Yesh! At last, Suzaku. Except...he's not quite what was expected. XD
Enjoy!
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Shichibi no Suzaku
-
Hello
Black.
There was only pitch darkness, all around her.
Is it night? Tenten thought for a moment, before quickly dismissing the notion. No, nighttime was the hue of black bordering on blue, while this…this was tinted with red.
If it's not night, then I must be dead. Strangely, she came to the conclusion peacefully, with no hint of panic. If this was death, then it wasn't so bad, after all. Maybe she wasn't afraid because some part of her insisted that no, this was not the afterlife. Heaven wasn't lightless.
Was it?
Oh god. The weapon's mistress' eyes widened as her cloudy mind began to function again. No, Heaven was not black and crimson…Heaven was anything but black and crimson.
…But Hell was. Had she unintentionally remained unconscious throughout the judgment? Oh god oh god oh god. (Actually, Tenten didn't even really believe in a supreme deity. Nevertheless, the way things seemed to be processing now, she didn't have much of a choice…)
She didn't think she had ever done anything worth being punished for eternity for.
Unless…
No! Being a kunoichi was her job! She couldn't help it if it involved ending the lives of others. Oh shit…What if it didn't matter? Killing was still killing! And –
Boom.
What was that? All her senses, prepared from a lifetime of training, snapped to attention. She could've sworn the ground trembled. Now that the muted noise had disrupted her worrying, she noticed a ring of dull burgundy light emanating from what seemed like the end of a tunnel. Tenten wanted to smack herself upside the head for not noting it beforehand.
Boom.
Ah, there it was again. The resonance all but screamed menace. Running a few meters forward, she realized that, yes, the light definitely seemed significantly larger. Or maybe that was just a hallucination born of her mind, now frantic, for the initial shock had worn off. Perhaps she was doomed to ceaselessly run toward the end, whilst never reaching the destination…No! It existed, was real, it had to be real. She was not dead, of course not: her breaths still came in a ragged pant, as though she had just engaged in strenuous battle.
Boom.
The faint crescendo of noise brought with it a new wave of dread, as well as an increasing power to the shaking of the vicinity. The thuds were methodical, reminiscent of some great beasts' heartbeat. Jogging nimbly toward the luminosity that she feared would vanish at any given moment, Tenten's jaw dropped when she rounded the corner.
Before her were the biggest pillars she had ever beheld in her life, forged of a dark, unnamed metal, chakra crackling sinisterly along the entirety of its height. Ensnared behind it, flames burned untamed, grasping for an topless roof, obscuring her view. She knew the images would haunt her memories forever. Her thoughts began running unchecked, screaming: This is Hell, it's all over -
Then the fire changed.
It wasn't like the way a normal blaze swayed and sputtered. No, the entire fire…shifted, as though resting upon a platform: higher…higher…before they came crashing down again, accompanied by the echo evocative of a muffled drum.
Boom.
The vibrations. No, it was not the earth that was quivering – it was the air. The force rendered by the movement sent shudders of searing wind lancing out, and this time, no longer sheltered in the tunnel, Tenten suffered the whole surge of burning intensity without warning. She squeezed her eyes shut, anticipating pain.
None came. Instead, a curiously tingling sensation made it's way across her skin, and she realized subconsciously that the heat was identifying her, crawling about her, as if somehow ensuring that this was the right person.
As it turned out, she was apparently deemed acceptable, for after an uncomfortable period of time, the warmth subsided, leaving her feeling peculiarly incomplete. Tenten allowed one eye open to a slit, before both flew open in another bout of astonishment.
Despite the fact that the scene facing her was roughly the same as moments before, the picture appeared distinctly altered to her newly adjusted eyes. Those flames from before, those were no insignificant sparks. They…those were huge wings. And the two intensely bright suns that pierced her senses, how could she have missed the lidless eyes? If this was Hell, she knew she would never look at birds the same way again. Gradually, the outline of an ginger beak appeared, and as Tenten remained immobile as a effigy, the scorching wings descended one more time, but, instead of colliding with the ground, lifting the being heavenward, to the absent sky, to her namesake.
Tenten caught a glimpse of the enormous feathery tails before they departed from her vision. Seven. Seven-tails. An anomalous impression of déjà vu struck her, and, racking her remembrance for the memory, she shrieked when the Fire Bird alighted gracefully in front of her. It had to be at least ten times her size.
"But…the cage…" Tenten murmured to herself. Recovering swiftly, she snarled, "Who the hell are you?"
One burning eye exhibited a flicker of otherworldly wisdom, before it rumbled,
I am Shichibi no Suzaku, Tenten-sama. I am pleased to meet my vessel.
Tenten didn't find it necessary for the accent to be so ceremonial. Its voice held a note of finality, reverberating through her mind. There was a deceptive gentleness that overshadowed darker undertones. Judging from pitch alone, she guessed it was male.
"…um…Hello, Suzaku-san. So you're the presence in my mind." The girl was determined to prohibit fear from overcoming courtesy. In one of the recesses of her mind, she wondered where on earth the orchestra of dramatic music in the background had erupted from.
The great creature seemed not to hear. The tone increased dramatically, wings unfurling.
Yes, Suzaku, the seventh of the legendary Biju! Fear the wrath of me, for my powers scope the farthest corners of the Earth and Sky, and –
It suddenly broke off into a wheezing fit. The sound effects wound down to a depressing wan wan wan….
Tenten gaped. The respect that she was beginning to develop for the creature dwindled with the music.
In the midst of her confusion, the wings and body all shrunk down, great bonfires contracting into smoldering coals. When Suzaku looked up again, it reached up to the girl's waistline, with a regular, albeit brilliant, plumage, and beheld her with the beady black gaze akin to normal bird.
Tenten stared.
And stared.
And stared some more, before Suzaku resumed coughing again. When he'd finished, he looked up and remarked cheerfully, as if discussing the weather,
You know, I never liked that big, fiery costume. Far too fussy for my tastes.
The bun-headed girl could've cried then. That's how disturbed she was.
"You CANNOT be the Shichibi." She wailed.
The bird gasped, feigning hurt,
How dare you! Of course I am. See?
It turned around and wiggled its butt, where seven lengthy, ruby feathers trembled, just barely attached, in the general direction of her face.
Tenten snapped.
Being forced through a painful recreation of Hell? That she could handle. Having a mighty flaming monster crash down in front of her and give her a heart attack? Sure, why not. Watching as said big mighty flaming monster becomes a barbecue chicken? Makes her hungry, but okay.
However, having that little brat that's a disgrace to bird-dom shake its ASS in her face?
No way.
Suzaku turned around when the ominous sound of a fist meeting the palm of a hand rang through the now silent clearing.
Tenten looked down at the Biju, cracking her knuckles, an evil gleam forming in her eyes.
In a tone that would have made the devil proud, she roared, "You. Are. An. Idiot."
And beat up the chicken renown as the third most perilous demon in the world.
--
When Suzaku had finally recovered with nothing worse than a black eye, he chirruped,
Well, that introduction went a little better than I hoped. I can still stand up. So, any questions?
He was met with a glare that could've melted stone.
"Yes, actually. Why the hell am I stuck with you?"
Suzaku beamed.
That's more like it. Weeeeell, that would be because we have many things in common. For example, I like barbecue chicken.
At this he earned a weird glance from a now sweatdropping Tenten. Isn't that called cannibalism?
Let's see, and I like the desert, ooh! And dessert! As well as pumpkins and hot guys. Especially if they have pink tail feathers. NO! Don't punch me! I won't steal Neji!
He cringed and curled up into a fetal position as best as a bird can.
The Jinchuriki blinked, mercifully not yet comprehending that last sentence. "There's such things as gay chicken?"
Huh? I'm not a homosexual. What do you mean?
The girl slowed her voice down, as though talking to someone with bad hearing, "Guys who like guys are considered gay. You just said you like guys. You ARE a guy. Therefore –"
However, she never got to finish her sentence because Suzaku began bawling at that moment.
I'm NOT A GUY!
Tenten never thought she'd see a Tailed demon blubber.
Why does EVERYONE think I'm a boy? I am most definitely FEMALE! Just look at my beautiful plumage and big eyes. I am FAR too PRETTY to be a man! And I AM NOT GAY!
Little tears began leaking from hi - HER eyes.
The weapons mistress looked on, nonplussed. "Now that's just sad."
Suzaku sniffed pitifully.
Yes. It is.
"………!"
Tenten had finally reached the depressing conclusion that she would just have to deal with a useless, crybaby, mentally disturbed creature who had no understanding of sarcasm in her head. She'd been through worse. Yeah. This would be easy compared to stuffing Neji into a Santa suit. Yeah!
Deciding to be kind and offering a tissue that had materialized from thin air, she asked restrainedly, "So, what about your powers?"
She nearly screamed again when Suzaku immediately turned chibi, the river of tears now nonexistent. Her voice was that of an eager child in a toy store.
YAY! Okay, I like burning bodies the most. Oh, and causing sandstorms, and scaring people with my uber-cool theatrical costume, and basically killing in general. I mean, killing is so fun! Yeah! Their skin turns funky colors. And when they scream their last words, they say odd things. Besides, I get to eat their souls.
Tenten felt her blood run cold. Suzaku's childish voice and carefree physique made the words even more perverse.
After a moment of chilly silence, she ventured, "You're not as innocent as you pretend, as you?"
Suzaku smiled in that uncanny way of hers, a forked tongue flickering in and out. For the first time, Tenten unearthed malevolence in the charming gesture, and could finally imagine why this creature was so feared.
No. I'm not. She answered.
"…You don't like humans, do you?"
Suzaku regarded her with one beady eye, the insight known only to a soul eternally ensnared within the sands of time shining in that lightless sphere.
No. I don't. Now go, before I tire of you, as well.
As Tenten felt her dreamlike mass drifting away from her, she heard Suzaku call,
And next time, bring cookies!
--
"Tenten…TENTEN!" The voice was coming from behind her. Tenten forced open bleary eyelids and shut her now parched mouth.
"Who…? How?" She noted that she was sitting upright on the ground, a gray blanket draped over her from the waist down, as though she had been sleeping.
Turning over, chocolate met ice. Recalling a moment from a misleadingly short time ago, her face glowed a soft crimson. Hoping he would blame it on a fever or such, she asked,
"Ah, how long have I been out, Neji?"
Looking upon her now, trusting and…normal, the Hyuuga suppressed the shiver that threatened to make its way down his spine. He was clueless on how to approach her after the unusually chaotic afternoon.
"Actually, you've only been asleep for a few hours. Wait, hey! What are you doing?"
But Tenten had already begun rolling the blanket up.
Neji knelt before her, and was that a hint of worry in his cloudy eyes? "Tenten…are you sure you're okay? You…overexerted yourself a bit today."
Tenten stared at the gray cloth, mind elsewhere, refusing to meet his stare.
"Yes. I'm fine. Let's move. We need to get out of here." She could smell the blackened corpses, half a mile away. Suzaku trembled in horrifying keenness. The girl feared for her sanity and the safety of her friends if they did not put more distance between them.
Looking at her fingers, which he had never recalled trembling before, Neji asked no more questions and left to wake Lee, to her immense relief.
Within the hour, they were gone, all remains of the passing erased from the area.
--
"Yosh! Suna brims with youthful grace and beauty!" Lee gawked at the buildings of the city in awe. The material used for the majority of them were tan, giving one the impression that the edifices were all formed from millennia of sand sculpted by the Earth's greatest artisan, Wind.
"Careful, Lee. Don't draw too much attention to yourself." Neji cautioned under his breath, but he, too, was glancing at the structures appreciatively. This was the trio's first trip to the city, and many of Sunagakure's constructions were legends in the architectural world.
Tenten was quieter than usual, tucking their phony day passes for marketing away. Suna did not seem as surprisingly new as it should have. Her mind was beginning to feel trickles of foreign memories – she assumed they were Suzaku's, gathered through the centuries she had lived.
Before the girl had a chance to examine all the rather interesting new information she was receiving, Lee's voice broke into her train of thoughts.
"Oi! Gaara-san!" It seemed their green-clad teammate had temporarily forgotten the mission at seeing the familiar gourd that discerned the redhead. Tenten couldn't blame him. Gaara and Lee were as close to friends as Gaara let anyone get.
When the boy turned around, however, Tenten felt as though a bolt of lightning had struck her. Sure, she had seen the lined sea green eyes before, but now, there was something else behind the exotic colors: a vague shape that could only mean one person.
The girl lost control of her body then, and her legs yielded to another one's pull from her mind, racing to cover the short distance between them. A tearful voice that was distinctly her own, but could not belong to her, poignantly cried…
"Oniichan!"
…before she glomped him.
--
TBC...
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Wheee! I hope you like Suzaku. I needed some humor in the fic, but I didn't want Suzaku to seem weak or too nice. So she's a scary, god-like, questionable-gendered, barbecue chicken killer. Yeah! I personally think she turned out pretty cool, but if you think I messed her up big time, tell me please. If a lot of you hate it, I might edit the chapter.
Did you guys understand that last little bit? If you did, good job! If you didn't that's okay, ask me in your review, or maybe someone might already have the answer posted in the reviews. (Here's a hint: This is Gaara. Gaara is also...?) If you still don't get it, there's another hint in the previous chapter.
If you STILL don't get it, then just wait until the next chappie comes out. XD
Review and I'll love you! Don't review, and I'll still love you! (Just not as much...just kidding.) Let's try to get 60 reviews!
