Sado Island was much farther than it looked, Azuki found. It must be very big indeed. She was tired, so tired. It was deep in the night and she'd been flying for more than twelve hours all together. She was hungry, too, so very hungry, and she couldn't fish until she found shallows to stand in. Still, the island looked nearly as far away as it had when she'd started from the coast at noon.

Then the stars disappeared. Oh, no! The clouds had moved in, and across the water Azuki ...