Escape from the Storm [Kanna]

Jinnosuke’s return wasn’t to the welcoming party he might have expected. Having been sent out on a long-term mission, he had been out of contact with the Storm for months at least. The clan heir made his way through the city streets, ensuring that his hat put a shade of cover over his face. He had pieced together a lot of it making his way toward the palace. The family crest had been largely removed from prominent locations across, any that couldn’t be simply removed were defaced or damaged.

A rebellion had always been an outcome that Jinno expected, but there was nothing that could be done about it. Even as heir he didn’t have the power to make his father see reason. He broke away from the common paths and made his way to the ruins of the palace. It cemented his theory, but he pushed on anyway toward the throne room.

The reason for the palaces state became apparent as he walked beyond the grand entrance to see an enormous ice crystal that took up most of the room over the frozen tiles. He moved closer hoping to decipher exactly what happened when he noticed someone was approaching. The swordsman turned to the entrance to peer toward the splintered remains of the old doors that had been wrenched clear from their sturdy hinges.

Jinno’s hand drifted to his weapon, steadying the old blade as he walked forward. Right now, he wasn’t sure what could be done here, everyone he’d expect to around be suspiciously missing. Whoever remained was likely to be an enemy of the Moriyama. And while he had gone to great lengths to separate himself from the worst parts of the family, it wouldn’t change his lineage now. So he waited for whoever had noticed his intrusion to show themselves, if he had to fight his way out so be it.

The rebellion had been a dream come true. As if on an angel’s wings, Suzume swooped in from devastation and brought about a new hope. She brought them from the ashes of despair and gave them what they had been yearning for. She led them through the village, desecrating the old regime’s symbols of oppression along the way. She stormed into the castle with an army behind her and they destroyed everything the Emperor stood for. They raided his home, destroyed his family, and ended his life before he could do any more harm. They were free. The sounds of cheerful screaming filled the throne room and rang out into the streets. It was everything that they could have ever wanted. Of course, freedom was not without cost.

She sacrificed herself for the sake of everyone around the village. She used her body and every ounce of power to take down the evil that rotted away at the empire. They would be no more. Well, for the most part. The plan had gone accordingly, but the heir was nowhere to be found. Where had he gone? When would he be back? It didn’t matter. The moment she saw him would be his last. Or would it? Seemed such a shame to let all that power go to waste. She cursed him. Being a prominent figure, only second to Suzume, Anami was crowned the new Arashikage with the promise of oppression being terminated immediately. This was a true statement, but she had other plans in place.

Anami spent a ridiculous amount of time waiting for Jinnosuke to return to the castle. When she had heard of his arrival, she immediately took her place in the throne room. She knew he would come looking for answers there. As he entered the room, Anami would make her appearance from behind the frozen throne. The sculpted faces of Jinnosuke’s father and Suzume etched out amongst the ice. The throne was impossible to sit in with their image so closely frozen to it. No matter, this was dramatic enough. ”Jinnosuke Moriyama. The final threat of the Moriyama bloodline. The heir of evil. I’m surprised you even came all this way with signs of rebellion littering the streets. Didn’t you see the new symbol of freedom? Tell me, Jinnosuke, why are you here? I hope stupidity has not delivered you right to your end.” Anami would circle the sculptures, caressing the visage of Suzume’s cheek as she passed by. She was a hero.

“Final threat?” Jinno chuckled, walking through the entryway toward the Kaguya woman before him. “You obviously have no idea how busy my father has been.” He visibly relaxed, but his hand didn’t move from his katana. “I came to see what was left.” He had hoped to find friends, but the liklihood of that happened was getting slimmer by the second.

He continued moving forward at a steady pace, feeling the chill in the air grow more intense every step closer. “Your rebellion was costly.” He motioned to the frozen woman standing resolute before the throne. Her final moments had been desperate, that was clear, but he couldn’t sense a hint of hesitation. “What makes you think killing me will be so easy?” Anami wasn’t someone he knew exactly, the rebellion hadn’t been open with their membership, but if she was so brazenly challenging him, she must be awfully confident.

He peered to the remnants of the shinobi nearby, crystalline memories etched in ice, shimmered in the light that filtered through the dreary grey sky. He recognized most of them, the elite few who his father actually trusted with his defence, not that he had tears to spare. None of the people in this room could be considered innocent. For the moment Jinno focused on the situation at hand, and how he might get out of here. There wouldn't just be one of them, and if he was really unlucky they'd be waiting in ambush so he needed to get his bearings and keep a level head.

Hopefully no one else needed to die here.

Anami would laugh at the idea of there being more Moriyama rats scurrying around. ”Oh yes, I’m aware of how much fun your father had, but where are they? As far as I know, you’re the only one that dared to come this far. Cowards and weaklings existing only in name aren’t worth the time,” she would express her opinion on the matter as she looked over her nails. Anami would look around as she gestured over the room and the destruction, ”And now you’ve seen. The remnants of an old castle and ice still filled with bitter rage. What exactly were you hoping for, Jinnosuke?” He continued to make his ward toward her, but she stood her ground. Unflinching and uncaring. He was strong, yes, but not quite strong enough to defeat her. Besides, the distant sounds of voices would bring about a smile to her face.

”It was expected. The price of freedom is hardly ever free. You seem to have a lot to learn. Suzume knew the cost, and she will forever be branded a hero. The strength and courage to sacrifice herself is admirable.” As she spoke, the voices grew louder and their footsteps could be heard turning the corner to the long corridor. As Jinnosuke asked what made her so confident that she could kill him, Anami would begin to laugh rather loudly. She would place her hands on her stomach as she let her laughter fill the room. ”Oh, you’re so funny, Jinnosuke. You think I want to kill you?” Her laughter would take its course as she wiped away a tear from her eye. ”No, I want to play a game with you. Your strength is too valuable to just let go to waste. I’m going to let you go before those footsteps reach this doorway. Go. Learn what the world has to offer someone like you. If you want your village back, you’ll need more than a one man army to take it from me. I’m sure your sister would want you to live, so she can see you again, yes?”

The footsteps grew louder and closer. The grouping was large, consisting of innocent civilians and shinobi alike. Would Jinno take her offer? Or would he take his chances with them? He would only solidify the ideals that the Moriyama clan didn’t care for the people. Jinnosuke would be labeled a monster, brutal and cruel like the rest of them. As she knew of him now from those girls, he wouldn’t want that. She was sure his little sister would want to live, at least that was the implication she was putting out there.

——-

The bandage on her face was covered in a black mask. She had just come from a more rundown part of the village, where the clansmen had been previously oppressed. It was the only place she knew to leave her. She would be safe for now. She could get by just long enough to survive. On her way back through the village, she was informed that a mysterious individual had been seen sneaking into the castle. A man in a hat. It had to be him. She had escaped being branded a traitor for now, so she could easily make her way there. She had to go. The path up to the castle was relatively empty, aside from a guard here or there. Kanna would sigh, wincing as she attempted to ignore the radiating pain on her skin.

“Well I’d agree, but it’s never a good idea to underestimate my Father. I wouldn’t trust his plans are going to end now.” Jinno shrugged, he couldn’t exactly pick out why, but he wasn’t able to consider a world where his father would be dealt with so simply. If killing him was the answer he would have made an attempt of his own. “Hard to say. Right now, I’m looking for a good exit. Your friends probably won’t be very happy to see me.”

The prince seemed confused more than anything, the fit of laughter and the vague plan seemed unhinged. Jinno knew now that there was little left here for him, but his concerns for his friends and more pleasant relatives grew. Anami had information about him.

Mention of his sister hit a nerve Jinno wasn’t really aware he had. It took more effort than he’d admit keeping himself from attacking. Little Keiko had nothing to do with this, and it was clear enough she was in danger if he stayed. “Fine. I’ll play your game.” He turned, peering toward the exit. “If you hurt Keiko, you’ll regret it. I promise you that.” He turned back and made his escape, near vanishing to slip away through to the entrance hall and out of one of the windows to take to the rooftops and avoid the crowd as best he could. No one needed to die here today.

--

Jinno was far too quick for the mob, and assuming Anami didn’t interfere in his escape he’d find his way from the castle grounds down toward the exit. Where he came across a somewhat familiar figure. “Kanna?” He barely slowed down, attempting to pick the girl out from behind her mask.

This wasn’t really the place for his old friend either, and he didn’t even consider the chance that she was part of the rebellion as he moved through. Not breaking his stride while he scooped Kanna up to heft her over his shoulder.“Sorry! No time to explain!”

At the top of the hill the mob Jinno spoke of were starting to become visible, if a little smaller as they made their rapid exit. Right now he just had to hope that anyone that did notice weren’t fast enough to stop him.

Anami would turn her gaze to the frozen statue of the emperor with an unamused look on her face. He really still believed his father had some idea up his sleeve? The man was a popsicle. He was hardly a threat to anyone now. What could he have possibly planned that involved him getting the cold shoulder? Whatever the case, the woman would roll her eyes and wait for Jinno to decide his own fate. He was looking for an exit, but would he leave without a fight? If she had learned anything from her brief interaction so far, it was that he was pretty on brand for the hero type personality. He was too soft, too kind. How did he grow up like that in a world so demanding, cruel, and oppressive? Perhaps, it was the silver spoon placed on his tongue from such a young age. Well, his Moriyama blood would betray his ideals soon enough.

That little girl had spoken so kindly of him and defended her older brother. It was no surprise when she could see the hesitation and hear the sternness of his voice when it came to her wellbeing. ”I have no interest in harming a child. I look forward to the next time we meet, young prince.” A final jab at what he had lost, but she was sure he wouldn’t think too hard about it. As he turned to leave, Anami would turn to face the ice sculptures. ”I think that went well. Anyone wanna place any bets? No?” She would listen to the sweet sounds of people yelling and racing after their new prey. Her company on the other hand seemed a bit cold to her enthusiasm.

———

If the man in the hat really was Jinnosuke, she needed to find him quickly. As she made her way toward the castle, she would stop seeing that there was something coming her way. It was incredibly fast and looked like a.. person? What was happening here? She didn’t have time to move out of the way and it seemed she didn’t have to. Kanna would be lifted from the ground as she let out a startled yelp. A familiar voice would be enough to calm her nerves.

”Jinno?” She would ask, shifting the hair out from in front of her eyes. The speed wasn’t doing her hair any favors. As she looked up, Kanna would see a large grouping of people, but it appeared as though they gave up whatever they were doing. Is that what he was running from? ”W-well, okay, but when you get the chance, I have so many questions.” For starters, where was he taking her? And why?

Jinno kept on running, though he was releived to hear Kanna's voice he couldn't wait for a second. The shinobi of this village were more than likely able to catch him if they worked together, though he hadn't considered that cooperation wasn't the Storm's strong suit. "Once we get out of the village we can talk." He had time to reassure his passenger at the very least as they moved from the palace district and out into the the capitol proper. From there it was just a matter of finding an appropriate exit, and there were many hidden escapes that the now exiled prince knew of. Despite the many problems he had with the placce, it was his home for as long as he could remember. He wouldn't leave it or his sister in the hands of someone like Anami for too long.

After making their way through a long abandoned smugglers run, Jinno moved out into the misty forests that surrounded the Storm capitol to find somewhere to take shelter. Eventually come across a fallen tree in a shaded part of the wood. He set Kanna down swiftly and took a moment to finally catch his breath. He'd put quite some distance between them and the city. Though it was almost nightfall by the time they came to a rest. "Sorry, I had to be sure no one had followed us." He took a seat on the tree and set his sword aside, only pausing to take a swig from his flask. "Are you okay? What happened back there?" He obviously meant before his intrusion into occupied city, how everything might have gone.

As Kanna watched the group grow smaller in the distance, she would let out a sigh of relief. However, Jinno’s words were very perplexing. Once they got out of the village? Was he planning on taking her with him? Where? Why? She had so many questions, but he was too focused. She knew he wouldn’t listen to her or speak to her, until he was ready. So, she would just have to sit still and hope that they got somewhere acceptable soon. As they moved along, Kanna would spend time making sure her bandage was secure and didn’t need changing. She would have to deal with that out of Jinno’s sight. It wasn’t like she wanted to do this, but she made a promise. This mask was the only thing that would keep it covered, at least for a little while.

It had been a long while of running, or riding, but the duo would eventually make it to a place that was safe enough for Kanna to be set down. As she stood on her own feet, she could feel herself stumble slightly. ”Woah, that was fun and all, but I hope next time I get some warning,” she would tease, although it probably wasn’t the best time for that. Kanna would dust off her clothes and adjust her mask. The next question that came from his mouth would have the girl avoiding his gaze. ”I’m as fine as I can be,” a vague answer, which would probably be accepted considering the circumstances.

Kanna would have ander around the tree, trying to look like she was occupied surveying the surrounding area. ”Well, uhm.. Suzume. Suzume Yuki. She came with a massive army of people. They were shouting something about the Moriyama being evil. The Emperor needed to die for the sake of the village. The Oppressed would take back their freedom. You know, normal rebellion things. Anami, she’s a Kaguya. She was working with Suzume. Apparently, she was pretty trusted. Bet Suzume feels stupid now. Told them when the least amount of resistance would be there and they swooped right in.” Kanna would explain in a rather nonchalant tone. He didn’t need every last detail. This was his home. He didn’t need to know about the destruction, the bloodshed, or the threats against his family. He could probably guess if he wanted to. ”Anami, she pawned herself off as a hero. The people believed her because of her sob story about being seen as a lesser human. She granted them their freedom. Now, she’s their leader. Less than 24 hours and she convinced them all she was their best option. Said she would use her power for good and she would strengthen the village to new heights. She’s strange.”

At the end of this story, Kanna would sit down under the tree, resting against the trunk. Her eyes would drift upward toward the canopy of leaves. ”I found your sister. I thought if I could do anything to be helpful, I could at least protect her. She’s a good kid. I made a deal with Anami.” Kanna would turn her eyes toward the ground, still avoiding any contact with Jinno. ”I sold her as a pawn. She won’t touch her, so long as she can use her to get to you. I gave her information about you, so she wouldn’t hurt her. I'm just not strong enough. I’m sorry. I betrayed you.” It was a situation she could never have won. So long as she saved the girl, she had to turn her back on her friend. She couldn’t fight, she couldn’t run, and she couldn’t talk her way out of it. Keiko was a Moriyama, as far as Anami was concerned, so she would have slaughtered her to “purify the evil”. The whole situation was out of her control. ”I hope you can forgive me.” Kanna would run her hands through the grass, hoping that Jinno wasn’t regretting his decision to trust her.

Jinno chuckled at Kanna’s teasing, brushing it aside as he normally did. “Yeah, sure. I’ll keep that in mind next time.” He frowned at Kanna’s vague response, deciding not to push further in this case. He could figure out what she was trying to hide for the moment, they needed to keep cohesion so trying to pry would just make things harder. “Alright, glad to hear it. We got of pretty light I guess.” He sighed, still trying to comprehend everything that had happened in such a short time.

Kanna’s explanation was about what he expected. Learning some of the names involved was helpful of course, and whatever deception Anami had in mind seemed mild for the most part. Jinno himself found it strange that one of the ringleaders of this coup had decided to just let him walk. “She’s dangerous, but we’ll deal with her later. It sounds like she intends on keeping up some sort of guise. The people can handle it for now.” There was really no telling just what might happen.

The confession that followed was more concerning, but Jinno didn’t seem to be upset. “You did what you could. We just have to trust Anami keeps her word.” He had plucked the family blade from its resting place to peer over it. “You have done nothing that needs my forgiveness. If anything, I should have tried to find her too. She won’t be happy I left without her.” He paused, pondering just how bad that might have gone had he stayed to fight. “We can make it up to her when this is all over.”

Having been out on mission anyway, his travelling supplies were ready to go. He slipped the rugged bedroll and tossed it over to Kanna. “Get some rest. We’ll be heading out to the Land of Rain early tomorrow. They shouldn’t follow us there.”

Kanna was more than relieved to hear that Jinno wasn’t angry with her. She wasn’t sure what she would have done if he was. There was always the option she could return home, but she didn’t want to deal with her crazy mother. It was obvious he was concerned for his people and his sister, but he was also certain they would be safe. She could only hope he was right. She didn’t want to see the despair something like that would bring him. He was her friend, after all, and she would stick by him no matter what. She would help him get back home, even if it cost her everything she had. There wasn’t anywhere else she felt like she belonged, not even her own home. So, she would stay, unless he decided he didn’t want her around anymore, which would be an issue. In any case, he didn’t seem to be driving her off currently.


”I will tell you that I set her up somewhere safe. So, even if she’s mad, she won’t have to worry about anyone bothering her in her new home. I can’t tell you where though. It’s better if less people know and I made a promise to her.” Kanna would say before a bedroll would practically fall into her lap. She would look up, finally taking a moment to look at him. ”Yeah, okay.” She would agree as she unrolled the sack and slipped into it. She would place her arms behind her head, as she lay under the tree. The darkness growing closer and the day coming to an end. ”I’ll get stronger, you know? I’ll try to be someone that can actually protect something. Next time, I won’t tell them anything. I’ll be someone you can rely on. Is that okay?” Kanna would ask, rolling onto her side and closing her eyes. Even if he didn’t see it as necessary, she was determined to make this promise to herself. She wouldn’t be a liability. She would do her best to be strong.