OCChallenge fic, once more
Jul. 15th, 2008 08:04 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
estiroseThis is the last of my short fics and the last of my claim for ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
occhallenge. Now all I have to do is finish posting it there, and my claim is done. :)
Title: Her Place on the Shore
Author: Estirose
Fandom: Kamen Rider Kiva
Rating: 13+
Word Count: ~1700
Characters: Shinoda Aya (OC), Kuramae Noboru (semi-OC)
Prompt: Table 2, Writers' Choice
Summary: Aya meets Kuramae-san again, post "Apart from the Ocean", and makes a bargain.
Aya surfaced a good ten feet from the boat, trying to look as wide-eyed and innocent as possible for the benefit of her audience. When she had been studying her Merman ancestors on a scholarly basis, she had thought it awful that they took human form to help hunt their prey; now that she had to hunt humans for their energy, she could see why they'd done it. But unlike her ancestors, she didn't have to kill to stay alive; a small energy drain, much like the initial drains that Dr. Hamagaki had shown her when she was still captive, seemed to keep her going.
The two fishermen on the boat were staring, as they always did; then one recovered and gave her a small bow. "Good morning, my Lady Merman," he said. She could have protested she was not full Merman, but these people would have ignored her anyway.
"Good morning," she said, appraising them. She needed to feed, but these men might need their energy for the day, too. She hated hunting in the morning, even though that's when they had the most energy. "I ask that I may share in your bountiful energy." That line she'd picked up from information on Fangaire custom, and she found it polite enough to use, considering what she was asking for.
"Lady Merman," the fisherman said, "I gladly relinquish what you require." He leaned forward, clearly intent on a kiss. Aya inwardly sighed; she preferred taking their hands, but the fishermen seemed to prefer kisses. She grabbed onto the boat and levered herself up so her lips met his, and then concentrated on her small energy draw.
She lowered herself back to the water, preparing to go off. The energy she'd drawn would take care of her needs for the day; she might have grabbed enough to spend a little time out of the water without overheating.
"Lady Merman," the fisherman added, "There's a man looking for you."
She swore that finding people was not a problem; being left alone was more the problem sometimes in the bay she was in, with the fishermen wanting their kisses and the Fangaire and their agents still after her. "There are many men looking for me. Did he say why?"
"He didn't say why. He merely told me his name," the fisherman said. "Kuramae Noboru. He said you'd recognize it."
Kuramae-san. If her knew where she was, his employers did, too. She had to get out of there, drain more than she liked to. "Where is he?" she asked.
"In a rowboat, off the coast, almost below the Beak," the fisherman said. "Assuming he hasn't drifted off." The fisherman's appraisal of Kuramae-san's lack of boat skills was probably accurate.
"Thank you," she said. "And thank you for your gift." With that, she dove down, under the water, headed in Kuramae-san's general direction.
Humoring Kuramae-san, who barely knew how to row a boat, wasn't a dangerous proposition, and he'd be able to report favorably to his boss, Dr. Hamagaki. That is, if they hadn't set traps, and she should be able to see underwater ones.
She could hardly explain why she hadn't returned, but at least she could act like she still liked Kuramae-san and the other staff.
Well, Noboru and the other staff. She'd have to remember that she promised to call him Noboru. That was important.
She spotted a rowboat in the shallows in the general area of the Beak. She couldn't actually see the Beak, of course, but she had her own landmarks under the water. The water was still deep enough that she could safely get away and Kuramae-san couldn't stop her. She surfaced, hoping she wouldn't scare some poor innocent tourist.
"Aya," Kuramae-san said with a smile as she surfaced and blinked at him. "Thank goodness you're safe."
"Noboru," she said. "I got your message; one of the fishermen passed it along to me. Are you okay?" She was proud of herself; this was how she'd acted in captivity, this was how she was no doubt expected to behave.
"I'm fine," he said. "I haven't been mauled by any Wolfen, or anything." He continued to smile. "You seem so... natural out here."
"I told you the pool was too small," Aya said. "What's a small pool, when you've been in the ocean off and on for your whole life?"
He visibly winced. "I know, but that was for your safety. Out here... well, you're not safe."
The same old spiel. Aya tried not to let her irritation show.
"But I know that the moment you hit the water that you wouldn't want to go back to the facility, and I told Dr. Hamagaki that," Kuramae-san continued. "That you'd become as rebellious as the others."
"Have you found them?" she asked. Had they found her father, Riki-san? Jiro-san and Megumi?
Kuramae-san shook his head. "We have a good lead on Jiro and Megumi, but neither of them is stupid, and they're good at blending with humans. Your father and Riki, on the other hand, have managed to disappear. We're hoping that someone reports them."
"I left them as they'd established a camp on a cliff," Aya volunteered. "About a day to a day and a half's swim up the coast. After our last encounter with a fisherman, Father wanted us to be invisible."
"A day to a day and a half's swim up the coast," Kuramae-san repeated. He closed his eyes, as if trying to visualise that. "We'll find them."
"I guess you're here to bring me back, as well," Aya said. She wondered if Kuramae-san really realized how tiny that pool was.
"Actually," Kuramae-san said, "I talked to Dr. Hamagaki and the local villages, and I wanted to tell you that we're willing to let you stay free in the ocean, if you agree to certain things."
"What certain things?" Aya asked, not sure she wanted to hear the answer.
"Regular health exams. A GPS tracker anklet, like you had before, but waterproofed. And that you'll stay in this area."
She wasn't surprised at the first two. Of course they wouldn't give her complete freedom. But at least it wasn't a return to the pool. "Why stay in the area?"
"For one, we're in the middle of buying some real estate out here," Kuramae-san said. "A place to raise that first generation of the new Merman Clan. You chose a good place to settle." He grinned. "Part of the property adjoining it is my friend Naoko's; you'd like her and her son Wataru."
"That son from my universe," she said, remembering what she'd been told before. Megumi's friend.
He nodded. "Plus, and I shouldn't be telling you this, but we're still trying to convince half the coastal villages that we have a grand total of one Merman Clan member available, and at least here you have people who know you. A safety net. People who expect you to appear and feed from them." He blinked, then grinned again. "You're doing pretty well for someone who never had someone to show her how to drain properly. And the scientists want to know how you started being able to drain."
"Ask my Dad on the last part," she said offhandedly. "As for the rest, I paid attention to Dr. Hamagaki."
He grinned even more. "She'll be happy to know that."
Aya nodded. "What's going to happen to you now, since Riki-san's escaped?"
"Given I'm not too popular with our two Wolfen - and Aso-san is a Wolfen, whether she believes it or not - I'll be transferring to our new station out here to help you out with your new 'tribe'," Kuramae-san said. "I hope you don't mind."
She smiled. "I can live with that." With Kuramae-san there as the token Fangaire, she'd be able to raise her half-brothers and half-sisters with relative freedom. She had gotten away with a lot of stuff through him when she'd been captive, and she expected to do the same out here, where there were even fewer prying eyes.
"You'll agree, then?" Kuramae-san asked, studying her intently.
"Noboru, I get along with you, I can live with this," she said. "I've accepted the fact that this is my world now; build me something near the water and you've got a deal. I need a place for my books, after all. And some clothes." Clothes would be good, occasionally. And Kuramae-san knew she loved books.
His smile became wider. "I think I can convince Dr. Hamagaki to go along with that," he said. "I bet you miss your books."
She nodded. "I left... rather abruptly, and not by choice."
"I saw the recording," Kuramae-san said. "Aya, I don't blame you for anything. I just want you to be safe. I want to make sure you *are* safe. This is the best way I can do it. Can you trust me to keep you safe?"
"I trust you," she said. It was the best compromise, after all. She'd be free, he'd be clueless, and the Merman Clan would rise again. What more could she ask for, other than what would never happen. "But I need to swim now; pass me a message through the fishermen and I'll be there. I promise."
"I trust you, too," Kuramae-san said. "I'll see you later, Aya."
She smiled once more. "And I look forward to seeing you again, Noboru."
With that, she dove back into the water. He couldn't stop her, after all. And soon, she would be what she was meant to be.
She swam in joy.
-End
occhallenge. Now all I have to do is finish posting it there, and my claim is done. :)Title: Her Place on the Shore
Author: Estirose
Fandom: Kamen Rider Kiva
Rating: 13+
Word Count: ~1700
Characters: Shinoda Aya (OC), Kuramae Noboru (semi-OC)
Prompt: Table 2, Writers' Choice
Summary: Aya meets Kuramae-san again, post "Apart from the Ocean", and makes a bargain.
Aya surfaced a good ten feet from the boat, trying to look as wide-eyed and innocent as possible for the benefit of her audience. When she had been studying her Merman ancestors on a scholarly basis, she had thought it awful that they took human form to help hunt their prey; now that she had to hunt humans for their energy, she could see why they'd done it. But unlike her ancestors, she didn't have to kill to stay alive; a small energy drain, much like the initial drains that Dr. Hamagaki had shown her when she was still captive, seemed to keep her going.
The two fishermen on the boat were staring, as they always did; then one recovered and gave her a small bow. "Good morning, my Lady Merman," he said. She could have protested she was not full Merman, but these people would have ignored her anyway.
"Good morning," she said, appraising them. She needed to feed, but these men might need their energy for the day, too. She hated hunting in the morning, even though that's when they had the most energy. "I ask that I may share in your bountiful energy." That line she'd picked up from information on Fangaire custom, and she found it polite enough to use, considering what she was asking for.
"Lady Merman," the fisherman said, "I gladly relinquish what you require." He leaned forward, clearly intent on a kiss. Aya inwardly sighed; she preferred taking their hands, but the fishermen seemed to prefer kisses. She grabbed onto the boat and levered herself up so her lips met his, and then concentrated on her small energy draw.
She lowered herself back to the water, preparing to go off. The energy she'd drawn would take care of her needs for the day; she might have grabbed enough to spend a little time out of the water without overheating.
"Lady Merman," the fisherman added, "There's a man looking for you."
She swore that finding people was not a problem; being left alone was more the problem sometimes in the bay she was in, with the fishermen wanting their kisses and the Fangaire and their agents still after her. "There are many men looking for me. Did he say why?"
"He didn't say why. He merely told me his name," the fisherman said. "Kuramae Noboru. He said you'd recognize it."
Kuramae-san. If her knew where she was, his employers did, too. She had to get out of there, drain more than she liked to. "Where is he?" she asked.
"In a rowboat, off the coast, almost below the Beak," the fisherman said. "Assuming he hasn't drifted off." The fisherman's appraisal of Kuramae-san's lack of boat skills was probably accurate.
"Thank you," she said. "And thank you for your gift." With that, she dove down, under the water, headed in Kuramae-san's general direction.
Humoring Kuramae-san, who barely knew how to row a boat, wasn't a dangerous proposition, and he'd be able to report favorably to his boss, Dr. Hamagaki. That is, if they hadn't set traps, and she should be able to see underwater ones.
She could hardly explain why she hadn't returned, but at least she could act like she still liked Kuramae-san and the other staff.
Well, Noboru and the other staff. She'd have to remember that she promised to call him Noboru. That was important.
She spotted a rowboat in the shallows in the general area of the Beak. She couldn't actually see the Beak, of course, but she had her own landmarks under the water. The water was still deep enough that she could safely get away and Kuramae-san couldn't stop her. She surfaced, hoping she wouldn't scare some poor innocent tourist.
"Aya," Kuramae-san said with a smile as she surfaced and blinked at him. "Thank goodness you're safe."
"Noboru," she said. "I got your message; one of the fishermen passed it along to me. Are you okay?" She was proud of herself; this was how she'd acted in captivity, this was how she was no doubt expected to behave.
"I'm fine," he said. "I haven't been mauled by any Wolfen, or anything." He continued to smile. "You seem so... natural out here."
"I told you the pool was too small," Aya said. "What's a small pool, when you've been in the ocean off and on for your whole life?"
He visibly winced. "I know, but that was for your safety. Out here... well, you're not safe."
The same old spiel. Aya tried not to let her irritation show.
"But I know that the moment you hit the water that you wouldn't want to go back to the facility, and I told Dr. Hamagaki that," Kuramae-san continued. "That you'd become as rebellious as the others."
"Have you found them?" she asked. Had they found her father, Riki-san? Jiro-san and Megumi?
Kuramae-san shook his head. "We have a good lead on Jiro and Megumi, but neither of them is stupid, and they're good at blending with humans. Your father and Riki, on the other hand, have managed to disappear. We're hoping that someone reports them."
"I left them as they'd established a camp on a cliff," Aya volunteered. "About a day to a day and a half's swim up the coast. After our last encounter with a fisherman, Father wanted us to be invisible."
"A day to a day and a half's swim up the coast," Kuramae-san repeated. He closed his eyes, as if trying to visualise that. "We'll find them."
"I guess you're here to bring me back, as well," Aya said. She wondered if Kuramae-san really realized how tiny that pool was.
"Actually," Kuramae-san said, "I talked to Dr. Hamagaki and the local villages, and I wanted to tell you that we're willing to let you stay free in the ocean, if you agree to certain things."
"What certain things?" Aya asked, not sure she wanted to hear the answer.
"Regular health exams. A GPS tracker anklet, like you had before, but waterproofed. And that you'll stay in this area."
She wasn't surprised at the first two. Of course they wouldn't give her complete freedom. But at least it wasn't a return to the pool. "Why stay in the area?"
"For one, we're in the middle of buying some real estate out here," Kuramae-san said. "A place to raise that first generation of the new Merman Clan. You chose a good place to settle." He grinned. "Part of the property adjoining it is my friend Naoko's; you'd like her and her son Wataru."
"That son from my universe," she said, remembering what she'd been told before. Megumi's friend.
He nodded. "Plus, and I shouldn't be telling you this, but we're still trying to convince half the coastal villages that we have a grand total of one Merman Clan member available, and at least here you have people who know you. A safety net. People who expect you to appear and feed from them." He blinked, then grinned again. "You're doing pretty well for someone who never had someone to show her how to drain properly. And the scientists want to know how you started being able to drain."
"Ask my Dad on the last part," she said offhandedly. "As for the rest, I paid attention to Dr. Hamagaki."
He grinned even more. "She'll be happy to know that."
Aya nodded. "What's going to happen to you now, since Riki-san's escaped?"
"Given I'm not too popular with our two Wolfen - and Aso-san is a Wolfen, whether she believes it or not - I'll be transferring to our new station out here to help you out with your new 'tribe'," Kuramae-san said. "I hope you don't mind."
She smiled. "I can live with that." With Kuramae-san there as the token Fangaire, she'd be able to raise her half-brothers and half-sisters with relative freedom. She had gotten away with a lot of stuff through him when she'd been captive, and she expected to do the same out here, where there were even fewer prying eyes.
"You'll agree, then?" Kuramae-san asked, studying her intently.
"Noboru, I get along with you, I can live with this," she said. "I've accepted the fact that this is my world now; build me something near the water and you've got a deal. I need a place for my books, after all. And some clothes." Clothes would be good, occasionally. And Kuramae-san knew she loved books.
His smile became wider. "I think I can convince Dr. Hamagaki to go along with that," he said. "I bet you miss your books."
She nodded. "I left... rather abruptly, and not by choice."
"I saw the recording," Kuramae-san said. "Aya, I don't blame you for anything. I just want you to be safe. I want to make sure you *are* safe. This is the best way I can do it. Can you trust me to keep you safe?"
"I trust you," she said. It was the best compromise, after all. She'd be free, he'd be clueless, and the Merman Clan would rise again. What more could she ask for, other than what would never happen. "But I need to swim now; pass me a message through the fishermen and I'll be there. I promise."
"I trust you, too," Kuramae-san said. "I'll see you later, Aya."
She smiled once more. "And I look forward to seeing you again, Noboru."
With that, she dove back into the water. He couldn't stop her, after all. And soon, she would be what she was meant to be.
She swam in joy.
-End
