Inside Yuzuki's Mindscape
"So... Indu-"
"Indra"
"Yeah, that's what I was about to say"
"But you-"
"So, Indra"
Yuzuki cut him off with an easy smirk, her voice light and teasing
"Now that you've dumped all that history on me, are you planning to go away anytime soon, or...?"
Indra, clearly unamused, exhaled through his nose
"To be honest, this is the first time I've been able to manifest inside a reincarnation's mindscape"
He studied her, expression unreadable
"It might be because you're... how old, exactly? Three or four?"
Yuzuki tilted her head, looking utterly unbothered
"Technically? I haven't even been born yet
This is just my soul, looking like this"
Indra blinked
Twice
"...Wait, what?"
"I said, I haven't been born yet"
A pause
Then another
Indra stared at her, disbelief creeping into his usually steady gaze
"How is that even possible?"
Yuzuki's smirk widened as she took in his stunned reaction
"Hah! That's the best face I've seen in ages"
Indra, ever the skeptic, narrowed his eyes
"How could you have seen anything if you haven't been born yet?"
"Simple"
Yuzuki said, shrugging
"I've been reborn"
The shift in Indra's demeanor was instant
His expression darkened, skepticism hardening into something colder
"Quit lying, kid
That's impossible"
Yuzuki's smile disappeared
A weight settled over the mindscape
Not an explosion, not a violent shift, just pressure, quiet but suffocating
The embers floating around them dimmed, pulsing erratically, flickering between light and ash
Indra stilled
"...What is this?"
Yuzuki's gaze sharpened, something dangerous curling at the edges of her expression
"Brat"
She said softly, voice carrying an unmistakable edge
"Don't ever call me 'kid' again"
Her presence coiled around them, invisible but oppressive, like a predator testing its prey
"When you were born"
She continued, slow and deliberate
"I was already at the top of the world"
The embers flared, sudden, searing
For a moment, they burned bright, then collapsed into eerie silence
Indra didn't move
A three year old's form, carrying the weight of something far older
"...What's the matter?"
Yuzuki tilted her head, her tone playful, but her eyes sharp
Indra met her gaze, realization creeping in
This child, this soul, was something beyond his expectations
"...Are you really a reborn person?"
His voice was quieter now, the doubt still there, but shaken
Yuzuki merely shrugged, her smirk returning
"Why would I lie about that?"
Indra didn't respond immediately
His mind was racing
The girl before him was more than she seemed... much more
He exhaled slowly, relenting to the strange tension between them
"Well, whatever"
She muttered
"I need to watch a memory... Want to come with me? Maybe it'll convince you"
Yuzuki extended her hand, waiting
Indra hesitated
Then, cautiously, he placed his hand on her shoulder, as though testing the waters
She didn't comment on his reserved gesture
"By the way"
She added casually
"just call me Yuzuki for now"
Indra barely had time to register the request before she turned, reaching toward a faint ember, a barely flickering spark lost among the others
The moment her fingers brushed against it, the world twisted
a snow covered crater
Cold
The air was thin, sharp, the kind that cut through the lungs like a blade
The vast crater stretched endlessly, its snow covered expanse eerily undisturbed, as if time itself had frozen in this place
Indra released Yuzuki's shoulder, scanning their surroundings
"Where is this?"
Yuzuki didn't look at him
Her gaze was locked on a figure in the distance
"My last memory..."
Indra followed her eyes
At the center of the crater, seated alone, was a woman
She sat in absolute stillness, her form draped in a black haori adorned with delicate purple sakura blossoms
Beneath it, a deep blue kimono pooled around her like a river frozen mid motion
Her hair was dark, cascading freely, except for the end of her ponytail, where strands of flame flickered, shifting between gold, orange, and red
Not ordinary fire, but something alive, something that seemed to burn with its own will
And then there were her eyes
Red
Gleaming
Unnatural
There was wisdom in them, but also something else
A weight
A quiet, lingering defiance
Indra's breath slowed
He wasn't sure why, but looking at her made the air feel heavier
"Is that...?"
He started, but the words trailed off
"That is... was... me"
Yuzuki's voice was quiet
Distant
Something in the air shifted
It wasn't just cold, it was emptiness
A hollow silence that swallowed sound before it could fully form
Indra frowned
"...This place feels... cold"
He murmured
It was a different kind of cold, not just from the snow, but from something deeper, final
Yuzuki scoffed, a bitter edge creeping into her smile
"Heh... Of course it does"
Indra turned to her
"Why?"
Her fingers flexed at her sides
"Because"
She said, voice unreadable
"this is where she died"
"She?"
Indra started to ask, but Yuzuki silenced him with a sharp gesture
She wasn't looking at him anymore
She was looking up
"Someone is coming"
Indra squinted at the sky
A small dot was growing larger, fast
Too fast
He activated his Sharingan
"There is... Two old men?"
His voice was edged with confusion
Beside him, Yuzuki's smile widened, something cold flickering beneath it
"Oh? You can see them?"
Yuzuki raised an eyebrow, surprised at Indra's reaction
His eyes, dark, red, and sharp, reflected something she had seen before in her mother's memories
But now, watching them narrow in recognition, she realized the truth
This wasn't just any normal eye
This was someone kind legacy that had been forced upon her
"This-"
Indra started, but Yuzuki silenced him with a sharp wave of her hand
"Explain later
I want to pay attention to this"
Indra opened his mouth to argue, but stopped
Instead, he fell silent, watching the memory unfold with wary curiosity
If this was truly her final moments, it could reveal something important
The two figures in the sky grew closer, their speed unnatural for their apparent age
The moment they landed, the force of it sent tremors through the frozen wasteland
Snow kicked up around them, but it never melted
Before either of them could speak, Yuzuki cut them off with a single word:
"Leave"
One of the elders, tall, with long white hair, scowled
"Brat! Now that that monster isn't here to protect you, do you still dare to ignore me?"
Yuzuki's gaze remained flat, untouched by his rage
"I said. leave."
Her voice was quiet but absolute
"Do not profane her resting place with your miserable presences"
The second elder, shorter and hunched, let out a grunt of irritation
"Impudent little wretch! I'll teach you some respect!"
Without warning, the first elder lunged, moving faster than his frail form should have allowed
His fist swung forward, carrying the weight of absolute force-
Yuzuki didn't move
But not because she couldn't
She wouldn't allow their hands to touch this ground
The snow beneath her feet pulsed with icy stillness, untouched by the chaos around it
She shifted, graceful, fluid, and sidestepped the blow at the last moment
The elder's strike missed, his fist slamming into the frozen ground instead
A sharp crack echoed through the wasteland
The earth fractured, but the snow did not
The elder reeled back, eyes flickering in confusion
"Why isn't it melting?"
He muttered
Yuzuki exhaled, gaze locked on the unmarred frost
"Because you are unworthy of her world"
The words were simple, but they carried a finality that made the air feel heavier
The shorter elder snarled and raised his hand, crackling energy forming at his fingertips
"Enough of this nonsense-"
Yuzuki turned toward him, slowly and deliberately
"You would stain this place with your filth?"
She asked, voice as calm as the snowfall
For the first time, they hesitated
Not out of fear, but out of unease
This wasn't a girl begging for her life
This wasn't someone fighting for revenge
This was someone standing in a graveyard, not to mourn, but to make sure it stayed untouched
The elders moved at once, attacking in tandem
Yuzuki didn't block
She didn't dodge
She intercepted
Her movements were not of someone trying to survive, but of someone ensuring their unworthy hands never reached this place
Blow after blow landed against her, but she never let them strike the frozen ground
Blood splattered the snow, soaking into it without a trace
She barely felt it
Instead, she watched the way the white expanse remained untouched beneath her
How, even now, even with her standing here alone-
The snow did not melt
*Drip* *Drip*
Her blood seeped into it, yet the frost never faded
A thought flickered at the edge of her mind
A long forgotten legend...
A being capable of reincarnation
A phoenix
A creature that could live forever
The myths claimed it had vanished, but Yuzuki knew the truth
It hadn't disappeared
It had passed its power, its curse, down to her ancestors
And now, that power stirred once more
"Maybe I could-"
Yuzuki whispered to herself, her voice barely audible
The elder who had struck her sneered
"What are you mumbling about, brat? Just give us the phoenix blood, and maybe we'll let you live!"
A sound bubbled up from Yuzuki's throat
At first, just a chuckle
Then a giggle
Then, full blown, mad laughter
"Hahaha... Hehehe... Hehahaha..."
The elders stiffened, confusion flickering in their eyes as the eerie sound filled the frozen wasteland
"Her spiritual energy... it's still here... So why don't I...?"
The second elder snarled
"Stop her!"
He lunged, too late
Heat erupted from Yuzuki's body
The air shuddered
The frozen landscape twisted, warping under the pressure of something ancient stirring within her
"Hnnn..."
A low growl rumbled in her throat as flames crawled across her skin, devouring what remained of her tattered clothes
Her body blistered, burned, yet she didn't stop
The heat intensified, rolling off her in waves that shimmered like a mirage
The elders recoiled, shielding their faces
"Monster!"
One of them spat
Yuzuki's voice was soft, empty, yet resolute
"What better way to go..."
She lifted her gaze, eyes gleaming with an unearthly glow
"...than the same way you did?"
The moment the words left her lips, she moved
The elders barely had time to react before she vanished, consumed in a blazing inferno
But she didn't let the fire touch the snow
Instead, she reappeared behind them, hands wreathed in flame, grabbing their robes before they could resist
And then she dragged them away
They screamed, struggling in her grip, but it was meaningless
Yuzuki carried them beyond Yuna's resting place, her steps unwavering, her flames growing ever brighter
Once they were far enough, once their filthy presence no longer tainted her sanctuary...
She let go
And set the world ablaze
Fire roared to life, swallowing the elders whole
Their shrieks were brief, insignificant
The heat burned so hot, so pure, that they never even left ashes behind
They were erased
Yuzuki stood amid the inferno, her body glowing with the remnants of her power
Her vision blurred
Her breathing slowed
But she had one last thing to do
She turned back
Back to the only place that mattered
The snow covered crater stood untouched, as if nothing had ever disturbed it
She stepped forward, the flames still clinging to her like an embrace
Even now, the snow refused to melt
Of course it didn't
It was hers
Yuna's
As she stepped into the center of the crater, where she had once knelt beside the only person who had ever mattered, she let the fire spread
And for the first time, the snow welcomed it
Not as destruction
Not as an enemy
But as something eternal
A smile ghosted across her lips
"I'll take my fate... and I'll make it mine"
The flames curled around the ice, and the two elements intertwined, never overpowering, never consuming
Together
Even in death
As Yuzuki's body was consumed in fire, the inferno surged toward the heavens
Her final words were whispered into the raging storm of flame and frost
"I will follow Yuna wherever she is"
The world flashed white
And when the fire finally faded, the land was changed forever
Snow and fire, bound together
A place where neither would ever disappear
The last whisper of her voice lingered in the air
"I'll be with you soon, Yuna"
Before her body had even fully disintegrated, the last traces of her energy burned through the land
Fire and ice intertwined, etching her final act into the world itself
The snow refused to melt
The flames refused to die
And then, nothing
A silence so deep it felt like the world itself was holding its breath
Indra stood frozen, unable to move
Not because of fear
Not even because of awe
But because, for the first time in his existence, he was witnessing a memory that refused to feel like the past
The weight of it lingered, real, undeniable, as if even time itself had been burned by her
The air still trembled, heat and cold clashing in an impossible harmony
And yet, she was gone
Her name, her presence, erased in an instant
Except... it wasn't
"Well... That was a bit more dramatic than I intended"
Indra's head snapped toward the voice
There she was
Standing next to him, arms crossed, as if she hadn't just obliterated everything in her wake
Yuzuki
Whole
Unscathed
Watching him with a bemused expression
"Did you enjoy the show?"
She asked, tilting her head
"I thought it was quite the spectacle
But hey, at least you didn't get vaporized this time"
Indra just stared at her
He opened his mouth
Then closed it
Then opened it again
Nothing came out
"I... think I need a moment"
The aftershock of the explosion still reverberated through the memory
The land itself remembered
Indra swore he could still feel the heat on his skin
It was wrong
It was just a memory
So why did it still feel alive?
Yuzuki smirked as she observed his blank stare
"You can close your mouth anytime now"
Indra barely registered the comment, his mind still struggling to comprehend what he had just witnessed
"That level of power..."
He muttered, mostly to himself
"I've seen destruction before, but this..."
His gaze drifted back to the scarred land, where fire still danced over frost, locked in eternal defiance
"What, that?"
Yuzuki waved a hand dismissively
"I did warn you"
Indra exhaled, trying to ground himself
"Who... are you?"
He asked, his voice quieter this time, edged with something more than just curiosity
"How can someone like you exist?"
Yuzuki's smirk didn't fade
But for the first time, her expression shifted
There was something absolute in her eyes
Something that had already been lost once, yet remained unbroken
She took a step forward, closing the distance between them
And then, with a quiet certainty that left no room for doubt-
"I already told you, didn't I?"
Her voice was light, almost playful
But beneath it, there was something undeniable
Something immortal
"I'm Yuzuki"
She tilted her head, as if testing the weight of her own words
"Yuzuki Kemuriyama-"
The air shifted
Even here, in a mere memory, the name resonated like an echo from a forgotten era
She let the final words settle, letting them breathe
And then-
"Goddess of Fire"
The flames in the distance crackled in response, as if the world itself had been waiting to hear it again
Indra exhaled slowly
And for the first time since meeting her-
He believed her
-=Chapter End=-
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