A Dream of Dictators
A short story by America
I grit my teeth as screams from outside grew louder. The clash of metal and the invasive smell of smoke presented an undeniable truth: there was war and we were losing. And to make matters worse, it was right outside my window. I shifted slightly in my chair - the uncomfortable stone material and rigid shape had always annoyed me. Yet it was humble. Unlike its owner. My hands felt each other as if it was the first time. The dry skin, rough and scarred in places.
Suddenly, the doors of the Kage chamber burst open. Out of instinct, my hand reached for my late father’s saber, however, before I could pull it from the ground, the intruders prostrated themselves before me. Their black clothing and once-gleaming armor revealed their identities: the Honor Guard. The fire of the torches nearby danced as my shinobi explained our situation. The Hidden Snow had almost made it through the mountains to the northeast; it was too late for them to show up, though. The Stormbound Alliance had been sieging the Hidden Metal for almost a week now. Their squadrons had reached as far as the plaza in front of the Kage building.
I could hear the remnants of the latest attempted surge being executed by the Honor Guard. The fighting had only recently ceased within the past fifteen minutes; buildings were still ablaze and blood was still fresh.
"Tell your men to shut them up." I paused and looked around the room. "They are disrupting the nearby citizenry." I strolled over towards the window, hands behind my back. My situation was desperate. The Hidden Shock had broken our treaties and formed the Stormbound Alliance with the Hidden Thunder. The Hidden Snow had mobilized within days of war being declared. Even if we did miraculously win this war, I would lose most of my support here, and elsewhere in the world.
I returned to my seat and tried to find comfort in such dismal furniture. Any found would not last long; what sounded like war cries rang throughout the village once again. The captain and his entourage said their formalities and presumably rushed back to battle. Unfortunately, he left the door opened. I sighed and rose to my feet. Thunder struck, and rain began to pour. The Kage must be coming. I knew I couldn't fight even one of the Kage; combat was not my forte.
Slowly, the large wooden doors creaked to a close. I spun around on my foot, only to find someone occupying my chair. Immediately I reached to my side for my saber, but it of course remained firmly planted next to my chair. Before I realized it, the intruder was gone. I'm going insane. My return to the seat was cautious; no risks were to be made. After a minute or two of staring down the chair, I finally decided to sit down again. Something wasn't quite right. Then again, nothing was going quite right.
I felt them coming. The fighting had long been over - or at least it had sounded that way. A surrender must have been negotiated. Two, no, three presences on the battlefield had changed the outcome so dramatically. I do not know how Kuro Nakai had managed to force a day long march through the mountains in just fourteen hours, but I could now certainly feel his essence. This is it. All moments in my life had lead to this and I had not planned a day for it. I simply sat in my chair, right hand on the pommel of my saber. My eyes were fixated on the doors. I could their individual chakras moving forward.
We approached the door unopposed - the guards in the hallway had laid down their weapons on commands of their captain. None of our own shinobi followed us into the Kage building, however, I knew whatever Fulvius may have planned would not be enough. I glanced towards the Yukikage and then towards the Shogekihakage. They both had looks of approval on their face. A few hand signs later and a rush of water blew the doors open. We advanced shortly after, our eyes searching for any hostiles. I looked up towards the Kage's chair. There he sat, seemingly paralyzed. He was not moving, and he probably wouldn't.
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It was strange, but at least we knew; the war was over. The village had been mostly destroyed, there were no resources available to those Hidden Metal shinobi who did still want to fight. And here sat their leader; their "Lord of Metal," silent and still. He knew it was over as well.
Suddenly, I bursted into life yet again. I sat up in my bed, sweating profusely. I looked around; everything was normal. There was no fire outside, no blood staining the streets. It was silent, as well. Silent enough to allow a nightmare like that to go uninterrupted. I laid back down and rested my head on the pillow. Soon another dawn will be upon the Hidden Metal. And life will continue as normal.