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thatnewweeb · 3 months

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Wrong | Byakuya Togami

Summary | Before the Tragedy, before the Killing Game, Hope's Peak Academy was just a school for the Ultimates. The Ultimate Affluent Progeny wasn't supposed to fall in love, wasn't supposed to get married. So why did he have to meet her?

Content | Fluff, fem reader, Byakuya gets angry at reader, reader doesn't take very good care of themself, he might be slightly out of character idk

Word Count | 1.9k+

A/N | Personally I love the idea of Byakuya falling in love and changing the way the inheritance system of the Togami family works for one person. I might do a part 2 to this, I'm not sure yet

"Good morning, Byakuya," you smile, walking into your classroom. Not yet going to your own chair, you take a seat on the desk of the Ultimate Affluent Progeny.

He tuts a little as he looks up at you, shaking his head. "You should not sit on desks, you know."

You laugh, running your fingers through your hair. "I know they're not meant to be sat on, but that doesn't mean you can't. Besides, this desk is used to it by now. It actually probably likes it by now," you stroke your fingers across the top of his desk in a sensual manner.

This response just makes him shake his head again. "Are you trying to seduce the desk, Y/N?" he teases.

"I don't know, depends on what the desk wants, doesn't it?"

He smirks a little, looking down to hide the small genuine smile. "The desk certainly does not have feelings. It is not sentient, you imbecile."

"I know that, Byakuya."

"You are later than usual," he says, looking at the clock. "Did you eat breakfast?"

You shake your head. "No, I missed it," you say sheepishly, smiling as you look at him. "I stayed up all night researching again."

"Ultimate Biologist? Tch! More like Ultimate Insomniac. You cannot keep staying up all night, or skipping breakfast."

You widen your eyes, staring at him. His eyebrows furrow a little in confusion at the look on your face. "Is Mr Cold and Emotionless worried about me?" you ask him teasingly.

He rolls his eyes. "In order to perform at your best, you should be taking care of yourself." He crosses his arms, raising his eyebrows at you.

At this point, Taka notices you sat on the desk and storms over, telling you to sit in a chair. You sigh and slide off the table, sticking your tongue out at him once he turns around. Byakuya looks down, smiling to himself before you address him again, forcing a neutral look onto his face.

"Well, I guess I will talk to you later," you smile brightly and wave before turning around and walking away to sit in your own seat, giving Toko a smile when you make eye contact with her.

He sighs to himself as he watches you walk away from him, wondering what he's going to do about this.

Later that same day, you're in the biology lab, sitting at a desk in the corner of the room, reviewing some findings from a previous experiment you conducted.

You're so focused on your reading that you don't notice someone enter the lab, jumping when they clear their throat.

"Were you really that focused?" Byakuya asks, smirk on his face.

"Well, you were cornered by Toko, I assumed you'd be trapped for longer, so I thought I would come back here and spend a little more time on my research. It's important, after all."

He nods. "Yes, it is," he says, walking over and looking over my shoulder. "You should cross out that result. It's clearly an anomaly."

"I know that's an anomaly, sir. I thought I was the Ultimate Biologist."

"You should call me sir more," he smirks.

You roll your eyes. "Well in that case, I'm not going to call you that ever again."

He smirks, shaking his head at you. "You will say it someday, not trying to mock me." You immediately shake your head, making him chuckle. "You're coming with me. Pack everything away."

You tilt your head, confused, but he doesn't give you any further explanation, looking at you expectantly. You get up, packing away your equipment. He makes you leave your research in the lab so you can't stay up all night reading it over and thinking of new tests.

"I have a ton of books in my room already, you can't stop me." You stick your tongue out.

He sighs, pushing his glasses up. "Well then, I will be confiscating those before you go to bed."

You pout, looking up at him. He has to struggle to fight back a smile, grabbing your cheeks and squeezing your face.

"Don't look at me like that. It's for your own good."

You stand right in front of him, crossing your arms. "So, when did you start caring about my wellbeing?"

He keeps his eyes locked onto yours, but a small blush creeps onto his cheeks, which absolutely does not go unnoticed by you.

"Aww, is the Ultimate Cold Bastard blushing?" you tease.

He ignores you, not even bothering to react. "Are you finished here?"

When you nod, he grabs you by the wrist and basically drags you from the lab and to your class's dorm floor.

"Now, we are going to have dinner, and you are going to bed."

"Come on, you dragged me away from my research, my very important research, for this?"

He sighs. "I know your research is important, but you are working yourself far too hard."

"No, I am not. If anything, I'm not working hard enough!" you say loudly before taking a deep breath. Byakuya just stares at you, having never heard you raise your voice at anyone before. "I understand that it may seem concerning, but I am fine."

"No, you are not," he says seriously. "If you don't eat and barely sleep, you will get weak, and you will get ill. If that happens, you cannot continue working."

"I'm a biologist, do you really think I don't know that? Byakuya, I'm aware of the limits of my body, and I'm not going beyond that. I will eat, I haven't yet today, but I want to go back to the lab."

He shakes his head. "No, Y/N, you're going to sleep. You need it, you look tired."

You sigh before walking into the dining room, Byakuya following behind you.

After you finish eating, he forces you to go to your room, dragging you along the hall.

"Byakuya, let go of me!"

"No! You are going to sleep!" he shouts at you. When he sees the surprised look on your face, he sighs, pushing his glasses up. "You need to sleep."

You sigh and just agree, deciding it is for the best to just go along with what he says. Once you have changed your clothes, Byakuya standing outside so he can make sure you've actually done it, he says goodnight and leaves you alone.

Figuring that he will wait around your room for a while, you set an alarm on your phone for an hour and a half, getting into bed and taking a nap. He isn't wrong, you haven't been sleeping recently and you need to, but you can't spend a whole eight hours sleeping.

An hour and a half later, your alarm startles you awake. Immediately, you shut it off and jump out of bed, changing back into your clothes. You slowly open the door, checking that there's no one around, specifically Byakuya.

There's no one there, so you walk back to the lab, continuing with your research. There's no one else around at all, so you don't have to worry about making too much noise or anything.

You hum to yourself as you work, walking around the lab as you read.

Probably an hour after you go back to the lab, you hear the door open, spinning around to see who it is, but you have a pretty good guess.

Byakuya stands by the door, arms crossed, a look of disappointment and slight anger on his face.

"What are you doing here?" you ask him, panicking a little. You know he'll be upset with you for this.

"I should be asking you the same question," he snarls, walking over to you. He doesn't stop in front of you, making you walk backwards, back eventually hitting the wall. His hand slams on the wall next to you, trapping you between him and the cold surface.

You look up at him, shocked, but you can't keep eye contact with him, the angry expression on his face making you look away. His hand immediately comes up, forcing you to look at him again.

"No, don't you look away from me," He hisses. "What are you doing here?"

"I-I was doing some research," you say quietly, keeping eye contact now, a little scared to look away.

He tuts, shaking his head. "Well, at least you are honest about it," he sighs, letting go of your face, but putting that hand against the wall also, really keeping you trapped.

"Why do you care anyway?"

"Why? Why do I care?" he shouts, face getting angrier. "Because, believe it or not, I care about you, you idiot!"

"Why? Aren't I just some peasant who's below you?" you shout back.

He doesn't say anything, just gritting his teeth as he stares at you for a moment. A second later, before you even know what's happening, his lips press against yours.

Your eyes widen for a moment in surprise before they close, hands coming up to rest on his chest. The kiss is rough, obviously angry, yet full of passion.

"Do you think I would do that if I considered you to be below me?" he asks with a smirk. "You are the one person here that I consider to be my equal."

"I- Byakuya, I-" you start before you sigh. "Byakuya, I can't do this," you say quietly.

His eyes widen slightly when you say that. "Why not? I-I thought you liked me too," he says, showing a rare sign of hesitation and panic.

"I do! I do like you!" you say with a soft smile, trying to reassure him. "I just- you've told me about how your family works. I refuse to be part of the Togami family's stupid game. It's because I like you that I can't do this."

He looks down slightly for a moment, thinking. "I'll change it," he says, meeting your eyes again. "I'll change the system. I don't- I don't want to have as many children with as many exceptional women as possible. I already have an exceptional woman who I genuinely want a relationship with, so why would I want more?" he takes your hands, squeezing them tightly. "I was told not to fall in love, I was told it was wrong for me, I always thought it was wrong for me, I didn't think it would happen, but it did."

You squeeze his hand back softly. "Byakuya, it isn't wrong to fall in love." You give him a gentle smile. "If you really want to change everything, I will stand by you as you do it."

He stares for a moment before wrapping his arms around you tightly, his head resting on top of yours. "Thank you," he whispers.

Clearing his throat and letting go of you, he straightens up. "Now, you still need to sleep."

You pause for a moment, looking up at him. He sighs at the look on your face, shaking his head.

"You are going to bed. If you do not wish to spend the night in your own room, you are welcome to spend the night in mine."

His response surprises you, but you nod, agreeing with his proposal, small blush spreading across your cheeks.

He immediately slips your lab coat off your shoulders, placing it on a table. His arms slip under you, picking you up princess style, and carrying you back to his room.

You spend the rest of the night in his bed, cuddling with the Ultimate Affluent Progeny.

#byakuya togami #byakuya #danganronpa #danganronpa fanfiction #danganronpa fanfic #danganronpa byakuya #byakuya x reader #byakuya togami x reader #byakuya togami fanfiction #byakuya togami fanfic #byakuya togami fluff #danganronpa fluff

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forbidding-souda · 1 month

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byakuya and a fem s/o being all domestic? I love the way you write for him, he’s so submissive and breedable

Byakuya Togami and his fem S/O being domestic

in mod souda fashion this isn't proofread at all so take it as it is.

-Mod Souda

❤ Getting to sleep in his bed every night feels like a blessing.

❤ "Our bed." he clarifies. no togami, it's your bed and you know it.

❤ Even though sometimes he wants his alone space and to not have you all up on his body but that's fine, at least you can feel his warmth from underneath the same blanket.

❤ He keeps his glasses case on the bedside table and if you move it at all, you're cooked.

❤ If you tend to go asleep really late he's going to hate for you to wake him up.

❤ And don't even think about being on your phone in bed. Don't even think about it.

❤ When he does want you close, he likes when you hang onto one of his arms as you're sleeping. Or when you have your hand on his cheek. Simple romantic things like that.

❤ If you try to lay on him he's gonna tell you to get off him though.

❤ His favorite type of intimacy in general is wrapping his arms around you from behind and putting his head into the crook of your neck.

❤ That part of your neck is his place fr.

❤ Periods - he's not a mind reader, tell him what you want because god knows he hasn't the clue.

❤ It's not as if he's interested to talk about it either.

❤ Clothes! He's not going to wear any of yours, nice try, and he might not be too keen on you taking his either.

❤ He will make sure you know how to tie a tie. He will. He will. Mostly because to him it seems like a optimal trait, but he also just likes when you do it for him :)

❤ Chores are unnecessary, he has people to do those for you because you're not getting him to sleep in a house that is for commoners.

❤ And bro does NOT know what a dryer sheet is

❤ Being domestic with a billionaire is not for the weak.

❤ He's not gonna be charmed if you try to cook him breakfast or anything. He'll try it, definitely, but he's not giving his compliments to the chef.

❤ And I don't see you two going outside that often. He's not going to want to go on walks or trips to the park. He has formality, plus constant watchers.

❤ Something cute, though, is if you have something on the tv that he won't like, he won't complain. I can see him just leaving the room. But it's the one thing he won't complain about. He'll will just be on his computer doing work and sometimes glancing up at the screen.

❤ He won't mind having his reading time interrupted if it means he'll get a kiss.

❤ ^ Small pecks can be any time (in the house). He's much satisfied with just caressing, but kisses can be sweet, too.

❤ He doesn't take very long in the shower but his house is too bougie for you to worry about if he's taking all the hot water. He prefers the shower to be clean and the bathroom mirrors to be stainless and the counter to be shiny so if you're a cleanfreak then yesss his bathroom is a blessing. If you're messy then count your days. Just kidding but he's probably want you to do your hair / put your makeup shit in a separate bathroom.

❤ Hotel rooms away from his house are the sweetest. Sure he can get penthouses and the expensive ass resorts, but he can make all of them feel like home. He's a little less organized in those places. He'll leave his suit jackets draped over the back of a chair, and he'll let the droplets in his after-shower hair drip onto the tiled floor.

❤ ^ You love hotels because you are more likely to get to see him with a tower wrapped around his waist wowowowow.

❤ I'm rambling sorry.

❤ Erm yes imagine the cute things like him feeding you, letting you comb his hair, brushing your teeth together in the morning, all the usual romantic like that. That's the good shit fr.

❤ is this what you wanted anon I hope so

#byakuya togami x reader #danganronpa #danganronpa x reader #x reader

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theamityelf · 5 months

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I gotta get messy about some of my favorite Makoto ships now. Give me a minute, lol.

Imagine Makoto is dating Byakuya.

They came together during school; Makoto's perfectly normal but powerfully principled personality appeals to Byakuya despite himself. He stops trying to swat him away, and welcomes his company with less and less frost. It becomes natural to see them together. They start dating, almost matter-of-factly. They're happy.

But Byakuya knows how this ends. There was a time when he had every intention of keeping Makoto at his side for as long as he wanted him there, in his employ or however else, while he did his duty as a Togami and had a lot of heirs, etc. But now, he's been dating Makoto for a while, and he can't ignore the feeling that Makoto is destined for a wholesome, domestic life. A spouse, maybe children of his own. Someone who can give him their attention and heart. Something monogamous.

He breaks up with Makoto. He doesn't tell him that's the reason, but basically he starts to feel like keeping Makoto tied to him is too selfish even for him. (But he spins it in his head to where this was inevitable.) He's cutting Makoto free, and really a Togami shouldn't be dating someone so kind normal anyway.

Then Makoto starts dating Hajime. And Nagito. And Chiaki. At the same time.

And Byakuya realizes that he never asked Makoto how he feels about polyamory.

Now he has to watch as Makoto receives visits to his dorm and is walked to class by people who Byakuya "knows" are more fitting for him. Upperclassmen with genuine smiles, insignificant talents, and open arms. (And the reserve course student, of all things.)

In actuality, whole character arcs took place to get that polycule to where it is now, but to Byakuya, it just looks like Makoto effortlessly found the people who would actually make him happy. And Byakuya could just mope quietly about it, but he's not that selfless; he's rude to Hajime and Nagito, and he legit might perform a hostile takeover of a game company just to "indefinitely postpone" the release of a game Chiaki has been looking forward to. (I'm sure he tells himself he has a different reason for doing this, but his ears absolutely perked up when she mentioned the game in his earshot, and it was a short walk from thinking, "What game is that, anyway?" to "You know, the Togami Corporation might benefit from...")

Chiaki does confront him about this, by the way. He did not expect a confrontation from her, but he gets one, and Hajime is right there with her.

And I'm thinking Chiaki specifically chooses to confront him when Makoto isn't there, because she doesn't want Makoto to feel bad, but as luck would have it, Makoto and Nagito are taking a pleasant walk and they happen upon the confrontation.

Makoto is dismayed that his friends– specifically, his s/o's and his ex boyfriend –are arguing, while Nagito just stands back and watches, trying not to laugh at the petty drama.

#danganronpa #naegami #komahinaenami #komaegi #hinaegi #naenami #komahinaegi school au #komahinaegi #hinaenami #byakuya togami #makoto naegi #hinanami #komahina #komanami #hajime hinata #nagito komaeda #chiaki nanami #naegami rebound arc

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moonprisimbankai111 · 5 months

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Bleach X Jujutsu Kaisen Fights I'd sell both my t!ts n buttcheecks to see

Since I'm a big s l u t for both series here are the fights I'd wanna say. Comment who you'd think would win

Ryomen Sukuna VS White Hollow Ichigo

Two demon daddies against each other? YES! Both are super duper strong, tbh tho I think Sukuna would win, both of these characters would be so interesting to watch engage in a fight as they give very similar vibes IMO

Satoru Gojo VS Kisuke Urahara

I mean it's obvi that our blue-eyed king solos (sorry Kisuke fans) but they're both so fruity and goofy so I think a battle between these two would be so funny to watch, Tbh I thought of putting Gojo against Aizen, but something about him in a spare with Kisuke feels right, both are extremely talented, witty, and clever- oh and very sexy,

This would be such a great fight

Toshrio Hitsugaya VS Megumi Fushiguro

Originally I chose Ichigo for this, but something about Toshrio felt right I like Megumi against Toshrio way more bc I think both are similar in some ways but also seeing Megumi summon Mahoraga while Hitsugaya brings out Hyorinmaru would be AMAZING- Like you can imagine how awesome a duel between these two would be???

Toji Fushiguro VS Kenpachi Zaraki

Y'all gotta really hear me out here, Toji is a literal superhuman and Kenpachi (the strongest of the 13-court guard squad) has a nasty desire for serious bloodlust, these two in a heated spare filled with punches, kicks, and slashing of blades and cursed tools- would be so epic! I mean, I like to also imagine Toji is shirtless too- lol just girly things! I could imagine Kenpachi loving the battle bc of Toji's abilities and physical skills (I would sell my coochie to see this fight IRL)

Maki Zenin VS Rukia Kuchiki

Two of the hottest and strongest in a battle- yes yes yes yes, IMO Rukia for sure solos, i mean c'mon she's a captain but Maki also has a fair chance against her because of her own talents and capabilities. A fight between these two would be amazing!

Nobara Kugisaki VS Rangiku Matsumato

Both gorgeous, both confident, and both obsessed with shopping?

Totally! I think these two would be friends if the Bleach Universe and JJK Universe collided but since this is about fighting, I believe these two would have a fun battle. Both women are strong and have great skills and really cool abilities- It's hard for me to say who would win because both are equally talented! However, I think after the fight would be finished these two would love shopping with each other, talking about boys, and kicking ass together!

Kento Nanami Vs Byakuya Kuchiki

Both sophisticated, both the perfect gentlemen, both with the same aloof composure, and both really strong? HELL YES! I would loveeeee to see these two in a battle seeing Nanami use his ratio technique and black flash against Byakuyas Senbonzakura would be amazing! Idk tho, I think Byakuya would win, but that is up for discussion <3

Suguro Geto (Kenjaku) VS Sosuke Aizen

Don't even get me started, like just don't- I know Aizen has more of the advantage here but Geto, or Kenjaku has a really good chance IMO- I would love to see two villains who are both on similar missions of creating a new world would be in a battle with each other.

Yuji Itadori VS Renji Abari

I just think this would be funny to watch, but I would also love to see Yuji's divergent fists against Renji's Bankai I think it would be badass honestly. I love Yuji lord knows I truly do, but I think after a great effort on Yuji's end, Renji easily solos

Ichigo Kurosaki VS Yuta Okkutso

At first, I thought of Yuji instead, but I think Yuta would be way more interesting to watch, I could see these twos in a serious duel. Both are characters who faced massive losses that have pushed them to become strong. At one point in the fight I can see White hollow Ichigo coming out to help save Ichigo from a summoned Rika (yes I know the curse of Rika is already broken but let's act as if it isn't for the sake of the HC) Both are super strong, but Ichigo wins for sure IMO,

Thats it for now, but let me know what pairings you would like to see in part two as I would love to include more characters

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t0yac1d · 1 year

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mondo, byakuya and kazuichi x fem (or gn) s/o who’s like mikan? (ex. clumsy, low self esteem, stuttery, shy, etc :D) thanks so much! i love your writing btw <3

Danganronpa Boys x Shy!F!Reader

Characters: Mondo Owada, Byakuya Togami & Kazuichi Souda

Word Count: 656

☆Mondo Owada would always stay close to you incase you trip, and when you do he catches you before you hit the floor, holding you close to him and making sure you're okay. With your low self-esteem he makes sure to tell you that you're beautiful, gorgeous, smart, incredible and all of the above. He makes sure that you know that he wants and loves you for you and not your looks and that he really does love you and all of your flaws.

He also doesn't mind your stuttering, he tells you that it's okay and to take your time, he doesn't mind waiting for you to tell him what's on your mind. He's also fairly patient and thinks your shyness is adorable, how you blush when you're nervous and how you turn your head away from him when you get slightly embarrassed. He loves it all and loves all of you.

☆Byakuya Togami doesn't really stay as close to you like Mondo. He stays in his space, but when you trip and fall into a revealing pose he's immediately by your side and covering you up with his jacket. He'd glare at any person laughing or looking at you. He'd deal with your low self-esteem by also giving reassurance. If you think a certain outfit would make you feel more confident in the way you look then he'd buy it for you, he feels as though if something makes you feel better about yourself or if a certain clothing brand would make you feel confident in your skin then he'd buy it immediately just for you.

But that doesn't mean he'd do it all of the time. He'd sit you down and have a heart to heart with you, he'd ask you why you think so badly about yourself and help you overcome that feeling and he'd keep doing it until you can look in the mirror and whole heartedly appreciate yourself. Now, with your stuttering. He's not a patient person, but he'd try to be and he's trying really hard to be patient. It's a work in progress but he's progressing really well, overtime he became extremely patient and would much rather wait for you to speak before speaking himself. Let's be honest, your shyness is what drew him close to you. I don't make the rules, he absolutely loves your shyness and the habits you do. Would he actually say this out loud? Hell no. But everyone with eyes can tell that he's absolutely smitten about you.

☆Kazuichi Souda is like Mondo, always around you and by your side. If you trip he'd catch you, but he's also pretty clumsy himself so he'd fall on top of you. But his body is covering you so anyone that passes by just thinks he stumbled onto you, which embarrasses you both even more. But as long as you're covered and not in any revealing pose, he's fine with getting teased about falling on you. If I'm being honest I think he'd absolutely suck at helping you with your low self-esteem only because he has the same problem. He'd try to help but he's scared that he'd accidentally make it worse. So your best bet is for the both of you to help each other and grow together.

When you stutter he finds it adorable and mentions it when you do which causes you to stutter even more. Same goes for your shyness, he loves it and it's what made him fall for you. He never saw anyone so cute in his life and so he immediately fell head over heels for you, even though he never actually spoke to you. But when he did he almost passed away because just looking at your already pinkish cheeks and how you slightly turn away when speaking just made his heart speed up. He's literally so in love with you, no one can even fathom the amount.

#fluff #dr1 x reader #dr1 mondo owada #dr1 byakuya togami #dr1 byakuya #dr2 x reader #dr2 kazuichi souda #mondo owada x reader #byakuya togami x reader #kazuichi souda x reader #dr1 trigger happy havoc #dr2 goodbye despair

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windyskiez · 3 months

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What if.....BSD x Danganronpa?

(My current two hyperfixations because why not-)

~~~~~

Dazai: Another chibi mafioso! This time even smaller!

Fuyuhiko: ...

Dazai: Do you not wear a hat all the time like CH- AKDNAADEWMK-

Fuyuhiko: Say another word I dare you......

Chuuya, pulling Fuyuhiko away from Dazai: Ugh, you stupid mackerel.....

~~~~~

Mikan: S-So.....you're a medic, too?

Yosano: Mhm.

Mikan: I see.....h-how are you so confident.....in handling.....

Yosano: Experience, I guess.....

Mikan: C-Can I learn from you?

Yosano: Sure.

~~~~~

Shuichi: You solve things so quickly.....

Kyoko: I'm not surprised if he has an Ultimate Talent.

Ranpo: Ultimate? You mean my ability?

Shuichi: Ability?

Ranpo: Yep! Ultra Deduction enables me to solve any case within seconds!

Kyoko: Interesting.....

~~~~~

Kunikida: ...

Byakuya: ...

The ADA and THH cast: THERE'S TWO OF THEM?

~~~~~

Nikolai: Hey Fedya, Fedya look what I found!

Fyodor: Hm?

Kokichi: Wow.....dragging me into a place like this. Cool!

Nikolai: I feel like he could become an important asset to the Decay of Angels, don't you think?

Fyodor: I suppose so.....

~~~~~

Nagito: To sacrifice myself in the name of hope, how hopeful!

Dazai: Another person who shares he same interest as me, would you like to commit- ah- ow!

Kunikida, dragging him away: Sorry about that.....

Hajime, also dragging Nagito away: No, I should be sorry for that.

~~~~~

Maki: You're an orphan too?

Kyouka: *nods*

Maki: And you also killed people?

Kyouka: *nods*

Maki: And let me guess, you had a harsh life until some random guy decided to change your mindset?

Kyouka: H-How did you know?

Maki: Because I feel quite the same.....

or alternatively this:

Maki: You seem to be good with kids.....especially orphans.....

Oda: Yeah....I decided to look after them, after I quit my previous job.....

Maki: Previous job?

Oda: I used to kill......I was an assassin......

Maki: You're just like me.....but the other way around.....

Oda: What do you mean?

Maki: I was trained to be an assassin.....I used to care for the kids before.....

Oda: You know what? It's not too late to change, isn't it?

Maki: Maybe.....

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bleachbleachbleach · 8 months

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This is my zanpakutou

[Bleach 055 | 075]

Sure, you can be jaded about shounen guys and their fancy weapons parades, like, if you want, but I think the way zanpakutou are introduced is immensely fucking cool. We have some sense of the thing--from Zangetsu, and from Rukia having started it all by thrusting hers through Ichigo's chest, but our introductions to Soul Society and the shinigami who lead it are through an introduction to these swords.

We see it first from Renji, in the dark on a street in Karakura: A sword that can cut, but one that can also be called forth to change shape, become teeth that pounce and gnash. The image is so visceral--you can feel it dig into Ichigo's shoulder, tear through fat and muscle.

But maybe we've forgotten that, in the broad daylight of the West Gate. Even Ichigo's life-or-death tousle to regain Zangetsu is a dim memory on the other side of the dangai, because we've made it to the gates and bested the gate giant without much trouble and even some hijinks. The world on this side doesn't yet feel real, because Jidanbou is Jidanbou and Jidanbou lives up to the sense of fantasy: If you beat the gate guardian, of course you get to go into the city. That's how fantasy works, doesn't it?

But it's not how gates work. Ichimaru rightly points out that beating the gate guardian should not logically mean said guardian then opens the gate for you. I'm not saying it should mean you get your arm cut off by Some Guy, but it's not like Ichimaru's entirely wrong here. That's fantasy logic. This is Soul Society, and this is his zanpakutou. Which is, if you recall, a brutal weapon. It's also other things, but the way we met it and the way we are reminded of it it now, is through its violence.

[Bleach 055 | Bleach 075]

And I love the juxtaposition of the pure violence of zanpakutou to the fact that they are also the object of konsou--and konsou, for most, is likely how such a sword is most often used. Konsou, an act of meditation, mercy, perhaps grace. There's a juxtaposition, too, between the pure violence of zanpakutou and the fact that our first glimpse of Soul Society as a place is through Renji and Rikichi talking about butterflies; our introduction to Ichimaru is him frittering time away with Byakuya; and he closes the scene with a goodbye that is both disarming and utterly apprehension-inducing:

[Bleach 075]

All of these juxtapositions offer something different--with Renji, we begin to understand different dynamics between him and his past with Rukia, and with shinigami duties as a normal person job; we see some additional social complexities arise between Byakuya and Ichimaru; and while Ichimaru's "byebye" is written in pink and followed with a heart, it's not the same as the glimpses we get of Renji. Renji's scenes say, there's more for you to know. Ichimaru's introduction screams, I will not let you know. We're certainly not saying goodbye to hijinks, and it's not as though Soul Society isn't defined just as much by its hijinks (bureaucratic, slapstick, and otherwise) as it is its swords, but Ichimaru showing up, however playfully, is a reminder that shit's also serious, and those hijinks live hand in hand with the vicious intensity of zanpakutou, and shinigami, and Soul Society.

#abarai renji #ichimaru gin #zanpakutou #bleach manga #bleach カラー #bleach reread 2021 #no brain just bleach

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brittscafe · 11 months

Text

Love in the Dark Chapter 2

Kisuke Urahara x reader, mini fanfic series.

Chapter 2: When the past catches up.

110 years later...

You've been residing in the World of the Living since the incident many years ago. The streets of Karakura Town are mostly silent, the occasional hollows appear and you take care of them.

You weren't sure what happened to Kisuke Urahara. Aizen might've been telling the truth or Kisuke could still be in the Soul Society for all you know. You were almost praying that he was still in the Soul Society, being a leader and happy.

As long as Kisuke is happy and doing what he loves, you'll be satisfied either way. As long as he's not alone then he'll be okay. You miss him everyday...wishing you could be with him.

You wish you could be with Kisuke without bringing danger or attention to him. Aizen Sosuke has eyes everywhere and you won't risk it.

You were still a Soul Reaper, but you've been keeping your identity a secret. Wearing a black cloak and having your sword tuck in your side.

Then there's Kisuke Urahara. Also, residing in Karakura Town running a tiny shop on the edge of town. He thought about you every single day, wondering what had happened.

He never thought that you would leave him, you expressed your love for him so often and never showed any signs of leaving. When Kisuke woke up the next morning to find you gone, he was devastated.

Almost as devastated as he was when he was banished from the Soul Society for hollow experiments, that he never participated in. It was a stab in the heart, losing you and then his entire life.

Kisuke mourns you everyday as if you're dead. He assumes that you are, just to ease his pain. He spiraled for a bit before Yoruichi joined him, leaving the Soul Society behind and he decided to open up his shop.

The waves of spiritual pressure ripple through your body. It makes you freeze for a moment, feeling spiritual pressure so familiar, it shakes you to your core.

It's Byakuya Kuchiki... and Renji Abarai. You would never forgot the feeling of the noble's spiritual pressure.

Your feet carry you to the spiritual pressure where you see Byakuya Kuchiki, Renji Abarai, and Rukia Kuchiki. Your eyes flicker down to Ichigo Kurosaki laying face down on the ground, injured and near death.

You have heard of Ichigo Kurosaki, who accidentally took Rukia's spiritual energy.

"Y/n...it's been a long time," Byakuya speaks up. Something's different. This isn't the same person Byakuya knew before.

"I'm surprised you recognized me. Some would say too long, but I'd prefer to never see you again," you speak firmly, the wind blowing back your hood.

"I would have to agree with you. I'd prefer we didn't have to meet on such vulgar terms," Byakuya sighs out with annoyance.

"I assume that you're trying to take Rukia back with you because she broke the rules and now she has to be executed, hm?" you ask, your eyes raking over Rukia's fragile frame.

"I'm going back on my terms," Rukia speaks up with confidence and you chuckle with disbelief.

"Rukia, I didn't think you were that stupid. I mean, your friend is lying here on the ground, on the brink of death and you chose to go back to your noble brother. I can't say I'm that surprised," you shrug your shoulders, taking a step and standing in front of Ichigo.

Your hand shoots to the handle of your sword attached to your side and your fingers wrap around the hilt. Renji glances down at your side, almost hidden by your cloak.

"I can take her, captain," Renji speaks up, stepping forward with a cocky grin on his face and his sword slung over his shoulder. You cock an eyebrow at the young soul reaper and scoff quietly.

"You'll never win, but you may try," you suggest, a smirk forming along your face. You pull away your sword and it glistens in the moonlight.

"Renji, don't be a fool," Byakuya speaks harshly with annoyance.

Byakuya knows that you're much older and stronger than Renji, you could easily wipe him out.

"I've heard the tales about you, y/n. How you were banished from the soul society," Renji speaks up and your stomach twists into uneasy knots.

You glare at him and step forward, your nostrils flaring.

"I'm gonna be the one. I'm gonna be the one to take you down," Renji growls out, a smirk forming along his face.

You laugh at his remark and throw back your head.

"I'm afraid you and your sword will never be up to the task, Renji. It's been a long, long time since I've felt something like this. Now, let's begin...Hadō number 63. Raikōhō."

Renji's eyes widen as you lift up your hand, your palm facing him as the yellow lightning strike forms in your hand.

"Renji!" Byakuya calls out with concern as you release the lightning rapidly and it strikes Renji in the chest. He grunts heavily as pain ripples through his body and it sends him onto his feet.

The portal starts to open up behind Byakuya and Rukia. You narrow your eyes and Renji pants heavily, scrambling up onto his feet.

"Silly little boy likes to play with swords," you comment, a wryly smirk tugging along your lips. Renji glares over at you and scoffs quietly.

"It seems like your past might be catching up to you, y/n," Byakuya speaks calmly, stepping into portal along with Renji and Renji. You let out a heavy breathe as the portal starts to close.

You turn around and kneel down beside Ichigo. The rain starts to pat down on your skin and you grimace.

"Ichigo..." you call out, placing your hand on his shoulder.

"Who are you?" he groans out, his voice muffled. The rain drops pelt down onto your face and you lift your head up.

A gasp is caught in your throat as your eyes land on him. His kimono swaying back and forth in the strong wind. A green and white stripped bucket hat over his head, his silky blonde locks poking out.

Your heart pounds in your eardrums and your body freezes.

It can't be...Kisuke Urahara.

It's been literally months since I posted chapter 1, lol. Anyways, y/n is pretty badass in this :)

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tortadecereji · 2 years

Text

So, me and my friend @megamispe rewatched Monters vs Alians lately. My first thought? Why not make a komaeda centred au based on that lol. My computer broke, so I haven't drawn all the characters, but here's some doodles.

I'm having lots of fun with this au, so ill probably post more of it later. (Feel free to ask me about it if you'd like!)

Also, check Mega's twitter account, she gave me a lot of ideas for this au!!

The story would follow the same line as the movie, except that I added some stuff, so here's about the characters for now if you'd like to know:

Nagito Komaeda: Pretty much the same thing that happens to Susan in the movie, except... he's Komaeda...

Nagito was supposed to marry Byakuya the day a large meteor hit him. Said meteor contained a large amount of radiation that Komaeda ended up absorbing at the impact. Of course, he survived the incident due to his luck.

However, the radiation began affecting his body during the ceremony, which caused his previously light brown hair to turn white and his height to increase unbelievably huge. With that the wedding has been ruined, the guests were scared for their lives, Byakuya was grossed out by him now, and a monster containment organization has been called to capture him. The only ones who did worry about Nagito were Sonia and Gundham, but they could do nothing to stop him from being captured. Komaeda blames himself and his luck for ruining what should be the happiest day of his life and convinced himself that no matter what he tried, his chances of having the loving family he always longed for would always be taken away from him.

Byakuya Togami: He's the heir of the Togami corporation—just like in canon— and was about to marry Komaeda more for status and money than love. Nagito's family was loaded and had control over many interesting businesses for Togami, that's why he chose to marry Nagito, who was the only person left in his family. But once the radiation took over Komaeda, Byakuya gave up on the idea instantly. He did not want to deal with a giant-sized Komaeda, thinking that would ruin his image and career. It's not like Nagito has his family's assets now that he's a monster, so he's not interesting to Byakuya anymore. (Togami is a fucking asshole in this au, I'm sorry, Togami fans)

Sonia Nevermind + Gundham Tanaka: They're Nagito's best friends. Since Nagito's parents are dead, they're the ones who always help him out, including at his wedding. They were the only ones who were more for Komaeda himself after the meteor episode. Gundham even tried to stop some of the soldiers from the organization, but that was in vain, he and Sonia were pulled out of the area as well as the rest of the guests.

Eventually, when the monsters get Mukuro's permission to leave the containment base, Komeada goes directly to Gundham and Sonia's house so they know he's okay. Both Sonia and Gundham don't mind his new form, they're just happy to have their best friend back safe and sound.

Bonus: Gundham says that Nagito has reached his true form and that he knew from the start that Nagito wasn't entirely human. Komaeda shrugged it off as he knows it's just Gundham's dramatic way of speaking.

Mukuro Ikusaba: She takes the role of R. Monger.

Mukuro is a very talented soldier who got promoted to be in charge of area fifty-something(yes, the same as the movie. I'm not creative), where the monsters are being kept. She's cold looking and very straight to the point, but she also has a soft spot for the monsters she takes care of. That being said, she goes on her way to make sure they're comfortable in their new forever home, even if they can't escape to the outside world due to how humans would react.

After some months after Nagito's containment, Mukuro received the information that a huge alien robot bear had arrived on earth and proved to be a threat as it was killing innocent people and causing despair all over the place. Mukuro convinced the government to use the monsters to fight the robot since not even the armed force could, and in exchange, the monsters could finally be free.

Needless to say that Mukuro cared a lot for them, so she was very nervous about this decision as they could get hurt or even die.

Chiaki Nanami: Chiaki is a werebat. She has been in area fifty-something since she was 15. She's now 23.

Nanami has been found by the monster containment organization with one of her wings broken, so it was easier for them to capture her. It was a scary experience, she hated it there, but things improved when she met the Ultimate Hope, who she only calls Hajime(or Izuru if he's in control), they got attached very quickly as they noticed they were both very lonely and had problems socializing with the others monsters in the facility.

When she was 18, Mukuro got her promotion. Chiaki was cautious about her at first, but that soon changed as Ikusaba showed the monsters genuine care. Mukuro even gifted Chiaki a portable game console, which led to Nanami hyperfixation on games.

Nanami got interested in Nagito almost instantly, when he got into the facility, because of her curiosity. She surely hadn't planned that, but after some months, she and Hajime had developed a very strong bond with the white-haired man.

Hajime/Izuru(Ultimate Hope): The Ultimate Hope was born from a failed experiment a mad scientist performed on his son—Hajime Hinata— when the boy was 5 years old to try and stuff all talents known in the child's brain. That resulted in the creation of Izuru, however, the scientist hadn't expected Hajime's memories and soul to still be alive after the experiment. The Ultimate Hope was captured by the monster containment organization right after said experiment when they ended up killing their father in a post-trauma rage assessment.

Hajime and Izuru, despite showing different personalities, are the same person. They have the same feelings, same memories, same body... if, somehow, they were to be split apart, it'd be similar to cutting off a body member.

Hajime and Izuru intercalate who's in control of their body depending on the situation, Hajime being more in control during social and support situations, and Izuru during situations that require a bit more logic. Usually, Hajime's the one in control and izuru appears as his shadow. The same happens when Izuru takes control, but Hajime's the one being his shadow.

As previously mentioned, they take interest in Nagito and decide to approach him alongside Chiaki.

Akane Owari: She's a werewolf. Surprisingly the most difficult one to capture.

Akane has been found in a small village scaring some villagers away so she could steal their food and bring them to her younger siblings.

The monster containment organization tried to capture her more than once, but she always escaped using her inhuman speed. She also put up a fight leaving many soldiers harmed, but never killed them. She has only been captured one day when she came back to her cave and couldn't find her siblings anywhere. She lost the will to fight and let herself be captured.

She still don't know where they are, and that worries her very much, but she allowed herself to enjoy her new life since she not only got free food in the facility, but also got along pretty well with the other monsters.

King Monokuma: It is a gigantic alien robot that Junko sent to earth, in Japan to be precise, to torment the humans and bring them despair. However, King Monokuma is merely a distraction from her actual takeover plan.

She knew that the robot bear would get the world's attention, having most of the countries send resources that they believed would help take it down, as King Monokuma was believed to be a menace not only to Japan, but to the rest of the world too.

Still, even with how strong the robot was, it was defeated by the monsters strangely easily.

Junko Enoshima: Junko is an alien that destroyed her own planet. She's completely in love with despair and wants every living being to feel it.

It's always the same plan, she sends one of her Monokumas to scare the inhabitants of the planet she chose, and kills a bunch of people, only sparing a few that she thought that'd make wonderful remnants of despair and make them destroy their home planet themselves...

She'd watch the chaos and also plan more despairing things to do with the planet's inhabitants, like different types of killing games, until she gets bored and went to the next planet.

But earth is a little special for her, as it would not be the first time she'd be there. This time, she's eager to see a certain soldier again, but not only that, she wants the amount of power that had been contained within Komaeda(of course she doesn't knows that he's the one who has been hit by that meteor...yet).

Bonus thingy: Hajime/Izuru and Chiaki teach Nagito how to feel love. The trio + Mukuro and Akane become a founding family!!!

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recurring-polynya · 5 months

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Hello! Long time lurker. I've really enjoyed reading your work and especially love Heart is a Muscle and the way you characterise all the different relationships in it! My ask is how do you think Byakuya finds out about RenRuki. I feel like it would be one of those moments where subconsciously he'd see it coming but at the same time still be caught of guard and manage to be very Byakuya about it.

This was one of those where I wasn't quite sure if it was an ask or a fic request, but the fact is I have an old chunk of story sitting around that addresses this very question. I guess I intended to someday throw this into some post-Heart is a Muscle story, and maybe I still will, but who knows if I'm ever going to get there, so you can have it now. Takes place after everyone gets home from the Blood War (where Rukia and Renji had to confess to each other in the middle of bankai training because I thought it would be cool it was weighing on their hearts)

(I wrote this in 2019 and gave it only light edits)

| read on ao3 | request guidelines |

⚔️ 🕶️ 💕

The sun was starting to go down when Kuchiki Byakuya arrived at Practice Field #3. On a normal day, work hours would be long over, although one might find an industrious officer out in this part of the division grounds, training on their own, or a few of the younger ones playing a game of pick-up football. Tonight, it was quiet.

It had been nine days since Kurosaki Ichigo had defeated Yhwach.

A young human girl was perched on the fence surrounding the field, chatting animatedly with Byakuya's ridiculous adjutant, who snapped to attention when he sensed the approach of his commanding officer.

"Good evening, sir!" Abarai Renji barked. "Thank you for agreeing to this! I hope you don't mind, but I asked Inoue Orihime to come."

The girl hopped off the fence and bowed deeply. "Hello, again, Captain Kuchiki, sir!"

"Worried that I won't hold back?" Byakuya asked with a coolly raised eyebrow.

"Oh, I know you won't," Renji replied. "She's here so that I don't hold back."

Byakuya guffawed, and one side of his mouth quirked up. "Congratulations, Lieutenant. You've finally managed to say something humorous."

"You feeling good today, sir?" Renji asked, just a tinge of concern in his voice. "You feeling up for this?"

"I am fully recovered, thank you," Byakuya sniffed. "Yourself?"

"Feelin' good, sir."

"Then let us begin."

"Oh, one last thing, Captain. Would you mind leaving your scarf with Orihime, here? I wouldn't wanna get my blood all over another one."

"Truly, Lieutenant, you are on a roll today," Byakuya noted, unwinding the scarf from his neck and draping it around Orihime's.

"Oooh, it's so light!" Orihime cooed. "It's like nothing!"

"I'll tell Kurosaki to get you one for your birthday," Renji teased.

"Are you ready now?" Byakuya demanded.

"Yep, enough stallin'. Let's do this."

Orihime hopped back up on the fence and called up a shield in front of herself. "Good luck, Renji!" she called.

Abarai shot her a wink and took up his position on the field.

Byakuya placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, but did not draw it.

Abarai drew his and silently released into shikai. He bounced lightly on the balls of his feet. "Might wanna release, sir."

"I shall be the judge of that."

Renji gave a little nod. "As y'like. BANKAI!"

It was common knowledge that Abarai had unlocked a second level to his bankai in the Royal Realm. Byakuya was looking forward to seeing it actually, but he wasn't particularly concerned about it.

Byakuya knew quite a bit about zanpakutou and their releases. It did happen occasionally that a sword would reveal itself in stages, but it tended to retain its essential character.

Hihiou Zabimaru was an excellent bankai, powerful and versatile. It required immense spiritual pressure, iron concentration and significant amount of mental bookkeeping, Byakuya was given to understand. It had served Abarai well in his ill-advised hijinks up until now, but the fact was, it would not be truly formidable until Abarai himself had another half-century or so under his belt. It was too bulky, too finicky, too fragile. There was no other way to master bankai like that, only experience. Byakuya knew a quite bit about bankai like that, himself.

Abarai launched himself at his captain, blade swinging.

Byakuya went to shikai as he drew his zanpakutou, petals pouring forth from his sheath and forming a shield in front of him.

Abarai's blade sliced right through it.

Byakuya flash-stepped away, sweeping Senbonzakura's blades into a more solid foundation, only to find them knocked out of the way by a giant skeletal hand. Another flash step, another regrouping, and Abarai was there again.

Suddenly, it dawned on him. Hihio Zabimaru had been a joke. A prank. A giant, heavy, impossible-to-use freight train that Abarai had taken in stride, as he did every other misfortune that fate heaped upon him. It was a shadow, an echo of Abarai's real bankai.

So-oh Zabimaru also took immense spiritual pressure to summon, that much was still true. But the bulk, the unwieldy mass was gone. It was as if though Abarai's new spiritual armor was plugged directly into his spinal column. It moved with him weightlessly, astonishingly fast.

Something else had changed, too. Something about Abarai's spiritual pressure. It was more unified, more focused, more together. For the first time out of the many, many times Byakuya had fought his lieutenant, he did not feel like he was being attacked by an angry, flailing youth, but that he was facing a worthy adversary.

Byakuya was being pressed harder and harder to defend against Abarai's assault.

And the fact was, he was not fine.

The injuries inflicted on him by As Nodt were grievous. He was lucky to be alive, and if it weren't for Kirinji's healing springs, he probably wouldn't even be able to summon his zanpakutou. His soul was damaged, and although he had made a miraculous recovery, he was not completely made whole. His speed was close to what it once was, and his bond with Senbonzakura was as strong as ever, but his power and endurance were greatly compromised. He could go to bankai if needed, but it was extremely taxing, and Shuukei Hakuteiken was, at the moment, out of his reach.

He thought it wouldn't matter.

Abarai had never even come close to beating him.

Abarai wouldn't notice such a weakness and furthermore, was too sentimental to exploit such a--

He had brought Inoue.

Abarai knew exactly what he was doing.

“BANKAI!” Byakuya called out.

Abarai smirked. “You shouldna let me get that head start, Captain.”

---

"Renji, he's waking up!"

The world swam into view, tinted orange.

"Hey, Captain!" Abarai's grating bark rang out. "How you feel?"

"I feel fine," Byakuya snapped, starting to sit up.

"Lie down please, I'm almost done, but not quite," Orihime said firmly.

Byakuya put his head back down on the ground, and replayed the last few moments of the fight in his head.

Abarai had come out aggressively, going to bankai immediately. He had never allowed Byakuya to gain a solid footing, and pulled out his strongest attack, which Byakuya had never seen, as soon as he possibly could. Byakuya hadn’t even been able to get a good look at it, he only had the impression of fangs before becoming completely overwhelmed. Abarai, who knew his attack patterns, who knew that it took him a minute or two to work up a full head of steam, had bet everything he had on defeating Byakuya immediately and it had worked.

It had been a rout, an utter humiliation.

Byakuya could still beat his adjutant, surely, but he could no longer plow him over with superior strength, and certainly not in his degraded condition. He was going to need to think up counterstrategies. And some of them were not going to work.

He looked down at his chest and realized that his shihakushou had been sliced from shoulder to hip, and was soaked, absolutely drenched with blood.

"You didn't cut me in half, did you?" he sneered.

"No, you were definitely all still, um, attached," Renji clarified.

"Not by much, though," Orihime mumbled.

Renji nudged her firmly in the shoulder.

Orihime waved her hands, and the healing bubble collapsed into nothingness. "All done!"

Abarai held out a hand. With a twinge of reluctance, Byakuya took it, and let the younger man haul him to his feet.

Orihime scrambled up, pulling the scarf over her head, and offered it back. "Thanks for letting me watch! That was a really fun fight! You're both so, so strong and it's so much nicer when no one actually wants to kill each other."

"Hey, we don't wanna keep everyone waiting, right, 'Hime?" Renji said, glancing sideways at his captain. "We got dinner plans, everyone's leavin' tomorrow."

"Yes, Rukia mentioned it," Byakuya replied dryly.

"You okay to--"

"Stop checking on me, you fool. I have said I am well and I dislike repeating myself."

Renji nodded quickly. "Thanks for the fight, sir. I'll see you in the morning."

Three hours later, Byakuya sat in his office.

He was thinking.

He was thinking about the current state of the Gotei 13, the captain-less squads, the loss of highly seated officers. He was thinking about his Third Seat, who had never exactly been lieutenant material and was currently on medical leave after having his sword-arm completely reconstructed.

Byakuya looked up at the sound of the door opening.

"Uh, hi, Captain," Abarai said, clearly surprised to see him. "What are you doing here so late?"

"This is my office, is it not?" Byakuya snapped.

"Well, sure," Abarai replied, walking over to his own desk. "I left my sunglasses here," he explained, sticking them on top of his head.

"It's dark out," Byakuya pointed out.

"I'll need 'em in the morning," Renji shrugged. He frowned thoughtfully, then pulled open his filing cabinet and withdrew a folder. "Speaking of which, I was gonna give you this tomorrow, but as long as we're both here..."

He crossed the room and extended it.

Gingerly, Byakuya took it, then squinted at the notation on the tab. "Strongly Worded Letters to the Management of Squad 11?"

Abarai's eyes widened. "Oh, no, that was just to keep people from poking around. It's actually...well, it's pretty obvious what it is," he finished lamely.

"You aren't ready,"' Byakuya snarled.

"I'm...what?"

"Yes, your new bankai is very powerful, it is true. But just because you have run roughshod over a few enemies with it hardly means you're ready to strike out on your own. You need more training, more control. A bankai like that can land you in hot water as well as it can save you. Furthermore, there's a shortage of competent lieutenants, it would be foolhardy indeed for you to set forth without experienced backup, and don't tell me you're even thinking of the Seventh. I have heard how you and Lieutenant Iba are when you two are unsupervised."

Abarai's face was twisted in utter befuddlement. "Sir, what are you talking about?"

Byakuya flipped the folder open and stared at the neat stack of papers within. "This isn't an Intent to Test for the Captains' Exam," he said, taken aback.

Renji made a choking noise. "No, sir! Cripes, sir, I just got a new bankai, why would I leave? I need you to help me learn to use it. An' I wouldn't leave you, anyway, not while you're still, you know. From the As Nodt thing. Also, who the hell wants to be captain of anywhere but the Sixth?" His voice rose steadily in both volume and pitch as he babbled.

"There is no need to shout, Lieutenant," Byakuya frowned, looking down again at the stack of papers.

It was a copy of form RHCA-48-006-C, an application to become a Family-Approved Suitor.

Stupidly, Byakuya's eyes drifted over the names written into the form's blank spaces. "With the submission of this form, Abarai Renji, Assistant Captain of the Sixth Division of the Gotei 13," (did he really need to write all that out? It barely fit in the space) "requests the approval of the Kuchiki family to court Lady Kuchiki Rukia, Assistant Captain of the Thirteenth and First Daughter of the Kuchiki."

Oh.

---

Byakuya sat in the garden, on the bench near the koi pond. His brain was chasing about in aimless circles, much like the fish in the pond.

"Brother?"

He looked up from the water. His sister was still dressed, despite the late hour. Byakuya recalled that she had been out earlier with Abarai and their human friends. Her hair and makeup was different from the way she wore it for formal events, sharper, wilder. It seemed surreal that parts of the city had been reduced to dust, while others had come through virtually untouched. That despite it all, life continued on.

"Are you alright?" Rukia asked, her brow creased with worry.

Byakuya smiled at her gently, affectionately. He thought about the great lengths he had once gone to protect her from the world, and now she, a woman with one of the most beautiful and deadly bankai he had ever seen, was fussing over him.

"I am fine, Rukia," he reassured her. "Will you sit with me?"

He had expected her to perch at the other end of the bench, a nervous bird, always ready to take flight. Instead, she sat close to him, and with an egregious disregard for propriety, took one of his hands between her own, holding it in her lap. "Renji's sorry, you know. He thought he should have waited another week or two, but I said--"

"He should not be,” Byakuya said stiffly. “Another week or two would have made no difference. I do not wish to speak of it further."

"Did you have something to eat--"

"Did you know that my lieutenant is in love with you?"

It was dark, so he couldn't see if Rukia's cheeks turned pink, but he did catch the shy smile that crossed her lips before she turned her face away self-consciously. Long ago, he had caused her normally unflappable sister to make that face once, maybe twice. It was possibly his greatest achievement.

"He, ah, mentioned something to that effect the other day,"

Byakuya was fairly certain that Abarai wouldn't have proceeded without Rukia's buy-in, but he felt it prudent to double-check. "I take it you... reciprocate?"

She made a pleased little hum. "He only happened to mention it at all because I had just told him that I was in love with him."

Byakuya often enjoyed whimsically deriding his ridiculously hardworking and absurdly devoted adjutant, even more so in the presence of his sister, whose affection for the man had long been obvious, if not the degree of it. But he couldn't bring himself to make jokes, not right now.

"You do not need my permission to take up with him romantically," he pointed out. "You and I have had a long-standing agreement, that as long as you were discreet about it--"

"Renji and I don't want that," Rukia interrupted. "I mean, we do. We do want to take up romantically." She made an odd face at having to say the phrase out loud. "But you're very important to both of us. We wanted you to know. We… wanted you to approve."

Byakuya glanced over at the young woman who he had adopted so many years ago, and yet, had only recently become his sister. She was, in so many ways, much like himself in his youth. Brash. Stubborn. Willful. Too brilliant by half. Byakuya adjusted his hand in hers, and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"You know I am a sentimental fool," he began, and Rukia turned to look at him again with an expression he couldn't quite parse. "I think it is embarrassingly obvious how fond I am of both of you."

Emotion broke over Rukia's face. "It is not, Brother," she tried to scold him, though her voice cracked at the end.

"He hardly deserves you," Byakuya went on.

Rukia rolled her eyes. "The two of you are so--"

"But at least he acknowledges that, and seeks to remedy it," Byakuya ignored her. "I shall be watching closely to make sure he does not become complacent, but if he continues on his current trajectory, he may eventually become worth your affection."

"So, are you going to approve his stupid form?" Rukia asked.

"That," replied Byakuya, "is a different matter."

"Oh," Rukia said softly.

"Becoming a Family-Approved Suitor has nothing to do with whether or not I like him. It is an opening of negotiations, a proof of suitability for marriage. Surely, you two don't…" He trailed off when he saw Rukia looking away again.

"We've only just started figuring this out," she admitted. "But it's not...out of the question."

"Oh," Byakuya replied. He'd always had the distinct impression that his sister had little interest in matrimony, although he knew as well as anyone the difference the "who" of the equation could make.

"That presents...a difficulty," he admitted. "The Family would not take it well. They already think I have been too selfish in these matters.”

“That’s so short-sighted,” Rukia muttered. “So he doesn’t have much money or a name that goes six generations back. He’s got bankai. He’s incredibly strong. The family hasn’t even produced anyone who can pass the vice-captain’s exam in the last hundred years.”

"You misunderstand me, Sister," he clarified. "Bringing Abarai into the family would be a tremendous benefit to me, personally. I lack for neither money nor familial pedigree. The only thing I lack is a family line. A young man of immense spiritual pressure, with no family ties of his own, and an inexplicably fierce loyalty to myself would be of great benefit to our line and perhaps to our family as a whole. It would not be very advantageous to those who are jostling to prove themselves the best among a number of poor choices. The family has not been to war in a long time, and many forget how important it is to maintain our strength. I have not forgotten.”

Rukia’s eyes widened. “You wouldn’t name him…”

Byakuya made a horrified face. “Of course not.” He frowned. “Not for the family. But the Captain of the Sixth need not also be the head of the family. I told the Head Captain a year ago he was the only one I trusted to replace me in that regard, although I doubted my posthumous opinion would be respected. I suppose I should tell Kyouraku the same. This would make things a bit smoother, I suppose.” He was quiet for a moment. “I will need to think on this. I might.... I might need to talk to Grandfather. I… will do what I can.”

Rukia eased her hand from his, and slid her arms around his waist and leaned into his side. “Thank you, Brother. I love you.”

Byakuya closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He hardly deserved her, either. He pulled one arm out of her hug and rested it gently around her shoulder. “Thank you, Rukia,” he said softly. Another deep breath. “I love you, too.”

Her only response was to hug him just the teeniest bit harder.

#renruki #byakuya kuchiki #renji abarai #rukia kuchiki #1M words request event #my writing #this is cheating because i wrote this ages ago #but i felt bad for taking too long on my current request so please enjoy this one to tide you over #i have always been very fond of it #you can definitely see the. like. where 4 of my other fanfics came out of this one #also sorry if it doesn't have a great story cadence it wasn't really meant to stand alone but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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hopeymchope · 1 month

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If there is one useful bit of advice Byakuya gave Makoto, it's that, to paraphrase, "it's a mistake to assume everyone else thinks like you". Fandoms could learn from this, and not assume that "everyone else universally loves and hates the same things we do." Fandoms could learn that other people might really, seriously disagree with them, without insisting that "all stories must be written our way, or they need to be 'fixed'."

You're SO right.

That last sentence in your Ask especially speaks to me. What grinds my gears lately is people reflexively calling something "bad writing"/"problems with the writing"/"flaws in writing" when what they REALLY mean "This wasn't done in a manner that suits my personal taste." Not everything someone dislikes is automatically "bad writing." (A subgenre of this is people confidently assuming they know what the creators of a work thought/felt about their decisions without any actual evidence to back up their assumptions. But hey—at least they're trying to interpret underlying intent, so that's something!)

For example: Disliking someone's characterization is NOT "flawed writing." You didn't like that Korekiyo turned out to be a creepy-ass incest freak? Fair enough! Makes sense. But that doesn't mean the writing of his character was BAD; it means you didn't like it. And that's totally fine! Your opinion is, of course, 100% valid!

I suppose that, as a writer myself, I'm probably just feeling defensive of other writers. But even though liking something or calling it "bad writing" can all be boiled down to opinions, I still feel like there's a real distinction between them. If you find the dialogue in something unbelievable/awkward/out of character? You could say that's bad writing. If you believe there's a plot hole in the narrative? You could argue that's bad writing. However, if you—to cite a recently discussed example—didn't like the usage of brainwashing in DR3, even after you learned about the backup evidence? That doesn't mean it was "bad writing"; you just didn't like it for other reasons.

I'm not sure if I'm being clear about this, and I think I kind of went off on a rant... feel free to ignore. :P

Point is that writers work really hard to produce what they do, it takes a shit-ton of time—typically far more than visual arts—and maybe don't reflexively say they suck when you simply dislike a choice. :P

#writing #asks #anon #fandom #I think I went off the rails here idk

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theamityelf · 7 months

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Have you ever noticed that whenever people do protag switches it's always dr1/sdr2 or sdr2/ndrv3 but never dr1/ndrv3? I feel like that has unthought of potential. May I ask how you think that would go in both cases?

Ooooooh, I love it. Let's see. Let me try not to let my character biases factor in here, lol. (And you can obviously ask for elaboration on any of this, because clearly I'm not going to be super focused. Pretty much just stream of consciousness.)

In all scenarios, at least some of the deaths would happen differently, to different people, by different people, etc.

The Shuichi in THH scenario depends so heavily on which character he attaches himself to right away, lol. Unless we mean Kaede in THH?? Okay, that gets its own section. Yeah, let me section this...

Shuichi in THH

Like I said, this one depends on which character he attaches himself to right away. It could be Hina for her positivity and energy; she's probably the closest to Kaede, there. It could be Taka, who is also high energy and has the added bonus of being called the Ultimate Moral Compass. Shuichi really wants someone to be decisive and strongly believe in something when he feels he can't, and I can see Taka being that person for him. Where Shuichi's scared of doing the wrong thing and hurting people, he can feel assured that what Taka believes is generally going to be right.

Also great because, for all his passion, Taka's actual observations about the school are generally very surface level, so having Shuichi tag along will give him more information to report in his booming voice, while Shuichi gets to chill in his shadow.

When Taka and Mondo have their sauna showdown, I think Shuichi wouldn't go to bed when nighttime comes; he is more loyal to Taka than the nighttime promise. So he'd see the whole inception of the Ishimondo friendship, and I think it would take him a while to trust Mondo. There would be definite "Are you sure about this guy?" energy between him and Taka once Mondo is rolled into their friend group.

And due to Shuichi's overlap of being unfailingly loyal and super harsh when someone brings it out of him, I think the moment Byakuya talks crap about Taka, Shuichi would be the entire Byakuya Hate Squad.

Toko and Genocider would be interesting, because I think Shuichi's fear of convicting someone and ruining their life or getting them killed would interact in an interesting way with the prospect of Genocider Syo, who has gotten away with tons of murders because no one caught her...but then also Toko, who is just a temperamental artist who doesn't want to kill anyone and I bet Shuichi's read "So Lingers the Ocean". I think Toko and Syo would be a reason for Shuichi to confront his feelings about punitive justice. They're practically two diametrically opposed arguments in one body: Syo kills because she likes to, she doesn't regret it, she will keep doing it if no one stops her, but Toko has no choice but to be involved in it, etc. Idk. It's still a bad look for DID representation, so maybe we can take or leave that whole plot thread, but it would do interesting things for Shuichi's character, thematically.

He and Kyoko would work together frequently on investigations (in more of a parallel play kind of way) but not really develop the same bond of trust that she had with Makoto. They trust each other's competency, but beyond that they're not especially close.

Also, when Junko reveals this is a battle of hope versus despair, he would tear apart her whole argument. Like: No, this is a battle of whether subjecting people to absurd conditions might make them hurt each other, and the answer is obvious. Grow up.

It'd be interesting, lol.

Kaede in THH

In this case, I think she'd start off fully believing that someone is going to rescue them. She meets Byakuya and she's like, "Perfect! There's no way someone won't come looking for this guy. This will all be over soon." Since the situation in THH is more grounded than in V3, I think she wouldn't be nearly as serious about getting out until after the first motive. And even then, she's not the one who starts the killings; I still think that would be Sayaka.

I don't think any of the THH motives would really get Kaede, so she might not kill anyone.

I think she would flirt with Chihiro. She would think Chihiro is the cutest thing, and she would say so, and Chihiro would blush profusely. I think those two would get really close, and Kaede would encourage Chihiro, in Chapter 2, that they're already strong in their own way, which would cause them to really focus on using their talent to help the group.

She would also flirt with Mukuro, for however long that lasts. And she would be excited about Sayaka; another musician!

I think Kaede would absolutely match Toko's energy so hard. Toko would definitely have crap to say about her looks and probably her proportions, and Kaede would throw it right back. Honestly same deal with Syo. They would be the toxic yuri to end all toxic yuri. (This is my first time saying "toxic yuri". Did I do it right?)

I hope she makes it long enough to see the music room. She would have a field day with Junko.

Makoto in V3

Finally, this. Wait, actually...

Makoto in V3 replacing Shuichi

Yeah, it occurs to me I have to split this one, too. Okay. I think if Makoto were in Shuichi's place, he would also partner up with Kaede. I think when the whole "tunnel escape" sequence happens, he would suggest that they go to bed and try again tomorrow before everyone reaches the "Screw this forever!" threshold.

I like to imagine, as a result of this, trying the tunnel escape would be a daily thing for a while. Just a scheduled thing that the group regularly does together, much like breakfast. They might give up on it after Chapter 1 or 2, but I just imagine it lasting longer as an activity than in canon.

He wouldn't notice the bookcase thing, so whatever Rantaro was planning would happen. I think, in that chain of events, Makoto and Kaede notice Kaito's little gathering taking place and go see what's going on there, someone spots Rantaro opening the bookshelf or just sees the bookshelf opening, and they reach the conclusion that the mastermind (or Monokuma) is making their move, resulting in a kerfuffle in which Rantaro is killed. Something like that.

I'm not saying who killed him just now; the sequence of deaths is its own thing.

I like to imagine that Kokichi calls Kaede and Makoto the team's mom and dad.

I think Kaito would be unsatisfied with Makoto's manliness, but I don't know that he'd invite him to workout sessions like he did with Shuichi in canon; I think, where Shuichi reads to Kaito as actively unconfident and in need of boosting, Makoto more reads as overly apologetic and easily manipulated/malleable. And depending on how long Kaede survives, I think Kaito would be less likely to treat Makoto as his sidekick than to just say that he, Kaede, and Makoto are all a powerful trio. (Maki does get roped in eventually, but it starts with them.) After all, Makoto isn't an accomplished detective; he's just a normal guy doing his best. And even when he does a really good job, it doesn't make Kaito all that insecure. The vibe is just different. (An Ultimate Detective effortlessly surpassing Kaito's efforts versus an Ultimate Luckster surpassing Kaito's efforts through high efforts of his own.)

The lack of Shuichi means the group does not have a detective. I think a result of this will be that Kokichi would be a bit more active in guiding the protagonists towards clues.

Maki still falls in love with Kaito, and she's also super protective of Makoto, mainly because he's short and can't take a hit. (If Kaito ever punched him, he would pass right out. But I don't think Kaito does punch him.)

Whenever Tenko talks to him, he reflexively apologizes. It's a running gag. His narration will be like, Why am I apologizing? and This was a pretty weird conversation...

Makoto in V3 replacing Kaede

Now, in this case, I'm imagining Makoto manages to trip out of the locker, does a full tumble over Shuichi, and bumps his head on a desk. Just full disaster stuff right off the bat, and Shuichi panics like "Are you okay??" and checks his head, makes sure he didn't bump it too badly, etc. I'm specifying this because Makoto won't be as energetic right out the gate as Kaede, but I do think Shuichi would really like and trust him if he stayed with him for longer than a second, so this is a contrivance to make sure Shuichi stays with him for longer than a second. Some luck, if you will.

(It might not be totally necessary; if they wake up in the same room, it makes sense for Makoto and Shuichi to stick together through the introductions. But this is just to make sure, lol.)

In this version of Chapter 1, they try the escape tunnel a normal amount of times and then give up on it, never to attempt it again (until Electrohammers).

Shuichi notices the bookcase, and they do set up the cameras, but there's no shot put ball trick. Rantaro dies a different way (likely orchestrated by Tsumugi) and the cameras are crucial evidence in the trial that follows.

Because of the steps needed to get to the camera plan, there's a running gag where Miu sees Makoto and Shuichi as her subs. Kaito sees Makoto and Shuichi as his sidekicks. (In this version, the nightly workouts do happen.)

Kokichi tries to make Kaito jealous of Shuichi's closeness with Makoto. (Kind of like, "Why would Shuichi need you when he has Makoto?")

In both versions, I like to think that Tsumugi relates to Makoto on the basis of plainness...or competes with him over it, to his confusion.

And in both versions, I think Makoto finds Angie really cute at first and they hang out a few times, before she starts the Student Council thing. He's kind of her friend. When he doesn't join her, it lowkey hurts her feelings a lot, but she expresses this by casually calling him a heretic.

Aaaand, in both versions, Makoto is the only person Kaito can best in the arcade games.

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nervous-alien · 3 months

Text

Let Me Save Him | At Least Once...

Also can be read on Ao3 and Wattpad!

!Check Introduction for description, disclaimers, warnings, chapter index, and other information!

Quick author's note: For this chapter, I will be using almost exact dialogue from the games during the trial. Sorry if it's a bit repetitive. This will be the only chapter like this. I'm not really sure how I feel about how this turned out. I thought it was a good idea doing most of the trial but I had second thoughts after I was done. Also, chapter two was supposed to be combined with this one but it felt better separate. That's why it is already out. This will most likely be the only time I post two chapters in one day. Enjoy! Please lmk what you think of it!

Ch 1. The End of Something New

Song of the Chapter: Trapdoor ~ Twenty One Pilots

“So what you’re saying is the killer was wearing the same blue tracksuit as him? My tracksuit is black!”

I felt my eyes widen.

It can’t be!

I could feel my heart skip a beat.

I looked around at my fellow classmates and prayed to whatever god was out there that none of them heard what Mondo had accidentally let slip from his lips, but to my misfortune, Makoto also heard those dreaded words. He glanced over at Kyoko, silently asking if she heard it too and she gave him a small nod.

As Hifumi was proclaiming his innocence, Makoto stopped him mid-sentence. “Hold on a second, Mondo! What did you just say?”

Mondo swiftly looked over to Makoto. I could see a faint glint of fear present in his eyes. I couldn’t tell if it had been there since the beginning or had just appeared, but it was there nonetheless. His brow began to slightly furrow, giving him a perplexed look.

“Huh?” Mondo huffed out, a bit aggressively. It was evident he was caught off-guard. “What’d I say?” His voice had a tinge of uneasiness. You could tell he was getting nervous. He always had a tendency to raise his voice when he felt under pressure.

My fingers rhythmically began tapping along to a nonexistent beat as I felt myself cringe at his statement. I couldn’t believe he could say such a thing without realizing it. My concern was rapidly growing.

How did he know that?

There must have been some kind of explanation. My mind began to race with possibilities, but they all led me to one tragic conclusion. My fingers moved faster. I brushed the thoughts away. I was becoming way too anxious.

I forced myself to continue listening. He must have some kind of valid excuse. I refused to believe that Mondo could have been the one who—I couldn’t even finish that thought.

I watched as my kyoudai waited for a response. His hand unconsciously moved to the back of his head, playing with the long strands of hair not included in his pompadour, a habit that I had noticed he only does when he is overwhelmed.

“When Celeste testified a few minutes ago, she never said anything about the jacket’s color. So why did you say Chihiro’s “blue” tracksuit?” Makoto leaned forward on his podium, glaring at Mondo with a look of determination.

Quiet gasps emitted from most of the class. A few of them shared shocked glances. I doubt Mondo was on any of their radars up until this point.

Mondo’s eyes widened. He had finally realized the crucial mistake he had made. “What are you—? You just—!” he yelled out. Beads of sweat were beginning to form on his face. He was at a loss for words.

His lavender eyes began darting around the room, noticing that everyone was staring at him. They stopped once they met my red ones. His expression faltered for just a second. I could almost see tears begin to form but he quickly blinked them away. As he did, he promptly altered his gaze.

“Hey, Celeste. What color was Chihiro’s tracksuit?” Byakuya butted into the conversation as it had piqued his interest. He had a small grin tugging at his lip. It was sickening. How could he enjoy anything revolving…this?

Celeste began to think back to the previous encounter. Without a thought, I crossed my fingers in the hope that it was a completely different color. “As a matter of fact, it was…blue.”

Dang it!

Byakuya made a grunt of approval and pushed his glasses higher up the bridge of his nose. His sickening smile grew wider.

“And before we began the trail,” Makoto began, “did you tell anyone that?”

I hoped she would say yes. Or at least if she said no, Mondo would reveal that he overheard her telling Makoto. That had to have been the answer.

“The only one I told about any of this was you,” she replied, confidently. And just like that, my hope was instantly crushed once more.

Please, Mondo! Please say you overheard them!

“Then,” I heard Sakura’s voice suddenly, “Mondo, how did you know what color Chihiro’s tracksuit was?”

Mondo’s knuckles were turning white. He gripped the podium as if trying to squeeze the life out of it.

“B-Because I—! I just—!” He couldn’t finish a single sentence. I assumed he was just under pressure. He just needed some help! I was sure of it.

“I-I’m sure he saw the clothes at some point in the investigation!” I quickly added to the conversation.

Mondo slammed his eyes shut, squeezing them tightly as the words left my mouth. His arms began to shake as he gripped the podium even tighter. He swallowed hard and was just about to say something when—

“No, that can’t be it.” Kyoko immediately stated. “The bag and clothes were surely disposed of by the time we began our investigation.” My mind began racing once more.

How did I already forget that? Why didn’t I say something else? Please don’t say I made this worse!

“Then the only reason he could have known what color the tracksuit was,” Genocide Jill began, yelling excitedly, “is if he saw Cherry with it before he died! That’s the only possibility!” As Hina quietly asked if ‘Cherry’ was referring to Chihiro, the serial killer continued her accusation. “So, how ‘bout it!? Did you see the tracksuit or didn’t you!?”

“J-Just by chance,” Mondo finally was able to begin defending himself, “ I just happened to see it last night. He walked past me, and he was carrying the tracksuit in his hands.”

See! I knew he was innocent. This just proves it!

“No, that can’t be it, either.”

Wait, what!?

“According to Celeste’s testimony, when she noticed it, Chihiro made a point of making sure the jacket was completely in the bag. If you just ran into him briefly, you couldn’t possibly have seen what color the tracksuit was.”

Why couldn’t Makoto look past this? Why did he have it out for Mondo?

Mondo let out grunts of frustration.

“It would appear you’ve dug your own grave.” Kyoko kept a straight face. I couldn’t fully tell what she was thinking but I sensed a bit of…pride?

I didn’t understand what made Mondo so suspicious. I mean, yeah he did know the color of Chihiro’s jacket but that doesn’t mean anything. Anyone could have guessed that! Heck, what if he actually did hear about it before but just misspoke about when? It was completely possible he heard Chihiro mention it to someone…maybe?

At least those thoughts helped me keep my faith in my kyoudai.

As I was lost in thought, Kyoko began telling the class how she suspected Mondo from the beginning. Something about him calling Chihiro ‘dude’ instead of ‘chick’. The group was surprised she picked up on such a small detail. Genocide Jill even called her a ‘frightful witch’.

She is a witch for assuming these horrible things about my kyoudai!

“No, I’m not the frightful one. Not nearly as frightful as someone capable of murdering a friend.”

Mondo involuntarily made a noise at Kyoko’s statement.

“Mondo, was it really you?” Makoto calmly asked. “Did you really kill Chihiro?”

I was starting to get sick of that word.

Kill.

How could anyone associate that word with Mondo?

“I…I…I-I-I…I didn’t kill anyone!” Mondo was almost screaming at this point. “You’ve been all over me, judging everything I say, putting words in my mouth. What gives you the right to treat me like a goddamn criminal!?”

“Y-Yeah! He would never do something like that! This is a false accusation!” I had to jump in and support him. He needed to know that I was there for him. Maybe that would help him calm down and then he wouldn’t say nonsense that could unjustly be used against him.

“It’s true, my reasoning on that is pretty shaky,” Kyoko let out, a bit dejectedly.

“Th-That was fast,” Makoto said, his shocked look mirroring mine. I couldn’t believe Kyoko would just give up that easily. Yes, I was ecstatic that she did, but it didn’t sit right with me.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Mondo relax. I couldn’t imagine how scared he was. How bad it must have felt to be accused of such a heinous act.

“Well, this does present us with a problem. It seems we are all out of leads,” Celeste sighed, slightly shaking her head.

Hifumi was now bringing up the broken e-Handbook he had found, but I was having a hard time paying attention. I was just too overjoyed.

They finally moved on from Mondo. They finally realized that he would never do such a thing. I wanted to run over to him and embrace him. I wanted to congratulate the fact that we would still have each other by our sides helping one another get through this game. But after this trial, I would have to give him a lecture to make sure he learns to think before he speaks. He almost framed himself without reason!

I shook myself out of my thoughts again when I heard the word sauna.

Apparently, Hifumi found the broken handbook on the floor in there.

Just the thought of the room reminded me of that night two days ago. The night Mondo and I became kyoudais. It was one of the best nights I had ever had. But as much as I would like to reminisce, I had to pay more attention to the case.

The group had just been discussing the handbook’s weakness. Monokuma confirmed their thoughts and now began ranting about saunas.

“The temperature in the sauna can reach over 200 degrees. Strange how you don’t get burnt, huh!? It’s because as your sweat evaporates, it creates a cooling layer of air around your skin! If the hot air of the sauna were somehow pushed directly onto your skin, you’d definitely get fried! That layer of air would get blown away. That’s why you may feel a burning when you move around. So when you’re in a sauna, make sure to keep nice and still!”

“Wow, interesting! I learned one new fact today!” I exclaimed. That was actually very useful information! Who would have thought you could learn something worthwhile from that bear?

I’ll have to keep that in mind next time Mondo and I hang out in the sauna!

I began getting lost in thought once more, planning to ask Mondo if he would like to spend time with me the next night. We could go to the sauna again! I thought about all the fun we could have since we wouldn’t have to worry about a competition. I thought about finally seeing him with only a towel, his large muscles as they began to gleam with sweat. I—

Wait a minute! What was that about!?

I noticed that my cheeks were growing warm. I quickly shook my thoughts away. I didn’t know why I would think such… inappropriate thoughts about my kyoudai. I forced myself to just ignore those…thoughts, and listen back in on the conversation.

“What if the killer took their own handbook into the sauna, not knowing its weakness, and it broke? They’d realize it was broken, of course, and it wouldn’t be hard to figure out why. And once they had Chihiro’s handbook, they knew they had an easy way to dispose of it,” Kyoko suggested.

“I won’t say it’s not possible, but,” Byakuya chimed in again, “who would have done something like that? I don’t know of anyone who took their handbook into the sauna.”

Surprisingly, Byakuya had a good point. Who in their right mind would take a handbook into the sauna? Unless they left it in their pocket or something. But then again, who would wear clothes in the sauna other than—

N-No. No, no, no, no, NO! Ignore that thought! You’re still caught up over them accusing him.

“I might know someone who did,” Makoto hesitantly said.

He had to have thought the same thing as me. But it couldn’t have been right. We were just thinking of the worst!

“I think the one who may have taken their handbook into the sauna was,” Makoto continued, but paused before he said the name. He slowly looked over to Mondo and proceeded to stare him down.

Tears began forming in my eyes, threatening to fall. I had let out a few grunts, trying but failing to hide my sobs.

“Mondo…your handbook got broken in the sauna, didn’t it?”

Mondo stiffened up like before after hearing his name. “Wh-Wh-What!?”

“Why!? Why do you keep accusing him!?” I continued to hold back my tears but you could tell they were close to falling by my wavering voice.

Mondo looked over at me and I could see the sadness in his eyes again. He looked guilty. He was trying to hide it as well, but he too looked as if he was about to cry.

“Mondo and Taka had an endurance contest in the sauna not too long ago, remember? And for the contest, Mondo just so happened to keep his school uniform on. But little did he realize, he’d also left his handbook in one of his uniform pockets. And when it was all over, Mondo discovered that taking your handbook into the sauna could easily destroy it.”

“No, wait, hold on!” I slammed my hands on my podium and stared daggers at Makoto. “You’ve got it all wrong! He would never kill—! I don’t accept this! Show me the proof! The actual, solid proof!”

“Let’s test Makoto’s assertion. If what he says is correct then Mondo,” Kyoko looked over to him, “ you broke your own handbook.”

“In other words, if Mondo’s handbook is actually broken, then that proves what Makoto said is right,” Celeste added.

“Well, my goddamn handbook works just fine!” Mondo yelled in his defense.

“S-See? Look! Makoto was wrong, after all! Mondo wouldn’t hurt a fly!” I was also yelling. I needed to make sure everyone knew that Makoto was wrong. I glanced over to Makoto and saw that he still had determination. He wasn’t giving up.

“Mondo, the handbook you have right now…Is it really yours?” I didn’t know what he was getting at but I could tell it was not good.

“The fuck is that supposed to mean!?” Mondo asked it as a question, but a distant part of me could tell that he knew exactly what Makoto meant.

“The broken handbook that was in the main hall…Isn’t that one actually yours?”

“What the heck are you talking about!?” I asked, finally voicing my confusion.

“What I mean is, I think Mondo swapped his handbook out for one that actually works. I think he took Leon’s handbook and replaced it with his own. After all, Monokuma said himself that Leon’s handbook never should have broken.”

I stopped listening as a few others added to the conversation, just spacing out, until I heard Makoto mention Mondo’s name again.

“Well, Mondo? If I’m wrong about this, you’re welcome to say so. I’m happy to admit I made a mistake, but—” Makoto began but was cut off by Mondo.

“S-Son of a bitch!” Mondo muttered those words but said nothing else.

Why wasn’t he defending himself?

“What’s wrong, kyoudai?” I asked him, hastily making my way over to his podium. He made no response.

I grabbed him by the shoulders, starting to shake him, begging for some kind of response. “Come on, tell him he’s wrong!” My tears returned once more and began streaming down my face. He was staring right into my eyes until he saw the tears. He then looked slightly to the side. Water began welling in his eyes but he still stayed strong and refused to let them fall.

I turned away from him, leaving one hand on his shoulder as I looked at the rest of the class. “You ARE wrong! You HAVE to be wrong! Everything you just said is wrong! You made it all up!” I sobbed.

“Okay, then why don’t we look back on this case one more time, from the beginning? That way, everything will become clear, and we’ll all see if I was right or wrong!”

Makoto began explaining the events, as I stared at him mortified. Unconsciously, I moved closer to Mondo and thought about pulling him into a hug but ultimately decided against it.

My head began spinning. I hated what I was hearing. As much as I didn’t want to admit it, what Makoto was saying made complete sense.

What are you thinking? They’re all just polluting your mind! There’s absolutely NO way Mondo is guilty! It just all coincidentally fits in place.

“And that’s how it all played out. Isn’t that right, Mondo Owada!?” Makoto finished the story and was now pointing an accusing finger toward my kyoudai.

Mondo started to breathe irregularly and began making strained noises. He just stared blankly at the ground, tears finally falling.

“W-Wait! No, this can’t be right! Where’s your evidence?” I was desperate to prove that this was false…Even if I wasn’t so sure anymore. I don’t think there was anything that could disprove it at this point but I had to at least try. “Y-Yeah, where’s your evidence!? You need evidence! You need proof! Without any proof, you can’t pin any of this on him!”

I felt like I was going mad. I just kept shouting “Show me some evidence! You’re wrong! I won’t listen! I refute you! False! You’re corrupt! I refuse to vote!” until Makoto broke me from my trance.

“If my thinking so far is right…Mondo must have replaced his broken handbook with Leon’s. In which case, we can just check each of our handbooks right now. Once we do that, we’ll—” Makoto was interrupted by something I dreaded hearing.

“We don’t gotta do that.”

“Huh?” Makoto’s eyes were wide. He was shocked by Mondo’s sudden submission.

“Yeah. Yeah…I did it…I killed him.” He started shaking.

I turned back towards him and placed my other hand back on his shoulder, facing him towards me again. He refused to look me in the eyes.

“Kyoudai? Kyoudai…what are you saying?” I wanted to shove my face into his shoulder and just hold him tight.

“I got no choice, man. After hearing all that, I gotta just…give up.” My mouth was slightly ajar. I couldn’t understand why he was giving in to their madness. “Go ahead, Monokuma. Get it over with. Ask for the god damned verdict.”

I felt the color drain from my face.

Th-That means he’s going to get—

“W-Wait, hold on—!” I couldn’t let this happen. I couldn’t bear to see my kyoudai get executed in front of me!

“No waiting! No holding on! Time for the moment we’ve all been waiting for! Grab your lever and give it a yank! Who will you elect as the blackened this time around? Will you make the right choice or the dreadfully wrong one? What’s it gonna be? What’s it gonna beeee!?”

I felt like punching that bear into tomorrow, but I knew better than that. Mostly because I didn’t feel like exploding or getting impaled like Junko. I was contemplating not voting but I didn’t know what would happen to me if I didn’t so I begrudgingly made my way back to my podium where the small levers were.

I looked at all of the names in front of me. I couldn’t bring myself to vote for…Mondo. I considered who else to vote for but I couldn’t with good conscience pick anyone. Then I looked at my name. Before I could think, I yanked my lever down and immediately sprinted back over to Mondo.

Once I made it back to him, I snuck a glance at his levers.

He v-voted for h-himself!

My hand instinctively reached for his and squeezed it tightly. As much as I hated any form of… P.D.A…especially in a school setting…I needed some form of comfort. He looked over at me for a second but quickly looked away.

The slot machine used to show the person with the most votes lit up, signifying that everyone had voted. I shut my eyes, not wanting to see the verdict.

I heard the sound of coins falling and celebratory music, showing that the class had voted for the guilty person. Even though I knew the answer, I opened my eyes and saw three tiny pictures of Mondo on the machine’s screen. Below it, the word ‘guilty' flashed in red.

I involuntarily let out a loud sob and looked over at Mondo. He was still staring at the ground like before.

“Uh-oh…This time it looks like…you got it right again! Yes, it is so. The blackened that killed Chihiro Fujisaki was…Mondo Owaaadaaaa!” Monokuma sang out cheerfully. “In case you’re wondering, the vote was NOT unanimous. Kiyotaka chose the wrooong answer! You’re treading very close to the danger zone, Mr. Ishimaru! You need to be more careful!”

I felt everyone’s eyes on us. Us. The murderer and the psycho who was too stupid to believe his kyoudai would commit such a crime.

My hand released its grip from Mondo’s. “I-I refuse to believe it. There’s no way…no way he would kill someone!”

“Sorry…”

Is that all he had to say!?

My sadness now had a newly found anger with it. I swiftly turned around and yanked Mondo forward by grabbing onto his beloved jacket. I put my face close to his and began yelling.

“Wh-Why are you apologizing!? Why!? Why why why why why!? WHYYY!? Wh…why? Why did you do it!?”

My words left him speechless.

“Well, it looks like Mondo’s taken a vow of silence, so allow me to explain on his behalf. The story of murder this time…is the sad story of two men...” Monokuma told the class a story about Chihiro’s past, explaining his secret. “And the person he went to…”

“It was me,” Mondo softly let out, almost as a whisper.

“Yup, it sure was! The biker gang fella had been painfully clear about how important his manly promises were. So Chihiro probably figured that even if he confided in Mondo, his honor would make him keep the secret.”

The group was now talking about how Mondo kept the promise he made to Chihiro, and how he tried to hide Chihiro’s real gender. I couldn’t comprehend any of this anymore. The whole thing didn’t make any sense.

“Then…Mondo did all that to keep the promise he’d made to Chihiro…who he’s also killed?” Makoto was also trying to wrap his head around this concept.

“Why…would he…do that? The more I hear you talk, the more I don’t understand!” I turned to Mondo. “I mean, you guys trusted each other, right!? So why? Why did you…?” I needed to hear the real reason come from his own mouth.

“Because…no matter what, I didn’t want anyone to know…” I felt myself physically lean back a bit.

He k-killed Chihiro over one little secret?

“So that’s what triggered it, after all. The possibility of having your embarrassing memories and secrets exposed,” Kyoko looked somewhat disappointed but at the same time…understanding?

“Th-That’s impossible! Nothing could have been that bad! Something he didn’t want anyone to know, even if it meant killing someone? It’s impossible!” My secret was pretty bad, but to kill someone over it? I couldn’t even dream of doing something like that.

“How many times must I repeat myself? To judge others by your own standard is the height of folly. Even if you can’t comprehend it, he obviously can. That’s all there is to it.” For some reason, Byakuya kept getting defensive over that but I just ignored it. I didn’t care what he thought, I was too busy worrying about…other things.

“Well, while we’re on the subject, why don’t I tell you? That embarrassing memory…That secret he didn’t want anyone to know. You know what Mondo did? He killed his own brother!”

Mondo’s eyes fill back up with tears. I reclasped my hand with his to try to give him comfort. He squeezed it until it felt like he was going to break it, as Monokuma now told Mondo’s story. The story about how Mondo accidentally caused his brother Daiya’s death…

“N-No matter what…I couldn’t let the other gang members find out. If that happened, everything would have been ruined…Everything me and my brother had worked to create…woulda been destroyed…His death…all the guilt I’d been carrying around…it all woulda been for nothing. So that’s why…That’s why I…I…!” I had never seen Mondo act this way before. It felt like someone was ripping my heart out. I hated seeing him like this more than anything.

“Mondo…” Makoto tried comforting him. I tried ignoring the tinge of jealousy I felt.

“After I saw what Monokuma had on me, my head filled up with a kind of fuzzy uneasiness, and just started swirlin’ around. I’d never felt anything like it before. I…I didn’t know what to do about it. I wasn’t sure what to think or say. But after a while, that fuzzy uneasiness…turned itself into a rock-hard lump of anxiety, way down in my stomach! And it was right around then that Chihiro asked me to start working out with him. And right there, I… He told me a secret. His words were like a knife in my gut. I felt like he was exposing the lie I’d been living myself. I was…jealous. I was jealous of Chihiro’s strength. He had the strength to face his own weakness, to try and overcome it! It was the kind of strength I’ve never had…So I was jealous of him. And that jealousy…broke me. I felt like I could hear something starting to…creak. Something…inside my head. I don’t remember anything after that. When I woke up again, he was laying at my feet…covered in blood. I had the dumbbell in my hand…and I was just staring at him…down on the ground…”

He was violently shaking now, sobbing the words out. “H-Hey…” I reached out and pulled him into a tight embrace. He buried his face into my shoulder. I rubbed circles into his back trying to calm him down. I leaned my head against his and let my tears dampen his hair.

“I…killed him. I killed Chihiro. Even after all this time, I’m still just as weak as I’ve always been! And thanks to that, I did something I can never take back!”

Monokuma began laughing. “Look at him! You see? You’re all just like him! For a secret from the past, for a memory. For that, he killed another living human in cold blood! He couldn’t cut free of his regrets from the outside world. He doesn’t know what true strength is. Do you see hope anywhere in there!? Cuz I sure don’t!”

I felt myself lose control of my emotions. Hearing him say such hateful things about my kyoudai made me snap. I couldn’t stand that…that…STUPID FUCKING BEAR!

“You…bastard! Just shut up, you son of a bitch! Go ahead, say that again, I dare you!”

Everyone stared at me with shock. I had even shocked myself. I never swear. I didn’t know what came over me.

I felt Mondo pull away from me. He looked at me with heartbroken eyes.

“Okay! I’ll say it as many times as I want!...is what I want to say, but unfortunately, I can’t do that right now! Because the time for punishing is fast approaching!”

It felt like I had gotten punched in the gut.

“You mean…execution!?” I held onto Mondo for dear life. I couldn’t let that monster take him away from me.

“That’s what I promised you, right? The blackened that disturbs the peace will be punished.”

“H-Hold on!” I shuffled towards Monokuma’s chair.

“Now then, I’ve prepared a very special punishment for Mondo Owada, the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader!” The bear began dancing around, grabbing his gavel.

“N-No, wait! Wait! Don’t do this! Take me instead!” I was screaming like a madman.

“Let’s give it everything we’ve got! It’s…PUNISHMENT TIIIME!” Monokuma began slowly raising his miniature hammer, adding what he must have thought was dramatic ‘suspense’.

I lunged forward slamming my hands on the armrest of the chair. “I! Said! WAAAAAIIIITT!!!”

Through my screams, I could hear Mondo say his…final words. Words that I will never forget, no matter how long I live. Words that will forever haunt my dreams…

“Sorry, man. I couldn’t keep the promise we made…from one man to another…”

~~~~~~

Word Count: 4,776

~~~~~~

Introduction

Chapter 2>>>

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