A/N: In an attempt to lay out the world they dwell in, I present to you the "boring geography chapter" =P
Ruwach- literally means spirit. In this fic this is a term for a spirit in the form of an animal, who aids in signifying presence or relaying messages.
Hierarchy- distribution, ranking
Disclaimer: The names and settings used in this AU are purely for fictional purposes and do not aim to represent or resemble the real thing. =) And I don't own Inuyasha.
Shamayim and the Four Cardinal Virtues
The red-headed watcher sat at the edge of the cliff, sunset eyes fixated on the view laid out before him. Numerous dwellings, simple establishments. If it were not for the occasional white wings floating by from time to time, anyone would have thought it would be a human dwelling. But this was no human dwelling.
This was Shamayim, he thought. Home.
Far different from the wasteland he recognized as home six hundred years ago, before she found him. In this place where it was perpetually spring, he found himself having more idle time than he had before.
Perhaps the passage of time had somehow stabilized the once uncertain ground?
Maybe that. Then his heart ached as his memory recalled her,
ebony-black hair and poly chromatic eyes, smiling at him, so confident even under the duress of war.
And mostly because of her. But she never took credit for anything. She would always attribute the stabilization of Shamayim to them, regard them proudly, and intentionally revert herself into the background.
He sat there quietly, playing with an amber-colored ribbon on his hands. It belonged to her, she had left it behind when she disappeared into the rift.
"Shippo," sought a familiar voice, and the red-head turned to the source. "I received your ruwach. What's up?"
"Ah, thanks for coming," A smile graced Shippo's features, "Inuyasha-sama."
"Of course I would come," Inuyasha huffed, settling himself on the grass and propped an arm behind his head. He stared at the cloudless blue sky. "Your fox was pestering me day and night. That ruwach of yours," he grimaced, "can sure be persistent."
"Eh, sorry about that." Shippo scratched the back of his head in modest embarrasment. "Anyway, I thought to seek you," he cast his eyes to back to the view, "because of her."
A companionable silence hung for moments in the air. "It's been thirty years since she disappeared." He continued. Shippo then turned to his quiet companion. Inuyasha's bored expression had not changed.
"So?" Inuyasha rearranged his arm to tilt his gaze to the redhead. He saw he was starting to get frustrated. Inuyasha sighed. "She did not send one of her ferrets yet, didn't she?"
Shippo merely nodded. Just like how his ruwach took the form of a fox, and his wife Rin's took the form of butterflies, hers was a ferret. Whenever she would be gone for longer periods of time, the whimsical little creature would come bounding in their direction every now and then, to indicate she was alright and thinking of them. But it had been thirty years.
"Give her a break," Inuyasha sat up. "You've been with her for such a time, you should know her responsibilities." He paused. "She might be in another dimension," he tried to explain, with the knowledge that he had been explaining this to them, countless of times.
"Who knows, three days there is equivalent to ten years here? Maybe three days have only passed there, wherever she is. Shippo, the possibilities are endless. She might even be in a domain with a different timeline."
Shippo anxiously fiddled the yellow ribbon on his hands. His thoughts wandered to the complicated domain structures.
When Elohim, the one Kami reigned supreme, he decided to create the world anew. Gone were the days of multiple deities. The old world ended, the new world emerged.
And whether he did it by purpose or not, the new world broke into different dimensions, each holding their own time frame and material structure.
They inhabited one such dimension. The dimension they were on consisted of three sub-domains: Shamayim (Heaven), Erets (Earth), and Sheoul (Hell).
Erets itself held so many mortal souls. There were the elemental fairy in a territory called Rune, the Youkai race in Niflheim, a fair mixture of human, fey and youkai in Midgard.
To watch over this mortal sub-domain was Shamayim, the land of the watchers, or angels. A hierarchy was established to draw clearer responsibilities for the watchers.
"I understand where you are coming from." Inuyasha smirked, "But that is the exact reason why you Virtues exist. She has enough on her shoulders, you brats just do your job. I will always be here, if you need an extra hand."
Shippo smiled at him apologetically and nodded. To watch over Shamayim itself was the Four Cardinal Virtues, angels handpicked by the steward, each gifted to uphold the ideal virtues.
Inuyasha was gifted the seat of Justice.
To Shippo and Kouga, since they were celestial twins, souls never to be separated, they were given Fortitude. Rin was gifted with Temperance. It was then that Inuyasha fell in love with a Faery priestess, and he gave up his gift to become her guardian angel.
The seat of Justice was given to a celestial named Sango.
Three virtues. The first seat, Prudence, was empty. And it had been empty since the hierarchy was established.
Perhaps she was waiting for something? Perhaps she had not found anyone suitable. Prudence, the first virtue, was after all the charioteer, as it lead the other virtues.
"Thanks," Shippo blew out a breath of resolve. His little talk with Inuyasha had somewhat relieved his unrest. Instead of whining, he would take care of his responsibilities dutifully. He was entrusted with his position so confidently he cannot let her, and ultimately Kami, down.
"I miss her, though." Shippo admitted. "Sometimes I think I should just summon her."
"No!" Inuyasha shot up from his sprawl. "You only call her when it's absolutely necessary. You know how she hates being summoned for trivial reasons." A distant look then crossed Inuyasha's expression. "Who knows how many summons she has to endure all the time."
Then, "How about I summon you, squirt? Will you like that, huh?!" Inuyasha grinned vindictively. Shippo drew back, grimacing.
"N-no! Why the hell would you do that to me?" Shippo opposed. To be summoned was one of the most torturing experiences he had gone through. He shuddered at the feeling. "Okay. I won't summon her... As long as I can help it." He managed to add.
Inuyasha shifted and stood up, dusting himself off the grass. "So, are we done here? 'Coz Kikyo will eventually notice my absence-"
"Hai, thank you." Shippo nodded. He did not turn around when a flurry of white feathers was carried his way by the wind. Inuyasha had left.
As he stared at the peaceful view, he wondered what rift she had entered again. Rifts, odd little fissures in between dimensions, like cracks in walls. Oftentimes it acted as accidental portals. Some would lead to other territories, some even to another sub-domain. If the crack was deep enough, it would even lead to a whole different dimension.
Shippo held the yellow ribbon closer to his person.
"Okaa-san," he whispered, "wherever you are, I hope you are safe."
She would be, he reassured himself.
After all, even if her gift yoked her with such responsibility, it was the same gift that established who she was.
It was her gift that made her unlike any other.
A/N: Summary:
Dimensions hold their own time frame and structure, they are a world in itself. The dimension they are in is divided into three sub-domains: Shamayim, Erets and Sheoul. Watching over the mortal domain(Erets) is the hierarchy of angels. Watching over the hierarchy itself are the four cardinal virtues. (three for now, the first seat has been empty.) Also, there is a hint that our protagonist holds a unique responsibility. Gosh I hope I didn't confuse you more with the layout.
