Changing the Collective Rules (Kiva, Kamendressing)
KD fic.
"How are you doing?" Innocent asked the quiet young man - a male version of herself with a tracker bracelet on one wrist.
She'd taken pains to invite only versions of herself to this party - no matter how much she loved her husband, Taiga could be a little overbearing, especially to some of the versions of herself in this place. She hoped that the female Taiga she'd seen near the entrance wouldn't crash the party.
"Better," Trapped - that version of herself - said. "I think."
"I know that your brother forbid you to come here for a while," Innocent said. "That's been... fixed?"
He nodded. "It was a compromise - I have to tell him when I go - and keep track of how long I'm in here. And I can't stay overnight."
"He still wants to...." she didn't want to say the worlds out loud.
"Yes, but he says that I have to want it. I have to explicitly tell him I want it. Same for Mio-san."
"Good," Song said firmly, coming up behind them. "I've corralled one of us running across loose, and another one has caught a Taiga's attention - I'll get her here as soon as the Taiga gives up."
"Right," Innocent said. There were a lot of her that ended up in the place; probably mostly over stress over Taiga. Or Bishop. She watched Song walk towards Questing and headed towards a version of her that was standing in the doorway. Probably very confused, poor guy. "Hi there. Are you new?"
He was certainly confused enough to be. "I just got here when she brought me here," the version of her said, indicating Song.
She smiled. "Welcome to this place," she said. "Right now, everybody in this room is versions of us."
"Of... us?"
Innocent kept smiling. "Yes. I'm a female version of you. Call me Innocent; it's a short version of my True Name." She wondered if he even knew what a True Name was.
From his look, he didn't. She sighed internally. Of course, Trapped didn't know his True Name either; his was just a nickname. Maybe next time, she'd ask him - or his Taiga - about a True Name.
"So, everyone here is me," the new version of her said, looking about. He probably didn't know what to make of any of them, whether they looked like him or not. Of course, he'd met Song. And there was Rook, and nearby, Ocean, Questing, and Trapped. Maybe one of the other hers would show up as well - Falling, for example. Or Haunting. Or Knight.
"Yes," she said. "It'll take a little getting used to... but we're all us. We come from different worlds, from different circumstances. In some cases, very *different* circumstances, but still us." She looked over at Rook and wondered if he'd confuse this Wataru completely, or if she dare introduce this Wataru to him.
"Oh," he said, looking around the room.
"Is your Nii-san King too?" she asked. That should tell her a bit about his universe, at least.
"Yes," he said. That gave her at least some frame of reference. He wasn't Checkmate Four, at least not that she could tell. He had a brother, not a sister, so he wasn't like Ocean. He knew about Taiga. His universe wasn't like Questing's.
So, a very ordinary Wataru that might eventually learn his True Name, but there wasn't any hurry for it. "How is he? Are you having problems with him?"
"Nii-san?" he appeared mystified. "We're getting along fine. I was just visiting him...."
"At Development and Pioneer?" Maybe that was different.
"Yes," he said. "Nii-san's trying to find a life-energy substitute...."
"That's new," she said. Every version of Taiga she'd ever met was sure that Fangire were meant to eat humans. Not look for ways to avoid eating humans. "A lot of us wish our Taigas would look for an alternative... but...."
She wanted to meet his Taiga badly. She suspected a few of them would.
"Nii-san and I nearly killed each other over Mio-san," he said.
"Mio is Queen in your world, isn't she?" Innocent asked. That would put him like Ocean, Trapped, and Questing.
"Was," he said, and she caught the note of sadness in his voice. Somehow, he'd lost Mio. He and Taiga had lost Mio.
She wondered if any Taiga in the place had found that out and how many of them would try to comfort him. If they knew who Mio was, themselves. "Mio is Rook, in my world. She was Queen, but... she's Rook now and likes that a lot better."
"I wish Mio-san had been Rook," her other self said. "Then maybe she wouldn't have stepped between us. If I hadn't weakened her... she'd still be alive."
"I'm sorry," she said. "I know a lot of our male versions are in love with their Mios.... even the ones that had to give her up. One of us... Ocean, over there... is married off so that he would be too busy to do that. But his Taiga is female, so...."
"Nii-san is Nee-san?" the other Wataru asked. She was really going to have to find a nickname for him.
"In his world, yes. There's a lot of us here, as I said, from different worlds." She decided not to introduce him to Rook; that would cause Rook to run off and make sure his Queen was safe, and according to several of her, that was not a good thing. "Several of us are in incestuous relationships with our brother... two Queens and a King. You should meet Questing over there, who is... coming our way...."
Questing came towards the two of them. "New arrival?" she asked quietly as the new her seemed shocked at the mention of incest.
"New arrival, and his Nii-san is trying to get the Fangire to find an alternative to Life Energy...."
"I've never thought of that," Questing admitted. "I've been too busy trying to get a handle on the whole King thing. Maybe I should talk to my Bishop...."
"This is Questing," Innocent said. "She's a King; Taiga is her Bishop. They were lovers before they knew they were related."
"I'm trying to push my Bishop to be more accepting; I'll need his support for something like that," Questing pondered. "He doesn't like humans and he won't agree to anything like that right off the bat."
Innocent recognized that light in Questing's eyes and silently apologized to the other Wataru for having to put up with a King's curiosity.
"Nii-san and I nearly killed each other before he saw things my way," the Wataru said. "I hope you don't have to do that."
"I hope I don't have to do that, I like my Bishop," Questing said. "Here, let's get you over to the food, and I want to know all about how you persuaded him."
Questing quickly had the new arrival over to one side, leaving Innocent to her own thoughts. She spotted Song coming over. "I'm sending Ocean to see if he can retrieve the other us from the hands of that alternate Nee-san," she said. "She's a mother; don't know who the father is, but the child's there. Taiga's being totally possessive as normal."
"Maybe not for too long," Innocent said. She motioned in the new Wataru's direction. "That one's Taiga is researching alternatives to Life Energy; it sounds like his Taiga's changed."
"For the better," Song said, nodding. "I have a feeling he's going to be really popular...."
"So do I...." Innocent said, looking over there. Maybe things would change for the rest of them, after all.
"How are you doing?" Innocent asked the quiet young man - a male version of herself with a tracker bracelet on one wrist.
She'd taken pains to invite only versions of herself to this party - no matter how much she loved her husband, Taiga could be a little overbearing, especially to some of the versions of herself in this place. She hoped that the female Taiga she'd seen near the entrance wouldn't crash the party.
"Better," Trapped - that version of herself - said. "I think."
"I know that your brother forbid you to come here for a while," Innocent said. "That's been... fixed?"
He nodded. "It was a compromise - I have to tell him when I go - and keep track of how long I'm in here. And I can't stay overnight."
"He still wants to...." she didn't want to say the worlds out loud.
"Yes, but he says that I have to want it. I have to explicitly tell him I want it. Same for Mio-san."
"Good," Song said firmly, coming up behind them. "I've corralled one of us running across loose, and another one has caught a Taiga's attention - I'll get her here as soon as the Taiga gives up."
"Right," Innocent said. There were a lot of her that ended up in the place; probably mostly over stress over Taiga. Or Bishop. She watched Song walk towards Questing and headed towards a version of her that was standing in the doorway. Probably very confused, poor guy. "Hi there. Are you new?"
He was certainly confused enough to be. "I just got here when she brought me here," the version of her said, indicating Song.
She smiled. "Welcome to this place," she said. "Right now, everybody in this room is versions of us."
"Of... us?"
Innocent kept smiling. "Yes. I'm a female version of you. Call me Innocent; it's a short version of my True Name." She wondered if he even knew what a True Name was.
From his look, he didn't. She sighed internally. Of course, Trapped didn't know his True Name either; his was just a nickname. Maybe next time, she'd ask him - or his Taiga - about a True Name.
"So, everyone here is me," the new version of her said, looking about. He probably didn't know what to make of any of them, whether they looked like him or not. Of course, he'd met Song. And there was Rook, and nearby, Ocean, Questing, and Trapped. Maybe one of the other hers would show up as well - Falling, for example. Or Haunting. Or Knight.
"Yes," she said. "It'll take a little getting used to... but we're all us. We come from different worlds, from different circumstances. In some cases, very *different* circumstances, but still us." She looked over at Rook and wondered if he'd confuse this Wataru completely, or if she dare introduce this Wataru to him.
"Oh," he said, looking around the room.
"Is your Nii-san King too?" she asked. That should tell her a bit about his universe, at least.
"Yes," he said. That gave her at least some frame of reference. He wasn't Checkmate Four, at least not that she could tell. He had a brother, not a sister, so he wasn't like Ocean. He knew about Taiga. His universe wasn't like Questing's.
So, a very ordinary Wataru that might eventually learn his True Name, but there wasn't any hurry for it. "How is he? Are you having problems with him?"
"Nii-san?" he appeared mystified. "We're getting along fine. I was just visiting him...."
"At Development and Pioneer?" Maybe that was different.
"Yes," he said. "Nii-san's trying to find a life-energy substitute...."
"That's new," she said. Every version of Taiga she'd ever met was sure that Fangire were meant to eat humans. Not look for ways to avoid eating humans. "A lot of us wish our Taigas would look for an alternative... but...."
She wanted to meet his Taiga badly. She suspected a few of them would.
"Nii-san and I nearly killed each other over Mio-san," he said.
"Mio is Queen in your world, isn't she?" Innocent asked. That would put him like Ocean, Trapped, and Questing.
"Was," he said, and she caught the note of sadness in his voice. Somehow, he'd lost Mio. He and Taiga had lost Mio.
She wondered if any Taiga in the place had found that out and how many of them would try to comfort him. If they knew who Mio was, themselves. "Mio is Rook, in my world. She was Queen, but... she's Rook now and likes that a lot better."
"I wish Mio-san had been Rook," her other self said. "Then maybe she wouldn't have stepped between us. If I hadn't weakened her... she'd still be alive."
"I'm sorry," she said. "I know a lot of our male versions are in love with their Mios.... even the ones that had to give her up. One of us... Ocean, over there... is married off so that he would be too busy to do that. But his Taiga is female, so...."
"Nii-san is Nee-san?" the other Wataru asked. She was really going to have to find a nickname for him.
"In his world, yes. There's a lot of us here, as I said, from different worlds." She decided not to introduce him to Rook; that would cause Rook to run off and make sure his Queen was safe, and according to several of her, that was not a good thing. "Several of us are in incestuous relationships with our brother... two Queens and a King. You should meet Questing over there, who is... coming our way...."
Questing came towards the two of them. "New arrival?" she asked quietly as the new her seemed shocked at the mention of incest.
"New arrival, and his Nii-san is trying to get the Fangire to find an alternative to Life Energy...."
"I've never thought of that," Questing admitted. "I've been too busy trying to get a handle on the whole King thing. Maybe I should talk to my Bishop...."
"This is Questing," Innocent said. "She's a King; Taiga is her Bishop. They were lovers before they knew they were related."
"I'm trying to push my Bishop to be more accepting; I'll need his support for something like that," Questing pondered. "He doesn't like humans and he won't agree to anything like that right off the bat."
Innocent recognized that light in Questing's eyes and silently apologized to the other Wataru for having to put up with a King's curiosity.
"Nii-san and I nearly killed each other before he saw things my way," the Wataru said. "I hope you don't have to do that."
"I hope I don't have to do that, I like my Bishop," Questing said. "Here, let's get you over to the food, and I want to know all about how you persuaded him."
Questing quickly had the new arrival over to one side, leaving Innocent to her own thoughts. She spotted Song coming over. "I'm sending Ocean to see if he can retrieve the other us from the hands of that alternate Nee-san," she said. "She's a mother; don't know who the father is, but the child's there. Taiga's being totally possessive as normal."
"Maybe not for too long," Innocent said. She motioned in the new Wataru's direction. "That one's Taiga is researching alternatives to Life Energy; it sounds like his Taiga's changed."
"For the better," Song said, nodding. "I have a feeling he's going to be really popular...."
"So do I...." Innocent said, looking over there. Maybe things would change for the rest of them, after all.