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why-this-kolaveri-machi · 3 years

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we are our family, even if we don’t want to be.

Titans 3.07

a bit over halfway through the season, and we still don’t have all of our main characters on the board! i love this show.

as always, typing this up as i watch. live reaction, baby! *shadowboxes*

SPOILERS AHEAD

1. i don’t think i’ve mentioned this before, but i kinda miss the old ‘dc universe’ intro. it was cool! the whole idea of it was wild and waaaaay over-ambitious, but also very very on-brand because of it.

2. this is... the third time we’ve seen dick sleeping this season? that’s a record! checking another thing off my s3 wishlist...

2.5. i guess i rag on titans all the time for its wafer-thin plotting and bad pacing, but i have to admit that this season has been a step-up from the last one in this regard. titans has very reactive rather than proactive protagonists, and a lot of the last season seemed to be: x happened, the team reacted badly, then y happened, they reacted badly, etc. this time around, it’s not a huge leap up by any means, but at least they’re doing something about it.

i do appreciate the focus on character arcs over everything else. and when i say everything else, i mean it: arcs that started two seasons ago with no big cathartic moments, intermittent payoff and multiple relapses. big bads have ranged from interdimensional demons to superpowered assassins to whatever in the world scarecrow is, but trigon’s big weapon against the titans was to... use their worst fears against them. slade’s was to... use their fears to break them up. crane’s is to... use red hood to use their fears to break them up. even the threat of gotham’s citizens being in danger doesn’t feel real: gotham is mythologised into an entity of its own, infecting our heroes like a parasite. like. this is not to say that most other superhero media aren’t big character arcs intertwined with the main plot, but titans doesn’t even make pretend that it’s anything but.

anyway. that’s my entry #2345 to ‘give a grand unifying theory for titans’. thanks. i’ll be back with more.

3. “anger is just fear in a little black dress.” god I HATE HIM

(what’s he doing with barbara’s likeness? oh... oh god. a terrible thought just occurred to me. what if they introduce hush at the very last minute for plastic surgery shenanigans? would you put it past this show?)

3.5. jason, nooooooooo

3.75. i mean, they’re making it very clear here that scarecrow is the one in control--the one who’s always been in control--and is manipulating jason and literally poisoning him, but i hope it doesn’t end up erasing nuance or jason’s autonomy. if jason’s to reckon with the issues that brought him here, then the lines of responsibility will need to be set somewhere.

(this applies to dick as well but more on that later, i guess.)

4. just--the phrase “40% loss of income” is so funny to me. like, gotham is full of these larger-than-life characters who are idiosyncratic beyond belief, colourful and dramatic and creating chaos just for the sake of chaos, and then there’s the regular criminals and their henchmen who just want to make a quick buck sitting down with pie charts and graphs, griping about the joker reducing their returns or debating high risk investments in, i don’t know, two-face’s next scheme.

“yyyyeeeeeaaah, my financial advisor is telling me that going all-in with a guy who literally makes decisions on the flip of a coin is probably not the greatest idea.”

4.5. god i hate smug!smarmy!scarecrow so much

4.85. as big plans to “control” gotham go, it’s pretty bog-standard. clearly scarecrow has some bigger plan in mind but it really feels like we’ve got no clear insight into him and he’s this generic creepy mystery-man who knows more than he lets on and springs a twist/cliffhanger every now and then. i liked the scenes with him and dick in 3.04 where it seemed like he was genuinely on the backfoot and things weren’t going as he predicted. for all of his faults, dick is at least familiar with scarecrow’s bullshit and knows not to give what he wants.

5. i mean... i see where dick is coming from with the “he’s not jason anymore; he’s red hood” because his immediate glaring concern is scarecrow’s drug and the damage it could potentially cause gotham? i do not doubt that it’s something batman drilled into him, too, but when you’re expected to take point on a situation where the lives of an entire city weigh down on your shoulders, it’s better to simplify things and prioritise. i’m not saying it’s great or healthy! gar is absolutely right to consider this facet of the situation. it’s just dick can’t.

6. hmmmmmmm. HMMMMMMMMMMM.

i don’t know that i’m super fond of this iteration of oracle???? it looks like a cross between cerebro from x-men and jarvis from iron man. it’s giving me second-hand embarrassment. somebody help me.

(at least they remembered dick’s middle name is actually “john”. i like to think bruce printed D in that contract because for a while he genuinely thought richard “dick” grayson was his full name. duck duck goose, dick dick grayson, i don’t know alfred, the kid was in a circus, maybe they thought it was funny. or maybe it was a test in anger control, who knows.)

6.5 “maybe you two would like some time alone?” even AI can’t help hitting on dick grayson in this universe.

“oh mr grayson, if i only had another eye to see you better...”

6.8. on one hand, it’s a bit disconcerting that the title of ‘oracle’ has gone from barbara herself to this gigantic machine; from my impression of the comics-verse, barbara had an extensive computing and surveillance system, true, but she was very clearly the brains behind the operation. on the other hand, i’m kind of glad that the ethical boundaries that this kind of surveillance violates is a sticking point for barbara. (tho let’s be real, the nsa would kill to have this in their arsenal).

6.9. also it’s now obvious that scarecrow’s big plan is to take control of oracle itself. it’s why he had lady vic take that picture of her eyes, or why he’s meddling around with it on his computer.

6.95. if only i could ‘command sleep’ anybody overstepping their boundaries re: personal information...

7. “you can just sit back and watch as the titans destroy themselves.” i mean... he’s not wrong

8. “dick’s parents were killed by a criminal mob; he won’t work with them.” it’s wonderful that you have this insight into dick, kory, i just wish we could’ve watched some of these conversations actually happen on-screen.

8.5. i’m glad that kom’s being treated with such nuance and understanding, though it’s obvious that she definitely has a Plan of her own. (and did i entirely imagine her ability to mimic other people flawlessly at the end of s2? or is that going to come into play at some point?) i think her story has the potential to be genuinely poignant, and in a universe where being Different, either because of mental health or physical differences or whatever else, leads a straight line to Evil, it’s important to acknowledge and then emphasise that the mere fact of your existence as a Different Person doesn’t predispose you to evil. maybe your act of destroying a system that has destroyed you and not scrambling to “fit in” is only evil as defined by that system.

8.8. “you’re trespassing, i should call the authorities, i feel unsafe.” now this is a villain lady who’s definitely aware of her privilege.

8.85. kom smirking knowingly at her sister is everything.

“oooh that’s the kory i remember”

9. conner and dick working together woo!

9.25. god i hate a villain who’s always just a step ahead, no matter what. so crane anticipated dick using oracle to track his personal communications and set him up? how did he know when exactly dick would get to do this? how long did he have that poor man tied up in that van?

(the “save me, grayson” is a nice touch, tho. send dick spiralling even further! because if there’s one thing dick will do, it’s take responsibility for every goddamn thing that goes wrong.)

9.5. ahem. i’m going to need a million gifs of conner yeeting dick across that yard, fandom, thankyouverymuch.

(i understand conner is invulnerable to explosions, but how do his clothes survive??)

9.8. oooh crane is already in oracle! i’m just sitting here laughing helplessly because they’re overpowering this goddamned guy so much. he can build a lab in arkham’s basement! he has access to lazarus puddles! he has minions working across gotham, including a fully functional chemical laboratory staffed by chemists who only answer to him! he has the crime families of gotham quailing in his very presence! he has assassins at his beck and call! he’s enough of a manipulative bastard to have red hood under his thumb! and now he has enough of a tech know-how to not only be aware of oracle, but know how to hack into it! i’m sick of exclamation marks! i’ll shut up now!

9.95. dick leaving behind that smouldering grave for a person he failed to save without taking a second to process how he feels about it and running towards his next plan to corner scarecrow: a microcosm of where his head’s at right now.

10. really hammering in the themes of this season, aren’t we.

10.25. the interesting thing is the titans repeatedly call themselves a family this season (none more so than dick) and while that found family has helped encapsulate and put away their traumatic experiences with their ‘original’ families, it’s meant that they’ve not really dealt with those issues. and dick and gar and jason come from ‘found families’ of their own: they are twice removed, traumatised two times over. they still cling to this identity however, and because of it they’re losing each other. a family isn’t static. it’s an ever-evolving dynamic and you have to put in work constantly to keep it healthy.

10.5. anyway, that’s entry #2346. i’m here aaaalll night.

11. lookit gar the detective! half-transforming and using his powers to deduce things! what a hero! i’ve said this for a long time, but gar is the bedrock of this team, and an unsung one at that.

11.25. i’m confused about him calling this room jason’s though. it seems to me that this is dick’s room that jason later used, and one that dick’s using now. so the unmade bed isn’t really jason’s fault; dick was woken by barbara that morning, and in his hurry, he left without making his bed.

(it still confounds me that bruce didn’t find jason another bedroom in that gigantic mansion of his. you really didn’t give this kid a chance, did you?)

12. oh well. so much for the oracle.

13. ... sorry, wait. you didn’t think i wasn’t going to address the bit with dick right now, did you?

12.5. i honestly don’t think it’s very complicated: dick’s been reeling from one traumatic thing to the next, and just when it seemed like at the beginning of the season, he felt happy and secure with his team and his place in the world, bruce ups and leaves gotham to him, specifically naming him a successor and calling him a ‘better batman’. he’s lost garth and jericho and donna and jason and now hank and dawn. he’s not even sure where rachel is or what she’s doing. after being told that batman was a psychopath for moulding him into a weapon, he’s also been told that his failure to be a ‘better batman’ lead to further disaster. of course he’s going to get batman-goggles. of course he’s going to be a prick.

12.8. i don’t know what to say. i feel his frustration acutely. i don’t think he should’ve said what he said to barbara (can people stop pushing her around this season????) but that pressure to step in where your parent fails? to clean up their messes and try to think like them? to fall into habits drilled into you when you developed them as coping mechanisms growing up? I FEEL THAT.

every step he’s taking he’s putting 110% of himself in it and scarecrow’s still playing mindgames with all of them: i absolutely feel his desperation to take control of that game and turn it on scarecrow, no matter what it takes.

and he did apologise almost immediately, and finally--finally--actually works with barbara.

12.9. again, not excusing him! but i get it. and i think that’s a sign of great character writing.

“did you know i just reminded emmram of all of her daddy issues? what the fuck????”

12.95. i love that dick&barbara, kory&kom, and gar are all approaching solving this mystery from different angles, each as valid as the other. also, conner is there as... emergency bomb defuser man?

13. it’s like all fancy rich people in fancy rich houses do is pour fancy rich alcohol into fancy rich glasses on pristine, untouched tabletops. i wonder what it’s like to live like that.

13.25. I KNEW IT! poor michael. it was nice knowing you.

13.5. man, kory is contending with a lot of issues that she’s successfully bottled up and compartmentalised until now. the cold reality that a child can seek out their parents as refuge and they can view the child as a piece to be moved in a greater game (never out of cruelty, though, never, and somehow that makes it worse), that truth of blackfire’s treatment on tamaran because she’s different, and her own culpability in what happened. she exchanged one family for another, after all, and left that family to die and her sister to suffer. like dick, like gar, kory’s being forced to reckon with what the titans are meant to be, the larger implications of creating their found family in their own space.

14. it’s probably because it’s one in the morning and i’ve had two glasses of wine but i did not follow that bit of exposition at all and victor freeze??? what?

anyway. look at them solving things! together! go team!

“you made a deal with the mob?” oh the sense of betrayal on his face! fuck off, dick, your issues aren’t kory’s.

15. conner is really sweet and a bit of an awestruck crush on kom is to be expected. especially after that power rangers-esque transformation (i say this as a former huge power rangers fangirl. i’ve seen every series until 2007 including the original japanese versions and written fanfic for all of them. so i love a cool costume transformation, is what i’m saying.)

also?

FUCK YEAH

16. i love the gotham crime families just chillin’ around eating ice cream. I LOVE THEM

16.5. that was a fun fight sequence, if marred slightly by that bit of awkward flirting between conner and kom. i wonder if she’s really planning to use him in a larger scheme to get kory back to tamaran, or maybe something else.

16.75. so i’m assuming that scarecrow has jason either so paralysed by fear that he can barely move, or jason’s withdrawing from the drug that he’s been sucking in every few minutes.

17. it’s nice to see them chill after a successful mission! and it can be awkward, but conner’s crush on kom and him striving to impress her is also, well, uh... cute.

17.5. i guess the dick/barbara scene was inevitable, especially given the... unresolved nature of their relationship in the flashbacks? and they’ve been through a rollercoaster together this episode, discovering and then destroying an incredible tool within a matter of hours, re-discovering just how well they work together as a team. dick’s swimming in the nostalgia. i don’t expect it to last as a long-term relationship, but i totally get why this is happening now. and hey, they’re cute!

i have a weeeirrrrd feeling that kory is going to leave to tamaran at the end of the season and that dick and kory will rekindle--or rather realise--their relationship just before that. it’s going to be devastating and beautiful and painful and i will be writing essays about it which would be me just wailing into the screen.

18. gar found molly!!!!!!! MOLLY’S BACK! \o/ gar is the BEST

19. that was a fun episode! i love this silly show, even if it does destroy me sometimes <3

#titans #titans spoilers #meta #dick grayson #barbara gordon #koriand'r #komand'r #garfield logan #jonathan crane #conner kent #a byronic cupcake #badass strawberry truffle #manic pixie pop tart

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lovecolibri · 3 years

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Yeah right after last season there were some smug Echo shippers who wanted to be superior about their ship and how Malex is ruined now. Then I thought about it and realized I'd still take Malex over Echo easily any day. Echo may have gotten the pretty scenery and romantic scenes but there really is no foundation there at the moment other than Max knows Liz is flawed but thinks she's the greatest thing in the universe anyway. I don't even know what they have to offer each other. And like you said, Max comes with so many red flags that Carina never saw an issue with, most of which might very well just be missing from his personality going forward without it ever being addressed. I hope they will at least try to unpack Max's white privilege with the new sheriff because that conversation Carina was so proud of last season was not it. There's no changing the setup for their relationship, so the least they can do is stop writing Liz as someone who has to prioritize Max over her family because he can't be bothered to really own his actions.

Guess who started writing this a week ago and save it into my drafts because I had to leave the house and then promptly forgot all about it? Couldn’t be me! Anyway...

They wanted Liz to be a Strong Woman and have Max be the Soft Supportive Man who writes poetry, but he also needed to be a Deputy, and also a Strong Manly Man who would fight for her and so we ended up with this really inconsistent character who is soft and supportive to Liz's face, but doesn't agree with her and goes behind her back about it, and who explodes with rage when he doesn’t get what he wants which seemed like they might address as part of his alien powers because he wasn’t supposed to heal with them, but then they kind of shrugged it off? (Don’t get me started on aaaalll that worry about Max coming back evil, and him badgering Rosa into a relapse (partially because her brilliant scientist sister and doctor half-brother didn’t think about getting her in treatment when she talked about why she was self-medicating before??), only for Isobel to handle it immediately 🙄)

Look, I know Echo are endgame, so I want to like them I really do, and those first few episodes sure were something and really drew me in and made me want to root for them, but season 1 had it’s flaws and season 2 was....what it was. Here’s hoping with Jeanine saying this premier feels like a new pilot episode, that they are building a new, better foundation for Echo and that maybe they will use that to address some of the previous stuff and then let Echo move forward.

It’s so frustrating in a weird way because on the one hand, Malex has this much deeper, richer, star-crossed lovers separated by family vendetta story you would normally see for the main couple but along with that, they kinda got shafted too by the writing because it was all torture and misery porn while Echo got to break up and make up right away and have cute dates and sweet moments that weren’t immediately interrupted by violence or the looming shadow of remembered trauma. And because they are a straight couple that the show had made a point to expressly state in interviews and such that these other side relationships were not a threat to the Echo ship, it was such an irritating double standard to everything with Malex, including dragging m*luca out for a whole season and how the characters were allowed to respond to all that mess.

But on the other hand, Malex still has the deeper, richer story and we get to see them working to build this foundation where as Echo always seemed to just gloss over the things once they realized they didn’t really agree until everything (literally) blew up in their faces. So as 🙃🙃🙃 as I am about the difference in how Echo is treated as this “obvious endgame nothing will come between them” ship compared to Malex and the constant fear that it’s going to be the series finale before they’re allowed to have even a moment of peace, it mostly feels unearned for Echo, and doubly irritating for Malex because not only were Echo never together in high school and haven’t seen each other or communicated at all since Liz left ten years ago, they also have some really fundamental differences in their moral stances and what they believe that should be causing rifts in their relationship that need to be addressed but have so far just...not been, while they take horseback rides into the sunset and have soft sexy uninterrupted by trauma mornings, and “I love yous”. Where as Malex were together in high school and it’s been mentioned in passing that they’ve kept some amount of contact over the intervening decade, and they have also really only been kept apart by trauma, the walking war crime Jesse Manes, and Alex’s military deployments and out of state postings. Right now what they have given us for Echo is so surface level and seems mostly...not one-sided really, but Max has made it clear that there has never been anyone else for him, where as we have seen Liz with Kyle (twice), she was engaged before she came back to Roswell, and now it looks like they might be setting up for yet another love triangle with this new guy. So how am I supposed to buy this “soulmates” story with Liz and Max if they keep showing us that Liz may care for Max but she doesn’t really have a hard time moving on, where as Max has never, ever been able to move on from girl he hadn’t even kissed when the show started. I just...*screams into pillow* both of these ships had a super interesting set up and were off to a strong start but their potential has been squandered for a while now, and I am really hopeful this season brings it all back around. Seeing the excitement from the cast has really helped build that hope and keep it alive.

#my sweet nonnie friends #roswell nm #oh man i don't know how to tag this #it's not really anti #but i don't want to tag it with the ship tag because it isn't like...a glowing review either?#i think i'll go with #echo negativity #but really it's more irritation at the writing because the set up is THERE #and the chemistry with the actors is THERE #and c*rina just had no follow through #i am READY to see what this season and chris have to bring and what we can start to expect from the show now that c*rina is gone #bring it on!

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clown-bait · 5 years

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Release

I wrote this kinda self indulgent smutty drabble yesterday and forgot to post it. So here is some fresh Pennywise x reader stuff hope yall like.

You know he’ll be upset. You slid out of his embrace this morning like precious water slipping through fingers. He glared at you as you left him with a single molten yellow eye as bright as the fires of hades. You knew that look and you knew you were taking something precious away from him. You told him to get over it, you told him you absolutely could not play hookie for him on your first day of your new job. But this was Pennywise. The godlike being was either perpetually horrifying or a spoiled child, sometimes both on a bad day. And still you loved him more than you had ever or will ever love a human partner. Based on the look he gave you when you ignored his demanding "Stay." to go shower, you might say he was on the same page. You tell him he needs to find a hobby and he snarls grumbles like a cranky child. When you kissed your mate goodbye you knew, he was upset today.

You got home and collapsed on your couch feet too sore to walk on. Your groceries could survive sitting in the bag for a little while longer. You were hungry so you pulled out the mediocre grocery store sushi you had bought for dinner and scarfed that down. And that's when you realize your mate had not come running to greet you. Even if you left him for a couple of hours to run and errand the clingy eldritch would rush you before you even got your foot through the door. Maybe it he was still angry. You told him to suck it up this morning when he was being particularly pushy had you gone too far? Things were quiet but they were calm and relaxed not a single eerie feeling of being watched hung in the air. And that bothered you. The familiar feelings of self doubt and anxiety began to stew inside your brain. You could beat the bad thoughts away all you wanted but they still festered in the back of your mind. You're tired you hurt and now your head is sick. "Go to bed" you tell yourself as you lazily shove your groceries in the fridge, not even taking out the chips and shampoo. You drag yourself to your bed the lingering smell of circus taints the sheets and the fluffiest and nicest of your pillows. He insisted on getting that one as his and that thought makes you smile. You strip down to nothing, too exhausted to put on PJs, and you slide under your cozy down feather comforter. You're sad before you drift off.

On the cusp of sleep you are startled by loud heavy steps. The owners feet must be massive as they leisurely drag into your room. You wonder if this is that sleep paralysis thing you've heard so much about until the weight of your bed dips drastically and you're manhandled backwards by long vine like limbs trapping you like an octopus. His tongue, wet and slime covered, drags over your neck, your cheeks, your lips. Your clown begins his ritual grooming of you that he usually only saves for after a rough and harsh fucking.

"Pennywise where were you?" You mumble and turn to face him.

"Work." he grunts and you finally notice how disheveled he is. His normally perfectly coiffed hair hung loose and frazzled his eyes bore bags more intense than usual and his right rib cage had a nasty bruise that you don't doubt was once a fatal injury by human standards. You noticed his suit and ruff were gone too which he only removed if he needed to form new ones.

"Tough crowd today?" You ask him feeling endeared that he went out hunting instead of bothering you. Sometimes he really is capable of listening.

Your clown grunts and continues to lick. "Didn't ruin my grand finale." He said with his tongue out. His hands are now pressing soothing circles deep into your sore muscles and that feeling of his clay mask textured skin pressed so tightly against your own was a welcome relief. "You smell different. I don't like it." He pouted baring his fangs "And you look like you fell off a building. When I said get a hobby I didn't mean get yourself killed."

He snorts with amusement "As if my prey could ever actually harm me my dear."

"What'd you go after an entire high school football team?"

"Only the one!" He bounces to life cheery as ever and you laugh the bad thoughts sizzle out of your mind leaving ashes. "Alright you've guilted me enough turn around" You sigh and you swing your leg over his slender hips as he does so excitedly. Your hands run up over the back of his marble torso and he lets out a deep pleasured groan as you start to massage him. "Pennywise just didn't know what to do with himself all day long!" He began to chatter trying to get sympathy like a begging puppy. "Had to find other means of entertainment." You can hear the smile in his voice and your hands stop. That shithead. You touch the right side where his big supposed injury was and he doesn't even flinch.

"Oh my god." Your hands leave him completely. "You little shit!" You growl and he flips over with the look of a kid who's hand was caught in the cookie jar. His shit eating grin grows on his lips and it tells you everything you need to know. He's still upset and now you are too. You feel a claw on your ass and you snatch his hands holding them over his head "and what are you going to do about it tiny thing." He growls. "Left me aaaalll alone today! Think I'd let you get away with a stunt like that hmm?" You feel the slime covered thing that served as his cock caress your ass. His claws dig into your hands and you let go in pain seconds later he's got you by the throat and has pulled you down onto his lips as his talons rake into your ass and hips. You're furious at him for a stunt like this and you grab his throat back. You try squeezing but you can't he's made out of steel and he laughs "Harder!" Like its a fucking game to him. So you decide to play his way. You growl in his face and bite him, hard. The moan he lets out is obscene and he grips your ass like its his personal stress ball. You come up for air and his blood is running up your lips and yours down his hands. That is when you crash together like two freight trains. His feverish kisses give away his desperation for you and the way his alien cock has been sliding back and forth between your cunt lips you'd be lying if you said you hadn't missed him all day yourself. His mouth is all over your top half you cant tell which spots are going to have hickies and which are gonna leave a mark into next week. He pushes you up and away from him abruptly and grabs your hips grinding you down back and forth over his curling cock. It pressed upward into your pussy with each rock like an arching cat trying to get the most out of being stroked. He still looks disheveled but you know its real this time and his eyes ooze pure want and lust as he looks at your sweaty post work body. He doesn't care your perfect makeup has melted or your hair is a mess. His queen doesn't need to look regal to get him off and messy is one of his favorite looks on you. He slides you back and forth for what seems like torture until one particular long rock pushes your hips up, up and up then downward onto his slick and throbbing cock. He fills you like you were made to sheath him, and you know the look on your face as he did was as depraved as the sound that left your mouth. He swats your ass hastily and you buck in surprise making him growl in pleasure "Move!" He commands as he does it again "More!" His voice is haggard and needy you try to use opportunity to piss him off one last time "say please." You groan giving away your own want for him. He snarls and sharply thrusts from the bottom reminding you who holds the reins at the moment. "Please." He sneers and does it again, this time you let out a whimpery moan. "You can have more if you do as I say. Move."

And you do, god you do. You start to ride him rocking your hips into your bouncing encouraging that perfect alien appendage of his to curl and press inside you. He tosses his head back with a groan of pleasure guiding your hips into that dipping motion. His fangs are out and you know he's enjoying himself his breathing coming from his panting lips like steam. You moan like a whore for him you can't help it when he knows you literally inside and out. Your clown lets out a horrible snarl and he grips your hips harshly using you like a fleshlight. Not that you're complaining at all, you could never ride him this fast and that release is quickly on the horizon. Pennywise's moans are now deep and monstrous, he's lost in you. His feisty mate, his queen. He growls loud and hits that sweet spot within you hard which sends your orgasming his name in a voice you're pretty sure you've never made before. Your body trembles all the way to your toes and he pulls you down against him holding you by the neck with his teeth while still thrusting hard. He snarls and warmth floods your insides with what you couldn't hold racing up your scratched rear. You lay there panting in a heap more exhausted than you've felt in a while. Pennywise's soft lips on your forehead bring you back to earth and you look at your mate. He gives you a hazy smirky grin that's mostly buck teeth and drool. "Missed ya!" He giggles and you grab his cheeks forcing him to endure nuzzles and kisses. Not that he actually minds.

#pennywise #pennywise x reader #pennywise x you #lemon #it fanfiction #pennywise fanfiction

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smilingformoney · 5 years

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It Lives Beneath Diamond Scene: Sneak Away with Imogen

You catch Imogen’s eye from across the picnic. She smiles warmly in the golden light of the late afternoon. You: Hey, Gen. Think you could give me a hand with something? Imogen: Oh, sure! You nod to the others as you both make your way away from the gathering and into the woods beyond.

Imogen: What’d you need my help with?

You: Nothing, I actually just wanted to… -Kiss you.

Imogen: Ohhhh! Well, why didn’t you say so? As you close the distance between you, she wraps her arms around your waist. You tilt your head down and capture her lips with your own. She steps up on the tips of her toes to deepen the kiss. It’s full of passion and hunger, and, when you finally separate, you’re both breathing hard. Imogen: Wow. You: Why don’t we continue this at my place?

-Talk.

Imogen: Talk? Oh! Yes, there is definitely something I’ve been wanting to bring up. It’s-- You: Actually, let’s wait until we get to my place. There’ll be less chance of us being interrupted.

You: Elliot’s gonna be at Robbie’s tonight and Grandpa’s helping with the relief efforts in town, so we’ll have the house to ourselves. Imogen: Oh, I see. You’re trying to get me all alone, aren’t you? You: Damn. I’ve been caught red-handed. How can I ever make it up to you? Imogen: By escorting me safely to your humble abode. You: Done. You lead Imogen down the winding path that descends the hillside, and, just as the sun is setting over the lake, find your way home…

Imogen: Phew! That was quite the hike! I’m hot. Are you hot? Imogen sashays into the kitchen, pulling open the refrigerator and taking out a can of Diet Coke. You: Yuuppp. That was a hell of a workout. I don’t know what was worse. Going up the hill, or coming back down. Imogen presses the cold can to her forehead and rests a hip against the counter, sighing. Imogen: Ahhhh… That’s better. You: Is it? Imogen: Come over here and I’ll show you. You walk over and lean against the counter right beside her. She presses the blissfully cool can to your cheek. You: Mmm. That does feel better. Imogen: Better than this? Imogen leans up and plants a soft kiss to your lips. You: Not by a long shot. She sets aside the soda can and crosses her arms behind your neck, drawing you down.

You: (I’ll…) -Kiss her back.

You dip down and capture her mouth, tongue slipping past her pliant lips and tangling with hers. Imogen sighs into your mouth, melting into your arms. Your hands roam her back, down past her thighs and under her skirt. Imogen: Ahh… Harper… Lifting her up, you sit her on the edge of the counter. Her long, tanned legs wrap around your waist, pulling you in. You trail kisses along her jaw to her neck, nibbling at the sensitive skin there. Imogen: That tickles! You: Not my intention, but I’ll take it. Imogen: Hey, that doesn’t mean I want you to stop. You: I live to serve, m’lady. You resume lavishing attention on her neck, pulling aside the collar of her shirt to kiss along her collarbone. Imogen: Here, let me. She grips the hem of her shirt, ready to discard it.

You: (I should help her…) -Take it off.

You: No, no. Allow me. With one fluid motion, you strip Imogen of her shirt, and she giggles in delight. Imogen: Somebody’s excited. You: Can you blame me? You duck down to kiss her slender throat, her chest. You slip a hand beneath her bra to cup the supple curve of her breast and she writhes under your touch. Imogen: Ahhh… She presses a hand between your bodies, seeking out the heat of your skin, and you gasp at the sudden pleasure shooting up through your belly. You: God… Genny… Shedding your own clothes, your bare skin slides against hers, the rhythm of your bodies building into greater and greater ecstasy until you feel like you’ll explode…

-Tug it back down.

You readjust her shirt and pull her hands away, kissing her knuckles lightly. You: Why don’t we keep our clothes on for now? Imogen: Sure thing. Imogen: We can still make out though, right? You: I wouldn’t dream of doing anything else. Your lips find hers once more, an the two of you trade soft, loving kisses for what feels like hours. You lose yourselves in each other, your hearts beating as one, your breath matching hers. Everything outside of the two of you is lost, leaving only sweet kisses behind…

You’re holding Imogen, peppering kisses across the back of her neck, when she stirs and sighs. Imogen: I feel like I’m going to fall asleep. You: It’s okay. You can if you want to. Imogen: But there’s still so much I want to do, and… and say… You: Is something wrong? Imogen: It’s just… I’ve had some bad experiences in the past and… Imogen: I guess I’m just worried. With you leaving, who’s to say you won’t meet someone else and forget all about me?

You: Hey… -I would never cheat on you.

Imogen: They always say that, and then… You: I’m not just saying that. I mean it. I’m making you a promise now, that I will never betray your trust like that. You: No matter how far apart we are, you are the person I want to be with. No one else. Imogen turns in your arms until she’s facing you. Her face is solemn and determined. Imogen: Then I promise too. Harper Vance, so long as we’re together, there is no one else I would rather be with. You: I’m going to hold you to that, you know. Imogen: You better. She leans over and kisses you sweetly.

-That’s a risk we’ll have to take.

Imogen: I know. It’s a risk all couple have to take if they’re going to do the long distance thing. I just wish it wasn’t so uncertain, you know? You: All relationships are uncertain. That’s why you have to live them one day at a time, enjoying the person you’re with while you can. Imogen: You’re right. I know you’re right. But I don’t think I’ll ever stop worrying while you’re away. You: What if I promise to call you every day? Imogen: Hmmm… That’d help… You: What if I promise to video call you every day? Send flowers? Hire a plane to do some skywriting? Imogen: That’s a start. She twists in your arms to kiss the smile off your face.

You resettle into comfortable positions and drift off to sleep, content in that moment to have each other and full of hope for what the future will bring…

The next morning, you kiss Imogen goodbye on the stoop of the cabin. Imogen: I don’t want to leave. You: Hey, I’ll see you again soon. Imogen: I know, but… I’ll miss you in the meantime. You: I’ll miss you too. Count down the seconds until we see each other again? Imogen: You know I will. Imogen’s gaze lingers on you as she walks away down the drive and, finally, out of sight. As you’re turning to head back inside, you spot your grandpa loading a boat on the dock.

-Retire to the living room.

Untangling yourself from her grasp, you take her hand and give it a squeeze. You: Come on, let’s go get comfy on the couch. Imogen: Oooo, yes. Let’s. You grab another can from the fridge and lead Imogen out to the living room, where you both spread out on the sofa. Imogen: So… We’re aaaalll aloooonnneee. Wasn’t there something you wanted to, you know, do?

You: To be honest, I wanted to… -Talk about our relationship.

Imogen: That’s actually what I wanted to talk to you about! You: Great minds, huh? Imogen: I’ve been worried about you going away. That even if we really want to stay together, things’ll just fall apart. You: You’re worried that a long distance relationship won’t work. Imogen: Do long distance relationships ever work? You: They can. When two people care about each other as much as we do. You take Imogen’s hands in your own and look her unflinchingly in the eye. You: I promise that you have nothing to worry about. We’re stronger than any two people I know. We can make this work. You: You believe me, don’t you? Imogen: Always. Imogen leans forward and kisses your cheek. Imogen: You always know the right thing to say. You: Only when you’re around. You bring out the best in me, Gen. Imogen: Okay. Now that one was corny. But I love it. You: You know what else you’re gonna love? Imogen: Chocolate eclairs? You: No, a beauty and makeover night. Imogen: WHAT?! You: Uh… A beauty night…? Imogen: Harper, do you have any idea you’ve just said my two favourite words in the entire universe?! Imogen: Oh my god, where do I even start! We need face masks, a manicure kit, tubs to soak our feet… You: I thought we could just give each other facials or something. Imogen: Are you kidding? When Imogen Wescott does a Beauty Night she does it right! Imogen hops up, dashing up the stairs to the bathroom with a squeal of delight. Imogen: This is going to be the Best Night Eevvveeerrr! The two of you spend the night giving each other manicures, conditioning your hair, talking, and laughing. It’s just the kind of low-key night you needed to relax after everything that’s happened…

The following morning, with Elliot still at Robbie’s, you decide to lounge around and enjoy some time to yourself. Later, as you’re taking the trash out, you spot your grandpa loading a boat on the dock.

-Make out.

Imogen: Uh-huh… You lured me here under false pretenses didn’t you? You: Guilty as charged. Can I make it up to you? Imogen: Mmm… I don’t know. What did you have in mind? You: This. You scooch over to her on the couch, draping an arm around her narrow shoulders and pulling her close. Your lips find hers in a passionate kiss. Her fists clench in the fabric of your shirt as you deepen the kiss, tongues hungrily exploring each other’s mouths. Imogen: Mmmm… You lean her back on the couch until you’re resting on top of her. She spreads her legs to encompass you, locking her thighs around your waist and pulling your body against hers. You: Nnngh… Imogen… Your hand wanders the smooth expanse of her thigh, tracing her skin up to the hem of her skirt.

You: (I should…) -Keep going.

Your hand continues up her skirt, caressing soft skin and sensitive places that have her arching her back and crying out. Imogen: Ahhh! Harper… You hook your fingers under the band of her panties and work them down, following their path with your mouth. Imogen digs her fingers into your hair, trembling beneath you as you give her the intense pleasure she craves. Imogen: God… That feels… amazing… You: Told you I had hidden talents. You kiss your way back up her body, pulling up her shirt and shedding your own top as you do. Your bare skin slides against hers, bodies building up a rhythm that sends sparks of pleasure bursting within you, threatening to push you over the edge…

-Hold back.

Your touch lingers there for a moment before coming back up to cup her face in the palm of your hand. Imogen: I could kiss you all night. You: Is that a promise? Imogen: You bet! You recapture her mouth with your own, sharing passionate kiss after passionate kiss, until you have to finally pull apart for air. You settle beside her on the couch, an arm around her waist keeping her body moulded against your own. You breathe in her sweet scent, perfectly relaxed. Imogen: Maybe I’ll need a little kissing break every now and then, but I can still keep going. You: You don’t have to. This is enough. Imogen: It is pretty great, isn’t it? You: The best. You close your eyes and enjoy the warm of her small body, the steady rising and falling of her chest, letting the hours melt away as you keep her tight in your embrace…

You: Hey… -I would never cheat on you.

-That’s a risk we’ll have to take.

You resettle into comfortable positions and drift off to sleep, content in that moment to have each other and full of hope for what the future will bring…

#playchoices #choices stories you play #choices it lives beneath #choices ilb #it lives beneath

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shidoukanae · 7 years

Text

Wraith (ShoichixEma fanfic)

Summary:

He's heard of her. The wraith of the VRAINS. He's just never expected to meet her firsthand.

In which Shoichi's life coincides with that of the mysterious Ema Bessho and with that of the phantom of the VRAINS.

Pairings: Shoichi x Ema, hinted Yusaku x YellowBirdChild

AO3 Link for notes: here

@insanitytragedy here you go, the finished product. I hope you enjoy~

Playmaker was hurt.

He saw it. He saw the way the Knight drove him into a warehouse, sending the building toppling down upon him. Playmaker had cried out, angry and shocked and startled as his arms flailed before him. The sickening thud of flesh hitting wood had echoed on the TV screens and it takes all Shoichi has to not dissolve into a panic attack.

“Please be alright!” he snatches off a duel disk from a nearby desk and hurries into the secret VRAINS compartment he has in his hotdog truck. “Yusaku, please be alright!”

He slides the device over his wrist and holds it up. “Into…Into the VRAINS!”

Blue and white lines surround him, forming a little sphere that compresses down upon him. His avatar forms around him, a mask covering his face and a suit taking the place of his hoodie. He emerges from a portal, arriving at coordinates approximate to Playmaker’s last known location.

As expected, there are news reporters swarming the area. The avatars of animals flood the streets as well as faceless newsman like himself. They’re eager for a story, pushing and pressing up around a warehouse that has collapsed upon itself. Shoichi searches the outskirts for a way to get in, for a way to merely look and see if Yusaku is still alive and well. However, the mass of news media representatives blockade his way.

“Come on, come on!” he says, anxiety building into his legs and fingers. “Yusaku, where are you?”

The sound of bells.

“Are you looking for Playmaker?”

He stiffens at the sound of a female voice, spinning around to see a masked lady staring at him. Silver eyes bore into him, her gaze fixated upon him. The expression she wears is guarded, her stance protective, but there is something about the way she studies him that makes him become on high alert.

He bristles. “Who are you?”

There’s the slightest raise of an eyebrow. “Do you want to see him again or not, Shoichi Kusanagi?”

He’s on instant alert. “How do you know my name?”

“Is that really what’s important right now?” Her eyebrow ascends slightly more and it is beginning to look like she is mocking him. She turns away from him and then begins walking away. “If you want him back, follow me.”

He narrows his eyes, gaze tossed between the woman and the warehouse behind him. Should he trust this vixen? The crewman and reporters behind him are clamoring, gazing at each other with confusion and surprise. A frog looks at a pigeon and then they nod, departing from the scene. An eagle follows afterwards, swooping away.

Shoichi turns back to the woman. She is perched on the edge of a roof, sitting on the ends of blackened tiles. Her gaze is cast out, forward, staring into an endless space of gray towers and purple streams. When he comes to her side, she doesn’t even look at him. Instead, she slips off the roof, falling to the ground.

Shoichi lingers for a moment before jumping after her.

She guides him without looking back, her steps confident and quick but not so quick as to elude him entirely. He follows after her, stumbling and tripping like a drunken man. Yusaku! He thinks, clenching his fists as the woman tiptoes forward. Yusaku, Yusaku, Yusaku!

The stranger continues forward, seemingly unaware of his following and yet Shoichi suspects she’s well aware of his pursuit. It’s almost like she’s enjoying having him tail her. A strange conclusion, he knows, but he simply can’t fathom why she is always steps ahead of him instead of keeping pace. She is much too fast for him and yet she has the decency to always keep herself in view.

Finally, she stops in front of a dilapidated house and beckons him inside. He follows, uncertain and wary, but finds all suspicions dissipated when he sees what’s inside.

A bed manifested inside the VRAINS world sits in the interior of the house. On top of it rests Yusaku, eyes closed and bruises marring his skin. Shoichi runs to him, hands grabbing at his shoulders and shaking him. Hard.

The boy doesn’t wake up.

He whirls around to face the mysterious woman, snarling and accusations already flying in his mind. “What did you do to him?”

She stares without flinching. “I found him. You should be grateful I did; the news would’ve been all over him had I not. He’s likely in a state of shock right now. That fall hit him pretty hard.”

“Why would you do this? You don’t even know Playmaker. Why would you help him – us – out?”

She laughs as if his question is the most hilarious thing in the world. She keels over, clutching at her stomach, and he is left staring at her with extreme puzzlement. When she recovers, she pulls herself back into a state of utter calm. In some ways, she reminds Shoichi of a light switch. Cool and intimidating one moment and laughing over something so stupid the next.

“I help because I want to,” the woman tells him, playing with a strand of her silver hair. “Don’t look at me like that. I’m not the cat who killed your canary; I’m here out of free will. I wouldn’t have saved your son and guided you to him if I had other intentions.”

He narrows his eyes, backing up and grabbing Yusaku’s body in his arms. He glares at her, uneasy in her carefree presence. His lips curl and he bares his duel disk at her.

“I don’t trust you,” he says.

“As expected,” she shrugs as if it is the least of her worries. “Go on, leave. He’ll be fine in the meantime.”

Shoichi triggers the logout mechanism for Yusaku. The boy vanishes from his hands, disappearing into specks of light. The man regains himself, Yusaku safe, and tilts his head up at her.

“What is it you want from us?”

The woman glides forward, fingers touching the bottom of his chin. “Ghost Girl.”

His eyebrows furrow in confusion. Her skin burns on his and he winces in surprise. “Ghost Girl?”

“Ghost Girl,” she nods and removes her teasing hand from his face. “My name - remember it.”

“I won’t need to,” he snaps, lips curled and eyes wide with hostility.

She tilts her head and frowns at that; the first sign of discontent she’s shown since his meeting her. But, she shrugs and walks away, seemingly unconcerned.

“You owe me,” is all she says. “You owe me big time, Shoichi Kusanagi.”

Her voice echoes in his ears as he logs out.

~~~

He’s heard of her. This wraith of the VRAINS.

An enchanting mystery, a widely-spread rumor that merges into the depths of ‘myth’. A strong female duelist who wields monstrous cards and who terrifies the hearts of all those who meet her. A shady individual, one whose mere presence invokes the word supernatural to mind. She is nameless, a mere rumor on the tip of one’s tongue. Yet, she spreads like wildfire, ever omnipotent in the underground world of the Link VRAINS.

Shoichi ponders a white ceiling, staring up at a ceiling fan that spins round and round. He’s debated about the mysterious woman for ages, uncertain and uneasy about what her assistance means for him. She’d put him in her debt and, while Shoichi was most definitely not the type to fulfill his debts he was not one to ignore them either. Her saving Yusaku, much less bringing Shoichi to him, places him in a position most unwanted.

At one point, Yusaku takes notice of his silence, peering down at him with mild interest. “You’ve been in here all day,” he notes.

He sits up from his position on the floor and gives a faint smile. “How are you doing? Are the bandages doing okay for you?”

Yusaku touches the strips of white cloth that line his skin. “Yes, I think so.”

“Good, I was afraid I was going to have to take you to a hospital.”

Yusaku scowls and then takes a seat beside him, a soda can in hand. “How’d you know where I was?”

“I didn’t.”

“Hmm?”

Shoichi frowns at the floor. “I…had help.”

Ignis takes this time to elaborate. “Some creepy lady led him to your unconscious body. Best of times, right? She was carrying you in her arms aaaalll the way over to some strange house in the middle of the VRAINS.”

“That’s not at all alarming,” Yusaku notes in a deadpan.

“It gets better, master. Apparently, she was able to recognize Master Kusanagi in his disguise. She’s a tricky devil, that one.”

“Who was she?” Yusaku sips from his soda, carbonation echoing in the wake of his words.

“That’s just the thing, Yusaku. I don’t know.” Shoichi stretches. “However, somehow, she knew that you and I were related. She brought me to you under the suggestion that you were my son.”

Yusaku furrows his brows and he fidgets with the can in his hands. “She doesn’t sound like she’s an ally.”

“But she’s not a foe either, huh?” the purple lines of Ignis’s eye move in a thoughtful circle. “Well, whatever. We’ll see her again, won’t we? We’ll get answers then.”

“Are you sure about that?” Yusaku glances at it.

Ai huffs. “Well, no. Humans are unpredictable. You’re about as likely as to get answers than to not.”

“Mm,” Yusaku looks over to his friend and frowns. “You should be careful if she shows up again.”

“I’ll be fine,” Shoichi sighs.

“She knows your real identity.”

“I’ll be fine,” he reiterates, though his words are less sure.

Yusaku backs off, standing back to his feet and taking his leave. “If you say so.”

Shoichi watches as the door slams shut and then muses to himself:

“I hope so.”

~~~

The next day, a peculiar woman shows up at his hotdog stand.

Shoichi is used to strange customers. He gets them all the time. There are people who are extremely finicky with their orders, those who nitpick every drop of mustard and ketchup (and who get on Shoichi’s nerves because come on kid, just eat your damn hot dog already). There are people who have to count out their change one-by-one even though it’s just fifty cents come on just give him two quarters and you’d be done already. Still, in a way, he thinks this lady takes the cake.

There is something bizarre about her, something that Shoichi can’t put his finger on. It’s not the pink hair or the elf ears (elf ears?) that distract him but the way she words her order. Her voice drips with thorns, poking and prodding into him even though all she is asking is for a single hot dog. Her sentences fluctuate with mystery, silver polishing her tongue to the point of dripping down her chin. She draws his attention from her words to her eyes, keeping him on his toes. There’s something oddly eerie about her presence, of the way she flicks out her tongue and coils around him like a serpent. Amusement flickers in amethyst eyes as they make an exchange – one hot dog, one plate of nachos, one soda please – and Shoichi is inevitably ensnared.

She takes her order from him, laughing a bit too gaily for someone who’s just grabbing food, and offers him a goodbye. Her voice echoes of wind chimes and Shoichi hears the clattering in her words as much as he hears its sparkle.

“Thanks for the meal,” she tells him, giving the slightest bow of her head. “I’ll definitely be back tomorrow.”

She vanishes without a trace. Shoichi half suspects she’s set-up base on one of the tables behind his wagon but he doesn’t bother to check. He has a gaggle of girls who are arguing over their recent test scores to bother with.

Yusaku appears beside him, his faithful ally pulling up a chair to watch as Shoichi manages to dissuade the group of girls from bickering and onto ordering. He sends his companion a spiteful look and Yusaku merely shrugs, unwilling to dip his head into anything he doesn’t need to. Shoichi takes care of the girls and sends them on his way, taking a seat beside Yusaku with a huff.

His friend sips from a glass of milk freshly prepared. “So, that woman,” he begins, gaze watching white ripple across a transparent surface, “did you know her?”

“No?” Shoichi turns to him. “Why?”

The boy gives a nonchalant shrug that is half-hearted at best. “It seemed like she knew you.”

“Did she now?”

He nods.

“How odd.”

Yusaku peers at him. “If she shows up again, be careful. We don’t know what she wants.”

“Don’t scold me. I know that already.”

A ghost of a smile appears on Yusaku’s lips. “Do you really?”

“I get the feeling you’re mocking me.”

“No. I’m not,” Yusaku tilts his head towards a pair of boys who approach. “I’m merely concerned. It’s possible she wants something to do with me too. We both have to be on our guards from now on.”

“Isn’t that the truth,” Shoichi sighs and then greets his clients with a wide grin. He feels Yusaku’s gaze travel on his backside before drifting off somewhere else.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Shoichi catches the faintest hint of pink disappearing into the void.

He frowns.

~~~

Playmaker is cornered, entrapped in a cage of light. The boy struggles against it, ramming into bars of white, snapping and snarling at the shadow that leans over him. The emergency cameras shake and tremble, following Playmaker’s movements as his arms slap against virtual pixels and as his legs collapse beneath him.

Shoichi tries his hardest to program an escape. This monster before him gloats, blackened hands yanking Playmaker’s face forward. They laugh, smiling and playing with the boy as he glares up with bitter defiance. He spits something back at the figure, struggling to escape, but finds coils of luminance keeping him in place.

“Hold on, Yusaku!” Shoichi mutters, bringing up several windows to type a series of code into.

His fingers fly across his keyboard, blurring into rhythmic movements that echo with the sound of tapping and clicking. The shadow kicks at Playmaker and the boy kneels over, saliva escaping and dripping down his cheek. The boy attempts to snarl in protest but is silenced by a blow to the leg. He screams and Shoichi’s heart hammers with panic and fury. How dare they, how dare they, how dare-!

In his agony, another window appears alongside his. It is foreign-looking, a lone sheet of white space, and he eyes it with mild concern before closing out of it. He doesn’t need a blank page to distract him from his job. Why’d he even summon one in the first place?

It vanishes and he returns to his work, typing furious codes that scramble across the screen in his haste. He needs to worm his way through, to create a route of escape but there’s no way to wiggle around the firewall…

Another square of white appears and Shoichi growls in frustration. He tries to close out of it when he finds his mouse swatted aside. Baffled and somewhat surprised, he tries again. His mouse stays in place, frozen, and glares back at him with spiteful restraint.

“What…?” he asks, shaking his mouse with vicious movements. He checks the bottom to see if it is still alive. A red light beams back at him and he winces. Nope, still working.

From the corner of the current screen he is working on, an avatar appears. It is humanoid in appearance, with the colorful depiction of an anime character. Large silver eyes look up at him and he watches as it gains the appearance of someone quite familiar.

Ghost Girl.

Obviously, it isn’t exactly her. The eyes are way too big, the hair a bit too colorful, and her body is way too small in comparison to her head. Still, the resemblance is there and hard to deny.

“Hello!” she says, placing her tiny arms behind her back. “Miss me?”

He narrows his eyes. “Why are you here?”

Her avatar spins, ascending up his screen and over to the blank page that had been opened seconds ago. Only, it wasn’t blank anymore but a section of zeroes and ones that made up half the page’s visible length. “I’m here to help,” Ghost Girl’s computer avatar says, winking at him. “You need to get past that firewall, right?”

“And should I really trust you?”

“Nope,” she tilts her head as if his suspicion is the least of her concerns. “I’m acting on my client’s orders. Now, do you want to bicker or do you want some help? Playmaker’s looking pretty pitiful right now.”

Shoichi’s gaze flicks to Yusaku and he notices the boy curled up on the floor of his cage, eyes closed and seemingly unconscious. He tightens his fingers into a fist, glares at the avatar and shakes his head. “Fine.”

Her avatar nods her head and then more lines of code appear on the newly-opened window. He types in his own set of commands, eyes scanning for details while his fingers continue to add more and more. Occasionally, he’ll notice Ghost Girl float over to his section of code, smirk, and then correct the errors that he himself cannot catch. He ignores her smug looks, knowing better than to inflate the ego of someone who’s already gloating. He needs to pay attention to Yusaku, to know that he’s okayand that everything will be fine and Ghost Girl mocking him does not help whatsoever.

The shadowy villain on-screen offers another laugh, reaching down for the Duel Disk where Ignis is hiding. The AI screeches and rants, cursing and spitting and going overall berserk while his master lies on the ground but is quieted by the figure’s foot over Playmaker’s head.

“Done!” Ghost Girl chimes, and her code integrates with Shoichi’s.

There’s a pause, a moment in time in which Shoichi is unable to comprehend the large mass of data that strings itself through, and then a pool of blue particles opens up underneath Yusaku. The boy is dragged into it, falling through liquid tiles as the shadow hisses and screams, reaching through bars of light to snatch at his collar. They miss, fingers gliding through air, and Yusaku disappears from the VRAINS.

Shoichi immediately sends his chair flying, rushing to the backroom where he knows Yusaku’s body lies. He swings open the door, rushing to Yusaku’s side and shaking him awake.

Green eyes flutter open and Yusaku wipes at his bloodied lips. “I’m fine,” he says, before hacking up a mixture of saliva and crimson.

“You are not!” Ignis huffs, orange eyes watching him with a pitiful attempt at concealing his concern. “Master, you’re in bad condition!”

Shoichi lays him on his side and grabs at a nearby phone. He dials the emergency number and calls up an ambulance as Yusaku clutches at his chest. Red seeps through white and Shoichi applies as much pressure as he can.

“Bandages, Shoichi!” Ignis snaps. “He needs bandages!”

Shoichi nods and disappears from the room to grab at his emergency kit. Hold on, just hold on!

He returns to the room, flitting past the screens that have led to Yusaku’s escape. He pauses, spares the screen he’d been working on a second glance, and then rushes forward.

A single thought whispers past his mind.

Ghost Girl’s avatar has disappeared.

~~~

He brings Yusaku a batch of flowers and a get-well card the next day. The boy protests such an action, groaning and fussing over money better well-spent, but Shoichi hears none of it. He presses them into the boy’s care, watches as the boy’s eyes alight with joy despite the scowl he wears on his face, and then stares at the ground.

“If only I had been sooner…!” he laments, fingers digging into the legs of his pants. His shoulders shake and he tries not to get emotional. Not in front of Yusaku.

The boy says nothing. But, he doesn’t have to. His face expresses it all. His furrowed eyebrows speak of confusion. His smile speaks of forgiveness, mercy. His eyes are shining, narrowed in concern but still able to suggest Yusaku thinks his own fate was unavoidable.

Yusaku reaches a hand onto his own and winces as if the very movement pains him. Shoichi opens his mouth to protest but Yusaku shakes his head and the man closes it.

“I’m alive, alright? That’s all that matters.”

“I…”

“Don’t fret over it. You got me out on time – that’s all I care about.”

Shoichi draws in a shaky breath, remembering Yusaku’s pained face and his tortured screams. He shakes his head, stands up and Yusaku reaches for him.

“I wasn’t able to save you without help.”

Yusaku’s hand pauses mid-air. “Help?”

“The woman from before. She helped me code the program to save you.”

“Ah,” Yusaku breathes.

Shoichi suffocates with knowing and leaves before his friend can offer up another word. The door shuts behind him and he leans on it, staring at the door across from him with shaking hands.

He would have failed.

He can already taste it on his tongue. Self-loathing stings at him and he shudders, looking at his fingers as they twitch with his frustration and disgust. Had Ghost Girl not helped him, he knows he wouldn’t have made it. Shoichi knows better than anyone, remembers the way his own manifestation of a program had paled in comparison to Ghost Girl’s quick typing. He hadn’t wanted her help and, had he refused her assistance, he was certain that Yusaku would have been sentenced to a life of ‘damaged beyond repair’.

The door in front of him opens and he hears bells in the back of his mind. A voice of wind chimes echoes in the wake of such an action, and he sees a figure emerging.

“I’ll be back to visit tomorrow!” a woman chirps, humming to herself as the door shuts behind her.

Amethyst eyes meet with storm gray ones.

“My,” the lady says, twisting a lock of pink in-between her fingers, “fancy seeing you here. Aren’t you the hotdog vendor at Den City’s plaza?”

There’s a nervous edge to her words, a kind of blade that sparks with alarm and panic. The newcomer stands in front of the door, letting it close behind her before resting her elbows on the palm of her hands.

He notes the way she stands in front of the door, her shoulders raised and her body language suggesting the need for his distraction. She presses closer, a little too close, and observes him with a forced smile.

He stutters despite himself. “R-Right, I run the shop there.”

“Oh?” she chitters. “And why aren’t you there right now?”

“My friend was injured.”

“Friend?”

He nods. “He’s distant family. I’m taking care of him for the moment.”

“Ah.”

They stand in the middle of the hallway, unsure and uncertain.

“Why are you here?” Shoichi asks.

Her eyes widen by a fraction and she drops the strand of hair she is playing with. “My nephew,” she says. “He’s bedridden right now so I’ve come over to visit him.”

“Ah, that’s not good. Is he sick?”

“Yes. He gets sick quite frequently so you can say I’m a constant guest here.”

He shifts a foot to the left and she mimics the movement. He turns away from the door she has exited from and she relaxes as he steps away. She trails after him and offers a hand.

“Ema.”

He pauses to look over at her. “I’m sorry?”

“It’s my name. I figured I would introduce myself.”

He takes her hand and shakes it. “Shoichi Kusanagi.”

There’s a secretive smile on Ema’s face. “Such an interesting name. Shoichi means the first son of Sho. Kusanagi is a reference to one of the three sacred treasures of Japan. Perhaps you are the first son of such a relic?”

He stares at her like she is speaking nonsense and he is almost certain she is because her mouth rambles on while her eyes dart away from his. He knows she’s hiding something but what, exactly, that is something he himself cannot figure out.

Ema leads him to an elevator full of people and they squish themselves in, ignoring disgruntled complaints as the doors close behind them.

“What are you going to do now?” he asks her.

She brings out a phone. “I have a couple of jobs I need to fulfill,” she looks up at him and gives a sour smile, “gotta pay those hospital bills one way or another, right?”

Shoichi nods. “What type of jobs, if I may ask?”

“Freelance stuff,” she waves a hand. “I collect information on what my client’s want and give it to them.”

“Like a private investigator?”

“Something along those lines, yes,” she eyes him as the elevators doors open and they depart together. “How about you?”

“Mm?”

“Would you like to hire me sometime? No, wait,” Ema pulls out a business card and presses it into his hands. “Take this.”

His fingers curl around it and he brings it to his eyes. Ema Bessho. Information hunter, phone number and email provided below. He looks at her.

She winks. “I need to leave now,” she tells him. “But keep this in mind. I’ll always be available to help.”

He watches as she walks away, uneasiness still evident but surrounded with an aura of confidence nonetheless. A mystery, that one. Intriguing and yet with so many questions left unanswered. Shoichi pauses, contemplates upon their encounter, and then shakes his head.

Back to work.

~~~

The next day, Ghost Girl pops back on his screen.

It’s nearly midnight when her avatar appears. He’s sitting on his keyboard, his wagon flickering in the light of his computer screens as he surfs the web for information. Yusaku is still in charge of the hospital and while Shoichi does worry over their bills (hospitals were pricey, after all. But, for Yusaku, he was willing to pay anything) he knew it was better to let the boy rest in safety than in the dismal enclosure of Shoichi’s hotdog wagon.

At first, she is silent. She pulls herself out a cartoon portal, a nice animation which catches his eye the moment it appears on-screen. She stands on his internet browser icon, teetering back and forth in interest while he contemplates a nearby web page. Question marks appear over her head and he wonders how she had managed to create a program so sophisticatedly life-like.

Finally, she decides to speak, jumping over to his webpage and sitting on the bottom. “Hello?” she asks, voice sparking with static. “You there?”

He pulls back and glares at her. “Of course. What do you want? To harass me?”

Her icon giggles and so does she. “No, I’m merely curious. You’re Playmaker’s caretaker, right?”

“Should I even deny it at this point?”

“Mm, I thought you’d sound much more angry.”

He scoffs. “And why’s that?”

“You seemed pissed at me when we first met.”

“And I had good reason to – you’re not someone I trust.”

“Oooh, ouch,” her avatar winces. “Not even after I helped you?”

“That’s because it overlapped with your client’s interests, right?”

She jumps up and down, playing hop-scotch with the various files that

the bottom gray bar of his mac computer. Her feet glide over his various icons, gaze tossed to the bottom of his screen.

“Oi.”

She looks up at him and pauses in her game.

“Answer me.”

Ghost Girl’s avatar gives an exasperated sigh, shoulders slumping and she sits down over the icon of a trash bin. “Right, right,” she shrugs at him. “Yes, my client sent me to save Playmaker. He wanted me to repay a favor that Playmaker had done for his sister. Me helping you just coincided with that.”

He raises an eyebrow. “And?”

She peers at him. “And what?”

“Why are you here now?”

“To talk, I guess.”

“Weaseling out information from me?”

“I don’t deny it.”

“Then why should I say anything?”

“Because I’m bored and I don’t have any jobs to run right now. Talking to you sounded like a fun idea.”

“Well, you thought wrong,” he moves his mouse over the top of her head and clicks. He drags up and the icon goes with it. At first, she stares, baffled by the apparition above her head, and then she crosses her arms and glares at him.

“You’re very rude, you know that?”

He moves her into the trash can. Moments later, a window opens up and she climbs out of it, crossing her arms and glowering at him.

“I don’t care.”

He picks her back up again and she fights against it, arms reaching up to swat at his mouse. She drops from his grasp and he tries again, frustrated. She dances away, laughing as she slips through his metaphorical fingers.

“Good luck with catching me!”

He manages to snag the ends of her avatar’s ponytail and holds her up. She turns to him with an aghast expression, tears bubbling on the ends of her eyes.

“Ow,” she says mockingly. “How dare you.”

She struggles out of his grasp and then hops around to grab the mouse icon. She clasps it in both of her hands and shakes her head at him.

“Game over,” she tells him.

He laughs despite himself, amused by the shenanigans that have just taken place. “Alright, you win.”

“Good,” she lets go of the mouse and it hovers in front of her. She peers at it and then looks at him. “Try that again and I’ll make you pay.”

“How threatening,” he replies. “I’m scared.”

She laughs at that, her avatar tucking her arms behind her back and grinning. Ghost Girl spins and then smiles at him. He rolls his eyes, knowing that she is unable to see him do so (the camera option isn’t blinking with its normal green light, after all), and crosses his arms at her little spectacle.

Then, she pauses, perking up. “Ah, sorry,” she says suddenly, her gaze looking back at his screen saver. “I need to go now. I think a client’s calling.”

At midnight? He wants to ask, along with the question: just what kind of job do you work? But, he merely sighs.

“Alright.”

Ghost Girl peers at Shoichi and laughs. “See you tomorrow?”

“Are you planning on coming back?”

There’s half exasperation in his voice.

“Of course.”

She disappears into her cartoon portal before he can say another word.

~~~

For the next couple of days, Ghost Girl keeps him company. Yusaku is still in the hospital’s care, tending to his wounds and internal injuries while Ignis keeps the boy company. Shoichi visits him on rare occasions (he still feels swallowed by his guilt) and, when he leaves, he’s always left to stare at the door that keeps Ema’s nephew enclosed. Sometimes, he reaches for the knob. Other times, he pulls away without a second glance. He can’t deny the curiosity that itches at his mind but he isn’t nosy enough to prod into someone else’s affairs.

Regardless, the woman from the VRAINS appears before him every day just as the cool night air settles in. Her avatar greets him, and they banter back and forth, forming a routine in which she teases him and he grouses about her constant interloping. He begins to adjust to her nosy presence, finding himself aware of her visits during his nightly web researching trips and almost expecting them to occur day by day. He won’t deny that he’s developed an interest in her, but the coffee that burns at his throat as the moon dances overhead suggests that his interest is a bit more complex than he wishes to believe.

On occasion, he sees Ema too. The woman greets him in the mornings, ready to prepare for her normal order, and while they don’t talk as much she always seems to be beaming in his presence. There’s something oddly innocent about her, something that, though devious and cunning, makes Shoichi wonder. In a way, she seems familiar, aloof but playful. She is much like a cat, he thinks, toying with the canary. He doesn’t know why the comparison comes to mind but it fits her perfectly.

Both women intrigue him. On one hand, Ema is a real-life person. There is something alluring in the way her body language speaks, the way her shoulders have gone from up in discomfort to relaxed and how her smile speaks of more clarity than before.

Eventually, Yusaku returns and, as if the boy has triggered a catalyst of some sort, Ema and Ghost Girl become less frequent in his life. He wonders Ema’s disappearance is due to the door opposite of Yusaku’s which had been left open and empty. He wonders if Ghost Girl’s disappearance is due to the sudden increase in jobs that she has complained of.

Regardless, he has to adjust to the normal pace of his life. Yusaku visits after and before school, enjoying a hotdog here and there while Shoichi attends to his customers. It’s almost nostalgic, in a way, and he must admit he’s missed the child’s constant presence.

However, as his eyes scan client after client, he finds himself missing the familiar weave of pink and gray that approaches his stand. He finds himself missing the anime caricature of a woman from the VRAINS. He finds himself missing them both (though, mostly the latter) and he wonders if they have suddenly lost interest in him.

Does he want to know? Maybe. Maybe not. But his heart clambers with concern, unsure and uncertain as their visits become less and less. Yusaku notices, of course, but if the boy is worried he shows no visible signs of agitation. Instead, the boy is as cool and calm as ever, gaze sharp but words nonexistent. Shoichi’s half-tempted to tiptoe around him for fear of being investigated but the boy doesn’t press or even ask. Instead, there is only a knowing smile that alerts Shoichi to the idea that Yusaku already knows.

He’s just not sure how he feels about that.

~~~~

One day, Yusaku goes missing.

How or why, Shoichi doesn’t know. He just understands that it’s not ordinary. His classmates report nothing out of the ordinary. There was no paranoia, no shifty glances or any other outward expression to suggest that boy might have been submerged into danger. Aoi Zaizen and Naoki Shima, perhaps the only people considered the closest to Yusaku inside of school, indicate no present suspicions.

“He was fine last I saw him,” Naoki says with a shrug when Shoichi inquires. The two are on relatively relaxed terms considering Naoki is a frequent visitor and thus there is no suspicion present on why Shoichi is asking such a question.

Aoi Zaizen, however, is more guarded. “Who are you to Yusaku?” she asks, a lilt of danger in her voice. Her eyes narrow at him, distaste clear in her voice. She doesn’t believe him or anything he says.

“I’m a family friend. His parents couldn’t come to investigate so I’m doing it for them.”

“Are you now?” her chin raises and a cold chill permeates his body as frost reflects in amber pools. “Because Yusaku has told me he has no family.”

Damn you, Yusaku. “Fine, fine,” he puts his hands up and an eyebrow raises on her part. “I’m his legal guardian. A friend first, but a legal guardian second. I’m the hotdog man, if you must know.”

Something about that clicks and Aoi’s eyes widen. “Oh, you’re…!” she takes a breath and then releases it, her attitude switching from suspicious and distrusting to understanding and relenting. “I’m sorry for my doubts. I find it hard to trust people.”

“No worries,” he tells her. “I just need to know when you last saw Yusaku. I can’t find him without any leads.”

Aoi shakes her head. “I don’t know. I saw him in class just after the bell rang. We talked a little bit about our latest exams and then he left. There wasn’t anything that I felt was wrong or weird about him. Are you sure you have no other leads?”

“No. I don’t.”

She frowns. “Then I…and no one’s seen him since?”

He shakes his head.

“Maybe,” she rubs her chin and then looks at a nearby wall in contemplative thought. “I know this might sound weird, but my brother often hires a private investigator when he needs help finding something. She’s an information hunter – Ema Bessho.”

The name clicks in his mind and he pulls out a crumpled card from his wallet. Aoi’s eyes widen and she looks between it and him. “You’ve already met her?” she says and then shakes her head. “She gets around, why am I even surprised?”

“And she can help?”

Aoi nods. “She’s very reliable. Very pricey but reliable. Well, about as reliable as you expect for the price but outside of the job itself she can be an interesting individual.”

“I…thanks. I think I’ll call her.”

She looks as if she’s expected this outcome and gives him a nervous wave. “I’ll look into it too. Yusaku being gone for even a day worries me. Especially if it worries you as well. I’ll contact you if I find anything.”

“Thanks.”

She leaves and he is left to stare at the card. He takes in a breath and pulls up a phone. He dials a number, the same number on the card, and awaits a response.

“Hello?”

~~~~

He steps into the VRAINS.

The coordinates he’d typed in lead him to the roof of a tall, imposing skyscraper. His shoes clatter against concrete and he looks around. No one is around him. Nothing is around him except for a cube structure holding a staircase and a few potted plants. He peers at the pieces of flora, surprised that anyone would be tending to virtual objects inside the VRAINS. He knew gardening was possible - it was hard to accomplish and rather tedious – but it was definitely possible.

“Like what you see?”

A female voice chimes and bells ring around him. He straightens up, watching as a figure appears from melted shadows.

“The wraith of the VRAINS,” he whispers, words flying from his mouth as his hired help appears. He corrects himself when her form becomes fully visible, the light of the VRAINS glistening upon silver and pink hair. “Ghost Girl?”

“Nice to see you again, Shoichi,” she says, nodding her head. It is stiff and informal, uncertain and unsure.

“You’re…Ema?”

“Oh?” her eyes widen in surprise and she pauses. “You hadn’t noticed?”

“…No?”

She giggles at his startled expression. “I thought you’d figured it out. Yes, Ema Bessho and I are the same person. Ghost Girl is my VRAINS persona. I’m a treasure hunter, if you must. And, obviously, it looks like you’re my client this time. Let’s talk about that. Your son is missing, I believe?”

“My friend.”

“Ah, right, your friend. Could’ve fooled me,” she steps closer to him. “Now, where did you last see him?”

“Before he left for school. His classmates said he was with them up until school ended.”

“Any normal hang-out places?”

“Just a house. I checked before I called. He’s not there. He’s been missing for a day now and it’s not like him to do that.”

She nods, and then props her chin on the palm of her hand. She paces around him, eyebrows furrowing. “Is it possible he’s in the VRAINS right now? Did you check to see if it’s possible he’s in there right now?”

“I…no, I didn’t. But if he was there, he’d been making a sensation on the news.”

She smiles. “Playmaker, huh? Yes, no doubt the news would be up and screaming about him if he was in the public eye. Still, perhaps, is it possible there could be a way to tell where he is if he was indeed here? A tracking code or anything?”

“I…have emergency cameras on him. Back-up cameras in case he needs help. And I have his duel disk’s ID. I can try pinging it to see if there’s a response but…”

“Do that. Or, rather, do both of those things. It might help if he’s actually here.”

He nods, bringing up several screens to check around. A keyboard appears before him and he clicks in multiple lines of codes.

A screen of pixels appears before him. A square of black sits before them, glaring and waiting. Ghost Girl peers at it curiously.

“Disconnected?” she asks. “There’s no sound or anything.

He shakes his head, gesturing to a green circle just above the feed. The symbol for ‘active’.

“Then where?”

“I don’t know.”

“Try connecting to his duel disk.”

He brings up a separate window and tries to get a response. He waits, a circle of dots spinning, and all he hears is the blood in his ears and Ghost Girl’s careful breathing. Moments later, he gets a response.

“Can you track it?” Ema asks him.

“I’ll need help.”

“Consider it done,” she smiles and opens up her own window that is shared between them. He nods and then follows her lead, typing in a collection of codes. Fingers move across virtual keyboards and, after a few minutes of time, they draw up a location.

“Interesting,” Ema says, peering at the coordinates. “Nice hiding place.”

“Where is it?”

“It’s a hacked zone from one of the latest cyber attacks. SOL’s put a ban on it for the moment but that doesn’t mean they’re keeping it under locks. There’s no one guarding the area while they’re waiting for repairs.”

He raises an eyebrow at her. “How do you know this?”

“I have a friend at SOL. He tells me things and I piece two and two together. Trust me, I’m not at all surprised that anyone would hide Playmaker there. It’s as abandoned as a graveyard.”

Shoichi nods. “So, how do we go about this?”

“Well, it’s likely your friend is trapped in that area. We’ll need to investigate, scope things out. But, we’re going to need help. We could be walking into a trap and having some back-up will always prove useful. I could contact Blue Angel. She’s a distant friend of mine and a close friend of Playmaker’s - she might help us out.”

“I could call up Go Onizuka,” Shoichi says. “I’ve worked with him before and he’d definitely be available if he hears Playmaker is in danger.”

“Good. Call him. The more the merrier,” she pauses and then hesitates. “I…might call up someone else too. But, I can’t guarantee anything. For now, let’s just get those two here and on our side.”

He nods and opens up a screen, calling up Go’s number. Ghost Girl does the same, no doubt calling up Blue Angel.

Both agree to their demands without a second’s hesitation.

~~~

They sit on the edge of a cliff, looking down at a section of rocky spires that burst out of porcelain sand. Foaming waves of storm gray splash and sizzle, the faint cries of seafowl echoing overhead.

“He’s down there?” Blue Angel asks in disbelief. “In the rocks?”

“More like in a cave,” Ghost Girl says, pointing to the dot on her screen. Her voice crackles as she speaks as if her connection is breaking. She points underneath her. “There’s undoubtedly a tunnel beneath us. We’ll need to investigate.”

Go eyes the spires beneath him. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“It doesn’t seem safe,” Blue Angel echoes.

Shoichi turns to her with a laugh. “You have wings, what are you worried about?”

The girl rolls her eyes. “They’re there for aesthetic purposes. They don’t actually fly.”

“We could hoverboard down,” Go offers. “We all have hoverboards, right?”

“No,” Shoichi and Ghost Girl instantly chime. Both adults look at each other and then smile.

The children before them give exasperated sighs. “I’ll take Go’s board,” she tells them. “And you can take mine in the meantime. The boards should be able to support two people.”

“Are you sure?”

“You’ll be fine,” she reassures him and nods to Go.

The boy summons his board and he climbs atop it. Blue Angel beckons to the air and a white hover board tinged with pink manifests itself before her. She picks it up and hands it to Ghost Girl, winking. The woman raises an eyebrow but her cheeks go pink. She shakes her head and turns to him, settling the board before her. It hovers in place, ready and awaiting for footsteps to appear on its surface. Ghost Girl hops on and then beckons to him.

Shoichi follows her lead, stepping behind her. She moves forward and he jerks back in surprise, teetering nearly the end without balance. Ghost Girl huffs, grabbing his arms and wrapping them around her waist. “Hold on,” she tells him.

“A-Alright.” His grip tightens and she seems to stiffen.

Go’s hover board moves up into the air and they wait for Ghost Girl to do the same. She ascends and then leans forward, dragging Shoichi forward as well. Their board lines up with Go’s and then they descend over the edge of the cliff.

“You’re a natural on the hoverboard,” Blue Angel tells Ema. “Good job.”

“Thanks,” Ghost Girl shrugs and then follows them down to the ground. A section of sand opens up before them and they land upon it without much effort.

Shoichi immediately uncoils his arms from around Ghost Girl’s waist and she peers back at him. There’s an expression on her face that suggests she’s close to pouting and he flushes in embarrassment.

“Let’s go, you two,” Blue Angel says, pushing them forward and into a cluster of spires. She leads them to the mouth of a cave, peering in with apprehension. “So, who wants to lead?”

“I’ll go,” Go says, head raised, and then brushes past her. Blue Angel nods her head and trods after him. Shoichi falls behind the pair, Ghost Girl at his side.

He turns to the woman and frowns as he squints through the murky darkness. Damn, too bad he didn’t have a virtual flashlight on him. They were impractical in the VRAINS but, as it was right now, they would be a good tool to have on hand right now. “Do you happen to have a map of this place?” he asks.

Ghost Girl takes moment to bring up a bluish screen with blue-white outlines. It reminds him rather oddly of the video games he used to play in his youth. The woman points to a section that winds its way down, separating her screen into three separate layers that, inevitably, indicate three separate floors.

“And Yusaku?”

“I can’t tell where your so-friend is at. I’m trying to establish a connection with his duel disk but it looks like there’s a signal interfering. I can’t do much more at this point.”

“It just means we’ll need to be careful,” Go says from over his shoulder. “Stay close, everyone. We don’t know what kind of enemy we’re dealing with.”

“You don’t need to tell us that,” Ghost Girl says and Blue Angel nods in agreement. “We’re already well aware.”

“I’m just saying that I’ll protect you all if need be…”

Blue Angel pokes the boy in the ribs and grins at the wrestler. “We can handle ourselves,” she tells him, “but thank you anyways.”

Shoichi laughs as the boy blushes, pleased but nervous nonetheless. Ghost Girl’s giggling intertwines alongside his and both children send them scowling looks.

Footsteps bounce off of rocky paths and Shoichi watches as stalagmites and stalactites unfurl out of the ground, sharp and jagged and an easy death sentence. They spark with red light, bleeding blue particles that echo of the virus that had rooted itself here days ago.

“I’m surprised SOL hasn’t repaired this area yet,” Go says when the silence stretches out too long. He steps around a spire of rock and they all repeat his movements, avoiding impalement. “It’s been inactive for a week now.”

“It’s a very popular dueling spot,” Blue Angel chimes in. “Or, more like, it was a popular dueling spot. After Playmaker brought about speed-dueling, it’s fallen out of favor.”

“A cave?” Shoichi wrinkles his nose as a drop of water lands on his head. For a second, he swears he hears footsteps. “Why would a cave be a popular spot to duel?”

“It has an underground lake,” Ghost Girl says with an off-handed wave. “I’ve heard it can look quite pretty when SOL puts the effort into fixing it.”

Blue Angel frowns. “They can’t maintain it all the time. Especially after the latest virus attack, which wiped out more areas than this one. SOL is doing everything they can to fix the problem.”

The woman glides forward and pats the girl’s head. “Alright, alright, don’t fuss about it. I meant no offense by my comment. You’re over-reacting again.”

Blue Angel nods. “Right. Sorry.”

“There’s no need to-!” Ghost Girl pauses midsentence and then pushes Blue Angel away. She darts to Shoichi’s side and drags him to the ground as she falls to the floor of the cave.

Go, on instant alert, spins around and Shoichi watches as knives slide past his face. The wrestler dives away and Blue Angel looks up from her position on the ground, purple eyes cold and calculating. She points to a ledge above their heads where five shadows lurk. Another round of knives is thrown and Blue Angel rolls to the side, wincing as a knife slices into her arm. She hisses, snarling, and backs away behind a stalagmite. Go follows her lead and so does Shoichi, grabbing Ghost Girl’s hand and then leading her to a pair of malformed calcium mounds.

“What now?” Go asks, eyes kept warily on the battle-field.

Blue Angel tilts her attention in Ghost Girl’s direction. “Aren’t you the expert on this kind of stuff? Do you have a plan?”

“Not really – I didn’t expect to see assassins here,” she shrugs nonchalantly and they all balk at her.

“Assassins?” Shoichi questions, breathing in sharply. “What do assassins want with Playmaker?”

“Do I look like I know the answer to that?” he shakes his head and the woman continues. “I can write up a program to immobilize them and keep them trapped. It’s going to take me a few minutes, though. You two can act as distraction while I write it up.”

“And me?” the dark-haired man asks her.

Ghost Girl smiles at him. “Would you mind helping me with the coding? It’ll go much faster with the two of us. I’ll show you the basic layout and then we can go from there.”

He nods while Blue Angel and Go Onizuka stare at them in exasperation. The two children share glances with each other, look out into the darkness of the save and the sound of knives hitting calcium, and then they shake their heads.

“Now,” Ghost Girl cracks her knuckles, “let’s get started.”

~~~~

Within five minutes, the program is completed.

Ghost Girl beams as their project comes to a close, manifesting in the form of five silver roses – one for each shadow that haunts the area behind them. She hands him two, simpering as they face the battlefield that Blue Angel and Go Onizuka dance upon.

“How does this work?” he asks, holding a rose in each hand and marveling at the realism of them. The petals feel soft under his finger, the thorns sharp and irritating but not so sharp as to piece the skin they tread upon.

“We need to throw these at the assassins – one per person. Then, the trap should activate and entrap them.”

“Do we need to draw them out, then?”

She nods. “Yes, most likely. Although,” her gaze sweeps around the cave to where five different shadows have slipped along, separated from one another and yet intent on the idol and wrestler before them, “it looks like those two are doing a good job of that.”

He holds a rose before him and looks at her. “Good luck?” he suggests.

The woman laughs at that, holding one of her own flowers beneath her nose. She closes her eyes, breathes, and then faces him. “Good luck to you too. Let’s hope we don’t get caught.”

And then she dashes off, roses in hand. He follows her lead, jumping out from their hiding spot to advance upon a rather slender assassin. They peer at him, make a disgusted sound, and then pull out a selection of knives. Shoichi dodges just in time, ducking as he throws the rose to the ground. His opponent stares at it, laughs, making a move to advance-

And vines appear to wrap the stranger’s arms and legs around their body. They curse, spluttering and yowling as they struggle against their binds, but find themselves steadily locked into place. Shoichi huffs at their display of anger, moving on to his next victim – the man behind Blue Angel.

It seems Yusaku’s friends has put herself in a bind, distracted with chasing one shadow while another pursues her from the darkness. Shoichi’s half-tempted to call out to her but he stays low, moving forward with careful steps until the man before him notices his presence. He spins around and Shoichi sees the glint of metal but it is far, far too late. The rose lands at the stranger’s feet and he goes down shrieking in agony.

Damn. It looked like that rose had had a hint of malicious coding.

Blue Angel nods at him, grateful, and then holds up a rose she must have gotten from Ema. She chases after the third shadow, pauses, and then throws the faux flower at the assassin’s feet. They howl and scream, twitching and writhing before they lapse into unconscious.

Hot damn.

Blue Angel doesn’t seem the least surprised, taking a deep breath to regain herself. “Now,” she says, “what about the other two roses? Or does Ema have them?”

He blinks for a second and then nods his head. “She does.”

“Then where is she?” Go appears beside them, looking dazed and confused. “I can’t find her.”

Shoichi’s heart suddenly speeds up and he twists his head back and forth with desperation. “Ema!” he shouts. “Ema?”

A scream and then he sees Ghost Girl flying into a stalagmite. Her body hits the calcium mound and she slumps to the base of it. Shoichi rushes over to her, hands held above her and shaking. “Ema? Ema? Ema, wake up!”

She opens her eyes and attempts to stand up but crumbles before she can even lift her head. A cackle sounds behind him and Shoichi spins around to watch as the last assassin approaches. Behind him sits a silver rose that lies on the floor, alone and trampled down upon.

“How sad,” the man says, static seeping through his voice, “to think I’d see you in such a state, Ghost Girl. Well, better to have one competitor knocked off the food chain than having myself kicked off it. Your little flower trick won’t be the end of my today.”

He draws out a gun and points it in Ema’s direction. However, Shoichi jumps in front of her, blocking the gun from direct fire towards her body. The man snickers at such a display, obviously amused. He advances, staring Shoichi straight in the eyes and then aims for his forehead.

White flashes at his feet and a giant flower manifests beneath the assassin. Petals the size of horses spread out and then close up, swallowing the man into a cocoon of white. The man shrieks and, moments later, Shoichi hears the sounds of gunshots echoing from inside. The flower gurgles, tightening around the man until it outlines the distinct shape of a human being. Then, the flower constricts and blue particles release from its center, spreading up like pollen. It lingers for a moment and then disappears into the void.

A boy stands behind it. His clothing glints with gold, sweat on his face and breathing hard, but he greets Ema with light in his eyes and a smile on his lips.

Ema tries to regain her self and manages to come to a sitting position. She looks at the boy and beckons him closer. He manifests from the shadows and offers her a hand. She takes it and he pulls her up.

“You came all this way, huh?” she tells the newcomer. “Shouldn’t you be resting?”

“You’re the one who asked for my help, auntie,” the boy laughs and then turns to Blue Angel and Go Onizuka. “It’s nice to see you two again.”

They nod, obviously familiar with him. “It’s been awhile,” Blue Angel says.

The boy peers at Shoichi and then offers him a hand. “You’re the hotdog man, right? My aunt has told me all about you.”

“Your aunt...?”

“Ema. Ghost Girl.”

Ema looks up and laughs at the baffled expression on Shoichi’s face. “He’s my nephew,” she tells him.

The boy nods and Shoichi shakes his hand. “Consider myself your future nephew-in-law,” there’s a grin and Shoichi pulls away with eyebrows raised. The newcomer switches his gaze to Ema and then snickers. Shoichi follows his gaze and finds Ema standing beside him, wobbling but with her hair over her face. She grabs onto Shoichi’s shoulder and he yelps as she tries to steady herself.

“Are you sure you’re fine?” the boy with the gold outfit asks. “If you want, I can escort you out…”

She waves him off. “If anything, it’s you who should go. You’re still sick.”

There’s a look of hurt that passes on the boy’s face. It passes by so quickly that Shoichi almost thinks he hallucinated it. “I’m fine,” the newcomer says quietly. “Come on, we need to find Playmaker, right? Let’s keep going.”

He joins up with Blue Angel and Go and the trio lead the way through the maze of rocks and calcium deposits. They ignore the screaming that echoes behind them, more concentrated on the way the shadows bend and break.

“Do you think there’s any more of them?” Shoichi asks Ema.

“What? Assassins?” she rubs her chin. “Maybe. It’s a possibility.”

“Shouldn’t you code more roses then?”

“I have it pre-programmed. We’ll be fine.”

He nods and they hurry along. They wind their way through the cave’s calcium formations, following the trail to the second floor and then to the third where a giant lake greets them.

At first, Shoichi is stunned. The lake is lifelike, almost realistic down to the flow of the water as a waterfall fed into it from above. Glow worms illuminate the area below, providing just enough light for them to see the island in the midst of the lake. On it, a familiar form laid, slumped and unconscious.

“Oi, oi!” Ignis shouts. “Idiots over there! Yes, you guys! Come here! There’s an invisible bridge just to your left! Or, is it your right? No, it’s definitely to your left!”

Blue Angel beckons them forward. “I know what bridge he’s talking about, come on!”

They follow behind her as she leads them to a ledge edged with stone. She taps her foot forward and everyone tenses, expecting her to plunge face-first into the water. Instead, the girl glides forward, unworried as she takes step after step. Go follows after her and then Ema’s nephew behind him. Ema falls behind them and Shoichi goes behind her. They traverse the bridge with caution, following Blue Angel’s lead as she takes them from one end of the lake to the other.

Ignis greets them with a huff. “Took you idiots long enough. Master Playmaker has been suffering for hours now because of your incompetency.”

“And yet you seem relieved,” Blue Angel shoots back at the AI.

Ignis rolls it eye. “Me? Relieved? All you’ve done is saved me from living by myself on an island with an unconscious boy.”

“What happened?” Go asks, bending down to inspect coils of rope that keep Playmaker unable to move.

The boy with the gold outfit pulls out a pocketknife and begins to saw away at the offending item, fibers fraying underneath the sharp blade. “Hold on, Yusaku,” he says, amber eyes watching the boy with teeth biting into lips.

Shoichi bends down beside him, hacking in a knife of his own. He begins working on the same area Ema’s nephew is, careful not to inject the blade into his fingers. He peers at the boy in the meantime. “Did you know him?”

“Playmaker? Yeah,” the boy’s gaze softens. “You might recognize my name. I’m one of the ones he hangs out with.”

The boy says his name and Shoichi nods.

“I’ve heard of you,” the man says. “I’m just surprised you and Ema are related.”

“Mm,” he replies with a shrug. “Most people don’t believe we’re related. Mostly because I don’t look anything like her.”

The rope begins to pull apart and they begin to work at it at a more furious pace, desperation easing way to strength. Yusaku sits still beneath them, unconscious but breathing, according to Ignis. The AI keeps watch over him, monitoring his heart rate and keeping check in case Yusaku decides to jump awake.

Finally, the rope gives way and they untangle Yusaku from the mess. Shoichi brings up a window and logs him out, watching as he disappears.

Blue Angel looks around. “Should we go now? This place is beginning to feel creepy.”

Go and the strange boy nod. “I need to get back to the orphanage,” the wrestler tells them.

“I’m beginning to get a headache again,” Ema’s nephew says, looking over at Ema. “I hope you don’t mind if I leave now?”

“Go, you need rest.”

The three children disappear from the VRAINS. Shoichi turns to Ema. “And you? How much do I owe you?”

Ema – Ghost Girl – gives him a half-hearted wave. “Consider this occasion free. You’ll still owe me some favors though.”

“But will I see you again?”

She pauses, staring at him, and then she bursts into laughter. “You sound like the love interest of som dumb chickflick movie.”

Shoichi stares at her, baffled and gaping. Ema giggles, leaning forward and touching her forehead to his. His face flares red and he can feel his ears burning as she pulls away.

“I’ll keep in touch, I promise,” she touches his nose with a finger and then strolls away, arms behind her back. The woman pauses, closes her eyes, and then waves goodbye to him.

She disappears into specks of light.

~~~

“Haruko Yamamoto.”

Shoichi stares at his screen, squinting at the picture Ghost Girl – Ema – has sent him.

“Who?”

Her anime depiction dances. “The guy who kidnapped Playmaker. He was apparently willing to put the kid on the black market or what I assume was the black market. The assassins being there suggests something shady was occurring.”

He leans back in his chair and Yusaku passes by, pausing only to look at the avatar on Shoichi’s screen.

“Hello, Ema,” the boy says.

The avatar jumps and frowns at the screen. “Yusaku?”

“Yep.”

“Shoichi, isn’t he supposed to be in school?”

There’s a moment of silence and then Yusaku knows he’s been caught. He vanishes from the truck without a word, closing the door behind him and making a dash for it.

“…I’m surprised you didn’t say anything,” Ema snickers.

“He knows he’ll get punished later. He’s just avoiding his fate but as soon as he gets home I’m banning his VRAINS privileges.”

“You sound just like his father.”

“Hah, if only. I’m way too relaxed with the kid. I know he means well but sometimes I wonder.”

Ghost Girl’s avatar plays with a strand of hair. She fidgets for a second, unsure, and then glances up at him. “Hey, Shoichi?”

“Mm?”

“You know how I said you owe me?”

“You’ve said it at least two times now. Why bring it up?”

“I want you to repay me now.”

He squints. “How?”

The avatar version of her puts her arms behind her back and blinks up at him. “A date?”

For a moment, all is still. Then time suddenly slaps him in the face and he’s left staring flabbergasted at his screen. His face becomes a full imitation of a tomato and he’s left stuttering as question marks appear over the avatars head.

“Oh dear, did I break you?” Ema sighs and then begins to tease him, “look, we can start off small. Go somewhere nice, talk, have a cute little meal. Bring your kid and I’ll bring mine or something. Hell, I’m pretty sure they think we’re dating already.”

He stares at the screen for a few more minutes.

She rubs her forehead and shakes her head. “Come on Shoichi, a girl just asked you on a date. Are you going to accept or not?”

He pulls himself together. “O-Of course,” he says. “Where do you want to meet?”

Ema’s avatar smiles.

“How about your hotdog stand?”

#vrains #yugioh vrains #Ema Bessho #Shouichi Kusanagi #Shoima #Yusaku Fujiki #Naoki Shima #mentioned Akira Zaizen #Blue Angel #Go Onizuka #Yellow Bird Child #headcanons abound #this is 32 pages kmn #i never intended for it to go beyond 15 pages whoops #rip my hand #for putting up with me for five days straight

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