[Legend of Sun Knight] fic: My Very Own Creature of Darkness - Part 4
LJ, what is with the sudden, terrible ad placement... Anyway! This update puts me at over 90k for this year. /touched Next goal is 100k! Except for a 1.2k Haikyuu!! fic, my word count came completely from Legend of Sun Knight, wow. Since when have I become a single fandom writer? Well, I don't think I'll run out of LSK plotbunnies anytime soon, though my stories do seem to be veering off into more AU'ish territory now. XD; (Still, there are lots of missing scenes I plan on exploring!)
Title: My Very Own Creature of Darkness - Part 4
Fandom: The Legend of Sun Knight
Words: 1,671
Summary: If it weren't because my friends had dared me to touch the gravestones, I would never have set even one foot in the cemetery. Ceo/Roland, reincarnation, sequel to A Slice of Wedding Cake
Notes: Illustrations thanks to kiyutsuna included at the end of the chapter! :D
Previous part
Part 4: Family Talk
The shirt, a "t" shirt?, was very soft. There were no buttons, zippers, or buckles to speak of whatsoever, just one long expanse of the same soft material falling against my skin. It was a fine piece of undergarment but nevertheless not suitable to wear for greeting the father of the boy currently housing me.
I made do with bowing to express my gratitude of his son's acceptance. However, after I straightened back up, the look on both the father's and the son's faces was not what I expected. The father seemed nearly about to faint while Theo had his face hidden in his hands. Their reactions were worrying.
Soon after, a tall woman with blazing red hair came into the room, pulling along the brash girl who had kicked the door open earlier. All of a sudden, I found myself in the middle of a "family talk." At least, that was what Theo had called it when he lowered his voice to clue me in between all the arguments. We sat on our knees across from the parents, like criminals about to be judged.
"Don't worry," he whispered. He glanced at me apologetically. "This happens all the time."
Did this mean he often brought home creatures of darkness from the cemetery? That was worrying as well. Although I was glad he was not afraid of me, my gut feeling told me it was not very smart to trust a creature of darkness.
The father's reaction was a lot more normal. He kept sneaking suspicious glances at me. I could not fault him for being wary. Then, he turned to the girl and said, "Witness, please state your name and profession!"
The girl jumped up and shouted, "Okay! I'm Chika! Eighteen! I'm the soccer team captain!"
The father nodded. "Please tell us what you witnessed when you returned home!"
She scratched her head. "Well, I'd just won my match, and gosh was it a thrilling one, so I wanted to tell Theo right away. I kicked open his door, and what do you know, there was a shirtless guy on his bed and Theo had his hands all over him!"
The father immediately blurted, "What?!"
"Oh, hadn't I told you yet, Dad? I won my match!" the girl exclaimed.
"No, no, the part about the bed and the, the..."
"The shirtless guy?" The girl blinked and looked over at me. "Or well, he's not shirtless anymore."
"Yes, that part!" the father pointed at the girl. "You must have seen wrong! My lovely daughter wouldn't do something as lewd as putting her hands over a shirtless guy!"
I was confused. The girl hadn't been anywhere near me, and hadn't she said that it was Theo who had his hands on me?
They continued arguing back and forth. I grew more and more confused. Who was this daughter they were speaking of? It didn't sound like they were talking about the redheaded girl, but it couldn't be Theo, right?
I turned and looked Theo over. His hands, which were currently twisting his hair, were a typical guy's hands with prominent knuckles. While his hands weren't completely smooth, they weren't calloused either, not in the way I thought they should be. When he'd pulled on my hand to get me to come in, the touch had been both familiar and foreign. These were hands that had never held a sword before, yet I knew their touch. My gaze trailed upwards, from the ends of Theo's hair to his neck.
While I studied him, Theo sighed. He glanced at me. When he realized I was looking at him, he blinked, his cheeks turning just a bit pinker. He looked away, but then he looked back at me and mumbled, "There they go again..."
Huh?
"Last time this happened was when I tried to convince Dad to let me keep a pet dog. It didn't quite work out," Theo explained. "They make such a huge deal out of everything."
Suddenly, the mom cleared her throat and said, "Landis, you should give Theo a chance to talk." The mother smiled at Theo, making her look a lot less fierce despite the scar over her right eye. She whispered, "Don't say Mom isn't supporting you!"
All at once, the arguments between father and daughter stopped, and both turned to stare at the mother. Finally, the father, Landis?, said, "You're right, Farah. I got too caught up in the moment again. I should... listen first."
He sat down, breathed in deeply, and then, with clear, green eyes, regarded Theo seriously. Theo must have inherited his looks from his father. They looked strikingly similar. "Theo, just what is going on?"
Theo darted his eyes at me. He fiddled with his hair again, fingers that he had used to trace my tears twirling a strand of hair. "Um, do you remember the rumors about the circle of graves?" He glanced at his parents, who nodded. It seemed that these rumors had been far spread. "Well, my friends dared me to touch the graves, so..."
Landis muttered under his breath, "Don't tell me it was the blond brat again!"
If by "blond brat" he meant the blond named Grisel, then Landis was thinking of the right person. Did Grisel often lead Theo astray? I might need to keep an eye out for these questionable friends of Theo's.
"Anyway, I went! And I met Roland there! He's like this loyal protector of the graves. He's been protecting the graves for so long that he can't even remember the people he's protecting anymore. Isn't that sad, Dad?" Theo stared at his father imploringly.
"Let me get this straight." Landis pointed at his son. "You..." Then he pointed at me and said, "met him at the graveyard."
"Uh, yeah," Theo admitted.
Landis sucked in his breath and then began mumbling to himself. "I can't believe it. Of all places for my lovely daughter to meet a guy, she meets him at a graveyard. If that's not shady, then my name isn't Landis! And my lovely daughter even claims that he's the loyal protector of the graves? What in the world? Is he an undertaker? On top of that, he has memory problems? And he's a creature... Wait..."
He paused in his rambling, eyes narrowing as he asked, "Why did he call himself a 'creature'?"
"He's a creature of darkness," admitted Theo. He paused and turned to me curiously. "Uh, I'm not sure what kind though. What are you, Roland?"
Suddenly, all four pairs of eyes were on me. I replied without any fanfare, "A death monarch."
Upon hearing my answer, the girl immediately shrieked, "Bro, so you didn't just bring home a guy, but a guy that's a death monarch?!" She paused. "Wait... what's a death monarch?" She scratched her head and glanced towards her parents for an answer, as if her parents had the answers to everything.
The mother, Farah?, shook her head. "Actually, Chika, I don't know either."
Landis frowned. "So, 'Roland,' can you tell us, what exactly is a death monarch?"
Showing was much quicker than telling. I let my disguise dissolve, my three pairs of wings materializing, but I quickly flattened them against me so as not to accidentally knock over Theo's lamp. I stayed huddled, trying not to take up too much room. I wasn't very successful.
"Oh," was all Landis and Farah could say. They stared at me with wide eyes. Farah's smoke pipe nearly fell out of her mouth.
"Wicked!" Chika yelled. She immediately moved closer to inspect my wings. If she had only inspected with her eyes, I would not have minded, but she began touching them.
I twitched and scooted closer to Theo to move out of her reach, but she only took it to be a challenge, because in the very next moment, she leaped at me!
I quickly spun around. Unfortunately, that meant the lamp received an untimely death despite my desire to avoid such a thing from happening. The lamp shattered into pieces on the floor, breaking the parents out of their stupor. We all stared at the broken pieces, not quite sure what to do.
Theo hurriedly said, "That wasn't his fault! H-He's not suspicious at all, Dad! If you really don't want him in the house, he can live in the tree outside my window, but wouldn't that be kinda sad..."
Landis shook his head. "That's not the problem here, Theo! He's... He's..."
I know. I'm a creature of darkness. I shouldn't exist. I have been alive for much too long, my time long past. Do I even have a reason for still existing? I could not even remember my companions. All I had were names carved on eleven graves, an eternity of solitude, and yet, I'd dared to turn my back on that, to hope that I could have more.
I thought I could no longer dream, but it had been a pleasant dream, the thought that I might be able to accompany this boy who reminded me so much of... so much of...
...of...?
I tilted my head.
Then, I looked at Theo.
It was not to be, was it? I would not want to inconvenience him.
After being stuck on whatever he had been trying to say, Landis turned and buried his face in Farah's shoulder. He sobbed. "He's... He's a guy! Our children's mother! Can you believe it! Theo brought home a guy!"
...huh?
Farah patted Landis on the back. "There, there, Landis, you know it was bound to happen. More importantly, did you miss what Theo said about how Roland is a creature of darkness?"
Yes, what about that part?!
Farah turned to Theo but not without regarding me curiously, and asked, "Child, why must we let him stay? Convince us."
Theo gulped. Then, he began rambling at a quick speed, holding up one finger after the next. "Well, Mom, Dad, see. He doesn't need to be fed." One finger. "He doesn't need to be walked." Two fingers. "He can even help me with my homework!" Three fingers. "And all the student council stuff that Grisel always pushes on me!" Four fingers. "He's much easier to keep than any other pet, since he's much more self sufficient!" Five fingers.
Holding up five fingers, Theo beamed. "Isn't that perfect?"
...So... I'm... a pet?
to be continued
The Tempest family is adorable~~~. Illustrations by Kiyutsuna! :D
(Roland, ahhhhhhh)
Here's Farah! :D
Here's Landis! :DD (glasses~~)
Now, I've finally finished writing out the crack conversation included in the author's note of Part 1, hahaha! (It took 3 parts to reach this conversation, pffft)
Next part
Title: My Very Own Creature of Darkness - Part 4
Fandom: The Legend of Sun Knight
Words: 1,671
Summary: If it weren't because my friends had dared me to touch the gravestones, I would never have set even one foot in the cemetery. Ceo/Roland, reincarnation, sequel to A Slice of Wedding Cake
Notes: Illustrations thanks to kiyutsuna included at the end of the chapter! :D
Previous part
Part 4: Family Talk
The shirt, a "t" shirt?, was very soft. There were no buttons, zippers, or buckles to speak of whatsoever, just one long expanse of the same soft material falling against my skin. It was a fine piece of undergarment but nevertheless not suitable to wear for greeting the father of the boy currently housing me.
I made do with bowing to express my gratitude of his son's acceptance. However, after I straightened back up, the look on both the father's and the son's faces was not what I expected. The father seemed nearly about to faint while Theo had his face hidden in his hands. Their reactions were worrying.
Soon after, a tall woman with blazing red hair came into the room, pulling along the brash girl who had kicked the door open earlier. All of a sudden, I found myself in the middle of a "family talk." At least, that was what Theo had called it when he lowered his voice to clue me in between all the arguments. We sat on our knees across from the parents, like criminals about to be judged.
"Don't worry," he whispered. He glanced at me apologetically. "This happens all the time."
Did this mean he often brought home creatures of darkness from the cemetery? That was worrying as well. Although I was glad he was not afraid of me, my gut feeling told me it was not very smart to trust a creature of darkness.
The father's reaction was a lot more normal. He kept sneaking suspicious glances at me. I could not fault him for being wary. Then, he turned to the girl and said, "Witness, please state your name and profession!"
The girl jumped up and shouted, "Okay! I'm Chika! Eighteen! I'm the soccer team captain!"
The father nodded. "Please tell us what you witnessed when you returned home!"
She scratched her head. "Well, I'd just won my match, and gosh was it a thrilling one, so I wanted to tell Theo right away. I kicked open his door, and what do you know, there was a shirtless guy on his bed and Theo had his hands all over him!"
The father immediately blurted, "What?!"
"Oh, hadn't I told you yet, Dad? I won my match!" the girl exclaimed.
"No, no, the part about the bed and the, the..."
"The shirtless guy?" The girl blinked and looked over at me. "Or well, he's not shirtless anymore."
"Yes, that part!" the father pointed at the girl. "You must have seen wrong! My lovely daughter wouldn't do something as lewd as putting her hands over a shirtless guy!"
I was confused. The girl hadn't been anywhere near me, and hadn't she said that it was Theo who had his hands on me?
They continued arguing back and forth. I grew more and more confused. Who was this daughter they were speaking of? It didn't sound like they were talking about the redheaded girl, but it couldn't be Theo, right?
I turned and looked Theo over. His hands, which were currently twisting his hair, were a typical guy's hands with prominent knuckles. While his hands weren't completely smooth, they weren't calloused either, not in the way I thought they should be. When he'd pulled on my hand to get me to come in, the touch had been both familiar and foreign. These were hands that had never held a sword before, yet I knew their touch. My gaze trailed upwards, from the ends of Theo's hair to his neck.
While I studied him, Theo sighed. He glanced at me. When he realized I was looking at him, he blinked, his cheeks turning just a bit pinker. He looked away, but then he looked back at me and mumbled, "There they go again..."
Huh?
"Last time this happened was when I tried to convince Dad to let me keep a pet dog. It didn't quite work out," Theo explained. "They make such a huge deal out of everything."
Suddenly, the mom cleared her throat and said, "Landis, you should give Theo a chance to talk." The mother smiled at Theo, making her look a lot less fierce despite the scar over her right eye. She whispered, "Don't say Mom isn't supporting you!"
All at once, the arguments between father and daughter stopped, and both turned to stare at the mother. Finally, the father, Landis?, said, "You're right, Farah. I got too caught up in the moment again. I should... listen first."
He sat down, breathed in deeply, and then, with clear, green eyes, regarded Theo seriously. Theo must have inherited his looks from his father. They looked strikingly similar. "Theo, just what is going on?"
Theo darted his eyes at me. He fiddled with his hair again, fingers that he had used to trace my tears twirling a strand of hair. "Um, do you remember the rumors about the circle of graves?" He glanced at his parents, who nodded. It seemed that these rumors had been far spread. "Well, my friends dared me to touch the graves, so..."
Landis muttered under his breath, "Don't tell me it was the blond brat again!"
If by "blond brat" he meant the blond named Grisel, then Landis was thinking of the right person. Did Grisel often lead Theo astray? I might need to keep an eye out for these questionable friends of Theo's.
"Anyway, I went! And I met Roland there! He's like this loyal protector of the graves. He's been protecting the graves for so long that he can't even remember the people he's protecting anymore. Isn't that sad, Dad?" Theo stared at his father imploringly.
"Let me get this straight." Landis pointed at his son. "You..." Then he pointed at me and said, "met him at the graveyard."
"Uh, yeah," Theo admitted.
Landis sucked in his breath and then began mumbling to himself. "I can't believe it. Of all places for my lovely daughter to meet a guy, she meets him at a graveyard. If that's not shady, then my name isn't Landis! And my lovely daughter even claims that he's the loyal protector of the graves? What in the world? Is he an undertaker? On top of that, he has memory problems? And he's a creature... Wait..."
He paused in his rambling, eyes narrowing as he asked, "Why did he call himself a 'creature'?"
"He's a creature of darkness," admitted Theo. He paused and turned to me curiously. "Uh, I'm not sure what kind though. What are you, Roland?"
Suddenly, all four pairs of eyes were on me. I replied without any fanfare, "A death monarch."
Upon hearing my answer, the girl immediately shrieked, "Bro, so you didn't just bring home a guy, but a guy that's a death monarch?!" She paused. "Wait... what's a death monarch?" She scratched her head and glanced towards her parents for an answer, as if her parents had the answers to everything.
The mother, Farah?, shook her head. "Actually, Chika, I don't know either."
Landis frowned. "So, 'Roland,' can you tell us, what exactly is a death monarch?"
Showing was much quicker than telling. I let my disguise dissolve, my three pairs of wings materializing, but I quickly flattened them against me so as not to accidentally knock over Theo's lamp. I stayed huddled, trying not to take up too much room. I wasn't very successful.
"Oh," was all Landis and Farah could say. They stared at me with wide eyes. Farah's smoke pipe nearly fell out of her mouth.
"Wicked!" Chika yelled. She immediately moved closer to inspect my wings. If she had only inspected with her eyes, I would not have minded, but she began touching them.
I twitched and scooted closer to Theo to move out of her reach, but she only took it to be a challenge, because in the very next moment, she leaped at me!
I quickly spun around. Unfortunately, that meant the lamp received an untimely death despite my desire to avoid such a thing from happening. The lamp shattered into pieces on the floor, breaking the parents out of their stupor. We all stared at the broken pieces, not quite sure what to do.
Theo hurriedly said, "That wasn't his fault! H-He's not suspicious at all, Dad! If you really don't want him in the house, he can live in the tree outside my window, but wouldn't that be kinda sad..."
Landis shook his head. "That's not the problem here, Theo! He's... He's..."
I know. I'm a creature of darkness. I shouldn't exist. I have been alive for much too long, my time long past. Do I even have a reason for still existing? I could not even remember my companions. All I had were names carved on eleven graves, an eternity of solitude, and yet, I'd dared to turn my back on that, to hope that I could have more.
I thought I could no longer dream, but it had been a pleasant dream, the thought that I might be able to accompany this boy who reminded me so much of... so much of...
...of...?
I tilted my head.
Then, I looked at Theo.
It was not to be, was it? I would not want to inconvenience him.
After being stuck on whatever he had been trying to say, Landis turned and buried his face in Farah's shoulder. He sobbed. "He's... He's a guy! Our children's mother! Can you believe it! Theo brought home a guy!"
...huh?
Farah patted Landis on the back. "There, there, Landis, you know it was bound to happen. More importantly, did you miss what Theo said about how Roland is a creature of darkness?"
Yes, what about that part?!
Farah turned to Theo but not without regarding me curiously, and asked, "Child, why must we let him stay? Convince us."
Theo gulped. Then, he began rambling at a quick speed, holding up one finger after the next. "Well, Mom, Dad, see. He doesn't need to be fed." One finger. "He doesn't need to be walked." Two fingers. "He can even help me with my homework!" Three fingers. "And all the student council stuff that Grisel always pushes on me!" Four fingers. "He's much easier to keep than any other pet, since he's much more self sufficient!" Five fingers.
Holding up five fingers, Theo beamed. "Isn't that perfect?"
...So... I'm... a pet?
to be continued
The Tempest family is adorable~~~. Illustrations by Kiyutsuna! :D
(Roland, ahhhhhhh)
Here's Farah! :D
Here's Landis! :DD (glasses~~)
Now, I've finally finished writing out the crack conversation included in the author's note of Part 1, hahaha! (It took 3 parts to reach this conversation, pffft)
Next part