Disclaimer: Naruto and all Naruto related stuff is (c) Masashi Kishimoto. All OCs and original storyline/plot/imagination (c) of ME!!!!!
A/N: This was a little difficult to write at first, but I'm surprised it turned out as long as it did… Enjoy! And, as always…
THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!!!
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LEGEND OF THE DRAGON MOON
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In the beginning, there was nothing.
No earth, no sky, no sea; nothing. Only the emptiness of the abyss, waiting to be filled. Then one day, three siblings were born into this infinite void. Together, they lived alone in the empty darkness, until such a time when Oozora,(1) the youngest of the three, decided she wanted to bring something more into the cosmos to keep the three of them company.
In a blast of colors, Oozora sent a wave of sparkly stars to light up the darkness in twinkling splendor; and thus, the Sky was born. But the sky, though beautiful in its many changing colors, was frigid and cold. Seeing this, Oozora became saddened by the coldness of the world she had created, and even more so because she did not know how to warm it up. And so, Yomi,(2) her older sister, created the Fires of what would later be known as the Underworld, to warm up her little sister's cold, cold sky. Unfortunately, Yomi's passion to provide for her sister was so great, that the fire burned too hotly, and began scorching Oozora's sky. And so, ever the wise older brother, Enkai,(3) decided to create a barrier between the two worlds so that both sisters would be happy with their individual realms.
For many days, Enkai carefully contemplated on what best approach to take to solve the sisters' problem. Ultimately he decided that what he needed was something that could cool the fires of Yomi's domain, without putting them out entirely, and at the same time, would allow some of the heat to pass through to Oozora's sky, without burning out the beauty of the world his youngest sister had created. After considerable thought, Enkai finally came to a decision, and from his solution, came the Sea. However, after creating his new world, Enkai discovered that his sisters did not respond to his solution as he had hoped.
Upon seeing the Sea that Enkai had created, the sisters became saddened that their two worlds were so distant and separate from one another, and thus Enkai was faced with a second dilemma. While he considered the Sea was still the best method to divide the two worlds his sisters had created; as it not only cooled the Fires of Yomi's world, but also reflected the beauty of Oozora's starry Sky; Enkai did acknowledge that something needed to be done about the newfound separation between the three siblings.
Up until that moment, for as long as they could all remember, not only were the three siblings always together in their solitude, but they had basically been united as one until Oozora stepped out to create the Sky. It was disturbing, in a sense, that now, instead of the three existing as one, they each existed as individuals, ruling over their separate worlds. It was almost as if the emptiness that had once surrounded them, was beginning to fill them up as they inadvertently separated themselves. This, however, Enkai refused to accept, and thus decided he would find a way to keep the three of them together forever.
Using the volcanic fires that occasional erupted from Yomi's domain into his watery world, Enkai took the coolness of Oozora's Sky, and with the strength of his Sea, molded a piece of molten lava into land; and thus created a place where all three worlds connected…
For a time, the three siblings, in their newfound surrounds, lived very happy together. But as the millennia passed, the youngest of the three again began to grow bored. Oozora, ruler of the Sky, could see from the heavens above, that there was still something missing. And thus, with the help of her two siblings, the three of them created life in the world.
Out of dirt from the land that they had previously created, Enkai molded mud into tiny creatures of all different sorts. Then Yomi, from her fiery depths, gave the creatures warmth. And finally, Oozora blew into the creatures the breath of life. And thus the animals were born into the siblings' universe. And once again, the three siblings lived together happily for many more centuries.
Then one day, something happened.
As Oozora was looking down from her perch up in the Sky, she noticed her older sister walking along the shoreline. Oozora was just about to call out and wave to Yomi, when suddenly, an enormous wolf jumped out from behind the trees bordering the beach, and brutally mauled Yomi to death. Oozora was so shocked by the sight that she fell down into the Sea and drowned. Enkai, who had been unaware of what was happening, saw Oozora, and immediately pulled her out of the Sea and took her to dry land. Upon arriving at the beach, however, he realized what had occurred. In a burning heat of rage, Enkai transformed into an enormous fiery red dragon and ripped the Wolf Demon into shreds; then he picked up the corpses of his sisters, and placed the two of them up in the Sky, with the sparkling stars they both loved so much.
That night, as the tearful Enkai wandered the snowy forest that bordered the oceanside, he came upon an oddly shaped hole in the middle of the woods. As he approached the hole, an overwhelming sadness brought the lonely Enkai to his knees. Tears began spilling down his sullen face, and in no time at all, the hole was filled with his salty tears, and a lake was formed. As Enkai wiped away the last of his tears, he noticed a silvery reflection in the water. Moving his head closer to the surface of the lake, he was frozen in utter surprise, to see the faces for his two sisters reflected in the water.
Turning upward to the sky, in hopes of seeing his sisters, Enkai saw nothing but a silvery orb floating just above his head. It had not been there before. He was not sure what to think, so he left and returned the next day. That night, he looked into the lake again, but saw nothing but the silvery orb hanging above; only it was different; it had shrunk over night. Confused and unsure what it all meant, Enkai built a small shelter along the bank of the lake, where he waited, in hopes of seeing his sisters again.
Night after night, he ran to the lake, praying for a sight of what he had seen the first night; but each night, he saw nothing but the unfamiliar silver orb, as it slowly shrank away to blackness; and oddly enough, then began to grow again. But in all that change, he never saw his sisters again.
And then it happened.
One month after his sisters' deaths, as Enkai once more checked the surface of the lake for their reflection, he saw them. Quickly turning upward toward the sky, he saw the silver orb where his sisters' should have been, and then at last Enkai understood. The orb, which was later to be known as the Moon, was the spirit of his two dead sisters. Knowing Oozora and Yomi still existed in some form gave Enkai comfort.
That night, he erected an enormous palace next to the lake for him to live in; so he would always be close to his sisters. Shortly afterwards, people began to live build homes the palace, and Enkai became their king; a truly wonderful and kind king, who looked over his people and care for them, just as he had cared for his sisters.
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"And that's how the Dragon Lord and Sisterhood of the Moon came to rule over the Kingdom of Gesshoku."
"Wait." Tenten frowned as she stared over at the Captain (who had just finished telling her the legend behind the Dragon Moon Festival). "That's not how the story ends." She protested.
"It isn't?" Captain Hakumi smirked questioningly.
"Ah… well…" Tenten nervously wondered if maybe she was wrong. But she was sure she had heard this story before and it didn't end that way.
"So how does it end?" Captain Hakumi pressed on.
"Well…" Tenten hesitated. "In the story I heard… one day Oozora and Yomi left for a walk outside the palace where the three siblings lived. As they walked through the wintry forest, they fell in love with the outside world and decided to leave the palace to live there. When Enkai found out, he tracked the two sisters down and told them to go back. But they didn't want to go back; they had already seen too much of the world to want to return to their palace life. Enkai became desperate; believing that they could not survive in the world on their own. Without even thinking about his sisters' feelings, he pulled them up into the sky and created the Moon, where they could never leave, and where the three of them could live together, forever." Tenten recited; remembering the many times Himakai had told her the story when she was younger, and how she had always wondered if Enkai was really a good guy or a bad guy in the story.
"Huh…" Captain Hakumi silently observed the kunoichi; rubbing a finger along the edge of his jaw. "That's interesting…"
"Interesting?" Tenten repeated questioningly.
"Yes." He nodded; still rubbing the side of his jaw. "It's interesting, that a Lady, such as your self," He paused; slightly smirking at something; though what, Tenten wasn't sure. "Someone who has never heard of the Sisterhood of the Moon" Again he paused. "Would know a version of the Story of Origin, which only the Sisters are privy to." He paused again; as if waiting for something. "Don't you find that interesting?" He asked after a few seconds.
"I…" Tenten was at a lose for words. It was strange; but what did it mean?
"Interesting." A soft, sweet voice behind the group interrupted the silence. "If these Sisters are the only ones who know this version," Himakai, with Ijinu at her side, walked up to the two of them. "Then I wonder…how could someone like you," She paused in the same manner that the Captain had done earlier. "Someone, who is clearly not a Sister…" A knowing smirk softly warmed her usually icy features. "Know the story as well?"
"Ah." Captain Hakumi stood up and turned to face the newly arrived pair. "That's a very good question Ma-… my Lady." He politely bowed in greeting. "I see you are feeling better." He added after rising from his bow.
"Hai." Himakai nodded. "Thank you again for the tea."
"Mother's brew…" He stated emphatically. "It cures anything."
"Yes." Himakai nodded in agreement.
"CAPTAIN!" A voice from up high yelled out, just as a scrawny looking boy jumped down to them from the crows nest.
"What is it?" The Captain addressed the boy, as the young teenager quickly ran over.
"A messenger bird delivered this." The boy stated, before handing his captain a small scroll.
"Hn." Captain Hakumi silently read the small note to himself. "Change of plans everyone." He began, after reading the note.
"What's going on?" Ijinu, who couldn't resist remaining as the silent sentinel any longer, asked with great concern.
"The port we were supposed to dock at has been burned to the ground." The Captain informed them. "We're instructed to dock at a different location."
"Where?" Himakai anxiously questioned; making no efforts to hide the glimmer of fear in her clear blue eyes.
"King's Port."
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TBC…
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FOOTNOTES:
(1) Oozora means Heaven, thus Goddess of the Sky
(2) Yomi means Hades, thus Goddess of the Underworld
(3) Enkai means Ocean, thus God of the Sea
A/N: Sorry for the cliff-hanger… but I'm sure you can all guess what "King's Port" probably means… in any case I won't leave you hanging for too long. I doubt that writing the next chapter will take as long or be as difficult as these last two (especially this one) were. PLEASE REVIEW this chapter… if you only ever review once, I'd appreciate some feedback on this mythology I created. I worked really hard on this one, reading various origin stories to try and give me an idea for what a myth should feel like, and I think I did pretty well… but I'd really appreciate some comments on it. Thanks :D