Legend of the Gods - Part 7
Author: 
emmachase
Requested by: Everyone who took part in my poll
Title: Legend of the Gods - Part 7
Rating: PG
Genre: Romance, some fluff, some myth-y type aspects
Pairing: HSB X HS7
Summary: Remember that little poll I had a while ago? Well, I
finally got around to making a quick story about it! I hope
you like it
Notes: Stay tuned for the next chapter folks!
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6
Growth and Renewal: Ryutaro
“G-Good morning…” Ryutaro stumbled out of bed, his hair a mess and his pajamas askew.
“Good morning.” Daiki replied, paying more attention to the small nearly wilted flower just outside Ryutaro’s room.
“Did you sleep… at all last night?”
“I don't require sleep….”
“O-Oh…”
Ryutaro spent the next hour or so making breakfast, then sitting down to stare at the both who talked to plants. Daiki was now talking to the small mint plant that sat at the kitchen window. He could have talked for hours, and Ryutaro would just have sat there watching. He couldn’t quite explain it, but he watched as every tendril on the plant seemed to perk up and reach for him.
“Do… they respond?” He asked
“Not… in the way that you’re used to, all life on earth has a unique essence to them, they’re all alive… and while you may pass the grass that grows all around you, they take note of you.”
“Do they say anything about us?”
“Sometimes… sometimes not… when we created this world for mankind, we gave everything its own unique life, what each individual becomes is entirely up to them.”
“Created the world huh…” the words echoed with Ryutaro
“Have you read the stories?”
“Well….. I know the versions that they teach us in school…”
“Evolution and creationism right?” Daiki asked, moving now to the table.
“Yeah…”
“Then let me tell you our version…. Long ago, far beyond the measures of time, a great war devastated the universe as you know it and what little was left after were known as your ancestors. When we took pity upon them, we wanted to create a home for them, so I and my brothers came together and created what you call Earth. I gathered together clay and formed it around a flame that Yuya created to warm the world. Kei blessed it with water, Hikaru blew in the winds that encircled the world, and Yabu provided a light to push away the darkness… this is the formation of-“
“The sun and the earth….”
Daiki nodded.
“Then, we created bodies for your ancestors, both man and animal alike. Hikaru breathed life into the bodies, Kei instilled them with water, Yuya gave each body warmth, and Yabu gave you the spark that sustains you until death…”
“And you?”
“I… was left to nurture the life we created until it was strong enough to live on its own.”
Everything that had been told to him, Ryutaro took in, but he was still having such a hard time grasping everything.
“I understand it’s a lot to take in at once…. But maybe… things will be easier for you when…. You help nurture life yourself….”
“What do you mean?”
Ryutaro watched Daiki bring an empty pot from the window, he set it on the table and produced a single seed.
“This is a single plum blossom seed…. “ He said, setting it neatly onto the dirt. Daiki then took Ryutaro’s hand and held it over the pot.
“Close your eyes and listen… can you hear its voice? It’s asking to be awakened, to become life itself….. can you hear it?”
“I-I cant…”
“Listen… just listen…”
Moments passed as utter silence followed but just as Ryutaro was about to give up, he heard the smallest voice… though it didn't say anything that sounded like conventional language he understood it.
“Now that you’ve heard it… give it what it needs… the power to begin its life… focus and imagine the very essence of your own life flowing from your body to your hand and into the seed… ignite the spark….”
Just as he spoke, Ryutaro pictured a thin green wisp of… something, crawling through him as it reached his hand and he felt it gently touch the seed. As he watched, the seed beneath his hand opened as roots were let down and the plant blossomed into brilliant shades of pink and purple, it grew fast and it grew wild.
“A-Ahh!” As soon as he retracted his hand though the plant stopped and stabilized.
Daiki smiled as he whispered lightly to the blossom which seemed to realize how abnormally large it had grown and shirked down to fit the pot it was in.
“U-Uh… I- I’ve got to go to school… I’m going to be late!”
“School?”
“Well…. sort of school… it’s a study school… “
Before Daiki could ask anymore though, Ryutaro jumped up the stairs, running into his room and in what could have been record time, threw on his uniform. He came downstairs to find Daiki standing there waiting for him, a perplexed look on his face.
“I-I have to go! Will you be okay here by yourself?”
“Can I go with you?” Daiki wondered
“Y-Yeah I guess… b-but you need a uniform b-but I guess we can get you one there…”
Even as he was speaking Daiki was staring at him up and down.
“What?” He asked, throwing on his shoes. He looked up from his laces to find the soft brown shorts and green t-shirt that Daiki was wearing were shifting now, blending into different patterns. A faint green glow came as the buttons appeared and within a few blinks, Daiki stood in a uniform exactly like his.
“Let’s go.”
---
Twenty minutes of something between running and walking later, they reached the big annex that seemed to have a makeshift sign that was barely visible in the bright sunlight.
Daiki followed through the hallways that twisted and turned abruptly before they reached a room that seemed to be your average classroom, except double in size. A full throttle of students were clamoring against the board in the room.
“Ryutaro! You’re here! Good! You can be the tiebreaker!”
“Tiebreaker?”
“Yeah! Ryuu-Chan!”
“The guys want to have a spy-themed dance party, but the girls want to have their prince and princess theme…”
“Eh…?”
Daiki stood quietly at the door watching as the huge group of uniformed girls and boys swarmed over the board, pushing Ryutaro to the front to cast his vote. Taking a deep breathe he walked over to the window of the building and sat in a desk watching the lazy grasses bend and dance.
“Ne, Dai-Chan, what do you think..?” Ryutaro asked, pulling the entire congregation over.
“Either way is fine isn’t it? You just wanted to have your party…”
“That’s true…. But… you have to want one way or another….”
“But I don't…” Daiki didn't understand.
The room was silent for a moment as they stared at the god who quickly realized he wasn’t doing a good job of keeping his cover.
“How about… a compromise, you can have it be both ways…. Have your spies and your fair maidens…..” He suggested, and he instantly felt a twinge as he could hear Ryutaro’s voice telling him no one said “maidens” anymore.
Still, the class seemed more interested in the idea than how it was presented, and amidst the clatter of agreement Daiki fell back into his grasses. He didn’t pay much attention the rest of the day, he noted they were reviewing mathematics, a subject he had no interest in, though not that Kei hadn’t tried to teach him…..
It wasn't until the last part of the day that he perked up upon hearing that they would be visiting the community gardens to check on the plants. In a single file they marched outside the building and into a small garden hidden just off the school grounds.
“Be careful not to harm any of the plants okay? The community uses the garden’s yield as their source of income, we’re just here because they’ve allowed us to study the plants and help them take care of them okay?!” The teacher called. A less than enthusiastic “yes” followed.
Daiki crouched near one corner of the lot, a few broken tomato plants were dying as the watering machines that littered the garden never quite reached them. He held his hand out against the damp mud just a few inches to his left and closed his eyes, he reached as hard as he could into the ground and pulled some of the water out into a small ball in his hand. With great care he sent it into the soil the plants were resting on. Granted he didn't have as much affinity with water that Kei had, but it was better than nothing. He shared some of his power with the plants and smiled as its leaves unfurled and became rich and full again, the tomatoes grew plump and healthy.
“Wow! The tomato plants are actually doing well!” Someone behind him called and Daiki quickly pretended to just simply be “admiring” them.
“What did you do?” Ryutaro whispered urgently, nodding along as his classmates readily observed the beautifully healthy plants.
“I didn’t do anything….”
“Don’t lie I can see the green glow around that plant!”
“It was dying…. I merely… revived it. And besides, you can only see it because you share my power, to them, it seems like a regular plant.” Daiki explained, walking away nonchalantly.
Ryutaro shook his head, he knew it wasn't as if Daiki were flaunting his power…. But he worried about it nonetheless… Taking his forearm he wiped away the sweat that wet his brow and he smelled the faint scent of roses coming from his skin and he sighed.
---
Only a few hours later, Ryutaro made his way out of the building and found his companion busily running his hand though the grasses that littered the soccer field. Walking over, he placed his hand on Daiki’s shoulder, and as he did a single flare of green came to him as he instantly heard a thousand voices coarse through his mind and he recoiled back.
“W-What…. was that?”
“The voices of all the grass…. Each telling a different story….” Daiki explained, standing up.
“-That was…. intense… there were so many!”
“Ryutaro…. let’s go somewhere.” Daiki said suddenly,
“W-Where to?”
“It’s a place I used to go to when I was still earthbound….”
“Where?”
“Come with me…”
Daiki grabbed the boy’s hand and before another word could be uttered, he felt a whirl of leaves appear as the two vanished and appeared again, this time in a stone building, a mass of vines had taken over all the walls, and an overhead weave of wooden planks formed a net that filtered the sunlight.
“Where are we?”
This…. is my home…. Or was my home….”
“Wh-What?”
“Many many lifetimes ago, when mankind still needed us, we housed ourselves in temples like this one, and we presided over the mortals that came to pray at our shrines.”
“Is there anyone still here?”
“No… the priestess that took care of this shrine died a long time ago, and now it’s little more than an empty monument….”
Ryutaro nodded his understanding, squinting now to read some of the things around him. The words carved into a stone portion of the wall were so faded now that he could only use his fingers to trace the outline. Just as he touched the wall, he could see the vines that covered the building flare green with light.
“A-Ah!” He jumped back, looking around now he saw Daiki standing in the middle of the room, his hands outstretched, if he squinted now he could see a thin green thread coming from the palm of the god’s hands, it stretched now as it ran through the nearest vine and into the whole of the temple. He watched as the vines and ivy that layered upon the walls began to recede. The years of growth began to shrink as the plants became less and less. Walking to the central altar now, he read the small plaque that was carved before an ornate statue of… a man he recognized as the god of the earth, as depicted in all the books he read
Here sits the shrine of the great life-giver Lord of the earth
He read as he noticed the small divots in the plaque where offerings used to be placed. Turning now he pointed to the statue
“How come you don't look like that?”
“We appear in many forms…. To the greeks I was Gaia, a nurturing mother who created the earth, and then I became Demeter the goddess of the harvest, and to the norse I was Yggdrasil, the tree of life that joined the worlds together…. “
“So…. this….?”
“This is what I appeared to them as, since we don't age, if I had appeared in this form, would they have been so willing to take a young child as their patron god?” Daiki said, running his hand over the statue.
“But you’re young now….”
“Because in this new age, it is appropriate to do so.” The reply was simple.
“What… is all this?” Ryutaro pointed to the huge rows of dirt mounds that lined both sides of the temple.
“These were the plants that talked with me everyday, they were the mint and basil plants that would advise me as the mortals came and prayed. There were lilies here that sang for the few that could hear them, and there were vicious weeds that punished those that came with evil intentions….”
Daiki stood at the center of the room again, his hands outstretched, pointing to the dirt mounds, he grinned as he seemed to recognize something and Ryutaro could see the thin thread of green appear again. His eyes followed as it snaked forward towards the dirt piles and split into countless wires he could see the mounds glow as marvelous flowers erupted from the ground. He could see the seeds he hadn’t noticed before glowing as they opened and plants came out of their sleep. He could smell basil and mint wafting through the temple now, it was mixed with the scent of lilies and roses with the tiniest hint of bark. Before his eyes an eden of plants appeared in the temple as four large trees sprang forward their leaves turning green and then brown as they went through many cycles of growth in a matter of seconds. Petals and leaves whirled around in the air as they formed a soft halo of reds, browns greens, and white.
The sight was breathtaking…..
In an instant the halo flew apart making it rain soft petals and leaves. It was completely different now…. So full of life. A sea of sounds came to his ears, but Ryutaro heard nothing….. at least not in the traditional sense. He could hear the mint talking and the feel the basil plant smiling at him. The single rose plant that was near him curled up his leg and bloomed as if smiling. The thorns that were certainly razor sharp didn't harm him, instead lightly tickled and he giggled as the flower flared its petals.
“He’s taken a liking to you….” Daiki explained as he waved a hand and an ivy covered chair burst into a mass of green light as the plants retracted its vines and an ornately carved stone throne revealed itself. He sat down and closed his eyes and suddenly all in the small room was quiet, the plants seemed to bow in respect, and even the birds stood still.
“Many years ago… this is where I presided over mortal affairs, the plants here are the descendants of my friends…. Carrying on their memories, their wisdom….” Daiki said, though not in words….
“H-How….. did I hear that?” Ryutaro cupped his ears.
“Life is all around you, and we all share a common thread…. It is through this connection that we can hear and communicate with each other…..”
“I d-don't…… understand..”
“In time…. You will… the key to understanding my power… is in this connection…. And when you can understand it, you will see just how beautiful nature is.” Daiki smiled as he pet a creeping vine.
“Ryutaro, I have to ask you, there are many things in this world that I don't understand, and there are many things that I will not know… but there is one that I am certain of…. and that is that soon… I will need you more than ever….. our time on this earth is bound to how long our anchors live, so… when things get dangerous, you must run…. You must run and let everything alone. Leave it to us okay?” Daiki said sternly, his voice echoing through the stone hall.
“I… I understand….” Ryutaro nodded, though he couldn't help but picture that huge fireball surging at him again. When he blinked though he failed to notice that a single long razor-sharp vine ran through Daiki’s hand and shot forward at him,
“Ah!” He screamed as the vine stopped only centimeters from his nose.
“You are vulnerable as you are now… and that…. is a problem….”
“S-So… w-what… do I do…?”
“When we place ourselves in this realm, mortals that serve to bind us here gain our powers as you know…. But not all of them… only what their bodies feel they can handle… and it’s important for us to figure out what you’ve been able to take from me… and that is why I brought you here….”
“So… we’re…. training?”
“Yes.”
Ryutaro watched as Daiki showed him the motions to focus his attention, he watched as the god reached out to the plants that wove themselves into nets and targets for practice.
“When you feel threatened… you will do whatever you need to protect yourself until you can escape right? So… let’s see what you can do…..” Daiki said as he melted away into the ground and as Ryutaro reached out to him he felt as if something were coming…. Something big….
“AHH!” He shouted again as he ran back against the vine covered wall. A large… something…. Almost vine-like plant was rearing its head, its evil looking tendrils seemed to be made from the twisted elements of six or seven weeds. It shot forward now as a razor covered tendril turned as sharp and fine as a needle.
“Unnhh!” There was no where to run as Ryutaro held his hands up to brace for the impending piercing he was going to get. Instead though, he felt something creep up his body, and intense rush as a huge “thud” rang out and the feeling of….. pressure built up. Slowly he opened his eyes now, to see the plant tendril still as sharp as ever, trying to pierce through an incredible barrier of mud and stone. He looked at the floor and noticed the line of mud and rocks crept up his body and out to his hands, as a dome appeared instantly and he felt the vine sending more and more tendrils to attack, each striking the barrier, and each deflecting off the hardened dome. It came to instinct now, his mind raced as he understood he needed to retaliate. Ryutaro extended his hand as a gathering of seeds appeared to him in a small flare, and he threw them forward, watching as the small seeds sprouted into chords of their own, binding the tendrils together and snaking along the plant’s body. They tightened now as they constricted the attacking limbs and with a flick of his hands, flowers sprouted along his vine’s length. Turning now with a small flick of his hands again, the flowers….. exploded, sending pieces of the plant’s arms all over the temple….
Ryutaro panted now…. An absolute rush of adrenaline came over him and he didn't know what he had done… but he felt it within him…. It was… incredible…..
“Again!” Daiki shouted as this time he darted forward himself, two long green and flaring vines from his hands.
Ryutaro gulped….
---
Three hours later, Ryutaro panted as he fell onto the ground, the earth that had served to protect him crumbled now as it fell in front of him and he had no strength to stand… his clothes were in tatters and a small cut had appeared on his cheek.
Through sweat and tears he looked up at Daiki who stood before him, amidst a whirling tornado of plants. He had dodged attacks, destroyed so many plants and blocked so many attacks his body was ready to give up…
It was then that the plants receded, back into the ground and Daiki approached him and knelt down.
“You did well…. rest now… I didn't expect you to be able to do as well as you did…. But… you’ve done very well…. Daiki said softly, as he summoned a bed of flowers that wove themselves into almost a sheet. Where the flowers left rings two trees grew in, lifting Ryutaro up into a hammock of sorts, and he was so tired he felt himself relax and lean into the net, it was more comfortable than his bed, and he was perfectly happy to just lay there and rest.
He watched now as Daiki produced a small vase from out of nowhere. As the vase tilted water poured out and onto the ground, it glowed softly as an obscene amount of water came from the little vase. In time a form appeared as the water filled in the outline, and where the water landed stood a young man dressed in soft blues and white. His clothes were soft and free-flowing and when he came into being, his eyes opened to reveal intense sky blue eyes. Wordlessly the boy bowed to Daiki as he approached the hammock and laid his hands on Ryutaro’s tired body.
Almost immediately a soft cooling sensation swam over him. The young man’s hands turned to water as a thin layer of ice appeared over Ryutaro’s body. It alternated between water and ice, and despite being…. Frozen, Ryutaro felt his body warming up. There was something moving inside him, and he could feel it coursing through his body, spreading coolness everywhere it went. In and instant it darted to his feet, his arms and his head, and just as quickly as it came, the sensation vanished. All the pain and soreness in his body left with it, the cut on his cheek had vanished and the boy turned now to bow again as he… evaporated…
“Rest now…. “ Daiki said again as he turned to look at the windows in the stone temple. He nodded as the plants twisted themselves over the openings, filtering the light.
While he didn't fully understand everything that had happened… rest was something he definitely needed…
Closing his eyes, he fell asleep to the scent of mint and roses, and the soft rustling of leaves as they swam over his body, protecting him from the cold…..
----
Uwa.... hm.... who should I write next hmmmm? I've already done Keito and Ryutaro now, so.... we have Yuto, Yama-chan, and Chinen.... any preferences? ^_^
~Emmie
emmachase
Requested by: Everyone who took part in my poll
Title: Legend of the Gods - Part 7
Rating: PG
Genre: Romance, some fluff, some myth-y type aspects
Pairing: HSB X HS7
Summary: Remember that little poll I had a while ago? Well, I
finally got around to making a quick story about it! I hope
you like it
Notes: Stay tuned for the next chapter folks!
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6
Growth and Renewal: Ryutaro
“G-Good morning…” Ryutaro stumbled out of bed, his hair a mess and his pajamas askew.
“Good morning.” Daiki replied, paying more attention to the small nearly wilted flower just outside Ryutaro’s room.
“Did you sleep… at all last night?”
“I don't require sleep….”
“O-Oh…”
Ryutaro spent the next hour or so making breakfast, then sitting down to stare at the both who talked to plants. Daiki was now talking to the small mint plant that sat at the kitchen window. He could have talked for hours, and Ryutaro would just have sat there watching. He couldn’t quite explain it, but he watched as every tendril on the plant seemed to perk up and reach for him.
“Do… they respond?” He asked
“Not… in the way that you’re used to, all life on earth has a unique essence to them, they’re all alive… and while you may pass the grass that grows all around you, they take note of you.”
“Do they say anything about us?”
“Sometimes… sometimes not… when we created this world for mankind, we gave everything its own unique life, what each individual becomes is entirely up to them.”
“Created the world huh…” the words echoed with Ryutaro
“Have you read the stories?”
“Well….. I know the versions that they teach us in school…”
“Evolution and creationism right?” Daiki asked, moving now to the table.
“Yeah…”
“Then let me tell you our version…. Long ago, far beyond the measures of time, a great war devastated the universe as you know it and what little was left after were known as your ancestors. When we took pity upon them, we wanted to create a home for them, so I and my brothers came together and created what you call Earth. I gathered together clay and formed it around a flame that Yuya created to warm the world. Kei blessed it with water, Hikaru blew in the winds that encircled the world, and Yabu provided a light to push away the darkness… this is the formation of-“
“The sun and the earth….”
Daiki nodded.
“Then, we created bodies for your ancestors, both man and animal alike. Hikaru breathed life into the bodies, Kei instilled them with water, Yuya gave each body warmth, and Yabu gave you the spark that sustains you until death…”
“And you?”
“I… was left to nurture the life we created until it was strong enough to live on its own.”
Everything that had been told to him, Ryutaro took in, but he was still having such a hard time grasping everything.
“I understand it’s a lot to take in at once…. But maybe… things will be easier for you when…. You help nurture life yourself….”
“What do you mean?”
Ryutaro watched Daiki bring an empty pot from the window, he set it on the table and produced a single seed.
“This is a single plum blossom seed…. “ He said, setting it neatly onto the dirt. Daiki then took Ryutaro’s hand and held it over the pot.
“Close your eyes and listen… can you hear its voice? It’s asking to be awakened, to become life itself….. can you hear it?”
“I-I cant…”
“Listen… just listen…”
Moments passed as utter silence followed but just as Ryutaro was about to give up, he heard the smallest voice… though it didn't say anything that sounded like conventional language he understood it.
“Now that you’ve heard it… give it what it needs… the power to begin its life… focus and imagine the very essence of your own life flowing from your body to your hand and into the seed… ignite the spark….”
Just as he spoke, Ryutaro pictured a thin green wisp of… something, crawling through him as it reached his hand and he felt it gently touch the seed. As he watched, the seed beneath his hand opened as roots were let down and the plant blossomed into brilliant shades of pink and purple, it grew fast and it grew wild.
“A-Ahh!” As soon as he retracted his hand though the plant stopped and stabilized.
Daiki smiled as he whispered lightly to the blossom which seemed to realize how abnormally large it had grown and shirked down to fit the pot it was in.
“U-Uh… I- I’ve got to go to school… I’m going to be late!”
“School?”
“Well…. sort of school… it’s a study school… “
Before Daiki could ask anymore though, Ryutaro jumped up the stairs, running into his room and in what could have been record time, threw on his uniform. He came downstairs to find Daiki standing there waiting for him, a perplexed look on his face.
“I-I have to go! Will you be okay here by yourself?”
“Can I go with you?” Daiki wondered
“Y-Yeah I guess… b-but you need a uniform b-but I guess we can get you one there…”
Even as he was speaking Daiki was staring at him up and down.
“What?” He asked, throwing on his shoes. He looked up from his laces to find the soft brown shorts and green t-shirt that Daiki was wearing were shifting now, blending into different patterns. A faint green glow came as the buttons appeared and within a few blinks, Daiki stood in a uniform exactly like his.
“Let’s go.”
---
Twenty minutes of something between running and walking later, they reached the big annex that seemed to have a makeshift sign that was barely visible in the bright sunlight.
Daiki followed through the hallways that twisted and turned abruptly before they reached a room that seemed to be your average classroom, except double in size. A full throttle of students were clamoring against the board in the room.
“Ryutaro! You’re here! Good! You can be the tiebreaker!”
“Tiebreaker?”
“Yeah! Ryuu-Chan!”
“The guys want to have a spy-themed dance party, but the girls want to have their prince and princess theme…”
“Eh…?”
Daiki stood quietly at the door watching as the huge group of uniformed girls and boys swarmed over the board, pushing Ryutaro to the front to cast his vote. Taking a deep breathe he walked over to the window of the building and sat in a desk watching the lazy grasses bend and dance.
“Ne, Dai-Chan, what do you think..?” Ryutaro asked, pulling the entire congregation over.
“Either way is fine isn’t it? You just wanted to have your party…”
“That’s true…. But… you have to want one way or another….”
“But I don't…” Daiki didn't understand.
The room was silent for a moment as they stared at the god who quickly realized he wasn’t doing a good job of keeping his cover.
“How about… a compromise, you can have it be both ways…. Have your spies and your fair maidens…..” He suggested, and he instantly felt a twinge as he could hear Ryutaro’s voice telling him no one said “maidens” anymore.
Still, the class seemed more interested in the idea than how it was presented, and amidst the clatter of agreement Daiki fell back into his grasses. He didn’t pay much attention the rest of the day, he noted they were reviewing mathematics, a subject he had no interest in, though not that Kei hadn’t tried to teach him…..
It wasn't until the last part of the day that he perked up upon hearing that they would be visiting the community gardens to check on the plants. In a single file they marched outside the building and into a small garden hidden just off the school grounds.
“Be careful not to harm any of the plants okay? The community uses the garden’s yield as their source of income, we’re just here because they’ve allowed us to study the plants and help them take care of them okay?!” The teacher called. A less than enthusiastic “yes” followed.
Daiki crouched near one corner of the lot, a few broken tomato plants were dying as the watering machines that littered the garden never quite reached them. He held his hand out against the damp mud just a few inches to his left and closed his eyes, he reached as hard as he could into the ground and pulled some of the water out into a small ball in his hand. With great care he sent it into the soil the plants were resting on. Granted he didn't have as much affinity with water that Kei had, but it was better than nothing. He shared some of his power with the plants and smiled as its leaves unfurled and became rich and full again, the tomatoes grew plump and healthy.
“Wow! The tomato plants are actually doing well!” Someone behind him called and Daiki quickly pretended to just simply be “admiring” them.
“What did you do?” Ryutaro whispered urgently, nodding along as his classmates readily observed the beautifully healthy plants.
“I didn’t do anything….”
“Don’t lie I can see the green glow around that plant!”
“It was dying…. I merely… revived it. And besides, you can only see it because you share my power, to them, it seems like a regular plant.” Daiki explained, walking away nonchalantly.
Ryutaro shook his head, he knew it wasn't as if Daiki were flaunting his power…. But he worried about it nonetheless… Taking his forearm he wiped away the sweat that wet his brow and he smelled the faint scent of roses coming from his skin and he sighed.
---
Only a few hours later, Ryutaro made his way out of the building and found his companion busily running his hand though the grasses that littered the soccer field. Walking over, he placed his hand on Daiki’s shoulder, and as he did a single flare of green came to him as he instantly heard a thousand voices coarse through his mind and he recoiled back.
“W-What…. was that?”
“The voices of all the grass…. Each telling a different story….” Daiki explained, standing up.
“-That was…. intense… there were so many!”
“Ryutaro…. let’s go somewhere.” Daiki said suddenly,
“W-Where to?”
“It’s a place I used to go to when I was still earthbound….”
“Where?”
“Come with me…”
Daiki grabbed the boy’s hand and before another word could be uttered, he felt a whirl of leaves appear as the two vanished and appeared again, this time in a stone building, a mass of vines had taken over all the walls, and an overhead weave of wooden planks formed a net that filtered the sunlight.
“Where are we?”
This…. is my home…. Or was my home….”
“Wh-What?”
“Many many lifetimes ago, when mankind still needed us, we housed ourselves in temples like this one, and we presided over the mortals that came to pray at our shrines.”
“Is there anyone still here?”
“No… the priestess that took care of this shrine died a long time ago, and now it’s little more than an empty monument….”
Ryutaro nodded his understanding, squinting now to read some of the things around him. The words carved into a stone portion of the wall were so faded now that he could only use his fingers to trace the outline. Just as he touched the wall, he could see the vines that covered the building flare green with light.
“A-Ah!” He jumped back, looking around now he saw Daiki standing in the middle of the room, his hands outstretched, if he squinted now he could see a thin green thread coming from the palm of the god’s hands, it stretched now as it ran through the nearest vine and into the whole of the temple. He watched as the vines and ivy that layered upon the walls began to recede. The years of growth began to shrink as the plants became less and less. Walking to the central altar now, he read the small plaque that was carved before an ornate statue of… a man he recognized as the god of the earth, as depicted in all the books he read
Here sits the shrine of the great life-giver Lord of the earth
He read as he noticed the small divots in the plaque where offerings used to be placed. Turning now he pointed to the statue
“How come you don't look like that?”
“We appear in many forms…. To the greeks I was Gaia, a nurturing mother who created the earth, and then I became Demeter the goddess of the harvest, and to the norse I was Yggdrasil, the tree of life that joined the worlds together…. “
“So…. this….?”
“This is what I appeared to them as, since we don't age, if I had appeared in this form, would they have been so willing to take a young child as their patron god?” Daiki said, running his hand over the statue.
“But you’re young now….”
“Because in this new age, it is appropriate to do so.” The reply was simple.
“What… is all this?” Ryutaro pointed to the huge rows of dirt mounds that lined both sides of the temple.
“These were the plants that talked with me everyday, they were the mint and basil plants that would advise me as the mortals came and prayed. There were lilies here that sang for the few that could hear them, and there were vicious weeds that punished those that came with evil intentions….”
Daiki stood at the center of the room again, his hands outstretched, pointing to the dirt mounds, he grinned as he seemed to recognize something and Ryutaro could see the thin thread of green appear again. His eyes followed as it snaked forward towards the dirt piles and split into countless wires he could see the mounds glow as marvelous flowers erupted from the ground. He could see the seeds he hadn’t noticed before glowing as they opened and plants came out of their sleep. He could smell basil and mint wafting through the temple now, it was mixed with the scent of lilies and roses with the tiniest hint of bark. Before his eyes an eden of plants appeared in the temple as four large trees sprang forward their leaves turning green and then brown as they went through many cycles of growth in a matter of seconds. Petals and leaves whirled around in the air as they formed a soft halo of reds, browns greens, and white.
The sight was breathtaking…..
In an instant the halo flew apart making it rain soft petals and leaves. It was completely different now…. So full of life. A sea of sounds came to his ears, but Ryutaro heard nothing….. at least not in the traditional sense. He could hear the mint talking and the feel the basil plant smiling at him. The single rose plant that was near him curled up his leg and bloomed as if smiling. The thorns that were certainly razor sharp didn't harm him, instead lightly tickled and he giggled as the flower flared its petals.
“He’s taken a liking to you….” Daiki explained as he waved a hand and an ivy covered chair burst into a mass of green light as the plants retracted its vines and an ornately carved stone throne revealed itself. He sat down and closed his eyes and suddenly all in the small room was quiet, the plants seemed to bow in respect, and even the birds stood still.
“Many years ago… this is where I presided over mortal affairs, the plants here are the descendants of my friends…. Carrying on their memories, their wisdom….” Daiki said, though not in words….
“H-How….. did I hear that?” Ryutaro cupped his ears.
“Life is all around you, and we all share a common thread…. It is through this connection that we can hear and communicate with each other…..”
“I d-don't…… understand..”
“In time…. You will… the key to understanding my power… is in this connection…. And when you can understand it, you will see just how beautiful nature is.” Daiki smiled as he pet a creeping vine.
“Ryutaro, I have to ask you, there are many things in this world that I don't understand, and there are many things that I will not know… but there is one that I am certain of…. and that is that soon… I will need you more than ever….. our time on this earth is bound to how long our anchors live, so… when things get dangerous, you must run…. You must run and let everything alone. Leave it to us okay?” Daiki said sternly, his voice echoing through the stone hall.
“I… I understand….” Ryutaro nodded, though he couldn't help but picture that huge fireball surging at him again. When he blinked though he failed to notice that a single long razor-sharp vine ran through Daiki’s hand and shot forward at him,
“Ah!” He screamed as the vine stopped only centimeters from his nose.
“You are vulnerable as you are now… and that…. is a problem….”
“S-So… w-what… do I do…?”
“When we place ourselves in this realm, mortals that serve to bind us here gain our powers as you know…. But not all of them… only what their bodies feel they can handle… and it’s important for us to figure out what you’ve been able to take from me… and that is why I brought you here….”
“So… we’re…. training?”
“Yes.”
Ryutaro watched as Daiki showed him the motions to focus his attention, he watched as the god reached out to the plants that wove themselves into nets and targets for practice.
“When you feel threatened… you will do whatever you need to protect yourself until you can escape right? So… let’s see what you can do…..” Daiki said as he melted away into the ground and as Ryutaro reached out to him he felt as if something were coming…. Something big….
“AHH!” He shouted again as he ran back against the vine covered wall. A large… something…. Almost vine-like plant was rearing its head, its evil looking tendrils seemed to be made from the twisted elements of six or seven weeds. It shot forward now as a razor covered tendril turned as sharp and fine as a needle.
“Unnhh!” There was no where to run as Ryutaro held his hands up to brace for the impending piercing he was going to get. Instead though, he felt something creep up his body, and intense rush as a huge “thud” rang out and the feeling of….. pressure built up. Slowly he opened his eyes now, to see the plant tendril still as sharp as ever, trying to pierce through an incredible barrier of mud and stone. He looked at the floor and noticed the line of mud and rocks crept up his body and out to his hands, as a dome appeared instantly and he felt the vine sending more and more tendrils to attack, each striking the barrier, and each deflecting off the hardened dome. It came to instinct now, his mind raced as he understood he needed to retaliate. Ryutaro extended his hand as a gathering of seeds appeared to him in a small flare, and he threw them forward, watching as the small seeds sprouted into chords of their own, binding the tendrils together and snaking along the plant’s body. They tightened now as they constricted the attacking limbs and with a flick of his hands, flowers sprouted along his vine’s length. Turning now with a small flick of his hands again, the flowers….. exploded, sending pieces of the plant’s arms all over the temple….
Ryutaro panted now…. An absolute rush of adrenaline came over him and he didn't know what he had done… but he felt it within him…. It was… incredible…..
“Again!” Daiki shouted as this time he darted forward himself, two long green and flaring vines from his hands.
Ryutaro gulped….
---
Three hours later, Ryutaro panted as he fell onto the ground, the earth that had served to protect him crumbled now as it fell in front of him and he had no strength to stand… his clothes were in tatters and a small cut had appeared on his cheek.
Through sweat and tears he looked up at Daiki who stood before him, amidst a whirling tornado of plants. He had dodged attacks, destroyed so many plants and blocked so many attacks his body was ready to give up…
It was then that the plants receded, back into the ground and Daiki approached him and knelt down.
“You did well…. rest now… I didn't expect you to be able to do as well as you did…. But… you’ve done very well…. Daiki said softly, as he summoned a bed of flowers that wove themselves into almost a sheet. Where the flowers left rings two trees grew in, lifting Ryutaro up into a hammock of sorts, and he was so tired he felt himself relax and lean into the net, it was more comfortable than his bed, and he was perfectly happy to just lay there and rest.
He watched now as Daiki produced a small vase from out of nowhere. As the vase tilted water poured out and onto the ground, it glowed softly as an obscene amount of water came from the little vase. In time a form appeared as the water filled in the outline, and where the water landed stood a young man dressed in soft blues and white. His clothes were soft and free-flowing and when he came into being, his eyes opened to reveal intense sky blue eyes. Wordlessly the boy bowed to Daiki as he approached the hammock and laid his hands on Ryutaro’s tired body.
Almost immediately a soft cooling sensation swam over him. The young man’s hands turned to water as a thin layer of ice appeared over Ryutaro’s body. It alternated between water and ice, and despite being…. Frozen, Ryutaro felt his body warming up. There was something moving inside him, and he could feel it coursing through his body, spreading coolness everywhere it went. In and instant it darted to his feet, his arms and his head, and just as quickly as it came, the sensation vanished. All the pain and soreness in his body left with it, the cut on his cheek had vanished and the boy turned now to bow again as he… evaporated…
“Rest now…. “ Daiki said again as he turned to look at the windows in the stone temple. He nodded as the plants twisted themselves over the openings, filtering the light.
While he didn't fully understand everything that had happened… rest was something he definitely needed…
Closing his eyes, he fell asleep to the scent of mint and roses, and the soft rustling of leaves as they swam over his body, protecting him from the cold…..
----
Uwa.... hm.... who should I write next hmmmm? I've already done Keito and Ryutaro now, so.... we have Yuto, Yama-chan, and Chinen.... any preferences? ^_^
~Emmie