A War of Words

It was time to leave. From the Generals office to the main parking lot a black and slick SUV waiting for us. The drive was completely silent. Everyone was either looking out the window or just staring off into space. I belonged to the former group, but more because of the scenes I was looking at. At some point I began recognizing scenes from my old cop shows. The J. Edgar Hoover Building, the Washington monument, all kinds. I was too attached to my work to ever travel beyond my neighborhood so to see all these places was a treat.

Overtime we soon arrived at our destination but unexpectedly kept driving as the entrance to senate building passed us by. I decided to keep silent and pretend not to worry, but I would soon see I had nothing to worry about. The cars stopped at what appeared to be a secret entrance into the building, or I should say, the custodian entrance. No paparazzi, no flashing cameras, this was clearly a secret meeting I was going in to. Interesting. If this was secret, then the world doesn't know about the discovery of Eden Sky, but I couldn't be sure of anything at present.

The group left from the SUV and marched through the secret entrance. When we entered into the real building it was practically empty apart from a few Men in Black types stood at attention at every door and turn in the hall way, blocking anyone from possibly entering. They didn't want anyone to see this meeting or even know that I was here. But I had a feeling. Someones eyes was on me. I didn't feel anything malicious, but a sort of determination. I closed one of my eyes and used the trick of having eyes in the back of my head, though of course not literally. A door to an office was cracked slightly open and I started hearing camera shutters in the far edge of my hearing along with giggles and exclamation of how this will look incredible on the front page.

So. Their was a journalist. The connection that person must have had to get this close to me must be extensive. I thought, why not give this one a shot worthy of the front page. I stopped for a moment and let the rest of the part walk ahead of me. Facing away from the camera and turned my head to their direction, but not enough to get a good shot of my entire face. I heard a few more camera shutters but none more after. They got the perfect shot it seems.

"Is something wrong, master?" Doma questioned, stopping the rest of the group.

"Oh nothing. Just thinking to myself. You don't need to worry." I reassured and followed the group down the hall.

We eventually reached a set of doors that looked to detailed and ornate to be ignored. One of the suits standing at the sides opened the door for us and we all walked in. The chambers was pretty bare bones. Green carpet floors, one giant U-shaped table against one side of the room and one long table placed just between it. This is where the group would be seated.

The U-shaped table was filled with a t least twenty people, flipping through papers, adjusting their ties or glasses. And so the congressional hearing began with a senator in the center banging on a gavel to catch everyone's attention. A stenographer off the side brought out tools to take down every word that was about to be said.

"Order. Order, we are calling this senate hearing to order." All noise suddenly vanished as the senator continued. "I am sure we can all agree that the circumstances of this hearing are so extraordinary, that they forgo any formalities and jump right in to any questions the senatos here-present might have for the visiting dignitary, uh...Mister Muzashi Oniwa. We thank you for making the journey and coming here today."

I stayed silent and pretended that I didn't know how to answer when Lacey whispered into my ear to speak into the microphone and General Taft adjusted it accordingly. "Um. I thank you as well for allowing me to speak here today. If their is any inquiries you have I invite all here to not be afraid to ask me anything."

"Very well." the head senator responded before writing something down. "Senator Ashley, you are first to speak do you have any questions for mister Oniwa?"

"Mister Oniwa, I hope this isn't to forward or personal, but I need to ask. What is that writing on your eyes? It seems to have been imprinted directly on your eyeballs and has replaced your pupils, can you explain this for us?"

"But of course. First of all, yes. The writing on my eyes is directly imprinted on my eyes. It is called a Shinga. It is given to those who have mastered and practiced all the of the numerous martial art forms. Getting a Shinga is in itself a test. For the process is incredibly painful, similar to how one gets a tattoo. But it shows the conviction and determination of the one it is bestowed upon."

"Uh...thank you, sir." Ashley replied.

"Senator Ramirez, you have the floor."

"What was the name of your country? What is it like."

"Well that's quite a broad question. What exactly do you mean?"

"Can you describe your culture?"

"Surely. My homeland of Azura was rather small in terms of world countries. It certainly wasn't the biggest in the continent, but it was the most isloated. Surrounded by vast mountains and endless steppes that have numerous legends written about them. But as small as it was, I was never able to see all of it. For I was taken in by the monkhood at quite a young age."

"You keep saying 'was' when referring to your country. What happened to it."

I paused for a moment and bowed my head in silence. "Azura is gone. It was wiped off the face of the earth. Razed to the ground in the fires of an all-consuming war. At the hands of a powerful enemy that hungered for every type of ****, thriving off it in fact. Azura became one of many challenges for this chaotic and unpredictable enemy."

"I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to drudge up the past."

"You need not worry. Bygones, my friend. I've always believed those who continue to look at the past will lose sight of the future. You can say my journey to your world was me looking quite far ahead into the future."

The questions continued, each more mundane and common as the last. Most of these questions were quite basic and were easy to answer. How many live on Eden Sky? What do you grow in the island? Stuff like that. This whole thing turned out to be quite the cakewalk.

"What made you settle 'Eden Sky' in US airspace?"

Okay, I didn't see that one coming.

"Airspace?" I questioned. Lacey stepped in and reiterated that I wasn't familiar with a lot of American jargon.

"Okay. Let me put it this way. What made you settle in a place that is owned and controlled by the United States Air ****?"

"I did not choose where I would appear. It was sheer luck that I and the island appeared above your country."

The question seemed reasonable. But something about it felt wrong. A little too difficult to explain. And it would only get worse from there. That one question opened a can of worms, and the senators began asking questions as if I and everything I loved was a growing threat.

"Please explain how the black lightning incident occured, in detail."

"it was a mistake on my part. It was a sparring session with one of my disciples. She became a bit too enthralled with using her skills and cast a bolt of lightning in response to my defensive techniques."

"What exactly are you training for?"

"Much of my time as a monk is spent in deep meditation. This can leave individuals weak from lack of proper exercise, so we train so that we are able to continue meditating."

"I have a report here saying that at your first encounter in Eden Sky, both agent Buchanan and Doctor Ashford were threatened by one of your 'Guardian Moons' if this report is to be believed. Stating that this Onimusha has a severe dislike of humans. Is she known for such outbursts or has she gone far enough to attack humans outright for simply existing?"

"No, not ever. She knows I would never allow that."

"So you're saying that if you gave her the go ahead, she would go right from the island and begin massacring people without rhyme or reason?"

"No. I'm saying."

"What reason do you have not to give the order to all of your Guardian Moons the order to crash right into the white house and **** the president right in the middle of the oval office?!"

"ENOUGH!!!!!!!!!!"

My roar of a scream unintentionally shook the entire senate room. I don't know what face I was making but I was sure that everyone their who looked at me seething with anger, knew what fear truly meant. I had to calm myself down, so I took a deep breath and breathed a long sigh of relief that I controlled my temper. Not knowing I was stood up through that ordeal I slowly sat back down in my chair.

"All who live in Eden Sky are people that fought and fought and fought but still failed in the end. Everything that we cherished, everyone we held close to our hearts slipped through our fingers like so many grains of sand. Again and again and again. And you question what keeps us from ****? You don't know what suffering is. To live as long as I have, to have seen every horrid atrocity known to man repeated before my eyes as countless men, women, and children died in the most painful manner possible. You would come to the exact same conclusion. We who have lost everything needed a place to call home where we could live out our lives in peace. And so, I created Eden Sky and took it from our dying realm and into yours, where we could begin anew. My only hope, my only wish is to live in peace and happiness. That is all any of us want. That is why I came here today. So that your government would leave us in peace. That they don't have to fear the unknown, as I sit here and answer your numerous questions. We just want peace."

The entire room was silent for a time. I could hear the senators giving their own apologies but I wasn't listening. I sat their as I felt a tear run down my cheek. When the gavel rang out to signal the hearing was over I could not leave that damn room fast enough. I was first out the door and traced my steps all the way to the custodians entrance. I leaned against the wall while waiting for the others to catch up.

I don't know where all that came from. But I had an idea. I was afraid. I was afraid that someone with all the power over me would take away what I loved...again. Only this time, it was mixed with these numerous memories in my head that screamed in agony. I was so distraught I did something drastic, just to give me some time to think.

As we approached the black SUV again I activated my pendulum warp, once everyone was slowed down I created a perfect clone of myself that would walk and talk like me while I had some time to think, just think. I went invisible ans started time up again as the group drove off down the street, leaving me their as the sun was going down.

All I could think about, in that moment was.

"I could go for a burger."