Ounen - Mount Taikyoku/Mount Tokyoku

[Kaivi Silverwing]

Mount Taikyoku: The true home of the Emperor of the Heavens, this is what the mountain really looks like. The plain facade of Mount Tokyoku is a precaution, for those with clouded hearts. If your heart is clear, you will see Mount Taikyoku and not Mount Tokyoku.

Mount Tokyoku: A barren wasteland of a mountain, with several villages located at it's foot, along with a small shrine located halfway up it's peak. It is considered a country of it's own, as it is supposedly the home of the Emperor of the Heavens. When one attempts to approach Mount Taikyoku, they only see Mount Tokyoku.  

[Kaivi Silverwing]

As the small, pale haired girl sat down next to the bed of the Emperor of the Heavens, she wrung out another cloth of cool water to place atop his head. The Emperor, often known as Taiitsu-kun, was ill. Ill, actually, was an understatement. He was dying. Hintama looked over at the five men who were pacing in the other room. The Gods were as worried about the Emperor as she was. If Taiitsu-kun passed on, their entire world would be destroyed.

She shook her head, looking back down at the creator. He was pale, almost as white as her own hair. Hintama couldn't help but be worried. It was because of this man that she had her gift. She had always been gifted with divination, but it was under him, as Sunkake baba, that she learned to perfect her art. Now, she was more powerful than the Auger in Hokkan. But, she didn't like to show off her talents. If asked, she would answer truthfully, but nothing more than that.  

[Adrian Nequam]

As the four of the five Celestial Lords paced the hallway outside of the Emperor of the Heaven's bedroom, the fifth, Suzaku was in the mirror room. He and his four brothers had been taking turns keeping an eye on the world outside. It was almost Seiryuu's turn, but for now, he was enjoying watching his homeland of Konan. His eyes were focused on Mount Reikaku, and he had seen the day's happenings. He shook his head slightly. While they were his warriors, they were definately stubborn.

Seiryuu, on the other hand, had stopped pacing, to tap on his brother's shoulder. "It's my turn to watch. Go relax for a little while." Oddly enough, the Warrior god was rather tame at the moment. With every passing day, Taiitsu-kun was getting weaker, as were the rest of them. Who knew how long it would take for them to vanish? While Suzaku nodded and stepped away, Seiryuu took his place watching the world.

Pangu, too, had stopped pacing and was turning his attention to helping Hintama care for the Emperor. He had refilled the bowl of water which the young Hin girl was using to cool the Emperor's brow. He knew that Hintama had been by the Emperor's side since he first started showing signs of illness. That had been atleast two hundred years. The gods knew what Hintama was, but never spoke of it. She chose to stay, and help the Priestesses when they would arrive. "Hintama, you should take a break. You've been at this for several days now. You need to rest."  

[Kaivi Silverwing]

Glancing over at Pangu, Hintama shook her head, smiling slightly. "Thank you for the offer, Lord Pangu. But, I should stay here. I still have some energy left, so I should be fine for now. Lai Lai will tell me when I am getting low." She looked back at the Emperor of the Heavens, sighing slightly. "Do you think he'll be alright? I mean... do you think the Priestesses will be able to help him?" She knew they had hand chosen the girls to become the Priestesses, but if they failed... their world was in peril.  

[Adrian Nequam]

Shaking his head, Pangu put his hand on her shoulder. "Atleast get something to eat or drink. I don't think I've seen you touch any form of sustanence in a while. I know you don't have to eat, but it would probably give you some more energy" He knew well her devotion to the Emperor. All of them had a similar devotion. Why else would they all be pacing about in their Lord's hallway to make sure he was alright? "We can get Byakko or Genbu in here to cover for you for a little while."  

[Kaivi Silverwing]

Hintama nodded slightly, knowing that she wasn't going to be able to get out of this. Pangu was going to make sure she still had energy to make it back down the mountain. She didn't blame him. She hadn't gone back to the temple at the base of Mount Tokyoku for several days. It wasn't as though she was expecting anyone to actually show up, since things had been rather slow lately, but it was best to occasionally be there in case there was. "Very well. I'll eat something."  

[Aleyn of Farronbrook]

On the slopes of Mount Tokyoku, a lone figure made his way up the barren mountainside. In one hand he lead a tired but determined horse; in the other rested a bundle in the crook of his arm.

He approached the small shrine, surprisingly empty and dusty from years of neglect. Withered flowers, some of them now tiny piles of soil on the table, sat in a cracked vase. Dust coated everything. Looking around, he sighed.

"What would have caused people to leave the Emperor of the Heavens . . . ?" he murmured. To his horse he said, "Rest, Huang-Lung. You've done enough today."

The horse wickered softly and stopped respectfully in front of the shrine. Unwrapping the bundle, the man smiled ruefully.

"No wonder no one wanted to come up here . . . oh well. I guess it's my duty."

~~~~~~~~~

Hours later he sat back and looked around. The shrine looked brand new, all traces of neglence gone. Sighing in satisfaction and walking outside to dust himself off, he took out some inscense sticks, a few oranges, and a fresh peony from a bush he had found miraculously growing at the base of the mountain. He lit the inscense sticks, bowed in worship to the scroll hanging of the Emperor of the Heavens, and left the oranges and the peony there.

~~~~~~~~~

At the foot of the mountain he bowed politely to the peony bush.

"May your blossoms forever glow brightly, Peony," he said. "Let's go, Huang-Lung."

Mounting his refreshed horse, he cantered off.

((Yes, I know, it hadn't rained for many years, but miracles do happen ^^))  

[Adrian Nequam]

Nodding, Pangu motioned for one of the Lai Lai's to help Hintama up and to the main part of the room. He found a cushion to sit on, as the pale haired girl joined him, taking her seat across from him. Another Lai Lai popped in some food, just some simple rice and meat, but it was good enough. He graciously took a bowl of the mixture, eating it slowly. While he didn't HAVE to eat, he, as well as the other gods, liked to savor food every once in a while. Even though he wasn't really trying to focus on it, Pangu could still see the image of his chosen Priestess in his mind. He was mentally keeping tabs on her. "Eat, enjoy... you could use the break."

The blue haired god, Seiryuu, had continued watching the goings on of the world. His gaze drifted down to the base of the very mountain the resided upon. He saw the lone figure approach the shrine, which he had to admit had been rather neglected. The only caretaker was Hintama, and she had a hard enough time dealing with trying to walk in her Lai Lai body to keep the place in proper order. Hopefully, the Emperor will regain his health soon... everything is falling apart. He shook his head, rubbing his temples slightly. This was one time the god was thankful he couldn't age, otherwise he would swear he was getting gray hairs from all of the stress.

As Byakko stepped into the room, he glanced over his younger brother's shoulder. "Enjoying yourself?" He knew for certain that Seiryuu wasn't much enjoying having to watch the dealings of people outside of his own realm of influence. He too watched the young man cleaning up the shrine at the bottom of the mountain. "Hmmm... perhaps we should tell the Hin girl. She might like to know her home is being restored." Once Seiryuu nodded, Byakko stepped out of the mirror room, to where Hintama sat. "Hintama, someone has started to restore the shrine. Maybe you should stay down there for some time. With the Priestesses here, they might need your help."