[One-shot] Rides of Chance and Fate
Rides of Chance and Fate
Kisumai - Kitayama/Fujigaya
1,328 words, PG, AU (badly mangled Irish mythology)
Though he's warned to stay inside after dark and to beware of headless horsemen, Fujigaya laughs it off and heads home in the dead of night, where he meets his fate.
One day I was like 'I want to write fic about a pooka' and then this was born an hour later. Also this is a pooka and this is the dullahan.
Also! I made a twitter for twitfic because I do that a lot. Follow at vague risk but follow if you want ♥! Haha. It's over here.
"It's late, Taisuke, I don't think you should be going home," said Senga's mother, drawing the curtains with a worried frown. "The sun's already set, surely you can spend the night and return in the morning."
"Mother will worry and it's alright, I know the pathways very well," assured Fujigaya with a smile as he gathered his things together. "I'm sorry that I lost track of time. Thank you for having me over."
"Be safe," Senga said, smiling as he hugged Fujigaya goodbye, but a shadow had fallen over his eyes. "And be fast, you wouldn't want to run into anything... unpleasant."
Fujigaya laughed and hugged him again. "I promise to avoid all the hobgoblins and will-o-wisps."
"It's not those I'm worried about," whispered Senga. "It's the dullahan."
"Well, I promise I'll avoid them too," Fujigaya assured one more time as he shouldered his bag. He gave Senga's mother a kiss on the cheek, waved to Senga, and then was gone into the night.
The moon was full, hanging high in the sky as another sign of how late it was. He should have headed home hours before, but it was not often he crossed the marshes to see his friend and it had been too fun to leave sooner.
The moonlight served to light his path as he picked his way through the scraggly trees, walking along a deer path that cut his journey home in half. He couldn't help but wonder at Senga's unease. Their parents were the superstitious type, typical country stock, but Senga was like Fujigaya - old enough to know what nonsense all that was.
"And what if I should meet a dullahan?" he said aloud, voice bleeding into the night air. "Surely they wouldn't call my name."
No sooner had he spoken than he heard the sound of hoof-beats, strong and steady. He paused, blood freezing and heart inexplicably in his throat. Surely he had nothing to fear.
But who would gallop through the forests, so far away from the main road?
Horse and rider appeared before him, surging over a bank of fallen leaves. The horse was so black, it seemed to absorb the moonlight and devour it completely, except for red eyes, which glowed. It was stamping a hoof on the forest floor, impatient. And the rider...
The rider was handsome, in the moonlight. He gazed at Fujigaya with otherworldly eyes that faintly glowed red to match his horse's, but they were warm, not vengeful.
"Taisuke," the rider called, and Fujigaya felt the words tug at his very soul. His feet moved of their own volition, carrying him towards this rider as if he'd been possessed. But it was with dread as he drew towards him, for he knew what who this rider was.
He was the dullahan.
"They said you were headless," whispered Fujigaya, for that was all he could think to say, though something inside him screamed that he should run. But there was no running as the rider smiled at him.
"You see what you wish to see," the rider said, and a name came to Fujigaya, what he should call this rider. Kitayama. "Come, Taisuke."
His name again and Kitayama offered a hand to Fujigaya.
"I can't," whispered Fujigaya when he reached the horse's side, staring at the outstretched hand. How he wished to reach out, to take Kitayama's hand. His heart, his soul, leaped within him, but he fought it, shrinking away. "I can't, I must go home."
Kitayama frowned, the expression marring his face for a second, turning him ugly and menacing. But it might have been a trick of moonlight for all Fujigaya could tell, for a moment later he looked endearingly concerned. "You know you must come when I call your name, Taisuke. Why must you refuse me?"
Because I'm not ready to die, thought Fujigaya, and there was that flash of ugliness in Kitayama's face. It gave Fujigaya the push he needed to take another step back. "I will not go with you," said Fujigaya, louder this time.
Kitayama considered him for a moment as his horse made of midnight stomped and snorted, tossing his head and making the bit in its mouth jangle.
"I cannot allow you to just leave, Taisuke," said Kitayama, choosing his words carefully. They were like a caress on Fujigaya's cheek. "Come with me."
The more Kitayama spoke his name, the more Fujigaya was ready to agree, to allow Kitayama to pull him onto his horse and to ride away to leave this life behind him. But something stirred within him and he took yet another step back, not trusting his voice anymore.
Kitayama's eyes flashed with fire, but strangely enough, he was smiling. "You are more than what I thought you'd be, Fujigaya Taisuke. You will be free from your ride of fate with me... but only if you take a ride of chance instead."
As Kitayama finished speaking, there was a whinny behind Fujigaya, and he knew before he even turned around what was there.
The pooka was blackest night, just like Kitayama's horse, but with eyes that flashed yellow, and a mane and tail that fluttered like a child's dream.
"Ride with hope of a chance, Taisuke," said Kitayama, and Fujigaya could not tell if his tone was encouraging or mocking, or if it wasn't both at once. "Ride."
To be swept off his feet and born to death's plains, or to mount a hopeless possibility. Did he even have a choice? Though a part of him urged him to refuse, for Kitayama was merely tricking him, Fujigaya approached the pooka, his feet still steady when his heart was not.
He wasn't sure how it happened, how he swung up onto the pooka's back, knees locking and fingers tangling in that wild mane, before the pooka reared back, neighing a cry of challenge before charging deep into the marshes.
Though Fujigaya would say he was an excellent rider, he was no master of horses and he clung to dear life, knowing the pooka could throw him at any moment as they careened through the trees. Was Kitayama following them?
The ride was born on a nightmare, but Fujigaya found himself marveling as the powerful creature surged beneath him. Soon he forgot his fears, enjoying the way the wind slapped his cheeks and tore at his hair as the pooka raced onward. Whooping, he bent over the pooka's withers, moving with it as they sped on through the night.
They rode through the night, until the moon was no longer visible and the sky threatened to turn blue with the sun. Fujigaya was not even sure where he was anymore, as the pooka slowed to a halt in the middle of a majestic and grand forest of rowan, oak, and alder.
Laughter rang through the still forest air, high and clear and bright, and Fujigaya turned to find Kitayama there. The dullahan actually was applauding him.
"You are more than what I'd ever hoped to dream of," said Kitayama, practically glowing. "Taisuke, Taisuke, you were never meant for such mundane, trivial lives." He quieted slowly, still smiling as Fujigaya dismounted the pooka. With a whicker and a snuffle at Fujigaya's shoulder, the creature trotted into the trees, lost in the shadows that the morning had not yet claimed.
"Taisuke," began Kitayama, so lovingly that Fujigaya's heart was filled. "Taisuke, come with me. Be free. You won your chance, now take it."
Fujigaya stared at horse and rider and thought about how thrilling it had been, how true it had felt to ride the pooka, and what Kitayama was offering him.
He reached out, taking Kitayama's hand and allowing Kitayama to pull him up into the saddle, the man's touch much like the fire in his eyes - warm, and for Fujigaya alone. Just before dawn broke, they vanished deep into the heart of the forest.
It was the last anyone ever saw of Fujigaya Taisuke.
Kisumai - Kitayama/Fujigaya
1,328 words, PG, AU (badly mangled Irish mythology)
Though he's warned to stay inside after dark and to beware of headless horsemen, Fujigaya laughs it off and heads home in the dead of night, where he meets his fate.
One day I was like 'I want to write fic about a pooka' and then this was born an hour later. Also this is a pooka and this is the dullahan.
Also! I made a twitter for twitfic because I do that a lot. Follow at vague risk but follow if you want ♥! Haha. It's over here.
"It's late, Taisuke, I don't think you should be going home," said Senga's mother, drawing the curtains with a worried frown. "The sun's already set, surely you can spend the night and return in the morning."
"Mother will worry and it's alright, I know the pathways very well," assured Fujigaya with a smile as he gathered his things together. "I'm sorry that I lost track of time. Thank you for having me over."
"Be safe," Senga said, smiling as he hugged Fujigaya goodbye, but a shadow had fallen over his eyes. "And be fast, you wouldn't want to run into anything... unpleasant."
Fujigaya laughed and hugged him again. "I promise to avoid all the hobgoblins and will-o-wisps."
"It's not those I'm worried about," whispered Senga. "It's the dullahan."
"Well, I promise I'll avoid them too," Fujigaya assured one more time as he shouldered his bag. He gave Senga's mother a kiss on the cheek, waved to Senga, and then was gone into the night.
The moon was full, hanging high in the sky as another sign of how late it was. He should have headed home hours before, but it was not often he crossed the marshes to see his friend and it had been too fun to leave sooner.
The moonlight served to light his path as he picked his way through the scraggly trees, walking along a deer path that cut his journey home in half. He couldn't help but wonder at Senga's unease. Their parents were the superstitious type, typical country stock, but Senga was like Fujigaya - old enough to know what nonsense all that was.
"And what if I should meet a dullahan?" he said aloud, voice bleeding into the night air. "Surely they wouldn't call my name."
No sooner had he spoken than he heard the sound of hoof-beats, strong and steady. He paused, blood freezing and heart inexplicably in his throat. Surely he had nothing to fear.
But who would gallop through the forests, so far away from the main road?
Horse and rider appeared before him, surging over a bank of fallen leaves. The horse was so black, it seemed to absorb the moonlight and devour it completely, except for red eyes, which glowed. It was stamping a hoof on the forest floor, impatient. And the rider...
The rider was handsome, in the moonlight. He gazed at Fujigaya with otherworldly eyes that faintly glowed red to match his horse's, but they were warm, not vengeful.
"Taisuke," the rider called, and Fujigaya felt the words tug at his very soul. His feet moved of their own volition, carrying him towards this rider as if he'd been possessed. But it was with dread as he drew towards him, for he knew what who this rider was.
He was the dullahan.
"They said you were headless," whispered Fujigaya, for that was all he could think to say, though something inside him screamed that he should run. But there was no running as the rider smiled at him.
"You see what you wish to see," the rider said, and a name came to Fujigaya, what he should call this rider. Kitayama. "Come, Taisuke."
His name again and Kitayama offered a hand to Fujigaya.
"I can't," whispered Fujigaya when he reached the horse's side, staring at the outstretched hand. How he wished to reach out, to take Kitayama's hand. His heart, his soul, leaped within him, but he fought it, shrinking away. "I can't, I must go home."
Kitayama frowned, the expression marring his face for a second, turning him ugly and menacing. But it might have been a trick of moonlight for all Fujigaya could tell, for a moment later he looked endearingly concerned. "You know you must come when I call your name, Taisuke. Why must you refuse me?"
Because I'm not ready to die, thought Fujigaya, and there was that flash of ugliness in Kitayama's face. It gave Fujigaya the push he needed to take another step back. "I will not go with you," said Fujigaya, louder this time.
Kitayama considered him for a moment as his horse made of midnight stomped and snorted, tossing his head and making the bit in its mouth jangle.
"I cannot allow you to just leave, Taisuke," said Kitayama, choosing his words carefully. They were like a caress on Fujigaya's cheek. "Come with me."
The more Kitayama spoke his name, the more Fujigaya was ready to agree, to allow Kitayama to pull him onto his horse and to ride away to leave this life behind him. But something stirred within him and he took yet another step back, not trusting his voice anymore.
Kitayama's eyes flashed with fire, but strangely enough, he was smiling. "You are more than what I thought you'd be, Fujigaya Taisuke. You will be free from your ride of fate with me... but only if you take a ride of chance instead."
As Kitayama finished speaking, there was a whinny behind Fujigaya, and he knew before he even turned around what was there.
The pooka was blackest night, just like Kitayama's horse, but with eyes that flashed yellow, and a mane and tail that fluttered like a child's dream.
"Ride with hope of a chance, Taisuke," said Kitayama, and Fujigaya could not tell if his tone was encouraging or mocking, or if it wasn't both at once. "Ride."
To be swept off his feet and born to death's plains, or to mount a hopeless possibility. Did he even have a choice? Though a part of him urged him to refuse, for Kitayama was merely tricking him, Fujigaya approached the pooka, his feet still steady when his heart was not.
He wasn't sure how it happened, how he swung up onto the pooka's back, knees locking and fingers tangling in that wild mane, before the pooka reared back, neighing a cry of challenge before charging deep into the marshes.
Though Fujigaya would say he was an excellent rider, he was no master of horses and he clung to dear life, knowing the pooka could throw him at any moment as they careened through the trees. Was Kitayama following them?
The ride was born on a nightmare, but Fujigaya found himself marveling as the powerful creature surged beneath him. Soon he forgot his fears, enjoying the way the wind slapped his cheeks and tore at his hair as the pooka raced onward. Whooping, he bent over the pooka's withers, moving with it as they sped on through the night.
They rode through the night, until the moon was no longer visible and the sky threatened to turn blue with the sun. Fujigaya was not even sure where he was anymore, as the pooka slowed to a halt in the middle of a majestic and grand forest of rowan, oak, and alder.
Laughter rang through the still forest air, high and clear and bright, and Fujigaya turned to find Kitayama there. The dullahan actually was applauding him.
"You are more than what I'd ever hoped to dream of," said Kitayama, practically glowing. "Taisuke, Taisuke, you were never meant for such mundane, trivial lives." He quieted slowly, still smiling as Fujigaya dismounted the pooka. With a whicker and a snuffle at Fujigaya's shoulder, the creature trotted into the trees, lost in the shadows that the morning had not yet claimed.
"Taisuke," began Kitayama, so lovingly that Fujigaya's heart was filled. "Taisuke, come with me. Be free. You won your chance, now take it."
Fujigaya stared at horse and rider and thought about how thrilling it had been, how true it had felt to ride the pooka, and what Kitayama was offering him.
He reached out, taking Kitayama's hand and allowing Kitayama to pull him up into the saddle, the man's touch much like the fire in his eyes - warm, and for Fujigaya alone. Just before dawn broke, they vanished deep into the heart of the forest.
It was the last anyone ever saw of Fujigaya Taisuke.