The Sparrow Floats East Because It Can (Random Book #5)

Scattered Petals in the Wind

My (really really late) Christmas gift fic for tiane- ! An AU Injured Ryoma x Child Caregiver! Reader! (One thought was to have it be set in a modern day AU but if I were to make this a story like The Nohrian Maid/The Vampire's Servant then I might set this in a different time. IDK I don't if anyone would be interested in my making a longer version of this)

Okay so in this I'd imagined the caretakers wearing the clothing of Mikō from like Inuyasha because I'm too lazy to describe what MC is wearing.

(L/N) - Last Name
(F/N) - First Name

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It was a quiet day at the Heiwa Orphanage. All of the children had been fed breakfast and were off playing games. You had maybe an hour before you gathered the younger children for their lessons, so you decided to head to the garden that surrounded the orphanage for some peace and quiet, given that several of the children were in the inner garden. You sat down on the ground, breathing in the air and watching the cherry blossom petals fall. It was calming and peaceful, the direct opposite of what the afternoon lessons would be, so you decided to savor every minute of it.

You watched the river flow nearby before noticing something.... Off. You got up and carefully walked over, before realizing what it was as you froze.

It was blood.

Before you could scream, you saw a body floating, surrounded by pieces of armor that fell into the riverbend. Without even fully registering what was happening, you ran into the river (thankful that this was the shallow part) and grabbed the man. He was rather heavy, and when you gripped his shoulders you could feel his muscles, making you realize that it would be hard to drag him. Normally you would have admired him, but seeing the blood ebbing out of his wounds, you wisely decided to focus on the task at hand. Using all of your force, you (slowly) dragged him onto land and laid him down carefully to avoid aggravating his injuries. You instinctively reached into your pocket and pulled out a vulnerary and several strips of cloth. It seemed odd for an orphange worker to carry those around, but given that Ayumu and Daichi frequently got into fist fights and Mariko was klutzy, you had to have several on you or else there would be blood everywhere.

Carefully kneeling down, you uncap it and start to apply it to the man's wounds. Most of them were on his arms and legs, with two on his torso and a giant gash on his face. He softly groaned after you applied the vulnerary to most of his wounds, and you began to relax a little.

At least until you saw his face, and your blood went cold.

It was Prince Ryoma.

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A few hours later, you finished your lesson with the children. You headed to your room, where Ryoma was staying. Once you entered, he slowly sat up.

"Where.... Where am I?" He asks.

"You're at the Heiwa Orphanage," you replied. "My name is (L/N) (F/N), and I'm one of the caretakers here, Prince Ryoma."

He flinched as he tried to move, and you quickly went to his side, pulling out another vulnerary. You start to reapply it to his wounds. "Be careful, my lord. I found you badly wounded in the river. I was unable to retrieve your armor, but I managed to get you out alright."

"Thank you, (F/N)," he says, and you couldn't help but smile.

You felt someone tug on your clothes, and you turn to see Noriko standing there. You smile warmly. "Hello Noriko."

"Ca-Can you stay with me...? Aneko-sama is not here," Noriko whispers.

You heart broke. Noriko was a mere four years old, and she was orphaned two months ago due to some Nohrian soldiers killing her family. Noriko relived the sight every night in her dreams, so one of the caretakers, Aneko, had to stay with her. Unfortunately, Aneko had a family emergency and had to leave this afternoon....

"Of course," you reply. You turn to Ryoma and smile weakly. "I'm sorry, but I have to go with Noriko.... Will you be alright?"

"Of course," Ryoma replied as he smiled. "Thank you, (F/N)."

You smiled as you left, heading to the room where Noriko was staying.

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Within a few days, everyone at the orphange knew that Ryoma was staying at the orphanage till he fully recovered. He would stay in your room while you stayed with little Noriko in the room where the four year olds slept. As he got better, Ryoma would walk around, and sometimes help with small tasks as a way to repay the orphanage for taking him in. Or rather, it was his way of thanking you.

As the days passed, more and more children got adopted. Since there was no war (Ryoma had actually won the last battle and had fallen in a river due to his wounds), families were coming in and adopting children left and right. Rooms were emptying out, allowing children to have their own rooms.

Yet despite all this, no one wanted to adopt Noriko.

Which was fine by you, given that you were attached to her by now.

She was such a sweet child, and she constantly babbled about her thoughts. She could instantly make a room light up, and it seemed as though she could sense sadness, as she would find the sad person and hug them till they got better. Her nightmares were fading now, but you still stayed with her.

One day, you and Ryoma were sitting in the inner garden, like you do everyday since he was able to walk again. You were listening to him talk about his family when Noriko toddled over and sat in your lap. You couldn't help but smile, and you gently laid a hand on her head.

Ryoma noticed and smiled. Resting an arm on your shoulder, he pulled you closer to him. "I feel at peace here.... The three of us. Let's enjoy this moment before we have to move."

You knew what Ryoma was referring to.

Having fallen in love with you, Ryoma had decided to return back to the castle with you as his wife, and adopt Noriko as his daughter (because she never left him alone). There was a lot to do (like packing), and you groaned internally at that thought.

But for now, you decided to enjoy this moment of peace with your new family.

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I feel bad for the way I ended this but otherwise it would be a full length novel.... Also apologizes for no actual flirting or romance........

On another note, I forgot to mention that the Reader herself is orphaned and longed for a family of her own, which is part of the reason why she grows attached to Noriko (Reader-chan also lost her family to Nohrians).

I literally created OC kids so that I wouldn't have to imagine killing off characters like Elluki or Isa. Some names actually came from characters I had made and abandoned - I'll talk about them in a later chapter (They are Noriko and Mariko, in case anyone was wondering. Aneko is another OC that I abandoned but I made her a caretaker).

Also Heiwa means peace

If I were to do a longer story, the Reader wouldn't recognize Ryoma, as his hair was cut, he was battered all over, and it hurt for him to talk, and as Ryoma gets better (and regrows his hair) the Reader ends up recognizing him (and goes into shock). Meanwhile Ryoma has amnesia and goes by a different name.

I hope you enjoy your gift tiane!