Exploring old lands and new friendships. (Natsuki, Yozei)

[LunarCataphract]

The Land of Water, as the name gave away, was a nation closely tied to that most fundamental of natural items: water. Numerous islands made up the Land of Water and as such, it was demanded the natives employ transportation as closely tied to water as the water, namely boats. It was one such boat, owned by a man that made his living ferrying people between the islands, that Fujikawa found herself upon. She remained seated inside her cabin, staring through a porthole, watching the gulls sail by. It was one of those sights that made many appearances in romantic pleasure cruises but a pleasure cruise, romantic or not, was not why Fujikawa was here.

Her business in being upon this boat, carried atop the waves of the land enwreathed in mist, was related to her own development as a Shinobi. Recently she had acquired the ability to summon a rather mighty creature and it was in summoning this creature, in order to both practice and meet the terms of their contract, that she was travelling to one of the Land of Water’s less inhabited islands. Yet, the journey was long and in all honesty? Dull. She had no company, no delightfully interesting person to wrap herself with nor anything to really distract herself. Ah…boredom was the true mind killer…

The Shinobi stepped down from the chair, vacating her cabin and advancing up to the deck. The scent of salt met her nose, a familiar and relieving scent that enveloped, embraced and filled the lungs. It woke her up, snapping her out of that lazy almost asleep stupor she had begun to sink into. Ah….you could not beat it. The ocean truly was a place Fujikawa felt at home at. She wished she brought her rod with her, for today seemed to be the perfect weather for fishing. Warm, sunny, clear skies and most importantly, the water was undisturbed by rough weather.

“Ah….” It was the perfect weather for smoking, as well as fishing. Fujikawa reached into her elaborate outfit, withdrawing her kiseru, a small tin of tobacco and a simple box of matches. A few moments later and she was leaning upon the railings at the aft of the vessel, a deep exhalation sending a large cloud of acrid smoke flying upwards towards the sky. Hmmm…this was the life. Relaxing on a cruise, with nothing but yourself, a pipe and the sky. Ah….

[Izanagi]

It had been about four months since Yozei was officially inaugurated as the 6th Prince of the Harukatsu family, though he was still a Jounin of Konoha and his duties were split between ruling the people of Dragons Breath Province of Fire country and serving Konoha when something came up that required his skillset. But within all those expectations and responsibilities he had managed to carve away some time for himself under the guise of maintaining good relations with their formerly bitter enemies. He was to travel to Water country, but not to any of the main cities and certainly not to the vile place known as Kirigakure. Instead, he would visit lands that were dear to him, a place where he had trained in Iaido in the early years of the war. He had learned some of the ways of the Samurai and held a deep respect for their people. Though he wasn’t sure how many locals remained he wished to see what had become of those that stayed and if possible, ensure they were being treated well under Water country rule.

Of course, he would have to tread carefully so as to not cause an international incident and so certain measures were taken to ensure some semblance of discretion. He wasn’t attempting to hide his identity by any means, but he had elected to travel with only a small guard, a pair of samurai and had traveled along standard fare transportation instead of electing to take a Fire country vessel into Water country lands. He had remained in his cabin alongside his guards, boarding early and waiting until well into the voyage to come up for some air. He insisted the guards remain below deck, after all he was quite capable of handling himself and had even served to lead a garrison of Fire country Samurai during the war, conquering several lands including Lava Island and Dragons Touch.

But he didn’t care to dwell on such memories, instead enjoying the ocean breeze and the spray of saltwater as he moved to the railing. His attire consisted largely of reds and gold, accenting nicely against his auburn hair tied back to rest at his upper back. He had elected to forgo his Konoha forehead protector, though he made no effort to hide his status and fine clothes nor the pair of beautifully decorated Katana at his hip, one of which was a sacred weapon passed down for generations through the Harukatsu family. It was something he could never part with. Its powers were great and helped to keep himself under control from his own tainted soul as a result of a spirit possession. Without it, he was worried the kind of person he could become.

Though as Yozei leaned over the rail he had to do a double-take as he noticed a stunningly beautiful woman that reminded him eerily of himself or at least she seemed she could be easily mistaken for a relative. She wore a similarly flashy outfit and had the same shade of hair, and he felt sure that she must be a member of the Harukatsu family, though he had been attempting to learn of all of his cousins and other relatives and couldn’t for the life of him remember ever seeing her before. He cleared his throat upon realizing he was staring and further noted her red eyes. Quite the unusual trait that gave her an almost demonic appearance and shifted his mind quickly to thinking she might be a member of a shinobi clan rather than family. He knew of both the Hizashi and the Enkouten and held quite a fascination for their powers in his pursuit to master the element of Katon and all that it could do. “You feel like someone I should know. Would you do me the honor of allowing me your name? I’m Yozei” he introduced, leaving his family name out of it for now. He didn’t want to use his status to gain her favor and he was quite curious where her loyalties lay and what sort of person she was.

[LunarCataphract]

“Heh. You are right that it is an honour to know my name.” A grin spread across the chemist’s features, as her whimsical gaze danced away from the ocean towards the one named Yozei. Hmmm. He was not half-bad looking. Not really to her tastes ,she didn’t like the red on account of the fact it distracted from her own crimson form and that was simply not acceptable. She did have to be the centre of attention after all, but she could definitely see the appeal others might see in him yet that was not the focus of this engagement, was it? This red head asked for a name, and a name he would get.

“Hmmm….well you have shared your name, so I may as well share mine in return. My name is Fujikawa.” In truth, Fujikawa had to admit she was not too curious about Yozei and why would she be? Crimson garb, his name and aesthetic aside, Fujikawa knew little about Yozei but…hmmm…..what brought him here? This ferry was hardly going somewhere of any great importance. Perhaps Yozei had greater importance in being here than simply enjoying the scenery? That was definitely true for Fujikawa after all. Perhaps she was more curious about Yozei than she thought.

Yet, off the port side of the vessel approached a trio of far smaller ships. Their sails were numerous, aligned against the wind and they were swiftly approaching. One vessel pulled away from the other ship, circling around the front of the cruise vessel to end up on the starboard side. Fujikawa’s interest in Yozei, how minor and limited it had been, was instantly brought to these new vessels. At first she had thought them mere fishing ships but their sails, and the speed they granted, challenged that assumption but what truly laid it to rest? Was the flag they suddenly unfurled.

“Tell me Yozei, what do you know of The Land of Water’s more….unsavoury elements? We do tend to attract aquatic based vagabonds, such as these. Take that flag into account. The skeleton with a heart in one hand and an arrow in the other? Used by a crew of small-time crooks under one Villainous Vilbert. A humorous name but they’re known for their brutality. Hmmm….do retreat below decks Yozei. I have a certain trick up my sleeve.” With malice on her lips and a deadly twinkle in her eyes Fujikawa simply watched and waited for the pirates to approach, well aware that they would attempt to board.

[Izanagi]

The young Prince smiled, his cerulean blue eyes a striking contrast to the sea of red between the two of them. Given her distinct traits and her attire, he could only assume she was from a clan or otherwise someone of great wealth and importance like himself. She certainly held a certain captivating presence that he couldn’t say he ever experienced from a commoner. Her confident attitude only seemed to reinforce this. The woman shared her name, similarly, leaving out her family name. “A pleasure” he said simply now that they were introduced. He dipped his head slightly and smiled confidently, his eyes never leaving hers. She certainly was attractive, but his intrigue was admittedly focused on potential bloodlines or shinobi training that she might possess. He would have to play along until he could better discern where her loyalties lay and what secrets she might have within her. If there was anything at all about her he might be able to exploit, he would.

Yozei leaned over the railing, he didn’t want to press the woman too hard. Perhaps there would be a chance to inquire more subtly about who she was and what her business was in old tea country. However, he couldn’t help but notice the trio of small ships approaching quickly. The man’s eyebrow raised, was this another assassination attempt? It was almost predictable at this point that anytime he traveled he would be targeted by someone. Though as their flags were displayed, he chuckled lightly. Amusing. It had been a few years since he had fought with any pirates. “I’ve had a few run-ins during the war” he stated simply, his posture still quite relaxed as he listened to Fujikawa’s explanation. It seemed likely she was either from Water country or a former pirate herself. Despite having conquered lava island during the war, he hadn’t been there when it had been claimed by the Black Wake. However, he had fought other factions off the coast of Dragon’s Touch. “Beautiful and wise. Are you strong too?” he wondered, curious what her plan of action would be. Though when the woman requested he go below decks, Yozei sighed, giving her a measured gaze. Was this a trap perhaps? It would be simple for him to eliminate the ships; a few well-placed fireballs would do the job. But then, he didn’t want to reveal his hand before she did. He supposed he could acquiesce for now. “I suppose. But if it comes down to a fight, save some for me” he said with a playful wink before casually heading below deck.