poet-of-deimos

[poet-of-deimos]

FF

Just a fun headcanon based on the last trailer.

Too Early for New Year's (Cloud, Aerith) And then there were fireworks.

Cloud was 100% sure he didn't get the dates wrong. He was certain because the Loveless poster he saw on his way to the Wall Market would never lie.

It was there in big, bold letters.

Opens 6.25, it said.

Buy your tickets now, it said.

It's definitely not the New Year's, it said --- implicitly.

Was there a festival he might have not known about? There must be! Why else would he be seeing fireworks in the middle of June and New Years was several months away?

But Aerith didn't mention of any festivals. He could probably ask her and maybe he would, once he was done marveling at how it was possible for a person to shine the way she did. The fireworks behind her, colorful and pretty as they were, paled in comparison and Cloud wondered if anything would ever come so close to the vision before him.

She was walking towards him, too slowly he thought or maybe that was just in his head. Either way, he didn't care; the same way he didn't care about about where these confetti were even coming from and why they suddenly started raining down on him and Aerith like a blessing of some sort.

Aerith started talking but he couldn't hear anything. But he was sure she was speaking to him because he had been watching the movement of her lips the whole time.

Cloud was staring, he realized, but he couldn't stop, fascinated by those red, red lips just like her red, red dress.

"Corneo has a certain type."

Finally, he heard her say, and he meant to ask her if she was totally sure about going through with their plan. He didn't want her to be in danger, after all. What kind of bodyguard was he if placed her in harm's way instead of keeping her away from it?

But Cloud's mind and mouth apparently were not in synced that night and all he managed to say was a single word as his eyes took her appearance from head to foot

"Same."

He blinked once, twice, upon, realizing the word that came out of his mouth. Aerith stared at him in silence for a few seconds before her lips curved to slowly form a grin.

Crossing his arms over his chest, Cloud cleared his throat and looked away. "I mean…hmmm."

He refused to face her again so he directed his gaze to the floor that was mysteriously devoid of any confetti. 'Huh? Where did they all go?'

But Aerith was someone who's just impossible to ignore. So when she laughed, he couldn't help but turn his attention back to her, no different from a sunflower always finding the direction of the sun.

(Because that was Aerith was, he thought. A bright, warm sun in these dark , gloomy slums.)

There was a teasing glint in her green eyes and Cloud held his breath, waiting for her to bring up his earlier mistake. She shook her head and placed her hands on her hips.

"Well, Mr. Bodyguard how about we get this show on the road? Corneo won't know what hit him."

Cloud sighed in relief and nodded. "Yeah." He waited for Aerith to come up and walk past him, and he followed right behind.

She stopped for a moment though and he watched her, blue eyes curious as she slowly turned around.

"By the way…"

And then, Cloud saw them again: her green, green eyes and red, red lips both teasing, laughing.

"I'm glad you approve." She gave him a wink and turned to walk away before Cloud could even say anything.

Not that he even could because Aerith had that special ability to render him speechless with just a few words.

She looked back at him, face still glowing with mirth. " Hey, you coming?"

He nodded just as something just exploded inside his chest, something warm and beautiful.

It was the middle of June , and New Years was so far away yet for the second time that evening, Cloud saw fireworks.

Fin.

[poet-of-deimos]

RPF

Mixtape (Wu Xize, Li Jiaqi) 10 Songs, 10 Moments

SONG 3:

Sad Valentine  - No Vacation I'll write this song 'Cause I can't find the words to say, To your face, "I'm all alone" And it's February fourteenth

It was the fourteenth of February. Valentine's Day. The Day of  Love.

On this day, Li Jiaqi found herself celebrating the occasion in the most cliche way possibly known to man: alone in her apartment, with a movie on her TV and a tub of Rocky Road ice cream on her lap.

It's not that she didn't get any invitations to go out--oh she had lots!--but she refused every single one of them and rightfully so. After all, third-wheeling on your friends' dates wasn't exactly how she wanted to spend her Valentine's Day. And she didn't want to waste her time on random blind dates that her friends suggested they set her up with either. She may be single but she's not desperate! In fact, she was perfectly fine with having a date on her own. She has her movie and her Rocky Road ice cream. What more could she ask for?

Without taking her eyes off her TV screen, Jiaqi scooped up a portion of her ice cream from her tub. But before she could bring the spoon closer to her lips to taste the cool dessert for first time, her Iphone started ringing, catching her attention. She placed the spoon back inside the tub and leaned forward to reached for her phone which was on the coffee table  in front of her.

Her eyes sparked with curiosity upon the name on her notification screen. She pressed the answer button.

"Hello?"

A deep voice came from the other line. "Jia, where are you? Are you in your apartment?" 

Her brows furrowed. "Uh...yes, I am. Why?"

She heard him sigh, apparently in relief. "Good. Open your door."

"What? Why? “

"Just open your door."

Confused at  his sudden demand,  Jiaqi placed her ice cream tub on the table and reached for the remote control to set her movie in pause. Then, she stood up and walked towards the doorway.

Jiaqi's mouth hung open seeing Xize on the other side, his own phone pressed against his ear. Grinning, he raised a hand in greeting before keeping his phone inside his green coat's pocket.

"Hi."

Without even waiting for her reply, he casually invited himself in, brushing past her as he stepped inside. 

"Why is it so dark in here? " he remarked while looking around her apartment. Indeed, not a single light was on and if not for the TV being the only source of illumination , the whole room would have been enveloped in darkness. 

Jiaqi, finally recovering from the shock of having an unexpected visitor drop in while she was wasting Valentines Day away, pushed her door to a close and turned around to face her guest, only to find him already occupying her couch and helping himself to her Rocky Road ice cream.

Her eyes widened as she watched the spoon leave the safety of the tub and into his awaiting mouth.

"Hmmm... I love this flavor."

She stomped her way towards the couch. "Hey, that's my ice cream!" she whined, plopping down on the space next to him. She tried to reach for the tub but Xize pivoted his body to shield it from her grasp. 

"You can't possibly finish all of this by yourself, " he said before eating another portion. 

"I can and I will." She attempted to take it from him again but he embraced the tub further into his body,unwilling to part with it.

"And that's why you're getting fatter lately, " he announced, smirking which garnered him a glare from Jiaqi.

"I am not fat!" Sitting up straight, she looked down and patted her tummy and waist, checking if there was any difference in size. Then, she cupped her cheeks using both hands. "Am I?" She frowned.

From a teasing smirk, Xize's smile switched to that of reassurance. "You're fine." He scooped up some ice cream and brought the spoon closer to her lips. She eyed the spoon warily.

"You just used that."

"So?" Xize donned a neutral expression. "We shared one before, granted that was a fork not a spoon but we don't really need to be technical about that, do we? "

"That was for filming though,” she protested. 

"I don't see the difference. We still shared it, regardless. Now, eat."

"Fine." Jiaqi squinted and pursed her lips together but she eventually did what she was told to, anyway. As the sweetness of the dessert invaded her mouth,  she suddenly remembered the question that she had been meaning to ask him since the moment she found him outside  her door: "So why are you here?" 

Xize  gave her a glance before taking another spoonful of ice cream and feeding it to her. "Well, I was just in the area so I thought I'd drop by and hang out here for a while." 

"You should have called."

"I just did, didn't I?"

"I meant in advance! Not when you 're just right outside of my apartment."  She slightly tilted her head  to her left in an attempt to meet his gaze. "What if I  wasn't home?  I could have been out on a date."

Xize snickered.

Jiaqi narrowed her eyes. "What? Does the idea of someone asking me out seem so laughable to you? If you must  know, I got several offers but I turned them all down," she finished smugly,  stretching her arms wide in a grand gesture.

"Yeah right," He took another spoonful of Rocky Road. "By offers, you mean those involving you third-wheeling on other people's romantic dates?" he teased

Jiaqi's mouth  hung open. "You... you..." 

"Knew? Of course, I do. I know a lot of things." He fed her again. "Even the blind date which you obviously didn't go to. "

Jiaqi gasped and wrapped her arms around herself, her eyes growing wide like saucers. "Oh my god, you know that as well!? Wu Xize, you stalker!" she exclaimed in exaggerated faux fear. "I've always known you are obsessed with me but not to this extent."

Xize snorted  as he gently flicked her forehead. "You wish. I just happen to hear these things from very reliable sources."

Jiaqi squinted as she rubbed the skin above her left eyebrow. "Do your sources go by the name  Shen Yue and Wang Hedi?"

He shrugged. "I am actually in no position to confirm or deny."

Jiaqi  exhaled sharply. "I am going to kill both of them," she grumbled under her breath. She  paused, her expression turning contemplative for a moment . "Okay, maybe not Yueyue because I love her; Didi--not so much." She was yet to forgive Didi for the last prank he pulled on her. 

Xize laughed. "I'll make sure to tell him that." Then, he prodded her arm with his  elbow. "So tell me, why didn't you go?"

"To the blind date?"

He nodded. 

"Do you think I'm crazy?"

"Come on, Jia, can it  be worse than spending the day watching a movie by yourself inside your dimly lit apartment  while wearing  your anti-Valentine's Day wardrobe," he gestured towards her red shirt which had  the statement ' I don't need a man. I need pizza. ' in big, white letters. " And pigging out on a tub of Rocky Road ice cream? "

Jiaqi huffed, grabbing the tub and the spoon from Xize's hands which he easily let go this time around. "I was--am happy with my movie and my ice cream, thank you very much. And I'd rather spend my Valentine's Day alone than to go out with someone  who might be a raging psychopath with serial killer tendencies for all I know.”

"A raging psychopath?" Xize exclaimed in vehemence, startling Jiaqi and causing her to jerk in her seat. For some reason unknown to her, he seemed  visibly offended. "How can you say that? You haven't even met the guy!"

"Well, it's better to be safe than sorry. Don't you read the news? " she replied matter-of-factly. She furrowed her brow. "And what's with you? You look like I just insulted you or something." She took another portion from the tub. "Ice cream?”

Xize glared at her. "I am insulted," he answered, sounding a bit displeased, but ate the ice cream  she was offering anyway. "On behalf of Yueyue, I mean. Like seriously, did you think she would set you up with someone who didn't pass her standards, character-wise?"

Jiaqi thought about his words for a bit. "Well, you do have a point. Yueyue is indeed a pretty good judge of character."

"I know right?" Xize continued, "So don't you think that instead of a raging psychopath as you claim him to be, he could have been an upstanding guy with a good moral character and probably not too bad-looking either? "

Jiaqi  didn't reply. Instead, she gave him a long, scrutinizing stare, one that made him a bit uncomfortable because it seemed like she was trying to read his mind. Finally, after a moment of silence, she spoke:"Do you know who Yueyue tried to set me up with? " 

His response was quick. "No. Not at all. I have no idea. " He shook his head.

"Really?"

  "Positive." 

Jiaqi's eyes remained on him, contemplating whether to believe him or not. Xize cleared his throat and turned away, focusing his gaze instead on the TV set in front of them." So, what movie were you watching anyway?" he asked, hoping to divert her attention away from her blind date's identity. As if he'd tell her. He reached for the remote control on the table and pressed the play button. He gave her an incredulous glance right after seeing a few familiar scenes from the movie. "You're watching Shutter? Seriously?" To his relief, his diversion did work. 

"It's a good movie," she defended.

"Jia, it's Valentine's Day, not Halloween."

"But it's still a love story," she replied. Xize raised an eyebrow. Jiaqi smiled sheepishly. "In a way."

Xize rolled his eyes. "Sure, if you find a vengeful ghost clinging to you for the rest of your life oddly romantic."

She pouted. "Hey, it's my TV, so my movie. If you don't like my choice in films, you're free to leave." She slightly raised her chin up as if to challenge him. Xize sighed.

"Fine. I'll endure your poor choice in Valentine's Day movies. Just don't go clinging to me when you get scared." He wagged his forefinger. Jiaqi stuck her tongue out at him.

"In your dreams. I bet you'll be the one clinging to me."

Xize laughed. "We'll see about that."

Several minutes into the movie,they both found themselves nestled together,with Jiaqi clutching his arm tightly, and with his own hand covering hers. 

"I don't remember this movie being this scary before," Jiaqi remarked, turning away from the tv screen.

"Whatever happened to you not clinging to me at any given instance?"

"Oh shut up, Xize." She punched his arm. "It's not as if you didn't grab my hand first. And you even shrieked ."

"I did not."

"Yes, you did."

"I did not."

"Yes, you did."

"I did not."

"Yes, you did."

"Fine. I did," he declared. "But it was a manly shriek." 

"Yeah, whatever." Jiaqi chuckled. She nudged his shoulder. " I bet you're now wishing that you're out on a hot date instead of staying here and getting scared out of your wits."

"And miss the chance to see you crying like a 5-year-old while calling for your mother? Never."  He smirked.

She pounded him on the arm again. "But honestly, Xize didn't you ask anyone out for Valentines?"

The smirk on Xize's face faltered and his expression turned uncomfortable. "I did."

Jiaqi ignored the slight pang she felt in her chest , dismissing it as nothing more than an after effect of eating too much ice cream and was in no way related to the fact that her friend was interested in someone and he didn't even bother to tell her until that moment. "You got rejected?"

"Um...not directly, no."

"What do you mean?" She eyed him curiously.

He drew out a sharp breath. "It's a long story, Jia," he saw Jiaqi open her mouth, surely to ask him more details about what happened. But he shut her down before the words could even leave her lips. "Which I don't feel like telling right now. Let's just say I tried to be creative and it somehow backfired on me."

Jiaqi frowned but she didn't pry any further. Instead, she offered her support as his friend. "You can always ask her again, you know. It's not going to be Valentine's Day but it doesn't have to be.And she'd be a fool to turn you down and I'm not saying this because you're my friend but because I know you're a good person."

Xize smiled. "You really think she'd say yes? She's a bit difficult to please." He pinched her nose. "Kinda like you."

Jiaqi swatted his hand away."If she were smart like me, she would."

He snorted."Well, I just hope you are right and she is as smart as she also claims herself to be."

"Who is she anyway?" Jiaqi asked, throwing him an inquisitive stare. "Do I know her? Do any of our friends know her? Does Yueyue? Or Didi?"

Instead of answering her, he took hold of her chin and moved her head so she'd be facing upfront. "Just watch the movie, Jia."

---

They watched a couple more horror movies (”Seriously, Jia, you a very morbid way of celebrating Valentine’s.”) before they decided to call it night. Jiaqi walked him to the door and Xize grinned as he stepped out.

“We should do this again next year,” he suggested to which Jiaqi nodded her head in agreement.

“Yeah, we should, although,” her lips curved to form a teasing smile. “Won’t your mystery girl be against that?”

“Something tells me she won’t be.”

“Right. She must be a complete  saint then,” she answered with sarcasm coloring her tone. “ But even if she’s okay with it, I might not be available by then. Who knows?  I might be out with the blind date guy.”

Xize chuckled. “Well, I am definitely hoping you will be.”

The smile on Jiaqi’s lips faded, replaced by a look of confusion. “Huh? What do you mean?”

Instead of explaining himself further, Xize bent down to plant a kiss on her cheek. “Happy Valentine’s Day, Li Jiaqi. Good night.” He gave her a wink before walking away, leaving Jiaqi still by her doorway and trying to process everything that just happened.

Fin.

[poet-of-deimos]

RPF

Mixtape (Wu Xize, Li Jiaqi) 10 Songs, 10 Moments

SONG 2:

Friday I’m in Love  - The Cure I don't care if Monday's blue Tuesday's gray and Wednesday too Thursday I don't care about you It's Friday I'm in love

Jiaqi was in the midst of playing her favorite mobile game when Xize plopped right down next to her on the couch. Naturally, she thought nothing more of it as it was pretty common for them to hang out anyway while waiting for each other's turn to film. She didn't even bother to look up from her phone screen to greet him because of how routinary it was to be in each other's presence; greetings  have simply become unnecessary.

It was just like any other day--or at least, that's what she thought.

"Hey, Jia." He gently nudged her elbow.

"Hm? What is it?"

"Do you have a lighter?"

Jiaqi's brows furrowed  in disbelief upon hearing his question. She paused her video game and turned to look at him. "Excuse me?"

"I said do you have a lighter?"

She tried to search his face for any signs that he was joking but he seemed pretty serious in his inquiry, which in turn got her quite a bit confused. Between the both of them, he was the smoker ( a habit she wished he would quit for health reasons) ; she wasn't. There was no reason for her to have a lighter in her possession. He knew that.

"Why are you asking me? Go ask Kuan. He probably has one."

Xize shook his head. "No, I'm pretty sure you have a lighter."

"Hello? I don't smoke."

"No,you have one," he insisted, poking her in the arm as he did.

"I don't."

"You do."

"I don't."

"You do."

Jiaqi took a deep breath, trying to control her temper. Why was he so insistent?  "I told you I don't have one. Why would I even have a lighter?"

"You definitely have one. If you didn't then--" Xize slightly leaned forward, bringing himself closer but not close enough to be considered an invasion of her personal space.  Jiaqi raised an eyebrow as she waited for him to continue.

"Then, how did you light up my heart?"

Jiaqi stared at Xize like he had grown another head. Xize on the other hand was trying to hold his laughter. He failed to keep the laugher in though upon seeing Jiaqi cringe.

"Seriously, Wu Xize? You interrupted my mobile game for that? Ugh."

Jiaqi rolled her eyes as he continued to laugh at her. "Very funny. Now, don't  disturb me." She focused her attention back  to her phone and  resumed her mobile game. Xize's laughter was now reduced to a few soft chuckles and she could sense his eyes on her but she completely ignored his presence. At that moment, levelling up her game character was more important.

A few minutes later, he called out to her again. " Hey, Jia."

She pretended not to hear him.

"Jia."

She hummed her favorite song to drown his voice.

"Jia!"

But she wasn't as steadfast as she had hoped. If she were, she wouldn't be pausing her game  again just to humor Xize with whatever  he wanted.

"What is it this time?" She sighed.

"I think there's something wrong with my eyes." He squinted.

"What?" Any feelings of annoyance she had earlier was immediately replaced by concern. She moved closer to check his eyes. "They seem okay to me. Do they hurt?"

"No, they don't."

"Is your vision blurry?"

"No, my vision is fine."

Jiaqi frowned. "What's wrong with your eyes then?"

"I can't seem to take them off you."

Jiaqi was momentarily left dumbfounded for the second time. Then, she groaned while Xize snorted and chuckled at her expression.

"I hate you," she told him, though her  tone lacked any signs of vehemence. "Seriously, what's wrong with you today?"

"Sorry, Jia, I just can't help it," he said, after his chuckles died down. He reached out to pat her on the head. "It's Friday, after all."

Jiaqi stared at him, brows knitted together in curiosity. "What does Friday got to do with anything?

"How could you not know?" Xize  appeared to be slightly offended by the question. "Jia, it's Friday." he spoke in English.

"So?"

He gave her a wide grin as he sang:

"I'm in love."

Jiaqi allowed herself to laugh this time. Then, she punched him on the arm. “Get out of here.”

Fin.

[poet-of-deimos]

RPF

So, originally, this was supposed to be a part of  that 10-song shuffle fic meme, which I already did a while back, but this time, I want to do solely for XiJia. However, I’ve always been bad at following that fic meme’s mechanics and I ended up writing something longer than what was intended and ended up actually using all 10 songs while writing just for the first prompt. Haha.

Since I failed the actual fic challenge, I just decided to just write a one-shot collection based on the songs that came up during the shuffle. One-shots may or may not be connected.

Mixtape (Wu Xize, Li Jiaqi)

10 songs, 10 moments.

SONG 1:

Everything Has Changed - Taylor Swift feat. Ed Sheeran Cause all I know is we said hello And your eyes look like coming home All I know is a simple name, everything has changed

Contrary to everyone's assumption, the turning point of their relationship wasn't the first time they kissed.

It wasn't like in the movies where feelings come rushing in the moment her lips met his; she could barely even remember much of that kiss as she was more concerned about making sure she got the director's instructions right, not to mention the weather was too cold for her to think about anything  else, let alone any sort of romantic notions. (Whose great idea was it to  put her in a skirt anyway?)

No, their turning point stemmed from a gesture so simple, hardly even romantic, if she were to be objective about it.

She remembered it was a Wednesday and shooting was called off for the rest of the morning, so the rest of the cast and the staff have decided to have some fun in the snow. Jiaqi, of course, was looking forward to the much needed downtime (They had been working non-stop for  the past three days before Angie-jie decided to give everyone a break ); and so was Xize, apparently if she were to base it on the tinge of impatience lacing his tone.

"Come on, Jia, everyone's already outside. Hurry up."

She took a quick glance towards the doorway where he stood, leaning against the door with his arms crossed over his chest.  His  brows furrowed as he stared at her direction; his mouth curved to a frown. It didn't take a genius to know that he  obviously wasn't pleased about being made to wait, which was understandable ; Jiaqi herself didn't like being made to wait as well. What she couldn't understand though was why he was upset over something she didn't even ask him to do in the first place! His annoyance annoyed her and she didn't bother to hide it.

"Then, you can go right ahead," she retorted as she sharply turned her back on him. "I'm still trying to look for my ski cap."  She expected him to leave right then (Wasn't he itching to join the others?) but instead,  she heard footsteps heading towards her and a sigh.

"Did you misplace it again?"

Placing her hands on her hips, she moved to face him once more. She pursed her lips together. "You're making it sound like I do it all the time."

Xize raised an inquiring brow. "Well, don't you?"

Jiaqi huffed and held her chin up proudly.  "Excuse me, mister,  but  three times still doesn't count as all the time."

This earned her a snort from Xize. And then, he laughed. "Yeah, sure, whatever helps you sleep at night."

She was about to argue with him further about it (She refused to let him have the last say in this!); but whatever argument she wanted to throw back him just flew right out the window when he reached out to ruffle her hair as he walked past her.  "Now, just stay there and let me look for it."

Jiaqi drew out a sharp breath but did what she was told anyway. Her eyes followed Xize  as he crossed to the other side of the room to where a few film equipment as well several film props were laid scattered around. He really didn't need to help her, she thought. He could have just left her  there to have fun with the rest of the staff instead of looking for  a stupid ski cap because honestly, that's what she would have done. Yet, he didn't. Yet, he stayed.

Wu Xize was just way too nice for his own good, and she couldn't help but admire him for that.

"I think I found it." He bent down as his eyes spotted a familiar cream-colored headwear from behind one of the film location's decorative vases. Turning back to her, he held up her ski cap for  her to see. "Do you have  any explanation as to how your ski cap ended up behind this vase?" His eyes lit up with mirth; his tone, teasing.

"Well..." Jiaqi shrugged. "I don't know?"

Xize repeatedly brushed his  hand over the ski cap, trying to rid it of any dirt it might have gotten. Then, he walked back to where she was and Jiaqi held out her hand, awaiting for him to dump her skip cap  on her palm. To her  surprise though, he gently nudged her hand away.

"You know for a Virgo, you are very disorganized," he remarked while he held the ski cap over her and tugged  it down her head. "Aren't Virgos supposed to be more attentive when it comes to their personal belongings?"

Jiaqi laughed. "Well, what can I say?  I'm one of a kind." She looked up at him with a beaming smile.

Xize slightly tilted his head down to meet her gaze, and Jiaqi thought it'd be just like any other day wherein they would just share a laugh and be done with it.

But there was something different with the way he was looking at her right then. There was that touch of wonder in his eyes, as if he was seeing her for the first time, but that was quickly replaced by a certain kind of gentleness she had only seen when he was acting out his role as Ximen; a look that was intended for Jiang Xiao You but not--never--for Li Jiaqi.

The grin on her face slightly faltered and her breath hitched  as he brushed his fingers over the fringes covering her forehead. Suddenly, the air inside the room became too thick.

"Yes, you are," He smiled at her in the same way Ximen would for Xiao You and it was at this moment Jiaqi decided she needed to get away because the room was suffocating. 

His presence was suffocating.

She tried to laugh it off. But her laughter sounded so awkward even to her ears. "Um.. I think we should go. Yueyue is probably looking for me so..."

Without even bothering to wait for his reply, she spun around and shuffled towards the door. She was almost by the door way when she heard him call out her name.

She stopped in her tracks and  donned the most casual expression she could muster before moving to face him. "Yes?"

He didn't say anything--at least, not right away. He appeared to be conflicted about something, if she were to base it on how he knit his brows together and the wrinkles marring his forehead. Eventually, he shook his head, a chuckle escaping his lips.

"Never mind. It was nothing."

But he knew, she knew, it wasn't. There was that fleeting spark that passed between them as they gazed upon each other. A realization dawned upon them: Something has changed.

"I see."

And from here on, nothing was ever going to be the same again.

Fin.

[poet-of-deimos]

RPF

I usually do not write real-person fics as it’s not really my thing. But these two are way too cute to pass up. Inspired by one of the behind-the-scenes videos.

Exception (Wu Xize, Li Jiaqi) He doesn't consider himself a needy person. No, really he isn't.

He doesn't consider himself a needy person. No, really he isn't. Just go and ask his friends; they'd tell you the word needy and Wu Xize do not belong in the same sentence. It is unthinkable! Unheard of! In fact, you can even ask any of his exes and they'd tell you, they'd tell you, they'd--wait, maybe asking his exes isn't a good idea for obvious reasons he'd rather not elaborate, but he digresses. The point is, he is not being needy nor is he starving for attention. He is, however, completely bored out of his wits. Yes, it must be because of boredom that he is feeling this way.

Both Kuan and Didi are currently filming so pestering them is definitely out of the question, unless he wants Angie-jie to kick him off set. Kankan, meanwhile, is busy conversing with Yue while occasionally peering over Jiaqi's shoulder to look at her phone screen.

And speaking of Kankan...

Xize's eyes dart from Kankan to Jiaqi and then to the space in between them---or the lack thereof. He furrows his brow as Kankan leans forward, his chest meeting her back again, and Xize wonders if the older man doesn't find it uncomfortable sitting on an armrest the entire time. True, Xize himself is sitting on the same armrest but he's fine where he is.

Kankan, on the other hand, should get himself another chair! One that he can occupy by himself! And one that's a couple feet away! It's all for comfort's sake. Xize  tells himself he is just concerned. All he wants is for his friend to be comfortable instead of sitting there, invading Jiaqi's personal space. It's for Kankan's own good. Really.

Kankan looks up from Jiaqi's phone screen to meet his gaze and Xize sees him wrinkle his forehead and mouth the word 'What?'

Xize blinks and responds with his own silent 'What what?'

Kankan points at his face. 'Why are you looking at me like that?'

'Like what?'

Kankan doesn't say anything for a moment. Then, he frowns and shakes his head. 'Never mind.' Then he turns to look at Yue and calls her attention.

Xize is confused and wonders what expression did his face hold for Kankan to ask him that question. He glances at Jiaqi to ask her what he looked like earlier but then, he is reminded that she has been on her phone the whole time, completely immune to his presence. The last time she spoke, let alone looked at him was fifteen minutes ago---no, sixteen minutes, not that he's keeping count or anything--- and Xize thinks it's definitely unhealthy for anyone to be so hooked up on a mobile game for that long. Sure, he is guilty of the same thing at times (the game is quite engaging, after all) but in his defense, he has never ignored Jiaqi over it for sixteen minutes! (Not that she'd even let him if he tried. Jiaqi always has a way of attracting anyone's attention. She's amazing that way.)

Unable to stand being ignored, he waves one of the ice cream spoons he's holding in front of her face. This garners him no reaction whatsoever and he can't stop a childish pout from forming on his lips.

Kankan stands up to leave with Yue following behind him but Xize hardly notices for his mind is focused on Jiaqi and how to get her off that damn phone. All for her welfare, of course. Jiaqi's mobile game addiction has become quite alarming (she has ignored him for 20 minutes now!) and it's his duty as her friend to be concerned.

He nudges her knee with his own. One time. Two times. Three times. When she doesn't react, he resorts to gently poking her cheek using the same ice cream spoon from earlier. A sharp sigh escapes her mouth and Xize smiles for at that moment he knows: he has won.

Brows furrowing and lips pursing to form a frown, Jiaqi finally looks up and meets Xize's smiling face with a glare.

She is obviously annoyed but Xize doesn't even care because he is trying to figure out how can someone look so cute while being mad.

"What is it?" she asks in a tone that barely hides her irritation. She is in the middle of a very important battle, one that she needs to win in order to get certain rare equipment for her game character, therefore any sorts of interruption is not welcomed, even if the said interruption is far more pleasant to look at than her game character. But that’s not the point here.

"I'm bored," he says as he reaches out to tug on her beanie.

"I'm busy," she replies curtly before looking back down on her phone. A horrified expression appears on her face. "Oh no, look at what you did!" She throws Xize another pointed glance. "This is your fault, Wu Xize. "

He points at himself. "My fault? What did I do?" he asks innocently.

"You distracted me. I was this close to winning." She brings her forefinger and thumb together. "Now, I’m dead and I  have to start all over and ugh, this is really all your fault."

Xize chuckles. "Come on, Jia, it's just a game."

Jiaqi continues to pout at him. 'Too cute,' he thinks and he can't stop himself from pinching her cheek.

"Fine, fine. I'll make it up to you so stop frowning."

She waves a finger at him. "Well, you better or else. "

She isn't completely appeased; in fact, she is still slightly upset, he can see. He will probably have to grovel a little to get back into her good graces, and groveling he will gladly do if that means she’ll never ignore him for a good 20 minutes again.

"Of course. Come on, have I ever gone back on my word?"

Wu Xize does not consider himself a needy person, nor is he someone starving for attention. That's just so not him. But all rules apparently come with exceptions, and his appears to have come in the form a pretty, petite girl with a bright smile.

And he realizes he doesn't really mind being needy, as he watches a grin finally gracing Jiaqi's lips, her full attention on him.

“No. As if I’d let you.”

Xize laughs. “I know.”

Li Jiaqi can be his exception anytime.

Fin.

[poet-of-deimos]

JOJO

Chocolates (Dio, Jonathan, Erina) It’s  Valentine’s Day and Dio finds that there  is no better way to celebrate it other than ruining Jojo’s day. School!AU. Same universe as  The Art of Cockblocking.

Truth be told, Dio does not give a damn about Valentine's Day. He thinks a day dedicated to celebrating love and romance is just plain stupid and utterly pathetic. Only idiots would eat all that crap about romance and love and other bullshit. For young Dio Brando, the truth about Valentine's Day is as glaring as his illustrious name on the list of Top Ten students in the whole campus:Valentine's Day is nothing but a marketing strategy created only so businesses can get more money. That's all there is to it. No love. No romance. Just plain money. Anyone who says otherwise is a moron--or is Jonathan Joestar, though for Dio, there is actually no difference between the two. Now, since Dio does not give shit about Valentine's Day, naturally, he also does not care about any practices and traditions done during the said occasion. Like giving out chocolates, for instance. Honestly, Dio does not even really like chocolate --or at least, he isn't addicted to it the way Jojo is-- so he doesn't care whether he gets a box or two or none at all. What he cares about is if Jojo is going to get one. Dio may not like chocolates but he loves tormenting Jojo, just for the heck of it. There is something so invigorating and stimulating about the way Jojo shouts his name when he's angry. It makes Dio want to piss him off even more. And he does just that. After all, it's the only way he knows how to get back at Jojo for also frustrating him so much with his perfect, little life. So on February 14, the day of so-called love and romance, Dio schemes to ruin Jojo's day. Hidden behind a wall,like a predator waiting for his moment to pounce, Dio watches with a frown as a grinning Jojo meets up with Erina Pendleton. She hands him a big brown box and Dio can clearly see Jojo's grin grow wider upon seeing what is inside. And then without warning,to both Dio's and Erina's surprise, Jojo leans forward and gives Erina a quick peck on the cheek. Erina turns red and freezes for a moment. Then, she places a hand on the cheek that Jojo has kissed. A few seconds later, she smiles and gently slaps an equally red-faced Jonathan on the arm as the boy's laughter permeates the air. Dio's eyes narrow into slits upon seeing what he deems as gag-inducing sweetness. Unable to stand it anymore, he walks away with clenched fists and gritted teeth

Later on, Dio finds Erina's gift to Jonathan in the most predictable place in the world: where else but in Jonathan's room. It's obvious to Dio that Jonathan has been keeping its existence a secret, most especially to him. Dio stares at the box with disgust. How stupid of Jojo to believe that he can hide anything from him, Dio Brando!

Now, Dio's initial plan is simply to throw the box away and watch Jojo fret about its disappearance. But curiosity gets the better of Dio and he finds himself opening the box first to see what Erina has gotten his stupid step-brother. Dio frowns upon seeing the contents. Chocolates. Lots and lots of chocolates. But instead of the typical heart-shaped ones, Dio is greeted by chocolates that look like tiny replicas of Danny, Erina herself , Jojo and wait a damn minute--did he also see a chocolate version of himself? What the fuck. Dio is frankly disturbed. Ignoring that strange feeling though, Dio picks up the chocolate piece that looks like Jojo and stares at it sharply. "Happy Valentine's Day, Jojo," Dio snorts.

"Unfortunately, for you it won't be a happy one soon." He looks at it some more. And then, with no second thoughts whatsoever, he bites "Jojo's" head off. 

The problem with plans is that most of the time they have the tendency to go awry. Dio never planned to eat of the chocolates. He doesn't even like chocolate that much in the first place. But after eating "Jojo", he finds himself actually liking the taste. Then, the worst-case scenario happens: he starts craving for more. And so Dio eats his second piece. His third. His fourth. His fifth.And now he's eating "Erina" and "Erina" tastes even better than "Jojo". (It's because of the caramel hidden inside "Erina's" body.). He is about to put "Danny" in his mouth, when suddenly Jonathan bursts inside the room. Dio stops as Jonathan himself seems frozen too, his gaze fixed solely on Dio. Dio quickly recovers from his shock and then he pops "Danny" into his mouth. "Dio!!" Jonathan cries out. "You...you...the chocolates..." he shakes his head in disbelief. Dio smirks. "The chocolates are gone now, Jojo, and it is I, Dio, who ate all of them!" he declares proudly. "So what are you going to do now? Are you going to punch me? Are you going to cry?" he asks in a mocking tone. Jonathan does neither, which bother's Dio. Instead,the other boy calmly walks towards him. "It was supposed to be a surprise," Jojo says, sounding a bit disappointed. "But at least, you liked them." Then, he slaps a card onto Dio's chest before he turning back his to leave the room. Dio picks up the card from the floor and opens it. His eyes grow wide as he reads what is inside. Happy Valentine's Day, Dio! From, Jojo & Erina Dio inwardly curses.

 Fin.

[poet-of-deimos]

TENIPURI

Not a new fic, by the way. I’m in the process of archiving my fics in just one place so old stuff like this may pop up here often.

Ignorant Boy, Beautiful Girl (Ryoma, Sakuno) Everyone expected them to get together by the time they turned fifteen. And yet, they didn’t. A RyoSaku fanmix.

Angus & Julia Stone - Just a Boy Do you believe that there is treasures in the ocean Did I say I’m just a boy One kiss from you and I’m drunk up on your potion That big old smile is all you wore

Tim Minchin - You Grew On Me You grew on me like a tumour And you spread through me like malignant melanoma And now you’re in my heart I should’ve cut you out back a the start

Guillemots - Made Up Love Song #43 You got me off the paper round, Just sprang out of the air, The best things come from nowhere, I love you, i don’t think you care.

Melpo Mene - I Adore You Lost in a daydream of blue I feel so free And then it’s like I fall from the sky Everything that I see is you And you should know that I’m thinking about what you said When you held my hand Oh, I adore you

Jack Johnson - Better Together MMM, it’s always better when we’re together Yeah, we’ll look at the stars when we’re together Well, it’s always better when we’re together Yeah, it’s always better when we’re together

Loney Dear - Ignorant Boy, Beautiful Girl

Everyone expected them to get together by the time they turned fifteen.  After all, it was fairly obvious to everyone that she liked him (those daily lunch boxes had to mean something!)  and that he liked at her (surely, he didn’t come to her rescue every time just because he was bored or was feeling altruistic.). How else should their story end?

But when Sakuno was fifteen, she stopped giving Ryoma his daily lunches and started going out with a boy from the photography club, a handsome young man named Ichiro. A month later, Ryoma dated one of Sakuno’s friends from the tennis club. It boggled everyone else how they could date people other than each other.

But he was Ryoma and she was Sakuno.  They were never the type to follow conventions–or expectations. They just did not operate that way.

Sakuno had no doubt in her mind that she liked Ichiro.  He was nice, he was polite and he treated her right. What’s not to like?

Yet, Ichiro still could not make her heart flutter the way a certain Tennis Prince did (and still does!).  What was wrong with her anyway? Here she had a boy who liked her but she was still pining over someone who’d never reciprocate her feelings in the manner she wanted.

It made her quite guilty, using Ichiro to forget Ryoma and her stupid feelings. A good guy like him deserved better and more. But she was desperate. She needed to get Ryoma out of her system or else he’d stay there forever and she’d be forever hurting. Call her selfish for thinking about herself for once; she didn’t care.

She’d learn to love Ichiro in the same degree. She’d learn to forget Ryoma. It was bound to happen.

Eventually.

It was just a matter of avoidance.

The disadvantage of having their shoe lockers right next to each other was that even if they tried to avoid each other for the entire year, there still stood the probability that they’d find themselves in the same  place at the same time.

Of course, neither Ryoma nor Sakuno would admit that they were indeed avoiding each other. The idea was ridiculous. They were just busy, that’s all and the timing was never right.

“Hey…”

“Hi…”

“It’s been a while.”

“Yes, it is.”

And then there was silence, followed by an air of awkwardness. Sakuno wanted to ask him a lot of questions. How are you? Are you happy? Did you miss me the way that I missed you? But she kept these thoughts to herself and all she managed to say was, “I heard from Tomo-chan that you won yesterday. Congratulations.” She smiled as naturally as she could. Ryoma replied with a blank stare.

“You did not see the game.”

Sakuno could have sworn that he sounded upset and/or hurt. But it might just have been her imagination. Her brain had this awful habit of making her think of things that weren’t there.

“Ichiro needed help in his project so…”

“Ah.” Ryoma nodded.

“I’m sorry.”

“That’s fine, Ryuuzaki.”

But it wasn’t; he wasn’t. He couldn’t grasp why she would miss his game for some project that Ichiro guy had. Surely, it wasn’t that important? Then Ryoma silently chastised himself for being silly. Of course, she’d choose Ichiro over him. It wasn’t even up for debate.

“I have another game on Friday,” he declared casually.

It was an invitation, a plea. Come and see me,please.

“Really? Good luck then.” She wanted to tell him  I’ll be there, just like the old times, but saying that would be a lie. She didn’t want to lie–or at least, not to him anyway.

If Ryoma was disappointed (he couldn’t possibly be, could he? ), he was quite good in masking it. “Ah, thanks.”

They stared at each other silently, a thousand and one things were running inside their heads; a thousand and one things they wanted to say but wouldn’t. Couldn’t.

Ryoma eventually broke the silence. “I have to go.”

“Me too. I have to meet–” Sakuno stopped herself from continuing. “Uh, I’ll see you around.”

“Yeah, see you.”

They set off in opposite directions.

Ichiro could not help but notice that she was distracted. Not that she did a great job in hiding it, with her glancing at the clock every five minutes or so. It was one of those things that she had yet to perfect.

“Are you supposed to go somewhere else , Sakuno-chan? Because you can go if you want,” Ichiro offered. “We’re almost done anyway.”

Sakuno wanted to take him on his offer. God knew how tempted she was to simply leave and run off towards the tennis courts. It took much of her self-control not to do it. That and her  nagging feeling of guilt.

She shook her head. “No, I have no other plans today.”

She wondered how Ryoma was doing right then.

If  there was one sure way to annoy Ryoma, that was to tell him that his dating habits  resembled his dad’s–or Ryoga’s. They were not the same at all. Ryoga would change his dates as often as he would change his clothes. Ryoma on the other hand, had gone out with five girls in a span of a year. Big difference as far as he was concerned.

“I’m not like either of you,” he declared one time, to which Ryoga had rebut by saying, “Yeah right, and I’m a poor, ugly turd with no sex appeal whatsoever.”

Ryoma smirked, throwing Ryoga a mocking glance. “Well,aren’t you?”

Ryoga shrugged nonchalantly.“I don’t know, Chibisuke. Why don’t you ask all the lovely ladies begging me to go out with them?”

“Your modesty never fails to amaze me.”

“And I should the say the same thing for your stupidity, dear brother.”

Ryoma’s eyes narrowed. Naturally, he did not appreciate any jab on his intelligence “And care to tell me how I’m being stupid?”

The older boy smiled. “Because you keep on going for substitutes when you could have gone for the original.”

Ryoma cleared his throat. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“Would you like me to elaborate?” Before Ryoma could say ‘not really’, Ryoga raised a hand and started. “You’ve gone out with five people this year. All five have long auburn hair which they like to  tie in twin braids. Obviously, there is a pattern.”

“Is there?” Ryoma shrugged. “I did not notice.”

Ryoga rolled his eyes. “Right.”

When Sakuno turned 16, she experienced getting dumped for the first time. A guilt-ridden Ichiro confessed about liking someone else, about  using her to forget this other girl who never acknowledged his existence.

“I’m sorry.It’s not  you. It’s me.”

If only she weren’t getting her heart broken, Sakuno would have laughed at the irony.

“Hey, did you hear what happened?!”

Ryoma didn’t intend to listen. School gossip, after all, was never one of his interests. He didn’t want them nor did he ever seek  them. To him, they were nothing but a complete waste of time.

“What?”

So he tried not to focus on their conversation.  

“Sakuno-chan and Ichiro-kun broke up!”

“Seriously?! Too bad. They were so cute together.”

"Yeah. Why did they break up anyway?”

“Well, here’s what I’ve heard….”

Donning an expression of boredom,Ryoma leaned forward on his desk and rested his chin on the palm of his hand. Anyone who had seen him would think that he had other things on his mind.But he was listening to the conversation around him with complete interest. He didn’t mean to. Swear to god, he didn’t. But he ended up doing so anyway.Not that he had a choice. His classmates were talking so loudly, he couldn’t block their voices even if he wished to.Not that he wished to. For once, some school gossip actually ended up being relevant.

“Wait…what?! You broke up with Chiaki-chan?! Why?!!” Ryoga exclaimed, throwing Ryoma an incredulous glance. “Dude, she was hot!”

Ryoma shrugged. “It wasn’t working out anymore.”

“That’s what you said the last time too.”

“Because it really isn’t working out. What else should I say?” Ryoma deadpanned.

Ryoga eyed him suspiciously. “Chibisuke, are you sure that this sudden decision has got nothing to do with the knowledge that a certain pigtailed girl we know is  now back on the market again?”

“Oh lord, here we go again,” Ryoma sighed. “How many times do you want me to say that I don’t like Ryuuzaki before you start believing it?”

“I’m never going to believe it because I know you like her.”

“I don’t.”

“Yes, you do.”

“No, I don’t.”

“Yes, you do!”

“No, I don’t.”

“Fine!” Ryoga cried out. “So can I date her then?”

Ryoma glared. “Fuck off.” And he hurled a pillow towards Ryoga’s face.

By chance, they saw each other by their shoe lockers again.

“Hey.”

“Hi.”

And the encounter was no less awkward than the other times they met.  Sakuno wondered if they would ever go back to the time when they were actually behaving as friends would. She missed those days.

Ryoma stared at her, looking a bit conflicted. He seemed like he wanted to say something; he just didn’t know how to start. Finally, he managed to blurt out, “So, how are you?”

Sakuno blinked. “Eh?”

The black-haired boy ran his fingers through his hair. “I heard…”

“Oh.” She gave a small smile. “I’m fine.”

Ryoma nodded. “That’s good.”

Silence.

“Um… I better go ahead. Tomo-chan’s probably waiting for me.” She bowed. “ I’ll see you around.” She turned to leave,but he called out to her before she could take a step away.

“Wait.”

She gave him a curious glance.

“Well, I’m going that way too,” he stated casually. “Why don’t we walk together? If you don’t mind, that is.”

To say that Sakuno was surprised by his offer would be an understatement. But it would be a total lie if she claimed she wasn’t pleased by it.

“Not at all.”

Ryoma came up beside her and together they walked down the hallway, stealing glances at each other every chance they could get.

There was something up with Ryoma that he was not telling. Ryoga was sure of this the moment Ryoma barged into their bedroom and caught him red-handed, eating  his last box of Pocket Pancakes.Normally, Ryoma would be upset by this and then he would rant about Ryoga’s parasitic tendencies and  inability to buy his own food. But today was different from all other days and Ryoga wondered why.

“What’s up with you?”

Ryoma shrugged. “Nothing.”

“You’re in a weirdly good mood.”

“Am I not allowed to have a good day?”

And Ryoma went on to whistle a happy tune. Ryoga was certain he just entered the Twilight Zone.

Fin.

[poet-of-deimos]

TENIPURI

Afternoon Date (Ryoga, Sakuno, established RyoSaku) This is definitely how he envisioned their date to be, complete with delicious ramen, Mother Hen!Ryoma and hidden, unrequited feelings. Wonderful.

Surprise was etched on Sakuno's face upon noticing the familiar male standing outside the school gates. He was the last person she was expecting to see, considering the latest information she had heard about him. Wasn't he supposed to be in somewhere Europe, playing for a small-time tennis competition? He couldn't have lost so early in the matches; it was just not possible. An Echizen would and could never lose in the preliminaries.

The day that happens would be the day I beat any of them in a tennis game, she mused.

With careful steps, she continued to walk towards his direction. He smiled; she smiled in return, though a bit of confusion was still evident on her features.

"Going home, Pigtails-sensei?" he asked using his usual teasing tone.

When she was younger, it was Pigtails-chan; now, it was Pigtails-sensei. She wondered if he would ever stop calling her by that moniker. She had never styled her hair in pigtails since she was fifteen, for heaven's sake!

"Ryoga-san, what are you doing here?"

He put on a frown." I was hoping you'd first ask me how I'm doing. I am fine in case you're interested."

 "Ah, I'm sorry. I was just really surprised to see you. I thought you're in Europe."

"I was, two days ago until I've decided to go home because I began to miss Japan very much and–"

She gave him a skeptical look. He answered with a sheepish grin.

"And because I lost quite early."

Her skepticism turned to surprise upon hearing his reply. "You did?" She just couldn't believe her ears. Echizen Ryoga didn't reach the semis? Maybe this was a sign that she'd finally be able to steal a game from one of the Echizens, she thought amusedly.

"I was not in my best shape," Ryoga reasoned. "But I'd like to point out that despite not being one hundred percent, I still made him work for his victory. Heh, he was just lucky. On regular days, there's no way he could have won against me."

The pride in his tone reassured Sakuno that despite losing a game, Ryoga,at least ,didn't lose one of his most defining characteristics.

His Echizen arrogance.

She smiled at him. And then, remembering that he still didn't answer her earlier question, she cleared her throat and asked him again, "So, Ryoga-san, what made you drop by at the school?"

"Well, let's just say I wanted to pay my future sister-in-law a visit because I haven't seen her for quite a while." He grinned. "So, how does it feel to be engaged to my brother?" he asked before giving her a teasing wink.

She responded by throwing him a confused glance.

Laughing, he gently nudged her on the arm. "Come on,stop the acting as if you don't know what I'm talking about. There's no reason for you to be shy about it."

"But…" Sakuno continued to don a wondering expression. "I really don't know what you're talking about."

Upon hearing this, the smile on Ryoga's face slowly faded. "You are not kidding me, are you?"

The woman shook her head. "No."

"That idiot! He chickened out again!" Ryoga exclaimed as he shook a fist in the air. Gods, he couldn't believe Ryoma would be that cowardly. It was just a proposal. How difficulty was it to say 'Will you marry me?' Just four freaking words. If he were in his brother's shoes, he would have popped the question a long time ago. 

And then, a sudden realization hit Ryoga. "And now I ruined the surprise. Oh shit! He's going to kill me for sure."

Smiling, Sakuno placed a reassuring hand on his arm. "Don't worry, Ryoga-san. I'll pretend I heard nothing today."

"You will? Thanks, Sakuno-chan. You're a real lifesaver." He patted her on the head. "That's why I love you so much."

Though she had already heard this from him before (not only once, not only twice but numerous number of times and mostly, after she had bailed him out of trouble), Sakuno still couldn't help but flush at his declaration.

"Now, how about we go and eat some ramen before going home? I heard there's a new restaurant that opened a few days ago."

She nodded." That sounds wonderful!"

Ryoma, to Ryoga's surprise and amusement could actually be such a worrywart sometimes.

"Yes,yes, I get it," he said in the most reassuring voice he could muster. Ryoma, unfortunately, remained unconvinced as the Tennis Prince continued his litany, much to his brother's exasperation. Rolling his eyes, Ryoga played with his ramen using his chopsticks, giving it all his attention rather than Ryoma's seemingly unending reminders.

"Don't worry. I'll take her home before dawn."

Ryoga gave a silent laugh upon hearing Ryoma's violent reaction. Teasing Ryoma had always been one of his favorite pastimes.

"Not dawn? Midnight then. How about eleven forty-five?"

Chuckling, Ryoga passed the mobile phone to Sakuno who was seated across him. "I think Mother Hen is hyperventilating."

Shaking her head, she gave the older male a scolding glance before accepting the small communication device. "Ryoma…"

The grin never left Ryoga's lips as he watched her try to calm his brother down. If there was one person who could douse Ryoma's heated temper (which, Ryoga wouldn't deny, was usually flamed by him), it was his dear sister-in-law-or would-be-sister-in-law if only Ryoma could get his act together.

"Yes, yes, don't worry. You know Ryoga-san is merely joking. Okay. Good luck on tomorrow's game. See you soon." After this, she closed the mobile phone and kept it inside her bag.

"I swear Ryoma's becoming more and more like a Mother Hen lately," Ryoga remarked while chewing on a piece of meat. “ He treats us like kids. It's damn annoying."

Sakuno pursed her lips together, and for a moment, donned a contemplative look. "In Ryoma's defense, he does have a pretty good reason to get all so worked up." She gave a sheepish smile, "After all, I do get in trouble all the time. He even calls me a trouble magnet."

"And me," Ryoga swallowed. "A troublemaker." He smirked. "Why, the troublemaker and the trouble magnet– aren't we the perfect couple. Maybe you should just dump my uptight brother and go out with me instead."

To this, Sakuno responded by giving a hearty laugh. "You're so funny, Ryoga-san."

Ryoga frowned. "But I'm serious!" He reached doubt and clasped his hand over hers, causing the mirth from Sakuno's face to be replaced by confusion. "I love you. I promise we will be happy."

"H-huh?" Sakuno blinked as Ryoga held her in his smoldering gaze. She was shocked and speechless. She was, after all, in a situation she was never prepared for. She opened her mouth to speak as her mind tried to come up with best response for such a confession, but Ryoga cut her off with a laugh.

"Gotcha!"

Sakuno's face turned a darker shade of red. Ashamed that she almost believed him and vexed because he played such a nasty trick on he, she snatched her hand away and gave the older man a disapproving look. "Mou, Ryoga-san!"

"Sorry," he aid in between chuckles as Sakuno continued to stare at him sharply. "I can't help it. You and Ryoma are both so easy to tease."

"It was not a very funny joke."

Ryoga stopped chuckling. "You're right. I'm really sorry. It won't happen again. Forgive me?"

Sakuno sighed. "You know I can never really be mad at you for so long."

The man grinned, and in a little while she smiled as well.

And all was back to normal.

"That was the best ramen I have ever tasted," Ryoga declared as he remembered the unforgettable, delectable flavor on his tongue. He and Sakuno were now walking along an almost empty street, on the way to the mahogany-haired woman's home. They had been talking about a lot of things since they left the ramen house, from serious stuff like their careers and future plans to something so trivial such as the ramen they had a eaten several minutes back.

"I think I'll be visiting more often. Hey, why don't we eat there again as soon as Ryoma comes home?"

Sakuno nodded. "That's a good idea. I think he will like it there." She grinned. And then, she clapped her hand when an idea entered her mind. "Why don't you invite Aika-san as well? The more, the merrier. "

Sugimura Aika-the young model Ryoga was dating-or at least Sakuno thought he was dating at that time.

Ryoga shook his head as a bitter smile graced his lips. "I don't think Aika would want to have anything to do with me anymore. She dumped me, after all."

Sakuno's eyes widened and then her brow furrowed in disbelief . "Why? What happened? Oh my" –she clamped a hand over her mouth for a few seconds—"You might not want to talk about it. It's so rude of me to pry. I'm sorry."

Ryoga snorted. "It's no big deal, Sakuno-chan." He patted her in the head. "I don't mind talking about it." He released a sharp breath before starting his tale, "Aika and I— well, we broke up because she believes that I'm in love with another woman. She said she can't be with someone whose mind and heart is on somebody else."

"But… is it true?" Sakuno looked at him with concern. "Are you in love with another woman?"

Ryoga's quiet reply was a single nod.

"Have you told her, this other woman, that you love her?"

"All the time."

"Oh,so you're seeing her now?'

He looked to his right, his eyes meeting Sakuno's own. "Yes, I'm seeing her, although not in the way you mean."

"Huh? You lost me there."

Ryoga chuckled. "Let's keep it that way," he answered cheerfully, which earned him a pout from Sakuno. And the issue was never brought up again as he skilfully changed the subject.

"By the way, Sakuno-chan, have you watched last night's episode of…."

There were times that Ryoga wished things would never end. This was one of those times.

"I really had a great time, Ryoga-san."

But just like every good thing in this world, his afternoon with Sakuno had to end.

"I had a great time, too."

But he was certain there'd be another time. There always was.

"Are you sure you don't want to come in, for a cup of coffee or tea?"

He almost wanted to give in to her invitation, but he opted to shake his head instead. "Maybe next time." Smiling, he stepped forward and surprised her by giving her one tight hug.

"Ryoga-san?" Her voice was tinged with uncertainty and confusion.

"I'm just happy today." Releasing her from his embrace, he patted her head like he would usually do. "I got to spend my entire afternoon with my future sister-in-law." And then, he held her shoulder and turned her around so she'd be facing the gate. "Now, go inside and rest. You'll have to be in school early right?"

"Ah, that's right." She pushed the wooden panel open and stepped inside. She moved to face the older man once more. "Be careful on your way home."

"I will."

"Bye."

She waved at him and he waved back. And then, the gates were shut with a thud. He stared at the closed wooden barrier for a few seconds. Then, he looked at the sky above him. It was dark but the night was still young.

"Ah, might as well get myself a bottle of sake." Some people drink sake to celebrate. Some people drink to heal a broken heart. Smirking to himself, Echizen Ryoga wondered what category he belonged to.

" Whatever."

And so, with his hands inside his pockets, Echizen Ryoga walked down the lonely road alone.

Fin.

[poet-of-deimos]

50 Dialogue Prompts

“It’s really not that complicated.”

“Close the door.”

“It’s three in the morning.”

“I should have told you a long time ago.”

“Why are you helping me?”

“You have to leave right now.”

“Just trust me.”

“I’ve been waiting a long time.”

“You’re in love with her.”

“Come here.”

“We could get arrested for this.”

“What are you thinking about?”

“I thought you were dead.”

“You’re never going to let that go, are you?”

“Was that supposed to hurt?”

“I can explain.”

“Love is overrated.”

“Watch me.”

“I’ve missed this.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Sometimes, being a complete nerd comes in handy.”

“I don’t owe you an explanation.”

“We have to be quiet.”

“You’re trembling.”

“I want an answer, goddammit!”

“It was you the whole time.”

“Tell me again.”

“This is why we can’t have nice things.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

“You don’t see me.”

“I can’t keep kissing strangers and pretending that they’re you.”

“You could have died.”

“Prove it.”

“I might never get another chance to say this.”

“Do you regret it?”

“Tell me I’m wrong.”

“Lie to me then.”

“You’ve thought about this, haven’t you?”

“We need to talk about what happened last night.”

“I never stood a chance, did I?”

“I feel like I can’t breathe.”

“I’m only here to establish an alibi.”

“Are you drunk?”

“I still remember the way you taste.”

“How much of that did you hear?”

“What happens if I do this?”

“Why are you whispering?”

“You make me want things I can’t have.”

“I don’t want to screw this up.”

“People are staring.”

[poet-of-deimos]

ARTEMIS FOWL

Drabble Dump

Second Chances (Trouble/Holly)

The Devil Wears Prada (Artemis/Minerva)

Brotherly Advice (Artemis, Butler, mentions of Artemis/Juliet)

Five Books, Five Moments (Artemis, Butler, Minerva)

Second Chances (Trouble, Holly)

The thing about second chances is that while they exist supposedly as an opportunity to correct any past mistakes that were committed the first time around, they don’t normally go the way second chances are ideally supposed to. In fact, second chances can be no different from initial ones.

For one, Trouble, despite being skillful in a lot of things, still can’t dance even if the fate of the world rests on his ability to waltz. (“Ouch!” “Sorry about your foot.” “It’s fine. No, wait. It isn’t.” “Shall we sit this one out then?” “Unless you want one injured officer due to waltz dancing, I couldn’t agree more.”) Second, Holly still can’t (and probably never will) get used to these monstrosity called ‘high heels’. (“Aiiieeee!” “Holly! Are you okay? That was one nasty slip.” “Ugh! These shoes are going to be the death of me!”) And third, the night still ended with an uneventful note with Trouble walking her to her front door, them exhanging expectant, meaningful looks(like there’s something they wanted to do but couldn’t. Wouldn’t.)–and then nothing. (“So….” “Yeah…” “I have to go.” “Okay.” “Good night, Holly.” “Good night, Trouble.”) But the thing with second chances is they also open doors for third chances. Another opportunity to get things right. Another opportunity neither of them will try to waste this time around (“Are you free next weekend, Commander?” “I think I am. Why?” “There’s this new place that just opened in town…” “Oh? Are you asking me out, Captain?” “For a change, yes. So are you up for it?” “Do we get to dance the waltz?” “No dancing in this joint, thank god. And I don’t have to wear a gown or high heels either.There’s going to be beer though. Lots and lots of it.” “So you, me and a night of possibly getting drunk. Sounds like a plan to me.”) And probably, hopefully, their third time might end up to be the charm, after all.

The Devil Wears Prada (Artemis, Minerva)

“Tick tock, Master Fowl. We don’t have all day.Make your move already.” “Patience, Miss Paradizo.I’m just about to.” Artemis releases a sharp breath as he moves his Knight forward. Gut-feel tells him it isn’t the best course of action; there is a better strategy to beat her in this game. But Artemis finds himself unable to think clearly. It’s all that stupid dress’ fault. Tight, short, strapless, and blood red–it comes to him as a surpise how much power a certain piece of clothing has over him. And Minerva knows, like the genius that she is, and she’s using it to her advantage. Glancing up from the chessboard,he frowns at the fair-haired girl seated across him. Minerva smiles widely as if she has finally claimed victory. Artemis seethes over the fact that it just might turn out to be true. “That’s cheating.” “What is?” Minerva asks, innocently pretending not to know what he is talking about. “You and that red dress. Who wears a dress like that in a chess match?” “Oh.” She flips her blonde hair off her bare shoulder. She moves her Bishop. “I don’t see how this is considered cheating.I’m only wearing it, after all."She smirks as she gives him a meanigful stare."Is my dress proving to be a great distraction to the great Master Fowl?” Artemis grimaces before fixing his eyes on the chessboard. He tries to concentrate on how to fortify his defense and set up an opening for a unexpected attack, but… “Do you want me to take it off, Artie?” Artemis snaps his attention back to Minerva. She winks and coyly smiles, aiming to disorient him–and succeeding. Minerva inwardly laughs, seeing Artemis–face flushed,mouth dropped open– look like a deer caught in the headlights–a rare occurrence that needs to be caught on film. It’s a pity she did not bring a camera with her. Artemis recovers, however, and a few seconds later, a familiar smirk crosses his lips. “How about if I take it off you instead?” Minerva’s smile fades. “Wait–what?" Artemis chuckles. He moves his Knight and defeats her Bishop. "Your move, Miss Paradizo.”

Brotherly Advice (Artemis, Butler, mentions of Artemis/Juliet)

For the first time in his life, Artemis felt himself quiver at the sight of the Eurasian bodyguard. Butler was looking at him with such intensity, the Irish lad was surprised he had not disintegrated yet on the spot. Artemis was certain the news had already reached Butler; Juliet was not the type who’d hide it anyway, especially not to her brother. Artemis expected the older man to give him the typical ’ Don’t hurt my sister or else I’ll hurt you.’ speech. But nothing of that sort came from the Eurasian bodyguard. Surprisingly,Butler took the news of Artemis dating his sister quite calmer than Artemis had expected. “Artemis…” “Yes?” Artemis squeaked, much to his annoyance. He cleared his throat and repeated the word in a much deeper voice. “I mean, yes?” Butler only stared at him again for about a minute or two. Artemis felt like an experiment under scrutiny. It was making him nervous. And then finally, Butler broke the silence.“ I want you to know that I trust you.” Artemis released the breath he did not know he was holding. The Irish lad managed a smile, feeling as if the thorn on his throat had been removed.At that exact moment, there was nothing in this world that he wanted more than Butler’s approval. “Just always remember though,” This time, it was the older man’s turn to smile. “Juliet’s PileDriver is very, very good and I heard she has perfected the Enzuigiri.” Butler patted him on the shoulder as he walked past him. It was needless to say that Artemis took that reminder by heart.

Five Books, Five Moments (Artemis, Butler, Minerva)

Gone with the Wind

It’s been a day since Artemis  was sucked  into Limbo alongside  Holly and No.1 and the young Irish genius still hasn’t reappeared like he was supposed to. This worried Butler for Artemis was rarely out of his sight for more than 24 hours. But he kept his composure and his trust on Artemis. The boy would find his way home, he was sure of it. There’s nothing in this world (or out of it) that could get rid of him that easily.

One month later and there’s still no sign of Artemis Fowl II.

Nineteen Eighty-Four

Artemis grew up before Butler’s eyes.  The Eurasian bodyguard had closely followed the boy’s transition from a smart and arrogant child to a smart and arrogant teenager.  He had never missed all the important parts of Artemis’ life. He had seen Artemis in his happiest, in his saddest, in his most evil, in his kindest moments.  He was watching over him and watching all the time.

“Butler, you’re just like Big Brother, do you know that?” a four-year-old Artemis once told him. Butler’s heart warmed at the thought that Artemis considered him akin to an older sibling.  (He loved being one to Juliet.) It wasn’t only until later that he got the literary reference.

The Picture of Artemis Fowl Dorian Gray

Three months had passed and Artemis was still gone. Staying at the Fowl Manor had become unbearable for Butler seeing Master Fowl and Miss Angeline’s distress over their missing son. Artemis’ portraits and memories were also scattered all over the mansion, constantly reminding Butler how much he missed his young ward and how much he worried for him. Butler had to get out.

That night, he left Dublin for the village of Duncade. He promised the Fowls that on the day of his return to Fowl manor, whenever that may be, Artemis would be with him.

Northern Lights

Minerva Paradizo often visited him in Duncade. It was she who got him into fiction reading, a hobby Butler had learned to love, for it took his mind off Artemis even for just a while.  He was still missing the boy terribly. Butler reckoned he’d always would so long as Artemis was not around.

Northern Lights was the first book Minerva gave to him as a gift.  It was on the day of his birthday that she stopped by in Duncade en route to Dublin.

(In a way, the novel  reminded him of one of his and Artemis' trips to the North.  He could still remember clearly the beautiful colors of the Aurora Borealis.)

“Has there been any news about Artemis yet?” she asked while they were sitting on his front porch and sharing the tea and cakes Minerva herself had prepared.

Butler shook his head. “No. It’s been a year now.”

Minerva sighed. “I miss him,” she said, her tone sad and longing. “And to think I haven’t even known him that long. I just can’t imagine how much harder it is for you.”

Butler didn’t respond. Only when he was sure his voice wouldn’t crack did he say, “He’ll be back. Then, you can stop beating me in chess and give Artemis a run for his money.”

It was only then that Minerva smiled again. “I can’t wait.”

The Lord of the Rings:The Return of the King

Butler often dreamed of Artemis’ return. He dreamed about him so much he almost couldn’t distinguish what was real and what wasn’t.

When he saw Artemis standing inside his cottage, dressed in tattered clothes and still looking the same way he did three years ago, Butler wanted to believe that he was dreaming. It wasn’t only until he hugged the boy that reality sank in and complete joy washed over him. The boy he had missed like a father missing his own son—albeit, he was a conceited, and  a very sarcastic son but Butler wouldn’t have him any other way—was finally in his arms and Butler held him like he had never held anyone before.

Artemis was real; Artemis was back. Butler had always known he would be.

Fin.

[poet-of-deimos]

JOJO

Prologue (Dio Brando) Cruelty knows no age. Dio Brando at  five years old. (Pre-series, warning for animal cruelty)

Dio was five when he first realized that he was different from the rest his peers; that he didn’t belong with them as much they didn’t belong with him.

It all happened during the first month of spring, three weeks after he had started attending the school near the town’s outskirts. His father Dario was against the idea to begin with, claiming that Dio’s quest for education was nothing but a waste of whatever little money they had left; money which they could have used on more important things like his booze,cigarettes and gambling.

But Dio’s mother refused to let her son grow up without a proper education, especially after seeing the different spark in his eyes. Dio was an intelligent child, and he needed to hone that intelligence further.

So Dio’s mother sent him to school while Dario was away squandering his money with his friends at a local tavern. She sent him to school even though she had to work doubly hard in order to afford his education. Her sacrifices would eventually pay off, she believed.

Dio would become a successful man someday, leaving these depressing slums to become someone of great importance.

Truly, there was no other future  befitting her son.

School changed his life in a way Dio never thought it would. It’s where he first had a taste of how cruel human beings could be to each other, especially to those who appeared so helpless and  weak. Home was no paradise, especially with a devil of a father like his. But at least, his mother was there to help him get through the worst of days.

In school, Dio was alone. He had no friends, being new and all. ‘They’ll warm up to you eventually’, his mother would say and it took all his effort not to say how much he didn’t care if they didn’t. The kids at school were a bunch of idiots anyway.

Indeed, Dio was not longing to form any sort of camarederie with his classmates. He was not like them, they were not like him. The would never be on the same wavelength. While their interests lied on playing games and having fun, Dio was set on becoming number one.

Dio did extremely well in school, much to the pleasure of his mother and his teachers. There was no test that Dio wouldn’t ace; no question that he couldn’t answer.

Slowly, the other kids began paying him attention, but not in the way he wanted it. While some were throwing admiring looks towards his direction, others, on the other hand,were envious and biting.

Tobias and his gang of five never failed to remind Dio that he was not entirely welcomed in their class. It all started with just the name-calling. They called him using every insult their pathetic brains could think of, none of which Dio cared much about. They were so childish and he was not going to stoop down to their level.

Then, they became more physical, pushing , slamming, tripping him every chance they get. It came to a point that Dio became so fed up that he almost stabbed Tobias in the eye with a pen. And he really would’ve, if only a teacher didn’t appear on the scene.

That would’ve served him right.

But Dio was known in school to be a good kid and he intended it to remain that way. He was not going to jeopardize the reputation he had carefully  built because of one kid who didn’t even deserve his attention.

It was at this point that Dio realized that he would never survive the schoolyear alone. He wasn’t sure how long he could endure Tobias’ bullying before he ended up breaking the facade he was trying to maintain.

So Dio began forming friendships, mostly with simpletons who were easy to control. (Those idiots were useful after all) They kept Tobias and his gang at bay for him, while he continued to be 'the good kid Dio’ in everyone’s eyes.

Eventually, Tobias moved on to the next helpess kid he could find. That was how he operated anyway.

But Dio had never forgotten Tobias and all the hell he had put him through. And he had never forgiven the boy either.

An eye for an eye. A tooth for a tooth.

No one could do him wrong and expect not to pay. This was the Dio Brando way.

It was a tiny brown puppy, not even five months old, with a pair of big, black eyes that seemed to look at Dio pleadingly as the boy placed him inside a dirty sack. With its mouth tied together with a strong rope, the puppy whimpered repeatedly, as if begging Dio to spare him.

But pity was a feeling that Dio did not know nor feel. And so he closed the sack using a tight knot, before harshly throwing it down to the ground.

He heard Tobias loved his dog.

And with this in  mind, he picked up a nearby brick  and smashed it against the body inside the sack, mostly aiming for the head. He did this over and over, reveling at the sound of a life slowing fading away. The loud whimpers turned into whispers. And then eventually, silence. Blood seeped through the sack, staining the brick and then his hand.

Dio threw the brick away and kicked the sack so hard it flew and landed several feet away from him.Then,he took a deep breath and smiled to himself, feeling a sense of liberation at what he had just done.

It was the first time Dio Brando took a life.

It was definitely not the last.

He anonymously sent the body of his dead pet to Tobias the next day.

He made sure not to forget to put in a card and greet  the other boy a happy birthday.

Fin.

[poet-of-deimos]

HOUSHIN ENGI

Post-manga, so yeah, spoilers. Also, the whole Taikoubou/Shinkouhyou subtext may or may not be intentional.

An Afternoon of Lies (Taikoubou,Shinkouhyou, Kokutenko) They weren’t both good at telling the truth.

“Goshujin-su!”

“Osshou-sama!”

A resting Taikoubou opens an eye as he hears the familiar voices calling out to him. Rubbing his eyes, he sits up and looks up into the sky. A light-haired man riding a plump, white beast flies past him. They both continue to shout for him while he moves to a place hidden from their field of vision. Shaking his head, he releases a deep sigh.

“Don’t you guys ever give up?” he asks in a voice they surely cannot hear.

Three years.

For  three long years they have been searching for him. From Chouka to Seiki, to almost every little town in China – they have never stopped hoping; they have never stopped believing that they would luckily spot him in one of these places. But really, how does one find a person who does not want to be found?

“Until when are you going to play this game of Hide-and-seek?”

Taikoubou looks to his side and groans. He may have hidden himself successfully from Bukichi and Suupuushan all the time, but he has never been able to escape this guy. He is just too difficult to avoid. “It’s you again. Hey, Shinkouhyou, don’t you have any better things to do?”

Mounting himself off Kokutenko, Shinkouhyou goes on to settle beside him, ignoring his question at the same time.

“I will never understand your motives for doing this,” he instead says.

Yawning, Taikoubou reaches for his basket of peaches, one that he has salvaged from a nearby town. He picks a fruit up and throws it towards the other man. “Hungry? Here, have a peach.”

Shinkouhyou deftly catches it before he throws it back to him. “Do not evade the topic.”

Taikoubou shrugs. “You don’t want it? Fine!” And he takes a bite off the fruit. “Mmm…it’s delicious,” he mutters while eating. “Are you sure you don’t want to change your mind?”

Gritting his teeth, Shinkouhyou answers by wielding his Raikouben. A flash of lightning appears. Taikoubou escapes the attack; his basket of peaches doesn’t.

“You idiot! You just wasted a day’s worth of food!”

Shinkouhyou conjures another lightning strike. Obviously, he takes offense for being labeled as someone possessing inferior intelligence.

Taikoubou raises his hands as a sign of surrender. To be honest, he can take down Shinkouhyou if he wants to. Problem is, he is totally not in the mood to fight. It’s too troublesome. “Fine, I’m sorry for calling you an idiot!” he yields. “Geez, you are so touchy,” he mumbles as he sits back down. He eyes Shinkouhyou carefully. Seeing that the other man has put away his paopei, he breathes a sigh of relief. Then, he turns his attention to the burnt remains of his peach basket.

Great. Now I have to get some new ones again.

“Don’t you feel lonely, isolating yourself from your friends?” Shinkouhyou suddenly asks, causing Taikoubou to take his vision away from the ground.

The Taikyoukuzu wielder, for a moment, wordlessly stares at the other man. And then he raises an eyebrow and asks, “Shouldn’t I be asking you the same thing?”

“I have Kokutenko”— he glances at his loyal spirit beast—“For me, he’s enough.” And besides, it’s not as if I have any other friends to isolate myself from, he wishes to add but decides to keep it to himself. Instead, he looks back at Taikoubou and tells him, “What about you? You’re technically all alone.”

Taikoubou stares at the slowly moving clouds. Clear and blue, the skies hold so many memories of friends, both alive and fallen. It would be a lie if he says he doesn’t miss the old times and the people he used to share his life with. But it’s time for them to start anew. There’s nothing he wants more than to see Bukichi and Suupuushan start living for themselves, to see them take their own respective paths and not base their lives on his own decisions. The road he has taken is lonely, true, but it is what he thinks is the best for everyone.

“I’m fine,” he tells Shinkouhyou. “I actually enjoy my solitude. I never had the chance to have this kind of peace before.”

Shinkouhyou can tell that he is lying but the Raikouben user accepts his words as if they were the truth.

“And I am technically not alone,” Taikoubou corrects. “I mean, with you and Kokutenko constantly popping out of nowhere—wait, are you two stalking me?” he asks, smiling teasingly.

Shinkouhyou glares at him and exclaims, “Of course not!” He crosses his arms over his chest and declares, “Our meetings are nothing but coincidences. You just happen to be in the same place as we are.”

“Yeah right, I believe you,” Taikoubou replies sarcastically. You are lonely too, aren’t you? The path you have taken isn’t any better than mine.

A tensed Shinkouhyou quickly rises from the grass and mounts Kokutenko. “Let us leave, Kokutenko. We are wasting our time here.”

“Well, excuse me. It’s not as if I invited you over.”

Shinkouhyou moves to face Taikoubou and gives him a final dagger-like look. “Taikoubou, remember this: the next we meet, we fight.”

The other man rolls his eyes and waves his hand. “Yeah, yeah, whatever. You always say that.”

“I mean it this time!”

Taikoubou smirks. “If you say so, then I shall prepare.”

“Indeed, you better,” he replies haughtily.

After saying this, Shinkouhyou flies away with Kokutenko. He stops and looks back, however, when Taikoubou suddenly calls out his name.

“Hey, don’t forget. You owe me a basket of peaches!!!” the dark-haired man below yells. Shinkouhyou merely snorts, before continuing his journey with Kokutenko.

The nerve of that guy to ask him for a basket of peaches after accusing them of stalking him!

“Shinkouhyou…”

Shinkouhyou looks down at his spirit beast. “What is it, Kokutenko?”

“I hope you don’t mind me saying this but…” he stalls for a few seconds. “…but it seems you have really become friendly with Taikoubou,” he remarks in an almost teasing tone.

For a moment, Shinkouhyou’s eyes turn wide, but he quickly recovers from Kokutenko’s meaningful remark. He furrows his brow and mutters a ‘Hmph’. “Nonsense! He is nothing more than just a rival! You know that!” he answers defensively.

A knowing grin appears on the spirit beast’s face, one that Shinkouhyou cannot see. “Whatever you say, Shinkouhyou. Whatever you say.”

Today has been an afternoon of lies.

Fin.

[poet-of-deimos]

TENIPURI

Startling Revelations on a Monday Afternoon (Fuji,Sakuno) Fuji didn’t want to be cruel but it was about time that Sakuno got that wake-up call: her fantasy of Ryoma simply wasn’t meant to be.

A surprised look crossed her features upon seeing him standing outside her classroom door. He was a person one would least likely see loitering along the hallway where the freshmen classrooms were located, let alone a person who would purposely wait for her until she was finished with her cleaning duty. These were the things that Fuji Syuusuke didn’t normally do. He was there for a specific reason, she was certain. She just didn’t know what that reason was yet.

“Hello,” he greeted, grinning at her in way that seemed to confirm her assumption that he was not there simply for a friendly chitchat

“Hello, Fuji-senpai,” she answered back, giving him her usual polite smile. “Is there anything I can do for you?”

Placing his hands inside his pockets, the third year took a few steps forward, closing the gap between them. The grin gradually left his lips, causing her to fear the words he would say next.

“Ne, Sakuno-chan, do you still remember what we’ve talked about last week? About Echizen and Momoshiro?”

Upon hearing those two familiar names, the smile on her own face quickly faded. At that moment, she finally understood why he was there. It’s about that issue they had been arguing about since last Thursday. Shaking her head, she sighed as she began to walk away. “Please, senpai, stop it. There’s nothing you could say that could make me believe you.”

Fuji quickly followed behind her. “You are being stubborn again.”

“I am not,” she objected, her brow furrowing. “I just happen to trust my own judgment and both Ryoma-kun and Momoshiro-senpai.”

“Do you really?” he asked in a challenging tone. “Personally, I think you’re afraid.”

Sakuno stopped in her tracks and looked back. She gave a soft laugh. “ Me? Afraid?”

“Yes, you’re afraid,” he replied as he nodded his head. “You’re afraid to know that I am right.” Staring at her seriously, the third year then added, “And guess what? I can prove that I am.”

Before she could make any protests, Fuji grabbed her hand and hurriedly led her down the hallway.

“Eh? Senpai,where are we going?” she asked in a curious tone.

“You’ll see,Sakuno-chan,” Fuji replied curtly. “You’ll see…”

But if only she could turn back the time, she wished she didn’t.

The scene playing before her very eyes was the last thing she’d ever want to see in her lifetime– Echizen Ryoma and Momoshiro Takeshi, locked in each other’s embrace; making out in a place where they thought no one would be able to see them.

Sakuno bit her lip as she took a step backward. This could not be happening. How could they make her believe that that there was nothing going on between them except friendship? Sakuno shook her head. Maybe the signs had all been there but she was just too stubborn to acknowledge them.

Taking a deep breath, she turned her back on them and walked towards Fuji, who was currently leaning against a tree, waiting for her.

“You win, Fuji-senpai,’” she said as soon she had reached where he was standing. She gave him a small smile. “I’m sorry I didn’t believe you.”

“That’s all right,” the tennis genius replied as he wore a sympathetic expression on his face. Staring at her intently, he then remarked, “ Sakuno-chan, that really affected you a lot ne? You sure look very disappointed.”

“How could I not be?” The pigtailed girl sighed.

“I have always been a ZukaRyo fan.”

Fin.

[poet-of-deimos]

DIGIMON

That’s Not in the Instructions (Yamato,Mimi) Yamato isn’t good at following instructions. Mimi isn’t sure whether to be irked or be pleased by it. (warning:Pure fluff)

“Abracadabra!”

“Shazam!”

“Supercalifragilistic expialidotious!”

Mimi Tachikawa frowned as she threw the top hat down on the coffee table, along with the wand and guidebook which she had recently purchased from a magic store. For days, she had been practicing this one magic trick, following all instructions strictly but for some reason, she just couldn’t pull it off.

“Accept it, Tachikawa. You have no career as a magician,” Yamato remarked while his eyes remained on the music magazine he was reading. “You’ll never beat Taichi in that bet.”

“Thank you very much for those words of encouragement. I really appreciate your belief in my abilities,” she replied sarcastically. Looking up, Yamato chuckled while watching her pout. Shaking his head, he returned his attention to the latest music news, ignoring Mimi as she sulked in her seat.

The cinnamon-haired girl sighed as she reached for her guidebook. Scanning the pages, she decided to find a new act to try since the ‘Pulling-things-out-of-the-hat’ trick wasn’t working well for her. On page eighty-eight, she found something that caught her interest.

Hmmm…Hypnosis.

Fervently, she read every page concerning the technique. After finishing the entire two pages about it, she closed the book and glanced at Yamato, who was still reading his magazine.

Now, let’s see if these instructions really work.

Inching closer to the blond, Mimi smiled sweetly. “Yamato, do you have a minute? I want to try something.”

The older boy turned to her with a curious expression on his face.

“Yamato, I want you to look into my eyes,” she instructed firmly as she slightly leaned forward.

Yamato furrowed his brow. “Mimi, what’s this all about?”

“I want to see if I can hypnotize you.”

He snorted. “Hypnotize me?”

“Oh, don’t say anything and just help me out.”

He shrugged. ” Fine.” He then shifted in his seat so that he was directly facing her. She first gave a triumphant grin before replacing it with a look of seriousness.

“Now, I repeat.Look into my eyes, and listen to my instructions carefully.”

Yamato inwardly laughed, amused at the odd idea that had entered the younger girl’s head. Half-heartedly, he listened as she told him to clear his mind of any thought. And yes, he did just that. He cleared himself of all thoughts. Well,except for one which he just couldn’t ignore. And it was Mimi’s fault .

Because she was looking rather cute.

Damn, she just had no idea what he wanted to do to her, with her this close and with her lips moving so invitingly.

“Now, breathe and—”

He didn’t hear the next set of instructions for he  had captured her lips with his own, cutting her off in mid-sentence. The kiss was short, chaste and quick but it was more than enough to make Mimi’s cheeks and ears go red. He grinned as he broke contact, ignoring the childish pout that appeared on Mimi’s face afterwards.

“You know, that was not part of the instructions,” she told him, pretending to sound displeased.

“Sorry. I was …distracted.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. Yamato didn’t sound apologetic at all. A sharp sigh escaped her lips. “Whatever. Shall we do it again?”

Blue eyes lit up with glee. “Well, if you say so.”

Yamato moved for a second kiss, but to his dismay, his mouth met Mimi’s palm instead.

“I meant the hypnosis thing. I need to practice. You won’t make me lose to Taichi, Ishida!”

She thought she sounded steadfast in her resolve to perfect her chosen craft and beat Taichi in his stupid bet. But Yamato was staring at her intensely, so intense she felt the heat rising to her cheeks. Subconsciously, she licked her lips. Oh, why did he have to look at her that way? Wrinkling her forehead, she removed her hand from his mouth.

“On second thought, there’s still a lot of time. Maybe I could just practice later?”

Yamato laughed.  

Fin.

[poet-of-deimos]

TENIPURI

Patience (Ryoma, Sakuno) This whole waiting game has never been his thing. Surely, he had better use for his time. But he stretches his patience for her, especially for her.

In a train station, somewhere in Tokyo, surrounded by people he doesn't know, a boy waits, surprisingly with more patience he's normally known for. Still, that doesn't stop him from glancing at the clock on the wall for a second time.

The clock reads nine-oh-five.

And she is five minutes late. Typical.

He pulls out his cellphone and sends her a message. Where are you?

In a minute, she sends her reply. I'm here. I can't see you anywhere. Where are you?

He sends another message, telling her where his exact location is. Several seconds later his phone beeps. He opens his message inbox.

Oh no! I'm on the other side. I'm sorry!!! (T__T) I'm coming over now.

Echizen Ryoma shakes his head, a faint smile of amusement forms on his lips. She's gotten herself lost. Again.

Even more typical.

He keeps the mobile device in his pocket as he leans against the wall and eyes the eastern side of the station, knowing any soon now she'll appear, joining the rest of the crowd.

If she were another person, he might have lost his patience already and left. This whole waiting game has never been his thing. Surely, he had better use for his time. But he stretches his patience for her, especially for her. After all, she waited four years for him to come around to his senses; what's five, ten minutes compared to that?

He oftentimes wonders how she does it. How can she wait for and like a boy who's 'too dense and too much of an idiot' (Ryoga's words, not his by the way.) to notice her value or impact on his life.  How can she put up with his mood swings when he himself wouldn't? (He'd never date himself that's for sure!) Ryoga tells him he has struck gold and now that he thinks about it, he realizes the older Echizen is right. (Well, what do you know--Ryoga does say sensible things once in a while.)

He sees her running,twin braids flying behind her. Hands in his pockets, he pushes himself off the wall and casually walks to meet her.

"You're late, Ryuuzaki," he remarks just as she stops a foot away from him.

Face flushed and apologetic,Ryuuzaki Sakuno bows her head several times. "I was here on time, I swear. But I thought..." she starts to explain herself  while he merely stares, studying her face, the movement of her lips, the genuine regret in her eyes.

Ryoma never pegs himself as the the sentimental type nor  is he the kind of person who'll publicly show his affection. But at that moment, he feels an urge to hug her right then and there.  And so he does, a gesture which stops her in the middle of her explanation and  catches her off guard.

"What was that for?" she asks, right after he pulls away. Her expression clearly shows her confusion. This is something he normally doesn't do, after all.

Ryoma answers her with a shrug. "I just want to do it, that's all. There's nothing wrong with it, is there?"

Sakuno shakes her head.

"Good." He offers her his hand. She gives it a glance, her brow furrowing, and then looks  back to his face, questions in her eyes. He tilts his head slightly to the right, eyebrows raising up and down quickly, as if to answer the silent inquiries running inside her head. Then, she takes his hand, her fingers entwining with his securely. There is nothing at that moment that feels more perfect.

Sakuno stares at their clasped hands before looking up to give him a smile. "You seem different today," she tells him. "Are you okay?" she asks teasingly.

He grins. "I've never felt better." Then, he pulls her along  with him, towards the crowd of would-be passengers going to and fro.

Fin.

[poet-of-deimos]

TENIPURI

Undercurrent (Tezuka,Miyuki,Chitose) Chitose isn’t  the only big brother in Miyuki’s life and he isn’t exactly ecstatic about it.

The room was uncomfortably silent.

Chitose Senri knitted his eyebrows together as he thought of how unusual it was to have such silence in their (ab)normally loud and cheerful household. He wasn’t a bundle of energy like Kintarou; nor was he the talkative type (he would speak only when he found it necessary), but surely, the people around him were. They, however, were nowhere to be found.

His dad and mom were up north, visiting some relatives. Miyuki, on the other hand, was in her room, preparing herself for her planned activity that morning. And while they were all away, he was left to do this.

He cleared his throat as he stared at the bespectacled man seated right across from him. This other person was no stranger to Chitose. He had met the guy on several occasions, mostly during tennis competitions. But they had never spoken to each other, aside from the usual acknowledgements. Having the living room all to themselves, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of awkwardness. At that moment, they weren’t facing each other as tennis rivals. At that moment, Chitose was simply Chitose Senri, a young man of twenty and older brother to an energetic fifteen-year-old. The other man, on the other hand, was—well, Chitose didn’t exactly know what he was, especially to his sister. He had some assumptions in mind but the once Shitenhouji Regular didn’t really like what he was thinking. He quickly dismissed those ideas.

His paranoia was truly becoming unhealthy.

He shifted in his seat as the other remained rigid as a stone. He decided to end the taciturnity.

“Tezuka…” he spoke.

“Chitose…” the other answered.

A pause.

“So, I heard from Miyuki that you’re helping her train for her upcoming competition.”

“She asked me to. ”

“Ah. And obviously you didn’t refuse.”

“Miyuki has helped me once. I am returning a favor.”

Another pause came. Once again, Chitose was first to break it.

“I think it was rather strange of that kid to ask you for help instead of me…” He firmly settled his eyes on Tezuka. “Considering the fact that I am her brother.”

Tezuka adjusted his glasses; his stoic expression remained intact. “She said you have been quite busy lately.”

Chitose straightened in his seat. “I always have time for her and she knows it. It was not really necessary for her to bother you. ”

“It’s all right. I don’t mind,” he replied, though he sensed that Chitose wasn’t really apologizing on behalf of his sister.

“Hmm…” Chitose mumbled as he nodded his head. “By the way, when are you going back to Tokyo?”

“On the 23rd.”

“Ah. So you’re going to be around for one more week.” Chitose unconsciously clenched his fists.

“Miyuki invited me to watch the tournament.”

“She did?” He cocked his head to the right. “That’s…nice.”

Strangely, his tone didn’t sound all that nice. He wondered if Tezuka noticed the strain in his voice.

A pause again, a much longer one.It ended, however, as soon as Miyuki, dressed in her tennis attire which consisted of a pair of white shorts and a smaller replica of one of her brother’s Indian-print shirts, entered the living room and walked towards them. Her racket bag was securely hanging on her shoulder.

“I’m here! Sorry I took so long!” she exclaimed, causing the two men to tear away their attention from each other. She stopped a foot away from where her brother sat and placed her hands on her hips. She pouted at the older Chitose. “Oniichan, I thought I told you to entertain our guest.”

“I did,” he replied blandly.

“Right.” Miyuki rolled her eyes.  “By having a staring contest with him.” Ignoring the slight narrowing of his brother’s eyes, she turned to the former Seigaku captain next. “Hey,Thief-bro, I apologize for my brother’s lack of hospitality. Sadly, his social skills are not as developed as his tennis skills.” She chuckled at her joke, but she immediately stopped upon noticing that she was the only one who found it amusing.

Naturally, her brother wouldn’t laugh because he was the subject of the joke; but Tezuka? That guy had no sense of humor at all. Miyuki sometimes wondered how many times he smiled in a year.

“Your brother has been quite…welcoming,” Tezuka remarked as his gaze returned to Chitose.

Miyuki smiled as she threw the raven-haired man a glance. “Oh? Well, that’s good to hear.” Turning back to Tezuka, she nodded to signal him that it was time for them to leave.

Tezuka rose from his seat,and so did Chitose. And they bid each other farewell, as it was only polite to do so.

“It was… nice seeing you, Chitose,” the bespectacled one said in his usual monotone.

“It was nice seeing you too, Tezuka,” the Geta-wearing man answered. Then, he followed the two to the door, wanting to see them off. But before they could step out of the doorway, Chitose called Miyuki’s attention for a last question.

“By the way, Miyuki, what do you want for lunch?” It was his turn to prepare their food for that day.

“Eh? Well, actually, Oniichan,” She scratched a cheek. “Thief-bro promised to treat me out so–”

“I see,” Chitose cut in before glancing at Tezuka. “So, I guess I shall be eating alone.” He took a deep breath and forced a smirk. “Well, have…fun.” But not too much, he added mentally.

“We will!” Miyuki exclaimed, as she held onto Tezuka’s arm. “Let’s go, Thief-bro!”

Tezuka stared at the other man. “Chitose…”

Chitose stared back, his smirk fading. “Tezuka…”

And that was finally goodbye for them.

Chitose crossed his arms over his chest as he watched his sister drag Tezuka towards the gate. He frowned.

Seven days.

Seven more days.

He shook his head as he closed the door.

Oh,this was going to be one hell of a long week.

Fin.

This was written way, way before PairPuri happened which explains why we have jealous!Chitose instead of Supportive!Chitose. I’d like to try writing Supportive! Chitose someday though. Oh the things he do for Miyuki.

[poet-of-deimos]

HOUSHIN ENGI

I can’t believe Houshin Engi is going to have a remake. I must confess though. I’ve never seen the old anime because I’ve heard of how much it deviated from the manga. I hope next year’s adaptation is closer to the source material.  I need to see Youzen’s other form in full animation, please.

Faculty Meeting (Tenka,The Three Freaks of Kongrong) Doutoku, Taiitsu and Unchuushi bond over tea and injuries.

Tenka curiously stared at the shiny, big, red gloves on his hand as if it were the first time his eyes had ever laid on such a thing. When he showed up earlier to meet Doutoku for his daily dose of training, he was expecting the usual endurance exercises, followed by an afternoon of swordplay. But right after he had finished his laps around Kongrong, Tenka was surprised that instead of a wooden sword, the sennin gave him a pair of boxing gloves.

“Coach, why do I have to wear these-sa?” he asked as he continued to inspect the padded gloves.

“Because today, I’m going to teach you how to win a fight without a sword!”

Looking up, Tenka saw the enthusiastic grin on Doutoku’s face. That’s Coach for you–always so pumped up whenever he had something new to teach.

“You can’t always depend on your weapons, Tenka.” Doutoku raised his gloved fists and moved into his boxing stance. Then, he began to throw random air punches in different directions. One of which had almost reached Tenka, if only he weren’t quick enough to evade it.

“You must know how to defend yourself using even just your bare hands.”

Punch. Punch.

“Which is why today’s lesson will be all about boxing!”

Punch. Punch.

“Boxing is a very good sport. It can help boost your stamina…”

Punch. Punch.

“Improve your footwork…”

Punch. Punch.

“Raise your speed and agility!”

Punch. Punch.

“So, what do you say, Tenka?”

Punch. Punch.

“Are you ready to learn how to box like a pro?”

Punch. Punch.

“Sure,Coach” Tenka replied as he raised one hand to block Doutoku’s last assault.

“Great!” the Juunisen member excitedly exclaimed as he patted Tenka on the arm. At that moment, Tenka thought Doutoku looked like a child who just received an awesome For a second, he was reminded of his brothers and the joyful expression on their faces whenever their mom would make pizza buns for their birthdays.

With his grin never leaving his lips, Doutoku moved two steps back. “Okay, before we start with the basic lessons, I must first test your punching strength.”

“Huh?”

“Hit me, Tenka.” He tapped his cheek. “Right here in the face.”

Tenka simply stared at him. “Are you kidding me?”

“Not at all.” Coach signaled him to come nearer. “Come now, hit me and hit me hard. ”

Tenka scratched his head. He wasn’t really comfortable about punching someone without a fight, especially if it’s his Coach. “I don’t think I can…”

Doutoku stomped back to his student. “Of course you can!” He grabbed the younger boy’s shoulders and shook him a bit forcefully. “Remember what I told you: no guts, no glory!”

Shake. Shake.

“So punch me, Tenka!”

Shake. Shake.

“Don’t hesitate!”

Shake. Shake.

“Punch me!”

Shake. Shake.

“I said punch me!”

Shake. Shake.

“Give me all you go–ow!” And before he could finish his sentence, Tenka pushed him back and hit him with his fist, squarely in the face as he had ordered.

Doutoku staggered back and eventually landed down on the ground with a thud. Tenka winced. It seemed like he had used too much power. Hastily, he knelt down beside his fallen teacher.

“Coach, are you all right?” he slightly shook the currently unconscious sennin. “You shouldn’t have insisted that I hit you.”

Right after he had said this, Doutoku’s eyes suddenly snapped open. Then, he held onto Tenka’s arm, causing the younger boy to be surprised. “What are you talking about? That was amazing!”

Tenka deadpanned. “What?”

“That is the kind of punch I’m looking for! So strong. You truly are the son of Kou Hiko.” Doutoku happily said while raising himself off the ground as if nothing had happened. “Now, I’m really pumped up!” He raised a fist into the air. “Let’s go, Tenka. Show me more of that punching power!”

For a moment, Tenka wordlessly stared at Doutoku. Shaking his head, he stood up to face his teacher. A small grin was on his lips.

“Coach, you are really weird-sa.”

“You are really weird.”

A bruised and bandaged Doutoku laughed as he placed his teacup on the table. “That was exactly the same thing that Tenka said to me.”

Kongrong’s resident inventor blankly looked at his fellow Juunisen. “How can you be so happy even after getting beat up like that?”

“Taiitsu, nothing satisfies a teacher more than to discover that his student has gotten stronger than before,” Doutoku replied good-naturedly. “Don’t you feel the same exhilaration with Nataku?”

“Oh, I’m exhilarated all right,” an equally bruised and bandaged Taiitsu answered back sarcastically before taking a sip of his tea. “Especially after he had nearly killed me this time.”

“Well, at least, you know he’s making progress,” Unchuushi butted in.

“Not at my expense!” Taiitsu glanced at Unchuushi and cringed upon seeing the strange, purple ooze that the other scientist was applying on his own injuries, which he had received after Raishinshi discovered the new enhancements in his body.  “What the heck is that thing?”

“It’s a medicine I made to cut down a person’s healing time to just thirty minutes.”

“It looks like it can do you more harm than good.”

“You are so superficial, Taiitsu. Just because it looks like this doesn’t mean it’s dangerous. Why don’t you try it?” he said as he passed on the bottle to the Juunisen member.

“No, thanks. I’m fine having all these cuts and bruises even if it takes days for them to heal.”

“So is it really effective?” Doutoku asked, his face blatantly showing his interest.

“How would I know? I just concocted this fifteen minutes ago,” Unchuushi nonchalantly replied, which made Doutoku and Taiitsu stare at him mutely. “Good thing I got these injuries. Now, I am able to test its effects on myself.” He was beaming.

Taiitsu took another big gulp of his tea. “Why am I hanging out with you freaks?”

“Well, you know what the popular saying says,” Unchuushi began, “Birds of the same feather…”

“Are the same birds!” Doutoku finished confidently. This time it was his turn to receive the other two sennin’s mute, incredulous stares. He grinned. “It’s correct…right?”

“Doutoku, why don’t you go home and rest?” Taiitsu sighed. “I think Tenka had hit you way too much today.”

Fin.