#and they mainly banter with each other in both forms. they still don't know it's each other though

[lunar-wandering]

i so desperately need fans of Miraculous Ladybug to watch the Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne anime from the 90's because i GUARANTEE that anime is what Miraculous was inspired by-

[beautifulsnake2162020]

We have it all (Hualian adopted daughter fanfic) - Chapter 1

Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction. I only do this for fun.

Premise: Not long after comforting a bullied girl named Meng Ai, Hua Cheng and Xie Lian find themselves adopting her and together they form a family they didn't know they had needed for awhile.

Story/Genre tags: Slice of life-ish (mainly), Family focused, Hua Cheng's houses finally become homes, there may be an overarching story but that's not the focus, Hualian being parents, Fengqing being uncles, Lang Qianqiu falling in love with someone who was raised by the Xianle squad, technically post-canon (though I haven't read the books so if there are some ooc moments please forgive me).

AO3 link

Follower Tags: @anonimgato1507

Chapter 1

"Congratulations to the newlyweds." A powerful yet gentle voice with an underlying enthusiasm silences the chatter in the wedding banquet. Even Feng Xin and Mu Qing had halted their banter to turn their attention to the latest arrival. They share a glance, and give each other a knowing look as they watch the new guest with concerned alertness.

With every step the new guest took towards the new husbands there were hushed whispers beginning to occur. All of which involved the same emotions of concern, amusement, awe, and confusion.

The only ones who was pleasantly surprised by the new arrival were the newlyweds themselves.

"Xiwangmu, it's been awhile since you've ventured out of your gardens. Thank you for your congratulations." Xie Lian says as he and Hua Cheng wait for her to approach them. From his periphery he notices Hua Cheng's subtle expression of curiosity mixed with concern beneath his calmness.

"Just because I prefer to stay in my gardens and spend my days with my husband does not mean I am unaware of current events. A marriage involving a Supreme Ghost King and a God is quite rare and I feel I must be present to offer my congratulations and blessing. Though I'm quite sure that you are both more than capable of having a happy one even without either." The Great Mother goddess then gives a bow to the couple. Low enough to show that she is being respectful but high enough to show that she is greater than all beings present.

The newlyweds follow the same, Hua Cheng may not have any qualms about killing any God who simply insulted his husband but even he knows better than to disrespect the Goddess whose domain is life, death, creation and destruction. Even ghosts are under her mercy. If there is anyone who could destroy a ghost for good, it is her. The fact that she showed up in their wedding banquet is either a great blessing or a great curse.

Or perhaps both or neither at all.

His instincts told him that she was being sincere in her intentions but she also had an underlying motive for showing up.

She raises her eyebrow and smirks at him.

"Don't be alarmed, I didn't feel the need to interfere in your journey to get to this point. It's why my husband and I merely watched from afar."

"Well I'm glad that you have decided to appear in our wedding." Xie Lian says in a thankful yet diplomatic tone. Only San Lang's thumb caressing the back of his hand kept him steady. In truth he didn't know what to make of her presence here. He can only hope that it is a blessing. After all neither she nor her husband had ventured beyond their gardens and rarely appeared in the heavenly court. He still hasn't met her husband. He asked her about it when she attended the banquet in heaven celebrating his first ascension into heaven.

"My husband is finished with heavenly affairs." She says as she gives him a basket of peaches from her garden. The peaches of immortality serving as a form of assurance that he is indeed immortal.

"It's why only I enter into the domain of heaven. Heaven for him only causes exhaustion of the work he used to do before he appointed a successor. I don't want to subject him to that type of stress again. But who knows..." she cuts open a peach and hands one half to him.

"Given the right circumstances you might finally meet him in the future." And that was the last he saw of her.

Until now.

"How fortunate it is then that my husband and I have a gift for the newlyweds. Something which I will discuss with you at the end of tonight's banquet. But nevertheless I have already given my congratulations, and now as I stand before both of you I shall now give my blessing for your marriage." Multiple colors come out from her palms and gently embrace the newlyweds. There was an aura of optimism, hope, and encouragement emitting from the aura she gave them. It was at this point that everyone began to relax in her presence. If she wanted to cause harm and a ruckus even a powerful Goddess like herself couldn't hide her malicious intent for long.

"There, now I shall wait till you are both ready to meet me in private for the wedding gift that my husband and I have prepared for you." She gives a small bow of her head and gives them a sincere smile before she allows herself to be lead to a place cleared for her beside Lang Qianqiu and his ward. Gradually the banquet returned to the normal fanfare celebrating the newlyweds and everyone almost forgot that the Goddess who rules over their life and death was in their midst.

Once majority of their guests have departed Yin yu escorted the Goddess to a private room with the newlyweds. She passes by Feng Xin ang Mu Qing who both bow with reverence to her. She also feels their skepticism and alertness to her presence. Something she's used to as part of the domain she rules and controls over. It is because of her domain that she and her beloved husband can afford to stay away from heavenly affairs and live a relatively peaceful life.

"We are in private now, I know you want to speak with me more directly than when we had an audience." She says with her gaze focused on the Crimson Rain Sought Flower. He gives a low chuckle as he settles himself to his Gege's right side.

"What gave me away?"

"I could sense that you wanted to dismiss formality and ask me what my real intentions were. But you couldn't out of your love for Dianxie. Well - " she opens her palms and spread them in an encouraging gesture.

"We are mostly alone now, be as direct as you want with me."

"Very well - this gift that you and your husband have for us. There's a hidden catch to it isn't there."

"Yes." Hua Cheng smirks.

"You're not going to deny it?"

"What would be the point? If you think about it everything has a hidden catch. Whether that is to your detriment or favor is up to the both of you."

"Then why give it to us then?"

"Because from what we have observed, you two are the best option to recieve this gift." This catches Xie Lian's attention.

"Let me guess." Xie Lian began. "We need to prove ourselves in some way to recieve this gift."

"Precisely."

"Then is it really a gift then?" Xie Lian asks as calmly as possible while his hand rubs Hua Cheng's.

"It is, don't worry - we are both confident that you two will pass our final test before we give you the gift."

"You don't have it with you." Hua Cheng's voice doesn't bother hiding his skepticism about her intentions. For all he knows she's the master mind and this mysterious husband of hers is unaware of what she's doing.

"Let's just say the gift will be delivered in the right time. I never said that you would receive it tonight."

"Hmm fair point."

"And you're really not going to tell us?"

"Dianxie, both of you are intelligent enough to deduce what the gift may be. Why should I do the work for you? That would be an insult to the intelligence you both possess."

"Or an excuse for you to hide your true intention hidden in this gift." Hua Cheng doesn't bother hiding the threatening tone in his voice. After what he and Gege had been through, he will be damned if they will once again be used in the games of others.

"Think what you will, but I'll tell you right now that should you pass the confirmatory test and should you accept the gift it will also be a favor to me and my husband."

"In what way?"

"Let's just say dear Ghost King, that it would save us from finding other worthy recipients - and before you refuse, I'm not allowing any refusal until you know all you need to know to make a decision."

"The decision to refuse is getting more and more appealing."

"San Lang."

"Are you really not going to tell us what it is?"

"Don't overthink it. Just be yourselves, I'm confident that you will like the gift and will treasure it."

"It better not be a useless toy for a passing amusement."

"Oh don't worry Crimson Rain Sought Flower." She says with a smug smile as she stands.

"I'm sure neither of you will see the gift that way."

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"What are you thinking Gege?" Xie Lian was brought back to the present as he and Hua Cheng were making their way back to Puchi shrine on a horse driven cart. This time it was Hua Cheng who had the reins while he sat beside him.

"Oh just a couple of things." He says with a blush as he lays his head on his husband's right shoulder.

"Hmm, what's the first?"

"The second time we met...our first real conversation when you were in disguise."

"Like how I am now?"

"Oh be honest, you've also placed one on me."

"Why wouldn't I?" Hua Cheng chuckles and Xie Lian sneaks a kiss on his shoulder.

"It wouldn't do if people would think that you were cheating on me with someone else."

"Hmm but I love you in all of your forms."

"And I love you in all of yours." He pulls the reins stopping the horse as they arrive on front of Puqi shrine. They begin unloading the items from the cart and begin making some partial preparations for the incoming ghost month.

"What was the other thing that you were thinking of?" Hua Cheng asks as they settle down to eat their lunch.

"I was thinking that it was seven years since we got married and till now I don't think we've done any test or recieved any gift from Xiwangmu."

"She could just be bluffing. I may not know her personally, but I wouldn't put it past the Gods to not follow through on their promises."

"Still, she sounded sincere. Perhaps she and her husband forgot."

"Hmph, it wouldn't be the first time for a God or Goddess."

Then from a distance the sound of thunder rumbling emerges.

"Huh, there seems to be a storm coming. We'll need to make some final preparations before the downpour starts."

"Last I checked we'll have to prioritize wood. We could also spend this as one more stroll in the outside before we lock ourselves in?"

"I'd be delighted." Xie Lian says before leaning over to kiss Hua Cheng. Their lips meet briefly, now was not the time for a long lingering one. Once the rain will fall there would be plenty of time for that.

Hand in hand they make their way to the forest, the same forest they had to pass through when they were escaping from ghosts during their second meeting. Perhaps it is instinct, or simply a feeling, but the moment they both entered the forest they heard sobs from someone crying.

It was strange, no one would stay within this forest because of the ghosts that lived in it. And whenever the ghost month would arrive and when the worlds of the ghosts and the mortals collided, it frequently ended up with mortals spreading fear from their ghostly encounters or their deaths. The ghosts would just be more and more active in taking mortal lives.

The sounds of sobbing began to be louder in volume. They share a look of silence to pursuit it. If this is a ghost who is weeping then they will need to help it find its peace before other ghosts may take advantage of their despair.

But it was not a ghost who was crying.

On a stump, a little girl was pouring out her despair.

"I...I don't..." She couldn't help but bring a new batch of tears as the thunder begins to get louder.

"Why...why don't...why don't they like me?" She looks up to the sky. The sky was beginning to darken, and she knew that it was going to rain soon.

Better that she help the rain water the ground while she still has so much tears to give.

"Why doesn't anyone want to be my friend?! Even the creatures in this forest don't want to be my friend! What did I do wrong?!" The first few rain drops begin pouring down.

"Baba says that not everyone could see or talk to ghosts like we could. I tried...I tried to talk to the ghosts here...but nobody wants to be friends with me...what...what did I do wrong?" She brings her head back down to the stump. She feels so desperate now that she just wants to cry her heart out.

"I...I don't...I don't want to be alone...can someone...anyone, please tell me what's wrong with me?"

"Nothing is wrong with you." A deep but gentle voice responds. She looks up from the tree stump and sees a beautiful man with an eye patch over his right eye. His left eye gives her a reassuring look as he gives her a gentle smile. It's only after blinking a few times that she realizes that he's also holding an umbrella which protected them from the rain.

"Really?"

"Yes little one."

"Then why do they say mean things to me?"

"What do they say?"

"That because I could talk to ghosts and have mismatched eyes I was cursed at birth. And they don't want to be with someone who is cursed." She wipes some of her tears on her sleeve as she looks up at the mysterious man. Her parents did warn her to not talk to strangers but something about him was reassuring her that she isn't in any danger.

And she was tired of being alone.

"Is that so?"

"Yes, they also say that my parents made a mistake in giving me my name. Because how can someone who is cursed have love?"

"That is cruel." She was touched by his tone. But she couldn't help but bring a new wave of tears.

Why was he being so nice to her?

Isn't she supposed to be cursed?

And yet here is someone who is talking to her and shielding her from the rain.

"Would you like to know something about me?" She feels her voice become hoarse in trying to say yes. So she nods at the beautiful man and she feels herself lighten up as he smiles at her.

"I was also bullied because of my eyes."

"Really?"

"Yes, little one. Just like you I had mismatched eyes. And others would also say mean things to me."

He leans closer to her as the rain gets stronger. Bringing her closer to the center of the umbrella. Up close he could clearly see that her left eye was a vibrant blue color and her right eye had the same amber color that Gege had.

And she was just like him a long time ago.

Wanting to not be alone.

Everyone rejecting him.

And only one who didn't.

"It had gotten so bad that I thought life had no meaning anymore."

"What happened?" Hua Cheng gives her a gentle smile.

"Someone saved me."

"How?"

"He gave me something to live for."

She calmed down and she was no longer crying. She was now truly listening to him and his words. Behind her was Xie Lian sharing a knowing look with him.

"Would you like to meet him little one?"