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

[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.

[crossmyheartandhope]

Right?

...just picture all this stuff if it was plastic. Nowhere near as cool.

[unbr8kable]

Ugh, it'd be such a waste. You're right, works out we waited after all.

[crossmyheartandhope]

Yeah... now we got it just the way it's supposed to be.

[Takes his hand out of the water, still dripping, and wipes it absently on his pants]

C'mon. We gotta be pretty close to the top, right?

[unbr8kable]

Either way it's about time to chuck this stuff down and get into the water.

[She grins, tugging him for the summit]

[crossmyheartandhope]

[Lets himself be tugged along, reaching up idly to touch the leaves of a low-hanging tree as they pass]

...we oughtta come out here again.

[unbr8kable]

More places you wanna see already?

[The path begins to go more steep, stairs cut into the hillside, but it's obvious they aren't far from the top]

[crossmyheartandhope]

[Takes the stairs gamely as they come to them]

S'just... nice, y'know?

Everything's real pretty, and there's no one else around.

[unbr8kable]

[Keeps pace besides him, even if it means bumping shoulders]

That what you want in a place? I figured you liked big crowds; you're always being social and stuff.

[crossmyheartandhope]

[Bumping shoulders seems more like a feature than a bug,]

I like people, sure.

But sometimes it's nice to just take it easy. Hang out somewhere quiet, just you and me.