Fic: Not So Bad Luck

[estirose]

I just had to, apparently.

Title: Not So Bad Luck
Fandom: Kamen Rider Den-O
Author: Estirose
Rating: 8+
Spoilers: Episodes 1-2
Summary: For Ryoutarou, bad luck isn't so bad.
Disclaimer: Characters belong to Toei and TV-Asahi, not me.


Not So Bad Luck
by Estirose
c 2007

Nogami Ryoutarou brushed his hair. It wouldn't stay that way, it would inevitably get messed up or something like that, but he did it anyway. Same as when he put on his clothes, knowing something might happen to them. Unlucky as he was, he'd learned to deal.

He'd sometimes thought of what it would be like to be cured of his unlucky streak. It wasn't like it would change his life much; it just meant that maybe his wallet would be stolen a few less times, he might have his bicycle fixed a few less times, and maybe he'd come out with a few less bruises. Maybe.

Brushing some sand out of his clothes, he wondered what it was like to be lucky, and if lucky people got used to being lucky. Or did they cope as badly as people not used to that luck? He couldn't imagine how it felt to have life on one's side all the time.

Right then, he wondered if his luck was changing, and decided not. He still got bruises, though it was as likely to be thanks to Momotaros than anything else. He smiled a little; if he hadn't met Momotaros, wouldn't have been possessed by the Imajin, he wouldn't be Den-O, he wouldn't be saving the world. And people. And time.

And if he had to brush sand out of his clothes every so often, that was a small price to pay. Putting up with Momotaros was a small price to pay, too. Sometimes, some part of him wished he wasn't possessed, but he'd live. Just like he lived through everything else.

No, he didn't want to be cured. Not of his bad luck, not of Momotaros, not of anything. His luck might have been bad, but it was his luck, and he'd learned to live with it. Learned to make things better with it, oddly enough. After all, if he had good luck, he wouldn't be him, wouldn't be Nogami Ryoutarou.

Maybe someday the rest of the world would learn that bad luck wasn't so bad after all. Ryoutarou smiled, put the brush down, and went on his way.

Comments

[itsbuttery.livejournal.com]

Went back and read this now that I've seen enough of the series to understand it. Quite thoroughly enjoyed it. I don't see too many introspective pieces these days, even quick ones, from any of my group of favorite writers, so this was a nice little thing to sit back and read.

[estirose.livejournal.com]

Thanks. :)

Ryo(u)taro(u) seems really easy to write. (I rather like him, really. Not everybody runs towards danger at the first opportunity.) I suspect I'll be writing more Den-O fic, but this was to try to get a handle on him.

[itsbuttery.livejournal.com]

Yeah; I agree there. Not to mention the fact that he's doing something new compared to past Riders will make him more interesting anyways, which oughta make the fanfics better too.

But for trying to get a handle on him, it looks like you have. Though whether you really have or not will have to wait until I read more of your Den-O fics in the future though, I guess. :P

[toranoko.livejournal.com]

Aw. I like this. I'm still getting used to Ryoutarou, but through this I like him a little bit more.

[estirose.livejournal.com]

He is an interesting character, though he is a bit different than previous Riders. I took to him because he didn't run towards danger at the first opportunity. And yet, something keeps him going; I think some part of it is acceptance of his luck, and the rest of it is sheer, quiet stubbornness. I think he's going to turn out to be a character with quite a few layers.

And I will stop myself from going into a complete character analysis here. :) Thanks for the compliment.

[toranoko.livejournal.com]

Yes, he is a very different character. I am not taking too well to him because of how he acted. No, he may not have ran, but it felt as if he didn't care. I don't like my heroes like that. But it really all fits well with him just accepting his luck.

I'm expecting to grow to love Ryoutarou. If he is fighting because he accepts it as his duty, genuinely wanting to help, then I will have no choice but to love him. If it looks like he's only in it because that's his luck, his destiny, and he doesn't care to change it, then I doubt I could care too much for his character.

I'm expecting a lot of character development. :)

[estirose.livejournal.com]

Oh, yeah. I expect he'll have character development up the wazoo. :)

My impression is that he's a nice guy, he wants to be helpful, but he's also learned to accept that things will go wrong for him. (In some ways, I think he accepted Momotaros as part of his bad luck, at least to some extent.) But he's got hidden reserves; just because he seems to be a pushover doesn't mean he is - after all, if he was a complete pushover, he couldn't control Momotaros and be Den-O.

That being said, he does seem to shock a bit easily. Not that it's a bad point as far as I'm concerned - I thought it was a nice change of pace to have a hero that didn't, right at the start, want to charge the nasty looking monster. (I have some personality traits in common with Ryoutarou, so it could also be that I like somebody a lot like me learning that yes, you too can be a hero if you give yourself a chance.)