Dark Edge Village

Taira was angry.

No, angry did not begin to cover what he was feeling.

He had transited past angry on his way to furious, climbed the mountains of volcanic hatred and plunged himself into the cool, serene depths of deepest, sharpest, most tightly compressed disdain he had ever felt in his life. He didn't even know what he planned to do, and yet he found himself entering the realm of the Unicorn yurts, making a straight path to the one belonging to Moto Khulun.

The frame rapped under his sharp taps, as his anger had now cooled into an ironclad desire to stop this woman before she could do any more harm.

"Moto! Step outside! I have words for you."

"I'm bathing, if you want to chat, come in," she says.

Like hell.

He pushed the flaps open and walked in, and said, simply.

"You gods damned fool, give me ONE reason not to send you to the Jade Magistrates for consorting with the servants of hell."

She has her back to him sitting on a stool as she cleans her bare upper body, "I have no idea what you are talking about."

Taira took a step closer, looking for a towel or something for her to cover herself with.

"Like hell you don't. I'm tired of games. I warned you, twice, of the dangers, and you went. I thought perhaps the dark touch wasn't on you, but now I am not so certain."

With a slow breath, he added, "I am done with you and your clan feigning ignorance while consorting with powers you don't BEGIN to understand. You have one brush with the Lying Darkness and you think it makes you experts in fighting evil? Moto, we have been fighting the darkness for 700 years, and have endured things you couldn't even imagine. So don't play games with me."

A slow breath.

"Do you seek the destruction of your clan on purpose, or only through your own foolish pride?"

“You have no place in Unicorn business, Scorpion. But since you have aided me and mines I will tell you that by the blood of Moto I am still the same woman I was the day I arrived here and ever devoted to the Unicorn and the destruction of the enemies of the Unicorn,” she says rising to her feet.

“So before you sling another insult, I give you a chance to retract your words, or we handle this matter with steel before the Heavens.”

Taira laughed, at that.

"If I thought you lost to the darkness, you'd already be dead."

Shaking his head, he continued, eyes locked on the back of her head, utterly beyond caring about her nakedness.

"No, I would know which of your kin you took with you, and if Ide-sama agreed for you and yours to go on this little journey. If everything I've done to inform him of the threat was in vain... When I give my report, I would give it accurately, Moto-san. Was it your decision... or his?"

“It does not seem to matter and you seem intent to spread blame, tell him I alone went and danced with the evil gods and we laughed and fucked till the morning. Is that what you want to hear?” she says turning and walking past him to look for a top.

“Obviously the Unicorn know nothing and are barbarous idiots with no care about anything? Isn’t that what you and yours think? It must be so for you to be here berating me like a child just learning to ride.”

“Also never threaten my life, I take that personally.”

"It is not what I want to hear, and in this matter, your clan are children! You've had no time to learn, and refuse to hear when we offer guidance! I was polite, and that didn't work, so now I speak plain."

Taira kept his gaze on her face.

"I'm concerned about more than your life, Moto-san, and I don't care if it upsets you. I care about the truth, and, quite simply, your immortal soul, along with that of your clan."

A slow shake of his head. "And if your clan accepts this bargain, I can guarantee you will be slain, to the man, woman, and child. It has been done before, when an entire clan made deals with Jigoku. I'm here because I'm trying to stop that from happening, and to stop you and your kin from walking into something that will not merely kill you, it will forever damn you! Your clan knows of a world larger than I ever will, has new and wondrous gifts, but if you are too proud to listen when we warn you of the greatest threat, which can do more than merely kill you... I cannot help you."

With a supreme act of will, he lowered his voice. "I spent my day sharing every scrap of knowledge I possess with Ide-sama's scribes. I wouldn't waste this effort on barbarians. You are Unicorn, and you have the opportunity to bring great things to our empire, and I'm trying to ensure your clan has a future. Learn from Shinjo... you cannot reason with the darkness, not even a god could."

"THE UNICORN ARE NOT CHILDREN!" she shouts as she seethes gripping the hilt of her blade.

"APOLOGIZE or leave."

Taira looked at her face and stated. "Prove me wrong."

Expression still cold, he issued his own ultimatum. "Listen, for once."

"You insulted the Children of Shinjo get the fuck out or I will kill you here now," she says seething.

"Draw then." Taira snarled. "Kill me if you think it will save you. Kill the one man left in this miai who thinks your clan is worth fighting for! Who, instead of crawling into the bedroll of every woman he sees is trying to give your clan a gift that cost us centuries of suffering. Knowledge, Moto Khulun, bought with the blood of noble heroes!"

Turning his back he snapped. "I came because I thought you were a samurai, someone who cared about the empire, and the laws which underpin it. I see I was wrong. Enjoy your bath, Moto-san."

Then he began to stride away.

“Only the love of Liu Yue stays my hand, you have insulted the children of Shinjo casually and repeatedly. You want me to listen then you speak words of contrition or every Unicorn will know that the Scorpion consider us children and less than samurai,” she says honestly.

“Your words are as goat shit, perhaps useful but they smell all the same.”

Taira paused just long enough to reply, "If you had listened to kindness, I wouldn't have resorted to poison. You are not your clan, Moto-san, and neither am I, but what you have started could grow far beyond either of us. I respect your people, I respect your kinsmen. I no longer respect you."

Then he continued his strides away into the darkness.