Note: Written for kazesuke for Yuletide 2014.
Wash Your Hands With Fruit
by EstiRose
Getting started in the human world, Candelilla had to admit, was hard. Despite her human form - and Luckyuro’s - becoming good after being with the Deboth legion for so long didn’t come easily. Still, she was sure that Nobuharu was right when he said that she could be a good person, and for him, she would be a good person.
She just wished he could see her, see how hard she and Luckyuro were working to bring joy to the humans. Watch him beam in pride at her accomplishments, of what joy she’d brought to the world since she’d become part of it.
Joy for humans seemed to be such an elusive thing! She’d used that to her advantage when she was in the Legion, but it made her job harder now that she was out of that. There were no more Debo Monsters to assist her, not that she wanted to have any, not anymore. But still, they’d brought joy before they’d brought heartbreak, and that was important to her. They’d brought joy to humans, if only for a brief while.
Maybe she needed a little more joy in her life, she had to admit. She was good at giving others the joy they needed, but she could use a little of her own. But she had no clue on what to do.
And then she jumped up. Nobuharu! She could visit him. He was joyful like her, just the perfect person to lift her mood. He was more or less retired as a Kyoryuger, she was no longer a Knight. There shouldn’t be any problems in her seeing him. Luckyuro was off reading the latest volume of Love Touch and wouldn’t want to go with her on this trip.
It wasn’t hard to find out where he lived, not with him wearing his work outfit all the time. It felt almost familiar when she got there, his home, and she hoped he was in. It occurred to her that he might need more joy in his life, too. He had his beautiful jokes, but not everybody appreciated them as she did.
She knocked on the door, hoping that he or his sister would be there. At least his sister might recognize her, and Candelilla was certain that both of them would welcome her.
The door opened, and Candelilla took a deep breath, smiling the most adorable smile she could muster in human form. On the other side of the door, Nobuharu’s sister blinked. “Candelilla?”
Candelilla nodded enthusiastically. “It’s me! I’ve come to see Nobuharu.”
“Come inside.” The former KyoryuCyan let her into the house, though it was plain she wasn’t sure what to do with this former opponent. And yet she knew that Candelilla was no threat to her world, didn’t she?
She folded her hands, smiling at Yuko, whose name she finally recalled. Names weren’t her strong point, joy was. If she wasn’t causing joy, she didn’t always remember to check what the human’s name was. She supposed that it was a bad habit of hers that she had to break.
Yuko brought her to what Candelilla supposed was their living room. It was small, but Candelilla didn’t mind at all. This was Nobuharu’s home, and he had to return and then she’d see him again. Make sure he was all right and happy and then he’d make her happy in return.
Even if it didn’t quite work that way - human emotions were complex! - at least it would give her something to work off of. Her true form still scared people, but it had never scared him, and it had never scared his sister.
Still, Yuko sat down with a smile. It relieved Candelilla, because even if it took her a moment, Yuko seemed to recognize her as an ally. “Here, I’ll get you some tea,” Yuko said. “Nobuharu’s out on a job, but he’ll be home shortly.”
Candelilla’s heart leapt a little bit at that. “Oh, good!” She let Yuko lead her to a small table in the house. It wasn’t a large house - Nobuharu didn’t seem to be very rich, but she didn’t care. Wasn’t it happiness that mattered? At least to her it did. And she was sure that it mattered to Nobuharu, too.
“I’ll be back shortly. It won’t take me long,” Yuko said, and Candelilla was happy to wait. This place felt like home, even if it wasn’t hers. It said something about Nobuharu and the world he lived in more than anything else.
And it didn’t take Yuko long, or at least Candelilla didn’t think so. The woman was back quickly with two cups of tea, and set one before Candelilla, looking at her curiously. “I didn’t ask if you could drink tea,” she said.
Candelilla nodded enthusiastically. “I can eat anything a human can eat!”
“Or drink anything a human can drink?” Yuko smiled a little. “That’s good. Nobaru told me a little bit about his adventures before I became a Kyoryuger.”
Taking a sip of the tea, Candelilla beamed at Yuko. “It’s very good tea! I haven’t drunk much tea, but….”
“I’m glad I’m able to help you. I know you don’t have that much experience with humans.”
“That’s why I’m visiting him. I was hoping that he could show me the way.” She smiled even more, wishing that she could beam her smile to everybody in the world. But that wasn’t possible, and even if it was, she’d learned that she couldn’t force happiness. Help create it, yes. Forcing it was not so good.
“I’m sure he can. We all can, if you want.” There was a surge in Yuko’s smile.
“That would be wonderful!” It wasn’t what she expected, but she would take it. She hadn’t thought of asking Nobuharu’s family, just Nobuharu.
“You never thought to ask before?” Yuko looked at her, folding her hands.
“I thought that if I could see Nobuharu’s smile, I could figure out what to do!” But it wasn’t just his smile she was seeking, apparently. Yuko’s smile lifted her mood considerably. “But it’s just as good to see you smiling.”
That made Yuko smile wider, and Candelilla could just feel the joy coming off of her. “You two are two of a kind, aren’t you?” Yuko asked, and Candelilla was caught for a moment in surprise. Yuko wasn’t angry, but happy that Candelilla reminded her of something pleasant.
“Yes,” Candelilla said, beaming. “We work well together. We both want to make people happy.”
“Well, it’s a little more complex than that, but yes. I think you and my brother have the same goals.” Yuko smiled.
“I knew when I met him that I should get to know him better. I wonder what would have happened if the wedding interview had gone through?” Yuko didn’t take well to her - at least when she found out that Candelilla was what humans would consider a monster - but she’d otherwise approved.
“I’ll let Nobuharu answer that.” Yuko gave her a smile. In another part of the house, a door slammed open.
“I’m back, Yuko!” Nobuharu exclaimed. He sounded happy, and Candelilla could tell that he felt the same.
“You have a guest,” Yuko called. “We’re in the kitchen.”
In only a few more seconds, or maybe it only seemed that way, Nobaru was bounding in. He was smiling at Yuko, but the moment he saw Candelilla’s face, his own lit up. “Candelilla!” he exclaimed, and she was halfway out of her seat before she realized it.
“Nobuharu,” Candelilla said, launching herself into his arms. Kissing him on the cheek, she leaned back a little. “I wanted to see you again.”
“Oh,” he said, suddenly seeming a bit bashful. Candelilla hadn’t thought past seeing him again, she had to admit. “I’m sorry, I had to watch a shoe box.”
“Could it?” she asked, knowing there was a punchline to it, and wanting to know what it was.
“No, but a tin can.” He smiled at her, and she collapsed into giggles. This was why she liked him so much, how he understood joy and humor and everything that was a part of who she was.
“Definitely made for each other,” she heard Yuko say with some amusement. “I’ll leave you two alone.”
She heard Nobuharu thanking Yuko, but she couldn’t concentrate on that. It was so good to see him, so good to be with him, and maybe together they could do what she wanted to do, to make everybody happy.
Happiness spread, after all, if one gave it half a chance. And starting with them, the world would surely be even more joyful.