Survival Adventure Part 4 [Open][NR]

The forest ended, and then there was an area with a large lake, situated in a valley of mountains. There were waterfalls through the rock formations that spilled down into the valley to form the lake. There looked to be wooden bridges that went over it at certain points. There were small "islands" within the large lake. A strange glow from below allowed those that looked to see much marine life swimming below; certain fish that couldn't be found anywhere else on the planet. As with certain other areas that they'd passed, this place, called "Twilight Lake" looked untouched.

It was dark out. Starts filled the sky above, clearly visible since there were no cities or pollution like Edge. There was a full moon. Nocturnal animals and crickets were loud. Alec walked out of the gorge of cherry blossoms and entered the lake area, walking across one of the bridges, his sneakers making "clump clump" sounds on the wood. Alec engaged his wings to illuminate the area for Kouki, since he didn't know if she had any special way of seeing like himself, Seraphina or Kurai, and also for Little Kong.

"Hunh... who woulda figured that the grand baby had some kinda place like this back here all this time..."

There was a large "island" ahead of them at the end of one bridge and the beginning of another. The grass upon it was soft and fluffy, and would make for a nice bed to sleep on. Alec leaned over to touch the grass. With a nod, he started looking around for fire wood...

Seraphina, her eyes closed so that she could use her chakra radar, took in the beauty around them. This place looked as if they were the first people to step foot here since this place was created. "I expected this place to look magical considering what the front of the island looked like, but this... this is above anything I ever expected. Amaranth sure does know how make some amazing landscapes."

She followed Alec across the bridge, her own footfalls slightly softer than his. She watched him engage his wings which illuminated the area. The light caused more beauty to sparkle around them. Once to the island in the middle of the lake she looked around, able to see firefly's glowing in the distance. She watched as her brother went to gather firewood and glanced back at Kurai and Kouki.

Figuring she would give them a chance to talk or whatever she followed after her brother, helping to gather up enough firewood. She noticed that this firewood looked a bit strange; an odd wood that would likely cause the fire to burn a bluish purple instead of the normal oranges and reds of a normal fire.

The light of the full moon that hovered huge in the skies above them and the twinkling stars cast some light on the beautiful lake. However, as Alec engaged his wings which added more light to the area, Kouki really got a chance to appreciate the area around them. There was a large lake with several little islands and beautiful wooden bridges to connect to them that had designs carved into them - something that was beautiful and obviously untouched. She couldn't believe that no one had ever been back here before: such a wonderful place should be shared with the world. And yet, at the same time it was amazing that they were the first people to get a chance to witness this pure and beautiful place.

Kouki started across the bridge, following after Alec and Seraphina before she paused about halfway across the bridge. She went over to the railing and looked down into the water where a strange glow seemed to come from. She could see the marine life moving around beneath the bridge and within the rest of the water. There were fish that even Kouki - who originally came from a water village in the middle of the ocean - had never seen before and she wondered if they could only be found in this lake.

She glanced ahead of her again, looking to see that Alec and Seraphina had begun to gather up firewood. "This place is absolutely wonderful." She turned and finished walking her way across the bridge and onto the island that they would set up camp on. She walked to the edge of the water and sat down on her knees. She leaned forward and scooped up a 'cup' full of water with her hands. She brought it to her mouth and sipped it before the water could escape her fingers: the water had the most delicious sweet and fresh taste to it. She dipped her hands in again and this time brought water up to her face, enjoying the cool sensation.

Kurai walked along with everyone else. The cherry blossom forest ended, and they entered an area with a lake. It was quite unlike anything he'd ever seen before. Little Kong hopped along next to him, seemingly full of endless energy. Kurai himself was growing quite tired, and was ready to rest after a day of jumping around, hunting and fighting the strange boy named Yata.

His feet made slapping sounds on the wood of the bridges they crossed. Alec made his glowing wings appear to light the darkness, but it wasn't as if he needed light with Shinsai. It was likely for Kouki and Little Kong. Across the bridge and onto the island, Kurai stepped into the soft grass, and over into an area under a large tree. He sank and sat with his legs folded, letting out a sigh.

Little Kong lie on his back in the grass next to him. "So... gonna make out with her?" he asked quietly, causing Kurai, currently drinking a swig of water, to nearly choke on it.

"...Wha?... Uh... it's a little early to be wondering about something like that, wouldn't you say?" Kurai answered back quietly.

"You know you wanna."

"Are we seriously having this conversation right now?..."

"I've never seen you with a girl. You and her have history. She's here now, and your age. Aren't you backed up? Waiting to explode? Go for it. I won't watch... much."

"You little perv, you better not let me catch you peeping on anyone, most of all Kouki... and why are you suddenly talking so much anyway?"

"I'm not allowed to talk? I have a mouth..."

With the wood gathered, Alec found a space in the grass near the big tree that Kurai was sitting under that was bare dirt. He placed the wood, then used his Katon chakra again to light it with a snap of his fingers. Alec dug a space in the dirt beforehand so that the fire didn't spread, and would have room to burn.

"And here's to hoping another giant snake doesn't try eating me again..."

Alec said this while sitting down, suddenly beginning to feel the day catching up to him. He lay back and put his hands behind his head, staring up at the stars. Doing so, he couldn't help but to wonder the locations of Sunny and Serenity, the wife and daughter who'd disappeared one day without a word. Were they out there somewhere? Why had they left? Would he ever see them again?

Alec was suddenly reminded why he didn't like looking at stars. He closed his eyes with a frown...

Seraphina laid the spare wood down nearby the fire but far enough away that it wouldn't catch. She watched her brother lay down and look at the stars before closing his eyes with a frown and then turned her attention onto Kurai and Little Kong nearby. Finally she looked over to Kouki who was splashing water on her face.

Seraphina opened up her canteen and took a swig of it before walking to the waters edge and refilling it up. She could smell the sweetness in the water and smiled before screwing the cap back on her canteen. She then ventured back near the fire and placed her bag down. She dug through it and pulled free her knee length cloak which she shook out and laid down on the ground. She laid down on it and yawned, placing her head on her bag like it was a pillow.

She listened to the sounds around them, enjoying the natural sounds of the wildlife...

Kouki finished cleaning her face and stared down at her reflection in the water for several seconds. She could hear the crackling of the fire behind her and wondered how color this area would get as the night progressed: lakes were normally rather cold at night but comfortable during the day, but then again Amaranth's island might follow different standards. She watched the fish swim around a moment longer, completely undisturbed by her presence, and then she stood up and turned towards camp.

She could see Alec already laying down with his eyes closed. Seraphina was nearby on a cloak while using her bag as a pillow with her eyes closed as well. Then she looked over to Kurai and Little Kong who were by the giant tree.

Kouki wandered over and sat nearby, facing the fire for the moment. She put her bag in front of her, unsheathing her conversion board which she placed down next to her. She then began to go through her bag while using the light of the fire to see. She pulled out an extra shirt that had long sleeves and which was black in color and slipped that on and over her tank top after she removed her slashed Hinowa headband. She figured there was no point in putting the 'pant legs' of her shorts on right now.

She stared down at her Hinowa headband, her hands tightening around it until her knuckles went white as she gritted her teeth: she thought of just throwing it into the colorful fire... burning the last tie she had with Hinowa. She jerked her hand suddenly, tossing it into the fire: there was no point in holding on to it considering she was technically starting her life over, a new chance in a new village with people who cared about her.

With a slight smile and a sigh of relaxation Kouki laid back, not minding the grass against her back, and stared up at the sky above. "That's better..."

Little Kong's face was mostly teeth from the big smile he displayed as he got behind Kurai and gave him a shove. "What the--" he started to say as he slid, then rolled twice through the grass. He came to a stop next to Kouki with a frown while looking back at the Simian, even though his face was somewhat red.

He picked grass and dirt out of his hair. Gathering himself, he was thinking of what to say to her, but came up with what he figured would sound lame. Seeing that she was looking up, he did too, seeing stars. Lots of them. It was as if white paint hand been flung at random against a black canvas. "There sure are alot of stars... you can't really see them this clearly in Makkura... Not in the village anyway," he said.

He looked down again, at the fire, and noticed the headband burning. A closer look revealed the Hinowa symbol upon it, and Kurai figured she was letting go of that life with the Isao guy who was barely around, and that Miz-person, the whore female who had threatened him when she came to Makkura. Kurai didn't blame her. She'd died out in the wilderness alone. They probably didn't even come to try and find her body either...

"...I can't really imagine what it was like after we were gone... don't want to, either. I will say that the same thing will never happen here..."

(Alec is sleep, so go ahead and post)

.oO(Skipping Seraphina for the same reason.)

Kouki glanced over with a small smile as she noticed that Kurai was closer now then he had been before: though she was unaware that that was because of Little Kong's helping hand in the process. She looked back to the sky as she listened to Kurai speak and her smile grew. "All of these stars sure are amazing. I could see why though, with how dark Makkura is all of the time.", she commented. She had never really taken the time before to appreciate something like this, but she wasn't going to allow opportunities like that pass her by anymore, especially after everything that happened in that other world.

Her gaze then lowered down to her headband which was still burning as she listened to what else Kurai had to say. "I know it won't happen again. I kept that headband with me as a constant reminder of what happened so that I never allowed those mistakes to repeat themselves. But, I know now that they won't. There's no point in holding on to the past. I've got a second chance at things and that's what matters, that's why I decided to let it burn." Kouki didn't comment on what she might or might not do were Isao and Mizuko to show back up: it wouldn't be pretty.

Kouki was still smiling as she looked from the fire to Kurai. "I decided it was time to start looking forward..."

Kurai also still had his Hinowa headband. In his case, it was to remember all he'd done for that village, to remember the smiling faces of the villagers he'd helped and saved, to remember the incredible power he discovered in training there, and most importantly, to remember Kouki. All of those memories had become tainted with the memory of that man who was never there; that woman who just wanted to lie around and sex, and had the nerve to threaten him when he left. The nerve to try including a pregnant woman in a serious battle.

So he too threw his headband into the fire. He looked back to see Alec asleep, even with his wings still on. How that was possible, Kurai didn't know. It appeared that he and Seraphina were both just as tired as he was, as both were out like lights.

It would be better off to let the old memories burn. Makkura had been kind to he and his twin the years they'd been there, and Kurai was sure they'd be kind to Kouki as well. Kurai was again at a loss for words, and scratched the back of his head while thinking up something to say. "...So uh, what was Neutral City like?... I've never heard of the place..."

Kouki watched as Kurai tossed his Hinowa headband suddenly into the fire as well and she couldn't help but wonder if he too was 'throwing away' the memories attached to it. She didn't want to think of the bad times, only the good ones. A lot had happened back during that time period of her life that wasn't all bad, such as the adventure that her and Kurai had gone on where she had sealed Kua inside of him after an interesting battle.

She looked from the fire and back to Kurai again as he asked her how Neutral City was. She shrugged lightly as she thought. "It's... different. It's nothing like living in a village. There are thousands upon thousands of people; mostly those who don't use any sort of abilities. They're the people my mother always worried about the most. She read a book around the time we first got here of how about two or three hundred years ago they would tie people who were caught doing what they called magic at the time to wooden poles and burn them alive." Kouki shrugged again. "It makes training hard. My brother's like to learn things from me, and since there are no actual sensei's or anything in Neutral I took it upon myself to train them. But, we've always had to be careful. We've had to keep ourselves hidden and make sure no one is watching. It scares my mom to think of what might happen if we're discovered."

Kouki glanced up to the sky, staring at the stars as she spoke her next little bit, "My dad is stuck working all of the time in a steel mill. He leaves before the sun rises and comes home so late that most of the time we're all in bed. It's horrible. I hate it there..." She knew she was ranting, but she hadn't really had anyone she could tell her issues to before. She kept her worries and issues to herself so that she didn't bother her brother's or parents with them - she didn't want her brother's to worry and her parents had enough on their plates to deal with.

"Sorry.. I'm ranting. I just... I suppose I keep it all bottled in. My parents have enough on their plates to deal with, and I don't want my brother's to be unhappy..", she said as she looked back to Kurai. "That's why they're in the resort on Sunset Island though right now. It was a surprise. I had taken a paper route on that they didn't know about, plus made money on the sly helping neighbors and those around our block... I saved every penny so I could send them on a vacation."