yui shousetsu | (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
ownself) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
huaguoshan2024-03-23 12:49 pm
ownself) wrote in huaguoshan2024-03-23 12:49 pm
we (can) make the world,
[When the calamitous Ibuki-Douji had drawn herself up once again after another ground-shaking clash with Rider Shousetsu wondered if she would be sacrificing the last of her strength and energy in this place. As the dust eventually settled a wave of resoluteness suffused her battered being, seizing her body with the tenacious will to continue moving forward.
And then, it was over.
"Congratulations, you two!"
The eruption of cheering from the crowd was secondary, background noise compared to the numb shock she felt in that moment. Everything after had moved so swiftly she could scarcely make sense of it at the time— but one thing that did remain with her, from the final moments before her wish was granted until they finally stepped out into the refreshing night once more.
What remained was that she and Rider had won.
Even with the wish partially drained of power she could feel its potency unraveling from her fingers, released into the world, guided by her hand.
That sensation remained as they returned to Choukou Hall victorious, an impromptu celebration of devoted students and disciples following around. The usual steely-faced Shousetsu could not banish the helpless smile from her lips as they welcomed her and Rider back, drinks and food aplenty for those who wished to celebrate Grandmaster Shousetsu's victory.
As always, however, Shousetsu decided not to partake in their merriment and assured them to enjoy themselves— for their happiness was hers, and it was not long until she is able to steal away into her private quarters with Rider, her body still abuzz with adrenaline and disbelief.]
...
[Quietly on tabi feet she pads to where her room opens into the private garden beyond the engawa. The moon is vibrantly bright, and while Shousetsu is not so selfish as to keep its beauty to herself... for a moment it does feel as though it is glowing brighter than usual.
For her, for Rider. A blessing for the two of them.
Shousetsu speaks out into the night air, the quiet din of her students far on the other side of the building.]
We truly won... didn't we, Rider?
[Is what she quietly utters alone, as though she were still fighting for breath after the last round. In the center of her psyche she feels Rider like a warm flame there and speaks to her from there.]
And then, it was over.
"Congratulations, you two!"
The eruption of cheering from the crowd was secondary, background noise compared to the numb shock she felt in that moment. Everything after had moved so swiftly she could scarcely make sense of it at the time— but one thing that did remain with her, from the final moments before her wish was granted until they finally stepped out into the refreshing night once more.
What remained was that she and Rider had won.
Even with the wish partially drained of power she could feel its potency unraveling from her fingers, released into the world, guided by her hand.
That sensation remained as they returned to Choukou Hall victorious, an impromptu celebration of devoted students and disciples following around. The usual steely-faced Shousetsu could not banish the helpless smile from her lips as they welcomed her and Rider back, drinks and food aplenty for those who wished to celebrate Grandmaster Shousetsu's victory.
As always, however, Shousetsu decided not to partake in their merriment and assured them to enjoy themselves— for their happiness was hers, and it was not long until she is able to steal away into her private quarters with Rider, her body still abuzz with adrenaline and disbelief.]
...
[Quietly on tabi feet she pads to where her room opens into the private garden beyond the engawa. The moon is vibrantly bright, and while Shousetsu is not so selfish as to keep its beauty to herself... for a moment it does feel as though it is glowing brighter than usual.
For her, for Rider. A blessing for the two of them.
Shousetsu speaks out into the night air, the quiet din of her students far on the other side of the building.]
We truly won... didn't we, Rider?
[Is what she quietly utters alone, as though she were still fighting for breath after the last round. In the center of her psyche she feels Rider like a warm flame there and speaks to her from there.]
no subject
that's how it'd always been, natural as breathing to her. in this case, it was her preference, when the company was unworthy, their memories purposefully and magically brief,
and when the roiling energy from their battle still coursed through her, adding to the ever-persistent gnawing in the back of her mind, her urgency to bring about the world they both seek. that the whole affair had been a departure from the main ritual had settled a silent sense of impatience on her shoulders until it was finally won. their encounter with the snake goddess left her unsatisfied — tapered to a forced conclusion. another objective left unfulfilled, another wrong left unpunished.
"too bad for you, but you should really be satisfied with your results today."
...
even more infuriating than her presence, her unabashed and indulgent existence, is how forcefully the god-oni is able to see through her. ibuki-douji had said that for shousetsu's sake as much as for her own, she knows.
"you should really be satisfied."
it's difficult to ignore the draw she feels when she sees her master's softened gaze, the fleeting warmth in her seagreen eyes. if nothing else, she remembers the sound of the words she'd uttered to her after they won, the breath of gratitude in them.
...
shousetsu's voice pulls her from her thoughts, and calls her from the ether. rider forms at the veranda's edge, before her master. the moon washes the garden behind her in a cool white glow, the lantern dancing hot orange across the surface of her armor in front. she makes for an odd sight, nearly two meters of jet black armor in her master's private room, but it's long since become natural to them.
her voice echoes and rattles within the suit, cold as always, but just a breath quieter than usual. ]
It isn't like you to daydream, my liege. There is no reason to doubt; victory for us was all but assured.
no subject
Shousetsu takes in the last stray flecks of gold rising from Rider's form and turns her attention to that unflinching helmet. The moonlight catches the angles of her armor and reminds her of the night they first met— surrounded by clouds of dust and light, under the moon's same watchful gaze.
It was at that time did Shousetsu realize she was given a chance beyond her station— a weapon so fearsome she almost pitied the other Masters. Rider had cleaved the way towards this victory, just as she had predicted all those months ago.
And Rider's blade stood beside her even now.
The knowledge— accompanied by Rider's words— stokes that exhilaration still within her and she turns away to smile modestly to herself.]
Yes. That is what I believed from the very beginning.
[Sliding her feet into her garden sandals Shousetsu then steps down from the veranda onto the stepping stone laid beside it.]
Our enemies were no trite commoners. Assassin with his cunning, Lancer with her devotion, and Archer with his strategies.
[As she walks she approaches the tallest and oldest tree in her garden, a dogwood whose branches were decorated with white blossoms. There was a light scattering of them as she paused before it, her eyes gazing upward.]
But all of them... they still fell to your sword, Rider.
[She turns then, a subdued yet admiring smile upon her lips.]
There could be no other outcome, after all.
no subject
and shousetsu, the center of her attention as she quietly follows after her, gleams just as brightly as that celestial surface, the shine of her hair and skin like an extension of the light and flowers itself.
as she listens to shousetsu speak, she finds a different sort of restlessness taking root in her center to replace the rest. the cool evening wind like winter's breath works like those words to finally seep through the invisible cracks of her armor.
"there could be no other outcome, after all."
rider takes a step forward. where normally she might keep a cordial distance, enough to keep their gazes level, rider finds herself drawn to that smile. out of concern, she might reason if asked, wondering quietly if her master hadn't drunk a bit after all.
something stirs in her.
... ]
All for the sake of your wish, my lord. We shall win the Waxing Moon much the same way.
no subject
Shousetsu is still smiling at Rider when her Servant speaks and after that affirmation she lowers her gaze again— her smile remaining.]
Yet another hurdle we will simply need to overcome. The other Masters only held a glimpse of your power tonight, Rider. Once they are prepared to stand ground once more we will meet them without hesitation.
[Her words are soft and severe with confidence— and why shouldn't they be, when she already held just a small portion of that power that could continue to open the gates of that dream? Nothing was impossible— so long as they continued to look forward, so long as nothing stood in their path— so long as—
—they were together.]
The Waxing Moon... [Shousetsu's whisper is almost lost as another scattering of blossoms take flight above them. She presses that pale hand to her chest once more, as though that were the only thing stopping her artificial heart from springing free of its cage.]
... will be ours.
[Her lips part in that second of silence and a flash of uncertainty shines in her eyes. It's quickly stamped out, however, as she looks up at her Servant once more before taking a quiet step close. The distance between them has shrunk yet again— from here she could place a hand on Rider's cuirass if she so wished.
But instead:]
Rider... I have already expressed my gratitude to you once. However—
I would like to express it again. Properly.
[Blood roars in her ears and her fingers curl inward into her own chest.]
Your helmet, Rider.
no subject
("the waxing moon ... will be ours")
—and unsullied virtue.
the moon reflects like glittering snowflakes in the bed of those seagreen eyes, and rider wonders just how long she's allowed to peer into that ardent gaze, once her shadow eclipses shousetsu's view of the twinkling sky.
... ahhh, but that expression is why she answered her summon to begin with, always daring to look up, daring to look ahead, to worship good and condemn evil. those were the eyes of a justice this world would never accept. it was her sole duty to ensure that her sword carved out a space in this rotten earth for her master, for her pure ideals.
from this distance, rider feels the fluttering of shousetsu's heart as though it were her own.
they are one and the same — the tether between them seems to ache as shousetsu approaches, and rider never steps back, never tears her gaze from her master. she had spent too long focused on time wasted, on demons left unconquered — she should be, as her master always is, looking ahead. towards the waxing moon, towards victory,
towards the end.
a moonbeam dances like a spark off rider's helmet as she settles, that quiet smoldering fire reigniting within her. perhaps that's the reason rider doesn't immediately hesitate when she hears her master's words, reading the static catching between them, the electricity quietly coming off those pale, tightening fingers.
still, she has to make sure that her master understands what she's asking for. her voice is much quieter now, the word comes worlds more subdued than it had throughout their detour: ]
... My liege.
no subject
The wind cuts through them, Rider's dark and looming figure shielding her from the most of it.
It had always been that way, hadn't it?
A dryness touches her mouth as she allows a quiet yet tense beat to pass through them. The light which resonates from Rider's gaze seems to pierce through her very being, burning far brighter than any flame. She imagines what it would be like— for that glowing stare to be the last thing one sees before they are snuffed from this world.
To be cut down so efficiently and so swiftly by the Mystic Slayer, the Commander of the Genji herself— one would wonder if any of her enemies understood such an honor.
But looking upon it now, she feels only—
...
If she waits any longer...
Shousetsu watches her resolutely, her lips parting gently to utter the unthinkable.]
Please, Rider.
no subject
a singular petal flutters down, carried on the wind past the towering rider, and lands silently on shousetsu's shoulder.
(perhaps, later, they would reflect on this instance as the first indication that it was not her master's power, her authority, or her command spells, that kept rider in check this long.)
without a word, rider lifts one sturdy, gloved hand to the juncture of the mask's jaw. it rattles like the rest of her does as it comes undone. piece by iron piece, it pulls apart like ribbon, beginning from the chin, tucking itself away along her spine. once revealed, her lips show as much emotion as the mask did, falling away now. perhaps less, without that menacing frown and the trails of glowing tears to mar its face. ]
1/2
Could Rider hear her heart striking away at her chest? Could she feel her apprehension, her fever that was steadily threatening to overtake her senses? It was a part of her as anything else and yet to feel it so intensely and gradually— like an eruption ready to melt ice caps and break apart the barrier around it. Was it palpable from where she stood— so close they've been standing together now. Shousetsu is certain Rider can hear the wavering in her breath as she inhales slowly through her lips.
Only the smallest sliver of doubt, until—
Her mask is dislodged, falling away. Unsmiling lips and a slender, pale jaw come into view, already faintly glowing by the moon's touch.
The fluttering breath she had sucked in a second ago releases in one disbelieving gust. How ridiculous, how foolish of her to doubt for even a moment that Rider would not see her wish done. That was her entire purpose, her reason for cultivating this shell crafted especially for her— to be a powerful Servant's Master, to use Rider to obtain her wish.
The reason she was still here was because of Rider.
Rider, who believed in her wish. Who did not think to laugh upon learning of her true dream...
Her blade and shield.
I...! ]
no subject
Unthinking, Shousetsu pitches her body forward. Her foot stamps hard on the ground between them, propelling her high enough to reach up and take hold of the curved spikes on each side of Rider's helmet. Both her feet leave the ground as she leaps, pulls down on them—
—and surges forward to crush their lips together.
Just as one is struck with shock after plunging into frigid waters so does Shousetsu jerk against Rider— a high-pitched gasp forcing her lips open. But instead of scrambling for shore she dives deeper— wrapping one arm around Rider's neck and pressing their mouths together with force. She shuts her eyes, leans into it as much as she's able until breath is stolen and sealed completely.
It's only a second later does she pull apart with smaller, softer gasp. Her eyes slowly open and the color in them tremble as she searches Rider's face, that unyielding gaze.]
F-Forgive me... Rider.
[Is all she can manage to say, after that.]
no subject
but shousetsu moves before she can peel the rest away.
that singular petal is cast in the wind, twinkling like a small bell as it lands in the garden stream. above them, a warbler startles in the branches at the sound of suddenly clattering iron and flutters off into the night sky, scattering even more petals all around them.
through her still-masked eyes, all rider sees is white.
the shower of blossoms raining down upon them, the flash of moonlight, the riverstream of shousetsu's hair as she leaps.
the blinding flashbang of desire, blanking her thoughts all at once.
on sheer instinct, rider's arm catches shousetsu in her reckless jump, sweeping her close from behind as she's all but torn down to her master's level. —her gasp matches shousetsu's as their lips join and part, an echo of the way she had during the tournament, the precious few moments she was taken by surprise by their enemies.
ah, but this—
this could be nothing like that. no, it could be everything like that. the half-absence of the mask means she relies on them both — on the shell meant to mold her, and the great power it was meant to contain, as passion thunders in her chest.
when they part the second time, rider does not hear. she does not see. lips parted in stunned silence, she takes in the typhoon of mana swirling between their tangled limbs, feels the gasp of shousetsu's breath against her lips. ]
Sh—
[ static electricity shocks the blossoms off her feathered shoulders, sparks at her palm as she flattens it against the small of shousetsu's back. she pulls her in with all the strength afforded her, compelling her master to yield her weight against it. the hand opposite the one around her neck cups that red-dusted cheek, her breath quickening for the instant she cradles her there—
before she crushes their mouths together again.
and again, and again, she heaves between each kiss like punctuation, bending shousetsu nearly parallel to the floor. ]
Hah—
no subject
Flecks of it shine across Rider's armor along with the wayward specks of white from blossoms falling around them. Their subtle scent fills the air pleasantly, but every other sense falls wayside to the stillness existing between them after she pulls away. Against her back Rider’s arm keeps her suspended and she stubbornly curls her fingers around Rider’s neck.
But for all the heat and anticipation coursing through her veins there is still a miniscule speck of doubt– a fear that Rider will lower her onto the ground and her fleeting show of desire would be dismissed. She would accept it with all the grace and humility instilled within her and they would not speak of it again. There would be nothing owed, only the agreement to move forward—
She shuts her eyes. Foolish. Forgive m—
The quiver of Rider’s breath shatters the silence.
Sharp metal touches the tip of her tongue as that vibrant lightning dances across Rider’s feather. It tickles her arm and renders her speechless as that glove touches upon her cheek. The warmth emanating from her fingers widens her eyes, clears her expression of everything besides slack-jawed wonder. The night sky tilts as Rider presses forward and her hands cling to those plates of armor.]
Ah!
[Then their mouths meet and her eyes shut instantly.
Heat explodes behind them, across her face and along her body. Whether it was the circulation of mana flowing through their forms or her own desire flooding every limb she cannot say, cannot think as Rider’s lips pull and return.
Her heart spasms within her chest, full to burst.
And with every kiss she is there to meet her, holding nothing back, breath escaping her in small hitching gasps each time they part. Her pride and admiration is made palpable with every hard press, each time she meets her and aligns her profile in such a way that the next kiss that comes is deeper than the last. So tightly gripped by her flooding passion she cares not for the sounds of their breathing filling the garden alongside the sound of branches swaying.
Shousetsu cares not for anything else besides this moment. She squirms, struggles to press herself as close to Rider as possible— legs helplessly lifted still from the ground, arms clinging to her Servant’s neck.
Her sandal falls and clatters quietly on the ground.]
Rider, Rider—
[Comes the heavy pant as they part again, and just as swiftly she returns— brow pinched in concentration when she kisses her again and parts her lips against Rider’s.
An invitation. Shousetsu’s fingers rake across the nape of Rider’s neck.]
no subject
she had never imagined she would feel this way before the ritual's true end, overcome by the thunder and lightning roiling in her core like a volcano set to erupt before its time. it beats like a storm against her eardrums, like a rampage of hooves on the ground, the combined sound of their heartbeats, deafening her to all else but the sound of their breathing.
ah, but hers is louder. her lips are hotter, her grip stronger. the cool touch of shousetsu's pale skin against her own shocks her, the softness of her lips like gossamer silk, the sweetness of her scent blending with the flowers. the delicacy the samurai never allows to seep through the veil of her unfaltering exterior spills out in the color of her cheeks, the hitches in her typically-steely voice, used to declare her name, her intentions, her victories.
the eternal youth afforded to the spirit of virtue made human-shaped melts against rider, a calamity made manifest.
the pleasure overtakes her, knee-bending and devastating each time they connect. beckoned by the arms around her neck, rider meets every kiss with an uncontrollable, building heat. an inferno of magic between them.
she has experienced nothing like this before. the beast in her, the human in her had always been repressed, suffocated in the name of cold slaughter. the mind and heart of a soldier, never allowed a gasp of breath. never allowed a glance, never allowed a touch.
she has never used these hands for anything more than merciless subjugation.
ah, she can't — she can't help it. she's falling apart.
shousetsu pleads for her, invites her like no one else in the world has, and rider falls back on the sliver of armor still masking her eyes, bracing against it as though it were the last and only thing keeping the lightning from eliminating them both where they stand.
in a way, perhaps it was.
those fingernails electrify her even through the suit and fabric underneath. a helpless moan is torn from her throat, rattling between them.
hah, this is—
rider sweeps both hands under shousetsu's thighs and lifts her.
the blossoms rain down around them once more as she presses her master's back to black bark and meets her there. she answers that plea immediately, tasting her wholly, lips to wet lips and tongue sliding across artificial tongue. under the mask, rider's brow crumples, racked with incredible elation.
this is her vengeance too, isn't it?
here, with the only soul in the world that deserved to remain in it, she has shousetsu, finally knowing what had been stolen from her time and again. ]
Shousetsu...!
no subject
No, she had never allowed herself to experience it firsthand— such was the direction in which her path had lead her up until this point. She studied, tutored and eventually would lead Edo's abandoned ronin to band together. Dictated in the nature of humans by no fault of their own they admired her— and at times even lusted for her beneath hooded gazes and lingering words.
But indulging with them was not the same as saving them. She was still far too different from them, but admired their humanity all the same.
To love was to be human, after all.
It was not the fault of humans, to be burdened with hearts and bodies in need of physical touch. This world was needlessly cruel and sharp when it could be, and yet the love humans expressed and cherished was far more potent than that. It was the reason there would be justice and hope in the world she would create. It would nurture only that kindness, that spring of passion that human bodies could create.
Then... how did it be...
How did it come to this... that she would be inflicted by that very passion?
The desire to be caressed, to be touched— to feel warm lips against your own—
How could they endure it when it was shaking her to her very core?
Shousetsu's physical body trembles in place of her inherent desire. Against her mouth Rider's lips are soft and pliable, warm by their contact and damp with breath. She cannot get enough of their connection and almost allows a hoarse whine to past her lips when they pull apart for what seems to be the hundredth time.
Instead those hands slide under her thighs and Shousetsu lets out quiet gasp, teetering just on a squeak. The bark of the tree is thankfully not so rough, and even if it were she most likely would not care at this point— now that they are kissing again, connected once more and Rider's tongue against her own—]
Oh...
[Shousetsu utters a quiet moan through it, feeling that soft and so very tangible tongue. Her arms slowly unwind from Rider's neck and soon her hands are cupping that slender jaw, relishing in the softness of skin that had existed beneath that helmet, perpetually out of reach. Her desire moves her limbs and keeps her from breaking the surface from this pleasure, this mutual want unraveling between them. Rider, she thinks, that name continuously pulsing in her mind. Rider—]
—Raikou...
[She whispers against her lips, each breath a pant as her face burns a bright red.]
Raikou!
[Said again, this time in a lower groan. With that sacred name falling upon her lips the memory of their last battle strikes her tenfold.
"You believe in me, yes?
I will repay that faith with everything I have."
The samurai's expression weakens— what was cultivated to be a stoic and placid surface of a lake was now a look of need, of ardent regard for one's sword. She seals their lips together once more, this time parting Rider's lips to let her tongue explore, soft and wondering.
All the while her clothes begin to stifle her movements, suffocate her from the neck down. Ah, if she— if she could just... press closer to Rider, if she could simply melt into her—
A jolt shocks through her lithe body as she shifts her legs and moves closer, the heat between them now nestled against Rider's abdomen. With little effort she wraps them around her waist, tremors wracking her shoulders as she does.]