Printable View
http://i570.photobucket.com/albums/s...ps35u89yhs.jpg
Rozan, also known as the Five Ancient Peaks is a place located on the outskirts of the Land of Rain. It is a forest area surrounded by a great waterfall, whose waters, according to the legend, have the power to rejuvenate and empower any who bathe in it.
A girl in her early twenties was approaching this area. She seemed to have been put together like a doll. She had extremely pale skin and small circular eye brows like someone lost in time, though obviously too young for that to be the case. Her eyes rested at a pale purple with pupils clearly showing. As she moved she seemed to carry herself with a rather regal air, wearing clogs on her feet as she moved about in an ornately decorated kimono. Above all else she had long luxurious white locks which were put in in an extreme fashion. Several different decorative pieces used to hold together her hair, including a crown with a giant red moon adorning it. She approached the falls seeking a very specific man she expected to find there, and had spent a great deal of time doing exactly that.
As she took in the look of the area she knew it was what she was looking for. She remembered it from her very early childhood, though, she didn't remember all the stuff immediately outside of this area which is why her journey had taken so long. It had been several years and the world that she'd known had changed drastically in that time. But this little place in the waterfall seemed timeless. "Eh, it didn't change... maybe he moved it?" she questioned aloud.
"Iie. I haven't moved anywhere." This response to the young woman's open query came from a man who looked to be only in his thirties. He also had locks of hair that were long and white, which were pulled into a bun while two streaks were left on either side of his head to drape down his torso. He sported an equally ornate kimono, primarily red in color. His appearance left him sitting cross-leged at the edge of the cliff facing the waterfall, though the man himself faced his visitor. "Ohayou gozaimasu, Narumi. It has been many moons since I've seen you in person."
"If you haven't moved it, then why was it so hard to find?" the girl questioned, seeming to pout. By her own approximation it had taken her far too long to get back here, without there being a proper explanation for why it was necessary. Even so, she was soon greeted by the man who looked exactly as she'd always remembered him looking for the duration of her childhood. Of course, she knew and understood this man to not be concerned with the mortal toils of aging and the like. Even so, it was a bit surprising to know he simply didn't change much at all. "Sugei, Ojii-sama hasn't changed at all. Ohayou!~" the girl said bowing to the man as all probably should, and using said bow to forgo the normal greeting ritual practiced by her clan. In her own mind, there was no reason to test her power against this man's since he was the one who handed out the power, his skills were not to be questioned. She soon looked to the serenity of this place and frowned. "Oi, isn't it lonely here? I was bored trying to find you this whole time, and you just sit here, forever?" she asked genuinely curious.
"Because the time was not right for you to find me. This place can only be located - can only be seen - when I wish it so." The man had much reason to disallow this individual from his location for the amount of time he did. Now was the right time, and this young woman would surely understand sooner than later. "I am surprised you've come to me of your own will, though. What brings you?" he asked. Of course, there was also the question posed by this lass about the lonely nature of these waterfalls. He never thought about things in such a way. "Until my successor rises, I will be steadfast. I may be alone, but I am always watching the outside world, so I never feel loneliness. I've been watching you grow up this entire time."
"Oh great, you're the reason I got to wander around for almost a decade. Ojii-sama, that is a bit extreme," the young woman mentioned. About seven or eight years prior to this one, Youko had wiped out the Blood Cult. As a result the girl had come to find the Sage, seeking to get what she needed. The man before her had once told her when she was ready, she should return, and the fall of the Blood Cult had declared her readiness, at least in her own mind. When she thought about it though, she'd gotten to have several years of experience outside of the island that she likely wouldn't have gotten otherwise. "But, I suppose, seeing the world was good too," she added at the end.
As for the reason behind her coming back to this place, she looked at him strangely. She thought that would be obvious, but she wouldn't answer until after he'd cleared up her curiosities about his loneliness. "Sou ka, that's kind of comforting actually. But that only covers like the last two decades," the girl seemed to be rather astute. "As for why I am here, you told me to come back when I was ready. I had no reason not to return after the fall of the Blood Cult. I want to help the clan. They could use the knowledge I have, and become better. I can help them both with the old ways of the clan, and integrating the new way the world works. Most of them have never left the island, they don't know about all the other things going on in the world," she said. Leading the clan back to being a prosperous group was her only real goal. Beyond that, she had no real idea what the Sage wished for her when he told her to return, she simply followed his instructions as dutifully as possible.
"Sometimes, extremes are necessary for proper growth. Just look at how you've turned out." Apparently, the lass called Narumi had come back due to his own advice to her, though she seemed to have taken the wrong meaning in his words from prior years. "You have strong motives. That willingness to help the others is what makes you the perfect queen. The fall of the Blood Cult was not the right time, though. Another Hunter rose to power then. Our brethren could not trust him because of his connection to their former oppressors. To return to being the queen, you must prove yourself to them in some way. Now that you're here, though, I can grant you the rest of your birthright. Oh! I forgot to mention, you've missed your brother twice now."
"Well, I mean, I guess I turned out okay," she said a slight blush coming to her face. The girl had utmost faith in herself and the man she was speaking to, but she wasn't used to the sort of compliment just paid her by him. She'd relish in the experience while the tender of the falls, explained why her previous time hadn't been the right time for her to take power. "Sou ka, I left around then. I figured that if I tried then, I'd end up in the same position I was before, with some family just using me to cement themselves where they didn't belong. I was also pretty young, and that tends to lead to a certain amount of distrust anyway," the girl explained her reasoning behind leaving to seek this man instead of simply trying to take charge initially. She supposed now she could see, that travelling the world and the like had given her a pretty good way to make it back. Beyond this there was the matter of the rest of her inheritance which she would now be receiving much to her own delight, but the white haired man's final sentence made the girl's eyes go wide. "Nani?! I missed him... TWICE!?!" she seemed to be upset by the idea that she'd missed visiting with her brother a sum total of two times. She assumed both to be in the time since the loss of the Blood Cult which made her a bit cross because she'd been wandering around for so long. "Oh, well, I guess it's fine. He doesn't know he's my brother anyway," she said looking the tiniest bit down trodden.
"That is precisely what would have happened," he replied. "At that tender age, you would have been subject to the manipulation of others who sought control after the cult was eliminated. Now that you've been out to see and learn the world at large, I believe you have the skills necessary to lead in a better way than you could have imagined before." As he spoke, the sage let his arms emerge from within his sleeves, preparing for the rites of which he spoke. Narumi seemed a bit perturbed by not being able to meet with her brother on two separate occasions, though she showed some level of understanding for the situation. "Twice, yes. He was here several moons ago, and he returned to the island very recently. True, he remains unaware of the relationship between you two, but I see no harm in him knowing... once you retake the crown."
"Hai hai, I'll do my best," the girl said after the man spoke of what would have happened if she'd tried taking over when she was much younger, and his present faith in her abilities to do so now. The man before her was now moving his hands about, preparing whatever rite he was going to use, as he did this, he explained the happenings of the young man they apparently both had some knowing of, and how it'd come to be that they hadn't seen each other. "Oh? He went back to the island then? Good. I saw him during the collapse of the Blood Cult, but I hadn't seen him since. And I am the one who told him to come here before... I didn't know if he actually would though. Most wouldn't just take the word of a small child," she said having distinct memories of showing the man the hidden places around their island home, after he stumbled upon her one day when she was really little. It was also confirmed that it was perfectly alright for her to reveal the information pertaining to their relationship after she retook the crown. "Hai!~" she chimed to that idea only to wonder what the man was doing now. "What is the rest of my birthright?" she finally had the presence of mind to ask, after the distraction of her brother in their conversation.
Moments after his hands protruded from his sleeves, the sage produced an ethereal dragon around him. This creature was golden in color, with eyes that glowed the same blue as his own. After petting the creature, he began drawing on either side of its neck with his forefinger. "A queen is a queen, no matter her age. Some people are still capable of respecting that. Others... must simply be guided to the proper path," he said. Following this assertion, his drawings came to an end. The dragon he created now bore markings very similar to the colliding swirls present on the man's forehead, with added calligraphy underneath. "The final piece to your birthright is something your dear brother had a hand in. He wouldn't know without seeing it, of course, but that doesn't matter. It's here. Your part of the Rozan." With that said, the sage waved his hand to send the dragon toward Narumi. It would do the lass no harm, but would enter her body on impact. Doing so would result in it becoming one with her, causing her to gain the markings it bore on her own flesh. "I expected you to receive yours before your brother, but this lucky coincidence made yours just a bit... different. You will love it; of that, I am sure."
"Hm, I suppose that is true," she knew many were capable of taking an order or two from her. Most would simply defer to her, of course, her own brother didn't know she was his sister at the time, but he'd treated her as a normal person, which was something she'd appreciated as a small child raised mostly in seclusion. She'd likely go back to that sort of lonely life, but perhaps her brother could do something about that. Moving right along, the white haired sage soon spoke of the inheritance he was going to give while drawing on a manifested dragon he'd created. "Oh? He did!? That's great," she said seemingly happy to have something which was in some way influenced by her brother. Soon enough the dragon being conjured was sent her way and she didn't run from it. It simply made contact and absorbed into her body, and it was apparently something the man she was with thought she would like. It was said the part of the Rozan which belonged to her, and she had knowledge that this man was one who gave moons to people, she deserved more than just that, and received equally to what she deserved. "Sugoi!~ Arigatou Gozaimasu~" the girl said bowing once more. The mark she'd gained from absorbing the dragon had formed on the left side of her neck in gentle red filigree which created the small swirl present on the sage's forehead and also another mark the likes of which the girl had never seen before, and wouldn't be seeing presently. "Wait, what do you mean it is different?" she asked, seeming to have forgotten that until she realized she wouldn't know what different meant in this case.
Narumi accepted his gift without question, much to the sage's expectation. Within seconds, he could already feel the development within her. She wondered what the difference was between this seal of hers and the original power meant to be bestowed upon her. "Each Blue Moon differs from the last. I have passed unto you the power of its tranquility, but with the influence of your brother's light. You should have no problem whatsoever convincing the island of your benevolence."
"Sou ka..." the girl said reaching up to touch the mark she knew to be on her neck because of its placement on the dragon. She really didn't know what else to do with it, but if the man at the waterfall said it would help her with her endeavors she supposed she had no reason to disbelieve him. She was also quite happy that her mark included a bit from both her this man, and her brother as they were two of the most important people in her life. "Thank you then, I'll make sure to put it to good use," the girl paused thinking about the best route to take to get back home. "You chose a place really far away from home, but also pretty direct. It's kind of strange, Ojii-sama~" the girl mentioned with a smile as she gave a bow. "I'll have to head out pretty soon, if I want to make the next set of boats, the one down river through the Land of Fire leaves in the late afternoon." she mentioned to explain the brevity of this meeting.
"I'm sure you will," he said with a smile. There was never a doubt in his mind against this one using the Blue Moon's power in an admirable way. His only worry initially was how it would be received by others, but even that train of thought had been erased thanks to the newer developments of the seal. "I did not choose to live here. This was simply where I had to be, and where I was at the end of the war in my time. Until my time as a sage is over, here is where I must remain. Come now. I can transport you where you need to be."
The girl smiled at the man before her. She'd always found him to be oddly understanding of these situations. As he went on to explain, how he'd ended up in this place, it'd apparently not been an active choice, but one of circumstance. "Sou ka," she said seeming to find it a bit odd that a war in his original time had been the reason behind him ending up so far away from the island which was their home. Moving right along, it seemed he was also capable of simply transporting her to where she needed to be. Such a thing made the young woman's eyes light up, it would be quite the burden of travel removed from her. "Really? You can do that? Sugoi~" she seemed excited by the prospect and stepped towards the man. "Arigatou Gozaimasu, Ojii-sama!~"