#sighs the story made me like him even more uwaa

[ga-yuu]

~Kurama~Main Story Chapter 12~

Chapter 11

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------Part 1------

Kurama: "You're the silversmith, right? Come on, work for me."

Old man: "Wh-Who....Who are you?!!?!!?!"

A small old man, who had been sitting alone at the hearth, looked up at Kurama with his soulless eyes.

Kurama: "Don't answer my question with a question, you fool."

(Oh god! He is going to kill the old man!)

Old man: "Uwaa...."

I quickly intervene between Kurama and the old man, who is frightened by the look in his eyes that he is about to shoot him.

Yoshino: "Sorry for that! We were introduced to you by Sueharu-san. Are you Heikichiro-san?"

Heikichiro: "I'm Heikichiro, but....I don't know anyone who goes by the name Sueharu."

Kurama: "Do you know Kichiji Kaneuri?"

Heikichiro: "....! You mean that big merchant....! So you're the one who wanted to pay for my works..."

Sighing, the old man turns to Kurama.

Heikichiro: "Then you must have already known about me. I won't be taking on any more orders. Sorry for the trouble, but my reply is the same. I would like to ask you to leave."

Kurama: "Do you wanna die?"

Heikichiro(scared): "......Nn.."

Yoshino: "Kurama!!"

Heikichiro-san shivered, but barely withstood the glare of Kurama's eyes.

(But Kurama won't be happy until he gets what he wants.)

(I have to talk to Heikichiro-san somehow.)

Yoshino: "We were wondering if you could tell us why? We heard that Heikichiro-san is a very skilled craftsman. It's strange that someone like that doesn't get any work at all...."

After a moment of silence, Heikichiro-san opens his mouth.

Heikichiro: "It's a stubborn old man's decision. It's just that I'm tired. No matter how much care you put into your designs, the customer only sees the value of the silver. ‘We'll give you more money and next time you'll make something that looks more expensive’ is what they say...it is a pity that the work is kept in hand only for the sake of self-aggrandizement."

(I didn't know that was possible...I guess that's the trouble with making expensive goods.)

Kurama: "I don't know what you mean, but there's no pity or happiness in what's been made."

Heikichiro: "....I don't think you and I are on the same page."

(Oh no, it's getting worse!)

Heikichiro: "If you don't care and just want to get paid, you might as well quit your job."

Yoshino: "Um...I'm a pharmacist, so my job is completely different, but I do understand a little bit of what you're saying..."

Heikichiro: "......."

Kurama looks down at me with his arms folded in silence as if he has decided to remain quiet for a while.

Yoshino: "I have been advised to give priority to the well-off over the poor. We can charge the rich more for our medicines. That's what we should do if we want to be efficient as a business."

Heikichiro: "....Then what happened?"

Yoshino: "I couldn't do it. I think it's one way to divide up the work....I became a pharmacist not just to make money, but to help others who are hurting. I felt that if I forgot that, I would lose sight of my purpose and I would change."

(I knew there was an easier way. But still...)

Yoshino: "----I wanted to be a pharmacist who was proud of who he was."

There was a small silence in the hut as a quiet voice told them.

Kurama: "......................."

Heikichiro: "-----I see."

After a moment, I sigh and look straight into Heikichiro-san's eyes.

Yoshino: "If you feel that Heikichiro-san is not able to produce his work with the same attention to detail....Surely now is not the right time to make one."

Kurama: "Hey you, didn't you come here to persuade him?"

-------Part 2------

Kurama: "Hey you, didn't you come here to persuade him?"

(That's true, but....)

I was troubled when I compared the faces of Kurama and Heikichiro-san.

(I think it takes a lot of determination to not shake your head even with the weight of Kurama on your shoulders.)

(After all, I don't think he can make something good if he's forced to make it.)

Yoshino: "We won't force you to do it. But it's shame we won't be able to see the work that's been done with such care. Can you show us any of your past work if you have it?"

Heikichiro: "........ Yeah, of course."

Heikichiro-san heads for a shelf in the corner of the room, showing some hesitation.

Then, from the back of the room, he took out a few items that were carefully inserted in a paulownia box..."

Kurama: ".....!!"

Kurama's eyes widened slightly as the items were carefully wiped down with a cloth.

Yoshino: "Wow, it's really beautiful.... I've never seen anything so finely woven."

(....Kurama is also watching them very intently.)

After a few moments, his mouth quietly opened.

Kurama: "----It's brilliant glow. Does it change its appearance according to the type, intensity, and angle of light?"

Heikichiro: "! That's right. It's made with an unusual process."

Kurama: "I don't care about the process."

Heikichiro: "Mm.."

Yoshino: "Ku-Kurama!"

Kurama's attention was caught by an involuntary interruption.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1. I asked him for more details...

2. The process is important...

3. Not in that way...(+4/+4)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yoshino: "That's no way to talk about work that someone's taken seriously."

Kurama: "What a strange woman you are to lecture me."

Kurama's fingers glided softly over the silversmith's work as he answered in a cumbersome tone.

Kurama: "You don't need to know the process, you just need to see the finished product. It's unique."

Heikichiro: "....!"

I heard Heikichiro-san gasp at the quiet tone of voice and the heat in his eyes.

(Ah! Kurama is acknowledging a human!)

Kurama: "But, it's not enough."

His red eyes, which absorb the glitter of the silversmith's work and take on a strange light, look at Heikichiro-san.

Kurama: "What I want from you is a light I've never seen before. A light that delights my eyes. If you have hands, you can work. Forget about all the nonsense you've been hearing and do what you’re good at."

Heikichiro: "I...I've never had anyone order me around like that before..."

(That was my first impression too....)

Heikichiro-san murmurs in confusion.

Heikichiro: "But strangely enough, I can't smell any falsehood from you. He seems to have the most arrogant attitude in the world, ....yet his fingertips are so gentle on the silverwork."

Kurama: "I value what I find valuable."

As Kurama stepped closer, Heikichiro-san stepped back as if under pressure.

Kurama: "I've heard that you can't make something good if you force it. Then answer me, silversmith."

---------Part 3----------

Kurama: "I've heard that you can't make something good if you force it. Then answer me, silversmith. What do I need to do to make these hands work? A golden workbench, a silk robe, or even....I will arrange the heads of those who have defiled your work in a circle around this house.”

(....He’s not threatening. But he’s serious.)

Heikichiro-san’s face turns pale as if he sensed the presence of an inhuman being.

(That look on his face, he’s not just scared.)

(....Because of how much Kurama really approves his work.)

Heikichiro-san, who had been gazing at Kurama in fascination, muttered to himself.

Heikichiro: “Who...are you?”

Kurama: “Kurama. That’s all you need to know.”

After a moment of silence, Heikichiro-san let out a long breath as if he had made up his mind.

Heikichiro: “....If I could have some time. I’m sure you’ll get what you want. I’d like you to pay for it at that time.”

( Heikichiro-san!!)

Kurama: “All right. But if you can’t make me something I like, I’ll cut your head off. Be prepared.”

Yoshino; “I told you to not threaten people. Sorry for that, Heikichiro-san. I’ll be cheering you on from the shadows....”

Heikichiro: “Thank you very much. I’m a bit confused myself, but I’ll do my best.”

Kurama: “I was telling the truth, not threatening.”

Heikichiro: “Hahahaha. I hope so...”

(It’s okay, Heikichiro-san...)

But despite the cold sweat on his face, Heikichiro-san had a smile on his lips.

.......................

Yoshino: “At any rate, I’m glad he took our order.”

Kurama: “I had intended to make him accepted by any means necessary, but you have done better than I expected.”

(Kurama, looks like he’s in a good mood.)

As night falls, we walk down the corridor back to the Rebel house.

(I’m also looking forward to the completion of  Heikichiro-san ‘s work.)

Above all, Heikichiro-san, who had stopped being a silversmith through sad resignation.

I’m excited by the fact that he can rekindle his passion.

(But that’s not all. Why am I so happy now?)

I glanced at the profile of Kurama as we walked side by side, and our eyes met as if he had sensed it.

Kurama: “What’s with that loose face?”

Yoshino(blushing): “Hm?”

(Oh dear. Did I make too many expressions?)

Yoshino(blushing): “Nothing!!”

I was still wondering where the thread of my broken thought was going, but I couldn’t put it into words so I faked it.

Kurama: “-----Well, I’m feeling so good today that I’m willing to overlook your little feelings. Your room is here.”

Yoshino(blushing): “Mm, yes.”

(Really, we were there before you knew it.)

Stopping in front of the room that was assigned to me, Kurama casually opens the sliding door.

Then, with his other hand, he easily pulled me to him and pushed me easily into the room.

(Eh?.... Hey!!)

Kurama came in after me and closed the doors behind him.

Yoshino(blushing): “Why are you coming in.....?”

Kurama: “Did you forget? I told you, I’d reward you. After you helped me, we’ll continue what we did yesterday.”

---------Part 4-------

Kurama: “After you helped me, we’ll continue what we did yesterday.”

Yoshino(blushing): “Ah.......”

(I totally forgot about that!)

The memory of being touched so badly comes back to me and my skin feels hot.

In a darkened room, Kurama stared at me.

Yoshino(blushing): “No, no,. Just getting out there is reward enough!”

Kurama(evil smile): “Don’t be shy. I’ll give you as much as you want.”

Kurama laughed like a ferocious beast when he saw me backing away.

Kurama: “There’s something more intriguing when I see you running away. Don’t move!”

(.....Ehhh)

Suddenly, Kurama’s eyes clashed with a mysterious light.

The words sink into my body as if they had mass.

(I can’t move!?)

Yoshino: “What are you doing....!!?”

Kurama: “It’s just a 'Kotodama’. Just the rudiments of spell application. Yoshitsune would be able to disarm this level on his own, but I doubt that you can.”

(You mean you’re using your curse power. If that’s the case, I’ll use the power of the nine-tail fox to....!)

The moment I focus my attention.

Yoshino: “Ah....”

Kurama suddenly touches the nape of my neck.

Kurama: “What’s the matter, Yoshino?”

Slowly, but with a clear intention, his fingertips traced the lines of my body.

Kurama: “You can’t handle the power of the spell in a human capacity. Didn’t Tamamo teach you that much?”

Yoshino: “If you know, then stop that hand!!!”

Kurama: “WHy should I follow your orders?”

Yoshino(blushing): “Haaa....Mmm....”

----The earlobe has been bitten so that the core of the head is debauched.

(Mm....I can’t move, so I can’t escape the stimulus.)

Yoshino(blushing): “Ahh...this is...cowardly...”

Kurama:” I don’t think it’s cowardly to use the powers available to you, but you’re right...it’s not fun. ‘You’re allowed to move.”

(........!)

As soon as I felt my body lighten up, I recoiled and fell off my feet.

Kurama: “I’ve given you permission but you still can’t move a muscle.”

Kurama laughs deep in his throat as he supports my body with one hand without difficulty.

A sweet sensation crawls up my spine as my hips are traced.

Yoshino(blushing): “Mmm....Let...go....”

Kurama: “Fine.”

(Yikes!!)

My body loses support and falls down.

Before I could stand up again, Kurama covered me.

Kurama: “I lifted the spell because it’s more amusing to hunt you down and see you struggle.”

Yoshino(blushing): “W-Wait...”

(This is absolutely outrageous!)

I resisted and pushed back his chest.

Yoshino(blushing): “It’s a reward, isn’t it? For me? If that’s the case, I don’t think it’s right to push me to do anything.”

Kurama: “...Really? I had forgotten such trifles as I watched you writhe in your misery.”

(How arrogant!)

Yoshino: “If it’s a reward, why don’t you do me a favor once in a while?”

Kurama: “...Try me.”

(Let me see....)

Yoshino: “Let’s talk! Yes, let’s talk!”

Kurama: “Talk? Right now?”

Yoshino: “Yes, but not like this....properly, like two individuals.”

I was pushed down, and somehow my words spun out of control.

(I don’t know what I’m saying about talking in this situation.)

Kurama: “What is it? Is there something on your mind?”

-------Part 5-------

Kurama: “What is it? Is there something on your mind?”

Yoshino: “Mm?”

(Ah, you’re ready to listen to me?)

I was about to ask Kurama to move out of the way when he dutifully stopped.

Kurama: “If not, I’ll do what I want.”

Yoshino: “Yes! Yes!!”

(Something. Think of something...)

As I struggled to get my head around it, I suddenly understood a question that had been nagging at me.

Yoshino: “Today was the first time I thought I saw Kurama speaking to a human normally.”

Kurama: “So? What about it?”

Yoshino: “For Kurama, strength is the only thing that counts. Isn’t that right?”

Kurama: “Of course.”

Yoshino: “But today Kurama acknowledged Heikichiro-san and treated him as a silversmith. That’s what I was wondering.”

Kurama: “He’s a man who works for me. That’s what makes him different from the rest of the mediocre ants.”

Yoshino: “....that's it?”

(I wondered if Kurama had any other criteria for recognizing human beings other than strength and weakness.)

(What is it that makes me wish that?)

(Heikichiro-san was so happy to be recognized by Kurama....)

Kurama: “What are you trying to say?”

Yoshino: “Humans are really just weak creatures to Kurama, right?”

Kurama: “They’re weak and inexplicable.”

Kurama, his eyebrows raised slightly, answered my question without pause.

Kurama: “He has a gift of having hands that make things shine, but he throws them away and laments in vain. And then for reasons unknown to me, he suddenly becomes motivated.”

Yoshino: “You mean Heikichiro-san, right?”

Kurama: “When I think of it, not only the silversmith, but all the soldiers are creatures of contradiction. One minute they’re getting along with each other and the next moment they’re killing each other. After killing, they cry over the fact that they just killed their friend. Even Yoshitsune. He risked his life for the mere sentimentality of the master-servant bond, and was driven by the unseen love and hate to his brother.”

(A lot of contradictions? That’s for sure.)

Yoshino: “But I’m sure that’s the strength of a person.”

Kurama: “What?”

Yoshino: “I think we’re all contradictory, we’re all lost, we’re all suffering, but we’re moving on.”

Kurama: “It is the work of a fool to take a long way round to reach his destination.”

Yoshino: “Instead of having wings that can fly you to your destination like Kurama, or the power to kill an enemy with a single blow. Humans value their beliefs and the bonds they have with those around them.”

(Even Kurama is really....)

Yoshino: “Isn’t that why you didn’t take Yoshitsune’s life right away, because you knew that? Because if he really wanted his soul, Kurama could have taken it without question.”

Kurama: “I don’t get it. I don’t understand you.”

Yoshino: “I want to understand Kurama.”

My heart trembles at the danger of the answer that slipped out of my mouth.

(Not as enemies, nor as a demon...)

(It would be nice if Kurama and I could talk to each other as just beings. I think so, but....)

It clearly crossed the line of being a prisoner.

Kurama: “................” 

There is a distinct irritation in Kurama’s eyes as he looks down at me.

(Ah)

Kurama: “Shut up now.”

A hand was placed on my neck, followed by a cold glare.

Kurama: “I must have been mistaken in thinking you were in any way interesting.”

(Even though he didn’t use Kotodama.)

(I can’t move.)

No matter how close I feel to him, I’m sure I’ll never get used to the intimidation that Kurama gives off.

I knew it in my bones.

Kurama: “Understanding is an emotion that does not contribute strength. Will you still be able to think like that when you’re overtaken?”

Chapter 13

#ikemen series #ikemen genjiden #ikemen genjiden kurama #ikemen mc #otome #cybird #cybird ikemen #cybird otome #main story translations

[midnightluck]

home is where i grew my wings

this is old and messy but have another take on my favorite scenario~

~@~

There’s something familiar about the kid trailing after Luffy, Marco thinks, squinting at him. There’s something about the line of his jaw and the color of his eyes that Marco could swear he knows.

“Mister Pineapple!” Luffy calls, bouncing up to him. “Hello again!”

“Hello, Luffy,” Marco says, and smiles in the face of the rubber boy’s enthusiasm. “It’s good to see you again, yoi. Keeping busy?”

“Yeah!” Luffy says. “We’ve been lots of places! I made some new friends!”

“I see,” Marco says, and looks up to catch the other kid’s eyes. He’s grumpy, obviously, and stands with one hand on his sword hilt. To Marco’s Big Brother senses, it reads more like a security blanket than a threat, though. “Good to meet you,” he says. “Any friend of Luffy’s…”

“I’m not his friend,” Luffy’s new friend says, twitching. “We’re in an alliance.”

Marco can’t help but pity the poor guy. “They did tell you, right? That--”

“--it’s the same thing? I’ve been told,” the kid says, and Marco bites back on his smile and gives the kid full marks for both stubbornness and spite.

“Marco,” he says instead of any of that, and offers his hand.

“This is Traffy!” Luffy says, bouncing between them. “Traffy, meet Pineapple! He’s a mystery bird!”

“My name,” the kid says, glaring daggers at Luffy, “is Trafalgar, not--”

Marco loses the rest of the complaint in a rush of memory that deafens him, of a kid who’s sixfivethreeone, with endless curiosity and those same gold eyes, and the name, when it comes, tumbles from his lips like it’s been punched out of him. “Law?”

The kid jerks and looks up at him with narrow eyes and it’s so familiar; he does know that look, just not on that face. “Do I know you?”

“You--” Marco stops, swallows on that hurt, and makes a sound that’s almost a laugh. “You probably don’t remember me,” he says, dropping his hand and clenching it into a fist at his side. “You used to hide in my office, sometimes, at the hospital.”

And Law--little Lawsie, who’s tall now, all grown up--he goes entirely, utterly still. “The hospital,” he says. There’s discoloration on his skin, now that Marco’s looking closely, and fire in his eyes.

“I worked with the doctors Trafalgar,” he says, and what used to be a point of pride now cuts on the way out. “Pediatrics, two floors down. I kept textbooks on the bottom shelf for you and--”

“--and candy in your bottom drawer,” Law finishes blankly. “Lollipops.”

“Yeah,” Marco says, then swallows. “Yes, yoi. You only ate the blue ones.”

“You know him, Traffy?” Luffy says, grabbing onto one of Law’s arms. 

“Yeah,” Law says, but his eyes are still narrow and his jaw is still set. “Yes, I do. We’re...from the same place.”

“I thought you were from Flevance?” the curly haired one says. Marco can’t remember his name, but he’s Yasopp’s boy, isn’t he?

“Yeah,” Marco agrees and shoots him a quelling look. “We were.”

“But--” the kid says.

Law talks right over him, saying, “But there were no survivors.”

“I--” Marco has to stop to take a breath because this is still his biggest regret--or, well, one of them, these days. “I wasn’t there.”

Law growls. It’s not an accusation but it hits like one anyway.

“I already had my fruit by then, yoi.” He lights up one hand with blue. “Phoenix, you know? Burnt all the Amber Lead right out of me. But they wouldn’t let me go back in.”

“The quarantine,” Law says.

Marco nods and echoes, “The quarantine. I did try.”

Law’s fingers clench convulsively on his sword and he frowns deeper. “You didn’t--”

The blond guy, the cook, makes a noise and then leans in, interrupting the brewing fight. “Does that mean you have embarrassing baby stories about tall dark and grumpy here?”

Law growls again but it startles a laugh out of Marco. “Of course,” he says. “The whole hospital knew them; the troublesome Trafalgars. Always getting in the way and falling asleep in odd places, yoi. One time, they stole all the extra scrubs and made a little nest in the janitor closet--”

“It wasn’t my idea,” Law growls, the exact same way he had back then, so many years ago.

“You never could say no to little Lami, could you?” Marco asks, and then looks around. “Where is she, by the way?”

Law looks down and Marco waits for a second, then another, and then realizes that is his answer. “Oh,” he says, and it’s instinct, probably; it’s years of pediatrics and letting Law and Lami climb on his desk and pull at his hair and being a big brother. It’s all of that and none of it when he opens his arms to offer a hug. 

Law stares at him and doesn’t move.

Marco smiles, small and raw, and drops his arms. “I’m sorry, yoi,” he says instead.

“Who’s Lami?” Luffy asks, and Law’s hand tightens around his sword’s sheathe as he flinches. It’s small but noticeable

“We’ll handle this,” the blond guy says and hooks a hand in the back of Luffy’s shirt collar. “C’mon, Captain; Robin’s gonna tell you a story.”

“A story?” Luffy says, and Law sighs. His shoulders drop and he lets his sword fall to his side again.

Marco takes a tiny step forward. “You’re a doctor, aren’t you?” he asks. “You still practice, yoi.”

Law’s chin goes up and it’s the same gesture of defiance as his mother used to make. “I am,” he says. “A surgeon.”

“Of course,” Marco murmurs.

In the distance, a calm female voice says, “Once upon a time, there was a kingdom called Flevance…”

Marco has so many questions. How did Law get out? Where has he been all these years? How hasn’t he been chased down for surviving? How did he survive? Has he been okay? Is he happy?

“It was a beautiful kingdom,” Robin says from far away, “and a center for learning and medicine...”

He has so many questions, but that’s not what little Law needs right now, not with his chin up and his eyes blazing, and Marco makes himself smile and finds it doesn’t even hurt. “They’d be so proud of you,” he says.

“Everyone who lived there was happy,” Robin says, “for a time.”

Law closes his eyes, grabs tight to his sword, and sways in place. There’s no one left nearby but his voice is lower than a whisper when he says, “Thank you.”

“I miss them too, yoi.”

“Uwaa!” Luffy shouts, staggering them both out of it. “Sounds like a really cool place!”

And Marco can’t help the little bark of laughter because, “It was, yoi. It really, really was.”

“Did you go there too, Mister Pineapple?!”

Marco meets Luffy’s eyes over Law’s shoulder and shrugs. “It was home.”

#trafalgar D. Water Law #Marco the Phoenix #trafalgar lami #answer in the form of a story #even though literally no one asked for this

[cyb-by-lang]

OSF AU - All the Little Children (1/?) points

Fū and certain other characters don’t get a whole lot of spotlight in OSF proper, so here’s an AU of an AU and at this point I almost feel like referencing Inception.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Part 1: In which a fairy saves a small child, bugs have families, and everyone is lost. (Takes place ten years prior to the start of One Piece.)

Fū sighed. “Chōmei? Chōmei, you can stop laughing any time now.”

“You’re upside-down in a tree, Fū! This is about the unluckiest I’ve ever seen you,” Chōmei squeaked in response, his voice much higher than it had ever been in Fū’s life. He sounded like a child, not a mighty Tailed Beast. He didn’t sound like the beetle she’d spent her whole life befriending.

Then again, Fū thought as she reached up to undo the vines tangled around her legs, he’s never been this small before. “Well, you’re not wrong. I guess it’s a change for both of us.”

Chōmei made a sad little humming noise, angling his head upward toward her as she dropped from the canopy. Her best friend had either shrunk or gotten way younger, because he didn’t even have his signature orange wings or blue armor anymore. Instead, he was a red-eyed beetle larva the length of her forearm and about four times as wide. While he had tiny nubs for legs, and seven longer ones to represent the spots where his wings and tail would someday grow in, Chōmei was almost helpless now.

Fū knelt next to him, and he climbed into her lap. He didn’t feel slimy, just cool and a bit squishy. Fū ran her hands over his head, then let him grip her fingers in his mandibles. “I don’t know where we are, Chōmei. None of the trees look the same.”

“They look almost the same from my viewpoint.” Chōmei clambered up her arm and onto her back, to where her empty scroll-holster sat strapped to her back. “It’s lucky you have this, Fū. You can carry me without hands.”

“I’m just worried you’re gonna be stuck like this, Chōmei,” Fū replied, helping her beleaguered companion into his new carrier. “Don’t you wanna just fly?”

“I do, but maybe you should check if you still can? That would be a lucky break, wouldn’t it?” Chōmei sounded cheerful, his tinny voice accented by the thumps of his tail-stubs against his fabric seat.

Fū grinned at her friend’s attitude, then put her hands together. “Let’s try it, then!”

While Chōmei was small, his chakra flowed through her body the same as it always did. Orange wings, identical to the ones that Chōmei should’ve had, sprouted from her back just below the edge of her shirt. She flapped her rings rapidly, making them go almost invisible to the naked eye through sheer speed, and then hopped experimentally.

In no time at all, she was flying as though Chōmei hadn’t lost size and mobility.

“This is so different from when I’m flying!” Chōmei said, sticking his head out of the carrier as they flew through the lower sections of the trees. “You know, once I get back to normal, we should try this again. It’s nice relying on you instead.”

“I’m glad you think so,” Fū said, as they skittered through the air a few more times to get their bearings, “but help me look out for trees!”

Really, it wasn’t all that different from flying with any old weight on her back. Fū already knew how to compensate for training devices, her bedroll, and a million other things. Chōmei being alive and occasionally moving was a little weird, but he was so happy about the situation that Fū didn’t feel the slightest bit discouraged. He was her little pep-talk in a bag.

Practicing, though, was necessary. Fū remembered how tough it’d been to learn how to fly in the first place, and she needed to be careful in case Chōmei wasn’t as tough as he used to be.

“ Fū, I have a suggestion,” Chōmei said, after they’d been flying level for a few minutes. “Can we go that way? I feel like it’s a lucky direction.”

“North?” Fū asked, coming to stop on a high tree branch. “What makes north so lucky?”

“I think I can feel other Tailed Beasts over there! Meeting with two of my siblings would be really lucky.” Chōmei wriggled his tails. “I haven’t seen them in a really long time.”

Fū paused for a second. She’d never met Chōmei’s family, but she had heard that they were stuck with other hosts. Would the other jinchūriki be friendly or not? Regardless of the answer, she owed it to Chōmei to make sure he could see his family again. She didn’t really know what else to do.

“Okay, we can do that.” Fū flitted into the air again. “Oh, can you tell me stories about them as we go?”

“Of course, Fū!”

Fū and Chōmei didn’t go nearly at their highest speeds, because the warm forest was way too dense. Flying too fast would lead straight into a crash, and Fū didn’t need to have another one of those under her belt. That flying slowly meant Chōmei’s voice could soothe her during the trip was a great benefit, too. His voice was different now, but he could talk for hours and hours without needing to breathe or to drink water for a break. Even with the noise in the jungle, it helped to have one consistent, friendly face along for the ride.

“Aaaaaaah! Somebody help meeeee!”

Fū jerked to a stop in midair, wings buzzing anxiously. “Someone’s in trouble.”

“Go,” said Chōmei, and Fū flew in the direction of the screams.

Fū zipped through the warm forest air, weaving around and over trees and underbrush as she made her way toward the sounds of both screams and wolves howling in the afternoon light.

She hit the ground and rolled when she reached the edge of a ravine, then dove down toward the screams without hesitation, feet-first.

She landed on a wolf the size of a cow, shoving its whole head straight into the dirt below under the weight of her flapping wings and her chakra-charged stomp. Its jaw slammed shut mere centimeters from a screaming kid half Fu’s size, sending bits of teeth and blood everywhere. Before jumping off to face the rest of the pack, Fū gave it one more stomp for good measure.

“Six on one’s not a fair fight, you jerks!” Fū shouted, as the wolves near the back of the pack started to reconsider their choices. “Let’s make it three!”

“A fairy?!” screeched the kid behind her.

Not the best reaction to a heroic entrance Fū had ever heard, but she’d take it. Dropping into a taijutsu pose, even with Chōmei on her back and her wings still buzzing, Fū said, “Chōmei, ready?”

Chōmei spat a glob of silk directly at the face of a wolf coming up behind Fū, hitting it perfectly. “You know it! Let’s show them it’s not their lucky day!”

“D-don’t forget about me!” said the kid with the straw hat, and the three of them fought the wolves together.

Sure, most of the fight came down to Fū’s punishing kicks and her wings battering the wolves when her legs didn’t, but the kid did what he could even if wild flailing punches was the extent of it. Chōmei kept both eyes on him, for the sake of making sure their rescue went all the way through. And shot more silk at the wolves.

In the end, Fū left a pile of broken wolf bodies lying all over the rocks. Some of them had silk on them, of course, but she didn’t have time for getting rid of that kind of inconsequential evidence. All she did was blow on her knuckles to make sure they hadn’t split, then went to check on the little rescue-ee.

Fū ’s new friend was actually a little older than she had thought. While was tiny and round-faced and skinny-limbed, he had a curved scar under one eye and a set to his jaw that she didn’t usually see in the younger village kids. At least, not before their parents pulled them away from her. Sure, the straw hat he wore was way too big for him, and he was covered in scrapes and debris, but he wasn’t panicky or crying (that much).

Fū liked him instantly. Without hesitation, she crouched down to his eye level and held out a hand. “Hi! Are you all right?”

“I-I’m fine!” The kid put on a brave face. Though his lower lip wobbled for a second or two, he took a deep breath and grabbed her hands in his. With his eyes and nose running like faucets, he stammered, “Y-you were really cool!”

“I was, wasn’t I?” Fū said, smiling at the compliment. “Thank you!”

“What about me?” Chōmei wanted to know, sneaking out from his carrier. “Am I cool?”

“Uwaa!” The kid looked like he was over the moon, despite his injuries. “Your bug talks? Bug, you’re the coolest thing ever!”

“His name is Chōmei, and I’m Fū.” She said in a fake-serious voice, “Chōmei and me were gonna meet up with his brothers, and then we heard you! So before we go, Chōmei wants to know if you’re okay. For real.”

“I’m fine, really!” the kid insisted, more confidently this time. With one hand on his hat, he said firmly, “I’m—I’m gonna be the Pirate King someday, so this is nothing!”

“What’s the name of the future Pirate King, then?” Chōmei asked.

“Monkey D. Luffy,” said the kid. A thought struck him. “Hey, can you join my crew?”

“You got a ship?” Fū countered playfully.

“Uh… Not yet,” Luffy admitted, a little shamefaced. Then he puffed himself right back up and added, “But I will someday! Once I do, then you can join and we can have adventures, Fairy! And Coconut, are you going to join too?”

“After you’re a little bigger,” Chōmei promised. “But first, I need to see my brothers and tell them what is happening.”

“That makes—wait, bugs have brothers?” Luffy blinked, his eyes huge as he thought it through. He covered his mouth with both hands. “Bugs have brothers waiting for them?”

“This bug does,” Chōmei said, his tails waving in the air. “I’m a rhinoceros beetle! Just small.”

Mostly, anyway.

“So cool!” Luffy squealed, in awe.

“Hey, Luffy? Can I see your arms?” Fū asked, drawing the boy’s attention back to her. She folded her wings back so they barely brushed the ground, keeping them out of the way. “You look like you’ve had a tough day.”

Luffy fidgeted before he complied, then said, “Only a little bit.” He was a lousy liar, pursing his lips and refusing to meet her eyes. He even innocently whistled a note or two. “I definitely haven’t been out here for three days!”

Fū’s eyebrows rose. Three days in a jungle like this was no small thing, especially for a boy this young. With his arms all scratched up like this, though, she believed him. Though there was something weird about his skin and his arms. Neither one really felt normal, not like Shibuki or any of Fū’s old teammates.

Still, Luffy appeared to either not want her to worry, or be trying to preserve his pride. She let his arms go and said, “Why are you out here all alone, though?”

“I’m not alone, not really!” Luffy insisted. “Uh, I definitely wasn’t following Ace around. And I’m not lost!”

“Well,” Fū began slowly, choosing her words with care, “even if you’re not lost, I am.”

“Eh?! But you have wings! Can’t you just…?” Luffy flapped his arms, totally confused.

“It’s not that easy,” Fū said, eying his movements. Did… Did his elbow just bend…? “Ah!”

“Hm?” Luffy stopped flapping, his arms coming to a halt at his sides. Even so, his limbs bounced like rubber, not like normal arms! Not even like Fu’s.

“How are you doing that, Luffy?” Fū asked, taking his hand. Before she realized it, she stretched his hand a lot farther away from the rest of him than made any sense. “Whoa…”

“I ate the Gomu Gomu no Mi!” Luffy explained cheerfully, hooking his other hand around his mouth and pulling. His face stretched like it was made of— “I’m a rubber man!”

“This is so cool,” Fū breathed, her eyes shining. “This is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen!”

“How far can you stretch?” Chōmei asked, crawling out onto Fu’s shoulder.

“I can stretch really far!” Luffy let his cheek snap back to its normal dimensions, then grinned widely. “And my punch is like a pistol!”

“What’s a pistol?” Fū asked.

“It’s, uh, it’s a gun!” Luffy said. Clearly, this was supposed to make sense.

But it didn’t. “What’s a ‘gun’?”

Luffy made a face, then frowned as he thought. It was quite a frown, with his face pulled into an awful exaggerated grimace. Then, “Um, Dadan has one? I can show you!”

“Okay,” Fū replied, since she could still make it to Chōmei’s brothers before sundown. This was okay.

Luffy held out his hand until she took it and started to tug Fū along, then froze mid-step before his arm could stretch out when she didn’t immediately follow. Twisting his head all the way around without moving the rest of his body, he screeched, “I’m not lost!” He fidgeted in place again, hopping from foot to foot. “I, uh. I just don’t know how to get back to the bandits…”

Fū got fully to her feet, sending her wings buzzing rapidly. She put her free hand to her chin in an exaggerated thinking pose, then said, “Hey, Luffy? Maybe we should fly around until we find it! You can ride with Chōmei, and he can tell you all about how I do it.”

“Really?!” Luffy squeaked, looking up at her with an even more awestruck expression. “Can—can we go really fast? Really, really fast?!”

“You got it!” Fū said, giving him a thumbs-up.

“Yay!”

“Just be sure to hang on tight,” Chōmei warned him.

With that, Luffy bounced over to give Fū the biggest hug he could. His whole body wasn’t that much bigger than Fū’s torso, so when he wrapped his legs and arms around her a couple of times to be secure, her wings still had plenty of room to maneuver. Chōmei was forced to move up toward her shoulder blades, but he and Luffy could still talk to each other.

They ended up flying together for about twenty minutes, though Luffy didn’t know how to find “the bandits.” While Fū hoped silently that he only meant his family and was calling them a funny name, she flew around the forest until she could hear the sounds of shouting in the distance. Unlike when she met Luffy, the voices were nearly all deep enough to belong to adults instead of lost kids, and most of them were just rowdy. If Luffy wanted to head toward all that noise, though, Fū wouldn’t tell him she couldn’t take him there. After all, she could fly.

Fū twisted her wings around so they could hover, just at the edge of where the forest turned into a little clearing. Amid the short grass and on a little hill, there was a building that looked a bit like a village longhouse. There were three sections, and the door had a pair of crossed swords on top like a pair of beetle horns.

Luffy unwound himself from Fū’s stomach with a snap, turning back into just a little kid with a straw hat and not a walking rubber band. He stumbled a little bit, but dashed toward the hut without a backwards glance. “Hey, I’m back!”

Fū rocketed up into the trees, leaping instead of flying so she didn’t make any noise.

“Luffy came back alive!”

“He’s still alive?!”

“Where the hell were you?!”

“Where have you been?”

Luffy responded to all of this with a loud, “I was running from wolves and got chased off a cliff and a fairy and a bug saved me!”

Fū saw Luffy turn in the doorway, then look around in confusion.

“Eh?! She disappeared!” A pause. “Oh, right! She’s gotta find Coconut’s brothers and go back to the fairy kingdom.”

“…Did you hit your head on something?”

“Nope! I bounce.”

“Sorry, Luffy, but a heroine must be mysterious and cool!” Fū whispered, so only Chōmei could hear her. Crossing her arms dramatically, she added at the same volume, “I’ll see you again someday, but for now I have a mission for Chōmei. Until then, goodbye!”

#Ocean Stars Falling #All the Little Children #Monkey D. Luffy #Fu #Chomei

[imaginegladions]

Watch Me (Conquer)

Title: Watch Me (Conquer)

(Fairytale Series)

Note: Fuck off, I don’t want to write this note a fourth time. Let me sleep. XD

Pairings: Gladion x Reader/Player/Moon/whoever the heck you want.

You were the savior of Alola, a trusted head of the Imperial Fleet. You knew how to use at least 20 different weapons and 5 different forms of Martial Arts. Your right hand man – Hau, your best and most loyal friend – had trained with you for eighteen years and didn’t tell anyone that you were a woman, not even when they’d almost killed you for impersonating a man. Your faithful ghostly Pokémon, Decidueye, was the sharpest shooter in the entire fleet. Your squad, also known as the Champion Squad, was feared throughout the land; Mallow for her medicinal marvels, Kiawe for his explosives and mixed martial arts, and Lana with her balance and excellency with a bo staff. Your troop of Ninjas headed by Nanu and his second in command Acerola could enter and leave anywhere with any information you needed without a scratch. And your team of brute force foot soldiers operating under the moniker Team Skull was headed by Guzma, a good friend of yours, aided by his second in command Plumeria.

You were a professional military woman of world renown.

Not a babysitter.

“Explain to me again why I-” You extend a hand to your side, staring into the lazy eyes of the Empress as she reclined on her extravagant throne.

Hau made a gesture of agreement. “The leader of the Imperial Army.” He chimed in.

“Yes, the leader of the Imperial Army. Am being asked to chaperone your children to be auctioned off to some warlord because he’s feeling a bit naughty.” You say flatly, not seeing the logic behind any of Empress Lusamine’s actions.

When you saved Alola, Emperor Mohn had been the one who pardoned you of your death sentence and made you leader of the fleet. At the time, you’d found Lusamine pleasant and even funny during state meetings with Emperor Mohn. When he’d disappeared in a diplomatic trip north, Lusamine grew cold ascending to the throne and refusing to let her eldest son rule.

“You will be protecting them because they are the only chance of truce between ourselves and the biggest trading family over our borders that are even the slightest bit fond of us.” She tried to explain again, wearily massaging her head as if you’d come over and hit her with the back of your hand which you were considering given the idiocy she was so keen on displaying.

“But offering both your children up for marriage!” You protest.

“As if appointing a twenty-year-old as leader of the army was any better!” Lusamine screamed and you stepped back, your back supported by Hau’s hand so you wouldn’t trip and fall down the steps.

You swallow thickly. “If I don’t do this, do I take it that I am to be relieved?” You asked and Hau stiffened behind you, his hand going to his weapon. Giving him a look, you tried to calm him, but he wasn’t comforted only saddened by what you were being forced to do. You were grateful, above all, to have a friend like him in this world that would stand with you even against insurmountable odds.

“You will leave before dawn under the cover of night or I will have you killed.” Lusamine hissed and straightened in her seat with a smirk. “Dismissed.”

This news pleased your squad even less than it pleased you, which is a hell of a lot of displeasure for one caravan.

“I almost wish I hadn’t saved her from that arrow that almost killed her two years ago.” Mallow said scornfully, settling the Miltank into their saddles so they can pull the caravan.

Kiawe looked up from the crate of food supplies he was lifting and frowned. “You better stop or you’ll be tried with treason and then we’ll really all get killed.” He scolded, loading up the last of the supplies and making sure that the benches and the cushions inside were soft and ready for the arrival of royalty. “Perfect.”

You catch movement from the corner of your eye and nod at Hau. “It better be, because we have royalty incoming.”

After a brief but infinitely horrible talk with their mother, Lillie and Gladion walked slowly out of the castle, mindful of where they were stepping as they approached the caravan surrounded by five people and two Pokémon.

“I thought those beasts were untameable.” Lillie gasped, intrigued by the rare monsters that seemed to hang onto each movement made by their trainers. “Do you think they will use horses?” She asked.

“At the very least we won’t be using them.” Gladion scoffed, cursing his ridiculous Yukata and each step he had to take to get to the caravan.

“Your highness.”

“What?” He snapped, biting down on his lip and flinching back waiting for the familiar slap of his mother’s hand against his cheek. But, unlike for the past four years, it didn’t come. “I-” He muttered, cracking one eyelid open to look down at your worried face.

“Are you alright? Would you like some help?” You asked, cupping your hands around your mouth no doubt to call another one of your monsters.

“I’m fine.” He answered sharply, trudging into the caravan and taking a seat. His conscience beat and and beat at him until he stuck his head out and nodded at you. “Thank you.”

You blink as you help Lillie get up onto the caravan and smile again.

“No problem, your majesty.”

Kiawe and Lana rode Mudsdales, Mallow led the Miltank, Hau rode an Arcanine. Lillie knew because she’d asked Mallow using the small window that allowed her to see in front. “And what is the General riding on?” She asked, poking Mallow on the shoulder.

“Oh, [Y/N]?” She smiled. “It’s called Rapidash.”

“Rapidash.” Lillie whispered, full of awe as she was pulled back into the caravan and onto her cushion. “Gladion!” She pouted.

“Don’t socialize with them.” He grimaced.

Lillie made a face at him. “You know, just because they don’t have royal blood doesn’t make them trash.” She retorted, angry that her own brother would think that of people, would place such high standards when he’d gone through those tribulations with their mother and with life in the castle.

Gladion sighed. “I don’t.” He leaned back, his eyes going to the window at an angle where he could see you with your hair bouncing as your Rapidash glowed with a dull orange flame lighting the way but also low enough not to attract too much attention. “I just don’t think we should make friends when we’re being sent to a different country to get married.”

Lillie reached over and pet him on the head. “You know, I was there when dad named her General. I wasn’t too young.” She smirked all of a sudden.

“What are you talking about-” He froze, remembering what he’d said at the time. “You’re delusional.”

“You told dad you wanted her to be your friend.” She giggled.

“I said I wanted to play chess with her to see if she was really that good a strategist!” He answered, giving up when he realized this only fanned the flames of Lillie’s misconceptions. “I hardly think she would have wanted to be the friend of some misbehaving prince anyway-” the caravan stopped and they could hear footsteps approaching the back.

“Your highnesses?” You called out and blinked when Lillie threw the curtains open, immediately beckoning you inside. “No, it’s alright Princess Lillie-” You protested.

“Lillie is fine, General!” She chirped, shooting Gladion knowing looks.

“[Y/N] is fine, sometimes the Squad calls me Captain-” You explain, only to be cut off again by an overenthusiastic Lillie taking both of your hands in hers.

“Captain, then! Uwaa-” She was pulled back again by her yukata and made to sit quietly on her cushion with a glare from her older brother.

He sighed and nodded for you to continue. “I apologize for my sister, Captain.”

“It’s no trouble. I just wanted to say I made curry earlier.” You seemed to think it over and realized they might not want to eat it. “If you both eat that sort of thing?” You ask sheepishly and almost jump out of your skin when Gladion lays a hand on your shoulder stepping out of the stopped caravan.

“I’m sure it’s delicious, thank you for telling us.” He smiled softly and left in a whirl of cloth.

You stared after him, put off by the sound of Lillie giggling as she descended after him. “Someone likes you.” She commented. “And believe me, he doesn’t like anyone.”

“Lillie!” Gladion yelled.

“Coming!”

It’s times like these when you wished you could have the Huns back, at least so you can have someone to kill.

Lillie and your entire squad sans Kiawe apparently thought it was a great idea to leave the campsite to explore a festival in a nearby town without telling you. Honestly, you only left so you could spend a bit of time away from Gladion and his soft smiles and sarcastic humor and his charisma. You had to sit out and remind yourself that he was promised to some princess of great wealth and you were just a person from some obscure fishing town who was lucky enough to join the army and be pardoned by his dad, the Emperor.

He was royalty, and this wasn’t one of those romantic stories where he’d sweep you off your feet and make you his princess. You didn’t want to be a princess.

“I just wanted these feelings to go away.” You groan.

“Getting sick, Captain?” A familiar voice sounded and you freeze as Gladion takes a seat in the dirt next to you ignoring the cushion you stretched out to grab and tried to shove under his royal behind. “We can take more time if you’re sick. Lillie’s already wasted a lot making you pick oranges off trees for her and attracting bandits for you to fight and asking if she could ride your… Pokémon.”

You smile at him, noticing he hadn’t used monster this time. “I’m actually not sick. I feel, not bad. But, I don’t feel great either.” You struggled, not having a mastery of words that Gladion has.

“Yeah,” He murmured, staring at your face as you watched the stars blink in and out of existence. “I get that.”

“And I don’t even mind the feeling, even if it’s uncomfortable. Because-” You stutter.

A warm hand covers yours and fingers close the gap between yours twining tanned and bloodied fingers with lean pristine pale ones. You look up at him and gasp, realizing he’d been staring, that he always had been staring right at you.

“Because then you’d smile and it’s not uncomfortable? It’s like dying, like the greatest relief, like waking up to cherubs singing and telling you everything would always be fine as long as you kept on smiling at me?” He asked and you’re rendered speechless at how fluidly, how effortlessly he seemed to let himself go. “That I’d give up a thousand thrones and ten thousand vaults full of treasure if I could keep you and call you mine-” “What are you doing?” You ask breathlessly as he leans his forehead to yours meeting your eyes with clear emerald ones.

He blinked slowly, a smirk stretching across his face threatening to cut it in half. “What I’ve wanted to do- What I was made to do since the universe decided to create someone like you.”

“Violent and brutal?” You gasped, silenced by a pair of lips awkwardly mashing into yours. Your noses scrunched together and your teeth clacked in the worst way but it didn’t matter, this was your charge, your responsibility, your gloomy ass prince kissing you like he wanted you to only kiss those lips for the rest of your life.

“Determined.” He kissed you again, avoiding your nose. “Intelligent.” Another kiss, this time with his head tilted and much much nicer than the last. “Beautiful.” He attacked again, this time not stopping until he found just the right tilt of his head and ran out of breath. “Breathtaking. You could start wars.” He stops and laughs at that. “You probably already have.”

“Please, I stop wars. I’m not Helen of Troy.” You rolled your eyes.

“Oh, those guys wouldn’t be fighting over her if they knew you.” He chuckled, leaning back a little to admire your kiss swollen lips completely and utterly proud of himself. “I shouldn’t be but-” He sighed, brushing an errant strand of hair out of your face and pressing a soft kiss to your forehead. “I love you.”

You sigh, leaning back so you could face each other and not be tempted to go back to kissing your problems away. “You’re getting married.”

“Well, not anymore, obviously.” He raised a brow at you as if daring you to challenge him. “Unless you plan on asking.” He evaded the hand you extended to smack his shoulder, hands up in a gesture of defeat. “I have a plan, of course I have a plan.”

“Okay, then oh powerful prince of Alola.” You mock bowed. “What’s the plan?”

He only smirked and reached forward to kiss you again.

The doors to the royal chambers burst apart as Lusamine’s head counselor, Faba, started shouting for the guards to stop gawking and smiling and do something. Lusamine groaned, standing from her throne and stepping down. “What is this commotion-” She growled.

“Hello, mother.” Gladion stepped forward, flanked by Lillie and Hau. “Sorry, engagement’s off.”

“What do you think you’re doing?” She screamed, lunging at him with her hand raised and ready to smack him.

Gladion didn’t flinch this time. He didn’t have to.

You caught her wrist in your hand, pulling her away from him with surprising strength. “I have to ask you not to do that to the Emperor.” You smiled, but on the inside you were cackling at the look of complete shock and disbelief on Lusamine’s face.

“You can’t- You can’t do this- It’s not-” A growling noise came from her left and she jumped up as a small monster tried to bite her leg off. “Call off your monster, General!” She shouted at you.

“Silvally.” Gladion called and the monster made its way to his side.

Lusamine stared at her children full of anger and horror. “You can’t do this.” Gladion stepped up to face her, unafraid.

He would never fear her again.

“Watch me.”

#i'm exhausted fq tags who needs them #Type: Imagine Fic #Gladion x Reader #Gladion x Player #Gladion x Moon #Fairytale au #sdfghjkl; #done with life #gladion imagines #imagine gladions