Hearts Without Chains [Rewritten; Version 2.0]

by BrattyBoyWrites, LilacScribbles (LilacCadenza)

Summary:

"Is today the day I get to die?"

 

"No. You won't die for a very, very long time. In fact, by the time you can, you may not even want to anymore."

 

Vivia Twilight has no idea exactly how deep his destiny runs.

He's lived in Tsukuyomi Village with his small found family for centuries, in a peace that feels almost unnatural at times. With a safe, pleasant life like that, he has no reason to desire more, but... try as he might, he's always harbored a deep-seated desire to leave and see the world.

When he meets Yakou Furio and the Nocturnal Pirates, that wish just might come true.

Chapter 1

Summary:

cw: possession, implied child neglect

A bright purple light speeds across the midnight Kanai Ward sky, flitting through obstacles and phasing out the other side in its desperate speed to escape. Beside it flies a familiar puff of amethyst-purple aether. One it would recognize anywhere as its oldest, staunchest ally.

Unlike the spirit, the aether puff is corporeal, so it falls behind as it's forced to evade the obstacles the spirit phases through. The spirit doesn't slow, and it's sure the aether puff understands.

They're in this together after all.

The duo know they're being pursued. They're both well aware that their pursuers can move just as fast as them, but the spirit knows that its ally will do everything in their power to help it get to where it's going. That means falling behind to draw attention.

A powerful rainstorm rages around, massive drops of rain falling directly through the spirit's aether and hitting the ground. Thunder and lightning rumble, but the spirit can't feel a thing. It's an advantage. Its pursuers can move just as fast as it can, but they're bound by the laws of their senses and tangibility.

The spirit speeds through walls and buildings, until it finds itself on the outskirts of Kanai Ward.

This part of the city has no buildings, and the trees were all clear-cut ages ago. Back during the fiercest part of the fae-Taros war, when the warrior seraphim were seeking whatever remnants of the fae groves they could find. The spirit sees other wandering spirits floating around here, tethered but lost, clinging to the last, bitter remnants of the familiar by aimlessly floating the former grove in search of something they'll never find.

All the spirit can do is hope that it gained enough ground to shake off its pursuers. Its ally is nowhere to be seen, so maybe they're holding the pursuers back.

Time is precious.

The spirit gets back to work. It speeds through the open air until it finds a large, elaborately crafted estate in the distance. The estate is a new building, built at some point over the past ten years or so, but they laid a claim to the former grove in a way no fae the spirit knows would ever allow.

What a horrible place to raise a child with high spirit resonance.

The child can probably see every spirit—Taros, Dravanian, innocent bystanders of whatever species—and is probably haunted more often than not. It must be terrifying, to a child so young.

But, when the spirit finds the child, it'll help. So long as the child is willing to help in turn. The prophecy said he would be, but… prophecies are only glimpses of possible futures. Not absolute.

The spirit is close. The resonance in the area vibrates its aether, and it hurries toward the estate, phasing through an intricate, black metal fence. The further it moves, the stronger the resonance gets. It gets stronger and stronger; stronger still until it's so strong that the spirit has a hard time floating on a straight course.

It phases through the wall of the large house and watches as a group of eleven black aether clouds sit in an oval.

Two vibrant black aether clouds sit at the top and bottom of the oval, surrounded by the rest of the aetherforms in some kind of… ritual. The rest of the house has aether forms strewn about it in different sizes and colors, but none of them have the resonance the spirit is looking for. The resonance was coming from this area.

The spirit flies around the house to search for the signal.

When it goes upstairs, it gets further away. When it goes downstairs, it gets further away. Wherever the resonance is, it's on ground level.

The spirit has to hurry. Its ally can't hold off its pursuers forever.

It follows the aetheric waveforms outside, across a large garden, and to… a shed. Inside the shed, it sees the faintest aether it's ever seen in its life. It's different from the aether forms in the area. Shimmering silver to contrast the dark forms inside the house, but the aether is thinner; weaker.

As weak as the aether is, the resonance is strong.

Whoever's aether this is, they're fading. The spirit ignores the small piece of black magic that seems to be hovering in the middle of the door. It phases through the wall of the small garden shed and hovers over the faint silver aether form.

Now that it's here, the spirit hesitates.

It knows why it's here. It knows that the only way it can do what needs to be done is if the carrier of this faint silver aether survives. However… the morality catches up to it. The spirit doesn't know who the life attached to this faint aether is.

Possessing a body without their consent is frowned upon, but—

It has to. It has no choice. If it wants to protect them—protect them all—it has no choice.

The shed rattles with the rumbling thunder and crashing of lightning. The faint aether form weakly crawls to the back of the shed and cowers against the wall. The spirit realizes it's running out of time.

A voice fills the shed—small and childlike but quiet and shaky—and the faint waveform turns until its weak, aetheric face is looking directly at the spirit. "Is it time for me to go back to Elysium?" the aether asks, its words belying the childishness of its voice. "Or do I go to the Abyss this time?"

As much as it wishes it could, the spirit can't answer.

It floats over the weak aether form, knowing full well that its pursuer is right outside. It watches the weak aether form for a few more seconds. The form straightens out, then slowly stands, so its face is right on level with the spirit.

"I won't fight you," the aether says. "If you're here to take me, I'll go. I don't mind dying."

At the sound of the child's proclamation, the spirit feels… solemn. To hear something like this from a child is difficult. As hard as it is, the spirit knows it doesn't have time to ruminate on the implications. The magic lock on the shed rattles incessantly, but blocks the spirit from seeing whether it's their ally or their pursuers.

As if ordained by its thoughts, the magic lock shatters. The spirit has no more time. It has to act.

The consent the aether form gave to cross over to the afterlife will have to suffice.

As soon as the door cracks open, the spirit crashes into the aether form's tiny body. The soul already residing there tries to fight. It pushes back against the spirit's influence, but the spirit is stronger. The other soul is weak. Tired. Hungry. The spirit easily wins and melds itself with the host spirit, bolstering it at first, but then temporarily overpowering it.

"It's okay, Kitkat," Ayane reassures him as his consciousness fades into the depths of his soul. "You won't be alone anymore."

It's strange, being in a different body than her own, but Ayane opens the host body's eyes and looks around the small garden shed. She's shorter than she remembers being. She picks up her host's hand, looking it over. It's small. Childlike. Small fingernails, blunt from being bitten, and the callused fingertips of a young writer.

The child is hungry. Borderline starving, if the way their stomach rumbles is any indication. Tired, weak, and shivery with a mild flu. It's been chilly for the past few days, but the shed looks well-lived-in, like the child has been staying here for quite a while now. Out in a shed, beset by spirits and a field of ancient death and decay.

Ayane lifts the host's head to look at the door, and freezes. Then, she relaxes.

There he is. Makoto. Thank the gods for small favors.

At least it wasn't the fae pursuing her, the one determined to send her soul to the beyond. She's not sure exactly what Makoto had to do to send their pursuer away, but she knows it couldn't have been an easy fight. She twists the child's lips into an apologetic smile and looks up at Makoto.

(A concept that's hilarious on its own.)

"I'm glad you're okay," Ayane greets, then takes a second to laugh at the way her voice sounds coming from a child's body. She shakes it off, then turns to Makoto. "Or, well… you are okay, right?"

"I will be better away from this place," Makoto replies. He tilts his head side to side, examining her new form. "You're a lot shorter than I remember you being. How funny." But there is no humor in his voice.

Ayane laughs—it sounds strange and alien to her own ears—then hums in agreement. "Not much shorter than you, though," she teases warmly. Then, she looks out the window at the dark, stormy sky.

As her eyes roam the sill of the dingy, cracked window, she tenses. Jarring against the lightning flashing through the window is the wisteria-purple butterfly, opening and closing its wings, completely unbothered by the thick, heavy raindrops pattering to the ground around it. She shakes off her surprise and turns to Makoto.

"Did he give you much trouble?" she questions softly.

"Always," Makoto chuckles. "It's hard fighting your reflection, after all."

With a rueful smile, Ayane asks, "I'm sorry." There's a depth to her apology that she knows Makoto understands. "Do you need healing?"

He shakes his head, then smiles pleasantly. "Not this time. The bad weather works in our favor."

Ayane nods and looks out the window. "A small favor from the Moon," she remarks, her small voice no less jarring than it was when she first heard it. "I thought you might need the help."

"I won't sing their praises just yet, but this is a good start. I'd be much happier if they could give back our land, of course. Then again…" Despite the blind mask obscuring his vision, Ayane can feel Makoto's eyes scrutinize the child's body. "I can consider this a fair trade." He shrugs languidly.

With a frown, Ayane glances down at the child's form as best she can from this point of view. She peers over her shoulder at the small, green tail that hangs down to the back of his knees, with black fur on the very tip. It's matted and clumpy, but with proper care, it could be something special. She also sees the tips of a pair of bright green wings beside the tail.

A fox. A fox and a seraphim, just like her.

There's something else too, but Ayane can't exactly pinpoint what it is.

"Tell me," Ayane calls gently, fluttering the boy's wings and watching as a few green feathers flutter off and down to the ground. "I can't see him well. Does he look as weak as he feels?"

Makoto's mouth forms into a thin line. "Worse, I think."

As if to punctuate Makoto's explanation, the boy's stomach growls audibly. A pang of hunger wracks the boy's body.

Concern furrows Ayane's brow. "I think we're doing him a pretty sizable favor." She glances in the direction of the house. The butterfly is on the opposite window now, flapping its paper-thin wings impassively, despite the raging of the storm. "I think they left him to die."

"And here I thought the fox clans were so loving!" Makoto jests with a playful shrug. She feels his eyes on her again. "So is this the one? For real, this time?"

Ayane nods the host's head and looks down at his tiny hands again. "I recognized the aether. Shimmering. Silver. Strong in resonance despite how weak it is," she explains. "He saw me. He thought I was a Reaper and consented to die. He can't be that old, and he was already ready to die again."

"Fox clan business is out of my jurisdiction," Makoto says, his tone somber. "Consider it a blessing that you can't see what I see."

With a huff, Ayane mutters, "Hajime and Nagito would not be pleased." She flicks the boy's eyes up to Makoto. "So, what do you think? You said it was a fair trade, but… I just want to make sure. You'll help him. Right?"

"Our goals align, my dear friend," He smiles earnestly. "It's not entirely a fair trade. One life doesn't hold the same weight as the thousands of my people lost, but I promise I will be the best big brother I can possibly be. Within reason. I do still have a reputation to uphold!"

Ayane chuckles. "You're such a softie," she teases warmly. Then, she looks down at the boy's hands again, bloodied and blunt-nailed. Flicking her eyes toward the butterfly in the window all-too-briefly, she adds, "Then… you know what comes next, right?"

At this, Makoto's demeanor grows somber. "Must I play the monster the world thinks we are, my dear friend? He doesn't deserve this." He gestures to the dirty, dingy shed. "Any of this."

"I don't like it either," Ayane tells him somberly, her eyes falling to the stress-molted feathers on the floor. "You're right. He doesn't deserve it. But… it's the only way. You know that if you don't, we can be separated far too easily."

She frowns, flicking her eyes to the butterfly again, but quickly stops because she realizes that she's being too obvious about it. Turning back to Makoto, she takes a seat on a small wooden box in the corner, then makes a face at the smell that comes out of it. Rotted food. Taunted with rotten food and left to die in a shed.

Monsters. Not deserving of the Moon.

"We'll make it breakable," Ayane offers, as a way to ease Makoto's mind. "But it has to be done by both you... and Yakou."

"Me? Why include me?"

A tiny smile spreads across the boy's face, and Ayane simply replies, "Love is more than just romantic, Makoto." She shrugs. "You said you'd be the best big brother you can be. Does that not entail loving him more than almost anyone?"

"I say many things," Makoto shrugs. "Fae curses are notoriously difficult to break, you know. Even with a failsafe in mind. This doesn't promise either of you freedom." He shakes his head. "But, you're already aware of the stakes."

Ayane nods. "I have faith in the Moon," she tells him. "If you can't, at least have faith in me? Otherwise, what was all this for?"

"Masochism," he chuckles. He approaches the child, but stops just short of reaching him. "Don't misunderstand, old friend. It's because I believe in you that I'm willing to go this far. Otherwise, you wouldn't be here right now."

With a laugh, Ayane replies, "I know. You would've killed me years ago, and I probably wouldn't have stopped you." Her expression falls rueful, but she brings a small smile back and takes a deep breath. "But for what it's worth? I'm glad you're helping me. My one regret—or, at least the most recent—is that we won't be able to have our long chats over tea every day anymore."

Makoto hums thoughtfully. "Perhaps. Who really knows what the future holds?" He holds out his hand above the child's head. "Are you ready?"

Ayane nods. "As I'll ever be," she tells him. She closes the boy's eyes, inhales deeply with the boy's tiny, weak lungs, then opens his eyes again to look up at Makoto. "Do it."

She feels, rather than sees, the moment Makoto's warm, lavender magic drapes over the child's body like a long, silk cloth. It seeps beneath the skin, pouring into every layer of the boy's body until Ayane can feel the soft tickle of energy coursing through every molecule. And like an anchor, she feels the moment it pulls her deeper into the child's core.

Ayane places a tiny hand on his chest, taking a small breath and nodding quickly.

"Okay." She presses his lips together, then nods again. "Okay. That definitely worked. Not that I expected any less."

She flicks her eyes toward the butterfly in the window, just in time to see it flutter its thin wings and fly away. If she didn't know any better, she'd think it was annoyed.

A tiny flicker of satisfaction sparks in her chest at the thought.

Good. It should be.

"You'll have company," Ayane tells Makoto, gesturing to the boy. "As much as we've kept each other's company in recent years, I think it'll do you some good to be on your own less."

"No better company than yourself, I always say," Makoto quips. "Although, I don't really have much choice now, do I?"

Ayane laughs again. "You do, but you'll make the right one," she tells him. "You've always been nothing but a big softie."

"Am I soft-served?" he quips with an impish smile. "I rather enjoy strawberry, personally."

"Soft-serve swirl," Ayane teases. "Strawberry and habanero pepper."

"A dangerous combination if I've ever heard one." He chuckles.

Smiling confidently at Makoto, Ayane simply says, "See you soon, Mako."

"See you later, old friend." Makoto murmurs.

With that, Ayane settles her soul into its new home, allowing the boy's spirit to take over again. The moment Ayane's soul is overpowered, she feels the boy's weak muscles give way beneath him, sending him crumpling to the floor of the dusty old cabin, unconscious. She feels a flicker of guilt, but she knows that Makoto will take care of him.

Just like she'll take care of both of them.

As if to prove her point, she channels a bit of the boy's aether to heal his hurts. All but the hunger, but that's something Makoto will have to help with instead.

Makoto knows that she's always there, watching and protecting both him and the boy—she really ought to learn his name at some point—but for the most part, she'll exist as a passenger; watching the world pass by through his eyes and protecting him from harm.

As long as Ayane's soul lives in his body, the boy won't be able to die. He won't feel any pain beyond passing hurts.

The last thing she thinks before she hands autonomy back to the boy is the utter defeat in his voice when he asked her—

"Is it time for me to go back to Elysium? Or do I go to the Abyss this time?"

No. You won't die for a very, very long time. In fact, by the time you can, you may not even want to anymore.

After all, Makoto will take good care of him until it's time for him to reach his destiny. And when he does, it'll only get easier. There's no one in the world better at bringing out someone's inner peace and happiness than Yakou Furio.

The thought gives her peace as her consciousness fades into dormancy.

─── ⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅ ───

When Vivia wakes up, he's warmer than he thinks he should be.

He doesn't even remember falling asleep. The last thing he remembers is seeing that ghost in the gardeners' shed. It was a pretty silvery-white ghost, and it seemed nice. The shed felt warmer when it was there, and Vivia didn't feel so lonely. He wondered for a while if the spirit was there to save him. He asked if it was there to help him die, but it didn't answer him.

Did the spirit help him die? Is this the afterlife?

He moves from his tummy to sit on his hands and knees, then sits on the huge bed he's resting in. His wings fold against the mattress, and it feels kind of uncomfortable, but his curiosity is stronger than his discomfort right now.

This isn't his bed.

His bed at home is small. Smaller than any of his brothers' beds, and he doesn't have all of these soft, comfy blankets either. He touches the top blanket and can't fight a tiny smile. It's plush and soft against his fingertips, and very, very warm.

Is he in Elysium?

Some of the seraphim he's met who remember their time there told him that it feels warm and everything is soft and plush and cozy like this. Vivia can't confirm or deny it. He doesn't remember what it was like. He died when he was just a toddler, after all.

Vivia's stomach growls, and he pauses. If he's in Elysium, why is he still hungry? His stomach is so empty it hurts. He wraps his arms around it and hugs it.

Maybe the spirit didn't help him. Maybe he starved to death. Mother and Father did lock him in the shed for three days. He doesn't know how long it takes to starve to death, but he definitely feels hungry enough… but that's impossible, isn't it?

If he's dead, then why is he still hungry? Why is he cold now that he's out of the blankets? Why is he so tired? If he's dead and in Elysium again, why is he alone? Aren't there other seraphim there to keep him company?

Vivia stands up on his tired legs and looks around the mysterious room he's in. It's fancy. It looks like something that could be in his parents' house, but he doesn't think he's ever seen a room like this in there before. The walls and floors are a pretty violet purple, and there's a big window against the wall. Vivia walks toward it, but every step makes him feel more tired than the last.

He looks outside and gasps.

A forest.

A huge, leafy, dense forest next to a clean, shimmering lake. The lake is peppered with bright pink water lilies, and through the slight crack in the window, Vivia hears peep toads echoing in a croaking chorus. The woods smell like the aftermath of a gentle summer shower, and the scent of flowers flows through the window like perfume.

The pale white moon reflects on the water, shimmering like diamonds, and a billion stars freckle across the sky.

It's pretty. It's the type of place Vivia has always dreamed of seeing.

Vivia's tummy makes a low, churning growl, and he doubles over and grabs it with an achy hand. He doesn't know where he is, or if there's even anyone here to ask for food. Or if it's even smart to try. What if he gets in trouble for being greedy again?

The very second the thought crosses his mind, a gentle knock sounds out from the door. Vivia jumps and turns toward the sound, gripping the table he braces himself on even tighter.

"Is… is someone there?" Vivia stammers.

"I should hope so," a voice responds from behind the door. "Is someone inside?"

Screwing his face up in confusion, Vivia stares at the door. "I… yes," he replies quietly as he slowly makes his way toward the door. He stops in front of it and reaches for the knob, but he freezes before he opens it. "But you should know that. You knocked."

"Isn't it customary to knock on doors before opening them?"

Vivia hums. It's true. That's usually what people do in the books he reads. He nods more to himself than to the stranger on the other side of the door, but finally twists the doorknob. "I guess so," he answers as he opens the door. "I just thought that since… I… don't know, actually. I just didn't expect it."

There, standing under the arch of the door is a man. A… peculiar man with a peculiar face—no, not a face.

It's a mask. One that covers the upper half of his face.

When the stranger steps into the light of the room, Vivia realizes that it's unlike any mask he has ever seen before. It's glittery gold, and it looks like a butterfly's wings.

"Sleeping Beauty has finally awoken!" the stranger exclaims. "Did someone crawl in through the window when I wasn't looking? Should I be concerned?" In his hands, he holds out a silver tray with two rolls of bread, a bowl of assorted fruits, and a cup of milk. "Peace offerings," he says with a smile.

Vivia blinks. "No. I don't think anyone came in. But maybe. I was sleeping," he tells the stranger, but as much as he tries to be polite and make eye contact, his eyes are drawn down at the food on the tray. He points at himself. "For me?"

The stranger looks around the room dramatically for a moment. When he doesn't find what he's looking for, he turns back to Vivia and tilts his head to the side. "I assume so. Unless there really is someone hiding under your bed?" He drops to his knees to check, leaving the tray to float in the air between them. "Nope! No monsters here."

"There used to be," Vivia replies cryptically, watching the tray with surprised eyes. The smell of bread and cheese and chopped fruit hits his nose and his tummy rumbles in reply, but he ignores it for now. "A mean doll that screamed and made fun of me all night. I would talk to her sometimes, but then she stopped coming."

The stranger turns back to Vivia, his head tilting sideways again. "Why so?" he asks.

Vivia shakes his head. "I don't know," he replies. "I think she probably got tired of me, too. It's what everyone else does."

"But if she was mean, why be sad about that?"

A tiny smile pulls up the corners of Vivia's lips. "Because she talked to me. And… she reminded me of me. Torn and broken and sewed back together."

"Oh, I see," The stranger grabs hold of the floating tray and finally sets it down on a desk underneath the open window. "You know what they say about girls, the meaner they are, the more they like you!" He cackles. It sounds almost wicked, and yet Vivia can't sense any malice in the stranger's laugh. "Maybe Miss Dolly had a crush on you?"

Vivia hums. "I don't think so," he replies, but he looks up at the stranger curiously. "So… it's really okay? If I take some food?"

"It's impolite not to when I've gone through the trouble to painstakingly bake you these cute bread rolls. I milked the cow myself, you know. Straight from the udders!"

Eyes wide, Vivia looks at the tray in front of him.

No one has ever gone to such lengths for him before. Usually, he just gets the scraps that people at the house don't eat. He looks from the mask to the tray, then back to the mask. He wants to be suspicious, but the moment the smell of real food hits his nose, instinct overrides suspicion.

His body moves without his permission—like something else is piloting his muscles and bones. It's strange, but he thinks it must be his hunger taking over.

He takes one roll of bread, a large piece of a grape bunch, a small triangle of cheese, a handful of apple slices, and a banana. He sits, the tips of his wings folding as his butt hits the mattress, and drops every food item but the bread into his lap.

But he doesn't eat right away.

Instead, he looks at the man's mask, where his eyes would be if they were visible, and asks, "So, I didn't die?"

The strange man tilts his head again. "Did you want to?"

"Sometimes," whispers Vivia. "But… Father told me that I was going to. That he would let the arbiters decide whether I went to Elysium or the Abyss this time. So, I thought…"

"What if I told you that you did, then what?"

Vivia blinks and stares down at the bread roll in his hand, picking at the small tuft that sticks out of the top of the bun. "I don't know," he replies. "This place is very nice. Peaceful and pretty, and it smells so clean and nice. So… I don't think it's the Abyss. The Void is supposed to be empty. So… I guess I'm in Elysium again?"

He finally takes a bite of the bread, and his body takes over. Instinct takes over and he eats so quickly that the bread is gone before he can even register it.

The man shakes his head. "No, you're somewhere better than Elysium."

"Better?" parrots Vivia, trying to hide the excitement he feels. "Where?"

"My home!" He holds out his arms wide. "Welcome to Tsukuyomi Forest! Treat the forest with respect and it will respect you in return."

Vivia gasps, trying to hide his excitement. "A real forest?" Try as he might, he can't keep the eagerness from his voice. "Did you save me?"

"More or less," the stranger shrugs. "Only if you want to be."

Vivia smiles weakly. "I see. I do. Thank you," he tells the man, then cringes. "And, um… thank you for the food. So-sorry I didn't say it before."

"You are welcome, Kitkat," the man smiles pleasantly.

"My name is Vivia," he tells the man, his mouthful of grapes muddling his words.

"What's that? Bibia? Well it's nice to meet you, Bibia!"

Vivia's face screws up in confusion. "Wh—no…" He shakes his head adamantly, then swallows the mouthful of food before trying again. "Vivia. Vi-vi-a."

"Oh, I see!" He nods in understanding. He runs his chin thoughtfully. "Bibia Kitkat it is!" He beams.

Stifling a giggle behind his fist, Vivia shakes his head. "Vivia Solar—" He pauses, then shakes his head. "No, um… Vivia Twilight."

Twilight. Late at night when the only thing in the sky are the stars and the pale moon. Where everything is quiet and peaceful and pretty and dark. There's no way to get more opposite than the Solari sunrise than that. No way to distance himself from a family that wanted him dead.

A new name. His own name.

Vivia smiles. "Bu-but you can call me Kitkat if you want to," he tells the stranger. "Just not that other silly thing. It's too silly. What's your name?"

"Oh, I see. I see." The man nods again. "I know another Twilight, though I'm certain he went by the name Edward." Despite the blind mask, the stranger somehow manages to look thoughtful. "Anyway, it's nice to meet you, Bibia. My name is Makoto." He bows.

Vivia tries to pretend he doesn't smile. "Hi, Makoto. It's nice to meet you, too. Thank you for saving me," he mutters. "Do I have to go back to Mother and Father now?"

And just like before, Vivia can feel the moment Makoto's eyes fall on him. "I'm afraid I can't do that, even if you did want to. I've made a trade with the moon, you know. I was promised no backsies."

"The moon?" Vivia questions at first, but quickly decides that the question isn't important.

Mother and Father talk about the moon a lot, but they never really let Vivia hear any of it. They don't think he deserves to hear their stories, so every time he gets curious, they send him away. He's always been curious about the fox part of his heritage, but… they've never told him. They don't want him to know, because they see him as a blight on their name.

So… it makes sense that his parents would trade him away.

Vivia hums, his tail twitching on the mattress. "I thought the moon hated me."

"Why would the moon hate a child?"

In a quiet voice, Vivia replies, "Everything else does."

"I don't."

Vivia gasps.

He raises his eyes to meet with the man's mask, staring for several seconds. This Makoto—this strange, mysterious man—is the first person he's ever met who hasn't treated him like the dirt under his shoe. Mother and Father never spared him a word. His brothers and sisters never gave him the time of day.

But this stranger…

He's not sure how he knows, but when he woke up here, he felt safe. Looking at Makoto, he feels a strange sense of familiarity. Of trust.

"I…" Vivia swallows the cheese and bread in his mouth, then smiles. He stands and crosses the room, picks up the second bread bun, approaches Makoto, and hands it to him. "So… I can stay here?"

"Of course," Makoto smiles, taking the bun. "My cottage is your cottage, Bibia."

For the first time in Vivia's whole life… his smile feels real.

Notes:

So, uh. Who had 'rewrite of a 1.5 year old story on their 2025 bingo card? Probably the same people who had 'Aria finds her way back to Rain Code and VVYK on theirs, tbh. BUT! We're here, and so is HWC 2.0.

There's a lot that's the same about this version of the story, but there's a whoooooooooooooole lot that's different, too. This version is a lot closer to the version I wanted to write the first time around, so I'm happy to share it! I wonder if the homies who read the original will be able to figure out what's different!

Hope you guys enjoy the reading ride as much as we enjoyed the writing ride!
⭐💜 Aria

Surprise surprise look what crawled out of Satan’s ass and decided to reappear in the year of 2025!!!!!!

Welcome to hearts without chains redone remixed redux royal replay rewind returns revision!!!

I can safely say that I’m very happy and satisfied with this version of the story. It feels like the version that should’ve existed the first time but we couldn’t quite figure out how 🤭 but here it is!! Please enjoy!!!
🌜✨ Rin

Chapter 2

Summary:

Vivia lands on the ground after another stratospheric adventure, watching as his third stalwart companion—a butterfly with wisteria-purple wings that are quite similar to his brother's, that has followed him since before he died and came back from Elysium—lands on a nearby branch.

"Sometimes I wonder," he tells the butterfly as he shakes some atmospheric chill from his feathers, "What it's like beyond the wards."

Notes:

cw: none

Eight hundred years is a long time to spend in the same forest.

In all that time, Vivia has learned every nook and cranny. He knows what kind of wildlife appears at what season, and when it thrives. What trees bloom and when they die for the season; he's even seen them die never to bloom again.

Breathing magic has helped him explore the depths of Tsukuyomi Lake. He's explored small animal dens in his fox form to see what kinds of creatures live inside. Flown to the heights of the skies, high enough to get altitude sick. In doing so, he's mapped the entire area far more accurately than any map could guide him.

From high in the sky, he's seen airships soaring the skies, flying to various, mysterious locales far away.

Admittedly, a part of him is curious about what lies beyond the edges of the city. The furthest he's ever been from home is to the market in town with Makoto and Melami. He's never left the walls of Tsukuyomi Grove. From high in the sky, he sees what lies beyond, but he's so used to life within their safety that he's never really considered leaving.

Until recently.

Something inside him has been stricken with a soul-deep urge to know what's out there. He knows he came from an area not too far from here, though over the past few centuries, he's forgotten the name.

It's for the best. Makoto has treated him like a brother, and Melami also treats him like family, so why would he even want to remember where he came from? There's nothing good about the place; nothing worth remembering.

Why would he want to go somewhere else, when the only people who matter to him are here, in this forest, in the cottage?

Vivia lands on the ground after another stratospheric adventure, watching as his third stalwart companion—a butterfly with wisteria-purple wings that are quite similar to his brother's, that has followed him since before he died and came back from Elysium—lands on a nearby branch.

"Sometimes I wonder," he tells the butterfly as he shakes some atmospheric chill from his feathers, "What it's like beyond the wards."

Brushing off his curiosity, he glances up at the butterfly as it opens and closes its wings. He bids it farewell with a lazy wave, then steps through the front door to see Melami standing in the kitchen. She empties take-out bags onto the counter with a cornucopia of various foods from different regions around the world.

He thinks he sees some Jabbian delicacies in there, and his interest is piqued.

Makoto and Melami have spoken of Jabberwock Island with more and more frequency in recent years. Vivia has never been, though Makoto is nowhere near as distant about the topic as Vivia's mother and father were. Melami has more than a passing familiarity with the area too, so she always adds her own flair to Makoto's conversations.

As she puts together a frog-shaped snack tray full of cookies and crackers, she complains idly about the decor in the house.

Then again, Melami is never satisfied with Makoto's penchant for interior decoration. The house's exterior is made of cobblestone and framed with wood, with a homey grass-covered roof and a brick chimney. It looks like a witch's hut in a fairy tale.

But upon entering, it's an entirely different story.

Each room has its own theme. The foyer looks relatively normal, for a foyer. It has hangers and side tables to store coats, keys, and whatever else they may need to grab quickly on their way out the door. The walls are papered with patterned wallpaper and the floors are an elegant honey-colored wood.

Beyond the foyer, however… there is no discernible theme.

The kitchen is modern, sleek, chrome, and technological, which is quite nice when Melami and Makoto deign to cook rather than ordering out.

On the other hand, the living room looks like it's overgrown with a cavalcade of mushrooms. The tables and couches are all mushroom patterned, or shaped like mushrooms. Even the television looks like it was carved from a mushroom. The lights, the shelves, even the walls. Everything looks edible, but Vivia can speak from experience when he says that it's not.

No matter how strange that is, it's nothing compared to the main bathroom. It looks like a circus fun house. The only thing Vivia doesn't mind so much is the stitch work doll that appears in the corner of the room whenever he's there. It reminds him of an old friend from childhood, one that he hasn't seen in years.

Everything else is… too much. The elephant trunk bidet seems unnecessary, as does the wallpaper decorated with clowns wearing creepy smiles. Melami's terrified screams every time she enters would almost be enough to make people believe that she was afraid of clowns, but Vivia knows better. She's just playing it up to be dramatic.

Vivia himself has never dealt with a fear of clowns, fortunately enough. Equally fortunate is the realization that Makoto will likely change the theme soon. Though Vivia fully expects his eccentric brother to come up with something even stranger for next month.

Each bedroom has its own theme, and those are each chosen by their owner.

Makoto's is decorated in a futuristic cyberpunk theme. It's lit in neon lights, which stand out on its dark undertones, and it looks like something out of one of Vivia's science fiction novels. Melami's bedroom is very fashionable and colorful. She decorates it without using magic, with things she picks from catalogs and buys from shops and bazaars in town.

Vivia's own bedroom is still carpeted in the same deep purple as it was when he woke up there eight centuries ago. The color comforted him when he was a young, frail child. He's changed the colors of the walls to a black vine pattern, and he's created a small sleeping nook with a mattress underneath a large table. It's still starkly decorated compared to the others, but Vivia can't be bothered to properly decorate it.

The house looks like a mash-together of all their strange tastes. As odd as it is, it fits their odd trio perfectly.

When Vivia's footsteps make noise on the kitchen floor, Melami finally seems to notice his presence. She raises her head and looks his way with a warm smile. Setting down the box of sweet and sour rice and lamb meat, she turns toward him. Vivia sniffs the air and smiles. He loves it when she visits the Jabbian food truck at the bazaar, and he knows exactly what she brought home.

The pleasant, savory-sweet aroma of Shepherd's Mix fills the entire house, and Vivia's appetite suddenly kicks into high gear. He peers over the counter and into the serving dish she scoops the food into.

Rather than express his appreciation with words, he looks across the counter and flashes Melami an appreciative smile.

"Managed to stay in human form the whole time today, did you?" Melami remarks coolly as she moves on to a steamer filled with chicken meat buns she bought for Makoto. "Will wonders never cease."

Vivia chuckles quietly. "Today was a flying day," he offers in lieu of an answer. "I felt the need to stretch my wings, so I flew until the air started to thin."

Sighing in exasperation, Melami tucks some stray hair behind her ear on the non-shaved side of her head. "One of these days, you're going to lose consciousness and plummet out of the sky."

With a shrug, Vivia crawls beneath the kitchen table and crosses his legs into a lazy butterfly. "It wouldn't be the first time," he tells her. "I always wake up."

Melami scoffs. He can't see her from under here, but he knows her well enough to know exactly the exasperated look she wears on her face. He and Makoto call it 'the mom look.'

"Vivia…" she chastises gently.

"You're always telling me that I need more fresh air," Vivia points out, pulling a book from his coat pocket and opening it in front of him. The light under here is dim, so Vivia conjures a small ball of light and positions it directly over his head. "The sky is big, but it's more fun the higher you go."

Melami sighs again. "You and Makoto are far too reckless," she complains as she brings a small stack of dinner plates to the table. "Far too similar."

Vivia shrugs nonchalantly, even knowing that Melami can't see it. "I have spent more than eight centuries with him, Melami," he points out, opening the book to where he left off and sliding his bookmark into his pocket. "I'd be much more concerned if we didn't have some things in common."

"I think you have too much in common with him," remarks Melami. "One Makoto is bad enough. We have no need for two."

"I don't know, it might be fun," Vivia remarks offhandedly.

From the corner of Vivia's eye, he sees the house's back door swing open and a familiar pair of shoes appear in his periphery. His smile grows. It seems his brother is home, and judging by his reply, he heard everything.

"Don't be so silly," Makoto's voice carries as he steps into the room. "The world cannot handle more than one me. I'm too extraordinary to be replicated, after all." Vivia can't see his expression from where he sits, but he can already hear the telltale sign of a smile in Makoto's voice. "Also, I've come up with a new theme for the bathroom! Can either of you take a guess?"

Vivia hums quietly from under the table. "Does that mean Miss Dolly will be departing, too?" he questions.

Makoto hums thoughtfully. "If she doesn't fit the theme," he shrugs almost helplessly. "I've tried to get rid of her, but she's very stubborn. So I've decided if she can predict my themes before they happen, I won't complain!"

"I quite like her," Melami admits. "The one piece of the room that doesn't make me scream with terror."

With a drawn-out sigh, Vivia corrects, "You're not afraid of the room."

Melami mimics his drawn-out sigh with eerie accuracy. "Never claim to know a woman's mind, Vivia."

Smiling at their usual banter, Vivia quietly considers Makoto's earlier question. "Personally, I don't mind what theme we have, so long as we're rid of the elephant bidet."

Without missing a beat, Melami guesses, "A day at the zoo."

"Oh. That's a good one. I will mark that down for next-next month." Makoto stops in front of Vivia's table and peers down to catch his gaze. "Give me a proper guess, Bibia! I think you'll enjoy it this time. I've been thinking about it for a while now, and I've finally decided that the best way to convey the theme is by carrying it across the whole house this time."

Vivia arches an eyebrow. Sometimes he wonders how it must feel to be short enough to only have to duck to see under the table. Melami is nearly as tall as him, and it's often hilarious when the three of them walk through town together. They both tower over Makoto. He looks at his brother's impish expression, then meets it with one of his own.

"The Seven Dwarves," Vivia snarks.

Melami laughs warmly. "Oh, that's a good one, Vivia," she muses. "If Makoto uses that, he can reach everything in the bathroom!"

"It's impolite to mock the vertically challenged, Melami," Makoto sighs dramatically. "Especially when you think those shoes match those pants." He shakes his head, clearly dismayed.

Scoffing in a way that would fool anyone else into thinking she was actually mad, Melami counters, "I don't take fashion advice from a man who wears platform shoes unironically."

"You should. They'll be all the rage in a few thousand years." He kicks out a leg at Melami to showcase his new shoes before turning back to Vivia. "Is that your final guess? Decide now or forever hold your peace."

"It's not Twilight, is it?" Vivia peers his head out from under the table, marveling internally at how strange it is to be looking up at Makoto. He hasn't had to do that since that growth spurt when he was sixteen. "Or Interview with a Vampire?"

It doesn't escape his notice, the way quietly Melami perks up at the prospect.

Makoto shakes his head dramatically, his blond locks whipping around frantically. "Bzzzt! Incorrect! You're all out of guesses now, Bibia." He pulls away from the table and whips out of piece of black fabric from thin air. He displays the fabric for them, and it's then that Vivia notices two crescent moon symbols, one pointed upward, the second facing downward, woven into the fabric. "Tada~! Our new theme!"

Brows rising, Vivia takes in the moons, and the black fabric, and then flicks his gaze back to Makoto. "The Dark Moon?"

"Not just the dark moon," Makoto clarifies. "But rather, connected to them."

Vivia waits patiently for his brother to continue, but when he doesn't, Vivia presses, "Connected?"

Makoto rests his hands against his hips, leaving the fox clan banner floating in the air. "Bibia! Have you forgotten your history lessons?" But rather than letting him respond, Makoto carries on. Though, Vivia doesn't miss the impish smirk on his brother's lips. "It's okay if you don't know. Foxy traditions are complicated for simple minds, but luckily for everyone, I am here to help. There is a festival this year, a very special one that only happens once in a few moons. And this—" he pinches the edges of the banner and offers it to Vivia. "—is related to it. After all, it would be a shame to lose such a lovely tradition such as this."

Vivia takes the cloth in his hand, looking at it quietly and reverently as he runs his fingers along the crescent moon filigree. "I see," he whispers. "A tradition."

Melami smiles brightly and warmly as she brings the food she bought to the table. "An inspired choice, Makoto."

"I… yes. It's beautiful," Vivia agrees, though he can't chase away his surprise as he peers up at his brother from under the table. "I just… find myself surprised. Passing strange that you would choose that theme now, and not just for the bathroom, but for the whole house."

"Is it really so strange?" Makoto tilts his head. "I may not always approve of the moon, but there are traditions and festivals I do so enjoy. The Festival of Hearts happens to be one."

Vivia's brows rise. "Festival of—"

"Hearts, Bibia!" Makoto presses his fingers together so that they form a heart against his chest. "Since you're still a growing boy, it's when two foxes love each other very much—"

Melami gasps. "Is Vivia going to make a baby?!"

Pulling in a breath so sudden that he chokes on it, Vivia complains, "No!" He scoffs. "I can't, anyway. In case you've forgotten the curse."

Humming noncommittally, Melami dismisses, "You just need to find a brave enough person." She pauses, then taps her chin. "Or a sadomasochist."

Makoto nods. "There's no shortage of sadomasochists in this world."

Sighing deeply and heavily, Vivia shakes his head. He doesn't think something like that exists out there for him. Anyone who gets close enough is frightened away by the concept of touching him. The only people he really talks with who don't think he's strange or scary are Makoto and Melami, and there's absolutely no chance he's interested in anything like that with them.

They're his family.

The entire conversation is just too preposterous, so Vivia decides to stop participating in it.

As they chatter back and forth about moons and foxes and hearts, Vivia reaches up to the table and hooks his finger around the edge of his plate. He tries to pull it to the edge of the table to bring it underneath, but Melami seems to catch him. She gently bats his gloved hand, and he snaps it back.

"Hey—"

Melami clicks her teeth. "Don't you 'hey' me, Vivia," she challenges. "You'll join us and eat at the table like a human."

Vivia smirks impishly. "But I'm not human. Unless the ears, tail, and wings are a new evolutionary form—"

With a heavy scoff, Melami grabs the sleeve of Vivia's coat and pulls him out from under the table. "Which is why I said like a human," she fires back. "Makoto? A little help? You're far better at making him behave than I am."

Despite Melami's complaints, Vivia settles into a chair, his posture slouched as usual as he picks up a fork and digs into his food without hesitation. After all, ever since he was saved as a child, Vivia has never turned down a good meal. He quietly observes the pair of them as he stirs some salty pepper paste into his rice.

Makoto glances between them carefully. "I'm sorry, Mel. I can't help you there. Vivia is already well-behaved." He gestures to Vivia's form for emphasis. "He's even using utensils! I am very proud!"

The impish smile on Melami's face is concerning, and almost instantly, concern is proven to be the right feeling. "Do you remember," Melami starts, picking up one of the cookies and starting with dessert before dinner, "When Vivia refused to use forks and tried to eat like a fox in human form?"

Makoto approaches the table and takes a seat in front of his plate. He glances out the window, where Vivia catches the glimmer of wisteria colored wings flying away. "I remember," Makoto responds, his tone oddly somber. It doesn't last long. He turns back to them and smiles. "I don't blame him, eating with your hands is easier."

Rather than replying with words, Vivia watches his brother's expression in concern.

But before he can ask, Melami scoffs and playfully replies, "And soil your beautiful, innocent clothing?"

"You're right. What am I thinking? How barbaric of me!"

Melami sighs and waves off Makoto's faux contrition. "Your fake apologies are not welcome," she teases, but then quickly changes the subject with an exasperated sigh. "Although, speaking of troubling habits, did you know that Vivia is still on his daredevil streak?"

"I'd hardly call flying as high as I can a daredevil streak, Melami," Vivia remarks as he digs his fork into his meal.

"Ooh, is that what you did today? I enjoy doing that too." Makoto muses. "In my youth, I would take to the skies and go as high as my wings could carry me, which is quite far when you think about it." He nods, satisfied with himself. "Once, I almost breached the sky, that is… until my wings froze over, and I passed out, haha! I woke up nestled in a field of daisies. It was lovely!"

Vivia perks. "I was trying to get to that point today," he tells Makoto excitedly. "I remembered you telling me the story when I was still a child, and I've been fascinated ever since."

With a dramatic, put-upon sigh, Melami complains, "You two are going to be the death of me."

"I think the only death I will cause in that case is my own," Vivia challenges. "But I won't die."

Melami finally digs into her dinner, scooping some rice onto her fork. "Fate can be a cruel mistress, Vivia." Her own expression is somber. Sad. Distant. "It's best not to tempt her."

Even so, Vivia shakes his head. "I've never died before, Melami," he insists. "No matter what happens."

"That doesn't mean you should be reckless," Makoto says. Though his tone is light, it's far more serious than Vivia is used to hearing. "You're still young, so you don't understand, but souls are precious. You shouldn't forsake it just because yours is chained, Vivia."

Sighing forlornly, Vivia nods. It's rare for Makoto to genuinely scold him, so when it happens, he always does his best to take it seriously. "Fine," he acquiesces, then shakes his head and takes another bite of his meal. "I didn't make it that high anyway. I got distracted."

Melami flicks a curious gaze his way. "By what?"

"The airships in the distance," Vivia explains. "There was a massive one in the sky today. It was very far away, but it looked like it was close. And at a few points, it looked like it was blocking out the sun."

With a quiet laugh, Martina fills her fork again and muses, "I would complain about it, but if the airships prevented you from flying too high today, I shouldn't be too upset."

Makoto's attention remains fixated on Vivia. "Blocking out the sun, huh? That can't be environmentally friendly." He jests, though Vivia can see the unease in his brother's demeanor. "Where was it heading? Did it have weaponry?"

"I don't think so, but maybe," Vivia replies, looking down at his meal with a smile. "My glimpse was only brief. It stopped in the woods outside of town, or else I would have followed it to see who was flying it. I think it was near the Peacekeeper prison in Ebisu Plain."

Humming thoughtfully, Melami mutters, "The Peacekeeper prison…"

Vivia lifts his head and looks between them again, arching his eyebrow curiously. "You two are acting the way you do when you know something you don't want to tell me," he murmurs.

"Then you should already know that even if you ask, we won't tell you," Makoto adds. He picks at his meal, his agitation apparent. "Did you see anything else?"

Vivia shakes his head and turns his gaze back to his meal. "I left before the ship took off again," he explains. "I saw a few unfamiliar birds, likely migrating from the south for the summer, and my old friend, but other than that, the only remarkable thing was how the sky darkened as I ascended."

Makoto's eyes feel like they're digging into Vivia. "Old friend? Like Miss Dolly?"

"Kind of," Vivia admits. "But she's never as cruel as Miss Dolly was. Rather… more impassive. She always listened when I spoke, and never flew away, no matter how strange my words were."

Curious, soft, pink eyes examine his face. "Do you know her name?" Melami urges.

Vivia shrugs. "No. I only know that she's a butterfly," he explains, then laughs softly. "With wings not unlike Makoto's. For a time, I thought she was Makoto, until she appeared at the same time as him."

Makoto jolts from his chair so fast, it falls over behind him. "When?" He asks, his brows knitting together. He glances out the window again, and for a moment, Vivia wonders if he plans on running out into the garden without waiting for a response. But rather than give into impulses, Makoto's attention is back on him. "Before? Earlier? Today? With the ship?" He demands.

Brows peaked, Vivia shakes his head, then nods, then shakes his head, then nods again. "All the time," he replies simply. "She's been my friend since before I met you, but she started showing up here not long after I arrived."

"Makoto?" Melami questions worriedly. "Is everything okay, sweetie?"

It doesn't seem like Makoto hears her. He scrutinizes Vivia with such intensity that he feels as though he's been stripped of his flesh with his soul on display. Whatever it is that Makoto is searching for, he doesn't give it away. He rests his hands against either side of his plate and says, "Be careful, Vivia. Remember the rules of the insect world."

The most colorful insects are often the deadliest.

Vivia blinks. He looks down at his meal for several seconds, then turns toward Makoto. "Was I mistaken?" he asks softly. "About her?"

"I don't know." The sincerity in his words is striking. Makoto fixes his chair and perches his chin against his palm. "But being careful is always good."

Rather than answer with words, Vivia just nods. "I'll keep that in mind."

Melami sighs quietly, then stands from her chair, bringing her plate to the kitchen. "You know, I think we're due for another trip to town." She pauses, then quickly adds, "All three of us."

It seems like a non-sequitur, but there's something in Melami's tone—and her expression—that leads Vivia to believe that it's directly related to the airship sighting, or maybe the butterfly. He wants to ask, but he decides it's too bothersome. Even if Melami seems to want to say whatever she's thinking, she's holding back for one reason or another.

Makoto sighs heavily. "That sounds like a great idea, Melami! I need a new conditioner. This one isn't nice for my hair."

Humming quietly, Melami presses, "Perhaps… we can go to Ebisu Plains instead?" She gestures to the west. "They have that herbalist shop you like so much."

Vivia blinks. Ebisu Plains? All three of them? He isn't sure if Melami meant that when she said it, so to confirm, he repeats it. "Did you actually mean… all three of us?"

"I did," Melami clarifies. "I think it's time to allow Vivia to see outside the wards."

"Outside the wards? Ebisu Plains?" Makoto echoes. "Why the sudden interest, Melami?" He quirks an eyebrow. "I thought you liked my theme for the house."

Melami sighs again. "I do, of course," she tells him. "I just think… perhaps his interest in the airships is something worth exploring. Up close, even. He did say one landed at Ebisu Plain, and that's not very far from here."

With a quiet but humorless laugh, Vivia points at the door to his bedroom. "Would you prefer if I left the room so you could talk privately?"

At the very same time as Melami says "yes please," Makoto says "no." Vivia blinks and looks between them in a mix of confusion and mild amusement, then shakes his head.

"An alternate option would be to tell me whatever is tripping you both up," Vivia points out.

Melami nods, letting out a puff of humorless laughter. "I'd love to," she declares, then shrugs nonchalantly. "But ultimately, the decision rests with Makoto."

"Not true," Makoto frowns. "It's more like… are the stars aligning? After all this time?" He peers into Vivia's eyes again. "Butterflies and airships, the festival—is this it?" He asks.

Vivia blinks. "It—"

Whatever Vivia was planning on saying, he doesn't get a chance. A wave of dizziness washes over him out of nowhere, and he reaches up and grips the table with both hands to keep himself upright. His vision very briefly goes white, and he feels an odd sensation of… floating.

He's felt this before, but it usually only happens when he's injured.

A strange sensation of disconnection and pressure, where he doesn't feel fully in control of his body, his bearings, and his senses. He still feels, still smells, still tastes the lingering taste of dinner on his tongue, but it's muted.

Like something else is in control of his physical being.

It's different from the floating he feels when he flies. Like he simultaneously exists and doesn't. For that all too brief moment, his head spins and his grip on the table goes lax. Sensation leaves his body, and he feels simultaneously weighed down and weightless. It's been far too long since he's felt like this.

Very, very vaguely he hears his own voice muttering the words, "If you're looking for a sign, I don't think it could be any more obvious than this."

Then, the moment ends as quickly as it began.

When Vivia flashes back into reality and everything in the room comes back into focus, his head is drooped down to his chest. His whole body is slack, all except for his left arm. His hand is in the air, holding up the 'OKAY' symbol to Makoto.

Vivia blinks as he relaxes his hand, stares at his arm, then lowers it. "Wh—"

The first voice he hears is Melami's. She stares at him worriedly, then asks, "What do you mean, more obvious? I didn't think you believed in signs from the stars, Vivia."

He doesn't. He doesn't believe in fate or destiny or that the stars do anything other than glow in the sky at night. So why in the world would he say something so stupid?

All Vivia can manage to say through the dizziness spinning his skull is, "I don't—I don't know why I said that."

Makoto doesn't appear alarmed at all. "Don't worry about it, Bibia," he waves a hand aimlessly. "But since you're here, we should go investigate the airship."

"Hu-huh?" Vivia asks blearily.

Melami blinks at Makoto. "The airship is the least important thing right now, Mako," she tells him. "We should be more concerned with making sure his anemia isn't acting up again."

"It's not my anemia, Melami," Vivia slurs. "I just… got a little dizzy. Lingering altitude sickness, maybe."

With a scoff, Melami counters, "Don't be ridiculous—"

"He'll be fine," Makoto interrupts. He dumps his scraps into the trash and hastily washes his plate. "On the contrary, I think catching up to the airship is the most important thing for Vivia, right now."

Vivia furrows his brow. "Just me?"

They're going to make him go alone? He doesn't know if he should—if he can—

"No, not just you," Melami stops his mental tirade, picking up Vivia's glass of water and holding it to his lips. When he tries to push her hand away with his gloved hands, she pushes back harder. Eventually, he gives in and lets her pour his drink into his mouth like a worried mother. "We're going with you, of course."

"Consider it a family trip!" Makoto smiles. "Isn't this exciting?"

Vivia flashes Makoto a genuine smile. "Thank you, Makoto."

"Don't thank me yet," Makoto says. "There's a reason why we've been held up here for as long as we have. The world beyond the grove is dangerous. It's not what it seems, and always watch your back. Okay?"

With a nod, Vivia meets Makoto's gaze steadily. "But I think we can handle whatever waits for us," he insists. "As long as we're together."

Melami's curious gaze is still fixated on Makoto, but she nods and starts cleaning up after their dinner. "Vivia is right," she announces. "I understand that the world outside makes you nervous, Mako, but I think the world also deserves to see more of your special brand of charm. There's no one else like you, after all."

"You're right, Melami," Makoto nods. "If it means I can save the world from your shoes and pants, I will do it. For the greater good!"

Before Melami can even come up with some kind of sassy rebuttal, Vivia cuts in. "Why are we taking our time, then?" he asks, surprised by his own impatience. "If we have to catch up to the airship, shouldn't we hurry?"

"How very unlike you," Melami mutters under her breath.

"I've already left," Makoto says, already on the other side of the window. He waves at them. "Last one out, please lock the door!" He takes off into the sky in a shimmer of lavender.

"Cheater!" cries Melami as she waves her fingers in the air and then snaps.

The air in the entire house changes then, like Melami just packed up all their important things with that snap, but Vivia can't find it in himself to complain. Makoto is right. They should hurry.

Despite his rising anticipation at the concept of actually leaving Tsukuyomi Grove and the village itself, the solemness on his brother's face makes him want to change his mind. Somehow, he doesn't think Makoto—or even Melami—would let that happen.

The moment Vivia stands, Melami starts announcing all the things she packed like she feels like she deserves a reward for it. Even as Vivia follows behind, making for the path to the village gates, Vivia can't get Makoto's strange reaction to the mention of his butterfly friend out of his mind.

The most colorful insects are often the deadliest.

Something about that butterfly bothers his brother, but Vivia can't exactly pinpoint what it is.

Vivia has to hope that, once they get there, his brother will be more willing to explain.

Notes:

Melami adds such a different flavor to the role of 'third part of Vivia and Makoto's weird little family' than Martina did, but I think it works in a very different kind of way. Spicy sweet instead of just spicy, but equally exasperated with them almost all the time.

You might notice that we changed a lot about the locations in the main area. Rather than using the districts of Kanai Ward as towns, villages, and cities, we used the gods in direct relation to Amaterasu. There are a lot of other differences in this chapter, too. But of course, Makoto would never lose the circus bathroom or the elephant bidet.

If you like what you've read, please don't hesitate to leave us a few words here and there in the comment section! After all, for a quiet fandom and ship like this, it's inclined to feel like you're writing into a void.

Whether you do or not, thank you so much for reading!
⭐💜 Aria

My favorite thing about this story is using it as an excuse to word vomit about my foxes and fae lore, HUEHUEHUEHUEHUE

You’ll definitely hear more about it as the story goes on, and although I don’t believe they’re currently tagged, but we did expand komahina and soudham’s roles in this. It’s not a lot, not enough to warrant the tag, actually, but we figured it made more sense for them do more than they did in the original version due to Vivia’s origins. I don’t consider this a spoiler because they don’t actually alter the story in any way, so consider this a fun fact 😂

As for my comments on this chapter, Makoto is such a teehee that I genuinely wonder how Vivia and Melami can deal with his ass. 🤭

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time out of their day to read, kudo, bookmark and even check out the story! We’d love to hear anyone’s thoughts on the story as we go along, so don’t be afraid to drop them! See ya in the next update!
🌜✨ Rin

Chapter 3

Summary:

Something is coming, but he doesn't know what. Is it his death?

"No, Kitkat," a vaguely familiar voice calls. "It's not death. It's another reason to live."

Reassurance. Relaxation.

Another reason to live?

He doesn't know what it means, but he knows he's not afraid.

Notes:

cw: combat violence

Walking through Tsukuyomi Grove feels different, knowing that when Vivia gets to the village limits, he'll actually be passing them. It will be the first time he's left the village since he was a child, since Makoto carried his unconscious body over the village border and to the cottage that has been his home since he was ten years old.

Melami comes and goes from the village more often than even Makoto, so she seems completely oblivious to the wonderment. Makoto, for his part, still looks apprehensive from their prior discussion about Vivia's butterfly friend.

As much as Vivia wants to be excited about finally seeing what's beyond the walls, it's hard to when his brother is so upset. Those feelings are just as contagious as joy and laughter, so Vivia can't help the creeping of his own anxiety as he grows closer to the tall wall surrounding the small village.

In spite of that apprehension, Vivia finds himself with a question.

Why approach the walls on foot when they all have working wings? They could be in the sky, feeling the breeze on their skin, flying over the high walls and—

The moment the thought passes through his mind, he finds his answer. Just above the wall, he sees a small dragonfly about to fly over the top. It zips through the air as fast as its little wings will allow, but when it arrives, it crashes into something unseen. A small magic ripple radiates out around it as the dragonfly turns and flies away, dazed.

"Ah. A magic barrier. So that's why we're going on foot," Vivia muses quietly.

Melami laughs quietly. "Of course," she replies. "You think Makoto would leave the city unprotected?"

"I would never," Makoto agrees.

They cross under the large gate to get outside the city, and Vivia finds himself subconsciously standing taller. He turns to Melami and Makoto, both of whom know exactly which direction to go to get to the Ebisu Plains Peacekeeper Prison.

Vivia is glad they agreed to come with him. He would've been lost otherwise, and probably flown right into the magic barrier.

Now they just have to find a good place to take to the skies. The area is densely wooded, so although Melami and Makoto could probably shrink and take off where they stand, Vivia doesn't have that luxury. Sure, he could ask them for a glamour to shrink him, but he's always hated the feeling of returning to normal size.

"I have to admit," Melami starts as they walk the trail just outside the city, "I'm curious about why this mystery airship was headed toward a prison tower. They're not Peacekeepers, I assume."

With a quiet chuckle, Vivia shakes his head. "I don't think Makoto would have agreed, if they were." He hums and shrugs. "Maybe they're visiting someone? Or they're dropping more prisoners off? It was a pretty big airship."

"What makes either of you two think they're bringing prisoners?" Makoto muses. "That would be silly for sky pirates. No, I think this is a jailbreak."

It's impossible to hide the wave of excitement that ripples through Vivia's muscles, his veins, every single inch of his body. "Sky pirates?" he asks. "Jail break?"

Melami half-smiles. "Ah. That sounds an awful lot like the Nocturne," she reasons.

Arching an eyebrow, Vivia murmurs, "Clearly they're not very good pirates if everyone knows who they are." He hums. "Where's the romance and fantasy in that?"

"The Nocturne is infamous, Bibia," Makoto replies. "They're pirates, not spies. Reputation means everything, but on the other hand… it works the same way for the Peacekeepers."

Though Vivia doesn't know much about what the Peacekeepers do outside of Tsukuyomi Grove, he knows enough to realize that it's nothing good. So, he asks, "Do you think they might be in trouble?"

Despite Makto's eyes being obscured by the blind mask, Vivia can sense his brother's eyes on him. "They will be once we catch up to them. We are trouble." He smirks.

Melami laughs airily. "I've been saying that for centuries," she agrees.

"Says the one who is the most trouble among us," Vivia remarks offhandedly.

"Luckily for us, they're just as much trouble. Maybe more," Melami decides, though she turns the question over in her head for a few moments. "It's hard to determine which group is more troublesome, though. On the one hand, the Peacekeepers are the Peacekeepers, but on the other hand, pirates are pirates."

Vivia smiles dreamily. "I'd like to be a pirate someday."

"No better time than the present!" With that, Makoto takes off into the air, his wisteria-lavender wings rapidly flap to compensate for the dramatic takeoff.

With a quiet laugh, Melami takes off at a much more reasonable pace. Her tiny dragonfly wings flutter furiously, kicking up a tiny breeze that blows Vivia's bangs into his face. He sweeps them back, then turns, to watch as the impossibly fragile wings pull Melami's tall frame into the air at the same speed as Makoto.

"So that was your aim," Melami calls into the air as she gets further from the ground. "We would make fabulous pirates."

Unlike Melami, Vivia has no trouble at all getting into the air. His wings were made for a much easier take-off, and he knows that when push comes to shove, his wings are stronger than both of theirs. But he never brings it up, because he loves watching them zip through the air.

Since Vivia's wings are bulkier and stronger, and can shuffle up more tailwind, he gets higher than the others much faster, despite taking off after both of them. His tail and his ears twitch excitedly. For someone who enjoys small spaces, Vivia always finds himself enjoying being in the open air just as much.

He looks down, and the moment he catches sight of Melami and Makoto, a smile pulls up the corners of his mouth.

From this high in the air, Melami and Makoto look like the insects their wings represent, zipping around the forest canopy playfully. He knows they're not actually playing, and it's just the way fae fly, but the sight of them flying together in perfect dissonance like that makes his heart feel warm.

It's nice to see them look free like this. They never get to cut loose.

It makes Vivia want to join them. He dives toward the ground, watching the surface get closer and closer, and then stops between them. Keeping himself aloft with the flutter of his wings, Vivia smiles as he glances from Makoto to Melami.

"It's been so long since we've flown together," Vivia tells them happily. "I know we're out of our comfort zone, but that doesn't mean we can't enjoy it, right?"

"I do so enjoy flying," Makoto sighs. "It's the little things that bring great joy!" He zigzags around for emphasis, then flips onto his back and curls his hands behind his head, his eyes taking in the rest of the open sky. "But let's not forget to keep our guards up! We're out in the open here."

With a bright smile, Vivia spins in place and kicks up a small, breezy whirlwind to gently push both of his siblings out of place. He nods as he settles back into place. "I will. I promise."

Melami flutters closer to them and zips between them quickly. "Maybe we can race to the tower, as long as we don't land in the area. There should be a clearing about half a mile to the east, and it's usually free of Peacekeepers. It's where I stop to walk into Ebisu Village," she tells them enthusiastically. "So if we make that our goal, we can have a good-natured race!"

"Absolutely!" Vivia's smile grows, and his eyes shoot open eagerly as he turns toward Makoto, awaiting his approval.

"Count us down, Melami," Makoto says.

"On go. Five…" Melami buzzes her wings steadily and looks between them. "Four-three-two-one—go!"

The last five words were spoken in such a rush that he knows she planned on cheating all along, and Vivia is proven right when she takes off before shouting the word go. She zips through the air, body straight as a pin as her wings flutter violently into the air, leading her in the direction she told them to go.

Vivia laughs, casting Makoto an amused glance. "You knew she'd do that."

"She never plays fair," Makoto pouts. Despite his words, he's already hot on Melami's heels. "Bye-bye Bibia!"

The moment Makoto takes off, Vivia is right behind.

He soars high above the trees and looks down at the green canopy. When he finds himself hot on his siblings' heels, he speeds in the direction of the clearing Melami pointed out. He can't see it from here, but he knows the distance of a mile from the tower, and the tower rises high over the treetops.

It's not long before he passes them both from above, flashing them both a languid smile.

Vivia feels free with the wind in his wings. His tail works as a rudder, steering him without having to turn his wings to change position. He soars like the airship they're on their way to see, using his wings to go higher or lower as needed. Before he knows it, he finds himself a few hundred feet ahead of Melami and Makoto. They zip around faster when they're shifted into a smaller size, so he wonders if they're letting him win.

From where he hovers, he can see the clearing. As soon as he spots it…

He starts to dive bomb.

This is his favorite part of flight. Careening toward the ground, and using his wings to stop him from crashing into it. As he descends, he folds his wings and his tail down to gain as much speed as possible. When he approaches the canopy of trees, he unfurls them again to slow down.

His bright green wings explode into the warm afternoon air, and he slows down to make his descent, but—

THWIP

A dark arrow of light zips through the air, smacks Vivia in the wing, and pierces through the meatier part of his flesh. A sharp pain explodes across the area, though he doesn't think it hurts nearly as much as it should for him to be hit with dark magic. He's a seraph, isn't he? He's been told that dark magic is to seraphim what fire is to paper.

For all he's been told, he's never touched it, so he wouldn't have had a way to know.

Despite the fact that it doesn't hurt that bad, it still hurts enough to make it hard to fly. Vivia tries to stay in the air, but he can barely move his wing without driving the still-glowing arrow deeper.

Bright silver blood coats his bright green feathers, and before he can try to correct himself, he starts to fall.

He vaguely hears Melami's panicked gasp from above, but he can't manage to turn toward her. He plummets toward the ground, but before he hits it, he finds himself draped in a glowing, purple net. It burns where it touches his ears, wings, and tail, and try as he might, he can't crawl out from under it.

(He can't help but feel like it should hurt more than it does…)

Every time he grabs at the net to try and pull it off, he feels the burn through his gloves. Whatever dark magic is coming from the rope is strong. He hisses through his teeth and desperately tries to crawl for the edge of the net, but when he moves, it presses to his skin and the burn deepens.

"Nice shot," an unfamiliar voice calls, attached to a man who stands just outside Vivia's field of vision. "Wanna finish the job?"

"That is the plan," another voice replies.

A hooded-cloaked figure steps out of the foliage and into the clearing, brandishing a scythe?

It doesn't look like any of the scythes he's seen in his books, granted Vivia doesn't have much experience reading about these things to begin with. No, this isn't just any scythe—what his assailant is holding is a death scythe—the weapon of choice for the Reapers. Its purpose is not to maim victims, but to sever their connections with the mortal realm.

The cloaked figure's scythe is sleek; it's taller than the Reaper, and far more jagged than it has any right to be. The scythe's metal is as black as night, even down to the blade itself, and yet despite that, it still manages to gleam under the radiant sun. The chains wrapped around the scythe's frame clink against metal with every step the hooded figure takes.

It almost sounds like a death rattle. It seems today is the day he finally gets to die.

"What, not gonna beg for your life?" a red-haired man behind the hooded figure interjects. "This is usually the part when people start bartering. Making offers. Trades. Promising me whatever I want to let them go."

Something inside Vivia tells him not to speak.

He turns a sharp glare back toward the red-haired man, but quickly looks away and focuses on the hooded figure instead. If today is the day he finally gets to die, he wants to meet it head-on.

A myriad of pastel pink magic daggers soar through the air and impact the hooded figure's scythe. It doesn't knock the scythe from the hooded figure's grip, but it does seem to put it into some kind of stasis. The scythe is immobilized, even as the hooded figure tries to step closer again, and they're forced to turn and try to pull it along.

The redhead casts his eyes to the sky and chuckles. "Mel. Oh, Mel, Mel, Mel," he calls. "I should've known you'd throw in with the hopeless after you wiled your way out of my clutches."

Another blast of pink magic flies toward the redhead, but he deflects it with a blast of dark, charcoal gray magic which sends it back toward her. She has to dart out of the way to avoid being paralyzed by her own magic.

With a chuckle, the redhead crosses his arms over his chest. "Silly Mel. You don't think you're good enough to take me on now, do you? What do you think you can accomplish all on your lonesome?"

"Now, now, Yomi, it's not very polite to antagonize a woman like Melami." Makoto lands in front of Vivia's prone form, his wings twitching behind him. It's the only sign of agitation Vivia can catch from his brother. "I see you've brought another Reaper fledgling to do your bidding. You always were the lazy type, Yomi."

The redhead—Yomi—waves his hand dismissively. "You call it lazy, I call it opportunistic," he replies. "After all, I did find this poor creature abandoned. One would think mongrels like you and yours would have more sympathy for that type of deal, being so unwanted yourselves."

The cloaked figure clicks their teeth. In a flash of silvery-wisteria light, the immobilized scythe is gone, leaving nothing behind but an outline of Melami's magic. "Enough. Step aside." The figure demands, their true voice distorted as though overlaid with several different voices.

Melami lands next to Makoto. In any other circumstance, it would be comical, the way she towers over everyone else who's standing. "Thanks for the offer, but I'll have to pass," she replies plainly. "I won't let you have him."

"You are harboring an abomination to the Peacekeeper's Creed. This is your final warning. Step aside or perish," the figure tries again.

Vivia flinches. Abomination. Blight. Plague. A stained soul, tarnishing the Solari name by just existing. That's all he's ever been. Just because Makoto and Melami tell him it's not true doesn't change it.

But Melami's unflappable love and courage keeps her standing in place. "Bold of you to assume we live by the Peacekeeper's Creed, Edgy McLast Year's Robe."

"Oof. A dig to the fashion. Pretty on brand to you, Melly," the redhead—Yomi—says dismissively, flicking his wrist into the air. "But that's where you're wrong. I don't want him. My friend here does. Actually, not even him. His soul."

Melami huffs. "Of course. That's all you Reapers care about, isn't it?" she replies. "But that doesn't mean they're gonna get it. If you want him, you're going to have to get through both of us."

As Melami and Makoto try to keep the others busy, Vivia desperately tries to crawl to the edge of the net. The more he struggles, the more it starts to hurt him—burning his skin through his clothes, but he doesn't stop. Something in the depths of his being tells him that this isn't where he meets death, no matter how much a small piece of him wishes he could.

He's not allowed. Not yet.

He doesn't know why. Moments ago he was ready to face the reaper head-on, but now he's crawling, through the mild burn and the endless pale-silver blood dripping from his impaled wing, to get out from under the net. Every now and then, the dark arrow catches on the net, pulling against the dark-magic enchanted rope. It stings. It rips through his skin. But that voiceless voice from the depths of his soul tells him to push all the same.

When he reaches the edge of the net, he tries to grab it, but it moves. It digs down into the ground like it has a mind of its own, trapping Vivia like a cage.

The laughter that pours out of Yomi's mouth is… far too innocent for the situation. It's almost conversational. Pleasant, like he's having a conversation with a pair of old pals. "Oh, that won't be a problem. You fae may not have souls, but that doesn't mean you can't die. It just means… you stop existing. So, I'd probably come to terms with that."

Maybe it's a trick of the eye or Vivia's imagination, but with one glance, he can almost feel tension rolling from the cloaked figure. Whether from frustration or Yomi's words or all of the above, Vivia will never know.

The moment Yomi stops talking, thorny vines explode from the ground beneath Makoto and Melami. Makoto hops into the air, narrowly avoiding several thick vines that reach for his feet, but Melami isn't so lucky. They wrap her legs and reach for her arms, pulling her down to the ground on all fours, and the moment she hits the ground, Yomi laughs.

"Oh man, you look so pretty on your knees, Mel!" Yomi chides, laughing even louder. "Almost as pretty as Miss Martina did, before I—"

A scream rips from Melami's throat. "Get her name off your lips, you filthy monster—"

From under the net, Vivia rasps, "Let her go if it's me you want!"

Yomi sits on a downed tree stump. "That ship's sailed, Spirit Halloween Reject," he muses as he crosses one leg over the other, nonchalantly tapping his foot in the air. "We could've gone that route, if they'd just let Mortis kill you, but now? Now you'll have to watch them disappear first."

"Please," Vivia begs. "Makoto, fly away. Take Melami and go!"

A blade presses against Yomi's neck. "Yomi," Makoto starts, his voice uncharacteristically low. "Release them. Now."

In spite of Yomi's position, he smiles. "You're asking the wrong guy, Captain Ditch-A-Lot," he shrugs. "You want your adoption agency rejects freed, you're gonna have to take it up with my friend."

Makoto flinches, but before he can properly react, the hooded Reaper extends their hand Makoto's way. In a flash of pink light, Makoto's body freezes. He grimaces. "Da-damn!"

"Getting slow in your old age, Housefly?" Yomi chides. "Okay. C'mon Morty. Let's get this show on the road. I'm getting bored." He waves his hand to where Vivia lays prone under the net.

"You talk too much, Hellsmile," the hooded Reaper says, dropping their arm. The death scythe reappears in their hands in a quick flash of shimmery light. They grip the handle tightly. "This is why you never get anything done. Why don't you make yourself useful and keep an eye on the skies instead?"

Yomi scoffs. "I'm plenty useful. This is you proving to me that you haven't gone soft in all that time you're wasting not doing your job," he jabs, then gestures to Vivia. "He's literally trapped. I gave him to you in a glowing, Hellion's Bite net. Kill him first and make them watch."

"Please!" Melami begs, her desperate, tearful voice echoing into the empty clearing. "Please don't!"

"Don't beg," The Reaper murmurs. "Death is already merciful." They approach Vivia with heavy footfalls, their knuckles growing white with how hard they grip the scythe. "It's the only fairness left in this world. The only escape from suffering."

Vivia winces. Whatever it is in the depths of his soul that tells him not to die is… an uncomfortable mix between calm and quivering in nervous anticipation. He feels the way he felt before. Ready to face the Reaper's scythe—but there's something different hidden behind the calm now.

Something is coming, but he doesn't know what. Is it his death?

"No, Kitkat," a vaguely familiar voice calls. "It's not death. It's another reason to live."

Reassurance. Relaxation.

Another reason to live?

He doesn't know what it means, but he knows he's not afraid.

As the Reaper raises his scythe, Vivia inhales deeply. He's ready. He's been ready all along. He spent far too long denying that, fooling himself into thinking that he was anything other than an abomination. His death will be a favor to the world, and though Makoto and Melami have to see it happen, he knows they'll be okay. They'll have each other, and they'll be strong enough to overcome the trauma of witnessing Vivia's passing.

Just as the scythe starts to descend, a loud, echoing BANG rings out through the clearing, followed shortly by the CLINK of metal ricocheting off metal.

The shot was powerful enough to knock the scythe off course, sending it flying backward. The white-knuckle grip the Reaper had on their scythe loosens in their surprise and the scythe flies across the clearing and lands at the treeline.

From the sky, descends—

A man.

A man with bright cerulean hair and azure eyes, his face and body covered in elegant, glittering, navy blue dragon scales. Vine-like antler-horns sprout from his scalp and get lost in his chaotic fluffy mess of hair. He's dressed like a rogue—no, like a pirate—all capes and buckles and buttons and a skull-laden top hat, skewed over his left horn.

The sight of him… makes every iota of Vivia's mind, body, and soul sing. It wakes up pieces of him that he didn't know existed, then instantly takes his breath right back away. He watches in amazement as the man flies through the air like an acrobat, fighting with elegance and grace.

His bulky dragon tail bats at the ivy restraining Melami's wrists, wrapping it up tightly. With a twitch of his dextrous tail, he rips a few pieces away in a quick, yanking motion.

In his hands, he holds a pair of clockwork pistols. He raises them, aiming one at the Reaper and the other at Yomi, and shakes his head. "This is a new low for you two. Didn't take the almighty Peacekeepers for trappers."

"You've got to be kidding me. When Guillaume read my fortune she said it was gonna be a good one," Yomi muses, then barks a laugh, then turns to the reaper. "Hey! It's your lucky day! Two for the price of one!"

The Reaper reacts before Yomi can finish speaking. They lunge forward, raising their arms into the air just as their death scythe re-materializes within their hold. It swings toward the cerulean-haired man at terrifying speed.

"Whoa, whoa, easy there mini-Harbinger of Death, you wanna stow that weapon? You barely look strong enough to hold it, let alone swing it," the pirate remarks with a challenging grin. "Wouldn't want to accidentally use it on yourself, would ya?"

In a flutter of wings, the man zips backward and deftly evades the scythe. He spins in the air like Vivia did moments ago, his massive, scaly tail coming into contact with the Reaper's shoulder and knocking them to the ground.

The impact dispels the Reaper's concentration, and from where Vivia sits, he catches the moment Makoto breaks out of stasis and the thorny vines vanish into a burst of leaves.

Now, it seems, Yomi decides to spring into action. "Don't ask a fake to do a real Reaper's job," he mutters under his breath as he summons a scythe of his own, perfectly identical to the first Reaper's. He swings it into the air toward the pirate, who deftly dodges again, then puts his fingers to his lips and whistles.

"Funny, Hellsmile," the pirate murmurs, "the only fake I see here is you. Rumi! Desu! Now!"

Out of the nearby forest flies another pair of seraphim, one with baby pink wings and the other with gold into white. The girl with the baby pink wings fires a pistol of her own, knocking Yomi's scythe out of his hand and to the ground. Then, with her free hand, she rains a torrent of white magic bolts down around the duo of Reapers.

The second seraphim lands beside Vivia and hastily reaches for the net. "Don't worry, buddy! I'm gonna get you out of hereeee—owowowowowowow—!" He grimaces the moment his bare hands touch the net, but through the pain, he manages to tear it away from Vivia and hastily tosses it as far away from them as possible. "Yikes, that stings!"

"Indeed," Vivia replies, though he wonders why it doesn't hurt him as much as it seems to hurt this other seraph. "Thank you."

Now that he's free, he climbs to his feet as quickly as he can. He still feels the residual burn of the dark magic net, and his wing still throbs with a pain the likes of which he's never felt before and pours blood onto the ground beneath him, but at least he can manage to stand on his own two feet. He turns toward the others, just in time to see Yomi turn to the unnamed Reaper in irritation.

"We're outnumbered," Yomi points out arbitrarily.

"At least you can count," the cloaked figure shoots back. "Next time—"

Makoto points his sword in their direction, his wings rigid. "Don't you dare run!"

But rather than say a word, the figure throws Makoto a rather playful salute. They jump into the air just as a dark purple portal opens beneath their feet, swallowing their body whole. The portal vanishes in the blink of an eye, just as another one opens behind Yomi.

When Yomi notices, a smirk peels across his face. "Mortis, you beautiful bastard. See you later, losers," he muses with a cordial wave as he steps into the portal.

Just like the other, it closes before anyone has a chance to move toward it.

The pirate huffs from where he hovers in the air. "Ain't that a bitch."

Makoto kicks at the ground in frustration.

"They won't get away with it," the pirate promises. "We've been after him for ages, and we get closer every time."

The pink-winged seraph looks around at everyone before her eyes fall on Vivia, Makoto, and Melami. "Are you three okay? You weren't hurt too badly, were you?"

"Not us," Melami replies, brushing some residual leaves from her clothes. "But he has an arrow in his wing."

The dragon-pirate grimaces. He glances at the arrow, then turns to look at Vivia. He huffs. "Dark magic arrow on a seraph. That's some dirty shit," he murmurs. "You're lucky it's not hellion-tipped. Kurumi's a healer. If I pull it out, she can close it up for you, and we've got some Seraphim's Kiss back on our ship to clear the rest of the dark magic from your system if you want."

"Your ship?" Vivia asks, his eyes shooting open in alarm.

"Uh… yeah," the dragon-pirate replies, furrowing his brow in confusion. He points over his shoulder. "It's not too far from here. If you guys want to come and rest a bit."

Melami turns to Makoto. "Would you look at that? We're being led directly to our goal," she muses gently.

Once Vivia's attention falls to Makoto, he watches his brother closely. He's never seen Makoto look so… downtrodden. He frowns and stares at the ground, seeming equal parts frustrated and sad, and Vivia calls, "Brother? Are you okay?"

"I will be," Makoto answers. "Once Mr. Pirate feeds me." He turns on his feet to properly face the dragon pirate. He holds out his hand. "You're always late, but I like your enthusiasm! You're right, we will catch them, and next time, we'll win. It's a pleasure to meet you at last, Mr. Captain."

The dragon pirate scratches the back of his head, nearly knocking his hat off. He catches it before it falls, then laughs awkwardly. "How did you know I'm always late?" he asks as he extends his hand to clasp Makoto's and shakes it. "But, uh… ye-yeah. Nice to meet you."

With a quiet laugh, the pink-winged seraph turns to Melami and questions, "Feeds him?"

"Rumors say that Makoto is powered by a small black hole," Melami replies, though she watches after Makoto in concern.

"It's okay," the pirate replies with a cheerful smile. "I was gonna offer to make lunch anyway. So… you made it sound like you were looking for me."

"We were," Vivia replies. "Or, your ship to be exact."

"Huh. The fates work in really weird ways sometimes, don't they?" The dragon looks confused. He glances at his two seraphim companions, then gestures over his shoulder. "C'mon, you two. Let's lead them to the ship, then. We can talk properly when we're not at risk for a Peacekeeper Redux."

"Aye, aye, captain!" replies the golden seraph.

Notes:

YAKOU IS HERE! THE GUY! THE SILLY!

There are a couple tidbits of something pertaining to a change in Vivia's backstory here, but they're subtle, so I wonder if you'll pick up on it! Either way, Yakou is here and he saved the day just like in the original!

Yuma is a lot sassier this time around and BOY OH BOY is he done with Yomi's shit. I always sort of wished that Yomi was more proactive about his BS in canon, and while not much about what he does has changed, Yomi is a bit more proactive about things this time around. Just a liiiiittle.

I'm really proud of this version of the story, so I hope, if you guys are reading and enjoying, you'll drop a line to let us know~ 💖
⭐💜 Aria

Fufufufufufu this chapter. Oh, this chapter. This silly little chapter.

Unrelated to the story, but within the realm of the story, I’ve talked at length with Aria how I always felt Yomi was an under-utilized villain in Rain Code. He’s a character that does *a lot* behind the scenes, but outside of what Makoto tells us canonically, there isn’t enough evidence to really, like… carry the weight of Yomi’s cruelty. And he could be such a Joffrey level villain, too!

For those who read the original version, without spoilers, if you remember, knowing that the situation with the organization 13 reject has changed a *lot*. It was one of the things I set out to rectify when rewriting this. 13 motivation’s are completely different than in 1.0 🤭 and I think it falls more in line with what Makoto wants now than it did originally.

As for Vivia, we did add a change to him that will explain some things later on in the story, but I won’t say anything because of spoilers. But also, I don’t know how much Aria wants to reveal about it soooooooooooo read on to find out :3

Thank you so much for reading!! ♥
🌜✨ Rin

Chapter 4

Chapter by BrattyBoyWrites

Summary:

"They said they were looking for us," Yakou explains, turning his gaze to Vivia, Makoto, and Melami. "Or maybe it was the ship?"

With a hum, Vivia stares at the orange in his hand and replies, "I'm not quite sure." He turns to Makoto. "Both? Neither?"

"Not sure?" interjects Melami incredulously. "I thought we were here because Vivia saw the airships and—"

"Something like that," Makoto says. He turns his attention to Yakou. "What's the plan? Where are you heading? Would you like some stowaways? Can I decorate your ship?"

Yakou blinks and scratches behind his horn. "No decorating the ship," he starts, his expression serious. "Even I don't redecorate it."

Notes:

cw: none

Whatever Yakou expected from today, getting into a fight with the head Peacekeeper himself and his newest underling wasn't even in the top ten.

Realistically, it should have been. After all, every day he doesn't end up on the wrong end of Yomi Hellsmile's scythe, on the run from his Underling of the Decade, should be considered lucky. They've been chasing him for over a thousand years now, and somehow he's been fortunate enough to escape every encounter with his head and soul attached.

Sure, some encounters are worse than others. Yakou has more than his fair share of battle scars from times when the big bad "protection" group has head-hunted him or another member of his crew.

But it's rare to see them target complete strangers.

Not unheard of, but they usually only hunt the people already on their list.

Yakou looks over this mysterious trio.

Running into two fae is rare enough on its own. Given how close the species is to extinction, Yakou thinks it's strange enough that he has two on his crew. Yuma and Ibuki are two very different people, but the fact remains that they're both fae. Now, with these other two—Makoto and Melami, the latter of whom Yakou expects is a half-fae of some kind—the Nocturne is essentially a fae mystery tour.

But that's okay. Yakou is happy to protect a dying species. They'll never die out as long as Yakou is alive to keep them safe.

The third member of the group is a seraph-fox. That mix alone is enough to send a painful pang of nostalgia coursing through him. It's not an uncommon mix. The Light Moon Fox Clans have been known to breed with seraphim from time to time, especially in times of crisis to shore up their numbers. But… they're rare enough that Yakou can only think of one from the top of his head.

His late wife, Ayane.

It's been just over eight-and-a-quarter centuries, and he still feels a pang of lonely ache every time he thinks of Ayane and the cruel way she was taken from him. That's not this serafox's fault, though. Not something he really needs to bring up in front of his crew, either. Forcing himself back to the present, he follows behind the group to the Nocturne's infirmary.

Immediately after they pass through the doors, Kurumi forces the serafox to one of the beds and starts looking over his wing. Yakou holds the arrow they pulled out in his hand and looks it over. Dark magic on a seraph, even if they're only part seraph, is always pretty touch and go.

Both Desuhiko Thunderbolt and Kurumi Wendy are perfect examples of that.

Back when he saved Desuhiko from Yomi and his pet fledgling, he was inches from his deathbed. Yakou had to seek a healer in the nearest city if there was any hope of saving him at all. Kurumi, on the other hand, managed to keep herself healed. But the exertion she spent trying to keep herself alive with dark magic running through her veins made her so weak and tired that she passed out before Yakou got her to the healer.

Ibuki Mioda and Sonia Nevermind were both ambushed the moment they left Jabberwock Island. Ibuki, being a fae, was snared in a bear trap dipped in Trickster's Lament. As a mermaid, Sonia was tangled up in simulated seaweed and forced to shift on dry land, only kept alive by the shell charm around her neck.

Attacked with their weaknesses and left for dead.

This green-winged, green-eared, green-tailed serafox—Vivia, he introduced himself as—seems to be having a lot less trouble than any of the others, though. He definitely seems to be in pain from the wound the arrow left on his shoulder, but he recovered much quicker from the dark magic than Yakou expects him to.

Once Kurumi seals his wound, he immediately starts moving around the med-bay to prove to Kurumi that he's none the worse for wear.

Yakou looks from Vivia to his two fae companions. He tried to urge Makoto and Melami to let Kurumi look them over. After all, Reaper magic has been known to carry unforeseen side effects. But they both refused and reassured him that they were fine.

It's probably hard to trust them, even if the Nocturnal Pirates have a better reputation among civilians than the average sky pirate crew.

When he's sure they're at least okay enough to move around, Yakou steps out of the med bay to see if any of the others have returned from their missions yet.

Sonia and Ibuki were planning on using one of the ship's sky canoes to take the rescued Peacekeeper prisoners to the protective barriers of Tsukuyomi Grove. From there, they planned to help the prisoners find a place to hide while they made arrangements to get out of the Peacekeepers' reach.

They aren't expected back until way later tonight, but there is one person he expects to see that isn't here.

Yuma Kokohead has a habit of coming and going at random, without warning. He always finds his way back to the ship before long, but Yakou always worries when he disappears. Yuma is a lot smaller than the others. He always shies away from a fight, and was absolutely horrible at swordplay and shooting when Yakou tried to teach him.

So, he always makes himself scarce when the more intense battles come their way. It's for the best, and Yakou knows it.

But he still worries, and right now, that worry grows into something bone-chilling.

He hasn't seen Yuma since he excused himself to go to the bathroom. Seconds later, Kurumi told him that the Peacekeeper alarms were going off, and she saw a ship to the west, close to Tsukuyomi Grove. He barely had a chance to stand outside the door and warn Yuma to stay hidden, and he never got the chance to figure out if Yuma heard him.

Yakou checked the bathrooms when they got back from their rescue mission, and there was no sign of Yuma. He's not in the kitchen or any of the bedrooms, in storage, or anywhere else.

He hums quietly to himself as he flies up to the crow's nest and looks around the wooded area for any sign of the kid. It's hard to see through the forest canopy, so Yakou turns and heads back into the med bay. Digging into his pocket, he pulls out a communication stone he gave to Yuma back when he first joined the crew and sends a message.

"Coast is clear, kiddo," Yakou reassures him. "Wherever you're hiding, you can come home."

He flies back down to the main deck, tucks his stone into his pocket, and heads to the infirmary. A smile pulls across his lips when he sees everyone talking like friends already. Not that he expected anything different from Kurumi and Desuhiko. They're a pair of social kids, so he knew they'd make this easy.

It's a relief to see that Vivia is able to move his wing again. Kurumi makes him stretch it and fold it, raise it and lower it, and she claps in satisfaction when he finishes.

"That worked so fast! I must be getting better at harnessing my healing!" Kurumi declares as she snuffs out the light healing aura in her hand. "I thought with the dark magic it'd take much longer to heal all that."

The half-fae woman—Melami, Yakou recalls—seems to exhale finally. "Vivia has always had an unfairly strong immune system," she muses. "Though I find myself surprised that immunity applies to hellion magic. And Hellion's Bite."

"It still hurt," Vivia reasons, his eyes falling to his patched-up wing. "So I don't think I'm immune to it."

Yakou huffs. "Yeah. Every time I get zapped with light magic it always sorta stings for a few days," he regales, shoving his hands into his pockets and leaning against the wall. "It's pretty surprising that you seem to have a full range of motion already."

As Vivia stretches his wing again, fluttering it to do another test of his mobility, Yakou watches as a rain of bright green feathers fall from them and flutter to the floor of the med bay. They land in an inelegant pile, much different from the colorful pattern on his wings.

"Oh." Vivia frowns.

Kurumi grimaces. "Oof. What a time to molt," she mutters. "Been there."

The frown on Vivia's face deepens. "I just finished my yearly molt," he says, more to himself than to anyone else. Then, he looks to Makoto worriedly. "I'm not due for almost another year, right?"

"That is how years work," Melami agrees, not bothering to hide her concern. "Are you okay, Vivia?"

Vivia nods. "Simply… concerned."

"Nothing like physical trauma to kickstart a bodily process," Makoto jests. "Yomi Hellsmile is certainly useful in that regard. But I wouldn't worry too much about it, Vivia. This is the year of surprises!"

Though Vivia doesn't seem comforted, he manages a noncommittal hum in reply.

Snorting in irritation, Yakou nods. "Hellsmile's gotta have some use. You know, other than terrorizing the innocent," he snarks in reply. "He usually puts all his work on his shadow. I was actually surprised that he tried to jump into the fight."

He pulls a Hellion's Bite cigarette from his pocket. He flicks a lighter and moves to light it, but before he has a chance, Kurumi surges across the room and bats them both out of his hands. They skitter to the floor and the cigarette lands under a shelf full of medical supplies. Yakou turns to Kurumi and blinks.

"What the hell, Rumi?"

"Were you legitimately gonna light up a cancer stick in the med bay?" Kurumi snaps.

Yakou arches an eyebrow. "It's not tobacco. It's Bite."

"It's Bite. In the med bay. With three seraphim, one of whom is recovering from a pretty serious arrow wound," Kurumi insists. "If you're gonna do it, at least do it outside."

Sighing in exasperation, Yakou turns to look at the others, falling specifically on Desuhiko. "Hey, Hiko. You could probably work up a glamour for his wings, yeah? The way you always do for yourself, Halara, and Kurumi?"

Vivia glances over his shoulder at his wings. "Is there something wrong with my wings?" he asks in alarm.

"Oh!" Yakou shakes his head quickly as he picks his cigarette and lighter from the floor. "No, nothing wrong. I've seen enough molting in my lifetime that it doesn't faze me at all. Glamours just make it easier to move around. To get through doors and stuff. If you don't want to—"

With a sharp shake of his head, Vivia replies, "I don't mind." He glances at his wings. "I was just… curious."

Yakou nods in understanding, then turns to Desuhiko. "What do you say, Hiko?"

"Sure, I—"

"I can do that," Makoto interjects. With a snap of his fingers, Vivia's wings vanish in a small flurry of green feathers. "All done."

Desuhiko blinks. "Wha—I was about to do it!" He gestures to the growing pile of feathers around Vivia's feet. "And it would've been less messy too!"

"But now you don't have to," Makoto smiles impishly. "You're welcome!"

Desuhiko scoffs.

Vivia smiles serenely. "I appreciate the attempt," he tells Desuhiko, then turns to Makoto. "And the glamour."

"Of course," Makoto preens.

"Yeah, yeah," Desuhiko grumbles. "Show off."

Chuckling lightly, Yakou shrugs. "C'mon, Hiko. You can't blame them for being cautious. We're pirates, and they don't know a thing about us other than that, I imagine," he points out, offering Melami and Makoto a conciliatory smile. He turns back to Desuhiko and adds, "You're on feather clean-up duty, though."

"Wha—come on!" Desuhiko whines. "They're not even mine!"

Kurumi chuckles. "Yeah, but Vivia's still sore," she points out.

"Also, I wouldn't do it anyway," Vivia counters.

The response makes Yakou laugh in spite of himself. "Well, there you have it. Since Rumi did medic stuff, and they're all new to the ship, the only logical conclusion is to have you do it, Desuhiko," he points out.

Grumbling under his breath, Desuhiko reaches for the utility closet and whips out a broom. He reluctantly starts to sweep, but not without shooting Vivia a few harmless glares now and again.

"Are we tossing them or what?" Desuhiko asks.

"Keep them," A familiar voice adds. "It's always good to have a surplus of seraphim feathers. Especially from a newcomer." Yuma appears by the med bay entrance, holding a basket packed with an assortment of fruits and vegetables almost comically as tall as he is.

Vivia blinks, then nods. "I usually do," he replies softly.

Relief floods Yakou's entire being at the sound of Yuma's voice. He turns with a warm smile. "There you are, kiddo. Took you long enough." He casts a glance at the basket in Yuma's hand, bearing a ribbon with the seal of the Ebisu Village Market, and he smiles. "And now I see why. Did you get sucked into the Ebisu Market's sale week?"

Melami gasps, as if scandalized. "I missed sale week?"

But Kurumi disarms her panic with a smile. "Oh, no. It just started!" she reassures Melami. "I was actually gonna head over there before we left the area."

"Thank goodness," Melami murmurs. "I need to buy new clothes for this adventure."

When Yuma takes a step forward, his foot catches the floor, sending his body and the basket careening forward. The fruits and vegetables scatter across the med bay, but the basket flies across the room and smacks Desuhiko on the side of his temple. He wails from the pain and clutches his head.

"Wh-what the heck Yuma!"

"S-sorry," Yuma manages from the floor.

Yakou hurries to Yuma's side and crouches down to help him up. "Y'okay, Yuma?" he asks. "I know you're clumsy as hell, but I don't think I've ever seen you trip on nothing before."

"I'm fine, so-sorry," Yuma smiles in embarrassment. With Yakou's help, he climbs to his feet and wipes dust and grime from his clothes.

"Don't worry about me, you guys," Desuhiko groans. "I'll just bleed out. It's okay!"

Kurumi rolls her eyes, but summons a small ball of healing light all the same. "It was just a basket, you drama queen," she teases, flicking the ball of healing magic at Desuhiko's head. Then, she picks up the basket and sets it on Desuhiko's head, resting the handle under his chin like a strap. "There. Now it's a helmet to protect you, so it can't happen again."

Desuhiko sniffs. "Thanks, Kurumi."

Leaning over to stage whisper to Makoto, Melami muses, "Oh, I like her. She has spirit."

But Makoto doesn't say a word.

Following Yuma's suggestion, Vivia crouches down and picks up a few feathers from the bedside and puts them into his pockets, then slowly slides down from the bed. Feathers puff out of nowhere thanks to Makoto's glamour, fluttering to the ground around Vivia's feet, which he leans down to pick up again.

Then, he pauses and grabs a large, vibrantly-colored orange that rolled over to him, looking down at it, but quickly looks back up at the others, not saying a word.

As Kurumi picks up some of the other fruit and vegetables that Yuma brought, putting them into a medical bag now that the basket is occupied, she turns to Yuma and asks, "Did you get any other food, or just fruit and veggies?"

"I brought more things for the kitchen," Yuma responds. He rubs his temple out of nervous habit, and though Yakou can't see his eyes beneath the blind mask, he imagines Yuma must be examining the newcomers. "Which was a good idea, I guess. New company?"

Yakou nods cheerfully. "Seems like it, yeah. They said they were looking for us," he explains, turning his gaze to Vivia, Makoto, and Melami. "Or maybe it was the ship?"

With a hum, Vivia stares at the orange in his hand and replies, "I'm not quite sure." He turns to Makoto. "Both? Neither?"

"Not sure?" interjects Melami incredulously. "I thought we were here because Vivia saw the airships and—"

"Something like that," Makoto says. He turns his attention to Yakou. "What's the plan? Where are you heading? Would you like some stowaways? Can I decorate your ship?"

Yakou blinks and scratches behind his horn. "No decorating the ship," he starts, his expression serious. "Even I don't redecorate it."

After all, the ship's decor is sacred. No matter how much it's grown and changed, he refuses to remove the design and decoration Ayane chose when she first designed the ship.

In a much less severe tone, Yakou continues, "As for what we're doing right now? The short answer is waiting." He shrugs and chuckles quietly. "Our whole crew isn't here yet. We've got two doing a prison break for some innocents in Amaterasu Tower. After that, we're heading to South Ginma City to raid an art gallery opening. Some Peacekeeper pocket pal is overtaxing the city and using the money to open a gallery, so we're gonna raid it and make sure the money goes where it belongs."

Melami arches an eyebrow. "That was… extremely forthcoming," she muses. "Surprising."

With a shrug, Yakou replies, "Don't really see a reason to hide. You already know who we are, yeah?"

"So, you're Robin Hood style pirates?" Vivia remarks inquisitively as they step out of the med bay and onto the main deck. "Somehow simultaneously chivalrous and roguish. Fascinating."

Kurumi smirks. "That's the way of the Nocturnal Pirates!" she nods vehemently. "We only take what won't be missed and give it to who needs it most."

With a huff, Yakou rubs the back of his neck awkwardly. "Something like that." He turns back to Makoto. "And for the record, there are no stowaways here. You're on the run from the Peacekeepers, right?"

"If that's what you want to believe," Makoto says cryptically. "How about you give me permission to decorate the ship instead?" He smiles pleasantly.

Yakou huffs. "No," he repeats. "But what I was going to say was… anyone who has need to join us is considered family. So, no need to think of yourselves as stowaways. If you'd like to join the crew, you're more than welcome."

Yuma pulls up beside Yakou with a sense of urgency he hasn't seen in a long time. "Wait, just like that? But we don't know why the Peacekeepers are after them."

"As if they need a reason," Makoto quips. "Merely existing is enough for them."

With a nod, Yakou throws his arm around Yuma's shoulders. "Besides," he pulls Yuma in for a sidelong hug. "How's that any different from how the rest of you misfits joined? I never asked why for any of you, did I?"

Kurumi shakes her head. "Nope."

"Buuut," Desuhiko starts, poking his head from behind the mound of fruits and vegetables Kurumi dumped into his basket. "You gotta admit, Yuma's got a point. How do we know you three aren't some serious criminals?" He narrows his eyes between Vivia, Melami and Makoto as he speaks. "I don't mean to be judgmental—"

Scoffing quietly, Kurumi interjects, "Yes you do."

"I'm just saying that it's smart to be cautious! The captain is too nice sometimes."

Yakou huffs. "Have the Peacekeepers ever gone after people who actually do anything wrong, Hiko?" he counters.

"I… I don't know, man! I try not to think too hard about what they do," Desuhiko grumbles.

With a frown, Yakou suggests, "Might be a good idea to start." He shrugs. "I've never turned anyone away. What sense would it make to start now?"

Vivia hums. "If it's that much of an issue, we don't have to stay," he points out quietly.

Scoffing in irritation, Melami mutters, "And here I thought this group was different." She shakes her head in dismay. "I suppose a pirate crew who 'does good' is too good to be true."

"Wait—" Yakou interjects. "I'm not saying you have to go…"

Vivia shrugs. "But if our presence is an issue, then perhaps we should," he continues. "I can't say I'm interested in being in a place where I'd be judged for existing. If I have my impressions correct, that sounds more like something the Peacekeepers would do."

"How about we strike a deal then?" Makoto smiles. "If you can take us to where we need to go, we'll stay out of your hair. I'll even repay the favor, Mr. Captain."

Yakou frowns. "But I've wanted to increase our numbers since—"

"Or," Kurumi puts in, her voice positively dripping with irritation. "Yuma and Desuhiko can stop being unfair and realize that this situation is literally no different from the times they were rescued. Captain Yakou took all of us in with literally no questions asked and no one had an issue with it. Why the sudden problem with how we run things?"

"I don't have any issue with that, to be honest," Yuma says. "If they want to stay, I'm okay with that."

Desuhiko, on the other hand, eyes Vivia with a look of suspicion. "Fine," He finally concedes. "Captain's choice. I don't make the rules, I just follow them."

"Barely."

"Silence," Desuhiko sniffs pathetically. "Don't call me out like that."

With a quiet sigh, Yakou shakes his head. "I'll tell you what." He crosses his arms over his chest, trying as hard as he can not to let his disappointment in Desuhiko show. "When Ibuki and Sonia get back, we'll put it to a vote. That way, there's no 'final decision' or disregarded feelings."

Kurumi scoffs. "But we've never—"

"I know," Yakou replies. "But I don't want anyone to feel uncomfortable."

Except, judging by the thinly veiled dejection on Vivia's face and the way Melami looks like she wants to slap the suspicion from Desuhiko's expression… he has a feeling it's too late for that.

"Alright then," Makoto smiles amicably again. "That sounds like a plan. Since we're waiting, how about a tour? It's not every day we get to explore the infamous Nocturne."

Shaking off his irritation, Yakou nods and beckons for them to follow him. "And I can make you that lunch I promised," he reasons. "Which probably means we should end the tour in the galley."

Melami steps out of the med bay, walking ahead of the others, murmuring something under her breath. "I'll be waiting on the deck."

Vivia hums. "It's odd to see her this angry." He picks up another group of feathers, then continues, "She's usually the cheerful one."

"I'm sure she'll come around," Makoto insists. "Give her some time to breathe."

As Vivia leaves the med bay, he glances down at the orange in his hand, then hums to himself. He turns to look at the pile of fruit in Desuhiko's arms, and then moves to put the orange on top, but—

"Yo!" Yakou calls out to Vivia, clapping his hands together once and then holding them in the air.

Vivia lifts his head quickly, then blinks. "This?"

"Yeah," Yakou urges.

Brows raising curiously, Vivia gently tosses the orange to Yakou. Yakou snatches it out of the air, extracts one of his long dragon claws, then drags it across the orange skin, before offering the orange back to Vivia. As Vivia reaches for it, he blinks and smiles sheepishly as he peels the skin back.

With an easy smile, Yakou says, "That should tide you over, right?"

Smiling shyly, Vivia nods and replies, "Thank you, Captain Furio."

Waving off the gratitude, Yakou pulls his claw back in. "Don't mention it." He turns to Desuhiko, Yuma, and Kurumi. "Why don't the three of you head to the galley and drop that stuff off? I'll sort it when I get there."

After all, the best way to save any further discomfort is to stop it before it starts. Right?

"Sure," Yuma says. He turns to the others and bends at the hip. "Enjoy the tour." He brushes past the others and heads down, toward the galley. Desuhiko follows behind, his voice carrying across the hall as he complains to Yuma about how heavy the basket is.

Kurumi is the last to follow, her disappointment clear. But she shakes it away and turns to face the others with a genuine smile. "Well, since I'm pretty sure I know how this vote is gonna go, I can officially be the first to welcome you to the crew," she tells Makoto and Vivia. Then, before they can answer, she turns to Yakou. "I'll talk to them."

Smiling halfheartedly, Yakou shakes his head. "You don't have to."

"I want to," Kurumi insists. "And I'll also call Ibuki and Sonia and tell them what's up. They should be back soon."

Yakou chuckles. "Don't know what we'd do without you, Rumi."

Smiling as she walks away, Kurumi reassures him, "And you never will."

With that, Yakou turns back to the others with a smile he hopes is genuine and easy. He hears Kurumi telling Melami to come back down, and he turns to wave at her apologetically. "Anyway, uh…" He rubs the back of his neck. "Where would you guys like to start?"

"Well, since I've seen the main deck, I vote for below," Melami replies genuinely. "If that's okay with you two."

Vivia nods. "Sure," he replies simply as he breaks his orange in two and gives half to Makoto. "I honestly just want to see the whole ship, so I don't care where we start."

"I have no preference," Makoto adds. He pops an orange slice into his mouth. "Lead the way, Mr. Captain."

Laughing easily, Yakou starts toward the lower deck stairs. He flicks the light on as he goes, then glances over his shoulder to see Vivia watching him curiously. With a smile, he urges, "You don't have to hold your tongue. If you have a question, you can ask."

"Less a question, more an observation," Vivia explains, offering some of his orange to Melami, who smiles fondly and takes it. "I was thinking about the size of the ship. It seems quite large."

Tilting his head back and forth, Yakou shrugs and says, "Not really, actually." He chuckles. "It's a lot smaller than most other airships, but that works well for us. We can get in and out of crowded skies without issue, and it's harder to pick us up on radar, too."

Vivia hums softly. "That makes sense."

"Would you believe it started as just a small submarine-sized ship with room for two people?" Yakou regales with a proud smirk. "We've built it up over the years. With stuff we pilfered from Peacekeeper supply depots and some other fat cat companies that always make more than they need and work their workers to the bone to do it."

Smiling, Vivia muses, "Piracy for the people."

Melami makes a noncommittal noise under her breath. "Most people," she mutters.

As Yakou backs into the door, he nods at them and smiles. "That's the goal. Not a single person on this ship is greedy," He pauses and laughs. "We split all our hauls right down the middle, but they're not as big as you probably think. Just what we need to survive."

"It's no wonder why the Peacekeepers are after you, Captain," Makoto comments. "It would be a shame to ruin their day." He chuckles.

Yakou huffs. "I don't plan on dying any time soon, so whatever they're planning, it won't happen for a good long while," he says confidently. "Not just because I don't want the crew to fall apart underneath me, but because I'm the last dragon left. Don't really want my kind to go fully extinct."

"Does that ever get lonely?" Vivia asks, and it seems like the question takes even him by surprise.

With a nod, Yakou shrugs. "Sometimes, but that's sorta why I put the crew together out of other misfits," he points out with a smirk as he pushes through the door to the armory. "While we all feel kind of lonely for various reasons, we've all got each other's backs."

Vivia's smile is layered. "It's similar to us," he explains. "The world never feels lonely with a good family at your side."

He can feel Makoto's eyes burning into his very soul, despite being obscured. "You know, they say it's quite dangerous being that trusting, Mr. Captain. What happens when you misplace your trust? What will you do then?" He asks calmly.

"Makoto…" Vivia murmurs.

Yakou grimaces. He looks up over his head at the galley, where he knows Desuhiko and the others are probably talking about the same exact thing. Maybe arguing about it. He sighs. He gestures over his head, hoping they'll understand. "Listen, if this is about… that? I'm sorry. I don't know where this came from. He's never had a problem with us adding new people before."

He pauses, then lets out a sharp note of laughter.

"Then again, every other new person we've added has been a woman, so…" Yakou rolls his eyes. "Anyway. They're being cautious, but they're good people. I promise, they'll come around, if you still want to give us a chance."

"Being cautious is a good thing, Mr. Captain," Makoto says. "After all, what's keeping us from slaughtering your entire family as you sleep?"

Vivia's eyes shoot open. "Makoto!"

Humming curiously, Melami shrugs and replies, "No, it's a good question. Especially since that seems to be popular opinion."

Tension pulls Yakou's muscles together, but he shrugs and laughs humorlessly. "Well, the fact that most of us are highly trained fighters and you three struggled against a Peacekeeper and a Reaper is a good start," he points out. "No offense. Logistically and realistically? Nothing is stopping you. And you're right, it is a lot of trust to put in strangers. But I guess I want to hope that putting my trust in you would prevent you from slaughtering my crew and I when the time comes. Maybe that's stupid, but if reaching out a hand to people who need help is stupid, I don't want to be smart."

Makoto nods sagely. "An excellent answer, Mr. Captain. Luckily for everyone on board, I'm a lover, not a fighter." He shrugs dramatically. "I can't hurt a fly, let alone commit mass murder." Despite his words, he looks far too sad about being a pacifist.

"It's true," Melami adds. "I'm the one who has to kill all the flies in our house."

Despite the fact that the conversation has gone back to easygoing friendliness, Vivia looks unhappy. He casts his eyes curiously around the room they're in, carefully avoiding eye contact with all three of them. Something seems to be upsetting him. He doesn't necessarily look unsettled, but he definitely looks worried.

With a genuine smile, Yakou tells them, "And if you're wondering about the other way around, you've got nothing to worry about. Everyone on my crew may be outcast by Peacekeeper Society, but they're all good kids." He heads toward the center of the room and leans against the munitions counter. "In fact, I doubt you'll ever find a more ride-or-die group than these guys."

Yakou can see the effort it takes Melami to withhold commentary.

"It may not seem that way, but it's true," Yakou offers in quiet understanding. It's hard not to let his disappointment show. "Anyway! I think I promised the three of you a tour, so let's get this show on the road! Welcome to the armory!"

Awkwardness aside, he lets himself hope that the group of them can manage to work things out and get along. It doesn't feel right, turning away a trio who seems to be just as hunted by Peacekeepers as they are, especially not right after saving them from a pretty aggressive Peacekeeper trap.

It'll work out.

He's put trust in strangers for as long as he can remember, disregarding the risks the whole way. If trusting these three makes his family grow even more, then he's more than willing to dive in again.

Notes:

So, Yuma starts his shit-stirring a lot earlier here, as you can see. Yakou and Kurumi being like "we have literally never voted on anything ever before on this ship, especially when it comes to new people" while Desu and Yuma are like "yeah but we should this time" was not something I foresaw but evidently Rin wanted to make things hard on me. 🤭

Luckily, if you think Ibuki and Sonia have any plans on voting against it… well, come on. Think about it.

Melami did not take that concept kindly, now did she? She's probably a little annoyed that these illustrious 'good guy pirates' aren't accepting of people who need just as much protection as them. Either that or she knows they're full of absolute shit. You choose, whichever one you pick, you're probably right.

Either way, as you can see, stuff isn't nearly as easy for the boys this time around. 😔 Thanks, Yuma.
⭐💜 Aria

Fun fact: I initially wanted to remove the whole “yuma trips and drops the fruits” situation but Aria fought me tooth and nail so I modified it to fit the situation better but to also keep the bit that Aria really wanted lmao (i also lowkey just wanted to whack Desuhiko in the head with a basket. Like can you blame me?)

Is Yuma just clumsy or was Makoto fucking with him? The world will never know!

I also really love the mental image of Vivia getting an opportunity to leave his hometown… and then IMMEDIATELY starts molting after the trauma of the first few hours. I, too, molt with anxiety when I have to leave home Vivia. He’s such a mood 💅

Another fun fact: in the previous version, which still carries through here, there are barely a handful of fae left in the world. Yakou currently has 4 on his ship :D How lucky of him :D to have so many :D I hope he doesn’t go bald :D

Thank you so much for reading!! ♥
🌜✨ Rin

Notes:

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