The Red Palace, Private Audience Chamber of the Shogun
Raiden no Me, Kaminari no Kuni
…1000 hours
Despite the great effort to present the diplomats of the Serene Kingdom of Bear with the utmost hospitality and indulge them in the niceties of state, no one sitting at the table had touched their wineglasses. The elegant appetizers sitting on the table, fit for an imperial banquet, also sat uneaten on the elegant white tablecloth. No, the Bears had come for business only.
“In the meantime, we expect Lightning Country to abide by the articles of the Kagetsu Treaty, which you claim to cherish. Takaki-san and Shinrya-hakase WILL stand trial for the assassination of His Majesty!”
“That is simply out of the question,” objected Shiranai. “Chancellor Tachibana, surely there must be some way to extradite them-“
“What is the position of the People’s Republic of Marsh, Ambassador Sumihara?” asked Shiranai.
“But surely you cannot believe that Takaki Masao ordered the assassination of the King of Bear Country!” exclaimed Shiranai, throwing his hands up.
“Shogun-sama, I don’t know what to believe,” shrugged Kaede.
“I am waiting for your answer, Shogun-sama,” responded Kang, crossing his arms.
“I am not above the law,” said Shiranai, miserably. With that, the Bear ambassador rose, and bowed in satisfaction.
Three days later...
The Temple of Judgment, Courtroom 1
Sagishi-Souru, Serene Kingdom of Bear
…0900 hours
Masao and Kitsune stood uncomfortably under a glaring spotlight directed downwards form a high ceiling and onto their heads, at the bottom of a chamber that was more of a pit-lined-with-stadium-seating than any sort of traditional courtroom one could expect from the Lightning Country judicial system. The place reeked of savage and awesome beauty – a cross between a circus and a cathedral, and packed to the brim with hundreds, if not thousands, of Bear Country citizens all clamoring for blood. His and Kitsune’s blood.
Today, was the last day of the proceedings, and there was no doubt in the old Sennin’s mind about what the final verdict would be. Still, he was determined to represent Cloud in the best possible light. There would be no escape attempt, no breakout, even if he were to be led to the gallows. If anything, he would trade his life to ensure Kitsune’s, but he would accept what punishment he was given.
The audience today was restive – the royal court of Bear had dressed as if this were a festive occasion, and were clearly enjoying the spectacle. No doubt many of them had sought to profit from the King’s death with all matter of backroom dealings that tended to blossom in the wake of a leader’s death. Only the Crown Princess, and soon to be new Queen of Bear, Haninozuka Ekaterina, looked anything but delighted at the proceedings down in the pit where Masao and Kitsune stood in their cage. Dressed in a somber black mourning outfit, she regarded the pair with cold eyes. Notably absent was the Hoshikage. Regardless, many other shinobi of Star were present, from the guards who trained their weapons on the defendants to the higher-ranked jounin in the audience seats.
“We did not work in concert with former ANBU Captain Yukimura. He is a traitor to Cloud and our most wanted suspect. Kumo Shinobi are to terminate him on sight-“ began Masao.
“You, along with former Captain Yukimura, as well as Vice Commander Takayama, were all ANBU, correct?” asked Kuro, cutting him off.
“…Yes,” said Masao.
“And you still maintain that you did not work in concert to kill our liege lord in cold blood when he was at his most vulnerable?!”
“Objection!” shouted another shinobi who stood next to the witness box. He was their court-appointed defense attorney, who Masao had expected to be entirely ineffectual, but was actually the only pleasant surprise of the entire week. His name was Saito Dosan, and was a shinobi who had fought in the Bear-Marsh conflict but had taken up the practice of law for a variety of reasons. The name was no coincidence either – he shared the same blood as Saito Akira of Cloud. The man had even managed to have some of the more ridiculous charges against Masao and Kitsune thrown out entirely (for example, the charge of medical experimentation without consent leveled against Kitsune and the charge of attempted assassination of the Hoshikage leveled against Masao).
“Sustained,” intoned the white-cloaked judge who sat high over the proceedings.
“We did not!” snarled Masao.
“Who killed King Haninozuka Nikolai the Fourth?” asked Kuro.
“It was…Vice Commander Takayama Shimada. Under the influe-“ started Masao, before he was drowned out by an undulating chorus of shouts from the audience.
“Can you prove that Takayama-taichou was under any sort of undue influence when he killed the King, or that you did not directly speak to him ordering him to do so?” asked Kuro, smirking.
“…I cannot.”
“The witness is excused for the time being,” said Kuro, provoking another explosion of shouting and hooting from the audience.
“Order in the Court!” barked the hooded judge, rapping the iron gavel hard enough for sparks to fly. “We will now proceed with final questioning and cross-examination. The Prosecution has the floor.”
“Thank you, your Honor,” grunted Kuro, as he paced around Masao and Kitsune. “My first question is to Doctor Shinrya Kitsune,” he said, staring at Kitsune with his hands behind his back. “Doctor, how many years have you been in practice?”
“In that time, have you dealt with major trauma such as that which our late King suffered?”
“Yes, I have.”
“In your medical opinion, do you believe that the wounds inflicted by Vice Commander Takayama Shimada were fatal?”
“My patient sustained major trauma to the circulatory system, resulting in anoxic brain injury and cerebral edema incompatible with life.”
“Is it true that you attempted to turn our King into a Lich and failed? Was it due to incompetence or were you attempting to harvest him as a human puppet?”
“Objection!” shouted Saito.
“Sustained,” responded the judge. Kuro shook his head.
“I tried to save him! No one wanted this to happen!” shouted Kitsune, balling her fists.
“No further questions, Doctor. My next question is for the Sennin,” he said, sidling over to Masao. “And now we come to the architect of this tragic affair. Takaki Masao. I will put it to you, sir, that you were seeking to incite war between Lightning and Bear.”
“That isn’t true,” said Masao.
“That you, now blessed with a stable Shogunate, a benevolent, peace-loving Raikage, and worst of all, the prospect of no more battle in your life, deliberately sought to inflame hostilities between two great nations using your former subordinate Takayama Shimada and the terrorist Yukimura Enishi. And that you and Doctor Shinrya were on scene to make sure the job had been finished. This could be construed as treason against your own Raikage, could it not?”
“Objection! Sennin Takaki never touched the King!” shouted Saito.
“Sustained,” said the judge.
“That is completely untrue! I have never wished harm on Bear Country! I am a loyal servant of the Raikage of Cloud!” said Masao, fuming.
“Are you aware, that as the Sennin of your village you are responsible for the conduct of those shinobi under your command?” asked Kuro in his gravely voice, tendrils of steam issuing from his wide-brimmed nose.
“I am,” replied Masao, stone-faced.
“And if it should be proved that shinobi did in fact carry out the assassination of our King…”
“Do not answer that!” bellowed Saito.
“Sennin Takaki, you WILL answer the question,” intoned the hooded judge to a mixture of shouting and hooting which was quickly silenced by another two raps of the iron gavel.
“As Sennin of the Main Branch of Kumogakure, I am responsible for the actions of those under my command,” he sighed.
“Your Honor, the State rests,” intoned Kuro, to the approving shouts of the audience.
“Is it our turn now?” asked Kitsune, sucking her teeth.
“According to hanguk law, both sides present their cases at the same time. We’ve HAD our turn,” said Saito, shaking his head. The judge’s gavel now slammed against its iron strikeplate three times, silencing the room.
“It is the determination of this court, that the prisoners are guilty as charged!”
The court again erupted into chaos that defied even more gavel strikes. A chant began to arise from the audience, a foreign chant that sounded much like: “Ju-geum!”*
“I wish to note for the record that the evidence against my clients is entirely circumstantial! I beg the court to take this into consideration when determining its sentence!” shouted Saito to the judge.
“Sennin Takaki Masao. Doctor Shinrya Kitsune. In the interest of fostering amity between the nations of Lightning and Bear, and in recognition of the upcoming Hayata Shin Peace Conference, the sentence of Death is hereby commuted. It is the judgment of this court that without possibility of reprieve or parole, you will be remanded to the platinum mines in the penal colony of Naraka where you will spend the rest of your natural lives…”
</B>
<B>Meanwhile…
Gate of the Dragon Tooth Pass
Kumogakure no Sato, Kaminari no Kuni
…1000 hours
A lone figure, a woman who looked to be in her late twenties and clad in a leather duster, walked up to the entryway of the village of Cloud. She was not a Cloud shinobi, and did not seek to pretend that she was. She smirked as she regarded the high gates that gave off the aura of a prison more than a fortress. Signaling to the Deathwatch above, she pressed an intercom button.
