InuYasha Fan Fiction / Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Not So Damned Anymore ❯ Ceremony ( Chapter 2 )

 

 

 

Hello! I'd like to thank the people who are reading this! I already have a lot of this story written, so all it takes is for me to type and post. If you have any questions or anything, feel free to ask! I also have made a fan art picture to go with this story, so if I get request to post it, I'll post the link!! I don't have Photoshop or anything, so it's all sketch!! I hope you don't mind!

I don't own!! Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto, while Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi!!(Though I own my version of Kyuubi)

------------------------------------Chapter 2-Ceremony

“How is the barrier?” questioned a young monk clothed with purple robes and beads wrapped around his right hand.

"Hm,its is quite hard to control, but that is to be expected, seeing as it is the Spring Equinox." an older monk replied, a serious tone in his voice. He, too, had a string of purple beads wrapped around his right hand. And he, too, was clothed with purple robes, but with a with sash tied loosely around his neck.

"Master, should I tell the Elders that you are about ready to start the ceremony?" the young monk asked, deep, brown eyes glistening in the mid-morning sun.

"Hm, yes. Yes, you should, if you please. I'm going to need all the assistance I am offered." the older monk supplied to his pupil.

"Ah, that is because of the jewel, right, Master?"

Both monks look over to the cave that they were situated in front of.

Said cave was closed off by a seemingly strong, purple barrier guarding what is outside, from what is in.

The purple barrier hummed, and hummed with great spiritual pressure.

"You are correct. You know of the Jewel of Four Souls, yes?" the elder monk, Isshin, locked his coal-black, beady eyes with his pupil, Tohru.

"The Shikon no Tama? Ah, yes! We are studying more of it in class, though, so I don't know much, but of the basics." Tohru spoke with eyes traveling over to the barrier from his master. The barrier was covered with a single braided rope, tied at each end of the cave, swinging across the cave. Ofudas and charms hanging off the rope, at an interval of eighteen inches.

"Ah, yes. Why don't you inform the Elders, then we will resume our little 'chat', hm?"

"Un! Yes! Excuse me." Tohru bowed then swiftly turned away from his master and the barrier, into the small trail of forest leading into the village's shrine.

Isshin gazed upon the humming barrier once more. Eyes saddening, memories replaying in his head like a Kabuki performance.

"Shikon no Tama. I hear your guardians' soul crying out, so why won't you let her free to find him?" Isshin's eyes glazed over with sadness, deeper than before.

They saddened because he was sad.

He was sad because he remembered.

And Isshin doesn't like to remember, especially since these memories weren't his to begin with.

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He could never climb the shrine steps without losing his breath half way. There must have been over two-thousand steps!

Tohru's short, bark brown hair moved with the wind as he climbed the last set of steps.

Gasping for breath, he finally calmed his heart to a normal rate, straitened his robes, took a deep breath, and headed straight to the temple before him.

A young woman kneeling in front of the temple gates, dressed in a simple but elegant sky-blue kimono, bowed to him, and nodded to the shelves that house a few pairs of sandals.

Bowing to the young woman, Tohru slipped of his sandals and placed them on the bottom shelf.

The young woman then stood up, and opened the shoji screen door.

Bowing his head in thanks, Tohru made his way down the hall to the village elders.

Red, wooden poles lined the walls down the hall, along with a statue between every three, each statue representing a member of the Chinese Zodiac.

His right hand gripping the beads tied around his hand, Tohru took a deep breath once again, and kneeled before a shoji screen door, decorated with designs of demons. He then pulled a string besides the screens edge.

The puling of the string caused a small, gentle jingling sound which alerted the occupants on the other side.

“You may enter.” A deep, scratchy voice spoke with much authority.

Placing his hands on the screens makeshift handle, Tohru slid open the screen.

Stepping inside, still kneeled, he turned around and closed the screen.

Facing the occupants, Tohru bowed low, hands on the ground, and in front of his head.

“Elders, I am Nakimura Tohru. I am here to inform you that Master Isshin is ready to perform the ceremony.” Still bowed, Tohru placed his eyes on the floor, not daring to look up out of respect.

Murmurs and clinking of staffs filled the room then.

“You may stand. And lead us to the barrier, Tohru-san.” The same voice as before spoke, with the same level of authority.

“Yes, sir.” Tohru then stood, and bowed, and straightened his back.

Opening the door, and waiting for the twelve elder monks to come through, Tohru closed the screen, and made his way to lead the monks to where Master Isshin waited.

“We must make hast. We don't have much time `till mid-hour of the snake.”

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The forest was awfully quite for a late morning spring day.

Guess they know about the ceremony.

Crystal blue eyes sparkled with laughter as a group of the village children were playing `ninja'.

They would pick, at random by rolling a dice, one child to play an outside shinobi. Then everyone would gather their hand-made cardboard shuriken and kunai. That same outside ninja has to count to a certain number, then he/she has to find every one else, or the other way around.

A young man sat in a tree, over looking to children playing below.

Blonde, wild spiked hair was rooted on his head. His face, nice sharp-looking, having lost all his childish looks a few years back.

A simple black cloth with a metal band was tied around his head, covering his forehead. The metal band had a symbol, a line that formed a leaf formation with a small swirl in the middle.

His legs were clothed with black, loose fitting pants. His chest covered in an, also black, muscle t-shirt. Around his neck was a necklace with a diamond hanging from it.

He also wore a green vest. Built with pockets for easy access.

His left leg had athletic tape going around his thigh to strap down his kunai pouch. His shuuriken pouch hang from a black, leather belt, the pouch landing on his left hip, towards his back side.

The belt also had smaller pouches and pockets for different uses.

His feet were protected with simple, black open toe sandals that reached his ankles, maybe a little higher.

Six whisker-like marks were in his cheeks, three in each side. Going all the way down to his jaw line from two centimeters below his nose.

Fingerless, black gloves were slipped on his hands.

A familiar cowing sound made this Konoha shinobi look up, a sudden sense of dread filling the pit of his stomach.

Looking up, he saw a single black crow, circling above his head.

Sighing, he put his hand together and disappeared in a puff of smoke, and a whirl of leaves.

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End Chapter 2-Ceremony

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So? How was it?? If you have any questions or comments, please review or e-mail me!! I have answers to every thing!! So, thank you for reading this, and please, REVIEW!!

Thank You!

~Spellcaster~