Takigakure Lore

[addy-hime ♥]

[style=width: 310px; font-family: times new roman; text-align: justify]Unlike my race from the forest surrounding the village to the gate, I decided to walk at a more steady pace to reach my new palace. The message to reach the iryou shinobi would take time, as would his arrival; there was no need to jostle the unconscious girl even more than I already had. It only took a handful of minutes to reach our destination, and a few minutes more to carefully heave her up the staircase, but we eventually managed to locate an empty room with a clean bed. I unceremoniously dropped her into the plush covers and turned around, not surprised to see a man standing in the doorway.

"Ah, that was very prompt," I stated simply and he bowed low, raising a hand to hold his glasses in place. When he straightened he moved over to the bed with the child in it, squinting down at her curiously. "This is the emergency?" He questioned, but I could hear the indigence in his voice; as one of the top medics left in Takigakure, I assumed he felt his services should be provided only to the most serious of cases. I shrugged a single shoulder at him, my eyes narrowing in such a way that he looked away from me. Did he seriously assume I would not exercise my new control over these people? I may have made an announcement that I would not hurt them like the masked man had, but that was no reason to disobey my orders.

"I was not sure how serious her wounds were. Even still, I would like someone as important as yourself to take care of her. She is a child and a nuke-nin at that, so she may have some valuable information for us when she wakes up. I believe she needs food, too. Will you call for some?"

The medic nodded his assent and moved to a small call box on the wall, where a phone was picked up. I tuned out his order of the food, not caring much what he planned to feed the girl. Instead, I walked over to the edge of the bed and sat upon it. My fingers moved to brush the hair out of the child's face, hoping that this touch would help bring her to awareness. "You need to wake up now," I said to her, loudly. Surely enough time had passed for her body to recover from my blow.[/style]

[Comatose]

[style=width: 350px; font-family: times new roman; font-size: 12px; padding: 5px; text-align: justify;][style=float: right; margin-left: 8px;][/style]Even a small commotion in the otherwise entirely quiet palace was hard to ignore. The servants and ninja who visited and traveled throughout the sections of the palace were all constantly below a murmur, scared of the facade that he had developed for Youka and I in blood. However, on this day their voices had traveled the entirety of the palace, telling of the sudden arrival of my wife and someone that had been captured. I could not help but be interested, seeking a break in the otherwise utter mundane existence it was to be king.

It did not take much effort to find where my wife had gone, following the gawking and whispering servants up to one of the many empty rooms littering the large palace. While I was not surprised to see a Ninja laying upon the bed, I was surprised to see a female ninja lying upon the bed, especially one so young. It was clear from her clothing that she was not a native ninja as the servants had hypothesized.

"Youka. . ?" There was a slight pause as I gathered my thoughts on the situation. I tilted my head, almost in confusion, throwing my shoulders and hands up. "What is that?"

Though some of the situation was obvious, I was hoping this would prompt a greater response from her, hopefully the entire story of how this girl came to be here. We certainly had enough servants and ninja under our thumb, regardless of how competent or incompetent they might have been. Having a ninja here, a likely rogue ninja at that, would draw much attention to our new home. [/style]

[Gunjar]

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His mind drifted back to the massacre...The screams, the cries...The begging for mercy, they all echoed within the cave of his mind. Cringing at the amount of blood and broken bodies, he'd pause in his steps for a few moments before being nudged on by Validus. Offering the dog a quick kind smile and nod, he'd continue to make his way to the new "palace". Eyes narrowed he'd keep his fists clenched. Due to everything happening, he had missed the Chuunin Exams once again, he was getting pretty old, and in his mind running out of time to participate in the exams. This lightened state of anger helped blockade off the thoughts of the massacre if only for the time being. He felt the his mind already beginning to soothe itself in preparation of it's next onslaught of horrific memories.

Stepping onto the entryway steps of the palace, Gunjar paused, Validus doing the same. The palace was a bit crude for his tastes, but there were many things he didn't understand at this point. Leading Validus into the palace now, he'd begin to wander about, trying to find some sort of front desk or something similar. But, soon, the feeling of being lost filled his chest, before he began to use his nose to find someone, anyone in the building.

"It shouldn't be that empty in here..."

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[addy-hime ♥]

[style=width: 310px; font-family: times new roman; text-align: justify]In reality, Gunjar would not make it very far into the interior of the palace before being stopped by one of the various servants housed there. The moment he stepped foot past the threshold a young woman would hurry up to meet him, bowing respectfully despite her gaze being locked onto the ridiculously large bear-like dog accompanying him. She was not afraid of him; rather, there was a curiosity that shone inside large, doe-like brown eyes.

"How can I help you, sir?" She inquired, straightening back up and clasping her hands in front of herself demurely. Lips curled into a welcoming smile, a polar-opposite to his rather angry disposition. There were two possibilities here: either she was truly content working for the new King and Queen, or she had been forced to abide by this facade by threat of death. It was up to him to decide, because she was not the type to discuss her position and that was, apparently, not his intent upon barging into the residence.

Patiently, she waited for a response.

---

It became clear to me very shortly that the child was not close to rousing yet, probably due to her extreme fatigue and my rather brutal attacks; I could not fault her for that. The voice of my husband prompted me to remove my hand from her face and turn to face him, an amused smile flickering across my face at his mannerisms. I just knew he would be surprised to see her the moment I decided to bring her back to Takigakure, but I also knew that it was an advantage for us in the long run; he would certainly see my logic when I explained it to him!

I stood up, glancing at the male medic that had been summoned. His expression was questioning, so I nodded my head to him. "Just watch over her, in case she wakes up while I am speaking to the King. She may be a bit disoriented at first and I don't want her to be frightened." His assent was shown by a quick stride over to the girl's bed and the seat he took next to it. I had no doubt about his skill to care for the girl, even if I did not know his name. I decided then that I would spend time learning the names of all of my servants after this.

Meanwhile, I practically skipped over to my husband, throwing my arms around him and changing my expression so that, when I looked up to him, he would get a blast of what I could only call my "puppy dog eye" look. "Weeeell, you see ... I was checking the forest outside to make sure we cleaned up all of the—" I faltered, glancing over my shoulder at the medic. He didn't seem to be paying attention, but it was hard to tell. "you know. I saw this girl and confronted her, but she was very obviously close to dying."

I sighed, tightening my embrace a bit, partially distracted by his comfort and warmth. It was always hard to stay focused when the man I loved was around, but somehow I had always managed to do so. "She is a Nuke-nin of Konohagakure. I thought she might have some more current information on the state of the village, which is why I brought her back here for medical attention. Don't worry, though. As you can see I knocked her out so that she would not be able to recall the way to Takigakure."

That was all intelligent, right? I could not personally see any flaws in my plan. I hoped he didn't, either.[/style]

[Comatose]

[style=width: 350px; font-family: times new roman; font-size: 12px; padding: 5px; text-align: justify;][style=float: right; margin-left: 8px;][/style]"I suppose," I replied in haste, looking the child's condition over. I could recognize that while her condition was somewhat fatal, wasn't unfix-able. A simple case of overexertion with little to no nourishment. I wasn't entirely keen on taking the girl in, but assuming that she had been privy to at least a fraction of Konoha's knowledge I was willing to let her stay. If she offered no information she was of little use to us, really. We already had many many servants. " if she actually has information to barter for a new start and to pay the debt of all the trouble she's caused us. If she wakes up here and learns of where we are, we can't exactly just let her go."

I knew that she knew what I was saying, but wanted to emphasize the real possibility of it falling through in such a way. My arms tightened around her some, pulling her closer before nuzzling my nose against hers lightly as a show of affection. Recently we hadn't gotten to show each other much affection when under the public eye, to keep up our persona's as monarchical rulers.
[/style]

[Gunjar]

[style=width: 350px; font-family: times new roman; font-size: 12px; padding: 5px; text-align: justify;][style=float: right; margin-left: 8px;]Hardly any time had passed before a small girl appeared before him, effectively cutting off his wandering about. Tilting his head ever so slightly he'd pause in his steps, Validus doing the same. Eyes fixated on the girl's own, Gunjar gave her a serious look, not sure if she was one of those who bowed before the new King and Queen without reason...Well outside of the reason of a masked maniac running around killing their people.



"Firstly, you can stop smiling. You should still be upset in some form about the masses of our people that were killed and blasted into the forests beyond the gates so crudely and carelessly!...Secondly, you can tell the King and Queen, Gunjar Inuzuka is here and is requesting an audience with them...When ever convenient though, wouldn't want to ruin a tea party."

Half scoffing at his final words, and half sighing he'd shake his head. He had to come at this situation a bit calmer than that, he didn't want to end up like the oth...The memories plaguing his mind once again were shaken off as he felt Validus nudge his side, leading to Gunjar resting his hand upon the dog's white fur. Validus seemed to always know when Gunjar was hurting, even in the confines of his own mind, no matter how much he tried to hide it...Validus was undoubtedly a part of him for life. Eyes adjusting from Validus' fur, to the girl's eyes before him, he awaited an ignorant response to his ignorant reply.

[/style]

[addy-hime ♥]

[style=width: 310px; font-family: times new roman; text-align: justify]The servant girl's eyes widened at his angry outburst; she seemed sincerely startled by it and even went so far as to take a step back from him. She was obviously much younger than him, certainly nothing above sixteen-years-old, but managed to handle her own emotions quite well. Did that speak for his personality?

"Sir," she started quietly after he had finished speaking, glancing down at the dog that so loyally stood by his partner's side. It was touching. "I can indeed call the King and Queen for an audience with you. But if I may, I'd like to argue your point about them. It was not Mrs. Youka or Mr. Asato that killed our neighbors and friends ..." Her face fell, true sadness reflected there before she covered it back up, a half-smile the best she could muster.

"I don't know exactly how much of a hand they had in it, to be honest. But Mrs. Youka is kind to us, and she has personally expressed to me a strong desire to rebuild Waterfall. I know that does not excuse what has happened—I will never forget it, either—but I know I just have to give them a chance to make it okay. Don't you understand?"

The girl did not wait for a response from him. Instead she turned around and walked off, turning a corner and out of sight. He would not be able to see it, but she picked up a phone hanging on the wall and dialed the number to reach the Queen; after all, she had just answered the same phone to take an order. Food for an injured girl, found in the forest ... She couldn't blame him for being angry, really, but everything she saw of the monarchs so far made her want to believe in them.[/style]

[addy-hime ♥]

[style=width: 310px; font-family: times new roman; text-align: justify]"Oh." A rush of sadness ran through my body when I realized that I had, in fact, missed a very vital aspect of my plot. If indeed the rogue had no information, there was no reason to keep her; Asato would surely kill her to keep us—and the village—safe from detection. My attempt to keep her from learning the exact location of Takigakure had been a half-assed attempt at best.

"I'm sorry, I didn't think of that," I murmured, clinging tighter to his frame in my guilt. She was young and some part of me did not want to hurt her there, in the forest. I had brought her back mostly for the chance to gather intel on Konoha, but also because I could not stand to see her suffer, alone, probably starving to death. "Still, there is little point in worrying about that now. We can see if she has information to barter for her life when she wakes up; until then, we wait."

Or so I thought. The phone on the wall rang and I glanced over to it, wondering who could have been calling back and, more importantly, why. The medic moved to stand and answer it but I waved him away, releasing Asato to move across the room and grab it.

"Hello?"[/style]

[Comatose]

[style=width: 350px; font-family: times new roman; font-size: 12px; padding: 5px; text-align: justify;][style=float: right; margin-left: 8px;][/style]I knew that Youka's heart was much too big for her own good. I knew that she did not want to dispose of the girl should she be useless information wise. I did not want to have told her the bitter truth of the situation. It was a slight possibility that the girl may have a use outside of the information, assuming she was at least special in some way that was useful to us.

"Yes, it is possible she may be useful in some way we have not thought of yet. No need to worry about it now."

I did well to not scold and yell at the doctor for interrupting out precious small intimate moment, if only to keep his favor. His esteem and skill deemed him useful and he seemed already perturbed by his current duty. There had already been instances of rebellion, insurrection, and discontent — albeit easily snuffed out instances. We didn't want to sow the seeds of discontent, we needed these people on our side. [/style]

[Gunjar]

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Eying the girl with a faint relation to that of a teacher who's student was showing them an insane increase in skill out of thin air. But, he was quick to capture is expression, returning it to one of slight annoyance. She had her valid points, but she was also right about them somehow being connected to the massacre, and if they had even the slightest involvement, he wanted to know, to know why. Takigakure had been in a civil war, something that would have brought plenty of death, but not on the scale of the massacre the masked man preformed...Not so brutal and uncaring. Glancing away for a moment he'd pat Validus on the head, preparing to respond to the girl's words...But, she was already spinning on her heel and making her way over to a phone on the wall.

Expressing his low amount of shock/surprise, as well as distaste for the bit of disrespect. He'd slowly follow behind her, his hand back at his side. "Rebuilding a village doesn't revive the dead, does it? I'm pretty sure that sort of thing belongs to kinjutsu..Tch, all I want is answers!" His growling caused Validus to growl, and when the dog growled it sounded more like rabid grizzly than a canine. Tilting his head to the side to pop his neck and release a bit of pent up frustration he'd fold his arms. Calming down a bit was what he needed to do, needed to stay level headed, and if he could do that then so would Validus remain in a similar state. Scratching Validus behind the ears was meant to aide in this, but he didn't cary it on for too long, he didn't want Validus to plop over and begin his state of laziness.

Gunjar's gaze had drifted from the floor, to Validus, until it traced itself to the girl, rather the back of her head as she made a call.

[/style]

[addy-hime ♥]

[style=width: 310px; font-family: times new roman; text-align: justify]"Youka-sama?" The girl spoke into the phone, a bit shocked that it was the queen who had answered it instead of the shinobi from earlier. "There is a man downstairs that would like to speak to you. Shall I send him up?" After waiting for an answer she would hang up the phone and turn to face him, having ignored his comment until she was done addressing the woman she worked for.

"I already told you that you're right, Sir. Rebuilding our village would not bring back the many lives lost during its take-over. But do you sincerely believe that causing a fight with our new rulers would be better than allowing them to help us?" She tore her gaze away from him and his angry dog, instead gluing it to the tiled floor; from the look on her face, it could have been argued that she thought it was the most interesting piece of architecture in the world. After a few moments' pause she inhaled deeply and spoke, voice shaking. "My mother and father were killed during that time. Youka-sama brought me here to live and work, so that I would not be alone on the streets. Don't you think I have a reason to hate them? I can't ever forget it; maybe I'll never forgive it. But with them in power no one else has to die ..."

She knew, deep-down, that her argument would do little to persuade this man. Only speaking to the monarchs themselves could he formulate his own opinion, if in fact he managed to look past his aggression and anger. They were powerful emotions, she knew, just as powerful in the end as sadness. Her parents had been ripped from her life prematurely, but they were shinobi. That was the job they had signed up for, and the danger of it was the reason she had never followed in their footsteps.

"The King and Queen will see you now. Please follow me." She bowed low to him and turned around again, heading toward a staircase that would lead them to the first floor and, consequently, near the room both the monarchs occupied at the time. But she walked slow enough that he would have a chance to respond, and perhaps enough time to think.[/style]

[addy-hime ♥]

[style=width: 310px; font-family: times new roman; text-align: justify]I was a mixture of conflicting and confused emotions when the voice on the other line told me that someone was here for an audience. It was not the first resident of the village to do so and would probably not be the last, but each meeting was equally difficult. Every time I had to explain the situation. I had to apologize for the needless death, pain, sadness, anger, longing. I tried to imagine what I would have felt like in their position and it physically hurt me to do so, because I could not bare the idea of losing Asato to such a needless assault. That was why I would not refuse them.

"Please bring him to us. This is a bad time, but we have a bit to wait before our guest wakes up."

I hung up the phone and turned around, staring at my husband without saying and word, although my face probably conveyed my thoughts. No doubt he would understand what that call was, because he had been there with me through the past audiences, a silent sentinel. I could not ask Asato to explain when he had no fault in the situation. The masked man had done this for me more than him. It was, in the end, just as much my responsibility as it was his; I could not condemn him, for he had blessed me with the Sharingan I longed for for so many years.

"If she cannot provide information I plan to see what other skills she possesses, don't worry. Any number of shinobi would be helpful to our flock at the moment, since the population has dipped so low ..." The medic glanced at me; I saw him out of the corner of my eye and looked away, embarrassed. I wanted to rebuild Takigakure to its former glory, but I could not so long as these feelings lingered. At the same time, I could not ask them for forgiveness, only cooperation. "We have a visitor. He will be here shortly," I said, summing up the phone call as I advanced toward my husband and took his hand in my own.[/style]

[Gunjar]

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If the girl thought that her words of defense would not sway Gunjar, she would be completely correct. And while her revelation that the massacre had claimed the lives of her parents, he'd do little more than offer a very slight head, and upper body bow of sorts in respect. But, alas no matter how he felt on the girl's opinion, she was rather respectable and seemed to be truly sincere....But, the massacre...It couldn't be forgiven, not this easily! He needed answers was all...That's what he kept telling himself.

And when she was done, he was left to follow her. Not one to leave behind his companion, he needn't even bother motioning for Validus to follow, the loyal canine still at his side without losing a step. His mind still calm he muttered a few words, almost under his breath. "While I am sorry for your losses...I lost everything in that massacre, everything, but Validus here. Friends, family, I fought by their sides to defend the village. And where did it get us? Defending our home killed countless, only for a King and Queen to rise at the muderer's side? And we are to follow blindly? Sorry, but this hound doesn't just tuck tail and walk on it's tippy toes." Mutter a few curses under his breath, he'd pause as they reached what appeared to be the room he was to meet the King and Queen in.

Nodding to the girl he'd pause before opening the doors and stepping in. "Heh, you might be stronger willed than me though..." Offering her nothing else in kindness he slowly pushed the doors before him open, stepping into the room he'd firmly take in the view of the King and the Queen. He didn't recognize them because he had been in the infirmary during their "crowning". But, they were foreign in all aspects to him, from attire to their faces, they weren't from around these parts. Validus took to sitting down as Gunjar stopped after taking a few steps into the room. They wouldn't be greeted as King and Queen, and they couldn't be greeted by their names...Because, he didn't know them, ave for the girl, she was perhaps Youka.

"My name is Gunjar Sheng-Inuzuka, Takigakure shinobi since before the first Shinobi World War...And to put it as kindly and simple as I can...I want answers. Namely, why were my people massacred just an hour before your crowning?!"

He wanted to hear something other than they hadn't a part in it, he wanted to know the real reason.

[/style]

[Comatose]

[style=width: 350px; font-family: times new roman; font-size: 12px; padding: 5px; text-align: justify;][style=float: right; margin-left: 8px;][/style]The man, Gunjar, had a rather crude approach to getting the answered he desired. If he had truly wished for the answers he wanted his approach should have been much more pleasing to those who had them. Otherwise, a situation like this would have arisen; a situation where more than anything, I was simply annoyed by his bark. I stepped in front of my wife, moving to be between her and Gunjar. A smirk appeared across the majority of my face as I looked at the beast of a man.

"Unfortunately you're not privy to such answers, Gunjar Sheng-Inuzuka." I spoke, almost condescending, spitting the guttural filth that was his name from my mouth. "You really don't need to know more than what you know, and you have all you need to answer your own questions anyway."

I lightly sighed, realizing I had broke a portion of my oath of myself as to not antagonize the new ninja under my command. So, I ushered the rest of the ninja out of the room for a moment, including the doctor that was caring for the ailing nuke-ninja in the very room. Footsteps took me right directly in front of the man after the door was closed, my mouth punctuating every word.

"Your people were slaughtered so the rest could be more easily obedient dogs." [/style]

[❊ SUMMER ❊]

     Noise. . distant, far away sounds that Riko couldn’t make out. That constant humming. . what was it? The murmur. . sounded like. . liked people? Voices? Riko stirred, her head clearing a little more second by second. Yes, those were definitely voices, as in more than one. And yes, more than one of them were not familiar – they were. . a man’s voices? Why would she be hearing a man? Where was she? She couldn’t remember anything for a moment. . just hazes, she was running. . running. . Oh yes! She was running from her village, stopped to rest, dreamt about her parents. .

     The loud ring of the telephone snapped her back into reality. Right, she had been knocked out so that the mysterious pink-haired woman could take her to her village, take care or her. . what a kind thing to do. Had she not felt like that earlier? She stirred under. . under sheets? Yes, she was under a blanket – or more so, there was a blanket covering her. She felt warm – hot, and she rolled to her side, forcing her eyes open. Her vision was foggy, frustrating really, and she opened and closed her eyes multiple times until she focused. She was looking at. . oh! The pink haired woman! She stood facing away from her, but it was definitely her, no doubt about it. And next to her was. . so she had heard a man’s voice! A taller, dark haired man stood next to her, awfully close if you’d ask her. He almost looked like. . perhaps he was the fair lady’s lover? Husband? Servant? Her vision was foggy, her mind was foggy. . and she really couldn’t understand anything that was going on. So, when the fair haired, rather scary looking man nearly barged in, his voice deep and intimidating, she had no idea what to think of him as. But she could hear his words, could feel his anguish, and at that moment she felt as if maybe she shouldn’t be there. They thought she was sleeping yes? This was definitely not a scene for her. . none of her business at all. Yet she couldn’t really make herself not hear. .

     “My name is Gunjar Sheng-Inuzuka, Takigakure shinobi since before the first Shinobi World War...And to put it as kindly and simple as I can...I want answers. Namely, why were my people massacred just an hour before your crowning?!” Gunjar. . Takigakure. .War. .massacre and crowning? Riko absorbed small amounts of information, slowly putting them together. But before she could properly think the dark haired man – whom was still standing protectively next to the bright haired woman – spoke a reply. His stance changed though, and he seemed to shift from one attitude to the next. His words. . they were cold, harsh, and undoubtfully menacing, him nearly spitting as he spoke the name. He probably had a reason for sounding and feeling like he did but still. . Riko felt like she was prying, snooping even. So, before she had the thought to stop herself, she started to sit up in her bed, attempting to show that she was awake. However, unluckily for her, her body – which she had entirely forgot about – did not want to cooperate. The fair haired lady’s last punch was much worse than the one before, so when Riko’s stomach muscles began to move pain shot through her body. She was so weak, so vulnerable, so breakable, so it wasn’t a surprised when she cried out, falling back down in pain. She didn’t get a chance to think about how her cry most likely drew attention to herself, nor did she even think about what the cold, harsh man would do to her now that he was around.

OOC: NEUGGH. So, so, so, so sorry for the late post and crappy writing ; __ ; Its very late, and I just now got a chance to write up this reply = . = I hope it didn't cause any trouble. . OTL But just out of curiosity from reading your guys' posts, can Riko have intel? Like, is it against NRP rules or something for her to know stuff that she probably knew before she left ?