(Hey all, no school for me tomorrow because of Sandy, probably won’t be hit hard, but I am going to write before the power (maybe) goes out. For new readers and old you may find a link to my other works in my signature labeled "my fanfics" )
Chapter 9: Rikudo
I awoke the following day with a panicked frenzy that turned into cries of hysteric joy. My head throbbed, my body ached, all over my body seared in pain and I could tell immediately that my arm was broken. After my eyes adjusted to the light I sat up and looked in my small mirror. I saw I was still wearing my clothes from the night before.
Immediately, Lady Matatabi busted through my door in a hurried and happy daze.
"Quick Tengen!!! Uzima has returned!" she screamed as she rushed back down the hall.
"So it wasn't a dream," my aching throat managed to mumble. I limped out of my room and down the hall where all of the panicked orphans scrambled around the room. Everybody saw me, and as if they saw an ghost, their din turned to disturbing quiet and they all moved to the side. I was slightly taken back by this but I moved forward anyway. I took a look inside the chamber, and as Lady Matatabi said, there sat Uzima, somewhat in a tired daze as Lady Matatabi, Son Goku and even Sensei Kurama sat around her, asking her questions. That is when their attention shifted to me. Just as Uzima had surely experienced a moment ago, I was flooded with questions and claims of disbelief as they recounted Uzima's side of the story. I grew dizzy, still part asleep; I began to fall to my knees until I was supported by Son Goku.
I explained them the events of the night before. The journey there, infiltrating the fortress, getting past the fortress and even my ordeal with the commander. However, I mentioned nothing of what happened afterwards, stating that after beating the commander I made an easy escape.
After the mob calmed down and Uzima began to recieve medical treatment, Son Goku set me aside.
"That was an interesting story Tengen," he commented.
"You could say that," I responded.
"Now that the crowd has gone down, why don't you tell me what really happened after you escaped the commander," he said, looking me deep in my eyes.
"What do you mea-"
"I'm not stupid," the hermit interupted, "I could tell the second you began to hide your story. You are a terrible liar. You fix your gaze straight to the floor."
I sighed and began to recount my tale of escaping the fortress and being surrounded, knocking out Uzima, killing the guards. The part that pained me the most was telling this holy man about how I was almost consumed by the very demon's might that constituted me. Then I came to a realization.
"Son Goku, I want you to take a look at the wound the Juubi gave me. I want you to check on the hair," I blurted out. Son was somewhat taken back by this but complied. I layed down as he took a small scalple to my back and worked on the wound. The first thing I heard him declare was that the scare left by the Juubi was almost gone, an ominous sign. After a moment, I heard his tool drop as he gasped.
"Th-the hair...it's gone," he said, almost doubting his own eyes. I explained to him the strange sensation and the wierd chakra from my eyes. I told him that holding out my hand allowed me to absorb the chakra and make it my own.
He dressed the opened wound as I made a request of him.
"I want to go back to the castle."
"Are you mad child?! The soldiers are sure to-"
"Something leads me to believe there are no soldiers. Take me there!"
"Fine, but I don't wan't to take you without at least something to cover yourself," he said as he moved into his back room in the hut and tossed me a black hooded cloak. I slipped it on and we began the trip to town.
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I had never seen such a look of astonishment or fear on anybody's face as great as Son Goku's as we looked at the place where I was attacked by the soldiers. We looked at the intense carnage. Entire trees ripped in half, a majority of the fortress wall gone, corpses thrown about, most of them crushed to death against rocks or impaled by branches or their own spears. At the center, the place where I stood was a pair of footprints, embedded directly into the rock. These footprints were at the center of a massive crater, 5 feet deep and 25 feet wide.
My mind flashed to last night, closing my eyes as the soldiers charged. As I opened them, a flash of light. After the flash I saw everything in slow motion moving away from me. A wave of omnipotent destruction moved out from me, leveling everything in it's path. I watched my own memories as every single soldier was picked up and killed by the god-like force that spread out and made the crater.
I awoke from my daydream and collapsed to the ground. Son Goku came to my side.
"Tengen...did...you do this?"
Unable to speak I merely nodded my head. I took a deep breath.
"That strange energy gave me another power...I can't really explain it. It was as if everything was cast aside, the hand of a god swatting at mere flies with myself as it's epicenter." Son thought for a moment.
"Shinra Tensei..."
"What?" I asked, after hearing the strange phrase.
"It is a buddhist idiom that comes from Shinra Bansho, a phrase that means 'all covering forest and ten thousand things' but can be loosly translated to 'everything covered by god'. Some monks also use a phrase Shinra Tensei and Bansho Tennin, which means heavenly subjugation of the omnipresent god, and Heavenly attraction of all creation, respectively. The way you described that wierd sensation made me think of shinra tensei is all."
I thought about the phrase for a moment then came up with a realization.
"My other ability, the ability to absorb chakra, it also reminds me of something from Buddhism, but I can't seem to remember," I commented.
"Makes me think of the Preta path, Gakido the realm of infinatly hungry ghost demons, of the Samsara reincarnation cycle, and come to think of it, your repultion ability seems to be something from a Deva god, from the Deva path, Tendo," he said as he went on a seperate train of thought.
"What other paths are there?" I asked.
"Oh yes, I never did explain much of reincarnation to you kids, but I guess I can talk a little about it since you are interested. Well we are all in a path of reincarnation according to Budha. This cycle of reincarnation continues everytime you die. You are born in a different path depending on your behavior, until you reach enlightenment. This cycle is called Samsara, also known as Rinne in Japanese. In the cycle there are 6 possible paths of orthadox reincarnation. The Rikudo, as follows from Hellish to heaven-like, Naraka, also known as Jigokudo, the realm of hellish punishement and home of the king of hell, Preta, also known as Gakido, where one is reborn as a ghost who is always hungry and always thirsty, The animal Path, known as Chikushodo, the realm of animal servitude. The path of humanity, Ningendo, the path of war titans, Asura, also known as Shurado, and finally the realm of heavenly gods, the deva path, known as Tendo."
I reflected on his words and thought. The concept of Samsara on my mind, the word "rinne" ringing in my ears. Satified with what I had seen, we returned home.
Chapter 9: Rikudo
I awoke the following day with a panicked frenzy that turned into cries of hysteric joy. My head throbbed, my body ached, all over my body seared in pain and I could tell immediately that my arm was broken. After my eyes adjusted to the light I sat up and looked in my small mirror. I saw I was still wearing my clothes from the night before.
Immediately, Lady Matatabi busted through my door in a hurried and happy daze.
"Quick Tengen!!! Uzima has returned!" she screamed as she rushed back down the hall.
"So it wasn't a dream," my aching throat managed to mumble. I limped out of my room and down the hall where all of the panicked orphans scrambled around the room. Everybody saw me, and as if they saw an ghost, their din turned to disturbing quiet and they all moved to the side. I was slightly taken back by this but I moved forward anyway. I took a look inside the chamber, and as Lady Matatabi said, there sat Uzima, somewhat in a tired daze as Lady Matatabi, Son Goku and even Sensei Kurama sat around her, asking her questions. That is when their attention shifted to me. Just as Uzima had surely experienced a moment ago, I was flooded with questions and claims of disbelief as they recounted Uzima's side of the story. I grew dizzy, still part asleep; I began to fall to my knees until I was supported by Son Goku.
I explained them the events of the night before. The journey there, infiltrating the fortress, getting past the fortress and even my ordeal with the commander. However, I mentioned nothing of what happened afterwards, stating that after beating the commander I made an easy escape.
After the mob calmed down and Uzima began to recieve medical treatment, Son Goku set me aside.
"That was an interesting story Tengen," he commented.
"You could say that," I responded.
"Now that the crowd has gone down, why don't you tell me what really happened after you escaped the commander," he said, looking me deep in my eyes.
"What do you mea-"
"I'm not stupid," the hermit interupted, "I could tell the second you began to hide your story. You are a terrible liar. You fix your gaze straight to the floor."
I sighed and began to recount my tale of escaping the fortress and being surrounded, knocking out Uzima, killing the guards. The part that pained me the most was telling this holy man about how I was almost consumed by the very demon's might that constituted me. Then I came to a realization.
"Son Goku, I want you to take a look at the wound the Juubi gave me. I want you to check on the hair," I blurted out. Son was somewhat taken back by this but complied. I layed down as he took a small scalple to my back and worked on the wound. The first thing I heard him declare was that the scare left by the Juubi was almost gone, an ominous sign. After a moment, I heard his tool drop as he gasped.
"Th-the hair...it's gone," he said, almost doubting his own eyes. I explained to him the strange sensation and the wierd chakra from my eyes. I told him that holding out my hand allowed me to absorb the chakra and make it my own.
He dressed the opened wound as I made a request of him.
"I want to go back to the castle."
"Are you mad child?! The soldiers are sure to-"
"Something leads me to believe there are no soldiers. Take me there!"
"Fine, but I don't wan't to take you without at least something to cover yourself," he said as he moved into his back room in the hut and tossed me a black hooded cloak. I slipped it on and we began the trip to town.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I had never seen such a look of astonishment or fear on anybody's face as great as Son Goku's as we looked at the place where I was attacked by the soldiers. We looked at the intense carnage. Entire trees ripped in half, a majority of the fortress wall gone, corpses thrown about, most of them crushed to death against rocks or impaled by branches or their own spears. At the center, the place where I stood was a pair of footprints, embedded directly into the rock. These footprints were at the center of a massive crater, 5 feet deep and 25 feet wide.
My mind flashed to last night, closing my eyes as the soldiers charged. As I opened them, a flash of light. After the flash I saw everything in slow motion moving away from me. A wave of omnipotent destruction moved out from me, leveling everything in it's path. I watched my own memories as every single soldier was picked up and killed by the god-like force that spread out and made the crater.
I awoke from my daydream and collapsed to the ground. Son Goku came to my side.
"Tengen...did...you do this?"
Unable to speak I merely nodded my head. I took a deep breath.
"That strange energy gave me another power...I can't really explain it. It was as if everything was cast aside, the hand of a god swatting at mere flies with myself as it's epicenter." Son thought for a moment.
"Shinra Tensei..."
"What?" I asked, after hearing the strange phrase.
"It is a buddhist idiom that comes from Shinra Bansho, a phrase that means 'all covering forest and ten thousand things' but can be loosly translated to 'everything covered by god'. Some monks also use a phrase Shinra Tensei and Bansho Tennin, which means heavenly subjugation of the omnipresent god, and Heavenly attraction of all creation, respectively. The way you described that wierd sensation made me think of shinra tensei is all."
I thought about the phrase for a moment then came up with a realization.
"My other ability, the ability to absorb chakra, it also reminds me of something from Buddhism, but I can't seem to remember," I commented.
"Makes me think of the Preta path, Gakido the realm of infinatly hungry ghost demons, of the Samsara reincarnation cycle, and come to think of it, your repultion ability seems to be something from a Deva god, from the Deva path, Tendo," he said as he went on a seperate train of thought.
"What other paths are there?" I asked.
"Oh yes, I never did explain much of reincarnation to you kids, but I guess I can talk a little about it since you are interested. Well we are all in a path of reincarnation according to Budha. This cycle of reincarnation continues everytime you die. You are born in a different path depending on your behavior, until you reach enlightenment. This cycle is called Samsara, also known as Rinne in Japanese. In the cycle there are 6 possible paths of orthadox reincarnation. The Rikudo, as follows from Hellish to heaven-like, Naraka, also known as Jigokudo, the realm of hellish punishement and home of the king of hell, Preta, also known as Gakido, where one is reborn as a ghost who is always hungry and always thirsty, The animal Path, known as Chikushodo, the realm of animal servitude. The path of humanity, Ningendo, the path of war titans, Asura, also known as Shurado, and finally the realm of heavenly gods, the deva path, known as Tendo."
I reflected on his words and thought. The concept of Samsara on my mind, the word "rinne" ringing in my ears. Satified with what I had seen, we returned home.
