The Sands of Time

It had been years since Kara had heard from Kensai. She had heard of him of course, there wasn’t much she didn’t learn given enough time. She had been so wrapped up in the events of the attack on Moonspire that she had ignored mostly everything else. The news that Damien had met an untimely death had hit her hard, and she had uncharacteristically been feeling melancholy and in need of a friend. So as was appropriate she had sent a letter to Tetsumura with an invitation for Kensai to meet with her at the Heavenly Emporium.

This being her first visit to the impressive floating city she took her time wandering the streets and taking in the marvel of crafting that was undoubtedly Okane’s masterpiece. The buildings and streets were clean and orderly, beautifully embellished as was expected of The Grand Merchant, and she was grateful that the whole place was considered a neutral ground. She had had quite enough of death and danger, and was content to live in her grief filled peace for now.

She wore a black gown, floor length with crystals sewn into the skirt creating an asymmetrically designed pattern that was reminiscent of a star scape. She had left her parasols in Sunagakure, and since then had not created anymore. Part of her was subconsciously repressing any attachment she had to the Land of Wind. She had good memories of the desert, but the most recent ones were. . . unpleasant. And those had led to the most unpleasant revelation of all, the death of her love. She did however wear a shoulder wrap of black silk that draped down over her right arm, partially obscuring the fact that it was missing. In her distress before she had shown off the injury without any sense of tact, in a place like this though her instincts towards fashion and decorum made themselves known.  

After she’d had her fill of being a ‘tourist’ she made her way into a small restaurant, the described meeting place, and was led to a quiet back room that she had reserved. It was morning, but that didn’t stop the blonde haired woman from ordering her favourite sake with instructions that she never be left wanting for the drink. She would sit and drink, lost in her thoughts, waiting for the arrival of her old friend.

Long had it been since Kensai Tanahashi had stepped foot outside of the Land of Iron. As the Shogun he had a heavy work load and was expected to be the land’s protector, and much of that time was also lost to a nasty head wound that had left him in a comatose state through which the people whom he had named advisors to the village had done a good job of continuing to see the people flourish and the now city grow. Upon awakening the amount of administration that he had to deal with was almost overwhelming but he was determined to deal with this, along with training for himself and others in the village. His daily life was completely filled with chores and training, and he had seemingly sunk into the same routine constantly. It was possibly for that reason that the Iron Shogun had jumped at the invitation to see Okane’s wonder and visit an old friend.

The cold had finally managed to work itself into Kensai’s veins after his time in Tetsumura. He had originally hated the temperature, especially coming from the desert before that. He was often found wearing heavy clothes and his large fur cloak that showed his status, but for today he was dressed in far lighter gear, forgoing wearing his normal armour and furs and deciding to dress in a more traditional Hitatare, a nice set of robes that were stamped with the logo of the shogunate to show his status. He didn’t necessarily need this extra flourish but he had been told that it would be a great dishonour to the village if he didn’t wear it as he would be hiding his status, and Samurai were all about honour. Unarmoured and disarmed, having heard of the rules of the place he was going and feeling naked without his weapons, he made for the haven which was a testimate to the genius of Kensai’s closest advisor.

He was quite impressed with what he had seen, though it was quite different from anything that he had expected to see affiliated with his village. The Heavenly Emporium made its home in The Land of Iron when it was landed, something that Kensai had originally been against but the thought of a marvel like this being a bastion of peace and neutrality turned him around on it. He would admire the surroundings as me had his way towards the place that his former associate had summoned him too, and the Iron Shogun made a note to congratulate Okane on his accomplishment when next they spoke. Eventually he would make his way towards the tavern that he was asked too, noting the smell of different drinks from all over not just their continent, but the world. Kensai was impressed by this, and by the surprisingly well lit while still being fairly dark surroundings. He appreciated the more intimate lighting and feel of the place, though it wasn’t enough for him to not be able to see everything in the room with his impressive eyesight. He was drawn towards the woman whom he knew instantly, seeing that she had clearly changed and gone through some things that he wondered if she would want to talk too.

Kensai went to take a seat, looking at the table and the server who, smartly enough, brought him a bottle of Sake with no glass. He would nod his appreciation towards the man before his eyes would fall upon Kara, pursing his lips and wondering if he should address the missing arm but not wanting to bring attention to something that might bother the woman. Kensai, above all, was a kind and compassionate person, and while he liked to joke around he simply didn’t want to possibly hurt her. “It’s been a long time Kara. It’s good to see you again. You look like you’ve seen combat since we’ve last parted ways...but you have survived well. I am proud of you.” He would take a drink from his bottle, giving an inviting half smile towards the woman. He wasn’t actually sure if it was a gesture that she had seen in the past, but he wasn’t going to think too hard about it. He would simply be the friend that she seemed to need right now.

Kara’s face lit up as she saw Kensai enter and sit down. Something close to a genuine smile crossed her face and just for a moment the air was warm and dry and they were sitting in their shared kitchen in Sunagakure, talking about thousands of bandits and the hilarity that was their continued resistance. It was bright and warm and comforting, but as she moved her right hand to smooth her skirt before standing to greet the white haired man, which of course didn’t work, the happy moment gave way to harsh reality. The old friends weren’t in Suna, and it had been years since the world had known relative peace.

A smile returned as Kensai spoke and she emptied her glass of sake before answering. “It has been a very long time, Kensai. I wouldn’t exactly call this combat, but yes I survived, through no fault of my own. Nozomi Himitsu of all people came to save the day. Very heroic, a round of applause for that woman.” She would grin slyly at her own joke, choosing not to even attempt ‘applause’ as the action of doing it with only one hand would likely prove even less dignified than her joke had just been.

Refilling her glass she would take another drink before continuing. “Thank you for coming to meet me Kensai, I was feeling nostalgic. Not that you needed to be bribed or anything but I did bring you a gift of sorts. I’ve done a lot of weapon and armor crafting and have been left with a small armory as a result. In the interest of being more charitable I’ve decided to donate those creations to you and Tetsumura.” Kara would pull out a small scroll and pass it to Kensai, a detailed list of the contents of the crate she had brought. Her mind drifted for a moment as she thought of her crafts, and of the future that they could have, should have, led to. With a touch of sadness she let go of the scroll and returned to drinking. “How have you been, friend? I see you’re no longer unconscious so I assume well enough?”

Inventory of Crate:

A crooked half smile would pass the face of the shogun as he saw the smile on his friend’s face. He watched as she moved to offer her hand to him, something that would have a wave of sadness overtake him. He knew that this must have been something that was very difficult for Kara to deal with, her hands were her livelihood after all. He didn’t know what to say or how to comfort her, but he noticed that she seemed to be taking to the drink hard and he figured she had looked for something to do the same thing. He couldn’t say he wasn’t disappointed in this coping mechanism, but he couldn’t judge as he was also a fan of a stiff drink or ten every once in a while.

As she spoke Kensai would chuckle at the round of applause comment, adding in his own exaggerated slow clap for effect. Nozomi was an interesting woman, and one whom Kensai had felt very uncomfortable around, though specifically for the presence he felt within her. She was strong, but her dormant power seemed something otherworldly and he never wanted to see what it was truly like. She had offered to duel him one day, and he wouldn’t necessarily say no, but it wasn’t a thought that made him overly comfortable. He would step up into the ring if the challenge was laid down again, but it wasn’t something he was looking forward too. “Nozomi is a good person. She helped me a lot with the funding to get Tetsumura to where it is today...but there’s something...wrong about her. I don’t know what it is, but she has...something...that terrifies me. Something...demonic.”

As Kara passed Kensai the scroll he would glance over it, nodding as he did so and putting it away. “So nice of you to Arm the village, Kara dear. I’ll go out on a limb and say that our past interactions have had a lasting impression on your charitable heart?” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a bad sketch of a weapon, passing it to her as well. “I appreciate the gifts, but if you could take a look at this Odachi for my apprentice?” He would think on her question after asked. He had been so busy that he had fallen ill. Leadership wasn’t necessarily a position that he was cut out for, but it was one that he had taken and one that he wouldn’t give up.

“I’ve been better, to be perfectly fair. This...shinobi war has been effecting the lands in my home. There have been constant storms assailing our lands and shores, and all I want is to end it. I worry that my people will soon suffer, as our only source of food is fish and fruit, and in monsoon the trees drown while the fish flee from the storms. Our city ever grows, but that leads me to worry more. And yet, I can never show my fears or stresses because that wouldn’t be befitting of the Shogun. I’m expected to be together at all times, to be the fearless leader...” He would sigh and shake his head, draining his own drink and pouring another. “Anyway, how have you been Kara? I imagine you’ve seen some excitement in the past couple of years.”

Kara nodded thoughtfully as Kensai commented on Nozomi’s ‘demonic’ aura. She had seen it for herself plain as day. Nozomi was a Jinchuuriki. Since arriving in Sunagakure all those years ago, Kara had seen more than most of the strange and supernatural that made up the world she lived in. More than she cared to at times. For her it wasn’t a matter of fear, it was a matter of measurement. The ‘supernatural’ was not generally quantifiable. Not in a way that made it any easier to understand from her perspective. She’d had to vastly alter her world view over the last several months and undoubtedly she would continue to do so as her world expanded.

Kara smirked at Kensai’s arm jokes. He was her oldest friend, and she could hardly blame him, she had started it. “Your way with words has always been disarming, old friend.” She would smile and take the sketch from Kensai, looking over the design and creating it as a finished masterpiece in her mind. “This will be no trouble at all, my dear. I can have this created and shipped to you within a week or two. An apprentice you say? Look at you moving up in the world, cities and titles and even apprentices now? A far cry from the man who used to ‘help’ me with my work.” She would chuckle goodnaturedly as she remembered the times spent arguing over where blood and guts were to be placed in their shared home. She had always just given up, Kensai was kind but stubborn, and it was more work to argue than to just clean it up herself. Not that they had ever truly been arguing, it was more like drunken friendly banter.

When she asked how he had been, she had not been expecting him to say anything other than ‘fine’, or some polite and automatic response to the question. She had underestimated the troubles that he would face as the leader of his homeland. She listened quietly as she continued to drink, only speaking up as he emptied his glass again. “I am truly sorry to hear of your troubles. I feel it prudent to remind you though that neither of us works for the other, and so you complain as much as you’d like in my presence. I promise not to embarrass you in front of your apprentice should I ever meet them.” She would wink at her last statement to him, the copious amounts of sake she had already consumed lightening her heart somewhat.

As he asked her how she had been though her face fell before she forced a smile once more. Giving up on the glass entirely she would raise the bottle to the air for a moment and then drink directly from it before answering. “Excitement, yes I did find that. Love as well. I know, I know, it’s probably a shock to hear I have a heart. But fear not, that phase did not last long. I met the most wonderful man, you would have hated him I’m sure. But believe me when I say he was absolutely perfect. We fell madly in love and made all sorts of plans for the future. We were to have our whole lives together, living happily in his city in the Land of Lightning. Moonspire it was called, named for the tower at its heart that seemed to stretch up to the heavens.” Her voice trembled slightly as she spoke and she would take a moment to down more sake, a waiter dutifully arriving with one more bottle for each of them as she placed the now empty bottle at the edge of the table where they sat. She would pick up the new bottle, which the waiter had been kind enough to remove the stopper from, and drink deeply as she continued her story. “In retrospect, losing my arm to Ei Kanagawa was just ‘insult to injury’ after what happened to Damien. In a single day I lost everything I truly loved. Damien Darhk, and my. . . work. Now I’m left alone again and must try to claw my way back up to some semblance of respect and dignity, metaphorically speaking.” She would laugh again and look up at Kensai, her eyes dimmed with sorrow despite the grin on her lips. “Do you have any idea how difficult it is to just put on a dress with only one arm?”

Her question was rhetorical of course, and she laughed lightly as she continued drinking. She would spend time with her friend, regaling him with stories of her misadventures and listening as he spoke of his should he indulge her curiosity. Once it finally became dark outside she would gather the sketch he had given her and bid him farewell, making her way home to Kumo to begin the creation of a new masterpiece. The crate of weapons and armor she had donated to Tetsumura she left with Kensai to do with what he wanted.

[Exit Thread]