Dancing Through The Heavens (Shin/HE Event Thread)

Mitsu’s Festival Dress:

The Festival was finally here!

Mitsu was ecstatic. She had been needing just this kind of happy event to wash away her worries. And there was going to be dancing! Mitsukira had invited Shin to go with her to the Festival at the Heavenly Emporium. It had been some time since she had gone dancing, which was a tragedy for her since nearly her entire life had once revolved around it. For this special occasion she had put a little extra effort into her attire. She wore a long brown silk gown with a slit that went nearly all the way up to her right hip. She had considered designing the dress to show off the tattoo she had gotten on her left thigh, but decided having more mobility on her dominant side was more practical. The gown was embellished with gold weave that depicted a phoenix and a dragon swirling from her right hip to the neckline of the dress. Her white hair was pinned back from her face with similar gold embellishments and her hands were covered with long silk gloves that reached past her elbows. She wore short heels and brought her fans, Daybreak and Nightfall, with her. The fans were beautiful enough that their appearance would not seem odd given her outfit. To finish off her outfit she draped a long white diaphanous scarf over her shoulders.

She had proposed that she and Shin meet at the Festival and so she had gone on ahead to wait. There was a small wooden bench beneath a flowering tree and she had taken a seat to observe the crowds. The tree was mercifully a decent distance from the throngs of people, but in a spot where she could be seen easily if anyone was looking for her. Hopefully Shin was. She had gotten. . . more attached to him than she was consciously willing to admit. He had been the person that she’d gone to for help and comfort, he was her rock essentially. And so she was focused on searching the sea of people for his face, nervously fiddling with one of her fans.

Shin had been having one too many headaches as of recently, all of which could be attributed to one thing: thinking too much. His mind had been working a mile a minute, having been accounting for things that did not necessarily affect him. So, when the invitation had come from Mitsukira to attend the festival, Shin had been hesitant to agree. Shin had never been to a festival, at least one in his adulthood. His decade in Kumogakure no Sato had him on his own and a festival was something he did not have the ryo for. The only time he would have attended a festival was when his parents were still around. Now that he had some semblance of… normalcy in his life, there was far more pressing concerns to worry about than attending a festival. Even if those concerns were something he had no control or influence over.

Whatever it was that had decided for Shin to attend the festival, he did not dress any differently than normal. There was no point in dressing up for something he’d only be attending for a few hours; especially something as menial as a festival. His eyes would casually roam over the numerous heads of people the were crowding the streets of the Heavenly Emporium. It would not be difficult to spot Mitsukira when his eyes landed on her; after all it was easier recognizing someone, he knew than a stranger. Finally, his eyes would find her after a few minutes of wandering, seated on a bench beneath a flowering tree. Shin would effortlessly weave his way through the crowd, people would part for him more often than not. Once he finally was within a few feet of her, he would simply nod to her with a few choice words escaping him. “Mitsukira… you look… nice.”

Mitsu’s face lit up when she saw Shin moving through the crowd. It might even be accurate to say her heart leapt at the sight of him. And then he complimented her. It was enough to make her blush and she stood in effort to draw attention away from her scarlet cheeks. Gracefully she would bend into a sweeping curtsey, rising after a moment with a bit less of a blush. “Thank you, Shin. You look wonderful as usual. Thank you so much for coming.” She hadn’t exactly expected him not to take her up on her invitation, but the dark voice in her mind was always trying to convince her that she wasn’t deserving of anyone’s time or attention.

Thinking back, she couldn’t recall Shin complimenting anyone before, so internally she marked the moment as of the highest importance. With a cheerful smile she would gesture broadly towards the whole of the Festival. “What would you like to do first? There’s so much to do here! It’s a masquerade, so masks are probably in order. I think I saw some people down there handing some out. And there’s food, and games. And of course, dancing.” Mitsu was very excited, she’d been to plenty of outdoor festivals before in the Land of Wind, but it had been many years since those happy times, and she was eager to share happy times with Shin.

A curt nod would be returned to Mitsukira as she returned the compliment. It was likely to be frivolous niceties, such that Shin did not attribute much else to her words. He appreciated them, but in the end they did not matter too much. His appearance was much less the same that it always was, so Shin knew it was likely just to be polite, after all it was Mitsukira. If she had a middle name, it was nice. The woman was far too kind to people who did not deserve it and seemingly put too much effort in lost causes. While Shin knew a lost cause when he saw one, Mitsukira was the complete opposite is attempting to pursue the situation to turn it in her own favour. It was something he would never understand. “It would have been rude of me to decline. I feel like my moth… I feel like that this was the right thing to do.” He had been too young to know what his mother would and would not have approved of him doing, so the baseless assumption was thrown out in place of a sentence that was more akin to Shin.

“Well, I have never been to a festival myself… So I’m not too sure what there is to do. Whatever you want to do, I’ll accompany you.” It was only right that Mitsukira lead the way. Shin would have avoided the festival if it were not for her, so he may as well let her enjoy her time while they were here. Shin would be fine regardless of what they were going to be doing.

Chen was watching the scene play out from a surprisingly close distance. From a young age, he had learned how to blend in with his surroundings and observe. Hiding in plain sight is what they called it. Whereas the talent was usually something a person picked up through conscious effort later in life, it came naturally to him as a matter of survival. Where he was from, you learned to hide amongst the weak. A predator enjoyed a prey that was hard to catch, hard to stop and hard to fight. But if you knew how to fade into the background and become another boring object, then you could spare yourself the misery that came with being hunted. The only difference was that now Chen was using his learned talent from a position of dominance. A tool to gather information about his co-leader. In the few minutes that he had been standing there, he had discovered a new pressure point. It was the shinobi whom at first Chen suspected was merely a promising student. A ninja by the name of Shin who had managed to be the one thing that he and she could both agree on.

Chen had every intention of removing him from her influence. Both to preserve Shin's ruthlessness and also to deprive Mitsu of her pride and joy. He wasn't sure whether Mitsu's fondness was born out of romantic desire or compulsive need to be liked by others. It could go be either with someone so sickeningly good-natured. Regardless, he could leverage Shin's importance to her to cause even greater damage than he initially assumed.

He allowed the two to exchange pleasantries. Chen's perceptiveness would permit him to eavesdrop on their conversation despite the loud noise of the festival. He could tune out the background chatter and instead focus on what was being said between two Chuunin. Through a combination of listening and lip-reading, it appeared that they were awkwardly complimenting each other on their outfits while deciding what to do first. Chen decided now was the best time to strike.

He stepped out from the shadows of the multitude and ambushed the two without warning. It would feel as though he had come out of nowhere. One minute they were surrounded by the warmth of joyous strangers and the next a dark shadow would invade the peace of their get-together. Chen was wearing an outfit akin to this. Well-made, well-tailored, and without a single crease or blemish. His clothes were jet-black as was his hair and aura. It was more or less the same Chen that Shin had met while masscring the drug dealers in the warehouse albeit taller and fully grown. Mitsu for her part would likely recognize her tormentor, but what might be a surprise was the astonishingly gentle smile he bore. He made eye contact with each and spoke in an even tempered tone.


"Mitsukira. Shin." he said without introducing himself formally. "A shame we haven't been able to meet since the Summit."

Assuming Mitsu's reaction to the intrusion was negative, Chen would give her a knowing glance. He hadn't even gotten to the best part yet. The real reason he had spied on her itinerary and learned where she would be and when. Chen had no interest in the festival. He was more or less here to exert his control over her. Perhaps for the last time formally as he was beginning to tire of this Diarchy situation as was the rest of the village's military establishment. A singular leader was needed and he knew the most likely candidate was neither of them. Once the Tsuchikage position was filled, he'd need to tread lightly and that would bring the games to an end.

He therefore decided that here and now, he'd deliver the coup de grace.

Mitsu was enjoying herself thoroughly, she was at a Festival and she was with Shin. Shin was being his typical stoic self, but he had accepted her invitation and had arrived, so she knew there was something under his neutral visage that probably equated to enjoyment. She had caught the reference to his mother, even though he had stopped himself mid word and for a second a frown crossed her face though it was quickly replaced with a kind smile. If he didn’t want to talk about her, that was fine, it was his pain and he had a right to explore it or not. Whatever he chose regarding divulging the pain from his past, Mitsu would be right there to aid him. To show this she would reach out a pale hand and attempt to hold his, that same kind smile on her face. “It’s alright Shin, I don’t think I’ve seen you do anything rude yet. I’m just glad you came.” Mitsu’s smile widened as he explained that he’d never attended a festival before. And it seemed he was willing to let her take the lead and decide what they should do during the Festival. Which she was very excited for. She had attended many festivals during her life and having the opportunity to show Shin around and find out what he found fun was not something she wanted to squander. Everything was basically perfect. “Oh! You’ve never been to a festival?! That’s perfect! The only thing more enjoyable than attending one, is helping someone else navigate through one and figure out what they enjoy. Are you hungry at all? There’s plenty of. . .”

And from the shadows Chen appeared.

Mitsukira’s blood ran cold and her words cut off as she saw the dark haired and very well dressed man approach with a smile. Assuming she had been allowed to hold Shin’s hand, her own would drop to her side the instant she saw Chen. She immediately assumed the smile was for Shin’s benefit, as it didn’t occur to her that the smile might be there to throw her off her guard or further torment her. What did occur to her was that there had been a not so implied threat against her should she fail to speak with Chen before Shin’s return from the Summit about removing him from her squad. And she’d failed to do either; removing Shin from her squad or speaking with Chen about it. That was worrisome, she had been avoiding it of course, it was not unreasonable to avoid something you feared. But she hadn’t been avoiding it just to spite Chen, she just hadn’t come up with a solution. And truth be told, once Shin had returned her focus had been solely on him and not anything else.

Her first reaction had been that the smile was not for her, but the hopeful part of her, the eternal optimist, also saw that smile as something good. She imagined that maybe there was a chance Chen was coming around, and that in such a public place he might be willing to attempt something resembling friendship. Or at least not hatred. Which was almost the same thing in her mind. So even though she trembled slightly with fear, she still curtseyed to Chen as well and returned his gentle smile. No matter what they’d been through, Chen was still her partner and a human being and as such he deserved the benefit of the doubt. The Universe willed it so. She could not be so arrogant as to assume that she understood Chen’s part in the Grand Design, she only knew that her fate was somehow intertwined with his and she could make that difficult on herself or attempt to fulfill her role as the Universe intended and as she understood it. Mitsukira’s voice was soft and unsure, unlike moments before where every syllable had been punctuated by joy. “Hello Chen, I didn’t expect to see you here, but I am glad for it. I uh, didn’t mean to avoid you. I’m sorry.” She held his gaze as long as she could, but inevitably she had to look away. She tried to hide her discomfort by fiddling with an imaginary loose thread on her gown. She hadn’t even bothered to ask for forgiveness or to beg him not to be angry with her, she had learned by now that those two things somehow made him more angry and that it was simply safer for her to remain as quiet as possible.

Mitsukira’s regard to his statement was… nice. There wasn’t much she was expecting from him, and for that Shin was glad. Leading someone around a festival, when he had no clue as to what to do was certainly a cause for concern when it came to the Muramatsu. He couldn’t say if he was hungry or not, for he was currently in the middling point of not being overly hungry, but knowing that food would be a welcome delight. The reason for why he could not answer right away was due to a familiar voice he had heard once before.

His eyes roved over to the figure that had said both his name and Mitsukira’s. Shin’s eyes travelled slowly in the direction of the voice, he was not concerned that Chen would do anything violent towards himself or Mitsukira. Not for the time being, at least. From what Shin understood of Chen, he only had been violent towards Mitsukira when it came to the current political standing of Iwagakure no Sato. That was a mess, still, in Shin’s eyes with there being no clear way for it to be resolved. It did not matter, for Shin did not have any influence in that matter, anyways. Chen’s mention of the summit was responded to simply by Shin, with a nod of acknowledgement.

“I’m not hungry at this particular moment. Though I could eat in a bit.” He ignored greeting Chen to respond to Mitsukira. His attention would be on the woman as he responded to her.

Shin would turn his attention back to Chen, eyes analyzing the younger man as it had been a while since Shin had last met him. “It has been a while… though I presume you did receive a rundown of everything that happened at the Summit.” Shin recalled giving Mitsukira a rundown of the events of the Kage Summit and assumed she had somehow passed along word to Chen about the happenings. Shin had not seen Chen since, so he clearly would not have been the one to let Chen know of everything that transpired. Shin’s eyes would mainly remain on Chen, reading his body language to see what he would do; if he did anything.

You will be...is what Chen would have liked to say in response to Mitsu's contrition. Unfortunately, it would have been less than appropriate given their present company. He wasn't sure where Shin stood between them. If he treated her the way he beleived she deserved to be treated then he might alienate Shin. The young man was her "student" which meant he probably saw some value in being around her. He was also attending this trivial festival with her. Yet Chen knew from first-hand experience that the Muramatsu did not share her respect for human life. He was a ruthless killer when he needed to be and it was why Chen had blessed his rise to leadership.

Mitsu said she was happy to see him but Chen though that this statement was a lie. He smirked as she began to fidget in his presence. If she was on-edge now while they were merely exchanging pleasantries, then she'd have an anxiety attack once he got a chance to tell her the "good" news. Chen turned to Shin and responded:

"I've been briefed on the bits and pieces but I have yet to receive a formal rundown. Apparently we own Suna now?" Chen's eyes were deep with hunger and viciousness. He had arrived at the Village Hidden in the Sands as a lowly orphaned boy and he would return to it as its new ruler and conqueror. He wanted ton know more about what had gone down at the Summit but that fact was by far the most fascinating. People were bustling around the trio, enjoying the festival but Chen cared for none of it. His chief concern was to learn about the event, torment Mitsu and then leave.

Shin kept his attention on Mitsu long enough to answer her question regarding finding something to eat, and then it was as though she wasn’t even there. Both men began to speak to each other and Mitsu was left to look between the two awkwardly. Being in a very public setting made her feel somewhat less vulnerable, but only somewhat. The whole time Chen was standing there she had his last threat to her looping through her mind.

"You haven't seen me angry yet Mitsukira. I will take everything that you love and turn it into ash. Don't you ever disobey a direct order from me. For Masaru's sake, I'll give you a chance to reconsider. If Shin isn't off your squad before the Summit ends....there will be consequences"

That day had been uniquely terrifying for her, and she hadn’t told anyone of it. And what’s more, she had not obeyed Chen. It was perhaps cowardly, but she had continued to put off the discussion, unconsciously hoping that if she didn’t speak of it then it wouldn’t be real. But Chen was very real, and he was standing in front of her, and now she was out of time. Now she had to face the consequences of her actions and she didn’t feel prepared. All she wanted to do was run and hide, far away from Chen’s viciousness but she doubted that would be appropriate and would probably just anger Chen further. So she absentmindedly nodded in confirmation of Chen’s question, but did not answer for Shin. It was clear to her that Chen wasn’t there to receive important information from her so she stayed as quiet as possible hoping that Chen might forget his promise to her.

Chen and Shin conversed about the Summit. The Tsuchikage-to-be explained in detail what transpired at the meeting including the more disturbing and sensitive pieces of information regarding Nozomi. The grander games being played did not concern him. Iwagakure was not strong enough to do anything about the supposed resurrections of the Sages. He'd leave that to the likes of Konoha, Kumo and Kiri. The three nations had enough strength to destabilize the world so let them save it. His greater interest was in Konoha's infirmity on the world stage and the gift that Nozomi had made to Earth Country. Chen asked an occasional question or two but for the most part he listened. When all was said in done, he only nodded and gave a simple:

"Good work"

It was rare for him to give anyone praise but Shin had shown his worth to the Diarchy. There was no harm in giving him the acknowledgement he deserved. Unlike others, he was grounded in making tangible progress for the village rather than reaching for some hopeless ideal of friendship and unity. It was one of the many reasons that Chen respected Shin over Mitsu. Once the debriefing was done, Chen turned to the next item on his agenda. Punishing Mitsukira for her disobedience. He had not forgotten the ultimatum he had given her and as he predicted, she did not do as she was told. It occured to him that her act of defiance was not born of bravery but of cowardice. She had simply done nothing and allowed the status quo to persist. She had done nothing to reject his demands nor had she put measures in place to protect what was her's. Even now, she was disassociating herself from their present meeting. Chen knew that look well. The visage of someone trying to block out reality and substitute it for another more pleasant one. Back in another world where he was weaker and more helpless, he had tried the same tactic.

He had earned scars that would never heal for his foolishness and if Mitsukira insisted on treading the same path, he'd ensure her scars never healed too.

Swallowing his contempt for the little bird, Chen turned to Mitsu and smiled again. He knew it wouldn't disarm her but hopefully it would keep Shin off his back. "Well. The Diarchy have much to discuss then. Excuse us, Shin...." Chen gently reached out and guided Mitsu away from him with her elbow. "We will return shortly..." Once the duo was blocked by the crowds of people, the hand on her elbow became a rough squeeze. He continued to lead her through the throng of people and away from the only person who could protect and console her. He led her to an open square where an impromptu dance was taking place. Pairs of young lovebirds were elegantly ballroom dancing under an open court with sakura trees everywhere. It was a romantic outdoor gala of sorts and they were dressed perfectly for the occasion. His hand moved from her elbow and instead gripped her lily white hand.

"May I have this dance?"

Chen's words were low and sweet but his eyes were as angry as ever. She would not do well to refuse him.

Mitsu continued to stay quiet as Shin and Chen conversed, content to be the idle bystander in a conversation that probably should have involved her. She was not proud however and she knew that as long as Shin was there Chen wouldn’t try anything terrible. Probably. If that meant that all she had to do was not assert any authority that was fine by her. Sadly when it came to her own wants or needs, Mitsu was cowardly. She wasn’t consciously aware of it, but somewhere in the back of her mind she knew it.

She would snap back to reality as Chen said ‘good work’ to Shin. It was a simple compliment, but coming from Chen it was astounding. Mitsu heard so much contempt from the man that she’d almost forgotten what a compliment sounded like from his lips. The praise wasn’t directed at her, but it did make her happy that it was directed at someone, and in particular at Shin.

And then he turned and smiled at her again. It was unsettling and she was starting to understand why he was doing it. Part of her wanted to scream and plead, to beg Shin to stay with her or beg Chen to leave it be. But she did nothing of the sort. She smiled back, shyly, and allowed herself to be led away with Chen’s hand on her elbow. She even opened her mouth to say something, but decided against it and instead gave Shin a sincere smile and a nod before disappearing with Chen. She knew that she’d fucked up and she had been hoping that this day wouldn’t come - but reckoning always came. As they moved through the crowd she tried to get her breathing under control, she felt a wave of nausea as panic set in, and that nausea was surprisingly stilled by the rough squeeze she felt as soon as they were outside of the range of Shin’s watchful eye. That tiny bit of pain helped ease her panic, and in a very twisted way she was grateful for it. She had been about two seconds from collapsing in a puddle of hyperventilation and tears, and Chen’s savagery had grounded her. She would have endured it entirely silently, but she also knew that Chen became more angry when it appeared she wasn’t afraid of him, so she allowed the quietest of whimpers to escape her lips for an instant, but otherwise kept her features as neutral as possible. She hoped it would be enough to soothe his ego for now.

The area that Chen led the pair to was like a dream; beautiful music played from a hidden ensemble and surrounding an outdoor dance floor were sakura trees fully in bloom with their soft pink petals raining gently down onto the pairs of dancers. If the situation was different, if she wasn’t terrified, she might have been enchanted. Instead she felt a tightening knot in her stomach that was keeping her from breathing properly. When Chen moved his hand from her elbow to her own hand she would turn to look at him, her heart at once overjoyed and dismayed at the question that came from his lips.

She had dreamed of this moment. A day when they could set their differences aside and enjoy life’s simple pleasures, when they could actually be friends. But in her dreams this day had played out very differently. From the outside this would appear as the stately and proper thing; two Village rulers exchanging pleasantries and enjoying the Festival together. But Mitsu saw the anger in Chen’s eyes, and her elbow still throbbed as a reminder of the power he held over her. But she didn’t want to be a problem, she couldn’t be a problem. If she embarrassed him in any way, if she angered him. . . there’s no telling what he would do.

So she extended her other hand to grasp the hem of her gown and performed a formal curtsey as she accepted his offer.

“I would be delighted, Lord Chen.”

There was utter sincerity in the impromptu title she gave him, she wanted to convey her status to him plainly. She forced as much true delight into her voice as she could, though she was a terrible liar and he would likely still hear the waver of fear in her voice. Whatever he wished of her, she would do, he held all the cards here.

Mitsukira's impotent whimpering was music to his ears. She had not lost her fear of him. Now secure in his position, Chen knew that he could drink deeply from her suffering without worry of retaliation. She would not complain to Shin or conspire to have him removed from power. She was the same helpless doe that he had threatened in that conference room months ago. He led her to the outdoor dance with confidence and when she accepted his offer to dance with a courtesy, he felt the control and esteem he had sought since escaping that place. It was not exactly what Masaru had promised him but it was of the same species and he'd take it all the same. Mitsukira's decision to call him "Lord" only made him hungrier for others to worship him and see him for the force that he was. She had given him a great gift but he was not someone who deserved it. It would not lessen the blows he intended to rain down on her head.

He took her by the hand and led her to to the dance floor. One armed snaked around the small of her back while the other interlaced with her fingers. He roughly pulled her towards him and pressed her frame close against his. He looked down at her with equal parts contempt and amusement. If this was one of those silly tales that someone like Mitsu fancied, this would be the part where it was revealed that Chen was a gracious dancer. A man pained with anger and sorrow who nonetheless moved like a swan on the dance floor. Unfortunately, this was no such tale. Chen was a pretty bad dancer but what he lacked in grace he more than made up for in confidence. He directed her as he saw fit even if it meant occasionally bumping into others or stepping on her feet. This was not a movement of two equal partners trying to create something beautiful. It was a tyrant directing his subject. Chen's grip held fast and his eyes screamed: Do. Not. Resist.

They danced in silence for awhile before Chen spoke up. "So you've chosen to defy me. Disobeying a direct order from a Diarch is treason....what should I do with you Mitsukira?" His voice was soft but trembled with rage. He was going to enjoy this.

Chen’s touch filled her with terror, she knew from experience that one wrong step or one mispoken word would invite the full might of his wrath down upon her. She knew there was a good chance that Chen wouldn’t try to kill her in front of these people, but she didn’t want to push her luck so she behaved as though they were alone. As Chen slid a hand around her lower back and pulled her close to him she couldn’t help but squeeze his hand briefly as an involuntary reaction to the roughness of his actions.

Seeing the contempt in his eyes as he looked down at her she did not resist. Mitsu was an excellent dancer, and so with ease she was able to follow along with Chen, even placing her free hand delicately on his shoulder. This was not a graceful dance however, and more than once she had to try to stifle another whimper as her foot was trod on, or the pair bumped into another pair of unwitting dancers. Mitsu felt like she was having a nightmare, the scene was beautiful and the activity was what she loved. But it was off and worse, she couldn’t wake up. She tried to let herself enjoy dancing even though it felt like the Universe was holding its breath while waiting for something truly terrible.

When Chen finally spoke, all colour drained from Mitsukira’s features. While she was unnaturally pale she’d had a slight tinge of pink on her white cheeks due to her discomfort and fear. Now that the word ‘treason’ had been spoken she felt the nausea return with full force, and she gripped Chen desperately to try to maintain her balance. She’d lost, and she knew it. Whatever game she and Chen had been playing she had been woefully ill prepared for, and now that he had played his hand she had no immediate reply. Still gripping his hand and shoulder she looked up into his eyes as she frantically tried to think of what to say. Of course she didn’t want to be accused of treason, the punishments for that in Iwagakure were extremely severe, but had she committed treason? She didn’t know anymore, studying the laws was not part of her job. . . was she guilty? Mitsukira bit down on her lip as she considered what she knew, and then blurted out something anything to keep Chen from being angrier because she hadn’t spoken.

“Please, Lord Chen. I beg you, please have mercy.”

Her words were as soft as his, but her voice quavered with fear. She knew a plea for mercy would fall on deaf ears, but she needed time to think.

Mitsu's whimpering plea for mercy was sublime. He'd have smiled if he could. Unfortunately, he didn't want to give Mitsukira a psychological out. If she thought that her begging would have any effect on what he had to say next, then it might unduly soften the blow. Instead, he gave her a callous look. He continued dancing and allowed her words to hang in the air impotently before replying. "Mercy is a luxury you squandered when you talked back to me in the conference room. I said I would turn everything you love to ash...and I'm just getting started." He squeezed her hand tightly and gazed into her eyes. "You think you have friends? People who care about you? A squad that respects you? Please. Shin is going to be Tsuchikage. You cannot refuse this. Judging by how he handled himself at the Summit he is the most logical choice. The only choice. That means he's automatically off your squad. Unless you mean to embarrass Iwagakure further by having our leader be your subordinate?"

It was a rhetorical question but Chen's expression made it clear she ought answer in the negative. Assuming the fear was where he wanted it to be, she'd quickly reject the notion. "Good. That leaves your other student Tadara. You should hear the things he had to say about you. He called you "delusional" and "filled with the sort of optimism that gets soldiers killed." I offered him better terms to be my student and he accepted. He's left you as well. I don't care enough about your last runt. He's too inactive to be of any concern to me and any comfort to you. Don't you see Mitsukira? You're all alone. I don't need to lift a finger to hurt you. Someone as weak and alienated as you could never be a threat to me. Once I'm done here, I'm going to Sunagakure and I'm going to subjugate it. I'll de-militarize the village and turn it into just another base."

Chen gripped Mitsu tightly and dramatically dipped low. For a split second, his mouth was close to her ear and he'd whisper:

"You have family there don't you? Perhaps I should pay them a visit?" He wanted to scare her. He wanted to let her know that even if he wasn't in the village any longer, she would do well to fear his name and not threaten his interests. "You're just Masaru's mistress. That's all you ever were to him. A consort. A trifling amusement. He never loved you. And you mean less to me than you did to him so never forget your place or it will be the last mistake you ever make." Chen then suddenly dropped Mitsu onto the ground and smiled. Several of the couples had stopped dancing and shot him dirty looks. He hadn't technically harmed her himself. It was an "accidental" drop. One that he could play off in case a complaint was lodged against him. He waited for a few seconds to see if anyone would square up but no one did. No one at the courtyard ballroom was going to start a fight over a squabble between lovers. He gave Mitsu one last smirk. A show of evil triumph. His final victory over her childish optimism and love for all. Chen's way would always win and Mitsu's loyalty to the Universe would be betrayed time and time again. The void of space was dark and cold. It belonged to those with power and those without trembled like children.

I would know... the alien thought to himself coldly as he walked away from the scene.

[Exit]

Mitsu’s plea for mercy fell on deaf ears and Chen returned nothing but a cold look. She would have preferred even a triumphant grin in that moment, anything to indicate that he was considering her. The sad truth was that she didn’t hate him, she couldn’t. She didn’t think she hated anyone. Her fear of Chen was a twisted sort of love, she wanted so badly to believe in him that she endured any pain he inflicted just to keep her misguided hope alive. She still believed that somewhere, deeply buried, there was still good in him. So she endured, she hoped and she suffered for it. Even now as he handled her roughly and spoke cruel words she still believed in him. She believed because she was an eternal optimist, but more than that because Masaru had believed in him.

When he told her it was her fault, that he would not be merciful because of her own actions, she couldn’t even argue. She had defied him, and her only justification had been her feelings for Shin, not that she would ever explain that to Chen. As he squeezed her hand tightly she whimpered again, this time not to soothe his ego however, this time because it actually hurt. It wouldn’t cause lasting damage, but her skin and nerves were delicate due to her albinism and what some might be able to shrug off caused her physical pain. Any visible damage would be hidden by her long silk gloves, so no one watching would be the wiser. She held back her tears, opting not to speak for fear of giving away her vulnerable state further. The last thing she wanted was to give her tormentor more ammunition against her.

He continued to goad her, to remind her of how alone she was. He even gave her good reasons for it. Reasons that even someone as optimistic as she could not refute. The only thing he said that day that didn’t cause her distress was him announcing that Shin would be Tsuchikage. That bit of news actually made her happy. She didn’t much like the way he said it, but she was pleased with the conclusion that Chen had drawn. Shin was the only logical choice for the position, and he had done marvellously at the Kage Summit. So when he asked his rhetorical question, Mitsu shook her head ‘no’. She wouldn’t stand in the way of having a proper leader again, and she certainly wouldn’t subject him to being under her authority in a squad setting.

It did sting though, she had tried to stand up to Chen on this very matter before and now she was being punished for her obvious stupidity. The sting came from the truth. She was continuously told that she was inadequate and idiotic, and it appeared now to be true. The news about Shin’s removal from her squad was understandable and didn’t cause concern. The retelling of Tadara’s betrayal however hurt a good deal more. She didn’t understand how he could say such things, especially considering how she had literally taken a crossbow bolt for him, a cross shaped scar still sat raised on her shoulder blade as a testament to that nearly tragic day. If she’d been too slow he would have. . .

It didn’t matter. It never mattered to Mitsu what she had done, only what the consequences were. She had tried and clearly failed to be a good leader. She couldn’t blame Tadara for choosing to abandon her squad and train under Chen. Chen was a fierce warrior in his own right, and the student had the right to learn from whomever they wished. He hadn’t bothered to inform her, which was odd considering what she knew of his intelligence and attention to bookkeeping. But even that her fear-addled mind explained away; ‘I’m sure he just was worried that I might take it personally. Yeah, that seems reasonable.’ It wasn’t reasonable, but she chose to find the least offensive answer anyway.

She could let go of the idea of her squad. She could let go of her dream of being Tsuchikage. She could even let go of the idea of having friends in Iwagakure. But when Chen mentioned going to Sunagakure she felt a cold thud in the pit of her stomach, his words produced a visceral enough emotional reaction that he might as well have just punched her in the gut. Were it not for his tight grip she would have pulled away, but she hadn’t been prepared for the dramatic sweeping dip during their ‘dance’. It probably looked romantic to anyone watching who didn’t know them. It probably looked like this dapper man was sharing an intimate moment with his blushing partner, whispering sweet nothings into her ear. Some taboo words likely meant to arouse or empassion, the sort of actions one would expect in new lovers. And even her reaction to those words could have led one to believe the fantasy. A gasp as her pinkish red eyes went wide, her grip subtly tightening on his well tailored coat covered shoulder, the unconscious near brush of cheeks as she turned to look him in the eyes when their faces were too close.

But no. It was not romantic and nothing even close to the picturesque fairytale scene that two well dressed dancers were presenting. Where she had been hurt and scared before, now she was horrified. Chen had just threatened her family. No doubt he could feel her rapid breathing and pounding heart, she could barely believe what had just happened. This was further in her opinion than he had ever gone before, and this thought came from the woman he had attempted to murder. She wanted to scream at him, she felt bile rise into her throat as she fought to suppress her anger. Anger that only ever came out when those she loved were threatened. ‘Don’t you dare go near them.’ She might have said it out loud, if he had not landed a crushing blow with his next words.

He never loved you.

If his threats towards her family felt like a punch to the gut, this felt like Chen had literally torn her heart out of her chest and squeezed.

The light in Mitsukira’s eyes dulled and was replaced by a faraway look as her mind echoed the phrase over and over again. It had been so long since she’d seen Masaru’s smile or heard his voice. He was ill and it wasn’t his fault, but he wasn’t there to validate her beliefs anymore. He hadn’t been there for years. She’d been alone and forgotten. And she couldn’t find the will to convince herself that Chen was wrong. Chen had known Masaru far longer than she had; Masaru had named Chen his protege and had travelled with him, trained with him, trusted him. Chen had been promoted and Masaru had all but named him his successor. And she. . . she was nothing now. A Diarch of convenience and in name only. Forced to do menial tasks to keep the country going but without the authority to affect real change. ‘Did he ever love me? Was I ever more than a diversion?’ She couldn’t be certain now, not now that it had been said aloud.

And then he dropped her.

She barely registered it. Her heart was utterly broken as doubt took over entirely. She didn’t notice the dirty looks that onlookers gave, she just lay there on the ground at Chen’s feet, staring up at him. There had been many times in the past where she had felt as though Chen had ‘won’ whatever competition they had. She had been wrong. As she looked up at his evil smile she knew that this was the moment. Here on a beautiful outdoor dance floor surrounded by cherry blossoms and young love. . . this was where he had won.

She didn’t speak or move, choosing to wait until he had walked away to pick herself up from the ground. Her submission before he left would have been clear, there was no challenge in her eyes as she stared, just complete acceptance of her place beneath him.

As she rose from the floor she would wave off the helpful hands and concerned looks with a gloved hand. “Everything is fine, thank you.” Her words were hollow but she didn’t care to look if they had been believed. She would move through the crowd back towards Shin, her eyes still dull and lifeless as she went to do her duty. Assuming he was still standing where she had left him she would try to force a smile onto her face as she delivered Chen’s message. “You’ve been named the Tsuchikage. You made Iwagakure proud at the Kage Summit, and we can’t think of a better choice to lead the Children of Earth into the future. This will of course mean that you will no longer be on my squad.” She put as much emotion as she could into her words, which wasn’t much and the word ‘we’ had been misleading. She had been genuinely happy to have Shin take up the mantle of Kage, and she knew she would be again but with her heart, hope and memories shattered she had lost her spark. She would wait for Shin to reply in acceptance, and would insist if he did not. She couldn’t allow Chen to be disobeyed. And she knew that if Shin refused it would be blamed on her. As soon as he accepted she would bow formally, murmuring quietly as she did so. “Long may you lead, Godaime Tsuchikage Shin Muramatsu.” She would then rise and stand straight, a smile on her pale face and a dead look in her eyes. “If you would like to continue exploring the Festival we can. Though I would understand if you wish to return and attend to Village matters.” Mitsukira would go along with whatever Shin wished, whether it be to stay and attend the Festival, return home or even give him time alone. Any questions Shin asked, assuming he had any, would be answered as best she could - always favouring Chen and his orders. Any questions that were personal she would just wave off, preferring a quick ‘I’m tired’ in place of any real explanation. She didn’t have it in her to fight presently.

Regardless of his answer she would eventually head to her favourite spot in the mountains where she would sit and watch the sun rise. No joy filled her heart at the sun's rays, no awe at the palette of colours. She would just sit in silence as the truths that Chen had spoken seeped into her bones.

[Exit Thread]

Amber orbs would watch the two contrasting figures walk away – one light and one dark. Their personalities very well matched their coloration as far as Shin knew, though who knew what lay beyond the surface, from things that were hidden from his eyes. Nothing drastic would happen from them conversing that could not be repaired. There was no outright way that Chen would even attempt to kill Mitsukira while at a festival. If he did, well, then Shin would likely be the only one of the three leaving the Heavenly Emporium. He would try and keep his eyes on the two of them, while remaining well out of earshot of any of their conversation, though with Chen seemingly whispering to Mitsukira, Shin would not be able to make out any words regardless. He was not adept at lip-reading, so Shin just kept his attention vaguely on them while still being fully aware of the other festival patrons. Eventually, through the throngs of people, he would eventually lose sight of Mitsukira and Chen.

After a few minutes of being alone, Mitsukira would be the lone person making their way towards him. Figuring Chen had given Mitsukira a message to pass along to him, Shin would listen as Mitsukira’s first words were “You’ve been named the Tsuchikage.” That was not what Shin was expecting when Mitsukira and Chen had stepped away to discuss business. Shin’s mind was working a mile a minute as Mitsukira continued, getting the gist of her words; his performance at the summit and his removal from her squad. He would not say he was disappointed with the removal from her squad; the squad itself had not done much aside from a singular mission. Shin had not seen Tadara or Katsumi in a while. Something sounded off and Shin very much attributed it to the conversation Chen and Mitsukira had. He figured Chen had said something to Mitsukira to put her in such a state. Shin did not respond right away to accept the position, his mind was still reeling. A few good seconds had passed before the words escaped him. “Very well… if that’s what the diarchy has proposed, I’ll accept it.” There was a lot to process and the festival would certainly not be the place for Shin to think on his own. “I need time to… think about all this. It’s a big step going from a chuunin to the Tsuchikage. I’m sorry, but I’ll have to cut our exploration of the festival short.” While Shin could continue exploring the festival, he knew his mind would not be completely present to keep Mitsukira company. With a short farewell, Shin would make his way back home, a night to rest before he finally got to business of seeing to Iwagakure no Sato’s welfare.

[claiming Tsuchikage]
[exit thread]