[Plot Topic] The Great Clan of Takamagahara (Tsumi, Kouzai)

Raijin stared at the city in awe as a guard patrol led him and Yurusu to the palace.  The city was a truly beautiful place, and the sometimes barbaric actions of the sand benders were suddenly forgotten as he saw the way they decorated their cities.  They weren't destroyers, they were lovers of art and religion, and they devoted their lives and cities to it.  But they were being surrounded by foreigners and forced from their ancestral lands, and that didn't make things easier between factions.

The buildings, though mud brick, were painted with rich blues and whites and other colours and some of the more important buildings had jewels and such encrusted into them.  Their Spirit Shrine and palace were visible clear across the city, standing as bastions dedicated to the sand bender culture.

Yurusu and Raijin had just arrived, having travelled through the desert for two weeks.  Well, technically, UNDER the desert, as Yurusu and Raijin agreed getting out of the sun would be a good idea.  So using Yurusu's sand and earth bending, they travelled in tunnels underneath the land.  As expected of an Order member.

Once they reached the gate, Raijin stated their purpose, flashing the sword and forged note to the guards.  They didn't doubt them, in fact, many of them bowed to Raijin before even asking him his purpose.  And only deepened their bows when they saw the sword and letter.  Yurusu was given glares, but only because they suspected him until Raijin gave them his name.  Yamato Takeru.  That was the undercover name he was given.

Finally, the group reached the palace.  The inside was even more beautiful that the city.  Raijin almost wished this was his palace instead of the Imperial complex.  Beautiful as the complex was, it was made of red stone, wood and tatami mats with sliding doors made of rice paper.  Not too exciting after a lifetime, but then again, Raijin figured the sand benders thought the same thing as well.

Once in the throne room, Raijin bowed before their queen.  The chief.  Enya Takamagahara, Mistress of the Sands and Chief of the Takamagahara Clan.  "Oh, mighty Mistress of the Sands," started Raijin, bending low over the blue carpet, "I come here from my home lands on order of my brother, Vermilion Crown Prince Izanagi Ezofuji-no-Tsukuyomi.  And on a mission from my father, His Holiness, Spirit King Owlan, to open new relationships between our nations, and to bring you this, holiest of swords."

Raijin pulled out the Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi and showed it to the chief.  Enya, sitting in her thrown, looking at Raijin with intrigue, walked down towards Raijin and asked for the blade.  Raijin gladly handed it over.  He could see Enya get goosebumps on her arms as she held it.  This mighty blade once belonged to the Gedo Mazo, King of all Gods and Spirits.  She was ecstatic, but she remained calm.  "Thank you, Your Highness," bowed Enya, "We accept this gift easily and whole heartedly.  You do us great justice by trusting us with this.  We shall have it enshrined immediately at today's prayers.  Would you and your...friend care to join us?"

Raijin looked back at Yurusu and gave a small nod, "We would be honoured to partake in your prayers," said Raijin, once more bowing, "We look forward to it.  When is it?'  "One hour," responded Enya, "You may go to our guest apartments in the western tower.  There you may freshen up and relax from your long journey if you wish."  Raijin nodded and gave a final bow as he and Yurusu were dismissed.  They followed the escort to the top of the tower, and parted ways with them upon entering their room.  It was quite grand.  Alcohol by the fire, a massive fire.  Weaponry as decoration everywhere, and animals skins on the floors and walls.

These were chambers fit for kings.  There were even two beds.  "Come," said Raijin as he walked to the fire, sitting on one of the couches.  He had no interest in the things in this room, except maybe the alcohol, but he was going to wait until much later to drink that.  It was considered impolite to show up to prayers having drunk any alcohol, let alone drunk., "Let's run over the plan.  Also, stay away from the alcohol, showing up drunk or even with a bit of alcohol in you would be considered rude to the gods and our guests.  I don't want to blow this just yet."

Yurusu Kessho, or, as the Takamagahara clan knew him, Yamato Takeru, stood in front of Enya Takamagahara, as Raijin presented one of what Yurusu presumed to be Seishinism's holiest relics. He bowed as low as Raijin, resisting the urge to shutter at the horrible visions that came with looking someone in the eye.

“You could do it easily, you know.” The serum-affected part of him said. He watched in horror through his mind's eye, as he rushed forward, took the sword right out of it's ceremonial sheathe, and beheaded the very princess he came to present it to. “Easy as one-two-three. Move, unsheathe, cut. It doesn't matter that you don't have your own sword- just use that one.” That same part said.

It was true that Yurusu didn't have his sword with him- he missed the weight on his back dearly, but had opted not to carry his massive sword through a desert, where, if all went well, he wouldn't need it, anyway.

To stave off these horrible thoughts, as the conversation between Raijin and Enya continued their conversation (They had agreed that it was best if Raijin did the talking), Yurusu instead reflected on the events of the past few weeks. He and Raijin had run into minimal trouble, as they had traveled underground, through tunnels that Yurusu created in front of them, and closed behind them. In this fashion, they managed to stave off the heat and bandits that cursed this horrible desert. “Never been a fan of the desert- too hot for my taste.” Yurusu had commented, upon the initial brainstorm that had sparked the idea. He still felt proud of himself, for coming up with that.


Yurusu snapped back to reality, nodding vigorously. "You may go to our guest apartments in the western tower. There you may freshen up and relax from your long journey if you wish." Guest apartments? Freshen up? Prospective alcohol break? Yurusu hadn't been this excited for weeks.

Soon after, his heart sank right back into the desert, when Raijin told him that they shouldn't drink before they joined the clan for prayers. “Not even a little?” Yurusu whined, though he knew what Raijin said was logical.

Yurusu lowered his voice to a near-whisper, just in case. “Ok, the plan. During the night, about 2 hours after the castle goes to bed-- he paused for a second, thinking. He had heard something about a curfew. Would they be killed, if they were caught? “--We go into Enya's room, and tell her that we need her to come with us. Though, I may go alone- one person sneaking around at night is suspicious enough, but awaking to TWO people in your room, who you've known for less than a day? She'd scream for sure.”

"Scream or kill us?" laughed Raijin, though that probably wasn't far off from the truth.  Death would come soon after they were caught, "And yes I'm sure.  No alcohol at all--believe me I'm not happy after."  Raijin stood up, and removed his armour, so he stood only in his black flowing robes.  He was much for comfortable in this, especially with the heat bearing down on them, no armour was a much ore desirable form of dress.

"I do agree with your plan, you should meet me in this room when you are finished though and we can depart," said Raijin, "It would not do well to get caught sneaking out with their chief."  Raijin removed his obi belt from the armour's waist and wrapped them around his robes, keeping them flowing, but tight around his body.  The belly poked out a bit, and Raijin removed a small wooden box, which held his tanto knife, and a tightly wrapped scroll.  A tanto incase things went wrong, and his death note combined with his death poem.

These were things Raijin had carried with him since he left to travel the world at 15.  Should something go wrong where he would need a blade and his sword was gone, or if the only way out a situation was suicide, he had his tanto.  And if he died before seeing his family again, he had his death poem and a small message written in a scroll.  He changed it once a year, or whenever he felt the need to, but mostly it was the same message it had always been.

Raijin stared at the small wooden box, and placed it on the bed, hiding it beneath the pillow.  He couldn't go into the shrine with weapons on him, it was sinful.  "Also remove any weapons you have right now and leave them here," explained Raijin, "To bring a weapon into a shrine is sinful.  It is illegal to spill blood on a shrine's ground, and to bring a weapon into one is to invite fighting and death."  Knowing that Yurusu was not a very spiritual man, Raijin knew he would be very out of place in the coming prayers.

"And whatever you do tonight," said Raijin, "Just follow my every move, all right?  It's pretty simple.  Just a few steps and formalities, and the rest is really simple.  Also, bring along some money.  Not much, just some silver pieces if you have them, two or three should be enough."  Raijin pulled a sack of coins from his robes and opened it.  He pulled out ten gold pieces and stuffed them in his pocket and put the coin sack back into his robes.

"I haven't been in a while," he chuckled to himself, "And I'll be needed a lot of luck in our coming journey's anyway."  Raijin laughed and turned back to Yusuru, "Alright, I guess we just wait until someone comes to get us!"

The plan was set- Yurusu would sneak out in the middle of the night to talk to Miss Takamagahara, where he would attempt to convince her of the necessity of her departing from her clan, and take her back to Raijin, where they would then plan further.

"Also remove any weapons you have right now and leave them here. To bring a weapon into a shrine is sinful. It is illegal to spill blood on a shrine's ground, and to bring a weapon into one is to invite fighting and death." Raijin said, as he took off his armor, and revealed a hidden Tanto, along with a scroll and note. Yurusu dared not ask the significance of a scroll or piece of paper that a young man would strap to his body.

While Yurusu was not particularly religious, he was not disrespectful- he had no intention of defiling ground that anyone thought of as sacred. He walked over to the room's Guest Closet, taking a shoebox out, and began to unload into it. He started by taking off his iron shoulder pads, each of which had an extendable handle so that the shoulder pad could act as a hand mace, in case of emergency. Next, he took off his combat boots, taking out the daggers hidden under the sole, not bothering to mention the blade that extended from the toe (he had heard that you weren't supposed to wear shoes during these things, anyway.)
He reached into his pant-legs, taking out a metal canister, embroidered with several Z's- the universal sign for Sleep- and a blowpipe, which was strapped to his other leg.

With his weapons out of the way, he tucked the shoebox under his pillow. Raijin spoke, briefly, though the words did not reach Yurusu. Yurusu was, instead, focused on a singular spot, roughly 70 miles from where he stood, maybe more. Either way, Yurusu's remembering that location would, likely, save him and Raijin's life, if they were to be discovered.

After what seemed like an eternity, but still came too soon, the door began to creak open...

Raijin turned to see Yurusu, and realized he wasn't listening.  With a chuckle, Raijin tossed a gold piece at him.  "There, use that in the ceremony, don't worry about how, just follow what I do," he said, "I can do without a gold piece.  I just wont wish to not die then."  Raijin laughed, knowing he was only joking.  Even if he wasn't going to wish to live through this, he knew he wouldn't die.  Raijin was smarter than that, and he had a lot more in life to live for.  Especially now that Leilani--the door swung open, and Raijin saw Enya enter the room.  She was dressed as she always was, no surprised of course.  All robes were meant for worship in Sand Bender culture.

"Come with me, Your Highness, Yamato" said Enya with a small bow, "I shall be bringing you to the shrine myself."  For someone who hated outsiders, she was respectful, but most likely because he was an Ezofuji and "Yamato" was his friend.  The Ezofuji also had divine ancestry, and divine descendants needed to respect each other on their similarities.  All gods are equal, and all godly descendants were too.

Raijin followed Enya closely.  They said nothing on the way to the shrine, and Raijin took the time to see the sites and take in the city.  It was big, and full of life and livestock.  Animals cried in marketplaces, people shouted there too, calling out prices or announcing their wares, some argued about the prices.  Children played in the streets, running between the narrow buildings, often crossing dangerously in front of the animals that were being paraded through the streets.  The heat was a minor inconvenience to these people, man made streams cut into the streets and built into walls trickled fresh, clean, cool water through all the city.  If anyone was over heating or thirsty, they need only drink from them stream or wipe themselves down with the refreshing liquid.

It was truly an advanced and beautiful society that loved their gods and each other.  A sense of family and community could be felt throughout the whole city.  If only the Sand Benders and the other nations could get along as well as the Sand Benders did within their own clans.  But that was not Raijin's problem.  He was a prince, not a King or an Emperor.  It was not his place to make peace or policy, only to uphold and obey them.

They reached the shrine, without any guards or the like.  No one would harm Enya at the shrine, besides, no one would harm her here anyway.  They either feared or respected her at the Takamagahara Tribe, and she was more than enough to handle herself.  As they entered the shrine, the smell of incense filled the air, and the chanting of monks could be heard.  They chanted the same prayer repeatedly, slowly, singingly, their voices vibrating.  It was the usual prayer for peace and balance and thanks.  Before going any further into the temple, Raijin and Enya turned towards a water trough that lay against the back wall, with several ladles in it.  They both picked up the ladle, filled with pure spring water, and washed their right hand, pouring the water over it, then the left hand, pouring water over it as well.  Finally, they poured some water into their cupped dominant hand and drank from it.  They had purified themselves, as cleanliness was very important in the Seishin religion.  The gods would not listen to an impure or unclean person.


They chanted in the ancient tongue of Nippon, the tongue with which the Seishin books were written.  But now was not the time for Raijin to let his mind wander.  He followed Enya on the path between the praying people.  Each of them on their mats, bent over, head to the ground, praying along with the monks.  Raijin could see the sword, Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi, sitting on the alter by the statues of the gods, covered in sacred and holy clothes, blessed by the monks no doubt.  As they walked down the aisle, Raijin made sure to avoid the white line down the middle of the straw mat floor.  That white line was the God Line, and only gods could walk upon that line as they entered the temple to receive the offerings made by the patrons.

Raijin hoped that Yurusu would follow that move, that was important, and talking wasn't permitted in the temple.  Enya made her offering first, and Raijin followed suit.  He walked up to the wooden box that was placed before the raised platform where the altar and sword were.  He tossed the gold coins from his pocket into the slotted box, nine in total.  Three for the protection of his entire family, three for the protection of the Avatar, the Order and the Warriors, and three for the protection of Leilani.  He thought of these three prayers and wishes in his head and then grabbed hold of the long, thick, white rope that hung from the ceiling.  He tugged, the rope, causing the shrine bell to ring.  Then he looked up at the shrine, to the God's Mirror that sat above the sword, wreathed in Magatama.

Raijin straighted up his mind, body and spirit, and then bowed twice, very deeply, just like Enya had.  As he straightened up, clapped twice and held his hands in front of his heart, still together, and asked for all he had before.  Then, as he finished praying, he bowed once more, and stepped back from the rope, kneeling on on of the tatami mats beside Enya, bowing down low as the monk's chanting continued.  Raijin hoped, the whole time, that Yurusu could get this down, and not insult the tribe.  It wouldn't be his fault, but it wouldn't end well either.

Yurusu was snapped back to reality, as a gold piece was flicked at him. He sidestepped past it, twisting his foot a little bit when it landed, causing the coin to bounce back off the ground, and land in his back pocket. He grinned, and shot a cocky wink at Raijin. "There, use that in the ceremony, don't worry about how, just follow what I do. I can do without a gold piece. I just won't wish to not die then." Raijin said, in a joking manner. Yurusu chuckled a bit, in a “That was funny, but please don't leave me alone here” manner.

Soon enough, Miss Takamagahara came in to their room. "Come with me, Your Highness, Yamato" said Enya with a small bow, "I shall be bringing you to the shrine myself." she said, bowing respectfully. “Yamato” had to hand it to them- the Sand Tribes were much more civil than Raijin had made them sound. A certain sense of unity could be felt, as they walked, silently, toward the shrine.  Vendors yelled about their wares, people went about their business, and children wailed for their mothers- but, through it all, their was a sense of family to it. Strange. Yurusu had never felt so alone, in such a big crowd.

They arrived at the shrine soon enough. Inside, it smelled of incense- Yurusu couldn't identify anything that it smelled like, beyond that. It just sort of smelled.... religious. Monks chanted the same prayer, over and over. Maybe it was for emphasis? Or, perhaps they believed that, somehow, yelling for hours would somehow absolve them of their wrongdoings? Maybe it was a campaign in advertising? Make people think there was a point to your tireless chanting, and they'd be convinced (or sympathetic) enough to donate to whatever you were chanting for?

Yurusu didn't let his condescending thoughts show on his face- he made sure to keep his face stone-cold (no pun intended). The last thing he wanted to do was offend someone- even if his thoughts would have him thrown out in a minute, if they should leave through his mouth.

Raijin and Enya each picked up a ladle, and began methodically washing their hands. First the right, then the left, followed by... drinking some of it. Yurusu followed suit, taking off his gloves, stowing them in his back pocket, and washing his hands thoroughly- first the right, then the left, followed by drinking some of it. He made sure to be thorough- whatever gods these people communicated with, Yurusu didn't need their spite.  
The water tasted.... surprisingly clean. Perhaps it was from a spring? Well, technically, in an oasis city, ALL the water was from a spring, but still, that was some serious water.

They began to chant the same things that the monks had chanted before, in the old tongue of Nippon.


Yurusu had no idea what it meant, but it dispelled the feeling of loneliness.

Soon enough, they began to walk a line. "Now, I'm not THAT drunk..."[/color] he thought to himself. Midway through the line, he subtly (but powerfully) twisted his right foot, using a technique he had thought of while in the desert. Many miles away, in Ba Sing Se, his sword sunk into the ground, and began to travel toward his room in the Takamagahara clan house. He smiled wistfully- he missed that weight on his back.

They performed various other fancy moves and bows- Yurusu followed them all to the letter, though his mind was elsewhere. He couldn't help but be bored by religion.

After the bowing towards the sword and priests was finished, and the chanting ended, Enya was called up to speak before those worshippers.  It was a full house, hundreds, if not a few thousands of Sand Benders from this clan had come to see the enshrinement of this sword.  Hundreds more were up in the balconies of the high roofed tower.  Enya had spoken in front of crowds like this hundreds of times, at all the important religious festivals and holidays.  Today was no different.

Except that one of the three holiest artifacts in all of Seishinism was about to be enshrined in the Temple of the Takamagahara Clan.  Finally, all other tribes would bow to Enya, as she had the religious authority and power to claim dominance over them.  This was her window; her chance.  And she wasn't going to loose it.  But not now, now was not the time to discuss such plans as conquest--this was a temple after all.  No, now was the time for piety and devotion to the gods and goddesses, and the ancestors and spirits who came before.  Now was the time of worship; a time of peace.

Enya stood before the crowd, beside the sword, which was placed point down towards the ground in a special stand by the monks who had previously been chanting.  It was polished before being presented today, but it shone like the sun regardless of its care.  It was truly a holy object; its make and metal completely unknown to even the Spirit King.  Whatever it was, it was not of the world apparently.  "Brothers and sisters of the Desert; Sons and Daughters of the Great Goddess Takamagahara," started Enya grandly, her voice echoing throughout the hall, "Today we are here to celebrate the enshrinement of the holiest blade in all history.  The blade owned by the Great God and King of Gods and Spirits alike, Gedo Mazo, found in the tail of the defeated Yamata-no-Orochi by Sceter, God of War."

"This legendary blade, Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi--the Blade of the Parting Clouds of Heaven--has always been in the hands of the Spirit King, since the creation of the title many thousands of years ago," continued Enya, even more grandly than before, "But finally today, it has been generously donated by the Spirit King himself, and brought to us by none other than his son, Vermilion Prince Raijin Ezofuji-no-Tsukuyomi, a True Son of F'yr himself."  Many looked towards Raijin.  He wasn't hard to find.  He was one of the only two pale skinned people in the entire city, let alone the temple, with long black hair and dark eyes.  As opposed to the tan skinned, red haired, yellow eyed Sand Benders everyone was used to seeing.

"This blade, as of today, is ours; a sign of peace and religious unity between our Clan and the Spirit King--and the Empire!"  The people cheered, though Raijin knew Owlan's plan was two fold.  It would keep the Sand Benders from attacking innocent people long enough for SOMEONE to come in and strike a peace with them--right now it just happened that the Empire filled that role--and hopefully encourage strong external ties to other nations as well through that, permanently ending the conflict.  And it would also keep the sacred blade safe from anyone who would seek to steal it from Owlan in the ensuing darkness to come.  Raijin's father was always a sly one.

"Now, we shall all pay our respects to this blade and the Gods who once wielded it," stated Enya, "I shall go first, after which ALL shall get a turn."  With that, Enya not only reaffirming her position as top dog and most holy of the Takamagahara Sand Benders, but also affirming her authority in general to her people and guests.  Turning around towards the sword, Enya dropped to one knee, and bowed her head to the sword, then placed her right hand over her chest and her left hand extended towards the sword, touching it gently with her finger tips.  It felt warm and cold, ethereal and metal, and inviting yet taboo all at the same time.  It was exhilarating.

It wasn't long before all feelings faded, and before Enya knew it she was watching a vision of all things and no things at once.  Screams.  Fear.  Death.  Blood.  There was a lot of it.  Darkness.  A dark haired man was killed.  Then, someone screamed, and cried for him and mourned him for eternity.  Someone with white hair, tall and strong, authoritative and powerful, died next in this vision.  He shouldn't have died...he was joined by three others...he loved these people very much.  Those close to them felt anger and desired revenge.  Then, a giant, flaming, armoured, bird-man.  It caused destruction everywhere it went.  It was destruction incarnate.  Then nothing; just darkness.  A stain glass window beneath Enya's feet, and Enya looked at seven others who were shadowy and unrecognizable, merely facsimiles of the human form.  A seventh stood in the middle of the ring of figures and stain glasses, their window a combination of the all the others.  Enya couldn't see them in detail, it was only flashes, but this person was blacked out too.

Then Enya's eyes opened, and she was back in the hall.  Perhaps she never left, or perhaps she was simply mad.  She slowly removed her fingers from the sword, not knowing at all what to make of that, and stood up, silently but calmly and walked towards Raijin and Yamato, in order to continue her act as a hospitable host.  The sword was holy, and perhaps it knew more than she did.  Whatever it was trying to tell her, Enya would try her best to listen, she owed it to the Gods.  "You may touch the sword as well," she said simply as she reached the two men, "Though you will have to wait in line like the rest."  The line had grown massive in the short time Enya had prayed to the sword.  Everyone was crowding around, waiting for a chance.  This was, of course, one of the holiest artifacts in Seishinism.

The chanting and bowing finished, and Enya began to speak before them. There were many more people in here than when they had entered- in fact, now there were people crowding around everywhere, just to see this hunk of metal. "Brothers and sisters of the Desert; Sons and Daughters of the Great Goddess Takamagahara, today we are here to celebrate the enshrinement of the holiest blade in all history.  The blade owned by the Great God and King of Gods and Spirits alike, Gedo Mazo, found in the tail of the defeated Yamata-no-Orochi by Sceter, God of War.
This legendary blade, Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi--the Blade of the Parting Clouds of Heaven--has always been in the hands of the Spirit King, since the creation of the title many thousands of years ago, but, finally today, it has been generously donated by the Spirit King himself, and brought to us by none other than his son, Vermilion Prince Raijin Ezofuji-no-Tsukuyomi, a True Son of F'yr himself."

Hold on, “F'YR”? Like, FIRE? THERE WAS ACTUALLY A GOD NAMED “F'YR”?! It took everything Yurusu had to maintain a straight face. All of his willpower was barely enough to contain the roaring laughter that was so close to erupting from his mouth- but, contain it, he did.
"This blade, as of today, is ours; a sign of peace and religious unity between our Clan and the Spirit King--and the Empire!”


Now, we shall all pay our respects to this blade and the Gods who once wielded it. I shall go first, after which ALL shall get a turn." She finished, turning to touch the blade. After a moment's silence, she released it, looking much less overjoyed. "You may touch the sword as well, though you will have to wait in line like the rest." She said, simply. What, had the sword put her in a bad mood?

Yurusu got into line, managing to squeeze himself a place just before Raijin. “If ever there was a time to meditate, that time is now.” Yurusu said, staring at the massive line in front of him. It was gonna be a long, long wait. He needed a way to pass the time, and he knew just the thing. He kept his sword moving steadily toward their position, making careful notes as to when the sword stopped moving. He did this for several hours, until finally, he offhandedly notice the guy in front of him move away. It was time to see what all the fuss was about.

Yurusu walked up to the sword, and grabbed it firmly by the hilt. A strange sensation overcame him, as he began to have visions exactly akin to those he experienced when looking people in the eye. He saw death, destruction, and misery, as far as the eye could see. He watched two young boys glow, and become one man, the ten Jinchuuriki all gathered in one place, and.... himself. Only, this version of him had pure white, functional wings. It was kind of scary, to be honest. And then, he was standing on the oh-so-familiar stained glass platforms. However, there were more figures here. The six order members, and Owlan, all stood in the same circle, however, behind them each stood a shadowy figure, and behind Yurusu... Enya. And then, the stained glass shattered, causing him to be returned to his body, with a tremendous shock.

He physically recoiled, letting go of the sword, and falling to the ground, in a coughing fit. There was something.... moving.... in his throat, trying to get out. It drew his chi out of him, and slowly wiggled upward, until one mighty cough sent it into his outstretched hand. It was...a dove? Why was there a dove in his throat? What in the name of whichever-god-it-was-most-offensive-to-speak-of? The dove eyed him for a moment, and then disintegrated into little particles of light. He coughed again- two doves came out this time. They stuck around for longer, but faded the same way. No more doves followed.

Yurusu waited at the entrance for Raijin- whatever he was going to see, assuming he saw anything, would be his business. Though, Yurusu was getting the hang of this whole Dove-summoning thing. He didn't have to cough to summon them anymore- he could conjure them like a firebender's flames.

This was gonna be a ton of fun...

Raijin sat through the long speech, noting his father's cunning.  Truthfully it was a great plan, and if all went well, it may just be the plan that saved the world.  But there was much to be done before this plan was perfect, Raijin knew that.  He waited behind Yurusu and a million other people before he finally got a chance.  Enya seemed to have been moved in some way by touching the blade.  Had she seen through the guise and the plans?  Or had touching one of the holiest artifacts known to man been emotionally uplifting for her?  No...those weren't it, but Raijin didn't have time to figure it out.

Rather he didn't have the patience.  His mind was on finishing this mission and getting back to--Hack!  With a whirl, Raijin realized he had thought away his time in line, and was now staring at Yurusu vomit doves like he was drunk.  In all fairness, Raijin might've been the drunk one at this moment, or at least he would've thought so were it not for being in the temple right now, which made drinking prior to a definite no-no.  Then what the hell was going on?  Was it the heat?  A dream?  A mirage?  Had Yurusu finally cracked?  Had he taken up magic?  Was that his retirement plan after the darkness was dealt with?  Magic?

The great Yudini.  Yeah, Raijin would pay to see that.  With a smirk he watched three doves leave Yurusu's mouth then vanish again as if they were dust in the wind.  Everything was dust in the wind, honestly.  But now was not the time for philosophy.  Kneeling down in the place Yurusu had just vacated in favour of a spot in the back--geniuses usually sat at the front; what a twist--Raijin placed his hand on the sword and closed his eyes, his hand over his heart.  Now was the time of--

What was this?  Death?  Dying?  Four people stood, in Dai Tengu form, up against a massive Dai Tengu.  The colours were blackened out, but there was no mistaking that form.  What was going on?  Who could be that strong...would someone turn on the family?  It had happened before, it could happen again.  Then, there was...kindness....softness...gentility.  A newborn baby cried somewhere in the distance and suddenly Raijin was standing in the dark.  Beside him were his siblings.  Izanami on his left, and Izanagi on her's.  Behind them stood their past "incarnates" as the Fire Sages called them.  The ones reincarnated in each generation, too keep balance in the House of Ezofuji.  The Hero, the Kind Heart and the Mad Genius.

Raijin could remember that story.  When his father used to tell it to him before bed.  There are many things the Ezofuji family hands down from generation, to generation.  But the two most important were the Ezofuji Genius, and the Ezofuji Madness.  The House of Ezofuji had its fairshare of geniuses.  Great leaders and revolutionaries who would forever be remembered as the greatest in all history.  But there were the darker ones.  The bad leaders, the killers and the dictators.  The mad ones.  But every so often, would be born an Ezofuji with both Madness, and Genius.  That Ezofuji would be virtually unstoppable against his own kin.  The mad would follow him, and the intelligent would be matched by him.  It would be stalemate.

Which is why triplets were born apparently.  Susano'o was born, the Mad Genius, the first of his kind in centuries.  His siblings, Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu were the only things that could stop him.  Their legendary battles were said to have toppled mountains and had entire maps redrawn.  They were powerful...there was no denying.  Their current incarnations and look a likes were mere shadows compared to the original three.  Raijin got shivers just thinking about it.  If Kagutsuchi hadn't been turned...would he be the next mad genius?

But alas, the brief few seconds of flashbacks and flashbacks within those flashbacks were not to last.  Behind him and his siblings appeared their prior lives and incarnations.  Behind Raijin stood Raiden, Kagutsuchi and Susano'o.  With Raiden having lived a century and a half, it made sense though.  There was no need for his reincarnate until now, and of course this held up the other lines too, even though it had been two and a half centuries since the original three walked the Earth.  Behind Izanami stood several red haired women.  Hitanami, then Kaon and Hisaki hand in hand, the twin daughters of Amaterasu, and finally Amaterasu prior to all of them.  And finally, Izanagi's line.  Before him stood Katsuro, their great-grandfather, and Kaji before him, and finally Tsukuyomi.

Why was Raijin being shown all of this though?  And why was that child still crying--it cut out before, but now it had returned.  Annoying as it was...Raijin wanted to help but.  Another flash of something.  Raijin couldn't make out what it was.  Then it happened again.  And again, and again and again.  Flash!  Raijin's eyes opened as the child gave one final scream, and woman called his name in desperation.  "No more," he whispered, "I need see no more."  No one could hear him, Raijin was pretty sure, he had whispered it only to himself.  With a deep breath, and one final prayer, he stepped away from the sword and back to Yurusu.  Understanding a little more now.

The rest of the time in the shrine was a blur, as was the walk back.  All Raijin knew was that it was almost sunset.  Bah, time flew when he was being pious.  With a smirk, Raijin finally regained awareness when he reached the palace.  Enya walked them to their rooms, and with a polite bow said, "Thank you for helping make today a success.  You have been so kind to my tribe.  I'm not sure how we can repay you."  What kindness from the Mistress of the Sands.  She was usually a harsh and quiet person.  But no matter, it was a long day and she was probably tired, as all three of them were.  "You may rest up," she said, "Dinner shall be brought to you.  I will be retiring to my chambers...as should you."  And that's where she left them.  At the top of a tower right outside their rooms.

Raijin, with a sigh, walked back in and towards his bed.  He threw himself down, kicked off his boots, and threw off his robe.  And standing there half naked, he reached beneath his pillow and pulled out the small wooden box from before.  Looking at it long and hard, he opened it, and removed the tanto, placing the sheathed knife gently on the bed as if it was a delicate flower.  Then he removed the scroll with built in ink pot and brush.  And opened it, reading it in his head.


That's all it read.  Nothing more, just the simple basics and a few heartfelt words.  With a sigh, Raijin pulled the brush and dipped it into the ink.  "P.S. -".  Come on, write it.  That's all Raijin could think, but he didn't have the heart.  Not now, another time, that's when he would do it.  Just like he always said.  In the end, he disappointedly put the brush back into the middle of the scroll and closed the ink well.  Rolling it back up--after ensuring the PS had dried--and placed it back in the box with the tanto, sliding the lid into place with a satisfying click.  He looked over at Yurusu, and with some bravery in his voice, handed the box to him with an outstretched arm.  "I want you to hold on to this for me," said Raijin, "Don't worry about what it is.  Just...hold on to it.  When the time is right, you will know.  And when that time comes you may open the box, and you will then know what to do with it."

With that, Raijin turned towards his bed, threw the covers on, and closed his eyes, pretending to sleep, all the while he could only imagine what his siblings and cousins were doing.  Raijin worried so about them, and yet he was the one in the worst situation no doubt.  Family was important to Raijin, even if he didn't say or show it often.  "Good luck with your new student," said Raijin with a chuckle, knowing that was probably where Yurusu would go once it got dark and the palace had gone to sleep.  Owlan wasn't the only smart planner around.

Raijin took a turn touching the sword, doubtlessly having some sort of vision on his own. Eventually, he met up with Yurusu, followed by Enya.

“Thank you for helping make today success. You have been so kind to my tribe. I'm not sure how we can repay you.” Enya said, as she walked them back to their temporary housing. How about by saving the world?” Yurusu thought, sarcastically, though he made sure not to say anything out loud. Soon enough, they arrived back at the clan house. As they walked in the door, Yurusu made his final movement: a powerful, subtle twist of his leg. Out of the sand, far behind the castle, emerged Yurusu's beloved sword. The sword flew upward, embedding itself in the wall, just outside of Yurusu and Raijin's window.

“Thank you for helping make today a success. You have been so kind to my tribe. I'm not sure how we can repay you- You may rest up, Dinner shall be brought to you. I will be retiring to my chambers...as should you.”

And the next minute, they were in their room. Raijin was soon half-naked, reading a scroll of some kind (he didn't ask what- whatever literature Raijin chose to keep strapped to himself was his business). First order of business: Weapons. He took his box of weapons, opening it, and re-equipping each individual instrument of murder with care. His spaulders came first, fitting comfortably on his shoulders, followed closely by his blade-shoes. He tied the laces, and tucked them into the sides, due to his own OCD, and re-inserted the small dagger into the heel. Finally, he re-strapped his blowpipe to himself, packing his sleep-canisters in his pocket.

[color=red]“I want you to hold on to this for me," said Raijin, handing him a small box. The scroll he had been holding was gone, presumably strapped back to his chest. “Don't worry about what it is. Just...hold on to it. When the time is right, you will know. And when that time comes you may open the box, and you will then know what to do with it....... good luck with your new student.”

Even just the word “Student” was enough to make him cringe. Still, his own desire to curl up in a ball, inside a rock somewhere was not an excuse to let the world fall into chaos. He spent the next few hours psyching himself up- he was the greatest. He was able to earthbend from hundreds of miles away, he could crush and distort metal with his bare hands and who was he kidding, he was gonna crash and burn so hard.

“No, shut up, self. I coughed up birds. I COUGHED UP FREAKIN' BIRDS. If I can cough up birds, I can teach a formerly-hostile, domineering clan-leader, right?” Yurusu thought. His thoughts continued to bounce around, and he may have drifted off for a moment, but, at around Midnight, he finally stood up, taking his sword out of the side of the building, and began to creep toward Enya's room. He bent the earth that his feet hit, softening it, to absorb sound. In this way, he moved silently and confidently down the tower.

In fact, there was only one real barrier standing in the way of his sneaking unnoticed to Enya's room: He had no idea where Enya's room was. Still, he mused, he could probably determine where Enya's room was, by the density of the guard, the density and armament of the guards being inversely proportional to his distance from Enya's room and--
All this thinking was hurting his head. He decided to get on with it, before his thought process got too complex. As it was, he had likely set a world record for most thought inside of one Earthbender's head. He scaled the wall, carefully bending the building's ceramic bearings to fit around his hands and feet, allowing him to move along the ceiling, like some sort of.... spider guy. Yeah- Yurusu the dove-spitting spider guy.


Shrugging off his strange, arthropod-related thoughts, he snuck along the ceiling, following his formula of guard armament and density. He would later recount this as a swashbuckling tale of adventure, though, In fact, he managed to get lost several times, having accidentally followed a single guard's rounds for about 15 minutes, straight.

Eventually, he reached a well adorned door, guarded by a rather burly man, clad in several layers of the strongest of armor. He supposed he could fuse the man's armor together, but attacking someone because of where they were standing wasn't his style. Instead, he flattened his palm against one of the large windows, and ever-so-gradually caused a tiny notch of clay to jut out, and slide the window about six inches open. He then willed his dove-making powers to work once more, causing three doves to appear to fly in from outside (It didn't occur to him that doves weren't exactly common in the desert). Thankfully, it didn't occur to the guard either, who followed the birds down the hall. Yurusu dropped to the floor, softening the clay under him, to dampen his fall, making sure to re-harden it, when he moved off of it.

He flattened his palm against the door, allowing his chi to explore the metallic mechanisms of the door's lock. He slowly began to turn the lock, various tumblers falling into place, until a nearly-inaudible ”Click!” signaled that the door was open, and that he would now have to undertake the most difficult portion of this journey- Persuading Enya to leave with him. He slowly pushed open the door, wary of the guard, who would return any second, and peered inside....