When Kubo Met Sach

Chapter 10

Written by: Adrian Mata, Emma Lupin, and Isobel Jones
Additional assistance by: Hadas Zamir

Back at the cave at Mortal's Point, the Octonauts and a recovering Kubo were resting after defeating the remaining Sister. As Kubo lied down, with Peso beginning to look over him and checking to make sure his vitals were in check, he could see Sachairi talking with his grandfather. Thinking that his friend wanted to learn more about him, he tried to pay close attention to their conversation.

"So you don't remember what happened?" Sachairi asked of him.

"Well... not everything," Grandfather answered. "I remember that I was a good man, an extremely helpful person in the village. And then when my grandson started to tell me about what happened... I wasn't sure what to think of it at first. I always stuck to what the villagers said about me. And then the more I thought about it... the more I realized how badly I treated him before. As... the Moon King.

"I wanted him to be a part of his family up there in the Moon Kingdom. One of my daughters had betrayed me by marrying the man she was supposed to kill--"

"Hanzo?"

"Yes. She gave birth to my grandson when she was with him. I loved him. But when he was born, I felt that he was... detached from my family. I thought he had been maligned by the world he lived in - and he still lives here - so I wanted... I wanted to make him perfect. Make him see like a god and not like a human. That was when my two daughters and myself decided to take his eyes away so that he could truly be a part of our family. But now... remembering what happened, it didn't work. And now that I'm beginning to look back at it, maybe it was a good thing it didn't work.

"Had his last eye been taken away from him, I could've continued to raise him to be the person I wanted him to be. But the humanity he and the villagers... exhibited, even if I had no recollection of the past at the time, convinced me that he truly belonged here. And now I admire him for showing me what it is like to be human, and standing up for what he believes in."

A brief silence fell upon them. "So you do remember," Sach replied.

"Yes," said Grandfather. "I remember how cruel I was to my grandson back then. Now... now I should treat him for who he is, and take care of him, too... but I don't know, Sachairi. What if I let him down? What if I'm not able to give him the same kind of respect he gives to myself and the other villagers?"

Sachairi glanced over at Kubo, who was resting and being checked on by the medic. "I'm sure your grandson will forgive you after whatever happened to the both of you," the otter assured him. "I know he will help you move on from that. And I say that on my honor as an Octonaut."

Grandfather looked over at his grandson. Trusting Sach's words, the two exchanged smiles, confident they would be able to move on from his past and return to their normal lives.

Just then, a familiar sound filled the cave. All grew silent as heads turned to look at the seemingly tiny village beneath them. They looked at the ant-sized bell tower; the village bell was ringing its sweet, metallic sound, signaling the official start of the business day. As soon as the bell stopped ringing and its song faded into nothingness, Kubo - with a wide, toothy smile spread across his face - rushed over to the wall in the back of the cave where the shamisen were kept. He picked up his guitar-like instrument and its pick, and then excitedly stuffed his bag with a thick stack of origami paper that was kept in a small hole in the rocky wall. He then sprinted to the mouth of the cave, still panting a bit due to the fact that he still hasn't fully recovered from the injuries he sustained from the night before.