Title: Thoughts in the Night

Characters: Shou, Juudai, Kenzan||Pair: Shou x Juudai x Kenzan (sort of)

Word Count: 500||Chapters: 1/1

Challenges: Diversity Writing: Hell’s Ice: A55, 301-500 words; GX Flash Bingo, #198, Brothershipping (Juudai x Shou x Kenzan)

Notes: This takes place in my Hell’s Ice universe, where Ryou, not Fubuki, was the one taken by Kagemaru and Amnael. It’s set early in the second season.

Summary: When you wake up in the night, you can think things you wouldn’t during the day. Shou doesn’t like Kenzan. Or rather, he doesn’t like Kenzan calling Juudai aniki. Is that all?

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Shou opened his eyes in the night. He hated when he woke up like this, but it happened, whether he hated it or not.

It happened less and less now that his brother had returned, but it hadn’t fully stopped. Maybe one day it would.

At least he could hear things, and he was warm. All last year whenever he’d woken up, there had been that sense of chill whenever his brother was too close. The chill hadn’t changed, but Hell Kaiser’s curse of cold no longer brought blizzard temperatures to the island.

And what he could hear warmed him more than a thick blanket or three would have.

He slept in the middle of the three bunks. Below he could hear aniki’s long, slow, deep breaths, and the occasional rustle of flesh against sheets as Juudai rolled around. He’d never been bothered by the cold, no matter how bad it got.

Up above Shou could hear a different type of breathing, slow and deep as well, but in a different rhythm than his dear aniki’s. He wrinkled his nose at that. He could recognize Kenzan’s breathing, but more because he’d heard it more than he wanted to over the last week or so.

Why did he have to stick around here? Shou didn’t think there was anything wrong with someone worshiping his aniki: as far as he was concerned, everyone should acknowledge how awesome Juudai was. But to actually call Juudai aniki? To care about him the way that Shou did?

Oh, no, that was just not on! Not at all! He shot a very annoyed look over his head. He would convince Kenzan that he couldn’t call Shou’s aniki aniki sooner or later. No matter what it took, he’d get that through the dinosaur duelist’s thick skull.

He had to admit, like it or not, that there was something about Kenzan that was… was…

What was it? Annoying? Irritating? Maddening?

All of that and more. He couldn’t even think of all of the right words. Kenzan made him furious just by existing. How dare he be so… so Kenzan?

He was bigger than Shou. He had muscles where Shou didn’t think muscles actually belonged. And even more annoying, he was a good duelist. He stayed here in Red because he wanted to. Because he wanted to be close to aniki.

Shou couldn’t blame him for that. He would do the same thing if he were ever promoted.

Shou couldn’t blame him for a lot of what Kenzan said did but that in no way meant that he liked it. Aniki was his aniki and no one else’s. He’d been his brother when Shou’s real brother hadn’t been anything other than a cold whisper on the wind…

Once Kenzan learned not to call Juudai his aniki, then they could be friends. Then maybe he could figure out what all the other feelings were, the strange way that he tingled all over whenever he looked at his aniki or Kenzan.

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The End

Notes: Ships for Hell’s Ice are going to be Yubel/Juudai/Johan (definitely) and Shou/Black Magician Girl & Kenzan x Alice (maybe). But nothing said Shou can’t have an early crush or two!

Title: A Present For The Master

Characters: Skilled White Magician, Skilled Dark Magician, Shou

Word Count: 1,000||Chapter Count: 1/1

Challenges: Diversity Writing, B13, 1,000 words; Collect The Death Duelists; Christmas Advent 2017, day #2, write a fic with only one scene

Notes: Ailbhe means white; Ciardha means black.

Summary: Haou-sama requires a body slave. That means a shopping trip. Not that hard. But this could lead to something more.

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His white cloak pulled down over his head and his steps in perfect time with his brother’s, Ailbhe made his way through the slave market, casting glances here and there at the available wares. He hadn’t yet seen anything that would really be suitable, much to his displeasure. He and Ciardha had been assigned to this task and he had no intentions of failing it.

How difficult could it be to select a proper body servant for Haou-sama anyway? Surely one only needed to select someone with the correct number of body parts and some skill in using them, or at least the ability to learn to do so. Perhaps they could get lucky and find someone who had other skills as well.

“Does Haou-sama enjoy music?” He wondered aloud to his brother. It wasn’t something that he’d ever thought about before. They’d spent the month since Haou-sama chose them as part of his Death Duelists fighting and slaying for Super Fusion. If their new master had hobbies aside from that, he didn’t know anything about them.

Ciardha frowned for a moment, the expression only visible because Ailbhe knew his twin so very well. Then he shook his head.

“Not to my knowledge.”

At least that meant he hadn’t missed anything important while serving their master. All in all, he knew little about the strange armored boy on the verge of becoming a man.

Man or monster. Even he, one of those closest to Haou-sama, couldn’t be certain which it would be. Nor could he be fully certain of what he wanted it to be. A true king would be strong, of course, but men and monsters both could be strong.

It would be their lord’s own decision on what he was in the end. Ailbhe knew where he could speculate and where his ability to make decisions ended. He wielded power in battle and his voice could be heard in advising Haou-sama, nothing more and nothing less. Right now, he and Ciardha had the power to choose a servant for their lord, someone who could be trusted closer than any other to him.

The idea of Haou truly trusting anyone amused Ailbhe in all truth. Haou-sama spoke rarely of his life before he’d stepped into the center of demonic beings and declared himself their leader. Rumor had it that he’d fought Brron, the Mad King, and won but if anyone in Haou-sama’s own army knew the truth of that, then they didn’t speak of it where the inner circle could hear it.

Ailbhe returned his gaze to those offerings on sale, kept in cages and cells of various types and sizes, all meant to restrain whatever abilities they had and keep them under control. He could sense the spells used for all of them, even the smallest and most innocuous. Some he recognized, some he didn’t. Some caught at his curiosity for their rarity alone.

One small human – at least they looked human save for their hair – caught his eye. This one curled up tightly in his cell, peeking out now and then with frightened eyes. He contemplated for a few moments before he moved that way, Ciardha remaining in step, quickly seeing what he did.

“Him?” his brother asked, peering down at the clearly terrified boy. This one looked as if he were close in age to Haou-sama, if smaller. He hadn’t ever known any human well enough to be certain of how they aged, but he thought his guess remained true.

“I think so,” Ailbhe agreed. He gestured to the nearest servant. “What can you tell me about this one?”

The servant paged quickly through the notes they carried. It was part of the service to know what the ones for sale here could do or had shown an aptitude for. Some people enjoyed breaking their own slaves, while others preferred ones who’d already been tamed. Ailbhe suspected Haou would take pleasure in training his own property.

“All we’ve noticed is that he refuses to speak, and he carried a duel disk and a deck. He hasn’t dueled, though. The boss didn’t want to risk losing anything.”

Of course. Win or lose, the slave-master would either lose a valued servant or a potential source of profit. Ailbhe considered, exchanging another glance with his brother. Ciardha’s head tilted in a quick nod.

“We serve Haou-sama,” Ailbhe said. “We seek a body servant for him.”

The servant raised one hand quickly, hints of fear flashing in his eyes, then scurried away, returning in moments with the slave-master himself.

“You wish this one for Haou-sama?” The slave-master asked, attention barely scraping across the boy in the cell.

“Yes.” Ailbhe agreed. “We were told he held a deck and duel disc. Does he have any other skills?”

“None we’ve observed, but we haven’t tested him for anything else. I couldn’t ask a fair price with so little known about him,” the slave-master said. Then he considered for a heartbeat or two. “Would Haou-sama truly wish an untrained slave with little known skills?”

Ailbhe and Ciardha nodded in flawless unison. “He can train this one to his own tastes.” Ailbhe took another look, this time noticing the yellow uniform the slave wore. It resembled the red one that Haou-sama wore when he’d first arrived, save for this one being dirty and torn.

Haou will want this one. Though what his eventual use for him might be, Ailbhe could not yet decide.

“Then, I give him to Haou-sama freely,” the slave-master agreed. “If he should need others, I can seek more once I know what would suit him.” He waved a hand toward the servant, who provided the key right away.

Ailbhe could not have been more satisfied. Haou-sama would be content with a trainable slave and the slave himself would be satisfied with his new position, if he behaved himself and obeyed his new master. It would provide him far more safety and security than anything else.

Such a very successful day.

The End

Notes: I haven’t decided yet if this will connect to anything larger as of yet, though it could. Time will tell. And yes, that is Shou.