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Queen of Shadows

A Jackie Chan Adventures Fanfiction

Written by Eduard Kassel

Created by Nocturne no Kitsune

Betaed by Zim'smostloyalservant

Adopted to Finish what a Friend Began

Summary: Victory! Despite the vicious defense mounted by the Shirogeta Clan, the Shadowkhan have emerged triumphant. Even with the sealing of General Sanshobo and the rest of the priestly Kamikiri Tribe, the Shogunate in the Shadows proved unable to truly stop the Shadowkhan.

Yasashi Ken first lost her arm to Ikazuki, then even throwing away her humanity to the mask of Tsume proved insufficient when Ozeki engaged her. Rosuto the Archer likewise fell to the blade of General Kamisori, aided by General Jirobo. And Nonki the Peaceful Musician, while sealing Sanshobo, was himself banished to a distant land.

Finally, the showdown between Acting Yojimbo Ikazuki and Lord Rokutaro saw the Lord of Tobe slain despite donning the mask of Hiruzen himself. And Jade was no passive damsel; escaping her cage thanks to the damage dealt to it by General Hishu, she faced the Waver and destroyed it in her own battle.

But the victory has been costly. Jade is injured by a blow struck by the Weaver. The masks being captured provides no answer on how to unseal the Generals and tribes within. And the losses in troops has been a heavy blow. So now, leaving Tobe victorious but blooded, the Shadowkhan seek to gather themselves while the mysterious Sage leads a new human host into the field.

The battle is over, but the war lives on.

Recuperation (Part 1)

Samurai were not natural sailors. They would fight where they must, but war to him always ended on land in the great battles of mighty armies; the oceans were a valuable asset, but in the end, secondary save to move forces from one shore to another. So, he knew little but enough to know their journey had been smooth so far. Still, he bristled at the Queen's groaning in the bed over the rocking motion. As he recalled, no Queen had ever been enamored of traveling over water. Another vexation to deal with.

Ikazuki motioned to the door guard, who opened the way for him from the Queen's cabin, the sumo surgeon preceding him through the door. The Yojimbo halted in the cabin's doorway to address his remaining peers.

"Tell them," Ikazuki commanded. The sumo bowed deep and began his report.

"Her life is not in danger from her wounds and deprivations. Her health should recover with time and care in short order. However, the damage to her leg is irreparable. The leg itself has been saved, but the knee cap will have to be replaced in its entirety. A donation from a samurai would fit best, with less trimming required. However, it will not be fully accepted by the Queen's body. Which, in addition to massive tearing to the muscles, we will be fortunate if the joint retains half its motion. What's more, the joint and the area around it is infected with dust-like flecks from the Spider. We lack the skill to locate all of them, much less remove them. Given the malice embedded in them, chronic pain is a certainty and likely hindrance to healing. The Queen has yet to regain lucidity. As I believe the sooner the operation occurs the better, I would ask the Circle's permission to begin as soon as possible."

The doctor bowed deeper, awaiting their verdict. Normally they would withdraw to discuss in private, but the ship made such things more difficult, and at a glance they decided it was not worth the delay.

"Is there nothing to be done to return her to normal?" Kamisori demanded.

"There may well be, but it is beyond my knowledge and ability, honored General of the Reza."

Ikazuki spoke up next, "What are the consequences of delaying? There are resources I can only access from the Fortress, lore restricted to the Yojimbo and High Priest. Perhaps it might hold an answer?"

"Such revelations would be welcome, oh mighty Yojimbo, but as for the consequences of delay, the Queen's natural healing abilities assert themselves as she recovers. As the destroyed bones are not regenerating, I fear her healing may lead to fusing of the remaining bones and emergent muscle mass that will render the joint utterly useless. And the more time passes, it seems more likely a transplant would be rejected. In short, to delay could mean we lose the chance to minimize the damage."

Ikazuki nodded, "And meanwhile, I cannot say there is anything useful to healing her in the secret lore. And searching it would create greater delay. And it occurs to me from my own new studies in magic, even if we find something useful, rushing into using it without taking the time to master could endanger the Queen more."

Ozeki cleared his throat, "If no one else will say it, I suppose I will. A limp is a disgrace to us as her Circle, but the Queens even before the 96th lived a sheltered life. An impediment to her yes, but not the end of usefulness it would be to us. Better to take the safe path and accept disgrace."

"I dislike conceding, but I agree with my colleague's assessment," Jirobo added.

"And I defer to the expert," Kuro said.

"Very well then," Ikazuki said, bidding the surgeon rise, "We will find a donor, inform us-"

"…"

"…"

"…"

The Generals turned their attention from the surgeon, glancing around.

"Honorable Generals?" the surgeon asked.

Ikazuki nearly shoved him aside, reentering the chamber the Queen rested in.

"Something is coming," he declared.

X X X

Jirobo glared at the waves as he perched on the railing of the ship. The ship was abuzz with activity as Shadowkhan of all the remaining tribes took up arms and positions. He turned his attention to Kuroichi, who despite his wounds held an axe and harpoon in his tentacles.

"The Queen can be in no safer spot?" Jirobo demanded.

"That cabin's placement and wards are the best we can offer. And the Yojimbo is there as our last line of defense. Half the first line are my divers, of course," the Ika General said, gesturing to the waters about the ship, where Ika could be glimpsed swimming through the water, armed for battle. And all about them, the surviving armada took defensive positions.

There was no panic, no confusion. This was not a human force; Shadowhan knew their purpose, and to see the Queen safely home and face this new threat were facts as terrible and absolute as a moonless night.

"I will take to the sky," Jirobo stated, leaping into the air. Flapping his wings, he took his place in the great cloud that extended the edges of the canvases to the sky above, in a swirling of steel, flesh, and anger. He called out orders, and a guttural rhythmic battle cry of fury at the approach of a challenger. There was a time for elegance, and it wasn't here and now.

"HE'S HERE!" someone shouted below. The enemy broke from the surface of the water and rammed through the mast of a neighboring ship, without any sign of noticing. He pierced the cloud, passing near enough to the lookout's post atop the Queen's ship he could have poked said Reza.

There were a few cries of pain as Kommomori fell, injured or dead by the miles, but he paused beyond the cloud rather than attack further, hanging there dry and unmoving, with his back to them.

"Hold!" Jirobo commanded.

Shendu turned his head and regarded them with a half-smile that would make mortals tremble in fear. For the watching Generals, the trembling had nothing to do with fear, and they raised their tribes' battle cries, bearing their weapons against this challenge.

The demon shaped like a dragon gave a visible snort. Then soared away toward the horizon.

"He retreated? Another attack?" one of his lieutenants asked.

"No, I think he just wants to make a threat for another day. Maintain the cloud until dawn's end tomorrow, unless you hear further orders."

Kyushu:

The garrison commander paced the roof of his stronghold, taking in the beauty of twilight on the stretch of coast and port town he ruled over in the Queen's name. Ikazuki-sama had appointed him to this post, and his skills at administering it alongside the Sumo magistrate were such he had not been summoned to the war in Tobe. Though some would surely mock him for not being called, it would be a poor thing for the Queen to be returned to her throne only to find the Empire in shambles.

Besides, there were challenges to ruling over a recently conquered province that were in ways more formidable than warfare. It would take years to distribute the population of the new territory to best harvest the land's resources, not to mention the issues with yokai tribes or strong individuals. Whether it was old allies demanding unreasonable compensation, negotiations with newfound supporters, or trying to sway the undecided, crushing the opposition was almost pleasantly simple. And the Queen's abduction had meant so many of his troops had been pulled to take part in the war against the Shirogeta. Naturally, fools tried to take advantage of that. He was not of the Ika tribe, but he felt he had kept a steady vessel in his fief, more so than many of his peers.

And with the word of the victory in Tobe, he and the other officers had held their own banquet celebrating the Queen being saved and the Empire's renewed future. Casualties may have been unfortunate, but soon many of the forces reassigned could return to their posts and the work would thus become simpler.

Yet, it did not feel like peace at all, the distinguished Samurai Khan admitted. Ceasing his pacing, he leapt down to his personal balcony. His guards opened and closed the screen door leading to his office. Passing his desk, he made his way to a cabinet and pulled out a bottle of sake and a saucer. Taking a seat, he idly looked over the papers for the next day, and deciding it wasn't worth an early start, instead filled a saucer with the rice wine and took a drink.

Making his way to his quarters, he noted a thick fog was rolling in. Any nerves over it were likely just leftover anxiety from the day's ill feelings, and he proceeded to his quarters.

He'd barely began his ritual for settling in, when a runner arrived. A ghost ship was drifting into the port.

"A ghost ship?"

"An aura of regrets seem to envelope it. It cuts slowly through the water, but deliberately."

"Bah, if I can't sense it from here, no doubt just some human ghosts and perhaps a curse of the sea. Keep a wary eye, I will take charge of dispatching it."

"From the shore, sir?"

"No, we will take the ship first, there may be something valuable aboard."

Soon enough grapples were biting into the ship's railing, a squad of thirty Sumo pulling the ship up to the docks. It came along easily enough, the commander noted. No doubt, whatever restless spirits within were hungry for victims. Well, the Shadowkhan were no easy prey for haunts.

As the Sumo secured the ship to the dock the commander leapt up onto the desk. Looking around, he smiled under his helmet. He sensed no great power here, just a minor haunt. The matter would be settled swiftly.

"Energy scroll," A voice said from below the deck he stood on.

"Wha-?" the commander managed, before being engulfed in light.

Soon:

"Great warrior, the town is secured. We are prepared to carry out the plan," the stout sacred warrior said, bowing as his superior leafed through the late Shadowkhan commander's papers.

"Hmm, as the bird in fight senses the coming storm, so I sense the fortunes of this long war changing," Lo Pei said, before tossing the papers into the hearth elegantly.

X X X

Gurando awoke, and in doing so recognized the formless nightmare he had been in for what it was. Eyes still closed, he grinned despite the pain of the gesture. Enma's hell had not claimed the mightiest siegemaster yet.

"Gurando, I know you are awake," a man's voice called out. Gurando's smile slipped into a frown. That tone, and the lack of any title. Who was this to speak to him of all people so? His fists clenched, confirming the bed, likewise his legs tensed. This taste lingering in his mouth, ah, healing magic.

Very good. He would properly thank his savior and see what had become of the battle.

His eyes opened, and the tension to spring to his feet was shattered, seeing a man at least as big as him looming over him with a staff closer to a pole held ready to crush his skull.

"I would say welcome back, but your return is a mixed blessing. I erred on the side of mercy, as I do in all things, else I would have let you slip into your grave without regret. Shall we?"

He took in the man's dirtied but white clothes, and the staff he carried had vines tied… no, growing from it. And that feeling he sometimes got from magic users in his bones.

"You, you are the Sage," Gurando said.

"Usually I tell people to just call me Tohru, but that doesn't extend to men like you. You more than deserve death and judgement, but mercy is the sentence withheld and a chance at redemption. I would be a hypocrite to not extend it myself, and you can still be of use. So, I will make it simple. Pledge yourself to the coming campaign, with me as your master."

X X X

As the Sage left the shed the siegemaster had been placed in to recover, a monk with a wisp of a beard and stubble on his head started to walk beside him.

"Did he agree?" Jubei asked.

"Of course. Like most monsters in men's flesh, he is a coward. But I expect he will betray us as soon as he can."

"Sensei, is that truly fair? By all accounts, he served Rokutaro well, and to peril."

"…Perhaps I see too much of myself in him."

"Would that not be all the more reason to give him the benefit of the doubt?" Jubei pressed. The Sage stopped and looked over at the castle, already being repaired or demolished in sections as needed. That faraway look in his eyes that had become so chronic recently returned.

"I let this happen. Because I saw the Shirogeta Clan as a threat."

"A wise choice, from what we have found in the depths. The masks may not be dark inherently, but they were forged with unwilling sacrifice, and need I remind you…"

"You need not. It is just… I feel they look at me and see a hero. I feel like a fraud."

"I left my old path for you without regrets. If you are not a hero, sensei, I do not know what is."

The Sage made as if to say something further. Jubei waited, but his sensei seemed to think better of it.

"Let us tend to the other prisoner."

Jubei put a pair of fingers to his lips and gave a sharp, long whistle. The group that assembled lacked any uniformity, looking from beggars to well-shaven monks and even a samurai, with his long hair dangling free without a topknot.

"…Is this necessary?"

Their looks told him their answer.

With a sigh, the Sage of Honshu led them to another store building, this one with wizards guarding all four walls, and sutras adorning the walls. A bonze stood in front of the door, thick arms and scarred face indicating a violent former profession. He bowed and opened the way.

"Whhhoooo?" croaked a broken voice from within.

"Greetings, hanyou," the Sage said, stepping in and closing the door before anyone but Jubei could follow him in.

There was single lantern lit by the door. Jubei lifted it off his hook and advanced holding it up to illuminate the floor bound with paper chains to the floor.

It was a woman, or had been. In place of the left arm was a great black crab claw, that looked too massive for the body it was attached to. The shoulder it was connected to was grey and swollen with muscle, as was the right leg that looked too thick to bend. The chest and one side of the torso were covered in prickly black carapace, though the chest was incomplete, letting one somewhat deflated breast be revealed. The right arm still seemed human, as did the remaining leg, though they stood out in a way that added to the monstrosity as a result.

Then there was the face. Like someone had cut away the nose and flayed the skin, only for it to scar over. Jubei shuddered despite himself. He'd seen horror among Yokai and Oni, but this wretch… its lingering humanity added an obscenity to it.

"Yasashi Ken, can you speak?" the Sage asked calmly. His master's face was set, inscrutable. If the creature disgusted him, it was well hidden.

"You know me?" the monster asked.

"Yes, and I see your sins laid bare for my eyes. It is a curse and a blessing both. To know a person for who they are, whether an ally I find repugnant or a foe who must be stopped but I can't help but pity. I do not choose what I see, my choice is how what I see changes what I shall do."

"Can you help me?" the hanyou asked.

"Address the Sage with respect, wretched woman," Jubei snapped. The Sage raised a large hand, and Jubei bowed, retreating a step.

"In what way?"

"Save… me," she pleaded brokenly.

"Ah, from the infection of evil? But this is what you asked for, even if it is not what you wanted. Give into this darkness, let it consume your humanity utterly, and you might attain the power you desire to seek revenge on the Shadowkhan."

She said nothing to that, just breathing hard. The Sage shook his head.

"I can indeed remove this corruption from you, saving your humanity, perhaps your very soul. But the price will be high."

She looked at him with steely eyes.

"Oh no, it's not haggling on my part, it is like burning a stick to make fire. To gain the one, you must give up the other. The corruption has spread throughout your body. Not only will you lose that full arm, but the strength you have cultivated in your body since childhood will be used up. You will be weak; to be as strong as a peasant woman will be an uphill struggle. And your will and determination are tied to the energy feeding this transformation, so both may be cracked or shattered in the process. The life you knew, the Yasashi Ken you were, is gone. The only question is what you will become next."

"That's, not… fair," the hanyou muttered.

The Sage chuckled so mirthlessly that Jubei raised the lantern in concern to his master's face.

"Correct. There is always a choice, Yasashi Ken, but that does not mean any of the roads will be one you will want to walk down. You have until dawn comes again to choose."

With that, they left the presence of corruption, Jubei breathing easier in the clean air outside.

"Will she fight for her soul, sensei?"

"She is a fighter, but she has not chosen her battles well. Rather than fighting to restore her clan, either by giving birth to a new generation or gathering the orphans of the age to train, she chose to gird herself in grief over being the last of her kind. And she betrayed her clan's value to avenge them. Her fighter's determination has led her to ruin, and it can damn her as readily as save her now."

"Will she be of use if you can save her, sensei? A one-armed cripple, a weakling, and a woman at that?"

The Sage cast a look full of disappointment toward his student, who lowered his gaze.

"We do not save people based on how useful they are, Jubei. We do it because we have chosen to believe a life is worth saving for its own sake."

"Forgive my error, master."

"Strive to learn, it is more useful than irritation," the Sage commanded, heading off to attend to their next task, Jubei hurrying in his wake.

X X X

The Sage massaged his temple. In private, he could fully let his weariness show. It was a burden to be seen as a hero, but the people needed a symbol to lift their spirits in this time, and the daimyo and wizards would exploit any weakness they perceived.

The meeting had gone as well as expected; the coalition would not collapse swiftly, but growing it into a force that could cross the sea and take the battle to Kyushu was difficult. Ronin and older vagabonds were flocking to him, but even with a mandate from the Mikado, the major regional daimyo were dragging their feet.

It wasn't entirely their fault. While greed and shortsightedness were part of it, they also had to be wary about any military venture against far off lands if their neighbors weren't likewise committed. So, he needed to get some before others were willing to follow. But no one wanted to go first.

Small wonder that most sages became hermits. The great malice was almost eclipsed by pettiness for humanity's self-inflicted torments.

Still, looking through the messages laid out on the table again, he supposed it could be worse. Progress was slow, but existent. The high priest of Kumano Shrine had pledged a fleet gathered under his banner to the cause, on the condition other naval forces could be formed to match it. The master of the great shrine had his allies to think of; the total loss of the gathered ships would take years to recover from, leaving the coasts vulnerable to pirates or privateers raised by other domains.

'If only I had something to tip the balance. Lo Pei is mighty, but it will be perilous if he doesn't receive support or the threat of it soon.'

X X X

For Jade, the time after her rescue had little meaning. Literally, as she was only occasionally aware of it passing her by.

In more lucid moments, where it felt like wakefulness was just out of her reach, she realized she was slipping in and out of awareness, dreams and creeping darkness. And it did creep; it left her feeling unpleasant, wrapped in it and most at all rested when she emerged from it.

Being awake was pain, the world was being tossed around her, and Shadowkhan were torturing her leg, stabbing her in the knee that wasn't there. She called on shadows reflexively, only for Ikazuki of all people to dispel them as Sumo skillfully held her down before a cloth on her face sent her back down. She lost count of how many times she awoke to that. Not difficult, as counting never occurred to her.

The dreams were unwelcome. She was stuck on the ground, unable to get up, no matter how hard she tried. Robed women stood above her watching, unaiding red eyes narrowed in consideration.

To find herself standing was new, in this state of confusion. It was too dark to see the hand in front of her face, and her skin itched at the uncomfortable clothes she had on. The shoes in particular were crushing her feet and practically baking them.

She rubbed her arms together in discomfort, alone and effectively blind, with no idea of anything. Jade hated it, so the only answer was to leave. Easier said than done – the ground was uneven, forcing her to walk slowly and carefully. The thought of just rushing and taking the knocks for speed's sake came and went. She'd had quite enough of pain, though she wasn't sure why just now.

Besides, no one here to catch her if she fell.

The thought seemed to summon a light. An actual lightbulb hanging down from the void, giving cold but clear illumination to a spot in front of her. And showing her the most wonderful sight.

Jackie Chan himself. All dressed up in khaki archaeology attire, seated on a duffel bag, working on something she couldn't see from this angle.

"Jackie!" now she ran right to the edge of the light, and stepping over it, she stopped. Her skin, she could practically feel it sizzle under the florescent light. With a hiss, sharp teeth ground, Jade pulled back, pulling her rarely used hoodie up to cover her head.

Which led her to realize in the faint light out of the circle that she was wearing her own classic Jade look, as she called it. Why was that weird? It shouldn't be weird to wear her own clothes, she thought, running a delicate blue finger along the sleeve, feeling the material and suppressing a cringe.

"Hello Jade," Jackie said.

"Jackie, I'm so glad to see you! I need your help, I'm lost," Jade pleaded. Her eyes were burning; she must still be too close to the light, she decided, backing up further into the cool darkness, letting it wrap around her.

"I know. I am sorry."

He had not looked up from his task.

"Jackie, what's wrong? I need your help."

"I know, and I truly am sorry, Jade."

"W-what are you sorry for?"

"You crossed the line, Jade. I aways wanted you to be safe, to avoid danger rather than run toward it. I blame myself – the choices might have been yours, but when I let you stay, I accepted responsibility for you. And I failed to get through to you on the consequences."

"What consequences?"

"That if you keep crossing lines, you will eventually cross ones that you can't uncross. Where no matter how much people want to reach you, it doesn't matter. Because you will have gone beyond their reach, Jade. You are beyond my reach; I can't help you, much less save you from this, Jade."

"You're right here!" Jade stamped her foot. He looked up, but not at her.

"No. Not really. What little I am, here and then, is quite a ways away, and I doubt that will be any help to you. There are other stories unfolding; there always are. My job is to find the traces of stories mostly or entirely forgotten, but they all tangle together… All I can give you is the truth that I won't be coming to save you this time. You are very capable Jade, but you need to understand finally that your courage doesn't protect you from consequences. Temper your virtues with greater wisdom and you might be able to save yourself."

"Might?" Jade squeaked.

"No one gets a promise they can get out alive." He held up a polished skull, his object of interest. It was a blue-black color, beautiful in its sheen, the shape and sharp teeth subtly declaring its inhuman origin. The sight made her head ache, and a hand flew to her neck.

"Look at what is within your reach, Jade, and you are within reach of it, foe or friend."

"If you guys are out of the way, I don't have any friends left."

"Well, that's all I can offer. Till we meet again, Jade, one way or another," he said, placing the skull down on the ground and picking up his bag. He stood, revealing a shallow dig, with a skeleton to match that skull, clad in a familiar purple kimono, a rusted blade poking through where the heart would have been.

Jade's breath hitched, and she looked to Jackie to find him gone, leaving her alone with her corpse.

"Oh noooo," she whispered as the lightbulb began to flicker.

"Well, well," a deep voice came through the darkness. In the space of a flicker, a powerful broad-shouldered figure appeared. Jade tripped over her feet trying to step back; her head struck the ground, making her see stars. Eyes watering, she propped herself up to be cast in the shadow of the arrival.

A white mustache and piercing, horrid golden eyes were all she could take in before the horrid light died with a final sizzle.

"I. See. You."

"Gah!" Her cry turned into a cough as she rocketed up. Pulling blankets to her chest reflexively, she numbly felt a damp cloth peel itself off her face and plop to her lap. Blue candlelight faintly lit the strange, small room she was in, with a low ceiling, and it swayed?

A panel slid away, revealing a screen reenforced with metal bars, humming with magic. Ikazuki peered in, leaning down to look at her.

A palanquin, Jade realized that was what she was in.

"My Queen, you have awoken? You have been strapped down to prevent further damage to your leg. You have been lost to us for the voyage back to Shikoku; you are in a royal traveling palanquin in the heart of your army, two days from the Fortress. It was the most stable way to transport you without further damaging your leg."

"…Tobe," she said, memories lighting up in her head, one by one.

"Conquered, but we held off its destruction and occupation to ensure your safety. I fear the Sage will seek to press their perceived advantage using it as a staging ground."

Jade nodded numbly and lifted the blanket, confirming silk ribbons were indeed holding her in place, and an unpleasant wrapping over her knee. She wiggled her toes on the relevant foot, and they answered.

"My knee?" she demanded.

"A total loss. One of the Sumo donated the relevant bone, and the surgeons shaved it down to fit you. Alas, without the Kamikiri's healing magic, it was quite imperfect a process. And what's worse, the abomination's crystalline body broke off inside you. Despite their best efforts, grains of the enemy remain lodged in you, too small for them to discern, much less remove. Whether a death curse or its own nature, the damage cannot be fully healed by any magic we can bring to bear, it seems. The surgeons await your punishment for failing to restore you to immaculate health, and naturally I lie at your whim to be disposed of."

"…Can I walk?"

"I fear a cane will be necessary."

"For how long?"

His silence was answer enough, and Jade scowled, gesturing for him to leave. He closed the panel, and anger took her soon enough into dreamless sleep, shedding tears she couldn't fully recall the reasons for.

X X X

Theis particular daimyo had come in person. The Sage was not unappreciative of that fact; the young man was clearly unsettled by the noise coming from the hut. Even with bodyguards to approach the site of an exorcism was not a small feat; he had courage.

"Great Sage, how much longer?" the young daimyo asked.

"We are past the worst part. The struggle of the spirit has ended in her victory. Now it is a matter of her flesh being reclaimed to the extent we can cut away the demonic infection and destroy it. Risky, for if we falter, a new Oni will take form."

"Could that not be useful? If as you said before it would be born from her hatred of the enemy?"

"No. The Shirogeta Clan stands before you as an example of what comes of trying to harness such powers to mortal ends. Besides which, when two monsters fight, regardless of the victory, humanity will lose."

"Apologies," the young man was enough out of sorts to give a small bow to the Sage, who gave him a half smile. The latest scream turned into a roar, and the Sage looked back to the rattling door. Pulling the sutra beads he was wearing as a necklace off, he began to work them through one hand and stood up.

"No need, you are only the messenger for the others after all, correct?"

"Yes. They feel you are using this as an excuse io delay decisions."

"Well, unless we can find more ships soon, our options will be quite limited, I fear. You may want to withdraw some distance and hold your breath," the Sage commented, making his way to the rattling door. Before he opened it, one of his students stepped forward and offered him a large cleaver dripping with a green potion. He accepted it without comment and kicked the door down while the daimyo and his bodyguards fled with what dignity they could muster.

Honshu Coast:

The young pirate came over the side onto the deck with practiced ease. Making his way through the crew going about their task of resupply from the shore party's efforts as easily as he walked with the gentle rolling, he carried on.

He was ordered by the captain to report as soon as he returned, any who hindered him would feel the captain's wrath.

The lad opened the door without hesitation; no one would dare enter without leave. Closing the door behind him, he bowed his head and waited.

Kyouaku Kirite, Butcher of the Japanese Seas, reclined with a thoughtful expression on his face, balancing a short knife on an iron hook strapped in place of his missing hand.

"So tell me boy, is it true? Has the Sage made his berth in Tobe with an army?"

"It is. And rumor has it a fleet has been pledged to him if he can match it, my captain."

"I see. He is my path to finishing my battle with that Shadowkhan and his fleet. Send word to the other ships, we are going back to Tobe. And any who fear facing the Shadow Fleet again, can slit his throat," the dreaded pirate said, easing to his feet.

No cackle of malice, no grin of black joy, he may as well have been discussing the state of the water barrels. But the boy glanced up, and could swear there was a light in the captain's gaze that hadn't been there.

He doubted any would defy the man who had returned from the storm. They feared the Shadowkhan, but they served something worse, was the consensus of the crews. And as the saying went, when wicked kami rampaged, it was better to walk at their right hand than to stand in their path.

To Tobe and still more nightmares they would sail, the bloodstained pirates who knew they had little if any right to plead for the heavens' intercession.

X X X

Jade spent the trip back to the Fortress strapped into her bedding. She knew she should be chafing at the restriction, but despite doing little but eating and napping, she felt exhausted.

'I don't want to deal with anything,' was the basic sentiment going through her head. And how not needing to use the bathroom made it much simpler for someone to be confined. The most strenuous activity she had was giving herself a crude sponge bath once a day.

She was feeling better when they entered the Fortress. Sliding open a panel just enough to peek out, she could see the palanquin pass through the gates through ranks of marching Shadowkhan, the countryside replaced by the walls and bustle of the Fortress.

The palanquin was not stopped, at her request, and so the bearer pressed on without slowing or breaking the smooth rhythm of their march. The escort peeled off until it was just the Circle and its retainers, carrying her right to the royal plateau and setting down before the door of her tower.

'All that, just to end up back where I started.' Should she cry in anger over that, Jade thought as Ikazuki opened the panels?

"Joo Heike, the rest of the way is not built to accommodate the palanquin, and magic is also inadvisable at this time. Will you permit me to carry you the rest of the way to your chambers?" he asked.

Jade had a moment of imagining some kind of weird piggyback ride. The fan they'd given her let her cover the small smile, her eyes steady, hopefully betraying nothing. Features schooled again, she closed the fan and looked at his bowing form.

"You have our leave," Jade told him. She raised an eyebrow as he picked her up tenderly but quickly.

'How does a guy wearing full armor manage to make it feel comfortable for someone wearing silk to be carried? Oh, right, magic,' Jade thought. The Circle followed, minus those members lost, the rest of the escort following the palanquin away back toward the main fortress. Kuro wasn't here. She'd been told he had stayed back at the coast to examine the situation and better hasten his healing. A sore point, it seemed, but Ikazuki had gotten his way on the matter.

A smaller Circle… Jade would be happier about that if they had lost to good guys, rather than poser jerks. The memory of that woman warrior in particular made her feel cold and hot at the same time!

'Are you happy about it? What about Hishu?'

Jade did not care for that voice, so ignored it. Though it reminded her of that minstrel freak; yes, apparently he was still out there. Jade would have to remember that, he was dangerous that one, a threat that might be usefully dealt with using the Shadowkhan. She doubted he would stay gone. Bad guys rarely did, in her experience.

But that smiling bastard Nonki was a problem for another day, so instead Jade focused on the worry over the Circle crowding into her bedroom as Ikazuki slid her down on it. Having them all in here did not feel right at all. And she hardly looked regal, Jade thought with a small grin, lying flat on her back on the oh-so-comfy bed. She was well dressed by normal people standards in this robe, but compared to how they normally dolled her up, this was roll out of bed casual.

"With your permission, the surgeons will perform another inspection now with the Circle as witness, my Queen," Ikazuki said.

She wasn't sure if that was a question, but waved permission with her fan anyway. Jade noticed how quiet the other Generals were. Had Ikazuki made a big power play in her absence? Well, with big bad Hiruzen gone, she supposed that had been inevitable, but even he hadn't seemed to command this kind of obedience. This might be bad for her cause, Jade noted – exploiting rivalries was a simple to the point of cliche approach to stay out of hot water, she knew.

The surgeons approached with silence almost eerie for their size. They looked like normal Sumo Khan, but their attire was of the lightest blue, with twin bandoliers across their broad chests, one holding pouches, the other sheathed tools of their trade.

"With your permission, Joo Heike," the trio asked in unison, seamlessly kowtowing.

"Proceed," Jade said, laying propped up so she could watch.

The leg was revealed as her kimono was opened, and rather than just cut her bindings, somehow those massive fingers unbound them without her feeling so much as a tug. Despite the situation, Jade's jaw dropped a tad at the display of skill as one surgeon removed the silk bindings without her hardly even feeling it.

Then air hit her knee and she looked at it.

It was ugly, her own hiss joining the muffled gasp from the Circle. Whether it was from the Weaver nearly tearing it off or the surgery, the scars were twisting, upraised flesh marring the once perfect skin, ranging from pale rises to nearly purple valleys.

Scars were cool, Jade so often thought; the best heroes had them, a sign of strength to boast of survival. She'd certainly taken pride in her own, such as the ones on her wrists from so many times getting tied up.

This, though, made her cringe. Worse, she felt like her stomach was tightening, and who opened a window to chill her at time like this?

"Will Her Majesty try and flex the knee?" a surgeon asked. Jade complied fully, intending to go all the way, no matter how much it hurt. She managed maybe a quarter before trying to force more had her seeing stars and her clenched jaws made her almost swallow back down the vomit that came back up.

Ikazuki was the only one there when she woke up next. She chuckled without meaning to, quickly realizing even though the light outside indicated she wasn't out long, they'd managed to change her bedding and clothes and put her back like it was nothing.

Creepy but not surprising, she noted tiredly.

"Please do not do that again," Ikazuki asked.

"…Yes," she said.

"They believe, based off how long you… held out, that you should be able to bear the weight for walking with a cane."

"Will walking improve my condition?"

"It may, somewhat."

"…Ikazuki, am I crippled?"

"You are the Queen, such things matter little, as we remain ever at your service. We have a variety of canes and walking sticks prepared for you to choose from-"

"No, there's no tying some nice ribbon on this with selection!" Jade hissed, "Just pick one and bring it to me. And get me to the bathhouse and bring food there, lots of it."

X X X

"How is she?" Kamisori asked.

The rest of the Circle awaited in the meeting hall of their council rather than before the vacant throne. Dealing with the Queen had been exhausting in its weight. Now he must deal with the Circle and then his duties as Yojimbo and leader of his own tribe.

High office was a heavy burden indeed.

"Too quiet. I offered to bring her tuschibue for practice while she bathed, and she just glared. Joo Heike's been in the bathhouse for hours, fallen asleep twice, and eaten several meals worth of food, even for a Queen."

"Well, after everything, what is she supposed to behave like?" Kamisori insisted.

"A Queen. That's what she is, regardless of what she's been through," Jirobo spoke up.

"…We must inform her of the events in Kyushu and the reports from Tobe," Ozeki stated plainly.

"That could worsen her condition," Jirobo protested.

"Ozeki is right, we have no choice. If we act without even her knowledge, we betray her. Her authority must be respected, even now. No, especially now, or we are no better than humans," Ikazuki declared.

"So, we shall inform her shortly then?" Ozeki inquired.

"Yes, if she gets properly dressed, it means she will be attending a meeting today. I will inform her beforehand so she will be properly composed to hear those details. And Kuro-Ri-Chi's report, he should arrive soon," Ikazuki stared.

X X X

When Jade woke in her bed, she took stock of the situation. She remembered her attempt to flex her knee, and knew she had woken up and splurged the bathhouse and room service. Too much of it was fuzzy, though.

Rubbing her temples, she focused on the sensation and shifted just a bit to let the claws poke her skin. Four sharp tiny points of negligible pain. Clear.

'Okay, so, it seems after bathing, binging, and sleeping for who knows how long, I'm really back on an even keel,' Jade thought. Sitting up in the bed, she clapped and summoned her breakfast. The samurai who came in were not as silently efficient as the ninja, even wearing hakama rather than armor. But they set it out well, save that it was on a higher table and a cushioned backless chair was set up.

Jade raised an eyebrow but didn't ask, laying a hand on her… injured knee. Good thing it wasn't really her knee, she reminded herself. Swinging her legs down was a bit more awkward than she remembered, then she was offered a cane by one of the attendant samurai. The shaft was polished black, and she was sure it wasn't wood; some kind of bone. But it was the simple but elegant handle that drew her attention. With a hollow smile, she gripped the handle of green jade and, after a jolt of pain, shifted weight to the cane until the pain finally faded.

Frowning, she looked around before noticing the low growl she'd heard had come from her own throat.

'Calm down, Jade, it won't seem as bad after breakfast,' she thought, walking, not hobbling, to the chair. Settling down in the chair, Jade let out a long breath and carefully propped the cane against the chair.

'Don't fall into the hole again, Jade. This is a problem, but remember you killed the Spider. Broke him apart; he may have nailed you with this, but you sent him straight to hell. And you also…' her thoughts drifted away at the thought of Hishu.

Turned out, it wasn't much better after breakfast.

"…might as well see what work there is for a Shadow Queen today," Jade groaned. She clapped her hands, eyes closed and bracing herself.

A kimono was brought and held for her to inspect, she gave her approval and accepted it.

The process of getting dressed was oddly calming. It wasn't that she felt good by the time she sat down in front of the mirror to do her hair, but she felt, not bad?

Routine, she supposed – whatever the circumstances, it could offer comfort. Selecting her favorite set of ornate hairpins, she completed the look and stood, cane set to look herself over.

She feared she seemed a bit less soft from the ordeal in the face, her hair not having quite the same sheen. But it was good enough, she decided.

'Now I just need to hope there's not another half-moon too soon. Ugh, making more Shadowkhan will not help me recover quicker, I get the feeling,' Jade thought, making her way to the door where a hakama-clad Samurai Khan knelt.

"My Queen, the Honored Yojimbo wants to speak with you privately before the meeting with the Circle. I also report that General Kuro-Ri-Chi has arrived and will be attending the meeting with news from the coast."

"I see. I will see my Yojimbo, but first have tea set," Jade commanded with ease. She took her customary seat and pulled her tsuchibue from where she had tucked it in the kimono and played a song, trying to reflect this odd feeling of comfortable numbness coming over her. She didn't stop playing as Ikazuki entered, followed by another samurai who carried the tea tray.

"Sit," Jade commanded, channeling all her snootiness into it by way of venting as she returned her tsuchibue to its spot. Ikazuki obeyed, and Jade poured the tea.

"I trust we have not been struck by yet another calamity while I have been recovering?" Jade asked in full evil overlady mode, taking a long slow sip of her delicious tea.

"My Queen, Lo Pei, the sacred warrior of the human dynasty of China has invaded Kyushu. Our forces crumble before his attacks like common paper in the rain," Ikazuki reported, bowing his head.

He didn't flinch when tea spayed all over his helmet from that position.

Author's Note:

I am back to this then. And happy to be back. We get Jade, and basically everyone else, recovering from the Battle of Tobe, and the next campaign already looming as a new challenger steps into the stage.

Now as to updates: If you follow my other stories o this site you may have noticed I have been regularly updating my latest Dragon Ball fanfic, "Intended Journey". This has been possible with building up a backlog of a 'season' in chapters drafted with me and Zim polishing them before posting them on a weekly schedule.

Aside from speedy updates this works well by taking off the influence reviews have on me in feeling the story and my efforts are worthy between updates. it also lets me stay more in the groove of a story without switching so often between stories and settings as I have.

The drawback is shorter chapters. But I hope more frequent updates make up for this.

So as you might have guessed I have decided to try an extend this system to other stories in my account. My first choice was actually "Maggie of Manhattan" my Gargoyles fanfic. But the Avalon arc has proven harder to get a grip on than I expected, and while considering options I realized how long this fic has been neglected.

So in addition to this chapter expect, the next one in two weeks. Its not really a season's worth of backlog but I hope the momentum will build and we can get that rhythm going.

Thank you for your time and for still reading.

Long days and pleasant nights to you all!