YEAH!! Chapter nine is in Da HOUSE! Woot Woot WOOT!
I would like to thank all these WONDERFUL people for dragging me through the bottomless pit that is known as a writer's block! XD
Sabaku no Uchiha, BlackOnyx83, XxFlyleaf.FanxX, Desrt Rose, darklightningdevil, Akuma Chiai, Nyanonymous, Dark'sNightAngel, ShadowFoxAngel, denielle alto, A Flower and a Demon, Kinky-Nami-Lass
I appologize if I've missed anyone, and I especially appologize for not being able to use all of your WONDERFUL ideas! :(
I tried to be fair by using first come first serve, but then I realized that wouldn't be fair to the people who still did all that work later on...
So, as any other person would do when stuck in a pickle, I resorted to Eenie Meenie Mynie Moe! XD
Seriously though, Thank you so much for all your help, and wow...all the moves are purtty cool, I must say.
Finally, let me appologize once again for updating so late...
I know I know...no no, trust me. I know.
If you're wondering what that means...trust me...I don't know.
Cough.
Cough.
Cough.
Cough, cough.
What the…?
Cough…
What's with all this smoke?
Sakura turned around to find that she was completely encircled by this airy substance.
She also realized that she was standing on black nothingness.
Weird.
To be more specific, she was surrounded by the black nothingness. And the only company she had was the smoke, which was not the most pleasant companion one could have.
This must be a dream.
I can assure you that this is no ordinary dream.
Sakura blinked, startled by the sudden appearance of this crisp and clear voice that seemed to dominate the entire…nothingness?
The voice sounded like it belonged to a man's, with its tone caked with a suave and charming quality.
Who said that?
I'm hurt that you don't know who I am. The voice declared with mock hurt.
After all, we've been neighbours since birth.
Neighbours?
Oh yes, the closest of neighbours, ones that don't live next to each other, but in each other.
Blink.
Ok, you've completely lost me.
There was a pause.
You're not very smart are you? The voice retorted bluntly.
Let me put it this way, nice and slow so you can understand.
I'm just lost, I'm not mentally retarded. Sakura snapped back, offended by this seemingly arrogant voice.
Bah, same difference. What I'm trying to say is that you, girl, have got a lot of work to do.
What do you mean?
What else could I possibly mean? The voice sounded exasperated.
Sakura blinked.
She quickly scanned her mind for what this voice could be talking about, but unfortunately, she found none.
Of course she wasn't going to admit it. Nobody wants to be called stupid twice.
First things first. Sakura slyly changed the subject. Who are you?
The voice sighed.
Take a wild guess.
Sakura sighed too.
It seemed like this voice wasn't about to tell her anything anytime soon.
So she thought.
Smoke, black nothingness, boomy voice, neighbours since birth…
Then something clicked inside her.
That's it. The voice sounded like it smiled.
But what was weirder was the fact that this voice seemed to know what Sakura was thinking.
Are you…? Sakura furrowed her eyebrows in suspicion.
Am I…? The voice pushed on.
You are!
Say it loud and proud!
You're the God of Fire!
Great! That took you, what, only a few minutes to figure out. No worries though, we still have time to work on your intellect.
Sakura seethed.
You know that you weren't much help!
What'd you expect me to do? He asked in the utmost innocence.
Oh, I don't know. Maybe just tell me; straight out, whom you were from the beginning.
The voice laughed.
Now where would the fun be in that?
Sakura shook her head.
Aren't you supposed to be a god?
The voice stopped in mid laughter.
What's that supposed to mean? He asked, sounding a little offended.
I mean, aren't gods supposed to be all-knowing and serious and stern…
Honey, Wake up and smell the boysenberries. Not all the gods are the same, 'k? It's grouchy old Shukaku's job to be all serious and stern and boring…
Wait a sec. Who's Shukaku?
What, do I have to break into song and sing you a musical? Didn't you learn all of this stuff in school?
I'm a noble, not a nun. We nobles don't learn about religious things like this.
The voice gaped. It seemed like it was having a hard time comprehending the fact that people actually want to learn about things other than gods.
Huh? Then what do you learn in school if it's not about the greatest beings on earth? He finished with a flourish of his voice.
Sakura just sighed.
Oh just the usual, literature, math, science…for females like us we learn mostly sewing and dancing and whatnot.
There was a pause.
Well that's idiotic. No wonder you humans are so stupid now a days.
Sakura smiled.
Can you just answer my question?
Alright, alright. Hold your horses. Shukaku is the god of earth. He's probably the…oh…third youngest. Me being the youngest of all the gods.
Care to elaborate?
Ha-ha, alright then. If you insist.
The voice cleared its throat.
Let's begin where all stories begin…in the beginning.
Sakura just rolled her eyes.
You know about the four gods, yes? There's Wind, the eldest. Water, the second eldest. Earth, the third youngest. And of course, the most magnificent of them all, moi, the youngest.
Sakura tilted her head.
I have a question.
Already? The story hasn't even begun. I hate to think how many questions you would have when we actually go into the story.
The geisha simply ignored the fire god and pushed on.
In the legend, you were the one who reincarnated all of the gods, right?
Correct.
And you did so because you wanted the war between the gods to stop, and to save the humans.
That's right. I'm a giver. Give, give, give, that's all I do.
Then how come…you're like…this?
The triumphant tone the voice had held just moments ago quickly shriveled away.
Ok, what the heck is that supposed to mean?
I mean, according to the legend, you're supposed to be this loving, generous, cares-about-the-humans-more-than-all-the-other-gods kind of god. And yet, here you are. Acting all I-only-saved-the-humans-so-I-can-be-better-than-all-the-other-gods.
That's…totally…not true. The god stuttered, trying to think of a better, wittier answer he could retort back to the human.
Oh really? The geisha crossed her arms.
So you expect me to believe that you, who hailed himself as the most magnificent of all gods, who labeled himself as a total giver, is totally not the kind of god who saves people just so he can be worshiped.
After finishing that incredibly long and sarcastic sentence in one breath, the girl puffed out air. Not really sure what she just did.
Silence.
"…"
Silence.
Hello?
I'm ignoring you. The god retorted with a sneer.
Sakura just laughed.
Oh come on. I didn't hurt your feelings did I?
In this short period of time, you've already insulted me TWO times. I'm a god! You should respect me!
You live inside ME! You should respect me!
Silence.
Whatever… The fire god mumbled. It's not like it's my choice to be in here in the first place…
Sakura smiled triumphantly at nothing in particular.
Now come on out, so I don't feel like a total freak talking to thin air.
Oh, you don't have to worry about being a freak.
Then he whispered.
Because you already are one.
And all thanks to you.
The god began to laugh, only to realize, moments later, that she had just insulted him…again.
Whatever. Besides, you, being a lowly human and female, wouldn't be able to withstand, let along bask, in all my glory.
Psh. The girl flipped her hair. Just come out.
Ok, ok, don't get your kimono in a knot. I'm comin'.
There were a few moments of silence.
Then suddenly, Sakura felt the urge to close her eyes. She didn't feel dizzy or tired or anything, but a sudden great urge took over her, and the geisha closed her eyes obediently.
After the urge had passed, Sakura slowly lifted her eyelids.
W-Wow!!
Sakura was no longer surrounded by the vast darkness or the grey smoke.
Right now, she stood on lush green grass, its blades swaying gently in the light, warm breeze. The girl looked up to find Alice-blue skies frosted with cotton-white clouds. The field stretched on for as far as the eye could see with no other disruptions.
Somehow, this place brought Sakura a sense of peace and serenity.
Sakura sighed in contentment.
"Don't tell me this is what you look like." Sakura spoke out, her voice returning to its normal clear resonance.
The geisha fanned out her arms, playing with the wind that tangled through her fingers.
"Nope. I look much better."
Sakura twisted around to find a singular tree rooted at the top of a grassy hill.
The tree, being the only tree Sakura saw in this strange place, was more wide than tall.
Its forest-green leaves reached out so it cast comforting shadows on the ground.
And leaning against the tree with his arms crossed, was a man.
This man was too far for Sakura to make out anything of his face. But from where she stood, the girl could tell that this man was probably in his late-twenties.He also had a tall and slender form that looked like it could easily sway in the wind just as the grass does.
Finally, after much deliberation, Sakura conjured up the courage to stride up the hill. With each step, the geisha could make out more of this man's features.
He was wearing a deep-grey trench coat, which he wore unbuttoned, with fancy ornamental straps hanging from the waistline. The sleeves to the coat were cut wide and billowed open to reveal crimson gloves that were worn all the way to the elbows.Black pants and top were paired underneath the coat to bring out the man's sculpted muscles.
But what startled Sakura the most as she approached this stranger was not his unusual clothing, but the way his eyes glinted wine-red in the shadows of the tree.
There Sakura stood, a few feet away from the tall plant, refusing to go any closer.
So there was nothing left to do but for this man to reveal himself by stepping out of the shade and into the sun.
The geisha's jaw dropped.
She hated to admit it, and she wasn't about to admit it, but this man, standing before her, was, by far, the most delicious eye-candy she had ever laid her eyes on.
His raven-black hair spiked out from the back of his head, while the hair near the sides of his face grew down elegantly down his chest.
But that wasn't the strangest part.
The strangest part was the fact that this man's bangs, which grew long and were side swept in a messy manner, were completely and totally snow-white.
His face...
Sigh.
Need I say more?
His intense garnet eyes, framed by a pair of perfectly arched white eyebrows, glinted with mischief.
"Well?" He asked, his own voice losing that thunderous tone which had claimed the air earlier.
But from what Sakura could tell, this man's natural voice was indeed a very suave and charming one.
"Well what?" The geisha asked.
"Well, what do you think?" The man pressed on; fanning open his arms so she could get a better look at him.
And since his arms were no longer crossed over his chest, Sakura could tell that he was wearing several obsidian belts on his body. One was worn in its normal place; another one was worn across from his shoulder to his hip under his coat.Two more belts were worn loosely around his neck.
Sounds weird.
But looks surprisingly appealing.
And now at this close distance, Sakura could make out that his trench coat was in fact a very worn-out one. It almost looked like it had been burned and scorched in several places.Yet the way the fire had burned the fabric had somehow left behind intricate patterns on the jacket.Also, the fabric where it connected the sleeves to the bodice of the coat was falling off.
Several black threads were the only things keeping the sleeves from completely falling off, revealing the nicely toned muscles beneath the fabric through the treads.
In a way, it actually made the coat look better.
Maybe it was purposefully made like that…
Sakura sighed as she came to a conclusion.
She's concluded with the fact that no matter what this man wears, it will always look good on him.
Suddenly, the man's lips twitched into a cocky grin.
"What?" The geisha asked, wondering if this man was going to pounce on her in any given second.
"Oh nothing," The man replied as he nonchalantly checked his nails. "I'm just pleased that you think everything looks good on me."
Sakura froze.
Then she squinted her eyes suspiciously.
"How did you…?"
The man flashed another one of his mischievous, yet drool-worthy, grins.
The geisha's eyes widened.
"You can read my mind, can't you?" She ranted, pointing an accusing finger at the male.
The man just shrugged.
"It would make sense since I dwell inside you…geeze honey, try using your brain once in a while will ya?"
Sakura just sighed.
"I can't take much more of this…"
The girl turned back around, buried her face in her hands, and then plopped down on the grassy hill.
The man came to join her as he leisurely sat down beside her.
Then a thought zoomed through Sakura's mind.
But before she could even voice out her opinion, the man spoke up.
"Nope," He said, giving a side-ways glance to the geisha. "You can't read my mind."
Sakura's eye twitched before she looked away in defeat.
"Where have you brought me anyways?" the girl asked as her eyes roamed over the fields.
"Just a place tucked away in the corners of my imagination."
Sakura eyed him skeptically.
"You created this?"
The man sighed.
"Why are you so surprised? I'm a god, aren't I? So stop underestimating my powers."
Sakura smiled.
"But this is a dream."
The man just nodded, his expression taken over by boredom.
He began to play with something in the palm of his hands.
Fire.
That single kindle danced and manipulated its form as the man ran his fingers though it.
Sakura gazed on in awe.
"How did you do that?" She whispered, not really believing her eyes.
The man simply nudged his hand toward Sakura, urging her to take hold of this fiery form.
The girl eyed the fire as if it were moldy cheese.
"Are you sure?"
"Why ever not?" He retorted, his tone still dripping with boredom.
Sakura gulped.
She was curious to see what would happen, just like that day, many years ago, when she was curious to see what lay beyond the protective walls of her estate.
Reaching out both of her hands, she let her fingers surround the warmth of the fire, not daring to touch the actual form. But before Sakura could protest, the man swiftly pulled his hand from underneath the fire.
Sakura yelped, afraid that the fire would fall on the grass.
But it never did.
The blaze stayed intact in her hands as she cautiously cupped it.
Never once did the ember burn her skin.
Sakura smiled incredulously.
"W-wow…"
She began playing with her newfound toy, tossing the fire from one hand to the other.
The geisha was so engrossed in her activity that she didn't even notice how the other man was keenly observing her every move.
"You're still just a kid." The man sighed grimly.
Sakura stopped, letting the fire blaze in her cupped hands, as she turned to gaze at the man.
She's never heard him use such a solemn tone…
And why in the world would he suddenly say something like that?
As if answering the questioning eyes of the girl, the man continue to speak.
"The human bearing Shukaku is poisoned, am I right?"
Sakura frowned.
She had almost forgotten that he could read her mind.
So dismissing her earlier thought, Sakura nodded sadly, absentmindedly gazing at the ball of fire.
There was a moment of silence as the sound of the warm breeze brushed past the pair.
"Nara."
Sakura blinked.
"Huh?"
"Nara, the mountain Nara." The fire god repeated.
The girl tilted her head.
Mount Nara was a well-known mountain in this country, not only because it was the longest mountain that stretched on for miles and miles and miles, but also because it had a mystery behind it.
That mystery being whoever entered it, never came out.
"What about it?"
"That's where you can find the flower. The Silver Snowdrop."
Sakura's heart quickened its pace.
"R-Really? You mean, the flower really exists?"
The fire god scrutinized the girl strangely.
"No, I was kidding." The man retorted sarcastically. "Geeze honey, of course the flower exists."
Sakura clapped her hands with delight, forgetting about the little hitchhiker in her hands as the kindle was smothered out.
"I can't believe it! We're so close now!" Sakura's eyes sparkled as she turned to face the god.
"Where on the mountain?"
The man raised an eyebrow and gave her a look that said 'are you crazy?'
"How the heck am I supposed to know?"
The geisha's eyes slowly dimmed to a dull sheen.
"You mean…you don't know?"
The god scoffed.
"Of course I don't know. If you think all I do in my spare time is keeping track of a single flower, then you, girl, are seriously mistaken."
Sakura frowned deeply.
"You're saying that you have absolutely NO idea where the flower is?"
"I just told you," The man exasperated. "On Nara Mountain."
"Where on Nara Mountain? WHERE?!"
The fire god drew away from the irritated girl.
"Geeze honey, no need to get all worked up over a flower…"
"It's not JUST a flower!" Sakura snapped, very much depressed that her newfound hope was crushed to bits in a mere few seconds. "It's the flower that can save Gaara's life! Don't you understand that? You're a god; can't you find where the flower is? Or better yet, heal Gaara directly?"
The man blinked stupidly, before turning away from the girl.
"It's not that simple…"
Sakura slumped hopelessly.
"Well, I've got all the time in the world here." She offered.
The god studied the geisha's face, before sighing in defeat.
"I guess I should start with my name…"
Sakura blinked.
That's right. She didn't even know his name yet.
"My name is Houkatakeru, and as you know, I'm the youngest of the gods."
The girl tried wrapping her mouth around the name, but failed miserably.
The man chuckled.
"Just call me Takeru."
Sakura nodded, waiting for him to continue.
"Also, because of my gift, I was able to reincarnate all of my brothers in my rebirthing fire, also known as the Kaen Kaijin."
"Your gift?" Sakura cut in, already drawn in deeply by Takeru's story.
"Yes," The man replied. "Every god has a different gift. Mine being the Kaen Kaijin. Shukaku, I believe, has the gift of 'Scrying', otherwise known as the DouKata no Me."
"Scrying?"
"It means you can see something without actually being there. With Shukaku, he can see through the earth."
Sakura tilted her head.
"But the earth is everywhere."
Takeru smirked.
"This means he can see everything."
The geisha shuddered.
To have someone see what you're doing 24/7 no matter where you are? Now that's a frightening thought.
"The god of water, who's known as Owatatsumi, has the gift of purifying life, known as Ameryuu no Junsui."
"And the eldest, Fujinokami, the god of wind, has the breeze of death: Kaze no Zetsumei."
Takeru paused for Sakura to soak all the information in.
The geisha simply blinked.
She knew that she wasn't going to remember all the names along with their "gifts", but she made a mental note to check out the library in the geisha house later.
The girl nodded. "Ok, so the introductions are made…now what?"
Takeru sighed.
"The celestial war between the four of us lasted for centuries. Crippling the humans and disrupting the way of life."
The man chuckled bitterly to himself.
"You would think that after a few centuries of fighting we would realize that gods can't kill one another."
Sakura frowned.
"You can't kill each other?"
Takeru shook his head.
"If we could, I wouldn't be here right now."
The girl's frown deepened.
"Ok…so what does that have to do with you not being able to heal Gaara or find the flower?"
Takeru sighed as he laced his hands at the back of his head, lying down on the grassy floor while he was at it.
"I can't heal your lover boy because Shukaku's in him; otherwise, I'd heal away!"
"I don't understand…" The girl fumbled, ignoring the "lover boy" comment.
The man sighed again.
He settled into the grass and blinked up at the lazy clouds.
"It's complicated…even I'm not sure what happened. But ever since after the war, we weren't able to heal one another. Perhaps it was because of the constant hatred that we held for each other, that finally, we just couldn't do anything that wasn't out of hatred to each other anymore…"
Takeru drifted off, closing his eyes and mumbled a few more words under his breath.
The geisha took this chance to linger on those solemn words.
"Then what about the flower? Why can't you find it?"
Without opening his eyes, Takeru continued to murmur.
"This flower isn't an ordinary flower. The Silver Snowdrop was created by some other being unknown to even us…"
"So that's why you can't find it?"
"I might not be able to find it," The man yawned. "But that's where Shukaku's gift might come in handy."
The girl remembered vaguely about "Scrying" and "seeing through the earth".
With that thought, she smiled, and joined Takeru on the ground.
She had a sneaking suspicion that maybe, just maybe, everything would be alright.
xoxox
"Sakura! Hey, wake up! Sakura!"
The pink-haired geisha stirred in her sleep, not in the least happy that someone was interrupting her slumber.
"Hmmm…" The girl moaned. "Go away…"
"Sakura, please! Lady Kurenai wants you!"
The geisha's eyes shoot open to find Hinata's worried complexion hovering over her.
"Wait…where am I?"
The ebony-haired geisha released a tiny smile.
"Gaara carried you to our room last night." Then her smile widened. "Just what have you two been doing?"
Sakura fumbled.
"Nothing! What makes you think we were doing anything?"
Hinata just shrugged, bearing a small, and almost sly, smile on her lips.
"What can I say? You came back last night looking rather flustered…"
Sakura clasped the pillow that cushioned her head and launched it at her friend's face.
"Hinata!"
The inky-haired geisha giggled as she brushed the cushion aside.
"What else was I supposed to think? I am a geisha after all…"
Sakura sighed, the way a geisha's mind worked…
"Anyways," Hinata continued. "Kurenai wants to see you in her office."
"What for?" Sakura inquired as she pulled herself away from the elaborate mattress she laid on.
Hinata smiled.
"Only one way to find out."
xoxox
"Come in." Came the resolute voice after the rap on the door was heard.
Sakura opened the door and stepped into the blindingly red office.
There Kurenai sat, pipe in hand, scanning over a piece of paper. Without looking up, she began to talk.
"The annual Cherry Blossom Festival is being held in the geisha house in a few weeks." The woman wasted no time in petty introductions. "I want you to dance alongside Sayuri."
It took Sakura a few seconds to process the name Sayuri, whom she's come to know as Hinata.
"Why?" she peered, approaching the desk. "Hinata can manage the River Dance just fine without me. I would simply cripple her."
Kurenai looked up then.
"I don't want you to do Sayuri's dance." She answered exasperatedly. "We all know how bad your River Dance is. But despite that, you are still one of my most talented dancers. No, you'll be doing the Dance of the Cherry Blossoms."
Sakura thought about it for a bit.
She had to admit to the fact that she excelled in that particular dance, and she was quite eager to show off her skills.
"Alright," She agreed. "If I do this, you'll be able to get more flowers, right?"
Kurenai sucked her pipe.
"You girl, are going to run my business to the ground and leave my girls to the poor house."
Sakura smiled.
"I'll do my best, Kurenai, don't worry about that."
The woman nodded idly and waved the girl away, returning to her task of doing the paperwork.
Sakura silently slipped through the doors.
She wanted to see Gaara, but she remembered that she needed to check out the library for further information on the gods.
The girl licked her lips as she passed through the corridors littered with geishas.
So many things were happening that Sakura barely had time to slow down and catch her breath.
"I didn't even have time to mourn for my family yet…"
The girl slapped that thought away, pushing down the sudden tears that welled up in her eyes.
This was no time to cry.
This was no time to stop.
Right now, she had to focus on saving the one who saved her; Gaara.
Ta-ta-da-DA!!
And guess what? There's more! Yeah! That's right! This is just part one folks! Click the next botton for paarrrt TWO!
