Just Misunderstood
Act 2
Chapter 22
Where He Lived
The Northern Coast of Fiore was cold, the air was moist, and the sky was dark. No stars were out, just a static dark blue color above them. Lucy shivered as she stumbled along the coastline, the sea breeze blowing icy air around her. She eyed the edge of the cliffs and took a few steps away from them, not trusting her rigid body so close to the deadly drop into the ocean, "This is ridiculous, I'm freezing, it should not be this cold in February. Are we even still in Fiore?" She grumbled to herself.
Cobra scoffed but pulled his coat up to cover his ears, "We are almost to the dock hang on," he sighed.
"What is even the plan? How long are we staying? How are we gonna get all the way across Fiore in seven days?"
Cobra shrugged, "I don't even want to go, but we are drawing unnecessary attention in normal towns, the council is always one step with us, I want to be able to sleep knowing we aren't going to get jumped," he started, "And I only wanna stay here a night or two, and with your magic it should be no problem traveling quickly," he sighed again. His heart beat wildly, he wasn't ready, he knew that. He wasn't ready for where this journey was about to take them. But as he glanced back at Lucy he also knew he didn't have much of a choice. Everywhere they went the council was hovering, troops swarming every town, port, and village. Looking and waiting for one of the Oracion Seis to pop up somewhere. It had been a week since the fall of Nirvana, and so far none of them had run-ins with the council directly, just roadblocks and heavy surveillance. Cobra checked in every night with Midnight and Racer, making sure his friends were safe and moving fine. Racer and Hoteye had stuck to the mountains, planning to follow the natural rivers to the Southern Port. Angel and Midnight went with just a normal camping route, Angel had apparently finessed them some horses and they were already circling Greentown, making sure to keep out of sight.
As for him and Lucy, well, they had tried laying low in crowded towns, sleeping in hotels no longer than a night or two but as their luck would find them the council always seemed to have something important to do in that certain town. So Cobra made a hard decision, his hometown, an independent nation off the northern coast wasn't too far a trek with Lucy's powers. But he also hadn't been home in almost fifteen years, and they didn't take kindly to strangers. He was nervous, but he tried to hide it, for he knew Lucy was too.
Cobra's chest hurt as the old dock came into view, "There it is," a nostalgic smile crossed his face, they slide down a very old, and narrow pathway down the side of the cliff. Reaching a sandy bank that was cut out of the rocky earth. Lucy stood next to him, they looked out into the dark horizon, the sun just now beginning to peak out of the horizon on the other side, basking the cliff side in an eerie shadow. Cobra pointed straight out into the ocean, "It is exactly sixteen miles, four-hundred, and five feet, and please," he clasped his hands together, "Please don't drop us in the ocean, it's fucking cold."
~JM~
"What did I say?" Cobra dumped water out of his boot, he shivered, "What did I say?"
Lucy rung out her hair, "I said I was sorry! It's hard to pinpoint a location if I can't see it!" She whined. Cobra sighed and pulled his wet socks off, "I'm wet, cold, and covered in sand, you think this was on purpose?" Lucy huffed.
Cobra cocked a smile at her while rolling his eyes, he ran his hand through his hair. She looked away quickly and felt her face grow hot despite the freezing water that dripped from her hair. She summoned Virgo with some towels, "Tell her to bring my red chest," he said slowly. Lucy cocked her head in question but asked it of her anyway, a sand flew up as Virgo dropped the heavy box on the ground.
The chest was old, worn with weather and time. It was once a deep red, but now it held a faded pink, the golden lock and hardware was cloudy and chipped. Cobra squatted down beside it and Curbellios, who Lucy hadn't seen in a while, popped her head out of the sand. She was smaller than usual, still pretty big, but not the obnoxious flying snake she usually was. She wrapped herself around Cobra's leg and slithered the rest of the way. She dropped a key into his hand, "Where was she keeping that?" Lucy asked with a laugh.
Cobra smiled and pushed the key into the lock. It popped open and he lifted the lid, silk and cotton robes were folded neatly inside. Bright reds and yellows descend deep into the chest, wooden sandals and silk ribbons were found also.
"What is all that?" She asked slowly, Cobra pulled a white robe with red flowers on it out of the bottom.
"These were my parents," was all he said.
Lucy felt a deep sadness settle in her chest, she had never thought about Cobra's parents or even his home village, "Co, where are we exactly?"
He smiled and handed her the white robe, "This was my home, before the tower, where my father lived with my mother, I'm sure you have heard of it, Hokuseibu no Rozu, or Rozu for short."
Lucy had heard of Hokuseibu no Rozu, she knew it was an island that was independent of Fiore but still in a heavy alliance with them. It was a small nation, a long string of islands, skinny in width but fairly long in length. A lot of it was unsettled, the Rozuarian people loved nature, it was a big part of their culture, so they made sure they did not take up more space than they truly needed to survive. The Rozuarian people were also very secluded and not many liked to travel to Fiore, they didn't like outsiders. Thick silky back hair was heavy between people, along with tan skin and small eyelids, they were beautiful and unique in Fiore. And the little that travel to the mainland often are easily placed in the modeling industry. She never thought Cobra used to live here, but as she studied his face she could see his thick silky hair and his dark skin was very similar to that of the Rozuarian people.
"My mother was a priestess here, pure blooded Rozurian, my father wasn't obviously. He was a pirate, shipwrecked. He decided to stay, and she took care of him, and eventually, boom, out came me," he said, no emotion heavy in his voice, "They hated outsiders but the village welcomed him, for they all loved my mother, and he became a member of the shrine. They welcomed me, despite the mixed blood, and I was treated with love and respect. And then we got raided by the cult, and they took me," he stood up, "I haven't been back since."
Lucy stood there stunned, "Not even once?"
"Brain said I would be endangering my mother," he looked down and handed her the robe, "they are very strict about the culture here, this is a Komon, a type of Kimono. Its wool so it should be warm enough for you. Put this silk yukata under it," he spoke softly as he handed her the crimson yukata, "Just put it on the best you can, I will help you tie it with an obi."
He turned away and pulled his own clothing out. Lucy got Virgo to bring them some bottles of water to try and get the salt off of their skin, which worked as well as could be expected but was better nonetheless. She slipped the silk on first and that one came with two little ribbons to tie it with, she opened up the larger Komon with red flowers and pulled it over the silk, she was automatically warm. The thick wool was wonderful for the chilly early morning February. Cobra threw her some wool socks and wooden sandals, "Turn around," he soft softly. Lucy turned and Cobra wrapped the obi around her waist, he pulled it tight, the wide material covering from the bottom of her breasts to the end of her waist. It was white, with cream colored flowers on it, they were almost invisible unless you were looking for them. He tied it into a flattering pillow-like bow. She inhaled.
"Can you breath?"
"Yeah."
He stood up straight, "Get Cancer to do your hair, a bun, bangs out," he spoke. She did so and he started on her hair, being more careful than usual like he was sensing the tension in the air. Cobra started to undress, Lucy's face turned red. He pulled his shirt off and watched his muscles ripple under his skin, he pulled his pants off as well, he stood only in boxers. He used the water from the bottles to rinse his arms and legs, running some through his hair as well. He pulled out several different robes and sashes and hung them on a branch that was leaning out of the treeline. He turned and showed Lucy a plain white one, "This is a juban kimono, cotton," he slipped it on, he grabbed the next, it was a dark midnight blue, "A montsuki kimono, a date-eri, a removable collar attaches to it." He put those on too.
He grabbed a pair of baggy pair of pants that had vertical gray and white stripes, "This is the hakama, they are loose and connect about half way down, some aren't connected at all, but my father didn't like those," he tucked the two kimonos into the hakama. He tied a haori himo across his waist, explaining in detail what he was doing. Then a heavy jacket came next, it was thick, dense fibers, a montsuki haori jacket he had called it.
He sat back on the red chest, "Tabi socks, and setta sandals," he held them up to show Lucy. At this point, Cancer was gone and Lucy's hair was up and neatly done, but she didn't even notice. He stood and Lucy blushed while looking away, suddenly finding interest in a rock. He pulled a red hairpin out of the chest, he grabbed her chin lightly and pulled her to look at him. She shut her eyes, "Lucy," his voice was deeper than usual.
She felt something clip into her bun and she opened her eyes, "It was my mother's," he said with a smile. Her hand lifted to touch it.
"Oh, Co. I can't wear this," she said.
He shook his head, "Its okay, it suits you."
He pulled one more thing from the chest, a long sheath of a katana, black, smooth wood. Flaming red flowers encrusted in the sides. The grip of the katana matched the sheath. He fastened it to his hakama, the end of it lifting the long jacket, "Cobra, are you sure it's okay that I'm here? I know they don't like outsiders."
He smiled, "They adored me, and if they were okay with my father, then they will be okay with you. At least for a day or two," he looked towards the treeline, "It was about time I returned, I'm sure the shine needs to be cleaned," he spoke. Lucy waved her hand at the red chest and it appeared gently in her bedroom at the spirit world.
"Cobra," Lucy began, "Where are your parents?" She asked hesitantly.
He grabbed her hand and pulled her down the beach, making sure she didn't fall in the sand. He said nothing, and Lucy took that as a sign to not further push the topic. They traveled in the sand about half an hour before a fishing dock came into few, it was old and looked like it hadn't been used in years. Leading away from the beach was a stone path, connected by the occasional stair as it followed the natural flow of the hill. They both said nothing as they walked up the path, and after what felt like centuries of silence Cobra spoke, "My father was killed the night the cultists came, he fought to save me… but there were too many," he trailed off as they reached the top of the hill. The beautiful sunrise gave the land a golden glow, Lucy gasped in astonishment as she looked at the town below. Standing proudly in the light, were golden and red temples and buildings, red arches and gorgeous glass lanterns. The marketplace was bustling, people dressed similarly to Lucy and Cobra walking around shopping and children running and playing. The civilization was built neatly into the forest, where wildlife and nature still flourish around and in the town. Lakes were visible from the height and they glistened in the new daylight, Rozu was beautiful.
She looked towards Cobra who had a small smile on his face, he pulled her down a similar path that led straight to the market, "My mother, I believe, is at the temple," was all he said.
