Title: Tale of a Water Sprite
Summary: A garden filled with statues. Each statue is a piece of a story. Why would Kaiba Seto tell Jounouchi Katsuya this story?
Disclaimer: Since my muses are horrible, I get to say this by myself...I own nothing ::cry::
~*~*~*~
Jounouchi looked at the beautiful statues in the garden he had been assigned to. He had just been hired at a store for helping with the upkeep of privately owned lawns. His first job surprised him, though. Why would they let him, Jounouchi Katsuya, one of the least experienced, albeit the one with most natural talent, member on his shift, work on Kaiba Seto's lawn? It was already perfectly manicured, not a blade of grass was out of place. His coworkers told him to explore this garden first, it being the most beautiful, and Katsuya was glad he had taken their advice.
All of the statues in this garden appeared to be of the same female, sometimes with a young man who certainly looked as if her were her lover, or at least as if he completely adored her. A slightly morbid one, which doubled as a fountain, caught his eye when he first entered the garden. Aside from being the largest, it depicted the woman in all the other statues. However, a long broad-sword impaled her slightly swollen stomach. Clutching this sword was a granite man, not the same one as other times, but you could tell by his facial features that he was desperately saddened by the deed.
Jounouchi's favorite, though, was one of the young couple--the woman, hair flapping in an invisible breeze, captured by time, and the man, his hair vaguely familiar. A smile lit his face, and he was looking down at her with apparent adoration, even though his face was carved from rough stone. You knew he was completely enamored with the woman before him.
"They tell a story," said a quiet voice behind Katsuya. Jou spun to face the speaker and was immediately stunned. Standing there was Kaiba Seto, his hand on the cheek of a statue of the maiden. A wreath of purple flowers encircled the statues head much like a halo. In fact, Kaiba looked quite serene standing there, himself.
"Is it a true story?" asked Jounouchi, somewhat curious at what information the CEO may choose to release.
"Why would I delve myself into a world of fiction?"
"Good question, why would you?"
Without answering, Kaiba commanded him, "Sit."
"Her name was Naida. She was a water sprite, the most beautiful of her remaining species. She wore water lilies in her hair, which brought out the beautiful, creamy chocolate color in her eyes, and the golden color in her hair.
"Not only was she beautiful, but she was completely selfless. Her sisters were not jealous, however--it simply was not in the nature of a water sprite-- and they tended to flock to her. They were drawn to her like moths to a flame--without the deadly result. She adored the attention she received, and it became a sort of...guilty pleasure to her.
"Naida knew well the oceans, seas, ponds, lakes, straights, rivers, streams, waterfalls, and springs of the Earth. But, also, she knew of the wells that lead to the bathhouses of the wealthy. The lush homes of noblemen soon became her frequent haunts.
"It was in a home such as this that she first laid eyes upon him." It was at this time that Seto moved to a small fountain that Jou had not noticed before. A man in the tub was surveyed by the woman, Naida. The fountain's water bubbled slightly and ran over the edges of the granite tub, onto stones patterned to look like hardwood floor.
Jou turned to study the petrified man in the tub. His eyes were shut, his long, delicate-looking fingers gripping the sides of the tub. To his great surprise, as Seto knelt down near it, he recognized the hairstyle to resemble the CEO's own meticulously kept hair. Kaiba's voice broke Jou out of his musings. "He was sleeping the first few times she wound up in a bucket of steaming water. His eyes were shut tightly, and it quickly became apparent that times like these were the only times the young man got any sleep. His hair was brown with a curious tint of green in it. She knew his eyes, no matter the color, would be beautiful.
"Her parents knew nothing of their daughter stealing away into the bathing rooms of young men, nor her innocent way of peering, curiously, in on the young man in the bathtub.
"The day came when she appeared in his water, and he was completely awake. Surprised, Naida forgot to hide herself away from prying eyes. He immediately fell in love: not only with her wondrous body, which he soon grew to know every inch of, but also the kind aura that radiated from her.
"She was surprised at the color of his eyes and immediately became lost in their calming depths. They were the color of a thousand seas at night. They were dark and calming, a brilliant blue she had never before seen on any mortal.
"And instant bond was formed between the two. She would visit him whenever she got the chance to slip away, and they soon fell deeply in love." This was followed by Seto's snort of contempt as he moved to a new statue--Jou's favorite.
"Their love went undetected for months, although Naida's youngest sister, Nixie, suspected something. She, although the youngest, was the most perceptive her family had seen in years.
"Water sprites are old, remember this. Young to them is ancient to us. Nixie herself was well over 4,000 years old, and she was the last of them born--the youngest. Over those 4,000 years the water sprites had forgotten the secret of bearing children. In truth, the race, Naida's whole family, was dying out.
"Naida became careless one day; she did not notice the figure following her through the streams and pipes and into the lord's bathing chambers. She did not notice the figure's horror at her greeting to him--a chaste kiss on the lips. Nor did the two lovers, enraptured as they were by each other, notice their follower slip silently away." Seto moved gracefully toward a statue that showed the two in a passionate embrace, clearly enjoying each other's company.
"They were found out, and the young man was made to flee, leaving Naida chronically depressed. Her clan felt they had done their duty, but the damage had been done. Naida was with child--something that had not been done in 4,000 years. This was not to be allowed. Why should they let a half- human walk amongst them?" Kaiba paused, taking a deep, shaky breath. He moved to the fountain of the woman with a sword in her gut. "Her own blood brother was the one to kill her. He shoved the sword through her stomach-- through the abomination, killing it, or so they thought. With her last few breaths, she told them what they had long ago forgotten.
"'A water sprite can only bear a child if she, or he, is in love. The child can only come into the world if the woman dies. It was eradicated from your memories because you would never comprehend!' Her last breath was drawn seconds after she swore that her son would fall in love with the first-born child of her lover's youngest brother, whom she had heard about on numerous occasions." Seto took his hand and stroked the stone cold face of the cement woman with his fingertips. "That's her story, but the story itself does not end there. A part of her spirit lived on in her child, and, although he could choose what he would like to look like, the boy grew an uncanny likeness to his mother, whom he had never known."
Jounouchi Katsuya looked around, stunned. This was an unusual occurrence--Seto Kaiba opening up to him enough to tell him a story that seemed pure fantasy. When he recovered from his shock he asked, "Why are you telling me this?" At this, the CEO let out a sardonic laugh.
"Why is a very good question. Why indeed?" was the bitter retort from Jou's rival. "Why would I tell you something that seems made out of pure fantasy? I'll tell you why, Katsuya. It's because you need to know the truth. The truth about yourself and the truth about me."
~*~*~*~
How do you like it? I'm not even sure that I want to continue. Truthfully I fully intended to make this my first one-shot, but it didn't turn out like that, so it seems. I even left you at a cliffy x.X that's horrible. Please R&R...I may seem new, but whatever...how about this...you review me, I'll review you...I'll even give you some Laffy Taffy and a joke to go with it!
Summary: A garden filled with statues. Each statue is a piece of a story. Why would Kaiba Seto tell Jounouchi Katsuya this story?
Disclaimer: Since my muses are horrible, I get to say this by myself...I own nothing ::cry::
~*~*~*~
Jounouchi looked at the beautiful statues in the garden he had been assigned to. He had just been hired at a store for helping with the upkeep of privately owned lawns. His first job surprised him, though. Why would they let him, Jounouchi Katsuya, one of the least experienced, albeit the one with most natural talent, member on his shift, work on Kaiba Seto's lawn? It was already perfectly manicured, not a blade of grass was out of place. His coworkers told him to explore this garden first, it being the most beautiful, and Katsuya was glad he had taken their advice.
All of the statues in this garden appeared to be of the same female, sometimes with a young man who certainly looked as if her were her lover, or at least as if he completely adored her. A slightly morbid one, which doubled as a fountain, caught his eye when he first entered the garden. Aside from being the largest, it depicted the woman in all the other statues. However, a long broad-sword impaled her slightly swollen stomach. Clutching this sword was a granite man, not the same one as other times, but you could tell by his facial features that he was desperately saddened by the deed.
Jounouchi's favorite, though, was one of the young couple--the woman, hair flapping in an invisible breeze, captured by time, and the man, his hair vaguely familiar. A smile lit his face, and he was looking down at her with apparent adoration, even though his face was carved from rough stone. You knew he was completely enamored with the woman before him.
"They tell a story," said a quiet voice behind Katsuya. Jou spun to face the speaker and was immediately stunned. Standing there was Kaiba Seto, his hand on the cheek of a statue of the maiden. A wreath of purple flowers encircled the statues head much like a halo. In fact, Kaiba looked quite serene standing there, himself.
"Is it a true story?" asked Jounouchi, somewhat curious at what information the CEO may choose to release.
"Why would I delve myself into a world of fiction?"
"Good question, why would you?"
Without answering, Kaiba commanded him, "Sit."
"Her name was Naida. She was a water sprite, the most beautiful of her remaining species. She wore water lilies in her hair, which brought out the beautiful, creamy chocolate color in her eyes, and the golden color in her hair.
"Not only was she beautiful, but she was completely selfless. Her sisters were not jealous, however--it simply was not in the nature of a water sprite-- and they tended to flock to her. They were drawn to her like moths to a flame--without the deadly result. She adored the attention she received, and it became a sort of...guilty pleasure to her.
"Naida knew well the oceans, seas, ponds, lakes, straights, rivers, streams, waterfalls, and springs of the Earth. But, also, she knew of the wells that lead to the bathhouses of the wealthy. The lush homes of noblemen soon became her frequent haunts.
"It was in a home such as this that she first laid eyes upon him." It was at this time that Seto moved to a small fountain that Jou had not noticed before. A man in the tub was surveyed by the woman, Naida. The fountain's water bubbled slightly and ran over the edges of the granite tub, onto stones patterned to look like hardwood floor.
Jou turned to study the petrified man in the tub. His eyes were shut, his long, delicate-looking fingers gripping the sides of the tub. To his great surprise, as Seto knelt down near it, he recognized the hairstyle to resemble the CEO's own meticulously kept hair. Kaiba's voice broke Jou out of his musings. "He was sleeping the first few times she wound up in a bucket of steaming water. His eyes were shut tightly, and it quickly became apparent that times like these were the only times the young man got any sleep. His hair was brown with a curious tint of green in it. She knew his eyes, no matter the color, would be beautiful.
"Her parents knew nothing of their daughter stealing away into the bathing rooms of young men, nor her innocent way of peering, curiously, in on the young man in the bathtub.
"The day came when she appeared in his water, and he was completely awake. Surprised, Naida forgot to hide herself away from prying eyes. He immediately fell in love: not only with her wondrous body, which he soon grew to know every inch of, but also the kind aura that radiated from her.
"She was surprised at the color of his eyes and immediately became lost in their calming depths. They were the color of a thousand seas at night. They were dark and calming, a brilliant blue she had never before seen on any mortal.
"And instant bond was formed between the two. She would visit him whenever she got the chance to slip away, and they soon fell deeply in love." This was followed by Seto's snort of contempt as he moved to a new statue--Jou's favorite.
"Their love went undetected for months, although Naida's youngest sister, Nixie, suspected something. She, although the youngest, was the most perceptive her family had seen in years.
"Water sprites are old, remember this. Young to them is ancient to us. Nixie herself was well over 4,000 years old, and she was the last of them born--the youngest. Over those 4,000 years the water sprites had forgotten the secret of bearing children. In truth, the race, Naida's whole family, was dying out.
"Naida became careless one day; she did not notice the figure following her through the streams and pipes and into the lord's bathing chambers. She did not notice the figure's horror at her greeting to him--a chaste kiss on the lips. Nor did the two lovers, enraptured as they were by each other, notice their follower slip silently away." Seto moved gracefully toward a statue that showed the two in a passionate embrace, clearly enjoying each other's company.
"They were found out, and the young man was made to flee, leaving Naida chronically depressed. Her clan felt they had done their duty, but the damage had been done. Naida was with child--something that had not been done in 4,000 years. This was not to be allowed. Why should they let a half- human walk amongst them?" Kaiba paused, taking a deep, shaky breath. He moved to the fountain of the woman with a sword in her gut. "Her own blood brother was the one to kill her. He shoved the sword through her stomach-- through the abomination, killing it, or so they thought. With her last few breaths, she told them what they had long ago forgotten.
"'A water sprite can only bear a child if she, or he, is in love. The child can only come into the world if the woman dies. It was eradicated from your memories because you would never comprehend!' Her last breath was drawn seconds after she swore that her son would fall in love with the first-born child of her lover's youngest brother, whom she had heard about on numerous occasions." Seto took his hand and stroked the stone cold face of the cement woman with his fingertips. "That's her story, but the story itself does not end there. A part of her spirit lived on in her child, and, although he could choose what he would like to look like, the boy grew an uncanny likeness to his mother, whom he had never known."
Jounouchi Katsuya looked around, stunned. This was an unusual occurrence--Seto Kaiba opening up to him enough to tell him a story that seemed pure fantasy. When he recovered from his shock he asked, "Why are you telling me this?" At this, the CEO let out a sardonic laugh.
"Why is a very good question. Why indeed?" was the bitter retort from Jou's rival. "Why would I tell you something that seems made out of pure fantasy? I'll tell you why, Katsuya. It's because you need to know the truth. The truth about yourself and the truth about me."
~*~*~*~
How do you like it? I'm not even sure that I want to continue. Truthfully I fully intended to make this my first one-shot, but it didn't turn out like that, so it seems. I even left you at a cliffy x.X that's horrible. Please R&R...I may seem new, but whatever...how about this...you review me, I'll review you...I'll even give you some Laffy Taffy and a joke to go with it!