Sailing Under the Setting Sun

For a moment, I was overwhelmed with a feeling that life was simply unfair.

The fishing village we had reached was extremely similar to the one I had found Mio in. Large and expansive, but with a peaceful and cozy atmosphere. Thinly thatched huts of reed and stone. They were similar to the point that the only difference I could think of was the location of the village.

But this difference quite literally decided the life and death of the villages.

The fact that this village was able to maintain its peaceful tranquility, while the other village smoldered in razed ashes, just because one was situated on the right side of a border, and the other on the wrong side of a border, seemed disgustingly unfair to me.

Neither village had been involved in the war at all. Yet the circumstances and decisions of powers completely beyond their control had led them to polar opposite fates.

'Sigh. Now is not the time to think about such things. There is nothing to be done about it now.'

Pushing these thoughts to the back of my mind, I refocused my senses on my surroundings.

We had entered the village not long ago, looking for all the world like a group of tourists. It was both Mio's and Rintetsu's first time seeing the ocean, as well as my first time seeing the ocean in this world. Kirihara was able to maintain his calm, but even I found that a spring had unconsciously arisen in my step that carried me forward with a hastened, excited pace towards the docks.

Mio and Rintetsu were even more obviously excited, each gulping down deep breaths of the tangy sea breeze, marveling at the salt they could taste on their tongues just from the air on the coast.

Although I derived less pleasure from the salty air, I did still find myself marveling at the town around us as we walked. It was like those reenactments or animated movies of the Medieval times back on Earth, where fishing villages would be filled with the bustle of merchants, traders, fisherman and vendors each excitedly advocating their wares or hurriedly going about their business.

Except everything was so much more realistic, contained so much more life and uniqueness. Once again, I found the joyful atmosphere of the village to be all the more noticeable in comparison to the somber mood of both the people and the surroundings I had previously been immersed in.

At one point, I noticed Mio staring longingly at something on one of the tables the street merchants had set out. Following her eyes, I traced her gaze to a gleaming silver hairpin inlaid with a green gem that matched the color of her stunning eyes. The top of the hairpin formed a beautifully carved swan unfurling its wings in limpid, gracefully flowing arcs. The swan's feet extended down to clasp around the long needle-like blade of the pin.

Her eyes show with visible desire as she stared at the pin. I smiled in spite of myself, enjoying seeing this unrestrained, more childish side of her for the first time.

Unfortunately, as much as I wanted to get it for her, I didn't have any money...

I suddenly felt something tickling my palm. Looking down, I saw Kirihara's much larger hands trying to push some coins into my own hands with a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. It seemed he had noticed both of our conflicted expressions, and quickly figured out our plight. I didn't want to know where he had gotten so much money from. But judging from the confused mumblings about having having 'forgotten their wallets' I was hearing from the people milling about behind us, I already knew the answer... Ah, the Hozuki kekkei genkai was truly multi-purposed, with many useful applications...

I wish I could say that I refused to use the money and instead returned it to the poor, unaware victims of robbery... But Mio's pleading eyes had an irresistible effect of corrupting my morals somehow...

Five minutes later, our little group arrived at the docks, with Mio's hair now held back by a gleaming silver hairpin.

Fortunately, activity on the docks was still high, with sailors bustling about the pier and a number of boats still both leaving and entering the area even this late in the day.

We looked around for a moment, hesitant and unsure of exactly what to do in this situation. We aren't supposed to just go ahead and get on a boat are we? Where were information desks when you needed them...

Luckily, someone else chose that moment to approach us.

"Oy. You four looking for a boat? If not, get out of the way. We're working here." A gruff voice sounded out, startling us. My gaze focused on the bulky form that had stepped in front of us.

It was true. The sailors were actually working quite hard to move boxes of goods and fish down from the boats onto the docks, and then into areas for further transport. Still... was it necessary to reinforce the stereotypical sailor image so much? The gruff demeanor... The tattoos covering his body... It was almost laughable.

Kirihara stepped forward and responded for us.

"Ahem. We are indeed looking for a boat. Just to go to the northern island."

"Fine. Then go talk to someone on that boat o'er there."

Just as abruptly as he had appeared, he walked off, mixing back into the crowd of sailors.

'Well that guy was weird. Helpful, still, I guess.' I thought to myself, unsure of exactly how to react.

I followed Kirihara and the others towards the boat the sailor had directed us towards. It was a rather small boat, with space only for us and 2 sailors and their cargo. A fishy smell had permeated deep into the wood, assaulting our nostrils as we approached the boat. Still, it would serve its purpose.

The two sailors were loading a last couple of crates onto the boat as we approached.

"Hello. We are looking for a boat to take us to the northern island. Another man told us to come speak with you."

One of them looked up, while the other just ignored us to continue working.

"Got money?"

Well, he was certainly blunt.

Kirihara handled it calmly.

"How much are you talking about?"

"50 ryo."

"...."

Kirihara's gaze intensified, a tangible pressure and tension seeming to emanate from his eyes. The man was clearly trying to cheat us.

"I think you meant 10." Kirihara responded after a while.

"Heh. Sorry mate, always worth a try with travelers. Never know what kind of person is going to come by next. 10 it is."

The tense atmosphere immediately lifted as the man gave a sheepish smile. His partner also looked up awkwardly from his work.

Fortunately, Kirihara wasn't shameless enough to criticize their ethics after his little display of hidden talents earlier.

"Don't worry. It's understandable."

............

10 minutes later, the two sailors had finished loading up their cargo and hopped onto the boat, motioning for us to follow.

Kirihara moved to the front to chat with the two sailors, while Mio, Rintetsu and I stayed in the back of the boat, sitting on some crates as we admired the ocean that seemed to burn in a display of vivid colors.

Even as we set off towards the horizon, the sun had almost completely set beneath it, as if to escape our pursuit. The sky, although darker, was streaked with as many robust colors as before. Sitting on the tiny little boat in the middle of the expansive ocean, we seemed to be immersed in this world of dazzling color that shone from above and reflected from below.

I was fully taken by the majesty of the great ocean in that moment. The endless, still plane of water that housed unknown depths and mysteries seemed to blaze with even more life than it had back on earth, from the birds in the sky to the fish in the waters to the colors the ocean shone with, everything seemed enhanced by the vitality and energy of this world. My heart felt a calm, stillness that I had not experienced for a long time.

'Haku. We're almost there. Wait for us!'

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Author here. Just wanna say that you guys are all awesome. Thank you so much everyone for taking the time to care and comment your support, and leave positive reviews after I said how angry I was about the negative reviews that had been spammed. The support and kindness you guys have all shown is both humbling, and also exactly why I love writing. So thank you. It truly means a lot to me.