The slow climb up to Kumogakure was made even harder by the weight of responsibility waiting at the top. Yuii was in mourning. The pyre had been lit on her adventure, the boat was cast, the horns were sounding their final call. Her travels had been so bright, so filled with life and new wonders that it was difficult to fathom that they had come to an abrupt end. They had been too young, too beautiful. The biting wind that whipped and twirled her woollen scarf and stung her face was no match for the angsty storm in her heart. There would be no joy from now on, only the dark looming cloud of familial hatred and responsibility set to rain upon them!
Sniff.
It was hard to be too sad though, what with the sounding board of charming mispronunciations strapped to Yuii's back. Wrapped in layers of cotton and wool, and finally, a rabbit fur lined with fluffy rabbit fur to protect her from the cold, her daughter had spent the last day exclaiming over every feature of the dragon mountains that caught her eye. And for Umeko, only two, every single object her little eyes fell on was a wonder. And of course, each item was an opportunity to flex her developing vocabulary. Every pond, every cloud, every rock.
For what was the hundred and tenth time that day, small mitten covered hands beat on the back of Yuii's grey canvas jacket.
"Mama, ock!" Umeko screeched, pointing towards a pile of stones on the roadside.
Yuii sighed and nodded, mustering her own enthusiasm. Tenderly she parried the kitten-like strikes and gave her tiny had a squeeze. "Rock, 'meko. Rock." she corrected firmly but gently, "And so very pretty. Do you think those rocks are taking a nap or just waiting for us to pass by?" Yuii did not have to look to see the pinched, confused face that her daughter pulled or the way she would follow the rocks with her eyes until the next path bend just to see if the rocks moved. It gave Yuii a moments peace.
Until:
"Mama, Tee!!" this time Umeko hugged her neck and pointed up the slope of the mountain.
"Tree," she replied, tilting her head towards the sad scrub clinging to the rock face of the pass. It had lost half its pine needles and most of its branches to the harsh climate but was surprisingly still alive. It was a strange place for a tree to have ever been planted, "A squirrel must have lost his acorn up there and it became a tree. Do you think it is scared of heights or likes the view, Ume?" Silence again.
Yuii would need to take Umeko to the greenhouses bordering the ancient forest, she decided, and the waterfalls at the hot springs. There would be plenty of water creatures and shiny pebbles to delight her for hours. There would be precious little free time once they stepped into Cloud, especially as Yuii reacquainted herself with the daily grind of her rank and station, but it would be important to give her daughter time. Travelling together had given Yuii the time and space she needed to bond with her daughter. Motherless herself, the Kagetsu raised woman knew very little about expressing maternal love. Before, she had felt like she was floundering, failing, at being the parent she wanted to learn to be. She didn't want to return to those darker days, didn't want her daughter to remember her mother only working.
Changes would need to happen.
"Mama!! Mama!!??" Umeko began again.
"Yes, Umeko?" she sighed good-naturedly, realising she had been lost in thought.
"Ig Hor!" her toddler squealed, pointing down of the bending road to where the cliffs on either side of them ended in a magnificent, familiar sight. The gates loomed over them, gigantic and imposing, reminding all of the might of the people who lived beyond. Warning those who sought to make enemies with Cloud to turn back. Or, as Umeko put it, a big door.
She still felt melancholic to be back, but as they grew closer, the emotion was opposed by a sudden wave of anticipation and excitement for her familiar village. Her pace quickened to "We're almost..." She hesitated to call Kumo home. No place felt complete without her living heart, but there were people here she cared for and a house to call their own, "to a warm meal, clean clothes, and a cosy bed. We'll be able to visit Kogami, Auntie Kiyo and see Kuni and the goats. It's spring, so there will be baby lambs and foals to see. Also..." Breathlessly she continued to ramble on, naming bakeries, friends and fantastic places until at the base of the great edifice, passport in hand and ready.
Sniff.
It was hard to be too sad though, what with the sounding board of charming mispronunciations strapped to Yuii's back. Wrapped in layers of cotton and wool, and finally, a rabbit fur lined with fluffy rabbit fur to protect her from the cold, her daughter had spent the last day exclaiming over every feature of the dragon mountains that caught her eye. And for Umeko, only two, every single object her little eyes fell on was a wonder. And of course, each item was an opportunity to flex her developing vocabulary. Every pond, every cloud, every rock.
For what was the hundred and tenth time that day, small mitten covered hands beat on the back of Yuii's grey canvas jacket.
"Mama, ock!" Umeko screeched, pointing towards a pile of stones on the roadside.
Yuii sighed and nodded, mustering her own enthusiasm. Tenderly she parried the kitten-like strikes and gave her tiny had a squeeze. "Rock, 'meko. Rock." she corrected firmly but gently, "And so very pretty. Do you think those rocks are taking a nap or just waiting for us to pass by?" Yuii did not have to look to see the pinched, confused face that her daughter pulled or the way she would follow the rocks with her eyes until the next path bend just to see if the rocks moved. It gave Yuii a moments peace.
Until:
"Mama, Tee!!" this time Umeko hugged her neck and pointed up the slope of the mountain.
"Tree," she replied, tilting her head towards the sad scrub clinging to the rock face of the pass. It had lost half its pine needles and most of its branches to the harsh climate but was surprisingly still alive. It was a strange place for a tree to have ever been planted, "A squirrel must have lost his acorn up there and it became a tree. Do you think it is scared of heights or likes the view, Ume?" Silence again.
Yuii would need to take Umeko to the greenhouses bordering the ancient forest, she decided, and the waterfalls at the hot springs. There would be plenty of water creatures and shiny pebbles to delight her for hours. There would be precious little free time once they stepped into Cloud, especially as Yuii reacquainted herself with the daily grind of her rank and station, but it would be important to give her daughter time. Travelling together had given Yuii the time and space she needed to bond with her daughter. Motherless herself, the Kagetsu raised woman knew very little about expressing maternal love. Before, she had felt like she was floundering, failing, at being the parent she wanted to learn to be. She didn't want to return to those darker days, didn't want her daughter to remember her mother only working.
Changes would need to happen.
"Mama!! Mama!!??" Umeko began again.
"Yes, Umeko?" she sighed good-naturedly, realising she had been lost in thought.
"Ig Hor!" her toddler squealed, pointing down of the bending road to where the cliffs on either side of them ended in a magnificent, familiar sight. The gates loomed over them, gigantic and imposing, reminding all of the might of the people who lived beyond. Warning those who sought to make enemies with Cloud to turn back. Or, as Umeko put it, a big door.
She still felt melancholic to be back, but as they grew closer, the emotion was opposed by a sudden wave of anticipation and excitement for her familiar village. Her pace quickened to "We're almost..." She hesitated to call Kumo home. No place felt complete without her living heart, but there were people here she cared for and a house to call their own, "to a warm meal, clean clothes, and a cosy bed. We'll be able to visit Kogami, Auntie Kiyo and see Kuni and the goats. It's spring, so there will be baby lambs and foals to see. Also..." Breathlessly she continued to ramble on, naming bakeries, friends and fantastic places until at the base of the great edifice, passport in hand and ready.
