Nobutoshi

Nobu and Sachi peeked around the corner to see Himari speak with the man.

"I can't believe the man that helped me before was Himari's father..." Sachi said.

"I hope it was okay to leave her there..." Nobu worried.

Sachi smiled. "You always try to do the best for Himari. I think it's sweet."

"It's the least I can do for her. She gave me so much more than I could have ever asked for."

"More than the magic?"

"She gave my life meaning..."

-

On the dark dense gloomy mountain, young Nobu laid on the ground looking up towards the sky, imagining what it could look like. The cloud barrier was too thick for him to see in front of him, let alone the sky that he longed for.

"Well, well. Who do we have here?" An old voice called out behind him.

Young Nobu got up and saw one of the elder Tengu behind him. "Elder Tsubasa, what are you doing here?" 

The elder's voice was weary. "I too like to look up at the sky and try to picture it from my memory."

Young Nobu's curiosity peaked. "Have you seen the sky before?"

"It has been hundreds of thousands of years since I last saw the sky." The elder chuckled.

"What was it like?"

The elder recalled from his memory the feelings of his youth. "The sky was endless. Forever stretching out across the world. The blue tranquility pulled you in deeper, calling for you to fly through the pristine winds. The breeze that once ran through my wings and the sun that once beat down on my skin is the freedom that I long for still to this day."

"Why must we stay on the mountain? Why are we trapped here?"

"For the humans have taken over the world and driven us to this isolated mountain. And with this mysterious cloud barrier, we cannot fly away. Many have tried and many have failed. The evil Yokai and some mysterious magic lie in wait in the barrier. It is too dangerous for us to leave."

"So, we just have to waste away our long lives here?"

The elder frowned, knowing all too well how much of his life was spent stuck on the mountain. "There is nothing we can do..." 

"What's the point of living if we just spend all of it trapped though?"

The elder grew silent, not having an answer for the child.

"We're Tengu. We're the beings of the sky. Our purpose is to fly, so if we can't use our wings then what is our purpose?" Young Nobu was desperate for an answer. 

The elder sighed. "Sometimes the life we want is not possible... Sometimes the world is just cruel..."

Young Nobu didn't want to hear any more of the elder's words and took off running further into the mountain back to his home.

When Nobu arrived home, his mother was there to greet him. "Nobutoshi, welcome home my child."

Nobu ran up to his mother, burying his head in her lap. "Mother, why can't we leave the mountain?"

Nobu's mother ran her hand along her child's back soothingly. "Who says we can't leave?"

Nobu looked up. "Elder Tsubasa said it's impossible."

"Well now, nothing is impossible. Do you want to leave the mountain?"

Young Nobu nodded.

Nobu's mother smiled. "You're just like your father, full of adventure."

Nobu's eyes widened, this was the first time his mother spoke of his father. "What happened to father?"

Nobu's mother hesitated for a second before answering. "He wanted to leave the mountain too, so he took off on a long journey..."

"Do you think he'll come back?"

"Who's to say? Maybe we should go find him instead?"

Nobu's eyes lit up.

"Tell me my child, is it your dream to leave the mountain?" His mother asked.

"Yes. I want to spread my wings and fly in the sky."

Nobu's eyes were full of hope and wonder, how could his mother refuse? "Then we just have to make those dreams come true, don't we?"

Nobu and his mother left their home and climbed higher up the mountain, until there was no further to walk.

Nobu's mother turned to Nobu. "It's going to be really scary and dangerous. I can't make any promises that it'll work out. Do you still want to go?"

Nobu took a deep breath, his heart was full of excitement. "I want to go. I rather risk it than be trapped here."

Nobu's mother smiled and gave him a big hug. "Alright my love, let's do our best."

Nobu and his mother spread their wings and left the mountain in search of the sky.

The cloud barrier loomed over them like a living wall - dense, churning, suffocating. As they entered its depths, the light dimmed and the air thickened, much worse than how it was on the mountain. The wind howled like a thousand screaming spirits, tearing at their feathers, and pushing them back with violent unnatural force. 

Then, the evil Yokai came. Dark-winged and shrieking, the creatures burst from the fog with glowing eyes and claws like blades. They swarmed, circling like vultures.

Nobu fought beside his mother, his heart pounding in his chest, but they were outnumbered and the winds made it nearly impossible to fly straight.

"We're almost there!" Nobu cried. Ho looked at his mother - bloodied, wings torn, but still fighting like a tempest.

But she knew. They wouldn't make it together.

She turned to him, eyes full of both love and sorrow. She summoned the last of her magic and unleashed a great blast of wind towards her child. The blast of energy struck Nobu like a wave. He was hurled upward, out of the chaos, out of the clouds. He had broken through the cloud barrier.

Blue. Endless. Radiant. The sun poured over him and the sky welcomed him. 

But his mother was gone. He was all alone in the face of his greatest desires. Guilt washed over him. Anger traveled through him. Despair drowned him. What have I done?

Nobu floated frozen in time in the sky he dreamed of, haunted by his mother's absence. 

-

"After I lost my mother and the reality that my father most likely suffered the same fate set in, I wandered aimlessly in the sky not knowing where to go or what to do. That's when Himari came crashing into me. The stories of how vicious the humans were fueled my anxiety towards the humans, but after meeting Himari I realized how exaggerated those stories were. There are some bad people out there, but not all humans are evil." Nobu continued. "When I lost my mother, I was overcome with guilt, and I lost sight of what I wanted in life. Meeting Himari gave my life meaning again. A reason to exist. A reminder of my dreams."

Sachi's heart twisted. To have a parent support your dreams and wishes like it's second nature, she wondered what it was like to have that. But she was also painfully familiar of the pain of the guilt of causing others ruin. "I'm sure your mother would want you to continue living your dream."

"Himari said the same thing. She gave me hope when I had none, even after I'm the one that hurt her. So, I make it my mission to make her happy, I'd do anything for her..." Nobu smiled softy.

"You'd do anything for who?" Himari asked, appearing out of nowhere.

Nobu jumped, irritation instinctively filling his voice. "You finally done? Come on then, we don't have time to waste." Nobu started to walk off.

"How was it to see your father?" Sachi asked Himari as they followed Nobu.

Himari's eyes were distant. "I can't explain it, but even though it doesn't change anything, I feel a little lighter."

Sachi grabbed Himari's hand and smiled. "I'm proud of you. I'm sure it wasn't easy."

-

Before long, the three of them arrived at the edge of the island. The cloud barrier seemed closer than before, but the ominous atmosphere it produced was still as strong as ever.

"It's going to be dangerous. I'll do my best to protect the both of you. I think the best strategy would be to get through the barrier as quickly as possible before the Yokai attack. I'll fly us all through as fast I can, but if something happens, at the very least you two need to stick together so make sure to hold on tight to each other." Nobu explained.

Sachi and Himari held each other's hands tightly. Nobu grabbed them both and flew down towards the cloud barrier, towards the unknown.