A/N: Heya reader! Sorry for the dip in activity, life's been busy and I'm trying to keep up. I'm thinking of doing a soft reboot of this series, as I have some ideas that are more in line with the current Monsterverse that don't fit into the one shot format I use for Coronation- some devilish ideas if you know what I mean. Anyways, here's chapter 7 of Coronation- enjoy!
Chapter Seven: Bloom
Godzilla shifted position under the shade of the titanic tree, dark red flowers blooming within the canopy, hanging over an old battleground of his. If memory serves him right, it was some sort of plant monster- one that disappeared into the stars at the end of a long tiring fight. The petals fell around the daikaiju as they conferred, sitting amongst massive stones in a crystal clear pool. Normally, it would be there would be three of them- but Mothra's absence left the tallest rock empty.
"Don't you dare."
"What?" Anguirus said, feigning innocence. Godzilla gave him the iciest glare he could, but that didn't seem to bother Anguirus- who sized the seat up as if it were an opponent in a fight.
"Anguirus, if you climb that rock I swear will-"
"Oh don't be a Mothra."
He tapped it with his claw once, before beginning to do just that. The King let out a snort, and yet made no move to stop his friend's antics.
"You can't make it."
"Watch me."
Anguirus tucked all four legs as close to his chest as he could, gripping on the rock with serrated claws. Despite the triumphant smirk on his face, Godzilla saw more than a little nervousness in his eyes- The titan of earth wasn't exactly known for his love of heights.
Also his voice was shakier than a building in an earthquake.
Godzilla, while offering nothing but his signature grimace, was internally fighting the urge to crack a smile. Even with his closest allies, the gesture was still foreign to him.
But the rock abruptly cracked, presumably because it saw him smiling, and sent the titan careening to one side. Anguirus fell into the shallow pool, sending water up into the air and splashing Godzilla right in his unamused face.
"Idiot."
"Worth it."
Anguirus, unharmed from the drop, wandered over to the grassy knoll to dry himself. Godzilla turned towards the broken pillar, half of it sitting submerged in the pool; a monument to Anguirus' antics.
"You know you're going to have to fetch another one right?" The King called out loudly, while his friend was basking in the summer sun.
"I'll just ask King Caesar for one of his."
"You sure? Aren't his rocks mostly covered in shed fur?"
Anguirus briefly paused, before making a barf noise at the idea. He let out a chuckle as petals continued to twirl into the calm water, ripples edging towards the waterside. But when his closest ally's expression suddenly shifted, Godzilla knew him long enough to tell that he had something more important to say.
"What is it?"
Godzilla waited for Anguirus to take his seat back at the King's side, his spiked tail swaying behind him.
"What happened between you and Rodan?"
"..."
"Come on, you can tell me."
The reason Anguirus had even managed to come close to the King in the first place was that he knew Godzilla liked to keep his cards close, and usually didn't pry any more. The fact that he did so just proved how serious this matter was in the armored titan's eyes.
"You're the one sounding like a second Mothra you know."
"Hey, at least you're hearing it from me rather than her, am I right?"
Godzilla scoffed at his friend's remark before turning his gaze up into the clear blue skies, lost in thought.
Odo Island
"My King,"
"I would like to speak with you."
Godzilla opened one eye, and squinted at the vaguely red form on the shore.
God, is Mothra back already-
Rodan?
"What is it?"
"Surely must know of the scale-less that plague our planet right?"
"Mhm, what about them?"
"W-What do you mean your majesty?"
"They take away our land, our families' homes for millions of years."
"And even with enough resources for all of their kind, they still find a way to continue taking what is rightfully ours-"
Rodan pointedly glared daggers at a small hut- nestled next to Godzilla's lagoon. Godzilla remembered when Mothra's people had built it, apparently the islanders liked fish as much as he did. He let it slide, most of their food was too small for him anyway.
"So?"
The saurian yawned, as Rodan stood up from his kneeling position.
"S-So?"
"My King, you are truly willing to let these these parasites continue to rule our planet?"
Rodan looked like he was about to explode, literally glowing with repressed emotions.
"It's their planet too, has Mothra not taught you that-"
"They don't deserve it!" Rodan interrupted, taking Godzilla by surprise. His grimace grew tighter as the King gave Rodan the iciest glare any kaiju could give- and yet the Firebird continued on regardless.
"Earth is OUR planet, and it has been taken from us by those thieves!"
"And if you don't do anything about it, maybe you don't deserve to be Ki-"
"Watch your tone."
The King spines crackled, but made no further move closer to the Firebird. Despite that, Rodan still began to slowly back away- respecting his atomic power.
"Yes, I will concur that humans are weak and pathetic."
"And yes, I agree with the notion that they have become an infestation."
"But they are still part of the ecosystem-" Godzilla tapped Rodan in the chest with one claw, taking care to not push the younger kaiju over.
"The ecosystem that I am guarding."
"Whether you like it or not."
Rodan gulped, his bravery evaporating at his peer's pressure. His feathers, what few of them remained, began to tremble- and Godzilla distinctly recalled there was no wind that day.
"So leave them alone, unless I say so."
"Are we clear?"
"Y-Yes."
His fear was palpable, and the Firebird looked much more than disappointed. His eyes were watery, glowing slightly with the reflected light of the sun.
It was then that Godzilla remembered something about Rodan.
He wasn't always an orphan.
Immediately, a pang of sympathy grabbed hold of Godzilla's throat with a grip tighter than steel. His intimidating glow dimmed as Godzilla turned back to his lake, still and tranquil- a mirror of the clear skies above.
"Rodan."
The Firebird glared at the reptile, trying and failing to match the steely gaze of the King of the Monsters. Again, Godzilla was stricken by another pang of guilt- slamming into his heart over and over.
And again, his words failed to show it.
"Do not worry, your majesty."
"We are perfectly clear."
Rodan said from in between gritted teeth, with an anger far beyond his years. Godzilla couldn't even reach out to stop him before the Firebird was gone- leaves and a few plumes of sand spinning from where he took off.
One of the Anguirus' claws dipped into the cold water, sending more ripples across the pool. The atmosphere had become tense, and the tension between the two could be seen from Earth's orbit.
"Why?"
The oceanic daikaiju didn't reply, and only let out a deep sigh.
"He's just a kid Godzilla-"
"You think I don't know?!" Godzilla retorted in a rare flare of anger against his friend, his voice wavering ever so slightly. Anguirus however, didn't even flinch, as he knew Godzilla more than well enough to see the regret whirling behind the fangs and the claws.
"Well I do." Godzilla's voice was cold and rigid, unable to express the emotions he felt.
"My King, you have to fix this."
"You think I can just walk up to him and apologize?"
"Rodan has definitely been avoiding me, the kids been gone for days-"
But before Godzilla could continue, an orange fireball crashed into the water- sending froth flying into the faces of the King and his Knight.
Speak of the goddamn Devil.
"Your Majesty."
Although his formal bow betrayed none of it, Rodan's eyes burned with a cold malice. The Firebird was confident, arrogant even- a completely different version of the same one Godzilla had witnessed grovelling at his claws.
"I have come bearing a message, from the King of Skull Island."
"And the New King of the Monsters."
It was a common known fact that Anguirus hated the water.
The armored goliath much preferred burrowing to any form of contact with it. To compound matters, Anguirus was heavy- and it was only through great effort could he actually cross even the most meager bodies of water. There was a reason the pool at their meeting place was as shallow as it was.
And yet, despite his best efforts, Anguirus refused to not accompany Godzilla for his meeting with Kong at the Island.
In the distance, he could just barely make out the island and its imposing mountains; hidden within the perpetual storm. The red glowing blur that was Rodan had long disappeared, not a good start.
"Ready, your highness?" Anguirus, despite having swam a considerable distance, was more concerned about Godzilla than himself.
"Always."
The Stormwall enveloped the two of them, a barrier between the primordial island and the outside world. Godzilla's blue glow and the red lightning of the clouds clashed in the heavens, it remembered the reptile's last visit.
The rain irritatingly dropped into his eyes as Godzilla surfaced, with Anguirus close behind. Steam rolled off his back as they set foot on the sandy beaches of the island.
"Haven't you been here before?"
Godzilla, as per usual, did not respond. The reptile's spikes dimmed to a much darker shade of blue, and the steam rolling off his back made him look ethereal- an ancient spirit given physical form. Although he had a poker face like no other, Anguirus had been with the King long enough to tell that he was uneasy.
"Stay here."
"Are you sure Your Majesty?"
"If this Kong wanted to see me alone, then I'll take his lead for now."
"Besides-" A hint of his usual confidence began to return, and Godzilla puffed up his chest.
"There's nothing I can't handle."
Anguirus nodded, knowing that there was nothing he could say to change the King's mind. That was one thing that he and Mothra had in common, Anguirus thought. He relegated himself to the hidden beach as Godzilla walked alone- rain and fog enveloping him as he disappeared into the Kingdom of Kong.