Testing the waters

Kaguya Kokuju. The Dancing God.

The trees fully sprouted into the air, reaching impressive heights. Ichiji looked on, readying his heart.

Remnants of his fight with Akagi flashed through his mind, but he pushed them to the back with sheer force of will. He would win this time, he had to.

Ame-no-Uzume: Kagura of the Roots.

Long ago, it was said that Amaterasu retreated from the world, cloaking it in darkness, much like the current era. It was only the Kagura dance of Ame-no-Uzume that was able to bring her out.

By imitating that kagura and modifying it, Shamans of Ame-no-Uzume could create different effects.

That’s exactly what Kaguya was doing now.

The roots of the giant trees sprouted out from the ground at immense speeds.

They sped through the air, covering the distance between them and Ichiji in what seemed like an instant.

However, Ichiji was even faster. He rushed forward, twisting his body left and right, dodging the roots at the last moment.

It seemed like he was just barely dodging the attacks, but Kaguya knew better.

He’s good. No wasted movement. Well, how about this?

At that moment, a large swath of the ground below Ichiji bulged upwards. A large bundle of roots sprung out, forcing Ichiji to jump into the air.

Kaguya spun in the middle of the circle, continuing her dance. As she did, all the roots converged on Ichiji.

He turned his body in midair, evading the roots and using them as footpaths as he ran back down towards his opponent.

It was time to test the waters.

A familiar scene from his past wandered into his mind.

. . . .

Years earlier…

A serene field of grass stood undisturbed. The grass swayed left and right in the shifting currents of the wind. A much smaller and younger Ichiji jumped around on the grass, smiling as he released balled up energy.

A distance away from him, the much taller figure of Master Gyatso stood, watching the red sun. Ichiji jumped in front of him, getting his attention. Gyatso smiled, chuckling as he watched the boy continue to play.

“Ichiji. We need to begin our lesson.”

At the mention of that, all of Ichiji’s energy deflated. The boy immediately fell to the grass like a puppet whose strings had been cut.

Gyatso laughed heartily as he watched the boy.

“Don’t worry. It won’t be one of the boring lessons you hate.”

Ichiji’s ears immediately perked up at the sound of this. He might have died if he had to learn about which daimyos were allied and at odds with each other again. It was all so redundant. The war, the death. He didn’t like hearing about that. It reminded him of his life outside the temple. How it had ended.

“Stand up, Ichiji. Let’s begin our lesson today with a small recap,” Gyatso said.  “Alright!”

Ichiji stood up, looking at Gyatso with bright eyes.

“What was the last thing I taught you about Shamans?” Gyatso asked.

Ichiji’s energy soared again. Shamanism was his favourite thing to learn about.

“Most shamans are tied to one Kami, only a handful have an affinity for multiple Kami. And that we need to use Seals to channel Kami,” Ichiji answered correctly.

“Very good. Now watch closely,” Gyatso said, moving a distance away from Ichiji.

He then put the back of his right hand on his left palm. Suddenly, strong winds began to blow, appearing out of nowhere.

Ichiji looked around him. The blades of grass violently swayed, their movements a far cry from the stable peace just a few seconds ago.

What’s happening?, he thought.

Then his eyes refocused on Gyatso, and his mouth fell open. Master Gyatso was rising into the air, supported by the air currents he had manifested. He was levitating, completely with his own power. A profound sense of awe and wonder filled Ichiji.

Gods in human form. Shamans, he thought.

Soon, the winds began to recede as Gyatso floated back down. He landed on the grass gently, his eyes focused on Ichiji.

“I am a shaman of the Kami of the wind, Fujin. Since we don’t know exactly which Kami you have an affinity for, we’ll try starting with Fujin. Are you ready?” Gyatso asked, a smile plastered on his face.

. . . . 

“Yes!” Ichiji shouted in his mind. Fujin was the first Kami he had learned to channel and the one he had the most experience with.

So Fujin was the first Kami that Ichiji had learned to channel post-amputation.

Balling his right fist and extending his pinky and thumb, Ichiji began to channel Fujin.

Strong winds erupted out of nowhere, blowing apart the roots that were close to Ichiji into smithereens.

They gathered around him, tempestuous winds forming a condensed ball of windy violence around him. Ichiji, despite being in the center of this, however, remained completely unaffected.

Fujin: Wind Cloak.

A compressed radius of fiery, gale-force winds. Ichiji moved about in the air, protected by the winds. Roots continued to splinter and shatter as he got near them, approaching Kaguya.

With a thrust of his hand, a miniature tornado burst out, tearing the ground as it approached Kaguya.

Fujin: Tornado Fist.

She switched her dances, the light of the drawn circle underneath her becoming purple as the trees and roots suddenly began to rot and wither.

Ame-no-Uzume: Kagura of Protection.

The tornado slammed against something invisible a mere few inches from her.

A barrier, Ichiji realised.

Ichiji let the tornado disappear, but kept the Wind Cloak active.

He was able to use two techniques at once. That level of focus and skill is impressive, Kaguya thought.

She was able to switch dances and erect a barrier in a split-second. It seems she can only use one dance technique at once, but since she’s so fast doing it, she’s not resourceless at all, Ichiji thought.

They had reached some sort of standstill. Both had their protective techniques active and were turning gears in their mind to break down their opponent.

Could he break it down by pure force? After all, she had switched dances very quickly, meaning that she was confident in the barrier’s strength.

She was obviously an experienced foe, something Ichiji had realised would be a constant disadvantage for him as he continued on his quest.

There was also another issue: he was intending to get captured. Even if he eventually got an advantage, he had to let things get to the wire. Add that to the fact that his opponent was now very well-protected, that meant Ichiji had to take risks.

As he continued to think, an idea blossomed in his mind. He had heard the tornado slam into the barrier.

There were two options: either the barrier completely nullified damage, or it was just extremely durable. If it was just the latter, then there was a chance.

Making his decision, Ichiji dispelled the Wind Cloak, floating to the ground harmlessly.

You’re baiting me. I’m smarter than that, young boy, Kaguya thought.

Ichiji walked forward, his empty left sleeve moving uncontrollably as it flapped in the cool night air.

He crossed the distance between the two calmly, almost like he was taking an evening stroll, not fighting a deadly battle.

Ichiji stopped just outside the barrier. He hit it once, testing its durability. It held firm, shaking slightly but shrugging off his attack.

But it shook. From the two options he presented for himself before, it meant that the barrier fell under the latter option.

A sly laugh emanated from inside the barrier.

“Oh? Are you going to try to hit it until it gives? Don’t bother. Far more formidable Shamans than you have tried and failed.”

“I admit that there are more formidable Shamans than me out there. But I’m willing to bet you haven’t fought any yet,” Ichiji said.

“Hmmm. What an odd assumption. Why do you think that?” Kaguya asked.

“Because if you did, you’d already be dead.”

Before Kaguya could retort, Ichiji started his attack. He unleashed a barrage of punches at the barrier.

Kaguya began to laugh. She had thought of the boy as a worthy opponent. But now she realised she had overestimated him. No matter what he would do, he would never pierce the barrier.

All I need to do is to wait for him to tire out, or injure himself, or both.

Ichiji continued hitting the barrier, his knuckle sporting small cuts that increased in number the more he punched. The barrier continued to shake a little more with every punch.

His knuckle began to bleed, splattering little blood on the surface on the barrier. But he continued to punch. And the barrier kept shaking. A bead of sweat rolled down Kaguya’s face.

What force! Could her barrier…actually be brought down? By such a crude tactic? No! She wouldn’t allow it!

She resumed her dancing, putting more energy and activity into her dance. The barrier was reinforced in response, but Ichiji didn’t stop.

The pain of his loss to Akagi, the pain of his amputation, the pain of knowing that he had failed, the pain of losing everything again, the pain of his grief and doubt. Those pains constantly hammered on his mind, kept back only by his determination and will.

Compared to those, the pain in his fist now was only an infinitesmal itch.

Kaguya danced faster and faster, but Ichiji continued punching. What would give out first, the barrier reinforced by her dancing? Or Ichiji’s indomitable will.

Kaguya’s face was covered with sweat now. No way, there’s no way he’s still punching!…she thought. 

She was putting her all in her dance now, but Ichiji wasn’t letting up. The barrier was now actively shaking. It was the first time she had ever seen something like this.

The wheels in her head began to turn. Could she dispel it now? No, he was faster and stronger. The only reason he hadn’t won already was because she was controlling the fight from range. She would just be exposing herself to a pummeling.

As her feet pounded against the sand beneath her, an impossible thought began to surface in her mind. By erecting this barrier, against this man, was there a chance…that she carved her own defeat?

The barrier was now trembling, shaking repeatedly under the weight of Ichiji’s punches. Before she could come to a decision on her fate, weighted down by fear and anxiety caused by this formidable opponent, a cracking sound was heard.

Cracking became shattering.

The next thing Kaguya saw was a bloodied fist reaching out towards her, filling her vision.

Then everything faded to black