DARLING, I HAVE WAITED FOR YOU!

[Subori]

Waterfall would be lucky to dodge a bullet after current events. "BRAA-" Thunk. Something struck the window of the feudal lord's office. A rustle of feathers, and the sound of wood sliding against wood, as the window inched up slightly. A piece of paper was tucked through the opening, falling to the floor. Outside, something fell to the ground. A fluttering was heard, and a shadow rose... only to disappear in the distance. To not know Bakatū was a blessing. The great and terrible bird had already had quite the impact on Ryuze, the head of Hidden Rain. After what Waterfall had suffered recently, perhaps it was a good thing he did not make it inside to deliver his message. The letter simply informed the village head Subori was on her way. The letter was polite, but it did not ask for permission to make her visit, only the location of the village. It stated that Subori would be coming to introduce herself and speak, in a respectful manner, with the village head... Eboshi Seiichi.

[Hanamuke Youei]

Youei had been in the capital for numerous reasons. Despite his new position as the Lord of Takigakure no Sato, he was still the High Priest of a Thousand Beliefs, and thus had to tend to the religious affairs of his people. Many still worshipped Seiryuu, and they had to be silenced. Much like weeds in a garden, conflicts began to sprout in the numerous temples and villages of the country. Lord Baion was too fat and stupid, despite his holy blood, to adequately deal with such an issue.

With a pen in hand and parchment on his desk, Youei fervently wrote warning after warning to the insolent heathens who insisted on worshipping the evil dragons. For almost a thousand years the people of his country had worshipped these demons, and now that they were revealed to be corrupt spirits, he finally had his chance to save their damned souls; if he could, that was. Not a day before a mob had grouped together and lynched another member of the new Takigakure. Things were getting out of hand. And soon the Botsu will be called in. That thought was a dark one, but with the Tatsumiya clan also standing against him, it was likely more serious measures would have to be taken.

Three sharp knocks rapped on his door and Youei beckoned for whoever it was to enter. The messenger bowed four times, once for each of the cardinal gods, and then left the note on his desk before leaving. Youei read who it was from and perked an eyebrow. It had been a week since the invasion had properly ended, and so he figured it was about time the other countries acted on what had happened. But when he opened the letter to read what was inside…

“Did your traitorous schemes know no end, Seiichi?” Youei asked himself.

Sighing heavily, he penned back his reply and called for the messenger again. The Lady of Grass would be allowed to meet with the Lord of Waterfall within Taki no Kuni’s capital, but he had not mentioned who the new lord was. If this woman was another failsafe of Seiichi he’d have her killed, and if she was just ignorant he’d politely make sure that she, and the rest of the world, knew not to confuse him for a traitor again.

[Subori]

It was a sullen and bitter Subori who arrived at the capital, to be escorted to the throne room where the feudal lord and head of the village would await. The state of the forestry around the capital, no... the state of the nation as a whole was a dismal sight. It upset her... it angered her more than anything. Rock had crossed a line. She did not know the end result of this conflict, what arrangements may have been made or what became of the two village leaders who took part. She was certain to make Rock answer for what they had done, however. She would have words with the Tsuchikage. For the moment, however, her focus was with Waterfall and its poor denizens. She was here to formally introduce herself to the village head, but not just that... she would pay her respects to those had been lost recently. This was clearly a time for mourning, for rebirth and growth... and she would tread lightly here. Escorted through a long corridor, lined with images of a variety of creatures on the walls, Subori halted dead in her tracks at a glimpse of blue hair in one painting. She stared with one wide eye at the image. A handsome man seated in a throne, a former feudal lord it looked like. It was not he who caught her attention, but the concubine beside him, the woman with her hand placed on his shoulder. The woman in the painting had the most striking blue hair. Blue as the sky on the clearest of days. She was beautiful in such a way that even Subori envied her. There was a hint of divine nature to her beauty, that made Subori ravenously jealous. The plaque read "Daimyō Konoe and Tamamo no Mae." Subori took a step toward it, as if enthralled by the visage of the woman, but then stopped. She looked down at her feet, and spied scuff marks on the floor where she stood. No doubt if less care had been taken in cleaning the corridor, there would be ruts in the floor where many others, just like her, had stopped to stare over the years at the beautiful woman in the painting. Embarrassed, she quickly gathered back the composure that had been stolen from her by the painting, and continued on with her escort in tow. The eventually navigated her to the throne room, where she stopped. The door itself had a large painting on it, a portrait of the current feudal lord, Baion. Her head tilted to the side as she looked at it. From inside the throne room, she heard a voice. "The lady Subori, of Grass." Her introduction was announced, it would seem. As if on cue, the door was opened from the inside. An attendant stood there, holding the door open for her. Subori entered with her escort. She had come alone, so no one else followed her inside. Subori strode forth, into the vast throne room. Surveying the elegant designs, she was envious of how extravagant it all was. The room was fool of guards, several attendants strewn about who likely tended to the needs of those with authority. When she finally reached the permissible distance to the throne itself, Subori took to her knees and places her hands on the floor in front of her, and then her forehead on the backs of her hands, all in one fluid motion. A sign of great respect to bow in such a manner to these men. The grace at which she did this was worthy of praise. It must have been practiced, for the sleeves of her haori to end up in perfect symmetry on the floor. Her poise had been flawless. "The venerable Hanamuke Youei-ue, the grand and sublime Baoin-ue. It is my honor to meet you both. Please, forgive the poor timing of my visit. I know you must still be suffering." She waited for one of them to permit her to rise.

[Hanamuke Youei]

Youei did not like Subori. By all means, he should have. One glance over the room told him that the lords and ladies of Taki no Kuni loved her. The guards stared at her liberally exposed cleavage, and Lord Baion seemed to be falling in love from his throne. She spoke nobly, gave out praises, and used proper and respectful honorifics. She was the model lady of court. And that was why Youei did not like her.

Above everything, Subori was a ninja, and he knew this. He had dealt with ninja for six decades, and he knew how they liked to manipulate people. There was no reason to think this wench was any different. She had killed her fair share of people, he was sure, and had manipulated more people than he could likely count. And the fact that Iwa-nin had come from the Kusa border as well did nothing to help her case. Youei was as wary as a cat was of a dog, and as ready to pounce as the tiger was on the boar.

“Rise, Lady Subori of Kusa,” Lord Baion began. He had notably waited several long moments to speak. Youei figured he was enjoying her exposed bosom. “Taki no Kuni welcomes you to our capital with open arms, and we hope that despite the turbulent times you found this country beautiful and your journey safe.” After her expected reassurance, Lord Baion continued, gesturing at Youei. “I know you have come to speak of matters of state and military, and so I ask of you to present those matters to me, Daimyo of Taki no Kuni, and Hanamuke Youei, Lord of Takigakure no Sato and High Priest of a Thousand Beliefs.”

Youei stepped forward at his mention. Both hands were held behind his back, and a mixture of earthy brown, ocean blue, and forest green robes cascaded from his shoulders in a beautiful display. His face was neutral and his eyes did not betray the suspicious he had of the Lady of Grass.

[Subori]

Yes... the scorpion had killed before... once. Youei had his suspicions, and they were valid... but for the wrong reasons. As manipulative as Subori was, she was not malicious. She had no ill will intentioned for this man or his village and nation. That being said... she was still a scorpion. To trust her in any capacity was foolish. Subori's eye opened as Baion addressed her and told her to rise. She did so... slowly, as a lady would. Baion introduced Youei to her, with his proper title included. Was this man... not a shinobi, of some kind? It did not matter, for he was still a man... and all men were fools when compared to the likes of her. So... this man was a religious figure. Subori turned to him, offering him a docile and kind face as she bowed her head in his direction as politely as she could. Her attention would be divided between the two of them. As she spoke, she would shift her gaze from one man to the other, so as not to make either feel like something of a third wheel in the conversation they would have. "Yes... of course. I only wish I had come to you both much sooner. You see... the original purpose of my visit, before the most tragic attack on your land, was unification. Specifically, the formation of Waterfall, Rain and Grass as a unified force. An alliance, if you will." She paused for dramatic affect. "Our three nations are... comparatively speaking, small in the eyes of the other five. United, however... we are greater than any single one of them. With out nations neutral to one another, any one of us is open to hostility from one of the five... but as an alliance, none would dare touch any single one of us." Subori paused again. It was true that her original intention for visiting the Land of Waterfalls was to establish an alliance of sorts. However, she had already dealt with Wani Ryuze on the matter, and decided to keep much of what she planned under wraps for now. To tell these men what she had planned for their three nations at this juncture, would be detrimental to getting them to agree to anything. So, for now... she kept certain details to herself. "I understand that, at the moment, you are in mourning and you need time to recover. I certainly would not expect you to agree to lend military aid or monetary support to either Rain or Grass... nor is that what I am asking of you, in proposing this alliance. An agreement to form an alliance between our three nations is, well... more for show. For the five, that is. To them, it would appear that we would protect one another. That attacking just one of us, would incite all three to respond. A deterrent for future attacks, if you will." She paused again, to give them time to process. "I do not mean for this alliance to be just for show, however. We can open trade between our villages, to benefit one another. I understand this may seem a little one-sided to you, and a bit suspicious, but I would like to offer manpower and financial aid during this time. In addition, I would like to make it clear at this moment, that I do not intend for what has happened to your nation, to happen again... to any of us. Whether or not you agree to my proposal, I intend to offer the support of Grass in any future military conflict." Surely they would have some suspicions. If not Baion, most likely the current head of Waterfall would. Some of what she said... most of what she said, sounded too good to be true. Subori was offering everything, in return for nothing. Accepting her proposal would most likely come down to two things. First, that Hanamuke Youei was confident enough to believe that whatever Subori was obviously leaving out he could deal with when the time inevitably came. Second, that Baion saw the phenomenal potential in the deal that was just proposed to him by this particularly gorgeous woman.