Drabble fest!: Hokuto Cup

[troisroyaumes]

It's Friday! As promised, that means it's time for our biweekly team competition.

How It Works

- Leave prompts in the comments. You can request anonymously if you prefer.

- Reply to prompts with any fanwork of your choice. (Fic, art, icons, FSTs, vids, etc.--all are eligible.) You can also answer anonymously if you prefer.

- When you fill a prompt, please specify your chosen team somewhere in the comment. In this round, you can choose to play for Team Japan, Team China or Team Korea.

- Each time you fill a prompt, you win a point for your team.

- (optional, but highly encouraged) Go back to your journals and recruit friends for your teams! Cheer your team on, here and elsewhere! Leave feedback!

- The team that gets the most points wins the competition! Each member of the winning team will receive 20 Dreamwidth Points as a prize.

Rules

- Fics may be of any length. Although we anticipate most people will write drabbles or short fics, if you want to write an epic AU in the comments, feel free.

- Prompts can have multiple fills. Members of the same team can fill the same prompt, and any individual can fill a prompt more than once.

- This round will end on Friday, May 28, 6 PM PST. ETA: Deadline extended to Friday, June 4, 6 PM PST.

Fight-o, everyone!

Comments

[raikushi]

I had this idea for a while, that Sai is afraid of water, but I couldn't figure out how to make it into a fic. Your prompt got me to get my idea out and on paper. Thanks! ^_^

Team Korea cuz I love the underdog!

***********************************************

"Hikaruuuu! Get out of the water! Get out!"

Hikaru sighed and turned back to the beach. I'm fine! he called for the fifth time, one hand raised toward the distraught figure on the shore. Unlike the other people dotted along the sand and surf, the figure he was waving at was not a middle school student, nor was it wearing beach-appropriate trunks or swimsuit.

"But Hikaaaruuuuu!" whined the ancient spirit, flailing long white sleeves up and down.

"Who the hell are you waving to, Shindou?"

"Uh..." Hikaru turned back to his schoolmate Mitani, standing in the knee-deep water next to him. "Uh, thought I saw someone from my class over there."

The redhead scowled at him. "If you don't start paying attention to the game instead of the beach, you're going to get hit with the ball. So wake up!" He then turned back to the net strung across the shallow water. Tossing the white ball up in the air, Mitani pulled an arm back and slapped the ball hard over the net, driving it over toward the other players.

Hikaru sloughed through the shallow waves and tried to get into position for the return volley from the other team, his brows creased together in annoyance. It was bad enough he got roped into this game during their school field trip just because some upperclassman had challenged Mitani. But as soon as he heard where they were going for the day, Sai had started pitching a fit and hadn't stopped since.

I guess it makes sense... Hikaru thought to himself. After all, Sai had told him he had drown himself when he had been alive. As Hikaru watched the ball sail to the far left, Mitani attempting a rescue with a frantic dive, he realized that the ocean probably made Sai upset. Now that he thought about it, Sai never went near any body of water. He stayed on the far side of Hikaru when they walked anywhere near one of the city's waterways. He was quick to hurry Hikaru along when they went over a bridge. He didn't even appear in the bathroom when Hikaru took a bath (though the boy always assumed the spirit was just respecting his privacy).

"Eeeeek, Hikaru! Look out!"

What now!? Hikaru turned back to the beach to give Sai his best warning glare. Sai was pointing upward. Hikaru started to turn to follow the outstretched sleeve--until something slammed into the side of his head hard enough to knock him face-down in the water.

Things got hazy and slow after that. Hikaru's body seemed to forget how to obey his commands. He tried to get his arms down to push himself upright but only managed to flail around helplessly. He inhaled a mouthful of water and started to choke.

Somehow he got turned right side up, though he didn't remember it, because the next thing he was aware of was the sun was shining directly into his eyes, blindingly bright. The intense white light felt like it was stabbing directly into his brain, but the air on his face meant it was safe to draw in a deep, sputtering breath. A dark smudge of a silhouette superimposed itself into his line of vision.

"Hikaru! Are you all right!?"

"Sai?" Hikaru muttered, dazed. Slowly the light toned down. The blue sky came back into focus, and the worried faces around him developed like an old-fashioned photograph. The volleyball players had clustered around to make sure he was okay. The white ball floated in the waves off to the side, forgotten. Standing over Hikaru in the knee-deep water, gazing down with dark eyes wide with worry, was the ancient go player.

Hikaru gently prodded the side of his face, wincing at the pain radiating from his temple and cheek bone. Nothing felt broken though. "Aren't you afraid of the water, Sai?" he muttered.

"Iiiie!" The spirit yelped and appeared to jump straight up out of the water. Faster than humanly possible, he was standing back in his previous position on the sand once again. Hikaru looked over and noticed the white robes weren't darkened with water, just as they didn't get damp when Sai walked in the rain.

Hikaru shook his head and climbed back to his feet slowly. He waved off his concerned schoolmates, assuring them that the ball's impact hadn't left more than a bruise. He had to endure one of the teachers coming over and looking in his eyes to make sure he hadn't gotten a concussion, but soon enough Hikaru was turned loose and allowed to go back to the game.

After that Sai was quiet. Occasionally Hikaru glanced over and saw the spirit standing guard on the beach, his fan out to hide all but his watchful eyes.

At the end of the day the students lined up by the buses, ready to file in and be driven back to the city. Sai stood next to Hikaru, unnerving the boy with his silence. He looked up at his friend and mentor. I'm really okay, Sai, he assured him.

With a quiet snap Sai folded and lowered his fan, giving the boy a smile. "I'm glad."

[lacygrey]

Its good to read something set in a totally different environment. Sai at the beach, poor chap! It doesn't seem much like his thing, even if he could stand water (I wonder what Heian beach life was like!).
For a minute there I was actually worried that Hikaru was going to need mouth to mouth resuscitation and that Sai, of course, would be no help at all.

[raikushi]

!!! Oh you're horrible, now the yaoi corner of my brain is wanting some Hikaru/Mitani fic that starts with CPR and goes from there. *stores that away for laaater*

I don't know how entirely realistic this fic is (do people even play volleyball in the water? lol) but it was just for fun, so I'm not too worried about realism. Now that I think on it, I believe the class-goes-to-the-beach idea was probably inspired by an old episode of Card Captor Sakura.

Thank you very much for comments! <3

[lacygrey]

'now the yaoi corner of my brain is wanting some Hikaru/Mitani fic that starts with CPR

That never even occurred to me ^_^ !