[Ongoing] Dréd-Son - Chapter 18: Calm before the storm
Title: Dréd-Son - Chapter 18: Calm before the storm
Fandom: Johnny's & Associates
Pairings/Characters: Tamamori Yuta, Senga Kento, Miyata Toshiya, Fujigaya Taisuke, Nikaido Takashi, mentions of others
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: None really...except, this is an AU!
Disclaimer: Not mine. Owned by J&A. The AU is mine though as well as aymagun's.
A/N: Current word count of this AU: 46,595 \o/ Haven't been able to write much lately because I've been busy but I should meet my 2 chapters per month goals!
Summary: It's called the 'gift' or 'soul' by most. A strange, mysterious force only few possess on the planet that is half ocean and half desert. The people on the planet have lived in harmony with each other and their environment for centuries but something yet unknown is threatening to throw everything into chaos.
“It is not light that we need, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind and the earthquake.”
(- Frederick Douglass)
When the city stopped at the oasis’s’ port, Nikaido and Senga used the opportunity to get off for a while and explore it. The two of them had quickly gotten a little bored with their parts of the city and maybe a little restless as well.
“Look, Nika,” Senga pointed ahead. “This place is super small! I can see the end of it from here!”
Nikaido looked around as well, “This thing only has the space for one city to dock on, huh? And this time it’s a big one like the one we’re with. Must have been a squeeze.”
“What do you know about maneuvering a city?” Senga grinned.
“Hey!” Nikaido whacked the other but Senga avoided it easily.
“Let’s go and see what there is. We should be done quickly,” Senga walked ahead. “We shouldn’t stay away for too long either. Or we’ll miss the departure.”
Shrugging, Nikaido commented, “What would be the problem with that? We would be able to catch up with it again without a problem.” He fell into step next to Senga.
“But not until night falls. What if they called a meeting before that? We’d be in so much trouble,” Senga pointed out. Before Nikaido could say anything else though, he added, “Yes, I know that stuff like that hasn’t stopped us before but this time, it seems more serious. We should take this more serious.”
Nikaido muttered, “I’m always serious.” Then he sighed, “I’ll watch the time, too.”
“Okay.” Senga smiled and then the two made their way from the port or docking area, to where they could see some shops and houses among the lush green of the oasis. There was also the smell of fresh, clean water in the air, coming from the central lake and the countless wells in the area. Water was the lifeblood of most the oases in the desert after all. Not all. Some lived from mining and other trade but most supplied the travelling cities with fresh water and produce as well as other commodities.
Although the cities had their own gardens, farms and greenhouses, it was difficult to supply everyone with fresh produce all the time. Also, the variety of crops was larger in the oases, compared to what could be harvested in the cities.
So it wasn’t surprising that the majority of shops sold food or drinks. Nikaido and Senga walked past them quickly. One shop at the far end caught their attention for a bit though. It belonged to the sole blacksmith in the oasis. Apart from knives and cutlery, they found a few gems there as well, embedded in simple jewelry or other work.
“None of them look like-” Nikaido started but stopped mid-sentence when Senga blinked at him.
“Nh? Oh!” the other laughed sheepishly when he realized what Nikaido had been talking about. “I wasn’t even looking for that.” Senga admitted sheepishly. He then held up a pair of long earrings. “What do you think, Nika? Should we get them?”
“We?” Nikaido blinked.
Senga nodded, “Yes. One for you, one for me. We both only have one ear pierced, right?”
The look Senga was giving Nikaido didn’t allow for a ‘no’ really, so he nodded. “Sure. Let’s get them.”
Smiling, Senga went up to the smith and paid for the earrings. When money had changed hands, he handed one of the earrings to Nikaido. “Take good care of it, Nika. Okay?” Senga immediately put in his earring and checked it in a mirror.
“I will.” Nikaido nodded and pocketed his earring for the time being. He’d put it on later.
~*~
Miyata tried not to look around with too obvious amazement as he and Tamamori stepped through the gate leading to the upper part of the city. He had always lived a simple life. Fancy things, such as the ones affluent in this part of Kwa’agnaa had been things he had only heard of in stories before he had come to the Ghayi. His travels with the masters had brought him to places he had never even imagined.
“It’s okay for you to act a bit unguarded,” Tamamori told the other quietly. “You’re supposed to be my new servant after all. It’s okay if you look like you’re not yet used to stuff like this.”
Smiling, Miyata replied, “Thanks, Tama.”
“Don’t call me that here. It’s Young Master for you,” Tamamori smirked and then walked ahead briskly.
After a while, they arrived at a guest house. It was considered to be on the more modest end of the rich spectrum, which was not modest at all. The walls were decorated with elaborate paintings and the gold and silver of the furniture reflected the light of the sun here and there, drawing shiny patterns onto the floors. The head servants of the house greeted Tamamori at the entrance.
“Young Master Tamamori, it is a pleasure for us to welcome you here,” an elderly man, probably the head butler, stepped forward. “We will do our best to make you as comfortable as possible during your stay. How can we be of assistance?”
“Just prepare some refreshments and maybe a bath,” Tamamori told the man after nodding his greetings. “I am just going to take it easy today. There is no need for you to take care of any further needs for now. My personal servant here will take care of whatever needs I have for now, like unpacking our bags and setting up the room.”
“As you wish, Master Tamamori,” the man nodded and then went to tell the rest of the staff what to do. A younger male stepped forward to guide Tamamori and Miyata to the quarters they would be staying at for the duration of the trip. Miyata briefly noted how they weren’t the only guests at the house. At least two other parties had chosen this place as well. He could feel their presences somehow. They felt different from the ones of the servants.
A small room - it was smaller than the walk-in closet in Tamamori’s bedroom within the quarters - had been designated for Miyata. It was considered appropriate lodging for a servant.
Once Tamamori had made sure they were alone and nobody was listening in on them, he flopped down onto the bed. “Bed-san, you’re pretty comfy. I think we’ll get along,” he sighed softly. It had been a hot day outside and he wasn’t dealing so well with the heat.
Miyata sat down on the bed next to the other and fanned Tamamori with a small foldable fan. He himself was sweating quite a bit but that didn’t matter to him. He was used to it. “You’ll be able to cool down a bit soon and refresh yourself, Tama. Want me to wash your back? Comb your hair?”
“Hell no,” Tamamori muttered but roller over a bit so his face was closer to the fan a bit. “If you don’t sweat terribly, you can sleep in this bed with me. It’s huge.”
A grin tugged the corners of Miyata’s lips upwards. “Sure thing.”
Tamamori whacked the other lazily. “Stop grinning like that, you creepy pervert.” After another moment, he pushed himself up again. “Let’s refresh ourselves and then go out. We didn’t just come here for fun after all. The sooner we find something, the better. The others will be leaving this city soon and it’ll be harder to get in touch with them in case we do find out something.”
A serious expression replaced the grin on Miyata’s face and he nodded. “Yeah. Let’s go.”
~*~
Not too far away from the current whereabouts of Tamamori and Miyata, Fujigaya was returning to his own guest house after his lunch appointment. He looked to be deep in thought.
Talking to Yamashita had been both pleasant and yet worrying at the same time. He had been happy to catch up with the captain after so long but some things the other had told him - some things in secret - were not sitting so well with Fujigaya. Especially considering how the current mission was going. He played with a small crystal in his hand. Would something like this be worth notifying Master Takizawa about? Or should he wait another day until they met up with Master Yara in Sunäa instead?
He breezed past the servants who bowed to him and made his way back to his rooms. Once there, Fujigaya took off the more formal attire he had chosen for the meeting and changed into more comfortable clothes. His body was moving on autopilot because his mind was still occupied with other things. Fujigaya knew he had to tell the others about this meeting as soon as possible.
Time was money they couldn’t afford to waste. So he pulled out a different crystal and whispered a soft incantation to bring it to life. He watched the crystal glow in seven different colors before reverting to its natural rose color again. The message had been sent.
A soft sigh made it past his lips. What had they gotten themselves into this time? What was happening? He wondered whether Master Takizawa knew the answers to all those questions himself. And he wondered why the other had chosen them to take on this mission, the eight of them. Did he know something they didn’t? Fujigaya had always wondered about that when he had gone on a mission. It wasn’t like he didn’t trust the masters, he trusted them with his life, but that didn’t mean that he couldn’t have second thoughts about things sometimes. He was a careful person.
The answers to his message came in and he checked his appearance in the mirror once again before going out again to meet the rest in the city.
To be continued...
Fandom: Johnny's & Associates
Pairings/Characters: Tamamori Yuta, Senga Kento, Miyata Toshiya, Fujigaya Taisuke, Nikaido Takashi, mentions of others
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: None really...except, this is an AU!
Disclaimer: Not mine. Owned by J&A. The AU is mine though as well as aymagun's.
A/N: Current word count of this AU: 46,595 \o/ Haven't been able to write much lately because I've been busy but I should meet my 2 chapters per month goals!
Summary: It's called the 'gift' or 'soul' by most. A strange, mysterious force only few possess on the planet that is half ocean and half desert. The people on the planet have lived in harmony with each other and their environment for centuries but something yet unknown is threatening to throw everything into chaos.
“It is not light that we need, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind and the earthquake.”
(- Frederick Douglass)
When the city stopped at the oasis’s’ port, Nikaido and Senga used the opportunity to get off for a while and explore it. The two of them had quickly gotten a little bored with their parts of the city and maybe a little restless as well.
“Look, Nika,” Senga pointed ahead. “This place is super small! I can see the end of it from here!”
Nikaido looked around as well, “This thing only has the space for one city to dock on, huh? And this time it’s a big one like the one we’re with. Must have been a squeeze.”
“What do you know about maneuvering a city?” Senga grinned.
“Hey!” Nikaido whacked the other but Senga avoided it easily.
“Let’s go and see what there is. We should be done quickly,” Senga walked ahead. “We shouldn’t stay away for too long either. Or we’ll miss the departure.”
Shrugging, Nikaido commented, “What would be the problem with that? We would be able to catch up with it again without a problem.” He fell into step next to Senga.
“But not until night falls. What if they called a meeting before that? We’d be in so much trouble,” Senga pointed out. Before Nikaido could say anything else though, he added, “Yes, I know that stuff like that hasn’t stopped us before but this time, it seems more serious. We should take this more serious.”
Nikaido muttered, “I’m always serious.” Then he sighed, “I’ll watch the time, too.”
“Okay.” Senga smiled and then the two made their way from the port or docking area, to where they could see some shops and houses among the lush green of the oasis. There was also the smell of fresh, clean water in the air, coming from the central lake and the countless wells in the area. Water was the lifeblood of most the oases in the desert after all. Not all. Some lived from mining and other trade but most supplied the travelling cities with fresh water and produce as well as other commodities.
Although the cities had their own gardens, farms and greenhouses, it was difficult to supply everyone with fresh produce all the time. Also, the variety of crops was larger in the oases, compared to what could be harvested in the cities.
So it wasn’t surprising that the majority of shops sold food or drinks. Nikaido and Senga walked past them quickly. One shop at the far end caught their attention for a bit though. It belonged to the sole blacksmith in the oasis. Apart from knives and cutlery, they found a few gems there as well, embedded in simple jewelry or other work.
“None of them look like-” Nikaido started but stopped mid-sentence when Senga blinked at him.
“Nh? Oh!” the other laughed sheepishly when he realized what Nikaido had been talking about. “I wasn’t even looking for that.” Senga admitted sheepishly. He then held up a pair of long earrings. “What do you think, Nika? Should we get them?”
“We?” Nikaido blinked.
Senga nodded, “Yes. One for you, one for me. We both only have one ear pierced, right?”
The look Senga was giving Nikaido didn’t allow for a ‘no’ really, so he nodded. “Sure. Let’s get them.”
Smiling, Senga went up to the smith and paid for the earrings. When money had changed hands, he handed one of the earrings to Nikaido. “Take good care of it, Nika. Okay?” Senga immediately put in his earring and checked it in a mirror.
“I will.” Nikaido nodded and pocketed his earring for the time being. He’d put it on later.
~*~
Miyata tried not to look around with too obvious amazement as he and Tamamori stepped through the gate leading to the upper part of the city. He had always lived a simple life. Fancy things, such as the ones affluent in this part of Kwa’agnaa had been things he had only heard of in stories before he had come to the Ghayi. His travels with the masters had brought him to places he had never even imagined.
“It’s okay for you to act a bit unguarded,” Tamamori told the other quietly. “You’re supposed to be my new servant after all. It’s okay if you look like you’re not yet used to stuff like this.”
Smiling, Miyata replied, “Thanks, Tama.”
“Don’t call me that here. It’s Young Master for you,” Tamamori smirked and then walked ahead briskly.
After a while, they arrived at a guest house. It was considered to be on the more modest end of the rich spectrum, which was not modest at all. The walls were decorated with elaborate paintings and the gold and silver of the furniture reflected the light of the sun here and there, drawing shiny patterns onto the floors. The head servants of the house greeted Tamamori at the entrance.
“Young Master Tamamori, it is a pleasure for us to welcome you here,” an elderly man, probably the head butler, stepped forward. “We will do our best to make you as comfortable as possible during your stay. How can we be of assistance?”
“Just prepare some refreshments and maybe a bath,” Tamamori told the man after nodding his greetings. “I am just going to take it easy today. There is no need for you to take care of any further needs for now. My personal servant here will take care of whatever needs I have for now, like unpacking our bags and setting up the room.”
“As you wish, Master Tamamori,” the man nodded and then went to tell the rest of the staff what to do. A younger male stepped forward to guide Tamamori and Miyata to the quarters they would be staying at for the duration of the trip. Miyata briefly noted how they weren’t the only guests at the house. At least two other parties had chosen this place as well. He could feel their presences somehow. They felt different from the ones of the servants.
A small room - it was smaller than the walk-in closet in Tamamori’s bedroom within the quarters - had been designated for Miyata. It was considered appropriate lodging for a servant.
Once Tamamori had made sure they were alone and nobody was listening in on them, he flopped down onto the bed. “Bed-san, you’re pretty comfy. I think we’ll get along,” he sighed softly. It had been a hot day outside and he wasn’t dealing so well with the heat.
Miyata sat down on the bed next to the other and fanned Tamamori with a small foldable fan. He himself was sweating quite a bit but that didn’t matter to him. He was used to it. “You’ll be able to cool down a bit soon and refresh yourself, Tama. Want me to wash your back? Comb your hair?”
“Hell no,” Tamamori muttered but roller over a bit so his face was closer to the fan a bit. “If you don’t sweat terribly, you can sleep in this bed with me. It’s huge.”
A grin tugged the corners of Miyata’s lips upwards. “Sure thing.”
Tamamori whacked the other lazily. “Stop grinning like that, you creepy pervert.” After another moment, he pushed himself up again. “Let’s refresh ourselves and then go out. We didn’t just come here for fun after all. The sooner we find something, the better. The others will be leaving this city soon and it’ll be harder to get in touch with them in case we do find out something.”
A serious expression replaced the grin on Miyata’s face and he nodded. “Yeah. Let’s go.”
~*~
Not too far away from the current whereabouts of Tamamori and Miyata, Fujigaya was returning to his own guest house after his lunch appointment. He looked to be deep in thought.
Talking to Yamashita had been both pleasant and yet worrying at the same time. He had been happy to catch up with the captain after so long but some things the other had told him - some things in secret - were not sitting so well with Fujigaya. Especially considering how the current mission was going. He played with a small crystal in his hand. Would something like this be worth notifying Master Takizawa about? Or should he wait another day until they met up with Master Yara in Sunäa instead?
He breezed past the servants who bowed to him and made his way back to his rooms. Once there, Fujigaya took off the more formal attire he had chosen for the meeting and changed into more comfortable clothes. His body was moving on autopilot because his mind was still occupied with other things. Fujigaya knew he had to tell the others about this meeting as soon as possible.
Time was money they couldn’t afford to waste. So he pulled out a different crystal and whispered a soft incantation to bring it to life. He watched the crystal glow in seven different colors before reverting to its natural rose color again. The message had been sent.
A soft sigh made it past his lips. What had they gotten themselves into this time? What was happening? He wondered whether Master Takizawa knew the answers to all those questions himself. And he wondered why the other had chosen them to take on this mission, the eight of them. Did he know something they didn’t? Fujigaya had always wondered about that when he had gone on a mission. It wasn’t like he didn’t trust the masters, he trusted them with his life, but that didn’t mean that he couldn’t have second thoughts about things sometimes. He was a careful person.
The answers to his message came in and he checked his appearance in the mirror once again before going out again to meet the rest in the city.
To be continued...