Chichiri looked down at the steam furling from his tea, and thought about
when he had first came upon his own talent.....
It had been almost a year since Chichiri had arrived at Mount Taikiyokou. Taiitsu-kun, the old woman who had taken him in, turned out to be a powerful sorceress with a bad attitude. Although she mainly had kept Chichiri as an assistant (tending the home, cleaning, caring for Nyan-Nyan etc.) she began to notice his maturity. It had been a rainy fall day when she summoned him to her chambers to ask him about physical training.
"...you do know that you are a Suzaku Warrior, do you not?" she asked him. He nodded his response.
"Well the Priestess needs seven guardians fit to protect her. Have you mastered any-TAKE THAT STUPIDMASK OFF! I NEED TO SEE SOMEONE WHEN I'M SPEAKING!" Chichiri jumped in shock, and scrambled to remove the paper mask from his face.
"That's better," Taiitsu-kun mumbled, "As I was saying, have you mastered any abilities, or found any talents that are exceedingly powerful?" Chichiri shook his head.
"SPEAK YOUR RESPONSE!" she screamed at him. He jumped again.
"Ah well.....no....not that I know of," he said shakily.
"Hm....I've been wondering about this myself," she continued, "Maybe this means your talent is not one that lies at the surface, unlike strength, martial arts, or swordsmanship. This talent could possibly involve a greater understanding......maybe even chi related....." Chichiri looked away. If his talent was chi then......how could this be possible? His own chi was weak.....he was sure of it. If it had been stronger he would have been able to save......
"Stop thinking those thoughts," Taiitsu-kun ordered. Chichiri looked back at her.
"Self-pity is your flaw. You hide your true self to protect others from something you only think will frighten them off. You have to live in the present, not the past. If you do this, you will find a confidence you never knew existed," she said. Somehow, her words struck him.
"Go get some rest. Meet me near the foot of the mountain tomorrow at sunrise. We'll see if this power of yours really exists. Otherwise, you'll be useless to the Priestess and her other companions," Taiitsu-kun stated. Chichiri bowed and left.
A small bird cried outside his bedroom window. Mm......the sun must be up, he thought to himself, rolling onto his back. His lone eye flew open. Sun?! Up?!
"AAAAAIIIEEE! I'M LATE!" he yelled, racing out of bed and hurrying to get ready. It took a full half hour to get down the mountain in a hurry, minus the several trips, slips, and near-death-rocks he came across. After an eternity, he met Taiitsu-kun at the base.
"Sorry.......I......I......I overslept-"
"Being on time is something you need to master as well," she snapped, "Just get over here." Chichiri stumbled over another rock, and ran over to Taiitsu-kun. She looked him square in the eye.
"How old are you?" she asked.
"T-twenty," he mumbled.
"Someone your age shouldn't be so klutzy," she snorted, "Now, do stand down a way, directly in front of me." Stupid old bag, he thought to himself.
"I HEARD THAT!" she yelled to his back. He turned around and faced his "master". Several rocks floated up near her ears.
"Now, I will be sending these rocks your way. Do all you can to stop them, but not with your hands or feet. Use your mind," she instructed. Chichiri blinked. Had he heard her right? Was she throwing ROCKS at him?? Well this was going to hurt.........
"Wait! ......what?" he yelled from his position.
"READY?" she roared. He was never ready!!
"Taiitsu-kun, wait! I think we need to discuss this before-" A rock whizzed past this ear.
"TAIITSU-KUN!" he yelled. One hit him smack on the arm.
"Concentrate!" she yelled.
"I......I can't!" he yelled back, as one rock hit his foot and the other hit his leg.
"AAAHHH!" he screamed, barely dodging four particularly fast ones.
"Use your BRAIN not yourself!" she yelled.
"I COULD IF I WASN'T BEING BOMBARDED BY FLYING OBJECTS!!!" he roared.
What to do? -WHIZZ He couldn't possibly think at a time like this..... -WOOSH If I stand here much longer, I'll get seriously hurt, he thought -WHAM ...ow.... She's crazy.....using my brain....who could do that? -WOOSH Whoa that was a close one, oh gods...... Here comes a big one...... What do I do?? Jump over it?
"TAIITSU-KUN!" he yelled, "This one is huge! You should stop it.....NOW!" It's yards from my face! I'll be turned to bloody pulp! Concentrate......on what?? Suzaku, help me!
An intense concentration flooded his mind......
Chichiri winced and waited to be sent to his death, when after a few minutes, he didn't feel anything. Opening his eye, he saw the rock was only a foot or so from his face. Suddenly, Taiitsu-kun filled that gap with herself.
"GYAAAAAAAAAAA!" yelled Chichiri, "DON'T SCARE ME LIKE THAT!"
"Oh shut up," said Taiitsu-kun. She backed away to show the rock.
"You see this?" she asked, "You stopped this yourself." Chichiri's jaw dropped.
"I did?" he asked. Taiitsu-kun nodded.
"I'm guessing you prayed, and your prayer got answered with a surge of strength toward your gift, something only Celestial Warriors can do. Your gift is obviously chi and magic," she said.
"Yes, that's exactly what happened," he said.
"What you need to do is harness that strength so you can use it regularly. THEN you will be fit to protect the Priestess. For now, you've got the day to yourself. I'll meet you here at the same time tomorrow. Oh, and be on time. You did good," she said, floating off. Chichiri walked over to the rock suspended in midair.
"You hear that?" he jeered at the rock, "I did GOOD. Well too bad for you. Guess you're not going to be hitting my face after all. Aww......is the big rock ASHAMED of himself? Can't beat Houjun! Houjun has a SEISHI TALENT! Unlike you....."
"CUT THAT OUT!" yelled Taiitsu-kun from somewhere on the mountainside. Chichiri stood up straight and snapped out of the "macho" mood. The rock fell and landed on his foot.
"OW!" he yelled, shoving it off and frowning at it.
He slowly climbed back up the mountain, making sure he didn't fall and kill himself now that he felt he was good for at least SOMETHING.......
It had been almost a year since Chichiri had arrived at Mount Taikiyokou. Taiitsu-kun, the old woman who had taken him in, turned out to be a powerful sorceress with a bad attitude. Although she mainly had kept Chichiri as an assistant (tending the home, cleaning, caring for Nyan-Nyan etc.) she began to notice his maturity. It had been a rainy fall day when she summoned him to her chambers to ask him about physical training.
"...you do know that you are a Suzaku Warrior, do you not?" she asked him. He nodded his response.
"Well the Priestess needs seven guardians fit to protect her. Have you mastered any-TAKE THAT STUPIDMASK OFF! I NEED TO SEE SOMEONE WHEN I'M SPEAKING!" Chichiri jumped in shock, and scrambled to remove the paper mask from his face.
"That's better," Taiitsu-kun mumbled, "As I was saying, have you mastered any abilities, or found any talents that are exceedingly powerful?" Chichiri shook his head.
"SPEAK YOUR RESPONSE!" she screamed at him. He jumped again.
"Ah well.....no....not that I know of," he said shakily.
"Hm....I've been wondering about this myself," she continued, "Maybe this means your talent is not one that lies at the surface, unlike strength, martial arts, or swordsmanship. This talent could possibly involve a greater understanding......maybe even chi related....." Chichiri looked away. If his talent was chi then......how could this be possible? His own chi was weak.....he was sure of it. If it had been stronger he would have been able to save......
"Stop thinking those thoughts," Taiitsu-kun ordered. Chichiri looked back at her.
"Self-pity is your flaw. You hide your true self to protect others from something you only think will frighten them off. You have to live in the present, not the past. If you do this, you will find a confidence you never knew existed," she said. Somehow, her words struck him.
"Go get some rest. Meet me near the foot of the mountain tomorrow at sunrise. We'll see if this power of yours really exists. Otherwise, you'll be useless to the Priestess and her other companions," Taiitsu-kun stated. Chichiri bowed and left.
A small bird cried outside his bedroom window. Mm......the sun must be up, he thought to himself, rolling onto his back. His lone eye flew open. Sun?! Up?!
"AAAAAIIIEEE! I'M LATE!" he yelled, racing out of bed and hurrying to get ready. It took a full half hour to get down the mountain in a hurry, minus the several trips, slips, and near-death-rocks he came across. After an eternity, he met Taiitsu-kun at the base.
"Sorry.......I......I......I overslept-"
"Being on time is something you need to master as well," she snapped, "Just get over here." Chichiri stumbled over another rock, and ran over to Taiitsu-kun. She looked him square in the eye.
"How old are you?" she asked.
"T-twenty," he mumbled.
"Someone your age shouldn't be so klutzy," she snorted, "Now, do stand down a way, directly in front of me." Stupid old bag, he thought to himself.
"I HEARD THAT!" she yelled to his back. He turned around and faced his "master". Several rocks floated up near her ears.
"Now, I will be sending these rocks your way. Do all you can to stop them, but not with your hands or feet. Use your mind," she instructed. Chichiri blinked. Had he heard her right? Was she throwing ROCKS at him?? Well this was going to hurt.........
"Wait! ......what?" he yelled from his position.
"READY?" she roared. He was never ready!!
"Taiitsu-kun, wait! I think we need to discuss this before-" A rock whizzed past this ear.
"TAIITSU-KUN!" he yelled. One hit him smack on the arm.
"Concentrate!" she yelled.
"I......I can't!" he yelled back, as one rock hit his foot and the other hit his leg.
"AAAHHH!" he screamed, barely dodging four particularly fast ones.
"Use your BRAIN not yourself!" she yelled.
"I COULD IF I WASN'T BEING BOMBARDED BY FLYING OBJECTS!!!" he roared.
What to do? -WHIZZ He couldn't possibly think at a time like this..... -WOOSH If I stand here much longer, I'll get seriously hurt, he thought -WHAM ...ow.... She's crazy.....using my brain....who could do that? -WOOSH Whoa that was a close one, oh gods...... Here comes a big one...... What do I do?? Jump over it?
"TAIITSU-KUN!" he yelled, "This one is huge! You should stop it.....NOW!" It's yards from my face! I'll be turned to bloody pulp! Concentrate......on what?? Suzaku, help me!
An intense concentration flooded his mind......
Chichiri winced and waited to be sent to his death, when after a few minutes, he didn't feel anything. Opening his eye, he saw the rock was only a foot or so from his face. Suddenly, Taiitsu-kun filled that gap with herself.
"GYAAAAAAAAAAA!" yelled Chichiri, "DON'T SCARE ME LIKE THAT!"
"Oh shut up," said Taiitsu-kun. She backed away to show the rock.
"You see this?" she asked, "You stopped this yourself." Chichiri's jaw dropped.
"I did?" he asked. Taiitsu-kun nodded.
"I'm guessing you prayed, and your prayer got answered with a surge of strength toward your gift, something only Celestial Warriors can do. Your gift is obviously chi and magic," she said.
"Yes, that's exactly what happened," he said.
"What you need to do is harness that strength so you can use it regularly. THEN you will be fit to protect the Priestess. For now, you've got the day to yourself. I'll meet you here at the same time tomorrow. Oh, and be on time. You did good," she said, floating off. Chichiri walked over to the rock suspended in midair.
"You hear that?" he jeered at the rock, "I did GOOD. Well too bad for you. Guess you're not going to be hitting my face after all. Aww......is the big rock ASHAMED of himself? Can't beat Houjun! Houjun has a SEISHI TALENT! Unlike you....."
"CUT THAT OUT!" yelled Taiitsu-kun from somewhere on the mountainside. Chichiri stood up straight and snapped out of the "macho" mood. The rock fell and landed on his foot.
"OW!" he yelled, shoving it off and frowning at it.
He slowly climbed back up the mountain, making sure he didn't fall and kill himself now that he felt he was good for at least SOMETHING.......