#{ Muse: Kagura }

[celxstialclanarchive]

There is a rake pointed at the other's throat.

"Who are you and why have you set foot on our land?"

[resolvebound]

Thinking about how it would Make Sense if mages had 'work' clothes so they're not always ruining or risking their normal clothes. And for certain muses, having outfits that fit with their 'mage persona' or something they're trying to portray or even hide/disguise, things that might tie into their reputation too.

[girlsfightingarena]

I'm realizing that we've already gone way too long with 2/3rds of the Sacred Treasures team. So allow me to fill the void with Miss Chizuru Kagura!!

[landofsamurai]

INBOX CALL

( Specify a muse or feel free to request more than one and I'll send them your way )

[wordswhisperinthedark]

You know what? I think what gets me about this quote is that it kinda captures Gintoki's overall headspace in regards to his life.

Like, I feel like the driving force for Gintoki to keep living — for a lot of the series — is all the promises he's made throughout his life and his absolute determination to keep them. He is determined to never break another promise again, because the last time he did... well.

And it's these promises that drive him. These are the chains he's placed upon himself to keep going in this life. But he's just existing. And that focus on survival is what he wants for the kids. Life doesn't have to be fun as long as your alive. As long as you can wake up the next day and put one foot in front of the other.

But it's not what they want to hear. It's not what they want. Because they don't want to just exist. They've already done that, when they were existing alone on rainy planets and struggling to keep their family's home. Life was something to live for as soon as they met Gintoki. A chaotic world filled with danger and death is worth living in, as long as Gintoki is with them.

And I think it's kinda here at this point that Gintoki realises that and starts to want to live. For them. And maybe start to live for himself.

[minteayoongimakesmewoozi]

been thinking about this for a couple days now, so... a lil bit of royalty!au teehee

Ayame said she was raised in a family of blacksmiths.

Who would know better?

Her hands and arms had been scarred, even before she became Shishou's apprentice. They thought it was from the forge.

They didn't know it was from archery practice.

She had an excellent sense of balance. From the forge, she would insist. From working the billows.

Wrong. It had been from horse-riding.

Her stitches were clumsy. Because she had never been well-practiced in her mother's teachings. Her mother had been a seamstress. At least her embroidery was passable.

No, her mother had never been a seamstress. Noble women never mended their own clothes.

Nobility was one way of referring to the Higichi family of Okutama. Kuge was another.

Hime was not simply a childhood nickname.

"Hime," Tanjirou whispered, eyes wide, "what are you doing here?"

Here, on Mount Kumotori.

Ayame furtively glanced around, but they were alone. Tomioka-san had long fled, and it was only herself, Tanjirou and Nezuko.

"It isn't Hime, it's Ayame," she said sharply. "I'm here as a Kisatsutai trainee, not as... and I gave up my succession. There are - there is no more Ayame-hime. Just Ayame."

She knew they had a strange upbringing. They were the same age, but they were never the same station. Tanjirou, as a guard. Ayame, as royalty.

But there was only one Higuchi and two Kamados left. And she had given up her succession, the same way Oniichan had done the same before her.

Hime was just a childhood nickname now.

Tanjirou paled. He clutched his oni sister close and choked back a sob. There was no more Higuchi family. Only Higuchi Ayame.

But that didn't make him any less her guard.

Tanjirou was not unfamiliar with a katana. With Breathing Styles, with Breath of Water, but not with a sword in hand.

But Tanjirou said he was raised in a charcoal burner's family. It wasn't a lie. His family had burned charcoal for Okutama.

They were not merely charcoal burners.

He had grown up with a sword in hand, and he had learned to swing it under his Otousan's tutelage. His father had been the guard to O-Junhiko-sama. Tanjirou was meant to be the guard for O-Akihiko-sama. Then, O-Ayame-hime.

No, just Ayame now.

There was no Higuchi family.

But there was the Kamado family, however small.

He didn't know if Urokodaki-san had figured out he was familiar with a katana. He already knew how to do basic strikes. He had spent his childhood sparring with Hi - with Ayame.

There was no Higuchi family.

There was Higuchi Ayame.

There was the Kamado family, reduced to two.

The Kamados had always guarded the Higuchis.

"Hime," Tanjirou gasped as the obi sliced into his shoulder, and Ayame crashed into a building.

She didn't scold him for using that old title. He wasn't sure she was conscious.

Wasn't sure if she was breathing.

He was her guard. He was supposed to protect her, even though she told him time and time again that he was just Tanjirou, and she was just Ayame.

"You don't have to live your life protecting me. I don't want that. I can do it myself."

That was what she had said after they fought Kyougai. He hadn't wanted to agree, but she was stronger than him now. She was one year his senior when it came to all things Kisatsutai. She didn't need protection.

He couldn't have protected her even if he wanted to.

Too distracted by the civilian behind him, he had rushed to protect that man instead of his hime. (Ayame had always been hime to him, even when they were children.)

Warabihime threw her hair over her shoulder. He didn't have to breathe in to know she was satisfied with the destruction she had caused. Buildings lay broken. People were screaming.

And his hime was not with him.

Anger rushed through him as blood dripped from his eyes, staining his cheeks with crimson tears.

He was supposed to protect his hime.

He was going to cut down the false Warabihime in her name.

"Tengen-san found out."

"Eh?"

"In Yoshiwara."

"Eh?!"

Ayame crossed her legs and frowned at him.

Tanjirou winced. He was still recovering from his coma, so he couldn't even dash away. Not that he would want to. Even if Ayame didn't think she was royalty anymore, he was her guard and would continue acting as such.

"You called me Hime," she said, accusatory. "When Gyuutarou was going to stab me. On that roof."

Tanjirou winced once more. Ah, that...

It had slipped from his mouth without a second thought. He might call her Ayame to her face, but she was still O-Ayame-hime to him. He hadn't meant to!

She continued, "He thought it was strange, so he did some digging. Found out that I'm kuge. Which means he knows you're buke."

His eyes widened. "No!"

"Yes." She crossed her arms as well. "So. He knows."

"Has he - has he told anyone?"

Zenitsu and Inosuke flashed through his mind. They knew the stories Ayame and Tanjirou had told of their families best, which meant that they knew the least about the true nature of their families. They were both nobility, and they did their best to act like they weren't.

Ayame shook her head. "He didn't tell anyone." She pursed her lips. "Zenitsu might suspect, though. He was in earshot."

Tanjirou groaned and covered his face with his hands. What a mess.

"We should've just told everyone," he mumbled.

He didn't have to look at her to know she was glaring at him.

"No! I don't want people to know I'm kuge. They'll start thinking I'm unsuited to be a Demon Slayer. I'm a tsuguko. I can't let that happen."

"Hime..." A sharp pinch to his ankle. His leg jerked, almost causing him to kick her off the bed. "Ow - Ayame."

She nodded in satisfaction. "There. Isn't it better when you're just Tanjirou and I'm just Ayame? Look at everything we've done since we became normal people. I don't want to lose that."

Normal people, huh? He didn't think anything they were doing was normal. If they were normal people, she would be a blacksmith, and he would be a charcoal burner.

She would not be his hime. She would just be Ayame.

His heart fluttered in his chest.

"You're beautiful," Tanjirou breathed.

It was wrong. He knew it was wrong, these feelings that welled up in him, but he couldn't help it.

Because Ayame was seated before him, wearing his haori and the sunflower hairpin that he bought for her, and she was looking at him like she wouldn't look at anything else.

"Ayame," he whispered.

Not Hime. Just Ayame.

Her fingertips were rough as they skittered across his jawline, but so, so gentle. He couldn't help but lean into her touch.

He was just Tanjirou, and she was just Ayame.

Her lips pressed to his and it felt like fireworks bursting to life in his chest. It was Hinokami Kagura burning him up from the inside, but it didn't matter as long as she kept holding him so gently.

His hime.

His -

Hime.

She was kuge, and he was buke, and it looked like the same thing on the surface, but it was wrong.

It was wrong, but why did it feel so right?

But it wasn't. It was wrong.

Because she was O-Ayame-hime, and he was Kamado-kimi.

It was the same thing on the surface, but it wasn't the same thing at all. They were of different ranks - not just in the Kisatsutai, but in life as well.

Otousan always told him to never forget his duty.

He was his hime's guard, and nothing more.

"Tanjirou," she whispered. His heart ached, even as it was soothed by the way she called out to him. As if they could stand on equal ground. "I - Tanjirou, I - "

"I can't," he croaked.

Her hair was so soft, ink-black tresses spilling over his fingers. He was undeserving of such a position; his hands were never allowed to touch her. They were meant to protect her.

Even if it meant from himself.

"I can't." No, don't look at him like that. Don't look at him like - "I can't. I'm sorry. I - "

I'm not worthy, Hime.

Tanjirou knew she would come to him. She was always braver than him.

"I think," Ayame murmured, "I'm falling in love with you."

"Don't say that," he said, even as his heartbeat fluttered in his throat and his chest swelled with emotion. "Don't..."

How could she? When she was O-Ayame-Hime, and he was Kamado-kimi.

He dropped to a bow, forehead pressed to the tatami. Showing her the respect she deserved.

"Tanjirou - what are you - ?"

"O-Ayame-Hime, please forgive me."

Her breath hitched. Her scent swirled around him, suzuran and charcoal, sadness and grief.

"I'm not - "

"As your guard," he continued, "it was inappropriate of me. I apologise."

"Tanji - "

"Hime."

"..."

"..."

He didn't lift his head. It wasn't proper.

Her voice was cool when she said, "You are forgiven, Kamado-kimi. Please raise your head."

Oh. He hadn't heard her use that tone with him since...

"No more Hime or O-Ayame-hime. Just call me Ayame, and I'll call you Tanjirou. Okay? We're - we're friends now. Right...?"

Tanjirou slowly straightened. His throat was tight, but even if he could muster any words, it was - it was inappropriate for a mere guard to speak without being spoken to. He kept his gaze on the tatami in front of his knees; a guard shouldn't lay eyes on a princess unless they were in public.

"Kamado-kimi, raise your head."

At his hime's command, he raised his gaze to meet hers.

She sighed. "So that's it, then?"

Tanjirou took a deep breath.

"That's it, then."

It was time they both remembered their places.

Tanjirou's nose wrinkled at the burning scent of alcohol.

“It's tradition,” said Zenitsu. He swallowed a mouthful of his sake and claimed Ayame's seat for his own. “Sorry that didn't go the way I planned. I forgot how quick your reflexes are.”

He shot his older friend a mildly annoyed look.

“Zenitsu…”

“We all knew it was gonna happen anyway. I just thought I'd give you guys a kick in the ass. Get things moving along, ne.” Zenitsu glanced at Tanjirou. “I didn't hear whatever you guys were whispering about, don't worry. The music was too loud.”

A sigh of relief slipped from Tanjirou's chest. He forgot about Zenitsu's incredible hearing.

To stave off more questions, Tanjirou sipped the sake dish in his hands. The alcohol was just as burning and unpleasant as he remembered.

“Ne, it's about to get more dangerous.” Zenitsu tipped his head back. “Not for us, but for Ayame-chan. She'll be fighting in battles that we can't help her with soon enough.”

“That's true…”

"So, whenever you call her Hime, it makes her really frustrated. It's not like she's helpless."

Tanjirou choked on air. "Zenitsu...!"

"You're not subtle. I've suspected for a while now." The blonde laughed to himself. "A real-life princess, and you're acting like this? You really are an idiot, aren't you?"

"Ze - Zenitsu! Quiet down!"

"No one's listening, it's fine." He drank another mouthful of sake. "Ne, you're living the life most guys dream of. Why won't you just be honest?"

"It's not like that. She's my hime, and I'm her guard."

Zenitsu nodded. "Yeah, yeah, but she's never treated you like that. Ayame-chan's always treated you as Tanjirou, you know."

"That..."

His protest died in his throat.

That was true. Since the moment she met him again on Mount Fujikasane, they had been standing on equal ground. Tanjirou and Ayame, not Kamado-kimi and O-Ayame-hime.

Zenitsu knocked his shoulder against Tanjirou's. “She'll need all the luck she can get, either way,” the blonde said lightly. “Inosuke and I already gave her good luck kisses, but don't lag behind too much. I'm sure it'll mean a lot coming from you.”

Tanjirou gaped. “Wh-When did you…!”

Zenitsu laughed. “Ayame-chan's right. Your situational awareness is terrible.” He tipped the rest of his sake into Tanjirou's cup. It almost sloshed over. “Drink up! Then you won't chicken out.”

Zenitsu stood, stretching his arms up. His hands landed on his hips.

“Y'know, the idea of you finding happiness before still irritates me a bit,” his eyebrow twitched, “but if it's you and Ayame-chan, I can't help but root for you guys. I guess it's 'cause you're my best friends.”

Warmth that had nothing to do with sake bloomed in Tanjirou's chest.

Zenitsu hadn't known they were kuge and buke. Even then, he was still rooting for them. He didn't understand how different their stations in life were, but maybe it didn't really matter. Not when they were this far away from Okutama.

Tanjirou gazed down at his sake dish, then drained it. It still burned, and it was bitter and unpleasant, but he felt a little more ready to face things.

“Help me up,” he bade.

Zenitsu grinned. “Over to your hime, ne? Come on, slowpoke.”

It was easy enough for Zenitsu to elbow his way through the small crowd. They almost seemed to part, especially when they saw Tanjirou.

Ayame was laughing about something with Aoi and Genya. She didn't laugh loudly, but her shoulders shook with mirth. Tanjirou kept his eyes on her sunflower clip – the sunflower clip he gifted her. The gift she accepted, even though it was far beneath her station. A hime should be adorned in fine silver and gold, not cheap copper and brass

You're beautiful.

“Ayame,” he called out.

She turned towards him, a question in her eyes.

His hand cupped her jaw, keeping her head still. Her eyes widened as he ducked in close and pressed his lips to her cheek.

Cheers and catcalls erupted around them, but all of Tanjirou's senses were honed in on the feeling of her cheek against his lips. Embarrassment and suzuran mingled as Ayame went completely still.

“Tanjirou, what – ?”

“For good luck,” he echoed, reluctantly pulling away.

Blue met red.

Her eyelids fluttered, her cheek growing warm beneath his fingers.

Still beautiful.

“As a… friend?” she said hesitantly.

He smiled, pulling his hand away. His fingers hooked in her kumihimo cords, thumb brushing over the one he had made with Zenitsu and Inosuke.

“As your friend,” he agreed.

After all, kuge or not, she would always be his hime.

[lostusagis]

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐑𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝?

ruined by trauma

you cannot get over the past. you are constantly remembering, never forgetting. you cant live in the moment because the moment is not what brought you here. you are birthed, raised, and killed in the past. you will never get over what was done to you, be it big or be it small. you cannot escape what you refuse to confront.

ruined by loneliness

you are so lonely. you are miserable in your solitude. you hate that you cannot bring yourself to reach out, to ask for help. you will be forgotten by all who never knew you. your biggest fear is that you will die alone, and you know this fear will be seen to fruition. you refuse to extend yourself beyond the box that others put you in. and it is a box that no one dare come near. you are lonely because you are afraid of yourself.

[bulletfestival]

-BLOWS AIRHORN-

"Mugi. Do not do that right now."

...

-BLOWS AIRHORN AGAIN-

[hellishparadiseforthelost]

Sometimes you just need to write a villain that is so immoral, has no tragic backstory and just thrives on evil, chaos.

While I do love my complex, tragedy turned villains, I also like ordinary bastards that have nothing excusable about them. They are so wretched and despicable, that it is amazing.

For me, it is the following muse:

x|| Kagura.

There is nothing to pity here. Just a demoness out here trying to slaughter all those who gets in her and Naraku's way.

Because of how I write her and how she's intertwined with Naraku, she eventually gets her heart. But even before that, she doesn't think of her time with Naraku as imprisonment. She fully enjoys it. One could say she loves him--which ultimately is self love if you think about it lolol.

They're both on the same horrifying wavelength --to the point that Naraku has no doubts about her loyalty--unlike his other reincarnations.

[brokenblueazure]

"..." A small sigh, he was remembering this one time Kagura got so jeaulous of him that he somehow got to be a judge in a swimsuit modeling competition. He was on his ass for it for a whole week.

...Admittedly, in this current time, before summer ends, he's wondering what the wardrobe for all the ones he's met here looks like in particular, now that he thinks about it.

[celxstialclanarchive]

Izuna smiled as he kissed Kagura but not before handing her a small box with a pendent in the shape of an amber leaf. "Happy Birthday."

"Ooh, pretty!" Definitely adding this one to the collection! She kisses Izuna back on the cheek. "Thank you for remembering!"

[fightingdreamcrs]

@mistdaze asked: “ i see you. i know you feel so invisible all the time, but you’re not. not to me. ” (for Kagura) // MISC PROMPTS FOR YOUR FEELS.

Arms curl about his legs as he pulls them up close to his chest, instinctively shrinking in the space so he might be as unnoticeable as he wishes to be when he walks the streets of their homeland. Then perhaps they might leave him alone, stop casting him as their monster and failing to see the boy who carries the burden too heavy for his own shoulders. His fingers tighten in fabric, a cocktail of shame, anger and despair swirling in his gut and he presses his forehead to his knees in an attempt to force himself to breath.

Fourth Mizukage... Yagura... why did you curse me to this existence?

He will never know the answer. There are few Karatachis left, and those that are will not speak of the shame of their clan, determined to simply exist, scared of the way he seems to be bringing the attention back to them once more. Kagura wishes he could just be loved.

And yet, there are moments of reprieve, like this, when the weight of the darkness and the cruelty of fate are not as hard to bear. Yuki Asanoha with her gentle care and determination to buffer the world from him are glimmers of hope against a sea of despair, the buoy he clings to before he drowns. He will never truly be able to thank her.

"I know you do... I know... I'm just... tired of it. Tired of being the monster. Tired of being alone..." His voice cracks and he muffles a presses lips together firmly, refusing to allow the sob to escape. He cannot break, waver yes, despair yes, but break never. It will solve nothing nor give anything but satisfaction to those that wish to see him suffer. "I am glad you are here..." he whispers instead, quietly grateful, barely able to be heard.

[atrxpine]

" Fancy meeting you here. Didn't think you had a death wish."

[vilecovet]

a ramble about my muses’ mental challenges—

tw // mental health

tsurya has complex ptsd and profound depression. his mind is quite literally a prison and he cannot escape, no matter how hard he wants to. he experiences emotional flashbacks, panic attacks, and dissociation often, even in regular conversation. this leads him to taking extended pauses, rumination, and spiraling. unfortunately, he went to war and never came back. 

beck has borderline personality disorder. he has a severe fear of abandonment and rejection due to parental alienation. because his emotional and psychological needs were not met as a child, he unconsciously seeks chaotic relationships, is unable to regulate his emotions, and suffers from rageful outbursts. he’s also a people pleaser, clingy, and longs for intimacy while, at the same time, fearing closeness. good intentions make him feel unsafe, leading him to sabotage whoever tries to get close to him. he also suffers from identity disturbance, leading him to put on a persona in order to influence what others think of him. in truth, he is empty, and does not know what he wants to do with his life, photography or otherwise. so he’s quick to “attach” himself to people and assign himself a purpose in their lives in an attempt to feel whole. 

kagura has ptsd, anxiety, and a subconscious inferiority complex. she is quite confused about her identity as a demon, feels inferior to humans, and often experiences flashbacks to when she was driven out of her home. she hates the fact that she has to harm others to survive, creating a painful mental divide between who she wants to be and who she is. 

cody has avoidant personality disorder due to his empath abilities. he does not like to be touched and actively avoids social situations where he believes rejection is imminent. he suffers from low self-esteem, thoughts of worthlessness, and believes he is socially inept. because of this, he can come across as curt, or short with others.

[wordswhisperinthedark]

So silly but I genuinely get sad when Kagura & Shinpachi are referred to as just Gintoki's "friends" by people/in articles.

[varietales]

MCLs

Kagura – her mcl was brought at the insistence of Evie and Millianna. She wasn’t too fond of the idea herself until they both pointed out that it would be a good way to communicate with each other while any of them were away. Seeing the benefits of it, Kagura finally purchased one. She went with the most expensive Bloom model, the Daisy PetalAVM XL, for its wider range of capabilities, more efficient charging, and contact storage. She picked the lilac model and keeps it in a clear protective case that has a cherry blossom on it. Milli gave her a flower charm to attach to it too. Her lockscreen is just one of the default options (a flower with a pretty blue sky behind it) as she hasn’t played around with personalising anything yet.

Millianna – she was excited to buy one, finding it much more efficient and convenient than sending letters. The device allows her to keep in contact with Sho and Wally (as well as more recent friends she’s made) more easily, so it’s something she adores. Like Kagura (because she picked Kagura’s one), she has the Daisy PetalAVM XL, except Milli’s is in nice peach colour. Of course she has a case with a cat paw print on it, with a charm of a little black cat attached. Her lockscreen is (surprise surprise), a cute cat.

Jenny – as someone who works frequently with Sorcerer Weekly and is an influencer, she was given MCLs of each major brand, along with some lesser known brands as well, in the hopes of her promoting them. As a lover of technology, she tested them all thoroughly and has actually been working with Hibiki to develop their own version of the device as she sees room for improvement in all ranges. In the meantime, she has gone with the Nebula, in rose gold. While she likes the design of the Bloom ranges, she can’t deny that the Nova models have better functionality. She has a lilac case with rose gold glitter detailing. Attached is a matching rose gold flower charm. Her lockscreen is a picture of the sunrise from her home.

Evie – The differences in brands meant very little to her, she simply wanted whichever one would do the best job, and so she entrusted the decision to Risley, her assistant. Risley picked out a blue Nebula for her, along with a beach themed case with a cute seashell charm. Evie finds the potential usefulness of the device intriguing and it was why she suggested her mages all acquire one if they could, however she often forgets that she has one herself as she’s not quite used to it yet. She does love to call and message people when she remembers she can. Her lockscreen is a view from the beach near the town.

Bisca – she went for the purple Nebula and has a clear case with no charm attached to it yet. She depends on the device for staying in contact with Alzack and/or whoever is looking after Asuka if she’s not with her. She also likes to message her friends and use the photo capabilities to take pictures of whatever interests her. She tends to have an excessive amount of photos stored, mostly of Asuka, Alzack, or animals, or food. Her lockscreen is a nice picture of Alzack and Asuka.

Ichiya – he is another Nebula user, but mostly because he saw Jenny’s rose gold one and loved its look. He has a clear case to display the colour, but there is a blue rose inlaid on the back too, custom made. To match the case, he has a blue rose charm attached to it, which comes in handy when he almost drops the device and manages to catch it by the charm. He loves to take pictures with it, but is quite terrible at it as they all end up blurry or with his finger covering part of it. His lockscreen is a group photo of himself and the trimens with Jenny and Master Bob.

Simon – he isn’t too interested in the different brands but has ended up with a DaisyAVM simply because Milli picked it. He’s still getting used to using it but likes the idea of being able to contact Kagura and Milli at any time. Milli picked him a purple one to match Kagura but it’s in a dark green case anyway. She added a cute tree charm, which he finds gets in the way and is a bit annoying, but he keeps it on there because she likes it.