It took two incredibly uncomfortable days for the people from Koma-Nek to arrive. It was not the accommodations that had caused Tsukishima's discomfort, the cots weren't quite the feather-down mattresses he was used to, but that wasn't the real issue. Tsukishima, as he had discovered, did not enjoy being the odd man out. Bokuto, Akaashi, Kuroo, and Kenma all spent most of their time inside the house, the former pair still reeling from awakened memories and the latter in staunch avoidance of Kar citizens. Kageyama and Hinata spent all of their time together; they wandered the winding streets, gawked at animals, and were never once separate from each other. The idiot pair had, in the face of adversity, somehow increased their sickening clinginess, as if stolen kisses and whispered words would erase the grave situation they had found themselves in. Tsukishima tried to make the most of his time in Kar, but neither he nor Yachi were nearly as social, so, despite the friendly Kar populous, the two felt just as alone as they had been in the Firefly Empire.

Tsukishima felt a great weight lift off his shoulders when the visitation of the Koma-Nek officials was announced. He hated to waste time, and as far as Tsukishima was concerned, any time not spent closing the gap with Yamaguchi was time wasted. The second the announcement was made, he rounded up the whole crew and ushered them back to the meeting hall. The blond half expected that he'd have to drag Kuroo out of the house kicking and screaming, but in a rare display of maturity, Kuroo faced forward and faced his old tribe with his head held high.

There were two new figures in the temple-like hall when the Nekarasi crew arrived. To the left of Ukai was an incredibly short but stern-looking man. His hair was short and light brown, and he wore his concern openly on his furrowed brow. To the left of the short man was an incredibly tall one. The tall fellow's green eyes darted to and from, and he seemed near incapable of sitting still; he fidgeted and looked worriedly at the short man before fidgeting again. Tsukishima tried to curb his annoyance, the conversation hadn't even begun, and he already couldn't stand the tall man.

Kuroo froze when he and the short man, who Tsukishima assumed to be Koma-Nek's chief, made eye contact. He stood there and stared in silence for far longer than what was acceptable, and it was Kenma who had to push him forward and sit him down, lest he lose what little dignity he had left. The short chief, in all fairness, seemed just as shocked as Kuroo, though there was a glint of anger in those amber eyes that Tsukishima wasn't all too terribly fond of.

It was Ukai who finally cleared his throat and spoke up, "Well, Kuroo and Kenma already know who this is, but for the sake of everyone else, this," he gestured to the short man, "is chief Yaku of Koma-Nek, and the beanpole with him is Lev, his guard."

At the completion of introductions, Daichi pulled a slightly crumpled letter from his breast pocket. "We've gotten a new letter from Suga," he began, as if that wasn't already obvious, "and, well, there's good news, and there's bad news."

Bokuto, high strung and fresh out of patience, slammed his fist on the table, "Get on with it man! This is our friend in danger here, just tell us what you know and cut it with the mysterious shit!"

If they had been in any other situation, Tskishima would've laughed, but as it was, he found himself in silent agreement with Bokuto. Yamaguchi was capable, only an idiot would label him as weak, but Daishou was a twisted man, and Tsukishima loathed every second that Yamaguchi remained on those Goddess forsaken islands.

Daichi stumbled over his words in shock at Bokuto's outburst, but regained his composure quickly and carried on, "Right, so, the good news is that Yamaguchi has escaped the Palace of the Snakes, so he's with Suga at the moment and away from immediate danger. The bad news, as was gathered by Yamaguchi while he was in the palace, is that Daishou is making plans to invade a weak country and use its citizens as an unwilling army. He's looking for an easy target, a foot in the door if you will."

As everyone at the table burst into an outraged jumble of voices, Tsukishima found himself struck with an uncanny bout of clarity. It was like someone had just given him the last pieces to a puzzle that had been previously unsolvable. He had just been handed the integral context to his dream, and the realisation hit him like a thousand tonnes of bricks. The colosseum, the boats, the fighting snake and owl, never had Tsukishima been more sure of a dream's meaning.

"Fukoni. We need to get to Fukoni, and fast, we need to warn them." Everyone at the table turned to face Tsukishima, and the two Koma-Nek representatives stared at him with confusion. "Fukoni, they're going to target Fukoni, the dream, it all makes sense now."

Bokuto and Akaashi shared an uncertain look with each other, but it was Yaku who first spoke up in dissent, "Alright, I'm sure you have some kind of reason to think the Snakes are going to target Fukoni first because if you didn't, you'd be an idiot. So, mind elaborating further in a way that doesn't make you sound like an absolute madman?"

Tsukishima, too struck by his realisation to properly snark back to Yaku, complied, "Fukoni is in the middle of a civil war; it would be so incredibly easy to take advantage of them, they're practically a bunch of sitting ducks."

Kuroo furrowed his brow and looked worriedly at Bokuto and Akaashi, "Inari isn't doing too hot either though, there's been a lot of political unrest there too. Wouldn't the Snakes want a subjugated people that weren't already half dead? Besides, I'm pretty sure the Inari coast is technically closer to the archipelago than Fukoni is."

Akaashi heaved a long-suffering sigh and spoke in a voice slightly more monotone and downtrodden than was usual for him, "Inari doesn't have a colosseum, Kuroo, and they don't have an owl on their crest. I know you haven't forgotten Tsukishima's prophetic dream. I appreciate your concern for the wellbeing of Kotarou and myself, but Tsukishima is right, nowhere but Fukoni makes any sense."

Kuroo winced but nodded and leaned back in his seat. Tsukishima knew, perhaps better than most, just how little Akaashi and Bokuto wanted to return to their home country. The atrocities the two had to face there, what they had to do to escape, the life Akaashi had to give up, it wasn't a pretty picture. Tsukishima felt a rush of warmth and appreciation fill his chest, he'd never admit it out loud, but he was glad that he and Yamaguchi had such kind and selfless friends.

"That colosseum, it's a nightmare in there; a crime against freedom and humanity. I-" Bokuto's eyes had taken a vacant and glazed look to them, "We need to leave as soon as possible, tonight, right now, even. Keiji and I will pack everyone's stuff."

Bokuto left for the house, no doubt to make good on his word, and Akaashi stayed behind to say one last thing, "He'll be alright, don't worry. We'll both be fine. I trust you all to work out the finer details, come get us when it's time to leave," he then turned to follow Bokuto.

Tsukishima turned back to Daichi, "I need to borrow one of your crows, if I sent word to my family, they might be able to provide Fukoni with aid and prevent an invasion from the Snakes."

The room was unbearably silent as Tsukishima drafted his letter, no one spoke a word, and Kuroo and Yaku seemed caught in a silent staring match. Hinata and Yachi looked around hopelessly, and it was Kageyama who spoke what had likely been on the minds of the other two.

"You'll help us fight back the Snakes, right?" The question was directed at the tribe leaders, both of which had drastically different reactions. Ukai contemplated for a good minute, while Yaku seemed to already have determined his answer.

At the same time, Daichi and Yaku spoke, one to Ukai and the other to the Nekarasi crew.

"I don't think that's a risk we can take-"

"I'm willing to offer as much aid as we can afford-"

If looks could kill, Daichi would've died then and there; never before had Tsukishima seen such rage in the eyes of someone so small. "What do you mean, Daichi? What about this is a risk not worth taking?" Yaku spoke with venom-laced words, accusatory and sharp.

Daichi had the decency to look at least a little bit guilty, but he held his ground, although he continued to direct his focus to Ukai rather than Yaku, "We don't have the technology to keep up with war anymore, Yaku. We're neutral kingdoms, we house scholars and traders, we're not prepared for a war."

"All the more reason to fight now, when we'll have backup, and the enemy is still weak! We can't industrialise overnight, what happens if the Snakes do take Fukoni? Then what, we hide like cowards as they roll over the rest of the continent? How is that the better option?" Yaku seethed and stood to his full, albeit unimpressive, height.

Daichi, too, rose from his seat, "You're being defeatist, Yaku. This fight is in no way related to us. We have no reason to get involved and bring death to our people!"

"No reason? No reason to get involved!"

Lev had to actively hold Yaku back from punching Daichi, "Come on, Mori, don't go there." But Lev seemed only half-invested in his placations, and Yaku ignored him.

"Is your husband not a reason? Your beloved Suga, who will be caught in this crossfire, by the way, is not enough of a reason? What about Kuroo and Kenma? Do they not compel you?"

Daichi's fists were clenched so tightly his knuckles had turned a stark white, "Suga knows damn well what he's doing, he wouldn't want the livelihood of Kar to be risked for his sake."

"You're damn right he wouldn't, Suga would want Kar to step up and fight on their own because it's the right thing to do! Whatever happened to that sense of justice the people love you so much for, huh, Daichi?"

Daichi's face twisted into a mask of equal parts shame and rage, and Ukai just barely stepped in before punches really began to fly, "Yaku, I appreciate your concern for the outside world, but I will take the advice of my military advisor on this one. We can't risk the type of damage a war with the Snakes would bring. Our people are well hidden and protected by the woods, no army in the world could take us by surprise, we're safer if we stay out of things, at least until we have a better understanding of the situation." Ukai gave a sad sort of smile to the Nekarasi crew, "We can supply you with all you need for your journey, but I cannot promise my people's blood on your behalf. I'll leave you with Yaku to discuss your plans." With that Ukai and a still angry Daichi left.

Yaku, no longer at risk of punching Daichi, pulled himself from Lev's grip and began to pace and mutter to himself. Lev smiled sheepishly at the rest of the group, who sat in silent awe, "Please don't think too badly of Daichi and Ukai, they're not bad guys, they just want what's best for the people."

Yaku snorted, "They're just shit at thinking outside the bounds of our tribes." He massaged the bridge of his nose and unceremoniously sat back down into his seat, "I hate to say it, but without Kar's support, Koma-Nek can't offer you any help. Our tribes are too closely intertwined, my people won't join any fight that our sister-tribe refuses to participate in, and I simply can't force them."

Kenma reached over to sympathetically pat Yaku's arm, "It's alright, Yaku, we understand. Your efforts are nonetheless appreciated." They seemed entirely unsurprised by the outcome of the meeting; Tsukishima could only assume it was because Kenma knew Yaku well.

Kuroo nodded, "I always hated making decisions like these; I can't even say I would act differently from Daichi if I was in his shoes. You were always better at being decisive, Yaku."

Yake shot a halfhearted glare at Kuroo, "Don't think I've forgiven you so quickly, you bastard. You couldn't have even left me a note when you left? Anything at all? We thought you had died; it wasn't until a few traders told us about your train that we knew for sure you were still alive, and your grandfather had already died by then!"

Kuroo froze, "Nekomata is dead? I thought… when Ukai said he and Ukai senior 'went out' I thought he meant they retired!"

Yaku's gaze softened, albeit only slightly, "No, he died, two, two and a half, years ago now. You two gave the whole tribe a real fright. You're lucky I stepped up and took on the title of successor because if I hadn't Koma-Nek would have one hell of leadership problem."

"I'm sorry to have caused trouble, Yakkun, really I am. But Kenma and I, Koma-Nek, just isn't the right place for us to be."

Yaku nodded, "I know, I know. I could tell you two were dying to get out ages before you ran. I just wish you had given me some kind of warning. It would've been nice to keep in touch."

"Aww, does mean 'ol Yaku have a soft spot for Kenma and me?" Kuro cackled and tried his best at puppy eyes, they weren't very good.

Yaku kicked Kuroo, but smiled anyway, "Oh shut up you imbecile," then, on a more sombre note, "Look, I'll try and get through to Daichi or Ukai, whoever caves first, but you lot shouldn't waste any daylight in the meantime. I'll make the two of them see reason eventually, although I might have to drag Suga into it for real. Now shoo, and be sure to visit once this mess is all over!"

Tsukishima couldn't say he was happy with the information his time in Kar had brought, but it was useful. The mood of the crew had greatly turned, however, and as they picked up Bokuto and Akaashi for their trek out of the forest, they were left with the realisation that this mission had stakes far beyond the scope of Yamaguchi's safety.