So. Much. This.
And it's tangential to the specific point here, but: the majority of the stories I've personally written for L5R have been capped at three thousand words. I think for two of them, I've been permitted to go up to four thousand. By now you all probably have a general sense of how much that feels like, but for context, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America define a short story as anything up to 7500 words. Now, we have the advantage of not needing to make each fiction completely self-contained -- we can get away with skipping a bunch of the exposition we'd have to do for an ordinary tale, and not delivering full closure at the end -- but even so, we're constrained to the bottom *half* of what's usually considered short story territory. So yeah, in DGL's shoes, I likewise would not have chosen to devote words to how Toturi learned about a piece of secret history and how he had reacted to it at the time, when the purpose of bringing that up was mostly to provide context for something happening in the present moment. We're not just writing short stories, we're writing fairly small ones, and it is often tough to work at that length.

We've reached #100.  Congratulations FFG!
 

Episode 1 of Challenge Focus Strike! is now available on all major podcast platforms. In this episode a case of mistaken identity leads to a supernatural cold case that could have ramifications for an entire village. https://cfspod.weebly.com/home/episode-1-ghost-of-a-chance Anchor: https://bit.ly/37SjkHW Apple: https://apple.co/31bEX4K Spotify: https://spoti.fi/37WpGGc Stitcher: https://bit.ly/2Yvpgnv   Follow us on Twitter: @CFSPod  

Our Podcast Court Games has an interview with Max Brooke and Katrina Ostrander discussing Building a School as in Path of Waves you might be interested in.

https://courtgamespod.com/podcast/5e-school-creation-w-katrina-ostrander-and-max-brooke/
 
We also built the Kakita Artisan School in there you might want to take a look at:
 
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tzYpcgGcLfVCrG_ZEJMg2AJv8mt56NaJ/view
 
Hope you enjoy!

It's been enough years, I'm making this my own.

This list started out as a list by @Maffster , found  Here.  But since he is not able to update it, I've taken it over for him.  Everything on this list appears sorted by the date of publication. As such, I've modified it from the original list where there are discrepancies.   If it is associated with a box or card pack set, it is associated with the date that product was released. If it was associated with a novel, it is associated with the date it went on sale on the market.
If you want to know when events occur relative to each other in time, you can find it here, at my New 5r Timeline.  Since events in the timeline often interweave each other or are functionally simultaneous, or contain flashbacks of various lengths, I suggest reading in order of release, rather than by timeline.  Also, this timeline has summaries of the fictions for you to refer to and other tools.
If you want to listen to an audio version of many of these stories, you can find them at https://the-table-is-yours.pinecast.co/.
The Great Clans - This flavor text is from the Box set but is a better introduction to L5R than any fiction, and is suggested to start here before launching into the fictions.
01 - Her Fathers Daughter
02 - The Price Of War
03 - The Rising Wave
04 - Dark Hands Of Heaven
05 - Risen From The Flames
06 - Curved Blades
07 - Smokeless Fire
08 - The World, A Stage
09 - An Empire In Turmoil ...........(PDF Version)
10 - A Season Of War ...........(PDF Version)
11 - A Most Suitable Teacher
12 - In the Garden of Lies (Part 1)
13 - In the Garden of Lies (Part 2)
14 - To The South (Part 1)
15 - To The South (Part 2)
16 - The Fate of Flames
17 - Better To Be Certain
18 - The Fires of Justice
19 - The Stories We Tell
20 - Blind Ambition  ...........(PDF Version)
21 - Service and Sacrifice
22 - A Difference Of Lanterns ...........(PDF Version)
23 - Beneath, Below, Beyond
24 - Family Duty ...........(PDF Version)
25 - Flying Chariot, Standing
26 - Court Games ...........(PDF Version)
27 - Honor, Loyalty, Duty
28 - The Bright Flame of the World's Glory ...........(PDF Version)
29 - Wildcats And Dragon Teeth
30 - Fireflies ...........(PDF Version)
31 - The Spectres of War
32- Repentance Does Not Come First
33 - The Sword and the Spirits
34 - Tempests and Tides ...........(PDF Version)
35 - A Crane Takes Flight
36 - Gaze Into Darkness ...........(PDF Version)
37 - Kurosunai Village
38 - Awakened ...........(PDF Version)
39 - Dreams of Shadow ...........(PDF Version)
40 - Outsiders
41 - Heart of the Garden
42 - Snow And Sun ...........(PDF Version)
43 - Between the Lines
44 - A Swift End ...........(PDF Version)
45 - Whispers of Shadow and Steel
46 – Tiger Stalks His Prey
47 - A Simple Test
48 - A Call to Stewardship - Unicorn Clan Letter
49 - A Call to Leadership - Lion Clan Letter
50 - A Call to Witness - Dragon Clan Letter
51 - A Call for Diplomacy - Crane Clan Letter
52 - A Call for Unity - Phoenix Clan Letter
53 - A Call to Investigate - Crab Clan Letter
54 - A Call to Duty - Scorpion Clan Letter
55 - Small Mercies
56 – Imperial Gifts
57 - Across the Burning Sands
58 – Children of the Empire Part 1
59 – Children of the Empire Part 2
60 – Children of the Empire Part 3
61 -Like Seeds on the Wind
62 – Rule from Horseback
63 – The Last Stone Played
64 – Tactical Maneuvers
65 – 2019 Clan Letters
66 – Falling Stars
67 – By the Stroke of a Brush
68 – Red Petals Scatter
69 – Two Swords Fall from Heaven
70 – Black and White
71 – Behind the Empty Throne
72 – Roar of the Lioness
73 – Wind Through Falling Leaves
74 – The Price of Failure
75 - The Eternal Knot
76 – Trust Me
77 – A Game of Promises
78 – The Cornered Lion Part 1
79 – The Cornered Lion Part 2
80 – Bloody Harvest
81 – Pine and Cherry Blossom
82 – We Strike First
83 – Beyond Reach
84 – What the Eye Cannot See
85 – A Night Storm Rages
86 – Cold Autumn Harvests
87 – Hidden Markings
88 - The Art of Matchmaking
89 - How the World Ought to Work 
90 - Caged Birds
91 - Violence Behind Courtliness
92 - Truth and Lies 
93 - Courtly Nets and Hidden Snares
94 - The Sea and the Sun's Shadow
95 - Heart of the Mountain
96 - A Missive from the Front - Lion Clan
97 - A Missive from the Front - Unicorn Clan
98 - A Secret Letter - Scorpion Clan
99 - A Discerning Eye and an Unyielding Resolve
100 - Daidoji
101 - Beneath the Light of Jade
102 - The Shadow of Glory
103 - Duty's Cost
104 - The Stained Cup
105 - Trail of Shadows
106 - The Last Leaf Falls
107 - When the Wave Strikes the Shore
108 - Questionable Shelter
109 - What Cost a Dream
`110 - An Impossible Task
111 - The Yogo Curse Part 1
112 - The Yogo Curse Part 2
113 - The Careful Gardener

Looking forward to listen to this. Great cast btw. AlsoI really love your logo.

If you are interested in a more Emergent Narrative podcast with 5th Edition Mechanics, like Powered by the Apocalypse, you can find our sister AP Podcast at Crimson Gold Agonies at

‪Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5LyBwPzyjXUo9DwhOEKhvt?si=B63a_YWCSIea3ganw-KI-Q‬&fbclid=IwAR2InZJJGsVUyeaxYRkSKK7gWbD_P7wbeaS30Pnn6CeMsyGSgCBWevzuU1o
‪Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/.../crimson-gold.../id1517912593‬

Our first episode for an Actual Play Podcast for L5R 5th Edition, Fortune and Strife, began today, with new episodes coming out every Monday. This podcast focuses on strong characters, a classic format with a fun storyline, and 5th Edition Mechanics.
Episode 1 "A Father's Love" is out now for Fortune and Strife:
RSS: https://pinecast.com/feed/fortune-and-strife
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1Is9EQwJ6838bIPz2a2Rct?si=-P9GM2baRcubActRMavmQA&fbclid=IwAR2AV07qU2-1dGUWEwsLeTXP_BnQmCvd4MEI2R6TKrxidgsCoMeyA15tqAc
Patreon (public): https://patreon.com/posts/38256915
Apple and Google to come shortly.

I was fortunate enough to get a review copy of the novel. If you are so inclined, you can find my (spoiler-free) review here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3383923940

Our Podcast Court Games has an interview with Max Brooke and Katrina Ostrander discussing Building a School as in Path of Waves you might be interested in.

https://courtgamespod.com/podcast/5e-school-creation-w-katrina-ostrander-and-max-brooke/
 
We also built the Kakita Artisan School in there you might want to take a look at:
 
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tzYpcgGcLfVCrG_ZEJMg2AJv8mt56NaJ/view
 
Hope you enjoy!

Thanks for sharing. I finished listening to the episode and was looking forward to se the final product. Thanks for sharing.

Our Podcast Court Games has an interview with Max Brooke and Katrina Ostrander discussing Building a School as in Path of Waves you might be interested in.

https://courtgamespod.com/podcast/5e-school-creation-w-katrina-ostrander-and-max-brooke/
 
We also built the Kakita Artisan School in there you might want to take a look at:
 
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tzYpcgGcLfVCrG_ZEJMg2AJv8mt56NaJ/view
 
Hope you enjoy!

Our Podcast Court Games has an interview with Max Brooke and Katrina Ostrander discussing Building a School as in Path of Waves you might be interested in.

https://courtgamespod.com/podcast/5e-school-creation-w-katrina-ostrander-and-max-brooke/
 
We also built the Kakita Artisan School in there you might want to take a look at:
 
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tzYpcgGcLfVCrG_ZEJMg2AJv8mt56NaJ/view
 
Hope you enjoy!

Our Podcast Court Games has an interview with Max Brooke and Katrina Ostrander discussing Building a School as in Path of Waves you might be interested in.

https://courtgamespod.com/podcast/5e-school-creation-w-katrina-ostrander-and-max-brooke/
 
We also built the Kakita Artisan School in there you might want to take a look at:
 
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tzYpcgGcLfVCrG_ZEJMg2AJv8mt56NaJ/view
 
Hope you enjoy!

I hope there's not a Shadowlands playable faction, but it could be super cool for L5R to get a cooperative version of the card game where the players go against a prebuilt/self run kind of Shadowlands deck.

I'm cool with it being a very much longer, and more torturous road before we ever reach that point, but if the story does get there, then...I hope Sukune is someone we love and are heartbroken about that he should have such happen to him.  And the story could be wild and amazing.
 
It could happen with time.

For now, A unifier in the Shadowlands...a tiny foretaste of what might come.

I hope there's not a Shadowlands playable faction, but it could be super cool for L5R to get a cooperative version of the card game where the players go against a prebuilt/self run kind of Shadowlands deck.

I hope there's not a Shadowlands playable faction, but it could be super cool for L5R to get a cooperative version of the card game where the players go against a prebuilt/self run kind of Shadowlands deck.

I hope there's not a Shadowlands playable faction, but it could be super cool for L5R to get a cooperative version of the card game where the players go against a prebuilt/self run kind of Shadowlands deck.

I hope there's not a Shadowlands playable faction, but it could be super cool for L5R to get a cooperative version of the card game where the players go against a prebuilt/self run kind of Shadowlands deck.

I personally hope it /is/ that.
 

Man, I have some catching up to do!

It's been enough years, I'm making this my own.

This list started out as a list by @Maffster , found  Here.  But since he is not able to update it, I've taken it over for him.  Everything on this list appears sorted by the date of publication. As such, I've modified it from the original list where there are discrepancies.   If it is associated with a box or card pack set, it is associated with the date that product was released. If it was associated with a novel, it is associated with the date it went on sale on the market.
If you want to know when events occur relative to each other in time, you can find it here, at my New 5r Timeline.  Since events in the timeline often interweave each other or are functionally simultaneous, or contain flashbacks of various lengths, I suggest reading in order of release, rather than by timeline.  Also, this timeline has summaries of the fictions for you to refer to and other tools.
If you want to listen to an audio version of many of these stories, you can find them at https://the-table-is-yours.pinecast.co/.
The Great Clans - This flavor text is from the Box set but is a better introduction to L5R than any fiction, and is suggested to start here before launching into the fictions.
01 - Her Fathers Daughter
02 - The Price Of War
03 - The Rising Wave
04 - Dark Hands Of Heaven
05 - Risen From The Flames
06 - Curved Blades
07 - Smokeless Fire
08 - The World, A Stage
09 - An Empire In Turmoil ...........(PDF Version)
10 - A Season Of War ...........(PDF Version)
11 - A Most Suitable Teacher
12 - In the Garden of Lies (Part 1)
13 - In the Garden of Lies (Part 2)
14 - To The South (Part 1)
15 - To The South (Part 2)
16 - The Fate of Flames
17 - Better To Be Certain
18 - The Fires of Justice
19 - The Stories We Tell
20 - Blind Ambition  ...........(PDF Version)
21 - Service and Sacrifice
22 - A Difference Of Lanterns ...........(PDF Version)
23 - Beneath, Below, Beyond
24 - Family Duty ...........(PDF Version)
25 - Flying Chariot, Standing
26 - Court Games ...........(PDF Version)
27 - Honor, Loyalty, Duty
28 - The Bright Flame of the World's Glory ...........(PDF Version)
29 - Wildcats And Dragon Teeth
30 - Fireflies ...........(PDF Version)
31 - The Spectres of War
32- Repentance Does Not Come First
33 - The Sword and the Spirits
34 - Tempests and Tides ...........(PDF Version)
35 - A Crane Takes Flight
36 - Gaze Into Darkness ...........(PDF Version)
37 - Kurosunai Village
38 - Awakened ...........(PDF Version)
39 - Dreams of Shadow ...........(PDF Version)
40 - Outsiders
41 - Heart of the Garden
42 - Snow And Sun ...........(PDF Version)
43 - Between the Lines
44 - A Swift End ...........(PDF Version)
45 - Whispers of Shadow and Steel
46 – Tiger Stalks His Prey
47 - A Simple Test
48 - A Call to Stewardship - Unicorn Clan Letter
49 - A Call to Leadership - Lion Clan Letter
50 - A Call to Witness - Dragon Clan Letter
51 - A Call for Diplomacy - Crane Clan Letter
52 - A Call for Unity - Phoenix Clan Letter
53 - A Call to Investigate - Crab Clan Letter
54 - A Call to Duty - Scorpion Clan Letter
55 - Small Mercies
56 – Imperial Gifts
57 - Across the Burning Sands
58 – Children of the Empire Part 1
59 – Children of the Empire Part 2
60 – Children of the Empire Part 3
61 -Like Seeds on the Wind
62 – Rule from Horseback
63 – The Last Stone Played
64 – Tactical Maneuvers
65 – 2019 Clan Letters
66 – Falling Stars
67 – By the Stroke of a Brush
68 – Red Petals Scatter
69 – Two Swords Fall from Heaven
70 – Black and White
71 – Behind the Empty Throne
72 – Roar of the Lioness
73 – Wind Through Falling Leaves
74 – The Price of Failure
75 - The Eternal Knot
76 – Trust Me
77 – A Game of Promises
78 – The Cornered Lion Part 1
79 – The Cornered Lion Part 2
80 – Bloody Harvest
81 – Pine and Cherry Blossom
82 – We Strike First
83 – Beyond Reach
84 – What the Eye Cannot See
85 – A Night Storm Rages
86 – Cold Autumn Harvests
87 – Hidden Markings
88 - The Art of Matchmaking
89 - How the World Ought to Work 
90 - Caged Birds
91 - Violence Behind Courtliness
92 - Truth and Lies 
93 - Courtly Nets and Hidden Snares
94 - The Sea and the Sun's Shadow
95 - Heart of the Mountain
96 - A Missive from the Front - Lion Clan
97 - A Missive from the Front - Unicorn Clan
98 - A Secret Letter - Scorpion Clan
99 - A Discerning Eye and an Unyielding Resolve
100 - Daidoji
101 - Beneath the Light of Jade
102 - The Shadow of Glory
103 - Duty's Cost
104 - The Stained Cup
105 - Trail of Shadows
106 - The Last Leaf Falls
107 - When the Wave Strikes the Shore
108 - Questionable Shelter
109 - What Cost a Dream
`110 - An Impossible Task
111 - The Yogo Curse Part 1
112 - The Yogo Curse Part 2
113 - The Careful Gardener

I don't think you understood Hotaru in this story at all.

Please let me break it down.
 
If Hotaru took the Crane armies back to Kyuden Doji, it would be abandoning the Osari plains to the Lion, abandoning Kintani Valley, and making her, and the Crane, look like a terrible losers to all their enemies. 
If Hotaru took the armies to back up Daidoji Uji, she'd get in his way, imply that he and her brother weren't competent, and force her tired men into another full war.  As well as playing right into Matsu Tsuko's hands, because the whole point of why Tsuko is there is to kill Doji Hotaru.
If Hotaru, however, took her Armies to Toshi Ranbo, that reasserts the Crane Clan claim on both Toshi Ranbo and the Osari Plains,  makes it look like she is taking bold action, and having the right of being 'in Residence' when the Scorpion inevitably withdraw from the city, because they will, either because Shoju will need to consolidate power as regent, or  because he will need to weaken the Scorpion's position some so the clans are satisfied with him being Regent. 
 
Thus, she decides to take her armies to Toshi Ranbo.
However, she doesn't really want to /fight/ the Scorpion over Toshi Ranbo. If she did fight the Scorpion, she might look like she was going against Imperial Edict. Her men are exhausted anyway. And she'd make both the Imperial Armies AND the Scorpion as yet another set of enemies. This would be very bad for the Crane.
Therefore, her goal is to take her armies to Toshi Ranbo and winter there /without/ fighting or bloodshed. 
 
Originally, her argument, made through Tsume Itsuyo, was going to be, "We (Crane, Phoenix, and Tsume) think the Lion are going to turn and attack Toshi Ranbo like they did Kyuden Kakita, therefore, we have brought the Crane armies  here to stay so that the Lion Armies won't defeat the Imperial/Scorpion forces here".  A secondary, though unstated part of this strategy is to just have enough forces from enough clans that Yojiro just caves out of being intimidated. Her third backup plan is to engineer a situation where it's Yojiro's word against her own as clan champion, and claim that Yojiro either did something or said something that required her to take Toshi Ranbo.
However, in the negotiation, Yojiro pretty neatly dodged her traps.  He didn't let himself be intimidated, and he pointed out the weakest point in her argument against defending against the Lion....by countering that the Lion would be more likely attack Toshi Ranbo if she were there.  So she was in the process of looking for how to engineer the situation when she saw Kachiko.
Kachiko suddenly and unexpectedly provided a fourth way of capturing the city.  If Hotaru claimed Yojiro had captured Kachiko, and would duel him to free her, she could defeat or kill Yojiro, and then claim Toshi Ranbo because its magistrate was dead after dishonorably capturing the Imperial Advisor. All the plan needed was for Kachiko to play along, and Kachiko already indicated to Hotaru that it seemed she had been captured there.  This duel is /purely/ political gain for Hotaru...claiming the city honorably and without a big fight or going against the Imperial legions.   Shoju would have to play along, or have his own weaknesses exposed.

Kachiko did no play along, however, showing more loyalty to Shoju than to Hotaru by saying she wasn't captured.  She did, however, understand what Hotaru's position was, and realized having Hotaru there would make her own position much better too. Therefore she negotiated and got Yojiro to let Hotaru stay and keep command of the city, making it the best for both the Crane and Scorpion.

This is not saying that personal feelings weren't there, or that Hotaru would never do anything that would cause her to be manipulated by Kachiko.  But that's not what happened here.



Now, on the other matter.  When Hotaru burned Kachiko's confession, that doesn't suddenly make 'Hotaru a big traitor'.  First, attempted murder, in Rokugan, is not the same thing as in modern time. I mean, Toshimoko tried some attempted murder on Hotaru just for fun the night before.  While Kachiko has every reason to think Toturi didn't escape, Hotaru knows Toturi better, and may very well think that there is every possibility he did. Hotaru's job is not enforcing Imperial Law, and she is not obligated to report every criminal act she ever finds out, by either honor or law.  And finally, Hotaru is well aware of how it would destroy the Empire if she reports it.  Because then it would all come out. Reporting that the old Emperor had been murdered by the initial heir, destroying the divinity of the Hantei line? That'd shatter the faith in the Empire, which is why Kachiko was covering it up in the first place, and why Miya Satoshi agreed to it so easily. Showing that Kachiko used a body double and that Bayushi Shoju was using the body double in her place? That would shatter the Scorpion as well as every agreement Kachiko...or Shoju...ever brokered, undermining even moreso his legitimacy as regent.  It would defy the public order Shoju had given to his Scorpion...to keep Kachiko safe. Having it become public knowledge at all that Kachiko was in Toshi Ranbo (as opposed to known to just those few people in the room)? It would look /terrible/  for her to the Rest of the Crane, because it would look like she had gone to Toshi Ranbo just to rescue Kachiko. 

To protect herself, the Crane, the Scorpion, and the entire Empire, what Kachiko had done to Toturi needed to be kept secret.

The only thing wrong that Hotaru did, maybe, was not write  privately to Shoju to tell him Kachiko's confession. But why should she?  Shoju let one murderer...Sotorii...pass as is.  Why would he not hide the second one? (his, potential, wife)  Quietly reporting it to Shoju would just make it more likely Shoju would make Hotaru dead and put the Crane at a big disadvantage in the court.  Not so good.

You can love someone and still think clearly about things.

I don't think you understood Hotaru in this story at all.

Please let me break it down.
 
If Hotaru took the Crane armies back to Kyuden Doji, it would be abandoning the Osari plains to the Lion, abandoning Kintani Valley, and making her, and the Crane, look like a terrible losers to all their enemies. 
If Hotaru took the armies to back up Daidoji Uji, she'd get in his way, imply that he and her brother weren't competent, and force her tired men into another full war.  As well as playing right into Matsu Tsuko's hands, because the whole point of why Tsuko is there is to kill Doji Hotaru.
If Hotaru, however, took her Armies to Toshi Ranbo, that reasserts the Crane Clan claim on both Toshi Ranbo and the Osari Plains,  makes it look like she is taking bold action, and having the right of being 'in Residence' when the Scorpion inevitably withdraw from the city, because they will, either because Shoju will need to consolidate power as regent, or  because he will need to weaken the Scorpion's position some so the clans are satisfied with him being Regent. 
 
Thus, she decides to take her armies to Toshi Ranbo.
However, she doesn't really want to /fight/ the Scorpion over Toshi Ranbo. If she did fight the Scorpion, she might look like she was going against Imperial Edict. Her men are exhausted anyway. And she'd make both the Imperial Armies AND the Scorpion as yet another set of enemies. This would be very bad for the Crane.
Therefore, her goal is to take her armies to Toshi Ranbo and winter there /without/ fighting or bloodshed. 
 
Originally, her argument, made through Tsume Itsuyo, was going to be, "We (Crane, Phoenix, and Tsume) think the Lion are going to turn and attack Toshi Ranbo like they did Kyuden Kakita, therefore, we have brought the Crane armies  here to stay so that the Lion Armies won't defeat the Imperial/Scorpion forces here".  A secondary, though unstated part of this strategy is to just have enough forces from enough clans that Yojiro just caves out of being intimidated. Her third backup plan is to engineer a situation where it's Yojiro's word against her own as clan champion, and claim that Yojiro either did something or said something that required her to take Toshi Ranbo.
However, in the negotiation, Yojiro pretty neatly dodged her traps.  He didn't let himself be intimidated, and he pointed out the weakest point in her argument against defending against the Lion....by countering that the Lion would be more likely attack Toshi Ranbo if she were there.  So she was in the process of looking for how to engineer the situation when she saw Kachiko.
Kachiko suddenly and unexpectedly provided a fourth way of capturing the city.  If Hotaru claimed Yojiro had captured Kachiko, and would duel him to free her, she could defeat or kill Yojiro, and then claim Toshi Ranbo because its magistrate was dead after dishonorably capturing the Imperial Advisor. All the plan needed was for Kachiko to play along, and Kachiko already indicated to Hotaru that it seemed she had been captured there.  This duel is /purely/ political gain for Hotaru...claiming the city honorably and without a big fight or going against the Imperial legions.   Shoju would have to play along, or have his own weaknesses exposed.

Kachiko did no play along, however, showing more loyalty to Shoju than to Hotaru by saying she wasn't captured.  She did, however, understand what Hotaru's position was, and realized having Hotaru there would make her own position much better too. Therefore she negotiated and got Yojiro to let Hotaru stay and keep command of the city, making it the best for both the Crane and Scorpion.

This is not saying that personal feelings weren't there, or that Hotaru would never do anything that would cause her to be manipulated by Kachiko.  But that's not what happened here.



Now, on the other matter.  When Hotaru burned Kachiko's confession, that doesn't suddenly make 'Hotaru a big traitor'.  First, attempted murder, in Rokugan, is not the same thing as in modern time. I mean, Toshimoko tried some attempted murder on Hotaru just for fun the night before.  While Kachiko has every reason to think Toturi didn't escape, Hotaru knows Toturi better, and may very well think that there is every possibility he did. Hotaru's job is not enforcing Imperial Law, and she is not obligated to report every criminal act she ever finds out, by either honor or law.  And finally, Hotaru is well aware of how it would destroy the Empire if she reports it.  Because then it would all come out. Reporting that the old Emperor had been murdered by the initial heir, destroying the divinity of the Hantei line? That'd shatter the faith in the Empire, which is why Kachiko was covering it up in the first place, and why Miya Satoshi agreed to it so easily. Showing that Kachiko used a body double and that Bayushi Shoju was using the body double in her place? That would shatter the Scorpion as well as every agreement Kachiko...or Shoju...ever brokered, undermining even moreso his legitimacy as regent.  It would defy the public order Shoju had given to his Scorpion...to keep Kachiko safe. Having it become public knowledge at all that Kachiko was in Toshi Ranbo (as opposed to known to just those few people in the room)? It would look /terrible/  for her to the Rest of the Crane, because it would look like she had gone to Toshi Ranbo just to rescue Kachiko. 

To protect herself, the Crane, the Scorpion, and the entire Empire, what Kachiko had done to Toturi needed to be kept secret.

The only thing wrong that Hotaru did, maybe, was not write  privately to Shoju to tell him Kachiko's confession. But why should she?  Shoju let one murderer...Sotorii...pass as is.  Why would he not hide the second one? (his, potential, wife)  Quietly reporting it to Shoju would just make it more likely Shoju would make Hotaru dead and put the Crane at a big disadvantage in the court.  Not so good.

You can love someone and still think clearly about things.