As the two shinobi departed in the murky twilight hours, Kakashi looked to his companion.
"Where are we headed?"
"To the Land of Birds. It's just under two days if we run."
Kakashi eyed her copious wrappings over the wound on her shoulder, she'd undone the sling that had anchored her arm to her shoulder so they could sprint. The urge to chastise her, coddle her, was strong, but her look of determination stopped him as they sped through the dense pine trees often thriving around mountain regions. They ran, only stopping for short breaks. In those moments of quiet rest, any words seemed to die before leaving their mouths as neither could think of what to say, the questions, unasked and heavy, lay between them.
Near the middle of day two, the travellers stopped in a shaded area for a quick rest. Nishira pulling out a ration from her pack and nibbled on the dried fruit for some needed sugar. Frowning from being under the scrutiny and barrage of the unspoken tiptoeing Kakashi was doing, she finally snapped.
"Stop doing that."
Kakashi looked directly at her for the first time all day.
"Doing what?"
"Stop looking at me with that worried look. Stop looking at like I'm some fragile doll. I am fully aware how pathetic and stupid I've been."
The words bit painfully, and he had no response. So, they continued their awkward silence as they camped for the night on the edge of the Land of Birds, knowing the morning would bring them to the old temple.
A fire crackled between them, casting a warm glow on their faces. Nishira 's gaze kept flicking towards the direction they would be heading in the morning, worry lines deeply etched into her face. She persisted until the flames began to simmer at the bottom of the makeshift pit, her dinner completely untouched. Pulling up the cover of her sleeping bag up, Nishira turned away from the warmth and her partner, desperate to get some shut eye before they reached her ancestral home. Kakashi followed suit.
Something stirred Kakashi from his sleep, the feeling that something was present that shouldn't be. He sat up to only see him and his former student, sitting up staring along the forest line behind her.
"Nishira? What is it?"
Blinking back the sleep in his eyes, his mind raced trying to determine what had woken him up. The forest sounded as it always did, the fire ash spread with the incoming wind, but nothing seemed out of place.
"Stupid beasts, disgusting rats with horns."
Kakashi's blood froze in his veins, the voice did not belong to any person he had spoken to before. Though it undoubtedly came from the young woman in front of him. It was deeper, rich and earthy, and utterly dripping with disdain.
"Who are you?"
"Hmm? Oh, don't mind me, she's sleeping. Poor thing was about to have a fit, so I took over for a while. It's the least I can do."
The words rattled around his brain refusing to make any sort of sense to him. Kakashi frowned, his guard raised.
"What jutsu is this?"
"Silly human, it's no jutsu. My vessel is very strong but also very fragile." The woman inhaled deeply, letting it out as a relaxed sigh. "The grounds here are as old as time, and it has been far too long since I've walked them."
Kakashi jumped to his feet, grabbing a kunai.
"Ah, ah, my pet. Wouldn't do to harm this charming body that adores you so. Return to your sleep and let me be here in silence. Damn those creatures, if I could I would rid the world of them."
Kakashi looked in the same direction to see the silhouette of a stag, its antlers shining in the pale light, attached to a black being with eyes that glittered menacingly.
"I don't know why they chose such things; I have despised them for as long as I can recall, and they have no love for me. Except when I am tucked away. Well, I guess with them patrolling I am stuck here, so you shall be the one to entertain me."
The look alike turned its head in a smooth movement that was not natural taking in the man before her. Her eyes glowed with a dark obsidian gleam that shone in an otherwise darkened face, except for the whiteness of her teeth, her smile wide and sinister.
"Perhaps you'd like to come closer. Keep an old lady company."
"Release Nishira at once!"
"Imbecile. Were you not listening? She was about to fall apart. I was the one being merciful when I offered to take the reigns for a while, so the poor girl can rest. Do you think I would harm my own vessel?"
"Vessel?"
"Oh, sweet boy, you have so much to learn about our little priestess it seems. Maybe when she wakes, you should ask her about me."
Kakashi remained suspicious.
"Who are you?"
"I am the spirit that lives within her, her fate if you will. Not long after her birth this one was destined to serve me for the rest of her days. I will admit this body is much more worn than the last time I was allowed outside. So many unsightly scars and marks, most unladylike. But it won't be long, mortals rarely live long, and this one seems to be desperate to make that time much shorter."
Anger bubbled in Kakashi's being, his eyes narrowed at the reposed form across from him.
"I demand you release her."
The sound that came from that poised mouth was one of amusement.
"My, aren't you charming, and bold with such requests. Well, if you want to take care of her little tantrum then be my guest."
With a deep breath, whatever that was possessing his student seemed to leave or withdraw its influence, as her body flumped over like a rag doll. Kakashi surged forward to right her, relieved to see her normal warm eyes dazedly looking around frowning.
"Kakashi sensei? What's going on?"
Kakashi looked around to see the stag had vanished, leaving just the two of them. He felt a sharp grip on his forearm and saw her eyes focused on the ground, the hand that had clenched around his arm for support shook violently.
"Nishira? What is it?"
"No, no, no, no." Her hands began trying to push him away, her voice high and thready. "Get them off me, get them off!"
Before he could react, Nishira leapt to her feet, and began brushing her hands frantically over her limbs and core. A ragged panicked child-like screeching came from her gritted teeth as she continued to sweep imaginary attackers from her. Kakashi stood, unsure of how to help. He watched until she began wrestling with her clothes, as the fabric of her shirt came over head, Kakashi came forward, wrapping her tightly in his arms.
"No! no! please, don't! I'll be good, I promise." She whipped around, gripping him as though he were a life preserver. "I'll be good, don't lock me up again, please Uncle, I'll do whatever, I'll be good. Don't let the rats get me again, I'll be good. I'll- I'll let you touch me. Please, just don't hurt me again!"
As she continued to ramble, an image formed in Kakashi's mind of what she was reliving as she sobbed ugly harsh tears onto the front of his chest, drool and snot dripping from her face. Her nails were beginning to dig painfully into his back, through the thick underclothes he slept in. He gently lowered both of them to the ground, her small form curled up at his subtle prompting onto his lap, his arms never leaving her, but easing up as she settled, hiccupping and sniffling. The crying stopped but its drying made streaks that went down her face, her eyes gently beginning to close.
Kakashi looked from her face, as she finally fell back asleep, to the dark woods that enclosed them. He wondered if their nocturnal visitor lingered and found him standing guard at the edges of his vision. Kakashi did not dare take his eyes away from the forest line, unsure if it meant to return. But as he watched, the silence convinced him that it was safe once again.
"You ready?"
"I just need a minute."
Their voices were lost in the rustling of leaves, forced to dance in the merciless blowing of air. Winter seemed to have avoided this place, the trees still in full bloom, the life blazing in greens usually hushed under white blankets during these months. But the presence didn't soothe Kakashi who realized they were completely alone, no peering eyes or friendly faces, just them in front of an ornate red bridge that crossed a deep ravine with a rushing river below. The rocks stuck out in angular patterns, a slip would mean being dashed along the rocks or swept away in the coursing river. The entrance was not a very welcoming one. The bright cherry red paint was dulled with time and disrepair, only small patches of it remained. Beyond the bridge showed no grand buildings, just more woods that eerily swayed in their presence.
Nishira lifted her foot to take a step, but it hovered before going back to its starting place. Nishira stared down at her unmoving booted feet.
"This is the first time I have been here in twelve years. I was born here, grew up here, but something doesn't feel right. But is it something, or am I just seeing it differently because of what happened? Part of me doesn't want to find anything, let the sleeping corpse lie quietly in the woods."
Kakashi stepped up and snaked a hand into hers, Nishira looked down, frowning, looking to its owner who gave her a gentle nudge of his shoulder before taking a step towards the bridge. She obliged and they walked over the old arched path together.
In silence that vibrated with Nishira's anxiety, Kakashi purposely slowed her down to a gentle walk along the path, the gravel mostly gone leaving only hardened infertile dirt. Somewhere along the way, Nishira stopped, looking onto a very narrow foot trail that led away from the main path. Kakashi only noticed when he felt a small tug on his gloved hand. He turned to see her wordlessly staring.
"What is it?"
"Can we go this way for a small detour. It's not part of the mission, but-"
"Let's go."
In a bone chilling wind that brought a shiver to her shoulders, Nishira let him lead them that way as the path twisted and turned around the forest. It wasn't long before it opened to a cleared path with large, sculpted stones decorated with names. Some were no longer legible as the elements stripped away its face, but the ones near the front were much more legible beneath the tethering of unkempt vines that had overgrown the space. Kakashi, realizing they were in a graveyard, let go of her hand and Nishira stepped forward before realizing she had nothing to offer, no incense, no flowers. She slumped to her knees before pulling out a kunai to remove the vines that encased the two newest gravestones. Throwing them haphazardly over her shoulder, she huffed as the vines opposed her efforts, but she slashed at them until they were cleared. She stared blankly at the two stones.
"It's silly, we believe that when we die the spirit leaves. We visit the sites not to mourn their loss but to pay respects. Its actually considered quite tacky to mourn outside of the funeral." She gave a sad sigh. "But losing a parent and a sibling is never easy for anyone. Why shouldn't I mourn their loss in my life when I never get to see them again? Maybe I'm being selfish but every time I come here, I cry all over again like they'd just died. Their deaths may not have been unusual in time of war and despair, but I miss them so bad."
Kakashi refrained from saying anything as she stared at them for a while before bowing her head down, hands pressed into the mossy ground. Kakashi felt something stirring by his elbow but saw nothing there. But on the wind, the taste of something that hadn't been there before lingered. Nishira rose to her feet.
"Let's keep going."
Kakashi followed her out with one last look over his shoulder as whatever he felt seemed to follow them from the clearing, hovering just out of sight.
As the path continued with their feet crunching on loose gravel, they eventually came to a wooden archway, its presence denoting they were about to walk on sacred ground. One of the unvarnished pillars had collapsed, the wound splintering into jagged teeth, but the other side held firm, meaning the arch was tilted unevenly backwards, but was high enough that the two passed easily. As they passed, the uneasiness that had settled in Kakashi's chest swelled. The grounds did not feel holy or sanctified, instead like a whispering ghost that grasped at the living who dared enter their domain.
They continued along the pathway, passing the purification fountain that lay bone dry. Approaching a two-storey building, it stood largely undisturbed except for a single shutter ominously banging in the wind and the front door lay broken on the ground. Nishira paused and wordlessly looked at the building, her fists clenched at her side, before approaching. Stepping over the broken splinters, the duo were greeted by very traditional wooden floors and panelling. The panels may have been white at some point, but for now, most were either smashed in or tarnished with exposure to the elements. Any furniture that remained after any looters came through was overturned or ransacked, pieces left behind to rot. Cupboards sat open, missing their doors. Pieces of pottery littered along the floor along with some scrunched beer cans, long dusty and emitting a soured smell.
"If I was looking for a box or seal, this would be the place. It looks like it's been ransacked. But it's a start."
As Kakashi followed from the main entrance, the sound of whispering tickling his ear made him turn, eyes keenly searching for the source, but it ceased as soon as he stopped. Somewhere deeper in the house was the constant drip of a faucet, and it echoed in the hushed place. Their steps were like an assault on the silence as it crunched on broken glass and litter. They climbed the steep steps that creaked suspiciously, around until they stood on the landing. The oiled floors were bare of any coating in places, exposing a lighter undertone. The hallway lay narrow with exposed beams above them, the doors on their left were sliding doors made of fragile paper now ripped to shreds, the thin wood that made up the frames were jarred off the tracks and bent, barely holding on.
"Did you sleep here?"
"Yes." She pointed to one opened doorway, beyond which sat ten narrow bedframes all pushed to the back of the room haphazardly, some mattresses were thrown onto the floor, one ripped open to expose the feathers that stuffed them, brown with age. "I shared it with the other priestesses."
She didn't pause at the room, instead kept going down the hall, her steps making the floor whine in protest. Despite it being daylight outside, it seemed to be unable to penetrate this part of the sanctuary. Even as the time dwindled and the sun would be setting soon, none of that warmth could reach here. The room at the end of the long hallway did not have a flimsy door, instead a heavy wooden one that sagged into the floor, stuck open. Nishira's hand trailed the length, the pattern worn not from time, but from hands that had felt it over the years, opening into the warmth of where the head priestess had rested.
As they entered the final chamber, Nishira marveled at how untouched it remained. The draperies were gone, along with any valuables, but the bedframe had been much too large to loot, instead, an axe was stuck imbedded on the floor where it had cut the wooden side of the ancient frame. Nishira let out a shuddering breath.
"This place, it's so familiar, but it feels so cold now. No remnants of the warmth or the laughter we had. Just death and decay now."
Kakashi pursed his lips, the morose attitude that his student had was not helping with the slithering uncomfortable eeriness that permeated the whole place and stroked his spine. Nishira did a slow turn to take in the whole place, the armoire and dresser completely destroyed, the bed side tables missing, the light fixtures trashed, half singed.
"There's nothing here."
Kakashi looked to her frowning face.
"Just think a little longer. Is anything different?"
Nishira looked back around.
"No, the dresser is there, the armoire used to be there, but it's been pushed over. The bedframe is there, the altar is in pieces, I can see the incense box there. And there-" Nishira stopped, looking at a dark wooden panelled wall, marred by axe strikes that had dug in deeper than the rich varnish to expose the lighter wood beneath it, but still remained solid and stoic to the attacks.
"There used to be a-" She paused, her mind reeling. "a room? It held all the ceremonial clothes and tools that my mother would use, that were passed down to her. We used to- she used to dance in there while getting dressed."
Her hands pressed on the wall, lightly pushing to only be given no slack. Her hands continued to search the wall, feeling the ridges of the details on the lower half, carved in it were cherry blossom trees, birds in flight, women in traditional kimonos. Her hand passed over the fan one of the sculpted women held and she felt it give under her hand. Nishira pressed her palm to no avail, but instead when she turned it, a muffled click could be heard inside the wall and it shifted every so slightly to tell her it had worked.
"Kakashi sensei, help me."
Together they pushed back the heavy wall as it gave way, scratching the wooden floors from disuse in a scream that echoed. Together they looked at into a secondary room. It wasn't terribly large, the roof sloping downwards until it met some windows on the far edge that were miraculously unbroken. The floor was a similar tatami mat that ran throughout the building, but much cleaner than the ones they found elsewhere. Nishira pursed her lips at the cloud of cobwebs in between each exposed beam above them and above the windows. But taking her eyes off them drew her to a cupboard door built into the wall. She grasped the slim black handle and slid it open to be faced with a storage room of bright coloured clothing and silks hung on a rail, and opposite of it, shelves with the tools used in ceremonies. The gold trims on the tools were dulled with dust, but a quick swipe of her hand exposed a faint mirror of the way it shone back then. Nishira cradled one of the fans and in a moment of impulsivity, grabbed a handheld wire tree of bells that hung and rattled as she picked it up.
"Nishira, look at this."
At the very back of the small closet, sat a box on a high shelf. The wood was lighter than the paneling around them, every inch of the mid sized box was carved into elegant detailing that Kakashi had never seen before. The design featured birds, and trees whose branches grew to surround the whole box, his eyes followed the pattern as it wove together and interlocked with each side. He pulled it from the shelf and dusted it off seeing markings he didn't recognize on the top.
"What does it say?"
Nishira frowned as she read it.
"Um, Kakashi sensei, it says who so ever disturbs this chest is cursed."
A whisper behind his ear made him let go of the box, but Nishira clutched it from the air, pulling it to herself. Kakashi was then confronted with her mischievous chuckling.
"What? What is it?"
"I'm just kidding, Sensei."
He frowned beneath his mask but softened when Nishira looked at the top again.
"It's from a language even I don't know, this box is very old and my mother treasured it, saying she got it from her mother, who got it from her mother. Every high priestess would get this box from their predecessor. I don't even know what's in it. But I'm guessing it's probably what we're looking for. We should probably leave then."
"Do you want to open it now?"
"No."
The statement had been simple and final. Kakashi looked at his student, seeing the wear of the two days of traveling with disturbed sleep. His watch showed the sun would set within an hour.
"We'll spend one night tonight and leave first thing." He looked around to the destroyed bedroom and the tension that had built in the tightening of his jaw since entering the front door. "But let's find somewhere else to sleep."
After stuffing the box in her backpack they emerged from the house. Kakashi's arm formed goosebumps as he began to warm up, outside of the surely haunted building. Together, they went deeper into the compound.
"Where are we going?"
"There are safer, less exposed places to sleep in the inner sanctuary, if it still stands. If not, there'll still a few other places that would make do for camp. Also, I feel like I need to go further. Something is telling me to run away but I need to know something. I need to know if what he said was true."
Kakashi didn't ask, remembering the ramblings of the noble back at Iwagakure, but as he took the stairs and passed the second gate, he tensed at being welcomed by looming statues of lions. The temple near his home had dogs as the guardian statues, but these lions held their mouths open snarling at the visitors. Nishira simply breezed past them, her hand held out to gently pat one which was at the right height for her to do so. She paused when her hand made contact and lifted it to gaze at her palm. Her face in a somber expression, Kakashi's curiosity wilted at the mystery, but the fear that was building squelched his desire to ask, afraid of the answer.
Instead of sharing, she continued up the steps until they reached a landing lined with trees, revealing groves along the side. They were untouched, but before them held a site that made him frown. Before them was a mass of petrified ash and charred logs. Nishira's steps faltered as she came closer, her eyes scanning the display, flicking to something that glinted in the richness of the setting sun behind them. She jumped into the remnants of a fire and snatched up the small piece. In her hand lay a small circle, an earring, its surface tarnished with black and some hues of green and copper, but beneath it was gold. And it was one she recognized. She fell to her knees, painfully crunching on the stone beneath the remnants of logs. Before letting out a wretched scream to the sky, clutching the earring to her chest.
It was true then, Kakashi thought. They were looking on at the remnants of a pyre for the slaughtered priestesses.
