Name: Suzume Odoriko (Last, first; means Sparrow Dancer)
Alias: Phoenix Dancer, Sparrow Dancer, Riko, Tori
Race: Phoenix priestess
Gender: female
Age: unknown, appears 18
Hair: light amethyst
Eyes: dark amethyst
Height: 174cm
Weight: -
Status: dancer/ Geisha at Phoenix Flare
History: Suzume Odoriko is your ordinary Geisha dancer/ entertainer, if you call being an immortal priestess to the phoenix god of fire normal. She ages just like a vampire does, but she does not have any fangs, and has harnessed the power of wind and fire. She is the most popular dancer at Phoenix Flare, a theatre that doubles as a temple to the Phoenix god, so she dances very often. Her specialty is dancing with a fan and she dances with fire occasionally, depending on the day and its schedule. Odoriko is usually seen in a red kimono with a white or red obi, or the occasional red cheongsam with black flowers. She has never received any formal education and was raised at Phoenix Flare, being an orphan and all. Generally shy, it took her years to get used to her fellow dancers at Phoenix Flare, even though it only took hours for her to be on friendly terms with the Phoenix God.
Story start:
"Hey, it's Takuma! Takuma! Over here!" Ruka called as the blonde vampire descended the steps. Takuma Ichijou smiled as he neared the group of noble vampires, wondering what they wanted, "So, what's going on here?" "Oh, we were just planning Master Kaname's birthday, it's in a week, and we were wondering where to hold it, seeing as we don't want any of the Day Class students to know about this," Ruka said as she turned to her fellow classmates, a large map sprawled over the large coffee table.
"Well, I heard that there's this theatre in town that has really good performances," Rima said, pointing to a building whose legend was a large house that was situated at the heart of the town. "Oh, you mean Phoenix Flare? Their dancers are quite professional," Takuma said as he noticed the location. "Do they have a ballroom?" Ruka asked, looking at the location somewhat disdainfully.
"From what I've heard, yes, and they allow private bookings as well," Takuma said, smiling at the brown haired vampire next to him. "I see, then please help us book the ballroom for a night on Master Kaname's birthday, and get us the best dancer too," Ruka said happily, smiling dazedly as she thought of Kaname finally kissing her in the romantic scene of a balcony.
"On my way," Takuma chirped happily as he pulled out his phone and dialed the theatre. "Phoenix Flare dance theatre, Chizuru speaking, how may I help you?" a mature feminine voice glided happily. "Chizuru-san, I would like to reserve the ballroom that you have on the fifth of January (Sai: Pardon but I don't know Kaname's actual birthday), also I would like to have the best dancers perform on that day as well," Takuma said, waiting for Chizuru, one of the ticketing ushers at Phoenix Flare. "You're in luck, Ichijou-san, Riko-chan is available that day, and so is the ballroom. Is 7pm to 3am alright with you?" Chizuru asked, a flipping noise from her side indicated that she was looking through her log book.
"You read my mind, Chizuru-san, do I need to call for a caterer?" Takuma asked, writing the details down on a random notepad nearby. "No need, Ichijou-san, I know your family well enough to know what they need. Do you prefer medical blood or animal blood?" "Medical, please; and some red wine that I know you have," Takuma said, chuckling at his own words. "Alright then, I'll have to wrench them from Riko-chan when I can. Is that all, Ichijou-san?" Chizuru said, chuckling at Takuma's words as well. "Yes, that is all," Takuma said while looking over his list.
"Well, I'll repeat everything for you, just in case. Ballroom booking from 7pm to 3am on fifth January, performance by Riko and others, no caterer, 50 packs of medical blood, 30 bottles of Riko-chan's special red wine. I assume your guest list is no longer than 50?" Chizuru repeated over the phone, scratching noises evident over the phone. "Yes." "We will collect the money on the night itself, nice making business with you, Ichijou-san, have a nice night," Chizuru said over the phone, and after Takuma had said his farewell, she put down the phone.
"Ruka, I've finalized the ballroom details and such. Now we just have to find presents for Kaname, so off we go!"
At Phoenix Flare Dance Theatre:
"Riko-chan! I've got another dance appointment for you!" Chizuru shouted as she walked to the dormitory section of the theatre that was located two stories below ground level where their temple was situated also. All dancers at Phoenix Flare were some sort of worshipper of the Phoenix God, and only a handful were Priestesses, Odoriko and Chizuru two of the handful.
"Okay, Chizuru!" a more angelic voice called back which came from one of the dance rooms. Chizuru popped her brown head into the mirror covered dance room, holding a file and a bottle of water. The tall, lithe figure in the middle of the room wearing black tights and a red Chinese long sleeved top dancing the Ta Ge. Once she finished dancing, she patted her light amethyst hair to make sure it was still in its semi-tight bun, her dark amethyst eyes sparkling with unreleased energy.
"So who's the client this time?" Suzume Odoriko 'Riko' asked as she shrugged her red top off, revealing a red tank top. "It's Takuma Ichijou and his group of friends, something about a birthday," Chizuru replied as she handed the water bottle to the dancer who took it gratefully, flashing the older girl a grateful smile. "Preference?" Odoriko asked quietly as she sat down on a chair nearby, sinking into its softness.
"Oriental mix, enjoys Chinese more though (Sai: This is not true, I don't know what Kaname prefers.)," Chizuru answered, taking a look at the file in her hand. It indicated that Kaname and his friends usually came to watch the Chinese dances more than the others, which meant that either he likes Chinese a lot or his friends liked it a lot.
"Okay then, I'm guessing 50 spectators?" Odoriko muttered to herself, but Chizuru had heard it and nodded. "We'll fit them all into the 100-seat theatre in the far east wing, it is near to the ballroom as well," Chizuru said as she marked something down on her handy notebook. "Alright, I'll gather the dancers and settle the dances. The usual amount right?" Odoriko said, sitting upright now. "Yes, I'll take care of the administrative and other stuff. Oh, and Ichijou said he wanted your wine at the party as well," Chizuru said as she ran out of the room quickly.
Odoriko blinked blankly as she watched her fellow priestess run out of the room like the devil himself was after her. She shook herself out of it and stood up, heading to the other dance room where the other dancers were likely to congregate. While walking to the other room, she ran through the list of dancers she would need, so once she walked into the room, she merely rattled off the list and the chosen twenty were picked out and sent to the 3rd dance room.
"Alright, we're dealing with an oriental mix, traditionally Chinese and Chinese. Three as per usual, for oriental mix we can have Tao Yao and Taichi Saotome version two mix; Ta Ge for traditionally Chinese and a Phoenix Flare white phoenix dance for our finale, lets get to it," Odoriko said as she stood in front of the twenty dancers who were miraculously of equal height, she may be shy but in times like this, she was expected to lead. Odoriko was the tallest out of all of them, standing at a neat 174cm compared to their 169cm, however, if she was careful, the height difference would not be noticeable.
For the next few hours, they spent their energies on perfecting the oriental mix, and then came the introduction of Ta Ge which rid them of their energy quickly. With a 15 minute break, they had recovered half of their energy and spent it perfecting the body of the dance. Dismissed with aching bodies, the 20 dancers retired to their rooms to get some rest, but Odoriko stayed in the dance room, her tireless energy not yet spent.
She looked in the mirror and stared at her reflection, reminiscing how she became a dancer at Phoenix Flame in the first place.
More than 20 years ago, a 10 year old Odoriko pranced across the tatami mat room with unending grace in front of her astonished parents. Her dancing skill was unrivaled and no swan could match her grace, she felt a familiar grin stretch across her face as she landed in a perfect pirouette and bowed to her parents who clapped happily. "Well done, my daughter, how graceful you have become! You truly are an ugly duckling transformed into a beautiful swan who's beauty has never been rivaled!" her mother exclaimed, her father simply smiled at her, his face showing that he was more proud than any words could have explained.
The purple haired girl smiled happily and embraced her parents but an explosion broke their happy scene. "Ah, this scene is so happy it makes me puke," a familiar hissing voice sounded from the shadows of the broken wall. "Uncle Orochi?" the ten year old muttered out, frightened at the sight of her once beloved uncle that now was a man whose eyes bled blood thirst. "Orochimaru, what are you doing?!" her mother cried out, her body hugging the ten year old girl tight to her, protecting her from the changed man.
"I want the girl, her dancing skills and body will make me rich and famous! I know that she has a foundation in fighting and has an aptitude for it. How lucky I am, to have a three-in-one present!" Orochimaru cackled out, sounding maniacal and insane. Odoriko remained silent with fear, feeling her mother grip her tighter and her father stood up to shield them. "To get to my daughter, you have to get through me," her father said calmly, his ice blue eyes glinting dangerously in the dim light.
"Gladly," her uncle hissed as he charged forward and the two engaged in a fast fist fight as her mother snuck her out, "Honey, my little Dancer, go to the nearest town and head for Phoenix Flare, ask for their head priestess – don't argue child! - and ask to become a dancer there, it is the only place that can protect you from any harm." A smack from inside the house made her mother pause and freeze, "Jiraiya! Child, there is no time! Run, now!" her mother urged her on and pushed her out of the gates and sent her running. "Tsunade, there is no way that the child can run away from me, she never can," the same hissing voice called out to the blonde woman. The woman merely glared at him and engaged him in a fight.
While this was happening, Odoriko sprinted to the theatre that her mother had spoken about. "Phoenix Flame…Dance…Theatre?" she muttered under her breath and entered, immediately facing a girl with brown hair and bright amber eyes. "Um, excuse me, I would like to speak to the head priestess," Odoriko said shyly, averting her gaze as the brunette's eyes widened. The girl immediately ran off and left her in the lobby, Odoriko sighed and sat on one of the couches in sadness as what happened in the past hour finally hit her.
"Child, I heard that you wished to see me?" a female voice asked her and she looked up to see an orange haired woman with pink eyes. "Y-yes," she muttered, following the woman as she motioned for her to follow. The woman led her to an underground temple with a huge golden statue of a phoenix situated right at the back of the temple. "Lord Suzaku, this girl has requested to speak to me, is she trustworthy?" the woman asked as she bowed towards the statue, and after a while, she stood upright once more and led Odoriko to the front of the statue and was instructed to kneel and place her hands on the statue.
The second she touched the gold, she was transported to a different dimension, or so it seemed. "You are Suzume Odoriko, are you not?" a booming male voice sounded from behind her. She turned quickly and was met with the dominating figure of a huge red and gold phoenix. Odoriko nodded her head quickly and immediately bowed to the imposing bird. Said bird simply chuckled and told her to rise, "You are a good dancer, and a good fighter, I can see it in your eyes. Become my priestess and I will bestow you with the gif of immortality."
Odoriko seemed to think about it after a while and nodded her head hesitantly, making the phoenix look at her with pity, "Don't worry child, nothing can hurt you here, pray to me by simply dancing. I will look after you, personally, child, you can let go of your fears." She nodded slowly again, speechless as the god talked to her; Suzaku opened his wings and covered her with them and the last thing she heard was, "You will stop aging at a time, and forever stay that age until you decide to age once more. However, you will permanently stop aging when you reach the appearance of 25."
The next morning when she woke up, she was wearing a red and gold kimono with a white obi, a few years later she found out that she could age, but not as fast as before.
She smiled as she thought of the great phoenix who proclaimed himself her father after all that she had gone through. She had not seen Orochimaru since she ran out of the house, but there was a high possibility that he was still alive. She danced for another few hours, stopping only to catch her breath and drink water. Once she was sure she perfected the three dances, she headed up for dinner which was provided for all dancers, but she only lived on red wine and fruits as well as water, making her stay in her room the entire time unless she was performing or practicing.
The next few days flew by and before they knew it, it was the fifth of January, the date of their performance. It was nearing 6.30pm and the sky was already dark, compliments to the late autumn weather, and the dancers were in the dressing room getting ready. Half were wearing gold kimonos with red embroidery and a black obi, the other half were wearing red and gold Chinese gowns, Odoriko was one of the latter.
Within the span of a second, they were needed out on stage as the guests were seated and such.
At Cross Academy Moon Dormitory:
"Kaname, are you ready?" Takuma called up the stairs to his friend, he himself was standing at the foot of the steps, wearing what he wore to the council. Kaname descended the steps wearing what he wore to the council as well. And once the entire Night class was ready, they stepped into the numerous limousines but Takuma and Kaname shared one by themselves, bringing them to the renowned Phoenix Flare Dance Theatre.
The vampires who reached first formed two rows to welcome the two powerful vampires who walked between them to enter the theatre. Chizuru and two other female ushers stood at the ticketing counter wearing black and red women's suits and red heels, "Ichijou-san, Kuran-san, are all your guests here?" "Yes," Takuma said, smiling as he looked at Kaname who still wondered why he was brought here.
"Alright then, come this way," Chizuru said as she led the fifty vampires to the east wing theatre. They sat down at their assigned seats and some whispered to each other while waiting. Once the lights dimmed, they all stopped talking altogether, and Kaname looked up at the stage in front of him, eyes sparkling slightly. The curtains on the stage rose up to reveal a normal stage with an orange background, and some traditional Japanese music started over the speakers and 10 dancers who wore gold and red kimonos and a red obi entered the stage.
They twirled and made graceful movements with their pale hands, each mirroring the other, but halfway through the song a Chinese gong interrupted them and 11 dancers emerged in a flood of red and gold, chasing the 10 Japanese dancers off the stage and behind the curtains. They then spread out to reveal 11 dancers in red and gold Chinese gowns, their graceful hands covered by long red sleeves, and danced to more oriental Chinese instrumental music, performing the Tao Yao. (URL: .com/watch?v=S1fGpl7TEtg&feature=related)
Watching the dance made Takuma feel the emotions portrayed through the dance, and through one dancer. That dancer stood in the front, and though all the others were almost identical, she stood the tallest out of all of them and had amethyst hair that shone in the dim pink light. The blue tint of her dress as she twirled with unrivaled grace made Takuma gape at her silently, making her somehow stand out against the rest.
Once the dance ended, they all stood in a line, the tallest in the middle and bowed simultaneously, making the crowd applause and then the Japanese dancers came out and bowed as well and all 21 dancers disappeared backstage. After a few minutes, Chinese music started again and 11 dancers came out in blue and white Chinese gowns and danced the Ta Ge, all movements synchronized as if there was only one dancer on stage. (URL: .com/watch?v=954mWpfKQiM)
Takuma recognized the tallest dancer from the previous dance who stood at the front in the middle, and smiled as she mouthed the words in the song, a smile on her beautiful face. To Takuma, the dance lasted forever as he watched the beautiful dancer dance gracefully, and once the dance was ending, she was the last left to dance and there was a sharp edge to her solo, as if she was fighting and dancing at the same time. They froze in place and the crowd applauded as the curtains lowered over the dancers.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Phoenix Flare Dance Theatre, we apologize for the late announcement. As you have just witnessed, our troupe of twenty one dancers have just danced the Ta Ge, a popular traditional Chinese dance from ancient china. And before that, they danced an oriental mix, meaning the integration of Chinese and Japanese dance, the former being the Tao Yao, also a traditional dance from ancient china. Now, they will dance our very own White Phoenix Dance, choreography and music by our lead dancer Suzume Odoriko. As an introduction to the White Dove Dance, from which the White Phoenix Dance was based on, the Baizhuwu (White dove dance in Chinese), was originated in the south china of Wu, this dance was very popular in the then capital of the Tang Dynasty – Chang'an. When spread into the royal court, it became a very famous graceful dance. Dancing to the melody, the long sleeves would be floating and twisting, representing the dove's flight in its gracefulness and agility. However, in our case, the dove is also a phoenix, graceful above other. Without further ado, welcome Odoriko and her dancers!" Chizuru's voice wafted through the speakers.
The curtains lifted again and showed a dancer wearing a white Chinese gown and a cloth ribbon. The other dancers appeared and the dance started, a while later, the tall dancer appeared again with a large smile on her pretty face, standing in the middle once more. (URL: .com/watch?v=A8aJOtOdvi0&feature=related) she twirled her ribbon during the dance, creating a white river of silky cloth trailing after her movements. Once the dance ended again, they posed, the white cloth falling around them like mist and the crowd applauded, Takuma even more so. "Ladies and Gentlemen, we have now come to the end of the performance, please proceed to the ballroom. The ticketing ushers will show you the way."
The curtain lowered again over the frozen dancers and the vampires rose to go to the ballroom nearby, Takuma was the last to leave his seat even though Kaname was the first to get up. Takuma stayed behind and so did Chizuru, who was waiting for him, "Ichijou-san, did you enjoy the performance?" "Yes I did, immensely, and may I ask, who is the tallest dancer in your troupe who just performed?" Takuma asked, walking to the ballroom slowly.
"That was our ace dancer, Suzume Odoriko, and I see she has caught your eye," Chizuru said while chuckling. "Yes, her movements are so graceful, and she is so beautiful, even though I am sitting quite far away from her," Takuma said, a slightly dazed look to his eye. "Indeed she is, people call her the Phoenix Dancer you know? For her beauty and prowess in dancing," Chizuru said, leading him slightly, "Would you like to meet her?" "Well, yes! But there is the matter of her being human, and me a vampire. Oh, and not to forget that tonight is Kaname's birthday party," Takuma exclaimed, looking ecstatic for a minute but his face fell a little later.
"There is no problem, and she is available during the party to dance if you or Kuran-san wishes, it's what she does when there is a celebration here. I can bring you to her if you want," Chizuru said, taking a turn. "Thank you, I would like that," Takuma thanked, his eyes sparkling even more. She giggled at seeing the dazed expression on his face, secretly trying her hand at match making.
"Riko-chan? Ah, there you are, Riko-chan! This is Ichijou Takuma-san, he wanted to meet you!" Chizuru exclaimed upon seeing the light amethyst haired girl wearing her White Phoenix Dance dress holding two huge white fans. The girl turned around and Takuma saw the girl even more clearly now, she had dark amethyst eyes to compliment her light amethyst hair and her face was slender and so was her body, she stood a little shorter than Takuma himself, making her taller than most girls. "Ichijou-san, Odoriko. Riko-chan, Ichijou Takuma," Chizuru introduced, smiling inwardly at the attraction Ichijou felt for Odoriko.
Odoriko smiled shyly at the handsome man in front of her, "Nice to meet you, Ichijou-san." Takuma gazed at her, albeit dazed until he snapped himself out of it, "O-oh, nice to meet you, Suzume-san." Chizuru slinked away before Odoriko could notice that she did, leaving the two immortals in the room. "I heard that you and your friends decided to host this party for Kuran-san," Odoriko said softly before she could lose herself in his blue eyes. "Ah, yes. Kaname has deserved this party, working so hard and all," Takuma said, controlling his urges.
They talked for a few hours, Takuma never appearing at the party, and Odoriko not dancing for Kaname, not as if he needed her to. After a while, Odoriko felt her heart tell her to trust this man even though she didn't know him well, something she had not felt for two decades, it took her half a decade to remotely trust Chizuru. "It seems that the party has come to an end, I am willing to spend more time with you, Odoriko, would you grant me your time as well?" Takuma asked the purple haired beauty, anxiousness in his loudly beating heart. "Yes, I am willing, Takuma. When would be most convenient for you?" she replied shyly, her face heating up the slightest bit.
"Would this Friday be good for you?" Takuma asked, his face turning a light shade of pink. "O-of course. Um, I have to go, see you then!" she stuttered, walking briskly to the lift which would bring them to the dormitories. "I'll pick you up at seven!" Takuma called after her happily, his heart fluttering at the fact that he had a date with the most beautiful girl he has ever seen.
That Friday, he wore a blue dress shirt and black tuxedo pants to the theatre, waiting for her to come, and come she did. She descended the steps wearing a blue and white dress with white heels, her amethyst hair looking fair in the light. "Shall we go?" Takuma said, leading her to the limousine, smiling all the way. She nodded and smiled, placing her hand in his and they made their way to the restaurant.
After that night, they met every now and then when they had time and became very good friends, despite Odoriko's inability to trust easily. The night came when Takuma decided to tell her his feelings.
"U-um, Odoriko, what do you think of me?" Takuma said, sitting down on a bench near a fountain at the town park. "I think you're a handsome man who has equally good manners and can charm girls quite well. It's hard to believe you're a vampire," Odoriko said, sitting down next to him. "Thank you," he muttered shyly, his face heating up. He just could not hold back any more and decided to make his move, "Odoriko, I…" and his lips met hers in a shy kiss, she had lifted her lips to his as well.
From then on, they dated and when Takuma had graduated from Cross Academy, they got engaged and married, had three children and lived happily ever after.