#i also knew i eventually wanted minori to be caught by kohane

[kawaiichibiart]

Another AU I wanna work on:

The Secret World of Minori (aka The Secret World of Arrietty AU)

This AU mainly focuses on MMJ as they go by their lives trying to live in a garden close to a cottage belonging to two girls (An and Kohane).

Borrowers, in this AU, hide from humans due to their people being captured and sold as pets and/or toys. One of the Borrowers who's sadly fallen to this fate was Shizuku's childhood friend, Tsukasa. Prior to his kidnapping, another Borrower, Kanade, was taken. Borrowers are told to never go out alone and to stick with at least one other if they go out, especially if they go inside of humans homes. Some Borrowers carry weapons on their person constantly (sewing needles are a popular option).

Borrowers:

Minori

Haruka

Airi

Shizuku & Shiho

Tsukasa & Saki

Toya

Kanade

Nene

Mafuyu

All the VS

Humans:

Emu

Rui

Ena & Akito

Mizuki

Honami

Ichika

An

Kohane

While this AU does focus on MMJ, other characters will show up. Obviously there's Anhane, who are MMJ's "neighbors." In a nearby village, the Shinonomes live and they are in possession of Mafuyu, who was captured not too long after they evacuated their old home. In the same village, in different areas, Honami is taking care of Kanade, and Emu and Rui are taking care of Tsukasa.

MMJ eventually learn that:

• Mafuyu ranaway after her mom dismissed how she felt about Kanade being taken, saying that much like her mother, Kanade just had to sit too close to the carnations, she was as good as dead. She ranaway and got captured. She was sold quickly to the Shinonomes, specifically Shinei who then gifted her to Ena, his eldest child.

Humans are...odd. I don't understand them... They lie and they hurt and they take things away. But... I don't know. I don't understand them. I don't understand her. She always seems so mad, and everyday I expect her to take it out on me, but she doesn't...her brother seems nice, I suppose...

• Kanade was taken 3 years prior to the mass evacuation. This is something they've already known, what they didn't know was that she was bought by an elderly woman and gifted to her granddaughter a few weeks after she was captured. She's been living with the Mochizuki's in their bakery ever since.

Humans are...complex, I suppose is the best way to put it. They hurt and they steal and they kill. I still remember the huma who killed my mother and hurt my father. I remember the nightmares and I still have them, but...humans...can be kind. They can be warm. I think I got lucky. Honami loves me and cares for me. She planted carnations for me. White, like the ones my mother loved...do you think, if she were here, if Mafuyu was here...would she accept that I'm happy here? Humans are odd...but at the very least, Honami feels...warm.

• Tsukasa has had it hardest of the 3. Where Mafuyu is unsure of things and Kanade has found comfort in at least one human, Tsukasa remains untrusting and terrified. Taken shortly after Kanade, Tsukasa has been sold over and over due to no one wanting to keep him. There's always something wrong with him. He's too loud, he moves to much, he's not worth keeping. When he's bought by the Otoris, he was meant to be kept on display, but upon being found by Emu, was stolen by the girl who couldn't stand to see him kept like that. For all the she and her friend, Rui, try, Tsukasa is still untrusting of anything and everything they do.

Humans are...awful. They steal, they lie, and they are nothing but greedy. You're never enough. There's always something wrong. You can't please them. I don't want to think what would have happened if they got Saki or Shiho or Toya... I hate them. I hate humans. I can't let my guard down around them. I know that they're waiting for that to happen. It's happened before. How will they be any different? You should leave before they catch you, too.

They have three different perspectives on what living with humans has been like based on captivity.

Mafuyu is unsure about things, based off of old stories, Ena should have hurt her by now. But she hasn't, all she does is grumble to the Borrower and huff and puff if she ever gives her her opinion. Akito, at the very least, seems pleasant? She's fed and has a place to sleep. But she's treated like she's just...there? She's not sure how to put it, but...maybe, it'll feel nice, someday...

Kanade has accepted things. She knows she's lucked out, Honami has been nothing but kind, doing her best to ensure Kanade feels safe. Honami is understanding of Kanade needing her space when she was first gifted to her. After all, she lost her mother because of humans, it's only natural she be a bit weary.

Tsukasa has absolutely no trust in humans. To him, all they do is lie and steal. The first few times he was sold, he was fooled into thinking the human who bought him cared. Nice food, a decent place to sleep. But then, he was tossed away. Sold from one human to the next, until he was stolen by his last purchaser's daughter. But he's learned his lesson. He can't trust them.

Uncertainty. Acceptance. Untrusting. All things Minori keeps in mind when she's caught by Kohane's snake. She's grateful the human saw her before she became lunch, but everything she's learned is spinning around in her head. She's able to get away, but she is the first to go back in order to see the human girl. She wants to know where she lies. Is she like Ena? A mystery? Or is she like Honami? Kind and warm? Or perhaps she's like Emu and Rui? Not to be trusted?