(Misaki)
The cultivation Pagoda was a short way away from our temple and the trek up the steep steps imbedded into one of the high reaching rocks of the skies mountains was not one of my favorite moments of the day. My first day climbing these stairs was just that, climbing to the top of the stairs. Amaterasu watched from the first step and told me,
"If you cannot make it to the entrance of the Pagoda you will not deserve the benefits it grants you later."
Her words rang true as I climbed those stairs by the end of that first day. My legs felt like soggy Yoshoku noodles when I finally reached the top, and my heartbeat wrang loudly in my ears. The first breath I took after gaining my life back from those evil structures was some of the freshest air I had ever breathed in my life. It was even clearer than that on Mount Gosasou with the hot springs and their steam filled air. It breathed energy into me causing an influx of adrenaline to flood my veins. I had looked to Ama in shock afterward. She always suppressed any emotion when we were in the process of training, but she broke just a fraction of it with the small nod and hint of a grin. I smiled before following the direction her hand opened in. The pagoda sat at then end of the eggshell rocks and mossy grass. Burgandy leaved Momiji trees reached high around the five-story dark red and gold pillared pagoda. The Pagoda's entrance was not upon the ground like the mortal structures. Instead, it was on the third story that a deity entered the cultivation rooms, but the only way to reach that entrance were the branches of the Matsu tree that wrapped its long branches like a protective barrier around the entire building. The branches were as thick and large as giants and at first, I had been intimidated. But now, I knew this tree and knew how to control the weight of my body when cutting out the rules of gravity.
"See you inside," I chimed as I sprinted forward and sprung up onto the beginning branch of the tree, running its length to the third floor. The door was gold plated and engraved with a depiction of Amaterasu. Curling my fingers around one another my first struck first the sun to the left, then my right leg snapped to the bottom left sun, and finally both hands struck the identical suns in the center. Light exploded from where I struck and the hair around my shoulders began to lift. Sparks illuminated around me and I felt the power swarm into my hands, warming them. Taking a deep breath I drew my hands back, bringing strands of gold and light with me. My pupils dilated and then I made quick work of winding the threads around one another before and pulling tight, before every single one of them snapped. The door slid open.
(Chi)
Five hundred. Five hundred mortal souls were what I had slain in the year. The world was stained in blood and fear and so many did not know where to turn. Such chaos: such beautiful chaos all this death caused. I was eternally thirsty for it and if I continued to inflict pain, the negative energy continued to flow into me.
I stood at the outskirts of a small fishing village tucked into the shallow part of the forest. It was growing later by the second and my muscles itched to draw the Muramasa from its scabbard and slay these people.
What are you waiting for samurai…we want their fear, Their blood!
My head cocked to the side as the voices ran down my spine and back up again.
Do not do this Chi-San.
There! There it was again! That voice that was separate from the others. It stood out among the dozens of others but only for a few seconds before I was overwhelmed again. The silhouette of a man would often play tricks on me into the early hours of day. It would fleet from the trunk of one tree to the next. Not after long the spirits and the darkness blocked that out. There was no light to be found in this world.
A woman within the town, a baby strapped to her back, hugging tight to her thick Kimono lit a lantern and orange light glowed around her.
That light…. the orange embers within the flames. A warmth…. i could not fight. A war I wanted no part in…
Anger swelled in my bones and soon it was much more than I could bare to contain. An otherworldly sound emerged from my chest and I shot forward into the town, where the screams of the innocent followed.
(Misaki)
The hilt around both my Kusarigama were coated in sweat as the inky black shadows continued to advance on me from the several different doors floating around me. Fending them off was becoming a lot more difficult than expected and my energy was already running dangerously low. There was no pattern to how they chose to attack. Each time was completely different than the last.
"Focus Misaki. Where is your mind today?"
I shook of the nerves that clung to my muscles as I zeroed in on Kusanagi. Two thick shadows shot forward, but I did so as well. Running at full speed I dropped to my knees, using the sand to slide beneath the cold air of the thing and grab ahold of Kusanagi. My hand wrapped around the hilt of the blade, but it would not budge.
Crap. Please, just work with me!
Instead of what I asked for I smelled my flesh burning before I felt the bite back of the blade. I envied this weapon. The shadow made quick work of turning around and was a fraction away from snapping my neck before I gritted my teeth and in anger bathed the creature in light from my hands. It screeched and shrank back faster than it had emerged, back through the door from which it had emerged.
I pushed my hair out of my face and got frustratedly to my feet. I did not need to look up to feel Amaterasu's disappointment in my response to the demon. And still I met her hard gaze.
"That is not progress. How are you to become a true deity if you cannot even handle the weapon that chose you."
I shook my head and gathered my weapons from the ground. "We have been at this for months mother! That THING hates me. As I hate it! Every chance it gets it burns me. I do as you say and still my cultivation is not high enough to tame the cursed weapon. It will not work with me."
Ama stepped forward, her expression softening only a little as she placed a hand on my shoulder. "You lack balance. Your mind is not focused on only this. Something is blocking your flow of magic, but it can only be solved through you."
I sighed deep as i settled on my frustration. I glared at the sword, wedged between the crack in the stone floor. Why could I not master this weapon? For the life of me I could not figure out what Ama meant. What could possibly be blocking my power from dominating Kusanagi?
Growling inwardly, I stormed over to the thick shining blade, though it intimidated me to the highest of weapons, and settled my mind on moving the damn thing. I wrapped both hands around the hilt once again, but when my grip tightened as I moved to lift it, the searing burn returned on my palm and when I pulled my hand away, there were blotches of blood on boiled flesh.
"Ugh! Fine! Be that way!" I shouted, before leaving the same way Ama had.