Private Ilmea's Lament Strange Tales; The Isle of Hastened Turtles

[Higanbana]

"If my Kunochi sense of direction is correct, and it always is, this must be the correct isle. The beans did not lie."

****Earlier****

"Excuse me, ma'am. Might I interest you and some beans? I'm a poor farmer and the crop ain't been too good this year. Tryin' tah sell some beans to feed the family."

"How did you see me? Have you shinobi vision?"

"I... what?"

"I see, you must have had a shinobi in your lineage to be able to see me, for to most I am but a shadow on the wind."

"Okay, but do you want some beans?"

"Are these shinobi beans? Possibly Senzu?"

"They're... well they're just normal beans?"

"You cannot fool me. Someone who can see and behold a member of the Kirakage is no ordinary man. Mayhaps you cannot even tell, but your beans must have soaked up some of your shinobi energies to become shinobi beans."

"Look--"

"I'll take them. All of them."

***Now***

Higanbana took a handful of beans from her burlap sack and slowly released them on the ground as though a part of a ritual. The beans hit the ground and scattered like beans would normally though apparently, this pattern held significance.

Higanbana, bent down and traced the bean formation with her finger as though reading.

"Yes, this is it."

Turning to Himawari, Higanbana nodded.

"The shinobi beans tell the truth. This is the correct island. These shinobi beans were worth every one of the five hundred gold pieces I spent to purchase them. Welcome, Wa-Chan, to the Isle of Hastened Turtles. Resting place of a piece of one of the legendary ninja scrolls. The fool farmer could not even tell what he had. These are not simply 'pinto' beans, these are powerful shinobi beans indeed."

@Himawari

 

[Himawari]

"Hoh~!"

Himawari's eyes widened for no reason dramatically as her hand rested on her chin.

"And I have no reason to doubt, Hi-chan for these are true shinobi beans. Though our accounts are now redder than the blood upon our blades we must yet give thanks!"

*clap clap*

Himawari clapped a surprisingly correct Gasshou shrine prayer with her hands.

"Thank the kami, and I must offer one correction my friend, perhaps she was no simple farmer but a powerful mountain spirit. Arigachou~ I give thanks to the god of beans as well! HOH~!"

Himawari nodded once and after a long pause nodded yet again.

"And so begins our mission. There is indeed the island you have mentioned but I do not yet see the turtles bestowed with haste. Is this perhaps a test? How should we of the Kirakage navigate this, I wonder, we Kirakage who are blessed with the wisdom of the kami."

Himawari lifted a stone and promptly skipped it across the coast. You see this island, wasn't actually much of an island at all. It was probably closer to a bank, or perhaps it was an island, because its bank was not sandy but had short emerald-green grass that swayed in the ocean breeze. And in the center was a rather ancient looking tree, like a giant banzai, filled with plums...

When the stone sunk the turtles swarmed, they were indeed hastened, rather than being slow they moved at the rate of somewhat lackadaisical dogs.

Himawari continued to stroke her chin as she thought before throwing crimson hair behind her dramatically.

"Yes Hi-chan this is a test of the Kami to see if we of the Kira Kage possess the divine karma to become the shadows which guide the night. No harm must come to these sacred beasts, but should we prove unworthy, I believe they will nip at us at a rate we would deem normal but for them would be a speed that must truly be blinding. A conundrum Hi-chan, but one we must solve if we are to ever surpass our limits. Let us ninja brainstorm, what do the beans say?"

@Higanbana

 

[Higanbana]

"Hmm... the beans aside, I believe I have an idea."

Higanbana pointed at several larger turtles, their shells protruding through the water.

"Could we not use your kunoichi speed to use the turtle's backs as stones?"

Higanbana scratched her chin.

"As you said, we must not hurt the beasts but if we only run across the larger of them, I doubt they would even notice the lightness of our steps. At the speed we move, mayhaps these ancient beasts might only think it was the wind upon their backs?"

Pointing to each of the larger turtles, Higanabana nodded.

"Look Wa-Chan, they appear to almost make a path to the tree. If we tread upon this living path we may be able to reach the tree without getting wet."

Higanbana's face lit up.

"Ah, but I guess we could also swim. Though swimming through the hell maze of vicious, mediocre speeded turtles may be unbecoming..."

@Himawari

 

[Himawari]

"Humu humu... your tactical mind continues to be the pride of we Kirakage but it would seem that the metaphorical ninja ball is now in my field of the ninja court. So I must choose as our ninja van is it? Well then, as you have presented, we have two accessible paths... both of honorable undertaking and of questionable success, but we must not forget Hi-chan, we are the Kirakage, and to be Kirakage means that we must be shining and killer-awesome shadows, for that is what it manes to be Kirakage. I know this, because you explained it to me yesterday. We shall fly as these turtles do, swiftly but not so fast as to make waste and slip in an embarrassing manner, for while life is nothing but a series of embarrassments, the pride of the Kirakage is yet on the line."

Long story short, Himawari had suggested they run across the hastened, fast but not terribly so, turtle's backs. An ocean breeze blew as their prize, the tree across the shallowish water seemed to speak to her. Himawari raised a hand.

"Hold, a vision of the Kami, look there Hi-chan, at the many fangled tree and how it dances in the breeze, could we not yet become as that tree? We are Kirakage, two shadows of the same purpose. I of course speak of the kami-sent visions of our past lives, of the banquet hall where we once danced for the great festival. Yes, Hi-chan, I speak of the Kirakage Kamishura dance."

There had been a time when Hi-chan and Wa-chan had once done the Hare Hare Yukai as part of a café promotion for a certain anime's anniversary. It was a youtube video that had generated over 100 views.

"If you are ready let us go as we listen to the wind Hi-chan, for it is the score to this saga."

When @Higanbana was ready, Himawari leapt first landing gracefully on the first shell, the dance of shadows had begun.

 

[Higanbana]

"Then let us dance as shadows across the back of these dogs."

Higanbana chuckled. The idea of calling turtles dogs was an ancient internet meme in regards to a game once famous. By bringing back or "necroing" this ancient internet joke Higanbana hoped to show her humor as well as the finer points of her ancient internet meme knowledge.

Waiting for Himawari to move from the first shell to the second, Higanbana would stretch her legs. It wouldn't do to pull something during the dance of shadows after all.

"I will follow your path, Wa-Chan. I trust in your kunoichi instincts. As you said, we must be quick like the wind but also sticky, like the lizard that sticks to walls so that we may stick to the backs of the dogs unerringly."

Using the joke once again, Higanbana laughed to herself believing she was immensely hilarious.

Once Himawari moved to the second turtle, Higanbana would hop to the first landing gracefully.

@Himawari

 

[Himawari]

It was an excellent meme. As the two ninjas danced they were strangely beautiful in their shameless awkwardness, they shimmered like their reflections on the lapping water amongst the shells, indiscernible of having stepped above or below the surface in their progression. It was like a pair of clowns in a funhouse, real or illusion, all one could see as far as the eye carried was foolish splendor. What was real and what was supposition hardly mattered, all was one in the prismatic dance of shadowy art.

They were about halfway there.

"Twas' an epic meme Hi-chan, and I feel we are pizowning this as was expected of us by the Kami, but I say this to warn myself most of us all, we should not grow complacent."

The two continued to move as the water began to bubble at a slightly lower than average rate.

"Yes, Hi-chan, I of course speak of Up Dog...

...at your ready, Hi-chan, for we advance! HAHAHA~!"

As the water parted, a faster than normal turtle emerged, it was moving at a speed just below the average, like a half-trotting dog. Himawari caught the first and tossed it over her could back into the water as the second emerged and nipped her left bicep.

"It slightly stings Hi-chan but shadows persist through all manners of ill!"

Himawari rotated and unprying the hastened turtle, caught the third, stacked them and sent them back into the water. They were making progress, but the turtle missiles continued and it seemed as thought they may yet be overwhelmed. The Kirakage pressed on.

@Himawari

 

[Higanbana]

"Plumber no jutsu!"

Leaping from the riding turtle, Higanbana leapt above a turtle rocketing toward the pair and landed atop its shell forcing it down into the water. She would hop off finding the back of another turtle before getting wet.

"Your princess is in the wrong castle, dog."

Higanbana smiled.

Comedy genius.

"Now then, Wa-chan. I do believe it is time for us to expedite this process. Though our dance has been beautiful, I believe the time for dancing has come to an end, and the time for daring has begun! I'll use my Kekkai Genkai to sling us over. Prepare yourself."

Putting her fingers, together Higanbana pulled them out creating a red wire filament made of her own blood. Flicking her fingers towards Himawari the filament would wrap around her.

"Now, I'll sling you to the isle! Once you reach it, use your kunoichi strength to pull me in."

Thankfully, the turtle Higanbana had landed on was rather large, or else this maneuver would have been impossible. Lowering her sense of gravity, the woman pulled in the wire tight and began to spin. The objective was simple. Sling Himawari with the wire and get her to the island, then Himawari could reel her in.

Using all her strength, Higanbana flung Himawari towards their objective.

@Himawari