[Complete] Sand In Our Soil (Demiyah)

he Lady Kazekage removed her hat, looking up toward the clear sky of the Land of Lightning, pausing to simply stand and enjoy the cool, sweet air. Clipping the hat onto the back of her belt like she usually did during travel, she refused to move any further, the three jounin that she had with her stopping to stare at her. One of them even went so far as asking what was wrong. The only response they got was an irritated stare which set them all to watching the perimeter for anything unusual, finding that looking anywhere other than at the Kazekage when she was in this type of mood was better than being berated by scathing words that they all knew would be following that expression.

"Honestly, boys, you act as if I'm a demon in disguise. Can't a Lady enjoy the weather? We're in absolutely no rush to get to Kumogakure, so lighten up," she ordered lightly, a slight smirk forming on her features as the jounin watched her with stunned expressions. Being laid back like this wasn't exactly normal for the Kazekage. In the village she was always working and always on edge with people. The stress of it made her quick to snap and even quicker to throw someone out of her office when things grew to be too much. Out on the road one had no choice but to relax and enjoy the walk, right? "That doesn't mean stare at me like I'm some sort of three headed rabbit," she said absently, starting to move forward again, leaving them behind her. Once the shock wore off the jounin ran to catch up, two walking at her sides and one behind her for good measure. They were almost to the village. Demiyah had already spotted it in the distance a few miles back, though the three men with her didn't seem to realize that was where they were heading. They just walked at Demiyah's side and gave no notion of interest in anything. 'Idiots,' she said inwardly, her one good eye drifting toward the right to watch the man walking there. 'Are they really all feeling so low that they need to act almost inhuman? Is this the burden that the Third Kazekage left me with? Low morale and even lower shinobi?'

It was disconcerting, yes, but Demiyah didn't have time to worry about it. As they reached the entrance to the village and started to pull out their papers, the Kumo shinobi standing there grew wide eyed. One of them stood up and started to stutter, "Welcome to Kumogakure, L-L-Lady K-Kazekage. The Lady Raikage is expecting you," he said a little louder than he really needed to. Lifting an eyebrow, Demiyah took her forms back from the other shinobi waiting there. "Thank you. It's a pleasure to be here. Your country is lovely," she noted as she took her first ever step into the village of Kumogakure. There seemed to be a large party of curious ninja there, looking wide eyed and excited that another Kage was in their village. Demiyah paused a few yards into the village, watching them all in silence. The three jounin with her stood quietly behind her, keeping on guard in case anything happened. She was sure that there was supposed to be someone there to meet them and take them to the Raikage. Demiyah didn't have any sense of where the Raikage's building would be in the first place. She was starting to feel a little lost, watching the curious onlookers with the same measure of curiosity from herself.

emiyah spent a few minutes greeting the people with a polite smile and many handshakes. She was struck by how many people were so quick to welcome her. Her own people would have been a little more wary of another Kage passing into their village. Then again, with the way that Sunagakure had been used by Konohagakure for so long, a little distrust was to be expected. However, Demiyah felt completely at ease with these people, rather enjoying the few short minutes she got so spend with them. A smile formed on her features as she bent down to high five a little boy who'd run up to her feet. "Well aren't you darling?" she asked softly, chuckling lightly as the little boy blushed bashfully and ran back to his mother.

The Kazekage bent back up slowly just as the Raikage jumped down from one of the mountains, reprimanding her subjects. Demiyah let out another soft chuckle, shaking her head and waving her hand just slightly. "It's no problem, Lady Raikage. They're lovely people and I've enjoyed my welcome," she noted, clear approval showing in her eyes. "I'm happy to see that the village is thriving," her words were strong, her voice carrying quite well. When her jounin team shifted behind her, she turned to look at them, lifting on eyebrow. They shot to attention, looking rather fearful of what the Kazekage might do. Demiyah shook her head, "I apologize for them. They're rather humorless, aren't they?" she chided toward her jounin, though she was speaking to Mei.

Giving the same bow of her head in return, Demiyah spoke once more, having thought of her words hours beforehand, "It's good to finally meet you, Lady Raikage. My name is Demiyah Akiyama, the Yondaime Kazekage. It's a real pleasure to be in your home. Maybe next time I can greet you in mine," she noted cordially.

Walking quietly next to the Raikage, Demiyah let her gaze wander around the city, smiling at it's careful intricacies. When something caught her eye, she paused, looking rather thoughtful at a business establishment off to her right. "If I may, Lady Raikage. Could I deposit my jounin here so they may rest? I assure you they will be no trouble, and we'll have a more peaceful atmosphere to speak," she said with a smile, ignoring the incredulous looks from the team behind her. One of them stepped forward, reaching out and almost touching the Kazekage's shoulder. She turned in time, however, avoiding his hand, her red gaze darkening. "You'll be good guests, will you not?" her tone held a commanding strength and the jounin instantly straightened up, bowing in reply. "Good," Demiyah said, looking back to Mei for an answer.

appy to deposit her escorts in the Inn, Demiyah suddenly felt a little less tense. It was easier to hold a conversation when she didn't have to worry about what her jounin would do. Sometimes a slip of the tongue was enough to set them off, and then it would take force, save of killing them, to get them to stand down. A threat perceived was a threat through and through. That wasn't the impression that the Kazekage wanted to give. She was here under the pretense of peace and unity, not hostility and a tense tea time. Smiling gratefully at the Raikage, she said nothing more until they were in the safety of her residence. Stepping slowly down onto the balcony, she paused for a moment, her gaze on the village around them. Demiyah always did have an eye for the beauty of things, and this village was stunning. The air was sweet and welcoming. It didn't sting the way that the air in Sunagakure did. Cupping her hands in front of her stomach, she finally stepped further onto the balcony, drifting toward the tables of food.

Demiyah would be lying if she said that she wasn't hungry. The journey had been long and field previsions weren't always the greatest at keeping you satisfied for long. As her eyes wandered along the variety of teas, she smiled to herself, "Please, Lady Raikage. Call me Demiyah. Until the Summit starts, I've no desire to be referred to with such formal titles." Demiyah always had been less formal. She was the type of person to view the people around her as being the same. There was no difference between her and the jounin at her side except for the skills and the title she held. They were all human beings and they were all comrades. Why hold one above the other in situations like this? Picking out a mint tea, her absolute favorite tea, she swiped an ice cube or two from a bowl, dropping them both into the cup and setting it down onto the able. She picked out food from the savory side, completely avoiding the sweets. She was happy with teriyaki chicken, roasted vegetables, and what appeared to be bread baked with cheese inside. Delighted at the food choices, she settled down across from her host.

"I'd be a fool not to admit my intentions outright, Lady Raikage. I'm uneasy about this Summit, to say the very least. The intention is to speak of treaties at the end, and I'm very sure that Sunagakure's treaty with Konohagakure will be debated quite...wholeheartedly. My people call for a reformation of the treaty, as they view the only benefit of it is the trade agreements. I've had to continuously put my men out there for Konohagakure's missions over the past few years, and it's started to become less and less beneficial. I lose more men in their missions than the ones that I send them on myself. My only fear, in truth, is the Hokage refusing to hear me out and taking it as a sign of dissent and breaking off the treaty. If that happens, there's a chance of war that I wish to fully avoid as well as halted trade. Neither of these things can happen, in truth. If they do, however, I was hoping to have the backing of at least one other nation. Kirigakure is off the table simply because of their ties to Konohagakure," she started, watching the ice cubes melt into her tea before taking a small bite of the chicken that she'd taken.

Chewing thoughtfully, she looked up toward the Raikage. "However," she noted when her mouth was empty, "I do not wish to pull your country into a war and put you under duress. That would be selfish of me. I'm simply asking if Sunagakure can rely on Kumogakure for support should the worst happen. We don't need to have our war fought for us. We simply need friends in a place where there may not be many." The Kazekage, paused then, giving time for her host to react. Demiyah knew that she was asking a lot, but with tensions between Sunagakure and Konohagakure starting to show, Demiyah couldn't afford to be without help if a war suddenly broke out. In addition, she knew for a fact that a treaty between Sunagakure and Kumogakure would be extremely beneficial if Kumogakure was suddenly thrown into a war. Sunagakure was always one to help their friends, as long as they weren't forced to remain lapdogs for as long as they had.