Wai, new chappie, new chappie! XD I think you'll like this one, everyone! I wonder if everyone likes Jin-Shun . . . XD I dunno why I'm so curious about it! Anywayz, remembers how I mentioned a new warrior may be coming up? Keep on the lookout, yo!
Care-- Hug Thank you so much! Lol, so many many questions! ; You'll have to wait to find out! ; But, Amefuri definitely seems to have some sort of interest, ne? XD lol!
Uchiha Tenshi—Oh, did I say he wouldn't be there for a while? ; lol, whatever! Yup, you'll have to keep on guessing who the new warrior will be! But, the wait ish finally over, wai!
Kaeru Soyokaze—lol! :giggle: I guess you dun like Jin-Shun so much! You leanr more about him from Amefuri within the next few chapters, since they obviously know stuffs well . . ; Maybe after a few things people might like it better! Lol!
a-drop-of-silver – Thank you! ; Yup, I know a lot of people know who they are . . . Butthat doesn't mean they don't know themselves, right? Besides, there are a few people who don't know!
Fukai Tsumi— lol, is it really so different? Hug Thank you so much! Ack, did I make such a mistake again? XD Earlier on in the chapters Suzuno said she'd be the Priestess of Suzaku . . XD lol! Gotta keep it focused on Byakko! ; lol!
Chapter Nine
"Here you go." The large man let Suzuno down on her feet as they walked in a thick and humid area. It took a moment for Suzuno to get her momentum back, and when she did she stretched her body as best as she could, reaching her arms out far above her. She straightened her skirt a little and adjusted her socks, which began to crease and slide down her leg in one big pile above her ankle. He patted her on the head, trying to keep it as light as possible. "My name is Jin-Shun. My guys are all around the mountain now, so don't think of leaving it. Just mention my name and they won't hurt ya though, if they find you."
"I'm . . ." Suzuno was curious to ask, but held back. However, his eyes told her to ask anyway. "Am I aloud . . . to go?"
"Not far," he replied, patting a tree next to him. "This place really is haunted, you know. But you can't get away either, so you can go around. Even if we lose you, Echi will try his best to. . ." He started chuckling. "If he doesn't die of fright first!"
". . ."
"Oh yeah," Jin-Shun reached into one of his pockets, then handed her one of the knives he had; she was hesitant of taking it at first, but she decided that it might be good for cutting through such thick plants. She grasped the handle tightly, her fingers shading a little. Carrying a weapon was something she wasn't used to at all. When he didn't say anything, she politely muttered a thank you and turned.
Suzuno tried her best to ignore the last thing he said before he handed her the knife, and walked inward, discovering the mountain that had a reputation to frighten. It was so incredibly odd, though. On the outside, It looked like an unbelievably thick forest, with pine trees standing tall and proud next to each other, so close it would seem impossible to take a single step without running into another one. One you were inside though, it was thick, sticky and heavy with humidity, beads of dew rolling off large exotic leaves and vines hanging low. It was hard to breath, the feeling was so weighty, but what other choice did she have? She couldn't run, not with Jin-Shun and his men.
So what was this place, exactly? This strange, out of control world that she had to save? There were deserts spreading miles around with scorpions the size of cars, and mountains with a tropical jungle disguised as a local wood. There were towns made of mud, and only certain spots were cloudy while other beating hot and clear. This place, where there were twenty- eight warriors out there, beyond human, fighting for one of the four Priestesses for their Four Gods.
"This is harder than home," she whispered to herself, feeling the ground move upward as she walked deeper into the forest, squeezing through trees that seemed so close that they were stuck to each other and pushing trailing plants out of the way. She stopped when she reached a large plant with the most beautiful flower she had ever seen; it was as large as Jin- Shun's hand, with thousands of petals all packed together, spreading outward towards the center. It was so deep, that there were shadows inside like an endless tunnel. Its' tips were of a bright pinkish hue, then slowly colored a sky blue, then a brilliant white with yellow sunny spots trickled around. It was such a beautiful and unusual thing.
Suzuno decided that even if she wanted to, the heavy atmosphere would never let her walk onward towards the top, and Jin-Shun specifically told her not to go far. She sat down on the slightly damp ground, leaning her back against a smooth-barked tree and letting her knees crawl up to her chin. Her arms encircled them, and she stared at the flower, noticing that it moved slightly in a continuous manner like a wheel. But it wasn't frightening her, as if it was something alive and hungry; it was compelling, entrancing. To her, it was the only thing there.
"Should I be the Priestess?" she said to herself, and even a little to the flower as if it would listen to her complain of her troubles. "I don't . . . I don't know what to do . . ."
Suzuno thought she might be hallucinating as she gazed into the shadowy core of the flower; it seemed to hover closer to her, still in that same slow, spinning manner from before. It was almost hypnotizing. Creeping out from the center of those long petals came two thin, dark green vines, roughly textured like bark on a tree. On the end were bulbs, each with slime dripping out from seemingly carnivorous mouth, their tiny but copious jagged teeth chomping up and down.
It happened in a flowing manner, but even with such a threatening danger before her, a sparkling essence or glitter shimmered off the petals and into the air around her, and while she didn't know if it was them or her, she felt that she just wanted to continue staring. The center started to become a curious place for Suzuno, since you could never see it. How far did it go down? Was that another world within this crazy one she was already in? Or maybe there were a place for another warrior.
'Amefuri,' her mind jolted, thinking of her only warrior for only a moment. Then as quickly as the thought came it was gone, and Suzuno sat up on her knees, crawling towards the enticing blossom. It was only a reach, just to see what was there; surely the two vine-like creatures that had come out of it wouldn't mind, would they? Stretching her arm a little instead of standing up for it, she reached in with no thought of caution, not even noticing the a set of teeth closely approaching the flesh on the back of her neck . . .
Amefuri ran as fast as he could, Lanva and Doulin following him close behind. They were very close to the Haunted Mountain, and his heart was beating faster and faster with every step, as though it could penetrate his ribcage if it had gotten any bigger. While he wanted to save Suzuno, partly for being a Warrior and it being his duty and partly because he wanted to clear up an obvious misunderstanding, he also wanted to just turn around. He sighed inwardly; of all people to catch her, why Jin-Shun? They had known each other since they were children, and that guy knew every weakness of his.
'That just happens to be my luck,' he thought in a somewhat sarcastic manner. Lanva, who had caught up beside him, noticed the disgruntled manner that he still had, as if he was battling within himself. What was there to battle, anyway? It was a mountain. He just happened to be a warrior. Mountain, Warrior; mountain, warrior. Not much to compare there, really. In all honesty, he didn't think the mountain stood a chance.
"Are you weirding out because people say it's haunted?" Lanva asked, joking. However, once Amefuri froze in place, laughing nervously again while trying to find an answer, Lanva also laughed, only it was because he had found out why Amefuri had been acting so strange.
"What is it?" Doulin asked, who was breathing heavily since she wasn't used to such an exercise. She was sure with the customers the Warrior had he had to be fit, and Lanva was an avid practitioner of Martial Arts. She looked at the two, both looking like idiots in her opinion. She put her hands on her hips and said angrily, "We have no time to waste! Suzuno could be hurt up there!"
"That's right," Lanva said, sounding serious. Then he creeped up behind Amefuri and whispered in his ear, "She might've been eatin' by the poltergeists, just waiting to gobble up a Celestial warrior."
"Stop it!" he shouted, pushing Lanva away and covering his ears, his face completely flushed from embarrassment.
"Isn't that cute? He's scared of ghos-"
"Stoooop . . ." he growled in a begging, but still annoyed voice.
"Come on," Doulin said, laughing a little while trying to be serious. "We have to find Suzuno."
When Suzuno's hand was about to reach the petals and travel further in, a loud snapping noise brought her back to reality, the almost drunken spell taken over her instantly broken. Her head turned quickly in the direction opposite of her and there was one of the vine creatures, biting at the neck, or base of the other one, its' teeth clamped as the other flailed wildly. Suzuno felt a small pain on the back of her neck that she hadn't noticed before and reached behind her, crawling closer towards the flower at the same time; even though the vines came from the center, they had stretched quite a ways out. When she looked at her fingers, a dark red, moist liquid was at the tips.
'Those monsters,' she thought, bringing her hand to her face as she watched them fight, her face utterly terrified by the sightless beings. She was shaking, and while she wanted to get up and run, she was afraid that they would finally notice her and stop fighting each other. Their jerky and rough movements as they broke free of one another and tore their hard skin off one another, a dark green liquid flowing out of them like blood, suggested they were fast and aware.
When the one who had been bitten by the neck grinded his teeth where the nose would have been on the other, a screech was let out, but a very deep screech like a fiery reptile. It shook free, many deep slits across it. This frightened Suzuno even more; weren't they plants? Could they really make noises like that?
She looked up above her, since she was lying against the petals of the plant and saw just how close she was to the vines ends; or at least, the end until they went inside. What if they decided to fight and go back in? When could she get away . . .? If she moved, they would notice her, but once they stopped their brawl, the other would glimpse at her and find her as a meal when it went back in its' home. What could she . . .
As Suzuno's shifted her legs a little, uncomfortable with sitting on her feet, she felt something on her lap move a little as well. When she looked down, it was the knife that Jin-Shun had given her earlier.
"Of course!" she said in a whisper to herself, smiling. While she really was afraid of the creatures, she decided to try and keep a clear head. She was the Priestess of Byakko; she had to at least . . . try to be brave, even if she wasn't up for it. Suzuno, a little uncomfortable with using such a thing, picked up the knife cautiously, glancing up at the monsters to see if they wouldn't notice.
'If I moved slowly . . .' she thought to herself, moving her body a little to face the plant, looking straight upwards. 'They might not notice.' Gripping the knife and taking a deep breath, her other hand, shaking a little reached up to touch one of the vines. When she was close to one, her fingernails almost touching one of the two, she heard the fighting stop. She guessed that one had lost the battle, and when she turned her head to check, both were there, their mouths in her direction. Their hide had been tarnished and ripped completely off at some parts, pieces of it as well as what Suzuno thought was their blood on the ground below them.
'They saw,' she thought, her body frozen in place again. She could never attempt it, it was too late. To her, before the saga of the Priestess had begun it had already ended. The two rapidly darted at her, and in slow motion to her she could see their mouths open, their teeth ready to tear flesh. Suzuno shut her eyes, determined not to cry from fear and waiting, knowing that with their piranha-like instincts she could never outrun them. This was the end.
But the end never came. She heard the same deep screech from the monsters again, and although frightened, she dared herself to barely open her eyes and take a peek. She expected them to have found a reason to start fighting each other again, but while they were fighting, it was an unknown figure. A third vine, this one with smooth skin and curving, heart-shaped leaves coming off of it with no mouth had itself tied around both of them. When her eyes followed the end, it came from behind a few trees and a bush, so she couldn't see it completely.
The creatures tried to bend the part of their necks as much as possible, nipping at the leaves of their enemy but not being able to anything about being caught. Suddenly the vine was pulled with a powerful force, and just as quickly the two creatures had been completely pulled from their home, lying on the ground. While she had been ready to do the same thing, watching something- or someone do the same thing scared her.
"Are you alright?"
From the end of the vine, behind the bush and the two trees walked out a man. He was very tall, with long, dark brown hair in comparison to Amefuri's light colored hair; it was tied back in a violet ribbon, although much of it was far too short to be caught in it and hung in his face, covering one of his eyes. His skin seemed naturally dark and his eyes a gorgeous mauve. Like everyone else of this world, even with the heat he dressed a little heavily, with a robe covered with another top tied in the center, and a long sash that crossed over his front and back. What was most intriguing to her thought was not his beautiful and calm face, but the vine that was coming from the center on his left palm.
While she was looking at it, the vine crinkled and died, falling off from his hand a becoming a pointless excess on the ground. He looked at her, his face not necessarily emotionless but not filled with expression either. He asked her again, "Are you alright?" His voice has a small accent to it that she didn't recognize in the others, which made his voice attractive and a little quick.
"Umm . . ." she couldn't find words to say how happy she was to see someone. It was just a moment ago she thought she would really die again. It was even more frightening then the Colossal Scorpions, who may have been large, but at least they had resembled something in her world so she was partly familiar with them. Those plants . . . were unreal. Before she could answer she put her hands to her face and started to cry again.
The man didn't attempt to move her or stop her from crying, but instead walked until he was right in front of her and kneeled down before her, not saying a word. Just doing that had comforted her far more than any words from a stranger could. For a while, she continued to weep until she couldn't any more. When she pulled her hands away, she noticed the smeared blood that she had felt from her neck barely on her fingers anymore, and worriedly tried to wipe her face with her sleeve. She used her tears to try and clean everything off of her face when the man took a cloth he had in a pouch attached to his sash and cleaned her face himself. She let him, not afraid of him since he was the one who had saved her. She already felt bad for judging Amefuri even after he saved her; she wasn't going to make that mistake again, even if it was probably smarter.
He had put his cloth away when he was finished, and Suzuno let her head hang down. "Thank you," she said in a meek voice, not knowing what to do now. She let her fingers fiddle with each other while trying to think of something more to say. "Umm . . . I . . . I can clean it up for you, if you . . . want . . ."
"Clean what?" he asked; normally that sort of question would make Suzuno feel like a fool, but his voice was so soft she didn't feel wrong at all.
"Your . . . cloth."
He looked at her strangely for a moment, and that's when she felt she was stupid. But then he smiled gently, and said in a sweet voice, "You are a very kind person."
She covered her face again to hide the fact that she was blushing, which she even felt a little ashamed for. In this world, she had been compliments by, to her, so many people. Why was it this one that made her flush so much? Maybe it was the mystery of him . . . ? She didn't know his name; or maybe it really was his voice. When she had seen American romance films, she noticed how a woman would always mention the quality of a man's voice.
'No,' she thought to herself. 'I can't think of . . . Why would I do that?'
"Let me help you," he said, standing up and holding out his hand. She waited for a moment until her face was normal again, then she reached up for it and stood up when he pulled. Before she let go, she looked at his hand strangely since it was also the same one where the vine came from. When she twisted it a little curiously, so that the top of it was facing her, she noticed a symbol on it.
"Ah!" she said excitedly, suddenly smiling, and feeling the symbol, holding his hand with both of hers. He didn't pull away suddenly like he didn't want it, although he seemed to wonder why she was so curious about it. "A Warrior . . ." This intrigued him.
"The Legend?" he asked her, and she nodded. She was about to reply, but then she noticed how touchy she was being and pulled her hands away, forcing them behind her back and looking down, muttering an apology. When he said nothing, she decided to answer.
"I'm the . . . Priestess of Byakko," she said, not looking up at him. She figured he was surprised though; at least, she would be surprised if she met a legend. "I'm looking for the seven warriors, and . . ."
"You need me?" he asked. She nodded a little bit, and felt his hand on her chin, lifting up her face a little until her eyes met his.
"My name is Tatara of the Byakko Seven . . . But I don't know if I can accept being a Warrior yet, Priestess."
- - - - -- - - - -- - - - -
OMGOSHOMGOSHOMGOSH! XD It's him, it's him! :giggle: lol, you've all been
waiting for our little luv interest foreva'! I hope you all like him . .
; ;
Anywayz. . .. A profile! 'Cause I was bored. . . lol!
Suzuno Oosugi Age: 16 Personality/Extra: Suzuno is a very weak-minded girl, who can't seem to ever get any confidence. She stutters when she speaks or barely speaks at all, and feels that she's literally inferior to others. Every once in a while, she'll get thoughts of wanting to be just like everyone else, and she wishes people didn't take advantage of her inability to say 'no'. However, though shy, she still judges people quickly and doesn't listen to people's explanations. Mostly, this is derived from teachings or advice from her Father, whom she loves more than anyone in the whole world. She feels he is the only person who has never judged her, and has loved him fully, until . . .
Kay, till next time!
Care-- Hug Thank you so much! Lol, so many many questions! ; You'll have to wait to find out! ; But, Amefuri definitely seems to have some sort of interest, ne? XD lol!
Uchiha Tenshi—Oh, did I say he wouldn't be there for a while? ; lol, whatever! Yup, you'll have to keep on guessing who the new warrior will be! But, the wait ish finally over, wai!
Kaeru Soyokaze—lol! :giggle: I guess you dun like Jin-Shun so much! You leanr more about him from Amefuri within the next few chapters, since they obviously know stuffs well . . ; Maybe after a few things people might like it better! Lol!
a-drop-of-silver – Thank you! ; Yup, I know a lot of people know who they are . . . Butthat doesn't mean they don't know themselves, right? Besides, there are a few people who don't know!
Fukai Tsumi— lol, is it really so different? Hug Thank you so much! Ack, did I make such a mistake again? XD Earlier on in the chapters Suzuno said she'd be the Priestess of Suzaku . . XD lol! Gotta keep it focused on Byakko! ; lol!
Chapter Nine
"Here you go." The large man let Suzuno down on her feet as they walked in a thick and humid area. It took a moment for Suzuno to get her momentum back, and when she did she stretched her body as best as she could, reaching her arms out far above her. She straightened her skirt a little and adjusted her socks, which began to crease and slide down her leg in one big pile above her ankle. He patted her on the head, trying to keep it as light as possible. "My name is Jin-Shun. My guys are all around the mountain now, so don't think of leaving it. Just mention my name and they won't hurt ya though, if they find you."
"I'm . . ." Suzuno was curious to ask, but held back. However, his eyes told her to ask anyway. "Am I aloud . . . to go?"
"Not far," he replied, patting a tree next to him. "This place really is haunted, you know. But you can't get away either, so you can go around. Even if we lose you, Echi will try his best to. . ." He started chuckling. "If he doesn't die of fright first!"
". . ."
"Oh yeah," Jin-Shun reached into one of his pockets, then handed her one of the knives he had; she was hesitant of taking it at first, but she decided that it might be good for cutting through such thick plants. She grasped the handle tightly, her fingers shading a little. Carrying a weapon was something she wasn't used to at all. When he didn't say anything, she politely muttered a thank you and turned.
Suzuno tried her best to ignore the last thing he said before he handed her the knife, and walked inward, discovering the mountain that had a reputation to frighten. It was so incredibly odd, though. On the outside, It looked like an unbelievably thick forest, with pine trees standing tall and proud next to each other, so close it would seem impossible to take a single step without running into another one. One you were inside though, it was thick, sticky and heavy with humidity, beads of dew rolling off large exotic leaves and vines hanging low. It was hard to breath, the feeling was so weighty, but what other choice did she have? She couldn't run, not with Jin-Shun and his men.
So what was this place, exactly? This strange, out of control world that she had to save? There were deserts spreading miles around with scorpions the size of cars, and mountains with a tropical jungle disguised as a local wood. There were towns made of mud, and only certain spots were cloudy while other beating hot and clear. This place, where there were twenty- eight warriors out there, beyond human, fighting for one of the four Priestesses for their Four Gods.
"This is harder than home," she whispered to herself, feeling the ground move upward as she walked deeper into the forest, squeezing through trees that seemed so close that they were stuck to each other and pushing trailing plants out of the way. She stopped when she reached a large plant with the most beautiful flower she had ever seen; it was as large as Jin- Shun's hand, with thousands of petals all packed together, spreading outward towards the center. It was so deep, that there were shadows inside like an endless tunnel. Its' tips were of a bright pinkish hue, then slowly colored a sky blue, then a brilliant white with yellow sunny spots trickled around. It was such a beautiful and unusual thing.
Suzuno decided that even if she wanted to, the heavy atmosphere would never let her walk onward towards the top, and Jin-Shun specifically told her not to go far. She sat down on the slightly damp ground, leaning her back against a smooth-barked tree and letting her knees crawl up to her chin. Her arms encircled them, and she stared at the flower, noticing that it moved slightly in a continuous manner like a wheel. But it wasn't frightening her, as if it was something alive and hungry; it was compelling, entrancing. To her, it was the only thing there.
"Should I be the Priestess?" she said to herself, and even a little to the flower as if it would listen to her complain of her troubles. "I don't . . . I don't know what to do . . ."
Suzuno thought she might be hallucinating as she gazed into the shadowy core of the flower; it seemed to hover closer to her, still in that same slow, spinning manner from before. It was almost hypnotizing. Creeping out from the center of those long petals came two thin, dark green vines, roughly textured like bark on a tree. On the end were bulbs, each with slime dripping out from seemingly carnivorous mouth, their tiny but copious jagged teeth chomping up and down.
It happened in a flowing manner, but even with such a threatening danger before her, a sparkling essence or glitter shimmered off the petals and into the air around her, and while she didn't know if it was them or her, she felt that she just wanted to continue staring. The center started to become a curious place for Suzuno, since you could never see it. How far did it go down? Was that another world within this crazy one she was already in? Or maybe there were a place for another warrior.
'Amefuri,' her mind jolted, thinking of her only warrior for only a moment. Then as quickly as the thought came it was gone, and Suzuno sat up on her knees, crawling towards the enticing blossom. It was only a reach, just to see what was there; surely the two vine-like creatures that had come out of it wouldn't mind, would they? Stretching her arm a little instead of standing up for it, she reached in with no thought of caution, not even noticing the a set of teeth closely approaching the flesh on the back of her neck . . .
Amefuri ran as fast as he could, Lanva and Doulin following him close behind. They were very close to the Haunted Mountain, and his heart was beating faster and faster with every step, as though it could penetrate his ribcage if it had gotten any bigger. While he wanted to save Suzuno, partly for being a Warrior and it being his duty and partly because he wanted to clear up an obvious misunderstanding, he also wanted to just turn around. He sighed inwardly; of all people to catch her, why Jin-Shun? They had known each other since they were children, and that guy knew every weakness of his.
'That just happens to be my luck,' he thought in a somewhat sarcastic manner. Lanva, who had caught up beside him, noticed the disgruntled manner that he still had, as if he was battling within himself. What was there to battle, anyway? It was a mountain. He just happened to be a warrior. Mountain, Warrior; mountain, warrior. Not much to compare there, really. In all honesty, he didn't think the mountain stood a chance.
"Are you weirding out because people say it's haunted?" Lanva asked, joking. However, once Amefuri froze in place, laughing nervously again while trying to find an answer, Lanva also laughed, only it was because he had found out why Amefuri had been acting so strange.
"What is it?" Doulin asked, who was breathing heavily since she wasn't used to such an exercise. She was sure with the customers the Warrior had he had to be fit, and Lanva was an avid practitioner of Martial Arts. She looked at the two, both looking like idiots in her opinion. She put her hands on her hips and said angrily, "We have no time to waste! Suzuno could be hurt up there!"
"That's right," Lanva said, sounding serious. Then he creeped up behind Amefuri and whispered in his ear, "She might've been eatin' by the poltergeists, just waiting to gobble up a Celestial warrior."
"Stop it!" he shouted, pushing Lanva away and covering his ears, his face completely flushed from embarrassment.
"Isn't that cute? He's scared of ghos-"
"Stoooop . . ." he growled in a begging, but still annoyed voice.
"Come on," Doulin said, laughing a little while trying to be serious. "We have to find Suzuno."
When Suzuno's hand was about to reach the petals and travel further in, a loud snapping noise brought her back to reality, the almost drunken spell taken over her instantly broken. Her head turned quickly in the direction opposite of her and there was one of the vine creatures, biting at the neck, or base of the other one, its' teeth clamped as the other flailed wildly. Suzuno felt a small pain on the back of her neck that she hadn't noticed before and reached behind her, crawling closer towards the flower at the same time; even though the vines came from the center, they had stretched quite a ways out. When she looked at her fingers, a dark red, moist liquid was at the tips.
'Those monsters,' she thought, bringing her hand to her face as she watched them fight, her face utterly terrified by the sightless beings. She was shaking, and while she wanted to get up and run, she was afraid that they would finally notice her and stop fighting each other. Their jerky and rough movements as they broke free of one another and tore their hard skin off one another, a dark green liquid flowing out of them like blood, suggested they were fast and aware.
When the one who had been bitten by the neck grinded his teeth where the nose would have been on the other, a screech was let out, but a very deep screech like a fiery reptile. It shook free, many deep slits across it. This frightened Suzuno even more; weren't they plants? Could they really make noises like that?
She looked up above her, since she was lying against the petals of the plant and saw just how close she was to the vines ends; or at least, the end until they went inside. What if they decided to fight and go back in? When could she get away . . .? If she moved, they would notice her, but once they stopped their brawl, the other would glimpse at her and find her as a meal when it went back in its' home. What could she . . .
As Suzuno's shifted her legs a little, uncomfortable with sitting on her feet, she felt something on her lap move a little as well. When she looked down, it was the knife that Jin-Shun had given her earlier.
"Of course!" she said in a whisper to herself, smiling. While she really was afraid of the creatures, she decided to try and keep a clear head. She was the Priestess of Byakko; she had to at least . . . try to be brave, even if she wasn't up for it. Suzuno, a little uncomfortable with using such a thing, picked up the knife cautiously, glancing up at the monsters to see if they wouldn't notice.
'If I moved slowly . . .' she thought to herself, moving her body a little to face the plant, looking straight upwards. 'They might not notice.' Gripping the knife and taking a deep breath, her other hand, shaking a little reached up to touch one of the vines. When she was close to one, her fingernails almost touching one of the two, she heard the fighting stop. She guessed that one had lost the battle, and when she turned her head to check, both were there, their mouths in her direction. Their hide had been tarnished and ripped completely off at some parts, pieces of it as well as what Suzuno thought was their blood on the ground below them.
'They saw,' she thought, her body frozen in place again. She could never attempt it, it was too late. To her, before the saga of the Priestess had begun it had already ended. The two rapidly darted at her, and in slow motion to her she could see their mouths open, their teeth ready to tear flesh. Suzuno shut her eyes, determined not to cry from fear and waiting, knowing that with their piranha-like instincts she could never outrun them. This was the end.
But the end never came. She heard the same deep screech from the monsters again, and although frightened, she dared herself to barely open her eyes and take a peek. She expected them to have found a reason to start fighting each other again, but while they were fighting, it was an unknown figure. A third vine, this one with smooth skin and curving, heart-shaped leaves coming off of it with no mouth had itself tied around both of them. When her eyes followed the end, it came from behind a few trees and a bush, so she couldn't see it completely.
The creatures tried to bend the part of their necks as much as possible, nipping at the leaves of their enemy but not being able to anything about being caught. Suddenly the vine was pulled with a powerful force, and just as quickly the two creatures had been completely pulled from their home, lying on the ground. While she had been ready to do the same thing, watching something- or someone do the same thing scared her.
"Are you alright?"
From the end of the vine, behind the bush and the two trees walked out a man. He was very tall, with long, dark brown hair in comparison to Amefuri's light colored hair; it was tied back in a violet ribbon, although much of it was far too short to be caught in it and hung in his face, covering one of his eyes. His skin seemed naturally dark and his eyes a gorgeous mauve. Like everyone else of this world, even with the heat he dressed a little heavily, with a robe covered with another top tied in the center, and a long sash that crossed over his front and back. What was most intriguing to her thought was not his beautiful and calm face, but the vine that was coming from the center on his left palm.
While she was looking at it, the vine crinkled and died, falling off from his hand a becoming a pointless excess on the ground. He looked at her, his face not necessarily emotionless but not filled with expression either. He asked her again, "Are you alright?" His voice has a small accent to it that she didn't recognize in the others, which made his voice attractive and a little quick.
"Umm . . ." she couldn't find words to say how happy she was to see someone. It was just a moment ago she thought she would really die again. It was even more frightening then the Colossal Scorpions, who may have been large, but at least they had resembled something in her world so she was partly familiar with them. Those plants . . . were unreal. Before she could answer she put her hands to her face and started to cry again.
The man didn't attempt to move her or stop her from crying, but instead walked until he was right in front of her and kneeled down before her, not saying a word. Just doing that had comforted her far more than any words from a stranger could. For a while, she continued to weep until she couldn't any more. When she pulled her hands away, she noticed the smeared blood that she had felt from her neck barely on her fingers anymore, and worriedly tried to wipe her face with her sleeve. She used her tears to try and clean everything off of her face when the man took a cloth he had in a pouch attached to his sash and cleaned her face himself. She let him, not afraid of him since he was the one who had saved her. She already felt bad for judging Amefuri even after he saved her; she wasn't going to make that mistake again, even if it was probably smarter.
He had put his cloth away when he was finished, and Suzuno let her head hang down. "Thank you," she said in a meek voice, not knowing what to do now. She let her fingers fiddle with each other while trying to think of something more to say. "Umm . . . I . . . I can clean it up for you, if you . . . want . . ."
"Clean what?" he asked; normally that sort of question would make Suzuno feel like a fool, but his voice was so soft she didn't feel wrong at all.
"Your . . . cloth."
He looked at her strangely for a moment, and that's when she felt she was stupid. But then he smiled gently, and said in a sweet voice, "You are a very kind person."
She covered her face again to hide the fact that she was blushing, which she even felt a little ashamed for. In this world, she had been compliments by, to her, so many people. Why was it this one that made her flush so much? Maybe it was the mystery of him . . . ? She didn't know his name; or maybe it really was his voice. When she had seen American romance films, she noticed how a woman would always mention the quality of a man's voice.
'No,' she thought to herself. 'I can't think of . . . Why would I do that?'
"Let me help you," he said, standing up and holding out his hand. She waited for a moment until her face was normal again, then she reached up for it and stood up when he pulled. Before she let go, she looked at his hand strangely since it was also the same one where the vine came from. When she twisted it a little curiously, so that the top of it was facing her, she noticed a symbol on it.
"Ah!" she said excitedly, suddenly smiling, and feeling the symbol, holding his hand with both of hers. He didn't pull away suddenly like he didn't want it, although he seemed to wonder why she was so curious about it. "A Warrior . . ." This intrigued him.
"The Legend?" he asked her, and she nodded. She was about to reply, but then she noticed how touchy she was being and pulled her hands away, forcing them behind her back and looking down, muttering an apology. When he said nothing, she decided to answer.
"I'm the . . . Priestess of Byakko," she said, not looking up at him. She figured he was surprised though; at least, she would be surprised if she met a legend. "I'm looking for the seven warriors, and . . ."
"You need me?" he asked. She nodded a little bit, and felt his hand on her chin, lifting up her face a little until her eyes met his.
"My name is Tatara of the Byakko Seven . . . But I don't know if I can accept being a Warrior yet, Priestess."
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OMGOSHOMGOSHOMGOSH! XD It's him, it's him! :giggle: lol, you've all been
waiting for our little luv interest foreva'! I hope you all like him . .
; ;
Anywayz. . .. A profile! 'Cause I was bored. . . lol!
Suzuno Oosugi Age: 16 Personality/Extra: Suzuno is a very weak-minded girl, who can't seem to ever get any confidence. She stutters when she speaks or barely speaks at all, and feels that she's literally inferior to others. Every once in a while, she'll get thoughts of wanting to be just like everyone else, and she wishes people didn't take advantage of her inability to say 'no'. However, though shy, she still judges people quickly and doesn't listen to people's explanations. Mostly, this is derived from teachings or advice from her Father, whom she loves more than anyone in the whole world. She feels he is the only person who has never judged her, and has loved him fully, until . . .
Kay, till next time!