The Wind of Change blow straight into the Rising Sun

[aimway921]

A dark aura has settled in the Imperial Palace, located high on Mount Haku, which dominated the valley of Kyoto and the capital within. The Tenno, unknown to almost anyone in the Ashigawa government, let alone the world, was gravely ill. The doctors treating him were forbidden to leave the palace as to not spread rumors. But he continued his iron-fisted rule. However, his conditioned worsened, and his shock at hearing the news of the terrorist attack has caused him to suffer a stroke. Confined to his bed, he was still sending out orders.


Princess Yuzuru, on the other hand, was weary. She knew this couldn't last. She always seen her father's rule as too harsh, and wanted to soften the Imperial authority, give more freedom to the people - but she didn't know her time to take up the mantle would be so close. She was sure her father still had at least 10 years in him. 

For now, the Royal Priests were preparing Yuzuru for a coronation.

[aimway921]

Princess Yuzuru was sitting at the head of the table in a small meeting room. Together with her at the table were several young nobleman princes, about her own age of 19 - mostly heirs to noble houses.

"With all due respect, your Highness," Prince Sato Takeo spoke first after a short moment of silence that ensued after previous discussions, "I do not believe that Kumosenkan should be our enemy. Tenno may believe that just because they have a giant navy and bigger colonies they are our rival - but he hasn't even tried talking to them diplomatically! I beg you, your Highness, talk to you father to thaw the relations with Kumo."

"I understand your concern, Sato," the Princess replied. "But you know as well as I do that I have no control over my father. He is the sitting Emperor. I have pledged that I will bring prosperity in a more peaceful way, but I cannot do that while I'm not yet Empress."

"How is the Tenno doing?" Princess Seiyu Eiko, sister of Seiyu-Dono, governor of Kagoshima, cut in. "It is not only his aggressive foreign policy that worries me. His handling of the colonies is not the best either. Despite my brother's efforts at fair governing, Kagoshima has been hit by anti-colonial riots, mainly, me and my brother believe, due to harsh government of the previous Dono, and especially the conquest of the area from Premna that cost a lot of lives both to the Army and to the local population."

Princess Yuzuru looked ahead of her silently. She didn't know how to respond. She knew that that she can bring hopes up and reassure her collogues by admitting that the Tenno is almost on his deathbed, and she will finally take over. At the same time, she has sworn to her father that she shall never disclose such information.

"I believe my time shall come soon enough," she finally spoke. "And I am keeping the issue of Kagoshima in mind. Tell your brother that I would like to meet with him in person, for I believe I might have a solution."

"What about the epidemic?" Prince Ueno Kou asked. "The way it's being handled... Sure, the absolute lockdown enforced by the Army may eradicate the epidemic in record time - perhaps we'll even be the first nation to recover - but have the Ministers and Tenno even considered how the people would take suddenly having to live in prison-like conditions?"

"Perhaps there are better ways," Yuzuru replied. "But I don't believe that in this issue, we are at a position to choose. As we look for the cure, we must prevent the spread beyond the already infected individuals at all costs."

The discussion would continue on for some more time. Many topics would be discussed, but Princess Yuzuru gave off one fairly important impression to her collogues - she is willing to give up some degree of Imperial authority in favor of a more democratic approach of governing.

[aimway921]

The unimaginable has happened. Tenno has gone into a coma. No medicine was able to bring him out - he had no more than a few days to live.

This meant that from this moment, Princess Yuzuru was officially Empress. But to make matters worse - she was nowhere to be found. No one knew where she was right now - in Kumosenkan, drawing at last possible straws to fix the mistakes of her father. But it would seem that she is failing. Everything indicates that, even if against her will, she will have to follow in her father's bloodthirsty footsteps to preserve the Empire, or at least the Ashigawan sovereignty.