Finally got to posting FD + ions!
FINALLY. Here, have FD + ions!
Title: Second Chances
Fandom: Original (with a touch of xxxHolic)
Rating: PG
Challenge: Second chances, 750 words (which I surpassed, though I doubted I would at first... Sven + Keita + Sera = 1740 words) (and cyanwitch told me I had to make it emo, so emo it is.)
He had given up everything. His world, his status, his love, his children - and now his life was forfeit as well. He had known that the price would be high, but he hadn’t thought that it had been this high. She had mentioned nothing more than he must leave his world… and he had.
Wasn’t it enough?
Apparently it wasn’t. He closed his eyes, waiting for the sword to fall -
CLANG!
His eyes opened, and he was surprised to see the one that she had sent him to, the one who could help him find his feet in this new world - something he hadn’t found fast enough, apparently. But here he was, helping him once again.
Shing!
The ropes holding him in place fell away and the other man smiled down at him, holding out a sword - the likes of which he had only recently learned. His glance waivered from the sword to his rescuer, and after a moment, he shook his head.
“Why did you come? Why go through all this?”
The other man smiled, nodding at the sword, which the former captive took. “I said that I’d take care of you. Besides, I actually kind of like you. You’re interesting.”
He took the sword, shaking his head as he stood. “I’m not worth ruining a life over.”
The clang of armor and the sound of heavy footfalls heralded the arrival of a platoon of guards, all armed and ready to capture the two - former convict and rescuer. The two looked at each other, the former apprehensive, but the latter still grinning that insurmountable smile.
Suddenly a wind picked up, and the guards froze where they stood, surprise evident in their body language, though their faces were hidden. The two men looked over their shoulders to see a great storm rushing at them from behind. Within moments the sea below the precipice they stood on, as well as the sky above them, had taken on a grey-green color, foretelling an intense storm that would bring down trees and would scuttle boats.
You asked for a second chance… you are not the only one who asked. This is not another chance. This is a way to continue this one. Will you take it?
Suddenly the voice was gone, and the his rescuer was racing past him, headed for the edge of the cliff, still smiling.
“Coming?” he asked looking over his shoulder at the man from another world. “Time won’t wait forever!” As he laughed at his own joke, the former captive just shook his head and threw down the sword he was holding before taking off after him.
Another adventure? Why not, I guess?
With this thought in mind, Sven dove off the precipice into a deep, stormy ocean.
***
Keitaro sighed as he wrung out his and Sven’s outer clothes, draping them over the rocks that were strewn about the cavern that he had found so many years ago. It was kind of ironic, he realizes, that this of all places would be the perfect hiding spot. It was ten years ago…
Suddenly Sven groaned, rolling over on to his side before attempting to sit up - nice and slow, a smart action that Keitaro nodded in approval at. Sven noticed this action and smiled, but accidentally moved a little too fast, and grimaced as he put a hand to his head.
“I was a doctor in my own world, you know.”
Keitaro could only grin. “Could have fooled me, the first time we met. You sat up so quickly that you passed out again!”
Sven scratched his head in embarrassment. “Can you blame me? I hadn’t known that other worlds even existed before that little adventure. And she didn’t even give me any warning!” It was then that Sven noticed exactly where they were. “Whoa! What is this place?”
Keitaro gave a small pained smile as he looked around the cavern. “This is where…” No. “This is a cave that...” we “…I found… a couple of years ago.” Yeah. Ten. To the day. “It goes straight from the ocean to the northern side of the city. Comes out right on the beach there.”
Sven frowned, obviously picking up on some of Keitaro’s hesitation. “Keitaro?”
“Hey, what have I told you? Call me Keita! Or Kei even!”
Sven just sighed, knowing that he’d get no more out of the odd man. Best to move on to the matter at hand. “So, what do we do now?” A pointed look. “Keita?”
Keitaro smiled for a moment, before becoming serious again. “Well, we can’t really go out to the ocean again. The squall is at its worst at the moment, but if we wait for it to blow over, they’ll most likely catch us then. Oceanside is highly defended, even during peacetime.”
Sven frowned. “But… the beach on Northside is mostly open. Won’t they notice us there too?”
Keitaro nodded. “It’s possible that we could reach the woods and continue northeast from there, but we’d have to be lucky with getting across the beach. The storm could afford us some shelter though, since it will make it difficult to see anything, even on such an open area.”
“So, to the beach?” Sven asked.
Keitaro nodded. “So it seems.”
***
The storm was calming when they reached the beach entrance, a nook in the rocks, half hidden by fallen boulders from the cliffs above.
Sven was concentrating so hard on the view beyond the rocks that he didn’t noticed Keitaro standing close to him before there was a hand on his shoulder. He jumped and turned towards the other man. “What?”
Keitaro made a shrinking gesture, “Shhh. I just wanted to say that no matter what happens, you have to keep going.”
“But Kei-”
Keitaro shook his head, gesturing to cut Sven off. “Trust me. I know what I’m talking about. You’re here for a reason, and you can’t let anything keep you from that. Anything. At all.”
Sven frowned, but eventually nodded under the force of Keitaro’s stare. “I don’t see why you’re saying that though. I’m not anything. I ran away, Keita.”
“I don’t care what you think about yourself, Sven. You’re not worthless. You’re here for a reason. There is no coincidence in our meeting, or in your coming to this world.” Suddenly Keitaro smiled. “Besides, I bet there isn’t anyone watching at all. We’ll probably make it fine.”
“Well the storm’s ending. Let’s go now.” Keitaro nodded in agreement.
The two crawled through the boulders, moving slowly until they were at the closest point to the forest that would lead them to safety. The two nodded at each other, then sprung off the cliff wall, shooting towards the forest. For a glorious moment, Sven thought that maybe they would make it, and that everything would be fine, but as soon as the thought came, his confidence was shattered by a chorus of shouts, followed shortly by a barrage of gunshots.
Sure the muskets were nothing like the rifles of Sven’s original world, but they were just as effective, as was evident when Keita cried out and began to fall behind, holding a hand to his side.
“Keita!” Sven slowed and made a move to turn around, but Keitaro shook his head.
“No! Keep going! You have to survive!”
Sven hesitated, unsure what exactly to do. Keitaro seemed so serious, but was anything worth leaving his now-only friend behind? Suddenly, guards burst from the woods in front of them, charging at them with swords drawn.
Shit! They were waiting for us!
And as suddenly as the guards had appeared, they all suddenly froze. Not stopped running, but simply stopped. Sven spun around and found that everyone but himself was frozen in place as if someone had hit a pause button on the world.
Why do you hesitate, Sven? Came a voice from behind him. Sven turned around, eyes widening as he took in the sight before him. A woman stood there, long black hair up in an extravagant design, but still nearly reaching the sand under their feet. Her clothes were purple and black with complex symbols and pictures that shimmered and seemed to move sewn into the fabric. Sven bowed to her, recognizing her as the woman that sent him to this world. “Keita told you what you needed to hear, what you needed to do. Why do you stop?”
“I don’t want to leave him behind,” Sven answered, meeting the woman’s eyes. “He’s my friend, and he shouldn’t have done all this for me. I’m not worth his life.”
The woman sighed, and gave Sven a small smile, much like Keitaro’s when they were in the cavern. “That price is not yours to determine. And, maybe, if you consider your own life not worth Keita’s, perhaps you will consider the lives of those in several worlds? Or perhaps the lives of the people in your own world? Your family, perhaps?”
“You wouldn’t-”
The woman shook her head. “I would not. But there is a price, and there are conditions. You must survive. You must. There is much for you to do, and, while you may not understand it all, it must be done. You have one more chance. A second chance on a second chance at a second chance. I can help you no more, or the price will become too much for even you to pay.”
Sven frowned at this, but was unable to say anything as he felt himself being turned, pointed towards a gap in the oncoming soldiers.
“You will go, and you will survive, for the cost will be even higher if this wish is not fulfilled.”
Sven felt hands on his shoulders and a forceful shove, and, when his foot hit the sand again, he was running - and everything was back in motion again.
“Run, Sven!”
The words - and the memory of the woman’s threat - spurred Sven on, through the soldiers and into the woods. He would escape and go on to other places, but he would never forget Keitaro, the man who had first helped him get his feet in a new world.
The next morning, as the sun rose over the highest point of the castle, Keitaro knelt in the same place that Sven had knelt only a day before, but this time, when the sword fell, there was no one there to stop it before it was too late.
Title: Action
Fandom: Original (Same as FD... world has no name yet)
Rating: G
“If you do this, I can grant you one wish.” The witch smirked as she looked at Keitaro. “You know I cannot do that. But almost anything else you can imagine…”
Keitaro sighed. “I wish- I wish to be a hero. To take action and to be able to help people, and to be remembered for it. That is what I want, if I cannot have what I have always wanted.”
The woman nodded. “I understand.” And she did, for there was more to that wish than the words that were spoken. “Keitaro will always be remembered, and stories will be told of his heroism.”
Keitaro bowed his head and the image of the witch faded from the mirror. “Thank you,” he whispered.
Two words drifted to him as he frowned at his reflection.
I’m sorry.
Title: Desperation
Fandom: Arcadian Era (my NaNo 'verse)
Rating: G
“So… there’s no sign of the child?”
“None at all, sir. Every midwife from Jirdana to the border has been informed.” The woman added under her breath, “Not like we had to try. The prophecy flew on its own.”
He ignored her. “It’s been a year already. Even if the timing was off… how can this be? Damnit!” He turned, throwing his fist into the wall. “We can’t hold out much longer! Even if the child was born four years ago, how can we expect to survive long enough for it to even grow up? This is insane!”
A delicate hand rested itself on his closed fist. “Sir, we must believe. We must try. We have no other choice.”
The man sighed, running his other hand through his unwashed hair, and grimacing at the feel of it. “You’re right. You’re always right. How did I survive before you, Lieutenant?”
“I don’t know sir, I just don’t know.”
Title: Destination
Fandom: Original - Sven-verse
Rating: G
“But where am I going?”
The woman smirked as she lounged in her chair. “You didn’t wish for answers, only for a solution. Besides, you shouldn’t feel too uncomfortable in this new place. I have someone who’s waiting to welcome you upon your arrival. Best not to keep him waiting!”
“Wait! Hold on! Where am I- Aaaaaah!”
And with the flick of a hand, Sven was gone.
Title: Imagination
Fandom: Original - Sven-verse
Rating: G
It was different than anything he had imagined when he had first learned that his wish would take him to another world. Granted, his immediate thoughts had gone to fire plains and worlds entirely uninhabitable, but really, this place wasn’t all that bad - or all that different.
Other than the obvious… he thought as he stared at the sword point that was directly between his eyes. Medieval time period, perhaps, He thought, following the metal back with to the hilt and up, until his eyes finally met with the other man’s.
Brilliant cerulean blue eyes looked down at him, and he sighed. Better to die at the hands of a stranger… Better than what, he did not know, but when he opened his eyes as something poked him in the side and found the sword point removed and the strange man sitting next to him, he figured that it couldn’t be better than much.
Title: Imperfection
Fandom: Arcadian Era (NaNo)
Rating: G
Notes: I LOVE the AE mythology. These gods and goddesses and of course the hermaphroditic deities are soooo much fun. As spazzyfroggies said, it's basically one big incestuous orgy. They're really just... affairs are really common, and everyone's related anyways, and they're just love. I might post details about each of them somewhere, since they're not that important to my NaNo story, and I'm rather in love with all of them. ^^ But anyways... fic!
Libouk once told all of the gods and goddesses about the stories of old, of the time before the great destruction that killed so much of the life on the planet that they watched over. It was always somewhat awing and somewhat amazing to listen to the stories. Libouk and Sorna made an incredible storytelling duo, creating mental images so vibrant and powerful, but also conveying a point to each story.
Nesharata found the idea that the gods were “perfect” to be the most interesting. It must have been a pretty boring place, she thought, and these stories must be just that - stories. Perfect gods? The humans wouldn’t get any fun out of that. She thought, smirking to herself as she came up with one brilliant idea.
Title: Second Chances
Fandom: Original (with a touch of xxxHolic)
Rating: PG
Challenge: Second chances, 750 words (which I surpassed, though I doubted I would at first... Sven + Keita + Sera = 1740 words) (and cyanwitch told me I had to make it emo, so emo it is.)
He had given up everything. His world, his status, his love, his children - and now his life was forfeit as well. He had known that the price would be high, but he hadn’t thought that it had been this high. She had mentioned nothing more than he must leave his world… and he had.
Wasn’t it enough?
Apparently it wasn’t. He closed his eyes, waiting for the sword to fall -
CLANG!
His eyes opened, and he was surprised to see the one that she had sent him to, the one who could help him find his feet in this new world - something he hadn’t found fast enough, apparently. But here he was, helping him once again.
Shing!
The ropes holding him in place fell away and the other man smiled down at him, holding out a sword - the likes of which he had only recently learned. His glance waivered from the sword to his rescuer, and after a moment, he shook his head.
“Why did you come? Why go through all this?”
The other man smiled, nodding at the sword, which the former captive took. “I said that I’d take care of you. Besides, I actually kind of like you. You’re interesting.”
He took the sword, shaking his head as he stood. “I’m not worth ruining a life over.”
The clang of armor and the sound of heavy footfalls heralded the arrival of a platoon of guards, all armed and ready to capture the two - former convict and rescuer. The two looked at each other, the former apprehensive, but the latter still grinning that insurmountable smile.
Suddenly a wind picked up, and the guards froze where they stood, surprise evident in their body language, though their faces were hidden. The two men looked over their shoulders to see a great storm rushing at them from behind. Within moments the sea below the precipice they stood on, as well as the sky above them, had taken on a grey-green color, foretelling an intense storm that would bring down trees and would scuttle boats.
You asked for a second chance… you are not the only one who asked. This is not another chance. This is a way to continue this one. Will you take it?
Suddenly the voice was gone, and the his rescuer was racing past him, headed for the edge of the cliff, still smiling.
“Coming?” he asked looking over his shoulder at the man from another world. “Time won’t wait forever!” As he laughed at his own joke, the former captive just shook his head and threw down the sword he was holding before taking off after him.
Another adventure? Why not, I guess?
With this thought in mind, Sven dove off the precipice into a deep, stormy ocean.
***
Keitaro sighed as he wrung out his and Sven’s outer clothes, draping them over the rocks that were strewn about the cavern that he had found so many years ago. It was kind of ironic, he realizes, that this of all places would be the perfect hiding spot. It was ten years ago…
Suddenly Sven groaned, rolling over on to his side before attempting to sit up - nice and slow, a smart action that Keitaro nodded in approval at. Sven noticed this action and smiled, but accidentally moved a little too fast, and grimaced as he put a hand to his head.
“I was a doctor in my own world, you know.”
Keitaro could only grin. “Could have fooled me, the first time we met. You sat up so quickly that you passed out again!”
Sven scratched his head in embarrassment. “Can you blame me? I hadn’t known that other worlds even existed before that little adventure. And she didn’t even give me any warning!” It was then that Sven noticed exactly where they were. “Whoa! What is this place?”
Keitaro gave a small pained smile as he looked around the cavern. “This is where…” No. “This is a cave that...” we “…I found… a couple of years ago.” Yeah. Ten. To the day. “It goes straight from the ocean to the northern side of the city. Comes out right on the beach there.”
Sven frowned, obviously picking up on some of Keitaro’s hesitation. “Keitaro?”
“Hey, what have I told you? Call me Keita! Or Kei even!”
Sven just sighed, knowing that he’d get no more out of the odd man. Best to move on to the matter at hand. “So, what do we do now?” A pointed look. “Keita?”
Keitaro smiled for a moment, before becoming serious again. “Well, we can’t really go out to the ocean again. The squall is at its worst at the moment, but if we wait for it to blow over, they’ll most likely catch us then. Oceanside is highly defended, even during peacetime.”
Sven frowned. “But… the beach on Northside is mostly open. Won’t they notice us there too?”
Keitaro nodded. “It’s possible that we could reach the woods and continue northeast from there, but we’d have to be lucky with getting across the beach. The storm could afford us some shelter though, since it will make it difficult to see anything, even on such an open area.”
“So, to the beach?” Sven asked.
Keitaro nodded. “So it seems.”
***
The storm was calming when they reached the beach entrance, a nook in the rocks, half hidden by fallen boulders from the cliffs above.
Sven was concentrating so hard on the view beyond the rocks that he didn’t noticed Keitaro standing close to him before there was a hand on his shoulder. He jumped and turned towards the other man. “What?”
Keitaro made a shrinking gesture, “Shhh. I just wanted to say that no matter what happens, you have to keep going.”
“But Kei-”
Keitaro shook his head, gesturing to cut Sven off. “Trust me. I know what I’m talking about. You’re here for a reason, and you can’t let anything keep you from that. Anything. At all.”
Sven frowned, but eventually nodded under the force of Keitaro’s stare. “I don’t see why you’re saying that though. I’m not anything. I ran away, Keita.”
“I don’t care what you think about yourself, Sven. You’re not worthless. You’re here for a reason. There is no coincidence in our meeting, or in your coming to this world.” Suddenly Keitaro smiled. “Besides, I bet there isn’t anyone watching at all. We’ll probably make it fine.”
“Well the storm’s ending. Let’s go now.” Keitaro nodded in agreement.
The two crawled through the boulders, moving slowly until they were at the closest point to the forest that would lead them to safety. The two nodded at each other, then sprung off the cliff wall, shooting towards the forest. For a glorious moment, Sven thought that maybe they would make it, and that everything would be fine, but as soon as the thought came, his confidence was shattered by a chorus of shouts, followed shortly by a barrage of gunshots.
Sure the muskets were nothing like the rifles of Sven’s original world, but they were just as effective, as was evident when Keita cried out and began to fall behind, holding a hand to his side.
“Keita!” Sven slowed and made a move to turn around, but Keitaro shook his head.
“No! Keep going! You have to survive!”
Sven hesitated, unsure what exactly to do. Keitaro seemed so serious, but was anything worth leaving his now-only friend behind? Suddenly, guards burst from the woods in front of them, charging at them with swords drawn.
Shit! They were waiting for us!
And as suddenly as the guards had appeared, they all suddenly froze. Not stopped running, but simply stopped. Sven spun around and found that everyone but himself was frozen in place as if someone had hit a pause button on the world.
Why do you hesitate, Sven? Came a voice from behind him. Sven turned around, eyes widening as he took in the sight before him. A woman stood there, long black hair up in an extravagant design, but still nearly reaching the sand under their feet. Her clothes were purple and black with complex symbols and pictures that shimmered and seemed to move sewn into the fabric. Sven bowed to her, recognizing her as the woman that sent him to this world. “Keita told you what you needed to hear, what you needed to do. Why do you stop?”
“I don’t want to leave him behind,” Sven answered, meeting the woman’s eyes. “He’s my friend, and he shouldn’t have done all this for me. I’m not worth his life.”
The woman sighed, and gave Sven a small smile, much like Keitaro’s when they were in the cavern. “That price is not yours to determine. And, maybe, if you consider your own life not worth Keita’s, perhaps you will consider the lives of those in several worlds? Or perhaps the lives of the people in your own world? Your family, perhaps?”
“You wouldn’t-”
The woman shook her head. “I would not. But there is a price, and there are conditions. You must survive. You must. There is much for you to do, and, while you may not understand it all, it must be done. You have one more chance. A second chance on a second chance at a second chance. I can help you no more, or the price will become too much for even you to pay.”
Sven frowned at this, but was unable to say anything as he felt himself being turned, pointed towards a gap in the oncoming soldiers.
“You will go, and you will survive, for the cost will be even higher if this wish is not fulfilled.”
Sven felt hands on his shoulders and a forceful shove, and, when his foot hit the sand again, he was running - and everything was back in motion again.
“Run, Sven!”
The words - and the memory of the woman’s threat - spurred Sven on, through the soldiers and into the woods. He would escape and go on to other places, but he would never forget Keitaro, the man who had first helped him get his feet in a new world.
The next morning, as the sun rose over the highest point of the castle, Keitaro knelt in the same place that Sven had knelt only a day before, but this time, when the sword fell, there was no one there to stop it before it was too late.
Title: Action
Fandom: Original (Same as FD... world has no name yet)
Rating: G
“If you do this, I can grant you one wish.” The witch smirked as she looked at Keitaro. “You know I cannot do that. But almost anything else you can imagine…”
Keitaro sighed. “I wish- I wish to be a hero. To take action and to be able to help people, and to be remembered for it. That is what I want, if I cannot have what I have always wanted.”
The woman nodded. “I understand.” And she did, for there was more to that wish than the words that were spoken. “Keitaro will always be remembered, and stories will be told of his heroism.”
Keitaro bowed his head and the image of the witch faded from the mirror. “Thank you,” he whispered.
Two words drifted to him as he frowned at his reflection.
I’m sorry.
Title: Desperation
Fandom: Arcadian Era (my NaNo 'verse)
Rating: G
“So… there’s no sign of the child?”
“None at all, sir. Every midwife from Jirdana to the border has been informed.” The woman added under her breath, “Not like we had to try. The prophecy flew on its own.”
He ignored her. “It’s been a year already. Even if the timing was off… how can this be? Damnit!” He turned, throwing his fist into the wall. “We can’t hold out much longer! Even if the child was born four years ago, how can we expect to survive long enough for it to even grow up? This is insane!”
A delicate hand rested itself on his closed fist. “Sir, we must believe. We must try. We have no other choice.”
The man sighed, running his other hand through his unwashed hair, and grimacing at the feel of it. “You’re right. You’re always right. How did I survive before you, Lieutenant?”
“I don’t know sir, I just don’t know.”
Title: Destination
Fandom: Original - Sven-verse
Rating: G
“But where am I going?”
The woman smirked as she lounged in her chair. “You didn’t wish for answers, only for a solution. Besides, you shouldn’t feel too uncomfortable in this new place. I have someone who’s waiting to welcome you upon your arrival. Best not to keep him waiting!”
“Wait! Hold on! Where am I- Aaaaaah!”
And with the flick of a hand, Sven was gone.
Title: Imagination
Fandom: Original - Sven-verse
Rating: G
It was different than anything he had imagined when he had first learned that his wish would take him to another world. Granted, his immediate thoughts had gone to fire plains and worlds entirely uninhabitable, but really, this place wasn’t all that bad - or all that different.
Other than the obvious… he thought as he stared at the sword point that was directly between his eyes. Medieval time period, perhaps, He thought, following the metal back with to the hilt and up, until his eyes finally met with the other man’s.
Brilliant cerulean blue eyes looked down at him, and he sighed. Better to die at the hands of a stranger… Better than what, he did not know, but when he opened his eyes as something poked him in the side and found the sword point removed and the strange man sitting next to him, he figured that it couldn’t be better than much.
Title: Imperfection
Fandom: Arcadian Era (NaNo)
Rating: G
Notes: I LOVE the AE mythology. These gods and goddesses and of course the hermaphroditic deities are soooo much fun. As spazzyfroggies said, it's basically one big incestuous orgy. They're really just... affairs are really common, and everyone's related anyways, and they're just love. I might post details about each of them somewhere, since they're not that important to my NaNo story, and I'm rather in love with all of them. ^^ But anyways... fic!
Libouk once told all of the gods and goddesses about the stories of old, of the time before the great destruction that killed so much of the life on the planet that they watched over. It was always somewhat awing and somewhat amazing to listen to the stories. Libouk and Sorna made an incredible storytelling duo, creating mental images so vibrant and powerful, but also conveying a point to each story.
Nesharata found the idea that the gods were “perfect” to be the most interesting. It must have been a pretty boring place, she thought, and these stories must be just that - stories. Perfect gods? The humans wouldn’t get any fun out of that. She thought, smirking to herself as she came up with one brilliant idea.