[Fic] Looking Glass

[branchandroot]

Cross-post from my archive.

Fandom/Arc: Fine Print, Monochrome Factor
Characters/Pairings: Kou, Lulu, Nikaidou Akira, Shirogane, Shirogane/Akira
Summary: After Shirogane returns to see to his own world, Akira comes to visit and get him to unwind a little. Lulu has a talk with Kou, in the meantime, about finding more shin.
Meta: Drama with Smut, I-3, MANGA CONTINUITY
Wordcount: 1596

"Mm." Kou hadn't looked away yet. "So you're not worried he'll be pissed off if you just show up unexpectedly?"

"Probably will be," Akira allowed. "So what?"

Kou choked on a swallow.

"Sometimes he needs something he doesn't want to admit to." Akira shrugged. "So I should know how to go."

Kou laughed through his last few coughs. "Yeah, you're you all right." He leaned back, mouth quirked. "And totally in love too, aren't you?"

Akira jerked upright. "I am not!"

---

Looking Glass

Akira sat on Kou’s couch, arms folded around his knees and watched while Kou wandered around getting drinks and turning on the AC.

"So you want me to show you how to get between the worlds," Kou sighed as he thumped down on the other couch, bottle dangling from his fingers. "Properly, not by accidentally falling through a weak spot."

"Yeah."

Kou’s eyes on him were dark as he took a drink. "So you can see Shirogane."

Akira tried not to squirm. "Well. Yeah."

"Any reason he didn’t teach you before he left?"

Akira snorted. "This is Shirogane. Control freak of the millennium. You really have to ask?"

"Mm." Kou hadn’t looked away yet. "So you’re not worried he’ll be pissed off if you just show up unexpectedly?"

"Probably will be," Akira allowed. "So what?"

Kou choked on a swallow.

"Sometimes he needs someone around even if he doesn’t want to talk about it." Akira shrugged. "So I should know how to go."

Kou laughed through his last few coughs. "Yeah, you’re you all right." He leaned back, mouth quirked. "And totally in love too, aren’t you?"

Akira jerked upright. "I am not!"

Kou lifted both brows.

"I’m not… It isn’t… It’s…" Akira tried helplessly to find a word for what it was like, for the man who had highhandedly turned his life inside out and tried to protect him from the consequences, who was ferociously possessive and who had never even breathed a hint that he was Akira’s king and master under their contract, who smiled and kissed and teased and killed with equal ease. "It’s complicated," he finally mumbled.

"I’ll believe that," Kou agreed dryly. He heaved a sigh. "All right, all right, I’ll show you. But," he held up a finger, "I’m coming with you the first time. Just to make sure."

"Deal."

---

Akira stumbled a little as he emerged through the careful rings of definition and redefinition into shadow and nearly jumped out of his skin as someone right behind him huffed.

"Oh, it’s just you." Lulu jumped down from her perch. "What are you doing here?" She cocked her head as Kou emerged on Akira’s heels. "Both of you?"

"Just visiting."

Lulu’s mouth twisted wryly. "Oh. Right." She waved a careless hand. "Well come on, then."

Akira followed her through a door that hadn’t been there a few seconds ago, shaking his head. He still thought this whole place was weird.

"Shirogane-sama," Lulu caroled as she skipped ahead of them. How old was she supposed to be again? "Visitors!"

"I gathered that," Shirogane was saying dryly, as he turned, and then stopped short. "Akira? What are you doing here?"

"Visiting," he repeated patiently.

Shirogane’s eyes narrowed, first at him and then at Kou, behind him. "And you thought this was a good idea?"

"Excuse me? Who’s my king again?" Kou scratched his head theatrically. "Pretty sure his name isn’t Shirogane…"

Akira considered the chill growing in Shirogane’s aura and nodded to himself. "You’re too alone, here," he stated. And added, at Lulu’s pout, "Even with her."

"So you came to keep me company?" Shirogane lifted an arrogant brow.

"Seemed like a good idea, yeah."

Shirogane gave him a long hard look, which Akira waited out. Shirogane had never been dangerous to him, and he wasn’t about to start freaking out now. Finally a corner of Shirogane’s mouth quirked up reluctantly. "Keep me company, hm?"

"Yeah." A tingle went down Akira’s spine as Shirogane stalked toward him. "Um…" He glanced over at Kou and Lulu; the latter was watching with interest. She looked like she only needed some popcorn. "Um." He looked back up at Shirogane, who was now standing very close, face heating.

Shirogane caught Akira up tight against him. "You’re the one who insisted," he purred, fingers twining into Akira’s hair, drawing his head back.

"Shiroga–mmm…" Heat curled low in Akira’s stomach as Shirogane kissed him, deep and relentless. It never failed to make him hard when Shirogane got like this.

He did manage to gasp, between kisses, "No audience!"

Shirogane’s lips curled up. "Very well." He leaned down to murmur in Akira’s ear, "I admit, I think I’ll like it better to have you all to myself when I bend you over in my bed."

Akira’s last coherent thought for a while was that maybe he’d left this visit too long.

---

Lulu shook her head ruefully as Shirogane-sama swept Akira off, and looked at Kou. "You probably shouldn’t stay here too long. I’ll make sure he gets back all right."

"After that?" Kou snorted. "You may be right, but I’m damn well not leaving until I get Akira back in one piece."

She shrugged. "Your neck. How about a drink, then?"

Kou turned away from glaring down the hallway after Shirogane-sama, at that. "Hospitable of you," he said, slowly.

"There aren’t enough of us to avoid working together, right now." She called her door again and beckoned him after her, stepping through into her own home.

"Not as many ruffles as I expected," Kou muttered, picking a chair.

"That’s for the bedroom," she told him, just to see his eyes bug, and laughed. "Here." She poured a glass for each of them. "Listen. There’s only just me so far, here; Akira is different and I’m not sure he knows what to look for yet."

Kou’s eyes sharpened over the rim of his glass. "You want me to keep an eye out for people who could be shin."

She smiled; always nice to deal with someone quick on the uptake. "That too. More than that, though." She took a sip from her own. "Watch for the king."

Kou blinked. "Not already…"

"No, probably not. But soon. By the time Akira grows into himself and Ryuuko, we need the other king."

Kou regarded her narrowly. "There something you’re not telling me?"

She looked up, eyes sharp. "Of course there is! You said it yourself. My king isn’t your king. My contract is with Shirogane-sama now!"

Kou lifted a hand, palm up, acknowledging the justice of that. Lulu sighed.

"I’ll tell you this much. Shirogane-sama needs to be settled with the new king before he has to let go of Akira."

"Because Ryuuko is different," Kou filled in slowly.

She nodded. Shirogane-sama needed more shin period, to convince him it was all right to have them, but the king should come first so he could get the anxiety of having failed with Homurabi out of his system and not pass it on to new Children.

"All right. I’ll keep an eye out," Kou agreed after a moment.

Lulu let out a breath of relief. "Good. By the time we need him, the factor should have had time to grow in whoever it is."

And with luck that would help steady her king, who was far more delicately balanced than she was going to tell a lunk like Kou who seemed to like provoking him.

She drained her glass, hoping that Akira’s visit would soothe that angry, desperate edge for now.

---

Akira lay perfectly limp on the bed and moaned a little as Shirogane’s hand kneaded his ass, which was feeling very well worked. Husky, he murmured, "Don’t think it will ever stop turning me on when you get like that."

Shirogane laughed, low, against his shoulder. "Yes. I’ll miss that."

Akira folded his arms under his cheek, thoughtful. "Mm. I remember more now, you know. Or, at least… I know stuff." He turned his head to look at Shirogane. "I think I’ll like it even later on."

Shirogane leaned up on an elbow and looked down at him, eyes startled. "You never did before," he said carefully.

Akira shrugged and grinned. "Yeah, well. That was before." He turned on his side so he could look up at Shirogane, serious. "I’m going to be Ryuuko, I guess. But he’s going to be me, too."

Shirogane blinked. "Oh," he said at last.

Akira snorted. "It never occurred to you, did it?"

"I’m afraid not, any more than it seems to have occurred to anyone else." Shirogane smiled crookedly, stroking Akira’s hair back, and leaned down to kiss him. "Of all of us, I should have known better. Forgive me," he murmured against Akira’s mouth.

Akira’s cheeks heated just a little. Shirogane didn’t use polite language with him very often anymore. "Sure."

Shirogane laughed again and held him close. Akira rested his cheek against Shirogane’s chest, hands stroking up and down his back, and smiled to himself. The tension was gone.

He’d have to be sure and visit again soon.

End

Comments

[annotated_em]

*snickering* Between them, they're going to get Shirogane on an even keel again, whether he likes it or not, aren't they?

[branchandroot]

*grins* I'm thinking so, yeah. Lulu is a very fine manipulator when she needs to be, and has the age for perspective. Akira is just that stubborn.

[dancing_serpent]

You're making me incredibly happy with your MF fic, you know?

"I’m going to be Ryuuko, I guess. But he’s going to be me, too."
See Shirogane? Everything will be fine. *huggles*

[branchandroot]

*hearts* I'm hoping this is kind of how canon goes, too, actually. I think we can see, in Akira, a quite young and ignorant Ryuuko.

[arashi-neko.livejournal.com]

Akira and Shirogane are such delightful idiots.Who balance each other well, but are such idiots in some ways nonetheless.

The chinese translations of chapters 40 and 41 are out by the way. Do you need to know what happened?

[branchandroot]

*snerks* Aren't they? For two cool guys, they manage to trip over themselves so much.

*bounces* Elsevita said she'd translate them, but if you've got a summary to tide me over, that would be fantastic!

[arashi-neko.livejournal.com]

40: entering the shadow world

they enter, and they immediately encounter a giant maze when LuLu opens the gateway to the king's palace. then while walking they discuss the purpose of the maze, whether it is for defense's sake. Shirogane comments that Homurabi has consolidated all the power he gained from the expansion of the shadow world into himself. Kou states that the maze is not defense, but an attack against them. they are ambushed by many kokuchi with Homurabi's mark on them, and are seperated when fleeing from them. Akira and Shirogane both hide in a narrow crevice in the walls, Aya and Kengo and Lulu are also lost together, and Kou is lost on his own. They all seperately decide to continue searching for the true exit of the maze. Kou notices a strange scent, and rushes off to find Shirogane to ask if the route they were on really was the true route. Shirogane and Akira encounter Nanaya, who is somehow still alive and somewhat more unstable than he was before. They fight.

41: The fight continues. Shirogane notices that Nanaya is wearing the same sort of control device that Kou is wearing, and comments that Homurabi has failed in training. They continue to fight more seriously, and Nanaya's appearance becomes more and more kokuchi like as they continue. Shirogane releases his sword to block the giant attack that Nanaya throws at them. When the dust clears, they see Nanaya who seems to have become half- kokuchi. Nanaya moans that he is in great pain, to the point where he doesn't want to live anymore. Shirogane states that if that is what he truly wants, then he will fulfill that wish. They continue fighting, and when Nanaya manages to injure Shirogane slightly, Akira tackles Nanaya to the maze floor.

My apologies if its too detailed a listing of what happened.

[branchandroot]

*sparkles* No, that's great, thank you!

This is the second time Shirogane's mentioned Homurabi falling down on the job with training his shin; I kind of wonder whether that's going to be significant.

[arashi-neko.livejournal.com]

I think its significant, but when did he mention it before? Although the significance he ascribes to the buckle thingy Nanaya is wearing on the side of the body that's getting really kokuchi-like is curious. Especially given that Kou's wearing a highly similar set of buckles. Wonder if this has anything to do with Lulu saying that Kou is Ryuuko's doggy?

[branchandroot]

When they first meet Nanaya, and Nanaya has no idea who he is, Shirogane makes another remark about Homurabi failing to train his people.

There /are/ a lot of remarks, also, about the 'beast' within Kou, I wonder if it's related to that, too.

[arashi-neko.livejournal.com]

I don't know if you have noticed, but in the latest chapters Kou was grumbling about how this being the shadow realm, his nose is not so useful to him... which rather begs the question of whether or not his senses are sharper than most shin's or rei's. And if so, why.

Although the grumbling about only not being lost the first time he visited because Ryuuko was leading the way was quite cute.

[arashi-neko.livejournal.com]

I hate to bother you.. but do you remember which chapter has Shirogane and Shisui sealing a rift in the boundary together? I've been looking for it all day and I can't find it.
I do wonder how accurate a job the english fan translations of the chinese translations are though. there seems to be some nuance from the japanese that the chinese fan translaters are trying to convey which doesn't come through in the english translation.

[branchandroot]

I think that's issue two, isn't it? Maybe three It's at the school, the day after Akira has been turned to shin.

Yeah, me too. I know that the changes in Shirogane's language don't come though; based on the little bits of dialogue that were the same between manga and anime, he switches from very polite forms (most of the time around the kids) to plain and rather rough language (when he's talking to Kou frex). I wish I knew how many of his omg-scary moments are polite.

[arashi-neko.livejournal.com]

Thankyou very much!

.. I could try and look at the Chinese translation for you? Although that type of nuance may be best conveyed in the original. If you can get a hold of it and of someone who can read Japanese that is.

[branchandroot]

If you have the time for it, that would be great! I have yet to find any Japanese raws for this one. *sad*

[arashi-neko.livejournal.com]

I have time at the moment, university term's not started yet where I am. Just give me a reference for chapter and page and I'll go look at it for you.

[branchandroot]

Thank you!

There were three points I wondered about particularly, where the english translation really doesn't give much indication of whether Shirogane has dropped his polite front or not.

Page 19 of chapter 1, where Shirogane is telling Akira he's sure Akira will show up that night.

Chapter 8 from pages 19 to 24 when Shirogane is bawling Akira out for being half-hearted.

Chapter 10 pages 8 to 18 or so, when Shirogane runs off Lulu and is talking to Akira about king-ness.

Pages are approximate, those are the numbers from the mangafox scans. If there are any indications of whether Shirogane has dropped his ever-polite front on those occasions, I'd love to know! I've been working from the assumption that he does, that he actually tends to slip into rougher or more arrogant terms whenever he gets really serious, but that's just a guess so far.

[arashi-neko.livejournal.com]

speaking of poor translation... the english rendering on mangafox of vol 1 chapter 2 page 33 is really off from what is rendered in chinese.

[branchandroot]

Yeah, I'm not surprised. The first handful of issues seemed fairly rough just in general. For once I think the commercial translation from the Antichrist Tokyopop may be more accurate.

[arashi-neko.livejournal.com]

For the first one... it's not so much that he dropped the politeness as much as he states, very baldly and directly, that Akira WILL show up tonight, to the point of saying that he will guarantee that will happen. That one, at least in translation, seems to convey that sentiment more by facial expression.

The second one..nothing's different in page 19. page 20, it's a combination of expression and Shirogane's words, rendered in Chinese as approximating I will speak directly/not politely/not giving face. Then he says, still with scary/polite expression, 'this situation has made me very/deeply disappointed in you, you are too small and weak' 'this is the truth, not jesting' 'compared to humans you are very clever, and skilled in fighting. But that is only among humans. In our world, you are totally unable to even come up to the board/mark/stage... events have also proven that you cannot even defeat a kokuchi'

'See! My attack movements are so large, so(obvious?). and yet you cannot see them. It is as that shin said, you think combat and fighting are one and the same. If you only want to use your eyes to see clearly, of course you cannot react in time. Therefore going along this line, it is not losing a fight, but only going to lose your life. Also when you are fighting, your attitude is so half-hearted, I hope in future you do not say you are helping me, it is very annoying/unpleasant to hear.'

Since you asked for Akira and Shirogane's conversation, I skipped the part where he's talking to Lulu. As follows, after Akira tries to punch him,

'...What do you think you're doing (lit. what are you doing)'

'I am.. shin direct nobility, there is only one meaning to my existence... it is to ensure the continuing balance of light and shadow only. In our world, there were originally 2 kings... one was myself, the other .. was Homurabi. But his motives were different from mine. I hoped for harmony/cooperation, he desired solitary rule. To achieve his goals, he conspired against me, and drove me from the world of shadows, and became the shadow world's sole ruler. Now.. he also wishes to swallow the world on this side. ... My existence is only to maintain the balance between the two sides, but Homurabi is like the sin/transgression that I have left behind/done... In order to eliminate him, I am willing to do anything.

'And... this is also your reason for existence. The entirety of this world.. is paired.'

'Correct. Where there is shadow, there is light. Where there are people of shadow, there are people of light, the other half/counterpart of shin ar rei, the counterpart of kokuchi, are hakua. Of course, kings also have their other half/counterpart. That is to say, you are of the people of light [rei]'s direct royalty, Akira!'

'You are my counterpart!'

Partly it's expression, partly it's that he.. doesn't give so much face, just speaks plainly and directly. Which can be construed as being rough/arrogant, depending on social standing I think.

[branchandroot]

*sparkles* Thank you! *claps hands* It looks like I was on the right track, which makes me happy.

I'm also deeply entertained that Shirogane seems to keep his especially rough moments special for Kou. I wonder if we'll ever find out just how they came to be such good enemies.

[arashi-neko.livejournal.com]

So am I. There's this fascinating bit when Kou's just gotten done talking about his first encounter with Akira, where Shirogane demands to know why he didn't go and confirm the whole Akira = Ryuko bit and save him a lot of trouble... where's he's still polite, in that there's no rude language... but the expression! The putting Kou into his subordinate place!