[Team 2] Daunting and Despair
... My fingers got away from me. :x Pirate!AU. From this verse I created years ago here only it's SO OLD AND TERRIBLY DONE, so I'm going to have to revamp it even more if I ever fully write this verse. Also, Mizuchi is apparently a dragon/water deity, but I didn't... do much research. So this is botched and very POTC-ish, tbh. 8D/
♦♦♦
Battle was in the air, fevered, nauseating, and Fujigaya could already taste the blood on his lips.
He stood near the six lords, on an outcropping of rock that rose above their six armies. Six armies against the ragged bands of Fujigaya’s family.
Former family, he correct himself. He had betrayed them, twisting the knife before fleeing. He had killed Kitayama. There was no family for him now. Not on this battlefield, nor in the depths of the sea.
“You could have stayed away,” Yokoo murmured sympathetically. He was restless and resentful, the punishment of his revelation of truth to Fujigaya clear on his arms. Taguchi enjoyed playing with hot irons.
“I will not hide like a coward,” Fujigaya replied, eyes on the army beyond them. He could just barely see Takizawa, standing bright at the front of his men, but who else might have survived from the previous skirmish, Fujigaya could not tell. Was Totsuka still alive? What about Tamamori and Miyata? Who else had fallen that day with Kitayama and Hashimoto?
Yokoo gripped his shoulders, twisting him away from the hordes of men. “You think that watching them all die will somehow change what you did already?” Yokoo demanded angrily. “Won’t that just add to the blood already on your hands?”
Fujigaya flinched away, glad that the six pirate lords were otherwise occupied. “What else is there to do?” he whispered.
“Blasted, what do you think there is to do?” Yokoo said, giving his shoulders a small shake. “Grief cannot consume you. They have not fallen yet. You can still fight for them. Release me, Taisuke, and we can give them a fighting chance. You were not Tsubasa’s last apprentice for nothing.”
Dread and hope came both from Yokoo’s words. Fujigaya closed his eyes, torn. It was true. Yokoo was bound, but if Fujigaya unchained him, released him from the bindings cast on him from the pirate lords of the past, then he would be a power unmatched by all. He would be Mizuchi, the dragon god of the seas.
But there was no guarantee that Mizuchi would fight for Fujigaya the way Yokoo wished to. Yokoo was his friend, but he had also sunk the ship that had killed Fujigaya’s family, had drowned countless others at sea with indifference to who they might be, where they had come from, or what they were fighting for.
Fujigaya trusted Yokoo. But did he trust Mizuchi?
“Will you promise not to hurt them?”
“You know that’s something I can’t promise,” Yokoo said gravely. “But these armies are more than six thousand, against a meager eight hundred souls.” His touch was gentle as he cupped Fujigaya’s cheeks, making the boy look at him again. “I cannot promise you that, for who I am now is not who I will be. But this part of me, for you… I will try.”
Battle cries rent the skies, as all prepared for battle. The lords were turning back, turning to Yokoo, and Fujigaya realized that he had no time left anymore.
“If you cannot save them… I want you to take me too. When this is over.” He knew how to dodge death, but he would fall at Yokoo’s hand if Takizawa lost this battle. Because this battle was the war and the war had devoured itself to the last. This was the end and everything Fujigaya had cared for was going to be destroyed.
“Yes,” he breathed, the single world slipping from his tongue with a shaky breath.
Yes.
There was no time. Nakamaru and Ueda had both turned to them, calling on Yokoo. Yokoo held out for a moment, but he would ultimately have to obey.
Fujigaya brought his knife up, cutting across his palm. Blood welled up from the thin slice, and he pressed it to Yokoo’s. Words, ancient and commanding, spilled from his lips, leaving an acrid taste in his mouth. He hadn’t spoke the Old Tongue since he’d said farewell to Tsubasa.
“No!” someone roared beside him, wrenching him away from Yokoo. Fujigaya stumbled, fell, but he had spoken all he needed to.
Yokoo was laughing, batting Taguchi aside. “Free!” he cried, twisting and turning and somehow becoming larger. He was no longer bound to his human form. His skin darkened to a rippling blue, with orange lacing alone his cheekbones and temples. His hands were looking webbed and clawed and his legs were now much longer than they had been.
Mizuchi was now free.
“How?!” Kamenashi gasped, looking from Fujigaya to Yokoo -Mizuchi - in horror. “You couldn’t have… Why?”
But Fujigaya had no time to reply, because in that moment, Yokoo’s hand had shot out, wrapping around his waist. With a lurch, Fujigaya realized that he had no idea if Yokoo, or really it was Mizuchi wasn’t it, would kill him now or not.
But death did not come as the sea dragon threw himself into the air. They sailed over the legions of the six pirate lords, and landed with a thud between them and Takizawa’s men. Everyone seemed to take this as a sign that the battle had begun. Men screamed their battlecries of fury from all sides.
“For you,” Mizuchi said, letting go of Fujigaya. His voice sounded strange, as if spoken from underwater, with fire as an undercurrent. And yet there was still a trace of Yokoo’s voice. “For you, I will. But you must face him alone.”
With that, Mizuchi turned and bawled his way into the armies of the six pirate lords.
War raged around Fujigaya and he stood in the midst of it, untouched. Nobody seemed to notice him, but he saw faces he knew rush past him. Senga was there, brandishing a sword next to Nikaido. Tsukada rushed past Fujigaya to meet a towering brigand. He also saw magic he’d once learned of, and wondered where Takizawa had managed to find one of the elusive Elvinkind.
And then Fujigaya turned and found himself face to face with Kitayama. Living, breathing, with deadly intent in his eyes, Kitayama.
“It can’t be,” Fujigaya breathed. He had been so sure, had carried the pain and the guilt for so long, and yet Kitayama was alive.
Kitayama’s sword was drawn, glinting in the high sun.
Fujigaya realized what his fate would be and he drew his own sword, gladly welcoming it.
♦♦♦
Your turn next, Luna!
♦♦♦
Battle was in the air, fevered, nauseating, and Fujigaya could already taste the blood on his lips.
He stood near the six lords, on an outcropping of rock that rose above their six armies. Six armies against the ragged bands of Fujigaya’s family.
Former family, he correct himself. He had betrayed them, twisting the knife before fleeing. He had killed Kitayama. There was no family for him now. Not on this battlefield, nor in the depths of the sea.
“You could have stayed away,” Yokoo murmured sympathetically. He was restless and resentful, the punishment of his revelation of truth to Fujigaya clear on his arms. Taguchi enjoyed playing with hot irons.
“I will not hide like a coward,” Fujigaya replied, eyes on the army beyond them. He could just barely see Takizawa, standing bright at the front of his men, but who else might have survived from the previous skirmish, Fujigaya could not tell. Was Totsuka still alive? What about Tamamori and Miyata? Who else had fallen that day with Kitayama and Hashimoto?
Yokoo gripped his shoulders, twisting him away from the hordes of men. “You think that watching them all die will somehow change what you did already?” Yokoo demanded angrily. “Won’t that just add to the blood already on your hands?”
Fujigaya flinched away, glad that the six pirate lords were otherwise occupied. “What else is there to do?” he whispered.
“Blasted, what do you think there is to do?” Yokoo said, giving his shoulders a small shake. “Grief cannot consume you. They have not fallen yet. You can still fight for them. Release me, Taisuke, and we can give them a fighting chance. You were not Tsubasa’s last apprentice for nothing.”
Dread and hope came both from Yokoo’s words. Fujigaya closed his eyes, torn. It was true. Yokoo was bound, but if Fujigaya unchained him, released him from the bindings cast on him from the pirate lords of the past, then he would be a power unmatched by all. He would be Mizuchi, the dragon god of the seas.
But there was no guarantee that Mizuchi would fight for Fujigaya the way Yokoo wished to. Yokoo was his friend, but he had also sunk the ship that had killed Fujigaya’s family, had drowned countless others at sea with indifference to who they might be, where they had come from, or what they were fighting for.
Fujigaya trusted Yokoo. But did he trust Mizuchi?
“Will you promise not to hurt them?”
“You know that’s something I can’t promise,” Yokoo said gravely. “But these armies are more than six thousand, against a meager eight hundred souls.” His touch was gentle as he cupped Fujigaya’s cheeks, making the boy look at him again. “I cannot promise you that, for who I am now is not who I will be. But this part of me, for you… I will try.”
Battle cries rent the skies, as all prepared for battle. The lords were turning back, turning to Yokoo, and Fujigaya realized that he had no time left anymore.
“If you cannot save them… I want you to take me too. When this is over.” He knew how to dodge death, but he would fall at Yokoo’s hand if Takizawa lost this battle. Because this battle was the war and the war had devoured itself to the last. This was the end and everything Fujigaya had cared for was going to be destroyed.
“Yes,” he breathed, the single world slipping from his tongue with a shaky breath.
Yes.
There was no time. Nakamaru and Ueda had both turned to them, calling on Yokoo. Yokoo held out for a moment, but he would ultimately have to obey.
Fujigaya brought his knife up, cutting across his palm. Blood welled up from the thin slice, and he pressed it to Yokoo’s. Words, ancient and commanding, spilled from his lips, leaving an acrid taste in his mouth. He hadn’t spoke the Old Tongue since he’d said farewell to Tsubasa.
“No!” someone roared beside him, wrenching him away from Yokoo. Fujigaya stumbled, fell, but he had spoken all he needed to.
Yokoo was laughing, batting Taguchi aside. “Free!” he cried, twisting and turning and somehow becoming larger. He was no longer bound to his human form. His skin darkened to a rippling blue, with orange lacing alone his cheekbones and temples. His hands were looking webbed and clawed and his legs were now much longer than they had been.
Mizuchi was now free.
“How?!” Kamenashi gasped, looking from Fujigaya to Yokoo -Mizuchi - in horror. “You couldn’t have… Why?”
But Fujigaya had no time to reply, because in that moment, Yokoo’s hand had shot out, wrapping around his waist. With a lurch, Fujigaya realized that he had no idea if Yokoo, or really it was Mizuchi wasn’t it, would kill him now or not.
But death did not come as the sea dragon threw himself into the air. They sailed over the legions of the six pirate lords, and landed with a thud between them and Takizawa’s men. Everyone seemed to take this as a sign that the battle had begun. Men screamed their battlecries of fury from all sides.
“For you,” Mizuchi said, letting go of Fujigaya. His voice sounded strange, as if spoken from underwater, with fire as an undercurrent. And yet there was still a trace of Yokoo’s voice. “For you, I will. But you must face him alone.”
With that, Mizuchi turned and bawled his way into the armies of the six pirate lords.
War raged around Fujigaya and he stood in the midst of it, untouched. Nobody seemed to notice him, but he saw faces he knew rush past him. Senga was there, brandishing a sword next to Nikaido. Tsukada rushed past Fujigaya to meet a towering brigand. He also saw magic he’d once learned of, and wondered where Takizawa had managed to find one of the elusive Elvinkind.
And then Fujigaya turned and found himself face to face with Kitayama. Living, breathing, with deadly intent in his eyes, Kitayama.
“It can’t be,” Fujigaya breathed. He had been so sure, had carried the pain and the guilt for so long, and yet Kitayama was alive.
Kitayama’s sword was drawn, glinting in the high sun.
Fujigaya realized what his fate would be and he drew his own sword, gladly welcoming it.
♦♦♦
Your turn next, Luna!