Alchem Syaoran; Volume II

Another day at the office for Syaoran

Chapter 21: The Tsuchikage Canidate

Following the aftermath of Madara, Hikari had been put into a coma and lay in the hospital of Iwagakure no Sato. Though she was Syaoran's ex-girlfriend, he still spent many hours in that room waiting for her to wake up. He also trained, but had trouble focusing his mind. The confusion that was left in Madara's wake had been terrible. Syaoran had finally decided that whatever Hikado's past had held, that Syaoran would not let it stain his memory of the man. He had fought with his heart to free Syaoran's home, and for that he was in his debt.

A week after Madara had laid waste to the village, the new Council of Iwagakure no Sato had been formed. From these senior members of the once strong resistance, an order was formed. A new Tsuchikage canidate was to be found and brought back to the village. Syaoran was given the mission to command his own team, taking them into the Eastern Oceans to find the man. Gathering Kia and Nevan together, Team Syaoran headed out towards the Eastern Oceans via Syaoran's airship. The flight took a few days, in which Kia and Nevan had fought. It seemed Nevan was unable to love her back as much as she tried.

Once in the village the team started their investigation. All they had was the name of the village and a picture, whether the man was still there or not was not guaranteed. After the first day Syaoran and his team had found no leads. The next morning, Syaoran had gotten up earlier. He had wanted to travel to a northern island to investigate a myth he had dug up on his own time. Leaving the mission to Kia and Nevan, he traveled in his ship North.

Chapter 22: Thawing Steel

The island was cold and covered in snow. Covering his body up, Syaoran stepped foot on the abandoned island, walking the streets towards a mansion that towered the rest of the city. It was his luck, Syaoran had found, that the city had been turned a short while ago into a tourist attraction by the Water Country Expeditions company. Though either they did not do tours at this time of year, or they went out of business, because there had been no boats at the new docks, and not a soul on the island aside himself. Finding the mansion entrance finally, Syaoran hopped the tall fence and found is way inside.

Entering through the second floor window that had been broken previously, Syaoran searched the house for what he wanted to find. A legendary katana that was owned by the family of this house, royalty as they were. The 'Aisuhime', or Ice Princess, was a legendary katana told in many children's stories and myths. It supposedly brought about the downfall of this small island kingdom itself, and was lost during the final civil war that ended the civilization.

After hours of searching the entire house, Syaoran could find nothing. He was ready to give up when he came across a secret entrance under the main staircase of the house. Excited by this new find, Syaoran followed the staircase down into a hidden passageway that lead away from the mansion itself. Following it, Syaoran eventually came to a magically lit house, found in the bottom of a great chasm, the giant walls on either side of the house and pathway leading too it, stretched up above them, almost meeting at the top. Oddly enough, the temperature within the chasm was much warmer than the rest of the island.

Pushing inside the house, Syaoran found a large open dojo inside, and on the far wall was a set of samurai armor, holding a sheathed light blue blade. His heart raced, Syaoran had found the sword, but as soon as he approached it the armor moved and came to life, unsheathing the sword and attacking. Instantly, the air turned colder, and Syaoran was glad he had not taken his jacket off. Fighting back against the armor, which seemed to be controlled by the sword itself, Syaoran was able to push it back, time and time again. After a long fight, Syaoran had cornered and defeated the armor, and Aisuhime had excepted him. With a flash of white the entire dojo turned to a thin, snowing forest. All around him was pure white snow, and through the trees appeared a glowing white woman. After a brief discussion of his desires, Aisuhime's essence fused with that of Shiroiho, the katana of his family, Alchem. The blade changed form and the two became one.

Afterwards, Syaoran headed back to the island where Kia and Nevan were...

Chapter 23: Frostbite

When Syaoran returned, he found that Kia and Nevan were no where to be found, and that the room Kia had been staying in had been trashed. Fearing the worse Syaoran ran out, looking for the two of them. After a long series of clues, Syaoran was able to catch up with Kia, who had been tracking down the canidate. Catching up with her at a small cave at the edge of the island, rain started to pour. Seeking shelter the two of them found a cave to hide in. Once inside the cave though, they hear noises at the end of it. Following the noise they found a man trying to dig a hole in the back of a cave. Approaching him, they soon found he was the one they were searching for.

While waiting for the storm to pass in the cave, Syaoran and Kia had some alone time to talk. After sharing their feelings Syaoran confessed how worried he had been. Eventually he confessed his love for her, and she for him. The moment would have been more endearing, had the Tsuchikage candidate not interrupted it.

Chapter 24: The Hourglass of Wind

After coming back from the search for the candidate Syaoran and Kia were able to get some time alone, but not much. Within the next few days Syaoran had to get moving, the resistance needed to recruit before the NCIA got to aggressive, hindering movement more so than it always was. The first target was Sunagakure no Sato and the Country of Wind. Having met up with Uchiha Shinaki, and Kia insisting to travel with Syaoran, the three of them headed out. It was not long before they arrived at the village, and after infiltrating the walls they were soon met by a trap laid by the NCIA, aware of their presence. Syaoran, unable to avoid the trap because of his kind nature, took off with Kia to the outstretches of the village, far into the desert. This would be the last time Syaoran would see Shinaki, the Uchiha would disappear into the crowds of Sunagakure no Sato never to be heard from again.

In the desert, the plan was launched against Syaoran, two leaders of the Sunagakure no Sato NCIA forces attacked the man, and a third attacked Kia. With the help of his summon, Makera, and his newly developed attack Secret Steel Type; Crash Down of the Tempered Colossus (Hagaton Hijutsu; Seiren Yajuu no Kouhyou) Syaoran was able to defeat the duo. In the last moments, after his supporting officer had sacrificed her life to save him, the commanding officer of the NCIA tried to bluff Syaoran out of killing him. Syaoran's katana found its way through his chest midway through his sentence.

Returning to the village with Kia with the help of Flying Thunder God, Syaoran was able to rest for a moment before returning to his search for the resistance. Or he would have, had they not come to him. Syaoran met up with two Genin and a Jounin, Kouta. Upon hearing their story, Syaoran, Kouta and Kia went off to help the Sunagakure no Sato resistance, which was being raided by the NCIA. Upon reaching the underground caverns they tracked down a group that was about to be wiped out by the NCIA. Within this group was Nakamura Natalie, a Chuunin within the resistance originally from Konohagakure no Sato. They group engaged in battle and soon the last of the NCIA escaped, one of them dying.

The small group, trying to save as many lives as possible, pushed on to try and find more resistance members fighting. Against the wishes of Syaoran, Kouta insisted they continue on, and within the process they ran into the group of NCIA led by the girl whom they had let escape earlier. After an intense fight in which Syaoran's group began to loose, and a new resistance member came into the fight by the name of Hyuuga Yakato, Syaoran decided that if he did not take measures to save the team they would soon loose, and he would not have enough power to do anything. Syaoran created a large wall in between the NCIA and the resistance group, leaving himself and Kia on the far side.

Syaoran with Kia's body in his arms.

Had Syaoran been more powerful or if Kia had not been so close to the enemy he may have been able to save her. Had he been faster, had just a small bit of chakra left, or any other circumstance were within his grasp other than the ones at that time, he may have been able to stop the fatal blow that would be struck by the very girl whom Kia had let run free earlier. Arriving a second to late Syaoran grabbed Kia, teleporting out of the cavern and back into the shop, Kia's dying form in his arms. Within that small tailoring shack in the streets of Sunagakure no Sato Onkyou Kia died in Syaoran's arms.

Once the rest had met back in the tailoring shop, Syaoran would teleport them out of the country to safety, the lives that had been saved and the one that he had lost weighing heavily on him.

Chapter 25: Return to the Coffin

Back in the Country of Earth, following a funeral ceremony for Kia, Syaoran was invited to be part of the Iwagakure no Sato council. Though he was still mourning, he had to go on with his duties, the first of which was a request from a man that claimed to be the leader of the Suna resistance. Upon the request of this man Syaoran assembled a team to head back to Soma, in the Country of Wind, and help the revolution that had started in response to the destruction of the resistance. Choosing to take Kouta, Yakato and Hikari, whom had woken from her coma, Syaoran and his team headed out.

Arriving at Soma, they were confronted with a raging town. The citizens were up in arms trying to overthrow the goverment.

The team plunged through the fighting, not engaging anyone outside of the central palace where the daiymo of the city lay protected. It did not take much for the team of four to sail over the wall and punch a hole into the side of the building, coming across the man who hired them as they did. The team snuck inside, disguised as NCIA agents in hopes of getting further without notice due to the confusion of the riots. They were able to make it through much of the building before being lured into a trap in which they thought they had the daiymo cornered. Instead they were forced to fight a team of four like themselves. Unlikely though, team Syaoran showed their talent, and within seconds the entire other team was dispatched. Hikari had used a genjutsu to confuse the enemies while the other three had moved in. Hiding his abilities to make him look like the weak link in the fight, Syaoran burst out at full power, instantly killing the leader of the cell and scattering the others. With all of them killed, but no leads as to where the daiymo really was, the team headed off again deeper into the area.

It was not long before they found an armored hideout below the palace itself where the daiymo and a small armada of guards were holed out. The team punched through, taking out as many as they could as the man who hired them moved in. In short, all the guards were taken care off and the daiymo was killed by the hands of the man whom hired them. As they were ready to leave what could only be presumed to be the head of the NCIA in Suna by her uniform walked in with an accomplice, saw that they were late to save the daimyo, made a comment about burgers and disappeared.

The team headed back to Iwagakure no Sato, mission accomplished.

Chapter 26: Surfing in the North

It was not long before Syaoran was given another mission, this time for a team of two. Taking Hyuuga Yatako with him this time, they two headed to the Northern Sea, a stretch of water and islands that spreads from the shores of the Country of Earth to the steeps cliffs of the Country of Lighting. Their mission was to locate an island facility operated by the NCIA and confirm the existence of a clan that was being researched there. The two traveled by way of Syaoran's ship, keeping to the water. It was not long until they found a small inhabited island and decided to take a look around. They duo met an elder man, and were invited to his house for dinner. Happily obliging, they took him up on the offer and went inside, only to for Syaoran to be poisoned and Yatako to be taken prisoner. Syaoran, using his Alchemic Metabolism to stop the beating of his own heart, faked his death due to the poison which had no effect on him. He was taken to the NCIA facility and placed in a morgue/ holding area that was used for medical reasons and as a storage while they checked a body for bounty costs.

Syaoran broke free of his room, and easily found Yatako as well. The two broke free, and after inspecting the facility decided there was nothing of interest left there. The information they had been following must have been to late, the NCIA had moved their research. Heading to the basement the two used a series of Earth jutsu to destroy the foundation of the entire complex, causing it to cave in on itself. The two then headed back to Iwagakure no Sato to report their findings.

Chapter 27: Invasion of Fang & The Exploding Man

Upon returning, Syaoran and Yatako would be given a short time to rest, but within the day the forces of Iwagakure no Sato and the combined effort of the world would prepare to move against the Country of Fang. Syaoran himself, at the request of the Iwagakure Council, would act as a messenger between themselves and Kirigakure. Iwa would lead the assault from the north, using train and a small fleet of airships to invade the city. Syaoran himself was in charge of only a small section of the Iwa army, and was himself at the head of the air fleet. Upon arrival, they would land their ships in the market, spreading out and quickly taking the entire district, setting up a temporary headquarters in the train station where the main ground forces had made their own Trojan Horse entrance. The forces would quickly be sent out, clearing the area and setting up a border. Syaoran himself was sent to take out one of the cardinal direction headquarters of the NCIA in the city. On his own he would bring the eastern headquarters to the ground, dispatching the entire division on his own.

It would not be long though before an unknown force would start striking the resistance in the market, and Syaoran was sent to find out what it was immediately. In a hollowed area of the market Syaoran would find his enemy, Momochi Rakurai, the general of all of Fang's NCIA forces. The two would fight,and Rakurai with his incredible taijutsu abilities would come down fiercely on Syaoran. Gate after gate would open, the man giving to heed to his own safety. He was also incredibly fast, so fast that Syaoran would understand why his men had thought he was able to manipulate space. Syaoran would try and strike back, but it would soon end up being a game of defenses, Syaoran just trying to save his body from being blow into nothing. It was soon evident that the man was able to bend space and time with mere taijutsu, with the gates open he could rip through dimensions and cause devastating reactions to the surrounding area.

The battle intensified, and Syaoran knew he had to save his strength for the next opponent. This man may be the leader of the forces in Fang, but there was still the Raikage beyond him. To this end, Syaoran would take an alternate strategy than brute force. As the man opened the final Celestial Gate, the Death Gate, Syaoran knew the clock was set. He had never known anyone in this age to be able to or willing to open the Death Gate, but studies were known and the results were certain. His opponent would die, the only problem was how many would he take with him. Rakurai would punch of Syaoran with devastating force, ripping a portal into Suna from the small marketplace. If it was not for Syaoran's own ability to manipulate space and time, he would have been dead in the deserts of Suna.

The fight was becoming too dangerous for the city itself, and Syaoran knew this immediately. However, he could not simply run and hope that the man would follow. If Syaoran teleported away and left the man in the city, he may level the entire resistance force rather than follow the single opponent. Even worse, he could bend space and time, so he may just go and level the entire city of Iwagakure no Sato. Rakurai did know of the timer ticking down on his life, he would not waste this power. So Syaoran declared his intentions, and moved the fight to the Norther Sea, where Syaoran and Yatako had been only a few days before.

So the fight continued on the small island in the remote Northern Sea. It continued for the precious minutes left in Rakurai's life until it came to a final decisive blow. In the crater that was now the former island, Rakurai would give his life in a final attack to wipe Syaoran from the face of the planet. Converting all of the energy in his own body, Rakurai would become a human nuclear warhead. With a massive explosion he would take out a a giant portion of the Northern Sea in a use of nuclear fission that the world had never seen before. Syaoran, though he was tempted to stay as long as possible and observe this once in a lifetime event, was eventually overrun by self preservation and activated Flying Thunder God at the last moment, bringing himself back to the Country of Fang. The battle was over and two important facts had been learned. The Death Gate could be beaten, and a Jutsu Formula could be destroyed.

Chapter 28: Drop the Curtain on The Chosen One

The time had come, the final battle was upon Syaoran. An impromptu group of eight ninja gathered at the NCIA headquarters in the capital, some of them the brightest and best of the resistance. These eight, who would later become known as the ‘Hachinin’, consisted of Akasabure Kouta of Sunagakure no Sato, Cho Hakkai and Kinsen 'Raz' Rasen of Otogakure no Sato, Haramatsu Korin of Kusagakure no Sato, Hisame Haruyuki and Umikoi Warrusu za Shichi of Kirigakure no Sato, Hyuuga Yatako of Konohagakure no Sato and of course Syaoran himself. Syaoran, injured from exposure to the radioactive attack in his previous battle and exhausted from the fight as well, insisted on fighting the Raikage alone as to eliminate the chance of others being hurt in the battle. Though the others would resist, it would soon play out to none of their plans. Before the fight even began, as Syaoran gave the Raikage one last chance to end the conflict peacefully, the Raikage would use a lightning jutsu on Tsukishi Maomi, whom would be shot and murdered in cold blood. Maomi, Syaoran’s jounin teacher from when he had first graduated from the academy, would be the catalyst to the start of the fight.

The Hachinin would immediately be broken into groups, Syaoran going to fight the Raikage one on one as the other seven would fight his elite guard. Syaoran, weakened and tired from his battles, would barely be able to hold his own against the powerful enemy. The palace grounds were surrounded by a barrier placed by the resistance forces to contain the battle, and quickly the power of Syaoran’s jutsu would rip the tower where they fought apart, destroying the top where the Raikage stood and placing the two in heated battle. The other seven would make due work of their elite guards, using teamwork and skill to knock them out one by one as Syaoran kept the Raikage himself busy, slowly sliding closer and closer to losing.

At a peak moment, Syaoran would find an opening in the Raikage’s movement and as the opponent sent a spear at point blank towards the Alchem, he would return with his own specialty attack. The two would strike each other, Syaoran suffering a gaping hole in his chest and the Raikage losing his own hand in the process. For Syaoran, his lung had collapsed to become useless and his left arm was all but useless as the muscles had been torn apart. His respiratory system was unneeded however, thanks to his bloodline, and his bleeding had immediately stopped as well. The fight would move to a battle of summoned creatures, the gigantic boss creatures that emerged would find themselves in close combat within the palace grounds.

The Raikage would retreat back as the battle neared an end, and with the last of his power would begin to channel a massive attack. Just as he neared completing it though, Syaoran would use his ability to teleport along with a well laid trap in order to appear directly in front of the Raikage, swinging forward and stabbing the man through the chest with his devastating attack. It would work, but the built up energy for the man’s attack would still be let loose, flying through the group like a shockwave of deadly electrical energy. Syaoran would quickly use the last ounces of strength he had to encase himself in a ball of rubber, falling to the ground with devastating force and landing unconscious.

Syaoran, Alchemic Thought Activated

Chapter 29: Tsuchikage

Syaoran would not hear it himself, but as he lay unconscious after the battle, the Raikage finally defeat, a cryptic message would be delivered to all who stood.

“ On our…zero hour, five Gods will emerge…bearing a message of…peace. Five Champions will…shine their light across the world. Five…Countries will go to war. W-when the…Shadows fall, and the oceans t-turn to red…the Gods will fade with our light. A-and on that final night…we’ll venture through the darkness I-into…the Jashin’s w-waiting arms. The Dark God is coming. He loves you so much…”

Its meaning was not known by anyone there, but in time it would surely make more sense.

Waking up in a medical tent, Syaoran would find himself bandaged and cleaned. Those in the fight and his friends from before would come to visit him, and he would soon learn that the fight had been won thanks to his final act to bring the mad man to his knees in front of the resistance forces. Syaoran would soon move from the tent however to move among the Country of Earth’s forces and soon found himself among allies. It was here, in the wake of victory, that Syaoran would be approached by the remaining members of the Iwagakure no Sato council and be asked to take on the title of Tsuchikage. He at first protested, but would gladly accept after some convincing.

And thus Alchem Syaoran would become the Juusandaime (13th) Tsuchikage of Iwagakure no Sato.

Chapter 30: 'Go'

Syaoran, looking to help the fallen capital of Fang return to its feet, would seek out a task that would help the city. He would soon find that there was a mysterious silence from an important mining operation in the further reaches of the country and that it needed to be investigated. Upon arrival, Syaoran would find clues of foul play, including a dead body and a strange machine within the mine shaft. Shutting down the machine, Syaoran would be forces to flee from the cave as it collapsed. Without any concrete evidence or direction, he planned to return to the city and report his findings. On his way back, however, Syaoran would find a group of men transporting a cargo towards the mine itself. Intercepting the package, Syaoran would find out through trial and error that the package was actually explosives mean to kill whoever opened them.

In his attempts to find the origin of the package, Syaoran would come into contact with an elderly gentleman by the name of Genjo. Genjo, was more than met the eye, and it was soon revealed that he was a trained ninja in hiding. Syaoran was taken to Genjo’s acquaintance Yasui and because of Syaoran’s potential skill, was asked to participate in a battle with the man. The outcome of said battle would determine the end of the elderly men’s lives if it came out in Syaoran’s favor, due to a pack the men had made a long time ago to end themselves if their lives came to this point. Syaoran, however, proposed a compromise, in which the two men would join his village as teachers so that they could pass on their skill and knowledge to another generation. Genjo enjoyed the thought while Yasui did not.

So Syaoran and Yasui battled… in a game of Go. It took many hours, but in the end Syaoran came out on top and Yasui prepared to end his own life and Genjo’s… by force. Syaoran, seeing the danger of Yasui, removed himself and Genjo from the situation, making the decision that a man as unstable as Yasui would not make a fine teacher after all. In the end, he saved Genjo from Yasui’s rage and gained another teacher for the village.

Chapter 31: GERTs & Fornication

Syaoran, invited by Warrusu, traveled to the Country of Water to oversee the G.E.R.T. event as a special guest. The event was rather uninteresting to Syaoran, though he stayed as a courtesy to the country. It was not until the second event, a one on one tournament, that Syaoran's attention was caught. A young woman whom looked and possessed the same abilities as Kia was fighting in one of the matches, and as Syaoran caught the last of her fight she would exit the arena. Catching up to her, Syaoran confronted her about her identity. He quickly found that she had no memory of him, or of anything before a few days ago. He also noticed that this woman was a few years older than Kia, lacking any sign of scarring or damage anywhere on her body, though it would not be until later that he found that out. After a heart felt and confusing conversation, they went their separate ways for the night.

The next day, returning with two guards as he had more time to prepare, Syaoran sat to watch the fiinal event of the competition, a two on two match in which the mysterious young woman would participate. Syaoran, unable to know if this was really Kia or not, was concerned with keeping her safe and watching over her in order to try and unravel her forgotten past. As the match was about to begin though, a terrorist group attacked the village, causing Syaoran and his two guards to take action to protect Kia whom had been secretly declared a V.I.P. by the Country of Earth. Syaoran engaged in battle with three members of this organization, two of which were near matched to his own abilities. If it had not been for the quick action of his body guards, his own quick thinking and the short duration of the sortie he may have sustained more serious injuries than the lightning burn to his side. One of his body guards had sustained a deep cut to the shoulder blade. Luckily, Syaoran was able to quickly transport him back to Iwagakure no Sato for medical treatment.

Upon returning, with the terrorist group retreated, Syaoran would move to figure out the situation. He soon, however, found himself in the room of the woman named Kia. He had been called there by her with the use of a Jutsu Forumla he had given her. As expected, it did not take long for their emotions and hormones to boil over, and the two took to fornication. In the morning, Syaoran would have to leave and report back to his village, and with a very unceremonious goodbye he would leave Kia. If he knew all of what he came to know he would have probably taken a few more moments to make that goodbye more memorable.

Chapter 32: Formation of the I.A.F.; AA 2110

As Tsuchikage, Syaoran made two major efforts in his new position. The first, which was publicly known, was the formation and creation of the Iwagakure Air Federation, or more commonly referred to as the I.A.F. The purpose to the I.A.F. was to protect the borders of the Country of Earth from invasion, which had been proven by current history to be a common occurrence for the nation. The idea of a flying ship, originally prototyped by Syaoran himself and used effectively in the invasion of Fang, was one that lent itself perfectly to the Country of Earth as a means to traverse the often harsh terrain and keep an eye on the mountainous environment of the country. The first designs for the organization lent itself to a small amount of elite ninja who would keep watch on the important cities to warn of imminent attacks. The first two ports were built at the same time as the organization was created, one in the village of Iwagakure no Sato and another in the north to provide a second point in which ships could dock and refuel. Shortly after a third port was built in Metropolis as a means of protection for the city.

At the same time, a second project went on outside the borders of the Country of Earth and was kept from the public eye. Syaoran, making arrangements with the Country of Lightning’s new government, signed agreements that would instill a long lasting research and cleanup study of the nuclear explosion that was caused in the Northern Sea. Because of its potential dangers to the shoreline of the Country of Lightning and a smaller country to its south, the new goverment allowed Syaoran and his cousin Sanji to conduct research and lead a team of researchers to do a long term study of the impact zone. The researchers, who were mostly supplied from the Country of Lightning, would conduct tests along the shoreline within an extended radius of the blast. Because this was the first explosion of its kind to ever happen on the continent there was no information as to what the long term effects of it may be. The name of this agreement between the two countries, and later the name of the entire project, was dubbed the Rakurai Pact, named after the man who had caused the damage himself.

During this time Syaoran had lost contact with Kia, her bracelet being left behind as she disappeared again. He spent weeks looking for her but it seemed as if she had vanished from the face of the planet.

Chapter 33: Fallout Boy; AA 2111

As the I.A.F. grew in size and got a considerably stable start, Syaoran handed the organization over to a trusted member of the Iwagakure no Sato Council. So it was in the late Spring of the year 2111 that Syaoran appointed Loyola Nine as the Admiral of the I.A.F. From this point on Syaoran would play a back seat to the organization, giving input and feedback on ideas but not being directly responsible for decisions on its development. However, if a time of war was to come upon them Syaoran would step back in as the Fleet Admiral of the entire I.A.F. in order to conduct war time measures.

It was at the conclusion of his position at the head of the I.A.F. that Syaoran found himself studying and experimenting with ninjutsu involving the human body. Keeping these experiments private to all, he would often work late into the night writing out papers and reading past speculation on the idea. It was the finding and then again loss of Kia that had sparked his interest, because if her body was in fact created it meant that it was possible to clone a person and bring them back after death. If he could prove that this was possible then maybe when he saw her again he could prove that she was who she was. Though the logic behind his drive was not sound, and he was aware that it was not, Syaoran continued researching when he had free time regardless.

The Rakurai Pact Project had been going smoothly, or as smoothly as the investigation of a nuclear blast can go. The researchers had been piecing together what evidence they had found, and through a series of consequences they had determined that the immediate coast, about a forty mile stretch, was contaminated in a way that had left dozens of fishermen and other people dead, with many more sick and in hospitals from unknown illnesses. Syaoran and Sanji concluded that there was some type of fallout from the blast, resulting in a radiation poisoning that they had thought only possible from the initial blast. Apparently, following the explosion, water and earth particles had been tossed high into the air and radiated, in which they had fallen down onto the surrounding area and moved with the water current and wind. However, because the existence of fallout had not even been thought about until nearly a year after the detonation it was near impossible to tell the extent of the damage. The coastline, a forty mile stretch, was evacuated by the Country of Lightning and the southern country’s government, though it was explained as being a bad disease due to fish contamination. By fall of the same year the Rakurai Pact Project had officially been changed from a research team to a cleanup team. Testing and damage assessment was still being done, along with research, but the majority of the work was put towards containing the area and discovering the reach of the radiation. They were still unsure of how to clean an area that was populated with radioactive dust particles.

Chapter 34: Snow's Tension; AA 2112

It was nearing his third year as Tsuchikage when relations with the Country of Snow began to reach a problematic stage. Because of the attack and invasion of the Country of Earth over three years ago tensions had been high, and with the steady increase of power and size that the I.A.F. was gathering the northern bordering country grew more and more weary of its southern neighbor. Citizens of the Country of Earth also called for the Tsuchikage to reach some kind of treaty with the Country of Snow. However, after many talks and meetings no agreement could be made as the Country of Snow would stubbornly refuse to remove its arms near the border of Earth, and because of which Syaoran refused to re-station the I.A.F. ports that were built along the Snow border.

In addition, Syaoran continued as he could to visit and meet with each of the kages around the world. Where there were no Kages, such as in Kirigakure no Sato, Syaoran would get an update from the highest authority he could. In this way he tried to keep updates on world events and to keep his relations with each counrty.

During these tense times, Syaoran would continue work on the Rakurai Pact Project, though he would find himself distracted and would often leave it in the hands of Sanji for weeks at a time. The cleanup was slowly starting around the coastline, and by the end of the year it would be estimated at 20% complete.

Alchem Syaoran & Onkyou Kia, Ages 25 & 23

Chapter 35: Prime Minister & Tsuchi Yuki Border Agreement; AA 2113

With the political stress increasing on the Country of Earth, the citizens decided to appoint a new Prime Minister for the entire Country of Earth. Since the freedom of the Country a new Minister was never appointed as the Tsuchikage had run the entire country in a sort of martial law. And until the diplomatic problems with the Country of Snow the citizens seemed content with this type of system. Though this would displace the power Syaoran had held, it would also free him up to concentrate on certain matters that would more directly concern with the safety of the country as a whole. A systematic voting system would be set up and a young man by the name of Daniel Hollows would be elected by the end of Fall that year. He would be the first Prime Minister of the Country of Earth since before the Kumogakure no Sato Empire was formed.

During this time as the Country of Earth returned to a democratic state, reorganizing its internal structure, diplomacy continued on with the Country of Snow with Syaoran leading the delegations up until the end of Fall when Hollows would take over. During this time though Syaoran was able to manage a non aggression pact named the “Tsuchi Yuki Border Agreement of 2113”. In this treaty both countries were entitled to keep a monitored number of military forces upon their own sides, but with a demilitarized zone of five miles in either direction from the border. This helped to relieve much of the tension between the two countries and pushed the conflict back to the background of the world.

As the Rakurai Pact Project continued they would learn more of the damage the nuclear fallout had caused (this was the name they decided upon for the poisonous radioactive particles that had spread from the explosion). Though the coastline itself was manageable over a long period of time and was slowly getting cleaned, a significant portion of the radioactive material had been carried by the sea. Due to currents it had caught a significant portion on the Jai-Jio Reef off the coast of a peninsula to the North West and caused massive death of natural wildlife in the area. The Kumogakure no Sato government was charged with a task of setting up patrols around the reef and sectioning it off as it contained miles of contaminated reef that had caught and held the fallout particles. On the coastline, by the end of the year, they had claimed to be 50% complete with the cleaning process.

Chapter 36: Western Earth Invasion & Tsuchi Yuki Aggression Declaration; AA 2114

In the Spring of the year, just as the season readied to turn to Summer, there was a raid of a significant sizing from the Wild West. These dozen or so groups of traveling bandits and raiders were lead under a single control, making them much more dangerous than the normal intrusive force. As these groups of mountain bandits would terrorize the western portions of the Country of Earth, Syaoran authorized the use of the IAF to counteract the small invasion. The raiders, whose goal was to extend their control from the Wild West to the mountains on the Country of Earth’s western border, were taken by complete surprise as the sky above them was parted by the ships of the IAF. This was the first use of the IAF as a defensive strike force, and as a demonstration of power Loyola Nine gave orders to hold back no power. The bandits were destroyed by the ninja as they came from the sky, chakra powered cannons fired down on the raiders from the sky and they could do nothing but run. Many of the raiders were killed, some were captured and even fewer would be able to retreat. After the third successful interception and destruction of a raider force they all began to retreat and return to the Wild West. This conflict would be known not by the order numbers that were given, but history would name it the Western Earth Invasion. Loyola Nine would receive the majority of credit for the victory, while Syaoran and Daniel Hollows would receive some noteworthy mentions in the motion. The entire course of events lasted five days.

Relations with Yukigakure no Sato to try and find a more peaceful negotiation than the Tsuchi Yuki Border Agreement of 2113 continued into fall of the year. It was only then, after a full year of negotiations that Daniel Hollows would declare the Country of Snow unable to be reasoned with. He then declared the Tsuchi Yuki Aggression Declaration. This declaration, signed by Daniel Hollows, Alchem Syaoran and Loyola Nine, stated that any aggressive action from the Country of Snow would be seen as an act of war and would be met with the necessary force of a wartime state. The declaration was meant to show the power and resolve of the Country of Earth, but in the long run would create even more tension with the northern country. However, after the Western Earth Invasion, the Country of Snow did not make any statement towards the Country of Earth’s declaration.

In addition, Syaoran would be keeping up with the events of the world through bi monthly visits with the kages of each country. Syaoran was taking particular interest in the building problems in the Country of Rice Fields and Water, though he did not move to involve the Country of Earth in either of the problems.

The Rakurai Pact Project continued smoothly, the coastline cleaning process continuing at a slow and steady pace week after week. The research parties were more interested in the events that happened at the Jai-Jio Reef. Buoys and line were set up around the entire reef with hazardous signs to warn fishing and traveling boats to avoid the area. A few coast guard ships would watch the couple mile stretch of reef, keeping any civilian boats from entering. Researcher vessels, with proper protection from radioactive materials, would continue to watch and learn from the damaged reef, working around the clock to contain and understand the damage. By the end of 2114 the coastline cleaning process was reported at 80% completion.

Chapter 37: Rising Tensions; AA 2115

By the beginning of Summer, there was problems with the Yukigakure no Sato border. Intelligence had gathered that the country had begun to move their military forces on the border and that their numbers had increased. Though they had not entered the demilitarized zone, they had begun to build upon it for the first time in a year and a half. This caused a new set of meetings between Daniel Hollows and the totalitarian government in the Country of Snow. Syaoran was not in attendance with these meetings, but because of the intrinsic military involvement with the border problem he was constantly updated on the situation as the Country of Snow refused to stop militarized production. They were informed that continued militarization would be seen as an act of war, though Syaoran doubted the truth behind this statement even as Daniel Hollows announced it at a speech in Metropolis.

Chapter 38: Cold Blooded Assassins

A week after Hallows' speech in Metropolis, Syaoran was out getting drinks with Sanji on a rare night off when there was a sudden disturbance in the restaurant. To be more exact, two poison darts become lodges between Syaoran's fifth and sixth ribs on the left side of his chest. Of course, if he had been a normal human being, the toxin would be far more than enough to enter his respiratory system and kill him within minutes. Syaoran, possessing a body must less ordinary than most people, made a simple exclamation instead "That dumb bitch!". Sanji and Syaoran quickly apprehended the attempted assassin, finding a Yukigakure no Sato headband on their person once they were captured. Syaoran, thinking that this would not be an isolated event, immediately took himself and Sanji to the airship where Hallows was traveling to Yukigakure for negotiations. No sooner than they arrived than a small team of PAC's would swoop in, attacking the ship. Sanji and Syaoran being very unknown and unexpected elements in the attack meant the swift defeat of the second assassination attempt that night. The clues pointed once more to Yukigakure no Sato, but Syaoran maintained his doubts. The evidence was too convenient and the attacks made no sense. With no solid proof though, Syaoran and his leadership could not reveal their doubts to the public. Instead, they set up Sanji in a Metropolis hospital under the guise of Hallows to try and lure out another assassin. During this time however, Syaoran got an urgent message from Kirigakure no Sato...

Chao

Chapter 39: Paternity

Syaoran received a letter from the Country of Water in Kia's handwriting. He had not heard from her since the G.E.R.T.s five years early, she had completely fallen off of the map. The letter spoke of trouble, though she did not explain what, only that he could find her with the Kiri ninja. So, without pause, Syaoran disappeared, re-appearing in Kirigakure no Sato in the midst of a battle. Not any battle, but Kiri had apparently broken out into civil war. Syaoran searched through the city and was able to quickly locate Kia, Warrusu and Hariyuki. Though Syaoran was overjoyed to finally have found Kia once again, his feelings of joy were short lived as she told him that her daughter had been kidnapped. Despite the shattering feeling that Syaoran felt in his heart, he agreed to help the love of his life find her lost child despite it not being his own. And so, they fought alongside the Kiri ninja with that goal in mind, and for the time their goals aligned against the opposing faction that had kidnapped the child.

After much fighting, the group found their way into the depths of an ancient Kirigakure temple, built by the Shodai Mizukage as a means to protect an ancient pearl. The pearl had the power to control a tailed beast, and both factions were now racing to gain control of the pearl. Syaoran, focused on finding Kia's daughter, traveled into the depths where he was confronted by an ancient guard of courage. After a heated battle, Syaoran was able to prove his worth and receive one of three shards of the pearl. Continuing on, they met up with Hariyuki and Warrusu's groups who had also recovered shards of the pearl. However, DEATH shinobi showed up, and with Kia's daughter Lily as well. Of course, things would not be easy as the leader of the opposing faction wanted to use the young girl as a host for the demon running rampage within the temple.

As soon as Syaoran saw the young girl he could feel something very unique within her, and he knew exactly what had happened five years ago and why Kia had disappeared. With quick thinking, Syaoran was able to offer a trade that the leader of DEATH could not turn down, freeing Alchem Lily in exchange for Syaoran's own freedom. Syaoran, with a plan in mind, created a Essence Clone to take care of the two in his stead as he approached and became the demon host for the three tailed beast. Losing control of his body, Syaoran attacked everyone and everything in the room, trying to obtain the shards of the pearl that could control him. Chao, the self named Essence Clone, confronted the Sanbi Syaoran in combat and held his own until a key moment where Kia helped to distract the beast long enough for the real Syaoran to gain control of his body for a few precious seconds. In this time Chao would seal Syaoran's chakra, rendering the majority of his abilities useless. With the Sanbi in a crippled body, it was easy for the rest of the group to end the confrontation. Syaoran and Chao would both wind up unconscious, Syaoran was much more critical injuries than Chao.

Chapter 40: International Chuunin Exams

Syaoran and Kia speaking during the Internation Chuunin Exams in Metropolis.

During the International Chuunin Exams, hosted in Tsuchi no Kuni, Syaoran played host to the entire event. The exams took place in Metroplis during the Harvest Spirit Festival, a week long holiday to commemorate the end of the harvest season and to remember the dead. Syaoran had been back in Iwagakure no Sato for about a week, Kia and Lily living with him on the clan estates. The exams went smoothly enough, most kage were present and a large selection from each nation had come to compete. The events went off without a problem until the last day. In the middle of Metropolis during the closing festivities, a number of yokai appeared out of the sky and started to attack. Drawn to the large pool of chakra due to all the contestants and high level ninja, the beasts attempted to attack anything that moved. During the attack, Syaoran was forced to fight the Sanbi, which had apparently not been entirely removed by Haruyuki. In a moment of weakness the tailed beast took over the Alchem's body and threatened to use his abilities to level villages while Yatako, Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato, tried to talk him down. In the confusion of the fight, the Sanbi managed to kill Chao, Syaoran's essence clone, which he had refused to allow to die until this point. As the battle came to a close, Sanbi Syaoran left the country and headed towards Kusagakure no Sato based on an intuition that the demon had.

Chapter 41: The Fall of Kusagakure no Sato

Once in Kusagakure no Sato and away from the yokai chakra in Metropolis, Syaoran was able to wrestle control of his body back. It appeared that being nearby similiar chakra had made it easier for the beast to take control. Now back in control of his body, the Alchem took the time to take in ground zero for this global event. The village of Kusagakure no Sato was barren, no structural damage had been done but everything withing give kilometers of the village had been killed. Plant life and everything simply was dead, no bodies remained as if everyone had simply left without warning. Spending his time from the night until the morning, Syaoran would think on this devistation and investigate. He was able to draw few conclusions, but the thing that his mind kept coming back to was that this seemed oddly similiar to the workings of Alchemy. It was nothing he had seen before, but the way it had permiated from the village had many telltale signs. However, without more information, even the Alchem was unable to tell if this was a man made disaster or a natural one. In addition, Syaoran was able to confirm that Korin had fallen in the village, most likely in its defense. She would be the first of the Hachinin to die, over eight years since they had stood together to fight the former Raikage. It was a sobering though, realizing that the eight who were suppose to usher in a new peace could be removed so easily. Within time, other ninja would arrive in the village as well, including Yatako, Ken'ichi and Sakuya. Realizing as long as the Sanbi was within him Syaoran would not be able to reliably lead his people, he announced his removal of authority as Tsuchikage to the two Iwagakure Jounin who immediately departed to report this news to the village.

Almost immediately afterwards another ground with Raz, Haruyuki and a number of other ninja would show up. Syaoran was worried about Raz's reaction to Korin, and was about to break the news to him when they were set upon by an enemy. They would have little time to catch up as the group was set upon by a gargantuan yokai and a subset of smaller spawns. The group quickly moved into combat as Syaoran took a sideline seat while unable to reliably use chakra. The Alchem would observe until in a critical moment he was forced to step in to save Raz's young team from Oto. The Tsuchikage told the group that the weakness to the bird yokai was fire, and that they had to tell the others. Surprisingly, they refused, which cost them time and caused Syaoran to need to expell more chakra than he wanted to in order to protect all four of them from a massive attack from the Gargantuan. In a final effort as the Sanbi tried to take over, Syaoran filled a building with the last yokai the team was fighting with pure oxygen. In that moment he disappeared, hoping the team of three could somehow ignite it and finish the fight.

Chapter 42: An Unexpected Arrival

Syaoran would find himself just outside of Stormhold in Rai no Kuni, just where he had meant to drop himself. Syaoran knew he had to solve his problem with the Sanbi, and the only place he knew of that had reliably kept a tailed beast in check for over a hundred years was Kumogakure no Sato. Given it was his best lead, the Alchem proceeded on foot towards the hidden village.

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