The Winged Reptile
Nico's wish is to marry, and grow old with the person she loves, but she realizes that her wish will never come true when her beloved marries someone else instead. After this, Nico decides to be a traveler and journey the country, eventually meeting a winged reptile. One-shot.
AN: OK. I know I'm supposed to update ShapeshiftersAreTroublesome but you know... yeah i just wanted to try somethin new hehe. SO, this story is not the type I usually write, don't expect too much. Also this story may start off kinda normal but it gets pretty dark and confusing at the end so...
READ AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION, OKAY? Don't blame me if you end up hating me.
I do not own Love Live! School Idol Project.
Honestly, she should have seen it coming. It was a wonder that she did not notice it earlier, it was so obvious. Her vision blurred, and she quickly lowered her head to stare at the ground. While she blinked rapidly to prevent her tears from spilling out, she felt their discomfort as they waited for a response.
But how does one respond when the person they love announced that they're marrying somebody else? Especially when that somebody is also a close friend? She knew that it isn't their fault she felt so terrible, they couldn't have known about her feelings.
She has pushed them away for so long, she has kept them hidden for so long. And she can continue doing the same thing. She had done so for 15 years, she could do so for the next 15 as well.
She lifted her head and forced a smile. "Sorry, I was just really, really... happy for you." It was a lie. "Congratulations, Nozomi, Eli."
They smiled in relief when she said those words, shoulders relaxing. "Thank you, Nico." Eli said softly.
"Y-Yeah! No problem!" Honestly, all she wanted to do was punch Eli in the face. "Have you told your parents yet?"
"No. Not yet." Nozomi's pretty voice always managed to calm her down, but she still feels bitter.
"I hope they approve, no, I'm sure they'll approve!" She gave them what she hoped is a reassuring beam, and quickly turned away. "I'll see you later!"
Nico wished for a lot for things, but never has she wished so much in her life. She wished that black hair and red eyes weren't as common as they were, she wished she was taller, she wished she was at least half as charming as Eli. Nico wished that the person she loves loved her.
Even if she wasn't as bright and intelligent as Eli, she knew that those wishes would never come true.
"I'm going to be an adventurer." Nico announces. Three pairs of confused and questioning eyes turn to look at her, and she continued, "I'm going to travel across the country to UTX City and then, when I'm done, I'll come back to Otonoki." Honestly, she had no intention of ever returning to Otonokizaka.
"Nicochi," She tensed at her voice, she's frowning. "I thought you said you wanted to stay here and be a farmer?"
Nico let out a nervous laugh. "I changed my mind after," 'you married Eli.', "I saw the artifacts that this one merchant was selling." She smiled convincingly, and Nozomi's expression softened quickly.
"Nico!" She jumped and whirled around to meet her mother's worried gaze as she stood up and strode over to Nico. Gripping her shoulders, she spoke. "Nico, being an adventurer is dangerous! You remember what happened to your father!"
Calmly, she placed a hand on her mother's shoulder comfortingly, "I do, Mother. Adventuring may be dangerous, but it sounds exciting, don't you think?"
Her mother frowned, as if she was trying to tempt her to stay, but when Nico show no signs of giving in, the older Yazawa smiled. "You're just like him." Retreating, she slowly returned to her seat at the head of the table. "When are you going on your adventure?"
"After I say goodbye to Otonoki, of course." Nico said as she quickly finished up the last bit of rice in her bowl.
Just when she was about to clear up and leave, Eli spoke up, causing Nico to flinch slightly and mentally curse her. "I think you should go. No one in Otonokizaka has ever seen UTX with their own eyes, it'll be a good experience."
"Well, yeah." She answered, too quickly and too harsh. "I mean, oh, I'm excited to see UTX, nico!"
Nozomi and Eli share a confused look. "Nicochi-"
"I'll bring back some souvenirs!" She interrupted, picking up her bowl and chopsticks.
Her mother, oblivious to the tension in the room, smiled and says, "Oh yes! Remember to bring some back for your siblings!" Silently thanking her mother, Nico nodded and left the room.
She spent half the night packing up for her trip and the other half sitting beside her window stargazing, all the while being haunted by the way worry etched itself onto Nozomi's features when Nico interrupted her.
Nico doesn't get any sleep that night.
"Stay safe, okay? And make sure you come back alive, or I won't forgive you. If you come back dead, I'll bring you back to life and kill you myself." Kokoa let out a pained squeal.
Nico shuddered slightly at the thought of her mother doing just that. "Don't worry, I'll be fine."
"Maybe Nicochi will even bring back a boyfriend." Nozomi said as Nico bent down to give each of her siblings a hug.
"You know that won't happen, Nozomi." Nico smiled, pushing down her hurt.
"Take care, Nico." Eli smiled at her warmly.
She tried to muster up what was left of the platonic love she had for Eli, and gave her a heartfelt smile. "Thank you." 'You better make her happy, or I'll rip your head off.' She hugged her mother tightly, and relished in the motherly scent that she gave off. "I love you, mother." She muttered as she let go reluctantly, and climbed onto her horse.
Nico took hold of the reins, and turned back to the group of six beside her. "Well, I guess I'm leaving now."
Simultaneous cries of 'Goodbye' and 'Take care' are heard as she nudged the horse with her legs, causing it to react by moving forward.
The horse sped up when she continued to apply pressure on its sides, and when Nico was certain that she was at a distance where none of the others could reach quickly, she turned around, and said the words that she had wanted to for more than a decade.
"I love you, Nozomi!"
For the first few weeks of Nico journey, she sent a letter back home every three days or so. But when the weeks turned into months, her letters became less frequent, and soon, she found herself sending one letter every month.
One night, after setting up camp in the forest, Nico sat down beside her campfire, and observed her map. She had been lost for several days now, and she was so close to UTX. Sighing in disappointment, she placed her items back into the backpack, leaving a dagger out. Nico put out the fire, there was no need for it, the sky was clear and the moon was bright.
She brought the dagger into the tent, and gripped the sheathed blade close to her chest. She needed some form of self-defense, after all.
Just as Nico was about to drift off to sleep, she heard a whinny of fear. Immediately, she jumped out of bed, unsheathing her dagger. Danger. She opened the flap of her tent slightly, just big enough for her to see, and peeked through.
What she saw took her breath away. She had heard stories, but she never expected them to be true. She gaped at the sight, and she doubted that she will ever see anything more beautiful than it again. That's incorrect, beautiful is an understatement, she isn't able to describe it with words alone.
A gigantic reptile, around fifteen meters in length, was crouched on her campsite. It was covered in red scales, and it had a pair of large wings folded against its side. It was consuming Nico's horse, but she did not find it disgusting or horrifying, she was simply too mesmerized by the way the moonlight glints off its red hide whenever it moves, the way the amethyst orbs would move as it scrutinized the carcass in front of it. A dragon.
She sighed. And quickly realized her mistake. Nico's hands shot up to her face to cover her mouth, accidentally slicing her cheek with the dagger. But the cut was the least of her worries, the dragon had heard her, and this might be the last day of her life. But despite the fact that she might die any moment, Nico was grateful to have witnessed one of the most beautiful things in the world.
She didn't dare to close her eyes, for she was afraid that if she did, the dragon would disappear, and she desperately wanted to touch, to feel, and to love the dragon. Nico remembered listening to a story about the ancient dragons. The pure-blood dragons. These dragons live thousands of years, and they are beautiful. So beautiful, that if someone were to see them, everything else in the person's eyes would turn plain and gray in comparison. Is this happening to her?
Ah well, who cares. Nico didn't flinch when the dragon ripped the tent open with its enormous claws, instead, she reached a hand out to touch a claw, and giggled when she felt its smooth surface. No, no, no. Nico snapped out of her dreamlike state when she realized what she was doing. The dragon looked on in confusion as Nico fought the urge to give in to herself.
Minutes passed, and the dragon quickly got bored of watching Nico. Lifting a claw, it quickly grabbed her. Slowly, the dragon placed the struggling Nico onto its head, and with a quick flap of its wings, took off into the air.
As the dragon beat its red scaly wings and flew off into the night, Nico clutched tightly onto its ridged scalp to avoid plummeting to her doom.
Nico was in love with Maki. Every day, Nico would spend her time playing in the forest. Whenever she got hungry, she would return to her home and Maki would be there waiting. She would sit down and eat, and tell Maki about everything she did while she was outside. Maki was the best listener for Nico, she would take in everything Nico said, whether it be about picking berries, playing with squirrels or climbing trees.
Maki would listen, as long as the conversation is about Nico. However, she would lose interest as soon as Nico directed the topic to her. Nico was curious, but she respected Maki's privacy, so she never pried.
Every night, Nico would ask herself the same questions. Why does Maki love her? There were many people who had black hair and red eyes, and she wasn't particularly pretty, so why her? She wasn't smart, so why? Does Maki really love her?
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And so, every night, Nico would shed tears of doubt, and Maki would question her. Nico would spill out all her thoughts, and Maki will smile and reassure her. Maki would say: She loves Nico because Nico is special to her. Nico's hair was a special shade of raven, her eyes were beautiful rubies, and she was the most beautiful person in the world. Nico was the most intelligent person she had ever met. She loved Nico with all her heart.
And Nico would say "I love you" and kiss her goodnight.
In the morning, Nico would scream upon seeing Maki, saying hurtful things like "don't eat me", "stay away from me" or "please spare my life", all the while staring at Maki with eyes filled with fear and horror. Every morning, Maki would pull Nico into an embrace, and calm her down. Then, Nico will look at Maki with happiness and love in her eyes again.
Sometimes, Nico will twitch uncontrollably, as if she was fighting something inside her. Maki assumed it is what causes the nightmares which lead to Nico waking up in horror every morning. Several times, Maki had tried to remove the entity from Nico's body, but it seemed like the body is desperately preventing her from doing it.
Every time she tried this, Nico would be gone in the morning. But she'll return soon after, with a tired, defeated and despairing look in her dull eyes.
Nico would ask strange questions. How long have I been here? Why is my home destroyed? Why is Otonokizaka gone? Why is mother gone? Where are my siblings? Where did my childhood friends go? Why did you separate me from my family? Why did I follow you?
The questions were different every time, but there was one question that Nico never failed to ask every time. Why is the person I love dead?
Maki would frown whenever Nico asked that question. Nico loved Maki. She says so every night. But Maki wasn't dead. Which would mean Nico loves someone else. Maki didn't want that. Maki would get angry at Nico for loving somebody else.
An angry Maki wasn't a good Maki. An angry Maki would hold Nico under her claw while punishing her. An angry Maki would trap Nico between her wings and do unpleasant things to her. An angry Maki would force Nico to love her.
And that is exactly what the angry Maki did.
AN: OKAY. IM SORRY. I'LL GO KILL MSELF NOW. IK dis storie was horribe.