An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Thought I'd just share this here ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I am proud of it even if the updates are slow to come.
Please comment, I crave validation. Like, on any of my fics~
seen from Canada
seen from Japan
seen from China

seen from United States

seen from France

seen from Colombia
seen from Türkiye
seen from Germany
seen from United States

seen from Denmark
seen from United States
seen from Germany
seen from Japan
seen from China

seen from United States
seen from China
seen from United States
seen from China
seen from United States

seen from Germany
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Thought I'd just share this here ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I am proud of it even if the updates are slow to come.
Please comment, I crave validation. Like, on any of my fics~
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
I will be trying to get more regular updates, so let's see how IRL let me get away with it~
Next chapter: get ready for some quality bonding time!
Kagaya knew he should have already been asleep in his futon but his father hadn't come to bid him goodnight like he usually did and it made him uneasy; for as their curse was tightening its grip on his father's health more and more each day, Kagaya was afraid his life would be snuffed out and he would be unable to say goodbye to him before he did.
That's probably why he was silently walking towards his father's room, his steps silent on the cold floor. He could hear the shuffling of servants finishing their day in the rooms he passed and it reassured him slightly.
If everyone was still working without worries, then his father was fine as well.
Yet Kagaya didn't stop nor did he turned back to his bedroom because he was far too close to his father's room and going back without at least saying goodbye was not something he wanted to do.
When he approached the hallway leading to his destination, he frowned at the dark shape leaned against the wall, next to the door. It was dark, most lights snuffed out by the servants, the only source of lighting being in his father's room, so Kagaya only realized it was a kid when he was a few feet away.
Whoever that kid was, head on his knees and arms tight around them, they seemed to be close in age with him, but he couldn't understand what they were doing here.
"Don't stand silently in a dark hallway, that gives me the creeps." The kid told him, piercing blue eyes not quite looking at him straight.
"What are you doing here?" Kagaya asks, because he knows from the boy's tone he was somewhat upset and he didn't want to aggravate him.
"Waiting for a conversation between adults to end." Is his answer and Kagaya is a bit lost. He takes advantage of the boy not making a move to go sit beside him, taking in the long hair tied in a tight braid and the bandage on his right hand.
"Father is seeing one of your parents?" He asks the boy, prodding softly to get answers to the questions swirling in his mind.
"My dad." Kagaya kept silent, seeing as the boy was still reluctant to talk but by the way he was gripping the sleeve of his ahori, something was bothering him. "One of my older brother died."
Kagaya looked at the boy, in a bit of a shock. It wasn't the fact someone died, no, it was all too frequent in their line of work. What made him pause in his thoughts was the utterly emotionless tone the boy had taken. As if he was relaying some vague news coming from a cousin's cousin's older brother's wife's aunt's friend's third degree cousin. Something that makes you says "oh" and that you out in the back of your mind because other things are more interesting.
"My condolences." He says but it earned him a flat look as the boy extended his legs in front of him, as if detaching himself from the situation.
"It was his own fault. Couldn't stand the old man pressuring him and bailed with some chick. Got jumped, probably, then attacked by demons. Shouldn't even be something to be concerned with but dad's a vulture."
"What do you mean?" Kagaya felt a bit uneasy as he heard a voice from his father's room - that was also used as his office since he could no longer walk for an extended time - and while he couldn't decipher what was said, the tone didn't please him at all.
"He's come to ask your pops for compensation." The boy say, making with his hand the universal symbol for money. There's a cold shiver running up his back as he understands that this boy was, too, nothing but potential monetary gain for his father if hid fate was cut short.
"How can he do that?! What about your mother? Surely she wouldn't be agreeing about such thing!"
The boy laugh, softly enough not to be heard by the adults in the room next to them.
"If she was still alive, she'd berate the old man for waiting too long to ask your dad for money. 'what about the funeral cost?' she'd say. 'We could have asked for it to be covered as well!' A smart bitch, she was. But dad already asked for her money a few years back."
Kagaya was stunned into silence. What sort of family was that? Sure, there needed to be all sort of people in the world but this? This was sickening. And knowing this boy had been growing in such loveless environment broke his heart.
But before he could say anything, the sliding door opened fully and a scarred man walked out; wearing an all black ahori and yukata, with his jet black hair and eyes combined with his disfigured face, he was intimidating. He must have been handsome before his face got mauled, Kagaya think, just like his son promised to be. An air of pure disdain for life his as well? permeated the air around him, making the man hard to approach as well.
His eyes were piercing him, looking straight at his soul before it slide to the empty hallway and walked away, a small bag containing coins in hand. The boy beside him scrambled to his feet, sending one last, unsure gaze towards him before running after his father.
Kagaya found it easier to breathe now that the man was gone.
"Son?" His father called after him and Kagaya took upon the unsaid invitation, entering his room. The chief of the Demon Slayers was sitting at his desk, looking at him with his only one eye left, smiling tightly.
"That man wasn't a Slayer." Kagaya said, earning himself a small sigh from his father, who absentmindedly began to play with his brush.
"The Ohori are… a special case." He answered, looking lost in thoughts. "While they aren't scouring all of Japan to kill demons, they are nonetheless an important part in our war against them. Like the wisteria houses and the butterfly estate, they contribute… in their own way."
Kagaya nodded at his father's explanation. It was the first time he heard of them but perhaps his father thought it would burden him too much when he was still so young.
"We can keep them on a loose leash, although there is a need to be careful of their silver tongue. The great grandfather managed to convince an entire town to burn every houses down after a demon massacred two dozen people. A pillar managed to kill it but the townspeople were already convinced there was a curse."
"Couldn't this man have been able to soothe their worry instead of aggravating the situation?" Kagaya asked, perturbed. Playing with people's credulity was something that didn't sit well with him.
"That's why you need to be careful, Kagaya. Paying them is but a small price for how they manage the population."
"But asking money for his own son, his wife?"
"Tondo was… I can't say he was totally different from the man you saw tonight but he was far more sensitive. He took his responsibilities with the same care an artist cares for their crafts. But after Miyuma's death… losing someone can lead to losing your heart, Kagaya. Don't forget that."
Kagaya remembered those words for years after this conversation, even after his father's death, even after dozen upon dozen of Demon Slayers died during the nights. He remembered those words when, one night, a young man his age entered his office after everyone else retired for the night and asked for compensation money after his father's tragic death.
Shoko had changed during the years, too.
But in contrary to Kagaya, he had lost his heart, somewhere in the past.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
For the @yearofshance promtp~
I had fun writing it, as alway!
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters: 1/? Fandom: Voltron: Legendary Defender Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Characters: Lance (Voltron), Keith (Voltron), Shiro (Voltron), Pidge | Katie Holt, Hunk (Voltron), Allura (Voltron), Coran (Voltron) Additional Tags: S6 Spoilers, Langst, my boy died and no one reacted in canon so I'M GONNA TAKE THIS HAMMER AND FIX THE CANON, second part is when the ship begin Summary:
Lance's nightmare are not something he talks a lot about, even when they shake him to his core and let him unable to breath properly. No one seemed to react to when he died but that was fine, right? Until someone notices and use the quiet hours of the night to talk to him.