Fragments of a Lost Wind
Chapter 1
July 14th, 1880.
Ah, the abundance of sun leaking through the cracks between emerald leaves, the gorgeous flowers and the unmistakeable evidence of rare and under appreciated wildlife... What more could anyone ask for...
All right. He'll admit it. Sagara Sanosuke was, once again, hopelessly lost. The man left Tokyo only three days prior, off in a direction he thought might take him to Aizu, but only because he knew Aizu was far, and Kyoto, where he had gone under drastically different circumstances a while before, was also far, so they MUST be somewhere near each other. Or so he thought. Sigh what next. It seemed as if his life was a series of being lost, found, and terribly lost again but the second time so much worse than before, and always in the friggin' woods. He had it with the friggin' woods. Only so much you can do when you can't tell if you are passing the same tree or just many trees that look just like it. But he was SICK of waiting to be found. it was HIS turn to save HIMSELF, or all this would be for naught. Strength comes in so many different forms. So on he went.
A town off the east of Osaka known as Hinataru held a summer festival every year, something that was highly anticipated and greatly built up, being that it was the only event of festival resemblance the town ever had. Though, as anticipated as it may be, none were as antsy or impatient as the young Takanome Airi, who would have this coming festival be her first, due to a combination of a weak body and strict parents. Her father, the "father" of the town and an extremely wealthy merchant, had finally found a treatment for her turberculosis that was WORKING, at the cost of a "small fortune" and complete secrecy in reference to the source. He had been painfully compliant (much to the dismay of Airi's mother) and was quick to bring up work troubles or complain of back pains whenever the subject was mentioned. The man, who was tall, stern, and had a thick, rectangle-shaped jaw was perfect for the typical "don't mess with me" air, and managed to keep things as he wanted them fairly well. That, of course didn't stop Mrs. Takanome, who was the okami (and wished Airi to follow in her footsteps) of a famous Ryokan, from worrying, however. She was prone to following her loved one from time to time, hoping to catch him with the mysterious seller. Either the man was aware of her attempts or the seller was just that discreet, for never once did she see evidence of anything, of course leading to nothing more than more fear and uncertainties. Airi less than cared though. If it meant she could FINALLY go to the festival she had been waiting for as long as she could remember, then she supported it to no end. And of course she enjoyed the benefits of HEALTH, for once. it felt strange, actually. Like some kind of beautiful, impossible dream. Her lungs felt liberated, clear, she almost never felt it painful to breathe any more. With medicine like this, I could see why a man might want to remain in the shadows. who knows what people would do to get a hold of such a treasure.
Two more days. Just two more days and she could go. She just hoped she could finish her yukata in time...
Sano was exhausted. What felt like a neverending trek through the same square mile of trees was enough to drive him on the brink of insanity. He wasn't sure how many times he had barely stopped himself from destroying all the beautiful scenery within line of vision (for the second time in the same forest), but knew better of it, knowing she didn't approve of senseless destruction. So it took all he had to walk like a normal human being all the way to the town of Hinataru, but he arrived, finally, confused, lost, tired and unbelieveably relieved. He ran, hungry as all hell, into the nearist Ryokan, and was greeted by a beautiful girl around 16 years of age, who claimed to be the okami-in-training. She showed him to his room and prepared him a meal and a bath, much to his delight. To finally be free of those friggin woods...