#oc: isao | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

margoteve · 3 days ago

Text

How to Eat Life, Chapter 5: The Fight for Reality

Summary: We take a closer look at what Marigold has been up to.

Characters: Original Characters, Isao Shinomiya, Neutralisation Bureau Board, mention of Kafka Hibino.

Read on AO3

A/N: Sorry, this chapter has much less Kafka, I promise he will show up next chapter though! Hope you enjoyed it, sharing and commenting mean so much to me! Thank you. And especially HUGE thanks to @sophiacloud28, without whom this story wouldn't be half as good as it is. Especially this chapter.

Tag list: @quinowskie @mechazushi @kafkahibinomybeloved @sonicasura (anyone who wants to be on or off the list let me know ((or remind me lol)))

Chapter 1 Previous chapter Next Chapter

Today would have been ideal for a hike in the woods. The sun was bright, high in the sky, while the day was cool. The breeze rustled the leaves, promising a nice, comfortable lunch. The only thing was… everything else.

No animals. No sounds. Shadows stretched unnaturally and darker than they should be, certainly for this hour.

Marigold followed a trail. She came from a nearly empty village, slowly approaching the writhing, enormous mass of smoke and darkness.

"Found you," Marigold muttered and unsheathed her swords.

The hair at the back of her neck stood up as the beast's focus shifted to her. The air cracked with energy.

Level six, and from the distorted cackle it gave as it noticed her, it was happy to see her.

The roar was the only warning she got. A spiny limb formed and swayed above its head before it came at her at frightening speeds. With seconds to spare, she jumped and bounced off a tree that the Null annihilated soon after. Using the momentum, Marigold spun and chopped the limb off. The creature bellowed and swiped at her again with a new one - a thorny bear-like paw that missed Marigold by inches, tearing into the foliage.

No time to waste. She took off to run circles around the creature that showed no sign of stopping. She leapt, dove, and spun to avoid the new thorny limbs, cutting down those that came her way. A distorted growl was her answer before the Null lurched forward to snap at her while taking out the terrain. Marigold only grinned as he dodged again and slashed.

A squeal of pain. The Null turned around and tried to kick her back with its new horse-like limbs. Unfortunately, Marigold only moved away and used the legs to her advantage. Soaring over the creature, she curled into a ball and plummeted down, blade piercing through the back.

The roar that followed might send whatever animals were left into a panic, but it was worth it.

New tentacles immediately sprang up and attacked. Holding onto the hilt of her planted sword, the vampire used the other to deflect the limbs. It didn't last, though. The Null bucked wildly, the ground quaking under the hooves as dust rose. It even ran through the thickest of the trees to shake her off. And, a second later, she was.

It trampled. Nothing. It shifted, turned to look into the trees. Something akin to a growl followed before Marigold was left to escape a barrage of giant needles.

Using the branches above her, she tried. She leapt from branch to branch, crown to crown. Most of the needles shot past her. Some bounced off her armour. But two found their target in her arm and leg.

With a shout of pain, she let go of the branch and worked on snapping the needles. She'd barely finished that when she was sent flying thanks to a boulder, yelping as she landed. A whistle was her next warning, and she could only roll over before a sharp claw could pierce through her. In the cloud of splintered rock and dirt, she crouched and took off. With her remaining sword, Marigold danced between the onslaught of the new limbs before deflecting a snap of a fanged maw. She slipped under the Null and tore through its underbelly, the beast roaring and rearing in pain.

Marigold acted fast. Her sword began to vibrate and crackle. She swiped, and a wave of dark energy surged in a crescent. The force pushed the already embedded blade further in. It split the beast's shadow armour open, revealing its writhing core. She leapt and pushed her sword further into it.

It cracked. Another deadly screech tore through the forest. The shadows attempted to, in vain, reform. A vortex spilt from the core. All attempts at expansion were met with nothing. Reality finally collapsed and exploded. The sky briefly dimmed before the sun poured back into the battle-scorched clearing.

Marigold fell to her knees. A cold snap brushed over her. "Rrrhevensshhh, jeneraaalll," it hissed at her, forcing her head up in surprise.

She was bleeding. She couldn't catch her breath. And yet, it didn't matter.

"That's fucking new…" she whispered as terrifying realisation dawned upon her.

The survey mission was over. She immediately contacted Nikolai.

"Missed me already? I didn't expect you to call back so soon!" His jovial tone greeted her. A beat later, he noticed her face. "What's wrong?"

She swallowed with difficulty as she leaned against a tree. "We're having a code red. I'm coming back now."

After the fight in the forest, Marigold cut her stay in Kafka's world short and returned to the Empire post-haste. As much as she wanted to be there when he and Reno would be taking the exam, this was more important.

"Could you please stop pacing? You're gonna burn a hole in my carpet. And it's new."

Marigold looked up in the direction of the gently reprimanding voice.

Empress Audrey, Fifth Upon the Throne, was a small woman, standing at five foot four, with black curly hair, warm brown skin, and topaz-yellow eyes. Her features were those of a sweetheart woman in her very early twenties, but her pointed ears and sharp fangs betrayed her true nature. She was now focused on the reports Marigold had written over the course of all the months she had spent in sector 568 of the Upper Crown of the Multiverse Tree.

"This is concerning, Audrey. A level nine can talk, not a six. This was definitely a six. And we've never had a Null jump a level after the core was pierced." Marigold placed her hands on her hips and gestured to the reports at the desk. "Something is wrong with that sector. The energy levels are fucked too. It's cracking at the seams, all while going back to normal a second later. Like something is testing the breach. Normally, by now, we'd be dealing with a stampede."

"I'm aware, I've read as much." Audrey raised the tablet in her hand and wiggled it a little. "It's unusual." She propped her cheek with her fist as she returned to reading it.

Marigold snorted, "To say the least!" She started pacing again.

"Stop. Pacing," Audrey chided, this time sharper. "What did the nerds in R&D say about the core pieces you delivered?"

"Sahviz is running all the possible tests," Marigold replied, ignoring the scolding. "Audrey, if you fail with the Quints in the 83.439 and this ends up in a war, we might need to give up ground. Honestly, it might even be better to lose some–"

"I'm aware." Audrey's tone was ice cold. "But I refuse to give them even a damn inch." Her fist curled, and she punched her chair, shattering the armrest. "That's why I'm doing all I can in that sector to minimise the damage."

"I know you do. But you weren't on that battlefield during the previous invasion." Marigold's voice trembled at the memory. "One level nine takes a whole army group, may I remind you. If it's a bunch of eights, we might struggle, but we should be fine. But…" She ran both her hands over her head, messing up her braids.

"But you fear it is more than one?" Audrey raised her eyebrow at her.

"Yes." Marigold straightened up.

Audrey's jaw flexed as she thought through her decision. She trusted Marigold's instincts. They never failed before. If the Nulls are cooperating, if a group of level nines was creating an organised front. It would be a tragedy.

"If I succeed, we might be able to recruit some forces," she said, trying to be optimistic. "You mentioned this felt somehow personal?" Audrey reached for her fountain pen and a piece of paper. It was old school, but it helped her gather her thoughts better. Plus, she needed to write down the executive order anyway.

"Yes, like it was directed at me specifically." The memory of that still gave her chills.

"Should we quarantine you?" Audrey paused to look at her. "Friedrich could take over. Or Elle."

"No." Marigold shook her head. "He's on his honeymoon now. Elle just came back from her assignment. Plus… I feel like I need to get this thing to a conclusion personally."

"What do you suggest then?" Audrey leaned back in her chair.

"I want to take a squad, maybe a platoon, and go back," Marigold began to lay down her idea. "I finally nailed a pattern to which these cracks in reality happen. If I'm right, the next one will pop in a couple of months at Tachikawa base. In the meantime, I'll have more people to send to more locations in small groups and try to contain the situation as much as possible. If they are after me, it should help."

Audrey scribbled it down on the paper. It was logical. Marigold using herself as bait could make it potentially easier to contain. "Fine, a platoon sounds reasonable. I'll give you one active and put the second one on standby. Make your selection and I'll sign off on it."

"Thank you." Marigold nodded. "I'll take on some medical personnel as well."

"Understandably." The Empress added that to her list. "One medic per two-three people team?"

"Yes."

"I will also draw you a permit to interact with whichever authorities down there you will need. In case you need cannon fodder or just to warn the idiots off."

"As charming as always," Marigold snorted.

"I am charming when I need it," Audrey said without a pause. "I told you before, you can always get what you want if–"

"If they think you're too young and stupid or when you have the bigger balls," Marigold recited. "I remember."

Audrey smirked. "And I always have the bigger balls."

A spell of silence fell between them. Just the scratching of the pen over the paper filled it. Marigold thought for a moment about her next words. "Audrey? When you sent me there, did you expect this outcome?" she asked.

Audrey paused her writing for a split second before returning. "No, I just wanted to get you to take a break so the medics would stop bugging me about you. Thought it would be a neat trick. Guess it horribly backfired…"

Marigold snorted. "How dare you try and get me to relax?" she joked.

"Sure, sure, whatever," Audrey smirked, looking at her from the corner of her eye. "I am your mother after all. I must look after you."

"You are not, and it's not. Not anymore." Marigold shook her head.

"Am so. Says the vampire code of conduct, the sire is the parent." Audrey pointed at her with the pen.

"You never gave me candy for my birthday," Marigold teased.

Audrey gasped in mock offence, clutching her chest. "I tried to give you an arm candy but you told me to fuck off!"

"When was that?" Marigold frowned, trying to recall that particular event.

"Eeeeehhh…. Like 3 thousand cycles ago?" Audrey scratched her head with the pen.

"I don't remember that." Marigold's frown deepened and turned into a concerned one.

"You were pretty wasted." Audrey wiggled her eyebrows.

"Damn…"

Audrey grinned, then returned to her multitude of reports."Yeah, anyway - so who is Kafka Hibino and Reno Ichikawa, and why am I seeing them on medical research permission with your signature on it?" She glanced over the top of the tablet screen.

Marigold sighed. Yep, there it is. "I promised to help a civilian. I only shared the bare necessities, no breach."

Audrey seemed disappointed. "And here I hoped you'd get laid."

Marigold threw her hands up. "Why is everyone invested in my love life?"

"Friedrich just got hitched, so we have that relationship drama over. Meanwhile, you have been single for the past couple of hundred years and are my spawn, so…" Audrey grinned.

Marigold groaned. "Grow up, stars only know you had enough time for that."

"Are you implying I'm old?" Audrey narrowed her eyes at her.

"You're not young, that's for sure," Marigold smirked.

"I'm beautiful and immortal!" Audrey shot up in her chair.

"Eh, overrated." Marigold made a 'so-so' motion with her hand.

"I'm going to ground you," Audrey threatened her.

"One." Marigold lifted a finger. "I'm too old to be grounded. Two." She added another finger. "You're not my mother."

"Mother-adjacent!!" Audrey slammed a hand down. "And!" She pointed to Margold. "And your Empress!"

"Eh." Marigold shrugged. She always knew how to push the shorter woman's buttons. A little payback.

Audrey was about to retort when suddenly the door opened and Audrey's attendant, an 8-foot-tall ifrit, walked in. His fiery mane was brushed neatly, his beard trimmed and elegant. He was dressed in black and silver livery with some red accents.

"Your Imperial Highness, your five o'clock is here, waiting in the Green Room," he announced.

Audrey immediately calmed down. She brushed her dress and folded the paper she had written the orders. She took some of the melted wax she always had ready on her desk and poured it over the paper to finally seal it with an imperial seal. "Thank you, Krieg," she told him. "Marigold, here's all we discussed. Bring it to the Archivists, and you can begin your preparation. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a minister to chew up." She smiled diabolically and, with the utmost grace, glided out of the office.

On her way out, she gave Marigold a small smile and a wink.

Sometimes Marigold felt bad for poking fun at Audrey but then she remembered that the Empress had way too many yes-men and boot-lickers. Audrey herself knew that and appreciated the bickering to an extent. Both women knew the timing and place for such things. Marigold still respected Audrey for everything she did for her, even though she sometimes didn't agree with her politics.

Free to do what she needed, the Marshal General left the office after her Empress and went to look for her platoon.

Director General Shinomiya stared intently at the strange woman before him. Marshal General Marigold. She was dressed in a black, military-looking uniform with medals and stars pinned on her chest. A half cape thrown over her left shoulder with what he assumed was the insignia of a snake wrapped around a rose. She looked more like a cosplayer to him. Yet her presence was that of a serious military commander. Isao himself was fighting the urge to straighten up and salute.

"If what you are saying is true, how have we not detected them before?" One of the brass members, a man in a lab coat, asked.

"Technological issue. Plus, like I said, the creatures annihilate the memory of anything they destroy," the envoy explained. "If a survivor remembered the attack, no one else would. Most cases end in institutionalisation. Seeing a Null is like, to explain in layman's terms, for ci— for humans like seeing Cthulhu. Your mind would shatter in direct exposition." Her tone was even, without any dramatisation, simply stating a fact.

A couple of the men snorted in disbelief.

"I'm sorry but this is a bunch of bullshit and delusions." Another high-ranking officer spoke. "You are wasting our time."

Nothing changed in the woman's demeanour. The subtle air of superiority remained.

"I believe there is a misunderstanding," she said slowly. "You assume I want something from you, esteemed board of Japanese Anti-Kaiju Defence Force." The way she spoke the word 'esteemed' might have been an insult if there hadn't been something terrifying in it. "I came here to warn you and inform you. My plans, whether you believe me or not, won't change. I merely wish for you to acknowledge our presence in your world and keep your soldiers away from mine. For your sake." The last part was benevolently added.

Isao carefully weighed all they had heard so far. An invisible enemy they couldn't detect or defend against. An ally who came out of nowhere, with no country backing her up. It was suspicious.

"Is that all you wish from us?" Isao finally asked.

Marigold's eyes fixed on him. "No. But that is what I need for now. If you'd like me to report to you our movements, I can provide that to an extent."

"That would be acceptable. What other demands would you have?" Isao pressed further.

"Access to Tachikawa base. Our intelligence suggests that in a few months, there will be an incident. To prevent or minimise the damage, we'd like to be on site to assist."

A murmur went through the room. A few men yelled out their opposition, calling her 'delusional' or 'insolent'. She ignored them, her eyes firmly fixed on Isao.

They waited until the majority of the board calmed down.

"I'd like you to wait outside until we reach a decision, Marshal General," Isao said.

Marigold gave them a shallow bow and left the room, unsurprised when she heard arguments explode, making her almost regret having sensitive hearing.

The truth was, this was a courtesy visit. She had already gotten the permission from the Japanese Emperor and Prime Minister to act. Still, she wanted to avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings.

She checked her phone. While she was away in the Imperial palace, her phone was cut off from this world signal. When she returned, there were messages from Kafka. With everything happening, she didn't have time to read them, but now she had a moment.

[Kafka] I passed the written! No surprise there, but hey, still got it!

Attached was a photo of him grinning while holding the acceptance letter to the second part of the exam.

[Kafka] In 10 days, we're doing the physical. How are you?

[Kafka] your phone must be out of reach, huh? Hope things aren't too hard on you.

[Kafka] we're getting another new hire. He is a strange one. Kinda aloof but then again Ichikawa was kinda like that at first ;)

[Kafka] still no reception?

[Kafka] Hope you are doing okay. Kick those monster butts!

[Kafka] the exam is tomorrow. I am kinda stressing out. I ate too much, but I still have that tea you left at my place. I hope I can make it. Be safe.

[Kafka] we are going in now! I know you won't see this, but wish me luck!

[Kafka] holy fuck that was tough as shit! I don't think I would have placed in the middle without your help! Fuck.

[Kafka] Ichikawa said this year's got some crazy talents applying. So thank you!

[Kafka] the aptitude test was the worst. We thought it would be a kaiju clean-up, but nope! We had to subjugate the kaiju!

[Kafka] They gave us the suits the officers wear. Did you know they are made out of kaiju material? Wild! I got 2% release force! Those guns are super heavy, by the way.

[Kafka] but worst part - something happened and the dead kaiju came to life! I had to transform and fight the undead honju. That was scary!

[Kafka] oh, and I accidentally revealed myself to a girl called Kikoru Shinomiya.

Marigold paused and sighed. Of course he did.

[Kafka] she promised not to tell anyone. She's a good kid, I can tell.

[Kafka] I really hope you are okay. Text me as soon as you can, yeah?

[Kafka] I passed!! As a Cadet, but I'm in!!

[Kafka] I still can't believe it. We just opened the letters with Ichikawa. This is the best day of my life. I swear I am not going to blow this up this time.

[Kafka] thank you, Mari. I wish you were here to celebrate with us.

There were more texts. Kafka talked about packing up, photos of him in his military blues. He looked rather handsome in them. She smiled at the messages. He did it. Of course he did. She never doubted him.

She tapped to respond, but then she paused. He made it. He was now in the Defence Force. Wouldn't his knowing her become an issue for him? If someone found out, could it jeopardise him? She was a military representative of a foreign force, no matter how you looked at it. It could bring more scrutiny onto him. She didn't want that.

Should she block his number then? It's not like he needed her anymore. He had Ichikawa, that Kikoru girl, most likely too. The whole squad he was in.

Before she reached a decision, the door opened.

Well, time to face those bozos again.

"Wish me luck, Kafka," she thought to herself and stepped inside.

#kn8 #kaiju no. 8 #怪獣8号 #kafka hibino #hibino kafka #isao shinomiya #original character #kafka hibino x oc #marikaf #eve writes stuff #kn8 fanfic

15 notes · View notes

adetolasblog · 4 months ago

Text

Surprise! The glasses is only the beginning!

Shinpachi x oc

Summary: characters find out Shinpachi actually has game??? Chaos ensues

I own no one but my OC Chiyo

It's my first story on Tumblr! Please be nice🥺🥺

It was a bright and sunny day in Kabukicho, Edo. The sun was shining, the birds were singing and three grown men were hiding in a bush.

For one of these men, this was business as usual, but for the other two, well, they had a good reason. Or so they said.

"Oi, mayo freak! What are you doing? Have you retired to become a stalker?" A loud grating voice called.

"Oi! Whose voice are you calling grating?! I'm the main character of this show!!!" Gintoki said.

"Who is Mayo freak? I'm Mayora 13, warrior of love." Hijikata said in all seriousness.

"Hey! Sougo! What's wrong with him?" Kagura asked the boy beside her.

"who is Sougo? I'm Sougo 13."

"What's wrong with you two?" Gintoki asked, but got ignored.

"Gorilla 13, the Angel has flown!" Hijikata suddenly said.

"Eh?!! When??!! We need to follow immediately!" The gorilla commander of the shinsengumi declared.

"Roger!" "On it!" Both men yelled as they suddenly jumped out of the bush and began to run. Leaving Gintoki and Kagura in the dust.

"seems like they've all become stalkers-aru" Kagura shrugged, munching on some sukonbu

Gintoki suddenly noticed something was off

"Oi Kagura, where's Patsuan?"

"Dunno, that virgin glasses is always slacking off-aru" Kagura replied.

Gintoki and Kagura made their way into the city when they were suddenly pulled into and alleyway.

"what do you think you're doing, walking around all careless! Do you want us to get caught?!" Kondo- no, Gorilla 13 whisper yelled.

"What are you on about?" Gintoki snapped.

Hijikata- Mayo 13 suddenly pointed across the street where, to Gintoki and Kagura's surprise and shock-horror, Shinpachi and a girl were walking together and talking.

Gintoki was shook "What's Patsuan doing with a girl like that?!!"

"She's too pretty for him. I didn't even know he could talk to girls-aru" Kagura agreed.

"Why are you spying on Shinpachi anyways?" Gintoki asked, suspicious.

"Danna, we really could care less about that megane. It's her." He pointed straight at the girl with Shinpachi.

"Who is she? A royal? A noble? Why do you care?"

"Worse. She's Kondo-san's niece." Hijikata revealed.

*Cue another look of shock*

"How?! She looks nothing like a gorilla."

"That's because she takes after her mother's side of the family" Kondo replied.

The group watched as the two teenagers walked into a cafe and sat down at a booth near the window. They sat opposite each other and their hands were almost touching.

"So, Shinpachi has been dating this girl?" Gintoki asked

"Not dating just going out, for now." Another voice said from the alleyway.

Otae and Kyubei walked into view, both wearing sunglasses.

"Anego!" Kagura yelled happily

"Who is your sis? We are Diamond 13!" Otae and Kyubei yelled in unison.

"Otae-san! What are you doing here?" Kondo- asked.

"I'm scoping out the future of the Shimura Clan" Otae said simply

"Otae-san! It won't go that far! She's too precious to get married!" Kondo wailed with tears in his eyes.

"Yeah! Chiyo-tan's out of megane's league." Sougo deadpanned.

"What's so great about this 'Chiyo' anyways?" Otae asked hotly.

"She's the most perfect, angelic, sweet, beautiful niece ever!"

"Huh?! So my brother is useless trash compared to her?!" Otae yelled, tackling Kondo to the ground and beating him up. Soon, the entire alleyway was filled with sounds of brawling.

*Meanwhile*

Across the street, Shinpachi and Chiyo were sitting together in a small cafe. It was only their third date, so both of them were still pretty awkward.

"Ano, Shinpachi-kun, did you know that we're being watched?" Chiyo said, not looking up from her dessert.

"Y-yeah, I noticed."

"I think I'm done, can we leave?" She asked sweetly, making Shinpachi's heart stop.

They paid for their food an left the cafe, feeling eyes on them as they made their way to the park.

Chiyo suddenly stopped and turned to face Shinpachi, who only just now realized, Chiyo had led them to a private area. She leaned in close

"C-chiyo-san, w-what are you doing?!" He whisper-yelled.

"Don't worry, I'm giving our stalkers a little show." She said , now closer and closing her eyes. She sounded confident, but her face was beet red and her hands were trembling.

Fireworks erupted as their lips met and sounds of yelling and protests could be heard in the background.

They parted, both panting and faces red and smiling like idiots. Idiots in love.

A faint whistling sound soon became louder as a missile exploded. Chiyo was sure, if Shinpachi had not pulled her away at precisely the right moment, she would have been exploded.

"How dare you take Chiyo-tan's first kiss you megane otaku?!!!!" Sougo yelled in a blind rage as Hijikata and Gintoki tried to hold him back.

As the two groups were preoccupied and arguing, Chiyo and Shinpachi walked off hand in hand, unnoticed.

"Y'know, Shinpachi, that was my first kiss."

"Ehhh?!"

#gintama #shimura shinpachi #shinsengumi #oc #anime #gintama oc #isao kondo #toushiro hijikata #okita sougo #kagura #shimura otae #yagyuu kyuubei #fluff #oc fluff #drops this and runs #shinpachi my love #shinpachi x oc

3 notes · View notes