Matsu Hiroru

Matsu Hiroru
Born:	(c. 1098)
Died:	1133
Parents:	Matsu Uniri, Matsu Yunaki
Siblings:	Matsu Tsuko, Ikoma Ujiaki (half)
People

Matsu Hiroru was the younger brother of Matsu Tsuko, born just a few weeks before their father's death.

Early Life

Birth

Hiroru was born in 1098 as the second child of his parents, and was thus destined to serve as the guardian of the Hall of Ancestors. His parents already had a daughter of eight, Matsu Tsuko.

Childhood

His father died in 1100 under Phoenix assassins just before the Battle at Fate Gorge. As a child, Hiroru was very solitary, spending much of his time in the woods of the Lion Clan, hunting with the bow his older sister gave him. Hiroru also liked to use offhand observations to influence people.

Isawa Tadaka

Hiroru was a childhood friend of Isawa Tadaka. When the Phoenix was four he became sick, having contracted an illness known as samagutra. Hiroru had it at the same time.

Lies of Bushido

Hiroru attended the seppuku of Shiba Ujimitsu's wife, and watched as the champion was unable to prevent his wife's death. That day, he learned that the right words could control anyone's actions. When the Champion's daughter cursed Ujimitsu's name and that of his ancestors, Ujimitsu decapitated her with his katana, and Hiroru saw the two dead women as being equal in death - even though one had died with honor, and one in shame.

The experience changed Hiroru greatly, making him a great deal more passionless and violent than before. He began to play subtle, vicious pranks on his fellow samurai, pranks that went unnoticed by all except one man, the revered sensei Akodo Kage.

Tsuko's Brother

The future of Hiroru in the Lion Clan was to guard the Hall of Ancestors. At the age of seven, Hiroru spent two years attending the Matsu Bushi School. After these two years, he grew bored of being referred to as "The brother of Tsuko" and began pulling pranks on his peers. Due to his intelligence Hiroru was rarely caught, but his reputation for making trouble grew regardless.

Kage and Hiroru

Matsu Hiroru, Kolat unknowing accomplice

Hiroru first met Akodo Kage at a martial arts tournament where sensei from the Seven Clans gathered to recruit students. The event was held near the Hall of Ancestors. When Hiroru won the competition for his age group, Kage asked the Matsu family daimyo for permission to train the boy, and she agreed readily. Kage taught Hiroru many styles of combat, both with weapons and without. Hiroru felt that Kage was the father he never knew, and Kage felt that Hiroru was the heir and son he never had. For years Hiroru served Kage, and, by extension, the Emperor's needs, carrying messages and infiltrating cults and other groups. One day, Kage hoped, Hiroru would succeed him as one of the Kolat Masters.

Death at Ichime Castle

Hiroru snuck into the chambers of Akodo Maouri, the late Lord of Ichime Castle. Maouri's Karo, Matsu Nari, fled after he was uncovered as a Scorpion in disguise and the murderer. Hiroru pursued, caught him, and cut his throat. The corpse was found by Kitsuki Kaagi, a Kitsuki Magistrate in charge of the investigation.

Advising Kaagi

Kaagi was met by Hiroru in guise of an Oja-san, Seru Haka, and told the magistrate the story of Onnotangu, Amaterasu and the Shadow.

Kaagi was returning to Dragon territory after he rescued Doji Ninube. Hiroru met Kaagi along the way and introduced himself as a Shadow hunter. Hiroru gave him some hints and advised Kaagi to send his servant away, as the Shadow was trying to use her against the magistrate.

Doji Kuwanan

Matsu Hiroru

The Emperor commanded the Lion and Crane to stop warring, and imposed the fosterage of the Crane Clan Champion's son, Doji Kuwanan, in the Akodo school. Hiroru was furious, as it seemed the Crane had been given another victory. In the Akodo school he first met Kuwanan. The two disliked each other from the moment they met, and as each studied under separate sensei, they would frequently meet in mock battles. In one of these trials Hiroru "mistakenly" broke Kuwanan's arm, and although Hiroru apologized, Kuwanan could see through the hollow apology. However, honor dictated that there was nothing Kuwanan could do other than politely accept the apology. Their training continued with more pranks and taunting from Hiroru, but Kuwanan could do nothing but ignore them. At the time of their gempukku Kuwanan was engaged to be married to Shiba Nosuriko, a beautiful young maiden. The night before their wedding, however, she hung herself in her chamber, leaving no note or reason. Kuwanan believed the fault lay with Hiroru, who had never relented in his advances toward the girl. Kuwanan finally had enough reason to challenge Hiroru, but when he went to the Matsu's room he was nowhere to be found. Kuwanan never got his revenge. In fact, Akodo Kage had ordered Hiroru to begin a romantic liasion with Nosuriko, to be ended the day before the wedding when Norusiko committed suicide. Shocked, Hiroru confronted Kage, striking at his sensei in anger for instructing him to do such a horrible thing. Though his sensei was surprised by Hiroru's attack, Hiroru was no match for Kage and barely escaped with his life.

Ronin

Hiroru knew if he returned to the Lion, Kage would swiftly dispose of him. Thus he faked his own death and lived the life of a ronin. He carried with him Kage's last gift, a white silken gi said to be woven of pure crystal by Lady Doji herself that protected him from the powers of Darkness Spawn. Hiroru never spoke of how he found his unusual garb, but many of those rescued by the mysterious wanderer came to call him the White Ninja because of it.

A Dark Secret Uncovered

In 1125 Hiroru's childhood friend Tadaka disappeared from Rokugan, an absence which became evident when the Master of Earth refused three separate summons from the Imperial Court. Hiroru snuck into Tadaka's chambers at Kyuden Isawa where he found a jade and pearl lacquered box. The Master of Air Isawa Uona discovered Hiroru and explained that a great evil was threatening the Empire, revealing that Tadaka was journeying in the Shadowlands researching the menace. Hiroru was shocked after she told him that the Elemental Masters had been exposed to the taint while researching several of the infamous Black Scrolls. Hiroru returned the box he had found to Uona, which held the Black Scrolls inside, and left.

Meeting Doji Shizue

One time when Hiroru was riding alone in Crane lands a storm erupted. Riding through the storm he came across a Crane girl in the mud, flung from her horse which had broken a leg. Hiroru helped the girl to the nearest village, where he was told she was an emissary from the Crane Courts. He later learned her name, Doji Shizue. Hiroru became enamored with her and fell in love.

Matsu Tsuko

During a rescue mission to recover the storyteller Doji Shizue, who was imprisoned at Matsu Palace, Hiroru fought against his sister Matsu Tsuko, who was interrogating Shizue to gain information about Toturi and his Naga allies.

Hidden Emperor

The Search Begins

Hiroru was a loyal follower of the ronin general Toturi I, and after the disappearance of Toturi in 1130 Hiroru and Ginawa went searching for Toturi.

Scorpion Orders

Bayushi Kachiko, knowing that her clan would be exiled for Toturi's disappearance, suspected the true culprit was an enemy of the Scorpion Clan. She summoned Hiroru and charged him with finding Toturi's kidnapper, along with the ronin Ginawa. Hiroru believed that the minions of Goju Adorai might have been behind the kidnapping.

Ginawa

Hiroru came to Ginawa's chamber, who was drunk and wallowing in self-pity. Ginawa was reluctant to begin any task, and Hiroru swore to the ronin to find the killer of Ginawa's master after they found Toturi.

Doji Shizue

Hiroru and Shizue

Doji Shizue remained in Otosan Uchi to follow a traitor in the court. Hiroru was forced to start his quest without his lover.

Meeting with Lions

During the unexplained Lion march into Crab lands, Hiroru tried without result to convince the Matsu Daimyo, Matsu Ketsui, to stop the march.

Kaede Returns

Isawa Kaede returned to Rokugan as the Oracle of Void to help in the search for Toturi. She instructed Ginawa and Hiroru to find a Dragon whose face had yet not vanished.

Complications

Hiroru holds Ginawa

Ginawa and Hiroru followed Moshi Hito to the Isawa Woodlands, where beside the ruins of Kyuden Isawa a messenger was shouting to the people that the Emperor had been rescued and was safe at Otosan Uchi. Hito eluded them, and disappeared inside the castle. Hiroru held Ginawa back, preventing him following Hito into the Shadows.

Kitsuki Kaagi

Ginawa and Hiroru in their investigation to find the Hidden Emperor came to an abandoned monastery infested with Goju and fought their way to the center of the building. There they discovered Kitsuki Kaagi, who had been imprisoned and presumed dead for the past ten years. Kaagi told of his imprisonment by his brother Kitsuki Iyekao who had become a willing minion of the Darkness, and had been attempting to corrupt him for the past decade.

Toturi is Found

Others succeeded where Ginawa had failed. Toturi was found in Morikage Castle by Otaku Kamoko and Tsuruchi and taken to a safe place by Otaku Xieng Chi and Unicorn scouts. While they did not find Toturi, Ginawa and Hiroru did discover the underlying threat to the Empire: the Shadow.

Madness of Toturi

Madness of Toturi

They returned to Otosan Uchi, and after the seppuku of the Imperial Chancellor Takuan both were convinced that the Emperor was not himself.

Kolat

Hiroru is stabbed by Shizue

Ginawa and Hiroru did not believe that the man who was found in the ruined castles of the Isawa was the Emperor. They met secretly at night with Doji Shizue, when two kolat appeared. One was Kage, who spoke gaijin words that activated Shizue, a Sleeper Agent, who stabbed Hiroru. Kage attempted to take Hiroru and return him to his lair to become his successor. Ginawa interfered and managed to kill the second kolat, Asahina Dorai, but Imperial Guards led by Toku arrived in time to think Ginawa was a murderer. Kage fled with Shizue, while Ginawa was apprehended by Toku for murder. They were imprisoned for weeks in the Imperial Palace, Hiroru still not being recovered from his wounds. He did not know why Shizue had betrayed them. Ginawa and the wounded Hiroru came to the presence of Toturi I, who in his maddened state hardly recognized his old friend Ginawa. Toturi ordered them both into exile, and Ginawa saw he was the real Toturi, but knew something had entered the Emperor's mind. The Emperor had been found but not yet saved.

The Emperor Married

In the moments following Lord Moon's death at Hitomi's hands, Ginawa confronted the Emperor. He found he could not bring himself to kill Toturi, but instead smuggled the mad Emperor to a secret location where Hiroru was recovering from his wounds. Kaede, the Oracle of Void, appeared, healed Hiroru and transported Toturi to Phoenix lands, where the Oracle married Toturi to save his soul.

Last Days of Hiroru

Volturnum

Kaede sent Hiroru and Ginawa to the ancient Troll city of Volturnum in the Shadowlands, crossing the deadly Valley of Shadows. When passing Kyuden Kakita, they met Kakita Kaiten and told him the Shadow was destroying the very souls of the dead, and that ancestors had been slaughtered by the hundreds. When they reached Volturnum Hiroru talked with the Tenth Kami Ryoshun. Hiroru followed Ryoshun back to Rokugan, leaving Ginawa alone.

Toturi's Seppuku

Toturi's Seppuku

Hiroru and Ryoshun reached Isawa Palace to meet Toturi. The Tenth Kami explained to Toturi what was needed to be done. Toturi broke free of the hold the Lying Darkness had over him. In his moment of clarity he realized that if the Darkness took the soul of an Emperor the Empire would be lost. In a hasty ceremony, he married his fiancee Isawa Kaede, committing seppuku shortly afterwards with Hiroru as a second, thus fulfilling Isawa Norikazu's prophecy by killing his master.

Last Sighting and Death

Hiroru entering Amaterasu's Furnace

Hiroru fell to his knees, feeling as though all joy, all honor, had left the world. The Emperor was dead by his own blade; Ryoshun had vanished, gone to seek his path back to Jigoku. Only one thing remained, one reason to live. He looked into the Empress Kaede's eyes and whispered his lady's name, Shizue. She had perished during the War Against Shadow. Hiroru resolved to find her, to bring her soul back to Rokugan as Oblivion's Gate had restored so many others. He sought out another passage to the Realms of the Dead, and found it in Amaterasu's Furnace. Hiroru was last seen walking toward the flames of the Furnace, determined to find Shizue's soul there. No one had ever returned from there.

After Death

Becoming a Gaki

Matsu Hiroru as Gaki

Unfortunately Hiroru did not survive his passage into Gaki-do, the Realm of Hungry Ghosts. Overcome by his own sins and hidden shame, he became a hungry ghost himself. For decades he wandered in a mad hunger. By pure chance he sensed the presence of Morito Tokei, his former comrade in Toturi's Army, being tortured by The Maw in the depths of foul Jigoku. Suddenly possessed of a clarity and courage he had not known since his death, Hiroru ventured into Jigoku to rescue his old friend. Though his hunger had not subsided, the heroic act had given Hiroru a sense of hope, a hope for redemption that he had not known since he last looked into Shizue's eyes.

Legion of the Dead

As Shozai-gaki, Hiroru had twin segmented eyes, with sharp mandibles emerging from his cheeks, piercing his mask on either side. In 1166 Hiroru joined the Legion of the Dead, and his hunger faded. The White Ninja had stepped forward to answer Matsu Goemon's call.

Maigo no Musha

In 1176 Hiroru stood for a brief time in Maigo no Musha, alongside with his old friend Ginawa, just dead, and the guardian of the Spirit Realm, Sanzo.

See also

• Matsu Hiroru/Meta
• Matsu Hiroru/CW Meta

External Links

• Matsu Hiroru (Imperial)
• Matsu Hiroru Exp (Time of the Void)
• Matsu Hiroru Exp2 (Hidden Emperor 5)
• Strange Travelers (Heaven and Earth)

References

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