Travel to Takigakure

The snow fell as quick and dense as heavy rain, so you could almost hear it crashing down, if it had landed on anything harder than previous snowflakes. It was early in the morning, and trading caravans hadn't arrived or left the isolated village, Yukigakure, so the snow on the road was fresh and undisturbed. Except for one trail of footsteps, making their way out of the village, and snuck up to a lone boy walking in his own pace. Something would be, to an uninformed, disturbing about this sight. the boys blue lips and pale skin would give you the impression that he was freezing, however, his relaxed attitude and calm stare at the road ahead told you he wasn't at discomfort. He was wearing only a white shirt with blue sleeves, and a pair of black knee-length shorts. His sandals scooped up some snow now and then, when they met a large pile of snow, but the freezing temperature didn't seem to mind the boy at all. The snow that fell down on his head came in contrast with his dark blue hair, except for the sprout of white hair that sprung up in front. A leather strap ran across his chest, over his shoulder, and onto his back, where it held a sword, almost as tall as himself, firmly in place. The sword was mostly white, save a blue spot somewhere near the base. From the tip of the handle dangled a crest, with the hyouton insignia, in a chain, with every step the boy made. The boy was Giera Yuki.


”You don't have to go, you know...” his mother said as she stirred around in the pot, that she had been stirring in for the last five minutes. Giera didn't answer. “We have discussed this many times now.” Giera's father said from the livingroom, where he had been doing some paperwork. The family having recently moved to Yuki, didn't have much, but Giera's father had tried to scrape together some money, for Giera's journey.


The snowing had stopped, and here and there trees, that weren't pines, showed up. It was getting warmer too, Giera could already feel. How he dreaded the climate he was walking towards. But it was nothing compared to what he had to endure back home. At home, it was as if time stood still. He felt like there was something out there, in far off countries, calling to him, but he couldn't define what. When his father had one day, during their sword duels, suggested he went out to travel the world, he had immediately agreed.
Giera decided to take a break, and eat some of his rations. Rain had started falling, and he found a small wooden shelter near the road, he could sit in and enjoy his meal.


The dinner was a little tense. In the beginning the talk danced gracefully around the elephant in the room, but as soon as someone accidentally glanced it, it burst. The rest of the evening was consumed by his mother's concerns and suggestions of waiting just a few more days, and his father's waving away these arguments, like unpleasent smoke filling the room. Finally Giera spoke. “I want to do this mom.” He just said, looking his mother straight in the eyes. “I know why you are concerned, I'm surprised dad isn't, but I guess he is just too exited over the things he never got to do himself.” Then silence. Both of them were a little dumbfounded by his boldness, but they had gotten used to it over the years, and knew he didn't mean anything harmful. “Right...” His mother said, finally giving up. The rest of the evening they tried to have a nice last meal together.
That evening he gave them both a final farewell before going to bed. “No reason to be so formal son, we'll see you tommorrow morning and say our farewells then.”


But they hadn't. Giera had left early that morning before they woke up. He knew that his parrents would give him too much money, and would have a hard time keeping up afterwards. The blacksmith, where his father worked had done poorly ever since most of the ninjas of the village left, and their savings would litterally be their saving from this crisis. Giera didn't want to take that away from them as he left.
The climate was now, awfully, warm, and vegetation, Giera hadn't seen before, stood steep on both sides of the path leading to Taki. Giera noticed a hissing sound in the distance, that soon became a gushing, and as he turned a cornor of trees, he understood why this was called waterfall country. A bridge ran from one cliff to another, with a flood of water falling down right beside it. Giera paused and took in the view for a moment, before continuing. As he came closer and closer to the village, he met more and more people. Travellers, merchants, and people who had settled down outside the village. Most of them looked a bit suspiciously at Giera, with his odd 'frozen' appearance, but it didn't bother Giera. Whenever he caught someone starring, he just nodded and smiled politely. A gesture that was quickly returned, before they looked away again.
It was night when he arrived. The guards standing at the gate quickly inspected his sword, and told him to write down his information, before entering. He could feel their eyes following him as he walked by. “Strange one...” One of them muttered.

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