I held onto the edge of my seat. Fear in my eyes as they drew closer to me. I could do nothing. To them, to me, I deserve this. To my family I deserve this. I closed my eyes. I felt the blade cut into my throat and the whispered charm. My mind felt heavy, weighing me down. When I next opened my eyes, there was a general throbbing at my neck. I looked around me, I was surrounded with mirrors all saying 'You
have done the worst, you get the worst'. I got up and looked into a mirror. My hair was tangled down to my shoulder blades, my green eyes pieced through the hollowed face. I didn't know how long I had been out for, but I was going to do something. To who, I have no idea.
I looked around the docks to find Jitsuko at the wheel. I walked quietly to the plank and onto the boat. She looked out behind the boat. All I could do was clear my throat. "Rejina, good. We're setting out as soon as we get some more food."
I handed her the bag of food I had already gotten. "Next stop is France." I tied my hair into a ponytail and felt the sun beaming onto my face.
Germany was a beautiful country. I could stay here forever if I could, but the longer either one of us stays in one place, the longer we're likely to get caught. Jitsuko came to where I'm standing. "You don't want to run, do ya?" she asked
me. I shock my head. I don't want to run, I never want to run. "Look I'm sorry about Jamusu, but he didn't want you. Why? Don't ask me." He wanted me, his family and country didn't want me.
I held onto the wheel as we set sail into the setting sun. The colors changed around us. This was always the best part, the sun changing, going off into a sunset and knowing where you're going but not what city, magical or not. The world
that is here, it's magical in its own way. Jitsuko took over the wheel shortly after sunset. We sailed the rest of the way in silence.
When we reached France, the moon was at its peak. I took a deep breath as we boarded the harbor. Ministry went onto our boat to search. The air was cool. I looked over the edge of the boat to the moon and it's reflection in the water. Ripples
below told me that Suiren was there. Blade cut my throat, my eyes closed. A scream in my throat stuck. I took a deep breath and calmed myself.
My body felt limp. When I properly opened my eyes, the mirrors were gone, the words were gone. I was sinking lower and lower into the water. Water filling up my lungs. I couldn't breath. Then suddenly something was below me, bringing me back to the surface. I broke through the surface into the air. I coughed and turned onto my side. Water coming out. I am Suiren, I have been sent to protect you. I gasped as I saw what was under me.
It had large scales, but felt soft. The scales were blue and green. It was large to say the least. I stood up slowly to take it in fully. It's head was several feet away from me, gills and webs were on several parts of its body. I took a deep breath and almost laughed. That's the spirit. I closed my eyes as I felt it move. I walked onto the shore and saw a woman coming up to me. "I'm Jitsuko, come on, Rejina."
When the Ministry left, I went below deck to sleep. Next thing I knew, Jitsuko was next to me shaking me awake. "Suns up, better get moving. Got word about Jamusu being near," she told me. My eyes widened as i got up and we moved quickly
to above deck. I took hold of the wheel as Jitsuko waved her wand. The boat started to move and I steered it away from the docks. "Scotland," Jitsuko told me. I mentally traced our route since leaving Iwo Jima.
It had been a rough six months since leaving from Iwo Jima. I thought hard of all the places we'd been; a port in Korea, a port in Formosa, a south Chinese port, several along Russia, Norway, Denmark, Germany, France and now Scotland. These
past months had been us running away from the Royals trying to get us, and exploring all the places we can.
"Next is America if we can get enough supplies to get there," Jitsuko told me. "Then down south, South America, Africa, Oceania. Anywhere we can go to get away from him."
They will never stop looking for us until we're dead.
"Then we have a lifetime of adventure ahead of us."
I held the wheel steady as the sun rose above us. As it got to it's peak, we slowly pulled into a port. "Just to stock up," Jitsuko reminded me. I waited on the boat until she got back. "Off we go." We pushed off from
the dock and back to traveling. The sun lowered as we pulled into the port. We tied the ship down and went off to find a proper meal. We made our way into the taborn and sat ourselves at a table.
"What can I get you?" a woman asked.
"Two butterbeers," Jitsuko told her.
The woman came back with the drinks and we drank it in silence. Jitsuko and I both slept quietly that night. And when we woke, the sun was rising. We went back out to get some more food and plotted our course to America. It was going to
be a rough few months until we land.
