For Service Rendered

Valen awoke in the hospital of Kirigakure, attached to an IV line and a nurse hovering nearby. Furrowing his brow in annoyance the Jounin Commander would pull the line out of him. Much to the chagrin of the nurse in question who simply called the doctor and orderlies in. Valen of course was not impressed and he stood, in a hospital gown of all things, an his eyebrow twitching in annoyance. The Gelel Stone was still firmly implanted within his chest and he felt fine. Hell, the hole where the IV had been was already closed and he turned to the doctor and spoke, calmly, and quietly. “Give me back my things, now.” He would say, his tone brooking no compromise. The doctor would nod toward a cabinet next to the bed and Valen would turn toward and open it.

Within it was his clothes, and his sword, and Valen reached in for them as he pulled the hospital gown off with one hand, exposing himself, but not caring. He dressed, in the shocked silence that followed and set his sword across his back where it belonged before turning and speaking again. “What happened?” He would ask, prompting the doctor to reach for a clipboard on a nearby desk and begin reading it. “You were brought in with damage to your body and chakra system. As if both had been strained dangerously. However you were obviously recovering with great alacrity. So we set you up with fluids and left you to recover. You were brought in by one ‘Raika Ryuutei’ and from all reports it seemed the Nibi had come and attacked the village.” He would explain, prompting Valen’s brow to furrow. That tracked, given he no longer felt the beasts power within him. He frowned at that before shaking his head to get it back on track.

“Lady Arisu entrapped the beast, sealing it away within a large statue. But not before one ‘Raphael Uzumaki’ was killed by it.” The doctor would go on to say, again prompting Valen to frown before nodding his head in understanding. So, Raika had recovered him from the scene and brought him here to recover. Raphael had died, had Hiramekarei been destroyed in the process? Probably not, he would simply have to find it. Given he would need to reward Raika for her service anyway he would probably start with her. Asking if she knew where it was. For now though he needed to get to his office and call her to report. Moving and leaving the hospital quietly he would move to his office. Outside of the main door his secretary, tear tracks running down her face, would see him and greet him enthusiastically. Valen would frown and nod in greeting before moving into the office, telling her to send a call to the Ryuutei woman to report in to the Jounin Commanders office immediately.

Then Valen would begin working through the paperwork that had built up, moving through it with a swiftness that came from long practice at doing it. Hai no Ha, his weapon would be leaning on the desk to his right, easily graspable in case some lunatic attacked him in his office. One of the items on his desk was the paperwork necessary to promote someone and he filled out the relevant information before continuing on with other things while waiting for Raika to appear.

[1]

Raika is busy in the Ryuutei clan compound's clan head office when she hears someone knock and then open the door; very few people would have had Raika's blessing to walk directly into her office without waiting for her admission to let them in, and so she wasn't all that surprised when a messenger from the Jounin Commander walks straight in. After all, someone acting on Valen's authority would have been treated almost as well as the Jounin Commander himself. The order was to come to Valen's office herself. Raika gives him a nod to the affirmative, then grabs up Hiramekarei from where it's leaning over her, ensuring that she maintains direct contact with the sword at all times to ensure its safekeeping, and she slips it around to press it against her back, utilizing something similar to the surface walking skill to keep it attached where it is. She similarly makes sure she's wearing her Felis Bangle and her Nemean Cloak as she leaves, since Kabutowari is also kept sealed away inside her golden bracelet.

It doesn't take Raika long before she's in the Jounin Commander's doorway, taking a strong position before announcing just loud enough for him to hear:

"Raika Ryuutei, reporting to Valen as ordered."

Raika wasn't usually the type to make a big fuss over authority for others and certainly did not often observe what she considered a waste of time, such as announcing one's presence outside of an office rather than simply barging straight in. But she wanted Valen and others to be aware that the Jounin Commander was not to be underestimated simply because he had been hospitalized.

Raika waits until some signal from Valen to enter, and she does so quickly whilst shutting the office door behind her, letting Valen see Hiramekarei on her back, wrapped in fresh gauze so as to have some respect for the blade. When she turns back towards Valen, it's with her usual seemingly bored expression, but an observant person might notice that her face is at least slightly showing a face of relief when she sees Valen as he'd always been, at least before the Nibi fight. She right away starts with a recap of the events of the Nibi fight, not sure if Valen had been given a briefing on it, but feeling somewhat certain he'd want to get the perspective of someone that had watched most of it. She explains how she'd found him in the middle of a crater and could not find a scent of the Nibi except where it had left to be fought and captured; there was a hint of a curious question in her tone, but she left the question where it was. If he deemed it necessary for her to know, she would have been told. She goes on to explain that she'd caught sight of Hiramekarei flying away after one of the massive explosions of the bijuu's attacks, and had immediately gone to retrieve it, and that she had kept it in her own possession for safekeeping in the meantime. As she explains this, she pulls the blade from her back and sets its tip on the floor of the office, keeping it upright with her left hand on one of the twin handles. She finally goes on to report her arrival on the scene of the carnage to find the corpse of Raphael, as well as some stranger she'd never seen before, but whom she thought looked like Ryuko Shizu von Rose, who was sometimes called the Lightning Empress, although Kumogakure had been partially destroyed.

After such an explanation, Raika waits for Valen's further questions or responses.

Raika would arrive in short order as summoned and he would catch the relief briefly showing that he seemed hale. Nodding his head he tapped the glowing stone in his chest, visible clearly, as he was shirtless but for a cloak around his back. “If this had been removed I would have been in trouble. But its healing capabilities restored me in rather short order. Now I’m simply playing catch up and intending to get some more work done.” He would say, working to put her mind at ease with confirmation of his health. Then she would report on the full situation. The reporting of the death of Raphael would cause him to frown. Raphael had been the one to update the Nibi’s seal. Valen could not have faulted the man for his work, the seal had worked flawlessly. It was Valen that had screwed things up by underestimating the beast.

He had assumed that since he had fought and subdued it once before, that it would be a simple matter to do so again, and while he had certainly harmed it. It has simply cremated him within his mindscape without bothering for any foreplay. Which made sense, it was essentially a wild animal of chakra after all. Still, he hoped Raphael had not died thinking his work had been shoddy. Quietly his fists would clench in silent fury at his own weakness. Clearly, he was not strong enough. Clearly he needed more power, both politically, and personally. He needed to find a way to get his hands on it. Or to get others with the capability to get it for him instead.

Frowning in thought he would listen to the rest of Raika’s report, letting a silence linger afterwards. He would speak when he was ready, after he had fully absorbed everything. So Arisu had sealed away the beast. He wondered if he could convince her to have it resealed into him. The possibility wasn’t out of the question, and he would be damned if he underestimated the beast once more. However one shinobi had already perished because of his foolishness. Silently he would consider options for the future. Take into consideration risks and rewards. What he knew of the political climate of the world and the power of the other nations.

Konoha of course was Kirigakure’s long-time ally, and he had no intention of truly risking that relationship. However perhaps they could be used to the advantage of Valen himself if he forced them into a corner. Without telling them of course, he couldn’t risk the alliance. The trade agreement between the two nations currently vastly favored the Leaf village but that did not mean Kirigakure was not gaining from it. Frowning in thought Valen would begin a plan before his eyes would lock onto Raika, the report at hand pulling him from his thoughts. Holding a hand up in apology he would speak. “Sorry, lost in considerations for a moment there.” He would say before picking up the form he had filled out and settling it on the side of the desk toward Raika, facing her and setting a pen beside it.

“This is a promotion form. I usually fill them out myself but I figured a physical gesture of it would be appropriate here. I’ve filled in all relevant information with the exception of the name of the one gaining the promotion. By all means, do the honors. You’ll be a Special Jounin when you walk out of this office. Taking the initiative to recover both me and the artifact deserves reward. Consider it also a gesture of my personal thanks, for obvious reasons. Seeing as well that you recovered Hiramekarei. I invite you to choose whichever you wish out of Hiramekarei and Kabutowari. Once you have chosen, go to the vault and give the other to the guard captain stationed there. They’ll be informed you’re to bring one of the two to them and that you’ll be keeping the other.” He would continue, leaning back in his chair and steepling his fingers in front of his chest as he spoke. “Do so before leaving the village on a mission or anything. I never know when I’ll find a worthy candidate for one of the swords so I want those not assigned to be on hand as quickly as possible when I find one.” He would finish nodding for her to be dismissed once she had signed the form.

[2]

[Exiting, or if Raika needs something else this'll be a flashback for Valen]

Raika is a bit surprised by the explanation he gives that the implanted stone in his chest had been what had ensured his survival, and she considers asking Valen if he knew where to find more... But she has isn't sure that she's earned that level of trust, perhaps of Valen, but also of Kirigakure, and she knows she can always ask him more about it some other time, when he's not trying to catch up on his duties as the Jounin Commander as well as the commandant of the Seven Swordsmen, whom Raika assumed was now without at least one member, since she assumed Raphael had originally been the wielder of Hiramekarei.

As she gives her report, she notices Valen's reactions to the vast report, especially as he appears somewhat disappointed with the news of Raphael's death. She doesn't think he's quite disappointed in Raphael's demise, because there's some genuine sadness at first, which is then replaced by the expression of disappointment; if the disappointment had been aimed at Raphael, it would have started with disappointment first. She wasn't used to having this level of insight and she thought she was becoming too civilized, and that wouldn't do for a beast like herself. She might let the leader of the village order her around, as well as Valen, but she wasn't some collared and pampered housecat. She determined that she'd need to go out on another crucible, possibly leading her own team this time around. That would get her back into this state of severe ferocity.

She's a bit surprised at Valen's offer for promotion as well as giving her the option to choose between Hiramekarei and Kabutowari. She hadn't been able to directly participate in the fight against the Nibi, and she felt for a moment that she was undeserving of the rank without a show of combat prowess on the field of battle, but she knows better than to question the Jounin Commander. Her expression of surprise turns to her old expression of careful perception, a half-lidded gaze that made her appear bored and unfocused, but which people often underestimated. Raika takes up the pen and signs her own name for the promotion papers, then gives a sharp salute.

"At this time, Valen, I would give you advance notice so that you're immediately aware: I intend to accept Hiramekarei and return Kabutowari to the vault. Thank you for the promotion and the exchange."

She drops the salute quickly and goes down to the guard at the vault to do just that, unsealing Kabutowari from her bangle to place the combined hammer and axe directly onto the vault's table. Raika leaves with Hiramekarei, channelling her chakra into it rapidly as she does so to feel it becomes flush with her own more dense and thick-feeling chakra, tainted as it was by bijuu chakra.

OOC: Taking Tokubetsu Jounin and Hiramekarei, and taking note of Gelel Stone for maybe later; thread exit