[Chikamatsu Kiyoshi]

     Unit 294. Porcelain clinked as Kiyoshi set his teacup down onto the table, then ran a hand over his stubble and through his still-wet hair. Hot springs were rare in Kaze no Kuni - but not impossible to find, if one had the knowledge of where.

     Hotondo - a small town, by any metric. Quite a way south of the border with Kawa no Kuni, smack dap in the middle of the peninsula, it was 'out of the way.' While it'd once been quite important, of late it was little more than a ghost town. The surrounding lands were the closest thing the nation had to arable farmland, but because of that, it'd long been a target in wars and for raids, and was woefully underdeveloped.

     But it provided an escape from the sand, for those who wanted that. Flat land was a more 'known factor' - and it was something his ANBU had insisted upon for this meeting. Finishing up Takato's business, really - Kiyoshi would have had little interest in setting this up himself.

     But with his ideas for SABU and rehabilitation swirling through his mind, meeting 294 seemed a good start - even if he wasn't rejoining the village in 'full.' Only joining the Squad, to Kiyoshi's chagrin. But they were Takato's plans, not his.

     A lost Shippai - hardly even a Nukenin, despite his entry in the Bingo Book Kiyoshi had set open against his lap. Simply lost. It was time to return home. Gone for too long. The Kazekage sat in a simple, single room along the main street of the small town, dressed in his old Jounin attire, an outfit from before 1000 - a joke, almost. He doubted the automaton would be able to remember anything such as that.

     ANBU were posted up in the abandoned buildings outside, but the town was silent. A Jounin had been sent to retrieve the Shippai, who'd earlier been spotted nearby. It was merely a waiting game now. Kiyoshi set the documents aside and began to re-read a tome on the history of the Chikamatsu.

294 | 341 words

[294]

 

- 'Tis strange how -

"desire hath a mockery made of me"

For the Shippai, traversing the desert was no difficult task. The machine did not get hot, did not need water, and did not need to stop for rest. When it was summoned by the Lord Kazekage, the Shippai put no hesitation to obey the order given them. So, without objection, and without delay, Unit 294 followed the lead of the Jounin that had been sent after it.
    The town seemed to be largely vacant when the duo arrived--at least, Unit 294's senses alerted him of such. There was no chatter, no noise, no civilians. It was unusual, for a human town to be so void of life, but the Shippai was not going to raise complaint. The Shippai was brought into the building where the Kazekage was awaiting him, and it was only when the automaton stepped foot inside the building that something stirred within its spirit.
    An awakening, of sorts.
    Something that it had not come across in many years--something that may very well have laid dormant within its coffin for centuries.
    Though there was a moment of hesitance, the Shippai continued forward until he was brought to the room where the Kazekage resided. The Jounin travelling with him opened the door and addressed the man who had been seated at a table, sipping his tea and reading over a book. And, following suit, Unit 294 knelt to address the Village Ruler. "Lord Kazekage," he spoke softly, keeping his gaze to the floor. "You requested my presence?"

Chikamatsu Kiyoshi

SPOILER: Click to show

SAs Active:

Unflagging Endurance

Armored Bodies

Titanic Speed

Enhanced Sensory

Enhanced Reflexes

Shin of GS + Adox

[Chikamatsu Kiyoshi]

     Kiyoshi laid the book beside him. "Welcome, Unit 294," he said with a wide smile and a light bow of his head - unbeknownst to him, nearly uncannily mirroring the motions of one of his ancestors in a generational deja vu. When he raised his gaze to look at the Shippai, he could've sworn there was some form of recognition in those eyes, but Kiyoshi'd never met this automaton.

     "Yes," he said with a wave of his hand upward. "please, stand." How odd to see a living piece of history, he muttered under his breath, probably barely audible to the Shippai. If he was remembering the family tree correctly, the original Shippai's creator was his great-great-great-great-grandfather? Who'd created this one? He'd have to check the clan's records once more.

     "You've no need to kneel before me, Shippai." Kiyoshi gestured to the bodyguard who stood in the corner of the room, who didn't react. "I'd not ask any of our Shinobi to do so. Primus inter pares," he recited in a long-dead language, holdover of thousands of years ago. "first among equals."

     The Kazekage folded his hands over his lap. "I'm told my predecessor made preparations to induct you back into the fold," he said. "I'm willing to finish that process - but you'd not be a simple prisoner of the Squad, or left to collect dust. I want you to spearhead a certain... idea of mine. To serve as an example to follow."

     Kiyoshi smiled at 294. "To show that history is never relegated to the past."

294 | 255 words

[294]

 

- 'Tis Strange How -

"desire hath a mockery made of me"

Unit 294 had not expected to be welcomed by the Kazekage, though it would have typically be assumed that such warmth from one's leader would be comforting, for the Shippai it simply felt... odd. Wrong, in a way. As though he were an old friend, and not a soldier who's presence was requested by a figure of authority. There was a cognitive dissonance within the automaton--instinct told him that he was behaving improperly to dare look royalty in the eye, but yet he could not find it in him to disobey an order.
    And, so, without protest, Unit 294 rose to its feet upon the request of his Kage. Though, with the machine's heightened sense of hearing--the mere whisper under the man's breath didn't go unheard, either.
    Living history? How odd, that the Kage would view him as something of that sort. While Unit 294 recognized he was older than any living human being--that made him no more significant than a tree. Were they, too, regarded as history? As an equal? If the Kazekage did not even ask for his shinobi to kneel in respect, how did he maintain order in the hierarchy? It was unheard of. It felt wrong--as though Unit 294 were betraying every account of tradition that laid in his spirit, but it was precisely that tradition that kept him from arguing or speaking back to his Lord.
    Though, the puppet looked visibly confused. His brow furrowed, slightly.
    "You... consider me equal to you?" the Shippai asked quietly. If he was not to kneel or behave in the way that was befitting of his rank and position, then was it out of line for him to ask such a question? He hoped to understand at least that much.
    And, with that, the Shippai finally looked at the man before him properly.
    Dual-colored hair, the lower layered colors resembling the sun, and some scruff of facial hair upon the man's chin. He was fit--as would be expected of any warrior--and dressed in loose and comfortable clothing that undoubtedly aided in keeping him cool in Kaze no Kuni's brutal heat. Unlike Unit 294, who often wore his kimono loose in the front so as to provide easier access to his chest cavity--should he need it. The Kazekage had been reading, by the looks of it, though his attention was now fully fixed on the Shippai standing before him.
    The man spoke once more, explaining the process of transition that he wished to place the puppet under. Not collecting dust--really, the only selfish request that the puppet could have hoped for. Anything else, he did not mind. Whether he had to endlessly collect heads, or toil away for eternity in a field. It made no difference to the machine.
    So long as he was being put to use.
    "Pardon?" Unit 294 questioned. He would do whatever it was the Lord asked of him, but yet... he did not understand the man's vision. "I do not understand your request of me." Perhaps he didn't need to understand. Merely do as he was told--but, still, his curiosity remained.
    

SPOILER: Click to show

SAs Active:

Unflagging Endurance

Armored Bodies

Titanic Speed

Enhanced Sensory

Enhanced Reflexes

Shin of GS + Adox