Figure~Vietnam x Japan

Chp 5: Meeting Each Other

It took Lien and her group only a few short hours to arrive at the Japanese main house. A guard stationed by the entrance gate bowed and let them pass once he saw them hold up their badges with their family emblems. Soon, some workers came out and led the horses into the stables. Lien was the first to come out of the stables after making sure all the horses were safely in their stalls. Soon, the rest of them followed her to the Japanese main house, where two lanterns were lit outside.

Upon entering the greeting room (A/N:it's supposed to be a room where you meet your guests, say hello, drink tea and stuff like that-kinda like a parlor?), a servant came out and escorted the group to the room where the gathering was taking place. The door opened and revealed a large room filled with ninja clans from various places. Everyone was quietly chattering while they found places to sit. Once Lien, Mei, Hyung Soo, and Kasem were seated they took in their surroundings. Another group was sitting on the opposite side of the room, and Mei's eyes landed on her brother. "Jia Long!" She waved her brother over. He appeared to sigh, and walked over to them with another man who looked to be Japanese. Lien, mildly curious, looked up at the man while he stared back at her. For a moment, it was as if there was a spark between them.

Jia Long saw this and decided to introduce his friend. "Hey, everyone. This is Honda Kiku, the leader of our group. We also have Cheng and Yong Soo, but they're both busy with something right now." Hyung Soo looked slightly disappointed when he heard Yong Soo was currently busy. They all said their greetings to the man. Once Yong Soo came back, they were all chatting together (except for the usually silent peeps, they talk whenever needed), when suddenly Mei pulled Lien to the side.

Giving the younger girl a questioning look, Lien crossed her arms and said, "What is it, Mei?" Mei grinned and giggled. "I think big sister's in lo~ve!" She sang loud enough for her to hear, before turning away and talking to the others. Lien's face remained stoic, but inside she was blushing. Kiku glanced at her. He couldn't bring himself to say he accidentally overheard their little talk. And now he's blushing inside as well. 

So unprofessional! The two stoic people scolded themselves.

Yong Soo silently entered and slipped into their little group. "Annyeonghaseyo! How is everyone? Oh and just so you know, everything here belongs to me, da-ze~!" Hyung Soo lightly bonked his brother on the head and quietly murmured, "Not everything, you dummy."

"Ahem," came a voice from the doorway. Everybody in the room looked towards the direction of the voice. Cheng was standing there with a folded fan in his hand. His arrival called for attention as he is the advisor for the ninja clans' meetings. Clapping the fan three times into the palm of his left hand, Cheng began the meeting.

"As you may all be very well aware by now, this meeting has been called forth in concern for the implausible actions of Emperor Shi Huang. Through various networks of intel, we have gathered that several unknown ninjas seem to be aiding him in his conquest to rule lands beyond China. Shinobi like us, " Cheng paused for a moment, "We have a code of life to live by. And those who do not follow the code are a dishonor to us all. Particularly the ones working in favor of greed and wealth." He pushed up his glasses and looked around the room. "Hence, all of you will travel in teams to retrieve different pieces of information. As soon as possible, meet up at the abandoned building within the bamboo forest. I presume you all know where that is. That is all."

The people clad in black all shuffled to their feet and dispersed quickly. Everyone separated into groups and left after receiving orders from Cheng. Lien thought over what was to come and was lost in thought until a pair of arms wrapped around her. An irk mark appeared on her forehead as Yong Soo nuzzled her. "Lien!~" The Vietnamese rolled her eyes and continued walking, dragging along the Korean. "WAahh..!" he shouted. Mei giggled and bounced after them. "He is childish as always haha," chuckled Kasem as he followed them to the stables. Hyung Soo merely let out a small grunt at his brother's antics. 

Kiku felt a slight pang in his chest at the sight of Yong Soo with his arms around Lien. Jia Long glanced over at his companion and his eyes twinkled. Walking ahead of the Japanese, the young man pried Yong Soo off Lien. After the initial "Aww man, daze!~ What a party pooper," Kaoru turned and flashed Kiku what he could've sworn was a smirk before going into the stables. 

As each person readied their own ride, Kiku took a quick glance over at the quiet woman across from him. Lien was running a hand through her horse's mane and softly murmuring to it. "Good girl, Jade. Come on,  let's go." Kiku felt a small flutter in his chest. It was rather nice to see that someone valued their steed. He smiled, and soon all of them were out in the courtyard. Behind him, Hyung Soo pinched his brother's ear when Yong Soo patted his horse's flank with a perverse grin. 

Cheng was standing by the gate. He gave the group a serious but warm smile (A/N: how is that possible? a grim smile..haha). "Good luck and stay safe," he called. They all nodded and pulled up their masks. (A/N: this has so much more significance with coronavirus o.O please wear a mask) Within the next few moments,  they were gone, the sound of hooves rhythmically pounding the gravel fading out as they traveled further and further away.

A/N: Years later....

Me: *editing*

Wait... did ninjas ride horses or did they Naruto run LMAO

jkjk it's fictional, lemme take liberties please, my brain's too tired for research lol