#I’ll keep searching so I can properly credit em

[ladychandraofthemoone]

🚂78th🛤️ HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO THE RAILWAY SERIES 💙💚

Have the og railway golden trio!

please ignore that it’s 2 days late jkjk

[psalloacappella]

SSM21 Day 2. Festival

Pairing:  SasuSaku  Prompt: Festival  Title:  sparks will fly, they ignite our bones Tags:  AU - Modern Setting; First Dates; Wooing Lips burning against his, mouthing soft words in the detonation din.

(In which Sakura has the better aim.)

Ao3 | twt | full series link | @ssskmonth

“It’sa real date this time.” Each word’s punctuated by Naruto’s fist punching his opposite palm, driving home the importance of this. This being:  Street stall smells rich and piquant, a smoky-savory blend; lights flickering in kaleidoscopic, neurotic brilliance; children wild as free foals escaping their parents, weaving in and out of adults’ legs clutching cheap prizes and sparklers —

and him, Sasuke, on an actual fucking date with a woman with cotton-candy-colored locks who has been besting him every game and measure of skill imaginable, and his dumb plus-one buffer, the best friend, now droning on about how he needs to win her something.

“Anything!” Naruto throws his arms up, dramatic and exasperated, the only gearsetting he seems to have. “Teddy bear, ugly fish, keychain — literally any shitty prize to show her yer not a complete waste of time.”

“Sasuke!” Both men snap to, pretending to have been watching the whole time as Sakura jumps up and down, pumping a fist in the air. “I won again!”

With shiny, wide eyes, she places both her palms out in giddy anticipation to receive a stuffed bear donning a baseball cap of the local (terrible) team from a surly booth operator with a permanent frown.

“She’s comin’ this way!”

“I can see that,” Sasuke hisses. “You useless idiot.”

“Did I hear ‘charming wingman?’ ‘Kay, I’m gonna find some food. Give you two some time—”

“Don’t say it—”

“Alone.” Some strange tone aiming for sensual manifests as choking pigeon, and Naruto skips away as Sakura bounds up to Sasuke, smiling so wide he can see every perfect tooth.

“Did you see?” So proud of herself, arms laden with prizes. Some she’s already given away to cute children passing by, perhaps the sole supplier of noisemakers and soft bears. For a doctor in pediatrics, the urge to make smiles comes second nature. “Where’s he going?”

“Food, or something,” Sasuke murmurs, trying not to look as constipated and irritated as he had ten minutes prior — another gem from Naruto’s unasked-for criticism. “He’s left us alone.”

“Finally.” Definitely slipped out by accident, and Sakura grumbles over her mistake, red prickling her cheeks and chest. “Not that I dislike him, of course—”

“I do,” Sasuke says, absolutely deadpan. It takes her a moment.

“Uchiha Sasuke, did you just make your first joke?”

Ears burning in the cool night air, it’s his turn to smother his embarrassment. In lieu of further slip ups, he awkwardly gathers the items in her arms, a mishmash of unidentified thingamajigs and whatnots that you only find in curio shops or carnivals, and gallantly takes on their burden.

“Walk with me?”

So sure his voicebox just sustained a hairline crack; he hates himself for being nervous.

Eyes, hers, brighter than all the psychedelic frenzy swirling around them both, caught up in the haze; she has the uncanny ability to fade the rest to black, toss the entirety of the world’s existence aside.

Seeking to link her arm with his amid the mess of wares won, she succeeds and presses closer.

“I thought I’d die waiting,” she whispers into his sleeve. “I’ve been wanting you to notice me properly all night.”

Meandering, conjoined, down the main road; carved out for the celebration, buffeted by snack scents and other couples, groups of friends, and plenty of pairs pretending they’re still just and only that. Along the way she unloads her many winnings, surreptitious, in part kindly trying to relieve his burden but also calculating the space in her single occupancy apartment.

She watches people and lights, and he watches her.

Sakura’s gaze snags on a particular booth, more specifically a particular prize. Of the stuffed variety.

“Did . . .  something catch your eye?” he asks. Immediately thinks he sounds like an idiot. You know how to woo ‘em, and why does his inner voice sound like Naruto’s on this date, goddamn it —

Burying her cheek into his shoulder, she giggles and it threads beautiful, stringed tension in his throat and spine, symphonic, testing its own flex to see if she can orchestrate the rest of him. He wishes he could spin her around, lift her high in some filmesque climax, kiss her in the closing credits.

“Don’t laugh,” she says, “but I love slugs. Adore them, really. Gross, I know!” She raises her free hand and points directly at a giant stuffed slug on a high shelf behind the booth’s counter. “And honestly, I’d likely keep it in my office; the kids would love it.”

Sasuke knows, from what she’s disclosed, that these are sick kids, too. This ancient, gendered mating ritual is unavoidable and he’ll have to rise to the challenge. He must provide. Stupid, because she outstrips his earnings and likely will the rest of their life.

Says it like a throwaway, like no big deal:  “I’ll have to win it for you, then.”

The game? Aim. Darts. Doable if he’s sober and with equally (un)talented friends; ranging from Shino the sharpshooter to drunk and stumbling Suigetsu, he’s decidedly somewhere in the middle, but it should be enough raw talent to beat a festival game.

Sakura’s eyes are on him, excited. She dances a little from foot to foot, ready to cheer him on.

Dropping the rest of the prizes on the ground and shoving a fistful of coins at the booth operator, he smirks. Born ready, all those forced childhood sports camps and instrument lessons finessing his hand-eye coordination finally stepping up to the plate.

Imagine failing miserably three rounds in a row, the last one bouncing off the dartboard so violently it narrowly misses the sleepy booth operator. Sasuke grinds his teeth, jaw tight, wishing it’d met its mark.

To Sakura’s credit, she’s completely unperturbed. Almost makes it worse.

She pecks him on the cheek, scoring him through hot and fevered where her lips touch.

“Performance anxiety,” she quips, but her smile isn’t unkind. “Let me give it a try.”

Each dart that lands in the board does so with gusto, embeds itself deep into the sisal cork. As each one hits, Sasuke reflects they might as well be piercing him. The most painful blow is watching her indicate the bluebacked slug, winning it outright without his help, and squeezing it half to death in her arms.

They’re walking again, sans the rest of her prizes — left them for the booth operator, and whatever kids wander his way wanting toys with which to annoy their parents.

“You’ve been so quiet,” she says, shifting her slug under one arm and linking up with him again.  Sasuke shrugs against her. “I’m not sure what’s next with us.”

 He stops, figures it’s better to rip that bandaid off now, give her an out so he can save some face. Of course they’ve stopped on some coquettishly romantic bridge, arched over the still summer pond, a popular viewing spot for the night’s end fireworks.

She watches him expectantly, searching him with her sharp green eyes.

“What do you mean?” Her question is slow, puzzled.

What he means to say is something gentile. Instead he says, “You’re great at darts.”

She seems to sway, a physical manifestation of being caught off guard. Laughs. “Surprised me too! But you gave my arms a rest, so they were ready to win.” Curls her arm to indicate muscle, grinning.

Steps closer, melting through an unseen veil of personal space. Cherry scent; smoke.

“Could be all the shots you administer.”

“I guess we can call jabbing kids with needles a calling.” Mirroring him, she steps in too, and there’s not so much space between them anymore. “Good practice. You could come around sometime, see my work.”

Another tiny shuffle.

It’s time to break this. Sasuke inhales deeply, letting it out in measured beats. “Sakura—”

“If you’re mad you couldn’t win this for me,” she interrupts, “you’re being silly. I don’t care about that, you know.”

He tilts his head, and in spite of himself his hand wanders, brushing a stray strand of pink out of her face. “Hm?”

“I don’t,” she repeats, and sets her slug down on the wooden bridge. Breathes deeply before saying in a low, threaded voice, “What I care about is all the waiting.”

Sasuke feels it all fall into place. Oh. Oh.

“So come on, Sasuke.”

And before she’s even finished saying his name he’s kissing her, the last vibrations of his name caught on their lips, locked, and though the timing is perfect and picturesque, film archetype material as the fireworks charge the air around them, each one set off drawing ripple designs in the water beneath them, this thrill is unmatched, the way she wraps her arm around his neck to taste him deeper, the way he lifts her up to rest him on his hips and there’s nothing, has never been anything, quite like this.

Real fireworks pale in comparison.

Lips burning against his, mouthing soft words in the detonation din.

“The perfect end,” she whispers, “to a festival.”

[flamehairedwritings]

The Fire In Your Eyes: Chapter Fourteen

Characters: Arthur Morgan x Original Female Character

Rating: The whole series will be E, 18+ ONLY for violence, gore, character deaths, animal deaths, parent deaths, swearing, grief, sexual themes and unprotected sex.

Summary: Saved by Arthur Morgan when her town is attacked, a young woman’s past comes back to haunt her when she has no choice but to join the Van der Linde Gang.

Some scenes and dialogue have been taken from the game!

Read on AO3

The Fire In Your Eyes Masterlist

Please don’t copy, steal or re-post my work; credit does not count.

When The Sun Rises

She was roused the next morning by Sadie shaking her gently.

“What, what’s happened, what is it?”

“Jesus, woman, nothin’. Dutch is callin’ a meetin’.”

Exhaling a grateful breath, she rubbed at her eyes and face as she sat up.

“Now?”

“Yeah. Get your ass up.”

“All right, all right...”

“I’ll get you some coffee,” Sadie said, her tone indicating Ada looked as rough as she felt.

Truthfully, she’d had a restless sleep. 

Again.

As Sadie left, she pushed herself up and stretched as she crossed the room. Hissing, she quickly lowered her sore arm. Susan had bandaged the wound up well, but it would still take a while to heal properly. She’d washed Arthur’s bandanna for her, and she now wore it around her own neck. For safe-keeping, of course. Opening the balcony doors, she stepped out with a yawn, watching the morning mist roll over the water. The air was cool, waking her faster than the coffee probably would.

It was peaceful and still.

Scratching her neck, she turned back to the room. Arthur hadn’t returned. Maybe he had, though, and had just woken before her. Rolling her shoulders, she headed to the stairs.

The gang were gathering slowly by the fountain, most also still half-asleep. Uncle was even falling back asleep, his head dropping down onto his chest as he sat against a crate. Ada found Sadie stood beside Lenny as she descended the stairs, moving towards her with a smile. Sadie returned it as Ada approached, yawning widely.

“Careful, you nearly swallowed me,” Sadie said as she handed her a cup of steaming coffee.

Ada just hummed, finding it too early in the day for verbal jousting. Wrapping both hands around the cup to warm herself, her gaze lifted as the doors to the house opened.

Dutch stepped out and down from the porch, looking brighter than he had in days. Arthur and Hosea followed after him, the latter smiling lightly, the former looking like he hadn’t slept at all.

She stared at him as he came to a halt, folding his arms, deepening the creases in his cream shirt. He didn’t search the group for her, though, his eyes on Dutch.

“Everyone, may I please have your attention,” their leader called out, bringing the quiet conversations to a finish. Smiling, he nodded a couple of times. “Today’s the day. Today we’re hittin’ the bank.”

She froze as surprised noises rose from the followers.

“Hosea has provided us with a plan I am confident in. We hit ‘em now, during the day, with the distraction we have planned...” His smile widened. “Well... Let’s rob this bastard.”

Alarm rose within her. This was happening too fast. She thought it’d be at least another week or so before they would have put a plan together.

She realised the cup was burning her hands.

Her gaze returning to Arthur, she watched him head back inside.

Dutch clapped his hands together. “Abigail, John, Charles, Lenny, Micah, Bill, Javier, get ready. Sunday best, if you please.”

Ada wasn’t surprised she and Sadie hadn’t been selected, and she knew the other woman wouldn’t be either. Dutch would want the tried and tested, the old comrades.

Yet...

As the group disbanded, she looked at Sadie and met her gaze. She so desperately wanted to confide in her, but she said nothing. Sadie exhaled a breath, her eyebrows raising slightly, and turned away, heading back to her post.

A thought struck her suddenly.

She knows I have a secret.

That didn’t feel quite as unnerving as she would have thought.

She moved, following after Arthur. She could hear Jack trying to read to himself in his room as she climbed the stairs. Glancing through the hole in the wall as she passed, she saw him sat on the bed, his legs swinging.

Arthur’s door was open and she paused, licking her dry lips. He was stood before a mirror and had changed fast, clean, tailored trousers on, clean boots, a dark blue waistcoat buttoned up over his cream shirt, and he was tying a cravat.

It’s the same colour as the dress I wore at the gala, she thought absent-mindedly.

She stepped into the room, closing the door behind her. Placing the cup down on the shelf beside her, she folded her arms as she gazed at him.

“That’s a nice suit.”

He glanced up at her through the reflection as he straightened the cravat. “Yeah. Do I look respectable?”

“You look like you’re about to rob a bank.”

His lips lifted. “Well, hopefully no one else will see that.”

There was silence as he lifted his suit jacket from a chair and pulled it on, adjusting the cuffs. He could feel her eyes on him, though.

“Arthur, I’m going to come with you all.”

He looked at her through the reflection again. “No, you ain’t.”

“Yes, I am—”

“No, you ain’t.” He turned sharply but she didn’t flinch. “This ain’t like our usual jobs—”

“Exactly, so that’s why an extra set of eyes would be beneficial—”

“No, Ada, I’m not gonna allow it.”

She scoffed. “’Allow it’? Excuse me, yesterday you said—”

Arthur waved his hand as he shook his head. “I know, I didn’t mean it to sound that way, but I can’t, I don’t want to let that happen—”

“Abigail’s going, Arthur.”

“I know but—”

She dropped her arms as she lifted her chin an inch. “I hate that I’m sounding like a child but I can shoot better than her, Arthur, and nobody knows I’m with the gang, either. Someone could recognise Abigail—”

“You’re not goin’.”

“Why not?”

“Because I can’t concentrate and do what I need to do if I think you’re in any kind of danger.”

That made her pause. For a second.

“That’s complete bullshit, Arthur.”

“Excuse me?”

Her hands went to her hips. “We’ve been in danger before, you know I can handle myself, do you think John gets distracted about Abigail? No, because he trusts her and knows she can handle herself and—”

He lifted his hands, his voice quieter. “It’s not that I don’t trust you, I do, I know what you can do, Ada, and I’d rather you do it here, with Sadie, protectin’ these people if anythin’ should go wrong.”

She pressed her lips together. It wasn’t an unreasonable statement. Did she really want to go, or would she just not be able to bear the agony of waiting?

Either way, she knew he wouldn’t be moved.

Her hands dropped, her tone matching his. “All right.”

He wanted to say more, so much more, but he knew there was no time. Exhaling a breath, he strapped his gunbelt around his waist.

“C’mon, the others should be nearly ready.”

He watched her turn, take her cup from the shelf, open the door and head out.

No time.

No time and no way he could tell her that he felt as nervous as Dutch had, despite his agreements with Hosea about the plan.

The chosen were indeed nearly ready when Arthur stepped outside, Ada standing by the dry fountain, arms folded as she glanced between them all, the cup now nowhere to be seen. Someone else must’ve needed it more.

“C’mon, everyone, let’s go,” Dutch called out, appearing behind him. “You got everything, Arthur?” he murmured to him as he passed.

“Sure,” he answered, moving down the steps.

“So, we rob ourselves a bank, and within six weeks we’re living life anew in a tropical idyll spending the last of our days as banana farmers?” Hosea mused as he climbed up onto the carriage the women had prepared, winking as he caught Ada’s eye. She returned his smile because she could never not.

Abigail snorted as she climbed up next to him, wearing a very pretty dress and hat. Ada was about to compliment her when a hand settled on the small of her back. She’d know who it was anywhere, even if years lay between each touch.

“Walk with me,” Arthur murmured.

She did, moving with him to Ophelia. She held the reins as he mounted, gently stroking the horse’s neck. Then, she met his gaze.

“Please be careful,” she pleaded softly.

He nodded, his features unreadable. “I’ll see you soon.”

She was ready to just turn away when he cupped her cheek, lowered himself and captured her lips in a firm kiss. She gripped at the lapels of his jacket, holding him tightly. She gave him everything she had, tried to at least. All too soon, his lips left but his forehead pressed against hers and she couldn’t open her eyes.

She blocked out the sound of Micah snorting as he passed them.

Then, Arthur pulled back, lifted his head and gripped the reins.

He didn’t, couldn’t, look at her as he turned and urged Ophelia onwards.

“Let’s get out of this God forsaken place and go rob ourselves a bank!” Hosea called as the carriage rolled forward, and the men cheered and whooped, grinning and laughing.

They urged their horses into a gallop, adrenaline already coursing through their veins. This is what they lived for. Dust rose after them, blowing gently towards the remaining few who watched them go, all silent.

Ada stared at the retreating figures.

She’d told herself she hadn’t wanted anything more from Arthur, but... she knew why her heart hurt so badly.

Sadie stood beside her but before she could say a word, Ada announced, “I’ll take a watch.”

Striding forward, she grabbed one of the Repeaters propped against a sandbag and headed for the front entrance. She sat on a crate, her back against the stone wall and stared at the path.

Waiting, waiting, always waiting.

Waiting for Da to play with her, waiting for Mama to make dinner, waiting for Thomas to come back, waiting for a friend in Strawberry, waiting for an opportunity to get away from the gang, waiting for a chance to prove herself, waiting for Arthur to come back...

She was always just sitting around, waiting. Waiting for something. Waiting for another bad event. Waiting for a good thing to happen.

Footsteps sounded on the path beside her. Glancing up, she met Sadie’s gaze. Exhaling a breath, she shifted over on the crate, giving her space to sit. Sadie balanced her rifle on her knees, also leaning back against the wall.

Neither said a word.

They sat like that for they didn’t know how long, neither of them counting, just sitting, waiting.

Birds sang in the gently swaying trees. Something shuffled in the undergrowth, disturbing the bushes, and a squirrel emerged moments later, scampering across the path to a tree, darting up it. One of the remaining horses whinnied to another. Flies buzzed around, quietened for a few moments, then buzzed again. Mary-Beth’s laugh, carried by the wind, quietly echoed across the grounds, soon accompanied by Karen’s cackle—

A distant explosion rattled the earth.

“Jesus Christ—”

“Oh my God—”

On their feet, they stared off towards Saint Denis, watching smoke billow and rise into the air in the northern part of the town.

“One hell of a diversion...” Sadie murmured.

Pressing her lips together, Ada turned to her. “Sadie, we should go and help them.”

She sighed. “Annie, we can’t, it’s too late for us to join now. It’d do more harm ‘an good.”

“Sadie, we have to help them.”

“Why?”

Ada opened her mouth and closed it. She took a breath. “I have something to tell you.”

The older woman eyed her, still. “Okay.”

“We should—”

“Sadie! Sadie! Annie!”

Their heads shot up. Tilly was running down the smaller path towards them, holding her skirts so she wouldn’t trip, her eyes wide.

“What, what is it, Tilly, what’s goin’ on?” Sadie called, gripping her gun as Tilly neared them, gasping for breath.

“I was... I was just goin’ to pick some berries, and then...” She pointed the way she'd come from. “... There’s men in uniform, comin’ up from Saint Denis.”

“Shit,” Sadie hissed.

“They knew, they knew this whole time...” Ada stared up the path, expecting to see the men charging down.

“Annie, come on.” Sadie tapped her arm and turned, striding towards the house. “Everyone pack up! We gotta go!” she yelled, breaking into a jog.

“What?!” Susan shot up from her chair on the porch as people froze, staring at the three women racing down the path.

"Start packin’ up, the law are comin’, we got less than five minutes!” Sadie hollered, shoving the passing Pearson into a run.

“We can’t get everythin’ together in five minutes!” Susan called out even as she started running to the girls’ wagon.

“Then pack essentials only, you know how to do it. Five minutes, I mean it!”

“All right, you heard her, get to it, people!” Susan yelled, and the remaining few instantly started running, each seeming to know what their area was, calling out to each other.

Tilly ran into the house as Sadie and Ada came to a halt on the porch, checking how many bullets were in their guns.

“Sadie, we’re not going to make it out before they come,” Ada murmured, watching Pearson and Karen swiftly wrap and stow food into sacks.

“I know.” Hissing out a breath as she shouldered her rifle, Sadie’s gaze darted about until she found Tilly. “How many of them are there, Tilly?”

“Not many, nine or ten!” the woman shouted, helping Uncle carry the money box out of the house to Pearson’s wagon.

“They’ll have wanted to keep the majority of men in the city,” Ada muttered as she shoved bullets she found on the nearby windowsill into the Repeater chamber before pocketing a box of bullets.

“They think we’re defenceless,” Sadie scoffed, meeting Ada’s determined gaze.

“Let’s prove them embarrassingly wrong.”

Striding down the steps, they made their way to the trenches.

“Where are we gonna go?!” Pearson yelled as he led two of the horses towards his wagon.

“I know a place!” Sadie answered. “You head north first, though, and we’ll try and shake ‘em off so we ain’t followed! And take Uncle and Jack!”

“All right!”

The two women stopped at the first wave of sandbags, and Ada could feel them, hooves thundering on the dirt path to the east.

“Go on, Pearson, go!”

Pearson urged the horses on, the wagon racing up the path as Uncle held onto Jack and through the trees they went. Just in time.

A minute later, Ada counted, her Repeater aimed, they appeared, having dismounted. Someone, she didn’t know who, fired and it began. She could barely hear Sadie yelling out instructions above the noise, telling people where to go as she shot at the men. Some of the officers were yelling out, too, but she couldn’t make them out either. Bullets whizzed over her head, coming from both directions, the space between them empty, the horses having been moved by Karen. 

Tilly’s warning had given them enough time to prepare and the men had been woefully over-confident in their mission; they scrambled for cover, six already dead. Sadie ducked down as she reloaded, looking back towards the house.

“Susan’s finishin’ up with Mary-Beth and Molly! Karen, Tilly, Swanson and Trelawney are firin’!” she yelled to Ada.

“They should get out on the back road, it’ll be empty!” she called back and Sadie nodded.

“You go and tell ‘em, I got it here!”

“You sure?”

“Yeah, go, I got you covered!”

Ducking, Ada ran behind Sadie and crawled out of the trench. Running half-crouched past the bandstand, she glanced in. Her wrapped dress was still there, as was her spare blouse and her book, and the knife Sean had given her. She’d have to leave them. She continued on down the side of the house. Rounding behind it, she ran, glimpsing Susan, Mary-Beth and Swanson getting the wagon moving.

“Take the back road!” she called out, gaining their attention. “We’ll head through the—”

A bullet flew past her ear, startling her into an abrupt halt.

“Annie!” Mary-Beth screamed.

Spinning around, Ada saw four men jumping off of a boat, their guns raised. Moving backwards, she fired, knocking one back into the water. She went to fire again, but all the Repeater did was ‘click’, empty. Cursing under her breath, she scrambled for the box in her trouser pocket, darting behind the shack close to her. Filling the chamber as quickly as she could, she looked up to see Susan and Mary-Beth firing as Swanson and Molly climbed up into the wagon, the Reverend gathering the reins.

“Get in!” Ada shouted. “Get in, I’ve got them!”

They either didn’t hear her or ignored her, continuing to fire. Shoving the box back into her pocket, she peered out and saw only two men now, hiding behind trees. Ada moved to the other end of the shack, ducking between a gap in the wood to climb out. Looking to the wagon, she saw Faithful beyond it, dancing from side to side, agitated as the rest of the horses by the noise.

Licking her dry lips, she whistled and his head jerked in her direction. Whinnying, he galloped towards her, rounding the wagon.

“Good boy, come on,” she hushed him, trying to grab at his reins as he tossed his head, his eyes wide. “I know, I know—”

A gun fired and he screamed, his neck arching.

Crying out, she watched him sway and fall, collapsing to the ground with a pained whinny.

Spinning, she shot the final man advancing towards her, the bullet finding his chest despite her clouding vision.

Turning back to Faithful, she fell to her knees, dropping her gun and cradling his head as he released a sound that broke her heart. 

“Oh no, oh no, my boy...” Her voice shook as her hands stroked him, watching the blood running down his neck. “Oh, sweetheart, it’s all right, you’re okay, you’re okay...”

Closing her eyes, her chin trembled. His legs kicked out. Moving her hand, she found her gun again.

“I’m so sorry,” she breathed.

As she aimed, pulled the trigger and gave him peace, she heard Susan yelling.

“Annie, come on, we gotta go, more of ‘em might be comin’!”

“Coming,” she whispered, before her eyes opened and she pushed it all away, finding her voice, “Coming!”

Looking down at Faithful one last time, she pushed herself up and ran then towards the wagon. There was silence on the other side of the house. This was their chance, Susan was probably right, more would be—

A bullet tore through her left thigh.

She collapsed with a cry, landing on her wounded arm, the Repeater tumbling out of her hands.

“Fuck...” she gasped, her eyes wide as pain racked her surprised body.

“Come here...” She felt a man grip the back of her shirt, pulling her up from the ground. Lifting her good leg and striking her boot back, she kicked him in the knee, making his hold loosen.

Falling back down, she grunted and rolled onto her back, seeing the man who’d shot Faithful and she thought she’d killed standing over her, wheezing. Blood stained his uniform jacket, spreading. She scrambled backwards as he pulled a knife from his belt, and managed to push herself up, all of her weight on her right leg.

“Come here...” he wheezed again, advancing on her.

Ada limped backwards, going no faster than he was. His arm swung out and he slashed at her and she whipped her head back just in time—

A blinding white hotness spread across her forehead, making her cry out. She couldn’t see, a liquid pouring down her face and filling her eyes. Collapsing as her leg gave out, she tried to wipe it away but it wouldn’t stop.

She knew what it was. Blood. And it wasn’t stopping. Why wasn’t it stopping, why did it hurt so much, oh my God, I can’t see...

“Annie!” Mary-Beth screamed, and she heard a gun fire.

She froze, waiting for the knowledge of whatever death felt like to strike her, but all she heard was a gargled groan, and felt the man drop beside her.

 “Annie? Annie! Are you all right?” Karen shouted, and she felt her arms around her, hauling her up and pulling her along, forcing her to move her feet.

“... I’ve, I’ve been shot—”

“I know, I know, you’re gonna be all right—”

“Get her in the back of the wagon!” she heard Susan yell from somewhere.

“Tilly’s shot, too!” Mary-Beth cried, her voice sounding closer.

“Get ‘em in, quickly!”

Ada heard Tilly half-gasping, half-crying as she was lifted, then it was her turn. Hissing out her breaths, someone gripped her under the arms as Karen raised her legs, pushing her up into the wagon and making her groan through gritted teeth. Settling onto her back, she went to try and clear her eyes again when someone shoved her hands away.

“Stop, hang on...” Karen’s voice.

“Annie, you’re losin’ a lot of blood—”

“Susan, hand me that.” 

A rough material wiped across her eyes and she finally could see, just about.

All she could really see was a red sky, and beyond it, smoke rising above Saint Denis. All she could hear was faint, echoing gunfire.

The material was pressed against her forehead, making her hiss in pain.

“Go, go, go!”

The wagon lurched forward at Susan’s order, and she heard Tilly groan next to her, still crying.

“It’s all right, Tilly, it’s all right, you’re gonna be okay...” Mary-Beth was trying her best to console her, but she could hear the tears in her voice, too.

“Oh my God, the others...” Tilly sobbed.

“They’ll be fine,” Sadie cut in from beside the wagon, on her horse. “They’ll all be fine, they’ll come back.”

Ada stared at the shrinking house, her vision clouding once more, this time with her own tears.

They’ll all be fine.

They’ll come back.

They’ll all be fine.

They’ll come back.

They’ll come back.

They’ll come back.

— 

Comments and reblogs make my day in a way I can’t describe.

Let me know if you’d like to be tagged or untagged in this series!

Questions?

Tagged: @belfry-bat​​​​​​​​​, @sistasarah-sallysaidso​​​​​, @ntlmundy

[noutenki-scans]

Jun, do you think you could walk us through how you buy your doujins? I've been wanting to buy some kros doujins FOREVER, and I know there are multiple tutorials/advice online but I want to get advice from someone who's actually gotten their doujins successfully shipped to them! Is there a website you recommend using, or a tutorial online that you follow? Would appreciate it greatly ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ

How I order doujinshis online?I’m always happy to help a fellow karaoso enthusiast! I hope you have basic knowledge of Japanese so you can navigate easily. Otherwise chrome automatically translating the site works too I guess.

This post may end up pretty lengthy since I babble a lot. So continue ahead only if you want to.

Many sites don’t do international shipping so you will need to find yourself a proxy service or a freight forwarding site. Freight forwarding is the cheaper option of the two. Tenso is a fan favourite it seems but I use TensoJapan cause the fees are cheaper. You’ll need to provide your ID verification to use either of their services though. As for proxy services. I’ll mention some later below. It seems TensoJapan also provides this service now. ^^ 

The sites I use varies. If possible I like to support the artist and use the link they provide in their pixiv post for that particular work. (Usually toranoana) However if it’s quite old, chances are that it’s already sold out.

Toranoana A great site to buy new doujinshis. It’s far the easiest site to navigate and has the best range in terms of new books. Most of the products also have the synopsis and a few sample pages as well! The go to place to really support the artist! This post explains really well on how to shop there! Really use that auto translation on chrome to your advantage if you need to! If you are soley looking for KaraOso djs, here has all the instock books for that pair. And here is the full list, although most are out of stock lmao. (good reference when you want to buy second hand books though!)

If you plan to use a freight forwarding service, you need to create a Toranoana account yourself. When you write in the detail, make sure to input the Japanese address that you were given for shipping details. For when Toranoana charges you for your order, it’s quite funny cause they charge you then return the money straight away (I guess it’s to check if your card works) and when your order is ready to be sent, they’ll take the payment properly. They don’t accept PayPal as payment though. So if you don’t have a credit card, you’ll have to use a proxy service instead.

For proxy service, try using the one toranoana is advertising at the moment, AOCS. AOCS creates a toranoana account for you when you register with them and also you don’t need to provide them your ID for verification! At checkout you just need to select the acos option for delivery! from here, AOCS will pay for your goods on delivery and send you an invoice. They accept PayPal as payment. Once that’s all paid up, they will send you your goods. :)I’ve tried it and yes, it’s very simple to use and convenient but the shipping is a lil pricey since they only send by EMS. Fast shipping though!

Pros:

Easy navigation. They have tags for coupling names and filters to narrow down your search. 

Free domestic shipping if you spend over ¥9720.

Toranoana is fast with processing your order and getting it to your freight forwarder/proxy service.

Cons:

Once it’s out of stock, it’s gone. You can apply for a re-sell or set an notification alarm if it ever restocks.

A bit pricey because you pay for tax.

They may cancel your order if they notice you are using a proxy. I don’t know if they still do, it’s just what I’ve heard over the years. For sure tenso and tensojapan are in the green though!

Ok, so you really want a particular work by a certain circle, or just their works in general but it’s out of print…Usually this is the case for me when I see all those out of print djs on Toranoana…You can try your luck in 2nd hand stores! Or even Yahoo auctions. 

Yahoo auctions would be the last place I’d go for, cause ordering from there can kill your wallet. Especially if you buy from different sellers. You’ll have to pay for domestic shipping on each of the auctions. There are proxy services designed for Yahoo auctions, but the one I have tried is DeJapan. Their service is good and their processing and shipping is fast too! My order came 3-4 days after it was sent! They only send by EMS though. Quite pricey but reliable. if you are still interested in purchasing osmt djs from yahoo auctions, try ‘おそ松さん 同人’ in the search bar.

MandarakeSells second hand goods. I like this site a lot! They do international shipping with several options too. So you can skip the whole middle-man business and having the option to choose for the slower, but cheaper postage.The search bar isn’t as friendly but if you know what you are after, or the circle you are interested in, then it’s a lot easier to navigate. Just be aware mandarake has different stores so if you end up getting anything from this site, make sure to check which store it’s in! Try getting all your items from the same store, otherwise you’ll be paying a lot for shipping!! When I make orders I like to at least group 5 djs from each store if I can’t get it all from the same store. But I LOVE their quality!! Their second hand stuff look pretty much brand new! Unless stated otherwise in their listing. I’ve had some djs where it didn’t even look opened! 

Pros: 

Usually cheaper than buying new. 

Can find the older titles here. 

Tax free. 

Has English support and navigation. 

Relatively fast processing time. 

They send internationally! 

Cons: 

No consolidation. Each store=different order=more shipping cost. 

Second hand goods. So it’s not brand new. 

Price can be ridiculously expensive based on its rarity/popularity even though it’s not a new book. I actually bought 2 titles for 4k yen each when the original price is just over 1k. But I really wanted those books soo….I just bit the bullet lol.

SurugayaA real gem! ♡My favourite second hand store for djs~ Their navi is a lot better than mandarake and has way more items! This is the place to go for any rare goods~ here is the search page for karaxoso. 

Did I tell you they have free domestic shipping if you spend over ¥1500?? That’s like $15 lol. They do however have a processing fee if your order is under 5k yen. It’s under ¥300 so still very cheap! Surugaya often have ‘time sales’ and campaigns too! So it’s good to keep an eye out. When you click on an item, there’ll be a red text saying “this product will have a time sale soon” if that’s the case. So if you time it right…maybe you can get it cheaper. But I had many djs go out of stock on me while I waited for a campaign to come (some items sell out within a couple of days) so I don’t risk it anymore if there are items that have only 1 in stock in my cart. 

Also this is one of the stores where you can buy without a credit card and use PayPal instead! But if you are buying R18 goods, you can only pay by credit card. They don’t accept foreign credit cards apparently. I did have an order cancel on me when I paid by credit card and I got an email saying I used a foreign card and they can’t accept it. I’m still very gutted about that one. But I’ve also had successful orders using the same exact card…..so it’s really a gamble. PayPal as payment is friendlier I heard! But if you really want to buy r18 goods from here, may luck be on your side and hope they don’t detect your card. (or use a proxy service that allows you to buy R18 goods) 

The other downside for this site is the waiting time. Surugaya also has many warehouses and so they have to wait for all the books to arrive in one place before they ship it out to you. But usually with my experiences it takes them about 4 days to complete my order and ship it out. But I did have orders take over a week to process before. As long as you don’t order during the busy times of the year it should be fine.

Pros: 

Usually cheaper than buying new. (Most of the time the djs are cheaper than mandarake.) 

Best range. 

Often have sales and campaigns 

Has English support (But they will answer in Japanese) 

Free shipping on orders over 1.5k yen 

Cons: 

Slow processing time. 

Like mandarake, some items are ridiculously expensive. 

Your card may get declined for being a foreign card. 

Note: Previously, I’ve noted you can use debit card as payment…but honestly? it’s kinda weird. From personal experience, make sure you have double the amount of money in your account of what you need to pay for. Until the day it’s ship it. Surugaya likes to take money from you…how should I say…twice(?). Like….how do I explain this…on the day you place the order, money is taken from your card. Your payment will appear as pending on your bank statement. But actually they don’t approve your payment until it’s all ready to be sent to you. On that day, they take the payment from your account again. Like. It’s weird. And if you don’t have that amount available on your card on that day, you get an email from customer service saying they couldn’t go through with the payment. That there was a problem. If you paid by paypal (using your debit card), they will retry the payment if you can provide them evidence that it wasn’t PayPal that made the error. If you paid by using credit card (with your debit) they will cancel your order since the only other option to send the money is by bank. So if you have enough money in your debit card to pay for your order twice, your payment will go smoothly. And that extra payment they tried to make? It won’t even appear on your statement lol. In the end that money isn’t taken from you, so don’t worry about them actually charging you twice for your order.I was so confused why my payments weren’t going through and I only found out by contacting both my card dealer and PayPal. I use my debit card for online purchases so I only put in the amount necessary you see… 

Tldr; Surugaya tries to take money from you twice but only one goes through and you need enough funds for both in order for your transaction to go through smoothly if you are using your debit card.

[pottsdupont12-blog]

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[phemon]

Fading

Wow, okay this is out of left field. After *checks last fanfic* jesus, 3 YEARS of not posting any works I come out from the shadows with a new fanfic.

Weird thing, it’s not Undertale, it’s Hololive shipping. Yup, that new trend that I still do not understand completely (basically streamer but Live2D face-tracker anime girl?). I got into a ship from the 1st gen (specifically Amelia and Gura, and a bit of Kiara and Calliope)

For the record, I don’t condone the act of shipping ACTUAL PEOPLE together, but the AmeGura art and actual things they’ve done together is too cute to pass up. I hope that whomever enjoys this ship enjoys what I have to offer (and two more sequels are planned in the very near future. In fact I’m most likely going to start writing them after posting this)

For context, it’s my take on the “ending” of a series of works called “From Ame to Same” by FinnGalaxy on Ao3. They will be properly credited there when I do post it on Ao3. In a sense, it’s technically fan-fanfiction lol

Also, the title is a reference to the stellar Friday Night Funkin’ mod Smoke Em Out Struggle, which I was listening to the entire time I was writing this.

Enjoy.

Gura never thought about what happens when you’re about to die; but she realizes now that it doesn’t really matter. She’s seen multitudes of colonies, societies and cliques rise and fall, all while she watches in the background, wondering if it’ll ever happen to her. She’s never known another of her species long, so she has no clue of the lifespan of an Atlantean. All she knows is that it has taken way too long; but it’s finally happening.

She’s finally dying.

She hasn’t heard from any of her friends from the old times in a long time. Ina was the first one to suddenly disappear. She mentioned something about meeting the Elder Ones during her last stream and hasn’t been seen since. Of course, Calliope happened next when she lost her human body. Gura used to commune with Calli whenever she had time off from her reapings; but those occasional communications also ceased for whatever reason. Gura felt no ire, she’s sure Calli had her reasons. She never met her in the human world again, so Gura concluded she wasn’t able to find another body to occupy. Kiara was last seen flying through the air aimlessly with no plan, and Gura expected she needed some time alone. A lot of time, apparently.

And Amelia. Gura kept telling herself that that fateful day when her sunshine left her that final letter was not the last time she’d see her; but she knew she was lying to herself. Gura kept on making excuses like “Oh she’s probably jumping the time streams, searching for the answer to longevity and she’ll be right back when she’s done.” but lying to yourself for over 1000 years straight gets old. She only wished she could’ve kept the letter Amelia left for her, but like everything on this damned rock, nothing lasts forever and has decomposed. She didn’t think much of it anymore, she knows her memory’s not going anywhere.

Gura picked a quiet, serene place to die: an abandoned beach. Nice place to watch both the sunset and the ocean. She remarked that she gets to see her two favorite places that remind her of her two favorite things: The sea, from whence she came; and the sun, representing the place she left her heart, with Amelia. 

No-one was around to spend her final days with, as she never kept anyone close to her since her first friends. No need to form any relationships if they’re just going to dissolve once they die, she figured.

“Stupid Ame.” Gura muttered to herself, hugging herself closer to keep warmer. “Are you really not going to meet your wife ONE time before she dies? You really are cruel, you bozo...”

“Hey, you’re still badmouthing me until your last dying breaths? You pain me, sharky.”

“Great, now I’m hallucinating her voice right before I die, what a pai-” Gura stops halfway and whips around to find an all too familiar figure standing in front of her. “A-Ame?”

“Long time no see, Gura.” Amelia remarks nonchalantly as she walks up to Gura. She pushes her back down as Gura stands up to greet her. “Stay down, save your energy right before you die, right?”

“I.. I don’t get it. Why are you back? HOW are you back? Why are you back now?” Gura has so many questions she doesn’t know where to start. 

Amelia heaves a grunt and sits beside her. “I suppose I do owe an explanation, huh?” Amelia ponders a moment before starting again. “Well, your memory’s still sharp, right? Do you remember why I left in the first place?”

“Of course I do!” Gura almost shouts, but realizes she doesn’t need to raise her voice when Amelia’s right next to her. “I remember everything in that goodbye letter you wrote. Lots of cheesy lines in that, BT-dubs” Gura jokes which Amelia chuckles back at. “Sorry I couldn’t keep the letter; paper only lasts for so long.”

“Hey, I’m not the only one with the cheesy lines. I got your letter from Calli, she was somehow able to find the right me; despite me time-jumping all over the place.” She pulls out a small piece of paper. “Decomposing doesn’t matter to a time-traveler, so I still got mine. Anyways, I left because I wanted to find a way to be forever with you. And suffice to say, I didn’t find it.”

“Yeah, I gathered that when you left me alone for 1000+ years.” Gura commented dryly.

“Can it, shorty.” Amelia bit back. “Well time-traveling back and forth multiple times without resting took a massive toll on my body, and I was informed by Calli,” Amelia mutters “figures” under her breath “that I had only a few time-travels before it would be it for me. I pondered going back to see you one last time and dying in the timeline I met you guys.”

“On one hand, I’d be happy that you did return. On the other hand, you dying in my arms...” Gura thinks of the possibility and shudders. “So what you’re saying...”

“Yup, this is my last time travel. I went forward in time and found out when the last Atlantean Shark died, and figured it was you. Only hard part was finding out where you decided to die. Thank the stars you didn’t decide to sink to the bottom of the seabed alone.”

“And you figured that I’d want to die somewhere with some memories.” Gura concluded and Amelia nodded. “You recognize this place? We went on many midnight strolls down this beach.”

“Well the landmarks are certainly different from our time as Hololive members, but the geographical position is similar.” Amelia comments, looking at the surroundings.

“Yup, still our special place.” Gura smiles and intertwines her hand with Amelia’s. “So, now that you’ve explained why and how you’re here, I can finally say what I’ve been wanting to say.” Gura places her head on Amelia’s shoulder. “I’ve missed you, Sunshine.”

“The feeling’s mutual, sharky.” Amelia squeezes the shark’s little hand. “You know, I expected you to look radically different in 1000 years. But you’ve barely changed, save for a couple lines around your eyes.”

“I look the same because my heart left with you when you disappeared.” Gura gets up and whispers into Amelia’s ear.

Amelia turns several different shades of red. “Okay, how many years did it take you to come up with that corny ass line?”

“Couple hundred.” Gura jokes, then returns to her position beside Amelia. “I suppose when I arrived at Hololive I was already an adult. And you...” Gura sits up slightly to get a better look at Amelia’s form. “You still look the same as when you left me. What, you didn’t find the secret to immortality but found eternal beauty instead?”

“Well, by my own personal timeline, I say it’s only been a couple years since I left you, so I guess I haven’t changed mu-” Amelia attempts to explain how old she is but is cut off by Gura.

“Ha, trick question! You’ll always be beautiful in my eyes.” Gura faces Amelia and gives her a toothy grin.

And tomato red goes Amelia again. “I should NOT have left you that long if all you were going to do is come up with cheesy one-liners.”

“Damn straight!”

“Which begs the question.” Amelia shuffles into a more comfortable position and stares at the slowly descending sun. “Apart from coming up with the one-liners, what HAVE you been doing for over a millennium?”

“Oh, I’ve got a bunch of stories to tell you, Ame.” Gura starts, preparing her vocal chords. “But they’re going to take some time.”

“Wow, you’ve sure been on some adventures, Gura.” Amelia remarks, not shifting from the spot they’ve been sitting for the past couple hours. The sun has been slowly descending past the horizon and is minutes away from plunging the surroundings into twilight.

“Well, we’re not going anywhere, Gura. Let’s hear them.”

---

“I’ll always say this, they will never top the time I spent with you guys.” Gura stretches and lets out a big yawn. “Think it’s about time for me, how about you?”

“Thinking about the same, Gura.” Amelia feels the most tired she’s ever been, and that includes the massive amount of time-travelling she’s done. “Let’s hope we’ll meet again once we go through... Whatever the hell happens when you die, huh?”

“Oh please. Now that you’re back by my side, you’re not leaving it, alive or not. Afterlife or whatever it’ll be, I’m making sure we’re never separated.” Gura struggles to keep her eyes open.

“I’ll hold you onto that, sharky.” Amelia gives her wife’s hand one last squeeze. “From now on...”

“Until forever...” 

“‘Till death do us part.” They say in unison.

...

“Wait, we’re dying right now. Maybe we shouldn’t’ve said that.”

“Don’t ruin the moment, dork.”

[italicwatches]

Animal Sentai Zyuohger - Episode 04

I can only hope this is as fun as it looked in the preview. Anyways, it’s Animal Sentai Zyuohger, episode 04! Here we GO!

-We begin out on the coast, with…various duos being netted and captured by Kubar’s first MotW!

-And the next morning, Yamato learns that Sela and Amu got sent out shopping together. …Oh god. You sent Amu out with access to money?! Also Mario is in a sheep costume. We will not be engaging with that. Also, Leo went to follow them, so it’s just Tusk left here out of the four. …Leo just wanted to get out of laundry, didn’t he.

-It’s more that he’s all protective about women. Comes from being a lion. And out in the field, he’s more than happy to carry Amu’s purchases, her many many purchases…When a shiver runs up their tails. A Dethgalien!

-Who, aside from having a design that I might steal the next time I play a Warforged, has gathered all these duos up and is gonna make them fight to the death to escape his battle game. Fight your friend! Only the winner can escape! MWAHAHAHAHA.

-And back up at the Big Bow, Genis is fucking loving this show. You have some fine tastes in your creation, Kubar. And such an excellently paired wine to go with the show. While, down on the field, the shopping trio find this situation…

-Opening! With their gaze locked on the distant hopes…

-Episode 04! Roar in the Ring!

-So finally, one of the two guys forced to fight each other manages to knock out his best friend, and gets escorted out…While his friend is turned into a barrel?! And now, his spirit will wander the cosmos, for eternity. …Fuck.

-Instincts Awakened! So this cannot be allowed to stand. The MotW sends his mooks out to fight, with Lion cornering him up while Tiger focuses on rescue…Which leads to the bastard throwing one of his nets at her, and Lion and Shark leaping in to try and stop it aaaand they’ve been captured. Naturally. And Tiger can’t hold the MotW off on her own, as he manages to escape with Sela and Leo in tow! Oh shit oh shit oh shit.

-The good news is, she manages to undo the barrel transformation to the guy…But that does little for the immediate problem, as soon Eagle’s out searching for where they could have been taken…

-He meets up with Tusk and Amu, who’ve been searching on foot, but they’ve got nothing. Not a single clue, or lead, or…Or…He sees a doggy sniffing around the park, and suddenly gets a plan. They don’t need to track by sight, they need to track by scent!

-Cut over to the wrassling ring. Where Leo and Sela find themselves expected to fight…And they’ve had their Symbols taken, too! Only the winner gets a chance to challenge him for their Symbol. Who will sacrifice themselves, and who will strive for life…?

-Leo forces himself to stand, and yeah he’s planning to sacrifice himself.

-Back at the cabin, Yamato digs through the laundry, and finds…Some of Leo’s socks. Tusk, I have good news and bad news. It’s Leo’s or, hey, here’s Sela’s! …Pick horrible lion man stink, or a reputation as a pervert. PICK ONE.

-Horrible lion man stink it is. I’m sorry, Tusk.

-To the ring! Where Leo is totally faking a fight and Sela sees right through it. Quit this bullshit, jackass. She’s a champion. A shark. One of the sea’s greatest hunters, and her people’s finest warrior! She, does not, need, to be treated with kid gloves!

-So the MotW is bored of them fighting with words and not fists. You both get to be barrels! No, no, Sela’s gonna fight. She’s got a lot to work out on this jackass. As out come the claws, the fangs, and the real fight begins!

-And Genis is loving this shiiiiit.

-And this fight is up a level. Leo’s not fucking around now…And he’s not holding himself to any rules, either. He’s got enough raw strength to just throw Sela around and keep her from using any of her techniques, as he forces it to a single final clash…

-When the others arrive, at the last second! Instincts Awakened! Tiger and Elephant start blasting the ring apart, while Eagle snatches the Symbols right out of the MotW’s hands! Now, you two take a breather, they’ve got…

-Eagle. You have literally no idea how angry Sela is. Literally, no, idea. And she is going to take all of it out on the bad guy because otherwise she might actually kill Leo. And he’s got his own furious pride…

-So SHARK LION! Instincts Aakened!

-Champion of the soaring sky…ZYUOH EAGLE! Champion of the surging waves…ZYUOH SHARK! Champion of the savannah…ZYUOH LION! Champion of the forest…ZYUOH ELEPHANT! Champion of the Snowy drifts…ZYUOH TIGER! Animal Sentai, ZYUOHGER!

-And the fight is on, with a surging insert song to rally all the little children watching. And Lion and Shark completely skip the mooks, focusing entirely on the MotW to work out all their anger at the situation…And when they’re both against someone they can just go all out on, they’re both scary ferocious.

-We even get to see Lion’s full strength when he’s not worried about the other guy surviving, when he catches a battle axe between its blades, rips it out of both of the monster’s hands, and then cuts through his armor…And gets a nice big opening! NOW!

-Shark kicks out her Beast Unleashed fin, and then it’s a vicious saw blade strike, that opens things up as everyone gathers, for a combined ZYUOH SLASH and ZYUOH SHOOT! Shark and Tiger of course get the Slashes in, delivering the proper final blow and deciding the fight and she is, quite possibly, even more mad at Lion than she was before.

-Of course, such a good and effective monster of the week gets another round! So out come the Zyuoh Cubes, and let’s cut straight to Animal Combination! THREE! TWO! ONE! ZYUOH KING!

-And so it’s axe versus sword, a classic Fire Emblem matchup if I ever saw one…Though of course, with Elephant and Tiger providing support. I mean, until they get bound in giant netting! Well that’s a problem.

-Cube Giraffe! Go suck them free! And then, Giraffe Bazooka! ZYUOH FIRE!

-You ever get the feeling that their hearts just aren’t in the mecha fights anymore? These things get more and more by the numbers with every season…Maybe it’s just that they don’t have the fun gimmicks yet.

-In the aftermath, Yamato’s patching Leo back up, and Sela finally confronts him properly about the fact that he held back. Again. …Heeeee’s gonna go. And she has every intention of forcing a real fight one day, even as Leo’s pride refuses to allow it…

-But late that night…A gorilla zyuman pours himself tea into a cube teacup…

-Credits! …I’ll tell you a good trick!

And again I’m left with the idea that the character beats are doing more interesting stuff than the fight choreography. The wrestling match stuff was really cool, mind you, but the actual fighting in sentai suits was just, kinda, standard. Some of that might simply be how many of these damn things I’ve watched, of course. Or it might be that they still need to get some more gimmicks onto the field. We’ll see, and hopefully learn about this gorilla man, next time in episode FIVE of Animal Sentai Zyuohger! Wait for it!

[riverofmemoriesft]

. Obsessive Impulsive . 16

Full Summary: “‘I’ve been trying to find you alone for weeks, but you’ve been avoiding me.’  He clicked his tongue, as if scolding her.  'I tried approaching, but you always had someone with you to give me nasty words and looks.  They turned you against me, Miss Levy.’"

Pairings: Gajeel x Levy

Warnings: I strode for a darker fic again.  This is not for sensitive readers.  Violence, stalking, etc.  

Author’s Note: This is a very, very twisted gift for Bubbles, who has not been allowed to so much as read a single chapter.  This will update every other day.

Levy flinched as she moved too quickly, her shoulder throbbing with agony. It was on fire, and when she moved the bandage aside, she saw that it looked anything but ready to heal. She thought about using it to get Elroy to maybe let her go, but didn't dare try just yet. If he lost his temper…

Well. She was kind of trapped in a cabin in the middle of nowhere with no way of escaping and no one to hear her screams.

She took a deep breath and rolled onto her side. Elroy had locked her into the room again for whatever reason, and her shoulder ached too much to attempt an escape for the time being. There was no way out here in this room. She'd hunted up and down the walls for a good portion of the night before.

Levy carefully sat up, propping herself up with a grimace. She listened.

Silence.

Elroy wasn't there.

She climbed out of the bed and immediately made her way over to the door. She touched it with care, getting a feel for any magic. She couldn't use her own with the cuff on her wrist, but it didn't mean she couldn't sense it. She didn't feel anything and tried the knob.

Locked.

So, she retreated back into the room, seeking out any pens or pencils. Written magic could be used by anyone, if used properly. And she just so happened to have memorized one for unlocking - specifically for situations like this.

She was utterly shocked when she found a quill and some ink displayed on a shelf. In tribute to her alongside empty pieces of parchment, Levy guessed. Courtesy of Elroy; a form of entertainment. Scowling, Levy pulled it down. She dipped the quill into the small container and then took a deep breath and took the quill to the door.

Levy scrawled the spell out without faltering, eyes blazing. The lock clicked open as she pulled her quill away. Her hazel eyes narrowed as she peeked her head out of the room. She nodded to herself and padded softly into the other room. She looked around, listening. No sign of Elroy.

Levy scampered further into the room and went to work on investigating, seeking a way out of the cabin. She bit her lip when she found nothing of use and wondered if, with the way he'd miraculously used written magic, he had used some kind of disguising magic to trap her there.

Frustrated, Levy decided to retreat for the time being.

Elroy would be back soon, and she had nothing.

Nothing but a cuff that sealed her magic away.

Gajeel stared openly at the cabin as the sun set. He'd seen no change throughout the day, Lily returning late into the evening with instructions from Makarov to do as he saw fit. The pair had long since fallen silent, simply watching.

He'd seen movement in the windows, and he'd made a low sound deep in his throat at the flash of familiar blue. Levy was certainly in there. She couldn't get out, he was willing to bet, but at least she was alive.

"When do we strike?" Lily asked, sharpening his small sword.

Gajeel mulled over the thought and then decided, "Not tomorrow. We need to make sure we've got some kinda schedule set out. Elroy's too fuckin' perfect. Ain't no way in hell he doesn't have a schedule. We'll watch tomorrow and maybe the next day. Then we'll figure out how to get in. Figure out how to tell Levy we're here. Might leave that up to you. One look and she'll know. Won't even have to say a word."

"That would be nice," Lily replied with a tinge of amusement in his voice, "had I not seen detection spells written into the walls and carved into the ground surrounding the hut."

Gajeel stared at him with blank crimson eyes and then snarled, "Are you fucking kidding me?"

"I hate this man," Lily mused, "but we must give him credit for preparation. He sure knows how to keep a dragon slayer and Exceed out."

"I hate this man," Gajeel grunted, "and I'm gonna laugh as I rip his fucking throat out. Anyone else in the guild know somethin' about written spells?"

Lily thought over it. "Lucy perhaps. Natsu, maybe, but from Lucy, so he'd be pointless in asking. A few of the S-Class mages might know some information, particularly Freed, but he's away with the Thunder Legion and Laxus...Droy and Jet might have picked something up from Levy."

Lucy would be clever, he supposed. "Grab Bunny Girl. Tell Wendy to head out to the crazy old hag and see what she might know about gettin' past 'em."

"Are you just going to watch?"

"The hell am I gonna do with those spells written there?" Gajeel was exasperated. "I ain't stupid, Lil'."

"Well,I mean, look how long it took you to kiss Le - okay, okay, I'm leaving." Lily sprung into the air before Gajeel could grab him. He smirked at his glaring friend. "I'll be back in the morning. Watch your back."

And then he flew away and Gajeel bared his teeth, settling down to watch. His sharp crimson eyes saw blue in the window again and a furious and worried feeling flooded him as he watched from the trees.

Gajeel wondered if she knew he was there.

"...ugh," he finally muttered, sitting back. He'd turned into a goddamn sap over the shrimp, and quite frankly, it was pissing him off. Once upon a time, he would have charged straight in there without thinking - even if it killed her.

Even if it killed him.

But knowing that it'd hurt her in ways far more terrible than physical wounds or illness...he didn't dare let himself get killed. Hurt, sure. Maimed, hell yes if it meant getting her out. But not dead, never dead.

Movement outside of the cabin caught his attention. "Fucker," he sneered as he saw Elroy slip out of the trees and approach the cabin. Gajeel ducked down and leaned forward, paying close attention. He swore under his breath when he saw him disappear behind the cabin. Slinking low, Gajeel made his way around to the back and swore again when he realized he'd missed it. Grumbling, Gajeel settled down to wait.

"I hate this," he muttered.

And fell silent, eyes locked on the cabin.

Levy couldn't figure out why she couldn't sleep, but she could have sworn that she'd seen shadows darting this way and that in the woods. She felt as if someone was watching her.

Of course, that might have been Elroy, too. She wouldn't put it past him to watch her sleep.

She hated it. And him. She especially hated him.

Levy turned over onto her good side with care. Sweat dampened her hair and she pushed her bangs irritably out of her eyes. She was flushed, feverish. It had set in only hours before, and she knew without a doubt that if she didn't get proper medical help soon, it would end badly. She blinked blearily.

She wanted to go home, damn it!

Taking a deep breath, Levy forced herself to close her eyes and relax. Stressing herself out would get her nowhere. Elroy had apologetically told her he had something to do tomorrow. She'd search the space again then. See if she'd missed anything. Maybe go to work on scrawling out runes that might break her out.

Or send off a signal.

Breaking a window might help.

Levy blinked and climbed out of the bed, stumbling to the barred window of her room. She expertly checked the width of her hips against the width between bars, of her head, to see-

Levy grinned.

She could fit through the bars.

"I just," she mumbled under her breath, studying the spell that had been scratched into the glass, "have to figure out how to puzzle out a new spell and fix it..."

If she could redo the spell into one that would shatter it - maybe even the wall - she could leave.

Levy nodded to herself and returned to bed. Rather than wasting time seeking an escape, that's what she'd do. She'd break herself out through a simple window. She curled up on top of the covers and thought only of her friends, family, and Gajeel.

Particularly Gajeel.

When dawn rolled around, Levy was up and smiling prettily at Elroy, her impatience nearly brimming in her eyes. She wanted him gone. Desperately. Because the second he was gone, the second she could work.

She fought down the urge to retch as he lightly took a hand in his and kissed it with cold lips. Levy stiffened, but said nothing as he said gently, "I'm sorry, Miss Levy. I'll be back later, alright? You can come out of your room later."

"I understand," she pretended to sigh miserably. "Don't take too long."

He beamed, delighted. As if he thought she was finally coming to her senses. She wanted to outright laugh at him. How stupid was he?! He touched her cheek warmly and then gently nudged her into room. Levy dropped her smile the second the door was shut and scrubbed her cheek with a look of disgust. "Ugh," she muttered.

She headed for the window, studying the spell there. "Here we are," she murmured. "A spell...saying... " She scanned it, ignoring painful throbbing in her shoulder. "If I try to break it with something...then it'll blow up in my face. So I just need to figure out how to squeeze the idea of doing nothing instead. Maybe even a soundless rune. Thank you, Freed, for your glorious teachings."

Levy continued to mumble to herself as she went to work, humming quietly, grabbing a book and cursing herself for ruining its beauty as she began to scrawl words, symbols, and more on the paper.

"Gajeel!"

"Holy fuck, Bunny Girl!" Gajeel yelped as Lucy very nearly screamed, ducking to avoid the spear of iron that came flying at her. She glared viciously at him.

"You just nearly beheaded me!" she said in a shrill voice.

"You scared the hell out of me!"

"Well, I'm sorry!" Lucy threw her hands up and then pressed a hand over her pounding heart. Her dark eyes flickered with annoyance and then worry. "Any sign of Levy?"

He shook his head. "Seen her in the cabin," he muttered as Lily settled on the ground beside them, jerking his chin towards the building. "She's alive for now. What d'ya know about written spells, Bunny Girl?"

Lucy shifted uneasily. "Not a whole lot," she admitted. "Bits and pieces. I'm not good with re-making them into something else - not like Levy is. But I can read them fairly well."

Gajeel huffed, but said nothing as he looked back at the cabin. He paused when he saw Elroy, swiftly shoving Lucy to the ground despite her protest. Lily lashed his tail and all three watched through shrubbery as Elroy paused to look around and then slid away, heading further into the forest - towards Magnolia.

"What the hell is he doing there?" Lily demanded.

"Could ya follow him?" Gajeel said, looking at him.

"I can try. He's very perceptive and will likely notice." Lily's gaze was fierce. "But I'll do it if it means helping Levy."

"Be careful," Lucy pleaded, "and hurry back. I promised Natsu I'd be back before sunset tonight."

Lily nodded, reassuring her he would be, and then flew off. Grunting, Gajeel knelt in the dirt and thoughtfully scratched out a few symbols in Draconian. "How's Salamander?"

"Not good," Lucy admitted with a defeated sigh. "He's...paranoid. Really paranoid. Every sound makes him jump, and...and he's...so…" She struggled to explain. "Dark. He hasn't smiled since Strawberry Street blew up, and he wakes up panicked in the night. I haven't gotten much sleep sitting beside him, to be honest."

Gajeel paused to look at the woman he'd reluctantly begun to call friend over the last few months. She was tired, with shadowed eyes and a haunted look. And he realized that while Levy had been Elroy's goal, he'd affected them all. "He ain't gonna get better anytime soon, Bunny Girl."

"That's what Porlyusica and even Lisanna said. Mira said the last time he was close to this is when Lisanna...died?" She paused, questioning herself, and then shook her head. "I need to get closer to see those spells...what are you doing?"

He jerked his chin at the Draconian. "Recognize these?"

She shook her head. "Should I?"

"Draconian," he explained. "Some of 'em are used in even regular spells. S'hard to sort 'em out from other languages. Thought I might have seen some etched in the larger spells on the walls."

Lucy studied them, tucking a lock of blonde hair out of her eyes. "I see. I do need to get a closer look, Gajeel."

"Well that's gonna be a fuckin' delight," he rumbled, glaring over his shoulder at the cabin. "I don't know a lot about these things, but I recognize alarms. There are sure as hell alarms. Everywhere."

"The thing about written alarms like you're talking about," Lucy said with sparkling eyes, "is that they have to be specific, and I doubt he thought to write them out for me. He was probably thinking of you and maybe Gildarts or Gray or something. I'll try and get close. If I can, I'll let Levy know we're here."

"Not all of 'em are alarms," he warned.

She smiled, standing and brushing her knees off. "I know. I'm off. Watch my back?"

He rolled his crimson eyes to the sky. "You're psychotic. Ya succeed, I'll give ya some payment."

She faltered. "How much?"

"Ya won't have to pay rent for ten years."

She beamed. "I won't fail."

Lucy set off for the cabin.