#Through Tempered Katana

[kultofathena]

Searching for the perfect katana? Our quick guide has you covered. Discover the key factors to consider when buying a sword, from your intended use to your skill level. Dive into the world of quality components and find the balance between price and value. Get ready to make an informed decision and wield a katana that truly reflects your style.

[roses-r-rosie3]

Baby I

Jason Todd x M!Reader

Warnings: Fluff, Slow-burn, swearing

Summary: Jason and the reader (Katana’s younger cousin), having a frenemies relationship and they both slowly start catching feelings for each other but they don’t want to admit it to each other

Quote: “Wait- hold on- you beat me by kissing me?”

A/n: I was very inspired by Kitana from Mortal Kombat (what a coincidence)

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A lot of people knew you as “Gunsen” or (the one you hated the most) “Katana’s sidekick”. But what people didn’t know, was that you were Katana’s younger cousin. She took you in when your parents died. Of course, she taught you how to defend yourself.

After she took you in, she trained to become her sidekick, which basically meant you had to practice with 50 different weapons. And you learned all of them pretty quickly, but one weapon stood out to you, the war fans, also known as a Gunsen, which is where you got your vigilante name from. You knew how to use other weapons, but the war fans felt more natural to you.

So after years of you training with her, she decided that you were ready. She didn’t let you go out on your own at first because well… obviously why would you let a teenager out fighting people in the streets by their self? But boy, when you were in action, you were more than capable of taking care of yourself.

Katana was like the older sister you never had. The two of you would constantly take care of each others wounds when you got home, annoyed each other, and overall just took care of each other.

When Katana knew you were trustworthy enough (which took years), she let you go out on patrol on your own. You eventually moved out of her house to make a name for yourself, and she completely understood. You still kept contact with her because, one, she’s your family, and two, she was more experienced than you.

When you were finally used to going solo, you stopped going after henchmen/goons, and started to go for the actual villains of Gotham. You were not ruthless, but you weren’t known as merciful either. If you killed someone, you killed someone, if you didn’t, you didn’t. But yet, you were still the opposite of Katana, you were a bit more cockier/sassier than her.

On one certain day, you were informed that the penguin had a plan to smuggle illegal weapons to his warehouse, and you couldn’t let that happen.

That night, you snuck into the warehouse, and you listened in to the conversation with the penguin and his henchmen. Unfortunately, you couldn’t listen in for long because someone with a red helmet came bursting through the window.

You took a closer look and realized it was the vigilante, red hood. You’ve heard of him, but you didn’t really know him all too well. But what you did know, was that he had some temper problems, and that meat-head was going to ruin your plans.

Shit.

You had no choice but to go down there and help him fight the Penguin’s henchmen. As soon as you dropped down you pulled out your war-fans and started to fight, trying to make your way to Penguin.

“So are you here to stop Penguin or do I have to kill you too?” Jason asked.

“You? Kill me? Don’t make me laugh. But yes, I’m here to stop Penguin” you chuckled.

“What are you gonna do? Fan me?” Jason laughed.

You were annoyed with him at that point, so you opened your fan and sliced one of the goon’s throat.

“Now what do you think?” You smirked.

“Whatever” Jason mumbled.

After the fight was done, and the Penguin was sent to arkham asylum. You and Jason started to build a “frenemies” type of relationship, weither it be beating each other to the other’s missions. But as the rivalry grew, the more you two grew closer to each other.

It wasn’t until you had a mission to go to one scarecrow’s warehouse and stop him from releasing one of his new fear chemicals. You never took scarecrow seriously, even with all the things that Katana warned you about. I mean, he was just a normal guy at the end of the day.

When you entered the warehouse, Jason immediately landed next to you. You rolled your eyes as you looked at him.

“Hood, still copying me I see” you said as you snuck deeper into the warehouse.

“I didn’t even know you were coming here, so technically, you’re copying me” Jason smirked as he followed you.

“F-”

“Shh” Jason shushed you as he pointed at a door that was left wide open.

You both snuck into the room and the door immediately shut behind you. Jason quickly pulled out his gun and pointed it towards the door, but no one was there. You looked cautiously around the room and you noticed that there was a safe and different viles with what you assumed was scarecrows failed attempts of his new fear gas.

You walked towards the safe and tried to unlock it with all of the combinations you could think of, while Jason stood there watching the door. You tried everything you knew, and none of them were working, and you were starting to get more and more frustrated.

“Did you try 1234 yet?” Jason asked.

“What type of psychotic villain would hide their new fear gas into a vault, and make the passcode 1234? It’s can’t be that easy” you mumbled.

“Would you please just try it, I’m getting impatient” Jason said.

You just rolled your eyes as you typed in the passcode.

“I’m telling you it’s not gonna-”

The safe unlocked and you were shocked. Wow, even the joker would have been smarter than this. You could just feel Jason’s cocky little smirk.

“What did I tell you?” Jason smirked.

“Shut up ho-”

As you opened the safe, you were sprayed with a gas, and it burned. You yelled out in surprise/pain. Jason immediately turned to you and tried helping you. But when you opened your eyes, Jason’s face was all mask was cracked and destroyed and his face underneath was mangled.

You screamed out in fear and Jason tried to comfort you the best he could, but you just kept backing away from him. Jason even took off his helmet to try and comfort you. But all of a sudden the intercom blared and a voice started talking over the speaker.

“Hello there hood, I assume that you have Gunsen with you, and if things went according to plan, he opened up my safe, and got a taste of my new fear gas” Scarecrow’s voice said.

“Shit” Jason cursed under his breath.

“You might be wondering why this is my new fear toxin. Well, it works like normal, but, there’s a little kick in the end” Scarecrow laughed and then the intercom stopped.

Jason looked back at you, and you opened your fan and tried to swing at him.

“Gunsen what are you doing?!” Jason shouted.

You didn’t respond at all. You just tried to kill him. As much as Jason hated to admit it, he cared for you, and actually liked you back.

“Gunsen stop! I don’t want to hurt you!” Jason said.

When you tried attacking him with your fans again, but thankfully, Jason managed to knock both of your fans out of your hands. You growled in anger as you charged at him. Jason dodged all of your different attacks, when he saw the opportunity, he grabbed you around the waist held you in place.

He didn’t know what to do, but he could tell you were about to break away from his grip. He instinctively pushed his lips against yours. Neither you or him pulled back. It took a while for Jason to realize that you were still affected by the fear gas, so he pulled out a tranquilizer he brought (don’t ask why) and hit you with it and you passed out.

When you woke up, you were in a bed, and you felt your face.. your mask was gone! You also had a major migraine, the only thing you remembered was opening the safe and everything went black. You quickly got out of the bed, your suit was still on, but where was your mask?! You walked out of the bedroom, and you saw a guy, a very handsome guy, making breakfast.

“Where am I? And where is my mask” You asked.

“Relax, when you opened the safe you got sprayed with scarecrows fear chemical, we fought a little, but me being better than you, I beat you” the man smirked.

That’s when it hit you, that was red hood! You’ve only seen him with his mask on, and he was hot even then, but with his mask off, he looked hotter than you imagined.

“You want any breakfast?” Jason asked while having a cocky smirk on his face.

“Sure” you said.

After the both of you were done eating, you helped him clean up with the dishes. After you were done cleaning, you both sat on his couch watching his tv in silence but all of a sudden a thought popped into your head.

“How did you beat me? From what I’ve gathered, not to toot my own horn, but I’m way better at combat than you” you questioned.

Jason froze for a second. He couldn’t just tell you that he kissed you!

“I don’t know, I just beat you” Jason mumbled.

“Come on! You were just bragging about how much better than me you were! Tell me how” now it was your turn to wear a cocky smirk.

“I just beat you okay?! That’s all you need to know” Jason said.

“Come o-”

“God you need to learn how to shut up” Jason grumbled as he pulled you into a kiss.

You were shocked at first, but then you started to kiss him back.

“That’s how I beat you” Jason said as he looked into your e/c eyes.

“Wait- hold on- you beat me by kissing me?” You stuttered.

“Do you want another example or something?” Jasons smirked.

After that, you two didn’t start dating yet, but your interactions with each other started to get more flirty. So it was sort of like a friends with benefits type of relationship. It also started to become a normal thing for the two of you to go to Jason’s place after patrol and “hang out”. Hell, you two even knew each other’s secret identities.

You two would never want to admit to each other that you had feelings though. It got bad to the point where it was awkward to even talk to each other. You hated this feeling, you wanted to tell him that you liked him, I mean you two have kissed countless of times! But you still haven’t dated yet! And you couldn’t take it anymore. So after one of your regular hang outs, you finally decided to confess.

“Jay, I have something to say” you spoke up.

“I actually do to” Jason said.

“You wanna say it together?” You asked.

“Sure”

“3…”

“2…”

“1…”

“I want us to be more than just ‘friend’s with benefits’ and I’ve liked you for a while now”

“I’ve actually had a crush on you since we met”

You both sat there in silence, processing what the other just said.

“So… Are we like.. a thing now..?” Jason said awkwardly.

“I guess so” you smiled as you leaned in for a kiss.

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A/n: Sorry that I have not been posting very often :( summer is over now so I’m busier than usual, but my requests are still opened for people who want to request :)

[yuujispinkhair]

To the end (Chapter 2)

The end of the world as you knew it began with the virus spreading in your dorm. Six months later, you are once again on the run. By your side is Sukuna, the bad boy of your camp, the most unlikely companion you expected. But maybe this is exactly as it should be because sometimes hope comes in the form of a smug smirk and a tattooed pair of sword-yielding arms.

Masterpost ++ Chapter 1

Pairing: Sukuna x Reader (female) Genre: Zombie Apocalypse AU, horror, smut and some fluff Playlist: Zombie Apocalypse Word Count: 6k Warnings: 18+, violence, gore, angst, smut, rough sex, cum-eating, squirting, zombies, fighting, knives, blood, mentions of several side characters' deaths, alcohol, cigarettes, suicidal thoughts. This AU is based on The Walking Dead, so imagine a world like this. It's cruel and hopeless at times, but there is also a love story :) All characters are of age. This story is 18+. Minors don't interact.

You wake up with a start. You don't know where you are, and your body reacts instinctively, making you jump out of bed, ready to flee or fight or do both. But you only get a few steps before you run into a solid chest and hear an amused laugh.

"Easy there, princess. Don't knock yourself out."

You blink up at the owner of that chest. And finally, your mind catches up with what is going on. The zombie attack last night. Your unexpected savior. His katana cutting through undead bodies as he slayed through them with all his anger and strength. Pink hair and red and black blood.

Sukuna.

You take a step back, feeling relieved and intimidated at the same time. Sunlight is streaming in through the small window of the hut, mercilessly showing all the reminders of last night's fight on your new companion's skin and clothes.

He still looks as gory as last night, with all the dried blood and dirt splattered all over his face and clothes. The tank top he's wearing looks stiff from all the filth. 

Unbidden, a memory comes to your mind. You overheard several women in the camp say that Sukuna only wears that tank top because it shows off his muscular arms and pecs. They always giggled when saying it, their eyes traveling across the camp to where Sukuna was standing, letting their hungry gazes trail shamelessly over his body.

Your lip twitches.

You know that Sukuna had a certain reputation in your camp. The bad boy, with a short temper and an intimidating aura, but who is also a big flirt. He is a guy who knows how hot he is and enjoys using this to his advantage.

At least three girls in your camp claimed to have slept with Sukuna, and at one point, two of them got into a dramatic argument because they were jealous of each other. They fought over him while Sukuna leaned back in his camping chair and watched them with an amused smirk on his handsome face, enjoying the show way too much. In the end, they both screamed at him to pick his fave, and he just shook his head and told them he didn't do favorites.

If you're honest, it had been quite entertaining. Like watching some trashy reality tv-show. A little normality in the middle of the apocalypse.

Right now, the muscular arms in question are filthy with dried blood, and the stench of death and decay clings to them. But you know that you aren't in any better state. Your clothes feel disgusting where they cling to your skin, sticky with gore and sweat. And you don't even want to know what your hair and skin must look like after all the blood raining down on you last night.

There's a change of clothes in your backpack, but it would be a waste to change into them while you are still so dirty yourself.

Sukuna seems to think the same thing because he informs you:

"Now that you're awake, we can go check in which direction the creek is. I think we shouldn't be too far away. Are you ok to go?"

You nod and try a small smile, though you are sure it fails miserably. Your muscles are sore from the fighting and running last night, and the emotional fatigue is even worse.

Your friend comes to your mind again. Over and over, the same horrible image of her body getting buried under the zombies. Their hands and teeth tearing at her flesh. You feel bile rising in your throat and have to press a hand over your mouth.

Sukuna lifts an eyebrow, giving you a skeptical look before he clicks his tongue.

"Look, since you and I are in this together now, I have some rules, and the first rule is that you don't lie to me. So I'm asking you again, are you ok?"

"I...yeah...I..."

He rolls his eyes dramatically, crossing his muscular arms in front of his chest and looking down at you with a mocking expression on his face.

"Oooh, how convincing. Try again."

His tone is too mocking, his gaze too infuriatingly smug. Something in you snaps. All the anger and frustration and fear you bottled up explodes out of you as you glare at him and spit out angrily:

"Of course, I'm not ok! Are you ok? I don't think so! No one in this world is ok! I am tired of all this fighting. I lost my friend last night! I have no idea what to do or where to go. How am I supposed to be ok? But I am thirsty and covered in dirt and blood and other disgusting things, and I just want to get clean and drink something and maybe feel a tiny bit more comfortable! So can we please go find that creek?! If I have a breakdown on the way, just leave me there to die! I won't be a burden to you!"

Your eyes meet a pair of amused maroon ones. The owner of those eyes grins at you with that typical rude smirk, and his tongue is sticking out between his teeth, making him look so inappropriate somehow. Sukuna always has such an infuriating way of looking at people! It drives you up the wall!

His eyes sparkle when he cocks his head and tells you in an overly fake sweet voice:

"Aww, see, that's the truth. I knew you could do it. Wasn't that hard, was it? So, from now on, you will always be this honest with me, ok?"

You glare at him. Asshole! But his smug smirk grows even wider.

"And the second rule is that you always do as I tell you. Now follow me, brat."

You can't stop yourself from muttering under your breath, "The only brat here is you."

Sukuna's gaze snaps to yours, his eyes fixing you with an unreadable expression. For a second, you are sure you have gone too far, but then Sukuna laughs.

"If being a brat keeps me alive in this fucked up world, then I think it's a good thing. Maybe being a bit fucked up myself helps."

He straps his katana across his back before leaning down to grab your backpack and shoving it against your chest.

"Get whatever you need for a little excursion."

Sukuna pushes the heavy cupboard away from the door as if it weighs nothing, making you think that, as insufferable as he is, he was probably the best person you could run into last night.

He and his brother always were the strongest in your camp. The Itadori twins who chopped more wood in an hour than anyone else. They taught others how to fight and were always the first ones in line when an attack happened.

The difference is that Yuuji is friendly and all smiles and warm words, helpful and ready to sacrifice himself for others in a heartbeat. A hero straight out of a fairytale. The knight in shining armor.

Sukuna, on the other hand, is a bit of an asshole. Arrogant, rude, and ready to fight anyone over petty stuff. Allergic to people telling him what to do. Infamous for his snide remarks.

He once dragged two teenagers who had tried to sneak away back to the camp and snapped at them that he wouldn't die for idiots like them and that if he ever catches them again doing stuff that puts everyone else in danger, he would make sure to feed them to the zombies himself. Everyone in your camp had believed him.

So if Yuuji is the hero, then Sukuna is probably the anti-hero.

You would feel more comfortable with Yuuji here, but you know you shouldn't be complaining about getting the wrong twin. After all, Sukuna is the one who saved your life last night. And if you want to keep living for a while longer, he is your best bet.

And so you quickly put on your backpack, grab your knife, and follow your new zombie apocalypse partner out of the hut and into the forest.

Sukuna is good at this, you realize.

It's the first time you have joined him on an excursion. You always assumed he was just good at fighting. A strong, tall guy who used to be the star player of some sport team in college and now is valuable to the camp because of his brute strength and ability to fight.

But to your surprise, he is also adept at navigating expertly through the forest.

When he catches you watching him, he answers your questioning looks with a short explanation about how to use nature's clues for navigation. He points out markings on the tree barks and tells you what to learn from animal tracks on the ground.

"And all that tells me that the creek should be in this direction."

You follow him, genuinely impressed by his skills.

"So, did you learn all that after the virus, or did you know it before?"

"I knew it before. My grandpa used to take my brother and me hiking and camping almost every weekend when we were kids. Explained all kinds of survival stuff to us. He said those are the truly important things a man needs to know. I guess he was right after all."

Sukuna laughs softly, sounding a lot less intimidating than he usually does to you. His maroon eyes light up when you look at him, and a smile blooms on his face, making him look weirdly pretty despite the blood on his face.

He points a long finger towards a small opening between the trees, and when you follow his gaze, you see something glittering in the distance. Sunlight reflecting on water, you realize.

You smile too, feeling some tension leave your body at the prospect of being able to clean up and get something to drink.

"You did it, Sukuna!"

The rest of the walk goes by without any disturbances. Finally, you reach the small creek and fill your water bottles and wash your faces and arms.

Sukuna shoves the last water bottle into his backpack and jerks his chin in the direction the water flows.

"I want to follow it downhill. Maybe there's a pond down there where we can bath."

He is right. In the nearby valley lies a small pond. The water is peaceful and clear, undisturbed by any undead creatures.

You want to inquire who should get into the water first, but when you turn to Sukuna, he is already grabbing the hem of his filthy tank top and pulling it over his head. It happens so fast that you don't even have time to process what he's doing. You blink at his naked torso, the defined muscles of his pecs and abs, the black tattoed lines inked into his tan skin.

Your mind is barely processing this when Sukuna's long fingers are already wandering to his belt and undoing it before they proceed to open the button and zipper of his black jeans.

You are still staring at him speechlessly when his fingers hook in the hem of his jeans and the black boxer briefs he's wearing underneath and start to push them down.

That's when you finally get out of your momentary daze, and a strangled sound escapes your mouth. You quickly look away, pressing your hands in front of your eyes as you feel your face get hot.

"Hey! What are you doing!?"

Sukuna's low voice sounds amused when he says:

"Aww, do I make you nervous, princess? This is literally the end of the world, and you think I lack decency when I want to get out of my filthy clothes? Just turn around if seeing a naked guy bothers you so much. You are missing out, though."

You roll your eyes at his teasing comment but turn around so your back is to him, heart beating up to your throat.

He is right. There is no need to be so flustered about this. It's no big deal. You are trying to survive out here in this crazy apocalyptic world, so a bit of naked skin shouldn't make you spin out of control. And it's not like Sukuna would be the first guy you see nude.

But if you are honest, Sukuna really makes you nervous. He is hot. He looks and acts like one of those popular jocks at your old college. But not like one of the golden boy types or the team captains. Sukuna looks like one of the troublemakers who would have already gotten kicked out of the team if they weren't so damn talented. 

It makes you nervous to be stuck here with someone like him. Especially since he is so confident, bordering on arrogant. He knows the effect he has on people, and he uses it with far too much glee and smugness.

You wait until he announces in that low, lazy drawl that he is decent again.

"Hey, brat! Your turn."

Your gaze lands on a dripping-wet Sukuna who has his back to you and is currently drying his pink hair with a ratty towel. He is far from decent with the way he looks, clad only in a snug pair of black boxer briefs. But at least he's not entirely naked.

You can't stop yourself from checking out the muscles on his back. They ripple enticingly with every movement of Sukuna's strong arms. And then your gaze gets inevitably drawn to his firm ass and muscular thighs.

You gulp hard. You weren't aware that Sukuna also has those black rings tattoed so far up his thighs. They look scandalous, for lack of a better word. Too sexy.

You are relieved when Sukuna finally puts on a pair of cargo pants a moment later and covers up those tempting markings on his skin.

The cargo pants sit low on his hips, though, showing his defined v-line when he turns around. And the new black tank top Sukuna puts on now doesn't do much to hide his athletic figure either. Maybe the girls in the camp were right, and he really likes to wear things that show off his muscles. Idiot.

You school your expression into an unimpressed blank gaze, but Sukuna's eyes sparkle knowingly at you, and the smirk on his pretty face is far too smug. He knows. He knows that you watched him, that your eyes were glued to his gorgeous body just a minute ago.

Sukuna nods towards the pond.

"Hurry up, princess! I won't look, I promise. Tell me when you're finished."

You hurriedly get undressed and walk into the water, scrubbing off all the grime and blood.

It feels good to be clean again, to see your skin unstained by gore. And Sukuna is surprisingly tame and polite, standing with his back to you, keeping watch of your surroundings as you get out of the water and hastily dry yourself with a spare t-shirt before slipping into your clean change of clothes.

"I want to go back to the camp. Maybe my brother went back too and is waiting for me there."

You nod where you are walking next to Sukuna,

"Yeah, that sounds likely. I hope you'll find him there."

But Yuuji isn't in the camp.

No one is there anymore. At least no one with a beating heart. You feel nauseous when you see one of the girls who fought over Sukuna a few weeks ago slowly dragging her feet across the burnt grass, gurgling noises coming out of her mouth, eyes dead and milky.

This is the true horror of this virus. Seeing familiar faces stripped off anything that made them the person they used to be. Just a blank shell. Only driven by the instinct to eat.

And it's not just the ones who got bitten by a zombie. Everyone who dies comes back as these soulless creatures. The dead only stay dead if you destroy their brain.

You watch Sukuna walk over to the zombie who was once a girl he had fun with. His katana stays in its sheath on his back. Instead, Sukuna pulls a short knife out of one of his pant pockets.

His hand tangles in long hair as he pulls the zombie's head back and then rams a knife into the side of its skull. The gurgling noises die, and the fingers trying to claw at Sukuna finally stop their struggle.

It's over.

Sukuna lowers the dead body to the ground in an oddly gentle way. You can see his lips moving, whispering a last farewell, maybe.

His gaze meets yours as he straightens up again. There's a shadow ghosting over his handsome face. He isn't as unaffected by this as you assumed. It's comforting somehow. As ruthless as Sukuna is when slaying the zombies, his heart doesn't seem to be made out of stone after all when it is someone he used to know.

But he recovers quickly and puts the knife away, and finally pulls his katana out of its sheath as he strides over to the makeshift kitchen of your old camp, where a little group of zombies is gathered.

"Search the remaining trailers for food and other useful stuff, brat. I'll take care of the vermin!"

You watch in grim fascination as Sukuna lifts his katana above his head before bringing the blade down on two undead creatures coming towards him, slicing effortlessly through their necks and severing their heads with one powerful move.

As soon as they hit the ground, Sukuna pushes skillfully between the remaining group of zombies. You hear him laugh gleefully as he makes a pinwheel in their midst, beheading four of them with one spin.

He looks so graceful while killing. It should be repulsive, but it isn't, not after all those months. In this crazy world, you can appreciate the strength and elegance Sukuna has. You can openly admire his fighting skills and his talent when it comes to the kill.

An hour later, you are on your way back to the hut. Sukuna got rid of all the remaining zombies in your old camp, and you collected all the food you could find, plus some more knives and clothes.

You fall in step beside Sukuna, walking at a leisurely pace. It feels almost like a stroll in the woods before the world went into chaos. The sun is warm on your back, bathing the forest in a pretty green light. You are clean and in fresh clothes, and your stomach is filled with water and some leftover stew you found in the camp.

For the first time since last night, you feel at ease.

But unfortunately, peace never lasts long in this new world.

You turn left at the next fork in the forest path, and without a prior warning, you step into the middle of a clearing filled with a herd of zombies.

It's a large group, too fast and too many. They probably got drawn here by the sounds of fighting last night.

Sukuna's hand grabs your arm, and he pulls you against his side, head jerking from left to right as he looks for the best escape route. But you can see that there is no escape.

You are already cut off from escaping to the sides.

"Shit! Hold on to me. We have to go back."

But as soon as you turn around to run back to where you came from, you realize with horror that the group got joined by another coming from the other side. And now you are trapped in the middle of a sea of zombies, which is slowly but gradually closing in on you.

Sukuna pulls you with him. Your eyes dart around hectically, searching for a way out. But the zombies are everywhere.

You are clutching your knife, ready to fight, even though you know that there are too many enemies. It's hopeless. 

But then Sukuna tugs sharply on your arm, and you get pushed against a large tree trunk. At least that's what you think for a second, but then you stumble backwards as the tree gives in.

What you thought was a solid trunk is just a curtain of ivy hanging down over a large opening in the tree trunk. A cavity big enough to fit a person inside. Or two.

Sukuna joins you in the narrow space, pressing his tall body against you so both of you can fit inside. He hastily readjusts the curtain of ivy, hiding you away from the zombies. It barely covers the entrance. You can see the walkers rushing by just about a meter away from your hiding space.

Your heart is hammering painfully in your chest. Too close...they are too close! They will find you! You are trapped here with no means to escape!

Your breath is coming too fast, making you dizzy. Your panicked gaze meets Sukuna's.

"Wh..what are you doing?! We can't stay here. They are everywhere!! We have to move on, Sukuna!"

You whisper-scream at him as you try to leap towards the exit in your blind urge to run. But Sukuna's strong hands dart out, pushing you back against the back of the tree trunk and trapping you there with his tall, muscular body. His fingers tighten around your wrists painfully, holding you in an unrelenting grip.

His voice is soft but harsh, 

"Stop it, brat! There is no escape route. This here is our only chance. We have to wait until they have passed through. Shut the fuck up, or they will find us!"

His eyes are burning into yours, pupils blown wide, face uncharacteristically pale. You can feel his chest heaving against you from his heavy breathing. He is terrified too, you realize.

Your wrists throb where Sukuna's fingers pin them to the tree trunk beside your face. Adrenaline is coursing through your veins, making your head spin. His words register, and you feel more panic well up. No escape? You have to stay here? Barely hidden from view in the middle of a whole crowd of the undead?

You don't want to make a sound, but a sob comes unbidden as the gravity of the situation crashes over you. Your body is trembling uncontrollably. Panic is threatening to drown you and make you do something stupid.

"I...Sukuna, please ...I'm ...I'm so scared...help me, please.."

You are sure you will lose your mind and tumble into another panic attack where your stupid body will betray you and make you scream or cry or do something else that will give your hiding place away.

Sukuna's maroon eyes dart from your eyes down to your mouth and back up again, and then right when you are about to break down, his lips crash into yours, muffling your scream with his mouth.

You are too stunned to do anything. Your breath hitches and your eyes widen even further. But Sukuna's mouth presses hard against yours, lips moving over yours in a savage, desperate kiss.

Your vision is filled with a pair of tattoed eyes staring at you from Sukuna's skin. His real eyes are closed, eyelids fluttering slightly while he kisses you.

You catch yourself thinking that he has really pretty eyelashes, and you stare at them as if the zombies out there will disappear if you just focus enough on the long black lashes and the filigree tattoed lines adorning Sukuna's cheekbones.

But then Sukuna's mouth opens against yours, and his tongue flicks over your lips, making you gasp softly. That's all it takes. Sukuna pushes his tongue between your lips, prying your mouth open, swallowing every sound you could make.

And suddenly, you are kissing him back, licking against his tongue just as desperately and hungrily as he is licking against yours. He is pressing you against the tree trunk, kissing you hungrily until all you can hear and feel and taste is him.

It's your lifeline. Something you can cling to. If Sukuna just keeps kissing you, you can drown out the horror of the world out there.

Your eyes squeeze shut, and you open your mouth further to kiss and lick and bite at Sukuna's lips. It's a wet, messy kiss. Tongues licking against each other desperately. Lips meeting with a bruising force here in the middle of a sea of zombies. Your teeth catch on Sukuna's bottom lip, and you bite it hard.

Sukuna's hands are still pinning your wrists against the tree trunk. He's caging you in with his strong body. Shielding you from everything else but him. There's only Sukuna and his lips and his body pressed against yours.

So alive. So human. So comforting.

You make it back to the hut unscathed.

The group of zombies moved on, probably wandering to your old camp. And Sukuna and you could step out of the tree trunk and continue your journey back to your temporary new shelter.

Not a single word is spoken on the walk back. A tension-filled silence settles between the two of you.

You don't know what to say. Thank you for kissing me out of a panic attack? It feels weird to even think about it. And it doesn't help that your lips are still swollen from the kiss. That you still feel your wrists throb where Sukuna held them so tightly.

Anytime you try to catch Sukuna's eyes, he just stares straight ahead, checking your surroundings for more walkers, focused on survival, or just unwilling to talk about what has happened in that tree trunk.

But the moment you step into the hut and the door closes behind you, Sukuna's maroon gaze fixes you with an intense look.

"Ok, now that we made it back in one piece, you can be mad at me all you want. In my defense, I saved our asses with that little action I pulled in the tree trunk. I'm not going to apologize for that. But punch me if you want. Here, have a swing at me!"

He points to his cheek, looking at you with a challenging twinkle in his eyes.

You stare at him for a long moment, flustered by his directness. It sounds tempting to punch him, to wipe that annoying smirk off his far too-pretty face.

But the thing is, you don't want to punch him. You want to feel the way you felt in those delirious minutes inside that tree trunk again when your head was spinning from Sukuna's kiss. You want to forget about the zombies and the apocalypse, if only for a little while.

Before you can stop yourself, your fingers already tangle in the front of Sukuna's stupid tank top, and you pull him into another kiss.

You catch him off guard, making this tall, muscular guy stumble into you so your bodies end up pressed tightly against each other again. But this time, Sukuna's strong arms wrap around you, firm hands grasping your waist and pulling you against him before his lips close over yours.

He is kissing you just as hard as in the tree trunk. Passionate and with a hunger that makes your head spin. A desperate-sounding whine escapes your mouth. You feel ashamed by how needy you sound, so full of longing.

And Sukuna laughs lowly against your lips in between those heated, breathless kisses, pulling away just enough to ask smugly:

"So, I take it you don't want to punch me, huh?"

"That was a...um, a thank you kiss."

"Yeah? Well, I'm glad we're alive too."

His voice is low, a seductive whisper against the side of your lip, and then that warm mouth moves to your neck, leaving a trail of hot kisses. You gasp, but it turns into a moan when Sukuna's teeth graze over your sensitive skin.

Your fingers tangle in his hair, marveling for a moment at how surprisingly soft it feels, and then Sukuna starts sucking on your pulse point, and you answer him by tugging on that soft pink hair and moaning his name.

And suddenly, there is no stopping the both of you anymore.

Your lips capture each other again in another heated kiss, sloppy and wet. Teeth are clashing, and tongues lick eagerly at each other. Your hands are frantically tearing at each other's clothes in their need for more skin contact.

You don't even make it over to the bed. Instead, you find yourself on the wooden floor of the hut, naked with a needy wet throbbing between your legs, hands tangled in pink hair as you pull an equally naked and riled-up Sukuna on top of you.

You are kissing hungrily, devouring each other like in the tree trunk. Needy and desperate. Hands and lips greedily moving over each other's bodies, needing more. More friction, more body heat, more human touch.

Sukuna fucks you right there on the dirty floor. Makes both of you hiss loudly when he pushes into you for the first time. There's no time to prepare you. Both of you are too horny, too desperate to wait any longer.

Sukuna stretches your pussy open around his fat mushroom head and then rams his whole hard length into you without hesitation, driven by the same feral need you feel too, to forget the hell this world is now and just lose himself in the feeling of your hot wet pussy.

He fucks you like no one else has ever fucked you. Hard and deep, making you gasp and moan and see stars because you think you will fall apart under him.

He is heavy on top of you, fucking you with savage hard thrusts. But you need it like that. Need to get fucked hard. You clutch desperately at Sukuna, pulling him closer, your nails digging into the muscles on his back, legs wrapped tightly around his narrow hips.

The small hut is filled with the sounds of sex, low grunts, harsh panting, and the filthy smacking sound of Sukuna's cock pounding your overly wet pussy and his heavy balls slapping forcefully against your slick skin.

He pulls out almost completely before he snaps his hips again to slam his thick girth back into you. Over and over again. The way Sukuna fucks you is urgent, hungry, almost brutal, knocking the air out of you.

Every hard thrust makes your ass and back slide over the rough wooden floor. But you can't bring yourself to care about the sting. You don't want him to slow down. You want him to fuck you even harder. Fuck away all your fear.

Please don't leave, please don't stop, please just keep my mind off all the bad things!

You moan Sukuna's name, and it comes out as a sob, desperate and needy, followed by a cadence of pleas.

"Sukuna...ah...yes harder, please fuck me harder...need you... I need you please!"

You are answered by a feral-sounding growl coming from Sukuna, and his mouth is on your neck, teeth closing around your sensitive skin, biting you as his pace becomes even more savage, making you gasp and cling to him tightly as your sweet spot gets tortured with hard, precise hits of his thick cockhead.

It's rough, it's dirty. Fucking on the floor with an animalistic, primal urge, void of any restraint.

A broken cry finds its way out of your mouth when the pressure gets overwhelming, and your body arches up against Sukuna's firm muscles.

Your pussy is spasming around his cock, and your nails leave deep scratches on Sukuna's back as an orgasm is fucked out of you that is so intense that you only see white for a moment.

You sob Sukuna's name, feeling tears run down your face as you squirt on his cock, messy and hot, unable to hold back as he keeps pounding your pussy with his unrelenting, brutal thrusts.

"Fuck!"

Sukuna groans loudly against your neck, which is wet from his spit and hot breath. And then he pushes himself off your body, sitting up and rolling his hips a few times more, watching as his slick cock sinks into your wet swollen pussy, stretching you open around his girth before he pulls out of you with a low groan.

You watch in rapt fascination as he wraps a hand around his thick, wet cock, pumping it in his fist with fast strokes while he kneels between your spread legs. He cums all over your stomach, covering your skin with his hot milky seed in several thick spurts.

Sukuna sounds hot when he cums, with low groans and heavy breathing.

Your gaze takes him in, staring at him as he kneels between your legs in all his glory, tall and muscular, black lines adorning his lean muscles, accentuating them beautifully. Abs flexed tightly, pecs taut with the strain of fucking you so hard. His long thick cock is still twitching with the aftershocks of his orgasm, his flushed dark pink tip glistening wetly from your slick and his cum.

He is a picture of perfection in this ugly and cruel world, like a dark angel fallen from heaven to come here and unleash his anger on those vile creatures. Brought here to keep you safe and give you hope.

Sukuna's gaze meets yours, maroon eyes glittering so enticingly with that burning passion as he leans over you.

You shudder in pleasure when he runs two fingers through the trail of his hot cum on your skin and then brings them to your lips and pushes them inside. His pretty eyes never leave your face while you suck the cum off his fingers.

When his fingers finally slip out of your mouth again, they leave a wet trail of spit on your lips and chin. A thin thread of cum and saliva still connects your lips to Sukuna's fingers for a short moment, and you stare at it in fascination until it tears.

The typical smirk is back on Sukuna's face as he sits back on his heels and runs a hand through his pink hair, smoothing the stray strands that fell into his forehead when leaning over you back out of his handsome face.

Your hazy mind is starting to catch up with what just happened and what you did, and you suddenly feel shy. You avert your gaze and try to close your legs. Your arms come up to cross in front of your naked breasts, trying to hide from Sukuna's gaze.

A soft chuckle is heard. Followed by one of Sukuna's large hands landing on your thigh and patting it. He tells you in a low, amused voice:

"No need to act shy now. We fucked on the floor. You ate my cum. My cock is still wet from your pussy. It's fine, trust me. We are in the middle of the apocalypse. This is the end of the world. There's no time to be ashamed. We should fuck a lot more and enjoy our last days. And it helped, didn't it? You feel better, don't you? Getting fucked your brains out helps, hm?"

"Do you have to say all this weird stuff, Sukuna?"

"What else should I call it? Was this a thank you-fuck? Like that kiss you gave me?"

"Maybe it was an I'm-glad-you're-here-with-me-because-I-would-be-scared-out-of-my-mind-if-I-had-to-go-through-all-this-alone-and-also-I-just-wanted-to-forget-all-this-crap-and-just-feel-good-for-a-few-minutes-fuck?"

Sukuna shrugs at your words, and there's an amused glint in his eyes. He looks softer, more relaxed, more like the college jock he is supposed to be. Who he would be if it weren't for this virus spreading through the world and turning everything upside down.

"Well, that's basically what I said. Fuck the apocalypse away for a little while."

He grins at you, looking boyish and charming when your gaze meets his. And when he winks at you, you suddenly struggle to keep the laughter in.

The same amusement is mirrored in Sukuna's eyes, and before you know it, he starts laughing.

A genuine heartfelt laugh. He sounds younger when he laughs like that, more like his brother somehow, less intimidating. You catch yourself joining in, breaking down in giggles, rolling onto your side, and holding your belly from laughing so hard.

You can't even say why you are laughing so much. You know you should stop. You know it's stupid and delusional. And yet it feels so good. It feels so good to let go for a few minutes. To just fuck and laugh and feel like a normal human being.

When your laughter has finally died down, you smile at Sukuna,

"You can have the bed tonight if you want."

But he shakes his head.

"You can sleep first, princess. I'll wake you up in a few hours so you can take over the watch."

His gaze travels over to the bed, and suddenly his eyes widen, and he crawls over, pushing a long muscular arm under the bed. And when Sukuna pulls back, he's holding up an axe.

A big triumphant grin spreads over his face.

"And tomorrow, I'll build us a fence!"

Thank you so much for reading chapter 2!! I used to call the characters in TWD stupid when they had risky sex in that fucked up world, but writing this story made me understand. I am sure getting dicked down by Kuna really helps a lot to take your mind off all that crazy stuff :)

The tree trunk scene was inspired by a scene in TWD where Carl and Enid were hiding from zombies in a large tree too. They didn't kiss in the show, but I thought it would be the perfect opportunity for Sukuna to shut reader up with desperate measures. I think he did great. Thank you for all your hard work, Sukuna! You are the best!

I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please let me know what you think! Comments and reblogs make me happy!

Chapter 3

[todds-rwby-liveblog]

I NEED TO DISSECT THAT SEQUENCE UNDER A MICROSCOPEOREN S NADJSDLKS:DS I love just. I already mentioned the voice acting and the model comparisons before but OH MY GOHOHOHOHOOD. The Atlas designs really do feel like matured versions of their Beacon counterparts I am SHOOKETH that was so fucking GOOD I VLOE UP Also I'm just now noticing the shot contrast between the Beacon girls posing the offers and the Atlas girls rejecting them. The focuses on their mouths and the deceptiveness of what they're offering at first contrasted with the eye closeups and the determination/soul that comes with them. It makes me so god-damned EMO

And also Can I just

BLAKE PULLING OUT GAMBOL SHROUD'S KATANA RIGHT AS SHE SAYS "MY LIFE." THIS WEAPON HAS BEEN WITH HER THROUGH EVERYTHING. THE WHITE FANG THROUGH ADAM THROUGH HER STRUGGLES WITH HER PARENTS THROUGH TO THE HEALING SHE GOT THROUGH MEETING RWY AND YANG. FRAMING THE GOLDEN MEND RIGHT IN THE CENTRE OF THE FRAME/LIGHT. AND BC EVERYTHING ELSE IS PURPLE LIKE THAT IT JUST STANDS OUT SO MUCH EVEN THOUGH IT'S SO TINY. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THAT MEND ON THAT BLADE IS SO FUCKING KEY TO BLAKE AS A CHARACTER. OH MY FUCKING GOD. EXCUSE ME WHILE I GO BERSERK OVER THIS. FUCKING HELL THIS WAS GORGEOUSLY DONE.

The way Yang doesn't lash out or gets aggressive but just. She's being firm but also tries to be a guide to her younger self. She knows that the way she was normally taught would be either through rushing into it and finding out the hard way or from... Tai! And that method is not ideal to say the least. He tries but pushes her in the wrong way, with a lot of insults involved in some form (lost a brain cell along with that arm, your semblance is a temper tantrum, groaning at her hesitance at wearing her arm for the first time, I wanted a better goodbye than a letter etc.). I feel like she's using this opportunity to be the type of guide she's always wanted to be for others (namely Ruby) but also the kind she wishes she had for herself in life. Her life's always set her up to be a risk-taker and rush into things head on (all the way down to her semblance) and I'm realy happy that, in a way, she's finally taking the time to tell herself that what she really needed was to slow the fuck down. It's so fucking sad but also so good I'm OUGHHGHGH. The difference between Yang and Tai is empathy and it means the world.

Weiss' section oh god Weiss' section. Her speech has been sung about to death by now but it's just so iconic of her tbh. But can I just say I freaking LOVE the way she just has so much SASS. Honestly the best way to shut down pre-Beacon Weiss is with her own poison. But a detail I spotted that I really enjoy that's kinda hard to focus on at first cus big camera movement is her head movements when she say "I am" that was peak sass. I love that so fuckin much here it is timestamped: https://youtu.be/8eoazsK1n8k?t=103

But fr tho, I love the way she points her sword right at younger Weiss' nose like that.

Also the differences in the two's silhouettes and colours is some of my favourites, I love the contrast between the white laced with that tiny bit of red for rebellion and really faded Blue, only to over time gradually gain much bolder, more vibrant colours and a bigger form. Her v1 design is my favourite shape-wise still but if this isn't a massive parallel to how Blake's designs have evolved over the years idk what is.

Also I love the way she looks so confident when she plants Myrtenaster in the ground. Reminds me of Arma Gigas planting its sword to the ground in this context. She really reclaimed it so fucking hard in this scene I am going to blow up

Like look at them and tell me which one is the stronger individual here. Bro

Framing Ruby like this

FOUL. VILE. EVIL EVIL EVIL.

Single spotlight of silver light. With the Indomitable scene, the track Miracle, the talk with Maria, her mom... from her eyes, everything rests on her and it all starts with those fuckass iris pigments. Qrow told her she was destined for the life of a warrior but oh god why did it have to be like this. She's completely overtaken by her failure to her legacy as a continuation of a literal fucking myth in so many different ways I'm gonna snap

[petitelepus]

Haganezuka? More Like BAKAnezuka!

Summary: You are a new resident of the Swordsmith Village and you are already on Haganezuka’s bad side. Not that you mind it, it’s the opposite but he is pissed.

Warnings: None

A/N: Female Reader, Reader has a fake name, enemies to lovers, very brief nudity, good old knife chase

Haganezuka had a pretty good life. He worked hard in the hidden Swordsmith Village, creating Nichirin swords for those brave people who so valiantly fought against demons plaguing the lands of Japan.

Mainly to this young promising Demon Slayer called Tanjiro Kamado, but he made swords for others also. Though very few swordsmen could stand him, due to his bad temper, but he didn't let it bother him one bit. People's opinion of him meant very little to him. All that he cared about were his swords.

Or so he thought until the fated day.

The man was just enjoying some of his precious treats mitarashi dangos on the veranda of his shack, listening to wind-chimes play in the soft breeze when he heard his longtime friend and colleague Kanamori calling his name from the other side of the shack, "Haganezuka? Are you here?"

If the man had been in the middle of sharpening a katana, he would have ignored his friend, but he wasn't working on his swords but enjoying some peace and quiet. Or so he was until Kanamori's masked head popped from the corner of his shack.

"Oh, there you are! Listen, I have someone I would like for you to meet." Kanamori looked over his shoulder and called someone to step up. Haganezuka groaned, not appreciating his break being disturbed but just as he turned to glare at the disturbers his eyes landed on a brand new mask he hadn't seen before in the village... A mask that you were wearing.

Who the Hell were you, wearing big and baggy haori and looking at him like that through your mask? A client? Impossible, only residents of the Swordsmith Village wore those masks.

"Haganezuka, may I introduce you to Kiseki." Kanamori politely pointed at you with his hand, "They are a new resident of the village and wanted to meet everyone, as they will be working alongside us wordsmiths at the hot springs."

"So he isn't even a wordsmith? What use do we even have for someone like him?" Haganezuka grunted as he scowled, not even one bit excited about meeting any new person that he would most likely not be in any contact with.

Kanamori raised his hand, ready to say something, but you gently grabbed his hand and lowered it, taking the chance to speak for yourself.

"So you're the great wordsmith behind the black blades?" You asked, your voice disoriented by your mask. Haganezuka's scowl didn't go anywhere as he nodded, "Yeah, so what about it?"

"And your name is Haganezuka?" You repeated and before the man could reply you laughed out loud, using one hand to hold your stomach and the other one to point at him, "Ha ha, more like BAKAnezuka!"

"What was that!?" Haganezuka totally forgot his delicious dangos and the gentle chime of the wind-chimes fell to deaf ears. "I dare you to say it again!"

"Like, how old are you, can you even make proper swords anymore?" You just didn't know where to stop, only taunting the ill-tempered man more and more. Enough for him to slip his mask back on and use his other hand to reach behind him and grab one of his sharp knives.

"Oh, crap!" You yelped as soon as you saw the knife and deadly aura emitting from the swordsmith holding the said knife.

"I'm going to kill you!" Haganezuka shouted as he bolted at you and you cackled like a maniac as you turned and made a run for it.

"As if you could catch me, BAKAnezuka!" You laughed and that only set him off more. The man was screaming as he chased you down the road towards the village, leaving Kanamori shouting after you two, "Haganezuka, please wait up! They are not- Ah, and they are both gone..."

Haganezuka chased you down the village and he would have chased you until nightfall if you hadn't made a disappearance act and vanished into thin air. He tried to get other villagers to spill where you had hidden, but no one knew. So he begrudgingly let you go this time as he returned to his shack to focus on his work.

Little did he know that you were looking after him from your hiding place, thanking any God there was that you had managed to lose him before your stamina had run out. Something that came dangerously close to happening. You decided to wait out at Kanamori's place, his loving wife serving you tea while you waited for her husband to return.

Soon enough, Kanamori returned and turned to look at you, with your mask off and your pretty face out there as you chatted with his wife.

"Ah, Kiseki! You managed to lose Haganezuka?" He asked as he removed his shoes and joined you and his wife on tatami. You nodded as you sipped your warm tea and smiled at the man, "I got damn lucky."

"I can see that. Not many can escape him when they get on his bad side." The man nodded but you could tell that he had more to say. You smiled, "I can sense you want to ask me something?"

"Ah, yes," He nodded again, confirming your thoughts to be true. "I can understand that you want to keep your real name hidden behind your alias Kiseki, but why would you let Haganezuka believe you are a man? Even more, how come you teased him so when you were in fact excited to meet him?"

"Well..." You averted your gaze, a small grin rising to your lips, "He just looked like someone really funny."

"Funny isn't what most would describe when being chased with a knife."

"Oh, let her be Kozo. This is women's reasoning here, right?" En, Kanamori's wife smiled knowingly at you and you tried not to smile, but you couldn't stop the wobbly smile that rose to your lips when you tried so hard not to. You had to cover your mouth with your hand so you could smile as widely as you wanted.

You really had a good reason for wanting to meet Haganezuka, but you couldn't help yourself or your damn mouth. He was so handsome, you were taken aback by his good looks and your brains had short-circuited, resulting in you insulting him. Not that you wanted to, but his reactions were hilarious even if possibly lethal.

You lowered your hand that was covering your mouth and smiled at Kanamori, "I think I'll enjoy living in this village."

Following the weeks and a couple of months to come, every time Haganezuka would visit the village he would always see you there somewhere. You were either running errands, helping the visiting Demon Slayers to find their way to the hot springs or just being right there when he just happened to come over.

He was annoyed, yes, and even infuriated because each time when you would notice him approaching, and would call him BAKAnezuka before laughing and taunting him until he would lose his nerves for good.

Haganezuka could say that he did not like you one bit. The guts you had, even young Kotetsu had some survival instinct as in not to taunt the hot-tempered man like that every time they met.

It got so bad that poor Haganezuka couldn't visit the hot springs because he would get mad by simply imagining you and your smug tone of voice when you would laugh at him. So he crafted a master plan to visit the hot springs when you would most certainly not be there.

It was early morning just before sunrise when he approached the hot springs and Haganezuka was sure that even you wouldn't be there anymore. Not after a long day of serving and guiding visiting Slayers, no, you were certainly resting at your own place already.

So the hot-tempered swordsmith came to the hot springs when there wasn't anyone anymore, but he was confused when he noticed that all the lights were on. Had you left them on? How careless of you, he would make sure to mock you for it the next time the two of you would see each other!

Once in the hot spring, Haganezuka undressed completely, leaving his clothes by the rocks surrounding the hot water with healing water. Slowly, he dipped his legs in first and sighed in pleasure as he sank himself all the way into the water that massaged his tense muscles and washed away the layer of sweat on his body.

The man sighed as he relaxed, leaning his back against the wall and resting his arms on the rocks... He had missed the hot springs so much...

Haganezuka groaned as he stretched his tense muscles, letting the water do its miracles on his weary body... But that is when he heard someone humming a soft tune somewhere nearby.

The man tensed as he listened the voice come closer to his location, but Haganezuka couldn't say anything. That voice... It was alien to him, yet somehow familiar... Like he had heard it somewhere before but he couldn't pinpoint where he could have heard it before.

"Is someone there?" Came a soft voice and Haganezuka felt himself freeze when a figure approached him from the other side of the hot spring and he-!

"W- Woman!?" He shouted as his eyes landed on a woman's bare body. Your bare body, but not that he knew it was you. As far as you knew, the swordsmith still thought you were a male.

You yelped as you noticed Haganezuka resting there in the same water as you, but before he could do or even say anything more, you turned around and rushed away, moving like a snake in the water.

"Oi, hold it-!" The man called after you, but you were gone just as fast as you had appeared. No matter how he looked, the woman was gone. Haganezuka growled as he hit the water's surface with his fists. Just who was that woman and how she felt so familiar to him!?

When the sun rose from the horizon Haganezuka made sure to be by the hot springs until you would come there. If there was someone using the waters then you should know about it.

"I keep telling you, there was a woman there!" The man shouted at you and he could tell you were frowning behind that mask of yours as you crossed your arms.

"And I keep telling you, there was no one else there but you!" You huffed stubbornly, "Geez, are you that old that you see things already?"

"I'm 37 so call me old one more time and I'll kill you!" Haganezuka shouted at you furiously and you snorted, "I'd like to see you try again."

"You little..!" The man growled before shouting, "I'll kill you!"

"Hotaru! Kiseki!" A strict voice came out of nowhere, making you both flinch as you turned to look at the short old man who had shouted at you two. "That is enough!"

"O- Old man?" Haganezuka grunted while you bowed lightly in respect to the old man, "Chief!"

"Enough with this constant bickering between the two of you. It's time that the two of you sit down and talk things through!" The chief of the Swordsmith Village shouted and the two of you glanced at each other before stubbornly looking away.

The old man sighed, "I hate to see you children arguing so much... So I'm making you two talk, no matter what!" The chief snapped his fingers and suddenly three villagers jumped on you two. Two men grabbed Haganezuka while one came up behind you and gently placed a hand on your upper back.

"Oi, let go!" Haganezuka shouted as the men started to drag him away and one holding you escorted you behind them as you didn't put up any fight, unlike a certain man did.

Finally, the men holding you two got you two into Haganezuka's small humble home and threw him inside while you followed him inside. The door was shut tightly behind you two and the chief's voice came from the other side, "You two aren't coming out until you have talked things through!"

And just like that, you were alone with each other. You looked around, taking in the small house and its minimum decoration while Haganezuka growled by himself.

"Damn old man...!" He grunted, "Making me talk with you...! It's like talking to a mule!"

"Oi, show some respect for your elders." You snapped at him, "No matter what, Chief is a kind man. I'm sure he means well."

"I don't want to hear that from you!" Haganezuka shouted, reminding you that you weren't exactly following your own words as you disrespected him nearly every day. You frowned behind your mask, "Also, who are you calling a mule?"

"You, you damn mule!" The man growled as he turned towards the doors and slid his shirt's sleeves up, "I'm going to break through that door no matter what...!"

"Hold it, we are supposed to talk and-!" You turned, but just as you did that, you accidentally stepped on your loose pant leg. You yelped as you tripped, falling face first into the floor and there was a loud crack as your mask cracked.

Haganezuka turned to look at you and he was about to shout at you, but his voice got caught as you got up and rubbed your bruised forehead.

"Shit, that hurt...!" You cursed softly as you rubbed the sore area above your eyes. It hurt, you were sure you would later get a headache because of it.

"It's you...!" Haganezuka whispered as he pointed at you with his finger, "You're the woman back at the hot spring!"

You blinked confusion clear on your pretty face before the realization hit you. You didn't have your mask on. You looked down and around in panic until your eyes landed on the broken pieces of your clay mask before you.

"Fuck fuck fuck!" You shouted as your hands reached for the pieces and tried to push them together as if they would stick to each other but to no avail. Your mask was broken and you had no way to hide your pretty face or conceal your feminine voice anymore.

"Crap, my mask...!" You whispered under your breath. You glanced up and saw Haganezuka staring at you. You flinched at the attention, averting your gaze and covering your face. You were suddenly so bashful, not wanting the man to see you so vulnerable.

The wordsmith stared at you before he finally grunted and pulled his own mask off. Not that you noticed since you weren't even looking at him, but then you felt something nudge your arm and you carefully peeked over your arm... And saw Haganezuka offering his mask at you.

"You can wear mine since yours broke..." He grunted stubbornly and you blinked, stunned by his kind gesture.

"I- I don't need-!" You were about to object but the man pushed the mask harder against your arm. Slowly, you accepted his mask and Haganezuka looked away while you put the mask on, covering that pretty face of yours.

Somehow things seemed to have calmed down between the two of you so you both took off your shoes and sat across each other on the tatami.

"Old man wanted us to talk." Haganezuka frowned, "So let's talk."

"Fine, let's talk." You parroted him. The two of you stared at each other, Haganezuka's orange eyes staring right at his own mask on your face as wind chimes rang just outside the small house. Finally, you grumbled and took off the mask, offering it back to the man.

"I changed my mind, please put the mask back on!" You cried out, much to his annoyance, "Why, what's wrong with it?"

"Nothing, just, put it back on!" You cried as you pushed the mask back harder and the man scowled as he used his hand to push the mask back to you instead, "You wanted a mask so wear it!"

"I told you, I changed my mind!"

"Wear the damn mask!"

"No, you!"

It was a fight, but in the end, neither of you wore the mask, but like said earlier, it was a fight, leaving you breathless and Haganezuka feeling angry. The two of you took a short breather and finally, the man broke the silence, "Why?"

"Why what?" You blinked and the man groaned, "Why do you hate me?"

"Hate you?"

"I understand if swordmen hate me because of my temper, but what reason do you have?" The wordsmith asked and you blinked again in confusion but then his words sank in and you panicked, "I- I don't hate you!"

"Don't play dumb! You're always calling me stupid and making fun of me!" The man bit his lip as he looked at you, "So I want to know... What did I ever do to you?"

You were taken aback by his questions. Slowly, a blush rose to your cheeks and a smile threatened to break out on your lips, your nervous habit. You raised your hand to cover your mouth and nervous smile as you carefully looked aside.

"It's not like I hate you or anything... It's the complete opposite..."

"What?" Now it was Haganezuka who was confused. "Why?"

"Because..." You swallowed nervously as you tried to speak but your voice was small and weak and disoriented behind your hand, "The sword..."

"What? Speak louder!" Haganezuka snapped and you yelped, before lowering your hand and turning to look at him.

"The sword you made was used to save my life!" You exclaimed, shocking the wordsmith into silence. He blinked, but before he could say anything, you continued telling him your side of the story.

"I was about to be devoured by a demon when a young man with a blade dark as night came and saved me."

Tanjiro Kamado. The name immediately popped into Haganezuka's mind because the description fit him perfectly and he was maybe one of the only people who still used the swords made by the wordsmith.

"Of course, I was thankful. I was thankful for him and when I heard that there was an actual man behind that gorgeous sword that was used to save my life, I knew I needed to thank him also..." You sighed softly, "So I came to live here and left my life outside the village behind me."

"You came... Because you wanted to thank me?" Haganezuka asked, baffled and you nodded, "I wanted to pay my respect to the man who created that sword..."

"I see..." Haganezuka nodded but there were still so many things he didn't understand. "Then why the Hell did you lie about your gender?"

"I didn't!" You protested quickly, "You just assumed that I was a man! I got pissed and ended up saying things I didn't mean, like calling you stupid and-!"

"You called me old also, don't forget that!" He quickly added and you nodded, "And then you started chasing me with a knife and..."

"And?"

"And I had so much fun, being the center of your attention..." You blushed as you tried your hardest not to smile, but you couldn't help that wobbly smile from rising to your pretty lips. "I heard from villagers that you wouldn't care about anything else but your swords... So I started to tease you to get your attention."

Haganezuka felt like shouting, but for the first time maybe ever during his long lifetime, he took a deep breath and tried to calm down. You glanced at him every now and then, smiling nervously while waiting for what he got to say to you.

"You had been acting like some brat with a crush." He finally said as he crossed his arms over his chest, "How old are you anyway?"

"Ah, you should know not to ask a lady her age," You said, but there was no bite or signs of offense in your voice. "I turned 27 just before I got here."

So there were 10 years between the two of you. Haganezuka nodded but before he could ask anything, he noticed that you were staring at him with unblinking eyes. Oh, what pretty eyes you had.

"What?!" The man snapped and you tilted your head in a questioning manner, "So...?"

"So what?" He snapped and you hummed thoughtfully, "Earlier, chief called you Hotaru. Is that your name?"

"Not by choice..." Haganezuka grumbled in embarrassment and you smiled again, bringing a hand up to hide your smile again, "Pfft, that is an awfully cute name for someone as burly as you."

"What about you, huh, Kiseki?!"

"Oh, that's not my real name." You said as you waved your hand lazily, "I just adopted that name since I didn't know if I would stay here or not."

The man scowled and growled by himself before shooting you a glare, "Well?"

You blinked in confusion, "What?"

"Are you going to stay?" Hanagezuka asked and you hummed thoughtfully, "I've lived here for a couple of months already and I admit, I have grown fond of this place, but ultimately, it's up to you I guess?"

"Me?!" The swordsmith shouted, "What do I have to do with your decision?!"

"You know now about my feelings towards you. Hell, I basically told you how I like you. The question is, how do you reply to my feelings?" You asked as you pouted and bashfully looked aside, "If you don't like me back, just say so and... I'll stop calling you stupid and let you be."

"And what if I told you that I'd hate that?" Haganezuka boldly asked and you blinked in shock before looking at him with your eyes wide, "W- wait, what?"

"It's none of my business," Lies, all lies, "But I'd hate to see you leave when everyone likes having you around... Me included, despite you being a little brat about your feelings."

"I..." You didn't know what to say. Despite teasing him and being a total pain in his ass for the whole time you two knew each other, he was willing to put all that behind you two? You blinked, not knowing that there was kindness like that in this world.

Finally, you smiled happily and nodded, "Then, I would love to keep on living here."

"Great, now that we've talked, I think that old man might let us out...!" Haganezuka growled as grabbed his mask and got up on his feet. You nodded as you followed his example and got up, but before either of you went anywhere, he turned to look at you.

"Oi!" The man snapped at you, "Don't get me wrong, I think you owe me something!"

"I guess that is fair," You nodded humbly, "What is it that you want from me?"

"Your name." Haganezuka grunted, "Real name, not some alias. I want to know what to call my lover."

The two of you stared at each other and the man scowled in embarrassment when you didn't react to his words fast enough. Finally, you flinched.

"L- lover!?" You stuttered as you blushed violently and that nervous wobbly smile rose back to your lips, "I- I never dated anyone like this, not with these feelings-!"

"Me either..." Haganezuka grumbled stubbornly as a soft blush rose to his cheeks, "So let's try to get along and get to know each other better..."

"I..." Your smile shrank, but it wasn't a nervous smile any more but a sweet and genuine little smile of joy, "I'd like that."

The wordsmith nodded, satisfied with how things had turned out. He reached for the door, but stopped when he heard you call his name, "Hotaru?"

Oh, how wonderful the name he so hated sounded so sweet when coming from your mouth. The man scowled as he blushed being his mask and glanced at you over his shoulder, "What?"

"Thank you for giving me a chance, even if I was a total bitch to you."

"Your words, not mine." He grunted but before he reached for the door he muttered silently, "And you're welcome..."

"What was that?" You blinked as you smiled, "I didn't quite hear you?"

"Nothing!"

To Haganezuka's surprise, the door slid open without any resistance. The two of you stepped outside and to your surprise, chief Tecchin, Kanamori, and his wife, alongside a couple of other villagers were waiting for you there. As soon as they saw you two step outside, they all cheered.

"Finally, the two of you made up! I'm so happy for you," Kanamori said happily and while you two stared at the audience you had, chief noticed the dark spot on your face.

"Dear, there is a bruise on your forehead!" Chief Tecchin gasped and turned to look at Haganezuka standing next to you, "Hotaru! You didn't hit her, did you?!"

"Oi, I would never hit a woman!" Haganezuka shouted furiously, and you giggled lightly beside him as you brought your hand to cover your smile, "Yet you had no problem chasing after me with knives?"

"That's totally different!" He shouted yet you just kept smiling as you gently leaned your body against his and Haganezuka grunted as if in annoyance but he still allowed the small gesture of affection.

The friends and villagers shared knowing glances behind their masks. It took a moment, but finally, the two of you were together.

[randofics]

Wheeljack x reader

I don't have much to say about this one. But I had to give Wheeljack a fic of his own. He's a flirty, brash, and healthy old stud. With how old he looks you'd think he'd be slower or at least calmer tempered. But instead we get a wrecker with katanas and some explosive habits. So here we go yall.

18+Under the cut

----------------

Wheeljack was your new guardian. Well, relatively new as he'd been on earth for several months, not including the time before he found the team. He didn't really want to be your guardian but seeing as the others already had one of the three kids or had too much on their plate to drive you wherever you needed to go he didn't have much choice. Over the last three months, you got to know each other. You were very safety minded the opposite of him. If he drove too quickly or recklessly without good reason, you would chew him out.

You were also quiet and tended to stick to the background listening to the conversation around you unless a topic of interest came up. Whereas he was loud and brash, once again the opposite of you. But while some would expect you to hate each other you didn't and got along quite well. You were watching Wheeljack train with Bulkhead from a high platform. Miko sat next to you cheering Bulk on. You and Miko had your legs dangling off the edge as you leaned forward against the lower bar of the railing. You kept a eye on Wheeljack, watching his stance and the way he moved or swung his katanas. You would keep the knowledge in mind for future reference possibly even self training.

Bulk and Wheeljack circled each other and his eyes caught your attention. Their piercing blue glow and his face shield which only showed his eyes. He wasn't looking at you, rather at Bulk as he prepared to attack again. His gaze was intense, serious, and it sent a shiver down your spine. That hadn't happened before and it confused you. Perhaps it was intimidation? You weren't sure. Over the next few days even stranger things happened. When he smirked at you one day a strange feeling came over you. Another day and when he jokingly talked  about giving you a ride you'd never forget (that being driving fast through a local race course) your mind went to a dark place. You had blushed madly at your own thoughts, why were you even thinking about stuff like that!? Luckily he hadn't noticed or you wouldn't know what you would've done.

He had made comments like that before and you hadn't reacted like that at all. You realized after re thinking those thoughts that you found him attractive and even thought of him in a sexual manner. You were sure that he had none of the same feelings towards you though, and when you got to base the next day you tried to act normal. When you sat on the couch with Miko you saw her looking at photos on her phone and you decided to get a picture of Wheeljack. You ended up sneaking one as he walked down the hall. It was just a pic of him walking away but as you took in the detailed plating on his back, you couldn't help the feeling that came over you.

Suddenly you hear Miko chuckle, somehow you hadn't noticed her leaning over to look at your phone. "You have a crush on Jacky dontcha?" She whispered. You blushed and turned off your phone. "Oh you totally have the hotts for him!" You put your hand over her mouth and looked around to see if anyone heard her. "Shh Miko! Don't just yell something like that out!" You whisper yelled at her. She pushed your hand away and grinned mischievously. "Oh NO no no no no no! You aren't going to do anything or say anything to anyone! You hear me Miko?" "Aww ok fine." She pouted. You relaxed into the old couch and opened a game on your phone. A little while later Miko told you she had to go home. Little did you know that on her way home she told Bulkhead about your crush on Wheeljack.

"So y/n likes Wheeljack so what?" "She doesn't just like him Bulk she like likes him." "What do you mean?" "Ugh she has a crush on him Bulk!" He took a moment to process before realizing. "Oh....Ohhh! I get it now." "Yeah and we need to help her out a little hint hint." "Miko I don't think that's such a good idea, I mean they may get together on their own." " Maybe but I think it'll be quicker if we give them a nudge." "No Miko you shouldn't interfere with them." "Oh come on Bulk we won't do anything big just something small like a picture or something. And I know just what picture to use."

The next day when you were on the couch looking at the picture again Miko snuck a photo over your shoulder. She then played it off by asking which guitar you liked better. One was purple with a lightning bolt and the other was black and sparkly. You said which one you thought suited her better, and was none the wiser about Miko's plot. Then when she got the chance to she showed the picture to Wheeljack. "Wait she said that she has a crush on me?" "Well she didn't say it exactly but she didn't deny it either, plus she snuck that pic of you the other day." "Ok thanks for letting me know Miko." She smiled at him as he went to talk to you.

"Hey y/n why don't we take a drive for a bit? You don't need me for anything right Doc?" "No and don't call me Doc!" You stood and walked down the stairs as he transformed into his alt. He opened the driver's door for you and you thanked him as you buckled up. The drive to your favorite lookout spot was quiet and uneventful. When he parked you got out to look at the sunset. It was almost dark out with the clouds turning pink and purple as the sun sunk past the horizon. On instinct you walked backwards sitting down on the edge of his hood. You stayed like that for a few minutes just watching the sky grow darker. But you were suddenly startled by Wheeljacks holoform popping up right in front of you. He stood between your legs and leaned down, both hands on the hood trapping you there.

"Miko told me about something earlier today that piqued my interest. She told me that you took a picture of me behind my back." You internally sighed in relief that that was all she said to him. "Oh yeah I did sorry. I would've asked but I thought you might say no because the whole cybertronians don't exist thing and having to keep you guys a secret." He grinned at you making you blush. "I'm not worried about that. I'm worried about something else she said." You swallow nervously. "She said you have a crush on me. Is that true?" "Ye-yeah it's true." You tried to prepare for rejection but it never came. Instead he grinned even wider his face moving closer to your's. "Well in that case maybe I should crush you against my hood and see if you're telling the truth." You blush like a tomato. He inches closer until you connect, the kiss is gentle but filled with want and passion. He pulls away to look into your eyes, you smile at him dazed. "That smile of your's drives me crazy."

He pushes his weight into you squishing you between his holoform and hood. You lay back with your arms wrapped around his neck and your legs around his waist. He kisses you again and grinds himself into you. You moan into him and he keeps grinding his hips into yours. His hands slip under your shirt and he lifts it up to reveal your chest. He palms one of your clothed breasts and starts to kiss your neck and chest. Your hands tangle in his grey streaked hair pulling at his scalp. He purrs into your neck at the feeling. He stands up straight and starts to unbutton your pants. You stand and pull them off along with your underwear. He follows suit but only pulls his down past his hips. You hop up so your on his hood again and lay back. His holoform moves between your legs again, his length touching your inner thigh. You move a hand down. To split your folds for him and he rubs against you, lubricating himself in your juices. Once he's done he prodds your entrance with his tip before pushing in slowly.

He hisses at the warmth of you and you arch your back as he fills you. He stops when he's fully sheathed in you, waiting for you to adjust. When you squeeze his hips he starts to move. He starts slow and kisses your neck sweetly. "Faster Jacky!" He grunts as he picks up the pace a bit. Your moans and mewls spurr him on and he picks up the pace again. He leans more weight onto you and snaps his hips harder into you. You paw at his back as the coil tightens in you. He changes his angle a bit and hits that spot in you that makes you see white. "Wheeljack!" You cry out. He snaps his hips into you, aiming for that spot. You arch your back into him as the coil finally snaps. Your walls clench around him and massage his length until he thrusts into you one final time. His transfluid fills you hotly and you chant his name in his ear at the heavenly feeling.

You try to catch your breath as he hides his face in your neck. "That felt amazing baby, we need to do this more often. Maybe I can give you that ride I mentioned." "That sounds fun." You smile at him when he lifts his head. "Like I said before your smile drives me crazy. But we should get cleaned up and I'll take you home." He helps you get cleaned up and dressed before driving you home. After he parks in your garage you walk around him and kiss his hood before going inside. "Goodnight Wheeljack!" "Goodnight y/n!"

[fungaloids]

envisioning a pinterest graphic like. hey goddess, are you remembering to temper your divine feminine energy with divine masculine energy? try some of the following:

forget to clean the bathroom

buy a $20 rainbow katana and injure yourself while trying to cut through milk cartons

marry another woman

kill and eat an endangered species

get your junk stuck in a household appliance

divorce another woman

[colourstreakgryffin]

Help me. I’m in the mood to break my own heart and I just pulled this out of my ass. Please don’t kill me

Serious warnings: Verbal abuse, manipulation, toxic marriage, threats, threats of death, toxic/abusive Obanai

Abusive Husband! Obanai gets furious when you don’t live up to his nigh-impossible standards. Furious means furious, you will know what angry Obanai looks like from a mile away in no time

Abusive Husband! Obanai is not above threatening harm or death on everything you love to ‘fix your stupidity’. If you have a pet in the Serpent Estate, it’s constantly in danger

Abusive Husband! Obanai will never physically harm you. It’s only verbal; insults, yelling, degradation. He hurts you emotionally but he won’t ever land a bruise or a cut on you

Abusive Husband! Obanai is beyond different in public with you. He is romantic, calm and affectionate as his arms or hands are always on you. He gets infuriated when you visibly flinch at his touch

Abusive Husband! Obanai uses physical affirmation, hugs, kisses and so many more emotional tricks to manipulate you into loving him again after a big fight

Abusive Husband! Obanai is the embodiment of controlling and possessive. He gets rid of your katana and your access to your Kasugai Crow so you can’t get away from him, and never lets you go outside without him accompanying you

Abusive Husband! Obanai does actually love you a lot but the trauma-fuelled outrage towards women is overwhelming. He loses his temper and how he sees you. In those moments, you’re not his wife. You’re his personal punching bag

Abusive Husband! Obanai is not a cheater. He may think you’re pathetic and worthless most of the time, but he wouldn’t bother with cheating and the whole drama behind it. It’s a waste of time

Abusive Husband! Obanai keeps everything he does to you and your life a secret. He has torn down your self-confidence and made you feel so insignificant that you’ll never want to talk to anybody about it

Abusive Husband! Obanai is also abusive towards Kaburamaru, who’s totally on your side, for trying to reason with his dear friend over how he treats you. They fight so much that Kaburamaru is terrified of Obanai

Abusive Husband! Obanai will emotionally manipulate you with lies and silver tongue to have sex with him so he can get you pregnant. That way, you definitely can’t leave him as he does not care about the child

Abusive Husband! Obanai is obsessed with you as a whole. He doesn’t want another woman, he wants you but he wants you to be better and he doesn’t know how else to get it across, other than ‘scolding’ you

Abusive Husband! Obanai punishes you by tying you up in the big backyard, with a chain, to his nap-tree and leaving you there until you have convinced him you’ll try harder

Abusive Husband! Obanai knows every single one of your fighting tricks and has a counter for each one. Try stabbing him, he’ll retaliate with a block. Try get out through the window, he has them locked shut. Obanai won’t let you escape this truly toxic marriage

Abusive Husband! Obanai knows you’re his one and only. Until you manage to do exactly what he wants how he wants it, he’ll show you all the love he has to keep buried

Abusive Husband! Obanai does not recognise his own actions as extremely abusive. He sees it as training, as teaching, as building you up to learn

Abusive Husband! Obanai gets into arguments with you over literally everything. You will always lose these arguments and be sent to the room you share with him crying your eyes out

Abusive Husband! Obanai doesn’t tolerate very specific things you like. Remind him ever so slightly of so much as one of his family members, he’ll be dumping all your belongings in the nearby river

Abusive Husband! Obanai is basically impossible to get away from. The only way you can truly escape him is if he died in battle… in which you pray for everyday

I’m certain I’ve used this picture before but ah, screw it

[gypsypendragon]

Pieces of the Heart

2: Coin Hunting 

There had been a lot of things Shachi and Penguin would have used to describe Law when they’d first met him; while they were still getting used to him. Things like meticulous, paranoid, sadistic were a few of the most common that sprung up over the years. Hell they were even more likely to put insane over a few other adjectives. Bepo’s choice of adjectives were a little more lackluster, but they couldnt really say they were surprised taking in their navigator’s more timid nature. Probably two or so years into sailing with him they discovered something quite, un-Law like. 

He collected coins of all things. 

The duo would have guessed something as wild as bones, or skulls long before even considering their teen captain collected coins. He’d denied it, sternly, when they’d asked about it one day. He looked almost appalled theyd even think he’d be into such a “frivilously pointless hobby”, and he’d been so convincing about it the two had thought they’d severely missed the mark. 

All those coins they’d seen on the table one day must have been a fluke, or something else despite how meticulously they’d been set out. 

Promptly after the inquiry the coins disappeared and they never saw them again. Bepo didnt seem to know anything about it either, so the two eventually forgot about the whole thing entirely as the months stretched on. 

At least, until Shachi personally witnessed Law bartering with a shopkeeper over a coin. 

They’d gone ashore, leaving conspicuous Bepo and his powerful electro to guard the tang, to do a small resupply. The island was quite busy; bustling with merchants and traders of all sorts. A large number of other ships had found port at the island, and after talking with locals it appeared the port town was a common resupply and trading outlet. Most didnt even see the trio of teenagers as they moved through the crowds let alone peg them for pirates. Shop owners easily bartered and bargained with them, and locals were eager to share town gossip or snippets of information they’d supposedly heard here and there. Law did most of the bartering; his dealings with merchants far more numerous than Shachi and Penguin’s experience. Swallow island hadnt exactly been a place of heavy trade and commerce after all. Information gathering was their job at the moment. They picked up any information that might be useful to Law and his (still a little vague about it but they were getting pretty clear clues lately) goal, or important for pirates to know in general. 

By the time they’d returned from a round of gossip chasing they’d found Law at a smaller stall. He and the shopkeeper seemed to be talking quite effortlessly, Law’s face and stance neutral telling them easily he wasnt currently being underestimated (he quite hated when adults underestimated them, him, and his posture would change dramatically if it happened warning the two of his coming temper). A small pile of the shopping sat near Law’s legs, and as far as they could tell it looked like that should have been all they needed. Assuming their captain was probably pining after something medical at this point Penguin wandered to a stall selling a number of weapons. Shachi had acquired a katana he was quite happy with a few islands back, so opted to continue towards Law. As he grew closer though, the shopkeeper lifted up whatever they must have been talking about and Shachi halted his advance. 

Low and behold, a shining gold coin was held up in the man’s fingers as he gestured to the face of it, and to Shachi’s curiosity Law nodded like he knew exactly what the man was talking about. In fact, as Shachi dared to creep just a bit closer, he realized Law’s eyes looked a little more lively than they usually did.

He ducked behind the wares of a partially crowded stall when Law turned his direction as if he could tell someone was watching him. Shachi remained hidden for a while pretending to inspect the merchandise around him before he peered around the crowd carefully. Law had turned and retrieved the shopping before leaving the stall. Shachi wandered forward slowly as Law moved away before turning to the shopkeeper himself. He was so curious… 

“Hey, you sell coins here?” He asked bluntly as his eyes scanned the merchandise from behind his glasses. 

The older man chuckled before shaking his head, “Used to son, but a boy ‘bout your age or so just bought the few I had.” 

Shachi grinned, “Oh, no problem then!” 

He slipped away just as he saw Penguin coming down the street; looking around for them no doubt. Spotted, the older boy trotted over.

“Seen Law?” He asked simply.

Shachi broke out into what Penguin would have described as a “suspiciously pleased” grin. The shorter of the two threw his arm over Penguin’s shoulders pulling the older down a bit to his height as they started walking. 

“Remember those coins?” Shachi started. 

It took Penguin a second to realize what the ginger was talking about, but he nodded. 

“Guess what I just saw Law buying at that stall back there…” Shachi’s grin widened, “Old man said he got all the ones he’d had left!” 

Penguin blinked at him for a second before standing up straighter, “Coins? If he’s actually interested in them, why’d he brush it off so aggressively?”

The ginger shrugged as he folded his hands behind his head, “Dunno, but whatever the reason guess he doesnt want anybody to really know.” 

The older boy huffed, seeming almost to take offense to the statement, “Well fine, I guess. We’ll just pretend we dont know anything.”

“Think Bepo knows?” Shachi asked after a moment of silence.

“It’s Bepo; he’s glued to Law. He’s gotta know.” 

…

The duo had spent a while trying to spy on Law after the discovery of his, apparent, secret hobby. They hoped to catch him slipping just to confirm they were indeed right about his secrecy, but Law was meticulous. No matter how long or how many times they tried they could never quite catch him doing anything with coins.

Over time the intensity of finding out faded to a simple, it is what it is, and the secret just became a part of Law to them. 

One island brought a particularly rich merchant presence, but Law had stayed on the Tang with Bepo after coming down with a mild illness. Sent to resupply and gather information alone Shachi and Penguin had taken their time to stroll a bit. Penguin ultimately ended up stumbling upon a particular stall where the woman was selling “collectables”, but what caught him was a small coin in the mess of wares. It was a shining gold, imprinted with a multitude of numbers and such he didnt understand, but there was an intricately designed depiction of a Sea King on the back of it. It certainly wasnt a coin Penguin had ever seen exchange hands before, and he collared Shachi as the ginger rejoined him to have him look at it too. 

“You think those are the things Law’s looking for?” Penguin muttered as the two stared at it, “I’ve never seen a coin like that before; that means it’s special right?” 

Shachi nodded slowly, “I’d definitely say so… I mean, I doubt he’d be going around buying regular common coins…?”

“Do you boys collect these?” The sales woman had at some point come over to them.

They looked up, a little startled. 

“This one’s quite a good find if you do!” She nodded smiling brightly, “The Sea King coins are hard to come by you know! I heard a lot of them got lost!”

“So these are, collecting coins?” Shachi asked slowly as Penguin took a closer look at it, “A friend of ours is into these…” 

She beamed suddenly, “If that’s the case then you would definitely be doing them a favor! Even if they have one already, each Sea King on the back was designed differently so duplicates are impossible!”

“That’s gotta be what Law’s doing right?” Penguin speculated to no one in particular, but he glanced at Shachi quietly. 

The ginger regarded him for a split second before nodding lightly. 

Penguin looked at the woman carefully, “How much are you selling it for then…”

She looked down at them, studying the pair for a moment. The shorter ginger boy would have been better alone she guessed; he didnt seem as savvy as the taller boy. The gaze currently on her was cautious and familiar with how bartering worked. 

She sighed as she leaned back, crossing her arms lightly over her chest, “I havent had many people come through here that are even aware of coins, so I’ll tell you what… buy two more items from me, and I’ll let you have the coin for a quarter of what I was originally going to sell it for.”

Shachi seemed eager to accept, glancing back between her and Penguin with an eager twitch to his lips. Penguin though mulled over the offer. A quick glance around the other wares told him there wasnt technically anything they needed here, and he could only guess maybe a want or two and light ones at that. 

The woman’s eyes studied him carefully; the older boy wasnt stupid. 

“One item full price, the second half, and the coin a quarter.” Penguin finally offered. 

Her tongue clicked against her teeth for a moment as she considered. She’d had decent business today, and like she’d said the coins werent something anyone who frequented was ever after. The pair hadnt seemed interested in anything else she had but the coin, and any business was better than none. 

“Alright.” She finally relented with a wave of her hand, “But the more expensive of the two you pick remains the full price item.”

“Deal.” Penguin finally agreed. 

The pair picked their items half heartedly, both just grabbing something that mildly caught their attention right away, before they were finally on their way back to the Tang. Law’s coin was tucked carefully in one of Penguin’s pockets as they discussed how to get it to him.

“Do we just… give it to him?” 

Penguin shook his head, ���Na… I dont think Law would take it if we did; he’d deny wanting it again… maybe I can sneak it onto his desk somewhere…”

Shachi laughed, “Think that’ll confuse him?”

“I dont think it’s that easy to confuse Law.” Penguin sighed, “But guess we’ll find out.”

Law was wandering the halls of the Tang, albeit slowly, by the time they returned. He looked a little less worn out at least. His attention had been drawn to the odd trinkets they’d been carrying but between the two of them and their commonly random impulses he didnt think twice about their half assed cover of ‘they’re cool looking arent they?!’ 

The Tang soon set out from port, Law lingering up in the control room with Bepo as they began charting their next direction. 

The pair took the chance to slink away toward the rooms to deposit their hidden treasure. Law’s room was, despite himself, always a little messy. They’d been in and out of it before, and it had surprised them the first time they’d seen it. The desk was always just slightly covered in half heartedly stacked papers or books; the bed was only ever half made; even rare occasions would yield a few clothes on the floor. This time, they took the slight mess as an ally, as they slipped the coin onto the desk. 

“Put it under the papers a little bit!” Shachi said quietly, “He’ll think maybe he forgot to put it away or something!”

Having not seen a single coin since the day they confronted him about it all that time ago, Penguin doubted Law would have “forgotten” to put them away, but it was as good as place as any.

Despite their, attempts at sneaking around though, a body lingered outside the door of the room unbeknownst to them. 

Golden eyes stared at them quietly as his hand hesitated on the doorhandle. He’d come back intending to lie down again when he’d heard the two of them inside. Rooms had never been a, private, feeling between the four of them. All of them often coming and going as if doors didnt exist, so Law hadnt thought twice about hearing their voices from inside. 

He’d paused though, when he’d heard them mention coins in their (particularly not) hushed discussion. Unable to help himself he’d bristled a little and had intended to storm in and throw them out; he’d thought they’d long since given up trying to figure that line of inquiry out. 

Their next few words though, had stopped him. 

“We’re going to keep looking, right?” Shachi had asked Penguin with genuine, dare Law say, concern in his voice. 

What was there to be concerned about? It wasnt as if there was any threat hanging over them if they didnt; in fact Law was set to argue there was more threaet from him if they did. 

“Of course!” Penguin seemed oddly enthusiastic all of the sudden as he turned to the ginger, “Law’s not… I dont know… normal about stuff!” 

Law blinked; what was that supposed to mean?

“If we want to do something for him we gotta be quiet about it.” Penguin had luckily continued, their odd silent communication not the choice of voice this time (thank goodness, Law would later think), “Let’s face it Shachi, we all suck at expressing.”

“I express enough!” The ginger seemed offended.

“Yeah, anger!” Penguin’s words were followed by a soft thwack to the back of the head, “You know what I mean! Law took us with him even though he could have totally left us. He keeps taking us with him; keeps patching us up; keeps teaching us. If we're gonna thank him for it all, we gotta be quiet… he’ll never accept anything like this straight.”

Shachi grumbled, but nodded, “Yeah, but wont he get suspicious if they keep showing up?”

“We’ll just, space out dropping them off or something…” Penguin half suggested with a shrug, “He’s always so busy with medical stuff or the library I’m sure he wont notice one or two every so often.” 

Law had quietly let go of the door after that, turning and carefully walking down the hall back to the control room. He felt a little offended, kind of, but found more concern with the creeping, warm sensation that tugged at his chest and face. While he didnt think they needed to go to so much trouble, let alone thank him for anything, he’d let them do as they would if they really needed to do something for it all. 

Besides, he definitely couldnt let them see him like he was right now or he’d never hear the end of it….

… 

As time stretched on, and the crew grew larger, the odd shore habit of the pair was quickly picked up on. New crew members would catch one or both wandering away from the main group to inspect rather odd choices of stalls. The pair had slowly begun to search more frequently as Law’s attention was drawn further and further away from his own thoughts, and into the consuming realm of Doflamingo and his goal. They’d picked up the seriousness of Law's disregard for himself after witnessing him glance over a set of coins before forgoing even inquiring about them (they had promptly picked them up in his place before the Tang departed that island).

Ikkaku was one of the first to find out what the two were up to, and instantly had been on board keeping an eye out for these coins their captain apparently collected. She clued in Uni some time later when she and the taller man were sent on shopping duty, and he’d been eager to help look for the little gifts for Law. The information spread slowly, but surely, through each member until all of the Heart Pirates were aware of their captain’s not-so-secret secret. Some, like Bepo, who would be able to obtain the coins but lacked the quietness of sneaking in and dropping them off, often turned to Penguin for help. Though Shachi was pretty good, no one matched Penguin’s ability to traverse quietly through the Tang. More often than not it fell to the older to take the precious trinket and sneak it into the room while Law was gone, distracted, or (the easiest of times) when he was holed up in the ever accumulating library. 

Hakugan, rarely one for shore based activity, stumbled upon a rare find one time that ended in many of them spending much of their personal allowances in one go. A rather stingy seller had a numerous amount of coins (many none of them could recall obtaining previously) that the Heart Pirates knew they could not leave without. Though more bodies searching now made coin spotting easier, it did not make finding them any more frequent. Coins were few and far between, especially ones that looked like they would be something Law’s meticulous mind would enjoy, and they were not about to pass up such a treasure of a find as this one. 

It had taken Penguin, Ikkaku, and Clione (the most frequent of the shore run participants) to haggle, argue, and exasperate the man down to a, questionably, reasonable price for the lot. In the end a number of them forked over the beri needed to obtain the whole amount, but no one complained. 

Law had been driving himself into the ground lately, and they were all for trying to find anything that would help give him some form of serotonin.

The lot had yielded a grand total of 10 gold coins, and five strange silver ones none of them had ever seen before. Having never seen silver in Law’s possession before Penguin had been skeptical, but the detail of the designs had been enough to include them in the purchase. It was, however; a large amount of coins to just slip onto Law’s desk. 

In the end they decided to divide the coins into two at a time over the course of at least a few months. Seemed reasonable enough, especially with Law’s distracted attention lately.

The first round was set a week later to avoid suspicion, and soon Penguin found himself creeping outside their captain’s room. No one had seen Law all day, so he was either in the library, or for a more difficult outcome, in his room. Penguin had a few back up lies in case their captain was indeed in his room and inquired about the spontaneous visit. 

He pushed the door open as quietly as possible, but in the silence of the Tang that late at night even the tiniest of sounds felt agonizingly loud. Creeping forward slowly Penguin made sure not to trip over the pair of boots that were haphazardly thrown near the bed as he rounded toward Law’s desk. The desk that currently held the sleeping form of their captain; much to Penguin’s misfortune.

Law seemed, for once, deep asleep despite the hunched over positon he’d fallen into. Penguin stood quietly next to him for a long while as he made sure Law was indeed asleep. Most of the crew members’ mere presence too close would wake the younger man due to his Haki, but he, Shachi and Bepo had apparently been around Law long enough that they didnt so much as register when they breached his personal space anymore. 

With Law, Penguin took the wins where he could get them.

The man remained fast asleep, and finally Penguin moved. He fished the two coins out of his pocket before scanning the desk for a good place to slip them.

There was quite a mess around this time; Law’s form actually sleeping across some of it. A bit of luck seemed to favor Penguin that night though, since he realized Law must have been in the middle of going through his coins before passing out. There were rows of them spread out neatly in one side of the desk while others were piled together atop one another; clearly waiting to be organized with the others. Penguin took a second to take in the amount, and finding it quite a lot more than he would have guessed at. As he looked at the desk he realized Law’s arm was over a small notebook. A mess of jagged scribbles he recognized as Law’s handwriting filled the book in messy, but meticulous, columns. He couldnt see all of it, obscured by Law’s arm as well as the low light, but Penguin could make out enough that he almost barked out a laugh. 

Rows of scribbling read in meticulous order the numbers engraved on each coin, followed by a date, and then a name. It wasnt some random name either, but a name of a Heart Pirate. Some were written confidently, Penguin and Shachi’s names the most common, while others were less sure. Small question marks lingered near Ikkaku’s name on one, and Clione’s another. 

Penguin realized they werent as sneaky as they thought they’d been. Truthfully, he guessed, they should have given their captain far more credit than they had. Law wasnt dumb; far, far from it in fact. He sighed, silently, before a smirk spread across his lips. 

Well if Law wasnt going to say anything, and was going to keep playing this “secret” game with them, he’d certainly do the same.

Shaking his head Penguin returned his attention back to his pervious mission; finding a place to put the newest additions Law would have to catalog. He glanced once more around the desk before his eyes landed on a pair of wooden boxes sitting near the unorganized pile of coins. 

One was much smaller and held a pristine condition, but the slightly larger one it sat on was far more worn. Areas of the paint around where one might lift and close it from were wearing away; fading slightly against the rest of the color around it. Curious about them, but deciding he’d spied on their captain enough, Penguin carefully placed the two coins on top of the boxes before turning and heading out of the room. 

Shachi was lingering around the corner as he closed the door, “What took so long?” 

“Just… making sure Law didnt wake up.” Penguin said quietly as they moved away from the room, “He was in there, asleep at the desk of all places. Moved a little, so wanted to make sure he was still asleep before I tried to leave the coins.”

“Law mentioned something about a long term recon somewhere; think we can slip all the rest while he’s away?”

Penguin grinned lightly, “Maybe… if he hasnt clued in yet, he probably wont notice then…”

…

When Law finally returned to his crew after a long, draining dive into the underbelly of a particularly large island; the resounding chorus of cheers were a kind of remedy he would never really be able to prescribe. They partied, ever his rowdy crew, and made sure Law was ever present in the center of their groups as if they wanted to make sure he wouldnt disappear again. Well into the night it went as the Tang sailed calmly under the dark waves.

He’d been exhausted when he’d first boarded her, and had been sure he wouldnt have kept up with his crew’s antics. Yet as he quietly left the sprawled out crew in the common room to return to the cool atmosphere of his own, he felt oddly re-energized. He sighed, heavily, as he closed the door to his room and let the quiet atmosphere envelope him for a moment. It was tidy and clean, and he huffed out a small smile; of course they’d fixed it for his return. 

Shedding his jacket, letting it lazily pile near the end of the bed, Law fell into the cool sheets. The Tang hummed quietly around him, it's familiar sounds and smells welcoming him back in it's own way, and he felt a wave of comfort slowly wash over him. Deep beneath the waves, with his crew and the Tang; Law would never feel more at ease anywhere else.

He turned his head slowly, eyes lazily sliding over his desk which had also been (partially) tidied up. He stopped though, when something subtly reflected the shimmer of the water outside. Sitting atop the boxes he left carefully stacked at the corner of his desk, closest to the bed, was a numerous amount of coins. 

Helpless against the feeling rising in his chest, Law laid there and stared at them for a while as he grinned to himself in the quiet darkness of his room. If they kept this up any more, he was going to have to get another box for those secret coins that kept strangely appearing on his desk.

Not that he minded much really; he was more fond of that collection now than the other one anyway…

XX🐠🏴‍☠️XX

I've returned with another short, some light fluff.

I wont lie these soft short stories are a bit tricky for me, I'm an angst/hurt/comfort writer tbh. I dwell in the tragedy and injury devastation side of writing.

These are good practice for me though, so it's nice. There will most certainly, probably, be some angsty shorts in the future though. I can only deny my nature so long haha.

If you've got any suggestions for a prompt or so also let me know! I'm always fishing for more ideas.

I always thought law's coin collection hobby was an interesting choice on Oda's part, but I'm also a little bias. My dad used to collect coins, specifically quarters, he had whole boards of the US states that he could put each respective quarter from that state of whatever year he was after. I cant even remember how many he had tbh; there were a lot.

(Also if you're ever looking for all the pieces im going to be posting for this shorts collection im going to be tagging them all with "Pieces of the Heart by KC" in the tags so they should hopefully be easier to find.)

[imaginarycyberpunk2023]

VINNIE GALLO // STATS and BACKGROUND

Full name: Vinnie Gallo

Gender: Cis Male

Path: Street Kid, works as a solo Merc

Date of Birth: October 5th 2042 (35 years old in 2077)

Sign: Libra ascendant Scorpio (oooh, spicy!)

Hair: black

Eyes: green

Height: 6’6” (199 cm)

Cyberware: Kiroshi Optics MK.3, QianT "Warp Dancer" Sandevistan Mk.5, Legendary Monowire

Weapons of Choice: Katana, Knives, Melee Weapons, the odd Grenade

LI: Macha <3, countless flings before her

Likes: Motorcycles, sleeping, sex, socializing, free climbing, boxing, eating

Dislikes: complications, haven’t discovered much else yet, he’s a very open-minded and "live and let live" kinda dude (edit: in his private life! Oh, the irony)

Love Language: Physical Touch, Acts of Service

Personality: a goofy, charismatic, and flirty Bro/Dude/Choom with an at times short temper and commitment issues

--

Vinnie is a born and bred NC streetkid. His families origin lies in Chile, a couple of generations back. He is an only child and loses his parents early, gets taken in by his grandma, and stays with her until he's 12ish . His grandmother loved him but couldn't handle him, he got into lots of streetfights, roamed the streets of Night City on his own, getting to know every nook and cranny in the process, getting into all kinds of trouble - stealing, brawling, breaking and entering. After his grandmother's death (she passes while he'son one of his day-long random disappearances), he lives on the street for some time, going hungry a lot of times. He makes a meager living by doing bareknuckle fights for money. On one of those fights, a gang member of the Valentinos sees him and takes him under their wings. He gets shelter, food  and training to become a merc. He leaves the Valentinos to become a solo merc. He had been working the odd small jobs for various fixers around town while in the Valentinos, but all the money from these gigs went to the gang. Wakako offers him his first serious money gig under the condition that he leaves the gang and works for her exclusively for a time. He agrees before he knows what the job is, because he feels very drawn to Wakako - she reminds him of his grandmother - just deadlier, of course. He learns that the job is to take care of her 4th husband. He does not hesitate to do it - and becomes her favorite merc in the process.

Despite his childhood experience and through meeting/living with good people (him and his grandmother have a very loving relationship, he loves and cherishes her) he keeps a positive outlook on life in general, knowing he can always get by and take care of himself.

[airplanned]

Today I heard someone say they were going to be Zorro for Halloween and I went on an extended rant about the 1998 fictional hero before they stopped me and said “he’s from One Piece.” feeling embarrassed and I will now be paying more attention to your One Piece posts to hopefully avoid this issue in the future.

I got you, bestie!  Here is a Zoro primer just for you!

Zoro was the first person to join Luffy's pirate crew.  (Luffy is a huge goober, but he's going to be King of the Pirates. He kinda sucks people onto his crew by being excited about their deals.) Zoro's the first mate and the strongest fighter after Luffy.

-Three Sword Style.  Zoro carries three katanas.  He defaults to using two kanatas, one in each hand.  This is called "Two Sword Style."  But if he has a difficult opponent, he will take the bandana he wears around his arm and put it on his head (so you know he means business) and pull out the third sword.  This sword he puts in his mouth.  This is called "Three Sword Style."  It is so stupid and so cool at the same time.

(sannuiz)

-Bad ass.  Despite how dumb this is, Zoro will do things and I'll go "Awwwww Yeaaaahhhhhhh!"  One time he one-punched a boat. One time he killed 100 bounty hunters at once.  Dude learned to cut through iron, and then he cut a train in half.  One time he was fighting an octopus who was doing "Six Sword Style," and Zoro did this flying spin thing, landed on the other side, and goes, "Three Sword Style,"  and I went YEAHHHH!  Here is the live action moment, when Zoro takes a drink mid-battle and then throws it at a dude.

During the later half of a story arc, the crew will split up with each person fighting a bad guy or fighting in small groups, and the narrative will bounce around between them.  They'll all start to lose at the same time, and they'll all turn it around and start to win at the same time.  Usually the person with the easiest and silliest battle will turn it around first, so the bad guys are defeated in order of how difficult they are.  This means Zoro always gets the penultimate battle.  He'll have a huge take town of some baddie, and then it'll be like "Woooo!  Only the boss is left!  It's all in Luffy's hands now!" And people will be very confused and wonder why Zoro is Luffy's lacky.

-Dumbass.  Do not be fooled.  This man is a dumbass.  He has big himbo energy.  One time they told him to go North, so went Up and climbed a building and then gloated about how he had climbed higher up the building than anyone else who had accidentally climbed the building. That time he cut that ship in half, he did that because he had accidentally gotten on the wrong ship. In the live action, he tries to sit down in a booth at a restaurant, but he's wearing his three swords and can't sit down and has to go around to the other side to sit on the edge.

-Unbothered king.  Zoro has this cool dude aloofness, like he's a man of few words and doesn't engage in anyone's drama.  This makes it sound like he's too cool.  But it's a fun character trait because it gets pushed really far.  Things happen to Zoro, and he rolls with it.  This means that any of Luffy's dumb ideas, Zoro makes them work.  This means if Chopper (the tiny adorable reindeer) wants to sleep on him all day, Zoro's going to carry around a sleeping reindeer all day.  If some stranger wants to poke his face to make it look like he's smiling, then he's just gonna stand there and get poked in the face.  In the live action, it comes off as that Zoro is quietly entertained by all the nonsense happening around him, and he'll allow it because it's funny, and if things go wrong he can just kill everyone and they can leave.

(Zoro with an octopus that has attached itself to him)

-His main job seems to be Luffy Duty.  This is not making sure Luffy doesn't do dumb stuff.  Instead, it's more tempering what Luffy does and rolling with it when Luffy pulls some shit. 

It's a common thing that the whole crew (except for Luffy) think they're the adult in the room, and (except for Robin) they're all wrong.  So Zoro will say something and his aloofness and seriousness will make it sound like it's rational and everyone will be like, "Yeah okay, that makes sen--WAIT  WHAT?" So it's also Zoro's job to agree with Luffy and therefore get the rest of the crew onboard (because when he says things in his serious way, it tricks people into thinking the plan makes sense).

(burquillos)

-Dream/Tragic Backstory.  When Zoro was a kid, he lived at this katana dojo, and he could handily kick everyone's ass except this one girl who defeated him 2,000 times in a row.  This made Zoro very angry, so he challenged her to a duel with real sword.  She kicked his ass then too, again making Zoro very angry.  Then she said, "You need to quit being mad about this.  In a few years when we both go through puberty, you're going to stronger and taller than me, and I won't be able to beat you.  A girl can beat a boy, but a woman can't beat a man.  Suck it up and wait two years."  Well, Zoro has no time for internalized misogyny and (again) gets mad about this.  She needs to do a better job believing in herself, and he makes an oath that they're going to train together and get stronger together and one day one of them will be the Greatest Swordsman in the World.  BFF!  The live action makes it seem like some time passes here during which they are besties.  The manga is very specific that that night she falls down the stairs and dies.  But Zoro's not going to go back on his oath!  He takes up her sword (sword #3), and is going to be the World's Greatest Swordsman for her.

And just, the speed and devotion and certainty that he throws into his decisions is on display here.  Like he knows Luffy for a few days and is like, "I'm going to quit my job and follow you to the ends of the earth and help you become King of the Pirates and be your first mate," and then he does.  Man does not fuck around.

-Extra random character traits.  He sleeps a lot.  He drinks a lot.  He gets lost a lot, but explains it as other people getting lost or hallways moving.  This means he will often show up in places where he can be helpful, when there's really no reason that he should be there.

[kultofathena]

Kult of Athena offers 100's of katanas on our site and seen 1000's over the years. How do you choose one? Consider your purpose and these two categorizations to ensure you invest in the right place.

[panpan-pandemonium]

TMNT Turtles adopting you

FLUFF MRMRMRM

you’re like 4-6 years old in each of these headcanons

i love them being father/brother figures 🥺🥺

+splinter being a gramp

i put too much effort into this shit

Leo

you were being cornered by two random dudes

child vs. two bozos in an alleyway? didn’t sound like a fair fight

how did you even get in the alleyway?

ngl he was pretty hesitant to save you bc he was worried that you would tell your parents

but then he realized that you were a literal child, so then he was fine with it

mf drops down from the top of a random building and starts threatening them

meanwhile,,was that superman?

holy shit you were being saved by superman

he looked a little different compared to that tv show you saw but it was aight :]

you didn’t even notice the two guys running away after a while because you were just staring at leo

“you okay, tiny?”

“...are you superman?”

who?? was he meant to say yes??

“um...yeah!”

mmm wrong answer

by the time he got back to the lair, you were latched onto his leg yelling “weeeee”

if he would be asked about what he was to you, he would explain that he was a foster parent until your actual parents started caring about you

the truth was that he was way too attached to ever let you go

especially after how you guys first encountered, you really think he’d give you up? hell no

you’ll try to grab his katana’s at some points

to which he has to take them away from you which evolves into you holding a grudge against him

to rebel against that, you’ll sneak away with his bandana when he isn’t looking

perfect plan

but you end up getting way too into wearing his bandana

you’ll pretend to be him and run around the lair showing his brothers until you catch leo’s attention

“grrrr... look daddy, i’m just like you!!”

his heart mELTS

YOU CALLED HIM DAD

YOU IDOLIZED HIM

OH GOD HE’S GONNA SOB

he has to take a step away from you for a bit and scream into a pillow

he’ll pick you up and spin you around 😭 legit he almost starts crying

“are you gonna save the day just like daddy some day?”

“yeah!!” 🥺🥺

he loves you so much but he’s so protective

he’ll freak tf out if he can’t find you anywhere

if it turns out that you were hanging out with your uncles and they didn’t tell leo, he’ll be mad at his brothers

“dad, can i go play with uncle raph/donnie/mikey?”

“no, daddy’s mad at them right now >:(“ he gets really petty

you think it’s really funny so even when he isn’t actually mad at his brother’s, he pretends to be a petty hoe

anything to hear that little laugh 💙

at some point he’ll try to fit you in his pocket

to which he’ll be disappointed that it doesn’t work

tiny pockets :(

his nickname for you is tiny

he likes to carry you around in the palm of his hand too

you’re just really tiny

and you’ll hear that a lot when you’re growing up

Raph

he was blowing off a steam when you found him, actually

he got into a fight with leo again

he starts beating tf out of those big shipping containers

the ones you’d see on container ships? yeah, one of those

midway through his temper tantrum,, *pitter patter*

he draws his sais way, ready for an ass-beating

he hadn’t had much action in a while anyways

and out comes peaking from behind a wall, a tiny infant

not a literal baby, but you come out of hiding and,, you’re a literal infant compared to his 6’0+ stature

he’s never fought a child before

he lowkey doesn’t know how to interact with you at first

he’s never seen a child in his life and that’s true besides his brothers

was he meant to threaten you first?? was that plan a??

he has the audacity to start threatening you in your face

he clearly doesn’t know the power you hold in your tiny hands compared to his puny objects

he’s so bad at threatening you that you don’t even understand a word he’s saying >:)

*bonk*

“did you..did you just hit me?”

you give off that innocent giggle that makes him melt into putty

oh he’s keeping you

“you got any parents, kid?”

“no”

“well good, because you’re mine now”

pulls up at the lair with you on his shoulders

badass father >:)

unlike leo, raph brags about being a father figure

he acts like a dick and shows off his fatherly title but he’s actually so fucking excited he feels so fuzzy and giddy

your laugh is so contagious to him, he literally has a laughing fit whenever you giggle n shit

he tries to get donnie to make you a custom bandana of your favorite color

donnie wants the “favorite uncle” title so he absolutely goes with it

when you finally get your bandana made, raph picks you up just like leo does and hypes you up

your own hype man

“are you gonna beat up bad guys just like daddy?”

“yeahhh!”

if raph has a pull-up bar, he loves putting you on his shoulders while he’s working out

speaking of workout shenanigans,,

since raph has that workout bench and weights, he once for the hell of it pretended that he was suffocating underneath the weight just to see your reaction

you ended up crying the first time he did it bc you thought he was gonna die :(

“daddy’s okay, it’s okay champ”

that was the first and final time he did that in front of you

never again

speaking of nicknames, he calls you champ

whenever you’re tired, he’ll quit whatever he’s doing and will come to nap with you

training? woops, gotta go 🏃‍♀️

eating? damn, save my food yall 🏃‍♀️

he churrs a lot to help you sleep too

he loves his little champ sm

Donnie

the one time he wasn’t cooped up in his room

the one time

literally just chilling on the roof of a random building when he dropped his bō staff on accident

couldn’t be worse :)

oh shit, a random kid’s coming around the corner :)

*abnormally large reptile drops from the roof*

“is this a stick?”

“s- stick?”

where are your parents- yeah you get the gist, he looks and sees nobody around the corner

oh well, kidnapping :))

he takes you back to the lair and has to explicitly explain why he kidnapped a child and why it was alright

doctor donnie in the sewer!

he does a full checkup on you to make sure you’re alright since you didn’t have any adult supervision

you end up getting really overwhelmed after a while which passes over to donnie

“hey hey hey! it’s ok, it’s ok-! here, do you wanna hold the stick?” this is an insult to his staff but he’d do anything to calm you down

and?? it works??

“stick :)” and you’re entertained for the next 30 minutes

and our favorite nerd adopts you on the spot

when he’s doing something on his computers, he’ll hold you in his lap while you get to watch him do whatever he’s doing

you get amazed at all the stuff that your dad looks up :’)

donnie loves the fact that you’re so curious even though it’s by nature

yknow those baby carriers that people strap their babies to their chests with??

this bitch

HE ENDS UP MAKING ONE SPECIFICALLY FOR YOU

“dad! i’m too old for that! >:(“

“please (y/n), just this once? for dad?”

it was actually a lot more fun than you thought

his brother’s jab at him for it but they all want a turn carrying you around sooner or later

this petty fuck says “no :)”

WITH A SMILE TOO

there have been many occasions where you steal his glasses

you end up copying his famous laugh and snort at some point (source)

you did end up breaking his bō staff at some point

donnie wasn’t really mad but you started to cry bc you were really guilty

you grabbed some duct tape from his desk and grabbed the broken staff

you tried to tape it back together as best as you could,,

when you went to bed, he stayed up repairing his staff

despite it being fully put back together, he still put duct tape where you did originally

so that it seemed like you helped :)

he calls you his little genius

why? because his biggest brag is you knowing random facts because you watched him researching

aw little genius in training, taking after your father 💜

even though he doesn’t cuss much,, the one time he did, you mimicked him

“raph, stop being an asshole”

“asshole?”

“NO”

he was very paranoid after that experience

Mikey

can a mutant dumbass take care of an infant dumbass? surprisingly, yes

he uhhh,,, he left the manhole cover off the hole returning to the lair

you crawled into the sewers and chased him down

why? ionknow big turtle man is cool :)

so when everyone sees a tiny child sliding down their slide, everyone immediately interrogates mikey

“did you leave the manhole uncovered, michelangelo?”

“hahaaa...woops :’))”

you recognize him as soon as you spot him, and you waddle towards him

which gives splinter an opportunity to question you, too

“where are your parents?”

“umm...him :)” *points at mikey*

“CAN WE KEEP IT?!”

insert a series of questions to mikey that just equal= “did it have any parents?”

all in all, he got to keep you

technical custody ig?

HE’LL TAKE YOU DOWN THE WATER SLIDE THEY HAVE

HE MIGHT GET IN TROUBLE BUT HE DOESNT CARE

splinter also has a soft spot for you so he let’s it slide no matter how many warnings you guys get

you accompany him on shenanigans and pranks

your pranks aren’t really prank, it’s usually just you asking if your uncles’ shoes are untied

they don’t even wear shoes but they go with it

you got most of your music taste from him

he once got an empty box from an alleyway bc he saw a video of a cat jumping into a box

and he lowkey wondered if you would do the same

so he brought it back to the lair...and it was on sight

you sprinted away from wherever you were to sit in that box

whenever he has a bad day, he’ll remember that :)

speaking of collecting things, he’ll collect a lot of things for you

you have a collection of bracelets, necklaces, and you even have your own skateboard!

mikey doesn’t let you use it tho

the last time you tried to use it, you got hurt

you have to hear him say dad jokes a lot

EVEN THOUGH HE GETS SCOLDED...he’ll take you to the halloween parades with you on his shoulders

he’ll probably steal one of his brother’s bandana’s too, just so you match him

“stay in the shadows goddamnit” but parade 🥺🥺

you’re his little ‘sunshine’

he calls april your aunt and makes casey your extra uncle

raph can and will make jokes about you both sharing the same iq

and that’s why he’s your least favorite uncle /j

you became a cat person because of mikey

he would show you videos of cats to help calm you down with temper tantrums

he does the same thing that raph does to help you sleep

he churrs a lot because you said that it sounds like he’s a cat (purring) and he found out that it helps you fall asleep faster

he was also the main cause of you having a cat phase,,when you grow up, he’ll recall that specific phase just to embarrass you

Grandpa Splinter

he heard out your father’s troubles when he first took you in

leo was scared that he would get too attached to you and that you would end up getting hurt because of him

raph thought that his anger issues would end up with you getting hurt at some point

donnie thought he would accidentally treat you like an object/wouldn’t be able to communicate well with you

mikey thought he wouldn’t be someone you could depend on because he wasn’t as strong as his brothers

he feels like an old fart when you come into his life

he was furious at his sons when they took you in

cuz y’know, human and all

you grew on him tho and he just acts like he’s still mad at his kids

to get back at him, the 4 purposefully start calling him “grandpa splinter” whenever they saw him

which passed over to you

so whenever you saw him, you would run to him, calling him “grandpa splinter” with grabby hands

absolutely tells you about your dad when he was a child

they get embarrassed cuz they all did dumb shit as kid

he‘ll tell you about his son’s triumphs and how they saved the world twice

he’s a damn proud father

he marks your equivalent of the hashi as “the corner”

and on your 13th birthday, splinter plans to give you your own weapon of choice and wants to teach you the same training lessons he taught his sons

they don’t approve of it though,,

[captainkurosolaire]

X1 ~ Assassinate Love? Mission Failure!

Reference ~ Chapter One ~ ♪ "Violet" ♪ Heavy downpour of rain cascaded down below weeping skies, trembling with aches roaring amongst Othard city-scape. This story is gray, from time; before…                                   When they first met.                                                                 Softly a footstep rippled against a puddle left in aftermath. Until arriving indoors to an inner-sanctum, where native magpies chirped happily. Eastern-garbed Seeker blindfolded, but not senseless as one of the swarming envoy magpie flew above dropped a contract that would forever change the course of history, his hands-skillfully swiped. This particular individual served within an elite-group of assassins known as Black Miracles, underground where secrets are bred in a shadow organization. Specially-lethally designed to exterminate or hunt; mankind. Often they solved-plights that Doma citizens sought fortune with mere whispers, a jar was created in the space-and-void thought barren of nothing; and sometimes remedy and salvation was granted as alternative fortune.  Duzan-tai-gachi, a foretelling katana, rumors said it could cut-through-anything; was stolen by treacherous pirates stowing near a coast in Ruby Seas, a crucial weapon for arms, The Far East would need to further utilize in their efforts against the Imperial-noose in this period. Fingers-done tracing the braille, understood. Vanishing like fellow-air, his excelling reflexes, heard and moved gracefully not even droplets of rain stood a chance to drench him or deter his pace. Overlooking a cliff where the treacherous sea-vessel took station under canopies of tree-shade; leafs blown taken from creaking branches.

A small-pixie companion peeked her-eyes out of his sleeve and gave a yawn! Awakening, Flicker, who acted as his ‘Sight’ for bound-style. His-motionless tone and verbiage simplistically gave volume, “How many signatures do you detect below?” Commanding an estimate. She peered-forth and squinted, her eyes-zooming inward, aether dancing-around them, creating a distinct aura. As she began counting them… Something odd-occurred, never happening prior that frightened, even the magical-being. The fluttering pixie had eyes-dart back at her of powerful brilliant-violets orbs. “T-t-there’s someone unique in there! They perceived my snooping! I counted a hundred-thirty-nine; before seen Master!” It could be worrying that his own outline was seen back. Most would derail from this mission, dangerous to advance.  Emotionless discarded and donning a mask. “Very well. I’ll just have to slaughter them before they anticipate further thoughts.” There wasn’t any maliciousness in conveying, killing was nothing more than breathing. He pricked a thumb and swiped it across a scroll quickly, and a Hingashi Kite appeared. Gale-winds of the storm, tempest were felt in not only the perception of his incredible-Miqo'te genes, but analyzing when to act with timing and trajectory.  Laughing drunk freebooters on the deck were festively continuing their putrid vices. Descending and atop them with a shadow-drop, they saw a kite above. Before their eyes-caught up, the lights dimmed out, he let himself go from the kite’s handles, and was on their table, kunai-knives, needles and strong-tempered wire linked to those projectiles, swept underneath his sleeves from various directions, piercing their throats, jugulars, every vital and alongside, severing them. A curvaceous courtesan who was getting rowdy sea-dog drinks walked upon poor time, she saw crimson ichor being washed away, the rain was frighteningly his accomplice, the puddle-of-red reflected his true murder-design. She couldn’t bellow aloud, a death-palm wrapped around her mouth, another callous-leather-gloved hand squeezing around her throat, tight-too-much-so. Expression's fear wrinkled her facially… Then… absence, null, but silent-peace, strangled and manhandled. He was just a loyal-bound blade of servitude, no attachments anchored him. Who molded him into such a proficient-weapon, broke, rebuilt, and then broke him again until he was forged; meant to horrifically slash, he-zoned away from his identity. Becoming Doma’s hidden blade, The Black Miracle; resident night-fright, his-assassin moniker; Shadow Father. Before disappearing from his deed, fire erupted from below the floorboards, he barely dodged unscathed, his tail-singed and soles alongside garb, strand hairs engulfed to embers. Instinct kept him solid. Quick-but-not fast enough to slaughter-everyone as intended. That presence aboard who peered back, unthinkably walked up above, her aroma drove him wildly in familiarity and attempted to evoke; tranquility, and even open to possibilities of allure. Beyond all that emotionless, senses were being drawn-back for the memory, he wore so many masks and bore many scars, to forget, manipulatively disciplined. You are nothing but steel…           You will execute for peace.    You are formless, stainless. You’re too sharp and have no delicate edges.            You slaughter in one-blow decisively. You hold no-weights, your identity-matters not. For you are The-Blade! Remembering this poisonous teaching, he was whipped, brutalized, his body-soul-mind-spirit forged, conducted in a method, to become strictly something conditioned, for War. A thing; the technology, advancements of all of Garlemald would be fearful to know; as an enemy not even precious machinery could stay guarded.

Flicker pried out of his sleeve gaining some distance but telepathically linking to him, “Careful, Master! She’s got spirits! They’re… they’re everywhere… even the ones-you-slew.” Silencing and restoring composure from his flash-back once again being his own bane of emotion, blinding himself. Her bare-feet walked on the dock, connected with nature’s blessing, life to death, in the fullest. A totem-hanging on her waist. “I’m so sorry. This is my fault, I should’ve figured they’d bring someone to retrieve that blade! I’v-” Before she could explain; that reasoning beyond their thievery was to remove the Voidal curse placed on that blade! If anyone unsheathed it, they would’ve gone on a mad killing-spree and struck all allies. She was round-kicked in the gut-sent reeling back and upchucking saliva, her breathing labored and consciousness staggered. The assassin lunged-forth with a piercing-charge but was blocked by an earth-spirit who defended her, conditionally and lovingly. The fire-element sent another blast towards him that caused his tail-senses to react with a bolted dodge. The-pirated angry spirits that were slain became malevolent and wicked, to the point they were manifesting pure-hatred toward their executor. He took punches and blows, from-the-unseen in-between worlds as-if air-was fighting back. Visibly-soundless blows cracked ribs heard, his teeth-gritted, palms grabbing the hilt of his true-sheathed Hingashi-forged, blade, aether exuding out of him before pulling out with a spinning slash, true-compact steel like he wielded, neutralizes spirits-demons, once again he slew and their heads dissipated, as so-did their forms, but they would manifest again, in time. This occurrence wasn’t normal. Most often people vanquished will dissolve to the life-stream typically, but not always. Some spirits-souls, become lost or fragments! And as-such, become damned, malevolent-incarnates, they curse, and will-sink into where they often were slain with irritation if not given proper guidance or closure. By a-proper mender. That woman was responsible, that strange-totem on her waist, strange-aura emitted from it. Flicker shouted out at him.You’ll have to kill her or destroy that thing on her buckle! Regaining her stature a little wobble in her legs and shaking, she spat out blood, giving a look at her palm of her condition; feeling it; embracing, “I don’t like to hurt others, but I’ve no choice! You’re too dangerous!” Taking a fighting-pose, her lips pursed apart.                                      “Soul-Integration: Earth"

He took a sword-stance, which his blade-charged lightning swirled around him, in blinding-speed he would-take once again another plunge forth, it didn’t matter if any of her element-spirits were blocking him. He’d blitz and take that damned-head! The accomplice of the assassin, the rainstorm taking place, struck lightning and fed into his aetherial charge! Blowing-through, uprooting and tearing the-deck of the ship, lightning-set-ablaze and struck the sail, burning it; rain-weather sought to quell. His powerful-strike was rooted and grabbed-shockingly, by her hand that was earthly-attuned and imbued, startling to him, the soles-of-her feet had become-gravel clad-boots to absorb electricity and nullify it, entirely and reinforce her physical-strengths ten-fold. She delivered a counter-punch uppercut that shattered his mask and broke into his face, following with her long and powerful legs, thighs credibly known of the Seeker and kicked him in the ribs if they were-cracked from earlier onslaught, it broke just now!

His air-gone and wheezing lungs took placement, sanguine-drenched down from his nose-broke, he realigned with a snap.   She fused herself with the Earth spirit? What-was this woman?! “MASTER, I’VE HEARD OF THIS!”                                     “SHE’S A SHAMAN!!!”

Coughing and hacking up internal-injury, the Black Miracle, blindfolded visage revealed mask-shattered, but some of his tribal-marks showing his distinguished face.                                                                                                                         They knew another. Gasp of realization came from her, tackled off her feet the Integration breaking, detecting her stance-wavered showing signs of weakness to exploit, falling back on the wood below crashing with him over-top her, he aligned his blade up to the skies and was going to pierce it-downward into her heart, in that instantaneous moment fire-erupted, his-blindfold, was extinguished purposely, her delicate hands grabbed his cheek; comfortably, an ilm-away from puncture, her composure didn’t waver, his unyielding and dazzling golden eyes-open and the world unraveled to truth. Time felt removed. With all that was ingrained, emotionless, nothingness. How could he forget the one-person who combated him many, years ago, strangers that passed by in their moments-in-life, and for some reason, she conveyed something out of him and extracted it to make him; change his destiny and create a dynasty to live for a greater-good. He was Shadow, mysterious and deadly, but unbiased-slaughtered he sacrificed his identity without even being born from the Nationality to make amends for the atrocities of a Nunh formerly, he became emotionless not trusting his raging ire of old; transforming to cold steel; removing former color until it was midnight-black. She was Light, warm, non-discriminating, embraced notions, exhibiting pure heat. Just her presence-alone, felt like you were able to confide-in, she sacrificially served as a heroine ahead-of-time and threw herself at the task of any troubled-spirit, soul, and brought eternal-heaven before them. Exiled and Freed from their Tribe Sept-branches they entangled on fate-paths long-ago and had but a simple conversation, but there was something that felt-so intimate between them and joy-easiness, that type of feeling; you cannot conceive, can’t put currency on it and try determining the value, or place-why, it just exists! Love meant to be. When gaze met; constellations opened, peering futures, hearts awoke, hers longingly and that blade himself, alongside wielded, surrendered clanging against the planks.                 “I know you.” "Yeah, and I know you.”                                                             Her smile sheathed his steel-composure. For the first-time again… his heart-beat thrummed.      Reminded his identity-of-former, beyond obligated masks wore.

How problematic after a succession-rate of 100%                                                         Mission,                                         Contract,                                                             Failed...

[k0na-core]

Evil Kai because we stan✊ I've been wanting some good quality evil Kai content recently after rewatching Season 4 and him almost going insane. Since Tommy clearly doesn't give two shits about Kai, let's have him snap and kill everyone else to have him at the centre again! :D

Blood as Red as My Gi (1)

It had been a few months or so after the Tournament of Elements. They got Zane back and was able to overturn Chen's plans. Everything was fine. Well, except for Lloyd having a hard time grieving. Kai couldn't help but have an awful feeling about everything though. Those words that Chen said to him, the feeling of power from that staff. It had been destroyed so there was no use thinking about it, but the sheer power that coarsed through him while holding it felt... Good. He remembered feeling a sense of numbness and a sense of pleasure. It seemed like the world was meant for him at that moment. It felt like being the most powerful, like the good old days. During the night, the more his eyes stayed open, the more anxious he gets. Those thoughts get more prominent in his head; the more he could hear himself say, "I should've been the green ninja!" the more skiddish he gets. During the day, Kai could barely focus- side-eyeing everyone, especially Lloyd- and was losing sleep. Everyone else was getting worried as Kai became more disheveled and rough looking. Each night he just heard himself shout out, "I should've been the green ninja!" Over and over and over and over and over again. He was getting sick of it.

On a Tuesday afternoon, he and Jay were on the Monastery yard training. It was all fine and chill with a few small talk here in there during breaks, "And you know, you got kinda scary back then. Imagining you, you'd probably lose it and do something worse if it wasn't for Skylor!" He joked. Kai felt the heavy feeling hearing Jay mention the staff. Days, weeks of that thing taunting him in his wake. He only shrugged it off and laughed about his own temper. Jay didn't stop, however and kept going on and on. Mentioning that wretched staff over and over and how they've done research on how powerful it was. Kai's grip tightened around his katana as he swung it on the dummy. "Gee, if only it wasn't destroyed! It would've looked good as a wall decoration," he obliviously said. Kai stood in place, frozen. That voice getting louder and louder. He couldn't hear what Jay was saying anymore. Jay stopped talking after he heard nothing from Kai who had his back turned to him. The blue ninja got a bit worried that Kai had zoned out and stopped listening. He stood up and walked towards him and reached out to his shoulder, "Hey, you sleeping on the job?"

Jay only had his hand on Kai for a second when the red ninja turned around and punctured the katana into his stomach, blood trickling slowly out of his mouth as he breathed out a whimper. Kai stood there holding the katana where it was when he slowly pulled it out, causing the other so much more pain. The sharp edge grazed against his organic tissue and tore open every organ it came in contact with. Jay had tears in his eyes and was coughing up more blood.

After the katana was fully out of Jay's stomach, he let his quivering body fall onto the floor and watched as the blood pooled out and soaking his gi. Watching Jay try and call out for help with the little bit of life he had was eye-opening. The feeling of having caused the pain and agony for someone made Kai feel something. He felt powerful being in control of someone's life for once. Jay let out a last heavy breath and laid lifeless on the ground. Kai felt himself losing control and chuckled out, "I should've been the green ninja..." The chuckles slowly turned into maniacal laughs as he took his katana again and stabbed Jay again and again and again and again and again and again until he felt satisfied. He found a new feeling other than anxiety that day and needed more. He had to take care of this now and clean up his gi which turned redder than what he thought was possible. Kai quitely dragged Jay's body to the back of the monastery and burned the evidence with his fire powers. It took him a few hours but he got all the blood scrubbed off the stone floor and cleaned his own gi on top of that.

Later that evening, everyone else came back from their mission. Kai and Jay only stayed back because the environment was highly flammable. Zane and Pixal made dinner for everyone and Cole set the tables for a celebration. All of them were chatting about how they did really well on their tasks and were feeling really relaxed. Nya, however, was worried. Instead of sitting down and eating, she was searching around for something. Kai stood up from his own seat and approached her, "Hey, sis! Why aren't you sitting down and eating? Your food's getting cold," she had a worried look on her face, "Where is Jay? You were with him, right? He didn't call me. Did he call you? Where is he? Where did he go? He always tells me where he goes," Kai held her shaking hands and reassured her, "Woah woah woah, calm down. He told me he went out to get something from the store," Kai paused, thinking up of more lies, "He didn't take his car since it was only a walk. I'm sure he'll be back," Nya only sighed and walked back to the dining table and ate in silence.

That night, Kai couldn't sleep. He started to regret what he did. The endless possibilities of the other finding out on his actions. What they would do to him if they did. But he couldn't stop. That voice in his head became louder and louder as the night went on. He still needed more, to make that stupid voice shut up. Who does it want next?

It's been so long since I've written something and I really lost my touch. Maybe this will bring it back lol

[fortheloveofhylia]

Links in Time : The Beginning of Something

Part 10

"What do you mean he just took off?" Maari asked, flabbergasted by Time's behaviour.

"I mean he just took off!" Wars replied, as they walked back to the little camp. "He said, 'stay here, I won't be long.' And just walked off without another word!"

"Can your friend look after himself?" Gartan asked, following the three youngsters as they approached his camp.

"Time? He can take care of himself just fine usually. But I don't think the fella's thinkin straight right now." Twilight responded, scratching the back of his head as he thought.

"Someone should go and make sure he's alright," Wars decided, as they rejoined the others.

"Good you found them, Time is..." Sky began, a worried expression darkening his face.

"We know." Maari interpreted. "I'll go after him."

"You sure? You and he don't exactly have the best rapport right now," Wars warned.

"I know, but I think that's why I should go. I've been too short tempered with him and he didn't deserve that. I need to make it up to him. Besides, I know a bit more about this place that he might want to know."

It was decided that Warriors and Twilight would accompany Maari to the ruined Temple of Time in case they encountered any trouble. They left most of their gear behind, taking only their weapons before heading off. It didn't take them long to hurry out of the woods and make their way towards the ruins at the bottom of the hill.

The Temple of Time still stood at the top of the small hill, surrounded by ruined buildings, crumbling staircases and smashed statues. A sense of grandure and of a time long past hung around what was left of the buildings. Bones of dead monsters and broken weapons also littered the ground. Nothing recent however, meaning that Time hadn't be assaulted on his way through.

"Come on, he can't be far ahead of us," Maari urged, picking up speed as she began to climb the first steps. The two young men followed, swords drawn and shields up in case of trouble.

At the top of the hill Twi looked back and whistled as he took in the view of Hyrule behind him.

"You don't often get a view like that!"

The others paused to look as well. Maari silently agreed, it was a very good view. She could almost make out the outline of death mountain in the distance. Almost all of Hyrule was spread out before them. The thing she had wanted to explore more than anything. Yet here she was babysitting an ancient hero.

There was no door to the temple and hardly much of a frame either. Much of the walls and ceilings had collapsed and been reclaimed by mother nature many decades ago. At the far end of the long chamber, a goddess statue stood imposingly, towering over everything. Time was standing at the feet of the statue, gazing up into her stone eyes. Maari and the others entered quietly but not silently. They didn't want to spook or surprise their friend. They were halfway towards him when he spoke.

"Have I been gone too long? I didn't mean to worry anyone," he sighed. Time didn't look behind him, he simply stared at the statue with his good eye.

"We just wanted to check you were okay," Twi insisted. Of course his prodigy had come.

"We thought you might have come to see the temple," Maari added. Time was surprised to hear her voice. "I thought you might like to hear what I know about it."

"Ha! What could a green horn child like you know about this place? Other than its afront to our lord and master!" A scratchy voice cackled out of nowhere.

Maari drew her katana while the two men behind her raised their swords and shields. It was at this moment that Maari realised Time was unarmed. He had apparently left his longsword at the camp. Time was still wearing quite a bit of armour but he had nothing to defend himself with. A cackle of laughter drew Maari's attention back to the statue where a Yiga soldier appeared in a swirl of red runes. Wielding a short duplex bow, they aimed at the three by the door. Wars and Twi raised their shields to protect themselves and Maari. In a flash the Yiga was gone again.

"Someone needs to protect Time, he doesn't have a weapon!" Maari stressed, pointing at Time until the others were on the same page.

"I've got him," Twi replied, charging forwards. Ready to throw himself between Time and any oncoming threats.

"You and I can take care of the Yiga," Maari said to Wars.

"I thought they were too tough?" He asked, a little unsure.

The Yiga reappeared close to Time. Before Twilight could reach him the Yiga fired three arrows. A prism of brilliant blue light expanded around Time in the blink of an eye. The arrows bounced off limply, but Twilight wasn't about to trust any shield but his own in that moment.

"Well, maybe you can show me how you earned the title Captain?" Maari teased, even shooting Wars a wink.

Maari and Wars had to trust that Twi would protect himself and Time, as two more Yiga materialised. Stepping out of their portals they slashed their weapons through the air. One held a hideous Deamon cleaver, the other clutched a pair of sickles. Maari scoffed at their unrefined and uncivilised weapons. She would enjoy taking away their toys.

Wars blocked a powerful strike from the cleaver while Maari hooked her katana beneath the sickles. Keeping a good grip she flicked her weapon and sent one of the sickles flying to who knew where. The Yiga looked momentarily stunned and Maari used the hesitation to press her advantage. She thrust forwards, but the Yiga recovered and dashed her sword off course. Maari swerved to avoid colliding with Wars who was battling only a few feet away.

"You good?" He asked.

"Yeah, won't be a minute," she replied, before returning to her enemy.

The Yiga swished their blade in front of them, taunting Maari to make a move. She glanced around, looking for any advantage. Some fallen debris to her left looked promising. She fainted right then dashed left, leaping up the broken maisonary. Slashing once she drew a long strike across the Yiga's back. With a cry of pain they fell face first into the grass. Maari put an end to the noise by plunging her blade into the Yiga's back.

Looking up Maari watched Wars slash a large wound into the Yiga's side. The battle half lost, they summoned a portal and disappeared. At last they both turned to see Time and Twilight fending off the Yiga with the bow. Twi had grown impatient. He couldn't defend Time and attack at the same time when his attacker had range and he did not. Finally he couldn't take it any longer. He waited for the Yiga to reload and chose a new vantage point. Then he pounced forwards, transforming as he lunged through the air and crashed into the Yiga. Twi's enormous jaws encompassed the Yiga's head, ripping off the mask and snapping their neck. Blood ran down his jowls as he turned to look at Time, still safe inside his prism.

"Good boy," Time teased.

The wolf managed to raise an eyebrow at him before turning back into their Rancher.

"Yeah, yeah. Next time you want to go wandering off down memory lane, make sure you take your sword Old Man." Twi berated his mentor.

"I know, I wasn't thinking clearly," Time admitted, sinking to the ground and sitting on the steps of the alter.

His shield dropped around him as the others approached, cleaning and sheathing their weapons.

"You both okay?" Wars asked, giving them both cursory glances to check for wounds.

"We're good. Could have been a lot worse though," Twi insisted. "Someone doesn't usually have to resort to using magic to defend himself."

"I know, I know. Come on give me a break guys," Time pleaded, looking into the eyes of his companions. When they met Maari's he sighed. "Sorry, that was stupid and insensitive of me."

"Maari, I'm sorry put so little trust in you. When you set out on this journey you trusted us to protect you no questions asked. But I couldn't do the same for you. It's taken me a long time to learn to put my faith in other people. These boys helped me see that." Time ruffled Twi's hair as he sat beside his mentor. "But if they've taught me anything it's that friends can be found in the unlikelyest of places. I admire your willingness to help us on this mission Maari. Althoguh I do think you are perhaps a little inexperienced, you have more than shown me your abilities. You have my thanks and my apology." Time bowed his head in her direction and waited.

Time sighed and Maari crossed her arms, waiting.

Maari let a moment pass before she stepped forwards and placed a hand on Time's shoulder. He looked up at her crimson eyes looking down at him.

"I'm greatful. The others all look up to you and I know how much they all respect you. Your faith in me is much appreciated Link." Maari replied, giving him a greatful smile.

Time nodded and smiled in return. He patted Maari's hand and she let go.

"There was something I wanted to show you," she said, moving past Time towards the statue. "Paya showed me a book once filled with tales of the legendary hero of the Age of Time. There was an engraving inside showing the statue and several carvings. I think if we look down here and scrape off this moss..."

Maari used the handle of one of her daggers to scrape back the moss and ivy which clung to the base of the Goddess statue. As she worked she began to reveal an image carved into the base of the statue. A figure was depicted, riding a horse, wielding an enormous trident. Beside this image was another. A smaller figure depicted in a tunic and pointed hat. In one hand he held what was clearly the master sword, but in the other he held a small round object.

"Zelda's ocarina," Time breathed, as he looked at the carving. He reached out and touched it ever so gently with his fingertips. "I wouldn't have thought they would add it in. Most people just talk about the battle."

"But there was so much more to it than that wasn't there. You didn't just defeat Ganondorf with a sword. I'm not sure exactly how the ocarina worked but the tales say it held immense power and helped the hero unite the great sages."

Time nodded, enchanted by the image.

"You were so small," Twi mused. "I'm so used to seeing you the way you are now. I always forget you were so young when you started out."

"I was younger than our young pirate was when he set out on his adventures," Time uttered. His attention moving back to his friends. He looked around the ruined temple, a shade of what it had once been in his time. He thought he might go back and see it if he got back to his era. When he got back to his era. He corrected himself. After all he had a very special someone waiting for him at home.

***

"You found our brave leader then?" Legend observed as the three men and Maari walked back into camp.

Dusk was drawing close and no more Yiga had approached them as they had left the temple grounds. Maari didn't know if that was a good sign or a bad one. The fact that they had been attacked at all meant they were still watching these lands. She explained what had happened to her brother and father while the boys chatted together.

"I think I've got something," Wild suddenly announced, drawing everyone's attention.

They gathered around the fire and drew close to listen to Wild. He held the Purah Pad and the Yiga notebook in his hands.

"I figured out how to take pictures of the notebook and send them to Purah and Paya. They received the pictures and managed to decipher some of the code."

This revelation was followed by cheers of 'brilliant', 'amazing', and 'wonders never cease', from the rest of the gang. Wild continued.

"They haven't had time to decode much and I haven't sent them the whole notebook. But from what they could read it said this, 'next trial due on the new moon. All scouts are to report back to base for new orders. The Commander seems sure the experiment will work this time. We've been sent to some old hideout from the upheaval days. Just some supplies the Sargent wants recovered. Sounds like a waste of time and soldiers if you ask me.' It goes on, but the rest of the page they decoded isn't relevant."

"This is someone's diary!" Wind exclaimed, jumping to his feet with excitement.

"Not just anyone's, this was a Yiga soldiers diary!" Karu pointed out.

"There could be weeks worth of secret information in there," Legend chimed in, taking the book from Wild's hands and turning it over in his own slender fingers.

"Could be more ramblings from a disgruntled Yiga soldier," Sky added.

"Possibly," Gartan agreed, nodding sagely, though he sounded more optemistic than he let on. "Can you get more of it translated?" He asked Wild.

"I can keep sending Paya more pages and see if she can decode anything more interesting." He replied with a nod.

"Wouldn't Zelda be able to translate it too?" Wars asked, nudging Wild.

"Well, possibly." Wild hesitated, scratching the back of his neck while he stared at nothing in particular. "I mean she's probably very busy and we're already on our way to ask her about a different problem. We really shouldn't ask too much of her."

Maari thought it was odd the way Wild talked about Zelda. She thought they were good friends. After the calamity she and Wild had visited Kakariko many times and they always seemed to be in the best of spirits. Zelda liked to tease Wild and he would humour her. Maari could barely remember a time when she hadn't seen them together. Something had clearly changed between them if Wild was so apprehensive about going to visit Zelda in Gerudo Town.

Armed with new clues about her mother's whareabouts and some unexpected information about what the Yiga might be planning, Maari laid down to sleep that night with a renewed sense of purpose.

< Part 9 : Part 11 >