The Day of Thunder

[Ryoshun Nao]

Nao had split off from the others after they had entered the village proper. She knew that they were concerned about her being on her own, but she wanted to explore. The garden was nice. She had spent several minutes walking around it, examining the various plants, before noticing that San was not beside her.

A quick search found him sleeping beside a bench. She sat beside him and pet him gently. It had been a long journey.

[Canary]

Nao had split off from the others after they had entered the village proper. She knew that they were concerned about her being on her own, but she wanted to explore. The garden was nice. She had spent several minutes walking around it, examining the various plants, before noticing that San was not beside her.

A quick search found him sleeping beside a bench. She sat beside him and pet him gently. It had been a long journey.

It really had been a long journey. The scents of the garden were soothing, too, reminding Nao of home, somehow. Cool nights wrapped under warm blankets as she drifted off to sleep...

[Ryoshun Nao]

It was strange, she thought, as she laid down on the bench. She rarely felt this sleepy. Usually, she'd just pretend to sleep and go explore...

[Canary]

It was strange, she thought, as she laid down on the bench. She rarely felt this sleepy. Usually, she'd just pretend to sleep and go explore...

San was definitely pleasantly warm, though... In all this fog, it was nice...

[Ryoshun Nao]

Her hand stopped moving, resting on top of San's sleeping form, and her body lay still.

[Hantei Akito]

She's abruptly awoken by a familiar voice. "Ryoshun-san? Ryoshun-san!" A gentle hand shook her shoulder and the pig.

[Ryoshun Nao]

"Just a little longer...." she mumbled.

[Hantei Akito]

"Just a little longer...." she mumbled.

"You know, there are stories about having to kiss girls to wake them up from mysterious sleeps," he says, crouching next to the bench.

[Ryoshun Nao]

Her eyes opened quickly. "Don't you dare.""

""But... thank you for waking me. I can't believe we fell asleep." She slowly sat up.

[Hantei Akito]

Akito broke into a grin. "There you go! I thought that might do it."

He stood up... and up... fully and looked around. "I don't blame you. It's a sleepy sort of place, don't you think?"

[Ryoshun Nao]

"Yes." she nodded. "But, I don't usually fall asleep so easily. Mom would send me to bed and I'd spend half the night thinking about a story dad told me."

[Hantei Akito]

"That does sounds unusual, then," he said, sitting down on the bench. "I want to take little naps all the time, but apparently it's weird when you do that wherever. That's what Genji says, anyway."

"What were you thinking about about the stories?"

[Ryoshun Nao]

"I was trying to fill in the blanks." she explained. "There were details I couldn't remember. I thought I could just add some of my own."

[Hantei Akito]

"Would you be willing to tell me one of your stories, Ryoshun-san?"

[Ryoshun Nao]

She chewed at her lip as she considered his request.

"There was a man who lived before the Kami fell." she finally said. "I do not remember his name, but he had once been of the tribe of Isawa. He had left when he was young, to explore the lands beyond the Isawa's and to learn about the other tribes. It was dangerous, but the Fortunes protected him. The elements sheltered and provided for him as he followed the sun."

"Years passed. Even with the blessings he could call upon, there were times he suffered. He encountered dangerous beasts he had never dreamt of. He struggled through long winters with little food. He was caught in flash floods, rock slides, whirlwinds and wildfires. But, the people were his biggest challenges. He was a stranger. Not to be trusted. He was dangerous."

"He had left the lands of the great tribes. In the west, he found only smaller communities and remote villages. These were people who had fled from conflict and oppression. They continued to live in fear of bandits and warbands. One man traveling alone was no less terrifying. Why would he be alone, afterall? Was he a scout? A spy? A monster in disguise? One village beat him nearly to death to find out."

[Hantei Akito]

"So what happened?" He asked, apparently rapt with attention.

[Ryoshun Nao]

"The man was saved by the village healer." she answered. "Whose daughter nursed him back to health. He fell in love with her, of course, and chose to stay in the village. He lived a happy, peaceful life for years, with his wife and their daughter."

"Then, a fever struck the village."

"The man and his father-in-law worked tirelessly to find a cure. But, the sickness spread quickly and the villagers were frightened. It was no longer just strangers who were a threat. Friends and family were dangerous too. The infected were isolated, but it wasn't a large village. Within a week, everyone was sick and people began to die."

"The man was able to create a cure. But, it was too late. It could only help the newly infected and he was only able to save one villager. His daughter would live."

[Hantei Akito]

"Wow... That's really tragic," he said quietly. "But... at the same time, one person was saved."

[Ryoshun Nao]

"Alone in a remote village, surrounded by the dead."

[Hantei Akito]

He shrugged. "Yeah, that's true. I think the gift of a chance under circumstances as dire as that is all the more precious. He did everything he could, and that's all anyone can do."