After saving the villagers from the destructive tsunami, Doga returned to her home on Mt. Fuji. Away from the noise. Away from evil. Away from everyone.
She felt safe there, and over the years, she made herself a sprawling hideout complete with everything a dog could want. She built a home out of rocks and trees that looked like it could have been made by a master carpenter. She carved symbols and characters into the rocks. Symbols she wasn’t even aware what they represented and characters from memories long forgotten. There was a garden, an exercise park, and a treehouse she would use for quiet contemplation and meditation.
Tokyo became even more grim without her presence. Though she had trained herself to block out the cries for help, every now and then, especially at night, a few voices would make their way past her defenses. What was strange about these distress signals was that they sounded different…sinister things were happening beyond what she was used to hearing. Her sensitive ears would twitch as if to signal to her heart to spring into action, but the years of building up her callouses grew stronger at ignoring just about everything.
She had her solitude, her nice living quarters, and everything she ever thought she wanted, and yet, she felt as empty as she’d ever felt before. The years of ignoring those in need simultaneously faded the voice within her to do only good always. One day, she grabbed her favorite bone, and left her home for good.
She wandered deeper into the mountains. Hoping that death would find her to put her out of her pain and misery once again. But she knew with her powers, that was not likely to happen. She dragged her feet with a somber pace, and kept walking and walking, not knowing how long she had been doing so, or where exactly she was on the mountain.
One night while resting her back against the rocks, the rains came in hard. She turned her gaze towards the sky, as the droplets cascaded down in lockstep with her depression. She turned her head to the side, staring defeatedly off into the distance.
DOGA: “what is that…?”
She sees a green glow in the caves…an illuminance she had not witnessed before on this mountain. Like a bug drawn to the light, her body carries her spirit toward the source.
She enters the damp cave, water droplets falling eerily from the stalactites. She can hear a low hum that sounds both terrifying and uplifting. She continues following the green glow, down the cave halls as the hums grow louder. After walking for hours deeper and deeper into the caves, the halls give way to a large clearing.
She finds an enormous temple built into the heart of Mt. Fuji. There are massive pillars supporting the weight of the ceiling load, and as she walks down to the end of the columns, she can sense the walls, the ceiling, the columns, all singing the low hum tone. Finally, she sees the source of the glow…and an orb of brilliant green energy bursts into flames and suddenly another being appears.
HACHIKO: “Doga, I’ve been waiting for you.”
