Kazuki's Story

[Kazuki4356]

A New Town, a New Life
Kazuki's Story: Chapter 1

Kazuki shivered as he stepped out of the boat's cabin. He crossed his arms and held them tight to his body to keep warm.

"I told you to dress warmer," Nakebi, his mother said, as she walked out behind him. She gently wrapped her arms around him from behind.

"Stop it, Mom, it's embarrassing," Kazuki said. Just then a frigid blast of wind buffeted the ship. Despite what he just said, Kazuki huddled closer in his mother's embrace. "Tophiopolis was never this cold," he complained. "And it's not even winter yet."

"That's because it's much farther north than Tophiopolis," Nakebi replied. "Don't worry, you'll get used to it. The sea breeze makes it feel a bit cooler too. It won't be quite as cold on land, but you'll still need to bundle up."

"Can I go back in now?" Kazuki asked.

"In a bit," Nakebi said. "I wanted you to see something first, look." She turned toward the bow of the ship with Kazuki in her arms still. Off in the distance huge, snowcapped mountains dominated the horizon. About halfway down the slopes, the white of the snow gave way to a multitude of colors, oranges, browns, reds, and yellows of leaves of huge forests changing color as fall overtook the land. Mixed in this were specks of green, of trees stubbornly holding to the last vestiges of summer. Further down, the slopes of the mountains rolled into fertile plains, amber with grain ready for harvesting. Closer still a town stretched from the edge of the fields to the shore.

Kazuki stood there not saying a word.

"Welcome to Yamakota," Nakebi said. "The town your father and I are from, and our new home."

"I guess it has some nice scenery," Kazuki said. "I'd probably like it better if it wasn't so cold. And... If Dad was here..."

"Let's go back inside," Nakebi said after a moment. "You'll catch cold."

"Ok," Kazuki replied. He headed back inside the ship's cabin which his mother. The two of them headed back to their room.

"I'm sure you'll like it in Yamakota once you get used to it," Nakebi said. "we'll be staying with my brother. It's the same house I grew up in. It's really big, so you'll have your own room of course, and it has a lovely garden. Oh, and he has a daughter about your age, maybe a bit younger. I'm sure you'll make a lot of friends too."

"Mom," Kazuki interrupted. "You don't have to worry about me, I'll be fine."

"You've never been here before though," Nakebi replied. "It's natural for a mother to be worried about her son. You're all I have left, Kazu."

"Mom, I'll be fine," Kazuki repeated. He walked over to his suitcase and got out a jacket, which he put on. "I'm going back outside though. I want to watch the ship docking."

"I see you learned your lesson about bundling up," Nakebi said. "But there's still a few hours before the ship docks. Why don't we go to the galley and get something to eat first?"

Kazuki put the jacket down on the bed. "I guess," he said. "The food on this ship is terrible though."

"It will still fill you up, so don't be fussy" Nakebi scolded. "I'll make you something good when we get settled in too."

"Ok, Mom," Kazuki said.

Kazuki stood on deck along with some other passengers, keeping out of the way as the ship's crew scurried about the ship, making preparations for docking. To the onlookers, their movements seemed chaotic, but they were all part of an intricate ballet dedicated to efficiently managing the sails. As the ship approached the dock, the crew threw ropes to workers on the wooden pier, who attached the lines to mooring points. The crew then turned giant winches that required 6 men each, slowly pulling the ship close enough to lower the gang plank and let the passengers off.

Once the process was complete, Kazuki headed back to the room. "Mom, we can get off the ship any time now," Kazuki said as he entered.

"Yes, a steward just can by for the luggage," Nakebi said. "Are you ready to go?"

Kazuki took a last look around the room, making sure he had everything. "Oh, Dad's sword," Kazuki said. "They didn't take it too, did they?"

"No, it's right here," Nakebi said. She turn around, picked it up, then turned back and handed it to Kazuki. "I wouldn't have let them take it."

"Now I'm ready," Kazuki said. "Let's go." The two of them left the room, and walked outside. They headed down the gangplank and onto the dock.

"My brother should be meeting us here," Nakebi said. "Let's see if we can find him and then get the luggage."

The two of them scanned the crowd waiting on the dock to welcome family and friends who had just arrived on the ship. Nakebi saw a large man standing with a petite girl off to the side. "Ah there's my brother," Nakebi said to Kazuki. The tow of them walked over. Nakebi bowed her head slightly to her brother. "Hello Gen. It's nice to see you again," She said.

"You're looking well Nakebi," Genira replied, "considering the circumstances. I'm sorry to hear about Kyo. He was a good man."

"Yes..." Nakebi replied.

Genira turned his attention to Kazuki. "So you're Kyo and my sister's kid huh?" He said gruffly. "You look like Kyo did when he was your age. You grow up to be half the man he was and you'll do alright."

The young girl who was with him stared at Kazuki as her father talked. "I'm Byoka," she said, introducing herself as Genira finished talking. "Welcome to Yamakota, Kazu-nii-chan! Oh, can I call you Kazu-nii-chan? You can call me Byo-chan. So what was Tophiopolis like? You were on a pretty big ship, weren't you? Was the trip smooth? I heard the sea can be rough. Lots of waves. Did you see any waves? Were there any storms? I heard storms at sea are really bad for ships. I'm really glad to meet you. So what foods do you like? I'm learning to cook, so I'll practice hard to make anything you like. What's you're.."

"Byoka, enough," Genira scolded. "Your cousin just had a long trip."

"Oh, that's right. Sorry, Kazu-nii-chan, I was being thoughtless. You probably don't want to answer all there questions right now. You just arrived and all. We can talk later, I want to know everything about you," Byoka said.

"Uh, ok," Kazuki responded.

"Kazuki," Genira said. "Let's get you and your mother's luggage."

"Ah right," Kazuki said. "Mom, the claim ticket?"

"Here you are," Nakebi said, handing Kazuki the ticket.

"Let's go," Genira stated firmly. He and Kazuki headed off to the baggage claim.