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Iruka was missing and it was her fault. How many times had Tsunade told them to avoid that particular pool? And now the God of Spring had disappeared. His sister was in a panic, which had plunged the mortal world into chaos as the weather took a turn. A storm the likes of which mortals had never seen was brewing.
"Shodai damn it all," Anko groaned as she headed down a path she knew was dangerous, but what else was she supposed to do? She was the only one that realized where the godling was. She was not about to earn the ire of a goddess by telling her that her precious brother was most likely in the clutches of Kakashi, God of the Underworld. No, she would just have to rescue him herself. How a flower nymph was going to take on a god she didn't know, but she had to bring Iruka home.
Everyone knew where the entrance to the Underworld was, but no one was foolish enough to actually go there. Hashirama had trapped the dark god there several hundred years ago, long before Iruka was born. The godling would have no idea what was in store for him. Anko clutched the basket in her hands, full of supplies for her journey, and tried not to imagine all the awful things that could be happening to him.
The cave opening looked normal enough, but the darkness inside seemed to deepen with every step she took towards the entrance. She hesitated for a moment, wondering if she should go back and tell Tsunade, but that would mean two gods clashing and that was never a good thing. She just needed to slip inside and find Iruka herself. The darkness surrounded her immediately and every step took more effort than it truly should. Things brushed against her in the darkness, urging her to turn back. The cave wall was warm, almost pushing under her hand. It made her skin crawl, but she had to use it as a guide.
Anko was always the one willing to risk Tsunade's fury to help the godling explore beyond the boundaries she’d set for him, but this...this was more than she had bargained for. She felt the ground shift, slowly sloping downward until eventually, she came to what felt like stairs. The second her foot touched the first stair an odd light lit up the walls. Not quite a flame, more like ominous glowing. At least now she wouldn't injure herself on the trek down.
She started down, wondering if this was truly the best idea. She had no clue what to expect in the Underworld. She only had stories and rumors of the dark lord’s realm. This was not a place for the living, but what choice did she have? The air became oppressive very quickly. Sweat was pouring down her body, making her gown cling to her body. She was practically panting after several minutes, ready to wilt in this heat. How was Iruka surviving? Terror the likes of which Anko had never felt came over her.
She nearly dropped her basket of supplies as she grabbed at her chest. Every breath became a struggle. What was she doing here? Who did she think she was? What hope did a flower nymph have when it came to facing a god? She had come here on a hunch and could very well die in search of her friend. The smart thing would have been to tell Tsunade and let the goddess handle this. "No," Anko gasped out. That could bring conflict and war to Konoha, pitting two gods against each other. And what if Iruka wasn't here? The damage would be done. She was the only one who could do this. She had to find Iruka. At once the panic gripping her disappeared. She knew getting to the Underworld would be complicated, but these trials may be the end of her. She took a moment to catch her breath and continued one. The heat was still almost unbearable but was less suffocating than before.
The stairs down into the depths of Kakashi's realm seemed to be endless. After almost an hour of walking in the oppressive heat, Anko was ready to collapse. If she made it through this journey she was never leaving Konoha proper again. She would give anything to be lounging next to a pool with the other nymphs. She was never going to see them again. She bit back a sob, leaning heavily against the pulsing wall. There was no end to this passage. She would wander until she collapsed, then some awful monster from Tartarus would find her and devour her. Iruka would be at the mercy of Kakashi because she hadn't told anyone where she was going.
Tears rolled down her face as she struggled to reign in her fears. Soft voices began to whisper to her as the strange lighting flickered. Death was coming for her, they rasped. She was a fool to have come here. She would die alone, far from home, and no one would ever know what happened to her. She clenched her fist. "You're wrong," she screamed into the empty passage. "You're wrong!" She pounded her fist into the wall behind her. The pain made it easier to push away the voices. She turned so she could punch the wall harder. Something popped in her hand, sending shooting pain up her arm. She cried out in agony, stumbling forward, the basket falling from her other hand.
Her basket's spilled contents laid at her feet as she clutched her hand. She brushed the tears from her eyes and went to gather up what she could of her supplies. She blinked as she realized she was no longer on the stairs. Instead, she was in a dark corridor. She could hear the sound of rushing water in the distance. She quickly gathered her things, ignoring the pain in her hand and half ran down the corridor. She could make out a light now, some sort of opening. She sprinted towards it, hoping that she was finally almost to her destination.
Anko burst out into a huge cavern, nearly stumbling on some rocks. Ahead of her was the River Styx. Elation surged through her until she realized that the river was wider and more treacherous looking than she imagined. The dark waters held many dangers, she remembered from stories. Only the ferryman could grant her passage. The sound of voices drew her attention and she made her way towards them. Several mortals, long dead, were huddled around a small dock. They muttered softly, mostly to themselves. She approached the one closes to her. "Pardon, is this where one might meet the ferryman?" The woman stared up at her, startled by her presence.
"D-do you have coins?" The woman croaked.
"Coins? Like mortal money?" Nymphs had no use for such things, though they did sometimes find coins and trinkets in the pools that lead to the mortal realm.
"Coins!" She screeched at her, grabbing at Anko. The other mortals turned to look at her, eyes burning.
"I don't have any coins!" Anko stumbled back, jerking out of her grasp. The woman quickly lost interest when she realized the nymph couldn't help her. She quickly scooted around the group without further incident. She eyed the dock, wondering if she should stay and wait or continue on. She inched closer the edge of the river bank, keeping a close eye on the mortals just in case.
She couldn't see anything in the depths of the black water, but she couldn't fail now after coming this far. Maybe she could cross another way. She knelt down, hand reaching out to the dark waters. "I wouldn't recommend that, my lovely new arrival!" Anko jerked her head up, staring at the man who had shouted out the warning. Not a man, a god. A god in a garish green cloak. She gasped as she realized he was standing in a small boat, which he was securing to the dock.
"Ferryman!" Finally, something was going her way. "Please, I need to-"
"Do you have a coin?" He asked, stepping onto the dock. The dead mortals were looking a bit more lively now. The woman who had tried to grab her held her hand out to him. "Ah, yes my dear, let me check that for you!" His booming voice rang out and he took hold of her hand. "Let's see. Looks like you have fourteen more years to go. Almost there! Fret not because soon enough you will be in my boat and crossing the river with me!"
Anko couldn't make her way to him because the others had crowded around him. He took each of their hands in turn, telling them a year. She was confused at first until she recalled that mortals that couldn't pay the ferryman to cross the river had to wander the banks of the river for a hundred years. Finally, he turned to her. "So new friend do you have a coin to pay the toll?"
"No, but listen-"
"No worries! A hundred years sounds long at the start, but I assure you it will pass in the blink of an eye!" He turned away from her and knelt down to untie his boat.
"Wait, no! You don't understand. I'm looking for a friend of m-"
The god stopped what he was doing and looked at her in awe. "Could it be? Another mortal on a journey to save their beloved? A noble cause indeed!" Anko winced at his loud shouting. She tried to explain why she was there, but he launched into a tale of the last mortal who had come there to save the soul of his love that had tragically died too soon. "In the springtime of her youth! So tragic. What is the name of your love?"
"My what? No, I'm here to find a god."
"An odd place to find a god. You'd have better luck in Konoha. The only gods down here are me and my esteemed rival. Trust me you don't want to meet him!"
Anko was ready to pull her hair out. "Just listen! I'm not a mortal here to rescue my precious love. I'm a nymph looking for the God of Spring, Iruka. Kakashi pulled him into the realm a week ago. I need you to take me across the river so I can find him."
"I see. A nymph....how odd." The god rubbed his chin, thinking for a moment. "No."
"N-no?" She sputtered out. "What do you mean no?!"
"No. The opposite of yes! I know it can be a crushing answer, but I am sure your god will turn up soon. Alas, I am unable to help you." He knelt back down, finish untying his boat.
Anko slammed her basket down at his feet. "I don't have coins, but I have other things you could have in trade." She began to dig through the basket. "I have flowers, a flower crown, some ambrosia, wine from Genma himself."
"Coins are what I need, little nymph. You should head back. This isn't the place for someone like you." His voice was somber and low, the early boisterousness gone. He carefully stepped back into his boat, nodding to her. "Have a nice journey back."
She snatched up her basket and did something slightly dangerous...well, very dangerous. Before he could push off, she jumped into his boat. She yelped as the boat leaned to the side, threatened to dump them both into the river. The Ferryman gave a startled shout as he tried to stop the boat from capsizing. After a tense few seconds, the rocking stopped and the two of them drifted away from the dock. Anko was panting heavily, terror coursing through her. That had been a terrible plan, but she was at least in the boat now.
The god was glaring at her. "What do you think you're doing?! You could have hurt yourself!"
"I..." she gasped out, "am saving my friend."
She was afraid he would take her back to the dock, or worse, knock her into the dark waters beneath them. Instead, he laughed. "Never in all my days have I met someone filled with such vigor! Who am I to stand in your way?! I shall delivery you safely across the river. You may call me Gai." His laughter was contagious because soon Anko joined him. Maybe it was just joy bubbling up that she hadn't died on this journey yet.
"I'm Anko."
"Well, Anko, please refrain from any more jumping in the boat and we shall both make it safely to the other side."
***
Gai helped Anko up onto the dock on the other side of the river. "Right, so do you have an idea where Kakashi could be holding him?"
"Not a clue. Good luck with your quest!" He moved to step back into the boat, but Anko grabbed his arm.
"Oh, no. You're not abandoning me now! This place is huge. I need to find Iruka before Kakashi realizes I'm here."
The ferryman seemed to debate the issue internally for a moment. "If Kakashi is entertaining your friend, and I'm not saying he is, then he is most likely in my esteemed rival's home."
"Wonderful. Where is that?"
"Well...you see..." Gai rubbed the back of his neck, laughing nervously. "I've never been there! Most of the time he responds to my challenges out here. My glorious friend is very particular about his privacy. Such a mysterious god!" Anko wanted to bury her face in her hands. How was she going to find Iruka if even the ferryman didn't know where the God of Death lived? "I suppose we could ask Pakkun."
"Great. Who's Pakkun?" Anko was almost dreading the answer, but he simply pointed behind her. Confused, she turned and came face to face with the largest dog she'd ever seen. How had something that big moved that quietly? A startled scream burst out of her as she scrambled away from the dog. She tripped, nearly tumbling into the river, but Gai moved faster than even a god should be able to and snatched her up in his arms.
"Careful there, my most precious nymph!" Precious nymph? She felt her cheeks start to burn at his nickname for her. Gai was charming in an odd way. Now that she was gathered up in his arms, she could feel the muscles that his bright green cloak hid. He carried her as if she was weightless, setting her back down once they were away from the river bank.
The giant dog bent down and sniffed at her. "What did you find, Gai? Smells funny. Definitely not dead."
"She is from Konoha. Seems to have misplaced a friend of hers. I could not turn away from helping one full of such brightness and vigor!" The dog just snorted at his antics and turned back to Anko.
"So you managed to make it across the river. I'm impressed you made it this far, but you'll be going back with Gai." He told her flatly.
"Now, wait for just a mo-"
"Leave or I'll eat you," Pakkun said, yawning halfway through. He trotted a few feet away and curled up for a nap. Irritated Anko stomped over to him and poked him in the snout until he opened one eye to look at her. "Leave me alone. I was kidding about devouring you. I have no interest in helping you or disobeying my master."
Anko ground her teeth in frustration and slammed her basket down in front of him. "Listen, if you don't help me then Tsunade is going to find out and you really don't want to deal with her coming down here. Please, I'm begging you."
Pakkun huffed at her. "Is there ambrosia in your things?" He asked, sniffing at her basket.
"W-what?" She stared at the hound in confusion. "Ambrosia...well, yes. I have some and wine."
The hound pushed himself up. "I will take you to your friend if you give me some ambrosia." Anko stared up at him, wondering if he was being genuine in his offer. "Come on," he whined, "before the others find you here and want to share."
The nymph quickly dug out the ambrosia and offered it to the hound. He quickly took the offered food, swallowing it in one gulp. "Oh yeah, that's the good stuff. It’s pretty rare that we get it down here. Come along, little one, and I'll take you to the godling."
Anko looked at Pakkun excitedly. "Thank you so much!" She started to follow him but paused. She hurried back to Gai, throwing her arms around him. The god blushed furiously as she hugged him. "Thank you for helping me, Gai." She pressed a chaste kiss to his cheek before pulling away to snatch up her basket. "Keep that boat ready for me," she shouted over her shoulder as she quickly ran after the departing hound, leaving a stunned Gai in her wake.
The nymph was practically glowing as she headed deeper into the depths of the underworld. She was still terrified of Kakashi catching her, but she was getting so close to finding her friend. "How far down are we going?" She was met with silence. "Have you seen Iruka? Is he alright?" The hound was obviously ignoring her, but it didn't matter as long as he led her to Iruka. A horrible sense of dread started to set in as they walked. What if he was actually leading her to Kakashi? What if Iruka was hurt or worse? She couldn't fight a god. Her earlier panic welled back up and she nearly ran into Pakkun when he suddenly stopped.
She realized they were in some sort of home, Kakashi's given the decor. She had been so caught up in her anxiety that she didn't even see when they had left the dreary cave behind and started down a corridor with smooth, dark walls. The hound had stopped outside a huge door. "In there," he grunted and padded further down the hall. He turned a corner and was gone before she could call out to him. According to the hound, Iruka was behind that door. She took a deep breath and pushed the door open.
"Iruka!" She nearly cried when she saw him. Spread out against dark sheets in a huge bed was the God of Spring. She had done it. She'd found him.
-
Gai found it very hard to go back to his duties after Anko departed. She had been a bright spark in this dark land. He was tempted to go after her, but he had duties to attend to. It didn't stop him from looking over his shoulder as he got back into his boat and pushed off. He was distracted as he finished his trip across the river. He nearly dropped one new soul into the river as he helped him into the boat. One little nymph had shaken him to his core.
He was beyond delighted when he was finishing his rounds and found Anko sitting on the pier where he'd originally dropped her off. She looked upset, but a ray of beautiful light like her should only ever look stunning! "Anko! My newest friend, did you find your godling?"
The nymph dropped her face into his hands and groaned. "I did and the fool is staying! His sister is going to be furious when she finds out."
"Ah, then I suppose I need to take you back across the river?" Gai said trying not to sound too disappointed that she would be departing so soon.
"Oh no. There is no way I can go back there. I am not taking the blame for Iruka staying here with Kakashi and Tsunade will want someone to blame." She crossed her arms over her chest. "I don't suppose you have any use for a flower nymph in the Underworld do you?"
Gai pondered that for a moment, trying to stay composed. Inside he was shouting for joy. It was the most glorious of days to start with, but now he felt like he had drunk deeply of the finest wine the gods had to offer. "I just might. Come with me, my bright light, and let me show you something wondrous!" She hesitated for a moment, but let him pull her into the boat. She still seemed skeptical as he let the river carry them for a while. It took a while for the river to narrow and the opening of the cave to come into view. He watched her face as the river brought them to the Asphodel Meadows.
He heard her gasp as he maneuvered them over to the pier. "Welcome to the first land of the Underworld. This is the Asphodel Meadows. Beyond here is the Elysian Fields and if we continue along the river, we will come to the Isle of the Blessed."
"Can I stay here?!" Anko asked him excitedly. She was out of the boat in an instant, running headfirst into the meadow of pale flowers. When he finished tying up the boat, he found her lying in a flowerbed, looking completely at home. "I never knew there was such beauty in the Underworld."
"There wasn't until you came here, little nymph." Gai was shocked by his own boldness but decided to push forward. "My home is on the other side of the hill. You are welcome to it. I would never send you back to Konoha knowing harm would befall you."
She smiled up at him. "I think I'm going to like it here just fine."