TOYAMA ISHI

--TOYAMA ISHI--

Waves displaced the calm of the day.

Killing intent swam through the stream that lapped at the stony riverbank. Three, it counted. Killing intent waited in the rushes. Eighteen, it counted. Protective intent passed by the riverbank. Two, it counted. Their intent was directed at one like itself housed within a stone. Like the stone it itself resided in. Vibrations passed through the air, carrying a warning and name with them-- Yoshi. The name belonged to the taller of the protective ones. That one held the stone with the one like itself. The peace of the day was violently ended as the killing intent left the water. Protective intent became killing intent like the others. Two, it counted. Twenty three in total. Normally, it only sensed killing intent in the lesser creatures and these greater beings called 'people' who came by the riverbank had other concerns. This was new.

All wielded killing objects, twisted into that form from the resting, peaceful Earth they once were. They soon crashed, into each other, into their wielders. The numbers fell. Twenty two, twenty one. The ones in the rushes gave voice to violence. Twenty, nineteen. Then three more, and another. The one named Yoshi was now fading and would disappear like the rest. Before that happened, Yoshi passed the one like itself to the other one who held protective intent. Fourteen. Thirteen. Twelve. Eleven. Less than half remained. Soon the peace of the day would return.

Then suddenly, the killing intent vanished. In its place was shock, panic, surprise, confusion. The stone housing the one like itself had crashed into the riverbank and shattered against the other stones. Anger and confusion emanated from the one like itself. Perhaps the one like itself would choose one of the other stones along the riverbank as a new place. It did not. The other had left in fury. Inside itself, it felt discomfort. What was this feeling? Concern? Were the other stones not suitable for one like itself? Disappointment filled the riverbank. Two names filled the air. Yamaguchi Kyosai. Miyamoto Usagi. Ten left, one remained. It was the one responsible for most of the violent endings of the others, and had also been the one to drop the stone. One of the two names was for him-- Miyamoto Usagi. Calm returned to the riverbank, yet it felt unease. It hoped that violent one would leave, but Usagi wandered the riverbed inspecting the stones. Until he stopped, staring directly at it. Usagi reached out, and he picked up the stone it dwelled in from the edge of the riverbank. Alarm became the one feeling it held. Usagi's intent was clear, he wanted to take it from the river and bring it to someone of great importance. It did not want this. It did not trust Usagi after he mishandled and broke the other stone. It wanted to be placed back where it was taken from, GENTLY. Usagi did not heed its want. Instead it was placed in his bag, and he soon departed from the river.



It had not taken long to reach the violent one's destination. Many pieces of dead plants and Earth had been reshaped into a massive structure and it sensed they had been given new purpose. Most of the outer structure was to deny travel across the ground, with one part limiting what could gain entry to the inner structure. That inner structure was given the purpose to house other beings. It soon became aware of people around the structure, many filled with protective intent for one within. Anxiety began to sprout in itself. What sort of being needed to be housed in something so massive, and protected by so many? Usagi approached two of the protective ones and voiced his intent. A name was passed. Lord Akagawa. The first part was not a name but a title, one held in reverance by Usagi and the protective ones. That name must belong to the one within. Another name, Yoshi-san. Yoshi, the one that fell at the riverbank. It sensed sadness as Usagi informed of the passing his passing, along with others it was unfamiliar with. The protective one then lead Usagi into the structure.

The structure was not like the stone it resided in. Rather than the fullness of the stone, it was hollow, like the cylinders beings sometimes used at the riverbed to take away water. In the hollowness, there were more people with protective intent towards the one at the far end. The title Lord and name Akagawa belonged to that one. Great irritability dwelled within that him. Usagi approached. Anxiety bloomed within. It did not want to be brought any closer to this Lord Akagawa. Vibrations filled the interior-- Usagi informed the people there of the events that transpired, as well as itself though Usagi did not seem to be aware of its presence. Yoshi and other people were bringing the stone that broke to Lord Akagawa, which the people named the Toyama Stone, and other people wanted to prevent this and attacked them. Lord Akagawa fumed with anger at Yoshi for his failure. This world of people was quite strange indeed if stones were valued more than people. Or did they value ones like itself? Perhaps not, Usagi seemed to be upset with Lord Akagawa's words. Then it sensed deceptive intent within Usagi. He claimed Yoshi had entrusted Usagi to complete the mission? But the Toyama Stone was broken... It heard another name for that stone, Toyama Ishi. Usagi claimed he was carrying it in his bag, but it was in the bag and there was no other stones. Usagi never picked up the remains of the Toyama Stone. Realization hit when Usagi picked it up. He was deceiving Lord Akagawa into thinking it was the Tomoya Stone! Anxiety gave way to fear. Lord Akagawa wanted to possess it. It didn't need to sense his intent, the shouted words ripping through the air demanding to be given it was more than enough. Usagi handed it to another being near the end of the interior. She carefully placed it on dead plants that had been contorted into an unnatural shape. It was similar to things it had sensed near the river that people seemed to use to move objects around, but flattened and without the circles at the bottom. Then, she lifted the dead plants it rested on and brought it before Lord Akagawa. And he called it... Beautiful? Lord Akagawa took it into his hands and lavished more words of praise on it. This... was... not expected. One so revered would revere one such as it? A new feeling eveloped it. It did not have the word for it. The feeling was quite discomforting, it wished the words were meant for anything besides itself. Lord Akagawa placed it at the very end of the interior, behind where he had been seated. A place of immense value, it had never considered a place rather than a thing could have value to a person. A concept it was beginning to understand very well. It itself valued the river, it really REALLY wanted to be back there. Then fear became terror when Lord Akagawa spoke again. He claimed he could sense a kami* in its stone... itself?
*Deity

Is that what it was!? How did he know it was in the stone!? No person had ever acknowledged its presence before! Lord Akagawa was very pleased, what was he expecting out of it? It had no power, it couldn't even prevent itself from being taken from where it was meant to be! With the others like itself, with the fish and river, with the rushes and animals, with the world unlike this world of people. Did the... kami of the broken Toyama Stone have powers he expected it to bestow upon him? What would Lord Akagawa do with it if it didn't grant... he spoke again, he wanted to contemplate on it? Was that all? For years and years to come... He gave it a name-- Toyama. It never had a name before. It did not belong to it, it belonged to that kami of the Toyama Stone. Or atleast just the stone. Either way, it felt wrong to be given a name belonging to another. Lord Akagawa then stated it was worth everything he gave for it... Usagi then voiced his disapproval. It seemed he did not think Toyama's value was greater than the people who served Lord Akagawa. The other people in the room took offense, grabbing their killing objects. People were most peculiar. All other things it witnessed followed predictable behaviors. Bugs ate plants. Fish ate bugs. Tokage ate fish. But here, the one called Usagi defied what apparently was expected of him. It sensed anger from them. It sensed contempt from Usagi. It sensed annoyance from Lord Akagawa towards Usagi. It shared Lord Akagawa's feelings towards him, Usagi stole it from where it belonged and brought it here! Lord Akagawa told Usagi to leave, and went back to showering it with praise. Usagi left. It mustered all its will to give Lord Akagawa its desire to return to the river. He did not seem to notice. It became sullen, evidently he could not sense its presence. Why could he not, yet know it was within the stone?

"For years and years to come..." Clearly it would have a lot of time to ponder this question. And the mysteries of this world of people it now was trapped in.