Underwater Savior

Chapter 11: Preparation

by LadyRainStarDragon

Not mine. I can only wish. If you've seen the movie, then you know which characters aren't in it. Hey, at least the plots in my stories are mine!

Two weeks elapsed, and Kohakunushi was still researching in the library. That didn't mean that he had abandoned the surface of course. He was cheating. His friend Ten had once given him as a gift a magic mirror that would allow him to survey his protectorate from wherever he was. He didn't use it much, since he preferred to see things first hand. In this case though, since he needed to do two things at once, he made an allowance this time.

He had seen Chihiro go near the water a few times. She was careful not to fall in, and usually put some mochi on a rock just within the reach of his river. She would giggle every time a passing surge would sweep the treat away, watching it wink out of her world and into his. Come to think of it, the few treats she had put out as offerings for him had been the only thing he'd eaten the whole time he had been looking for the information he needed. She was going to make a very good priestess when she was grown.

Koji had been pulling at his thoughts lately too. All that he could really hear in the prayers was that a kitsune had been attacked by the dog spirit. The rest, was a confusing, muttered, hurried mess. Kohakunushi guessed that he had been interrupted each time he tried to say something. However, this was enough to make him look with even greater fervor. Finally, up in the furthest corner, in the bottom of the shelf, he found a scroll that seemed could hold the information he sought. He wiped off a cobweb.

"Dusted recently my scales. He must have meant sometime within the past five years."

He climbed down the ladder back to the stability of the ground. Shaking himself free of the dust of the centuries, he made his way to his large desk. He sank onto the simple wooden chair, secretly glad that at least this area was not covered in dust. His cleaning staff was rather short handed, as he did not like to have servants. It seemed to be time to hire a few more good ones though. Looking back up, he realized that he had been a good 20 feet in the air.

"Definitely have to take the time to reorganize this, and figure out a better retrieval system. I'm lucky the ladder didn't decide it was time to pass on to another life."

Unrolling the scroll, his eyes were met with a grisly sight. The picture of how to make a dog servant, in all its gory details made him want to regurgitate, as if he had taken a strong purging medicine. He couldn't understand why anybody would be so cruel as to subject something to a death of starvation, being held so tightly in the screaming earth's grip as to not even reach a single morsel of food or drink of water so close to the sniffing snout. It was a wonder that such beings subjected to the will of a human master at all. If it had been him, he probably would have killed the maker as soon as he was free of earthly bonds.

Looking further through the scroll, he was relieved when there were no more paintings waiting to threaten the hold on his self-control. One of the few things that truly made him lose his grip was the needless and intentional suffering of another being. It was tripled when the being had been faithful to the tormentor for years before the betrayal. Focusing on the writing, he paid close attention to what the scribe sought to convey.

There are those whose envy and greed are so great, that they will seek to harm those who have what they want in order to get it. The weapon of choice is an enslaved dog spirit. As those that are naturally occurrent are too powerful and too dangerous to handle with any hope of control, a sorcerer will employ one of his own design. A pet loyal to the sorcerer is chosen, and then the steps are taken to ensure he knows the pains of extreme hunger in order to know the pains that the sorcerer feels. Since the dog was a loyal pet, he will serve the master in his afterlife, bringing treasures and wreaking the master's vengeance.

'That didn't really make me feel any better.'

Over time however, certain dog spirits will gain in power. The more intelligent ones are to be avoided if possible, for they are the ones with the most chance of growing and surpassing the master. In time, they may turn against their masters in vengeance of their own death in order to move on. This vendetta will be carried on to all members of the sorcerer's family and all descendants. If such were to pass, and the family eliminated, then the mononoke would be free to pass into the next life or to linger as it wished. Woe to those who would encounter such a one who has not only surpassed it's master but also acquired human form.

Such a vengeful spirit must be exterminated, not merely exorcized. A trained taijya will be able to employ the weapons made from the bones of the youkai, beings strong enough to bring down this threat. The only other recourse is the interference of one of the gods, and they usually will not partake in such a battle until the lesson not to release such dark magics has been learned by the populace. After the extermination of the beast, a daitoku must exorcize both the site of the slaying and the monster's power spot.

Such is the only way to free the world of such a threat, unless a pure soul can release the beast from it bonds of slavery into peace. Souls pure enough for such tasks are rare, as they are called the Pearl Souls, in honor of the rare Celestial Pearls. Such Pearls and such Souls are known as the Moon's Tears and are pathways to the realms of the afterlife and the Heavens.

'A taijya? Where am I supposed to find a taijya? They hide themselves from the gods, demons, and human world alike. The only time they are seen anymore is when they feel that they are needed.'

Needless to say, Kohakunushi didn't count too heavily on getting aid from that sector. He only knew of one Pearl Soul, and there was no way that he was letting that monster get anywhere near her again. He was going to protect his little Chihiro. That left him only one option.

'Guess I get to fight him, since this is my area.'

Kohakunushi took one glance at the staff that was currently leaning against the wall, and sighed. It was a sturdy staff, and had served well. There had been many a threat to the well being of his river and protectorate that had been brought low by it. Usually not killed of course, since he felt it should only been done when needed, and it left the defeated to live with their dishonor anyway. However, he was going to need a little something extra for this task.

He carefully rolled the scroll back up, and levitated it back into its proper place, since there was no way he wanted to climb the ladder again. He would heal very quickly if he managed to get himself hurt, but that didn't mean that he actually enjoyed hurting himself. Leaving his staff in its usual resting place against the wall, he passed back through the halls and grottos until he was at his river once more. Diving off of a particularly large rock, he slipped under the water with nary a ripple.

Having assumed his dragon form once more sometime during the dive, he undulated through the waters until he reached the very bottom of the underground part of his river. Here, dug into the very base rock of his domain, lay the secret vault where he hid most of his treasures. He had an even more secret vault, where he would put them from time to time, usually only when his home was in danger of being invaded. He was a dragon after all, and he was as guilty of hoarding his treasure as any other. The stone doors slowly opened into the vault, recognizing their master's living energy, allowing him entrance while his waters remained on guard outside.

Gold, silver, obsidian, jade, pearls, and many other jewels lay in heaps or sleeping in chests. Bags of coins were off to one side, for the times that he would take a holiday, or need to support his human dependents above. Fine goblets, silks, armor and sundry weapons all found places on shelves. Much more was stored here as well, but his eyes were drawn to one thing. In a far corner, a plain pine chest that had been stained black, lurked, keeping its secret.

Tromping his way across the treasure laden floors, he suppressed an urge to roll around in it. Truthfully, all of these baubles made an excellent backscratcher. He still couldn't see how others could sleep on it though, it was a rather lumpy mattress. Approaching the box slowly and respectfully, he waited for the secret possession to awaken, to acknowledge his presence.

As he reached the chest, he could hear the hum and thrill as what it contained called to him, longing to be in the air once more. A rattling was heard as the lock began to turn itself, the lid springing open before his slitted emeralds.

There, within, lay a beam of moonlight silver. So deceptively still, it lay waiting for a moment to spring to life and cut down any enemy. The teal silk beneath it cradled and calmed the fey blade, an extension of himself the Sea King had granted that he have the day he came of age and was appointed to this river. Now would be the time to call upon the blade and to call upon the training that he had gone through as a child.

Carefully, with claws unused to manipulating such items, he nested the sword within the silver scabbard, being sure that the safety latch was engaged. Grasping it securely in one claw, he carefully place a spell upon the set to protect it from the water. As the doors opened for him once again, cold gripped his insides. Praying to the higher gods, he hoped that it wasn't an omen. He leapt upward, back into his waters, and undulated for the surface as the doors below him closed and locked.

Ni sat at his desk, now looking over proposals for other housing projects in japan. That didn't mean that he was succeeding in paying attention to them though. For the past two weeks, his mind had been on other matters.

He could remember how horrified he was when his daughter came back to the company building and rushed to his office. She had let her glamour fall just as the door closed, and he could see the twigs in her hair, cuts from branches, and bruises from rough handling. He had thought his gut couldn't get any lower until she let her bombshell drop.

Chisen had let loose his dog-servant.

Ni was well acquainted with the dog-spirit, as it had gone after him and his things many times since it's creation. Ni had played many people, keeping his identity a secret, yet it always seemed to know exactly who he was, and what to do. He suspected what the spirit would go after this time.

After all, Chisen had squandered all his money, and the rent from the apartments would be a nice income for him. The only thing of greater value that he possessed was the dragon's Celestial Pearl, and only Ni and Kohakunushi knew how to obtain it.

What worried Ni the most though, was what could happen if the plans for the project were interfered with. Things had to be done carefully so as not to injure the river kami so badly as to kill him. He had to be sent to the Spirit World. It did no good to kill Nigihayami Kohakunushi. As spiteful as the dog-spirit was though, Ni could be sure that he would not only try to steal the deed, but pull a lot of problems for the workers.

"Never thought I'd be wishing for a demon-exterminator."

Ni took a long drink of the tea set to his side, and ate a bit of the mochi his current wife had packed for dessert in his lunch. Finally, having steeled himself enough, he pressed the button on the intercom.

"Cheryl-san, please send in Foreman Ogino-san."

The line buzzed, then replyed.

"Right away Tsuni-san!"

A few minutes later, his new foreman arrived, direct from the planning meeting he had been attending with the other shift foremen.

"What can I do for you sir?"

"We will need to step up the speed on the river project. Please inform everyone that since required materials have arrived, we will be starting tomorrow."

A look of shock and dismay crossed the human's face, and Ni briefly wondered what the unexpected start would be interrupting.

"Yes, sir. I will spread the word right away."

"Ogino-san, please only tell the other foremen and the teams that will be working on this project. I do not want anybody above you to know just yet."

"Yes, sir."

Akkio then turned around and went about his task, leaving Ni sitting at his desk.

Later that night, Akkio was laying down in bed, trying to sleep. Sleep however, wasn't coming. As he shifted around again, his wife woke up. It was some time though, before her sleepy voice could penetrate the thick cocoon of thoughts that he had enshrouded himself in.

"What's wrong dear?"

"Boss stepped up the date of the project beginning to tomorrow. We'll be partially capping the spring that feeds the river, while the rest of the water will be pumped out of the river and stored for later."

"Partially capped?"

"The spring can't be fully capped, not only because it is a sacred site, but the hydrologists think that there might be an underground river that also feeds from the spring. They aren't sure though because of what they are calling the 'unique' geology of the area."

"So what's wrong then?"

"I don't know. Something just doesn't feel right. Also, I feel a bit guilty about being part of taking away the river. Chihiro just loves it so much."

"I don't see why she does. However, when she is older, I think that she will understand. For now, we just don't tell her what you are doing for work. Go to sleep hon, you have a big day tomorrow."

With that, Yuukio turned over and went back to sleep. Akkio turned the other way, but sleep refused to claim him.

'Why do I feel like I'm doing something wrong?'

He had already marked down seeing 'the River-man' to the stress of having lost his old job so suddenly. He had been over-tired, and his childhood friend was only imaginary, after all. Still, every time he thought of the river no longer flowing peacefully beneath the spring-time blossoms, his heart froze.

Koji was frantic. For two weeks he had been trying to attract the attention of his kami. Every time he prayed, he felt like he was only being half-listened to. Something was absorbing Kohakunushi's attention. Then when he could feel the full attention swing his way, invariably someone would either barge in or bang on the door, causing the rest of his message to rush. Somehow, he didn't think the kami had managed to decipher it. What, was his house suddenly crash central or something?

Tonight, though, was going to be different. This time, he had put up a sign on the front door that he was not to be disturbed, for a religious observance. He also had gotten one of his friends to stand on guard outside the door so that he could have peace, at least until he had delivered his message. He was after all, a priest and not a midwife, school counselor, or babysitter.

Lighting the candles before his altar, he cleared his thoughts. Carefully, he picked up the rosewood joss sticks and lit them, placing them securely in a holder. Now he was assured of not only no interruptions on the physical plane, but there shouldn't be any on the spiritual plane either.

"Nigihayami Kohakunushi-sama, I, your Priest Ogino Koji wish to speak with you."

'Quit with the honorific please! I've heard that a kitsune had been attacked. What is the rest of your message?'

Koji was happy that he had finally gotten through, and surprised that Kohakunushi had heard anything with how hurried his prayers had been lately.

"In two weeks, the Sacred Spring will be stopped up in order to empty your river. There is a construction company that plans to fill it and place apartments where it is now, Lord."

'. . . .'

"The kitsune felt that the dog-spirit has been summoned to steal the deed from the owner of the company."

". . . Two weeks isn't enough time to divert the river. Thank you Koji. I must break this connection as I need to confer with the other kami in this area. It seems that we are all being pushed from our homes. Do what you can to help stop this. I need someone among you humans."

As the mental connection between kami and daitoku was released, Koji noticed that the candles had burnt out. Cleaning up the wax, he thought to himself. He himself had no power to stop this project from moving forward. Maybe one of his environmentalist friends would know what to do. Perhaps the project could be slowed enough to allow the kami the time that he would need. Kohakunushi had enough on his plate worrying about the dog spirit, and now his home was going to be destroyed.

He went to the door, and let his friend know that he was done, and that he could return home if he wished or to stay the night if it was more convenient. The man chose to go home, which was actually fine with Koji. He was feeling a little irate with the human race right now. That, he found very odd as he was a human himself.

Flinging himself upon his futon, and covering with his blankets, one thought drifted through his mind as sleep wrapped her tender arms around him.

'How was it that the project has progressed so far, surely there would have been protests or something?'

Snug in her bed, Chihiro sleepily gazed out her window at the night.

'I miss you.'

She rolled over and closed her eyes. Unknown to her, two golden eyes blazed in the garden below her window, and two ears perked to hear the breathing of the family as it fell asleep.

'There's something about that girl. I will have her. The way that the river god protected her, it's as if she possesses his heart."

Words

Taijya - demon slayer

Thanks to all of you who have reviewed. Sorry, no individual replies this time, Ijust got home a few hours ago.