FIC: Princess Story (Prompt 009: Dust)

[cheshirecaine]

Fandom/Ship: Oresama Teacher, Mafuyu/Takaomi

Gen, Hades/Persephone AU // AO3 Link

Wordcount: 1.1k

*

Mafuyu always tumbles into trouble.

She doesn't normally find strange men on the other end.

Princess Story

 

“Calling Mafuyu bounced across rocks, curling in against sharp edges as she tumbled deeper into the void.

She landed on her feet, as always, and bemoaning her ruined dress.

All the stories had pretty damsels skipping across meadows in long, white dresses. But none of them warned about holes through the Earth!

When she returned home, and her mum saw the state of her — with ladders torn through her skirt and her knees caked with gravel and blood — Oh, Mafuyu was a dead woman walking. Better to clean her scrapes and dress in the river before she crawled through the front door.

Once she got out of here. Wherever here was.

She squinted in the dim, green light. She was standing in a cave, vast and domed, like an antechamber or a royal ballroom. Except all the princess stories had windows. Or so, she figured. They didn’t always say, but the view must’ve been all shiny and bright and marbled. And how would the princesses know to dance till midnight if they couldn’t see the moon through the windows.

The cavern light wasn’t like candlelight either. It kept moving, rippling across a sea of crystals, sparkling in every shade of green. They were buried in the floor and peeked out of rocks and even the walls.

The only things Mafuyu knew were which plants helped injuries and which made good snacks, and exactly where to punch to fell a man. But with the crystals glinting as prettily as fireflies, she wished she knew what to call them.

"You look like you’re enjoying yourself, with that dumb face you’re making." A voice stretched across the cave, cheerful and masculine. "Most people wouldn’t be so optimistic in a situation like this."

Mafuyu’s princess fantasy was shattered. "Maybe you’re just a cynic, you big knucklehead!"

"Knucklehead?” The man chuckled, and Mafuyu found him, standing the other side of the cave and swaggering over, all smugly. "That’s a nice word for a kid to use."

"Kid? Well sorry, old man. I was looking at the rocks."

"The rocks?" He lifted his eyebrow, before the surprise faded and he went to looking even smugger. "You mean the crystals, right?"

"Yeah," bit out Mafuyu, churlish and annoyed.

"Do you know their names, kid ?" The weird stranger stooped over a rock and ran a nail over a pale green crystal. The light seemed to grow brighter where he’d touched. "This one’s jade. The ones in front of you are malachite and emerald. Plus a thousand kinds more in this room."

He unbent and waved vaguely towards their surroundings, so casual for someone beholding something so-

"A cat spirit got your tongue? I guess a trespasser would be surprised by the view."

"W-well, yeah! It’s really pretty! I’ve never seen crystals that look as pretty as flowers before." Mafuyu peeked back at him.

His face was taken hold by a small, proud smile. "Yeah, I think they’re pretty too."

It was like Mafuyu had been let past some barrier of his. His smile was so pretty she couldn’t imagine the cave-dwelling crystal-man showing it to many people. She was . . . curious.

"Something occupying your mind? Or are you stunned by my beauty?"

Mafuyu squawked, her cheeks and neck instantly crimson. "No!" she lied. "I just-" She tugged at her collar.

---

She’d spread the green from her fingers onto her dress and skin, noticed the man. He looked at her properly, slowly. Her dress was torn and the lace coated with dirt. Her hair was dishevelled too, with dusty strands hanging over her face. But the odd wisps of silver peeked out, catching the light like one of his crystals.

The hole in the ceiling behind her was responsible, no doubt. He supposed she didn’t seem . . . subtle enough for thievery. He pondered. She must have taken quite a tumble.

---

Mafuyu was a bit disturbed by the amount of silent gazing going on. "Do you have any flowers down here in the dark? Or were you-?" She lost her courage.

He quirked an eyebrow, daring.

"Were you . . . stunned by my beauty?"

"Not in the slightest."

How dare he?

"The flowers here are lacking. The crystals make for a better display. But if you want to see the gardens so much, I can show you them anyway. You won’t be able to return the same way, and I might as well offer a tour before letting the lady leave."

"Really?"

"Of course, I can punt you out myself, little trespasser."

"I’m not a trespasser!"

"Yes, spies would be less pitiful to see, I suppose." He grinned too smugly for Mafuyu’s liking.

"I’ll stay to see the flowers. You don’t dress like a horticulture specialist – they probably need some real care." She turned up her nose at him.

"Big word for someone so small. Or maybe you only look tiny down there on the floor." He stepped towards her, hand outstretched.

She was doubtful, but accepted. He was strong, but his grip was so gentle as he pulled her in towards him.

"Curious."

"Curious?"

“Not really.” He was confusing. “"t’s only a given you’d be dazzled. Being this close to me is too much for the average maiden to bear."

Mafuyu launched herself away and he laughed, the sound echoing across the chamber as he hunched, lost for breath.

Speaking of maidens. "I was thinking my mum will be mad about my dress." Mafuyu looked down at the torn fabric, the loss hitting her. "I’m better off staying here for a little time."

"Hmm," he wondered wonderingly. "I hope to occupy your thoughts in the meantime. If I can’t find you something spare to wear."

"Really?" Mafuyu stared at him like he was her hand of salvation, and grabbed his in her excitement.

He huffed, amused, before leading her forwards, towards a staircase at the end of the room. She must have missed it before, the carved steps like glass with swirls like water under the surface. He led her up, up somewhere new.

"I have more than a few things lying around. Something will fit. Then I’ll show you what you want to see."

Mafuyu tried to keep up, leaving it to luck not to trip. "You know, you’re a lot nicer than I thought you were."

"Insults like that will get you left behind."

"Wait, no, I mean, what’s your name?"

"It’s common courtesy to offer your name before taking another’s," He turned his grin on her, "And since we’ve become so intimate . . . "

"Mafuyu."

"A pleasure to have you fall out of my ceiling, Mafuyu. I’m Takaomi."