Patistar, Akali

The news of Takumi had made Rubi feel like she had been walking in the dark up a flight of stairs, only to find the last step missing. The weighty drop, the lurch of the stomach when you met only air and not the ground. The feeling of dread that you might fall forever.

It left the event of reuniting with Hiiro tainted, even more so than learning that the Man with a Hole in his Head was indeed a Perfect Immortal. At least that made sense to her.

Deep down, she knew that war was coming. A war between two god-like entities, one of whom was only a child, and one who had already started to flex his power. A war that could undoubtedly affect every living soul on the planet, and now she knew Takumi was willingly on the wrong side.

Kai had emphasised that Sama growing up with good influences around her was essential, but it also had to change the narrative of what Perfect Immortals were. Solitary, elusive, mythical. They recruited, they did not follow. Sama was as real and innocent as any human child her age. She had already experienced tragedy when she lost her mother, built a new family with Kai, and found a diverse group of role models to look up to with Gaku's and her shipmates.

That was an odd thought. Two groups of pirates as role models for a little girl who would have to save the world one day.

The passengers they had transported across the waters had almost entirely taken their leave of the inn. New lives were waiting for them in a free city, a free country. Indra, for obvious reasons, and a few others remained, still hoping to find sanctuary in the non-violent community when, and if, they found it.

Indra's parents would likely arrive tomorrow to see their son for the first time in so many years. Hiiro had taken a free room in the inn but Rubi and Gaku found themselves enjoying the couple's suite they had last night again. There had been no motivation to pack up and move rooms. But sleep was hard to come by after their conversation.

"I can't sleep." Rubi whispered that night. Gaku had tossed and turned so much he had to still be awake.

"Me neither." he sighed, rolling over to face her. "I'm so tired, but my head is buzzing."

"I feel like things are going to be different from now on." she confessed, scrunching up the pillow and flipping it over to the cool side. "We're a part of this whether we like it or not. This war of immortals."

"Is it weird that I'm not mad at Kai or Sama?" he asked. "Like, I get it. I get not wanting to feel alone. I get not wanting to leave when you've finally found a community that accepts you. It's not their fault at all that they're being hunted. Sama's a kid. She hasn't done anything other than be born."

"I never thought when we fished them out of the water that it would lead to this." Rubi said. "I never could have imagined it. I want to do the right thing for them, but I also need to look after Mimi and the others. Even Hiiro, whether he wants me to or not."

"He's tough. You don't need to worry about him." Gaku assured her. "As for Mimi, what do you plan on doing?"

"Maybe when we go to the weaponsmith with Kai we detour and try finding the place she came from. Find some answers."

"All you know is that she walked downhill for a long time in the east." Gaku said. "You can hit the books all you like, but the world is covered in hills and mountains."

"I'm hoping she'll remember more when we're close. She has to recognise something."

"So that's that then?" he asked, his face unmistakably sad. "We all part ways from here and wait until we run into each other again?"

"I have to do this for Mimi." Rubi said. "She's far too important to me. I can't let her get worse and still have no more answers than before. Unless we run into someone who can magically read minds, we're going to have to piece this together ourselves."

Gaku seemed to think for a while, the sheets tucked up to his chin and his forehead wrinkled.

"You know," he said thoughtfully. "If Mimi can use what she does know, she might be able to pinpoint a more specific area of where she's from. It wouldn't be super precise but it'd be cut down to an approximate region..."

Suddenly his eyes opened wider as if he had just realised something profound. Then the words came so fast he seemed to surprise himself.

"We know it's in the east where it's hilly or mountainous. Some of the tallest mountains in the world, and their foothills I might add, intersect the northmost part of Akali. We know the people spoke Breytpleytsii to the west. You're going out east, so in the direction Mimi walked away from and the direction in which Breytpleytsii dies off. So you definitely won't be going backwards. I am willing to bet any money that the place where she came from is on the same route as you're about to go."

"How can you be so sure?" Rubi asked.

Gaku hopped up, kicking the sheets off and throwing them over Rubi. He lit a candle on the table to illuminate the night air. Then he started to empty his satchel noisily, scattering miscellaneous bits and bobs all over the tabletop. He picked up a rolled map and unfurled it with a flourish, pinning down the edges with random items as makeshift paperweights.

"Here. Kai is going here." he explained. "Daikoku, where the forge and the Fire Tsuki are. We're here, Akali. Here is where they speak Breytpleytsii; the country of Breytpleytsik and surrounding areas south-east of it that have adopted it. That's where Mimi walked to, so we can cross those off. Remember how she said they read books in and spoke Mainlander too? So if we keep moving east, following the trend of Mainlander as a common language, which also skirts around the very prominent mountains that are pretty much void of permanent settlements, all the way to Daikoku-"

"Gaku, what's the short version? Where do you think she's from?"

Gaku jammed his finger to the map a little harder than he intended, making the candle wobble. Rubi hauled the blankets off the bed with her and hurried to look at where he was pointing, her heart suddenly pounding in her chest like a drum.

"Anywhere from here to here, right at the end of the mountain range. Using all the clues we have, I am certain she's remembering this area in particular."

"Oh my gods." Rubi breathed. "It can't be that simple. It just can't be."

"It makes sense." he said triumphantly. "I'm a genius."

"Gaku, you are the only person who could look at a map the way you just did." she replied, dumbfounded. "This could change everything for Mimi."

Then Gaku yawned in her face.

"Wow." she muttered, smelling more of his breath than she ever would have wanted to. "Like I'm not even here."

"Sorry." he murmured, finally covering his mouth. "I think I just used the last of my energy being so brilliant."

"Better rest that big brain, huh." Rubi said, feeling a responding yawn building up. "Tomorrow we can talk with Mimi about it. Indra's parents will hopefully arrive. Maybe we can go out for the day and enjoy the city for a while before we leave."

"That'd be nice." Gaku agreed. "You coming?"

"Yeah. Let me just..."

She blew out the candle and the room was plunged into darkness once more. They shuffled back to bed and rearranged the blankets back to their proper place. Together they hunkered down in the dark, shoulder to shoulder in the small bed. Rubi rolled to her side as she finally started to doze off. Gaku's arm draped over her body as he eventually shifted to his side too, bringing with it the warmth and security of a hug between friends. Too cozy and tired to think anymore, she eventually fell into a pleasant and uninterrupted sleep.

Rubi woke up to the sound of footsteps hammering the corridor floors. Indra's parents had arrived sooner than expected, urged on by the determination to see their son again, like hope was a complimentary gale beneath a bird's wings.

She jumped out of bed, pulling on her socks and breeches before rushing to the hallway. She wanted to be there when the family was reunited, it was too exciting to miss. She checked on Gaku, seeing him pull the sheets up over his head, still dozing and oblivious. She left him be.

Rubi trotted down the stairs towards the voices speaking Akapashtin, two of which were clearly Chandra and Indra. An older man, who bore an even stronger resemblance to Chandra than Indra did, sat at a table, dressed in a white kurta and loose pants. He had a carved walking cane hanging from the table.

Indra was standing in the embrace of an elegant greying woman, folded into her vermillion dupatta shawl, as if the fabric and her arms could protect him from anything.

Her eyes were drawn to Rubi as she creaked down the stairs, instinctively drawing her son closer, a fire suddenly burning in her eyes.

"Captain?" Indra called out, turning towards the sound.

"Good morning, Indra." Rubi replied.

"Mātā, pitā," he said gently. "This is Captain Rubia Kita, she's the one who got me home to you, on a ship from Minami."

"Captain Kita," Indra's elderly father said weakly. "Thank you. Words cannot express how grateful we are."

He stood shakily, taking up his cane for support. Stubbornly, he forced his feet forwards the way a healthier man might tackle a mountain, taking determined strides with all his might. He extended his hand. Rubi took it and he shook her hand firmly.

His hands were calloused from a life of hard work, much like her father's. She recognised the weakness in his body, the swelling and tenderness around his knuckles. The wear and tear of hard lives on their joints left people prematurely aged and almost immobile. Many freedmen her father's age suffered the Joint Disease, taking all kinds of medications made of turmeric and imported willow bark, and wearing charms with amber trinkets to ease the pain.

"The pleasure is mine, sir." Rubi said."Your son has been a joy to be around since day one."

"We came here as fast as we could." he said, cradling her hands in his. "It's quite a way to travel from the hills. When the messenger boy told us Indra was home safe, we could hardly believe it. It's a miracle."

Chandra's family reunion brought a brightness and warmth to the morning like no sunrise could ever hope to. When Gaku finally made his way downstairs he immediately apologised for sleeping in so late and missing their arrival. Since he and Indra had planned the escape together, the details began pouring out.

By the time Mimi came down with bed-headed Kiramaru and Kagemaru, Rubi was so engrossed in the story she nearly completely forgot about the discovery she had made that night.

"...and somehow the Military Police found out that Indra was planning to escape. So they sent guards to take him to the prison where we had to rescue him from, before they shipped him away to the prison island. It took all of us, but we opened every cell. The police were right on our tails when we escaped!"

"Oh, Mimi!" Rubi said, suddenly being pulled out of the story and remembering. "Gak- I mean, Gaizka and I figured something out. We might be closer to where you came from than we thought! He thinks where you can remember is the eastern end of the mountains."

"That's wonderful." Mimi said, a smile breaking across her face wider than Rubi had ever seen her smile before. "I am very eager to explore the area to find some answers."

"So that's where we go next?" Kagemaru asked. "Up to the mountains?"

"The Pyangan Mountains?" Indra's father asked, tuning into their conversation. "What could possibly be up there for you? It's poor land and has even poorer people. Leopards and bears roam freely. Not to mention it's almost up to the elbows in snow this time of year."

"My friend Mimi is trying to find where she was born." Rubi explained, slightly twisting the words to make it sound more plausible. "Her memory of the place is hazy at best, but we're determined to find it. Captain Gaizka used what we know to single out the most likely area."

"I wish you luck." the father said, shaking his head. "I fear it's an impossible task to tackle the slopes in winter and spring."

"We're up for it." Rubi replied decisively. "Perhaps we can travel back to the foothills with you, plan our journey and set off from there."

"You are welcome to. Though I can understand if you want to stay with Chandra forever!"

"Very tempting." Gaku said. "Though spending my remaining days eating bread and cheese might get boring after a few decades."

"You love cheese that much, huh?" Rubi said in disbelief.

"I really do. There will always be more new and exciting cheese in the world."

"Well, that's my plan. You can eat cheese, we will go to the Pyangan Mountains to find Mimi's home."

Gaku looked confused.

"What are you going to do with the Disaster?" he asked seriously.

"I was hoping you might take her for a bit. We can organise to meet up in the future after we've done that travelling."

Gaku nodded.

"I can, sure." he replied. "You're sure?"

"Of course. You designed her, after all. I know you'll look after her."

The table seemed less cheery now. Naturally they would have to part ways at some point, but Gaku looked so sad that the day was nearing.

"What about you, Hiiro?" Gaku asked. "What's your plan?"

Hiiro thought for a few moments, his arms folded across his chest.

"If you need my hands on deck, I'll gladly go with you." he said. "If my sister needs me more, I will follow her."

"With the extra ship, I might need you." Gaku said. "But it's up to you, Rubi."

Her initial impulse was to be selfish and make Hiiro stay with her. They had been separated so long she wanted to keep him near.

"Let me think about it." Rubi said eventually. "I just want to make the best decision."

The discussion evoked a turmoil in her. She excused herself to her room to lie down for a while. As she lay there, a familiar twisting dug into her side. Oh no. Surely it could not be back already? Maybe the discomfort was just from feeling so upset. Emotion could really mess with your stomach.

Perhaps she should go check in on Take'Ichi who had not come out of his room yet. Nearly everyone was downstairs now but she had not seen the little sprite for some time. She got up and headed to his room. She knocked.

Nothing.

Odd, she thought. No one had said he had left for the day.

She knocked again. This time, she heard a strange sort of whimper and movement behind the door.

"Take'Ichi?" she said, twisting the door hand.

"Um-"

When she opened the door, she was startled to the point of letting out a little noise somewhere between a gasp and a scream.

Take'Ichi was nowhere to be seen, but there was a girl with sap green hair and pointed ears in the room.

Then she realised. It was Take'Ichi. Sort of.

This Take'Ichi was shorter, prettier and fitting poorly into his clothes. Same hair, same eyes, same... almost everything. He somehow had gone from his usual androgynous self to looking like a girl his age, a girl with an utterly shocked look on her face.

She screamed.

Rubi screamed.

A small explosion of yellow and white slapped into Rubi like a gust from a sandstorm and filled the room with a shimmering cloud. Rubi coughed until she was hoarse, her eyes stinging from the grit. She rubbed her eyes furiously, black spots invading her vision and half blinding her until the cloud settled.

Take'Ichi was crumpled on the floor - pale, crying and sweaty, looking more afraid than he had when the rats tried to overrun their ship. Tiny, translucent white petals and pollen dust were scattered around him, all across the floor.

"I'm sorry!" he sobbed over and over.

"'Ichi, what did I just see?" Rubi exclaimed. "You weren't you! You were a girl!"

"I can explain... I bought something in the Minami markets. It's a medication."

"For what?"

"I- I'm the only boy sprite... I wanted to try... being a girl..."

"What did you take? Show me."

He pointed to the little table in the room where there was an earthen jar with its cork out, sitting in a small bag. Inside the jar were a number of tiny dark brown pills made of pressed woody fibers.

"What's in these?" she asked, turning one over in her hand.

"I don't know." he said quietly. "I just wanted... I just..."

"'Ichi, why would you take something if you don't know what's in it?"

"I'm sorry!"

Exhaling deeply a few times to steady her pounding heart, Rubi knelt on the floor next to him and pulled him close.

"I'm sorry I shouted. I was really startled. Are you alright?"

"...I'm sorry, Rubi..."

"I said," she emphasised "Are you alright, 'Ichi?"

He nodded.

"How many times has this happened?"

"This is the second time since I started taking them." he sniffled.

"When was the first time?"

"Yesterday morning."

"Right... other than what I saw, are you feeling alright?"

He nodded again.

"I don't feel any different right now. When it happens, I feel strange and then puff, I change."

Rubi insisted he bring the pills to Mimi for her to figure out what they were. The sprite was shaken and could barely form any words of protest, he just continuously and vigorously shook his head. She left him in the room to coax Mimi upstairs.

The purple haired girl trotted up to the room, still smiling. Rubi felt bad that she might be raining on her happy day by interrupting it with yet another problem.

"This combination is designed to increase or regulate typically female hormones." Mimi said, sitting on Take'Ichi's bed and looking over the pill carefully. "In humans, that is. But Take'Ichi isn't human, so who knows what kind of effect it could have on him."

"I saw him as a girl." Rubi insisted. "It was like looking at his sister. Then poof, he turned back into himself. Petals and stuff everywhere."

"I just thought... I might be happier as a girl." Take'Ichi said in a small voice. "I'm the only boy sprite. I don't want to be strange anymore."

"Do you want to be a girl?" Rubi asked. "You know it's alright if you do. Your happiness is the most important thing."

Take'Ichi looked torn.

"I don't know. But I feel like I can't ignore it anymore if it might make me happy."

"I get it." she said, trying to sound reassuring. "I really do. It's hard to differ from the gender everyone sees you as. Especially when it means people don't treat you well."

"I left home because no one want me included in anything." the sprite sniffed. "I feel wrong. If I'm the only one like this, I must be the one who's wrong."

Rubi knew that feeling all too well. She had never been girly enough. As a child, everything her brother did, she wanted to do. She wanted to climb trees and play swords. She loved roaming knee deep in mud while catching frogs and jumping from hanging branches into ponds. The maids scolded her for dirtying her clothes, her father told her she would grow out of it, and Hiiro thought it was funny that she copied his every move.

Their father blamed their mother's passing for her lack of role models. Now she was older and she had lost a lot of sleep over it, she knew that there should be no limit to what a person could do because of their gender. But she felt that pressure. Sometimes it could creep back at unexpected times.

"Y'know, 'Ichi," she said slowly. "I don't think I feel like a boy or a girl. I don't know if I'd feel differently if we were all treated equally. But at the same time, I want to be a girl to prove we can do anything."

She realised she might be over complicating things.

"What I mean is, no matter what, you never have to change who you are inside to make others treat you better. If you want to change, it should be for you."

"Do you think I should keep taking the medication?"

"That's up to you. Even if you decide not to and still want to identify as a girl, we will always support and respect you."

"Gender diversity has been seen all over the world for thousands of years." Mimi added helpfully. "It is only in recent times that humans have-"

She stopped mid sentence.

"Mimi?" Rubi asked, kneeling in front of her.

Her eyes were glassy. Her mouth was open.

"She's stuck!" Take'Ichi exclaimed. "What do we do?"

"She'll snap out of it." Rubi assured him, though she had no idea how long it might take. "Mimi, Mimi, wake up."

She waved her hand in front of her face.

"Mimi, come on."

She sighed.

"You were up here when we were talking about what we'll be doing next. Gaku thinks he's found the area that she must be from based on what she remembers. I want to head up to the eastern mountains to try and find where she was made, because this has already happened a few times. Maybe more that I just don't know about. I don't know why it's happening, she doesn't know why it's happening. I'm afraid there's something awfully wrong with her that we can't fix. Someone from her home might know what to do."

Take'Ichi held Mimi's hands for a few minutes. Her joints were stiff but still mobile enough for them to lay her down. For those few minutes, they sat quietly.

Rubi tried to breathe easier to calm down, but she was scared. Scared for Mimi, scared for Take'Ichi. Scared for Kagemaru, whose wings were splitting in two. Scared for Kai and Sama. Scared that she might not see Hiiro again for years. How could you take one day at a time with so much going on?

The pain in her belly jabbed her with a red hot vengeance, angry for being forgotten.

And that too.

Mimi twitched suddenly like someone regaining their balance. She sat up.

"It happened again didn't it?" she said, sounding sad.

"Are you alright?" Rubi asked. "You froze up for a few minutes."

"I am," she said. "My goodness... we're all having some bizarre experiences, aren't we?"

"Yeah... It just keeps getting better. We need to be ready to leave with Indra's parents for the next part of our journey soon. We should start packing up our things."

"Right." Take'Ichi said. "Can you stand, Mimi?"

She nodded and slowly rose from the bed.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Rubi asked again. "Do you remember anything?"

"I don't think so." she said calmly. "I was thinking about the mountains one moment, and the next I was laying down."

"We'll get there. I promise." Rubi insisted. "We're going to find someone to help you."

"Thank you, Captain."

While Rubi was packing up her room, leaving only the essentials and a change of clothes for tomorrow, she looked over the map again. It was a regular world map, the image of the mountain range represented by tall, true mountains and smaller ones for the foothills. At the end where they trailed off was a large plot of hills and only a few mountains.

Rubi hoped their time in the high altitude, sparse and rocky terrain would be short. The more inhospitable the territory, the further from civilisation it would take them, and the further from help they would be if supplies ran low or they needed help. No one would be living up on the peaks. Except maybe those mythical Stone Nix and Ice Titans.

She picked up her journal and pulled out some loose pages to make some notes. They would need warmer clothes. Gloves, hats, scarfs. Heavier duty camping equipment for making base. Food, water. Perhaps a draught animal adapted for the terrain to help them carry their wears.

She remembered saying to Gaku that they should go out to enjoy the city before they parted ways. Maybe he would be happy to go supply shopping with her? Just to make the best of the day, if anything?

"Gaku," she called out, scanning the restaurant for her friend. Oddly enough, she could see no one from Gaku's crew or even Hiiro. Or Kagemaru. Where had they gone too? Surely she would have heard them come up the stairs if they had gone back to their rooms?

"Chandra, did you see where my friends went?" she asked over the bar.

"They should be out the back, at the stables." she said, shining a glass with a cloth.

"Oh, thank you!"

She left through the front door and headed around the back. The smell of straw and leather polish led the way to the stables, where the men had gathered to listen to a farrier who was taking the time to translate a list he had been given.

"...wheat flour is Āṭā," he was explaining, scribbling some Akapashtin words onto the list. "But there can also be millet flour, Bājarē dā āṭā, and chickpea flour, Chōlē dā āṭā."

"Hey, Gaku," Rubi said, waving. "You're heading out?"

"Yeah, to the markets," he replied. He sounded a little sad. "Gotta resupply before we head off again."

"I need to go myself." she said. "Do you mind if I go with you? I'll be sure to make Kagemaru carry everything."

"Very funny." Kagemaru muttered.

"Yeah, please do." Gaku said. "Grab a bag and let's go."

Hiiro threw a burlap sack to her, almost hitting her in the face. He gave her a mischievous grin, knowing she would not throw it back, because if she tried she would miss.

They trudged down the street in a group, today being the first day much of Gaku's crew had seen the city properly. By the time they had reached the market, Rubi was confident she had a decent list to get started. When she had left Migiue, she had plenty of money and finery to trade. Travelling across the north of the continent had only cost her a pair of gold earrings she had never really liked. She then traded the matching necklace and bracelets to Gaku, the first time she met him, to give her safe passage across the narrow strait to Miñacasa.

Miñacasa was Gaku's home country. At the time, she had not questioned why he did not disembark from the ship himself. Now she knew the business with the Patchwork Girl meant it was impossible for him to stay the night there. He had not stepped foot on the land for years. That had to be hard.

Rubi busied herself finding a place selling warm clothes. Gaku, Kagemaru and Kiramaru followed after her, looking for personal items at the same time. Zodwa and Sino-Ji did a lot of the supply stocking for the Wanderlust, as they had the best bartering and organisational skills. Between them, bargains were a guarantee.

"What size pants does Take'Ichi wear?" she asked Kagemaru. "Bigger or smaller than yours?"

"Buy him a drink first, gosh." Kiramaru joked, slapping a high five with Gaku. Kagemaru left him hanging.

"Bigger." he replied. "Something with a tie cord would be good, since he's growing by the minute."

"Good point." Rubi agreed. "Pick out some snow gear that'll fit you too. Pants, coat, scarf, hat and gloves."

Even though it was a bit redundant, she also shopped for Mimi, even though she had never shown any reaction to a change in the weather. If she was sick she deserved to be looked after, even if she did not necessarily need it.

Finding clothes that would fit herself was more difficult. Mimi was significantly smaller than her, more like the locals, but Rubi was much taller and broader. The jackets would not do up over her chest and were too tight on the shoulders. The pants were too short on her legs.

She was glad to have sturdy shoes already, because there was no way she would have fit into the local boots. She eventually migrated over to the men's clothing to find something that would fit her. She picked out thick, grey trousers, a fur-lined, hooded leather coat coat and matching knitted leg warmers and gloves made from goat's wool.

While looking for a hat and scarf, she remembered buying Sama the shawl at the markets in Minami. Would Sama also need warm clothes? Kai probably would. She did not know their sizes, so they would have to get their own. There was still time for them to get some supplies. Though, thinking about supplies, she realised that it would be very hard to carry enough to be safe.

There were small settlements in the foothills according to the map, but a bad day or two where travel was impossible could really cut into food stocks. It took a lot of food to stay warm and walk so much. She might need some help transporting them.

A pen containing donkeys and mules caught Rubi's eye. They were all clustered together, munching happily on nets of hay tied to the fence posts. They had big heads with long ears and handsome convex noses, almost all of them various shades of muted dun colour with pale undersides. Their manes stood up, thick and woolly.

A particularly dark, almost chestnut colour one made eye contact with her, flicking his ears and turning away from the food. She approached him, offering a hand for him to sniff. The donkey carefully breathed in her smell and gently lipped at her hand, perhaps hoping for a treat. His hairy nose tickled her palm.

"Hello, can I help you?" greet a man, clearly the owner, in a thick Akapashtin accent.

"Hello," she replied. "Are these donkeys or mules?"

"These are mules." he said. "Bigger and stronger than donkeys. My mules have a very good temper, their parents gave them good attitudes. You like him?"

"I love him." Rubi said, petting the mule's whiskery nose. "Would it be safe for mules to carry supplies in the mountains or hills?"

"Hājī, hājī." the vendor said nodding. "Mule is very balanced and strong. Strong stomach, strong body."

"How much?"

"Five bar."

"And for five mules?"

"Hmm. I say, twenty two bar."

Rubi left the market with five mules to aid their travels in the hills. They packed their purchases onto the mules, separating them out to lessen the load. She put the tents and some of the firewood on the back of the one she had taken a shine to.

"You're my favourite." she whispered to the dark chestnut mule, scratching his chin. "I should give you a name."

She decided to call him Juda.