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distracteddegenerate · 3 years

Text

Shark Week

Okay so this is for @natsuonii and @viixens creature feature collab! Thank you guys for having me, I hope I do the collab justice! (also sorry for the late entry *hides*)

Also I kinda got really into reading about the different islands of Japan? I just wanted a cool setting but ended up doing tonnes of research.. build up is a little long for this reason! I also got into reading about sharks. For reference, Yuuji is based off of a tiger shark in this. When I read that they like to bite their partners during mating you bet I wanted to include that

CHARACTERS: Shark Mermaid Yuuji x Female Reader

WARNINGS: Smut, Teratophilia, Descriptions of Injuries, Mentions of Blood, Biting, Size Kink, Cunnilingus, Yuuji Has Two Cocks lol, Belly Bulge

Minors Do Not Interact!

5.4k+ words

Your neck strained in the stiff, uncomfortable aeroplane seating as you rolled your head to look out of the tiny port window that was closest to you of the several lining the short haul plane chugging it’s way over the pacific, a unnervingly small white pinta on the stark blue expanse.

You were spending a long weekend in Okinawa prefecture with your friend’s Maki and Nobara, looking to escape to the strip of islands in a summer getaway, a treat after a season of hard work due to the flourish in exorcism work that came with the preceding springtime. Vacationing on the namesake island, Okinawa, was an incredible experience, of course; Nobara dragging you through the bustling shopping malls of Naha city, Maki bringing you along to explore the famed Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium and the various temples dotted about the island.

Still, all of this hastened touring didn��t feel very relaxing. You’d come on this trip to wind down after such a busy time of work and yet you and your lively pair of friends had done no relaxation at all. Even trying to get some sun in on Emerald beach you were surrounded by screaming children at the packed location. And so, after a discussion with the girls, you’d all agreed to round off the vacation with a visit to some of the more rural of the Ryukyu islands.

Grabbing the holiday magazine from out of the back of the seat in front of you, you flicked the pages until you found the one advertising your destination: Miyako island. The spread depicted a sandy white beach bordering a calm turquoise sea that sat beneath a bright, cloudless sky.

You re-read the blurb, half in your head and half whispered.

“Several beaches on the island rank among the top in Japan, if not the most beautiful in all the far east. With shores surrounded by crystal waters that transition from emerald green to navy blue in a vivid gradience, you can be sure to enjoy an array of superb views.”

Satisfied with the reminder of what you had to look forward to, you reclined the best you could back into your uncomfy seat, happy in the knowledge you’d be reaching Miyako island relatively soon.

***

After touching down at the Airport on the adjacent Shimoji island, you and the girls rented out a minivan. You loaded your luggage and set off on the sandy sun bleached roads, crossing over both verdant farmlands and marshy expanses of sand dotted by boulders deposited by previous tsunamis. Crossing the Irabu bridge to reach the connected Miyako island was a slightly nerve-wracking affair, the long thin platform the only thing between the floor of the van and the depths of the ocean.

You’d chartered the north-western area of the island as the final destination at the end of this particular voyage, the guest house you’d booked in for located around there. This guest house in particular was close by to one of the more famed, picturesque beaches on the island, Sunayama Beach.

***

After depositing your luggage at your accommodation, you were dressed in a brightly coloured bikini covered by a light cardigan-style kimono and ready to depart for the iconic cove as soon as possible, the location calling out to you after the images you had seen in the travel guide.

You had to practically drag Nobara, still leisurely trying to apply makeup to her face, out of the doorway. Maki, ever composed and organised; was already lounging across the back seat of the minivan with the ac blowing over her, having already packed both her own and the whole group’s beach paraphernalia.

Your arrival at Sunayama beach was distinguished by the feeling of a salty breeze brushing against your face as soon as you threw open the sliding doors, planting your feet in warm, white sand. You followed the stretch of the milky coloured plain till your eyes met with the sight of sparkling turquoise waves glittering underneath the strong sunlight emitted from a cloudless blue sky, the horizon line pierced by alabaster rock formations stippled in verdant foliage.

“You coming in or what, (Y/N)?!” Maki beamed at you, outpacing Nobara in a sprint to the waterfront.

You snapped out of your daze and soon joined your two friends in the gentle waves.

***

You’d been in the water for awhile now, hanging off of the edge of Nobara’s lilo with Maki, the pair of you splashing water at each other’s faces, much to Nobara’s dismay.

You were struck from your girlish giggling, squeaking in terror when you felt something grabbing at your foot. Quick to react to it, Maki had flung a foot in the direction of the offender and sent it fleeing. Whatever it was, the force of its propulsion and size of it’s retreating shadow told you it was huge.

Whistling at the sight, Maki turned to look at you and Nobara, wearing a slightly uneasy expression.

“I think we should head back to the shore.”

The two of you gulped and nodded in response.

After cautiously treading water until you were safely back on land, feeling a little exposed, your friends began toying with the notion you just had all just had a close encounter with a shark.

“Well, do you know any fish around here that are that big?!” Nobara exclaimed, throwing her hands into the air.

“You guys are gonna think I’m crazy for this, but..” You swallowed your pride for the next bit- “I swear whatever it was, grabbed my ankle.. Like.. with a hand.”

Nobara burst out laughing. “What? You think we got cursed spirits living in the sea now?”

You turned away from her, face red in embarrassment. Before you could retort with the idea that, yes, that is probably possible, a sharp pain in your ankle caused you to look down at a wound that you had received fighting curses months ago now, finding it had opened up once again, an uncomfortable amount of blood leaking from it. You ran your hand over it, activating your innate technique, a reversed technique that could heal injuries. The wound closed, but the blood that had already pooled from it remained.

“Hey, (Y/N) were you bleeding just now?” Maki had clearly just seen you use your technique and was currently blinking at the scarlet fluid running down your skin.

“Y-yeah, I guess. It’s that scar I got around Christmas time, when we were fighting that grade 1. It’s opened up again”

“Yeah, I remember now. Good thing you have your technique or you’d be missing a foot right about now, you lucky thing.”

“Tell me about it.” You sighed.

It was now that Nobara brought herself back into view.

“Hey, if your blood attracted it, maybe it was a shark! It could have smelt the blood! It was that leg it bumped against, right?”

You weren’t gonna lie, the thought of a shark, the apex predator of the vast oceans, drawn to you by the smell of what was probably the shark’s standards, the blood of it’s next meal, had left you feeling a little unnerved.

Though you had been so excited to visit the charming cove, on such a beautiful day too, the encounter had left you a little too wary to re-enter the water that day. Nobara and Maki reluctantly also agreed the thought of sharks roaming so close to the shore was very off-putting, and so the three of you decided it best to perhaps explore some more in-land locations for the rest of the day, giving the sealife a chance to relocate as the night passed.

***

That evening, you had trouble sleeping. Not only was the sound of the ac bothering you, but you also kept mulling on how despite your excitement to experience the beach, you weren’t making the most of it at all due to being frightened by something that might not have even been dangerous to begin with, Nobara and Maki scaring you into thinking that you’d been moments away from having your leg took off by a shark.

If it was that dangerous, it would have attacked for real, right?

You could tell dawn was soon to arrive, the twilight outside causing pink light to flood into the space of your small resort room, washing the largely wooden furnishings in warm undertones.

You shot up from your bed, looking over to Nobara sprawled out in a death-like slumber on hers, and then at Maki, who was snoring as she rocked in her hammock. They were deep in sleep, and would probably remain so for a lot longer considering the busy day they had previously.

The three of you had been together for the entirety of the vacation, surely you deserved some time alone? This would be the perfect time to explore the coast yourself (albeit within close vicinity to the residence), perhaps even being able to see the sunrise emerge over the horizon.

And so, you set out. It was so early, dawn had still barely broken. The sky above was a dark navy that ran into a paler, washed out blue as it descended, before dissolving into the pink and orange hues you recognised from your room earlier, signifying the presence of the sun rising just below the horizon. The land beneath was still pretty dark, only for the shadows swaying underneath the otherwise tropical palm trees. The sea, however, seemed to glow. It shimmered underneath what paucity of light it could catch, reflecting the image of the sky like a mirror, though it’s contortions made the light dazzle even more, as if it were some mystical fae interpretation of reality.

You almost caught yourself whistling in awe at the sublime scene before you, when something in the surf caught your eye.

From the distance you were standing several metres away, a tan coloured lump lay half buried in the sand, the shallow tide baptising its edges. You couldn’t tell if it was the pinkish hues in the sky dyeing some boulder you hadn’t noticed yesterday such rosey colours, but the more you tried to peer at it you realised whatever it was was shiny- smooth, even. All you knew was that boulders didn’t reflect light like that, a bright glint almost offensively invading your sight. Drawing closer, in curiosity- you reasoned boulders don’t pulsate as if breathing, either.

Your pace grew more hurried, with the reasoning that the strange mass could be an injured animal, your instincts as a healer kicking in.

But, as you drew closer, you realised whatever it was was much bigger than you previously thought. It looked like a huge, curled up fish. A large, sandy coloured tail with almost pinkish undertones was drawn up, covering the creature's upper body, it’s forked tail fin flicking about rapidly. Approaching even closer, cautious, you noticed deep, red wounds chasing up the length of its tail, onto it’s main body, which tapered in bulk- revealing a human male’s torso, and arms- arms and hands that ended in sharp claws weakly trying to clutch at drastic injuries.

For all you had seen in your line of work, the sight was shocking enough; but you gasped audibly when your eyes met with the creatures. It’s face was human enough, with human coloured skin stretching over it. It even had pink hair sprouting from the top of it’s head; and eyes, and ears, and a nose and a mouth. But the whites of its eyes were a pale yellow, with black sit pupils and amber irises, a translucent eyelid flickering over it sporadically. It’s ears were webbed, and pointed. And it’s mouth was most terrifyingly, filled with almost too big to fit, serrated fangs.

“F-fast boat.. H-hurt..” A deep, but pained sounding voice resounded.

Shockingly, the creature had begun to speak, through laboured breaths. Shaking off your surprise, you took in what the creature said in a delayed reaction. Looking back over his injuries, you were beginning to understand. Deep gashes laddered over the length of hisbody in a spiral pattern, chunks of flesh entirely cleaved- he had been caught by a boat propeller.

“You poor thing-” Reaching a palm closer to his body, he flinched.

“Oh, right. It makes sense you’d be scared right?” The creature blinked up at you in confusion.

“Um.. you don’t have to be scared, okay? I can help you! See, I’m a sorcerer.. The kind that can heal injuries!” - You tried to flash a grin at the creature in reassurance, though he still seemed pretty spooked.

Maybe you were being a bit too wordy.. Though surprising he knew any japanese at all, you doubted he knew a lot, with his broken speech earlier as well as the fact that he was, well.. A sea creature.

Exhaling, you tried to enunciate the words more slowly. “I can help you.”

“H-help?” The creature seemed like he was testing the words, almost. “Yes, yes! Help! Help!”

Taking that as an invitation, you moved to place your hands over the wounds- this being how you activatde your reversed technique- when the creature flinched again, eyeing you carefully.

“You just need to trust me, okay? I’m gonna help you, I promise.” You tried to smile at the him as warmly as you could. He seemed to ponder what you had said, the winces of pain marking his face eventually causing him to throw caution out of the window.

“Okay, help. P-promise.” He seemed to struggle speaking through his oversized teeth.

Either way, you reached once again over to the creature's wounds, slow still, not wanting to scare him. He wriggled and hissed when you placed your palms over his gouged out wounds, though when you activated your cursed technique, he stopped. You knew from your own experiences that the feeling of your technique doing it’s job was a soothing feeling, never painful. The creature was looking over your hands, eyes blown wide in amazement.

“Feels good! Magic!”

He didn’t look scared anymore, which was great. In fact, he even looked excited. Rolling your hands over his torn up flesh, the injuries began to slowly disappear, fading into whole patches of tissue, though slightly discoloured from the rest of histhe body.

“Sea witch!” The creature exclaimed, enthusiastically.

“If that’s easier for you, I guess.” You just smiled at him sheepishly.

***

Day began to break by the time the worst of the creature's injuries had been healed. The bleeding had stopped, though it was obvious the skin there was the site of a deep wound at some point in time. You’d always have trouble healing anything that intense, especially with the wound spread out across such a long length of body. You knew the creature was big, of course- but now with the healing of his wounds you’d guessed he was now more comfortable to unfurl from the defensive position he had curled up into, stretching out to reveal a full length of around 9 metres from head to tail-tip, at your best estimate.

“Fixed.” Stated the creature. You nodded at him, tired from the amount of energy you’d expended from your healing attempts (not to mention the fact you hadn’t slept all night thus far).

“You’re welcome.”

“Grandpa said the land people are bad, but you are a good one.”

“Grandpa? Your voice went up in pitch, surprised there could be more like him out there. “You have a grandpa?”

“One time. Now it’s Yuuji, on own.” He pointed a claw tipped finger at himself, a morose look about his face.

“I’m sorry to hear that.” Not really knowing how to continue after the revelation, you clicked mentally onto another part of what he had just said. “So.. did you just say your name was Yuuji?”

He chirped happily in response, as if he found validation in being referred to by his name.

“Yuuji!”

“Well, my name is (Y/N). Nice to meet you, Yuuji”

“(Y/N)! Like that word, it’s a good one.”

You smiled at his disjointed speech. You pondered just how much interaction he got with others, if its true he’s been on his own since his grandpa left. Either way, he seemed to be enjoying himself talking with you.

“I like your name too, Yuuji.”

He seemed to blush at that.

“You did a goodness to me, fix my skin.” He gestured down at his freshly healed rump. “I get a gift for you, from home.” He pointed over to the sea. Though at this point, you’d realised, he’d been stuck on the shore this whole time, the tide having drained out and leaving him beached. Wondering why he’d just leave himself out of the water, you questioned him.

“How come you came onto land, instead of staying in the sea, Yuuji?”

“Fast boat hurt, lots of blood. Enemies smell, they come to attack me. No land people here, dark in the sky. So I stay. Safer.”

Ah, you supposed that made sense.

“Want to go back now though.” He turned his head to look back to the ocean, appearing wistful.

You watched Yuuji strain and keen as he began wriggling his way back into the waves, clearly a difficult task. You thought about stepping in, but he was obviously too heavy for you to be of any help. He’d probably end up accidentally smacking you with that big tail of his anyways. So you followed him back into the sea, cheering when he eventually made his way back into water deep enough for him to swim in, after great effort.

“Want to show (Y/N), home.” He extended his arm out to you, in the direction of where you stood waist deep in the sea.

You shook your head. “No, Yuuji, I don’t have gills like you. I can’t breathe under the water.”

“Yes, knows this, land people stay on land. But I’ll show you. Safe, promise.”

You were still apprehensive, but curious. You weren’t sure what it was, but despite your fright, you trusted this strange fishman. “If you’re sure..”

“Good!”

You yelped, unprepared for the suddenness of Yuuji shooting forward with great speed, seizing your forearm and dragging you into the depths with him.

***

Taken by surprise, you barely even had enough time to suck in a final gasp of air before you were yanked under the foamy surf. Holding your breath, it took a few moments of shocked bracing before you even decided to open your eyes. Yuuji was an incredibly fast swimmer, which you supposed made sense with that huge powerful tail of his. Pulling you along with a firm grip on your arm, all you could see was blurred masses of various shades of blue morphing quickly in and out of your vision.

Everything was happening so fast, panic of what Yuuji was intending to do with you beginning to set in. Your eyes were stinging from the salt water, and you weren’t sure how much longer you could hold your breath for, throat starting to burn.

You were abruptly ripped from this panic taking hold, when you felt your head rear up out of the water and into open air.

Sweet, sweet oxygen filled your lungs, and almost as quickly a million different words of beration targeted at Yuuji for almost giving you a heart attack flooded your mind. But you stopped in your tracks, awe struck.

You’d opened your eyes, only for them to be presented with a beautiful sight. You were in an underwater air pocket, a cave with smooth, almost black-slate walls. These walls reflected blue light from the pool of crystal water you had emerged from, the image of rippling currents dancing across the interior. Not only was the light refracting from within the water itself, but a faint glow was emanating from bioluminescent algae scattered across the cave walls like small clusters of constellations in the night sky.

“Yuuji, this is.. gorgeous!.” you almost gasped.

He shot you back a wide, toothy grin.

“Safe! Told you!” He replied, pridefully.

You pulled away from yuuji to drag yourself up onto a ledge attached to the wall of the cave, low enough that shallow water lapped up over it, creating a small platform of solid ground submerged at the depth of a kid’s pool. It was big enough to fit both you and Yuuji, who was now hauling himself up to sit at the edge with you.

You were admiring the scene around you, when Yuuji’s words yanked you out of your haze.

“(Y/N).. smells good for land person. Remember it from the sun before, but got too close.. Other person hit me.”

“Oh.. Oh! That was you Yuuji?” You giggled slightly. “That was my friend Maki that hit you, she was just trying to look after me, we didnt know it was you, so you could have been something dangerous.”

“Mean.. I went to (Y/N) because she smelt like mate.”

“Huh?” You stopped in your tracks slightly, though Yuuji seemed unfazed.

“(Y/N) smell strong, good smell. Smell that mates make. That’s why I go to (Y/N) before.”

“L-like a mate?” You stuttered through a blush, unsure if he was truly saying what you thought he was saying, or if his weak Japanese was causing a miscommunication.

“Yeah, I think.” He blinked at you, as if confused by your exasperation. “There was no one else here like me or grandpa, and he went away. But (Y/N)’s smell makes waves go in stomach.”

You gawked at him in stunned silence, when he brought watery, webbed hand to your leg, tracing it over your thigh. “Want to breed with (Y/N), fill her up.”

What? Does he mean to say.. That he wants to fuck? Your mind was racing a million miles a minute. At this point, it was certain what he was asking for. Still, not only had you met him only a few hours ago.. But he was an entirely different species to you! How the hell would sex with a fishman even work?!

“B-but.. Is that even possible? I’m a human, and you- well you’re-” You were babbling at him now, flustered, since it wasn’t like you were entirely opposed to the idea. Yet, were you some sick pervert for wanting to sleep with a sea creature? Was it even safe?

Letting you continue to stumble over your words, you watched as Yuuji began palming at a bulge that had risen below his belly button. Your mouth froze agape when his fingers sunk into what seemed to be a pocket of skin, and pulled out a pair of enormous cocks, coral in colour and similar to a human’s yet slimmer at the tip, where their colour grew paler, into a pearly white. They were coated in a dewy sheen, perhaps signalling his excitement.

“It hurts here when I smell (Y/N), think they fit with her parts, yes?”

“I guess so, yeah..” You felt ashamed of yourself, but the sight of his genitals had only served to increase your desire to copulate with Yuuji. “Is- is it okay if I touch them?”

“Yes! Want you to!” He seemed beyond delighted at the prospect.

You twisted your body to face him at a right angle - face hot as you leant over his pelvis. Finally bringing your hand up to gently stroke over a cock, Yuuji breathily exhaled warm air over you. You reasoned his privates must be particularly delicate, judging by his reaction to the touch and to the skin here being less matte than the rest of his body, fleshy and glistening. Still gentle, you began pumping him, a slick squelching sound filling the air, matched with the cadence of Yuuji’s breath getting heavier. He gripped your chin as you continued the ministrations, pulling your face up so you could look into hooded eyes. They were looking less alert than you had previously seen, though an aroused glint remained.

“F-feels good-” Yuuji’s chest was rising and falling dramatically, the gills at his ribcage looking like they had come alive with the way they were heaving. “But want to be inside (Y/N).. Need to be.”

Reaching down to wrap his hands under your arms, Yuuji suddenly hoisted you up to straddle his lap, causing you to yelp. You gripped his hips in a panic that you would slide off once he had set you down, though you found his skin was actually pretty coarse, to the point there was still a good amount of friction even when he was still wet from being submerged in the water not too long ago.

“This okay? For (Y/N)?”

It made sense for you to be on top. He’d probably crush you if it was the other way around.

“Y-yes! It’s just..” You eyed at his cocks, not only was there two of them, but they were both pretty large. “I just- I might need opening up a bit more first.”

He didn’t respond, just began playing with the straps at the edge of your bikini bottoms.

“Want to see.”

Oh. He wanted to know what he had to work with here. You began inching the bottoms down your thighs, kinda in an awkward fashion seeing as you couldn’t stand. When they hit your knees, Yuuji took it upon himself to lift your legs and pull off the thin fabric in one swift motion, tossing them to the side.

He brought his large hands back underneath your legs, spreading them out before himself. He leant in to eye your pussy curiously, poking at it with a clawed finger, watching as it reacted with twitches of arousal.

“Tiny.”

At that, you moved to throw your hands over yourself, almost as if to hide in embarrassment. Yuuji just flicked them away with ease.

“No, let me help.” He whispered softly, the quietest his volume had been since you first met him.

Hiking your legs into open air, he gripped tight at the space beneath your knees and dragged your pelvis up to meet his chin, shoving his face into your pussy, slick tongue gliding over your slit. Rubbing a finger tip over your folds, he suddenly spread them apart, his tongue now plunging it’s way into your opening. Thick and wet, he swirled the thick muscle about your core, licking over you like a sloppy animal, a mess of saliva and your own wetness being spread all over the space between your thighs.

His huge tongue felt comparable to a human cock breaking you apart, though much more soft and flexible, massaging up the sides of your walls. Not only were you now dripping wet down there, puffy folds aching from the stimulation, but you were being stretched out. Pulling back slightly, you felt Yuuji, slightly out of breath exhaling hot air over your exposed pussy, panting like some insatiate beast.

“Taste s’ good.. But want more.. More of (Y/N).”

Taking the hint when he settled you legs down, you moved to straddle his lap, situating yourself over his cocks with a hand on his torso for support.

“I.. I only think I can do one.. For now.”

“Don’t mind. Just want to feel (Y/N).” He panted.

Still hovering over his pelvis, you reached down to take one of his cocks in your hand, rubbing over it slightly again.

“Please.. (Y/N).”

You supposed that was enough teasing him. Directing the appendage at your entrance, you began to sink down on it. Though both your pussy and his dick was adequately lubed (due to the aqueous nature of his being), the stretch still burned, causing you to hiss slightly. Taking your hips into his hands, Yuuji impatiently began guiding you down even further down his length.

“Y.. Yuuji.. Hurts.” You half moaned.

“Mm.. doing good.. Doing good.” Yuuji was resting his forehead at the space between your neck and shoulder now, struggling to maintain composure under the stimulation he was receiving.

The stretch certainly stung a little, though the pleasure pulsing over your core was making you ache in the desire to pursue it. You began wriggling your hips, squirming under yuuji's palms as you chased that wonderful ache. The movement had Yuuji's grasp tightening, claws catching at your side as his pointed teeth grind together as he strained at the throes of lust surging over every sinew tightening in his toned body, hips bucking upwards in purchase. Unable to fight his urge to feel even closer, to be even further inside of you, his strong arms flexed as he began to assist in dragging you up and down the thick length spearing your insides.

“N-need.. Hng.. deeper.”

Spreading your hands over his pecs as you lent into his chest for support, you breathlessly moaned against him, desperately bouncing on his cock. Looking down, you could see your stomach bulge outwards in tandem with your movement, distended by the merman’s large member. He was bottoming out, tip pressing against your cervix, so large every sweet spot within your walls was being brushed against.

Your moans grew louder as Yuuji pushed into you deeper, and deeper. It was all so lewd, whining like a whore as this creature you had met not too long ago drew your tiny body up and down his monstrous length.

You could feel yourself getting close, puffy pussy tightening with every slap that resounded through the cave when your ass smacked against the merman’s skin with your frenzied pace.

“M’ getting close.. Yuuji-” After only a few more thrusts, you’d hit your limit. Nails digging into the rough skin at Yuuji’s back, legs squeezing his waist, you felt your release flood forward, head thrown back in intense pleasure as you felt every neuron in the lower half of your body fire.

He only grunted in response, clearly nearing the edge himself.

Basking in the afterglow of your orgasm, borderline immobile, Yuuji had taken it upon himself to continue to pound up into your wet, numb pussy. Your head lolled forward as your body grew floppy, allowing Yuuji to manhandle you, forcing your entire body up and down, over and over.

You were pulled from your state of relative detachment, however, when you felt a searing pain spread across the crux of your neck, causing you to yelp. Snapping your gaze to the source, you were met with a faceful of Yuuji’s hair, when you clocked on to what was happening. As Yuuji continued to sink his teeth into the side of your neck, enough to break the skin, you reflexively batted your hand against the side of his head.

“Schtop-” He grunted with a mouth full, taking your tiny wrists into his significantly larger hands in an effort to stop your squirming. “-This..nn.. It’s.. how we mate.”

Releasing your tender flesh from between his jaws, he licked over the shallow wound, the small beads of blood disappearing under his tongue. Though his pace remained relentless, thrusting up into your aching cunt.

“M-mating you, (Y/N).”

Still too fucked out to really respond, you whined at him as his pace turned erratic - claws digging into your skin as he grunted - his seed spilling into your womb, fucking it into you with a few final thrusts. He produced far more cum than a human would- your belly distending to accommodate the immense amount currently flooding your insides, small streams of it leaking from your swollen entrance.

Yuuji’s bucking decreased in intensity until he came to a full stop, tension fleeing his body as he slumped over you, muscular arms caging you closer to his chest.

You looked up at his face. His eyelids were drooping in drowsiness, but he wore a warm smile on his face. He poked a finger at your swollen belly, pushing down on it and causing more of Yuuji’s release to pour out from your body. You both giggled, as if simultaneously acknowledging the bizarreness of the situation, the amount of cum stuffed into such a comparatively small womb.

“Good?” Yuuji asked, the question laced with affection, tracing webbed hands over your body, stroking up your curves.

“More than good!” You practically beamed at him. You refrained a little though, throwing a hand to the bitemark punched into the space above your collarbone. “I wish you’d have told me about the biting thing though, Maki and Nobara are gonna freak when they see this..”

Cottoning on to the further implications of disappearing into the sea for an entire night, your eyes blew open with realisation.

“Shit! Maki and Nobara are probably worried sick!”

Throwing your hands to your forehead, you debated the pros and cons of having Yuuji swim you to the surface now, or if you’d prefer to stay with him in the cave just a little while longer, basking in the glory of your afterglow.

Sinking back into the warmth of his embrace; circled by his protective, heavy arms, you knew which option you preferred.

#jjk smut #creature feature collab #itadori yuuji #itadori yuji x reader #reader x itadori yuuji #tw terato #tw blood #tw biting

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tw-koreanhistory · 4 years

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Japan's Okinawa prefecture has declared a state of emergency following a spike in coronavirus infections connected to an outbreak among US forces based in the region.

Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki on Friday announced that Japan's southernmost prefecture, compromising of dozens of islands, will be placed under a state of emergency between August 1 and 15.

"We're seeing an explosive spread of infections. We declare a state of emergency" Tamaki told reporters, adding that he was "shocked" by the high numbers. Tamaki said hospitals in the region were being overwhelmed by the "explosive spread" of COVID-19 cases.

Tamaki asked residents to avoid non-essential outings and trips to the prefecture from outside Okinawa. He also requested that eateries in the city of Naha limit opening hours between 5am and 10pm local time. The measures, however, are not mandatory.

Okinawa, also a popular tourist destination,  registered 71 new coronavirus cases on Friday, bringing its total to 395. US forces account for 248 of those cases, according to the local government, reigniting long-standing tensions between locals and the US military.

Read more: https://www.dw.com/en/japan-okinawa-declares-covid-19-emergency-after-us-base-outbreaks/a-54400818

reminder: there are over 800 to 1000 US military bases all around the world, some 10,000 US military fueling stations all around the world. the US military is also biggest consumer of oil, in other words they move and travel about a lot.

#us military #covid

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styletraveler · 3 years

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Nordwest-Territorien, Kanada:

Wild | Wilder | Northwest

Kanutour auf dem South Nahanni River

Eine Kanutour auf dem South Nahanni River führt durch eine der spektakulärsten und einsamsten Landstriche Kanadas.

Von Marc Vorsatz

So viel steht bereits eingangs fest, dies wird ein Abenteuer der etwas härteren Gangart und so beginnt es auch. Im Provinznest Fort Simpson treffen wir unsere Guides, die Umweltwissenschaftlerin Jenn Redvers und den angehenden Biologen Robert Norton sowie zwei erfahrene Hobby-Paddler mit Sinn fürs Außergewöhnliche aus Ottawa. Die Begrüßung ist herzlich, die Chemie stimmt. Soweit die Kür, doch dann schon ruft die Pflicht. Wir müssen unsere drei Kanus und gefühlte 100 unmenschlich schwere Fässer in ein kleines Wasserflugzeug bugsieren. Zu guter Letzt krabbeln wir selbst in die Twin Otter, diesen unverwüstlichen Allesflieger made in Kanada. Keine Maus würde da mehr reinpassen und wir gurten uns irgendwie zwischen Booten, Proviant und Isomatten fest. Minuten später haben wir die Zivilisation verlassen und bekommen eine leise Vorahnung von dem, was uns in den nächsten Tagen erwartet: Wildnis pur, soweit das Auge reicht. Und kein einziger Ort. Nirgends.

Unser einstündiger Flug endet mit einer gekonnten Ehrenrunde knapp über den höchsten Wasserfällen von Nordamerika, den Virginia Falls. Die entfesselten Wassermassen des Nahanni stürzen 92 Meter senkrecht in die Tiefe. Damit sind sie doppelt so hoch wie die Niagarafälle und werden trotzdem nur von 950 Urlaubern pro Jahr besucht. Auch die Landung „auf dem schönsten Flughafen der Welt“ kitzelt gehörig an unseren Nerven. Wir setzen beherzt nur 300 Meter vor der Abbruchkante auf. Genau dort, wo das Wasser langsam Fahrt aufnimmt in Richtung Abgrund.

Die Ruhe vor dem Sturm

Doch all das sollte nur die Ruhe vor dem Sturm gewesen sein. Vor den Unterlauf des Nahanni hat Gott ja die Virginia Falls gesetzt und einige Galonen Schweiß dazu. Wir müssen unsere Kanus und sämtliches Gepäck 113 Höhenmeter hinunter schleppen.

Randvoll mit Berg haben wir die Kanadier anschließend beladen, uns schlussendlich in die wasserdichten Neoprenanzüge gezwängt, Schutzhelme aufgesetzt, schnell ein Gruppenfoto geknipst und los geht’s. Sofort werden wir von der Strömung des Weißwassers mitgerissen, rauschen durch die tiefe Schlucht des Vierten Canyons und haben dabei überraschend enge Kurven zu meistern.

Nach den ersten sportlichen Kilometern wird der Fluss deutlich breiter und ruhiger. Wir nehmen unsere Schutzhelme ab und finden Zeit für die schwergewichtigen Trompeterschwäne mit den markanten schwarzen Schnäbeln. Ein paar Etagen weiter oben, hoch über dem Canyon, zieht lautlos ein Weißkopfseeadler seine Bahn. Er sucht wohl das milchige Wasser nach Arktischen Äschen und Amerikanischen Seesaiblingen ab.

Zu Füßen der Funeral Range, der Gebirgskette der Begräbnisse, zwischen dem Vierten und Dritten Canyon schlagen wir unser Zeltlager auf. Im Handumdrehen haben Jenn und Rob die Küche gezimmert: Zwei Kanus kopfüber im rechten Winkel, eine Zeltplane als Dach, das war´s. Und schon brutzeln sie saftige Steaks, Bohnen, Speck und Folienkartoffeln. An den ersten Tagen gibt es sogar noch einen knackigen Salat dazu. Für Jenn als überzeugte Vegetarierin mit Glutenallergie wird extra gekocht. Und als ob dies alles noch nicht genug des Guten wäre, backen die beiden einen leckeren Kuchen in einem altmodischen Backwunder, das sie an Ober- und Unterseite mit glühender Holzkohle befeuern.

Angekommen im Wilden Westen

Während wir am Lagerfeuer auf unseren herrlich duftenden Wallnusskuchen warten, singt Rob im Kreis zur Gitarre. Handgemachte Songs aus fast vergessenen Tagen: Bad Moon Rising von Creedence Clearwater Revival, Songs von Johnny Cash und immer wieder Bruce Springsteen. I´m On Fire sollte unser Nahanni Song werden. Schon beim zweiten Zuhören summen wir mit. Oh, oh, oh, I´m on fire…

Endlich sind wir angekommen im Wilden Westen. In seiner nördlichsten Ecke, die größer ist als jedes Land in Europa und sich dem menschlichen Einfluss bis heute so erfolgreich zu entziehen vermochte.

Auch morgens geht es eher stimmungsvoll zu. No Stress! Wer mag nimmt ein erfrischendes Bad, versucht sein Glück beim Fischen, beobachtet ein paar Waldkaribus auf der Anhöhe oder macht einfach – nix - außer auf die frisch gebackenen Baguettes zu warten.

Eine moderate Strömung trägt uns gemütlich flussabwärts, wir paddeln durch zu Füßen der Headless Range, der Gebirgskette der Kopflosen, vorbei an einem Saum aus bunten Blüten und hinein in den gewaltigen Dritten Canyon.

Mythen und Gruselgeschichten

Beim Schein des Lagerfeuers erzählt uns Jenn vom kriegerischen Volk der Naha, das hier irgendwann auf mysteriöse Weise für immer spurlos verschwand. Von einer mächtigen unentdeckten Goldader, die Abenteurern des vergangenen Jahrhunderts unermesslichen Reichtum versprach und doch nur den Tod brachte. Von Legenden und historisch belegten Ereignissen, die sich im Nahanni für immer auf untrennbare Weise miteinander verwoben haben.

Gruslige Geschichten, wie die der McLoad-Brüder, die eine ganz reale ist: 1905 folgten William und Frank McLoad dem Lockruf des Goldes. Als man nie wieder etwas von ihnen hörte, machte sich ihr Bruder Charly 1908 auf die Suche. Monate später fand er schließlich ihr Zeltlager. An einem Baum lehnte noch ihr inzwischen längst verrostetes Gewehr, dann entdeckte er die sterblichen Überreste seiner Brüder – beide enthauptet.

Viele Abenteurer sollten dieses grausige Schicksal teilen. Der schwedische Goldsucher Martin Jorgenson zum Beispiel. Gefunden 1917, ohne Kopf. Bis in die 1960er Jahre währte dieser Spuk. Stoff genug für die fantastischsten Theorien bis in die Gegenwart.

Andere überlebten den Nahanni. In den 1920er Jahren machte sich der britische Oxford-Absolvent, Kurzzeit-Banker und Langzeit-Abenteurer Raymond M. Patterson mit einem Kanu auf die Suche nach der sagenhaften McLoad-Mine und fand nichts als pure Wildnis. Drei Jahrzehnte später verhalf er dem bis dahin völlig unbekannten Fluss zu einem Platz in der Literatur: 1954 veröffentlichte er seine Erinnerungen in dem Buch The Dangerous River, Der gefährliche Fluss.

Und das ist er auch heute auf gewisse Weise noch. Vor jeder größeren Stromschnelle beraten Jenn und Rob gewissenhaft, wie diese am sichersten zu passieren sei. Mit oder ohne Helm? Auf kürzestem Weg mit Karacho durchs Weißwasser oder doch lieber ganz ruhig in großem Bogen umfahren?

Was für Bergsteiger der Everest, ist für Kanuten der Nahanni

Im Zweiten Canyon wartet die vielleicht beeindruckendste Passage auf uns. Hell´s Gate, das Höllentor, politisch korrekt The Gate. Aber das sagt niemand. Der Nahanni muss sich hier durch zwei fast senkrecht emporstehende, 460 Meter hohe Steilwände zwängen und gewinnt dabei ordentlich an Geschwindigkeit. Spätestens an dieser Stelle glauben wir den Slogan der internationalen Kanu-Szene: „Was für Bergsteiger der Everest, ist für Wasserwanderer der Nahanni“. Eines der letzten großen Abenteuer unserer Zeit im gleichnamigen Nahanni National Park Reserve, der 1978 von der Unesco zum ersten Weltnaturerbe überhaupt gekürt wurde.

Die Durchfahrt ist wahrhaft atemberaubend. Wir sausen durch die enge Schlucht, deren Wände höher in den Himmel ragen als die meisten Fernsehtürme dieser Welt. Hat der Nahanni River das Höllentor erst passiert, verleiht ihm der offene Canyon sogleich Weite und Ruhe.

Unser nächster Morgen im Deadman Valley, Tal des Toten Mannes, beginnt mit einem Mordsschreck. Wir hatten Besuch in der Nacht. Direkt vor unserem kleinen Zelt grub ein Schwarzbär seine Tatzen tief in den Sand. Wir nehmen uns fest vor, künftig auch nachts, falls die Natur ihren Tribut fordern sollte, mit Bärenspray bewaffnet hinterm Busch zu verschwinden.

Unsere Küchenkanus hat der ungebetene Gast besonders intensiv beschnuppert. 300 Meter müssen die von den Zelten entfernt liegen und sämtliche Lebensmittel hermetisch verriegelt werden. Das ist Vorschrift in Kanada und macht Sinn.

Der Erste Canyon, unser letzter, sollte noch einmal alles an Größe und Erhabenheit in den Schatten stellen, was wir bis dahin erlebten. Bis zu 900 Meter tief hat sich der Nahanni hier in den Kalk- und Sandstein gefräst und sich dafür 200 Millionen Jahre Zeit gelassen. Macht einen knappen halben Millimeter in 100 Jahren. Mit Ehrfurcht paddeln wir durch dieses überwältigende Massiv und erfreuen uns des Privilegs, zu den wenigen Abenteuerlustigen auf dieser Welt zu gehören, die das mit eigenen Augen gesehen haben.

INFOS:

Allgemeine Auskünfte:

Allgemeine Auskünfte zu den Nordwest-Territorien gibt es auf www.spectacularnwt.de, kostenloses Infomaterial unter [email protected]. Offizielle Website der Destination Canada ist www.keepexploring.de.

Nahanni - Fluss der Superlative:

Der nur 563 Kilometer lange South Nahanni River gilt unter Wasserwanderern als Kanadas Premium-Fluss schlechthin. Er durchfließt das Unesco-Weltnaturerbe Nahanni National Park Reserve, www.pc.gc.ca/nahanni, eine der schönsten und wildesten Gegenden Kanadas und hat bis zu 900 Meter tiefe Schluchten in den Fels geschnitten. Die spektakulären Virginia Falls sind die höchsten Wasserfälle Nordamerikas und mit 92 Metern fast doppelt so hoch wie die Niagarafälle.

Pauschal:

Nahanni Gateway heißt die hier beschriebene 10tägige Kanutour von/bis Fort Simpson. Inkl. Flug mit Wasserflugzeug zu den Virginia Falls, Kanu und Zubehör (2er-Nutzung), 2-Personen-Zelt, sehr gute Vollverpflegung, geführten optionalen Wanderungen, zwei englischsprachigen Guides, Transfers für 7.195 CAD (ca. 4.690 Euro), zzgl. 25 CAD/Nacht (ca. 16,30 Euro) Nationalparkgebühr bei Black Feather. Nächste Touren in Juni, Juli und August 2021, www.blackfeather.com.

Anreise:

Zum Beispiel mit Lufthansa/Air Canada, www.aircanada.com, von Deutschland via Calgary oder Edmonton nach Yellowknife. Weiterflug nach Fort Simpson mit Canadian North, https://canadiannorth.com, hin und zurück ca. 3.900 Euro.

Unterkunft:

Während der gesamten Tour schläft man in guten 2-Personen-Zelten, auch Alleinbelegung buchbar. Bequeme Isomatten stellt der Veranstalter, auf Wunsch auch Schlafsäcke.

Und danach:

Wer dann noch komfortabel in der Wildnis ausspannen, wandern oder angeln will, dem sei die seit nunmehr 15 Jahren sehr persönlich geführte Yellow Dog Logde von Gordon Gin am Duncan Lake empfohlen. Die abgelegene Lage hat jedoch ihren Preis: kleiner Standard-Bungalow ab 295 Euro/Nacht, Angel-Package 2 Nächte inkl. Anreise mit Wasserflugzeug ab Yellowknife, VP, Hot Tub, Sauna, Booten, guter Angelausrüstung ab 1620 Euro pro Person, Telefon: 001/403/668-9936, [email protected], www.yellowdoglodge.ca

Essen und Trinken:

Die Verpflegung für die gesamte Tour ist logistisch perfekt geplant und qualitativ hochwertig, vielseitig, schmackhaft und gesund. Die Guides backen sogar leckersten Kuchen in der Wildnis! Besonderheiten wie Allergien unbedingt vor der Reise angeben. Nachkaufen kann man nämlich nichts, es befindet sich keine einzige Ansiedlung an der gesamten Route.

Reisezeit:

Der Sommer ist kurz in den Nordwest-Territorien. Die Kanusaison geht von Mitte Juni bis Ende August.

Reiselektüre:

In gewohnter Qualität und Detailtreue präsentiert Lonely Planet Kanada mit Kapitel Nahanni. Deutsche Ausgabe von Karla Zimmermann, Mairdumont Verlag, Ostfildern, 26,99 Euro, eBook, PDF 24,99 Euro, www.lonelyplanet.de

Wer sich auf spannende Weise literarisch annähern möchte, sei der Krimi Tote Spur von Barbara Fradkin empfohlen. Bei einer Kanutour auf dem Nahanni geschehen plötzlich merkwürdige Dinge… Aufbau Taschenbuch Verlag, Berlin, Juni 2014, 9,99 Euro, eBook/ePUB 7,99 Euro, www.aufbau-verlag.de

Landkarte Kanada West, 1:900.000, reiß- und wasserfest, Reise Know-How Verlag, Bielefeld, 2019, 9,95 Euro, www.reise-know-how.de

#nahanni

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hongkongartman-mlee · 3 years

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Goodbye, Hong Kong’s Love —— My 10 Fond Memories Of Dragonair

On 21st October 2020, Cathay Pacific announced that its Cathay Dragon would shut down after almost four decades in business. This proud aviation brand was over. People of Hong Kong felt very miserable about the demise of our city’s first truly local airline, originally known as ‘Dragonair’.

In 1985, some local Chinese businessmen founded Dragonair, with only one flight per day, and they had a big heart that was to carry international investors to Mainland China to help the country develop. The carrier’s business expanded little by little over the years and it became Hong Kong people’s loved airline, particularly for those who travelled to Mainland cities, close and remote.

The boutique airline did not enjoy an economy of scale and was eventually taken over by Cathay Pacific in 2006. In 2016, the carrier’s iconic red dragon logo was replaced by Cathay Pacific brush-wing design and the old logo was totally wiped out.

As a frequent traveller to Mainland China, I was blessed to have been with Dragonair for almost 35 years since 1985. Claustrophobia could cause untold misery for me as a sufferer but Dragonair was a form of alternative medicine when I had to put up with a tiny aircraft cabin. Dragonair did not really pass away because it left us with too many fond memories. Let me search for the missing pieces with you:

(1) Eye Candies

'Don’t judge a book by its cover’ is a famous proverb. The truth is that a book is almost always judged by its cover. Dragonair, whether on purpose or not, recruited the young and good-looking male and female flight attendants. Some dislike the idea of capitalizing on the appearance of staff members, but if it is part of a customer’s reasonable expectation in a hospitality industry, why not?

(2) Yummy

In the 80s, most China’s airlines offered only cold food items like bread, biscuits and even preserved eggs or vegetables. They saw the role of cabin crew was more importantly concerned with safety and not with attending passengers with good food and wine. So, when I had to fly to the Mainland, I insisted on Dragonair. The eating hour was always a sacred and joyful time as Dragonair offered me delicious dishes like dim sum and garlic-butter salmon!

(3) Upgrade

In those years, when I was a Hong Kong passenger seen in a neat suit and tie with a pleasant smile, I could easily get upgraded from economy to business class. I guess Dragonair, being a truly local airline, favoured Hong Kong people because we were family!

(4) Spirituality

Spiritual nourishment including movie entertainment and reading is a needed human experience —— something that we all want when we fly. During the 80s, inflight entertainment was not a popular concept and most China’s airlines did not even provide magazine. Smoking on flights was allowed and perhaps that was already a spiritual salvation. Dragonair could not afford providing ‘projection screen’ movie in those days but they still supplied magazines with rich and colourful contents.

(5) Punctual

At that time, not being punctual was the greatest shortcoming of China’s airlines. Passengers were always on time but the planes were late. The delay often ended up being a few hours or a day. Our Dragonair, until recently, enjoyed a good reputation for being respectably punctual.

(6) Direct

‘Point-to-point’ transit was critical for business travellers because a plane should carry us directly to a destination, rather than going through the busy hubs like Beijing and Shanghai. At that time, most China’s airlines failed in the mission but Dragonair triumphed over direct flights. I could often cut the flying time by 4 to 5 hours when I needed to work in the Mainland.

(7) Quick

My advice for travellers is always to avoid taking the local airline of a foreign destination. There are longer queues like crowded markets at the check-in counters there since people like to use their own brand. To the contrary, the counter of Hong Kong’s airline in a foreign airport is usually not busy. The same phenomenon was also seen in the Mainland in the old days. Dragonair operated non-stop flights between outside airports and Hong Kong only. While the heart of other passengers began racing the moment they lined up, we, Dragonair passengers, calmly spent just 5 to 15 minutes on our easy check-in.

(8) Toilet

In those years, cabin toilets of Mainland’s aircrafts were clean and they still smelled. I guessed probably their detergent used did not have any artificial floral scent. I loved flying with Dragonair in Mainland China because their toilets were scrubbed, sweet-smelling and provided us with cologne and hand lotion. These toilet conditions sound like bare essentials nowadays and such washroom goodies were not considered as necessities in the 80s.

(9) Legroom

Emergency exit row seats in an aircraft are normally reserved for passengers who can speak English since they are expected to communicate and assist foreign passengers in case of escape. Dragonair, many a time, assigned me to occupy such a seat under the mistaken belief that I could speak good English. I got the same amount of pleasure from having a bigger legroom as from enjoying my easier access to toilets.

(10) Eye-opening

I would not have travelled to some unknown places like Naha of Okinawa, Da Nang of Vietnam and Jeju of South Korea if Dragonair had not developed these new routes throughout the years. I could be in love with these special cities simply because Dragonair took me there.

Sadly, looking back is a way to remind us about how we do badly now. Airlines in the Mainland have improved and become better. Where is Hong Kong now?

Goodbye, Dragonair, my trusted friend! You were and will be part of Hong Kong. I will see you in another life —— when we may both be birds someday.

MLee

Teresa Teng - Goodbye my Love

https://youtu.be/R20bOB4Rwu4

CTITV News – Change of Name from Dragonair to Cathay Dragon

https://youtu.be/Ii76oEJLlTE

#Dragonair #Cathay Dragon #Cathay Pacific #Boutique Airline #Claustrophobia #Point-to-point #Eye Candy #Flight Attendant #Inflight Entertainment #Mainland China #Naha #Okinawa #Da Nang #Jeju #Don’t Judge A Book By Its Cover #Legroom #Emergency Exit Row Seats

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justwritesome · 5 years

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a vacation, perhaps

(part 2)

In the humble Konoha Airport, the silence Madara have mixed feelings with was suddenly disrupted when his smartphone rang inside his pants' pocket. He pulled his phone and stared down at the bright screen. Izuna's name greeted him. He swiped his finger and answered the call.

"Aniki! Did you arrive in Konoha?" Izuna asked from the other line.

"I have." Madara responded, tiredly. "And I'm not sure if I'm in the right place."

He should've researched the small village first before going here. He trusted Fugaku and Izuna's words, but he really should've made his own research. Now, he's stuck under the sweltering weather, exhausted, unprepared, and his patience wearing thin.

"Hmm... maybe you should have touched down in Naha instead and from there travelled to Konoha? But according to Sasuke-kun, it will be time-consuming to travel that way, and it's much easier to touch down in the Konoha's island itself." Izuna mused.

Madara was about to open his mouth to reply when all of a sudden, a dingy silver truck lurched and stopped in front of him with a painful screeching of tires against the asphalt ground of the Airport's small parking lot with only three parking space slots.

From the driver's side, Madara saw a pink-haired woman got out, slamming the door shut. She glared at the shabby truck's slightly smoking hood before her green eyes landed on him.

"Izuna, I think the hotel staff or something is here." Madara replied instead.

"Oh."

"Are you Sasuke's Uncle?" She asked him, a slight accent in the tone of her voice. She briefly glanced down at her palm with a frown. "Madara Uchi- Uchida?"

Sakura read on her sweaty palm before looking at the older Uchiha expectantly. Madara narrowed his eyes at her and heard Izuna stifling his laughter.

"Uchiha. Uchiha Madara." He corrected.

Sakura just shrugged as she approached him. Madara stared at this young woman with an oddly coloured hair in annoyance. Then, she took his travelling bag from his hand, leaving him with his suitcase before she opened the passenger door for him. Madara eyed her irritably when she threw his bag in the backseat without care.

Sakura met his onyx eyes and slightly raised her brow, "What?"

Such insolence. Madara was about to retort, but it's too hot outside to argue with this woman. He stared down at her from her pink head to her black snickers-clad feet, the side of his lips curling downward as he observed her.

"The strap of your red bra is showing." He simply informed her with a smirk before getting inside the dingy truck and shutting the door close.

The cool and refreshing ac inside the truck hit against Madara's heated and sweaty skin and lessened his irritation. It's a good thing the interior of the truck is functioning well and not as shabby as its exterior appearance.

Madara stiffened when he heard Izuna wheezing. He realised he forgot to end the call...

"Aniki, don't antagonise the people there. Just please, don't." He heard Izuna who barely recovered from overhearing that exchange. "Well then, have a nice trip!"

Madara ended the call and pocketed his smartphone. Meanwhile, Sakura reddened in embarrassment and anger. She instantly pushed her peeking bra strap inside her printed white shirt with a large cartoonish panda in the middle holding a slice of bread in its hands with a black katakana text below which said: "パン~だ!".

Sakura glared at the shadowy line of Sasuke's Uncle inside through the truck's window before she tramped to the driver's side. Madara watched the pinkette with pure amusement as she pulled the door open and climbed inside. She scowled at him with flushed cheeks while settling down on her seat. She's so tiny and angry like a stray kitten. He could not help himself from chuckling quietly at the sight of her, strapping the seatbelt around herself grumpily.

"You should put your seatbelt." Sakura grumbled. "The roadway to Konoha is not asphalt like the ones in the main island. There will be lots of bumps and it will not be a pleasant and smooth drive to the village and your final destination: Fire Kitsune's Hotel & Resort. So, buckle up, big boy!"

After informing him of such, Sakura moved the gear stick before stepping on the gas pedal with her right foot. Madara strapped the seatbelt to himself as well, pushing the passenger seat back to make room for his legs. He placed his suitcase on his lap to grab and work on the few paperwork he brought with him to this business trip.

The first of the many bumps on their journey to the village came and it made Madara's hand shot quickly at the handle above the car door's window to steady himself. The paperwork in his hand, crumpling a bit. He glanced at the driving pink-haired woman, side-glancing him with a slight smirk and challenge in her fiery forest green eyes.

Oh-ho! Is she really challenging him? Him? Uchiha Madara?

Madara sharply stared at her, then from his peripheral eye, he caught something down the road. So, he looked that way and his onyx eyes widened a bit at the deer in the middle of the road. He dropped his paperwork as that hand shot to the upper edge of her headrest.

"Deer! Eyes on the road, woman!"

Sakura giggled at him, "Oh relax! They're harmless and probably wandered off from the Nara Clan's Forest."

Then, Sakura pushed the horn button and the deer looked their way alarmed before it hurriedly ran back to where it came from in the forest.

"You're a mean, mean girl." Madara muttered, picking up his paperwork after the ordeal.

A bit petty too. He noticed. The audacity of her! Madara didn't know whether to admire that in her or to get back at her for the lost of his composure in her presence because of a damned deer!

He will eventually figure it out.

part 1 here

#i will eventually figure out how to continue this too #but that's it this is the whole bunny lol #sakura mistaking the uchiha name for uchida harharhar #madasaku #uchiha madara #haruno sakura #modern au #avp madasaku #littlemisslazy writes

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interestingfactsquotes · 4 years

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Interesting Facts About Mandarinfish

Mandarinfish Facts Synchiropus splendidus - mandarinfish This small but brightly colored member of the dragonet family is simply stunning and magnificent in appearance. It is native to the Pacific Ocean and ranges from the Ryukyu Islands and south to Australia. Like the tibetan mastiff and red panda and moon bear, the mere appearance of this creature can cause onlookers to stare in wonder and excitement. Synchiropus picturatus, the Spotted Mandarinfish, is known under Many different names in English, including Picture dragonet Picturesque dragonet, Green Spot Mandarin Dragonet, Green Spot Mandarin Goby and Spotted Mandarin. Just like its relative the Green Mandarinfish, it is sometimes known Psychedelic Dragonet or as fish. You might come across the names Pterosynchiropus and Callionymus picturatus if you look in sources. The Spotted Mandarinfish hasn't been assessed for the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Distributions, habitat and habit - The Spotted Mandarinfish lives from the Indo West Pacific. To the Ryukyu Islands of Japan, it is found up On the north. To the south, it's found down to Australia. This species only lives in tropics waters and doesn't migrate. The Spotted Mandarinfish occupies lagoons that are protected and shallow reefs. The fish is famous for its body that's decorated with a profusion of blue black and orange spots. Mind and fins are as eloquent as the body's remainder. Spotted Mandarinfish maintenance - The Spotted Mandarinfish is considered hard to care for as it's difficult to let it to eat in the aquarium. Keep at least 100 pounds \/ 45 kg of live rock for each fish. You may read more about the Spotted Mandarinfish's needs further down. It is not advisable to keep the Spotted Mandarinfish in an aquarium smaller than 30 gallons \/ 115 liters and the aquarium must naturally be large enough to house a large amount of live rock. This fish is a peaceful and reef safe species which will leave fish and most invertebrates alone from the aquarium, with the exception of course of suitable prey. Keeping one or more Spotted Mandarinfish from the aquarium can be tricky, unless it's a compatible pair or you've a very large and cleverly adorned aquarium. Bear from mind that the aquarium must have sufficient prey animals to sustain your mandarins, adding too many might lead to starvation. The aquarium where you keep the spotted Mandarinfish must contain a whole lot of suitable hiding spots. The recommended water temperature is 23-29 C \/ 74-83 F and the salinity should be maintained in the 1.021-1.025 range. The amount of salt is very critical. Keep the pH value between 8.2 and 8.4 and the alkaline from 8dKH to 12dKH. Feeding Spotted Mandarinfish - The carnivore Spotted Mandarinfish is a specialized feeder and copepods dominate its diet. Your mandarin might start eating small amounts of other food types from the aquarium, but a prosperous copepod population is needed you want your Spotted Mandarinfish to endure and remain healthful in the long run. https://youtu.be/DN0-hIEcCHg https://youtu.be/KivINH0ka_A Ryukyu Islands Miles .Okinawa Island with a population of over a million and an area of 485 sq miles is the biggest of the islands. The islands have for ages been occupied, possibly since the Neolithic Age. The people seem to be descendants of Japanese and South-East Asians who migrated during prehistory into the Ryukyus. There has to have been some connections with Japan and China, as well as the Ryukyuans socioeconomics systems reflect both Chinese and Japanese influences. In the past the islands formed an independent kingdom. By the fourteenth century sovereignty which imitated an interval of trading contact was, approved by a faction of the Ryukyuan direction, located in Okinawa. This led to an assimilation of civilization. In time, Japan was comprised by trade connections with the mainland from Korea to Vietnam on the south, which influenced culture systems on the north and Indonesia. Influence was growing from the century over central and northern Ryukyu Islands, and in the nineteenth century. Across all of the Ryukyu Islands, control was assumed by Japan Since the connections in the exerted pressures in these times. From the year 1879 the Ryukyus became an essential part of Japan. Towards also the end of World War II, also the US took control of also the islands, and also the military authorities was replaced at 1951 by a civil government based in Naha, the capital and biggest city of the islands, controlled largely by Japan. Following Japanese unrest over also the return of also the islands, Japan took more than the Ryukyu Islands, from the US, but the U. Continued to preserve military installations and troops on Okinawa Island. Less than 50% of the islands are permanently inhabited, a lot of the smaller islands are only coral reefs. The bigger ones are volcanic in nature, and a few are large enough to provide some agricultural land. The population is mainly rural, along with agriculture is also the dominant occupation of also the people today. Yams and rice are the staple crops and there is also some wheat. The traditional economics was badly upset throughout the World War 11. An artificial economics significantly impacted by also the American military presence has since developed. There's some pineapple production now along with tuna fishing became important. Three fourths of also the Oki nawan population is made up of smallholding sugarcane growers. Sugar refining along with pineapple canning are the main manufacturing activities, with also the products going to Japan. Tea and tobacco are destined for home consumption. The Ryukus stay, however, a food shortage area for the local population, majority of also the food products are consumed by also the American military installations. Okinawa has suffered a surge at urbanization since World War II.Nahas population estimated into be close into half that a million has doubled since 1970. The very first thing you must understand is that the fish you are likely to catch in the surf know what they're doing. Saltwater fish have a tendency to be more expensive and harder to take care of than freshwater fish. When you select saltwater aquarium fish, you've got to take into account that they're a little more costly than the freshwater varieties. If you're going to introduce fish to a tank with Coral and invertebrates it is necessary to spot which are inclined to be a threat to them. Depending on what sort of aquarium you're keeping there are many fish you wish to keep away from since they aren't compatible in some specific scenarios. There are a large number of marine aquarium fish in the business to satisfy just about anyone. There are several kinds of fish. A very simple thing you need to bear in mind is that fish don't wish to die. If you buy a fish that only nips a specific kind of coral you may think about avoiding that piece later on. It's also vital that you avoid aggressive fish. It is vital not to introduce new fish unless that your aquarium is operating perfectly for the previous month. In essence with only a tiny common sense, responsibility and research you'll be well on your way to getting a flourishing fish or reef aquarium. Read the full article

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asterinjapan · 5 years

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Hello from Okinawa!

Good evening from Okinawa!

Phew, it’s been a long day, but I can tell you I got here safe and sound and even did some things already!

I’m kind of wobbling from the jetlag right now, so I’ll have dinner as I write my report and then slowly start to get ready for bed, haha. 7 PM is a little too early for that, so here we go with the report! Apologies if things sound fuzzy, that’s the jetlag speaking.

So, on October 1 I left home very early, but just as well, because the bus got caught in traffic and trains in the direction of Amsterdam were being cancelled. Luckily I still ended up at Schiphol with plenty of time left, only to find out that my luggage would not go to Okinawa directly and that I’d thus have to pick it up at Osaka and go through check-ins for my next flight all over again. Oops. My transfer time was pretty narrow, less than 2 hours, but everyone assured me that was a good time frame, so off I went with that in mind!

I had early lunch at Starbucks and mooched off their Wi-fi for a bit until it was time to get to my gate.

I actually had an aisle gate, but the ladies next to me asked to trade, and then they ended up in a whole other part of the plane anyway. Uh. On the upside, one friend of them replaced the two of them, meaning the seat in between us was empty, so yay for extra leg space!

I’m afraid of flying, so a window seat isn’t super fun to me, but I took some pictures of the view anyway and enjoyed a mostly calm flight.

Once at Osaka station, I made a run for it to get through immigration fast – that took a while, but luckily my suitcase was already waiting for me. So after that, things went pretty smoothly: I dragged my suitcase to the domestic flights terminal one floor up and checked in for my flight to Okinawa.

I was kind of scared for this flight since the plane was smaller and the skies were probably still a bit turbulent over Okinawa due to typhoon #18, but it was pretty okay! I even ended up regretting not having a window seat this time, because the plane flew us right past the islands, and they’re very pretty, haha. It probably also helped the flight was much shorter (2.5 hours instead of 11) and that they announced every instance of turbulence down to the detail, like ‘in 2 minutes we’ll have around 10 minutes of mild turbulence’. So that gave us some time to prepare. Quite some kids aboard, unlike the previous flight, and they didn’t quite like the turbulence, but all went well and we landed safely on Naha airport, Okinawa!

And whoa, quite a bit warmer than back home. I’d already ditched my scarf on Schiphol, but I was really regretting my vest and pant here. It’s over 30 C! Welcome to the subtropics.

I took the monorail through some quite nice views and made my way to the stop closest to the main shopping street, Kokusaidori. As it turns out my hotel is right in the middle of that street, so easy enough to find, haha. I was in luck since I got in minutes before check-in opened, so I was allowed into my room almost immediately. Time for a shower and to change into something lighter!

I think this is my smallest room yet, even for Japanese standards, but hey, as long as it has a bathroom I’m happy. After refreshments, I got up and moving again, because it was only 3 PM, way too early to go to bed.

First, I stumbled upon a food souvenir shop selling everything with sweet potato flavor, or ben-imo. The sweet potato of Okinawa is famous and uh, purple. And they put it in ice cream. So naturally I had to try it out! It didn’t taste particularly potato-like, but it was yummy.

After that, I walked for a good 20 minutes to find the Naminoue shrine. It’s the most important shrine of Okinawa and is located in a place that was already sacred for the Ryukyu people (the Okinawa island chain is also known as the Ryukyu kingdom and hasn’t been part of Japan for very long). So it kind of got taken over by a Japanese building, and it is very touristic too (lots of people in kimono, almost all of them Chinese), which is a bit of a shame. The shrine is still pretty, if small, so worth a visit. I prayed for the good weather to continue, wandered for a bit, and then left the premises for extra sights.

You see, Naminoue literally means ‘on top of the waves’, and that’s exactly where the shrine is located. If you walk just a little past it, you make it to the beach, and you can see the top of the shrine peeking out over a cliff. I think this was the more visually impressive sight actually, and not a lot of the other tourists were here for it.

It was still rather sunny, so I walked the beach, took in the sights and stepped into the sea for a bit (you can’t swim here except for designated areas, and I don’t have swimming gear with me anyway, oops). Actually, if you want pretty beaches, Naha city isn’t the best destination. There’s a highway road over the beach here, plenty of reconstructions going on in the distance, and occasionally the US military flies over with big choppers. But I picked Naha for its convenience as a hub to see some sights on Okinawa, and hey, if I can get to a beach with a 20 minute walk, I will!

On the way back to the hotel, it started to drizzle a bit, which was actually nice since it was so hot. I did some window shopping and ended up picking up dinner at the convenience store, since my stomach gets pretty upset with jetlags and so I didn’t want to eat out and fall asleep over my meal while also nauseous, haha.

So, there’s my first day on Okinawa! I really like it here already. The sight upon arrival was already a treat, and I can’t wait to explore more of the island and its culture.

For now, though, I’m pretty worn out from travelling and jetlag, so I’ll sort out some pictures for today and then call it a night. I’m not quite sure about my plans for tomorrow, so that’ll be a surprise for you too!

Thanks for reading and see you tomorrow!

#japan 2019 #report #report: japan 2019 #report: travel #places: naha

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liaasato · 4 years

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March 15, 2019

The first time I visited Japan was in June of 2016. I was lucky enough to have Grandparents who were frequent travelers to Japan, and who were more than happy to bring me along to one of their Tokyo trips. My first trips to Japan was one of the most memorable times of my life. The food, the people, and the countless photo-ready cities and streets, was what really drew me into this foreighn place. Growing up on a tiny island like O’ahu, this had been a big culture jump. After experiencing the hustle and bustle of the city, I was ready for a change of pace.

My Granparents had heard about this guided tour of Okinawa, directed by Nonstop Travel. Our first trip was self-guided so we thought this “tour” based trip could be interesting. The pre-set intinerary was packed with lots of historical site-seeing, fun activites, and mouthwatering food destinations. With too good of an opportunity to pass up, we decided to book our tickets.

We begin our adventure as we board a Japan Airlines flight. Heading into Osaka, Japan I quickly found it hard to contain my excitment. The wait was over and the fun had just begun. Thankfully we landed in Osaka safely. We then boarded another Transocean flight to Naha, Okinawa. Landing in Okinawa late, we went straight to our hotel for a good nights rest for a big day of adventure ahead of us.

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wearejapanese · 6 years

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Higa was one of more than a dozen American soldiers of Japanese ancestry who were involved in the Battle of Okinawa, which some historians have called the "cruelest battle of the Pacific." It was a costly battle. More than 12,000 Americans and some 95,000 Japanese--60,000 of whom were Okinawan civilians--were killed.

For Kalihi resident Takejiro Higa, the Battle of Okinawa would pit two "parents" against each other.

Higa was born in Waipahu. At the age of 2, his mother took him, his brother Warren, then 5, and 8-year-old sister Yuriko to Okinawa to meet their grandparents. His father remained in Hawaii and operated the family store. Three years later he went to Okinawa to accompany his family back to Hawaii.

Higa was 11 when his parents died within a year of each other. His grandparents, with whom he and his mother had lived, died the following year. For the next four years, he lived with an uncle.

As his 16th birthday neared, Higa began thinking seriously about returning to Hawaii. New immigration to Hawaii had been halted in 1924, and Japan had begun sending young, able-bodied men to settle in Manchuria in its efforts to control Asia militarily.

When Higa turned 16 in April 1939, he wrote to his sister in Hawaii, asking her to sponsor him back to Hawaii "before the Japanese army grab me." "Personally, I didn't want to go Manchuria. If I had to leave Okinawa, I'd rather go back to Hawaii where my sister and brother and other relatives were."

That July, 14 years after leaving Hawaii as an infant, Takejiro Higa went "home."

Less than three years later, Japan and America were at war.

In early 1943, despite reservations about his lack of proficiency in English, Higa volunteered for the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. His brother volunteered, also. Warren made the cut; Takejiro didn't.

Several months after the 442 had left for training at Camp Shelby, Higa received a letter from the War Department, informing him of its plans to organize a unit of Japanese language soldiers, the Military Intelligence Service (MIS), to serve in the Pacific warfront. Was he willing to serve?

"It put me in terrific turmoil, psychologically, because, if it's Japanese, it's understood I'll be sent to the Pacific warfront," he says. What if he came face to face with someone he knew - a relative, a classmate. "It may not happen, but it was possible," he said.

It left him torn between his personal anxiety and his desire to serve his country. After days of soul searching, Higa decided to volunteer for the MIS. This time he made the cut.

Higa was accepted into the MIS and underwent eight months of language training at Camp Savage, where he studied not only the language, but technical and military terminology based on a Japanese Military Academy textbook. He graduated in July 1943.

At his sister's request, Takejiro was assigned to his brother's team, an action that required War Department approval. The practice had been banned after five brothers serving on the same cruiser were killed when it was torpedoed in the South Pacific.

"In my case, my sister wanted me to be with my brother because of my lack of proficiency in English. She felt that two brothers serving together would cover each other and help each other," Higa explained.

Approval was granted.

The brothers returned to Hawaii in the summer of 1944 and were assigned to the 96th Infantry Division. After two weeks of jungle training on Oahu, their jobs as soldiers officially began when the 96th was sent overseas.

En route to their destination, Yap Island, they learned that the island had been secured. So the 96th was diverted to Gen. Douglas MacArthur's headquarters in New Guinea and then dispatched to Leyte lsland in the Philippines.

The captain said he heard that Higa had lived in Okinawa for many years. In what area, he asked. Higa pointed to the general area of his grandfather's village in Nakagusuku.

Next he pulled out an aerial photo of Okinawa's capital, Naha City. "I couldn't recognize it at first," Higa says. "It was completely destroyed.".

The captain then pulled out another photo. Higa recognized it instantly as his grandfather's village, Shimabuku, which, up until five years ago, had been his home. "My hair stood up! For awhile I couldn't even open my mouth; I was so choked up."

Higa looked at the photo through a special three-dimensional glass capable of picking up minute details. "I instantly recognized my Grandpa's home and from there, finger-traced all of my relatives' houses." To his relief, their homes were intact.

The captain then pulled out a shot of a typical country hillside in Okinawa. Higa glanced at it and then looked back at the captain with a "so what?" look. "Godammit, look carefully," shouted the captain. "We think the whole island is fortified!" The captain had mistaken traditional Okinawan burial tombs for fortifications. "I suddenly realized the wrong impression the captain and other intelligence officers had." Higa proceeded to give the officers a crash course in Okinawan culture.

He explained that Okinawans view their burial tomb as their permanent home. Thus, they try to build them on a hillside with a good view, overlooking the ocean. He also explained that the crater-like holes intelligence officers had observed in the comers of fields were composting pits used by farmers, not machine gun nests.

"From that time on, he (the captain) said, 'Sgt. Higa, you're going to assist us right through here.'" Higa was sworn to silence. When he returned to division headquarters later, his brother asked him what he had done during the day. "Don't ask me, because I've been told not to say anything," Takejiro replied.

Unbeknownst to him; Warren had informally volunteered his brother's first-hand knowledge of Okinawa to the division brass in the event of an Okinawa invasion.

All the signs--the aerial photos, the questions--pointed to an Okinawan invasion. Higa says he knew of the plans at least five months before the actual strike. The only thing he didn't know was the exact landing date.

Higa proved a big help to Corps headquarters because the area in which they landed was about a mile from where he had grown up.

"It was a horrible feeling," he says. "Ever since the first day I saw the picture, every night I used to dream about my relatives. Every night . . . never miss," Higa said, his voice breaking. "I dreamed about my uncle, my cousins, and even schoolmates."

But as an American soldier, he had a duty to perform. The last thing he wanted to do was harm his former countrymen, but he didn't know how he could do that without violating the military code of conduct.

"Deep inside I was torn," he says. "That feeling is hard to describe. Unless you yourself experience it, you don't appreciate it."

By late December, Leyte had been secured. In March 1945 the soldiers in the 96th Division boarded a troop ship. On their second day at sea, they were told their destination: Okinawa.

Higa was often called to the radio shack to translate radio transmissions they had picked up from Okinawa. Most of the time they were music programs with some Okinawan language sprinkled in the broadcast.

The Okinawa offensive, code-named "Operation Iceberg," began April 1. Early that morning the soldiers lined up on the deck.

"When the outline of Okinawa came up, I instantly recognized the hills. I couldn't help but choke up," Higa says almost 50 years later, fighting back tears, his voice breaking.

Only five years had passed since he left Okinawa, and his heart was being tugged in two opposite directions. "I'm an American G.I. I have a duty to perform, and yet I have a cultural obligation to Okinawa. I was really torn between loyalty and patriotism versus personal feeling . . . . I can tell you I had tears in my eyes."

It was different for his brother Warren, he says. True, he was Uchinanchu and Okinawa was the land of his ancestors. But he had not established an emotional attachment to the island in his three years there. "In my case, I grew up there. Although I've been back in Hawaii over 50 years, even to this day, the little country roads and small ditches and taro patches that we played in seem more like a real homeland to me than Honolulu."

Higa recites an old Japanese saying: "Mitsugo no tamashi hyaku made. . . The spirit of a 3-year-old child will last a hundred years." "What you learn in your small kid time, you'll never forget."

Because of his first-hand knowledge of the area and the Okinawan dialect, Higa was assigned to the division's advanced unit. They landed at the Chatan beachhead on the western side of the island.

Higa remembers his first image on land. "There were farm houses all on fire, farm animals all over the place, all dead, some of them burning."

The soldiers began moving towards higher ground. While walking through a narrow road, Higa saw something move in a small roadside dugout. "My heart stopped beating." Higa jumped back and took cover. Slowly he began walking toward the dugout. With his carbine trained, he ordered loudly, "Come out, whoever you are! Come out!"

Higa was so scared he can't remember whether he spoke English, Japanese or Okinawan. "I meant to speak Uchinaguchi (Okinawan dialect), but I have a feeling it was a mixture of everything," he laughs.

After returning to Hawaii in 1939, he had made a concerted effort to not speak Okinawan and to learn English. In the excitement of the moment, he says he wouldn't be surprised if what he uttered was a mish-mash of Japanese, Uchinaguchi, English and pidgin.

There was no response to his order, so Higa began squeezing his trigger. Suddenly he saw a thin human leg appear. "'Njiti (come out) mensooree (please)!" he ordered in Uchinaguchi.

An old woman, thin and frail, her clothing covered with dirt, crawled from the dugout. With her was a little girl, about 5 or 6 years old--her granddaughter. Higa began questioning the old woman. She said her family had escaped to the north; however, because of her weak leg, she had remained behind with her granddaughter.

Higa recommended that they be taken to a civilian refugee camp. "To this day I'm very grateful that I didn't pull the trigger." At point blank range, he knows he wouldn't have missed. "If I ever shot that old lady, I think I'd go crazy, knowing that she was a civilian. . . "

Higa has tried locating the granddaughter, who by now, would be nearly 60 years old. The old woman has probably died by now. "In all probability, the kid might have been the first Okinawan civilian prisoner," he says.

Soon after arriving at Chatan, what Higa had hoped would never happen, did. While scurrying around, looking for potatoes to eat, his former teacher, Shunsho Nakandakari, had been caught and sent to a civilian refugee center. Because of his tall, conditioned physique, he was suspected of being a Japanese soldier trying to pass himself off as a civilian. Higa was sent to interrogate the prisoner.

"I recognized him instantly, because he was my teacher for seventh and eighth grade. I looked at him, 'Sensei . . .' He turned around, looked at me and recognized me. 'Ah, kimi ka (oh, it's you)!'" Teacher and student were at a loss for words. "We were so choked up," Higa recalls.

He told the escort officer that Nakandakari was a teacher, not a soldier--and that he should be allowed to remain at the refugee camp.

The division continued to advance. One day, they set up camp inside an Okinawan kaaminakuu ufaka (turtle-back burial tomb). The concrete tomb offered lots of protection. In no time captured documents began arriving. Higa was assigned to translate some Japanese maps. He worked around the clock for three days straight, without any sleep, burning a gas lantern at night. A dark curtain concealed their whereabouts from the enemy.

Lined behind them were jiishigaami, or ceramic containers, which contained the bones of the deceased. Higa said he was uneasy about working in someone's final resting place. The Japanese put up virtually no resistance in the first two days, Higa recalls. Okinawa took such a beating because one Japanese division had been pulled and sent to Formosa, leaving Okinawa under-defended, said Higa. By the close of the second day, the island was cut completely in half. The Marines went north and the Army proceeded south. The 96th Division was [missing text] enemies.

Higa estimates that in two weeks, the 96th lost about a third of its combat strength, with the Japanese losing an equal number. Nakandakari sensei later told Higa that the Japanese army was effective for only 50 days of the nearly three-month-long Battle of Okinawa.

The Japanese troops were pushed back to the south after their line at Shuri, Okinawa's ancient capital, had been broken. The headquarters of the 96th was moved one last time, to Yonaha.

In May, shortly before Okinawa was secured, two men were brought in. Their uniforms were tattered and they were hungry. Higa was ordered to interrogate them. He offered them some biscuits and D-rations, a hard chocolate candy bar, which is equivalent of a complete meal.

The prisoners refused to eat. "Why won't you eat?" he asked. They said they thought the rations contained poison. "Baka yaro! (Stupid!)" Higa shouted at them. He began nibbling at the candy bar to show them that it hadn't been laced. Relieved, they began gobbling down the candy bars.

The two had been captured in a cave. When they refused to come out after repeated calls from U.S. soldiers, the engineers had sealed the cave and planted dynamite. The two frantically dug themselves out. The American soldiers were waiting when they surfaced. The men surrendered and were brought into headquarters.

After giving them time to compose themselves, Higa began his interrogation. Their answer to his question about the school they had attended, Kishaba Shogakko, made his ears perk up--for Higa had attended the same school.

Without revealing his identity, he began asking more specific questions, drawing on his memories of school. "Each response led me to believe that these guys were my classmates." Finally he asked whether they knew Nakandakari sensei. They were shocked. How would this American G.I. possibly know Nakandakari sensei? Higa looked them square in the eye. "I'm an American Military Intelligence Service language school graduate, noncommissioned officer. I know everything about you guys. Don't lie to me," he ordered sternly.

Higa decided to put them through one final test. "Do you remember one of your classmates named Takejiro Higa from Shimabuku?" he asked. They were shocked.

"How do you know him?" they asked. "I told you I know everything about you guys. Don't lie to me," Higa repeated.

One prisoner said he heard Takejiro Higa had gone back to Hawaii. They hadn't seen each other for so long and didn't know where he was, nor if they would recognize him today.

By then Higa was positive they were his classmates. "I looked at them straight in the face, and in Okinawa-go (Okinawan dialect), said, 'Godammit, don't you recognize your own classmate?'" They looked up, shocked beyond belief, and began crying.

"Why are you crying?" asked Higa. They said they were crying for joy. After answering his questions they thought they were no longer useful and would thus be executed.

"Now, knowing that our own classmate is on the other side, we believe our lives will be saved. That's why we're crying, because we're happy."

Higa couldn't restrain his emotions any longer. "The three of us grabbed each other's shoulders and had a cry." Higa says he still gets "chickenskin" whenever he recalls the reunion.

He never saw the two again. What he regrets most is that he can't remember their names. So far, his search for them has been futile.

Higa interrogated suspected imposters at the civilian compound at Sashiki-Chinen for the remainder of the Okinawa offensive. One of them was a Japanese colonel. The incident is testament of how valuable Higa's personal knowledge of Okinawa was to America.

He nabbed the colonel after his claim to be from Yamachi village turned up a series of inconsistencies. And how did Higa know? He had grown up in neighboring Shimabuku village.

Finally in perfect Uchinaguchi, he asked, "Who the hell are you?" The prisoner was stuck. He couldn't understand a word of what Higa had said. He then proceeded to tear apart the prisoner's story.

"Ah, shimatta! (Dammit!)" exclaimed the colonel, who thought he would get better treatment in a civilian refugee camp than in an Army POW camp. And he might have gone though undetected had Higa not been assigned to interrogate him. Higa concedes also that he might not have detected the charade had the colonel claimed to have been from a village Higa was unfamiliar with.

Higa remained in Okinawa for the duration of the battle - early August - when the 96th Division returned to the Philippines. En route, they learned of the bombing of Hiroshima and. Nagasaki which ended the war. The division reached. Mindoro on Aug. 15, the day Japan surrendered, bringing World War II to a close.

Warren Higa had accumulated enough points for an immediate discharge. Takejiro, however, was sent to Korea, where he interrogated Japanese evacuees for almost four months. He had wanted to remain in Okinawa and serve with the Occupational forces, but his request was denied because the 96th was being reorganized.

The Okinawa Takejiro Higa left behind when he boarded the transport ship back to the Philippines in 1945 was very different from his memories of Okinawa in 1939. "Everything was burned out, especially in the south. . . . The worst ground battle of World War II took place in Okinawa. Just about everything was busted up. You couldn't recognize anything."

And there were changes from 1945, when the war ended, to 1965, when Higa returned to Okinawa for the first time since the war's end. The landmarks were all different. What he had seen as targets 20 years earlier were gone.

Higa did not see Nakandakari sensei, whom he bad interrogated, until his first visit back to the island. Today, the bond formed in childhood and strengthened in war remains tight.

Higa visits Nakandakari whenever he goes to Okinawa nowaday. At 83 years of age, his former teacher--and prisoner - is still spry and healthy. "'Take one bottle of whiskey and I go visit him," says Higa, smiling broadly. "We have oodles of things to talk about."

In retrospect, he says he's glad he was sent to the Pacific warfront--and to Okinawa. Innocent people were killed; that is the nature of war. But if his personal knowledge of not just Japanese, but of the Okinawan language and culture saved even one life, Takejiro Higa is content Today he can tell the story of going to war--and finding his peace.

#Takejiro Higa #Story #Experience #Uchinanchu #Uchinaaguchi #Okinawa #Hawaii #Okinawan

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