Honoring the Past

It wasn't very often that someone other than the appointed caretaking staff would walk the halls of this palace.  But Arashi wasn't just someone.  He was a part of the history of this place, both as a former member of the Queensguard... and as their adopted Prince.  The literal last of the line, spare from such a gaudy title by happenstance and luck. He would probably forever be the lost Prince of Hoshi, but he would never have to choose between his passion as a shinobi and the responsibility of being the equivalent of a daimyo.  Speaking of, the older man was in the throne room.  The last time he had been here he watched his mother care for the aging monarch who had pulled them into her family.  No.. that wasn't right.  He had been present in the throne room when the final heir ruled... before he left.  Teniyant?  It had been so long, and worst of all, he didn't know what had happened to the person who was a relative by proxy instead of blood.

He had already visited his childhood room in the private residence wing, and even stopped by the room of his late brother, Arata.  It was solemn; he was visiting the memories of the past. The past seemed so close before and now there were more years between him and his childhood.  The trauma of his past as a Kumo ninja and the rescue and adoption by his mother Akihana.  And to top it off, now this village was old enough to have had multiple Kages.  It was strange seeing the numbers go up with full memories of the first Hogokage.  Someone else important to his life that he now had only memories to honor him with.  Maybe that was why he was in the throne room of the palace instead of the administration center of the village at the University.  Because the longer he was here, the longer he could go without having to acknowledge the passage of time.

(WC: 336)

It had been some months since he last visited this location.  A grand structure that became a tourist point had waned in popularity it looked like.  Probably for the best, he thought, as it would allow him the reverence of the palace.  His second childhood home was here, in the vast halls of the Hoshi royal family.  His fondest memories of friends, loved ones, and especially family.  That was the hardest point, the family.  He wasn't blood-related to the Royal family... nor was he blood-related to the adopted Royal shinobi.  Frankly, that was the only reason why the Royal Family of Hoshi was considered gone.  Extinct.  There would be no more from that bloodline.  Again, probably for the best.  Hoshi had grown since their passing; it had become more and more like a typical shinobi village as the older generations were passing on and the newer generations were embracing the change in lifestyle.

One day he would be taking his daughter with him, walking these halls with her while he showed her what he was like as a child, and where he grew up.  His actual family's home was more of a far distant memory at this point, even without the fact that it had long since been razed a lifetime ago in the infamous attack by Youta. The majority of his life had now been in the service to Hoshi; he was a known entity, a celebrity in his own right that after years he finally accepted.

Turning a corner, Arashi entered the royal chamber.  The actual royal chamber, instead of the one that was used as the display for the public. This one was the private hall of the royal family, where many a personal discussion was had.  But this chamber also had something he was looking for.  A massive portrait hung over the abandoned throne, showing the most recent royal family before their passing.  It had a notable addition, the inclusion of the adopted branch of the Royal family.  Akihana and Arata Akari, and himself.  A young preteen boy posed with Akihana sided by a child.  A scarf was around his neck showing his family crest and from a pocket was his own Kumo headband.  Something that the young man insisted was included for the painter to capture.  Arashi smiled as he remembered that day; he hated it.  It just didn't fit him.  The clothes were so puffy and yet stiff, he had to sit motionless for hours, and he had to stop looking over at the former princess.  For a long while his mother was convinced that Arashi would pursue the princess.  He honestly might have, which would have secured both his and her bloodline.  If it wasn't for the fact that she was a victim of a plot to frame and banish the shinobi who had come to protect the village.  

Kerowyn.  Princess of Hoshi.  Cousin to the late Queen.  This portrait was the last time they saw her alive; she had returned to the Land of Birds until the Queen fell ill and named her next in line for the throne.  When she hadn't arrived and there was no more communication, Arashi was assigned to track and escort.  It was his first truly solo mission, and his familiarity with her was an advantage.  But the ruling council, at least one of its members, had hired rogue ninjas to track her and kill her party.  When he found out Arashi was sent to find her, he changed his plan from kidnap to kill.  The young woman who was captured in front of him in a moment of time had died in his arms.  Standing behind her was the man who defended Arashi when the Council tried to come for him, Arthur Pendragon.  Probably the most foreign name he had ever heard. But he was an honorable man.  Finally, though, his eye went back to the image of Akihana, seated next to the Queen.  He gave a small smile as he looked up at her.

"Hey mom.  Been a long time.  You have a granddaughter.  I hope you would be proud. Tsuji says hi.  We both miss you dearly." he said, scrunching his hands.

"I know I say this every time, but I'm sorry for how Arata turned out.  I miss him too.  But he's become something of a cautionary tale for shinobi to keep their aspirations in check.  Not as an evil shinobi, just a misguided one.  I've been trying to keep his own memory free of hatred.  I'll probably still have to do it for years to come.  But... its important.  Its part of my ninja way."

"Hey!"

Arashi spun around as he saw a guard entering the hall.  The man looked angry until he was able to see Arashi's face, and then slowed and stop.  "Oh... Prince Arashi. Sorry, I thought you were a visitor."

"No, its fine.  I understand.  Spend more than half a year tucked away inside a home and people don't recognize me as much.  Mostly because its my teen self that is shown all over the place." he said, gesturing to the portrait.  

"Fair point.  You can stay here as long as you need to, you know..."

"I know... but I have other obligations to do.. and a wife that deserves as many breaks as I can provide her." he said, turning and walking back out of the private room.  He raised a hand behind him in a gesture of goodbye as he stepped back into the public section of the palace and then towards the doors, ignoring the looks of recognition that tend to follow him. Tomorrow he should visit the grave of Princess Tey.  The last true ruler of Hoshi. Give her greetings as well.  

As soon as he crossed outside he felt the bit of the bitter cold.  Even if Hoshi was normally a drier nation, it was also a northern nation.  And as the jounin started walking down the street, the cloudy skies began to release their icy payloads as one of the first snows of the season began to fall.

(WC: 1016)