Underwater Savior
Chapter 3: The Dragon and His Treasures
By LadyRainStarDragon
Not mine. I can only wish. If you've seen the movie, then you know which characters aren't in it.
The dragon stirred uneasily in his sleep. Memories that he had long suppressed began to well up within his mind. Finding no way to quell them, he stilled, and allowed them to run their course. For him alone, centuries rolled back.
"Kohaku, Kohaku! Play it again! Please?" The chorus of children's voices was music to his ears and balm to an aching heart. Why he ached, he never knew, he always had. Adjusting himself on the hard rock, he began the song again as the children danced beneath swaying branches. He loved to watch them dance, to see the colors flicker across the little pearls and jewels buried deep within their beings. They were his friends and his charges. Not yet had these little treasures been tainted by greed, malice, or envy.
The sound of a cracking stick underfoot caused the song to die as the river God spun around, prepared to defend his treasures against any oni. What greeted his eyes was a lovely kitsune woman, dressed as a bride. Her face was painted pale and eyes dark, ruby lips in a slight pout. Fiery red hair was upswept into an elegant bun, decorated with leaves of the forest. She was beautiful, but something was not quite right.
"Pardon me good sir, but I am searching for Nigihayami Kohakunushi-sama. Would you be able to help me?"
'Now why in all of Nippon would a kitsune be searching for me?'
"I am he."
Her features lit up, as if someone had lit a candle in the midst of the dark. "My Lord, I am so happy to have found you at last. I have been sent by my father to be your bride."
'Oh no, not another one. When will everyone realize that I don't want a bride right now.'
Instead of groaning, he smiled.
"How nice of him. I'm afraid that you will have to pass a test first though."
A tugging at his hakama directed his attention downward.
"Kohaku, who is the pretty fox?"
Kohaku crouched down to be eye level with the young girl.
"I don't know Tama. She hasn't said yet. After we find out, would you and your brothers and sisters go to help your mothers? Next time we play I will bring you some of the polished pebbles from the middle of the river that you like so much."
The little girl nodded her assent.
Straightening once more, he looked back at the kitsune, only to find her scowling in distaste.
"You mean you actually associate with those mortals? How can you stand it?"
He felt anger, and that took a lot for such a peaceful deity. How could anyone hold their mortality against them? It was something he could never understand.
"Yes, I do play with the children. It is very simple. I like to hear their laughter and see their joy. Now, I do believe that I need to know your name."
"My name is Tsukaimono. I am the eldest daughter of a youkai family that the ningen have asked to watch over their rice fields many days journey distant."
He stooped down to the child's level again.
"You heard her name, right, sukoshi takara?"
The child nodded.
"Then it is time for you to go. Tell the villagers that I send my regards."
The child grinned and hugged the young Kami, then bounded off, racing the others home.
"Well, now that the little children are gone, why don't you spend some time with me?"
"Are you ready for the test so soon?"
Tsukaimono fluttered her lashes and looked demure.
"Anything my Lord wishes."
Kohakunushi restrained a sigh. As a dragon, the core of an entity's being would look like a jewel or other treasure to him. This is usually why some dragons tended to hoard treasure, if one disregarded the fact that when the jewels stuck between scales it afforded some extra armor. It reminded them of the treasures they saw in other beings. Kohaku was partial to pearls, white ones at that. He loved the purity of them. What he was looking for was someone who's purity resembled his Celestial Pearl. He wanted someone to love him for himself, not merely wanting to be with him because he was the local river Kami. Unfortunately, everyone so far had either been tainted, or not a pearl soul at all.
"I need to see your core. Close your eyes and focus on your energy center."
The woman looked like she was going to protest, then complied. After a while, a treasure rose before him. It was a glittering ruby. Lovely and deep red, filled with an inner fire it beckoned to him. A beautiful soul indeed, except as the jewel rotated, he saw a large flaw. Encased within the surface was a mottled brown color, a sign of envy. Definitely not the glimmering Pearl he sought to stay by him and to commune with.
"Enough. Now draw this energy back into yourself."
When the kitsune woman opened her eyes, the Kami was gone. At her feet lay an exquisite cooking pot and next to it a piece of fine paper bearing some writing. She picked it up and read it.
With this, you and your family will never thirst,
even in times of drought. You were not what I
seek, but I do wish you the best in finding a
husband more suitable to yourself than I.
It was signed with the chop of Nigihayami Kohakunushi.
"I understand Kohaku. I just hope for your sake that father does. Thank you for the gift, and a chance at a life of my own."
With that, she turned and came back the way she had come, carrying her gift. Kohakunushi stepped back out of his river, checking the area for any toys that the children, his little treasures may have forgotten.
Time went on fast forward for the sleeping dragon and he was hurled full force into a memory that had come only a few days after having met with Tsukaimono.
The moon was high and lit the village nicely. It was quiet, and the only thing to be heard was his own light breathing as he slept shallowly beside the humble hut, a pearl clutched in one claw. This is where the Ogino family lived, the guardians of his shrine. Their youngest child had been attacked by a demon, and he was now standing guard himself in case it tried again. He was in his dragon form, and for the past two days he had been here in his dragon form, to the children's delight. They had draped him in flowers as their thanks for watching over their friend.
A stirring in the grasses woke him from his light slumber. Looking around, he saw nothing out of the ordinary, nor did he smell anything out of the ordinary. He passed it off as the wind, and resumed his patient waiting. Instead of staying in the half-sleep realm though, he found himself submerged in deep waves of hibernation. It only lasted a short time, and when he clawed his way to the surface, he knew he had been too trusting.
His eyes popped open and before him stood a middle-aged kitsune male. The three tails told the young dragon that this spirit had been around a long time. Strangely though, this image was see-through.
"Dragon, you scorn me by turning away my daughter and giving her a measly cooking pot."
"She is not what I am looking for. I'm not even ready to take on a partner. That measly cooking pot you refer to is enchanted to never run dry, even in the middle of a drought."
"Regardless, you turned her away and left her with a small gift."
"At least I was thinking about her future. A marriage between a dragon and kitsune would not work. She should find her true mate, and that small gift will make her a rich woman."
"I can not change what I have done, dragon. I have taken your precious Pearl while you were in the magic sleep I cast upon you. Your arguments have only just barely prevented me from destroying it. For spurning a gift sent to you I have taken from you. Only by placing a claim on a woman as your own will you be given access to your Pearl again. It may or may not be in the form you expect it. Rest assured though dragon, I will no longer attack the family under your protection."
It had been him. That kitsune was the one who hurt little Tama. Why did he settle for taking the Celestial Pearl instead of his life? With a roar of confusion and fury, Kohakunushi awoke from his dreams.
Word Key
Tsukaimono - gift
youkai - demon, ghost, apparition, specter, phantom
ningen - human
sukoshi - little
takara - treasure
kitsune - fox spirit
tama - jewel
Nippon - Japan