Underwater Savior
Chapter 14: Capping the Spring, Unleashing One's Nature
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!
A shadowed figure passed through even darker halls beneath the surface of the earth. All around him was the trickle of the filtered water coming to his realm from the realm of the mountain dragon above him. The air was cool, as it usually is under the earth and out of the sun. Here in his stronghold, he was unaware of the problems that raged overhead.
This innocence to the happenings above were not without reason. He only paid attention to females, what was going on within his world and at the surface of his spring. Every once in a while he would go above and pay a visit to his good friend Kohakunushi. The visits that had once been common became fewer and far between as the two had grown up though. As they grew older, their respective parents had passed to them more responsibilities, which eventually culminated in complete care of the areas they now lived in. Kohakunushi had it fairly easy, charged with the carriage of the all-important water, while Ten had to store it or let it flow based on the need. As the spirit of a spring, he was also a personification of fertility, as through this realm came life from the earth.
Ten was feeling especially lonely today. It was probably brought on by a short visit from Kohakunushi's father. The old dragon had not seen the mother of his only child in a long time, as she lived far away in the sea. The two men had a long discussion about the volume of the rains which had passed, and the amount of snow that would be coming in the winter. Ten needed to know how much water would be needing to go both below and above so that he himself did not get floated out of his home.
A strange feeling passed through him, which he dismissed quickly.
'Probably just another squirrel getting a drink.'
Sighing, Ten made for the meeting hall, which also served as his study. As his feet plodded woodenly along the stone floors, the occasional light from a crystal would reveal a bit of brown skin, or a flash of dark robes. As he thought of the paperwork that he had to tackle today, his pace slowed even more. He had been putting it off for a really long time, and would probably need to swim through it to even find his hidden desk. How extremely boring. Maybe it would mysteriously float away and save him from the horror.
In contrast to the bored and lonely spring guardian, an overcrowded and flustered river guardian was currently trying to avoid his two head housekeepers. Already, some of the spirit denizen of the upper river were begging sanctuary in the deeper river as had been done in times of drought. Being the guardian, he had to let them in. Of course, this was confusing to the housekeepers and they were boggled by the sheer amount of rumors.
"So did you get the demon? I bet you pulled his head clean off his body and tore him to bits, huh? Was it gross?"
"What's this about the upper river being in trouble? Where am I going to put everybody without them having to fill the secret caverns too? How does a human destroy a river? Don't let us die master!"
It carried on like that, the two spirits sounding like little children who had either eaten too many sweets or been told one to many spooky stories. Obviously, it did nothing for the River Lord's concentration, nerves, or temper. He was trying to keep himself under control though, and so merely avoided answering the questions. He had one more object to procure, then he could start. He would need to go and retrieve the statue that had once been thrown into the headwaters for safe keeping.
"Master? Is it really that bad? Are we going to die? Why won't you say anything?"
Kohakunushi stopped and looked at his loyal servants. They were far enough from the refugees that he hopefully wouldn't start a panic if he spoke in whispers.
"Do not repeat anything, is this understood?"
Nods and wide eyes were his answer. His heavy gaze locked with their own, and they saw that their beloved master was struggling under the weight of all his responsibilities. He was but one young dragon with many problems. The weariness in his eyes frightened them. It was the look of a noble who knew his end would be coming, yet still tended to his people. An impossible breeze past between the Lord and his servants moaning a quiet song of death, and they knew that the omen was bad.
"In less than two weeks, the humans will begin taking over the upper river, the part that ties us in to the human world. Many more will seek refuge, and the armed will stay above to fight for the river. That includes myself. The humans have technology that will eventually sway the war in their favor."
"But master, that means that you could die if it is a war. During drought you merely slept here, but if nature is fought against. . ."
"Probably. I can't hide from fate though. The other problem is that the demon is still above. That is the other reason I will be there. I will see to it that he is gone."
"What happens if he kills you?"
"Then the fight to keep the above portion must continue. Many of our refugees can't survive for too long without the light from the sun. They are ill equipped for life here."
The spirits could feel the stone weight of destiny pressing on them, suffocating their hope and dreams of the future. Free will only took you so far, then destiny had her say. It seemed fortune would not be with them.
The dragon slid into the underground river, sliding upstream through the blackness. It struck him how this was a perfect metaphor for his life, always swimming in the darkness and unsure if he was going the right way or doing the right thing. It was strange, but as he went further upriver, the current seemed to be getting stronger than usual, as if more water was being channeled this way than usual.
'Odd, I don't remember Father having plans for more runoff at this time of year. It's not that warm.'
Ten had finally gotten behind his desk, settled amongst drifts of white paper. It looked rather like the mountain spirit had decided to leave him a few piles of snow as a joke, except that the flakes all were large and rectangular. Well, it was a nice fantasy anyway. He still hated paperwork though.
After a bit, he felt a lapping at his toes, like water. Looking down to make sure that he was just hallucinating out of boredom, what he saw sent his mind into a whirlpool of confusion. At that time, a servant barged in.
"Master! The halls are flooding!"
'Crap. So much for it just being imagination.'
The papers began to soak up water, while others began to float away. The water level continued rising, lapping greedily at his calves now. Sloshing through the liquid life that was now beginning to take on a hint of wild desperation, the spring god made his way to the view mirror. With a thought, the scrambled swirls focused and calmed, revealing his once placid surface. Men were there, with large machinery, lowering heavy rocks into his gorgeous pool. The water darkened correspondingly, slowly losing the life it once held shining within.
A roar raged through the halls and passages of the Spring of Sacred Life, chilling the inhabitants to the bone. The roar carried through the water to the ears of another water being, and the answering roar carried a question that only the dragon species had the understanding to decipher. Another roar spilled from the Spring Lord's now much larger throat, answering the question with pain and confusion. A bronze dragon with scales so dulled with fury he looked brown with an even darker spiked mane then rampaged towards the surface of the spring, calling to his swiftly approaching friend to meet him at the border of the human world and his own.
Still the water rose, carrying more paper away.
The keeper of the Kohakugawa had won his way to the halls of the Spring World. Water flowed by swiftly, seeking passage to complete the dance it had done since its birth, carrying away bits of paperwork that obviously had not been securely filed away and now granted the freedom the trees had to sway their branches in the wind currents.
He remembered the panicked sound of his best friend's voice. How could the spring be blocked? He shot through the rising waters, intent on getting to the border between the Spring and Human worlds to find the problem. He was worried though, his friend had not sounded so panicked since the first time he had met a human.
Finally, he gained the meeting point in the borderland. Relief coursed through his veins and lightened his frame as he took in the dark and wild being before him, seeing the other dragon unharmed. The normally brown eyes were now dark with worry and fear though.
'The humans! They blocked the spring! They will drown the few beings down there who must breath the air! I can't channel all this extra water through the underground portion of your river! We have to stop them!'
Sheer and utter panic. Of course the water would all go through the other half of the river. It had done so before he was hatched from his egg and the water began trickling down his bed after all, why would it not be able to do the same now? They did need to unblock it somehow though, otherwise the animals above would have no drink, and the Fukaikohakugawa river passed too deep for the shallower rooted plants to obtain the water. Then he remembered when the two were young and delighted in causing avalanches from the mountain peaks. He smacked the other god on the head with his tail.
'We can push the blockage out Ten.'
'. . . oh. Yeah.'
Kohakunushi shook his head. Even though he was the younger of the two gods, he was the more mature. In reply, Ten stuck out his tongue.
'Real attractive. That's part of why no female wants you to court them. Besides, now you're drooling. Every female down-river is going to be pregnant if you don't stop.'
A roar of aggravation shook the walls. The humans above heard it, but only interpreted it as a pressure buildup below of some kind. They proceeded to build the sides of the pool up higher, to contain any extra water that would seep up.
'Well, at least you're not panicking anymore. Take your aggravation out on the blocks.'
The duo surged forward, bellowing. Straining against the rocks, they went past a tarnished dragon statue. Finally, they could push no more. At least there was a hole now, and water swiftly began filling up the human modified pool, shooting upward from the pressure of the two dragons directing it. Once the below ground emergency state was taken care of, Ten slowed the flow and the above ground river flowed on. It was a bit slower and lower output than it once was, but at least it carried on. The dragon connected to it felt a little ill though. Other machinery was already siphoning off extra water, here and further down river.
On their way back down, he snatched the statue. Ten saw this, but said nothing. He could wait until they were someplace more suitable. His friend was looking very worn. He obviously had been on the go for a very long time, and even dragons needed to be still at times.
Within the nameless mountain above the spring and river, a very large tatsu stirred nervously, two pieces of jade peering through the inky blackness as short waves of gold flowed from his neck and tail. The white and gold being was responsible for bringing the rains and snows to the area, and for causing the snow melt to be filtered by his mountain, purifying the water stores for his homeland. A tatsu's normal abode was a lake, sea, or other deep body of water, but he preferred the rugged terrain and cold winds that howled over the rocky peaks.
What caused this ancient scaled being such unease was a simple thing really. It seemed that his runoff was building up in the passages. It wasn't much of a problem actually, as he had nothing that could be harmed by the waters. What worried him was the reason for the build up. He hated not knowing why something was happening.
As quickly as it happened, it was gone. A little foam was left behind on the walls as the main body torrented gleefully away, carrying life to the land and messages of reassurance and well-being to a much beloved k'uh-lung of blue and green in the distant sea.
'Odd. I wonder what happened.'
Looping his way through the tunnels, Tatsu patiently approached the way to his craggy peaks. Perhaps he would be able to see something from there. The several thousand years he had lived had only improved his sight and strengthened his spreading horns.
During all of this time, Chihiro had walked from her home's little garden all the way to her grandfather's house and somehow convinced him to take her to the Sacred Spring. Koji had called her mother to make sure it was alright, and found that she was now feeling very sick and that she would actually appreciate it if he kept her the whole day. Needless to say, Koji had been very surprised. Chihiro was worried about her, but she figured maybe if she brought back some of the water it would help her mom feel better.
Koji had contrived a seat on the back of his bicycle where he strapped her securely so she would not fall, tied his pants and sleeves up securely, and set off. A hastily thrown together picnic was brought as well, to be eaten at the spring.
They were stunned when they found workers sullying the ancient site. The black smog from the machines made the air smell of the oil that powered them, while rocks created a small dam holding back some of the water from the river that gave so much life to the area. The current was slower than usual, and the water did not dance nearly as energetically as it once had.
"Haku! NO! Ji-chan, they're hurting Haku!"
The child's voice rang clear and true above the melee of machinery before them, causing workers to pause and look for the source. A large man turned from what he was directing and gasped. His eyes then locked with those of his father, and he wilted below the heavy disapproval and shock written so clearly there. Swallowing his guilt quickly, he became as the iron ore.
"What are you doing here? Get out of here! Now!"
Hearing the man her father had become, the child's cries only became louder as she began screaming for her friend. The aging grandfather comforted her as best he could, before turning back to the son who had once been so innocent.
"Mark my words, my son. A river can never die or be controlled. Somehow, he will take back what is his."
With this, he turned around, and pedaled for a place higher up the mountain. It was a place that he had never taken his son, and never would. This was a place known only to the Priests of the various kami of the area. It was in the domain of one more powerful than the river or the spring, but somehow, he knew the child with him would be welcomed and comforted there.
His granddaughter continued to scream, large drops of moisture streaming from her eyes as she cried a river of her own for the one she saw her beloved father harming.
"They're killing him!"
A child's wailing reached the ears of the dragons, and Kohakunushi only lowered his head and closed his eyes. Fists became rocks as his body trembled in the control of his rage, jade becoming steel. Above, in the river proper, water foamed and crashed, reflecting its master's anger, sending the humans into confusion.
"What are you doing here? Get out of here! Now!"
"What's wrong?"
"I know that voice, and I know the wails. To think I saved his family last night. I should have left the spell on him and only helped her."
"Woah there! What spell? Save who?"
"You'd know if you even came to any of the meetings."
"I haven't gotten any summons."
A few papers floated to Ten's feet as the last of the water was making its way out.
"You would if you ever stayed up with your paperwork."
". . ."
Kohakunushi sighed and told his story as they sank to the floor in the meeting hall.
Within the Fukaikohaku, the water level had risen alarmingly high very suddenly as the current had gained its strength, greedily sucking in anyone who got too far in. It had also caused a mess. There was paper everywhere.
"Where did all this come from? The library is shut up tight!"
A sightless white fish currently living in a bucket that had miraculously not been swept away finished nudging out the limp intruder. A lizard carefully flipped it over.
'Ten. I will be visiting to discuss the waters in a couple weeks. Tatsu.'
It was dated a month ago.
"Looks like Ten didn't keep up with his paperwork again."
"We could always put it back in the river."
"And get Lord Kohaku's mom mad at us for putting it back? No."
"There's a lot to clean up, huh?"
"Yup."
The fish heaved a weary sigh. Silence reigned for a moment in her encompassing splendor, then the flow of the river reversed. Foaming anger surged upstream, answering the call of the master, lending strength and determination stored in the flowing deep. Those who had not been washed away in the former onslaught of their own element retreated further from the river, recognizing the rage of their Lord and Master and securing themselves in the refugee rooms.
"Bring it on."
'So they want to put apartments over your bed, which they have just started work on today almost two weeks early. Then there is this monster who seems bent on being a nuisance and has now taken a more than unhealthy interest in your future priestess. And that happened just last night?'
'Yes.'
'He made an attack on a human.'
'Yes.'
Ten smacked Kohakunushi's head with his tail.
'There's your loophole. Attack him wherever and whenever. By the rules of combat, at the time you go into the fight now you will not be visible to the human world, unless it's somebody with The Sight. If the child sees, you are perfectly entitled to hide those memories for her.'
'That is what I am going to do, except I'd rather not have her in the position to need that at all. I've got something to take care of first though.'
Ten watched curiously as his friend's backside slowly retreated towards his home. He took careful note of the swish of tail, the slight dullness of scale, and the less energetic wave of mane.
'I hope he knows what he's doing. Wish he'd let me help.'
As he approached the surface, Kohakunushi reestablished the link with the ancient statue. It began to warm as the magics lurking within began to flow once more, reaching out and feeling around, recognizing the call of the self. Ivory fangs bared in pain glinted in the light of awakening and anchoring echoed by the silver of the statue.
At last, it was done, and he set the statue down by the rock it had originally been beside. Now, if he died from the loss of the river or a wound of battle, his spirit would still be tied here, protective and waiting for her need. Feeling secure finally, he drifted up towards the distant watery light intent on punishing the humans who attacked not only his home, but had the gall to attack his friend's as well.
Not to mention the heartbreak caused to his treasure.
With a roar, the waters began to foam and rise, preparing to flood the countryside. If he could break their precious iron machines that they worshiped so, then they would have to stop for a while. Maybe he could buy some more time to defeat the monster and even save his home. If it was severely haunted, who would want to risk angering the spirits.
He coiled one last time and prepared, waiting for the best moment.
Words
Tatsu - These are the spiritual dragons (ryu) of imperial power. Spiritual dragons created the rains and wind for mankind. White dragons symbolize death.
K'uh-lung - a Chinese dragon born of a type of seaweed. Lung is a Chinese word for dragon.
Fukaikohakugawa - Deep Kohaku river
Reviewer Corner (gasp, it's actually here)
KatsyKat - you'll see why the torture (so it builds the suspense) hopefully I'll be able to make it clear why he was such a pushover in R. N. D. though. Weak old dog. Actually, I kind of pity the guy. Poor Greed, poor Kohaku.
Aharah Musici: Thanks
NitenGale: Don't worry, when I leave a review it sometimes only consists of "wow".
Shadows-insanity: updated!
Every Bishounen's True Love: updated!
R. K. F. questions will be answered in the next chapter of that. evil smile