Hiruma Aki

Hiruma Aki was a bushi and berserker of the Crab Clan.
== Family ==
His parents were slain by an oni. Gempukku Gang (Imperial Herald v2#22), by Shawn Carman Aki had an elder sister, Hiruma Akio, The Burning Wall, Part 1, by Nancy Sauer although she felt that the Shadowlands was a more important matter to invest time in that supposed prophets. Hiruma Akio (Death at Koten flavor)
== Childhood ==
Aki was just a child when his parents died in service atop the Great Carpenter Wall. He remembered the day his uncle came and informed him of their death, and that he would be living with his cousins until he could earn a place in the dojo. On that day, Aki's lint died. Every day since then, he has prepared for his body to follow suit. 
== Demeanor ==
Aki craved battle. He longed for the chance to kill goblins, ogres, trolls, and oni. He despised the lull between combats, because then there was nothing to distract him from the emptiness he felt. He had known nothing but battle, or preparation for battle, his entire life. He had no friends, and no one he could confide in save for his sensei. It was perhaps for that reason that his sensei begun to find other duties for the young berserker to fulfill, hoping that he would find something in life that he can enjoy before he finally met his end in the same manner as his parents. 
== Prowess ==
In 1169 during his first night on the Kaiu Wall Aki single-handedly killed a Hashi no Oni. Hida Kuon saved him from fallen from the top of the wall. The First Line, by Rusty Priske
== The Prophet ==
Aki helped protect the Mantis prophet Kitsune Narako Hiruma Aki Exp (Honor's Veil flavor) from the unknown assailants who haunted the Kitsune Mori. Kakita Hideo and Kitsuki Taiko had gathered Aki alongside with Yoritomo Saburo and the four went to Kyuden Kitsune. The Mantis did not see their pressence necessary, because the attacks had stopped. Aki saw it as the calm before the tempest, and he expected new attacks when the prophet's guard lowered their attention. Taiko and Hideo departed to deliver their request to the Mantis, while Aki and Saburo went to Narako's side. They soon found tracks that the unknown assailants had never left the Kitsune Mori. Scenes from the Empire VIII, by Brian Yoon
=== Shadow Dragon's threat revealed ===
Aki asked his family to send him several items, as Spirit ribbons, fingers of jade, ritual scrolls, and others as such, to see if any of them worked against the misterious bandits. He alongside Saburo were successful with crystal, which led to the Lying Darkness's heir, the Shadow Dragon, as the mastermind of the attacks. They returned to Prophet Village, and with Hideo, Taiko, Bayushi Eisaku, and Utaku Kohana confronted the Shadow Dragon, but they were powerless to stop the Dragon's attack. The Shadow Dragon wanted to absorb Narako in order to gain her powers of prophecy, but when the Shadow Dragon tried to absorb Narako, he triggered another prophecy and was ejected from her body and fled. Narako told them the prophecy was to be repeated only to the Empress, but the Empire had no emperor at time yet. She remained under Mantis protection, and her guardians were forbidden to see the prophet again. One month later Kitsuki Iweko became the Empress Iweko I Shadows in the Forest, by Shawn Carman
== Defending the Wall ==
In 1171 Aki and his sister were stationed on the Kaiu Wall while it suffered a relentless attack from horde of demons and beasts from the Shadowlands. 
== Confronting Kali-Ma ==
As the Destroyer's army battered at the Kaiu Wall in the month of the Rooster of 1171, Imperial Histories 2, p. 250 Aki journeyed with several other samurai into the Shadowlands to ascertain the source of the threat. The party was joined by Akodo Shunori and Moto Juncheng at the wall, and the ronin Hiroe, agreed to guide them through the Shadowlands. With her help, the group was able to navigate to the very heart of the Destroyer army and were the first Rokugani to witness the power of Kali-Ma. Hiroe panicked and began casting a maho spell to shield the group; but was killed by Hiruma Aki, who had seen what was doing the disguised maho-tsukai and preferred to die pure. Blood & Shadow, Part 1, by Brian Yoon
== Death ==
Kali-Ma told them of her plans to crush the Empire. Aki refused to submit to the gaijin Demon's will, and Kali-Ma tore him apart. Blood & Shadow, Part 2, by Rusty Priske and Shawn Carman
== See also ==
* Hiruma Aki/Meta
== External Links ==
* Hiruma Aki (Samurai)
* Hiruma Aki Exp (Honor's Veil)
Category:Crab Clan Members