day 418 | vacation

[unbr8kable]

[There is more to Hachijo Island than just creepy hotels filled with fungus--though there are plenty of those.

But one doesn't need to visit one for impressive-looking black-sand beaches with tide pools and sea turtles frolicking nearby, or tall, green cliffs that fall off into the sea, or mountains to climb, or hot springs with views of the aforementioned cliffs and beaches or even overlooking a waterfall.

Nemesis comes ashore with satchel full, looking between the greenery and the water and the mountains rising nearby, and then over to Hurricane, grinning]

...Ready to relax?

Comments

[unbr8kable]

Yeah, for sure. But you could jump from up there--

[She points to where water flows from the summit]

--To there.

[And she points down, to the pool of water below]

[crossmyheartandhope]

...oh my god.

We gotta do it.

[unbr8kable]

Hell yeah. Guess we should keep going up in that case?

[crossmyheartandhope]

Yeah... there's gotta be a way to get up there, right?

[Reaches out to take her hand, already heading toward it]

[unbr8kable]

[Squeezes, following]

...The path keeps going around, right? Can check that out?

[crossmyheartandhope]

Yeah... probly heads all the way to the top.

[Keeping hold as they walk]

[unbr8kable]

[She laces their fingers, swinging their arms rather than running for the summit.

The path continues upwards, curving around the lake towards the falls. A branch comes up to their right; a half-flight of stairs that smells faintly of sulfur]

What d'you think?

[crossmyheartandhope]

Might be the hot springs.

[unbr8kable]

One way to find out...

[She tugs him up the stairs to find a very simple bamboo doorway; through it is a simple, unmanned stone pool, filled with steaming water. The forest comes right up to the bath, ferns and vines dripping off the cypress wood rooftop and trailing up the simple, open fencing that separates the spring from the rocky slope of the mountain.]

Definitely gonna have to check this out later...

[crossmyheartandhope]

Holy crap.

How's this place even real?

[unbr8kable]

How did they keep this place a secret...? I woulda took you here forever ago.

[crossmyheartandhope]

We coulda been here every week.

Guess we better start making up for lost time.

[unbr8kable]

Can say that again.

[Squeezes his hand]

[crossmyheartandhope]

[Squeezes back]

So what do you think?

Find a camp spot, do some swimming, chill out here after?

[unbr8kable]

Sounds like a plan. I'm ready to try out that waterfall...

[crossmyheartandhope]

You and me both, dude. Swim leg's already locked and loaded.

[unbr8kable]

Good thinking. Can't be that much farther up, right?

[crossmyheartandhope]

Yeah, it was tall, but it wasn't like infinity tall.

C'mon, let's go look.

[Keeping hold of her hand as he heads that way]

[unbr8kable]

[Its easy enough to head back to the path, which seems to continue up towards the falling water and--behind it???]

[crossmyheartandhope]

Whoa.

They got a secret passageway back here or something?

[unbr8kable]

...Wait, maybe that's why it's got the name... Uramigataki, 'cause you can see the back of the falls...?

[Whatever the reason, they can indeed take the path right on back! It tunnels a bit through the rock, the water sluicing down in front of them]

Rad...

[crossmyheartandhope]

Dude, this's awesome.

[Reaching out to touch it]

[unbr8kable]

[It's water! She watches him, though]

...Guess buying nature wasn't such a bad deal after all.

[crossmyheartandhope]

Man, for real. We got so much cool stuff out here.

[unbr8kable]

Yeah. Bet we never even got to see this stuff before... So now, got a second chance.