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estiriseMy birthday's coming up (tomorrow), and so I'm continuing my tradition of posting fics. This year, only some of them are requests, others are out of my demented imagination (or my wish list). Since this consists of 10 fics and 2 parts to longer fics, I decided to spread things out by splitting the posting over two days instead of flooding anybody.
The first one is part 3 of "Start Again", the sequel to "Boxed In". Both stories are in an AU universe where the Fangaire (the spelling at the time I wrote it) live among humans, and Wataru has grown up in a hunter cell. I wrote it around episode 3-5 of Kiva, so some things are not going to match canon. The first fic in the series, "Boxed In", can be found here at Inkwell or here at fanfiction.net. The first two parts of "Start Again" can be found by clicking the "Fic: Boxed In" tag.
Start Again
by Estirose
c 2008
part 3
After several hours of going through leads, even the Executioner had to admit that he wasn't precisely getting anywhere, and neither was Wataru. But he counted it a minor victory that Wataru hadn't gone to bed, either. Of course, Wataru had gotten a nap in the previous twenty-four hours, so definitely not so surprising, and possibly helpful. He'd see how the next night went.
In the meantime, it was time to call the Wonderful Blue Sky organization, or at least Kurenai Otoya. It was really to Aso Yuri that he owed the explanation to about the rogue Fangaire, but first he had to break the news to Otoya that his son had been changed. And then he'd convince Yuri that it was a good thing. And then he'd enlist their help in finding his rogues. They were a helper group, after all, and hunters. They probably had some good ideas.
And if he could convince that group to work with him, he could keep an eye on Yuri's daughter Megumi and see if she did have Wolfen traits. He'd never met someone with those traits, but he had some idea, since it had long been rumored that there were potentially-interfering hunter groups with Wolfen bloodlines in them.
Putting that out of his mind as something that could be dealt with later, he dialed Otoya's home number, getting the answering machine, and then his cellphone. The Executioner was immensely grateful for each communications improvement that had happened; it made things much easier when one could just call one's allies - or allies-to-be - wherever you were and they were. Well, almost.
"Hello," Otoya said. "Wataru?"
Taking that as a question about his son's state and not that his son had called him, the Executioner answered. "He's fine. Just... he's changed."
There was silence on the line. The Exeutioner could hear Yuri's voice, answered by Otoya, and suddenly there was a slight scuffle in the background. "Changed?" Yuri asked, apparently having taken the cellphone away from Otoya. "You don't mean...."
"It was either do this or have to sever all contact with your cell," the Executioner reasoned. "I thought Wataru would be a better person with you and the others by his side."
"Wataru is human," Yuri said.
"Wataru is, and was never human," the Executioner pointed out. "You might have raised him human, true, and he does act human. Hm. In a way, yes, he is human." Yuri had a point. Wataru had been raised human, for the most part. Of course, like all ferals, he would have been taught to avoid exposing his true nature, so he would never be completely human. The Executioner hoped that both Wataru and his cell - all of which so far had proved to be reasonably intelligent - would figure that out. "And in some ways, I think that he shouldn't lose that perspective. Thus I didn't want him to lose contact with you."
"But he's still Fangaire," Yuri said. "When can we see him?"
"Ah," the Executioner said, looking in the general direction of the stairs, "As soon as I'm sure he can drain properly. In the meantime, I'll make sure he calls you - no reason for him to stay out of contact. And I'd like to have a meeting with at least some of you. I promised to tell you about some rogues, and I'd like to see what you think."
That might or might not mollify Yuri. At least maybe if he kept her and the others busy, then she'd have less time to think about what had happened to Wataru and get used to him as he'd become instead of the boy she'd helped raise.
"We'll come," she said briefly.
"I'll come to Kurenai Otoya's residence," he corrected, hearing the thump of Wataru's footsteps as he came down the stairs. "I don't want to put you at risk, and I don't want you to let your guard down just because he's Wataru."
Wataru stepped into the living room, a questioning expression on his face, and the Executioner motioned for him to sit down. "When's a convenient time to come?" he asked.
"We can be at the Kurenai residence in...." she paused, and asked Otoya in the background. Otoya gave her a figure. "Ten minutes."
"I'll be there in half an hour to an hour," the Executioner said. "I want to make sure Wataru's okay to be left alone."
"You're leaving a new Fangaire in your house, alone?" Yuri asked, sounding doubtful.
"Because it's my house, and as I said, your guard's likely to be down if you see Wataru," the Executioner argued. "I have ways of making it safer, but it's better for him to be here alone than near humans at the moment. And if worst comes to worst... I have manacles."
"Right," Yuri said, not sounding happy at all. "We'll see you there."
She hung up, and the Executioner did the same. To Wataru, who was sitting there looking like he desperately wanted to know what was going on, he said, "I'm going down to your father's house to talk to him and Yuri about our misguided Fangaire."
Wataru nodded. "And me?"
"I have a suspicion that they'll be wanting to talk about you. To you, as well, but it's best if we don't do that face to face for a few weeks. As it is, I'm going to trust you not to go outside, not to answer the doorbell, and if for some bizarre reason some human, Fangaire or anything else tries to force their way in, to call the police. If you have to deal with the police and you feel uncomfortable being around humans, call Hotaru - Hiraoka-san. She'll come and be there for you." Wataru was still new enough that Hotaru would be there for him like he was still a Fandiri.
"Oh," Wataru said, not looking too sure on whether he wanted to be left alone.
"And what I said to Yuri about letting one's guard down applies to you as well," the Executioner explained. "It's actually less work being around strangers than your own family, at least at the start. Over the years, you'll be used to working with them - and they'll be used to working with you." Especially if he could get one of those other cells they were affiliated with to merge. Aso Megumi's status was precarious at the moment, and they did need to create second and third generation hunters - preferably soon. "So, stay here, and eat something if you need to."
"Eat... something?" Wataru asked, and the Executioner could understand why he sounded so confused.
"Sure," he said. "While it's no real substitute for energy, food *will* distract your body enough that you won't feel the urge to drain the nearest human. It works best for younger Fangaire than us old folks, but by the time it stops working quite so well on you, you'll be able to control your appetite."
Wataru nodded, no doubt absorbing the information. The Executioner figured that if anybody would be into not killing random - or not so random - humans, it would be Wataru, and if there was anything he could do to prevent it, he would.
The boy would make a fine Executioner someday. And his team - maybe a mix of human and Wolfen at that point - would serve him in good stead.
"I'll be back in an hour or two," he promised, gathering together what information was on paper instead of in his head. He was nowhere as neat as the Watcher, but he did keep his files.
* * *
The Executioner showed up at Otoya's gate in about the timeframe he'd given them. Yuri had made sure Otoya's place was wired for sound; who knew what he might let slip? She had to reluctantly admit, however, that at least he had held to his promise to tell them about the rogues.
He just hadn't managed to keep Wataru safe. Wataru had not been a monster when she'd last seen him, and he was going to be a monster now. There was little she could do about it, there was no way to reverse the change. The best she could hope for was to keep Wataru in touch with his human roots, just as Naoko had wanted him to be. It was odd sharing that in common with a Fangaire, but Naoko had at least tried to keep humans' concerns in mind. Naoko was still a Fangaire, but Yuri had to admit that she was one of the few decent ones.
None of the monsters were good. Fortunately or unfortunately, the Fangaire had killed the other monsters off so they wouldn't interfere with their prey. Of course, she knew through Jiro that the Wolfen had ducked long enough to bring about several human-Wolfen bloodlines, and Jiro himself treasured his heritage. Yuri, after two decades of checking things out, wasn't too sure about the good part of keeping the Wolfen bloodline from dying out, and Megumi barely knew about that part of her ancestry. Once Yuri had figured out that the Wolfen had used humans too, she was determined to let her own bloodline die out if it killed that Wolfen bloodline as well.
Otoya showed the Executioner in, and they settled in chairs around a table. Yuri kept her mind on the subject; if the Fangaire was willing to share information, information that they could verify, then she was going to use it.
"We Fangaire have a problem," the Executioner said. "It seems like there are those of us who have forgotten our obligation to not kill humans, though they see it as the preservation of humankind in general. All of us like this planet as it is, we don't want it to die. Some of us have taken to killing humans, especially outside Japan, to reduce the human population and to save our planet. Their view is that to save humans, they have to kill some. Needless to say, killing humans on purpose for any reason is a death sentence, but some of the more extreme ones are willing to risk death by my hand to save the world in their eyes. It's no different than some of the more extreme human environmentalists, but in many ways, this cause is more deadly."
Yuri let the Executioner ramble on, saving the important bits in her head. So, the Fangaire were showing their true colors, outside the normal reach of hunter groups. Their group would need the cooperation of others to hunt them down. They had some weapons they could use, after all, weapons that didn't require Wataru and his Fangaire blood.
"So, you want us to hunt them down?" Otoya asked.
"At least help me hunt them down," the Executioner said. "I wasn't joking about the authorization to fight; your cell knows how to do it, and if you can track them down - and it is a Fangaire - you should have the right to hunt it. If Wataru is okay with being around humans, he can go with you. He is a member of your cell, after all."
Nice of him to acknowledge that, Yuri mused. But it wasn't total freedom; they'd be nothing but lackeys of the Executioner, not true hunters, no matter what the Executioner tried to hide or soften the truth.
And Yuri wasn't sure she wanted to be a hunter on those terms.
The first one is part 3 of "Start Again", the sequel to "Boxed In". Both stories are in an AU universe where the Fangaire (the spelling at the time I wrote it) live among humans, and Wataru has grown up in a hunter cell. I wrote it around episode 3-5 of Kiva, so some things are not going to match canon. The first fic in the series, "Boxed In", can be found here at Inkwell or here at fanfiction.net. The first two parts of "Start Again" can be found by clicking the "Fic: Boxed In" tag.
Start Again
by Estirose
c 2008
part 3
After several hours of going through leads, even the Executioner had to admit that he wasn't precisely getting anywhere, and neither was Wataru. But he counted it a minor victory that Wataru hadn't gone to bed, either. Of course, Wataru had gotten a nap in the previous twenty-four hours, so definitely not so surprising, and possibly helpful. He'd see how the next night went.
In the meantime, it was time to call the Wonderful Blue Sky organization, or at least Kurenai Otoya. It was really to Aso Yuri that he owed the explanation to about the rogue Fangaire, but first he had to break the news to Otoya that his son had been changed. And then he'd convince Yuri that it was a good thing. And then he'd enlist their help in finding his rogues. They were a helper group, after all, and hunters. They probably had some good ideas.
And if he could convince that group to work with him, he could keep an eye on Yuri's daughter Megumi and see if she did have Wolfen traits. He'd never met someone with those traits, but he had some idea, since it had long been rumored that there were potentially-interfering hunter groups with Wolfen bloodlines in them.
Putting that out of his mind as something that could be dealt with later, he dialed Otoya's home number, getting the answering machine, and then his cellphone. The Executioner was immensely grateful for each communications improvement that had happened; it made things much easier when one could just call one's allies - or allies-to-be - wherever you were and they were. Well, almost.
"Hello," Otoya said. "Wataru?"
Taking that as a question about his son's state and not that his son had called him, the Executioner answered. "He's fine. Just... he's changed."
There was silence on the line. The Exeutioner could hear Yuri's voice, answered by Otoya, and suddenly there was a slight scuffle in the background. "Changed?" Yuri asked, apparently having taken the cellphone away from Otoya. "You don't mean...."
"It was either do this or have to sever all contact with your cell," the Executioner reasoned. "I thought Wataru would be a better person with you and the others by his side."
"Wataru is human," Yuri said.
"Wataru is, and was never human," the Executioner pointed out. "You might have raised him human, true, and he does act human. Hm. In a way, yes, he is human." Yuri had a point. Wataru had been raised human, for the most part. Of course, like all ferals, he would have been taught to avoid exposing his true nature, so he would never be completely human. The Executioner hoped that both Wataru and his cell - all of which so far had proved to be reasonably intelligent - would figure that out. "And in some ways, I think that he shouldn't lose that perspective. Thus I didn't want him to lose contact with you."
"But he's still Fangaire," Yuri said. "When can we see him?"
"Ah," the Executioner said, looking in the general direction of the stairs, "As soon as I'm sure he can drain properly. In the meantime, I'll make sure he calls you - no reason for him to stay out of contact. And I'd like to have a meeting with at least some of you. I promised to tell you about some rogues, and I'd like to see what you think."
That might or might not mollify Yuri. At least maybe if he kept her and the others busy, then she'd have less time to think about what had happened to Wataru and get used to him as he'd become instead of the boy she'd helped raise.
"We'll come," she said briefly.
"I'll come to Kurenai Otoya's residence," he corrected, hearing the thump of Wataru's footsteps as he came down the stairs. "I don't want to put you at risk, and I don't want you to let your guard down just because he's Wataru."
Wataru stepped into the living room, a questioning expression on his face, and the Executioner motioned for him to sit down. "When's a convenient time to come?" he asked.
"We can be at the Kurenai residence in...." she paused, and asked Otoya in the background. Otoya gave her a figure. "Ten minutes."
"I'll be there in half an hour to an hour," the Executioner said. "I want to make sure Wataru's okay to be left alone."
"You're leaving a new Fangaire in your house, alone?" Yuri asked, sounding doubtful.
"Because it's my house, and as I said, your guard's likely to be down if you see Wataru," the Executioner argued. "I have ways of making it safer, but it's better for him to be here alone than near humans at the moment. And if worst comes to worst... I have manacles."
"Right," Yuri said, not sounding happy at all. "We'll see you there."
She hung up, and the Executioner did the same. To Wataru, who was sitting there looking like he desperately wanted to know what was going on, he said, "I'm going down to your father's house to talk to him and Yuri about our misguided Fangaire."
Wataru nodded. "And me?"
"I have a suspicion that they'll be wanting to talk about you. To you, as well, but it's best if we don't do that face to face for a few weeks. As it is, I'm going to trust you not to go outside, not to answer the doorbell, and if for some bizarre reason some human, Fangaire or anything else tries to force their way in, to call the police. If you have to deal with the police and you feel uncomfortable being around humans, call Hotaru - Hiraoka-san. She'll come and be there for you." Wataru was still new enough that Hotaru would be there for him like he was still a Fandiri.
"Oh," Wataru said, not looking too sure on whether he wanted to be left alone.
"And what I said to Yuri about letting one's guard down applies to you as well," the Executioner explained. "It's actually less work being around strangers than your own family, at least at the start. Over the years, you'll be used to working with them - and they'll be used to working with you." Especially if he could get one of those other cells they were affiliated with to merge. Aso Megumi's status was precarious at the moment, and they did need to create second and third generation hunters - preferably soon. "So, stay here, and eat something if you need to."
"Eat... something?" Wataru asked, and the Executioner could understand why he sounded so confused.
"Sure," he said. "While it's no real substitute for energy, food *will* distract your body enough that you won't feel the urge to drain the nearest human. It works best for younger Fangaire than us old folks, but by the time it stops working quite so well on you, you'll be able to control your appetite."
Wataru nodded, no doubt absorbing the information. The Executioner figured that if anybody would be into not killing random - or not so random - humans, it would be Wataru, and if there was anything he could do to prevent it, he would.
The boy would make a fine Executioner someday. And his team - maybe a mix of human and Wolfen at that point - would serve him in good stead.
"I'll be back in an hour or two," he promised, gathering together what information was on paper instead of in his head. He was nowhere as neat as the Watcher, but he did keep his files.
* * *
The Executioner showed up at Otoya's gate in about the timeframe he'd given them. Yuri had made sure Otoya's place was wired for sound; who knew what he might let slip? She had to reluctantly admit, however, that at least he had held to his promise to tell them about the rogues.
He just hadn't managed to keep Wataru safe. Wataru had not been a monster when she'd last seen him, and he was going to be a monster now. There was little she could do about it, there was no way to reverse the change. The best she could hope for was to keep Wataru in touch with his human roots, just as Naoko had wanted him to be. It was odd sharing that in common with a Fangaire, but Naoko had at least tried to keep humans' concerns in mind. Naoko was still a Fangaire, but Yuri had to admit that she was one of the few decent ones.
None of the monsters were good. Fortunately or unfortunately, the Fangaire had killed the other monsters off so they wouldn't interfere with their prey. Of course, she knew through Jiro that the Wolfen had ducked long enough to bring about several human-Wolfen bloodlines, and Jiro himself treasured his heritage. Yuri, after two decades of checking things out, wasn't too sure about the good part of keeping the Wolfen bloodline from dying out, and Megumi barely knew about that part of her ancestry. Once Yuri had figured out that the Wolfen had used humans too, she was determined to let her own bloodline die out if it killed that Wolfen bloodline as well.
Otoya showed the Executioner in, and they settled in chairs around a table. Yuri kept her mind on the subject; if the Fangaire was willing to share information, information that they could verify, then she was going to use it.
"We Fangaire have a problem," the Executioner said. "It seems like there are those of us who have forgotten our obligation to not kill humans, though they see it as the preservation of humankind in general. All of us like this planet as it is, we don't want it to die. Some of us have taken to killing humans, especially outside Japan, to reduce the human population and to save our planet. Their view is that to save humans, they have to kill some. Needless to say, killing humans on purpose for any reason is a death sentence, but some of the more extreme ones are willing to risk death by my hand to save the world in their eyes. It's no different than some of the more extreme human environmentalists, but in many ways, this cause is more deadly."
Yuri let the Executioner ramble on, saving the important bits in her head. So, the Fangaire were showing their true colors, outside the normal reach of hunter groups. Their group would need the cooperation of others to hunt them down. They had some weapons they could use, after all, weapons that didn't require Wataru and his Fangaire blood.
"So, you want us to hunt them down?" Otoya asked.
"At least help me hunt them down," the Executioner said. "I wasn't joking about the authorization to fight; your cell knows how to do it, and if you can track them down - and it is a Fangaire - you should have the right to hunt it. If Wataru is okay with being around humans, he can go with you. He is a member of your cell, after all."
Nice of him to acknowledge that, Yuri mused. But it wasn't total freedom; they'd be nothing but lackeys of the Executioner, not true hunters, no matter what the Executioner tried to hide or soften the truth.
And Yuri wasn't sure she wanted to be a hunter on those terms.
