A Mother's Last Gift

A Story

Outside it looked like nothing more than regular if rather unusually large oak tree, until you stepped through the large opening at the trunk base, and was as though you were stepping into another world, rays of sunlight peeked through the leaves and branches high above, a spiraling bark of stairs circled around and up connecting to a wooden balcony and a curtain of vines. When pulled back the curtain revealed a room, upon entering you were greeted by the softest bed made of furs and earth, another curtain to the right revealed a large deep hole beginning filled with warm water from a gushing waterfall that emerged from an opening in the bark of the tree.

It never overflowed, and the water never became dirty.

The first thing that came to Gojyo's mind when he entered was this was the first and possibly only time he'd even slept in a literal tree house.

If you left the room and turned to your right you would see another bridge that lead to another room, to the right of there was another bridge that lead to a third room. Going back to the ground floor and moving to the left behind yet another curtain of vines led to a valley of endless flowers of every kind.

It is where Moon and Sun found them.

"My, my, my, why such gloomy faces?" Sun hummed as he sat down beside Gojyo, "I'd thought you lot would happy"

Moon nodded his agreement as he sat beside Hakkai, though he had a general idea of the mortals' mood, it was confirmed when Hakkai spoke.

Tell us about Earth" asked the Healer.

"What is it you wish to know?" Moon asked.

"Is she really Goku's mother?" this was asked by Gojyo.

"There is doubt in your voice" states Sun.

"We were told, that Goku was born from a rock" Hakkai informs.

"Correction, he was found on a rock, very big differences" Sun grinned, "our nephew was a curious one when he was a babe, always wondering off, getting into all kinds of mischief. Watching him was not an easy chore, which I'm sure the three of you know very well"

The look in Sun's eyes told them there was more behind the god's words.

"And what of Mt. Gogyou?"

The two gods looked over at Sanzo, the priest was leaning against the tree, a lit cigarette held between his fingers.

"Ah" Sun then sighed, eyes gleaming with sadness, regret, and much anger, "that is a very long story young priest"

"It started when everything was young and learning it's place, mortals though not as they were now recognized that the early gods and goddess that walked with them were something to be weary of" Moon began, "time past, and that weariness became fear, our kin was hunted, and because Death did not come to them so easily, the gods and goddess were tortured"

"Why didn't they fight back?" Hakkai asked.

"Killing is forbidden"

"A silly rule I know," Moon grinned warily, when he got a snorts from Gojyo and Sanzo," they could fight back, but because of that rule it made no difference"

"Me, Moon, Earth, were safe from all the destruction, simply because we were stronger, and because the mortals, I think. Knew we not ones to truffle with." Sun said.

The god's eyes darken and aura around him crackled, indeed he was not one to anger.

"Our sister provided her home as sanctuary, but it was not enough, more of our Kin died with each passing day" Sun continued on.

"Not a very happy story this is" Gojyo mumbled.

"Not every story is" Moon said, "but it does have somewhat of a happy ending, remember when I said everything was new and learning its place? Well during the time of war, death and fear something had been growing, stronger and stronger. Beings born of spilt blood, broken life and dimming hope, with eyes as golden as the sun. The gods and goddess called them Heretics"

"What's my real name?"

Earth paused in her walking, and looked at her son, the child was cradling a rabbit that appeared before them during they're walk, it has been three days since Goku was cured. Three days since Earth had awaken to her son's worried gaze.

Three days since her son remembered her.

"Name?" Earth said.

Goku nodded and looked at her, "Even though Sanzo, Hakkai, Gojyo and I call me Goku, the Merciful Goddess calls me Seiten Taisei, and I was wondering if Seiten Taisei is my real name or if you gave me a different one"

"I see, well, Seiten Taisei was the name given to by the gods, it is a name born out of fear and lost time" Earth answered as they continued walking "Son Goku, on the other hand is a much beloved name, but, I was not the one who gave it to you, I never gave you a name".

This time Goku paused in his steps, strangely enough sadness or hurt over the fact that his mother never bothered to name him did not wash over him, for though he could not remember this place that was his home long ago or any time before the cage and Sanzo, he remembered his mother. Remembered that she loved him with all of her being.

"I was not born with a name" his mother continued on, "many of my names were given to me by mortals and gods"

"Didn't it bother?" asked Goku, "not having a name"

"No my child, I knew who I was, I was a mother in all sense of the word, I was a beloved daughter and sister. I was a goddess, protector, healer and warrior. I was and am Life. I did not give you a name because I knew who you were and are, you are my beloved son, my heir, mother to be, and Life"

Earth smiled at the wrinkle of the nose her son made at being called mother.

"You were and are loved and cherished. As far as I was concerned that is enough, and still is, name or no. Though, if it makes any difference, I like the name Son Goku"

Goku smiled, "Me too"

"Heretics?"

"Yes, the first Youkais."

"What!?" exclaimed Hakkai.

Gojyo's jaw dropped while from his spot by the tree, Sanzo choked on smoke.

"Surprising is it not" Sun teased, "the scrolls and books never told you that I bet"

"Brother" Moon warned.

"Sorry, now where were we? Oh yes, the Heretics were born, and though no one knows why, they sided with the gods and goddess, became their protectors, and because they could did not follow the rules of the gods of not killing, the war had quickly ended. Many mortals dead and the survivors were prisoners"

"Tired from the war," Moon continued for his brother, "the gods and goddess asked our sister to create a world for them, protected from the mortals, our sister agreed and created the Heavens, high above the world of mortals. Spring, never ending and a life of peace. Paradise, it was Sun and I who lead our kin to their new home"

"Did the Heretics not want to go?"

"No, they felt it was they're duty to guard the remaining mortals, I think they were going to kill them but Earth stopped them, instead she convinced to teach the mortals, she still saw good in them and understood what fear could do. I believe that is why she stayed down here"

"I bet the gods didn't like that" said Gojyo once he got over his shock

"Oddly enough, once our kin had settled in Heaven, they did not rain down divine punishment" said Moon, "the war humbled them, and I think they pitied the mortals somewhat as well, if anything else our kin made the war a lesson for them to learn by"

"Unfortunately it was so long ago, it became a tale forgotten by time, and our kin soon became what they once feared, it was also the time that Goku was born"

"What happened to me?"

They had moved off the path they were walking and climbed up a large tree, no sooner had they settled were the joined by birds of all kinds along with a few monkeys. Currently Earth had birds nestled happily on her any part of her they could get to, her son was being groomed by the monkeys. The goddess's lips twitched at the sight before her son's question came back to her.

"By the time you were born, things had changed greatly, such as the great divide between the Heretics, which you now call Youkais, and the gods. When I gave birth to you, I was surprised that you resemble the Heretics considering I created you out of my life force. You're Uncle Moon thought Fate had chosen you to be the one to heal the tear between the two races."

Earth chuckled when a baby monkey jumped in her lap, startling the birds and scattering them.

"Be nice" she gently scolds when the birds angrily clicked their beaks at the monkey now happily curled up in her lap, the goddess then turns her attention back to her son, "you were by all definition still a baby when you were taken from me, my father and the rest of the gods did not know of your existences just yet and so I knew it was not one of them, by the time I found out where you were, it was too late"

"Something was disturbing Hell, and Earth had been asked to go down to investigate, Goku had been left in my care, in hindsight we should have seen the trap for what it was, but at the time we didn't. It was three days before someone who I had thought was Sun, appeared, he convinced me that my realm was in danger and I left, by the time I realized I was lied to and got back, Goku was gone"

"Earth was distraught, more so because she could not feel her son's presence anywhere, by the time we found out he was in Heaven, it was too late"

Both gods went silent as memories of that day five hundred years came back to the, they remember the way their sister's eyes widen with horror when she was told of her son's fate, how they darkened with pure anger when they were told of Goku's fate. They could still hear the screams and pleads from their kin as Earth rained down her wrath on them, how it took all what was left of Heaven and themselves to bring down their sister and locked her away like her son.

"Earth did not take the news well to say the least" Sun finally said, "she nearly destroyed the Heavens before they subdued her and imprisoned her in Lao Tzu's crucible, and there she stayed until the current Jade Emperor and Kanzeon released her five hundred years later after you Sanzo freed our nephew, and from there you know the rest"

The mortals were silent as they went over what they've been told about they're youngest (really Goku was the oldest of them all but it was often forgotten, because Goku was Goku), it was, to be honest truly amazing and sounded too much like a fairytale to be true, and there was more to the story. More that, they were not telling, but not even Sanzo could find himself annoyed with that, these gods had nothing been but helpful and kind.

"What happens now?" Hakkai then asked.

"Our sister will want to do a Ceremony, transferring her position and adding her powers to Goku's, making him Earth"

"Wait, that means the monkey will…be….."

"Yes, Goku will be the new Mother Earth"

"What!?"

"Why are they so surprised?" Sun thought.

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