Meeting Destiny [Free/Sousuke]

[Mikaboshi]

Masashi Katsuo​

Resting his fingers against the door of the great hall which the locals referred to as the "Seat of Power", Katsuo exhaled a deep breath and pushed his way into the room with a light shove. The massive door slowly creaked out of his way as he entered and laid eyes on the Diamond Throne for the first time. The chair of his ancestors. The chair of his father.

Katsuo had never been fortunate enough to know Sunahoshi Hiro as they'd fled the village before he was born and the last Kazekage perished to Plague Preserver assassination before he had the opportunity to see his newborn son. Even still, standing here in the place where his father had once held court gave him a sense of... what? It wasn't quite closeness. He had no memories of his father to feel close to. No, the feeling that surrounded him was a singular sense of rightness despite his apprehension about even coming here. He could not deny the strange feeling that had inextricably drawn him to this place. It was that same feeling which urged him forward to find the men responsible for his father's death and had brought him today to stand in the presence of the Diamond Throne and perhaps even the spirits of Kazekages long departed.

"Alright, I'm here." He quietly remarked the empty room as he slowly advanced across it to where the Diamond Throne sat at the far end of the room and ran his fingertips across it's smooth, polished surface. "What is it about this place that... calls to me? Is it the spirits of this place? Or is it you? Are you watching me, even now?"

A sound at the large doors of the room stopped Katsuo's one-sided conversation just as he was about to tell the possibly imagined spirits of ancient Kazekages that he had no desire to be one of them. He'd come to Sand to bring his father's murderers to justice so that Hiro's spirit could rest easy. Even though he'd never met the man he owed him that, at the very least. Taking his hand off of the Diamond Throne, Katsuo turned his head towards the doors concerned that someone had caught him talking to himself... or more accurately to the Throne itself.

 

[Takahashi Aki]

It had been an age since the Seat of Power actually had a visitor. One that was not Sousuke. The Steward had the room kept clean and spotless in the event that a Sunahoshi should return. A habit he had of checking the room daily, most days he found nothing, but today he found someone. The frail Steward came into the room and found a stranger there. "Most curious."<i></i> He would begin. Sousuke wore his usual casual attire. He wore a black shirt with a pair of white eyes and a snarling mouth with a tongue on it. He wore a pair of grey pants and a beaded wrist band. "I heard something and came to investigate ... suspecting it to be a trick on the mind, but no... someone is actually here. How extraordinary ... how very extraordinary."<i></i> Sousuke's dark eyes locked onto the visitor. His now blue irises clearly reading the individual.

"Traveller. Not of suna origins, but perhaps one who has roots in Suna."<i></i> He began his analysis. "You've come here ... not because you truly wish to be here ... but because something has drawn you. The fact that we are here, I suspect that your lineage is that of the First Men ... as many other seats of noble houses are present here as well, the Diamond Throne being the first and foremost... "<i></i> He tapped his fingers together. "You know your way around the storm, but I do not think you had to make use of a particular skill set, merely you know your way. I suspect you came through East Watch, and then came by the Eagle Nest... "<i></i> He tapped his fingers together yet again, "I suspect you to be of noble lineage, and are attempting to trace your roots, because you have heard of this particular room. Even with those of such a lineage of the current generation rarely come here ... because they think that politics is an old man's game and not for young people."<i></i> Sousuke placed his hands in his pockets. "Hrm... I'm forgetting something here ... oh what is it...?"<i></i> The Steward's eyes narrowed as he focused his gaze upon the floor. "Oh. Yes. I am Takahashi Sousuke the third. Son of Takahashi Judori and Masashi Chiyoko... but I prefer being called Sousuke really."<i></i>

 

[Mikaboshi]

"I'm surprised you could tell all that about me from observation." Replied Katsuo with a genuine grin if only because the conversation allowed his thoughts to stray away from the destiny that he didn't want. He'd never met the man but as Sousuke spoke he understood who he'd come face to face with. This was the Steward of Sunagakure. The Steward-Kazekage if he'd heard tell right. Rubbing the back of his head with right hand as he moved over to where Sousuke was, Katsuo chuckled a little. "To tell you the truth I'm also a bit disappointed I'm so easy to see through."

Looking down at Sousuke, the height difference between them was not entirely clear until Katsuo was standing right before him. At 6'2", Katsuo was a tower of a man. Built of out of corded muscles and tanned skin, Katsuo was a paragon of the Wind Country native that lived on the surface. He wore a linen shirt which fit a little loosely and a pair of trousers the color of fresh milk with a long coat of the same color as his pants which seemed to be made out some kind of light leather.

"I'm Masashi Katsuo. I've heard talk about you, Sousuke. They say you're some kind of genius." His statement lacked any duplicitous meaning. The Steward-Kazekage occasionally was mentioned around the caravan and certainly on the frontier. How could he not be? Taking his head off of his head, he thrust it forward towards Sousuke in greeting. Unlike many travelers which were likely to come to Sunagakure, Katsuo did not bow or kneel before the Steward. They were family. A little distant he had to admit. But Masashi tradition demanded that no matter their titles the two men stood as equals unless one of them proved to be of less than ideal ethical fiber. "Glad to finally meet you."

 

[Takahashi Aki]

Sousuke merely shrugged, "A picture is worth more than a thousand words, but a physical engagement suggests even more. People see but they do not observe, you seem to get it but what you weren't able to foresee was how much I could gather given your setting in addition to your appearance."<i></i> Sousuke would continue to listen as the strange said that he was disappointed that he could be described so easily. "Oh. I'm sure I've only scratched the surface really. There is plenty more to be observed..."<i></i> The stranger approached Sousuke. More and more descriptions seem to come to the Steward's mind as he observed him. He was taller than Sousuke, and so the Steward had to look up.

The stranger then spoke his name. Masashi Katsuo... not a name Sousuke was familiar with. Sousuke's eyes narrowed as he took in the man's appearance. Well the resemblance was there. Certain features such as the sharp eyes. Yes. It was in the eyes. Sousuke had the same eyes as well. Not in colour of course, but the looks and gazes. "A genius? Hmm... well a genius of a specific series of fields. Not an overall genius."<i></i> Sousuke denoted that this man did not bow before him, and took immediately to calling him Sousuke. Oh. Yes. This man was family of course. Most likely a cousin twice or thrice removed. Katsuo thrust his hand before Sousuke. The Steward looked down at his hand. "Ah. Yes. This is not your weapon hand. You've used it from time to time before as combat has sometimes dictated to you that your main hand was wounded or not in proper form. Your off hand so to speak... I would gather that your accuracy and power are ... maybe forty-two percent away from your normal efficiency. "<i></i> Sousuke was then given pause. His eyes shifted to the left. No. This was not it. "Aaa--aaah. Yes. You wanted to shake my hand didn't you? Yes. Quite."<i></i> Sousuke shook Katsuo's hand. His opposite hand now doing what Katuso was doing a few moments ago and rubbing the back of his neck. There was a form of awkwardness to this now. "This is incredibly awkward for me .... Grandmother, ... being Masashi Mako is sometimes hard pressed to speak her links to the family. She's always been a bit of a lone wolf, and mother was raised not really by grandmother but with Lady Azame of House Toraono. By defacto lack of action by Grandmother, my mother is the Masashi representative here ... she is often times hounded by the Uchiha household ... I regret to say that I or my mother weren't raised with all the proper traditions due to such circumstances. Mother always received instructional letters from cousin Sheena, they're quite close. Her daughter is Kyoko who is a sort of pen pal of mine. Sheena nor Kyoko who lives in the caravan have never spoke to me of you before. She's always delighted to hear from me ... she often ends her letters with many hearts. She uhm ... often inquired when I would visit the caravan and lately she's been very interested in my ... uhm female friend of closeness."<i></i>

WC:536

 

[Mikaboshi]

Releasing Sousuke's hand as the Steward began to ramble about his family and a little bit about his childhood in Sand. Was he like this with everyone? He'd heard that the Steward was eccentric but this was not what he was expecting. Katsuo wasn't quite sure what he had been expecting but this was not it.

"'You're Kyoko's pen-pal? Man. Small world." Katsuo laughed without losing his beaming smile. Looking down at his hand, Katsuo stretched his fingers as he considered Sousuke's assessment of him. "As for my off-hand, you're almost right. I can fight with either hand, I just prefer my left hand. My teacher used to tell me that a fighter which can only use one hand effectively is only half a fighter to start with."

His teacher had actually been his mother. Inara had done her best to teach Katsuo what she knew about fighting but as a child he rapidly had outpaced what she could teach him. While he lacked the legendary diamond sands of the Sunahoshi and had limited expertise with Genjutsu and Ninjutsu, Katsuo had always been a voracious consumer of martial knowledge and an extremely quick study to boot. Naturally the power of the Zenjingan had aided his ability to replicate the physical movements of his teachers and opponents, his body developed muscle memory for movements much quicker than the average person giving him an edge growing up against the other Masashi cadets.

"Don't worry about traditions. It wouldn't exactly be fair of me to expect you to know all of them when you've never even been to the caravan before, would it?" The Masashi were notoriously dedicated to their family traditions and were just as secretive about them. It was no surprise to Katsuo that Sousuke's mother could be described as a lone wolf in Sunagakure. Many Masashi struggled during their time away from the caravan as many of them never spent very long stretches of time away from being surrounded by family and clan members. Knowing from first hand experience it was a tough thing to overcome but he found that once he had defeated that dependency towards his family while traveling from place to place it was not something that bothered him often.

"Speaking of traditions. It suddenly occurs to me that I am probably trespassing in this place, aren't I?" He laughed again. "You know how it is. They tell stories of the Diamond Throne of Sunagakure all across Wind Country. I had to see it at least once."

 

[Takahashi Aki]

There was a slightly unnatural pause as Sousuke watched Katsuo. Given the pause, and the amount of information was processed ... it was more than likely the thought of Sousuke rambling had entered his mind. Sousuke bit his lip as it would seem that yes. Katsuo had just caught on. "Yes... quite... I suspect by now you've come to terms that I ramble from time to time... it is a thing I've tried to improve on."<i></i> Sousuke scratched the back of his head again. Yes... while he was attempting to become a superior Takahashi Sousuke, but this was one of the few areas he wasn't proving to be superior in. He did try to form sentences with less words, but ... those weren't moments to be proud of.

"I've always wondered why people say the world is small."<i></i> Sousuke would say in response to Katsuo's claim that the world was small, "Yes though. I am her pen-pal ... I should be expecting a message from her in six hours, forty-two minutes and ... twenty-two seconds. She's very precise about her timing."<i></i> The Steward then listened to the bit about Katsuo's hand. Apparently he was ambidextrous... but he just preferred his left. "Ah. That I did not account for ... but I am logging this as a mental note to self to observe both hands."<i></i> Sousuke always did take notes when he was off even slightly and he took several more notes when he was wrong. This was merely a case of the former than the latter.

Katsuo assured him not to overly worry about traditions, and how he was not fair to be expected to know of such when he wasn't present. "Yes well... tradition is what binds us together. Be it that we are descendants of the First Men, or merely the fact that ... we are Masashi. Well, more so.. I am in part."<i></i> When Katsuo spoke of him as a trespasser, Sousuke shook his head. "Not at all. Mother has a seat here of course... I suspect someday Kyoko will come to take said set once mother has retired, or passed away. Still though the Diamond Throne should be visible to all. A reminder of the One King, his legacy, and ... a constant reminder that the Sunahoshi are still out there. I may be the Steward, but we're king's men. Not the king."<i></i>

 

[Mikaboshi]

Sousuke's words reminded Katsuo of the looming, ever-present fact of his reality: that seat was meant for him.

He couldn't say that there wasn't some allure to the idea of being a king. Especially one of such a legendary place as Sunagakure. But he was much more Masashi than he was Sunahoshi. He'd never known his father and was only now beginning to truly learn of him. His mother tried to explain as much as she could but as a fifteen year old Katsuo had not received the information well. He had been happy in his little bubble world; at home in the Masashi caravan. He had aspirations of becoming a hunter like he'd believed his father had been. Then Inara tore open that bubble with the news that he was the son of the late Kazekage and destined for the throne of Sunagakure. What kind of news was that? He had come to Sunagakure to learn about his father and to find his killers. Not to take the throne from Sousuke.

But as Sousuke and he observed the inert Diamond Throne Katsuo could not help but feel as if Sousuke perhaps desired the arrival of a Sunahoshi.

"What if they aren't?" Katsuo mused, a pall of seriousness falling over the conversation.

 

[Takahashi Aki]

"If they weren't then..."<i></i> Sousuke was hard pressed. He had awaited for a Sunahoshi to take back the throne, but to be completely honest he had never really seen one in the flesh. He had studied all the great houses, read of their characteristics, knew what to expect, and yet ... yet appearances were always deceiving. "If they're not out there."<i></i> He motioned upward to the surface, "Then they should embrace their birth right and take back the throne. I have tried very hard to present to them a realm that is intact. A realm worth the return to."<i></i> He paused. While Sousuke was indeed a young man, it was visible that there was a sort of strain on him. A tiredness. Visibly there were the scars on his face. Sousuke was a fighter, and a hard one at that. He may not be a physical imposing figure, but he relied upon his intellect, his armour, his heart, and his will to get the job done.

Sousuke would slowly turn his head to face Katsuo. The young man exhaled, and all of his tiredness and stress seemed to be dispelled, and replaced by a particular cold nature. Cold and calculating. The genius as it were. Sousuke placed his hands together, his fingers knitted together save for his two index fingers. "There's something you know that I don't. I like to think that I am well informed, but clearly there is something I am missing. Something that is as plain as day, but is hiding in sight."<i></i> Sousuke observed. He fell silent thinking. Analyzing. Reading Katsuo. "Kyoko never told me about you. She never told me that you were coming. Hm... why would she not do that, furthermore, she never spoke to me of you."<i></i>

 

[Mikaboshi]

"Could be that she just forgot about me. I left the Masashi when I was fifteen to find my place in the world. Made a name for myself out in the winds." Lifting his right hand, Katsuo indicated the tattoo of the Masashi mitsudomoe on the back of his hand. "At first I was just a wanderer. Then rumors started going around about a guy who could throw fire from his hands and liked to beat up monsters. Eventually they started calling me the Dune Wolf because I never stayed in one place long enough to give my name. I haven't been home in almost a decade."

Katsuo continued to look at the Diamond Throne as he talked about his recent past. He'd fought many battles since leaving the Masashi caravan. Some of them against the desert itself but most of them against the tyranny of evil men and monsters and had the scars to prove it though he'd been lucky enough so far to avoid taking any of them to the face.

"As for the Sunahoshi... I meant what gives you so much certainty that they're still out there? The last Kazekage only had one brother and a pregnant wife. They could both be dead, you know?" Katsuo went on, his voice quiet as the talked. It seemed that he was deliberately ignoring the train of thought that Sousuke was going down. That wasn't a topic he was ready to broach with the Steward but if he fled the scene it would only look more suspicious and Sousuke would be compelled to chase him. Katsuo wasn't the most versed man when it came to dealing with other people but he could reason that much. "Would it really be such a tragedy if a Sunahoshi never sat on the Diamond Throne again?"

 

[Takahashi Aki]

"She could have ... and if you left when you were fifteen, and now it being maybe thirteen years later..."<i></i> Sousuke had to admit, he had a point. Thirteen years was a little more than half of Sousuke's life. Sousuke listened to Katsuo's story, and as he told it Sousuke pictured the young man doing just as he said. Slaying monsters, demons, traditional Masashi trade. "You and my mother have a lot in common... the both of you sort of stay away from things. Like I mentioned earlier she abhors clans politics and evaded it by mainly going about in her youth to conquer certain evils. When she met my father she decided to dial back on her activities and ... stay in Suna more often."<i></i>

One would have thought that Katsuo would have put a damper on Sousuke. "Hope, Masashi Katsuo, hope. There is power in hope. I would like to think one of them will return."<i></i>He paused for a moment. Going over what next Katsuo had said. "It has always been this way Katsuo. I'm in a period of time that will pass, I am no different than Shiro who held power by regency in his time. It was a matter of time until Kai grew up, granted when she did... she fell victim to Quan's dark sorcery. Shiro despite being relieved of duty still rode to her aid."<i></i> His gaze shifted to the throne. From what he knew of Hiro, he pictured Hiro's son on the throne. No. Maybe it wasn't a son, maybe it was a daughter. "I was raised to know when and where to stop. We Takahashi know our duty, and we are bound to it. A friend of mine, Roku, he wished so hard that he could break me of my duties to my work. That I told him was simply an impossibility. Roku is nowhere to be found these days. Perhaps he gave up on his wish, or perhaps he retired realizing that ... that I would outlive time itself to see a Sunahoshi return to the throne."<i></i> He shook his head. Roku and Saemon. He missed them both. Still though. Sousuke could not put down his work. He had to forge ahead. He had to keep going.

 

[Mikaboshi]

Sousuke's words reached at something deep inside Katsuo. He had been raised on the stories of the One King and his First Men and idolized them in the same way that many Masashi youth did. Primus was their patron saint and in many ways he was revered as almost something akin to a god by their more religious members. In the earliest of days the Masashi had been given the task by Sunahoshi Nori to guard the wilds of Wind Country. To protect the people that Sunagakure could not with all of their power and cunning. He'd taken those lessons to heart as a child and believed that there could be no higher honor for him than to serve in the Masashi dunewalkers to fight injustice and evil. Then his mother had presented him with a new destiny. A new duty. He was the son of a king and carried in his veins the blood of a demigod. The very same One King that he'd grown up playing pretend as. But when faced with that truth he could do nothing but run from it. He didn't want to be Kazekage. To him that duty was to sit upon a chair and be tended to by others. He wanted to protect others with his own power, not just the power of his nation.

Even still with his reticence towards the throne... here he was. He'd trained for thirteen long years so he could come here and stand in this spot. When he'd learned his father had been assassinated... no. Murdered. It consumed him. Anger, sadness, frustration. Originally he'd believed that his father had been taken by the claws of some demon or beast. Somehow that had been easier to believe than to know that his father had been a great man who'd had his life cut short by the hands of another human. In front of the grave that he'd always been told was his father's Katsuo had sworn an oath that he would find the men responsible and bring them to justice. To see them punished for the ill deeds that they'd paid his family.

But even then he had not promised to take the throne. Was it petty of him not to want it? That was a question which weighed on Katsuo's mind more often than he liked. Was he turning his back on those stories of valor and virtue by choosing to evade his "destiny"? What would Primus have thought of his decision? Blowing a sigh from his lips, Katsuo reached out and pulled one of the council chairs from the table and fell into it. It didn't even occur to him that perhaps that seat was meant for someone else. At that moment he simply felt the need to sit.

"You don't sound like you're very fond of being the Steward, Sousuke." He said, looking down at the ground with his green hair sweeping about his face. "Have you ever considered giving up on it? There's a big world out there, you know. Things you can't even imagine."

 

[Takahashi Aki]

"Stewardship is fine. It is not so simple in my case. I am Steward-Kazekage. I am entrusted with the realm, its people, its development, survival, everything. If I was Steward I would merely advise and aid the Kazekage."<i></i> Sousuke hesitated. "I am loathe to say this, but I'm a high functioning anti-social, emotionally challenged, autistic-directive, singularly focused, and obsessive compulsive. A lot of characteristics there that are not ... ... on the higher tier of leadership qualities. I would like to very much to be working in my lab at Keystone but I can't. Duty and family honour compels me to act and to become something more. I cannot turn my back upon my family and their long history. Yes, Shiro the third did not become Steward, and so it fell to someone else. I have no siblings. There is no alternative, and so I must work past all of my defects."<i></i>

Sousuke shook his head at what Katsuo said. "Impossible. The world is vast and big yes. Only recently had I learned that Leaf Nation has been embroiled in civil war. Mist has suffered a level ten catastrophe and is frozen in an ice age. Mist refugees are present in Suna as we speak. I have an inkling of what's out there. Perhaps someday I will travel the world... and I suspect I will have to due to an invitation of the Mizukage to see his neutral grounds in moon country. Still though, I do this for Sungakure and for the realm."<i></i> He paused for a moment. He shook his head. "Tell me, is the ocean worth seeing? I've heard of its vastness and depth. I've read of it seen pictures, but I personally have never seen it. My view of the world at the moment is that of a shattered place. What else is there up there?"<i></i>

 

[Mikaboshi]

Sousuke listed his flaws and Katsuo listened. The Steward was a flawed man but the same could be said of everyone. No human alive was without their faults. But even with his limitations and struggles, Sousuke accepted his role as a service of duty to his people, his realm and to his family. The Takahashi had long been stationed the duty of being the stewards to the Sunahoshi Family and ensuring the safety of Sunagakure proper just as the Masashi had been given the task of making safe the frontier of Wind Country. In that way they were so much the opposite of each other that they were almost kin. Still, as he considered Sousuke's words Katsuo had to pointedly remind himself as he considered his own family that he was not a Masashi.

"The world's a shattered place alright. Even here in Wind Country. Bandit clans and beasts roam the desert at will taking advantage of whoever they can. Small villages can disappear over-night to some monster or villain. I've spent my whole life fighting that chaos." Explained Katsuo before looking up, the hint of a smile pulling at the sides of his mouth as he did. "But there's so much more to it than that. There's life and hope and happiness. Even out in the winds people manage to make their lives work. It's... amazing, really."

Mist and Leaf were destroyed. Two powerful shinobi nations brought low. No doubt the people of both nations suffered as their cities collapsed. It sounded as if the people of Leaf still suffered due to their on-going civil war. And Katsuo could not say that things were substantially better in the Wind Country. Sunagakure was clearly reeling from pressure being put upon it. He'd read about the supernatural monster calling itself the Djinn which had taken the conglomerate might of the shinobi village to defeat. Barnyx was dead but the Plague Preservers which used his heart to manufacture deadly contagions still roamed free. No doubt those bandit clans which harassed the people on the fringe had roots here in Sunagakure. There were whole generations of men and women being born under the rock canopy of the cavern rather than the glorious sun. Where was the justice in that? Katsuo had come to Sunagakure to put right the wrong of his father's murderers going unpunished for their crime but after having arrived he could see there was more to it than that. If he owed it to his father's memory to see that his killers were imprisoned... didn't he owe it to him to see that his legacy was honored as well?

He wished the answer was no but every fiber of his being told him yes. He had no more desire to be Kazekage than Sousuke but there was no justice in forcing Sousuke to endure the mantle only because he did not want it.

"And... what if I told you that there was an alternative?"

 

[Takahashi Aki]

Sousuke tried to picture what Katsuo had spoken of. Small villages being destroyed overnight. These were foes that his mother battled. "Magnetica."<i></i> He said, "Bandit clans out there aren't simple greedy individuals. We engaged in a group of them recently who laid siege to Suna. We repelled them but with a cost of course. I am unsure if she struck anyone else, but I am quite certain she could indeed destroy a small village at will. These people. Some of them have to steal to survive, that I have no issue with. Then you have those who pillage to merely acquire mass wealth, and wish to destroy for the sake of doing so. Those are the ones who need to be stopped."<i></i> Sousuke with some difficulty managed to have a sour expression upon his face. Sousuke's mood seemed to be quite sour in fact. Yes. He had to care for people under his roof, but there were those who were outside of his ability to help. Sousuke's eyes hit the floor, and remained there for quite some time. He listened to Katsuo speak of how amongst all the vile activity up top that there was hope, life, and happiness. That people managed to make their lives somewhat decent. "I can't say that I've seen that... granted I've only known our borders. I was ... maybe six or seven the first time I had seen the sun proper. That wasn't because my parents held me back, that was because of my condition. It hurt my eyes, and the warmth felt unnatural. Most of my childhood was circumstantial in the sense that I was unwell."<i></i>

Sousuke's mood seemed to slightly adjust when Katsuo spoke of there being an alternative. His eyes looked up for the floor looking at Katsuo. Sousuke's eyes intently locked on. He wasn't blinking, he was listening very closely. Alternatives weren't ... a thing usually. Sousuke dealt with absolutes. An alternative? To what? The Stewardship? The Sunahoshi? His place in this world? What was there an alternative to? Sousuke read into the many situations present.

 

[Mikaboshi]

The path of bravery is beyond what we are ready for. It is beyond what we think is possible. The path of bravery begins at the impossible.

Words from an ancient training scroll for the Masashi drifted into Katsuo's consciousness. They described the process of transcending the fear of self-concern and becoming a force for good without regard for the effect upon one's own life. Ancients by their very nature were creatures that exceeded the limitations of humanity. They lived indefinitely unless destroyed, could not be brought low by natural sickness and could wield the elements as extensions of their own spiritual presence. All of that was stacked upon beyond human strength and durability. The only creature in the Wind Country which could exceed the average ancient in threat were aged sandworms but they were rare and even to the current day typically docile unless antagonized. For that reason it become neccessary for the Masashi to become experts at steeling their hearts against the soul-crushing fear and despair that facing an ancient in battle could induce.

This was no battle with an ancient or sandworm but Katsuo almost wished it were. That would have been simpler in lots of ways.

"You were right. Before. There is something I know that you don't." Katsuo began slowly with a heavy sigh, standing up from his chair and looking at Sousuke with his smile replaced by a serious expression. "I already introduced myself as Masashi Katsuo. What you don't know is my mother's name is Masashi Inara. And my father..." He stopped for a moment as if a man standing upon the highest ledge and reconsidering his decision to leap from it, "...was Sunahoshi Hiro."

 

[Takahashi Aki]

Sousuke listened as he usually did. Masashi Inara was the most accomplished swordsmistress of her generation, said to rival even Lady Azame. That was indeed impressive. No. There was something else. If Inara was his mother ... then who was his father? The name came, and the Steward was indeed speechless. The Masashi were indeed an old house in Wind Country. They had very little reason to lie. Granted his grandmother was not always truthful, she wasn't exactly a liar either. His grandmother was reckless with the truth, that is what the best way he could put it. His mother he had never known to lie to him. Thus once you have ruled out the truly impossible, what remains must be the truth. Sousuke knelt down on both knees. He lowered his head and looked only at Katsuo's feet.

The time had come. Sousuke had waited for this moment since he had been born, and more so when he became Steward-Kazekage. A realization came over Sousuke though. The storms though. They had not stopped though. "Forgive me Kazekage, I am not the genius who have heard that I am, the storms, I have failed you utterly as a Steward-Kazekage to present to you a realm that befits you. That is why the storm continues?"</B><i></i> Sousuke did not raise his head or his eyes. He merely continued to stare at Katsuo's feet. A sickening feeling came over the Steward. That was surely the reason why the storms had not ceased. <B>"Your throne awaits your ascent." Sousuke would slowly raise his head but slightly.

 

[Mikaboshi]

Katsuo visibly winced as Sousuke went to his knee in front of him. He hated the idea of others bowing before him; it was one of the only things that made him truly uncomfortable. For a man that believed whole-heartedly in freedom and the greater good seeing others kneel in subservience to him felt like a betrayal of everything he stood for.

"Get up off of the floor, Sousuke." Katsuo said as he knelt next to Sousuke and set his hand on the Steward's shoulder. "I won't have men kneeling before me. Truth be told, I didn't tell you that so that I could take the throne. I told you because you are my blood and I don't want to keep secrets from you."

Sousuke mentioned the ending storm named the Diamond Maelstrom as he stared into the ground. Another thing he'd heard the stories about but had only recently witnessed. It was centered in this region of the Maw of Barnyx and never moved. Was the prevailing theory in Sand that the Maelstrom persisted because a Sunahoshi didn't sit on the throne? That it was some kind of divine punishment? He hoped not. Unlike his forefathers, Katsuo did not possess the power over the diamond sands and could not quell the Maelstorm any more than Sousuke could.

"And don't call me Kazekage. Just... just Katsuo. I'm not your Kage." He intentionally left off the word "yet". He had no intention of taking the throne from Sousuke.

 

[Takahashi Aki]

Sousuke rose up from the floor as was commanded. That was the word of his Kazekage, and so he had to comply. This was the one who he was to give power to. What he said next gave Sousuke a pause. He heard Kautso speak of how he would not have men kneeling before him. Sousuke was tempted to say that he would have to get used to the kneeling, but then he said something that made Sousuke think, and think hard. That they were of the same blood. It took Sousuke a moment to realize what was being said. Yes. The Masashi line. It was true. Sousuke was too of that noble old house. His loving mother had deep roots in that old house. "Blood of my blood..."<i></i> He murmured.

What Katsuo said next caused Sousuke to blink. He replayed the words in his head. It was not what he expected to hear, but then again ... what he expected from Katsuo was not what he received. Sousuke opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. He was stunned. "N-n-no?"<i></i> Sousuke questioned. It would seem that Katsuo did not wish to become Kazekage. "J-just Katsuo."<i></i> Sousuke was in a state of shock. He opened his mouth again, and then closed it promptly. Why? Why would he not wish to become Kazekage? He stopped to think it out. "You took the name Masashi because you ... ... I assume you don't wish to be linked back to your lineage for reasons that are your own? Or perhaps you have only learned of your father's lineage? Or was it to merely ... keep you safe and sound from harm? Yet ... and yet travelled to explore this world."<i></i> Sousuke tried to figure out what he could in the fastest amount of time. "I'm trying to rationalize this in my mind. It is taking me longer than usual. The shock of your lineage, and your ... position in regards to being the Kazekage. Shiro the third didn't become Steward because he... the name Shiro brings with it a grand history, and he felt incapable of proving worthy. This though is not the case for you."<i></i>

 

[Mikaboshi]

Sousuke stood and Katsuo nodded. This was as it should be. Regardless of Katsuo's parentage, nothing had changed between them from the moment that they'd introduced themselves. They were brothers by blood and Katsuo would not see another man-- much less a Masashi --kneel at his feet. Especially not simply for the fact that he was the son of a man which he'd never met.

"I never met my father, Sousuke. This is the first time I've ever been to Sunagakure." Explained Katsuo, gesturing to the room around him. "I was born and raised a son of the desert. By your city's standards, I'm basically a hobo."

Katsuo grinned at that. He felt almost a sense of pride from it. His only possessions were those that he carried with him in a leather sack. He slept where ever he could find shelter, depending on the generosity of others to make his way in the world while he soldiered on through the endless battle that the Masashi were sworn to fight against evil.

"To top it off, I can't wield the diamond sands like my father could. What sort of Kazekage could I be to these people?" The justification was slim but sturdy. He was a homeless wanderer who wrestled beasts and criminals for a living. He knew next to nothing about politics or city life. And he certainly wasn't the heir to the throne that the people of Sunagakure were waiting for. He didn't possess the legendary diamond sands which could dispel the Maelstrom. "These people here in Sunagakure don't need my protection. They've got you and the rest of Sand's shinobi. But the people out on the fringe? In the winds? They need every ounce of protection they can get."

 

[Takahashi Aki]

"You seem to know your way around... being that this if your first time here. Then again the Kazekage tower is not hard to miss."<i></i> Sousuke tried very hard to consider the concept of Katsuo as a hobo. It was a most difficult thing to imagine considering his kingly lineage. Although Sousuke would never tell Katsuo, he did manage to picture him with a paper crown sitting on his head and with it a large smile. The image would shatter quickly as Katsuo spoke that he could not wield the diamond sands. It was certainly outside of his expectations. Most, like 99% of the Sunahoshi could make use of the diamond sands except for very few. "A name does hold the greatest of meaning to people. It means quite a bit to me... if not your father then even your mother is a person of exceptional ability."<i></i> Sousuke would weakly say.

Sousuke would merely shake his head. It seemed that Katsuo would not rise to accept the crown which so rightly should sit upon his head. Still though... there may be something he would take. Sousuke's eyes narrowed and focused upon a particular tile upon the floor. "If you will not take the crown, would you consider taking your father's sword?"<i></i> Sousuke would conjure up his chakra. This sickly blue chakra would crawl down and word towards a particular tile. The symbol of the sunahoshi would burn brightly and the tile would dissemble itself only to reveal a hole in the ground. The sounds of clicks and clanks could be heard as something was rising up. It was a giant crystal, and within it was the sword Sousuke spoke of. "We Takahashi encased the sword in a protective crystal case. Even though you lack the ability to use the diamond sands, your touch should be able to shatter the crystal case."<i></i> He explained, "Wielded by your father, and his mother before him, and her father before her... perhaps you have heard of it?"<i></i> Sousuke would not speak its name. "A secret well kept it is. Hidden in plain sight from our foes, awaiting the touch of its lineage's hold."<i></i>