Tishuto Holy Grounds

The sun hung high over the land of the marsh as its rays beat down on the foliage and murky waters. A marble temple rested amongst these lands, its soil crisp all around with new grass growing in its place. Its marble pillars burned from the previous attempt to destroy this vast beauty many years ago during the 'Night of Blood'; a time when over 5,000 were slaughtered in an attempt to protect this holy land. In the morn of that night, the morning sparrow sung a song of grieving to foretell the dark and horrifying events. his midnight wings shield his eyes as the murder occurred, leaving very few and the leader taken away. Luck was brought to some folk whom lay beneath the dead bodies and in dark caverns. Even the wooden door of the temple could not block the threat outside its walls as they barged in, assassinating the woman, children, and priests whom were believed to be traitors. A mistake all it was, a terrible one that cost the lives of innocents and tainted many others. Their leader, vanished.


With the rising sun, dawn soon came as the morning dove fluffed its wings to capture its heat. It coo'ed softly, creating a peaceful atmosphere as the white lilies open their petals to welcome the day as well. The marble glittered from this light, creating an essence of peace around it as the the priests began to awaken and open their doors. Already the regulars began to pour into this structure, taking their seats in the pews as they conversed and exchanged stories from distant lands. A few had already managed to take their place at the alter, talking silently to the priests and requesting forgiveness for their recent sins. One woman wept from the loss of her dear child, a small crowd already surrounding her as they touched shoulders in prayer; speaking in tongues as they called forth Tentei from above to aid them.

One whom was familiar to all this was the eldest of the two incoming travelers. Removing the hood from his hair his dark hair glowed faintly as his dark hues examined the area; a bright smile on his smooth face as he entered. Another cloaked figure, one whom was skinnier and shorter, followed him close behind; the dark hood still covering the visitors face as green hues faintly peered out from underneath with cautious eyes.

Immediately from across the room the small circle of priests raised their head as the two entered, all laying their eyes on the man in front as smiles crossed their faces. A few members of the temple gasped in the background at the familiar face of the male as one of the priests soon made his way to them, arms spread wide to welcome them in a hug.

"Ah... my dear Rion so glad of you to come back," the man siad, embracing Rion in a hug before backing off and standing before them. Rion has returned the embrace, smiling as his dark hues rested on his teacher. Rion reached into his cloak to pull out a chain necklace, the medallion glowing as the priest nodded.

"Appears you still have your faith as well," he said calmly, "never allow it to be snuffed out my young student." Rion nodded as a light laugh escaped him, the second member of his part lingering in his shadow as he spoke to his past teacher.
"Of course pasture, I would never allow such things to overcome me. You've taught me better than that," he said, a small chuckle escaping him as he felt his fellow traveler grow closer to him and peer past his arm, "and it is good to see that you are alive and well. It has been quite a long time has it not?" The old man let out a rather deep bellow, causing attention to turn to them as he held his stomach as well, "indeed it has."
His eyes then peered past his student at the cloaked figure behind him, spying the curious and nervous green hues that returned his gaze from beneath the shadow of the hood.
"And whom might this be? Is it her?"

The green hues continued to stare at the priest as they examined his white attire. The familiar chain necklace to express their religion encircled his neck as well, making the unsettling feeling begin to fade and bring forth a more eased and relaxed state. Rion raised his arms to gaze back at his member before a soft smile crossed his face and he backed up. He placed a hand in the square of the figures back, bending down some as he whispered in the figures ear, "it's fine they are friends. Introduce yourself." The green hues stared up at him before the hood nodded, arms soon reaching up and removing it to reveal the figures face was that of a teenage girl. One whom was going to turn 19 rather soon and looked the age as well. A faint smile crossed her face as she bowed her head, being polite as Rion stepped back away from her.

"Greetings...pasture... my name is Marixia," she said sweetly, obviously the shy type whom is rather socially awkward as well, "I am Rion's younger sister." Rion smiled at his sister as a few more people soon turned their heads to gaze at her, causing a blush to cross her face as she adverted her eyes towards the beige carpet floor. A wide smile crossed the priest's face then as he nearly gasped, "Marixia! We have been waiting to meet you!" She gazed at him in a sort of shock as Rion chuckled, the priest making his way over to her to embrace her in a hug before taking her by the hand. She glanced down at his hand before making eye contact with his eyes again. She could already feel the spiritual essence of this place, a rather good essence. However his radiated the light amongst all these people, especially when he stood before her.

"My young child, may I ask, have you been baptized to the lord Tentei as of yet?"

Marixia opened her mouth to speak then, her features still expressing her confusion and shock as Rion then stepped in for her. He knew all to well she was trapped in this state until she soaked it all in and relaxed.

"Afraid not pasture, that is one of the reasons I had brought her here to begin with. She has not seen the holy lands nor this temple before, if that was not obvious enough, and I felt it was a good chance for her to do so."

The priest nodded before studying the young girl and letting go of her hand. He turned around before beckoning them to follow as Marixia stared at her older brother in confusion. He patted her back as he passed by her, telling her to follow as he walked after the priest. Opening her mouth to speak again, she gazed around at all the curious eyes before avoiding their contact and sticking close to her elder brother.

Making their way past the crowds of people, the priest led them into a dark room before flicking on the light of a crystal chandelier. Marixia's eyes wondered as Rion closed the door behind the two and followed his teacher to a small table beneath the familiar religious symbol yet again. A small pool of clear water rested in the center of the room, its waters lit up by underground lights as a ladder rested on both sides. Marixia shuffled on her feet as she watched her older brother and the man speak at the table opposite of her and across the pool. The whispered back and forth as Rion soon fetched what appeared to be a herb of some sort grated up in a plastic bag. He carried it back to the table as the priest took out a mortar and pestle, opening the bag to pour some inside before Rion sealed it. Marixia stared at them in confusion still as they took a few more herbs and a liquid, adding in a few drops and mixing it all before Rion motioned Marixia over. She nodded and obeyed as she soon stood beside the priest, opposite of Rion as the priest sighed.

"Ok, are you ready?"

"Ready?"

"To be baptized, to become a part of Tentei the spirit."

"Uhh... sure."

The priest glanced back at Rion whom then nodded before the priest turned towards the pool. Reaching into the mortar he pulled out some of the mixture before scattering it over the surface of the water, speaking in a different language as he did so and causing Marixia to be uneasy. Rion walked over to her now, standing in front of her to block her from the priest as he placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Are you ok?"

"What is this about? Why am I being baptized or whatever?"

"Trust me Marixia," he said smoothly, a soft smiling crossing his face as his hands rested on her shoulder, "we are just doing this to get out of the way. Once you are baptized, you will feel a whole lot better and after we watch the sermon you'll finally see what it is I follow. You'll see everything as a brighter world and gain your place in paradise in the after life."

Marixia stared at him before the priest soon cleared his throat to grab their attention, causing Rion to turn his head towards him before nodding. The priest soon set the mortar back down before placing a hand on Rion's shoulder and exiting the room; the door closing behind him as he prepared to begin the service. Rion sighed as he backed away from his sister before walking over to the clear water, a thoughtful expression on his face and the sign that he was trying to remember many things at one time.

"Marixia, unless you wish to get your attire wet you'll have to undress. Just fold them and place them on the table, nobody will enter and the door is locked. It will only take a few minutes."

She simply gaped, as she had been all along, before hesitantly nodding and beginning to remove her cloak. She glanced back to see if her brother was looking, his back turned to her as he stared at the wall in wait, before she sighed and began removing her kimono. Slipping her shoes off she pulled off the fireproof socks, pants, her kimono, and soon her undershirt. Her gloves were still in her ninja pouch along with her other gear, all of which now placed on top of the folded pile of clothes. Removing hr undergarments she gulped before turning and making her way to the water, covering herself before Rion soon turned.

"Don't feel ashamed, we came into the world like this," he said apathetically, "now, get in and we will begin."

Marixia nodded, still reluctant to uncover as she dipped her legs into the water before slipping in. Going under, she got herself wet before she stood on the water. Her head barely came out of the top as she smelled the sweet scent of the herb on its surface. Rion stepped before her, now holding a book with ancient relics inscribed in it along with the same symbol yet again. Sighing, Rion motioned for her to go under before opening the book and whispering a few words she could not understand. Her green hues glowed as she gazed at him in question before she closed them, took in a breath, and went under. She was sure that once she ran out she could go back up and wait for further instruction. She heard his mumbles from above as the lights in the pool surrounded her, her senses growing more calm as she felt an odd feeling over come her like he said. She felt the deceased spirits throughout the temple, a few around her as they held her close and one that even grasped her cheeks. It spoke in a calm voice she could not hear, the females eyes resembling her own as she heard the whispers of these spirits besides Rion's mumbles. She felt some sense of serenity in the pool and soon enough her body felt better, her insides feeling pure as she opened her eyes beneath the surface to peer around. The spirits lingered but were distant now as she listened around her, her lungs beginning to call for air and causing her to rise up before going back down at Rion's motion. Again, it all continued as she felt as if her own body were glowing and radiating with energy before Rion's voice stopped. She felt it was time to rise and in doing so was met with his smiling face as he nodded, "it is done."

She smiled faintly before rising out of the pool, grasping the cool rails as beads of water ran down her breast and body. Rion had adverted his eyes again as he walked over to a wooden shelf, placing the book back on it as Marixia made her way back to her clothes. She used her cloak to wipe some of the water off much like she would a towel, it was designed to resist water anyway and thus aided her, although somewhat hurt as well. Slipping her comfortable clothes back on, she sighed deeply as she relaxed, listening to the murmurs outside the room due to the service taking place. Her innocence seemed almost as if it had been hardened, radiating off of her and even staying unmasked beneath the clothes. An untainted flower that had yet to blossom as it stayed within its protective shell, awaiting the day someone would help pry it open and cause it to bloom and growing. Rion waited on her before she finished up, a smile crossing his face to reveal the pride for his younger sister before he opened the door and allowed her to pass. Stepping forth, they made sure nothing was left behind as they made their way back into the temple and took their seats amongst the pews. Marixia could feel it all, the radiating feelings of those pure hearted and the spirits around the temple whom dropped in to listen. It was rather strange and yet seemed normal to her, if there was such thing as normal.

As soon as the sermon was finished, Marixia and Rion soon took their leave as the walked into the land of Marsh. A smile crossed Rion's face as he chuckled, "this land is sacred to us, remember that. If in threat, we shall come and defend with any comrades whom may come with us. We protect it no matter for this country is ours, it belongs to the Tishuto. So, seeing as how you are my sister, you will one day defend this land and rule it with the other chosen priests. Understand?"

"Why... so much?"

Another chuckle escaped him, "don't worry Marixia, one day it will come naturally to you for you will be the leader."

"I see..." was all she said.

All her life she felt like this, unable to decide for herself and say her thoughts. She trusted Rion's decisions and he did what he felt was best for Marixia, to protect her and give her all he could. What compelled him to do this was unknown, but one thing she wondered was what would happen if someone came along. If something turned her from this religion she didn't even really believe much in. She was a ninja, they all still killed. A silent sigh escaped her as she followed her eldest brother to a nearby place of slumber.