09-07-2008, 01:39 AM
The smell of salt thickened the air of the Ryoshima Coast. Haruo was careful not to breath too deeply, for he was afraid he might choke on the rich air. He was so used to the thin and powerfully crisp air of his mountainous home back up in Kamui. He also noticed that it was a lot brighter here. In fact, even though it had taken him a week or so to wander down here, even though he was in dog form most of the time, he was still squinting somewhat from the sunlight that poured from the fiery globe high above them. Glancing around, he took in the area. Currently he stood on a cliff that was due west of the Ankoku Temple. Before him a beach stretched out, it's white sand casting up a blinding glow. Beyond that opened up the ocean, its shallow waters so clear Haruo could clearly see fish from his position. A bit further out sat a ship wreck that was nestled in the ocean's clam bosom and the sand that lay beneath the waters. While one may usually see the ship as a horrific feature to the coast's breath-taking landscape, Haruo himself saw it as a beautiful sight. Since his people were so different from the rest of Nippon's population, he had a slight hatred for large, man-made objects, so seeing a vessel destroyed and slowly decaying was like looking at some of Nippon's best ink art for him.
Finally, a sigh escaped Haruo's mouth, his hand touching his mask as if it comforted him in these strange lands. Reluctantly, he drew his gaze away from the dazzling waters to face the stairs that lead up to the Ankoku Temple. Cheery blossoms trees were in bloom around in front of it and a little to the left of the stairs rested a bell with a sign posted in front of it. Between the bell and the temple stairs rested a few tombstones, which Haruo guessed belong to fishermen who were lost at sea. So, as he made his way to the steps, he was careful to stay on the little dirt path to the right of the small graveyard, not wanting to defile the graves of others. Once he reached the start of the steps, though, he hesitated, looking up them, his gaze being led to the temple with the help of the gates that where set up over the stairs at even intervals. And there he stood, unsure if he should go up yet or not.
Finally, with an unsure step, he pressed his right foot upon the first step of many. After a deep breath, which he did indeed gag on at first, he took another step. Then another. Then another and another until he resumed at a normal pace. Quickly he ascended the gray granite steps, keeping his eyes focused on the temple at the top. Every minute or so, a shadow would pass over him from one of the massive gates. His steps were swift yet loud as his wooden geta clacked against the stone. The higher up Haruo got, the more nervous and uncomfortable he got. When he finally reached the top, he became frozen on the last step, staring at the huge temple, his hand gripping the mask at his waist tightly to try and ease his spirits.
|