Chapter 8: Aboard the S.S Sweet Sorrow
Sora didn't know for how long she had stared at Koushiro without saying anything. His revelation was still echoing in her mind. She was going to save the world... she was going to bring down the Empire. How could any of that be true? Who was Sora to have such a big role in the future?
She was nothing more than a person who lacked conviction, a girl from a small group of revolutionaries from a small island. Honestly, what was Turtle Island in the big geopolitical scheme of things? Sora had always assumed that if anyone was going to defeat the Empire, it would be the people from Tierra Roja. Iori's parents were always sending letters about how the first revolutionary country (or, more precisely, union of countries) was progressing fast due to its scientific advancements. Surely, those bright and competent people would be the ones to save the world! Not Sora Tanenouchi from Turtle Island!
"Miss Sora, are you feeling well?" Koushiro asked in a concerned voice.
"What? Oh! I'm fine! I'm completely fine! No need to worry!" Sora forced a smile with too much strength, which made her face hurt. "I mean... it's a lot to take in, but... I think I just need some context, you know? How exactly am I going to... do all that... that you said I was going to do?"
"I've had a recurring vision of you defeating the Empire for a long time," Koushiro explained. "It might've been one of my first visions, but back then I thought it was only a dream."
"Can you describe that vision?" Sora asked.
"In my vision, you're in what appears to be the balcony of a palace and there's a crowd watching you on the ground. You're holding a golden crown in your right hand. Then, you raise your hand and show the crown to the crowd on the ground and everybody cheers..." Koushiro stopped talking, slightly amused at his accidental rhyme.
Sora, on the other hand, was expecting Koushiro to finish describing his vision. When he didn't do that, she was forced to ask about it.
"What else happened?"
"It ends there," Koushiro said.
"What do you mean? It can't be just that!" Sora protested. "Did anyone say anything about the Empire ending in your vision? How did I get to the balcony? How did I end the Empire?"
"Ehr... I didn't actually have visions about those details..." Koushiro admitted.
"Are you serious? In what are you basing your assertion that I'm going to bring down the Empire, then? Is your knowledge of my future just your interpretation of a vague vision that could mean anything?" It was difficult for Sora to keep her composure.
"You'd have to see what I saw to understand," Koushiro told her. "Only by seeing it, you'd know in your heart that it couldn't be anything else aside from you defeating the Empire!"
"Well, how convenient it is that you're the only one who has those visions, then!" Sora snarled.
"You think I'm lying..." Koushiro muttered. "I can't really blame you for that. That's why I'm going to look for the witch. She has a spell that'll allow me to share my memories with you. You'll see that vision with your own eyes, Miss Sora. Then, it'll be up to you to believe me or not."
Seeing how sincere Koushiro seemed made Sora feel bad for what she had said. Not that she believed that he was right about her being destined to save the world, but she knew that Koushiro should really believe in that. Perhaps, if she was someone more confident or courageous, she would be able to believe it as well.
"Then, Miss Sora, shall we go to Shrimp Island?" Koushiro invited.
"Do you want me to go with you?" Sora asked, surprised.
"I didn't wake you up solely to say good-bye, Miss Sora," Koushiro told her, smiling. "What do you say? Do you want to meet a witch?"
His eyes gleamed with hope. She could tell that Koushiro was sure that the witch would clarify everything and make her understand her role in the future of mankind. Sora couldn't bring herself to deny his request.
Sora and Koushiro took two horses from Yamanaka's stable and rode them until the port, where they sneaked into a small steamboat with three decks and one chimney. The boat was made of wood and had its decks painted white; its hull was blue and had the name "S. S. Sweet Sorrow" written on it. At the back of the ship, there was a stern wheel. Sora and Koushiro climbed the wood stairs until the pilot house at the top of the ship, where they hid in a broom cabinet close to the helm. Luckily, the cabinet was big enough to fit the two of them.
"So, what's the plan here, exactly?" Sora asked in a murmur, which was unnecessary due to the boat being empty. "Do we stay hidden until the boat gets to Shrimp Island, and then we jump out of it?"
"That wouldn't work, we need to return to Turtle Island later. Therefore, the captain of the boat needs to know we're here, so he can bring us back," Koushiro explained.
"Do you think he would let us stay aboard ?" Sora asked, skeptical.
"Don't worry. I picked this boat specifically because I knew its new owner would fulfill our needs," Koushiro assured her.
"If that's the case, why do we need to hide?" Sora inquired, not appreciating being confined with a bunch of brooms.
"I need the element of surprise to put the plan in motion," Koushiro said.
"What is your plan exactly? Why are you being so secretive about it?" Sora was losing her patience. "Aren't we going through this whole ordeal because you wanted to tell me the truth?"
"The truth about my past, at least the parts that matter," Koushiro clarified. "How I'm about to manipulate the captain of the ship to do as we want isn't that relevant."
"Manipulate?" Sora felt uneasy after hearing that. "What are you going to do exactly?"
"I think he's coming, let's stay in silence," Koushiro said.
They heard steps outside the cabinet.
"And they thought I couldn't win a card game because I don't know how to read!" Someone said in a proud tone. "Guess who didn't have formal education and still managed to get his dream boat? This guy!"
"Who is he talking to?" Sora asked in a whisper.
"I think he's talking to himself," Koushiro replied. "He must be lonely since Ken ditched him to join the revolutionaries."
"Does Ken know him?"
"Yes, it's his brother Osamu," Koushiro informed. "He's the one who coerced Ken to join the henchmen. Have you never seen him?"
"We spent more than a decade hiding in the woods, we mostly saw henchmen from a distance when we headed down the hill," Sora explained. "Is he dangerous?"
"Not for us," Koushiro replied.
"Do you know all that from your visions?" Sora was impressed.
"We really should stop talking, otherwise he's going to-"
Osamu suddenly opened the cabinet. The moment he saw Koushiro, he shrieked and fell on his back.
"STAY AWAY FROM ME, YOU DEMON!" Osamu shouted, crawling backwards. "GO BACK TO HELL WHERE YOU BELONG!"
"Yes! It is I, a demon from Hell!" Koushiro announced in what he believed to be a menacing voice, unaware that it actually sounded ridiculous. "And I will eat your soul unless you do my bidding you... foolish mortal!"
Sora had to use all her will power to stop herself from laughing as she watched Koushiro trying to make scary movements with his arms (which consisted of moving them up and down while opening and closing his hands). To her incredulity, Osamu seemed to be honestly terrified of him. The man's glasses slipped to the point of his nose and his body trembled under his light brown suit, which seemed too expensive for someone like Osamu.
Sora wondered if he had gotten that fine suit in the same card game where he won the boat, which made her imagine that there was a naked man somewhere watching his beloved boat from a distance, shedding a single tear. She felt bad for the naked boat-less man and wished that his luck would become better soon enough, preferably before someone accused him of public obscenity.
"You soul-devouring monster!" Osamu shrieked. "Is this what you did to my innocent and naive baby brother? Are you the reason why he never returned home?"
"I didn't eat your brother's soul!" Koushiro stated in an offended tone. Less than a second later, he remembered that he was pretending to be a menacing demon and added: "Yet! I haven't eaten his soul yet! But I will devour it, unless you take us to Shrimp Island!"
"Then, if I take you there, will you free Ken's soul?" Osamu asked, hopeful.
"Yes, sure!" Koushiro agreed. Then, he remembered that he was supposed to act scary and added: "If you satisfy my diabolical wishes, you... fool!"
At that point, Sora wondered if Koushiro knew other insults aside from "fool" and "foolish."
Osamu rose to his feet, adjusted his glasses and his tie and gave Koushiro a look of resolve.
"I vow to take you and the witch with orange hair to Shrimp Island!" Osamu stated. "And I'll do it as soon as I figure out how to sail a boat!"
Witch? Sora was so bemused at being mistaken by a witch that she didn't immediately register that the ship's captain had just admitted he didn't know how to sail. Does he have no idea who I am? Hold on, I should think about my witch's backstory in case he asks questions!
"There's a manual on that shelf," Koushiro said, crossing the cabin to take an old gray book from a shelf that had a few other old gray books. "It's not too long, I could read how to sail this boat. It's quite different from the ones I saw last time I was alive... oh, I'm not counting the two times you killed me earlier tonight. Please, don't get confused, Mr. Osamu!"
Osamu paled at that casual comment, but remained silent.
Sora, meanwhile, had decided that she was going to be the Sky Witch. She eagerly awaited for an opportunity to share the backstory she had just elaborated, but nobody asked her anything.
As Koushiro read the manual, he patiently taught Osamu how to operate every part of the steamboat. Only then, Sora realized that they didn't actually need Osamu at all if Koushiro was the one with the manual, and wondered why he was going through the trouble of teaching that man anything. He used to be Yamanaka's henchman, after all. And, unlike Ken, Osamu hadn't shown signs of regretting his previous life choices. Although, to be fair, he hadn't actually talked about his past life at all.
After they set sail, Koushiro left Osamu taking care of the helm and asked Sora to help him to put coal in the cauldron located in the engine room, on the main deck. Koushiro stared at the fire inside the cauldron with uneasiness and was unwilling to get close to it, which made Sora take the initiative of throwing various pieces of coal in there and closing its door. Once they were going up the staircase to the second deck, Sora decided to give Koushiro a piece of her mind:
"We didn't actually need Osamu aboard, did we?"
"He needed someone to teach him how to sail the boat," Koushiro explained. "Now that he has this ship, he doesn't need to be anything similar to a henchman again. That might even be the key for his reconciliation with his little brother in the long run."
"Why do you want Ken to reconcile with Osamu?" Sora inquired. "Don't you think he's better off away from the brother who tried to turn him into a murderer?"
Koushiro sat on the staircase. Sora sat by his side. He looked down, quietly, bearing a conflicted expression.
"I like to believe that people who did bad things can change their ways and become better, even if they acted selfishly and hurt other people... they don't have to be defined by their mistakes." Koushiro told her. "Maybe if Mister Osamu becomes a successful steamboat captain, like he had always dreamed of being, he could reflect on his past and decide to be a better brother to Mister Ken. Their family doesn't have to be broken apart."
"You're a really kind person..." Sora commented, looking down.
"I'm not kind at all..." Koushiro confessed.
"Yes, you are!" Sora stated. "You really care about other people! Even people you don't know!"
"You're describing yourself, Miss Sora," Koushiro told her. "You don't seem to realize how extraordinary you are..."
"Stop it!" Sora cut him off. "What do you think you know about me? I'm not kind! There's no way I could be the savior of the world! I'm nothing like you! You believe that people can change for the better, but I don't! People don't change! Someone like Yamanaka would never change, that's why I wanted to..."
She stopped talking, horrified at how much of the ugliness in her heart she was letting escape. Koushiro should be appalled at her behavior. Anyone with common sense would take a good look at her and conclude that Koushiro had to be mistaken about her destiny. Nevertheless, he looked at her with compassion in his eyes.
"Even that man could change, if he really wanted to," Koushiro told her. "Change is possible for everybody. But it takes a lot of energy and determination to try to be better, not everybody is prepared for that toll... it's actually very easy to crack under such pressure... but I believe it's possible... I have to believe in that..."
Sora didn't say anything. She had concluded that she was too different from Koushiro, and they couldn't really understand each other. Nevertheless, she admired his conviction.
After a few hours, they were finally approaching Shrimp Island. In the pilot house, Sora observed how Koushiro became tenser as the rocky walls of the Grand Cliff became more prominent. The first rays of sunshine broke above them.
"Are you sure you don't want to go to the Capital? We're in the middle of nowhere!" Osamu said once they crossed the narrow passage between the two walls of the cliff and entered a cove. Sora could spot another cliff in front of them and realized it was actually one large cliff in the shape of an arc. Next to the rocky walls, there was a line of white sand being washed by small waves. Osamu stopped the engine and the three of them went to the main deck.
"We're exactly where we need to be. Thank you, Mr. Osamu! Please, wait for us here!" Koushiro said, suddenly jumping into the ocean.
"He sure is polite for a demon..." Osamu commented. "And strangely helpful as well..."
"Don't get the boat stuck in the sand or the rocks," Sora told Osamu. She looked for Koushiro in the water and saw that the sea wasn't too deep there. Koushiro could stand and keep his shoulders and head out of the water, while keeping a hand on Takeru's fedora.
Sora was about to jump as well, but thought that it would be a waste if she left without sharing any of the ideas she had for the Sky Witch. She leaned against the hull and told Osamu in what she believed to be a mysterious voice: "Don't try to betray us, mortal, unless you're prepared to face the fury of the Sky Witch, the legendary terror of the seas!"
"Wait, you're an actual witch?" Osamu asked, surprised.
"Didn't you know that? You called me a witch earlier!" Sora reminded him.
"I didn't think you had magical powers, I was just insulting you!" Osamu clarified.
Sora felt all her blood rushing to her face and decided that she could no longer stay on the boat. Therefore, she quickly jumped into the water.
"You didn't hear any of that, right?" Sora asked Koushiro as they headed towards the beach.
"Sorry, I heard everything," Koushiro apologized.
"It was so embarrassing!" Sora lamented, accidentally swallowing a bit of seawater. "I don't know what got into me! I never act like that!"
"It was nice to see you having fun," Koushiro told her. "Life is usually so harsh, we should be allowed to enjoy small moments like that."
That's a really kind thing to say... Sora thought.
Once they reached the beach, Koushiro took off Takeru's trench coach and placed it on his extended arm, as if hoping it would dry faster that way. He and Sora headed to a small cave on the cliff's wall. Its opening was covered by curtains made of algae. In front of it, there was a placard over a rock, which had a message written on it:
Madam Mystic, Mistress of the Mysterious Arts, Messenger of the Dead! We can discuss prices, but don't pay me too little! Nobody likes cheapskates! I don't do potions and spells for less than 50 royales! In case you're a Police Officer, I found out you can't evict me! I don't have to pay for rent if I live in a cave on the beach!
"Is this where the witch lives...?" Sora couldn't hide her disappointment. "I was expecting something more... magical..."
"It could be more impressive inside the cave..." Koushiro commented, despite being underwhelmed as well.
"Do you think she at least has a black cat?" Sora asked.
"Who's there?" The voice of a woman came from inside the cave. In a swift movement, the algae curtains were opened by a young woman with light brown hair and eyes of the same color, wearing an old and dirty green dress with puffy sleeves and a skirt that covered her feet. There were leaves and sticks in the woman's hair, but Sora couldn't tell if they had been put there on purpose.
"Hello!" Koushiro greeted. "You must be Miss Mimi Tachikawa! I've seen you in my visions of the future! You can call me Koushiro!"
"Hi! My name is Sora Takenouchi!" Sora introduced herself. "We are looking for a witch. Are you her, by any chance?"
Mimi dramatically put a hand under her chin, closed her eyes and smiled smugly before saying:
"You must be two redheads the spirits warned me about! The revolutionary and the liar!"
"Liar?" Sora gasped, turning to the young man who had a dumbfounded expression on his face.
"W-Wait! T-That's not a fair assessment of my character!" Koushiro tried to defend himself. "I'm not a liar! Sure, I don't always tell the truth, but I try to be honest as much as possible!"
"The spirits have told me everything!" Mimi stated, opening her eyes and pointing at the young man. "You tell people half-truths, but you're never straightforward about the things that truly matter! Is that not why you came to see me? You don't trust yourself to be able to tell the truth to Sora! Therefore, you want a spell that'll show her the truth instead!"
"He did say something along those lines..." Sora remembered, turning to the witch.
"I have difficulty in talking about certain aspects of my past, it's true..." Koushiro admitted. "But I don't want to deceive Miss Sora! I came here because I want her to know the truth!"
"Not wanting to deceive her doesn't make you less of a liar!" Mimi stated. "Especially because most of your lies are told to yourself!"
Koushiro paled. Sora was intrigued about the witch's affirmations. She didn't think Koushiro was trying to trick her, but had to admit that his mysterious behavior could be seen as suspicious by other people.
"Well, we should get started," Mimi said, approaching Koushiro and taking the trench coat that had been on his arm and the fedora that was still on his head, "I realize that revolutionaries don't have money, so I'm taking these for payment."
"Wait! Those aren't mine!" Koushiro let her know. "I borrowed them from Mr. Takeru!"
"I don't believe in flimsy concepts such as 'private property,'" Mimi said, putting the fedora on her head. "Honestly, capitalism is a nothing but a big sham!"
"You charge for your services, though..." Sora observed.
"Yes, because I need money to buy food, not because I like it!" Mimi defended herself while examining the trench coat. Then, she looked at Sora and added: "Besides, the spirits told me that you drive people around in a cart to make money sometimes and that your boyfriend owns land! Therefore, you can't criticize me!"
"The spirits told you about Yamato?" Sora was shocked.
"Dead people love to gossip," Mimi said, smirking. "Anyway, like I had said before, let's get started! Get inside and step on the glowing magical circle I drew on the ground!"
At that moment, Sora hesitated. Was she about to have the future Koushiro foretold confirmed? As she saw him entering the cave with no qualms, she felt ashamed of her insecurities. Koushiro was ready to lay his life bare before her while Sora only wished to escape from her responsibilities.
She wished she could be better than that.
At that moment, Koushiro's words about people being able to become better came to her mind. Sora was still skeptical, but wouldn't it be worth to at least try it, for Koushiro's sake? She had pretended to be someone better than she actually was for her entire life. What difference would it make to keep pretending for a little longer?
With that in mind, Sora followed Koushiro into the witch's lair.