A Suzanne production:
Twenty Six
Published at Thursday, November 26, 2009, 8:59 AM
‘Hey, Hirei… Have you ever wondered what’s out there?’ said Midori after a moment of silence as I looked over at her while maintaining my hold on the fishing rod. ‘You know, like what weird creatures are there, how big the plants are, how green the grass is… Wouldn’t it be nice to go an adventure and see all these sights?’
I simply shook my head. I have always been on Amatsu and have never dreamed of leaving the island even though it was tough to be here. In truth, I was even more afraid of going somewhere I was unfamiliar with. I then realized that Midori was looking forward at the sea with a focused look on her face, unaware of my replying gesture.
‘No,’ I said loudly as she blinked and turned her attention to me. ‘I haven’t really given it any thought, but I guess I do wonder how it’s like sometimes.’
‘Well, my biggest wish is to sit on a boat off to Alberta, the Rune Midgard Kingdom!’ Midori announced ambitiously. ‘I heard that the Rune Midgard Kingdom is really huge with many cities larger than Amatsu! They even have really cute creatures there, like animated jellies and plants! There are dangerous monsters there too. And the best part about it all is that a lot of people would train to fight under different guilds like the Ninja Guild and Samurai Guild here, then leave their homes and go on adventure across the land, even when they are just teenagers!’
‘How could that be possible?’ Mini Hirei butted in, startled. He has moved back to my right shoulder when I had a haircut after Midori’s fainting incident. ‘Imagine yourself learning Ninja moves eight years from now and running around Amatsu five times a day seeing different things, fighting off bad guys.’
‘T-That is incredible!’ I answered hesitantly, partly unconvinced and partly impressed. ‘How do you know about all of this anyway?’
‘The merchants who frequent Alberta tell me all sorts of tales! On that note, did you know that there’s even a Merchant Guild training warriors, too? Also, I’ve been reading this!’ Midori forced her fishing rod into my hand as she hopped onto her feet, digging into her bag for something. She grinned widely once she had found it, throwing what seemed to be a thin book onto the ground. I leaned forward to take a better look at it. The front cover was a picture of a green haired man in a relatively furry outfit with a bow and arrow in his hands, accompanied by an elegant, brown feathered eagle perched obediently on his shoulders. There was a large headline smacked right across his hair, along with smaller texts that were scattered around the page.
I turned looked up at Midori curiously, interested to learn more. She laughed after realizing that I did not have a free hand to browse through the book, sat down and flipped through it slowly for my convenience.
‘This is called a magazine from the Rune Midgard Kingdom printing press. It’s like a book, but it contains articles about different topics and is published on a regular basis. And this one’s all about archery! The Archer Guild of the official guilds there, and is one of the basic jobs an adventurer can choose,’ Midori explained eagerly, showing pages of Archers striking monsters with their bows and arrows. ‘Archers are skilled at marksmanship, and can upgrade themselves to a Hunter and a Dancer or a Bard. They’re really interesting! If I do get to Alberta, I’ll go to the Archer Village at Payon and train to become an Archer.’
‘You… You’re planning to leave Amatsu?’ I asked timidly.
‘Why not? My parents don’t mind helping me realize my wish. Not forgetting that I have relatives who are Samurais,’ Midori beamed. ‘It’s not that I don’t like Amatsu, I just think that the world is so big that’ll be a waste not exploring its wonders. I’ve been here for eight years already, I think it’s high time I experience something new.’
‘Midori… if you don’t mind me asking…’ I started hesitantly, biting my lips as I went. ‘You say you’re going to die young but… when exactly?’
Midori crossed her arms, her left hand under her chin in a thinking position as she rolled her red eyes. ‘Um, well… I reckon that I have a few more years to go? If I take good care of my health, I’ll be fine. But I won’t be able to live pass thirteen,’ she answered coolly, unbothered by her grim fate. ‘If I leave by next year, I guess I’ll have about three or four years of exploring. But before I leave Amatsu for the big world, I wanna see the sakura trees bloom!’
My heart sank as my eyes fell to the two fishing rods in my hands, my fingers fiddling with them nervously. I could tell what the hidden meaning behind her words was – she was confident that the sakura trees would bloom again during my fifth birthday, even after they have lost its glow for four years.
‘I can’t… I still can’t be as cheerful and positive as you are, Midori. I’ve been trying my best, but I always have doubts about myself.’ I said with a frown. ‘Aren’t you afraid of making aspirations like that? Aspirations that rely on something or someone that is not certain to happen. Especially someone like me, who can’t seem to do anything right.’
‘All you need is my faith, right?’ Midori smiled brightly, placing both her hands on my shoulders. Her red eyes were resting heavily on mine, yet I felt a certain lightness in my body. ‘I believe that your white hair is a symbol of peace. I believe that there’s nothing unlucky about you. And because you have my faith, the sakura trees will bloom on your birthday, and I’ll be able to realize my dream, and you’ll be just fine!’
I nodded slowly, a promise to Midori that I will be myself to do the best I can. She lifted her hands away from my shoulders, took her fishing rod back and sat herself down quietly on the ground once more.
‘You know what? Just for fun, why don’t we make a bet on which side would win the war?’ said Midori. ‘That would also mean that you’re betting that the side you’re betting for will be able to make their guild official.’
‘Can I just bet for a draw?’ I asked innocently.
‘Of course not, you have to choose a side. I call dibs on the Samurais!’ said Midori as I gapped my mouth in dismay. ‘No, I’m the only one that can bet for the Samurais, for obvious reasons. You’ll be on the Ninjas side, alright?’
‘Huh… Whatever happened to the part about choosing?’ I sighed, the both of us ended up in laughter. ‘What are we betting for anyway?’
Midori tapped her feet on the surface of the water as she thought hard, forming ripples that went further from her feet. ‘We’re not betting any material items, of course. If I win… well, you’ll have to shave your head bald and give me a lock of your hair!’
My face cringed while Mini Hirei was applauding the suggestion. ‘Please do, please do, it’ll make my stay on him a much pleasurable job,’ said Mini Hirei as he patted my shoulder with his little palm. ‘Sorry big guy, I’m rooting for her to win.’
‘Ooookay… That’s just… weird…’ I answered apprehensively. ‘Then what happens if I win?’
Midori giggled, staring interestedly at her feet. She had a sly smile on her face, which made me feel uncomfortable thinking of what ideas she may come up with. She turned to me and raised her right hand into a fist, her pinky poking out into the air. ‘If you win, then I’ll give you a kiss. Promise?’
My fishing rod almost slipped out of my grips when I heard the idea, Mini Hirei responded with a playful whistle. ‘W-What kind of bet is that?’ I asked, puzzled. Somehow, my face started to grow a little hotter, but I did not understand what was happening. Surely, she is not going to just give me a kiss when I win while I was putting all my hair on the line?
‘Don’t ask, just promise, okay?’ Midori smiled as she nudged her fist forward. I sighed in defeat, knowing that it was pointless arguing. Nodding back in agreement, I raised my right fist, linked our pinky fingers together and sealed our promise.
***
I simply shook my head. I have always been on Amatsu and have never dreamed of leaving the island even though it was tough to be here. In truth, I was even more afraid of going somewhere I was unfamiliar with. I then realized that Midori was looking forward at the sea with a focused look on her face, unaware of my replying gesture.
‘No,’ I said loudly as she blinked and turned her attention to me. ‘I haven’t really given it any thought, but I guess I do wonder how it’s like sometimes.’
‘Well, my biggest wish is to sit on a boat off to Alberta, the Rune Midgard Kingdom!’ Midori announced ambitiously. ‘I heard that the Rune Midgard Kingdom is really huge with many cities larger than Amatsu! They even have really cute creatures there, like animated jellies and plants! There are dangerous monsters there too. And the best part about it all is that a lot of people would train to fight under different guilds like the Ninja Guild and Samurai Guild here, then leave their homes and go on adventure across the land, even when they are just teenagers!’
‘How could that be possible?’ Mini Hirei butted in, startled. He has moved back to my right shoulder when I had a haircut after Midori’s fainting incident. ‘Imagine yourself learning Ninja moves eight years from now and running around Amatsu five times a day seeing different things, fighting off bad guys.’
‘T-That is incredible!’ I answered hesitantly, partly unconvinced and partly impressed. ‘How do you know about all of this anyway?’
‘The merchants who frequent Alberta tell me all sorts of tales! On that note, did you know that there’s even a Merchant Guild training warriors, too? Also, I’ve been reading this!’ Midori forced her fishing rod into my hand as she hopped onto her feet, digging into her bag for something. She grinned widely once she had found it, throwing what seemed to be a thin book onto the ground. I leaned forward to take a better look at it. The front cover was a picture of a green haired man in a relatively furry outfit with a bow and arrow in his hands, accompanied by an elegant, brown feathered eagle perched obediently on his shoulders. There was a large headline smacked right across his hair, along with smaller texts that were scattered around the page.
BULLSEYE!
Marks the Spot for the Hottest Bow Tricks!
Zhen Maruti
Delve into the Life of Rune Midgard’s Newest Sniping Hearthrob
Dress to Kill
Learn How to Gear Up in Style
Phantasmic Arrow
The New Trick to Shoot Without Arrows
Hode Hunting
An Old Sport Made New
Bows and Music
Why Dancers and Bards Should Keep Sniping
I turned looked up at Midori curiously, interested to learn more. She laughed after realizing that I did not have a free hand to browse through the book, sat down and flipped through it slowly for my convenience.
‘This is called a magazine from the Rune Midgard Kingdom printing press. It’s like a book, but it contains articles about different topics and is published on a regular basis. And this one’s all about archery! The Archer Guild of the official guilds there, and is one of the basic jobs an adventurer can choose,’ Midori explained eagerly, showing pages of Archers striking monsters with their bows and arrows. ‘Archers are skilled at marksmanship, and can upgrade themselves to a Hunter and a Dancer or a Bard. They’re really interesting! If I do get to Alberta, I’ll go to the Archer Village at Payon and train to become an Archer.’
‘You… You’re planning to leave Amatsu?’ I asked timidly.
‘Why not? My parents don’t mind helping me realize my wish. Not forgetting that I have relatives who are Samurais,’ Midori beamed. ‘It’s not that I don’t like Amatsu, I just think that the world is so big that’ll be a waste not exploring its wonders. I’ve been here for eight years already, I think it’s high time I experience something new.’
‘Midori… if you don’t mind me asking…’ I started hesitantly, biting my lips as I went. ‘You say you’re going to die young but… when exactly?’
Midori crossed her arms, her left hand under her chin in a thinking position as she rolled her red eyes. ‘Um, well… I reckon that I have a few more years to go? If I take good care of my health, I’ll be fine. But I won’t be able to live pass thirteen,’ she answered coolly, unbothered by her grim fate. ‘If I leave by next year, I guess I’ll have about three or four years of exploring. But before I leave Amatsu for the big world, I wanna see the sakura trees bloom!’
My heart sank as my eyes fell to the two fishing rods in my hands, my fingers fiddling with them nervously. I could tell what the hidden meaning behind her words was – she was confident that the sakura trees would bloom again during my fifth birthday, even after they have lost its glow for four years.
‘I can’t… I still can’t be as cheerful and positive as you are, Midori. I’ve been trying my best, but I always have doubts about myself.’ I said with a frown. ‘Aren’t you afraid of making aspirations like that? Aspirations that rely on something or someone that is not certain to happen. Especially someone like me, who can’t seem to do anything right.’
‘All you need is my faith, right?’ Midori smiled brightly, placing both her hands on my shoulders. Her red eyes were resting heavily on mine, yet I felt a certain lightness in my body. ‘I believe that your white hair is a symbol of peace. I believe that there’s nothing unlucky about you. And because you have my faith, the sakura trees will bloom on your birthday, and I’ll be able to realize my dream, and you’ll be just fine!’
I nodded slowly, a promise to Midori that I will be myself to do the best I can. She lifted her hands away from my shoulders, took her fishing rod back and sat herself down quietly on the ground once more.
‘You know what? Just for fun, why don’t we make a bet on which side would win the war?’ said Midori. ‘That would also mean that you’re betting that the side you’re betting for will be able to make their guild official.’
‘Can I just bet for a draw?’ I asked innocently.
‘Of course not, you have to choose a side. I call dibs on the Samurais!’ said Midori as I gapped my mouth in dismay. ‘No, I’m the only one that can bet for the Samurais, for obvious reasons. You’ll be on the Ninjas side, alright?’
‘Huh… Whatever happened to the part about choosing?’ I sighed, the both of us ended up in laughter. ‘What are we betting for anyway?’
Midori tapped her feet on the surface of the water as she thought hard, forming ripples that went further from her feet. ‘We’re not betting any material items, of course. If I win… well, you’ll have to shave your head bald and give me a lock of your hair!’
My face cringed while Mini Hirei was applauding the suggestion. ‘Please do, please do, it’ll make my stay on him a much pleasurable job,’ said Mini Hirei as he patted my shoulder with his little palm. ‘Sorry big guy, I’m rooting for her to win.’
‘Ooookay… That’s just… weird…’ I answered apprehensively. ‘Then what happens if I win?’
Midori giggled, staring interestedly at her feet. She had a sly smile on her face, which made me feel uncomfortable thinking of what ideas she may come up with. She turned to me and raised her right hand into a fist, her pinky poking out into the air. ‘If you win, then I’ll give you a kiss. Promise?’
My fishing rod almost slipped out of my grips when I heard the idea, Mini Hirei responded with a playful whistle. ‘W-What kind of bet is that?’ I asked, puzzled. Somehow, my face started to grow a little hotter, but I did not understand what was happening. Surely, she is not going to just give me a kiss when I win while I was putting all my hair on the line?
‘Don’t ask, just promise, okay?’ Midori smiled as she nudged her fist forward. I sighed in defeat, knowing that it was pointless arguing. Nodding back in agreement, I raised my right fist, linked our pinky fingers together and sealed our promise.
***
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Current Word Count: 36,424
Labels: NaNoMadness, The Eminent Guardians
