Work Text:
For the longest time, it had always just been the two of them. They hardly ever interacted with people. They kept to themselves.
So when suddenly they decided to go check out the other Ryusoulgers, things went to hell very fast. At least, for Towa it did. He had gotten so used to only the company of his brother that he forget that other people just... did not know.
They didn't know how to communicate with him. Because he was deaf. And so suddenly he was thrust into a world where he was alone. Unable to understand anything at all. And it sucked.
When Bamba had suggested they go check out the Ryusoulgers since they were nearby, Towa had agreed without a second thought. It was only after he entered the battle that he realized the issue. He couldn't hear. If they were saying anything to him, he'd never know.
Towa didn't necessarily care if he came off as rude to them. They weren't friends. They were just in the way of him and his brother. They didn't deserve to be Ryusoulgers if that was how weak they were. But... what if they approached him alone? What if they looked down on him for not being able to hear?
While they were walking behind the other Ryusoulgers, Towa got Bamba's attention to ask.
"Nii-san, what do I do if they want to talk to me?" Towa questioned. "I can't understand them and they won't understand me."
Bamba shrugged off his worry. "Who cares? We don't need to interact with them. I'll do any talking that needs to be done and tell you what they said later, okay?"
Towa nodded. He didn't like that but it was the best they could do. He hated this new situation. It had been so long since he had to deal with people who didn't understand him.
When they got to the house, Towa had opted to occupy himself by playing around with all the different items out on display. He kept an eye on Bamba, watching to see if he ended up talking to the others.
Once he had freed the red one from the stone, he did start talking. Towa had no idea what they were saying. He had never liked trying to read lips before. He was able to at least piece together that Bamba introduced the two of them to the others.
Towa watched in interest. How was Bamba going to explain to them that he couldn't talk to them?
Red decided to start excitedly talking to them, even going and grabbing Towa and shaking him. Towa was very confused. What was he talking about? He brushed past Red and walked over to Bamba. Bamba shrugged at him.
The other two started talking as well. Towa was overwhelmed. Suddenly not understanding anyone was frustrating. He hated this feeling. Hated feeling so helpless.
Whatever they had said prompted Bamba to walk over to the girl on the couch. The one who the minosaur came from. Ah. He was getting rid of the minosaur then.
Except, Red stopped him. Towa wished he knew their names now. Oh well. Looks like he didn't want Bamba to kill the girl. The two were talking. Towa couldn't help but wonder what they were saying.
Bamba gave up trying to kill the girl at Red's defiance. He huffed and then walked away, motioning for Towa to follow. Towa glanced back at the others before he joined him brother.
Once they were away, Towa began asking questions.
"What are their names?" He started with.
"Red is Koh. Blue is Melto. Pink is Asuna." Bamba replied. "They really think they can kill the minosaur."
"Guess we'll have to see."
"Let's keep an eye on them. If they leave, we should kill that girl."
Towa nodded. He wanted to ask more, but hesitated. Would Bamba be mad if he was feeling like this? He always said he should hold his head high and not care if people didn't understand him. But... being the oddball hurt. The fact he couldn't join in that conversation at all hurt a lot.
"Did you tell them anything about me?" Towa asked. Did they know he was deaf?
Bamba shook his head. "Just said you wouldn't talk to them so don't bother trying."
That was one way to get them to leave him alone. Hopefully. Koh seemed like he might not accept that though. He wanted them to join, right?
...
After seeing that those three had found their Kishiryu already, Bamba said they should go search for theirs again. Towa agreed. It would be nice to have a Kishiryu on his side to help. Though... would his accept him with the fact he was deaf?
"Those three bonded with their Kishiryu. They didn't tame them." Towa was giving his thoughts on the matter to Bamba.
Bamba was nodding along, when he suddenly stopped and pulled out a ryusoul. He activated it and then used his sword to drag someone into view. It was Koh. He had followed them.
He started talking to them again. He seemed to be interested specifically in talking to Towa. Koh kept facing him as he spoke. Towa had no idea what to do. He felt helpless again. He couldn't communicate with Koh at all.
"What does he want?" Towa ignored him and looked at Bamba. Maybe this would give him the hint?
"Trying to be our friend. Let's go." Bamba replied and kept walking.
Towa followed behind. Bamba didn't get too far before he stopped and turned around. Had Koh said something again?
He turned around as well. Koh held up a map. Was that useful to them in some way. Towa looked at Bamba for an explanation.
"That map shows the temples where our Kishiryu might be." Bamba explained.
That was very useful then. Towa looked between Bamba and Koh. What did they have to do to get that map?
Koh said something again. Towa looked at Bamba. Bamba sighed and then spoke. He glanced at Towa.
"I told him you're deaf. He won't stop asking what we're doing with our hands." Bamba signed to him.
Towa hesitantly looked over at Koh. Surprisingly he didn't seem to care. Everyone else they had told always either seemed to pity him or wanted nothing to do with him. Yet Koh didn't seem like either.
He started talking to Bamba. Towa watched. What was he saying now? Was he asking questions? That seemed like a likely answer.
"He wants to learn how to sign so he can communicate with you."
When Bamba told him that, Towa had no idea how to react. Very few people had ever wanted to put in that effort for him. He had learned to accept that no one wanted to bother with him. And yet this one did. Someone they didn't want to bother with. How ironic.
Towa was intrigued by the offer. He wanted desperately to be able to communicate with them all. But they weren't meant to stay long.
"Can we?" Towa pleaded. "I hate not being able to understand anything."
Bamba seemed conflicted on what to do. Something interrupted his pondering. Towa looked at Koh. His changer was lighting up. Was someone calling him?
"A minosaur has been spotted." Bamba told Towa.
"Then let's go beat it!"
The three of them rushed off to fight the minosaur. Towa couldn't help but notice that Koh seemed a bit worried about his involvement. Towa didn't like that. He knew how to fight. He didn't need to hear for this to be possible.
But Koh kept getting in his way. Didn’t trust him not to get hurt. Towa was mad. The minosaur got away because of him.
When they undid their transformations, Towa glared at Koh. This was all his fault. Koh didn't seem to know what to make of his reaction.
"I'm not a helpless child! Stop getting in my way!" Towa was pissed enough he didn't even think before signing that. It was only after Koh gave him an even more confused look that he realized.
Bamba came over to them. He seemed to have a few words for Koh as well. Then Koh ran off. Towa and Bamba followed him. He had gone to check on the people with Asuna and Melto. It seemed like they weren't going to wake up anytime soon. So that was what the minosaur could do?
Bamba started to walk away. Towa quickly chased after him. Where was he going?
"Where are we going, nii-san?" Towa asked him at his silence.
"To find who this minosaur came from." Bamba replied.
Towa nodded. That was a good idea. That could solve a lot of their problems if they could just find this person. Though, the other Ryusoulgers might not let them kill the person very easily again. That was something they could deal with when they got there.
Except when they got there, it seemed like it was a child who had birthed the minosaur. They couldn't... kill a child. Right? That was a bit too much.
Koh pulled out the map again. Was he suggesting they should go find the Kishiryu? Towa walked over and grabbed the map, looking it over. Where were the Kishiryu at?
"There's multiple temples on here." Towa signed to Bamba.
"Then we have to split up."
...
Somehow splitting up meant him and Bamba weren't on the same team. It was true that they needed to find two separate Kishiryu but... he felt so alone and isolated without him. Melto and Koh were talking while he awkwardly walked with them. He had no idea what to do.
He knew that someone, either Bamba or Koh, had told Melto and Asuna that he was deaf. Didn't mean this was any better though. They still couldn't communicate at all. Towa hated this.
They came to a pause as their needle started going crazy. That meant there must be a temple around here, right? Towa looked around. They were in the forest. Just where could there be a temple?
Koh darted off. He must've seen something. Towas followed behind. They had found the temple but it was buried under a giant rock formation. How did they get it unburied?
Towa tried to lift it with a ryusoul, but to not avail. Koh called his Kishiryu to try and knock it off as well, but that did nothing. This was not going well.
Towa jumped as Tyramigo came down to be right behind him and Koh. He nervously glanced around. This wasn't the best. What were they saying?
They got a call. Towa couldn't hear what was said, but assumed it was about the minosaur. Looks like they had to go fight it again. Towa hesitated as Melto and Koh ran off.
He felt so out of place. With Bamba, he never did because they could easily communicate. But with these three, he couldn't do anything. He had no idea what was going on or what to do about it.
Tyramigo nudged him forward. Towa glanced back at him. Why was he still here? Towa sighed and went after the two boys. He had to fight still. They couldn't keep letting that minosaur go around and hurt people.
Towa arrived last. Bamba fell into step beside him. The minosaur was giant. That was bad. Towa glanced at Bamba.
Bamba walked away. Towa moved to follow, but stopped. Would he be welcomed? What was Bamba even doing? He looked back at where the three were fighting in their Kishiryus. He wished he could help them.
His changer lit up to signal a call again. Was it Bamba? Towa didn't know what was being said, but had a suspicion it was about the host of the minosaur. Bamba must've picked up on something, didn't he? From the way the other three reacted in the mecha, Towa felt he was right. Bamba was going to try and kill whoever it was.
Towa took a deep breath. He didn't want Bamba to kill whoever it was. But to stop him... he had to do something he didn't want to.
"Nii-san. Don't kill him."
Towa rarely spoke. He knew how. Had forced himself to learn to try and blend in better. Unfortunately his inability to lipread well made talking pretty much pointless. But, he needed to do so if he had any chance at stopping Bamba.
There was very clearly shock from everyone at him speaking. Towa glanced up at the battle.
"I have an idea. Revive my... Ki... thing." Towa couldn't even try to pronounce Kishiryu.
There was no movement. Did they not understand what to do? Or could they not understand him?
"Play with it." Towa said.
That seemed to be enough. Koha started moving the mecha once more. Playing with the minosaur. He got it to chase him. Towa smiled. It was working.
He hadn't wanted to talk, but it had been worth it. He was hopefully going to get his Kishiryu soon. Then he could help them fight.
Towa followed them on foot. It wasn't long before the reached the buried temple. The minosaur shot at it and destroyed the rocks. There was an opening. Towa darted inside. He didn't know if he could call his Kishiryu easily. Would they accept him?
Tigelance stood before him. Towa nervously reached out to touch him. Tigelance seemed to accept him. Didn't pull away from his touch. Towa nodded to the outside. They need him help. Tigelance understood his message and rushed out. Towa followed. Tigelance was beating up the minosaur.
Towa smiled. He did it. He found his Kishiryu and it accepted him. Now to finish off the minosaur. He gripped his ryusoul tightly in his hand for a second, before throwing it to Tigelance and joining the others.
He couldn't communicate at all, but it seemed like everyone was letting him lead. Towa nimbly maneuvered them around and beat back the minosaur. Before long, he was able to strike it down.
When they all returned to the ground, Towa was smiling. He had done it. Despite everything getting in the way, he had been able to work with them and defeat the minosaur.
Koh seemed the happiest at his involvement. Towa wasn't used to having anyone treat him so casually. But, he certainly didn't mind it.
The three soon left. They had invited Towa to join them, but he declined. He had something to do still.
He approached Tigelance again. The Kishiryu bent down and nuzzled him. Towa broke out into a bigger smile. Looks like his worry about not being accepted was stupid. Everyone had accepted him without hesitation.
Towa motioned for Tigelance to follow him. He wanted to go find Bamba. He was probably also looking for his Kishiryu still.
...
Towa eventually found Bamba in an underground area. Bamba turned around at his entrance. He could hear Tigelance's footsteps, Towa assumed.
"I didn't think you'd stop me from killing him." Bamba signed.
Towa shrugged. "Maybe those three are rubbing off on me a bit."
"Do you like them?"
Towa nodded. "They accepted me! They like me despite the fact I'm deaf! Please, nii-san. Can we work with them?"
Bamba pondered the request for a while before he finally replied. "I guess we might as well. I hate to say it but with five of us things are easier."
Towa was estatic at the news. He finally got to make friends. Finally got to be with people who wanted to be his friend.
"You'll teach them how to talk to me?" Towa questioned. "Our tribe uses a different sign language than normal people, right? They won't be able to find resources to learn it."
Bamba nodded. "I guess I'll have to. I hope they'll be easy students."
"I'm sure they will be."
Bamba walked up to him now. "You spoke."
Towa nervously nodded. "How else was I going to get my point across?"
"I just hope that knowledge doesn't change anything."
...
A while had gone by. Lots of things had happened. But, Towa couldn't be happier with the outcome. Despite all the ups and downs, he was able to find a place to belong.
Koh, Melto, and Asuna had all picked up the language well. In no time they had been able to start holding basic conversations with him. It was nice to be able to talk to them all. Even their friend, Ui, and her father had picked up some of the language as well. Towa hadn't expected that, but was happy that someone else wanted to learn for his sake. That everyone was trying so hard to make him feel welcomed around them all.
Despite Bamba's worry that they might try and take advantage of the fact he could talk, none of them ever brought up the topic again. They were all perfectly fine communicating the way he wanted.
They had also learned that they didn't need to worry over him in battle. Towa understood why they felt that way. After all, if he couldn't hear, how could he know there was an enemy behind him. But, Bamba had made sure he learned ways to make up for that. He knew what he was doing. Everyone accepted that.
There were still points where he struggled and there was nothing any of them could do about it. When they were separated, calling him wouldn't do much. He wouldn't know what they were telling him. They were still pondering a solution to that problem. The idea they had was potentially a sort of morse code to let him know the basics of what was being talked about.
The other issue was when they were all combined in their Kishiryu. They were all separated inside and unable to see each other well. No one had any idea on how to solve that issue yet, but they weren't about to give up. They'd find a way. They'd not stop until they did.
Towa had worried a bit over being able to call Tigelance, but he had worked out a signal with the Kishiryu that meant he was needed. Sure, he could call his name like everyone else, but he was struggling to. He hated talking to begin with.
When they had first met Canalo, things had been rough again. He didn't seem to care about them at all so Towa had no hope of ever getting to understand what he was saying. But yet, as time went by with him, he ended up also starting to learn how to sign. Towa couldn't believe it when it had first happened, but he was glad things had changed between them.
Things definitely were not perfect by any means, but they were so much better than what Towa had ever hoped for. Even Bamba seemed quite surprised by how supportive everyone had been and how willing they were to change things to make Towa feel more welcome with them all.
Towa was glad he finally found a place he could belong in. A place where he was accepted for who he was and not asked to change himself for everyone else.