it started with a-- (p/t)

[❥;; bexx]

Her dream would somewhat startle her as she woke up almost immediately after that point. It was evident that she had stayed asleep a little too long as she woke up. She was half-expecting herself to wake up and be in Yukigakure like in her dream. It was rather disappointing that she wasn't. The dream had felt so real that she had almost been pulled into believing that what she had seen was really reality. A difficulty in differentiating between what was real or not. She had had many dreams regarding Yuki but never one that stuck with her that long. She had awoken finding herself looking for her brother. That was definitely a first. 

"Nii-sama!" she would call out as age woke with a start. Ren would look at her weird for a moment as he heard her call out. Whatever she had been dreaming about was stuck in her mind. Her eyes studied her surroundings for a second before it dawned on her that she was on a boat in the middle of the ocean. "Mornin' lass. Bad dream?" She shook her head. It wasn't a bad dream at all. In fact she was hoping to continue the dream if she could. But she was going to have to attempt that when nighttime came again. There were another twelve hours of waiting at least. Ren brought her a breakfast sandwich and again had to force her to eat. She wasn't much of an eater he guessed. She thanked him for the food and nibbled on the sandwich, taking pecks at the bread as she was still thinking of the dream.

The air was cool and refreshing on the waters this morning. The sun hung high in the sky and she stared at the clear blue water for a long time, mesmerized by how pretty it was. There were small waves which passed the boat occasionally, causing the boat to rock a little harder than usual. But she actually didn't mind it so much. Ren paddled his way through most of the bigger waves. He really was a skilled boatman. She was glad to have met him and became aquainted to him. He definitely knew his stuff around the water.

There was little to no conversation that came about on the two of them for the rest of the morning. She was still thinking about Yukigakure and wanting to find out a part of her past and he was busy trying to steer the craft so that it would be out of harm's way. Though he had been on these waters hundreds of times over the years of being a boatman, he was still not a hundred percent certain of his skills against greater waves. That was the one big danger of traveling by boat. But apparently not many people were either aware or just didn't care about that danger, resting the responsibility on the boatman. He had promised her safety and he was going to stand by it. He was fully concentrated on the task at hand and for once didn't feeling like entering light conversation. 

The waves weren't that big yet to cause worry but Ren liked to take every precautionary measure in the book. As she sat there perturbed, he was busy securing their safety. She of course didn't quite take notice of any of it. Instead she was wondering why her mind had decided to have a dream of her doing a mission. It was a first and she was quite surprised. But the longer she thought, the more she would just be confused. She didn't know where to begin in thinking if there was even a beginning at all for that matter,

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[❥;; bexx]

She was still pondering about what was plaguing her mind when a violent move from under her would cause her to look up, snapping her out of her daydream and momentarily back to reality. She looked up just in time to see Ren fighting off the swirl of bigger waves as they continued towards their destination. The wind was starting to act accordingly, giving them a cold rush as they continued to sail. The rocking of the boat became more and more evident as she looked about her, wondering what was going on. And it didn't take much for her to realize just exactly what was happening. They were sailing in the directions of huge waves, for one.There was no fear in her eyes as there would be for anybody else that was trapped in such a situation. She had been used to sudden things hitting her and so nothing much would unnerve her.

Ren tried hard to steady the boat. It wasn't easy trying to steer a craft in such a way when they were hit wave after wave without much room to even breathe. He tried to steer the boat left and right, avoiding a head on collision with a single big wave but that was proving to be more and more difficult as time passed. He wondered whether they would be able to make it to the nearest island, which was only a short distance away. The cold wind that was brushing against them threatened even more as they continued to sail. There was no telling when the boat would hit a wave and when it would even go further that. His mind was quickly thinking of alternatives; anything that wouldn't cause sudden changes.

She knew that he was trying very hard to stabilize the craft but it was in vain. The tides just came too fast and too quickly for the little boat to be able to conquer alone. One bigger wave would overtake it shortly as it came crashing down on them. The wave took both inhabitants of the boat and swept them off their feet; into the raging waters of the ocean. The water was chill upon her skin as she dove headfirst into it. She didn't even have time to check and see whether Ren had done the same but she was certain that being a boatman secured them with the natural ability of being able to swim. The boat drifted farther and farther away from her as she plunged into the water. It was useless trying to chase after it and challenging the waves at the same time.

She soon found that Ren was swimming not too far away from her, escaping the wave that came down upon the boat and instead entering the chilling ocean waters like she did. "There's an island a lil' ways away, lass!" he hollered as he caught sight of his customer. Though the island could not really be seen at this kind of distance, he would lead the way/ Having traversed through the same waters many times had guaranteed him the ability to pinpoint certain islands and certain spots of interest. She nodded her head and swam forward, following his lead. There wasn't much to do now except swim.

The waves were not making it easy on the two of them as they swam into them. It was direction of the island that he had pointed out and so it was necessary to swim forward. With the waves coming at them directly, they had been setback a few times because of their force. It seemed like forever that they'd have to swim in the bone-chilling ocean before they could even begin to see the location of the island. But they would eventually see it, some fifteen to twenty minutes later of swimming in one direction. They were soon going to be safe--

[❥;; bexx]

She was more than certain that they'd be able to make it to the island as they came within view of it. From where they were, the island looked small and a little barren. But they were still quite far away from the actual location and so it was hard to tell. The waters of the ocean were getting colder and colder by the minute, cutting against her skin like ice. It was only fortunate that she had the aid of her Yukina kekkei genkai to help her through desperate colds. Or else she would have fallen victim to unconsciousness or something along those lines. Over the year or so of being in that little tow had taught her that she needed to fend off situations on her own, that in desperate measures nobody would be able to help her. This was one kind of situation.

She began to pick up speed even against the chill. She knew that the faster she swam the faster she would able to get herself to the island. At that moment that was her own objective. There were many more problems up ahead but as long as she could get herself to dry land, all the rest of her problems seemed minute. Or so she thought. She caught up with Ren in a couple of minutes and the two sailed through the waters as though powered by a motor themselves. They would stop every five or so minutes to catch their breath before hurrying forward once more. It seemed as though they both had the same firm belief that as long as they got to the island, it would all be well. The duo team saw that they were getting closer and closer as time went by until the actual size of the island came into view.

It was definitely bigger than what she had thought it would be when she had first spotted the island. It was a remote piece of land, deserted at first glance. There were luscious trees and a sandy beach. It was at the sandy beach that the two of them found themselves on first, taking a much needed rest as they secured themselves to safety. She saw that there wasn't much on the island itself except for perhaps an abundance of trees. But that was like all islands far and wide. They were always uninhabited for a reason. They took a few minutes to regain composure before starting to explore this unknown land. Ren told her that this island was not marked on the world map because it was not a place of significance. And she had to agree.

There was nothing exciting about deserted islands. She got up and started exploring the parts, though her clothes were all wet. Originally Ren had been worried that she would catch a cold if she did not remove her clothing but she reminded him that she had no other clothing except this one. She had not brought any attire from the little town. She would have to wait until she reached some place, any place before she could buy new clothes. But clothes was not her primary concern at the moment. There was much more that needed to be taken care of. One such thing was food.

She guessed that the island did not have much food. And her guess was right. She found a few wild fruits hanging from the trees but they looked as though nobody had touched them in ages. It wasn't even something that looked edible, other than the fact that it hung from a tree. She would go hunting once more, seeing if there were better looking fruits or berries available. But her search came back with nothing. She was starting to wonder whether they'd eat at all tonight. Anything would be sufficient as long as it was sanitary to some degree.

[❥;; bexx]

She returned to where Ren was still sitting at the sandy beach and asked him about the two biggest concerns in her mind: food and shelter. Shelter could be pretty much answered without having to answer since it didn't seem like they had a choice in the matter. They were going to have to stay there on the island overnight as the waves did not seem as though they would be ready to traverse across any time soon. But food was a different matter. After thinking for a moment, he decided that it would best to see if there were any wild animals available in the parts. Though she was not a fan of eating wild animals, it was either she ate them or she died. There wasn't really room for argument there. As he got up to begin his hunting quest, she would stop him.

"Take this." From her cape she would produce her katana. It was her prized possession but she figured that it would be better than having no weapon at all in case he really did find animals lurking around. She would look out at the ocean as she waited, losing herself to another daydream. This was definitely not a time for daydreaming but it seemed like she had nothing better to do. There was nothing she could do until Ren came back, and knowing him, he could take hours. She sat with her arms folded against her legs and listened to the waves colliding with each other, her eyes closed. She was technically thinking about nothing as nothing had come to mind as of yet. She would just let herself stay in that sort of position for a moment, as though in meditation.

And it proved that Ren would return with a trophy some hour or so later. By that time she was almost drifting off to sleep again when a pat on her shoulder would arouse her. As she opened her eyes, she would see that a rabbit's face in her face/ Almost jumping up with surprise, she noticed his wide grin. "That was SO not funny!" And she gave him a playful death stare. Being swept up on this island was really something. She had never quite been anywhere remotely secluded, as far as her memory served her. She didn't remember how she had ended up in that little small town anyhow so the possibility of her being carried by waves still existed. But now wasn't the time to think about how she had got somewhere. It was more a time to think about how to get out of there.

Ren had put down the body of the poor rabbit and went off to clean her katana. It did not really suit her very well that her katana was now stained with rabbit blood. For someone cold like her, she certainly wasn't cold-blooded. She loved small animals, adored them even. The fact that she had to kill one today just so that she could survive seemed like such a sin. Though she reminded herself that if she didn't kill an animal, it would probably be the end of her. Weighting their lives on a scale, she would have to be selfish and sacrifice the poor thing. But now the concern of cooking it came. She was not a Katon specialist so using jutsu was going to help.So how were they going to cook the rabbit? It seemed as though Ren would have the solution to that query too.

As soon as he gave her black her blade, he was off again, into the forests. How exactly was he going to cut branches from a tree to make a fire with just his bare hands. But apparently he could and that she had underestimated his abilities as a boatman. He must have done this countless of times before for him to be so efficient at what he did. Another reason why she was so grateful of having met him

[❥;; bexx]

She was still sitting in the same position as Ren returned with a handful of twigs and branches. She was impressed by what he had done. With only his bare hands he had enough to make a fire and to add to the fire if needed during the night. Her assumption about him having done something of this kind of nature before was proven correct when it took him a mere two minutes to get a low fire running. "Looks like we'll have to stay the night." he commented as he started to cook the rabbit over the fire. She nodded her head, having expected that from the very start.

She shifted her position slightly as she now turned her silver lobes to gaze at the blazing flames. Sparks were flying everywhere but it did it's job pretty well for keeping them warm and also as a cooking medium. She was staring at the fire as though mesmerized by some unknown pattern within the dancing flames. Noticing her silence, Ren would keep on cooking the rabbit, knowing that she probably didn't want or need questions at that particular time. She placed the palm of her hands near the fire and tried to warm them, all the while not speaking at all. And she would continue to do so until a few minutes later when she decided to break the silence.

"Ren, do you have brothers or sisters?" her voice was barely above a whisper. His response was that he had one younger sister. She then further questioned if his relationship with his sister was good. His answer would be the standard; they had their quarelling moments but that they were close. She nodded her head, acknowledging what he said. Her mind began to travel to the memories of her and her brother. They were scattered and in pieces but she knew that they were like that too. If only she could see her brother again. She give anything to secure that chance. He was her only family and she at least needed to know if he was dead or alive--

They fell back into silence again, her not choosing to continue with her questioning. The atmosphere seemed like such a depressing one that she wasn't sure if talking was beneficial. Instead she was going to stay quiet unless Ren decided to speak. She would find that she would not be disappointed as he chose to continue the conversation. "Do you have siblings, Sayuri-chan?" It felt so strange to have someone call her by her first name. It was definitely a first. She nodded her head in response. She told him that she had an older brother, who was a Chuunin from Yukigakure. But that she no longer knew where he was and that she was going to try her best to find him. He wished her luck genuinely.

There was nothing worse than being seperated from one's family especially if the family member was the only person close. Though he couldn't really understand her feelings as well because he had never been seperated from his family in a way that she was with her brother. But he knew how it felt to be missing family as he often felt towards his wife and children when he had to spend nights out on the ocean. Or simply just being away from them hurt. He was certain that her brother was alive and well and they would meet again very soon one day. Dear God, she hoped so. She needed her brother so so much. Where was he--?

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[❥;; bexx]

She was still thinking about her brother when Ren announced that the rabbit was good to eat. She grimaced at the sight of the cooked animal, unsure whether she could even put it in her mouth, much less force it down her throat. But she decided that it was best if she could think of it as another animal. Chicken or pork perhaps? She pictured grilled chicken or something to take her mind off of the fact that she was about to put a piece of rabbit in her mouth. He handed her a big piece of the meat, urging her to eat it. "For what it's worth, it actually tastes really good, lass!" He probably saw the look of distaste written all over her face and wanted to reassure her.

She had no problem with eating meat, any kind of meat except for rabbit. She was always guilt-ridden by the fact that they were perfectly cute animals that didn't have a notion of harm to the world. The fact that she was going to kill such an innocent animal was just not sitting well with her at all. But she took the piece of meat from Ren and took a bite gingerly. The taste of meat filled her mouth and she realized that it actually--tasted yummy. If nobody had told her that what she was eating was rabbit, she would have and could never have guessed. She began to take bigger bites of the piece of meat, swallowing it whole eventually. She hadn't expected herself to be this hungry. She wasn't much of an eater and often skipped dinner. Perhaps the exercise from swimming in the ocean had made her hungry after all.

She smiled as she chewed on the meat and Ren was happy to see that she was actually eating. At least there was one thing he didn't have to worry about. He tore a bit more out of the rabbit from her and handed it to her. She ate happily, or as happily as she could eat. She finished off her portion of the food in a few minutes and she felt satisfied. Food often gave her satisfaction that nothing else could possibly par with. She thanked him for such a delicious meal as he had gone through all the trouble of catching the rabbit and then cooking it. He waved off her thank you and said that he was just glad she had enjoyed the food or else his efforts would have gone to waste.

After eating, she realized that she had not checked on her mission log since earlier that morning. It dawned upon her suddenly that her mission log may no longer be readable once it got into the water. Taking out the black book and flipping through the pages, she was disheartened to see that all the writing in it had pretty much faded when it came into contact with the water. She hated herself for not reading the logs earlier. Now there wasn't a chance for her to read them anymore. She put the book down with a thud beside her, realizing that she was now unable to make head or tail of the logs. So how else was she going to find her memory.

Night was about to fall on the island once they had stopped eating. The sun had already partially gone down and it would begin to grow darker and darker as more time passed. The breeze that was now sweeping over the island was a little chilly but not chilly enough for it cause much of a problem for her. There was still the blazing fire to keep her warm. She guessed that the only way for her to know what she had done during her life in Yuki, she was either going to have to dream about it or meet someone that was originally from there.

[Sayomi]

Bex: 60 exp

[-- pity;;]

Sailing! It was an interesting thing, not something that I had done very often but still an activity that I found to be quite enjoyable... that is, until the weather gets stormy. I had spent the entirety of the previous day floating around the coastline in a sailboat, enjoying the feel of the cool breeze, the sting of salt, and the warmth of the sun against my bare, red-tinted skin. The dyed orange hair that fell from my shoulders was without tie, flowing freely around my exposed shoulders as I had held onto the pole of my sailing boat.

When the storm had hit, with the gargantuan waves coming to push against the boat, I had moored myself on the beach in order to wait it out. I wasn't exactly sure where I was; the coastline didn't have any definite landmarks that I was familiar with. I only knew that I was somewhere within the domain of Hi no Kuni, the land that hosted the legendary ninja village of Konoha, and that the sailing adventure was fun. Sitting on the beach, underneath a tree that was misplaced on the coast, I looked out at the murky waters and gasped. If my eyes weren't deceiving me, I had seen a boat struggling out in the water!

"Those poor people..." I thought to myself as I considered the possibility of going out to help them. However, I knew that I would never risk myself in such a manner for people that I had never met. Instead, I found myself leaning against the tree and allowing myself to drift off into a semi-peaceful sleep. When I awoke, the sun was still not peaking over the horizon, although the hints of red would have suggested to me that dawn would be within the next hour. With a shrug, I'd stand up and stretch, letting myself work the muscles that had been without movement for a few hours. When I was finished, I would look back at towards the island in the far distance, and I found myself pondering the fate of the people.

If they had died, and their bodies had washed ashore, I could probably loot them for whatever possessions they might have had with them. If they were alive, it couldn't hurt to help them get back to shore... something I'm sure that I would be grateful for if the roles had been reversed. With a decision made, I made my way towards my sail boat, using my strength to push the sailboat back into the water as I began directing my way towards the distant island.

The trip was rather long, for it was amazing how far the eye could see when there were no physical obstructions to block them. By the time that I began to arrive towards the island, the light of dawn would be just beginning to break. I made my way around the island as best as I could, trying my best to keep on the lookout for washed up bodies. It was then that I saw the gentle appearance of gray smoke rising a little bit away. A fire meant that the people had likely survived. I wondered what the people would look like...?

I continued to sail on, until I could come within hailing distance, where a soft call of 'Hello!" would likely be heard by anyone who had survived the night.

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[❥;; bexx]

[[OOC: Last Post that I had typed up before I noticed your post Devious. My next will answer yours accordingly. I apologize :x]

She could feel fatigue was over her at that very moment. Even though she had slept for a relatively long time the night before, she felt unusually tired as she sat staring at the flames of the fire. She guessed that it was because of her swim in the ocean. The cutting chill of the water mixed with the exertion of her body had taken more of a toll than she thought. She began to drift off to sleep even while sitting but forced herself to stay away. There was nothing to do around in the deserted islands but that didn't mean that she could just sleep. She was somewhat paranoid; thinking that there were people or things which lurked behind the vast number of trees in the area. "If you're sleepy then take a nap, lass." He had caught on that she was sleepy. Giving him a sigh, she would shake her head. :No I'm fine." was her simponse.

And that was the reason why she didn't even notice when she laid back on the sand, her head touching the gentle yet warm particles beneath her and closed her eyes. Every muscle in her body was starting to relax and it would take less than a few seconds before she would enter the realm of sleep and dreams. All of the worries of the day were now being unburdened as the figure closed her eyes. It was rather annoying when she fell asleep without the intention of wanting to. Even though her mind screamed for her to sleep, she often found herself going against the wishes of her body, making it even more tired out than it had to be. But no matter, she was definitely tired and for once she would gladly welcome the notion of sleep and dreams. There wasn't

As she lay back, Ren would look at her, while his mind was in a place of its own. He was thinking of his family and the unconsciously think about her brother. In essence she was just a customer to him, like every other customer he had met. But what made her so different? It definitely had nothing to do with age, as he had noted from the beginning that she was only seventeen. A shining new light in the new world, he knew she would be. But there seemed to be something else about her that interested him. Maybe it was because she kept everything so secretive, as though if any of it was let out she would find herself in great life-threatening situations. He had only recently discovered her real name, which to him was a start.

He put more twigs into the fire as the flames began to die out a little. He had remembered how difficult it was for her to keep warm. He recalled when she had first got on his boat and had spent the first night out in the ocean how her skin had turned almost dangerously blue because she couldn't take the sudden drop in temperature. She had forgotten how different it was between ocean and land during the night and probably was not prepared for the sudden chills. She seemed like such a strong girl, that had the ultimate weakness of cold. But wasn't Snow Village naturally cold? He would have guessed it was just by the name of the village.

Ah but then he remembered that it had probably been awhile since she had last lived in areas remotely cold like the snow village. He recalled what it was like when the war had ensued, taking down the villages that were less populated and also killing the people within it. He had heard many rumors about how people struggled to survive, especially the shinobi. They were forced to kill each other in order to have a chance of escaping. He wondered whether she had been part of the war. But it seemed that she had lost her memory so even if she had been she wouldn't remember. It would have been horrible having to be caught in between a war and being so young.

[❥;; bexx]

And it would seem that both Ren and Sayuri would have fallen asleep at some point during the long night on the mysterious island. He remembered trying to think of ways to continue their journey to their destination. Now that the boat had abadoned them they had no way of getting back into the waters. He had finally settled at some point during his pondering that he was going to probably have to wake up early in the morning to make a raft or something of that nature to help them make it back into the waters. He had just settled on that idea when he found himself getting really tired too and that it was best for him to retire for the night. And that was what had happened as he stretched out on the sand after adding a few more logs to the burning fire. 

It was technically an undisturbed sleep for both parties at best. For Sayuri, it surprised her that she had actually managed to sleep one night without being plagued with any kind of dreams. Dreams usually decided to plague her every day and though none of them were nightmares, she was rather happy that there was a night where she could just sleep. And it proved that she would wake up feeling a little more refreshed than before as a result. It was also because she had gone to sleep early the night before. But one thing was true; undisturbed sleep was definitely much more preferred. 

The crack of dawn would be about the time she first opened her eyes. The day was just shining through, the sun peeking out of the clouds. She turned her head and noticed that Ren was still fast asleep. He had had a long day the day before and deserved more sleep than she did. She sat up on the sandy beach dusting herself off any sand particles especially in her hair. She realized that she must look quite unpleasant at that moment as expected from someone who had battled through a storm and was literally taking refuge on an uninhabited island. She got up to stretch out her arms and legs noticing that the fire from the day before was but ashes now, with the exception of smoke which trailed.  

She decided that it would be best if she at least tried to clean up her appearance a little before Ren woke up and the day would officially begin. She walked towards the water again and took a look at the reflection in the water. Indeed, she was definitely not a pretty sight at all. Taking off her clothes and also the hair ties from her hair she would descend into the chilling waters. Taking somewhat of a bath in the ocean was the perfect way to get her self clean. While she did this she also tried to clean some of the sand off her clothing as best she could. Her suit was definitely not looking appealing. But at least she had something to wear. 

It was as she got out of the water and was redressing when she first saw the sailboat coming towards them. From the distance at first glance she couldn't tell if the boat was actually coming towards them. And then when she was certain that it was she was not too trusting of the craft. From where she was standing she couldn't make out the figure that was sailing towards them. But she guessed she would soon find out. Hurrying back to where she had been lying asleep for the night, she retrieved her katana and walked back to the waters, watching as the sailboat neared. Was the boat there to save them? Had the owner or owners of the boat seen them the night before?

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[-- pity;;]

It would seem that nobody had heard my greeting from earlier, which made me wonder if, perhaps, the people who had survived long enough to create a fire had somehow died during the night? Unlikely, I thought to myself; much more plausible that they were still asleep or the like. However, that proved to be incorrect as I noticed the appearance of a woman walking my way, a weapon in her hand and a wary look upon her face. I suppose that it would be sort of unappealing to them to have survived a storm and lose their boat only to be slaughtered like lambs by a random passerby.

I mentally shrugged and smiled, waving at the girl and calling out once more, "Hello!" I continued to maneuver the sail boat towards the shore, where I would finally allow it to wash gently against the sand before stepping off. Looking around, I'd see that light would be beginning to spill over the horizon. Given the appearance that I had, you know, orange hair and red-tinted skin and sunburnt eyes, I hoped that I would appear to this woman as a demon. The last thing I needed was a superstitious person trying to kill me when I was only going to help them.

"I saw your boat from the shore," I turned and pointed, "yesterday during the storm. Since I only had the sailboat, I knew it would be unsafe for me to go into these waters myself, but I prayed that you were safe and came to see if you and your traveling companions were safe. It pleases me beyond a doubt that to see that you are alive." The smoothness of my lies was very easy. Growing up in the world that I did, of politics and maneuvering and making sure your family was seen as proper had given me the ability to speak clearly and easily about the opposite of my intentions. I was a bit put off that the people and lived and that there would be no looting, but I wasn't the kind of warrioress who would take advantage of the misbegotten and disadvantageous for a quick buck. I liked a challenge, and I felt that there would be none here.

So I would be nice and offer to escort the woman off of the island and back to the shore. Maybe someday she'd remember it and would be able to help me out, too.

"Did you, or any of your companions, need a lift back to shore? I only have enough room for one person at a time, though. Too many people would capsize the sail boat, you know."

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[❥;; bexx]

She had heard a voice before she actually saw the person that spoke. Apparently she had missed the greeting the first time the stranger gave it. She was still on-guard, her hand on the hilt of her sword and waiting as the sailboat came into view. It was a rather small craft despite it being called a sailboat but it was better in maneuvering than the boat that Ren had been paddling. It was certainly a bit more security she realized as it came even closer. She wondered why this craft could possibly be drawing near them, a dozen different options appearing in her head. The most normal assumption was that the inhabitants of the boat had seen their own boat collide with a wave and had come to see if there were survivors. It seemed like the most human thing to do; assuming they were human enough to have sympathy in the slightest.

A figure that looked more like a demon would greet her as she got down from the sailboat and onto the sandy beach. Orange hair gleamed under the low sunlight of the rising sun. The person that had hollered from the sailboat was a girl and from the looks of her, she couldn't be much older than Sayuri. She would approach her and begin talking. The first impression that the girl gave her was that she was a little too full of energy, almost like a child with her overly energetic wave and then her flowing speech. Despite her appearance she definitely didn't seem like a demon. But then again, she couldn't just depend on the word seem to judge people. There were lots of insane people that looked normal these days--she being one of them. She would see what this stranger wanted and then go from there.

As she spoke, she gestured to the point at the ocean where they had been thrown off their boat and was forced to swim to the island shores. So she was a nice passerby that just happened to find herself there and wanting to help them out. As unconvincing as it sounded, she bought the story. There was no harm in buying stories no matter how perfect or how too perfect they seemed. She was definitely in no position to question since the girl could have just left them there. As she offered to bring them back to the shore of wherever they were going, she would think for a moment. Her sailboat was only big enough to fit one other person at a time and so sailing her and Ren together was a no-no. But they didn't even have a destination. So she was at a complete loss. Though she kinda had to answer the girl--to be polite and all.

"I have one other companion, he's still sleeping over there and he's my boatman. He's the one with the direction sense." She waved her hand vaguely to where Ren was still lying on the sand, fast asleep. She would think for a moment for the best solution. If she had no destination in mind and had been sailing just out of randomness the thought of either her or Ren following this girl was kind of useless and a waste of time. Instead she would excuse herself and run over to Ren to wake him up. He was the one that knew where they had originally wanted to go. Or at least he had had a plan. After shaking him a few times, he would rouse from his deep slumber and then look around, blinking a few times. It was after a few moments that he remembered where he was and then saw the orange-haired girl.

He approached her after a big yawn and flashed a big smile, his chestnut brown hair a little unkempt from the roughness of the day before. But his white teeth and big brown eyes were still quite intact. He had heard what Sayuri had said about them going on her sailboat. It wasn't a bad idea but since they hadn't really confirmed a location to go to, he thought it was best that he offered a suggestion. "Miss wantin' to go somewhere? We were plannin' on going to Tetsu no Kuni." Sayuri would look at him with widened eyes. When the hell did they say they were going to Tetsu no Kuni. In fact, where the hell was that anyway. A look of disbelief was written all over her face.

[-- pity;;]

(I apologize for my short post. I'm really tired. ^^;

Ah, to have the sense of a budding relationship. It wasn't often that I thought that I might have found a friend, but here it was in the most unlikely of places. The heat the raged inside of my soul, the trademark authority of those who were born of my forsaken clan, soared as I contemplated the fact that I might actually have a travel companion. Most of the time, I like to appear tough and gruff, but at heart I enjoy companions as much as any other person, so long as they didn't ask me to go too far out of my way for things.

As it happened, I had no particular plans to be anywhere; rather, I had simply wanted to sail around for a while. However, if the plan was to go to Tetsu no Kuni, I certainly wouldn't mind escorting these two fine people there. I nodded my head once, then spoke.

"I wouldn't mind a trip to Tetsu no Kuni," I said. "However, I think it would probably be safer for us if we went to the shore and walked the way. I love my boat, but I'm not sure about its ability to handle the weight of all three of us as well as make it all the way to that foreign land. It would be a real downer we repeated the same fate you guys just encountered, right?" I laughed softly, allowing myself to feel the moment of mirth. How rare of form I was in today, indeed.

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[❥;; bexx]

[[No worries this post equally sucks :[ I bblame early morning]]

Sayuri was still looking at Ren with a surprised expression. When had they decided to go to this random place called Tetsu no Kuni? She had never heard of the country--nobody had told her about such a place. She didn't even know it existed! She shot him a look which questioned him. Wasn't their original plan either to pick Kamanari no Kuni or Tsuchi no Kuni? She must have missed the memo somewhere down the line then. Ren returned her gaze with an innocent look. But she would soon find the reason behind his request for going to Tetsu. He nodded his head once at the orange haired girl's comment, obviously buying her suggestion. It would take longer was all.

"Tetsu no Kuni is the shortest distance from here." he explained. Apparently he had already had this plan all figured out when they landed on this isolated island. "Walkin' the shore ain't a problem either. Since it's close, we'll get there fast, walkin' or sailin'" he continued. He'd been on these waters for such a long time now that any landmarks big or small would be engraved in his mind. He didn't even need a map sometimes; which in and of itself was astonishing. He looked out to the ocean and then left and right. It was clear that he already found the path they would take to Tetsu no Kuni. 

Sayuri looked at the orange haired girl and wondered where she came from. She knew that every person had their own story and that this story helped shape who they were today. The idea of meeting a strange girl on an island wasn't that surprising but she was definitely going to be cautious. After all, everyone she had met on Hi no Kuni felt like they wanted to take her head or something. She nodded at what Ren said knowing that she could rely on his skills to get her anywhere. Her mind was thinking about the girl still, troubled at the unknown. She decided to at least put her mind to ease a little. There was no harm trying to get to know someone better, was there?

"So I didn't catch your name" she said casually, addressing the stranger. Her tone was light and her smile half genuine. Though she was a master in acting, only acting like a nice good girl, she didn't want to make her smile too fake. She still respected the girl enough to know that she had good intentions. Rather, she guessed she did. If not, then Sayuri would just have to kill her. Simple solution was simple. She would carry on to tell her her name. It still felt really weird that she was using her real name now. "My name is Sayuri." She deliberately left out her last name. Unless she was a shinobi, she wouldn't know of her clan nor her kekkei genkai. 

As she waited for an answer, she saw that Ren had motioned them to begin walking to the right. Apparently small islands connected one from another which formed a kind of fort shape. As long as they followed the paths of the island and then traverse a tiny distance on water, they would get to Tetsu in no time. He was wondering what she was going to do about her sailboat though. "So what'cha gonna do with that boat? If you trust me enough I'll take ya boat to where y'all will be so that it can take ya the lil ways to Tetsu from the last island." That was perhaps the only approach they had unless the girl wanted to keep the boat on the shore of this island.

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[-- pity;;]

It looked like the trip to Tetsu no Kuni was going to be underway. It brought a gentle smile to my face - an adventure sounded grand right now. The reason I had been sailing had been to kill monotony, and just for trying to help two random strangers I was going to have more fun things to do. It was as I was thinking about this that the girl would speak again, asking my name and jolting me out of my own thoughts.

The shattered reverie caused me to pause a moment before I spoke, and in that time the other girl had given her name - Sayuri. I half nodded at the thought and then decided to give my own.

"My name is Awayaka, although I'm sure that many people simply call me Awa for short." Like Sayuri, I opted to not give my last name. Although I had chosen a new name for myself, one that wasn't tainted with connections to the clan that I had been born and raised into, if she didn't feel comfortable with giving me more than just a first name then that would be all that I was comfortable with giving her. "You may do the same if you'd like, though I have no preference."

It was only then that I had been pointed in the direction of the small paths that lead to a chain of islands. The paths seemed to expand outwards for quite a while. It would seem as though my well-intentioned maneuver of being a savior was utterly unnecessary, for they could have walked to shore without the aid of my boat. The smile that had been on my face halfway fell, though I remembered at the last moment to keep my emotions in check and managed to keep my mouth curved slightly upwards. The man, whose name I had yet to hear, asked what I intended to do with my boat.

My original intent had been to sail the two back to the mainland and walk from there, but it would seem that that was no longer necessary. I considered my options - One, I could sail off and leave the two who no longer needed my help on their own. Two, I could sail along the side and meet the two of them at the edge of the island chain, or three, I could walk with the girl while the man whose name I hadn't even been given took off with my boat to who-knows-where. The more that I thought about this, the more that I found myself rather unwilling to part with the thing.

Shaking my head slightly, I'd say, "I've just met you people, and I don't even know your name. I'm not really comfortable giving my boat away to a stranger, you understand. How about I sail down to the last island and then the three of us can take off together into Tetsu?" Without really waiting for an answer, I would begin to push my boat back out into the sea, hopping onto it whenever it was within the water and waving.

"I'll meet you at the last island, alright?" I said, and then would begin to sail along the coastlines towards that final spot.

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