#HIBIKI SWEEP COME BACK

[oddeyes588]

COME ON FOLKS ONE MORE TIME HIBIKI SWEEP

Best Orange Magical Girl - Finals!!!

[danganronpasurvivoraskblog]

So was this planned from the start or are you appeasing the people who complained?

//If you want me to be completely honest, this was sort of a test.

//Originally, Hibiki was supposed to die in this arc permanently to shock the audience, but as time progressed, and I realized how much of the audience took to her (mainly the ASooT audience that I share with Mod Bubbles) didn't want any ill fates to befall her.

//So I changed the course slightly. I wanted to continue with the original plan of having her commit suicide to save the others from Kanade, and deprive her of the power to keep going, but depending on the general consensus, I would find a simple way to bring her back if necessary. How she survived will be explained in a little while.

//My issue wasn't that people were complaining about Hibiki's death, since that's what I was looking for. It's the fact that some people were just really rude to me about it. Sometimes I just wish that when I say I've got something figured out, you guys believe me. It's ridiculous that you guys come to me asking me to promise you something, and then when I make that promise, your immediate reaction is to doubt what I say.

//I have changed the plot of this story several times in the past for you guys's sake and this time was no different, so I just wish I had a little bit more trust than some of you are willing to give me.

//With that being said, I get where the feelings come from and it's in nobodies interest, especially not mine, to villainize the askers. So I've said what I wanted to say, and let's sweep all this under the rug, and keep enjoying this story and having fun times together.

-Mod

[superfreakerz]

TDDUP 34

Chapter 34

Jealousy

Natsu felt the familiar feeling of his gut coiling as Lucy stepped out of her last class with Hibiki. Every time he picked her up, the boy was right behind her, smiles on both of their faces. He hated seeing them talk so normally together.

When Lucy's eyes finally landed on him, she rushed up to him. Only this time, Hibiki followed after.

"Natsu, this is Hibiki," Lucy said, gesturing to the playboy.

"You must be the lucky man who stole this beauty's heart!" Hibiki chimed in. "I'm jealous!"

"Me too," Natsu thought, his fingers itching to punch the other boy. "Hey, I'm Natsu."

"I've heard a lot about you! Like how she can see-"

Lucy slapped the boy's arm. "Don't tell him!"

Natsu's eyes widened as he saw the blush that was spread over his girlfriend's face. Usually he loved seeing her blush. Only this time, he wasn't the one to cause it. He could tell that the two were close. Abnormally close in such a short amount of time. His blood boiled as he tried to take calming breaths, but as the seconds ticked by, his anger started to pile up.

"Lucy, let's go," Natsu said, trying to keep his voice steady.

"Oh, okay!" Lucy replied. She was oblivious to her boyfriend's sour mood as she waved goodbye to her friend before following Natsu to Fairy Tail. When they reached the pub, they found the rest of their friends sitting at their usual table rather than in the basement.

"Hey, guys!" Lucy greeted. The group ushered their own greetings as she and Natsu took their seats.

"How was class?" Levy asked.

"It was good. I have a test coming up. I should do fine on it though since Hibiki can help me out."

"Hibiki?" Erza asked. "Who is that?"

"Oh, he's a new friend that I made! He's in all of my classes."

The group all glanced at Natsu, who was sitting with his arms crossed against his chest. A vein ticked in his forehead, his brows pushed together in frustration. How Lucy was blind to it, they didn't know.

"He's going to help you study?" Gray asked, continuously glancing between Natsu and Lucy.

"Yeah. He's the smartest guy in all of our classes. It's like he somehow knows everything."

The group tensed as Lucy went on and on about her classmate, all the while knowing how it was affecting Natsu. It wasn't like they could blame her. They knew that she was inexperienced when it came to dating, so she was probably unaware of just how jealous a boyfriend could get. Not to mention they knew she was anxious about making friends. She was probably just proud of herself for being able to do so on her own after lifetimes of isolating herself from the world. No, it wasn't the girl's fault for Natsu's jealousy. Nonetheless, that fact didn't help relieve the tension in the air.

Gray cleared his throat before rising from his seat. "Uhh, I'm gonna head to the basement. I have some stuff I gotta do."

Lucy watched in confusion as everyone else in the room all agreed with him, saying a quick goodbye before dashing towards the basement, leaving her and Natsu alone.

"What was that about?" Lucy asked, turning her head to face her boyfriend. His eyes held a dark glimmer, his brows furrowed. He didn't look at her, nor did he reply. "What's wrong, Natsu?"

He didn't answer at first. Lucy was worried that he wasn't going to at all until she heard him mumble.

"It's about Hibiki," he said, his voice gruff.

She raised a brow. "What about him?"

"I don't like him."

And just like that, the veil that was covering Lucy's eyes was torn away. "Oh. You're jealous."

Natsu glared at her. "It's because I know what kind of guys you used to be into. Smart, handsome, princely guys. I'm not like that."

"Natsu-"

"He's everything that you love and I'm not. I'm loud, I'm always picking fights with people, I don't read, I have pink hair-"

"Natsu, stop," Lucy said, her voice soft. She placed a hand on his back, rubbing him gently. "Look, I know I used to dream about a knight in shining armor sweeping me off my feet when I was a little girl. But ever since I met you, I've learned that it's so much more fun being with the rambunctious dragon instead."

Natsu glanced at her, his eyes softening. "Really?"

"Duh. You don't need to be quiet or studious. And you are smart, by the way. I love you just the way you are. Nothing's going to change that."

Natsu bit his lower lip with a frown. While Lucy's words sounded pretty, they weren't enough to convince him. Not when he knew he had to eventually go back to the basement. He would no longer be able to pick her up from class, take her to her favorite restaurant, break into her apartment. Hell, he wouldn't even be able to go out and buy her a gift whenever he wanted to.

What could he possibly offer her? Sure, he had maybe a good ten years before he had to go back to the basement, but what then? While her body would grow, his would stay the same. Surely that would weird her out eventually. Marriage and kids were faraway dreams with immortals, especially when they were with a mortal. There was a reason relationships between the two seldom worked out. It was because it was hard. Not just hard. Nearly impossible.

Why would Lucy choose to put herself through that when she could be with someone normal? Someone like Hibiki, who checked all of her boxes. Someone who could grow with her. Someone who could promise her a ring, children, hell, even a house. Someone normal.

He wasn't normal. And he never would be.

Lucy frowned, seeing as how her words didn't have the effect on him that she wished for. Something told her that it was more than simple jealousy. She had been jealous before, and while the feeling was irritating, it was nothing like the emotions displayed on the boy's face.

"Hey, what's going on?" she asked, her voice quiet. "You seem really upset. Not just jealous."

Natsu contemplated telling her. He wanted nothing more than for her to tell him that none of those things mattered. That no matter how hard it was, she wanted to endure it with him. But deep down, he just didn't believe it was possible. A life with him required multiple sacrifices. Sacrifices that he didn't want to ask of Lucy. He was scared that if he told her honestly of the repercussions that came with dating him, she would open her eyes and realize that her future wasn't with him and that there were others in the world far more capable of giving her what she wanted.

He wasn't the one who could give her what she wanted. No matter how badly he wanted to.

"I-I gotta go," Natsu said, shooting out of his seat. Tears pricked his eyes as Lucy looked up at him with pleading eyes. "Sorry, Lucy. I need to be alone."

Ignoring her pleas to stay, Natsu booked it for the door. He knew that if he went to the basement, she would follow him. So instead, he let his legs wander on their own as he rushed out to the paved streets of Magnolia.

Lucy frowned as she contemplated what she should do. She debated chasing after him, but she knew that there was no use. Natsu was fast, much faster than her. If he didn't want to be caught, then there was no way she was going to be able to catch up to him. She thought about going home and waiting in her apartment, but then she worried about him not coming over. She didn't want whatever he was feeling to build up over the night. So, she headed to the basement, where she knew he would have to eventually come back to.

Mira wasn't at the bar like she usually was. Since finding out about her past, Lucy also asked about the pasts of her other friends to make sure that she wouldn't unknowingly trample over their feelings by dredging up horrible memories for them. She learned all about the scientists who experimented on Erza and Jellal. She learned about how Gajeel and Juvia were chased out of their homes, all the while having stones thrown at them on the way out. She learned about Levy and Natsu having to watch their loved ones die while there was nothing they could do to help.

She learned all about the bad things that came with immortality, but she had also learned of the good. Like how Erza and Jellal led an uprising, liberating themselves along with hundreds of other immortals. How Gajeel and Juvia were able to meet each other while on the run, becoming each other's first real friends. She heard all about how Levy's best friends did all they could to help keep her secret and eventually found Mavis, who introduced Levy to Fairy Tail. And she learned about what Natsu considered the high point in his life.

The two were sitting in Natsu's room, discussing everyone's pasts. He had just finished explaining that while there were drawbacks to being immortal and living in Fairy Tail, there were also upsides for each of them.

"And what's the upside for you?" Lucy had asked.

Natsu's cheeks tinged pink as he averted his gaze. "...I got to meet you."

Reaching Natsu's room, Lucy glumly opened the door to find Gray chilling on his bed, listening to music.

"Lucy?" Gray glanced over her shoulder. "Where's Natsu?"

"He left," the girl answered, wringing the bottom of her sweater. Tears welled in her eyes as she remembered the distraught look on her boyfriend's face as he ran. Ran from her.

Once Gray noticed the tears in her eyes, he jumped to the worst possible conclusion. "Left? As in broke up with you?"

Lucy matched his gaze, shaking her head quickly. "No! At least, he didn't say anything about that…" Truthfully, she had never been broken up with before, so part of her wondered if maybe it could have happened without being outright said. "I don't think he broke up with me. He said he needed to be alone."

"Was he mad about Hibiki?"

"It was more than that. He looked devastated. Was that really just jealousy?"

Gray rubbed the back of his head. He had a pretty good feeling as to what Natsu was thinking. After all, it was the main reason immortals were advised against dating mortals. There was no happy ending, just obstacle after obstacle. Knowing that Natsu probably had a reason for not talking to her about it, he decided to keep that information to himself. That was something that needed to be discussed amongst themselves.

"Jealousy tends to hit harder for immortals," Gray said instead. It wasn't a lie, though it wasn't the full truth either.

"Why?" Lucy asked.

"We tend to lose a lot of the people we love over the years. Our friends, our parents, our siblings, and in some people's cases, even their own children. Being born immortal into an immortal family, while it has happened before, is extremely rare. We have no choice but to watch the people we love grow without us and die."

"What does that have to do with jealousy?"

"Well, think of it this way. After losing so many people, it's really hard to form deep bonds with other people. You get closed off after a while. It happens to all of us. So, when we eventually find someone that breaks down those walls, it's hard to share them. People get jealous because they don't wanna lose someone, right? Well, after losing so much, it makes sense that we'd be scared of losing yet another person to somebody else."

Lucy nodded slowly. "I guess that makes sense. But how do I help him? I told him that I loved him no matter what, but it was like he didn't believe me. I-It hurt."

Gray patted the spot on the bed next to him. When Lucy sat beside him, he slung an arm over her shoulder and gave her a grin.

"Just wait it out," he said. "Natsu will come back here any second, and when he sees you here, he's going to realize that he has nothing to worry about. You want to be with him, right?"

"Of course!"

"Then it'll work out the way it's supposed to. The two of you just need to go with the flow. Don't stress too much about it, okay?"

Lucy nodded, but she couldn't help but worry still. Glancing at Natsu's empty bed, she wondered what he was up to.

Natsu shivered as a cold gust of wind washed over him. Sitting at the park on a winter night probably wasn't the best idea, but he had to get away. He needed some space to collect his thoughts. It honestly helped a little. The cold air helped him clear his head, while the silence helped calm him down. He was still upset, but not nearly as much as before.

Picking up a blade of grass, Natsu absentmindedly twirled it in his fingers. While his emotions were in check now, he still couldn't help but wonder what was going to happen in the future with Lucy. No matter how badly he wished he could ignore it, the hard truth was that perhaps their lives just weren't compatible. That maybe their friends were right to be wary of him dating a mortal.

Sure, Lucy wasn't just a normal mortal. Her reincarnation did help a little, but it didn't change the fact that there were still going to be countless obstacles between them. What was going to happen after she died? What if she found someone better for her in her next life and chose not to seek him out? How was he supposed to be able to find her in the vast world? How were they going to go years without talking while Lucy dealt with being reborn as a newborn? It was all too hard. The chances of them working out were slim. It was a hard pill to swallow.

Natsu ran his finger over the blade of grass. It was smooth, reminding him of Lucy's hair. He pictured all the times he ran his fingers through her hair. The way that she would shoot him a smile and lean into his touch. He wondered what she looked like now.

"She's probably crying."

Guilt ebbed at him. He knew that he was causing her pain, and to make it worse, he wouldn't even talk to her about why. It was just hard to tell her that deep down, the real reason he was jealous of Hibiki wasn't because of his looks or his personality, it was that the other boy could give Lucy a life he couldn't.

It was that deep down he believed that Lucy deserved someone like Hibiki instead of someone like him.

It wasn't often that Natsu and Lucy fought- though he didn't really consider this a fight. He recalled the first time that they had fought, when Lucy had broken up with him because their relationship was too hard. It was back when they didn't know each other's secrets. Every time they had to lie to each other, the stress built up until finally she broke. She had already ended things with him once because of the obstacles that their relationship faced. How could he expect her not to do it again when it was only going to get so much worse?

Then again, even if she had broken up with him, they had gotten back together only hours later thanks to Gray giving him advice. He remembered the words he told him.

"Look, your relationship with Lucy isn't easy. She's a mortal and you're an immortal, there's bound to be some fights that happen because of it. But in all the time I've known you- and really think about how long that is- I have never seen you as happy as when you're with Lucy. Even if it wasn't your fault, are you really willing to lose her now?"

Natsu sat up, drawing a long sigh. He wasn't willing to lose her. At least not on his own account. If later in the future Lucy decided that she couldn't put up with his immortality, he would have no choice but to accept that. Until then, he wanted to enjoy every second he could with her. He especially didn't want to make her upset.

Rising to his feet, he dusted his pants off before rushing to Lucy's apartment. Using his spare key, he quickly checked the apartment for the girl, only to find that she wasn't there. Knowing the only other place she would be, he locked her apartment before hurrying to Fairy Tail. He rushed down the stairs, down the hallway until he bursted into his room. There, he found Lucy sitting on his bed while Gray sat on his own. He could easily make out the swelling of her eyes.

"I'm gonna go get some food to eat," Gray said, excusing himself so that the two had time alone.

Once he was gone, Natsu rushed over to Lucy's side, bringing her in for a long hug. He held her tightly, breathing heavily. Her scent washed over him, bringing him comfort in ways that nothing else could. He could feel Lucy tremble against him as she brought her arms around him.

"I'm sorry for making you cry, Lucy," he said, rubbing circles over her back.

She pulled away, looking up at him through teary eyes. "I'm sorry for upsetting you too. I didn't know that me hanging out with Hibiki bothered you so much."

Natsu shook his head. "No, don't worry about that anymore. I'm fine. You're free to hang out with anyone you want, I have no control over that."

"But-"

"I mean it, Lucy. I shouldn't have gotten so jealous."

Lucy gave him a hard stare. "Was it really just jealousy? You seemed really upset."

"It was just jealousy. It's hard seeing other guys trying to flirt with you. But I trust you, I promise. I'm okay. Are you okay?"

Lucy nodded. "I'm okay now. I'm just glad you're not upset anymore."

Natsu hugged her again. He decided to keep the truth to himself. He knew that it was bound to come up again in the future, but he was going to let future Natsu deal with it. For now, he wanted nothing more than to get over it and make Lucy happy. He had no idea that the time his problems would resurface would be so soon.

A week later, Natsu picked Lucy up from class, just as he always did. He was no longer so upset about Hibiki. In fact, he even had a few conversations with the other boy whenever he would pick her up. The two waved towards Hibiki before heading to Fairy Tail.

"Are you sure you're okay being around Hibiki?" Lucy asked, her brows drooped in concern. "I can walk myself home if it's too much."

Natsu playfully nudged her with a grin. "For the hundredth time, Luce, it's fine. I'm over that now. Hibiki isn't too bad."

Lucy smiled, interlocking their hands. Ever since that night, she could tell that something was bothering Natsu deep down, no matter how much he denied it. It no longer seemed like it was about Hibiki, but she had no clue what it was. Still, she didn't want to push him. She knew that he would open up to her eventually. Until then, she would be patient.

Reaching Fairy Tail, the two glanced towards their usual table to find that it was being occupied by strangers. Natsu led the way to the back of the pub, heading down the stairs. When he reached the bottom, he found that Mira was behind the bar as usual, but instead of greeting him with her normal cheerful grin, she was being wrapped in Cana's arms as she clutched her chest tightly.

Natsu was about to rush over to Mira to ask what was wrong when he found a large group gathered in the lounge. Every immortal was crowded around, even Laxus and his gang, who usually chose to spend their time either exploring the outside world or locked in their rooms as they weren't the most sociable people.

The crowd murmured, their tones serious. Curious as to what was going on, Natsu pushed past the crowd until he found a boy in the center of the group. He was dressed in black slacks and a white button-up shirt along with a black blazer. He wore a nice watch, something that Natsu was sure he himself could never afford from the looks of it, along with shades to cover his eyes. His hair was long and spiky, a bright shade of orange. The look on the other boy's face was serious. Angry, even. His hands were shoved in his pockets, his stance rigid and on guard.

Natsu turned around to find that Lucy had stopped in her tracks at the edge of the crowd, her eyes wide and her jaw slacked. He was about to ask her what was wrong when she ushered only one word, her voice soft and shaky.

"Loke?"

[lostwithoutyouherewriter]

The Perfect Offense: A Street Fighter Ficlet

Inspired by "Basket Brawl," art by Javier De la Pava, from the Street Fighter Pin-up Special 2019, © Udon Entertainment

And here comes Ryu from the backcourt, executing a beautiful spin maneuver to avoid Zangief—a fantastic move by the master of Ansatsuken! He’s got possession of the ball, but for how long? The Ki Blasters have been struggling with offense all afternoon. They’ll really have to pull it together if they want to take this game, and he knows it.

He’s got opposition on both sides. Dhalsim goes in for the steal, but Ryu somehow manages to avoid that long reach. He comes down hard on Dan Hibiki, the one weak link in the Fire Cyclones’ defense, but now the yoga master is back for a rematch. It’s all hands in the air—total block city!

Ryu has to make the pass, but who can take it all the way? He scans the court for Chun-Li, but she’s too far out. Wait! There’s a sudden flash of blue and white behind Dhalsim. Is that who I think it is?

It is! It’s Sakura Kasugano, ducking into the action. She intercepts the pass, pounding the court with ball in hand and chucks on her feet. This spunky young woman from Japan must have played ball in university, because she is showing excellent form out there today.

She’s on the attack, making a fast break for the hoop. Looks like Hibiki may have something to say about that... or not. Ouch! That’s gotta hurt! Kasugano kicks away from her opponent’s face, going up for the shot. This could be it, folks!

Oof! Rejected!

Well, no one can blame her for missing that one. With the Red Cyclone looming over ya, ain’t nothing getting through! Zangief really knocked that one away. Sakura goes down hard, probably wishing she had more padding than those skimpy gym shorts right about now. Well, she’s just gonna have to tighten that headband and get back in the game; otherwise, this match will be going to the Fire Cyclones.

This is it. The Blasters will make their final play, one point behind and mere seconds left on the clock. But what’s this? Looks like team captain Chun-Li is calling for a timeout!

It’s tough to make out anything from here, but it seems this former ICPO officer hasn’t lost her touch when it comes to grilling her team. She’s dictating protocol, pointing at Ryu and Sakura with a steely look in her eyes. Ryu is a rock, as usual, but Sakura isn’t buying it. It looks like this up-and-comer has a few ideas of her own.

“Come on! I know it’ll work. Do it again, Ryu!”

At this point, it's anyone's guess as to what the Blasters have up their sleeves, but it seems they’re gonna give Sakura’s plan a go. Chun-Li heads to the sidelines, sweeping up the ball in both hands. She's holding steady now. She isn’t even giving Zangief the time of day. It’s like she doesn’t even care that a massive wall of robust humanity is standing in her way. Could she be... Yes!

“KIKOKEN!”

I don’t believe it! That pass broke through the Russian’s defenses like nobody’s business. Raising her hips, the strongest woman in the world has just sent a ki-powered ball flying across the court, right into the hands of Kasugano. She’s still got that troublesome yogi waiting for her at the basket, and it looks like Ryu is stepping in to take over.

Wait, that’s not it at all! He’s giving Sakura a hand—literally! Grabbing her red shoes, Ryu somersaults backwards, launching the young woman higher than Dhalsim can reach. It looks like we’re seeing a repeat of this morning, folks, when this man threw half of you out of the sea. Wasn't that something? But this time, Sakura’s ready for it, and she’s flying high! She’s going in for the kill!

SLAM DUNK! The Ki Blasters have done it! The energy on the court is practically electric. Team captain Chun-Li delivers a powerful high five, but it’s nothing that Ryu can’t handle. Let’s see if he can withstand the mad rush of Sakura, who is now leaping into his arms. The two martial artists spin around, laughing in the face of victory. This was something really special, and I bet the winners are gonna be celebrating for a long time.

Holy cow! Did that actually happen? Did Sakura just... kiss Ryu?

She’s looking a bit flustered. It really doesn’t seem like she meant to do that. The court has gone silent, so silent that you could hear a dime drop, but it looks like Sakura’s trying to speak. "Uh... Oh geez. Sorry, I gotta go. There's something I forgot to do."

Ryu stares at her. Perhaps he’s as perplexed as we are, and who can blame him? "Wait, what? What do you have to do?"

"I don't know! I forget! See ya!"

And there she goes, running back to the resort at top speed. What a shame. It really was the perfect offense, but it seems this bright young woman just got a little too aggressive in the end.

Then again, folks, that’s just the opinion of this humble commentator. Only time will tell if Sakura’s unusual strategy will win the heart of this stoic fighter. Only time will tell...

You can continue reading "Summer of the Warrior" on AO3 throughout July!

[ghostwriter5862]

Bubble: A flawed story in pretty packaging

I will admit that seeing any anime as a Netflix exclusive causes me to raise an eyebrow, as so far their selection leaves me with mixed feelings.  But, as one who likes to give things a fair shake, I gave Bubble a watch. A simple title for a relatively simple story that we’ve seen before.  But that’s getting ahead of myself.

The original spin on this tale is that a giant bubble landed on Toyko ten years prior to the start of the movie, flooding the city and creating a zone of floating bubbles and other strange phenomenon.  Though the zone has been deemed too dangerous to live, teenagers and orphans live in the zone and become parkour runners, jumping off the various bubbles for thrills and betting resources on the outcome of these races.  Our MC Hibiki is a stand-offish sort who ends up nearly drowning during a run one day, only to be saved by a mysterious girl who can’t even speak.  She stays with Hibiki and his teammates, learning how to run on the bubbles as they do.  They call her Uta.  Boy has met girl, boy and girl bond, then girl must return home or the bubbles will cause havoc.  Boy chases girl and tries to get her back.

Studio Wit has a solid pedigree to it’s name.  Most recently with the anime adaptation of Spy x Family, but also Vinland Saga, Great Pretender, The Ancient Magus’ Bride, and most famously, the first three seasons of Attack on Titan.  This shows in their animations, with sweeping camera movements following characters in fluid motion as they run.  But as far as movies go, this is only their second original work, and it shows in the writing.  The story is rather by-the-numbers and predictable, especially since the movie’s inspiration gives away the bigger plot points.

What bothers me is that what could have been a real connecting point for the audience was ultimately fumbled.  We find out that he has sensory issues, namely sound-based.  He wears headphones to keep his sanity and to focus on his running.  We see when this sensitivity was first discovered, and in a rather heart-breaking moment, how he was abandoned by his mother for it. (How Japan views people with ‘invisible’ disabilities is a subject for another day.)  This scene spoke to me on a personal level, because I also have sensory issues, with sound being the most prominent.  However, later in the movie, one character points out during a celebration how loud they’re being, and that Hibiki doesn’t have his headphones on.  Hibiki just shrugs and says that yes, they’re being as loud as usual, but he doesn’t seem to mind.  I don’t like how this implies that “find love and your problems go away”.  The movie doesn’t say it outright, but it shows it.  That’s not how disabilities work.  Having someone that cares for you and you care for them makes it a lot easier to handle, makes whatever disabilities one has easier to bear.  But the problem doesn’t go away.  Perhaps I read into the scene wrong, but if it had been altered slightly so that we see he was still bothered by their noise but able to manage, I think it would have come off much better.

The music is solid, if a little repetitive, the visuals are great, and the running scenes are well done.  But there isn’t enough to keep the plot fresh, and the characters ultimately fall flat.  This movie outright tells us that it’s a retelling of Hans Christian Anderson’s The Little Mermaid.  Sorry Wit, but Studio Ghibli did it better with Ponyo.

[lovely-angst]

secret child pt. 2

part 1 here. this story got a lot more attention than i thought it would get

also i didnt know how to put this together lol idk where this is going

“Hibiki, I cannot believe you went out and got yourself suspended,” you scolded as you had him help out with some yard work, specifically sweeping away the leaves and branches away. “I specifically told you not to do anything rash, but you went out looking for a fight. I understand that you don’t have the greatest relationship with your biological father, but that doesn’t mean you can just try to fight him.” 

Sighing, Hibiki stopped his sweeping as he turned to look at you busy at work. “I’m sorry mom,” he stated guiltily. Hibiki never meant to disappoint you—disappointing you was one of the things he hated most. Seeing you move heavy stones around, Hibiki quickly walked towards your side, taking the large stones from your hands, “I got it, where do you want it?” 

“Thank you, Hibiki. You can just place it with the pile over there, I’ll deal with those later,” you state as Hibiki walked away with the stone with ease. 

Standing up, you dust the dirt off your apron before walking over to your baby. “Thank you for always thinking of me, but this isn’t your battle to fight, okay?” Looking up at him, you give him a small smile before he responds with one of his own. “Okay.”

“A week of suspension means a week I get to spend with you,” you coo as you wrap your arms around your not-so-small baby. “I’m just glad they were sparing enough to allow you to stay as a demon slayer. You worked so hard for this,” you say, pulling away from the hug as the two of you slowly make your way inside the small house. “I’ll cut some apples for you, thank you for helping me with the yard.” 

Gently slicing the apples, you could faintly hear Hibiki training in the yard as he awaited his apples. “Hibiki always eats so many slices,” you quietly mumbled to yourself as you pulled out two more apples, “three should be just fine. It’ll keep him busy.” 

As you were just about finished preparing the apples, you heard Hibiki angrily shouting from the yard, causing you to suddenly become worried. “Hibiki? Are you okay?” Walking over towards the open door, your eyes focus on Hibiki, his back facing you as he seemed to be yelling at someone. “Hibiki?”

It seemed as if hearing your voice triggered something in him, his head immediately shooting towards you, eyes wide. “Mom, please go back inside,” he tries, but you already made your way outside, placing a hand on his back gently. “Hibiki, what is going on?” you ask before you catch a figure in the corner of your eyes. 

Turning your head gently, your eyes widen as they meet those familiar blue ones from all those years ago. Hibiki raises his sword back at the man, “I’m asking you to leave,” he growls.

Tomioka glances over at you before focusing back on Hibiki, “I’m here because of your suspension,” he informs politely and Hibiki frowns, lowering his sword. “Your suspension was partially my fault; I decided to come train you for the next week as compensation.”

“I don’t want your help,” Hibiki quickly responds, but you place a gentle hand on his arm, “Hibiki, I think this could really benefit you,” you start, but Hibiki scrunches his face at you in disagreement. “I know you’re upset with him, but as a demon slayer, this is an opportunity like no other—Tomioka-san is an excellent swordsman, and you know that too.”

Giving him a warm smile, you continued on gently, “Don’t worry about me. Take this opportunity to grow.” Hibiki was conflicted, of course he wanted to train and become a better demon slayer, but it had to be with the man who caused you all this trouble. 

Gritting his teeth, Hibiki dropped his sword, “Fine, I am under your supervision for this next week,” bowing politely to Tomioka, you glance over at him before respectfully bowing yourself. “Please take care of Hibiki well.”

-

The two had been out training for the past five hours since Hibiki had agreed to allow Tomioka to train him. You were cooking up some dinner so that by the time Hibiki was done, he would have food waiting for him after all of his hard work. 

“I’m back,” Hibiki muttered out tiredly as he walked into the house exhaustedly. You watched in awe at how tired your baby looked after one day of training, how much did Tomioka push him? “Go take a bath. Dinner is already on the table for you,” you state, Hibiki groaning in response before he disappeared into the hallway. 

Slipping on your sandals, you took a step outside, looking around until you noticed Tomioka’s figure training alone beside the tree. “Tomioka-san,” you started as you walked over to the man. Turning around to face you, you gave him a small smile before bowing politely once more, “Thank you for giving up your time to help train Hibiki.” 

“He’s a bit of a trouble maker, but I hope you can overlook that,” Tomioka responds with a smile. “It’s fine, he has a lot of potential,” Tomioka starts, gently resting the wooden sword against the tree. “It’s getting late. I must be going back to my estate. I’ll be back tomorrow to train Hibiki,” 

“If it’s not too much trouble for you, we have a spare tatami room you could stay in for the time being,” stepping aside, you gesture towards the house, “It’s the least I can do for helping out Hibiki.” 

“I wouldn’t want to trouble the two of you, Hibiki doesn’t seem fond of me,” you chuckle at his statement before giving him a shrug, “No, not really, but if he wants to become a better demon slayer, he’s going to have to learn.” Taking a step towards the house, you glance back over your shoulder towards the man, “I have dinner ready, why don’t you join us?” 

-

A couple of days passed as Tomioka continued to train Hibiki to the core. They worked on their breathing techniques along with the proper techniques to wielding their nichirin blades. And though you were very happy for Hibiki, you felt for your baby when he would always come home sore and tired. His hands filled with callouses from the intense training. 

Walking out towards the engawa, you placed a tray of sliced apples down before taking a seat, watching the two train. “That’s enough, go ahead and take a quick break,” Tomioka states before Hibiki complies with a nod, jogging over to steal some apples. 

“Hey mom, what are you doing out here?” he asks, munching on an apple as you pick one up yourself. “I thought I’d share some apples with the two of you before I continue to work on my garden, it’s a beautiful day out,” you state, biting into the apple. 

“The two of us?” Hibiki questions before turning to glance over at Tomioka from over his shoulder. “Be nice and offer him some apples as well,” you say before standing up to walk back into the house. Grumbling, Hibiki takes the tray before walking over to Tomioka. “Here, apples.”

Walking over towards the garden, you busied yourself again as you planted your flowers and herbs with the background noise of the two training—it kept you at ease. 

Humming gently to yourself, you had finally finished planting everything, you just had to move all the stone back to make your garden more decorative and please to the eye. Bending over, you grab the heavy stone before shuffling it over towards it’s location. “This would be so much easier with Hibiki,” you thought to yourself as you move back to the pile. 

“Here, let me help,” Turning around, you see Tomioka bending down to take the large stone from you, “Where would you like this?” Glancing away, you point toward your previous stone, “Over there please.” As Tomioka began to set each stone nicely, you were busy patting away at the ground to even it around your flowers. “Are you done training?” you questioned, glancing back over at where Tomioka was previously. “We’re taking a quick break, I thought I’d help you move these stones,” he answered, you let out a hum in response. 

“Thank you for the apples,” Tomioka suddenly continued after the quiet silence. Turning to look up at him, you gave him a small smile, “It’s nothing. Hibiki really enjoys apples and I thought you could enjoy some from all this training.” 

Squatting down beside you, Tomioka turned to watch your movements and you could feel the heat rising in your cheeks as you tried to focus on your work. “Hibiki’s a great kid, I can tell he really loves you.” Stopping your movements, you turn to look at him, his blue eyes staring straight into your own, “You raised him well.” 

Before you could respond, you jumped back to reality when you heard Hibiki shouting in the back, “Hey! Are you going to continue training me or what!” Standing from his spot, Tomioka walked back over towards the young boy as you stared at your flowers in shock. 

Shaking your head, you tried to ignore Tomioka’s words. He was just trying to lure you back into his trap! You’re not the same girl you were before, you’re a mother now, you have a child, you’ve learned from your mistakes. 

But you know deep down your feelings have never gone away.

The following day, Tomioka took Hibiki up to the mountain to train for the day. Training was always a pain, but if it could help him better as a demon slayer, then it would pay off in the end. 

Sitting on an empty tree stump, Hibiki pulled out his bento that you had made for him before beginning to snack on some nashi, glancing down at a village visible from the mountain. 

“Your mom really takes care of you,” Tomioka stated as he watched Hibiki munch on his nashi. Glancing over at Tomioka, Hibiki gives him a frown, “What does it matter. Stop talking about my mom,” Hibiki grumbles, picking another slice with his toothpick. 

Hibiki hated to think about the fact that this man was his father. It was an odd concept to him, not having a father figure his whole life and suddenly, his father who he had recently fought, is here training him. 

What bothered him most was that he did resemble Tomioka a bit too, but they were nothing alike. 

As the day slowly came to a close, Tomioka decided to take Hibiki through town before heading back towards the house, “A reward,” as Tomioka stated. Hibiki had bought a few snacks for himself, but also a few items for you that you had been reminding yourself to get.

As the two reached the house, you were outside waiting for them before you ran to hug Hibiki. “Mom,” he whined, but you just smiled in response. “I just missed you,” you chuckle before he showed you the items he had gotten for you. “How kind of you, Hibiki! I set the bath for you, why don’t you go ahead and use it ?” Nodding, Hibiki steps inside and just as you were about to follow, Tomioka suddenly stops you. 

“(Name),” he calls out softly. Turning around, your eyes focused on the small bag Tomioka was holding out towards you. “Oh, what’s this?” you reply before he set the bag in your hands. “We were walking through town and I found something I thought would suit you,” 

Your eyes widened before you gently reached inside the bag to pull out a beautiful hairclip that glowed with the setting sun. “Oh, it’s beautiful! But you didn’t have to-”

“I wanted to say thank you,” Tomioka replied, a smile across his lips as your cheeks flushed. “Let me,” reaching over to pick up the clip, he stepped closer before gently placing it in your hair. 

“Does it look okay?” you ask with a shy smile, Tomioka quiet as he looked at you. “You look lovely.”

Watching the two from the hallway, Hibiki knitted his brows together frustratedly before walking into the bathroom. This was not supposed to happen. 

-

Sitting at the dinner table, Hibiki frowned as he watched the two of you gently chat away. It had only been six days since Tomioka had gotten here, but the two of you had been getting along well. 

Why were you not angry at the man? He left you! He threw you out, but here you are, welcoming him into your house and acting like he has never hurt you! 

Angrily pouting, Hibiki played with his food, his appetite disappearing. He hated Tomioka and still does. He respects him as a teacher, but outside of that, Tomioka was nothing to him. And to make matters worse,

Tomioka was getting close to his mom.

Thankfully dinner passed by in a flash and Tomioka was outside with his crow while Hibiki was inside helping you clean up. “Hibiki? Are you feeling alright?” you questioned as you turned to look at him, his back facing towards you. “You didn’t eat much at dinner, I’m a little worried for you. Did something happen?” 

Sighing, Hibiki turned around towards you, an upset frown on his lips. “Mom, you’re beginning to fall in love with Tomioka.” he suddenly states and your eyes widen. “Hibiki, what are you-”

“And I think Tomioka is falling in love with you too.”

[hi-i-love-u-bitch]

TodoDeku Children OCs

After having done KiriBaku’s Children I decided to do the rest of my ships because I’m bored and hyper fixate on useless things. So, here are some domestic TodoDeku headcannons!

Shoto and Izuku have always wanted a big family especially with Izuku having been an only child and Shoto not having the best of childhoods.

Hibiki came first, he was about one years old at the time and was already slowly growing into his quirk (since it would be affecting his physical appearance.

He was a bit of a handful but Shoto and Izuku were determined to be the best parents for their children and love them no matter what.

Aito came by accident, he was 4 yrs old and had ran away from his current foster home. Izuku had found him in the rain, huddled in a box in an ally way while he was walking back home from work.

Aito had been moved around a lot between foster houses due to being too “rambunctious” and “difficult to care for”. Shoto and Izuku fell in love with him immediately and Aito was just happy to have a family that wanted him.

Ren was a curious case all on their own, the adoption agency weren’t sure if they should put the child into the foster care system or send it to a lab to get studied. Thankfully, Shoto and Izuku were able to convince them of the latter.

Kaiya was the simplest out of the four, both adoption wise and care.

Hibiki has the DNA of a fruit bat so his diet mainly consists of fruit

He’s legally blind but doesn’t use a cane as his hearing and echo location help him navigate where he needs to go

He can read braille

He is absolutely obsessed with heroes just like his dad (Izuku), the two can talk for hours about nothing but hero states and quirks.

Izuku will admit he is responsible for his adventurous yet reckless spirit seeing as Hibiki is brave enough to do absolutely anything if he thinks that’s what a hero would do. They’ve had several long talks about this.

Surprisingly, Izuku has to be the mediator when it comes to saying “No” to anymore collectibles because Shoto is a weak man and loves to spoil his children and husband with gifts.

-

With the upmost fondness Izuku and Shoto refer to Aito as their “feral child” and Aito has really come to love the nickname since it’s said out of love and not malice.

He’s mainly carnivorous and mostly eats meat

His snake tail is sentient and needs to be feed live mice once a week

This boy is practically part cat and can climb just about anything, he’s also much too fearless for his own good. This includes climbing atop the roof of their house and jumping off it to see if he can fly yet, even though his dads have told him repeatedly that his feathers aren’t fully developed yet.

Teething was an absolute nightmare with this child as he practically gnawed through about everything.

Thankfully, Bakugou and Kirishima have been having the same problem with daughter, Takane, and were able to help them find some good chewing toys

Speaking of which!

Aito has a HUGE crush on Takane; Good News: she likes him back; Bad News: this is not good news for Bakugou

Shoto thinks it hilarious and always teases the explosive blonde about how they’ll soon be future in-laws.

-

It is assumed that Ren can eat, though it’s more like they absorb their food and seemingly dissolve it inside themselves.

Due to their mainly liquid form most of Ren’s clothes are lined with rubber so that they won’t seep through them.

Ren can stretch their body to impossible shapes and sizes which helps to reach for things on the top shelf

They sleep in a bucket due to their form becoming much to relax to keep a solid shape

They enjoy making things with their hands, having plenty of crafting material on hand to make plenty of gifts for their friends and family

The communicate by Morse code through a series of clicks and gurgles, as well as sign language if they can concentrate enough to shape fingers onto their hands.

They have an extensive bug collection made up of live and framed specimens. The live ones usually get released after a few days of observation.

-

Kaiya was said to have been quirkless according to the adoption agency since both her birth parents where as well

Izuku and Shoto knew that they had to have her, because quirk or not she needed to know that having a quirk wasn’t everything.

(Needless to say they won’t have to worry to much about that in the future)

She’s Shoto’s little princess and All Might help the person that will someday sweep her off her feet.

She’s seemed to take an interest in Shoto’s scar and enjoys running her chubby fingers over the rough texture. Shoto doesn’t mind and finds the gesture very soothing.

Her first word was “Dada” and Izuku cried tears of joy for a good hour, he did the same thing when she took her first steps.

[talesfromthegameff14]

When the Past Breathes: Part Two

[Part One, Part Three] [Writing Music:  https://youtu.be/JN_rpw9Yzwc CW: Violence, Combat, Blood, Death, Implied Maiming] If the message had come from anyone else and in any other way Aya would have been suspicious of it.  But the old protocol and codes were drilled into the Xaela’s head even after being away from the Doman Resistance the past few years.  The handwriting was undeniable too, the well known quirks of brush standing out against the plain paper.  It confirmed what little he’d found out about Melody’s kidnapper and then some, everything he needed to get justice, no vengeance was held in his hand.  The only downside?  No time.  He’d have to leave in, eyes darted up to the clock beside Aya on the wall, two hours to do it safely.  No time.  But when would he get a chance like this again? Never. A heavy sigh escaped the Xaela, eyes scanning the letter once more, mouth moving as he committed the words to memory.  What he whispered didn’t match what was on the paper, not entirely, a conversation about coffee prices in Kugane holding much more value than that.  Two hours.  No time to question, only time to trust and go. “One more time Hibiki, one more time.” ---------------------------------------

It was strange, hunting alone.  Years of having the luxury of someone nearby to help watch, fight, protect made Aya acutely aware of the solitary silence that he waited in.  Never alone though, heart aware of the warmth of gold that he carried with him on every step to this point.  Gold that would guide him home no matter that happened tonight. Fatigue was already pulling at him though, once he could have crouched here all night without having to stifle a single yawn.  Time and stress had taken its toll on the Xaela though, body whittled down to muscle and sinew in an unhealthy way, keen reflexes dulled by the grind of a constant lack of sleep. Gloved fingers carefully slide into the pouch on his hip, drawing out a grass packet.  A quick tear of teeth and the packet is opened so Aya could pour the powder into his mouth.  It took time for him to swallow all the grit, not daring further movement to get water to wash it down.  The ma huang hit like a dzo kick to the chest, Aya’s eyes watering from the sudden sharpness everything abruptly took on.  Too long since he’s used this too, a strained adrenal system being forced into high gear whether it wanted to or not.  One more price to add to the list of debts he’s been steadily racking up. Discipline served him well as he waited in the shadow of the trees near Baelsar's Wall, riding the adrenaline wave with no outlet for it.  The guard that had been turning a blind eye to the ‘Elezen’ that was traveling over the Wall was dealt with.  The corpse that was slowly draining blood out into the hollow of a tree wasn’t going to cause Aya any problems now.  Thoughts in the present and drifting to the past, too many reminders of a hunt much like this one to keep perfect focus on the now.  The screams of a woman being ignored in favor of the hunt, brown eyes that didn’t stay brown but kept switching to a haunted, fearful violet urging him to hunt, to kill.  Patience he told the eyes, shaking his head slightly as if to clear it of the screams that echoed in the sterile, metal room.  He squeezed his eyes shut, wanting to move but knowing he cannot.  Not yet.  Then the warmth of gold chased away the screams, leaving only the Fire of his Heart behind.  The past retreated back to where it belonged, but the bloodshot violet eyes lingered, held close by Gold and Song alike.  Never alone. No, not even here. 

It made the waiting easier, kept Aya from sliding into the past, though it did nothing to abate the rage that chilled the air around him as he knelt as still as stone.  The full moon rose high in the sky above the watchful Xaela, shards of silver filtering through the leafy canopy made the shadows dance from the wind that tickled the dry and dying leaves.  It almost masked the sound of footsteps passing by, but keen horns picked up the difference between wind and man, Aya’s head slowly turning to follow the sound.  Two, as expected.  Hibuki said that he always kept a guard with him in full magitek armor.  That would make things more difficult, but not impossible. Careful, he had a promise to keep and a call to home that could not be ignored.  Yet... Eyes closed again and Aya took a deep, silent breath and let it out just as slow.  Another, and another until the promise of home faded from his mind.  It was a distraction the Warrior could ill afford now that the moment was here.  There was only one reason for him to be here, Jovian must die.  Thoughts focused on the goal, holding nothing else close even as dark and bright eyes watched and yearned for vengeance for their pain.  The booted feet past, one step far heavier than the other despite the skill of the one wearing the armor.  Trying to be discrete, but not entirely silent, there was no need after all.  The dead guard was paid off, the patrols known and memorized so that they would pass when no other was here, unseen from one place to the next. 

No one except a xaela with a thirst for blood.  A few more heartbeats and Aya slipped out of his hiding place, wind that was scented faintly with sweet grasses sending the crisp leaves dotting the forest floor scattering about.  A distraction and cover for the sounds he made as he sprinted forward.  One strike.  It was all he needed. Instinct had Jovian turning towards his impending death, but the slim spy wasn’t Aya’s first target.  A sweep of his katana through the air before he was within striking distance sent three, dark edged, aether blades cutting through the air.  All three slammed into the back of the armored man with Jovian, piercing the metal shell and sending the guard sprawling out face first on the forest floor.  The sound of a shot echoed through the trees, covering the sound of metal rending metal as the helmeted head was separated from the armored shoulders, skidding off to thump against a tree in a macabre parody of a child ball being kicked across the ground.  Jovian’s aim was true, the bullet opening a hole in armor and the flesh of Aya’s thigh. 

The force of the blow had the Xaela staggering backwards, breath catching in his lungs from the spike of pain, giving Jovian time to get off another shot.  This shot was aimed higher, Aya just barely avoided the projectile that tore a large hole at chest height in the tree behind him.  No words were spoken between the two, no posturing or accusations joined the sound of another bullet leaving Jovian’s gun that impacted wood and not flesh. The cover worked in Aya’s favor when he was hiding, but it worked against him now.  Shots rang out whenever the Xaela tried to get closer to his target, driving him back behind a tree and getting no closer to the spy.  The dance between them was led by Jovian, traveling along the path of his choice, leading to escape. 

The barrage of shots kept Aya pinned behind the trees as the two fought, trying to finish the deadly gambit before the Wood Wailers could interfere. Time was running out as quickly as the blood was traveling down the Xaela’s leg.  Already he was slowing, the ma haung only able to do so much to keep Aya on his feet.  “No time.”, he whispered, pressing up against the tree he was standing behind and going still once more.  If he could get around him, between him and the small airship waiting, Aya could force the issue, but if this kept up his quarry was going to escape scott free.  No TiME, No tiME, NO tImE, No TIME! It was a gamble, and an insane one, but he was running out of options too quickly.  A deep breath, a drawing of aether and a glove pulled off so claws could dig lightly into flesh. Blood welled up around the claws and then Aya dove and rolled out from behind the tree that he was using as cover.  A staccato of sounds occurred all at once.  The whoosh of quickly growing flame as the flicked blood droplets turned into individual balls of fire.  Each one streaking through the air in Jovian’s direction in a flare of light against the darkness.  The crackle wasn’t loud enough to cover the thump of bullets into the ground, then the oddly wet and metallic sound of one impacting Aya as he got to his feet and bolted to the next tree.  Pain flared down his arm, white-hot and numbing all at once, fingers twitching uselessly from the sensation.  It wasn’t his left arm, katana still firmly held by that hand as he kept moving, but slower now, doing his best to not make a sound of pain and keep his ragged breathing under control.  Shadows flickered around the Xaela as he moved and the few haphazard shots that followed weren’t aimed in his direction.   Soon enough the airship was spotted, hidden by brush and tall trees that were perfect for hiding behind.  

Picking one that would likely have Jovian pass by it, Aya leaned against the massive oak, reaching into the pouch on his back to quaff a healing potion in hopes it would keep him on his feet long enough to finish this.  A crack of a branch, not close enough to do Aya any good, but closer than before.  The warm steppes wind flicked out in that direction, seeking, only to find nothing, the warning to wait whispering in Aya’s horns.  A deep breath, pushing away the feeling of a clock ticking down to nothing, the frantic beeps flashing red and green within his memory.  Instinct knew more than the mind, the Warrior’s blade flashing dark edged in the light of Chaand’s smile as it cut cleanly through the tree between Aya and Jovian.  The tip of the blade appeared with a wet, sickening sound as it slid through wood and flesh with deceptive ease.  The edge a glinting red just above the tall spy’s sternum like an odd jewel hanging from a necklace.  With a grunt Aya pulled the blade back out of the tree, the thud of a body hitting the leaf covered ground letting him know that he struck true.  It was over.  Now, now, he could remember who he was and go home. 

--------------------------------------- Morning dawned bright the next day, the elementals rumbling in anger and discontent.  The Wood Wailers were the first to arrive, following the path of destruction to the mangled and desecrated corpse at the base of one of the taller oak trees in the woods.  The untouched third eye and the hidden airship weren’t the cause of the scouts' unease, three pairs of eyes drawn to the dying tree.  Veins of black ran through every leaf left on spreading branches turning the once vibrant red and orange leaves grimly unsettling.  It was clear that the taint originated at the large, crumbling hole about shoulder height in the center of the trunk.  A wound that slowly grew as they watched, consuming the tree from within.  Once the shock wore off, the hushed speculation started as they dealt with the airship and waited for the Hearer to show up.  A new Garlean weapon? Or was this the Black Rose they heard whispers about from the front?  Surely that was just a rumor, wasn’t it?  

[stellar-imagines]

Hey! Can I ask for a bnha/kny matchup? I’m a short girl (4’11) with brown eyes and medium dark brown hair. I’m shy with new people but when I get close to them I can be very talkative. I’m super close to my family, I always put them first. I like talking about anime and superhero movies! I like guys who are funny and romantic since I’m a hopeless romantic myself! I hope you have a good day and thanks you beforehand!

We ship you with Midoriya Izuku !

♤ Midoriya has a book on real superheroes while your head is occupied with information regarding fictional superheroes. The two of you can just gush over quirks and super powers for hours! It was easy to get along with somewhat similar interests you both shared. The boy is passionate when it comes to talking about heroes and it was obvious how much he looked up to them. You're just so proud of him, he's one of the most hard working person you know and he just deserves to be in UA. 

♤ The guy thinks that you hated him the first time you saw him. You were really shy when you first met him, always going along with the flow of the conversation and letting others decide what to do. Midoriya tries to start conversations with you and keep them going. He sees himself when talking with you, nervous around new people. But once he gets that flow and hit a topic that you're genuinely interested in, you'd be talking to him non stop. And he gets super happy after being able to make you feel comfortable around him.

♤ Out of the two of you, you'd be the first one to urge him to come visit your family. He knows that you really, really love your family and you're always talking about them so he's a bit eager. Then again, he agreed on a whim, he never thought it would be so nerve wracking. But he's actually well prepared and doesn't show up empty handed. He'd come with a box of Japanese sweets that your family can enjoy over a cup of tea. Your father might be a bit defensive, asking a lot of questions but Midoriya tries not to get intimidated and answer all of them honestly.

♤ He's quite the romantic guy! Typical guy who would offer to pay the bill for you, buy some small gifts and occasionally surprises you with a peck on the cheek. In the beginning of the relationship, he'd be hesitant to hold your hand or hug you, especially kissing! Midoriya almost has no experience at all and when it comes to his first kiss with you, he wants the right mood and atmosphere before going for it! He'd take you out for dinner, hold your hand as he walks you home. When he finds the opportunity, he will sweep you off your feet and kiss you. Of course, he gets super nervous afterwards.

♤ Once he's gotten over the hurdles, he's pretty comfortable with PDA. When you're both walking back from school, you'd be holding hands. Even in the dorms, he'd be quite bold too, much to everyone's surprise. Sitting right next to you and leaning his head on your shoulder. Just simple things that people won't comment too much about when you're in the relationship. Behind closed doors, he's very clingy. Once you start cuddling, good luck convincing him on letting you go to use the bathroom. He just loooves having you so close to him. Really, good luck.

Total: 516 words Published: 11.03.2020

Thank you for requesting! *｡٩(ˊᗜˋ*)و*｡ ― author Hibiki/Lou

Thank you for requesting! ― author Natsuki

Rules post! || Ask box! Requests are open! Matchups are closed!

Please do not mind the grammar mistakes and typos.

[linrinsstuff]

Yukie Tanaka - IT1

On the roads near Ishikawa, there was a motorcycle gliding its way along the road with no halt. Yukie held on tight-fisted to the handle as she swivelled from left to right in case of cars coming her way. She never noticed any cars for quite some time. She did not once find it odd. The storm has been arguing for quite some time. There has not for once been a single pause before back to fighting again. The Raindrops fell as swiftly as her motorcycle. Driving at seventy kilometres per/hour. You can almost imagine them as hailstone with its rapid speed, although, they do not pinch at your skin.

Yukie had become tedious from the long journey. She turned on the radio to listen to, thanks to her wireless system. No one was nearby to be eavesdropping on what she was listening to. She could not see why not. She just hoped the sound of the engine and raindrops will not wash out the man's serene voice. There were pieces of news on the radio, new events occurring around the outskirts of Tokyo. 

• • •

At around 8:00 pm, the police found a man in his house dead. He was a seventy-one-year-old named Kenzou Hibiki. The police suggest that it was an act of suicide with his addiction to the pills. The reporter also reported that there was an accident near the scene of the death took place. Two male victims. One of the men confirmed to have died a few hours ago while the other was currently hospitalised. After that, they moved onto a news article, 'Why kids should buy dogs as pets'. Yukie did not wish to hear an absurd forged article; she turns the radio off.

Yukie could not even fantasize the idea of that happening to her. It would honestly be horrifying... or it was. She shakes her head in displeasure.

No... do not think about that. It was all just a nightmare. Mei is safe. She is no longer in harm's way...

Her relocation to a town called Kanazawa was a shock to her and the intention of actually doing it was never the plan, to say the least. Her caretaker stated that she was going somewhere one time, but she never realised where and how far it was going to take. The trip from Kyoto to Kanazawa was a lengthy distance. She had the choice to take a train, then another, then another and then a bus. However, she did not want to be scurrying from left to right trying to find the right train every minute. And so, she took her motorcycle instead. It required her to get a motorcycle permit, which involved completing a driver's education course, including traffic laws and signs exam since she was under the age of eighteen. She personally felt homesick being away from Kyoto. It was her hometown. Today, she had to live in a town with new people to judge and a new school to attend to and hope THEY do not judge her.

• • •

As she was driving closer to the town, she had a gullible urge to jump off the motorcycle and make a run for it as she was getting even more impatient the longer it took just to reach that tiny kilometre. She stops close to a small entrance with a jumbled stone path leading the way to a row of shops from the north and two-storey houses from the west and east. She never once spotted a single piece of rubbish. Beautifully carved, decorated stones along the path, meticulously placed in the order of the architect's mind; varying from small to large shapes. In the form of an abstract. Not once did she notice a pattern.

She finally leaps off her motorcycle, lifting the helmet off her head. Placing it on the handle of the leaned motorcycle, she swings her head left to right to allow her silver-white hair to breath freely in the wind and drenching rain.

Silver-white hair...

An odd piece of colour to have. Her hair is usually the thing that people recognise first. Not her smile, not her greeting, her hair. Nevertheless, her skin is another thing people grow great concern of. Her skin is pale white like snow-white from a grim fairy-tale. It is virtually identical to the colour of her hair. However, in her situation, it was no fantasy or tale made up. Many imply she is not taking in her vitamin D or is not eating enough "appropriate" food. In all honesty, she does, she has a healthy immune system, but no one ever takes her word for it because, in the end, she still looks like a haunted ghost with green devoid eyes gradually washing away as she aged.

She swings her hair back to tie it into a neat high ponytail, hair drenched from the commotion of the storm. Sweeping her fringe along the back of her ear, she grabs hold of the handles of her motorcycle as she walks her way through the rows of buildings, beginning with the east. East is right, and right is always right, right?

Her new caretakers lived near here with their last name templated right next to their door. Tanaka. Just like hers.

Yukie seems to be having a lot of difficulties trying to find the house. All the houses just appeared as identical twins to her. She wandered along the first side of the east of town a little longer searching for her last name; starting with 'T'.

No luck so far.

Her clothing began to stick to her cold thighs and her hair formed into wet strands of dreads from the rain. Her body encourages her tenacious mind to give up the search and head back to where she started; around the entrance and shops up north. The shops and stands were nonetheless open, continuing to do their business as usual, even around the night of twilight. She questioned if they might know anything about the Tanaka's. Who knows what they may know; perhaps even where they live? She suggested how weird that question could come out. There are vast ways to clarify this question.

She walks up to a stand that seems to be selling cooked food. The smell made her stomach churn for a second and mouth water. She has not had anything since she last left her hometown. She waits for the man to come around the counter. And fortunately, there was shade from the dousing rain. The man wearing an apron came along, rubbing his hands with a striped towel. He remained watching his hands as he greets her. "Hello, what can I do for-" When he looked up to see his customer, a yelp escaped from the man's mouth as his greeting, who could not even finish his sentence and was virtually close to dropping his towel. His eyes almost bulge out by how petrified he was. A woman as pale as a sheet? Is this possible?

Yukie could only smile and wave, but it only seemed to make the situation more awkward than she wanted it to be. The man apprehensively smiled and rubbed a hand against his neck. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't see you there!"

That is one of the biggest lies someone has ever said to me...

"W-What can I do for you?"

Her mind got straight to the point. "Do you know where I can find the Tanaka's?"

The man only continued to stutter. "T-They usually live around the corner of the houses to your right. It's detached and really quirky compared to the rest."

Yukie formed a fake smile. "Thank you, Sir."

She thought it was a bit irreverent of him to act in such a matter in front of her. Sometimes she asks herself, why are you still bothered by that? Strangers act that way towards you all the time, especially the children; their the worst when it comes to gossiping. She does let them off the hook since they are young. They need to learn eventually what is wrong and what is right. She walks all the way to the end of the path as directed by the storeman with her backpack on her shoulders whilst holding onto the bars of her motorcycle. A long ride and a long walk.

The storm continues to cry, and the shower did not stop once. The day felt miserable and dismal, along with the death and accident that occurred according to the radio. She stops around the building she first spots before it led off to the next row on the other side of the corner...

This must be the house I am looking for! She hoped to herself.

She checks the name. She thought she was imagining when she saw the one name she was dying to see. Her own last name, Tanaka. This was it; this was the house. She placed the motorcycle next to the side gate of their home. She hopes they do not mind her doing that. With elated thoughts and nervous fluttering butterflies in her queasy stomach, she knocks on the door with an unintentional rhythm.

No answer...

Perhaps, they were not home. She checks windows and surprisingly enough, the light was shining in the room next door to this... door. She knocks again. Still no answer. She sighs out of desperation. Out of luck, she presses onto the handle of the door. It opened. Yukie was taken aback; it almost made her hair stand on end. I-It's open? Maybe they 're inside after all.

Please excuse me...

Yukie enters the house, greeted by a lovely interior. The dinner table looked appealing. Smooth wood oak walls, table, cushioned chairs, and tatami mats as flooring. But other than the appearance, no one was around. Yukie plonks her bag near the doorway and searches around the house. She checks upstairs first. There were two rooms. One had a double bed with a delightful scent of roses. The interior in the bedroom felt very nostalgic to her liking. The next door was an empty and bland room. The blandest out of the entire house. There was an old bed, a white stained vanity, a wardrobe attached together with two drawers on each side of the wardrobe filled with nothing but hangers and just one dreamcatcher above the bed. The only colourful thing. Yukie came to the realisation that this could potentially be her new room. Lovely...

She hops down the stairs to see the last room of the house. The kitchen. When she enters the kitchen, A mess introduced her to the setting of the kitchen. Plates, forks, bowls, knives, every piece of cutlery all scattered and stacked up near the sink with a few on the side. How can anyone live with such a mess? She wonders. She cheekily checks the fridge to see what was currently stored. There was barely anything in there except for a humongous bottle of ice water, a pot of "nutritional" noodles and rice. That is it. She found post-it notes stuck to the front of the fridge once she shut the frigid air from the fridge. It said, "Things to get. Tuna, salmon, eggs, noodles, nori sheets, milk and bread."

Yukie had an idea. What if she were to buy the groceries for them? It would save them time, money and make a first good impression. She has plentiful of yen to waste and could not spend time and money during her breaks while on her trip. She takes the note with her and sets off on her self-errand to gather up the groceries on the list. The shops should not be too far. If she can make it in time, they may give her the last few minutes to get the things she needs. If they are not impatient to just close the stand and go home.

As she was leaving, she noticed the wet droplets stopped falling. The storm has finally taken its time to rest for a while. Yukie's guts were telling her something. A feeling. A feeling the storm would come back if she does not hurry along to the small store.

She made it in time for the shops. They mentioned they were going to close shop in under ten minutes. Yukie had to act fast and get as much as she could from the list, relying on what she can remember. She tries to snatch everything required. The Tuna, salmon, eggs, and noodles so far. Missing a few more. She spots the bread and grabs the wheat loaf, stuffing it in her hands with the rest of the groceries she was juggling. Maybe I should have brought a bag.

The lady working at the store was much more respectful in contrast to that man. It may be the case of her rarely looking at Yukie while she was stuffing the food in a scantily made bag. The lady was generous enough to give the bag away for free. Yukie could not decide whenever she should hold the bag by the grip or carry it with both hands to ensure the bag does not rip apart midway walking back. In the end, she went with using both hands. Yukie was grateful. She turns towards the same direction with a handful of groceries in her hands. Unfortunately, there was no sign of nori sheets or milk, but getting this much is better than getting nothing. She could have left empty-handed.

As she was walking her way back to the house, she hears a bang among the clouds. Just as she thought, the storm was coming back. She attempts to walk a little more briskly. However, something was slowing her down. The burden of her decline was not the groceries, but the looks she was getting from the people around the town. They glance at her; the thought of them with their abrasive gazes only made her sick with warped thoughts.

Why do people tend to stare at others? Aren't they adults? shouldn't they know better but to not stare?

She never craved this kind of attention or being this way in general, she never chose this life. It just happened naturally as he grew older each day. Someday, she hopes to just casually walk into the doctor's office and hear good news for once. 'Like music to my ears'. Perhaps she may walk in and they may suddenly announce there is a cure to her pale hair and skin!

But as she looks at it realistically,

It's never going to happen...

"Once we find a way to cure your distorted appearance, you'll be normal in no time, don't worry!"

"Normal, huh? Don't worry? I've waited long enough. Five years of cruelty, five years of judgement, five years of death."

• • •

"Now, if you don't mind me asking. Can you tell me your name, date of birth and age? I apologise for asking you for your personal information again, but one of our nurses seemed to have messed up a few of our files of our patients and we'd like to make sure the profiles are exact to what they were previously."

"Okay... My name is Yukie Tanaka, I was born on the 10th of July and I am sixteen."

"Thank you, Tanaka-san. I will be sure to fill in the misconceptions later..."

"Mind if I ask a question?"

"No, I don't mind, ask away..."

"Why am I here? Isn't my appointment in a few weeks?"

"Ah, yes. Well, the reason I called you here today is that I have a piece of news I need to tell you. And... you might not take it very lightly either."

"W-What is it...?"

[loudgothbf]

Hibiki groans, rolling onto his back and slowly opening his eyes. Immediately, the nausea hits. He covers his mouth and heaves, but nothing comes out. Good thing, because if something had, he’d have had nowhere to go. Gross. 

He reaches over and pulls open the drawer of the desk next to him, rooting around and pulling out bottles, checking labels, and slamming them down on the table when he realizes they’re the wrong thing. Finally, he pulls out one that reads “DIMENHYDRINATE - RX // HIBIKI SHIRYO // TAKE ONE PILL AS NEEDED TO HELP WITH NAUSEA”. For a moment he fumbles with the lid before popping it open, dumping two into his hand, and swallowing them dry. After a moment, he pushes himself up so he’s seated on the mattress, one leg hanging off, blankets and sheets awry and tangled around him. He turns and looks at the bottles on the nightstand, glaring at them momentarily. His arms shake as he holds himself up, the pain from the bruises, burns, scratches, and welts prickling all over his body. Fuck. I hadn’t expected him to be that rough. It was like he was mad at me. But why would he want to have sex if he was mad? It doesn’t make sense. Did I do something wrong?

He sighs, grabbing two bottles from the collection before sweeping his arm behind the rest and knocking them back into the drawer with a clatter that sends shooting pain through his head. Again, he fumbles with the lids, groaning-- first the one that reads “LORAZEPAM”, then the one that reads “OXYCODONE”. One of each, that’s all I’ll have today. He tosses them back and drops the bottles back in the drawer, sliding it closed, and staring blankly at the wall for... ever. At least that’s what it feels like. Then he feels them kick in.

“Alright, that’s not so bad.”

[animebw]

Binge-Watching: Symphogear G, Episodes 11-13

So, um.

Yeah.

Over 9000

Gintama is my favorite show of all time, as most of my followers are probably aware. I could be here all day listing the reasons why, but my long love affair with that masterpiece is covered in full in my binge-watch of it, so check it out if you want more details. Short, very simplified version, Gintama was a show that could regularly leave me in a state of shock at what it was able to accomplish. There were several points along its run where it would dive into massive, dramatic arcs that kicked so much ass I felt literally exhausted by the end of them. Sometimes, the overwhelming epicness of what unfolded in front of me was so potent I didn’t even want to write about it. I just wanted to bask in the glory of the masterful story I just experienced, letting its majesty sink into my bones and be engraved there for all time.

This is another one of those times.

Sweet. Buttery. MUSTARD. The finale of Symphogear’s second season isn’t just epic, it’s one of the most gob-stopping thrill rides that anime has ever taken me on. I feel like I just got off a goddamn roller coaster and my brain’s still jumbling around in my skull cavity. It’s a spectacle the likes of which I’ve rarely ever seen, an unending rush of adrenaline that just keeps topping itself over and over again until I just gave up trying to gauge it and let it sweep me away. It takes Symphogear to an entirely new level and makes good on the bombastic promise of those first few episodes, blowing the doors open to a world of operatic possibility. It’s utterly insane, bonkers ridiculous, completely over the top, and deserving of the grandest standing ovation in the world. I. Am. In. AWE. This is why I watch anime, folks. This is the batshit gloriosity I crave from this ridiculous, stupendous medium. So let’s give it the analysis it deserves, because I have never been more in love with everything Symphogear represents.

ISTFG Gin-san

It becomes clear from very early on in the final battle that this is going to be a very different sort of spectacle than the season 1 finale. That finale was intense and gripping, full of potent emotional catharsis, moments of near despair, and a dark, overcast tone that made every time Hibiki forced herself back onto her feet an act of defiance and revolution. That’s not the case here, and that realization becomes obvious the moment that FIS’ secret Frontier weapon turns out to be a literal goddamn continent spaceship. The reveal of this massive, ponderous aircraft breaching the ocean’s surface left me cackling with glee; there is no way to mine true darkness from a spectacle this insane, and wisely, the show doesn’t try to. This final battle is fun, a fireworks shower of increasingly massive setpieces and unfairly punchy moments of action impact that makes you feel like you’re racing against the wind, feeling it peel your face back in buffeting gusts. I mean, Frontier is literally just goddamn Laputa with grav waves instead of nukes, and that’s just the start of how batshit things are about to get. Hell, Dr. Ver using a giant spectral space hand to lasso the moon isn’t even the most ridiculous galactic hand-fu we get by the end. Eat your goddamn heart out, Gurren Lagann.

And speaking of Dr. Ver, one of the big grounding factors in making this finale such a treat is just what a fantastically over-the-top villain he turned out to be. We’ve come a long way from Ryouko, whose theatrics felt stuffy and unfitting of the gravity of her plan. Dr. Ver is pretty much the perfect example of how to do the cackling mastermind right; he’s unendingly entertaining, even as we never lose sight of how intimidating and dangerous his plan is. A lot of that is thanks to him being voiced as Tomokazu Sugita; whenever he starts freaking out, I can’t help but hear Gintoki’s lame-brained pansy-ass motormouth shtick, and there is nothing more wonderfully entertaining than hearing those iconic expulsions of lunacy again. But more importantly, his motivations and place in the narrative all contribute to his theatricality. Like I mentioned a while ago, he’s the one true bastard among the otherwise complex villains, and thus, he’s allowed to go as hard and hammy as he possibly can without compromising the antagonistic integrity of the entire show. Hell, there’s even a twisted logic to his desire to smash the moon into the Earth; he wants to reduce humanity to a small enough population that he can comfortably rule them where others have failed. That’s a fantastic justification for his villainy that serves the insanity of his actions perfectly. This is how you do over-the-top evil right: you ground it in some semblance of logic, and then you let it take off like a bottle rocket wherever the winds of madness may blow. Once you’ve got that solid base, the sky’s the limit.

My World is You

And that’s the real genius of this final smackdown: because it’s so overblown and divorced from reality, the emotions it’s going for are able to sing just as loudly and just as operatically. This is Symphogear’s bombastic, eleventh-hour showtune sensibility at its absolute best, full of too many incredible moments of triumph to count. Tsubasa and Chris’s epic duel in the volcanic rainbow hot spring field is the best they’ve been all season, soaring with an unmatched level of raw intensity that only has me shipping them harder and harder. Hell, I’m not even sure I follow the logic of why Chris betrayed them in the first place- if it had to do with the explodey collar, then do you expect me to believe Ver somehow got it on her before she joined them?- but I don’t even care, because the sight of these two mismatched badasses throwing down and calling each other “Senpai” was so ludicrously powerful that such petty mortal concerns seemed to fade away with the morning mist. Somehow or other, they always find their way back home.

But it was Kirika and Shirabe’s fight that truly stole my heart. I mean, it stole theirs too: their clash literally starts with both of them trying to out-confess their love for each other (”Don’t say ‘I love you’! I love you far more!”) and holy shit, the writers aren’t even trying to hide how gay this all is anymore. That single moment alone was so freaking amazing it wouldn’t have even mattered if the rest of the fight was garbage. But thankfully, not only is their battle a truly incredible spectacle with one of the most badass duets in the entire show so far, it’s rippling with the kind of potent romantic tension that connects every damn character in this show. Symphogear is a story of people desperately trying to hear each other’s songs, grasping for clarity in a world where it doesn’t come readily. And it’s so easy to just want to break the whole thing apart, to force this world into shape however you can, no matter how much blood gets shed in the attempt. But Shirabe has realized what Hibiki realized about Miku: a world built on the sacrifices and compromises of the people you care about can never be a world worth fighting for. Because your world is them. They’re why you fight so damn hard in the first place. Nothing could possibly be worth giving that up. As Shirabe herself says, in yet another moment of concentrated gay so powerful I felt my heart skip a beat, the world she wants is a world with Kirika in it. As long as that remains true, she has to believe in the power of her song.

She has to believe, like Hibiki, that her song can still reach.

And for all the knocks she’s taken, Hibiki refuses to lose faith in that song. She’s seen the power reaching out can have, the people it can save, the horrors it can redeem. And with the threat of imminent death by relic poisoning officially clear from her system, thanks to Miku’s influence and unending support (god they’re so fucking soft together help me I can’t handle them), she faces down this battle singing louder and prouder than she ever has before, inspiring Shirabe to place her faith in her, inspiring Fine to sacrifice her barely awakened soul to keep her dream alive (holy shit, what a cool moment), and inspiring herself to literally steal Maria’s goddamn Gungnir armor right the fuck off her in one of the single coolest moments of badass I’ve ever seen. GOD. There is no better symbol for the power of this show than its firey protagonist rushing in unarmed and taking control of the battle with the raw power of her undying song. And now, with the eyes of the entire world upon them, just as they were at the beginning of the show, she and Maria can finally bring their friends together for the grand finale.

After all, as any actor worth their salt will tell you, it’s only proper to send the audience home on the highest note possible.

Heavens? Pierced ‘em.

And as if the rest of the battle wasn’t amazing enough, as if the incredible clashes and awe-inspiring spectacle didn’t already kick enough ass to leave the entire population of Earth sore for weeks, Symphogear G’s final episode cranks the dial all the way past 11 and explodes in a sonic wall of pure, unadulterated yes. Holy. Fucking. Shit. Have you ever been so lifted up on the sheer hype of a show that you feel the universe expanding and exploding before you, and you just want to scream to the heavens in pure joy? Forget going full Gurren Lagann, this finale pierces the heavens so completely the heavens are gonna have to build an entirely new roof to replace the massive hole Symphogear just punctured in it. Everything, and I mean everything, is pushed to its furthers possible extreme, and the result is a cavalcade of tableaus and showstoppers so fucking epic I don’t even have the words to describe them. Seven billion people’s climax songs ringing out at once, ringing with the full force of our six-person team as their amplifier! Letting loose the Symphogears’ super forms and tearing a hole in 3D space! Finally getting to see that Treasury of Babylonia that was foreshadowed back at the start of the season, and it’s just as psychedelic as I could’ve possibly hoped! The coolest fucking song in the entire show so far! TWIN FUCKING MASTER HAND SMASHY THROUGH BIG LAVA DUDE!!!! AND MOTHERFUCKING MIKU COMING IN CLUTCH TO FINISH THE JOB LIKE THE BADASS GF SHE IS!!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!

My god, that was a triumph. That was a masterful, utterly transcendent explosion of action storytelling that’s going to stick in my mind for a long time. That was everything that makes Symphogear so goddamn amazing, erupting in one single, stunning blast. When I think of spectacle from now on, this is the first thing that will come to mind; few sequences so perfectly capture the raw, unfiltered beauty of exhilaration in animation the way this did. Symphogear, it is truly abominable that I’ve overlooked you for so long. You are a goddamn powerhouse. And I can’t wait to see how you to yourself again.

Odds and Ends

-hhhrrrrrrrg THAT HUG GIVES ME LIFE

-”The last action hero!” What an oddly specific reference.

-”No adult worth that name would stop a kid from doing what they wanted to do.” Can Genjirou just, like, be my teacher forever?

-”I don’t recall showing you any action movies where the hero talks back!” askjdahasd

-Ooh, do Genjirou and Shirabe have a history? They way they talk, like they know each other from elsewhere...

-Poor Hibiki just wants to have a conversation on a battlefield once and nobody’s fucking letting her

-”The Bavarian Illuminati” ...pardon?

-”I’ll take you home if I have to drag you by the neck.” Kinky.

-”You’d expect a bad guy to break his promise.” Nothing less from Gin-san.

-Okay listen Chris I know you’re excited for your new girlfriend to see you naked but you are in public young lady

-”It seems breaking it won’t help.” askjdhaskjdhsa

-”Kill me! Make me a hero!” I swear to GOD Gin-san

-”Show me you can do more than kill, Solomon!” This line is just absurdly cool.

-”She won’t call me Senpai anymore!” OH MY FUCKING GOD

-hrrrrrng THAT HUG GIVES ME EVEN MORE LIFE

Wow. Goddamn, this show is something else. Well, expect my season reflection later tonight! After I take a shower, because I need a fucking break after that insanity.

[dimensiontripperhibiki]

Start Dash (8/?)

Next chapter, hope you guys enjoy!

Nico let out a content sigh as she pressed her face into Umi’s chest. She slowly inhaled the scent of the girl’s shirt and skin. At times it was hard to believe that this was how she spent a lot of her nights now. Curled up with Umi in her bed. She was starting to get used to it though. Starting to crave Umi’s warmth next to her. She looked up, noticing Umi’s gaze fixed ahead. “What are you thinking about?” Umi blinked, seemingly torn from her thoughts at the sound of Nico’s voice. “Hmm? Oh...nothing. Just Honoka and Kotori. Mainly Kotori…what we’re going to do when she leaves.” Nico’s brow furrowed. She could detect the anguish in Umi’s voice. “Honoka isn’t the only person this whole mess is hurting...is it?” Umi swallowed thickly and shook her head. “Kotori is one of my best friends. Of course it’s going to hurt. I’m going to miss her.”

“Yeah.” Nico sat up so that she was level with Umi and reached up, running her fingers lightly over Umi’s hair. 

“I hate the fact that she had to tell me too.” Umi admitted softly, averting her eyes for a moment. “I get it. She wants to protect Honoka but she knows I’m a terrible liar.” Nico sighed. “Honoka’s so dense. I don’t know how Eli can handle her.” Umi frowned. “She’s just focused on other things, including Eli herself. How can Eli be so bad at this…?” Nico snorted. “Eli is good at public speaking but she’s terrible at being social. She’s as closed off as I was.” Umi turned her eyes back to Nico. “But you know how to read people.” Nico blushed at the compliment. “Yeah well when you have smaller siblings it comes with the territory.” Umi blinked in confusion. “Doesn’t she have Arisa?” “Sadly Eli has trouble understanding her sometimes.” Nico said matter of factly. “She’d kill me for telling you how many times she came to me lately about what to say to her sister.” Umi stared at Nico thoughtfully for a moment. “I wouldn’t have thought you were friends with Eli.” “I wouldn’t say...friends exactly.” Nico said with a thoughtful frown. “Just teammates. I mean we’re all part of this school idol group, right?” “For now.” Umi sighed, reaching up to press her hand to her forehead. She could barely concentrate past all of the stressful thoughts rushing through her head. Nico lifted Umi’s chin gently. “Hey, we’ll figure this out, okay?” She smiled softly before she leaned in. A loud knock sounded suddenly at the door, causing her to freeze. “Onee-chan, I’m hungry! Make dinner!” “Damn it, Cocoa…” Nico drew back guiltily. “It’s okay.” Umi forced a smile to her face. “Go ahead. I should be heading home anyway. It’s getting late.” “You can’t stay?” Nico asked, clearly disappointed. “Ah…” Umi glanced away. “I should go home tonight. Sorry, I’m just...I wouldn’t be very good company right now. I’m distracted and I just need to…” Nico drew Umi to her as the girl trailed off. She hugged her, feeling Umi’s sadness as if it were her own. “ONEE-CHAN!” “I’ll be out in a minute!” Nico called back. She heard Cocoa huff loudly before walking off and turned her attention back to Umi. “Listen, just...wait for me in here. Please? Whatever you need, whatever you need to do, I’m here for. I won’t be long.” Umi hesitated for a moment before she nodded against Nico’s shoulder. Nico pressed her lips to the top of Umi’s head before she got up. She crossed to the door, only pausing when she heard Umi’s voice. “Nico?” “Yeah?” Nico turned around, finding Umi staring after her with pained amber eyes. Umi opened her mouth to speak before she seemed to change her mind. “Nevermind. I’ll see you soon.” “Okay.” Nico frowned, troubled by Umi’s downtrodden mood. Reluctantly she left the room to start making dinner for her siblings. Umi sighed and lay down on her back, throwing her arm over her eyes. She didn’t know what was wrong with her. She knew it only made sense to hurt over Kotori leaving but she was troubled by the fact that Nico’s presence seemed to ease that, even just slightly. A few minutes passed before the door opened again. “You don’t have to check on me, Nico.” Umi said without looking up. “I’ll be okay.” “I brought you some tea.” Cocoro watched as Umi bolted up on the bed. “Are you okay, Umi-san?” Umi felt her cheeks flush. She couldn’t believe that she had let Cocoro see her moping. “Y-Yes, I’m fine.” She forced a smile to her lips. “Just a little bit tired from school.” Cocoro walked over to Umi and pressed the cup of tea into her hands. “Onee-san gets tired too sometimes.” She said agreeably. She perched on the edge of the bed next to Umi and looked at her solemnly. “You seem sad.” Umi took a sip of her tea, buying some time before she responded to the observation. She didn’t want to lie. “I am a little sad.” Cocoro tilted her head thoughtfully. “Do you want someone to hold you?” She asked innocently. “Onee-san always does that for me when I’m sad. Especially when Kaa-san doesn’t come home early.” Umi smiled gently at the offer. “Only if you’d like.” Cocoro’s own ruby eyes widened at the offer and she nodded seriously. As Umi set her cup aside, Cocoro pulled herself into the low bed. Umi felt arms wrap around her neck as the smaller girl held onto her. She smiled at the sweet gesture. “There, there.” Cocoro said softly. “You have us here you know. It’s not just Onee-san that’s here for you. You’re family now.” Umi closed her eyes, her chest tight. As Cocoro continued to speak soothingly though she couldn’t help but doze off, the past few days catching up with her.

---- “Cocoro!” Nico called for the fourth time down the hallway. She sighed, setting Cocoa and Cotoro’s plates down in front of them. It wasn’t like Cocoro to ignore her. She made her way down the hallway, her brow furrowing in confusion as she realized her bedroom door was open. She felt a brief moment of panic. She hadn’t heard Umi leave but she got the impression Umi could easily sneak out if she wanted to for whatever reason. She stepped into the bedroom, pausing when she found Umi and Cocoro lying together, Cocoro’s arms around Umi. She let a small smile tug at her lips and leaned against the doorway. After a couple of moments of watching them she stepped further into the room. “Cocoro.” She whispered, stepping close to the bed. Slowly, Cocoro’s eyes fluttered open. “Dinner’s going to get cold.” “But Umi-san…” “I can take over from here.” Nico said with a gentle smile. She gently touched Cocoro’s shoulder as she sat up. “Thank you for taking care of her. Look after Cocoa and Cotaro for a little while, okay?” “Okay, Onee-san.” Stifling a yawn, Cocoro got up and crossed the room. She let herself out and closed the door behind her. Nico crawled into bed with Umi, gently sweeping some hair from her face. “Nico.” Umi mumbled in her sleep, her brow furrowing slightly. Nico tugged the blankets up around them and wrapped her arm around Umi’s middle, pulling her close. She lightly pecked the girl’s lips.   Slowly, Umi’s eyes opened and she frowned slightly when she saw Nico. “Cocoro…?” “She’s taking care of the other two.” “Oh…” Umi reached up, rubbing her eyes. “You really raised her well.” Nico smiled fondly at the comment. “How are you feeling? Don’t lie to me. I want to know.” Umi let out a soft sigh. “I don’t know...sad. Angry. Frustrated.”

Nico’s lips turned up slightly. “It’s going to be okay. You still have me. And that’s not going to change anytime soon.” “I believe you.” Umi said softly. She cupped Nico’s face in her hands and leaned in, kissing her softly. ---- “Nice place.” Nico observed thoughtfully as she stepped into Saya’s apartment, hand in hand with Umi. Saya herself had let them in a moment ago but she had hurried off when Nozomi had called to her from the kitchen. “I wonder if she has anything to drink…”

“I could go and see if I could find you a soda or something.” Umi suggested, figuring there would be some in the kitchen. Nico rolled her eyes at Umi as they followed the corridor to the living room. “I meant something stronger than that.” She paused in the doorway, surprised by how many people were there. Kotori and Maki were sitting on the couch against the wall, talking quietly between themselves while Hanayo, Chrom, Miyu and Uni were standing a few feet away talking. Uni was laughing loudly while Miyu was trying to drag her brother away. Across the room, Hibiki and Rin were dancing energetically from some music coming from the speakers near them. Nico sighed loudly. “I really need a drink. Where are Eli and Honoka anyway?” “I’m here!” Honoka herself replied from behind them. Umi gasped as Honoka collided with her back, strong arms going around her in a cheerful hug. She felt a pang in her chest. Honoka’s happiness wouldn’t last for very long. “Honoka…” Umi grumbled as Honoka hugged her from behind. Nico scowled and turned to Eli who had just walked out of the kitchen. “Did she actually find the wine?” “I tried to stop her.” Eli sighed. “Not a word, Nico.” “You really suck at relationships, Ayase.” “I know. Honoka, stop it. No getting handsy with anyone but me.” Honoka grinned over at Eli as she released Umi. “Oooh, Senpai wants to do the dirty?” “Holy shit, just a sip and she’s out.” Saya commented from the doorway to the kitchen. She shook her head in dismay. “I thought I told you none of you are allowed to drink? Besides Nozomi.” “Why does she get to drink?” Nico frowned in annoyance. “Because I said so.” “Kotori-chan, when did you get here?” Honoka asked brightly, noticing Kotori sitting on the couch with Maki. She bound off, sitting herself between the two. Umi sighed, lifting a hand to her forehead. “Eli…” “Yeah, I’ve got it.” Eli muttered, moving past them. Honoka wasn’t acting any differently to how she usually would but it was Kotori she was worried about. “Saya!” A knock sounded at the door to the apartment along with a male’s voice. “We’re coming in!” A moment passed before a dark haired man walked into the room with a red haired woman and a blue haired woman. Umi turned her eyes widening when she met vaguely familiar silver eyes. She noticed the woman stop and stare at her, seemingly just as shocked. The redhead next to the woman placed a hand on her arm. “Kaiyo.” “I-I’m okay.” The woman who Umi now knew to be Kaiyo replied softly, still staring at Umi. “I’m okay.” Umi frowned and turned away, taking Nico’s hand again. “Maybe we should go and find something to drink.” She suggested with a small smile. As Nico nodded she began to lead her toward the kitchen. “Umi.” Umi froze at the sound of her name. Slowly she looked over at Kaiyo who had stepped toward her. “Do I know you?” “No…” The woman’s voice seemed to crack. “You don’t. Sorry, I-I think I got the wrong person.” “It’s fine, are you…?” Umi watched in confusion as the woman turned and fled back down the hallway, the redhead quickly following her. “I feel like I should know who she is…” Hisa glanced briefly over her shoulder with a frown as she left the apartment. She found Kaiyo leaning against the wall just outside, bent over with her hands on her knees. “Hey…” Hisa gently placed a hand on Kaiyo’s back, soothingly rubbing it. “It’s okay.” “I knew she wouldn’t remember me!” Kaiyo exclaimed, her voice thick with emotion. “I told you!” Hisa sat down, tugging Kaiyo close to her. Kaiyo curled into Hisa, straddling her lap. She tightly gripped her girlfriend’s shirt, biting down hard on the collar to muffle her sobs. Hisa gently stroked Kaiyo’s hair, pained by the woman’s soft sobbing. “Even with the meds she triggers you, huh?” “I hate them.” Kaiyo choked out. “I hate my parents for keeping her away from me. I HATE them!” “Shhh.” Hisa soothed gently, trying to calm Kaiyo down. “I’ve lost her.” Kaiyo barely managed to speak past her tears. “I thought maybe one day I-I could get her back but how can I now?! My sister barely even knows me.” “Your what?” Kaiyo lifted her head sharply to see a girl with dark hair in pigtails staring down at her. She quickly scrambled to her feet, wiping her eyes. “S-Sorry, I wasn’t...we shouldn’t be doing this here.” Nico stepped forward slowly, her eyes glimmering with intent. “Your what?” Kaiyo looked to Hisa for help. “Her damn younger sister.” Hisa straightened up, reaching for Kaiyo’s hand. “She’s a Sonoda, okay? A...disowned Sonoda.” Nico stared at them blankly for a moment. “That’s fucked up.” “Tell me about it.” Hisa mumbled, squeezing Kaiyo’s hand. “Look...pretend you didn’t hear any of this, okay? It’s none of your business anyway.” “If it’s about Umi it is my business.” Nico replied scathingly, her eyes narrowing. “She’s my business.” “You can see color.” Kaiyo mumbled in realization. “Umi can see color…” “It’s…” Nico briefly gritted her teeth, frustrated. “It’s complicated but yes...she can...because of me. We’re not soulmates so you can forget about that! Forget about that, it’s not important. When are you going to talk to Umi about this?” “What?” Kaiyo asked blankly. “I-I’m not. She doesn’t remember me, I’m not just going to throw myself into her life now. If she really has forgotten it’s best to leave things as they are.” “Are you kidding? No!” Nico said loudly, outraged by the idea. “She needs you. She needs...someone. She’s about to lose her best friend. Maybe both of her best friends. And now she’s going to lose you too?!” Kaiyo sighed softly and turned to walk away. “She lost me a long time ago.” “Hey, wait!” Nico lunged forward, grabbing Kaiyo’s wrist and harshly tugged her back around to face her. Immediately she saw a flash of red from the corner of her eye before she was shoved back by her shoulders. She landed hard on her behind. “You’re seriously going to leave her? How selfish can you be?” Kaiyo bit her lip before looking at Hisa. Her girlfriend looked away and Kaiyo instantly knew what Hisa thought about it. She agreed with the stubborn kid. “For a fifteen year old you’re pretty mature.” Kaiyo sighed heavily. “I-I’ll try.” “Oi, I’m seventeen!” Nico scowled angrily as she stood up. “I should’ve put my hair up in a ponytail. If I knew Nozomi was going to invite college people…” Kaiyo raised an eyebrow. “Pigtails aren’t what’s making you look fifteen…” Nico growled and pulled out both ribbons, letting her hair fall freely around her shoulders. “HAPPY now? Get your ass back in there and march right up to your sister, okay young lady?!” Hisa chuckled. “Okay, now she looks like a mom…” “HISA!” Kaiyo exclaimed loudly. She turned back to Nico, sighing. “Fine. But she’s not going to be happy when I tell her.” “Go.” Nico pointed to the door. Kaiyo obediently went into the apartment, heading for the kitchen. She passed Saya, Raven and Nozomi on the way but paid no attention to them. She was relieved to find Umi alone in the kitchen, sipping at a glass of an orange colored drink. “I hope there’s no alcohol in that.” Kaiyo jokes, causing Umi to quickly turn around. “Unlike my friends I follow the rules.” Umi said, relaxing slightly. “Why do you care anyway...Kaiyo-san?” Kaiyo grimaced slightly at the formality of Umi’s question. “I can’t let minors drink when I’m around, right? It wouldn’t be very responsible of me.” “Just how old are you?” “Twenty eight.” Umi frowned. “Shouldn’t you be married?” “Well I’m gay so marriage is a little more difficult for...me at the moment. Who gets married at twenty nine anyway?” Kaiyo’s brow furrowed as she looked at Umi. Maybe being around her parents with nobody else had made Umi as closed minded and conceited as they were. “Wait...aren’t you with the girl from earlier?” “Kind of.” Umi answered vaguely. “My parents wouldn’t be very happy about it.” “I know, they’re real assholes.” Kaiyo answered without thinking. She noticed confusion flit across Umi’s face. “Don’t worry if you don’t remember. You only knew me for three years since your birth.” Umi tilted her head. “The only person I kind of remember was someone who always put me to bed when I had nightmares. I thought that was my nanny.” Kaiyo sighed. “I was sixteen. How do I look like a nanny?” “W-Wait…” Umi held up her hand to stop Kaiyo. “But that’s what my parents told me.” “Ame…” Kaiyo growled angrily. “That bastard is lying. Didn’t you ever talk to grandma?” “She can be too shameless. Wait, grandma...Kaiyo...are we related?” “Shameless? What does that even...nevermind.” Kaiyo sighed, rolling her eyes. “Yes. I’m your older sister.” “I...don’t have an older sister. I’m an only child.” Umi said in confusion, shaking her head. “I would know if I had a sister.” “Unless you were too young to remember.” Kaiyo prompted gently. “You were only three when our parents kicked me out. And they wouldn’t have even mentioned me afterwards. I know how they are.” Umi took a moment to look Kaiyo over, taking in her blue hair and silver eyes. “I-I believe you. But how could I forget I have a sister? How could my...our parents have lied to me?!” “You were only three.” Kaiyo repeated softly though the idea of Umi completely forgetting about her stung. “And they’re assholes. I mean they kicked me out just for being gay.” “H-How did you know you were gay?” Umi asked, still stunned by the revelation that she had an older sister. She had always thought of herself as an only child. “Did you find your soulmate?” “I did but those two things aren’t related.” Kaiyo said, crossing her arms in front of her chest. Her gaze flitted to the kitchen doorway. She knew that Hisa wouldn’t be far away. “I see that you found yours?” “Nico? She’s not my soulmate, it’s...we’re…” “I get it. No need to explain.” Kaiyo held up her hand to stop Umi. “I had a couple of girlfriends before Hisa.” “Whatever you think you know about me and Nico, you’re probably wrong.” Umi sighed, leaning against the counter. She didn’t even know what was going on with her and Nico. It was confusing and new. “I don’t even know what’s going on with us…” “She obviously cares about you.” Kaiyo offered as Umi trailed off. “When she found out that I’m your sister...about five minutes ago, she practically ordered me not to keep it a secret from you.” A small smile tugged at Umi’s lips. “That sounds like Nico.” “I thought she was younger than you.” Kaiyo admitted with a sheepish chuckle. “Turns out she’s a year older than you. She looks a lot more mature with her hair down.” Umi nodded her agreement to the observation. She had noticed a few times that Nico looked more mature with her hair down. “She must think our family is pretty screwed up…” “Probably.” Kaiyo scoffed, a humorless smirk tugging at her lips. “They are. Maybe we don’t have to be though? I know this is really sudden and you’re probably taking everything in but I want to know you. I want to be your sister, like I should have been.” “I-I don’t know…” “Please?” Kaiyo asked beseechingly. “Please just think about it. You don’t have to make your mind up right now. Here, I’ll give you my number. In case you want to talk or meet up. It’s completely your choice, I promise.” Umi hesitated for a moment before she offered her phone to Kaiyo. ----- Umi slammed the front door to her house shut behind her, tears streaking their way down her cheeks. Her conversation with her parents had gone about as well as she had feared it would. She stumbled down the street leading away from her house, her fingers sweeping awkwardly over the screen of her phone until she finally managed to call the number she wanted. “Umi?” Nico’s voice sounded slightly hoarse. “What’s wrong? Is everything okay?” “Nico…” Umi pressed a hand to her mouth, choking on a sob. “I-I got into a fight with my parents a-and they told me to get out. I don’t know what to do.” “Shit.” Nico breathed into the phone. A moment passed before she spoke again, her voice soothing this time. “Hey, it’s okay. It’s going to be okay, alright? Just breathe, Umi.” “I need you, Nico.” Umi clutched the phone close to her and stopped. She didn’t know where to go. “Please come get me.” “I-I can’t.” Nico stuttered out, her voice choking slightly. “I have to watch my siblings, my mom isn’t home...I’m sorry, Umi. Where are you?” Umi sniffled softly. “Near my house. I have to go, I should call Kotor…” She paused, realizing that Kotori would be busy. “I’ll ask Nozomi.” “Wait, let me call your sister. She’ll come and get you. Just don’t...go anywhere, okay?” Nico asked urgently. “Stay there, Umi.” Umi made a sound of agreement and a moment later Nico ended the call. Numbly, she slipped her phone back into her pocket and continued to walk to the park across the street. She sank down onto a swing, burying her head in her hands. She didn’t know what to do. Her father had told her that if she didn’t like his rules she had to leave his house. She couldn’t go back now without running into him but she didn’t have anywhere else to go. She hadn’t stopped to pick up any clothes either, she had left the house in what she was wearing, which was simply her school uniform. She supposed she should have been thankful that she had gotten home late, having stopped at Nico’s for a while. At least she could still go to school. She wasn’t sure how long she sat there for, trying to figure out what to do until a voice called out to her. “Umi.” Umi looked up, finding Kaiyo walking toward her at a hurried pace. She hurriedly reached up to wipe any stray tears from her face. Kaiyo stopped just in front of Umi and knelt down to meet her downcast eyes. “What happened?” She asked worriedly. “They kicked me out!” Umi said, her voice thick with emotion. “I-I asked them about you and...asked them what would happen if my soulmate was a girl. They told me to get o-out if I didn’t like the rules.” “Umi…”

“How could you leave me with them?!” Umi choked out angrily, her voice thick with emotion. “Didn’t you care if we stayed together?!” Kaiyo gritted her teeth but she pushed back her feelings. Umi was already growing tearful and it wouldn’t help for Kaiyo to become the same way. “Of course I cared. I cared about you more than anyone else, Umi.” “Then why didn’t you take me with you?” “I-I was sixteen.” Kaiyo said, her eyes widening with surprise. “I don’t even know what I would have done with a three year old. You needed a home, not some...idiotic kid who thought she knew it all. I didn’t even meet Hisa until I was twenty four and she was nineteen. Before her, I was just...moving around, sleeping on my friend’s floors before I went off to college. I couldn’t have taken care of you.” “You could have at least contacted me when I got older.” Umi sniffled softly, looking down at her lap. “When I could make my own choices.” Kaiyo sighed. “I was worried it would just hurt you. Or you would hate me. Look what it’s done to you now…” “I should have been given a choice.” Umi looked up, angry eyes meeting with Kaiyo’s guilty ones. “What if I’m not happy where I am? Couldn’t you have come to get me later? You don’t know what it’s like, with their rules and expectations and…” “Umi.” Kaiyo placed her hand atop Umi’s hand. “I know exactly what it’s like. I was there until I was your age, remember? I-I’m sorry I didn’t think to come and get you. I-I guess I just hoped it would be better for you. That they would change.” “They didn’t. They’ve kicked me out a-and I don’t know what to do.” Umi covered her eyes, breaking into soft sobs. A moment later she felt arms go around her as Kaiyo hugged her. She couldn’t help but hug back, desperate for the comfort. “Come with me.” Kaiyo said softly. She drew back after a moment, clutching Umi’s shoulders. “You can stay at my apartment for a while, okay? For however long you want.” Umi nodded, relieved that she had somewhere to go at least. She felt her phone vibrate in her pocket but she was distracted by Kaiyo helping her up and guiding her to the entrance. Upon getting there she found a redhead waiting for them, straddling a motorcycle. “Go ahead, Hisa.” Kaiyo said, nodding to the redhead. “We’ll go back together. I’ll see you at home.” Hisa looked over Umi for a moment before she glanced at Kaiyo. “I figured you’d say that. I called Raven, he’ll come and pick you up. Is she…?” “She’s fine.” Kaiyo said, gently drawing Umi close to her side. “She’ll be staying with us for a while. If that’s okay with you.” “Sure, that’s fine.” Hisa turned her attention back to Umi. “I’m Evergreen Hisa. Nice to meet you, Umi-san.” “N-Nice to meet you.” Umi stuttered awkwardly, embarrassed that the redhead had had to see her in such a state. She quickly wiped her cheeks. “I-I’m not usually like this.” “Huh? Oh...don’t worry about that. I have siblings too, you know. I’ve seen them in worse states...well Itsuki. So has Kaiyo, right?” Kaiyo grimaced. “Remember when that girl she likes rejected her at school?” Hisa growled low in her throat, annoyed by the thought. “Or when Raven was panicking about his first date with Akari.” Kaiyo laughed at the thought of the young man pacing back in forth in front of them, rambling about how he wasn’t sure how to act and how being her soulmate was so much pressure. She gave Umi a light squeeze, hoping the casual conversation would reassure her. Umi looked down at Hisa’s hand on the bike grips, noticing a ring on her left hand. Her eyes widened and she turned to Kaiyo. “You said you weren’t married!” “I’m not married, I’m engaged.” Kaiyo said quickly, surprised by the outburst. “We won’t be married for a while yet. Right, Hisa?” “Unfortunately.” Hisa grumbled, rolling her eyes. “We’re planning to get married in Canada. My father’s homeland. And it’s legal there. We just have a few things we need to do before we can leave.” “You’re moving?” Umi blurted out, turning toward Kaiyo. “Wait for me when I graduate, please! It’s only another year.” Kaiyo stared at Umi for a moment. “Umi, I…” “I’m okay with it.” Hisa piped up causing the two to turn to her. When Kaiyo glared at her, she shrugged sheepishly. “What? I’m just saying, we can’t leave her behind if your asshole parents have tossed her aside too.” Kaiyo sighed softly and turned to Umi. “We’ll see, Umi. You might want to go back. You don’t know yet.” Umi opened her mouth to protest but she was stopped by  a car pulling up near Hisa’s bike. The driver’s window rolled down and a dark haired man leaned out. “You needed a ride?” “I’ll meet you at home.” Hisa said before she put her helmet back on. She revved the engine before taking off down the street. “Come on, Umi.” Kaiyo murmured, leading Umi to the car.   ---- “Are you sure that it’s okay for me to stay over tonight?” Hanayo asked apprehensively. She didn’t have to worry about her own parents, given that they were fairly lax about her staying out. “I don’t want to intrude.” “Who’s going to say no?” Miyu asked rhetorically from her prone position on the bed. She turned her head slightly to look up at Hanayo who was sitting up next to her. “Onii-san trusts me. He’s fine with it.” Hanayo’s brow furrowed slightly at that. She didn’t know a lot about Miyu’s life, she had come to realize. She bit her lip, glancing down at Miyu. “What?” Miyu asked self-consciously. “Nothing.” Hanayo said with a hint of a smile. “You’re just...really pretty, that’s all.” Miyu’s eyes widened briefly and she felt her cheeks warm. She averted her eyes to the right, grumbling slightly. “Hanayo…” Hanayo gave a soft laugh despite feeling embarrassed at her own honesty. “I’m just saying.” “Has Hibiki been teaching you how to woo me or something?” Hanayo tilted her head. “I thought I already had?” Miyu looked to Hanayo, seeing a smirk tugging at her lips. It was clear the girl was teasing her. She decided to take a chance and tease Hanayo right back. “You have.” Hanayo’s smirk slipped for just a moment before she regained her composure. “I could say the same thing about you, Miyu-chan. So um...if we both like each other, maybe we could…” Miyu swallowed thickly as Hanayo leaned down slightly. “If you’re okay with it. But I’ve never...kissed anyone before.” “Me neither.” Hanayo said with an easy smile. She reached out, gently brushing Miyu’s hair back from her face. Thankfully she was wearing her contacts so she didn’t have to worry about taking her glasses off. “We can figure it out together, right?” “Yeah.” Miyu whispered as Hanayo leaned closer to her. She closed her eyes as their lips brushed. She was sure that Hanayo did the same. The first slight touch was tentative and Hanayo seemed to pause until Miyu leaned up on her elbows, pressing their lips together more firmly than before. The kiss lasted barely a few seconds before Hanayo pulled away, wide eyed. “Was that okay?” Miyu nodded, her lips still tingling in the wake of Hanayo’s. She wished she could reach up and pull Hanayo back down to kiss her again but she didn’t want to push things so soon. It already felt like they had taken an important step with the one kiss they had shared a few moments ago. “It was...nice. Was it okay for you?” Hanayo nodded quickly, a small smile tugging at her lips. “Maybe we could...do it again sometime?” Miyu giggled softly at Hanayo’s sudden shyness. She had seemed so smooth up until a few moments ago. “I would like that.” “Maybe...now?” Hanayo asked hopefully, not wanting to assume the wrong thing. “If you want to?” Miyu was surprised by the question. Hanayo was still blushing but she’d been forward enough to ask, unlike Miyu herself who had shy away even though she had wanted to ask. “I want to.” Hanayo managed a small smile at that before it slipped away. She leaned in, more confident this time and kissed Miyu again. She gently cupped the girl’s jaw in her hand and leaned down slightly over her, pressing Miyu back onto the bed. Miyu sighed into the kiss as Hanayo’s weight settled slightly on her, comfortably so. She reached up, grasping Hanayo’s shoulders to draw her closer and kissed her back relishing in the feeling of Hanayo’s lips moving against her own. She gasped softly as Hanayo gently nipped at her lower lip with her teeth. “S-Sorry.” Hanayo whispered though she made no move to draw away. “Was that not…?” “No, I um...I liked it. It was nice.” Miyu blushed at the admission. “Don’t stop.” Hanayo felt her heart leap at the soft plea and she kissed Miyu once more, deeper this time, pressing closer to her. As Miyu’s arms tightened around her neck she pondered the idea of deepening the kiss, of trying even more new things with Miyu. Before she had a chance though she heard a click followed by the sound of someone’s voice. “Oh, gross! I did not need to see that!” Hanayo pulled away from Miyu, leaning up in time to see Chrom turn and walk out of the room with his hand covering his eyes. “Aww, cute!” A blonde she didn’t recognize exclaimed, pulling out her phone to snap a picture. “Miyu…” Raven, who was standing next to the blonde, grimaced. Miyu pushed herself into a sitting position, her hand finding Hanayo’s in case the girl panicked. “Don’t go all protective older brother on me, Raven…” “Brother?” Hanayo asked, her brow furrowing. “Chrom has been friends with Raven, Saya and Uni since he was at school.” Miyu answered Hanayo. “They’re practically my siblings too.” “You’re only fifteen, Miyu.” Raven said, crossing his arms in front of his chest in an attempt to look serious. The look on Miyu’s face told him it wasn’t working. “Ugh, fine. Just be careful, okay?” Hanayo frowned, offended. “H-Hey, I’m not going to do anything Miyu-chan doesn’t want!” “I know, I know. I didn’t say that.” Raven held up his hands in defence. “Come on, Akari. We should go and check on Chrom.” “It was nice meeting you, Miyu-chan’s girlfriend.” Akari said cheerfully, nodding to Hanayo. “It’s…” Hanayo trailed off as Raven took Akari’s hand and led her from the room, leaving the door open behind him. She looked back to Miyu with a guilty expression. “Sorry. I didn’t mean for that to happen.” “It’s okay. I don’t mind them knowing.” Miyu said with a small smile. “Maybe I should get a lock for my door though…” Hanayo laughed softly at that, laying back down on the bed next to Miyu. She pulled the dark haired girl to her, pressing a gentle kiss to her shoulder. ---- Kaiyo perched on the edge of the bed Umi was going to be sleeping in. “If you need anything I’ll be just down the hallway. Is...everything okay with the clothes I gave you?” “Hmm?” Umi looked down at the clothes she had borrowed from Kaiyo. Just a simple shirt and some shorts. “Oh...yes. Thank you. I’m fine, really. I’m sorry to…” “You’re not intruding.” Kaiyo said for what felt like the tenth time. “You’re my sister.” Umi looked down at her lap, covered by her blankets. “Do you think we can go back to being like that? Sisters?” Kaiyo’s brow furrowed slightly. She had wondered that herself. “I want to. If we both want it, I’m sure we can. If you don’t mind being patient with me. It’s been a long time since I did this...I’ve had a little bit of practice with Hisa’s siblings but they’re older…” Umi managed a small smile at that despite the jealousy she felt at the idea of Kaiyo acting as a sister to someone else. She didn’t know why she felt jealous but could only assume it was over what she had missed out on. “Goodnight, Umi.” Kaiyo said softly as she stood from the bed. She placed her hand briefly on Umi’s shoulder before she left, closing the door gently behind her. She turned to walk down the hallway but jumped when she saw Hisa standing in front of her. “Hisa…” “See? Told you it would come to you.” Hisa said with a soft smile. She took Kaiyo’s hand, gently leading her down the hallway to the living room. “You’re good with her.” “I don’t know what I’m doing anymore.” Kaiyo admitted reluctantly as she squeezed Hisa’s hand back. “I need you to teach me.” Hisa smirked and drew Kaiyo toward her. She leaned in, kissing her gently. “You pass.” Kaiyo groaned low in her throat and let her head fall forward to rest on Hisa’s shoulder. “I don’t know how I’m meant to act around her now. I don’t know how to begin helping her.” “You will. You’re helping her by letting her stay here.” Hisa replied, reaching up to gently stroke Kaiyo’s hair. Kaiyo slowly leaned back, silver eyes meeting Hisa’s green. “I remember when I first met your eyes. We crashed into each other and all of my work fell onto the floor.” “Well you are a nerd.” Hisa teased lightly. “You two seem similar.” Kaiyo shook her head in amusement at that. She knew that Hisa was only teasing her. “Shut up.” “I think it’s cute that you’re such a nerd.” Hisa drew her hand away from Kaiyo’s, touching her right shoulder. “Is it hurting?” Kaiyo asked softly, her voice taking on a concerned tone. Hisa flushed. The injury was embarrassing if she was honest. It was embarrassing that she’d had to take time away from work for it too. She couldn’t exactly continue her role in the navy with a barely functional shoulder. “A little.” “You should have said so.” Kaiyo took Hisa’s hand again and gently led her over to the couch. She sat down, Hisa in front of her. “Kai…” Hisa sighed as Kaiyo gently began to massage her shoulders. “You don’t have to.” Kaiyo scoffed slightly. “Stop complaining, honey.” “Yes, dear.” Kaiyo bit her lip. “Never say that again. It doesn’t suit you.” “But you are my darling?” Hisa teased, amused by Kaiyo’s resistance. “No, call me nerd. Or dork. Anything not sweet.” Kaiyo said, cringing. “Sweetie?” Kaiyo groaned in exasperation. “Oh my god, why did I propose?” “Cause you love me shnookums.” Hisa grinned, turning around to see Kaiyo gritting her teeth. She quickly turned seriously, her smile slipping away. “I love you, Kai. You were my senpai and I’m so glad we met. Because it led you to your sister.” Kaiyo relaxed too, her lips turning up slightly. She replied in a whisper. “You changed my world.” “So let’s help change your sister’s.” Hisa proposed softly, taking Kaiyo’s hands into her own. Kaiyo lifted Hisa’s hand, kissing her ring finger gently. “You’re one of a kind, Hisa.” Hisa felt herself blush at the gesture, rendered speechless. Not for the first time where Kaiyo was concerned. It seemed that Kaiyo was the only person with the ability to do that to her. “How is it that a nerd like you is so…” “It’s in the genes.” Kaiyo smirked. “So is liking stubborn girls. Yazawa is pretty insistent.” Hisa’s brow furrowed slightly at the remark. “Oh yeah, the...girlfriend, right?” She murmured thoughtfully. “She’s protective of Umi.” Kaiyo said softly. “I like her.” Hisa scoffed. “She shouldn’t have grabbed you. Little brat has anger issues.” “And you don’t?” Kaiyo raised an eyebrow. “No, I-I don’t!” Hisa frowned, offended. “You know my background, I react instinctively to things like that.” “I know.” Kaiyo said gently. She wrapped her arm around Hisa’s shoulder and drew her close, hugging her. “I love you too, Hisa.” She kissed Hisa’s temple, feeling the redhead sink forward against her. She shifted slightly to accommodate the added pressed of Hisa’s weight and closed her eyes, relishing in the warmth. ----- As the door closed Umi leaned back against the pillows behind her, feeling a hint of guilt at the fact that she had put Kaiyo and Hisa to so much trouble. Kaiyo had insisted that Umi take the spare room and have even changed all of the sheets on the bed. She slid down under the covers, inhaling the scent of fresh sheets but bolted upright at the sound of a knock. She looked toward the door, about to call for whoever it was to come in when there was another knock, from the window this time. She looked over to see Nico outside in a black hoodie, jeans and a beanie on the fire escape, rapping on the window. Quickly, Umi got out of bed and crossed to the window, opening it to let Nico in. “Nico...w-what are you doing here?” Nico pulled down her face mask and kissed Umi hard, colors brightening both  girls world instantly. The kiss was fleeting before Nico pulled away. “Do you know how fucking worried I was? I had to call Hanayo to get Miyu’s number to get Raven’s number to get me the address to get me here. You dumbass. Idiot!” Umi blinked at Nico. “You’re crying.” “I thought something happened to you, you idiot!” Nico hugged Umi tightly, burying her face in the girl’s shoulder. “Y-You stayed up this late looking for me?” Umi asked, surprised by the realization. “B-But…” “But what?” Nico pulled back, quickly wiping at her tear stained cheeks. “You’re not the only one who cares, Umi. “I thought something had happened to you. That Kaiyo hadn’t found you.” “I’m okay, Nico.” Umi said softly, lowering her voice. “I’m sorry I worried you. I wasn’t thinking and...I didn’t check my phone. I’m sorry.” “I felt your emotions.” Nico whispered, her ruby eyes shimmering. “It was so painful...the tug made me determined to find you.” Umi gripped her heart, feeling Nico’s strong feelings like they were her own. “How is this possible…?” “Who fucking cares?!” Nico exclaimed, emotionally. “It’s real. What we have is real, Umi! We can go against fate. We can do this! Who cares if we don’t understand it. All I need is how I feel about you.” Umi perked up slightly. “How do you...feel about me?” “I feel like...I like you. A lot.” Nico admitted softly, her heart in her throat. “Maybe more than I should. And it scares me.” Umi reached out, placing her hand gently on Nico’s chest. Nico swallowed and placed her hand over Umi’s, holding it close. “See?” Umi nodded, taking a shuddering breath. “Nico, I don’t…” “I know what you’re going to say. Don’t give me any of that crap about not feeling the same way because you want to push me away or you don’t want to drag me into your family’s drama. I know you like me too.” Nico said firmly. “And I’m not going anywhere. I’m in this, Umi.” Umi looked away, smiling softly. “I was going to say...I don’t want you to leave me tonight.” ---- “They’re really good.” Hanayo fretted, leaning up on her tiptoes to get a good look at A-Rise on the stage. The group seemed to be so naturally in sync with each other, like they were barely making any effort to perform at all. Hanayo couldn’t help but worry about following that. They were up next. “It’ll be okay, Hanayo-chan.” Honoka said brightly, placing her hand on Hanayo’s shoulder. “We’ve practiced a lot.” “Yeah, there’s no way I’m going to let them beat us, nya!” Rin exclaimed loudly, her eyes alight with determination. “Especially with Hibiki here!” Hanayo nodded, encouraged by what Rin was saying. “Miyu-chan is here too. I don’t want to disappoint her.” Hibiki sighed next to Rin. “You still have a long way to go but I see you guys surpassing them, especially with Rin here.” Rin blushed at the encouragement and flashed Hibiki a small smile. Miyu smiled softly. “Hanayo-chan has a wild side so she’ll definitely show everyone.” “Yeah, you got this Hanayo!” Chrom, who was standing to the right of Miyu exclaimed, pumping his fist into the air. “They’ve got nothing on you.” Hanay blushed, looking between Chrom, Raven, Akari, Itsuki and Izetta. “Thanks, Chrom-kun. But you’ve never seen me perform.” “We’ve seen your videos on youtube.” Izetta pointed out with a smirk, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “You already have a lot of fans, you know.” “Including us.” Akari chimed in, pointing between the small group. “Right, Raven?” “I-I can’t perform with all of you watching, I’ll mess it up!” Hanayo exclaimed, covering her face with her hands. Chrom grimaced. “Miyu, you should chill your girlfriend out…?” Miyu sighed and took Hanayo’s hands, drawing them away from her face. “I told you not to make her feel nervous. You’ll be fine, Hanayo-chan. I promise. Just forget about them.” “Hey…” Itsuki grumbled, pouting. Miyu rolled her eyes and turned back to Hanayo. “You can do this. Just focus on me.” Hanayo nodded shyly before kissing Miyu’s lips. Akari quickly whipped out her phone to take a picture while Raven and Chrom grimaced and looked away. Izetta whooped loudly. “Oh, looks like they’re done.” Umi said as she noticed the group coming back from the stage. She squeezed Nico’s hand, having been holding it out of sight. Tsubasa signalled for the seconds years to follow her as she left stage with her group. They did so, leaving the others behind and walked to the other side of the spacious room with the group. Anju and Erena were a step or so behind, walking while talking. Tsubasa stopped and turned around. “Kousaka Honoka, right?” She asked, looking at Honoka. “And you two must be Minami Kotori and Sonoda Umi. I saw your first live performance online. Well me and Erena.” “Oh so these are the three you were talking about?” The auburn haired of the group asked brightly. “It’s a pleasure to meet you all.” She stopped next to Tsubasa and turned to meet everyone. “My name is Yuki Anju. It’s nice to…” Honoka noticed that the girl’s eyes were the same color as Maki’s. Kotori noticed it too, tilting her head thoughtfully. “Hmm…” “Anju?” Tsubasa asked, noticing that Anju seemed to have frozen. “What’s wrong?” “I-I don’t know.” Anju stuttered. “But my eyes are hurting. Everything is too bright.” “Oh my god, you met your soulmate.” Tsubasa said, breaking into a smile. Umi realized with a sinking feeling that the world wasn’t dull colored anymore. Instead it was bright. Too bright and she wasn’t anywhere near Nico. “No way…” “Umi-chan…?” Honoka looked to Umi, her eyes wide. “Erena!” Tsubasa gripped Erena’s arm. “Can you believe it? They’re star crossed soulmates!” Umi swallowed thickly at the comment, her eyes briefly averting to Nico. “Um…” Anju smiled, somewhat shyly. “It’s nice to meet you...Sonoda-san.” “It’s nice to meet you too…” Umi looked at the violet eyed girl. “You have beautiful eyes.” Honoka and Kotori shared a look, surprised by Umi blurting that out. “Come on, Anju, ask her out!” Tsubasa exclaimed loudly. “Where is that princess manner of yours?” Erena sighed loudly. “Tsubasa, you’re embarrassing her.” “No fun, Erena! Do something princess like! Kiss her hand!” “I-I’m terribly sorry, she’s usually calm.” Anju said, blushing brightly. “L-Let’s just start off as um...friends.” Anju lifted her hand and Umi hesitated for a moment before shaking it. “Maybe we could talk after the performance?” Anju asked, not letting go of Umi’s hand. “S-Sure…” “Ooooh, coffee date!” Tsubasa announced excitedly. “TSUBASA!” Erena berated. “If you don’t behave…” “Or what, Erena? You’re gonna spank me?” Honoka’s eyes widened in surprise while Umi spluttered. Anju let go of Umi’s hand and looked down. “I go through this all of the time. Please ignore her.” Kotori bit her lip. “It’s kind of hard to.” “You have no idea.” Anju muttered, her gaze shifting back to Umi. Umi noticed Anju blushing and took comfort in the idea that someone else felt the same way when it came to shamelessness. “Would you like me to take you away from that?” “Would you?” Anju asked in shock and awe. “I don’t mind. I can understand.” Umi said hesitantly. She nodded a short distance away and the two walked there together, leaving the others to talk. “So, Yuki-san…” “Anju. Just call me Anju.” Anju corrected. “Right...Anju.” Umi looked toward Muse and noticed Nico watching her. She quickly looked away. “Y-You can call me Umi too. If you want. Um...how did you even end up being friends with Kira-san?” “Oh, that’s a long story. Even with her shameless behavior and flirtatious ways.” Umi sighed. “That reminds me of Honoka…” Anju raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “Kousaka-san is shameless?” “You have no idea…” “Ooh, do tell!” “Is everything okay, Umi?” Umi looked up to see Nico walking slowly toward her, a concerned look on her face. She couldn’t meet Nico’s eyes for too long, quickly looking away. “I’m fine. I was just...talking about the performance. And comparing Honoka to Anju’s friend, Kira-san.” “Anju?” Nico asked, tilting her head. It was strange for Umi to address someone she had just met so informally. “Do you two know each other…?” “W-We just met!” Anju blurted out. “Even if Tsubasa must insist on telling me to...how do I say it? Um..tap that.” “WHAT?!” Nico exclaimed loudly. “I-I’m not saying I will.” Anju said hurriedly. “Not that I wouldn’t want to. Just because we’re soulmates doesn’t mean we have to do that kind of stuff right away…” Umi froze, biting the inside of her cheek. Nico’s jaw dropped, her stomach sinking. She felt like she’d been punched, hard. She looked between the two, her mouth opening and closing for a moment. “Umi? Is...is that true? Can you see color?” Umi nodded, her throat closing up. “More...permanently. Everything is brighter and...yes. I can see color.” “But…But I…” Nico felt herself choke on her words. She could barely catch her breath. Feeling her eyes mist, she turned on her heel and sprinted away, crashing through the doors leading to the exit. “What was that about?” Anju asked, noticing Umi’s lowered head. “Are you okay?” “Yeah.” Umi forced out despite the tears prickling at her eyes. She wanted to go after Nico but she knew her company wouldn’t be welcome. She wasn’t sure if the anguish she felt was hers or Nico’s. “Sorry, I-I have to get ready for the performance. We’ll talk later, Anju.” Anju nodded and watched as Umi walked back to her group. “But there’s a break…?” TBC.

[superfreakerz]

It’s Just Research 1

“It’s Just Research”

Rated M for smut

Summary: AU. After having her smut-filled story criticized for being amateurish, Lucy decides once and for all it’s time to gain some experience in the world of sex. Her best friend, Natsu, agrees to help her with her research. Together, the two explore each other’s bodies, all the while denying their feelings for each other and insisting that they are just doing research. 

Chapter 1

Research

Lucy buried her head in her arms. Every low whistle or soft hum made her want to crawl into a hole and live a solitary life, one away from her friends' nosy vices. All she wanted was a normal girls' night. They could watch romcoms and eat pizza, talk about boys, and then pass out. Unfortunately, her friends had other plans.

Lucy had went to use the bathroom. When she came back, she found the other girls huddled at the dining table, all of them staring at a stack of papers. Their eyes were wide, their faces rosy. And with just a few more seconds of speculating what it was that caught their attention, Lucy figured it out.

It was a new story she had been working on, one that she had planned on taking to her grave. In order to broaden her writing horizons, she was challenging herself with more… mature content.

It had to have been Erza. There was no way Levy or Juvia would go snooping through her stuff. Well, okay maybe. But chances were it was the red-headed demon at fault.

"Wow, Lu-chan…" Levy started. The pink hue in her cheeks hadn't relented even slightly. "This is…"

"Don't say anything!" Lucy cried, slapping her hands over her ears. She wasn't sure she was going to live this one down.

"It isn't too bad," Erza said, rubbing her chin in thought as she read over the last paragraph. "Well, for a virgin that is."

Lucy peeked between her fingers at her friends. Each of them were carrying a different page of her story, analyzing it. Beneath her mortification was the curiosity to know how she had done. Judging by their raised brows and slight frowns, she was beginning to suspect that she didn't do too well.

"Erza is right," Juvia chimed in. "The way you describe some of the positions aren't physically possible."

"And the descriptions used for the orgasms aren't as explosive as they should be," Erza added.

"At least your grammar is on point!" Levy exclaimed, hoping to throw some good criticism into the mix.

Lucy frowned. "Is it really that bad?"

"It just seems a bit amateurish," Erza answered. She was never one to mince words. Her words stung, but Lucy appreciated the honesty. It was the only way she would improve.

"I can't believe it's that bad. I know I'm inexperienced and all, but I figured I could at least imagine what it was like correctly."

"It isn't your fault you're inexperienced!" Levy assured. "You'll experience it eventually."

"Will I? I'm already twenty-one. All of you lost your virginities back in high school! Why am I falling behind?"

"You aren't falling behind, Lu-chan. You're just waiting for the right person! It isn't a race. Just wait for whenever you're ready."

Lucy nodded, but her thoughts hadn't changed. She had always dreamed of a knight in shining armor sweeping her off her feet since she was a little girl. Then high school came and went. Her friends had found their soulmates- though, perhaps she wouldn't call a couple of them knights in shining armor. Still, it was like they were made for each other. And she was left the only single girl in the group.

It didn't bug her too much. She knew that she was still young then. There was all the time in the world to find love. She went to college with all her friends, really focused on writing, and put romance on the backburner. Sure, she had been on a few dates every now and then, but the boys were far from knightly. They were more like hungry beasts, staring at her like she was a piece of meat.

College was supposed to be where she found love, but now she was going to graduate soon and she hadn't even felt a single spark of romance.

Lucy climbed under the covers, staring up at the ceiling. She was tired of waiting for a knight to come along just so that she could lose her virginity. Hell, Cana didn't, and she was one of the happiest people Lucy had ever met.

If her lack of experience was bringing down her writing, then she was going to do some firsthand research.

Lucy heaved a sigh as she unlocked her front door. After a day of grilling exams, the girl was glad to have some down time. Swinging open the door, a vein immediately ticked in her forehead as she found a familiar head of pink at the couch.

"Natsu, what are you doing here?" Lucy asked, dropping her bag to the floor and plopping beside the boy on the couch. This wasn't the first time he had broken into her apartment, and it certainly wouldn't be the last.

Lucy had met Natsu and the rest of their group in high school. She was the new girl after finally getting her father's permission to go to a public school. It was rough at first. Most people didn't take the time out of their day to greet her, and the ones who did were all perverted boys whose eyes were locked to her chest.

All except for Natsu.

When he saw her sitting alone for lunch, he sat right beside her with a cheery grin and started talking to her as if he'd known her his whole life. She was taken aback at first, but it was impossible not to melt right into the conversation. Soon enough, the rest of the gang sat with them and they all had been close friends ever since.

Natsu was not only her first friend, he was her best friend.

"Yo, Luce!" the boy greeted with a toothy grin. "Took ya long enough."

"You know I have to walk home."

Natsu shrugged. "You usually walk faster."

Lucy averted her gaze, her cheeks burning red. She did take longer to walk home that day because she was walking home with a classmate, Hibiki. They talked every day in class, he was good looking, and he was more than experienced. She figured he would be the perfect partner in her research.

So, she asked him to walk with her, which he so enthusiastically accepted. The more time they spent together walking home, the more Lucy realized that he wasn't the right one. She wasn't sure what she based that decision off of, but she felt it in her gut.

"Maybe I should just do it with a stranger," she thought. At least that way she wouldn't have to deal with the embarrassment of seeing the guy again.

"Lucy? Hello? You there?" Natsu asked, waving a hand in front of her face, causing her to jump.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry."

"You okay, Lucy?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

Natsu studied her, giving her all his attention. His onyx eyes bore into hers. She tried to act nonchalant, but she knew that within the few short seconds of him analyzing her, he figured out that something was on her mind. He was always able to read her like an open book.

"No you aren't. What's wrong?" Natsu asked, his face serious. He was usually carefree, but there was another side of him he reserved specifically for her. A side that, if she was being honest with herself, made her feel special.

Lucy sighed. She was not about to talk about her romantic life with Natsu. Doing that felt… strange. "I just had a bad day," she said, leaving out the key details. Standing up so she could avoid his piercing gaze, she went to the cupboard and grabbed two cups and a bottle of vodka. She wasn't much of a drinker, but thanks to Cana, her apartment always had at least one emergency bottle of booze.

Natsu stood from the couch, his brows shooting up towards his hairline. "That bad?"

"Alright, more like a couple of bad days."

"I'll get the orange juice."

After grabbing everything they needed, they returned to the couch. Natsu took to making the drinks. He filled one cup with solely vodka. The other, he put just a sliver of booze and filled the rest with orange juice. Not only did Lucy not like the taste of alcohol, but she was also a lightweight. He wouldn't be surprised if that tiny sliver alone got her tipsy.

Lucy thanked Natsu for the drink before downing it in one go. She was glad he knew her go-to drink, just as he knew her go-to ice cream and pizza and… Well, he knew everything there was to know about her.

As Natsu poured her another drink, Lucy peeked at him in the corner of her eye. His pink bangs were flat against his head. His strange coat- the one she always teased him for- was left open as always, revealing a perfectly chiseled torso.

Either the small sips of alcohol were already having their way with her, or she had just gone insane because there was no way in hell she was looking at Natsu that way. He was her best friend! That was all, despite what everyone else thought. Things were perfect the way they were, she wasn't going to go jeopardizing that over some silly research.

Or at least that's what she thought when she was only two shots in. Being given a few more drinks, the line between them began to blur.

Gnawing on her lower lip, Lucy watched him pour another drink. She'd never noticed it before, but even his hand was sexy. How could a hand be sexy? Lucy had no clue, but it was.

"So, wanna tell me why you're upset now?" Natsu asked, handing her the drink.

Lucy's fingertips burned as they brushed against Natsu's. She shook her head frantically. There was no way in hell she was going to tell him now that the damn alcohol was making her crazy.

"C'mon, Luce!" Natsu whined. "We tell each other everything!"

"Well this one's a bit more personal this time. It's girl stuff."

"Girl stuff? Your period doesn't start for another week."

Lucy slapped him upside the head. "Stop remembering when my period starts, pervert!"

"Oi! That doesn't make me a pervert!" Natsu replied. Rubbing his head with a pout, he continued, "If it's not that, then what is it?"

"I'm not telling you."

"Why not!?"

"Because!"

"Because why?"

"Because it's embarrassing and you wouldn't understand!"

Natsu cocked his head to the side. "Wouldn't understand? Just tell me what it is, Luce. I promise I won't make any jokes."

Lucy's face was set ablaze from the look he was giving her, and she knew it wasn't just from the alcohol.

"O-Okay," she said, taking a deep breath. "But you have to promise not to laugh or judge me!"

"'Course I won't do that, weirdo."

Lucy tried maintaining eye contact, but that only lasted a few seconds as she felt too vulnerable and embarrassed. Playing with the hem of her shirt, she tried to gather the courage to speak. Grabbing her shot glass, she poured herself some liquid courage and downed it all, this time without any orange juice.

"I'm trying to have sex," she said, her gaze pointed at the table. Even though she couldn't see Natsu's face, she could just feel the stunned expression he was giving her. "Erza and the others found a mature story I wrote and criticized the way that I wrote a sex scene because it was too amateurish. So I want to have sex so I can finally have some experience. That's why I was late today. I was trying to see if someone in my class would be a good fit. He wasn't. Now I think I'm going to try with some stranger to just get it over with. And before you start judging me, I know what you're going to say. That I should wait or whatever. But I don't want to wait anymore. I want to do it. F-For my writing, of course."

Moments passed by, neither of them saying a word. Natsu's jaw hung on its hinges, his mind still processing what she said.

After a few more minutes of silence he managed to choke out a simple, "Oh."

"I knew you wouldn't understand!"

"Sorry, I don't," Natsu said with a shrug. "I don't see why you would go to a stranger for it."

Lucy glanced at him. "You're not weirded out by the other parts?"

"I've known you since high school. I've gotten used to how weird you are, Lucy. Which is why I also know that you shouldn't go to some stranger for that stuff. You've always talked about how important that stuff is to you."

Lucy swallowed thickly as she stared up at him. He was right. He did know her. Better than most. He knew her favorite drink, her favorite ice cream, he knew everything there was to know about her.

"W-What about you?"

Natsu's eyes turned the size of golf-balls as he stared at her. She refused to meet his gaze as she squirmed in her seat.

"W-Wait, what?" he asked. He must not have heard her right. There was no way in hell she was asking him to take her virginity. But alas…

"What about you?" Lucy repeated, forcing herself to meet his gaze. "You said that I shouldn't do it with some stranger because it's too important to me. And you're right. You aren't just some stranger. You are my best friend. You know me better than anyone. I want it to be you."

"All this for your writing?"

Lucy nodded, steeling her resolve. Though in truth, it was mainly for herself. She was tired of being inexperienced. Tired of not understanding what the other girls talked about on girls' night. She just wanted to get it over with already. The fact that it would help her with her writing was just an added bonus.

"You don't have to if you don't want to."

Natsu didn't know what to say. Of course he wanted to. Unbeknownst to his smart-but-dense best friend, he'd wanted to for a long time. He'd even dreamt of it. But he wasn't sure he could do it in these circumstances.

"I-I think you've had too much to drink," he said, moving the vodka away from her.

Lucy shook her head. "I'm sober enough to know what I'm saying."

"L-Lucy, I don't wanna mess anything up between us. You're my best friend too."

Lucy shook her head again. She just couldn't accept that answer. It was either he wanted to or he didn't. And if he didn't, she would accept his answer without protest.

Something burned within Lucy. Never before had she felt so ready to give herself to another person. She wanted it bad.

"Can I try something?" she whispered, leaning closer to him.

Natsu swallowed thickly. Lucy's face was just inches from his. She peeked up at him with her beautiful brown orbs, her golden hair was slightly messy from the long day, and her lips were pink and plump.

"O-Okay," he answered, the word fumbling out of his mouth before he could think it over.

Lucy nodded gratefully before leaning towards him. Their breaths fanned each other's faces, their hearts pounding erratically in their chests. Their lips brushed against each other before they both delved deep into their desires and gave themselves to each other. Their lips washed against each other like waves, quickly finding a perfect rhythm.

Natsu's lips were hot against hers. Having known him for a while, she knew that he had never kissed anyone before- which was surprising seeing as how naturally it came to him. One of his hands rested on her cheek while the other cupped the back of her head, pulling her deeper into the kiss.

Pulling away only for air, Lucy pressed her forehead against Natsu's. Both of them were breathless, staring into each other's hooded eyes. Lust pooled in both of their eyes, making it clear how badly they both wanted it.

"You promise it won't ruin anything between us?" Natsu whispered. "Because I can't lose you. You're my best friend."

Lucy nodded. "I would never let it ruin our friendship."

"And you're sure you aren't just drunk?"

"Positive."

Natsu nodded. His cheeks matched his hair, and Lucy wasn't sure if it was from the situation or the alcohol.

"Okay," he said, the husky tenure of his voice bringing a shiver to Lucy's body. "I'm in."

Part of Lucy wanted to thank him, but with her fervent haste, there just wasn't any time for that. Crashing her lips against his, Lucy melted into him and the kiss. She trailed her fingers up to his biceps, squeezing the tight muscles. A shiver washed over her as Natsu's hands began their own exploration as well, starting from her shoulders and slowly moving to her hips.

Wanting to be even closer, Lucy positioned herself on his lap. Feeling something hard beneath her, she instinctively rolled her hips against it.

Natsu's jaw clenched as pleasure shot through him from the single movement. Taking a deep breath, he tightened his hold on Lucy's hips.

Lucy slowly grazed her fingertips over Natsu's abs, mentally thanking the heavens for his strange habit of not wearing a shirt under his coat. His abs were so perfectly chiseled, she could feel the indentations of each one. As her fingers moved lower and lower, a ball of anticipation formed in the pit of her stomach. The area between her thighs ached as her fingers brushed against the hem of his joggers.

Natsu pulled away from Lucy's lips only to sink his own over her neck. A soft mewl escaped the girl's lips, causing a wave of excitement to wash over him. He didn't really know what he was doing. He was only doing what he'd heard about or seen in the movies. Luckily, it seemed he was doing it right judging by the quiet noises she made and the way she arched her body against his.

Lucy's eyes rolled in the back of her head as Natsu's lips worked wonders over her neck. Her hands trembled with pleasure as she slid them underneath his coat before taking it off of him. Through half-lidded eyes, she gazed at his shirtless form, her tongue sliding over her lips.

"Like what you see?" Natsu joked.

Lucy rolled her eyes. She should've known that even in a moment as intimate as this one, he would still tease her. She wouldn't have had it any other way.

"I see you shirtless nearly every day," she replied, taking a moment to catch her breath.

"Yeah, but you've never looked at me like that."

He was right. She never looked at him that way before, only seeing him as her best friend. Now, she wished she could go back in time and really appreciate the view.

"There's a lot of things I haven't done before. That's the point of this, isn't it?" Lucy asked, her lips curling into a grin.

Her eyes widened as she felt something twitch below her.

"M-My bad," Natsu said, giving her a sheepish grin. He couldn't help it. The way she looked at him and confidently spoke all the while sitting on his lap made it harder to rein in his body's urges.

"You don't have to apologize."

Not wanting to lose any momentum, Lucy gripped the hem of her shirt. Her nerves were starting to return, embarrassed about stripping in front of Natsu. But she knew what she wanted and she wasn't going to let her embarrassment stop her from getting it.

Throwing caution to the wind, she tore her shirt off, leaving her clad in a pink, lacy bra.

Natsu swallowed thickly. He'd seen Lucy in a bra before. Hell, he'd even seen her naked before thanks to his lack of boundaries. But never before had he seen Lucy's breasts practically spilling out of her bra right in front of his face.

Acting on his desire, he reached out and grabbed one of her breasts. As Lucy squirmed in his lap and grinded over him, he found the urge to touch her irresistible. Sliding his hand beneath her bra, he grazed his fingertips against her hardened nipple. A soft moan slipped past Lucy's lips as she arched against him.

Natsu's hands snaked around Lucy so that he could unhook her bra. It took him a few seconds to get it, but when he did, he wasted no time in tearing it off. Gazing at Lucy's bare breasts, he swallowed thickly. He always knew they were big, but seeing them this close up was a game changer.

Lucy studied Natsu's features, waiting for him to say something. When he didn't, she started to worry. Did she not look good? Gnawing on her lower lip, she crossed her arms over her chest, shielding herself from him.

In the blink of an eye, her arms were pinned at her sides.

"N-Natsu?" she asked.

"Don't hide yourself," he replied, his gaze serious. She could see the hunger that swirled in his onyx orbs. Hunger for her.

"Okay."

"You're hot as fuck, and I'm gonna try to prove that to you."

Without giving her time to reply, Natsu closed his lips around one of Lucy's nipples, eliciting a loud moan from the girl as she leaned into it. His mouth was hot against her flesh, sucking and licking the sensitive nub.

Lucy's hands fisted his hair, tugging on it. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to quiet the sounds that were coming out of her. But with every lick brought another moan that she couldn't control. She rolled her hips against him, trying to put out the fire between her legs but it wasn't enough. The knot in the pit of her stomach grew with each second.

"N-Natsu," she breathed out.

He pulled away to meet her gaze. She was gnawing on her lower lip as she stared back at him, lust shining in her brown orbs. He nodded, not needing to hear what she wanted. He already knew, and he wanted it just as badly.

Grabbing her below her thighs, Natsu carried her into the bedroom, placing her on the bed. Shimmying out of his pants, he watched as Lucy did the same, his cock throbbing in excitement. His gaze immediately fell on her pink underwear, his tongue darting out to lick his lips.

"You know, we're gonna need to take those off to continue," Natsu said, his voice husky and low.

Lucy squirmed under his gaze. "I know. I'm just a little embarrassed. You know, it might help if you take yours off too..."

Natsu didn't need to think twice, quickly tearing off his boxers. His cock sprang free, capturing the girl's attention. He was never one to be embarrassed.

Lucy stared at his cock, eyeing its length. Admittedly, she didn't know what was considered big, but she had a strong feeling he was. She'd seen glimpses of it before, but she never got the chance to stare at it like this.

"Your turn," Natsu reminded her.

Lucy swallowed thickly, nodding before she hooked her thumbs on the hem of her underwear before pulling them off. Her face burned bright red under his attentive gaze. She could see his eyes glazing over every inch of her body.

"W-Wow, Luce," Natsu breathed out. She could tell by the twitch of his cock that her body got him aroused.

"W-Well? Are we going to do this thing?" Lucy asked, trying to mask her nerves with feigned confidence. Being naked in front of Natsu was a little embarrassing, but it didn't take away her excitement for what was to come.

"You don't wanna back out now?" Natsu asked. He wanted Lucy to be one hundred percent sure before they continued.

She shook her head. "Not at all. I'm ready."

With that, they were done talking. Natsu slid his hand into hers, guiding her towards the bed. Gently laying her down, he positioned himself between her legs. His eyes glazed over Lucy, admiring the way her golden hair was splayed below her, the flush of her cheeks, and the warmth of her eyes. He was always able to read her through her chocolate brown eyes. They were mixed with excitement and nervousness, the same way he was feeling.

He leaned forward and melted his lips with hers, hoping to drive away her nerves. When he felt her relax against him, he slowly lowered his hips, guiding himself to her. His shaft slid against her folds, eliciting a sharp breath from Lucy.

"Does it hurt?" Natsu asked, about to withdraw.

"Not at all. I just wasn't expecting it to be so warm. It feels good," Lucy answered. "I'm ready, Natsu."

Nodding, the boy continued. Making sure to keep her stimulated, he ran kisses along her collarbone while slowly pushing forward. As he grazed her entrance, he lowered his lips onto her breasts again, working his tongue over the hardened nubs. He made sure to go slowly, knowing that he could hurt her if he went to fast.

Lucy's eyes squeezed shut as she could feel Natsu slowly sinking into her. She'd heard war stories of girls' first times and how much it hurt, but in her case, it wasn't so bad. As he pushed deeper, there was a slight pinch of pain, but it was over before she knew it. Releasing a shaky breath, she allowed herself to relax as the fun part began.

Natsu's hands tightened on Lucy's shoulders. Her body was hot, and he understood what Lucy had meant earlier about the heat feeling good. Slowly pulling out, he gnawed on his lower lip to keep from moaning as she tightened around him, clinging and tugging onto his shaft. As he began to push forward again, Lucy's hands splayed onto his back, pulling him closer to her.

His cock throbbed with each steady thrust, and he could tell that with each passing second, Lucy was relaxing more and more. Wanting to make her first time memorable, he began to experiment to see what pleased her.

He started to go faster, all the while trying to keep a lid on his own body's urges. As he thrusted in and out of her, he pulled his head back to look at Lucy. Her eyes were squeezed shut, her mouth parted open. He could hear her breathing start to pick up. He watched as her breasts bounced with each thrust. His cock throbbed with arousal at the sight.

Wanting to change things up, he began to move in circles inside of her. His ears perked as Lucy let out a soft moan. Hands tightening around her shoulders, he slid deeper inside of her, groaning at how tight she was around him.

Lucy raked her fingers along Natsu's back, her eyes rolling back in her head. With each roll of his hips, he went deeper and deeper inside of her. Every inch of her was being explored as he moved in circles, stretching her walls. Wanting more, she wrapped her legs around his torso and brought him deeper inside of her. A breathy moan slipped past her lips before she clamped her teeth over them to try to keep quiet.

But with each thrust, pleasure pulsed within her, making it impossible to refrain from moaning. The pleasure began to build up, her toes beginning to curl. Fisting the bedsheets, she arched her body against Natsu, pushing her breast harder against his mouth. As his tongue ran over her nipple and his cock pounded into her, a wave of pleasure washed over her, her body trembling. His name slipped past her lips, crying it out as he continued to explore her body even after her orgasm. Her body felt like electricity was coursing through her veins. It felt like she was having an out-of-body experience.

Natsu gnawed on his lower lip, watching as Lucy quivered beneath him. Sweat dotted her face and her mouth was still open from screaming his name. He replayed that moment over and over again in his head, savoring the moment. Picking up the pace, he felt all his nerves from before disappear. He went harder and harder, groaning each time. And finally, the dam broke.

His knees locked as pleasure shot through his body. His breaths were ragged, his hair was plastered to his face, and his body shook as much as Lucy's. He rode out his orgasm, chasing the feeling until he no longer could.

Pulling out, he collapsed onto the bed beside Lucy. The two of them were panting messes, their legs tangled under the sheets.

"Well? How was your research?" Natsu asked once he regained control of his breathing.

Lucy, having forgotten the reasoning behind their sexual endeavours, replied, "Oh, right. It was amazing, actually. I kinda understand some of what the other girls were talking about now."

"Really? Does that mean it was good?"

"Better than good," Lucy answered, turning her head to give him a smile. "What about you? I hope you benefited from this too."

Natsu chuckled. "Benefited? Yeah, I guess you could say that."

Lucy blushed. "G-Good."

The two laid there in silence. The alcohol had long since worn off, and now that they weren't doing any research, Lucy struggled coming up with things to say- which never happened when she was around Natsu.

"S-So, uhh…" she started, begging her mind to come up with something.

Natsu seemed to be having the same issue as he replied, "So…"

Minutes passed by, neither of them saying a word.

"W-Well, I should go shower now," Lucy said. She felt bad about kicking him out, but now that the lust in the air was replaced with tension thick enough to cut with a knife, she felt she needed to escape the situation.

"Right, I should too," Natsu replied. As he stood up from the bed, he noticed Lucy wrapping herself with the blanket in the corner of his eye, hiding his body from her. He had to admit, it stung a little after what they had just done. Quickly throwing on his clothes, he plastered a smile to his face and waved to Lucy. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, tomorrow," Lucy replied, watching Natsu leave. Once he was gone, she sighed in relief. She didn't know what was wrong with her. She was the one who asked him to do it, not to mention it felt amazing, so why did she feel so strange about it now?

Heading to the bathroom, she turned on the shower, allowing the water to run over her body. As she stood there drowning in her thoughts, all she could hope for was that her friendship with Natsu remained intact.

[edennohebi]

                                          「 BAD ✘ END 」

ATTEND TO YOUR SINS KANO “HIBIKI” SHUUYA &.  LET US MARCH TOWARDS THE 3RD TRAGEDY !

CONTENT WARNING:

Death

Paranoia

General mental instability

Gore

Knives

Dismemberment

Death of a minor

What a twist this had been. 

Kano had always been deemed that of the boy who had cried wolf, for every word that had spilled from his lips held even a dash of deceit, no matter how much he had cried out that it was the truth. People had regarded lies in a rather funny way -- for many hated those who withheld the truth with every fiber of their being. Their disgust towards them was scorching, an ever-burning flame that seized the skin, tore past the confines of the body and scarred the heart -- but did liars not do the same onto them, one would argue? Had the cheats and the cons not led people astray, into decisions that they would not have made without the sway and pull of carefully placed words? But had morality truly mattered in a case such as this? It was a matter of life or death -- kill or be killed. No one had wanted to die -- not most people within the proper mindset, anyhow. Human beings were cruel, treacherous things who would stop at no means for their survival -- for they, just like the snakes in this world, had been utter animals.

So who else had fit the bill better than the unfortunate soul who had been cursed with the snake of deception itself? 

It was funny -- or perhaps, funny to the point where nothing had been humorous at all. For this time, the Deceiver -- as he had been so uncomfortably branded -- had not lied. Falsehood failed to lace itself into his sentences, where it had once been interwoven like that of fate’s strings themselves -- instead, he had spat truth after truth. But despite his efforts, those in the courtroom had failed to be convinced: they regarded him warily, with accusations against his alibi and against what he knew had went on, as if he had been speaking utter nonsense in an entirely different language. Every defense of his had been shot down, scoffed at, and he had been sentenced to the curse of the scapegoat. It was a horrid one, really: for the scapegoat must endure, endure, endure.

And so he had. But who was to say that the scapegoat endured willingly? Who was to say that Shuuya Kano was one to simply lie there and take whatever onslaught had been done onto him without even a tremor in his composure? One who had grown up from an environment that had branded him with bruises and reasons for his mind to shatter and believe that the world’s heaviest of weighted burdens had been his fault surely hadn’t any reason to take it lightly. Much less at all to begin with, with the way that his expression, usually so perfectly contorted to match his face, brimming with joviality and mischief, melted into something far more foul. Golden brows knit together, and a crease etches itself into his forehead as his chest tightens: hands wrap around his heart and squeeze, dig their fingers into the ever-beating organ so that it picks up its pace and causes the body to react.

His chest burns, he realizes. It’s an uncomfortable warmth that floods through his ribs, one that has his lungs feeling trapped in its cage -- a term that feels disgustingly appropriate for once. Heat flashes across various parts of his body, flooding in his face and tingling in his fingertips as his hands ball up tightly. Blunted nails dare to dig into the sensitive, frail skin of his palms as the muscles in his jaws twist and tighten, and his heartbeat races against his chest and blares in his ears, which have too become warm with the swell of anger. His vocal chords twitch and fluctuate as he attempts to speak -- noises barely crackle out, and are lost between ragged breaths as his teeth grind and grit in irritation.

Is it anger, or is it the hurt of being so falsely accused? Is it pain from his childhood, or is simply feeling as if he, for once, has been wronged?

Shuuya finds himself unsure, for his mind is racing too much to think properly. In a split second, he sees double, and his vision blurs with the overwhelming amounts of rage that begins to pump through his veins. There remains the desire to argue: to bark against the accusations against him and prove himself innocent. But time is far from on his side, isn’t it? The clocks hands, despite this world being never-ending and time only flowing by the snake’s apparent will for it to, had moved past whatever final minutes would have secured his freedom. All the ballots had been cast, and his name was as good off as written in blood itself, and he had been sent to march to his death as if it were a fate he was willing to accept. 

But what more could one do when the metaphorical noose had been wrung around his neck, and he had been due for a hanging?

In the moment, his brain had been on the fritz -- if he were made of metal and not human, one would best describe it as malfunctioning, wires sparking and gears grating against one another. His eyes are widened, pupils trembling as his mind completely blanks for some kind of solution -- there remains nothing of possibility that he could muster. For that, his stomach drops to the lowest part of himself -- so much that he swears it would fall to the floor, if it were nothing more than a revolting metaphor for a feeling that felt just as terrible. He wonders, if he were Kousuke -- the same Kousuke he had accused over and over of being the murderer for far too many trials now -- would he weep? Would his eyes burn with tears, and leave them spilling over his heated face? Would he sob and cry out that he was innocent? 

What a taste of karma this had been -- was this how Seto may have felt? Karma, understandably, tasted bitter. Bitter as the cold, bitter as night, bitter as the lies upon his tongue and the “adulthood” that Deceiving Eyes had whispered in the back of his mind so long ago.

If he had been still possessed by the snake, he surely would have heard his whispers amount the flash flood of thoughts that had been filling his head. It was as if there had been a hole cracked into his mind, and endless subjects and emotions were leaking through, leaving it brimming with the dark waters of anxiety that sloshed around. But amidst the bubbling waters was a voice -- one that was far too familiar to even be that of a snake’s. It was feminine, not quite saccharine but for all the softness and faux comfort it held, it sought to persuade, to tempt. It was not that of his friends, or his siblings -- but that of family, of his birth mother who had left pieces of herself etched into his mind for all the following years to come.

Her whispers had proposed an idea -- one that, in a moment like this where he failed to think straight, had seemed like the only proper response. Genius, even -- a golden opportunity, what his blackened heart desired.

A final show before he goes out. Or was it an act of vengeance?

Neither mattered, not in the moment. It certainly hadn’t mattered when his eyes darted to the knife long disposed of on the floor, still fresh with Roxas’ blood. It hadn’t been his -- not like the so-called prosecutors claimed it was -- but he would be the last to wield it, in any case. Despite his short stature, Kano excelled in being agile -- quick to sprint in the direction of the knife, he leans his body down closer to the ground to swipe the blade up off of the stone flooring. Blood flicks with the sudden sweeping motion and splatters against his fingers and his cheek, his grip on the weapon knuckle-whiteningly tight. The tension releases from his forehead, and where a furrow had once held residence, his brows instead upturn, a wide grin splitting across his face. Surely it had to have been deranged on some level -- but who was to say that Kano had been perfectly well? Who in this place had been, if they had been sentenced to purgatory? 

Surely no one. They were all sinners, one would say. Dirtied souls, darkened hearts, all some form of wrong. In one way or another, they had all done something the snakes had deemed sinful by their twisted philosophy -- but thinking of philosophies and moralities hadn’t mattered now, had it?

Not when he could still remember the day his mother had been stabbed, not when he could still remember the piercing feeling through his skin when he was just a young boy. 

Protests had barged through the air, but none had managed to be heard, falling upon deaf ears. Instead, all Shuuya could hear was his own heartbeat -- it was a drum’s song that fueled his maddened march. He rushes forward, footwork sloppy and his weight careless as his arm swings with the force of his charge. He hadn’t cared for a target -- anyone, anyone at all would do. So long as he had taken someone down with him, so that he hadn’t been in vain, that was what had mattered. It was to spit upon the snake’s faces: after all, who were they to decide who should live, and who should die? They had known who had committed the crime, hadn’t they? They must have, so to just let the falsely accused such as him die--- he refused to go down without something.

Something’ is what he would receive, his arm raising with the blade pointed outward to impale Komaeda in the abdomen. He had hoped for it -- for that sickening sound of flesh being torn through, of muscle being cut apart, of blood and innards wrapping around the blade. It seemed that his wish had been granted -- for he can feel the warmth of blood splash and stain his shirt as Komaeda hacks out a wet cough of crimson. He had succeeded, the knife plunged straight into his stomach. A grotesque sense of glee washes over the teen -- it’s an elation that the voice in the back of his skull eggs on, clawing and itching in the back of his mind to hold the blade just a little tighter, dig it in a little further. After all, it coos, hadn’t they hurt him? Hadn’t they killed off an innocent, like himself? This was only returning the favor -- giving them a taste of their own medicine! So it was fine, wasn’t it? Further does he twist the blade, sinking it in further and further--

Until he’s forced to stop. His body freezes up, and alarm shoots through him like electricity as he finds he cannot move his limbs: not his arms, nor his legs, and attempting to move either is as if he was fighting against chains. Only one answer could be found for this, and whatever elation came from the thrill of the kill and the sweet taste of revenge had died upon his tongue. Instead, things tasted bitter, and it washed over him like a poison, forcing its way down his throat and into his core. Kano, by no means, was an idiot. 

Black-scaled serpents wrap around his arms and legs, rooting him in place where he stands. Their skin is cold, and they emit hisses as they coil around his limbs and glare their tiny red eyes at him, tongues flicking as if they were laughing at him, in a way. In one fell swoop, his body is jerked back -- harshly, forcefully, and plummets to the ground. Once again does the knife clatter to the floor, and a harsh sting flares over his back as it makes contact with the unforgiving stone beneath, sending shock waves through his bones as he releases a cry of pain, eyes squeezed shut. It only lasts for a moment before they re-open, staring up at Clearing Eyes himself, who bores an expression of total agitation, his eyes darkened and pupils mere slivers to accompany the scowl on his face. 

That was right -- he recalled a moment before, how out of his peripherals, he spotted the Queen and Clearing exchanging irate glances. Her lips had moved to say something to her fellow serpent, but Kano hadn’t caught it -- he hadn’t cared to. But from those actions alone -- then that had meant he had angered them, right? He had taken these all-powerful ‘game masters’ and broke down their pedestals that they so loved to sit on, hadn’t he? What a feat! Taking beings so powerful and to reduce them into tantrum throwing tyrants -- he had to be proud of that, hadn’t he? It was what he wanted. They deserved to feel the anger he had, too.

So Kano laughs, and laughs, and laughs until his lungs feel sore and his vocal chords spasm. Cackles bellow out of him as he writhes against the ground, whatever high this had been giving him crashing down as his laughter turns more manic. Snickers warble and falter as his voice crackles and crumbles -- and just as he had wondered earlier, tears begin to rise at the corner of his eyes. They fall and stream down his cheeks as he makes noises that are between maddened laughter and horrified sobs -- had the boy been crying before the wolf? Was it whatever fresh trauma had decided to dig its way up from his mind coming to haunt him and emotionally rock him? Who had known -- Kano hadn’t, for his mind had been an absolute disarray.

But it knew one thing, and that was the instinctive nature to toss his hand out to try and grab the knife once more. Clearing had been mortal now, hadn’t he? What had been a greater way to raise a middle finger to their captors than to kill one of them? The Queen had been off-limits -- there was no way to harm her, understandably, but like this -- Clearing had made himself a walking target. One that Kano would have no greater pleasure seeking one final act of personal revenge against: for he had been part of the reason for his misery. So his fingers pat along the ground before they skim over the handle, and trembling digits wrap to maintain a grip. His shoulder rolls, and he tries to quickly pull his arm back -- but it ends up being no use at all. 

Noises halt completely in the midst of his throat, and his eyes shoot open as they scramble to get a look at what had gone on. A white hand held an iron grip on his arm, and black nails dug into the skin beyond the fabric as Clearing glared at him. Before even a word could leave his lips, he felt his arm suddenly twist -- and twist, twist, twist so that it had bent unnaturally. A shrill, pained shout leaves him, and something akin to ‘stop it’ flees from his tongue, but they fall upon ears even more deaf than his own. Kano attempts to struggle, but in his efforts, he only ends up in a worse position than before. Clearing’s arm pulls back, and with the use of the modifications left in this body, the bone of the body is dislocated, sending more agony traveling throughout his nerves. It hadn’t stopped there, of course -- for the sound of ripping skin and tearing muscle soon fills the air as Kano’s arm is promptly torn off of his body as if it were nothing at all, as if the human body had structured itself so that this wasn’t meant to happen normally. 

Whatever noises Kano had made previously compared not to the sharp screams and howls that left him on command as his mind could only register how much everything hurt. There was warmth to be felt: spewing from his shoulder had been a waterfall of blood, surely pooling at the snake’s feet. Nerves, disconnected and completely destroyed by the mutilation, could barely feel it -- but it had been there, and seeing it out of the corner of his eyes left him nearly ready to retch, as does the sight of his arm being tossed aside like meager trash. But he wouldn’t be given the opportunity -- not when his torso had been boxed in by Clearing’s boots, effectively trapping him in his place. The snake utters something -- something Kano had trouble making out from the ringing in his ears -- that sounded akin to a hiss of ‘shitty brat’ before his hand reaches down for him once more.

A fist balls up his shirt and lifts his body from the ground -- but only barely. Clearing’s eyes narrow as his other hand swipes up the knife, flips it in his palm so that the blade points down towards Kano, and impales it into his throat. It sinks deep past the skin and muscle and slices through the vocal chords, leaving whatever wails of suffering to become choked gasps and gargles on his own blood. A corner of Kano’s mind notices that one of his arms had been released by the snakes that had previously bound it to be motionless. Why, he doesn’t question -- playing into Clearing’s game was the most likely answer, but he hadn’t held even half of a mind to process it properly. Instead, he reaches up to claw and scrape at his throat, to pull away the knife as sputtered noises leave it, desperate for some kind of relief of all this overwhelming pain.

Relief is what he would get, but the snakes had often chided that one must be careful with what they wish for.

Fingers and hands reroute their forceful grip to the top and bottom of his mouth, bracing around his teeth. Had it been his own fault for leaving his mouth agape with screams, he wonders briefly? Whether he had or not hadn’t mattered -- instead, instinct kicked in instead, attempts made to gnash his teeth against the intruding fingers and bite down hard enough to draw blood. He had succeeded, surely, when he had tasted rust and crimson upon his tongue and felt Clearing’s hands tremble, another hiss leaving the low of his chest -- but it hadn’t halted his task in any way at all. If anything, it seemed to have fed into aggression: it bleeds into the way his nails dig and scrape against the roof of his mouth and his tongue, and he bears his fangs down at Kano in a sneer.

It clicks in Kano’s mind then of what’s going on. But it was a moment too late -- for the moment it dawns upon him, he can feel Clearing’s hands begin to pull the two halves apart. A click of his jawbone is heard in his ear, and the splitting and snapping of muscle is even louder. Blood can be felt pushing up from his throat the farther and farther his jaw and pulled, and a muffled cry akin to begging for mercy and to stop is deadened both in blood and his fingers. It’s ironic, in a way -- this was not the exact way he died coming into the Haze, no, but once more he had died at Clearing’s hands. Was he, and the others of the Dan as well, simply fated to die by the snake’s will?

He feels like somewhere, perhaps, Clearing would most certainly say so -- but all thoughts are gone from his mind with one final, sickening crack. His head is spit in two with a jerk of Clearing’s arms, the top half of his skull brutally torn from the bottom half. As further blood leaves from the body, Clearing’s grip relaxes before releasing, bringing his bloodstained hands up to his face as he stands upright. Reddened fingers press to his pale skin, and it’s in that moment, he looks like a monster -- something Kano had called himself countless times, but hadn’t been. 

What a pity that he had been granted some clarity when long dead.

THE TRAGEDY OF CHAPTER III HAS ENDED.

LET US GO BACK TO HAPPIER TIMES .

[toneofdarkness]

from here || @a-ma-zingu

My dearest Rei,

How I wish you were here. Out of us three, I am on the only one who has showed up for class today and it is dreadfully boring without your presence. I’m writing you, imploring you to come and save me from this horrible nightmare.

Shall we meet for the lunch break? You can sweep me away to your realm of darkness. Or maybe we can go explore my domain together.

-yours truly, Wataru Hibiki

Ah, so he was being missed? Rei couldn’t help but to smile fondly at the note as he read (with a magnifying glass) Wataru’s message. He could practically hear Wataru’s voice, with accompanying dramatic gestures, in his mind.

“Ah, Hibiki-kun...How lonely you must be~” Rei remarked as he rummaged through the junk stashed inside his coffin for some paper and pen...

The dove would come back to Wataru, accompanied by a stark black raven with an envelope bearing Rei’s blood-red seal held in its beak.

My treasured friend Hibiki-kun,

It pains me to hear that, with mine and Shinkai-kun’s absences, you’ve become so lonely. To you, my friend, I offer my humblest apologies; ‘twas not mine intention, but you do know how I am during the day. Even now, my head feels like stone!

For you to extend an invitation to a noble vampire such as I, who am I to refuse? I shall meet with you after class, at our classroom. Then, we can explore your domain together to our hearts’ delight.

I look forward to our meeting, dear Hibiki-kun.

Eternally yours, and the night, Sakuma Rei