#pirilika

A place where you can be yourself, a place where you can cry I’ll become that for you

“I was talking with Flonne about your curse,” Pirilika says, not looking up as she very carefully cuts the patterned fabric she bought the previous week. Another outfit for Ao, apparently. “I hope you don’t mind. But two sleds are faster than none, so I thought it wouldn’t hurt.”

“Two heads are better than one,” Fuji says, almost automatically. Sitting across her with one of her many sketchbooks in hand, he raises an eyebrow. He’s been expecting a quiet afternoon, especially after they’ve just gotten back from helping out another Netherworld the day prior. The echoes of the curse have settled onto his limbs, and downtime is usually enough to help deal with it.

He does usually get that quiet whenever he catches Pirilika personally working on an outfit in her atelier, as she could very rarely be distracted from her newest vision. And even if he could succeed in turning her attention away, her bringing up the curse has been at the bottom of his expectations.

Shifting in his seat to a more comfortable position, Fuji asks, “What, you think she can help?”

Pirilika finishes cutting around the pattern she pinned against the fabric before finally looking up. Her smile is so bright that it’s almost blinding. “She did help Ao. And she knows of a lot of Netherworlds. So I thought, maybe she can help you too? Or at least find someone who can maybe give us a clue.”

“I’m not that excited to owe anyone, let alone an angel, another favor, Piriko,” Fuji says dryly, ignoring the tightness in his chest and the hint of blood on his tongue. “Besides, I can live with it.”

“I know, but it would be nice to know your options, right?” Pirilika says, frowning as she sets aside her scissors. “And you haven’t been holding back with doting on Ao–which she deserves! But it still hurts you every time.”

Fuji shrugs as he trains his eye on the many designs Pirilika has drawn for his daughter. She’s been trying to get all of them to wear her designs, Fuji included, but Ao is definitely her favorite to make outfits for. “Yeah, well, you always heal me anyway. It’s fine,” he says. “Besides, I don’t trust some random higher-up in Celestia.”

“She’s not just a random higher-up,” Pirilika says. “She’s a friend! And Ceefore trusts her too.”

“Weapon Otaku’s not always the best judge of character. Neither are you, Piriko.” Grinning, he adds, “If anything, you’re probably the worst.”

“I was right about you though!”

“Eh, you got lucky.”

“I did,” she says, voice so soft that he can’t help looking up. She isn’t even looking at him as she pins another part of her paper pattern on the remaining fabric. As if this is just a plain old thought that doesn’t bear any further introspection. “I got very, very lucky. I can’t thank you enough, Fuji.”

He should have been able to predict it, but he isn’t able to push down the cough in time. He remembers to hold her sketchbook away at least. For the sake of Ao and her future dresses, of course. “Damn it, Piriko. Stop saying embarrassing things. I thought you were trying to help.”

“I am!” she says as she places the fabric down gently on the table in front of her. She holds out her hands and Fuji immediately feels the relief her magic provides. “And,” she continues, after his coughing subsides, “if Flonne does get back to me, I’ll look into any of her leads. You don’t have to owe her or even me anything. We can just say I’m doing this for my own sake.”

“What, you tired of healing me all the time already?”

“Of course not, silly. But…well, I did say I’d make it so you can have a place to be yourself. And I’ve been thinking–”

“Well, that’s dangerous.”

She scrunches her nose at him briefly but continues. “I’ve been thinking, that hoping to do that while doing nothing about your curse is kind of selfish, right? I mean, that’s like saying I want you to push through the pain. And I’m sure you already do that every day for us.”

The sentiment is not surprising, certainly not from her, but he can’t help watching her face quietly anyway. It’s not exactly the same, but he’s still reminded of the times when they’d hear someone criticize Opener for the fall of Hinomoto. A hint of guilt, and maybe some helplessness in the way her lips try to force a sympathetic smile that doesn’t quite reach her eyes.

She’s probably thinking something stupid like her not having the right to be upset about him hurting.

“You really are a dumbass,” he says, with no real bite to his tone. “Look, I can handle it, all right? But if you want to look into it so badly, I’m not stopping you.”

That brings back the genuine smile on her face. The sight stabs through him, but he carries on. “Just don’t get yourself killed while playing detective or whatever. Otherwise, I’d be forced to find another gullible customer who can pay as well as you. And with my luck and in this economy? Hah.”

The insult hardly dulls the brightness of her voice. “You can always come with me. I’ll pay for your time, of course.” It’s an excuse they both use and will probably continue to use until, well, until something changes. He’s not holding his breath on anything.

“You know,” he says instead, before his thoughts lead him further, “I’ve been thinking of upping my rates recently.”

“Is that a no?” She pouts, a little more exaggerated than usual.

“Only if you can’t pay,” he says, grinning.

It’s hardly an obstacle. Nothing ever really is with Pirilika.

As Fuji watches her go back to making another dress for his little girl, he allows himself to let go of what little doubt he has left.

Maybe she can do this one too.

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A/N: This is more of a practice piece, since I haven’t written anything in sooo longgg, let alone for Disgaea, oops. Please forgive (´；ω；`)ｳｩｩ

I see FujiPiri in…a lot of aspects to the point that I’d prefer to call them soulmates…? Not necessarily in a romantic sense. But more of in a, “they would have inevitably been in each other’s lives one way or another” or “they come in a set; do not separate them” kind of way. Shrug emojis at the universe. It’s not my fault the ending song is like that ww.

Anyway, Fuji literally calls her Baal’s archnemesis. Of course, she can kick a curse in the ass too. The only thing stopping her in canon is definitely just the status quo.