Outskirts of Kyoto, 1336
Dust rose from the rutted path as the group of samurai marched past, their sandaled feet taking on a light brown hue. The warriors were heading out to a small village a few miles outside of Kyoto to protect a local dignitary from an alleged band group of assassins. Normally, such work was below them, but their Shogun had given very explicit orders. The captain, Zunami Kyo, was scanning the surrounding bushes, alert for any bandits foolish enough to try and attack.
Finding nothing except a few songbirds, Kyo turned away, intending to tell his men to pick up the pace. Suddenly a strange sound filled the air, and a blue light started flashing from underneath a dead cherry tree. All of the samurai stopped and stared in wonder at the spectacle in front of them; but every man was ready to attack if a threat appeared.
Kyo's eyes widened as an outline of a small building appeared, fading in and out of focus. The outline grew more solid, and after a few more seconds it stopped flashing. The air was suddenly silent; even the birds were too surprised by this sudden occurrence to sing. Right hand grasping the handle of his sword, the man eyed the blue building warily.
It reminded him of a small shrine that often appeared along the roadsides, but this one had strange symbols along the top and on the double doors. On the roof of this mysterious shrine was around object. Kyo recalled that the sudden light had come from that; but whatever fire had caused the light was gone. What being was this shrine dedicated to? Was this a sign from the gods, or was a severe punishment about to be delivered by the keeper of the holy place?
Questions filled the samurai's mind as he gazed at the supernatural shrine. For he knew that no human could have managed such an incredible feat; appearing out of thin air like that. It must be a god! Confident that whatever or whoever inside meant no harm for the moment, Kyo relaxed and motioned for his men to stand down. They reluctantly obeyed, still uneasy about the strange building. Turning to the group, Kyo ordered that two of them go stand guard over the shrine while the rest had a late lunch. Nodding, two brave souls remained behind as Zunami lead the others to embankment a short distance away.
For a while, all was quiet as the samurai ate their rations; Kyo still on the lookout for anything suspicious. A sudden cry from one of the guards brought the samurai to his feet, his eyes taking in the scene below him. The double doors had parted slightly, and a man stood in the entrance, watching calmly as the surprised guards took several steps backwards, hands gripping their sword handles. Running down the small hill, Zunami ordered sharply, "Fuko-dono, Tayka-dono, don't attack!"
The two samurai relaxed slightly, but help their drawing stance. Although the man was unarmed, something might still happen. Reaching the spot where the shrine stood, Kyo edged past the guards, stopping about two feet away from the shrine-keeper. This was partly because he didn't want to appear threatening, but the main reason was of what the other person wore.
The god/shrine-keeper wore a flowing coal-black silk kimono, the bottom of which was split from the thigh down to allow him to wear a pair of black puffy pants. Over his kimono, the man had on a black haori, decorated with tiny pink rosebuds and dropping down to his hips. The haori-himo that held the haori shut was a pure white colour, contrasting sharply with the dark outfit. On his feet were a pair of black leather boots which reached up to his shins. Stitched onto both sleeves of his kimono was a mon, or family crest. But this was like no mon Kyo had ever seen before. A thick red circular boarder contained two interlocking circles, one gold, the other silver, with a vertical light blue slash cutting through the middle of the joined circles, all on a black background.
But the thing that made Kyo certain that he was dealing with a supernatural being was the man himself. Japanese people were usually tanned, but this person was pale-skinned. His hair was similar to a samurai's haircut, but he had no topknot. The eyes were the main thing that was different. Almost everyone in Japan had brown eyes, and a few had grey eyes, but no on that Kyo had heard about had blue eyes. His eyes were the colour of storm clouds, seconds before they unleashed their fury upon the land.
Taking a step forward, the god let the doors swing shut behind him, light eyes staring into Kyo's dark ones, almost daring him to attack. The rest of Zunami's men had gathered behind their captain, waiting for further orders. Kyo decided to show the strange deity the respect he deserved, and slowly knelt down, placed his hands on the ground, and leaned forwards, forehead resting lightly on his knuckles. The rest of the samurai followed suit, showing their respect by copying their captain's very formal bow.
"Rise, samurai." the god commanded, his voice ringing with authority. Mouth dry, Kyo sat up, but did not rise from his knees. Staring firmly at the god's booted feet, the samurai spoke, his voice filled with respect.
"Oh, Kami-sama, how may this humble mortal serve you?"
A moment of silence followed the question, and the samurai feared that he had offended the god. Closing his eyes, Kyo waited for the final blow to fall, but opened them again when an answer came.
"Where in Japan are we?" the god asked, and Kyo noticed the strange accent he had. Did all gods have this accent, or was this one special in some regard? Licking his lips, the samurai replied, "We are in the outskirts of Kyoto, Kami-sama."
"Who is the current Shogun?"
"Prince Morikuni, Kami-sama."
"What is your name samurai?"
"I am Zunami Kyo, Kami-sama." the warrior replied, bowing once more. He hadn't expected this god to be interested in him; but had answered anyways, fearing retribution if he didn't.
"Alright then, Zunami-dono, tell your men to leave us in peace."
"Yes, Kami-sama." Turning slightly, he quietly ordered his men to continue towards their destination, and to follow Tayka-dono's orders if any trouble arose.
The samurai made a final bow towards the god and quickly departed, leaving Kyo alone with the deity. Silence fell as the god waited until the warriors were out of sight before speaking again. "Zunami-dono, I am a Shinigami."
This simple statement was met with a gasp and a sudden bow from Kyo. Shinigami were powerful spirits, minions of the afterlife who were sent among the living to gather the lost souls of the departed. Some legends told of a small group of Shinigami who were able to cause death instead of just observing it. Kyo had no doubt that this Shinigami was part of that elite group.
Voice trembling slightly with awe, Zunami asked, "Shinigami-sama, how may I assist you?" Hearing a sharp sigh, Kyo froze wondering if he had asked the wrong thing. He was a samurai, not a priest! He had no knowledge of how to deal with the gods!
Pebbles crunched as the Shinigami moved closer to the samurai, stopping less than a foot from his head.
"Stand up. Now." Hearing the firm order, the man shakily rose to his feet, gaze still fixed on the ground.
"Look at me." Kyo hesitated, knowing that he was far below the status needed to look a god in the eye. He helplessly shook his head, praying to Buddha that his death would be quick and honourable.
"Look at me." the Shinigami repeated, his voice cold. Realizing that he had no other choice than to obey, the samurai slowly raised his eyes upwards, finally meeting the god's frosty gaze.
The two men stood there for a few moments, staring at each out. A cool breeze whipped past, rustling the tree branches and making their kimonos flare to one side. Then the Shinigami gave a slight nod, indicating that he considered Kyo to be his equal. The samurai bowed his head and stepped back just as the shine's doors opened once more.
This time, two people emerged from the building, another man and a woman. The male was dressed in a green-and-white yukata with a green hakama and a striped obi. The young woman was dressed in a funerary kimono, and had light yellow hair, similar to the colour of autumn leaves. Both were as pale as the Shinigami, and the girl had bluer eyes than the god. Where they all Shinigami?
As if he could read Kyo's mind, the god in the black kimono spoke. "This one is a Shikigami," the male stated gesturing to the one in the yukata, "and the other one is a Hisa-me." A Shikigami was a spirit that often accompanied other gods or spiritual beings, but this was the fist time Zunami had heard of one in a human transformation state. It must be very powerful to take over a human body or to hold that form for such a long period of time. A Hisa-me was a female demon of death that inhabited the underworld. All told, this Shinigami must be very powerful to control such spirits. Plus, he was well protected from any kind of attack.
Kyo bowed to each spirit in turn, making a silent vow to got to the local temple and give an offering as soon as he was able to.
"Now then, may we accompany you to where your were heading before we arrived?" the Shinigami asked, motioning in the direction that Kyo's men had headed in.
"I was heading to a small village near here to watch over a local official, so I am unable to escort you to Kyoto. If you wish to wait until the matter is settled there, I will be honoured to take you to Kyoto."
"Fantastic. Let's go!" Grinning at the samurai, the Shinigami set out, leaving Kyo with his spirits. After a moment of hesitation, the man headed after the god, the spirits falling into step beside him.
Notes
The Japanese write and say their name the opposite way people in the West do. They say their last (or family) name first, followed by their name. Zunami Kyo is the traditional way to say his name in Japan. I will be using this form throughout the fanfic.
During the history of Japan, small stone shrine were erected by the roadside to serve as a resting point or to pay homage to a particular spirit.
The honorific "dono" at the ends of two of the samurai's names was a common practice in those times. It is a term of great respect and reverence, and most commonly used to address samurai.
The black pants that the Doctor is wearing were used by all classes, from peasants to the Emperor. The material the pants were made of usually indicated that person's rank in society.
A haori is a hip- or thigh-length kimono coat which adds formality.
A haori-himo is a tasselled, woven string fastener for the haori. The most formal colour is white.
A mon (or kamon) is a family heraldic symbol, consisting of a roundel encircling a design. Since the Time Lords have no mon, I decided to create one (The red boarder encircling the two rings). The light blue slash was added by the Doctor just to personalize the crest.
The bow that Kyo and his mean perform is a saikeirei bow, and is a sign of great respect or reverence to the person/group it is directed at.
'Kami" usually refers to any object of worship in the Shinto faith, but can also be translated as "god" or deity".
"Sama" is another honorific used primarily in addressing persons much higher in rank than oneself, or to address or speak of persons or objects for which the speaker wishes to show respect or deference. ('Kami-sama' is also used by Japanese Christians to refer to God, but here, the similarity was by accident)
Prince Morikuni was the 9th and last shogun of the Kamakura shogunate. He was Shogun from June 19, 1308- September 25, 1336.
A Shinigami is a term originally used for translating personifications of death, or be used more loosely to refer to any god associated with death.
A Shikigami are spirits summoned to serve or protect an Onmyoji (a practitioner of Onomyodo, a mixture of natural science and occultism), much like the western concept of a wizard's familiar. Shikigami can take the forms of birds or other small animals, and the more powerful of the Shikigami can even take possession of a person. The range of abilities possessed by a Shikigami is dependent on the Onmyoji's capabilities.
A Hisa-me was originally a female demon of death in the Japanese underworld.
