Waiting for Godot (D4, EM, Fukawa's Yurt)

[Doji Fukawa]

Fukawa nods.

"If you must marry out, any idea of what clan you would like to marry into, Moto-san?" she asks, curious.

[Moto Baatar]

"Well, the Dragon Clan have been good friends to us so far, so they'd be good. The only Dragon I've met so far, though, is a monk who played Go," Baatar replied. "Your tales of the Crane Clan have been really interesting, too; it sounds so different than what I'm used to. But might be exciting to explore."

"Other than that, I don't really know...I know almost nothing about the other clans," he admitted. "A Great Clan would be better, but otherwise I don't know any reason why one would be better than another."

[Doji Fukawa]

Fukawa considered that.

"The Crab clan might also interest you Moto-san. Assuming you have an interest in fighting monsters that is." she suggests.

[Moto Baatar]

"Fighting monsters would be good," Baatar said with the easy assurance of someone who only has heard of monsters in stories.

"Are there Crab women here, though? The only Crab I've met was the Yasuki with the sake; he seemed a good fellow. I met a Mantis woman earlier, but the Hare storyteller lady told me that those weren't the same clan at all."

[Doji Fukawa]

"The Mantis and the Crab?" Fukawa asks, seeking clarification of the Moto's tale.

[Moto Baatar]

"Yes," Baatar affirmed. "The Usagi lady claimed the Mantis sprang from the loins of a Crab Champion, which would make them Crab in any reasonable story. But no, somehow they are different. It doesn't make any sense." He shrugged.

"Still, the Mantis lady cooked everyone a great feast, so I wouldn't want to upset her over it."

[Doji Fukawa]

"Ah, she simply did not tell you the whole story, Moto-san." Fukawa responds. "Would you like to hear it? I think you would find it interesting."

[Moto Baatar]

"Well, she did tell more of the story than what I just said," Baatar admitted. "Something about ancestral swords and lightning and stuff. But I'd like to hear how you heard it happened."

[Doji Fukawa]

Fukawa nods.

"Hida Osano-Wo, son of Hida-no-kami, second champion of the Crab was married to a Matsu Daimyo, Matsu Kyoda. Being a Matsu, Kyoda had both a very strong sense of right and wrong, and a great deal of rage. Their marriage was not a happy one, and so Osano-Wo prayed to the Heavens that they would have a son.

When he received the news that Matsu Kyoda was pregnant, Hida Osano-Wo was jubilant and drank a great deal of sake, even more than the son of a kami could handle. He awoke in a little peasant hut with a girl. Nine months later, both Matsu Kyoda and the peasant girl gave birth to a son. No-one knew which son was born first, but Hida Osano-Wo acknowledged both as his, and declared that they were to be raised together as equals.

As the boys grew up, they were often pitted in contests and spars together. Kaimetsu-Uo, his legitamate son, would beat Hida Kenzan in each contest, though only just barely.

When the two passed their gempukku, everyone asked who would take the ancestral sword of the Crab clan, Chikara, and be named the heir to Osano-Wo.

Surprising everyone, Osano-Wo chose Hida Kenzan as his heir. When asked why, he simply replied that Kaimetsu-Uo did not know how to lose and keep trying.

Outraged at the insult, Matsu Kyoda shaved her head, and took her son and their followers to the Isles of Silk and Spice to the east, and would eventually found the Mantis clan."

The story at and end, Fukawa looks to the Moto to see what he thought.

[Moto Baatar]

"That does sound much like what Usagi Tomoe said," Baatar said, nodding. "But if Kaimetsu-Uo was the legitimate son, surely he must still belong to the Crab Clan, even if he wasn't named heir; even if he goes in exile. Men have second sons all the time, after all; it doesn't stop them from still belonging to their clan."

[Doji Fukawa]

Fukawa shakes her head.

"By that logic, Moto-san, there wouldn't BE any minor clans. All Sparrows would be Cranes. All Mantis, Badger, AND Hare would be Crab. Tortoise would be Dragon. Fox would be Unicorn. Centipede would be Phoenix, and Pirahna would be an imperial family." she retorted.

That seemed right to Fukawa, she rarely thought about the minor clans, let alone enough to list them and their origins out.

[Moto Baatar]

"I guess you're right," Baatar conceded. "Though, would that be so bad? It sounds like a lot of the minor clans are kind of poor and struggling. Maybe they could use the help. I heard that's what happened to the Dragonfly Clan, isn't that right?"

[Doji Fukawa]

Fukawa nods.

"That is true. It is forbidden for the Great clans to make war on the Minor clans, but they still rise and fall. As for money..I don't really pay attention to the financial situation of the minor clans, other than to note that the Tortoise and Mantis are fairly wealthy, and the Sparrow are poor by design." she replies.

[Moto Baatar]

"It seems strange to me that a whole clan would intentionally decide to be poor," Baatar said, shaking his head. "Are they like a beggar's guild or something?"

[Doji Fukawa]

Fukawa shakes her head.

"They were founded on the concept of honorable poverty." she explains. "They feel that all wealth distracts one from truly acting in an honorable fashion."