Origins
Seiryuu scowled at the little boy. This was Ashitare? He didn't even look like he had back at the soul pools. All the years he had waited for a new seishi and this sniveling boy was all he had? It was late at night and the stupid human had gotten lost in the woods. These were dangerous woods as well.
The dragon watched, not because he was concerned, but because he was dead bored. Home was not a place he wanted to be. Taiitsukun-sama was mad, Genbu was snappish, Byakko was sleeping and Suzaku was playing tag with the Nyan-Nyan.
The howl of a rogue wolf echoed through the night. The boy gasped and put his hands over his ears. The dragon snorted, oh, real smart move. He was thrilled to be blessed with such an intelligent seishi.
Golden eyes flickered like two lamps in the moonlight. The wolf came closer to the boy. Seiryuu watched the confrontation with interest. Maybe this could actually be exciting. The boy backed up a step, then turned and ran.
Ugh. What an idiot! There was no way he could out run a wolf. The creature charged after Ashitare. Seiryuu followed in dragon form a few feet above the wolf.
He watched the boy run and tasted his fear in the air. What a coward. His seishi should be strong, not pathetic. There was nothing he could do, though, except watch. In the words of Taiitsukun-sama: "Don't interfere." He scowled. If he didn't interfere soon he wouldn't have a seishi to interfere with.
The boy tripped then, sprawling into the leaves and the dirt. The wolf leapt at him and the boy screamed. Seiryuu sighed in frustration. This was not going well at all. The animal clamped onto the boy's throat. Blue light flared around them both. Seiryuu cocked his head. Well this was unexpected. The boy and wolf were…changing, melting into one another. Their pained screams combined into one painful howl that seemed alarmingly human…yet defiantly animal. When the light faded, the familiar Ashitare stood there. Although a much smaller version. Part man and part wolf, and hungry.
~Hungry, mortal? Hungry for what?~
"I don't know," the boy/wolf whined. "I'm scared."
~Don't be. Food will take away your fear. Just eat something.~
"I don't know what to eat."
Seiryuu sighed. This was getting aggravating. ~Just eat the first thing that comes to your mind.~
"My…family?" the boy/wolf asked…but Seiryuu was all ready gone.
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Suzaku stood straight up, staring out the window. He could feel it, deep down in the very core of his being. It had happened, finally, it had happened. He clapped his hands together and shrieked. His heart raced as fast as his feet as he half ran, half flew to the west side of the mountain. Slamming the door to his brother's room open, he tackled the sleeping tiger with a flying hug. Byakko started awake.
"Wha?"
"YAY! BYAKKIE-KUN! I FELT IT! HE'S HERE! THE FIRST ONE! HE'S HERE! I WANNA SEE HIM! CANNI? CANNI? HUH? CANNI?"
"The first what?"
"SEISHI!" Suzaku cried, bouncing up and down. Byakko yawned and stretched.
"Well let's go ask Taiitsukun-sama."
"Awwww, do we gotta ask that old bag?"
"Yes we do, and if you don't lower you're voice I'm going to tell her you said that." They went out into the hall. "Honestly, you and Seiryuu have all the manners of field hands."
"But you're the one who first called her that, Byakkie-kun…"
The tiger sweatdropped but said nothing. It seemed forever until they reached Taiitsukun-sama's rooms. When at long last they arrived, they found her brushing her long white hair with her back to them.
"What?" she asked without even turning around.
"HE'S HERE! HE'S HERE!" Suzaku yelled. Byakko glared at him and Suzaku lowered his voice. "My first seishi. Can I see him? Canni, Taiitsukun-sama?"
The creator turned and raised an eyebrow. "He's just a baby now. He won't have power until he's much older."
"I don't care, I still want to see him. Canni? Pleeeease?" He snuggled up to her side and batted his eyes, putting on the cutest face he could muster. After a moment she sighed.
"Fine, you can go."
"YAYYY! Okay! I love you! Bye!" Suzaku jumped into the air and darted for the window.
"Just a minute!" Taiitsukun-sama snapped, grabbing his tail. He looked back at her and frowned. Had she changed her mind all ready? She was looking at his brother.
"Byakko-kun, go with him please. Just to make sure he doesn't get into any trouble."
"All right," the tiger said, nodding.
Suzaku frowned. "I wouldn't get into trouble, Taiitsukun-sama."
"I know you wouldn't, not intentionally anyway. But sometimes you can be a bit too…"
"Enthusiastic?" Byakko prompted.
"Exactly."
"Oh…" Suzaku didn't understand. What was wrong with being enthusiastic? Oh well.
"Now get out of here," Taiitsukun-sama said, waving her hands. "I have work to do."
"All right! Thank you Taiitsukun-sama!" He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her withered cheek. "Comon' Byakkie-kun!" he chirped, letting go of his creator and diving out the nearest window. He changed into his beast form on the way down, tucking his wings close to his body and plunging through the clouds.
"Slow down, Suzaku!" Byakko called. "He's not going anywhere!" Suzaku reluctantly braked, spreading his wings. He hovered impatiently in the air, waiting for his brother. The tiger bounded down to him and the two descended together.
"Is he going to be a little baby? An infant? I don't want to scare his parents."
"No. He's got to be a few months by now…maybe a year."
Suzaku stared at him. "But…but he was just born!"
"Time passes faster for us then it does for mortals."
"Oh."
Suzaku fluttered to a landing outside the house. It was sunset and there were still a few people working outside. Byakko used his powers to silently open the door. Changing back into boy form, he quietly crept inside.
The little seishi was lying in a wooden cradle. Suzaku kneeled beside it and peered down at him. The baby's blue hair was messy and small bangs curled over his forehead. The phoenix felt his heart melt. How cuuuute! Suzaku folded his wings behind him and concentrated.
~What are you doing, Suzaku?~ Byakko asked in his mind. He ignored the older god until the transformation was complete. His wings were now gone and he looked like any other mortal.
"Nothing…" he whispered. Byakko's eyes were wide.
~How…how did you do that so easily?~
The redhead shrugged. "I've always been able to." Turning his attention back to the baby, he gently stroked the seishi's soft cheek. It was soft, like the lining of a cloud.
"Hi, Chichiri…no da…" he added with a giggle.
The young seishi moved and his eyes flittered open. The baby was unscarred and both eyes were big and brown. Even now, they were filled with curiosity and love.
"Hello, little one."
"Washuu," the baby gurgled. "Bssuhabbb." Suzaku smiled.
"You're cute! Can you speak yet?"
"Phlupp."
"Is that a yes or a no?" the phoenix asked.
"'es! Ess esss esss," the baby said and giggled, clapping his chubby hands. Then he lifted small, soft arms in the air.
"Up! Up! Papa!" he demanded. Suzaku laughed.
"I'm not your papa, but I'll lift you up." He picked up the boy and held him on his hip. Chichiri grabbed a fistful of his hair and pulled.
"Kablubb!" he announced cheerfully.
"Not kablubb," Suzaku said, trying to loosen the child's death grip. "Hair."
"Har?"
~Is this the one you spoke so funnily to?~ Byakko asked. ~No…da wasn't it?~
"Noda," the baby said, then giggled. "Noda, noda, noda, noda!"
"Byakko," Suzaku whispered. "Shh."
~Oops. Sorry, did I do that?~
"Do dat? Do dat noda?"
"Byakko!"
~Sorry!~
"Sry noda. Har noda. Papa noda."
"No…no, no da," Suzaku whispered, shaking his head. Taiitsukun-sama would kill him if she he ever found out about this! This was definite influencing.
"Na noda," the baby mimicked. "Putdown noda."
Suzaku put the baby on the floor. Chichiri crawled over to Byakko, sat down and looked up.
"Kittycat noda."
"He can see you?" Suzaku asked.
~Babies can see anything. That's what makes them so special.~
"Seshal noda. Seshal kittycat noda." Chichiri reached out and seized Byakko's tail. Suzaku stifled his laughter as the tiger tried to pull his tail from the seishi's tenacious grip.
"I think he likes you Byakkie-kun."
~Kindly remove your seishi from my tail before I'm forced to bite him.~
"Bife noda!" the seishi crooned. Then he jerked Byakko's tail forward and bit it.
~YAAAA!!~ The tiger roared.
"Yaa nodaaaa! Chich bife tall noda! Yaaa!!" The baby was clearly enjoying this and Suzaku was having a hard time keeping a straight face.
~GET HIM OFF!~ Byakko snarled.
"Geff off noda!" the baby giggled. "Geff off yaaa da!"
"Comon Chichiri." Suzaku gently tried to pry the child's hands away. "You've gotta let go."
"My tall noda! My!"
Suzaku finally managed to free his brother's tail. Chichiri's little face screwed up.
"He looks like he's eaten something sour. Do you think he's trying to tell us something?"
~Maybe he's hungry,~ Byakko said with a shrug. Chichiri opened his mouth and took a deep, deep breath. Suzaku had a sudden sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. The wail that rocked the house nearly made both gods jump out of their respective skins.
"Ah! No! Shh, Chichiri! Shh!"
~Change back to god form, you moron! Hurry!~
"I can't do it under pressure! I have to concentrate! Give him back your tail!"
~WHAT?~
Chichiri wailed again, face turning almost as blue as his hair. To add to the noise he began to kick the floor with his feet.
"Byakko!"
~All right, all right! Here!~ He held out his tail for the seishi but the baby wouldn't take it. Suddenly the door opened and light filled the room. A woman stood framed in the doorway. In one hand was a lantern, in the other a broom.
"What's wrong, little Houjun?" Then she looked at Suzaku and screamed. The boy winced.
"I…I can explain I…."
The woman scooped up her baby in one hand and with the other started beating him upside the head with a broom.
"THIEF! KIDNAPPER! GET OUT OF HERE!" The woman screamed. Suzaku yelped and covered his head.
"Byakko help me!"
"Byakko won't help you in this house, little vermin! This is the south! Suzaku rules here! So get out!"
The woman punctuated each word with a broom slap. He backed into the corner and hunched down. She switched the broom to the handle and started jabbing it into him.
"BYAKKO!"
~What do you want me to do?! Bite her?!~
"What's wrong?" came a man's voice.
"THERE'S A THEIF IN HERE WHO TRIED TO STEAL OUR BABY!"
"No! No! It's not like that!"
The woman stepped aside and the man came up to him. Hands on hips.
"You're a young thief, explain yourself boy."
Suzaku looked up fearfully. The man's face was shadowed by a large conical hat.
"Umm…would you believe I'm Suzakuseikun and I'm just checking up on my seishi?" the phoenix squeaked.
"No," the man said coldly.
"Didn't think so."
Byakko came up behind the man and swatted the kasa off his head.
~Do something with that!~ the tiger said. Suzaku gripped the hat on either side and infused it with chi.
"Bye Chichiri!" he called. Then he slipped the kasa over his head and activated the transportation spell. He popped on a tree by the house and concentrated. The chi formed around him, vanished and he was himself again. He flapped his wings experimentally. Suddenly a large, white paw slapped him upside the head sending him tumbling from his perch.
"Don't you ever do something that stupid again," he snapped. "I nearly had a heart attack!"
"Sorry," Suzaku said with a sheepish smile. He turned the kasa over in his hands. "I defiantly can't leave this lying around. Maybe Taiitsukun-sama will know what to do."
"You might not live long enough to find out…" Byakko muttered.
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Notes: Okay, so maybe Chichiri was a little advanced for his age. But he IS a seishi after all. So NYAH. ^_~
Standard Disclaimers Apply
Night~Mare