╣ The Journey of a Vagabond ╠

[imuse]

        Takeni arrived on the coast of Kaminari in a huff. All in one motion, the boy grabbed his equipment and jumped off the boat. Staring at the beach with heavy breath, it was a sight to behold. Dotting the sandy ground were dozens of beautiful seashells. Along with the shells, seaweed and twigs sprinkled the beach. The sand was comparably white as the moon and free of garbage as well. With that though, Takeni adventured onwards; after all he had to find Enrai.

        After leaving the beach, Takeni's idea of Kaminari no Kuni quickly changed. The path he'd found was treacherous and full of widened, deep crevices. Death would certainly follow anyone who dared to fall into one. "I'd better watch my step from here on out.." He thought. This slow method of walking continued for hours until a small mountain appeared, which he proceeded to climb. Despite his travel, Takeni couldn't cease thought about his Sensei's debilitating condition. Quickly perishing the idea because of its negativity, the boy moved on.

        Weeks of travel after his arrival in the land of lightning, mostly due to the mountainous terrain, Takeni finally reached Enrai. Its streets were bustling with people who couldn't care less about anyone other than themselves. He didn't much care for the town, however, it was the only way to find the location of the hidden village. Trying to find the location of the embassy was a task meant for three. Not a single person would speak and none of the children nearby knew of it. It seemed to be a hopeless endeavor.

        His searching finally finished, Takeni noticed a fairly large building surrounded by windows. When he asked about the embassy, the woman simply told him that it was on the other side of the building. Then on, the vagabond proceeded to the counter.
        

[imuse]

        Finding a way back to the boat was a pain. Takeni had his map and compass, but he only marked the area he was in; he didn't mark the exact spot. Rocky beaches had since become a natural sight for the boy. These beaches were dotted with more rocks, twigs, and shells. Occasionally a crab would pinch Takeni's feet through his sandals. Most often, it took every ounce of his being not to smash the little bastard into the sand, but he was able to keep his calm until he'd found the boat.

        Sailing off once again, Takeni thought about the old man and whether or not he'd be alive. Moments later, a tear slowly rolled down his cheek. Accompanied by a few more, soon the boy dried his eyes and focused on his route. Mizu No Kuni being the target. Takeni's master always spoke of the village their family had come from with great honor and pride. In his sensei's death, it only seemed right to visit the land his heritage came from.


        The waves seemed to be attacking the boy. The small wooden boat sat there and submitted to the dominance of the sea, going with every wave. It took much more rowing to get back on track. Looking at his map and compass, it seemed that the boy was about half way between Kaminari No Kuni and Mizu No Kuni.

[Nira]

Moved

[imuse]

        Takeni's arrival in the land of waves was an abrupt one. The roaring ocean waves heaved the small canoe-like boat against the shore, throwing it against the sand with great force and tossing its passenger several meters away. Pristine and white, it was a gorgeous beach, much nicer than the ones seen in Kaminari No Kuni. Litter wasn't a problem here, to be seen were only a few crustaceans and some seashells. It was quite evident that Takeni would enjoy this land. It was sub-tropical in warmth and almost reminded him of home. Finally, the boy would be able to learn of his family's history.

        Nearby was a stream which, according to the map, led straight to the capital city. The water flowed at a steady, calming pace. With his boat demolished Takeni had no choice but to follow the stream to his destination. Following the decision, days of monotonous travel ensued with little variation. One day a fish did happen to jump from the stream and smack Takeni in the face, but to be fair he had been fishing earlier that day for his lunch.

        Finally, after an agonizingly boorish week, the young Kaguya arrived at the moat surrounding the city. This would be the first step to learning of his clan's old ways. Extending and retracting the bones on his hands, Takeni finally took the first step and entered the city.

[imuse]

    Takeni roamed mindlessly away from the village gates, no idea where he was going. After only a few moments, the boy was lost. Stumbling into and out swamps and damp forests, he wondered how in the world his grandfather loved this country so much. Aside from the depressing weather, it was almost impossible to navigate. Littering the wet ground were eroded stones, small creatures, and mossy grasses. Each step that Takeni took sunk a few inches into the soaked floor. Eventually, a vine caught the boy's leg, throwing him forward with a lurch and tossing his compass free from his person, hitting him on the head as well.

    Picking himself up, Takeni remembered that he'd been neglecting his navigational tools. After a careful study, it seemed that he'd been going southeast for at least an hour. This prompted him to make a careful turn, if his damaged raft was still on the eastern shoreline, Takeni might be able to leave this God-forsaken land. With that thought, a slim ray of hope shone over the traveler's spirit and gave him a second wind. He began running in the direction he'd chosen.

    Weeks passed, mostly due to Takeni's talent for losing his way, and the beach appeared, but he arrived at the southern coast. Though it looked similar to the other he had seen, this beach had nothing but rocks, rotten driftwood, and some vines which would need to be tied several times in order to hold up. Takeni set forth at once making a raft, however, this was not a simple task. Many pieces of wood broke just from being handled, finding several large pieces of decent enough quality was difficult and took hours. After finally finding enough strong wood, the planks were laid out and woven together with the tree vines.

    Following the raft's creation, the Kaguya clan member set out, though it was impossible for him to steer without a paddle, although he could do little more than cling for his life anyway with the rotten shape of the vessel. The choppy waters seemed to have it out for the creation, which didn't seem to much care for its rider.