PART III THE PRICE OF FREEDOM
The Reunion
"Raikage-sama, an ambassador has arrived from Hidden Leaf Village."
"An ambassador?" She takes the credentials from the guard. Could it be...yes, he's finally come for her, but it's too late. She dismisses the guard and looks over the passport and scroll written in the Hokage's hand. She laughs to herself at his picture. Some ID, a guy with a mask over the lower part of his face, a forehead protector over one eye, it could be anybody, if it weren't for the funky hair and sleepy eye. A negotiator for peace, a nice cover, but no need for that anymore. She sighs and leans back in her chair. What will she say to him? She's rehearsed it so many times in her head the past couple of days, but now that he's actually here...
Guard comes back in, "Excuse me Raikage-sama, the guards outside are apparently having some fun with our visitor. Should I stop it?"
"Hmm, no, let them have their fun, it's good for their morale, I'm sure our guest can handle himself." Besides, she thinks, he deserves to wait as I have waited for so long.
Kakashi stares in shock at the figure before him. Rikako was wearing the Raikage's robes without the headpiece. Her hair was simply gathered in the back and held in a bun with two long ornate silver needles.
"Hello Kakashi-kun." The same cool smile.
"Rikako-chan, what's going on?"
"Isn't it obvious? I'm the Raikage now." She laughs mirthlessly, twirls around to show off her robes. "Looks good on me, don't you think?"
"Yes, but how?"
"The Raikage was killed in battle several days ago. There was no one else, so I was declared Raikage." There is a lot more detail that he doesn't need to know.
"Your hospitality has been questionable."
Shrugs, "It's standard procedure for uninvited guests. Precautions must be taken, can't show favoritism you know. But here, taken a seat..." Without using hand seals, with just a look, a chair moves next to him.
She must have removed the chakra barrier, but...Is it possible? Her chakra pulsating around her, she's learned to direct her chakra with her thoughts, hand seals are no longer necessary!
He decides to remain standing. "I think you'd better tell me what's going on..."
A Tool
Flashback:
Hizashi: "What do you desire most in all this world?"
Rikako turns red with anger. He brought me here, it's his fault. She ignores him.
Hizashi: "Your freedom, am I right? That cursed seal around your neck, is like the one across my forehead. I know how you feel. I can help you, if you help me."
Rikako says nothing but she listens attentively to Hizashi's proposal.
Hizashi had killed the old Raikage - he was the one who demanded Hiashi's death. Hizashi secretly used his gentle fist technique. The old Raikage appeared to pass away in his sleep, as though his heart finally gave out. The new Raikage was too pleased to be suspicious. Hizashi knew of the sixth Raikage's ambitions. Why have a country ruled via bipartisan when a single ruler would be much more efficient and effective? As it is, it is the military force that keeps the order. Why should lazy bureaucrats line their pockets while the military received handouts? But to get close enough to assassinate the Daimyo, his heirs, advisors, and not throw the country in complete turmoil, to accomplish all that would require great finesse. Rikako would be their Trojan horse to get them close.
The Daimyo lives within a citadel of stone, a castle backed by a mountain, fronted by a river, and surrounded by high walls. The only access is a narrow bridge. There are two armies, one within the citadel walls and one stationed across the river. There can be no surprise attacks. The Daimyo also has a small standing army of trained shinobis, sworn to him rather than to the Raikage, in addition to his more trusted regular army. To assassinate the Daimyo would require an inside job.
Raikage to Rikako, "I'm offering you to be the Daimyo's private bodyguard. I want you to make him fall in love with you. Should be an easy mission."
"Why?"
"That way you can get closer to him and his thoughts."
Well, she thinks, at least this means I won't be marrying the Raikage anytime soon. He wasn't very happy about my grandfather's suicide. But she's being passed around, from one bed to another. Her body, she uses it like another tool, a weapon, to obtain her ultimate goals. It's not the first time she's had to use her body in a mission, but before, missions had always been by choice. Now this will be the last time and they will all pay for the privilege.
Rikako confirms for the Raikage that the Daimyo does not trust him or his shinobis and would rather contract shinobis from other countries for certain jobs, thereby diminishing the Raikage's power. She does not tell him of his other preparations.
The Wedding
As expected, it is an easy mission, the Daimyo is already susceptible to her charms. As requested, Rikako becomes engaged to the Daimyo despite their great different in age. He already has young grandchildren. His wife died from illness a number of years ago, assumed to be a natural death, but some noted their unhappy marriage.
A short engagement, on the wedding day the guests are assembled - all the lords and ladies, none who approve of the marriage, the Raikage and his advisors, and their escorts who happen to be the top jounin. The main shinobi force, currently hidden, will contend with the army across the river. It is all to take place on her wedding night when defenses are down and most of the guards will most likely be drunk.
The wedding itself is a relatively simple affair. She does not want innocent civilians caught up in the coup, no out of country guests either.
The Raikage plans the attack to take place in the middle of the night. As important guests, he and his advisors and escorts are staying within the castle. A half moon, just enough light for the keen eyed shinobis to find their way.
What the Raikage doesn't know is that the Daimyo has chakra dampening seals in various rooms in the castle, and escape routes bored through the mountain. Plus, his non-shinobi samurais have special weapons developed by his alchemists. His belief is that in time shinobis will be obsolete, a new class of soldiers will arise. Inexpensive, disposable, and easily trained in the use of more destructive weapons. What would have been a simple coup turns into a bloody mess.
Rikako could have told the Raikage the truth. Perhaps that would have deterred him, or postponed his plans. But it would be easier to kill him under cover of battle and to blame the opposing side. Rikako could have told the Daimyo and made a deal for her freedom, but she had a deal with Hizashi. She wasn't one to break her promises, and besides, vengeance is a dish best served with a cold heart.
The battle raged till dawn. In the end, however, the Raikage has his way. Though the alchemists' weapons are destructive, the soldiers still have to be able to target the shinobis who are adept at hiding and killing quickly and silently. Firing at illusions and clones is useless while the true target appears from behind.
The Daimyo's retainers gather their forces and the regular armies from all over Thunder Country converge, killing whatever shinobis they can find. But the Raikage has prepared for them as well, and the leaders are taken out by the trained Anbu within the week.
Divorce Shinobi Style
The castle's inhabitants have either fled or been killed. Rikako had distanced herself, hiding in the shadows, forcing herself to watch the carnage but refusing to take part. She waits until she sees the Raikage alone. She appears out of the shadows.
"Where is he? Damn it, where's the Daimyo?"
"Follow me, I think he went this way." The Raikage follows her to one of the castle's inner courtyards. Nothing there but a number of bodies. The Raikage has now had time to think. Those samurais had special weapons, but how...why...
"You... you betrayed me! You knew didn't you?" He tries to activate the cursed seal to no avail.
"Of course, nothing is hidden from me." Except your thoughts, but you're predictable enough.
"You think you've won..."
"No, I know I will win."
"I didn't become Raikage for nothing..." he starts a seal. The air becomes visible around him and a cloud forms at his feet. He rises into the air. He looks much like an ancient god riding magnificently upon swirling clouds.
Rikako summons her great eagle. She cannot use her mind attacks directly against the Raikage. Although he no longer has power over her, the cursed seal still inhibits her powers against him. She will have to rely on her regular tai, nin, and gen jutsus that she's cultivated all these years.
The Raikage performs another seal and clouds form from above. The sound of thunder crashes against her ears, but she's seen this attack before and she concentrates chakra around her ears to protect her eardrums. Chain lightning appears from the clouds and she swerves to avoid the bolts. He has the advantage - he can move with a thought, while she has to rely on her eagle's dexterity rather than her own. Plus, the eagle makes a larger target. Adding to the lightning overhead, the Raikage starts to shoot lightning balls from his hands. She decides to use kage bunshin and splits herself and the eagle. The Raikage is momentarily shocked. A summons and a dual kage bunshin on top of it? He had no idea of her power.
Rikako transforms herself and the eagle into clouds and it is only their clones that are fighting the Raikage, while she strategizes and prepares for her attack. The Raikage fights against the clones, sending out lightning bolts from his hand. Rikako starts to concentrate chakra in her hands and urges her eagle forward to attack...but the Raikage found it too difficult to deal with 2 moving targets and he had performed another seal and disappeared. In his place a massive lightning bolt strikes and Rikako's attack ends up cutting it instead. Where is he? Rikako tries to sense his chakra as his mind is closed to her. She then hears his voice, but is still unable to pinpoint his location.
"Very nice, I always wanted to see the copy-nin's chidori cut a bolt of lightning, quite a sight, he taught you well. The name lightning edge is well deserved. I didn't realize you knew it. Too bad I won't get a chance to learn it from you, but I have better techniques than that..."
From another cloud, a dragon formed from a mass of electricity appears. It flies with astonishing speed towards her. One of her clones jumps in between them and sizzles in an instant. Rikako calls upon earth dragon missile coupled with a fire dragon missile. The earth dragon absorbs the impact of the lightning dragon while the fire dragon continues in the direction of the mysterious cloud. The cloud appears to dissipate when the fire dragon collides with it, but does that mean the fight is over? Is the Raikage dead?
Suddenly she feels herself surrounded. A cloud is enveloping her! She can hear the Raikage's thoughts clearly now. "Nice try, but I'm the master of the clouds! Did you think your shadow clones would fool me? I know all the cloud formations here. We really could have ruled together you know, but now that you're somehow free of that cursed seal, you're too dangerous to have around. Too bad, I'm really going to miss you."
Rikako thinks the Raikage is actually in cloud form, not a genjutsu! She shoots out a spread of flames, but the cloud disperses and reforms. His speed has increased and physical attacks will do no damage. He's playing with her, shooting out small lightning bolts, just enough to singe her eagle, injuring it to the point where it would have to land. Rikako tries a wind attack, which only blows him back temporarily. Think, what is a cloud made of? Rikako then performs an ice jutsu. A blast of cold takes the Raikage by surprise. How many types of jutsus does she know? If he stays in mist form, he'll be frozen into ice droplets! As he materializes, Rikako hits him with a fireblast and he starts to fall to the earth. But it's just a cloud clone! The real Raikage materializes on the ground.
Damn, how much chakra does she have? He is starting to feel fatigue, but there is no way he will surrender to her...
As the Raikage appears on the ground, another Rikako is waiting and sends a fireblast at him, knocking him to the ground, which suddenly entombs him and he can no longer move. Real Rikako releases her eagle and dispels her clone. She has him trapped now. He feels her murderous intent and the cold darkness of her eyes, and for the first time in his life, he is truly afraid.
"Wait, don't kill me, I'm willing to cede to you. You can be Raikage or return to Konoha, whatever you want."
"Sorry, not good enough."
"What do you want then? Revenge? You're not like that. You're too good for something so base."
"Revenge? No, not revenge, it's just...you're a lousy Raikage and a rotten person," she says almost flippantly. "And by the way, the chidori acts like a sword in hand, that was my own technique. Like the chidori but thrown like a spear. I don't like close combat...until I'm sure of the kill." She delivers the final blow with her staff. The spear tip is out and enters his body just below the ribcage and into his heart. He dies instantly. To her surprise, tears start to fall. Why cry for such a miserable excuse for a human being? She's killed before, but this is the first time she wanted to.
Shinobis enter the courtyard, doing a final sweep of the castle. They see her in tears over the Raikage's body and naturally assume she is in mourning. What she is mourning is the shedding of the last vestiges of her innocence.
The Deal
Meanwhile, Hizashi tracks down each member of the Daimyo's family and uses his jyuuken techniques to destroy their internal organs. Rikako comes upon him in a hidden room bored into the mountain, standing over the bodies of two children, barely out of diapers.
"You killed them? You killed them all!"
"It's the only way to ensure they don't come back to haunt us and to prevent support for the resurrection of their regime."
"You mean you've completed your revenge," she says furiously.
"Do you plan to kill me now? I can be a powerful ally. You need someone like me."
"I can't trust a murderer like you."
"We both did what we had to do. You got your revenge against the Raikage. That was the deal. We're no different, no matter what you think. I'm now at your mercy and at your service if you'll have me. You can be Raikage now and ensure your freedom. You don't have much support though, being new and from Konoha, but I can help you..."
"Another deal? I just want to go home."
"Do you really have a home to go back to? Think about it."
"I haven't been away as long as you have."
"But I can tell, you're a loner. You probably didn't say good-bye to anyone when you left. Did you? I'm right."
"Damn your byakugan!"
"Neither one of us can return to Konoha. You know that, don't you? Everything we've done, we owe this country and it's people..."
Everyone tried to use her. The Hokage to keep the peace, the Raikage for his ambitions, the Daimyo for his ego, Hizashi for his revenge. No more, she is in charge now, of the entire country. Except for Hizashi, all those who knew of her powers are dead. No more lazy worthless bureaucrats, friends of the Daimyo, no more ambitious shinobis, no more preying on the people. With her powers, she can tell who is trustworthy, who is capable, who is honest. For now, she is the government and the military force. She can use Hizashi to build a better future.
Confrontation/Reconciliation
"I think you'd better tell me what's going on..."
"Is that an order? Do you know who you're talking to?" She rises to her full height, barely to his shoulder.
I'm not sure anymore. "What about the Feudal Lord?"
"He's dead, too..."
"His successor?"
"There aren't any, they're all dead, I'm completely in charge now." The way she says it, so matter of fact, almost flippant.
Kakashi knows there is more to this. "What have you done?"
"Me? Nothing."
"Nothing? You played them against each other, didn't you? This war...it's your doing?"
"Me? Hardly, I played a part, but it was the Raikage and the feudal lord themselves who caused it."
"But you could have prevented it."
"Who could hold back the tide?"
"But all those people and lives..."
"People have been sacrificed for less."
"Sacrificed?"
"Yes, for peace between Fire Country and Thunder Country, for a better government and future, and for my freedom."
She has grown so much. No longer the book loving serious girl he once knew, but now a master at political games, alliances, manipulation...well, she was always adept at the latter. How did it all come to this? She never cared for power or acknowledgement, but yet she's the Raikage, the strongest shinobi of Thunder Country, to be acknowledged by all the countries and shinobis. He wants her as she was, but he knows there is no return to the not so innocent child who just wanted to save lives.
She is possibly more powerful than the third Hokage, not because of her level of chakra, or number of techniques, but because she knew to disregard her personal feelings, to weigh the costs of peace. She would never have allowed Orochimaru to live to return, or Hizashi to be sacrificed for a facade of peace. She now knows how to achieve her goals at any cost. Power corrupts, and they say absolute power...What would she do if he opposed her?
"Tell me everything," he says, as if still commanding a genin.
Angrily, without doing hand seals, with just a thought she can now regulate her chakra for simple techniques. A chair suddenly moves next to Kakashi, he is forced to sit down, and is bound by chakra ropes.
"Are you challenging me, a Kage? I am the perfect shinobi tool now, devoid of emotion. I can kill you with a thought and shed not a tear."
"I don't believe that. You can't have changed that much. It's not possible, not the girl I knew."
"You never..." Everything that I've done has been for him, because of him. Most of my life I've strategized and planned to get the truth from him. I chose him over Kamui, and now sacrificed a country to get back to him. Is it love or an obsession? "What right do you have to judge me? You don't know what I've been through!"
"How could I know when all you've told me or written me were lies!"
She takes off the Cloud headband from around her neck. The red marks are faint now but still noticeable.
"A cursed seal?"
"Now do you understand what I've endured? My grandfather sacrificed himself so I could break this curse. He truly loved me." The accusation hung in the air between them.
"I see, so you do blame me. I'm sorry, I didn't know."
"You didn't want to know."
"That's not true, since you left, not a minute passed that I didn't think of you."
"Really? You've always been bad with time." She sighs and releases him. "Go back to Konoha. Tell the Hokage we're still allies, but I have to see the Fire Country Feudal Lord to negotiate a new trade agreement. These tariff rates..." she frowns at the thought.
"I remember what you said to me before you left," he stands up and tries to re-engage her attention.
"Oh, was it pick up dinner or do the dishes or don't be late?"
"No, it was when I was half asleep. 'I love you more than anything, forever, no matter what.' Did you mean it?"
She turns away and shrugs, "Probably, at the time. I don't remember."
"Another lie. You never forget anything."
She is tired of talking, of sparring, of explaining herself. If he wants the truth, the whole truth, then he is welcome to it, including her pain. "Do you really want the truth, then..." She forcibly sends her memories in images wrapped with emotion so full of wrath and anguish that it knocks him back. Her thoughts, her pain, her recriminations are projected into his mind while his thoughts, his suspicions, his doubts are received in exchange. Their thoughts overlap and commingle until it is indistinguishable where the thoughts originate.
Her words...he knew they were lies, that she probably wrote them, said them under duress, but he chose to do nothing, to wait, to take her words at face value. He knew she was not the type to accept events as they were, knew she was always thinking, planning, plotting... but he chose to take the easy way out, chose to believe she erased him from her thoughts so as to deny any further responsibility for her. Did she blame him for the tragic events that transpired? If he had come for her, if he had protested to the Hokage, if...Was it ultimately his fear of commitment...was he actually relieved that she left?
The first time she left without discussion and returned only to forcibly invade his memories. The second time she forcibly had her father extract his sharingan and left with no explanation of her mission. Finally she left without saying goodbye, left without a word, without discussion again, as she did in the past. She took it upon herself, into her own hands without consulting anyone else, without caring how it would affect someone else, left as if she couldn't wait to get away from him and her family. She didn't care how much she hurt them. Selfish. She came in and out of his life like a hurricane, destructive yet herself a center of calm. Who knew how many times she's tampered with his mind. He was well rid of her. If there had been no war, no cause for him to find her, he would have left her there forever.
Silence. Unresolved issues, recriminations, regret, but amidst their twisted history, accusations and fears, their depth of feeling is revealed.
She is right...if he had loved her enough, he would have moved heaven and earth to get her back. Maybe if he had defied the Hokage...
He is right...she always pushed those closest to her away, always thought that she knew best, always kept secrets. Maybe if she had told him...
Unable to form the words, she projects, so there's plenty of blame to go around.
Don't push me away I'm here now, he thinks in response.
"This is pointless, it doesn't matter now, I can't return to Konoha," but her voice falters. "I thought once we were rid of the Raikage, I would be free. But there was no one to take over the position. So here I am until a suitable candidate can be found. I'm no freer than I was under his rule. I can't return to Konoha now, not with this country in such turmoil. I have to set things straight. I don't know how long it will take." She looks at him sadly. It seems they are destined to be apart after all. "I'll visit when the opportunity arises."
But they both know, running a country responsibly will take up all her time. Only when the chuunin exams are underway will they see each other, and that is just twice a year. "You can stay here for a while though, can't you?" Tired of speech she sends him waves of warmth and longing.
There is no one waiting for him in Konoha. He hasn't scheduled any missions or training sessions and he does have a lot of accumulated vacation days. He could stay a while. For his current mission, he can report to the Hokage that peace negotiations are now in progress.
Epilogue
Kakashi stays two weeks. She allows him to sit in on a few (non-confidential) conferences. He watches as each shinobi and official appointee individually swears his allegiance to her. He sees her dark eyes subtly turning darker, knows she is scanning their minds for any hints of betrayal. Such power at such a young age. At the end he realizes he no longer feels the same. She's changed too much. The gulf between them is too wide. He's free of her now - they both know it as they say their good-byes. What he doesn't realize is that his gradual withdrawal of affection is not a natural occurrence. She hasn't changed at all.
END OF BOOK III
to be continued in Kakashi and the Counterfeit Kunoichi