Rabbit Princess [Gaara] [2]

☾ 73 ☽

Tsukiko felt her conscious returning to her and she slowly opened her eyes, feeling sickly as she did so. But rather seeing the night sky above her, she saw darkness hanging above her. Right below it, however, there was faint white light. She realised now that she was laying in her element, Water, and she slowly closed her eyes – comprehending things visually was exhausting.

In the darkness beneath her eyelids, Tsukiko tried to figure out what had happened to her. The thought of it made her head hurt as she remembered how Madara had captured them all, pulled at their neck and snatched them all away from right next to her.

A sudden fear for the fate of Naruto and Killer Bee entered her head, knowing that they were just as much tethered to their Beasts as she was. Could they be like her and –

"Where am I? Did I die?"

The sound of Naruto's voice snapped Tsukiko's eyes open again and it sent another sharp pain in her head as she pushed herself to sit up, her eyes reaching Naruto right across from her.

"What makes thee think that thou art dead?"

Yet another voice, a deep, aged and masculine voice sent Naruto snapping onto his butt as well, looking around, yelping at the sight of Tsukiko but she was already looking elsewhere, her blue eyes stuck on a man floating in the air in the middle of the endless chamber.

"That's not Usajii!"

"Thine ethical viewpoint on death differs much from that which prevailed in my time..." spoke the man. "To so easily replace oneself with the term 'death'... thou must gain mettle, oh fledgling,"

"Who are you?" Naruto asked as he and Tsukiko eyed the man.

"I thought he was Usajii," Tsukiko muttered as she walked over to stand with Naruto. "But I suppose even Usajii isn't that formal anymore,"

Upon her voice, the man slowly rotated in air to reveal that it was an elderly man with spiky, pale brown hair to his shoulders. His face had deep wrinkles and he had a long goatee. He was dressing a white flowing cloak with the Magatama engraved on them with black.

Truth-Seeking Balls kept him afloat in air. His eyes were the Rinnegan, and so was the third eye on his forehead. But most importantly, he had the same horns as Tsukiko, unlike any she had seen before. Although his were quite as extended as the ones she formed in her Sage Mode.

"'Tis quite a precise query for this place, but..." continued the man. "I am quite uneasy over whether thou shalt be able to connect my name with my actions as a herald... I am he who shall achieve peace and order... my name is Hagoromo,"

"Hagoromo...?" Tsukiko muttered to herself, surprised.

"On the other hand," Hagoromo said. Tsukiko looked back at him, this time closely. "I had foreseen that thou wouldst end up in such a state as that,"

"Hey, gramps, sorry," Naruto said. "But, I..."

"Now then..." Hagoromo went on carry on.

"Hey!" Naruto exclaimed suddenly. "Those eyes! Rinnegan!"

"Thou dost appear to possess observant eyes," Hagoromo replied.

"A bit too much," Tsukiko breathed, shaking her head.

"All that remains is for thee to pragmatically comprehend thy circumstances," Hagoromo said. "Thou hast not died yet... this place is thine inner minds. I understand thine haste, but at this moment, rushing will accomplish naught,"

"Do you understand what he's talking, Tsukiko-Chan?" Naruto asked. Tsukiko nodded but that didn't appease the blond. "Can't you speak a little more smoothly, using easy, normal words?"