Emerald Champion and Emerald Butterfly 1197

1197 Small Temple a few days travel from Kyuden Hida

The temple was out of the way and did not see many visitors. It was not unpopular, it was just not on the way to anywhere so you would only ever travel there to visit the temple.

Such was the surprise of the monks tending the shrine there when the Emerald Champion Doji Ryuunosuke arrived with a small retinue.

The head monk bowed low "My lord Emerald Champion-sama, how may we serve you?"

"You may empty the temple of people and leave me alone for one hour." His voice was rich and carried the grace and skill of his Doji parentage. From behind the richly decorated memo shone the two green flames of his emerald eyes.

A few steps behind him, a young woman leaned against the gate post, her face a study in open boredom. She bowed low to the monk "You do my father and I a great honour. I thank you monk-sama" Though her words were polite, her tone of voice was dripping with sarcasm.

The Emerald Champion stepped past the bowing monks and approached the shrine.

"You never looked that heroic my friend" He whispered to the stone statue. The minor Fortune Hida Yama no kami - the Fortune of Perseverance in the Face of Overwhelming Odds was popular among the Crab as well as the other more martial Clans.

Ryuunosuke lit two sticks of incense and placed them before the statue "Please give me the strength to root out my enemies" He bowed his head in silent prayer.

"Ugh, can we go? There are no challenges here in Crab lands, and the men are all oafs or slimier than eels." Doji Akami-sato barely managed to stifle a yawn.

In a heartbeat, Doji Ryuunosuke spun and moved to strike his daughter but his fist never landed. The young woman had drawn her blade almost faster than her father could see and the tip of its blade hovered less than a hairs breadth from his eyeball. "You will never strike me again." Akami-Sato's voice was quiet and determined.

The Emerald Champion eased back from the deadly blade. His daughter, also known as the Emerald Butterfly had far surpassed her prodigy father in her skill with the blade.

With a curse, she sheathe her blade, tore the Crane mon from her kimono and shortly after the mon of the emerald magistrate joined it in the dust.

She turned on her heel and walked out of the temple.

Her father stared after her for a long time before ordering all the monks who had seen the altercation killed.