Miku sat in her hut. Along the walls were hanging the carcasses of foxes she had slain in the hopes of drawing out a kitsune so she could corrupt or sacrifice it. So far she had no such luck in drawing one of those tricksy, shapeshifting fox spirits.

Miku thought back to the last time in Rokugan her life was in peril.

For years Miku had stayed ahead of She With the Red and Gold Hair, using a combination of blood scrying and flesh-crafting she had learned from the forbidden texts written down by Ichuban the Bloodspeaker shortly after joining the cult to get away from an abusive, drunken husband. The cult had promised her the ability to strike her husband down using their magic in return for two conditions: The first was that she become a Maho-tsukai, join the Bloodspeaker cult in it's devotion to Ichuban and Fu Leng. The second would determined at a later date.

For years she worked on mastering Maho, keeping ahead of the authorities with a combination of her feminine whiles, cutting the occasional throat or stabbing the occasional back with a sharp knife and my using blood magic. It was only after a short time that she learned the great and terrible cost Maho demanded, it caused her flesh to wither like that of a crone's, prematurely bleached the color from her hair until it became an unhealthy greenish-grey, afflicted her mind with maladies and madness, caused her to be haunted by demons from Jigoku, a few of which she was all-too-eager to strike deals with for more power and more dark knowledge.

Over time Miku learned how to use Maho to drain the life from victims and infuse it into herself to stave off and reverse the withering effects of blood magic on her body and mind. Each time it required more and more to stave off and reverse the effects, more blood sacrifices, more dark power, more pacts with demons, and each time it made another part of her soul wither. Over time she developed and mastered new techniques until she no longer needed a knife to draw blood from her victims, just simply singing to draw the blood out. More powerful rituals still demanded a sacrifice and that required the use of a knife. Maho's price was terrible, almost too terrible, but the power it granted was too great...too addictive. She couldn't simply walk away from it all, Maho had too tight of a grip on her soul, like the cheap sake did on her dead husband's body.

Then one day Miku realized that She With the Red and Gold Hair was on her trail, she had gotten careless in her lust for more and addiction to the dark power. Like all Maho-tsukai, she didn't believe in the strange gaijin bushi and like all Maho-taukai, she only spoke of this strange gaijin bishi in hushed tones, lest they drew her attention. But it was undeniable that someone was stalking practitioners of blood magic, their zombie flesh puppets hewn to pieces, their criminal henchmen slaughtered, their Lost bodyguards slain, their lairs ransacked and burned, and their bodies hacked to pieces.

It was on one fateful night when Miku was in Beiden Pass waiting to ambush a small retinue of Scorpion soldiers, in the hopes of sacricing them to summon an oni to strike a deal for even greater power. She was preparing to signal a group of bandits she had hired...that she would sacrifice after the ambush was pulled off, after all a little more blood spilled in the sacrifices would help to summon an oni and maybe even summon a more powerful one...the bandits were preparing to shove boulders down on the narrowest part of the pass ahead and behind the retinue of soldiers cutting them off, then have archers rain arrows down on them. That's when death screams were heard from the bandits.

Miku quickly surmised that either the Scorpion or the Tortoise clan...maybe both working together, had learned of her plans to set up the ambush and set up their own counter-ambush. She quickly gathered what she could and turned to run. That's when there was a blinding flash of light. In her left hand she was holding a hollowed-out egg, covered in black rice paper, filled with a mixture of crushed pepper, ground up toxic herbs and metal shavings. Crushing the black egg in her fist, she flung its contents in front of her in a wide arc and froze still as death.

After a few seconds Miku's vision cleared. Standing in front of her was a woman wiping at her eyes, gripping a katana in one hand. The pale, sun-kissed skin, the hair flowing out from under her wide-brimmed straw hat was like flames of red and yellow. She With the Red and Gold Hair was real! And had caught up to her! The woman had a strange teal glow around her fingers as she wiped at her eyes.

Miku sprang upon her attacker. A sharp blow to the side of her face, that felt like a pony kicking her, sent her tumbling to the ground. She shook off the cobwebs and looked up, staring in shock as the woman pulled her hand away from her face, extracting the mixture of crushed pepper, ground up poison herbs and metal shavings from her eyes, contained is a teal orb, and casually flicked them away.

She With the Red and Gold Hair pointed her sword at Miku. "I've hunted and killed many blood witches before. Congratulations, you're the first to ever get the drop on me. Clever, clever. For that, I won't hack your body to pieces, just take your right hand as my troph--Aah!"

Miku used the woman's monologue as a distraction to weave a spell that she finished by shouting one word..."Bleed!" Blood squirted from She With the Red and Gold Hair's eyes, causing her to shout in a mixture of pain and surprise as she reeled away.

"Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! You got to talking and let her get the drop on you!"

Miku didn't know if the woman was talking to herself or someone else. She didn't bother to stick around. She leapt to her feet and ran as fast as her feet could carry her. She ran for what felt like an eternity. Her lungs burned like fire and her muscles screamed in protest, but she didn't stop until she reached a cliff overlooking a river. Her pulse thundering in her ears, heart pounding in her chest like a war drum, breath rushing in and out of her lungs like wind in a typhoon. She turned and looked back the way she come.

She With the Red and Gold Hair appeared in a small blink of light giving mock applause. "We've had our little fun run, now you die." The woman's hand went to the sword at her hip with the quickness and ease of someone who has killed many times before.

Without even thinking, Miku flung herself backwards over the cliff, the curved blade of the katana only making purchase on her kimono. Down-down-down she fell and the last thing she saw before plunging into the water of the river was the woman leaning over the edge of the cliff, watching her.

For hours Miku rode the currents of the river, until she washed up on a sandbar. Dragging herself out of the water, she stayed there long enough to cough up the water she had inhaled and drag the few errant fish out of her clothes that had gotten caught there. She trekked across the land, stopping at a small farmer's hut.

Miku banged frantically on the door. When the door opened, revealing the man of the house, armed with only a sickle, she flung herself inside. She plead with the farmer and his family, claiming that she had been captured by bandits and had barely escaped by leaping in the river. That night she feasted on the farmer's food, the farmer's blood, his wife's blood and his children's blood, she didn't even spare their infant laying in the crib. She needed the blood to stave off the the withering effects that years of Maho had inflicted on her, not enough to stop it or reverse it, but enough to slow it down for now.

in the early hours of the morning, before the sun came up, Miku stepped out of the farmer's abode, dressed in his wife's clothing, hurled a lit torch onto the thatch room and set out before the one who hunted her caught up.

For weeks she hurried across Rokugan, stopping long enough to rest and perform a sacrifice to stave off the withering effects of Maho. She stayed away from populated areas unless absolutely necessary, not because she feared any Emerald Magistrates or blood witch hunters, but because it made it easier for the one hunting her to hid in crowds and alleyways.

In an abandoned village in Unicorn territory, Miku encountered a strange gaijin woman dressed in a ragged cloak. The woman's skin was a deep brown, like the color of loam, her eyes were a deep, dark brown, almost black, her hair was a dark ebony. The two had sheltered together in an abandoned hut, seeking shelter from a storm. They shared a small pot of stew that smelled and tasted of foreign spices.

The two shared stories. The dark-skinned gaijin woman called herself Rampal Harinakshi1 spoke of being from a land called the Ivory Kingdoms. She was part of a religion called the Destroyers, they worshiped a four-armed goddess called Kali-Ma. She had been sent by the high priest of her sect to Rokugan to scout out the land and seek out converts. Miku told about why she joined a Bloodspeaker cult and became a Maho-tsukai. How she had used blood magic to give her unnatural powers and summon demons from Jigoku to make pacts to gain power. She didn't know why she was being so candid with Rampal, there was something so...appealing about her.

Miku and Rampal quickly struck up a deal. Miku quickly taught her some Maho, nothing powerful, just a few minor scrying spells using blood. Rampal taught her how to call upon the shadows to cloak herself and blind enemies. The two were suddenly away that there was someone else in the abandoned village with them. The sound of footfalls and a feminine voice calling out in a mocking tone.

"Shit! She With the Hair of Red and Gold! She found me! We need to go now!"

Rampal held up a hand. "Calm yourself. I will get us out of here." She chanted some words in a strange tongue.

Everything went black. Miku blinked and a moment later she was standing on the top of a hill half a Li away, overlooking the abandoned village. "Thank you, Rampal! I owe you!"

"If you wish to honor your debt to me, make your way to the Burning Sands. I shall be waiting for you there to take you back to my homeland. Be warned, if you choose not to honor the deal, then the messengers of the great Kali-Ma will come and claim you body and soul." Rampal pulled a stick of incense from inside her cloak, lit it and chanted in a strange tongue. A portal of blackness opened behind her and she stepped through.

For weeks Miku stayed ahead of her pursuer. She stopped for a few hours beside a road that led into the Burning Sands. She waylaid travelers who were traveling on their own or who had gotten separated from their group to sacrifice them in blood rituals. She needed as much dark power as possible to fuel her Maho. She With the Red and Gold Hair wasn't far behind and she hoped to make it to the Burning Sands before her hunter caught up with her.

The transition into the Burning Sands wasn't sudden, but it was stark. The verdant plains and hills, and the rocky mountain of Rokugan gave way to a land of yellow, sandy dunes. The sun overhead heated the sands until they were hot as a furnace. The dryness and heat of the desert robbed the moisture from her mouth. It was no small miracle the Unicorn clan survived the journey through this hot place during their self-imposed exile.

Miku had little time to waste. She Withe the Red and Gold Hair would be upon her soon. She had purposefully left behind an easy-to-find trail of blood and death. She went to work setting up her ambush, setting up barriers and traps using blood magic...at best she'd have a few hours, so she worked quickly.

Finishing the last of her barriers and traps, Miku uncorked a waterskin filled with Maho-infused blood and drank it down. The dark magic filled her body as the blood filled her stomach, she'd need every last dram and drop of it to fight off her hunter. Once finished, she dug a shallow trench, laid in it, spread her cloak over herself and waited.

The attack came as the sun lazed in the afternoon sky. She With the Red and Gold Hair broke through her first barriers like they were made of rice paper and avoided or dispelled her traps with ease. Miku watched from her hiding place as the woman broke through her first layers of defenses with brute force and finesse, it was almost as if she had experience with combating Maho. Once the woman broke through the second layer of defenses, Miku sprung into action. Calling upon the dark power, she summoned up a blighted fireball that would burn flesh and soul, and hurled it at her attacker.

Miku stared in disbelief as the fireball broke around the woman like waves against rocks, the air around her shimmered in a teal light. This woman was able to summon a nearly invisible shield around herself. Was this some sort of ring magic she had never seen before or was this woman using some sort of gaijin magic?

Miku quickly fired a bolt of black lightning at the ground in front of her attacker, kicking up a cloud of sand and dust, the sprinted to a new location. A bolt of teal light fired through the cloud of sand and dust, striking the ground and exploding where she had been just a moment before. She ducked behind a low dune and shoved a finger down her throat, retching up some of the infused blood she had drank earlier. The dark magic that infused it kept it from clotting and clabbering in her stomach. She formed the blood into three shards, sprung up from behind the low dune and hurled it at the woman. The first two shards bounced off of her nearly invisible shield, the third was caught in a field of teal light and crushed into rusty red dust.

Miku was preparing another spell when a bands of teal light wrapped around her chest, waist and thighs. She was quickly and swiftly pulled down to her knees. She With the Red and Gold Hair was still walking forward at a brisk pack, she placed a hand on the hilt of her sword and vanished in a blank of light. Miku played her second-to-last gambit, forcing herself to vomit up most of the remaining infused blood in her stomach, transforming it into a cone of black and crimson flames.

She With the Red and Gold Hair appeared in the middle of the cone of corrupted flames. She let out a shout of pain and shock as she staggered away. The bands of light binding Miku vanished and she rolled backwards down the dune.

Rising to her feet, Miku saw the woman recovering from the surprise attack. Smoke was curling up from her clothes as small corrupted flames burn on them, her straw hat was burning on the edges and she had scorch marks on her face. "So you can be wounded!", Miku shouted. "Good to know!"

The woman flicked the burning had off her head, revealing a glorious crown of hair, striped in ruby and gold. She quickly shed her burning kimono, leaving only her loincloth and chest wraps as the only thing shielding her modesty. The woman locked her large teal eyes, burning like coals in a forge, on Miku. For a split second they flashed white and then the woman let out a shout of fury before charging.

Miku quickly jammed a pair of fingers down her throat, vomiting up the last of the infused blood. This was her last gambit, she had no more Maho-infused blood in her stomach. She quickly formed the blood into a hardened wall, it wouldn;t stop her attacker, she didn't need it to, just slow her down just long enough for one last desperation attack. She crouched slight and prepared to launch a lance of dark magic.

The hardened blood wall shattered like porcelain and Miku paused for a split second. For a split second she didn't see a woman coming through the shattered blood wall, but a pony with amber fur, a horn on its head and a mane of ruby and gold, but those large teal eyes that burned like fire were the same.

A split second was all her attacker needed. A sharp blow drove the air from her lungs, breaking the spells she had prepared and sending her crashing hard onto her back. She With the Red and Gold Hair stomp on Miku's chest, pinning her in place, Miku could only watch helpless as the woman stood over her and prepared to plunge the sword into her. Time seemed to slow down, down-down-down the point of the sword came.

Suddenly four-armed beasts of shadow leapt onto She With the Red and Gold Hair, pulling her off Miku. The woman bellowed with rage as she slashed, punched, kicked and bit at the shadow beasts. A dark brown hand grabbed her by the collar and dragged her to safety. Rampal! Rampal had shown up to save her finally!

"I apologize for not stepping sooner, but I had to see this woman with my own eyes. She is truly a remarkable warrior and I see now why you fear her. Worry not, the great and powerful Kali-Ma has seen that you are worthy to learn her gifts. You will learn her gifts and when the time is right, you will return to lay the foundations for our great goddess' conquest."

Darkness and fire surrounded them both. A moment later Miku was standing before a great temple complex carved out of a massive slab of black stone. Around the temple strode great four-armed beasts of bronze and iron, with fires burning in their mouths. Blood ran in bright crimson rivulets down the temple steps.

Miku snapped out of her memories. Ten years she had learned the secrets of the Destroyer Cult in the Ivory Kingdoms. Ten years she had reveled in orgies of sex and blood and violence and fire. Ten years she drank deep of the darkness of Kali-Ma. Ten years she taught the Destroyers the secrets of Maho.

She was no longer simply Miku the Bloodsinger, she was also Miku the Dark-drinker. She was the servant of Fu Leng and the Great and Powerful goddess Kali-Ma. She wielded the power of Maho and Desruction. Her long time companion, Rampal, had outlived her usefulness three years ago, she put her to the knife, burning her body in sacrifice to Kali-Ma and offering up her soul to Fu Leng.

Fu Leng, however, is a jealous Kami who does not share power...or worshipers.

Sunset Shimmer was walking down the road, making her way to Fox territory. Whispers filled the air and the shadows lengthened around her. Reaching for her katana, she drew it and struck with a single blow meant to kill.

A traveler, dressed in black and purple, wearing a broad straw hat, stepped out of the shadows and caught Sunset's sword between two fingers. His red eyes peered out from under his broad straw straw hat, studying Sunset's sword and stance. "A good strike. Such good form. Let's see. Let's see. All the power of Hida with the grace of Doji. Ah, yes! The fierceness of Akodo, mixed with the adaptability of Shinjo. Oh, and what's this? Just a little bit of the sneakiness of Bayushi. Such an interesting blend of forms. Yes. Yes! You would make a worth opponent, Sunset Shimmer, child of Celestia, daughter of Equestria." He released Sunset's blade. "Yes, I know who you are and I see why the Darkness hunts you."

Sunset circled the traveler, keeping her sword pointed at the traveler. "Begone, demon. I do not make deals with your kind. Begone or I will strike your head from your shoulders."

"Some have called me demon. But know this, little pony, child of Celestia, daughter of Equestria...I am no demon." The traveler clapped his hands. "I must commend you. You are the first to wound me in over a thousand years." He held up his hand, showing the wounds on his fingers. "Of course the Little Sage had a band of seven with him. I see why the oni are wary of you."

Sunset held up her left hand and a teal glow surrounded it. "Do not offer me deals or gifts, demon. I will not accept."

The traveler circled Sunset as she was circling him.

"No, no no! I do not come to strike bargains or make deals...at least not today." The traveler gazed at Sunset from under the brim of his straw hat with eyes blazing like red coals. "Oh how I have so wanted to see pony magic up close ever since I caught a glimpse of you coming into this world all those long years ago. I see now, it does not come from the rings or the celestial dragons or Jigoku or even from here in Ningen-Do, it comes from within you, but also flows...from a tree of silver crystal. That is a bit of a surprise!"

Tell me, Sunset Shimmer, child of Celestia, daughter of Equestria, has your sun goddess told you of she and her sister's failure against the Shadow King? No? Ah, well, no matter. All gods and goddesses must keep their secrets."

Sunset lunged at the traveler. He stepped aside, allowing the thrust to pass him by. She quickly turned on her heel and slashed horizontally at him. He leaned out of the way of the strike. She followed up witha series of lightning-quick slashed and thrusts. He calmly walked backward, leaning out of the way of every strike and thrust. She gave a single powerful thrust and he leapt over her, landing several feet behind her.

The traveler clapped his hands. "Such good form! Power, grace, fierceness, adaptability. There were a few times where I thought you were going to strike me and you got close with that last thrust. I haven't felt this invigorated in a long time, not since I first made war against my brothers and sisters."

Sunset vanished in a blink of light and reappeared behind the traveler. She swung her sword at his neck. He ducked under her swing and with a chop to her wrist, knocked the sword from her hand. She grabbed her tanto and thrust at his throat.

The traveler leapt away several feet and clapped his hands. "Good! Good! There's that Bayushi sneakiness! Did you learn at their dojos? Of course you didn't. Look at that hair, look at that skin, look at those eyes, you would have stuck out like a craftsman's sore thumb at the Kaiu Wall. Tell me, when you do your disappearing act, do you move through the space between spaces, or do you move along the strings of fate?" He paused for a second. "No answer? You make me sad."

Sunset reached down with her hand. A teal glow surrounded her fingers and her sword levitated up to her hand.

"Well, that's different."

Sunset prepared for a charge.

The traveler held up his hand. "Easy now, Sunset Shimmer, child of Celestia, daughter of Equestria. We've had our fun and our fight is over...for now. I have other matters to attend to, so I yield to you, honorable bushi. Though the next time we meet, please ensure you have a full daisho...after all a wakisashi is a badge of office for a bushi." He turned to leave, paused and turned back. "Oh, in all out fun, I nearly forgot why I came here." He tapped his fingers to his temple. "I'd forget my head if it wasn't attached. Now what was I going to say? Hmm... Oh yeah! The Destroyer, she may already know of you and the woman you're hunting...What was her name? What was her name? Ah, hmm... Oh yes, Miku! Miku is yours to hunt, all of her students are yours to claim. But she is mine to take! I warn you now, little pony, if you claim her, you will find that my anger is something to behold and we won't be having a fun sparing session."

The traveler bowed to Sunset. "For now, Fare thee well, Sunset Shimmer, child of Celestia, daughter of Equestria and champion of the people of the Emerald Empire. Until our next meeting." The shadows lengthened and he disappeared into them.

Author's Note

1 I used an l5r name generator to come up with her name. You cancheck it out here if you want to check out the names for fun or if you want to use it in your game(if you play l5r) to come up with a name for your player character or NPC.

For the fans of l5r, you know who Sunset just had an encounter with. For those who aren't l5r fans, that was the Fallen Kami, Fu Leng. What are his intention confronting her? Only he knows.