#Kasa and I were doing this for two of our other ships

[sakurarisen]

What Type of Love do you Deserve?

Soft Love

this is the type of love that doesn't require anything more than a simple ‟i love you” to feel truly appreciated and happy. you deserve a partner that'll accept you for who you are. they'll accept your mistakes without trying to correct them, your flaws without trying to correct them and your faults without trying to make them right. when your partner is soft, it creates a sense of comfort and ease for you. you feel like you can tell him anything without being judged. in a soft love, you're both vulnerable and open with each other. it's a love that wakes up every single day and says ‟i still choose you”.

Tagged by: Nope, hijacked from her brother Thoma over at @yoroiis <3

Tagging: Steal it! <3

[machifuwa]

- Sunshine - Sunny Side Episode 7

Sunny Side Festival. The first day, the landing place

Tsukasa: We have finally arrived. Thank you for your hard work while we were on our way here, Narukami-senpai.

Arashi: Tsukasa-chan too. Thanks to your initiative, I was able to spend a comfortable time both on the plane and on the ship.

I can hear the music from here, maybe it's because the venue is pretty close♪

I think it's called... "reggae"? This loose melody is perfect for this beach.

I didn't even know the full meaning of this [SSF], so I didn't really feel like I was going to be a part of it even after I decided to participate. But, I'm finally starting to feel excited.

We have worked very hard for this day. We should enjoy our time here while it lasts♪

Tsukasa: Yes.

...By the way, the others have not come out of any of the boats at all, have they? Did something happen?

Arashi: Come to think of it, it's been a while since we've arrived but they haven't shown up at all, no?

We decided to disembark separately and meet up on the beach because our cabins are far apart and there are a lot of passengers.

Arashi: It's pretty late now, no? Do you think they're already inside, waiting for us? Want me to call them?

...Ah, speak of the devil. Look, there they are, the three of them together.

Arashi: O~i, over here♪

Leo: Wahaha ☆ Here we are at last, the island of everlasting summer! I'm here to see you, King Kamehameha!

It's so hot... it's like Mars! I've never been there!

Tsukasa: Kamehameha the Great is the "King" of a different island, and the average temperature on Mars is below freezing.

Anyway, thanks for your hard work, everyone. You were pretty late though, did something happen?

Izumi: Kinda. It took me a while to apply some sunscreen in my skin and Leo-kun here found an inspiration as usual.

And Kuma-kun, I guess the sun got the better of him.

Ritsu: I haven't lost yet though~? I'm fighting it little by little.

But I'm pretty much at my limit... Anija was working on the South Island last year, so I thought I'd be able to handle the heat like he did...

I guess I was naive in my expectations. The sun is blinding me and I'm losing too much power...

Izumi: We should probably evacuate indoors as soon as possible.

Let's get moving. Kasa-kun, where's the car?

Tsukasa: There were no arrangements. The Hotel is within walking distance so...

Izumi: Haa? We're exhausted after a long journey and they'll make us walk? I can't believe it.

Tsukasa: That being said, there will be no cars on this sandy beach. Please be patient for just a few minutes.

Arashi: According to Tsukasa-chan's hand-made "brochure"... Aah, the white building over there.

It's really not that far or close. Let's stop whining, and go, shall we?

Izumi: I guess it can't he helped. You can thank me for being so understanding later.

Tsukasa: "Understanding"...?

Izumi: What, you got a problem with that?

Tsukasa: No, not at all...

Leo: Look, look! I picked up a beautiful pebble! And some cool sticks!

The South Island is amazing, it's so full of treasures! Wahahaha ☆

Izumi: ...(throws it far away without saying a word)

Leo: Uwaaaaaan!? He threw it! You're terrible!

Izumi: This is no time for a treasure hunt. I'm tired, so please shut up and follow me.

Tsukasa: ...I am glad that you somehow managed to come all the way here, in the Hotel, Ritsu-senpaiー

You look so wobbly and painful. Please hop on my back. Let me carry you.

Ritsu: Really~? Thanks for the help... and up we... go~

Tsukasa: A-ack...!

Ritsu: Hmm. Su~chan, are you leaning forward? Why do I feel like we're about to fall over...

Tsukasa: Sorry, my feet are caught in the sand and it's difficult to walk...

Ack!?

Ritsu: And we fell... it's fine, I'll just walk on my own two feet.

Tsukasa: But...

Ritsu: It's just over there, right? Just a little support would be enough.

How long do you plan to stay buried in the sand like that? Here, hold on.

Tsukasa: Y-yes... I was supposed to help you, but you helped me instead.

Ritsu: Indeed. I'm glad you felt that way. Thanks, Su~chan.

After a while

Tsukasa: ーThank you for your patience. I've successfully Checked In everyone.

This is the Card Key for your room. If you lose it, you will be charged a reissue fee, so please be careful not to lose it.

Leo: Theeen, I'll leave my card key in Suo's hands!

I lose everything so easily! I'll feel safer with you holding it.

Tsukasa: Why is that? Each of us is given a room, it would be inconvenient for me to manage it.

Why not keep it in your wallet? You will not have to worry about losing it, as you will carry it with you at all times.

Leo: Sure! I'll do that!

Wallet, wallet... huh?

Huh~? It's not here! And my phone and passport are missing too, I think I left them somewhere!

Tsukasa: Eeh!? Where is "somewhere", please remember it!

Leo: Hey, don't rush me! I'll never remember it!

I remember it now! It's in my travel bag!

Here, here! I found my wallet, my phone and my passport! They were all in the bag together!

Tsukasa: I don't think it was necessary to mention all their names, but it's a relief that you have found them.

Make sure you carry your wallet and Card Key with you all the time, okay?

Leo: I know, I know! Trust me, Suo~♪

Tsukasa: ...Ritsu-senpai and Narukami-senpai are... I see that they have already headed to their rooms. How about Sena-senpaiー

Izumi: ……

Tsukasa: ...Senpai, what's the matter?

Izumi: ……

Tsukasa: ……?

< EPISODE 7 END >

Story: "Summer Breeze!" [Sunshine Shimmering in a Foreign Land]

Story by: ゆーます

Collaborator: 日日日

Season: Summer

Characters in this Episode: Leo, Tsukasa, Izumi, Ritsu, Arashi

Reminder: I did not create this story, but I translated it, so please refrain from reposting my translation on other social media platforms.

I apologize if there are any mistakes as well.

(Prev - All - Next) Thank you for reading!

[alice1290]

Read All About It - an Ace/OC fanfic - Chapter 8

Working on Kinktober prompts tonight. 9 more to go for my challenge! Wanted to post something, so enjoy!

If you haven’t caught on yet, a lemon will be somewhere below the cut. ;) 

*I’d also like to note, I wrote this bit before I ever read or saw any of the pieces with Ace and Tama together... and because I love those two together, here’s a gif before the chapter.

~~~

Ace gave the order, whispered and passed along the deck in the shadows of the early dawn. Don’t fight back. Now they were tied up, bound by rope, as the starving villagers raided their ship for food. The food they could replace, but being bound on the shore was embarrassing. Her dignity was taking a huge hit. They could have easily defeated the villagers, or at least defended themselves.

“Now what, Ace?” she asked, watching the last man stroll down the gang plank.

He grinned beside her and stretched his legs out in the sand. “Well, we reached land again.”

Ashina pressed her lips together, glaring at him. “You’re lucky I’m tied up.”

Ace laughed and eyed the villagers finishing the last of the food they had taken. “Can you get free?” he whispered.

“Yes.”

“Good. Don’t attack.” Seconds later Ace burned away his ropes, his whole body lighting on fire, before the flames were quickly extinguished. He stood and the villagers visibly shook in fear before him and the rest of the now free crew.

“Can I buy you dessert?” Ace asked with a big smile.

“Wh- what?” one man stammered.

A little girl, no more than six years old, with violet hair rushed out of the crowd. “Please don’t attack! We’re just hungry!”

Ace just grinned at her. “Where are we, little girl?”

The small girl gasped and looked up at Ace, her eyes wide. “Amigasa Village, in Wano Country.”

“Wano Country,” Ashina repeated. “Now the awful storms last night make sense.” She knew of Wano. Her mother had told her about Wano when Ashina begged for stories of the Grand Line when she was a little girl. Wano was her mother’s homeland.

Ace just gave her a big grin. “This island is nice, warm, sunny, we should stay for a bit. Relax.” Ace tossed an arm over her shoulders and pressed a kiss to her temple.  

Ashina rolled her eyes. “Well, we’ll have to gather supplies and repair the ship before we set sail again, anyway,” she muttered. “Fine.”

She was curious about the island, the people, her mother’s past, but she remembered the look in her mother’s eyes when she spoke of Wano and wondered if it was wise to go looking for answers, or family. Knowing they had disowned her mother, she wasn’t sure she even wanted to look for any remaining family.

“What’s your name?” Ace asked the little girl.

“O-Tama,” she said quietly.

“O-Tama, can you tell us if there’s an inn around?”

“Or a bar?” Ashina muttered, making Ace laugh.

.

.

.

Ashina cracked one eye open, the feeling of being watched disrupting her midafternoon nap. Deuce stood over her and Ace, who was still sound asleep, his back against the large tree they sat under.

“Comfortable?” Deuce teased.

Under the shade of the tree, seated between Ace’s legs and resting against his chest, with his arms draped around, her she was extremely comfortable. Kotatsu, the lynx, was stretched out against Ace’s leg, also asleep. She gave Deuce a grin and a muttered, “He’s warm.”

Deuce rolled his eyes. “Banshee was able to scrounge up some lunch. Wake the Captain so we can all eat.”

Hearing that food was ready Kotatsu jumped up to his feet and darted off toward where the others were camped. There was no inn in the Village large enough to hold all of them, so instead they had found a spot near the shore, under a grove of trees to make a camp. They could have slept on the ship, but this was a fun, different adventure.

Ace grumbled as Ashina pulled away from his embrace. “Ace.” Nothing. “Ace,” she repeated, louder, shaking his shoulder. Still he did not wake. “Ace.” Ashina rolled her eyes and reared back, punching him in the arm as she shouted his name. “Ace!”

Ace jolted awake with a start, wide eyes looking around until they landed on Ashina. “What? What? Are we under attack?”

Ashina chuckled. “No, Flame Boy. Lunch is ready.”

“Oi, food!”

.

.

.

“Ashina I’m not going to fight you.”

“It’s training, I’m not trying to kill you, well not really. You aren’t going to hurt me, Ace.”

“But I could. I’m fire and your… not,” he argued lamely.

“I can use Armament Haki, Ace. If you don’t spare with me this is going to be a pointless training session. I love our crew and they’re getting stronger, but Skull is only good at sword fighting, he’s easy for me to beat in hand to hand. You’re my best competition. I’m not going to hurt you, either.”

Ace balked. “Ashina…”

“I’m tired of debating. Defend yourself or don’t but here I come!” Ashina lunged the next second.

Ace blocked the strong left hook she threw and dodged her low kick. “Ashina! Hey!” Ace continued to dodge and block her blows, but didn’t fight back as she assaulted him.

After a few moments of defending, Ace gave up. “Alright fine, but don’t say I didn’t warn you!”

Ashina gave him a cocky grin and prepared herself. They clashed together in the clearing trading blows and kicks. Ashina used the trunk of a tree to springboard off, her powerful blow missed his cheek and his arms wrapped around her. They crashed to the ground in a tangle of limbs. Ashina managed to gain the upper hand for a split second and pinned him to the ground by sitting on his chest.

“You aren’t using your Devil Fruit.”

“I can fight without it, I did for almost eighteen years,” Ace said. He flipped them both over, pinning her by her shoulders to the ground. “You’re feisty.”

Giving him a smirk, she said, “Don’t relax, Flame Boy. Who said we were done sparring?”

Ashina used her legs to launch him away from her. Ace landed on his feet as she jumped up to hers. They stared at each other for a moment, breathing hard, the second Ashina moved forward Ace did as well. Their fists collided together and he threw a punch as she swung her leg hard into his side. She ducked his fist and swung around to land an elbow. Ace couldn’t block the blow, and she went threw him as he turned to fire.

“You’re fast,” he said as they broke apart.

“So are you.”

Ace lunged and they traded kicks and blows. They used the landscape of the rocks and trees around them to their advantage, sparing in the air for a few seconds before they continued to trade blows, kicking up grass and dirt as they moved.

They both paused, breathing hard and eyeing their opponent. Clapping came from their left and they both turned to see little Tama standing several yards away.

“You’re so good!” she exclaimed as they straightened. She ran over to them and stared with wide eyes up at Ashina. “I’m training to be a Kunoichi, too! You’re amazing!”

Ace raised his eyes. “Kunoichi?” Ace laughed. “Ashina’s a Revolutionary.”

Ashina laughed as Tama looked confused. “But..”

Ashina ruffled her violet bangs playfully. “My mother was a Kunoichi. She taught me how to fight.”

Tama’s eyes and grin widened. “So cool! I want to become strong and go on an adventure! I want to be a powerful Kunoichi! I’m in training now! Will you train me?” Tama asked, excitement in her eyes.

“While we’re here we can train with you,” Ace said, drawing Tama’s eyes to him. He gave her a big, childish grin. “But, if we teach you to fight what can you teach me?”

Tama was thoughtful for a moment before she beamed a big grin up at Ace. “I know how to weave a kasa! I can teach you!”

Ace laughed and squatted down to be eye level with the little girl. “Deal.”

Ashina smiled as she watched Ace hold out his hand. The little girl looked at him with big, awed eyes, and then beamed as she put her little hand in his and he shook it.

.

.

.

Ashina was surprised how good Ace was with children. He was as taken with Tama as the little girl was with him. They played all day, a mixture of fun and training. She was a smart little girl, and she had a strong will and a big dream. Ashina thought of her mother and remembered training with her. Her mother had been a strict teacher, but she was loving, and it showed in the way she trained Ashina, making sure she was strong and able to protect herself.

Tama’s laughter rang out over the water and Ashina was brought out of her daydreams. Tama sat perched on Ace’s shoulders, as the pair strolled down the beach. In the shadows and fading light from the sun, Tama’s violet hair was darker. With big smiles on their faces, they could have been related; brother and little sister or father and daughter.

Ashina shook that random thought away. They were much too young for children and their lifestyle would never allow for such a thing. Her own father had not wanted to take her to sea for the year she had traveled with him, and she was thirteen then. A small child, a baby, on the sea would be unreasonable. It was much too dangerous, especially with Fire Fist’s reputation and bounty. Besides, the way Ace despised his father and his own bloodline, Ashina had doubts that the young man would even want to pass that on to another generation.

She couldn’t help but daydream about it though, and wondered if all women eventually dreamed up imaginary children with their lover. She could easily picture them. A little girl with black hair and green eyes, or a little boy with ruby hair and Ace’s gray ones. Either wouldn’t be complete without Ace’s freckles.

“Oi! Ashina!”

Ashina snapped out of her daydream to see Ace and Tama jogging toward her spot on the sand. Tama plopped down beside her with a big grin. “Tomorrow Ace-san is going to try learn to weave a kasa. Do you want to learn too, Ashina-san?”

“Sure.”

The little girl grinned as Ace sat down in the sand beside Ashina.

“It’s getting late, Tama,” Ace said, “Shouldn’t you be getting home?”

“Won’t your parents worry?” Ashina asked.

Tama didn’t frown, but her smile disappeared. “It’s just me and Hitetsu, he’s my master. He takes care of me and protects me!” she said fondly. “He won’t worry about me, though.”

Tama yawned and laid down on her back, resting her head on Ashina’s thigh. “I’m an orphan,” she said suddenly. “Did you know your mother, Ashina-san?”

“Yes,” Ashina said, smiling gently down at the girl. She brushed her fingers over her forehead, sweeping the violet bangs out of her eyes.

“Will you tell me about her? What did she look like? Did she have your hair?”

Ashina chuckled. “No. My father passed down his hair color. I have my mother’s eyes though, and my Papa says I look like her when she was my age. My mother had dark hair, like Ace’s, though maybe not quite so black. She was strong, a fierce, powerful Kunoichi.”

“She was from Wano then? Did you live on the Grand Line?”

Ashina tried to hide her sadness as she thought of her mother, but she smiled at Tama. “She was born here in Wano, yes, trained to be a Kunoichi just like you are, but she and I lived in the West Blue.”

“Is she still there?” Tama asked softly.

Ashina could feel Ace’s eyes on her as she answered. “No, Mama died when I was thirteen.”

“I’m sorry,” Tama whispered.

“Me too, but it’s okay. I sailed with my Papa and then I made new friends. I know my mother is watching over me as I make my own adventure.”

Tama sat up, gave Ashina a tight hug, and then scrambled over Ashina’s lap to crawl into Ace’s. Her little arms wrapped around his torso and her chubby cheek pressed against his chest. “What about you Ace-san?”

“I’m an orphan like you, Tama, although I do have two adoptive brothers.”

The little girl was starting to drift off, no doubt lulled to sleep from the warmth of Ace’s internal fire and the exhaustion of her busy day. “Will you be my big brother, too, Ace-san?”

Ace grinned down at Tama, patting her head gently. “Sure, O-Tama.”

When Ashina leaned in to place a kiss to his cheek, Ace looked at her with wide eyes. “You’re cute, Ace-san,” she whispered.

Ace gave her a big, boyish grin and Ashina giggled. “We should move off the sand, high tide will be rolling in soon.”

Ace gathered the little girl in his arms, who was now completely asleep, and easily stood. Ashina made a pallet of blankets for the girl beside the fire and Ace laid her down before covering her with the blanket Ashina handed him.

“Kotatsu, keep an eye on Tama,” Ace said, taking Ashina’s hand.

The large cat padded over to the girl and curled up next to her mat. Ashina smiled fondly at the sight of the violet haired girl and the lynx curled around her, before Ace pulled her away to their private tent.

.

.

.

Ace pulled Ashina closer, so she laid firmly against his chest, and ran his fingertips down her spine. She was quiet, ever since they came into the tent after talking to Tama, Ashina was… she was somewhere else. At least her mind was, and Ace wanted her to talk to him.

“Ashina… was your mother really from here? Do you have family here?” Ace asked softly.

She was quiet for a long moment before she rose up to look at him. “She was from Wano, born here, raised here, trained here to be a Kunoichi. She was going to work for the Kozuke family, who used to rule over Wano Country.”

“What happened?”

“She met my father. Wano was different then, Mama said, so Papa stayed, he was building his own crew then, and wanted her to join because she was so skilled. She turned him down. Over and over, Papa said, but he didn’t give up. Papa… I know my father holds no true romantic love for my mother, not the kind that would ever tie him down, he loves the sea, loves being a pirate, but they shared something. Whenever he came to visit us he always took care of Mama, he made sure we wanted for nothing, but then he was gone again.”

“Why did she leave Wano? You said you were raised in the West Blue, that’s where Shanks is from.”

Ashina hummed in agreement. “Yes. Papa was raised on the same island I was. It’s a nice little island, warm most of the year, mild winters.”

“Just your kind of weather,” Ace teased. He brought a hand up to brush her jaw before he pushed back a strand of her hair.

Her fingers traced his freckles and her eyes looked down at his chest to watch the movement of her fingers. “Mama found out she was pregnant. Her family disowned her, the dojo, everyone… they exiled her. They saw her pregnancy as a disgrace to all of her hard work, to herself. Kunoichi’s are trained to have self-control over their urges: hunger, tiredness, anger, desire. An unplanned pregnancy, and when she admitted it was with a young pirate, was the greatest shame.

“Papa took her away. He never said how he managed to leave the Grand Line, to turn around and take her away, but he did. She left with him willingly, and that’s all I know. Mama didn’t like to talk about it. I’m sure I must still have some sort of family left, one grandparent if not both, but I doubt they would want to see me. I don’t want to see them. They turned their back on her, their own daughter. How could they do that?” Her voice cracked.

Ace tightened his arm around her waist as he pressed his lips to her forehead. “I don’t know, Ashina. They sounded like horrible people.”

He brushed away the tears she didn’t know had spilled from her eyes with his thumbs. Ashina tried to give him a small smile. “Mama talked of fond memories of growing up, and she always promised me that no matter what had happened to bring her to the West Blue, she loved me more than anything in the world.”

Ace kissed her forehead again and tried to change the subject to brighten her mood. “You also said you sailed with Shanks. Did you really sail on his ship for a year?”

Ashina’s smile grew instantly and she nodded. “Yes. It made Papa a nervous wreck for the whole year until he finally took me to Baltigo. It was incredible.”

“Made you want to be a pirate deep down, didn’t it?” he teased.

Ashina laughed and pecked his nose in a quick kiss. “Maybe, but training with the Revolutionary Army was fun too. I learned a lot from them, grew stronger.”

“Didn’t I tell you before that you looked like a pirate?” he teased her again.

Ashina rolled her eyes. “That was because of my hair.”

“You’re a pirate now, Missus Spade.”

She stopped tracing patterns on his chest and jabbed a finger playfully into his ribs. Ace shifted, trying to move away from her jab, and they laughed together.

“It’s your fault I have a bounty.”

Ace held up a finger. “No. It’s the Marines’ fault. I didn’t start that fight. They did.”

“Because they recognized you.”

Ace shrugged. “The future Pirate King should be recognizable.”

Ashina grinned and leaned up to press her lips to the corner of his mouth. “Whatever you say, Ace.”

.

.

.

The day was warm as they strolled through the sparse market of Amigasa Village. Ace’s hand was holding hers, their fingers intertwined together as they weaved their way through the crowd. Ashina quelled the urge to tell Tama, who was running in front of her and Ace, to slow down. This was her village after all, and she was still within sight. She was fond of the little girl, and so was Ace, who easily accepted that he was now Tama’s big brother. The crew even seemed to keep a watchful eye out for the little girl when she was around.

The little girl was going to be heartbroken when they left. Deuce, Pinnacle, and Wallace had finished repairing the Spadille yesterday. The log pose had reset weeks ago, and whenever Ace said to set sail they would leave Wano and head deeper into the New World.

Tama wanted Ace and Ashina to meet Hitetsu, which was why they were on a midday adventure into the Village. The little girl had spent all of her time with them since seeing them training together in the forest, and Ashina was sure Tama’s master was worried for her, even if Tama assured her he wasn’t.

Ashina grinned as the little girl turned around to ensure they were still following her. Ace gave a big smile and a wave. Ashina’s smile fell away as Tama’s sandal caught on a rock. The little girl stumbled into a well-dressed man who sneered down at the little girl. Ashina surged forward as his hand raised, her arms wrapped around Tama’s little body, shielding her with her own as the man’s fist came down. It slammed into her shoulder blade. Ashina had been hit harder, but she still flinched under his heavy hand and Tama screamed.

There was no time to draw her katana before a fiery fist sent the man sailing across the street and crashing into a building. Ace scooped up Ashina, who held onto Tama, and took off running.

“Which way, Tama?”  

The little girl opened her eyes and shouted, “Turn left!”

Ace easily outran the few townspeople chasing them, but skidded to a stop at the sight of the large man standing in the middle of the street.

“Hitetsu!” Tama shouted happily.

“What are you doing with O-Tama?” The man gripped the hilt of his large sword and Ace quickly set Ashina on her feet.

Tama jumped out of Ashina’s arms and in front of them. “Hitetsu-sama, they are my friends! Ashina-san saved me from the mean man in the market and Ace-san ran away with us after punching the man. Ace-san is a fire-man Hitetsu! And Ashina-san is a Kunoichi, who’s really a Revolutionary pirate!”

Hitetsu eyed them suspiciously and then smiled at Tama. “Friends of yours, eh? Well, come on inside then.”

.

.

.

The only sounds that filled the air was the gentle breeze blowing through the trees and crickets chirping. The stars lit up the night sky. Ace traced patterns like constellations across the smooth skin of Ashina’s naked back. He traced the outline of the spade on her shoulder and then placed a kiss to the dip in her spine. She smelt like she always did, citrus and saltwater, as he trailed his nose up her spine, leaving teasing kisses on her skin. He brushed her hair completely over one shoulder, exposing the other. His fingers were gentle over the bruise the man had left on her skin, but flames licked at his back as he remembered the sight of Ashina being struck.

He had seen her fight before, and she always defended herself. Never had he witnessed her willingly let someone strike her. She had rushed to protect Tama from the blow, taking the impact herself. Ace had seen red at that point and was lucky he didn’t kill the man, although he still wanted too.

Ashina shifted under his touch, bringing him back to the present, and he nipped the curve of her shoulder before covering the bite with a wet kiss. “I didn’t like seeing you get hit,” he whispered in her ear.

The crew were all asleep, some in deep, drunken slumber complete with heavy snores, several yards away. Ace and Ashina were still laying on a blanket outside their tent. She shifted, turning to face him, and his hand slid over her hip, gliding across the small of her back to draw her in closer. Her fingers connected the freckles that were scattered across his chest and she pressed a kiss to the hollow of his throat.

Tilting her head back she caught his eyes. “I’m okay. Tama is okay, I was worried about her. I was so angry when he raised his hand to strike her.”

“I wanted to kill him for striking you. No one will ever put their hands on you,” Ace swore before kissing her.

She was his and no one would ever lay their hands on her. Only he could touch her, and Ace wouldn’t dare hurt her. He needed her, and when she deepened the kiss, moaning softly against his mouth, he knew she needed him too.

Ace rolled to lay on top of her, shifting to rest between her thighs. He kept his weight off her with one arm pressed into the blanket covered ground near her head. The sundress she wore made it easy for Ace to slide his fingers up her bare thigh. The dress bunched as he ventured higher. She gasped as his fingers brushed over her breast and broke away from his mouth.

“Ace.”

He caught her green eyes and gave her a mischievous grin. “I learned from my mistakes the other day. I have a condom this time.”

Ashina giggled, but shot back. “You enjoyed yourself still.”

Ace groaned quietly, lips pressing against the curve of her shoulder as he remembered the feel of Ashina’s mouth around his cock. He rocked against her, letting her feel how hard he was right now, and she moaned, nails biting into his back at the sensation. Her fingertips trailed down his back and then back up his ribs. She curved her hands over his shoulders and then tangled one into his hair.

She tugged on the strands as she rolled her hips, grinding against him. Leaning up, she pressed her lips to his in a heated kiss. Ace swept his tongue over her bottom lip and then delved into her warm mouth. He warmed up his touch and ran his fingers back down her torso, gliding under the band of her panties before dipping between her thighs. He swirled his fingers around her entrance, coating her in her wetness before slowly sliding one finger inside her. She was velvet and warm and wet and it was this touch that made him wish they didn’t have to use condoms. The idea of getting her pregnant kept him from giving in to the fantasy of feeling her slick walls bare around his hard cock.

Ashina rocked against him and nipped his jaw. He caught her teasing smile and bright eyes. “Come back to the now, Flame Boy,” she whispered.

“I’m here,” he said, sliding a second finger into her and stroking that one spot deep inside her that always made her scream.

The sound was muffled by his shoulder as she pressed her lips to his warm skin. He withdrew his fingers then, wasting no more time, and sat up on his haunches. Her panties were the first thing removed, tossed over his shoulder, before he tugged open his belt. Ashina watched with hooded eyes as he opened his pants far enough for his cock to spring free. Ace fished the condom out of his pocket and opened it with ease. Ashina plucked it from his fingers and he watched with heated eyes as she rolled it down his length, squeezing his base in her hand.

Ace continued to watch as she guided his head between her slick folds. She used him to pleasure herself, sliding his cock up and down her slit. Ace groaned and jerked his hips forward, slipping inside her warmth.

“Ah.”

He slanted his mouth over hers, swallowing her moaned gasp as he pulled back and then glided into her again, sliding a little further. He rocked, going slow, until he was fully seated inside her. They both groaned and Ashina tilted her head back. Ace trailed wet kisses down the column of her throat, while her hands slid from his hips up his back. Her legs wrapped around his waist, swirling her hips to grind against him. They both moaned softly and Ace set a slow pace, enjoying the soft moans and gasps she made. Her breasts were pressed to his chest and their bodies were quickly becoming slick with sweat as they moved together.

It wasn’t long before she was starting to shake beneath him, her thighs quivering and her fingers digging into his shoulders. He turned his head, meeting her lips and her tongue slid across his. Ace slid his free hand down to her hip and then back up to caress her. She was clinging to him as he thrust into her. She moaned and broke awake from his kiss. Her lips peppered across his cheek before she licked the shell of his ear.

“Faster, Ace,” she whispered.

Ace complied and moaned softly, echoing her cry that she muffled into the curve of his shoulder. He could feel her clench around him, and then she was coming undone, toppling over the edge of ecstasy and bringing him with her. Her tight, slick heat contracted around him over and over as she moaned. He could feel the vibrations against his skin. He knew she was trying to be quiet since they were out in the open. Ace didn’t give a damn at the moment and moaned loudly as he released, his thrusts faltering for a split second. He slowed, lifting his head and pressing his lips to hers.

He peppered her face with kisses as he stilled, smiling as she giggled softly. Reluctantly he got to his feet to dispose of the condom and situate himself before returning to stand over her. She had fixed her dress, lest anyone wake up and see her, but was otherwise still stretched out on the blanket. She looked good in the moonlight, but Ace didn’t want to sleep in the open. Morning sex would definitely need the cover of privacy in their tent.

Ace bent and scooped Ashina into his arms. She stirred, wrapping her own arms around his neck, head tucking under his chin. Ace carried her to their tent, ducking inside. He laid her on their mat and stretched out beside her. He brushed her hair away and then pressed a kiss to the fiery spade on her shoulder. Seconds later he was asleep.

.

.

.

Tama’s laughter rang out in the open air as Ace set another kasa on fire. It was all on accident. He would get frustrated and the thing would burst into flames. Tama thought it was hilarious.

“Start over, Ace-san. Ashina is a natural!”

Ashina sniggered as Ace scowled, and Aggie and Mihar outright laughed at Ace.

“Ace, I want to sail with you a become a pirate!” Tama exclaimed.

“Tama, you’re five years old, aren’t you?” Ace asked.

She nodded and Ace smiled at her. “We’ll come back here when our pirate crew is even bigger.”

“Then will you lemme join your crew when you return?” Tama asked eagerly.

Ace nodded. “Pirates have to be strong! If you’ve become an enchanting Kunoichi by the time we come back… we’ll take you with us!”

Ashina giggled and Mihar laughed as he playfully scowled at his captain. “Ace! Does she really have to be enchanting?”

Ashina laughed, but smiled fondly as she watched Tama light up with excitement. “Then, it’s a promise!”

She jumped up front her spot next to Ace and said. “I’ll become the strongest Kunoichi ever!”

.

.

.

“Promise you’ll come back?” The little girl’s lip waivered as she tried not to cry.

“Of course!” Ace said, ruffling Tama’s hair. “You promised to become the strongest Kunoichi, and you’ll be a Spade pirate.”

“I’ll train extra hard!” Tama added and then wrapped her arms tightly around Ace’s legs.

He pulled her away and then squatted down to be eye level with her. “Good. Be careful, Tama, until we meet again.” Ace pulled her in to a hug then and the little girl threw her arms around his neck.

Tears welled in her eyes and she sniffled, but didn’t cry. Ace grinned down at her. “My little brother, Luffy, is a crybaby. Good to see my little sister is tough.” Ace ruffled her hair again and then tossed his arm around Ashina’s shoulders. “Bye, Tama!”

“Bye, Ace-san, Ashina-san!”

Ace gave orders as they set sail, but he stood and waved goodbye to the violet haired little girl until she disappeared from their sight.

“Where to next?” Ashina asked as she leaned into his side.

She could feel his lips press into her hair before he turned to look at the horizon. “Where ever the journey takes us. I’ll get stronger, and become the strongest pirate in the world.”

“Take Whitebeard’s head?” She remembered the words he’d spoken to her father about his goals. She didn’t mock him, merely questioning if that was still one of them.

“When we meet him on the adventure. Do you trust me?” he asked.

She didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”

[sworntolight-a]

Title: Five Times Kissed

Ships: Entrust (KikuxTakeru), Solarflare (Mako(oc)xTakeru), Fireflower (MakoxTakeruxKiku)

Summary: Five kisses. Five moments. Five of thousands, likely more - All shared across a lifetime spent bound together by the phoenix’s flames.

A drabble set for @soulburnings of our trio of fluffy, loving dorks - Happy birthday, Kasa! <3333

This way. Kiku wasn't sure why she hadn't expected a shortcut down an alley, honey glancing about their surroundings. Wasn't he always telling her not to go near them, always reminding her how dangerous they were with the Mizunuma brothers and their gang lurking around any and every corner? “Takeru, are you sure?”

“You said you didn't want to be seen.”

That was true, and she was thankful for his slowing to a stop and look back to her, first to meet her gaze, then down to the mess staining her blouse. She hadn't wanted to wander through the shopping district where everyone could see her, not when she'd slipped and fallen in a pile of fish guts just an hour earlier; who would with tendrils of fish skin, scales, and various parts making their clothes and hair stick to them? The smell was bad enough, but to be seen would be twice as bard – Especially with the next day being sunday and most of their classmates out for the evening!

All the same, she hadn't expected him to take her concerns to heart, either. Takeru rarely cared what anyone thought of him, and he'd made his thoughts on her needing to look pretty and presentable known more than once. She looked fine, he'd always remind her. Her scarf might have been askew, or her hair frizzy, but he'd always say she looked fine... Except for now, she noted. Now there were no promises of looking 'fine', no comments on her skirt or braid being a bit off, no teases – Just a concerned light in his eyes and free hand reaching out, thumb gently brushing a scale off her cheek.

He rarely cared what others thought, and yet he was all too willing to lead her through back alleys by the hand just so she could rest assured nobody had seen her looking like a whale had exploded.

He didn't have to, didn't have to care, and he was.

For her.

Slowly, Kiku stepped closer, rocking onto her toes and laying her hand against his chest. Despite the fish stuck to her and the awkwardness of it all, she couldn't stop herself from tilting her head towards him... Or her lips from brushing against his, instant coloring her cheeks a vibrant pink, and, she'd find as she pulled back, his bright red, sky-colored eyes wide in surprise and hand tightened around hers. But why... Was her heart pounding so hard against her ribs, now? Why had that felt so... Good? “Thank you, Takeru.”

“Uh...”

“Did you forget how to breathe?”

Gods knew she had.

~~

“You haven't seen my shirt, have you?”

“...What's a shirt?”

Mako didn't have to look to know Takeru's stare had turned blunt, let alone pinned on her. Not when she'd gone and parked herself on top of the shirt in question, casually continuing to scroll through settings in her 3DS game without so much as cracking a smile – No matter how much she wanted to. What was the worst he could do, anyway? Flip her off it? “Never heard of this 'shirt', Takeru. Sorry.”

“I can see it under you,” came his reply, closer than before – Yet she still wouldn't look up. In her opinion, there was no point; they'd been living together for two months, sharing her bedroom for at least one, and aside from some heated playfighting, there was little reason to think her boyfriend would do anything aside from order her off his shirt. And why would she want to do that when keeping it for herself meant he'd have to join her without one?

Yet before she could get out another sound, she'd find her game plucked from her hands, replaced with her phoenix's smirking expression. A smirk that made her own lips curl into a smile; he was looking for a playfight, wasn't he? “It's my shirt.”

“You're mine,” Takeru countered, though Mako could read between the lines: You're my girlfriend, so that makes you AND the shirt mine, doesn't it? “Give it to me.”

“Depends on what this it is.”

“Mako. I want to go to bed.”

“No you don't.”

“I want to sleep.”

No he didn't, not with that look on his face, but she'd not point that out a second time. Instead, she'd simply lift a hand to cup his cheek, guiding Takeru closer for their lips to meet in a soft, loving kiss – A gesture laced in fire and desire. It'd only been a month of sharing a room, and yet, she still caught herself melting far too easily underneath his advance, melting into her pillows like pure putty under his shift to lean over her. “Mmm... God, I love you-”

“You too-”

She'd still never give him back that shirt though.

~~

Gentle touches had always been her favorite, Kiku decided. Even a year, two years earlier, when he'd been little more than a thug and she clueless to the ways of the world, his touch across her hand and cheek had always been enough to lay her every trouble to rest. The rest of the universe seemed to melt away with each soft pass of skin on skin – All that was left was them, in a world all their own.

“I missed you.” She didn't trust her voice above the whisper it'd come out as, fingers curling into his sweatshirt. I missed you. Three words she shouldn't have been so wary to say, but he'd been gone for a reason, too, and she didn't want him to think she hadn't been supporting him the entire time. But now... He was real, right?

She didn't have to ask that question, Takeru's nose nudging hers a second later with a whisper of 'you too'. She'd never thought his return would make a moment like this... Nor had she ever expected she'd spend the day after her birthday hidden away in his bedroom, wrapped up in his arms as the sun slowly sank bellow the horizon outside. He was real, and she was finding that out in the best way possible, snuggling herself against her best friend – Her boyfriend. The boy she'd loved for so long, and nearly lost.

The boy who'd protected her for as long as she could remember.

The boy who made her heart skip a beat with every touch and every smile.

The boy who owned her heart, always.

And for the first time, her lean in was met halfway by a nervous yet eager Takeru, lips barely brushing before bravery took over and met for a far more solid, loving kiss. Their first as a couple... It was enough to send a shiver down her spine, pulled closer the second he noticed. If he thought she was cold, she wasn't sure, but she wasn't about to complain – Let alone pull away from the fire.

Let it consume me – There's no better birthday gift than to be surrounded by him, always.

~~

Takeru's heavy sigh and flop onto their shared bed was more than enough to make Mako laugh, slow fingers undoing the floppy bow tying her hair back into a loose bun. It wasn't the first time she'd seen him nervous; tests when they lived in the city had done this to him, too, as had every mention of ever talking to her parents, but actually meeting them in person as he had seemed to have been her fiance's breaking point. Not that she could tell by the unamused stare he pinned on her a second later, of course! “You survived, didn't you? And I told you they'd like you.”

“Your father talked about the ancient rights of cows,” Takeru reminded, peeling his mouth from the pillow he'd shoved it into. “That's not liking me, Mako, that's- ...What is he?”

“Mom and I have been asking that for a long time.” Hair flopping down against her back and ribbon set aside, she wasted no time in crawling onto the bed and over him, welcoming his quick roll onto his back and arms snaking around her middle. Being on their best behavior, on top of his nervousness all through dinner, had meant touches were kept to a bare minimum – And being pulled down to lay against his far more solid form, warmth almost seeming to wrap around her like the heat from a fireplace, easily drew a content sigh from her lips. No matter how awkward the day, or how bad, laying with him always made it seem like it'd never happened... “They loved you, you know.”

“Mmm...”

“I know that hum.”

Slowly, his head lifted off his pillow, a light kiss connecting them for but a moment. “It's a tired hum.”

“I'm sure.” That was an I hope so, Mako decided, biting the words off the tip of her tongue in favor of another soft kiss, shuddering under the hands slipping under the back of her blouse for a skim of careful fingertips against her skin. Even if she'd wanted to point it out, his touch alone kept her voice from moving past her throat – And made it all to easy for her to 'steal' a third kiss, gently nipping at his lower lip along with it.

It didn't matter if they liked him or not, she reminded herself. It didn't matter if the world did, or what anyone thought of their relationship – Not when- “I love you, Takeru.”

“Love you too, Mako-chan-”

Not when he owned her with such a simple, soft smile.

“Always.”

~~

“It's not like him to sleep this late,” Kiku sighed out, looking away from the living room's wall clock at the sound of a cup clicking against the nearby coffee table. “He's usually up by now, even on bad days. Did he say anything to you?”

Mako shrugged, plopping herself down beside her partner as carefully – and yet as ungracefully – as possible. The infant in her arms had only just stopped fussing no more than a few minutes earlier, and the last thing she wanted to do was set off another crying fit so soon. “It's how things like this go, you know. Sometimes it takes longer to come back from.”

“It's ten, Mako.”

“Mental illness sucks, Kiku.”

Though her lips parted to reply, Kiku quickly pressed them back together. Mako wasn't wrong, and they both knew it – But it wasn't like their household to be so quiet so late into the evening on a bad day, either. Sure, Takeru had spent days on end avoiding most everything on a bad day before, but he'd also made himself known to them all by 8, 9 the latest, too. Knowing it was nearly their eldest child's bedtime and he still wasn't out of bed yet worried her, something Mako quickly picked up on and countered with a soft smile.

“He'll be fine,” she offered, reaching up to brush a strand of raven hair behind Kiku's ear as Hiko crawled up to settle between them, Sumi instantly turning her attention to her brother from her mother's arms. “I promise. We'll just find him in the kitchen before us in the morning, that's all. Hope you didn’t want to keep those muffins for a rainy day.”

“I don't eat that much.”

Unlike the pure relief on Kiku's face at the sound, Takeru's voice only made Mako laugh, reaching out to catch their husband's hands the moment he was close enough to the couch. To the untrained eye, he looked content enough; dressed in sweatpants and a baggy t-shirt, he looked like he'd just rolled out of bed, breaking into a smile the moment Mako gave his hands a light squeeze and Hiko scooted to the side for him to sit with them. Of course, Hiko wouldn't stay there long, either, scooped onto his father's lap half a second later, hugged tight against the elder's middle with giggles galore.

But to his wives, the wear was more than obvious. Bright blue eyes had gone dim, equally as vibrant smile still warm, yet nowhere near as wide. Even his posture was more slouched than normal, and despite his chuckle over Hiko's laughter and Sumi's gurgling in his direction, a finger offered for the baby to grab at, he'd clearly not recovered enough from his 'bad day' to stay up for long. “...Sorry.”

Sorry I worried you. Sorry I was in bed all day. Sorry I haven't been out here. Sorry you had to take care of the kids all day alone- The meanings behind his apology were endless, Kiku leaning in to silence him with a sweet kiss before another could slip free. He had nothing to apologize for, after all, relishing in the faint smile he let work its way into the gesture. “Did you sleep well?”

“Mm-mm.” Once more, he didn't need to elaborate, leaning back into the couch, welcoming both women's snuggle into his sides. Sleep rarely came easy when his PTSD decided to make a reappearance, but after ten years of marriage and twice as long of friendship, even he knew he didn't need to explain himself. “...Mind if I stay here?”

Mako let out a light laugh, fingertips tracing over his jawline, guiding his head to tilt to the side for her own kiss to find his lips, soft and loving. “You make it sound like we'd let you go,” she reminded right after, expression softening as his smile grew a little more. “You're stuck with us, for the rest of your life. Hope you like scratches and cuddles.”

“Love them.”

“Good...”

“'Cause we've never letting you go. Ever.”

Five kisses, five moments... Just five of thousands across a lifetime shared together. No matter what the world tries to throw their way, there's nothing they can't beat-

Not when they can face it as a family, forever bound by the flames.

[scribeofthenewworld]

The Enemy of My Enemy

Their orders were clear: bypass the blockade. It sounded simple enough, but no one had done it yet. Their squadron was a bunch of young guys, like him. They sailed around the tiny rock, barely an island, and spotted two US ships. BOOM! They open-fired on one, and the ship behind them took care of the other. Unfortunately, their enemy ship had been prepared, and returned fire. Their ship took a hit, and both, damaged, made for the tiny island. The following shoot-out was brief. 

“I think we got ‘em all,” Ryan said to his comrades, David and Alexander. 

Osomaku hid behind a rock, reloading. Where was the rest of his squad? Were they all dead? He stepped around the rock and took aim. There were three of them — could he take them all out before they shot him? 

“Hey! One more!” All three soldiers leveled their rifles at him. Recognising defeat, Osomaku dropped his gun and put his hands up. The three Americans approached him. “Let’s just shoot him,” said David. “It’ll save us a lot of trouble.” 

 “Maybe,” said Alexander as they reached the enemy soldier. 

“Aw, he’s just a kid. We can’t just shoot him in cold blood,” said Ryan. 

“This is war,” David argued. He looked the Japanese soldier over. He had the young-looking features that seemed to be typical of his race, but David could see that Ryan was right — the kid couldn’t be older than eighteen. “Alright, well, what should we do with him?” 

“Take him aboard, I guess,” Ryan said. He approached the boy uncertainly. “What’s your name, soldier?”

The boy just looked at him. Of course; he doesn’t speak English. 

“He’s a Jap, stupid,” said Alexander. “They speak some eastern language.”

“I know that.” Ryan put a hand on his chest. “I am Ryan,” he said, speaking slowly. He placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Who are you?”

The boy hesitated, then pointed to himself and said, “Osomaku.” 

“Osomaku, we will take you aboard,” Ryan said, pointing to their ship. Osomaku nodded, still hesitant. 

“Do you think we should tie him?” Alexander asked. 

“Nah; he doesn’t seem aggressive,” Ryan said. Something about Osomaku reminded him of his kid brother, the one who’d drowned four years ago. They’d be about the same age— 

“There! Look out!” Ryan heard a voice cut through the trees, then a gunshot. 

“Wait! Don’t!” he yelled, but it was too late. Osomaku stumbled into Ryan, who caught him and lowered him slowly to the ground. “No! Call a medic!”

“Roger!” Alexander ran off. 

The soldier who had fired came crashing through the brush. It was a Naval pilot named Lars. “I got him?” 

“Lars, he had surrendered! We were bringing him in!” 

“Aw, geez, I didn’t know.” 

Ryan cradled Osomaku’s head in his lap. “Hang in there, kid… help’s coming…” 

“Tosa… kasa… kowaii…” he whispered, his breath rattling as he struggled to inhale. 

“Don’t talk,” Ryan said. 

Ryan had already seen plenty of death in this war, but there was something particularly, unpleasantly jarring about the way the light in Osomaku’s eyes flickered and died, the way his body went terribly stiff then terribly limp in Ryan’s arms, the way his head flopped slightly inward, blood dribbling from the corner of his mouth. 

“Osomaku…” Ryan choked. He looked up at David, the boy’s head still in his lap. 

“He’s dead,” David said quietly. “Sorry, Ryan.” 

“He’s young enough to be my son,” Lars said. 

Ryan didn’t speak for a moment. Then he gently placed Osomaku’s body on the ground and stood. “When we bury our comrades, we should bury him, too.” 

David nodded. “Whatever you need to do.” 

Alexander found the medic — he was dead. The four remaining soldiers buried their fallen comrades, and Osomaku nearby. As they pulled the lifeboat from their damaged ship, Ryan looked out to sea, wondering if Osomaku had a mother and a father in Japan, waiting for their son, who would never come home. 

The four soldiers rowed to the nearest ship. The barricade had held for another day. Their country was safe. 

[aithne]

(Illume) June 9th, 1583: Shadow of a Stranger

From Lady Yukiko's Journal

6/9/1583 late evening

Funitsu's engaged.

To Tomika. Yes, the wu jen who is currently our prisoner.

He explained it to me, and though I have to admit that it sounds plausible, it's a twist only a Scorpion would have thought of. It doesn't change the fact that we're keeping her hands bound and her spellbooks away from her.

This way, she gets to live, war between the Crane and the Scorpion becomes less of a probability since she's marrying into his clan and thus becomes officially a Scorpion, and if we have to kill her later it becomes a domestic dispute rather than an act of war.

Very reasonable.

I don't have to like it, however.

Quite put out tonight.

We're crossing the mountains between here and Kyoto on horseback and sending the ship around to meet us in a few days. It'll take less time going overland, and we have a better chance of approaching Kyoto unseen this way.

And, yes, we're taking Tomika with us.

6/10/1583

Uneventful traveling today. We started the morning by destroying Tomika's cache of shadows--Haku was good enough to bleed so he could order them out into the sunlight, where they perished. Reiko was arguing that we could use the shadows to take care of the army approaching Kyoto, but she was vetoed.

Ach, my back aches horribly, and the child has been kicking me in some very tender places. No matter.

I wonder what the matter with Reiko is? She is muttering in her sleep, and clutching her head as if it hurts her. I hope she is not ill; our healer becoming ill is about the last thing we need at the moment.

The librarian sent a boy off to make sure that Yasahiro's in Kyoto; we'll wait here for him to come back, then move into Kyoto tomorrow.

The lands we passed over are untenanted; it appears that crops were planted but nobody has been tending the fields. It pains me, to see the land I love treated so. These are our people, Akechi's and mine. We are the ones who were supposed to keep them safe. And now, war's come yet again.

Hush, child. We'll sleep soon.

6/11/1583 early morning

We're pausing for a moment to rest. There was a scuffle this morning when Griffon alerted the other two on watch to a person who, in his words, "smelled funny". Tadaki, ever paranoid, told Griffon to go eat her, which he did. Well, he bit her, anyway.

After sorting out the scuffle, it turned out that the woman was looking for Tadaki. (And not pleased that she'd been attacked out of the blue, but admitted some paranoia was probably justified on our part.) She then switched to a language I have rarely heard before but recognize as hengeyokai, appearing to spend some minutes on what I can only assume was an eloquent curse, from the tone of her voice. Tadaki appeared to apologize somewhat, and they spent a few more minutes talking.

Tadaki said that the woman's name was Mirayashi, and she was looking for him to invite him, and by extension us, to join their people in a refuge earby, a large cave. Also, he noted, these caves seemed to be quite extensive, running all the way into Kyoto. It might help us avoid what outlying patrols we might otherwise encounter from the army that was sweeping parallel to us towards Kyoto.

We healed the damage we'd done Mirayashi, and she led us to a large cave, filled with sparrows. Because I knew what Tadaki was, this didn't surprise me, but Reiko asked where Mirayashi's people were. She laughed and said, "These are my people!" and then called down one of the sparrows, who transformed into a young man, bowing deeply.

Reiko said, somewhat sharply, "And why didn't you tell us what you were, Tadaki?" He shrugged and replied that the hengeyokai did not want humans to know quite how entangled in their affairs they are.

We discussed sending some of the Sparrows to try and kill Nakasura, the general who is approaching Kyoto with his army, but it was decided that it as more important to kill the wu jen we were after, and going after Nakasura would probably not do much other than get some of Tadaki's people killed.

We're going to rest for another hour and wait for the librarian's runner to return and then move towards Kyoto.

6/10/1583 late evening

Despite the fact that there is an army bearing down on us, Yasahiro insisted that tonight, at least, we sleep in comfort. My hips thank him, a thousand times over. Not that the General needs to know a thing about my hips.

It is so odd--this city is so familiar, my home of the last six years, yet without Akechi here everything is strange. I keep catching myself thinking that Akechi is simply off visiting a neighboring province, and that he'll be home soon.

On our way to Kyoto, we discovered why the cave system was so extensive--there was another town swallowed by an earthquake before Kyoto was built. We passed any number of buildings in varying stage of decay, but when we came upon a temple that was nearly intact, we called a halt for a bit for something to eat and some exploration.

Inside the temple was a large sundial--funny place for a sundial, indeed. There were some dials that indicated a date; March 21st, 1463. Funitsu was playing with the dials, making it read May 27th of this year, and I heard the sound of my lord's voice, spaking with Funitsu. For a few days, I had successfully distracted myself from how much I missed my lord. The reminder was quite painful, compounded by the fact that the child chose that moment to stretch his legs, seemingly straight up into my lungs.

The child's thoughts grow louder. I worry about what will happen once he is born.

Funitsu changed the dials to read tomorrow, and the sounds of a battle rang through the room. Griffon started singing, and for some reason the dials changed themselves to a point three years in the future--July 11th, 1586. And in the room now rang the buzzes and screeches of Griffon speech.

Griffon said, "Grandfather! Telling everyone to leave Sky Home!" Reiko asked him where Sky Home was, and he replied, "Where I'm from!" and promptly burst into tears and ran out of the room.

I had no idea griffons could cry. This one does, at any rate.

Haku played with it, and heard a conversation about a creature being unable to be contained. Reiko asked if she could have a turn, and set the dials to about twenty years ago. A woman's voice, sad and beautiful, said, "We're going to have to give her up, I fear." Reiko looked a bit sad at that, and I remembered that she was a foundling in Edo.

She then set the dials to fifty years ago, and an old woman's voice rang out. "She's done it again, I'm going to have to wipe that memory. Poor Reiko. She never remembers." I glanced at Reiko, and saw that she had gone pale. I chuckled to myself. One more piece of evidence that our little shaman is a kitsune. Reiko set the dials to a century ago. The same old woman's voice. "She's got another lover. I wonder how long this is going to last."

Poor Reiko looked as confused as I've ever seen her, and left off playing with the dials and wandered away.

The librarian used the badge of office that Akechi had given him, and turned the dials to the day that Nobunga died. We listened to Akechi telling Hideyoshi that he was going to have to take his head, and then Hideyoshi's voice, more frightened than I have ever heard him--"My lord, there is something coming out of the body--"

Then the librarian said, "There's something here that's out of place. See?"

It was a piece of metal that was an odd shape, clinging to the metal of the dial by some odd force. The librarian and Funitsu puzzled over it for a while, until Reiko became impatient and pulled it off.

The piece of metal appeared to be a key of some sort, at least the part of a key that one would hold whle turning it. Around the stubby shaft was a piece of paper that had Akechi's seal on it and the words Sky Home. Reiko asked, "Do you know what this means, Lady?" I shook my head; the child's thoughts had suddenly become too loud for me to even think through. Reiko shrugged and dropped the key and the paper into her pocket. My lord had been here, which is why he knew what was coming, I'm assuming.

Two hours later, we were in Kyoto and found Yasahiro. We briefed him on the caverns and the sundial we found, both pieces of information that he seemed to think useful. We also mentioned that the shadow-making wu jen had been neutralized, and we were going to find and kill the one who is turning people into nezumi.

Yasahiro said that there was a man who was from Nakasura's army who had much information about the army approaching Kyoto, but he didn't know if he could be trusted. Panda said she'd had a vision of Nakasura's second-in-command plotting against him, and this seemed to confirm that her vision was indeed true. I'm impressed; I had no idea Panda was a visionary. I do not beleive it is a common gift even among Spirit Folk.

The man's name was Mia, and we requested to see him before we left. We came into the cell where he was being held. He greeted Funitsu with, "Lord," Panda with "Panda," and the librarian with, "Brother." (The librarian explained to Reiko, when she asked, that this person was a fellow archivist. Reiko, I think, almost believed him, but she's starting to catch on. I confess myself amused on occasion by her.) He had for us the news that Saran, Nakasura's second-in-command, has turned his heart against the general. When Kyoto is attacked, half of Nakasura's army will turn on the other half. I have to confess myself much cheered by this news; otherwise, Yasahiro's people were outnumbered almost seven to one.

Saran is planning to betray his lord, kill him, and then take his territory. I wish him much luck in that venture, though I know the odds of him succeeding are quite low.

Away we went to the cabin on the beach where the nezumi-creating wu jen was holed up. We discussed the advantages of stealth against simply walking up and knocking on the door, and since Tomika was Kasa's superior, we decided on the balls-first route, so to speak. Tomika also suggested that Griffon use the exploding coins to put holes in the hulls of the ships in the harbor. She said it was Funitsu's idea, of course, the minx. I find myself growing to like her despite myself. Perhaps she will be a curb on certian of Funitsu's excesses.

Griffon agreed to this plan, and away we walked, bold as anything, towards the cabin door. We were met by a pair of nezumi patrols who immediately gave way, recoginizing Tomika. I stayed outside, but i heard Kasa ask Tomika what she was doing there.

"Nothing. I came to bring these people here, who will now kill you. I'll be outside." And she stepped out, closing the door behind her.

I looked at her, and she was sighing with satisfaction. She said, to nobody in particular, "Do you know how long I've been waiting to tell that filthy peasant that?" We waited together in silence, listneing to the sounds of battle coming from within the cabin.

When the sounds abruptly ceased, Tomika opened the door and peeked inside. There was Kasa, dead, apparently from a massive blow from Haku. All of my retinue were in some disrepair, and Tadaki was unconcious, Funitsu bending over him and using a healing spell. I looked around, realizing that one was missing. "Where's Reiko?"

Panda pointed to a heap of cloth on the floor that resembled the clothing that Reiko had been wearing. The librarian knelt, pulling aside some of the cloth--

--and curled in a circle was a small black fox, the tip of its one tail silver as moonlight. And quite dead.

Kitsune, like hengeyokai, revert to their fox form when they die. And this proved, incontrovertibly, what she was, at the cost of her life.

Discussion broke out, most of the "I always wanted a fur stole" variety. I heard Tomika ask Funitsu, "Do you value her?"

He considered, then shrugged. "She is useful. Was useful. Why?"

"if you still have my ring--it contains three tablets. When placed on the tongue of a dead person or--" and here she glanced down at the fox, "--creature, it will bring them back to life. In fact, Kasa has one, as well. They are standard Crane issue."

Funitsu followed Tomika's instructions, and the fox's form flowed into Reiko's--quite naked, having left her clothing behind when she transformed. She coughed and sat up. "Why am I naked?"

"Well, you were a fox."

"I was a what?"

Tadaki sniffed. "And here you were angry at me for not telling you what I was, when you were carrying the same secret."

"I'm not hengeyokai. Wouldn't I know if I were?"

Panda broke in here. "You're not hengeyokai. You are kitsune. Remember, Hirohito suggested that we were traveling with one? That one is you. We've seen your fox form, now. I think perhaps one of your spirits is tampering with your memory, keeping you from knowing what you are, for some reason. And you might want to put your clothes back on."

Reiko yanked her robes back on, an unreadable expression on her face. Partially disturbed, partially angry. She said, "Why didn't any of you tell me? Lin, you knew-- Come back and let me yell at you! Damnit." She grumbled to herself, something about spirits never sticking around when it was time to pay the players for the dance.

I could see Panda's eyes were wary, and some of the rest, as well--and well they might be. Kistune are essentially vampiric, able to draw life force from their lovers. I am not so certian that this one is in posession of all her faculties, but she's only a one-tail, the least powerful of the kitsune.

Like Tomika, Kasa had a vial implanted in his chest that allowed him to control the nezumi. Reiko cut hersel, and asked for suggestions for one final command to give the nezumi. Funtsu suggested, "Go home and tend your lands", which Reiko gave and then promptly destroyed the vial.

We destroyed the vial once that was done, and made our way back to Kyoto, where we are this evening.

Panda has brought me the key to Reiko's room, where the shaman has been locked in for the night. And a question ocurrs to me. I know she must be hungry; she has not taken any lovers since we have begun traveling, and the griffon told me quietly that she has been ill and in pain during the nights he's been locked in with her.

Perhaps it is time to see if the kitsune can be trusted. Can she control herself enough not to kill who she feeds on, even as hungry as she is?

If she kills, then she no longer belongs with my retinue. But if my faith in her is justified--and I must have faith that Akechi knew what he was doing when he promoted her over Arenro--she will control herself.

The key is on the desk next to me. Waiting for me to make a decision.

quotes:

[after Panda explains that she's been a career girl all of her life, and she never wanted to take the chance of becoming pregnant, so she really doesn't see the point of sex] "Well, girls can't impregnate you, you know." "...oh." [Panda turns red and walks away]

"What about your plan?" "What plan?" "The plan you were talking about last night, husband. You know, the one where Griffon takes the exploding coins and plants them in the hulls of the ships in the harbor." "Oh, that plan."

"Reiko, you might want to put your gown on if you want to do any more crime fighting today."

"I admit to some carpishness."

[thirdpartytribune]

Interview: Nick Hensley, Reform Party Secretary

1. What is the Reform Party, for the uninformed?

The Reform Party is a moderate, centrist and populist party founded in 1995 by followers of Ross Perot. We take a moderate stance on fiscal issues and no stances on social issues.

Social issues, in modern politics are wedge issues. The Democrats and Republicans bring these issues up year after year, but do not follow through on promises. Parties use these issues only to motivate voting blocs, so they never pass legislation at the federal level to further these issues. When social issues are resolved, such as gay marriage, it is usually done by the nonpartisan courts. We wish to move American politics away from these tactics. Candidates however can pick where they stand on these issues, and we have both socially conservative and socially liberal members.

In addition to our economic platform, we call for the end of unrestricted free trade and opt for a balanced approach to foreign trade. We support American manufacturing. American workers have seen their jobs, communities, pensions and benefits packed into cargo containers and shipped overseas. As this has happened, top level corporate officers have seen their wages increase as the wages of working class Americans declined.

We want to keep Medicare and Social security solvent for future generations by making long term changes, and rooting out fraud in the system.

We advocate for outlawing gerrymandering, opening the ballots to all parties and candidates, and the public financing of all elections. With those platform issues, we hope to break the establishment's hold on political elections and open the door to electing real representation in Washington.

Lastly we wish to balance the budget by ending special interest tax loopholes to raise revenue, ending welfare for large corporations, and restructuring government entities and programs to streamline costs. At the same time we want to create a blueprint to restore the Federal government's financial state in the decades to come, and pass a balanced budget amendment.

2. The party gained 0.2% of the popular vote in last year's election. How does the party plan on capitalizing on this?

For a decade the Reform Party was seen to be on its death bed. Recent reforms in the Reform Party are slowly bringing it back to life. Over the past few years, we've regained our ballot access in several states, and tripled the number of officeholders we have nationwide. While doing so, we have seen an uptick in fundraising and exponentially increased the number of active organizers we have across the country. Last year, we received about 40,000 votes for our nominal presidential candidate, up from less than 1,000 in 2012.

Communications and outreach are always areas we are improving. Most of our growth has come from improvements in our internal and external communications. A few years ago, we invested in social media for the first time, and began issuing periodic press releases. We also have started reaching out to do more interviews. During this process, we've garnered attention and new supporters.




We are also looking to run candidates in more elections. Right now Paul Bachmann is running in Florida State House District 66, Rick Kasa is looking into a run for Franklin County Soil and Water Board, and we are eyeing several more races around the country.

3. What do you feel is holding third parties back, and how can we fix it?

The Democrats and Republicans stacked ballot access and redistricting laws in their favor. Independent and third party candidates have a higher degree of difficulty in obtaining a spot on the ballot. By changing our ballot access laws, on a state level, third party candidates would spend fewer resources on ballot access - like establishment candidates.

Gerrymandering is also a hindrance. Democrats and Republicans draw districts to favor their candidates. Having independent redistricting boards in every state would open elections to independent and third party candidates.

Campaign finance laws are written to favor large party candidates. Most candidates do not qualify for matching funds - like those of the Democratic and Republican Party. If there was a pool of public money for each election, that was split evenly between all ballot qualifying candidates, it would remove special interest money from elections and even the playing field for all candidates.

4. What makes the Reform Party stand out compared to the Democrats, Republicans, or other third parties?

The Reform Party is different from other third parties, because it proposes mainstream solutions. Many third parties are fringe alternatives, as the Reform Party was built to be a vehicle for moderates, which compose the the majority of American voters.

We differ from the Republicans and Democrats, because we are not beholden to special interest donors. The political establishment in the country has taken donations from corporate donors and PACs, and thus legislates to the benefit of a few monied power brokers.

5. What candidates should people be keeping an eye on in the various elections across the nation?



Right now Paul Bachmann is running in Florida State House District 66. He was a political activist for sometime before announcing for office. He has a good political network, raised all of his funds from small donors and will be facing a single opponent without a Democrat in the race. Paul Bachmann may be the non establishment candidate to watch in 2018.



It is rumored that Darcy Richardson of Florida is eyeing a race. I am not in a place to confirm or deny that rumor as I stay away from those things until they are set in stone. I will say that if he did run, he has years of political campaigning under his belt and could self finance to a point. He also has numerous allies that can help him across the political spectrum. He is a friend to great many Libertarians, Greens, Reformers, Democrats and Republicans. He is in a position to turn heads.

6. In a recent Reform Party tweet, the party wrote "#GopInCrisis". Do you feel that the current two party system is starting to crumble?



As far as the long term prospects of the Democrats and Republicans, I don't know what the future holds. In the present however, we have a Democratic Party without a message. The Democratic Party says "Don't support Trump" and that is not platform. They have no solid stances on any issue, and their masters advocate for many things that do not resonate with the American people. They seem out of touch to most.

The Republicans in recent months have shown they are no better for winning the 2018 elections. The White House has created numerous controversies, and President Trump is unpopular through large areas of the country. Meanwhile the Republican legislators are fighting amongst themselves, and have nothing to show for their electoral victories.

That is why America is stagnant.

7. What does the Reform Party think Congress should do about Obamacare?



Once you give voters a benefit, it is hard to take away. If a party was to dismantle Obamacare in its entirety, it would doom that party to the wilderness for a foreseeable future. There are numerous flaws with Obamacare. The main issue is that the cost of healthcare is still rising, and not falling. While looking at the issue of amending Obamacare, we need to stop looking at the cost of health insurance and instead look at the cost of healthcare services. There is a lot of administrative cost that can be cut through regulatory reform - that does not affect the quality of service. A good example of which is the cost of processing medicare, health insurance and other plans. A second example would be tort reform.

8. What about threats such as ISIS and North Korea?



Until recently North Korea was viewed as a joke. Even I thought that North Korea was a clown that talked a good game, and was unable to act. Sadly we were wrong. North Korea's ICBM tests were a wakeup call. However North Korea is protected by China. Diplomatically there is little we can do to with North Korea that doesn't include negotiations with China. It will take the strength of the world to persuade China to rein in its puppet. At this time however it is doable through diplomatic actions.



The United States has been at war in the Middle East for over 20 years. ISIS is a continuous of our military actions in Iraq and Afghanistan. ISIS was created partly by mismanaging our past operations. Luckily recent gains on the battlefield have favored US backed forces. It looks like there may be a rise of an independent Kurdish state. If that is true, the Kurds have been a close ally to the US, and we should continue giving them military support and supplies.

9. Do you feel the mainstream media (FOX, ABC, CBS, NBC, etc.) does not pay enough attention to third parties?



No. Many media outlaws lean towards either the Democratic or the Republican Party, and profit off their actions. Right now the Democrats and Republicans are controlled by the far left and the far right, and media outlets profit off of supporting those groups. Sadly we live in an age where media outlets present opinions and not facts.

10. In 2000, Donald Trump temporarily vied for the Reform presidential candidate nomination. Is it weird to think about that now?



Yes and no. Donald Trump was a friend of Jesse Ventura and was supported by Jack Gargan's faction. Jack Gargan was an authoritative figure within the Reform Party, and was recalled during an emergency meeting in 2000. That meeting was in Nashville, and Jack Gargan supporters created a situation, and police were called to maintain order. Many of the people involved in this situation supported Trump during his campaign. This should have served as a warning to the Republican Party. They did not heed it, and now they have to deal with these people. We spent years marginalizing these people, and forcing them out of the Reform Party. I guess they found a new home.

11. What issue do you think is being ignored too much in politics?





All of them. During the 2016 elections, the current majority and President Trump made numerous promises to the American people. There were several great proposals that have been sidelined, because controversies have taken attention off of them. The American People were promised infrastructure reform. To date neither the Democrats nor Republicans have moved on the issue.

There has been little talk on budget reduction. Leaving positions unfilled does not significantly reduce the cost of operation for an organization the size of the United States. These unfilled positions have reduced America's spending by tens of millions of dollars when we have a budget deficit measured in the hundreds of billions.

Special interest control of the American political process is another issue that no one is talking about. Political Action Committees, lobbyists and corporate donors spend billions of dollars to influence lawmakers. As lawmakers are serving the wants of special interests, they are ignoring the needs of The People.

12. Anything you'd like to say?




I would like to thank the Third Party Tribune for allowing me to do this interview. Minor parties find themselves ignored by many media outlets, and the Third Party Tribune has given me a great opportunity.

Going forth into the future, the United States faces many challenges. We have a growing debt of nearly 20 trillion dollars. Our economy and worker wages have been stagnant for a decade. Americans' savings are lower compared to other nations. We have been in constant military conflict in the Middle East for two decades, and there is no end in sight. Meanwhile we look towards the political establishment, composed of Democrats and Republicans, to fix these issues. Issues they created.

In order to solve these issues, we must look elsewhere.

 The Reform Party wants to bring honest leadership and real solutions to American government. As we rebuild, we are looking for new members. We need volunteers and activists, like you, from across the center left and center right to accomplish our goals. Without an active membership, the Reform Party will not be able to break the political establishment. If you can't volunteer, donate and/or vote for our candidates on election day.

Thank you for reading this interview, and allowing me a few minutes of your time.

The Third Party Tribune would like to thank Mr. Hensley for his time.