Chapter Text
[READ BEFORE PROCEEDING TO UNDERSTAND THE WORK]
Title: Taste the Rain
Author: Meichimei
Status: Completed
Credit: Inspired by the song Taste the Rain by ippo.tsk.
*Only posted on AO3.
― ✦ ―
― ✦ ―
Three chapters. Three cups of sake. One passionate downpour.
A love poem born amidst the desolate ruins.
This fic is set in the decaying world of Gachiakuta. A bit of whiskey, a trace of cigarette smoke, and unfinished crosswords. This isn't exactly a rose-colored love story, it is how two kindred souls find one another amidst the wasteland.
― ✦ ―
Shot 01. K A N A S H I // The Blue Crane 𓅛
The blue crane and unforgettable memories.
Shot 02. A M O R U // The Umbrella ☂
Sake blending with wisps of smoke drifting through the rainy night.
Shot 03. N A G I // Taste the Rain 🌧︎ [Explicit]
The final intoxication, where rationality melts into absolute union.
⚠️ Important Notes:
1. Regarding the Linguistics and Crossword Conventions: In the context of this story, the crosswords and poetry from the Man'yōshū (Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves) will be decoded using the Latin alphabet (Romaji) instead of Kanji.
Rule: Each blank space corresponds to one Latin letter.
Example: The word K-A-N-A-S-H-I counts as 7 letters.
2. Vocabulary & Footnotes: This work utilizes several archaic Japanese words from the Man'yōshū. Detailed annotations regarding their meanings will be placed at the end of each chapter to ensure your reading experience is not interrupted. A few words will be explained right next to them in parentheses if necessary. If you spot any mistakes, please feel free to let me know!
3. About the Man'yōshū: Known as the "Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves," this is the oldest and most revered anthology of Japanese poetry. It spans 20 volumes and contains over 4,500 poems from various social classes.
The archaic vocabulary and cultural allusions in this fic are drawn from the archives of Kokugakuin University. Search reference: https://d-museum.kokugakuin.ac.jp/manyo/
📖 Author's Note:
This is just a short piece, I intentionally formatted it as a three-shot to capture the vibe of "three cups of sake and not yet drunk". But honestly, I ended up getting drunk on this rainy love story myself. It’s just so poetic, dynamic, and soft inside. Those who have read my other fics probably know how much I sucker for kindred souls finding each other.
The idea for this fic came to me when I realized I tend to be quite bad at writing romantic, intimate scenes out of fear of being too cheesy. Anyway, I am an aesthete at heart who finds it hard to write anything crude, so it is what it is. This fic is as aesthetic-driven as it can get.
The blue crane, Amamiya Yuunagi, is my third original character (OC), following Mireina (the Tuxedo Cat) and Kumo (the Red Spider). You can find more details about them in my profile. I hope you don't find my characters too similar to one another, they represent three entirely different flavors of craziness. But no matter how different their vibes are, deep down, they all share a spirit of resistance, rebellion, and fighting against evils. Yuunagi is definitely the gentlest and most grounded of the three. I’ll leave you to experience his character through the story.
Since Gachiakuta is still ongoing, I have no intention of making this a long fic. This piece is just a small perspective, staying as close to canon as possible (up to the point I've read) and a Character Study based on my personal perception of him. I hope you will find an Enjin and a Yuunagi who feel alive and true to their core natures.
Even though this fic is heavily inspired by Taste the Rain by ippo.tsk, if it doesn't match your taste, feel free to put on any music track with a hazy, poetic vibe to immerse yourself in this story!!
Now, enough talking. I invite you all to take a sip and taste this bittersweet rain together:
Mature and bitter like cigarette smoke.
Cherishing the values of the past.
And burning with all our might, because knowing we might die tomorrow, we must love each other to the absolute limit today.
Always like the first time, and always like the last.