akie both managed to cast each one called, until finally, after hours of flashes, lightings, flames, and even a few brief torrential downpours, Asahina Akie failed to cast Visitation of Tamon, while Isawa Uona was able to implore the Guardian of the North Wind to come southward, bringing a brief but unnaturally early snowfall.

The competition and the Festival at an end, the Elemental Masters took the opportunity to thank Shinjo Gidayu for the safe transportation of the scrolls. Gidayu humbly accepted their thanks and proceeded to introduce the nine samurai that made the journey with the scrolls, and to give honor to the memory of Iuchi Taiga, whom he said died of "unfortunate circumstances" during the trip. "Moreover," Gidayu said, "I know that some of these honorable samurai that have so recently come under my authority had obligations for their clans here at the Festival that they were unable to attend to because of their obligation to me and to the safe transportation of the scrolls. In an attempt to solve this problem I have forced upon you, each one of you is hereby invited to attend winter court here at Shiro Gisu as an honored guest with the thanks of the Unicorn Clan."