Never had Tsukishima made it to the Nekarasi so quickly. A few hushed deals here and there, some definitely illegal methods of transportation, and the two blond Firefly citizens had reached the train in a matter of two days. It helped that the Nekarasi was headed north again, northwest really, but that still closed the gap on both ends.
The entire two days it had taken to catch up with the Nekarasi, Tsukishima had been a nervous wreck. He insisted they travelled without breaks or rest, and while it had ensured their swiftness, it had been exhausting. Worry and fear pervaded in every aspect of the journey. Tsukishima and Yachi jumped at every noise, looked warily at every stranger, and desperately prayed that Yamaguchi would be safe long enough for them to intervene. As much as Tsukishima wanted to storm the Slithering Isles on his own, he knew he would stand no chance, not without backup. Which was why he so desperately needed to contact the Nekarasi crew.
Kuroo was, of course, the first to greet the two as they discreetly made their way onto the train. Tsukishima took just a moment to admire the great vehicle once more; the elegance and functionality were truly something to behold, before he requested the audience of the head staff, his friends. Kuroo looked almost as if he wanted to argue with Tsukishima and Yachi's demands and tell them to wait, but the frantic urgency in their voices convinced him otherwise.
They met in the cramped privacy of the firefly car, and there, Tsukishima told them everything. As quickly and concisely as possible, he explained his dream, the failed communication attempts, and the mysterious letter. Kageyama and Miwa were livid; Tsukishima had no doubt that they blamed him for Yamaguchi's misfortune, he couldn't find it in himself to disagree. In turn, Akaashi shared what little information he knew, mostly that Yamaguchi had been wary and nervous during his time in the Slithering Isles and that the few letters he sent had been heavily edited.
The group sat in stunned silence for a few minutes, stricken with rage and grief. It was Kenma who finally broke the silence, "These crows, they sound like the crows of Kar."
Kuroo nodded grimly, "If we want to break Yamaguchi out of that island hell, then we'll need all the information and help we can get. Kar must have some link to the Slithering Isles, or at least some eyes and ears on the inside."
They left for the monastic tribe that very same day. As far as the crew knew, Kuroo and the others were headed on a long overdue vacation. In the meantime, Miwa had been left in charge of the train; she stayed behind of her own volition, well aware that fights and espionage were not her forte.
There were no clear-shot paths to the monastic kingdoms, and no trains made any stops close enough for the lost time to be worthwhile, so Tsukishima used his funds to charter some quick, and not completely legal, transportation once again. It took a little over a full day to reach the forest path that led to Kar; from there, they would have to travel by foot.
The trek was nothing short of miserable, at least by Tsukishima's standards. The ground was muddy and soft with rain and melted snow, which made for slow-going progress. The air was clouded with a dense fog, just cold and wet enough to leave the group wet, and shivering. The path was a poorly maintained, winding thing that wove back and forth among the trees and up the mountain. It was steep, and the places that weren't entirely mud and running water were littered with loose stones and gnarled tree roots. On more than one occasion, they had to send Hinata up ahead in his beastly form just to make sure they were headed in the right direction. Part of Tsukishima, the same part of him that was happy in the palace, wanted to turn back and find another, more comfortable way. Regardless, the group moved forward, Kar was their only hope, and there was no other way of access.
They had considered having Hinata fly each of them to the settlement entrance, but the plan was vetoed by both Kuroo and Kenma. Kar was a peaceful and self-isolated nation, yes, but they likely wouldn't take well to a literal airdrop of strangers on their front doorstep. Their isolation kept them out of most continental politics, but it could also make them a target; after all, a neutral nation has no allies to fall back on. The last thing anyone needed was for Hinata to get shot down with another member in tow. They simply couldn't risk that kind of loss.
Kuroo and Kenma led the pack on the uphill hike, for it was a path more familiar to them than anyone else. The path was not only the only way into the kingdom of Kar, but also Koma-Nek, which was even farther up the mountain and could only be reached by path from Kar. Neither mentioned it, but the unspoken truth was there anyway; this had been the trail taken by the two former Koma-Nek citizens when they left their home. Neither Kuroo nor Kenma said much as they walked. Kuroo's face was set in a hardened and still grimace as if each step closer to his former home pained him. He clenched his fists tightly at his side, tight enough to make his hands go white. He only untensed them when Kenma tenderly grabbed a fist intertwined their fingers. Kenma themself seemed less reluctant to return, or perhaps simply more hopeful. They looked at the forest around them with an appreciative but somewhat sad gaze, not entirely unlike how one might look at an old lover, one who was supposed to have disappeared long ago. As much as he wanted to know the full extent of the couple's history with the monastic kingdoms, Tsukishima made no move to pry. He had bigger fish to fry, and the two deserved their peace, for however long it lasted.
Bokuto and Akaashi, at least, seemed to be less apprehensive than their friends. Neither was exactly joyful, but they stared in awe at the towering trees around them as if neither had ever seen an old-growth forest before. Perhaps they hadn't. Fukoni, their homeland, was a warm and coastal nation with rocky soil and hills aplenty; there weren't many trees that grew in the area, not tall ones at least. The forest must have seemed almost a foreign world to the two former southerners. Tsukishima wondered if they had ever even left the Nekarasi long enough to see the sights of the world they travelled, or if the horrors of Fukoni had scared them into never leaving the perceived safety of the train. He wondered if they even missed their former nation, if Tsukishima had been a Fukoni citizen when everything went to hell, he would've simply cut ties and never looked back. Then again, if the Firefly Empire was put in the same position as the once great southern nation, Tsukishima didn't know how he would react. Better to not contemplate the theoretical upheaval and collapse of his own nation, not while on a rescue mission, anyway.
Kageyama, Hinata, and Yachi were gathered in their own little group as they continued forward. They chattered in subdued voices and caught each other up on the happenings in their lives. Kageyama clung to Hinata's hand as if it were his last lifeline. Tsukishima had never much liked Kageyama, or Hinata for that matter, but he still hated to see them in pain. He'd take the annoyingly cheerful Hinata and the competitive and grumpy Kageyama over these new quiet and sullen versions. Tsukishima couldn't begin to imagine how distraught Kageyama must've felt. He and Yamaguchi were practically brothers; Tsukishima didn't know what he'd do if he lost Akiteru.
The blond prince himself hung to the back of the group, alone with himself and his thoughts. He tried to keep his mind off of Yamaguchi as much as possible; he could do nothing to help with his worry. Instead, he took a cue from Akaashi and Bokuto and observed the forest around him. The trees were massive, thick-trunked, things that towered far above the ground. They blocked out the sun with their wide branches and outreaching leaves., which allowed for the low mist to linger long into the afternoon. Many of the tree trunks were covered in other plant life, mushrooms, mosses, lichens, and vines. Ferns and other low-lying leafed plants covered the forest floor in a blanket of green.
Occasionally, as they wandered, the group would happen upon animals. Crows, ravens, jackdaws, rooks, and other corvids were a-plenty, and they made their presence clearly known with their incessant cantankerous caws. Much like the ones that delivered the letter to Tsukishima, these birds were far larger than their common counterparts, almost twice the size in some cases. In fact, oversized animals seemed to be a common thread amongst the fauna of the forest. Does were the size of stags, stags the size of bulls, mice were the size of rats, squirrels were the size of rabbits, foxes were the size of dogs, and Tsukishima dreaded to think of how large a wolf or bear might grow to be in the area. Despite their concerning size, the animals all seemed to be far more docile than their cousins in the other wild areas of the continent. Not a single creature showed any hostile intent to the travellers, in fact, many stopped to watch them with an uncanny intelligence before they went back to whatever it was that animals did.
Yamaguchi, Tsukishima was sure, would have loved this forest. Perhaps not the mud and fog-dampened clothes, but the peaceful silence and, quite frankly, beautiful growth seemed like something that would strike the other's fancy. Perhaps he would find some inspiration from the place for some extravagant mechanical project. There was a great overlap between the natural and mechanical world, Yamaguchi had told him once while they were still on the Nekarasi together. Tsukishima himself couldn't see it, how could two seemingly opposite forces be in any way intertwined, but he trusted Yamaguchi's commentary on the matter, even if he could make no sense of it.
Before Tsukishima could lose himself to recollection any further, the group happened upon the end of the path. It stopped at an archway formed from a gap in the roots of a massive tree. A poem, welcoming strangers and vowing peace, was carved into the ancient wood, so faded and overgrown with moss that it was nearly illegible. Creeping vines curled around the roots and trunk of the tree and hung low in the archway like dangling streamers. While the outside of the arch was still alive and mossy, the inside had been worn smooth and shiny, perhaps on purpose, or perhaps from the touch of countless travellers coming and going. Either way, they had reached the entrance of Kar.
Stood resolutely in the centre of the archway was a man. He was broad and muscular, although not notably tall, and held himself with a confident and unquestioned air of authority. He nodded grimly at Kuroo, and his smile was tense and concerned. Still, he moved to the side and allowed the group to walk through the arch as he fell into step with Kuroo.
"We've been expecting you," the man stated grimly, "took you long enough."