The Way of The Gods
by Lady of Asheru
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: Jack and Daniel
Category: Adventure, Humor, Established Relationship
Synopsis: SG1 are stranded on an ancient Japanese world.
Date: March 2002.
Status: complete
Series: no, but set in the same universe as "Promises to Keep", "Wanderer from the World" and "Love takes its shoes off".
Season/Spoilers: up to season 5. Passing references to events in "The Torment of Tantalus" "Brief candle", "The Nox", and "Forever In a Day"
Notes: Dedicated as always to the kindly Quercus, for lighting this writer's way like the North Star. RESPECT and adoration to Ali for exquisite beta. And special thanks to the fabulously wicked Catspaw for help with one scene in particular (you will know which one when you get to it, *snirk*).. what do you mean, "I know Jack can multi-task, BUT.."
Warnings: Occasional use of the F word. Sexual situations.
Disclaimer: Only mine in my dreams
SGC's finest stood expectantly at the foot of the gate ramp. They'd been standing there for 20 minutes, and Daniel was beginning to regret not bringing a cup of coffee and the crossword with him.
"How much longer is this going to take?" said Jack, swinging his backpack to the floor with a disapproving thud. "I mean, you're doing what - changing a light bulb? What's the problem?"
Siler looked down on him from the top of the gate. "It's a bit more complicated than that, sir" he replied, his tone making it clear that any jokes about how many engineers it took to change a light bulb would not be welcome.
"Come on Jack, let's get a coffee," said Daniel.
Jack picked up his pack. "I'm at the end of my tether with this," he said, looking up at Siler balefully.
"Well, you always were on a short leash," muttered Daniel. Sam snorted, quickly turning it into a cough as Jack looked disapprovingly at her and Daniel. A series of minor glitches with the gate had delayed the start of their last three missions, and much as he loved him, Daniel had to admit that patience was not one of Jack's virtues. Sometimes that had its… advantages. At work, it often made Daniel fantasise about slipping happy pills into Jack's coffee.
"OK, sir, we've finished," Siler called down to them. "That should hold it for a while, but we really need to take it apart for a full maintenance check."
"Take it up with Hammond," said Jack. "Time and the Tok'ra wait for no man," he added, signalling up to the control room.
Minutes later, the gate rumbled into life, and the four of them walked through the event horizon. Stepping across, Daniel felt darkness closing in from the edges of his vision, and he barely had time to register that he was going to pass out before everything went black.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Daniel's sense of smell was the first thing to return. His eyelids felt glued together, so he lay where he was, trying to figure it out. He smelt incense, and wood smoke, molten wax and… this took longer to recognise…singed hair. Singed hair was not good. He prised his eyes open, just as another drop of burning hot wax landed on his forehead. He sat up abruptly. Unless the Tok'ra had gone in for a spot of interior decoration since their last visit, they were clearly not on P4X771. He took his glasses off and scratched a lump of wax off the left lens before putting them on again and looking round the room.
He was sitting in a vast hall, dimly lit by candles in sconces high up on the walls. Gaily coloured streamers hung down from the rafters above, fluttering in the breeze from an open doorway at the other end of the room. Through the doorway he could just make out a dusky sky above a distant tree line. Behind him, a set of stone steps littered with broken bowls and pieces of fruit led up to a stargate. For one heart-stopping moment he thought he was the only member of the team to have come through, but then he heard the unmistakeable sound of Jack cursing from the foot of a pillar further down the hall. A dark shadow unravelled, separating into three bodies.
"That does it, next time we're putting that thing in for a complete service and to hell with the cost!" said Jack, gingerly accepting a hand up from Teal'c.
"Major Carter, are you hurt?" asked Teal'c. There was an uncertain mumble from the floor and Sam sat up, rubbing her head. "Thanks, Teal'c, I think I'm OK."
"Daniel, are you still with us?" Jack called out, looking around him.
"Over here," said Daniel, waving a hand. He got up stiffly and started to walk towards them.
"Colonel O'Neill, I no longer have my staff weapon," said Teal'c. Daniel automatically checked his pocket, and was surprisingly relieved to feel the cold press of metal. When did I start feeling safer with a gun? he thought.
"Weapons check everyone," said Jack. They went through their packs as Teal'c retraced his path to the gate. After a quick tally, they discovered that only Teal'c's staff weapon and a zat gun were missing.
"Interesting," said Carter. "I wonder why the Goa'uld technology has been taken, but not our own weapons?"
Jack handed Teal'c a spare pistol. Teal'c's silence eloquently conveyed that he saw this as inadequate compensation.
"We don't know that it's been taken," said Daniel reasonably. "It might have been destroyed by whatever malfunction brought us here, or perhaps filtered out in some way."
Sam looked sceptically at him.
"Hey," said Jack. "Where's the DHD?"
They all looked round them. There was no DHD to be seen.
"Oh…shit," said Jack. "Just remind me, how do we get the car started with no ignition key?"
"The SGC uses super powered computers," said Carter.
"Don't think that's going to be an option here," said Jack, looking up at the candles.
"On Ernest's planet, you hotwired it with an electrical thunderstorm," said Daniel.
The four of them looked out of the door at the clear pink sky. Not a rain drop in sight.
"Some races have the power to operate the gate manually - the Nox, for example," suggested Teal'c.
"Teal'c's right," said Daniel. "One thing we've learned is that we shouldn't make assumptions about the level of technological development based on first impressions. Maybe the local people can help."
"If there are any local people," said Jack.
"The candles didn't light themselves," said Daniel, looking up at the sconces. "And I think those banners have some sort of writing on them." He took out his torch and shone it up towards the ceiling.
"Oh..my..God" said Daniel, walking backwards to get a better view. "If I'm not mistaken, this looks like Japanese."
"Are you sure?" said Sam.
"I think so. Wow!" said Daniel.
"Tell me Japanese is one of your 23 languages, right?" said Jack.
"Well, not exactly. To have even a basic understanding of Japanese script you need to know at least 2,000 out of more than 50,000 possible characters - it makes the English alphabet look tiny in comparison."
"Oh well, easy then," said Jack with a shrug.
Daniel stopped walking and looked at him. "Don't you see what this means? We could be looking at another transplanted culture from earth!"
"If this is so, the planet may be under Goa'uld control," said Teal'c.
"Just when I thought the day could not possibly get any worse," sighed Jack. "Daniel, can you make out anything the banners say?"
Daniel squinted up at the ceiling again. "I think this is a shrine to 'Susano'." He shut his eyes trying to remember scraps of Japanese mythology. "Susano was a bit of a trickster as I recall - god of storms, sorcery, forests and... snakes. Ah…"
"Snakes?" said Sam.
"Forests?" said Jack.
They walked over to the doorway. Sure enough, there were a lot of…trees. The shrine was the only building they could see, with a well-trodden path leading away from it into the forest. It was hard to tell what time of day it was; it could have been mid morning or mid afternoon.
"Irasshaimase," a soft voice said behind them, making them jump. They turned to see a young man dressed in flowing red robes, bowing deeply towards them. He had a pleasant, gentle face, his black hair tied back into a long ponytail.
"Konnichiwa," Daniel assayed after a moment's hesitation, mirroring the man's bow.
"Er… Daniel, Jack, Sam and Teal'c" said Daniel, bowing low as he introduced them, and motioning to the others to do the same.
"Kado, Daniel-san" said the man, pointing to himself and bowing again.
"Ask him if he knows how to operate the gate," hissed Jack.
Daniel gestured back towards the gate, making dialling and whooshing noises. The man looked at him with blank incomprehension. Daniel tried again, adding what he hoped were the words for "gateway" and "stars." For all he knew, he could equally have been saying "cat flap" and "kitty litter."
At last, a flicker of understanding crossed the man's face and he started speaking. Daniel found he could understand about every third word.
"What's he saying?" asked Jack.
"He is suggesting that we petition the great god Susano at some sort of festival coming up, " Daniel replied.
"Is Susano alive?" said Teal'c. Daniel searched for the right words to ask, wishing his rudimentary grammar extended to metaphysics. Unbidden, he suddenly remembered that the first Jesuit missionaries had found Japanese so hard they called it "the devil's language."
The young man burst into rapid speech, interspersed with more bowing.
"Apparently, yes, but if we want to see him we have to complete a pilgrimage in the proper way, making offerings at each shrine until we reach the place where the festival is being held. Um.. I think he's suggesting he come with us," said Daniel, smiling back at the man.
"Is it far?" asked Jack. Daniel did his best to enquire, making stretching motions with his hands as if describing a prize fish.
"A few days by foot, half this by …something four legged with…um wings. Wings?" said Daniel, miming an angelic ascent. The man started to laugh, nodding his head furiously.
"Does he have any of these winged things?" asked Jack.
Daniel checked. "No, but we should be able to borrow some at the next village."
Agreement reached, they set off down the path into the forest, the sky slowly turning a deeper pink above them.
Daniel looked ahead at their new travelling companion, and could not help thinking that this was going to be a lot more interesting than whatever half-baked scheme the Tok'ra had wanted to sign them up to this time.
"So we're off on a pilgrimage?" asked Sam, keeping step with Daniel.
"Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages," said Jack, from two paces behind them. Daniel cast a considering look back over his shoulder.
"Chaucer, Jack? There's hope for you yet," said Daniel.
"Hey, I went to school - just a lot longer ago than you did," said Jack.
"If you think about it, things haven't changed that much," said Daniel. "In the past, pilgrims were sent to bring back religious gifts for the village. Now it's more likely to be a plastic model of the Eiffel Tower, or in our case, a Goa'uld mothership."
"We should be so lucky," said Jack.
After an hour's hike, the trees began to thin and the road to dip downwards. It was appreciably hotter, and after asking Kado, Daniel discovered it was just past mid-day. The earth beneath their feet became sandier, and Daniel caught occasional glimpses of a vast expanse of water through the trees to their left. Rounding a sharp bend, they found themselves at the edge of the tree line, looking down on a large village which followed the curve of a bay. Between the village and the sea there was a wide strip of pink sand, littered with small fishing boats. Scraps of sound floated up to him - someone singing, a baby grizzling, and the odd shout.
"This is lovely," said Sam, putting her pack down for a moment and stretching her arms out to the sun. She beamed at Jack, who smiled back, his earlier bad temper apparently forgotten.
"Is this the village?" Daniel asked.
Kado nodded. "The great god Susano has a liking for fish. Tonight you will stay here, and tomorrow morning go fishing with the villagers. Perhaps you will catch a big enough fish to please Susano."
Oh god, thought Daniel. All this time I've managed to avoid being dragged to Minnesota on fishing trips, and here we are. It must be Karma.
The rest of the team looked at him expectantly.
"Er.. guys…it looks like we're going fishing tomorrow."
Teal'c swallowed. Sam patted Teal'c's shoulder.
Jack broke out into a broad grin. "Oh yes! I knew there was a reason I did this job!!"
Daniel looked at him.
"Well, apart from keeping you all out of trouble, and saving the universe, of course," Jack added hastily.
They started to walk down to the village.
"You don't seem to be doing so badly with the language," Sam said to Daniel. "What makes it so hard anyway?"
"Thanks," said Daniel. "The main problem with Japanese is that it is a much more subtle language than English, relying on how you say things, and what you don't say, as much as the spoken word."
"I think a lot of what we say is unspoken," said Sam, giving him a sly look.
Daniel snorted. "That's probably true of any close knit group. With Japanese though, it's more a positive desire to leave things as vague as possible, for as long as possible, to avoid giving offence - or to prevent the speakers from having to take a position before all options have been explored."
"Sounds like SG 9 ordering lunch to me," said Jack.
"Exactly!" said Daniel. "We place great value on getting to the heart of things quickly, tearing off the words like wrapping from a Christmas present. Often there is just as much to be discovered from the wrapping itself."
As Daniel finished speaking, he noticed that Kado was looking at him very closely, his head tilted to one side as if considering what he was saying. When Daniel looked at him, his lips twitched and he looked away. Does he understand anything of what we're saying? Daniel wondered. It was a disconcerting thought.
They reached the outskirts of the village, and were quickly surrounded by a mob of children and a few inquisitive adults. Kado explained that they were pilgrims on their way to the Fire Festival, and that in exchange for the loan of some horses, they would take the village's offerings with them. This idea met with an enthusiastic reception, and they were borne along by a growing crowd to one of the largest of the wooden houses near the centre of the village. A well-built man pushed aside a cloth hanging over the doorway and came out to greet them, bowing lowest to the monk. After an exchange of greetings, and a repetition of their purpose, he urged them to enter the house.
At the entrance, Kado took off his slippers and motioned to the others to remove their boots. The rush matting on the floor felt blissfully cool to Daniel's feet. They were shown into a light airy room, empty except for the floor mats and a few cushions. Their host, who introduced himself as "Hiroshi", gestured to them to sit on the cushions, and slid open one of the wall panels, revealing a small interior courtyard filled with flowers. A moment later a woman he introduced as his wife, "Aiko", appeared, dressed in a simple white robe patterned with blue flowers, bearing a low table which she set down in the middle of the room. A few more of the villagers came in, calling greetings to Hiroshi and sitting down with them.
"We are to be served welcome tea," explained Kado, leaning across to Daniel. "It is an honour for Hiroshi and his family for us to stay with him, many blessings will follow."
Aiko returned, accompanied by two young girls, bearing steaming bowls of tea and an assortment of bizarre looking snacks. These were quickly handed round, and Daniel examined his plate with interest. Seaweed, and a bright pink ball of something, rice crackers, and what looked like a crystallised flower.
He looked across at Jack, who was eyeing his plate dubiously. Jack was understandably wary about eating food off world, after the Argosian incident. Teal'c had already started eating his, safe in the knowledge that he had his own ready-made bio filter.
"I think it will be alright," said Daniel, mentally keeping his fingers crossed. He took a bite of a rice cracker, which was surprisingly good, and motioned to Jack to do the same.
Jack gave him a "I'll blame you later if this doesn't work out" stare and started to eat. It had been a very long time since breakfast.
"So.. I was expecting a bit more..er.. ceremony with the tea," said Jack.
Sam started laughing. The villagers looked at her in puzzlement. Her mouth full of tea, Sam made apologetic gestures with her hand.
"What?" said Daniel, amused.
"Nothing. It's just.. a friend of mine at NASA told me that Japan is going to build a room for tea ceremonies on the International Space Station. They just haven't figured out how to get it to work in zero-gravity."
Jack chuckled. "I'm sure they'll find a way."
"Why would one want a tea room on a space station?" asked Teal'c.
"There must be equally weird things on Goa'uld ships," said Daniel.
"There are not," said Teal'c.
"You see - that's their problem. No sense of fun," said Jack.
Kado coughed quietly. Daniel looked at him sharply but he'd apparently just swallowed some tea the wrong way.
Tea proved to be a leisurely affair, with much good-natured banter between the villagers and Kado, and the occasional polite question to the visitors. Daniel looked around him with interest, and a small shrine set in the garden caught his eye.
"Dozo, Hiroshi, may we look at your lovely garden?"
"Of course, of course, please," Hiroshi replied and everyone got to their feet.
Daniel made his way across to the little shrine. A bowl of water had been placed on a wooden shelf, with a single flower floating in it. A small incense burner perfumed the air. Hiroshi opened the lid and added a few more grains of charcoal. A brightly coloured bird landed on the edge of the water bowl and dipped its head in. Daniel moved to shoo it away, but Hiroshi put a restraining hand gently on his arm. After a moment, the bird shook its wings and flew off.
"Make no guest unwelcome, for the spirits of the gods take many guises," said Hiroshi.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After they had admired the garden, the other villagers took their leave. The sun was sinking lower in the sky and it had begun to get cooler.
"Come," said Kado. "Our host has suggested we wash the dust of our journey away in the hot springs nearby, and return for the evening meal."
The five of them walked back through the village and up towards the tree line again. Ahead of them, Daniel could make out a wooden archway leading to a rocky enclosure. Steam rose up through the trees, carrying with it the sounds of laughter and children shrieking. Bathing was obviously a communal and outdoors activity. Daniel was suddenly aware of just how dusty he was; the walk from the gate had taken them four hours at least, and his hair still smelt of candle wax.
"Er…." Sam said. Bathing was obviously also a naked activity, and mixed gender. An elderly woman walked past them, unhurriedly wrapping a rectangular cloth around her dripping body. Behind her, a boy and a girl clambered over the edge of the rocks into a large irregular shaped pool. People sat or lay in the bubbling water, talking and rubbing themselves down with small pieces of pumice stone. Daniel thought he'd never seen anything so inviting in all his life.
"Carter, it's up to you," said Jack. "But I don't see separate facilities being made available anytime soon."
"No changes there then, sir" said Sam. She shrugged her shoulders, and took her pack off, putting it out of harm's way on a rock shelf. The others followed suit, helping themselves to bath sheets from a large pile. Teal'c obligingly held one up for Sam as she undressed.
A few moments later they were all ensconced in the warm water, watching the sun slowly set over the sea below. Tree shadows lengthened across the pool. Under cover of the darkening water, Daniel reached out and stroked Jack's thigh gently with one hand. Jack lifted his head from a rock pillow and looked at him lazily. He pulled a hand out of the water and ruffled Daniel's hair.
"I have to say, Daniel, candle wax doesn't do much for you," said Jack, gently removing a bit of wax from Daniel's hair. Daniel inclined his head towards the fleeting touch, wanting desperately to follow it with a kiss. He imagined pressing Jack back against the rock, running wet hands through his hair, claiming that warm mouth with his own. Jack raised an eyebrow at him, as if reading his thoughts. Daniel closed his eyes, willing his heart rate to slow down. Beneath the water, Jack briefly took his hand in his, in compensation.
"I don't want to go home," said Sam from somewhere to their left. "Ever. You can leave me right here in this pool."
"This is indeed most pleasant," Teal'c agreed from further away.
"So much for military discipline," said Jack.
Daniel looked up at stars slowly filling the night sky, and wondered where earth was. A fragment of poetry came to mind. Turning to Jack he said softly:
"Amid the stars as countless as the grains of sand /There's one that shines toward me."
"Bucket of mush, that's what you are," said Jack, but he didn't sound unhappy about it.
Eventually Kado reappeared through the steam and suggested they return for supper. They reluctantly got out into the cold air and dressed, walking down to the village with the last remaining stragglers.
When they reached Hiroshi's they found a table had been set up for them in the garden. Daniel could hear the sounds of cooking and the odd burst of song from a kitchen somewhere deep within the house. Taking their seats, they were soon joined by Hiroshi, who handed round tiny bowls of warm sake. Teal'c was the only one to refuse, taking some green tea instead.
Daniel raised the bowl to his lips and cautiously took a sip. It felt like swallowing fire, the clear liquid burning its way down to his stomach. An aftershock of warmth rippled outwards a moment later, making his fingertips tingle and his vision blur.
"Jesus!" said Jack, admiringly.
"This tastes like neat alcohol," said Sam.
Hiroshi and Kado laughed uproariously at their expressions, miming to them to drink up and have some more. Oh to hell with it, thought Daniel, still pining for Jack's touch, and drained his cup. His lips went numb.
Aiko and her daughters appeared, bringing steaming bowls of rice decorated with day-glo coloured pickled vegetables, seaweed fritters and pieces of fish. It smelt delicious. Hiroshi passed wooden chopsticks round the table and motioned to everyone to start.
"Is there a polite way to eat with chopsticks?" asked Sam, retrieving a piece of pickled cucumber from her lap.
Daniel smiled encouragingly at her. "I don't think it matters. One thing I do know though is that you must never use them to pass someone a bowl."
"Why not - I mean assuming you could do it without dropping it anyway?" asked Sam.
"Because that's the way that food is offered to the dead," said Daniel.
"And why would you want to feed the dead?" asked Jack, his mouth full of fish.
"To appease the ancestral spirits," said Daniel, pausing to explain to Kado and the others what they were talking about. Hiroshi nodded vigorously.
"The dead are always with us," said Kado, "their spirits shine like fireflies in the night."
Hiroshi filled Daniel's sake bowl again. The dead are always with us. Daniel felt a familiar pain clutch at his heart, and he raised his bowl in silent benediction to Sha're, wishing her peace.
Before Daniel's mood could deepen, Teal'c innocently asked what the fishing tomorrow would involve. This was sufficient encouragement for Jack and Hiroshi to enter into a round of competitive story telling about their fishing exploits. Daniel suspected he was translating these increasingly inaccurately as the evening went on, but everyone still seemed to find them hilarious.
Much, much later, Aiko showed them into the large room where they were to sleep that night. Pallets had been rolled out on the floor, and covered with quilts. Daniel gratefully took his pants off and crawled under the covers of the nearest one. Jack took the pallet next to his, and Sam, Teal'c and Kado stretched out either side of the door. It had become surprisingly cold.
"I like the idea that the island is floating on the back of a huge fish," said Jack, referring to one of Hiroshi's stories.
"It's a good explanation for earthquakes," agreed Sam.
The image of a monster carp thumping its tail and making the ground shake accompanied Daniel into a deep and dreamless sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hiroshi woke them just before dawn to set off on their fishing expedition. He had explained at dinner that fishing was usually left to the men of the village, with the women collecting shellfish and seaweed from the shoreline. Sam was only too happy to be left behind, and Teal'c volunteered suspiciously quickly to stay with her.
That left Daniel and Jack to represent the home team. Daniel thought Jack looked disgustingly cheerful for someone who had drunk so much sake the night before.
After some discussion, it was decided that Daniel and Jack would go out in a boat with a nephew of Hiroshi's, a slender youth who looked to be in his mid teens. He introduced himself as "Makoto" with a wide, toothy grin, inviting them to get into his small boat.
They rowed out to the mouth of the bay, just as the sun was coming up. Looking back, Daniel could see rays of sunlight turning the distant mountains pink. A slight breeze rippled across the waves, making their shoal of boats leap and dance. Daniel waved at Hiroshi and Kado, who were rowing further out to sea. Jack and Makoto lowered a net and unfurled delicate fishing rods.
Time passed. Daniel watched the sunrise, enjoying the feeling of warmth on his shoulders. There were occasional yelps of triumph from Jack and Makoto, but Daniel wasn't having any luck. In the distance, he thought he could just make out the tiny figures of Sam and Teal'c walking along the beach.
More time passed. Daniel's eyes drifted shut, lulled by the lapping of the waves and the creaking of the boat.
A while later, he was jolted awake by the sensation of something pushing one end of the boat up out of the water. He turned just in time to see Makoto dragged over the side, still holding his fishing rod. Jack yelled after him, tipping the boat to one side as he leant down into the water. There was no sign of Makoto.
"Stay with the boat!" shouted Jack, yanking his boots off and diving straight over the edge before Daniel could stop him.
"Jack!" Daniel called after him. The water boiled, and the boat shook violently from side to side. Daniel let go of his fishing rod and grabbed the oars, trying to keep the boat steady.
"Jack!" he called again, his heart racing.
The boat stopped shaking. A moment later, Jack's head burst through the water a few feet away. He was swimming backwards towards the boat, one arm clasping Makoto to his chest. Makoto was still holding the remains of his fishing rod.
"Daniel!" spluttered Jack, gasping for air.
Suddenly, a huge rainbow-coloured fish leapt out of the water, landing smack at Daniel's feet. He was so surprised he fell over backwards into the boat, dropping the oars. The fish still had part of the rod between its teeth, and thrashed it violently from side to side, only succeeding in wrapping the line further about itself. Without thinking, Daniel grabbed an oar and whacked it, hard. The thrashing stopped. Jack surfaced by the side of the boat, still clasping Makoto, who was coughing and laughing. Daniel reached over and pulled them both in, Jack now laughing as hard as Makoto.
"Oh, your face!" said Jack, pulling Daniel down into a cold and very wet embrace. Jack's mouth tasted of salt, but Daniel's arms went around him without a moment's hesitation. He kissed him thoroughly, then pulled away, outraged. Jack was still shaking with laughter.
"You bastard!" said Daniel. "You enjoyed that! I thought you were going to drown!" Then he started laughing as well. Makoto fell next to them in the bottom of the boat, clasping the enormous fish to his chest.
"Susano will be very pleased with this," the boy said, his eyes sparkling with delight.
They returned to a triumphant second breakfast at Hiroshi's, their prize catch displayed on the table for all to admire. Even Teal'c was impressed, and Jack was clearly overjoyed to have another fishing story to add to his repertoire.
Daniel was almost sorry they had to leave; still, the next shrine was nearly a half-day's ride from the village and it was already late morning. The villagers presented them with their offerings for the Fire Festival, which turned out to be a collection of tiny bamboo boxes containing scraps of paper.
"What does the writing say?" Daniel asked Kado as they walked towards the stables.
"Everyone is allowed to make one wish at the festival," explained Kado. "The proper form for the wish is a short poem. If Susano likes the poem enough, the wish may be granted."
"I nominate you to write our poem," said Jack. "I've always thought you were a poet at heart."
Daniel looked across at him to see if he was laughing, but Jack's face was a picture of innocence.
They reached the stables. Hiroshi opened the doors and led five horses out. Daniel had imagined that they would look like Pegasus, but in fact they were closer to pit ponies, with small wings folded neatly into their flanks. Loose saddles were quickly fitted to their backs and heavy panniers slung across them, containing their gear, the offerings, food for the journey, quilts and three lightweight tents. The monster fish, wrapped in large green leaves, had a pannier to itself.
They were ready to go. The whole village turned out to see them off, and Daniel carried on waving to them until the road twisted, taking them out of sight.
The horses proved to be a challenging ride. They were obviously intended for people with shorter legs than Daniel's, and he had to bend his knees right up to fit his feet into the stirrups. There were no reins, and instead they had to hold onto the bony ridges of the vestigial wings. Every now and then, Daniel's horse shook its head and stretched its wings out, giving an added lift to its prancing gait. Of the five of them, only Kado looked completely at ease, and Teal'c looked in positive discomfort.
They followed the road back up into the forest.
"Tell me more about the Fire Festival," Daniel asked Kado.
Kado turned towards him as they rode. "Once a year, there is a special pilgrimage to a sacred shrine high up in the mountains. A great fire is built, and people drink sake, and dance, and tell stories. When the fire is at its height, people enter Susano's shrine and lay their poems on the altar."
"And does Susano appear?" asked Daniel.
"Sometimes, to the favoured."
"What does he look like?"
"I have never seen him, but it is said that he wears a golden mask through which his eyes glow silver like the moon, and no one may look upon his true face and live."
Daniel translated this for the rest of the team.
"Do you still think he's a Goa'uld?" Jack asked Teal'c.
"We have seen no evidence of Goa'uld technology, or any Jaffa so far," said Teal'c, "but the glowing eyes may indicate the presence of a symbiote."
"Whatever he is, he's the only ticket we've got home," said Jack.
They fell silent, thinking about this. Earth seemed very far away, yet they had got themselves out of worse situations, even without divine intervention. Daniel decided not to worry about it. Skikata ga ni; what will be, will be.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was already dark by the time they reached the shrine. Kado instructed them to wash their hands and feet in a mountain stream, and to rinse their mouths out with the cold clear water. It tasted heavenly to Daniel after the long ride.
Leaving the horses to drink, they walked up to a small clearing, Daniel carrying the fish. In the centre of the clearing was a flat stone, set in the middle of a spiral of white pebbles. The clearing was eerily quiet, bathed in the pale light of the planet's moon.
Kado turned to Daniel. "As you caught the fish, this offering must come from you." He mimed putting the fish onto the stone and bowing.
Feeling slightly foolish, Daniel walked forward and laid the fish out on to the stone, bowing deeply, before returning to their group.
"I think Susano will greatly enjoy the fish," said Kado approvingly. "And it is time for us to eat also." Walking back to their horses, he led them further up the path to another clearing with a commanding view of the bay below.
"This looks like a good spot to set up camp," said Jack. "Carter, Teal'c, see if you can sort out the tents with Kado - Daniel and I will go and rustle up some firewood." The others nodded, and Daniel got off his horse gratefully. He ran to catch up with Jack, who was heading into the forest.
"How are your knees?" Daniel asked Jack once they were out of earshot of the others.
Jack shrugged, which meant they were playing him up, but he wasn't going to talk about it. Daniel sighed.
"Why don't you sit down for a moment and let me work on them?" said Daniel. Jack made an irritated noise, but turned and headed towards a fallen tree, sitting down with his best "I'm only doing this to humour you," expression.
Daniel wasn't fooled. He knelt down in front of Jack and, putting his boots onto his lap, started to knead the back of Jack's calves and knees with firm hands. Jack leaned back against the branches of the tree with a soft groan.
"You know if I'd realised you were a qualified masseur I'd have signed up for your services long ago," said Jack, closing his eyes.
"I knew that diploma would come in handy sometime," said Daniel, with a smile.
After a few minutes, Jack leaned forward and lightly kissed the top of Daniel's head.
"We have a fire to light," he said.
Daniel knelt up, pushing himself between Jack's knees and drawing Jack's face towards his own. He kissed him long and hard, until Jack drew back, breathing harshly, his eyes darkened with desire.
"Damn - how am I going to get any sleep sharing a tent with you tonight?" Jack said.
Daniel raised an eyebrow, the picture of innocence. Getting to his feet, he extended a hand to Jack. "Well, it's stopped you thinking about your knees," he said with a sly smile.
"Devious little creature," said Jack fondly.
When they got back, Sam and Kado were just finishing putting up the last tent, while Teal'c fed the horses. If anyone thought they'd taken a long time to collect the firewood, they kept it to themselves. Teal'c soon had the fire lit and Daniel set about preparing the food given to them by the villagers.
After supper, they stretched out round the fire, watching the flames. Daniel was thinking about the poem he had to write. On one side of him, Carter and Teal'c were gently arguing about the plot of a film they'd seen. On the other, Jack was cleaning the mud off his boots, while Kado attempted to read a small book by the light of the fire.
"So how many more offerings do we have to make before the big party?" said Jack.
Daniel asked Kado. He had to check twice to make sure he'd translated it correctly. Jack looked at him expectantly.
"He says tomorrow we must go the flower shrine, to make an offering of flowers," said Daniel.
"Er…does this involve flower arranging?" asked Jack. "Because you know, I've been trying to get in touch with my feminine side, but really…."
"Oh, this I can't wait to see," Sam chortled. Jack shot her a filthy look.
"Apparently the flowers only grow on a remote part of the mountain, and will not be easy to collect," said Daniel.
"Tell me that's the last one - there's nothing worse he's keeping up his sleeve," said Jack.
Daniel checked with Kado. "Yup, that's the last one, then tomorrow night it's the…big party, where hopefully we meet the main man."
"Flower arranging!" said Jack, unbelievingly. "There is no way that's going in the report."
"On Chulak, it is considered part of a warrior's education to learn to appreciate nature," said Teal'c loftily.
"Oh, Teal'c, you're such a new man," said Sam admiringly. Teal'c raised an eyebrow at her. She looked significantly across at Daniel, and they both burst out laughing.
"OK, enough hilarity," said Jack. "We may as well turn in, given that we've got such an exciting day tomorrow. As we're out in the open, we should keep watch. Who wants first turn?"
As usual, Daniel volunteered. He always preferred to get it over and done with in the hopes of sleeping the rest of the night undisturbed.
"Just make sure the three of you remember to wake me up for my turn this time," said Jack, sternly.
"Yes, sir," said Sam, winking at Daniel.
"I saw that!" said Jack, indignantly.
They packed up the supper things and banked down the fire. Carter and Teal'c crawled into one tent, leaving another one for Jack and Daniel and the third for Kado. To Daniel's surprise however, Kado came to sit next to him by the fire after everyone else had turned in.
"What are you writing?" asked Kado, pointing to the notebook in Daniel's hands.
"Um… I keep notes about all the places we go to," said Daniel.
"Do you go to many places?" asked Kado, his face half shadowed in the firelight.
"Not nearly as many as I would like," said Daniel, truthfully.
"And what is the most useful thing you have found on your travels?" asked Kado.
Daniel thought about this for a moment. "The friendship of others," he said finally.
"Ah," said Kado. "Have you not also found… enemies?"
"Sometimes," said Daniel, carefully.
"And yet you still explore?" asked Kado, putting another stick of wood on the fire. The flames leapt up.
"We are a curious species," said Daniel.
Kado laughed. "This is certainly true." He reached across and patted Daniel on the shoulder gently, before bidding him goodnight and crawling into his tent.
Daniel was left to ponder the odd conversation. Putting his notebook in his pocket, he walked round the edge of the clearing, past the three tents under the trees, to where the horses were standing. One of the horses raised its head to look at him enquiringly, and he stroked its wet nose. The sky was perfectly clear, and the chill night air soon drew him back to the fire.
Three hours later, he quietly stuck his head into Sam and Teal'c's tent. Sam was fast asleep and Daniel noticed that Teal'c had a protective arm around her, over the quilt. Teal'c lifted his head, nodding to Daniel to say he would take next watch. Daniel backed out of their tent and walked along the edge of the clearing to Jack's.
After pulling his boots off outside the entrance he crawled in. He had been sitting still for far too long and was chilled to the marrow. He shrugged his jacket off and gratefully slid under the warm quilt. Jack's eyes snapped open in the dark as he did so.
"Wurrah?" said Jack, cogently, sitting up on his elbows.
"Sshhh," whispered Daniel, patting his shoulder. "It's Teal'c's watch."
"Jesus, Daniel, you're frozen," said Jack, pulling him closer.
Daniel scooted across, and Jack obligingly wrapped both himself and the quilt around him. Daniel basked in the warmth, running his hands down the length of Jack's back.
Jack kissed Daniel sleepily along his jaw. Daniel arched his head back, offering his throat for more kisses. "Mmmm" said Jack, working his way downwards, and Daniel could feel the sound vibrate through his collarbone.
Jack began to undo the buttons of his shirt.
"Jack…" said Daniel.
"Sshhh," whispered Jack, sliding Daniel's shirt off.
Daniel raised a shaking hand to stroke Jack's head as Jack's warm tongue luxuriously circled first one, then the other of Daniel's nipples. It was just so tempting, and he was so damn cold.
"I'd like to fuck you through the floor," said Jack, conversationally.
Daniel shuddered, the words going straight to his cock. Jack raised his head to kiss him on the lips, one hand holding Daniel's jaw gently in place while the other reached down to stroke his erection. Daniel tilted his head towards Jack's hand, until Jack broke the kiss to put his thumb in Daniel's mouth. Daniel ran his tongue thoughtfully over and around it, grazing the fleshy pad at the tip with his teeth.
Jack made an interesting low growling sound, and pinned him to the floor. "Get*your*clothes*OFF!" he hissed into Daniel's ear.
Daniel got as far as undoing his belt buckle before Jack knocked his hands aside, sliding Daniel's underwear and pants down and off, and rolling apart to remove his own. Daniel turned over onto his stomach, his hands flat on the floor beneath his shoulders.
"Do it," he whispered into the floor, and Jack lowered himself to fit along Daniel's back, his long legs either side of Daniel's. Jack pressed his cock between Daniel's thighs, and Daniel closed his legs together, making a tight channel. Jack pushed one arm under and across Daniel's chest, clasping him closely to him. Daniel felt Jack's other hand reach down to enclose his cock in his warm fist, rubbing along the length, and brushing his thumb across the tip.
He's not really going to fuck me here, thought Daniel, fear and excitement only a synapse apart. Penetrative sex made Jack…noisy - hell, it made Daniel sound like he was having a religious conversion - and Teal'c and the fire were only ten feet away. He squeezed his legs closer together around Jack's cock, and raised himself up a few inches onto his hands and toes, carrying Jack's weight with him. The muscles in his arms and back twitched and sang, his body as taut as a bow, the only movement the jerky thrusts of his cock into Jack's hand. Sweat dripped off his forehead. He was so close, so close. Unable to slow down, desperate not to make a sound, he bit down hard into his hand as he came, tasting blood. As soon as he could breathe, he rolled out from under Jack and pinned him back onto the floor, kissing his way down his body before voluptuously taking his cock into his mouth. He imagined drawing the Japanese characters for "love" over and over again with his tongue, with flat brush strokes and delicate swirls. Jack seemed to get the message, for within moments his breath hitched, and he held Daniel's head - just there - and his body tensed, and then he was coming into Daniel's welcoming mouth.
"Dear… God," said Jack, his chest heaving. "I would sell my soul for you."
Daniel used the last of his energy to pull himself up until they were lying face to face, bringing the discarded quilt with him. "You mean to say you still have one?" he asked, silencing Jack's outrage with a kiss.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jack woke him the next morning with a bowl of hot, sweet, black tea. It wasn't coffee, but it was welcome just the same. Jack smiled softly at him and backed out of the tent, going back to finish preparing breakfast. Daniel opened the tent and sat wrapped in the quilt, drinking his tea. Kado was already up and dismantling his tent. He saw Carter and Teal'c emerge from their cocoon, and Jack wag a reproving finger at them. Carter had obviously let Jack sleep again. The truth was, though they all loved Jack, they loved him more when he wasn't Mr Grouch, and a good night's…sleep tended to help. Daniel smiled, thinking back to the night's activities. Jack may have been able to go from 0-60 in under 10 seconds, but Daniel must have broken the land speed record. A wash in the mountain stream seemed like a good idea. He pulled his pants on, waved to the others and padded the short way down the road back to the stream. It was another gloriously warm day. Washing himself quickly in the icy water, he jogged back to camp.
After a quick breakfast, they packed everything up and headed back up the road, higher into the hills. After a while they started to pass the occasional person on foot, or leading horses laden with firewood, obviously on their way to the festival. Kado stopped and exchanged greetings with everyone they met, and seemed to be in a fine mood.
"How's the poem going?" asked Jack. Daniel snorted. Sam got to build naquadah reactors; he had to write haiku.
"I wrote one during my watch last night; I just need Kado to translate it into script for me."
"You mean you haven't mastered the complete language yet?" asked Jack, raising an eyebrow provocatively.
"Jack……" Daniel sighed. "To give you but one example, the word "komon" can mean "adviser" or "asshole", depending on whether you put an accent over the first "o" or not."
Jack threw his head back and roared with laughter. "You're kiddin' me!"
"I am not," said Daniel.
"Oh, that's priceless," said Jack, turning round in his saddle to tell the others.
They rode for several hours, the road gradually becoming steeper and the trees further apart. Eventually Kado signalled for them to stop, pointing to a vast rocky outcrop to their left.
"The flowers grow in the crevices of that rock, near the top," he said. "The shrine is on the top of the rock, and the flowers must be laid on the central stone." Daniel could just make out a solitary figure crawling up the edge of the outcrop. It looked terrifying. He swallowed.
"I will go, Colonel O'Neill," said Teal'c.
"Look's like fun, sir," said Carter, not to be outdone.
"Let's check it out first," said Jack. They rode to the bottom of the cliff.
When they got there, they found that it was not quite as daunting as it had first appeared. Generous hand and footholds marked the face of the rock, obviously well used over the years. The climber they had seen from a distance was just reaching the bottom as they arrived, a triumphant grin on his face. He was no more than a teenager, and Daniel felt ashamed of his earlier fear.
After some discussion it was agreed that Sam and Teal'c would go, being the most experienced in climbing. Sam dusted her hands with some of the chalky residue from the rock and started up first, followed closely by Teal'c.
Daniel, Jack and Kado watched them from the bottom.
"They work well together," said Kado, watching Carter indicate a handhold to Teal'c. Daniel translated for Jack.
"They do indeed," said Jack, a touch of pride in his voice. A few minutes later Sam reached the top, waving down at them with a bunch of red flowers in her hand.
"You go, girl!" Jack called up to her, waving back.
Sam and Teal'c disappeared out of sight, before returning empty handed a few moments later. They quickly made the long descent down, looking indecently pleased with themselves.
"Well done!" said Jack, clapping Sam on the back.
"Much more fun than fishing," said Sam when they reached the floor again.
"Indeed," said Teal'c, making Daniel laugh.
They ate the remains of the villager's food sitting in the shadow of the rock, Sam enthusiastically describing the view from the top.
Daniel got out his pencil and notebook, and asked Kado to write down his Haiku. Kado declined the pencil, taking a little stub of charcoal out of his satchel instead. Daniel hoped that what he had written adequately conveyed their wish to return home through the stargate. Clearing his throat nervously he read:
"Starlight on water
Heaven's blossom floats downstream
Time, the dark river"
Kado smiled. "It is very good, Daniel-san."
"Let's hear it," said Sam, and Daniel repeated it in English.
"It's lovely, but isn't it a bit obscure?"
"That's the whole art of writing haiku," said Daniel. "You have to approach the subject obliquely, creating an image which can represent a number of things at the same time."
"Well, let's hope he gets the message," said Jack, getting to his feet. Kado finished writing, and handed the paper back to Daniel who tucked it in a pocket.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It took them several more hours of riding to reach the mountain shrine where the Fire Festival was to be held. As they got nearer, the road turned into a slow-moving river of people and horses, all heading in the same direction. The mood was buoyant, with people calling out to long lost friends and exchanging hugs and kisses. Children ran in between the adults, waving coloured streamers and shrieking. Peddlers strolled along selling offering boxes, stacks of rice cakes and little jugs of sake.
Night was beginning to fall as they entered a vast clearing, and a huge bonfire had already been lit. Somewhere to the left, the thunderous sound of drums started up and people started to dance, swaying past them with sake bottles in their hands.
"These people sure know how to party," said Jack admiringly, accepting a sake bottle thrust into his hands by a giggling woman. Beside him, Carter was tapping her foot in time to the drums. Someone tugged on Teal'c's arm and he was enlisted to help throw more wood on the fire, which was already roaring up to the heavens.
Daniel looked around for Kado, but he had slipped away into the crowds.
They ate rice cakes given to them by their neighbours, and drank the sake. It was ice cold, but just as warming as Daniel remembered. When the heat of the fire grew too intense, they retreated a little distance to the edge of the clearing.
Daniel pointed out the shrine, a simple wooden building at one end in the shadow of the mountain. Two monks stood impassively in front of the closed doors.
"Not every day you meet a god," said Jack, his eyes twinkling.
"If he is a god," snorted Sam. "What do you think, Daniel?"
"I'm not a great believer in gods myself, I've met too many," said Daniel.
Daniel noticed that a queue was beginning to form in front of the shrine. He signalled to the others, and the four of them joined the end of the line. The monks were letting the groups go in one at a time, and it took a while to get to their turn. Finally the doors were opened for them, and they walked into a pitch-black interior, lit only by a single candle on the altar at the far end. The air was heavy with incense, and Daniel could hardly see his hand in front of his face.
"Go on then," said Jack, and Daniel walked up to the altar, placing his and the villagers' poems on top of a small pile. He bowed and walked back to the others. Nothing happened for a moment, then Daniel heard the horribly familiar sound of a Goa'uld ring transporter activating in front of them. Jack immediately reached for his gun, but Daniel put out a restraining arm. A masked figure appeared in the centre of the rings, looking up as they dematerialised. Daniel felt his heart begin to race.
The man turned towards them and slowly removed his mask. Daniel was astonished to realise that it was Kado. Gone were the monk's robes, and in their place he was wearing a magnificent gold kimono. His long black hair was no longer tied in a ponytail but cascaded freely over his shoulders. His whole bearing had changed to that of someone who was used to commanding absolute obedience.
"Are you…..?" Daniel began, uncertain of what he wanted to ask. Kado walked towards him, and Daniel noticed with a start that he was wearing an intricate necklace, covered with what looked like Goa'uld inscriptions. Hairs stood up on the back of Daniel's neck.
Kado stopped in front of him. As Daniel gazed into his dark eyes, he had the feeling that he was looking at someone immeasurably old, despite the youthfulness of his face. Daniel found him strangely beautiful; a startling composite of male and female, human and alien, ruler and priest.
Kado's eyes glowed silver, and when he spoke, to Daniel's surprise it was in English, his voice clear and deep.
"Am I… Goa'uld?" asked Kado, a slight smile curling round his lips.
Daniel nodded. He felt Jack take a step closer.
"I don't understand," said Sam, her hand on her P90. "Why didn't we detect a symbiote?"
Kado laughed, softly. "Your senses are easy to deceive."
Kado brushed his hand across his chest and for a moment his body wavered out of existence, becoming nothing more than a faint outline in the smoky room before solidifying again in front of them.
"What the …" started Jack.
"I think you will find that there is more to the Goa'uld than… those you have met so far. We are no more alike than the races on your earth," said Kado. Ignoring their astonishment, he turned and walked back towards the altar of the shrine, beckoning them to follow.
Daniel looked sideways at Jack, who nodded in agreement, and the four of them walked forward. A moment later, the rings came down around them and they were taken back to where their journey had started, at the foot of the stargate.
"But…" said Daniel. Kado raised a hand to his lips, and clicking his fingers, conjured Teal'c's staff weapon and zat gun back into Teal'c's hands. Teal'c almost dropped them in surprise.
"You may go with what you came with," said Kado. "But do not seek to return. These people are under my protection and I will not stand to see them harmed."
"But, there is so much more we could learn," said Daniel urgently.
Kado shook his head regally, and gesturing to them to stand clear, raised his arms above his head, calling the stargate into life. Beside him, Daniel could see Carter already dialling their ID code on her GDO.
Jack touched his shoulder. "Let's go while we can," he said. They slowly walked up the steps. At the last moment, Daniel turned and looked back at Kado, whose face was bathed in the gate's eerie glow.
"I think we go with much more than we came with," said Daniel to Kado.
Kado inclined his head in a small bow.
"I too have learned many things from you."
Jack tugged urgently at his sleeve, and without looking back again, Daniel followed him home.