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fictionalized2014-01-11 12:19 am
acperience) wrote in fictionalized2014-01-11 12:19 am
Entry tags:
fanfic; ever after
Title: Ever After
Series: Snow White and Seven Dwarfs
Character(s): Souichi, Souji, Fujimaru, Ken, Akane, Takeru, and Shirayuki, with mentions of Izumi, Amagiya, and Kuroyuki.
Warnings: Mentions of death.
Summary: It might've taken a hundred years, but this story finally gets a happy ending.
Note: In hindsight, not entirely accurate, as Ken would not have taken that long to reach the top, but eh.
—
Ever After
—
On that day, a fire burns.
—
His body uncomfortably small—even smaller than it used to be—Souichi watches. He takes a moment to glance up at Souji (similarly, Souichi's less than pleased at the lines that further adorn his brother's face), who stares towards the fire. Souichi knows that Souji can't see it, with a stab of guilt at the reminder why; however, they can both feel the flames distinctly from where they're standing.
"Brother...?" Souji says, his voice soft and uncertain. Souichi tugs on his sleeve so as to confirm for Souji that he's still there (and perhaps, more so, because Souichi himself needs it).
"... Yeah."
As Takeru's fire blazes and the embodiment of their revenge turns to ash, a weight is lifted from Souichi's shoulders—his own and Souji's, he knows.
Though neither has much time left, he's satisfied knowing that they've held out for this long. That they lived long enough to have their vengeance fulfilled—to have hope restored the people—is enough for him.
Speaking into his mouthpiece, he reports the news that they've all been waiting for:
"Ken. Takeru did it."
—
The trip to the top of the building is spent in a state drifting between consciousness and unconsciousness. Beyond that, Fujimaru can't feel anything in his right arm, as dimly, a part of him wonders if maybe he is dying after all.
(He can't—not now of all times.)
Vaguely, he's aware of Souichi's voice and Ken saying something in return, but with most of his efforts going to simply trying to live, he has trouble making out most of the words.
"What...?" He manages weakly.
"Ah, you're awake now? Just hold on for a bit longer—we'll get you to Akane soon..."
Fujimaru shakes his head. "... Not important. The... meteor...?"
"Looks like you managed to stop it. You did well, Fujimaru."
Exhaustion (not dying, can't die now) threatens to overtake him, as his vision blurs further, but he knows that there's one, last thing he has to ascertain—
"... The old hag...?"
"Dead." Along with the unspoken words: we're free.
It's all Fujimaru needs to hear.
And though he's never been one for optimism—he lets himself believe just this once that everything will be fine, as the darkness consumes him.
—
It was worth it, Akane thinks.
The others have been telling him from the start that he didn't have to come back—it was dangerous, and he has no means of defending himself. He has no personal grudge against the government either, beyond the sentiments that all of the people—oppressed and beaten— share.
(But perhaps that's part of it, isn't it? If he can help bring this reign of misery to end, then why shouldn't he?)
More than that, he's seen miracles.
A man who should've died but survived (and the girl whose blood saved him), an immortal who should've survived but died (and the boy who managed to end an unending life).
They're miracles that put to rest the mystery of what he is (and more have awakened, of course, but he's happy to investigate those as well), giving him a sense of identity he's never had. They're miracles he was a part of, which, to him, is the greatest honour.
They're miracles that will save this broken-down city, and Akane, for one, is looking forward to the future that they'll create.
—
Takeru drops to his knees, worn and exhausted but alive. As per usual, his arm burns with pain that he's learned to handle, but this time, he barely even feels it over the adrenaline, fading though it may be, running through his body.
He breathes in and out, the smoke harsh in his lungs, as he reminds himself that now's not the time to be in a daze.
(Gotta smile—now's a good time to smile, isn't it?)
And he turns to the brother who taught him that—who, unsurprisingly, is smiling faintly back at him. Akane's now moving to deal with the man's wounds, and it scares Takeru to think about how close he came to losing his brother, but he tells himself that it's fine now.
He swore that he wouldn't let any of them die, and now, he can say that he kept that promise.
The thought is almost enough to make him want to burst out laughing in relief—because everything is going to be all right from now on—but he knows that there's one more matter that he has to take care of.
Mustering up the best smile he can through the pain and exhaustion, he turns to Shirayuki.
—
It feels like a dream—one that Shirayuki is terrified of waking up from, because she so desperately wants this to be reality.
But then Takeru holds his arms out, as she moves to leap into them. It's a familiar gesture, being one that they've carried out so many times. However, this time, his tightening hold on her (and she really has missed him so, so much) is all she needs to know.
This is real.
Takeru's half-crying, half-laughing now as he tries to speak, with Shirayuki doing the same as she tries to remember—no, learn—what laughter from her own body is like. Crying, though, she can do easily enough, as she sobs into Takeru's chest. She isn't crying for her mother, nothing more now than ashes (not after what she did, not after Shirayuki's spent far too long trying to stop her), but rather, she cries for the end of this story and the beginning of a new one.
Speaking with a voice that she's only barely begun to use after a century of disuse, she smiles up at Takeru.
"Thank you."
—To all of them, to her dwarfs and to her prince and to all the people who made this possible.
Because after a hundred years (a hundred years of misery and half-wishing she could just die if there was no other way to end it), this nightmare is finally over—
Series: Snow White and Seven Dwarfs
Character(s): Souichi, Souji, Fujimaru, Ken, Akane, Takeru, and Shirayuki, with mentions of Izumi, Amagiya, and Kuroyuki.
Warnings: Mentions of death.
Summary: It might've taken a hundred years, but this story finally gets a happy ending.
Note: In hindsight, not entirely accurate, as Ken would not have taken that long to reach the top, but eh.
On that day, a fire burns.
His body uncomfortably small—even smaller than it used to be—Souichi watches. He takes a moment to glance up at Souji (similarly, Souichi's less than pleased at the lines that further adorn his brother's face), who stares towards the fire. Souichi knows that Souji can't see it, with a stab of guilt at the reminder why; however, they can both feel the flames distinctly from where they're standing.
"Brother...?" Souji says, his voice soft and uncertain. Souichi tugs on his sleeve so as to confirm for Souji that he's still there (and perhaps, more so, because Souichi himself needs it).
"... Yeah."
As Takeru's fire blazes and the embodiment of their revenge turns to ash, a weight is lifted from Souichi's shoulders—his own and Souji's, he knows.
Though neither has much time left, he's satisfied knowing that they've held out for this long. That they lived long enough to have their vengeance fulfilled—to have hope restored the people—is enough for him.
Speaking into his mouthpiece, he reports the news that they've all been waiting for:
"Ken. Takeru did it."
The trip to the top of the building is spent in a state drifting between consciousness and unconsciousness. Beyond that, Fujimaru can't feel anything in his right arm, as dimly, a part of him wonders if maybe he is dying after all.
(He can't—not now of all times.)
Vaguely, he's aware of Souichi's voice and Ken saying something in return, but with most of his efforts going to simply trying to live, he has trouble making out most of the words.
"What...?" He manages weakly.
"Ah, you're awake now? Just hold on for a bit longer—we'll get you to Akane soon..."
Fujimaru shakes his head. "... Not important. The... meteor...?"
"Looks like you managed to stop it. You did well, Fujimaru."
Exhaustion (not dying, can't die now) threatens to overtake him, as his vision blurs further, but he knows that there's one, last thing he has to ascertain—
"... The old hag...?"
"Dead." Along with the unspoken words: we're free.
It's all Fujimaru needs to hear.
And though he's never been one for optimism—he lets himself believe just this once that everything will be fine, as the darkness consumes him.
It was worth it, Akane thinks.
The others have been telling him from the start that he didn't have to come back—it was dangerous, and he has no means of defending himself. He has no personal grudge against the government either, beyond the sentiments that all of the people—oppressed and beaten— share.
(But perhaps that's part of it, isn't it? If he can help bring this reign of misery to end, then why shouldn't he?)
More than that, he's seen miracles.
A man who should've died but survived (and the girl whose blood saved him), an immortal who should've survived but died (and the boy who managed to end an unending life).
They're miracles that put to rest the mystery of what he is (and more have awakened, of course, but he's happy to investigate those as well), giving him a sense of identity he's never had. They're miracles he was a part of, which, to him, is the greatest honour.
They're miracles that will save this broken-down city, and Akane, for one, is looking forward to the future that they'll create.
Takeru drops to his knees, worn and exhausted but alive. As per usual, his arm burns with pain that he's learned to handle, but this time, he barely even feels it over the adrenaline, fading though it may be, running through his body.
He breathes in and out, the smoke harsh in his lungs, as he reminds himself that now's not the time to be in a daze.
(Gotta smile—now's a good time to smile, isn't it?)
And he turns to the brother who taught him that—who, unsurprisingly, is smiling faintly back at him. Akane's now moving to deal with the man's wounds, and it scares Takeru to think about how close he came to losing his brother, but he tells himself that it's fine now.
He swore that he wouldn't let any of them die, and now, he can say that he kept that promise.
The thought is almost enough to make him want to burst out laughing in relief—because everything is going to be all right from now on—but he knows that there's one more matter that he has to take care of.
Mustering up the best smile he can through the pain and exhaustion, he turns to Shirayuki.
It feels like a dream—one that Shirayuki is terrified of waking up from, because she so desperately wants this to be reality.
But then Takeru holds his arms out, as she moves to leap into them. It's a familiar gesture, being one that they've carried out so many times. However, this time, his tightening hold on her (and she really has missed him so, so much) is all she needs to know.
This is real.
Takeru's half-crying, half-laughing now as he tries to speak, with Shirayuki doing the same as she tries to remember—no, learn—what laughter from her own body is like. Crying, though, she can do easily enough, as she sobs into Takeru's chest. She isn't crying for her mother, nothing more now than ashes (not after what she did, not after Shirayuki's spent far too long trying to stop her), but rather, she cries for the end of this story and the beginning of a new one.
Speaking with a voice that she's only barely begun to use after a century of disuse, she smiles up at Takeru.
"Thank you."
—To all of them, to her dwarfs and to her prince and to all the people who made this possible.
Because after a hundred years (a hundred years of misery and half-wishing she could just die if there was no other way to end it), this nightmare is finally over—