Time Stands Still by MindlessKitty

The Beginning

A/N: So I finally decided to write my first story! The idea kind of came to my head randomly one night, but I think It's interesting and I kinda want to play around with the possibilities lol Enjoy & Review !

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“You’re gonna have to be quicker than that!” yelled Inutaisho loudly to the three males running behind him, hot on his heels.

Facing forward once more, Inutaisho closed his brown eyes as the crisp air whipped around his faced. His legs raced forward, pumping and churning, as he kept his stride steady, determined to keep the lead of the foursome. His shoulder length blonde hair whipped back and forth around him, creating a shield from the world as he ducked and dived through the dense forest, branches leaving angry scratches on his skin.

“Heh, you think you’re so great hush Taisho?!” quickly replied Ryūkotsusei, almost an arm distance behind Taisho.

‘A few more steps and I’ll finally catch that arrogant ass!’ thought Ryūkotsusei smugly to himself as he willed his body to move quicker, his muscled legs screaming in protest at the force that was being exerted. His midnight black hair was held tightly in a bun atop his head, leaving the beads of sweat to trickle down his face. His eyes darted back and forth quickly, almost reptile like, to dodge the shrubbery that surrounded him as he weaved through the forest to reach his destination.

“I swear when those two get into it, you can forget everything else, eh Daichi?” said Hyousuke out loud into the air, confident his friend behind him heard. Running his fingers through his chestnut-colored hair, Hyousuke pushed the bangs from his eyes once more to keep his vision open, licking his parched lips as he kept his swift pace.

Turning his head backward one more, he yelled out, “C’mon Daichi! Keep up, can’t let those two have all the fun eh?!” With that said, Hyousuke sped up his stride to catch up to the now fleeting silhouettes in front of him.

“Damn, you guys always lea…OH SHIT!” started Daichi before his legs caught onto a thick root on the ground, bringing his sprint to an abrupt halt as he tumbled to the ground with a hard thud, dirt and leaves fluttering innocently around him as if they weren’t the culprit to his current situation.

“UGHHH! yelled out Daichi angrily into the ground. His bright red hair stood out in stark contrast against the dark brown dirt of the forest floor.

“Pthuuu!” exclaimed Daichi as he spit out dirt from his mouth and teeth. Reaching up to his face, Daichi stuck out his now brownish tongue and vehemently scraped away the leftover debris with his hands. Somewhat satisfied with his work, he closed his mouth only to quickly grimace at the taste that now assaulted him.

Standing up, Daichi ruffled his curly red locks as dirt and leaves fell onto the ground, shaking his head to rid himself of the rest. Looking over his now disheveled and muddied clothes, Daichi sighed to himself before turning forward to the empty space his friends’ previously occupied, tall oaks and other trees now taking their place.

‘Whelp…might as well enjoy the view now,’ thought Daichi to himself as he continued on the same path at a much slower pace than his comrades, reveling in the calm song the birds chirped from above and the peace that he always found within the forest.

Bursting through the tree line, Inutaisho skidded to a halt, his legs finally able to have a moments reprieve. Panting heavily into the air, Inutaisho took several deep breaths to appease his abused lungs. Finally catching his breath, Inutaisho turned his brown eyes toward the object they had been searching for. His long legs walked forward toward the immense tree as the crisp leaves crunched beneath his black boots.

Running his hands over the massive tree, he felt as the rough bark left a tingling sensation throughout his fingertips,the smooth skin not accustom to such a feeling. Turning his head toward the tree line, Inutaisho let out a smirk, his thin lips curling up, ready to confront the figure he knew was about to emerge.

As if on cue, Ryūkotsusei burst through the clearing, visibly out of breath and on the verge of passing out.

“Ahh my friend, second best as usual! No surprise there!” laughed Inutaisho to his friend before walking over to him and placing his arms on his shoulders. “You sure you’re going be alright, old man?” added Inutaisho with a wide smile on his face.

“Bastard. You..are..enjoying..this..far..too..much,” wheezed out Ryūkotsusei to his friend as he continued to stay doubled over, desperately trying to steady his erratic breathing. Finally able to get his wits, Ryūkotsusei stood from his previous position, playfully punching at his friend.

“Relax Ryuu, we still have to wait for Suke and Daichi.” laughed Inutaisho as he easily dodged the blows.

Minutes later, Hyousuke emerged from the thick forest, sweat dripping from his forehead.

“You two are inhuman! I swear it’s like racing a fucking stallion!” joked Hyousuke as he joined the two in the clearing.

“Oh come on, all you guys do it complain!” added Inutaisho as he laughed at his two friends.

“Where’s Daichi?” wondered Ryūkotsusei out loud as he failed to see the fourth member of their band make his presence known.

“Ehh, beats me.” Replied Hyousuke as he plopped onto the ground, the soft grass providing a comfort from his previous run. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s on the ground somewhere,” he lazily with his eyes closed as the enjoyed the breeze.

Soon after, Daichi strolled leisurely into the clearing, smiling toothily at the three occupants.

“Miss me?” joked Daichi to his less than amused friends.

 Ryūkotsusei was the first to speak after eyeing Daichi’s dirtied clothing and hair. Noticing the slight limp Daichi walked with it was clear to deduce what was the cause of his late arrival.

“Typical.” Ryūkotsusei snorted before turning to the great tree that seemed almost out of place in the empty clearing. His black eyes traced the tree from root to top, squinting as the bright rays of sun caught his vision and obscured his sight.

“So this is it?” questioned Daichi as he walked over to the massive tree. “This is the reason I almost died in a forest?” He added with disdain as he shook his head and joined Hyousuke on the ground, stretching out his tired limbs.

Glaring over at the prone figure of Daichi, Ryūkotsusei spoke up. “You almost died because you are a moron. This is what we have been searching for, the key to everything we wished to achieve! Can you not feel the power? Feel the untold mystery that lies within?”

As he spoke his eyes lit up with a dark desire. An emotion he had become accustomed to since learning of the existence of the tree. He let his mind wander to the possibilities that the tree could provide him for the future, the power that he would wield.

Inutaisho looked at Ryūkotsusei warily, noticing the faraway look in his eyes.

“Baka.” sighed Hyousuke as he slapped Daichi in the head.

“Goshinboku.” whispered the previously quiet Inutaisho to no one in particular. At his voice, his three friends’ eyes followed him as he joined Ryūkotsusei at the base of the tree, his arm stretching out to touch the magnificent tree once more, feeling the same tingle he had before.

Closing his eyes, Inutaisho began to speak softly, recalling the words his father had once told him. “Legends say that the Gods were the most powerful beings to ever be. They had powers and abilities one could only dream of. The Gods roamed the land, using their powers to create the rivers, the valleys, and the forests...all the things we know today—and so the Earth was born. The Gods were happy with their creation and wanted to create a being to inhabit the Earth, and so the Gods created humans in their image to populate the land. And so the years went on and the humans not only adapted, but thrived, multiplying rapidly, and creating their own society. As the years went by peacefully for the humans, a group of Gods became bored with their creation, wanting to eradicate the humans. They wanted a new species to inhabit the earth, a new more powerful and stronger species than the humans, a testament to their awesome powers. This did not go over well with the other Gods as they had grown to love the humans, so in turn they banished the group of Gods, now known as the Cursed Ones, to the plain beneath the Earth called the Underworld to never escape again, ending the threat to the humans—or so they thought.”

Interrupting the story, Daichi spoke up from his place on the ground. “So we traveled seven days to the middle of nowhere for a bedtime story and so you two could hug a tree? And you guys say I’m the dumb one.”

Picking up a rock from the ground, Ryūkotsusei glared at Daichi and threw the stone at his head, the object making a satisfying ‘clop’ sound as it connected to its target.

“Ouch! Whaddya do that for?!” yelled Daichi angrily to his friend as he rubbed the lump on his head.

“If you two are finished your scene, I’d like to continue”, sighed Inutaisho as he rubbed his hand on his forehead, beginning to become restless at his friends’ antics.

“The group of Gods that were banished weren’t as naïve as they were thought to be. They were actually very clever, still wanting their idea of a dominate race to come to fruition. They had known voicing their opinion of exterminating the humans would lead to a drastic punishment, so as a safeguard they traveled to Earth in the dark of the night prior, and infused their powers into 3 relics which were then spread throughout the land. The relics were said to represent the three plains of the world: The Heavens where the Gods inhabited, the Underworld where the Cursed Ones and wicked inhabited, and the In-between, otherwise known as the Earth.

The relic of the Underworld is believed to be a stone that contains the powers that the Gods themselves hold; the powers that the Cursed Ones wished to start their new species, now tainted with the touch of Hell. However, one of the Cursed Ones realized the danger their stone could create so he created the relic of the Heavens, a diamond, which contained holy powers which would be able to ‘purify’ the beings the stone created. The last relic, the jewel of souls, is a symbol of what the Cursed Ones believed that those who inhabited the Earth yearned for – a wish; so they created this as an absolution should the other relics prove disastrous.”

Yawning out loud, Daichi once again spoke up. “That was a great story Taisho, very riveting but I’m not seeing the point.”

Inutaisho started to speak before he was interrupted by Ryūkotsusei. “Well my dear friend the point is power. Whoever finds that stone would be granted with the power of the Gods! Imagine the possibilities.” he finished as his eyes gleamed in anticipation.

“And here,” spoke Inutaisho with a proud smirk as he looked toward the tree, “is where we will find it.”