(Tim Seltzer, seltzer@seltzerbooks.com)
Each glimpse through an open door gave evidence of great splendor, mysterious secrets, or both.
If the rooms above had been miraculous and awe-inspiring, some of the chambers on this level bordered on indescribable.
Naruto was curious, wishing he could just walk into those chambers, just to find out what they were all about.
He caught sight of a huge statue in the shape of an Eight-Legged Lion, covered with mosaic tile. In another room, he saw a large number of tall, thin cowled figures prostrating themselves before a golden idol in the shape of a giant Fur-Bearing Fish. A smaller room had paintings depicting a strange beast, with the head of a crocodile and a body consisting of a huge whorled shell.
“Those rooms are dedicated to the three Fighters against Disharmony,” Kuko said respectfully. “While they are images of chaos themselves, they are the ones chosen by the gods to fight against disagreement and disharmony. According to myth, they are each supposed to have sprung from the union of two rival animals. Garuda and a lion. Fish and an otter. Snail and a crocodile.”
Naruto was also practical, taking note that the hallways that he and Kuko walked through.
By themselves, the passageways were not so noteworthy, consisting mainly of rough hewn blocks, smoldering torches, and occasional elegant pieces of art and cleansing basins. A row of tall humanoid statues lined one stretch, looking to have been caved from a dull brown stone.
“Be careful not to touch those statues,“ Kuko said, stepping out of the way of another one of the squat robed figures. “Those are not artwork. They are tulpa. Others would call them golems. Each is a manifestation created by an adept to accomplish a certain task or tasks. They will stand like that whether or not the task is complete. If one has finished its reason for being, it may well have freed itself from its maker's control. . . . . in which case it might be conscious…… mischievous…… and potentially dangerous.”
Mostly, Naruto was concerned about Hinata.
“Is Hinata going to be OK?” The young ninja asked Kuko, having been given permission to speak a good while ago. “She put on a good show; but despite all of your healing, she’s hurting pretty bad. And, she’s on her own. We’ve been walking through so many hallways, who knows how far away she is.” He stopped, his eyes widening.
Something had been tugging at his memory, and had finally crystallized. “Those things in the robes…… they were Yakshas, weren’t they…… and…… and…… it’s true that they only eat the flesh of evildoers, right?”
The kitsune nodded.
“Yes, they are yaksha. Nature spirits, often tricksters. Fond of their riddles. They are considered semi-divine, being both half-god and half-demon. But, I would not mention that, as demons are the sworn enemy of the temple, and the yaksha are forever repenting their very existence, even though they have dedicated themselves to the proper path.”
“Tricksters? Like kitsune, you mean….” Naruto narrowed his eyes. “That’s not the most comforting thought. I hope you don’t try to screw us over!”
Kuko licked her lips, then bumped against Naruto. But, it wasn’t with her usually fervor.
“That’s not what I mean!” He lowered his voice, sensing an unseen presence beyond a row of pillars that bordered between the lit areas of the passageway and unseen recesses beyond that. “Can Hinata be trusted with them?”
“If she keeps quiet, and doesn’t do anything to anger them, or to pique their curiosity. Either might prompt them to ask riddles.” Kuko spoke quietly. “If they challenge you to riddles, you must accept, no matter what. Remember that.”
“Why?” Naruto said loudly again, swallowing hard when he heard a number of shuffling noises.
“There’s a tale I heard that should prove educational. In the Mahabharata, the Pandava brothers came upon a lake that was guarded by a Yaksha. The creature demanded that they answer his riddle before drinking the water. Only the eldest brother Yudhistira, paid heed to the Yaksha's demand.”
The kitsune took Naruto by the arm and pulled him further down the hallway, just before a number of heads peaked around the pillars.
Some of the heads resembled those of smallish horses. Others were mostly mouth, with small noses and deeply shrunken eyes. Stepping out into the light, the horse-headed creatures had muscular human bodes with enormous scrotums. Following the lead of their companions, the other beings waddled out, giving the two visitors a view of their humongous bellies and short clawed arms. Their feet were not visible, as a strange moving mist hid their lower bodies, if they indeed had any.
“K-K-Kumbhandas.” Naruto stammered. “And… and p-p-pretas.”
“Yes,” Kuko answered, visibly shaken herself. “Your boisterous behavior has attracted them. Stay completely still. Speak slowly and quietly.”
“OK,” Naruto gulped. “Why are they here? They don’t look like worshipers, and the rooms we first entered should keep intruders out.”
“They are one kind of guard here. Humans are the least of the temple’s worries.” The kitsune began to breathe more easily when the hideous creatures slowly moved back into the darkness. “It is not uncommon to have demons attack the grounds, or try to get into the sanctum. The same is true for the rakshasas, elemental creatures who seek to usurp the powers of the gods, devas, and other more powerful beings.”
“Shit! It would have been safer if I just stayed home, and paid for a ticket to the Konoha zoo!” Naruto cursed, trying to feel braver. He had become less and less afraid of powerful enemy shinobi over the years. But, supernatural and demonic creatures were a whole different story.
“Quiet!” Kuko put her hand of Naruto’s mouth and stepped hard on his foot. “Do not risk angering creatures you stand no chance against. It is only by our good fortune…… humans, kistunes, and others……that the beings in kami temples have no design on our plane of existence.”
Naruto nodded, “Sorry,” he said somewhat humbly.
“That’s better,” the kitsune said. “Where was I? OK. Enraged, the Yaksha killed all the Pandavas, except Yudhistira. He then asked Yudhistira, ‘What is the greatest wonder of life?’ To which Yudhishtira replied, ‘That every man must one day die, yet every man lives as if they were immortal.’ Pleased with the reply, the Yaksha blessed Yudhishtira, revived his brothers and gave him rich gifts.”
Naruto remained quiet, staring back to where the hidous creatures had been.
“Wait here,” Kuko said, seeing a number of Yakshas motioning to her. Bowing, she spoke to them for a short while. When the creatures walked away, the fox woman returned to Naruto.
“Did they have word about Hinata?” The young ninja asked.
“No,” Kuko answered. “We are about to cross a large room, then a number of smaller ones, in order to reach the next hallway that we need. In the first room, you will see apsaras, beautiful attendants and messengers who are mostly human in appearance. There will also be gandharvas, similar looking beings who serve as dancers and musicians. It is their task to wait upon the gods and other powerful beings, none of whom will be present.
“And?” Naruto could tell that there was more, given Kuko’s posture and tone of voice.
“Do not look at them. Do not smile at them. Do not speak to then. Do not accept anything from them.” The fox woman paused to let that sink in. “That last thing you want to do is bring a god’s wrath down on you. Because, it wouldn’t be just you.”
“You too, huh?” Naruto said, smirking. He wasn’t about to do anything to get them in trouble. But, there was nothing wrong with making Kuko nervous.
“And little sister,” the kitsune said, shaking her finger at him.
“What if I perform Sexy No Jutsu…… can I flirt with them, then…… I’d be looking like a girl….” Naruto grinned.
Kuko just ignored him.
Huge stone doors parted when one of the Yakshas touched it with a feathered staff. The creature caused the doors to close again, once Naruto and his companion passed trough them.
The young man was not prepared for the sight that lay before him. He stood transfixed, his jaw dropping and his eyes going very wide.
A throne as big as a house was flanked by two similar seats suitable for someone of average human height. Each was carved out of gold, etched with fabulous mythical scenes. Peacocks walked to and fro in front of all three thrones.
A long table ran the length of the room, dead center, beneath a multitude of hanging oil lamps and suspended incense bowls. Large dishes and platters were stacked with roast fowl, braised beef, and succulent pork. Every manner of side dish and desert foods were present in an elegant arrangement.
Silken pillows covered much of the floor. Large silk curtains hung down from the scalloped ceiling. Exquisite urns and vases were everywhere.
“Come…… on…… Naruto….” Kuko grabbed hold of his arm and started dragging him across the floor. “We should not call attention to ourselves….”
What held Naruto spellbound were the eyes.
Huge fans of feathers were held in front of long rows of girls, covering all of their bodies up to their eyes. Those eyes by themselves were exotic and captivating. Making everything even more mesmerizing were the peacock feathers forming the fringe of each fan. They made it look like numerous large eyes were staring at him as well.
“Beautiful….” Naruto managed to get out.
The girls began giggling and whispering amongst themselves. One by one, they allowed the fans to drop. Their jewel and embroidered harem clothing gave truth to the adage that a woman can appear more sexy when she wears little, compared to when she wears nothing at all.
Each of their faces was perfect. That word did not do justice to their bodies. When they pouted or blew Naruto kisses, the young ninja felt his knees tremble. When they waved, their bodies bounced in ways that threatened to leave him senseless.
“Go!” Kuko had reached into Naruto’s weapon’s pouch and taken out a kunai. She was prodding him in the behind, using the sharp end. “Go…… go…… go…… go……go!”Getting him to move, she grumbled “I bet if one of them walked around you naked, you’d be chasing after her.”
Naruto shook his head. “What? Did you say something, Kuko?” He jumped a good three feet in the air when the kunai drew blood.
The women all called out in languages that Naruto didn’t understand. The kitsune obviously was acquainted with at least one of them, given her parting remark. “He’s not that cute!” After that, she pulled Naruto through the large doors on the opposite wall.
Before reaching another major hallway, the two of them passed through a number of small adjoining rooms, the purpose of which was not apparent in their quick passage.
Each of the rooms had a number of architectural features that caught Naruto’s eyes. He asked Kuko about them.
“What are those animal mask things? Are they only for decoration, or can they be used to keep an eye on us?” He didn’t like the idea of being under constant scrutiny.
“Those are yalli, corrupted from a word for ‘fierce monster.’ Most are stone carvings like those seen at some human temples.” The kitsune pointed around the room. “They usually have the body of a lion and the head of some other beast, most often an elephant; but, they can have other mixes, like lion-headed horses or humans, and the dog-headed ones. In our temple, things like that are only decoration.”
“Yeh? Glad to hear it. But it never hurts to be cautious. For some reason, I feel very much on edge; but, I have no idea why. Maybe I’m worried about Hinata. It could just be because I’m who knows where in a freaky place filled with who knows what, ready to do things to me I’m better off not knowing about.”
Kuko had an odd look on her face for a moment, but it was gone before Naruto could make anything of it.
“Ha! Maybe it’s just those apsaras,” Naruto said, putting one hand behind his neck. “Ahhhh. Wait to the guys back home hear about them.”
The fox woman’s eyes narrowed for a moment, but she was soon smiling a sly smile. Moving Naruto along again, she pointed out other mask-like items.
“Those are Mukha, which are placed above openings as a form of protection. That ugly demonic-looking one there is a Kirtimukha.” She grinned. “Look at those protruding eyeballs…… the stout horns…… and the gaping maw with prominent fangs or canine teeth.” She looked him up and down. “If you had horns, I’d swear your mother must have seen one while you were in the womb!”
“Yeh. Very funny!” Naruto looked ready to spit, but wisely decided not to.
Passing into a narrow hallway, Naruto walked side by side with Kuko, without her making any effort to touch him or kiss him.
“You know, you haven’t tried to jump me for a while. I think I like you better this way!” he expected Kuko to immediately grab him or toss off some kind of glib answer. Instead, she simply sighed. A moment later she spoke.
“My urges have just about dried out. It looks like I go empty-handed, this cycle. First time that ever happened to me.” Kuko sounded somewhat down. That had Naruto feeling somewhat guilty, even though he had done what was right for him and his village.
“Well,” Naruto said, trying to perk her up by sounding sprightly. “You were up against Uzumaki Naruto, you know. At least you gave it a good run. You tricked Sakura, and did a lot better than Tenko and the rest of your group.”
“That’s scant consolation,” the kitsune said. “We took a risk, all of us focusing on you. Each of us will have failed. This is a sad day for the family.” She smiled a bit. “But, at least I got to know you. I still find myself liking you…… very much….” She looked away from him.
Naruto rubbed his head, looking up at the ceiling as he walked. “Yes….. uhhh…… when you weren’t busy trying to put your hands all over me…… I…… you know…… I kind of liked you too.”
“Really?” The kitsune wiped her eye. “Somehow that makes me feel a little bit better.” She stopped and gave Naruto a quizzical look. “Be honest. Did you find me sexually attractive? Did you ever wish that I was a human woman, so that you could share pleasure with me?”
“Hey…… we should probably keep walking….” Naruto coughed. “We want to be at the room, so they can bring Hinata to us when she’s ready.” He began walking unguided, since the hallway went straight for a while, with no turn-offs.
Kuko had been the only one to receive directions from the temple attendants.
Kuko just stood still.
“Huh? Come on, Kuko! What’s wrong?” Naruto swallowed hard, realizing he had begun to sweat a little.
“I think I deserve an answer, Naruto.” The kitsune hugged her hair close to her. “It’s something a woman needs to know.”
“Well…… damn.” Naruto clenched his fists. “It’s not like it really matters any more….”
“It does to me. You’ve won. At least you can be gracious to your fallen enemy.” Kuko rubbed her fingers together in a way she had seen Hinata do.
“Girls!” Naruto frowned. “OK. Yes. I kind of did. I’m a guy, you know.” He looked around, making certain that no one else was listening. “But not just you. Tenko almost had me. Some of the other’s were pretty hot. And Hinata….” He twitched. That had slipped out.
Kuko wrinkled her nose for a moment, then smiled another sly smile.
“Let’s go then. We’re both exhausted. After we meet up with little sister, there’s still the business of visiting with the Oracle, all available Mediums, and any Yakshas whose duties might give them a good view of the human world. That’s the whole reason we came to this temple, isn’t it?”
“Right!” By the way he walked, Naruto seemed to be in a much more relaxed mood, almost happy.
When they turned down one particularly ornate-looking hallway, lit by oil amps instead of sputtering torches, a Yaksha stood waiting by one door. Seeing them a approach, the cowled figure opened the door, then pointed within.
The first thing visible when Naruto walked into the room was a large fountain. A majestic winged figure held a vase that poured water into a small sea-shell. From there, the water made its way into the vases of successively larger numbers of figures, placed around the rim of each tired basin. Light surrounded the fountain, but did not highlight anything else, save a large intricate altar carved from a single block of sardonyx.
“Ahhhh! We are very fortunate. I never thought that they would truly grant my boon.” Kuko clapped her hands. “I guess there is some benefit to being from Inari’s temple.” Kuko ran to kneel by the fountain, then took a drink of water from her cupped hands.
“Uh huh. So, what’s the fountain for?” Naruto rubbed the back of his neck, stepping out of the way as the Yaksha closed the door. He turned a suspicious eye on the kitsune, but found himself only slightly concerned that she might try some kind of trick.
“It was brought here from the Kingdom of Shambala, a land hidden in high mountains located in our world, far to the north. Though the fountain is in this temple, it still draws forth water from Lesser Manasa Lake and White Lotus Lake, two mystical bodies of water in that land.” Kuko cupped her hands again, then drank.
“That’s all great. But, what does it do? And why should we trust it?” Naruto scratched his head, frowning.
"Shambala is a land dedicated to Shiva. To corrupt the water in an unsanctioned way would be to act against the god himself.“ The kitsune spoke as if that should be common knowledge.
“OK. So what’s the big deal about the water?” The blonde-haired shinobi took a handful of water and smelled it. He touched a small amount to the tip of his tongue.
“We all have inner barriers and mental defilements that limit our awareness and block the proper energy flow through the psychic nervous system. Visiting Shambala…… or performing the mantras of the Kalachakra, the Wheel of Time…… or drinking this water……” Kuko took another drink. “...Will break the knots in the chakra system of those who are afflicted, or refresh the chakra of those who are depleted.” She closed her eyes and smiled. “For warriors, it was said to make them stronger, and to ensure that they fought only for virtuous reasons.”
“Can we put some in our bottles and take it with us? Granny Tsunade might be happy to have some of this stuff to work with.” Hesitating a moment more, Naruto drank freely from the water. It had no taste, yet had his sense filling fulfilled to the utmost.
“No. They would notlet us take any. And, the powers it has do not extend beyond this temple.” Kuko stood up, and walked over to the alcove behind the altar. Taking a long candle, she lit it, then proceeded to light large lamps throughout the room.
The furnishings of the room became apparent. There were a number of large sleigh-like couches sitting within small rooms demarcated by silken panels. Tables and chairs we also present, with the tables holding bowls and pitchers of food and refreshments. Ornate woven rugs depicted the images of coupling men and women, watched over by various deities.
“The water also helps free the heart, when it is imprisoned by the mind. The Wish-fulfilling Gem I asked to have added to the fountain is also an artifact of Shambala. It too will help our innermost minds to liberate themselves.” The kitsune stopped, smiling a lustrous smile. She appeared to be dressed in a diaphanous robe, accentuating her curves and high-lighting her most erotic areas. “In short…… I’ve won….”
“What?” Naruto suddenly felt as if he were trapped. Walking over to the door, he found that it was locked.
“It cost me a great deal to gain the use of this room, the fountain, and the gem.” The kitsune began walking slowly towards Naruto, letting her allure build to the point that it should overwhelm him. “But, I had promised not to use my power of possession or seduction on you, so I had little choice.”
“But…… you said….” Naruto began to feel strange. His mind felt as if it was growing clearer and cloudier at the same time. He had a hard time focusing on anything but Kuko.
“My urges have just about dried out. It looks like I go empty-handed, this cycle. Yes, I did say that, didn’t I.” The fox woman wrapped her arms around Naruto and whispered in his ear. “I lied. Or, I prefer to think of it as a trick. I’m a kitsune. It’s what we do.”
“You…… I……” Naruto tried to fight his urges. It was almost like he was in one of his fantasies, where anything could happen without any thought of consequences. “Hinata and I saved you…… you owe us….”
“Yes, you did. And yes I do.” Kuko kissed down along his neck, ever so lightly and slowly. She smiled when his heart beat faster. “You could consider this your reward, if you like. Otherwise, it’s a lesson learned. You came here to do what you had to do. I came here to do what I must do.” She opened her robe, and touched one nipple to his lips. “Mine comes first, so to speak. I’ll help you after this.”
“But… you can‘t…” Naruto shook his head, trying to work any and every jutsu he knew without the slightest success.
“We will share pleasure, I will make certain of that. I would give up my hopes for another child if that could not be true, if I was the only one who ended up pleased.” She began to ease a numb Naruto out of his clothing. “And we will couple until I am certain that I have conceived.”
“No…… this is not what I want….” Naruto couldn’t move his body to push her away, but found his arms strong enough to take her into an embrace.
“Isn’t it?” Kuko laughed a chime like laugh. “You admitted it to me in the hallway. You fantasized about it without my knowing. You have no choice but to give in to it now. The water and the gem would fail to work if you did not desire me. It need only be the slightest bit of lust.” She nibbled on his ear, causing him to tremble. “Here, the tiniest fire will flare to bonfire. Thanks to that gem.”
“There is no way to counter that, unless someone you desire more drinks the water, or the Yaksha block the influence. They will not do so. I promised them a year of service, should your seed fail. If you do get me with child, I shall bring them rich tithing each time I gain a new tail.”
“This is….” Naruto found less and less need to talk. His will to fight weakened more each moment.
“Shhhhh. This is not the time for talk. That comes later.”
Kuko lead him over to the largest of the couches.
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