InuYasha Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Breathless ❯ Shinto ( Chapter 29 )

Disclaimer: No, for the twenty ninth time… I Do Not Own Sailor Moon or Inuyasha…if I did I might be even richer than the author of Harry Potter, but NO; Rumiko Takahashi owns Inuyasha (and the manga is SO MUCH MORE awesome than the anime, you guys… I highly recommend it!), whereas Naoko Takeuchi owns Sailor Moon… I asked Santa Claus if he could get me the ownership for Christmas, but he said that `no can do'.

 

 

Chapter Twenty Eight.

 

 

`Shinto'

 

 

“Our religion, Shinto, involves the worship of the Kami… the gods. The most important duty in Shinto is to hold great love and reverence for Nature, Usagi… both towards the things that are living and the things which are not; for Kami are all around us and sometimes take the most unsuspected of forms: a waterfall, a rock, the moon or just an oddly shaped stone even, may in truth be the Kami hiding under a disguise… Abstract qualities like growth, fertility and production; natural phenomena like the wind, thunder, mountains, rivers, animals, the sun… and even ancestral spirits of our own bloodline, that have ascended and become one with Nature; they might be others too. The guardians spirits of the land, occupations, skills, souls of deceased Japanese heroes and of men of outstanding deeds or virtues, of those who have contributed to civilization, culture and human welfare… those who have died for others and for the community, and the pitiable dead; all of them are forms of Kami as well.

 

 

“As you can realize, not only spirits superior to, and among humans have been believed to have ascended to the higher form of Kami, but also spirits who are considered weak or pitiable have been considered as such in Shinto, with the purpose of honoring them with prayers and worship to help ease their suffering… This is something that also aids, sometimes, in preventing that they evolve into darker spirits…possibly even becoming an eventual threat to man kind… Common misfortunes like decease, violence, food scarcity and weather catastrophes might be partly caused, or just encouraged by these dark, disrupted spirits; that is why we need to help pacify them to assist in the restoration of the balance.

 

 

“That is why Nature is to be cherished and preserved at all times… One must always show the proper respect and thankfulness when sacrificing another being's life to prolong one's own existence; failure to show respect can be seen as a lack of concern for others, looked down on because it is believed to attract darkness, accumulate impurity and generally speaking, bring problems for everyone around, sometimes no matter who was the one truly at fault. Those who fail to take into account the feelings of other people and Kami will only bring ruin on themselves; the worst expression of such malicious attitude is the taking of someone else's life for personal advancement or enjoyment. Those killed without being shown gratitude for their sacrifice will hold a grudge, an urami, and become powerful and evil Kami seeking revenge… some of these are youkai and the aragami.

 

 

“Proper observation of the prayers and rituals of Shinto is partly to avoid the birth of even more aragami.

 

 

“All beings that exist possess two sides, the side of Darkness and the side of Light. Spirits possess those sides too; this is why they usually have a good side and a bad side: one is their gentle side, the soul known as nigi-mitama, and the other one, the aggressive side is the soul known as ara-mitama. A deity will behave differently according to which soul is in control at a given time…

 

 

“Though Shinto has no absolute commandments outside of living a simple and harmonious life with nature and people, there are Four Primal Affirmations of the Shinto Spirit, which are…― Do you know which they are, Usagi?”

 

 

Silence.

 

 

“…Usagi?”

 

 

The priestess Kaede snapped out at last of her eternal monologue to look at her student with curiosity…

 

 

…A student who had by the sight of it, already fallen asleep with an arm propped up; the open palm of her hand supporting her head as she snored very quietly.

 

 

Kaede's temper flared.

 

 

Her started eye twitching madly as a vein pulsed on the top of her forehead dangerously.

 

 

`Has she been sleeping the entire time I was talking?!'

 

 

Taking a hold of her bamboo broom, she approached the student silently, raised the broom up in the air and then brought it down in a swift, hitting the inconsiderate girl on the head so harshly, that it immediately brought her crashing down back to the world of the living.

 

 

“ITAI!!!” The blonde squealed loudly as the impact of the blow made her fall to the floor face first. “You're SO MEAN, Kaede-Baba!!!” she began once she realized what had happened.

 

 

“USAGI!!!” unimpressed, the aged priestess said murderously “How many times has this been going on? I've told you many times not to fall asleep while I'm explaining the basics of Shinto! How do you except to ever become a proper miko if you don't pay attention to anything I say?!”

 

 

“WAAAAAAA!!!!! But you need not to hit me so HARD!!!!” the wailing blonde continued, spurts of water pouring out of her eyes like waterfalls.

 

 

Kaede merely shook her head in resignation, sighing rather `unpriestess-like' as she did so. She could already feel the beginnings of an impending head ache taking place.

 

 

`And I thought this girl could be a disguised Kami?' she mused to herself `I must have been insane…' As the blonde continued with her immature bawling, not for the first time since the blonde's arrival, she thought she had her hands full with this new apprentice.

 

 

“By the name of the Kami, child…” she said with her fingers creasing her forehead, her tone almost pleading “cease with that awful sound if you please”

 

 

At this Usagi immediately shut up.

 

 

…Kaede sighed one more time, in relief.

 

 

“That's so much better; thank you…” she tried to compose herself “Now, where were we? Ah, yes… The Four Primal Affirmations of Shinto… Usagi, do you remember what they are?”

 

 

“Um” the blonde gulped, scratching her head as she tried to recall “Um…Family tradition, Love of Nature, Physical cleanliness… and the rites of Matsuri?”

 

 

The priestess' eyes got wide as saucers. “…Yes! That' right! …That is absolutely right!” she almost wanted to cry at the fact that her student had actually remembered something.

 

 

“Hehe, see Kaede-baba? That's why I fall asleep in your lectures: it helps me remember more easily!” the youth giggled sheepishly, making the old woman groan.

 

 

When her `teacher' kept silent, Usagi grew somewhat worried.

 

 

She approached the elder, putting a hand on her shoulder worriedly. “You… Are you mad at me, Kaede-baba?... I- I -I'm sorry I fell asleep in your lecture earlier” she offered with guilt “I promise I'll try harder from now on, I swear! I'll learn everything you want to teach me” she bit her lip “…please… don't give up on me?” she smiled a little sad.

 

 

Shifting to look into the more inexperienced girl's eyes, the old woman smiled back.

 

 

“That's alright, child; you don't need to worry… I was only thinking”

 

 

Curious, the youth tilted her head to the side.

 

 

“About what?”

 

 

“Many things…” the priestess' gaze once more turned towards the horizon ina pensive manner “You remind me a lot of myself when I was younger; did you know that?”

 

 

“No”

 

 

The priestess gave a melancholy smile. “You do… I used to be like you are now, so free and careless; my sister would always have to reprimand me so I wouldn't forget my chores and duties… In a way, I think I envy you, child… You have your whole life before you… You've yet so very much to learn”

 

 

“Kaede-baba…”Usagi said in a whisper; she'd already learned the story of her teacher's older sister.

 

 

Kikyo…

 

 

What a tragic past to overcome. Usagi really felt sorry for the priestess.

 

 

`Nobody should have to suffer that way' she thought to herself. `I'm sorry, Kaede-baba, I didn't mean to remind you of such sad things'

 

 

“That's life, I guess” the wizened elder continued “That is why you have to concentrate on your learning, Usagi, child… This youth that you now possess, this freedom which you now cherish… they won't last forever… Duties come, along with adulthood, and one must learn to adapt. Do you understand… what I'm trying to say?”

 

 

Usagi closed her eyes.

 

 

“Yes” Truth was, she thought she knew exactly what the older woman was hinting, with an odd sense of déjà vu.

 

 

…She just didn't know why.

 

 

Not yet

 

 

“Duties come… and life changes” Kaede proceeded “Doesn't grow uglier or more beautiful, it just… changes. You will change too, my child… I sense that change already happening. Even when you aren't aware of it, even though it's slow and isn't obvious, I can feel that change happening under the surface. Usagi…” she turned to stare at her sharply “many troubles and difficult decisions await you; I can feel as much…. Do you want to be ready for what is to come?”

 

 

Serious, the girl nodded.

 

 

She had felt it too.

 

 

“Then you mustn't hesitate in your training. Something, inside you, is waiting to awaken; my senses tell me so. The key to that awakening is through your learning of the ways of the Light, and the only path I can offer you for that learning is by teaching you the in single ways I know; the ways of priesthood… I realize now, that probably might not be what you want”

 

 

Usagi turned to her fast.

 

 

“Kaede-sama?!”

 

 

Once again, Kaede offered a reassuring smile.

 

 

“There's no need to pretend, child… I already know you do not wish to become a priestess; no… If you did, you wouldn't find learning this so difficult. But your path lies somewhere else, of that I'm certain… You just haven't discovered it yet”

 

 

“Kaede-sama”

 

 

The old lady shook her head.

 

 

“It's all well, child… You'll soon realize what t is that you're looking for, I just know it; I am not as old as you can see in vain, I can tell about these things. Anyway, what I wanted to say is, Usagi… I know you're getting impatient, and think it is time I start to train you on the more practical uses of our Faith: the powers of purity… This means I'll teach you to develop your spiritual powers, which I know now lie dormant”

 

 

At these words, Usagi fidgeted with excitement. Finally, after days of just listening in to the theories… she would finally be allowed to give it a try to put them into action?

 

 

…Wonderful!

 

 

“So you think I'm ready, at last?” she asked with disbelief “Oh, Kaede-sama! You won't regret this!” she said hooking her arms around the older woman, who seemed started for a second, but then smiled. “I promise I will do my best!”

 

 

“Heh, I know you'll do your best… Cause I'll feed you to the pigs, child, if you don't!” the priestess said laughing in a warning, and getting her intent, Usagi laughed too.

 

 

With those words, both women turned around to walk back towards the shrine. Kaede only paused to add one more time.

 

 

“You should get some rest now, child; your real training begins tomorrow”

 

 

To Be Continued.