DIVA: Tales of the Holy Mountain #1

[deucexm]

Sometimes ideas just come out all in a rush, not entirely formed; sometimes they 
stew for a while and boil and turn over and I don't have good cooking metaphors 
because I don't cook.  Anyway the point is this one has been on my mind for quite 
some time; I'm glad I had the chance to put it into words at last.

TALES OF THE HOLY MOUNTAIN: A DiVerse Alpha Chronicle
by Colin Stokes 

01 - What are you really?

There are two goddesses upon the holy mountain, and they are as different as the
sun and the moon.  Both bring light to the people, but each in their own way.

Kurogami, the Black God, stands a head taller than most anyone.  To say her hair is
long and black and her skin is deep, dark brown is to be both technically accurate
and woefully inarticulate.  Perhaps it is her eyes that stand out the most, that
gleaming gold gaze traversing the spectrum from mother goddess to god of war - but
most often the former.  Kurogami is a gentle guardian, and emanates a warmth like
the sun itself (but doubt not the burning intensity beneath that calm demeanor).

Shirogami, the White God, is diminutive and fragile at first glance, nearly as pale
as her snow-white hair.  Her dark crimson eyes are rarely anything beyond shy or
curious - but pity the luckless ones who find themselves the target of a merciless
stare, for Shirogami is not known for her pity.  Or for anything, really, except
perhaps for her occasional wandering out late at night.  Like the moon, the little
White God is a mystery; still, she too is a guardian, and revered by the people
(though not entirely without reservation).

When a scholar from the valley ascended the holy mountain - not without difficulty,
the path ever a dangerous one - and finally reached the shrine at the summit, he
asked Kurogami (once he regained consciousness) whether she was truly a goddess.

"I could be," Kurogami replied lightly, her eyes half-closed.  "But is that not
true of anyone you meet?  Perhaps the best behavior is to treat all strangers with
respect and hospitality; at the very least, until they give offense, and possibly
even after that."

The scholar sat for a while and digested these words, and then at last turned to
Shirogami, who rested upon Kurogami's lap.  "And what say you?"

"Kurogami is totally a goddess," the White God returned, with an air of certainty.

The scholar recollected himself.  "Lady Shirogami, are you truly a goddess?"

"I dunno," she returned again.  "Why don't you ask Kurogami?"