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bakubabes-tatakae · 3 years

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A/N: I hope you all enjoy part 1/4 of my pieces for the fifth day of the anniversary collab for the @konoblog-simps. You can find all the lovely pieces for the day here! Today’s theme is holidays, and our first holiday is Christmas. I’ll be spanning my four pieces throughout the next couple of hours so stay turned. You can find all the days of the collab here!

Pairings: Yuno x fem!Reader

Warnings: fluff, fluff, fluff

Word Count: 1.3k

When it came to the holidays Yuno had always loved to be able to go home. His favorite people were in Hage village and he enjoyed being around them. Even though it might not always seem like it, he adored being home.

And whenever the holidays came around he got to see you.

Your letters that you would send back and forth always made your heart flutter, but every time the holidays came around you had that looming fear.

You had the fear that something would happen and he wouldn’t be able to come back. A holiday without Yuno was something you never wanted to experience. As much as you hated to admit it, he made your holidays just that much better.

So this year when the letter came through about Christmas you felt those normal heart flutters.

As you opened the letter and began to read you were hooked to every word. But then you got down toward the end of the letter and your worst fears seemed to be coming true.

“I don’t know if I’ll be able to make it home this year. As much as it pains me to say it…”

Your heart dropped and you placed the letter on the table next to you, not able to read another word. Your first holiday without Yuno. You had so many plans for this year.

This year you had wanted to tell him everything that you had been feeling for years. You wanted to tell him how much you adored him, how proud you were of him, how happy he made you.

But his new role as Vice Captain of the Golden Dawn was keeping him busy, and now that you had finally reached adulthood you were expected to do more around the church. You helped Sister Lily take care of all the children, you helped her take care of the living space, and you helped all the people around the village as much as you were able too.

You sat on your bed and pulled your knees to your chest, holding them there as you tried your hardest to keep your cool. Christmas was only two days away and this was the worst news you could have gotten.

A small tear slid down your cheek and you laid on your side, covering yourself with your blanket, wanting the next two days to move quickly so that you could get through the day you were now dreading.

* * * * * *

The day came as slowly as it possibly could and you made your way down to the living area. The smiles that painted all the childrens faces was something that normally would make you smile as well, but this year it just wasn’t happening. You put on a fake smile and made your way to the couch.

The familiar ash-blonde hair of the loudest man you knew popped through the doorway as you sat on the couch. “Hey everyone! Guess who’s here!”

You couldn’t help but smile as Asta finished walking through the doorway. Despite the length of time since you had seen him, he always acted like it had only been a day. He walked over to you and wrapped his arms around you, pulling you in and squeezing. “It’s been a while, Asta.”

Asta smiled and held you out at arm’s length. “It really has been. It’s nice to see you, Y/n.”

You painted that fake smile on yourself again and made your way back to the couch, Asta flopping down beside you. “I can’t believe that I made it here before Yuno did. Usually I’m the one that’s late.”

You leaned back and pulled your legs onto the couch, crossing them underneath you. “Yea, well, things are different this year.” Did Asta really not know that Yuno wasn’t coming?

“Where is he anyways?” Asta looked around, confusion painting his features.

You sighed and opened your mouth, you really didn’t want to be the one to tell him this. “Asta, Yuno is-”

A familiar voice cut you off and you whipped your head around. “I’m right here, you idiot.”

As you turned around you saw the raven hair of the man that you had been wanting to see for days now. A small fairy fluttered above his shoulder and stuck her tongue out at Asta. “Do you really think my Yuno would miss this for the world?”

The smile that now adorned your face was real, no longer did the fake thing need to happen. You stood from the couch and started for him, throwing your arms around his shoulders and smiling even more when you felt him wrap himself around you as well.

You wanted to say more, but you felt the lump in your throat grow as you swallowed hard. The only words you could muster as a small tear slid down your cheek made everyone in the room beam. “It’s a Christmas miracle.”

Yuno placed a soft kiss on your temple and close his eyes, happy to be with you, happy to have you in his arms.

* * * * * *

As the festivities came to an end and things began to wind down you stood from the kitchen table, motioning to Yuno to follow you.

He stood from the table without hesitation and did just that.

As you reached the front door and opened it the brisk night air nipped at both of your faces. Yuno watched as you grabbed the corners of your sweater and pulled it toward you. He slipped his robe from his shoulders and wrapped it around you, and to your surprise he pulled you into him.

“Yuno?” You were shocked that he had done something like this. He was never this open with you.

Yuno placed another kiss to the top of your head and his voice almost shocked you as he broke the silence. “I have something that I want to tell you.”

You didn’t say anything and turned to him, his grip keeping you against him as he held you tightly.

“I want to tell you this before I go back to headquarters… I’ve wanted to tell you this for a while.” You felt him swallow hard hesitate before beginning again. “I’ve felt like this for a long time, it’s part of the reason I’m always so happy to come back home every year.” He continued without ever really saying what he wanted to say. “It’s been weighing on me for so long and I need to get it off my chest.”

You reached up and placed a finger over his lips. “Yuno, what’s going on?”

Yuno had never thought that it would be this hard to tell you. “Let me just show you.”

His lips pressed to yours and your heart fluttered, threatening to flutter right out of your chest. Your lips lingered together and neither of you moved. Had Yuno really been the one to do this first? This wasn’t like him at all.

When he pulled away from you the words that left his lips next shocked you once again. “I love you, Y/n.”

You felt your cheeks grow warm and you cupped his face into your hands. “I love you too, Yuno.”

You felt eyes on you and when you turned around the faces of the villagers were on you. Smiles filled the crowd and when you both turned to see them cheers erupted. How had the village known about your feelings between you two before you had even figured it out?

But the feeling of enlightenment mixed with the beautiful sight of the snow that was now starting to fall over the village made the ambiance undeniably amazing.

You stared into the amber eyes of the man that had finally told you how he felt, watching as he started to chuckle softly. He placed his hand in your hair and pushed your head toward his chest, holding you against him once again. “Best Christmas present ever.”

Taglist: @monic00l @strangeinternetwasteland @rowley-with-ackerman @kyu-pine @ellechanwrites @bonnisimpparker @impinthecloset @nikiniki743 @thorinsraven @gonuclear

©bakubabes-hatake’s original content, please do not repost/modify without my permission

#yuno x reader #black clover x reader #yuno x y/n #black clover x y/n #yuno x you #black clover x you #yuno imagines #black clover imagines #yuno fanfic #black clover fanfic #yuno fanfiction #black clover fanfiction #yuno fluff #black clover fluff #konoha simps server collab #server collab #anniversary collab

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loosesodamarble · 3 years

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Ebony and Ivory Deers

Summary: Asta gets an odd introduction to the Faust brothers at the Magic Knight Entrance Exam.

Genre: general

No content warnings

Word count: 1693

..........

The anti-birds that lingered in the stadium suddenly took off. Through the fluttering blur of feathers, Asta could make out nine figures stepping out onto the balcony overlooking the arena, thanks in part to the vibrant cloaks—You'd never see colors that bright in Hage, Asta thought—they wore.

"So those are the Captains of the Magic Knight squads," the words left Asta in a whisper.

"Impressive, aren't they?" Sekke, the young man who had introduced himself to Asta moments earlier, said. Asta silently nodded. Sekke began pointing to each captain and giving Asta a brief introduction.

After introducing captains like Nozel and Charlotte, Sekke pointed to a man in a fluffy, light blue cloak with long, dark hair who was, in a word, bright. The man smiled and waved to those in the arena. Lurking close behind, like a shadow, was a light-haired man in black and the same cloak as the captain.

Talk about contrast, Asta thought.

"That's Captain Morgen Faust of the Aqua Deer squad," explained Sekke. "He's a stand-up man through and through but some people criticize him for making his brother, Nacht, vice captain." Sekke gestured to the man behind Morgen. As Morgen sat down, Nacht crossed his arms and leaned against the back of the chair. "Just look at the guy. He's nothing but bad news."

Asta tilted his head and hummed. "He looks bored to be here."

"That's all you have to say?" To Sekke's question, Asta only shrugged.

.....

"I ain't joining the Magic Knights to have a good time and take it easy," Asta stated through gritted teeth.

He took a deep breath as he raised his sword and positioned it on his shoulder. He cringed internally seeing Sekke knocked out. That wasn't what he intended to do in the match and he would apologize for that within a heartbeat. But he wasn't about to apologize for not holding back.

"Look, I'm here to work my butt off and become the Wizard King!"

The mages standing along the arena's perimeter began to whisper.

"Is his sword magic or something?"

"Isn't he from the boonies?"

"Did he just say he'd become the Wizard King?"

Asta turned to the last voice. "You heard me right! I'm gonna become the Wizard King! You got a problem with that?!"

No one said anything back to Asta. In fact, their eyes weren't even on him anymore. Asta followed the people's line of sight up to where the captains were seated.

"GAAAH!"

Standing at the railing was Nacht. However, he didn't merely stand there but gripped the stone railing and leaned over it, eyes dangerously narrowed on Asta. The vice captain was surrounded by a mass of writhing shadows. Although Asta couldn't feel it, he took a guess that it was the pressure of the man's mana that caused his hair and squad robe to float up. His aura even made the captains, except Morgen, lean away. The nature of the glare was hard to place, too, leaving Asta unsure if Nacht was examining him intensely or genuinely trying to kill him with a look alone. It took some squinting but Asta also noticed that Nacht's hair curled around black horns that definitely weren't there before.

Nacht looked, in a word, devilish.

Why do I keep looking death in the eye today?!

Then, all of a sudden, the magic faded. Nacht stood straight and stepped back to stand next to Morgen who grinned a little too blithely for what just happened. Nacht's previous bored expression returned to his face. There were no longer horns. It was as if nothing had even happened.

"W-w-what was that?!" Asta yelled. "What did I do wrong?!"

"Just get out of the arena, loser!"

"Who are you calling a loser?!"

.....

"That was quite the reaction, brother," Morgen whispered as the next match started. "If you're not careful, people might start to think you're invested in your job."

"You recognized what that was, didn't you?" Nacht muttered back. "It wasn't magic but the energy was..."

Morgen nodded. "Yes, it was familiar."

Yami leaned over in his seat and whispered, "You jealous of that kid's power? Or bitter that you're not one of a kind anymore?"

"Tsk. Go choke on your sword," Nacht snapped. While his words were confrontational, his lips quirked upward.

.....

When it came time for the candidates to be chosen by captains, Asta felt his heartbeat grow stronger. He floundered during all of the magic use trials. But he won his match, no contest. His combat abilities should make up for the earlier tests. Right?

It took until nearly the seventieth examinee for a captain to raise their hand. Asta sent a sympathetic look to each person turned away. Like him, they had dreams of being a Magic Knight after all. If he got turned away, he wouldn't take it well though he refused to think that he would be so discouraged as to give up after only one try. Hopefully, others felt the same.

When it came for Yuno to get offers, it was only natural that all the captains wanted him in their squads. If the others from the church could see that in person, then they likely would've cried. Asta exchanged smiles with Yuno when he walked back.

Then came Asta's turn. He walked forward with sure and steady steps then looked up to the captains in anticipation.

Morgen shifted in his seat. Asta inhaled sharply, ready to jump at the offer if made. It was subtle but visible, the way Nacht and Morgen looked at each other. Like silent communication. Then, Morgen moved to raise his hand only for Yami to reach over and actually smack it down.

"HEY! I can see what's going on up there!" Asta yelled. "Why won't you let me join the Magic Knights?!"

"You wanna know why?" Yami got out of his seat. "No matter how good your combat abilities are, your magic is what counts in the end. And we ain't ready to trust a power with an unknown source."

The pressure in the air increased suddenly, even stronger than Nacht's and so powerful that it became hard to breathe. Yami jumped down from the balcony and approached Asta. His large body, the glint in his eyes, the fact that the pressure was coming from him. Everything about him intimidated.

"Morgen's so nice he'd take you in despite you having no magic. But the rest of the world is much harsher than him." Yami exhaled smoke before continuing. "You said you were going to become the Wizard King, yeah? So you plan on surpassing the nine captains here? Still got your conviction now that I'm standing here in front of you?"

Asta swallowed hard.

"E-even if I can't join the Magic Knights today..." Asta took deep breaths. "Even if I stumble over and over... Even if people tell me I can't..." He raised his head and proclaimed at the top of his lungs. "I swear I'll become the Wizard King one day!"

For a while, everything and everyone was silent. The menacing aura around Yami died down and at the same time, a smile came to his face.

"BWAHAHA! You're one entertaining kid. You'll be joining the Black Bulls, got it?"

"Yami!" Morgen called from the balcony. "You're playing dirty!"

"Oh suck it up!" Yami yelled over his shoulder. "You already got your fair share of newbies!"

"That's not—!" Morgen rubbed his temples and sat back down. "Let's resume as normal?"

.....

Once again, Asta found himself in the death grip of Yami. This time with the added stress of having his feet kicking in the air.

What is with this guy and acting like he's gonna break my skull?! Asta thought in a panic.

"Yami!" a familiar voice called.

Asta got dropped on his butt as Yami turned toward the voice. Morgen ran up to the Black Bulls with Nacht tailing him.

"No, you're not gonna convince me to give him up," Yami said bluntly, making Morgen's smile falter.

Morgen sighed before replying, "I had a feeling." He turned to Asta. "You were impressive today, young man. Even without magic, you physical performance is more than noteworthy."

Asta's jaw dropped. Never had he heard anyone so plainly and kindly compliment him outside of those from the church and even then, sometimes they could be on the patronizing side.

"Pardon the strange request but before Yami whisks you away, could my brother and I take a look at your grimoire?" Morgen asked, holding out a hand.

"Uh, sure." Asta took it out and held it forward.

Instead of Morgen though, it was Nacht who took it. Nacht opened the book and flicked through the pages. His icy eyes looked up at Asta.

"Can you read any of this?" he asked, voice sharp.

"Not at all!" answered Asta, smiling and shaking his head.

Nacht rolled his eyes. "Figures." He handed Asta's grimoire off to Morgen.

"What a beautifully unique grimoire." Morgen caressed the front cover tenderly. "And such a mysterious power." Then, he held up the tome and touched his forehead to it. "Take care of this boy." Morgen smiled to Asta and returned the grimoire. "And you take care of your grimoire."

"Yeah..."

"Well, I guess we should be leaving," Morgen said. He waved to Finral and Gordon. "Take care of your junior. And please give everyone my regards."

"And tell them that they still ain't—" Morgen cut off whatever Nacht was going to say.

"Let's go home, brother."

Morgen and Nacht gave one last wave. Then, Nacht used his grimoire and the brothers sank into the shadows.

"Don't mind them. They're a couple of weirdos," Yami said around his cigarette. "Let's get going ourselves. Finral?"

"Yes sir!"

Asta looked at his grimoire, wondering why the brothers had shown an interest in it. He set a hand on the cover. What had Morgen felt in the moment he held the grimoire that Asta hadn't in the months he had it?

"Oi, brat! Let's get a move on!"

"AH! Yes Captain Yami, sir!"

Figuring out what was up with his grimoire and the Fausts was going to have to wait for another day.

#black clover #black clover au #captain faust au #morgen faust #nacht faust #black clover asta #yami sukehiro #black clover fanfic #oh yeah the Fausts can sense the devil nature of Asta's power right off the bat #i loved making the two of them a little enigmatic #as for why nacht got all spooky when when asta fought #he loves his own quartet but other devils are still pretty sus to him #but morgen is gonna trust liebe even without knowing him #liebe's probably crying in the grimoire after morgen acknowledged him

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victorsandvanquishers · 4 years

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The pit and the pendulum for Asta, Yuno and Noelle

I had a mighty fun time writing this one. Enjoy! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

~~~

Noelle glimpsed an elongated shadow flit across the wall before disappearing from sight. Any other day of the week, she would have brandished her wand and screamed bloody murder while sending a tornado beam of water at the perpetrator. Today, however, she closed her eyes and bit into the insides of her cheeks. She willed her heart to calm down. She conjured an image of her mother's portrait and focused on the tiny details. She remembered an array of colors, and delicate brushwork that brought Acier's embroidery to life on the canvas. The mix of greys and purples kept Noelle occupied as her heart rate returned to normal.

Finally, she opened her eyes and shakily exhaled. Any other time, any other place in the world, she would have picked a fight to retain her honor, but today wasn't the day.

And Asta's church in Hage wasn't the place.

A hand squeezed Noelle's shoulder, and this time she did scream.

Yuno's hand went over her mouth before she could elicit any real noise. “Calm down, it's me,” he commanded gruffly into her ear. Any other person, and she would have elbowed him in the ribs before running away, but it wasn't just any other person, it was Yuno, and this was his church too.

She closed her eyes and focused on her breathing again. Yuno let go of her and gave her space. Noelle counted to fifty before opening her eyes and facing the empty wall in front of her. She refused to turn to the young man standing next to her. She didn't need to look at his face to know that he was eyeing her critically. She was used to it. Noelle had always been an interloper, even in her own life. Her own flesh and blood had seen her as a nuisance. She knew what it was like to be judged and metaphorically executed before even being given a chance to speak, so she didn't turn to Yuno and his liquid gold eyes. Instead, she trained her gaze at the plain wall illuminated by sickly yellow light, and thought hard.

“He's here,” she heard Yuno say softly. “I can feel him.”

Can you though? She desperately wanted to snap. Instead, she exhaled again and set her mouth in a grim line. “He doesn't have any mana for us to track, so what exactly are you sensing? It could be the demon playing tricks for all we know.”

Like the trick it played just now, she thought grimly.

“I spent my childhood with him; I think I know what I'm talking about,” he bit back. Noelle felt a threatening spike in his mana, and so she matched it by raising her own. If he wanted a dick-swinging contest in the middle of a church, then she'd give him just that.

After the exchange, an eerie silence descended on them. Even the stray candles with their yellow light seemed to mute their gentle flickering. Noelle tried swallowing the dread in her throat, but it merely pushed upwards. Any other day, and Noelle would have found a 'noble' excuse for her fear, but not today, not in the old church that used to be Asta and Yuno's home.

But now it was home to something else, wasn't it? Something more sinister, something that put the fear of Hell in Noelle's heart.

A man needs a home, Asta had told her that last day she saw him. It was the day Nacht had finished training him, the day Asta had chosen to sit down on the floor of the Black Bulls base, and go inside his own head to negotiate the terms and conditions of his possession. No one had tried to stop him, because that's why Nacht was here, right? A man possessed by a demon, so friendly with his monster that it perched on Nacht's shoulder like a cat, like it was Rouge cuddling against Vanessa, that's why Nacht had appeared when he did.... Right?

She and the rest of the Black Bulls hadn't stopped Asta. If anything, they'd encouraged him. Noelle had encouraged him. Asta did it to them all the time, so they'd rallied together and told Asta to wrestle the demon into submission, to take what was necessary so that they could finally be on their way to rescue Captain Yami, Captain Vangeance, and Loropechika.

They'd been wrong. They'd been so fucking wrong.

“The shadow,” Yuno started softly, “where did it go?” Noelle pointed to her right, and he inhaled sharply. “I saw it go to the left,” he hissed. “I swear.”

And Noelle believed him. When Asta had finally opened his eyes, it had merely been an hour since he'd first closed them, but to the Black Bulls, to Noelle, it'd felt like eternity. When Asta had opened his eyes, his left green eye was dull and flat, but the right red eye was pulsating with dark energy. Asta's sclera in his left eye had turned black. A fang had erupted from his jaw, and hung like a snaggletooth from his lips. When Asta had opened his eyes, he wasn't Asta anymore.

And then he was gone. He'd brushed by Noelle and told him about finding a home, and Noelle had guessed off the top of her head that it was the church in Hage, and so they'd prepared for flight. It helped that the village was enroute to Spade, so they'd joined the rest of the army, and then they'd set off.

Once they'd all reached the village, the leaders of the separate squadrons set up comms stations along the border of the Neutral Zone as Yuno and Noelle went to retrieve Asta.

They'd found Asta and Yuno's family huddled in the little community hall instead of the church. That was where they'd learned that something had come knocking on their door the night before. Father Orsi and Sister Lily being of the cloth had willingly opened their doors. They'd been shocked to find that it was none other than Asta, but even that was short-lived.

The demon had looked up at the Sister and told her that it'd won. That had been enough for the Sister to gather everyone else and run.

And now, Noelle and Yuno were inside of the church that had been taken over by the creature that looked like Asta, while the rest of the Black Bulls and assorted members of the Golden Dawn were just outside the church with reinforcements, willing to storm the little church the second Noelle and Yuno gave the sign.

“If we split up again, it'll get us,” Yuno said. “Let's start with the left and then circle back around.” They were standing in the middle of the church, facing one of the walls. To the left was the door to the cellar. To the right were a flight of stairs that went up to the bedrooms above.

“He said he was looking for a home,” Noelle said softly.

Yuno paused before speaking again. “The cellar isn't home.... but our old room is.”

Noelle didn't argue and let Yuno take the lead. He grabbed a single candle and led her up the stairs to where the bedrooms were. When they reached an empty hall, Noelle finally brandished her wand as she followed Yuno past the open doors.

One room was clearly the Father's, with a little desk pushed to the corner next to a clothing stand that held scarves, hats, and outer robes. The next room seemed to belong to the smaller children, a set of beds lined up next to each other on one side of the room, while cabinets lined the other side. The final room with the open door was the Sister's. Her habit was still on the floor where she'd dropped it when rushing to get out of the church with the children. When Noelle had found her in the community center, she'd had a shawl draped over her hair and shoulders. She'd been dressed in plain nightclothes like the children gathered around her, and the Father who'd been sobbing close by.

The fourth door was closed. Yuno took a sharp breath.

“This was our room,” Yuno said gravely. Noelle could only see his back, but she could taste the dread in the air. “The older children get to have their own room once the eldest of the house leave,” Yuno continued. “Asta and I got it when we turned twelve, and when we left, it went to Recca. When she leaves, it'll go to Nash.”

Noelle glanced at the plain door, then back to Yuno. She could see the rigid shoulders and harsh posture, and knew that he was scared. She did the only thing she could and sidestepped him before opening the unlocked door.

The room was just as small as she'd imagined. There was a small bed to the side, a desk, a cabinet, a bookshelf on the opposite side, and a small rug in the middle. It looked like it was lived in, unlike the cold, clinically clean rooms back at the Silva Estate. The teenager, Recca, had left two books open on the rug, and a mug of water next to it. She'd been reading when Asta had appeared the night before.

But there was no Recca in this room now. Recca was at the community hall, had been protectively holding the two youngest orphans, a haunting look in her dark green eyes.

What was in the room wasn't human. Noelle peered at the man slumped against the wall underneath the room's only window. The early rays of dawn washed against his cracked skin, and Noelle swore she saw blood. It had been less than twenty-four hours since Asta had left the Black Bulls base, and now they were at the church in Hage, just hours before their army marched across the Neutral Zone and into Spade territory.

And it would all be for naught if Asta didn't come with them, if Asta didn't lend them his strength, if Asta couldn't be their weapon.

Noelle burst into tears. Wasn't that why they'd pushed him? So that he could be Wizard King Julius's weapon? So that they could annihilate the Dark Triad and conquer Spade in the same breath? That's why Asta went to speak to the Anti-Magic Demon, wasn't it?

“Asta,” Noelle's voice broke through the room like chalk on a board. Asta didn't budge.

“Asta,” Yuno repeated. He walked up next to her and breathed heavily. “We're here, Asta. Noelle and I – we're here to take you home.”

Asta didn't respond.

“Asta-” Noelle tried again, but that elongated shadow, the horns, the creature finally materialized in front of them, and both Noelle and Yuno jumped back. The towering, eight foot tall demon seemed to climb out of the ceiling before dropping into Asta's lap.

“A man needs a home,” the Anti-Magic Demon enunciated, as if Noelle and Yuno were children and not soldiers of the Wizard King's court. Its voice was deep and strong, and Noelle feared the inevitable – that Asta had already fallen for its sick charm.

The demon kissed Asta's cheek and held his face in its hand. “A man needs a home!” It said louder, more clearly. The candle light shook with the force of its words, and Noelle wondered if they even needed it anymore, not when dawn was finally peeking through the clouds.

“A man needs a home,” it said for the third. “A man needs a home he can spend time in, with the people he loves. When a man loves a man...”

The demon finally turned its face to Noelle and Yuno. “When a man loves a man, he'll do anything for him. Isn't that right?”

Noelle would have screamed if Yuno hadn't yelled first.

“Get away from Asta!” Yuno yelled while raising his arm. Before he could summon a gale, Noelle snapped his arm back. He gave her a nasty look, but stopped immediately. A gale in such a tiny room was as good as a death sentence. If the roof came down, they'd all die.

Noelle turned back to the creature sitting in Asta's lap like it belonged there. In its corporeal state, the Anti-Magic Demon was almost eight feet tall with rich, black skin the color of burnt coffee beans. A halo of floating, black tendrils could be construed as its hair. Its eyes were bloody red pits dug into sickly yellow sand, and its mouth was full of sharp, white teeth and a black tongue. A sharp tail wagged languidly in the air.

If it hadn't been for the dawn's rays, it would have melded in with the shadows.

The creature turned back to Asta and nuzzled into his neck. “When a man loves a man,” it murmured loud enough for them to hear, “he'll do anything to protect his beloved. Isn't that right, Asta?”

“Shut your trap,” Asta barked back. “You're scaring them.”

Noelle was stunned. It was the first time he'd spoken since they'd entered the room.

But was it Asta? Was that her Asta, her first love, the one she never thought she'd grow to care about so much?

“Asta?” She heard Yuno lament out loud. “Asta, what are you doing?”

“What do you think he's doing?” The creature snapped, drawing bloody circles on Asta's skin with its sharp nail.

“I said shut it,” Asta growled again.

“Asta!” Noelle yelled. “Come back with us, Asta!”

Asta finally raised his head and looked straight at her. His lone green eye shimmered with tears. Noelle was already crying, because what else could she do? That was her Asta slumped against the wall, her Asta holding the demon in his lap while it kissed his neck and played with his hair.

“Asta,” Yuno was crying now too. “Asta, please,” he begged, and Noelle wanted to beg too, because that could work, right? They could beg, and Asta would come back to them. “I love you,” she heard Yuno say.

Asta's lone, green eye overflowed with tears. When the first drops fell down his cheek, the demon gently wiped them away with its thumb.

“Asta,” Noelle tried. “We can find another way. We ca-”

“It's too late now,” Asta interrupted gently. “It's too late for all of that.” Suddenly, he moved. Noelle and Yuno inhaled sharply as he stood to his full height while the demon melted into shadows before reforming behind him. It seemed to stick to his back. Wrapping its long arms around Asta's shoulders, it buried its face in the crook of his neck.

“It's too late now,” Asta repeated. “I'm sorry for inconveniencing you guys. He...” Asta didn't say the creature's name, but both she and Yuno knew who he was referring to. “He wanted to come back here. He says this is where we spent our first night together.” Asta laughed helplessly, as if it were all one, big cosmic joke. “I didn't understand what he meant until we were in the room. This the first place I put the grimoire down after I received it. I put it on the shelf next to Yuno's, and went to sleep on the floor. He said... He said that it was the first night he truly felt like he was home. This church...”

“Is our home,” the demon finished for him, raising its head. Its glittering red eyes and pointy white teeth looked as if it could rip into Asta's neck at any given moment, but instead, it nuzzled Asta's neck with its pointy nose while staring dead into Noelle's eyes.

It's your prison, Noelle realized with horror.

Asta put on another pained smile. “Let's get going! I think I've caused enough trouble...”

Noelle and Yuno watched as the short man stalked past them and into the hall. They followed as if compelled. Once they were outside, Noelle felt the sunlight sting her eyes. When her vision cleared, she saw a variety of weapons trained on Asta, who stood still in the clearing outside of the church.

Noelle and Yuno froze behind him, because what could they say? What could they even begin to say?

The demon clung lazily to Asta's back, picking at his hair while its tail slithered across the grass.

It was only when Nacht came forward that Noelle snapped out of it.

Gimodelo cackled as Nacht's perpetual smile widened. “No fucking way,” said the little critter on Nacht's shoulder. “Even I didn't offer that bargain.”

“Asta, did you even try?” Nacht asked softly, his smile unnervingly wide.

“He did,” the demon answered for Asta, “and I told him I wouldn't give him any more power.”

Nacht's smile faltered. “A trickster.”

“No.” This time it was Asta. He was looking up at Nacht. “I chose this.”

“Did you, really?”

Asta elbowed the creature off his shoulder and waited for it to materialize into its full form next to him. Everyone watched as the emaciated creature sprouted leathery wings on top of its already ghastly appearance. In the brightness of the early morning, Noelle finally realized the horns that protruded from its head, wreathed in the black tendrils of its hair. At its full height, long tail, and enormous wings, it looked like a wraith out of a book of grim fairy tales.

“This,” Asta said softly, “was my choice.”

Nacht looked at Asta. Noelle and Yuno looked at Asta. They all looked at Asta and not at the demon that preened next to him.

“You married your demon,” Nacht said out loud, and Gimodelo shrieked with laughter. Noelle saw Klaus drop to his knees. The Father and Sister watched with tearful eyes as Asta grasped one of the creature's hands in his own. He squeezed and something fell next to her. Noelle's head snapped to where Yuno was on his knees, his cheeks wet with tears. Noelle tried to blink away her own, but found them still coming, as if a wave of melancholy had permanently settled in her chest.

Gimodelo's shrieks of laughter resounded throughout the open air, while Nacht finally stepped back and turned to the captains in charge of Spade's assault. “He's signed the contract,” Nacht said casually to Fuegoleon Vermillion. “He can do the job.”

“How do we know that?” Charlotte was swift and cutting, as always.

“Because he's a god now!” Gimodelo chuckled with mirth. Charlotte gave the smaller demon a nasty look, but Nacht merely nodded along.

“Gimodelo's right – Asta is akin to a god now.”

“Asta?” the Sister called. Noelle's eyes went to the woman who stood in her nightclothes, a dirty shawl over her head and shoulders.

Asta finally looked at someone other than Nacht. “Hey Sister Lily – sorry I scared you last night. I'm alright now; I promise.”

“He'll always be alright,” the demon added with a chuckle. It slipped its arms over Asta's shoulders, and pressed its cheek against his hair. “He has me forever.”

And with that, Fuegoleon barked at everyone to go back to their stations because they had an invasion to carry out, a bloody invasion that led Asta to the demon's doorstep.

That day, Gimodelo's words followed Noelle as she watched Asta sit down in the middle of the clearing with the demon draped over him like some coat he couldn't shrug off. Even when Noelle slumped against Vanessa, her ears rang with Gimodelo's insinuations, with Nacht's faltering smile, the contract, Asta's choice.

That night, she and Yuno sat side by side and watched as the demon fashioned a bed out of grass and leaves. When the moon appeared above, Asta laid down. The demon splayed against his side, its large head pressed against where his heart was.

“He chose Hell,” Nacht told them, coming up from the rear. “You have a choice when you enter its domain. You can choose how much you want to give, and what it is that you want, but you can't have it all. You can't have everything unless you give everything.”

“So what happens next?” Yuno asked hollowly.

Nacht sighed. “If Asta had chosen a contract like mine, he would have died a natural death, and the grimoire would have been passed to someone else. But that's not what happens when you give yourself fully, and when the demon grants you all its power – in a way, you marry it. For better or worse, the demon spends its days latched at the human's hip, and for the human, that could mean hundreds of years because of the power coursing through their body. But the day Asta perishes, naturally or unnaturally, his soul won't depart like a normal human being's.”

“What will happen to his soul?” Noelle asked, even though deep down, she knew the answer.

Nacht settled in between them. Noelle watched as Gimodelo perched on his shoulder and peered at the Anti-Magic Demon and Asta embracing each other down in the clearing below. She turned back to her first love and the monster, and saw that they were sound asleep.

Above, the moon shone beautifully over the village.

“It'll go to the Underworld,” Nacht said finally. “When a demon offers everything, it asks for eternity in return. That's why it's called a marriage. Asta didn't sell his humanity; he sold his afterlife. When he dies, he'll walk with that demon to Hell, and one day – he'll wake up as one himself. How's that for a love story?”

#Black Clover #Asta #Noelle Silva #Yuno #avafanfics

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blackcloverdatabase · 5 years

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English Translation of Novel 3: Chapter 1 – Gold & Black - (Part 2 of 2)

Here’s the second half of Chapter 1 from Book of Yuno. Again, I don’t have another picture to use as a header for this chapter, but at least there’s still plenty of Golden Dawn and Black Bull action. This half focuses much more on Yuno and his relationship with Asta, both in the present and how they were in the past, but Yami also gets to show off a bit, too.

If you missed Part 1 of this chapter, you can read that here

--- Gold & Black: Part 2 ---

“Any luck, Yuno!? Did you find him!?”

“No…… I guess you didn’t find him either.”

As they were sprinting across the garden, Yuno met up with Asta. After deciding that they needed to find Yami, Klaus and Mimosa searched the North and South gardens, Yuno and Asta searched the East and West gardens, and Bell searched for Yami from above. Yuno and Asta just finished searching the West garden, so they were about to search the East. Asta cursed upon meeting Yuno,

“Dammit, these gardens are too big! Add them all together and you’d have a village!”

“It’s not that big. It just feels that way to you because your limbs are so short.”

“Not that again, you handsome jerk! Even if my limbs are short, I make up for it with my physical strength!”

After saying this, Asta laughed, and said with a huge grin on his face,

“Anyway, it’s been a real long time since we’ve been together this long, hasn’t it?”

“What’s with you all of sudden……? Well, you’re right. When we were in Hage Village, we spent a depressingly long amount of time together.”

“Hage Village…… When I think about how things were back then, it’s almost unbelievable how we’re now in the Magic Knights, performing missions every day as if it were only natural.”

Maybe it was because he was with his old friend, but Asta’s thoughts were very out-of-character for him. However, Yuno replied,

“……No, maybe that’s the case for you, but I was extremely capable even when I was at Hage, and I could use magic very well, so I don’t feel very strongly about this at all. It felt only natural that I would be in the Magic Knights.”

“I definitely don’t want to hear that from you! I mean, you were a total crybaby when you were little! Compared to how you were then, who you are right now is totally unbelievable!”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t even remember crying when I was born.”

“Nobody would remember that! Look, I’m begging you, so work with me a little here! I wanted to feel nostalgic together!”

Yuno was lying earlier. Of course he remembered. When he was little, he was a crybaby who always clung behind Asta. He found the world frightening. Always scared, he could never take a step forward. The one who gave him the courage to take that first step was none other than Asta. The Yuno that exists today is here because of that day when they decided to share the same dream, because of that moment when they decided to compete over who would become the Wizard King. Instead of following behind him, he wanted to see the same scenery as Asta. In other words, the reason he has been able to do his best all this time is all because of Asta.

“…… Stupid Asta. We’re in the middle of a mission. Now’s not the time to start acting so nostalgic.”

Of course, he had no intention to ever say all that. It would be too embarrassing. He was sure that, even in the future, he’ll continue to dodge the issue by joking around like this. Besides, the best way to thank Asta is through his actions, not words.

“I don’t intend to lose to guy like that…… I’ll be the one who becomes the Wizard King.”

Recognizing Asta as his rival, he intends to continue competing ruthlessly with him. This is the form that Yuno’s gratitude takes.

Of course, that’s not the only reason he has been working so hard. It may have been Asta who gave him his dream to become the Wizard King, but now, Yuno wants to fulfill that dream through his own will. Well, it’s also a fact that showing the results of their efforts to each other has been a good way to motivate each other’s growth. Besides, he can inspire Asta more by making jabs at him rather than by giving him a simple “thank you”.

Just as Yuno expected, Asta looked dazed for just a moment before smiling belligerently,

“Hah!? It’s obvious that I’m the one who’s going to become the Wizard King!”

“No, it’ll be me. You should become the Nostalgia King.”

“The Nostalgia King!?”

“Ah, there he is! Yuno, I found Yami!”

Bell descended from the sky, circling about through the air as if she were in a great hurry.

“He’s really close by, but something really terrible is happening, so hurry it up!”

“…..Something terrible?”

Bell repeatedly nodded her head up-and-down in response to Yuno’s question.

“I don’t know what happened, but Zable and Yami are already face-to-face!”

“They’re over there, right beyond those thickets!”

Yuno and Asta sprinted at top speed to Yami as Bell directed them to his location. Asta said with a pale face,

“H-hey, Yuno? Just making sure, but if Zable has this magical tool……... this ‘Original Sin’, then aggravating him would be real bad news, right?”

“Yeah. We don’t know what could trigger a rampage.”

In other words, they were currently in a state of emergency. If Yami, the man known as the God of Destruction, has made contact with a man as arrogant as Zable, there’s no way something won’t happen. This time, it was Yuno who asked Asta,

“Still, even Captain Yami wouldn’t suddenly get violent with someone he just met…. right?”

“…… I don’t know, but about six seconds after I met him, I got iron clawed.”

“………Let’s hurry.”

“Yeah!”

The two surpassed their limits as they ran, crossing through the thicket. Upon doing so, they found themselves in front of a wide court-like field, similar to those maintained for sporting events. In the middle of that field stood……

“C-captain Yami……. And Zable!”

They were quite far away, so they weren’t clearly visible, but they could tell that the two were in some kind of confrontation. There were countless broken wooden puppets strewn around them, but Zable, at least, looked fine.

…...Or, at least, that’s what they thought.

*THUD*

Zable fell to his knees before collapsing to the ground. His sanity still appeared to be intact, but his face was swollen, and his clothes were torn.

“…………”

And, with his collapse, his wooden doll had crashed into his entourage, causing them to fall to the ground as well. Beaten up, shivering, and shaking, they mumbled things like, “I don’t want to die…. I don’t want to die…,” and, “I’m sorry… I’m just a bug, a worm…”.

Before Yuno and Asta was a picture of Hell, one that far exceeded even their worst fears.

“……….”

The person who created this misery, Yami, casually waved his hand at Asta, Yuno, and Bell, who all stood utterly speechless.

“Oh, it’s you guys. Hey.”

“Don’t just say ‘hey’…… C-captain Yami, this is……”

“Hm, oh, these guys?”

Yami answered Asta’s question while lightly kicking Zable with the tip of his shoe.

“While I was taking a nap, these guys suddenly woke me up, smashed my wine bottle, and, as an added bonus, they even kicked me…... I’ve told ya before. Naps are good. They increase your productivity in the afternoon… I was thinkin’ I should let them experience some of that productivity personally,”

Then, he drew his sword, seemingly out of nowhere, and pointed it toward Zable as he continued,

“And give these guys a nap they’ll never wake up from.”

“That’s called ‘death’, you know!!? Wait, seriously, please stop! We have to ask them some questions!

Asta rushed to Yami in desperation while Yuno dragged Zable’s body away from him. Glancing at Asta, who was now caught in Yami’s iron claw, Yuno called out to Zable,

“Hey, you. Are you okay? I can use a magic tool for healing and… hm?”

Yuno noticed something peeking through the gaps in Zable’s torn clothes. There was nothing written on its cover, and it wasn’t even colored. It was a pure white grimoire. However, Zable already had what looked like his own grimoire in his book pouch. In other words, this was……

“Aah……AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!”

Seeing this, Yami picked up Zable’s followers by the armful and said,

“Hey Goldy, get away from him. Kid, come with me and help me carry away his lackeys to safety…... actually, just throw ‘em as far as you can.”

As instructed, Yuno quickly separated himself from Zable while Asta threw his lackeys as far as he possibly could. Right after doing so,

“AAAAAAH! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!”

From Zable’s body… no, from the white grimoire sprouted a series of white torrents made of mana. They were like large tentacles wriggling about. The tentacles spread radially with Zable at the center and began to indiscriminately attack everything in the garden, gouging the ground and smashing what was left of the wooden dolls into dust. If Yami’s instructions came just one second later, Zable’s followers would have been caught up in the destruction. Seeing Zable clad in a seemingly infinite number of white tentacles, Yami once again said as if this was all someone else’s problem,

“So, it was him after all. He had that magical tool… what was it called again… that ‘Original Sin’.”

When Yami said this, Asta, who had taken out a large sword from his grimoire, turned his head toward him in disbelief.

“Woah! Captain, you knew!?”

“Yeah. I could tell by reading his Ki.”

“Then why did you beat him up so bad!?”

“Why? Because I was pissed that he woke me from my…. No, I did that because we need to know exactly what happens when the ‘Original Sin’ goes berserk. Also, because I was pissed that he woke me from my nap.”

“That’s the real reason, isn’t it!?”

“Shut up! Anyway, this is just what I planned, so it’s all good!”

The tentacles wriggled about before beginning its attack against Yami and the others.

“…Though, this rampage is just a bit more showy than what I was expecting.”

While slicing through the tentacles that fired toward him, Yami ran straight for the mansion.

“I’ll go evacuate the people at the mansion, so, in the meantime, I’m leavin’ the tentacles to you.”

“Huh!? Ah, yes sir!”

Asta yelled in bewilderment as he swung his sword, cutting down tentacle after tentacle. In contrast, Yuno couldn’t help but think his usual, “You can’t be serious……”. Yuno figured that the reason Asta could react immediately to such unreasonably unclear instructions was that those instructions were part of his everyday work environment. Talk about depressing.

That aside……

“……Asta. There was a white grimoire in Zable’s chest. That was probably the ‘Original Sin’. Our first goal should be to break that grimoire.”

“Got it!”

After hearing Asta’s reply, Yuno opened up his own grimoire. Despite the rapid development of the situation, Asta was Yuno’s rival, and all that effort he had put in as his rival showed.

‘I can’t let Asta be the only one looking good here,’ Yuno thought.

“Let’s go, Bell. Full power.”

“Understood!”

A violent gale blew with Yuno and Bell at the center.

“Uoooooooooooh!!”

Asta rushed toward Zable while dodging, no, mowing down the tentacles that attacked him.

“Wind Creation Magic: Wind Blades Shower”

Blades of wind materialized above Yuno’s head, slicing the tentacles that were approaching Asta from behind and overhead. The tentacles regenerated instantly, but there was a slight delay before it could attack again. Asta pierced through that gap, narrowing the distance between him and Zable. As Asta used his mobility to get closer, Yuno used his magic to support him. Using this strategy, they were able to steadily reduce the distance between them and Zable.

They never planned this out before. This was simply the result of them being together for over a decade. They could understand each other’s thoughts without exchanging words and then anticipate each other’s moves accordingly. For them, cooperating in battle was as natural as breathing.

“AAAAAAH! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!”

Taking Asta’s presence as a threat, nearly all of Zable’s tentacles were sent toward him, surrounding his body in the shape of a dome.

“Yuno!”

Asta turned around and called out to Yuno, but this was not a call for help. Yuno nodded and used another one of his spells.

“Wind Creation Magic: Heavenly Wind Ark”

An ark created by wind took Yuno’s body and flew into the sky, passing over Asta, who was being attacked by the tentacles. His goal was Zable himself. Yuno had dedicated himself to providing back up for Asta when Asta was taking on the tentacles, but now Yuno aimed for the currently defenseless Zable. The two understood each other’s strategy right away, and they began acting on it in an instant. It took a moment later for Bell to understand what they were planning, which made her purse her lips in displeasure.

“Let me in on this, too! I’m a girl with both great comprehension skills and broadmindedness, you know!”

“Bell, you’re too noisy. Also, you don’t really give that impression. We’re going to establish contact with Zable.”

While dodging the number of tentacles that went after him, Yuno made a nosedive for Zable and cast a spell,

“Wind Magic: Crescent Kamaitachi”

A blade shaped like a crescent moon crashed near Zable’s feet, kicking up a large cloud of dust. It’s not that Yuno missed. If that attack had hit Zable directly, his body would’ve been sliced in two. Yuno’s goal was simply to blind him. Taking advantage of the dust cloud he had created, Yuno jumped off his ark of wind and landed right before Zable’s eyes. He quickly reached out his hand for the white grimoire in his chest, the ‘Original Sin’. However……

“Ah…… Gah…… S-stop! Stop it! Don’t…. touch that!!”

Zable clutched the grimoire in his arms as his tentacles began to focus their attacks on Yuno. Without even using his wind magic, Yuno grabbed the ‘Original Sin’. Upon doing so, Zable tightened his grip around it.

“Aah…… Please…… This…… Just this…… Don’t take this away….. please!”

“……..Zable, you were still conscious?”

“…….If I don’t have this….. Aah……. I’ll be……. weak again!”

Ignoring Yuno’s question, Zable only continued to scream unintelligibly. It seems that his consciousness was still intact, but it was terribly clouded. All that remained was his determination not to hand over the ‘Original Sin’.

“I……Ah…… obtained this…… Guh…… and change….d.”

Blood poured out from his eyes and mouth, and even the way he was suffering seemed to change. Yuno didn’t fully understand what was going on, but he could tell that it was a dangerous omen.

“Hey, you’re going to die. Let go of that grimoire.”

“No…… way…… Guh…… I don’t…. want to go back……. to being powerless……”

He may end up severely injuring Zable, but Yuno felt that he had no choice but to use his wind magic. Preparing himself for the worst, Yuno built up his magic, but then,

“…….This world…… is scary…… You can’t survive…… without power……”

Yuno saw that a light of consciousness remained ever so faintly in Zable’s eyes. Those eyes looked as if they would cry at any moment. They were weak, sorrowful eyes. Yuno remembered a person whose eyes and words were like Zable’s. They reminded him of his younger self.

Yuno was able to change because of Asta. However, there was probably nobody by Zable’s side. That’s why he got involved with taboo magical tools, like the ‘Original Sin’. Thanks to that tool, Zable changed. In other words, the ‘Original Sin’ is to Zable what Asta is to Yuno. Because of this, for just a moment, Yuno was a little hesitant to steal the ‘Original Sin’ away from him. That moment of hesitation proved to be a fatal mistake.

“….GAH!”

A single tentacle passed through the gap in his wind magic, landing a crushing blow on Yuno’s side. The impact broke his posture, leaving him vulnerable. Targeting his weakened state, a countless number of tentacles shot toward Yuno.

‘This is bad. I won’t be able to block them in time!’

But, just when Yuno braced himself for the attack, a gust of wind blew past him.

“UOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAH!!”

Asta flew by with astounding speed, striking Zable with the flat end of his sword and launching Zable’s large body into the air. Then, with the edge of his sword, Asta sliced the ‘Original Sin’ that fell from Zable’s chest in two. With that, the ‘Original Sin’ turned to dust and dissipated into the air. At the same time, the tentacles also faded away.

“Hey, are you all right, Yuno!?”

After confirming that all the tentacles had completely disappeared, Asta ran toward where Yuno sat, having fallen from exhaustion. It seems that, during the battle, Asta was able to hack his way through the tentacles to make his way to Yuno.

“Yeah…… Sorry.”

“Don’t give me that! You totally spaced out when you saw the enemy’s eyes! That’s not like you at all!”

Though Yuno had only hesitated for a brief instant, Asta had seen right through him.

“……Jeez. Here, can you stand?”

Asta said with a smile as he held his hand out to Yuno.

“………”

Yuno smiled wryly to himself. ‘Asta was to Yuno what the ‘Original Sin’ was to Zable’. Even if it was just for a moment, Yuno berated himself for thinking something so foolish. The ‘Original Sin’ was nothing more than a tool. Moreover, it was a dangerous tool which gifted the user power without effort, a tool that could easily be used for the wrong reasons. The existence beside Yuno is a person who made him stronger by working hard and by competing with each other. When one of them does something wrong, the other can scold him. When one of them can’t stand, the other holds out his hand so that they can walk together again. For Yuno, Asta is……

“Get a hold of yourself, Yuno! You’re my rival after all!”

“……Yeah.”

Yuno took Asta’s hand and stood up, and with a small smile said,

“………You saved me. Thanks.”

Yuno then looked at the fallen Zable. If Zable had someone like Asta beside him, then this probably wouldn’t have happened to him. Conversely, if Yuno didn’t have Asta beside him, then maybe he would have been like Zable, too……

“……..Ughh……..Ugh”

Hearing Zable’s groans, Yuno and Asta raised their guard. However, they didn’t feel any evil mana from him, and it didn’t look like he was going to start moving. He was simply moaning out of pain.

“……Bell, Asta, you two should go look for Mimosa. I’ll keep an eye on him.”

Bell and Asta nodded energetically before heading for the mansion. Noticing Yuno’s presence, Zable spoke as if it were difficult for him to even talk,

“……I-It looks like I…… caused a lot of trouble for you…… I’m sorry……!”

‘So that’s what his real personality is like?’ Yuno thought.

Dealing with the aftermath of their mission went quite smoothly overall. First, Mimosa treated the injuries of Zable and his followers. While she did that, Yami and Klaus explained what happened to the guests and the sponsor of the party. In addition, they enacted a gag order on everyone present, elaborated on the dangers of the ‘Original Sin’, and emphasized that it was a tool that nobody should dabble in.

“……I see. You obtained it at the black market…… That means it will be difficult to identify its source.”

After Yuno, Bell, and Asta contacted the Magic Knights Headquarters and requested transportation for Zable, they all stood guard as they waited for the Knights to arrive, but……

“Perhaps. Moreover, this was over a month ago. The store I bought this from might not even be around anymore, and even the store owner said that the details of the ‘Original Sin’ were unknown. I’m sorry that I can’t be more helpful……”

In complete contrast to how he was before, Zable answered Yuno’s questions humbly as he bowed his head in shame. Once he was released from the curse of the ‘Original Sin’, it was clear that he was an extremely gentlemanly young man. He obediently accepted his crimes, testifying how he had obtained the ‘Original Sin’. Bell and Asta were ready to give him a lecture, so seeing him like this was a bit of a letdown. After experiencing such a surprising change (well, Zable simply reverted back to normal), Zable continued to speak with unease in his voice,

“However, the store owner did say... the ‘Original Sin’ raises its owner’s magic power during battle, but when not in battle, it sucks away its owner’s magic and stores it, little by little. Also, once it accumulates a certain amount of magic, it self-proliferates by creating ‘manuscripts’. That means that my copy is probably not the only one on the market.”

“……Well, you’re probably right about that. Your copy also wasn’t the only one that store was selling, wasn’t it?”

“That’s right. Of course, the degree that it changes its owner’s personality and the amount of power it gives and takes is probably different for each manuscript, but……”

‘This looks like it’s going to be trouble…...,’ Yuno thought to himself as he clicked his tongue. Even Zable, a gentle person with very weak mana, transformed into that just by obtaining the ‘Original Sin’. If an evil person with strong mana were to obtain the ‘Original Sin’, then they would be even more troublesome. Reaching the end of his patience, Asta interjected,

“I’ve been thinking this since you started talking, but, you kinda seem… like a real nice guy! Why did you get involved with such a dangerous tool!?”

“A ‘nice guy’, huh? Ku ku, it makes me happy to hear that, but…… you can’t survive in the world of nobles with kindness alone.”

“I was blessed with being born into a powerful family, but I have weak mana and a timid personality…… Nobody ever said anything bad about me to my face, but behind my back, they were anxious about appointing me as the next head of the family, and they even started to question if I would be able to get married and leave an heir.”

Not expecting his problems run so deep, Asta’s mouth hung open, making Zable laugh at himself derisively as he continued,

“I guess I was rushing. I wanted… magical power, at least, so I ended up depending on such a dubious tool, resulting in this mess…. I’m truly sorry for being such a bother.”

As he finished, Zable bowed his head toward them.

“And, thank you for stopping me. I’ll be sure to reward you handsomely after I’ve paid for my sins.”

“Huh? N-no, you don’t need to do that! You’re such a nice guy that…... I kind of feel bad for arresting you.”

“If a time comes when even a pathetic guy like me can start over again, I’ll be sure to work hard and obtain real strength. Instead of relying on tools, I’ll change myself with my own strength!”

“Jeez, you’ve left nothing for me to lecture you about! H-hey Yuno, can’t we get this guy pardoned or something!? He just got possessed by some bad mana for a bit! I’m begging ya, let’s just look the other way this time!”

Asta misguidedly begged Yuno with tears in his eyes. Yuno ignored him and said to Zable,

“As a goal, ‘I want to change’ is far too vague. It’s better to set that as a long-term goal while setting short-term goals as well. That will give you a roadmap that’s easier to follow.”

“Huh? Y-yeah……”

Zable replied vaguely. Yuno’s advice was so abrupt that Zable didn’t realize it was directed toward his earlier decision.

Yuno averted his eyes a bit before continuing,

“Long ago, I knew a person who would say the same things you’re saying now, but…… I think if that person had been given this type of advice back then, things would have gone more smoothly for him. It’s no big deal, but…… try it if you can.”

It was too embarrassing for him to say out loud, but that person was, of course, himself from the past. However, there was a time when he recklessly trained with his magic, and he wondered if he would’ve been able to train more efficiently if someone had given him that advice. Because of this, Yuno wanted to meddle just a bit.

“……Thanks to his efforts, he was able to join the Magic Knights.”

And while he was at it, he decided to try meddling even more.

“You sort of resemble that person, so I’m sure you’ll be fine…... Do your best.”

“…………!”

Zable looked taken aback before looking down with a small smile on his face.

“’You’ll be fine’ and ‘Do your best’…… huh? Ku ku…… Nobody has ever said that to me before…… I see. So, being told such words makes one this happy…….”

He continued to smile as he said this, but as he continued, his eyes became clouded with tears. Yuno didn’t feel that he said anything important to him, but he hoped that his words would prove to be at least a little bit useful to Zable, a man who resembled his former self so highly. If his words do prove useful, he’ll be very happy. Such was the heartfelt atmosphere Yuno and Zable established before Asta destroyed it by saying,

“H-hey…… what are you talking about, Yuno!? We’ve been together since forever, and I don’t remember anybody like that! This is scary! Tell me straight, what the heck did you see!?”

“Are you stupid? Nevermind. I already know the answer to that.”

“……Ah, I know! You’re talking about your past self! Ha ha~, but since you were embarrassed about it, you said it was someone you knew! I’m right, aren’t I!?”

“You’re so tactless. Well, I already knew that.”

“Ah, there they are! Everyone! Over here!”

At that moment, a voice came from the mansion, followed by the sound of multiple footsteps.

“……Ah, that girl, it’s her, isn’t it!? That girl who was making eyes at Yuno, Dina!”

Before this, Bell was sitting bored on Yuno’s shoulder, fidgeting about. However, hearing Dina’s voice made her hiss like a cat. Just as she suspected, Dina was coming toward them from the mansion, with the girls that were with her earlier behind her…… no.

“That boy is Yuno-kun!? Oh gosh, he’s a total hottie!”

“I saw your battle earlier~. You were suuuuuuuper cool~!”

“Hey, that Asta kid is pretty cute too once you get a close look at him!”

Dina brought along several dozens of girls with her, who were all frantically running towards them. Asta shouted as he gazed at the sight in wonderment,

“H-hey! What’s with those girls!?”

“These girls said they all wanted to talk to you two after watching you fight! Of course, I feel the same way!”

‘For a selfish reason like that……,’ Yuno was already sick of that kind of stuff. Bell inflated her cheeks more and more as she protested,

“You obviously shouldn’t! Anyway, Dina was already like this, but what about the rest of you!? You all were acting coldly toward Yuno and the others earlier, and yet now you’re trying to act all chummy with them!”

“Now, now, don’t say that, little spirit with a freakin’ huge forehead. The organizer of this party also wants to thank us.”

Yami entered the conversation as he approached from behind the gaggle of girls.

“He says he’ll set us up with all the booze we want for free…. Heck, he’s even willin’ to setup an afterparty for us. He’s doin’ all this for us, so it’d be rude to refuse him, right? Plus, it’s free booze.”

As usual, he made no attempt to hide his real intentions. Klaus, who stood beside him, coughed once before speaking,

“Moreover, there are people who want to share a drink with Mimosa, Captain Yami, and myself now that they know we are Magic Knights. They collaborated with our investigation, so we cannot simply turn them down.”

What he was saying certainly sounded plausible, but it sounded forced as he said it, and it looked as if he was checking Yami’s expression the entire time. Apparently, this middle manager was a victim of the God of Destruction’s harassment once again today. Beside him, Mimosa was shivering with tears in her eyes as she said to Asta and Yuno,

“Y-Yuno-san, Asta-san…… Don’t tell me… you guys aren’t coming? You guys won’t leave me behind at a…… at a matchmaking party, will you?”

In response to her supplications, Asta scratched his cheek.

“I don’t really get what you’re talking about, but this means I’ll get to eat more tasty food like earlier, right? Then, I’ll definitely go! Now that you mention it, this has been bothering me for a while now, but what’s a ‘matchmaking party’?”

Asta said absentmindedly as he headed toward the mansion. Watching Asta’s back, Yuno had one thing to say as he sighed with a blank expression on his face,

“……You can’t be serious.”

After that, they handed Zable over to the Magic Knights who arrived at the mansion, thoroughly conveying his extenuating circumstances. They also described the entire battle to the Magic Appraisal Division, reporting that the ‘Original Sin’ disappeared once it was destroyed. Once that was finally done, they returned to the party. What was waiting for them was a flood of nobles, who rushed toward Yuno and the others with hearts aflutter, but…

“Hey, you! You’re wearing too much perfume! You’re trying to leave your scent on Yuno, aren’t you! And you over there! You’ve been holding that small glass with both of your hands for a while now! You’re trying too hard to look cute! Women like you aren’t qualified to talk to Yuno!”

Bell floated above Yuno’s head, dissing all the young women who were flocking to him,

“When it comes to weight training, you might have the impression that you’re supposed to train all your muscles at once, right? But, that’s not true. It’s important to concentrate on training one portion of your body at a time. My recommendation is…...”

Asta was talking about weight training,

“P-personally, I think that a healthy relationship between a man and a woman should start by exchanging a diary with each other! I-I also think that this should be done for a two-year time period!”

Klaus transformed into the incarnation of straight-lacedness,

“O-oh dear! Your breath smells really bad! Does anybody have any magic to fix this man’s breath!? I’m begging you, please save me!”

Mimosa was mowing down any man who attempted to woo her with her natural airheadedness,

“Huh? My annual income? Dunno. Now that I think about it, I’ve never bothered to count, cuz’ I’m usually broke by the time payday comes, anyway. You’re askin’ me what I spend it on? Gambling. Also, alcohol and smokes.”

With lifeless eyes, Yami took swigs of his drink as he blithely talked about his risky lifestyle. As they became unable to endure another second of this matchmaking party from hell, the nobles left the venue one by one. By the time an hour had passed, no one remained except for the Magic Knights of Gold and Black.

And, on the following day,

“This is the written report by Klaus’s group concerning their contact with the ‘Original Sin’ a few days ago.”

Vangeance was sitting in his office at the Golden Dawn’s headquarters. The man who presented this report to him was his close aide, Alecdora Sandler. Vangeance thanked him as he took it, reading it over carefully and silently.

“……I see. As we thought, when the ‘Original Sin’ goes out of control, it manifests its tentacle magic. This report is consistent with the others we have received.”

“Yes. We are still unsure of what causes it to run wild and whether tentacle magic is the only type of magic it can manifest… there are still many things we do not know, but, slowly but surely, we’re gathering information.”

“Right…… Thank you for the report. You may leave now.”

Vangeance said before returning to reading the report in silence. Sandler made a short reply and a three-leaf salute before leaving.

“……. I see. So, it amplifies its owner’s magic……”

Shortly after reading the report, he stared out into empty space. And, though there was nobody else in the office, he spoke as if there was someone with him.

“……It really is just as you said… Patry.”

He said to himself as a cryptic smile floated to his lips.

--- Gold and Black: The End ---

Sometimes, it may seem like I’m taking liberties with the translation by adding slang, but it’s really there in the Japanese text. Case in point, the light novel literally uses the word “Diss” when describing how Bell was “dissing all the young women”. For some reason, I can’t help but crack up when I see slang like that written in a Japanese novel.

Zable turned out to be a lot different than what I was expecting. I love how Asta’s reaction to being flirted with is to talk about bodybuilding. And gosh, Mimosa can be savage when she panics.

For obvious reasons, Patry isn’t mentioned at all in the other two light novels, but I’m glad his existence (and Mereoleona’s!) finally gets acknowledged now that we’re all the way in novel 3. He even gets to make an appearance… all the way in chapter 4 of Book of Yuno, which is what I plan to work on next!

#Black Clover #Yuno #Asta #yami sukehiro #klaus lunettes #mimosa vermillion #william vangeance #my translations #Book of Yuno

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alatismeni-theitsa · 4 years

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I think the issue with USA racism is that when people argue that there is no reverse racism rhey say it because, sure a black person can tell a white person to “fck off white ass” but they don’t have enough power to opress in a systemically way. Like they are not the ones making the laws and so on. Not sure if I am explaining myself. I don’t agree with racism in any way but USA history is very different from any other countries I guess. Like just 1950 a black men was forbidden to sit next

to a white man in a bus. Like that is insane. And even today they had lots of systematic racism like there is a state system that endorses racist practices. So that’s veeeery different from other countries. I hage USA rethorics tbb but I understand where it comes from.

________________________________________________________

I get what you are saying and I generally agree! I would just like to comment on some things.

“fck off white ass” is very rude but, as you siad, it’s not the same things as racism ingrained in the people of the country. So, a white person should be annoyed about that but not compare it to racism. But it’s also worth noting that the White person on the bus doesn’t have the power to “systematically oppress” the Black person on the bus. Surely, this White person can be part of a big racist problem in some cases but it’s usually just some random dude who said some dumb shit. I don’t know if it wise to cry “wolf!” (aka “systemic racism!”) every time a racist episode happens. Let’s address “systematic racism” but in the wider scale like the media or the law loopholes which gave the right to some banks to continue the practise of red-lining Black individuals. That’s my suggestion, at least. I don’t aim to teach anyone how to classify racism, I am just writing some thoughts here.

You seem to be implying (correct me if I am wrong) that Black people from the US have been oppressed more than Black people in Europe? (Yes, the history of Black people changes in each country, but I am not talking about the severety of the probelm). If yes, I think the issue is a bit complicated. I would say the answer is “yes” and “no” depending on the issues. In terms of rights and legal treatment Black people in the US have it better there compared to Black people from Europe.In fact, Black people in the US are the most priviledge Black people on the planet. This doesn’t mean that racism in the US doesn’t exist. It means the US combines a better quality of life + many civil rights. For example, racism to a Black person in Greece is much worse than racism to a Black person in the US from what I have observed. And historically, Black people in the US had freedoms sooner than Black people in Greece. Black people from the US coming to Greece many times notice racism they didn’t have back in their country. Also, segregation, severe racism and slavery of Black people didn’t only exist in the US but in many European countries. So the Black American situation is not something unique in the world.

A White person couldn’t sit with a White person either back then. If you were Greek or Italian, for example, you would be segregated as well, together with the Black people, Greeks and Italians were also hunted by the KKK, objected to extreme police brutality, not allowed in buildings and so on. Despite the light colour of their skin, White Americans didn’t call them “White” before the 1940s (yes, Greeks didn’t like that because it was obvious discrimination and rhetoric rooted in Eugenics). That doesn’t deny the oppression of Black folks. It’s just means to say that “Many non Black groups in the US have lived slavery, segregation and genocide”.

Sorry if my wording was inproper in some cases, I had zero hours of sleep today. if something sounds insensitive, tell me to fix it.

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riverdalewritings · 8 years

Text

Reality Bites Me - Veronica Lodge x Reader

Warnings: Really light swearing

Request by @riverdalexoxo : Hey, can you do a Veronica x reader where Veronica is angry at the reader bc she forgot an anniversary and she makes the reader sleep on the couch but they make up at the end with a lot of ~kisses~ thank you ur awesome ilu

I really hope you like this :) ilu2

“Hey!” I heard Betty call out immediately upon walking into Pop’s. I turned in the direction of her voice, and found her waving me over, with Kevin sitting opposite of her in the booth they were occupying. Smiling, I made my way over, and sat down next to Kevin, stealing one of his fries. He looked at me accusingly, but quickly turned his head away and started talking.

“Can you believe Miss Hagely today? Using history memes in class, of all things?”

“She’s pretty hip for being, you know, older,” Betty said, through laughter.

“I guess, but don’t you feel like she’s grasping a little?”

Betty shrugged, but I was too preoccupied with eating Kevin’s fries to care. And, I also thought it was kind of cool of Miss Hagely to try and relate to her students. Kevin and Betty argued over it a little, and I finished Kevin’s fries, which he reluctantly, but silently, gave to me. After their argument died down, Kevin turned to me.

“Why are you here anyway, (Y/N)? Shouldn’t you be with Veronica? And I didn’t mean to make that sound rude, by the way.”

“What do you mean? I’m always with Ronnie. I can’t sit with my other friends for a change?” I’d be remiss if I missed the looks that passed between Kevin and Betty, a wide eyed, frightful thing.

“You mean, you don’t remember what today is..?” Betty asked, drawing out the question.

“Um..Tuesday..?”

“Oh, my god! You’re going to die. Come here,” Kevin said, opening his arms, “because this is the last time I’m going to see you.” I let him hug me, but I looked at Betty, confusion written all over my face.

“(Y/N),” she said, carefully, “it’s the 28th..”

I shook my head slowly, made a face, and gestured a little with my hands, clearly questioning why Betty would tell me that.

“The 28th? As in your 6th month anniversary of dating V?? God, (Y/N)! Even I know that and I’m not dating her!”

“Ohhhh shit, shit shit shitshitshit,” was all I could say, the revelation dawning on me. I jumped up from the booth and out of Kevin’s arms. “I gotta go, like, now. Ahh Ronnie’s gonna kill me.” I slung my bag over my shoulders and rushed out the door, thoughts racing through my mind on how I could make this up to my girlfriend. I figured that if I bought anything now, and came home two hours later than I usually do, she’d know right away that I would be trying to cover up the fact that I forgot. Ultimately, I just decided on going straight to her place, which I guess technically was my home now, since I spent all my time there, and telling her straight up that I just forgot, and that I would make it up to her.

I practically ran back to her house, my mind reeling on all the different outcomes that could happen from this. I was scared, not for me, but for the fact that I knew I had more than likely unintentionally hurt Ronnie. It also didn’t help that halfway home, I got a text from Kevin that read, I just want you to know that when you die, I’ll try and use an Ouija board to contact you from the other side.

I burst through the front door and ran up to her room, to find Ronnie sitting on her bed, a tray of flowers that held two cupcakes by her side. I walked over gingerly, not sure what to expect.

“Hey, babe,” I said, slowly. “Happy anniversary.”

She looked up at me, a sad smile on her face. “Happy anniversary,” she sighed, obviously disappointed.

“Look, Ronnie, I’m so, so sorry, but I completely forgot that it was our anniversary.. Honestly, if it wasn’t for Betty, I wouldn’t have even remembered at all. I know, I’m awful, and you definitely don’t deserve me, but I want to make it up to you, somehow.”

It took her a while to answer, but when she did, I felt the sting in her words. “I figured that you had forgotten. You said nothing to me this morning, and I never saw an indication that you were doing anything special. I said nothing, because I thought, hey, maybe it’s supposed to be a surprise, but,” she took a deep breath and sighed, “maybe I’m just stupid.”

“Ronnie, please,” I cut in, moving to wipe a tear that had fallen down her cheek. She jerked away from me, which felt like a punch to the gut.

“(Y/N), just stop, ok? You know what you can do? You can take your pillow and sleep on the couch tonight. I want to be left alone.”

“Ron-”

“Just go.”

I froze, not knowing what to do. I had never heard this tone in Ronnie’s voice, and it scared me, because I knew that I was the one who had done this to her. I got up to collect my pillow and blanket, my movements stunted. I guess subconsciously I figured that if I took my time getting my things, Ronnie would ask me to stay, to talk about what happened. To give me a chance to make it up. She didn’t. I gathered my things, and sighing, resigned myself to a night on the couch, at Ronnie’s request.

In the morning, I was woken up by a kiss on my cheek. I opened my eyes slightly, trying to adjust to the sunlight that was streaming in through the windows, and saw Ronnie sitting on the edge of the couch, smiling slightly.

“Morning,” she said, lightly.

“Morning,” came my groggy reply. “I’m sorry.” I took her hand in mine, and smiled back at her.

“I know. I made us breakfast, to, you know, apologize for yesterday. I just kind of freaked. This is my first, real, relationship, and I don’t really know how to navigate everything yet. I just wanted everything to be special. And it could have been but,” she stopped and shook her head, not meeting my eyes.

“Ronnie, come on.” I tilted her head so she would look at me. “Nothing was your fault yesterday. I’m the one who messed up. This is my first real relationship too, and I don’t know how to do everything perfectly.”

She laid down beside me, and rested her head on my shoulder. “I don’t care about perfect, (Y/N). I was just hurt, because I put a lot of thought into it, and it just seemed to me that you didn’t care, I guess.”

“Don’t care?” I chuckled, knowing that that assumption was the completely wrong one. “Ronnie, I’m half in love with you. Of course I care.” It wasn’t until Ronnie popped her head up that I knew what I said. It was true, but I hadn’t meant to tell her that. Not yet. I wanted to tell her somewhere special, somewhere with meaning. Not just on her couch.

“You’re..?

“Yeah.”

“Oh, (Y/N).” Ronnie crawled on top of me and kissed me. I could feel her smiling into it, and I felt so happy knowing that she wasn’t mad or hurt anymore. We laid there, her on top, kissing for a few minutes, until she pulled away, and rested her chin on her hands.

“I haven’t said it yet, but I feel the same way.”

“Oh, thank god,” I said, teasing. “I was getting worried.” I sat up on my elbows and smirked, but leaned in for another kiss. Ronnie laughed, music to my ears, and gleefully kissed me back.

“Breakfast is getting cold, by the way,” she said, after pulling away. “I made us pancakes.”

“Mmm, as good as that sounds,” I sat up fully and wrapped my hands around her waist, “I was hoping that we could eat those cupcakes you got us.”

She looped her arms around my shoulders, and rubbed her nose against mine. “They’re still in my room,” she whispered, and looked up at me through her eyelashes.

“Well, let’s go.” She started to move away, but I held onto her fast. In one swift motion, I stood up, holding Ronnie to me, and dipped her down to give her another kiss. She laughed, and asked me what I was doing.

“Making it up to you,” I replied, placing kisses all over her face.

“Well, then, what are you waiting for?”

“Mmm, you’re devilish, Veronica Lodge.”

She smirked up at me and adjusted herself, bringing her mouth to my ear. “Just wait until we get into my bed.”

I didn’t need to be told twice. I quickly walked us to her room and laid her out on her bed, cupcakes already forgotten.

#veronica lodge imagine #veronica lodge x reader #riverdale imagines #veronica x reader

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