The Tales of the Argonauts: the Osorezu and the Hana (12-1)

Chapter 12: Departure

The morning continued on uneventfully until it was time for the Argonauts to depart from the academy. Each member was granted a horse, making for a total of six horses including their supply mare. Each member of the Argonauts were donned in different clothing.

Kai was dressed in her monk-like violet silk. Her loose pants and sleeves were wrapped down to her arms to keep them from getting in the way. Her feet were still clad in slippers, although they were sturdier, built for the outdoors. She rode atop the only white stallion, which was not her choice, but that of the headmaster, who insisted that the Guide of Kurin needed to ride a steed of all white in honour of Yin.

Pualani was clothed in an ankle-length dress of ivy. It had no sleeves, and there were slits drawn up to her mid thighs. This allowed her to ride. Her legs were covered with a material that allowed for her skin not to be chafed by the horse. The hem was as red as a cherry. The headmasters had urged her not to wear this, and to wear something more modest. However, she refused.

Shun dressed himself in something similar to Kai, however, he did not tie down his sleeves or pants. He allowed them to billow. The silk was left its off-white colour on top, and given a bark brown colour on the bottom. His feet were made sturdy by slippers that had thick soles. His mare was the slowest of all, aside from the supply mare, which quite annoyed the young Yang.

Kenichi was clad in a tunic of an eggshell colour. Over his chest was a thick leather vest, with many pockets on the inside lining. His pants were thick slacks, which were smooth on the inside and perfect for riding and stuffed into a pair of riding boots.

Finally, Tara rode in back with Shun, dressed in a pale rose dress with a divided skirt. It was the plainest of all of the clothes. It was almost as if she was trying to fade into the background. She certainly didn’t seem to want to speak, much less give an idea. The tension from Tara was thick, and she almost held a scowl on her sweet lips.

Kai could feel it like a sword, rammed through her body. That scowl- that choler- was directed toward her. It was the same sort of feeling that one would get when they stood at the edge of a cliff, their back turned to their friends. The imminent and primal fear settled like a stone in Kai’s stomach-- a weight that seemed to ring her entire body down.

What had she ever done to Tara? Even digging as far back into her memory as her first school year, Kai couldn’t produce anything to justify such a look that she was receiving. Perhaps there was a misunderstanding. I’m probably misreading her. She might just be having a bad day.

She let off a breath that she hadn’t known she was holding.

“Shun, we need to go to Tai Shun. Will you move to the head and lead us?” Kai requested. Tai Shun was a small village, no larger than 400 people strong, that they would use as their first checkpoint. They would stop at several other towns such as this one until they reached the Qun Shun pass. Hopefully, they’d have the Child of Light by then. Regardless, their next destination once through the pass was Hono’s Mountain, a sleeping volcano that consumed the sky.

Shun and his stallion trotted to the front without hesitation. While Kai had scarcely seen but ocean, Shun knew the land as if it were his own body. There was no mistaking that he truly loved nature. It was almost as if he were one with the world. He knew every twist and turn. The secrets of the forest were whispered into him. Kai had always envied that. Now, it was his moment, his moment to shine.

However, this left the train of students, made warriors, in silence. Kai’s eyes fell on Pualani, who was riding closely to the Guide. Her head was tucked down and her eyes were resting on the horn of the saddle. The aura about her sent a nervous chill through the young Yang.

Her eyes drifted back to Kenichi, who was watching Shun in what seemed to be awe. Something struck Kai when she looked at him. She had never really considered why she’d invited him along, or why he was even her friend. They weren’t particularly close, and they didn’t really talk to each other. What could he even provide for the team? It was only coincidence that he was medically adept at all. All he had wanted to do was to become a trade expert.

Then there was Tara: eyes of ice and aura of ire.

What kind of team was this? It was a rag tag of people whom Kai had thought would be suited for this mission. It had never once occurred to her that they needed certain skills. She had only her faith and that faith had given her an unbalanced team. Shun and herself were fighters. Kenichi- she hoped- would prove a strategizer. What would Pualani or Tara offer? For what reason had she pulled them into the mix?

And what if they failed? The lives of the innocents would be lost. Kai’s team was so poorly put together, she could only hope for a 50% chance of survival. Two people were basically dead weight; neither fighter, nor healer.