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31_days2005-10-19 05:00 pm
luckychan.livejournal.com) wrote in 31_days2005-10-19 05:00 pm
[October 19] [Yu Yu Hakusho] Tenacity
Title: Tenacity
Day/Theme: Birds in your garden
Series: Yu Yu Hakusho
Character/Pairing: Koenma/Botan
Rating: G
Author’s Comments: The setting here is somewhat strange…I rather thought of them as transported into a society that was somewhat like England during the late 1800’s (blame my love for classical novels), but none of the details here are entirely accurate for that time period, either. ^^; Besides, their names are still in Japanese…so…^^;
This is my first drabble here, so comments are very much appreciated. ^_^ (This is also my first time writing an AU.)
“Lord Koenma, I saw this really beautiful bird in your garden, just now.”
Her rose-colored eyes gazed warily at him, though she kept the smile on her face, and the careless manner in which she spoke.
“It is a rare one, I think,” she went on as she flung the curtains open, letting in the morning light into his bedroom. “I’ve seen it in your picture books before, back when we were still children. I remembered how you’ve always wanted to see a bird like that, so I came to you right away. You wouldn’t want to waste an opportunity like this, would you, my Lord?”
He raised his head, meeting her gaze. “And what do you want me to do, Botan?” he snapped.
She flinched at his tone, but she recovered instantly, the wariness in her eyes changing to fierce determination. “You can’t stay in your room forever, Lord Koenma.”
“And that was very much like my father!” He laughed: a hollow, mirthless chortle. “Always telling me what to do, telling me it’s for my own good, and never even stopping to think what I feel—”
“I was only trying to help you,” she said, looking as if he had slapped her. “Here I am, concerned about you, and still you're so... If you really think that I’m only a nuisance, then maybe I should just—”
“Look, Botan, I’m sorry!” He stood up, taking her hand before she could turn to leave. “I shouldn’t have taken it out on you. It’s just that my father’s being stubborn about this whole thing.”
“That’s one thing you certainly inherited from him,” she said, and she grinned at that. “You really don’t want to leave, do you?”
“No.” He sat back down on his bed, arms akimbo. “Master George can still tutor me here, after all. Why do I need to leave to continue my studies?”
“They can teach you so much more, if you go,” she said, sitting down beside him. “’You need to get out into the world to know how to live in it,’ didn’t your father say that? He does want what is good for you, you know.”
“He just wants someone to pass down the responsibility to,” he said, dejectedly. “He wants me to take over the family business when he’s gone, which is why he’s sending me off to get an education.”
“Maybe that’s his idea of what’s good for you,” she said, gently. “Why, do you really not want to take over your family’s business?”
“I don’t know.” He stood up, pacing the room. “Maybe. I just don’t feel strongly about it, so maybe it’s not what I want.”
“What do you want, then?”
“To stay here. I will miss this house. And our garden.”
He looked at her, his hazel eyes meeting her own. “And I will miss the people here, the people I’ve grown up with. It just wouldn’t be the same.”
She looked away, two bright spots of red appearing on her cheeks. “And we, too, will miss you.” She continued to chatter on, cheerfully, although there was now a quiver in her voice. “Miss Ayame was actually in tears yesterday, while she was recounting the number of times she had to cover up for our little mishaps when we were children, and I—”
Finally, her own tears came, and she sat back down on the bed, her shoulders heaving up and down with her sobs. He looked at her, alarmed, and managed to awkwardly pat her shoulder, not knowing what to do.
“I will write, you know, Botan,” he stammered. “Besides, I’m not sure if I really am going…maybe the three days that I haven’t been going out of my room would finally get my point across to my father, and he’ll…er…”
“No,” she said, wiping her tears away with a pale hand. “You have to go. It’s the only way for you to know what you really want. You’ll meet so many other people, experience so much more, do things you’ll never be able to do here. Your father is right, no matter what his intentions are.”
He walked over to the window, looking out into his garden. He stared at the peony bed, bright pink as the sun’s rays fell on it. He and Botan first became friends as they worked on that bed, and an unlikely friendship it was. He was the only son of one of the richest merchants of the town, while she was the only daughter of one of their servants.
Lord and servant, that was what their relationship with each other should have been: but now he realized it was much more than that; they had shared so much through the years for him to let go just like that.
A single bird hopped into the peony bed, and she suddenly let out a delighted cry at the sight of it.
“Look, Lord Koenma!” she exclaimed, grabbing his arm. “That’s the bird I was talking about!”
“It’s a rose colored starling,” he said, smiling now, caught up in her enthusiasm as well. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen one of these!” He made for the door, gesturing for her to follow. “What are we waiting for, then?”
“You were the one who didn’t want to get out in the first place,” she pointed out, amused.
“I was being unreasonable, like my father.” He smiled, and ran a hand through his dark brown hair. They went out the door, and down the staircase. “Thank you, Botan. For…for doing all this.”
“Aye, it was nothing,” she said, with a dismissive of her hand. She looked away, blushing, and said hastily, to change the topic, “With your interest in birds, and plants, I wonder if you shouldn’t become a naturalist instead, Lord Koenma. It would suit you, better than being a merchant like your father.”
“Why, maybe you’re right.” He smiled at the prospect, in spite of himself.
“Three years,” she said. “That’s quite a long time. Long enough for you to decide on what you want to be.”
“To follow in my father’s footsteps, or to tread my own path?”
“Who knows, the next time you come back, you’ll be bringing back a beautiful bride,” she said, but now there was a certain hollowness to the way she spoke, though she was still smiling cheerfully. “With the prospect of grandchildren, I don’t think your father would have the heart to refuse you in doing what you want to do instead of taking over the family business.”
“I don’t need to leave to find a beautiful bride,” he said lightly, looking at the ceiling, too embarrassed to look at her, fearing her reaction.
He heard her utter a strange, strangled sort of sound, which he gave no notice to, and instead opened the front door for her. For a moment, he saw the two spots of red that had appeared again on her cheeks, and the smile on her lips, stretching from ear to ear.
He closed the door behind him as he followed her outside. His hand found hers, then, and together, they walked towards the bird she spoke of, the sun smiling down upon them.
Day/Theme: Birds in your garden
Series: Yu Yu Hakusho
Character/Pairing: Koenma/Botan
Rating: G
Author’s Comments: The setting here is somewhat strange…I rather thought of them as transported into a society that was somewhat like England during the late 1800’s (blame my love for classical novels), but none of the details here are entirely accurate for that time period, either. ^^; Besides, their names are still in Japanese…so…^^;
This is my first drabble here, so comments are very much appreciated. ^_^ (This is also my first time writing an AU.)
“Lord Koenma, I saw this really beautiful bird in your garden, just now.”
Her rose-colored eyes gazed warily at him, though she kept the smile on her face, and the careless manner in which she spoke.
“It is a rare one, I think,” she went on as she flung the curtains open, letting in the morning light into his bedroom. “I’ve seen it in your picture books before, back when we were still children. I remembered how you’ve always wanted to see a bird like that, so I came to you right away. You wouldn’t want to waste an opportunity like this, would you, my Lord?”
He raised his head, meeting her gaze. “And what do you want me to do, Botan?” he snapped.
She flinched at his tone, but she recovered instantly, the wariness in her eyes changing to fierce determination. “You can’t stay in your room forever, Lord Koenma.”
“And that was very much like my father!” He laughed: a hollow, mirthless chortle. “Always telling me what to do, telling me it’s for my own good, and never even stopping to think what I feel—”
“I was only trying to help you,” she said, looking as if he had slapped her. “Here I am, concerned about you, and still you're so... If you really think that I’m only a nuisance, then maybe I should just—”
“Look, Botan, I’m sorry!” He stood up, taking her hand before she could turn to leave. “I shouldn’t have taken it out on you. It’s just that my father’s being stubborn about this whole thing.”
“That’s one thing you certainly inherited from him,” she said, and she grinned at that. “You really don’t want to leave, do you?”
“No.” He sat back down on his bed, arms akimbo. “Master George can still tutor me here, after all. Why do I need to leave to continue my studies?”
“They can teach you so much more, if you go,” she said, sitting down beside him. “’You need to get out into the world to know how to live in it,’ didn’t your father say that? He does want what is good for you, you know.”
“He just wants someone to pass down the responsibility to,” he said, dejectedly. “He wants me to take over the family business when he’s gone, which is why he’s sending me off to get an education.”
“Maybe that’s his idea of what’s good for you,” she said, gently. “Why, do you really not want to take over your family’s business?”
“I don’t know.” He stood up, pacing the room. “Maybe. I just don’t feel strongly about it, so maybe it’s not what I want.”
“What do you want, then?”
“To stay here. I will miss this house. And our garden.”
He looked at her, his hazel eyes meeting her own. “And I will miss the people here, the people I’ve grown up with. It just wouldn’t be the same.”
She looked away, two bright spots of red appearing on her cheeks. “And we, too, will miss you.” She continued to chatter on, cheerfully, although there was now a quiver in her voice. “Miss Ayame was actually in tears yesterday, while she was recounting the number of times she had to cover up for our little mishaps when we were children, and I—”
Finally, her own tears came, and she sat back down on the bed, her shoulders heaving up and down with her sobs. He looked at her, alarmed, and managed to awkwardly pat her shoulder, not knowing what to do.
“I will write, you know, Botan,” he stammered. “Besides, I’m not sure if I really am going…maybe the three days that I haven’t been going out of my room would finally get my point across to my father, and he’ll…er…”
“No,” she said, wiping her tears away with a pale hand. “You have to go. It’s the only way for you to know what you really want. You’ll meet so many other people, experience so much more, do things you’ll never be able to do here. Your father is right, no matter what his intentions are.”
He walked over to the window, looking out into his garden. He stared at the peony bed, bright pink as the sun’s rays fell on it. He and Botan first became friends as they worked on that bed, and an unlikely friendship it was. He was the only son of one of the richest merchants of the town, while she was the only daughter of one of their servants.
Lord and servant, that was what their relationship with each other should have been: but now he realized it was much more than that; they had shared so much through the years for him to let go just like that.
A single bird hopped into the peony bed, and she suddenly let out a delighted cry at the sight of it.
“Look, Lord Koenma!” she exclaimed, grabbing his arm. “That’s the bird I was talking about!”
“It’s a rose colored starling,” he said, smiling now, caught up in her enthusiasm as well. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen one of these!” He made for the door, gesturing for her to follow. “What are we waiting for, then?”
“You were the one who didn’t want to get out in the first place,” she pointed out, amused.
“I was being unreasonable, like my father.” He smiled, and ran a hand through his dark brown hair. They went out the door, and down the staircase. “Thank you, Botan. For…for doing all this.”
“Aye, it was nothing,” she said, with a dismissive of her hand. She looked away, blushing, and said hastily, to change the topic, “With your interest in birds, and plants, I wonder if you shouldn’t become a naturalist instead, Lord Koenma. It would suit you, better than being a merchant like your father.”
“Why, maybe you’re right.” He smiled at the prospect, in spite of himself.
“Three years,” she said. “That’s quite a long time. Long enough for you to decide on what you want to be.”
“To follow in my father’s footsteps, or to tread my own path?”
“Who knows, the next time you come back, you’ll be bringing back a beautiful bride,” she said, but now there was a certain hollowness to the way she spoke, though she was still smiling cheerfully. “With the prospect of grandchildren, I don’t think your father would have the heart to refuse you in doing what you want to do instead of taking over the family business.”
“I don’t need to leave to find a beautiful bride,” he said lightly, looking at the ceiling, too embarrassed to look at her, fearing her reaction.
He heard her utter a strange, strangled sort of sound, which he gave no notice to, and instead opened the front door for her. For a moment, he saw the two spots of red that had appeared again on her cheeks, and the smile on her lips, stretching from ear to ear.
He closed the door behind him as he followed her outside. His hand found hers, then, and together, they walked towards the bird she spoke of, the sun smiling down upon them.