(no subject)
Title: Maritime [1/2]
Author: reversemirror
Rating: PG
Word Count: 2,417
Disclaimer: Owning humans are illegal in most parts of the world (and I can't afford their fabulousness)
Pairings: Ohmiya, Aiba/Jun, and one-sided Sho/Ohno
Summary: Sho's looking for a witch to give him legs. Yum
Notes: Inspired by
still_ciircee 's Into the Parlour (which is amazing),
rikke_leonhart 's Pianissimo Butterfly (which is also amazing) and Lee Jeong-A's Chronicles of a Grim Peddler. I obviously have too much time. CRITIQUE IS WELCOME AND MUCH APPRECIATED!
[Part 2]
Sho was very nervous. It was the first time he's been this far away from his estuary and he doesn't know what might happen to it if he stays away for much longer. Humans in this area lived far away from where he dwelled, but he promised Satoshi that he would look for a way to get him legs before the summer festival. He over heard a fisherman that often traveled to his water about a medicine man who's a real witch (or least Sho hoped he heard witch). So he followed the man to a small cottage just at the edge of the human town. Of course he had to "borrow" some of the fisherman's clothes, but he made a promise to himself that he would return it!
As Sho slowly approached the house, a small green lovebird perched on a branch close to him. It titled its head in curiosity and Sho couldn't help but laugh. It chirped along with him and flew to his shoulder.
"Hey you. Where's your partner?" He bird flew off in the direction of the house and Sho followed. A small window above the doorway allowed the bird in. The door itself eerily opened for Sho. The little bird waited for him to enter and flew into another room. There stood a dark man in a long purple robe, working in what seemed to what Sho was a normal, human kitchen. Than again Sho never had to cook so he was only guessing.
The bird perched on the other's shoulder and nipped his ear. The man lightly swatted at the bird and turned around to face Sho with vague annoyance (but his eyes held slight excitement in them.) The witch held an air of elegance around him and Sho felt slightly overwhelmed by his presence.
"Wow," said the witch smugly. "I never thought I'd see a river god so far from water." Sho laughed nervously and uttered a quick apology. The other walked around the kitchen, busying himself with various things and pointed to a chair at the table.
"Just sit and I'll get you some water. By the way, what river are you from?"
"The one close to the Sakurai estate." The witch looked at the river god, slightly amazed.
"By the ocean? (Hm some, brackish water then) You traveled quite far to find me. What do you need? Someone saw you bathing and you want to turn him into a deer?" He sat down opposite Sho with a bowl of water that the river god nearly snatched from him.
"Well no," Sho blushed. "You are Jun right? Matsumoto Jun? The...um..."
"Yes I'm a witch," Jun sighed. "It's not a gender biased title as it might suggest."
"Well, I was wondering...or rather hoping...that you could tell me how to give a mermaid legs."
Jun gave Sho a hard look and then proceeded to pretend to buff his nails. "It's easy enough, but I need something in exchange. From the mermaid, not you," he quickly explained before Sho could reply with his sacrifice. Jun stood and walked over to a curtain to pull it back. Behind it was a bed, with a small suitcase atop the covers. Items from the room flew into it, some nearly hitting the river god.
"I'll go with you tomorrow," continued the witch. "I have to see what this mermaid of yours has to offer. And you must be tired from going so long without water. You can stay in my bath tub tonight." The long man walked into another room with a towel. Sho heard the taps being turning and the serene sound of water rushing out of the pipes.
While Sho usually wouldn't trust witches, after all look at what they use in potions, but he really needed to be submerged in water. He took the offer and joined Jun in the wash room. Jun tried not to smirk as the river god insisted that he leave the room so he could change out of his "borrowed" clothes and I can do this myself thank you very much and closed the door.
Outside the window was the moon, full and bright. Sho felt refreshed under it's hypnotic glow. Just as he was about to drift into his original form, a shadow passed by the window. Sho, fearing for the shadowed figure rather than Jun (Sho could feel just how much the witch was capable of) he slinked out of the inviting bath to look out the window into the garden. The garden, obviously and yet surprisingly, seemed magical. It was mostly different herbs and roots that looked like they would be used in potions, but also other pretty wildflowers that Jun probably kept for aesthetic purposes. There was also this rather looming evergreen bush that looked out of place in the garden.
There he saw the figure of the witch, with the lovebird perched on his shoulder. The sight was slightly amusing to watch Jun as he gathered the fallen nettle leaves into a basket. However, Sho also noticed the bleeding cuts on the witch's hands. Still, the witch continued to gather the pointy nettles without a single whimper despite the pained look on his face. The bird turned to its master and gave a light peck on his cheek before nestling to sleep on his shoulder. Jun gave a brilliant smile that Sho has only seen before on Satoshi.
The water sloshed as the river god returned to the tub and he thought of the merman. He thought of what Satoshi might have to give up to get those legs he so longed for. Sho deemed Jun as no cruel, however he knew that as he is asking for a witch's help, all prices had to be paid. Jun had rough hands, so the river god prayed that he wouldn't need Satoshi's beautiful ones.
"As long as Jun doesn't take your hands or heart I'm sure that's everything's going to be okay," Sho whispered to himself. "I just hope you remembered not to eat the pufferfish without supervision."
The next day the three of them left to return to the estuary. It took Sho two days to get to the witch's house but hopefully with Jun's magic they could reach it quicker. Sho was getting worried about what humans might be doing to his river and if Satoshi has properly eaten.
"Here hold this jar," Jun said while shoving a rather large, porcelain container at the river god. Sho looked inside and it was filled with nothing but fresh water.
"But I'm a saltwater god."
"It's not for you and it's not water. It's a potion to hold whatever it is I'm taking from your mermaid."
"...what are you talking from him?" Sho asked timidly.
Jun turned around to look at the pathetic face the supposed river god was making. "I'm sorry, but I can't give you a straight answer until I see your friend. Legs are easy to make, but they require...other things to help them bind to the torso."
"Other things?"
"Again, I won't know until I get there. I don't control magic; just nudge it in the right direction."
Sho felt his face pale.
Even though they were traveling faster due to a spell Jun cast, it was still a long way to go and Sho was tired. He was sitting in a small water basin that Jun brought to help him, but the river god still couldn't sleep. He looked at the young witch who just entered slumber. Although he was a god, he still felt some jealousy towards the witch for having such a face and being mortal. Nearly all immortals were enchanting, but seeing a pretty human, now that was rare and valuable. Not that Satoshi ever made Sho feel inferior.
Sho was about to melt into the water when suddenly a rather tall man with a rather short tunic appeared before him. Startled, he nearly let out a scream to alert Jun, but the other man quickly covered his mouth. With a wry smile the man waved his hand and a blanket pulled over Jun.
Another witch? Sho thought. The man gave Jun a brief wistful look and motioned for Sho to follow him. He lead them to an open area far from the camp, but still visible. Sho felt a stream of water rushing by so if he needed, he could drown the witch.
"Hi...uh...do you remember me?" the other asked in a breathy voice.
"...am I supposed to?" The witch titled his head to the side which reminded Sho of-
"The bird?!" The man beamed at Sho.
"Yup! I'm Aiba, I'm MatsuJun's...Aiba!" The other witch laughed and Sho joined him, not really knowing what he was laughing at.
"Wait," the river god stopped. "Are you a witch or a bird? Or both? Do witches even turn into birds?"
"Not without a license. And I'm a witch. Sort of. I never had a chance to finish training. MatsuJun and I were classmates back at Johnny's. It's a magick school, don't let the name fool you! But I really just wanted to play sports."
"That still doesn't explain why you were a bird or why I haven't seen you change until now." Aiba's eyes lowered.
"Someone put a curse on me. Well, MatsuJun and me but he's was too strong to be affected by something like this," Aiba let out another laugh, but of disappointment. The river god wasn't sure if it was for the fact that he was cursed or that the man felt inferior to Jun, someone he cared very much about. "It was supposed to be that while Jun was awake, I would be a lovebird and while he slept he would turn into another lovebird and I would be human. So that we would never be able to talk to each other."
Sho didn't want to imagine a world without being able to see Satoshi when he wanted (or even when he didn't want to.) The witch sat down on a boulder to think and Sho lowered himself to crouch near him.
"As soon as MatsuJun wakes up I'm back to being a bird. But I'm okay with that. I-...I just feel bad for Jun. He and I get lonely real easily-, and at least I can see him as a human, he doesn't even get that much! And I can't even help break the curse! It has to be him!"
Sho knew what curses where like. He was a river god because of one after all. "C-can I help?"
Aiba looked up at Sho and gave him a smile, with a hint of sadness behind it. "Only Jun can break it. I know you're a god, but this is something not even you can do."
As a god, Sho did not like feeling this helpless.
"We're almost there," said Jun who was walking a bit behind Sho, with Aiba flying close by. Sho knew. He could smell his waters and nearly raced to it. As soon as it came into sight, he jumped right in and left the human clothes to float to the top. Aiba chirped at the sight.
Ahh, I'm home, thought the shapeless river god. He turned back into his human form as he reached the surface, but only from the torso up (much to Aiba's disappointment) and swam to lean against the water's edge.
Jun sat by the shore and rolled up his robes. There were expensive and the last thing the witch wanted to deal with was wet velvet. "So where's your friend?"
Almost as if on cue, a bluish fin popped out from the water. "Sho?" whispered a voice from underneath the water.
The merman came out from his water and also swam to the shore close to the river god. Sho smiled at Satoshi and gave him a little pat on the head. It's been a while.
"See? I told you I'd get you legs. Here's a witch to help you." Ohno softly nodded and looked at Jun...for a long time.
Jun scoffed at the (admittedly really adorable in a spacey way) merman. "You can't seduce me by simply staring blankly."
"Oh. I'm sorry. I'm Ohno." The merman continued staring anyway.
"And I'm Matsumoto. You need legs?" Ohno nodded sheepishly.
"Can you make them before the summer festival in a week?" Sho asked for Satoshi. Jun looked over Ohno and sighed.
"I can, but the price will be higher. I was originally going to ask for an eye..."
"AN EYE?!"
"But if it's that quickly, I need your voice."
"M-my voice." While Satoshi was not one to talk much, he loved singing. That's what led Nino to him. Would it be worth it to see Nino if he couldn't explain what or who he was?
"...and there are some other requirements."
Sho quickly stepped in during Satoshi's daze. "What are the other requirements?"
"What do you need your legs for?" asked Jun, ignoring Sho for the merman he was bargaining with.
"I...want to see Nino. And I want him to see me." Jun softly smiled. Sho closed his eyes. Even after all this time, it was still hard.
Jun continued, "If you hold that sort of emotion inside of you, the time limit will be even shorter. That emotion tends to get in the way of some spells. I can give you the legs up midnight of the summer festival. If Nino doesn't- wait. You mean Prince Nino? Prince Ninomiya Kazunari? Second in-line to the throne?"
"...yes. Is that bad?"
Jun groaned. "A little! He has to be married to a woman by that time. If you don't get him to fall in love with you and refuse the marriage proposal by midnight of the summer festival you'll turn into foam!"
Ohno was silent in a way that only Sho understood that Ohno was silent and not thinking.
"...do you still want to do it?" Aiba chirped on Jun's shoulder gave Ohno a longing look as best a bird can.
"You need my voice. And I only have up until the festival to get Nino?" Ohno said in his usual quiet manner. Jun nodded. The river god looked at the merman. Is all of this worth it for this little human? Is a possible chance at love worth losing Ohno? Was it a mistake to bring Jun here?
"Will you do it?" Jun asked.
"..."
"..."
"Satoshi-"
"I will."
Author: reversemirror
Rating: PG
Word Count: 2,417
Disclaimer: Owning humans are illegal in most parts of the world (and I can't afford their fabulousness)
Pairings: Ohmiya, Aiba/Jun, and one-sided Sho/Ohno
Summary: Sho's looking for a witch to give him legs. Yum
Notes: Inspired by
still_ciircee 's Into the Parlour (which is amazing),
rikke_leonhart 's Pianissimo Butterfly (which is also amazing) and Lee Jeong-A's Chronicles of a Grim Peddler. I obviously have too much time. CRITIQUE IS WELCOME AND MUCH APPRECIATED!
[Part 2]
Sho was very nervous. It was the first time he's been this far away from his estuary and he doesn't know what might happen to it if he stays away for much longer. Humans in this area lived far away from where he dwelled, but he promised Satoshi that he would look for a way to get him legs before the summer festival. He over heard a fisherman that often traveled to his water about a medicine man who's a real witch (or least Sho hoped he heard witch). So he followed the man to a small cottage just at the edge of the human town. Of course he had to "borrow" some of the fisherman's clothes, but he made a promise to himself that he would return it!
As Sho slowly approached the house, a small green lovebird perched on a branch close to him. It titled its head in curiosity and Sho couldn't help but laugh. It chirped along with him and flew to his shoulder.
"Hey you. Where's your partner?" He bird flew off in the direction of the house and Sho followed. A small window above the doorway allowed the bird in. The door itself eerily opened for Sho. The little bird waited for him to enter and flew into another room. There stood a dark man in a long purple robe, working in what seemed to what Sho was a normal, human kitchen. Than again Sho never had to cook so he was only guessing.
The bird perched on the other's shoulder and nipped his ear. The man lightly swatted at the bird and turned around to face Sho with vague annoyance (but his eyes held slight excitement in them.) The witch held an air of elegance around him and Sho felt slightly overwhelmed by his presence.
"Wow," said the witch smugly. "I never thought I'd see a river god so far from water." Sho laughed nervously and uttered a quick apology. The other walked around the kitchen, busying himself with various things and pointed to a chair at the table.
"Just sit and I'll get you some water. By the way, what river are you from?"
"The one close to the Sakurai estate." The witch looked at the river god, slightly amazed.
"By the ocean? (Hm some, brackish water then) You traveled quite far to find me. What do you need? Someone saw you bathing and you want to turn him into a deer?" He sat down opposite Sho with a bowl of water that the river god nearly snatched from him.
"Well no," Sho blushed. "You are Jun right? Matsumoto Jun? The...um..."
"Yes I'm a witch," Jun sighed. "It's not a gender biased title as it might suggest."
"Well, I was wondering...or rather hoping...that you could tell me how to give a mermaid legs."
Jun gave Sho a hard look and then proceeded to pretend to buff his nails. "It's easy enough, but I need something in exchange. From the mermaid, not you," he quickly explained before Sho could reply with his sacrifice. Jun stood and walked over to a curtain to pull it back. Behind it was a bed, with a small suitcase atop the covers. Items from the room flew into it, some nearly hitting the river god.
"I'll go with you tomorrow," continued the witch. "I have to see what this mermaid of yours has to offer. And you must be tired from going so long without water. You can stay in my bath tub tonight." The long man walked into another room with a towel. Sho heard the taps being turning and the serene sound of water rushing out of the pipes.
While Sho usually wouldn't trust witches, after all look at what they use in potions, but he really needed to be submerged in water. He took the offer and joined Jun in the wash room. Jun tried not to smirk as the river god insisted that he leave the room so he could change out of his "borrowed" clothes and I can do this myself thank you very much and closed the door.
Outside the window was the moon, full and bright. Sho felt refreshed under it's hypnotic glow. Just as he was about to drift into his original form, a shadow passed by the window. Sho, fearing for the shadowed figure rather than Jun (Sho could feel just how much the witch was capable of) he slinked out of the inviting bath to look out the window into the garden. The garden, obviously and yet surprisingly, seemed magical. It was mostly different herbs and roots that looked like they would be used in potions, but also other pretty wildflowers that Jun probably kept for aesthetic purposes. There was also this rather looming evergreen bush that looked out of place in the garden.
There he saw the figure of the witch, with the lovebird perched on his shoulder. The sight was slightly amusing to watch Jun as he gathered the fallen nettle leaves into a basket. However, Sho also noticed the bleeding cuts on the witch's hands. Still, the witch continued to gather the pointy nettles without a single whimper despite the pained look on his face. The bird turned to its master and gave a light peck on his cheek before nestling to sleep on his shoulder. Jun gave a brilliant smile that Sho has only seen before on Satoshi.
The water sloshed as the river god returned to the tub and he thought of the merman. He thought of what Satoshi might have to give up to get those legs he so longed for. Sho deemed Jun as no cruel, however he knew that as he is asking for a witch's help, all prices had to be paid. Jun had rough hands, so the river god prayed that he wouldn't need Satoshi's beautiful ones.
"As long as Jun doesn't take your hands or heart I'm sure that's everything's going to be okay," Sho whispered to himself. "I just hope you remembered not to eat the pufferfish without supervision."
The next day the three of them left to return to the estuary. It took Sho two days to get to the witch's house but hopefully with Jun's magic they could reach it quicker. Sho was getting worried about what humans might be doing to his river and if Satoshi has properly eaten.
"Here hold this jar," Jun said while shoving a rather large, porcelain container at the river god. Sho looked inside and it was filled with nothing but fresh water.
"But I'm a saltwater god."
"It's not for you and it's not water. It's a potion to hold whatever it is I'm taking from your mermaid."
"...what are you talking from him?" Sho asked timidly.
Jun turned around to look at the pathetic face the supposed river god was making. "I'm sorry, but I can't give you a straight answer until I see your friend. Legs are easy to make, but they require...other things to help them bind to the torso."
"Other things?"
"Again, I won't know until I get there. I don't control magic; just nudge it in the right direction."
Sho felt his face pale.
Even though they were traveling faster due to a spell Jun cast, it was still a long way to go and Sho was tired. He was sitting in a small water basin that Jun brought to help him, but the river god still couldn't sleep. He looked at the young witch who just entered slumber. Although he was a god, he still felt some jealousy towards the witch for having such a face and being mortal. Nearly all immortals were enchanting, but seeing a pretty human, now that was rare and valuable. Not that Satoshi ever made Sho feel inferior.
Sho was about to melt into the water when suddenly a rather tall man with a rather short tunic appeared before him. Startled, he nearly let out a scream to alert Jun, but the other man quickly covered his mouth. With a wry smile the man waved his hand and a blanket pulled over Jun.
Another witch? Sho thought. The man gave Jun a brief wistful look and motioned for Sho to follow him. He lead them to an open area far from the camp, but still visible. Sho felt a stream of water rushing by so if he needed, he could drown the witch.
"Hi...uh...do you remember me?" the other asked in a breathy voice.
"...am I supposed to?" The witch titled his head to the side which reminded Sho of-
"The bird?!" The man beamed at Sho.
"Yup! I'm Aiba, I'm MatsuJun's...Aiba!" The other witch laughed and Sho joined him, not really knowing what he was laughing at.
"Wait," the river god stopped. "Are you a witch or a bird? Or both? Do witches even turn into birds?"
"Not without a license. And I'm a witch. Sort of. I never had a chance to finish training. MatsuJun and I were classmates back at Johnny's. It's a magick school, don't let the name fool you! But I really just wanted to play sports."
"That still doesn't explain why you were a bird or why I haven't seen you change until now." Aiba's eyes lowered.
"Someone put a curse on me. Well, MatsuJun and me but he's was too strong to be affected by something like this," Aiba let out another laugh, but of disappointment. The river god wasn't sure if it was for the fact that he was cursed or that the man felt inferior to Jun, someone he cared very much about. "It was supposed to be that while Jun was awake, I would be a lovebird and while he slept he would turn into another lovebird and I would be human. So that we would never be able to talk to each other."
Sho didn't want to imagine a world without being able to see Satoshi when he wanted (or even when he didn't want to.) The witch sat down on a boulder to think and Sho lowered himself to crouch near him.
"As soon as MatsuJun wakes up I'm back to being a bird. But I'm okay with that. I-...I just feel bad for Jun. He and I get lonely real easily-, and at least I can see him as a human, he doesn't even get that much! And I can't even help break the curse! It has to be him!"
Sho knew what curses where like. He was a river god because of one after all. "C-can I help?"
Aiba looked up at Sho and gave him a smile, with a hint of sadness behind it. "Only Jun can break it. I know you're a god, but this is something not even you can do."
As a god, Sho did not like feeling this helpless.
"We're almost there," said Jun who was walking a bit behind Sho, with Aiba flying close by. Sho knew. He could smell his waters and nearly raced to it. As soon as it came into sight, he jumped right in and left the human clothes to float to the top. Aiba chirped at the sight.
Ahh, I'm home, thought the shapeless river god. He turned back into his human form as he reached the surface, but only from the torso up (much to Aiba's disappointment) and swam to lean against the water's edge.
Jun sat by the shore and rolled up his robes. There were expensive and the last thing the witch wanted to deal with was wet velvet. "So where's your friend?"
Almost as if on cue, a bluish fin popped out from the water. "Sho?" whispered a voice from underneath the water.
The merman came out from his water and also swam to the shore close to the river god. Sho smiled at Satoshi and gave him a little pat on the head. It's been a while.
"See? I told you I'd get you legs. Here's a witch to help you." Ohno softly nodded and looked at Jun...for a long time.
Jun scoffed at the (admittedly really adorable in a spacey way) merman. "You can't seduce me by simply staring blankly."
"Oh. I'm sorry. I'm Ohno." The merman continued staring anyway.
"And I'm Matsumoto. You need legs?" Ohno nodded sheepishly.
"Can you make them before the summer festival in a week?" Sho asked for Satoshi. Jun looked over Ohno and sighed.
"I can, but the price will be higher. I was originally going to ask for an eye..."
"AN EYE?!"
"But if it's that quickly, I need your voice."
"M-my voice." While Satoshi was not one to talk much, he loved singing. That's what led Nino to him. Would it be worth it to see Nino if he couldn't explain what or who he was?
"...and there are some other requirements."
Sho quickly stepped in during Satoshi's daze. "What are the other requirements?"
"What do you need your legs for?" asked Jun, ignoring Sho for the merman he was bargaining with.
"I...want to see Nino. And I want him to see me." Jun softly smiled. Sho closed his eyes. Even after all this time, it was still hard.
Jun continued, "If you hold that sort of emotion inside of you, the time limit will be even shorter. That emotion tends to get in the way of some spells. I can give you the legs up midnight of the summer festival. If Nino doesn't- wait. You mean Prince Nino? Prince Ninomiya Kazunari? Second in-line to the throne?"
"...yes. Is that bad?"
Jun groaned. "A little! He has to be married to a woman by that time. If you don't get him to fall in love with you and refuse the marriage proposal by midnight of the summer festival you'll turn into foam!"
Ohno was silent in a way that only Sho understood that Ohno was silent and not thinking.
"...do you still want to do it?" Aiba chirped on Jun's shoulder gave Ohno a longing look as best a bird can.
"You need my voice. And I only have up until the festival to get Nino?" Ohno said in his usual quiet manner. Jun nodded. The river god looked at the merman. Is all of this worth it for this little human? Is a possible chance at love worth losing Ohno? Was it a mistake to bring Jun here?
"Will you do it?" Jun asked.
"..."
"..."
"Satoshi-"
"I will."