I HATH RETURNDETH
I'm going to naturally assume you read the title, but I might as well give a few warnings.
One, there will be a few headcanons used here. They may break some lore, but I'll try my best to not shatter either Dark Souls or Touhou's lore. Of course, raising DS's power scale and lowering TH's might be as bad as it gets. I hope.
Also, there will be a few other ships, mostly just jabs. These include:
Ornstein x Sakuya Izayoi
Marisa Kirisame x Rinnosuke Morichika
Ciaran x Artorias
Reimu Hakurei x Nasupil Hong (OC)
That being said, let's get right into it!
Chapter 1: The Puppeteer
Years had passed since the Chosen Undead convinced Gough to help him shoot down the black dragon Kalameet. He left Gough alone, and the giant figured he'd been left alone for the rest of his life.
However, he was freed by Dragonslayer Ornstein, who led him away from his prison and to a forest far away from any humans. With that, the Dragonslayer left Gough to rebuild his new life.
Gough began to spend his days building a new bow, whittling, and hunting. Everything was the same. Carve. Hunt. Cook. Repeat.
Eventually, Gough learned that he could decrease his size and go back at will. Unfortunately, he couldn't go any lower than eight-five. Still, it was something.
Years passed, and he was mostly lonely throughout them. He was visited by Ornstein occasionally, and Ciaran would appear rarely. He was used to the loneliness… not that he liked it.
One night, when reflecting on this, he lay down on the grassy field and imagined the stars before closing his blind eyes.
Would you hold my hand?
Gough woke up to the sound of one person approaching. The newcomer was armored, so it couldn't be a random traveler or Ciaran. Nor did it sound like the chainmail of Artorias, which he longed to hear. It was the sound of plates clanking against each other, of a metal rod tapping the ground with each step like a walking stick. Their presence caused Gough to feel static and put his hairs on end. The smell of clean armor as well. That meant only one person...
"Ornstein…" he grumbled, sitting up.
"Gough. Are you faring well?" Ornstein asked in his usual clipped, serious voice.
"Indeed. As for you?"
"I am doing well."
Gough nodded. Of course Ornstein was doing well. A few years back, he told Gough that he was married to a maid in a mansion. A month after that, Ornstein told Gough that they were having a baby. What could possibly be wrong with Ornstein's life?
"I have come to ask you a favor," Ornstein said.
Gough raised an eyebrow. Ornstein never asked for favors. He always did things himself so nobody would need to trouble themselves.
"A favor?" Gough repeated.
"Indeed," Ornstein said. "I want for you to stay with a magician."
Gough took a bit to process Ornstein's request. He had no idea where Ornstein was going with this and wasn't liking it… much.
"Let me elaborate," Ornstein continued. "There's a magician in the Forest of Magic whom is very lonely. She is currently being tempted by an outside force to turn against her own, one who preys on her loneliness. So I want for you to assure her she isn't lonely. Do anything to make sure she doesn't turn to the abyss."
"Do you wish for me to court her?" Gough asked.
He heard Ornstein chuckle. It didn't sound mean, but it rubbed Gough the wrong way. Feeling irritation, Gough shoved it back down.
"Well, where's this Forest of Magic?" Gough asked.
Would you hold my hand?
As he stomped through the Forest of Magic in his smaller form, Gough heard the voice again. He tried to grasp where in his memories it came from, but it was gone with the wind.
Grumbling, he sensed a house up ahead. He felt magic coming from it, so it must be the right place…
Going to the front door, he knocked on it twice without cracking it. He took a step back and prepared himself for th-
"Oy, you're tall, ze!"
Gough stumbled back and 'looked' at the person in front of him. He smelled smoke from an explosion, and a lot of dangerous chemicals. The house itself smelled like nobody had been cleaning it for years.
"Greetings, magician," he said politely. "I have come to stay and keep you company. I hope you haven't been too lonely."
The house owner was silent.
"Ehh… I'm not really lonely," the house owner, who was definitely a female, told him. "If I had to guess, you're looking for Alice."
"Is this Alice a lonely magician?" Gough asked.
"Yeah. I mean, sure, she has a lot of… 'friends', but they aren't good company."
"Would you show me the way to this Alice's house?"
He heard the girl lift her arm. She was probably pointing in a direction.
"Excuse me, I cannot see," Gough informed her.
"Ah, okay then," the girl said.
She took his right hand and pointed it to his two o'clock.
"There, that way," the girl told him. She chuckled before saying, "Good luck. She's a handful."
She let go and closed the door of her house, presumably inside.
Gough began moving in the direction she had him point, and then sighed on his way there.
Didn't even say goodbye, he thought.
He began to sense another house. This one he could tell was a lot more quaint. However…
The magic he sensed from this house was a lot stronger than the other one.
He went up to the door and knocked. A second later, the door opened.
"Excuse me, what are you doing here?"
This one's voice was very mature. Kind, but there was something distant about it. Gentle, but with a certain hardness underneath it.
"Greetings, magician," Gough said the second time today. "I have come to stay and keep you company. I hope you haven't been too lonely."
The magician, Alice, immediately replied, "Well, I do always welcome visitors. Come on in."
She began walking into the house. Gough ducked under the doorframe and followed. Luckily for him, the roof was high enough to accommodate his shrunken size.
The first thing he noticed? The air was moving. Like there was a crowd constantly walking around him. But the house was too small, and there were no footsteps other than his and Alice's.
As something sped by him, he caught it in midair. It tried to struggle, but his grip was too strong. He felt it and understood immediately: it was a doll. And it didn't seem to have strings.
"You can control puppets?" Gough asked.
"Yes, I can," Alice said. "Of course, it's more than just a puppet show."
Gough nodded and released the doll. He could've sworn it was shaking its fist at him before going back to work.
"You can sit at the table," Alice told Gough. "I have cake and tea if you're interested."
The giant followed her voice and groped around. He felt a chair and sat down in it.
"You'll have to excuse me," Gough told Alice. "I am blind."
Alice grunted in understanding. "So, you say that you are staying here?"
"Indeed. Is there a problem?"
"No. In fact, I'd be glad to have company."
Gough nodded.
"My name is Alice. Alice Margatroid," Alice introduced herself.
"I am Gough," he said. "Hawkeye Gough of the Four Knights of Gwyn."
He heard Alice's teacup smash against the floor.