Japanese Mythology Game of Shinkia: No Past

_Prologue:_

_The child, Suzuki Hinita_

A mature woman, running through a thunder storm, with a baby cradled in her arms, was trying to escape her pursuers. With an arrow in her back, she was having trouble breathing. The baby was crying and wailing, begging for its mother to stay strong. The mother looked down at the baby with her round orange eyes that were like two glowing embers. She looked back up and kept running. She came to a Japanese church, and pounded on the door, hoping someone would open the door. A nun came to the door and saw the baby in her arms.

"Please, take my baby, and in return, give me a loaf of bread..." The woman pleaded.

The men on the horses stopped on the hill, their general galloped in front of his men. He looked around and then saw the woman running. He commanded his troops to charge and fire their arrows. On horseback, they did so. The woman rushed into the forest with the blanket in her hands, and then two arrows landed in her legs and she fell, still clutching the blanket with something in it. The soldiers on horseback surrounded her, and got their arrows ready to fire. The general came and jumped off his horse, and grabbed the woman's hair and pulled her up to look at her.

"You've caused us a lot of trouble, but now we finally got you and your child. With both of you, we-" The general stopped and was stunned to see a loaf of bread wrapped in the blanket in the woman's arms. He became furious, and wrapped his hands around the woman's neck. The woman dropped the bread and struggled to breathe.

"Where is the child?! Where is your child?! Tell me now, or I will kill you!" The general ordered.

"...My child...will never help the likes of you...God of fortunate warriors and guards,...Bishamonten..." The woman gasped. Bishamonten tighten his grip around her neck, and the woman gasped for air and moaned in pain. Then, her hands fell to her sides and she stopped making painful noises. Bishamonten let go and the woman's body fell like a wet noodle. Bishamonten ordered his soldiers to fall back and keep searching for the child. They followed their orders and left. Bishamonten looked at the woman's corpse. He got back up on his mid-night black horse and looked back at the corpse.

"Amaterasu-Ō-Mi-Kami...you are a foolish Goddess..." Bishamonten mumbled to the corpse. Then he took off on his horse.

_ 17 years later..._

"Hey, isn't that the old church building?"

"Yeah, I hear that some people leave in there now."

"No way! Who would live in that dusty, old place?"

"I know I wouldn't." The girls laughed as the walked down the path into town. Hinita heard them. She was looking out the window, staring at the outside world. Suzuki Hinita just turned 17 today, and only wanted one thing:

To see the world with her own eyes.

But her grandmother forbid it. She said that Hinita was not ready yet to see the world. Every year, on her birthday or some special holiday, Hinita would get books and learn from them. She got dictionaries, math, English, Japanese, science, religion and fine arts books, sketch pads, pencils, markers, and games. Her grandmother got her all this stuff so she wouldn't get bored. At first, Hinita loved getting all these things, but then she started to wonder what it was like in the outside. What we're the people like? What do they do? What can they do? Those are all the things Hinita wondered. Hinita kept staring out the window, dreaming of wandering outside.

"Hinita!" Hinita heard her name being called be her grandmother.

"Yes?" She responded.

"I'm going out to the market, please stay inside the church, okay?"

"Yes, grandma." Hinita said. Her grandmother left the church, and when Hinita heard the door close, she sighed and looked back out the window. Then she started to hum her favorite lullyby. The one her grandmother sang to her when she was little and when she was scared at night.

((FLASHBACK))

_"Grandma! Grandma!"_

_ "Hinita, I'm here! What's wrong?"_

_ "A...A..A...A man was chasing me, and said he was going to take me away to a place where I could never be found! I kicked and screamed and called out for mom and dad, but no answered. And then...And then..."_

_ "Oh, Suzuki Hinita, it was only a bad dream. There's no one coming for you now."_

_ "But...But what if they come for me in the future? What if you're not there to protect me? What if-"_

_ "Why don't I sing you a lullyby? That'll make all those worries go away."_

_ "...Okay..."_

_ "__**Tsubasa wo Daite" ("Embraced in Wings") by Junko Minagawa**_

_** From Mermaid Melody **_

_** The sky far away from here is illuminated. **_

_** I fly forth, aiming towards that light, but **_

_** the cold rain soaks my wings **_

_** and I"m alone again today. **_

_** Like the ripples on water, my distant **_

_** memories within my heart are wavering. **_

_** Right now, I just want to quietly sleep **_

_** in a translucent wind embraced in wings. **_

_** I"m looking for the whereabouts of the destiny I was entrusted with...**_"

((FLASHBACK))

Hinita played her board games, drew pictures, read her Japanese studying books, and did some math problems as she waited for her grandmother. Finally, after 30 minutes, her grandmother came home, and she had something wrapped in a blanket.

"Hinita..." The grandmother walked over to her and handed the blanket to her. Hinita looked at he grandmother and the grandmother smiled and nodded. Hinita unwrapped the blanket and inside was another book. But this one looked different from Hinita's other books. The book was all but impossible to understand due to a complete lack of any kind of useful references as Hinita flipped through the book.

"Grandma, what is this?" Hinita asked.

"It something that'll help you later on in your life, I'm sure of it." Her grandmother said. She kissed Hinita on the cheek and went into the kitchen to make lunch. Hinita was confused, how would this help her in her life in the future. There was a knock at the door. Hinita's grandmother always told Hinita that when she was home, she would answer the door, but she wasn't home, Hinita couldn't answer it. The grandmother rushed over from the kitchen and went to open the door. Hinita was able to hear what was going on by eavesdropping from listening from the corner of the hallway.

"Hello, how can I help you?" Hinita's grandmother asked.

"Hello, I'm here for your 'granddaughter.'" The voice sounded like it belonged to a woman. Hinita didn't recognize the voice and had no idea what she was talking about.

"What are you talking about? I have no-" Hinita's grandmother stopped. "Oh no, you're one of the-" Hinita's grandmother screamed and was thrown back into the wall. Hinita saw her grandmother fly across the hall of the church and crashed into the altar.

"Grandma!" Hinita ran out of hiding and went to aid her grandmother. She heard the woman laughing. Hinita looked at the woman. She looked like a mature woman that was

very tall and had a curvy build. She was wearing a mysterious uniform that looked like it was made from solidified light, and various pieces of jewelry, and her hair was thick, straight, and black, and was worn in a style that made Hinita think of a mysterious hood and she had round green eyes that were like two pools of stangant water.

"Who are you?" Hinita asked.

"I'm Benzaiten, goddess of everything that flows, but you can call me Benten."

"Benzaiten? Goddess of everything that flows?" Hinita repeated.

"Yes, things that flow. You know, like words and knowledge, speech, eloquence, and music. God, get with the program, girl." Benzaiten said. Hinita didn't understand what was going. She had read about Benzaiten before, but never actually believed in the Japanese gods. Benzaiten started to walk towards her, and Hinita didn't flinch, but was a little scared.

"Now, darling, I think you would want to come with me. I'd rather do this the easy way rather than the hard way." Benzaiten said as she walked over and stood in front of Hinita. Hinita gritted her teeth and stood up and glared at the woman.

"Why did you hurt my grandma? Why?" Hinita demanded.

"Darling, this woman isn't your grandma. You're not even related by blood." Benzaiten said.

"What do you mean?" Hinita asked, confused. Benzaiten laughed again, and it was really starting to annoy Hinita.

"I mean..." Benzaiten grabbed Hinita's wrists faster than Hinita thought. "...that she's not your grandmother, and everything she told you about your mother and father was a lie." Benzaiten explained.

"What?"

"Hinita, don't listen to that hag!" Hinita looked back and saw her grandmother slowly getting up.

"'Hag'?! Speak for yourself, lady!" Benzaiten yelled back. Hinita yanked her arms away and was about to run to her grandmother, but Benzaiten put some kind-of blade to Hinita's face and stopped her. Hinita slowly looked back at the goddess. Hinita's grandmother slowly stood up and glared at the Goddess. Then out of her sleeves, knives appeared, pretty long and sharp ones too. Hinita was shocked to see this happening. She had no idea was was going on. Her grandmother than dashed quickly and slashed Benzaiten's face. She screamed horrified.

"How dare you ruin my brand new makeup! You'll pay with your life!" Benzaiten charged towards Hinita's grandmother with the blade in her hand. The grandmother quickly blocked it with the knives. Hinita's grandmother started to fight back, this surprised Hinita, considering that her grandmother was 98 years old and sometimes had a hard timetime moving around the church. Hinita snapped out of thinking about that when she saw her grandmother and Benzaiten pass each other with the knives and the blade. Benzaiten fell to her knees and there was a wound in her stomach. She growled at the grandmother and telepoted away. Then Hinita's grandmthr fell toto the ground, because she hadhad a deep wound too, and she would only last for a little while longer.

"Grandma!" Hinita rushed over to her and held her up straight. Her grandmother slowly opened her eyes and smiled at Hinita.

"Hinita...I'm...sorry...I should've...told you that...they were coming..." The grandmother stuttered.

"What? Who's coming? What are you talking about?"

"Hinita...you must go...East...to see your uncle...he will explain from there what you'll have to do..."

"My uncle?"

"Hurry...pack everything you can carry...it's time for you to go outside...I'm glad I was able...to raise the child...of the great Goddess...herself..." Then the nun, who had taken care of Suzuki Hinita for 17 years, died smiling. Glad to raise a child who felt like are real daughter to her.


End file.

Japanese Mythology, Adventure, Mystery