Promise of a River
By: LadyRainStarDragon
Chapter 17: Tides and Verdicts
Physical events in our world have effects in the other world, and vice-verse. The ever surging tide of life will not be denied or delayed for long, asserting itself sometimes in the most terrifying of situations. When dealing with dragons, it is important to know when to be far, far away, and to know where a good rock is. It really sucks though when that time coincides with pre-scheduled hearings. And then there are the tides within one's own self . . .
Rain owneth not ye Spirited Away.
Green shifted himself about his pillar, great golden scales reflecting light back to dance with the jeweled walls. His body writhed around uneasily, uncomfortable in the extreme heat that rightfully did not belong in the chamber. Scales clinked and clanged, and tense hisses escaped him every now and then. Every panted breath from the females in the room caused him to wince imperceptibly, every rumble from them hitched his breath.
He never had figured out why his parents had named him Green, as nothing about him appeared green. Then again, he had always had an affinity for young and growing things.
Such as this young dragon that now stood before him and the other members of the Council. Exactly six months remained until his contract with his mistress was terminated. The aqua plumes writhed in excitement, even his pearly scales standing on end in anticipation, although of the verdict or his fate at the hands of the two females one couldn't tell.
Glancing over at Tatsu, the elder Nigihayami was in much the same state, although managing to at least calm his wild rays of gold. Well, a little bit at least. Those vibrant tendrils had been whipping about like they were caught in a tempest if Nyuuhakushoku hadn't exaggerated when they spoke a few days ago. Fujiyama's coils twitched a bit, while an enigmatic smirk played over his face on occasion. Red and Blue were both writhing around their pillars, wanting to hurry through the formalities so they could return to their mates, an upsurge in seismic activity throughout the world had sent most fire, metal, and earth dragon females ahead in their cycles by at least 200 years. As happy as these two Fire and Metal dragons were with the verdict to be given, they had just entered their heat cycle and were anxious to brood over new clutches.
The youngest Nigihayami was as far away from those two as he could politely manage. He was very like his father when Tatsu was young, except for the one female whose smell he had liked. Green knew Kohakunushi's first choice for Mate, and even though she was a human, he would grudgingly allow it if it were to happen. Only grudgingly though, because it would be far better to claim her once the human spirit was free from her flesh and aging.
Ah well, no one ever said that Youth came with Wisdom.
I had received the summons to come and hear the verdict on my case. Racing there, I had been filled with dread and anticipation, simultaneously wishing for the outcome to be favorable, and terrified that they would deny me my Chihiro. My heart rode in my throat, and my stomachs were all in knots. I would have even sweated in nervousness had I possessed the proper glands for it.
The laughing welcome of the White/Gold dragon had been very unnerving. His voice was so familiar, and yet, I still couldn't place him. He merely smiled at my eyes that had narrowed themselves in thought, his round emeralds to my slivers of jade. The crisp and cool scent tickled at shadows in my mind, but nothing came forth.
The other four dragons murmured amongst themselves about what a marvelous idea it had been to return the sword, saying it had done me good, that recognition was finally beginning to stir within me.
I was assured of my welcome by their actions, but the heavy scents filtering and slinking through the air unnerved me, and I moved as far away as I could. Two of these Beings were in fertile periods, and Ryu-onna are notoriously unpredictable in that state. As in dangerous if they do not know you well, you were too close to their Mate, or if it had been too long since they had eaten. I could only hope that they had eaten recently, the thought of screaming my horror for all to hear while I was being eaten alive was not an image that I relished.
The Gold opened his mouth to sing the opening intonation of Council Proceedings. His booming seemed to calm the females momentarily, as they lost themselves in the notes of song that is our language.
"State your name for the records, Son of Water."
"Nigihayami Kohakunushi."
"The same Nigihayami Kohakunushi that arrived before our paws to plead for Guardianship and Possession of one Ogino Chihiro, the human woman-child?"
"The same."
"The self-same Nigihayami Kohakunushi who was banished to this world after his physical tie to the Human World was buried beneath rubble and home?"
"Such am I."
"Our verdict is binding, are you prepared to hear?"
"I am, and will abide by my Elder's Decision."
"Then heed the words of Nigihayami Tatsu, who is your Sire and our Representative of Water."
I could not keep my jaw from falling open as the Snow Dragon coiled up a little farther on his massive pillar. My jade eyes locked with the benign glow of his own forested eyes, and the melody of his song was that of snow thawing in Spring.
"This Nigihayami Tatsu is honored that my Son is willing to take such a difficult assignment as the protection of a ningen, who so often put themselves in danger, or do not listen to our promptings. This Ancient Council has seen your bravery, dedication, loyalty, strength . . . and your love. We had already decided to award the human to you, then it came to our attention that your spirit was drawing itself even further apart as it attempted to fulfil some promise that you had made. A test was devised then, that you would retrieve your sword, and thereby gain back part of yourself. In return for our kindness, you must agree to keep the woman safe from all harm, and if she does choose to take a mate, whoever he may be, you will allow her to do so. Is this understood, Pup?"
"I understand, and thank both my Sire and the other Elders of this Council."
"There is more, Kohakunushi. You will also be awarded a river, to connect you to her world in the event that you do not find a place to coil within as her Possessor. Even now, it is being birthed, but you must not complain about it, even if it were to be clear on the other side of the world from the human you will be Guardian of!"
"I understand. May I ask where my river is to be?"
Five chuckles voiced the amusement of the elements. The red one, whom I assumed was a fire dragon by the delicate flames that danced about her nose with each note, opened her deadly mouth.
"You certainly may, but that is our secret. Let's just say that when the time is right, we will have a messenger tell you."
The blue one then opened her mouth, swaying her head slowly, like one who is lost in a particularly lovely refrain.
"As her Guardian, you may allow her to see you. However, you must be careful. You may not tell her outright of what you are to her, she must discover it on her own."
Red swayed as well, making me think of a dangerous cobra preparing to strike.
"You may do what you feel is appropriate with her, as she is a special case. However, you must remember that she is to have her free will. The moment you coerce her, or even think about it, things will be rectified in a most . . . undignified manner."
Great. I had just embarrassed myself in front of the Council. The Gold spoke again.
"No need to be embarrassed, young Nigihayami-san. Red is just that way, although we all have tried to break her of it."
"Humph."
The three males of the Council and myself shifted away from the women as far as we could. Even though laughter was in their eyes, their power of life was increasing, and if they didn't get Chased by their mates soon, the four of us might just end up as some exotic food dish. The Black completely removed himself from his pillar, and looked at the door longingly.
"This Take Fujiyama moves that since all pertinent information has been recounted, this matter be ended."
"This Green seconds, all in favor, say 'aye'."
I looked on in horror as the three males of the Council were being eyed like food. Obviously, they must not have eaten before this meeting. The females languidly began to unwind, and their stomachs rumbled their need to eat. This is exactly why female dragons were terrifying, their need to eat. When the need struck, they did not always recognize friend from faceless and unknown dragons. Luckily, they seemed to have forgotten me, and for once I was glad to be considered a runt. Three 'ayes' rose in panicked flight to the ceiling, followed by others of 'we're mated and have offspring, spare us your wrath.'
Majority won, and the Council was summarily dismissed. The four of us males hurtled headlong through the tunnels through the heated earth to the surface. While we hid ourselves behind whatever was available and tried to mask our scents, two males stomped at the ground impatiently, eyeing the catacombs we had just poured out of like rats on a sinking ship.
Moments later, two reds and two blues were causing torrential downpours of rain, fierce lightning, roaring thunder to drown out their calls, and for once my mane lay plastered to my scales. Three other heads popped up, sighs of escape trickling tiredly from the elders.
"Kami-sama help us, I hope they take the first time."
I was confused by the Black's statement, and could only expel a burst of air as some rain tried to blow into my nose.
"Me too. Otherwise, we'll be rushing out of that chamber for the next 100 years until their cycle is done. Just like last time."
That had been the Gold, and he appeared haggard as some memory played itself out in his mind.
"It's one thing when it's your own mate. It's an entirely different matter when putting up with a cranky co-worker. And what's even worse, Council Alternates are strictly Forbidden."
I did not envy my father, and I wondered exactly how many times this Ancient group had weathered Fertility Cycles together, trying to work around and within the confines of nature and tides of time and life.
I was aggravated that I had to fly back to the bath house in this storm though, and really hadn't needed to see the Breeding Pairs. It had woken that annoying demon in my head back up, and he was once more busily whispering about what he could and would do with Chihiro, making it very hard to concentrate on escape.
The four of us slunk off in different directions, hoping to get out of the area before we were spotted. Dragons are not the most coherent creatures when . . . occupied . . . and are prone to interpret any moving thing that does not bear their scent mark as either an enemy or food. Neither sounded like an appealing thing to be to me. The Black dragon wasn't as fortunate as the rest of us, and his terrified screams filled the air as the rest of us gave up on stealth and just ran as fast as we could.
"Red! Put the boulder down! It's me, Fujiyama! No! Not on me! AAAAAHHHHHHhhhh! I'm just trying to go home, not Interfere! AAAAAAAhhhhhhh! Blue! You've known me since we were pups! OOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWW!"
I learned a valuable lesson that day. A large black dragon does not blend into a forest well, but a small white dragon hides very well in a nearby stream. Another valuable lesson was not to get roped into serving on the Council once I'm over 10,000. Especially if there is even one female on it, they are just way too DANGEROUS!
To not recognize the face of my father though, that I found disturbing. As I hid under the rock at the edge of the stream waiting for a clear chance to move again, I brooded on this. The gaping holes in my personal history came back to haunt me yet again, and I wondered why I felt such deep aching in my heart. There was something unsaid between my father and myself, some sense that he had helped me in far more ways than I would ever know.
At last, the circling pairs were busy with each other again, and I took the opportunity to get above the clouds where I would not be seen. With any luck, I would be able to stay above the clouds until I reached the bath house, but I had this sinking feeling that the storm was larger than I first thought as the hours roared by. Giving up and not wanting to overshoot my mark, I descended once more.
The rain was joyous and loving, ecstatic in both embrace and caress. The animals below were all stimulated, responding to the Waters of Life. I myself could feel its affects as well, but I had no mate of my own. The closest thing I had was a young woman, whose face I would see in six short months. But I knew that she would not remember me.
Even though I had won a victory, I was still alone.
Chihiro and BlowingWind were running laps around the outdoor track, clomping along like drunken sailors on a reeling ship as they worked on improving both footing and speed. It was difficult to run in their winter boots in the deep snow with the frozen and muddy ground beneath providing many a hidden trap to send one or the other sprawling. Physical education was an elective for them, but the year that the two had skipped it, Ryu had paid dearly.
And so, they had signed up for physical endurance class. They had to endure, and endure, and endure, and endure . . .
It sucked, but it was worth it.
An immense wave of loneliness suddenly swept over Chihiro, pushing the woman to the ground. The ache in her chest was palpable, like someone had ripped her heart out, stomped on it a couple times, then shoved it crudely back in . . . backward. An image of bleak clouds filled her mind, the sweet rain bringing new life to all below, pairs of animals dancing and rejoicing in the life giving nectar from heaven. But there was a sense that all was not right, like there was someone who had no one to share such a lovely sight with.
Unknown to her, tears began to track their way down her cheeks. She longed to reach out and hold whoever it was that felt such pain, but she didn't know where they were. The tears went unnoticed by herself or her friend as the clouds swept overhead. Rain fell to disguise the watery trails, washing the salt away slowly. The suddenness of the cloudburst caused her to look up with eyes still coated in shining layers of water.
Her newly indrawn breath stilled in her lungs, eyes wide with shock. For a moment, she thought she saw a dragon soaring just beneath the clouds. The emptiness in her heart filled for that span of breath, and their eyes met. The shock would have driven her down if she hadn't already been sprawled in the snow and mud, and the bitterness in the creature's eyes seemed to break.
A tear formed in the beast's eye, to drop below and land in a surprised and outstretched hand. Her tender mouth formed an O of surprise and disbelief, yet her eyes also had that wonder he had treasured so. Another tear fell from his eye as he realized she was probably just another illusion of his mind, and he continued on.
Two tears now sat in her hand, held separate from the rain falling all about her. Still gazing in rapt wonder, her breath began again, and she lost sight of the thing that her soul had been yearning for without her acknowledgment. The two slid together, and formed a tiny round orb, translucent and just barely tinged in blue.
BlowingWind had seen the dragon too, had been able to see the entire transit across the sky while the two humans had been overtaken by the storm. Looking into her friend's hand, she saw the tiny stone that had been formed, and knew full well that if Chihiro were to keep it, it would be powerful against sickness of all forms.
"Come on Chi, I think that's enough for today."
Woodenly, the Miko followed the Shaman, eyes forward, but mind vainly trying to process what she just saw, and the object she now held.
'Did I . . . just see . . . a dragon? Surely not! But if not, then where did this come from? Maybe . . . maybe sometimes . . . there is more . . . than what we think.'
"Chihiro? You ok? Let's get some hot chocolate."
'Why was he so sad?'
Rakasha - Hopefully she'll catch on and at least space them a good distance apart, huh? And with all that he's been through, at that point I'm pretty sure he doesn't intend to go back for long enough to babysit her kids once freed. Could you see him swarmed by little baby weasels?
Sakura Ariella - Sounds like a fun trip. Here's an update.
Katsy Kat - Can't write humor all the time anyway, it would make me go bonkers. Figuring out how the spell should be constructed took forever though. Also, for RKF, thanks for the heads up, I thought I had that fixed before I uploaded, but evidently I didn't. So the corrected version should be readable soon, considering I reposted after reading the review.
