A/N: Hey all, this is just a myth I wrote because I keep referencing it throughout this fanfic. It also is the main astrological difference between the two worlds. It's really not that important, but here it is because I was driving myself nuts from constantly referencing it. You really don't need to read this. Love ~ depressedchildren.
The Four Guardians
Long ago, before the Hidden Villages came into being, the world was one large unmarked territory. Many ninja, samurai, and people without chakra wandered the world as boundless vagabonds.
There were many strong fighters, and clever minds scattered about the world, but four stood out the most. The twins were the strongest combatants known to man, yet they spent most of their time fighting each other over petty things, such as: praises from their followers, and the ongoing contest of who wielded fire best.
Azuma was deadliest with his metal staff, which acted like an extension of his own arms. His sister, Nishi, cut through most opponents with an unrivaled grace when a sword was held in her hand. Minami and Hokubei would shake their heads at their children's senseless quarreling. Minami often wondered how she bore such brash children, while her husband pondered if the twins would ever show an ounce of their parent's intellect.
There came many a time that Minami needed to blow away her son from his sister with her mighty fan, while Hokubei had to push his daughter back with well-aimed throws of his kunai. The mother and father would then move away from each other to keep an eye on their children. Should either begin to charge their sibling, the parents would intercept and push their children back to their corners of the land.
As years passed the two rivals no longer sought out each other to fight, for they knew their parents would only intervene. They soon found their attention captured by a more pressing threat, one which continued to come closer and closer to their lands.
There was a darkness spreading around the world. This darkness twisted the people around them into violent beings, beings who turned on their kin readily, and forced their kin to kill them in fear. But the darkness could not touch the estranged family's hearts.
Azuma and Nishi were far too strong to succumb to such a weak force, while their parents, Hokubei and Minami were too wise to fall victim to its influence. Their neighbors in their respective corners of the world turned on them, for if the darkness could not turn the family to its bidding, then the family must be destroyed, lest they find a way to weaken the darkness's hold on the peoples of the world.
Refusing to harm those around them, the family was forced way from their respective corners and pushed toward the center of their world. Unlike many a time in the past, Azuma and Nishi did not quarrel or spit insults at one another, instead they stood back to back between their parents. The darkness only pressed in closer and threatened to lash out, but the family held firm to their positions.
It became clear to the family that their neighbors had lost their way in the darkness. The people of the land had made residences but in this darkness they could no longer find their way home, which lead the people to their present fear and madness. How could they know who their family really was when they could not see clearly? They had no indication of which way to go to return home in this pervading darkness?
The family now knew they did not succumb to the darkness, for they each knew where they belonged: at their respective corners of the world. Should one of the twins had moved from their designated corner, Minami and Hokubei would have known, and would have put them back in their place with mighty winds and throws (respectively). The twins could feel scars in the earth that marked past efforts to keep the fighting siblings in place.
The family knew not what to do with the darkness; however, and were at loss of how to get back to their homes.
The twins had tried many times to light a fire during the time they were pushed toward the center of the world, but the darkness only grew – some how it fed off of the smoke rising from their respective fires. Minami had tried many times to blow the darkness away, and it would fade for a moment before swelling once more around her. Hokubei had tried to generate electricity through his kunai many times and it would alleviate the darkness until he exhausted himself and was once more ensconced in the inky blackness.
"My love, this darkness is like a smoke, it can be blown away but only for a moment," Minami confessed to her husband.
"It eats smoke" the twins stated in unison and so twisted their heads to glare at each other, "from my fire," they continued slowly, their gazes narrowing further, "and then smothers it!" they both ended up shouting, and now turned to face each other before they were turned back to back by their parents.
"My electricity shines best, but I can only keep it up for so long," Hokubei confessed to his wife, but the wheels in his mind and his wife's mind began to churn.
"My love," the husband and wife exclaimed as their plan was finalized and they turned their backs to the encroaching darkness. The twins turned back around in confusion, why would their parents turn their back to the enemy? "My children," they began, their eyes were soft with love.
"I will blow away the darkness with my metal fan," Minami stated, "This will give you time, Nishi, to send fire towards your father," Nishi was going to reject her mother's idea but her father began speaking once more.
"I will refract the firelight with my kunai, while I send lightning toward your brother," Azuma jerked slightly at what his father just told him.
"Then you, Azuma, will refract that light as well while sending fire toward me," Minami continued, silencing her son's complaints.
"Minami will refract the light back to you, my daughter, and she will continue to blow away the smoky darkness so you many once more send fire toward me," Hokubei finished at last. With grave nods the twins agreed and prepared themselves to comply with their parents orders.
Soon Minami spun her fan and blew away the smoky darkness around her daughter, Nishi was able to great a fire in the brief moment the darkness was pushed away, and she the light toward her father, who was already sending lightning toward Azuma, and thus clearing away darkness from him while Azuma sent fire back to his mother. As they continued the cycle, moving faster and faster in the actions, the darkness was pushed back, and those around them could see once more, but the people were still in fear for they did not know where they were.
The family simultaneously, but cautiously, took a step backwards. The darkness retracted more, and more people were able to see once more. They continued their actions, and eventually there was enough light to be refracted off of their metal weapons that they need not continue to feed fire and lightning unless the light dim. The darkness was pushed back, and eventually could no longer touch the world. The people were relieved that they could once more to find their way home. For the family's light led the way.
The gods smiled down at their world; proud of the family, but they knew that those humans would wither away from fatigue, long before their sister came out of the cave. They had a plan developing for how to get their sister out of the cave, but at the moment they needed something to push away the darkness and lead the people home while their other brother prepared to light the sky in absence of their sister.
So the gods took the four and put them into the sky, thus creating the first stars. So even on the darkest of nights, the people of the Hidden World would always be able to find their way home. Azuma in the East with his burning red light, Minami in the South with her clear brilliance, Nishi in the West was matching her brother's shade and brightness, and Hokubei stood vigil to the North with his cold blue flickering light. And so the first stars remained, immortal and ever lighting the way for ninja and civilians alike, when darkness blanketed the world between the setting of the goddess and the rising of the god. It is said that the family will always bring people home, in the magical way of stars.
Hokubei, Azuma, Minami, and Nishi became the four Guardians; the ones who keep the darkness at bay and lead all peoples home.
A/N: I hopefully will update soon-ish...I'm working on editing the previous chapters, because it's embarrassing (really I read over this one and wanted to slam my head against the wall). So... be looking for that I guess. Oh, and the gods mentioned at the end should be Ameteratsu and Tsukiyomi (not sure if I spelled those right, but in those myths (?), Ameteratsu hid herself in a cave and she was sun so...if that makes sense... that's what I was going with that). Love, depressed children -2/9/13