The ocean sprayed against his face, stinging it slightly as he looked forward at the port of Fuyuki City. The gulls overhead called again and again, but only recently had they arrived to greet them. It had been a long trip. The vessel faced hardships in the form of non-existent weather which prevented them from pressing ahead on schedule. Still, the old man took the time to enjoy himself aboard the ship. After all, it had been two decades since the last time he stepped onto that of which glided on water.
The site before him, while welcoming, wasn't encouraging. The port seemed like any other, but the slums around them were far worse than many he had seen in his time here on the earth. It fared even worse than the Cronopolis; That part of Kumo that never seemed to recover no matter how much work was put into it.
He pondered to himself as the ship approached slowly. What did she want for these girls? Their life certainly wasn't going to improve much. They would be trading one life of hardship for another. Perhaps, she wanted them to at least have a chance to achieve some sort of greatness rather than be stuck in such a place. Kioku could understand that at least.
The ship soon came to rest at port, and Kioku stepped off of the plank onto solid land for the first time in weeks. If he were honest, he would have told you that it had made him uneasy to be so far from his element and the resting place of his Goddess. Hardships were given as something all disciples must go through; he not only needed to do this for Her, but for Haruka as well.
It was no mistake that the Ishikawa had formed a bond with the Shima. The two families both had a part to play in the grand adventure that was life. Just as his Goddess brought life to the earth, there was another that took life away. Kioku could see that now. As he was there to save life, Haruka had the unfortunate calling to be one of the arbiters of death. He felt sorry that she had to be the one who was burdened with such a task; her life was never easy. But death was just as much apart of life as birth. They were two sides of the same proverbial coin.
In his moment of thought, he was shoved out of the way by one of the dock workers. "Git outta the way ya lollygagger. We git shit to offload." grumbled one of two men carrying a crate. Kioku quickly bowed in apology and moved onward, towards one of the general stores which he was sure would have a map of the area. Her letter had given him a specific address, but he still needed to get his bearings. It wasn't easy when most of the common people didn't speak the common tongue.
Once acquired, the gentle giant set out amongst the shady and shifty looking people. It wasn't in his heart to pass so many who were in need without stopping to help those he could. Physical ailments were healed with what medical jutsu he knew, and sicknesses were abated with prayers to his lady of the earth. He soon gathered a following who seemed to think him a prophet of some kind. And while we was an eager disciple of Konohana-sakuya, he would not take credit for her work. He dismissed them with words of kindness and wisdom, giving to each of them a seed to plant and manage. He said fortune would come to those who took care of those who took care of the earth by planting and taking care of the seeds.
In time, he finally found himself in front of the barracks of the ANBU stationed here on the island. It fared no better than the dilapidated homes that sat around it. Kioku took a moment to think. He had seen the prosperity of the ports and the main streets of the island village. But those seemed like they were geared for visitors of the island while those who lived and worked the hard life were ignored. He didn't understand how the Shogun could allow this to persist-- no that wasn't true. He knew of several ways it could have ended up like this. While he wanted to stay and help, he was there no for himself but another. He would need to first accomplish this task before setting out on another.
He approached the barracks and knocked on the door. A ragged looking man came to the door and cracked it open and began speaking in another language before noticing Kioku who looked vastly different from the natives. "Sorry sir, if you are lost I can give you directions back to the main strip, it's--"
"No, I believe I am in the right place. My name is Ishikawa Kioku, of Kumogakure. I am looking for Sanageyama-sama, I have a letter to give to him regarding a private matter." he said politely bowing.
"Ah. Let me find him for you then." said the guard. Kioku watched the door shut, and the shuffle of feet behind it until it faded from his ears. He turned once again to look up the side of the mountain that rose into the sky from the middle of the island. He felt life beneath the surface here unlike anything else before. "The lifeblood of the earth flows constantly here." he thought to himself before the door to the barracks opened up.
"What can I do for you Mr. Ishikawa sir?" he asked, stepping outside. Kioku turned to look, almost expecting someone different. Life seemed like it had been hard on the man.
"This is for you, from a certain someone who asked me to bring it to you." he said. Sanageyama took the letter that was held out for him and opened it up with curiosity in his eyes. Kioku watched as the mans eyes zoomed from right to left, and how his expression changed as he finished line after line. The giant didn't dare dig into the letter than had been entrusted to him, so he knew not what it said. Only what it pertained to. In fact, he was fearful that it wasn't going to pan out how she had planned. But whatever she had written to him had worked.
The man before him raised a ragged sleeve up to his eyes to prevent tears from falling onto the piece of parchment below. "Follow me, they are probably getting into trouble somewhere down here." he said, his throat obviously compromised with emotion.
Kioku followed the man, unsure of what he could even say to make him feel any kind of comfort in this situation. He had been taking care of them for years. And Kioku was there to steal them away from him. "There are no words to say." he thought, realizing the pain this man must be in. It was the same kind of pain that he felt with Zaku had been taken from Cloud and his family.
They approached one of the city squares in what seemed to be a true vision of the island towns former culture. The scene before them as an aged looking woman who was chasing after a small girl who held a cane in her hand and was running about. "Kad pylg rana oui ruutmisc pnehk pylg so lyha!" she called after the short haired lass.
"Muug yd oui, nihhehk ypuid mega oui yna dfahdo oaync ouihkan. E tet oui y vyjun!" called the girl being chased. But she was soon stopped by a heroine in a fancy looking dress. One that didn't seem to match the general look of the people in this part of the town. She snatched up the cane from the one girl and handed back to the heavy grandmother.
"Masaoko, oui yna kuehk du keja ran y raynd yddylg uha tyo."
"Hyr, dra naycuh cra tuach'd ryja y raynd yddylg ec palyica E keja ran dra aqanleca cra haatc~"
And so on, they were all speaking very quickly and with passion it seemed before eventually the scene dispersed. Kioku looked to Sanageyama and watched as the tears flowed down his cheek. One large hand found it's place on the mans shoulder and squeezed it gently. "I know it won't be easy, but I promise you that they will be in no better hands in all of lightning country. They won't forget their home. They won't forget their father. I will send pictures as they grow and stories to accompany every one. You will not be forgotten, I promise to you this day."
Looking, snot filled sniffs followed as the man tried to collect himself as his girls continue to play about the small statue in the middle of the square. What he was going to say to them, Kioku didn't know. And neither did he know how the pair of girls would react.
It was a emotional set of hours until Kioku found himself back at the boat with his two charges. Their destination was the Village Hidden in the Cloud. They walked aboard, Kioku's normally cheerful face was desperately trying to remain strong for the two who stood at his side. Masaoko clung to her sister while Setsuna also tried to remain strong and not break in the face of such change.
Kioku watched as Masaoko turned to run across the plank back down to her father, embracing him in more hugs and tears than before. Setsuna's head lowered, tears falling onto the wooden deck below. Kioku knelt down and took her by the shoulders. "It's because he loves you that he wants you to go. Believe me when I tell you he wants nothing more than to be with you always. Go to him. Do not let your memory of this moment be you crying on the deck next to some stranger. Let it be with your father." he said, forgetting that she wouldn't understand him. Thankfully, a passing sailor took the time to translate his words for her. Her tears started flowing steadily as she turned to look at him on the docks.
Setsuna sniffed loudly before running after her sister to embrace her father in a hug so tight the man felt like we would be crushed. "Masaoko, Setsuna. E muja fedr ajano ehlr uv so paehk. E ghuf oui fyhd du cdyo, pid oui sicd ku. Oui sicd lryhka ouin cdync yht meja y paddan meva dryh E ryja."
"Lyh ed pa tuha vydran? Lyh y syh lryhka dra cdync?"
"Oac Masaoko. Ev oui pameaja ahuikr, oui lyh tu yhodrehk."
[Topic End]