Konnichi wa!
Kyah! Sorry I haven't updated in a while! School sucks! XP
Not a very exciting chapter – but key to understanding how the story will work. Please read, or you'll totally be confused in the chapters to come:D
Here's chapter six!
Wingless Flight
Chapter Six – Ancient Death
Neji was on Genbu's back now, sitting cross-legged on the turtle's huge shell as he lumbered through the trees.
All of them shifted and moved aside as the turtle came through, pulling their roots up out of the earth and scattering to the side as Genbu passed. Neji turned his head to see the trees move again to their former spots and plant themselves back into the earth after the huge reptile passed.
Whoa… He thought in awe.
"So child," the huge turtle began as he walked, making Neji look down at his scaly head. "What do you want to know?"
Oh God – where to begin? Neji thought grimly.
"Okay…" he began. "Let's start with Uchiha. That winged serpent called him Suzaku. What is that?"
"Suzaku is an ancient celestial body," Genbu replied without missing a stride. "He helps rule the earth with three other bodies – Byakkou, Sieryu, and me – Genbu."
"Celestial bodies?" Neji asked. "How did THAT happen?"
Genbu waited as a huge dead tree picked itself up and scrambled out of his way before answering.
"Long ago – before even time was created, the Emperor of the Heavens had so much power, that the world threatened to be dissolved in chaos.
"So – before that could happen, the Emperor of the Heavens split his power into four creations, classifying his powers into the four elements – fire, water, wind, and earth. These four creations were known as celestial bodies."
"And you three – being Genbu, Byakkou, and Suzaku – are those celestial bodies?" Neji asked.
"Correct," Genbu replied. "There is one more – Sieryu, the ruler of water – but he is an outcast. An evil outcast who uses his divine powers for nothing but destruction. Sure he complies with us sometimes – to create rain and other good things – but other that, he merely uses his powers for chaos."
"So what happened to Suzaku?" Neji asked. "Why is he in the Uchiha's body?"
"Long ago – two thousand years to be precise – the Emperor of the Heavens decided to separate Suzaku and Sieryu. They are bitter enemies, and whenever they meet – havoc breaks loose worldwide. And since they are literally polar opposites – Suzaku being commander of fire and Sieryu water – the results of their meetings were catastrophic. And they were meeting more and more as time went by. So the Emperor of the Heavens felt it needed to step in and separate the two – by sealing them both in human blood. I don't know which human family Sieryu was forced into – I don't even think the Emperor did that to him – but He chose to have Suzaku sealed away in the bodies and blood of the Uchiha clan. Their bloodline trait – the Sharingan – was birthed BECAUSE of his entrance into their blood."
Neji blinked.
"Is that why the Sharingan is red?" He asked. Genbu nodded as huge stones lifted up from the pit of the river to allow him to cross.
"Correct. So, Suzaku complied, allowing himself to be sealed away into the most powerful family of the Uchiha clan. And there he lived for the past three thousand years, living inside the blood of the Uchihas, being reborn and passed down to generation after generation. Every place there was even an inkling of his spirit – even a tiny drop – the Sharingan took shape. The more amount of soul that resided in a body, the more powerful the bloodline trait. All we – the other celestial bodies – had to do was wait. Suzaku was asleep all this time – dormant and not knowing what was going on. But eventually – he would reawaken, and we would see him again."
"So he finally awoke inside of the Uchiha?" Neji asked.
"That's right. He finally opened his eyes when Sasuke was eight years old – two days after the massacre of his clan.
"Sasuke noticed Suzaku's presence immediately, and we were terrified that his own soul and mind would try to drive Suzaku out – killing them both. We could do nothing to help – the Emperor had forbidden it. We could do nothing but stand and watch. And pray to our Father.
"Sasuke didn't even attempt to force out Suzaku – in fact – he welcomed the phoenix with open arms, listening to the ancient advice and accepting the age-old power."
"So THAT'S why he's so strong!" Neji realized. Smiling proudly, Genbu nodded.
"Again – correct."
"But I don't understand something," Neji said, picking himself up and sliding down the curve of Genbu's back to rest on the broad shell parts that made the shoulder blades. "If he already had all of that power, why did he leave for Sound? Why didn't he just use the power he gained from Suzaku to kill Itachi?"
Genbu sighed.
"Yes – you ARE Byakkou's child – amazing perceptive. Well, this is where you get to see Uchiha stubbornness – ALSO something thanks to Suzaku. Sasuke insisted that he didn't want to handicap himself by using Suzaku's power to assist him – he wanted to gain the power needed to defeat his brother on his own. And, Suzaku… also had… a reason to go there."
Neji blinked.
"What? Why? Why would he mess with mortals? Why did a celestial body have a reason to go there?"
Genbu sighed heavily as they came to rest.
After a moment of stillness, Neji disembarked, taking a seat in front of Genbu's large head.
"Well… I guess I'll have to tell you the entire story. Every two thousand years, a war takes place between the celestial bodies – an all out war. It's the Emperor's way to make sure the power is balanced between the four bodies. The four bodies are given a certain number of mortal warriors gifted with abnormal powers – Celestial Warriors, they are called – and these warriors fight each other until there is either one or none left standing. If the powers are balanced, then the war ends in a tie. However, if there is one celestial warrior remaining, then the Emperor steps in and drains the winning body of power until it is even with the other three. And thus, powers are balanced and peace is maintained. It's been going on ever since we four were born."
"Wow…" Neji breathed. "So what does this have to do with Sound?"
Genbu looked him in the eye.
"Before I answer that, Byakkou child, I think you should realize how colossal these wars were. Not JUST the celestial warriors died, but nearly thousands of other humans caught in the deadly crossfire died as well. For countless years, we four celestial bodies have fought and blood has been spilled on our behalf – countless oceans of blood. We always became close with our celestial warriors and their lives – it was inevitable – but ALWAYS we had to watch them fight and kill and die."
Genbu sighed heavily.
"It hurt us all – it did. The only one who showed no remorse was Sieryu – his celestial warriors are merely tools used to cut down the other warriors. He couldn't care less if their blood was splashed."
He looked up to Neji, who was listening attentively.
"But Suzaku – ah, Emperor bless him – he was the most compassionate of the four of us, poor bird. He was hurt the most when his celestial warriors died, and he hated having this war. Every two thousand years – without fail – it would take place.
"So he made a plan. If the celestial bodies could befriend one another, and seek to protect each other instead of kill each other, then perhaps they could avoid such disastrous, terrible wars.
"I barely spoke to him at the time. Sure we combined our powers to help control the earth at times, but I wanted nothing to do with him. He found his way to my chambers – deep inside of the earth – to speak with me.
"He told me of his plan – and I am the wisest of the four – so I immediately saw the sense in his plans and agreed.
"Next he looked to Byakkou – in the highest air around the highest mountain tops. The serpent was a little slow in agreeing – he was afraid of change – afraid of the Emperor's wraith – but eventually, he agreed as well.
"Sieryu, however, would not be budged. In fact, when Suzaku first called to him, first told him his idea, Sieryu summoned a terrible storm, creating a great tidal wave, hoping to drown Suzaku and carry him to the darkest depths of the ocean floor. Suzaku managed to escape – barely.
"We three spent more time with each other, watching over the earth from a great cave high enough for Byakkou, low enough for myself, and close enough to the fiery bowels of the earth for Suzaku.
"It took us twenty thousand years to finally understand each other – to deal with each other – to love each other. This will be the twenty-second year since we first had counsel together. With luck, we will be able to stop the next war, which is drawing ever closer."
Neji was getting impatient.
"So what about Sound…?"
"I'm getting to that," Genbu snapped. "Anyway, throughout the years, Suzaku has realized that Sieryu was – without fail – ALWAYS the one to trigger the wars. So, he got the idea that if we could eliminate his celestial warriors and remove him from the war early, the war wouldn't start at all. We three have no desire to send our celestial warriors to the others' throats.
"So Suzaku used Orochimaru's suggestion to his advantage. That smart bird – he KNEW that the Emperor would chose people like the ones in Sound for Sieryu's warriors – he could SENSE it, I swear! So he sent Sasuke to Sound, and eventually, every single person under Orochimaru's rule – including the snake himself – were killed. Even if Suzaku missed one or two, it wouldn't matter, they would have no chance against ours. So, hopefully, this will be the first time this world will have peace."
Neji was skeptical.
"And you're saying that the Emperor of the Heavens hasn't noticed ANYTHING?" He asked.
Genbu – as far as Neji could tell – shrugged.
"The Emperor takes care of the humans and leaves us to our own devices. Sure we get messages from him tell us to create this certain thing at this certain place, but other than that, he lets us do what we wish. As long as we don't fight before we're supposed to."
Neji noticed Genbu was bitter at this last statement.
Then he asked a more… personal question.
"And what about Suzaku and Byakkou?" He asked. "Are they…?"
Genbu blinked.
"Oh, you're speaking of their relationship?" At Neji's nod, Genbu laughed. "Oh yes – before Suzaku was sealed away, they had been together for at least eight thousand years."
Neji blinked.
"But they're brothers."
"And?"
Neji was confused.
"Wouldn't that be incest?"
Genbu blinked at him, now being the one confused. Then he grinned toothily.
"Mortal laws don't apply to us celestial bodies, Byakkou child. Besides, only in human shape can they do anything physical. They were content to be one in mind, if not one in body."
"I see…" Neji murmured. Genbu blinked at him, waiting for another question. "And what of you? What element do you control?"
"I control earth, and all matters of it," Genbu replied. "In fact, I tend to sleep quite a lot, and the other two have told me that every time I snore, an earthquake strikes."
Neji blinked.
"Really?"
"That's what the other two say. You know, a volcano erupts when I snore and Suzaku sneezes at the exact same time."
Neji was tempted to laugh.
"Really?"
"Yep. And wildfires start whenever me and Byakkou have a spat. He steals some fire from Suzaku's essence, and then he throws it down into the forests and blows on them to annoy me and make my shell itch. Suzaku has to go to the Emperor of the Heavens, and then He goes to Sieryu ordering to make it rain in that particular spot. Sometimes though, the blasted dragon doesn't do it, and so the humans have to put the fire out."
Neji looked away, amused.
"So… how did I become Byakkou's child?" He asked the turtle.
"Well, all celestial warriors are born roughly about the same generation with a certain celestial body in mind. Then, while they are in the womb, a part of that particular body's essence is taken from them and then implanted in the soul of the unborn child. That way, the child and the celestial body are spiritually linked, and the body can find the human when the time comes."
"Don't you know who your warriors are right away, then?" Neji asked. Genbu shook his head.
"Nope – before the warriors are born, the celestial bodies are all called to the Emperor's Heavenly Court, and nine slices of essence are taken from each of us. Then we are sent away, and we never know who our warriors are until the right time comes."
Neji blinked and then nodded.
"So… this war of yours… it's coming?"
Genbu merely looked at him for a moment and then sighed, nodding."
"Aye – I'm afraid it is. I can feel it in my shell – with every day that passes, that time comes closer and closer."
Then the turtle's eyes turned sharp, and it sent a chill through Neji's body.
"The time of ancient death."
End Chapter Six – Ancient Death
Like I said, boring, but strongly hints at things exciting to come:D
Oh… a war going to kill thousands… I'm excited. XD
Please review! I would like 57!
Ja ne!
DDB