Hoi's sister, Himiki, called something to her father, who in turn looked back at Hoi.

"Come on, son! Keep up!"

With a muttered curse to any gods in the vicinity, Hoi trudged a little faster. Easy for him to say, he thought angrily. He doesn't have half a house on his back!

"Oh, be nice to the boy," he heard his mom say. "He's carrying more than the horse!"

Hoi wasn't sure if he should be upset or grateful for her words. To be compared to a horse... Either way, his father brought the horse to a stop and they waited for Hoi to catch up.

After another hour or so, a city appeared in the distance. Hoi peered at it through the dwindling sunlight.

"That must be Kyaro Town," his father said. "That is where we stop for the night."

Hoi heaved a sigh of relief. A nice soft, cool bed would be the perfect ending to this horrible day.

After their lodgings at the local inn were prepared, Hoi helped his father check the tools in the wagon for anything that might have broken or even fallen out. They sifted through tool after tool, going through the mental checklist they had gone through every night on this trip.

Xiu, Hoi's father, was a blacksmith, but he also did woodworking on the side, which allowed him to diversify the wares he made. Besides making swords and lances, he also made staffs and bows. He was able to mix the two trades and make weapons like the twin tonfu that still rested criss-cross on Hoi's back. Hoi looked up to his father and admired his skill; if the other weapons and armor he made were as perfectly balanced as his tonfu, then he'd be making a fine living in their new hometown in no time.

After the tools came the small collection of the finer weapons that they brought from Kanakan instead of just selling there. A well-balanced broadsword with fine gold etchings in the hilt, a longbow with carved vines and leaves crawling up its length, and a dragon's head staff made with a rare blue wood. The staff was Xiu's pride and joy. He carefully examined that one, from the two tiny dragon heads adorning either end to the tiny golden balls of tough glass gripped in both dragons' mouths. They both knew there wasn't going to be much of a market for such fine weaponry in...where were they going again? Oh, Ryube Village... But both were sure that they might fetch a good price in the Jowston capital, Muse City. That is, if Xiu ever got the nerve to actually sell the stuff...

"Hey! Hey, Makoto!"

Hoi looked up at Xiu, who gestured behind Hoi. Slowly, Hoi reached underarm behind his back for a handle of one of his tonfu. He turned around to face the person that was quickly running up to him.

It was a tall boy, somewhere around Hoi's age. He had long blond hair tied at the base of his neck by a length of leather, and grey eyes that stared back at his in shock. Skidding to a stop in front of Hoi, the boy bowed hastily.

"Excuse me, sir. I thought you were someone else." The boy straightened, then added, "I'm sorry to have bothered you." He took in the wagon behind Hoi and said, "My name's Jowy Atreides. Did you just arrive here?"

"Yes, we did. And my name's Hoi." His voice may sound cordial, but Hoi's hand never left the handle of his tonfu. Too many times they had almost been attacked by bandits or what-not on their trip to their new home, and Hoi wasn't going to take any chances with this boy.

He was obviously in the Highland army, due to the fact he wore a casual Highland uniform. His eyes also betrayed a kind of quiet strength, the kind that said he knew how to handle himself, no matter what the situation.

"Y'know, it's really strange...I thought Makoto was the only one who used tonfu. This is the first time I've seen someone else with them."

Hoi shrugged. "My father made them for me, and I taught myself."

Jowy looked over Hoi's shoulder at Xiu, who still held the staff in his hands. "Your father's a smith?" He took a sharp intake of breath at the sight of the dragon staff. "Wow," he breathed.

Hoi looked back at his father, who motioned for him to stand down. His hand finally left the handle of the tonfu and he stepped aside to allow Jowy to come to Xiu. Jowy did so, slowly, in awe.

"That's...a beautiful staff, sir..." Jowy held out a hand cautiously. "May I please see it?"

Xiu blinked, then carefully handed Jowy the staff. Hoi wanted to scream. Why did his father just hand over his priceless staff to a stranger?

Then Hoi noticed the staff slung across Jowy's back. It was a deep, dark wood, almost black, with various designs carved expertly into the glossed surface. Veins of silver snaked through the valleys left by the carvings, giving the staff an almost magical quality. His father must have seen this and knew the boy would appreciate his work enough not to run off with it.

Jowy looked like he didn't even dare breathe onto the staff's polished surface. He turned it over slowly in his hands, examining everything. He looked at one of the dragon heads, running a finger along the etched scales on the dragon's neck. After finding the weapon's center, Jowy held it out at arm's length in front of him, amazed at the perfect balance.

"You are truly a master, sir," Jowy said, turning the staff in a slow, lazy circle.

"A bit of inspiration one day is all it was."

Hoi watched his father as he watched Jowy with the staff. He had always told Hoi he hated the idea of selling that staff to someone who would just put it on a shelf to collect dust. That look in his eye told Hoi what was coming next.

Jowy finally finished his examination of the staff and handed it back to Xiu with an air of reverence. "I've never seen anything like that staff, sir. No matter what you say, you are a master."

Xiu looked the boy over, then held his own hand out. "Now, let me see your staff."

Jowy willingly obliged, and Xiu made a half-hearted attempt to look it over. He'd already assessed it even before it left the boy's sling, but it was necessary for show. "Well...Jowy, wasn't it?"

"Yes, sir."

"Jowy...I've been looking for someone special to give this staff to. I think I may have found him."

Jowy looked like he was about to faint.

"Still, it's quite a detailed piece to just give away. That wood's a very rare wood, you know."

"Oh, yes, yes, I know, sir," Jowy responded, nodding emphatically.

Xiu put a hand to his chin and looked Jowy's staff over again. "Well...how about a trade instead? Your staff for mine?"

A shocked look crossed Jowy's face. "Oh, sir, there's no way I could just trade my staff for yours! You'd be at a terrible loss!"

Xiu nodded, then held both staffs up next to each other. "Fine, then. We'll need help preparing to leave tomorrow. Will you help us?"

Jowy nodded affirmative immediately.

"And, I want you to promise that you will use this weapon, not lock it up in some closet somewhere for fear of harming it. It's a weapon, and it should be used as such. Do you promise?"

After Jowy promised, Xiu handed him the dragon staff and stowed the carved silver one with the other weapons. Jowy was rooted to the spot, holding his new staff in his hands, barely daring to even breathe for fear of shattering what must be a dream.

Xiu paused and watched the boy. Finally, he said, "Your commander will get worried if you're gone too long, son. And, you were looking for your friend..."

Jowy snapped out of his reverie and looked to Xiu. "Oh, yeah! Makoto!" He carefully stowed his staff in the sling across his back and added, "If you see a boy about my age with shortish black hair and wearing a weird-looking gold band around his head, please tell him I'm looking for him. Thanks!" He turned to run off, but stopped and called back, "When are you leaving tomorrow?"

"Mid-morning, most likely," Xiu called back.

"I'll see if my commander will let me off a little early for morning break. I'll be here!" With that, Jowy disappeared down the street.

"And, there was something about that boy...that Jowy... It was something hard to place, but he seemed different...special...like his destiny was set apart from the others around him."

"Hoi."

Hoi looked up to see his father going inside the inn. "He'll probably spar with that friend of his tomorrow morning during morning training. You should see where they practice and go watch his friend use his tonfu. It'll help you learn."