The Lightning Country Saga: Act 2, Scene 2
It was now the end of the tenth monthly cycle of the year, and the countryside around the Cloud plains was a barren brown hue that heralded the passing of the year’s final harvest. Chancellor of the Bakufuu Tachibana Ami peered out at this drab and uninteresting scene through one of the few, small portholes on the sides of the Raiden’s Breath that actually communicated with the outside world, in an attempt to calm her growing nervousness. The war had not touched this part of the country as noticeably as it had around the major cities, probably because the Ryuu-loyal PMC forces knew that they risked incurring the outright wrath of Kumogakure should they start to plunder the lands around the mountain that hosted the village, interrupting its supplies of food and day laborers.
So far, even after the near-fatal incident at Seiryu’s Eye, the others, Takumi, Kouhei, Ryuu, had not stirred from their separate cabins. It was either a sign that they were all ready for peace, or just a temporary and deceiving lull created by the need for quiet while planning intrigue. Either way, Ami thought, all they needed to do was make it to Raiden’s Eye in one piece, along with Shiranai, and the whole conflict would be over. It seemed, thankfully, that the young mednin and former prince in hiding had now accepted that his destiny was to be Shiranai, Shogun of Kaminari no Kuni, instead of Shiranai, mednin researcher of Kumo. One thing that she would need to address with him was that as Shogun, he would need to act as a human, instead of as a shinobi, for if the nobility of the land felt that he was favoring the interests of Kumogakure over theirs, it would incite rebellion. No matter how powerful shinobi were, they could not simply crush every noble family in the land.
A slight bump shook the massive train, and jostled her slightly in the padded leather seat she occupied. With a slight thump, a thick, leatherbound packet that had previously sat on a table nearby now fell to the floor, attracting her attention. She reached for it with more concern than she ordinarily would have devoted to a loose sheaf of documents, and held it close to her. A brief message was scrawled in ink on the outside of the packet on the leather: “To my daughter, Nemoto Senna.” Ami closed her eyes, pensive.
“Milady, the conductor signals that we are ready to begin the ascent to Kumo,” said Mizuki, now sliding aside an entry door to Ami’s stateroom and passing Sir Yui, who guarded the way. Quickly, Ami regained her composure, her face resuming the serene expression she had become famous for. “He estimates another fifteen minutes until we reach the Dragon Tooth Pass.”
“Thank you, Lord Mizuki,” she replied, tucking the packet of letters for a girl she had never met or heard of before carefully into a pocket on the obi of her kimono. “I trust you have asked the Marshal General, the Grand Admiral, and Daimyo Ryuu to refrain from entering Kumo once we have stopped?”
“Of course, Milady,” said Mizuki. “It was not easy to convince Lord Ryuu, however. We will need to be brief in our meeting with Crown Prince Shiranai,” he said, shaking his head. At that moment, the train now seemed to tilt backward as the angle of the tracks changed, signaling their ascent.
The ancient tracks, pockmarked by the elements and rendered dark red by a thin patina of rust, cut a winding path upwards on the lonely mountain on which Kumogakure was now situated. Once, in a past era long removed from the memory of mankind by the cataclysm that forever scarred the earth and her people, these tracks had been the means by which the Kalmah Mining Company would have ferried its precious ores from deep excavation sites within the mount to its warehouses in the foothills and back, and from the foothills to the countryside to feed the industrial needs of a nation whose name had now been forgotten, for Lightning Country had risen in its place from the ash-heap left behind by the world’s holocaust.
Finally, the train now came to a stop only a few dozen feet from the weathered, metal-reinforced gates of Kumogakure. In truth, a section of track could have actually taken the entire train into the center of the village itself, for it led directly through the opening in the otherwise uninterrupted stone, but such an entry would have been considered bad form and would have meant the demolition of the many buildings, both permanent and temporary, that had sprung up alongside and in some cases, directly on top of the ancient track network underfoot in the village.
“We’re here, Milady. The Vice Commander of their ANBU, Takaki-san, said that he would meet us inside the gates, along with Crown Prince Shiranai, and the Sennin of their Medical Branch, Isaki-san. The Raikage, I have heard, is conducting other business and sends his regrets that he cannot be present to meet us,” said Mizuki, rising and offering his hand to Ami to assist her to her feet. At the mention of Shin, she had to suppress a blush. Stupid sexy Hayata Shin... She had essentially confessed to him, and what did the clueless oaf do? Carry on about his body double, that Deta organism or whatever the hell it was.
“Very well, let’s end this war,” she said, shaking her head. The air now carried a similar frost to that of Sekai Yuki’s, save for Kumo’s was thinner by virtue of its elevation. Perhaps that was the secret of shinobi ability – training in an oxygen-deprived environment crafted stronger bodies in general. As had been arranged, when the watchtower shinobi had observed the Raiden’s Breath approaching, they signaled that the gates should be swung open ten degrees each, sending their ancient steam-powered hydraulics to work. Each door required a massive amount of force to move, and it was extremely rare that the gates were opened completely. Doing so would take at least an hour to accomplish, and would expose the village to too much risk. Ten degrees each way was enough to let three people side by side in at once – a polite allowance typically only given to important guests and their entourages.
As Ami, Mizuki, and Yui now approached, the Gate Guard of the Main Branch stood at ceremonial attention at the parapets on top of the walls, with two shinobi, chuunin by the looks of them, on each side of the opened passageway.
“Madam Chancellor, welcome back to our village,” said Masao, bowing politely to her.
“Thank you all,” said Ami, returning the bow.
Shiranai watched the procession from behind Masao, next to Isaki Kushin, the Medical Sennin, and his former boss. Kushin was here out of amusement more than anything else, it seemed. The two were friendly, and Kushin had helped Shiranai in his early years so he was grateful to have the older shinobi nearby. It was an unusual feeling for Shiranai though, this feeling of nervousness. His path had changed once more, oddly like the train he'd been derailed and now he would be stepping back on the original tracks which had been his hereditary right.
“My Lord Crown Prince, are you prepared?” asked Ami, fixing her gaze on him.
"Y-Yes." he stumbled quietly, though he knew that those around him now would know this to be quite out of character. Yet this was an unknown step just when he'd managed to find some form of comfort here. A hand rested on his shoulder and Kushin simply gave him a nod. The man never smiled, so this was about as close as it came. Shiranai let a small smile appear and then disappear just as quickly. The hand fell from the shoulder and Kushin stepped back, or did he step forward, it was all getting to him.
Clearing his throat he repeated himself, this time with the assertiveness that everyone would recognize as Shiranai's own. "I'm ready."
Kushin looked at Masao and Ami. They were taking one of the more skilled and higher potential medical shinobi he had working for him. Yet they had also delivered him knowledge which he would prize. Shiranai whether he knew it now or not would receive Kushin's protection, for he knew that the boy felt a kinship with him, and thus through the boy his family would gain wealth and strength greater than ever before. His eyes betrayed nothing of his thoughts, he was there as a Sennin, as a friend, and simply for the whole look of the ceremony.
"My Lord, I will escort you to the Raiden's Breath," now said Mizuki, bowing deeply to Shiranai, his arms flowing as they gestured for the shinobi to follow him. Ami now turned to Masao and Kushin.
"Takaki-san, I assume the shinobi security team we contracted for is en route? As well as our moderator from Chishio Tankyuu" she asked.
"Yes, Madam Chancellor. They are arriving as we speak," he responded with a smile, although in the back of his mind, he cursed the village administrators for delaying payment processing for the team, which was why they were not immediately present.
"Thank you, Takaki-san. I also have one more request for you, and possibly Isaki-san as well. I was recently given a packet of letters by a Tenouzan Commander named Nemoto Aran. They are for his daughter, who I am told is a genin-ranked shinobi of this village. Her name is Nemoto Senna. Would either of you gentlemen be so kind as to summon her if she is indisposed?"
"Of course, Madam Chancellor," said Masao, shrugging. "I will have our operatives deliver the letters to her address..." he started, extending a hand to take the packet.
"I apologize, Takaki-san. I trust you and your men, however, I wished to deliver this packet personally if at all possible. It is what I promised to Commander Nemoto," said Ami with a hint of abruptness that surprised even her.
"As you wish," said Masao, shrugging. A look passed from him to Kushin. What the fuck is so special about Nemoto Senna? The mednin sennin seemed to shrug back: I don't know, but she sounds very dissectable.
"Operatives prepare to receive orders. Rapid Deployment Force, Sword of Damocles, you are to locate and bring summons to genin-rank Nemoto Senna, main branch," he spoke into his headset, politely turning somewhat away from the two others. "We'll see if she can come here," he said.