The Crosses We Carry [Part I / ???]
Alright so I have four chapters and eight pages of this typed out already. I think I can afford to do my spazzy posting in order to encourage me to finish this. That said:
Basic premise for those who do not know: this fic is set the the world of theskytides, an AU panfandom RPG set in a steampunk line in which it is totally a fandom of its own. Miles Edgeworth (from the Ace Attorney series) and Hijikata Toshirou (from Gintama) happen to be the first mate / boatswain respectively in of one of the ships in the game. In this story, Hijikata has something of a... crush towards Edgeworth that he has never told anyone, though he is aware. Sequel to The Shadows We Bear, one month has passed since then, but all is not well as a new problem arises...
Parts: Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII | Part VIII
THE CROSSES WE CARRY
TST!Shadowverse fic : Part I
The place was dark. Damp. Humid. All around him, all he could sense was musk and sweat and something that vaguely reminded him of blood, and the thought of that made his gut churn in disgust. He had already lost track of how long he had been here already ever since he woke up and found himself in this place where the only thing his mind could register was blood, sweat and tears. He wasn’t quite sure if he had actually slept or not-in this darkness, time just seemed to collapse upon itself and everything just blended itself together until he lost track of everything altogether.
The only thing that was keeping him sane was the sense of his heartbeat still beating in his chest and the feel of himself still existing in this deep darkness-he flexed his fingers and his toes and every movable joint in his body imaginable. They moved at his command, joints flexing and moving, bones popping in their sockets due to the stiffness of not being used after so long.
…not that he knew exactly how long he had been in here anyway. In such a timeless place, things like seconds and minutes and hours and days and weeks and months and so on and so forth no longer had any meaning-it was so hard to feel, so hard to judge and even harder to sense anything but the darkness and the almost silent/deafening thump thump thump of what he guessed was his probably his own heartbeat. The sound echoed in his ears, both silent and overwhelming at the same time. It was hard to say which was more suitable; both seemed to be equally fitting for him.
It almost seemed like eternity for him as he floated along mindlessly in that encompassing darkness where nothing else existed but himself. He wasn’t even sure if he was actually alive or not, even though he could hear his heart and was quite certain that he was breathing… everything was so oppressing, it was so hard to just feel within here. But yet, somehow he did seem to feel-not immediately, but the feeling gradually came; at first it was just a vague sense of coolness under him, the sensation akin to an ice cube sliding down his back. Then it just suddenly spread, and the feeling burst out into a full-blown stale coolness that was all across his back and sending a shiver down his whole body.
The next thing he registered after that was that he was suddenly blinking, and that again, quite suddenly, he seemed to be seeing again. The darkness was still there… it was hard to say, but he was quite certain he was seeing once more, even if he wasn’t seeing anything at all.
Glancing down, he flexed his fingers, sensing the strange marble-like coolness that was under his palm and fingers. He let his fingertips drag over it once, twice, and then stopping as they stiffened for balance as the man pushed himself up. His boots clacked against the strange floor beneath him as he got up, hearing the stiff joints of his legs and back popping in their places. Once properly up, the man glanced around in the darkness, blinking as he tried (and subsequently failed) to have a look at where he was-not that he had anywhere to look in the first place due to the darkness that had engulfed his vision.
Not like I’ll get anywhere by just standing here like an idiot, the man thought to himself as he gave the area around him one last glance and started to walk, footsteps echoing loudly in the empty darkness as he did so. He didn’t know where he was going, but he really didn’t care either-wherever he was, at least going around was far better than just standing like an idiot in one spot and not moving which in turn meant not doing anything at all. At least doing something was far better than doing nothing.
He didn’t know just how long or how far he walked-everything around him was pitch black, and with no light available he was just forced to rely on his senses. In a way, this was somewhat comforting and familiar… there had been a time just like this for him, where he had nothing else but himself and his clothes and swords, fighting each day for his own right to live…
The next footstep he took echoed much more loudly than the others ever had, and the next thing he knew, he was wincing as a circle of light appeared from under him and expanded outwards abruptly, the brightness startling him completely as his vision was blinded by the sudden shift from overlapping shadows to the all-encompassing light-
-his eyes flew open all of a sudden, and the man lowered the arms he had threw up instinctively to protect his retinas as he blinked at the now startling bright light that surrounded him. The light was so bright that his pupils were dilated, and the outline of his own self was jagged by the powerful light.
Still, it wasn’t just the light that was there. Right before him, slowing sucking in the light that was around him and it, was the darkness he had been in. Darkness so deep and never-ending, it seemed like it was capable of swallowing him whole and just keeping him within there for all of eternity. Though, it wasn’t that which had gotten his attention though-it was the small figure standing at the borders between the two extremes; it was standing right in front of the darkness, but yet before where it could meet the light. Curious (and also just a bit cautious and concerned), he slowly walked up to the figure. It didn’t even move or respond an inch as he neared it, footsteps continuing to echo in this strange, mysterious place.
“Uh…” he started, pausing as he found his voice suddenly quite dry and hoarse-as if he hadn’t been drinking anything for weeks. “…kid, are you alright?”
“…fine. I’m fine,” came the response, but even he could tell that the answer was mostly forced. He noted that the child had his head bowed down low as well-he supposed the boy was just frightened and scared.
Gulping and trying to steel himself (why did he seem so familiar?), the man asked again. “Are you sure?”
“…yeah. I’m alright. I’m fine.”
“What about your parents?”
“…I don’t know.”
Ignoring the creepy sense of déjà vu stirring within him, he tried to go on with his questioning-never mind the fact that he was lost himself, but this kid… “Then… your friends? Companions?”
“I-I don’t know. I want them… Tohru and Kyouya and Flynn and…”
W-What-but-! “…what’s your name, kid?”
The child then finally looked up at him, and the man recoiled in shock as he found himself staring into familiar blue eyes that belonged to an all-too familiar face.
Or to be more precise… his own face.
“Toshirou. Hijikata Toshirou.”
Hijikata’s eyes flew open as he gasped, his brain barely taking notice of the (familiar) warm, musky surroundings around him as they focused on something else entirely-a pair of inhuman, unearthly golden eyes that was so bright, just looking at them seemed to be able to look right deep into his soul. Golden eyes that he could remember on a certain someone else, golden eyes that was now on the (familiar) smirking face of the person before him as those eyes stared right at him as the figure spoke in a voice that was painfully (frighteningly) familiar to his ears.
“Good morning, Toshirou-chan~,” the voice purred in a way that was like velvet and silk melding together into his ear, bringing out painful memories he had tried to suppress over the last month. “Did you have a good dream, little puppy?”
Basic premise for those who do not know: this fic is set the the world of theskytides, an AU panfandom RPG set in a steampunk line in which it is totally a fandom of its own. Miles Edgeworth (from the Ace Attorney series) and Hijikata Toshirou (from Gintama) happen to be the first mate / boatswain respectively in of one of the ships in the game. In this story, Hijikata has something of a... crush towards Edgeworth that he has never told anyone, though he is aware. Sequel to The Shadows We Bear, one month has passed since then, but all is not well as a new problem arises...
Parts: Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII | Part VIII
THE CROSSES WE CARRY
TST!Shadowverse fic : Part I
The place was dark. Damp. Humid. All around him, all he could sense was musk and sweat and something that vaguely reminded him of blood, and the thought of that made his gut churn in disgust. He had already lost track of how long he had been here already ever since he woke up and found himself in this place where the only thing his mind could register was blood, sweat and tears. He wasn’t quite sure if he had actually slept or not-in this darkness, time just seemed to collapse upon itself and everything just blended itself together until he lost track of everything altogether.
The only thing that was keeping him sane was the sense of his heartbeat still beating in his chest and the feel of himself still existing in this deep darkness-he flexed his fingers and his toes and every movable joint in his body imaginable. They moved at his command, joints flexing and moving, bones popping in their sockets due to the stiffness of not being used after so long.
…not that he knew exactly how long he had been in here anyway. In such a timeless place, things like seconds and minutes and hours and days and weeks and months and so on and so forth no longer had any meaning-it was so hard to feel, so hard to judge and even harder to sense anything but the darkness and the almost silent/deafening thump thump thump of what he guessed was his probably his own heartbeat. The sound echoed in his ears, both silent and overwhelming at the same time. It was hard to say which was more suitable; both seemed to be equally fitting for him.
It almost seemed like eternity for him as he floated along mindlessly in that encompassing darkness where nothing else existed but himself. He wasn’t even sure if he was actually alive or not, even though he could hear his heart and was quite certain that he was breathing… everything was so oppressing, it was so hard to just feel within here. But yet, somehow he did seem to feel-not immediately, but the feeling gradually came; at first it was just a vague sense of coolness under him, the sensation akin to an ice cube sliding down his back. Then it just suddenly spread, and the feeling burst out into a full-blown stale coolness that was all across his back and sending a shiver down his whole body.
The next thing he registered after that was that he was suddenly blinking, and that again, quite suddenly, he seemed to be seeing again. The darkness was still there… it was hard to say, but he was quite certain he was seeing once more, even if he wasn’t seeing anything at all.
Glancing down, he flexed his fingers, sensing the strange marble-like coolness that was under his palm and fingers. He let his fingertips drag over it once, twice, and then stopping as they stiffened for balance as the man pushed himself up. His boots clacked against the strange floor beneath him as he got up, hearing the stiff joints of his legs and back popping in their places. Once properly up, the man glanced around in the darkness, blinking as he tried (and subsequently failed) to have a look at where he was-not that he had anywhere to look in the first place due to the darkness that had engulfed his vision.
Not like I’ll get anywhere by just standing here like an idiot, the man thought to himself as he gave the area around him one last glance and started to walk, footsteps echoing loudly in the empty darkness as he did so. He didn’t know where he was going, but he really didn’t care either-wherever he was, at least going around was far better than just standing like an idiot in one spot and not moving which in turn meant not doing anything at all. At least doing something was far better than doing nothing.
He didn’t know just how long or how far he walked-everything around him was pitch black, and with no light available he was just forced to rely on his senses. In a way, this was somewhat comforting and familiar… there had been a time just like this for him, where he had nothing else but himself and his clothes and swords, fighting each day for his own right to live…
The next footstep he took echoed much more loudly than the others ever had, and the next thing he knew, he was wincing as a circle of light appeared from under him and expanded outwards abruptly, the brightness startling him completely as his vision was blinded by the sudden shift from overlapping shadows to the all-encompassing light-
-his eyes flew open all of a sudden, and the man lowered the arms he had threw up instinctively to protect his retinas as he blinked at the now startling bright light that surrounded him. The light was so bright that his pupils were dilated, and the outline of his own self was jagged by the powerful light.
Still, it wasn’t just the light that was there. Right before him, slowing sucking in the light that was around him and it, was the darkness he had been in. Darkness so deep and never-ending, it seemed like it was capable of swallowing him whole and just keeping him within there for all of eternity. Though, it wasn’t that which had gotten his attention though-it was the small figure standing at the borders between the two extremes; it was standing right in front of the darkness, but yet before where it could meet the light. Curious (and also just a bit cautious and concerned), he slowly walked up to the figure. It didn’t even move or respond an inch as he neared it, footsteps continuing to echo in this strange, mysterious place.
“Uh…” he started, pausing as he found his voice suddenly quite dry and hoarse-as if he hadn’t been drinking anything for weeks. “…kid, are you alright?”
“…fine. I’m fine,” came the response, but even he could tell that the answer was mostly forced. He noted that the child had his head bowed down low as well-he supposed the boy was just frightened and scared.
Gulping and trying to steel himself (why did he seem so familiar?), the man asked again. “Are you sure?”
“…yeah. I’m alright. I’m fine.”
“What about your parents?”
“…I don’t know.”
Ignoring the creepy sense of déjà vu stirring within him, he tried to go on with his questioning-never mind the fact that he was lost himself, but this kid… “Then… your friends? Companions?”
“I-I don’t know. I want them… Tohru and Kyouya and Flynn and…”
W-What-but-! “…what’s your name, kid?”
The child then finally looked up at him, and the man recoiled in shock as he found himself staring into familiar blue eyes that belonged to an all-too familiar face.
Or to be more precise… his own face.
“Toshirou. Hijikata Toshirou.”
Hijikata’s eyes flew open as he gasped, his brain barely taking notice of the (familiar) warm, musky surroundings around him as they focused on something else entirely-a pair of inhuman, unearthly golden eyes that was so bright, just looking at them seemed to be able to look right deep into his soul. Golden eyes that he could remember on a certain someone else, golden eyes that was now on the (familiar) smirking face of the person before him as those eyes stared right at him as the figure spoke in a voice that was painfully (frighteningly) familiar to his ears.
“Good morning, Toshirou-chan~,” the voice purred in a way that was like velvet and silk melding together into his ear, bringing out painful memories he had tried to suppress over the last month. “Did you have a good dream, little puppy?”