A New Day (Challenge #57, Dawn; Dokugakuji & co.; G)

[opalmatrix]

Title: A New Day
Author: opalmatrix
Warnings: nothing at all, really
Pairing(s): n/a
Spoilers: a little about Dokugakuji's history and the personnel of Houtou Castle
Notes: written for saiyuki_time, Challenge #57, Dawn: use the concept in a metaphorical sense; time allowed: 40 minutes; time taken: 50 minutes. Title taken from the Oysterband: ""

Comments

[red_squared]

Eeee! Gorgeous :)

I've missed Kougaiji and his troupe so much in the latest volumes, so it's lovely to see them in fanfic.

[opalmatrix]

Awww, I'm glad this worked for you! I can't always write the Kou-tachi very much - Doku is the only one who really speaks to me - but I like them a lot.

[opalmatrix]

I'm so pleased that you like it! The Kou-tachi are so solemn, in contrast to the Sanzo ikkou, and the prince the most of all. Doku seems to have - not surprisingly - a good deal of Gojyo's earthy wit, so I was thinking about how that pair of contrasting personalities worked together, early on.

[avierra]

The Sha brothers are love. I like how Doku is sacrifices himself to save Lirin. And I also like how Kou is SUCH a big brother here.

I know that one chapter of Saiyuubito had the Kougaiji tachi sitting around a table and angsting at each other about how much they loved each other (and it was funny as heck), but it really is pretty nice to see Saiyuki relationships that are (relatively) unscrewed up and straightforward. I guess that's one thing in Saiyuki that's pretty interesting (and which Minekura throws out there to think about) is the nature of the bonds between siblings (I sense I am entering essay mode, so I'll stop :D). But anyway, I think story this captures Lirin/Kou and Kou/Doku and Lirin/Doku perfectly.

This made me a little sad for Lirin: followed by Gyokumen Kousho's precious child. It is profoundly ironic.

[opalmatrix]

Lirin's situation sucks so much. Ir's easy for me to spin angsty backstory bits about her having had a nurse rather like a female Dokugakuji, because someone got her to this point, as a pretty self-confident, buoyant adolescent, and I doubt Kou could have done it himself, and it certainly wasn't her mother. I do think that Doku has become a second older brother to her, even though she doesn't call him that. I love the picture where he and Yaone have rescued her from the tank in Nii's lab.

I'm so happy you enjoyed the story. The Kou-tachi are much harder for me to write than are the Sanzo ikkou.

[lady_ganesh]

Do you think she remembers her father at all? I have been assuming she was sealed at the same time as Kou but I don't remember if canon's clear on it.

[lady_ganesh]

Oh, they made him laugh! Wonderful.

[opalmatrix]

XD

I had the damndest time coming up with a situation that would be funny enough to make him smile or even laugh, and wouldn't just be a dumb joke. I finally came up with this - now it's a combination of relief of tension plus the slapstick, which seems to me more likely to break him out of his very very serious nature.

[lady_ganesh]

Indeed. And the thought that he finally has someone he can laugh in front of.

[purpleicicles]

I absolutely adore this fic - the early days of Jien being at the castle are rarely written about, and I love how you caught the tentative relationship between Kou and Jien and then showed it solidifying. Plus, Kou's alugh was just meltworthy *happysigh*

[opalmatrix]

I'm so glad you liked it! I was thinking about when their relationship would have changed from being just prince and servant to actual friends, and then I thought about how Doku often jokes around with him, and came up with his somehow making Kou laugh for the first time (well, presumably not the first time ever, but you know what I mean ... ).