Capítulo 951: 21
Chapter 21: Kyoto at LastChapter Text
I was really excited to have Suzaku joining us on our journey to Kyoto. From what I could tell during our brief fight she seemed like a fun person. I don't know what another descriptor you would use for someone who could throw out so many cool attacks. The way she manipulated the elements at the start of our fight was like fighting an alchemist from FMA combined with the fucking avatar. It was so awesome how she took my attacks and seamlessly blended them into her own to make a stronger attack or defense. Just thinking about it gets my blood pumping!
What I don't understand is why she's been so quiet since our fight ended? We've been traveling for an hour and we're nearing the city of Toyota but she's hardly spoken. I think she may still be upset about how much damage I did… that doesn't make any sense though, I healed it all up already. Why would she still be upset if she's all good to go now? She almost killed me and I didn't even blink. Well, there is one way to go about this. "Hey, Suzaku-chan?"
She turns to me and an emotion I can't read flashes across her eyes; heh, I must be charming her already. She makes to speak but bites her lip and shakes her head, resetting her expression. Once done with that series of maneuvers she speaks, "Yes, Ibaraki-san?"
"Since we still have a long way to go until reaching our destination, how about we get to know each other?" From the flat stare I receive in response, I figure I should elaborate further. "Likes, dislikes, hobbies, goals for the future, that sort of thing. I'll go first; My name is Ibaraki and I like my family which are my mother and sister," Out of the corner of my eye I catch my mother's smile and relish the warm glow the sight gives me. "I like training, fighting, my sword, my bow… I really like magic and I'm excited to learn more, and, hmmm. Oh, I know! I like trying new foods!" I smile at Suzaku and she pales for some reason. Maybe she has an eating disorder? Hopefully, it's not because she's dieting or something, her figure is perfect the way it is.
"As for dislikes, I have a lot of those. I dislike weaklings but only the ones who aren't trying to get stronger. It's acceptable to be born weak in this world but it's not acceptable to stay that way." Suzaku quirks a brow at me, frowning.
"Really? What's wrong with wanting to live a simple life? Is it not fine to find pleasure in mundane things?" Sighing I shake my head. That's… well, a really naive line of thought.
"The weak in this world are like wheat waiting to be harvested. They soak up the sun slowly reaching for the sky and one day they may reach their potential that way, certainly. The issue is that every once in a while someone strong will come along and reap every one of them. It may be for a reason; one of them angered a powerful being, two such beings fight in the area, or another. But what if it isn't? What if these weak people are minding their own business and they're killed for the simple amusement of someone strong?" I shake my head, disgust welling up in me at the very thought of dying like that. "What kind of death is that, to be killed because someone else could. Not only that but their only recourse was to lay down and die because fighting what was killing them would be like fighting death itself, inevitable and unavoidable."
"It's not that simple," Suzaku says shaking her head scowling, not at me but at the idea. "Not everyone is born capable like you and I. I've been hailed as a prodigy since I was born and I still lost to you. One attack I used was effective and the power behind that wasn't even mine."
I tilt my head confused. "Then get stronger. Why are you complaining? That fight was really fun!"
"I've been training to seal demons away for over a decade! I'm supposed to be one of the best there is and you played around with me." She huffs and looks away whether upset at the loss itself or how she lost I'm unsure.
"Onee-sama has been training since she was born!" I beam at the support from Shuten, no matter how unnecessary. I reach down, slinging her up into the air. Shuten giggles in delight and controlling her rotation lands on my shoulders.
"That's an exaggeration, obviously. I've been training since I was one." At the incredulous look I receive from Suzaku, I elaborate. "When we're one year old in my village the current group of kids is thrown into a pit and forced to fight to the death. The one that lives gets named, the others get forgotten."
The blood drains from her face as she processes the tradition my village engaged in. Once she recovers and isn't trying valiantly not to throw up she reacts, "That's barbaric! What's the point of that? What could you possibly gain?"
"Hell if I know. It's why when I took over I decided to change things. We don't practice things like that anymore, I'm trying to make my people better and more effective." Really it's things like that that make me wonder if the collective intelligence of my race, outside my family, is null. Akio is a training maniac, Yaeko is thick as a brick, Kiyoshi is too busy sniffing flowers to have an intellectual conversation, and the rest are just as bad! I mean I've had a few productive chats with the craftsmen in the village but even then they're just focused on their craft. Truly intelligence must be the Oni dump stat.
"Changing things, huh. I guess if you want to know that's my dream." Jolting back to attention at the prospect of learning something important to her I hang on to Suzaku's next words. "Since I was young I saw the backward traditions of my clan, the stagnation caused by clinging to old ideals, the pain caused for those who failed to fall in line. I want to change that, to make my clan a force for good…" She turns to me, a vulnerability filling her as she gathers herself. "Do you think I could?"
"I don't see why not? You've already impressed me when we fought, if you show half that ferocity when it comes to dealing with your family I think you'll pull it off." I'm rewarded with a bashful smile that causes my lips to curl upwards to match it. Until I'm bonked on the head by Shuten.
Rubbing the spot I was hit I glare upwards through my fringe at Shuten. "Mou, Onee-sama shouldn't smile at other girls!"
I'm startled when a laugh bubbles out of Suzaku, her looking as surprised as I feel. That laugh quickly cascades into full-blown laughter, Yaeko and my mother joining in. I crack a smile at the atmosphere, glad everyone's enjoying themselves. Of course, I ignore Shuten's growling. It takes a minute but eventually the laughter dies down, Suzaku looking considerably more comfortable than before. Suzaku looks over to me and smiles, "You were talking about your dislikes?"
"I probably shouldn't bring the mood down by talking about those but my number one dislike is rotten self-indulgent old bastards." Suzaku for her part just looks more amused at that which I'm thankful for. "For hobbies, I like practicing with my sword or bow, fighting, meditation, and training my little sister."
"Bleh, my dislike is training." Shuten pipes up from above me.
"Well, I suppose you don't need a lift anymore then," I reach up to fling her off but she grips my hair tightly. When my hands grab a hold of her, she starts to growl, and as I try to pull her off she bites my hand. "Ow, dammit! Fine stay up there, see if I care."
Suzaku stares at me mirth dancing in her eyes. "You two are cute together. Seeing you two makes me want to go visit my cousin; I'll probably visit her and my aunt after the sealing ceremony." I can see by the deepening of her smile that she's imagining seeing her family right now. The sentiment causes me to glance over to my mother and smile at her, knowing just how much she's done for me in this life and hoping she knows how much she means to me.
"For my dream…" I haven't had much time to think about what I wanted in this life honestly. Up until last year, everything I did was to ensure I was strong enough to kill the Elder. Don't get me wrong, there were moments I enjoyed along the way, but I never really looked beyond that. Even the past year my entire thought process was consumed with preparing the village and myself for when I left. The future huh… "I guess it would have to be becoming strong enough to protect everything I love."
"I can understand that it's a pretty good dream, but why did you finish your sentence in English?" Suzaku's staring at me in incomprehension while my mother is watching us both having recognized the word from all the times I used it before.
"Err, I don't know how to say it in Japanese? Why are you surprised? My village literally had a yearly deathmatch for infants." Suzaku pales again at the mention of that tradition but admirably recovers much quicker.
"That's fair… Um, it's aishiteru if you'd like to know. Also, you should probably work on your Japanese if you plan to be around humans a lot." I nod in thanks for the knowledge, openly showing my confusion to the latter sentence. "Well, you speak very formally and old-fashioned. It's like you're from a period drama and combined with your style of dress you'll stand out almost everywhere you go."
"Huh, thanks for that, I wouldn't have even noticed. You're a really nice girl Suzaku-chan!" I give her a wide smile and bump her with my hip. I have to swing my arm up to block Shuten when she tries to claw at Suzaku though, dealing with my sister is like wrangling cats sometimes.
"It's no problem, think of it as an apology for attacking you. Talking to you has been enlightening, to say the least. I believe it's my turn now? My name is Suzaku Himejima-" The black flames roar into existence leaping toward Suzaku and it takes all my willpower to hold them back enough that they don't consume her. Tendrils of flame leap and writhe, pitch-black maws of fire biting at the air trying to reach her. Sweat drips down my forehead as the strain to hold back the grudge of my ancestor makes itself known.
I watch Suzaku leap backward, eyes wide with fright at the sudden change. I'm unable to even say anything to calm or reassure her so fiercely are the flames struggling to move contrary to my wishes. Shuten thankfully realized what was going on and leaped off my shoulders, moving towards our mother. Likewise, my mother has distanced herself from me. As quickly as they leaped forward they turned around, falling on me like a tidal wave.
The flames solidify into the form of my ancestor, his hand wrapped around my throat as he holds me against the ground. "You dare hold me back! Our pact was clear, you gain my strength and in turn, I gain my vengeance!"
Snarling I stare hatefully into the black pools of flame that represent his eyes, "She's not involved you dumbass! Do you want to kill some harmless girl to satisfy yourself? You disgust me."
"Any, who bear that name deserves to suffer a thousand deaths for what they did! Don't try to stop me, child; she dies today, or you die with her." The flaming form of Ibaraki starts to climb off me. While he was ranting I haven't been idle, however. As he stands up the leaping form of Byakko knocks him back down; the two rolling, claws flashing, and gouts of flame flowing in all directions.
My ancestor, clearly the stronger of the two, overpowers Byakko and snaps the tiger's neck. The flames from Byakko dissipate and I feel the essence flow back into me. Upon feeling Byakko's 'spirit' return I know he'll be recovered in a few hours. I don't have much time to focus on that because my ancestor is moving again. A similar shield to the one that imprisoned me earlier forms around the man binding him in place.
"What is that?!" Suzaku is alternating between glaring at me and gaping at the flames clashing against the barrier.
"Well… It's kind of the spirit of my ancestor bound to a form of hatred based spiritual flame that seeks revenge against those who wronged the spirit in their life?" Suzaku layers more tags around the flame, reinforcing the shield holding it in.
With that done she focuses her glare on me fully. "Why does it want to kill me?!"
"You don't know?" Her glare doubles in force and I sigh pinching the bridge of my nose. "Your family and the other Principle Clans were involved in the slaughter of the Oni at Mt. Ooe. You do realize that we," I gesture at my other companions, "Are Oni right?"
"That's impossible… The Principle clans maintained the barrier around the mountain while Raikou-sama and the Shitenno put the Oni down. The only one who escaped was-" She gasps as all the pieces come together.
"Ibaraki-Douji, girl. I'll get out of this barrier just like I did that one! The only difference is that this time I'll kill my target!" Even though he says that he makes no move to break out. Instead, he prods at our mental connection. 'Brat, kill the girl and I'll forgive you'.
I roll my eyes at him, how stupid does he think I am. 'Why do you want her dead so badly, I promised you revenge against the Principle Clans, I don't intend to go back on that now.'
The flames flicker with interest as he peers at me through the glittering dome. 'Why don't you want her dead? She's just a human, kill her and be done with this.'
Suzaku is still focused on her thoughts so I take the time to really look at her. It's not like I didn't think about just killing her, especially after that pillar of fire that almost killed me. What's holding me back is- 'Hoh? You've never paid attention to anyone in the village but this girl you want to mate with? I'll admit her figure is superior to the others and she's more powerful. You do know her clan would demand your death, right?'
I growl at him through the connection, causing Suzaku to look at me. There's a concern in her eyes and even though I know it's at the idea of the flames getting out my heart beats faster at the possibility it's a concern for me. 'You wanted revenge, right? What better way than to take control of the clans and make them mine. She's the future head of the Himejima clan and soon-to-be host of the Vermillion Bird. I'll help her change her clan by slaughtering the old bastards that don't fall in line. We can remake the Principle Clans into something unrecognizable.' Hopefully, he doesn't ask what I'll be making the clans into because I doubt he'd be happy with anything but a complete perversion of what they are now.
There's a long silence and then, "Hahaha, yes, yes! This is good. Do this and I'll be satisfied. But the deaths of Semei, Raikou, and the Shitenno are non-negotiable. Don't think that she will be around to seal me forever; should you go back on our deal I will have your soul.'
The flame in the barrier dies down to the barest embers and Suzaku looks at me questioningly. "I've got it now, I talked him down."
"Talked him down! What did you even say?" She makes no move to drop the barrier which makes me realize how much work I have ahead of me. If things like this keep happening I'm not sure it'll be possible.
"I told him that you had nothing to do with that. Apparently, you looked like one of the people who were there, and in his rage, he lost himself. He's too prideful to apologize but I'm sure he feels bad." I grit my teeth as my ancestor's voice booms in my head, 'Be careful how you tread. I can manifest at any moment if you continue pushing me.'
"You expect me to believe that you talked him down when he was an instant from burning me to ash!" She stares at me incredulously at my explanation. To be fair, I was rushed, so it wasn't perfect. That doesn't stop my anger from spiking at the doubt in her voice.
"Yes, I expect you to believe that because you tried to do the same to me, yet you aren't right now!" Suzaku rears back as though stricken, her argument faltering in its tracks. I feel a twinge of guilt but push on knowing that it's both of our lives at stake. "Please, trust me. I have no reason to hurt you. If I did you wouldn't be here."
I wince at how tactless I'm being. Closing my eyes I sigh, wondering how this went so wrong so fast. No, I know exactly how and why it went so wrong. Being me is suffering, that's why. I can't just meet a cute girl and hit it off without some stupid quirk of fate ruining it. She could have been from any magician faction in existence but she had to be from the Five Principle clans!
"I… Fine, just… just keep him away from me, please." Muttering to herself she lowers the barrier, the flames dissipating and my ancestor's essence returning. I smile in thanks, the tension in my body melting away. "Let's just move on."
I couldn't agree with that sentiment more.
The rest of the trip was done in awkward silence. The easy atmosphere that I had worked to develop and the progress I made in getting Suzaku to open up had been undone almost immediately after I had achieved them. My mother tried a few times to start up a conversation with Suzaku but each time was given the shortest possible answers without being rude. Shuten, displaying an uncommon level of empathy, didn't act out for the rest of the trip; instead, she elected to latch onto my hand and walk beside me.
Once we got to Toyota, Suzaku led us to a nondescript building that, upon entering, felt alight with magic. "What are we doing here, I thought we were going to Kyoto?"
She stops and smirks, the first expression other than neutrality she's shown since we resumed our trip. "Did you think we'd be walking all the way? We would never be able to do our jobs like that. Even driving or flying would take too long. Come on, I want to show you this."
Following her, we're led to a wide-open room with elegant script dominating the floor space. A path is open towards the center, cutting through the lines of symbols; this path leads to a clear area in the center. As Suzaku walks up the path different symbols begin to light up, reacting to her presence. By the time she reaches the center of the room, a glowing portal rips through the air, bursting into existence. It folds in on itself a few times before a clear image forms in the center. Through the portal, I catch a stone column with a playground behind it. Written on it is a word that causes my ancestor to growl, Rashomon.
Seeing us all in awe of the portal Suzaku preens, proud of her clan's prowess. Since she didn't say anything I assume either the room reads her intent or she channeled mana into specific symbols to choose her destination. Suzaku gives us a shallow bow, standing up she gestures to the city behind her. "Welcome to Kyoto!"
Status de energia semanal
-- Ranking de
Poder 
-- Pedra de
Poder