Kooriyasha
by: NeverInUrWildestDreams
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"You look beautiful, Juvia-chan"
"I wish to be a beautiful bride like you"
"I envy you, you're so beautiful"
Lies. All lies.
That is the only thought that entered my mind whenever they tell me something.
Those people who congratulated me, they are all faceless. Name, which not once had slip out of my lips.
On their face, smiles were plastered, smiles that do not held any sincerity. Their giggles and laughs that held ill intention.
If all of you envy me, then you are all idiots, this day is my wedding day.
And also my funeral.
There's nothing to envy about me
.
.
.
.
When I am supposed to die.
...
Her long curly blue hair brushed against her wedding kimono, her hands were shaking, every breaths turned into cloud of mists. Her pale skin with blotches of red on her cheeks and nose. Her lips painted with red like blood on snow. The land was cold and dark despite the paleness of the snow, the villagers who guarded her through the forest had left her alone. Without any torches.
"It's all for them, its fine for Juvia to be sacrificed, no one will be sad when she dies."
Even so she couldn't help the pain that's inside her. Her breathing seemed constricted with something. She couldn't help the betrayal she was feeling.
Their town was devastated by snowstorms, and everyone thought that it was the Kooriyasha's doing. They would be doing this sacrifice because they were sick of the Snow for almost three fourths of the year and their only solution appease the Kooriyasha was to sacrifice the most beautiful maiden in town. Hunger, illnesses and a lot of plague had resided on their town.
The snow beneath her feet scrunched as she walked over it. The villagers told her to just keep walking; she couldn't even make out her surroundings because of the blizzard. She squinted her eyes, as she gathered her kimono while walking. Then suddenly, with the speed of light the snow storm stopped.
Her heart beats increased tenfold that she felt it would burst. Wrapping her arms around her, in a comfort to give her warmth, she looked around; the trees were tall and eerie, felt like they were watching her. The silence gripped her like a dead human would receive. The sound of her breathing and heartbeats were her only companion. The pale moonlight bathed the forest with its streaks. She did not believe about the Kooriyasha, the only concern that runs inside her head was that the wolves or any hungry wild animals might kill her.
Her ears slightly twitch from a foreign sound. Her brows furrowed in confusion, she raised her head only to see a barrage of hails and a gust of wind engulfed her in a cold embrace.
Everything was so cold, so dark.
By that time she believed that the Kooriyasha was real.
...
The snow town was bustling with people. Little boots scrunched at the snow as the children run around. Some of their mothers running behind them. The cute kids running around with their winter clothes on. People had come to appreciate the beauty of the Snow and its gift.
The town got their name from the white cold crystals that fall from the skies. Today was no exception, what was unusual was that the winter season for them starts as early as half of the year. Mostly the townsfolk would just remain inside their houses but not today.
Today the shaman would visit and if one of them were lucky enough their fortune will be read. When the Shaman appeared everyone fought to be in front of her. Trying hard to be noticed by the shaman.
Her wrinkled brown eyes had set on a little lonely blunette. An orphan. Everyone was so noisy and unaware of their surroundings, unknown to them the shaman had chose the fortunate one. She raised a wrinkled hand at her servant to ushering her to come to her. She whispered something at the servant and that made everyone mum their lips.
"Shaman Ur had picked the fortunate." her servant said. Everyone was unaware of the weak smile that the Shaman had.
The servant kneeled in front of the little girl and offered her a smile. The little blunette could feel all eyes on her, burning the back of her head; she hugged her teru teru bozu doll tightly on her chest.
"Come now, it's alright Shaman Ur will tell you something amazing" he kindly said and reached for her small pale hands.
Shaman Ur could see the hate and envy that everyone had on the child and that made her frown.
The blunette looked at her with wide innocent eyes. She weakly reached for her hand and motioned for the servant to dismiss everyone.
They entered the make-shift tent that the servants did, and the little girl felt the warmth that everyone in the orphanage was looking for.
The old lady stared at her; she cowered when the Shaman reached for her hat.
"What is your name little one?"
"Juvia's name is Juvia" she answered with her soft voice. The Shaman offered her a smile mumbling a 'rain' under her breath and continued. "You. The one that holds a very colorful future will play an important role for this ill-forsaken place. And a secret that holds your true identity" Her wrinkled fingers traced the palm of her small hand.
Little Juvia just watched as the old woman's face wrinkled some more, but later on she relaxed.
"The Moon Goddess had given you two strings of fate" she whispered.
"Juvia doesn't undewstand? What stwings ov fweyt?" she cutely asked as she shook her head. The Shaman chuckled at how cute she was.
"Your hair flows like waterfall."
"hmm?" that just made her even more confuse.
"You will love two men. Milady" then the Shaman bowed low at her.
Cobalt eyes gazed around her surroundings. She was lying on something hard and cold. Trying to remember where she was, she instinctively wrapped her arms around her when the wind blew past.
Then flashbacks of the snow forest and her…Death came to her.
So she's dead.
Another wind blew past her, and she gritted her teeth together, her wedding kimono was not appropriate for this place.
The Ice kingdom.
Though the place was shining because of the ice sculptures and wonderful architectures, there was no one to appreciate its beauty. The place looked isolated. So cold. So empty.
"So this was hell looked like, Juvia thought that it would be hot. Not cold"
"That would be the Northern Hell. This is the Southern Hell. The Ice Kingdom"
She almost jumped when someone spoke to her. Not wanting to turn around, scared that she might see a monster, the said person cleared his throat, trying to gain her attention. When she turned around she couldn't help but blush from the handsome man's gaze.
"My name's Jellal, milady, and I'll be the one to escort you to the ice demon."
Juvia just nodded her head and let him lead the way. Jellal sure was handsome, with his dark blue hair and that odd tattoo. When the man noticed her staring, he smirked at her, making the blunette's face turned into deep shade of red. She quickly averted her gaze.
"Staring is rude, milady, but if it is a beautiful maiden such as you, I would never mind." To emphasize his words, he gave her another smirk making her squeak and turn away. Jellal was dressed in a white winter garbs, with a sword attached on his belt, gold linings embedded on the hems and buttons that specifically looked like silver.
"t-thank y-you" she stuttered out. The gates of the kingdom opened and juvia couldn't help the shiver that run through her body, she didn't know if it was from excitement, nervousness or cold. Maybe all of them.
Sudden comforting warmth filled her when he draped a coat around her. He just smiled at her, and she couldn't help but think that this place was better than the human world. A vast spread of frozen lake was the first thing that she had noticed; the kingdom was sculptured and cultivated with pure crystal ice. The whole kingdom being bathed by the moonlight, making it breath-taking and magnificent.
Jellal put his hand between his lips and whistled, Juvia gasped and tumbled back when the floor cracked and opened up. A blinding light stepped in front of her; a creature galloped and blew out clouds of breaths. "It has wings, a unicorn?"
"A pterippi, meet crystal, the royal guard's horse" explained Jellal. The beautiful blunette gaped at the creature; she had never seen a horse with wings. She only heard it from stories. Jellal waved a hand in front of the blunette, snapping her out of her reverie, he offered her his hand which she hesitantly took and hoisted her up Crystal.
"Hold tight." By then Jellal kicked on the horse and fly, Juvia surprised held on the horse's white mane a little tighter. They fly through the wide vast of frozen land. When they set foot at the castle, Jellal dismissed Crystal and she couldn't help but watched in fascination.
"I'll leave you here for a while, to seek for the Kooriyasha" then he bowed at her. She mimicked his actions and watched him leave.
Because of her fascination, she couldn't help but walk around. She hadn't seen something as beautiful as this. This would be her new home might as well be accustomed to it. There were no trees, no flowers, everything was sculpted and perfected with ice, giving her the illusion of those things. Her morbid curiosity made her touch the ice sculptures and it made her stare in awe, it's not cold at all.
She just let her feet lead her to wherever. Humming a tune she never knew had existed, she skipped – something she wanted to do since she had turned eighteen—at the ice floor. Instinctively, hugging the coat that Jellal had lent her a little tighter. She was about to turn left when she bumped into something rather someone.
"Oh. Sorry. Juvia didn't see you." she apologized to the cute little messy raven-haired boy. He stood just below her breasts, and she couldn't help the smile that spreads on her face upon seeing his cute face.
The boy just scowled at her and left. He ignored her!. Juvia was flustered, she never met a spoiled little brat, he should be taught with manners. But her rage soon subsided when she saw a butterfly flying. She followed it and smiled.
But little did she know that the little boy was looking at her through the corner of his eyes with flushed cheeks as he run away. The robes that she had never left unnoticed by his cold eyes.
She never thought that they could make the sculptures move. Wherever the butterfly flies it left trails of crystals, bathing her with sprinklers. Her eyes lit up with delight when she caught sight of hundreds of them flying through the sky, but she soon stopped when she noticed someone standing in the middle of them. As fast as the lightning, she ducked at the nearest column and grasp at her heart.
Her breath turned a little harsher with every intake of air.
The ice demon was so scary.
I've heard that he was a monster who eats humans.
He lives by devouring the flesh of a human.
She heard the town people talked as an old woman combed her hair. When she felt her shiver, the woman placed a hand on top of her shoulder. "They also said that the Ice Demon was beyond handsome, nothing to be worried about, my dear"
But silently she had lots to be worried about.
She peeked at him, and carefully studied his features. His spiky silver hair, his pale skin, his elegant and graceful swat of his hands as he commanded the butterflies. And juvia wondered how he can survive the cold without his coat? His toned back was being feasted by her eyes. And she noticed that she was being a pervert. That action and thoughts were only for lewd women, could it be that juvia was a lewd woman?
Her train of thoughts was cut short when his eyes landed on her.
Could he be...this handsome creature...by any chance...Juvia's soon to be husband?
"Milady, I've been looking for you"
The voice sounded like jellals, she turned around and saw him giving her a disapproving look. Juvia ignored him, and turned back around only to see the butterflies gone and the ice king.
"There's nothing to waste, Kooriyasha was impatient, and he wanted to meet you."
He left no room for argument when he grabbed her arm and lead her.
...
Juvia didn't know if there would be a day to stop her from being fascinated. There were ice servants, soldiers and guards. It must be the kooriyasha's doing.She admired him already; he could make the butterflies' move, what more are these people. He was truly great.
"A bride huh? Now that's a first." the voice that had spoken sent shivers down her back. It was deep, rich and a little husky. She gripped her chest trying to stop her heart from being doki doki. When she turned around she couldn't help but be convinced that he was far more handsome up close. He was wearing his royal robes and his body was now covered from her wandering eyes. Her cheeks painted with red.
"Milady, meet Lyon Vastia of the Lamia Scale Land. The General of the Ice Kingdom. And The Kooriyasha's great friend." Jellal introduced him. He curtsied and Juvia mimicked his actions. When their eyes met Juvia blushed tenfold and her heart beat began beating wildly. She tucked a strand behind her hair and looked away.
"It's a pleasure to meet a beautiful maiden such as you." He smirked at her, and reached for her hand to kiss it. Juvia felt her head spinning. Jellal just rolled his eyes at Lyon's advances. Lyon smugly smirked at Jellal's direction and watched the way the Kooriyasha's loyal friend's face scrunched up with disapprovance.
When Lyon released her hand and backed away that's when Jellal continued. "Lady Juvia Lockser of the Human World, meet your betrothed the Kooriyasha of the Southern Hell."
After his introduction Juvia felt her heart wanting to get out of her chest. It was beating too fast that she was afraid that she might have a heart attack. She slowly turned around and what she saw shocked her with no lightning could do.
His hair was darker than she remembered from earlier. It was dark like the midnight sky, his skin although he lived in a cold place looked like it was tanned, but what made her scared was the expressionless face of his, and those cold dark blue eyes. Cold. Like the frozen lake outside the kingdom and dark like the Shinigami's cloak.
"HMMP, Humans, as always are idiots, I specifically told them for a beautiful maiden" Juvia did not know how to react, her husband was a child!. Did they want her to marry a child? Upon hearing his comment, she felt insulted and rage climbed through her body, she blew her cheeks—unaware at the effect it had on the boys around her, she was so cute—she knelt down, with a fake smile she reached for the Kooriyasha's cheeks and pinched it, stretching it to all places.
"Oi,that hurts" he complained but Juvia just ignored him. She was unaware of the gasps and mortified faces of the people around her.
"Juvia did not know that the Kooriyasha was soooo cuuuute" she commented and released his now swollen cheeks. That will teach him a lesson.
With the embarrassment that he had, the Kooriyasha turned around but before he left "Jellal, get her out of your coat. Bring her the proper garment for a maiden such as her."
Juvia tilted her head in confusion, "What's wrong in wearing Jellal-san's robes?"
The men just smirked at her and laughed. "I think that the Kooriyasha is besotted." Jellal whispered at Lyon, to which the latter just smiled. His eyes trained at the blunette's back.
…
A/N: So this is my version of "Bride of the Water God". The manga was so complicated and historical, this would just be, maybe less complicated, a dash of love triangle, and some revelations.
*Koori= Ice
*Yasha= Demon
NeverInUrWildestDreams
Revised.