#especially since apparently the emperor did the investigation and our boy;

[winepresswrath]

Nirvana in Fire 2 is being so withholding about what exactly Jingyan's evil kid did to make him do a filicide given his noted distaste for filicide and I just! I need to know!

#especially since apparently the emperor did the investigation and our boy; #Tingshen is the one who spilled the crime beans... #they are so close with each other #was baby bro excluded from that closeness or was what he did bad enough that it didn't matter #nif for block

[everly-kindred]

Eve’s Diary - Entry #53

Date: 12th of March, 2027

Dear Diary, 

I’m trying to write in you more frequently, like I said I would, so here we go! 

I wanna say first off that I did a big tarot reading like I said I would, since Ostara is coming, in precisely a week! But I’ll put my translation of the cards down at the bottom, after I write about everything else. 

I’ve been having a lot of dreams about frogs lately, and it reminded me of when my Gran took me to this rose garden. There were this big stone rings, like giant hag stones, and my Gran told me they’re called fairy stones and that hag stones can be held up to your eye, and if you look through the hole, you’ll see faeries. She’s a muggle, and that’s a legend that has existed for centuries, for them. 

I wonder if they really do see faeries… What happens if a muggle comes across a faerie? Like… our kind of faeries? I should ask the Care of Magical Creatures professor next chance I get.

Anyways, this garden was sort of a like… loop within a circle shape, with little bridges going over these ponds with fountains, and the whole thing was surrounded by a little stone wall, and filled with benches and rose bushes and little trees. It was a tiny park, but beautiful. And I remember there were so many frogs, and I spent ages trying to catch one, while my Gran relaxed on a bench and read her book. Sometimes she’d stop and laugh at me, though, especially when I almost slipped in the pond for probably the tenth time that day. It was a good day. 

Did you know that frogs lay eggs and the eggs float in clusters on top of the water? I wonder what would have happened if I scooped up some of the eggs and water and kept it in a jar… It was this weird, greenish yellow slime, with little black dots in each center. I think tadpoles are rather cute, actually. 

Well, my frog dreams reminded me of that. I still need to ask Gallo what it means. Maybe it’s just because it’s been getting warmer? The snow and ice has started melting, and it’s been looking like it might rain.

I’ve been doing watercolors and sketches, and I’ve thought about getting on my broom and flying high enough that I could sketch all of Hogwarts. I think that’d be a rather magnificent experience, don’t you? Terrifying, too. I’d want someone else there to catch me if I lose balance and fall. It’d likely be best done on an extra thick, sturdy broom. 

The other thing that’s been really pressing on my mind lately is the gold cauldron in the potions shop, in Hogsmeade. I can’t remember if I’ve already written about that in you, but I’ve been daydreaming about it for months! Well, I day dream about a lot of things - wand making, bread… well, baking it and other things, the stories I want to write, making cute music boxes… But the gold cauldron especially! I want to save up for it, which would be very rewarding… It would also be rewarding to win it in some sort of competition, though. 

Though, the fountain outside of the Great Hall was sort of… whispering to me in a weird way. Like, I was drawn to it. So I took my last galleon and I wished for the gold cauldron! I hope it was worth it… I was also kind of thinking about rabbits and fairies at the time too, though, so I hope I didn’t muddle it up.

Something odd and… kind of nice happened the other night, which motivated me. I was running from Peeves (he was trying to dump mud on me) when I ducked into the dueling room, and came across one of the girls in the dueling club there. Her name is Briony Boggs, and she’s a Gryffindor. We got to talking, and she told me how my wand needs me for guidance, and I have to lead it. That I need to be confident with it for my spells to go off, and if I think I’ll fail, I will. So I’ve been trying to change the way I think about things ever since. 

As far as what’s actually been happening in school, I’ve been going to my classes like normal. Though, of course, classes aren’t normal by usual standards. Something weird is always happening, but that’s just how it goes isn’t it? The ravenclaw boys were fainting in herbology… I think they don’t wear their earmuffs on purpose when handling mandrakes. I successfully cared for this plant called moly, though! I didn’t overwater them and I wasn’t too rough with them or anything! 

In Defense Against the Dark Arts, we talked about different subjects and how they might be used in defending oneself from dark wizards. My anxiety was too high during that class, though, I didn’t hear much of what was said and I don’t remember a whole lot of what I did process. Basically, as soon as I walked in, Vikander told me to stay after class. I thought it might’ve been because of my clothes, because we had a really odd notice from him to wear house pride stuff instead of uniform and… some people wore uniform and said it’s because they were told by him to be careful of sudden odd changes of behaviour… or something like that.

Anyways, it wasn’t about that, though. He wanted to ask me about my vision. So I went up to his office, and the Healer and one of the Phoenix girls were there, Nicole I think. And he took off his glove which seemed to be like… alive or something. And his hand was all burned but I did my best not to stare. Then he put his hand on my head and asked me to think about the memory of the vision very clearly, so I did. I guess he has some sort of… mind reading magic when he touches people’s heads? I dunno. I got hot chocolate out of it, though. So that was cool. I wonder what he thought of the vision… How he felt when he saw what I saw, especially the part with him in it. 

I went to dragonology, and we talked about how dragons are similar to seekers - specifically Viktor Krum. I was a bit distracted, though. Did I mention that Professor Eastwood’s eyes are orange? It’s the most… unique eye colour I’ve ever seen! And, I mean, Blightly’s eye is all red and scarred, and Dracheblume has purple eyes… Plus there are a few people with two different coloured eyes at the school, too. But his are orange and like… glowing. 

In Artificer club we made a thing called a PMRA which is this like phonograph with legs and it moves and dances around and plays music and can record stuff for you! We built them and then Bonnie cast the spells for me to enchant mine, and also Marigold and this Gryffindor boy named August’s. 

You can feed the PMRA sheet music or give it records to play. I went to the music room and grabbed some sheet music for Celestina Warbeck and the Weird Sisters, and also some of the Beetles and Peter Paul and Mary… Oh, also the Mamas and the Papas. It’d be cool to build up a music collection for it! 

For now mine sits by my dorm bed, and I have it play music very quietly for me at night. Someone in the dorms is a bit of a snor-er and someone else talks in their sleep… I’ve been told I also talk in my sleep. Well, mutter more like. But occasionally I’ll be sleeping and then some girl a few beds away from me will start muttering strange things like… especially food related things. She must dream about lasagna an awful lot. 

There've been some glitter pranks around the school, too. If you step on a trigger on the ground, you get splashed with this powder paint, and it gets everywhere and passes so easily onto other people, so some students (lookin’ at you, Peach) will go around and purposefully try to spread it. I think it’s funny, even if it’s messy, but when have I ever been a stranger to messiness? Most of my clothing is covered in paint stains…

It’s funny timing, though, because the ministry is now in the school. They’re investigating the forest. Apparently, a bunch of students were caught there, and now there’s all these aurors and occasionally Minister Merriwether walking around. The scary thing, though, is that apparently they’re putting a barrier up around the school, and if you cross it, you’ll… disintegrate? I wonder if that’s painful… I imagine so. I hope the animals know to stay away from it. 

Anyways, that’s all I can think of to catch you up on, so that means it’s tarot reading time. I think I’ve done this spread before, perhaps last spring? It’s a six card spread and you make it in the The first card asks what I ‘need to decay’ or rather what I need to let go of. For this, I drew the Emperor. While he represents masculinity and a leader, he also represents a giver of sorts… So either there is a masculine presence in my life that I need to let go of, or I need to stop… providing for other people? I don’t know. This one didn’t make sense to me. I’ll have to think about it. I don’t think I’m particularly giving, and if I am, I don’t see how I’d be too giving… 

Second one asks what will ‘fertilize me’ which actually means what do I need to learn from. I drew the five of swords reversed. This card, in reverse, would mean something like the desire to be mean, maybe because of wounded pride. So perhaps I am to learn from a moment in which I wanted to be mean instead of kind? Maybe it means I need to learn from any desire I might have to act when I’m angry. I’m not sure. I’ll keep it in mind though and treat it like a warning for the future. 

For the third card, it asks what will ‘nourish me’ which is what I can look forward to. I drew the Chariot. The Chariot is a card of control and victory so… I’ll try not to jump to conclusions or assumptions about what that means and jinx myself. (butboydoIsurehopeit’stalkingaboutquidditch)

The fourth card asks how I ‘burst forth from the earth’ or rather what seeds I should plant for the future. For this, I drew the Magician. I’ve had this card before, and it seems like it shows up a lot in my readings. So as we know, this means power, concentration, dedicating myself. Focusing on strengthening my… smarts and wisdom and stuff. So the seeds I should plant are the seeds of learning, which makes a lot of sense since… I’m in school and all that. 

As for the fifth card, it asks how I ‘grow tall’ which means what skills I should be focusing on and improving. The deck gave me the ten of swords. This card is a card of deep suffering and sadness, so if I’m needing to focus on a skill and building on it, perhaps it should be the skill of… healthily expressing sadness? I guess I do bottle stuff up sometimes.

And finally the sixth card asks how I will ‘blossom’ or rather where I need balance, and for this, I drew the nine of wands reversed. This card is a card of encouragement, confidence, and facing down fear, so maybe it’s telling me that I need to balance out my anxieties and my defeated attitude with bravery and courage. So that I am realistic and honest with myself, but also willing to take a risk and push myself to my full… potential?

Anyways that’s my reading. It felt good to get back into it and do a big one for once. I’ve just been pulling one card or doing three card readings everyday or every other day. My back hurts from sitting over my diary and writing, so I think I’m gonna lay down and go to bed.

Much love, Everly

[ Eve’s Wiki Page ]

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#harry potter #hufflepuff #diary #witch #magic #magical #witchy #witchcraft #hogwarts #journal #SecondLife #second life #mischief managed

[writingrage]

What Fate Had Wrought (1/4)

A Mulan Rouge (Red Warrior?) Fanfic

(Also Known As: A passionate attempt at remedying Once Upon a Time’s lack of Mulan screen time.)

Summary:  After finding Red's One True Love, Mulan returns to the village of her childhood, heartbroken twice over. However, the threat of a new beast and an army with unknown intentions looms over the village and disrupts the peace that Mulan tries to cultivate. Red visiting really doesn't help matters either.

Set a few months after the events of 5x18 "Ruby Slippers"

AO3 / Fanfiction.net

CHAPTER 1 - Selfishness

The first thing Hua Mulan noticed upon riding into Guifei village on Coursing River was the scent of fear that lingered in the air. Such a thing was palpable, especially in such a small settlement like Guifei, which was only a hundred strong during a fruitful season. Its denizens shuffled hurriedly through their daily tasks, kept idle chatter to a minimum, or simply didn't leave their homes. It was only when Mulan rode into its usually bustling market square that she caught sight of people, but their presence was light and fleeting. Whatever had these people so worried definitely warranted Mulan's presence.

Mulan did not venture into Guifei often. While she swore to protect its people since leaving the emperor's army after the war, she refused to mingle with the people, if only to give herself room to breathe. She didn't do well in crowds. Her previous engagements in Misthaven only strengthened these reclusive traits.

However, that morning, Mulan had been visited by Ho Jian, one of the boys from the village, bearing a message from the Chief Yao Peizhi of Guifei. They had requested an audience with her concerning urgent matters. Before Mulan could further interrogate her visitor, the boy had run back to the village, his small braid swinging with the frantic beat of his sandaled feet. Mulan could see now that his actions were not so uncommon.

It was only when Mulan reached the Chief Yao's chamber and was greeted by him that she was finally given an explanation.

"Another Yaoguai?" Mulan asked with a frown.

"Unfortunately, yes," said Chief Yao. The sweltering heat of the summer morning had him perspiring excessively, leading him to dab at his pudgy, pink face every couple of minutes. "There have been multiple sightings of it outside our village."

Which was impossible, given the fact that the last time the Yaoguai disrupted the village it was really a bewitched prince. As far as Mulan was concerned, Prince Phillip and Princess Aurora were happily married and expecting.

As a way of distracting herself from this train of thought, Mulan probed. "What did this beast look like? Did your sources give descriptions?"

"They claim that it is a black creature with glowing blue eyes and big teeth," replied the chief. He dabbed at his sweaty forehead with a handkerchief and added, "It hasn't hurt anyone yet, but it's causing quite the stir. Trade simply cannot go on with a beast patrolling the walls and scaring off merchants."

Trade was of utmost importance to Guifei, what with it being near the main artery of the trade route that slithered from the empire to the Enchanted Forest. Without the help of travelling merchants both from the mainland and from Misthaven, Guifei's economy would surely stagnate and collapse. The last time Prince Phillip was here, trade was put on hold for several weeks. The shortage of certain goods was only balanced out by the Yaoguai's penchant for shaving off a good portion of the population. It was a good time for no one except the foreign merchants who were trapped in the village and saw the tragedy as a good time to inflate their prices.

"I'm guessing you want me to investigate?" asked Mulan.

"You slayed the last Yaoguai, did you not?" asked Chief Yao. His thick white eyebrows rose on a heavily wrinkled forehead in bemusement. "I regret to ask for your assistance again, but the situation is proving dire."

"It was not by my hand," Mulan corrected, "but I'll do my best to find this beast."

This seemed to satisfy the Chief Yao who thanked her before giving her the names of the sources so that she could question them herself. More than anything, Mulan wished to get started on this new mission. Since she had parted ways with Red and Dorothy and returned to Guifei, she had made a point of keeping busy with the most mundane of tasks. Guifei was a very profitable village and made enough surplus to provide Mulan with required necessities such as rice, millet, wheat, and even eggs and radish if they were feeling especially generous. This left Mulan to do nothing more than cook, eat, and sleep, with disconcerting gaps of free time in between. She took to whittling wood into various images to pass the time; it was brain-deadening work, something that she felt she needed lest she relapsed into the misery that came with the peace of self-imposed isolation.

This new task would finally give Mulan something new to do. Outside of the Yaoguai issue a few years ago, Guifei was a relatively safe settlement. After all, the presence of a war-rugged soldier made it so.

For most of the day, Mulan started tracking this great black beast. Not surprisingly, it was much harder to find than the original Yaoguai which was several feet tall and often left ashes and open flames in its wake. However, Mulan could at least work on the accounts of the villagers; the Yaoguai made a point of eating or severely maiming his witnesses, so Mulan tackled the previous objective a little more blindly.

With this newest mark, Mulan relied on information given to her: the beast only dwelled at night and it made a point of circling the village border, but never entering. It was only a matter of time, the fearful witnesses said, before it would attack, as most wild predators do.

Mulan promised to find the beast.

Going on their accounts, she found that, indeed, there were several breaks in the natural pattern all around the village. Kicked up pebbles, broken twigs, jagged claw marks on the trees. The most striking clue was the absolute silence. In the thick of Guifei's greenery, one was awash in the sounds of chittering birds, skittering woodland creatures, and mournful shrieks of cicadas. When Mulan explored the forest, she could hear nothing but the whisper of windblown leaves and the scratching of branches overhead. In the far distance, there was the cry of a lone raven, but nothing more. Clearly, this was an apex predator to have scared off most of the wildlife away from their habitats.

When night fell, Mulan stood by the gates of Guifei and waited. She had her sword by her hip and her bow strapped to her back. She wore her chainmail helmet and the black reinforced leather armor, shoulders squared and eyes trained on a point in the distance as she listened for any potential disturbances in the quiet that often befell the night.

She waited for two hours. By this time, the people of Guifei had turned in for the night. This thought made Mulan breathe easy; now, it was just her and the beast.

Mulan was seated now with a block of wood and a dagger in hand. She attempted to carve out a semblance of a bird in flight, though it came out sort of clunky looking. She cut with the grain, just as her father would tell her shortly before she went off to war at the age of fourteen. Regardless of the more effortless glide of knife over wood, her carving did not come out quite like she pictured in her head.

This was when Coursing River reared up on his hind legs and whinnied in agitation. Mulan startled and, within a breath, she was on her feet with her hand tensed on the handle of her half-unsheathed jian sword. Her gaze wandered before it fell on a pair of blue eyes gleaming from among the clusters of trees just a few metres away.

Coursing River snorted and, though he shook violently and shuffled so much that he kicked up dirt, he did not flee. As expected of a war horse.

There was a showdown. Mulan stood stiffly, not even daring to breathe too harshly lest she provoked the beast. Minutes passed before the thing approached on quiet feet. Shards of moonlight suggested a hulking figure with black fur. It was majestic in its beastly appearance.

Mulan took in a deep breath when the animal finally moved into the open. She was struck by the sheer size of it as well as the size of its bared fangs. It was clearly on the defensive. If it decided to attack, Mulan would not stand a chance against it.

Which was why she prayed that her next actions wouldn't get her killed.

"Red?" she said. "Is that you?"

The beast's demeanour very suddenly shifted; it went from snarling at her to closing its mouth and straightening its posture. Its eyes were searching. Mulan stayed still. Finally, the beast hesitantly put a paw forward, as if in suggestion. Mulan nodded slowly and the beast took one step forward. Then another. Mulan watched until it was just a few feet away. It sniffed the ground at Mulan's feet. Mulan knew this to be judgment and she waited patiently for the beast to come up with a verdict. Coursing River whinnied louder, spooked now by the beast's proximity, but Mulan shushed him as she held on to his reins. Surprisingly, the beast barely faltered at Coursing River's antics as it continued to assess Mulan.

Apparently, Mulan passed. The animal shifted into a sitting position and docilely bowed its head. That was when it underwent a change. It was swift and had Mulan blinked she would have missed it, but she watched as the animal went from being a massive, black creature to a beautiful young woman.

Mulan smiled. "You certainly make an entrance."

"Did you expect any less?" asked Red with a radiant smile of her own. Apologetically, she smiled at Coursing River and said, "Sorry for scaring your horse."

"He doesn't mind," said Mulan.

Red rose to her feet and closed the distance between her and Mulan with a hug. Mulan stiffened in Red's hold, but Red pulled away with that same smile. If she noticed Mulan's hesitance, she didn't speak of it. Instead, she fingered the mesh of Mulan's helmet and laughed, "Nice helmet."

"It protects against enemy fire," Mulan huffed. "Every imperial soldier has one."

"Yeah," Red muttered as she moved to remove the helmet, "but then no one gets to see your pretty face."

Mulan's throat constricted at this description and so choked on whatever she was going to say next. She was thus powerless when Red slid off her helmet to observe it with clinical curiosity. It only lasted a moment because she handed it back to Mulan who grabbed it from her without hesitation.

"So. This is Guifei?" said Red as she looked past Mulan.

It took a moment for Mulan to realize that Red was speaking of the settlement behind the gates. She said, "Yes. I'm currently protecting this village from you, as a matter of fact."

At this, Red's pink cheeks darkened to a shade just one off from her cloak. Speaking of which, its absence was quite glaring at the moment.

"Where is your cloak, Red?" asked Mulan.

Sheepishly, Red said, "In the woods. I know I should keep it on, but I was just going on a run. I swear I'll put it back on, if it makes you feel better."

"It would," Mulan said with a raised eyebrow. "It would probably scare the villagers less, too."

"Sorry about that," Red muttered as she ventured back into the copse of trees. Mulan mounted Coursing River and followed. "It's just...my senses are at their peak when I'm the wolf. I figured that I could smell you out in wolf form. I knew you were in the village, but when I got here last night I couldn't quite catch your scent. I circled the village hoping I'd get it, but then I heard people yelling, so I ran off."

"You really gave people here a scare," Mulan chastised, but her heart wasn't in it. She was too distracted by the fact that Red actually sought her out at all.

Mulan was always reclusive and made sure to set herself apart from others. It came with masquerading as a man for twelve years in the army, she supposed, but she knew that, even before that, she much preferred isolation. Such an attitude did not attract many friends.

Princess Aurora was closest to being Mulan's friend, but Mulan had since cut off all communication with her. She made it impossible for Aurora to find her. Not that she would, what with Prince Phillip and her newborn taking up her attention.

Mulan had only known Red for a month or so and yet she came all the way here to find her. It left Mulan with an extraordinary feeling.

"Maybe I like scaring people," Red said with a smirk. At Mulan's disapproving frown, she laughed and added, "Take it easy. It was a joke."

"I suggest working on your sense of humour," Mulan groused.

It took a couple more minutes, but Red finally got her cloak from between a pair of trees with branches that interlocked overhead. While Mulan wouldn't say it out loud, it made her breathe easier to see Red in her trademark cloak again. She motioned for Red to follow suit and said, "Get on. I'll show you where I live."

"You don't live in the village?" Red asked as she easily hopped on and sidled in comfortably behind Mulan.

"No," Mulan replied. She squeezed Coursing River's haunches with her legs and he went at a steady pace through the trees. As an afterthought, Mulan said, "I prefer to live alone."

Red hummed as if she understood, though they both knew she didn't. After all, Red had traversed realms just to find others of her kind. Mulan was more likely to traverse realms to get away from other people.

The hut was a mile away, so it took about ten minutes arrive at the quaint wooden house that stood in a small clearing. This had originally belonged to a general from years ago who sometimes escaped to the countryside to ponder the verses of Xu Wei. After his death, the hut was left to rot until Mulan was given permission to take it when she first arrived to Guifei. She had since refurbished it, but it still held a deathly aura, especially in the night when it was surrounded by dark arcades of trees that blocked almost all moonlight from filtering through.

"So, this is where you live?" Red asked as Mulan tethered Coursing River to a post outside the shed. She opened the door and walked inside.

"Yes," Mulan said as she walked over to the end of the hut in two steps where she bowed down and lit the candles there so that the fire would stave off the night cold and shed light on the small hut. Mulan never much cared to tend to the hut and now that she had a visitor, she was suddenly mindful of the messy cot in the corner, the pile of books cluttered next to it, the squat table that held a stack of papers, a pot of ink, and her many wood carvings. They held an air of malice in the dim, flickering candle light.

"I wasn't expecting visitors," Mulan added with a note of apology. Red, however, didn't seem to mind as she wandered inside. Mulan closed the door behind them.

"It's so...you," Red said as her eyes wandered over to the wood carvings, something that Mulan had silently hoped she wouldn't notice so soon. She bent over and inspected them closer before she said, "I didn't know you carved!"

"As a pastime," Mulan replied as she stood by, paralyzed in her helplessness.

"They're beautiful," Red mumbled as she delicately picked up the one depicting a wolf. "I don't think I ever told you this, but I used to make jewellery."

"Did you?" Mulan asked as she finally moved closer.

"Not here," Red added hastily. Her thumb glided over the snout of the wolf with something akin to reverence. "In the other realm. I stopped after the first curse broke."

"Why is that?" Mulan asked. Red's eyes dulled slightly and her smile faded. Thinking she said the wrong thing, Mulan opened her mouth to tell Red that she didn't have to answer when Red spoke.

"Do you...do you remember when I told you that I ate my only boyfriend?" Red asked. She set down the wolf statuette between the small figurine of a long-haired woman in a shawl and that of a hooded woman painted red. She turned to face Mulan who could only nod dumbly. "Well, the first curse erased all memories of that past. So, when the curse broke and I got those memories back, I had to...relive that trauma. Sort of. I used to make all these wolf trinkets—necklaces, rings, key chains— and I used to see it as this thing I liked doing, but when I remembered where all that came from, I just couldn't continue with it."

"I'm sorry," Mulan said. She could think of nothing else to say to that and, really, what was there to say? Thankfully, this seemed to be enough for Red who cracked a strained smile and shook her head.

"It's fine," Red said though, to Mulan, it didn't sound all that fine. "Anyway, your statues just reminded me of that. Making jewellery, I mean, not eating my ex."

"It's never too late to return to it," Mulan said.

"It wouldn't be the same," Red said with a sad smile. "Trust me."

After this, they tumbled into a thick silence. Mulan quickly busied herself with putting away her weapons as Red continued to scan her environment in quiet consideration. It was a couple of minutes before Mulan broke the silence.

"I'm sorry I'm not the best host," Mulan sighed. "I'm still trying to get used to having a visitor. I haven't had company in over a decade."

"What?" Red all but yelled as her eyes widened comically. "Why?"

"I keep to myself," Mulan said. She cleared her throat and decided to change the topic. "How are you and Dorothy?"

Red seemed to notice the deflection judging by the twitch in her brow, but her expression softened a bit at the mention of her partner.

"We're good," she sighed wistfully as she plopped down on the bench where her cloak was folded. "It's still new to us. We've never really had a true love before."

"It must be nice," Mulan said. She tried to sound encouraging, but to her own ears she sounded bitter. Red gave her a strange look and Mulan busied herself with taking off her armour so that Red wouldn't get the chance to analyze her.

Apparently, Red quickly gave up, because she continued, "I never really understood true love until I met Dorothy. I mean, I saw Snow and Charming together, but you don't know true love until you've experienced it. It really is magic."

Mulan didn't dare reply to that, instead focusing on removing her cape and carelessly tossing it to the ground. More silence until Red added, "Her dog annoys the hell out of me though."

This, Mulan felt safe to respond to with a sympathetic laugh.

"It's like having a kid, only it never grows up," Red said with a small pout.

"We all make sacrifices for the ones we love," Mulan said. The last of her armour was off and she quickly slipped on a pair of trousers before she fumbled to put on a knee-length wool tunic.

"I know," Red replied. When Mulan turned to look at her, she found herself subject to scrutiny as Red openly looked at her. A beat passed, then Red said, "It's all worth it."

Mulan turned away.

"It is," she agreed. She hoped she didn't sound as hollow as she felt.

Dressed in her common clothes, Mulan went out back where she prepared a basic meal of stewed rice with boiled radish over an open fire. When presented with the food, Red balked at it for a split second before she hesitantly thanked Mulan. Only a moment later did she spit the food out and claim that she wasn't that hungry anyway. Mulan couldn't blame her; the food was rather plain and uninspired, but these were foods that she lived on while she was in the emperor's army. Food was a luxury not always easy to come by.

They retired for the night in Mulan's cot. It was crowded, seeing as the cot was really made for one person and not two, but they made do with it. Red was good about sharing the space and seemed comfortable to be in such close proximity with another person in slumber. On the other hand, it took Mulan several hours of tossing and turning to finally fall asleep. It was her bad luck that Red was an early-morning riser and didn't like for anyone to sleep in.

"Where do you wash?" Red asked as she stretched, catlike, in the centre of the hut. Mulan watched her groggily, her eyes slightly unfocused with sleep. The golden sunlight burst through the trees and flooded the hut and everything appeared bright and naked and skinned raw. The statues on the other end of the shed stood stoically among the dancing dust. Red's face glowed. The curves of her body highlighted by slivers of light. Mulan's desires and regrets, laid bare and festering like meat under an open sun.

Mulan clenched her jaw and mumbled something about a lake west of here and for Red to use one of the little balls of soap she had in a jar by the candles. Red was gone after a few minutes of shuffling and Mulan soon returned to sleep.

Mulan eventually woke up to see Red muttering to herself as she untangled her wet hair. She was already dressed in her tunic, vest, and crimson skirt. Her cloak laid on the bench, neatly folded.

"Rise and shine!" Red said gleefully when Mulan rose to her feet. "Sleep well?"

"Despite your snoring keeping me up half the night, I slept wonderfully," Mulan jested. Red scowled and threw one of her gloves at Mulan's face in retaliation.

After Mulan had bathed and put on her armour once more, she told Red that she was to report back to the chief in Guifei about the beast.

"What are you gonna tell him?" asked Red as they rode on Coursing River towards to the village. Despite Mulan telling her to stay behind, she insisted on joining Mulan, if only so that she could see Guifei without looking like an "awkward tourist".

"I'll tell him that I killed the beast," Mulan said. At Red's silence, she added, "It's safest to tell him that. I don't want the villagers to take it upon themselves to slay something that doesn't even exist and get themselves in trouble."

"Yeah," Red sighed. "I'm really sorry, Mulan."

"It's not your fault," Mulan said, though her voice betrayed the mild frustration bubbling in her chest. She was not so frustrated with Red as much as she was inconvenienced by the situation. Whatever the case, she was happy to wrap everything up and return to her hut, only to be bothered again by some other pale-faced courier boy in the next several months.

So, it came as quite the surprise to see several unfamiliar men and horses at the gate entrance to Guifei. It was not uncommon for Guifei to receive its share of merchants and bureaucrats, but these men certainly did not look like the commercial or political type. They wore thick, leather armour and carried broad dao blades on their hips. Eyes behind iron helmets gravitated to Mulan and Red as the two approached.

"What brings you here?" asked one man on horseback.

"I should ask you the same," Mulan said, her tone clipped.

"We are the men of General Zhang Jianhong," he replied as he puffed his chest. "I am An Jie. We heard that a demon was seen here last night."

"It's been slain," Mulan said as she rode on. Over her shoulder, she added, "Be sure to spread the word that the imperial soldier posted here killed it last night."

"What was that about?" asked Red when they were out of earshot.

"Fools with numbers to bolster their confidence," Mulan said with no shortage of resentment. "Most likely bandits trying to pass off as bounty hunters. I shouldn't have let you come out here with me."

"You do remember who I am, right?" Red replied with a tinkle of laughter. "I'm not exactly harmless."

"Neither are they," Mulan relented. "Keep sharp."

When they arrived at the chief's place, Mulan saw that a black horse with white mane was already tethered to the building. When Mulan and Red approached, it whinnied in agitation and shuffled as far away from them as it could. Mulan made sure to stop on the opposite end of the building and tie Coursing River to a nearby post before turning to Red.

"Stay out here," Mulan said. "If anything looks wrong or out of place, I want you to call for me."

"God, you sound like Granny," Red said, though it was more gentle than annoyed. "Don't worry. I'll be fine."

Mulan nodded curtly before she entered the building with her hand poised over her sword. Inside was the Chief Yao, back erect and expression strained to remain polite. Across from them was a man dressed in thick leather armour. An iron helmet similar to those of the men posted outside sat by his side. He and Chief Yao turned to watch Mulan walk in.

"Pardon my intrusion," Mulan said with a formal bow. "I come bearing news on the beast."

"Do you?" asked Chief Yao as he dabbed at his forehead. He looked especially sweaty this morning, despite the chill in the air. "What a coincidence. This young man came straight here as soon as he heard of the beast. Mulan, this is General Zhang Jianhong. General Zhang, this is General Hua Mulan."

"It is an honour to meet the renowned General Hua," Zhang said as he deeply nodded in acknowledgement. He was indeed young; he looked no older than thirty years old. His long, angular face was pulled into a smile that did not reach his eyes. Mulan took note of the silk that held his hair in a top knot; it was the same material which underlined his black cape. He spoke again, breaking Mulan's train of thought. "Sorry to impose, but I was sent by Commander Song Gen to oversee the area surrounding my garrison. Considering there was talk of another Yaoguai, I came straight here."

Song Gen. Mulan knew that name. She filed that away for later.

"Where is your garrison?" asked Mulan.

"Quixen Prefecture," he replied. "Just a mere twenty miles from this humble village."

"As you are so close by, I'm sure you heard that there was an imperial soldier here?" Mulan continued without a beat. "One that has already slayed a Yaoguai before?"

"Yet another legend to add to your name, yes," General Zhang said with a polite smile. "I have heard it all. I was just passing through to see if you needed any help."

General Hua Mulan narrowed her eyes a touch, but she quickly smoothed her brow.

"I assure you, I have it handled," Mulan said coldly before turning to Chief Yao who was shifting uncomfortably. "The beast is dead. I killed it last night."

"Oh, that is great news," said Chief Yao. "We did not expect any less from you, Mulan!"

"Ah, yes, good news," echoed Zhang, but there was an unnatural pull to his stiff smile. "You slayed it on your own?"

"Yes," Mulan said curtly. "Why do you ask?"

"I was wondering if you'd brought its fur back," said Zhang. "Most hunters bring back proof of their hunt. I thought, especially concerning such a beast, this situation would be no different."

"I am inclined to believe Mulan," said Chief Yao hastily. He seemed to sense the beginnings of a conflict and was smart enough to want to diffuse it before it boiled over. "She is a veteran of war. If she says that it is dead, then it is dead."

"I suppose that did come off as accusatory," said Zhang. "My apologies."

"Why are you really here, General Zhang?" Mulan asked, to Chief Yao's horror. She hardly cared if she sounded rude anymore because Zhang had this look on his face that grated on all her nerves.

"So direct," General Zhang chastised, though he didn't sound nearly insulted enough. "What makes you think I have ulterior motives? I came here to investigate a potential threat. One that you say you deposed of. This was all an unfortunate misunderstanding."

"No merchant could have travelled twenty miles and gotten the news to you for you to arrive here with just that in mind," Mulan pointed out. "In fact, Chief Yao, is it true that the only travelling merchant to come here was bearing south, not north?"

"The—er—the merchants don't usually tell me such things, but that is what I heard, yes," Chief Yao stumbled, his face growing red as sweat collected on his neck and chest. He aggressively dabbed at the building moisture.

"From what I remember," Mulan went on, "Quixen is up north. Now why are you here?"

General Zhang's smile faltered for the first time since Mulan walked in on his meeting with the chief. He scanned Mulan just as Mulan tried to dissect him and his motives until he said, slowly, "This sort of behaviour is very unladylike."

Mulan did not dignify that with a response. General Zhang continued.

"Commander Song has asked that I protect this village," said General Zhang. "Hence why I brought my men with me. I was going to privately discuss the plans with the chief until you interrupted."

"I'm already posted here," Mulan protested.

"You are one soldier in the face of a brewing threat," said Zhang. He turned to the chief and continued with, "Aside from the beast, there have been bandits running wildly in the woods. Many of my men have gone missing while out on patrol. I would be loath to have innocent villagers be preyed upon by uncivilized thieves."

"That does sound worrisome," mumbled Chief Yao.

"Commander Song is invested in the safety of all those who fall under his jurisdiction," Zhang continued. "As he is in charge of the western half of the mainland, you automatically fall under his protection. I would be more than happy to leave my soldiers in your hands."

"Just like that?" Mulan asked. "Free of charge?"

"Commander Song is wealthy enough and powerful enough to cover such costs," said Zhang, his eyes never leaving the chief. "What do you say?"

"Bandits are very much a problem," said Chief Yao as he brought his handkerchief to his collarbone to pat away the sweat.

"I can handle that alone, as I always have," Mulan said, but she knew the moment the words left her lips that they were hollow of promise. Zhang cast her a sidelong glance with a quirk of his lip before focusing back on the chief.

"I am more than aware of your abilities, Mulan," said Chief Yao. "But I also know that one soldier is never enough. If General Zhang is truly offering his services for free..."

"Completely free," insisted Zhang.

"I think this is the best decision for Guifei," said Chief Yao as he looked over at Mulan with a determined gaze. Mulan opened her mouth to protest, but Zhang beat her to the punch.

"It's good that you see reason," said Zhang as he began to rise. "I will have an outpost established beyond the gate. Don't worry, Chief Yao; your people will be in the most capable of hands. With Mulan working alongside them, I imagine you will be thoroughly protected."

"I would like to think so," Chief Yao muttered. General Zhang nodded firmly before picking up his helmet and bowing to the chief.

"I must take my leave and return to my garrison," said General Zhang as he straightened up. "If any problems arise, don't hesitate to notify me however you can."

"Yes, of course," said Chief Yao. Mulan watched as General Zhang swept out of the chamber and towards his anchored horse. His eyes locked on Mulan's for a brief moment before he mounted his stead and headed off at a steady trot. Mulan could feel Red's stare boring into her, but she was too busy watching Zhang leave.

Unfortunately, he rode too close to Red and his own stead reared its front legs and whinnied so loudly that all activity in the village square was halted in favour of watching Zhang and his belligerent horse. Red, to her credit, barely reacted as Zhang swore and tried to calm his horse. It eventually relaxed its posture, but it shook in distress even as it carried Zhang out of the village square. He cast Red a look that gave Mulan a thrill of childish glee. It was made all the better when Red turned to look at Mulan and shrugged with a close-mouthed smile that spelled innocence. Mulan almost felt proud of her for having such a deceitful front.

After Zhang's departure, the meeting with the chief was short. Mulan tried to convince the chief of General Zhang's ulterior motives, but the chief refused to pursue the issue.

"We need more than one woman to defend us, Mulan," he said. And, though it pained her to hear such a thing, she knew that this did not come from a place of malice, but one of fear and desperation. The Yaoguai had done nothing but kill off men, women, and children. It devoured the chief's wife and he had never quite been the same again since her funeral. Zhang had promised protection and what kind of chief would he be if he denied such a thing?

So, Mulan distanced herself and consented to the new standard. A soldier knew when to fight and when to desist. This was a good example of the latter.

That didn't stop her from complaining to Red about it on their way out the village, however.

"I didn't know one run could cause so much excitement," said Red. She sounded delighted which, really, wasn't much of a surprise to Mulan at all.

"Like I said, this has little to do with you," Mulan said. "General Zhang and his men are up to something. I'm going to keep an eye on them and see if they behave."

"I hope they do," Red said. "Though I still can't help but feel like I'm the cause of all this."

"You aren't," Mulan reassured. She hesitated before, against her better judgment, she took one hand off the reins and reached back for Red's knee and squeezed. It was a strange and awkward gesture, but it was one that came to her naturally. Thankfully, Red took her hand and held it firmly.

"I'm sure it'll be fine," said Red. "If this Commander Song guy is such a big shot, what would he want with a village? Maybe he really just wants to look after this place."

There was a pensive pause after that. Perhaps Red noticed that Mulan was tense because she began to draw circles in the palm of Mulan's gloved hand and said, "And besides. They have you, right? They're in pretty good hands."

"I suppose," Mulan said, her mind focused on the path being marked on her palm and little else. She sounded terser than she intended, so she added, gently, "I just don't want to see these people hurt."

"Can I ask you something personal?" Red asked.

"Okay." Mulan didn't feel okay about this at all, as a matter of fact, but she didn't want to appear contrary.

"Why are you so invested in Guifei?" Red probed. "You never have anyone over. You don't even live with the people there. You spent years in the Enchanted Forest and only came back after I broke the curse on Dorothy. It just seems odd that you'd want to protect them now all of a sudden."

Mulan's grip tightened on the reins of her horse as she pondered Red's question. To be honest, Mulan really wasn't all that interested in Guifei. She was here for the same reasons she joined the Merry Men and for the same reasons she joined Red on her quest to find other werewolves. For the same reasons why she left it all behind to return to isolation in the forest.

"My father asked that I stay and guard this place," Mulan said instead. "He lived and died in Guifei. I was only fourteen when I had to leave to fight the war. By time I returned, I was...different. While the village had stayed the same."

Mulan avoided talking about how the nightmares woke her up in bouts of cold sweat. How she always, always slept with a knife under her pillow. How she came back to Guifei and could not recognize anyone anymore. How she heard that her father died in his sleep while she was serving.

"Going to Misthaven was a foolish pursuit," Mulan added. She felt Red's hand slip away from hers, but she pressed on. "I was trying to run away from my promise and find what I thought I lacked after the war was over. I know now that it's best if I stay here and fulfill my duty."

"Mulan," Red said, her voice full of reproach. Mulan could practically feel the waves of disapproval against the back of her head. "Without you, Merida would have never become queen of Dun Broch. If you didn't see that I was human while I was a wolf, I would have still been the pet of that evil witch. I would have never found Dorothy. You coming to Misthaven was the best thing that happened for us. I—"

Red stopped herself there and, no matter how much Mulan waited, she would not finish the sentence.

"What?" Mulan asked when she finally ran out of patience.

"Never mind," Red muttered.

"I didn't mean for it to come out that way," Mulan apologized. "I don't regret meeting you or Merida. I don't even regret having a broken heart. It was all a learning experience."

Red was quiet for a few moments. Then, "You never told me who broke your heart."

Mulan laughed, though it was devoid of humour. "No matter how much you ask, I would still prefer not to tell you. I haven't told them, so I won't tell anyone else."

"I'll wear you down eventually," Red said. "Just so I could help you move on. As far as I'm concerned, you're still wallowing in self-pity."

"I do not—do you want to walk back to the shed?" Mulan snapped playfully. Red laughed and Mulan found it to be contagious because she soon joined her. And, just like that, the tension was broken, even as they rode in silence.

That night, Mulan cooked again, but this time Red offered to help with preparing the food. It still came out rather plain, but there were more components to the dish, thanks to some of Red's suggestions. Red did mention that she used to work at a diner and deemed herself a food expert, at least in comparison to Mulan.

Red told her that she would be leaving the next morning.

"Dorothy is probably waiting on me to get back," Red said. Mulan nodded her understanding. Red went on, "It's weird, but it...hurts to be away from her for too long. I'm sorry."

"You shouldn't apologize," Mulan said as she laid a hand atop Red's. She squeezed it lightly, with conviction that she lacked. Mulan looked Red in the eye and said, "You should be with the one you love, Red. Go back to her. I'll be fine."

A smile graced Red's full lips and, though it was small, Mulan saw heaven and earth within it. Despite herself, Mulan smiled back and dropped Red's hand before she quietly returned to her bowl of rice, pan-fried radishes, and boiled egg. It was the best meal she'd had in years.

#once upon a time #mulan #ruby #red #red warrior #mulan rouge #ouat fanfiction #wlw #femslash #queer woman of color #i love mulan with aLL MY HEART #and so i dedicate this long-winded story to her #red's cool too

[writingpaperghost]

Sometimes Tears Can Turn to Dreams (Chapter 2)

Chapter 2: The Plot Thickens. Then Stops Entirely

HIkaru wakes up, meets Oliver again and then they go to investigate some things.

I wrote this at the same time as the first chapter. I just thought that was important to note.

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26906968/chapters/65759035

Hikaru wasn’t sure what exactly had happened. One moment he was tackling the strange dragon person in the forest outside of Motorville, the next he was somewhere entirely different. The dragon person was still there, still under Hikaru, but they weren’t in the forest now, now they were in some sort of city. The city seemed to be filled with mechanical bits, and fluorescent light, most likely enclosed since Hikaru could now see a roof. The dragon person had thrown him off.

There were people around, now forming a sort of curious circle, most likely wondering who they were or where they’d come from. Hikaru noted that everyone wore odd clothing, as though they were in some sort of fantasy world. In this case, he seemed to be the one who stood out. The crowd was muttering, about what, precisely, Hikaru could not hear.

The person quickly stood, then drew a symbol in the air with his staff and disappeared. Leaving Hikaru alone, in an unfamiliar city, surrounded by curious eyes. This was not a situation he was prepared for. Sure, he’d been the odd one out in a place, somewhere he’d traveled to. But he was pretty sure their entrance contributed to the looks.

He wondered if it might be best to try and leave. Not that he had much time to even try that.

“Halt!” Soon, instead of being surrounded by normal citizens, he was surrounded by what appeared to be guards, even if there were only four or five of them. “Who are you? A traveler? Where did you come from?”

Hikaru raised his hands, hoping to at least ease the guards. It was hard to say whether that worked, but he figured he should answer the questions. “I’m... Uh, Hikaru Raido,” He began, “I’m an adventurer and I came from Japan?”

One of the guards responded, “There is no place called that.”

With a tilt of his head, he added, “It’s a country?”

“Lying,” Another said, “To guards, is illegal by the laws of Hamelin.”

Hamelin? Where was that? Was that the city he was in? Or was it a country he’d never heard of? Still, Hikaru didn’t understand why they thought he was lying. “I’m telling the truth,” He protested, “Really!”

The first guard rolled his eyes, “You’re not convincing anyone.”

Hikaru wasn’t really sure what to do or what to say. Apparently, nothing was going to get these people to believe him. Which was a problem, for several reasons. The last thing he needed was to get arrested in some strange place, especially given he still wasn’t really sure where he was. Or how he’d got there, even.

Sure, it was clearly the fault of that dragon person, but what had that person done? The two of them had just appeared here like magic. But that didn’t really make sense... Except it seemed like Oliver had done something magical too, and the strange feeling that had overcame him, that Ginga had somehow helped save him from. So maybe it was magic? Or he was letting his imagination get away from him.

“Mr. Hikaru!” Hikaru turned his head in the direction of the voice, and so did the guards. And everyone else in the street. It seemed they all recognized the voice, oddly. Running towards them was Oliver, though he was wearing odd clothes. A blue tunic over white long sleeves and pants, with a red short cape.

The muttering began again, this time it seemed to be from Oliver’s appearance, as odd as that sounded. Was Hikaru imagining this? It wouldn’t really make sense but... Still, he found himself speaking up, “Oliver? How’d you get here?”

The guards looked to Hikaru, for a moment, then back to Oliver. One addressed the boy, “This man,” The guard points at Hikaru, “Do you know him?”

Oliver nods, “Yes sir, he’s with me.”

The guard thought for a moment before nodding. “Let the man go, then.” The guards dispersed, though the crowd did not. Oliver walked up to HIkaru.

“Are you alright?” He asked, looking him over, “I can cast Healing Touch or Healing Hand if you’re hurt...”

Hikaru shook his head, “I’m fine... But where are we? And how did we get here?”

Oliver looked at him for a moment before nodding, “This is Hamelin, a kingdom in another world. We got here using magic, a spell called Gateway.”

“Another world?” Hikaru echoed, “That’s crazy.”

“I know the thought...”

“Wait, the people here seem to recognize you,” Hikaru noted, “Have you been here before?”

With a nod in response, Oliver grabs his wrist and tugs him off in a direction, “I have, but we need to get you back to Motorville, at least so you stop gaining so many looks.”

As much as Hikaru would like to leave this all as the notion of a possible fever dream, there was something that was bugging him. “What about that person?” He asked, “What do you think he was doing?”

They were in an alleyway now, so Oliver stopped and turned to look at him. He frowned for a moment, “I don’t know... But it seemed like it was some kind of spell.” Oliver contemplated for a moment, “I’m honestly kind of worried... But I’m not sure what to do about it...”

Hikaru saw an opening, a reason not to let this kid try to deal with any of this alone. Not to mention, if that spell was dangerous, then who knows what could happen to someone if it was cast. Who knows what it could do... Though frankly he was still reeling about magic. “How about we find him and stop him together?”

“Oh no!” Oliver waved his hands, “That’s fine! I have friends here who can help me and-”

“At the very least, it’ll save you another trip to Motorville and back.” Hikaru argued, “Not to mention, I’d like to see more of this world. It’ll be an adventure.”

It seemed like Oliver wanted to argue more, but he also seemed hesitant to do so. He sighed, then shook his head, “Alright, but we’ll have to find you some different clothes. You stand out too much.”

Nodding, Hikaru asked, “Where should we go then?”

Oliver leads him out of the alley and back into the streets of Hamelin. “The Hootique will probably be our best bet,” He said, guiding Hikaru through the streets and the crowds. “If anywhere will have something, it’ll be there.”

As it turned out, they were able to find some clothes in the Hootique, though they were all a little off fitting. The shirt and pants were just a little small, and the jacket they found was actually a bit big. But it would have to do. It still would attract less attention than what Hikaru had been wearing.

Once Oliver had paid, the two walked out. Hikaru could already tell he was getting far less strange looks than before. He looked to Oliver, one question on his mind at that moment, “So how are we gonna find that person?”

Looking up at him, Oliver tilted his head, frowning in thought, “I’m not really sure...” He began flipping through the pages of the book he had, “I don’t really recognize the spell he used and it’s not in the Wizard’s Companion...”

Hikaru tilted his head, shoving his hands in his pockets to fiddle with the Ginga Spark, “Will finding out what spell he’s trying to use help us?”

Once again looking up at him, Oliver responds, “Maybe, at the very least it might let us have a better idea of what we’re dealing with.” He closed the book with a sigh, “It could also give us an idea of where he might be, depending on what it might do.”

“So then,” Hikaru began, looking around, “Is there someone who might know?”

Oliver thought about it, humming, “Well, there are two people I know who are really well versed in magic... Since we’re in Hamelin, it would probably make the most sense to ask Marcassin first.” He looks across the sort of balcony overlook, the one that looked out on the street that Hikaru had appeared in. At the end of the street seemed to be some kind of palace. “Follow me.”

Oliver leads Hikaru back to the street he’d appeared in, and continues down. Hikaru had thought, initially, that this Marcassin lived in a house along the street, but that quickly stopped seeming likely. Soon they were in front of the two guards that stood in front of the entrance to the palace.

Hikaru was about to say something, when one of the guards spoke up, addressing Oliver, “Oh, are you here to see the Emperor and his brother?” It seemed they recognized Oliver. But that wasn’t really the part that made Hikaru double take. It was the fact that apparently Oliver knew both the Emperor of Hamelin and the Emperor’s brother.

With a smile, Oliver responded yes, and soon the two were being escorted through the castle. They were led  through a large, open, room, prompting the guard to announce their presence. Or rather, Oliver’s, “The Pure Hearted One,” The guard said, before bowing and leaving.

In the room were two men, one with long black hair and blue eyes, wearing very fancy and formal looking clothes. Beside him was a man with shorter brown hair, that might have been curly, or it could have just been messy. He wore simpler clothes, though clearly still high quality, looking ever slightly uncomfortable.

The one with brown hair came up to Oliver, ruffling his hair, “Oliver,” He exclaimed, “I think you’ve gotten less short since last time you were here!”

“Swaine!” Oliver seemed to almost whine, though he was clearly glad to see the man, Swaine.

The other man spoke up, “It’s good to see you, Oliver,” He seemed much more restrained, though he had a smile on his face, “We weren’t expecting you.”

Swaine nodded, “Yeah, we just heard you’d shown up.”

The other man looked over at Hikaru, eyeing him for a moment, “I take it this is the oddly dressed man who showed up earlier?”

Oliver seemed to have forgotten Hikaru was there, “Oh yeah!” He gestures to Hikaru, “This is Mr. Hikaru. He’s from my world.”

“Swaine,” Swaine introduced, giving Hikaru a look that he wasn’t sure what it meant. it seemed a bit cautious, if Hikaru had to give any emotion to it.

The other man spoke, “I am Marcassin, Emperor of Hamelin.” It took Hikaru a moment to process that. The Marcassin that Oliver wanted to ask for help from... was the Emperor of the kingdom. That was a bit much to take in.

Oliver quickly went on to explain why they were here. He explained the dragon person and the unknown spell, Hikaru’s broken heart - which required a quick explanation for Hikaru - and how HIkaru had ended up in Hamelin.

After, Marcassin hummed in thought, “I see,” He noted, eyes closed. He opened them and continued, “I’m afraid I know nothing about this person nor the spell he was trying to cast.”

Though Oliver was clearly disappointed, he also didn’t seem to surprised, “I was kinda expecting that... Thanks anyway, though.” He frowned in thought, probably trying to think about who might know, if anyone.

Watching them for a moment, Swaine suggests, “I heard that there were some weird things going on over in the Tombstone Trail,” Oliver takes in the information, a thoughtful look on his face, “Might be nothing but...”

HIkaru glances at Oliver, then looks back up at Swaine, “It... It could be worth checking out.”

Nodding, Oliver agrees, “Yeah, at the very least it could help someone, even if it has nothing to do with that person.”

“Well then,” Swaine cheers, “That settles it.” He approaches Oliver and Hikaru once more.

Marcassin tilts his head, a small but fond smile on his face. “There’s no guarantee it means anything... but it could be worthwhile....” He then shifts subjects, “It might be good to go to Perdida and visit Khulan to ask her about that spell.”

“Right!” Oliver nods, “We’ll visit Perdida then head to the Tombstone Trail and see what’s going on.”

“Good luck,” Marcassin called as they began to leave the room, “Don’t get yourselves too hurt, Oliver, Gascon, Hikaru.” That was odd... Why did he call Swaine that? Or at least, presumably it was Swaine, given that was the name that wasn’t called.

As they excited the palace, it became increasingly clear that Swaine was coming along with them. Oliver knew him, so he must have been fine with the idea of having him come along. Even planning to go to a place called Tombstone Trail, it wasn’t like there could be all that much there. It might be hazardous to cross but... What else could there be? It should be fine.

Checking his bag, Oliver nods to himself, “We should be good on supplies... I think I might get some more Cappuccinos when we’re in Perdida... Can never have too much coffee...”

HIkaru tilts his head at that, confused, “Aren’t you a bit... young to drink a lot of coffee?”

Swaine laughs at that and Oliver looks up, “First off, I’m fourteen,” He protests, “Second off, coffee here works differently than in our world. Here it helps recover magic, just like burgers and sandwiches heal you when you’re hurt.”

Hikaru blinks at that, then just decides to sigh and go with it. Things certainly didn’t have to make the same sense as in their world. Besides, Oliver would probably understand this world better than Hikaru, he at least had some experience with it.

“Alright then,” Oliver declared after a few more moments, “I can just cast Travel and get us to Perdida in no time.” He brought out his wand - something HIkaru just accepted now - and began to draw a symbol in the air.

Glancing over at Swaine, Hikaru asks, “There’s a spell for that?”

With a laugh, Swaine responds, “I swear there’s a spell for everything and the kitchen sink.”

To describe how travel felt was hard. The best Hikaru could give was that brief moment where he was transitioning from himself into whatever SparkDoll he was trying to UltraLive into. Regardless, one moment they were in Hamelin, now they were in a different place entirely.

They were outside now, surrounded by buildings that looked like buildings Hikaru had seen in his trips to South America. The same could be said in regards to the bits of clearly older architecture, including the walls around the city.

Upon arriving Oliver first went to the person who was apparently the merchant of the town. Hikaru figured he’d leave all that to Oliver, who clearly knew what he was doing here. He decided just to ignore the looks of the people in the town now.

Glancing over at Swaine, Hikaru saw the man had pulled out something resembling a gun, though it had all sorts of other bits to it. If anything, it resembled a fantasy esque gun. Of course, since this world was rather fantastic, and Hamelin did seem to be something of a technological city, it wasn’t that much of a surprise, really. Swaine was fiddling with little bits of it, probably like, tuning it or something - technological things like that weren’t really his thing.

Oliver walks back up to them, adjusting things in his bag, “Alright,” He said, “Now let’s go talk to Khulan.”

Khulan wasn’t hard to find, though Oliver seemed to know where she’d be anyway. She wore mostly jade green, though there were white feathers on the shoulders of her clothes. She was speaking with a man, who was laughing heartily and joyfully at something she said.

“Khulan! Kublai!” Oliver called, waving at them, jogging to go up and meet them sooner.

The man, Kublai, apparently, turned to face them first, Khulan following not too long after. She gave Oliver and Swaine a smile, and a slight confused look at Hikaru, though it was brief.

“Oliver,” She smiled, “What brings you here?”

Wasting no time, Oliver explained what had occurred prior and brought them to Perdida. Through the whole explanation, Khulan listened, her expression neutral. If she had any thoughts on the matter she wasn’t saying them, though it could simply be she wanted the whole picture.

With the explanation finished, Khulan finally spoke, “I cannot say for sure what that spell might be...” Her tone was even, her words slow. She seemed to be measuring what she was saying, careful. “Though I have my suspicions. I will need to do some research.”

Glancing at Swaine and Hikaru, then back to Oliver, she continues, “Until then, you should proceed with caution in your investigation of Tombstone Trail.” 

Nodding, Oliver responds, “Right, we’ll go see what’s going on at Tombstone Trail,” He turns around, “Come on, Swaine, Mr. Hikaru, let’s go!”

---

Through the use of magic once more, they now stood in front of an ominous entrance to what HIkaru was informed was the Tombstone Trail. The trail itself was dark, with leafless trees and, unsurprisingly, tombstones. There were blue wisps floating about the air, providing a faint blue light on top of the light of the moon.

Hikaru looked around, “Geez,” He found himself saying aloud, “This place is... creepy.”

Swaine laughed, “I mean, it is called the Tombstone Trail.” Hikaru can tell he’s not trying to be mean. At least, he doesn’t think so, “What were you expecting? Sunshine and rainbows?”

Leading them to an area where the path, large as it was, split into two, Oliver comments, almost idly, “Horace said that this place was once filled with flowers,” It was an off hand comment, but it made Hikaru wonder. Everything here seemed like it had been there for a while, how long ago was that Horace Oliver mentioned talking about? How old was Horace if he could know that? Hikaru was certain that some of these tombstones had been there a while.

Oliver leads them to the left trail and it didn’t take long before they could see some kind of creature. Hikaru had never seen anything like it, it didn’t look like any animal he had ever seen. When they got close to it, it immediately ran off the moment it noticed them.That wasn’t unexpected behavior of an animal, but the creature didn’t really seem like an animal.

He didn’t say anything at first, but after it happened a few times, Hikaru’s curiosity finally showed. “What... What are those things?” He asked, watching as another creature ran off.

 “You’re telling me you don’t know a creature when you see one?” Swaine asks, incredulously. He was giving a look with an eyebrow raised.

“...What?”

“Swaine, we don’t have creatures like that in our world,” Oliver explains, “In this world there are creatures. The ones here can tell we’re strong enough that they won’t bug us.”

Hikaru watches as another creature scurries off, “Yeah, we don’t really have creatures...” He’s sort of just wondering out loud, to no one in particular. “The closest we have are some giant monsters, occasionally.”

Oliver stops, whipping his head back to look at Hikaru, eyes wide, “Giant monsters?” He asked, “What do you mean giant monster?”

It wasn’t really a surprise that Oliver didn’t know about them. They only showed up in Furuhoshi, so while the whole town may have known about them, people outside of it certainly didn’t. Even Misuzu’s dad, who had family in town, didn't know about it until he saw it with his own eyes. For some reason the news never really made it out of town.

He decided he should explain, “In my hometown, there was a period where some giant monsters showed up, occasionally.” He tried to be as nonchalant about it as possible, not wanting to cause too much alarm. “They haven’t shown up since, so I guess it’s not that big of a deal.”

“Giant monsters just start showing up in your hometown,” Swaine began, crossing his arms, “And you consider that ‘not that big of a deal’?”

“I guess?” Hikaru then offered, “I mean there wasn’t even all that much damage...”

They’d come to an old sort of shack, maybe a shed or something. But it was definitely old. It was impossible to get into, since it was boarded up, but it was still a curious sight. He wondered why it was there, what it was once for. Was it something like a groundskeepers shed? Except there hadn’t been a single other living soul on the trail. 

Stretching, Swaine glances around, “Well, at least we’re halfway through.”

“Halfway and there’s nothing out of the ordinary,” Oliver added, warily looking around.

“Maybe there’s nothing actually going on?” Hikaru suggested, looking around and tilting his head, taking in his surroundings. “Or maybe whatever was causing it has already left?”

Swaine laughed at that, “Things rarely leave,” He said, “Whatever it is, it’s probably closer to the top.”

Oliver nodded, “We’ll just have to keep going to find out...”

“Let’s just all be careful, alright?” Swaine glanced at Hikaru, “If there’s some creature or whatever you stay out of the fight.”

“Huh?” Came Hikaru, far beyond confused, “Fight?”

He was giving Hikaru a once over, “I mean, you don’t look like you could fight very well, or have a weapon...” He continued on, ignoring the confused look on HIkaru’s face, “Or even a familiar!”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Hikaru waved his hands frantically, “Fight? You mean those creatures can be hostile?”

Giving him a reassuring look, Oliver explained, “The ones we’ve seen so far know we’re strong, so they don’t try to fight us. But it’s possible that there are some that are stronger and will try to fight us.” He points to Swaine, “Swaine has his gun and his familiars, I have magic and my familiars, so leave fighting the creatures to us.”

Hikaru wasn’t entirely sure how he felt about letting a fourteen year old fight creatures, but he figured Oliver had a good argument. Oliver had a way to fight the creatures. Unless they were big enough to UltraLive, Hikaru didn’t really have much. He had some fighting skills, but without the protection of the Ginga Spark, he wasn’t sure he wanted to get near enough to try them on these creatures.

So, he would just have to do as Oliver and Swaine asked and leave it to them. He wasn’t even entirely convinced that there was really anything going on here, so far it seemed like there was nothing unusual. Certainly, there was nothing that glaringly stood out, like he had sort of been expecting. Of course, Swaine was probably right, and whatever was causing this was towards the end of the trail. There was only one way to find out.

They continued into a cave, which lacked the tombstones the rest of the trail had. There were candles along the way, which gave just enough light for them to be able to progress without having to worry about getting lost or something. Hikaru was beginning to get an odd feeling, one he wasn’t really sure how to describe. The closest he could come up with was like when people were given Dark Sparks so they could MonsLive into monsters.

Once they were through the cave, it didn’t take them long to come up to a clearing, of sorts. There were still countless tombstones all around, but there was a significant area that lacked them. At the very top of the hill was a large tombstone. Hikaru thought that whoever it belonged to, they were important.

But that wasn’t the most important part, though frankly Hikaru wished it was. No, standing near the large tombstone at the top of the hill was a person, one who he was certain he recognized. The person, the one who was in the forest outside of Motorville and had brought him here, seemed to be trying to perform some kind of spell, though it seemed to be a different one than before. 

“Oliver,” Hikaru said quietly, hoping that the person wouldn’t notice them, “That’s the person from before!”

There was a frown on Oliver’s face, his eyes narrow when he responded, “That’s what I thought... But I didn’t get a very good look before he used Gateway...” He looks at Hikaru and Swaine, “We have to stop him, before he can cast his spell.”

He continued, glancing back at the person, “Hikaru, you should stay over here in case we have to fight him.” Hikaru didn’t protest, unless there was a giant... something, he wasn’t going to be much help. “Swaine and I will try to stop him.”

Swaine nods in response and within moments, the two were running up to the person. Swaine had his strange gun in hand, Oliver was holding his wand, both clearly ready for a fight if necessary. Oliver called out to the man, “Hey! Stop that!”

The person turns to look at the two and Hikaru thinks he can see a frown on his dragon-like face. “What? Who’re you two?” He growls shifting his grip on his staff. “How dare you interrupt me? Do you know just who I am?”

With a smirk, Swaine responds, “Nope, you sure don’t ring a bell.” It was the certain degree of sass that not everyone was actually willing to use, but Swaine certainly was one of those people.

With a grumble, the person responds, “Oh look at what this disastrous world’s coming to, they don’t even know who I, Pictor, is.”

“Yeah... Never heard of you,”

The person, PIctor, is clearly disgruntled, seemingly offended that no one knew who he was. He grumbled again, glaring at Oliver and Swaine, “Gah, it doesn’t matter. You two should just get out of here.”

“No way!” Oliver protested, “Whatever you’re trying to do, we’re not going to let you.”

Rolling his eyes, Pictor responds rather irritably, “I don’t need to deal with this right now. I just need to get-” He looks at the tombstone beside him, as though there was something there he wanted. Then he looked back at Oliver, eyes widening when he saw something. “Wait, is that....”

He creeps closer, eyeing the wand in Oliver’s hand. Oliver takes a step back, bringing the wand up to protect himself, then moving it to keep it away from Pictor. He seems to be unsure what to do, since Pictor was clearly interested in it.

Pictor continues, quiet enough that Hikaru can barely hear him, “Is that Mornstar...?” He eyes it for a moment more before continuing, “It has the gems, even...”

Looking Oliver in the eyes, Pictor inquires, “You must give me that wand,” He grasps at the wand, though Swaine intervenes and pushes himself back. “That is what I came here for!”

“Yeah right,” Swaine scoffed, “Get your own.” There was something else there, though. A threat, from both Swaine and Pictor. Hikaru wasn’t really sure what was so important about Oliver’s wand, but he could tell that Pictor wasn’t afraid to try to take it by force.

“No I-” Then Pictor groaned, “Oh, who cares! You’re going to give me that wand or I’ll take it!”

Oliver adjusts his hold on his wand - Mornstar? - and shifted his position. Swaine did much the same, though with his gun. They seemed to sense the impending fight, the same as Hikaru could. “We’re not going to give it to you without a fight,”

Pictor drew a symbol in the air - a spell, Hikaru was learning - and around the clearing walls appeared. Hikaru was just inside these walls, which prompted him to touch it. It was solid, he’d have thought it had been there if he hadn’t seen it appear. Ultimately, though, he wasn’t going to be able to leave, he’d just have to avoid getting caught in the impending fight.

Swaine moves off to the side, calling on a creature to aid him - Hikaru figured that was a familiar but he wasn’t sure - while Oliver ran closer to the edge of the ring, seemingly trying to put space between himself and Pictor. As he began to draw a symbol in the air with his wand, he was lifted off the ground and the pages of his book began to flip. Swaine’s familiar was making itself busy with Pictor, who was swatting at it with his staff.

A glob of light just appeared around Pictor, then in a flash seemed to harm him, knocking him back. Glancing over at Oliver, his feet were back on the ground and he was moving once again. In retaliation, Pictor cast a spell that seemed to knock Swaine’s familiar back. That also seemed to harm Swaine - so Hikaru assumes that when a familiar gets hurt so too does it’s... master?

Pictor looked up at Oliver, “You know how to cast Mornstar...” Then he laughs, “I shouldn’t be surprised!” He begins to draw a symbol in the air, almost seeming to gather energy. Whatever he was trying to do, Hikaru was honestly a bit worried about it.

“Everyone defend!” Oliver yelled when Pictor began to cast his spell. Swaine and his familiar slipped into a defensive position, bracing themselves for the spell. Oliver seemed to realize something, looking over to Hikaru. Hikaru realized it too. If that attack was going to hit everyone in the area walled off by Pictor’s magic wall...

Then it was going to hit Hikaru too.

Oliver quickly drew a symbol in the air and cast a spell. Around Hikaru appeared a sort of magical barrier, not unlike the one that enclosed the arena. The only difference, he found, was that the barrier that Oliver created wasn’t as solid. Unfortunately, Hikaru had barely the time to recognize this when Pictor finished whatever preparation he needed for his spell.

An invisible force ripped its way across the area, knocking Swaine and his familiar back slightly. Hikaru had just enough time to try to brace himself, before it too hit him, though he wasn’t fully prepared and it knocked him back more than Swaine and his familiar. Oliver was the one who took the attack the worst, not having the time to defend himself after casting his spell.

“Oliver!”

Pictor wastes no time and makes his way over to Oliver, ignoring the shots from Swaine’s gun. Hikaru debated with himself for a moment, wondering what would be the best thing to do. He didn’t have much time, and the next thing Hikaru knows, he’s running towards Oliver and Pictor.

For what was the third time that day, Hikaru tackled Pictor once again.

“Gah!” Pictor shoves him off, stumbling into a stand. Hikaru lands on his butt, scrambling onto his feet. He wasn’t going to get caught unable to defend himself if he had to. Pictor’s clearly annoyed, “Oh, you just love to do that don’t you!”

He’s glaring at Hikaru, then he looks around, eyes falling on something on the ground near Hikaru. Pictor frowns, “Is that...?” Then a twisted sort of smirk forms on his face, immediately making Hikaru uneasy. “Oh, well I have an even better plan!”

Oliver has gotten up, moving closer to Hikaru, joined by Swaine. Pictor seemed to care little, beginning to draw a symbol in the air with his staff. “I can get Mornstar some other time... I have a better test for today!”

There was little time for them to act, the spell completing with a flash of grey. Then there was a roar, one that made Hikaru freeze, just for a moment. Instinctively, he looked up, searching for the giant form that he just knew would be there. He wasn’t wrong, though he didn’t have to look as high as he had thought. Staring down at them was a giant monster, one that Hikaru faintly recalled seeing before.

What was it called...? Zara...? Zaragra...? Zaragras? Yeah, Zaragras.

Pictor grinned, then shrugged, “Let’s see how you deal with this!” He quickly drew a symbol that Hikaru had learned was for the Travel spell, then disappeared.

“That monster’s huge!” Swaine yelled, “How’re we supposed to deal with that?!”

Hikaru’s hand went into his pocket to grab the Ginga Spark. He could stop this monster, he’d done it before and he’d stopped monsters plenty of times. Even though he didn’t have any SparkDolls, he could manage. He could probably even just UltraLive straight to Ginga. Or he hoped he could.

...Only the Ginga Spark wasn’t in his pocket.

He must have dropped it, but when? He quickly looks around, relieved to see it lying not too far from Swaine’s feet. He scrambles to grab it.

“Hey!” Swaine yelped, “Have you lost your mind? What are you doing?”

Ginga Spark in hand, Hikaru stands, “I can deal with the monster!”

“How?” Oliver asked, “I think it would shrug off any of my spells.”

“Just trust me!” From the Ginga Spark appeared Ginga’s SparkDoll, which Hikaru grabbed. “Ginga!”

Upon placing the SparkDoll’s foot on the Ginga Spark, he could hear a voice call out, “UltraLive!” Followed by, “Ultraman Ginga!” And a familiar warmth covered him.

---

The light that flowed from Mr. Hikaru’s strange object engulfed him and soon, the light that was Mr. Hikaru wasn’t really Mr. Hikaru. The... person, who stood there looked exactly like that strange doll that had appeared when he was brokenhearted.

Oliver wasn’t sure what all this was. Was it magic? If it was, Mr. Hikaru must not have known, though he seemed to take the idea of magic as a while rather easily. It didn’t quite feel like magic, not that he was an expert in that.

“He just...” Swaine trailed, “He just became that giant.” He wasn’t the only one with that reaction, Oliver felt it too.

As the giant - hadn’t that voice that seemingly came from the object Mr. Hikaru had called it Ultraman Ginga? - wasted no time in fighting the giant monster. Oliver had to wonder... Was Mr. Hikaru in there? Could he yell out to the giant and Mr. HIkaru would hear him? Or would it just be the giant hearing him? Were the giant and Mr. Hikaru the same being or were they seperate?

So many questions, though they’d only be getting answers from Mr. Hikaru. They’d just have to wait until after the monster was defeated. Given how the fight was going, it seemed like it would only be a minute or two.

“So I guess this is happening,” Swaine continued, almost absentmindedly. Oliver could agree easily, it was the sort of thing that was much easier to simply nod your head and go with it than to think too hard. “He can just... turn into a giant and fight monsters.”

Yet something in Oliver’s head told him it was all important. Not quite magic but not far from it. He couldn’t help but repeat the name, “Ultraman Ginga...”

Swaine looks over at him, “Huh?”

In kind, Oliver looks to Swiane and elaborates, “The giant Mr. HIkaru became,” He points at Ginga, “Their name is... Ultraman Ginga.”

Looking back up at Ginga, Swaine wondered aloud, “Ultraman Ginga, huh?” Ginga dodges out of the way of an attack from the monster, retaliating with a punch, “I wonder if it’s magic.”

Olvier hummed, “Not quite,” He said, “At least I don’t think so. It seems.... different.”

Ginga placed some distance between himself and the monster, then used some kind of energy based attack. The monster exploded and disappeared in a way different than when creatures were fought but not.

Ginga glowed then began to shrink in a glow of light, which landed on the ground. When the light disappeared, HIkaru was standing there, still holding his strange object in his hand.

“Mr. HIkaru!” Oliver cried, running over, “That was amazing!”

“What was that?” Swaine added, “Sure isn’t much like anything I’ve seen.”

Mr. Hikaru paused for a moment, frowning, then said, “That was Ginga,” He looked at the object in his hand, returning it to his pocket, “He’s an Ultraman.”

“An Ultraman?” Oliver echoed, equal parts curious and amazed. He shook his head, shaking the thoughts away. They had other things they needed to focus on. “Never mind, now we know that Pictor had something to do with this. Not to mention he wanted Mornstar.”

Oliver looks down at his wand. Pictor was right that he had Mornstar, but wrong about the wand he was currently using. In his hand wasn’t Mornstar, but Astra, the twin to Mornstar. They looked so similar that he wasn’t surprised at the confusion, but that wasn’t the important part. For whatever reason, Pictor needed the one - at least one of them - of the Wizard King.

With a frown, Swaine said, “Whatever spell he wants to cast, he needs a powerful wand, then?”

Looking up at him, Oliver nodded, “Probably, though it’s probably better to ask Khulan about that.”

Mr. HIkaru looked at his watch, “Oh geez,” He said, “We’ve been here for a while.”

“What do you mean?” Oliver asked. They hadn’t been in the Tombstone Trail for all that long. Maybe an hour or so at most.

Still, Mr. Hikaru elaborated, “I mean, it’s already evening, aren’t your parents going to worry?”

Oliver’s face fell at that question. He knew that Hikaru had no way of knowing... But it still hurt, just a bit. Shaking his head, he responded, “I don’t have any parents...” He said, “My mom died a few months ago...”

“Oh,” Mr. Hikaru said, his tone subdued. He seemed a bit.... not exactly embarrassed but something else. “I’m sorry.”

Shaking his head, Oliver shrugs, “It’s... It’s fine.” He gives his head one last shake to get rid of the unwanted things. He looks to Mr. Hikaru, “If you want, I can cast Gateway and take you back to Motorville.”

Mr. Hikaru seemed conflicted, “Pictor clearly recognized the Ginga Spark... He knew I could become Ginga, If he tried something else... something with another monster, I should be here.” He shook his head, seemingly chasing whatever doubts he had away. When he continued, there was a determined glint in his eyes, “Until Pictor is stopped, I’ll stay here as long as necessary.”

That surprised Oliver, but he wasn’t going to argue with Mr. Hikaru. He seemed so very determined, plenty prepared for what he was saying he’d do. Oliver could appreciate that, and if Pictor really was trying to do something, whatever that may be, they would probably need Mr. Hikaru’s help.

He nods, “Alright, if that’s what you want.”

With a determined smile, Mr. Hikaru nods, “Yes,”

---

As they soon found out, though, if Pictor was up to anything else, he sure was taking his time. There hadn’t been a sign of him since they met him at the Tombstone Trail. It had been a couple weeks now - Oliver and Hikaru had gone back to Motorville a couple times during then - and not much had happened.

Khulan hadn’t found much more about whatever spell Pictor had been trying to cast and at this point Hikaru was starting to wonder if they were just imagining whatever Pictor might be trying. They’d been hanging around Perdida until she found something.

One day, Oliver came up to him, “Hey, Mr. Hikaru?”

“Yeah?”

Oliver seemed hesitant, “I’m not sure how long this will all take...” He began, “Maybe you should go back to our world?”

“But what are you going to do if Pictor summons another monster and I’m gone?” The last thing Hikaru wanted was to not be around if they needed him. But it seemed Oliver had thought of that.

“Well, I thought about that! You have a phone, right?” Hikaru nods, prompting Oliver to continue, “It takes pretty much no time to cast Gateway, so I could just go and call you if we think we might need you.”

Hikaru wasn’t sure how much he liked the plan, but he didn’t have much better. He was starting to get bored and he really wanted to continue his adventures. Oliver’s plan seemed.... well good enough.

He sighed, “Alright, I guess that’s the best plan we’ve got.”

And so Hikaru returned to his and Oliver’s world, continuing his adventures. After a while, he almost forgot about all of it, but he couldn’t. Something about it just stuck with him. But time continued to pass and he heard little from Oliver. Occasionally, Oliver would call him just to talk, or to update him on what little progress was made. But they never made enough to need Hikaru to come back.

After a year or so, he joined the UPG, he met Shou - Ultraman Victory - Shou joined the UPG, and then they met Daichi and Ultraman X. They’d done so much.

But he never really forgot about Oliver and the other world. If only he knew that he’d be coming back to it sooner than he expected.

#ultraman ginga #ni no kuni #nnk #ni no kuni oliver #hikaru raido #my writing #sometimes tears can turn to dreams

[meganwontgotoheaven]

Ch 10: When The Monday Gossip Is Glorious

Fandom: Critical Role

Genre: High School AU

Rating: General 

Word Count: 1781

The second day of the festival set up was uneventful and soon enough the entire field went from an empty mid-autumn field to a winter wonderland. Eskil was released from the city jail after an “anonymous” tip came in about a white haired woman but the police were still keeping an eye on him for the rest of the investigation. The worst thing to happen that day was Vex finding out they were being paid in free fair vouchers and not actual cash. Her mood carried over to Monday morning.

“Next time I find an online advertisement for work, I’m checking the payment method first,” said Vex as her and Vax waited for the morning bell.

“Cool it stumpy,” said Vax working on his neglected weekend homework. “There will be other jobs.”

“Fine but when we help with the school Halloween fair in a few weeks things will be different,” she replied.

“Sure they will...wait since when are we helping with the fair,” asked Vax.

“Since I ran into Allura from the student council like ten minutes ago,” answered Vex.

Vax groaned. “That’s who you were talking to. Why do you need to get us involved with school stuff.”

“Well she was putting up fliers and she looked kind of upset,” said Vex. “So i started talking to her.”

“Is she okay,” asked Vax.

Vex leaned in close to her brother. “She’s worried about Uriel, the council president.”

“Didn’t someone try to throw a baseball at his head at the last assembly,” asked Vax.

Vex nodded. “That’s around when it started. Apparently he’s been acting weird. He’s been withdrawn, missing meetings, nobody’s been able to get in touch with him because he refuses to talk with them.”

“Sounds like the ol’ prez has got himself into some shady things if you get my drift,” said Vax tapping the side of his nose.

“No,” said Vex scandalized. “You don’t really think…”

Vax just shrugged as Pike and Grog walked into the room with a Percy in tow. The conversation was dropped for the moment.

~ ~ ~  

In another homeroom Keyleth was busily talking with Tiberius and Scanlan about her own future plans.

“So I already texted Vex and Percy about it but next week over by Crystalfen in the old part of town there's going to be an antiques and oddities market,” said Keyleth. “Want to come?”

“Thats sounds wonderful,” said Tiberius. “I’ll go with you.”

“That part of town smells like sewer refuse and antiques are for old people,” said Scanlan. “Why would we go there?”

“Because it’ll be fun! And it’s not just for old people,” said Keyleth. “I’m looking for fun things to upcycle.”

“And I have a list of rare vintage items I’ve been looking for to add to my collection,” add Tiberius.

“We were thinking of going after school next Friday,” said Keyleth.

“Me and Vax have plans that day,” said Scanlan.

“What type of plans,” asked Keyleth.

“Oh you know, just guy stuff,” said Scanlan evasively.

“That’s a really vague answer,” said Keyleth.

“It’s not,” said Scanlan.

“Is this something we should be concerned about,” asked Keyleth.

“Probably not,” he replied.

“Workes for me,” said Tiberius. “Now did you study for the history quiz? Because I have some last minute review questions.”

“Of course,” said Keyleth.

~ ~ ~  

History was boring, so Vax decided to go for a walk instead, making his usual rounds. First he looked in on his sister and the girls in gym class just in time to see Keyleth catch the football two seconds before being tackled by the entire opposing team. Next on his route was the vending machine with the good candy bars. And finally he was off to the front office where he knew he could look through the lost and found without being caught by a teacher.

Ignoring the things that had already been sitting there for weeks he found three new retainers, a Justin Timberlake folder, an ugly orange sweater, and a journal with the name “Gregory” written inside the cover. He decided the journal could keep him entertained in class until he could find its owner and return it.

After that it was back to history class.

~ ~ ~

Seventh period brought more news to the ears of Vox Machina. While Percy and Tiberius listened and took notes about symbolism in Wuthering Heights Scanlan was scrolling through local gossip blogs. One post caught his attention immediately and he elbowed Tiberius from across the aisle.

“Tiberius look at this,” he whispered.

Tiberius side glanced at the phone in Scanlan’s hand. On it was a headline reading “Dread Emperor: Little Emperor Day Camp Caught In Child Slavery Ring.” Tiberius’ eyes widened in realization.

“Oh my god we worked there,” Tiberius exclaimed under his breath.

“I know,” Scanlan whispered back with as much surprise.

“Whats going on,” asked Percy noticing his friends agitation. Scanlan turned the phone towards him.

“Over the summer we worked there for like a week,” Scanlan explained. “We quite because the owner was super sketchy. And because Keyleth dropped a kid but that’s a different story.”

“You know, Pike was talking about possibly looking into the owner’s background and maybe talking to someone about him,” said Tiberius.

“I think she did eventually tell the police about her suspicions,” said Scanlan. “Apparently she wasn’t the only concerned civilian.”

“Good god what is the world coming too,” mumbled Percy.

“I for one am glad we quite and the place is shut down,” said Tiberius.

The three boys nodded their heads in agreement and returned there attention to the lecture.

~ ~ ~                

    The twins had last period together just as they did first period. And much like first period Vex listened attentively and took notes while Vax only half paid attention. He was idly flipping through the journal he found in between listening about chemical bonds. He nudged his sister.

“Hey remember our conversation this morning,” he whispered.

“Sure. About Allura and Uriel,” she replied.    

“Well check this out,” he said sliding the journal in front of his sister. It was open to the last two entries which read:

“Sep. 9 First assembly of the year. Class representatives were announced and I am once again representing my class. Someone attempted to hit president Uriel while he was on stage. I have my suspicions on the culprit.

Sep. 8 Today I spoke with Krieg about the assembly incident. He said some interesting things but I think he knows more than he is letting on.”

“Where did you get this? Is this someone’s diary,” asked Vex.

“Don’t worry about it,” said Vax.

“Creep,” was Vex’s only reply.

“Takes one to know one,” he said. “But isn’t it weird we were just talking about this? We should find this Krieg kid.”

“Did you even look at your ballot for council elections,” asked Vex.

“Um, maybe,” he replied. Vex rolled her eyes.

“He’s our student council secretary,” said Vex. “He’s the really cute one.”

“Oh yeah, him,” said Vax putting the pieces together. “We should investigate him.”

“So, stop by the school store after class,” Vex suggested.

“Perfect,” Vax said.

~ ~ ~

“Oh, Percy,” called Vex as she slid up to his locker.

“Hello,” he said. “Are we ready to leave already?”

“Not quite,” Vex said. “Have you been to the school store yet?”

“I’ve passed it,” he replied.

“Well today you get to see it up close,” Vex said as she began to lead Percy down the hall.

The school store was originally nothing especially fancy. It was a small recess in the wall with a counter running across the front with items displayed under the counter glass and along the wall behind it. However it was clear that whoever was running the store had put a lot of time and care into the stores presentation. The display cases were lined with purple fabric and the wall hung with fabric and beads all done in a way meant to display the merchandise in the best possible way.

Outside the store Scanlan could be seen talking to a horrified looking Keyleth and Pike while Vax leaned on the counter and talked with the dark haired boy behind it.

“Percy, this is Gilmore. He runs the school store,” introduced Vex. “Gilmore, this is Percy.”

“It’s nice to finally meet you,” said Gilmore, extending his hand. “Vax has told me much about you.”  

“All good things I hope,” said Percy taking the offered hand.

“Don’t worry he hasn’t told me anything too scandalous,” said Gilmore. “Now, pleasantries aside I believe  you have business with me.”

“We do. Let’s start with what I ordered a few days ago,” said Vax. Gilmore crouched down behind the counter to retrieve something.

“Gilmore’s quite the businessman,” said Vex. “He sells much more than school supplies and merchandise.”

“That’s right. I can get you just about anything you need for a good price,” said Gilmore coming back up. “I’m even willing to procure some less than legal items just for VM.”

Gilmore gave Percy a sly smile and to Percy’s relief placed two bootleg video games on the counter in front of Vax. Vax slid them into his bag and replaced them with cash and a journal. By this time the rest of the group had gathered around them.  

“Gilmore, what can you tell us about this Gregory kid” asked Vax.

Gilmore picked up the journal and began scanning through the pages.

“Oh yes, I know who this is,” he said. “But if you were looking to talk with him you’re out of luck.”

“Why’s that,” asked Keyleth.

“Well because he’s mysteriously disappeared,” answered Gilmore. “He just stopped coming to school one day. According to the more credible rumors  some say he very suddenly transferred out but others say he was unfairly expelled.”

“Expelled for what,” asked Pike.

“That’s the mystery of it. According to everyone he was a good student--got straight A’s was involved in student government, never been in trouble,” answered Gilmore.

“Do you think he could have been framed for something by someone, like i don’t know, Krieg maybe,” said Vex.

“That’s a weird person to suggest,” said Gilmore. “But i agree that if he was expelled there was probably foul play involved.”

“But not by Krieg,” continued Vex. “Have you ever talked with Krieg?”

“I haven’t. He seems very charming from what I’ve seen but I haven’t heard much about him,” said Gilmore. “Is there anything else I can help with.

“Thanks Gilmore, but I think that’s it,” said Vax. “I’ll see you in class tomorrow.”

“Naturally,” Gilmore said with a small wave as the friends began the walk to the parking lot. They had some things to talk about and plans to make.

#critical role fanfic #critical role high school #critical role #fan fiction #my writing #vex'ahlia #vax'ildan #keyleth #tiberius stormwind #scanlan shorthalt #percy de rolo #shaun gilmore #pike trickfoot