Reborn in the Mist

Mei tightened her vambraces with excessive force, yanking her tensed arm down slightly as she grumbled under her breath. She sat on a stool, fully dressed in battle ready garb with chakra cycling through her pathways both to keep calm and to stand ready.

She’d heard the news hours ago and only in passing. The Kaguya and Yuki servants that worked at Yagura's mansion couldn’t keep their excitement contained as they chattered and gossipped about their Mizukage’s new decree— a radical shift wrapped in the pursuit for equality.

He doesn’t understand. Mei lamented inwardly. She waited for him, an idiotic thing to do in hindsight but one she continued to do. He’d come back home to her. Just last night they were entangled in each other's admittedly drunken embrace but it was warm, warmer than either of them had felt in a long time.

He’ll be back tonight. She thought, staring out the open main door at the fading dusk. It was understandable he’d be late, he’d just sent the entire village into a pseudo civil war…one that with a vexing enough motivation might just spark a full on civil division in the village.

And all in the name of equal justice. Mei sighed, shaking her head in her palms. “What are you thinking, Yagura?”

She stared between her feet, her shinobi sandals were of the best quality available and just as ready for battle as she was. The thought of battle sent her heart racing slightly, she didn’t have a clan but she had many caste clan friends, friends much weaker than the Funato, Hozuki and other Main clan delinquents now given free reign to slaughter as they pleased.

“I should be out there.” She muttered, knees tensing to stand.

“No, stay.”

Mei looked up with a gasp, in the doorway she watched all evening was Yagura, looking as tired and beat up as she expected. He smiled weakly at her, his purple eyes glittering with affection she could only return with anger.

“What did you do!” Mei yelled, shooting up as he shut the door behind him. “You signed their death warrants, all of them and you—!”

“Mei.” He said firmly, snatching her hands in his. He clumped them together, wrapping his fingers over hers in a ball. “It’s not as bad as you think, Lady Suikazan is coordinating and the caste clan really isn’t the one that needs your concern.”

His Kage hat hung at his back, his haori folded and placed across his shoulders like a towel. Mei pulled away, shaking her head still. “If they worked together then—”

Yagura cut her off. “They won’t! The caste clans need not be afraid of serving their own cold justice. There is little love between the Main Clans and that fear of their cooperation is an illusion of strength that only becomes real with my permission.”

Mei chuckled. “With your permission? Yagura, have you thought about what happens if they really don’t like what you’ve done? If they decide letting you share power and justice so equally isn’t what they signed up for then—”

“Then perhaps they’ll raise a pocket Mizukage to challenge me, I know this fear, Mei.” Yagura said, his voice never shaking as his eyes hardened. “But I am the strongest shinobi in this village. Not even the Swordsmen combined force can put me down and they…they’re loyal to their Mizukage.”

“Is Kisame? Fuguki? I know he hated your guts not too long ago.” Mei bit back, desperate to show him the many holes in his intentions.

Yagura sighed, his shoulders heaving as he climbed up the stairs with his head hung low. “Kisame is weak. And even if he wasn’t, Junko is loyal, she wouldn’t risk losing her side next to me, however little it is.”

“Her nephew died on a mission you commanded!” Mei’s voice bounced off the walls like a vengeance, halting Yagura in his tracks. She bit her lip, regretting bringing up Junichi instantly. “I…Yagura, the clans will take any opportunity to sow permanent—”

“And I said I’m strong enough to put a stop to anyone that dares.” He didn’t look back at her as he walked up to his room…their room— Maybe not anymore.

Mei stared intently at the stairs, torn between chasing after him and bolting out the door to make sure those she cared about in the caste clans weren’t being gutted with each second she wasted.

“Yagura…”

***

Mei could scarcely see where she placed her foot as she sprinted through the mist. It was nearly at its thickest, with only about two or three feet of visible space ahead of her. She recognized this manoeuvre well, she’d executed it in tandem with other ANBU forces at the Sandaime Mizukage’s orders.

They were never enlightened to the purpose of the exercise, to be ANBU one must simply obey after all and they did. Mei always shuddered to think what they weren’t privy to, what they were concealing for the Mizukage.

It doesn’t feel like that now.

There was a potent silence to the Caste district, her footsteps echoing loudly against its empty streets and alleys, all hidden in a thick soup of vague white. That wasn’t odd, the purpose of a mist this thick would be to suppress movement, clear the streets through mastered [Silent Killing] but in this case…relocation.

While her heart was still pounding, the first place Mei bolted away to was home, to see and if necessary, defend her grandaunt. But that wasn’t needed at all.

Around three dozen people were stuffed into her inherited duplex alongside her dango-making grand aunt. Most of them were strangers, people with entirely confused and exhausted expressions mixed in with a healthy dose of fear.

But there were some neighbours, kiosk and small business owners who worried about their exposed wares and parents that feared for the children they’d been separated from— a fear Mei only had assuaged when her grand aunt confirmed she was well.

Everyone, neighbours and strangers all said the same thing, ANBU cleared the streets of all civilians with brutal efficiency for their mission— civilian safety.

That at least confirmed what Yagura was trying to say, what she’d been too angry to trust. The common folk were safe, scattered and forcibly contained but untouched by the Arrogance Purge.

The district's silence only contrasted the rumble of Yagura’s radical revolution. Once her heart stopped beating in her ears, it was easy to hear the roar of upheaval not far from the Caste district but strictly separate from it. Mei went after it.

Even if Mei weren’t adept at moving through the mist, the sound booming from her target alone would guide her. The streets she wound down led her past a number of familiar caste clan humble compounds, including the Poison Mist who all seemed unbothered and unaffected by the Purge— their guards seemed to start a trend of mist defiance, they patrolled the humble length of their territory with bright flaming torches in hand.

Mei zoomed past them into a greater luminescence of light defying the mist. The Suikazan clan compound was the only one that truly added prestige to their reputation, it was large, spacious, it had a modestly equipped training ground and was spotted with a neighbourhood of houses for its kin.

There were shinobi perched on all its rooftops, their varying shapes and sizes illuminated by the giant bonfire. The Lady Suikazan’s voice carried throughout, echoing outward from the base. Mei pushed through to the crowded gates, some faces recognized and called her name others simply made a path, smiling contently to themselves and expectantly at Mei.

“...and we’ll say to our children and they to their children, that unity was what won us the day.” Lady Suikazan’s voice boomed, she turned around, her mane of orange flowing behind her as she beckoned at the clusters of caste clan shinobi peering down from the rooftops.

She herself was surrounded by a select few Suikazan, but Fuguki’s absence was decidedly loud. Lord Kozui stood by her, his face a reluctant facade of faith in her words, he too was flanked by his clansmen. It surprised Mei that he hadn’t already taken the war to the Hozuki clan, this was a clean opportunity to prove which clan Hiden was stronger, who deserved to be a Main clan and all that other nonsense that drove the deaths of scores long before Mei was born.

Lady Suikazan’s smile brightened at the sight of Mei and Lord Kozui’s facade seemed believable as he acknowledged her, already Mei could tell what they might ask of her. They were the next words on Lady Suikazan’s red lips.

“What are you doing?” Mei spoke first. “What are you organizing?”

Lady Suikazan’s eyes flickered at the shinobi watching. She was a giant of a woman much like her Legendary scion, but she couldn’t physically intimidate Mei even as she tried to, looming over and whispering—

“What the Lord Fourth intends us to do; prepare for war, bargain for peace.” She said and leaned away to address her audience with wide, declaring arms. “Mei Terumi! Once Kage Candidate for this great village and loyal ally to our cause, she stands amongst us today, comrade in arms…”

Mei gulped but steeled her features, now wasn’t the time to clarify what that would entail, whether she’d be the reason for an emboldened army of caste folk sparking a full on civil war, whether they’d champion her as Yagura said— a pocket Mizukage. It all seemed to be leaning that way, especially with Fuguki’s absence, the spiky haired man paid all allegiance to the fractured organization that was the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist and right now, they had no business in this conflict.

While Mei’s mind ran a mile per minute, the Lady Suikazan flashed her a grin and continued with a booming voice. “...and in dialogue! Her voice, her strength, it speaks on ours as a whole. I will remind us again, this will be our once in a generation chance to change how things work in this village, how we work. Starting with violence, no matter how tempting, fair and justified it may be, will only weaken the promise for the future Lord Yagura has given us.”

Mei’s eyes widened at the Lady Suikazan, rather than besmirch Yagura or champion the wanton, preemptive violence she was doing the complete opposite or rather…exactly what Yagura intended. Mei wore a guilty smile as she began to relax among the gathered hundreds— she wouldn’t be a pocket Mizukage after all and Yagura might have had the right idea.

“Now, everyone who still feels otherwise should speak now before we move. All complaints have been laid and taken alongside fair demands and compensation for all Caste clan kin, even those yet to be born, those who stand in defence of our homes, in neutrality and loyalty to the Mizukage and yes, even those absent from us tonight.” The large lady said, the murmurs of the crowd quickly sending the name ‘Poison Mist’ circulating.

She let them chew and spit their thoughts, waiting patiently for any objectors and when the murmurs returned to silence she spoke again. “Very well, we are unanimous then.” She said with a bright, satisfied smile. She met Mei’s gaze then beckoned her over to where she and Lord Kozui stood.

The reserved man eyed her as he took a breath and presented a scroll. It was stamped with a new emblem, a clan design Mei didn’t recognize but held familiar elements all the same. He cleared his throat. “Before the Poison Mist was…embarrased, we had made this emblem of our alliance together. This represents us, the Caste and subdued. It has our demands to all the Main clans.”

Mei eyed the two clan heads, their faces were masks of confidence but like with Yagura, she wasn’t sure. Even reading off the first item on the long list shattered what little hope she’d begun to cultivate. “Complete independence and emancipation of all caste kin? All?”

Lady Suikazan set her jaw. “This is our one chance, Mei. If we hold back on what we deserve now, who’s to say we’ll ever have it?”

“But this means—”

“Yes, setting all debts and thrall service contracts to the Main Clans aflame, it means starting afresh, on equal footing with no one for them to abuse in the corners of corridors and in the shadows of master bedrooms.” Lord Kozui, for all his stoic and nonchalance actually managed to sound like he believed this would work. His steel eyes met hers, “This is our chance to have it all back, Mei.”

“And if they say no? To all of it? If they refuse to negotiate?”

Lord Kozui and Lady Suikazan shared a bitter look, one that needed no interpretation. Mei nodded solemnly, clutching the scroll in hand— if dialogue didn’t work then…

“Right. This is our once in a generation chance.”