#and I’m ALWAYS down to dress up seiya

[worldsokayestmagicalgirl]

I’m back & here to blasphemy ✨

Ugh I had too many couple options for this meme.

But I miss them the most 💕_(:3 」∠)_

[chichiichiii347]

In the fan newsletter volume 100, the members were asked to answer to questions from each member and here’s my take on the translation:

Toshiya

Kyo > Toshiya

- Rich or Extremely rich? (referring to food such as ramen broth) Rich

- All humanity is turning into dogs: woof 🐶

- Very hard or very soft noodles? Hard

- Pigmon or Kanegon? (from Ultra Q) Pigmon

- Would you dye your hair blue again? If everyone dye their hair like the old days then I’ll consider it.

Die > Toshiya

- Are you the type who sleeps well at the hotels during tours? depends on which day

- How often do you change your smartphone? 4-5 years

- What do you usually order from Starbucks? Drip coffee

- Which electric appliances are you very particular about? Electric toothbrush

- If you were to drive, which car do you want to drive in? Shelby Cobra

Kaoru > Toshiya

- Any recommendations lately? ask and answer by yourself

- You’re not watching anime recently? I watch it sometimes

- Which is the most delicious ramen shop? If it’s hard to say here then tell me next time: I’ll tell you secretly

- What would you say if Die send you a picture with his hair completely shaved off? maybe he can’t deal with the intense heat..?

- How do you want our next song (album) to turn out? I want it to come with a different kind of excitement

Shinya > Toshiya

- Which country do you like aside from Japan? the US, Hawaii

- Which manga did you like the most as a kid in elementary school? Musashi no Ken

- Are you becoming farsighted? My vision is getting worse so it could be that…

- Do you want to live in Nagano in the future? I'm thinking about it lately

- Are you planning to keep your black hair forever? Silver hair

Kaoru

Kyo > Kaoru

- Jumping up and down (びょんびょん) or chuckle (むひむひ)? (I think he’s referring to fans’ reaction) chuckle

- Which one is better, Light salt or Cheese Karl snack? Curry

- Aren’t you gonna grow your hair long? It’s troublesome

- Aren’t you going to dress up as a pirate? I’m not doing anything this Halloween, so I won’t do that

Kaoru > Kaoru

- Gonna do “it”? Give “it” to me

Die > Kaoru

- What make Hanshin so strong this year, let me hear your opinion: pineapple candy

- If a Hanshin member was to throw an MVP, who would that be? Kinami Seiya

- If you could scout one player from an 11-members team (other than Hanshin), who would that be? Yamamoto Yoshinobu

- If Hanshin finally got “it” after 18 years, what do you think is going to happen at the Dotonbori river? become the prey of Idiots, onlookers and youtubers.

* I don’t watch baseball so I’m not so sure about this whole conversation, but I know Die is a huge GIANTS fan while Kaoru is at Hanshin’s side, and people in Osaka often jump into the Dotonbori river when celebrating something big (new year, winning the olympic games..) so Die is talking as if the Hanshin would surely win the game (or winning over the GIANTS? idk..)

- If the GIANTS were to change the manager, who would that be? I think Abe Shinnosuke…? but the atmosphere would be…

Toshiya > Kaoru:

- We will die at some point in life, would you rather (1) be remembered by everyone in the world or (2) always be remembered by one particular person until they die? 1

- If you have a chance to time-travel for once, which timeline would you choose (1) before you were born, (2) after you’ve passed away? 2

- If there is one drug that brings super power, would you choose the one that (1) make you look young like your 20-year-old self or (2) keep the same appearance, but have the strength of a 20-year-old? 2

- Which member is most likely to runaway from terrors? Kyo

- Who is the most manly member? Toshiya

Shinya > Kaoru

- Which country do you like aside from Japan?Hawaii

- Which manga did you like the most as a kid in elementary school? Toriyama Akira

- Are you becoming farsighted? Yes, I am

- Who is your favourite Hanshin player? Kakefu Masayuki

- Which LINE stamp do you use the most? Kaoru chan

Kyo

Kaoru > Kyo

- Any recommendations lately? Fish from Fukushima

- Are you building plastic models? I’m building them intensely

- What would you say if Shinya send you a picture of him and Tom Hanks? from Deep State?

- Have you seen Mad Heidi? I haven’t seen it, but I’ve watched MEN

- How do you want our next song (album) to turn out? Isn’t Ramen Jiro (without the broth) the best thing ever?

Toshiya > Kyo

- We will die at some point in life, would you rather (1) be remembered by everyone in the world or (2) always be remembered by one particular person until they die? must be 2, right?

- If you have a chance to time-travel for once, which timeline would you choose (1) before you were born, (2) after you’ve passed away? maybe 2, to the future

- If there is one drug that brings super power, would you choose the one that (1) make you look young like your 20-year-old self or (2) keep the same appearance, but have the strength of a 20-year-old? 2, the inner strength (health)

- Who is the most affectionate member? Must be me

- Who is the best at telling lies? Must be Shinya

Die > Kyo

- Any scary experience at the hotels while touring? a fan peeping through a peephole and put their ear to the wall (in Osaka)

- Favourite game console? Mega Drive

- The most intimidating movie character in your opinion? Norman Bates

- How many pair of sneakers do you have? about 50?

- FOOD (don’t know why he’s using english here lol) that touched your soul lately? Blowfish dish from the restaurant that senpai took me to

Shinya > Kyo

- Which country do you like aside from Japan? None. Aren’t you Shinya!

- Which manga did you like the most as a kid in elementary school? Jojo. Aren’t you Shinya!

- Are you becoming farsighted? Dunno. Aren’t you Shinya!

- Have you gotten more tatoos? I’ll get more when I’ve become a skin-head. Aren’t you Shinya!

- Will you give up smoking? No. Aren’t you Shinya!

Die

Kyo > Die

- How many times do you go to the beach each year? when I think about it, I guess I haven’t went to the beach for years

- What is your choice of drink on a cruiser, beer or wine? I get drunk immediately after having wine so I think it’s better to go with beer

- The whole world is destroyed: If everything and everyone dissapear all at once then I’m not scared

- Won’t you dye your hair red again? or would you dye it blue? Frankly, during the pandemic when I could not see anyone, I’ve made a mistake and dyed my hair blue. It didn’t suit me at all, to the point that it gets creepy. So I cover it with red dye right on the next day.

- What’s your favourite colour other than red? BLACK&WHITE (he used english here)

Kaoru > Die

- Any recommendations lately? Prison’s book of rules

- Favourite type of meat for Yakiniku (grilled meat)? high-quality outside skirt steak, thick-sliced beef tongue, beef organs

- After Hara Tatsunori, who’s going to be the GIANTS next manager? I wanna see Abe Shinnosuke as the manager already

- What would you say if Kyo send you a picture of him standing on top of the mountain that he’s just climbed? The Zoom meeting has already started

- How do you want our next song (album) to turn out? raw (fresh) sound

Toshiya > Die

- We will die at some point in life, would you rather (1) be remembered by everyone in the world or (2) always be remembered by one particular person until they die? I’ve spent my whole life with this band so maybe 1

- If you have a chance to time-travel for once, which timeline would you choose (1) before you were born, (2) after you’ve passed away? If I can not return to this life time then I’d want to see what the future is like

- If there is one drug that brings super power, would you choose the one that (1) make you look young like your 20-year-old self or (2) keep the same appearance, but have the strength of a 20-year-old? 2-I’ll work on my appearance somehow…

- Who’s a foodie among the members? Our interests may vary but isn’t everyone a foodie?

- Which members hold the most secrets? All of us are secretive but I think “that person” definitely stood out.

Shinya > Die

- Which country do you like aside from Japan? The humidity right now makes me really want to feel the air of Los Angeles

- Which manga did you like the most as a kid in elementary school? Captain Tsubasa

- Are you becoming farsighted? I’d say my vision has gotton worse from 2007-when I got lasik surgery

- Favourite GIANTS player? It’s hard to choose one, but I’d say Kuwasa Masumi, he lived near my house back in Osaka, and used to be my hero when I was in PL Academy

- Your luggages always seem heavy, which item is the heaviest of them all? Dyson airwrap styler, hair dryer, hair iron, hair oil, hair cream, hair treatment spray… most of the items that added weight to my luggage are hair related

Shinya

Kyo > Shinya

- You’re already dead. No, I’m not dead

- If you can become another person, would you choose to be Yoshiki san or Gackt san? please choose one. I’ll choose Yoshiki san because I’m a drummer

- Aren’t you going to build a room in your balcony? I don’t have a balcony in the first place

- Would you try the punch perm hair style? I really want you to try it? or eipper. you only have two choices, punch perm or eipper? If only these two choices then eipper…

- You’re already dead. No. I’m not dead.

Die > Shinya

- Would you wear anything other colour aside from white at the liveshows? Please answer with something different from “No”. Maybe there’s no other options in the future?

- Would you change your hair style? Please answer with something different from “No”. Maybe there’s no other options in the future?

- Would you change your phone to the iphone 15? Please answer with something different from “No”. I’ll skip for once next time

- Favourite Apple’s product that you’ve owned? please also explain why. I’d say the Macbook Pro that I’m currently using. Without it, nothing will work out

- If you didn’t become a Youtuber then who would you be? Maybe a drummer

Kaoru > Shinya

- Any recommendations lately? What kind??

- What kind of game should I, Tooru and Fujieda play? Who’s “I”??

- If you have the Rock f Solo sheet for Kurenai (ロックfソロシート), please give it to me. I only have DIR’s records

- What would you say if Toshiya send you a picture of him DJ-ing in the club? You’re spinning the Kurenai Solo Sheet! Yay

- How do you want our next song (album) to turn out? Ah! the person who ask this question… must be Kaoru kun? Am I right? 😏😏😏

Toshiya > Shinya

- We will die at some point in life, would you rather (1) be remembered by everyone in the world or (2) always be remembered by one particular person until they die? Maybe everyone in the world

- If you have a chance to time-travel for once, which timeline would you choose (1) before you were born, (2) after you’ve passed away? Absolutely the future, I want to see the future world

- If there is one drug that brings super power, would you choose the one that (1) make you look young like your 20-year-old self or (2) keep the same appearance, but have the strength of a 20-year-old? Inner strength

- Who the most domestic member? Die san

- Most ambitious member? Kyo san

——————

And that’s it. They haven’t change one bit 😂

[i-needa-nap-please]

Thin Walls

Summary:

Haruka and Michiru go on a trip to Hokkaido, but on their first night there, they learn their hotel has thin walls.

Notes:

~ 1360 words

Harumichi and Seiusa

Female Starlights

ao3 link

---

A warm, fluffy feeling surged through Haruka’s entire body as she and Michiru slid under the covers. The soft and silky material of the sheets felt heavenly against her bare skin. And the feeling of Michiru’s body against hers was soothing as always. Michiru clung onto Haruka, having one of her arms slung over Haruka’s stomach while her head rested on Haruka’s chest. Strands of her hair tickled against Haruka’s neck. Haruka herself had reached up with one hand to slowly stroke through the curls.

“Today was fun.” Haruka spoke absentmindedly as her fingers ran through strands of hair.

Michiru hummed into Haruka’s shoulder, nodding in agreement. “It was.”

Today was their first day in Hokkaido. It was their well earned vacation after a long semester of college classes - along with their independent jobs of racing and performing. They arrived this morning and took their initial tour of the island. After quickly checking in at their hotel and dropping off their bags, they rented a car (a Ferrari, of course) and hit the road. Haruka drove them to every place that looked interesting. They made stops at the various beaches and parks, marveling at everything the beautiful island had to offer. For dinner, they went to a lovely restaurant and got seats overlooking the ocean, giving them front row seats to the sunset. Finally, after a long day of roaming around, they went back to their hotel.

“We should visit the Sapporo Beer Museum tomorrow.”

Michiru playfully smacked Haruka’s chest. “You’re just saying that because you want to get drunk.” The two laughed together. “I want to go to one of the parks. The Maruyama Park sounds very nice… It has beautiful gardens and trees, and it even has a zoo as well.”

“Y’know,” Haruka started, mouth curled into a mischievous grin. “If you want to see a garden, we can go to the Sapporo Beer Garden, located in the Sapporo Beer Museum. I heard it's pretty good.”

“You!” Michiru playfully scolded and gave Haruka a pinch. They both fell into a fit of giggles again. While laughing, they came closer together, pressing their bodies together tightly. Haruka let out a yawn once she was done laughing. “Ah, we should be getting to sleep, shouldn’t we? We have a long day tomorrow, afterall.”

Haruka nodded, burying her face in Michiru’s hair. “Yep. A long day at the beer museum.” Michiru rolled her eyes but stayed curled into Haruka. “Good night, Michi. Sweet dreams.”

“Love you, Ruka.” The two exchanged a small peck after that before closing their eyes and waiting for sleep. Haruka felt like she was in bliss: she was wrapped up in Michiru’s warmth and scent, and she had no responsibilities for two weeks! Life was good. She had a big dumb smile on her face as she drifted off into sleep.

And then, loud voices could be heard coming down the hall.

A pair of rowdy hotel guests came thundering down the hall. Haruka could hear each footstep and every loud giggle reverberate through her ears. In her arms, Michiru tensed and curled up closer as she tried to ignore the noise. Haruka did the same. The noise stopped right outside their door. Voices mingled together as a door opened and the pair left the hallway. Though, Haruka couldn’t rejoice yet, because the pair had the room right next to Haruka and Michiru’s and they were loud enough their voices could be heard through the walls.

Haruka could feel herself getting annoyed. All she wanted to do was sleep! But she bid herself to relax, reminding herself that the two loud and annoying people would be asleep soon. Then, she’d be able to blissfully fall asleep in Michiru’s arms.

Through the wall, the sound of chatting and walking could be heard. Drawers were opened and shut, things were tossed on the floor, and jokes were shared and laughed at - at least, that’s what Haruka could make out from the noises. Eventually - and thankfully - the noises died out after a few minutes, when a loud creaking noise shot through the wall. The people next door must’ve gotten in bed to go to sleep. That theory was proven by the silence that now graced Haruka’s ears. Happy, Haruka detensed and curled into Michiru some more.

Then the giggling started.

A loud, annoying, high-pitched giggle seeped into Haruka’s ears. She heard the bed next door squeak as weight shifted and moved on it. Low whispers accompanied these noises, which only seemed to get louder by the second. At this point, Michiru had lifted her head up.

“They’re being so loud….” She sounded sleepy and tired, which only got Haruka even more riled up.

“I’ll talk to them, Michi.” Haruka assured Michiru. “I’ll make sure they shut up.” As Haruka was sitting up and pulling herself out of bed, a new type of noise drifted through the wall. A moan. It was a loud, girlish moan that had both Michiru and Haruka cringing. “Oh yeah, they’re not doing that. Not right now.” Haruka rushed to pull on a shirt and shorts - she didn’t want to go out in the hallway in just her boxers and sports bra - as the moans got louder and more frequent.

Once Haruka was fully dressed, she marched out of her room and to her neighbor’s door. She was unafraid of their reaction. She didn’t care if the guy cussed her out or tried to start a fight. She wasn’t going to put up with listening to them fuck. Haruka pounded her fist on the door.

“Open up!”Haruka could hear an explicative come from inside as the moans stopped. Loud stomps got close to the door before the door was thrown open.

“What the fuck? What do you-.” The person talking stopped short in their rant, looking at Haruka with wide eyes. “Tenoh? The hell are you doing here?”

In front of her - in front of Haruka’s very eyes - was Seiya Kou. She stood before Haruka in only her sports bra and boxers, baring her skin. Seiya’s neck was covered in fresh lipstick strains and her hair was all tussled up. The shocked look on Seiya’s face quickly turned into one of annoyance.

“What am I doing here? I should be asking you that.” Haruka scoffed, crossing her arms. “Anyways, I could hear you - and whatever groupie you’re fucking - from a mile away. And the walls are pretty thin here. So I came to tell you to shut up.”

Seiya scoffed. “Man, whatever. We’ll shut up, just fuck off.”

“If you make any more noise I’ll call the front desk and complain.”

“Oh no, the front desk!” Seiya rolled her eyes, sarcasm dripping from every word. “I’m terrified. Look at me, Tenoh, you’ve got me shaking in my boots.” A low growl escaped Haruka’s lips as she stepped towards Seiya, ready to fight.

“Kiss my ass, Dickhe-.”

“Woah! Did you say Haruka’s here?” Stopping both women in their tracks was the appearance of Usagi. She came up behind Seiya, wrapped in a robe. Her neck had a few fresh hickies on it. And when she reached Seiya, she hugged Seiya’s arm. Speaking of Seiya, she had become visibly pale. Her eyes nervously flickered between Usagi and Haruka. “I didn’t know you were coming to Hokkaido for vacation too, Haruka! Me and Seiya have been here for a few days! Oh, we should all hang out tomorrow. You know, like a double date!”

Haruka was frozen in her tracks. Her eyes had widened to the size of planets. Her brain was working a mile a minute to try and process the image in front of her. Did Seiya and Usagi…? Once the realization hit her, Haruka’s face lit up in fury. Her eyebrows furrowed, her nose crinkled, and an almost inhuman snarl made its way onto her face.

Seiya promptly slammed the door in her face.

“OPEN UP RIGHT NOW, YOU COWARD!” Haruka was viciously banging on the door. “KOU, YOU FUCKING DICKHEAD, I’M GOING TO KILL YOU! COME OUT HERE AND FACE ME LIKE A MAN!”

“I’m a woman, dumbass!”

“YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN!”

[hana-bean]

Close to you (4/7)

On the days of tears and on the days of smiles I will be by your side

---

“Wow, looking sharp, boys!”

Within the decorated front garden, already filled with aristocracy and guardians milling about, Ami, Rei, Makoto, and Minako strode up to the three men dressed up in suits—Seiya in red, Taiki in yellow, and Yaten in light blue. Each man tugged at their jacket and re-adjusted their tie to settle into the new tailor-made outfits.

“Yeah, these aren’t bad.” Yaten moved his shoulders. “I never would have thought blue was my color.”

“Psh, of course, it is. I chose the outfits!” Minako raised a hand while tittering in victory. “You’re welcome!”

Makoto pointed her thumb over her shoulder. “Are you all thirsty? The queen went with strawberry mojitos this year for her birthday cocktail!”

“That’s okay, we’ll wait for the waiters to come around—what happened to your thumb?” Taiki lost interest in the liquor once he noticed the brunette’s scratched-up, bruised digit, and furrowed his brow in concern.

Blushing, she covered it up with her other hand while muttering, “Oh uh, just… playing a game of thumb war…”

“And losing,” Ami smirked as she took a sip of her drink. Though her own thumb didn’t come out of the war clean either and was bandaged up.

Rei rested her elbow on Minako’s shoulder. “So, Seiya, how’s your leg doing?” She eyed him up and down, hungry for a snack already as she was three mojitos deep.

“It’s okay. I took a pain pill this morning and it’s just kind of a dull ache right now.”

“So like, if you took another pain pill later, you’d be able to move around a bit more? Like in the hips… area… place?” She gestured her hand over her pelvis

“I mean, sure… if I don’t get too drunk and not feel either of my legs.” He chuckled.

“Oh yeah, no… right… can’t have that!” Rei shook her head vigorously. “Gotta have you feeling at least one leg tonight.”

Seiya’s laughter trailed into nervousness, wondering if Yaten was onto something thinking they wanted to eat them.

“Please direct your attention to Queen Serenity, the first!”

The atmosphere filled with confusion in the form of a dull murmur as everyone turned toward the source of the announcement to watch the queen enter the garden area clad in her standard white dress and platinum crystal crown.

“Is she finished with the parade already?” Ami looked to the other women, receiving only shrugs for an answer. Nevertheless, everyone curtsied or bowed in succession as Serenity passed until she approached the main group.

“Gentlemen, you look great!”

The three men came up from their bows with smiles on their faces. “Thank you, your highness!”

When Rei came up from her curtsy, she caught eyes with Serenity, who stared at her for several moments looking apologetic, but then quickly averted her gaze to Seiya.

“How’s your leg doing?”

“It’s good!” He patted his hip. “I should be able to survive the day.”

“Good! Does that mean you’d be able to ride in the parade with me?”

“The parade?”

“Yes, further in the city! I ride in a motorcade and just kind of wave to people… thank them for coming out and getting drunk on my birthday.” She giggled. “Usually my husband rides with me, but I was hoping you’d be able to since he’s away this week. And also you’re a guest of honor.”

Taiki and Yaten looked at each other feeling like chopped liver.

There was no need to ask him twice. Seiya’s mouth curled into the most genuine and honored smile. “Yes, of course, your highness.”

“Wonderful!” She bounced with excitement. “We have to leave now, though.”

Ever the gentlemen, he pivoted on his good leg and held out his bent arm, enjoying every half-second of the feeling of her hand grasping the crevice of his elbow. They then began their saunter through the crowd and toward the driveway at a waiting car.

Rei had to pick her jaw up off the ground and turned toward Minako to commence in some harsh whispering. “That dirty little liar!”

“She totally has a thing for men with canes.” The blonde shook her head.

She growled before downing the rest of her drink. “I’m splitting Yaten with you then.”

“Uh, excuse you.” Minako locked her hand on her hip and waved around a finger in protest. “Split Taiki—there’s enough of him to go around.”

“I can’t climb that, I have a bad back!”

---

As the car came to a stop once it reached the parade queue, the top retracted to expose the two passengers to the afternoon sun of the young summer.

From his position sitting across Serenity, Seiya shifted on the leather seat. “So do I have the king’s blessing to be riding with his queen?”

“You do, actually.” She smirked. “In fact, he requested it.”

“Did he?”

“Well… not you… specifically… but he wanted me to have a chaperone.”

“And you choose the most injured out of the three of us?”

Her face glowed red. “Uh, well… I didn’t… see you as that… there are a lot of bodyguards around us anyway…”

It was too entertaining to see her stumble over herself, but Seiya had to keep in mind she was still royalty, and he shouldn’t get too comfortable. Nevertheless, he couldn’t help sending her a wink.

“If I have to put my cane to another use for you, I will.”

Serenity took a few moments to look away, her stomach erupting in a swarm of butterflies. And then the mimosas began to talk.

“I just feel very comfortable and safe around you.”

“It probably helps that my real job is to protect a princess. So this is very familiar territory.” He didn’t want to give himself too much credit.

That’s not what she meant, but it was probably for the best that he didn’t know that. She humored him. “Even after ten years?”

“The guardian purpose never leaves you.”

“That’s very true. I still carry around my transformation brooch.”

“Have you had to transform since Galaxia?”

“No, it’s been relatively peaceful. Just the normal societal problems—bar fights… illegal aliens…” Serenity’s heart sighed in relief to hear him laugh at her joke.

“In all seriousness, I’d be scared of you too if I knew you defeated the greatest enemy of the universe.”

Visibly flattered, she touched her shoulder to her cheek. “I’m surprised anyone even knows that.”

“Everyone in the known universe remembers Galaxia. Her reach was vast. And rightfully, so is yours. We were very excited to come here.”

“Really? Did you expect to meet me?”

“No.” His shoulders shook as he chuckled. “But everyone talks about how nice Earth is. It was actually really hard to sneak in. The security is tight.”

“Oh?”

“Yes. We had to time it perfectly to shoot in during a fireworks festival. Took us weeks to figure it out.”

“Well then, I’ll have to assign you to border security since you know all the tricks.”

He waited for a punchline, only to realize she was serious. A grateful yet regretful grin spread across his face. “That’s kind of you, your highness, but whether we find our princess or not, we must move on.”

Her face dropped while her brow furrowed. “Even after you find her?”

“Yes. Our ultimate end goal is to return to Kinmoku.”

“Right… right, of course.” The sinking of her heart was apparent through her darting, descending eyes. “But are you sure?”

“We want to go home. We’ve been away for so many years and that’s where we belong.”

“You belong here, too…”

While touched, he was more confused by her words than anything. And it must have been written all over his face in flashing letters since Serenity cleared her throat and tried to smile through the seriousness.

“That’s if you want to, of course—I’m hungry. Are you hungry?”

“Um…” He breathed out a laugh. “Since we ate about two hours ago, I’m—”

“Great! Let’s get some food!”

“Do we have time to eat? The parade is about to start.”

“We have plenty of time to scarf down a box!”

“A box?” Pure dread drained the color from his face. “Of what?”

A bodyguard on foot had already approached the vehicle at the queen’s verbal summoning. And then a few seconds later, he was jogging further up the road and disappeared into the distant crowd.

“My favorite vendor is not too far away.” Serenity shook her shoulders in anticipation. “You’re going to love the dumplings there. Their pork and red bean fillings are heavenly.”

“Pork and red bean? Together?”

“Separate!” She giggled at the face he made. “They have savory and dessert ones.”

Her assurance helped Seiya’s slight appetite return and helped him relax. “I’ll only eat them if they look exactly like the ones on your head.”

“Maybe… They get more creative every year. It’s become a tradition for people to eat them on my birthday.”

“That makes sense. They don’t call you ‘Queen Odango’ for nothing.”

Her blue eyes rolled back in her head with a jaded groan. “Even in royalty, I can’t escape the nickname.”

“It’s cute. It suits you.” He tipped his chin toward her head. “What are your odangos filled with?”

“Secrets.” She giggled.

“Are you sure they can all fit up there?”

“The odangos are adjustable. That’s why my hair is so long.”

“Well, if you run out of room, I can always keep one for you.” He winked.

Unable to speak from the suggestive comment, Serenity’s blush extended down to her shoulders. They both sat in silence for a few moments until the queen felt her phone vibrate with a text notification. Her eyes widened in surprise once she looked at it, piquing Seiya’s curiosity.

“Is everything okay?”

“The database has a hit.”

---

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Please note if you would like to follow this story, I will be updating the rest of the chapters under the tag: hana-bean closetoyou and other iterations of the spacing. I love you all!

[hideyseek]

[fic] but i grew weary of the threshold,

written for day 3: training of tsurune week 2020, hosted by the marvelous @bowcrazy​. rated g, 1.4k

Seiya has been sitting in the half-dark for thirty-six minutes, when the door opens. It’s just a quiet shush of false wood against scrubby carpet. He looks in quick succession at the microwave clock, the opening door, back down at his mug of cold coffee. Just a flick of his eyelids, every other part of his body perfectly still as the door opens further.

11:09.

He closes his eyes right before the slice of light from the other room catches him full in the face.

“Seiya?” They sent Minato, then.

He can hear Minato’s footsteps heading in his direction, a quiet sound of cloth against softness. Seiya can track the dark blotch moving in the red-yellow-bright against the back of his eyelids. He counts the steps: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. The color behind his eyelids goes blue-cool then orange again as Minato steps to a halt right next to Seiya’s chair.

“The team sent you,” Seiya says, opening his eyes to stare down at his coffee. He can’t tell if Minato is looking down or not. At him, or not.

“I volunteered,” Minato corrects from somewhere above and behind him, familiar. Minato shifts until his hip rests against the edge of the tabletop. The surface of Seiya’s cold coffee shivers with the impact.

finish reading on ao3.

Seiya blinks slowly, dazzled. His hands are going cold from trying to keep the liquid warm and failing.

Minato’s right shoulder is a dark shape high in his peripheral vision. His fingertips are pressed lightly against the table three and a half inches from where Seiya’s hands are clenched around his mug.

The dark wood of the table between them. If Seiya turned his hand over, they could touch.

He looks at his hands and they don’t move. They haven’t been so reliable, recently. He looks up at Minato’s back out of the corner of his eye. In his peripheral vision, the microwave display blinks to 11:11. In his peripheral vision, Minato’s hand taps out on the table: one, two.

Sei—ya.

Seiya imagines what his hand might look like, turned over on the table, taking up the dark space.The tabletop would be cool against the back of his hand. The light might catch the callus at the base of his thumb, and the shadow could pool in his palm. Minato’s fingertips would brush his. He would be like a dog showing its belly.

Seiya’s eyes hurt from looking at Minato without looking at Minato. If he keeps this up, he’ll have a headache, he knows from experience. Seiya steers his gaze back to his coffee. Unclenches his hand from around his mug to tap back.

One, two, three.

Minato breathes out in a noisy rush of air and Seiya makes himself copy it silently. Air leaks out of his nostrils and he feels his chest deflate with it. Minato has never been the subtle one. He doesn’t talk, but Seiya can read him. Seiya can read him as well as he can read Seiya, apparently.

Minato rolls his shoulder and Seiya looks at him again, just a quick flick of his eyes. It’s the sort of thing that Nanao would laugh at, kindly, and describe with, Seiya! No wonder you always end up with so much Valentine's choco every year. His eyes have adjusted to the brightness now, to the color of Minato’s clothing against that brightness. Suit collar and suit jacket, slate grey under black. He’d looked good during the awards ceremony, dressed up western style, hands around the second place trophy in boys’ individuals. He’d looked so good.

Seiya had cried all over his hakama, during the awards ceremony. He’d been fine through the rest of the round itself, quietly upset but still fine through the awards for individuals, through the awards for the girls’ groups. But when they began to call results for the boys’ groups he’d stood abruptly and gone to implode in the toilets, out of sight where the loudspeakers didn’t broadcast.

They could have won.

“What did you want?” asks Seiya, his voice stumbling into a whisper without his permission. He puts his hands back around his mug and squeezes. His palm is cold. He feels unanchored, despite it.

Seiya closes his eyes again.

Minato’s hand envelops his around the mug, warm and gentle. Unhesitant. Unfamiliar. Seiya can feel the soft chafe of a blister turned callus against the back of his hand.

For an instant, it feels unbearable that something as simple as time can make something that hurts into something else. Seiya grits his teeth. Eventually, the feeling passes.

Seiya exhales, shaky and loud.

“Either come be sad with us properly or go to sleep,” Minato says gently. You should be taking care of yourself, he doesn’t say. Seiya thinks it for him.

Seiya is still looking at his drink, which means he’s looking at his right hand. Which means he’s looking at Minato’s hand cupped over his hand. Seiya shifts his left hand around the edge of the mug until his fingertips brush Minato’s fingertips.

Nobody had spoken to him about it, after the fact. Not until Minato, now.

“I missed three shots,” Seiya tries to say, but nothing comes out. “I was the only—” Three consecutive shots, in three different directions from the target. Two o’clock, nine o’clock, five o’clock, correcting too far each time. A near-perfect column of Xs. The rest of the team had hit sixteen times.

“Come be with us,” Minato repeats. “Ryohei bought mochi.”

Seiya doesn’t deserve mochi. He doesn’t know what he deserves, but it’s not mochi. He stares into his coffee again, and tries to distract his mind from wondering if Minato is looking at him. I missed three shots, Seiya tells himself. We could have won.

“You of all people—,” Seiya starts. You of all people should understand how I’m feeling right now without my having to say it. Not that Minato had said much to Seiya after that tournament. Not that wallowing in the fear and worry had done Minato any good. “Minato,” he says instead, voice on the edge of reproachful.

“It’s red bean mochi,” says Minato, ignoring him. “It would go with your awful coffee, if you still plan to drink it.”

I missed three shots, Seiya thinks again. We could have won. The thought holds in his mind, and hurts. His hand around the mug is tingling as the heat comes back into it, seeping from Minato’s hand to his. Minato shifts his hand on Seiya’s, and for a moment Seiya expects his grip to tighten. It doesn’t. Instead, Seiya thinks about calluses again.

Something as simple as time can make something that hurts into something else.

He holds it there at the front of his mind for a moment. Trembling, and immediate. The moment before the tsurune.

The world is Seiya’s breath skittering across the surface of his coffee, and Minato’s hand, and nothing else .

I missed three shots today, Seiya thinks again. We could have won. It twinges.

It hurts, and it’s bearable, and Minato’s hand is still warm over his. Seiya turns the thought over in his mind. I hit once today. He turns it over again. There’s mochi for me next door.

“Red bean mochi, you said,” says Seiya out loud. The words come out low and hoarse, but they come out. The surface of his cold coffee trembles under his breath.

“Yeah,” says Minato firmly from right next to him.

Seiya tilts his head to the side and meets Minato’s gaze without even trying. His dress shirt is open a little, the top button undone. He looks serious, and focused, and like he’s being very, very careful. His cheeks are a little flushed, and he’s looking right at Seiya. Minato blinks like he’s been staring.

Seiya’s fingers are stiff from cold where they weren’t touching Minato’s. He pulls his free hand away from the mug and taps, Mi—na—to.

Minato moves his hand away from Seiya’s to respond against the table. Sei—ya. Then he lifts his hand.

It’s just enough that his fingertips don’t leave the tabletop. Just enough that Seiya can tell he’s putting effort into it. Not much, certainly not too much, but there’s a firmness to the shape of his wrist. A tension in the stillness of his forearm that reads as intentional. It’s not hesitation.

This is what Minato looks like right before the tsurune. This is Minato, waiting for Seiya.

I hit once today, Seiya thinks, and flips his hand over before he can think anything else. The table is cold, but his hand is warm against it. It does not feel like surrender. Seiya looks up at Minato, who is still looking right at him.

“Let’s go eat mochi.”

Minato puts his hand in Seiya’s hand, and pulls him out of the chair.

~fin~

[itsuki-minamy]

K SIDE: PURPLE 02

Translation: Naru-kun Raws: Ridia

"Yodomiya" is one of the main entertainment districts of Tokyo.

It is a so-called "Adult City" which is deeper and more crowded than the city of "Jinme", which is called "Youth City". If you leave the main street lined with restaurants and bars, you will end up in the so-called "Niibangai", which is a back alley full of motels, host clubs, special massage shops and sex shops. At first glance, if a customer enters this zone, they can instantly be attracted.

Mishakuji Yukari was born and raised in such a city.

His mother was the master of the bar "Hanawarabe" (Flower Boy) located in the center of "Niibangai". The father is unknown. His mother didn't mention it and Mishakuji didn't ask either. Before doing that, she was a victim of long-standing heart disease and became a person who never came back.

Before entering elementary school, Mishakuji felt lonely for life.

Still, he was not really alone. Because the neighbors of the "Niibangai" were willing to take care of him.

Sayuri is a woman who takes care of Yukari. She originally worked for "Kado", but after Yukari mother's death, she became the master of the store, and is now both a partner and a tutor to Yukari.

It is understood why Yukari's master called "Niibangai", "a place like this". A place where drunken violence, frequent entanglements, and discomfort often do not provide a suitable environment for children to grow up.

Still, Mishakuji liked "Niibangai".

For some reason, he felt that this place where people lived together was beautiful.

++++++++++

"Ah, Mishakuji-chan. Are you going home now?"

They called him on the way to school and Mishakuji stopped.

The popular pub "Kamitsure" is a place frequented by residents of "Niichibangai". The taste is reasonable, but the price is low and, above all, it is open from noon. Most of the customers are standing and drinking at the counter.

However, those who want to drink slowly can use the beer crate around it as a chair or table.

It was those people who called Yukari. Taka-san, Mi-chan and Seiya-san who are also regulars from "Hanawarabe".

The three of them are always fighting, be it because of their different gender, industry or sexual orientation.

"Come, take it. Sit down."

With a refreshing smile, Seiya-san, a male host, was the one who yelled. Usually he wears a fancy suit, but since he takes it off today, the top and bottom is black pullover.

"Should I drink around a cup? I have chopsticks, right?"

Mi-chan, who works for a nearby cabaret club, said in a long voice. This is also a full makeup figure, which is different from regular makeup. However, since it is a familiar appearance to the residents of "Niibangai", there is nothing to analyze now.

"Guys, Mishakuji-chan is underage! Don't make such a strange call!"

Taka-san is a muscular giant who runs a gay bar. He normally wears wigs and dresses, but now he wears a camo tank top and scoop-cut shorts, like soldiers in a movie.

"Wouldn't it be nice if it wasn't real? What do you want to drink?"

As requested by Seiya-san, Yukari sat on a case of beer.

"Well then, an orange juice."

"Master, orange juice."

At Mi-chan's order, the master shoots a suspicious look, "Ah?"

However, the voice "Aiyo!" He returned immediately, wondering if all the points on Yukari's figure reached the mark.

When the orange juice was poured into Yukari's glass, the three men lightly held the cups and shouted happily.

"Cheers!"

"Yes, cheers."

Four glasses collide with each other. They have made this kind of "cheers" several times with "Hanawarabe".

People who give a "cheers" always look happy. Yukari doesn't know what's funny since he doesn't drink, but Yukari doesn't hate him when he sees those people.

Seiya-san says while drinking a gin tonic.

"Mishakuji-chan, you always come back at this time, right?"

Mi-chan says while drinking a mug of beer.

“Are you a high school student? Don't you play in the club activities?"

Taka-san says while drinking a glass of wine.

"Mishakuji-chan, you will be a hero because you are smart and have good motor skills."

Yukari keeps his mouth off the orange juice and responds.

“They invited me to club activities, but I refused. He wasn't particularly interested."

"I don't want to wait. I wish I could come in."

"Yeah, come on in. Then show us what you think is cool."

Mi-chan and Taka-san argued selfishly. Mishakuji hears the words while drinking the orange juice. As a minimal skill of "Niibangai" neighbors, he was aware of the treatment of drunkenness. In other words, don't take the opponent seriously.

Seiya-san, who was stirring the cocktail glass, laughed a little.

"Mishakuji-chan doesn't have to be a jock, does he? There are a reason or two for he, right?"

"Eh? Mishakuji-chan…?"

When he asked him to put it down, Mi-chan grabbed the middle cup. About half of the remaining beer slid down Mi-chan's throat, making a funny, squeaky sound.

He screamed out loud, lying on the middle cup.

"That is to say! I'm drunk! Forgive me!"

"No, it is not up to us to decide."

"I agree with Mi-chan! Guys, I can't match Mishakuji-chan. The moon and the dinner, the clouds and the mud! They are simply discontent with each other because of the unbalanced relationships."

When Taka-san clenched his fist and emphasized, Mi-chan turned around in the empty cup and laughed, "Ha, ha!"

"Yes, as Seiya said."

"Ugh."

Seiya-san bowed as if he had been hit in a painful place. Yukari has seen the expression distorted by pain several times. That is to say…

"Did they shake you again, Seiya-san?"

It was a confirmation, not a question. Saiya-san nodded with power, and Mi-chan smiled and laughed, getting on his shoulders with Seiya-san.

"That's right. With this, five consecutive losses~. Today is the celebration of the loss record."

"I thought I could go this time. That's it."

"After all, it's impossible for women to be together~"

"At first I told you I could go there! I said I liked it regardless of gender!"

Seiya-san suddenly fell on the beer crate that was used as a table. Mishakuji and Taka-san evacuate the drink, and Mi-chan laughs and swings his cup.

"Hahaha, you've changed your mind. Master, beer refill."

"Master! Blood and sand for the next one!"

"Hey, it's unfair. Please give me a can!"

"So, Cassis Orange..."

"Aiyo!"

The master poured the canned cocktail from the refrigerator into the cocktail glass.

Mi-chan stood up as he wandered around, receiving beer and blackcurrant orange and taking his there.

"Look, baby, baby. Yeah, hey!"

"Cheers..."

Seiya-san holds the cocktail glass while lying down, and Mi-chan hits him with a mug. Yukari was looking at the situation in an interesting way.

When, Taka-san speaks to him with pity.

“Sorry, I came out with a drunken complaint. Can you always go home?"

Yukari shook his head slowly.

"No, that's not what I do, I like to see them all like this."

Unexpectedly, Taka-san widens his eyebrows.

"Oh. Is it so funny when we're drunk?"

"No, I'm not drunk."

Yukari drew his gaze into the air. After hesitating for a moment on how to express his thoughts, he muttered.

"I think it's beautiful that you are absorbed in favorite people and things."

After flirting for a moment, Taka-san laughed out loud.

"Hahaha! Beautiful? Us? Weird boy!"

"Is that so?"

It seemed like he had made fun of his true feelings, and Mishakuji looked at Taka-san a bit distractedly. Taka-san pats Yukari's head,

“Sorry, I couldn't help but laugh. Forgive me, Mishakuji-chan."

"Seiya~. Mishakuji-chan, we are beautiful~"

"Thank you, Mishakuji-chan... I'm happy even if it's a lie..."

It wasn't a lie, but he knew they wouldn't understand, so Mishakuji lowered his mouth. An unsatisfied color is evident on the face.

Taka-san looked at him and smiled gently.

Well, apart from us. What is Mishakuji-chan?"

"Something?"

"So, I like that kind of thing, people. Anything is fine, but is it something you can be absorbed in?"

Yukari looked at the orange juice and gently shook his head.

"No, there are none."

Taka-san narrows his eyes.

"Oh, no. Well, there's nothing I can do about it."

"I like that. Youth? I want to be absorbed in that."

"Mi-chan... you are not always absorbed in good..."

"Wow, this is a good place to start!"

"Stop... Don't put it on me..."

Mi-chan put a cup on the head of Seiya-san, who was lying down, and laughed.

After poking it with a fingernail, "Stop it, guys." Taka-san said gently.

Taka-san looked at him and smiled gently.

“Ok, You'll find it later. Mishakuji-chan can do anything. He will surely find something that seems to be "it" someday."

Favourite things. Things that can be absorbed. Beautiful things.

It was only available to Yukari. Everyone, Taka-san, Mi-chan and Seiya-san are following him. He's chasing them. That is why he thinks they are beautiful.

He doesn't have that.

To study, play sports or the opposite sex. He can't even imagine himself less interested and less crazy. Such an empty thought was always attached to Yukari.

Taka-san will find it one day.

Even so, Yukari couldn't really feel that.

[sirmedicknight]

Hyoga headcanons maybe? c:

Ahh yes my other kid. In no particular order, and it's long so strap in...

-Hyoga could only say/understand when people asked for his name/ hi my name is, in Japanese because that's all his mom had taught him.

-Other than that he really didn't understand Japanese so he was more quiet than he would have been if he could speak the language.

-Hyoga is the second bronze boy who learned to burn Cosmos after Ikki. -At the orphanage he would get in trouble for speaking/writing in Russian but they wouldn't teach him Japanese because he should have known it by now, but he did pick up how to speak it more as he grew up.

-He would attend mass but was given dirty looks for being blonde.

-Shun and Seiya would try to be friend him but he would stare at them with a harsh gaze until they left him alone.

-As soon as he meet the man who adopted him, he knew that there was a different motivation to him.

-He used to hate Saori for not only getting to abuse them, but because her grandfather shows her love that of a parent and he misses that.

-The only time Hyoga ever raised a hand against her is when she tried to take his mother's cross from him, but of course was beaten for it.

-He was also bullied for his blonde hair and Asian eye shape, but in his limited speech Hyoga said the meanest stuff to people.

-Jabu is the worst offender, but by the time Hyoga left to Siberia again that kid lost all of his confidence.

-Hyoga really geared his training for swimming endurance and had a plan to run away to Siberia when he would be sent off to train.

-He actually had no plans to ever return to Japan.

-The first time he meets Isaac and Camus he is overwhelmed by how Isaac is nice to him. That and finally meeting other people who could speak Russian like he can.

-Camus taught the boys how to speak Greek and also taught them French swear words by accident, but Hyoga doesn't cuss.

-Hyoga would try to go to church on Sunday's when they would get the day off but wasn't allowed inside the building.

-He would also make those self deprecating jokes but Isaac would be quick to say "I don't think so" or "Hey be nicer to yourself making mistakes is part of learning", and Hyoga would brush it off.

-So Hyoga dosen't have a sweet tooth like Isaac but he always loved when they would share stolen sweets together, cause it ment more that he remembers him.

-They once almost had a pet polar bear but Camus was quick to tell the boys no.

-Swans used to hang around the two boys during training but stopped coming by when Isaac was gone.

-Actually let's talk about my strange head cannon that Hyoga and Isaac switched fates.

-So when Hyoga and his mom first sailed to Japan the ship they were on was a cargo ship selling Caviar. Hyoga's mom was sent to Siberia for being a teen mom and dishonoring the family name.

-The only thing have value she got to keep was the dress she had, her pink coat and of course the Rosary on her person. This is important as I believe Poseidon only picks noble blood to be Generals in his army.

-As the boat traveled the Kraken felt Hyoga's Cosmo as his scale owner and attacked the ship to try to take him to Atlantis. It was going to let all of the other passengers make it to land.

-Hyoga's mom sacrificed her self because the kraken would only let Hyoga go if she would, because on ships Women and Children have top priorities to life boats.

-In Awaking the spirits of the Siberian sea noted that Hyoga and Isaac would have a tragedy befall them, and Isaac himself wonders why the Kraken showed up after Hyoga makes it to their training ground. So I assume that it followed him when it sense his Cosmos again.

-Then for a while Hyoga and Isaac couldn't break the ice to enter the sea so the sea beast couldn't get to him at least not until Hyoga went to see his mother. That's why the Sea currents happened twice in quick secession on that day.

-When Isaac went to save him and got swept up in the current both of them were on their hands in knees begging for the other to get rescued. That's why the Kraken saved Isaac's life as he drifted farther into the sea.

-The Cygnus cloth also saved Hyoga by blasting the extra current of air to get him back up on land. This is also a move in Awaking when the Gold Hyoga character gives an ally the Northern cross boast. This is my only evidence for this but even still, I think it adds a nice bit of angst.

-Stealing some stuff from G Assassin, Hyoga and Isaac are brothers except in blood and he still thinks of himself like that.

-He used to tell Camus and Isaac that they were wasting their time with him because A he's a bit slower than Isasc and B he only plans to train to survive swimming to his Momma ship.

-That cliff that we see Hyoga jump into at the beginning of episode 3 is made from the hole Issac punched when he saved his life. Camus froze the edges as a memorial to the other kid.

-For the first few months after they lost Isaac, Hyoga would lie next to the hole and stick his hand onto the water below. Even when the ice would pile on top of him and when the tips of his fingers stopped brushing up against the water he would just stay there.

-Of course Camus stopped going to Sanctuary after Isaac too, half from grief and half from making sure Hyoga wouldn't do anything rash if you get what I'm putting down.

-Hyoga was sent to kill the other bronze kids because Sanctuary thought Ikki was dead and they only knew about the torment from Seiya.

-At the tournament he got a mad crush on Shun cause if you watch those episodes again he was gawking at the boy, like wow he's so pretty.

-Hyoga is also the only other saint besides Ikki who has killed before.

-When the go deal with Ikki and his bullshit Hyoga is determined to be the one to end it because he knows how Shun will feel having to kill his brother, because as far as he knew Hyoga killed his.

-Also he taught Shun and the others how to pray as he made the funeral for Ikki when they beat him in combat.

-Hyoga and Miho start a bible study together as Hyoga isn't allowed to be in mass for being a saint of Athena and of course blonde.

-Next to Dohko Hyoga knows more about mythologies than the other bronze kids as Issac and Camus would tell him the stories to help him sleep as he has nightmares alot.

-Hyoga is also Abstinent, so Shun only gets to hold his hand and maybe one or two kisses.

-He only learned how to drive a car because Camus was in charge of bringing the near by Village their Rations and, Issac and Hyoga couldn't carry all of the supplies back. But like what were these two going to crash into anyways.

-The last one I can think about is how much Hyoga conducts himself to be what he thought Isaac would be like as a saint, and only when he starts being more himself is when he defeats his opponents.

(Edit because I just woke up)

-Hyoga made the Aura Thunder Attack to deal with the water currents and that’s why Judo (Black Swan didn’t know the move) 

[sky-writes-daydreams]

Cat in A Tree

Well Hiya peeps. Yes I’m still alive. I just haven’t had a lot of time or to be honest energy for writing. Work has been killing me. I finally got the urge to write again. If this gets decent Response, I might do more. So please enjoy. :) Also don’t forget I have an Ao3 by the same name as on here so... Yeah :)  Enjoy this bit of Saint Seiya Fluff!!! Cus yes I’m Saint Seiya trash now. It’s just so good. 

Another Request. At least this one was out of the city. You held the basket with one hand swinging it lightly as the warm summer breeze came and picked up your hair as it passed by. Under all of these trees, it honestly felt pretty good. You couldn’t help but smile gently as you wandered along the path.

You had just been trying to clean up around the house of the pope when Lord Aphrodite found you. He needed someone to do a bit of shopping for him. First it was just picking up some herbs and things so he could make his own shampoo. Now it was to fetch apples from the orchard. You didn’t understand his thinking but at least it got you out of Sanctuary for a while.

You were just humming gently to yourself when you heard something odd. It honestly sounded like a tree that was cursing up a storm. You stopped midstep, Honestly terrified you had been followed. Some of the younger male saints had a habit of trying for any young maiden from the pope’s house. Most of the time Pope Ares would tell them to back off but on the rare chance he didn’t, You feared for your safety.

Thankfully it seems you weren’t followed. You saw a small black cat jump out a tree close by and look at you curious before it headed out.

“Oh yeah, Yeah. Just hop on down…. You couldn’t help me back.” You gave the tree an odd look. Trees didn’t talk and that sounded like someone you knew. You walked closer leaving your basket by the base and looked up.

Dirty blond hair, cut short attached to a frowning face with gorgeous blue eyes staring down at yours.

“Oh. Um…” You couldn’t help but laugh as he tried to keep the bottom of his shirt up.

“Lord Aiolia?” He waved with one hand then.

“Hello (Y/N). Um… What brings you out here?”

“Lord Aphrodite wanted some fresh apples. I think he’s making that apple conditioner again.”

“Sounds it.” He tried to reach up to his foot and you saw. A thick branch had decided to lace itself with his sandal. He was stuck. You covered your mouth then trying not to laugh before you looked back up.

“Might I ask why a gold saint is in a tree?”

“Well…” He finally straightened out sighing.

“I followed a cat out here and up into the tree. But then the little bugger got stuck. So I had to climb further up to get it free. When I picked the poor thing up tho, It kind of spazzed and I lost my balance and Well… It got my shoe. Cat got down right?”

“Yep.”

“Right… Well…” You giggled then before you found a good foothold and pulled yourself up.

“You saved one cat. I’ll save another.”

“Huh?” He gave you a confused look before it sunk in.

“Oh Damn it!!!” You laughed then as You got in a safe location before you pulled out your knife. Most Maids weren’t allowed to carry one but since you went out into the city often, No one argued. A woman had to protect herself.

“I can fix your sandal later if you like.”

“Nah. These are older anyway.” You nodded as you reached up carefully and cut through the leather strap. The branch slipped free and Aiolia yelped before catching himself on a branch under him and swung around so he landed on his feet. You waited a few, Making sure he wouldn’t fall before you found your way down. He helped you off the final branch with a smile.

“Thank you.”

“It’s nothing. Just Funny our grand Leo Saint would get himself stuck in a tree like that.” He sighed then before smiling.

“Don’t tell the others?”

“Never.” You gave him a kind smile before you grabbed your basket.

“Well… Since we’re both here, Would you like to go apple picking with me? Maybe there’s more cats that need saving.”

“Hm… I think I’d rather just help a cute girl if that’s ok by you.” You felt your cheek go red as he easily takes the basket from you.

“Plus all the good apples are always at the top. You don’t need to be climbing trees in a dress.” You shrugged but easily fell into step beside him before picking a leaf out of his hair. Aiolia was always a kind man and honestly moments like this were some you held close to your heart. They made the harsh life in the pope’s house easier to deal with and served as a reminder. True knights did still exist. Even if they did sometimes get stuck in trees.

[elencelebrindal]

Favourite colour, music, film, anime? I'm curious

Uuhhh, sorry for the wait, this ask has been waiting in my inbox for a lot by now, but let me answer you. Some of these answers are really long, so I marked them with a title in case people are not interested in everything. Though, I don’t think many people would be interested at all, my life is not that eventful. 

Favorite Color

My favorite color is black (even though black is not technically a color, damn you art school why did you have to teach me that), closely followed by blood red and silver. 

Favorite Music

My favorite music... I don’t really understand if you’re asking me what genre I prefer, or who do I prefer listening to, so I’ll just go the safe route and answer everything at once.  I love metal (especially power metal, epic metal and folk metal, with a significance preference for its viking sub-genre), and I am in love with Blind Guardian, the first ever band I listened to. I still remember the first song I’ve ever listened, which is “Noldor (Dead Winter Reigns)”. Being a Tolkien fan led me to discover them, and subsequently to fall in love with the genre. Among my favorites there’s also Nightwish, Epica, Alestorm, and I’m baffled by Sabaton and Korpiklaani. I do listen to a bunch more bands, but not as much and I don’t know as many songs. 

But it’s not my one and only love. Aside from metal music, I also love classic music (I am deeply in love with a ton of Italian composers alongside the others), dark cabaret music (most notably Aurelio Voltaire, Dresden Dolls and Emilie Autumn, though her style doesn’t really fall into one single category), and I go crazy with anime music and openings.  I appreciate the music of anime so much, even though a lot of people don’t think highly of it, and since childhood I’ve always listened to our “opening singers” (the most important I grew up listening to are Cristina d’Avena and Giorgio Vanni), so I simply cannot stop loving them.  On a similar note, I cannot have enough of movie soundtracks. Composers like Howard Shore, Ennio Morricone, Hans Zimmer... the list could go on forever. I never get tired of their music. Again, videogame soundtracks are on the list of my beloved music as well, especially the music from Skyrim (Jeremy Soule) and Assassin’s Creed (Jesper Kyd). 

Favorite film/movie

I don’t really have one favorite. I do have a list of movies that I could watch over and over again, though, and others I just have fun watching even though they’re not my favorites.  The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit trilogy are absolutely on the top of my list. As I said, I’m a huge fan of Tolkien, and I’m also a huge fan of Peter Jackson. Add them together and BOOM! I am a tiny bit bitter about the Hobbit movies, but seriously? I still loved it.  Right after them there’s ALL the movies by Tim Burton, Alice in Wonderland and its sequel on top. I love Tim Burton, so much I cannot even explain it. And Alice in Wonderland has a very special place in my heart. 

[story time, you can skip if you want]

Not just because I love the story and the craziness of everything, but because back in high school (my last year) we decided to do Alice in Wonderland with a twist for our theater lab, and I not only got to write the entire script, but also to play the Cheshire Cat alongside all of my friends. My best friend was Alice, my other best friend was the costume designer, a lot of other people I knew and loved were the other characters. It’s such a delightful memory for me that I never stopped enjoying Alice in Wonderland from that day onward.  I got so involved with my part that I ended up making an entire steampunk-ish cosplay of the Cheshire Cat from scratch, a cosplay I brought two times to a convention and I’m currently renovating after taking it apart. This is how much I grew attached to that play and to that character.  Some years ago, before this, we had a director guiding us for two years of theater lab. A delightful man that looked at me and decided I needed to be addressed as “Alice” because of how much I reminded him of her.  It’s just good memories. 

[end of the story time]

I also have the “classics”, like Harry Potter, Star Wars, and the like. If it’s fantasy/sci-fi/something along those lines, I probably love it. Regardless of who made it, being it the writer or the director.  One particular movie that holds a special place in my heart is “The Fall”, and I cannot really pinpoint a reason why I love it so much. I just do.  There’s many titles I can tell you, even more serious ones like “The Imitation Game”, “The Danish Girl”, or “Dallas Buyers Club” and “Fight Club”.  Even though I prefer fantasy themes, there’s significant exceptions.  Old Italian movies are among my favorites too, but they’re just a drop in the ocean.  To close this, I’m going to bring you my love for the entire “Night at the Museum” ordeal and the entire “Jumanji” series (as of now, but I will never love anything more than the original).  I get really excited when I get to talk about this kind of interests, sorry T_T

Favorite Anime

Oh boy.  This sounds like it might be an easy one, given the nature of this blog, but it’s actually not.  In fact, I forgot Saint Seiya was my favorite anime.  You see, I originally watched it when I was nothing but a child, with a memory that obviously wasn’t so good at the time. This eventually led me to forget about how much I loved Saint Seiya, even though its characters never left my mind, and I started gravitating more towards Yu-Gi-Oh!, especially 5D’s. For the longest time I was convinced my absolute favorite was Yu-Gi-Oh!, until I finally started re-watching Saint Seiya and got hit by the memory train. 

But let’s not wander too far away from the question. What’s my favorite anime? Of all time is Saint Seiya, hands down. It has so much to offer, so much diversity, so much story and so many characters. Here in Italy, it has one of the most unique dubs of all time, with dialogues that are aulic (for the Italian fans who are curious --> l’origine del registro aulico dei Cavalieri dello Zodiaco è stato deciso da Enrico Carabelli e  Stefano Cerioni ed è spiegato in questo video, ed è poi stato mantenuto da Ivo de Palma nella serie di Hades) and filled with quotes from authors like Dante Alighieri, Ugo Foscolo and more, an “oddity” that made me fall in love again and again. 

Aside from this, I have another list, because I honestly cannot bring myself to choose only one.  Above all are Yu-Gi-Oh! (in order from best to worst for me --> 5D’s, Duel Monsters, GX, ZeXal, Vrains, Arc-V), My Hero Academia, and Sailor Moon.  Honorable mentions are Attack on Titan, Black Butler, Another, Pretty Cure ( spent basically my entire childhood/teenage years watching them, my favorites are the first two series), One Piece, Dragon Ball, Naruto, Beyblade, Tokyo Mew Mew... this could go on forever.  I’m a sucker for “old” anime as well, so a lot of them are mostly from the 70′s, 80′s, 90′s. Some of them I was so little when I watched it, like for example Card Captor Sakura (I was like three years old and I dressed up as her for Carnival), that I don’t remember them but they still have a place in my heart.  I wasn’t even fixated on one genre and that was it, I watched the hell out of anime and I still do (when I have time). 

I do also watch yaoi (shame on me, I know), and since I’m here telling you about my favorites: I love Dramatical Murder, especially (and you might not believe me) for how creative the story and the worldbuilding are. I’m also shameless enough to have watched the entire game in all its incarnations, so there’s that.  Not only that, I’m shameless enough to have watched more explicit ones, but I’m not telling you ;) I have a reputation here, after all. 

This took a long time for me to answer, and I’m sorry. I legit looked at this in my inbox, tried to conjure up some will to write, failed and went back to bed or to my books. Rinse and repeat for an entire week.  And to all of you who actually made it through this entire thing without getting annoyed/bored, damn you’re determined. 

[docholligay]

Cut String

Another end of year Patreon release for my post! Squid asked me for "Mina's death in MaS, from her perspective" and here it is! I would love to hear what you think of it!

Life is just a series of seconds. All strung together, like beads on a string, adding and adding, a long line of different colors and shapes, a necklace we all wear wound around us. The art we are is just a collection of these moments.

You don’t know how fragile that string is until it snaps, and the beads go bouncing to the floor, and it’s like you’re trying to look at all of them at once, the first ones, the last ones, all together now as they scatter.

The first thing I thought of, was the old Tv in my parent’s living room. This is how stupid dying is, that as the car came toward me, and and I turned the side of the bike, I thought of that TV. It was huge, one of those old wood-paneled things you never see anymore, and the sides of it used to rumble when something loud played. I used to watch those old westerns, and try to out-draw the bad guy.

There was a pop and snap that reminded me: I never did outdraw him.

My second thought was, Haruka’s gonna kill me.

She’s been dead for four years, but that particular bead didn’t pop to mind at the time, just the sense that her much-loved vintage Indian, the one she couldn’t bear to sell even if she couldn’t ride it anymore, was currently being dragged along the street, crunching as it goes. Haruka’s old motorcycle. The one I still think of as hers, though she gave it to me more than thirty years ago. The one Rei told me years ago to give to M.A. It’s a death trap, she said, so many times, and you’re too old to be driving it.

Well, it looks like you get to be right this time, fireball.

You get to be right about a lot of things. I shouldn’t be out in this weather, driving this motorcycle. It’s a bad idea to drive all the way out here, sometimes there’s irresponsible idiots out here, and they hardly know how to drive. It’s further than it should be from any of the hospitals.

I thought of her, as my bike began to slide toward the bright lights. The first time I saw her, the light bouncing off her hair, deflected like everything else in her life. The way I grinned at her, and she scowled at me, and we began that game we played for so many years. The one we convinced ourselves was just a game, for so many years.

I should have thought of something romantic, right? I should of thought of the day we got married, or the day she moved to kiss me, not in the dark or with any restraint, but with a sense of the freedom we’d finally achieved. Knowing that it was real. That we were real, now, and we didn’t have any other duty but the ones we wanted, the way we wanted them.

But that’s not how it works, when you die. You don’t pick the things you think about, when it’s so fast.

Your life flashes before your eyes, but it’s not a film, it’s just a cutting room floor, and each individual strip, out of order, gets held up to the light, as fast as you can before its all gone forever.

My body slammed into the ground, and the crush of Galaxia’s destruction came roaring back. I wasn’t hurt that day, not any more than being blown back into the dirt. I had bruises, and when I went to stand up, I was in that hot orange t-shirt and shorts again. There was no sword in my hand, even though I knew I’d just used it to stab the bitch. Usagi was not going to be happy with me, I thought.

She’s probably not going to be too pleased with me right now, either.

I hit the ground, but I didn’t stop moving, and the asphalt grew hot and tore at my pants and then my leg, deep, deep down, but the light just kept coming.

The too-bright light shone overhead that night, when I was in a public bathroom at the edge of a park, staring at myself in the mirror. The tiara on my head glistened brightly, the stone hazy, as if it was holding secrets you could see glimpses of, if you turned it. It was, of course. I didn’t know Venus then, didn’t know about the Moon Kingdom, didn’t know anything but that I’d been told this was my destiny. And that I was bleeding from my thigh, and had to try and fix it before I went home.

You’d think it would be worse, dying. It’s mostly just confusing, I think, laying here.

It’s confusing because as I felt the leg under the bike twist and shatter, more than it hurt, it made me think of Disneyland. Haruka loved Disneyland, we went every year. Kept doing it after she died. I forgot she was dead, for a second, but I remember now. I thought of the way the roller coaster took us through the darkness of the fake cave and out to the light. The pain was bright like that, like you’d been inside and you had to squint your eyes against it. But I just thought of her laughing next to me, and how I used to tease her about being our Cripple Pass.

When she was dying, I told her she was really messing with the Disneyland system. Maybe it was less confusing for her. She had more time to get used to it. She always needed more time to get used to things.

That’s when my vision got blurry, as I felt something go over the top of me, and something inside me burst like a balloon.

I wonder if this is what it was like for Rei and Michiru, when they lost their Sight. Rei lost her sight at the same time, and I always thought she lost them both in sort of the same way: She could still make things out, if it was big enough, or she were close enough, or the contrast was high enough, but so much of it was just a guess for her. Both Michiru and Rei had that still, in their Sight, every so often. Not enough to know, but enough to sometimes just make it out.

I wonder if she’s got something on the edge of her mind right now. I wonder if she’s thinking of me.

I can’t see at all anymore, but it doesn’t really matter. Some of the best times of my life have been spent in the dark. The first time Rei said she loved me. When Haruka, quietly, asked me to help her get her act together. When Michiru told me they were having another baby, and would Rei and I be her godparents. When I saw Usagi kissing Seiya, and laughing, and looking in love and loved for the first time since the War.

I’m not sure I’d count this among those, but it’s not as bad as I thought it would be.

I didn’t think I would know I was going to die. I know you must be thinking, “you still don’t” but I do know. It’s like being in love. You can’t describe the way it feels to another person, it’s something that defies anything you’ve felt, or thought, or known, in your life, that same kind of bone deep energy. I’m dying. I know that. It doesn’t matter that I can hear those far-off sirens, I know they aren’t going to come quick enough for me.

I can hear the woman trying to help me, and I want to tell her just to knock it off. That she’s mostly annoying me, really. That I know my blood is half on the pavement, and all I really want is a drink. But I can’t say anything at all, even though I feel my lips try to form the words. Words are gone for me now.

I’ve thought about what my last words would be since I was sixteen years old. I’ve given a bunch of speeches right before a battle, something I thought would be inspiring or deep, or at least funny. I revised what I wanted to say, over and over, until I got it just right. After a glorious death in battle seemed unlikely, unless Rei was fighting for a fukubukuro again, I figured I’d get plenty of time to say something profound. But no.

My last words are going to be “oh fuck,” and that’s disappointing.

You don’t get to choose much in death. If I’d known I was going to die, I would have said something to Rei besides, “I’m going for a ride,” and ignoring her scowl at me. I would have told her it’s been a treat to be married to her, that she keeps me on my toes, that after all these years, she’s still my fireball and she still makes me laugh. If I’d known I was going to die, I would have left something for M.A., for her kids, that would make them laugh when they thought of me. I would have told Michiru to take care of Rei as best she could, like we tried to do for her when Haruka died.

But I didn’t know, until I heard that woman scream on the corner, and I saw those lights heading toward me, and then it was too late to say anything but “oh, fuck.”

Everything’s hard now. I heard someone in the crowd say that the other driver’d been drinking. Rei’ll have his ass for that, I hope he’s ready. Shame I’m going to miss it.

There’s something wet on my back, and what’s left of the sound tinkles like bells. Another bead pops up, and it’s Usagi’s wedding, in hues of pink and gold and sparkles. She spilled champagne down my back when she hugged me, but I didn’t care. It was an ugly bridesmaid’s dress anyway, and Rei wouldn’t let me say anything about it, wouldn’t let any of us. Easy for her to say, she couldn’t tell how hideous it was. Usagi let Haruka wear a damn suit with a coordinating tie, but all the rest of us were trapped into that hot pink confection. We laughed anyway, the way you do when the tension breaks, because it finally seemed over. There was nothing to be scared of anymore. Every single one of us who’d survived, on her side of the aisle, and then she’d cried that day because she hadn’t realized Seiya wouldn’t have as many people. I don’t think Seiya cared, minus missing Taiki a bit. All she’d ever wanted was to be with Usagi, and when she danced with her, it seemed like everything fell into place. She invited Mamoru and his boyfriend. That’s just the sort of person Usagi is.

I hope my funeral’s not a total drag. I should have told Rei, what I wanted, but I thought there was more time. I’m not that old. I’m not that young, either, I guess. Should have talked about it when Haruka died. You always think there’s more time.

There’s the tapping of all those beads from that broken string, far off, now. It’s hard to care about anything anymore, and I don’t even remember if it ever hurt at all. I’m not sure it did. Maybe this is what it means, to be killed instantly, like they say in the papers, but it seems to be taking so damn long. I wish I could look at more of those moments, strewn across the darkness, but my hand won’t move to grab them. It’s dark, and it’s quiet, and it’s alone, and--

“Mina?”

“What?” I know that voice. I haven’t heard it in a long time.

“C’mon.” And then I can feel again, but it’s just her hand on my arm, shaking it. “Let’s go.”

I’m taking her hand, and the world drops from under my feet. I don’t need it anymore. I don’t know what I am, or where I’m going. I don’t know if any of those little beads will follow me to wherever it is, but there’s one familiar thing here with me, and if it’s just a lie, it’s a lie I’ll follow.

“You ready?” She’s laughing, “I mean, that doesn’t really matter, but.”

“Okay,” I can see the outline of her hair, blonde again. “Okay.”

[straykidsnerd255]

Hello, may I request a match up for Saint seiya? If possible 1 for a gold saint and 1 for what you prefer :) I am an art student, I like cats and swimming. Of course I love drawing and painting, I also love dresses but, I'm too shy to wear them so I usually dress very sporty and casual. I have a couple of close friends, two kitties and my boyfriend should me my friend firstly. Thank you, keep on going with you fab work!

Here you go! I hope that you enjoy!! And thanks for requesting!!

For the Gold saint I match you with……

GENBU (Omega)

This boy, he wouldn’t force you to wear a dress but wouldn’t stop him from begging like a child. He would beg and beg to see you in a dress. When you finally did put the dress on, he was absolutely happy. He would adore the drawings and the paints that you come up with, and loves watching you draw and paint. He also is a child and will challenge you to a swimming race. He would purposely lose so he could see you happy and jumping around for joy. On days that he didn’t have to protect Athena, he would be home with you, and your two kitties. He didn’t seem to mind them in the beginning, but as the days passed, the boy was constantly playing with them. Laughing when they managed to roll over his hand and still managed to have enough stamina to attack his face in a flurry of soft and small paws. 

“Genbu! I thought I said no more teasing the kitties!” You called from the kitchen as you finished up dinner. Genbu chuckled lightly. “Aww! Come on. They love it! I would never do anything to harm to little furballs.” He said standing up with the kittens snuggled close to his chest and growing sleepy. You turned around and saw your cute little kittens snuggled close to your boyfriend's chest and falling asleep. “Little lucky brats.” You mumbled hoping the Genbu didn’t hear but, the little shit heard and smiled. “What, you want to sleep too?” He asked laughing and wrapping his free arm around your waist and pulling you close. “We can all go to bed after dinner anyway. I’m a little exhausting from training anyway.” He said as his winced in pain.

“You are so freakin high-maintenance.” 

“You love me thought. Don’t deny it.”

“Damn it. You’re right. I do love you.”

“If you do, give me a kiss.”

“Fine. You really are lucky I love you.”

Last but not least, I match you with…….

IKKI (Original)

While this boy may think that he is a hardass and can scare anyone, he really is a softy. You’re the only person other than his brother that knows this. You were currently sitting on the couch reading a book when you heard in walk into the kitchen. You went back to reading before jumping and racing into the kitchen. However, you were too late. Ikki was looking at your sketches and draws of him and his friends. You mentally face-palmed and tried to sneak back into the living room. “Y/n. Come here.” Ikki said. You always thought that he hated your art as he never really said anything about it when you showed him, but right now, you thought you saw something different. “Ya?” You asked walking over to him. He turned the sketch book around and showed you the picture of himself that you drew.

You gave a soft and embarrassed smile. “I know I haven’t really said anything about your art until now, but I really like it. It suits you and I hope that you never give up on that.” He said while a blush crawled on his face. You couldn’t help but smile brightly. You raced over to his side and hugged him tightly. He stiffened before allowing his walls to break. He hugged you back and a smile crossed his face. A tiny meow followed with the softness of the mood making both you and Ikki look down to see your two adorable and precious kittens circling around your feet and begging to be picked up. You and Ikki bent down and each picked up a kitten. “Cute.” He muttered softly and gently ran his fingers over the kittens fur. A soft purring noise left the tiny creature and it moved closer to his hand. “They love you Ikki. Just like I do.” You said.

“I know that!” 

“Sure ya do.”

“I do!” 

“Whatever.”

“Why you…. *Kisses you cheek with a massive blush*”

You look over at Ikki and grin. “You are a child.” He snorted and went back to petting the kitten muttering and mumbling to himself. You smiled and turned to the kitten you were holding. Life couldn’t get any better.

#Genbu  #Ikki  #Saint Seiya  #Requested  #Anon  #match-up  #Enjoy

[rocketonthemoon]

Soooo, gimme more of the transseiya stories, like, finding allies in H&M over time, discussing surgery, etc etc....oh my god so many thoughts in my head.

Haruka stares at their phone. It’s unnervingly quiet. Has been since about three minutes ago when it rattled its way across the kitchen table. They haven’t taken their eyes off it after its little dance. Something about it all just itches. They don’t get calls from her and especially not at this time of night. It definitely hadn’t been an accident, either. The call lasted unanswered for too long and cut too short for it to be anything but a bail out. 

Haruka chuckles at the idea. ‘Course she would cower out. 

Bzzt! The nervous dance begins again, as if on cue. Almost as if it knew they were talking shit. Haruka lets it ring. Unhurried, they glance at the digital kitchen clock. Two in the morning almost always means a call for help. And Haruka is nothing if not a sucker. Damnit. 

They pick up on the last ring.

- - - - - - - - - - -

“You know, the park’s not exactly open this time of day.”

Seiya jumps as Haruka sits down on the bench next to her. That was satisfying. Even more so as she scowls in answer.

“Who closes parks?” Seiya mutters darkly. “Makes no sense.”

Haruka shrugged. They tug at their jacket zipper, trying to settle in. It’s kinda spooky, being in a park at night. They’d always thought so. Even back in the days they used to patrol with Michiru, waiting for The Silence. Something about the absence of movement where there should be. They try to shrug the feeling off, only partially successful. Seiya’s not exactly good enough company to ward away the chill of an empty playground. 

“So what’d you bring me out here for anyways?” Haruka asks. “I’m assuming not for a smoke?”

Seiya shoots them a sideways look, black brows scrunching together. “You smoke?”

Haruka shakes their head. “Michiru hates the smell.” But Makoto likes the company, they add silently. The memory of the last late night conversation drifts by. It makes some conversations easier. Something to get rid of the nervous energy while talking. And Seiya looks like she could use the help. 

She sits almost completely on the edge of the bench. Elbows on her knees and heels hovering off the ground like she’s preparing any minute to launch herself into the darkness. Seiya’s normal low ponytail is missing the normal neat, careful wrappings and Haruka has a sudden image of her bolting out of whatever hotel room the Starlights found to crash to meet up here.

“Wh-”

“Where are you staying?”

Seiya blinks, mouth half formed around words cut off at the breath. “What?” 

“Sorry,” the corners of Haruka’s mouth pull tightly downwards. “You just looked so…” They shrug, looking her up and down as ways of explanation. It didn’t help the sudden self-consciousness sitting over the both of them. Why were they doing this? “Are you guys, like. Safe? Or something?”

“We got back a week ago,” Seiya says slowly. Her eyebrows almost meld together in confusion. “The Prin-” The word breaks off, jagged and sharp. Seiya’s scowl at the ground seems to watch it fall. A muscle works in her jaw. “Kakyuu insisted on finding a place of our own this time. I’m staying at the shrine.” 

Haruka nods in sympathy. “It’s hard giving them space,” they agree. 

Seiya’s hands clench around each other for a moment. Two. And then tension slinks away into the night with a sigh. She looks tired. With sagging shoulders and a too distant gaze, she just looks beat. Haruka watches from the corner of their eye as Seiya slowly sweeps the hair back from her eyes. More than just a trip across the skies - although they knew nothing about what that was like - or even for the time of night. 

“How do you do it?” she asks after a while. A small question. More of a confession really. Like someone pushing the words from her lungs. It’s enough to make Haruka swallow back the snappy response that sprung to mind. Instead, they settle for a sigh. A smoke would really help this conversation.

Their leg bounces in the silence. “You just kinda,” they start, mulling it over. “I dunno. Deal with it, I guess. Accept you can’t control what they do.” 

“But what about…” The muscle in her jaw works and jumps as she chews over words. “But can’t you? To a certain point? So people just listen more? See you better?”

Something lights up a corner of Haruka’s mind at the desperation in the last bit of that question. Almost a nagging familiarity. “They’re their own people, dude. We can’t exactly be everything they need all the time. And they don’t want us to be.”

“No, I don’t mean -” Seiya curses something. A clipped, almost hissing noise of language that settles into a low moan of sorts. It could be anything, but swearing in all languages feels the same to Haruka. 

It’s different watching someone else flounder for words. Does their leg jump as much as hers does? They know for sure they don’t mutter through things. Maybe that’s the consequence of needing to translate. Honestly, it’s a little grating. They stuff down the urge to reach over and still her bouncing leg, to cut off the strange, rapid sounds. But without an outlet it only gets worse, they know. So they wait. And wait.

What feels like hours later there’s a pained sort of noise. One that’s not entirely otherworldly. “I’m just,” Seiya starts, voice catching on a strangled breath. The words are slow, almost like her tongue can’t quite remember how to form the words. “I’m tired of feeling like this. Like I’m lying everyday to people when I go out, lying to myself saying it’s fine. And I miss how it used to be before-” A reflex swallow and air breathes into Seiya’s hands. One slow, long breath that whistles through the space between skin. “Before everyone…”

The nagging familiar light finally erupts into clarity and Haruka openly stares now. Really watching. Michiru always teases how long it takes them to really notice what’s going on and maybe, maybe Haruka’s been oblivious this whole time on this bench. But a memory of before - Seiya, bold, brash, and bigger than life that first night they met and every night afterwards in that stupid red suit. Cocky and carefree in a backwards hat, shoulders back, proud and daring the world to try anything - blares bright compared to now. The way Seiya’s shoulders tuck in, the way those blue eyes bore into the grass below, the desperation of being seen as before…

Well, it just all rings a bit too familiar.

“Before everyone found out,” Haruka finishes. Seiya flinches the smallest bit, chest curling inwards, nose scrunching in pained frustration. Fingers flex. Forearms stiffen as the words linger. There’s a nod, robotic and halting, gaze determinedly fixed on the middle distance of the dirt. 

Haruka sinks further back into the bench, their own eyes skywards. Silence is good for thinking sometimes. Wait around long enough and the right thing to say will show up for you to use. Right now, though, maybe not so much. Especially since Seiya seems to wind tighter with every passing moment next to them. The bouncing leg has stopped, trading in for the coiled tension when Haruka first sat down. They let it happen - old habits die hard and it’s still a little fun to let Seiya stew - but eventually. Eventually the too familiar wins out. 

“You can go back, you know,” Haruka says towards the stars. “To Before, I mean.”

Seiya begins to shake. From the night chill or the idea, Haruka can’t really tell, but it brings an urge to do something to soothe. 

There’s a sniffle. A breath a bit too hard. “It won’t be the same,” he finally says, voice hesitantly sinking into that low skip that takes Haruka back to an after concert dressing room. Different from the rest of the conversation. More like Seiya they know. 

“Nope.” Seiya doesn’t jump at the hand on his shoulder. Only unwinds. Relaxing at Haruka’s touch like a house cat settling in. A first for everything, as they say. “It’ll be better.”

[hana-bean]

Close to you (3/7)

I will always be by your side Though I can do nothing else

---

His eyes fluttered open, hearing the faint sounds of chatter from outside his closed bedroom door—all female. Seiya stayed still for a few moments to process his incapacitating physical pain and his surroundings, the decor reminding him of the meeting room from the previous night. After a few more seconds of waiting for the rest of his body to wake up, he also recognized more than one of the voices; Serenity stayed true to her promise by releasing Yaten and Taiki from the detention center.

Seiya staggeringly readied himself for company, taking advantage of the unused toothbrush before dressing in the previous night’s clothes. He grabbed his cane and hobbled out and down the hallway until he happened upon a bright dining room, the chattering voices no longer muffled.

He was met with the scene of a transformed Yaten and Taiki, as Sailor Star Healer and Sailor Star Maker respectively, standing while surrounded by five women including Serenity. She was clothed in a flowy white robe while holding an ornate teacup in one hand as she poked at the purple band on Maker’s arm with the other. The four other women asked questions as they more or less kept their hands to themselves.

“So what happens when you get all sweaty? Does the leather not stick to you?” One woman with long dark hair inquired, rubbing her hips while imagining the discomfort of leather adhering to skin.

“No, actually it kind of expands when we get hot.” Healer answered, mimicking her movements. “The gold part in the middle is actually a separate pair of shorts.”

The gaggle of gals looked at each other with a synced resounding of, “oh” and steady nodding. However, the sight of Seiya was caught by one of them, and a woman with half of her long golden hair tied up in a red bow pointed at him as he leaned on the doorframe.

“Hey, there’s the other one!”

As all eyes were directed his way, Serenity’s gaze was warm and welcoming, paired with a smile emitting breathy laughter. The sweet sound serenaded Seiya’s heart into continuous drumming.

Healer and Maker then immediately charged him, taking him in tight embraces from both sides around his neck and waist, ignoring his grimace.

“I’m so glad you’re okay.” Maker whispered with a sigh of relief.

“What?” Seiya wrapped his free arm around her waist. “Of course I am.”

“These chicks are weird.” Healer’s voice cracked in his other ear, also at a whisper. “I can’t tell if they’re gonna eat us or become our best friends.”

Seiya snorted. “Probably neither. You barely suffice as an appetizer, and you’re mean.”

Healer growled before she pulled away to dead-leg Seiya. While Maker and his cane saved him from completely wiping out on the floor, his wobble was hard to miss.

“Seiya, are you okay?” Serenity approached the trio, a worried expression hovering over her teacup.

“Yes, your highness.” Seiya straightened up as he shot a glare toward Healer, who stuck her tongue out back at him. He softened his face with a smile as he looked at Serenity. “Trying to get used to bowing with one leg.”

“No need to do that! Please sit down!” She shuffled toward a chair at the table and pulled it out.

“You’re too kind, your highness.” Seiya began to make his way over to the offered seat, taking the opportunity to press his cane on top of Healer’s foot using all of his weight. The Starlight’s breath caught in her throat as she let out a quiet squawk, hiding her tears and yelp in Maker’s shoulder.

Once Seiya was seated, the rest of the women huddled behind Serenity to get a better look at the third alien guardian in his male civilian form, all the while blushing at his telepathically agreed-upon handsomeness. However, the queen found herself staring and smiling a bit too long herself and had to be elbowed by a green-eyed brunette to come out of her daze.

“So uh, um... these are my friends and our fellow guardians—Ami Mizuno, Rei Hino, Makoto Kino, and Minako Aino!”

Each woman perked and waved at him when their respective names were said as Seiya smiled and tilted his head forward as a greeting.

“Ooh, Ami, tell them about what you're doing!” Serenity got excited and patted Ami’s arm repeatedly and eagerly, then turned around to wave Healer and Maker back over. While both obliged, Healer seemed to have picked up Seiya’s limp suddenly.

Ami nodded and took out her crystal cell phone from her back pocket, swiping and tapping around a few times before addressing the three foreigners.

“As of five AM this morning, we’ve been scanning a database of alien artifacts and antiques registered with the CTDAAA. Anything considered to have royal, historic, or scientific significance from another planet that is brought to Earth must be registered in this database by law. So if the incense burner you’re looking for is in fact here, theoretically we should find it from this scan.”

Maker cocked her head. “Theoretically?”

“Yes, well, the merchant would have had to register it themselves. Of course, many things are smuggled, especially if it’s illegal or has been reported stolen. Or perhaps they simply don’t want to deal with the paperwork and waiting periods.”

Healer crossed her arms. “So how far along is the scan?”

“A whole point-three percent!” Ami’s voice and expression held sarcastic enthusiasm. “This database does span the whole planet.”

Serenity sighed and shrugged her shoulders. “Well then, I guess the only thing we can do now is eat!”

The rest of the women erupted in agreement and dispersed to find their seats at the table. As Seiya watched Serenity head for the chair next to his, something within him said it was okay to grab for the royal hand. And to his surprise, he was faced with her kind and curious cerulean eyes.

He tried to gulp down his blush and excitement, but the feeling of warmth on his ears told him that did nothing.

“Thank you… your highness… for all your help. And happy birthday.”

She wrinkled her nose as she grinned, squeezing his hand in appreciation.

---

Waiting in the queen’s chambers, Ami, Rei, Makoto, and Minako each gasped and held their breath as Serenity emerged from the bathroom.

“So?” Minako widened her eyes, expecting good news.

Serenity couldn’t bring herself to share in the shared anticipation and shook her head to relieve them of their happy mood. The four women groaned.

“I’m so sorry.” Makoto took the queen in an embrace.

Serenity released a sound between a sigh and a sob, sinking into Makoto’s chest. “What is wrong with me?”

The rest of the group took that as their cue to join in on the hug.

“Nothing is wrong with you.” Rei stroked her back. “You still have plenty of time.”

“But how long will that take? Another four years… four-hundred years?”

“When it’s meant to happen.” Ami rested her forehead on one of Serenity’s buns. “You know Chibi-Usa will be here. You need to trust destiny.”

Serenity sniffled. “Yes, that’s true. But it’s just… I don’t understand why it’s taking so long.”

“It'll happen, Serenity. But on the bright side: at least you can drink today.” Makoto’s mouth twisted in a smile as she pulled back from the group hug.

The others let up as well, allowing Serenity to dab her eyes with the sleeve of her robe and nod in agreement. “Sure. I just wish Mamo was here.”

“Is he still in LA?” Ami furrowed her brow.

“Yes. He was supposed to come back yesterday but there’s been a series of bad storms over there and he’s been stuck. They’re saying flights won’t open up until the end of the week. Then he has to go straight to Canberra.”

Rei scoffed. “That sucks. I’m sorry that happened.”

“Don’t be.” Serenity hugged herself and shook her head. “I’ll have an eternity of birthdays for him to attend.”

“At least we got cute men to hang out with this year.” Minako raised her eyebrows to indicate her impish thoughts. “I call dibs on the short one.”

“Dibs on Seiya!” Rei clapped and raised her hands.

Serenity dropped her jaw in disapproval. “Rei, you can’t call dibs on him.”

“What?” Rei’s jaw also dropped. “Mina just called dibs on Yaten!”

“Yes… but… Seiya’s injured. That’s a little messed up, don’t you think?”

“The man has a limp, he’s not braindead.”

“Okay, but his whole body is still healing! You saw how he almost collapsed this morning—”

“If he’s horizontal, it won’t matter—!”

“Okay-okay-okay!” Makoto, unable to contain her smile, walked in between the bickering duo as she held her palms out on each side of her. She then turned her attention to the fiery guardian, speaking through laughter.

“Rei, it would seem that our queen has already called dibs on Sailor Bar Fighter—”

“What? No!” Serenity tried to sound as offended as possible, but her blush betrayed her.

Ami gasped. “Serenity! How could you?”

“Ami, it’s not like that!”

“You know he does look a lot like Endymion…” Minako tapped her pointer finger to her chin.

“Mina! Don’t!”

Rei rolled her eyes with a smirk, flipping her hair over her shoulder. “Well, I guess since it’s your birthday, you can have him—”

“Rei, stop it!” Serenity threw her hands up before rubbing them down her face in distress and then defeat. “Fine, have at him, and have fun doing all the work!”

“I need some exercise anyway.” She blew a kiss.

Minako looked over at the only two women who had yet to call dibs. “So who wants lanky legs?”

Makoto and Ami met each other’s gazes, their eyes squinted in opposition.

“How should we do this?”

“The old-fashioned way, of course.”

If an arm was covered with a sleeve, it was rolled up. Or if it was bare, it was being massaged in preparation. Both then slapped their right hands together and curled their fingers into each others’.

“One, two, three, four, I declare a thumb war!”

While the rest of the group was distracted with the competition, Serenity walked over to her birthday bar cart stocked with cakes, pastries, and premade mimosas and poured herself a full flute of the orange drink. As she emptied the glass down her throat in only a few gulps, she secretly hoped Seiya wasn’t attracted to Rei.

---

---

Please note if you would like to follow this story, I will be updating the rest of the chapters under the tag: hana bean close to you and other iterations of the spacing. I love you all!

[floraone]

Could you do 9 please? I'm loving these kisses!

I'm glad you like them! Here you go ♡

-

In Kiss In Public

-

It was a rare occasion that Usagi got up before him. In fact, he couldn't remember it ever happening before. And so, for the first time, he found himself waking up alone in her bed.

He ran a hand across his eyes in disorientation and turned on her soft mattress. Her pillow smelled of her, even when her side wasn't warm anymore, and when his wrist hit her pillow, it landed on paper.

I had to help Mama bring a few cakes to Shingo's school fair, I'll be back before you miss me, promise!

The note was signed with Usagi's signature doodle of a bunny, it's x-mouth replaced by what he ventured was supposed to be a kiss. His smile at it was probably a little too dopey.

He wasn't supposed to be here, of course. He'd slipped into her room in the middle of the night, because these days he couldn't hold back. Though, by the way her mother had reacted when she'd stumbled upon him that one time in the bathroom, her parents weren't actually quite as unaware of his frequent presence in their house.

He dressed leisurely, sat at her desk, and after reading the news on his phone, he flipped open her homework that lay discarded on her desk for want of anything better to do while he waited. After erasing and replacing a few incorrect answers, he closed the folder again and pushed it a bit neater to the side of her desk.

Underneath, he came across a stack of purikura photo strips and an empty photo album. The stack toppled over and spread across her desk.

He smiled. There were tons of the girls in various constellations, even one with just Usagi and Michiru, making faces and striking poses more silly than the next for the camera. They were decorated bright and glittery - Usagi tended to go crazy with that function.

The upper two showed Mamoru with Usagi. His smile grew at the one she had enlarged of them. Usagi was pressing a lingering kiss to his cheek, he was rolling his eyes but sporting a blush (he wasn't the best at getting his photo taken, especially when in a crowd and loud arcade and groups of school girls chattering as they queued up excitedly in front of the booth). There were two copies of the strip, and while he hadn't shown interest the day they took these, he wondered if Usagi would give him the copy if he asked.

Then his eyes fell on a strip of photos farer down the pile.

Seiya, other than Mamoru, didn't look uncomfortable in these pictures at all. In fact, the handwritten script on the decorations wasn't Usagi's. He recognized the booth backgrounds, it was one exclusive to an amusement park Usagi loved to go to, took plenty of pictures with the girls at, and Mamoru tended to refuse to go. Hanayashiki Park.

Seiya obviously hadn't. Seiya wrote 'Seiya and Usagi's doki doki date' in sloppy characters surrounded by hearts across a picture of Seiya lifting her up with a giant smile on his face and Usagi being the one to roll her eyes with a smile in the photo.

He frowned at the picture. A heavy, uncomfortable knot furled and unfurled in his gut, and he pushed the photo underneath all of the others.

He was still frowning when Usagi returned with a bright smile and the announcement that she'd successfully secured two slices of her Mama's legendary lemon tarte for them under risk of her life by Shingo's menacing discontent.

"Maybe later," he'd grumbled, glaring at the now neat pile of photos stacked on the empty photo album.

He was in a grouchy mood and irritated with himself, and Usagi started to notice. He was about to excuse himself and call it a day and retreat to spend his Saturday buried in textbooks in his library when he called himself out of it, telling himself harshly not to punish this wonderful woman he was allowed to call his girlfriend with his insecurities.

Instead, he whirled around, startling her out of her dimmed smile.

"Do you want to go to Hanayashiki Park today?" he rushed at her with maybe too much intensity.

But her eyes brighted up, flashed at him in all their excited, powerful, disarming glory which managed to take his breath even now.

She clung to his waist in that excited way for the short ride across Minato, the wind pushing at their hair as he bent and curved and drove them there on his motorcycle.

She was radiating joy, hopping and jumping and clinging to his arm.

He found himself trying his hardest to be the most comfortable, most doting. He didn't roll his eyes once, he agreed to queue for the wildest rides, he didn't make a fuss at all.

He was trying to prove a petty point.

It was in that very photo booth (he'd suggested they queue immediately upon spotting it), that she first grew suspicious.

The photos turned out sweet (they always did), but when they stood around the back of it at the small touch screens to decorate, and he raised the second pink stylus to partake in this endeavour, Usagi stood staring at him with confused eyes. He shrugged it off, kept from blushing by sheer willpower, and wrote in pink with his indefinitely neater handwriting, 'Usako and Mamo-chan's doki doki date'.

He felt Usagi's dumbfounded stare burn through his skin.

She was still staring, her brow creased in that way too adorable but much too incriminating way, alternating between him and the small strips of photos in her hand when he dragged her by the elbow to the next attraction.

He stopped when he spotted the taiyaki stand. She'd want one, right?

Usagi stared harder.

He found her eyes, looking down. They were surrounded by people, loud and excited almost as much as she'd been. In front of them was a group of girls younger than Usagi, glancing back at them and giggling. Behind them was a mother and her two kids, the boy tugging at her mother's jeans and asking her why 'that man is so tall'.

The expression in Usagi's eyes as she gazed up at him now was thoughtful, almost concerned.

Because he wanted to, and because he was still proving a point, and because her concerned look itched across his heart and he wanted to replace it, he did what he normally wouldn't do in public, and certainly not in a queue sandwiched between a group of giggling girls and inquisitive little kids.

He bent and captured her surprised lips with his.

She responded - of course she responded. Her lips were soft and sure and brushing against his in that grounding, comforting way that almost distracted him from the contrasting ways his own lips seemed to tremble in his sudden, uncharacteristic nervousness.

When he pulled away, her hand was on his cheek, the other on his chest, the little boy behind them was loudly fake-retching as his sister made kissing noises while his mother tried unsuccessfully to hush them, the girls in front of them were blushing wildly and turning their backs to them completely, and Usagi's eyes had grown even more concerned.

Mission failed, it seemed.

She was barely touching her taiyaki when they sat on a bench a little later.

He reacted in the same way to her concerned eyes then, too. Bent down and kissed her soft lips.

This time, she didn't respond. Instead she started speaking the second his lips touched hers.

"You don't need to do that, Mamo-chan."

He withdrew his mouth only slightly with a frown, answering with his eyes still very close to hers.

"Kiss you?"

Her brow creased further. "Prove something."

He sat back. Sighed. Allowed the corners of his mouth to settle into the displeased expression from this morning.

"You'd prefer it if I were more open," he answered after a little back and forth of mutual staring that turned continuously charged.

She shook her head. "I prefer you just the way you are, Mamo-chan."

Her eyes were stern and calculating and when he sighed this time, it felt like something heavy dropping from his heart and at her feet.

This time, when he leaned in, he allowed himself the spiel again. He looked around carefully, and only when he saw no one was looking, he slipped his hands against her cheeks and drew her mouth to his.

This time, she responded, slipped her fingers against his temple and opening her mouth and he sighed, relieved, into the warmth of her mouth, completely undetected and finally letting go.

Her lips puckered against his two, three, four more times in sweet, soft, Usagi-kisses, until they ventured further up and dropped a small, sweet little peck to his nose. She was crinkling her adorable nose in a sweet, relieved smile when his eyes fluttered back open.

"Wanna go back home and eat Mama's tarte?" She smiled at him.

He smiled back. The sigh it accompanied felt like breathing deeply again, like something freeing. "Yes, please," he whispered.

[atopearth]

Shall We Date? Ninja Shadow Part 19 - Seiya Route

I wonder why Seiya and Seiji aren’t keen on living at the shrine with Asagi… Problems with succession of the shrine etc?? Well, at least they’re happy and keen at the Meiko Salon. Seiya seems to be a really nice and honest guy, it’s so sweet of him to help out Haru at the tea house when she was shorthanded. Nice that the heroine could finally show him around, lolll at them going to try out foreign clothes and taking photos of it, so cute! Those aristocratic clothes that made them look like a Western knight/prince looked good~~ ooh, so the reason why Seiya and Seiji are in Nagasaki is to track down the shadow vigilantes… They do seem dodgy so it’s understandable why they’re here to check up on what the shadow vigilantes are actually doing, especially since when they encountered Haku back in Kyoto I assume, one of their members got injured because of him.

Was a bit worried when Seiya got hurt, but it was so funny when she made him strip so she could wash his back and his hair. It was so cute when he got embarrassed because he knew the heroine was a girl but she insisted on doing it anyway even though she confessed that it’s true that she’s a girl haha. It was very sweet of the heroine to stand up to those priests about how capable Seiya is by himself even without his brother, but I guess it’s probably also true that his divining abilities may be lacking compared to Seiji? Is he like Asagi then? I guess being compared to Seiji who was born with strong divination abilities would make Seiya treat himself as just a backup support for missions, and he’s great at doing that, but he’s also capable enough to lead. So I’m happy how naturally the heroine got Seiya to lead the punishment and encourage him to lead more often since he does it well. Guess Seiji’s hope that Seiya would fight alongside him instead of supporting him will come about soon haha. Omgg so cute when the heroine told him about why she was pretending to be a guy etc and called him a friend, and then he kisses her on the forehead and says he doesn’t really want to be a just a friend anymore🥺🤭 It was sweet how Seiya suggested the heroine to be the one to carry out Suetsugu’s punishment, it’s always nice to see the LI do that for her in the different routes even though Makoto always decides that she should be the one to do it since he knows her identity.

Not sure what the shadow vigilantes want with all those guns and weapons, but at least that mystery means that Seiya will be staying in Nagasaki to further investigate and communicate between the Kyoto vigilantes and the Nagasaki vigilantes😀 And so now they won’t be separated~ but what about in the future though? I guess they can figure out in the future lol. Anyway, nice to see Seiya and the heroine get along well in the romance area ;) Hahahah, it was so sweet of him to get her a Western wedding dress! So cool! 

Anyway, it was a cute route. Seiya was a cute and sweet guy all the way and really, there weren’t many problems for the heroine to “fix” for the guy this time around, so it was kinda nice to just see her encourage him to work to his potential and have more confidence in himself. It was probably weaker in the plot side of things, but seeing how cute Seiya was kinda made up for it, I feel like the heroine and him matched nicely with how cute and bright they both were together🥰

[howmanyheartaches]

I haven’t written anything fictional for half a year, so when Sparkle Sparkle came back, I was very thrilled! My Sparklee is papillon82fluttersby – HAPPY SPARKLING!

 I went for the prompt “Harumichi at an event where one of them is out of her depth”

 Not to spoil my fic at this point, just know that papillon82fluttersby’s favourite senshi used to be my favourite Inner (now they’re all juggling, but I loved her in the new Myu a lot!!).

Thank you so much, Awashsquid and Docholligay, for organising this party!

 That’s what friends are for

 Haruka wasn’t one to fear the spotlight. Of course she had been nervous before her speech at their wedding and she couldn’t deny that her heart would pound whenever all eyes were on her while she was doing something she loved. However, when she excelled in a task, she was confident; she would smile freely at all her fangirls before she’d start in a sports competition.

And it was easy for Haruka to share the spotlight with Michiru. When she’d accompanied her wife on stage, everyone was watching musical genius Michiru Kaioh anyway, so she could relax whenever she hadn’t had the time to practice enough and focus on her piano play.

But this was different. Now every note counted. And Haruka felt like a fish out of water.

Obviously, she had tried to deny it. Her lies had enough potential for an Academy Award. It was easy for Michiru to see right through her and normally, she would have tried everything to get Haruka out of this situation.

 In this case, she hadn’t much of a choice either, and the person Haruka had lied to was too caught up in her own head to acknowledge her best friend’s fake behaviour.

Michiru usually had no problem being in a recording studio. She had spent her childhood practicing the violin for three hours each and every day, competing as soon as her mother had been satisfied. The three grey walls, with a huge window completing the room, were familiar territory. Still she felt anxiety – it was like Haruka’s was mirrored back to her.

The violinist hadn’t felt Haruka this uncomfortable in a while. Back in their early days, it had almost been common. This stomach-wrenching feeling, the tremble. Even worse in battle of course. Haruka was so terribly afraid of failing – but still so brave. Why was it just so hard for Haruka to perform this song in this environment?

Was it because she didn’t want to disappoint Minako?

Michiru felt anger rising inside of her watching Minako through the window. The blonde had decided to place them both at the same time in the recording cabin, which was what Michiru preferred. She hoped her presence would soothe Haruka at some point, but so far it didn’t work any magic.

After the constant battles, time had become quiet. Michiru didn’t mind that her mirror didn’t show her any dark energy; that Rei’s dreams had slowed down. They had all been able to settle into their lives. Michiru couldn’t be happier – being married, choosing when and where to perform, spending time with her family at the beach.

Quiet however wasn’t something for Minako. It had never been, obviously, but with the reassurance that they lived in a time of peace, Minako had decided to reach her goal of becoming an idol. And not just any idol – “top top top of the world” as she liked to outline her dream.

“Could you please repeat the last part? Thank yaaa!”

Michiru sighed and shared a glance with Haruka. The butch nodded, but it seemed like a punishment to her to put the big headphones on again. They started to play the last part again. All for the sake of Minako’s new record. Unfortunately, self-produced.

From the corner of her eye, Michiru could see how beautiful Haruka looked playing the piano. The blonde was dressed in a black sweater and sleek, black pants, her hair on the loose because she was going through it so much with her fingers. She still looked nervous and had a hard time pouring her soul into her playing. The melody wasn’t even that difficult, if Minako could come up with it. Michiru raised an eyebrow, focusing on herself again, not being able to shake the uncomfortable feeling.

While they were playing away, Minako started to chat with the sound engineer. After they stopped, Michiru could hear Minako’s chattering, which didn’t really help against Michiru’s growing fume. “So I was like ‘Okay honey, we really need to put a stop to this. How about we’re continuing recording if this song is not about you being a heartbroken crybaby anymore?! Nothing about a little grief, you know, but this is certainly not about a strong woman.’ And I walked off in wide steps, clicking heels, I was a total boss babe, you know? I don’t need a collaboration like that, that’s just not my vision for this album!”

“Wow, I can’t believe that someone like you would write such a lovey-dovey ballad like this!” The sound guy waved towards Haruka and Michiru, still trapped in the cabin.

“What can I say, I’m layered”, Minako flipped her hair dramatically.

Michiru was still chewing on the lovely-dovey. On top of that, she didn’t like to be kept waiting by Minako for a response if they should continue playing.

“Minako”, she spoke into the microphone with a firm voice that could cut glass, as Minako kept ignoring them.

“Oh! Oh! You’re still there, like little marionettes! Lovely! Errr …” Minako stopped herself. “Whoa, that sounded like a pirate. Like the one Michiru made you into in her latest smut fic!”

Haruka looked at her best friend startled.

“You didn’t know that, buddy? Okay. She did not write herself into the governor’s daughter’s role. You definitely didn’t have sex in a dirty place. Forget about it, I never found this in Rei’s drawer.”

“Minako”, Michiru repeated, this time leaving no illusion that she wouldn’t be able to kill Minako with her violin’s bow.

Minako’s phone went off. The singer jumped to her feet: “Uuuuh, I was waiting for that call! I think we should continue tomorrow!”

*** 

Ami looked confused when she opened the door. She always looked confused when this happened, even though Michiru’s knock was always the same: determined.

“Michiru! Hi!” She blushed, painfully aware that she hadn’t changed after dinner and a spot of tomato sauce greeted from its place on her baby blue, long cardigan.

“Make some tea, would you?” Michiru smiled at the younger woman mildly and found her way into Ami’s apartment that the medical student shared with her girlfriend.

“Sure”, Ami wedged her hands nervously, “Mako is instructing her cooking class, but she has left me some scones from earlier today. They’re not much but …”

“That sounds wonderful”, Michiru had seated herself in the lounging area already, unpacking her shopper.

When Ami arrived in the living room, a tray with tea and scones in hand, Michiru already had unfolded her painting supplies.

Ami sat down next to her on the floor, trying to mimic the gracile way Michiru held her body.

“Let’s paint”, the older announced, beginning to draw a storm.

Ami, who joyfully had grasped the expensive brushes Michiru used, soon stopped in her movement, watching Michiru with worry.

It wasn’t their first painting session, but definitely Michiru’s angriest. Usually, Michiru preferred “Under the Sea”, “Into Space” or “Haruka” when she was drawing just for herself. Ami loved the harmony that then came upon Michiru, adapting to it herself. It was hard not to think about her father, but it was also hard to resent doing something she loved. Ami Mizuno was a woman of many talents. But asking about Michiru’s day wasn’t one.

*** 

Haruka hadn’t been in the mood for joining Rei to help her refurnish an old table, but then again, Michiru had insisted her to. Probably because Rei was Minako’s partner – and that was also the reason why Haruka had a hard time being around the social studies student.

“I can’t believe Minako still thinks this table is hideous! I mean, look at it, we’ve done some fine things with it!” Rei’s high ponytail swung around furiously.

“I still think that it would have been cheaper for you to buy a table at Ikea, considering the money you put into refurnishing supplies”, Haruka noted.

“Ikea”, Rei looked at Haruka in disgust. “You are definitely wrong, this was a good deal at the flea market and I’m in no position to decline it! Even though my girlfriend is going to rocket to super fame very soon. But I swear, I’ll do my best to not let capitalism win!”

Haruka cringed.

“Wait. I know that look on your face. How was your time in the recording studio anyway today?” Rei waved a brush around like she was a teacher pointing at a pupil to move in front of the whole class.

“It wasn’t good enough. We didn’t finish and will go back in again tomorrow”, Haruka let her shoulders sink. “I feel like this is all my fault.”

“And why’s that so? Did you forget how to play sheet music?”

“No. But Minako wasn’t happy. I have to admit, that was my worry from the second she asked me to do this with Michiru.”

“Tenoh, do you think it was a piece of cake for me working on the guitar parts with her? She’s a perfectionist. So are you and I. But we’re not doing this for us, we’re doing it for her, even though she’s a brat. But she deserves the world.”

“It’s just so that however good my performance is, it will be heard forever. Over and over again. I wonder how the Three Lights did it, but I guess it’s just that Seiya thinks so highly of herself she’d never have any doubts”, Haruka kicked against the refurnished table, making it almost collapse. Such a good deal.

“They were also searching for their princess, I’m just saying.”

“I know, right? Their songs were never that good?!”

*** 

“I frankly do not understand how Minako doesn’t feel any shame. Haruka is her best friend”, Michiru said like it was nothing.

“Oh”, Ami announced, remembering Minako’s request for the album support. She was glad Michiru had finally broken the silence, still working on a wild mix of greys and blacks that looked together like a hurricane on paper.

“It’s my fault. I should have insisted more on declining Minako’s offer. I could have said my manager …”

“Haruka still would have agreed to. Mina means a lot to her.”

“She doesn’t seem equally important to Minako”, if Michiru could snort, this would be her moment to.

“That’s not true”, Ami tilted her head. “Mina feels a lot of pressure.”

*** 

“Mina is under a lot of pressure”, Rei said softly. “She sees all of us settled into our lives. Makoto is so, so good at what she does and her life with Ami is like from one of these lesbian books, where the more tomboy one is a doctor! You and Michiru and Hotaru and Setsuna are so happy together and with what you get to do. Even though Hotaru would never admit to that, but she’s a teenager! And Usagi is Usagi. Mina doesn’t mean to be this tense these days, I just think she wants to make this work.”

“You forgot to mention yourself.” Haruka half-smiled, feeling a bit better about the whole situation.

“I JUST WORKED ON THE PERFECT TABLE I MEAN JUST LOOK! LOOK!”

*** 

“I’m clean and I smell like soap”, Haruka happily announced, joining her wife in the bedroom, wearing her favourite PJs.

“Love, you look like you feel so much better than you did this morning”, Michiru noted, looking up from her book, already tugged into her blanket.

“I do. Talking to Rei made me understand it’s good - not less, not more - when Mina finally says it’s good.” Haruka swiftly found herself underneath the blanket as well.

“It was always good, she just needs to focus”, Michiru replied with a soft smile.

“That’s what Ami made you realize, right?” Haruka grinned, leaning onto Michiru’s shoulder.

“She’s smart, our Ami”, Michiru giggled. “I’m glad you found your confidence again. Minako should be proud to have such a talented, good-looking pianist on her record.”

“I know, I’ve always known.” Haruka leaned forward to wink, but then led her pretending go. “It’s just that I feel so uncomfortable playing with the headphones on. I feel like everything will be constantly judged and I’m not used to this.”

“Minako didn’t really judge and that’s the problem. But no worries”, now it was Michiru’s turn to wink, “I have a plan …”

Then she closed the book because she needed her hands – to deeply kiss Haruka, the person she regarded as the love of her life, holding her tight.

*** 

“Obsession” was composed by a Dane, who he had been, well, obsessed with Bach. It was very loud, shrill even. While it put a smile on Michiru’s face to play such a jarring melody, it made Mina, who had just walked in, cringe. Haruka, not entirely sold on the piece, watched Michiru in awe.

As she finished, the violinist spoke right into the microphone: “Now that you remembered what I can do, I want you to see what we are both capable of doing with your song. Now that I have your attention, I suggest that we concentrate and wrap this song up smoothly. We are here to support your career, Minako, but for a first-timer in a studio it’s certainly not easy to know what’s wrong if you’re not giving us any hints. Do you agree?”

Mina had been frozen, but found to her old confident behaviour in a second: “I sure do. Because I’m certain you remember that.I.am.the.leader.”

She mimicked Michiru, ending with an emphasis on every word, who took this with no impression. “How could I forget a fact you sing to us like a hit song you’d like to have. So. May we start?”

“Let’s”, Mina sat down next to the sound guy, who had no clue what that whole leader deal was about. The blonde was ready to work – finally. She showed Michiru her thanks with the smallest smile, that Michiru took with a little nod. It was easy to get lost. But it was also easy to get out – with the help of your friends.