Haha I love cameos
The sun was still low in the sky as the crew docked the Horizon in Taiho Harbor and made their way to the marketplace. Since it was the last town they would reach before supposedly crossing over into the Second Realm, they had decided to stock up on supplies.
Taiho was mainly a trading plaza for merchants and sailors, all selling or trading their wares for whatever profit was to be had. It was a small, beautiful tropical island surrounded by white beaches and littered with palms and banana trees. It was always bustling with buyers and sellers from all over the sea, all of whom were determined to achieve the best bargain as possible.
Keiji: Okay. We’re going to try to get through this shopping trip as quickly as possible. To do that, we’re going to split up and each handle a different item. Takara and Akio: you go gather food. Akio, knowing that you eat more than a pregnant elephant; you’ll probably know what we need to be stocked up on.
Akio: Gotcha.
The two of them left the rest of the group and plunged into the crowd of merchant carts and stands.
Keiji: Amaya and Mokoto—
Amaya: I’m not going with him.
Keiji: Deal with it.
Mokoto: Looks like you’re stuck with me.
Keiji: You guys go get tools and supplies. Anything we need to fix up the ship with.
Mokoto: Simple enough.
Amaya: Whatever.
And off they went into the crowd.
Keiji: Yume, you’ll come with me and we’ll be looking for anything that might help us in the Second Realm.
Yume: What might we need to help us?
Keiji took the girl by the hand as they began to walk through the crowded, cramped streets, filled with as many people as it seemed it would be able to occupy at one point in time.
Keiji: Well, I’ve been doing some reading up on the subject of the Second Realm, and well… I can trust you with a secret, correct?
He stopped for a moment and looked into her eyes to make sure he was receiving an honest answer. She nodded confidently, and he knew he had achieved the goal.
Keiji: I’ve looked at many sources, none of which were very credited, but they all point towards the same idea, which is that the Second Realm is…well…incredibly dangerous.
Yume raised an eyebrow.
Yume: Dangerous, how?
Keiji: Honestly, I don’t know. But every source has told me that people have gone there and have never come back, my ancestor being one of them.
Yume: Scary…
Keiji: You still want to do this?
Yume didn’t take a moment to think before replying firmly.
Yume: Of course.
Keiji: Really?
Yume: Yes. I mean, this is an opportunity of a lifetime! Who in their wildest mind would want to turn it down?
Keiji: Chickens.
Yume let out a sweet giggle.
Yume: Well then would you be calling me a chicken, then, Keiji? Thinking I wouldn’t want to continue with this?
Keiji: Well I never said…
Yume: Oh hush.
Akio: Ah. We need these and these, oh, and some more of these…
He grabbed nearly everything in sight and threw it into the basket which was being held by Takara. The poor basket was practically being abused by how much food he was piling into it.
Akio: Ooh, haven’t had these in forever. Gotta get some.
Takara: Akio… Are you sure we can fit all of this stuff into the pantry?
She paid the owner of the stand as they traveled to the next one.
Akio: Who said anything about the pantry? I was gonna have this for dinner.
Takara: You’ve got enough here to feed an army!
Akio: I’m a growing boy.
He smiled as he continued to pile more food into another basket which seemed to be weighing down Takara’s skinny little arm.
Mokoto stood at the counter of a tool stand, admiring the wares as they hung on the wall behind the cashier. Amaya approached from behind with a length of rope and a satchel of nails.
Amaya: I actually got a pretty good deal for these.
She placed the materials in Mokoto’s bag as she spoke.
Mokoto: Five finger discount?
Amaya’s smile flattened quickly.
Amaya: How did you know…?
Mokoto: You’re a thief. Now put them back.
Amaya: But…
Mokoto: Now.
Amaya turned in the direction from whence she had came and stormed off, cussing the man out from under her breath.
Mokoto: Sorry sir, I apologize for that.
He addressed the cashier.
Cashier: Don’t worry about it.
He smiled.
Cashier: Is there anything in particular I could help you with?
Mokoto: Yes, actually…
He pointed to a metal item hanging behind the man.
Mokoto: The crank for our boat’s anchor is broken, and I would like to know how much that new one would be.
Cashier: Oh, yes yes, but what you really need is this one right here.
The man took a different crank from the shelf next to it and showed it to Mokoto.
Cashier: You see, this one here is a little bit more expensive, but it’s brand new and welded with a special iron alloy built to never…
Amaya: It’s broken.
She appeared from behind Mokoto and whispered into his ear with simplicity. Mokoto just rolled his eyes and walked away from the stand, without saying a word to the man.
Cashier: Hey…Wait… Where are you going? Come back!
Mokoto: You read his mind?
He turned to Amaya, unsurprised.
Amaya: My powers come in handy for more than picking on Keiji and beating you up.
Mokoto: For your information, I beat you up.
Amaya: You did not beat me up; you kissed me, then tripped me and flipped your sword in my face.
Mokoto: Well then you should have defined that as part of the rules!
Takara was now carrying seven large baskets of various food articles, carrying three draped around each arm and one basket balanced on her hands where they met in the middle.
Takara: Are we through yet?
She was beginning to sweat as she carried the heavy load and was receiving no help from the empty-handed Akio.
Akio: Yeah, just about. We’re out of cash anyway.
Takara: Good! Because I feel like I’m about to collapse!
Akio turned around to see his blonde-haired green-eyed companion struggling to carry their purchases.
Akio: You need help with those?
Takara: Oh sure. Now you ask to help.
She practically threw three of the baskets into his face and began to trot off toward the ship. But before she could take another step, she froze where she stood and dropped the remaining baskets to the ground.
Akio: Easy! Some of that stuff’s breakable!
She didn’t respond but just continued to stand there, her eyes glazed over and her body as still as a statue. Akio walked over to examine her.
Akio: Takara?
He waved his hand in front of her face, but she just continued to stare before her with those foggy eyes.
For a moment, Takara could feel like she was watching the island from another angle, from another side of town. She could see the ships docking on the western side of the island, opposite of the side from which they had come. She could see Yume and Keiji, studying the wares of a few carts and stands, and there, just a few hundred feet away, docked on the eastern side, was a ship that bore the flag of the Hitomi Navy.
Akio: Takara…
He snapped his finger in her face a few times, receiving no sign of alertness.
Akio: Um…Should I call a doctor?
Suddenly, her eyes flew open and she gasped in surprise of what she had just seen.
Takara: The Hitomi Navy! They’re here! On the island!
Akio: Wait…what? What just happened?
Takara: I just had…a…what’s the word… A vision! Of the present, just like the fairy said. I could see the other side of the island where the western docks were, and there was a navy ship: the same one that had been following us since we left Hitomi!
Akio’s heart dropped into the pit of his stomach.
Akio: We’ve got to tell the others and get the heck out of here before something bad happens.
Takara: And we’ve gotta hurry! Yume and Keiji are close to the western docks!
Yume and Keiji sauntered over to a cart in the marketplace and approached the owners: a young couple. The girl was probably nineteen or twenty with long, deep brown curls, while the boy was maybe a year or two older than her with shaggy light brown hair pulled out of his eyes by a red bandana.
Cal: Welcome! Anything in particular you need help with?
Keiji: Um, yes, actually. We’re planning on doing some exploring in some dangerous areas, you see, and we were wondering if we could know what exactly we’d need in case of an emergency.
Cal: Ah. Well, let’s see. You’ll of course need weapons, just in case of dangerous animals.
Keiji: Well, we’ve taken care of that.
Cal: And also antidotes of various ailments can come in handy.
The owner turned the girl behind him.
Cal: Lissy, sweetheart, could you gather some of those antidotes and remedies for sores and sicknesses.
Lissabelle: Well which ones?
Keiji: Oh, we’ll take one of everything you’ve got.
Lissabelle: Of course, sir.
The young woman gathered about fifteen to twenty small bottles and vials of various colors and sizes and then placed them in a basket and handed it to Yume as Keiji paid the male shop owner for their purchase.
Yume: Thank you very much.
Lissabelle: Thank you as well.
They both giggled.
Takara: KEIJI! YUME! LOOK OUT!
Keiji turned to his left to see Takara pushing and shoving people out of her way as she tried to get closer to her companions. Her face had a scared expression and she was running as fast as she could, though she was still a good fifty feet away.
Yume: What’s wrong?
Takara: BEHIND YOU!
Yume and Keiji turned around to see six armed guards of the Hitomi Navy brandishing their swords and facing them with serious expressions.
Guard1: Princess, we have come to return you to Hitomi! Are you safe?
Before she could respond, three other guards surrounded Keiji as one pulled his arms behind his back and another held a sword to his throat.
Yume: KEIJI! LET HIM GO!
She thrust herself towards their new captive, only to be pushed away by one of the guards and taken into the arms of another. Keiji looked at Yume as they dragged him back towards the docks, his arms bonded and weapons being pointed at him from every direction.
Guard2: Come, now. Your brother is waiting to see you.
Yume: Don’t hurt him!
Guard1: He’ll be fine as long as you come back with us. Now let's go.
Takara: YUME!
She turned to see the blonde staying at a safe distance, as to not get involved in the conflict, but yet trying still to save her friends.
The guard tugged on Yume’s arm, nudging her in the direction in which Keiji was going. Yume thought to herself: if she were to follow the guards back to the ship and be brought back to Hitomi, then she would most likely lose her newfound freedom. And yet, if she didn’t go, she’d be risking the life and future of one of her dearest friends.
Finally, with a hesitant sigh and a raised head, Yume trudged toward the ship confidently, prepared to hear the furious screams of her brother and to defend the innocence of Keiji Taiyou.
Amaya and Mokoto had returned to the ship, waiting to see their comrades come towards the ship with all of their purchases so they could get a move on. The two of them had not said a word to each other since their argument about the validity of their rematch. As of now, they just sat there as the boat knocked up against the dock, rocking with the subtle waves. Amaya was sharpening one of her knives against a rock, making an irritating scraping noise as she did so. Mokoto was loading their tools into the kitchen, where all of their storage had seemed to pile up. Amaya had been following the man with her eyes every time he passed her to pick up an item.
Amaya: (Look at that man… Such a self-centered, stuck-up, rude, conceited…just…meanie.)
She scoffed as he passed her again.
Mokoto: What?
Amaya: I didn’t say anything.
She continued to sharpen the dagger, the scraping noise growing louder and faster as she slid the rock faster.
Mokoto: You scoffed.
Amaya: Well I didn’t say anything.
Mokoto: Ugh.
He picked up another object and carried it off.
Amaya: (And now he thinks I’m saying stuff about him. Pfft. He wishes. Like I’d ever say anything about him. Does he think I care about him? Please.)
The thought of their little kiss from the previous night popped up in her head. That simple little kiss had taken her off guard and broke her concentration. That’s all that happened.
Amaya: (He probably thinks I enjoyed that. Hmph. He wishes.)
She thought about it again, how her eyes had flown open and how she was as stiff and stone…and how it had stayed like that…right?
Amaya: (Wait…)
She replayed the memory in her head once again; remembering how she had wrapped her arms around his neck and…and…AND OPENED HER MOUTH?!
She gagged a little bit.
Amaya: (WHAT THE HELL WAS I THINKING!?! JEEZ!)
Her eyes were now bugging out of her head.
Amaya: (It…it was all in the heat of the moment…and…my mind wasn’t in the right place… I didn’t enjoy it! No! I was just…just…)
Mokoto: Jeez, what’s wrong with you?
She was sitting there, gaping, with her knife and her rock in her hands, suspended above the ground where she was holding them, stiff as stone once again.
Amaya: WHAT ARE YOU LOOKIN AT? GO AWAY!
Mokoto: Oh. Wow. Okay then…
He scratched his head and took a few steps away from the hysterical young woman.
Akio: AMAYA! MOKOTO!
Takara and Akio were making their way towards the boat, their arms flailing and their hearts pounding as they still carried the baskets, not caring about the fact that they were dropping their purchases all over the ground.
Takara: THE NAVY! They took Yume and Keiji! They’re on the other side of the island! We’ve gotta go save them!
Mokoto: JEEZ AKIO!!!
He charged the boy and punched him in the arm.
Akio: Oi! WHAT ARE YOU HITTING ME FOR!?! It ain’t my fault! The soldiers had gotten to ‘em before we could even warn them!
Takara was already beginning to untie the boat, still in a frantic frenzy dealing with the state of her friends.
Amaya: So…wait… The Navy? They’re here!?
Akio: YES! Now no time for talking! Let’s get a move-on!
-PREVIEW!-
Mikona: Puu! I'm here to help Starlite give a preview for her next chapter!
Looks like Keiji's back in a prison cell. Poor kid... Maybe Yume can get him out. But if she does, will she have to go back home?
Next time on Beyond the Horizon: "But you're my best friend..."
Mikona can't wait!
Mikona: Puu! I'm here to help Starlite give a preview for her next chapter!
Looks like Keiji's back in a prison cell. Poor kid... Maybe Yume can get him out. But if she does, will she have to go back home?
Next time on Beyond the Horizon: "But you're my best friend..."
Mikona can't wait!
