The shining water brushed against the small boat smoothly. He had come a long way from China, wanting to find a new place to live. The Chinese family was too numerous and overwhelming. Sure, he was just a child, but he could make his own decisions. Qin(who would rename himself as China when he would lock all the other family members in a closet) was the scariest to him, as Qin hated that there were countries in existance before he was. He even burned all the books concerning his ancestors. Soon enough though, the new country would find a new homeland, and that land was in the direction of the rising sun.

Suddenly, he saw land ahead. He manuvered the sail and got out an oar, as he wanted to reach dry land before he got seasick. Surely if he was to be an island nation, he would get over something as troublesome as that? The waves caused the boat to calmly cruise onto the shore and he got out of it and pulled it more ashore. The land was rocky, as if it had just come to be. He noticed a large mountain ahead with smoke rising out of it: a volcano. After taking his supplies out and setting up a small, habitable plot of space, he made the hike up the mountain.

The higher he got, the colder it got. It wasn't this cold along the Huang He, even during the winter. Strange creatures treaked along the path near him. They looked like humans, just smaller and fuzzier, like a small panda with a white mane and a long tail. He had heard tales of such creatures to the west. Tibet had a load of them at his house, and he called them snow monkeys. Perhaps Tibet's monkeys and these ones were related? He looked around and saw that he was almost to the top of the volcano.

He just reached the top and realized the sudden change in temperature due to the lava. It was so warm. He sat down on the slightly melted snow and held his hands out towards the pit of fire to warm them. Then, he heard a rustling. It wasn't like something in the leaves, it was like something in the water. He heard the lava bubble, and his eyes widened as a large dragon emerged from the lava pit.

"Who are you, that you come to the islands of Zappangu?" the dragon's voice roared. The boy was silent, struck with fear. "Can you not speak, child? Where is your family?" The boy felt a tear come down his cheek.

"I left them." he mumbled. The dragon raised an eyebrow.

"Do you not know of respect? What has your family done that you leave them?"

The boy sniffled. "They always fight with eachother. Each one of my older brothers wants to be the head of the house but the others won't let him." The dragon nodded in understanding.

"Tell me child, what is your name." The boy looked up, wiping the tears from his eyes.

"I...I don't have one." he stated. The dragon then smiled.

"Well listen, unnamed child, I will let you stay on my islands and take care of you." the boy's eyes sparkled with joy. "But," they didn't fade a bit at the word. "But, you must made sure that you honor my own brothers and sisters."

The boy tilted his head in questioning. "Who are your brothers and sisters?" The dragon smiled again.

"They are the Kami. The spirits of nature. Respect them well and I will respect you well in return." Now the boy smiled.

"Thank you very much, Wang Zappangu." The dragon chuckled then.

"No no, that is your name."

"My name is Wang Zappangu?"

"You are the country of this land, so your will adopt my name, Zappangu-sama."

The boy blushed, embarrassed at the new name. "What does Zappangu mean?"

The dragon laughed loudly. "It means the land of the rising sun." The boy pondered the meaning for a bit.

"In my language that would come out as 'Nihon'."

"Then that shall be your name." the dragon prepared to depart back into the pit. "By the way." Nihon looked up at the dragon again, as he had prepared to leave. "Forgive me if I stumble a bit in my slumber, the ground may shake a bit." Nihon nodded, and the dragon descended back into the pit.

"Sayonara, Zappangu no Tentetsu!" Nihon shouted gleefully, waving at the dragon as it disappeared from his view. While he walked back to the shore, he thought aloud.

"I have arrived at the land of the rising sun.." he stopped and looked over at the horizon, seeing the very sun he spoke of rise in the east. "But now I guess....I am the land of the rising sun."


Wang=king

Zappangu no Tentetsu=islands of Japan

hope you enjoyed!