heritage

Chapter Twelve: Shinsha

 "The voices are silent but they left something behind."

          The voice that calls to her is like stone whispering. Like the shinsha itself is speaking to her. It is wind howling past a mountain peak, pebbles tumbling into a landslide. Otherworldly, but not in the way the kami's voices are.

And yet, beyond the stone, there is warmth. Like the crackling of a hearth is present as well. It feels like home. Sakura inhales deeply, taking in as much air as possible. The breath swells in her chest, filling every empty cavity within her lungs. She holds it there for a moment. Then she lets it go, her eyes briefly closing.

When she opens them, she feels ready. Well, perhaps not completely. But enough to face whatever is to come. It helps, too, that the traces of her boys' chakra within her own have warmed at their proximity just beyond the wall. Meaning that they had come for her. They're waiting for her. Sakura just hopes that they don't get too close. That Kakashi keeps those two knuckleheads from charging forward without thinking.

"Keeper."

The shrine calls once more, though they do not sound harried. They seem content to wait for her. To wait forever, almost. Sakura mulls it over within her mind. Truly, what was time to anything but humans? She shakes her head at the thought, knowing she does not have the time to explore that particular rabbit hole. She hums amusedly, realising that even when she doesn't want to think about time, it still has a way of being ever-present.

Sakura looks up. She turns her head slowly, scanning the shrine grounds and noting the distinct changes. The most obvious is the eerie, dim lighting. As if the shinsha is cast in a never-ending twilight. It makes the glimmer of the seals stand out more. And the shadows deeper, she notes. She takes a breath, turning her attention to the other obvious differences.

As the original sets of winding stairs now stand tall as anchors for the barrier, there is no apparent way to get up to the shrine buildings. There is a new pathway, however. A set of stepping stones has risen to create a path across the left side of the pond, each one just large enough for one person to stand comfortably. They glow, too. The inscription of seals move seamlessly across the surface of the stones, like water. They lead beyond the stones and continue on the embankment, trailing in a curve behind the waterfall.

It doesn't take a genius to figure out where she's supposed to go.

Sakura starts forward, slowly and carefully. She keeps her eyes peeled for anything misleading. But nothing stands out to her. Not even when she gently taps her sensory net, the ping going out once and back again.

Her skin prickles at the cold. Looking down, Sakura realises she is in nothing but a hospital gown and her underwear. Her cheeks flush pink. She's been running around in this!? Her embarrassment serves to warm her a little, but the fact gives her little comfort. Worse, she can tell that the gown itsef is torn in multiple, non-ideal places. She is suddenly, and immensely, glad that she is the only one within the barrier. What if she had realised this with anyone else nearby? She would be wishing that she could actually die from embarrassment.

Sakura continues forward. The glow of the seals illuminate her intended path. Once she gets to her side of the pond, she pauses. Now that she is closer, the seals seem to emit some kind of humming sound. Like the glass harps of Uzushio. Pleasant, but odd. She has never heard a seal sing quite like these do. With notes so calming and serene. Perhaps it is because they are a part of a network intended for shelter? She isn't sure.

She steps on the first stone, wiggling her toes at the feeling of the cold, mossy surface. She gasps quietly as the seal dims slightly, its radiance not as strong now that she has stepped on the stone. There is no doubt about it now. This is the way the shrine is telling her to go.