A knock at the door echoed throughout the Umitasora home as Kyuen sat up from the bed where she had been laying with the still silent and traumatized Hikari. "I'll be back in just a minute, I just need to check who that is," Kyuen said to her niece as she brushed a bit of Hikari's hair away from her face. Hikari didn't respond, she only curled herself tighter into the blanket and pillows around her as she closed her eyes.
Kyuen got up from the bed and made her way down to the front door, only to open it and see both Syra and Arielle who promptly stepped inside and rushed themselves upstairs to Hikari's room. Kyuen smiled a bit as she felt some relief now that Hikari's friends had come to check in on her. She walked back up to the room to see that Syra and Arielle had managed to get Hikari finally sitting up and speaking once again. "How are you?? Are you okay??" Arielle and Syra both asked as they sat beside her on the edge of the bed.
Hikari's face was still red and puffy from the bouts of crying that came again and again. She was still pale and distraught, only able to speak in a whisper as her friends tried to console her. "Nobody should be worried about me…" Hikari managed to say as she stared at her bedroom floor. "Of course we're worried about you!" Arielle said as she grabbed Hikari by the hand and squeezed. "Whatever happens it's gonna be okay," Syra added as she swung her arm around Hikari. "Thanks for coming girls," Kyuen said to them as she stood in the doorway and watched. "Why don't I make us a bite to eat and we can just try to take it easy today," Kyuen added before she left the girls and made her way back downstairs.
"Did he move where he was keeping the bread?" Kyuen said to herself as she searched around the kitchen for ingredients while at the same time boiling a pot of water for some tea. She quickly prepared a small lunch and warm tea for her and the girls and made her way back up, hoping that Arielle and Syra were able to console Hikari a bit more than she had been able to. Kyuen entered the room with a tray of tea and sandwiches, her heart lifted to see Hikari with a bit of life returned to her face as she spoke to her friends.
Hikari had now pulled her feet up onto the bed and was hugging her knees as she recanted the events of the tournament to the two of them. "The last thing I remember is being pinned against the wall and feeling like I was blacking out… there were all sorts of memories that had come back to me and next thing I knew…" Hikari choked a bit as she tried to speak. "I… I was standing over her with her blood all over me…" She whispered as she began to tear up. "So… you rot remember at all?" Arielle asked as she rubbed Hikari's arm. "I dont… But Hiro showed me the recording of what happened… I saw it…" Hikari said, as arielle and Syra seemed to look at Kyuen to say something. "We… we don't need to go over it all again… You should just try to eat something," Kyuen said to her niece as she handed the three of them the tray of food and drinks.
The girls slowly and quietly ate the meal as they sat on the bed together, the room heavy with emotion that sat in the air around them. Despite the depression she had fallen into, Hikari's stomach growled as she reached for the food, and with her first bite another bit of life seemed to return to her face. The three of them had only been about halfway through their meal when another surprising knock at the door had cut them all off. "Who is it now?" Kyuen thought to herself as she left the room and returned to the front door. It was only another minute that she returned with a visitor in tow, whom she showed inside and up to Hikari's room.
"Hikari… this is one of the Medical Sentoki responsible for working on Harrow…" Kyuen said as a man in his mid to late twenties dressed in the black and white robes worn by Medical sentoki stepped into the room. "Excuse my interruption Hikari," he said as he bowed to her politely. Hikari was frozen as he walked in, her stomach twisted with the fear that he had come to bring her the news that she feared the most. "Is everything okay?" Syra asked as both she and Arielle pulled closer to Hikari's side as they sensed her fear and anticipation. "I've been sent to inform you that we were successfully able to stabilize Ms. Hawthorn earlier this morning. Thanks to the response team on the field yesterday and our work on the medical team, we can now say… she will pull through," The man said to them all. A wave of relief washed through the room like a breeze of warm air. Hikari let out the exhale she had been holding as her shoulders dropped and she felt a weight lifted from her shoulders. "It's still going to be a long road to her recovery, but with the right care and treatment she should be back on her feet by this time next year," the man added before bowing again and taking his leave.
"A year…" Hikari said to herself and she slumped back a bit and let the news sink in. "She's gonna be okay Hikari, what's wrong?" Arielle asked, confused as to why Hikari didn't seem as relieved by the news as she would have hoped. "It's gonna take her a year to recover… she can't get that time back," Hikari said softly as she let out a sigh. "But… I'm glad she's going to be alright…" She added as she moved back towards the ends of the bed once again. Hikari took in a deep breath and closed her eyes as she tried to let the weight of the shame she had been feeling fall away. "Thanks for coming today guys…" She said with a small smile as gave them both a hug. "I think I just need to clear my head and figure out how I feel now," She added before getting up and hugging Kyuen as well. "Thanks for being by my side…" Hikari said to her aunt with affection. Kyuen returned her niece's embrace, but inside she felt hollow, thinking that she had barely been able to help at all. "I barely did anything… It was these girls and the good news that did it…" Kyuen thought to herself as she watched Syra and Arielle gather their things. "Why don't we give Hikari some space," Kyuen said to the girls as the three of them left her to gather herself a bit more now that the scare of Harrow's possible death was behind them.
Back atop the plateau, Okun sat behind Eiji breathing heavily as he pulled his hands away from the young man's back and tried to reconcile what he had just experienced. "Are… are you done?" Eiji said casually as he felt Okun's touch pull away. "Okun?" Eiji said as he turned around and saw Okun's confused and almost terrified expression. "Is… is everything alright?" Eiji asked as he started to grow concerned. Okun snapped out of the small trance he was in and collected himself, quickly resuming the expressionless face he almost always wore. "Yes… I've finished." He said as he stood up and fixed his robes. "I need to take my leave," Okun said out of the blue, seeming to be in some sort of rush. "Leave? Already?? What do you mean??" Eiji asked in confusion while from the side Gado and Hiro started to approach.
Okun leaned in towards Eiji who had also stood up from his seat on the ground and leaned in, lowering his voice a bit before Hiro and Gado finished making their way over. "Eiji… Listen to me…" Okun's expression had once again changed, now looking serious and almost desperate. "You should try and see the world… Don't stay on this island forever. I need to leave for now… but if you can… you should come seek me out in Eridu," he blurted out quickly before standing back up just in time for Gado and Hiro to approach.
"Well? Is it finished?" Hiro asked, his face still full of the distrust that he had been carrying with him all morning. "It is… I'd assume you'd like Sumiko to double check? I'll wait until she has finished and then I must be heading out," Okun replied. "Heading out?" Gado and Hiro both said at the same time as their brows furrowed a bit. "Where are you off to soon?" Hiro asked aggressively. For a moment Okun paused and looked at the man who had kept challenging him since their conversation the night before. "I'd like to discuss something with another Kami," Okun said, almost surprising the rest of them with his apparent honesty. "Another Kami?" Eiji interjected, his curiosity taking over as he blurted out the question. "Yes… another Kami named Tenjin, you should know well enough from your history," Okun replied as he glanced at Eiji with an unsettling look. "Very well then…" Hiro said to Okun, knowing there was no way he could get to Kami to stay regardless of what he tried. Hiro quickly gestured for Sumiko to perform her inspection of Eiji's Ki and effectively end the ordeal that had begun when Eiji discovered the hidden temple.
Sumiko had finished her examination in a matter of minutes, meanwhile Eiji started to feel like some kind of test subject as he sat for yet another person to inspect inside of him. "His Ki levels are still high for someone who just opened their eyes, but I guess that answers our questions about Eiji's own talent," Sumiko cheerily said as she let her Ki retract from Eiji's body. "I trust Okun's assessment of where his Ki should be, so it looks like we're out of the woods," She said to Hiro and Gado with a smile. "Eiji should be just fine from here on out," Okun said as he waved his hand in the air and summoned some kind of entrance out of thin air, the way he had when he had first arrived in Hiro's office. "It was a pleasure meeting you all, Hopefully we can cross paths again someday," Okun said as he looked at Eiji for a moment. Hiro only responded with a grunt while Gado remained silent, his attention drawn to the strange tear in space that he had yet to see before. "Do well to train yourself Eiji… I think you have much to offer this world," Okun said as Sumiko and Eiji both bowed slightly and offered their thanks only for him to step inside the odd space and disappear completely.
There was a moment of silence as they all stood there wondering if what had transpired over the past two weeks had been real. Okun was gone just as suddenly as he had arrived, leaving them all amiss on how to proceed forward. Eiji had already been removed from his classes and technically granted the rank of a Sentoki by his uncle and with Okun gone he had also technically completed his first mission. Something that should have filled him with pride, but instead he felt somewhat empty now that the mysterious figure Okun was no longer around. It had been thousands of years since the Sentoki had been in contact with the Kami, at least as far as they had known, despite Okun's claims he had made. Eiji had now effectively broken that streak in history yet as he looked out over the city and temple that was off in the distance, he was met with the same feeling he had felt before he was able to discover the lost Kami temple. The feeling of needing to find the truth.
Eiji turned around to see both Gado and Hiro holding up a Ki crystal to their ears and listening to some kind of report before both of them waved him over with a surprised expression. " Eiji! We should check on Hikari, the medical team just reported Harrow as stable so we should see how she's doing!" Gado shouted out to him as Eiji began to approach. Despite the significance of what he had just gone through, his attention was quickly diverted as concern for his sister welled up inside of him. Before he could walk away, Eiji felt the weight of Sumiko hand on his shoulder keeping him back for a second as he looked over his shoulder at her. "You should listen to Okun Eiji… I think it would be good for you to see the world," She said softly before letting him go. As Eiji ran over to them he could help but think to himself, "did she hear what he said to me? I wonder why they-""Eiji, hurry up!" Hiro shouted, cutting off Eiji's train of thought as he met up with them and they headed down the plateau.
As they made their way through Do'kobu city Eiji watched as the people had begun disassembling all that had been set up for the Placement Exams. Booths that had been serving food and drinks were all being taken down as the posters and banners were all unhung from the city walls and streets. Eiji could hear from time to time people's chatter regarding his sister and yesterday's events, making him cringe with frustration a bit. "So Eiji how do you feel?" gado asked as they walked along. "I don't really feel any differentlys… I guess I'm just still processing it all," Eiji replied. The tension that had gripped his father and uncle all morning had seemed to loosen a bit as they made their way through the city.
As they walked one individual seemed to catch Eiji's attention as they were the only person who seemed to be putting up posters instead of taking them down. Eiji squinted his eyes to try and read the words at the top of the paper that was being pinned up. 'Graduating Sentoki Excursion: Inari & Fosa Vida' read the words and without even thinking about it Eiji had begun walking in that direction. He pulled down the small flyer that had been put and was almost stunned by the turn of fate that he had come across. "Try to see the world…" Eiji said to himself as he turned around and ran back to Hiro and Gago across the street. "What's that?" gado asked as Eiji joined back up with them while still reading the paper. "It's a sign up sheet for a trip to Inari & Fosa Vida…" Eiji said slowly as his eyes scanned back and forth across the details that were listed. "It leaves in three weeks!" He exclaimed as his face lit up and he turned the paper around to show them.
Gado and Hiro glanced at each other for a second, their bodies tensing up a bit as Eiji enthusiastically shared what he had found. "Yeah… it's a yearly execution for some of the graduating Sentoki to explore the mainland a bit," Hiro replied. "Is that something you would want to do? It's a long trip, almost six weeks," Gado added, hoping to deter his son a bit. "Of course it is!" Eiji exclaimed, "And maybe this would be good for Hikari too… and Taiyo!" Eiji continued on as he picked up his pace and ran ahead of them a bit. Gado let out a sigh as he watched his son in front of him, "We can't exactly say no without having a good reason," Gado said to Hiro. "I'm not so sure It would be a good idea to do so even if we could," Hiro replied.
When Eiji, Gado and Hiro had finally made it back to the house, he was greeted by Kyuen who had informed them all that they had already been notified about Harrow status and Hikari had been taking some time alone in the garden. Taiyo had also yet to come home from his training he had been doing, leaving Eiji to fill in his aunt about the event with Okun while he waited for his siblings to return home.
As they waited Gado proceeded to cook dinner for the family while Hiro grabbed himself a drink and took a seat at the table as he listened to Eiji fill Kyuen in. After a short amount of time Hikari returned, walking into the house and being met with the aroma of her father's cooking filling the air. "Hikari!" Eiji said excitedly as he stood up and hugged her. "I heard the good news, How are you doing?" Eiji asked his sister as he invited her to come and sit with the family. "I'm… doing better… I'm just still processing everything," Hikari replied as she took her seat. "You and me both," Eiji said back to her as he started over telling Kyuen about his day and now filling Hikari in as well.
Another short while later Taito had finally arrived home as well just as Gado was setting the food on the table. His clothes were dirty and disheveled from his day, prompting Hiro to raise an eyebrow as his nephew walked in the house. "New training partner kicking your ass?" he joked a bit as he poured his nephew a drink from the bottle he had been sipping. "Dont say it like that," Taiyo replied as he glared as his uncle, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of knowing his choice to place Aimee and Taiyo on a mission together had worked out for the best. "I ran into one of the medical Sentoki on the way home and they told me about the good news Hikari, that means your win still stands and you'll get to train with the Four Goddesses," Taiyo added as he took a sip of the drink. Hikari sat up in her chair a bit as her brother spoke, amidst all of the chaos and confusion after her exams, it had almost slipped her mind that the news about Harrow's health meant that she would be able to train with the women she considered her idols. "I wasn't going to bring it up but… he's right, you should be excited," Hiro said.
Once again Eiji restarted his recanting of his day as Taiyo took a seat and Gado finished bringing out the food he had prepared. The family all discussed the events of what had happened with them all over the past two weeks that had been filled with a myriad of wild and unexpected events for them all. Taiyo's mission with the young woman who had been his rival, Hikari's Placement Exams as well Eiji's opening of his eyes and the arrival of Okun had left the siblings feeling like a lifetime had passed since all the family had been able to gather around the table and enjoy a meal without concern. As they finished eating it seemed as though the tension that everyone had been carrying had melted away, even Hikari seemed almost back to normal as they all enjoyed their time together.
Before anybody could take their leave, Eiji reached into his back pocket and unfolded the flyer he had grabbed from the city earlier on and slapped it down on the table with an audible slap and a wide eyed grin. "Taiyo, Hikari…We should go!" Eiji said as he let Hikari and Taiyo take the sheet out from under his hand and take a look at it. "Like all of us?" Taiyo asked as he looked up at Eiji with surprise. "I've heard about his trip before…" Hikari muttered as she read the details that were listed. "I think we should do it! We're all eligible to sign up, it's for anybody that graduated in the last five years!" Eiji said, his excitement more than apparent as he tried to convince his siblings. "Think about it! Dad and Hiro both traveled out of the country when they graduated! And… so did Mom," Eiji said, his voice trailing off a bit at the end of his sentence as he mentioned their mother.
Hikair and Taiyo glanced at each other before looking at Gado and Hiro who didn't seem to show any disapproval in their expressions. "Would we be back in time for my training?" Hikari asked as she looked at Kyuen. "Your training won't be for a couple months at least, a few of the Goddesses are out of the country themselves, " she replied. Hikari paused for a second, thinking about what Eiji had presented them and what moving forwards looked like for her now that Harrow would be on the mend. "I have always wanted to visit Inari so… I'm In!" She said with a succinct smile as she bit her lip and waited for Taiyo to respond. "Funny enough me and Aimee are taking a break from our training so she can go visit a relative," Taiyo said with a bit of gleam in his eye. "And who knows what kind of training I could find if we traveled," he added as his tone became more intrigued. "Alright I'm in too!" He said to Hikari and Eiji as the two of them cheered a bit as his agreement. Only for all three of them to turn their heads towards Hiro at the same time.
"I'll make sure there's three spots reserved for you all," Hiro said to them with so much as saying a word. Before anybody else spoke they all turned their head towards Gado as well, as though they were asking for his permission. 'Why are you all looking at me?" he said with a smile. "You're all officially Sentoki now… I certainly can't tell you what to do anymore," He added playfully as he leaned back in his chair and watched them all celebrate. Another moment later he loudly cleared his throat in order to get their attention, making them all pause with anticipation hoping he hadn't changed his mind. "I misspoke a bit… Hikari and Eiji are more than welcome to go… But Taiyo, you and I have business to finish first…" Gado said from under his brow. "You didn't think I had forgotten, did you?" Gado added as he looked at his eldest son with determination.
The siblings all paused for a moment, the feeling of the room quickly changing to a more serious tone as Gado threw down the challenge for Taiyo to either accept or shy away from. Taiyo locked eye with his father, both his mission, his battle with Wyald and his time training with Aimee had greatly changed his perspective, and now that Hikari's exams were over and Eiji had finished with his training, it was time for him to step up move on into the next chapter of his life as well. "I know you didn't forget… And I'm ready now… I'll fight you for real," Taiyo said confidently with his chest full and his head high. The two of them locked in a staredown between father and son as Gado smiled and sipped from his drink.
'Well that settles it then!" Hiro exclaimed as he stood up and grabbed the bottle beside him, filling everyone's glass with a small pour of the brown liquor he had been nursing. "Taiyo, Hikari and Eiji will be heading out in a few weeks for Inari and Fosa Vida! And I think I can say with confidence that going forward the three of you will make the same kind of amazing memories that me and your father made back in our days of traveling!" he said to the table as the sibling beamed with excitement and the rest of them filled with pride. "Its been a crazy last couple of weeks… but I wouldn't want to do it with anybody other than you guys as my family," Hiro added as he raised his glass to them all. The rest of the family happily and promptly raised their glasses in response, each of them touching the rim of Hiro's glass with their own before tipping their heads back and enjoying the warmth of the liquor as it filled their chests.
The glasses all hit the table one after another with Hikari and Eiji making a bit of a soured face that showed their inexperience with drinking and made both Gado and Hiro chuckle. "Who's feeling like something sweet to celebrate? Why don't we head into town and get something? On me!" Hiro said as he stepped away from the table and rallied them all to take the trip back into town together. One by one the members of the family filed out of the door, each of them with a smiling face and an eagerness that was almost contagious as the Umitasora siblings imagined what possibilities their futures held.