Fanfic - The Adventures of Yagyuu Hiroshi [The Prince of Tennis: Rikkai D1]
Fandom: Prince of Tennis
Pairing: Yagyuu/Niou... sort of.
Rating: PG
Warnings: ......... only if you're in my Literature class, in which case, the warning would be for me to run before I'm lynched.
Forgive the over-the-top writing style in this one. This was directly inspired by a certain passage I'm sure those of 32/04 and 33/04 will recognise. Most likely they will loathe this certain passage as well, but in my defence... *yanks blackbloodrunya in front of her* SHE MADE ME DO IT!!
Don't be deceived by the title. It's not crack, it's stereotypical Gothic. =.= Inspired, after all, by The Adventures of the German Student, the name of the author of which eludes me at the moment. Will credit later when I've dug up that paper... if I ever bother.
The Adventures of Yagyuu Hiroshi
Yagyuu arrived at the city at the turn of the century. The city was just beginning to realise it was a city, only just starting to become more popular. Every day new people turned up on the trains, disgorged from their black bellies, pouring out onto the platform and flowing outwards in all directions, haphazard, like a river which doesn’t know which way to cut.
Such was the environment in which Yagyuu arrived. All his life, he’d had an air of distance about him, a kind of untouchable aura. This was not to say that Yagyuu was cold or cruel. Anyone would tell you that he was capable of warm concern, that he cared greatly for his family. But still, there remained that quality about him that separated him from others. He always appeared to be waiting for something to happen, always seemed to be expecting something. Only one person ever pointed this out to him, but even Yagyuu didn’t know what he could possibly be waiting for. It was dismissed, as were so many things about him that might have become flaws.
It was only when he came to the city that he began to wonder if perhaps he was not simply waiting for someone. Many of his acquaintances had already married. He, on the other hand, had never had any lasting relationships before, nor did he feel any sort of desire to settle down with a woman. Perhaps, he reasoned, he was simply waiting for someone he could relate to. It was a reason for his going to the city, an unspoken one that no one would know. It was also a kind of desperation, that at the age of twenty-six, he still hadn’t accomplished anything of note with his life.
While his mind was in this turbulent state, he had a dream which produced an extraordinary effect on him. It was a night during which he had indulged in a drink at home, and he later blamed the dream on the effects of the alcohol in his veins. The predominant image was that of a man’s face, a strikingly beautiful, yet haunted one. His eyes were what Yagyuu remembered best, bewitchingly despairing, framed by long silvery hair. When he woke up, he remembered nothing but the face, and it was such a vivid impression that he half-expected the man to be in the room with him. It had such an impact on him that he dreamt of it again and again. It haunted his waking thoughts, his sleep, his days and nights, driving him to distraction. It was one of those ideas which men can become so fixated on they are mistaken for madmen.
Such was Yagyuu Hiroshi, and such was his situation at the time. He was returning home late one night, through a maze of dark streets. Buildings lined the road, testament to the rate at which the city was growing, uncontrollably. Some of them were run-down, and these he passed with trepidation, for it was well known that unsavoury characters of a sort made them their home. The roads eventually converged on an open square which most citizens avoided, for this was where the most questionable denizens of society congregated every night. In the middle of the square stood an old gallows, and many were those who swore that these criminals hung their victims there.
Yagyuu had had a long day that day, and perhaps his exhaustion was to be blamed for his decision to take that particular route home. He had completely forgotten that he would have to pass through this square in order to reach his small apartment. To make matters worse, a dreadful storm was raging, and he was soaked through by the time he reached the square. With no hope for it, he stepped into the square, it being too late to find an alternative route.
It was a surprise to find the square empty. Lightning quivered about the tops of the buildings that surrounded it, lighting the square with an eerie, ghostly luminescence. Shivering with cold, Yagyuu crossed the square hurriedly, shrinking back as he neared the gallows. It had only been a day since the last innocent had been killed on that gallows, as far as his information went, and there the gallows stood in grim unconcern for the lives it had claimed.
Yagyuu’s heart sickened at the thought of those the gallows must have left bereft, and he turned away from it, intending to walk the periphery of the square, rather than get too close to the gallows. It was then that he saw a shadowy form crouched at the base of the gallows, staring up, it seemed, at the noose barely visible in the darkness. A bolt of lightning revealed the figure more clearly. It was a man, dressed entirely in the black of mourning. As the lightning struck, he lowered his head, sitting on the lowest step of the gallows and burying his head in his hands. Yagyuu paused, something about the awful moment capturing him despite himself. The man’s posture was so completely defeated that Yagyuu instantly realised he must have had a loved one taken from him by the gallows. The man too, had the appearance of being a noble. What could possibly drive a noble to wander the dangerous streets in the cold rain, but utter heartbreak?
Yagyuu thus approached him, intent on offering some words of solace. He could not in all good conscience simply leave when before him a man sat in such abject misery. At the sound of his voice, the man raised his head, staring at him wildly, as if startled back into the human world. In that instant, as lightning illuminated the man’s face clearly, Yagyuu was astonished to find the same face that haunted his dreams looking up at him. It was pale and disconsolate, but undoubtedly the same, ravishingly beautiful face.
Trembling with conflicting emotions, Yagyuu moved closer. He spoke of the late hour and the fury of the storm, and offered to conduct him to his friends. At that, he pointed to the gallows with dreadful significance.
“There is no one on earth left for me,” said he.
“Surely you have a home,” Yagyuu pressed.
“I do - in the grave, with all those I care about!”
Those words were Yagyuu’s undoing. He could not leave someone so obviously distraught alone, for who knew what he might do? So thinking, he extended a hand to the man.
“If a stranger may make an offer,” said he, “without being misunderstood, I should like to offer my humble dwelling as shelter; and myself as a friend.”
The man looked up at him in what seemed complete surprise, and then, hesitantly, he smiled. The smile transformed his face, making it more human, and Yagyuu was immediately sure that he had done the right thing. As he helped the poor man up, he was surprised to find how deathly cold his hand was.
“My - we had best return to my house quickly,” said he, concern for his new-found friend mounting. “You seem to be positively freezing to death!”
The man simply smiled at him, brushing back silvery hair from a face that was already regaining its colour, but still looked a little wan.
“Allow me to profess my sincerest thanks,” said he in obvious gratitude. The same smile still played about his lips. “I do believe I might have caught my death out here.”
“I could not have possibly left you to yourself,” exclaimed Yagyuu. “But enough talk - let us return.”
Still the stranger smiled, and Yagyuu’s heart positively melted at his show of appreciation.
“Of course.”
~fin
See, Von? I posted. Now leave me alone. *hides*
...XD;
Pairing: Yagyuu/Niou... sort of.
Rating: PG
Warnings: ......... only if you're in my Literature class, in which case, the warning would be for me to run before I'm lynched.
Forgive the over-the-top writing style in this one. This was directly inspired by a certain passage I'm sure those of 32/04 and 33/04 will recognise. Most likely they will loathe this certain passage as well, but in my defence... *yanks blackbloodrunya in front of her* SHE MADE ME DO IT!!
Don't be deceived by the title. It's not crack, it's stereotypical Gothic. =.= Inspired, after all, by The Adventures of the German Student, the name of the author of which eludes me at the moment. Will credit later when I've dug up that paper... if I ever bother.
The Adventures of Yagyuu Hiroshi
Yagyuu arrived at the city at the turn of the century. The city was just beginning to realise it was a city, only just starting to become more popular. Every day new people turned up on the trains, disgorged from their black bellies, pouring out onto the platform and flowing outwards in all directions, haphazard, like a river which doesn’t know which way to cut.
Such was the environment in which Yagyuu arrived. All his life, he’d had an air of distance about him, a kind of untouchable aura. This was not to say that Yagyuu was cold or cruel. Anyone would tell you that he was capable of warm concern, that he cared greatly for his family. But still, there remained that quality about him that separated him from others. He always appeared to be waiting for something to happen, always seemed to be expecting something. Only one person ever pointed this out to him, but even Yagyuu didn’t know what he could possibly be waiting for. It was dismissed, as were so many things about him that might have become flaws.
It was only when he came to the city that he began to wonder if perhaps he was not simply waiting for someone. Many of his acquaintances had already married. He, on the other hand, had never had any lasting relationships before, nor did he feel any sort of desire to settle down with a woman. Perhaps, he reasoned, he was simply waiting for someone he could relate to. It was a reason for his going to the city, an unspoken one that no one would know. It was also a kind of desperation, that at the age of twenty-six, he still hadn’t accomplished anything of note with his life.
While his mind was in this turbulent state, he had a dream which produced an extraordinary effect on him. It was a night during which he had indulged in a drink at home, and he later blamed the dream on the effects of the alcohol in his veins. The predominant image was that of a man’s face, a strikingly beautiful, yet haunted one. His eyes were what Yagyuu remembered best, bewitchingly despairing, framed by long silvery hair. When he woke up, he remembered nothing but the face, and it was such a vivid impression that he half-expected the man to be in the room with him. It had such an impact on him that he dreamt of it again and again. It haunted his waking thoughts, his sleep, his days and nights, driving him to distraction. It was one of those ideas which men can become so fixated on they are mistaken for madmen.
Such was Yagyuu Hiroshi, and such was his situation at the time. He was returning home late one night, through a maze of dark streets. Buildings lined the road, testament to the rate at which the city was growing, uncontrollably. Some of them were run-down, and these he passed with trepidation, for it was well known that unsavoury characters of a sort made them their home. The roads eventually converged on an open square which most citizens avoided, for this was where the most questionable denizens of society congregated every night. In the middle of the square stood an old gallows, and many were those who swore that these criminals hung their victims there.
Yagyuu had had a long day that day, and perhaps his exhaustion was to be blamed for his decision to take that particular route home. He had completely forgotten that he would have to pass through this square in order to reach his small apartment. To make matters worse, a dreadful storm was raging, and he was soaked through by the time he reached the square. With no hope for it, he stepped into the square, it being too late to find an alternative route.
It was a surprise to find the square empty. Lightning quivered about the tops of the buildings that surrounded it, lighting the square with an eerie, ghostly luminescence. Shivering with cold, Yagyuu crossed the square hurriedly, shrinking back as he neared the gallows. It had only been a day since the last innocent had been killed on that gallows, as far as his information went, and there the gallows stood in grim unconcern for the lives it had claimed.
Yagyuu’s heart sickened at the thought of those the gallows must have left bereft, and he turned away from it, intending to walk the periphery of the square, rather than get too close to the gallows. It was then that he saw a shadowy form crouched at the base of the gallows, staring up, it seemed, at the noose barely visible in the darkness. A bolt of lightning revealed the figure more clearly. It was a man, dressed entirely in the black of mourning. As the lightning struck, he lowered his head, sitting on the lowest step of the gallows and burying his head in his hands. Yagyuu paused, something about the awful moment capturing him despite himself. The man’s posture was so completely defeated that Yagyuu instantly realised he must have had a loved one taken from him by the gallows. The man too, had the appearance of being a noble. What could possibly drive a noble to wander the dangerous streets in the cold rain, but utter heartbreak?
Yagyuu thus approached him, intent on offering some words of solace. He could not in all good conscience simply leave when before him a man sat in such abject misery. At the sound of his voice, the man raised his head, staring at him wildly, as if startled back into the human world. In that instant, as lightning illuminated the man’s face clearly, Yagyuu was astonished to find the same face that haunted his dreams looking up at him. It was pale and disconsolate, but undoubtedly the same, ravishingly beautiful face.
Trembling with conflicting emotions, Yagyuu moved closer. He spoke of the late hour and the fury of the storm, and offered to conduct him to his friends. At that, he pointed to the gallows with dreadful significance.
“There is no one on earth left for me,” said he.
“Surely you have a home,” Yagyuu pressed.
“I do - in the grave, with all those I care about!”
Those words were Yagyuu’s undoing. He could not leave someone so obviously distraught alone, for who knew what he might do? So thinking, he extended a hand to the man.
“If a stranger may make an offer,” said he, “without being misunderstood, I should like to offer my humble dwelling as shelter; and myself as a friend.”
The man looked up at him in what seemed complete surprise, and then, hesitantly, he smiled. The smile transformed his face, making it more human, and Yagyuu was immediately sure that he had done the right thing. As he helped the poor man up, he was surprised to find how deathly cold his hand was.
“My - we had best return to my house quickly,” said he, concern for his new-found friend mounting. “You seem to be positively freezing to death!”
The man simply smiled at him, brushing back silvery hair from a face that was already regaining its colour, but still looked a little wan.
“Allow me to profess my sincerest thanks,” said he in obvious gratitude. The same smile still played about his lips. “I do believe I might have caught my death out here.”
“I could not have possibly left you to yourself,” exclaimed Yagyuu. “But enough talk - let us return.”
Still the stranger smiled, and Yagyuu’s heart positively melted at his show of appreciation.
“Of course.”
~fin
See, Von? I posted. Now leave me alone. *hides*
...XD;