Kamisama: The Life of a God

Jineza nodded and and sighed, “she’s not going to take it lightly. She didn’t take anything that’s happened so far very well...”

Geitsu rounded the corner to bring a few documents to Koharu to sign for her emancipation and school forms when he found her sitting in her knees and crying. “Miss Koharu.....what’s the matter?”

Koharu sat there shaking still, she wanted things to go back how they were but this time she take Nazuki's offer about living with him and his mother. Of course she had no idea that all along things had been put into motion that were out of her control, she had no idea that she was from a powerful bloodline of not only just a priestess but of a god as well. Her powers sealed long ago till she crossed the threshold to this shrine, though hearing his voice asking him to come down she blinked a few times, all she could do was stair ahead even as Geitsu came around. Her tear streaked face, kneeling on the ground clinging to the phone....she only had one true friend and she was thrust into a world she didn't understand as she heard his voice again asking she nodded "Please.....I...I need you....Nazuki...."

As she said that, the air in the shrine seemed to grow heavy and stale as there suddenly seemed to be a charge in the air as the clouds grew full and heavy at her words “Don’t worry Koharu, I’ll be right there.”he said still grinning madly as he hung up the phone

Tenjin paused as the air on the back of his neck stood up as he looked outside as his eyes widened “The barrier.......... Jineza.....the barrier is gone.”he said as from outside the shimmering blue barrier that had protected the shrine for the last 16 years finally began to dissipate and vanish “He’s coming.”

Jineza tensed again, “Koharu.” She said softly and moved down the hall. She found her there crying with a phone held to her ear and Geitsu trying to console her. “Mistress....somethings wrong with our young friend.”
“Geitsu...get Ao and Han. Find Orichnagi now....Tenjinandninwill tendnto her.” Concerned by her stance and the fire in her eyes, he nodded and fled down the hall to do as she asked

Koharu took a deep breath as she heard Nazuki's voice over the phone, it felt reassuring to know that her closet friend was coming to help her feel better. Though she was still unsure and scared about everything, after all what could he do? He would probably tell her she was just over thinking things and that those here would help her settle into it all..though she would feel Geitsu gently rubbing her shoulders. However as she sat there she sensed something was wrong as she looked up, seeing Jineza there and she would raise her hand to wipe her tears away did she scare them with her crying? "w...whats....going on?" she stated softly as she then looked around the whole shrine was different it was hazy and the air felt heavy to breath in. "the shrine...what happened to the shrine?" she was confused as she started to stand up, did she not hear them telling her to come back inside while she was on the phone? If something was happening she blinked looking at the phone "no...if an demon comes Nazuki will get hurt...." she started to redial the number still unaware what was happening.

Before she could even finish dialing a rift opened and a young man stepped through with a wide grin on his face as he floated in the sky just outside the shrine grounds “Oh how good it is to lay eyes on what should rightfully be mine again.”Nazuki said as he pressed forward as a bit of static crackled on his skin before fading as he kept walking forward into the shrine grounds as Ao and Han suddenly appeared in their large fox forms, backs arched and growling as Orochinagi slithererd into view behind Nazuki then as he transformed “You do not belong here.”he hissed out as his eyes narrowed “You need to leave.”

“Leave? But why would I do that? I was invited here. As you well know.”Nazuki said waving his hand as Orochinagi was flung forward into the foxes sending them into the shrine wall as he shook his head walking forward before being stopped again by an all too familiar face “Tenjin. How good to see you again my former Lord.”Nazuki said as Tenjin snapped his fan closed a cold, hard look in his eye “Ebisu, what are you doing here?” “Oh you didn’t hear? It’s not Ebisu anymore, this time when I was reborn I decided to go with a new name....Nazuki, ring a bell?”he asked as Tenjin’s anger began to flare up and rise as the winds picked up “Careful Tenny-boy, wouldn’t want your sickness to act up.”

Geitsu ran up to them to help them as Jineza grabbed Koharu. “Trust me a demon is the least we need to worry about.” She said and took Koharus hand and lead her away from the fray and put trough a side door before conjuring a nimbus cloud. “Need to get you out here before he finds you.”

Koharu glanced at her as she had little choice but to follow, she could see someone at the entrance but who it was she wasn’t sure, “wait my friend....he’s coming here too what about him?” She states in panic that she was going to be dragging him into the mess, “he’s been there for me since we where kids I can’t just leave....Nazuki wouldn’t leave me in danger!”

When she said his name again the sky seemed to rumble loudly and several of the bulbs in the lights due to the pressure change busted making her yell in panic.

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"Ahhh"Nazuki said turning his head smiling "I'd love to stay and catch up more, but I've been beseeched and I'm sure you can remember from the good old days....duty calls."he said vanishing as Tenjin rushed forward to grab him "No!"he yelled out turning around to look at the shrine "Jineza! Koharu!"he said as he closed his eyes holding out his hands chanting as Ao and Han suddenly rose up from the ground as their wounds were restored "Guardian mode activate"he said as the two large foxes suddenly began morphing and changing into two pale men with fox ears and a tail stood there in traditional spirit garb, one with red eyes, one with blue one holding a spear the other holding prayer beads and scrolls "Stop him. Orochinagi, you too."he said snapping as the snake suddenly sprang up fully revitalized

Nazuki suddenly appeared directly in front of Koharu and Jineza as he held out a hand to Koharu "I heard you say my name and I came as fast as I could. I told you I'd always be by your side no matter what."he said to her as his eyes then locked to Jineza "You're in my way"he said holding up his hand as the same force from earlier knocked her backwards "I hate how cats always land on their feet"

She impacted the wall and it dented and splintered around her. She fell to the ground as Geitsu ran up to her. “Mistress!” He shouted and tried to help her up. “Uh...I’m...I’m fine.” She grunted and stood, “get tenjin....keep him safe Geitsu....” She said as she managed to sit stand.
“Nazuki now, is it?” She said and shrugged off the out , deceptive kimono and stepped away from the shrine. “Step away from her. Now. You are note wanted and certainly not welcome here.”

Koharu would stand there as she looked at Jineza but just as she was about to be pushed into the door, Nazuki appeared. She was taken back by how he suddenly was there as she blinked “Nazuki...how...” she didn’t finished when Jineza was suddenly blasted back making her yell in shock as she went to go help her but was caught by Nazuki. “Nazuki what’s going on...how...how did you get here so fast...”

She looked back at the others as Jineza told him to stay away and he wasn’t welcome here, all of this was starting to be far to much. “What’s going on...” her eyes wide with fear as he could feel her trembling.

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A side door suddenly opened and Tenjin appeared with Ao, Han and Orochinagi all fully awakened as Tenjin spread his fan as a large gust caused Nazuki to put up a slight barrier to defend himself "An omnious wind hm Sky God?"he said as Tenjin's hardened look didn't falter as Orochinagi had slithered in shadow to stand in front of Jineza and Koharu. Tenjin's gaze never left Nazuki as he spoke "One of the powers of Kami is to appear whenever his name is called upon. It's called a Beseeching and we use it selectively from time to time when the prayers of worthy mortals reach our ears. The one you call Nazuki is no mere mortal. He is the God of Fortune and Greed, Ebisu. The one who stole the title of Kami from me 16 years ago. The thing about Ebisu is that he can be reborn time and time again to grow into a more virtuous god in the next life...so the legend says."he continued "But the old Ebisu seemed to have killed himself to be reborn again and grow up with you. This shrine was protected from Ebisu. This shrine rightfully belongs to the Kami. This shrine is your birthright Koharu, from me. But Ebisu...Nazuki wants it, has always wanted it for as long as I can remember. And now he has the title, but not all the authority that comes with it, and he's mad. That barrier protected this shrine from him...until you called his name within it. That gave him the authority to enter the shrine since you are its rightful owner."

“It’s his breaking the barrier that caused the shrine to to decay once again. He is a selfish god Koharu. A deceiver.” Jineza Said as she waved her arm and the nimbus cloudbthat koharu sat upon moved her away from the fray should Nazuki lash out.
“He must have known that somehow through you he could get his hands on the shrine. By getting close to you till you could call him here.”

Koharu stood there as she looked at them, then back at Nazuki the boy she knew for all these years was really this...malevolent god...that had caused so much destruction and she stood there looking at him. Was this really true? Was the kind heart-ted Nazuku that she knew really just some..made up personality? She soon let out a small 'yelp' when Jineza's nimbus she was on pulled her quickly away as Orochinagi stood before them. This was all her fault? The shrine that she was welcomed within...now just some husk of its former glory and her best friend...just a lie as she sat there in a dazed look as she spoke "Why...." she whispered softly, "Why..." she looked up as tears started to go down her face, was she that...unwanted that even her 'best friend' just used her for some sort of gain.

Nazuki shook his head as he looked at them “You’ve been playing these games far too long Tenjin. Now its time for you to rightfully give me my throne.”he said as he looked over at Jineza and Koharu “Don’t believe everything they say. We grew up together Koharu. Of course I’d never do anything to harm you. All that stuff they are talking about that happened was a past me.”he said

“No.”Tenjin said as the wind picked up more pushing against Nazuki’s barrier as the younger god grunted slightly glaring as he held open his fan again as the kanji for cloud began to glow slightly as the barrier that had begun to fall suddenly stopped as Tenjin gritted his teeth “Nazuki, until the Gathering, I rebuke you from stepping foot on the premise of this shrine once again. You may be the current Kami, but I have more than one trick up my sleeve.”he said as the golden kanji then expanded covering the room as Nazuki suddenly vanished from their room as Tenjin fell to his knees coughing up blackened blood

“Tenjin!” Jineza ran up to him. She fell to her knees beside him and pulled him close. “We have to get you inside.” She said and conjured another nimbus cloud under him. “Koharu...Koharu! I need you to snap out of it for a moment and move inside quickly.” She said, not intending to be harsh but to get the girl to rejoin them in reality and to get where it was safe.

Koharu was frozen in place, everything that was happening seemed to flash in front of her replaying over and over again. Her reality shattered and in its place was a confused and messed up 'world' before her. Though she seemed to snap out of it when Tenjin suddenly dropped to his knees and was coughing up blood as his new barrier wrapped around the shrine forcing Nazuki from it. With a nod she would help Jineza move Tenjin back inside, and once they were secured and Tenjin was allowed to lay down Koharu would speak softly "im...im so sorry...I...." her voice trembled as she couldn't say anything else than 'sorry' over and over again.

“It’s not your fault.”Tenjin said with a sigh as he laid down though he pushed himself up against their hands “Before this all happened Jineza and I were talking about the best way to break this information to you. Our timing just seemed to be a little off it unfortunately.”he said “By you calling him here, he managed to supercede the barrier that had been put in place to protect this shrine. But I guess I should start at the beginning to this all makes sense to you.”he said as he laid down staring up at the ceiling taking a deep breath before talking

“It started....really it starts with your grandmother Jineza’s mother. For a long time, they were a family of shrine maidens, sworn to me. But Jineza’s mother wanted to change that. She abandoned Jineza at the shrine with me. Decided to leave her duties and run off with that chilled man you call a grandfather. And in the time Jineza and I fell in love. While it is usually frowned upon for lesser gods to fall for mortals, for the Kami to have a mortal bride is an ultimate taboo, though not one that had been evoked in ages. Ebisu, the god of fortune and greed, rallied other lesser gods to wage war against me to have both you and Jineza killed and my titles stripped. Gods cant die, we are just reborn have to return to our diety status, as Nazuki is now. Though technically he was reborn as the Kami while I am still the reigning Kami. Because of these events, Jineza was turned from a shrine maiden into a shrine guardian, the inbetween step when transitioning from a mortal to a lesser god for those of us not born already gods. She was granted eternal life, but never the right to wed me and be my equal. You were born to live with grandparents whose shame caused them to lose the only family they’ve ever had as well as generations of tradition. When I sacrificed my title, I put a barrier on this shrine, to keep it safe until you came to reclaim it and stand up to Ebisu.”he said looking over at Koharu

“Every couple of years, there is an event known as the Gathering where all the shrine Gods and their guardians come together for festival and celebration. It is also during this time that any potential guardians are appointed to divinity by vote of the council. It was our hope that with having you claiming the shrine as the new maiden by birthright, it would give us enough favor to move Jineza up to be a diety and allow me to reclaim my title as Kami. That’s going to be the only way to stop this sickness from eating me alive. While Nazuki claims the title of Kami, my energy is slowly being drained away from me and into him. This will continue until I am no more and he is the full Kami. Every year he ages, I get weaker. It is our hope beyond hope that you would be the shining light that saves all of our lives.”he said

“I suppose the last thing about our lineage that I should mention, is that I used to be...still am, a very important god. In fact, until Ebisu’s betrayal there has only been one other god to hold the title of Kami before me, my father Kami. Kami created the earth...then he created the Sky and the Heavens to reign over the earth and protect it. He created me to reign as Kami after he became the universe. Should I die and have to be reborn.....the sky will fall. The earth as you know it will never be the same. Doomsday, the apocalypse, it has had many names, but the event is still the same”he commented “People stopped praying to the sky god, the way they take the sky above their head for granted...until the crushing weight of heaven bares down on the world’s shoulders.”

“I know that all of this is a lot to take in at once...it’s a lot of responsibility that you didn’t ask for or want.” Jineza Said as out her hand in koharus shoukder, “but you are all that we have left.”

Koharu knelt down beside Tenjin and Jineza as she looked at him, his body pale and she could tell what had happened did more than just drain him of energy...she listened to him as he explained the whole story..leaving nothing out as she looked from Jineza when he mentioned her family and how her own grandmother left the shrine..and her daughter. It would explain much about her grandfather, why he refused to speak of the traditions that they had lost and why he was 'adiment' on having her marry into a wealthy family possibly another shrine to regain some sort of 'honor' back though that was now out of his hands since she 'left home' to live here. However, as he explained what they had hoped from her she blinked a few times, her lips parting to say something but every time he seemed to know what to say as she closed her mouth once again.

It was only till she felt Jineza's hand on her shoulder, that she glanced at the women...then back to Tenjin, these two....her parents that she had longed to meet and know now sat before her almost in desperation as their only hope rested in the child that they scarified everything to have live and one day help them regain what they lost. "b...but what am I suppose to do?! I...I don't know how to be a maiden, I....I don't even know how to help gods!.....even if you are...my parents wh..what can I do? Naz... will do everything to get me to be on his side..." she was afraid to say his full name even now as she looked at her 'father' laying there in a desperate state. "what can I do that you guys already tried?"

Tenjin opened his sky blue eyes as he smiled up at her "You're here now. That's already doing a lot. I'm sure you noticed how the shrine came alive when you accepted living here. Your very presence is a gift to these grounds."he said to her "And to us. So don't worry. You don't have to know the first thing about being a shrine maiden. Jineza's here to help take care of that. Again getting you fully realized before the Gathering helps our chances, but even if it doesn't happen this year, it's okay. We've waited 16, a few more won't kill us."he said with a soft laugh to try to lighten the mood, though it only made him begin violently coughing again as he waved off Geitsu "I'm fine, I'm fine damnit."he said as he shifted on his futon "Just do your best to take this all in small doses."

"Hence why my earlier comment still stands"said Orochinagi as he returned with Ao and Han from attempting to pursue Nazuki "This is all up to you Jineza. If you can't train your daughter to be a proper priestess for Lord Tenjin we might as well kiss this shrine goodbye. You see how old Ebisu is getting, and how weak Tenjin is. If not this Gathering or the next.....it's all over."he said "Tenjin's going to be reborn as a little baby, and we won't have our shrine anymore....well we will..but it will be another meaningless shrine like the rest of them for good. Not to mention what's going to happen to the mortals when Tenjin dies and the sky falls. And when Ebisu's magic takes ahold after he fully becomes the next Kami and drives the world into corruption and madness from his greed and prosperity"he stated to the group "There is little chance the world may ever return to the current state we know it in. Tenjin's only died once...and we no longer have dinosaurs."

“Sirously Orichinagi? As if I already didn’t know this.” She said and snapped at him. She knew what would happen. She knew what she had to do. She already felt guilty for all of it for had she kept her feelings to herself or had just left the shrine....maybe none of this would have happened. She felt the weight of Temjins life and what his death would entail. She didn’t need reminding.

She looked to Koharu, “having you here....having you back is more then we could hope for Koharu. Once I teach you what I know, we may just succeed in this.”

Koharu shifted a bit as she knelt there, they were right she had noticed the shrine had seemed to perk up quiet a bit since she had accepted to living here. She took a deep breath, but she seemed to hold it when Orochinagi came in, she stared at the snake and listened to him but at the end of his statement the breath she had been holding came out hard as she stared in shock more so when he stated the last time her 'father' died it took the life of all the dinosaurs and she blinked several times. "you...your THAT old!" she stated, yes it would seem that was the one thing she had to freak out on, but it only made everyone stair at her before busting out in laughter...it seemed to help the atmosphere of the room just as Jineza put her hand on her shoulder.

So to get things back to normal....to help Tenjin and the others she had to get her mother to becoming a deity....and to do that she had to become a shrine maiden and not just any old one...an actual one as she nodded. "I...I'll do what I can...doing this will make things ok again right?....even if...it hurts....'him' it will help you guys" deep down she still cared for Nazuki that was not going to change and even now..she had no idea how she was going to go against the one person who knew her the best and knew how to get her to do what he wanted...he was good at that.

“So far, it’s the only thing we have come up with that has a chance of making everything right again. And there is still more work to do in our end. I’ve been buttering up to ever lesser god and diety I can find over the last decade. The more support we have at the Gathering the better.”Tenjin said to her “And yes, I am THAT old.”he said with a laugh “It was one reason everyone was surprised this happened. For years your family has held favor and the shrine maiden was an honor tradition....but your grandfather convinced your grandmother to abandon her duties to Jineza when she could hardly even walk.”he said “The only problem....is Ebisu....he’s still roaming the free world...and still going to school with you....there is no telling how he will attempt to persuade or coerce you.”he said

“Could we change her schools?” Jineza asked, “unfortunately not....this being such a small town, the closest neighboring school is a train ride away.” Geitsu said.
“Could we send someone with her?”
“Ebisu is too strong for those here, Mistress.”
Jineza sighed and brushed her hair out of her face.