Flash Fiction Fills Take 50 - Part One
a/n: The first half of my flash fiction are a go! Here are two, with two more coming and one arriving as a oneshot. Happy day!
For azardarkstar
Prompt: Ichigo/Gin, “have you tried evil? It's not as bad as you think.”
Fandom: Bleach, some nebulous time in canon before the shark is jumped. Warnings: None
Admittedly, it isn't the worst pick up line Ichigo has ever heard. But it comes pretty damn close.
“Have ya tried evil?” Ichimaru asks with that oh-so-familiar smirk, his reiatsu prickling over Ichigo's skin like a thousand little needles. “It's not as bad as ya think.”
Ichigo, of course, responds with a fierce cry and a slash of Zangetsu, one that the former captain bats aside and dances to avoid with more than a little ease. It's frustrating to fight Ichimaru for more reasons than he can count.
At least, Ichigo thinks to himself, they are trying to recruit him and not seduce him. Frankly, he's not sure which would be more terrifying. Considering the methods Matsumoto had used the last time he ventured into Soul Society, well, Ichigo would have to think long and hard about it.
“We could talk about this, ya know,” Ichimaru continues, evading Ichigo's attacks with that ineffable grace. “We could make ya an offer ya can't refuse.”
Ichigo scowls, eyebrows drawing down, his reiatsu slicing into the air and against Ichimaru's to no effect. “Not interested,” he growls out and feels his Hollow prickle at the back of his mind, perking up, interested in what Ichimaru might have to offer.
Tastes familiar, aibou, says Shirosaki with hunger in his tone. He's one of us.
One of us. Ichigo repeats the words to himself. One of us? One of the Vizard?
Ichimaru chuckles at him. “That spike in yer reiatsu tells me otherwise.” His eyes open to mere slits, flashing at Ichigo, before he disappears.
Shunpo?
Ichigo whirls, expecting the attack to come from behind. But then there's a warm exhalation on the back of his neck and a swamp of massive reiatsu crashing down over him, nearly drowning him in heavy power. He drops to his knees, gasping for breath, taken by surprise and the sheer glee Shirosaki reflects.
One of us! the Hollow cackles.
The old man, Ichigo notices, is oddly silent.
“They'll betray ya eventually,” Ichimaru purrs, fingers teasing coolly across the back of Ichigo's neck, leaving a tingle behind. “When they find out what ya are.”
Ichigo reaches inside himself, demands and doesn't ask from Shirosaki, and finds the reiatsu-strength to push himself back to his feet. He whirls around, Zangetsu bared, and finds Ichimaru staring back at him, nonplussed.
“We'll be waitin' for ya, Kurosaki,” Ichimaru says with promise in his tone and a retreat of that debilitating reiatsu. “Open invitation.”
He vanishes as quickly as he had arrived, leaving Ichigo standing alone in the middle of the street, wondering what the hell just happened.
Should listen to him, aibou, Shirosaki whispers. We're living on borrowed time.
Zangetsu remains eerily silent on the matter though Ichigo can feel the old man ruminating.
“One of us,” Ichigo murmurs to himself before he shakes his head and leaps to the nearest rooftop.
It seems he has some thinking of his own to do.
For mistress_pirate
Prompt: AtLA, Azula, "I'm sorry, my nice button is out of order. Bitch, bite me, and evil eye are still available."
Fandom: Avatar the Last Airbender, pre-canon. Warnings: fairly twisted thinking, hints of unhappy childhood, Azula
“Azula! Be nice!”
How many times has she heard this chastisement from her mother's lips? How many times has she watched Zuko's solemn gaze from behind their mother's robes? How many times has she seen the confusion, the disappointment, in her mother's eyes?
Nice?
Father never tells her to be nice. Father tells her to be strong. Unbreakable and unbeatable. Father smiles at her, pats her on the head, and tells her how proud he is. He never looks disappointed, not like the way he shakes his head at Zuko.
Rulers of the Fire Nation are not supposed to be nice, Azula seethes. They are to be strong and firm and if weak Zuko can't see that, why is she supposed to change? Why is she the one that's broken when Zuko's the one not acting like a prince of the Fire Nation.
Mother doesn't understand. She doesn't even try to understand. She pinches her lips together, holds her tongue at times, and only when pressed, snaps out the same pointless rebuke.
“Be nice,” she says.
“Be polite,” she says.
“Be considerate,” she begs.
Azula is a princess. If Father has his way, maybe she might one day rule the Fire Nation. Father is not nice. Father is not polite. Father is only considerate to those worthy of his consideration. Why should Azula be any different?
Why should she be weak? Why should she apologize? Why should she care?
War is not won with kisses and embraces. Victory is not obtained by being merciful and gentle. Father is not seeking a truce with the other nations. He wants to rule them, not settle peacefully. And he's right! The only peace is in a united world, one gathered under one ruler, one rightful emperor.
Obedience. That's the key, Father says. And Azula agrees. Obedient is the only proper way their subjects should behave. Obedience ensures good behavior.
Obedience is not won with kind words or gestures. After all, Zuko never listens to Father. Zuko dares speak up and out of turn. He is not obedient.
Azula is. Azula understands. Azula will someday rule beside her Father because she knows.
“Be nice,” her Mother says, and by increments, the requests fall by the wayside.
“No,” her father rebuts, much later when Mother is out of hearing and indulging Zuko as she always does. “You must be strong. You must be ruthless. You must never be defeated.”
Azula nods, understanding to obey.
“Make me proud,” her father says with that half-smile worth more than her Mother's even rarer embraces.
“I will,” Azula promises.
And she won't be nice.
a/n: Two more to come. And then a single one. And then yay! I can feel accomplished.
Now, to poke and prod my reverse bang fic into spilling it's plotty guts and to get this Numerology update closer to completion.
This entry was originally posted at http://dracoqueen22.dreamwidth.org/252143.html. Feel free to comment wherever you find most convenient.
For azardarkstar
Prompt: Ichigo/Gin, “have you tried evil? It's not as bad as you think.”
Fandom: Bleach, some nebulous time in canon before the shark is jumped. Warnings: None
Admittedly, it isn't the worst pick up line Ichigo has ever heard. But it comes pretty damn close.
“Have ya tried evil?” Ichimaru asks with that oh-so-familiar smirk, his reiatsu prickling over Ichigo's skin like a thousand little needles. “It's not as bad as ya think.”
Ichigo, of course, responds with a fierce cry and a slash of Zangetsu, one that the former captain bats aside and dances to avoid with more than a little ease. It's frustrating to fight Ichimaru for more reasons than he can count.
At least, Ichigo thinks to himself, they are trying to recruit him and not seduce him. Frankly, he's not sure which would be more terrifying. Considering the methods Matsumoto had used the last time he ventured into Soul Society, well, Ichigo would have to think long and hard about it.
“We could talk about this, ya know,” Ichimaru continues, evading Ichigo's attacks with that ineffable grace. “We could make ya an offer ya can't refuse.”
Ichigo scowls, eyebrows drawing down, his reiatsu slicing into the air and against Ichimaru's to no effect. “Not interested,” he growls out and feels his Hollow prickle at the back of his mind, perking up, interested in what Ichimaru might have to offer.
Tastes familiar, aibou, says Shirosaki with hunger in his tone. He's one of us.
One of us. Ichigo repeats the words to himself. One of us? One of the Vizard?
Ichimaru chuckles at him. “That spike in yer reiatsu tells me otherwise.” His eyes open to mere slits, flashing at Ichigo, before he disappears.
Shunpo?
Ichigo whirls, expecting the attack to come from behind. But then there's a warm exhalation on the back of his neck and a swamp of massive reiatsu crashing down over him, nearly drowning him in heavy power. He drops to his knees, gasping for breath, taken by surprise and the sheer glee Shirosaki reflects.
One of us! the Hollow cackles.
The old man, Ichigo notices, is oddly silent.
“They'll betray ya eventually,” Ichimaru purrs, fingers teasing coolly across the back of Ichigo's neck, leaving a tingle behind. “When they find out what ya are.”
Ichigo reaches inside himself, demands and doesn't ask from Shirosaki, and finds the reiatsu-strength to push himself back to his feet. He whirls around, Zangetsu bared, and finds Ichimaru staring back at him, nonplussed.
“We'll be waitin' for ya, Kurosaki,” Ichimaru says with promise in his tone and a retreat of that debilitating reiatsu. “Open invitation.”
He vanishes as quickly as he had arrived, leaving Ichigo standing alone in the middle of the street, wondering what the hell just happened.
Should listen to him, aibou, Shirosaki whispers. We're living on borrowed time.
Zangetsu remains eerily silent on the matter though Ichigo can feel the old man ruminating.
“One of us,” Ichigo murmurs to himself before he shakes his head and leaps to the nearest rooftop.
It seems he has some thinking of his own to do.
For mistress_pirate
Prompt: AtLA, Azula, "I'm sorry, my nice button is out of order. Bitch, bite me, and evil eye are still available."
Fandom: Avatar the Last Airbender, pre-canon. Warnings: fairly twisted thinking, hints of unhappy childhood, Azula
“Azula! Be nice!”
How many times has she heard this chastisement from her mother's lips? How many times has she watched Zuko's solemn gaze from behind their mother's robes? How many times has she seen the confusion, the disappointment, in her mother's eyes?
Nice?
Father never tells her to be nice. Father tells her to be strong. Unbreakable and unbeatable. Father smiles at her, pats her on the head, and tells her how proud he is. He never looks disappointed, not like the way he shakes his head at Zuko.
Rulers of the Fire Nation are not supposed to be nice, Azula seethes. They are to be strong and firm and if weak Zuko can't see that, why is she supposed to change? Why is she the one that's broken when Zuko's the one not acting like a prince of the Fire Nation.
Mother doesn't understand. She doesn't even try to understand. She pinches her lips together, holds her tongue at times, and only when pressed, snaps out the same pointless rebuke.
“Be nice,” she says.
“Be polite,” she says.
“Be considerate,” she begs.
Azula is a princess. If Father has his way, maybe she might one day rule the Fire Nation. Father is not nice. Father is not polite. Father is only considerate to those worthy of his consideration. Why should Azula be any different?
Why should she be weak? Why should she apologize? Why should she care?
War is not won with kisses and embraces. Victory is not obtained by being merciful and gentle. Father is not seeking a truce with the other nations. He wants to rule them, not settle peacefully. And he's right! The only peace is in a united world, one gathered under one ruler, one rightful emperor.
Obedience. That's the key, Father says. And Azula agrees. Obedient is the only proper way their subjects should behave. Obedience ensures good behavior.
Obedience is not won with kind words or gestures. After all, Zuko never listens to Father. Zuko dares speak up and out of turn. He is not obedient.
Azula is. Azula understands. Azula will someday rule beside her Father because she knows.
“Be nice,” her Mother says, and by increments, the requests fall by the wayside.
“No,” her father rebuts, much later when Mother is out of hearing and indulging Zuko as she always does. “You must be strong. You must be ruthless. You must never be defeated.”
Azula nods, understanding to obey.
“Make me proud,” her father says with that half-smile worth more than her Mother's even rarer embraces.
“I will,” Azula promises.
And she won't be nice.
a/n: Two more to come. And then a single one. And then yay! I can feel accomplished.
Now, to poke and prod my reverse bang fic into spilling it's plotty guts and to get this Numerology update closer to completion.
This entry was originally posted at http://dracoqueen22.dreamwidth.org/252143.html. Feel free to comment wherever you find most convenient.