Notes: One of the OC's in this chapter is modeled after Joshua Norton I, Emperor of the United States, one of my favorite historical figures. Look him up – he's awesome. As for the chapter itself, I'm hoping I didn't get too obnoxious with the details, particularly the accents of the River Country people. I tried to go for a generic rural accent without getting all insulting and stereotypical. Also, I finally got a sailor into my stories. I've been trying to figure out how to do that for ages.

Goals: To show Shino and Tenten's connection as a healthy, respectful but still realistic relationship. To write some interesting, non-stereotypical people with a distinctly different culture from Konoha, because not all places/people are the same. Also, to finally write Shino's POV the way I want it, without it sounding a bit emotionally flat and guarded (I have trouble writing Shino POV).

Warnings: A couple swear words. A little blood. A crazy person or two.

Chapter 24

Responsibility

"If I were less of a good person," Tenten told Shino firmly, "I would have gutted that fat little toad."

Shino raised an eyebrow as she slumped irritably against the wall next to him, brushing the feathers from the nearby parade out of her bangs. "So the Councilor's secretary did not grant your request for entry."

"Oh, but missy, I just can't call th' Councilor from his duties now," Tenten fluted in a nasally whine, puffing her cheeks and mimicking the secretary's River Country accent. "He's much too busy flouncing aroun' like a deranged parrot!" She waved a derisive hand towards the parade, in which all seven of the River Country's Councilors were standing on a float wearing ornate, feathery headdresses. Shino knew that each headdress represented one of the seven bird species in the River Country that were associated with the seven Virtues, and that a variety of other local beliefs and superstitions accompanied the traditional spring festival in this country. All the same, he had to admit that to outsider eyes, they were more than a little foolish.

But not as foolish as the endless maze of red tape and bureaucracy he and Tenten had endured since arriving in the River Country. It was a relatively simple mission: locate and secure a fugitive who had broken out of a Fire Country prison. So far they had tracked him through the forests and roads to the small, trade-oriented River Country, and then lost him in the capital city. Concerned that he would get onboard a trade ship and vanish before they could catch him, Shino had suggested they invoke the aid of the city officials, the seven Councilors who co-ruled the River Country.

Unfortunately, the official channels in this country were so choked with checkpoints, regulations, paperwork, and minor officials that so far neither Shino nor Tenten had been able to get near even one of the Vice-Councilors. Tenten had been making progress at last towards meeting the Fourth Councilor (who was indeed, Shino saw over the crowd, wearing a brightly colored parrot-feather headdress) until she'd run into the Councilor's secretary…and had apparently hit a large, obnoxious roadblock.

"So much for the legit way," Tenten muttered to Shino under the roar of the celebrating crowd. "I say we just bust in on their big Festival dinner tonight and demand they freeze all trade ships."

"I doubt that will agree to that," Shino replied in amusement.

"Maybe we could knock a few of their feathers off."

"Hardly likely to earn us friends."

"I'm all for holding the parrot hostage."

"The Councilors are probably not the best option after all," Shino watched the clouds of colorful feathers and confetti. "Why not? If this is how convoluted their system has become, then they are unlikely to be very effective at anything more practical than parades."

Tenten snorted, leaning her head against his shoulder and idly twirling a shimmering blue and green feather she plucked from the air. Shino closed his eyes and inhaled, both with his own nose and the kikkai's chakra-sense. Tenten's personal smell had long ago become one of his favorites, the myriad greens and blues surged and danced in a series of complex patterns, intermixed with the scent of newly cut grass and the sharp tang of steel. "So who, then," Tenten sighed in frustration against his arm, "in this whole entire city is effective enough to help us?"

"That," said an authoritative voice near Shino's left elbow, "would be me."

The speaker was a tall, thin old woman with iron gray hair and a network of deep wrinkles on her sharp-featured face. She sat ramrod-straight on an old wooden crate, clad in a slightly musty but still neat blue gown with gold buttons. Both of her bony hands were folded on the handle of a polished wooden cane that she braced before her like a knight holding his sword at rest. She looked shabby but clean, neither wealthy nor destitute. A scrawny young girl stood behind her left shoulder, fiddling nervously with her lank brown hair.

The old woman swept Shino and Tenten with a stern look, then tilted her head at them imperiously. "Yer strangers t' my land," she stated. "An' if you sought help from that ridiculous Council, then yer ignorant of our ways."

Shino saw Tenten glance up at him, and he nodded slightly. The woman's hands were cracked with long exposure to salt water, and the kikkai could smell the mixed oils, greases, and various other chemicals associated with ships and docks. She was connected to the trading ships, and thus a potential source of information.

"We are strangers here, ma'am," Tenten said politely, stepping around Shino and bowing her head politely to the old lady. "And there are many things we don't know."

"Indeed," the old woman said graciously. "Then yer ignorance is justifiable an' forgivable," she said. Her manner of speaking was…peculiar, Shino thought. Her accent was undeniably River Country, with the slight inflections he'd heard in the poorer districts of the city. But there was a serene sort of confidence and even a hint of condescension in her speech and her attitude that made her seem much grander than a mere slum-dwelling grandma. The old woman looked at Tenten's face for a long moment. Then she turned her sharp gaze towards Shino, and even through his glasses he had the sensation that she was studying him. Shino resisted the kikkai's agitated urge to swarm, reacting to the mild threat of her silent confrontation.

"I," the old woman said, looking straight at Shino's eyes, "am Kyoko, Empress of th' River Country."

Ah, Shino thought, feeling oddly let down. That explained the odd, iron-hard sense of conviction the woman radiated. She was insane.

"I thought the River Country was a republic," Tenten replied, puzzled. "There hasn't been a monarch for generations."

"Yes, th' Council was formed some hundred years ago," the mad woman said calmly. "And look at where it led us. Crime an' poverty run rampant in our streets as bureaucratic fools parade themselves about like peacocks." She waved a hand in a remarkable imitation of Tenten's earlier dismissive gesture. "Several years ago, I realized that what our people needed wasn't more useless gestures an' silly festivals but someone who took responsibility." Her tone turned fierce on the last two words, as if she had repeated them so many times over the years they had become her personal mantra.

"And you were that someone," Shino guessed.

The Empress nodded regally. "It's a diff'cult an' thankless task, betimes," she said, and her face darkened for a moment, "like when th' Council tried to overthrow me an' placed me in jail. But th' public knows what it needs, and th' Councilors were forced to release me."

"Did they know you were royalty?" Shino asked, but he must not have masked his irritation well enough, because Tenten gave him a sharp jab with her elbow in disapproval.

The crazy woman merely sniffed. "I admit I haven't yet issued my formal Declaration of Sovereignty," she answered gravely. "Paper is a bit of an expenditure of my resources. But I'd been rulin' long enough by then that they ought t'have known better."

"We brought 'er Majesty ship scraps, like what the dockers use f'r the cheap sales an' stuff," the girl piped up suddenly. "But they ain't good 'nuf for important writin'."

"Yes, an official declaration ought to be made on good stationary," Empress Kyoko agreed, but she patted the child's hand gently. "But it was a kind thought, Ren, an' I thank you an' the other children for it."

"You see, rulership isn't all a burden," she continued to Tenten and Shino. "This lovely child is one of my personal joys."

The girl blushed, flicking her eyes from Shino's hidden face to Tenten's friendly smile. "'er Majesty saved me'n' m'brother from th' workhouse," she mumbled. "She had 'em shut it down 'cause they were hurtin' us all."

"I do not approve of forced child labor," Kyoko's voice was suddenly flint-hard. "An' a place that pays desperate parents a pittance to sell their children into slavery is an abomination. I told the proprietor that he would, of course, close at once an' remove hisself from my kingdom."

The girl shifted her feet. "An' then Big Dai went an' tol' him if he di'nt close up and get out, he'n' th' docks boys would knock 'is face in and burn down 'is house," she added with just a touch of relish in her voice. "An' I got to be a Lady'n' Waitin'."

"Ren, you know that I do not approve of using threats or coercion," Kyoko corrected her sternly. "An' I told Captain Dai that I was most displeased with his innerference."

"Yes, Majesty," the girl bobbed her head apologetically.

Shino glanced at the darkening sky as the last float of the parade finally disappeared around a corner and the crowd began to disperse. The self-proclaimed Empress was a fascinating person, and conversations with her would doubtless be very interesting, but there was work to do. Shino stepped back, prepared to make a polite exit, but Tenten suddenly gave a deep, respectful bow. "We are honored to meet you, Your Majesty," she said solemnly. "I am Tenten, and this is Shino."

The kikkai in his chest buzzed, reacting to Shino's annoyance. The woman was clearly delusional, and their prey could be boarding an outbound ship at this very moment. He was in no mood for games. But he could tell from the smile on Tenten's face that she liked the old woman, and was all set to play along with her story. Any attempt to break away now would only result in a fight between them, and he was in no mood for that, either.

"Well met, Tenten," Kyoko nodded approvingly. "I see that yer no common travelers," she went on. "Yer clothes an' bearing tells me that yer warriors of some kind. I hope that you have not come to wage war on my kingdom." Her voice was still calm, but there was a steely edge hidden in the words. Shino felt a little jolt of surprise at her uncanny assessment – it was no great feat to see the battle scars on Tenten's hands or to guess at the reason for Shino's hidden features to anyone who was trained to look for those things, but coming from a ragged old civilian woman on the streets, it was…unanticipated.

Tenten's voice, however, held no surprise, only delight as she answered, "We are indeed warriors, Majesty, but I swear to you we have no intentions of bringing any harm to your kingdom or your people."

"Very well," Kyoko replied, and she raised once gnarled hand from her cane to wave commandingly at them. "Then pray tell me yer business in my city."

"That's a long story. A moment, please, your Majesty," Tenten said, bowing again, "that I may confer with my companion."

The old woman nodded. Tenten turned to Shino and muttered. "We should ask for her help."

He stared at her for a long, startled moment, and then said the only word that came to mind. "Why?"

"Because she can spread the word to the docks, and get people looking out for the fugitive. He's dangerous, Shino, and if people know that, they won't be inclined to help him. Particularly those that follow her," Tenten jerked her head slightly towards the old woman on her splintered wooden throne.

Shino eyed the mad old lady over Tenten's shoulder. "It won't help," he replied. "Why? Even if she has a fraction of the influence that she claims, any aid she gives will only serve as a warning to the fugitive that we are here."

"She has ties with the ship's captains," Tenten argued softly. "I heard someone talking about Captain Dai earlier today – he's one of the toughest, most respected men in the port. If he's backing her – "

"Which we do not know for sure," Shino interrupted. "We have only her word that he acted on her behalf."

Tenten scowled, then sighed. "I'm inclined to believe her," she said.

I know, Shino thought. Of course Tenten admired this strong-willed woman who spoke of responsibility and compassion with such conviction. What, then, are my options, he asked himself. One, disagree with Tenten, walk away from the old woman, and deal with Tenten's displeasure. Two, allow Tenten to tell the old woman about the fugitive, and deal with a potentially forewarned prey.

Well, it was likely the fugitive already knew he was being followed, and even a description of their faces would not help him much. Neither shinobi wore their forehead protectors, so his knowledge would be, at best, extremely limited. And Tenten seemed so very set on working with this crazy old lady.

Option Two was the best choice, then. He nodded to Tenten, and her bright, sudden smile sent a little flush of warmth through his heart. But did I make that decision as a trained shinobi and tactician, Shino asked himself, watching Tenten turn and walk back happily to the Empress Kyoko, or as a man in love?

I don't know.

"Have you reached an accord with yer companion, Tenten?" The old woman asked imperially.

"Yes, Majesty. We must beg your aid in our mission. We," Tenten's eyes sparkled with just a hint of mischief as she said gravely, "are on a Quest."

The sun was fully set by the time the street girl Ren lead them to the warehouse. Still, the docks of River City never slept, and the hundreds of bright lanterns hanging from the piers and the fleet of docked ships themselves lit up the streets like noon. The warehouse the Empress had directed them to seek was one of the brightest and busiest of the many stationed around the piers, and Ren had to shout at the big muscled sailor standing guard at the front door to be heard over the noise of the shipyard. "Th' Empress says they're ta talk t' Molo," she yelled in a high, reedy voice.

The guard eyed Shino and Tenten over the child's ragged little head, then shrugged and jerked his head at them as he turned and pushed through the door. Shino glanced at Tenten from the corner of his eye, and she shrugged a 'why not?' at him. Shino could think of a dozen reasons why following the large, heavily scarred man into a windowless building in the middle of the night was not a good idea, but the time for debate was past. He had already committed to doing things Tenten's way.

Inside, a short, thickset man leaned on a much-abused desk, chewing thoughtfully on the end of his pen. He glanced up at them with his one working eye, the other hidden by a neat, green bandage that wound around his head. "The Empress sent ya, hmm?" he said in a deep, gravely voice. "Well, guess I c'n spare a moment for 'er Majesty."

Shino heard the amusement in the seasoned sailor's words (the kikkai were registering too strong a sense of salt, fish, and musty ships to be in any doubt of his occupation, clerk desk or no), but there was just enough attentiveness in his expression to give Shino hope. It was possible that the crazy old lady did have some form of influence here on the docks after all.

"We're looking for this guy," Tenten told him, holding out the fugitive's prison photo. Shino listened to her explain the man's many violent crimes and recent escape with half his attention. The rest he devoted to the kikkai spreading silently throughout the warehouse, watching numerous sailors, clerks, and various others bent to their work. His kikkai had the man's chakra-scent – a reddish-brown jumbled with the smell of old leather and sweat – but the pervasive scent of fish, salt, and oil in the area was strong enough to wash it out. He sent the bugs instead to get close looks at each face, hunting for the fugitive's sharp, pale features. Among the broad features and weather-rough skin of the locals, he ought to stand out fairly well.

"If he's workin' here," Molo said, "then I haven't hired 'im."

Tenten tilted her head at him slightly with a hopeful little smile. Shino wondered briefly if she knew exactly how that expression affected the men around her, or if she did it unconsciously. "But you might know someone who does, right?"

Molo scratched his stubble pensively. "You come from th' Empress, right?"

Shino shifted a larger portion of his attention back to the conversation. The calculating tone of Molo's voice sparked some inner alarm, and he tensed slightly. But Molo merely looked interested, and Shino turned his attention back to the work at hand. He felt a mild stab of annoyance at Tenten's absorbed interest in the crazy woman's life, but let it pass. He was the one who specialized in tracking, after all.

"Empress Kyoko said you could help us," Tenten told Molo. "She said you were an honorable man," she added, smiling a little.

"Well, now," the sailor smiled with crooked teeth. "She's a sweet ol' thing, ain't she? Bit cracked, 'course, but still. She did a good thing for my brother once, so I guess I c'n do a good thing for 'er in turn, eh?"

"Your brother?" Tenten prompted.

"Cap'n Dai of The Dauntless," Molo said proudly, thumping his chest. "Best damn fast-hauler in th' River Country, an' Big Dai's th' best damn skipper she's ever had." He pushed open his door and roared out into the noise, "Izu! Get Big Dai! Move, man! But anyway," he said in a more normal voice, turning back to Tenten, "Dai was haulin' upriver a couple years ago, an' his wife Nana got th' coughin' sickness. Ship docs couldn't help 'er, but th' uptown docs wouldn't, 'cause they don't deal with th' lowborn," his gravelly voice took on a disgusted note. "Don't matter how rich we are, we don't got breedin'." He shrugged his broad shoulders at Tenten's frown. "So poor Nana's getting' sicker, and her kids are all runnin' aroun' the docks tryin' to find some way to get word to Big Dai, an' th' Empress just comes sweepin' in and says that a bunch of th' kids are to follow her, right now please, an' then off she sweeps again."

"Did they go with her?"

"Oh, yeah, followed 'er right up to an uptown doc's door and she had 'em all ranged aroun', singing 'The Seven Virtues' like they teach kids in school. An' when the doc called the law to grab 'er, all the people in the streets kicked up such a fuss about lockin' up an ol' lady singin' songs with kids that they had to unlock 'er right away."

"And the doctor?" Shino could see from Tenten's grin that she was thoroughly enjoying the story, almost as much as Molo seemed to enjoy telling it. He had to admit, it was an interesting story, and it did match with the old woman's remarks earlier. Still, they were still not making any progress towards their goal. Shino scanned through the disbursed kikkai, now filtering out of the warehouse and into the busy streets. A large group of porters were hauling a wagon train of goods towards the ships, and for just a moment one of the kikkai caught a whiff of what might have been old leather. He sent a few dozen of them to follow the wagons, though the distance was staring to strain his focus.

"Well," Molo said, "Doc got such good business from people sayin' they heard about 'im doin' good deeds for the dockers that he came 'round and took care of Nana next day. An' he still comes down, when there's a special case an' th'Empress hears about it. He don't want 'er cloggin' up 'is doorway again, I figure."

"If he's let Nana die, it wouldn't a been his doorway he'd be worried about," an almost identically gravelly voice said from the doorway. Shino nearly jumped, startled by the approach of someone he had not sensed coming. Spread too thin, he thought, calling some of the nearby kikkai back. That was dangerous, but at least Tenten had been at hand to deal with any sudden threat. When she was with him, Shino realized, he generally took higher risks than normal – was that her influence on him, or merely a sign of his unconscious trust in her? He would have to consider that further. Later.

Meanwhile, the newcomer had come over to Tenten and shaken her hand firmly. He eyeballed Shino for a moment, but when the other man made no move to pull his hands from his pockets, settled for a nod instead. Shino gave a distracted nod in return – the small swarm of kikkai he'd sent after the wagon train had just picked up on traces of a familiar scent. They hadn't confirmed it yet, but it was likely the fugitive.

"They're lookin' for a scummer, Dai," Molo said, holding out the picture Tenten had given him. "You know 'is face?"

The scent was definitely the right one, and Shino called in the last of the scattered kikkai out in the streets to converge on the scent. The portion of the hive still with him started to buzz softly in recognition of the hunt. The scent was still heavily washed out by the smells of the docks, but it was just strong enough to be traceable. Moving carefully, his kikkai followed the wisps of scent towards one of the smaller ships.

Big Dai, who was indeed a very large man and had two working eyes (but in all other respected was nearly identical to his brother), examined the fugitive's picture for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah," he grunted. "Ol' Shigo picked up a man who looked a bit like this last week. Signed on for the downriver haul to the Glass Country."

"When are they leaving for that haul?" Tenten asked eagerly.

The scent trail was turning into more of a cloud now, interwoven with the distinct collection of scents that marked an individual ship. There, Shino told the kikkai. Seek.

"Shigo pulls port at first light," Dai said. "That's in a couple hours. You'll need fast winds behind ya to catch 'im, missy."

Even with half his mind somewhere else entirely, Shino heard the suppressed grumble in Tenten's voice as she replied politely, "Thank you, sir. Where can we find Captain Shigo?"

"He's on 'is ship, The Dapper Man." Molo pointed towards the docks. "Overseein' the onload, I gamble. It's docked over at - "

"Pier Four," Shino said.

Shino had no less than a dozen kikkai hidden on the fugitive's clothes and hair by the time Captain Dai led the two shinobi onboard The Dapper Man. The fugitive was below the deck, securing the heavy cargo crates with tough leather straps. Shino signaled to Tenten that he had the prey marked and was already siphoning off his energy to cripple him. She nodded slightly, and slipped a hand into her belt pouch where he knew she kept a bola, ready to fling it around his legs should the fugitive attempt to run.

Shino prepared himself to swarm the man, but before he could call out his kikkai, Captain Dai took a deep breath and bellowed, "SHIGO! Ya got a scummer on yer rig!"

Immediately a grizzled old sailor up by the wheel leaned over the rail and bellowed back, expression fierce. "WHAT?!"

"Oh, great," Shino heard Tenten mutter, mirroring his sentiment exactly.

He came scrambling up the ladder ontot he deck immediately, slamming a surprised sailor out of the way with one shoulder and leaping for the side of the ship. Shino sent a whip of kikkai to catch him, but he somehow twisted wildly in the air and vanished with a splash into the dark river water below. Half a second later, Tenten's body hit the water right behind him. Shino cursed mentally as the water washed away his kikkai and completely blocked the fugitive's scent. He hadn't brought his specially-bred water-resistant kikkai, deeming them unnecessary at the time. Now that Tenten was effectively alone under water with the desperate man, he was sorely regretting it.

The sailors were shouting and running to the side as both captains bellowed questions at each other over the din. Captain Shigo was nearly purple with rage at finding a wanted criminal hiding out on his boat, and both captains had lungs powerful enough to shake the timbers of the ship.

Shino ignored the lot of them, leaping to perch on the jutting mast and searching the dark water. He sent the kikkai swarm skimming over the surface, trying to see down into the murk. The water boiled and thrashed near the side of the ship, and he focused his attention there while the sailors yelled and pointed excitedly.

Suddenly, the water stilled, then a dark-haired figure burst up, splashing and gasping for breath. Tenten, Shino saw, leaping down from his perch and landing on the rail, disregarding the sudden gasps and shouts of the sailors he'd startled by vaulting down from the darkness and landing nearly on their hands.

She had the fugitive hanging limply over her shoulder, but he was weighing her down in the water and he could see her struggle to keep both their heads above water. Quickly, he collapsed the kikkai swarm down into a tightly compressed, buzzing platform, and she gratefully slung the unconscious body onto it. Shino lifted the captive to the deck, leaving him bound with the kikkai as he watched Tenten swiftly climb the rope Captain Dai slung down to her.

The crew backed off respectfully as Tenten hauled herself dripping to the deck. Shino heard them murmuring, some in awe, some in fear at the strangers who had appeared so suddenly on their ship and the unexpected drama they had brought with them. Captain Shigo, however, just seemed angry at the discovered treachery. "Scummer!" he bellowed down at the unresponsive fugitive, ignoring the small pool of water and blood that was starting to lap at his boots. "Lyin' clout! Told me he was tryin' ta get home ta his wife an' kids, willin' ta work for a lift downstream! Probably plannin' to jump ship in Glass an' rob me blind in th' process! Ingrate!"

"Are you alright?" Shino asked Tenten under the noise of the furious captain and the various added insults from his crew.

"Wet," she muttered, smiling. "Cold. But fine. It was harder to see him down there than I thought. This water is pretty muddy."

"That was impulsive of you," Shino told her, keeping his voice as carefully neutral as he could. "Moreso than was necessary."

She glared at him with narrowed eyes for a moment, and then sighed. "Yeah, okay, it might have been. A little."

Shino felt the tension release in his chest at her calm reaction to his criticism. "It would appear," he continued, "that your assessment of the old woman's influence was correct. Her influence led us to the fugitive after all."

"Well, I'll skip the 'I told you so,'" she said, winking at him. "Especially since you found him first."

Shino raised an eyebrow at her, but she only snorted. "Like I can't tell when all your attention is miles away. I knew you must have found something to risk stretching yourself out like that in the middle of a crowded building."

"I did not expect that you had noticed," he admitted, as Captain Shigo finally stopped shouting and ordered some of his men to tie up the fugitive with 'real rope' and fetch the doctor for his head wound. "Because you seemed very absorbed in the story about the Empress."

"Oh, that reminds me," Tenten said, wringing out the tail of her soaked shirt. "After I dry off and we get Numbnuts over there packaged up for the trip back to prison, there's something we should do."

"So you found yer criminal, I hear," the Empress of River City tapped her cane thoughtfully on the packed dirt of the alleyway.

"Yes, Majesty," Tenten smiled. "And in gratitude for your help, I'd like to present you with this." She held out a flat rectangular box to the old woman, who nodded to Ren. The girl carefully took the box from Tenten and opened it, gasping a little at the contents. She turned and showed the box to the old woman, who in turn smiled at Tenten, her many fine wrinkles creasing her face with pleasure.

"That, Warrior Tenten, is a very fine set of stationary," she said. "An' I thank you for it with all my heart."

"Look, Majesty, there's even some special pens an' inks!" Ren said excitedly.

"And the box can be turned into a desk," Tenten added, gesturing to the hinges on the side of the cleverly worked wooden surface. "Look, you twist it here, and these bits become little legs to balance on your lap."

"You c'n write yer Declaration, Majesty!" Ren exclaimed, setting the portable desk on Kyoko's lap. "An' all those letters to th' Council an' th' papers an' everythin'!"

"A fine gift," the Empress repeated softly. Abruptly, she looked up at Shino, who once again resisted the urge to defend himself against the scrutiny. "It is a beautiful an' valuable thing," she said, and Shino knew that she was not simply speaking about the box. "An' it ought to be treasured."

Tenten glanced back, a puzzled smile on her face. Shino looked at her for a moment, then stepped forward and bowed to the seated woman on her splintered throne. "Yes, it is," he agreed, "Your Majesty."

Tenten blinked at him, but Shino simply stuck his hands back in his pockets and stepped back, leaving her facing a smiling Kyoko. "Right," she muttered, then said in a louder voice, "It's time for us to go, then, Your Majesty. We have a long trip ahead of us."

"Farewell, Warrior Tenten an' Warrior Shino," the Empress said grandly, one hand raised in blessing. "An' may th' wind flow swift behind you."

**

"I certainly wasn't planning to meet any royalty on this mission."

"It will be a story to tell your children, someday."

"…children?"

**