Ah, you're still here?
How wonderful! It's such a delight to find such a well-manner voyager among our humble mist. We welcome you into our beloved home.
That being said, I must inform you that as our mistress wishes for little more time to prepare before the grand show can truly begin.
A noble performance such as this must not be rushed, no?
But do not despair, noble traveller, for the Golden Witch herself has hear your desperate prayers for salvation from this accused boredom.
As a reward for waiting this long, we offer you this present. Something to keep you entertain until the show can truly commence. Think of it as the entrée before the main course arrives. I do hope that you will appreciate it for what it's worth,
It is a gift after all.
The difficulty is standard, nothing too difficult for those willing to just watch and wait.
Episode 1: The Silence of The Golden Witch
{The First day: October 4, 1986}
The ocean was rather a curious thing to behold.
Despite its' rather overwhelming pressure to the naked human eye, these was no denying that it always did presented such a lovely view for those brave enough to venture far into its' vast depth, as if rewarding them for overcoming their empty fears and taking that uncertain gamble into the unknown…
Of course, it was only a silly little thought that crossed Battler's mind whenever he had to take that dreadful journey across the sea, something to help ease his fragile nerves. If he were to give it more thought and time, he probably would have thought of something with a more sentimental twist that added a little more flavor or excitement during the dull voyage to the island.
As right of now, his mind was doing everything within its fragile' power to keep himself from vomiting upon the ship's deck.
"I'm going to die. I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm going to die."
"Ihihihihihihi." Someone was laughing from the inside of the boat, although he couldn't recognise the voice's owner due to the loud deafening sounds coming from the engine (and the fact that he could barely even turn around without his own knees collapsing.),
"Ho-oh~ Battler hadn't change one bit, eh?"
"Hmmm, he never did outgrow his fear of vehicles…"
"What were you expecting? If he couldn't hold it together on the flight here, then I doubt that idiot will make it halfway before deciding to jump off the god-damn boat!"
"Ho-oh~ No need to so harsh, Battler is still a growing young man, Ihihihihihihi~"
"Heh, could have fool me."
Again, the roaring noise of engine made it nearly impossible to distinguish who was exactly speaking but… it wasn't hard to figure out who among his relatives was getting the most enjoyment from his suffering…
"You really are a prick, aren't you, old man?"
Thump
"Shit...why does it have shake so much?
Thump
"This is it, I'm going to die, I'm going to die. I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm going to die-"
"Battler…"
Almost immediately, he felt a small hand pat against his back, "You shouldn't lean over the railing like that."
"Ah." Slowly (while maintaining his solid grip upon the iron bars), Battler turn his head to meet the worry stare of his sister, "Sorry about that Ange, I just-"
Thump
"-I just wanted a clear view of the island before we arrived…It's been awhile since I last seen it, you know?
"…"
"…Come on, Ange, don't give me that look. Honestly, I'm completely fine!"
He offered her a warm (although weak) smile, as if to reassure her that everything was alright. He was her big brother after all, there was no need for her to worry about his own well-being over something so trivia-
Thump
"Crap, why the hell does this thing has to go so fast? I'm can't keep this up for much longer…"
"Liar." Ange stuck out tongue as she crossed her arms around her chest, clearly annoyed by her brother's obvious white lie, "You're not fine."
"Ange, that hurts! Now, why would your big brother-"
"Because you always get sick whenever we get on a boat."
"Well, not always-" He paused however upon seeing the unamused expression on his little sister's face, a stern look that left no room for any meaningless debate under its' harsh watch,
"How scary…she almost looked like Kyire there for a second …Ihihihihihihi… you really are bright kid, aren't you Ange?" Battler give off a weak laugh before offering his sister another smile, a more genuine one this time. He couldn't help but be amused by her stubbornness to root out the source of her brother's discomfort, as if it was a grand mystery that needed to solve for her naive curiosity to be satisfy, "I can't get anything past you, can I?"
"So, you were lying."
"Eh-"
"Oh, I wouldn't say he was lying, Ange." A voice spoke up from behind them, soon they were join by a well-dressed young man, "He was probably telling the truth about wanting to see island, he just didn't want you to worry about him, that's all."
The young girl blinked in surprise at the unexpected answer before pouting at her older cousin, "But Georgy, that doesn't excuse him for lying about it!"
"Well, I'm sure that he meant no harm by it." He said with a playful wink, "Ange, why don't you head over to where the captain is and ask him if he could lower the boat's speed for a little while, hmmm? I'm sure that would make Battler feel a more comfortable for the rest of the journey."
"…Fine." With that said, she quickly left towards the other side where the rest of the family were relaxing, leaving the two alone on the helm of the boat.
"George-
Thump
"-you're a real life-saver, you know that?" Battler muttered as he leaned over the edge of the railing for support, "It's only last for a bit longer… just a bit longer…"
"Well I certainly couldn't leave you to keep suffering like that." George gave off a small chuckle as he leaned forward to rest against the railing, "Besides, it was getting pretty tiring watching everyone laughing at your expense throughout the whole ride here."
"Heh, I knew it…those jerks…"
"Oh, I won't be too harsh on them, it does get pretty boring when all you can do is just sat around and make pointless small talk for nearly a whole hour."
"Jeez…You're too lenient on those guys."
"Oh, I wouldn't say that. After all, it's not that much different from the way you treat Ange, is it?"
"Hey! That's completely different! One is my adorable little sister while the rest are a group of old leaches taking pleasure at the sight of a poor man's suffering!
"Poor?"
And off they went, making useless banter as they waited for the old boat to slow down. Useless banter that offered no real meaning other then to spare them of their heavy burden of needing to wait with the rest of family and to rekindle the friendship that been weaken over Battler's six-year absence from the Ushiromiya's family conferences.
It was definitely much easier then making peace with his own father.
Thump
"So, tell me, I know it has been long time but… Be honest, how do you see it?"
"I beg your pardon?"
"Rokkenjima." Battler couldn't help but stare in surprise upon seeing his cousin's sombre expression, it was a look that he didn't recall seeing that often when they been younger, "What comes to mind when you see Rokkenjima?"
"Well I-"
His eyes shifted their tired gaze towards the ever-approaching figure of Rokkenjima. If he was to be quite frank with himself, then was nothing really remarkable about it. This wasn't his first time seeing it and after nearly visiting the island dozens of times during his youth, the overall charm and wonder of it's imposing scenery and size had simply wore off.
There was nothing new to see and he suspected that, there nothing had changed since his last visit.
Still…
"Huh, would you look at that…all the seagulls are flying away from the island… How ominous…"
He hadn't meant to say that last part out loud, a slip of the tongue really. It was only until he was startled by his cousin's sudden laugher that he realised his own blunder,
"Ihihihihihihi …You really haven't change that much, have you, Battler? Always the one for putting up a good show, eh?"
"Eh-"
"Ah, Ange!"
George smiled upon seeing the approaching figure of the young girl, however that friendly smile soon faltered upon seeing the down-casted expression pasted all over her face, "Ange, what's wrong? Were you not able to speak to the captain?"
"No, I spoke to him, but-" She paused, biting softly upon her lower lips as if anxious by the very answer she was about gave, "But the captain said Papa wanted us to keep going full-speed until we were much closer to the harbor, so he said no."
"…"
"…"
"…That old bastard… Definitely going to ki-
Thump
"Shit... I'm going to vomit…"
"Oh, thank god, it stopped moving."
For a brief moment, he considered jumping straight off the boat, falling onto his knees and kiss the floor until he was certain that he indeed on solid land once more…
Of course, that would make him seem like an unhinged lunatic in the eyes of his entire family. So instead, Battler waited until the boat properly docked near the harbor before getting off, being the first one to place his wobbly feet upon the wooden pier.
"Whew! So stable… it's finally over…"
"Hehhh." Immediately, he felt a large hand brush careless against his head, "Jeez, you sure love giving us a good show whenever we're on a god-damn vehicle, don't you little brat?"
"Hey, watch the hair!"
"Ho-oh? Don't tell me that you're scared of me ruining that ugly nest laying on your head?"
"S-shut up you old ba- "
"Welcome." Startled, Battler shifted his gaze to find a large man in a tuxedo standing only a few feet away from them, "It's a pleasure to see you again, Mr. Rudolf."
"Same, Gohda." Rudolf cracked a wide smile, offering a friendly handshake towards the unfamiliar man, "It's good to see that you're still lurking about, I trust that my brother hasn't driven you to your breaking point yet, has he? I would hate to see that talent of your gone to waste for nothing."
"Ah, you're too kind sir." The man replied with a polite smile as he shook Rudolf's hand, "It warm my heart to hear such tender words for such a lowly servant such as myself."
"Heh, smooth as always…Ah yes! This is your first-time meeting Battler, isn't it?"
"Ah, so you must be Battler! It's honor to finally meet you sir, I'm Toshiro Gohda, your servant."
"Ah, thanks…it's a pleasure to meet you as well. (Damn, he's pretty tall, isn't he?")
"Thank you. If you're to need anything during your stay here, please don't feel hesitate to rely on me. Now if you're to excuse me…" With that said, Gohda went on to quickly greet and assist the other Ushiromiya members as they disembark from the boat with their luggage.
"So, he's more like a friendly giant, huh? Must be new here… " Battler noted as he watched as the others trailed behind Gohda as he led them towards the path that would led straight to the island's mansion.
There was George and his parents, Eva and Hideoyoshi, making small chat with the tall servant as if catching up with the latest gossip that has occurred since their last visit to the island, followed closely by Kumasawa, one of the family oldest servants. There his parents of course, his father and Ange's mother Kyrie, engaging in what appeared to be an intense discussion. Beside them, there was-
"Shit, that's right, I can't believe I nearly forget about it… Hey Kyrie!"
"Hmmm?" She paused, an act that did not go unnoticed by her husband who chose to stay behind from the main group, both curious to hear what Battler wanted to say,
Will Aunt Rosa and Maria not be joining us for this year's conference?"
"… what makes you say that?"
"(Jeez, I feel like an idiot for asking this but-) Well, I always remembered that everyone used to come all together in one single trip here and back, so I couldn't help but wonder if-"
"Oh no, they' already here." Kyire said while passing a knowing look towards her husband, who simply gave off a small shrug, "They actually arrived a day earlier then expected."
"A-ah, I see…"
"…Well come now, let not keep everyone waiting, shall we?"
"R-right."
Soon, both Kyrie and Rudolf quickly left to join the others, leaving Battler alone to ponder on his lingering thoughts within that empty harbour,
"Six long years, huh… The young men thought as his hand pull back his spiky hair, "Jeez, isn't this nostalgic? I almost feel like a kid coming back here…"
"Hmmmm."
"Eh?" He turned his head to find a familiar red-hair girl standing only a few inches away from him, staring at the sky with a sour expression written all over her face,
"Oh, there you are, Ange. (I can't believe I nearly didn't see her there.) What the matter? I thought you would be with Aunt Eva and-"
"I can't hear it…"
"Huh?" He moved closer, crouching down to meet her an even level, "What's wrong? What can't you hear?"
"The seagulls…" Her frown grew deeper as if frustrated by her own lack of understanding of the given situation, "I can't hear the cries of the seagulls…"
"…That right, I remember now… they always use to greet us with those annoying "nyaaa, nyaaa" … Ah, they probably left due to the bad weather. Birds can always tell when a storm is coming."
"…But it isn't raining yet…"
"Hmmm? You didn't know, Ange~?" Battler said in with a wide grin, "Predicting the weather is what those dumb birds are best at! What else you think they do beside loafing around all day?"
"…"
"Hey, what's with that silly pout? Trust me, they'll be back as soon as the storm is over, so why don't you put a smile on that grumpy face in the meantime, huh?"
Slowly, a small smile began forming upon the corners of her mouth, instantly brightening the gloomy atmosphere that once surrounded her,
"See? Was that so hard? Come on now, let get going. Everyone is waiting for us."
"Okay."
And off they went, to embark upon the narrow path within the thick forest that would led them straight to the heart of Rokkenjima.
Thank you all for reading!
Please don't feel hesitate to ask any questions about the story or to point out any grammatical errors you may find within this chapter.
Until next time, have a pleasant day.
