[August 28] [Konjiki no Gash Bell] Nor the Battle to the Strong

[murinae.livejournal.com]

Title: Nor the Battle to the Strong
Day/Theme: August 28 - "Gilgamesh"
Series: Konjiki no Gash Bell!!
Characters: Kiyomaro, Gash
Rating: G

Spoiler Warning: Chapters 214-216 of the manga. Text in italics are quoted (well, somewhat) straight from the manga.



Nor the Battle to the Strong

On your first attempt to make a Vulcan, you ripped the box completely in half. Broken biscuits had showered the floor with a sweet rat-tat-tat.

"Jeeeez! You really don't know your own strength, do you?" Kiyomaro had groaned. "Stop gripping the box so tightly. And quit pounding the chopsticks in ... uugh, I don't know how your first Vulcan lasted so long ... gently okay? You gotta learn how to move gently."

But in your hands, the chopsticks kept snapping. The cardboard kept tearing. You even glued your fingers together once (and you glued Kiyomaro's sweater to the floor twice.) The room filled with the scent of paste and Pretz as the clock ticked on.

Yet, although you saw the annoyance building up in his eyes, although tears of frustration welled in your own, Kiyomaro never complained as he showed you, yet again, where to cut the holes, place the chopsticks, and glue together the ends. You remember how he wrapped his hands around your own, guiding.

You also remember the half-grin he gave you, when you presented him with your first completed Vulcan.

"Not bad," he had said. "Actually looks like it'll hold up. You sure you want me to have it?"

He put your Vulcan on the very top of his reading shelf, where he kept his most favorite books.

After that, Kiyomaro would not make any more Vulcans for you.

"Look, you can make your own friends now, even when I'm not around. Especially when I'm not around."

On your own, however, your fingers aren't used to being careful. You still end up ripping the boxes. The chopsticks still break.

Luckily, Vulcans are easy to fix. All you need is a bit of glue. A bit of wood. Sometimes, a bit of patience. Sometimes, a bit of luck.

But humans aren't like Vulcans.

"Kiyomaro, wake up!"

Humans aren't easily fixed.

"WAKE UP!"

So you know you shouldn't pound them with your fists. You know you shouldn't shake them or grip them too tightly.

You know. You've learned. He's taught you.

"Hurry up and open your eyes!"

He's taught you how not to rip or break things, even when he is not around. Especially when he's not around.

"Aren't we supposed to fight together?!"

But there's one thing you've never been able to teach him.

"Didn't you promise to make me the kind king?"

There's one thing he's never understood, not even with his immeasurable intellect or his clever hands.

Without him . . .

"KIYOMARO! What am I supposed to do now?! KIYOMARO!"

Those lessons mean nothing to you at all.

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Well. Yes, it's an obscure fandom and I'm so far ahead in the timeline of the subs/dubs/whatever that I don't think people should read the piece even if they are a part of the fandom. T_T. It's not even an episode in the anime yet. However, just in case someone made it through:

Special thanks and luff go to mareimbrium for betaing this and beating the fic into submission, even if she isn't a part of the fandom. (It's always been strangely amusing and appropriate (to me at least) that the words betaing and beating are anagrams of each other).

Also much luff goes to northarrow, himadesu, hasunoutena, and pastles for putting up with me talking about Konjiki no Gash Bell, which occurs all-the-friggin-time.

Finally, much appreciation goes to the konjiki community and melz whom, knowingly or unknowingly, helped me with these chapters. My Japanese skills cannot exactly be described as "good", so I need all the help I can get. I did take some liberties with the text, however. Bad me.

And if you read, thank you for getting this far. :)