So just a few housekeeping notes, most of these names are going to be anglicized and somewhat modern. Sorry for any hardcore history fans out there, my American brain just wants to call the area "The Balkans" instead of "Rumelia" if that's what the area was even called. Now if I named these chapters based on how I felt about, this one would be something like "necessary evil", lots of arduous transitions, establishing character motivation and foreshadowing before we get to the real meat of the story. My apologies, unless you like this kind of stuff in which case...never mind. Anyway, I hope you enjoy.
Alexandria, Egypt, 1798
"I see your stint in the army has done something for your manners. In the past that look on your face was usually accompanied by a lot of yelling." Baki removed a plain looking porcelain teapot from his fireplace and began pouring himself a large cup of black tea without sparing a glance over at the young woman. Years of experience had taught him to recognize signs of her displeasure. He continued his speech as he began to drop a generous number of sugar cane cubes into the glass. "You know this isn't quite the reunion I'd hoped to give you, but after spending six months down south I figured we could at least catch up over tea."
Temari turned her back towards Baki as she stepped towards the buildings balcony. Below her the two story government villas and the finely decorated seaside homes stood stalwartly against the evening summer sun. Baki's home was a generously sized villa with a spacious, sturdy balcony that overlooked the deep blue of the southern Mediterranean, a simply luxurious home for a former soldier turned director of the cities foreigners office. From that balcony one could take in the fresh sea air and observe Alexandria, queen of Egyptian cities in all her glory. Temari folded her arms and took a deep breath.
"What job did you give those foreigners from this morning?" she finally asked. Baki raised an eyebrow at her question as he set the teapot back on the table. "You remember, the ones led by that brat who looked like a narcoleptic camel? The reason I came back to Alexandria in the first place?"
"Infantry men in the foreign auxiliaries," Baki answered evenly bringing the cup to his mouth, eyebrow raised slightly.
"That's funny," Temari said, her tone giving Baki pause. The last time he remembered hearing that line was when she'd caught her brothers rummaging through her fan collection. It was incredibly direct, sharply accusatory and disturbingly somewhat tranquil, the calm before the inevitable whirlwind. "Because when I stopped by the governors mansion they said they had no record of any foreign enlistments. In fact Egyptian levies to the north have been tied up in Cairo for months now."
The room went nearly silent, the only noise being the cool breeze blowing in from the sea. Temari turned away from the balcony doorway, arms still crossed. Her thin eyebrows bent down, a cold scowl crossing her face as she waited expectantly.
Slowly, ever so slowly, Baki set his tea down and stood up. Temari unconsciously reached for a weapon. She'd almost forgotten that cold look in Baki's eyes, the eyes of a trained soldier. Still ,there was something uneasy in his gaze, somehow he looked almost hesitant. Baki approached, his feet making soft pats on the meticulously tiled floor. Temari felt a shiver run up her spine as Baki moved past and motioned for her to follow him back onto the balcony.
"Baki, if you didn't send those troops to fight with the empire it means they're up there to fight against the empire," Temari's voice sounded hoarse, strained, as if she didn't want to believe a word of what she was saying. "Please tell me you're not involved with the Balkan rebellion."
Baki stepped up to the railing and looked out over the city. If one were to lean off just a bit further, and crane their neck as far to the left as possible they'd see the rows of ancient colonnades and palm trees line the cities bustling boulevards; all converging on the monolithic pillar of a dead Roman emperor. Following the roads out to sea, where the harbors now stood were the shells of the old not quite forgotten Egyptian palaces. Where sumptuous Cleopatra seduced Ceasar and Antony. On the edge of the city was a naval citadel, a fortress built where Alexander's lighthouse would've been, a reminder of the olden times.
"We both know that citadel hasn't been used in ages, its obsolete. The biggest threats to a nation don't come from the sea. They come from inside the nation itself where men looking back on the centuries can be stirred onto action by pride, not pointless bureaucracy. Men like your father." Baki's hands clutched the railing as he stared out across the rolling waves of the Mediterranean.
"Then its true," Temari said gritting her teeth, the sound of metal sliding against metal interrupted the breezes docile tone. Her hands were almost shaking now. She looked positively livid. "Riding with all those rich brats I heard that kind of talk a lot…I just never thought you would be one of them! And after all this time…I can't believe I looked up to you."
"Temari, let me explain…" Baki began, turning around before his former ward could unsheathe her weapon.
"This is treason Baki, high treason," Temari replied narrowly, eyes aflame now.
Baki continued to stand with the wind at his back, staring down the woman he'd helped raise. His voice became softer, almost apologetic. "Temari listen, if we could do this peaceably we would, but you have to understand there are larger forces at work here."
Her eyes didn't change, if anything they narrowed even further.
"You risk open war, putting everyone's lives here at risk. You're no better than those barbarian raiders trying to declare their independence up north."
"The Sultan in Constantinople will lead us all to ruin. If Egypt rises up they'll have to split their army between us and the Balkans…"
"You still talk down to me like I'm some kind of child! We've been down this path before, or don't you remember?" She was furious now. Her weapon, at first glance a deceptively simple piece of Damascus steel, four feet long had come completely unsheathed. Baki's feet unconsciously shifted across the balconies floor, getting him ready to move should the worst come to pass. "Ten years ago my father was involved in this same plot to "create a new Egypt". Do you remember that Baki?"
Oh how he'd tried to forget. The man almost visibly grimaced at the memory. It had started with an arrogant emir, international politics, followed by a few years of jubilant conquest, and then…defeat, destruction and blood. But that had been a lifetime ago, he looked back at Temari, yes, her lifetime.
"We're not going down that path again! No more revolts, no more petty sheiks, no more power grabbing, and no more young girls are going to have to watch their fathers get beaten bloody and led off in chains never to be seen again." The last word was punctuated by the sound of steel crashing onto the floor. The decorative red and white Cyprian tiles splintered and cracked at the blow.
At last it seemed that neither one of them had anything more to say. For the first time Baki looked totally unsure of himself, perhaps even a little ashamed. Temari kept her eyes fixed on the man. Her finger still twitched as if she expected a fight at any moment, but otherwise she seemed strangely calm. She really had grown up, Baki decided. The sound of a Turkic vendor arguing with a customer over spare change drifted ever so faintly into the room from the streets outside. Finally Baki broke the silence.
"Temari…Nobody could've known that uprising would've ended the way it did, and I can't tell you how sorry I am for what happened to your father, but circumstance demanded he rebel Temari. Listen you are an idealist, that's very admirable, but things can't always go the way we want them to. There are some realities, some chosen paths…"
"Chosen paths? Oh that's a laugh, coming from the man who forbid me from heading out to the Russian border garrison with my brothers. You know, like I always said I wanted to do." And just like that Temari was back to her normal caustic self. She pulled her weapon from the ground with one hand, slid it back into its sheath and buttoned it closed. "Instead you stuck me in the most predictable post in the entire empire. Egypt, southwest Egypt, the White Desert of all places, where not even the Bedouin bother raiding anymore."
"Temari…it's…your brothers didn't choose. They were called up because your families male lineage…" Baki struggled to explain as a stray dog barked in the distance. He sounded more and more hesitant now.
"Its not the system Baki. The "life" didn't take Gaara and Kankuro, they chose to go." Temari cut in unceremoniously, adjusting the straps that held her weapon in place and heading for the door. "And now I think its time for me to go as well. I'm a soldier and I have my responsibilities. I'd suggest getting out of this plot while you still can."
"You follow your conscience and I'll follow mine." Baki finished quietly, attempting to sound at least a little bit sage like. Temari made face of mild revulsion, like someone was trying to serve her fish guts for lunch.
"Leave the pithy sayings to the Hadiths. I'm heading north to clean up the mess you made. Don't make me come back down here old man."
"And what about your posting? The one I worked so hard to get you?" Baki asked in a tone that made it difficult to discern whether or not he was joking.
She just snorted in reply, "I'll let you clean that one up." And with that she was gone. Despite everything, Baki chuckled to himself as he strolled back to his lukewarm tea.
"She really is your daughter Rasa,"
Northern Kyushu, Japan 1795
"L-like this?" Neji watched his cousin in silent amusement as she attempted to heft the heavy practice sword, ending up looking more like sumo wrestler than a sword fighter.
"It's a start. Straighten your back out a bit more lady Hinata." Neji directed, his voice echoing up to the second story of the enclosed compound. Around them the servants focused on tending the flowers and bonsai trees or polishing the fine magnolia deck that surrounded the normally pristine earthen arena. An arena that was now covered with sandals markings, evidence of Hinata's wild footwork. A couple relatives watched from the sidelines, enjoying the young heiresses performance.
"But Naruto said…" Hinata began trying her best to stand straight.
"I know what Naruto said, and if the blonde idiot tries to enter the Hyuga complex again I'm cutting his feet off," Neji stated matter-of-factly. Hinata just looked at him, her eyes bright, round and deer like when suddenly she smiled.
"I didn't know you told jokes Neji." Her cousin's exasperated look went unnoticed. She was just too kindhearted for her own good, Neji decided.
Suddenly the sound of wood splintering on the upper deck echoed through the compound. A body crashed backwards through he white railing and dropped to the ground.
The coming events were a blur. Hinata was whisked away by the family guards whilst Neji and his clansmen drew their swords just in time to defend themselves from the black cloaked figures that had come bursting in, knocking the sliding door clean off its track. Silently, Neji struck up a defensive position as he watched his opponent close in on him, preparing for that first, all-important strike.
The Dalmatian Coast, The Ottoman Empire, 1798
The first time he'd had that dream was back off the coast of Japan in the hull of a Dutch caravel paid to take him from the island. His head had shot up, drenched in sweat as he looked around wildly only to find no complex and no clan; just the slow rocking of the boat and two snoring humans draped over a sack of Chinese barely.
Nowadays the dream had become so frequent that he thought little of it. Even inside the dream all his actions had become so familiar he could simply go through the motions.
Neji Hyuga opened his eyes slowly to find himself in the same place he'd gone to sleep, on the deck of the ship, smelling the sea breeze as the boat continued to bob hypnotically in the water; the strong Lebanon cedar planks that made up the floor creaking with every motion. They were in the same place they were when he'd gone to sleep, anchored behind an island inlet. The half moon hung in the sky, as it had for the past three days the modest Egyptian ship had been anchored in these waters, waiting for the perfect time to dodge the patrols of the Ottoman navy.
Even in the dark the Mediterranean still looked striking. The waters were darker and colder than they had been in down south, being. Yet, the sea lost none of its grandeur as it crashed up against the mountainous and craggy shores of the coast. It was almost like the waters that lapped against the rocks far below the Hyuga castle back home Neji finally decided…almost.
Neji's ears twitched as he heard the quiet but still plainly audible buzz of foreign words from one of his neighbors nearby. Even in the moonlight his brown boots and frilly blue frockcoat made him stand out from the rest of the sullen and shabby crowd; perhaps even more than his incessant prattle did.
"Is he still talking?" Neji asked, the annoyance clear in his voice.
"Heh, yeah these foreigners can sure be chatty." Kiba chuckled before yawning again. Neji just grunted and closed his eyes again while Kiba yawned, leaned back up against Akamaru and did the same. "I'm glad I don't speak the language."
"Mercenary work," Neji mumbled to himself. This wasn't the first time they'd accepted this kind of work, and it wasn't like he or Kiba had objected when Shikamaru had told them he'd found work. Still, was this it? Was this life now?
"So's it turns out, they don't even speak Arabic down in Turkey. 'Urns out them bloody Turks speak Turkish," Shikamaru's finely dressed neighbor continued in a thick accent as he obsessively polished his gun; an older piece which, as he'd already told anyone who would listen had belonged to his great-grandfather in the "war with the Spanish papists".
"How annoying," Shikamaru grumbled, rolling onto his side in an effort to drop the man what he knew would be an ultimately futile hint. The rest of the men on the boat within earshot, figures of all different sizes and complexions, not one outfit matching the next seemed to be equally annoyed. Yet, despite the man's chatter there was a palpable tension in the air, and it seemed as if no one felt like shutting him up.
"I know aight? Ahts what I said. Anyway, was quite a shock getting all the way out ere' from London only to find I don't speak the language. What mum would say if she saw me now eh? Not that I just up and left mind you. Got four brothers at ome'. They's can take care of her well and good they's can. Not that I'm not a hard worker you see, I'm no Jacobin, or heavin forbid a Methodist mind you, is just, I'm meant for greater things ya know? That's why I signed up when Mr…"
Shikamaru slowly inched away, swearing silently to himself that he'd never pick up another phrase book in his life ever again. As he did there was a sudden rattling on the side of the boat, the sound of the wrought iron anchor being hoisted from the water. Kiba pulled himself up from the floor of the deck and cast a look over the side while Neji turned his eyes towards a new figure emerging from the direction of the foremast.
"Alright, alright everyone up! That's right, get up you dullards! Now listen here! We've only got a few minutes, and I'm only going to say this once," the new figure shouted. His stout figure and demanding voice grabbed the attention of most of the men, as he repeated the sentence in several languages, each time sounding crisp and fluent as the boat approached the shore. "You were all hired for the same purpose, to bolster the army of, Pasvanoglu Osman the governor of Vidin in his glorious bid for independence."
The last line elicited more than a few eye rolls, silent snickers and just a few overly sarcastic cheers from the more experienced passengers. The crew began milling around the deck handing out pieces of paper as more mercenaries emerged from the hold.
"Currently, the governor's capital in Vidin is under siege. If you can make it to a fortress outpost east of the city and group up with a relief force you can consider yourself hired." The ship officer stated officially.
"All the way in Vidin? With no supplies and behind enemy lines?" someone asked incredulously in clipped Arabic. Shikamaru nodded at Kiba and Neji as they began collecting their things.
"You're mercenaries, not a professional army o mister soldier of fortune. Wealth and fame await you if you can reach Vidin, but if you can't…then I'm not sure you deserve to be there." It was the ship crew's turn to chuckle and sneer at their passengers. "Oh and one more thing, you'll notice the single rowboat…"
The officer was cut off by the sudden splash of multiple bodies leaping into the water. Men ran to the sides to view the three human figures and the dog that had just jumped twenty feet into the water. Kiba howled with laughter as the group made for shore under the pale moonlight. Other experienced unmentionables, bounty hunters and guns for hire soon followed them in, leaving those unacquainted with such practices scrambling to find their things.
"Every time. Ferry us to shore, is that so hard?" Shikamaru grumbled, kicking with his feet and trying his best to keep his clan jacket where he'd bundled all his valuables above water. Neji, having even fewer possessions, had tied his small cloth bag to the end of the sword. Kiba had just placed his things on Akamaru's head, laughing as he backstroked all the way to shore.
"Ah the mercenary life!" Kiba sighed contentedly, climbing up onto the large rocks that dotted the shore line and wringing his clothes, ignoring Akamaru trying to violently shake himself dry. "Sleeping on the ground and eating half cooked meat. I have so missed this."
"Unbelievable," Neji sighed, following him up and setting his things down.
"Oh lighten up man. This is nothing new. We'll just wing it like we did back in Deccan, except now we should probably try to avoid having our asses handed to us…and theirs no exotic foreign guide this time." Kiba laughed wiping his nose off and taking a deep breath of sea air.
"We do what we do only because it is preordained for us to do so." Neji intoned soullessly, attempting to dry his hair as his eyes took in every square inch of woodland.
"In time, everything comes to you," Shikamaru agreed finally climbing up beside the two and, laying the bare bones map down in front of him.
"Oh come on, why wait for things to come to you, when you can go and grab it for yourself?" Kiba continued jumping from rock to rock, heading for the woodland as Akamaru joined him in sniffing their surroundings. "Like that blonde number back in…what was it, Arekusandoria?"
"Alexandria?"
"Yeah, that one, she seemed seriously into you," Kiba grinned as he and Akamaru started following scents from the forest.
"Seriously into trying to rearrange my face," Shikamaru droned as he started planning possible travel routes in his mind. "Not sorry about leaving that city behind."
"What? It's like you don't trust yourself around beautiful women or something," Kiba asked with mock surprise, laughing at his own joke.
"No man should trust himself around beautiful women," Neji stated, arms crossed and examining the tree tops.
"Geez, whatever happened to your guys' sense of adventure?"
"It jumped off the boat back there with my patience and sense humor," Shikamaru retorted, a small smile appearing on his face despite everything. The map was a simple piece of parchment, a rough sketch of the empire, no landmarks, no borders, no topography, just two dots showing the landing site and Vidin. "What have you got guys? This maps fairly worthless."
"Smoke…from cooking fires. This mountain range in front of us is definitely inhabited. Probably hunting lodges." Neji observed, still watching the horizon.
"Lots of big game in there," Kiba agreed. "If we just cut right through I don't think we'd be going hungry."
"Alright then," Shikamaru said collecting his things and getting to his feet. He shook the sleeves of his outfit in an attempt to dry them off, yawned and stretched his arms before jumping from the rocks and towards the forest. "We've got a long journey ahead of us. Let's get to work."