First story! Please enjoy! :)
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"The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever." -Jacques Cousteau
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I grew up with the ocean.
I grew up with the waves. The noisy calls of the seagulls. The salty tang of seawater. The constant disgusting smell of fish that never washed away. Raging storms that shook the very harbor and make the waves growl and roll. Beautiful sunny days that made the water sparkle like diamonds and revealed all the fish that swam about. And after living so close to the ocean for most of my existence and experiencing firsthand the terrors and the beauty it could bring, I was unfazed by any changes the ocean could throw at me. I became accustomed to it. It was a whole other world compared to living inland.
But just like any other place, the ocean, too, had its secrets.
I wasn't as daft as the locals would like to believe me to be. I may be a newcomer to their home and definitely on the younger side, but that doesn't mean they can underestimate my intelligence. Honestly, they should know better to talk about such things around even a child. Even a child will remember certain details when something being said incites their undivided attention. And unfortunately for these people, they had my full attention from that day onward.
My parents thrived on mysteries. Especially ones that bespoke of legends that were lost to all of humanity. They loved the secrecy and the thrill of something being lost forever. Now, don't get me wrong. My parents were in no way treasure hunters or even mercenaries. They both were honest to goodness plain adults. Painfully plain. My Father was a Business man who could practically talk his way in or out of every situation and Mother was a Merchant who sold homemade jewelry that was quite popular with women for special occasions. They didn't make any effort to stick out to people or businesses and that's the way they liked it. Staying under the radar, but being known enough as being hard workers and being recognized for their efforts when necessary.
I wouldn't say that my parents were nosy by any means. They gave me quite a bit privacy to do my own thing and they hardly ever questioned most of what I did. (Cause honestly, what kind of trouble could a child get into in a discreet, out of the way town like this?) But both of my parents couldn't resist hearing a good story. Especially when it is centered around the aforementioned treasure.
It was through them that I learned about the Bijuu Gem.
Bijuu. Nine Demons scattered across the world, sealed within containers or humans known as Jinchuuriki. All of them exceedingly powerful, from the One-Tailed Tanuki to the Nine-Tailed Kitsune. And also a dangerous weapon when held by the wrong hands. The Bijuu gem was said to be the source of their power. It could control all of them. The thrall of the gem was so strong, it was almost physically impossible for the Bijuu to resist its charm once the holder makes a decision. In the wrong hands, that was just asking for a complete Dictatorship over the entire world. Even in the right hands, the holder would still be corrupted just from possessing such a jewel. It was coveted by many. Especially the pirates.
Hearing that word just makes shivers cascade down my whole spine. Their deeds and dealings are very well known in this area and it would be a strange day where I don't hear at least one person muttering about pirates roaming about and causing trouble for the shipping companies and their cargo. The people here have a particular favorite they like to follow, though they haven't been given a name regarding this group. They weave tales of a ship made of black wood and was as grand and majestic as the Daimyo's, strange fog following in its wake and covering its tracks as it makes off with precious gold and jewels that would make any merchant drool on the spot. There are only a handful of individuals that run the ship by those that have lived through their attack to tell of it, but not much hardcore facts about what they looked like.
Hell, for all we knew, they could be living amongst us in this town, but I digress. These people are nosy and seem to know everyone and their business. At this point, I'd find it weird if they couldn't spot a pirate in their midst.
But back to the point. I learned about the Bijuu Gem from my parents and their shameless snooping, though they would give me very offended looks if I said it like that. "We aren't snooping, dear," Mother would say indignantly. "Our coworkers are very loud people. It's practically impossible to ignore them when they are making so much noise for anybody to hear."
I'd always been an adventurous kid. The idea of actually finding the Bijuu Gem when all the other world-known explorers and pirates couldn't was exciting to me. My parents certainly didn't share my enthusiasm when I accidently let it slip one day about my hopes to go searching for it.
"Sakura, the Bijuu Gem doesn't even exist," Father would say, trying to sway me. "It's simply a fairytale that people around here like to spread around. Such a thing couldn't possibly exist in this world. That much power would cause such devastation and ruin to the world!"
I didn't believe him one bit. In fact, I frowned and gave him a reproaching look every time he brought it up. I found it slightly hypocritical of him to gasp and practically shine whenever the Bijuu Gem was brought up, but then turn around and criticize me for wanting to do what I knew he wanted to do, too. He was just as fascinated as I was.
Mother was even worse.
She always snorted in the beginning. "The Bijuu Gem? Why on Earth would you even want to go looking for something that doesn't even exist? That's such a huge waste of your life, Sakura. You could be doing more important things like doing your homework and going further with your education as a Doctor. You still want to be a Doctor, right? Isn't that your lifelong dream? You won't become a Doctor if you spend all your time looking for some...hoax like the Bijuu Gem."
I've always wanted to be a Doctor, even when I was a child. I'm honestly not even sure where the dream even stemmed from, though I was given my first clue only recently. My Mother once told me that I had been gravely ill one Spring after my birthday from the spreading of the flu. I vaguely recall the hacking coughs and the burning pain in my lungs every time I tried to breath deeply. It was a horrible time where medicine sucked and I just wasn't getting better as the days went on. If I think hard enough, I can remember a blond woman showing up one night with the most beautiful of hazel-brown eyes and forcing the most bitter tasting liquid down my throat, saying that it would cure me. Lo and behold, I was up and running around outside by dawn and the lady no where to be found. I never found out her name and she never made another appearance in the village as far as I was concerned. I was severely disappointed to say the least, but that didn't stop me from going after my new goal of becoming a Doctor.
After that, I was just fascinated with anything medicine or medical, helping my mother in the clinic as often as possible and watching her take care of the patients that came and went that day. Father was even nice enough to get me my own First-Aid Kit for one of my birthdays a couple years ago. I still treasure that perfect little white box even after it has served its purpose and now lies empty upon my dresser in my room.
Becoming a Doctor was definitely on my to-do list in my life. I never answered my Mother when she would ask me those questions since she always shooed me away to go do something more productive, but I would never tell her that becoming a Doctor and going on an exploration for the Bijuu Gem were closely tied as my top priority in the near future. She would damn well kill me and dance on my grave if I even breathed a hint of such treacherous thoughts around her. Father wouldn't even be able to protect me from my Mother's wrath.
There was only a few things stopping me from leaving the house and becoming independent. One of them, unfortunately being the most important one, is my age.
Being thirteen years old definitely put a dent in my credibility and appearance as someone being potentially responsible. I couldn't even go to the market and fetch my Mother her weekly groceries without being given weird looks. It was as if these people weren't accustomed to seeing a child actually helping around the house. It irked me terribly that people always asked what I was doing wandering around without my parents nearby. I was almost fourteen, damn it. I didn't need my Mother or Father to hover over my shoulder while I bought their groceries. I mentally scoffed at that. Simpletons.
I almost couldn't believe that I was almost fourteen. March was rolling in here in three months and winter was definitely beginning to settle in this area. The air was bitingly cold and my poor plants were dying faster than I could care for them. The clouds were dark and foreboding, the sea mimicking the dark clouds with harsh waves and dangerous rising tides. Fishing was out of the question for the next couple months, so I knew shop keepers here would be turning towards the mainland soon to help keep them going through the winter.
It's been eight years since I've lived in this house by the ocean. Eight years since I left my small hometown near the mountains and left all of my childish friends behind to grow up without me and me without them. It's almost so surreal to even think about. I was by no means an outcast here, but it was plainly obvious to me that I didn't really have any close friends like I did back home. I was okay with that. Most of the kids in my classes were brats anywhere and didn't deserve my friendship or kindness to begin with. It was no real loss to me, but my parents still sometimes pressure me into going out and finding another girl to talk to. I didn't miss how my Father encouraged me to find a girl friend and discouraged me to even look at boys.
I rolled my eyes. I could only imagine how he would react when I actually hit puberty. That was going to be a Hell of a road trip for everyone in the house.
I only had to wait four and a half more years. By then, I would be eighteen and there wouldn't be anything tying me to my parents. I would be an adult and they couldn't stop me from going on my adventure. Oh yes, I had every intentions of hunting for the Bijuu Gem. Even if everyone believed it to be a hoax, it would still be a great trip to go exploring the neighboring islands. I've honestly always wanted to go visit the Land of Fire and see for myself if the trees there are as tall as a mountain as some of the sailors have said to me.
Little did I know, my little adventure was unfortunately going to be starting a lot more earlier than what I had originally planned. And it wouldn't be under the best of conditions or companions.
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"Little Brat. You don't even know the half of what you've just gotten yourself into."
"I'm fully aware of the situation I'm currently in, thanks. This is exactly how it was supposed to be played out from the very beginning."
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ALL DONE. What'd you think?! Did you guys like it?! I had a lot of fun writing this! I literally feel like I did this in one sitting, but I'd be lying to myself. I just added many paragraphs over the past couple days.
Question of the Chapter: Favorite Disney Movie. (I have every intentions of going on a Disney binge watching marathon next weekend for my birthday. I have no regrets about my decision.)
Thanks for reading! Ciao!
~OQ
