Trying to make up a history for my Scooby Doo Fantasy au but it's not even the Actual History, it's the fake history, because why NOT use the opening infodump sequence for fantasy propaganda, right?
But I don't know what actually happened yet so I don't know what the fantasy propaganda needs to be covering up :(
Things I do know
It's in my niche of "aw it's a historical/fantasy au- oh wait that's reincarnation what went wrong" fics
Daphne is the youngest of a noble family and often gets kidnapped bc she has the least security
Shaggy comes from a long line of knights
Velma is a commoner who gets a scholarship -type something to bring her to the capitol
Fred is still being figured out. Considering changeling Fred, but then I have to account for Fae being real in every universe interaction and I dunno if I wanna do that
Scooby is an eldritch creature and the cause of the reset
Shaggy's family is definitely involved in werewolf shenanigans. I'm still figuring out the severity of them
I think the king n queen are gonna be either Dracula and Vanna Pira (the reluctant werewolf) or Lord Valdronya (music of the vampire)
Madelyn (abracadabra doo) Sugie (a pup named scooby doo) Delilah, Daisy, Dorothy, and Dawn (mystery incorporated) are all canon
Probably so are a good handful of cousins but I'm still picking whom
shaggy is often sent to rescue Daphne. She is often halfway escaped by the time he gets there (the new scooby doo show, scooby doo where are you, {running gag})
Winston/windsor and Dr. Svankmajer (phantosaurous) are sketchy. They probably know what actually happened and are trying to prove it
The avacados (mystery incorporated) are nobles. Because it's funny
I was actually really fond of Fred Jones Sr (mystery Inc) so he's likely who raised Fred. Jury is out on if Fred's bio parents are Brad and Julie from the same show or Professor Huh from Be Cool. Or maybe it's an au where Fred Jones Sr is actually Fred's biodad too.
Note to self, write that au later
The Dinkleys run a magic/monster museum. I don't know how many of their exhibits are real
Magic? Is real? I mean obviously but like, I think it's well known and a career path
We will probably get a flim flam (13 ghosts) cameo at some point. Just gotta figure out where.
werewolves are real. We'll be seein Winnie (ghoul school) hanging out with Shaggy
Shaggy's family was involved in the settling or conquering of their kingdom
How would yandere Deku react to the reader playing a gold flute that's unbreakable because of magic that was gifted to her by someone from another dimension who has feelings for her? It’s like the music from the flute can connect with reader and her friend, there’s a special connection between them
i kinda mixed this with a fantasy setting idea?? Could be seen as either romantic obbsession or platonic. I kinda’ left that up to you. gn reader btw~
shaky writing because i was trying to sound all wise and philisophical and i forgot i was a smut writer
(Fantasy AU! Yandere, obsession, destruction of property idk there’s so few warnings on this one(?))
Playing God
Yandere! Izuku Midoriya x reader
When you first meet Izuku Midoriya, you’re a bit surprised that this was the hero the Gods chose. He resembles nothing close to what the prophecy foretold. He’s merely a child, barely hovering about the age of fourteen, trembling in the dirt of your forest, marks and scratches all over his body.
For a moment, you think to leave him. Eventually the elders of the village will come to look for him. There’s no need for you to meddle with the human’s affairs, especially ones concerning a hero. They did say those who intervened with the destiny of a prodigy often suffered dearly.
It’s the frailness of his body that makes you break, how tiny he looks among the grass. How pitiful.
A warm meal wouldn’t count as meddling, right?
“Are you lost?” You ask.
The boy stiffens, he looks up wildly, before finally focusing his eyes on you. They were bright. Green like the forest. He blended in quite nicely.
He doesn’t answer the first time.
“I asked if you were lost.”
He hesitates, “...A little.” He finally admits.
You laugh, it’s quick, barely a huff, finally deciding to extend your hand towards him.
“Come. Let’s get you out of the dirt.”
As his hand reaches up to grasp your own, you decide that he doesn’t have the hand of a hero’s.
Despite his tiny stature, Izuku eats a lot.
Two bowls have already been downed, and he’s midway through his third. Briefly, you wonder if you even have enough food to fill this boy up.
He seems to suddenly remember himself, stopping himself from devouring the bowl completely, delicately setting it down.
“Thank you for the food,” He says shyly, a blush blooms on freckled cheeks.
You only hum, “Eat as much as you want. You need that energy.”
He nods at your reply, going back to his meal, before pausing again.
“I’m...I’m sorry for barging into your home like this,” He says, guiltily looking away. He glances at the hall of your temple.
“I promise I’ll leave as soon as I can...”
You tilt you head, “What were you doing so deep in the forest anyway? Not even the woodsmen come this far.”
“I was exploring,” Izuku replies honestly, “But the woods got so dark and I didn’t know where I was going and...”
“Hm,” You say, “Exploring? Alone? That’s not very wise.”
He’s helpless to do nothing but nod.
“I know...”
“Well, as long as you realize your mistake,” You sigh, stretching out your arms, “Be sure not to repeat this dangerous adventure again. Understood?”
He blinks. He seems confused.
“You...you aren’t upset I entered your forest?” He asks hesitantly.
“The forest isn’t mine. I’m in no position to demand those things,” You reply, “I’m just glad you’re unharmed.”
He seems to still be unsure. In response, you push his unfinished bowl closer to him.
“That being said,” You hope your smile doesn’t look like a grimace, “I might not be so forgiving if you waste your food.”
His doubt seems to vanish instantly. Immediately, Izuku goes back to eating, scarfing it down with renewed vigor.
When the sky begins to show signs of purple, you shoo him in the direction of his village. He keeps waving back until his figure fully disappears into the leaves. When he’s gone, you sigh, massaging your temples. There’s no moon in the sky tonight. A child is harmless, but it could have been worse.
Maybe you should erect a barrier to keep pesky humans out.
-
After centuries of practice, the art of the woodwind instrument has finally been mastered.
The forest is quiet, thrumming with silent vigor. You can feel the spirits in the trees, the streams, the dirt, all await for your tune. As always, you sit on the floor of your temple, hands steady on your flute. You play something soft, melodious. The song blooms through your halls, spreading across the trees. Your eyes are closed, listening to the notes in a quiet tandem.
“Wow, you’re really good.”
You scream. The golden flute drops to the floor, sending a loud clatter as it rolls away. Recovering quickly, you immediately grab the instrument, before sending a seething look at the intruder.
At least he had the conscious to look remorseful.
“Sorry,” Izuku says hesitantly, “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“It’s fine,” You say too quickly.
You take a deep breath, trying to sound a little more patient. You still can’t keep the frustration in your voice, still too flustered at how easily you were startled by a mortal.
“Why are you here anyways?”
He looks away, “I...was doing some exploring...again.” He says shyly.
When you give him a look, he’s quick to respond.
“Safely! This time.”
You swallow your annoyance, “Wonderful. I’m a little busy at the moment. If you’ll excuse me.”
You get up, brushing down your kurta. Izuku is quick to follow, scrambling to walk beside you.
“What-what are you busy with?” He squeaks, “I could maybe help you?”
“Gardening,” You say stiffly, “It’s mainly heavy-lifting work. I’m not sure a child could help me.”
Why was he here? How had he even found you? Hadn’t he learned his lesson last time he got lost? You wondered if the dryads had helped this kid out. Annoying you was something of a pastime for them.
“I can help! I’m pretty strong. And-and I could...” He trails off when you sigh.
You come to a stop.
“Child, don’t you think it’s a little reckless to be wandering the forest again? Why don’t you go play with your friends in the village?”
His face falls and you wonder if you said the wrong thing. When he glances down to stare at the dirt, you know you’ve said the wrong thing.
“Who know who I am, right?” He mumbles, kicking at the dirt, “You already knew my name.”
You don’t respond. He already knows your answer.
“The kids in the village don’t really like me...” He quietly says, “They say the Gods wasted their gifts on me...that I don’t really deserve it.”
He looks at the trees. You follow his gaze, hoping to catch what he sees.
“The elders also say think same thing. They never say it...but...I can tell.”
You can almost imagine it, a boy with green hair being ostracized by children, each which jealousy, annoyance, that this was the hero the Gods chose. Adults clambering together, whispering their distaste in hushed rumors.
“Do you believe them?” You ask.
He looks at you, confused.
“They said you were a failure. Before you could even start. Do you believe them?”
He doesn’t hesitate, this time.
“I don’t.”
You laugh at that. The confidence a kid like him has. You admire it, honestly.
Heroes are rare, an abnormality. Despite all the years you’ve lived you’ve only met a few. You’ve never seen a hero grow, get stronger, flourish with the gift of the Gods.
“Do you believe them?” Izuku asks.
This could be an opportunity.
You tilt your head. “Which Gods have visited you so far?”
He only has one gift so far. Strength, from the sun. You hum in acknowledgment, before calling out to the forest. You ask for ore from the caves, wood from the trees.
You ask for indirect heat, from the moon.
The sword is too heavy for Izuku. He bends a bit, struggling to support the weight.
Still, he doesn’t let it drop. You smile at that.
“We’ll see.”
Watching over a hero might give some entertainment in your mundane life.
Izuku visited consistently. His favorite time was in the evening, just when you were about to play your tune. You don’t mind. He’s diligent. A hard worker. You supposed it’s because no ones bothered to try with the little hero. He’s grateful for it.
You just wish he’d be a bit more efficient.
“It’s been hours, let’s just stop here, for now.” You say, coming to stand beside him.
He’s barely sitting, almost lying in the grass, exhausted. The hero groans in what sounds like acknowledgment. Slowly, he tries to lift himself up, staggering.
You sigh, “Take a break. Gain back your strength.”
He collapses back to the floor, and the sword sinks into the grass. Curious, you step towards his work, the job you’d given him for today.
As you expected, it wasn’t a lot. The dead stump you instructed him to cut down barely had a scratch on it, a shallow line where his sword had mashed through. Could be his age, or his overall power, but Izuku was weak, despite the gift the Sun had given him.
“No,” You tell him sternly when he tries to wobble to his feet, “Just sit for now.”
He looks like he wants to argue, but he wordlessly complies. You were glad you had to stop him from pushing himself, instead of the other way around. Tenacity was honestly the only thing he had going for him at this point.
“Thank you,” Izuku politely takes the cup you offered him, drinking the contents down in one swing.
You stand next to him, waiting for him to finish.
He couldn’t access his gift, he told you when you berated him one evening. He knows it’s there, deep within him, but he can’t reach it. Theoretically, cutting down a stump should be child’s play with his gift. You were pretty sure it was because he lacked any initial power. In order to start a fire, one needed a flame. Izuku didn’t even have a spark.
“I don’t know what I’m doing wrong,” He says when he finally catches his breath, “I can still feel it. It’s still there, but I can’t use it. Am I still not strong enough?”
You give him a look over. It’s only been a few weeks but he’s already gained a bit of muscle. Not by a lot, but he didn’t look like he’d fall over by a gust of wind at any second.
It should be more than enough, right?
Maybe you were looking at it the wrong way? You bite your lip, studying him. He’s strong, plenty strong, but maybe it isn’t just physical strength that’s stopping him?
“I think the issue is that you aren’t picturing it,” You finally say.
“Picturing it...?”
You nod. “Gifts mainly are channeled through your body, but you need to guide it. I’d suggest temporarily setting a goal, before you fully harness your gift.”
You expect him to jump up, eager to try your strategy out. Instead, Izuku uncharacteristically remains seated on the floor.
“Something wrong?” You ask.
He shakes his head.
“No, it’s just: you’re always helping me,” He says, “I wish I could do something to repay you.”
You feel a little guilty when he says that. You still don’t have the heart to admit you’re doing this for your own entertainment.
He gives a frustrated huff.
“But I’m not really sure what a human like me could give a God.”
Now, that gets a laugh out of you. Izuku’s face falls to confusion as you almost fall to the floor in hysterics.
“Sorry,” You huff, out of breath, “Do you...do you think I’m a God?”
He hesitates, “You...you aren’t?”
“No,” You’re still grinning, “Not even close.”
“But the-the temple,” He flounders, “Your-your powers?”
You shake your head.
“I was simply gifted by the Gods, same as you.”
His eyes widen, “Are you a Hero too?”
“Not quite,” You hum, “I think once, a long time ago, I was a human. A normal human. But I did something that a God rather appreciated. They gave me my gift.” You whirl the flute in your hands. Izuku stares at it, transfixed.
“What happened?” He suddenly asks.
You glance at him, he’s backpedaling, trying to squish words in a sentence.
“Why did the God give you your gift?”
Your smile falls.
“...I don’t remember.”
Izuku sits back, something somber on his face. A wince of anger.
“You...don’t?” You shake your head.
“It happened centuries in the past. It’s...trivial to recall things that happened so long ago.”
Izuku sits, letting what you said fill the silence. He doesn’t move until you’re scowling, telling him to get to work. He’s quick to comply.
Your theory is proven correct when Izuku closes his eyes, focusing on his gift. When he swings, the brunt of the sun comes with it, shattering the stump completely. It’s shaky, uncontrolled, but he did it.
When you ask what he was thinking about, he cheekily tells you its a secret.
There’s a festival in the village that evening. Timidly Izuku asks if you will attend. His face falls when you shake your head. He’s suddenly wondering why you haven’t left the forest in all the years you’ve been alive.
“That’s the price of immortality,” You hum.
“Imprisonment.”
_
Izuku is sixteen when news of him reaches the kingdom.
Imperial knights are sent to his village immediately. Within weeks nobles and merchants swarm his tiny town, endlessly gifting him with gold, jewelry, expensive clothing he’s never seen before.
Even the current crown prince of this era came to greet him.
“His highness says there’s a school in the palace, a place where people can train with their gifts,” Izuku says, swinging his knees on the roof.
You idly stand beside him, onlooking the view of the forest. It was so pretty like this, the time just before nightfall came. The temple is washed in duller colors as the sun disappears beneath the skyline. You can see the moon creeping up to take its place.
Usually, he’s dressed so modestly, simple clothes, scuffed pants. Today, he sits in your temple wearing an expensive shirt, material you’ve never even seen before. He looks healthier. Fuller. He gave you a fruit you had no name for. It tasted sweet on your tongue.
“Exciting,” You state, indulging him, “When are you planning on departing?”
He frowns.
“In a few days,” He says.
His tone is off. You tilt your head.
“Are you not excited?” You ask, “This is the chance you were waiting for, correct? After all, there’s so little training you can do in a forest.”
“I am,” He returns, too quickly, as if he’s trying to convince himself more than you.
He isn’t looking at you, rather, he’s avoiding looking at you completely. Bright green eyes stare into the horizon, dimmed by the setting sun.
“Then?”
“You won’t come with me,” He phrases it as a statement. A certainty.
“I won’t,” You agree, “Why are you so worried with my presence?”
“I just-” He doesn’t respond, trying to figure out the correct words. He takes a minute. Then another.
“I wish you could.” He gives a glance at your flute. You can’t make out his expression. “But you can’t.”
You hum.
“Have you ever wanted to leave this place?” Izuku asks.
That question has never crossed your mind before. You peer into the forest, alongside him. You can see treetops, hills, valleys. It’s all yours.
But have you ever wanted more than that?
How have the humans developed? How has the world changed? The fruits Izuku brought, the clothes he wore, you wanted to see the place they came from.
“I think It’d be nice if I could,” You reply honestly.
This gift was a curse, as well as a blessing. But you were happy with that. Content. The world will change around you, evolve, possibly leave you behind. But you’re fine in your little world filled with green.
You know Izuku doesn’t see it that way. No mortal would, not with their finite days.
“You never told me,” Izuku says.
“Told you what?”
“Which God gifted you.”
You smile, “Why does it matter?”
He frowns, “Is that you saying you won’t tell me?”
“Not quite,” You honestly state, “I’ve given you some hints, I believe.”
“Isn’t it more fun to figure it out yourself?”
He doesn’t respond, not to your last statement, at the very least.
“I’m not strong enough to help you, yet.” He whispers, turning to look at you.
“But I will be, one day.”
You smile at him. But, for some reason, his words feel like a warning.
The next day, Izuku heads into the kingdom.
You don’t see him off. You know he understands.
It’s not like you could.
_
You lied to him.
You remember how you got your gift. Just pieces, shatters of a complete memory. Sometimes you try piecing them together, trying to create a concrete storyline. Something always feels wrong, uncomplete.
You always give up.
In the end, it was pointless to try to explain remnants of a memory to a boy who can hardly fathom your passage of time.
Tonight, once again, the moon doesn’t join you.
_
To you, 11 years is only a moment.
To Izuku, it’s more than a decade.
He’s bigger now. Earlier, he was shorter than you, thinner. Now, he feels larger than most trees, towering over you. Untamed green hair is shorter now, and those giant emerald irises have matured.
The only thing you recognize is the smile. Soft, hesitant. Nervous.
As if he’s unsure if you even want to see him.
He timidly waits by the entrance of your temple, patiently waiting for you to acknowledge him. It’s a little comical, with how big he is, yet his posture remained the same. Polite, to the end.
You wait for a minute, then two.
Finally, you sigh.
“Come here, Izuku,”
He’s huge, practically dwarfing you. He has to bend over a little, hunch, in order to wrap his arms around your smaller body. But you’re just as warm, just as welcoming.
You pat his broad back, and you can feel him relax into your hold.
“Welcome home.”
~
“You can only stay for a few days?” You cock your head, disappointed.
He’s nodding, just as remorseful.
“I already visited the village,” He’s sighing, leaning back, “So much has changed.”
You laugh, “I can imagine. Tell me, what was it like?”
Izuku tells you stories. Stories of his travels. Stories of the adventures he’s had. Stories of the long harsh battles. Stories of finally slaying the nightmare that had plagued this world for decades. Stories of being a hero.
You wonder if he feels guilt, guilt that you weren’t there to watch him. You can’t blame him. That’s how he is. He needs to be everyone’s savior. You often wondered if that was just his personality, or the traits of every hero.
You like to think that it was just Izuku’s.
He’s smiling when he finishes his tales. The sun is setting in the sky. You won’t let him stay the night.
He’s matured between his younger years. There’s no disappointment on his freckled features. He nods, with a smile.
“You can only stay for a few days,” You say, tilting your head.
“I’m offended you aren’t more saddened about leaving.”
He jerks, stumbling over apologies and you laugh.
“No it’s just, I have a feeling.” He smiles knowingly, a light blush over his tanned faced.
You prod, “Feeling?”
He nods, “I won’t be leaving you.”
You don’t know what he means by that. It sounds metaphorical, because he must know you’ll never leave this forest. You’ll live forever, while he, the great hero, withers away with mortality. Another will take his place.
Still, his last words feel strangely cryptic. You force yourself not to linger on it.
~
Something was wrong.
You woke up. The forest was screaming. You could hear the horrid cries of the trees, the saplings.
They were screaming for you.
You’re stumbling through the halls of your temple. It’s night, but the moon isn’t out, not this time. There’s no one to see you. To hear you. You feel alone.
But you aren’t.
Izuku is right there, in the edge of your temple. You want to feel relief, but you can’t, not when the thing he’s holding in his arms is too familiar to you. Something he shouldn’t even be touching.
“What are you doing?”
“I’ve figured it out,” Izuku is smiling, spinning your flute in his hands. He’s too reckless, and you have a feeling he won’t listen to you if you tell him to be careful.
It strangely feels like it’s the intention.
“Figured what out?” You cautiously ask. Izuku doesn’t feel like the companion you trained all those years ago. He feels more than that. Bigger.
It scares you.
“It was the Lunar God. The one who gifted you.” Izuku says, his eyes trail up to the sky. There’s nothing. Nothing nothing nothing.
“You never let me visit on days there’s no moon. You don’t have power on those days,” He looks down at the flute, “Neither does this.”
“Izuku,” You feel like you’re begging but you don’t know why, “Izuku what are you doing?”
His eyes are softer, like he believes his own words, rather than your tearful ones. You suddenly realize the forest wasn’t crying for you to come and save it.
It was crying for you to run and save yourself.
“Don’t you get it?” He says, “I’m saving you.”
There’s a crack. And you don’t have the courage to keep staring as he drops the instrument to the floor. There’s two distinct clatters, and you know it’s over.
You can feel it. All of it, lifting from your skin. Your tether to the moon is disappearing. Your power is returning to someone who once gave it to you with a smile. The voices of the forest are growing weaker and weaker and weaker.
Then you stop hearing it entirely.
You sink to the floor, no longer someone with a god’s gift, just you.
Just Izuku’s.
He’s quick to retrieve his prize, following you to the floor of a temple that you once owned. His hands rub your back in a soothing gesture that lacks the intent, just the greed.
“You’ll be okay,” He’s murmuring, “I’ll take care of you now.”
He’s humming, just barely over your hushed sobs.
“All you ever need, is me.”
Izuku draws you into a hug, and you suddenly feel very foolish.
Despite all the years you’ve lived, you were simply a mere human.
the way I can’t stop thinking about fantasy AU Haikyuu.....
Oikawa Tooru as the military and political genius emperor that spent his early years waging war after war to unite his empire when he inherits the throne after his parents are assassinated by a rival kingdom.
Iwaizumi Hajime as the young emperor’s knight and childhood best friend. Together, they are nearly unstoppable, with victory after victory until the empire extends its reach to double its original size.
When the wars are won, the nobles begin pestering Oikawa to settle down. It’s time for him to put down his sword and start looking for a suitable empress to take his side.
More importantly, he needs a male heir.
He can have any woman he wants, the elegant princess of the neighbouring kingdom, the sultry duchess of one of the most powerful families in his empire.
Instead, you catch his eye. A foreign court dancer from the streets that bewitches him the moment you step into the room and Oikawa finds his eyes trailing back to your figure each second. Imagine everyone’s surprise when the emperor himself asks for your hand in dance every single song.
He has never wanted anything more his entire life. All the riches and gold, all the land and power, all the women that throw themselves at his feet yet Oikawa Tooru finds that he would go to war all over again if it meant to see you smile.
The catch?
His silent knight, his second shadow, the man he cherishes as dear as his own flesh and blood has his eyes set on you too.
A few months ago I writed a one-shot under the same name for the first day of the zoluweek but it never satisfied me (or what i wanted to express trough it) so today at last I could bring it to be what I wanted.
Summary: Human kindness is his weakness. The love for the brother that he loved (more than anything) his sentence of an eternity of solitude and the joyous laugh of the swordsman the ache on his heart.
References: Ulysses is the hero of the odyssey and he passed through the island of the sirens in the book XII. The song is the same one that the sirens sang for him. Antemoesa is the name that virgilio, the poet, gived to the island of sirens.
Warnings: OOC, Ace dies even when i’m who is writing this.
Words: 2902
(If there’s any mispelling, i’m very sorry I get so nervous when i write in english )
(story under the cut)
You can also read it here [AO3] and here [FF]
Prologue
“I’ll do whatever you ask” the boy said in a broken tone, tears streaming down his face while he hold close the dead body of the brother he loved dearly “Take my life instead of his”
“Are you serious about your offer?” The supreme ruler of the gods, Zeus, asked with interest “even if I sentence you of a eternity in hell? is the life of this boy worthy to risk that much?”
“He’s worth more than Hell” the boy answered without a trace of doubt “I said it before, I’ll do whatever you ask… just bring Ace back, let him have a normal, happy life”
“You’re a brave kid, let’s make a deal” Zeus said looking to the boy, the 17 years old teenager who faced a war who costed too much “I will bring your brother back to earth and he will have a happy life without any memories of you”
“I understand” the boy said, bowing his head in utterly gratitude “Thank you very much”
“You don’t want to know the consequences for you?” Zeus asked and the boy denied moving his head
“I don’t need to know,” the teenager said, his lips touching the cold cheek in a kiss “If he lives is okay for me any punishment you put me trought”
The presiding deity of the universe laughed in a sardonic way, his eyes never leaving the black ones of the kid.
“Let’s see if that strong will of yours stay after you know what punishment I have in store for you”
. . .
“Humans are strange creatures, everything in this world is deadly for them and even knowing this they risk their lives doing things beyond their power” Zeus said in a tired sigh “They don’t know their own limits and sometimes they need a reminder of how little they are” The god touched the cheek of his new creation and it trembled “and that's where your existence is necessary”
“You are no longer a fragile human, the best of the qualities of earth and sea are part of you now” The god said “You can walk in the land and bleed red blood if you’re hurt like any other human being; but you can breath under the water and swim with the ease of a fish. This island is now your domain in the middle of the sea where you will lure sailors to their early grave with your beautiful voice”
“Is a beautiful place” the boy answered, looking to the flowery meadows around him and taking seat in the rocks from where the vast sea extend
“Remember, Luffy” Zeus said, this time with fatality in his voice “In the end I couldn’t bring myself to tear you apart of that gentle heart of yours and that’s your weakness…don’t let humans aproach to you, it only will make you suffer”
“I understand” Luffy said, looking beetwen his hands, the one under the water have is fingers webbed and his other hand, the one that is resting in the ground is normal “Thank you for giving my brother another chance in life, he deserves to be happy”
“I will keep my promise” The supreme ruler of the gods swear “Keep yours, until the whole world ends”
[-]
He doesn’t keep a count of how many time has transpired nor how many humans he had seduced with his voice but Luffy’s hair is so long that it drags in the ground when he walks.
He sings about nothing and everything. With promises of treasures, of a city of gold and emeralds, of inmortality, of power and glory, of world knowledge, of food or of eternal love, anything the sailors truly desires in their hearts.
So he sings and sings, until nothing is left, until the sailors lost their minds or their ships capsize and they drown like rats.
(and he sings and sings and sings…)
[0]
“Come here,” he sang,”renowned Ulysses, honour to the Achaean name, and listen to my voice. No one ever sailed past me without staying to hear the enchanting sweetness of my song- and he who listens will go on his way not only charmed, but wiser, for I know all the ills that the gods laid upon the Argives and Trojans before Troy, and can tell you everything that is going to happen over the whole world.”
Luffy looked to the man, bound to the cross piece halfway up the mast and praying to be set free. His comrades rowing away from antemoesa, in a desesperate attempt to found their way back to home. Luffy laughs, because is amusing the human stubborness behind his actions and how this one is the first human in hundreds years in listen his voice without dying.
[1]
After several hundred years life in Antemoesa became boring. Is no wonder, after all it is a small island forgotten by the gods in the middle of the wide sea and whose exact location is only found in ancient texts in an already extinct language. He’s older than time but not as much as the creation, product of the boredom of the god who sought to mortify the humans who had the audacity to sail the seas belonging to Poseidon.
He can walk on land and breath under the water; If he’s hurt, his wounds bleed but his own tears are able to heal him. He can bring wisdom and knowledge to the humans but also can destroy them with his voice only. Luffy is no longer mortal, but a scourge of immortality, terrible, painful, wild and invincible but also doomed to spend the remaining time on earth in the flowery meadows of antemoesa waiting for new humans who seduce through his singing.
That’s the price Zeus demanded to pay to save the life of his older brother, whose freckled face that plague his dreams and his warm voice reminds him his own name in those days that he thinks that solitude is gonna make him lost his mind.
The conditions were simple and fair enough, seduce with his singing the sailors but never aproach to them because according to Zeus, human kindness is his weakness and it will end to be painful for a being like him.
(Because Luffy is not a human nor a fish. He can walk on land and breath under the water)
Not that it matters too much by now, hundreds of years have passed since the last time Luffy saw a human and sincerely, he doubts to see one in the coming hundreds of years he has remaining.
[2]
At first, when he saw the deplorable ship floating in his direction, he thought it was just another unfortunate ship that had crashed against the rocks or an old ship whose crew died in the midst of the treacherous sea and paid it no mind. The ship docked a few meter away from him and to his utter surprise he heard the sound of groans coming from the ship.
Without even thinking twice, Luffy got on his feet and held the human in his arms to laid him down on the sand, the man has a brutal wound that comes from the right side of his waist to his left shoulder, from where the blood seems to have ceased to sprout but would end up becoming infected if it is not taken care of.
Luffy knelt beside the human, buries his nails in his arms until small drops of blood begin to slide down his arms and tears make his vision cloud, he leans over the human and let his tears fall on the chest of the man whose wounds begin to heal leaving behind a huge scar.
“The first human who passes here after hundreds of years and is half dead," Luffy says in a sigh, looking at the human whose once laborious breathing has returned to normal. "You can’t seduce a half-dead man”
(Zeus advice rings loud in his mind but the now peaceful expression in the face of the human and the soft sounds of his earrings moving with the wind distracts him)
…
When the human wakes up three days later after his arrival he seems surprised to be alive and Luffy doesn't blame him after seeing the serious wound in the man’s chest. When Luffy dark eyes, black as night meet the intense silver eyes sharp as a sword, that an epiphany hits him like lightning, leaving him breathless.
Luffy sees the bright future that awaits this man who was born to obtain greatness and a title that positions him above all the others swordsman in the world.
But not yet – He still so weak, so fragile…
That if Luffy were to press a little he would collapse completely along with all that awaits for him in future.
(‘The man they know like Hawk-eyes found defeat by your hand,
the black sword that give you that scar and teared apart your pride,
Is not strong enough in the face of the three swords you carry on your right hip,
your name reachs to the heavens for a talented little girl who died too soon.’)
“You helped me?” the man ask, touching the scar on his chest with a wince
“Yes, but I don’t really did that much” Luffy responds, as if it were a matter of everyday that a creature like him saves stupid sailors from die of an infection
“My name is Roronoa Zoro” the human says, bowing his head lightly in a gesture of respect and gratittude “Thank you for helping me”
“How did you get that wound?” Luffy asks, curious to know how this man, Zoro, arrived in such a state to his domains
"Fighting for my dream," Zoro answers immediately, with a confident smile and a gleam in his eyes that the merman can identify, having already seen it in a human before.
(Another stubborn idiot, like Ulysses, maybe even worse because Luffy can’t bring himself to sing the destiny of this man)
“You must be hungry” Luffy says, with his thumb point the forest behind him “You can find fruits to eat if you walk a little around there”
The human nods, placing a hand on the scar that crosses his abdomen to rise and walk lazily in the opposite direction that the merman points
“It's to the other side, stultus!” Luffy shouts at Zoro, who looks embarrassed while now he walks to the right direction ‘I found a very troublesome human’ – Luffy sighs, defeated.
…
“Hey, Luffy, aren’t you a little too young to live alone in this island?” Zoro ask, hours later with the sun hide behind the clouds “did your boat dock here too?”
“I have more years than you'd know how to count or you could get to have” Luffy answered, taking an apple to bring it to his lips “This island belongs to me, was created by Zeus himself just for me”
Zoro laughs and shakes his head, believing it to be a joke on the part of the black-haired man, Luffy doesn’t bother to insist and simply shrugs.
[3]
With the passing of the days they are installed at a comfortable pace of coexistence, where Zoro would offer to go find things to eat and return to Luffy on the rocks where the dark-haired man sit for hours watching the sea while huming softly. Zoro usually remains silent, taking a nap or trying to annoy the merman to kill boredom.
“Why are you on this island, Luffy?" Zoro ask, Luffy doesn’t know how many times this absurd man will keep asking the same question “doesn’t it get kinda lonely?”
“I’m on this island to sing” Luffy replies, without taking his eyes off the sea as he tilts his head slightly as if trying to found another way to answer but decided against it “That’s all.”
"You're a strange child" Zoro replies, looking at him out of the corner of his eye for a reaction that soon arrives
“I told you, I'm older than you could imagine!” Luffy answers annoyed, no longer looking at the sea but the man next to him “You’re a diaper brat compared to me!”
“I don’t know” Zoro says, putting a hand on his chin as if he was seriously thinking about something “I would say that you are definitely a child and a very short one”
“Don’t make me hurt you, brat!” shouts Luffy, taking Zoro’s cheeks between his fingers and pulling it in a painful way “don’t get so cocky, I could kick your ass across to other side of this island”
Zoro laughs hard, putting a hand on his chest where his scar still hurts and without trying to remove Luffy’s hand of his cheek.
…
There are times when Zoro joins him and makes him company while watching the sea, the eyes of the human acquire a nostalgic glow as he watches the distant horizon, and it's in time like these where Luffy remembers that the dream and goals of Zoro are not in a place as boring as Antemoesa, but on the open sea fighting against powerful enemies that help him develop his skills until he becomes the best.
Every time Luffy is about to open his mouth to say something the human will simply watch him and start to annoy him about his height or age.
[4]
One night, meanwhile Luffy is trying to calm the fast beating of his heart after that damned nightmare who seems never leave him alone (a battlefield where they tried to achieve freedom, the sound of the cannons, the terrified screams of people dying, the fire consuming everything in his path and the cold body of the person he loved the most in this world). Zoro wakes up, sits beside him and begins to talk like he hadn’t doing before.
The human tells him how left his home searching to acomplish his dream, how he lost his way back; in a way that he couldn’t no longer get back and his only option would always be moving forward. Zoro speaks of the places he has seen, the things he has eaten, of a drink called sake that is the most delicious of the nectars and about some kind hearted humans and others not so much. He talks about a rival with empty cold-eyes and sword handled as it were a extension of the body of his rival, about an humiliating defeat because of his arrogance and his newfound determination to become even stronger when he leaves this island.
Zoro talks about a future together, for both of them, out in the vast sea searching to make their names reach heaven together, because they can go anywhere… the sea is freedom when you want it to be.
(He remember now, the painful but so warm gentle nature of humans)
Luffy can't leave, not because he doesn't wanna but because he made a promise so many (how many?) years ago, with a god for the sake of the brother who raised and protected him (who must be dead by now, but who cares, Ace was happy, he lived happy, that's all that matters.) yet he’s still holding that promise, until the whole world ends, until he dies and he welcomes the final end, singing.
Luffy makes a decision that night while he looked at the peaceful face of the swordsman.
. . .
When the sun comes out the next day and the swordsman wakes up, Zoro seems confused to see his boat in good condition.
“You have to go now” Luffy says, taking Zoro's face in his hands, his thumb touch soflty the strong jaw “Just follow right in direction of the sun for a few days and you’ll find dry land, your dream is far away from this place... you say you want your name reaches so high to be heard in heaven, then make the name of Roronoa Zoro be heard on this island too when you become the best swordsman in the world”
“What about you?” Zoro ask “You’re asking me to leave you here, alone? After everything I say to you yesterday?”
“I made a decision hundreds of years ago, which I don’t regret, and if I left this island, I would be breaking my promise” Luffy explains, the human has a frown in his face and is ready to argue when the merman interrupts him again “You know the valor of a promise and after all I have been hundreds of years alone… please don’t pity me”
Zoro seems to think what to say before a smug smile forms on his lips “When I become the best swordsman in the world I will come back and stay with you, so we will both fulfill the promises we have made”
Zoro says, wrapping Luffy in a unexpected hug that last too little for Luffy’s taste (how many years had passed since the last time he felt the touch, the warm of another body against his?) the swordsman turns his back on him and begins to move away towards the ship on the shore, climb on it and begin to row away, without looking back even once while with every movement of the waves that move the ship, Luffy's heart sinks a little more because he knows that it is not a promise that Zoro can fulfill.
