Chapter 1: Back to the Light

"O mother….give me the strength."

The darkness seemed to press hard against her eyes; she groped at it, as if to be looking for something. But for what? And why? Out of the darkness came a piercing red light but, not like any light she had seen before. It was pure, almost heavenly.

"I'm I dying?"

The light was distant at first but, it seemed to be moving towards her at rapid speed. Faster and faster it came.

"What the…."

There wasn't time to scream or to even take that one shaking berth before you do. The light went straight between her chest. Silent's; pure, deathing silent's. Her face was frozen in shock, one single blazing red tear ran down from her eye and down her cheek.

"AH!"

Suzu sat straight up in bed clutching her chest and gasping for cold, living air. It was much more real this time…life like; she thought. She bit her bottom lip, sweat running down her forehead, the burning sensation was back again; it was hot and unbearable like, someone had taken a hot iron and branded her in the middle of her chest.

"Dammit…"

She reached for the medication bottle that sat on her bed side table. "No, you're not crazy." She said greting her teeth. "This is real!" she thought. Then, light busted into the room.

"Miss! Miss! You're up!" Came a thick German accent.

A small child ran and jumped on her bed; "How are… Miss, do you need your pills? Are you in pain again?"

"No, Nicholas; you just scared me…you little pest!"

She smiled down at the boy, who gave her a clown-like smile, "Alright! Madam Sung wants you downstairs and dressed, ASAP!" He then proceeded to pull his blue eyes back by the corners of them and said in a high pitch voice "Or you wish you was adopted after I done witch you!"

Suzu forced a smile and pushed him off the bed laughing," Get downstairs before you get us both in trouble." He scowled; letting his eyes go. "You better come down this time." He stood to his feet as he said this; he never let his frosty look stray from her shocked eyes, "Please?" How could she say no this time? "Fine I will, go." Nicholas smiled and ran out the room, just as fast as he came in, leaving the door open for the light of day to chase the night away that still clung to her room.

"Dumb kid…" She stood up. He was her light in this dark place, he always seemed to know what made her smile. She walked to the window still clutching her chest, she opened the shutters, slowly letting the light into her dusty space. The pain seemed to fade away as the suns rays touched her skin; Suzu sighed in relief, "Well I better get ready for this suck fest." As she walked away from the window, she lifted her over sized shirt over her head exposing her lean slender body; she stretched as she pulled out her 'uniform' from the wardrobe. She begins to get dressed; "Why do I still stay in this place? Why don't I run away? Be freed from this agony!" She hated it when Nicholas would lie on her bed for hours and cry about; how he wasn't loved. How could people treat others like this? "I don't understand!" He would scream up at her threw tear filled eyes "didn't my parents love me?" she would stare back at him not knowing what to say to make him stop. "It will be ok…" what a lie.

She looked at her reflection, her ruby red eyes stared coldly back at her boring into her soul. She pulled her long hair that stretched to the middle of her back up into a high ponytail leaving her side swiped bangs and side pieces down, she smiled her eyes closed," what a lie we lead…"

A small, fat Chinese women stood at the bottom of a long stare case. Her face was covered with thick make up like a doll but, no matter how much make up the widow Sung put on, there was no way she could cover up the scares of time that was etched on her face. She held a fan in front of her to hide her true emotions from the hopeful couples in her home," ARGH, that girl better get her butt down these stares now!" Nicholas ran past her but, before he could lay a foot on the first step with quickness of a viper the widow Sung had him by the ear. She pulled him behind her fan, peeking over the top to check if anyone was watching, " Where is Su!" she hissed.

Nicholas squinted in pain, "I don't know madam! She said she would be down!"

Madam Sung let go of his ear, "She better be down here or else she is…"

"I'm here, I'm here." Suzu walked down the stair case lazily straitening her tie, She looked at Madam Sung with eyebrows raised. "Nicholas lets go find you a home." Her ruby eyes never left Madam Sung's slanted black squinty eyes; she nodded to Madam Sung and took Nicholas hand. Madam Sung watched over the top of the fan as Nicholas pulled Suzu into the sitting room with him, Say good bye to him Su, for this will be the last time you see him; she thought . Suzu smiled down at Nicholas, "Go on, I will be right here."

"But aren't you coming?" he grabbed at her skirt tugging a little.

She smiled, "I will be right here, I promise."

"Fine." He ran into the room smiling. Suzu leaned up against the frame of the room , watching all the children of Sung's International orphanage mix and mingle with the couples in hopes, that they get picked to go home with them. She used to be happy and carefree like them including, with her mother; one memory stuck out the most of her.

Her mother laid in the middle of the room on her stomach, her jet black hair laying in a pool around her, she was also wearing a sundress and her favorite perfume; that smell never left Suzu. She was reading aloud a book; she always loved to read. A small red headed child was sitting next to her braiding a long strand of hair; The light poured in around them from all sides it was almost surreal like, "And so the God of the South, Suzaku; took the young bride…"

"Ma! He is a BIRD!"

"He can shape shift into a man Su."

"Oh..." As her mother continued to read; as she read she ran her fingers over a crystal necklace shaped like a sparkling star that was actually plucked from the sky. Something caught the young girls eye; she stood up and ran to the window, her eyes grew wide with shock and excitement," MA! MA! Come see!" She pointed and jumping. Her mother stood; walked calmly to the window. As she drew closer she could see what her daughter was staring at in such admiration, she placed her hand on the window in longing. She smiled and tears started to form at the corners of her eyes. "Mama…"Suzu took her mothers free hand in fear, her mothers gaze was fixed on a giant, beautiful, blazing red bird who was sitting proudly on a tree branch outside the window. It looked at the two proudly; her mother slowly pulled her hand away from her daughter's clutches and began to slowly push up the window, her eyes still locked on the bird.

"Su!" Suzu jumped, snapping back to reality.

"O… my… God! Madam Sung! Don't do that!"

"Silly girl, always day dreaming! Step back into my office now!"

Suzu sighed and fallowed the little women back into a huge circle office across from the sitting room. "Shut the doors behind you." She did so and turned to the inside of the office where it was dipped in Chinese's culture; there was not one spot in that room that was not covered in it but, then again what part of the house was not covered in Chinese culture. "Come, sit down." Madam Sung motioned to a jade colored chair, embroider in gold sakura flowers. Suzu sat down and watched as Madam Sung began to light a Chinese pipe, she whispered some unknown words as she blows the smoke out into the air. "Let me say Suzu; Happy Birthday 18 years old is a magical age."

"Thanks." She watched her take another drag, nothing like killing yourself slowly, thought Suzu to herself.

"I know you have more spunk then that! Speak up, girl!" She smiled at her cleverly.

"What do you want?"Suzu raised her eyebrows.

"Take the box and open it."

Suzu slowly took the small box at the edge of her desk; it was polished Dark wood etched with Chinese consolations all around it. It was a strange little thing. She gently lifted the clasp and slowly opened the lid as if something was going to jump out at her face; she gasped and covered her mouth with her free hand, she felt cold, hollow, her heart dropped down into her stomach. "Where did you get this?" she was trying to breath but couldn't, tears started to stream down her cheeks. The clock chimed 12 in the sitting room. "Tell me now!" She jerked the necklace out of the box by the chain and held it before the little women; the star like necklace twinkled when it was exposed to the light. "This was my mothers! Where did you get it?" Madam Sung stood up in her chair; eyes closed she took another drag of her pipe and muttered something under her breathes. Suzu stared in fear and anger "TELL ME!" Like a cat Madam Sung ran across her desk and smacked the box out of Suzu hand.

Everything after that seemed to move in slow motion; Suzu stood there frozen like a statue clutching her the necklace by the chain, She stared at tiny old women in disbelief. Madam Sung jumped off the desk into the air, she took a deep breathe and blew red glittering, smoke down onto Suzu. The smoke was thick and blinding she couldn't breathe, it was like she was drowning; her chest began to seer with pain but different this time it was a fire sensation that spread from her chest to her finger tips and toes, what is happening to me! Suzu thought.

"GO! TO HIM MY GODDESS!" Madam Sung yelled pulling out her fan; she batted it one time, a gust of hurricane like wind flew toward the smoke and blew it away. Madam Sung landed on the ground without a sound, only a few inches away from where Suzu once stood; before her lay a signal glowing red feather, where Suzu once stood, a grin spread across her face"Back to the light you go, Suzu."