SD Gundam Fan Fiction ❯ Tenmei: Hinomoto Botsu ❯ Chapter 1: Eyes of Space ( Chapter 1 )

Tenmei: Hinomoto Botsu

God's Will: The Origin of Fire's Rise

By: May-VeggieGirl1

 

~*~*~*~*

 

Focus.

 

Keep everything else out. Listen to the rhythm. Be ready. Be patient.

 

And focus.

 

The hush of the forest stirred with a passing breeze, rustling the leaves around the still body until a piercing shrill set the figure's sense ablaze. A crow burst forth from overhead, cawing a high note and throwing the figure off, lunging forward too soon.

 

With a cold splash, Bakunetsumaru found himself lying on his belly in a river, soaked and most notably without a fish. Pulling himself up on his hands and knees, he shook his head furiously. “Kuso,” He growled, hoping up back onto the large rock and sat with his shoulders sagged. The musha really wasn't too keen on being wet, especially since a cold front had come through Ark just the other day. He shivered, glaring at the water and blaming nature for his hunger and sheer inability to catch a fish successfully. Entengo noticeably smiled at his owner and sipped some of the water a few feet away, in case any more swimming episodes were to occur.

 

Even though peace had sent the main Gundam Force members off to their respective homes to start living life again, Baku hadn't given up on training. Not that Britainmaru would've let him, but it was still his obligation to his country and to himself as a samurai. A month ago he decided he would start training while traveling, since he still hadn't seen all of Ark yet. And thus he ended up here on the mountainside just trying his hardest, and failing, to get lunch.

 

The crow landed nearby with a dead field rat in beak, its black beady eye looking around as Baku's own eye caught it. “Maybe I'd be better off eating bird, Entengo.” Entengo lifted his head a little and made a brrh sound while shaking his head. Baku sighed, since he didn't want bird anyway.

 

Just a few feet uphill a ways a little, a stepping stone path intercepted the river, one which another gundam approached quietly, enjoying the serenity of the outside world on a sunny early afternoon until a sigh caused him to freeze before stepping onto the stone path.

 

“Stupid fish.” The gold and black clad gundam turned to see the owner of the voice and scoffed.

 

“Stupid gundam,” Kibaomaru retorted and caused Baku to tense suddenly and sharply turn his head to him, his mood quickly going sour upon seeing the emperor. He eyed Kiba for a moment, letting the insult only brush him and then leaned back from huddling over the water.

 

“What are you doing here?” The emperor's eyes shifted over to the trees at the crow picking apart the field rat's flesh, indifferent to the savagery of life.

 

Barely audible over the river's running water, Kiba's deep voice murmured, “visiting the Chimi Ichidou.” Baku blinked at his other rival warrior, obviously not familiar with the words.

 

“The Chimi Ichidou? There's a shrine up here?” The gold eyes slid over to the other samurai like on ice and he nodded.

 

“While you're up here, you ought to stop by. It isn't very well known, but the seclusion makes it pleasant for meditation and a sense of peace.” Kiba paused for a moment then scoffed. “Which you obviously lack.” Baku snorted while standing up, choking on his distressed ego as he had almost slipped on the wet stone and fallen face-first into the river again. After another moment of flailing and getting back on the grass, both simultaneously decided to ignore the entire event to prevent even further damaged pride on both sides. He glanced one more time at the water, seeing as the fish had fled the first time he fell in, and walked over to Entengo.

 

“Alright. Maybe I'll visit right now.”

 

 

 

 

 

Since Kiba hadn't come on his horse, Baku decided to just walk with Entengo, though it didn't ease the tension and awkward silence between them. As hard and obvious they both tried to completely ignore each other and enjoy the beautiful scenery, each found themselves glancing at the other distastefully. And just as their gaze would slide too long they'd jerk away far too abruptly towards anything else. Entengo stood back a little between them, watching the two musha gundams play what looked to be a stupid game against the other, exasperated.

Even in such peace they couldn't force themselves to relax around the other which made it all the more tense since they could also sense how uptight the other was. Entengo shook his head at the two while continuing up the mountain path, now what seemed to be an infinite amount of time.

 

Finally, Baku and Kiba came upon the end of the trail at a little clearing of grass in front of a fairly small temple. The building's architecture wasn't too different from the castle; a single level pagoda with a wooden path around it and stairs leading up into it. The most noticeable thing about it was the beautifully carved Japanese maple oak wooden pillars in the building and the stone ones on each side of the ended mountain trail. The fierce-looking 3D dragons went up the sides of them as the sparkle of the very thin fine gold up the wooden pillars caught Baku's eyes, especially where the sunlight streamed through the canopy above touched it. After a few more uninterrupted moments of silence, Baku nodded in approval.

 

“The ichidou is in the back.” Kiba stepped forward and walked around the temple, Baku trailing behind a little slowly to take in the pleasant sights. Around the back past the garden sat a statue of some strange figure with most semblance of a gundam but with a snake mouth snapped shut, empty space for dragon eyes, and large wings wrapped around itself, concealing the lower half of the body. Baku estimated it was about half his height in total as it sat forever still in place, blown out candles and bells placed humbly on the ground. Large stems of bamboo grew up from behind it as Baku went back to staring at the empty space for eyes.

 

“The Chimi ichidou, ah?” Kiba said nothing more to the other musha as he knelt down and paid his respects. Baku watched for a long time, the forest seemingly miles away from where the shrine sat merely for how utterly silent it all was. Finally, he followed Kiba's lead and went to his knees.

 

Focus.

 

Baku opened his eyes and slowly looked up back to the empty ones from the statue and knew right then it would not be the last time that space stared down upon him.

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