The Day of Thunder

[Nanzi Ai]

“Did you have any trouble sleeping, last night? I know I did not fare well, if not for my cousin this morning, I fear I would be quite the wreck,” she responded.

[Nozomi]

It turns out the one being fashionably late today was the monk of all people. Well, in her defense, there appeared to be quite a bit going on. A gentle rap at the door was followed by her bowing to those present. "Good afternoon. Apologies for the wait. I hope you have not been waiting too long."

[Shiba Kumori]

Han-Hei shook her head, “No.. not long at all. Thank you both for coming.”

She turned to her cousin to see how she wanted to start of the conversation.

[Nanzi Ai]

“Well I wanted to… well I had hoped to try and get answers for my wayward friend here but she seems to have sorted some things out on her own. Shinsei mentioned that the Nine Thunders would be from each clan, this excluded the Imperial families… why? The villagers here, it seems they have a role to play as well… I just hope we can save them as well, I would not wish upon them death just for choosing to live here.”

“I suppose that is a start,” she finished as she poured tea for Nozomi.

[Shiba Kumori]

“I’d say I’ve sorted some things out… but not some others.” She said with a smile.

“I’d love to hear more from Shinsei’s closest two companions…”

[Nozomi]

Nozomi blinked for a moment and then sighed, laughing once very softly. No, she was used to getting the 'you hang around him all the time. You must know what he's thinking.' It came up with enough regularity that it was sometimes a little funny, even if it always made a tiny part of her quail in worry, considering just how actually close she was to him. Once she'd settled in, she took a more relaxed pose than a monk normally did and sighed once.

"I am something of a terrible monk, which is ironic if you consider that I was one of the first in the order." She shrugged. "But the order takes all kinds, even those who struggle with understanding or the path. Your question, though, isn't the first I've heard. Fate is a strange thing, a hard one to understand, and its form can be mercurial, can shift in ways that are unpredictable. I am not the Teacher. My gaze isn't as sharp as his, and I could never hope to have as much skill at seeing potential as he does, though I have a glimmer of it. Still, I'll try to answer it as best I can."

"As for the Thunders? yes, of the families. I think it's tied to the kami somehow, but I can't say for sure, since at the same time the Emperor himself is as much a kami as his kin. Either way, the Thunders represent the clans of men. One for each. This whole thing is a mortal problem, not the problem of the immortals of heaven. At least that's my take."

[Shiba Kumori]

“You see… I get that and all… But it just doesn’t make sense.” She replied.

“The heavens picked Shiba to rule the empire… That means that something special about him is what is needed to defeat the evil. Maybe some of the other Kami would be fine sending others to protect them… but anyone who knows my fath… The Emperor…” She continued.

“Anyone who knows how he rules would know that he doesn’t ask others to sacrifice while he sits on the sideline. This emperor would lay down his life for anyone of his family or the people they protect.” She paused.

“If that’s not why the heavens picked him… I don’t know why.”

[Nozomi]

She smiled sympathetically at ... uh... was this Shiba's... nah, she wasn't going to think about that. She reached up to scratch her chin for a moment before hitting on something. "You describe the Emperor well. I think if he had a choice, he'd be at the front of the line. I don't doubt it. But that may not be his fate. Let me tell you a story about a young girl."

She shifted a little in her seat. It would be easy to tell she was less comfortable. The story wasn't one that she had trouble recalling, but she didn't like the topic. "There was a young woman who was both brave and foolhearty in a way. She was ready to lay down her life to find a place in the empire, and to rescue a man she had never met. She saw horrors after horrors, and fought strange monsters before she came to the very edges of a terrible place. She had rescued a fool who used to wear the weight of the world on his shoulders, riding on the back of a flaming ki-rin one day. She was at the very edge of hell. Surrounded by myth, she heard the final call and she stood ready to leave, to enter hell, to rescue that man, just like the rest. Heroes, every one of them. Glorious men, faithful nezumi, even kami walking among men. One after another, the little teacher told them this was not their destiny." She shook her head, a soft laugh. "By the time they came to her, she knew deep down the answer."

"It was not to be her task either. She would guard the rear. An old friend who thought he was ready to retire? He was the one who had to go in her stead. It was the right choice in her case. She had seen too much to be afraid of. Her fear would have ruined her. But still, she might have asked... why Hantei, instead of Shinjo? Because it was Hantei's fight. This was his moment." She looked at the young woman and nodded. "You will have your moment. This old monk will have her moment. It may not be today, or perhaps it will, in ways you cannot even imagine. Fate is something even the Teacher does not fully understand. It is like the great waters of the ocean. We ride its waves, but it carries us, not the other way around. And sometimes? We will never have the answer we seek."

[Ukyou]

Ukyou, meanwhile, smiled. "It's the Imperial Families' duty to bring people together and keep them together. And keep them alive. Look at the Crab - tried to tangle with a bigger Empire with better technology. They should be dead right now. But they're not. They may be displaced, traumatic to be sure, but they're still alive and part of the Empire. They blame Shiba for the suffering they did go through, though. That's the blessing and curse of his role."

"The Imperials must keep things stable, and keep people together so they can fight - without the Emperor and the Imperials, this fight could not happen at all. They create the environment that allows success for others. Someone needs to be in that role."

"Some people have the fate to die to save others, even though they want to live. It is the fate of your Father, and those who follow him, to live for others, even though they would sacrifice themselves in a moment. And it's poor Yuzuru and Jiyo's fates to reign him in from doing exactly that," he said with a small chuckle.

[Shiba Kumori]

“If it was to unite others… I’m the worst one to send.” She replied simply.

“I get what you all are saying… but those are you guys’ expectations being put on me. Your vision… on my range of choices…” She replied.

“I got one of my names from my lineage and took one for myself… The promises I make to myself are tied to that name. I have promised to do what you all say… but I can’t do it in the way you think I should.” She replied.

“What I can do is stand in front and put my life on the line… That’s what I’m good for. That’s how I show how we Shiba lead… That’s what I’ve been trained for… and it’s what I should be tasked to do.”

[Ukyou]

"Let me ask you, then, Han-Hei-san... Why are you so eager to jump straight to self-sacrifice?" He asked curiously.

[Nanzi Ai]

"Let me ask you, then, Han-Hei-san... Why are you so eager to jump straight to self-sacrifice?" He asked curiously.

She had some thoughts on this but sipped her tea to see her cousin answer first.

[Shiba Kumori]

Her voice took on a more contemplative tone.

“It’s not like I want to die or anything… But it feels wrong to ask so much of others and not be there with them when it really matters. It feels… fake. Self-serving.” She started.

“There are… many people who are critical of the empire and the way it is being set up. Within the clans… and the older generation that started from without. They question our judgement… They question our honesty… They try and push us into a box so they can do as they like.”

She looked up, “I can’t let us be pushed aside. Or thought to be dishonest and self-serving… If we say we are here to protect everyone and be the link to heaven… Then we need to be that.”

[Nanzi Ai]

"Not sure how dying accomplishes that goal, no one doubts your Courage," she responded.

[Shiba Kumori]

“Like I said… It’s not about dying.” She turned to her cousin.

“It’s about being fully committed to be who we say we are. Life isn’t something to be thrown away for nothing… but it’s also not something to cling to over everything else.” She replied.

“I know how I feel about it… And will follow my convictions until my turn is over on this world. I will be the type of Shiba I want to see in the world. One who is there… getting their hands dirty… being true to themselves and the people they protect. Doing great things with the great blessings granted to us from above and below.”

[Ukyou]

"How do you define 'great things'?" He asked. "And what are your convictions and ideals?"

[Shiba Kumori]

“Defend the weak. I am physically strong and I’m a fighter… I’m not fancy with my words, or smart and cunning. I run at things… and help people be safer than before I came.” She replied.

[Ukyou]

Ukyou closed his eyes and considered. "It's a good impulse." He chuckled a little. "Well, my mind can be too narrow sometimes, too. It's possible to lead by example like that. But that's what it needs to be. Leading." He opens one eyes, the gaze piercing. "If we're considering what a Shiba does, our only reference is your father. If it was up to him, he would be at the front, guarding his people. After all, those techniques are his. Despitethat, he does what Lady Sun called upon him to do - think of his people first. She needed someonewho would think of what the people need the most first."

Opening both eyes, he smiled a little. "Well, the truth is, you and your father are very similar in personality, Shiba-sama. Maybe the most similar of your siblings in many ways."

[Shiba Kumori]

She snorted once through her nostrils, “We all are probably like him somewhat… I probably just don’t have the same amount of sense my sisters do… and my dad does.”

She looked up, “I do like to think some of me is like him though..”

[Ukyou]

"Sense is built over time. Your father has had many years to build it," he replied with a small smile. "It has gone a little way toward making sure he isn't constantly setting himself on fire to keep others warm. Not that you would know anything about that." He smirked.

"Take some time to observe your companions and the people here, Han-Hei-sama. Ask yourself what they really need the most from you. Examine if that assessment is warped by your desires for yourself, or what you believe you are or are not capable of. That's all I ask."