^^ White-Lotus ^^

--- Arashi-Kumo ---

I dressed carefully, layering my elegant set of white chain mail, (which covered me from the throat to the toes, plus a hood and mask, forged to Wong-Fei-Quan's specifications,) under my ruby-red robe.

Mother smiled in my mirror, and gently set my hair into the braided loop I'd requested, then covered that with the metal top-knot, sliding the golden needle through to hold my hair in place.

I breathed deep, and then smiled. "I'm ready. Are you?"

She smiled. "Indeed. Just remember your manners, and do your best not to wound Prince Tan in the Spar, and all should be well."

"I'm not fighting Tan in the Spar. We're fighting together against Wong-Fei-Quan." I smiled at the thought of the challenge.

Lee-Kahn nodded when she looked at him, dressed in his best armor, his new red cloak draped over his armor to hide the gleaming steel.

She hummed, and nodded. "I see. Then work well with your nephew; allow no harm to come to him."

I grinned. "You should tell him that. He's a Martial Genius, even his teacher says so, and he's Chinese, so he doesn't have to lie because Tan is his prince."

She smiled again, and patted my cheek. "I have every faith in you, my son. Just do your best, hmm?"

"Always." I nodded.

---

I gazed up at the Palace Doors, fresh from the three hour carriage-ride from the Capital to the Palace, which sat a long ways away from the main city for room, and privacy.

"Intimidating, isn't it?" Mother asked.

"No. Just lonely." I gazed down the road towards my home, the walls of the city just barely visible in the distance to the north.

She smiled. "Don't worry, there's a whole lot of people here, and it isn't forever. You'll be home again for good in a few years, if the Emperor wills it."

I sighed. "Old people and their rules." I muttered, and then turned towards the gate as it swung slowly open.

Mother held me back as I took a step forward, but Ran and Tan-Quan passed us before I could ask why we were stopping.

I nodded, understanding as they entered first, and we followed closely after, then the servants and guards.

Mother, Ameno, and I, we all walked abreast of Lord Ran and his son, as we entered the main courtyard, and I stuttered in my walk when I saw four scaled beasts, each the length of a warship, laying coiled up in the morning sun of the courtyard.

Ran smiled. "Those are the Imperial Dragons. They bear the royal family across great distances. I will go greet mine." He walked over to one of them, the youngest, it looked like, and patted its white forehead, speaking quietly to it.

It nuzzled him gently, then its mustache rubbed Tan's cheek affectionately, before laying back down.

I gazed at a few I hadn't seen, laying in a jumble of limbs between the two largest ones. I spotted four heads, so I figured there were four of them, the babies.

They rejoined us, and I hummed. "And the babies?"

"Waiting to choose a member of the royal family. Perhaps one will take a liking to you, and Tan, as well?" He patted Tan's head.

I nodded. "I would like that. I've only read about dragons, and even then not very often."

We entered the main hall, and knelt before the emperor in a smooth movement.

There was a beautiful woman sitting to his left on a small cushion, wearing a crimson gown, and she smiled when she caught my eyes.

"We, the Kumo/Tama Clan, humbly greet the Great Jade Emperor!" We all said in sync, as the entire room knelt.

He nodded. "Rise, Imperial Family." His voice was deeper, now, and echoed through the room.

We rose slowly, and he gazed at us calmly, his face a shadow of the happy man I'd met. "On this day, the fifteenth day of the sixth month, seven years ago, during the year of the Tiger, The Crown's youngest son was born."

Mother nudged me forward stealthily, and I took a step forward, kneeling.

"We of the Imperial Throne acknowledge him as a legitimate son, born of the honorable Kumo Clan's Matriarch, and the Son of Heaven, The Great Jade Emperor. His name, now, until the sun rises in the West, will be Tama Arashi-Kumo, 玉嵐雲, the Jade Storm-Cloud. Stand, and receive your name, Tama Arashi-Kumo." He nodded once, slowly.

I bowed deeply, and then stood straight, setting my legs apart for a little more balance.

He extended a hand, and I slowly approached, kneeling in front of him. He placed his hand on my head briefly. "The Astrologist predicts you will bring great honor to the Imperial Throne, protect its interests around the world, and bear many, many children into the world, though not all will be your own. We of the Throne believe this to mean that you will, as an honored physician, assist many mothers in child-birth, not just your own wife." He nodded again, removing his hand.

I backed away, as I'd been coached beforehand, and rejoined the others.

"We of the Imperial Throne acknowledge another as a legitimate son, born of the honorable Kumo Clan's Matriarch, and the Son of Heaven, The Great Jade Emperor. The Imperial Throne recognizes the eldest son of the Kumo Line, Ameno-Kumo, and calls him forth." The emperor said simply.

Ameno stepped forward, and knelt.

"From now, until the end of time, when the rain falls up towards the sky, you will be known to us as Tama Ryuu-Kumo, 玉龍雲, Jade Dragon Cloud. Stand, and receive your name."

Ameno approached him, and hesitantly knelt before him. The Emperor placed his hand on his head, and spoke again.

"Young Ryuu, the Astrologist predicts you will bring great honor to your Clan, and support and protect your clan's interests in the Provinces, and bear many noble sons." He nodded again, removing his hand, and the musicians started playing a soft tune, as that was their cue.

I smiled and knelt before the throne again.

The Emperor raised a finger, and the music stopped. "Do you bring grievance to the Emperor?" He asked, his voice a little softer.

"I do not. I bring a gift to my honored father, the Great Jade Emperor, in honor of my naming-day." I set the golden silk slip in front of me.

He blinked at the shape of it, then nodded.

A guard detached from the shadows behind the throne, and picked up the package gingerly, looking inside, then presenting it to the emperor with a bow.

He took it in his hands, and gently extracted the silver sheath, and the entire room gasped at the intricate carvings of dragons on the sheath, and the golden handle.

He stood slowly, and the entire room knelt.

Then, just as slowly, he drew the blade, and an even louder gasp echoed, at the sight of the golden blade.

"Tama Arashi-Kumo... you honor your father and your Clan, with this gift..." he said slowly, gazing at the blade, and his reflection.

I bowed even further. "It pales in comparison to my respect and devotion to you, my Emperor. The Gold is mixed with Carbon, and is as strong and sharp as any blade."

He sheathed it carefully. "This blade is able to be used?"

"This sword is no low ornament, but rather a war-sword, created to grace and be graced with the Great Jade Emperor's hand." I smiled at the ground.

He drew it again, and swung it sharply, once, twice, and three times. The surrounding court nobles clapped politely, applauding his form in various honeyed ways.

"It is heavy... as a sword should be. As you said, my son, this is no low ornament, this is a tool of War." He nodded, sheathing it, and belting it on immediately, replacing his old sword, which was beautiful, but no match for the new one.

The white Moon-Opal sheath alone was worth more than my entire Tower, and the White-Jade embedded in the handle and pommel between the ribbons were worth even more, but the luminescent white blade was what entranced me.

It matched my eyes, when I was angry, and the spine was engraved on one side with the characters 'Pride', 'Strength', and 'Justice'.

The Emperor thought for a moment, and then smiled. "And now, the gift we of the Imperial Throne give in return for this glorious heirloom is rather obvious. We gift upon you, Tama Arashi-Kumo, and your eldest children after you, the White Lotus." He held out his own sword, causing the entire room to erupt with hushed whispers.

I stepped forward, kneeling in front of him, and accepted the sword on my upturned palms. "We of the Kumo Clan humbly thank the Great Jade Emperor for his generosity, and his altruistic actions towards our Clan." I said gently.

He nodded. "Then stand, and answer your Emperor's last request of you today." He used his ruling voice again, suddenly.

I stood straight, looking him in the eyes. "We of the Kumo Clan are always ready to answer the Great Jade Emperor's Call." I said simply.

"Very good. Your Emperor asks of you a test of Skill. Wong-Fei-Quan, an old friend of the Empire, is in attendance?"

He didn't look away from my eyes, and I didn't dare break the contest. His eyes were like whirlpools, sucking my soul in. A single moment of weakness, and I would be lost to the darkness of his eyes forever.

"I am, Honored Emperor." Wong spoke, kneeling behind me.

"And Prince Tan-Quan-Tama is also in attendance?"

"I am, Honored Emperor." Tan knelt next to Wong.

"Your Emperor desires a test of skill. The Prince and the Noble son, against the Master of Tao." He sat in his throne slowly, and then blinked, suddenly allowing me to move.

I bowed deeply, and attempted his tone of voice. "If that is the Emperor's wish, we will, of course, oblige."

He looked at me, and I swear he winked, lightning-quick, before nodding serenely.

The center of the room in front of the throne was cleared, and I gently handed the sword to mother, who nodded, and hugged it to her chest protectively.

Then I removed my robe, handing it to Lee-Kahn, who grinned, and mouthed as best he could, 'Knock 'em Dead!'

The emperor hummed when he saw my armor, and I belted on my swords, as Tan did the same, his black Chain-Mail a direct nod to my white set.

Wong-Fei-Quan simply stood, and bowed to the emperor, then us, individually, and accepted his thin sword from Lord Ran.

I drew my blades slowly, making no sound, and then breathed deeply, as Tan-Quan drew his own, Chinese blade and Kunai mix, making no attempt at silence.

The emperor clapped once, a single, concussive sound, and my blades raised swiftly, clashing with Wong's perfectly, even though I didn't see him move.

My wazikashi buried itself in his right thigh, and he leapt back, cradling his right leg.

"Will you continue, Wong-Fei-Quan?" The Emperor asked softly.

"Of course, Emperor." He bowed, and then turned to us, pulling the sword from his thigh, and dropping it to the side.

I shifted my hands to a two-handed grip on my katana, then darted behind Tan, as he surged forward.

Even wounded, Wong-Fei-Quan was a fast man, more likely to avoid clashes than engage in them, despite his physical superiority over us, both small children, and so he did as I'd predicted, and leapt over Tan, directly into my sword, which pierced his left thigh.

He reacted reflexively, and his palm tapped my chest lightly.

---

I opened my eyes slowly, shaking my head, and stumbled towards where Tan and Wong were exchanging blows with their swords.

I silently picked up my sword, and then once I could see straight, I leapt at Wong's back as he retreated from Tan.

He whipped around, his sword raised to block mine, and Tan kicked the right side of his head, just as I slammed the hilt of my sword to his left temple.

He dropped like a sack of rice, and the entire throne room exploded with applause and even whistles from the more crass nobles.

I wobbled on my feet, my chest aching like a horse had kicked me, and Tan steadied me with his shoulder nonchalantly.

The emperor laughed, and clapped a few times. "WELL DONE!!! Oh! Ahem!" He got control of himself. "Yes, good show, children. The Imperial Throne is mightily Impressed." He said in his throne-voice.

The empress surprised me by speaking softly. "Your blood is strong within them, husband."

He smiled at her. "Indeed it is... now let these mighty heroes rest, and relax after their honorable battle!" He snapped his fingers, and I was suddenly on Lee-Kahn's shoulders, and Tan was beside me on Ran's shoulders.

I passed out as soon as I was placed upon a soft cushion.