Lol, getting ahead again, huh Mikan? Most of the family pictures are at the main temple, her house, not an ancient shrine out in the Land of Rivers. That said, you gave me a great idea and I'm gonna see how well I can roll with it, likely next chapter.
And girani, thanks a bunch! I really do try to create good characters and fan fiction is my proving ground for their development. I'm trying to find the right combinations of personality traits and complex beliefs and backstory that I need for my own novels. So that approval is really encouraging.
Now, what's important for this chapter is the replication of Shinto shrine rituals that I thought would fit nicely into place here. Oh, and the dragon. Let's not forget him, shall we?
Ciara's P.O.V.
Sasuke and his companions are almost eerily silent as Jugo and Karin lead the way towards this shrine they found. Usually, if I talked about this kind of stuff, Naruto would be on me in an instant, asking every question that pops into his head. And even Sasuke has been interrogating me a lot lately. So for him to just go silent like that is...unsettling.
"It's just up ahead." And thank the gods that Jugo finally breaks the silence, because I seriously thought that I was going to start losing my sanity.
"Good. Is there anything else you noticed about the place that I should know about?" I doubt that there's going to be anything dangerous lying in wait for us, but it's better to be safe than sorry. Especially when it's been at least eleven or twelve years since the last time someone in my family has been here.
There's a moment of silence before Karin pipes up. "There's something...weird about the energy that I noticed. It felt almost like chakra but also too...clean?"
"Too pure." Jugo nods, closing the distance between us as he slows down to let a couple of birds perch on his shoulder. "And too alive. I almost expected the trees to start talking to us."
"Yeah...as soon as the trees start talking, I'm outta here." Suigetsu snorts loudly. "I'm not dealing with that kind of shit. I signed up to fight, not deal with some weird chakra voodoo."
"It's not chakra voodoo." But it's been a while since I last felt the kinds of sensations they're talking about. And I think...one of the books I read through mentioned something like that. "It's probably the life-force left behind on the holy ground. Shrines are supposed to be holy places, places to honour powerful beings."
"They're places to honour gods, and the smaller ones to honour ancestors." It surprises me a little to hear Sasuke finally break his silence, but it figures that he would know about that much. I doubt there's a clan out there that doesn't have a family shrine. He probably learned the proper rites when he was a child. "...But why would there be a shrine that you recognize out here in the Land of Rivers."
That's a good question, and I've asked similar questions of myself before. "I'm not one hundred percent sure, but I know that there's shrines and temples that I've recognized here and there while traveling. I've been doing some reading, and if the shrine looks the way I think it does, I'll have a more concrete answer for you."
But Sasuke is just full of questions today, and I suppose it was naive to think that the interrogation might end there. "...Then tell me, is it true that your ancestors are gods left over from ancient wars between them and demons?" That...was a question I was definitely NOT expecting him to ask.
I glance back over my shoulder, not bothering to conceal my shock. "Where did you hear that from?"
Dark eyes watch me blankly. "...From the Akatsuki you just sent packing. He told me many things about your clan's history."
So it seems, because what are supposed to be clan secrets are clearly not so secret anymore. "I see." It looks like he's still going to have questions for me. "...Once we're inside the shrine, I'll answer whatever questions you still have for me." At the very least, he's been asking me in short bursts, and not using a constant interrogation since freeing me.
"Hn." I take that to mean that he is in agreement, since he doesn't press any further for now.
Speaking of pressing further, it looks like we won't have to press any further now. I can hear the trees and flowers singing in my bones. It's...a difficult sensation to describe, but it's almost like melodies played on the breeze and in the water are bounding through my blood, courtesy of the plants here that just feel so incredibly alive. "We're here."
As soon as I stop and drop from the branches to the ground, the four of them follow me, Jugo and Karin most closely. "Yeah, this is definitely the place. It gives me the same weird vibes as before."
I can't help but smile as I see stone steps marking the trail up from a winding path. Now those are pretty familiar. They remind me so much of home. "So, you couldn''t get in, is that right?"
"That's right, there's a barrier ahead that kept us out." Jugo points towards the stairs. "It's just at the top of the steps." And instead of looking to Sasuke, he looks to me. "What do we do now?"
I blow out a breath and jump down, landing at the base of the steps. "We keep moving." I can feel the humming in my blood growing stronger with every step, calling me up the steps towards the temple. The breeze picks up a little, and I can hear the tinkle of chimes in the wind. This is a good, safe place.
Step by step, we approach the temple. The torii gate stands tall and proud, coloured with a vivid fiery scarlet at the top of the steps. And even from here, I can sense something strange and familiar about it. There's no torii gates marking the stairs of the estate, but there's an energy about it that I know I've felt before.
Karin's fingers brush my arm lightly. "Right there. The barrier stops at that gate."
"That's where it stops?" It seems fitting, actually. Instead of a physical barrier at the gate, it's a chakra barrier. Or close enough to it that it sure feels like chakra. At the top of the torii, the crest depicting the head of a dragon is carved, and along the pillars, the shrine's dedication.
Suigetsu taps that giant sword of his against his shoulder and stares at the gate. "So what do we do? Swing a sword at it? Dance? Tell it a joke or something?"
"Are you stupid, Suigetsu!" Karin's sudden shriek hurts my ears as she grabs Suigetsu and drags him away from the gate. "Are you trying to get us struck by lightning or something!?"
Somehow, this doesn't strike me as the kind of place where lightning is a concern. "No, the place for dancing should be the main courtyard, not at the gate." Though I doubt this place has had a priestess tending it in a very long time. From here, I can see the giant bells along the front of the shrine, coupled with red, white, and gold ribbons for pulling. "I doubt that swinging a sword would leave a dent in anything, though if any of you wants to start telling jokes, I doubt that whoever is watching this place would mind too much." Admittedly, we're likely the most interesting things that the dragon connected to this shrine has seen in at least a decade.
"How do we get in?" As usual, Sasuke's query is fairly short and to the point.
"Hm..." I reach my hand out towards the gate, feeling it grow hotter by the second. Not uncomfortably so, but it's obvious that there''s something there, even if it's not explicitly trying to keep me out. "I think it wants an offering."
"An offering?" Jugo frowns. "But we didn't bring anything with us to leave at a shrine."
"Not that kind of offering." I reach into my pack and draw out a kunai, placing the edge of the blade against my left palm. "It's like the seals back in my home, the high level sealing ninjutsu that keep our most sensitive information locked away from the eyes of outsiders." For our protection, of course. Not that it did us any good in the end, because clearly, someone got hold of the secrets of the sealing formula that created the barrier on the mountain. Though the one here seems to be completely intact.
I drag the kunai across my palm, drawing a splash of blood that coats my skin in a vivid crimson glow. Chakra rises the the surface as I press my hand to the barrier, the energy crackling and snapping like lightning through cold water. Instead of breaking, the barrier shoots a blast of energy through me, and instantly, I understand. It's an almost instinctual thought, more like a memory than a consciously reached conclusion.
As I withdraw my hand, Jugo puts a tentative hand on my shoulder. 'It's okay if it didn't work, you gave it your best shot."
Suigetsu grumbles loudly. "So what now? If we can't stay in there, then we'll have to find somewhere else to go."
"No we don't." I smile softly, almost laughing at the obvious simplicity of it. How could I have been so stupid? "A dragon...protects their own. The barrier is reacting to the four of you, because it doesn't recognize you." But I have a sneaking suspicion that if it were Naruto or Akito or Hiro, they wouldn't be kept out like this. I've basically claimed them as mine, what with all of the times I've poured chakra into-
"What are you talking about?" Jugo's hand starts to move away, but I grab it before it can, surprising him. "What's going on?"
I turn his large palm over in mine and smear my blood across his skin, then shoot a spike of my chakra into his chakra network. "Try it now." I look up at him, then at the barrier. "The barrier might let you through now."
"Hey, what did you just do?" Suigetsu stares semi-accusingly at me. Then his violet gaze falls on Jugo, who takes a tentative step forward and slips through the barrier unimpeded this time. "Whoa! What the hell did you just do!?"
"Come here and I'll show you." I step towards him and tug him by the arm, leaving a trace of blood on his skin and a jolt of chakra in his system. Then I push him towards the barrier and turn to Karin. "You next."
Fortunately, she's a lot easier to deal with, and holds her hand out for me with only a single prompt. Funny, considering that she was the one putting up the most stink about my being here in the first place. I smile at the thought. My how things change... When she steps through the barrier just behind Suigetsu, her eyes widen. "This place is incredible..."
"Yeah, I imagine it is." If it's anything like home, then it's bound to be incredible in there. I turn to Sasuke, finding him standing right beside the barrier, examining it with his Sharingan. I can't help but smirk a little. "Trust you to be more interested in the barrier than the shrine grounds."
"Hn." He's back to being inarticulate again. And here I think I preferred the interrogation he was running on me earlier.
Still, he's the only one left to send through the barrier. "Sasuke." I hold out my hand to him expectantly. "Let's go."
He glances at it once before grasping my hand in a tight grip. Sasuke's years of training with lightning and his chokuto are obvious in the callouses lining his hands, but they're still a bit smoother than one might expect.
I let chakra pour into him where our palms touch, then take a step back across the threshold of the barrier and through the shrine gate, pulling him along with me and into the shrine grounds. The barrier hums and glows as though wrapping around us in welcome instead of keeping us out. Reluctantly, I loosen my grip on his warm hand. Sasuke never really was one for being touchy-feely, so I've always relied on Naruto for that. But I still wish that he wasn't so contact averse.
Surprisingly, his grip tightens momentarily, before loosening and pulling away. His Sharingan fades from his eyes, leaving them coloured like a couple of dark onyx gems. That gaze lingers on me for a moment, before turning on the temple as he moves to rejoin his team.
With the four of us safely inside the barrier, I finally take the chance to look around at this place. It's...beautiful. It reminds me of home, but there's a lot that's different about it, too. Unlike my three-story home, this one is only a single story, but the outer hall that wraps around it is very much the same. But this place looks like it was built from local wood, and not the same kind as my house was. And there's no windows, which is honestly a shame. Though the flowers growing wildly up the sides and across the grounds are rather pretty. The temperate climate here has allowed the poppies and magnolias to grow wildly.
But the biggest visual difference is at the front of this place, in front of the doors leading inside, are the bells to ring to summon the one who dwells inside. Or so the stories and rites say. I've never actually tested it for myself, but there have been a few instances where Jiraiya, that old pervert, has warned Naruto to be careful with shrine bells. He seems to think that if you pull one down, you'll get cursed.
Well, I suppose that if someone pulled on my bells, I might get a little huffy too.
My gaze travels to the fountain lying off to the side of the main shrine. My feet carry me there, only to find it empty and coated with a thick layer of dust and leaves. I touch the bottom and pick up a few of the leaves, but they crumble between my fingers.
No one has been here for a very long time... It's sad, but since this place has probably been locked up for the last decade, I guess it's only to be expected that no one would be here to tend the shrine. But there's little damage to it, so it can't have been that much longer, or the wood would be rotting.
I pick the ladle up from inside the fountain, where it was probably blown by the wind. My eyes rake over it as my cheeks puff up. A gentle breeze escapes my lips, picking up the dust and dirt and leaves, scrubbing them from the bottom and sides, then swirling them all into the air and onto the ground. My fingers press to my lips and a stream of pure, clean water escapes them, striking the bottom of the fountain and splashing up against the stone sides as it fills with sparkling water.
Once full, I use the ladle to wash my hands and set the wooden instrument back down on the side of the fountain. I stride across the shrine grounds to the front of the small wooden building and stop before the bells. Wrapping my right hand in the ribbons of one, I pull on it and let the clear sound of a brass bell ring through the air.
I can't help but smile as I bow, remembering a few instances of doing this with Naruto while we traveled with Jiraiya. Visiting the shrines were always nice. They were very peaceful, just like this one.
My eyes close and I take a deep breath. You, who are the voice of the sun and stars, please grant us your protection as we come to rest here. One of your children comes to you from far away, and under threat of attack with companions who've need of your home to recuperate from travel and battle. I am Ciara, daughter of Ryouta, granddaughter of Daisuke, and great-granddaughter of Naomi.
A soft, gentle breeze wraps around me, warm and kind, before disappearing as I open my eyes. Taiyo to Hoshi no Koe... I clap twice, smile, and press my hand to where the name is engraved once more at the entrance to the shrine. I wonder which one you are?
I step past the bells and to the doors of the shrine, fitting my fingers into the indentations and sliding the doors open to let the sun into the shrine. And unlike the dusty outside, it's both a surprise ad not to find no dust inside at all. Of course, if this place had been cleaned right before being closed up, it would make sense, after all...dust is mostly made of human skin and the dirt we track in. But still, the level of preservation is...exactly what we need.
I remove my shoes and lay them just before the bottom step, then stride inside the shrine. Though it looked plain but beautiful on the outside, the inside is filled with ornamental sculpture carved into the walls, stands holding oil lamps, and a table for leaving food offerings right in front of a giant golden statue of a dragon. Its tail wraps around the room, and I run my hand along the smooth metal as I walk my way around the room and towards the statue.
Twice as tall as I am, and set to lean over whomever approaches, the dragon statue is a bit intimidating at first. But it's expression is almost...welcoming. I could swear that it's smiling at me. Okay, that's kinda weird, the statue is grinning at me.
I wonder if that thought counts as blasphemy?
Shaking the silly thought off, I wind my way around the statue, examining it and running my hands all over it. Somehow, I get the feeling that... He? I think that this dragon is a male. But I doubt that he minds the touching all that much.
My fingers find an etching on the dragon's back, carved carefully, cleanly into the metal. I put myself up to get a better look at it, and I recognize the old characters there. "Kazu...hiko?" I frown slightly. Is that...his name? I'm not entirely sure, but I think that this dragon's name is Kazuhiko. But also Taiyo to Hoshi no Koe. Two names? I feel like I've seen this somewhere before. But I can't remember where.
It is his birth name, Chick. Suzaku's voice echoes softly through my head. The tome containing the ritual of name-giving is tucked away in your scrolls.
It is? I know that I brought a lot of books with me, especially the ones I unsealed, since I'm still working out how to put the seal back in place. But if there's a mystery here to be solved, then maybe solving it will provide some of the answers I'm looking for.
"Hey...you know, I'm not an expert on visiting shrines or anything, but I'm pretty sure that you're not supposed to climb on the statues." I glance over the dragon's back at Suigetsu, who's watching me in a wary fashion. "You really are asking for it, you know."
The suggestion brings a smile to my lips. "I don't think Kazuhiko honestly minds that much. Tatsuo and Sumire used to pick me up all the time, and Dad always let me crawl all over him." Come to think of it, all of my aunts and uncles used to pick me up a lot.
"Kazuhiko?" Sasuke frowns slightly, his eyes staring at where I am on the dragon's back.
"That's his name." I slide off his back and touch down silently. "It's inscribed on the back of the statue." The statue that I'm starting to suspect is made entirely of gold, and whose shrine was built around it, since there's no way it would have been able to fit through the front door.
Jugo steps inside, leaving his shoes at the entrance, just like Suigetsu and Sasuke did, followed closely by Karin. "I thought that you said it was a shrine for someone called 'The Voice of the Sun and Stars'?"
"I did. And that hasn't changed." Even if I'm still not entirely clear on this, I think I've got a basic understanding down. "But his given name is Kazuhiko. So I guess people were given extra names back...then?" I should probably find out just how old this shrine is, or at least how far back in the family tree Kazuhiko is. "I still need to do a little research, but I have some books with me that should clear that up pretty fast."
What's most important is that we now have a place to stay. "Come on, there's a few more rooms to this place, so let's find a place to set up that's not in the main hall." Not that I think Kazuhiko would be angry if we decided to sleep under his nose, but I get the feeling that it might freak Suigetsu out if we were to sleep under a giant dragon statue.
"Right." Sasuke places his hand to one of the door flanking the statue and slides it open, frowning slightly. "There's space back here."
"Good." I glide past him into the room behind the statue, and instead of finding an empty storage room, I find a few rather familiar structures. Namely a circular metal structure on legs set off to the side, and a square hole in the floor lined with stone. I approach it and kneel, wiping at the stone and coming away with a white and black powder on my fingers. It's very old, but I'd know this powder anywhere. "Ash."
"A fire pit?" Sasuke approaches, eyeing the stone pit critically, then the metal contraption. "A cooking pit."
"Yeah." And I'm not surprised in the least. "We have a couple of rooms like this back home. That metal stand is for holding a pot." And it looks like it's just the right size for one of the old pots I brought with me, tucked away in one of my storage scrolls.
Suigetsu ambles inside and glances around the room. "So, we'll be sleeping in here, then?"
"We could, yes." And I think it would be a good idea to sleep in here. Not only could we use the fire pit to cook, but it'll keep us warm in case the temperature takes an unseasonal dive. "Go ahead and unpack. Explore as much as you like, but just make sure not to break anything." Kazuhiko might not mind having me climb all over his statue, but I'm pretty sure that he wouldn't be too impressed if we accidentally broke something in here.
"Right, then I'm just gonna leave this here." Suigetsu drops his pack and puts down the swords he's been collecting the room. "I spotted a pond out back, so I'm gonna go hydrate. That okay? Or is a dragon gonna pop out of the water and try to eat me?"
I wave at him to go ahead. "There's a well on the grounds for water, so go ahead and have a bath." We could probably all use one, to be frank. From the faint sounds of water crashing, I'd guess that like most of the small lakes in this region, it comes complete with a waterfall and draining river. Besides, who wouldn't want to have a bath on holy ground? "And unless I have a long-lost relative that I didn't know about, I don't think you'll have to worry about being surprised by any dragons."
"Alright, whatever. You want me to bring back anything?" He raises an eyebrow, watching me as I pull a pot out of thin air and fill it half full with water.
I scrutinize the pot, then nod. "There should be rabbits running around in this region, bring back three or four if you can." We could be here a few days, and the more food we haven, the better off we'll be.
"Right, sure, I'll be back in a while, then." Suigetsu ambles right back out the door and out of sight.
Turning to Jugo, I smile softly. "Think you could pick us up some firewood? I think I saw some deadfall down near the bottom of the steps."
He nods and gets to his feet, disappearing out the door behind Suigetsu. Which leaves Karin to poke her head into the room uncertainly. "Is...there anything you want me to do?" She looks restless, almost anxious.
"Well..." I can't really think of much else that needs doing right now. Unless... "Are you any good with research?"
Unexpectedly, she pushes up her glasses, a slightly arrogant glare on her face. "I was one of Orochimaru's wardens and lab technicians. Of course I'm good at research!"
"Good." I pull a scroll from my pack, setting the rest of it against my own wall. I stretch open the scroll and place my hand down on it, summoning a number of thick books from within its depths. "Because I want to track down Kazuhito, and it'll go faster if I have a second pair of eyes."
"You want to track down Kazuhiko?" She tilts her head slightly as she approaches me, taking off her cloak and setting it on there floor next to her bag. "The dragon in the front room?"
"Yeah. His name should be in the family tree somewhere, but I don't know where, or how far back to go." It's frustrating, but the family tree is just so big and so old that I can't possibly memorize every member. "I don't know how old this shrine is, or whether it was built while he was alive or after he died. So that means manually looking through the tree in order to find a dragon with that birth name and the additional name of Taiyo to Hoshi no Koe." Which might very well be easier said than done.
She looks down at the books in my hands, undaunted, and plucks one up, flipping through the first few pages and looking through the translated script. "...Alright, then it looks like we've got a lot of reading to do."
I have to admit that I wasn't too sure about her, based on Suzaku's memories, but when she's got a job to do and putting some pride into it...I have to say that I like her drive. "Yeah." I open my own book, which serves as something of a companion book to the family tree in Karin's hands. Something about the history of individual members, and details on their births, deaths, and their life stories.
Of course, this is just the first volume...there's fifty-one more.
