Ok, trying something new here. I probably should warn you, any Sakura haters will not enjoy this. so make good use of that back button, it will save a lot of time and annoyance. Also, for anyone who is devoutly against AU, refer to back button comment. And people who don't enjoy at least a power level that is not ridiculously diminished ( is it appears in the original series... i mean, come on, she cuts her hair off and bites someone. that's about it.), you guessed it, back button! I don't mean to come off grumpy or anything, but I'm genuinely trying to warn people so that there will be no need for flamers, because those just bring everyone down. they piss off the writer who spends their precious time making this stuff for no reason other than enjoyment and entertainment, and well, they make the flame-ee look like an idiot because honestly, who starts an argument over the internet?
As it is, I do not own Naruto. I guess i'll have to get over my heart ache at having to say that...
The walls were damp. Rivets of moisture trickled down the ancient stone, moisture gathered for generations, mingling with the thick, mystically oppressive atmosphere.
Of course, what other kind of atmosphere could a millennia-old temple of an ancient cult ever be expected to have?
Sakura couldn't believe the headquarters of such a mysterious, wanted (hunted) element of the establishing Shinobi world could be just under the nose of those most dedicated to its discovery.
Konoha Hokage Mountain, under the nose of the first Hokage. Literally.
Well, actually, that was just where the entrance began. The most sacred of temples was deep, deep into the mountains far from Konoha. Above it was only forest and sky.
The Temple of Eternal Balance was the name it was most usually called by its proposed initiates. Those who had been propositioned (or had begged) to join the sacred sect of esteemed warrior Miko, were gifted with the name as a trust blessing, until they were either accepted, or denied (in which case they were tossed out with months (sometimes years) less memories and a splitting headache). Those twice blessed did not take kindly to the unworthy.
The masses, who were neither invited, nor informed, simply called them Chaos. A Half imagined idea of a secret society, real like smoke, floating through the senses, never sure if it even existed. And that was an apt moniker, all things considered. They were an order that believed the state of free will, complete raw, untameable essence was the state most precious. They were the balance, where light held power, they could stir darkness to either destroy the unworthy or make that light shine so much brighter. Where darkness reigned, they invoked light, causing hope and destruction all at once. Triumph and defeat. These acts could be seen, by the uninformed eye, as erratic. But truthfully, they were ordered chaos, pure, simple, perfect.
Those who passed, who gained the blessing of envelopment in addition to the first blessing given to them,the blessing given to all who walked the earth, that of life, came to know the sect by a name only the most faithful were ever told. It was whispered in worthy ears, disappearing, like ]droplets to pools, into the brain where it was stored, used reverently and very rarely passed lips. Eclipse.
The state in which an entity envelops another, maybe for a short time, maybe forever, and gives equality, balance, and turbulence, change, all at once. Of course, she did not yet know this, as she was not yet a part of this mysterious sisterhood.
Here she was, one who felt more than unworthy, waiting to be blessed with the gift few before her had received, that of enlightenment. The pool of the infinite, the sacred pool of the blessed rippled in a nonexistent breeze. This pool was most important to the priestesses, it showed those who could be of their ranks, reflected images of the past, present and future, gifted the faithful with abilities beyond that which all others could ever dream of. Only the truly worthy could touch its waters, the faithful could handle its power, the vermin could not. Thrice, in all of its eternal history, had the most blessed been encouraged to bath in the pool. None had ever wilfully imbibed it. To do so was thought to force the power of everything they stood for into a meagre, pitiful human shell. A Fitting punishment for traitors in the ranks and a most painful way to perish.
The formerly termed Haruno Sakura was kneeling on the soft flooring, a sweet scented moss she could not identify, head bowed, dressed in a simple white yukata. Her status as an "innocent" one who was destined to join, but not yet immersed, symbolised in her deliberate, soft movements, Pure clothing and bowed head.
Bathed in night blooming jasmine, moon flower, orchid, spearmint, rose, and a distinct tang of a herb she couldn't identify, Sakura truly felt pure, joyful and blessed for the first time in her short life.
Sakura, who had been neglected all her life, first by family, then continuously by the inadequate child welfare system in place in Konohagakure, then by her prideful, powerful by inheritance teammates and her disregarding, isolating, ignorant, possibly sexist sensei.
She had been stripped of her meagre genin title when the Heiress of a major clan complained about the time she spent in a local, public training field. Undefended by her peers, she was quickly pushed to the edges of society and was contemplating drastic measures when the high solar priestess herself came to take the young girls hand.
A ten year old Sakura (who had studied none stop to pass the genin exam, no one had bothered asking her age to qualify) was quickly inducted into the folds of those promising recruits, excelling in all she was taught and now, at thirteen, she was ready to be blessed.
Her reverence for the sisters, the powerful, beautiful, kind, strong women rose to epic proportions, topped only by that for her patron, eclipse, as the ritual began. The rhythmic purr of the chanting voices intertwined with scented essences and the graceful gait of the sacred being, the feline, continued as a great feeling of euphoria steadily built in her chest, compounding until all she could feel was a title wave, trapped inside her soul, lulling her into a constant state of bliss.
The sisters of the solar system, the physical embodiments of those crucial entities to the eclipse rose from their undecorated stone thrones, forming a loose semi circle with the highest priestess at the center, all facing Sakura from across the pool. The deep connection all sisters of the eclipse held, that mental tug that told them they were not alone, synchronised the movements of each powerful figure. Each raised the right hand, extended towards her joyful form, and for a moment, all was still. Then, a holy glow overtook Sakura's form and her eyes slid shut. Slowly, every other member, for indeed the ceremony called for every inducted member to be present extended their hands towards her, calling for grace to be given.
The group stood, utterly, totally still, until a thunderous shake took over the temple. The aura overtook all present, save the still glowing, unresponsive Sakura, and they felt the distinct chill that told them the enemy was present.
The Venshi. A group of spirits that were once pure and good, but had a small taste of freedom, which led them to rebel. To rebel brought darkness, and they became the twisted beings they were now. The venshi held deep hatred for the Eclipse, as the Miko were able to do what the Venshi could not, resist darkness while still being a part of it. For indeed the Eclipse were as much darkness as they were Light, one could not argue against that.
The walls shook again, and the venshi began pouring in. Unprepared Miko fell left and right, it was a massacre during what was known and respected as a sacred truce day. Neither side were to actively seek blood on this, the day of grace and forgiveness.
Blood coated the damp stone walls, coated the soft moss floor and through this, Sakura glowed on. For whatever reason, the Venshi seemed not to notice her, as the grinned wickedly, tossed the broken shells of the fallen miko into the sacred pool till it ran red, and left.
The newly initiated Last eclipse Miko descended gently, guided by some unknown power, still glowing into the dark depths of the sacred pool.
so... too much? Not enough? Boring? interesting? Worth continuing? Noticed a spelling/ grammar/ just straight out stupid mistake? Tell me!