#THE SHOT WITH VI UNDER THE BLOODY WINDOW LIGHT..

[hightaled]

wait hello?

[silverfootstepswrites]

title Wire summary It’s all about the balance pairing itasaku, tobisaku, hot messes

Part i | Part ii | Part iii | Part iv | Part v | Part vi | Part vii | Part viii | Part ix | Part x | Part xi | Part xii | Part xiii | Part xiv | Part xv | Part xvi | Part xvii | Part xviii | Part xix (here) | Part xx | Part xxi | Part xxii | Part xxiii | Part xxiv | Part xxv | Part xxvi | Part xxvii | Part xxviii | Part xxix | Part xxx | Part xxxi | Part xxxii | Part xxxiii | Part xxxiv | Part xxxv | Part xxxvi | Part xxxvii| Part xxxviii | Part xxxix | Part XL (it ends here)

A droplet of water. The sharp plink of it hitting the tile. Tobirama exhaled. He ran his palm along the back of his neck. Kneading his fingers into his shoulder. 

He sucked in a long breath, head lolling back.

“You could have called, you know,” he suddenly said. His voice echoing and harsh along the walls of the bathroom.

“I know,” Sakura replied. She let the glass door shut behind her. Her heels clicked as she took a few steps forward, arms folded across her chest. Tobirama glanced her over. 

“Don’t get up. I’m not staying long,” Sakura said. 

He nodded. He ran his hands through his hair. Wiped the water from his eyes. He draped his arm over the edge of the tub as he waited for her to speak. 

"I need you to do me a favor."

Tobirama grunted.

"....A big favor," Hashirama emphasized. 

Tobirama's eyes narrowed. He picked up the phone, including the plastic body. The cord wrapped around his arm as he turned to look out the window.

"What kind of favor?" he demanded. And Hashirama chuckled.

"There it is. Just come to the karaoke bar in East Point," Hashirama insisted. "The one in the basement," he added. And then the call ended with a click.

Grumbling under his breath, Tobirama still hopped off the counter. He pulled on one of his cleaner wifebeaters and a leather jacket over it. Cigarette between his teeth, he took the elevator down to the lobby. Nodded at the concierge, who was already on the phone to call for his car. 

The drive to East Point from his apartment was quick. He barely had time to cycle through three songs on the radio by the time he found parking. Stomped down the concrete steps, into the karaoke bar. Where it didn't matter if he was smoking because the smoke machines were spewing out haze anyway. And the blinking pink and green lights hurt his head. 

Tobirama made his way to the back. The guards at the door let him in without complaint.

"Big brother, do you have any idea how many shitty karaoke bars there are in East Point?" complained Tobirama as soon as he walked in.

"And yet you came right away," quipped Hashirama in return. Smiling from his perch on the corner of the big wooden desk. Tobirama glared. And then he noticed a girl sitting in the leather chair. It looked like she was wearing Hashirama's blazer over her shoulders. She was skinny, with those big, wild eyes of a street dog. The kind that wandered out of the dump to bare its missing teeth. 

Tobirama's eyes flickered from her to Hashirama. 

"This is Jing-Mei," Hashirama introduced her. He reached over to take her hand. She yanked it back, but not before Tobirama saw the blood staining every inch of her palm.

"Sorry, sorry," chuckled Hashirama, ruffling her hair. The girl scowled, not saying anything. 

"This is my dai dai. We can trust him," Hashirama went on. At that, the girl lifted her chin. She shot another suspicious glare at Tobirama before she stared Hashirama in the face.

"Dai dai?" she repeated. "Like... little brother?" she said the last words in English. Her Cantonese was smooth enough, but there was something off about it. Like one key on a piano that was just slightly out of tune. 

"Yeah. My real little brother. Same mom and dad," Hashirama answered, patting her head again. She didn't shake him off.

"Anyway, Tobirama, little Jing-Mei here needs a place to stay," Hashirama went on. 

"So? Have her stay with you. What's the point of having that bigass house if you're not going to use it?" Tobirama suggested. 

"My wife is a good woman. But I'm sure even she would object to having a karaoke hostess live with us," replied Hashirama. And then he looked at Jing-Mei again. "No offense."

"Nah, s'fine. You're not wrong," sighed the girl. She sounded exhausted. 

And when his older brother looked at him again, Tobirama made a face. 

"No," he said before he heard the question.

"It would be for a month. Max," insisted Hashirama. 

"You got a job, don't you? You don't have a place to stay?" he asked the girl. To his surprise, she didn't flinch away from his gaze. She glared right back. Eyes gleaming like a broken beer bottle catching the sunlight. 

"I was living with my boyfriend. He's dead now," she enunciated. Each sound piercing. She looked like she had more to say, but then she looked up at Hashirama. Her mouth shut again.

"Little Jing-Mei here was Broken Fang's girlfriend. I say 'was' because he was just killed by the Suns a few hours ago," Hashirama explained. Jing-Mei looked away. Her bloody hands clenching together in her lap. 

Tobirama squinted as he thought. He pulled his cigarette out of his mouth. Exhaling a plume of smoke up toward the old plaster ceiling.

"Broken Fang?" he repeated. Trying to place the name. And then his eyes widened.

"Ah, that little lan yeung? Shame. He was kind of funny when he wasn't being a pain in my ass," Tobirama mused. He didn't miss the way that the girl glared at him. 

"Of course, I had her go tell Fatboy Huang everything. Didn't want the blame falling on us, especially since you've been fighting with their boys recently," Hashirama went on. He pinned his brother with a pointed look. Tobirama shrugged.

"Fuckers have been cocky. Times Square is mine and they've been trying to edge their way in," grunted Tobirama. Still, Hashirama pinned him with his eyes for a moment longer before he moved on. 

"Anyway, Jing-Mei's been living with Broken Fang. And since he's dead, I've decided to keep an eye on her until she can get back on her feet. So let her crash on your sofa. She doesn't need you to feed her or chauffeur her. Right?" Hashirama went on. As he spoke, he met the girl's eyes. And she nodded.

Tobirama ground his teeth. Sighing and glaring, he rubbed the back of his neck. But he really couldn't budge against his older brother. 

"Fine," he grunted. 

The brothers discussed a few more things before Tobirama headed out. The little karaoke hostess hot on his heels. He caught the way she waved at Hashirama before the door closed behind her. And Hashirama waved back, smiling.

"He's married."

"I know that," she grumbled in return. And Tobirama was surprised that she had even heard him over all the blasting music and voices.

He felt a little tug on the back of his jacket. Glanced back and found her pinching the hem between two of her fingers. Even as the drunk people stumbling around jostled her, she didn't let go.  He didn't say anything to her as he kept walking.

"I've only got two rules," Tobirama told her as they walked into his apartment later.

"Don't go in my room and don't touch my shit," he told her. As he spoke, he pointed to the closed door. He then pointed to the black sofa in the living room.

"Sleep there. Your bathroom's there," Tobirama pointed to each thing as he spoke. Running his hands through his hair, he glanced her over. At her skinned knees and the purple bruise blooming on the side of her neck.

And he didn't want to know.

"Clean yourself up," he ordered. And he slipped into his room to sleep.

He heard the faucets squeak a little while later. The water splashed across the tiles. And for some reason, he also expected to hear her sobbing. That's what he hated about women. They were so quick to shed tears. To weep over any little thing.

Instead, all he heard was her damp feet padding across the floor. She flicked the light switch. And then the apartment fell silent. Just the hum of the dehumidifier running in the background.

Tobirama woke late in the morning. Found her on the sofa, curled up in Hashirama's blazer. And he felt like a dick for not realizing how cold it was out in the living room. He grabbed an extra blanket from the linen closet and tossed it over her. When he passed by later to brush his teeth, she had wrapped it around herself. Snoozing on like a steamed bun.

He left her a key on the coffee table. Met up with a dealer in a basketball court to collect his money. And when the dealer came up short, wet his knuckles with a little blood.

By the time he was done with work for the day, it was a little past 1 in the morning. He opened his apartment door a little more carefully than he normally would have. But the sofa was empty. The blanket he had given her folded neatly on one end. The only trace of her presence was the purse she had carried in the night before.

Tossing back a few whiskeys, he fell asleep still in his clothes. Only stirring when he heard the front door open. Her heels tapping in the foyer. But when she slipped those off, her footfalls were soft. He could hear her draw closer. She paused in the doorway. He could hear her breathe out a soft sigh. And after a moment, she closed the door to his room. The draft brought in the smell of perfume and beer that clung to her.

Tobirama listened to her shower. Only when she shut off all the lights and settled onto the sofa did he fall back asleep too.

Hashirama hadn't been lying. She never asked for anything. Never touched the booze in his liquor cabinet. He didn't even see the girl often. And when he did, usually she was sleeping. Barely visible in the blanket and her tangled hair.

What he did notice was that she started to bring back shopping bags with her. Expensive brands in thick paper bags filled with tissue paper. And she kept them in the corner of the living room, in the space between the sofa and the armchair. Out of sight.

It wasn't really in his nature to pry. After all, the girl didn't ask him any stupid questions. And he thought it fair to return the gesture. But he found himself thinking about those clothes stuffed into that corner during the day.

So after some thinking, he cleared some space in the hall closet. Left her a note on the coffee table that it was hers now. She never wrote anything back. But when Tobirama peeked into the hall closet a few days later, he found that she had filled it up with her clothes.

He ran into her at a karaoke bar in Wan Chai one night. More precisely, Tobirama spotted her across the room. Sitting in the lap of what looked like a businessman. And from the number of girls crowded around him, he looked to be a generous spender.

"How's she doing?" asked Hashirama. Tobirama refocused his gaze on him. Of course, his brother had chosen this spot to meet on purpose.

"It's like living with a cat. Fine, I guess," replied Tobirama. Whether she was there or not, it didn't make much of a difference to him. Hashirama nodded.

"Go get her for me. I have to talk to her about something," Hashirama requested. Tobirama shoved out of his seat. The look in his brother's eyes wasn't something he felt like arguing with right now.

Tobirama crossed the room. Hands in the pockets of his jacket. As he neared the crowded booth, some of the hostesses eyed him. Their eyes prowling. Looking over his coat and jewelry, searching for name brands. But the businessman didn't notice him. Chortling as his plump hand rubbed up and down Jing-Mei's back.

She laughed too, glitter on her cheeks and shoulders. When she opened her eyes, they met his gaze. Her smile weakened but didn't fade.

"I need to borrow you," Tobirama stated. It was only then that the man noticed him.

"Hey, she's a little busy right now. Why don't you fuck off," he slurred. The girls all giggled around him.

Tobirama took a deep breath. This was a halfway decent place. He didn't particularly feel like splattering this guy's brains across the wall.

"Is that how you talk to 24K?" Tobirama said instead. But the drunk man belched in his face. Waving a hand at him.

"That's what every halfwit and his mother is saying these days. I'm 24K, 24K. You got any proof, pok gaai?" the man guffawed. Tobirama met Jing-Mei's eyes. She stared back, expression flat. Like she was challenging him.

Tobirama felt something in him snap.

"Proof? Yeah, I might have something like that," he replied. He whipped his gun out, jamming it into the man's mouth. The girls shrieked, leaping from the booth and scattering in every direction. Jing-Mei stayed put, her eyes suddenly gleaming. She let out a long sigh.

"Baby, I've got to go. Call me next time you're here, okay?" Jing-Mei said. She pecked the businessman on the cheek. Like she couldn't see him sniveling and drooling around the barrel of the gun.

She held her hand out to Tobirama. Eyes narrowing until he pulled his gun free from the man's mouth. He grimaced at the strings of saliva hanging from it. Wiping it clean on the front of the man's jacket, he stuck it back in his pocket before taking Sakura's hand. She wrapped herself around his arm.

"Put your hand on my ass," she whispered into his ear.

"What."

"Just do it!" she hissed, tugging harder. She was a skinny little thing. And he supposed that some men were into that. But there was also something in her gaze. Something steely and vaguely dangerous. Letting out a sigh, he did as he was told.

As they walked back to Hashirama, she whispered in his ear again.

"I'm just a hostess. It looks suspicious for a gangster to be talking to me unless it's for this," she murmured. And before he could ask what she meant, they arrived at the table. She released his arm to plant a kiss on Hashirama's cheek.

"You're going to get me in trouble with my wife," chuckled Hashirama as she sat next to him. Tobirama sat across from them.

"Got your hooks into another one, huh?" Hashirama asked, looking her up and down. Tobirama looked at her too. At the diamonds glittering in her ears and the matching choker. She gave a mischievous smile.

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean," the girl replied, nearly beaming. And then she reached into her top to pull out a scrap of paper.

"I didn't manage to hear the whole conversation. Sorry," she said, pushing it across the table to Hashirama. Her long pink nails gleamed in the bar's pulsating lights.

Hashirama unfolded the paper, squinting at the scrawled characters in glittering purple ink.

"Heroin? Do you have any idea which dealer they could be talking about?" Hashirama queried.

Jing-Mei adjusted the thin straps of her top. The shimmering gold fabric didn't look particularly comfortable. Forearms up on the table, she leaned in closer to both of them.

"There's a regular here. He's not one of mine, but I see him around a lot. The girls say that he's called York Ng. He's a short guy, shaved head. And he has this tattoo of a skull right here," Jing-Mei told them, pointing to the left side of her throat.

"I thought Four-Eyes Ngai was the bigger dealer around here," Tobirama interjected. Hashirama nodded. The girl shook her head, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Rumor is that Four-Eyes turned informant for the HKPD. So someone made him disappear. I don't know if that's true, but I do know that he's not around anymore," she told them. Hashirama put his elbow up on the table, hand splayed across the lower half of his face as he thought. His eyes darted from the girl to his younger brother.

"Alright. I need you to deliver this message for me. To the usual number," Hashirama instructed. He took a business card out of his pocket and slid it across the table to her. She picked it up. On the front were his name and the name of his trading company in gold letters. But on the back was a message. Numbers and random words written in blue ink. She nodded, slipping it into her bra.

Hashirama stayed to buy her a drink. Some fruity thing with an absurdly big slice of pineapple wedged onto the rim of the glass. As he got to his feet, she stood too.

"You still going to Sifu Might?" Hashirama asked as he pulled on his coat. The girl nodded. She flexed her right arm to reveal the beginnings of some lean muscle on her bicep.

"Three times a week."

"Good. Keep at it," he said. And he reached out to pet the top of her head with his gloved hand. A call lit up the green screen of his Nokia. He raised his hand before he answered, making his way toward the exit. Tobirama moved to follow his older brother out. But the girl met his eyes. She suddenly smiled.

"Don't look at me like that. You don't have to feel sorry for me," she told him.

Tobirama didn't know how to respond to that. He simply nodded before he left too. The pop music still ringing in his ears as he stepped out onto the street.

She was out of his apartment by the end of the month, as promised. She didn't even tell him when she was leaving. But one night, he returned home to find his key and a bottle of expensive whiskey sitting on the coffee table. Her clothes were gone from the hall closet, and even the cosmetics cluttering the counter were gone too.

But as the months went on, he started to see her more and more. At first, she was running small errands. Eavesdropping on conversations in the clubs she worked at. And when she put on a dumb face and told everyone that she was from Japan in broken Cantonese, lips loosened.

Hashirama had bought her a little one-bedroom place in East Point. Right in the heart of the Chrysanthemum Gang's territory. 

The first officer's meeting she attended, she slunk into the smoky room, wary. Like the first time he had met her. As her gaze flitted around the room, at the leering mouths and hungry expressions, she met his eyes.

And Tobirama let out an audible sigh before he lifted his chin a little. He let her sit on the arm of his chair.

"You want one?" he asked, quietly. Holding out his box of cigarettes. She wrinkled her nose.

"I don't smoke," she answered.

"You mind if I smoke?" Sakura asked. She already had her lighter out, cigarette in her mouth. Tobirama said nothing. 

So she lit it.

“I think Fai Tsai is working with the yakuza,” she declared. 

Tobirama raised an eyebrow.

“Ok.”

“While I’m in Tokyo, I need you to keep an eye on his activities here. I’m spread thin as is. I can’t really spare my men to do the job right now,” Sakura went on. She waved her cigarette as she spoke. Only her red mouth visible through that haze. 

“And what will I get in return?” asked Tobirama.

The silence that fell over them was ghastly. Almost as piercing as her eyes. Broken shards of glass glittering in the sand. One droplet of water wobbled from the faucet. Falling with a hollow plop into the bath.

When she smiled, it was worse.

“You don’t need to ask that. We’re 24K, brother. There’s no way I wouldn’t reward you richly,” Sakura assured him. She took a few more steps forward. Crouching in front of the tub. 

She ran her fingers through his hair, raking it out of his eyes again. And then, pulling the cigarette from her mouth, she placed it between his lips instead.

“I’ll be in touch, Tobirama.”

Part i | Part ii | Part iii | Part iv | Part v | Part vi | Part vii | Part viii | Part ix | Part x | Part xi | Part xii | Part xiii | Part xiv | Part xv | Part xvi | Part xvii | Part xviii | Part xix (here) | Part xx | Part xxi | Part xxii | Part xxiii | Part xxiv | Part xxv | Part xxvi | Part xxvii | Part xxviii | Part xxix | Part xxx | Part xxxi | Part xxxii | Part xxxiii | Part xxxiv | Part xxxv | Part xxxvi | Part xxxvii| Part xxxviii | Part xxxix | Part XL (it ends here)

[pink-wisp]

debuting Veronica Amular, a primarily RWBY and Kingdom of Amalur based nonbinary OC. In the rwby universe they are the hooded finalist’s faunus twin, originally a girl until puberty where their hyena traits did confusing things to their body. yes im talking about the fact that female spotted hyenas has a penis like genitalia. im on an Arslan binge so decided to write them interacting to help figure out Vi character.

takes place after season 3. lightly edited, written at 1am on iphone, 1259 words, Arslan’s POV

Edit: here’s a drawing of Vi

--

They loved the forest. the grass beneath their feet, the shade under the trees, and the rain. The hyena faunas bounced around, stubby tail wagging so fast it swayed her body.

Arslan noticed but Reese was the first to act. She grabbed her hoverboard and dragged Vi outside. Then she was scowling at the two, watching huge wave hit the window as Vi dashed around, dragging Reese around by a dust made rope.

“Veronica’s from Vacuo right? All sand?” Nadir asked.

“Yeah.” Arslan said. She turned back to the window, scowl a lighter frown as the waves started to grow bigger and hit some rooftops. Vi and Reese now laughing louder than the rain. No ones been this happy since the Vytal Festival, Arslan thought with a small smi- “Oh shit!” 

Vi hydroplanes. The telekinetic finding no grip and smashing through the window. 

“Ah, Arslan im so sorry-“

“Get off!”

Reese and Vi warent allowed out in the rain after that. Veronica calmed down and adjusted. They still spent their free time in the grass and loved to watch the rain.

But after a month Arslan woke to find Vi at the window, tail wagging and her body almost swaying with it. Their round ears were point forward, pressed to the glass and taking in the sound.

Reese was also snoring rather loudly, so maybe thats why the usually sensitive faunus ears didnt pick up on Arslans footsteps.

“Cant,” Arslan quickly placed her hand over their mouth before they could scream. “sleep?”

Vi lean stilled a few seconds, slitted eyes slowly relaxing back to round pupils. Then they leaned back trying to calm their breath, “Yeah... I can see why Sun moved here. This place is beutiful. “

“Hm. “ Arslan sat next to thr faunus. Soon enough their tail was wagging again, faster than before. The sun was almost rising... she grabbed her gym duffle. “Come on.”

“Hm? Your not going back to sleep?”

“I usually get up around this time to train or mediate. Your not sleeping soon so you can join me.”

“Alright!” Vi jumped up, floating steps silently followed her out of the dorms and into the lockers.

Veronica actually put on clothes. Real clothes not those dust made ones they usually wear. They caught Arslan staring, a confused look on her face. “Dust is harder to manipulate when its wet.”

“Is that why you went through the window?”

Vi huffed and turned their back to her. “I can always go back to sleep.”

“You’d never pass up a chance to play in the rain,” Arslan said, her eyes roaming down their bare back before settling on their tail. It stiffen for a second, then it deflated because she was right. Afterwards they did a light jog away from the dorms and into the forest with the desert student nearly falling in the rain.

When Vi said dust was hard to manipulate when it was wet, they weren't joking. Arslan usually test her strength against their dust constructs, shes only managed to break it once or twice.

“Fuck!” Right now this was the third that shatterd under her blow. Vi dodged back, feet slidding from under her.

Arslan didnt let up. The faunus was forced to block, every attack pushing them off balance. Their saving grace was their semblance and acrobatics, anchoring and pivoting themselves in impossible ways to dodge.

Vacuo was a desert, large open spaces. This was a forest. Arslan kept up the steady assault until Vi’s back hit a tree.

“Are you serious! Ow!” Vi flinched at the shot to her side, swore as they blocked another punch to their face, gasp when they blocked a feint only to be pulled off the tree and thrown to the ground.

Arslan quickly mounted them, a leg managing to pin one of their arms to their body. Arslan smiled, fist slamming into canines that cut her skin. She felt Vi’s telekinetic pull trying to rip her off, but without a dust construct to help Arslan just tighten her legs around the faunus.

A loud growl and soft hyena giggle almost made her laugh. Instead Arslan smiled a bit more, feinting for another attack to their face but landing a hard blow to their already bruising side.

“Argh! Get off!”

Arslan gasped, wet ankles wrapped around her neck and pulled her backwards. Arslan flipped, going with the momentum before the hyena could pin her down. She quickly landed on her feet, and lunged again.

The faunus didn't play defensive. Instead there was a stressed laugh as they bared their fangs and charged. Their feet slipped on the wet grass but they didn’t care.

Arslan smiled, laughing at the wild punches that took too long to wind up. She grinned, letting them punch or kick only for it to be blocked. Hard. Vi winced, aura flickering briefly but much more often.

Arslan took a breath and calmed down. Veronica Amular wasn't build for melee combat. they specialized in dust manipulation, letting them create almost any weapon and was a highly skilled telekinetic letting them handle almost seven chakrams with ease.

They couldn't use dust, they have no idea how to fight in the rain, and they suck ass at hand to hand. But they were still smiling and Arslan’s nose was bleeding from a headbutt. Their aura couldn't take much more hits so... 

Arsland charged again. Straight up tackling the hyena and grappling her. She sucked at it but compared to Vi they were a master.

“Oh are you fucking serious!” Vi said with a growl. Arslan smiled and panted, leaning up and putting more weight on the forearm that laid across their throat and the hand that held their wrist. Once again their other arm was pinned underneath her.

Vi struggled and thrashed but Arslan was bigger and stronger. Their hips barely lifted off the ground and her thighs kept Vi’s arm firmly pinned to their side...

Not under her.

Vi growled, that agitated hyena laugh now completely mixed in. They tried to buck Arslan off and almost did. Instead they just gave her enough room to lock her ankles behind their back.

Vi let out a strangled noise and stilled. It was definitely a moan, and what she thought was their arm was actually a very hard dick.

Arslan shifted her weight to her knees, letting the faunus breath while keeping a firm pressure. After a few seconds, Vi couldn't meet her eyes and stern frown. “Uh...”

“Do you want me to kick you in the dick so you can focus?”

“What?!” Veronic looked back at her. Arslan was stoic, so it was very hard to tell when she was pouting or angry. The only difference is that her eyes aren’t as sharp and she wrinkles her nose a little when shes pouting. Vi let their head hit the ground and laughed, “Your not grossed out?”

“Oh please.” She rolled her eyes arms barely resting on Vi. “Im on top of you rubbing at it, its a bodily reaction.”

Vi smiled again, that same smile when they were playing in the rain with Reese. All that coiled up energy and hackling hairs was gone with a deep laugh. “Your amasing Arslan.” They said, between laughs and with a puppy grin.

Arslan blinked. Once, twice, then looked away. She entire body felt warmer than it should for just a spar in the rain. “So am i kicking you in the dick or what-Hey!”

Once again ankles wrappes around her throat and pulled her off. She wasnt prepared to flip onto her feet so she ended up front fist in the wet grass. With a huff she was back on her feet, arms up and ready to pound that lovestru- that puppy dog face bloody.

Arslan did smile back though.