FicWad

On the side of the mountain Monki, which sat on the edge of the village of Tô Kyo, there was a famous temple dedicated to the man-god hide and his semi-divine bride, Yo. A large group of priestesses resided there, all in robes of varying shades of red to denote their rank. They tended the temple, they kept the religious texts, they healed the injured, they fed the hungry, and they performed all the necessary religious rituals for the village. Many families from towns and villages all around brought their firstborn daughters to the temple to be raised as priestesses themselves in hopes that the gods would smile down on them and bring them eternal good fortune if they turned into good priestesses. Before they reached puberty the girls donned white robes and learned the gift of silent communication, which let them contact the gods above and in the world around them. They spent days alone in the far reaches of the temple, where the mad-made gave way to the natural as it connected to a deep, glittering cave. They learned to fast, to meditate, to contribute to prayer, and some learned to paint or play music. In most cases, the girls never learned who their true families were.

Every once in a while a child would come to the temple with no parents for guidance, and these children would be taken in automatically. As the young priestess Ji was walking into the forest, collecting herbs for both meals and healing salves, she came across one such child.

"Hello," she called from a distance, shifter her bowl so that she could carry it under one arm. "Are you all right?"

The child, huddled against a tree, sniffled, but gave no other response. Frowning, Ji stepped closer, using her free hand to lift her robes slightly as she stepped over a fallen tree. The child looked up at her, eyes full of tears. She looked all around, but could see no signs that there was anyone else nearby.

"Are you alone?" she asked gently, crouching down beside the tree and setting down the bowl. The child nodded, wiping away tears. "Where are your parents?"

At that, the child sniffled louder. Ji reached out, but before her hand reached its destination, the child burst into loud tears. Ji wrapped her arms around the tiny shoulders, holding the shaking body until the falls of tears ended.

She stood up, taking the child's hand. "Don't worry. There are many children like you at the temple. We'll take care of you." She picked up her bowl and turned, leading the child back to Tô Kyo and the mountain. "We can make you into a fine priestess."

The child stopped suddenly, looking up at Ji with confused eyes.

"Is there a problem?" she asked, keeping her voice calm and gentle.

"I'm a boy," the child said, brows drawing together.

Ji smiled. "That won't be a problem, little one. I can already tell you'll be very beautiful."

The child blushed slightly, but when Ji walked on, he followed obediently.

"What's your name, child?"

Still confused, the child answered, "Shinya."



"Shi! /Shi/!" Shinya turned from the basin in his room, quickly letting his red-violet robes fall back down to his ankles and squeezing excess water from his hair onto the floor. He'd worry about it later. "/Shi/! Where are you?"

"In my room, of course, To," he answered, shaking his head slightly and letting his hair fall. He rolled his eyes when his best friend darted into the doorway, her eyes bright with excitement. "What is it? Does Va need my help with something?"

"Va always needs your help with something," To joked, crossing her arms. "That girl would forget how to walk without help. But no, that's not it. It's much more interesting than that! Come on and I'll tell you."

Shinya followed To obediently, somewhat exasperated. To was easily amused and very energetic, which kept her from having many friends among the priestesses, who considered her a poor example of proper behavior. Shinya was one of few to put up with her, and often was recruited to help clean up her messes when she got herself into trouble. Shinya's eyes went up to To's hair, which was short and wild. "Has Ji seen your hair yet?"

"Yes," To said nonchalantly. "She hates it and said I should be trying to be more like Yo instead of like a man. I think it's still long enough to be feminine, don't you?"

Shinya shrugged. "If you think so. What was it you were so excited about, anyway?"

"Oh, yes!" There was a bounce in To's step then as they neared the end of the hall. "Su brought a man to the temple. They say he's a /prophet/."

Shinya stopped just as they entered the Ascension Chamber, giving To an annoyed look. "To, there are men coming here all the time claiming to be prophets. Come and get me when they've found a real one." He turned to go back to his room, but To caught his hand, dragging him on.

"This is /different/, Shi! Su herself thinks he's for real, and he wasn't coming here himself. A bunch of villagers said he spoke the word of hide, and Po already went to get Keito. Su wants everyone there when Keito arrives to help her channel energy."

As they passed the statue of Yo in the middle of the chamber, Shinya looked back at her, seeking guidance. "Please let this be real, Lady Yo. For once, let it be real."



Keito's long, black, wild hair fluttered in the wind as she stood with her eyes closed, her hands on either side of the supposed prophet's face and a low, toneless hum in her throat. Around her stood the priestesses, all with hair dyed with partly poisonous plants to be light, all in robes of either red, red-violet, pink, or white. The young girls, who wore the white robes, stood in a circle around Keito and the man, hands interlocked, eyes closed, humming with the oracle. Outside them stood a much larger ring of the older priestesses, hands clasped and raised above their heads, hoping to channel the energies of the gods.

"This is taking forever," To whispered, leaning toward Shinya, who nudged her back into place as Ji glared from the other side.

They stood still like that for several moments longer, until Keito's hum suddenly stopped, her eyes flying open. The girls around her gradually stopped humming, some needed nudges and light kicks to their shins to realize they were finished. Su, the oldest and most respected of the priestesses, stepped forward, pushing the young girls aside and hurrying to Keito.

"Well? Is it true? Is this one a prophet?"

The oracle took a moment to respond, her eyes wide as she looked directly into those of the man before her, who stood still and apparently emotionless, looking like little more than a body empty of any thought or feeling. Finally, she blinked, her head rolling toward Su. "He is."

A murmur first ran through the priestesses, and then a cheer rose up as they moved forward, bumping into each other in an attempt to get closer to the prophet. Some began to sing a song of celebration, but Su raised her hands, silencing them all.

"Sisters and daughters!" she said, commanding their attention and looking around, searching their eyes to makes sure she had it. "We have found a true prophet, and from this day forth he shall reside with us and guide us, using the words of hide himself!" There was another murmur, and she waved her hands to indicate that she was not yet finished. "In two days' time the prophet Tooru will give his name as a gift to the gods, and will ask hide for another, which shall be written into the religious texts and remembered... forever!"

There was a moment of silence, but when Su dropped her arms, the cheers and songs rose again, and they all pushed forward, hoping to congratulate, touch, or merely see up close the prophet.

"He's kind of short," To said, standing on her toes. "Even shorter than Va!"

Shinya elbowed her. "Don't make fun of the prophet, To."

"What's he going to do -- tell hide to smite me?"

Shinya rolled her eyes. "You know it doesn't work that way. It's just /impolite/." He pushed forward, managing to wiggle to the foremost part of the crowd, and bowed to Tooru. "We are pleased to have you with us, Prophet."

The look Tooru gave him was cold, if anything. He looked completely unexcited about being declared a prophet, and Shinya wondered if it was because he had already known it well, or because he simply did not care about being able to hear the gods so clearly.

Shinya backed up, unable to tear his eyes away and yet feeling frightened. The crowd swallowed him again, and it wasn't until he felt To's hand on his arm that he turned away. "So?" To asked, eyes bright. "What's he like /up close/? I got close, but Dru pushed me back, the lousy--"

"Watch yourself, To," Ji chided, standing off to the side. She possessed more patience than many of the other priestesses, and would wait until they had dispersed to greet the prophet personally.

"--girl," To finished, glaring at Ji. She then turned her eyes back to Shinya, eager to hear about the man who would be joining their lives in the temple.

"He's..." Shinya searched for a word that wouldn't sound negative, but had difficulty finding one. "He's not what I expected."

"Me neither," To agreed. "I expected some big, strong guy. Maybe a beard. It doesn't matter, though -- it's an actual man coming to live with us! Not that I'm sick of all you other girls, but... well, you know."

Shinya grimaced. He hated being reminded of his sham life, though he lived it every second; it still stung, only seeming worse all those years after Ji had found him.

To laughed loud and low at his expression, exposing her uneven, stained teeth. "Come on Shinya, don't be such a prude! I'll bet you think he's handsome."

Shinya stared at To. "No, I really don't. I prefer men who look less like children." It wasn't a lie, and that was the second part of Shinya's torture; he found himself generally attracted to some of the village men and men from visiting towns. Priestesses were not forced into chastity, but he knew he would have to restrain himself; Ji had made it clear that he was forbidden from ever revealing his true nature, just as all priestesses were not allowed to give their full names to anyone but the gods. He wondered often if it was his upbringing as a woman that caused him to desire men, and yet he had never felt like a woman at all. It added sexual frustration to all the other torments of his life, and there were times when he could barely stand it.

He looked at To, who had turned back for a second attempt at making it through the thinning crowd. He envied her so, wishing that he, too, could be a true woman -- on some level, anyway. While he certainly felt like a man, he blamed it on his body, and thought that, perhaps, if he were really a woman, he couldn't feel the desire to be different, and would be content with the simple and pure life of a priestess.

But wishing would get him nowhere. He sighed and moved toward Va, the young girl he was leading into the life of a priestess and who was at the moment in danger of being trampled by other priestesses.

He would just have to live life as it came to him, however painful it was.



"A prophet!" A joyful laugh echoed throughout the great hall of the small palace on another edge of Tô Kyo. "A /prophet/!"

"Yes, Lord Kaoru," a young boy said, standing confidently before the village's leader. "His name is Tooru, but he will ask for a new name in two days."

"Two days?"

"That's what Su said."

Kaoru put his chin in his hand, a delighted look on his face. "Do you think we can get a messenger to Ô Saka by tonight, Buu?"

The boy shook his head. "No, Lord Kaoru. Maybe tomorrow morning, if he didn't rest." He paused. "Lord Daisuke wouldn't come so quickly, anyway. It's better to let him take his time -- don't press him to come for the naming."

Kaoru nodded, rising from his seat at the end of the long table. "You're right. I'm being too pompous, aren't I? It can wait. In fact, I won't even tell him the prophet is here yet. He'll come anyway; we're good enough friends."

Buu smiled. "You really want it to sting, don't you?"

Kaoru chuckled. "It's cruel of me, isn't it? But then, I haven't seen him in a long while anyway."

"And he is always rubbing Ô Saka's greatness in your face, isn't he?" Buu asked, egging his lord on.

Kaoru nodded. "He does it jokingly, of course..."

"Of course."

"And he has spent more time in his position than I have in mine..."

"But you are older, and wiser."

"Stop flattering me, Buu."

Buu grinned widely. "It took you a while to stop me, Lord Kaoru."

Kaoru grinned back at him and said nothing.



Across the mountains, the very same subject was discussed in a much larger hall not much later.

"A prophet, eh?" the landowner chuckled. "Are you really taken in by such things, Hyde?"

"It's a fascinating rumor, at least, Gackt," his visitor replied. "Regardless of your beliefs, you must know that strange things had to have happened around this man for them to declare him a true prophet. The temple at Tô Kyo has turned away many men believed by scores of others to be in a heavenly state."

"The temple at Tô Kyo does many things that are strange to me." Picking up his goblet, he turned away from the man on his left. "Don't you think they're strange, Mana darling?"

The man seated on his right merely nodded, expression unchanging.

Hyde frowned. "To disagree with them is one thing, Gackt, but I still cannot believe you would dare kidnap a /priestess/."

"She came to me willingly," Gackt replied, unaffected. "And the hundreds of warriors you predicted coming to my door never came, despite my preparations. It was quite the misuse of manpower, bringing them all here when they could have been elsewhere."

"I can't imagine why a priestess would willingly leave Tô Kyo temple."

"I can't imagine why they'd stay." Gackt finished the last of his wine and set down the goblet. "If you'll excuse me, friend, Mana and I would like to be alone for a while. We've had many visitors lately."

Hyde's eyes fell on Mana again, and he nodded. "Very well. I know how it can be to lack time to be intimate. Of course, I have a wife, not a priestess." He stood up, bowing slightly, and left the room, escorted by two guards. When the doors closed again, Gackt let out a loud laugh.

"I hate that," Mana said, glaring at him.

"It lets you live how you'd prefer," Gackt said, after a moment of thought adding a joking "Mana /darling/."

"I'd hate to be your lover, even if I was a woman," Mana said, picking up his only nearly full goblet. "You lie to your best friend."

Gackt placed a hand over his heart, mocking injury. "You wound me, Mana. Besides, I do it, as I said, for you. If you would put away the robes and dresses--"

"And make people doubt the temple? Take away their trust in it, and their hopes? I'm not as cruel as you, Gackt."

Gackt shrugged. "I'd rather make them face reality than give them happy lies."

Mana shook his head. "I still believe in the religious teachings, even if I'm no longer with the temple. It would be an unnecessary injury to the gods."

"Whatever you say, Mana. Just remember that I'm doing this for you."



"Shi! /Shi/!"

"Why does everyone need to shriek my name?" Shinya wondered aloud. "I'm almost always in the most likely place. Couldn't they just look for me?"

"I'm sorry," Va said, standing in his doorway. "I just -- well. Anyway, I need your help."

Shinya crushed To's voice as he heard it echo in his head. "What is it?"

Va walked out, gesturing for him to follow. "I've just finished a painting -- I worked all night on it -- and I wanted to show you before I let Po see it. You're a much kinder critic than she is. Come on!"

Shinya followed, although reluctantly. He hadn't seen much of Va's work, but he knew she was no master artist. Shapes were angular when they should have been smooth, placed too high or made too large, and it always looked out-of-place among the work of the other painters in the temple. He expected to follow her to the end of the hall and through the Ascension Chamber so they could make their way into the gallery and the painting room, but instead Va ducked into her own room.

"Here it is!" she announced. Shinya cringed slightly when he entered, seeing the spatters of paint on the floor before his eyes fell on the painting. They would have to clean that before Ji found out.

The painting was far from what he had expected. The four figures were easily recognizable, but hardly painted realistically. The colors were wild and didn't even come near their true counterparts, and each was separated into smooth planes instead of soft, gradually changing shades. Hands melted together, faces appeared like shadows, and the bright scenery, just recognizable as the clearing just beyond the temple gate, made each figure, dark, solid, and flat, stand out all the more.

"Do you like it?" Va asked, a smile stretching her lips. "It took me a long time to figure out where to end each color. Can you tell who it is?"

"Yes," Shinya said, his voice quiet. There on the canvas, half as tall as he was, was the new prophet, Ji standing behind him and just off to the viewer's left, Su on the right side of the painting, and Shinya himself on the left of Ji. Tooru was all blacks, whites, and greys, except his hair, which was bright pink, the same color the god hide's hair was proclaimed to be. Su was all in reds and Ji in all blues, except her eyes, which shone yellow. Shinya himself was in warm oranges and reds on his flesh and hair, but his robes, which seemed to be weighing him down, were blue. He wondered if Va had intended it to be like that.

"Shi?" Va asked, calling Shinya back to reality.

"I'm amazed you could manage this," he admitted. "This is some skill. It's just..."

"Yes?" Va asked eagerly. "What can I do to improve it?

"Va, I don't think you should show Po."

Va's face fell. "Why not? You don't think she'll like it?"

Shinya turned away from the painting, putting a hand on Va's shoulder. "Va, it... it doesn't fit in with the other decorations here. Keep it to yourself, please." He wondered if Va walked around blind to the murals and statues that decorated the temple; all were done as realistically as they could be, and few were bright enough to truly demand attention. He suspected Po would destroy such an outlandish piece of artwork. "Hide it somewhere in here, and then come help me clean up this mess of paint. Ji will be furious if she knows you were working in here."

Nodding reluctantly and looking as though Shinya had just informed her that she would be going back to the white robes of a child priestess in training, Va went to the basin and grabbed an old paint-tinged cloth. She handed it to Shinya, and as she went to store the painting under her bed, he swore he saw tears beginning to roll down her face.

In a way, it was good to know that he was not the only one restricted by the temple.



As Va and Shinya cleaned and the new prophet was discussed across the land, a traveller brushed along the outskirts of Tô Kyo, debating whether entry into the village was worth it or not. His horse seemed to be shying away from it, but he drew closer yet, feeling as though something was pulling him in. He knew he would be stared at and murmured about for his numerous tattoos and piercings, but he decided, in the end, to enter.

His presence was the final catalyst for the great stirrings at the Tô Kyo temple.