Chapter 10

Ginka was walking through the forest alone. She wondered where she was since the forest she was in was not the one outside of the village. Ginka also wondered how she got there, since the last she had checked, she was in her room after the Midsummer celebrations. She decided to go ask a tree for directions. When she asked the nearest one, it's trunk rotated around. Ginka screamed. The tree actually had a face.

"Girl, why ye be screamin?" She-He-It? asked. "Have ye never seen a face before?"

"Uh no I mean yes, just not on a tree." Ginka replied frightened.

"Tree? Ye think I am a tree? I am the Goshinbuku." The tree replied.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know what goshinbuku means. Would you mind telling me, please?" No matter how scared Ginka became, she was always polite to strangers.

"Ye don't know………how much has that dratted man taught ye anyways? Goshinbuku is a god tree. Or in my case a goddess tree. I am the oldest tree in the Celestial Lands. That makes me a goddess. Some call me the Mother Tree. Others the Celestial Tree. Tell me that my idiot vessel, Firestorm hasn't taught ye about Gods and Goddesses."

"You are the Mother Tree? I am sorry; I haven't shown you the proper respect at all!" Ginka said, awed, frightened and ashamed all at once.

"Well I'll say one thing about ye. He did teach ye proper manners. Anyway, what was it ye wanted to ask?" the abrupt change of subject left Ginka flustered for a second.

"What-Oh yeah. Where am I? Do you know Firestorm?" she asked.

"Yes I know Firestorm; he's one of my chosen ones. To answer ye other question, ye are currently in the Celestial Lands, but ye are in spirit form." Celestial Tree answered.

"Celestial Tree, what am I doing here?" Ginka asked, confused.

"It will soon get bothersome to have to repeat Celestial Tree whenever ye address me. Call me Celestia for now. As to what ye are doing here, we Gods and Goddesses are going to give ye some help. Ye be approaching difficult time in life. I canne tell ye more than that, but I will tell ye this. As I hope ye already know, the Celestial Lands are divided into five parts. Air, Water, Earth, Fire, and Darkness. What ye may not know is the opposing strengths and weaknesses of the five. The Three Complementary Pairs are Air and Fire, Earth and Water and finally Darkness and Celestial. The Three Opposing Pairs are Air and Earth, Fire and Water, and last Darkness and Celestial. Ye may ask how can Darkness and Celestial be Complementary as well as Opposing. Well, the two hate each other with a passion. However, in times of dire need, like the ending of the world, the two will work together to dispel the threat. It is times like those when it would be a good idea to be on the side of good. Either that or dead. Some people believe that Darkness is evil. I hope that Firestorm has at least told ye that is not true." Ginka nodded.

"Darkness in some places is called the Realm of the Dead. This is also not true. Dead people go to the section that most relates to the season they were born in. The year begins with the Water season, or planting. That spans across March and April. Then comes Wind, which contains the Midsummer Festival, when you celebrate the days getting longer. The months in it are May and June. Following Wind is Earth, July and August. The festival for good growth occurs during this time. Fourth is Fire, the harvest time. Fire occurs during September and October. Last is Darkness. Darkness covers December through February. The Midwinter Festivals occur during Darkness. Then you have your festivals to bring the sun back to the lands.

What month ye were born in, determines what section of the Celestial Lands ye go to. I cannae believe that idiot Firestorm didn't tell ye that!" Celestia finished her tirade.

"Well, he told me some of that, but not all of it. I found it highly educational and interesting." Ginka said flatteringly. After all, it was always a good idea to flatter a goddess. "But why am I here? Is there a reason for it, Celestia?"

Celestia seemed slightly appeased. "Ye are here to perform a quest for me. The Five Guardians (including me) got together and decided it was time for the Sacred Objects to be together again. So once ye find the Sacred Earth Object, ye will be visited by the other four Guardians to find the other four Sacred Objects. When together, the Sacred Objects are a highly formidable fighting force, not to be reckoned with. It is up to ye whether to gather the Objects or not. Although if ye do not, the whole world may well be destroyed. Think carefully."

"What exactly is the Sacred Earth Object? And what are the Sacred Objects?" Ginka asked, befuddled.

"I don't know what the other four Sacred Objects are, but the Earth Object is a shield. That is all I know of it. Ye must find it by the time the seasons change. If ye don't not only will ye have to find this Object, but ye will have to find the Fire Object as well. Ye only have two months, so work fast!" Celestia replied.

"Two months! Why so little time? Where was it last? Why me?" Ginka asked in a rush.

"Ye only have two months because in two months the seasons change from Earth to Fire and then the Sacred Earth Shield will have to be found along with the Sacred Fire object. The Shield was last seen in Terracana. As to why ye, ye will have help, but not from people you'd expect. The people who will help you are going to be Mikage Hana, soon to be Trios Hana and Celes Loroko as well as someone unexpected. You must get them to travel with you to Terracana at once."

"Hana? Hana is going to come with me? And the new kid on the block? But Hana is getting married soon. She can't go wandering all over the country with me!" Ginka said, stunned.

"She will. I will talk to them both in dreams tonight. Do not worry. Tomorrow, go talk with them and prepare to leave the next day. Good night and good luck, my child."