Chapter 1: The eternal rain of heaven.

I’m here, not knowing why. If I find you, will I find my lost purpose? I’m searching in the eternal rain of your lost memories. Will you remember my existence? Shall you ask me why? I just want to know you; I want some of your existence within me…

It must have been some form of heaven, at least to someone who first found the shrine entrance. If you took the narrow pathway up the side of the mountain from the village in the forest, after encountering the lush green tones of the forest, you’d find yourself encountering the smallest part of heaven on earth. It was a small clearing that was lit only by the sun shining between the trees. You faced a large cliff face that played host to the water supply of the village. A large waterfall wrestled its way down into the large dam below.

The trees themselves were a miracle to behold. From the sky looking down upon this land, you would see nothing but clear warm skies and the signs of a beautiful day. But from under the trees canopy, there was a haze. A constant light haze that once you walked through, you felt almost damp from water. That was the beauty of this forest, to those that resided in it. There was always water… the trees provided and that was how it had always been.

Many sought the mystical powers of this forest, as there were many who needed it. It was the ancient Spirits of nature who made these wonders possible. In the world there were those who used the powers of the forest for their own gain. Thus there were the guardians of the forest who protected its wonders at all costs.

Now to a more trained eye, you would notice as you walked into the clearing that you passed through a torii gate, faded with age so it almost blended in with the vegetation. Another one was hidden behind the waterfall; this was the true entrance to the Shrine in the forest. This shrine was only cared for by one person, she spent her days doing small simple chores and spending time assisting anyone who decided to visit the shrine.

Her name was Midori, Midori Miyamoto, seventh daughter of the leader of the clan that resided at the base of the mountain. Since the day she had found this shrine, she had dedicated her life to caring for it and for those who passed through its entrance. This trait of Midori was what made her so loved by the people in the village, particularly her father. One would believe that she would be rather insignificant in comparison to her oldest sister whom was destined to lead the clan one day. Out of ten daughters, Midori had always been favored.

Midori sat at the edge of the water, noticing her reflection. She may have been a priestess but she was still prone to the thoughts of teenagers, however disciplined she may have been. She ran her fingers through her long brown hair, she never really thought to keep it tied up but was contemplating it due to the length. As she let the strands of her hair go, they fell to around her waist and brushed the floor. She pushed her fringe out of her face and took note of her eyes; her father always said that her eyes were emerald just like her own mother. Midori had always thought of her mother as the most beautiful woman to grace the earth.

“Now Midori, why do you insist on looking at yourself so much? You really need to remember that you shouldn’t want to beautify yourself. You’re a priestess!” Midori sighed as she then stood up and dusted off her dress. She then dipped her hand into the pool of water and quickly brought it up to her mouth. Even in Midori’s briefest movement, she did it with such grace and lightness. Her eyes caught the sun setting; the dusk was when she knew she must return. Her father would have it no other way. She walked to the first torii and then turned back to catch a last glimpse of her sanctuary before returning home. Midori knew that structures outside her home such as these were almost impossible to locate. Thus she savored every moment of her farewell to the place of her paradise.

The descent home, as the sun lowered, was a much more sense requiring trip. She ran her hands along the trunks of trees and her fingers felt the familiar knots and scratches. She had to duck for low lying branches and not even the noises of the animals startled her anymore. She may have been but fourteen but she was more than accustomed to this trip. The moisture from the trees did not even cause her to lose her footing. There were many secrets about the trees in this forest and not even Midori was certain she knew them all.

Dreams seemed to drive Midori as of today. She had felt another presence within the sanctuary of the forest. As the leaves of the trees let down unpredictable showers of rain, Midori seemed to always look around. She wondered if she’d ever see something. But only the rain proved visible to her. Of the many animals that lived in the trees and within the ground, only some were able to live in the eternal rain of the forest. Midori moved onwards, following the barely visible path. Her unique bonds with the spirits of the forest made the path clear for Midori. She didn’t mind the rain at all, she was born with it. As she neared the end of the path, the other trees didn’t seem to let down rain as much the other trees had.

Wondering about the outside world of this realm, Midori looked up toward the canopy of the trees. Most of the lands surrounding the forest realm were desert, and many warriors sought entrance into the realm of the forest.

Midori stepped off the path and into the village; it seemed a simple place with quaint cottages lined up neatly. You could not truly see the houses for they had become covered in the soft mosses of the forest. Some even played host to flowers that had begun creeping up the sides of the walls. The people of the forest did not mind, when they lived so at peace with the forest there was nothing for them to truly fear or worry over. Even in the village, there was the mist- like rain that fell and seemed to bless the village. Midori smiled as she recollected the tales she had heard, as long as the village protected the forest then the forest would be a guardian to those that resided within it. Midori walked down the rows of houses, all quite silent except for a chuckle or a slight murmur. After dusk the village was quiet with families eating meals together and rounding off the day in rest. She eventually reached where she lived.

The village was also blessed by the rain given by the trees. But these ones did not pour constantly. They would stop in the day, and give in and pour in the night. These trees were marvels as like the rest in the forest. These dense palms bore sphere- like fruit which glowed brightly in the night. The fruits were like solid glass and were used by the villagers when they dropped down from the trees. The village people called these trees growing around them: moon palms.

The House of Miyamoto, the largest cottage in the village that housed the village leader and his family was what Midori called home. She was the seventh daughter of the leader and yet she was not the last. She prided herself in having nine other sisters to be able to entrust with her life. Her mother and father and always wanted a son to be able to carry on the family name but it seemed that the kami of the forest did not see this as the destiny of the family.

The trees up above began to allow the rains to pour, the light started to cower away from the night. The fruits ignited, lighting the paths of the village. Midori stopped at the door to the large cottage and ran her fingers over the door frame as she slipped off her sandals to walk inside. She slid the door open silently and stepped into the well lit corridor before her.

“I’m home,” Midori said quietly, she had a feeling that she may have missed the family meal with her slow stroll through the forest and almost feared incurring the wrath of her mother. She stepped silently past the room where her father held council with villagers and before she even managed to get past the room where they dined, she was caught.

“Midori Nee-san?”

Midori stopped and looked to see her youngest sister at the door. The girl was about seven years in age; she had short brown hair which was never kept tidy to their mother’s dismay. She had bright green eyes, a trait that most of the Miyamoto daughters had been born with. The little girl stood there wearing a short faded yellow gown and rubbing her eyes. Midori shook her head and knelt down to be at eye level with her sister:

“Suzume- chan, I’m certain that you are meant to be sleeping by now? The little girl shook her head and looked at Midori with a fierce admiration:

“Midori Nee-san is meant to tell me about her day before I sleep. We barely see you and everyone else is always so busy.”

By ‘we’, Suzume was referring to herself and the two other siblings that were younger than Midori. Midori relented to the pleas of this little girl, she had always felt protective over Suzume and in turn, Suzume seemed to hold Midori on a pedestal in comparison to even the eldest sister in the house. Midori took the girls hand in hers as she was lead past the rooms of most of her sisters to the room of her youngest sisters. Three cots stood between toys and clothing that had kept them entertained for the day.

It seemed the rain was pouring heavily this night, the sound of raindrops falling could be heard on the roof of the cottage.

“Hatoko! Matoko! Wake up! Midori Nee-san is back!” Suzume said in a hushed voice, once this was said, Midori saw two heads pop up out of the beds and turn to her.

Midori shook her head: “Father will not be pleased with this. And I will be the one to end up in trouble.” She grabbed hold of a wooden stool which had become her customary seat every day on her return, she sighed heavily and sat down.

“Midori Nee- san would never get in trouble!”

“Father is too fond of you!”

The twins were identical, both quite adventuresome and troublesome. Their darker skin tone showed a lot of time spent outside planning and scheming and giving the villagers reason to raise their voices. Matoko and Hatoko Miyamoto were indeed renowned for their ability to cause mischief.

The twins seemed to have always been near were the sun snuck into the forest. Also there were known to be solar fruit bearing trees. These are similar to the fruit in the village’s trees, they shown the rays of the sun which were absorbed by the leaves of the trees. Midori looked at herself in comparison with her twin sisters, she seemed almost invisible. Her duties always seemed to steer her away from such areas her sisters had the time to visit. She shook her head and looked out the window; it was a marvel to see the village lit up at night.

“Midori Nee- san? Where is your head today?”

Midori chuckled as she looked at her sisters: “Dreams, for some reason that is what I feel is most important today.”

“Dreams?” The twins said in unison, they dared not say much more. Their sister was always such a story teller and they always relaxed due to the lightness of the tone of Midori’s voice.
“Yes, dreams. Now I shan’t speak much more till I see your eyes are shut,” with this statement three pairs of eyes shut and three heads remained on their pillows. “I tended the temple in a solitary state today; nobody seemed to need guiding so I did as I felt compelled. I prayed and cleaned and tended to the general needs of the land. Standing outside by the falls though, I had this feeling that a change was being sent our way, a change that will alter all of our destinies in some way. I first thought this should be feared but… the mists, they eased my conscience. So now my head is filled with a beautiful dream of what is to come. A vivid and warm dream, it makes my heart feel so abundant!”

The stories Midori told her siblings always got her into an adventurous mood. Sometimes she’d forget who she was telling the stories to; it was like she was writing her own book with the very words coming out of her mind. Her style of telling these stories was quite vivid, filled with body movements and life.

“Midori, they are asleep now.” Midori was startled by yet another member of her family, she stood up and bowed politely to her eldest sister, Saisei Miyamoto who stood in the doorway of the bedroom.

She was a tall woman for her age; she had dark green eyes that showed the burden she carried. Saisei was the eldest daughter. In her twenties, she had already begun to attend meetings with the village people to watch how her father ran the village with a stern and thoughtful law. Her hair was dark and neatly tied back. She had the air of pride to her, which was fitting for her position. The responsibility weighed heavy though, it made Saisei be more mature than what she was meant to be. Even when she was young, she was to behave and keep her younger sisters in their place whilst mother and father were busy. Saisei kept Midori’s strong will in line, she’d always put Midori onto the right track. Midori always looked up to her sister.

“Sorry Saisei nee-san. Did I wake you?” Midori put the stool back in its place and stepped out of the room, shutting the door lightly.

Saisei shook her head and sighed: “You know I can’t sleep myself until you are home. Father would never forgive me if a hair was harmed on your head.”

“I can defend myself, even you are aware of this,” Midori grumbled as she began to walk down to her room with Saisei following behind. Midori opened the door to her room and then turned back to her sister.

Even though her role model, Midori wanted to prove to Saisei, she was someone who could take care of herself.

“You know as well as all of us, father seems to hold your very safety and happiness closest to his heart,” Saisei scanned her sister’s face, “It must be because of how you are in harmony with this very forest. Or the devotion you show. You have an admirable heart Midori- chan; even I can admit I envy the love you show to all.”

This was true; Midori’s heart seemed to shine light into every one of the villagers. She was the perfect example, even though Midori did not regard herself worthy enough for such praise.
Midori lowered her head at this compliment from her sister; her face flushed a hint of red:
“Nee- san, you are to be admired yourself. You have a great duty to our home! I know that I am rather proud of how you hold the Miyamoto name in such high regard!” As Midori said this she stifled a yawn, the day was now catching up with her and she felt her body succumbing to the idea of sleep. Saisei saw this and put her hand on Midori’s head. She looked at her for a moment and then turned to depart to her own room. Midori shut the door to her room and leaned against the cool wall. She sighed and let her eyes wander out the window again.

The view outside into the rainy night always made Midori think, it made her strive to wonder. But she did not enjoy her habits of staring out into the night. She wanted her mind at peace.
“Why does the thought of this dream intrigue me so? This dream, I pray I get to live it soon.”
Finally giving in to her needs of rest, she prepared herself for bed. She changed herself into a long white shirt which was quite big and roomy for her. Her damp and muddy clothes lay in the corner of her small room. She usually found time to bathe herself, but this time she needed the rest. Bathing would have to wait till the early morning of tomorrow. She tucked herself into her bed; she couldn’t help but continue staring out of the window whilst she remained under her covers. The blanket came up to her eyes. Midori found this to be the only way she could fall asleep. She was soon sleeping, for the next day a new adventure would begin.

The winds were changing around her; soon she would have to face the darkness formed out of her dreams. It would be her inescapable fate.

The faintest rays of the sun filtered through the forest at the break of dawn; with this the village would begin to stir into life. The men would rise to go tend the cattle and the fields within the forest whilst the women would tend to the children and some would busy themselves with mending and cleaning. There was always a peace in the village; one would never believe that there was ever a frequent wave of attack on this land by the inhabitants of the desert.

Midori had gone out early to bathe and was now walking back to her home; she noticed a figure near their house. There were two familiar figures in fact, deep in discussion. Midori picked up the pace of her step and with her bundle of clothing she stopped before her father and Saisei.
Saisei was wearing a deep purple kimono today and in her hands she held parchment and writing materials. She looked at Midori:

“And where were you?” Midori scratched her head and smiled: “I took an early bath, I apologise if I missed breakfast.”

“You mother was not happy with you, I dare say that she never is,” Midori’s father commented.
Midori’s face went red with embarrassment; she opened her mouth to reply to her father but could not think of what to say. Midori felt the firm hand of her father placed on her shoulder, she looked up at him and he smiled lightly. Midori’s father was a lean man, though one should not fool oneself into thinking of him as weak. He had a wise face, seemingly always in thought. He was a man of careful planning. His hair was short and bristly, it was greying slightly. This was similar in fact to the bristling facial hair of his face; he was a man who disliked a long beard and moustache. It was from the influence of his daughters whom agreed that he looked far friendlier and easier to approach without it. His lead in a manner unlike the norm of other leaders, he enjoyed involving himself in every aspect of his village. He trained young men in combat; he even helped out in the fields. He would always make sure everyone was well supplied for.
Today he wore a blue garb, a sword was slung over his shoulder and he wore a short cape. Such frivolous things as crowns and silk would only get spoiled being worn out to work with the villagers. Rezurii Miyamoto was a man with his people foremost in his mind.

“Saisei, why don’t you take Midori’s things inside? She can accompany me today on my visit to some of the villagers.”

Saisei rolled her eyes, she should have known this would happen. She nodded: “As you wish Father, I shall let Mother know that she will not see Midori till later.”

Rezurii nodded and then motioned to Midori to hand her things over, Midori did as requested and watched Saisei walk inside: “Father, I should be going soon.”

“Would you deny a father a chance to see his daughter?” Rezurii said with a raised brow, he put his arm around his daughter’s shoulder and led her down the path of the village. Midori felt she could not protest, her father was dearer to her than what one could imagine. She had always had a strong relationship with him, he understood her thoughts the best.

The path before them was scattered with flat stones in an attempt to mark the path more clearly. They began to walk past many houses.

“Good day Miyamoto- sama!”

“Where are you off to today Miyamoto- sama?”

“I see you have Midori with you today! Good day Midori!”

Everyone whom they walked past greeted them fervently, Midori would smile as her father would spend a few minutes talking to every person, enquiring about the family. At the house that they had stopped at currently, the wife had run inside and had returned with a basket of fresh fruit.

“Why thank you my dear, my family will certainly be thankful themselves. Midori, look at what the house of Aizawa has given us,” Rezurii commented as he took the basket and handed it to Midori. She looked down to see some berries and some Moon Palm globes. The fruit of the Moon Palm was in fact the juiciest and most sustainable fruit in the village.

In thanks Midori curtsied and smiled broadly: “You’re hospitality towards my family is so kind. Thank you and may your family be blessed abundantly!”

The woman smiled and chuckled as she went off back inside her cottage. They began to walk again down the path, Midori was now carrying the fruit basket and was still not too certain where they were going.

“If you had been my first born then the village would have been well looked after in the time after my life,” Rezurii finally said as they stopped by a well, it too was covered by moss and flowers, almost hidden from view.

“Father! Saisei Nee- san is much more level headed and she was born for such a responsibility. My place is in a temple, it’s not too difficult for me. And I thrive on my time there,” Midori said defensively, her father always made such strange comments relating to her. She always felt the need to defend her sisters against this.

Rezurii chuckled as he drew up a bucket full of water; he picked up a large loose bucket from next to the well and poured the water into it. He proceeded to get more water from the well:
“Of all my daughters, you are the only one to have such a strong link with the forest. The only one I could ever really teach anything, the rest of them got taken under the wing of your mother.”

Midori shrugged and looked over her shoulder: “I don’t even know how that happened. Suzume- chan may have a small link, but that is about it.” Midori’s father lifted up the now full bucket of water and continued to walk again: “I leave you to perfect that in Suzume then, she may be able to help you up in the temple then, if you wish it to do it.”

Before them was a small field, it was filled with an assortment of fruits and vegetables growing quite prosperously thanks to the Moon Palms. There were a few UV releasing palms so even without the sunshine from the sky, the plants flourished. There were men here busy harvesting what seemed like wheat. There was a rustic and simple fence that Rezurii placed the bucket of water on. He pointed to the men: “I’d like you to go offer them some water. Do not worry; I will keep an eye on the fruit basket.”

Midori shuffled her feet on the ground: “Father, is that all you wanted me here for?”
Midori’s father chuckled and gave her a slight nudge, Midori looked back at him and then began to make her way through the tall stalks of wheat that prickled her skin as it brushed against it. The men were all quite focused on their work, all with their eyes set on the ground pulling up the plants and setting them in a pile.

“Umm… Good day!” Midori blurted out, unsure of how else to greet them and get their attention. The men all stopped and looked at Midori.

“Midori? What brings you here to the fields?”

“We’ve been blessed yet again with bountiful crops! We shall request you to come bless when we are planting again.”

“You are quite the good luck charm, ever since you have worked at the temple.” Midori blushed scarlet at these comments; she was not one who could take praise without showing any colour.
“You’re comments flatter me, I came here wondering if any of you are thirsty? My father drew some water for you all.”

The men were baffled by the comment, after a few glances amongst each other, they all seemed to agree. Midori then turned to lead them to her father. Some of the men followed immediately, the younger ones seemed to hold back.

“She is definitely the better Miyamoto daughter.”

“Miyamoto- sama, he apparently treasures her above the rest. Imagine trying to get her hand in marriage?”

“She’s a priestess; we aren’t allowed to even think of marrying her.”
“Oh yes, well let’s go get some water shall we.”

Rezurii watched as his daughter lead a horde of men to him. She would turn casually at times and pass a comment to the men behind her. It seemed almost infectious, every time they would smile. Not a forced smile, not something to impress even him, Midori made villagers smile from inside. She was truly a light in this village, one that many young men wanted to call theirs.

“Miyamoto- sama, you’re kindness to us is far beyond the call of duty!” One of the older men commented as Rezurii dipped a battered cup into the bucket and handed the man the water.

“Nonsense my good men, if I do not look after those who look after me then what type of a leader is that?” Rezurii stated philosophically and handed out more water.

Midori stood to one side and watched her father connecting with his village, the men all laughed and were truly respectful of her father. She welled up with pride as she watched him; he even spoke to the boys with a casual air.

“Midori, would you like some water?”

Midori was startled by the voice and looked to see one of the younger men looking at her with a cup in hand. She knew him very well; he was an old friend of hers in fact. He was Hiroshi, a bright young boy a few years older than Midori. He wore no shirt but faded blue tattered longs; he had light brown hair that looked ruffled by work. He had bright green eyes and an honest look on his face. Midori took the cup gingerly and took a sip of water, she glanced at Hiroshi and just nodded.

“We barely see you anymore,” Hiroshi commented plainly, looking forward at the rest of the men conversing with Rezurii.

Midori looked down and took another sip of water: “I work at the temple mostly; you’d have a better chance of finding me there.”

Hiroshi looked at the girl, he had known her so long and he had always marveled at her. He did this in secret though, as his friends had said, she was a priestess who was not allowed such attachments as love. He chuckled to himself:

“I should come and visit you then. We used to see each other a lot, didn’t we? It was quite a change when you stopped visiting our house. My mother misses your visits.”

Midori began to feel uncomfortable with the conversation, she remembered being such good friends with Hiroshi but with age she felt it inappropriate to be his friend. Her mother was the main reason of her discomfort, warning her against men and their intentions. It had put a strain on the relationship. Rezurii seemed to notice Midori shuffling uncomfortably and cleared his throat:

“Well men, I thank you yet again for the work you have done. I shall keep you no longer. Midori, come along now.”

“I’m coming Father!” Midori called out, with some relief. She hurriedly handed Hiroshi the cup and with a brisk wave of her hand in greeting, she was at her father’s side as they began to walk back home.

“Did you see it?” Rezurii commented out of the blue, Midori did not understand what he was meaning.

“See what Father? The men were working hard with the harvest in the field? Maybe it was the gratitude on their faces that you wanted me to see? I did see it all, Father.”

Rezurii shook his head and placed his arm around his daughter: “It seems that no matter how I try, you can’t seem to see how the people light up around you. I wonder if that is the will of the forest. I suppose I shall never know, shall I?”

Midori shook her head and grumbled, such outings with her father always had these alternate reasons. He was always trying to show her something that she failed to see, the obvious was never what he wanted. However much she was like her father, she somehow could not see most of what he saw. She was almost tempted to call it naïveté, but she knew that she tried very hard to understand. She could not see any light like her father could, maybe it was how it should be.
Maybe she was blinded by her own light.