Whom Should Ever Sit Upon This Throne... (mission/open)

[Takahashi Aki]

((The rough idea for the throne is based upon this, the dimensions and colours are off.))

Sousuke sat on the floor with his legs crossed. How best to design a new throne? Katuso didn't want it. Katuso didn't realize though how important this was to the people of sand. Kaito and his crew did a number on the tower. The matter of the artist troubled him. An artist who had created fire bombs to destroy the tower, and then the pyramids. The word artist troubled him. Haunted him really. It narrowed down the list of individuals of who committed this act. This simple mystery though was keeping him away from his task. Repair the throne. Fix the throne. Create a new symbol for a new age.

Sousuke still sat cross legged. How best to make a new throne? It had to be both visual and it also had to be practical. No use in creating a throne that would cut people or be very uncomfortable. Cushions would have to come later. The diamond throne had to have a base to it. It had to have meaning in this base. Sousuke unfolded his legs and stood up. He had access to crystal jutsu ever since his recovery in Deadline. In fact he acquire the knowledge of several earth jutsu due to an education at the hands of Prime Diamund. He rubbed the back of his neck and thought about the base. A good foundation was necessary.

Thus the hand seals were formed. Precious materials rose from the earth and converged. Four paths. One made of ruby. One made of sapphire. One made of Emerald. One made of Topaz. A single line of each other came from each direct, north, south, east, and west. As the four came together the case would form. The gemstones would stop and arc upward forming the base of which the throne would sit on. A platform consisting of four coloured corners. The Steward rubbed his hands together. He was thinking hard next. Should the four feed into the legs of the throne? Mmm... no. The legs of the throne had to sit on its own. No. Not legs. Its own base. The Steward had conjured next a solid block of diamond. Wait. No. He dismissed it. Sitting upon raw diamond could be ... quite ... mmm no. As thought hard about making the throne, some of the supplies he had ordered had arrived. Diamond Sand. He never could control it, but he could work with it. Metallic plates shifted out and folded over Sousuke's hands. The pile of Diamond sand stood before him. He blasted it with intense heat. He turned the diamond sands into diamond glass.

The Steward conjured knives and crafting tools to cut through the glass next. To shape the throne. The throne did not have legs, it had another base. He worked and chiseled the diamond glass into a smoother surface. It was slightly angular. It was a simple design. Almost monolithic. The seat of the chair rose up and formed into a triangle at the top. Sousuke rubbed his hands together once more. The throne was simple yes. Primus was ... a complicated man? How would he feel if his chair had become something so simple? Well. Maybe simple was for the better.

Was that all? No. Sousuke would allow his armours to encased his flesh as he lifted the monolithic throne unto the base he had formed earlier. He fastened the diamond glass throne down and used his plasma jutsus to seal it unto the throne. Sousuke backed up. The throne even upon the gemstone base seemed to sit too low. It had to be elevated. He knew how.

Sousuke took even more steps back and called upon iron. The throne ascend upwards. The base now sat upon a base of iron. Sousuke then waved his hands down, and a set of stairs began to form from the iron base.

Sousuke next made adjustments. The iron base stood up by a meter. The multi colour gemstone base stood by half a meter in height. The back set of the throne sat by a meter and a half. Sousuke stopped for a moment. He moved his hands forward and brought forward the iron base's length by three meter. He approached his creation. He rose up the first set of stairs. He walked across the platform, and then looked up. He rose up the next set of stairs now going up the platform of ruby, sapphire, emerald, and topaz. He then approached the throne made of diamond glass. Perhaps some day Katuso's son would sit here. Maybe Daisuke would sit here if he ever returned.

"Long live he or she who sits upon this throne."<i></i> He spoke quietly to himself but more importantly the spirit of the one who would occupy this seat. "Whom so ever sit upon this throne see to the demise of he who destroyed its predecessor. Whom so ever sit upon this throne see the end of the Cabal. Whom so ever sit upon this throne ... forgive me for my errors."<i></i>

 

[Mikaboshi]

The duo of Kurisu and Katsuo came upon the ruined Kazekage Tower at least and even now in it's partially repaired state Katsuo could not help but remember the day the explosion happened. He'd been in the tower at the time talking to a young secretary and thinking about asking her out for coffee when the world around them literally came tumbling down. A massive explosion rocked the tower... and then another one... and then another one and it became clear that this was not an isolated thing as the floor began to shake and crumble beneath them.

The tower was going to come down.

Thinking as quickly as he could, Katsuo had reached forward and thrown the secretary's desk across the room to get close to her and protect her as he grabbed her and pulled her close. There was nothing he could do about the tower coming down but he could at least potentially protect himself and someone else near him from the falling debris. A flash of blue flame erupted around them and a shield of sizzling power granted to him by his birthright had performed admirably in preventing the two from being crushed under the weight of the tower coming down. Stone, rock and many other materials fell into the shield of flames and disintegrated upon it with a series of ferocious popping and crackling noises. After what had undoubtedly seemed like a terrifying eternity for the young girl he was shielding in his arms, the cacophony stopped and Katsuo was able to slowly free them from the fallen rubble. His shield had protected them for the most part-- they weren't dead after all --but some manner of rubble had still managed it's way through and crushed one of the poor girl's feet preventing her from walking.

That was the event which had catapulted Katsuo into the whole mess and the beginning of the path that had led him back to this point.

The Kazekage Tower was still, for the most part, ruins in every description of the word. Destroyed utterly, this portion of the central city was rubble with a few ruined areas and some very few places that had managed to escape unscathed. The "Seat of Power" was once such room. Katuso had also visited this place within the tower. A handful of times, actually. Here was Sousuke, absorbed in some project to revitalize the throne of Sunagakure. At first Katsuo considered claiming that Sousuke wasn't around and steering Kurisu away if only because it seemed like Sousuke was doing something that only a mad man might do. Among the ruins and destruction of not only the city but the Kazekage Tower... Sousuke was rebuilding a throne room.

"Hoy, Sousuke!" Called Katsuo, raising his hand up to get the Steward's attention. "I've got someone with me that you outta meet!"

[Tired so no post code today.]

 

[Uri]

Being told they were going through hard times and actually seeing it was by far the largest blow against Kurisu's emotions. They movement was swift, efficient, and steady, but there wasn't a moment where the veteran ANBU didn't cringe whenever they passed over a new precipice. The village had taken such a dramatic hit and it didn't just look terrible. The sounds of the village were that of agony, pained loss, desperation. Hope was in the form of those willing to bring aid, to provide help when all others only worried about themselves. At this point, Kurisu's stomach knotted and memories of his old village faded and were replaced with these new, brutal images. This was not intended to guilt him for the actions he had taken in the past, but to act as a marker, a place in time that he would never allow the village to return to in his lifetime.

He would fix this. He would make sure Sunagakure would prosper.

And if someone would threaten that, he would squash it so ferociously and with such finality that others would hesitate to even pass bad thoughts towards the sand-laden village.

Boots crunching over the remains of the Kazekage tower only cemented his determination. Even though he had never been to this one in person, its location in the village and the type of stone spoke volumes about it. Sunagakure was nothing, but legacy-driven in its existence. Terrifying thoughts of the dead buried beneath him shook his soul and his desire to clear every little pebble was quashed when he heard Katsuo call out. Sousuke? The Steward-Kazekage was Takahashi Sousuke?

The pair crossed the threshold and soon they were upon the brilliance of a new seat that would belong to whoever would end up leading the village. There, among the creation, was a man sporting purple hair, a man whose face spoke of the harsh world he had lived through, but there, in the face of the eccentric creative was hope for the future. What was a Steward of Sunagakure but the one to always look forward to what was next so that one day they might return to something "normal"?

"Mother Suna be blessed,"<i></i> Kurisu would say aloud, observing the Steward-Kazekage, "The last time I set eyes on Sousuke was when he was just a wee lad."<i></i>

It's so good to see you alive. I'm so happy to see the village was held together by those who love it. Suna be praised for your safety.

Thoughts that were held behind straight lips and a soft smile. As much as he wanted to hug the man before him, remembering fondly the times he had to watch over the toddler, like a masked Uncle who had always kept him safe, he maintained discipline. This was the Steward-Kazekage, the man who his oath bound him to. Both men in fact were owed his life and his service. A Sunahoshi and a Takahashi, standing together like it had been before he left. If there was a future for this village, it would be through these two men, of that Kurisu was certain.

He waited, at stiff attention, hands clasped behind his back. While Katsuo's greeting certainly should have told him Sousuke's own decorum, this was the first time the old ANBU had been back and he was going to make a good first impression.

 

[Takahashi Aki]

Sousuke cringed as he heard Katuso call out to him. No. This was not how this was susposed to work out. Katuso can't just barge in and... well he was the Kazekage. He could do whatever he wanted to, so long as it wasn't wild and crazy. Sousuke turned around and made his way down the stairs he had created. As Sousuke was coming into view, he seemed to be smaller and smaller. Unlike Katuso, the Steward was not a large and overly muscular individual. He looked healthier, but he was still bruised from his battles with the Cabal, and more recently dealing with some of Suna's street level threats. Sousuke should have been covered in bandages considering the state of his arms. The smaller man heard Kurisu speak out loud about their last encounter. The Steward looked at Katuso, and then to Kurisu. The expression on the Steward's face was deadpanned. He looked at the two again. He was mute for a moment longer. He was trying to decipher from the Returner had said.

He opened his mouth, and then closed it. He seemed a bit lost in the thought process. Think before you speak. He studied Kurisu. Surely the man was used to this. Sousuke even as a child was a late speaker, and spoke few words. Constantly the child was observed, as it was the fear that something was wrong with him. His skillset developed later, and unfortunately Kuirsu was long gone before he would see aspects of Judori and Chiyoko fully taking effect. "Dark hair. Strong jaw line."<i></i> He spoke. Like Katuso the pair of them towered over the man. "An encounter... in which you communicated with me, but I unable to do the same."<i></i> He focused harder on the family features. "House... Ki--"<i></i> No. Their hair was darker red. The man before him carried darker hair. "House Ametsuchi."<i></i> He turned to Katuso. "An old house. Sigil is a Sword emblazoned with beams of light. I was christened by one of them who was also a member of Mother Suna Pilgrims. Protectorate of the Faith."<i></i> He explained. Katuso didn't grow up in Sungakure. He suspected that the Sunahoshi was perhaps... less knowledge filled with the stories of ancient houses. "They road with Takahashi Shiro the first on his crusade to save Kai from the clutches of the Demon Lord Quan. Shiro never did forget their assistance, and awarded them with Takahashi Fire-Forged Blades that have been passed down through the ages. Accordingly House Takahashi has always ... mended their blades and upgraded them if desired by the individual wielder. Some blades never changed of course."<i></i> He paused for a moment. "House Takahashi and House Ametsuchi have married throughout the centuries. The bond of Light and Steel some would call it."<i></i>

Sousuke returned his attention to the enigma of a man before him. His eyes widened. "Lord... Ametsuchi Kurisu, the first of his name?"<i></i> Sousuke questioned hesitantly. He stared hard at the man. He had aged very little from what memories Sousuke had of him. This could have been his son. That was entirely possible, but sons rarely do look exactly like their sons. In his heart he had the feeling that this indeed was the true Ametsuchi Kuirsu the first of his name. Sousuke looked over to Katuso. "Could we... go... to my House and continue this meeting there? Lord Kuirsu would very much to maybe be off of his feet, and maybe he would enjoy a spot of tea. You too for that matter... as you rarely adhere to the schedule of breaking fasts... at least in accordance with the household."<i></i> Sometimes Katuso was there for breakfast. Sometimes he wasn't. Sometimes the Steward found his house shelves very empty.

(MFT)

 

[Mikaboshi]

[col]Perhaps it spoke less to Sousuke's own disinterest in formality as it did to Katsuo's deliberate aversion to it. Growing up on the frontier of Wind Country, Katsuo had learned long ago that the measure of a man wasn't in his lineage or his titles. It wasn't in the power that he could wield or the people that he knew. It was in the things that he did. The weakest man in all of Wind Country could be the most important person in the world to someone lost and thirsty in the middle of the desert.

Sousuke correctly surmised the identity of the man that Katsuo had brought before him and to that Katsuo smiled warmly. That was well even though Katsuo knew little of the words exchanged between them -- Sunagakurian stories for Sunagakurian men. In many ways Katsuo was still a wanderer from the frontier of the winds and so even though he was glad for Kurisu's return to the village that he clearly loved he almost felt out of place in this moment. Instead, as Sousuke greeted Kurisu the Sunahoshi heir's attention was drawn to the extravagance of the throne that Sousuke was building. Taking in the hugeness of the entire affair, Katsuo could not help but blow an outward sigh of... what? Disappointment? No, that wasn't really right. There was no call to be disappointed in Sousuke. The man had been raised to believe that he served at the leisure of another family. That his reason for being was the up-holding and glorification of the Sunahoshi family. Perhaps it was the part of him that refused to assimilate to Sunagakure ways but that was something he just couldn't stomach and as a result it made him question the ways of his forefathers. How could they had set themselves up this way? Everywhere he went in Sunagakure, in all of the textbooks and the legends his family was written about like they were demigods. Men and women who carried the blood of Primus and for that reason were destined to rule Sunagakure like somehow being dropped out from between a Sunahoshi mother's legs as a babe made for a quality king. What sort of way was that to choose a leader?

His reverie was broken by Sousuke's invitation to have breakfast but something within the restlessly hot blood of Katsuo could not let his thoughts on the nature of Sunagakure's throne and it's ruler rest.

"Sousuke... first we need to talk. About..." He gestured widely towards the throne. "... this. Come with me, I want to show you something. Kurisu, do me a favor and stay right where you are for a minute."

And with that, Katsuo's quickly moved to the top of the large rise of stairs towards where the throne was and motioned emphatically for Sousuke to join him.|[legend="[[b][u]OOC Notes[/u][/b]] - [SCENE BGM - NONE]"][/legend]
B-B-B-B-B-BLANK![/col]

 

[Uri]

Kurisu had never seen Sousuke grow-up and didn't know all the things that plagued his life, or the oddities of his personality. At least it seemed the memory games the old ANBU played with him as a child had stuck; the same way he had trained his into a pseudo-eidetic state and with perfect recall made him a walking record book. Being remembered was a boon to the Ametsuchi, not for a fear of being forgotten, but for the gap in generations having been ravaged by plague so greatly that no one could remember. This was the closest thing he had to direct family anymore. His parents had perished in the first contact exchanges with the early Plague Preservers, and his other relatives had done well to keep to themselves or moved away from Sunagakure in his younger, more turbulent years.

Still standing at attention, he nods to Sousuke's inquiry, confirming all he had surmised from his own appearance, "Aye, Takahashi-sama. I am the first and only."<i></i>

He didn't have the heart to inform the Steward of the whereabouts of his ancestral sword or how it had been taken from him in his final moments before being submerged into darkness for twenty years. It had been the only personal item he carried with him to that assassination, a weapon that would not betray him in the most tense of moments and would strike true, making his act permanent. Somewhere in the burning forests of Fire Country, in a storage room of a government building or in the loot cache of some thief rested his Takahashi blade. One day he would go back for it, but not before helping save Sunagakure from its current strife.

The Steward suggested breaking for a meal and Kurisu could appreciate that after a long trek home, but Katsuo seemed to have something else on his mind. A fledgling leader who didn't have the confidence necessary or the tenacity to step into the role for fear of the backlash of his new followers, the tension was clear as day on the younger man.

Another nod came from the elder shinobi, "Sir, and no worries, I am quite fine on my feet."<i></i>

In all of the destruction the rebuilding of the throne was an odd place to start, in the wreckage of their former tower no less. Sense could not be applied in this scenario. No common sense rules said it was alright to ignore everything else in order to do this. Therefore it was a distraction, a way to dive into work that required such attention that it was a simple matter to ignore everything else around them, no matter how terrible. Confronting the horror of the situation would take a lot of strength, maybe more than either man had in them as individuals, but both would have to play roles in order for this village to stand once more.

That was what ANBU did for those they served and protected: they provided strength in ways that others did not see and continued to do it so that their village could maintain.

Kurisu had already met two of the most important people left in the village and he hadn't met a single one of those shadowy soldiers.

Where were all of the ANBU?

 

[Takahashi Aki]

"That remains for the time being, but a progeny is of course entirely possible who shares your name."<i></i> A small smile appeared on Sousuke's face. "Mother and Father will be happy to see you of course."<i></i> Judori would seem very much the same, just older looking, but still bald. The father of the Steward had been bald since the age of seventeen due to the stress he had endured. Losing his sister and becoming the Steward at a young age affected Judori. He was always known for being grim faced, and rarely joking. Luckily he had Harupia's father as his companion. While Shiego was less humored these days, it was say that back then he had enough good humor for the two of them. "My father's household has remained in the same place, it's just ... full-er now. My ward in the wake of her ... departure ... has left me with her son, her animal companions to take care of."<i></i> Sousuke's mood seemed to sober. He had kept his personal drama mainly to himself and Yume. To Katuso and Kurisu, Okibi was no one. Sousuke did not know what knowledge Judori had shared of his ward to the Sunahoshi. Katuso lived with Sousuke, he knew of her son but what he knew of his actual ward was an unknown.

Sousuke's attention snapped back as Katuso called out to him. Sousuke followed Katuso up the stairs with a sense of dread grasping him. He held his hands behind him as he followed his King. "I know I've been a disappointment as of late. Judging by your ... reaction this is only further evidence of it. A thousand apologies... as I am not fully intune with your visions to come."<i></i> He hesitated. "The throne is capable of transport... the gemstones are from my own powerset... that I have gained recent mastery over. It you so desire, I will ... break it down and design it in accordance with your wishes... I... have slept little over the past days. I ... dream lately, and it is something I am not used to... and more often I am subjected to ... ill dreams. Many things on the mend... and sleep is something I can go without, bearing in mind rest is entirely different for me."<i></i> He explained. There was clean up with the Cabal. There were the repairs. There has the handling of the criminal underworld. Each of them all important and very difficult to handle. "I accept and take full responsibility of all the realm's illness and cancers. If you so desire I will resign from my position, due to my incompetency as Steward. I have no heir of age as it currently stands, Aki is still in his growing years."<i></i> The Steward did not bow, or kneel but he was about ready to. He inclined his head forward. Katuso had claimed that he did not wish to take the throne, but he may have changed his mind. Sousuke had thought that Katuso would have taken the title during the battle with the Cabal. The storm that was active under the Toraono dojo. It was something to behold. Katuso's powers differed from his ancestor's but the golden lightning was something certainly within the arsenal of Primus, or so the legends would suggest it so. To Sousuke, Katuso was one of the people who were owed things due to his lineage and absence.

 

[Mikaboshi]

[col]Katsuo frowned as Sousuke slinked up the stairs like a dog who had been kicked one too many times. His heart utterly wept for his friend who thought so lowly of himself. Sousuke was a smart man -- smarter than most -- but in many ways he lacked certain social developments that the average person usually obtained on their journey to adulthood. Whether this was because he had been too sheltered as a child or because of some sort of mental trauma it wasn't Katsuo's place to speculate even if he had the wisdom to do so. He wouldn't argue with the perception that the realm had atrophied while he was Steward, this was a simple fact of reality but the relationship between Sousuke being Steward and the dilapidation of Sunagakure was so much more complicated than simply blaming Sousuke and being done with it. Certainly he played his part but in that regard so had many. Katsuo for instance had spent most of his adult life running from his birthright. Rather than face the fact that he was born to be the Kazekage, he instead bent his power and skills to helping people in the Wind Country and even though his hands had wrought much good on the frontier in the end it was entirely possible that by choosing to avoid coming to Sunagakure that all of the unpleasantness following the death of his father might have been averted. Such was the madness of hindsight and wondering "what if".

"'Sousuke I didn't bring you up here to scold you. I'm not your father, I'm your friend. And as your friend I want to show you what I see from up here and why that's so important." Katsuo explained, his hand on Sousuke's shoulder as he nodded out towards Kurisu. "Take a look down at Kurisu from here. From the history you have with the man's family, you know him to be a good man with a stout heart. But from up here... it's hard to even see him. He becomes just another body moving about beneath the gaze of an almighty ruler. A king sitting upon a throne like this could never even hope to empathize with or understand the people he rules."

Katsuo had been meaning to broach this topic with Sousuke for some time since the fall of the Cabal and the soft end to the conflict between the two groups. At the very end Katsuo had "claimed" the title of Kazekage to get the attention of Kaito and to lend some legitimacy to the negotiation that he wanted to conduct. Keeping the Cabal alive and in one piece was a core part of the plan that he was beginning to bring together for the betterment of Sunagakure and of Wind as a while. They had information that would have taken the agents of Sunagakure years to obtain and some of them were potentially that could lend aid to Sand if their loyalties could be turned as he had done with Kaito. Sousuke offered his resignation in a rambling apology that had become typical of the man in the days of late which to Katsuo, a man that could clearly see the potential in Sousuke, was a clear tragedy.

"I've been meaning to say this for a while but the time's never been right. I'm gonna fix this country Sousuke, even if it kills me. If you want to follow me on that path while I lead, I won't try to stop you." There was a tone of concern in his voice as he firmly squeezed his friend's shoulder. "But I won't rule you. What this country needs isn't a king sitting upon a high throne of steel. It needs good folks who are willing to throw together for the greater good. It needs you and me and men like Kurisu. But for good men to be truly just the first thing that is needed is for them to be equals."|[legend="[[b][u]OOC Notes[/u][/b]] - [[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O43h0F1UA7w]SCENE BGM - NONE[/url]]"][/legend]
B-B-B-B-B-BLANK![/col]

 

[Uri]

There was an over-arching theme Kurisu had noticed since returning home to Sunagakure. Whatever had transpired between the time he was sent out to perform his last mission and the time it took for him to find his way back home everything had become broken. The identity of the village had become lost in its own history of kings, gods, and demons. Sousuke was a prime example of this, steeped in tradition, part of a family whose sole existence for as long as history could recall was to serve another, but that duty had turned all-consuming to the point that it had enslaved him. Like their taskmasters before, it created another circle of chains to stop humanity from advancing.

Katsuo was a man of the people, a phrase that only came to be because so many had gotten used to their rulers being considered greater than them. This image was part of the self-defeating prophecy that had set Sunagakure into decline. Both of the men standing at the top of the stairs were struggling with their identities and unsure exactly what the right path was to take. In enough time they would find the correct answers and Wind Country would rise to greatness as it had in generations previous.

After the Sunahoshi had a chance to say his piece, Kurisu ascended to stand on the opposite side of Sousuke, removing that disparity Katsuo had highlighted before.

"Do you remember Sunahoshi Hiro, Sousuke-san?"<i></i> Kurisu switched to using his first name, dropping the overly powerful honorific he had before to better suit Katuo's point. "He did not command us as tools or resources, he did not address Judori-san as a slave indentured to him, and he considered each of the ANBU, Med-nin, and Shinobi that followed him to be family, the decision to risk their lives weighing heavily on him before issuing orders."<i></i> This was poignant to those standing there, each having a tie to Sunahoshi Hiro that went beyond the title of 'king'.

"Shoulder to shoulder, we stood together against any trials that the village faced and solved the issues as colleagues."<i></i> Kurisu looked out to the distorted remains of the Kazekage tower, trying to imagine what it was like before being shattered, his sword hand coming to rest once more on the hilt to his katana. "Hiro-sama was not some prodigious god-king that we looked up to because his position demanded it, but because we trusted in him to do what was best for everyone, to lead us in such a way that we saw a brighter future obtainable through our collectives actions, not just his. The notion that all must look up to one is the fallacy that felled the Ancients and their courts. We are superior, Sousuke-san, and it starts with us, not just him."<i></i>

Kurisu's glance shifted to Kurisu, offering a reassuring smile. No matter what, they were in this together and Wind Country would be changed.

 

[Takahashi Aki]

Sousuke said nothing. He felt like the world had come crashing down on him. He sat down on the steps. It was alot for him to take in. It was the same stance he had before, but there were words in it that carried meaning. Good full solid meaning. Not empty words. "It may be hard to see him, but that is why I'm here with you. My father would have stood with your father... and so on and so forth. I know you won't occupy this seat, but I still consider it a possibility."<i></i> Sousuke held out his hand and formed a plasma star. He let the plasma construct float to the center of the airspace and expand. Dates of successions. Dates of marriages. Lines and calculations. Possibilities endless. "I'm not planning your life, merely ... managing and playing with anything and everything within the realm of reason. Ever expansive. Ever changing. Even now."<i></i> The data in the plasma star shifted again. Katuso would see date of succession change and entirely new theorized timeline appeared. Katuso if he looked hard enough would have seen a family line established if he had chosen Kendori Shuu as a spouse. Several other names he would not recognized. "Friend. Family. Spiritual Brother. It is my place to look after you... in some manner. I am responsible. I have maintained the realm. I have maintained its inhabitants, the gears, the assets. That is what I've been trained to do, that is what I was born to do. I still find it haunting, and difficult the position which you have taken."<i></i> The plasma words, lines, numbers, changed from Katuso to the realm, its habitants. The formulas expanded twenty-fold. Mesmerizing it was, the data. "It is the responsibility of the people to support their king, and vice versa. There is distance yes. I've sometimes wondered about the true meaning of it. Is the distance meant to force individuals like Kaito and his ilk to realize that he is dealing with ... not a just a man ... but a force beyond comprehension? To be struck down, casted out by a force from this position... I wonder many things about it."<i></i> He repeated a second time in a whisper. "I might be wrong about it entirely. I admit I am influenced on the matter of the Cabal. I am ... trying to balance myself upon the matter as you have done so."<i></i>

Kuirsu spoke next. He inquired if he remembered Hiro, the last formal Kazekage. Sousuke shook his head with disappointment in his expression. He was an infant. He heard stories. Legends. He listened to the Faith-Driven man describe Hiro in ways ... he was not initiate with. His father never described serving Hiro as a slave. His father was always formal about things. The concept of the Sunahoshi as a family entity was ... strange to him. He had never thought of them as that way. Perhaps it was because he never was raised side by side with one. His Sunahoshi came to him only recently. The old tales, histories, and duties put the position of Katuso far above himself. "Superiority is something I have driven towards. Not over others, but to become a better person. Numbers. Endgame Theories. Histories. Protocol. Engineering. Very simple for me... but I need to bring up my ability in other areas... social grace, physical strength, to name a few. "<i></i> Sousuke let out a sigh, "I will aid you in this undertaking to improve the Higher and Greater Realm of Wind. I will still maintain Suna... as one of my higher priorities."<i></i> Sousuke ruffled his own hair. He was not sure what to do next. "I'm not a heretic... and I fear to be called one for what comes next. "<i></i> He hesitated, and formed seals. The throne seemed to decline down to the ground. The gemstones seeping back into the earth. The flooring panels restructuring. Sousuke stood there and waited for a moment. He stood up and raised his hands. New structures began to arise. Reflective great slabs surrounded them, and formed into monolithic chairs. They were surrounded now by a myriad of thrones of shining silver. These seats were equal sizes apart. No symbols on them. He turned to the two men to await their assessment.

 

[Mikaboshi]

[col]'It's a start." Praised Katsuo. "But... Sousuke, you have to know that we can't stay here."

There it was. This was an important moment. Katsuo wondered if the reality of things had really sunk in yet for the Steward-Kazekage. The city was a wreck and the cavern even more so. The primary method of entry into the village was damaged in ways that would take years to repair and even then might never be a structurally sound as they had been previously. And all of that was of course to say nothing of the people's shaken faith in the depths of their city. In many ways Sunagakure had sequestered itself into something of a dream world where they pretended that everything was OK and would be OK going forward but the Cabal brought that living dream crashing down around the city's ears when they quite literally brought down the artificial sky that they'd somehow constructed overhead. With that one single act the Cabal had hammered home that things were changing and perhaps it had been one of their most singularly damaging strokes short of releasing the criminal elements from the mega prison that was the Obsidian Palace. They'd slashed at the vulnerable morale of the city's civilians and dealt it a mortal blow that even now threatened to consume their faith in the state's ability to protect them entirely.

"We should get the leaders of Sand together. It's time to discuss our future and where that's going to lead us." Katsuo remarked, the thought occurring to him... that he had yet to meet really any other authority figures in Sand other than Sousuke and Toraono Kuro. He knew that Sand had both a Medical and an internal police forced called ANBU but had met the leader of neither of those groups during the chaos. Where were they? "You're supposed to have leaders for your Medics and ANBU, right? Where have they been? I haven't met either since the dust settled."|[legend="[[b][u]OOC Notes[/u][/b]] - [[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O43h0F1UA7w]SCENE BGM - NONE[/url]]"][/legend]
B-B-B-B-B-BLANK![/col]

 

[Uri]

Healthy growth was always a gradual thing and if one tried to force too much too soon it would warp the perception of the original goals, potentially turning them against the cause they had sought out to support. Both these men were getting there, and in time they would be leaders that none could contest, forms and faces that Wind Country would remember for all-time and beyond. Kurisu would make certain of that. While he was no Sennin, he was blessed by The Mother and would support them through these trying times in hopes that one day he would be able to set his sword down and face his own losses, but that time would be much later, when he wasn't needed to be a soldier.

"Hopefully from this blasted cave,"<i></i> He muttered in response to Katsuo's statement, still uneasy about being submerged in darkness for a further time, like his sentence hadn't truly ended and was only beginning in this new, broken Sunagakure. "I don't doubt that they're busy, but I haven't so much as seen signs of Med-nin or ANBU. Here are two of Sunagakure's most important and they do not stand to Council. I believe calling a meeting of the united leaders, whoever they are would be best if only to set a clear plan for the future and to give us chance to work together for progress."<i></i>

Memories flooded his mind-sight and he saw the faces of the village's previous leadership, including the woman who he had answered to directly, the ANBU Commander of his time. A scrupulous woman who would have done all in her power to prevent the events that had transpired. Miyamoto Hotaru was known for making the hard decisions that would weigh heavily on leaders whose morals would stay their hand. She was well and truly one of the best of her kind.

What had happened to her?

 

[Takahashi Aki]

"Surface living has yet to become sustainable as we currently stand. You saw the outposts. They're not in the best of shape and even one month's maintenance isn't enough."<i></i> Sousuke began, "The storms above make maintenance very costly. Surface living is of course the end-game... be it we enter the zone that Kaito spoke of and diffuse the situation there or we ... exploit, permanently, Shouki's ability to hold back the storm."<i></i> Sousuke hesitated for a moment. There it was the cold logic that was sometimes required to do what was needed, "There are families of financial power in Sungakure. Some of them are more agreeable than others in giving us funds to fund projects but for the cost of my time. Even the ones I am ... more social with hesitantly fund the repair projects as they are a loss. Trust funds needs to replenished and or restocked ... and most of that is through my very careful financial advising."<i></i> The truth was that most of the financial resources were hit hard by the Cabal. "I know some of my nobles would most readily fund a project if they were aware that Shouki's powers would be exploited for surface living. Granted that has not been tested. He's remained locked up for his atrocities. He did after all murder--"<i></i> Sousuke paused once more. He raised an eyebrow at the entrant who had just joined them.

"Butcher lad, say it proper. That pig butchered my sons who aspiring to be Anbu."<i></i> Spoke one Lord Akamichi Nobu. The lumbering lord stood before the three men with a saddened look of sorts. "Lad you've been forty-five minutes late for the share-holders meeting. I need to know who I can trust coming this year. I saw your magnificent structure come down too... and become replaced by this..."<i></i> He motioned to the show of silver, "This... normalcy. Where did the colour go? Where was the symbol to inspire people and to strike fear into the hearts of those who would oppose us?"<i></i> Nobu looked like a man who had worked very little in his life, but his hands told differently. His hands were cut, and bruised, old wounds from an age. He wore finer clothing, better than anything Sousuke could ever afford. "Everything okay lad? I come here to check in on you, and you're surrounding by strange men speaking of those dastardly unforgivable Cabal... but mm... my ears were burning. Why would that be? You're not telling these men about my decision to re-marry Lady Haku Tomoko III? Ohohoho."<i></i> Pompous? Lord Nobu could be described that. Lord Nobu had worked hard in his day for what he had earned. He inherited some money from his father, and invested it wisely. "I figured, like any good man, to check in on my secret weapon in the financial world, but foremost my liege lord."<i></i>

Sousuke motioned Nobu to Katuso and Kurisu, "Lord Akamichi Nobu this is Su--- Masashi Katsuo, and Ametsuchi Kurisu. "<i></i> The large bald man approached the two. He would shake both their hands with a great deal of strength. Kuiru would be given an very strong handshake. Nobu had heard of this man's family. A bit too religious for him... but still good people. "We were speaking of the Anbu and mednin too. Unfortunately our Anbu are at an all-time low due to the mass murder of them at the hands of Shouki. As such we need to ... revitalize and recruit new Anbu"<i></i> Nobu was slowly boiling with anger at the mention of that monster. His sons had been butchered at the gates and left to be artwork, or so he heard. They were given a proper send off at Sousuke's hands. While Nobu would have liked their corpses buried, they were burnt to ashes and sent off into the night's sky. "As for the medical leader... well that position is ... well the position of sennin has been left blank. I was hoping that Kendori Shuu would have ... been around. Equally there is Tsukino Miyago, but... there is some political ire there."<i></i>

"Your girlfriend. The Lady Yume?"<i></i> Nobu offered. "She seems down to earth. A lovely girl who knows her stuff. Needs a louder voice. Two quiet people never get heard."<i></i> Sousuke gave his the Akamichi at look of sorts. Lord Nobu realized the problem with what he said. "Ah. No worries lad. I understand. Favouritism. My darling wife would be snapping at you about that. Scandals... about how her daughter would be better fit for the job... mind you I'm not the lass's daddy."<i></i> The word darling wife carried with it a sarcastic tone. The large lord held his hands behind his back. He was inspecting the two men before him. "I had heard of a great battle in the Toraono Dojo. Something about an indoor storm that had blasted that villain Kaito off his feet... and our lad Sousuke here too having beat back that metallic oaf Magentica. Her thugs damaged my property. I had to deliver them a good trashing... not as spectacular as one Lord Toraono would deliver, but a trashing nonetheless. Aye lad, sounds like you got back at the Lady Magentica for impaling you on a spike from a while back? Revenge can be sweet no?"<i></i> Nobu looked at Kuisru and Katuso, "Whomever had the thunder helped save my lad here. I am thankful for that person. Sousuke here is the brains, I'm the money or part of it, and ... sometimes we're both the brawn... but Sousuke here has done more fighting than I've done in the last decade."<i></i> He let out a chuckle, and pointed at Sousuke. "In the first seven minutes this lad had been looking over my books he told me I was being cheated by my financial advisor who had been pocketing money. I had him wrung out to dry."<i></i> Sousuke would ever so lightly turn a shade of red. The irony being that Lord Nobu wasn't aware that Katuso, was really his king. The larger-than-life lord asked if Sousuke was feeling well. Sousuke waved his hand dismissively. "Oh. been meaning to ask, rumors speak of a King returning? Little birds whisper of a King on a throne. I saw the throne appear, only for it to become... this. Lad, have you finally decided to knock off that pisspot sub-title of Steward-Kazekage?"<i></i> Sousuke fell silent for a moment, refusing to betray Katuso by so much as glancing at him.

 

[Mikaboshi]

"Sousuke you know I'm not the type that buys into destiny but..." Katsuo trailed off for a moment. But what? Katsuo did not subscribe to any of the myriad religions out there in the Winds. He had a hard time believing that there could be a creature that could sit above all and consider itself a benevolence force while ignoring the injustices of the world they lived in and found himself unwilling to owe true worship to the beings that neared that level of power. His people the Masashi worshiped the One King as a man-turned-god in his own right but he could never find that sort of faith sat well with him. Perhaps he finally knew why. Still, things had lined up in a fortuitous fashion. The spark of Primus that Katsuo had inherited... he felt it almost jump at the idea of challenging the Diamond Maelstrom. Perhaps in some way the spark had merged with his warrior's spirit and simply say the Maelstorm as a worthy opponent but just the same the air around Katsuo crackled slightly at his thoughts. "... If the Maelstorm is the obstacle preventing Sunagakure returning to the surface then we will break the storm and walk free of it. You have my word on that."

Another arrived at their impromptu meeting and Sousuke introduced the boisterous man as Lord Akimichi Nobu. Katsuo said nothing but he knew the man. Nobu was a powerful merchant lord in the Wind Country and while he'd never met any of the Nobu family proper he'd come across caravans in his employ before. He held his tongue but in many ways men like Nobu were responsible for the way things were in the Wind Country. They were the other end of the problem. While Sunagakure hid underground and licked it's wounds from the Plague War, the aristocracy of Wind Country allowed corrupt men into the government of Wind which cared nothing for the common people. Where once patrols of soldiers looking for criminals were somewhat common, the merchant lords and the nobility had pulled all of their resources back and abandoned the desert to it's fate. Some companies here and there kept troops out in the winds and to be fair Katsuo did not know what the status of the Nobu family business was or if he actively took an interest in protecting the little folk or not which is what stayed his judgmental thoughts. He could hardly hold Nobu responsible for the actions of his fellows any more than he could hold Sousuke responsible for the decisions of their father's. To do that would be to fall into the same trap as Kaito had fallen while blaming Sunagakure for decisions made by generations of Kazekages that had been dead for decades. Squeezing Nobu's hand firmly, the merchant lord would feel the jolting power present under Katsuo's skin writhe through the young man's hand and arm -- not enough to actually harm or cause discomfort but enough to cause the hair on his arm to stand on end.

"That thunder was mine, Lord Nobu. I'm glad that your son is safe." He explained, nodding his head in respect. "We were discussing where we go from here. The city is destroyed and for the time being our enemies are corralled but there's something more out there. We need to take advantage of this lull in hostility and not let ourselves rest too long on our laurels."