Black - Last Time on Green Maiden
BC - I believe I can fly! I believe I can touch the sky! Think about it every night and day! Spread my wings and fly away~
Jinnoya - You were meant to be mine! I am all that you need! You cut open my heart-!
Get BACK IN THE CLOSET, JINNOYA!
Butch - When I was... A young boy... My father... Took me into the city... To see a marching band...
Black - And now, back to Green Maiden!
I asked and you guys answered. I'm going to time skip a few times, but we'll basically cover most of the major things in Buttercup's recovery time before an impromptu visit to our Reds. This chapter is 70% fluff, 10% feels of some sort, and 20% a cameo of Himeko that no one asked for, but it's happening anyway because reasons. Enjoy.
A Day of Festivals
Buttercup woke up to find Black, giggling, while she hid underneath her covers. Buttercup huffed and shook her head with a smile. It seemed that, no matter the time of day, Black felt the need to cause trouble.
"BLAAAAAAAAAACK!"
"Oh no. What did you do?" The dragoness poked her head from beneath the sheets. Tar poked her head out and snickered. "What did you two little trolls do?"
Adopting a sneaky grin, Black laughed. "You'll see, Big Sister." She shuffled beneath the covers again. A moment later, Butch stormed in and Buttercup cackled.
He was covered in inky black goop (courtesy of Tar) and chicken feathers. Butch hissed at her, but his appearance made it more humorous than dangerous. Buttercup laughed so hard, she felt tears streaming down her face. "Where is that little demon and her minion?"
"I... How... I can't... br... breathe!" The girl fell back on her bed as she laughed. Butch boiled, his face red.
"Black, I can smell you! Get out from Buttercup's sheets and face me, you little ogre!" Black poked her head out, grinning as Buttercup continued to laugh. She snickered as she avoided her brother's lunges. "I'm going to bite your tail off, you brat!"
"Next time, don't tell my tutors to give me extra lessons!"
"Maybe you should stop running off then!"
"Bleh!" She stuck out her tongue, "see you later, Chicken Brother! Hahaha!" She ran out of the room, Tar on her heels, while Buttercup's laughter echoed. Butch huffed as he struggled to wipe the slime off. Buttercup finally caught her breath. The irate dragon looked over at her.
She looked much better than she did almost a week ago. Color was returning to her face and she could eat heavier foods. She had lost so much blood, Butch was afraid he'd lose her. He shuddered as he remembered.
The creature was dead, finally. The fight had lasted five minutes tops, but to Butch, it felt like an eternity. He had rushed off after Buttercup once Black had said she was in the same area as this beast. He feared it would be too late.Butch could already see her crumbled on the ground, a look of horror frozen on her face, as her heart lay still. No, he had thought frantically, not again... I can't lose my wife like this... not again... But fate decided to pardon him that agony and he heard her scream.
Most basilisk victims didn't survive long enough to scream. Hope filled him and he ran through the woods, only to see her laying down with blood pouring from her left side. The basilisk had stood over her, it's disgusting mouth opened to engulf her. Without a thought, he had rushed in and, rage consuming him when he saw how injured and weak she was, Butch battled the basilisk in fury.
Now, it lay dead beneath his claws, as he trumpeted a roar into the raining skies. Butch quickly set the corpse on fire. If he didn't do that immediately, it would decay into the ground and poison it
"Big Brother!" Black? She knows she's supposed to wait in the palace when a basilisk is sighted.
He glared at her, but stopped once he saw her kneeling next to an unconscious Buttercup. Her sword lay a few feet from her, but he paid it no heed as he quickly changed back to a human and rushed over to her. Now that he got a better look at her wounds, Butch felt his heart shatter.Three long claw marks had torn into her side, ripping the skin so deep that he could see bone. Blood poured out from the wounds like water. He wanted to scream and wail, she'd never survive this.
BOOM
BOOM
BOOM
BOOM
"Butch? What are you doing out here? You hate the... oh my God... what happened!? Is that a basilisk?!" Butch's head shot up and he stared at the dragon behind him. Boomer stood in his sea dragon form, staring at him and Buttercup, then the basilisk corpse that was currently burning. His blue eyes flickered between that and his friend. And where there's Boomer, there is always-
"BUBBLES! IS BUBBLES WITH YOU!?"
"I'm right here!" He hadn't been able to spot her atop her husband's head, but the blonde girl was looking down at him, worried, "who is she? What happened, Butch?"
"Please, you have to help me! She's alive but... if I can't stop the bleeding..."
"Pick her up, bring her here. Boomie, I need you to lower her head so I can grab her. We need to get out of the rain-BE CAREFUL! Those injuries... oh God...we have to hurry before the poison gets in her system. Black, is that her sword? Grab it."
It was nothing short of a miracle that Boomer and Bubbles had been on their way to his palace. Bubbles may look simple minded, but she was skilled in medicine. Her apothecary skills were amazing. She had treated all of them for years. The blonde had not left Buttercup's side for four whole days.
Butch hurried down the corridor. Boomer had dragged him out of the room earlier. "You're distracting my wife," Boomer said, "she can't focus on her when she's too busy comforting you." He was right. Bubbles' heart was so big, she wouldn't be able to leave him in this state while she focused on Buttercup.But he had to know now.
He came into the room to see Black sitting at the bed, staring worriedly as Bubbles redressed Buttercup's wounds. After they got here, Bubbles immediately began cleaning and cauterizing the wounds, rubbing them with medicine to counteract whatever venom got into her system. Boomer was tasked with purifying water to assist in cleansing her wounds.The process took four whole hours. Buttercup had groaned during it, but since then, she had remained asleep. "We're lucky that she's breathing. It could have been a lot worse, Butch...she'll make it." Now he stood, useless, as his friend's wife unwrapped the bandages and reapplied medicine to the puckering wounds.
"She isn't waking up...she is... going to be alright? Right?" Bubbles sighed and looked up. She looked tired. He felt like a terrible friend. This was supposed to be a joyous occasion, but he messed it up.
Buttercup feared and hated him.
Black is beside herself with guilt.
Bubbles hadn't slept in four days.
Boomer was beside himself with worry, both for his wife and friend.
Bubbles gave him a smile, "she lost a lot of blood, but we were able to counteract the poison before it affected her. All in all, it could have been a lot worse if you hadn't been there. You essentially saved her life." Bubbles sighed, "we just need to wait now." Butch nodded.
He had to wait. He couldn't force her to wake... he didn't want to... he had already messed up enough. The dragon glanced at Black.
The dragoness also hadn't slept. She had been grounded for disobeying the rule, but she wouldn't have gone out anyway.Not with Buttercup like this.She stayed up, waiting for Buttercup to wake up. Butch loved that she felt so strongly about her, but Black needed to sleep. "Black," he said, "it's time for bed."
"I'm not going."
"Black..."
"No!" She snarled, "I'm not going! Not until Big Sister is okay. I want her to wake up first! Then I'll go to bed!" He wanted to argue, but decided not to. He didn't have the strength.
"Fine...you can stay... but at least take a nap here." Black pouted, but relented as she turned into her own dragon form, which was dwarfed by his, and curled into a ball. Tar huddled at the foot of Buttercup's bedside and huffed, falling asleep.
"We should all get some sleep," Bubbles said quietly, "I'm going to sleep here just in case. You need to go sleep too."
"I..."
"No arguing or I'll send Boomie after you."
"...Fine..."
"Butch!" He was snapped out of his thoughts by Buttercup's sharp tone. She was standing up, dressed in a robe. Her hair was tusseled from sleep and her robe was slipping off one of her shoulders. Her cheeks were red and her nose looked like it was stuffy.
She looked more beautiful in that moment than ever.
"You probably want to go bath before you become a fire breathing bird." He huffed.
"Remind me to find that whelp after this," Buttercup chuckled, walking over and plucking a few feathers off. "Are you feeling alright? Maybe you should stay-"
"No, I hate staying in bed. I'll get better quicker if I move around." Butch sighed, then smiled.
"Alright, then how about we go out today?" Buttercup blinked. The last time she went out hadn't ended well... Then again, it's not raining and there didn't seem to be any basilisks around if Butch's laid-back (if irritated) demeanor meant anything.
"Sure, what do you want to do?" Butch thought for a moment. Since it was fall, that ruled out a few things. Then he remembered something.
"There's a village South of here that is holding an annual festival tonight to celebrate their harvest. We can head over after breakfast, stop at another village for lunch, and get there in time." Buttercup smiled.
"Sounds fun!" She hadn't been to a festival for a long time. Her hometown only had a few every few years and she mostly stayed home because of all the villagers' looks and words. Buttercup felt her mood damper as she thought about it.
She never did get to have too much fun there, did she? While here, she seemed to spend her days running about and laughing.
Butch smiled, "good. I'll go get this gunk off. You should head to breakfast." He walked out, furiously wiping goo from his face as Buttercup held back a laugh.
Life was never dull here.
It seems that she was getting used to life here.
Plus she and Butch had been speaking more than before. Buttercup mused on this as she tightened her kimono just enough to keep her warm, but loose enough not to agitate her injuries. She was sporting one Butch gave her earlier.
It was a beautiful emerald green kimono with pearly white peonies and vibrant humming birds decorating the sleeves and lower part of the skirt, as well as the right shoulder. The kimono got darker on the bottom with etchings depicting wood and olive green leaves. He also gave her an blood orange sash that had a matching obi with a wood motif and a obi belt that matched the kimono.
She put on the white under dress and the kimono. Wearing plain black sandals, she grabbed her sword and secured it to her back before slipping her fan into her obi before grabbing a jacket and descended down the steps.
"Pleeeeeeeease!"
"No."
"But it's not fair! I wanna go too!"
"Nyarp!"
"No. One, you're still grounded. You have one day left. And two, after this morning, I'm sorely tempted to extend it."
"But, Brotherrrrrrr!"
"No." Buttercup rolled her eyes as she came down to see Black whining as Butch adjusted his own obi. His haori jacket depicted a swirling green dragon, his family crest. Black pouted, tears pricking her eyes. Tar sat beside her, copying her pout.
"But I haven't been to a festival in ages, Brother! Please, I promise to be good!"
"For the last time-"
"Oh, come on, Butch," Buttercup said, gaining the two's attention. Butch's mouth dropped as he took in the sight of her. She looked amazing in his favorite color. Her hair was tied back in a braid. The green complimented her eyes perfectly. She smiled at him, "don't be so mean. It'll be nice if we all went."
Butch sighed, "don't spoil her, Buttercup. I can't keep giving her everything she wants." The girl grinned sneakily.
"How about a compromise, then? Black can come with us, but she has to promise that she won't skip her lessons for an entire year." Black's eyes widened.
"A... a year?" Buttercup nodded. Tar whined, she hated lessons too.
"If that's too hard, I guess Butch and I will have fun at the festival." Butch blinked.
She is sneaky! If Butch could go a whole year without Black skipping her lessons, he could die happy. The little dragon pouted, but the prospect of going with them to the festival was too much to pass up.
"...Okay, deal."
"Good! Now go hurry and change! We'll wait for you." The little dragoness scurried off while Butch, Buttercup, and Tar waited.
"Okay, really... how do you do that?"
"Do what?"
"Get her to listen? It takes me threatening to bite her tail off twice before she does." Buttercup smirked at him before replying.
"I lived with my little cousin before. She's exactly like Black. She hates her lessons and would spend an eternity playing if she could." Butch sighed.
"More versions of Black. I shudder at the thought." She giggled.
"Well... at least she's not wrestling sea dragons and messing with kitsune."
"Or jumping out of windows when she's injured."
"We're psychotic, aren't we?"
"Definitely." Butch flashed her a mischievous grin, which she returned. Tar grumbled as she rolled her eyes.
Tar was just wondering when these two were going to kiss already.
Tiny, hurried footsteps alerted the trio to Black's return as she sported a black and silver child kimono with pink chrysanthemums dotting the sleeves and bottom. She had even put her hair in a fishtail braid like Buttercup's and had tied it with a white ribbon to match Buttercup's.
She grinned at them, "I'm ready!"
"Alright, let's go then." Butch held out his hand to Buttercup, who took it. Both hadn't even thought of it, but when they realized, their faces exploded in red.
Neither moved their hands.
"NYEORW!"
"Right! Right, let's head out then." The group left, the two oldest blushing still.
Butch landed softly, far enough in the woods that he wouldn't be noticed in this form and close enough to ensure they didn't walk all night. Buttercup slid off his neck, helping Black and Tar down. Since Black was still young, she couldn't fly very far yet. Butch had mentioned that she would get better at flying once she got to be one hundred and thirty or thirteen in dragon years.
Butch quickly turned back to his human form and handed each girl a satchel. "Alright, this is for food and a few games. Don't spend it all in one place." Black cheered as Tar hopped around excitedly. "Rules?"
"No setting things on fire, don't run off into the night, don't chase any cattle, and absolutely do not bite," Black prattled off a silly rhyme Buttercup had never heard, "don't show your wings or your scales, don't scratch or snarl or hiss, but the most important rule of all? Absolutely do not kiss."
Buttercup choked back a laugh as Butch nodded, satisfied, "good. Go on, stay where I can see you." Once Black was out of earshot, Buttercup began to laugh.
"What was that?"
"The rules. We have to make sure no humans find out that we can turn human. It would be problematic otherwise."
"That I get... but the last part?"
"She's ten, Joji. She's not allowed to date until she's twice my age in human years." Buttercup laughed as they walked down the pathway, teasing him about being an overly protective bag of scales.
The village glowed with lanterns as the merchants called out to potential clients from their booths. The moon hadn't fully risen to its peak yet, but the darkness of autumn cast a shadow on everything. People crowded around, laughing and talking while children ran about with koi shaped kites and colorful lanterns. Black was beside herself, scurrying from booth to booth as her older brother and sister watched. Tar hung on her shoulder, retaining her form as much as she could so as not to scare anyone.
"Oh, look at that!"
"What's this? Can I eat it?"
"I want this! No, wait! I want that!"
Buttercup snickered as Black practically flew around. Butch sighed.
"So much for a relaxing evening together." She nudged him.
"Come on. Don't tell me you don't enjoy watching her have fun." Butch watched his energetic sister get pulled into a game of catch by the local children, who took to her like fish to water. He smiled warmly.
"You're right. Should we walk around or get something to eat?" Buttercup thought for a minute.
"Let's follow Black's example and play!" She scurried ahead and joined in the kids' game.
"Oi! Wait up!" The three soon forgot their troubles and just enjoyed themselves.
Children seemed drawn to Butch, as they would tackle him and squeal when he chased them. Buttercup laughed as they all piled on top of the dragon. He looked up at her beneath the pile of squealing children and smiled.
Buttercup helped him up after the parents pulled all the children off, apologizing. "Don't apologize. I don't mind. They won't stay kids forever, so they should have fun." She smiled as he joked as easily with the adults as he had with children. Her heart beat faster as he sent her small grins, holding up small boys and girls as they laughed and giggled. He winked at her, causing her face to erupt in a blush. He wanted children of his own, obviously.
"Pervert..." But she couldn't find it in herself to be irritated... It was kind of endearing, in a way. She shook her head and went up to him.
Then they went off in search of more fun. They watched short plays and puppet shows. Butch blushed and stuck his tongue out at Buttercup when she muttered, "Butch, maybe you should get up there too." Black began to complain about being hungry, so they went back to the booths to find dinner. Sizzling meats and boiling vegetables permeated the air as all their mouths watered.
"What are you two hungry for?"
"I want wanko soba!" Black pointed to the nearest booth.
"Black, are you sure you can eat that much? Maybe we can get some hot pot instead." Black pouted, but relented. She may be a dragon, but she was small. She might get through ten bowls, but that was it.
"There's a kiritanpo nabe booth," Butch said with surprise. "I haven't had that in ages." They moved over to the booth and sat down before being served. Butch mixed the ingredients together before they all dived in with a 'Thanks for the food'.
"This was a nice idea, Butch. Thanks for inviting me." Butch smiled.
"No. Thanks for coming with me. It feels nice to get out of the palace."
"This is so fun! Why don't more villages have festivals?" Black shoveled more meat into her mouth. Buttercup shrugged.
"Different ways of growing up, I guess... my village only had four a year." Butch blinked.
"Really? Why?" Buttercup shrugged again.
"Not enough money, I suppose. This village is really close to a trade route, so I guess it brings in more money. But, back home, the richest family is only a merchant family." Buttercup ate more and snorted, "I think they just live there to feel richer than everyone else."
"I guess I'm right in assuming that you don't like them?" Buttercup decided to refrain from mentioning that it was the Shiroganes who got her at that alter in the first place.
"No, I don't. The man and his daughter constantly look down on everyone, myself especially. Himeko was adamant that everything bad happened because of me and her father walked around like he ruled the whole region." Butch gave her a serious look.
"Should I go down there and challenge him to a fight?" Buttercup stared at him before snorting and laughing.
"He'd run once he caught sight of you!"
Butch puffed out his chest, "well, if he's trying to take over my region, he's obviously challenging my strength. I'll go over there immediately."
"Please do. Oh, and eat Himeko. She was quite upset that you didn't." He nodded solemnly.
"I'll make sure to rectify that."
"Nyarp."
"Tar says if you eat rotten people, you'll get rotten breath."
"Tar needs to keep her mouth shut."
She had heard that voice before. Back almost a week ago, it had screamed and cried as the owner was dragged away. Himeko was in the crowd, standing beside her father as he laughed and conversed with other wealthy merchants. They had been summoned here by the shogun, Lord Jinnoya, and they came just in time for the festival.
Life in the village had become...strained, to say the least. A week ago, people had eased their conscious about what had happened to Tennoji Buttercup by stating that there was no other way.
If they hadn't sacrificed her, than the entire village would be destroyed.
It was her fault anyway. She disrupted the ceremony the first time.
But ever since Rose's outburst, people began to whisper to themselves.
What if Rose was right?
What if Buttercup died for nothing?
Would the dragon still come back five years from now?
Did Shirogane Itsuki simply use Buttercup to protect Himeko?
It was beginning to wear on Himeko too. She remembered Rose's eyes. She was losing her grip on sanity. Her heart became bitter with anger every day. She had not been let out of the house and Tennoji Keichii refused to work longer than a half day, to ensure that his girls were taken care of.
It's all your fault, her mind hissed at her, you caused this family to rot. You caused your home to burn. Himeko could barely sleep without Rose's voice screaming in her ears or Buttercup's cries in her soul.
"YOU ALL DID THIS TO HER! SHE DIED BECAUSE OF HIMEKO WHEN SHE ONCE SAVED YOUR LIFE!"
"ROSE! UNCLE!"
But now, she hears one of the voices that's been plaguing her. Himeko peered through the crowd of people, searching to confirm. Again, she heard it in a laugh.
"Children, don't crush him! He's delicate!"
"Very funny, Joji." The crowd moved for a moment and she caught sight of her. She stood laughing while helping up a man more handsome than any of the men Himeko had seen. He was tall with broad shoulders and raven black hair. His kimono was simple, but very high class. Is he a shogun? He stood up, throwing one little girl into the air before catching her and holding her on his hip. A strange black cat climbed up his sleeve and he glared at it, annoyed, before turning back to the woman. She could see his piercing gaze, even though it was directed at-
"Tennoji... Buttercup?" She wore a beautiful green kimono with peonies and humming birds decorating the silky tresses. Her hair was tied back in a fishtail braid and she had her ever present odachi sword. The kimono was gorgeous and obviously high class. It was without a doubt, however, Tennoji Buttercup, the girl her father threw to the wolves.. or in this case, dragon. The one question Himeko had was simple. "She's alive?"
As quickly as the day began, it ended. Butch carried the two girls home as Black had fallen asleep after awhile. Tar lay curled up in Black's lap while she was positioned in Buttercup's. "Hey, Joji. Look over there." Buttercup sat up from the horn she was leaning against and looked to where Butch indicated.
The moon had risen up and was swelled to the fullest. It cast a bright, silvery glow on the trees below and the mountain ahead. Clouds slowly slipped past, glimmering like fresh silk. Buttercup smiled. Down below, fields generally full of wheat waved and rice paddies gleamed. "It's beautiful, Butch."
He purred before quietly warning her that they would reach the mountain pass soon. Turning as gently as possible, he entered the valley where his palace lay. The gardens were losing their flowers and the waters would soon freeze, but it still looked magnificent to Buttercup all the same.
Butch landed as gently as possible and held absolutely still as Buttercup eased herself down, holding the slumbering dragoness and slime creature. He quickly turned back human and held the door open before they went down the corridor that led to Black's room.
Walking up the stairs and down hallways in complete silence, Butch took in the sight of her as she hummed gently, encouraging Black and Tar to stay asleep. The moonlight shined in her hair and illuminated her eyes. She looked more like a goddess than a village girl. She stayed focused on the two young ones as he stayed focused on her.
And the way she held them spoke volumes.
Gentle, but firm.
Promising to not let go.
Everything he had ever hoped for in a mate. Someone to love them like he did. Now, I just need her to love me... The very thought of her loving him made his heart skip a beat.
To wake up to see her face every day.
To make her laugh.
To hold her when she cried.
To spend every day and night with her.
To have children with her and raise them like they did Black.
Butch had imagined these things with his other wives, but with Buttercup, the very thought of those things made it hard to breathe. He felt dizzy and had to remind himself that air was necessary to live.
After what felt like an eternity, they made it to Black's room. Butch opened the door and Buttercup tiptoed in. Setting the two down on the bed, Buttercup quickly changed Black into some night clothes, undid her braid, and wiped her face before tucking her in. Black mumbled and little and Butch carefully slid Tar into her arms, causing her to settle down.
"Goodnight, Little Sister," Buttercup kissed her forehead. Butch felt his heart stop and swell at the same time, "dream up your own stories tonight." The two quietly left the room and Butch walked Buttercup to hers. They didn't speak until they got to the staircase leading to her door. Buttercup looked everywhere but him. "...I had a nice time."
"...So did I... I... liked spending time together." Butch's face began to burn. How many times will he feel this way with her? Buttercup gave him a soft smile.
"It is nice when we're not... you know...fighting..." He chuckled.
"I guess we just had to get used to each other." She nodded.
"...Goodnight, Butch... I'll see you tomorrow..." She began to walk up the staircase.
"Yes... goodnight, Buttercup..." Butch's voice was quiet, so she barely caught it. It felt like he was watching her as she climbed the stairs, just like when she first found the North Tower or when she was peering into the woods. But, instead of feeling hunted...she felt protected.
Treasured, even.
It felt like he didn't want to go or be far from her and that Butch was simply treasuring each moment he spent with her. It both scared her and thrilled her at the same time.
This feeling was so strange and powerful that, she couldn't really tell what it even was. Buttercup opened her door and went inside, shutting it slowly before she leaned against the door, face deep red.
She's never felt this way before.
She had no idea what to do.
And scene! Looks like Butters is starting to fall for the old Butch charm.
BC-Shut up.
Butch -Like there was any doubt.
BC-You shut up too.
Anyway, just a side note. Butch lives mainly in the Northern part of Japan, but I never specified where exactly. Now, this is a story, so there really is no need to worry about correct placement and stuff but there's also no need to worry about the government secretly trying to biologically engineer giant grasshoppers that shoot lasers. I already do that, so why don't I also worry about being correct in my dragon territory distribution?
Bubbles - ...What was that about giant grasshoppers?
Moving on, Butch owns most of Northern Japan. That includes Hokkaido, Rishiri, Rebun, and the Northern half of Tohoko (specifically the Iwate, Akita, and Aomori areas). Most of that area is cold and at a higher elevation, causing harsh winters and cool summers. Butch primarily resides in the Iwate area, which means that Buttercup was also in that region, though her village is further South. The reason I am bringing this up is because, while writing this chapter, I had to do research on foods that were generally eaten in specific areas. This brought to my attention that it would be good to remember which dragon lives where. It's just so that I can accurately describe what food they eat and things they do that are not just dragon specific, but regional as well. It will also help when understanding other things like fashion and mannerisms when we get a little farther into the story.
So, to give you a small idea of who lives/owns where, here's a list.
Brick and Blossom
-Eastern Tohoko (Miyagi, Yamagata, and Fukushima areas)
-Chubu
-Kanto
-Eastern Kansai (Mie, Wakayama, Nara, and Shugu prefectures)
Butch and Buttercup
- Northern Tohoko (Iwate, Akita, and Aomori)
-Hokkaido
-Rishiri
-Rebun
Blare and Bell
- Western Kansai (Osaka, Hyogo, Kyoto, Fukui, Tokushima, and Tottori)
-Shikoku
Boomer and Bubbles
-Okinawa
-Okushiri
-Kyushu
- Coasts along the Kanto and Tohoko regions
These are just the areas they have in Japan too, but we'll be mainly focused here anyway. See you next time.
Blossom - (eating her parfait)
Black - (eating tacos)
Brick - ...Bring crab cakes please...
Knew it.