Disenchantment

"the imperial army..." the man said and the people shifted uncomfortably. the emporer has sent a message out to all nations cities and villages.... that if we are not to comply and join forces with him... we are a threat to be taken out... we are humble mountain folk... Proud, Set in our ways. we are as changing as the rock around us. we bend to noone!" the man said slamming hsi fist against the wall "but they came with fire... and they came with machines we have never seen" his fist slipped from the wall back to his side

"all we could do is pray.... and hide... the only part of our town that really survived was our temple. seems the gods were in our favor" he said and they lit the tourches. a mighty statue of ohoyagi stood where the majority of the people where huddled. "the south side of the temble was destroyed though" the man said with a shameful look as he watche dohoyagi walk look at him. "such brave warriors... how did you get past the demons gaurding the trail?" he asked

~*~

outside kaguya looked at the destruction and went to the outside of ohoyagi's temple sitting by the stump of one of her cherry trees "i never got to see it bloom..." she mumbled resting her head on the trunk sadly

Maiko looked at the statue and the destruction of the temple and had to stiffle her words. 'Where were the gods when all this was happnening?' She thought and then looked down at the small girl with the doll. "Thank them." she jerked her finger back towards Ohoyagi and the others outside.

Haruko was surprised by Kaguya's sudden aversion to him. She shouted no at him, why he wasn't sure but he guessed the meaning. She didn't want him around her at the moment, but with the possiblity of whatever it was that got this place returning and her still weak, he couldn't stop wanting to keep an eye on her. He kept a bit of distance and sat down on one of the rubbled peiced of a wall to the temple and heard Maiko speaking to someone. "Mai what's going on?"
She peeked her head through a crack in the wall and gave her brother a small raise of her eyebrow. "There's some people in here. Some wounded. I'm checking up on a couple of them, but it would be nice to have a few healers." She looked to Kaguya and Ozean and motioned them to the temple.

kaguya nodded standing and walking as best she could to the temple and disappearing inside. she instantly got to healing the hurt survivors. she ran her hands over then stopping at the broken places to heal. it took alot of time and energy and by the time she had finished she was so tired. they helped her to one of the make shift beds out of blankets and she sat with her back against the wall getting comfortable. they offered her wat little they ahd and she smiled declining and limply playing with one of the little girls. the women of the group looked at her scar of darkness and worried over her each giving their own advice, others whispering about how she was a demon and deserved to be thrown into the snow.

kaguya turned from them all to face the heat of the tourch and to close her eyes. she almost instantly fell asleep

ozean joined her by her side putting a hand to her shoulder as a sign of comfort.
"do not pay them ant tension they are not even close to deserving."

"they are my people though" she mumbled to her "i know they are of the mountain people... but that doesnt change the fact that they are people... it seems everywhere i go... everyone has forgotten me...us... the balance... how could the emporer do this? he knows that if he does not keep balance the gods will step in to create it, by any means... i dont understand how someone could be so stupid" she said to ozean not even opening her tired eyes "besides... if this is the way they treat outsiders... what is the difference in the way they would treat a god?" she mumbled sadly to her

"ignorance is a natural drug that numbs the minds of the weak, we can only hope that any measures we must take will be swift and just." ozean said with soft eyes a small smile spread across her face.

"i really hope your right ozean... if its just ignorance then maybe there is hope" she said leaning against ozeans shoulder tiredly

"we all do kaguya, we all do."ozean said with a sigh and continued to stare into the fire. "are you alright?" she asked as if a mother to her young.

"i think so" she said smiling at ozean before frowning at the fire "the closer we get to the imperial city the closer i feel myself slip though" she said witha huff of frustration "i dont know how to put it... maybe the whole city has fallen."

"i understand i have had that feeling for sometime now. we will have to be strong whatever may be up ahead" she said looking away from the fire to kaguya.

Maiko was speaking with one of the women from this village, all the while thinking about what had happened. From what the woman was tellling her they had lost their entire town, all except this shrine. All that was in her mind was the emperor a man she'd never met but now held an exstreem hate for. 'I'm going to kill him personally, that's a-'
"Maiko?" She jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Haruko looking down at her. "Ah Haru, sorry I was just zoning out a bit..." She mumbled and went back to watching the ground.
"You think this whole emperor thing is getting out of hand don't you?" She sighed and Haruko noded slightly.
"It's definately not fair...but men make decisions for men." Haruko said and Maiko looked at her brother.
"Yeah but do you think the gods are really able to handle this? I mean look at us? We're practically sitting here while other people are suffering! I just don't see how they have so much damn faith!" She burried her face in Haruko's shoulder and he gave her a comforting hug.
"Faith is all they've got, we've got the power to make something happen." Haruko heard Maiko let out a shaky sigh and he was sure she was close to crying. She soon quieted, a reserved look coming to her face as she went back to speaking with the other women.

kaguya heard the words maiko said and punched teh wall of the temple bursting the rock from its hardened place. she let out a roar of frustration and burried her face in her arms fuming with rage and uncontrolable confusion

ozean was looking around as she found a tiny little girl with the greenest eyes she had ever seen.
"My child what is it you wish for the people of this town.name it and i shall make sure it is yours." she said with a comforting smile handing her a small stuffed blue koi toy.

Maiko jumped when the roar echoed and looked up, trying to see who did it. "I'll go look." Haruko got to his feet and walked over to where the shout came from. He found it was Kaguya, with her face burried in her arms as she fumed. "Rough day?" He asked leaning against the wall, near the hole she'd formed.

Ohoyagi had not moved from the temple. He stared in silence at his broken shrine for hours, not saying a word, never looking away for an instant. finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he turned and left the temple, and went to a small hill on the edge of the town, overlooking the mountain range. Without a word, he cleared a small space of its snow and fell to his knees, beginning to meditate. He closed his eyes and looked forward to the sky, waiting, gaining strength from the earth under his legs. He sat and thought in silence, never shifting, never moving, always gazing straight at the world below the mountain

"it is saddening is it not?" ozean asked joining her old friend on the hill. her eyes turning a dull blue from sadness.

kaguya looked up at haruko "what would you know" she growled to him "no ones questioning if your real or not" she said with a bitter tone "how can these people not believe in us when everything goes smoothly and then blame us when it goes bad? its not fair... its not my fault... if anything it their fault!" she said trying reason this with herself

Haruko's brow furrowed a little as he watched her carefully. "I'm not denying that." He said and thought he should elaborate a little more on what he meant. "As humans, we don't like blaming ourselves though, it seems easier to push the blame on someone else, someone bigger than us." He said and gave her a look of questioning. "But does that change the fact that their still wrong?" He said and shrugged. "We just need someone to depend on, I guess. And get our feelings hurt when things don't go the way they planned." He sat down and gestured towards her. "But you're the goddess here, tell me if all that's happened is just a product of how life works or if there's some kind of master plan behind all of it?"

"It is not saddening, it is infuriating. I am not sad, simply angry." Ohoyagi didn't budge an inch, still looking straightforward towards the world below the mountain. He continued to sit, gathering strength, barely paying attention to Ozean next to him.

"if there was some ulmity plan.. and i knew about it, do u think i would have let all this happened?" she said to him with a sigh "if you know of a master plan you better let me onto it" she said nudging him with a small smile

((ima hit the hay ill respond in the mornin ^^ night guys! ))

Haruko smiled and gave a shrug. "Wish I did, but then I wouldn't be able to complain as much anymore." He chuckled and looked at the ceiling that was now a faded green color. "I guess that leaves a little more mystery to thing then." He felt a little more relaxed with her smiling even if it was a little. It still meant she was feeling better. "So, I guess we’ll be waiting out the snow here..”

"yeah... and we should try to help these people" she said looking around them "or maybe not..." she said with a bit of a snarl. "its not like they even know who i am... if i started helping them they would probably say it was the freakin weather or something." she said her smile disappearing again "you dont understand haruko... when no one believes in you... it makes you rather bitter

((sorry about disappearing guys... ive been working nonstop T.T and now cons here @.@))

(It's cool I think this whole months been busy busy)
Haruko knew he wouldn't quite understand what that felt like. No one deserved to be forgotten like she was but there was nothing they could do to change the past. They didn't even recognize their own god...."Well, I believe in you, Mai believes in you, Ohoyagi and Ozean believe in you and this whole place could use a little more believing." He stretched then gave her a small smile. "Let's go talk to the leader of this place, at least find out what needs to be done."