The heavens prepare
As honor and soul rush down
Like an avalanche.
There was a polite applause within the great hall as Hisime bowed low upon completing his recitation of the haiku. The Mirumoto masters nodded to one another and they returned an appropriate bow, signifying that the gempukku ceremony was complete. It was indeed a proud moment for the young Dragon and it took everything he had to maintain a strict composure throughout the event.
The reception that followed was just as exciting, though far less tense. Hisime and his classmates who had just passed into adulthood reflected upon their time spent at the Mirumoto School and discussed the new names they had chosen for themselves as adults. Hisime hadn't fully decided on what his would be just yet, but he still had a little time to make his final decision. One by one during the reception, the young Dragons were brought aside and presented before with their first assignments as soldiers within the Dragon army. Last Step Castle, Kyuden Tonbo, Shiro Tamori, Toshi Ronbo, it seemed like there were so many excellent places to be sent to as a first assignment. Hisime was one of the most skilled students in his class. If his strict self-discipline and almost instinctive knowledge of Mirumoto's Niten did not make him one of the greatest among them, then his huge size and extended reach certainly did.
Soon enough he was pulled aside and led to one of the meeting chambers within the walls of Shiro Mirumoto. A long table was set up along one side of the room, and many notable figures sat along it. The higher ranking senseis of the dojo were present, as well as a handful of lieutenants and even a few captains. Hisime took his place before the table and bowed low enough to kiss the floor. "First son of Mirumoto Kikudo, rise and hear your appointment," one of the voices commanded. Hisime brought himself up to a kneel and listened intently.
A more familiar voice began, "you have done well in preparing yourself to serve our clan and our emperor. You managed to excel in most of the lessons we have taught you and you have trained as hard as any who will kneel before us this evening." It was the headmaster speaking, and Hisime felt pride welling up inside him. The headmaster continued "however, you will not be assigned to any great city or castle as a guard nor a soldier." At that instant Hisime felt his heart sink. What had he done wrong? Why would he not be given a position of honor as his classmates had been?
A man wearing the Kitsuki mon continued where the other left off. "We have decided though you have been awarded your gempukku, your training is not yet complete." Hisime felt like he was about to throw up, but forced himself to show no sign of repulsion or illness. The Kitsuki went on, "we will gift you with your daisho, but we must take from you everything else that you possess. As of now, you are to begin a musha shugyo."
Hisime's jaw would have hit the ground, had the gaze of Taisha Kikudo not met his. His father had a cold, emotionless look as he stared at his son. His father spoke with complete composure and controlled his tone. "You are now a ronin. Your allegiances to this clan, to this family are now broken. You are to be given a new identity for the duration of your pilgrimage. Should you reveal your origins to anyone during this time, you shall remain a ronin until you meet your end." Hisime was shocked to hear this. How could they do this to one of their best, no, their top student? It was entirely impossible! "Son, you will wear the same name that your grandfather did during his pilgrimage many years ago, Kagetoki."
Hisime, now Kagetoki, closed his eyes and bowed low, signifying his acceptance to his fate. After a few moments he rose and exited the room. He was escorted to a small room by the guards waiting for him where he was stripped of his mons and given plain, brown clothes and his daisho, wrapped in silk. As soon as he was dressed, he was taken to the front of the castle, the gates waiting open. The guards all cast their eyes down as he walked through the great doors and they slowly closed behind him.
Kagetoki looked up to the sky, it was a clear day but it didn't seem as bright as it should have been for the day of his gempukku. He sighed and started his descent down the mountain, to the lands below and never looked back. His father watched from a balcony that overlooked the pass. The Kitsuki chimed up, "it is for the greatness of the clan, Kikudo-san." He nodded slowly in reply as he watched his firstborn disappear into the distance.
**************************************
Kagetoki had seen life on the road and it had treated him fairly. He bore no great scars from the times he was forced to cross blades with other wave men. Kagetoki was an idealistic man who saw the tenets of bushido should be followed to their fullest intention. As such, he found himself frequently confronting the dishonorable and unruly men who roamed the countryside and correcting their ways with his word or with his blade. Kagetoki was as fleet as he was large. It was said that none could escape if he decided to give chase. He dealt with enemies with such a fury and strength that he was called "the Avalanche" by men of many stations.
This inevitably led to gaining allies within the lower castes as well. Kagetoki was more of a problem fixer than a troublemaker. Be it dispatching thugs who would harass fair merchants or dealing with drunken samurai who dishonored themselves and those around them in a humble innkeeper's establishment. Word of these acts let him find supplies at lower prices and the occasional free bed to sleep in. Of course, he was forced to learn the laws of the land. One could not merely go around cutting down those who crossed them without proper reason and restraint.
Due to his great size and reputation that traveled quickly by word of mouth among merchants, Kagetoki easily found work as a yojimbo to wealthier members of society whenever he needed money. In their presence he learned a little in the ways of the court and the basics of etiquette. In the great cities he learned of the lower parts of Rokugan. He learned about the criminal world and of its infrastructure. He saw from the shadows what he would never have seen otherwise. He learned the value of information and how to uncover it if he needed. But Kagetoki never fell to the temptations of the lower castes.
While traveling in Crane lands, Kagetoki decided that it was time to discover what he had really learned. Four years had passed since he left the gates of Last Glance Castle. Though he had not openly practiced Niten in years, he decided to enter the Topaz Championship. Kagetoki acquired sponsorship from a Yasuki he had worked for in Crab lands several times in exchange for a number of favors he was owed.
The early events were no great challenge for Kagetoki, and in all events save History he performed well enough to become a viable contender to take the title of Topaz Champion. He worried a little about the Iaijutsu Tournament, however. While he easily defeated Kakita Amiko in a skirmish during a previous event, he knew that he would not defeat her and the others in attendance if he did not use Mirumoto's Niten. On the other hand, to use so would certainly expose his origin as a student from his school in Dragon lands. He was toiling over the decision when screams started coming from the gardens and when he approached the scene was taken into custody by the Crane guards.
Apparently, the great Matsu Hoketsaku was murdered by a ronin and Kagetoki's mysterious lack of a background previous to the beginning of his pilgrimage made him a potential conspirator. Kagetoki could have been spared of the horrible fate of being tortured by the Crane's finest by revealing his quest, but this was impossible for him. He had finally tried to gauge his progress and to give all of that up now was not an option. Kagetoki could have also lied about his past, but this was something that he despised even more. It went directly against bushido and he would have nothing to do with it, even if it cost him pains he could not have dreamed of previously. His hatred of lying was greater than his fear of death, and so he endured his tormentors for two days.
As a result of his detainment, Kagetoki was unable to complete the tournament, and the title of Topaz Champion went to another. He felt glad that he could even walk after the grueling hell he put up with. As he worked up the strength to climb out of the muddy ditch his wounded frame had been dumped into by his captors, an older man reached down to pull him up to his feet. He took the tattooed arm and he was pulled with ease onto the fine Crane road. Before he managed to thank the stranger, a strong sense of recognition flowed through him. This man was an ise zumi.
Before he could speak, the aged Togashi addressed him. "Kagetoki, I have been looking for you. You did very well in the Championship." Kagetoki felt as if he knew this man; could he have been present that night so many years ago? "Will you walk with me, samurai?"
"Hai, I would be honored Togashi-sama," he replied. He felt his strength returning as he began to stretch out. The Togashi simply smiled at him and waited patiently, as he seemed to understand what the younger dragon had been through. "Where shall we walk to, Togashi-sama?" the battered man inquired.
"Wherever our feet shall lead us, Kagetoki. Come now, the road is long and inviting. We'd best get a move on, lest those Crane decide you may be holding back something else." The tattooed man's grin remained as the two of them started drifting the roads of the countryside. Kagetoki told the older man about his travels over the next few hours, yet he seemed not to notice as the plains became hills, and the hills became mountains. He never revealed that he was his clansman, although he suspected the older fellow already knew.
"Kagetoki, I am impressed with all that you have chosen to share with me. I hope that you can continue to protect those who deserve it, and punish those who would torment the weak. I fear my road turns here, but know that I shall be keeping an eye on you." Kagetoki raised an eyebrow at the old man in confusion, but the Togashi kept smiling as he had all along. Kagetoki looked ahead of himself again and was shocked deeply as he recognized his surroundings. He stood before the gates of Last Glance Castle once more! But how had he gotten there in such a short time? Before he was given time to turn the question over in his head, the gates opened wide.
Kagetoki looked to the old man again but he was gone, as if he had never been there at all! This was most perplexing, but a guard approached Kagetoki and asked his business at the castle. He gave his chop and stated that he wished to visit the Mirumoto School. After a reasonable wait, he was allowed inside and soon found himself before his old masters, his father, and a few of the clan's shugenja. It seemed they had been waiting for him.
"Kagetoki, why have you returned to us? Do you wish to give up?" the eldest of the Mirumoto asked.
Kagetoki met the eyes of these men and replied, "No, sensei. I am here because I am ready to serve my clan, my empire, and my emperor." He said this with a sincerity that would have moved a mountain.
His father smiled and rose, as did the other men. "That is good, my son. For now I may inform you that you are fully prepared to receive your appointment as an Emerald Magistrate and to live up to your expectations. You are hereby reinstated in the Dragon Clan as an honorable Magistrate of the Office of the Emerald Champion. You may now take any name you wish, son."
Kagetoki thought for a moment, then replied "Then I shall keep my name. I have earned myself with this name, and so shall I keep it. From this day on, let all men know that I am Mirumoto Kagetoki, the Emerald Avalanche."