"Hmm, these are very troublesome times indeed." Hiyataka frowned as he rubbed his chin, looking at the map spreading out in front of him.
He was sitting on his knees in a traditional position of a war meeting.
His three sons sitting on a line on his right, Odan closest to him, Tatsue in the middle and Fujimoto next to Tatsue.
On Hiyatakas other side were sitting some of his stragetist councilers, looking seriously at him.
"Bushidan is a stubborn bastard, he keep pushing on this front." Hiyataka pointed on the map. "If it wasn't for our iron ships, he would be swimming that entire channel!"
"Then it's a good thing nothing can withstand our iron ships." Odan smirked a little satisfied.
Fujimoto looked away from them as he squinted his eyes, it was the iron ships that hurt the bottom of the oceans when they sank, it was an iron ship like that that had left the wonderful goddess of this very ocean helpless to help her own creatures.. and yet Fujimoto could say nothing about it, because they would call him crazy, send him to bed, leave guards around his bed, and exspell him from any meetings like this.. for-ever and ever.
Not that Fujimoto could mind the last part so much, war had never sat well with him, and the fact that people were constantly trying to fight his father over these bits of oceans was almost disgusting, it wasn't some-thing Fujimoto felt like he had to hear about it.
The other thing though, it made him feel like a chained animal that had gone rabid… And if he arouse any further suspicions, then he wouldn't be able to go alone for long, and then he wouldn't be able to go see Granmammare any-more!
It was not every-day Fujimoto saw her, not at all, she came and went as she pleased. Fujimoto could only go to that very same hidden clif, that could only be entered by climbing a bit up the rocks and then go through the hole to the other side, into an almost cave mounting out to the ocean, above the ocean.
He could go there, and if Fujimoto was very lucky she would come by.. some-times she did, some-times she wouldn't no matter how long he sat there with his books reading. There was no telling when this sea goddess would appear, only that it would only happen at that specific spot, and only when Fujimoto was alone.
Apparently humans weren't even supposed to see sea goddess… Fujimoto couldn't quite figure out why, but if Granmammare didn't want to be seen by any-one but her, she was sure to have her reason.
"Fuji." Tatsue hissed through his lips pushing at the younger brother.
"What?" Fujimoto asked looking at him.
"At least pretend like you are listening." Tatsue whispered back.
Fujimoto blinked. "Oh." Then he turned back his head, resting his hands on his knees.
Thankfully, no one else than Tatsue had seemed to notice at all, that or they had just decided to ignore his ignorance, after all the rumours were going around… he was crazy, as they all said.
Good thing that Fujimoto knew now, that he wasn't, it was just all of them whom couldn't see the larger picture.. at all.
And apparently they were all to stupid to even listen to…
"So we strike back then?" Hiyataka asked placing his hand on the map. "Very well then."
Fujimoto couldn't help but winch his face, so his father was storming out after another attack, well.. this was just exactly like him.
His father had conquered these oceans around him, by being fierce and assertive, or at least that was what Fujimoto and his brothers had been told, Fujimoto couldn't say he could remember much of it, most of it was from before he was even born, and the rest from when he was to young to remember.
Finally the meeting was over and Fujimoto was allowed to just leave along-side his brothers, though, neither of his brothers seemed, all that pleased about Fujimotos obvious lack of any interest what so ever in what had been going on.
Especially Odan seemed to be boiling over with anger, as if Fujimoto had been insulting him personally, Tatsue was a bit more defeated.. His eyes were closed as he kept close behind Fujimoto, as if he was bracing himself for what he knew was going to come next, and all he could do, was to do the damage control and try to ensure things didn't get to much out of hand.
"Fuji! How dare you?" Odan asked the youngest brother annoyed. "How dare you insult our father like that?" he asked.
Bored Fujimoto looked back at him, he didn't even look frightened, these sort of clashes between the two were, pretty common after-all.
And that tired annoyed look was answer enough, enough to make Odan groan. "At least you can pretend like you care!" he exclaimed. "Our father is throwing every-thing into keeping this land and these oceans safe! So we have some-thing to take over!"
"I'm not asking him to do that." Fujimoto frowned crossing his arms. "And it seems rather pointless to me any-way, they are not really his oceans, are they?" he asked.
That seemed like a mallet to Odans face as he gaped, Tatsues eyes as well widenened.
"Fuji?" Tatsue asked compleately aghasted. "How can you say some-thing like that?"
"It's easy, because I don't understand it." Fujimoto told in a frown. "How can he make a claim to the ocean?" he asked. "It's the ocean! Does he have any idea what lives in it?" he asked. "To claim that he owns it, and is the lord of it, seems pretty arrogant to me." He snorted.
"Fuji! That's our father you are talking about!" Odan exclaimed.
"So what if he is?" Fujimoto asked. "He is still claiming that some-thing is his, some-thing that really isn't and doesn't belong to any human. But he is so busy claiming it that he is also destroying it in the process! Does he have any idea what those sinking ships are doing to the ocean floor? Does he even realise what he is destroying?" he asked so full of anger, that he completely forgot about his own vow of silence about the things he knew.
"Oh no." Tatsue swallowed.
"What?" Fujimoto asked looking at him, then his eyes widened as he realised his own slip up and he screeched standing up grabbing his own hair.
"You haven't stopped on that at all, have you?" Odan asked wide-eyed. "You were just saying the things we wanted to hear!"
"No!" Fujimoto exclaimed. "Yes." He then admitted. "So what?" he asked. "I mean.. urh.." he swallowed stepping back, for the first time in that whole confrontation looking a bit scared about any future consequences.
"I see." Odan nodded. "Father shall hear of this."
"Wait, what?" Fujimoto asked looking up as he gaped. "Father doesn't have to know of this!" he exclaimed.
"Fuji calm down." Tatsue tried to step in.
"You tell me to calm down, when you are being cornered by people whom thinks you are crazy!" Fujimoto snapped right back.
"Well, I suppose what we can gather from this is that there is nothing wrong with your intelligence." Tatsue groaned, rubbing his forehead.
"I don't see how that is any-thing to be relieved about." Odan muttered.
"Excuse me?" Fujimoto asked looking up at the oldest brother.
"You are a danger Fuji." Odan stated. "A danger to yourself, and our father! We are in danger, in a constant conflict for these waters, and if father is not at his sharpest, he will loose." He told. "In the middle of all of this, he also has to worrie about you."
"I did not ask for any of that." Fujimoto hissed crossing his arms. "I don't care for him fighting on top of these oceans, and I don't care for being looked over like I was a hurt animal." He snapped. And as he did, unbeknownst to the three brothers, as they were far to busy with each other, did the flower vase, which stood innocently by itself, on the window ledge, start to shake.
"There's just no reasoning with you!" Odan exclaimed.
"Well apparently I am insane, what do you want me to do!?" Fujimoto asked spreading out his arms, and the vase started to shake so much that it moved around on that window still.
"FUJI!" Odan yelled. "Whether you like it or not! You are a part of this fortress! You are in this together with us! Our fathers son, and he is the lord of these oceans he has to fight to even keep! It's your duty to support him and help him, simple as that! I don't know who or what you think you are, but that is where you are at! And that's what you should do!"
"WELL MAYBE I DON'T WANT ANY OF THAT!" Fujimoto yelled, and the vase jumped up and down on that ledge.
"Guys! Relax!" Tatsue hopelessly tried.
Odan though was flabbergasted. "You're saying you don't want to be our fathers son?" he asked. "Our brother? Is that what you are saying?"
"What if it is?" Fujimoto asked sourly.
"That's the most disgusting thing I have ever heard coming out of your mouth!" Odan exclaimed.
"WELL I WOULDN'T HAVE TO SAY STUFF LIKE THAT IF YOU WEREN'T SO THICKHEADED!" Fujimoto roared, and as he did, the vase on the window ledge, exploiding into a thousand pieces, sending cascades of water in all directions, including at the three brothers.
Wide-eyed they all turned towards it, so shocked that their previous argument was compleately forgotten as they wide-eyed looked at it.
"What.. What happened?" Fujimoto asked wide-eyed.
"Is some-one shooting at us!?" Odan yelled running to the window sticking his head out, for a while he stood like that, looking left and right, then slowly he retrieved. Looking baffled beyond reason. "There's nothing but ocean in front of this window, there's no way a sniper could have shoot from there."
"You always do have your head into violence." Fujimoto commented in a slight pout crossing his arms, then he to grew silent, and thoughtful.
And Tatsue seemed to be the one answering his question for him. "But, if no one was shooting at us.. what happened?" he asked.
The three brothers looked at each other, each with wondering confused eyes, then they looked at the broken remains of the vase and the splushes of water around on the ground.
"We… should probably keep silent about this." Tatsue then commented. "All if it." He then stated.
"Yes.. yes I quite agree." Fujimoto nodded slowly, then his eyes landed on Odan and he hesitated.
"Urgh." Odan groaned resting his hand on his forehead. "Yes, fine." He sighed waving his hand at them. "All-though!" he managed to stop Fujimoto holding up a hand. "Fuji, I wont mention this incident again, to any-one." He then promised. "But, you owe me." He told. "Next time, think about what it is you're saying!"
Fujimoto glared at Odan with a pouting mouth and Tatsue just managed to throw himself into the middle between them. "Arh Fuji! Perhaps you shouldn't… talk." He then swallowed grabbing Fujimotos shoulders turning the younger man around. "Just take it and leave." He whispered into Fujimotos ear. "You wont gain any-thing from furthering this argument."
"I know that!" Fujimoto hissed at him. "I can't get any-where with any of you when you all refuse to listen. I swear, if just one would listen, just one. But I guess not." He muttered, pushing Tatsues hand away from his shoulder, and then left in angry steps.
And the moment he was gone, Odan groaned. "Urgh! I feel like I am the one being driven insane!" he hissed. "Why wont he ever listen? If he would just listen to one of us! Urgh!"
Tatsue was dead quiet, refraining from telling he had just gotten the exact same complaint from both brothers, if they had any-thing in common, it was that they were both stubborn and proud as hell.. it was not a pretty picture.
"So where do you suppose he ran off to?" Odan asked Tatsue.
"My guess would be that cliff cave he spend so much time at." Tatsue commented in a shrug.
"What?" Odan asked turning to him.
"Oh." Tatsue blinked. "You don't know, well, if you climb a bit up the cliff to the south, there's an opening leading into a sort of grove where there's a tall cliff above the ocean, I pulled Fuji out of there, that day with the storm where he suddenly decided to go onboard a boat. I haven't followed him there since, but it is where he crawls into and appears from again when he's gone, I kept my eye on it."
"Does father know of this?" Odan asked sternly.
"No." Tatsue blinked. "I thought Fuji needed some room and quiet, I kind of gathered that's the sole reason he goes there."
"So you're telling me, he spend all of those hours when he wasn't here, alone where no-body could see him, at the ocean, and no one knows what he is even doing there?" Odan asked.
"Yes…" Tatsue hesitated, though very carefully, suddenly he felt like he was the one under scrutiny.
"And you didn't tell any-one?" Odan asked.
"He wished for privacy, and seemingly he did get better as long as he was allowed room!" Tatsue defend himself holding up two hands.
"Seemingly being the key word here." Odan lectured crossing his arms.
"You're not going to tell father are you?" Tatsue asked.
"Father should know, all he does, is worrying for Fuji." Odan stated.
"Don't you think that'll just… you know.. make Fuji even.. More angry?" Tatsue tried. "You think that's a good idea?"
"Honestly, I don't know what to think." Odan groaned. "All I know is that Fuji isn't well, he is not himself. Now I don't know if it's because having drifted around on the ocean, without food or water for days has driven him insane Or if some creature has taken over his body, or if he is just clinging on to what-ever story made him see his ordeal through! And I can't.. I don't blame him." Then confessed. "urgh, this is to confusing for me." He groaned. "Father warned me about this, he is concerned that some creature is playing around with Fuji, one of the sea creatures."
"You mean like a spirit?" Tatsue asked. "You think he's possessed?"
"Tell me that doesn't sound plausible, just tell me?" Odan asked.
Tatsue hesitated, then cast down his head. "It's as good an explanation as any." He then admitted. "Is that what father thinks? That Fuji might be possessed?" he asked.
"It is." Odan admitted. "Now I promised father that he wouldn't have to worry, but.. If Fuji continues with this sort of talk, he'll be forcing my hand." He told. "He doesn't listen to me, can't you tell him?" he asked.
"I've tried." Tatsue admitted in a deep sigh. "He doesn't listen to me either."
"Urgh.. Who on earth can we make him listen to?" Odan asked in a deep groan, rubbing his eyes.
"I'm so glad you're here." Fujimoto smiled gladly as he laid on his stomach, his chest, face and arms, reaching down the cliff-side. "I've missed you." He told.
The woman of light far below him smiled warmly as she splashed around with the waves.
"That looks like so much fun." Fujimoto sighed. "I wish I could join you." He admitted. "I would really like to see your kingdom again."
That made Granmammare look up at him, with deep questioning eyes, then she shook her head.
"You wont take me?" Fujimoto asked, and the goddess of mercy looked away. "No I understand." He told. "The last time nearly killed me, I froze and become starved without even realising it.. Humans can't life at the bottom of the ocean." He sighed deeply, resting his chin in his hands as he laid there, looking both sadly and longingly at Granmammare. She though, still didn't look at him, but looked away. "No don't apologies, really." He asked. "What? No I'm not agitated!" he hissed, and the goddess of mercy chuckled at him, back to her warm gentle self. "It's just no-one around wants to listen me.. I know! I know I should make up with my brothers." He then admitted. "I just wish they weren't being so stupid." He then muttered crossing his arms.
The suddenly he felt that warm presence beside him and Fujimoto turned his head to be face to face, with the goddess of Mercy.
Whom beamed at him, Fujimoto blinked. "You want to show me some-thing?" he asked.
And Granmammare nodded, smiling at him, then her mouth opened, and her lips started to form, as if she was… speaking a sentence, though still no sounds came out.
Fujimoto blinked. "What?" he asked.
Granmammare shook her head, then tried again, formed her lips, four syllables.. forming in a "Fu… Ji… Mo.. To."
Fujimoto blinked, and then she tried again, now there was a sound behind it, like human words.
"Fu-ji-mo-to." Granmammare spoke, pronouncing each syllable as clearly as she could.
And Fujimoto lightened up. "That's right! That is my name! Fujimoto!" he told.
And Granmammare lightened up in a warm bright smile as she spoke again. "Fu-ji-mo-to! Fujimoto!" she exclaimed, and then smiled warmly.
Fujimoto couldn't help it, couldn't help but laugh happily as she held back his neck. "I can't believe it! You took the time to learn how to say my name." he chuckled, wiping away a tear. "Can you even say your own name?" he asked. "Granmammare?" he asked.
The goddess though, now looked at him with a slightly lifted eye-brow.
"Sorry." Fujimoto blushed scratching his neck. "It's a great honour, Granmammare, that you would want to learn my name." he told. "You're a dear friend."
Granmammare smiled warmly at him. "Fujimoto." She nodded at him. "My Fujimoto.. my dear friend."
"Yes." Fujimoto exhaled deeply. "I'm your Fujimoto, I MEAN!" he wide-eyed blushed looking the other way. "Heh." He swallowed, blushing deeply.
Then he felt a gently head, touching his shoulder, slowly Fujimoto moved his head, and realised, Granmammare leaned up against him, wide-eyed Fujimoto sat up straight, he felt his hair slightly standing up as a knot formed in his throat, he had a big trouble swallowing. Then he looked at her again, and swallowed. "Urhm.. Granmammare, I… I don't know how to tell you this." He whispered. "But.. my father is going into battle… again.. on top of your ocean, there'll probably be a few more oil ships that are going to sink. I can't stop it, no one wants to listen to me… please do try and stay away from the oil." He asked. "You can't turn into sea-foam, you just.. can't!"
"Worry.." Granmammare spoke quietly, and Fujimoto looked down at her.
"Huh?" he asked.
"Worry to much." Granmammare told. "Fujimoto."
Fujimoto swallowed. "Perhaps." He then admitted. "I just.. I don't really get all of this." He then admitted. "And I don't want to loose you.. You are this ocean in front of us, aren't you?" he asked. "I want to protect it." He then told. "From the ignorant people like… like my father." He then admitted in a deep sigh. "I want to help, but I don't know how."
"Worry to much." Granmammare then repeated herself. "My Fujimoto." She smiled almost teasingly.
And Fujimoto, he could only shake his head, and smile a little amused himself, some-how when Granmammare was with him, things weren't too bad.
Hey there, just a short note to what-ever few readers might be interested.
As some might now.. probably not a lot, but maybe some... I don't just write fanfiction, I am also an enternet video producer, what inspired me to write this fic, was the video series I just finished making, a video series where I actually reviewed every single one of Miyazakis movies, as well as made some additional videos about Joe Hisaishi the music composer of the movies, and the legacy of Miyazaki, so well... if there is any place to do commercial for that.. it would be here right?
Just go to a site called the Agony Booth and find the staff member called "Sofie Liv." I have no reviewed every single Miyazaki movie, it would be great with some extra support!