Apotheosis [Not an RP Topic]

[Sand Council]

There was a single man standing alone in an office on the seventh floor. He appeared out of time, his elaborate, fine robes heralded a time long ago. His long, dark hair left down, it reached nearly his waist. His countenance reflected only in the window was that of a young-appearing man, nearing perhaps 30. His features smooth, pale and unblemished. He did not appear real, yet he had a dark loveliness to him.

Rain pelted the busy streets of Kurosawa but these heavy rains did not deter the scrambling masses on the streets. A sea of water-soaked umbrellas seven stories below. He liked to watch the vermin go about their curious yet mundane lives, never reaching, hardly searching and utterly content to be what little they were for such a fleeting period of time. He did not pity them, they were beneath that. The driving rains pattered against the pane of glass harder, streams of silver ran in front of him blurring the scene. Past the dense cityscape, the only horizon he could view from him aerie he could see only a black celestial space despite the daytime hour. Lightning would crackle and illuminate the wicked sky, the peal of thunder several seconds later would shake this stone fortress.

It was in chaos such as this that the Grand Master found peace. Chaos did not confound or unnerve the ageless leader, in the furor of the moment he saw people for what they were. He saw them for their fears, their insecurities, their lack of understanding and of course their prideful dismissal of truths that they do not want to hear. There were concepts that some could never abide for they lacked the strength, the commitment or the understanding to see it through. Some decisions were hard but they were also necessary. He would glance down again at the people, the streets had mostly cleared as the storm grew more savage.

A knock would pull the man's attention from the street. "Come in," he called out dismissively.

The click of heels on the fine wood floor and the jingle of silver jewelry told him who had come before he even turned around. "Nao..."

A slight laugh, almost an exhale would leave the visitor's lips. "My my... brooding in the dark now are we. Darling, you are fab-u-lous and don't let anyone tell you otherwise." Nao was a tall, lanky, androgynous being. His head half shaved, his lips, nose, brow and ears pierced with an assortment of silvered jewelry. His garments, that of a rebellious Gothic teen looking to make his good Christian Five-worshiping parent lament the day that Hot Topic Angry Ninja opened a store in their home town. The loose tank top with a splash of color and a word written in gibberish, an assortment of cheap necklaces, bracelets and bangles and of course a pair of leather pants so tight that it is conceivable that he might have been sewn inside them.

"I have some good," then he waved his hand in a bit of a circle "and some not so good news." His eyes rolled as he said 'not so good.' "...Grand Master-dono" he quickly added.

"The good?" He queried as he turned around, his expression not betraying his thoughts.

"Sunagakure has declared war against Diamyo Ishii Shiro and his private army," Nao announced.

The Grand Master nodded, "wonderful. Ensure that it is bloody."

"Child's play," Nao claimed with a cold confidence. "However, there is a tiny issue concerning... the Ancients." He let out a cough, "the Senju Clan has been showing the traits of a Deep Court Hybrid, as has the Oracle... It is nothing really." Nao took a step back. "And then there is the matter of the boy. He has not yet realized what he is."

"Then. Show. Him."</B><i></i> He replied with a raised, narrow brow. The answer was quite obvious, almost disgraceful that he even needed to say anything.

<B>"I don't know... do you think he can do it? I am afraid that he has been domesticated," Nao claimed.

"I did not spend this many years assuring this alignment. You are wasting my time by standing here Nao, you know what needs to be done." He turned away, Nao was dismissed. He would not await Nao's affirmation, there was no other option besides compliance. "And close the door behind you."

[Topic Ended]

 

[Sand Council]

"What have I done?"

Everything felt cold, despite the fact that there was a fire in the hearth. The red-orange flames twisted and danced, fire never rests because if it rests it would die. Much like her. There were enemies all around her, something she not only understood fully but embraced. It was one of the reasons she had lasted so long. This was not a nation of gods but a nation of men. Flawed men that understood the value of a day's work. That understood that only the strong survive. She was not strong enough. It was a dark revelation for the Countess. She felt hollow and a bit sick, yet oddly enough she also felt as if she had weighed three tons. There was an unseen but truly felt weight that burdened her.

Just breathe Rika...

Concentrate on the air that moved in through her narrow nares and rushed down her throat. She could feel the air fill her lungs, like a balloon they would expand. And then release, her breast would move down and her lungs would deflate as air escaped the same route by which they came. Then she would have to do it again. Concentrating on her breathing did not make things better for her, in fact it was maddening. As if this behavior that she had performed every minute of every day needed her undivided concentration to be performed without fail. That if she forgot, that she would suffocate. Her breaths paused for a moment with this revelation and her heart started to pound in her chest. Then she would take another breath, the metronome-like rhythm disturbed as she took a short pair of breaths. She could feel her heart in her neck, it was bounding.

The flames from the hearth cast terrible shadows on the walls. Like jaws of a trap. A laughing maw. Her imagination was getting the better of her. A tall, thin shadow would dismantle the scene. Someone was there, but this was not a part of the paranoia. She knew he was there, if it was not him it would have been someone else. There was always someone watching, waiting for her to make a mistake. But she needed to remember to breathe! Here he was like the rest, waiting for her to show some sign of weakness. Breathe again! She did not ascend to this position on happenstance alone, she had always been careful and precise. She was forgetting to breathe. No, she was breathing too much. Her heart was in the way of the air that she needed.

Just breathe Rika...

She felt a hand on her shoulder and a chill ran down her spine as her panic reached an apex. In her seat she pivoted, her open hand would attempt to swat away the intruder. A phantom simply watching, a shadow simply lurking. A spy. Her hand would meet flesh and she would feel the sting on her hand and a firm grip on her wrist.

Kinky, I did not think you wanted me in that way any longer. Change of heart darling?

Yes, he knew her but she was not the man that she had expected. Ishii Susumu was the heir apparent to a large tract of land in Sunagakure. Susumu's father none other that Diamyo Ishii Shiro. Ishii Susumu was sent to Kurosawa as a child to broaden his horizons and to groom him to be the next leader as the Diamyo's life reached its twilight. Mission successful, Susumu was a brilliant young man well studied in every form of relevant culture, tactics, history and even mathematics. At the behest of his father he was instructed to pursue Countess Hosume Rika. She rejected him as a partner but not as a lover, their 'romance' if you could call it that was entirely physical. Even a shallow relationship eventually contracts "the feels."

No matter how much yo plead and beg I will never take you back. You're too old for me anyways.

He gave her a lopsided smirk as he released her wrist. He had a stronger grip than she remembered. It hurt. "You're stronger than I remembered," she commented as she rubbed her wrist.

I am

Susumu confirmed but had no intentions of elaborating.

I heard about what happened.

Susumu continued and Hosume's heart skipped a beat. How did he know? How did he know anything! It was useless to lie so she shrugged her shoulders and looked away.

I cannot believe that you fell for that ruse.

He placed his hand on her shoulder, the pressure was crushing.

What are you doing here you brat!

She snapped and the weight on her shoulder became almost unbearable and the grip tightened. She cried out or at the very least she tried but a hand clasped over her mouth muffling the noise. She wanted to scream. Susumu learned down behind her, she could feel his hot breath on her ear.

They won't be coming darling.

He did not lift his hand.

You made a terrible mistake letting them into this city. For trusting them in the way you have. You should have reached out to me you stupid woman/

His voice was uncharacteristically icy. He took a deep breath and tried to clear his head, he was perpetually seeing red.

You played right into his hands with this event. I am certain you thought you would get something out of this. A date with a village leader, some new way to climb the ranks on an international level... You really are insatiable.

There was a point where Susumu cared about her. Actually he still did, that was why he was here. He was not the fool that he so outwardly portrayed. Nobody ever suspected the fool. Rika knew this about Susumu, he was a brilliant scholar in Tea and when he was beckoned back to Wind Country, Tea lost one of their greatest minds in the then teen. It was a shame that Susumu was merely the brilliant son of a Diamyo, at this time he had no wealth or power and she was not willing to play the waiting game and hope that the old man would pass away in his sleep sooner than later.

You need Sound now

Rika's eyes widened. That was the last person she wanted to need. Yes, the Otokage was in control of the north-lands but he had never been able to wrest control of Kurosawa from her until today. It was a series of errors, she thought she was playing the village leader, not the other way around. The international tournament was their idea, one she superficially resisted. The influx of shinobi and curious spectators was an opportunity for her people, the influx of people also meant interest, money and additional contacts for herself and her people. The feigned reluctance meant she would need to be convinced, that Kageoni would either have to convince her, feel that he owed her something or that he was in control of a situation he had no hand in. That was the intention, but she could not be more wrong. There was a stubborn part of her that wanted to put up her walls, tell her citizens to return to their homes and bolt their doors knowing that this too would pass.

Once the shinobi came to Tea, Tea encountered a myriad of deviants, thieves and bullies. Might makes right. That appeared to be their mantra. Those that are chakra sensitive have an incredible power gap, the discrepancy is insurmountable for the have-nots. This was something that the loathsome, the selfish and the petty took advantage of. Why follow the rules... Why conform? Why pay your way when you can get it for free? The shop-owner, the civilian, the working class man would not be a hero. They could not stand up to them and their guardians lacked the strength and power. They had no way of defending themselves, their property or their livelihoods. Collateral damage is an afterthought if a consideration at all. It would be different, a tragic occurrence had the situation been reversed. Had something or someone more powerful than they had threatened their lives, took from them their life's work. If they were given the same regard as her people. This was a chronic divide between the haves and the have nots. This was in money, in power, in beauty and of course in chakra control.

Susumu's hand loosened and Rika swallowed hard. She was not going to scream, it was a futile effort. She was afraid. The Otokage had ensured that this event would happen. That the entire world would see shinobis on display. She thought she would get something out of it. She even tried to pull a little more from him. She was the one that took the brunt of the losses. She never would have opened up her country to the rest of the world had she known. She was a fool, a hopeful fool.

"W-what should we do now?" Her voice low, it quavered.

Call Otokage Kageoni Yami, push them out.

"What about Sunagakure? She did not care for Otokage Kageoni Yami, he concerned her for more reasons than one. There was something about him that never sat right with her. They kept to themselves for the most part, traveling rarely into the countryside to the north to provide their 'services' for somewhat absorbent prices that the people happily paid because they were grossly proficient. She saw them as a risk, too powerful comparatively. Geography was all that separated a powerful force and her citizen army was more a display than an actual effective unit. That was her unspoken reason for consenting to this tournament, to witness their power firsthand and to seek their assistance. A sea or a large tract of land would separate them, making her a more effective benefactor than trophy to conquer.

My...

He sighed.

There have been tensions between my father and Sunagakure for some time, they are not a stable community. I would seek anyone besides Sunagakure to ally yourself with.

Topic End​