A Dangerous Peace

"Minister, don't be so nervous. Relax! We are here for continued peace and merriment," Suki consoled her superior, Japan's esteemed and affluent Secretary of Peace Itō Eiichi.

Beads of sweat slid down the secretary's slippery, bald head as he stared solemnly at Suki, shifting his eyes to several famous politicians that were walking past them.

"You're only calm because you don't know the truth behind this occasion…"

Suki stared back at him with knitted eyebrows, baffled by her boss' behavior. He was usually a firm and amicable man who wore a smile regardless of the situation he was in or the topic being discussed, but now he was quivering constantly and flinching at the slightest of movements.

What could cause such a change in the unshakeable and steadfast Itō Eiichi that won the hearts of Japan's entire populace and a unaninmous trust from all their government leaders?

"What do you mean, Minister? Are you talking about the Peace Summit?"

The International Peace Summit was a week-long event held once every ten years at the Federal Palace of Switzerland for the past century. With no accompanying bodyguard, a single representative from every country would attend the event in order to celebrate the previous decade of peace as well as endorse another tranquil decade.

"What else? Just…follow me closely and don't take any…unnecessary actions."

He motioned for Suki to follow him as they proceeded past several groups of foreign administrators and cabinet members socializing in groups. Her leader would return a polite nod to them when their eyes met, but he didn't stop for the small talk and pleasantries that he was so proficient in.

The palace's hallways were lined with a regal red carpet as they walked from their rooms to a set of marble stairs descending into a colossal chamber. The chamber's walls were decorated with ornate paintings and carvings of angels. In the center, an enormous, rectangular table was arranged with the finest plates and silverware one could find. Half a dozen people had already seated themselves in various spots around the table.

Eiichi walked to the nearest empty chair and placed his hand on it, pausing for a moment before hurrying past it and a dozen other chairs. He stopped at two empty chairs next to a bald, old man with a white beard.

Suki's eyes widened when she recognized the man's identity.

China's Congress member Xiao Yang?

His gaze met Eiichi's gaze when the latter placed his hand on the vacant seat. They nodded to each other as if they came to some sort of agreement on something, and Eiichi pulled the seat out and sat in it.

"You will be dining in this seat, Suki-san." Eiichi motioned to the empty seat next to him while picking up the forks and spoons to examine them.

At this time, only one thought entered Suki's mind.

How unsettling…

Eiichi had been acting strangely this entire time: avoiding his beloved conversations with other politicians, ignoring the tasteful artworks littered around the palace, and now he was sitting next to a congressman from one of Japan's most heated rivals, China.

What is going on here?!

Suki politely held her tongue in order to avoid being rude to the foreign diplomat and conserve her boss' reputation. She took her seat and sat without saying a word.

…

…

…

An hour had passed in complete silence amongst themselves, and the empty seats around the table were now filled with all the representatives from the other countries. The room was filled with the quiet droning of the various politicians having mundane conversations about their terms and duties.

Because of her superior's strange and unexplainable behavior, Suki was tense the entire time. She had many questions to ask, but with no opportunity to bring them up in private, all she could do was sit next to him and wait for the opening toast to begin.

Many waiters and waitresses in Swiss service apparel had come out holding silver trays of glasses filled with bubbling champagne. They strode up to those seated and offered their drinks.

"Here you go, Minister," one said to Eiichi, holding the tray out.

Eiichi looked at the cups filled with the same alcohol and held his right hand in front of his face with a tight clench, apparently having trouble choosing which glass to take. After several moments had passed, he finally picked one up and held onto it, waiting for the toast.

"And one for you, ma'am," the same waiter offered to Suki.

Suki reached her hand out, about to pick up the center glass of champagne, when she heard a small whisper in her ear.

"Pick the one in the far-left."

Suki's hand stopped moving as her body retreated back to her chair, confusion evident on her face. She lightly shook her head before picking up the center glass and holding it in her hand.

Once everyone had their drinks, the President of Switzerland stood up from his chair and held his glass in one hand and a fork in the other.

TING-TING-TING

Silence reigned throughout the chamber as all eyes turned to him.

"I would like to thank you all and your countries for attending this International Peace Summit. If all of you do not mind, I wish to mark its beginning with a simple toast."

The president's voice was strong and vibrant, echoing throughout the chamber, and he raised his glass in the air.

Suki raised her glass in the air with her soft, petite hand.

"Don't drink from your glass."

Distraught by another whisper, Suki lowered her glass and looked around for the source of the voice. To no avail, she found no one, so she rose her glass back up for the toast.

"To another ten years of peace!" The president raised his glass higher before bringing it back to his lips. Everyone mimicked him as they toasted with him and drank from their glasses.

Suki was the same as she finished the toast and tried to drink from it.

KE-CHA!!!

Suki felt something whiz by, and her glass shattered into several sharp fragments. Her hand was no longer holding anything, but the broken glass had given her several cuts on her hand as they fell to the floor.

"Place your hand in the Chinese congressman's drink."

Many were staring at Suki, but instead of faces full of concern, they wore faces of pity. She couldn't tell who was talking to her, panicking that she might be going crazy at that moment.

"If you don't want to lose your arm and maybe your life, you'd better place your hand in the congressman's drink. It contains the antidote."

She shook off her hesitance and immediately reached past Eiichi for the congressman's glass that he was holding. She took it with her left hand and placed her right hand in it.

Ow Ow Ow…

Suki's hand stung from the cuts, but her mind was busy processing the fact that no one had said anything about the glass breaking or that she took another's drink for the strange reason of dumping her hand into it.

"Please excuse us. I will need to assist my attendant with her wounds."

He stepped out of the chair and away from the table, motioning for her to get up. Most of the nearby representatives gave Eiichi an understanding nod. They ascended back up the stairs in the same manner as before; this time, Suki was cautious of her surroundings as well.

"Minister, what is going on?!" she asked the moment they were out of earshot of anybody. She was still carrying the congressman's champage glass with her hand dipped in it.

"The summit is not what you think it is," he responded, hurrying towards their rooms.

"What do you mean?"

"This Peace Summit is used to display the prowess of each country's ninjas."

"Nin—ninjas?" she asked as they reached the minister's room, unsure if she misheard him.

They entered the room, and he locked his door.

"Yes. Everyone and their mother has nuclear power. The real firepower is the country's ability to execute the one holding the button without being caught, or in other words, the ability to stop such an assassination from occurring," he explained as he wrapped her wounds tightly using the medical kit conveniently located on the room's refrigerator.

"Wait…so we're here…to be targets?"

"…Yes. But this room is a neutral area, so we don't need to worry about attacks when we're in here."

The International Peace Summit was a front to showcase all the countries' skills in espionage and counterintelligence. They sent representatives as targets to prove their capabilities as if taunting the other world leaders:

"Come kill us if you can!"

While ninjas could easily kill the unprepared without being caught, it was an entirely different matter when people knew they were there while bringing their own army hidden in the background. For this reason, if your representative died, it would bring shame on your country and its ninjas, and they would be bullied for the next decade.

Suki was silent for a moment before continuing, "...Let's just stay in here for the week then!"

"We can't do that. That would be admitting we are afraid and incompetent. We must attend the events at least so that we can demonstrate our abilities and the pride of Japan!"

Another period of silence ensued.

"...How about we leave early then? We weren't here for the summit ten years ago."

The previous Secretary of Peace cancelled his trip at the last minute and withdrew from his position.

"We can't leave early. We were here ten years ago…" His voice was sullen. "Deaths aren't reported…especially since it would be impossible to pinpoint the murderers here. Whenever we step outside our room, all we can rely on are our brethren shielding us from harm."

Suki eyed her now-bandaged hand. Her heartbeat felt heavy and lifeless; she was trapped in a situation outside of her control.

"Minister…I—I wanna go home," she said with glassy eyes.

Her boss looked at her with a troubled expression. "I'm sorry, Suki-san. I didn't want to drag you into this, but you insisted on accompanying me. Telling you the truth before arriving here would have put both our lives in danger."

Suki looked up to Eiichi and only wished to support him as his assistant for an admirable cause, but instead of a meet-up to celebrate peace, everyone was here to compare who had the best weapons of destruction. His other peers in the government encouraged her to join him with no regard for her life, believing an extra person could make up for the humiliation they faced ten years ago.

Several countries had shown their strength by sending more than one person as a representative. It was a bold move announcing to everyone that they had the numbers and capabilities to split their focus.

America had shown up one time with their President, his First Lady, and their two daughters, and none of them had gotten so much as a paper cut. The UK brought their entire Cabinet and Prime Minister once before, yet they all returned unharmed with only one suffering from mild food poisoning.

Suki picked up the medical kit and brought it to the room's closet for safekeeping. She slid the door open…

"AAAAAH!"

Several human bodies were stacked up nicely on the floor of the closet. They were clothed from head-to-toe in a solid black uniform, and they had the Japanese flag sewn onto the front.

"Stop yelling," commanded a soft voice coming from somewhere in the room.

"Are they dead?"

"Yes."

Eiichi saw the sight and lowered his head respectfully. Suki followed his example.

"No need to mourn. They're not Japanese."

They lifted their chins in confusion, understanding the truth of the matter after a moment of contemplation.

"Just obey my instructions, and you will return home at the end of the week."

His promise comforted Suki a little bit.