Monster/His Dark Materials fanfic: Leave Not My Soul In Hell
Title: Leave Not My Soul In Hell
Fandom: Monster + His Dark Materials
Word count: 846
Disclaimer: Monster belongs to Naoki Urasawa. His Dark Materials belongs to Philip Pullman.
Warnings: Nothing I can think of
Prompt: Any/His Dark Materials fusion; any; everyone has a daemon.
Sometimes, Nina wonders what it says about her that Anastasia, her dæmon, is so distant and cruel. Oh, she's always affectionate to Nina, if a little bit reserved, but she says nasty things about Nina's friends and refuses to interact with their dæmons.
"You're driving me apart from my friends, Ana," she complains late one night when she just can't get to sleep. "Can't you try to be nice, at least?"
"They're not worthy of you," says Ana, as though it is the most obvious thing in the world.
Nina gapes at her. "How can you say that? Of course they're worthy, they're my friends!"
For several long moments, Ana watches Nina with her customary unblinking, serpentine stare, the one that has a tendency to unnerve those she uses it on, except for Nina, and then she slithers wordlessly out into the hall.
Nina does not follow.
She has noticed by now that her bond with Ana seems a bit different to the bonds most people have with their dæmons, although she keeps it a secret at Ana's urging. They can sleep at different times and they can move far from each other, even though Nina isn't a witch.
Sometimes, she wonders what this says about her, as well.
Sometimes, she feels like not all of her is here. It makes little difference whether Ana coils close to her neck and mutters poetry or is nowhere to be seen or heard.
~
The boy goes by many names. If he ever had a true one, it has long been lost in the murky mystery that is his past.
They say that knowing one's true name can give power over them. What real power, then, can one wield over the nameless?
His dæmon is a badger - of the European species - that rarely speaks in front of others. Most of the boy's acquaintances don't ever realise that the badger is in fact a male.
"You're horrible," says the badger, weary and resigned, as the boy types up an email. "Why won't you stop killing?"
The boy's serene smile never wavers. "It'll be alright, beloved, you'll see. Soon, we'll be whole again."
The badger perks up. "Soon? Oh, yes..."
Later, the badger says: "I do still wish you would stop driving people to suicide."
The boy doesn't stop smiling. It is a beautiful, empty smile.
~
When Ana settled, Nina took her to the public library and dove right into researching what species of snake she was. Although she isn't colourful, there is a certain beauty to her, with her smooth scales and subtle banding in shades of brown.
It turns out that she's a cottonmouth, a venomous American snake with a reputation for aggression.
"Oh, Ana, you chose a pretty deadly form," she said, playfully, brightly.
"Of course I did," said Ana, as she coiled close around Nina's neck and shoulders.
Nina never has been bothered by Ana's form. She knows that she's far from helpless; after all, she can beat all of her classmates at aikido.
Although she feels helpless in her nightmares; helpless against the deep, never-ending darkness and the monster lurking somewhere inside it.
Ana is always there to comfort her when she wakes up. Ana isn't afraid of the monster.
~
There is a man on the news; a fugitive suspected of murder. A brilliant Japanese surgeon called Dr. Tenma. They show photographs of him and his dæmon, a dog.
"A dog?" says one viewer. "Aren't murderers with dog dæmons usually team-killers?"
"I hear some dogs are more independent... catlike," says her husband. "Come to bed, darling."
His wildcat dæmon tackles her wombat, and they scuffle playfully.
Tomorrow they will see their wonderful new friend with the quiet badger dæmon.
~
Once upon a time...
“We should switch our dæmons,” says one little child to the other.
“Why?” says the other.
They are twins, these children, with long blonde hair and identical pretty dresses. Their dæmons are little white mice, chasing each other's tails along the floorboards.
“It's a game,” explains the first child, laying out their hand for the little white dæmons to run onto.
“Is it fun?”
A shrug. “It might be. We're the same, after all.”
The other child frowns, but then one of the mice becomes a bright little frog, all red and blue, and jumps over to cling to their hair. “Let's do it,” says the frog.
“Alright,” says the child.
The twins have never been allowed out together before. Mother tells them that they must dress the same and they must never be seen together. It's nice, thinks the child laughing in the sunlight, to be here in fairytale streets with a part of her brother for the first time.
They fool everyone, that there is only one child and only one dæmon. Even Mother, who knows the truth, does not seem to realise this thing they have done.
One night, a monster will come to take one of them away. Afterwards, they won't be wholly apart from each other for a rather long time, although only one of them will realise.
Fandom: Monster + His Dark Materials
Word count: 846
Disclaimer: Monster belongs to Naoki Urasawa. His Dark Materials belongs to Philip Pullman.
Warnings: Nothing I can think of
Prompt: Any/His Dark Materials fusion; any; everyone has a daemon.
Sometimes, Nina wonders what it says about her that Anastasia, her dæmon, is so distant and cruel. Oh, she's always affectionate to Nina, if a little bit reserved, but she says nasty things about Nina's friends and refuses to interact with their dæmons.
"You're driving me apart from my friends, Ana," she complains late one night when she just can't get to sleep. "Can't you try to be nice, at least?"
"They're not worthy of you," says Ana, as though it is the most obvious thing in the world.
Nina gapes at her. "How can you say that? Of course they're worthy, they're my friends!"
For several long moments, Ana watches Nina with her customary unblinking, serpentine stare, the one that has a tendency to unnerve those she uses it on, except for Nina, and then she slithers wordlessly out into the hall.
Nina does not follow.
She has noticed by now that her bond with Ana seems a bit different to the bonds most people have with their dæmons, although she keeps it a secret at Ana's urging. They can sleep at different times and they can move far from each other, even though Nina isn't a witch.
Sometimes, she wonders what this says about her, as well.
Sometimes, she feels like not all of her is here. It makes little difference whether Ana coils close to her neck and mutters poetry or is nowhere to be seen or heard.
~
The boy goes by many names. If he ever had a true one, it has long been lost in the murky mystery that is his past.
They say that knowing one's true name can give power over them. What real power, then, can one wield over the nameless?
His dæmon is a badger - of the European species - that rarely speaks in front of others. Most of the boy's acquaintances don't ever realise that the badger is in fact a male.
"You're horrible," says the badger, weary and resigned, as the boy types up an email. "Why won't you stop killing?"
The boy's serene smile never wavers. "It'll be alright, beloved, you'll see. Soon, we'll be whole again."
The badger perks up. "Soon? Oh, yes..."
Later, the badger says: "I do still wish you would stop driving people to suicide."
The boy doesn't stop smiling. It is a beautiful, empty smile.
~
When Ana settled, Nina took her to the public library and dove right into researching what species of snake she was. Although she isn't colourful, there is a certain beauty to her, with her smooth scales and subtle banding in shades of brown.
It turns out that she's a cottonmouth, a venomous American snake with a reputation for aggression.
"Oh, Ana, you chose a pretty deadly form," she said, playfully, brightly.
"Of course I did," said Ana, as she coiled close around Nina's neck and shoulders.
Nina never has been bothered by Ana's form. She knows that she's far from helpless; after all, she can beat all of her classmates at aikido.
Although she feels helpless in her nightmares; helpless against the deep, never-ending darkness and the monster lurking somewhere inside it.
Ana is always there to comfort her when she wakes up. Ana isn't afraid of the monster.
~
There is a man on the news; a fugitive suspected of murder. A brilliant Japanese surgeon called Dr. Tenma. They show photographs of him and his dæmon, a dog.
"A dog?" says one viewer. "Aren't murderers with dog dæmons usually team-killers?"
"I hear some dogs are more independent... catlike," says her husband. "Come to bed, darling."
His wildcat dæmon tackles her wombat, and they scuffle playfully.
Tomorrow they will see their wonderful new friend with the quiet badger dæmon.
~
Once upon a time...
“We should switch our dæmons,” says one little child to the other.
“Why?” says the other.
They are twins, these children, with long blonde hair and identical pretty dresses. Their dæmons are little white mice, chasing each other's tails along the floorboards.
“It's a game,” explains the first child, laying out their hand for the little white dæmons to run onto.
“Is it fun?”
A shrug. “It might be. We're the same, after all.”
The other child frowns, but then one of the mice becomes a bright little frog, all red and blue, and jumps over to cling to their hair. “Let's do it,” says the frog.
“Alright,” says the child.
The twins have never been allowed out together before. Mother tells them that they must dress the same and they must never be seen together. It's nice, thinks the child laughing in the sunlight, to be here in fairytale streets with a part of her brother for the first time.
They fool everyone, that there is only one child and only one dæmon. Even Mother, who knows the truth, does not seem to realise this thing they have done.
One night, a monster will come to take one of them away. Afterwards, they won't be wholly apart from each other for a rather long time, although only one of them will realise.