Le Author’s Note: Bonsoir! Another life excerpt from one of the important characters in the Xavier’s life. I’ve had this written out for a while, but since Irelia didn’t win the heir vote, it’s just been sitting in a word document, I didn’t know whether to use it or not. But hey, I finally decided, why not? It’s a nice shake-up to the normal grind. Hope you enjoy!
Irelia’s POV:
It was an early morning when I awoke. I glanced at the other side of my bed and found it empty. Stretching and yawning, I went to freshen up in the bathroom. I thought of something then; where did he even come from? What was his life like before he integrated into our family? Who is Kotetsu really? I decided to ask him and made my way down stairs to where I heard movement.
Kotetsu was in the kitchen like I suspected, making pancakes. His favorite food, and honestly they were supremely delicious. Especially when he makes them with fruit.
“Why are you staring at me like that? Did you need something or did you just want to see my pretty face again?” He asked in that flirty but not really feeling it today tone of his. I dismiss it and try to build up the courage that I thought I had before actually seeing him
“No I… um, well. I’m trying to– it’s like. Dammit… Where did you come from? Like, your life, before now?” Usually I’m more eloquent than that. He stared at me for a moment, that weird look I’ve gotten used to. It was him trying to figure out how to best put his thoughts into words.
“Oh. Oh!! You want an Origin Story! A Kotetsu Avril Original! Well kid let me tell you– no, let me show you. It’s going to be fun, tragic, and maybe even a little insane! All you have to do is take my hand and we can get started on this magical journey of… me.” He made of show of it, like he does when he gets uncomfortable, but I guess I really had to take his hand because he didn’t move until I actually reached out my own. Then he yanked me forward into an embrace. With a quick snap of his fingers and a poof of smoke later, we were in a strange area of Twinbrook I haven’t seen before.
I also stopped being amazed how he could simply change the attire of someone when needed. Sometimes, mysteries can stay like that.
“Alright, where to begin, where to…? I got it! How about the beginning? That’s the best part.” “I’m all ears.” “Well you sure as hell should be. After all, you asked.” He said that last part a little darkly. He took a breath. “Before you start, I do have one wish.” I stopped him, “Shoot.” He got visibly excited there. “I wish you would tell me the whole truth in recounting your tale. No sugar coating or anything. Brutal honesty.” I saw his eyes flash darkly before him snapping his fingers and mumble ‘granted’.
“I… was normal kid. I had a father and mother. Only child. My mother was from Japan and my father was from France. When they met it was like, more intense love at first sight. I’m talking about, when they saw each other their souls knew they had to belong together. And, they did. A few years later, after they got situated in France, they had, you guessed it, me. And I was a happy kid. The happiest. Raised in a loving home, great parents who taught me right from wrong and who loved me unconditionally. I loved everything from my cultures. The Japanese and French arts and cuisines mainly. Anyway, fast forward through the wonder years and the kid was now a teenager. I had friends, they thought I was cool that I could speak two languages fluently. And to be fair, I was cool.”
“Kotetsu, I said no sugar coating.” “Yeah I know but nothing really happened when I was a kid, ya know? Nothing to note. Normal life, had a few friends, played with rocks and sticks, regular 1721 stuff.” “Se—seventeen—” “Save you questions for after the show please.”
He was pacing now, I opted to take a seat on the grass while listening, that year couldn’t be right, could it? I knew he was immortal but I didn’t know he’s been alive to see the Revolution. Not to mention countless of other–
“I mean, I had everything I wanted then. But I guess fate had something else in store for me. One wet, rainy night, as I was walking home from a friends’, I was almost mugged. I ran and they pursued, I guess they knew my family had some funds. For a long while, I was sure I was going to die that night. Then I tripped, slipped, and wound up maybe 100 feet down in a cavern where no one passed by during late nights, let alone normal hours of the day or night. I landed on my back; pretty sure I broke my ribs in a couple places. Very sure I broke my spine. I couldn’t move but you know what the worst part was? The gnawing feeling that I would never be able to see my parents again. Not the blatantly obvious fact that I was going to die alone, but seeing their smiling faces one last time. Telling them I loved them before heading out for the day.”
He stopped pacing, deliberated between hovering or standing, and chose to sit next to me. “I also noticed, while I was dying on the ground that I landed in something sticky. And whatever crevice I fell down smelled sweet, like honey suckle and saffron. So I thought ‘hey, at least it smells nice’, like that justified the cruelty that befell me. I didn’t even curse the gods or anything, I just laid there in pain, tears streaming down may face, wishing to be home, wishing to be in my mama’s embrace, safe from the world. Then the hissing sound, then smoke that was pinkish and purple. And then his face.” He looked at me and I saw the sadness in his eyes.
“You know, I was made a genie, not born one. And being made one was not by choice. That Djinn who saved me that night saw a way out. A way to shorten his sentence of a lifetime. Although he was born one, he found a way to be cured of it. The only ingredient he was missing was another soul. Well, the heavens smiled down on him then, he got me. He took one look at me and started the ritual. And let me tell you, that transformation was not fun. It was like I was being burned by fire-less smoke for a few hours. I screamed through it, the pain was unlike anything I had ever felt and while that was happening, he was explaining what was going on and what my new fate was. I hated it. Bound to a lamp for the rest of eternity? Being a servant for the rest of my life to whoever finds the artifact? I would’ve rather been dead. But at least I was healed when I was transformed. At least I got to see my parents until they grew old and died… I guess that was the trade off. I still remember his face… It was a long while before I even remembered I was a genie and capable of a certain extent of magic. I never used it until someone found my lamp. I’ve been owned by 99,999 people. You make the 100,000th. And when you get sick of me, or you somehow unexpectedly die, I’ll be passed on to someone else, once again. Such is the life of the genie. Of me.”
“I thought we were bounded until the end of eternity?” I asked after a palpable silence. He looked down, hair falling in his face, and began playing with his bracelet he always wore. “Kotetsu?” I prodded.
“While that is technically true, you could always wish for the bond to be broken and to be rid of me. There’s a loophole.” He didn’t look at me when he said it. I could tell it pained him to even tell me that. I don’t remember reading that in his book either but I do remember seeing something like a tear where a page once was. Whether he ripped it out or one of the other’s, it doesn’t matter now. I fixed my glasses and glanced at him. He reminded me of an unwanted dog honestly. Once someone used him up, they threw him away. He would outrun his use, three wishes, that’s all everyone else got. Never really had a place to call home except when he was a child… and now.
I leaned over and wrapped my arms around him, giving him a very tight hug and a forehead kiss. He seemed surprised at first, shuddering at the sudden touch, but melted into it eventually.
“So, while I’m at it, buttering you up and everything, can you add my recipes to your café menu now?” I smacked him on his arm and got up. “Well if that story earned anything, I suppose it earned maybe one or two slots of your recipes in my place.” He smiled at that. A pretty smile that softened his eyes.
“Great! Let’s get started, like, now.” He took my hand, snapped his fingers and before I even knew it, we were back home. Kotetsu was already in the kitchen grabbing the ingredients he would be using. It made a smile come to my face watching him.
He was a tortured soul, but he never let that show to me, to anyone. He trusted me enough to be vulnerable with and I appreciated that very much. I walked in to help him in the kitchen, having a new found respect and understanding of the magical man I found in a junkyard lamp.
*** I never actually noticed how tall Kotetsu is, he obviously got that gene from his papa. No wonder he hardly fits in poses haha!
I also got the internetz back! Obviously since I’m posting something lol, I also posted something before this chapter and some of you gave input that unfortunately didn’t help my ordeal. I also posted on the official forums and well… a new pc is in order again. That sucks because who has new pc money right now? Not me. And these next couple parts of the legacy requires the twins to be in a school setting which I cannot place a non-rabbit hole building without the game freezing because my laptop goes ‘whoop, guess I better say F to you and your legacy now. Do something else.’ The woes of playing this game… well anyway read on and enjoy. I rambled enough.
The Legacy of the Xavier's 