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#and would bring her flowers ( which always died :( ) every time she visited
girlboyburger · 1 year
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another minecraft oc, this time it's my sweet old swine who's been through so so much
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radicheart · 2 months
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Headcanon Dump
Alastor sometimes goes by the nickname of “Cal” to differentiate himself from his alternates. “Cal” is short for “Calloway”.
Alastor’s father’s name is Travis Reed. Alastor killed him when he himself was only ten years old. Travis is indeed in Hell, and occasionally their paths will cross. It always ends with Travis getting killed. He also refuses to call him ‘father’, always preferring to call him by his name, and he’s publicly broadcast Travis’ personal information to try and cause problems on purpose.
Alastor’s mother’s name was Desdemona, maiden name of Guillory - which is the name he’s taken to using for himself. She died as well, but she’s up in Heaven, so Alastor doesn’t have any sort of contact with her.
Alastor had a little sister named Josephine. She was born when he was four, but died in a drowning accident when she was six.
Alastor enjoyed playing with a homemade slingshot as a child, and he was actually quite a good aim with it.
Alastor hosts one scheduled broadcast every week on Sunday nights from eight to ten in the evening. Each one is closed out with a single song request sent in by his listeners. He also visits the Cannibal Colony to hang out with Rosie and her friends every Thursday afternoon from 2-6 PM.
Alastor has a journal, and he writes his entries as if they are letters addressed to his mother.
Alastor has planted a rose bush near his radio tower in memory of his mother, with a plaque bearing her name. It’s tucked away from the public eye, in a little clearing in the nearby woods. He takes very good care of it and would fly into a rage if he ever caught someone trying to pick its flowers.
Alastor has a nervous habit of tugging at his cuffs. If he’s not wearing something easily tuggable, he’ll wrap a hand around his opposite wrist and scratch. Sometimes he leaves marks due to pressing down too hard with his nails.
Alastor is not covered in scars; they’re only on his forearms and back. His arms have scratches and dog bites from when he was trying to defend himself the day he died, and as a child his father would beat him so often and so hard that there are now permanent marks slicing across his back.
Alastor is not afraid of dogs. He just really dislikes them because of their involvement in his death. It brings back terrible memories for him. This dislike only applies to beagles, since that was the breed used to hunt him down.
Mirroring his disliking of beagles, Alastor absolutely adores cats - literal or sinner. They are by far his favorite animal.
Alastor’s minions are actually rag dolls he made by hand. Making these rag dolls takes up a decent chunk of his time when he’s not doing broadcasts or working for the hotel. If he makes a rag doll of your muse, he likes you. If he gives that rag doll to your muse instead of keeping it on his shelf, he really likes you.
Alastor’s shadow’s name is Cotton.
Alastor dislikes sweets because he is allergic to sugar - sucrose, to be specific (aka the white granulated stuff you spoon into your coffee or put in your cookies). Fructose and lactose are perfectly fine. Symptoms vary based on how much he eats, but even a tiny amount will get his tongue tingling, which is enough of a deterrent for him. More serious symptoms include breaking out in hives, having stomach cramps, wheezing, shortness of breath, and eventually vomiting.
Alastor tends to get uncharacteristically gloomy on his death day (November 6th).
Alastor can play the piano, organ, harpsichord, and violin! He would like to learn the guitar, but he never remembers to get around to it.
Alastor’s microphone voices used to belong to and be the demons he's hunted down over the years.
Alastor doesn’t use washing machines or dryers. He still uses tin tubs, a rub board, and a clothesline. He tried to use a washer all of once and simply could not figure it out.
Alastor occasionally enjoys smoking both cigars and cigarettes. For cigars, he prefers the Montecristo 1935 Anniversary Nicaraguan. For cigarettes, his go-to brand is Lucky Strike, and he specifically tends to buy the Lucky Strike Reds.
Alastor carries the following items with him, on his person, at all times: his favorite knife, a Colt Model 1908, a cigarette case, and a vintage pocket watch.
Alastor wears cologne on a daily basis! The scent is a mixture of vanilla, burning wood, mandarin, pine needles and rosemary. Also, the bottle looks damn good on his bathroom countertop.
Alastor likes to collect and keep the whiskers Husk sheds. He doesn’t do anything with them; they’re just stored in a little box on his home office’s desk. (This headcanon only applies to his NPC Husk unless a Husk’s mun agrees with it.)
Alastor’s clothing and hair maintenance are both tended to by Niffty. (This headcanon only applies to his NPC Niffty unless a Niffty’s mun agrees with it.)
The gold coins Alastor likes to flick at people are worth $50 apiece.
Alastor does, in fact, have hooves; he just covers them up with specially-made shoes most of the time so he can still appear somewhat normal…and also tap-dance more efficiently.
Alastor’s top three favorite holidays (in order) are: Christmas, Mardi Gras, and Halloween.
Alastor served in World War 1—specifically in the Navy. It’s where he was first introduced to the world of radio.
Alastor shakes off his fluff-covered hooves like a soaked cat after he showers/bathes/otherwise gets wet.
Alastor’s portals (and magic in general) are bright green.
Alastor can manipulate his microphone to move on its own. He can also make its staff and the discs at the top and bottom sharpen, effectively turning it into a weapon capable of stabbing and/or slicing—and when it’s idling it always hovers against his back. 
Alastor’s antlers grow magnolias for two weeks in March. While normal magnolias are harmless, Alastor’s are not. Do not eat those. They will kill you. Bonus headcanon that Husk likes to crush up their petals and poison someone’s drink if they’ve ticked him off in some way. (This headcanon only applies to his NPC Husk unless a Husk’s mun agrees with it.)
Alastor’s favorite season is autumn.
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To Be Affectionate
Trevor thought that being public with Hetty again meant that they could be affectionate in front of the house the way they had been in the last twenty years, but due to the deal that Hetty initiate those touches, he struggles with not knowing if he's allowed to be his normally affectionate self. Luckily, Hetty's there to reassure him.
AO3
***
If there’s one thing that Trevor had been looking forward to when it comes to coming out to the house, it was the idea that Hetty would feel comfortable touching him in public again.  Like she used to before, as she had taken to holding onto him whenever she could after they made the deal on touch when he first died. 
            Given that he loved to touch and had realized that Hetty liked touch (no matter what Isaac said, he had noticed that she was always touching someone) while the other ghosts preferred a more hands off approach (some didn’t mind touch, though), Trevor had initially taken to touching Hetty when he first died.  Offering her his arm or standing close enough to be touching.  She had seemed to enjoy it when she initiated it, but not when he initiated it.  To the point that she often scolded him when he would.
            After a few weeks, he asked her about it, and she made him a deal – that she would hold onto him and touch him, as long as she got to initiate the touch. 
            Since they’ve had this deal for twenty years, despite the fact that they were dating now, every time he went to hug her from behind or put his arm around her, he would pause and stop because they never actually discussed that deal and whether or not he was allowed to initiate being affectionate in front of everyone.  Of course, Hetty didn’t seem to mind if he initiated things when they were alone, but that’s different.  
            He’s just not sure how to bring it up to her.   Thus, staring out the window in the upstairs den, ironically the same place that Hetty had stood right before that moment six months ago that changed their afterlives forever.  For the better, even if they aren’t affectionate in front of everyone else, sharing her room (since he and Flower had traded more than a month ago), and being with her was in private was enough.  
            Especially since everyone knows they’re still together – his conjugal visit mishap had brought it out again, but this time, no double dates to ruin it, just everyone knows and accepts it.  Strange though it is, the novelty wears off fast when they aren’t really any different than they were before.  
            Which is part of his little issue.  He kind of thought things would be different – maybe not all over each other, but at least as affectionate as they were before.  
            Since everyone knows, it’s not like it’s because of embarrassment or anything, but he doesn’t know what itcould be then.  Not when he knows that she does enjoy affection.  Why didn’t she want to be affectionate with him?  Was there another issue that he wasn’t aware of?  
            “Trevor, dearest?” Hetty asks, jarring his attention to the doorway.  She’s looking at him slightly concerned.  “Are you okay?”
            “Oh, of course,” Trevor states, but Hetty gives him a look.
            “You know, you were never a very good liar.  I am forever amazed that you fooled the house for so long on certain things.  However, you have gotten even worse as a liar since we have become intimate, so would you like to try that again?”
            Trevor shrugs, surprised but pleased that Hetty does know him so well, even though he knows he is an open book.  “I’m not sure how to explain what’s wrong.”
            “Does it have something to do with the fact that you keep wanting to touch me by putting your arms around me and then stopping yourself for some reason?” Hetty questions, moving closer to him.  
            Trevor’s surprised she noticed, but relieved because then he doesn’t have to explain.
            “I confess that I have been curious about why you have stopped yourself given that we have always been rather… touchy as you might say… since you died,” Hetty states, which he doesn’t answer her question with an explanation.  
            “With everything that has happened between us, I … well… I wasn’t sure if I should still be obeying our deal…”
            “Our deal?” 
            “You know,” Trevor says, but the look on her face suggests that she doesn’t quite know, despite just referring to it, and he’ll have to explain.  “You just mentioned it – since I died, we made a deal.  You’ll hold onto me – touch me since I like touch – as long as I let you initiate it.”
            “Oh,” Hetty says, clearly surprised.   She moves closer to him, reaching up and touching his cheek.  He leans his face into her hand, relishing the touch.  “Trevor, dearest, I assumed that the deal as you call is out the window.  Given that our housemates know about us, that you have always been affectionate before we began our dalliances, and that we both clearly enjoy our affections there’s no reason to abide by the deal.”
            “Oh,” Trevor says, somewhat relieved, bringing his hand to touch hers.  “I – I thought that you just didn’t want me to … be affectionate in front of everyone since you hadn’t initiated anything.”
            “I confess that I just assumed that would not need to since you have always been more open about enjoying touch,” Hetty states.  “Until I realized that you have been holding yourself back.”
            “I just wanted to respect your boundary, even if that boundary existed before we got together.”
            Hetty smiles.  “Well, I am happy to dispel that boundary – although nothing inappropriate.”
            As she says that, she smacks his ass with her other hand.  
            He gasps.  “That’s not inappropriate?”
            “Given that I have seen Samantha do the same, I would assume not, but perhaps we should experiment with appropriate or inappropriate affection around the house?”
            Trevor laughs and pulls her close.  “I think we’re going to scar the rest of the house with some experiments that I have in mind, but I don’t mind.”
            “Good.”
            With that, they kiss happily ever after.
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triscript lore (ORANGE VERSION)
whaddafuck happened to noelle???
(tw for religious things)
SO!!!!!! WHAT'S AN ANGEL???
angels are stars that were promoted (chess style!!!) after following a long path of many challenges and being deemed worthy by the last angel. the last angel "dies" symbolically and the new angel is her "reincarnation". stars look like female cervidae (DEERS AND STUFF IDK I LOOKED IT UP ON GOOGLE) monsters with typically light hair and once promoted they gain their wings, which start off as a cape you wear but eventually grow into actual wings. stars are born from a monster's hope, every monster has their own star. they're tasked with keeping the world in order and are basically gods but there's so many of them that the angel is the only one that matters. stars can die once their monster loses hope, but angels simply become (...something else i don't know lol) after their job as an angel is done. noelle was chosen as the 27th reincarnation of the angel (they don't "die" often lol) at the age of fourteen and her first mission was to fulfill the last angel's prophecy (a knight will start opening fountains, three soldiers have to banish them and save da world). she descended from the clouds and came to castle town and waited with ralsei for the third soldier to come. so they did silly friend thingz xD lol
sometimes she feels like she's not worthy of being the angel, the other stars deserved this more than her, she doesn't even know how to talk with normal people et cetera et cetera......😖
ralsei took a while to warm up to her, while he did appreciate the company the last thing he wanted was the constant living reminder of why he was alone for so long, so yeag. but eventually they became best friends hooray!!!!!!
he thinks the prophecy is extremely dumb and finding out THE ANGWEW AWWMIGHTY!!! wrote it made him a bit mad because he had to suffer, it made him stronger!!! it was soooo necessary for him to eat only cakes for twelve years because he didn't know how to cook anything else!!!!! it was sooo worth it to lose track of time and lose the ability to tell whether he was dreaming or awake!!!!!!! and now the angel is real too? and she's in his house? and she likes cake? that had to be some sort of sick joke...
but noelle is just doing what she was born to do, she's just following the rules. ralsei had to suffer alone, but it was for the greater good! either that or the world would have shattered!!
they're never going to agree on this, but they can still be friends. best friends forever and always. he was there when she cried about not feeling worthy of her title and she was there when he couldn't bring himself to water those damn flowers anymore. 👌
aside from being the angel (from church) noelle is basically just some random teenager with poor social skills. she likes singing and dancing and being silly and drawing cats (from ralsei's books) and twirling her hair in her finger thinking about the monster in ralsei's prophecy book. eventually she meets the monster from the book and while she expected more chivalry....... she is twirling her hair nonetheless
ralsei thinks she's so cool because she manages to be happy all the time, she likes watering flowers, she likes cake, she thinks repeating the same day over and over is relaxing, she can draw, she can sing, she's funny, she's so cool and he wishes they'd met earlier. maybe if he spent a few more years with her he wouldn't have turned out so tired.
aside from his prince boy struggles he's also..... A DARKNER!!!!! the lowest form of being!!! meant to serve those who serve those who serve angels!! he's kris's (GREEN) horn headband and thinks that being so connected to someone's dreams to the point that you look like their monstersona is almost insulting. they never even came to visit. they left him in a closet just like his kingdom left him in an empty town.
...but then he meets them and actually there's no reason to be mad at them. actually they're so cool. actually they also think the prophecy is stupid. actually they just lost him they didn't abandon him. actually they're leaving again and they think it was just a dream. so sad. he's alone forever in this world.
BUT!! jolly is his best buddy and after their confrontation in the prison floor (jolly wants him to stay because he thinks that if he lets them go he's going to be alone all over again and ralsei doesn't want to spend the rest of his life stuck in one place... again) he's like i have to talk to his parents they are clearly not being good with him. but jesting's so cool how can this be. and then he meets spamboss and it finally makes sense (HE'S GOING TO KILL HIM)
one day both ralsei and noelle are going 2 be happy....... and have tons of friends............... but they have to wait. and eat the same cake again
by the way...... susie's star............ it was noelle
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The Neflorien
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A/N:
I had to use a reference for the drawing. So credit to random reference photo i found on pinterest.
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There is a tale of love so true yet hated by so many. The reason they give would be that it was unnatural or revolting. Though some would say love was love. No matter the gender it was beautiful, enchanting and to be respected. The two princes had such a type of love.
Great mountains surrounded the forests. Miles of farms where wheat looked golden and the sweet smell of fruit could be smelt from a great distance. The spirits of the lost ones would dance happily under the beautiful stars. The water in the sea was always calm and never did they see a storm at their threshold. The land was blessed by the great earthen mothers. On this land sat two great kingdoms. 
The kingdom of Yaltan stood tall and proud in the north. Towering arches and towers which touched heaven. Great walls and spiralling staircases. The streets were a maze of alleys and shops.  
In the south was the tranquil and gentle Wejti. Sunlight pouring through stained glass windows, the coloured lights dancing on the floor. Gentle breeze flowing through the canopy trees that the natives worshipped.
Both the kingdoms were close, their kings wore the crowns with heads held high. Each royal family bore a son. The two princes would play in the fields which divided their kingdoms. Whispering secrets under the blanket of the tree’s shade. Bruising and scrapping limbs trying to climb trees to get the fruit. Echoing laughter while they rolled down hills. Delighted smiles and bright eyes when they saw each other. Inseparable they were. The love between childhood friends bloomed into something new over time. The warmth of one’s hand in another’s. Sweet,gentle secret smiles sent in eachother’s ways. This was their secret. A secret their parents would not approve of.
The beautiful dreamlike days came to an end on a day of joy for the kingdom. The banners fell from every tower. Songs and parades shook the ground. A rain of flowers and petals in the great halls of the castles. Decorous crowns being placed on their heads. Pledges, promises and vows ringing in the ears of the next king bringing the new blood unto the throne.The princes were crowned on the same day. The feast was magnificent. The laughter died when the both of them refused to wed the daughters of the visiting kings. Their secret hushed the halls and the sorrow settled into the hearts of the royal families.
The endless green fields between the two kingdoms were replaced by a great wall. The kingdoms who were once known for their unity refused to speak with each other. The people were only happy they were not in war. The princes did not stop from seeing each other. 
Under the watchful light of the shining stars, on the sand which pushed against their bare feet, clothed in the welcoming wind from the sea, the two princes met. This secret of theirs did not last long. The king of Yaltan soon heard of this, furious he travelled to the great mountains. He seeked for a house carved into stone, with a garden of poison surrounding it. He seeked for a witch that sat by the hearth and counted the million years she had lived. When he found her, he asked for one thing. 
“Turn the Son of Wejti into a monster so my own son will not love him anymore.”
The witch smiled, she loved the venom in his voice and the chaos which would follow. She did what he asked.
The princes met on the beach again unaware of the king’s plan. The howling was heard to kingdoms beyond the sea. The pain the Wejti prince felt as the bones in his body broke and elongated. The burn on his skin as it turned into hard luminous scales. The Yaltan prince stood there unwilling to leave his love alone. He watched in misery as the other turned into a monster of the sea and disappeared into the depths.
The Yaltan refused to walk away from the beach. He waited for the moon to reach the highest point everyday. He waited because the sea serpent would emerge from the water and sing a song of sonorous notes that put the Yaltan prince to sleep with a smile because he knew who the serpent was. The prince would not walk away from the beach no matter how much his parents pleaded. One winter night, he waited for his love’s song but the night was too cold.
Now the kingdoms are in ruins without heirs to take the throne. Dust and crushed stones with a history long forgotten. Now there stands an ice statue of a handsome boy on the edge of the sea. At night when the moon is high you will hear a mourning song. They say the serpent sings it. The serpent has a name now, the Neflorien, the song of love. A beautiful melancholy song.
****
The Neflorien a children's story from the collection Kravaien Tales by Evnor Breims of the Bone Mountains.
Srawaiq's Apples
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asoulofatlantis · 1 year
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One must wonder how there are still so many humans left. Its not very likely that every then years a new summoner comes running, rushing to save the world and even then, not all of them or their Guardians survive till the end, as we know. So if Sin usually kills like half of Spiras population within only a few months, that really gives them only a short while to actually “defeat” him once again before he kills to many people to make the humans race survive on Spira. And even then, when you see how many children were killed here, it wouldn’t be surprising that the population was slowly but surely falling over the years and that they always had to fear extinction...
In any case, Yuna here lost his mother to Sin and her father died “defeating” Sin and here she was watching Families torn apart by Sin yet again. Of course now she is even more dead set on defeating Sin as quickly as possible.
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Tifus realizing this was his new reality, must have hurt a lot. No one wants to be stuck in a world were the spiral of death always seems to win. Especially not if that is so far away from the rather carefree place you came from. And the pain is not going to end just yet. Far from it, actually...
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Think about it. Anytime Sin attacks and no Summoner is around, most of the people who died become the monsters that you fight. Assuming that most of the summoner are marching towards Zanarkand and that there are likely not much more then 3 around at the same time anyway, its likely that more than half of the people who die in Sins attacks are doomed to become fiens, because no freaking summoner is around. Especially in such rather rural regions. I mean yes, they have temples, so summoners might visit them often, but still... if, which is also likely the case after Donna and Yuna leave Killika, all the available summoners have reached Luca and move on in the direction of Zanarkand, then the people on those smaller island are left to accept their families and friends becoming monsters.
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Lulus is not as naive as Wakka and easily understands that Tidus not knowing or understanding anything is not normal, even for someone who comes in contact with Sins so called Toxin. She sees right through the fact that Tidus didn’t just forget, but instead never knew to begin with. However, instead of doubting him, she is actually explaining everything to him anyway.
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This is the most beautiful cutscene this game has to offer. Even tho it is rather sad.
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I get that this is a world of death and that Sin kills many people on a regular basis but it seems still odd that they had all those coffins and flowers ready so fast. I mean, this dance isn’t likely too long after the actual attack. So lets say it was an hour. After the shock of the attack, they go around, gather the corpses and put them in those caskets they apparently always have ready and then decorate them with the mass amount of flowers that are apparently also always ready and then they put them into the water? And all that within around an hour or so?
(I should do Game-Sins, really. I would be good at it, trust me XD)
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Lulu didn’t lie that the end is when Yuna defeats Sin, but she and all the other always kept quiet about the truth behind Yunas true destiny. Even Auron didn’t seem to be able or willing to bring himself to tell the poor boy the truth. I get what Lulu meant when she said it was just too hard to say... but they put Tidus and Yuna both through a lot with keeping quiet - then again, its not like Yuna was able to tell Tidus the truth either.
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I believe this is the mother of those 3 kids. I mean, lets face it, she was the only one of them to have a chance to survive to begin with.
And I think anyone who has lost someone they loved before, they know the feeling of waking up in the morning, hoping it was all just a bad dream. A freaking nightmare that is finally over... just to face the truth. And in my experience, that keeps going on for a while. So its quite realistic.
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It sounded like it came out of the blue, but it makes sense for Yuna to want the son of the man who was her fathers guardian her guardian also. Plus, I think she knew how lost Jekkt had been back when he came into Spira and that it would likely help Tidus to get accepted and feel like he belongs somewhere. Maybe she also has a little crush on him. I think all in all she herself believes her reasons to be rather selfish, given how she apologizes when he is confused after that question.
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Wakka doing this again XD Jokes aside, I think the problem here is, that given Yunas position, she should have the freedom to choose whatever she wants, so requesting to have Tidus nearby is something that her team should grant to her if Tidus agree with it, that is. HOWEVER... this indicates Yuna having feelings for Tidus and this could make the matter of her journey a problem. It could either change her mind - which might save her, but would also cause her to feel guilty, as we see much later - or it could make things harder for her on the long run. So allowing or forbidding it, is not just connected to the question what is Yunas right as summoner, but also comes down to the question what is best for her. I get why Lulu and Wakka are both shocked but also torn by this development.
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Ever since I actually do use some time to train (and also now with the ingame-cheats making the grid more accessible then before) this thing is a peace of cake for me and i LOVE beating it just to show Luzzu that we are cooler than him XD
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Denial is obviously part of the many tortuous stages of grieving. However, Wakka should be way past that already. Then again, when you lose someone you love, you just want to find a way to feel better about it... if there is just the slightest chance of someone you love being still alive, you will grasp that straw, no matter the fact that it is impossible or doesn’t make any sense at all.
However... Lulu is not having any of this bullshit. She prefers to face the truth. No matter how hard and cold it might be.
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The fact that they both refuse to face each other in that moment says a lot about it. In a sense, Lulu doesn’t want to face Wakkas feelings either, although she tries to force him to learn to accept and live with them anyway.
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clintashaspawn · 2 years
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Thena headcanons
(Because I just love her so so much and
she’s already a comfort character for me
now even though I’ve only seen Eternals
twice. I have a lot of Thena headcanons,
so buckle up folks and I hope you enjoy.)
she’s very protective of the ones she cares about, but in a non-hovering way
despite her babysitting privileges being revoked by Phastos, she still enjoys spending time with Jack, and would do absolutely anything to protect him because she’s a total softie for the kid
Gilgamesh’s cooking and baking was her favorite and she misses both a lot
the first couple of weeks after Gilgamesh’s death, she has vivid nightmares that keep her awake the entire night, and against her best efforts to hide the evidence of her lack of sleep, Makkari notices, but never brings it up
Thena becomes quite touch deprived after she loses Gilgamesh, but is hesitant to allow anyone to get too close to her physically
she lasts less than 48 hours without Gil before the Mahd W’yry takes over her mind and sends her into a bad episode
somehow, Makkari and Druig are able to bring her back, and she comes to lying on the floor of the Domo with her head in the other woman’s lap
Thena always finds herself surprised at how close Makkari continues to stay to her even though she’d almost died at her hands during her first Mahd W’yry attack
it pains her to see the way Druig, ever so slightly, becomes more protective of Makkari whenever she’s around because it’s just the three of them, and they all know that a Mahd W’yry Thena is an extremely dangerous Thena
I’m so sorry, Makkari, she signs after a horrid attack, hands shaking so much that to anyone else, her words wouldn’t have made sense, but without hesitation, I don’t blame you and I never will is signed back as Druig tends to the cut above her right eye, and I love you no matter what
she hasn’t had an attack in nearly four months when Thena tells them they should take her to Arishem and let him reset her mind to which Makkari (very nicely) tells her off for even mentioning such a thing and shockingly enough, Druig firmly disagrees with the idea as well
Phastos invites everyone to dinner and feeling bad for having declined his previous multiple offers over the months, she finally says yes
Makkari’s Thena-inflicted wounds have healed at this point (except for the scar on her cheek from one of Thena’s knives a few weeks ago), but Thena is sure that everyone knows what she’s done anyway, and it puts her on edge
Jack updates her about his classes in school and tells her about a “kid who says and does mean things” and she can feel the burn creep up behind her eyes (that she’s learned is a warning of an attack) at the thought of someone hurting this kid she’s grown to love very much
she has to excuse herself and because Jack still doesn’t understand, he tries to follow, and she ends up slamming a door in his face right as she loses the thread of sanity she’d been clinging to the entire visit
Thena can’t bring herself to even talk to Phastos, Jack, or Ben after that because she came entirely too close to hurting someone else she loves
Jack is eighteen the next time Thena does see him and his adoration for her hasn’t diminished one bit
Thena apologizes for staying away for so long and explains to him why, his response being to simply hug her, and tell her that she is “loved and cherished”
the longer Thena goes without an attack, the more she notices Druig starts to loosen up in her presence (again)
when Makkari impulsively decides to learn piano one day, Thena discovers just how soothing, her piano playing specifically, is, and eventually divulges to Makkari that it helps to keep her mind at bay
every now and then, something will remind Thena of Gilgamesh, and send her mind reeling, but Makkari had learned a few telltale signs prior to an attack, and in most cases, they’re now able to stop them
Thena likes to braid Makkari’s hair and depending on her mood, she’ll incorporate flowers
as much as Thena enjoys learning new things, she has to limit herself to avoid overwhelming her already fractured mind
the winter months are always the worst for Thena, but over the years, her and Makkari have come up with ways to help her get through them without an incident
Thena’s favorite time of year is right between spring and fall as everything around her changes and she’ll spend a lot of time outside
most of her wardrobe consists of off-white and tan, but never white, because white is clean and pure something she’ll never be
she’s multilingual (for obvious reasons), but finds herself mixing her languages up, or forgetting words and phrases
one of Thena’s deeply hidden concerns is that she’ll forget sign language, losing her primary form of communication with Makkari
You won’t forget. You’ll always remember, Makkari assures her confidently and all Thena can bring herself to do is thank her. You and Gil always believed in me even when I’d doubt myself. Thank you, Kari.
Thena’s nickname for Makkari is “Kari”
she does miss fighting, but tries her best not to dwell on it too much (because she sent herself spiraling into an attack by accident doing that in the past)
although she’s suffered with Mahd W’yry for years, Thena still isn’t exactly sure what all of her triggers are, and the thought of not knowing every single thing that could trigger her is one of the very few fears she has
Thena’s favorite color is orange because it reminds her of Gilgamesh
she misses Gilgamesh’s touch and the way it never failed to ground her
for the longest time, Thena didn’t think she would ever admit that aloud, and for the longest time, she didn’t
when she told Gilgamesh, his eyes crinkled at the corners from the beaming smile that spread across his face, and she couldn’t hold back her genuine smile in return
the only other person who she’d ever admitted that to was Makkari
it was as Thena was coming down from a Mhad W’yry attack which promptly sent her into a full blown panic attack, but Makkari was there, her Kari
Makkari held a hand up and Thena’s fingertips met hers, close your eyes, she signed, and Thena obeyed, red rimmed eyes fluttering closing, and her friend signed against her fingers, You’re okay, Thena. I’m here. Take a deep breath. And her other hand pulled Thena’s up to her chest.
it took nearly ten minutes of signed reassurances and mimicking Makkari’s controlled breaths for Thena to only have to force her sobs into submission rather than succumb to hyperventilation
I miss him, she signed and cried out, I just want to feel his hand in mine one more time, and Makkari wrapped her in a hug
neither of them spoke about it afterward
Makkari is the only other person Thena allows to get and remain physically close to her
Thena uses art, primarily oil painting, as a way of expression, especially after a Mahd W’yry attack, she’ll draw what flashed by her eyes
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adi06lena · 2 years
Text
What are you hiding Y/n?
Natty x fem reader
(yes imma soft bitch who calls her natty)
Warnings: angst with happy ending, accusations of cheating, cussing, death of children, rape is talked about, let me know if i need to add more!
y/n's birthday is September 21st
The first little bit is shitty!
word count<2415
no ones Pov
y/n was only a baby when she was given to hydra and the red room. She was put under mind control as a newborn and was experimented on which gave powers like scarlet witch. She was trained by the top widows and taskmaster herself. Drykov wanted the strongest widows and quick but didn't want to take years training new widows, he got off the streets, or out of orphanages, so he started a program called the "breeding program" in which he took his top widows with the best genes and training and "breeded" them so he could get widows that would inherit their mothers powers along with their fighting skills. If the babies were girls they were trained till age 7 and if they passed the entrance test they would then be put under mind control and filtered through the red room. if they were boys they would also be put under mind control but trained to be guards or scientists to work for the red room. y/n was entered into that program at 14.
When the red room fell y/n was 25, and all the widows were freed. They were offered jobs as shield agents or worked something out with the government, but to furry Y/n stood out from the rest of the widows, so he decided she would join the avengers. She was very against it until furry gave her two options:
"It's either a high security facility with stray jackets, power cuffs and shock collars where you will spend the rest of your life locked up or being an avenger with a nice life, so which is it savenkoff?"
Obviously she took the job and she doesn't regret it cause now 4 years later she has a girlfriend natasha romanoff and the avengers to call family. But there are some things her family still doesn't know about her. They still don't know about Y/n's daughters. y/n was 14 when she was put in the program and 15 when she had her twins, nalani and zhavia from the "breeding program". She never talked about it with anyone other than furry due to putting it on her file(which she and furry only had access to). Dreykov had them trained but they still failed the entrance test. Y/n was never really emotional and didn't care much for other people. That was until she had her girls. Y/n knew what would happen to her girls if they didn't pass. And when she
found out they failed she begged Dreykov to allow them to take it again but he didn't want half ass widows so he sent them to be killed. Y/n's daughters were killed in front of her, everyone was stunned. They all  knew he was evil but that was just inhuman. He said it would make her hard and cold. It worked. Because after that day she was just an emotionless girl, her body was there but she was on autopilot after that. The girl that everyone thought couldn't break, broke right in front of their eyes and was still breaking. She became hard and whoever crossed her path died. She may be 5,3 but she was feared by everyone around her.
After she was rescued she talked to furry about getting her girls gravestones. Of course he said yes. So every year she visits them on September 15th, their birthday. Y/n brings them flowers, a teddy bear and a balloon with "happy birthday" on it. Nalana and Zhavia always got cosmos because despite what they were born into and the things they had to do they were still bright and happy little girls. Y/n's birthday was september 21st so she would also try to go down to celebrate then as well. She did that every year. She would really go anytime she had the chance. It wasn't often she did but she tried.
After she got with Natasha 6 months after she was rescued. Natasha noticed these strange patterns.
Natashas pov September 15th
Y/n slips out and goes god knows where a few times a month and is gone for the whole day busy, it's not too often but its still suspicious, i've always tried to question her but she's always said
 "it was just a mission, natty".
At first I believed her but now I'm worried. she's done it again today, does she not love me? Who is she with? Is she cheating on me? That's all I can think about, am i really that unlovable that she has to find someone else? This is stressing me out, I need to talk to her soon.
Y/n's pov
I'm visiting my girls now, they're turning 15 today. I miss them. I usually lean the flowers with the little balloon in it that says happy birthday on their graves and put the teddy right beside the flowers. I tell them about my day and just life in general. I tell them about Natasha, I think they would like her. I know I should tell nat, but how do you even try to begin to explain that to a person? I know about the graduation ceremony. I got it myself, but I got a second chance. I have an artificial uterus and ovaries courtesy of the red room. But I don't know how she will feel? I don't get scared often but facing this scares me a lot. I stand up and touch my forehead to each of my daughters' graves and whisper a small “I love you”and “mama will be back soon”. I'll tell her soon. I've been here for a couple hours so I should head to the compound now.
I stand up and head back to my car. I unlock it and get in, I can't help but sit staring at their graves for a moment. All I can think is, why them? Why did it have to be my babies? Why did it have to be this way? I'm pulled from my thoughts when I feel a tear roll down my cheek, I quickly wipe it. Widows don't cry. I start my car and start making my way home. While I drive I can't help but feel like I'm on autopilot. Before I know it I'm already almost home. Natasha has probably been wondering where I was. I can't tell her yet. I'm not ready.
No ones pov
Y/n pulls into the parking lot. Nat perks up at the sound of a car and looks out the window, she's relieved to see her Y/n but she can't help the anger that rises in her chest. Where was she? is all Natasha can think. Before Y/n heads inside she makes sure to check her eyes, she's all good.
sure to check her eyes, she's all good.
Y/n's pov
I get out of my car and make sure it's locked. I plan on just going up to my room and finishing some mission reports but before I can make it Natasha stops me asking
"Where were you?'
I quickly say
"just a mission furry sent me at the last minute, why?"
All I can think about is just going to my room and doing my work. Why does she always do this?
Natasha then says
"you're lying"
I'm confused, how does she know? All i can say is
"what?"
Natashas pov
She knows! Her eyes always twitch when she lies, she's usually good at hiding it. It only happens when it's something important. She is cheating on me isnt she?
All i can ask is
"I need to ask you something, and I want you to be honest okay?"
She answers my question
"I'm confused, but okay."
i don't know if i want to know the answer but i ask
"Are you cheating on me?"
She's silent for a moment, with a confused look on her face.
Y/n's pov
She thinks I'm cheating?
I can't help but ask
"why would you think that natty?
She then counters me and says
"You think I don't notice!
Huh?
"I see you leave to god knows where and come home late in the evening! What Are you hiding Y/n?"
All i can say is
"No, of course not! It's just-"
I cut myself off and I just stand there. I don't think I'm ready? I can't tell her yet,  what if this changes things? What if she doesn't want me anymore?
I see her starting to walk away. I can't let her go. She's the only good thing I have now.
"Natty, please wait!"
Tears well up in my eyes. All she says is
"Why should i?
I need to tell her. I can't help but let my tears fall now
"just let me show you something, it will explain everything okay natalia?"
I've never used her real name before. but Natasha nods reluctantly. I don't want to tell her but I have too. I can't help my cold tone towards her now
"get your jacket and shoes natalia."
Natasha looks at me as if I just slapped her. I've never used a cold tone on her before. She grabs her stuff and puts it on. We then head out to the parking lot. We hop into my Toyota rav4. We buckle in and start the drive, it's only a 15 minutes drive to the graveyard. 
"you know i would never cheat on you right natalia?"
She only gives me a side glance and then focuses forward. This hurts, I hate this. We sit in silence for the rest of the drive.
She wears a surprised look when she sees where we pull up. She looks at me and says
"What are we doing here Y/n?"
I reply with a cold tone and deep russian accent saying
"you wanted to know where i go. Just Get out and follow me."
I can't help but feel anger towards her now. Does she really think I'm the kind of person to cheat?
We both got out and I locked my car. My girls are at the back because I wanted them to have some privacy.
Natashas pov
Why did she bring me here? Y/n and I take a little path to the back. We then come up to 2 little graves side by side. I read them.
Nalani savenkoff
Date of birth: September 15th, ****
Age of death: 7
Sister, twin & daughter
Mother: Y/n savenkoff
Zhavia savenkoff
Date of birth: September 15th,****
Age of death:7
Sister, twin & daughter  
Mother: Y/n savenkoff
Tears welled up in my eyes.
Y/n pov
I watched as Natasha read until the realization hit her, I saw tears well up in her eyes. I turned away. She knows now. She knows I'm used and broken.
Its silent for a moment until i say
"This is where i come when i 'slip away', i come to see my daughters"
She just looks at me a says
"I didn't know"
"Only furry does. I've never told anyone else"
I can tell by her face she has many questions
"What do you want to know?"
Natashas pov
I start with
" how?"
She answers my question with a question
"Did you ever hear of 'Red rooms 'breeding program' natalia?"
Oh god, no they didn't do that to my beloved. Y/n then continues
"I was only 14 when i was registered, 15 when i had them"
She was so young. I just stay silent. She keeps going.
"They called it 'breeding', it wasnt, they sent men into rape us. Although i don't think they can really be called men''
She finally looked at me, tears streaming down her face. My heart ached for her. How could they do that to a little girl? She was only a kid. I couldn't help but ask
"Why?"
She looked away as she started again.
"Red room had a test for children of the 'breeding program' at the age of 7 and if you don't pass they're killed and-"
I cut her off
"-They didn't pass, did they?"
She nodded her head and takes a shaky breath before she says
"I begged dreykov for another chance - i even offered my life- but he simply said no"
She took another shaky breath and continued
"He killed them right in front of me. He said it would help with my training"
As soon as I heard that my heart shattered into a million little pieces.
"I couldn't do anything but watch and hear their cries- I wasn't even able to hold them - I could hear them scream 'mama' but I couldn't do anything but watch. I couldn't even scream for them to stop. I tried so hard to get to them but I couldn't. I never got to tell my babies that i love them"
How could he do that to her? How could he do that to them? They were just small. My voice cracked as i say
"Baby girl, i'm so sorry"
She looked at me again tears streaming down her face and says
"I'm really damaged, natty. i won't blame you if you don't want-"
I cut her off 
"Why wouldn't I still want you my love?"
Her tears fall harder as she says
"I to used nat- scars cover my body-  why would you want someone like me?"
I hate that he made her think this!
"Babygirl, I love who you are, what you look like doesn't matter to me. What you've been through doesn't make me stop loving you."
She just looked at me with red and puffy eyes. i continued 
"Do you wanna know what one very wise person said to me?"
She nodded. so i continued
"They once told me the scars that litter a person's body tell someone's story- and it may not be a beautiful story- but not all stories are beautiful. stories show what a person has survived. They show how strong that person is for getting through it. you wanna know who told me that?"
She looks at me and says with her thick Russian accent
"Who natty?'
Wow this girl.
"You did, you idiot"
She laughs with a little smile mumbling 'i'm not an idiot, i just got a bad memory' before wiping her nose on her jacket. I can't help but laugh a little. I then say
"Ill always love, not matter what you've survived babygirl"
She looks up at me for a moment before surprising me with a hug. I mumble a small ' i love you baby girl ' she looks up at me and pecks my lips mumbling back on my lips a soft 'i love you too bubba'  i love this girl and nothing will ever change that.
 this is from my wattpad 
Sorry if it's shit I've never written like this before. any tips or anything to improve my writing would be appreciated!
please dont judge yall im already nervous about posting this
Take care of yourselves. Drink water. Go out and touch some grass idk.
Have a good day/evening/night! <3
~adi out<3
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blisschi · 3 years
Note
Hi, can i request a zhongli x male reader angst to fluff hanahaki au where male reader was a God a long time ago who died to hanahaki because of zhongli and guizhong, but male reader is resurrected as a mortal and zhongli sees them again
Hey! I'm not completely sure if that is what you meant nonnie, but this idea was stuck in my head for a while now and I just had to write it! It's certainly not one of my best pieces but.. I hope you like it.. 💕
🌸In another life🌸
Pairing: Zhongli x Hanahaki! M! Reader
Warnings: Major Character Death, Angst to Fluff..? I think.. It's really bittersweet.
Notes: u_u ... I can't english
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Zhongli turned his head towards the storyteller, who clearly caught his attention with the words that just left his mouth. Although for most people it was unknown, forgotten, Zhongli never forgot a single event in the story he started.
"Once upon a time, there was a young god who loved every creature in Tayvat."
He lowered the cup that he was holding, focusing his attention on the words of the story.
They always started out the same.
"The god that loved every creature in Tayvat, the same god that would offer everything to everyone by his love, lost life."
They always ended the same way.
Zhongli closed his eyes and took a deep breath, remembering the moment he met the young man with a smile on his face.
The man told him that he was visiting Liyue out of sheer curiosity, and that he was coming back to it out of curiosity as well.
"Do you think I could be any kind of a threat to you?" You laughed softly, turning your head towards your friend. Although you were a weak god and you were far from strong, somehow the Geo Archon decided to devote a moment of his attention to you. The moment that sprouted into feeling.
Morax smiled slightly and walked closer to you, gazing out at the sea of ​​clouds.
"Things that are dangerous, not often have to look like a threat."
Just like love.
Love can be beautiful, but won't it turn into poison in the blink of an eye as soon as you lose control of it?
Like flowers, can delight with their amazing charm, when their roots must dig into the very center of the heart, almost breaking it.
"He taught him to understand."
"The young god introduced himself by the name [Y / N]. He befriended Rex Lapis, despite different views and observations." The storyteller continued.
Zhongli looked down at his cup, half full of tea. His mind was full of the thoughts he always chose to leave to himself. He thought that from the mortals, he probably would never hear this name again.
Morax sighed softly, smiling as you pulled his hand along the fields of flowers. He never really understood why you loved them so much, but he could accept that the time you spent with them made you feel relaxed.
"You have some really beautiful plants here, you know?" You laughed as you let go of his hand and ran to one of the trees, immediately sitting under it. The other male calmly approached you and watched as one of the butterflies sat on your finger.
Maybe it was your charm that all creatures loved so much? Until then, he was unable to answer this question. Why did he choose to protect you? Is it because he really thought you were a dear friend to him? Maybe it was because you seemed so vulnerable and weak, just making him feel pity.
You lifted your hand up, showing the creature to your friend. It's wings were golden that gleamed like the light of the setting sun.
"It's so small. but it was not afraid to sit on my finger.. just like I was not afraid to make contact with you, Morax." Glistening pupils looked at you now, taking their attention away from the butterfly. "If you wanted to, I would have been lying underground a long time ago. If you only thought that I was a threat.. ha.."
You laughed softly as you watched the butterfly fly away from your sight.
"You wouldn't hesitate to attack me, would you?"
"He taught him to look up to the future."
Sometimes being weak has its advantages. Not everyone sees you as their enemy, the stronger will usually ignore you, or offer help caused by feelings of pity. Pity over your existence and weakness.
Where do you see this land in a few hundred years, Morax? It was one of your first questions to him that he had to think seriously about. Of course, he cared about Liyue, but admittedly he never thought about what everything would look like in the future.
Will he still dominate these beautiful landscapes? Will he still be able to be called their Archon?
"He taught him to take care."
Zhongli smiled, closing his eyes. He would never have thought it would end this way. True, his life was not over, but the divine era certainly came to an end. People, although weak - will cope.
A soft laugh broke the silence in the room as you ran one hand through the god's hair. This was one of those days where you spent time together, without any worries. You gently braided Morax's hair, smiling to yourself.
"Maybe you should wear this hairstyle more often?" You asked, gently tangling some pieces of flowers into his hair. He just closed his eyes and relaxed in the feeling of your touch. Your hands always seemed extremely delicate. "No? The great god who rules over all Liyue doesn't have time to spend a few minutes making a hairstyle?"
"I didn't say anything." The man sighed and turned to face you. "Why should I worry about a trivial thing like my hair?"
You raised your eyebrows and tilted your head slightly, apparently surprised by his answer.
"Isn't it nicer to look at Liyue when everything is in its place?" You asked, getting up from the ground and placing both of your hands on his shoulders. "If you take care of every smallest element.. eventually these elements will fit together and create perfection.. No matter if it is the perfect weapon.. power.. or hairstyle.."
You were happy watching your friend become attached to more people. At first you enjoyed it, you thought you helped him open up to the world. On your journey together, you met a large number of amazing beings, but suddenly one goddess appeared that seemed to take the person dearest to you away.
"The young god taught him feelings that Rex Lapis did not understand before. He helped him open up to new things, to new people."
Zhongli gritted his teeth as he remembered the rest of the story. Even though you taught him so much, he still understood so little back then.
"[Y / N] had feelings for Morax stronger than to any other being. But it was not his will that made the love strong." The storyteller continued, drawing the attention of more people. "For one-sided love is the strongest. For one-sided love hurts the most."
Goddess of dust, beautiful and gentle, good-hearted and wise. She was a weak god, just like you, maybe that was why Morax had paid more attention to her back then? Maybe he forgot that in fact your strenght was nothing, but his presence near you. He spent every free moment with the goddess. You dreamt that he could give you more attention, but apparently it was not given to you.
You taught him so much and all he offered you was jealousy. Jealousy was eating you from the inside as you saw the goddess slowly pull Morax towards her. It hurt your heart when you had the opportunity to meet a man less and less. But you yourself didn't have the heart to stop it all, because you knew that this goddess meant well for him.
You understood that it was easy to fall in love with someone like him.
"The years passed, the gods drifted apart. The young god was helping Rex Lapis to understand the newer and newer feelings that the goddess had helped him to experience this time."
You understood that you are not the only one who deserves this feeling to be returned.
Zhongli shook his head and opened his eyes, staring at his reflection in the already cold tea. If he knew you thought so.. If he knew he was slowly breaking your heart while spending time with the goddess, it would have all ended differently.
Anyway, it never came out of his mouth that they were 'just friends', it never came out of his mouth that they were something more..
Zhongli clenched his fist, remembering your last moments with him. He remembered your tears, your painful, but smiling face.
"Over time, his feelings did not diminish, but bloomed like the flower buds that he admired so much on his first visit to Liyue. The feeling became unbearable, breaking his heart, hurting him, making him even weaker. The young god then wanted the feeling of love to become something alien to him. "
He remembered you asking him to tell you one of the old stories that he once told you at the beginning of your friendship.
"Why do you suddenly want to hear it? I must say, it's not one of the most interesting ones.."
You laughed quietly, but apart from the laughter, a choked cough escaped your mouth, which you tried to hide with all your might.
"It just.. this story really brings me good memories.. remember? You told it to me when we were sitting under the same tree.. years ago.."
Morax closed his eyes and leaned against the tree, staring up at the sky.
"Well then.."
Zhongli stared at his hands placed on the table in front of him. If he himself lost his life, would he be able to meet you again?
"It was their last meeting. The young god left after him nothing but flowers, which slowly choked him from the inside. Rex Lapis never lost the abilities he had received from his friend. Rex Lapis never forgot, he carried his feelings to the end. One can only hope that after the death of the God of Geo, the two met again."
"Master Zhongli, right?" A soft voice snapped him out of his thoughts, making him look up at the person that called his name. "Can I sit here?"
A joyful smile on the face of a stranger, unusually similar to the smile of a young god who left this world many years ago. The same gaze, that looked at his face with love and affection.
Zhongli nodded slightly, not taking his eyes away from the face of the newly met person.
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"I see you here a lot, so I figured I'd introduce myself!" The male laughed, painting a smile on Zhongli's face as he reached towards the consultant. "[Y/N]."
"Maybe in another life, they'll be happy together'."
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dancingamongstdust · 3 years
Text
Creepypasta Scenarios - First Meeting Part 2
Hoodie
The area where you lived had a ton of back alleyways that acted as shortcuts in a pinch. They were generally safe but you often got an uncomfortable feeling when using them so you preferred to take the busier roads if you could.
Unfortunately, when you had gone to leave work that day, you had spotted the customer who had been harassing you the entire day. It wasn’t anything creepy but it was over-the-top persistent and you weren’t in the mood to deal with it. You slipped out the backdoor as a result. At least you’d get home sooner.
For the most part, you didn’t encounter anything too suspicious and the light from the streets illuminated where you were going.
The large bins outside the grocer’s home indicated that you were getting close. You sped up and rubbed your eyes blearily.
Ahead of you, a dog was barking from inside one of the buildings. It was a pretty noisy animal and you began peering around to see what the source of its agitation was. Ironically, you ended up bumping directly into him.
“I’m sorry,” you apologised, rubbing your shoulder.
The guy was tall, wearing dark clothing and standing right in the shadows. You could have probably noticed him if you were a little more awake.
He turned and your breath caught.
His face was obscured by a dark mask with red features stitched onto it. His hoodie which originally seemed dark was now illuminated into a soft yellow or orange, stained with a dark substance.
“What are you doing here?” he asked. His voice crackled out, clearly coming through a voice changer of some kind.
“I – I was just taking a shortcut home. I live near here so I thought… I really didn’t mean to bump into you. I’m super tired.”
“Tired or not, you shouldn’t have seen me,” the guy said. “Do you have a phone or a camera?”
Slowly, you reached into your bag and pulled out your phone. “I don’t have any cash in my wallet –“
“I don’t want your money!” he snapped. “I’m not some petty thief, believe me, I have better things to do with me time. Unlock this.”
You did so and he went through it with a gloved hand. He didn’t have a weapon but something in your gut warned you to just go along with it. Nobody covered up everything, including their voice, when they were up to something good. This guy may not be a thief… but the alternative didn’t feel too much better.
He shoved your phone back at you. “Get out of here and don’t breathe a word of this to anybody. Consider yourself lucky that I’m in a good mood today.”
You swallowed nervously. “Thank you?”
“I’m serious,” he warned. “I can let you go just because you seem pathetic enough to not take this to the police but unless you want to catch a bullet in your back, you’ll keep quiet. My boss doesn’t like people getting involved with this nonsense.”
“A bullet?”
He didn’t answer and your heart thundered in your chest. Part of you wondered if he was going to kill you while you ran away but his attention seemed to have moved away from you. You hurried away, holding your breath the entire time. Every time you glanced over your shoulder, the guy remained unmoving.
When you reached your home, you locked the door tightly and slumped against it in exhaustion.
Homicidal Liu
The sunset was beautiful over the graveyard – the only beauty to an otherwise morbid place.
You stared at the purples and oranges dancing across the sky. The wreath pricked at your hands after a while and you stared down at it. Why did you still bother with bringing flowers? Hadn’t it been long enough? Still, you made your way down to the grave and placed them there, not even bothering to read the name on there.
Lately, your graveyard visits had becoming fewer and fewer. Time hadn’t been on your side recently and thus, your precious solitude had to suffer. You relished in the way that nobody really bothered you here.
An orange glow warned you when the streetlights came on. Perhaps you had been there for longer than you thought but this was to be your last visit.
Better to make it count.
Something caught in the wind made you raise your head. A piece of fabric was stuck in the nearby fence, identifiable as a scarf when you ventured closer.
You took it from the fence and looked around for its owner. Nobody was in view… maybe it had been blown off one of the graves? It did seem homemade.
Guessing, you began to place it on a grave when a voice startled you.
“I’m sorry to bother but I think you have my scarf?”
The man was standing far too close for you to have not seen him when you were glancing around but you blamed that on your night vision. He wore dark clothing and seemed awkward just to be speaking to you.
“Thank goodness,” you said. “I was just going to leave it on one of the graves because I didn’t know who it belonged to.”
He thanked you for it, wrapping it around the lower half of his face almost immediately. “That would be a waste,” he said. “Especially to leave it on this one. Thank you for grabbing it.”
A harsh wind blew through the graveyard, carrying with it the smell of an incoming storm. He grabbed his scarf just in time to prevent it from going flying away again.
“Seems like the weather is determined to steal it from you.”
“Far more powerful things have tried.”
You buried yourself further into your jacket and smiled. “I haven’t seen you around before, are you new in town or just coming to visit a new grave?”
“I’m not visiting a grave,” he admitted. “I just thought that this would be the way back to my house… I grew up in this town but only recently moved back and I’m already lost. It’s a little embarrassing if I’m honest.”
“Well, I like to know everybody,” you said. “What’s your name?”
“Su – I mean, Liu,” he said. “Liu. Sorry, I nearly gave you my surname.”
You laughed. “Oh that’s no problem. It’s nice to meet you but I really like your name. Is it Chinese?”
“I don’t know,” he said. He looked around and began walking away. “I really have to go. Thank you for getting my scarf and all that.”
“I’ll see you around,” you said with a wave.
It was only later when you realised how suspicious that entire interaction was. You had never seen Liu before in your life and he was just hanging around in the graveyard? He hadn’t seemed too creepy at least. Maybe you would see more of him in the coming days.
Jane the Killer
It wasn’t that you were unobservant or inattentive toward girls but nobody had really caught your eye until Jane.
She was stunning in a way that few people could ever match with dark hair that tumbled past her hips and soulful eyes. Her walk was always confident, her smile always perfect, and her attention always desirable. Your main regret about life was that you didn’t speak to her sooner – especially when you thought back on what happened not too long after your first meeting.
You organised with your friends to somehow bump into her but instead, you wound up getting treated for a pretty painful bruised hip. Your second plan didn’t work out either and your third never even left the drawing board.
“Just go up to her and say hi. Tell her that she’s beautiful,” your friend encouraged. “She’ll say thanks and then you’ll be able to talk to her.”
“That’s so boring though,” you said. “It’s not like something out of a romance novel.”
Your friend groaned and stood up. “Well, I’m going home. We have like three months left of high school and I’m not going to spend that time obsessing over how to speak to a girl. She’s literally a regular person.”
They were right and you knew that. No matter how you tried to set up a sweeping romance, it probably wouldn’t work out.
So you tried.
And you tried.
Two weeks later, you were about to give up on mimicking a romance novel and it appeared that your friend was thinking the same thing. She grabbed your arm and began to drag you somewhere, muttering about changing the topic. You had a vague idea of where you were going but you didn’t fight too much.
“What if she’s still dating that Woods boy?” you asked. “The older one.”
“They broke up after literally a month of dating. I don’t blame her – those Woods boys are pretty enough but the older one has something seriously wrong with him. And the younger one is always talking to himself…”
“I really don’t care about the Woods’,” you commented.
“No, you care about Jane who is honestly quite weird as well,” they said. “But that is going to be your problem and not mine.”
They dragged you directly up to her group. It wasn’t large – despite Jane’s beauty, she wasn’t incredibly popular due to her associations. Your friend wasn’t the only one who was a little scared of the Woods boys and Jane had hung out with them for quite a while.
“Hey,” your friend said before even letting you go. “You have no idea who we are but my friend here has a massive crush on you. Could you please just say hi so they can get it out of their system?”
You were sure that it was unhealthy to be as red as you were. It felt like your heart was about to leap from your chest.
Jane laughed, a soft and gentle sound. “I’m not really interested in a relationship,” she hummed. “But thank you. That’s very flattering.”
Somehow, your heart sped up still and you awkwardly rubbed your arm. “No problem?”
“Why don’t you join us for a little bit?” Jane offered. “Just because I don’t want to date anybody doesn’t mean that we can’t become friends. You look like my kind of person.”
You stumbled over your words but somehow, your conversation managed to go extremely well. Jane was brilliant in every possible way and you quickly grew attached to seeing her every day. That was why you mourned so greatly when she died.
Jason the Toymaker
The sun was so warm against your skin. You could stay there forever, stretched out on the grass and basking in the sunlight.
“It’s done,” your friend’s voice broke through your daydreaming
You opened your eyes and rolled over to see exactly what they had been working on for the entire trip. After realising the first few times that you weren’t going to get a reaction, you had decided to wait for them to finish working before you tried to have a conversation.
“I didn’t know you could draw,” you said. “That’s amazing.”
The hyper-realistic man was sketched to perfection with a top hat, a fur coat, and a small mouse sitting on his left shoulder. It felt like his eyes could piece into your soul.
“Who is that?” you asked them.
They stared blankly at the image and shook their head. “I don’t know,” they said. “He’s been in my dreams for so long. I think it has something to do with my amnesia. Maybe I knew him once before.”
“He’s a little intimidating,” you said. “I could imagine him to be a ringleader in a circus that’s like a secret cult. Maybe he’s why you lost your memory.”
“Maybe…” they said, tapping the picture. They suddenly shoved it into your chest and stood up. “You keep that. I don’t want it anywhere near me. I need to go talk to my parents.”
You watched them race out of the park in confusion. The man in the picture stared up at you with haunting eyes.
Folding it in half so it didn’t freak you out, you stood and dusted off your clothing. Maybe it would be best if you headed home. It was getting late either way.
Later on, you’d call your friend and check up on them.
About 10 minutes away from your house, the feeling of being watched snuck up on you. It hung heavily around your shoulders like a cloak. You glanced around but saw nobody.
Still, you didn’t feel comfortable leading whoever was following you back to your house. You made a point of walking amongst large crowds and headed for the police station.
They were watching you the whole way.
You sped up. A few people bumped into you and you apologised as best as you could. Your grip on the picture was getting tighter enough for you to tear it. The later it got, the fewer people were on the streets and so you were pretty much alone when you bumped into him.
It took you a few seconds to recognise the man from the drawing.
If you thought his drawn eyes were captivating, they had nothing on his real ones which glowed with an almost ethereal light.
“You’re him,” you breathed.
He stared at you, smile falling from his face in confusion. “Who?”
You shakily held out the drawing and he yanked it from your hands. “My friend drew that,” you explained. “They said that its of somebody from their past. They have amnesia you see.”
He was unmoving as he studied the picture. You began feeling a little uncomfortable and then his gaze snapped to you. “Is that so?” he asked.
You nodded and took a small step away from him. “Maybe you should go and talk to them? See –“ you swallowed nervously. “See if you can help them remember?”
“No need,” he said, dropping the paper on the ground. “Who are you?”
Your name came out as little more than a soft whisper. Something about the entire scenario made you uneasy. His appearance was too unnatural.
A gust of wind came by, picking up the drawing and whipping it away. You watched it go and when you looked back down, his eyes were locked on you.
“Such a pity,” he said. “You would have been the perfect doll.”
Wearily, you took a step backwards. His words made your stomach churn uneasily. “What are you talking about?”
He smiled. It was kind and warm but it only made you more nervous. His eyes looked like they had almost changed colour; shifted a shade darker than previously. “Thinking aloud my dear,” he said.
“About dolls?” you asked.
He tilted his head a little towards you. “I’m going to have to bid you goodbye. It seems I have other matters to attend to.” He brushed past you, stopping briefly when directly next to you. “Consider yourself lucky.”
He was gone before you could even spin around to face him.
Jeff the Killer
Pausing the song, you removed your earphones as quietly as possible and placed them down on your desk. According to the blinking numbers on your phone screen, it was nearing 2 AM. Far too late for anybody to make an excess of noise.
You listened closely. The music had been too loud for you to hear anything and you almost brushed the strange noise off as your sleep-deprived imagination. Until something squeaked like shoe soles on tiles.
In retrospect, you should have immediately called 911 but you didn’t want to sound a false alarm.
The light switch was thankfully directly outside your room. The hall illuminated most of the house when they were on and it steeled your nerves. Your roommate’s door was open, allowing you to confirm their sleeping state, curled up in their bed amongst the piles of mess. They had had to move to the spare room due to a faulty window earlier in the day and had clearly given up sorting items.
You glanced into the apartment’s other rooms before heading to the kitchen. There was nothing odd. The scuttling when you entered the kitchen just suggested that your neighbour’s rat infestation may be migrating.
Making a mental note to call the exterminator, you turned to switch off the kitchen light.
Something slammed into you, forcing your back to collide with a wall. A hand covered your mouth and the overwhelming scent of blood and decay invaded your nose. Something cold and sharp pressed against your neck.
“Shut up and stay still,” the man snarled at you. “I don’t think anybody will appreciate you getting blood in the kitchen.”
Your heart leapt into your throat and your body stilled. The man in front of you was terrifying. His skin pale and mutilated. Eyes far too wide for a normal person and dancing with an insanity that sent chills down your spine.
And his mouth… a bloody smile carved across his face, stretching halfway to his ears.
He studied your face carefully and his expression twisted. “You’re not the right one,” he snapped. The knife moved away from your neck, so he could point with it. “I had this all planned and yet when I came into that room, I found it empty. Why?”
Even if he hadn’t been holding your mouth shut, you doubted you would have been able to formulate an answer. The pounding heartbeat in your ears was nearly blocking out his voice.
He lightly tapped your cheek with his knife. “Not that it matters,” he said. “I’ll just have to adapt my original plan. You’re not the right target but I’m a huge fan of collateral damage.”
A small whimper escaped you and tears welled at your eyes. You didn’t want to die.
“Don’t blubber!” he ordered. “View it as a good thing. You’ll be all over the news. Another victim of Jeff the Killer. Hell, you might even be added to a Wikipedia page or something.”
You could recall that name from the news. Often followed by a lengthy list of deaths and the police chief begging for any information about the murderer.
Jeff stared at you for a long minute before he pressed the knife’s blade to your throat and moved his hand away from your mouth. “Scream and I will remove your vocal cords,” he threatened. “Who are you?”
It took several deep breaths and a flicker of impatience in his expression to give you the ability to talk again. You stammered out your full name as quickly as you possibly could.
He rolled his eyes and tilted the knife so it scratched your skin. A sticky and warm substance ran down your throat in small droplets. “Pathetic.”
“Sorry,” you whispered on instinct. “Please don’t kill me.”
“Why not?” he asked. “You ruined my earlier plans to take out my original target by interrupting me before I could find them. Why shouldn’t I settle for you instead?”
You didn’t have an answer.
He took the blade away from your throat. “If you call the police and report what happened here tonight, I will slice you into little pieces.”
It was almost twenty minutes after he left before you regained any movement in your body. You slumped into a heap on the kitchen floor and started sobbing.
Kagekao
Things had been going missing around your house.
Initially, you had thought it was just due to you forgetting where you’d plopped things because it was simple things. Drinks that vanished, keys turning up on the opposite side of the house, and random spills that you didn’t remember making.
But then it started getting weirder still.
You would make food and pack it away, knowing that you would eat it later, and find it gone. Picture frames disappeared, never to be seen again. Your rug half-unraveled during the night and you found it in a pile the next morning. A candle in your bathroom fell over and, somehow, the curtains on the other side of the house had caught alight.
It was suspicious, to say the very least. You began to think that you had some kind of intruder – once, the news reported that a woman found a homeless man living in her attic and eating her food when she wasn’t looking.
So you went out and bought cameras, setting them up throughout your house.
For two weeks, they caught nothing until one of them ended up breaking. You went to get it repaired and the company managed to recover what it had last seen. Which was nothing on your first glance.
But you were soon to realise, that was only because you had been looking at the floor.
While you were rewatching when you got home, you noticed something. The window was sitting wide open and the camera’s angle only allowed you to see half of it. Right toward the end of the feed, a gloved hand appeared on the side of the window and a slight shadow indicated something climbing through.
So you got reinforced windows and made sure that none were open unless you were in the room.
Things still continued happening.
You were beginning to get really annoyed by this. It was tempting to go to the police and let them just handle it but that was going to be a lot of effort that you really didn’t care for. You didn’t feel like you were in much danger. Nothing had happened in your bedroom.
Your next plan was to set up a trap of some kind. With a hidden camera set up, you made extra food and left it on the counter to see if something happened.
The next day, you watched as a plastic toy of some kind was thrown directly into the plate from somewhere off-camera, breaking it and leaving an absolute mess everywhere.
Still not considering it to be anything dangerous, you just cleaned up the mess and loudly cursed out anybody who was listening. You stalked the house after that, searching every nook and cranny with a bat in hand. The final place was the closet in your bedroom and you peered in, expecting nothing.
When you turned around though, you spotted something sitting in the corner of the room.
It was humanoid with arms twisted into awkward positions and a mask on its face. Half the mask was black and the other white, both sides bearing an unnaturally smiling expression. The creature cackled when you saw it and scuttled out of the door, stuck to the roof the entire time.
A second passed.
Then another.
You pinched your arm hard and waited to wake up. Surely there was no way… I mean, why would… humans didn’t generally crawl along the ceiling? Well, you were quite sure they never did that. You must have been imagining it.
A second laugh corrected you on that.
You swallowed thickly, walked over to your door as calmly as possible and locked it. Then you took out your phone and finally called the police.
Kate the Chaser
The day when Kate was sent away remained very clear in your mind. It was a moment that brought extremely change to your life, mixing up your friend group and sending you in a different direction.
The years has passed and you had never gotten over your best friend. They said that she had lost her mind and you knew it was true. All those games investigating the woods and ghost hunting must have put a toll on her mind. Sometimes, you blamed yourself for all the pranks and you knew that Lauren had similar doubts.
And now she was back.
Lauren and you hadn’t remained close, the entire situation feeling too real with one another. Your greeting was stilted but neither of you wanted to be the first to approach the house.
“Do you think that she remembers us?” Lauren asked.
“If she didn’t then her mom wouldn’t have invited us over,” you said.
You stood in complete silence, staring up at the house. Would you even recognise Kate? The last time that you had seen her was when you were both young children and her face remained at that age in your memories.
Eventually, you gained your confidence before Lauren and you walked over, knocking on the door before anxiety could find you.
Kate answered the door and you forgot why you had ever been nervous.
Time had slimmed her face and shortened her hair. Her eyes were still a gentle brown and the cockiness had faded from her smile, but it was recognisable from your nostalgia. It made you feel warm and known – an aura that you had missed without even realising it.
“Hi,” you greeted.
Kate pulled you into a tight hug and you returned it, clutching at her tightly as though she could slip through your fingers. It really had been too long and when you moved away, she held onto Lauren with the same enthusiasm.
“How have you been?” she asked. “You have to tell me everything.”
The three of you spent the rest of the afternoon having tea and just talking about the world at large. Kate didn’t have many stories from the hospital – she claimed it was because the place had been extremely boring and neither of you pushed to find out more about it. Honestly, it was more comfortable to act as though she had simply moved away.
Lauren had to leave first and you were going to go with her but Kate had looked so down that you remained just a little longer. That was when things got weird.
“I’ve missed music a lot,” Kate sighed.
“Did they not allow you to listen to music?”
She grimaced. “No, they did but often I couldn’t hear it over the static. Its mostly gone away now but it came back last night… it fills my brain and all that I can think of is a way to make the pain stop.”
The colour drained from your face as you stared at her. You didn’t know much about what happened to her but you had thought she would be okay now.
Realising it, Kate hurried to reassure you, “I really have recovered,” she said. “My hallucinations have faded and my medication keeps my emotions in check. You really don’t have to be scared of me.”
You stared down at your cup awkwardly. “I’m not scared of you,” you reassured her. “You’ve never done anything to me.”
She nodded. “It will be alright, you’ll see. I’m ready to get back to a normal life with my friends and not have to worry about that ghost stuff ever again.”
Laughing Jack
It was on your leg…
The glare you fixed the small child with could wilt plants. It didn’t care though and merely clutched at your clothing with a happy smile. “Come play with me?” it asked. “I can introduce you to all my friends!”
“How old is she again?” you grumbled at your friend.
Your friend laughed and ruffled their cousin’s hair. “I had an imaginary friend when I was 10. She’s only 6, she’s still at the stage where they’re a big deal.”
The child was oblivious to your conversation and reached out her arms. “Come on. The parents are being boring. I have candy that my friend gave me. We can share it.”
“I agreed to come along to your family get together to keep you company,” you said to your friend. “You know I don’t like children. Babysitting really isn’t my forte.”
All you received for your complaining was laughter.
By the time you had the 4th teddy bear had been introduced, you were done. Why did one kid have so many toys?
“Now which one of your friends gives you candy?” your friend asked. “Because if it’s from Princess, I don’t think it’s edible. What if she secretly puts glitter in it?”
Expected to play along, you sighed. “Unless it’s glitter from rainbows because then it’s got magic powers and allows you to fly.”
The child liked your thumb-sucked statement because she jumped up in excitement. “I don’t get it from Princess. Jack gives it to me! But if Princess can make me fly, I want to have that kind of candy instead!”
“Which one’s Jack again?” you asked, eyeing the line of toys.
“He’s not here right now,” the child said, biting her inner cheek. She turned in a circle. “Sometimes he hides in the cupboard though!” She ran over to her cupboard and pulled the doors open. “I don’t think – OW!”
She reeled backwards, clutching her cheek. Both you and your friend immediately jumped up and ran over to her. A tiny slice mark ran across the side of her face. It wasn’t anything serious, but she was sobbing as though it would kill her. You presumed a small edge on one of the boxes in the cupboard had been the cause.
“Do you want me to take you to mom, so she can kiss it better?” your friend asked. “Your new best friend can wait here and make sure all your toys are safe.”
The child nodded, and she got led out of the room. You rolled your eyes at the sensitivity and reached into the cupboard to push the box out of the way. A clawed hand reached out of nowhere and grabbed your wrist tightly.
Before you could even shout, it lifted you off the ground by your arm and a second hand had wrapped around your mouth.
The monster’s body appeared out of the closet.
It was a clown. Easily 7ft tall and comprised of monochrome colours with a sharp, pointed nose and long, greasy hair. Its black lips spread into a smile, revealing pointed teeth and a sickeningly sweet breath.
You writhed against its grip, trying to scream or do anything but it was insanely strong, and it just laughed at your efforts.
“How mean,” it purred, leaning in close to your face. “You ask who I am and then, when I appear to you, you insult my appearance. Awful etiquette. Your parents should be concerned about how rude you are to strangers.”
You strained your memory to think about what you had been doing before it grabbed you but the adrenaline was clouding your mind. What had you asked? You struggled more with the lack of memories.
The clown shook its head. “I haven’t revealed myself to somebody so old in a long time. You should be flattered but instead you choose to try and kick me. This is why I don’t do this. Children are far more polite.”
He released you suddenly and you landed hard on the ground. It winked and disappeared, right as your friend and her cousin returned.
“You met Jack!” the child shouted excitedly, pointing to the candy lying next to you.
You shoved it away from you as quickly as possible.
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when jason todd was thirteen years old, bruce bought him a collection of dusty old novels from a dingy little bookstore as a christmas present. their spines were wrinkled and their pages were musty and jason read each one fifteen times over in joy. his favourite was a no-name florist’s personal journal, in which each flower they carefully cultivated was laid out in the page with watercolour, information along with the meaning of the plant was scribbled out in ink. it still rests on the top shelf of the bookcase in jason’s old room, gathering dust and losing memories. 
vines grow all along the abandoned end of wayne manor gardens, vines that alfred doesn’t touch because he knows bruce finds the purple hyacinths beautiful. the frustrating part of these flowers, however, are that they refuse to bloom until late, when all the other flowers have blossomed and withered and died. only then do they slowly peek out of their buds, as bruce runs a gentle finger over them. please forgive me, are the words that line their petals, and bruce wonders who exactly he’s begging for forgiveness. damian, cass, for breaking all his promises for a new life? tim, for turning a smart little boy into a battle-hardened weapon? jason, for never loving him as much as he asked for? dick, for placing a responsibility on his shoulders simply because bruce can’t bear to bear it alone? or alfred, for breaking the man’s heart with every move he makes?
roy let dick borrow his pickup truck and kori was the one who lugged everything up the stairs to dick’s apartment, but dick was the one who transferred the dropping zinnias from their cracked plastic case into painted and patterned pots. they’re common, easy to grow, so dick knows he won’t mess up too badly, but their multicolored hue fills dick with a lightness that he cherishes. never forget the absent, they remind him constantly, and he never does. the orange pot on his kitchen counter makes him think of all the times wally had laughed while stuffing his face, the magenta cluster on his windowsill brings back memories of donna’s hugs. the pink pot on his coffee table is the same colour as lian’s favourite hairband, and he wishes the white flowers in a jar near his bed good morning and good night every day, twice, one for his mother and one for his father. sometimes a butterfly will come into his open window and land on the bright petals; that always makes dick smile.
jason wakes up screaming from nightmares more often than not, but he realizes too late that the screams are only ringing inside his head. the spines of asphodel flowers rake up and down his throat, scraping him raw until he drowns in his own blood. taking his rage out on anyone who crosses his path doesn’t stop them, breaking down sobbing and drunk with artemis and bizarro doesn’t stop them, staying up all night with coffee doesn’t stop them. so he visits his grave instead, and he wonders why the hell bruce keeps coming back. those ugly white flowers are always there, gently placed in front of a lovingly carved tombstone. my regrets follow you to the grave, they taunt him, and jason wonders what exactly bruce regrets: letting him die or finding out that he couldn’t love jason anymore when he came back?
janet drake’s favourite flowers were hollyhocks, and tim didn’t have the slightest idea why. he only knew this because during a birthday festival, hollyhock petals were flowered over the cake. still, he knew his mother loved them, so maybe if he became them, she would love him too. they’re hardy and they require very little care to bloom, so tim taught himself everything he needed to know and, bit by bit, clawed up a rock wall until he was entirely independent, and didn’t need his parents anymore. they came in every colour of the rainbow, so tim learned how to slip on masks as easy as a wish. the perfect partner batman could mold him into, the lightbulb of a disorganized team, a little brother for dick to love. most diseases cause minor cosmetic damage and can be disregarded, so tim took the beatings from criminals and let the scars decorate his skin without a single complaint. only years later did tim discover that hollyhocks mean ambition, and by then, tim’s ambition had far outgrown janet’s. 
how difficult is it to become a symbol of hope after years of training to be a symbol of darkness? not that difficult, cass discovers, because darkness doesn’t necessarily mean death. chrysanthemums need light to bloom, but they’re at their most beautiful in the dark. bruce may need his family’s light to stay afloat, but he’s at his most powerful in the dark. so cass steps into the dark with him, knowing that batman is learning to turn his darkness into a protective cape instead of a smothering cloak. cass wields out death darkness fear without hesitation to criminals, as ominous as chrysanthemums at a funeral. but then she flips to friendship loyalty joy with her family, holding her hands out and waiting for someone to clasp on. she can be both, she discovers. she’s allowed to be both. 
everything had a purpose. everything can be used. that’s what mother told him while applying her lipstick in the mirror, with damian sitting cross-legged on her bed, flipping a knife in his hands in coordination exercises. the lipstick was the same dark pink shade as the oleanders she ordered planted in nanda parbat, despite them not being native to the area. a single leaf could kill a man, she told him, so wield them wisely. she taught him to wield many other things too, everything from a sword to a poison to his own name. a glorious destiny, the plants whispered to him, and damian held those words up with pride until that destiny had been ripped out from underneath him, his mother abandoned him, and he was left alone in a place where he had no purpose. it was richard grayson who had smiled, tiredly but surely, and had picked him up and placed him back on his feet. “didn’t you know,” he said, “that oleanders were the first flowers to bloom after hiroshima? oleanders mean survival.”
okay so in case you missed it (because i spent wayyyy too long looking these up) here is each person, what flower i assigned them, and the flower’s meaning
bruce: purple hyacinth - please forgive me dick: zinnia - never forget the absent jason: asphodel - my regrets follow you to the grave tim: hollyhock - ambition cass: chrysanthemums - death, darkness, fear, friendship, loyalty, joy (this flower has a lot going on) damian: oleander - a glorious destiny, survival
tag list: @woahjaybird @birdy-bat-writes @anothertimdrakestan @catxsnow @pricetagofficial @screennamealreadyused @subtleappreciation @bikoncon @bonkybearjpeg @maplumebleue-blog-blog @sundownridge @thatsthewhump
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My Little Physician Empress ~ Yin Zhen x Reader
Just a story in which reader, a regular girl, was allowed since very young to aid her father in being a Royal Physician, and helped the princes through the years without asking for anything in return.
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Since ancient times, views on physician women have been distorted times and times again - Sometimes they are shamans, other times they are witches, and oftentimes, they simply don't deserve to live, no matter how many lives they save, or how capable they are.
Even now, in Qing dynasty, there is stigma, and all the physicians in the palace are men.
But that will soon change when, one day, a Physician from outside the palace is able to come up with a proper cure for the plague that was rampaging the people and somehow, found its way inside the palace too, and he was rewarded handsomely - He was awarded a wish granted - Any wish he wanted.
And that was to have his daughter allowed to aid him in his work inside the palace. He explained how his daughter played around with concoctions one day, and somehow gave him the brilliant idea for a revolutionary cure, and with this story, the Emperor indulged the old man and got them both in the palace.
They didn't earn a lot of money, but it was enough for them to dress appropriately with living in the palace. The girl never got any kind of accessory, so she mainly held her hand in a simply braid, occasionally put some flowers in it, and was ready to go on with the day in aiding her father.
But she was always a curious little girl, and very often, she went outside to play and discover every nook and cranny around the palace - Which is when she met the fourth prince - Not that she knew, though.
She held some struggling and splashing in the water one night, and saw a eunuch running away. Upon investigating, she saw a child who wasn't trashing around anymore, and he was about her age. She jumped in the lotus pond, getting him to the surface and, after opening his jacket, she pressed on his chest between his lungs and leaned in to give him the kiss of life.
As expected, the boy then jolted in a sitting position and started coughing, before falling into her arms once again, exhausted.
"How are you feeling?" she asked in a gentle voice, her hand on his cheek to get his attention. "Fine...I'm better now...Whoever pushed me is going to get killed, I'll make sure of that." the boy was angry, and rightfully so. He tried to get up, but was still wobbly, so the girl helped him go back to his room, letting him lean on her side. "It was an Eunuch. I saw him running away from the pond after you got underneath the water." she told him what she saw. "Now that I think about it...Who are you? I've never seen you around the palace, have I?" he asked suspiciously. "Don't be suspicious of the person who saved your life. I am Y/N, daughter of the Royal Physician who came up with the cure for the plague." she explained in a gentle manner. "Figures. Then, that means you know who I am, don't you?" he scoffed lightly. "Uh...No, not really. Should I?" she tilted her head a little to the side. "You don't? They why did you save me?" he asked, even more confused now. "...Because you were dying?! Did you notice that? Was I supposed to let you die there? Tell me, I can quite literally drag you back to the pond and throw you back if you want? I will ask for you name first and only then rescue you." she scolded him in disbelief at his ungratefulness. "No. No, you're right. Anyway, thanks for saving me. How did you save me? I know I blacked out as some point, right?" he said, and with all the nonchalance in the world, she answered. "I gave you the kiss of life." this answer made the boy stop in his tracks, yelling at her. "YOU DID WHAT?! That’s... That’s improper! I will have you flogged and caned for that! You’re a woman, and I’m a man, and we are both unmarried, it’s... It’s...!" he gaped at her in horror. "You do realise you stopped breathing, don't you? And if I didn't get you breathing again, your heart would have stopped. If your heart stopped pumping, blood wouldn't have gone everywhere in your body, to all your organs, therefor you would have gotten a total system failure in less than 10 to 15 minutes. That means, for idiots like you who don't value life, that you would have died if I didn't do that." she rolled her eyes at him, dragging him inside the pavilion, where lots of eunuchs and maids fussed over him. "Su Peisheng! Reward this maid handsomely, she saved my life." the little boy said - He must be one of the princes, the girl thought, amused. "No thanks. I saved your life, that's all. You yelled enough at me, I don't want anything from you anymore. Next time I try to save your life, remind me to ask you your name first and only then ask consent to save your life." the girl rolled her eyes at him, thinking him hypocritical, and turned around to go home, only to have the boy catch her wrist immediately. "Then, ask for anything, and I'll give it to you." he said, very seriously. "Fine. I'm not a maid, I'm a Female Physician, therefor you must address me properly from now on. Physician Y/N. Got it?" her voice was authoritarian, but she didn't inspire malice or evil, and it quite amused the young prince. "Very well. Until we meet again, Physician Y/N." and thus, making her smile softly, she left the place with a nod of Goodnight. "Su Peisheng." the boy called out his eunuch one again. "What do Physician girls like?" he asked, almost innocently. "Forgive me, Your Highness, this one does not know, for there have not been female physicians in the palace before. However, girls usually like feminine things like clothes and accessories. Miss Y/N wasn't wearing any, as far as I saw." the eunuch provided the young prince with the information. "I see...Very well. Tomorrow, you will send some red agate earrings to her. Make sure you give them to her directly." the boy ordered his slave, who nodded in agreement.
However, the next day, the eunuch returned as he left - With the gift box in his hands and endless apologies. "Miss Y/N wanted me to inform you never to gift her...To quote her...Useless things. Pardon my rudeness, Your Highness, I am merely telling you her words. She said that expensive earrings won't help her save lives. I tried to convince her, but she threatened to throw them in the pigstry." the eunuch kowtowed to the ground in front of the young prince, only for him to raise him up and chuckle in amusement. "Don't worry, it's fine. I'll just bring them to mother and ask her for advice. This is no ordinary girl I'm dealing with."
And this way, his mother advised him to find rare healing-related books, even more so, from the West, and gift them to her. She immediately accepted them, and Yin Zhen often found the mysterious girl reading by the wisteria tree, unbothered by anything and anyone.
The 4th prince often looked at her and got reminded of his annoying 3rd prince brother, but at least she wasn't so obsolete and dissolute like him.
He would find her occasionally swinging in the Apricot garden, where it was mostly quiet and very few people visited, and even so, he would often hear her practicing flute-playing.
The next Prince she met was, to Yin Zhen’s entertainment and slight jealousy, was the 3rd Prince, Yin Zhi, as she was delivering medicine to one of the Imperial Concubines, the foreign melodious tune of an instrument she has never heard of before, and as expected, her curiosity led her directly to this Prince who seemed just a bit older than her, standing under a tree and practicing said instrument.
The girl could only stay there in awe, the wonderful melody taking over her senses and imagination, only for a sudden screech to destroy everything, making her yelp in shock. The jerk of a Prince made the bow unceremoniously scratch the violin’s strings, making a God Forsaken ear-bleeding noise.
“Hope you enjoyed that as well, stalker.” the prince sneered at her, but to his surprise, she merely chuckled. “Wonderful how such an elegant instrument can create hellish sounds in the wrong hands. Only someone hardworking, dedicated and with grace can play this instrument. You are a Prince, aren’t you?” she leaned on the tree, a knowing smirk on her face. “If you figured that out, then why aren’t you bowing to the ground right now?” the aggressiveness displayed in his voice and words seemed to contradict his actions as he sat down at the table, where neatly drawn blueprints and parts to be engineered with. “I can accept the consequences of my mistake and I even won’t protest, should you want to take my head off, should you be so kind as to explain to me the process of building this wonderful instrument. It is a Western one, is it not?” she sat down next to him, analysing the papers carefully. “What would some lowly maid like you know of Western technology? Why should I waste my time on you?” he scoffed, looking down at her. “Do you not find sharing such groundbreaking information with someone genuinely interested to be rather... Enlightening? From my short stay here, in the Palace, I have found out that the 2nd Prince is rather dissolute and promiscuous, but at the same time, a very intelligent and lonely person who cannot interact with others. From the looks of it, you simply have completely different aspirations and interests, while your brothers are solely interested in this Game of Thrones, and you cannot possibly have a proper, intellectual conversation with them. Correct me if I’m wrong, however, and I will leave you alone.” that vixen-like smile on her face made the Prince want to strangle her and wipe that stupid smirk off her face for daring to figure him out so well. At the same time, however, he hasn’t felt so challenged in his life and frankly, this little maid could prove to be more interesting than expected. “I’ll have you thrown to the Office of Punishments should you dare bore me at any time after the cheeky, daring stunt you pulled. Now, you better be paying attention to every word I am about to tell you, I hate repeating myself for dumb airheads, understood?” his voice was serious and mature, especially for someone his age, but that only meant that Y/N had what to learn from him, and for that, she was grateful. “I swear to do my best and keep up with your intellectual explanations, so please, do be patient with me for I am very grateful for the time you are taking out of your schedule to teach me.” she bowed her head to him, and thus, with a soft huff, the Prince began explaining the to the girl about the peculiar instrument in his hands. “This is called a Violin, and this is called a Bow. As you guessed, this instrument was created in the West, from a country called “Italy”, in an unknown date from the 16th century. Although paintings from back then show the Violin had 3 strings, now, as you can see, it has four...” and so, he continued by showing her the component parts of the violin both on the instrument, and on the blueprints, only for him to, in the end, gift her the ink drawing he made of the original blueprint, as a way for her to promise to continue studying on her own too.
There were many other Royal Princes and Princesses, but many weren’t as interesting as the 3rd and 4th Prince who, quite frankly, were a force to be reckoned with. While Yin Zhi would teach her how to build a clock, or show her interesting literature, Yin Zhen would be adamant in taking her horse-riding and, surprisingly, he was rather interested in her healing knowledge, thus why, he would always acquire the rarest books from all over the world and, instead of giving them for the Physicians to learn, he would gift them to this lovely maid whose company he loved so much.
Time passed quickly, they got older, both Y/N and her father rapidly advanced in their ranks thanks to their revolutionary treatments that cured every illness, and the princes all grew into fine men - Which meant that the true Game of Thrones began for everyone in the palace, not just them.
The first to go down was the Crown Prince who, as Y/N discovered, had ricing powder put in his food. “It is quite simple, and unfortunately, incredibly deadly, even in small doses. All you need is the beans from a castor oil plant, you make them into powder and... You’ve got one of the deadliest poisons there are. My only guess is, it would have to have been someone from the Imperial Kitchens who could do such a feat because, if the powder was put on the dishes after being prepared, it would still be mildly visible, whereas if it was put in a big pot, it would get homogenized and thus, leave no visible or taste trace.” Y/N explained in front of the Emperor, standing poised and ignoring all the other many eyes staring at her. “I have heard many times of ricin, but none was ever brave enough to dare bring it into the Palace, especially after I have forbidden any dish to be made with Castor oil! For the poison to act, one administration was enough?” Emperor Kangxi asked, rage and sorrow evident on his face. “No, Your Majesty. I imagine that the culprit played it smart and only added small doses of ricin powder in His Highness’s food, but regularly. I have read the Medical Files from the Bureau of Imperial Physicians and I have noticed that His Highness was complaining of an upset stomach, difficulty in breathing, occasional coughs that turned bloody over time and spiking fevers - Again, all over a rather long period of time. If the culprit were to use a large dose of powder, the Princes wouldn’t have been able to finish all the food from the plate and, therefor, the Ricin would have been tenfold easier to detect. In this situation, however, small doses meant nobody would believe His Highness got sick because of the food, because of his healthy appetite, hence why he was treated symptomatically for unrelated, yet very possible diseases.” the Female Physician went on further with the deduction, which angered the Emperor even further. “These jackals won’t even allow my sons to eat anymore! From now on, every meal will have to be tested before any person from the Royal Family eats it. Find the culprit immediately!” the Emperor thundered, his voice echoing throughout the Hall of Mental Cultivation. “Your Majesty, if I may... Ricin cannot be detected with silver, and if it is put in hot meals, it wouldn’t be traceable anymore. There is no way to detect it. While ingesting the poison is admittedly the least toxic pathway into the human body... Even with a small dose, it starts to cause internal damage in as little as 6 hours after ingesting. In regular doses, death can occur in a maximum of 3 days, which means, to my understanding, that His Highness may have started being poisoned a week ago at most.” the girl spoke confidently, but also with a tint of reticence. “Are you trying to tell me there is no way of detecting the culprit?!” the man rose up from his throne, pointing his finger at her. “On the contrary. With the grace and cooperation of His Highness, the 4th Prince, a small pouch of herbs mixed with ricin powder was found in the pockets of one of the eunuchs helping at the Imperial Kitchens. That is to say... If the truth comes out that this eunuch was the one who put the powder in the food... We need a testimony and evidence that would point towards the mastermind behind this operation of regicide. His Highness was the Crown Prince and a mere eunuch wouldn’t be affected in any way by the future Emperor, however that may be, but someone who could benefit in having another candidate on the throne would get actively involved in working from the shadows...” she didn’t dare move her sight from the furious Eye of Heaven, no matter how much she wanted to avert her eyes and look at the Prince, begging to be taken away from there because the tension was crushing. “Yin Zhen!” calling out his son’s name, he stepped next to Y/N, bowed and knelt next to her. “The two of you did good in solving this crime. From now on, the two of you shall continue unmasking the truth of this mystery and bring justice to my son, the Crown Prince, got it? No matter who it is, I will have them punished!” the Emperor’s last command was abided by the two of them bowing to the ground and calling out their responses - “Yes, Your Majesty!”
And thus, the Hall of Mental Cultivation was cleared and the two people in cause walked away, looking at each other and letting out sighs of relief.
“Let’s not do that again.” the girl managed to mutter, putting the back of her hand to her forehead, exhausted from the trial. “You’re tired just from this? I was expecting a lot worse.” the Prince smirked at her, seeing her roll her eyes. “Yes, well, the Royal Family business isn’t for me. I’m fine just healing people and studying. It’s actually relaxing, you should try that once in a while.” she nudged him softly, only for him to stop in his tracks. “What if I tell you I want you to join the Royal Family.” he crossed his arms, looking at her with a playful expression. “I’d tell you... You’ve lost your mind... And that nobody would agree to something like this. I suppose I should remind you that... I am a commoner and you are, and I hope it doesn’t come as a shock to you, not only the Prince but... A very strong candidate at being the next Crown Prince.” she shook her head in amusement. “Father wants to promote you to Noble Lady Shuyu.” he refuted immediately. “Having ‘Noble’ in a title does not make you of noble birth. Don’t make it difficult for either of us, Yin Zhen. Not to mention, you would be doing me a great disservice by marrying me.” she explained, cautiously looking around for any prying eyes. “How is giving you a life of unlimited luxuries means I’m doing you a disservice?” he stepped closer to her, holding her hands to his chest. “I am jealous, first of all. Even if I am to be your main wife, which, by the way, is impossible, you would still need to have a huge amount of concubines because that is the life of a Duke and/or the Emperor, should you actually get the title. That doesn’t exactly sit amazingly well with me to begin with... And that also means I’m not exactly the most Virtuous, Selfless and King Empress that everyone would want the woman holding this title to be. That and... If I marry into the Royal Family, I won’t be able to continue my Physician work, and I will only have to stay inside a stupid, but nicely furnished palace, with tons of servants to do whatever the hell I want and many more other women who will be jealous of me and will plot to kill me. Ah, yes and the unfortunate case of you getting bored of me for a younger girl, when we get older, but that’s just that.” she got her hands back, and smiled at him sarcastically. “You’re an impossible woman, you know that, right? If you do, you should also know that, for you, I would give up the title of Crown Prince. If I am a duke, then it shouldn’t matter if I marry one woman alone, and whether or not she continues her hobby of healing people in a palace far away from the Forbidden City, where there would be no envious eye that would wish you harm. How does that sound.” his words were soft and gentle, and with every sweet word, he could see the girl’s defenses lowering down, bit by bit. “You would be an idiot to turn down the title you worked so hard for, especially after this perfect opportunity has just knocked on our doors. Don’t be stupid, Yin Zhen. I can still love you even if we are not legally married. Listen, we both know the 2nd Prince is the culprit, right? Him and his lousy mother of his, who wants to become the next Empress. I have a plan to take both of them down, and if we succeed, your place on the throne is automatically... But we have to be very smart about it. Very, very smart. Are you in?” she turned to look at him, as he stepped very close to her, cupping her face and kissing her forehead. “Since when have you become so scheming?” he asked, proud and amused. “Since I have a reason to win.” she winked at him, putting her hand on his face so he could lean down and hear the plot.
Months passed, and Y/N has been as busy as ever taking care of the women of the Harem since Imperial Concubine Yu was pregnant and the Empress, the late 1st Prince’s mother, protectively took her under her wing, while the sole Female Physician was to take care of her.
Thankfully, every plan was set in motion and time flew so fast, it was unexpected that 9 months already passed and the Concubine was ready to give birth already. Unfortunately for her, the Empress, along with the Empress Dowager, were away to pray for Buddha, and thus, the Noble Consort was now the most powerful woman in the Harem, and able to take decisions in place of the Empress.
As Y/N helped the Concubine give birth, to her shock, she realised the baby was very much yellow - But not only the little prince’s body, but his eyes as well. It caused a lot of shock and stir ups... But the unfortunate timing of arrival of the Noble Consort was enough to grab the baby from the midwife’s hands and toss is carelessly to the eunuchs who was digging a hole in the backyard of the Empress’s palace, to bury the infant alive, while the poor Concubine mother was frantically trying to escape the grasp of the eunuch keeping her away so she could rescue her baby.
But it was in vain, and no matter how much the mother begged, the Consort was absolutely ruthless. She was digging into the dirt, trying to rescue her child, but all of the Empress’s maids were uselessly staring, frightened and very much afraid for their lives.
Smartly, Y/N went inside the Empress’s palace and took her seal - As she ran back to the scene of the crime and yelled at the Consort to end this mess.
“The golden seal of the Empress is here! Enough of this mess! Yes, the infant has golden eyes, but the truth is, this might just be a medical problem, and we cannot know for sure if it is not investigated! Under such context, we must wait for Her Highness the Empress to make the decision! Noble Consort, I have begged you again and again to cease your actions, but I have no other way of stopping you. Seeing this golden seal is like seeing Her Highness the Empress herself, whether the 17th Prince is indeed sick, and how Noble Lady Yu should be dealt with, we must all wait for the decree of Her Highness the Empress. Any other person isn’t allowed to take any arbitrary action!” as Y/N glared angrily at the Noble Consort, showing off the Imperial Box that was hiding the Empress’s seal, the well known voice of the Eunuch announcing his Majesty’s arrival resounded through the place. “What happened?” the Emperor asked, followed by the 2nd, 3rd and 4th  Princes. “Greeting His Majesty. Your Majesty, the little prince was born with golden pupils. His whole body is yellow. The Empress isn’t in the palace. I’m enforcing the palace law on her behalf. I was just about to punish the mother and child, but who knew that the servants of Changchun Palace would publicly stop me.” the Consort threw a shady look at the Physician. “Your Majesty, I dare not hinder Noble Consort in implementing the law. It’s just that Her Highness the Empress repeatedly instructed that we all must protect Noble Lady Yu. Before the Empress returns, no one is allowed to make punishments without permission. Moreover, whether the little prince is indeed sick or not, as a Physician, I must advise everyone not to make conclusions based solely on what we see. There was no time for me, or any of my colleagues to check the health of the little prince, therefor, this may all just be an unfortunate misunderstanding, not a bad omen. The action of Her Highness the Noble Consort is too hasty.” Y/N confidently explained the problem for the Emperor. “You wench, how dare you speak ill of my mother?!” the new Crown Prince, the 2nd Prince, rushed forward to slap the girl’s face angrily. “Father, there is nothing impossible in this vast world. I, who has been studying various Western practices would know that what we may consider impossible or strange, other would deem normal, and vice versa. It may just be as the Female Physician says - That the 17th Prince’s golden pupils are just because of some strange illness that, if treated, will disappear.” the 3rd Prince stuck up to the girl. “Your Majesty, my child surely has some weird illness! I beg you, Your Majesty, I beg you to immediately have him treated.” the mother’s pleas melted the Emperor’s heart. “Li Yu.” the Emperor called out his head eunuch. “Call the Imperial Medical College for a consult. And find out if Physician Y/N’s father returned from his trip abroad.” and thus, the Emperor called everyone in cause once again to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to hear the testimonies and make a decision.
Two elder doctors came inside the Palace and reported their explanations to the Emperor, while the poor, desperate mother was thrown out of the room so she could calm down and stop shrieking.
“I’ve seen a lot of babies with yellowish faces, but I’ve never seen a case where the pupils are also golden yellow.” one of them explained. “Is there no way to cure him?” Yin Zhen asked the Physicians. “This is not an illness, so there is no way to cure it. There is no such thing as a child with golden pupils in this world.” Physician Zhang answered adamant. “I know Your Majesty is unwilling to do it, but if we don’t resolve it today, if the sun rises tomorrow, the news that a Noble Lady of the Forbidden Palace has given birth to a child with golden pupils will spread to the empire as if it has wings. I fear that people will be in panic and it will be hard to handle the consequences. Hence, I hardened my heart, all for Your Majesty’s sake, for the Qing Empire. Even if everyone will blame me for it, I won’t mind. Your Majesty, why are you still  hesitating?” the dead silence that followed was, as if on cue, disturbed by the baby’s cries. With a hurried smile, Y/N hurried to take the baby in her arms and kneel in front of the Emperor. “Your Majesty, look! Although the little prince is yellowish all over, his cry is very strong! Your Majesty, he is a live person and he is connected with Your Majesty by blood! How could you kill him so easily?!” Y/N spoke quickly, hoping to appeal to the Emperor’s soft heart strings. “Isn’t the Empress to kind? Indulging a mere physician to act like this? When your masters are talking, how could you interfere?!” the Noble Consort harshly reprimanded the girl. “I recognize my mistakes, however, as a Physician myself, while it is true that I do not know everything in this world, I can also say that I had my fair share of travelling, albeit, not as much as my father. The yellowing of the body may as well be jaundice, especially if we take into account the severity of the colour. In some texts that I have read, it is said that, on rare occasions, if the jaundice is severe, it may even affect the colour of the eyes. Your Majesty, I have no reason to work against anyone. My work is to heal people, which is why I am fighting so hard to save this child - Not only because he is Your Majesty’s child, but because all lives must be treasured and treated with great importance. If this child is sick and I can cure him, than I have done my purpose in life.” the girl gritted her teeth, trying to control herself. “Father, can’t you see you’ve been indulging this wench for far too long? You give a common wench a helping hand, and now look how unruly and disruptive she is! Speaking back to her superiors! Shameless!” the Crown Prince growled at the girl who was incriminating his mother. “Father, if I may - As Physician Y/N said, all of our Imperial Physicians have been working only inside the palace for so long. If a strange illness occurs, they may have no knowledge of that, perhaps even outside of the usual textbooks. If I understood correctly, Y/N father has returned to the palace just yesterday, perhaps his opinion will be of use, should this simply be a case of misdiagnosis.” the 4th Prince quickly defended her. “Nonesense! Could a distinguished Imperial Physician of the Imperial Medical College have less knowledge and experience than a common maid like you with no proper training or education?” Physician Zhang scoffed at her. “Your Majesty, although I’m well-versed in children’s illnesses, there is nothing truly impossible in this vast world. Maybe there are still a lot of strange illnesses that I’ve never had a chance to be in contact with. Many Physicians tried to get rid of the plague, but only Physician Liyue was able to do it, a common man from outside the Palace with no former education. Just because we haven’t seen it, doesn’t mean it can’t exist.” Physician Yang spoke modestly. “Physician Yang, are you old and muddled?! A matter that you yourself isn’t sure of, you dare report it to His Majesty?! If a problem indeed occurs, a natural calamity or a human-made disaster, can you bare the crime? No. Your Majesty, this concerns the fortune of the Qing Empire. You mustn’t be soft-hearted.” the Noble Consort quickly responded as harsh as ever.
However, just as she said that, Y/N’s father clumsily stepped inside the room and knelt next to his daughter, greeting the Emperor who, in haste, told him to check the child.
In doing so, he merely smiled and said the same diagnosis as his daughter did.
Jaundice.
“Can’t be. Not like I haven’t seen jaundice in children before.” Physician Zhang refuted immediately. “That’s because you are lacking in knowledge. Your Majesty, this jaundice, even if it’s not treated, the little prince would recover within 7 days. This illness is pathological and related to the bile of the expectant mother. It is usually connected with the pregnant mother having too much accumulation of bile.” the father explained. “Your daughter gave the same diagnosis.” the Emperor muttered. “Can it be cured?” “Your Majesty, don’t worry. If I prescribe a formula to reduce the jaundice, in less than 2 weeks, the 17th prince’s jaundice will subside.” and thus, the Emperor ordered to have the child be treated with care...And the Consort changed sides as much as her face changed instantly.
And thus, the Emperor forgave the Consort and had this matter be banned from being talked of...Until the 4th Prince spoke up.
“Father, before we leave, I had urgent news to speak to you about, and they concern the Noble Consort.” the Prince left his father’s side and stepped in front of him, next to Y/N. “Is this about your brother’s death?” the Emperor’s face became grim as soon as he saw the nod of the prince’s head. “Very well, speak.” “Su Peisheng, have the body brought in.” the Prince ordered. “Noble Consort, you are not afraid when you kill a man, so why are you afraid when you see a corpse?” the Prince asked, simply, as he took off the sheet to show off the man’s face. “Do you not recognise him? Or perhaps, your son does?” the Prince interrogated the indignant woman. “What are your implications, Yin Zhen?!” the Crown Prince stomped in front of his brother. “Your Mayesty, this is the Mongolian chef from the Imperial Kitchen. While he is also the one who cooked food for Noble Lady Yu, he is also the one who prepared the daily Mongolian treat that the 1st Prince enjoyed so much.” Yin Zhen spoke up confidently. “That’s right... Your Majesty, I have taken care of Noble Lady Yu since the beginning of her pregnancy, and pretty early on, Noble Lady Yu was gifted Mongolian scones from her hometown. She loved them so much, I imagine she ate quite a lot. She said she had no idea there was a Mongolian chef in the Palace and she was incredibly happy to see that she could eat her home food after so long. She would eat three pieces every day - At least that’s what I saw, if she ate more when I wasn’t supervising her, I cannot know.” the Physician girl explained as she stood up, tall and ready for action. “Your Majesty, I had these scones be brought here as well.” the 4th Prince spoke and a scone was given to Y/N’s father. “Do you know what they are made of?” her father asked as he took a bite. “I believe milk was added to the dough, or ghee to the skin. She also ate assorted confectionary to replace staple food.” Y/N told her father. “Yes, I understand. Your Majesty, the child contracted jaundice mostly because the mother’s body is moist and hot, so the bile gets accumulated. I usually advise pregnant women to watch their food intake and not to eat too much sweet, hot and unpleasant smelling food, to prevent damage to the spleen and stomach.” Physician Liyue explained. “Ah, I understand. I didn’t give it much thought because Mongolian women are used to eating these things, but since she’s been away from home for so long, her body adjusted to our food, so naturally, getting a large intake of food from home again made her body react as ours would.” Y/N nodded in understanding. “Very well, so we have found out the truth behind the Prince’s illness. Now, Yin Zhen, tell me about the body. Who killed him.” the Emperor urged his son to speak. “We just have to look at who wanted the 17th Prince buried alive the most and we will know. And on who benefits the most in having our 1st Prince brother killed.” Yin Zhen explained. “That man is dead, brother. On what bases are you accusing me and my mother?” the Crown Prince sneered at his younger brother. “Your Majesty, the 17th Prince was just born, he is just an innocent child. Why would anyone want him dead? Unless... Someone didn’t want him to be born safely to begin with. Carefully thinking about it, since Noble Lady Yu got pregnant, Her Highness the Noble Consort has repeatedly made things difficult for her. First, using her dog to cause her trauma at the Imperial Gardens, and then repeating the same feat at the Lychee banquet organized by Her Highness the Empress. When Noble Lady Yu gave birth, the first person to charge in Changchun Palace was also Her Highness the Noble Consort. She insisted on having the 17th Prince buried alive. To say that this matter has nothing to do with her, it’s really hard for anyone to believe that.” Y/N accused the Consort, only to be, once again, slapped by her son. “Father, this is a conspiracy, don’t listen to the lies of this servant! It is a plot made to frame me and my Royal Mother!” the Crown Prince desperately tried to defend himself. “Father, if this is a conspiracy, why then everyone else asked for a Physician to be brought and inspect the 17th Prince’s condition, while only the Noble Consort alone was so adamant in killing the child?” Yin Zhen struck again. “Not to mention, even when Noble Lady Yu went up to her to stop her, she didn’t spare her. Instead, she ordered her to be killed along with the child. If she truly had no intention to kill, why was she so hasty and resolute?” Y/N chimed in quickly. “Your Majesty, you cannot sentence myself or the Crown Prince merely just based on a corpse and some speculations! This person is dead, who knew if someone else forced him to kill himself as to frame me and my son?” the Noble Consort shrieked desperately. “Father, when I sent my men to the Imperial Kitchen, they discovered one letter written in blood and 20 taels of gold. It shows that this person had sensed that something bad would happen to him. Father, look for yourself at the evidence left behind.” and thus, the eunuch brought forth a messy letter and the Prince showed it to the Emperor -” 'The person who will silence me will surely be the Crown Prince’ - And with this, father, we found a small pouch of Ricin laying on top of it. It means that the culprits behind these two crimes that we thought unrelated are, in fact, mother and son.” the 4th prince explained, picking up the pouch as well. “Wh-What?! What is this madness? I would ever use such a stupid servant to kill my brother!” the Crown Prince yelled out, but it was in vain. “Not only that, testimonies from the Office of Punishments came out. The men from the Imperial Kitchens that were involved in either of these crimes, all ratted out their mastermind and all point out towards either Noble Consort or the 2nd Prince.” the Prince continued, and the atmosphere in the place was harder and harder to bear. “Your Majesty! Your Majesty, it really wasn’t like this! I really didn’t know! I’m being framed! Framed! Me... My son...! We’re being framed!” the Consort tried to beg, plea and weep, but nothing worked. “ENOUGH! I don’t want to hear any more explanations from you. You killed my beloved son out of greed, just for you to become the next Crown Prince. I have overlooked so many of your mistakes and evidence of a possible coup... You were already the Crown Prince, what more did you want?! Shameless, both of you! Men, take them away! Both of them shall be thrown into the Cold Palace until further notice!” the Emperor’s rage seethed fear into everyone, as they bid his order, uncaring of the two’s desperate pleas. “Yin Zhen, you did well. Although a tragic truth, I was expecting this. As the matter of a new Crown Prince has to be instilled, I will make the final Imperial Edict tomorrow... However, you must know that you are the chosen one. I only wish that you do not act as carelessly and shamelessly as your brother did.” the Emperor sighed, feeling older than ever. “Father...I...! Your Majesty, you are magnanimous, I do not know how to thank you.” the Prince kowotowed to the ground, only to hear a weak chuckle from his father. “Rise, no need for that. Physician Y/N, you and your father once again saved us with your vast knowledge and expertise. I shall grant you both the title of Noble Officials of the Third Rank and shall enjoy all the benefits and luxuries that come with it. You have served me well and I am sure you will continue to do so in the future as well. You are all dismissed.” the Emperor said as everyone bowed to greet him off. “That worked better than expected.” the Prince smirked, looking down at the stunned girl. “Am I a genius or what?” she spoke breathlessly before starting to laugh in glee. “Dear, I have no idea what silly thing you plotted while I was away, but... I have to say, you pulled quite the stunt.” her father patted her hair lovingly. “I suppose once in a while I do like to have some dangerous fun, huh? Good thing I have two Royal Helping Hands to take me out of the water should I suddenly forget to swim.” she grinned carelessly, only for her father to shake her head, smiling. “Just be careful. Although... I am sure you will be protected. I will take my leave now.” and with a small bow, the left the three alone. “Was any of that true?” the 3rd Prince eyed the two carefully. “Well... She really did want to kill the baby by burying it alive. The rest was... Induced or fabricated. But nobody has to know, right? It’s all our dirty little secret.” the girl winked at him and, taking the 4th Prince’s hand, pulled him outside. “How does it feel being a Noble Lady?” the Prince chuckled, pulling her close to his chest and smiling warmly. “None the wiser.” she snorted in amusement. “Honestly, Yin Zhen, it’s just a title. It’s not like anyone is going to care in any way. I am still going to be just a common girl with no right to stay anywhere close to you. Besides, you know as well as I do that, in the very small chance that the Emperor does accidentally impregnate a common maid and he wives her, she is still going to be treated poorly and will be bound to the Back Palace alone. You know as well as I do that nobody is allowed to enter the Back Palace so freely. I don’t want any of that.” she spoke, cautiously. “If I am going to be the Emperor, that mean the whole China is going to be mine. It doesn’t matter which woman is my Empress, as long as all the other concubines are there for political reasons. All they care about is wealth, fame and luxuries for their families, but none care for me the way you do. You saved me from drowning when you had no idea who I was, and you rejected any gift I gave you that wasn’t useful for your education. I know you don’t want to be pretentious or have me think that you love me solely for luxuries but that does not mean I should be forbidden from pampering you whenever I feel like it. Just accept it. I do not want any other woman to stay in the Empress’s throne besides me other than you. Don’t deny me that, Y/N.” he cupped her face, making her look up at him, his eyes tender and filled with love. “I can’t do it, Yin Zhen. I can’t. I can’t let you damage your image. You will be the best Emperor China’s ever had, you cannot have a common peasant woman be the Mother of the Nation. You will found a woman to genuinely love you and care for you as much as I do, and she will be worthy of you, and of noble blood... And you will forget about me, and I will no longer inconvenience you. You will be just fine without me, Yin Zhen.” her eyes gleaming, close to tears, as she spoke those painful words, but the prince had none of that. “I will have none of that modesty and selflessness of yours. Keep that to yourself. I am going to be the Emperor. The Eye of Heaven. If I cannot even choose the woman I love to be my Empress, than what’s the point in being diligent in everything else? No matter how hard working you are, at the end of the day, you need to have clarify and peace from your confidante, and for me, that is you. I will hear no more of your excuses, I will solve all of them. In fact, I know just how you can get the ultimate approval from my father, as if everything you’ve done so far over the years hasn’t been enough. In a month, the palace will hold a banquet for the Princess of Western Liang and her Diplomatic Corp. I trust you and you alone to accompany me to this. I know it’s not something you are used to, but I will prepare people to teach you the basic according skills needed. This is all you’re going to need to do, and it will impress Father without a doubt. Please, Y/N. Do it for me. Do it for us. I want to marry you and love you. I want to see you dressed in the most gorgeous Empress dress, to have you by my side at the coronation, to see you smile as I put accessories in your hair. I want to see you happy, and I want to see you by my side every day and every night. Screw the rules, the Emperor can do as he pleases in his private time.” the fire inside Yin Zhen’s heart seemed to reach the girl for she merely smiled and, with an unexpected turn of events, she threw her hands around his neck and pulled him down into a deep kiss. “You better abide your own words, otherwise this Empress is going to drive her new hair pin into your jugular vein and have you assassinated in your sleep.” she muttered with a teasing smirk. “That’s the Y/N I love.” and with that, he pulled her into another, and yet another kiss, with as much fire, love and passion as the previous ones.
For the whole month, the girl, getting used to servants and new luxuries in her home, trained in all the skills Yin Zhen’s servants thought necessary, as to become a proper Noble Lady and, as he would always say, His Empress.
As she was practicing her walking on heels through the palace, her maid, Shi Lian, seemed to be in quite the mood for chatting, telling her that the Western Liang delegation came by just earlier that day and that they are carrying this beautiful, exotic precious unique hairpin. However, unexpectedly, a huge crowd started gathering all around the two and the people started pulling and pushing around aimlessly, creating a huge commotion, making her fall on the street. Thankfully, just as she was about to get crashed by an incoming carriage horse, she felt lifted up.
“Are you injured?” the sweet voice of the man who so heroically rescued her called out, brushing a strand of hair from her face as he protectively held her waist. “Thanks to you, I am. Are you my guardian angel or what? I can’t believe how perfectly you arrived to save me.” she put her hand to her chest, trying to calm down. “I had orders to greet the corp. You silly... It’s great fate that I’m here. I’ll bring you back and send for an Imperial Physician to look after you.” he spoke strictly, only for the curtains of the carriage to be harshly drawn away and a glaring woman to stick her head out of the window. “4th Prince, are you going to leave me and the envoys of Western Liang behind?” she scolded in an evil way. “...Yin Zhen, I am alright, I promise. Shi Lian is with me. You said it yourself, this banquet is important, you cannot leave. Go attend your business. I insist.” the girl looked him deep into his eyes, knowing that they always understood each other from their looks. “Fine. But I will leave a guard behind to escort you home. Take care, Y/N.” and thus, with one last look, he left, as Y/N could only smile at how caring and attentive her hero is.
The silly man, however, as expected, dotted so much on her that he called her own father to care for her.
“Miss, looks like 4th Prince really cares about you! Ah, before I forget, the Matron has a massage for you. This afternoon, the Princess of Western Liang will be visiting the Imperial Palace and you are designated as her retinue.” Shi Lian’s sweet and innocent smile quickly disappeared. “Oh... Great. I have to take care of a bitch. May the Heaven watch over me.” Y/N muttered as she leaned her head on her father’s shoulder. “I heard she is pretty aggressive. She’d bully maidens without excuses. She’s fearsome... Miss, you have to be more careful.” the maid held her master’s hands, looking worried at her. “Don’t worry, I can do it. If this is the last step towards success, not even all the torture Wu Zetian went through can stop me.” Y/N’s voice was low, dark and dangerous. She was like a fearsome lioness ready to strike and maul anyone approaching her cub.
The next afternoon, after dressing is soft and demure looking clothes, Y/N went to show the Princess around the Imperial Palace. The load of exotic jewelry would blow away anyone’s mind, but she wasn’t interested in anything except for the fine craftmanship and the great detail put into everything.
“Ah, it’s you who was saved by 4th Prince yesterday morning outside the palace! To think 4th Prince would ignore me because of a slave girl!” the Princess stared at her condescendingly. “I am but a humble Palace maid. Surely 4th Prince would pay his undivided attention to you, Princess.” the girl bowed respectfully in front of the Princess. “I’d love to see what you’ve got! I heard the Tea ceremony of the Great Qing is extraordinary. Blow away my mind!” the Princess ordered immediately.
Thanking Yin Zhen for having all his servants meticulously teach her every art needed, Y/N proceeded in preparing the Tea Ceremony in such an elegant and graceful manner that the Princess was greatly jealous.
“She’s just a slave girl! In what position is she compared with me? Somebody drive her away, I don’t like her!” however, just as she was throwing her tantrum, Yin Zhen’s eunuch came by to invite Y/N to the banquet.
With a smile on her face, she went back to her home to change in the outfit prepared by the 4th Prince himself, and at dusk, when the glowing sunset brought out Yin Zhen’s most handsome features, she saw him. Tiredness was painted on his face.
“Yin Zhen... You look exhausted. Will you be alright?” she asked softly, cautiously raising her hand to caress his face. “I will be, yes. I am merely worried about you... But seeing you like this lifted all my worries. You are the most beautiful woman in the world.” saying so, he caressed her hand, kissing it.  “I have to look my best when standing besides the most handsome man in the world, correct?” she winked cheekily at him, and thus, they went together inside the palace where the banquet was taking place.
There were songs, and dances, and just about anything you could expect - And there, on display, the precious hairpin of Western Liang, the jewel inlaid to it glistening mesmerisingly.
Seeing her confused look, he explained that the envoys are willing to part with the hairpin as a tribute only if they pass several tests. As it was a matter o Great Qing’s reputation, His Majesty couldn’t possibly refuse.
“Three tests and the hairpin is ours? How arrogant. No matter, I’m sure we can beat them.” the girl scoffed, standing besides Yin Zhen’s seat.
The first test, as expected, was Music. Western Liang sends out an envoy adept in music. The test is rather prompt to the palace and no one is prepared for that, so no one responds. Truly, perhaps she was a master at playing Pipa, and she was beautiful too, but that was not to say some intimidation wouldn’t work on the arrogant and prideful Western Liang.
“How do you like this song, Your Highness?” the girl asked, a proud smile on her face. “Very well. Your pipa is superbly crafted.” the Emperor spoke, making the girl frown, indignant. “You only complimented the pipa. Does that mean you don’t like the song?” the girl asked, offended. “That is an understatement. Though I am not an expert, I can tell the song you played was ingenious. However, and pardon me for being blunt, your skill is quite ordinary.” the 4th Prince commented, making Y/N bite her lip to stop herself from chuckling. “This is the Number 1 ancient tune from Western Liang. Few people in Qara-Hoja can play it. The way I play it is considered sound from Heaven.” the girl was angrily gripping her pipa. “Sound from Heaven? That’s an overstatement! I might as well tell you, a song like that, any Palace maid in the Qing Empire can play.” and thus, Y/N walked forward, holding the beautiful wine pot, as if to serve the pipa player. “Any? Any maid at all? Fine, can YOU play it?” the girl asked, volcanic-like. “No really... But the song you played... I’ve been practicing it since childhood.” and thus, Y/N sat down in place of the Western Liang pipa player and played her own tune with perfect dexterity. “If a Palace Maid can play it, why am I here?” and thus, the first win was awared to the Qing Empire.
With a modest bow, Y/N went back by Yin Zhen’s side, and to the trained eye, it was obvious the both of them were radiating with pride for one another.
The second test is about Poetry. Western Liang’s envoy is rather accomplished in literature, however, no one can defeat Yin Zhen’s outstanding talent.
“Y/N, you write for me. You have beautiful calligraphy and can write fast enough. I trust you.” and thus, the two of you sit down at a table in the middle of the banquet - Yin Zhen pours out elegant line after line, as Y/N carefully writes down the love poem that, no doubt was dedicated to her. An hour elapses and neither admits defeat. No one dares to even breathe heavily, fearing they might disturb the two poets.
Despite everyone’s concentration, the ink maid’s hand trembles just enough to pour ink all over Y/N’s paper and clothes.  “What’s your problem?!” Y/N gasped from shock at being covered by the black liquid. “Pardon me, I didn’t mean it!” the maid nonchalantly says as she bows to the groud. “I saw it perfectly. That maid didn’t mean it... But the maid that writes has got such a temper!” unable to say anything, Y/N looked at the Prince who allowed her to quickly go change into another outfit, just as beautiful and chosen by him, and return. That Princess was going to be roasted pork very soon. “Careless as that maid is, this one is only too stupid. They both should be punished, or that’s unfair for 4th Prince.” the evil Princess sneered. “Western Liang is nowhere near the sea, but I have a feeling the Princess of Western Liang lives by the sea.” Yin Zhen retorted immediately. “What does that mean?” the Princess asked, confused, only for Y/N to smirk at her beloved’s silver, witty tongue. To think that this Bitchy Princess would trouble herself with a sea of trivials, despite her affections for him. “Your Highness, I am willing to make up for my mistake and write down what 4th Prince just composed, not missing a single word.” and so she did, shocking the Princess with her fantastic memory and even more, her elegant calligraphy. And thus, Yin Zhen gets easily the 2nd win.
The two then needed a break and went outside, to look at the beautiful moon and feel the chilly breeze of Spring. Y/N, without a care, leaned on Yin Zhen’s, sighing content.
“I know I’m amazing, but to think some bitchy Princess would get jealous of me... That’s something else.” Y/N muttered, clinging lazily on his sleeve. “I know she has ill-intentions towards you. That maid, my men have been tracing her. She is working for the Princess to frame you.” the Prince spoke, aggravated. “Well, good for her. She couldn’t beat us. We are the true perfect match of Heaven and Earth. Nothing can keep us apart.” Y/N scoffed at the lame princess’s intentions, making the Prince chuckle.  “Fearless as always. You are incredible.” he commented, simple, but effective. “Oh, you should see yourself, my darling. Do you know what the 3rd test is about?” she asked, only to see him shake his head. “Not sure yet, no. But whatever it is, I fear the Princess would want to be the one to compete against you. She’s just that petty.” the Prince explained, only for a servant to call the two inside.
Apparently, the Princess decided that the last test would be, lo’ and behold, Dancing. It was perfect. She knew just what to do.
“I am just a maid. Never have I thought I’d have the privilege to compete against Her Highness, the Princess of Western Liang.” Y/N bowed in front of the Princess gracefully, only for the Princess to sneer arrogantly. “You don’t deserve it! However... You played a part in the two previous tests. I’d like to see if you really have what it takes, or you are just borrowing help from the 4th Prince. So? You dare not?!” the Princess raised her voice aggressively. “I do have nothing that’s worth mentioning... However, I do believe that dancing should be one of my strengths. Allow me to change into the appropriate outfit for dancing and I shall show you, Your Highness.” and thus, Y/N quickly left the banquet to change into a beautiful Tang dynasty pink outfit the flowed like water around her, highlighting her featured delicately. Her hair, she had the top part in a bun, with beautiful golden hair pins decorated with agate and pearls, and wore agate earrings as well. On her face, despite the gorgeous make up, she had a half mask, outstandingly embellished with different precious gems that would sparkle brighter than the whole Western Liang.
Y/N watched the Princess dancing first - A rather basic dance, beautiful, yet, but of no fantastic feat. Despite all this, all envoys seem to think very little the little Physician girl, and even His Majesty and his Ministers seem to show little faith in her. Understandable, she thought, considering that all her life she strayed away from luxuries and feminine arts and studies. 
“Do you see? Looks like you are just a slave girl to everyone! You don’t deserve the competition against me!” the Princess laughed, taunting the girl, who merely smiled. “Then, Your Highness might want to be careful... Because losing to me... It’s really mortifying.” and thus, hearing the Prince reassuring his father that she will win without a doubt, Y/N proceeded in dancing the most beautiful dance.
Lanling Prince in Battle.
Throughout the month, she has been perfecting this dance in front of Yin Zhen, and it was his favourite. Such a tragic love story, of two lovers, their hearts and souls united in life and in death, no matter what. A love story of a woman loving a man so much that she would even march to war to bring him back. A love story of a man so tormented by his wife’s death that he goes insane and destroys everything in his path.
The half mask, symbolizing the beautiful features of the man, and the beautiful face of the woman, a dance that symbolizes their feelings, their love, themselves, the fate, their life - A single dance, a single person, symbolizing two soulmates.
It was the perfect dance, and it was to no wonder that this was their favourite dance... To dance together. Although it was a dance for one person alone, Yin Zhen could never resist embracing her and dancing with her. He couldn’t resist touching her and holding her up in his graces as if she was a Goddess.
It took every ounce of strength the Prince had not to join her in the dance, but as she finished, everyone was so in awe that they forgot to breathe, only to then burst into cheerful and loud applause.
“I... Lost? No... No way... How...?” the Princess was shocked as if by lightning. Absolutely horrified that a slave girl was infinitely better than her. “Do tell me how the Prince helped me here.” Y/N smirked condescendingly at the Princess who started growling. “Y-You...! How dare you?! A stupid slave girl, speaking back to me?! You deserve to be punished!” the Princess started wagging her finger accusatory at her. “Like you wanted to punish the maid who deliberately threw ink on the poem paper, realizing that Western Liang cannot, in this world, beat the Prince’s genius? Is this what Western Liang has to do to win? Cheat and frame? How ridiculous and disappointing.” Y/N shrugged simply, walking by the 4th Prince’s side. “Your Majesty! She wants me to call white black and even sow discord between the two nations! Justice be served, Your Majesty!” the maid shrieked, pointing at Y/N, as the girl sighed, taking off the mask. “I’m the bad guy now, huh?” she muttered, rolling her eyes. “I got my people, and you don’t have the right to an opinion here. You are from Western Liang.” the Prince, having made a secret investigation earlier, seemed to have enough evidence to get those two into trouble, but now enough to actually create a war. “As virtue rises one foot, vice rises ten. Prince, you are incredible. The maid was going to make you trip. If you had, no matter how beautiful you danced, there was no way you would have won. Still, you were as beautiful as ever. Congratulations, you are the reason behind Qing’s wins. I told you I know why I have faith in you completely.” he praised as he poured her a cup of wine, making her seat next to him and celebrate their win, as the Princess is taken out of the palace to receive punishment when she returns home.
And thus, Western Liang not only lose all 3 tests, but they are also completely humiliated by their Princess’s cheating, and present the hairpin, shamefully.
“Son, you earned this hairpin, I will confer it upon you!” the Emperor handed the hairpin to his son, who bowed his head as a thanks. “I thank you, Royal Father. However, may I ask for another grace? To give it to someone else?” he asked, as the Emperor laughed. “Now that I’ve given it to you, it’s totally up to you.” and thus, as Yin Zhen opens the delicately embellished box, he takes out the hair pin, walking in front of Y/N. “Come here. I promised I will be the one to put accessories in your hair. You earned this, my love.” he said as he put his hand on her waist, kissing her forehead. “U-Uh... Yin Zhen... Everyone is looking at us.” Y/N muttered bashfully, unable to look at him. “Good. I want them to know that you are my wife, and my future Empress, and that if anyone even dares to think of laying a finger on you, they are going to be brutally disposed of.” he smiled sweetly, lifting her chin up with his finger. “Very bold, doing that in front of even your Father. Very good. What a wonderful husband I have.” she chuckled lightly as she was guided outside, to watch the fireworks show. “I already told him I want to marry you. Wasn’t much he could say after today’s wonderful wins. I have to say, you are really good at making people do what you want.” Yin Zhen chuckled lightly, bringing the girl to his chest. “You know what I think? That you talk too much and that you should kiss your wife more often. How’s that sound, My Darling Emperor?” Y/N smirked like a vixen. “I love the sound of that... My Little Physician Empress.”
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effeminateboyninja · 3 years
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Can I please have some Naruto x Reader where Reader’s parents were killed by the Nine Tails and has no idea Naruto has it inside him. So one day she just brings it up. Please let this be when he becomes a genin too so he would know he’s got kurama inside him :3c Also if he admits it his SO doesn’t care because Naruto isn’t Kurama and is his own person
this is such a wonderful idea! ty for the request bby, I had such a good time with this 💚 (kept it pretty platonic cause they’re just kiddos)
Unconditional
(Naruto x reader) // 2.8k words
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It wasn’t fair.
That’s all you could think whenever you visited. How it was so cruel of the universe to rob you of a family before you could even know them, to take them from you so violently and leave behind nothing but a grave and an old, faded photograph. You ran your finger over the weathered page and traced the outline of your mother’s face for the millionth time, trying to recall it in its full beauty but it was useless, you’d only been months old when they’d passed. The photo you held in your hand was the only they’d manage to take with the three of you before it had happened, and as such it was your most prized possession. It never left your pocket, and every night it stayed tucked safely under your pillow waiting to be retrieved the next morning.
As a result your parents' faces we’re starting to fade, the blonde of your father’s wispy hair now a milky white and the smile lines that used to be so clear around your mother’s mouth were now impossible to make out without the knowledge that they’d been there previously. In between the two of them was you, just an infant in your mother’s arms as your father stood with his arms around her beaming at the camera. They looked so proud, so happy. So ignorant of the terrible fate they would face only a few short weeks later.
Unable to bear the yearning any longer, you folded the picture and placed it back in your pocket, wiping away the tears that had begun to fall down your face and sniffling softly. You placed down the flowers you brought for the visit and looked at the stone marking that bore their names one last time.
“See ya mom and dad,” you whispered. “I’ll be back next week.”
Then you rose and made your way out of the cemetery, walking back in the direction of your grandfather's house. He was a good man. Kind and dedicated as any father, selfless enough to save you from the fate shared by so many of Konoha’s orphans that were made that night. But as much as you loved and appreciated him for all he did… it wasn’t the same.
You remembered the day of your academy graduation, it was the greatest day of your life so far. Finally being recognized as a shinobi who could protect the village and stop an attack like the one that killed your parents from ever happening again. That had been your goal since your grandfather had told you the truth about your parents death years ago now. About the nine tails and it’s vicious rampage. He had always valued honesty, and knowing you’d find out the truth sooner or later he felt he had an obligation to be forthright. Though, for a 6 year old he could have spared some of the details.
At first it made things a little easier. Your parents had died protecting the village, they were heroes. But as the years drew on and the absence of your guardians seemed less and less admirable, your comfort was slowly replaced by a burning rage. How could they allow this to happen? The elders, the Hokage?! All the people who were supposed to protect the village first and still your parents had died. Just two chunin with a budding family.
For a time you were in a dark place, especially for someone so young. Not that it was especially uncommon in the world around you for children to face such hardships… But you’d become very closed off. Barely speaking and worrying your grandfather beyond belief. Luckily though, things changed when you started at the academy! When you met that bright-eyed boy with the goofy smile who was always getting himself into mischief, and who didn’t let the village’s seemingly unwarranted hatred of him ever dim his infectiously positive personality. Naruto was the one who convinced you to let go of your anger and look towards a better future, you felt like you owed him everything. Though you never broached the subject of missing your own parents, you thought that would be insensitive considering he didn’t even have a grandfather to care for him, he knew and empathized with the basics of your situation.
When your grandfather saw the friend you had made at school he was shocked. The nine tails jinchuriki that housed the demon who killed his daughter and her husband, who had left their child orphaned and so lonely he had to rock them to bed countless nights following yet another nightmare — standing right in his kitchen. It broke his heart honestly, how innocent the young boy looked. He could hardly believe that such a monster was trapped inside of him. What stitched his broken muscle back together though was the look on your face, the way you laughed around the rambunctious genin and joked with him like a normal kid. After so many years of watching you confine yourself to the sidelines it brought him so much joy to see you make a real friend. So he didn’t say anything, he let the two of you grow closer and fed Naruto from his own pantry, all the while dreading the moment you two would have to face the secret he was keeping.
Blissfully ignorant of the complicated predicament you continued walking down the roads of the village, still feeling blue from the weekly visit to your parents grave when you heard a bright voice ring out from behind you.
“Hey, (y/n)! Wait up!” the familiar voice of your best friend called, causing you to turn. Naruto’s signature grin was plastered across his face as he waved you down excitedly and ran to catch up with you.
“Whatcha doin’?” he panted.
You looked back in the direction you came and thought of your mother and father. For a second you wanted to tell your friend everything, just fall into his arms and cry about how much you missed them. But that wouldn’t be fair. So you shrugged and put on your best fake smile to answer simply, “Just hanging out.”
The corner of his mouth twitched a little at the way you hesitated but he only missed a beat, jumping into his next question with confidence.
“Cool! Do you wanna come to Ichiraku’s with me? Iruka sensei gave me enough money for both of us, dattebayo!”
He beamed expectantly at you, waiting for you to agree but in your current mood you didn’t feel like you’d be the best dinner company, opting instead to refuse politely.
“Uh, that’s okay. I’m not feeling very well actually, but thanks anyway,” you muttered and turned to keep walking. “Maybe you should ask Sakura.”
Just as you’d taken your first step you felt a warm hand grab onto your own. When you whipped around to ask what he was doing Naruto’s sparkling eyes were inches from your own, concern obvious in their cerulean surface as he pursed his lips in a scowl.
“We’re supposed to be friends,” he reminded you. “I know when you’re lying you know.”
You smiled in spite of your low mood and gave his hand a quick squeeze before letting go.
“I wasn’t lying completely,” you defended. “I’m not feeling very well.”
He tried one more time, raising his eyebrows and holding his hands out in a shrug. “Well enough for ramen?”
“Not today,” you chuckled, shaking your head.
“Well at least let me hang out with you,” he offered, stepping beside you as you tried to walk away. “I can’t leave my best friend feeling like crap and go enjoy ramen by myself!”
Your protest was caught on your lips as he took hold of your hand once more and began dragging you behind him.
“C’mon! I know just where to go.”
You frowned but let him guide you along anyway, secretly relieved he hadn’t let you walk away to continue stewing in your thoughts by your lonesome.
By the time you got to the academy the sun was beginning to set, the glowing orb on the horizon painting the sky a series of warm oranges and reds. Your grandfather would assume you were just out having fun with your friend, which was half true anyway, so you didn’t worry about getting home. You didn’t really want to be there anyway, surrounded by all their mementos and reminders.
Naruto led you around the fence, his hand still gripped to your hand tightly until he released it to throw his arms out in a proud show.
“Well,” he stated, “we’re here!” He motioned dramatically to the small swing that was tied up to the tree beside you, hesitating only slightly when he saw the confusion painted on your face.
“It’s one of my favourite places. I come here when I’m feeling sad… I thought it might help you.”
He ruffled the hair at the nape of his neck sheepishly, his usually exuberant voice now hushed to a gentle tone just louder than a whisper. Without a second thought you rushed forward and wrapped him up in a bear hug.
“Thank you, Naruto,” you whispered, and then left him blushing as you sat down on the swing.
He followed your lead and propped himself against the tree at your side, staying uncharacteristically quiet as you pushed yourself off with a foot to start a slow swing. After just a few minutes though his restlessness got the best of him and he spoke.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
And when you looked over at him, the boy that had changed that way you saw your own misfortune and motivated you to stay strong, for the first time in what felt like your whole life you actually did want to talk about it. He knew what it was like, to grow up without the love of a mother or father. All of the heartache and longing. Who better to open up to? So you told him everything you knew. Every small detail you could remember from the stories you’d been told about them, each special memory your family had forged before their deaths. Before long though you had run out of the borrowed recollections and all that was left was the last story that had been shared with you. Their deaths. You recounted the night of the attack like you were there, and it felt like you had been given the amount of times you’d played a version of it in your head based on your grandfather’s retelling. Your voice got more strained with each sentence, the weight of your emotions causing it to sound thick and you kept your eyes trained on the space ahead of you, completely unaware of the way the boy beside you was reacting just as strongly to your words. Of the way he shrank back and winced at the vitriol in your tone when you mentioned the demon inside of him. When the tale was finished you sighed and studied your shoes.
“... I miss them of course. So much,” you trailed off, gazing over at the sun which was now barely visible over the horizon. “But I’m glad the nine tails is gone at least. And we’ll become great shinobi to make sure it never attacks again, right?” You let out a breathy laugh through your tears and wiped them away with the back of your hand as you turned your head to look at Naruto.
Finally, you noticed the pained expression on your friend's face and you instantly regretted venting about your parents, of course he would be upset being reminded of his own. The apology was already on the tip of your tongue when he muttered his response.
“It’s not gone. It’s right in front of you,” he told you as he averted his gaze and shook his head, kicking dejectedly at the dirt.
His words seemed to slow down time. The colour drained from your face and you shook your head in response, refusing to believe the truth you had ignored for so long. Grandfather had said the demon was sealed far away, somewhere secure where it couldn’t be used as a weapon again. He lied, you realized with horror, feeling a rush of shame at how willingly you had accepted his excuse.
“What do you mean?” you asked, voice shaking.
He finally looked up at you and you saw the tears that had begun to gather at his lower lash line glistening in the moonlight. Before he could even say it the puzzle pieces were arranging themselves in your mind, everything starting to make sense after so many years of trying not to understand. Why the villagers looked at him like he was a ticking time bomb, why no one but you and a scarce few other children were allowed near him. It had been so clear but you didn’t want to see it.
“I mean that I’m the jinchuriki, (y/n)!” he admitted with a pained yell. “I’m the monster that destroyed the village! It’s sealed inside me!”
The tears that had welled in his ocean eyes finally spilled over and his face scrunched up as he squeezed them shut in an attempt to stop their fall. He hadn’t felt this way since he’d learned his dark secret himself that night with Iruka. But here, having heard again first hand the pain he’d brought to you and surely dozens of other families… it was like he was finding out all over again.
The combination of the shocking realization and the sight of your truest friend breaking down, someone who had always seemed so bright and strong despite his countless struggles broke the last straw of resistance in your heart and a sob clawed its way out from deep within your chest. He let out a moan and covered his face with his arm.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…” he repeated, sounding like a remorseful child. Which, you supposed, he was.
And that realization, of all things, was what caught the next sob in your throat. He was just a child. A lonely one, who had lost even more than you and dealt with the repercussions of a decision that was made for him before he could even understand it himself. Your heart panged at the thought of the picture folded in your back pocket, the one of you as a baby, so small and fragile. Naruto would’ve been even younger when the Kyuubi was sealed, just barely born. You could hardly imagine it.
Through the sound of his quiet crying he didn’t notice the creak of the swing as you rose from your seat, only removing his sleeve from over his eyes when he felt your arms wrapping around him as you pulled him into a warm, and what you hoped was a comforting embrace.
“You’re not a monster,” you asserted plainly, the quiver in your voice balanced slightly by a new assuredness.
He sniffled, “I might as well be. I killed your parents.”
The words felt like a knife to the stomach but you ignored the pain that threatened to overwhelm and looked straight into his sad eyes, trying your hardest to let the sincerity of your next words show plain on your face.
“No you didn’t.” You poked his stomach and continued, “he did, and you’re not him. You’re not a monster or a demon or a threat. You’re Naruto… you’re my friend.”
He pulled you in close and buried his face in your hair, his arms squeezing tight around you. You could feel the wet of his tears on your neck and you were pretty sure he was getting snot all over the shoulder of your shirt, but it hardly mattered. Shirts could be replaced, people like him couldn’t.
"Thank you.”
As much as it hurt to finally know the truth it was freeing in a way you hadn’t expected. You’d finally shared your last secret with your friend, and in return he had trusted you with something so damning he had expected you to scream at him, to jump him right there and then and take out all those years of anger on him. But there wasn’t any anger, not towards him at least. There weren’t any more questions or paralyzing paranoia that one day the monster that ruined your life would come back unexpectedly. Naruto was safe, and good. If anyone could suppress the evil contained in the nine tails chakra it was him.
After the two of you had finished crying yourselves out, the catharsis of your confessions leaving you feeling relieved but exhausted, you let out a long sigh and turned to the boy at your side.
“You still up for Ichiraku’s?” you asked with a smirk.
A wide grin spread across his face and he jumped to his feet, his normal cheerfulness back quicker than you could say “shinobi” at the mention of his favourite restaurant.
“Duh!”
A delighted giggle bubbled over your lips and you let him pull you to your feet before he rushed off ahead of you.
“Last one there has to pay next time!”
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airashisakura · 3 years
Text
My last entry for @ssskmonth | Prompts used Festivals and Family
Kin
Summary: When Sasuke struggles with letting go of pain from his past, Sakura and Sarada remind him that he doesn't have to do this alone.
Rating: Mature
_
“Anata?”
Sasuke stopped dusting off the shelves and looked over in Sakura’s direction. He frowned though, seeing Sakura perched on a stool dangerously, trying to clean the cobwebs of their apartment.
“I was asking…” Sakura scrunched her face in displeasure. She hadn't realized when she had left with Sasuke on his journey that it could bring this much work.
A week ago, when they unlocked the door of their apartment, back after a year with their three-month-old daughter, they had realized making their home habitable again wasn't going to be easy. The exhaustion of their journey back to Konoha hadn’t left their souls, but the Uchiha couple prioritized cleaning over resting.
Sasuke walked over to her and steadied her wobbling stool.
“What?”
Sleep deprivation had left him cranky. He had hoped that Sarada's wailing would cease after they had moved from roads to Konoha. Although he was glad that she was more safe under a roof, it hadn’t stopped her from crying the whole night.
Sakura caught the irritation laced in his voice, and considered whether she should say what she was about to.
“Obon is in two days..." She spoke cautiously, busy with her work. "I was asking if you want to…” She trailed off again, not sure how to phrase this.
“Obon?” Sasuke looked up in her direction. He was about to ask her again, when he realized. “Obon.”
Sakura turned, facing him, and asked nervously, “Should we?”
In all these years, he had never celebrated Obon. When he was a child, he remembered his mother strictly following rituals, preparing to welcome the spirits of their clan's ancestors.
He realized that although he always carried his long gone family in his heart, he never had given any damn about the festival.
“Aah,” he agreed.
Sakura's face lit up with a wide grin, but that died off when they heard Sarada crying at the top of her lungs.
While Sasuke rushed to attend Sarada, Sakura wrestled with more dust and ended up coughing.
Although Sarada’s shrill cries bore holes in his eardrum, all the chaos of his new-formed family had settled down all the internal chaos that he had carried for years.
_
Sasuke stirred out of his slumber engulfed with warmth . Sakura's body was pressed against his back, her arm snuggly thrown around him. Sarada had been quiet after days, and he felt fully rested, refreshed after a sleep devoid of nightmares too.
The light filtering from the curtain told him it was still early, and Sakura's breaths on his neck made him want to wake her up and kiss her numb. He had lost count of the number of days he had felt her bare skin on his, slowly and passionately driving her crazy. The days and nights after Sarada’s birth went by changing diapers and trying to understand the meaning between different kinds of cries, which he hadn't quite mastered yet.
Sasuke was tempted even further when Sakura pressed her lips on his neck and murmured 'morning,' her pert nipples brushing against his muscular back. Sasuke suppressed a gasp, his twitching member, and the urge to reciprocate his wife's desire. He gently pried away from his wife's leg, and regretted it when Sakura retracted herself from him.
"Anata?" Sakura sat up with a myriad of emotions on her face — confusion, hurt and rejection.
Sasuke didn't want to make her feel like that.
"I… I'm going to visit my parents' grave."
Sakura nodded and smiled, her features relaxing.
Sasuke never thought that gulping down the guilt of neglecting his dead family could be that easy.
_
Sasuke sauntered through the path that led to his parents' grave. The place was cold and distant like his heart had been for many years. Neglected even, he mused.
He stopped when he found the stone that bore his parents' name. Uchiha Mikoto and Uchiha Fugaku — names engraved with such beauty that was ironic considering the way they had died. A surge of rage and emotions pumped through his veins in a way that he was too familiar with — it had made him a person of sins that he was still redeeming for.
He stood there unable to repress the painful memories that had seeped from his past like a poison. His surroundings reverberated with the screams and blood that painted his nightmares.
Years of redemption had seemingly healed his wounds, but the sharpness of the past always cut, and the wounds bleed as they always had.
Unable to anchor himself, he looked anywhere but his parents' name. His eyes darted across the ungrazed grass, wild flowers, and puddles formed by summer rain. Stubborn weeds creeping over his parents grave, like the past that was attached to him.
His eyes caught something. And there it is, he mused again. A small pink wildflower intertwined with weeds, facing the sun. A gentle breeze that made its petals gleam in the sunlight reminded him of Sakura's unwavering love. The love that had waited for him through his sins and redemption — love that assured him every day that he no longer was in the darkness alone — love that gave him Sarada.
He crouched down, sighing. The summer heat was getting unbearable, and beads of sweat rolled down from his forehead. This reminded he should get going. Sometimes Sarada got all fussy, and it was hard for Sakura to manage her alone. Although his heart was heavy when his eyes glided over the name of his parents again, he smiled thinking about his new family.
Sasuke traced his finger on kanji of his mother's name, dirt gathering on his finger tip. He picked up the rag that he had brought with him and scrubbed the dirt and mud from the stones. With every swipe of the rag, the images of lifeless bodies of his parents became clearer in his mind. His fingers twitched, but he did his work diligently. The dirt from his parents' name was gone now, like the blood from the wooden floor that had pooled out from his parents' bodies.
Shaking his thoughts off, he held his shirt sleeve with his teeth and rolled it upwards. He went on plucking the weeds, wishing if it was this easy to pluck away memories of his past. There was a hopeful part of him — a little part — thought that with time, the pain of his lost family would wash away, but maybe hope wasn't a thing for Uchiha Sasuke.
He bid adieu to his dead parents, and got up to leave. As he walked away, he looked back over his shoulder to get a peek of the pink flower that remained. The pink flower that had grown in his life — accepting him and his past.
_
As he reached the threshold of his house, he stiffened when he couldn’t feel the familiar chakras he was accustomed to.
He looked around and found Sakura had almost finished cleaning their house. Bookshelves no longer had cobwebs, the white sheets had been removed from the furniture, and the floor was polished.
“Sakura?”
He was answered by the empty hallways and a note. It was a note from Sakura that said she was going out for grocery shopping.
He ran fingers through his hair, sighing, and walked towards the kitchen. He decided to cook a proper lunch. They had been surviving on simple food after they had returned, courtesy of Sarada's fussiness. It amazed him sometimes how their child managed to command all their attention.
Sakura always jokingly complained that it was something Sarada definitely had inherited from him. Sakura boasted that she was a quiet infant, and her parents always backed her up. Sometimes he felt a tinge of jealousy at that.
He opened the fridge and grabbed the leftover rations that they had, and he remembered Naruto grumbling about something similar. He knew he shouldn't find that soothing, but he realized in that aspect he wasn't alone.
In fact, he wasn't alone at all anymore.
Sasuke delved into cooking, but as time ticked on, he got impatient. He decided to go out and look for them. Something made him scared that he couldn't pinpoint.
As he was going to turn the stove off, he heard the click of the door knob. He heard Sakura calling him and responded.
Relief washed through him as Sakura approached him. He had been worrying over nothing. Perhaps his heart was still as fragile as his younger self's. Too afraid to lose, yet too afraid to accept his weakness.
Sakura kept the bag of groceries, grinning widely at him before she complimented the smell of the food. He was captivated by her green eyes, but his daughter seemed to have his attention now. Sarada happily clapped her hands on seeing him and wiggled in her baby sling to reach for him.
Sasuke bent down, and Sarada reached for his cheeks and patted them with her small hands, grinning toothlessly. This was Sarada's way to embrace, Sakura had told him once. Sasuke kissed her little palm before straightening himself.
"When did you return? We were sort of feeling alone, so we decided to make a quick trip to the market. "Ne, Sarada-chan?" Sakura cooed, rubbing her nose on Sarada's head, and Sarada giggled, agreeing with her.
"But someone had more fun than she expected." Sakura tickled Sarada, and she joined her in fits of laughter.
A smile slipped past his lips, and all the heaviness that had settled in his heart from that morning began to dissipate.
"She seemed to be in a good mood," Sasuke commented, looking for something from the bag.
"Yes." Sakura hummed, sifting her fingers through Sarada's hair.
His eyes lingered on them, before he started grating ginger.
"Umm, Anata? Isn't that too much?" Sakura pointed out.
Sasuke nodded, but he added it to the pan and said, "Father always liked it this way."
Sakura blinked. She didn't know how to respond. Sasuke rarely talked about his parents, so she stood there just nodding.
The space between them stilled, with only sounds of food sizzling on the pan and Sarada's squeals.
"Father used to love the spice of ginger, so Mother used to cook like this," Sasuke explained.
"I see," Sakura replied, excitement spiking in her voice.
"Mother also added less Mirin than required," Sasuke went on, and Sakura listened raptly, watching him while he cooked Gyudon.
Sakura didn't miss the melancholy in his eyes when Sasuke said that Gyudon was his father's favourite, and it stirred Sakura's heart
Sakura knew the things which are gone always hurt, but she knew too it took time to heal them. So when Sasuke told her bits of his family, she was glad that Sasuke talked about them without any resentment — sharing his lost happiness with her. She wanted to thank him, so Sakura tiptoed, her arms wrapping around Sarada, and she pecked on Sasuke's cheek.
It was unexpected, and Sasuke stared wide-eyed at the contents in the pan, while the tips of his ears turned red.
"I'll remember this when I cook next time," Sakura blushed.
Sasuke nodded, smirking.
Sarada wiggled in her sling to reach for Sasuke again while Sakura giggled and commented on how restless she was growing.
The house, the people, and the meal he had once shared together with his parents were long gone for him, but now he saw himself in Sarada who was trying to get her father's attention like he used to. He realized time had its own way to fix things.
_
Sasuke watched the sky, summer clouds lazily drifting and strings of smoke whirling between them. The smell of smoke from the neighborhood mingled with the evening breeze, and he felt nostalgic.
His clan breathed fire, and where there was fire, there was smoke. He remembered tasting the bitterness of smoke that lingered on his tongue when his lungs had flamed out a great fireball in childhood. He’d been excited to share his experience, and Itachi had confirmed with his too gentle smile that he had felt the same way
It was a memory that had been long forgotten. Years and years of using katon jutsus and chasing his older brother for revenge had made him ignorant to these feelings that he had held precious in his childhood.
The orangish hue of the setting sun told him it was time.
It was the first day of Obon. He looked around and saw the lantern that was tied at the entrance of their house swinging with the wind along with a windchime.
The lantern will guide them home, Sakura had said when she had tied them.
He knew that too. His mother had told him during childhood while Itachi had set up the bonfire for mukaebi. He had complained that bonfires are for winters, not for summers. His mother had laughed and had corrected him.
Sasuke, this bonfire and lanterns are for the spirits of our ancestors to guide their paths back home.
He had shrugged back then, because he thought he wouldn't have to bother about this in future.
Sasuke set the twigs, and lit them using a small fireball jutsu.
He sat there, remembering that Obon during his childhood had never been so solemn. Lots of people visited during that time. He hadn’t remembered any of them, though Itachi remembered some of them. Sasuke had challenged Itachi: Just you see, nii-san, next time, I'm going to remember everyone's name. Itachi had chuckled and had flicked his forehead.
The next time hadn't ever come. Before he could add more people to his growing list of people he knew, Itachi had wiped out everyone. And then Sasuke was alone.
He realized after all these years how much he had missed his older brother. He always wanted to bury the feeling because it came with the realization that Itachi was dead because of him. Itachi was dead because of Konoha.
Itachi was dead because he wanted his otouto to live.
"Anata?"
Sasuke lifted his eyes from the flames to Sakura, who looked worried. He looked back to flames.
"Are you okay?"
Sasuke nodded. He knew they had spent enough time together for Sakura to know he wasn't alright. His eyes were fixated on flames, so he didn't notice the way Sakura's eyes softened when she sat beside him.
He didn't want to ask her, but he found himself talking anyway. "Do you think Itachi can find his way?"
For the second time in the day, Sakura blinked in confusion.
Sasuke clarified again, "He doesn't even have a grave."
For a second, Sakura felt like she couldn't breathe. She had never seen Sasuke so vulnerable before.
"This place… Konoha…" He gritted his teeth. "I- I don't know how to call Konoha my home after what they did to my clan… to Itachi."
"I can't," He said, his voice louder and filled with accusation.
But as soon as these two words left his mouth, his eyes widened in the realization of what he had done. He shut his eyes and apologized to Sakura.
He felt Sakura's palm on his left cheek. It reminded him of his daughter's gentle touch — that they were his home.
Sakura smiled when his mismatched eyes met her green, and spoke softly, "Hate it till you can love it back, Sasuke-kun."
_
Sasuke swallowed the soft moan that fell out of Sakura's plump lips before he moved down on her neck, leaving a trail of kisses. When their house turned silent from Sarada's cries, they both sought comfort in their bed, limbs tangled innocently. Sasuke was comfortable enough now to delve into his wife's gentle touches. Gentle touches soon turned greedy when he kissed her the way he had wanted to that morning. It wasn't too long before their clothes were scattered across the polished wood of the floor.
He nipped her neck, eliciting a whimper and a delicious clench of her walls around his pulsing cock. He groaned and pushed deeper into her wet velvety cunt. The air from the ceiling fan cooled their sweating bodies, but the heat where they were intimately joined made both their spines tingle.
Sasuke leaned down to capture her lips again, and Sakura reciprocated wantonly meeting with his thrust. They gasped for air when they parted, saliva smeared across the corners of their lips. Sasuke held his gaze with hers, which was always soft, assuring, and accepting. Like a wanderer on a cold night regarded the flames that kept him warm, Sasuke tried to emanate his gratitude for her through his mismatched eyes.
He inched deeper, relishing the warmth of her skin. Sakura's lips parted in a silent cry when he hit the spot that he knew made Sakura come undone. Their rhythm became more erratic, and the heaving and slapping of wet skin was driving Sasuke to his own finish.
Sasuke angled his hips and thrust roughly. Sakura shuddered, her nails digging deep in his bare shoulder. He closed his eyes, focussing on the pleasure unknoting in his belly, he pushed roughly again, and felt—
Sarada's whimpers reached their ears. His eyes snapped open reflexively like he was waking in the midst of a nightmare, and Sakura's grip loosened on him. Sakura winced as he reluctantly pulled out of her. He wasn't sure if it was because Sarada's cries intensified, or if it was because they’d been interrupted.
She smiled weakly and slid out of bed. Sasuke huffed and dropped onto the bed, watching Sakura hurriedly putting his shirt to cover her curves.
When he made his way towards them, Sakura was pacing along the room, cradling Sarada in her arms trying to calm her down.
"I fed her, changed her diapers, and still she is crying," Sakura said, expression etched with worry and irritation. Sarada shrieked louder, and Sakura's patience was waning thin.
Sasuke stretched his arm towards her, and Sakura handed the baby over. When he took her in his arm, rocked her and carefully nuzzled his nose on her forehead, she stopped crying. Somehow, it felt strange yet so good that someone needed him.
He was sure Sakura was red with envy and embarrassment when she mumbled something and walked away. He couldn't help himself but let out a chuckle, and Sakura turned and laughed too.
_
Konoha's streets were overflowing with families, people enjoying and dancing around the yagura stage to the beats of Taiko drums on the second day of Obon.
"Ino and I always loved dancing to this rhythm."
Sasuke didn't remember anything from his genin days. Maybe Sakura had told him back then, but he never paid attention to it like the other things he had missed while chasing blindly after revenge. This festival, this tradition, and Sakura were always there, and he had always been a piece out of the puzzle.
But Sarada with all her charm had made him fit in the puzzle. And now he and Sakura sat on the engawa, basking in the comfortable silence that they shared while the sound of Taiko drums reverberated with his heart beats.
Sakura held Sarada close to her body. He smiled, eyes falling on the Uchiha fan on her little back.
"I sprained my ankle the previous year. It was all stupid Ino's fault."
Sakura went on telling him about her Obon experiences while his eyes lingered on the swell of her chest, the bindings tugged down for Sarada to suckle. Sarada fed herself without any complaints, her little fingers clutching on folds of the beautiful green yukata Sakura was wearing.
The beautiful cherry blossom print on her green yukata accentuated her beauty, but it was the Uchiha crest that she sewed on her yukata in the afternoon that accentuated her beauty.
Sasuke's eyes trailed upwards to her exposed skin, and he noticed the hitch in her breath when his eyes stayed on the purplish mark he had given her the night before. They locked eyes, trapping her green with his mismatched ones.
Sakura blushed furiously under his gaze. Sasuke smirked and asked, "Want to go to the festival?"
_
The sound of heavy breathing disturbed the silence, as both of them came down from their high, basking in the afterglow. A sheen of sweat covered them like velvet, limbs entangled and limp. Sakura's yukata lay crumpled between their bodies, tugged upwards and sideways unceremoniously.
Sasuke had committed to memory the way her pink hair seamlessly smudged with the green of her yukata when he had pushed inside her from behind, losing himself to pleasure. His fingers lightly traced her pink nipples, and Sakura gasped.
She turned her head back, and Sasuke pulled her closer to his body, his palm now resting over her beating heart. Sakura smiled, and Sasuke realized there were so many colours that adorned his life now — the red of her lips, the pink of her hair, the green of her eyes, and that mirthful smile.
His heart skipped a beat when he felt Sakura's heart dancing under his palm, synchronising with his. Their lips found their way to each other, the uchiwa on the Sakura's garment silently observing their love.
_
A wisp of smoke rose into the air while twigs in the bonfire crumbled down to ashes. Sasuke sat in front of the extinguished bonfire, looking above at the dark sky.
The moon hid behind the clouds and stars twinkled, trying hard to compensate for the overcast skies. A breeze touching his skin gave him a familiar feeling. He had spent more time under open skies wandering than under a roof with a family. However, tonight he felt the same heaviness that he had carried for a long time.
After they had dinner, Sakura had reminded him that it was the last day of Obon. Reluctantly, he had lit the okokuri-bi — the bonfire that sent the spirits back to their resting place. Maybe he didn't want to part with his dead family. Maybe holding on to the illusion where his father, mother and brother were with him was easier.
The breeze swept the hair that covered his eyes, his mismatched orbs growing wet. It wasn’t because of anger anymore, though. It just hurt. He clutched at his chest, fingers digging into his shirt, trying to soothe the pain that was there. An invisible pain that he only owned — that Sakura and Sarada couldn't replace.
"Sara-chan, did you like it?"
Sasuke snapped out of his thoughts as Sakura approached him. Sarada fiddled with a toy that Sakura bought recently for her. Sarada cooed in excitement, and Sakura giggled.
When she reached closer to him, Sakura stretched out her hand towards him. Words were not their way, and Sakura smiled gently, coaxing him to take her hand.
And Sasuke did.
Because there were things Sakura and Sarada couldn't replace, but he could relive and recreate memories with them. Severing bonds would never ease his pain, he knew now; instead, new bonds would help him embrace the old ones.
They were there for him — he wasn't alone, and he didn't need to do this on his own.
_
FFN | AO3
Obon is a Japanese custom to honor the spirits of one's ancestors. This custom involves a family reunion holiday during which people return to ancestral family places and visit and clean their ancestors' graves when the spirits of ancestors are supposed to revisit the household altars. It has been celebrated in Japan for more than 500 years and traditionally includes a dance, known as Bon Odori.
Credits: Inspired from Warm by @catflorist . For those who haven't read, please read this wonderful piece.
Thanks to @fm-white for telling me more about rituals of Obon.
Thanks for @fictionalquacker's headcanon that Fugaku loves beef, which helped me making an assumption that it could be Gyudon. Also thanks to lovely @birkastan2018 for giving some tips about cooking Gyudon 💪. A big thanks to @theredconversegirl for naming my fic 🥺. Believe me, I would be forever grateful to you for this❤️
Thanks to @something-like-air for beta-ing this. 🤗
Last but not the least, @thatsakurastan :") with her constant support and nagging, I was able to complete and post this fic. You deserve big slabs of chocolate!🍫🍫🍫
164 notes · View notes
kass-storycorner · 3 years
Note
I really loved your ghost fic with Xiao. But it left me curious to have a second part in which they finally find the way to communicate. Whenever is just to say goodbye and having reader going to the afterlife or getting stuck there forever in an eternal solitary pseudo-company together is up to you, I just want to see them talk 😭
awww, thank you! I'm so glad you loved it (though I am sorry for the sad feelings haha). And I was really struggling to find a way to end that orginal story in the beginning, which is the reason why it ended that way oops. Well, now here is the follow up for it. Compared to the small bit I wrote for Xiao... I mean not even compared to it, this is the longest fic I've posted on here so far? Ah, well. I just had so much fun with it.
Idea/Prompt: a follow up to Xiaos part in this post
Genre: a bit of Angst and Hurt, more comforting than the first part, but if the ending is a happy one is up to you!
Characters: Xiao (Zhongli as side character, mention of Hu Tao, Verr Goldot, a new character I made up that did not get a name)
Format: Text
Word count: 5593
Content warning: mentions of blood, spoiler-y for the second act of Zhonglis story quest and the same spoilers warnings as for the OG post! this is not proof read, I started writing this at midnight and its 5am now ahha fml
The Ghost of you Part II. - To the end
yes we are keeping the mcr names
“Xiao”, he felt an uneasiness in his body upon hearing his name. Where was he? Looking around, Xiao saw he stood in a field of flowers. When did he come here? He had no recollection of it at all. Confused he furrows is brows, worry filling his heart and then- “Xiao.” There it was again, that voice calling out to him. Speaking his name softly, voice filled with affection. Where did it came from? He walked around the field, no end of it in sight, looking for that voice calling out to him. The longer he searched for it, the more his heart was filled with dread. “Xiao.” This time the voice came from behind him and when he turned around, he saw you, holding your hand out to him and smiling. “(Y/N)”, Xiao looked at you in disbelief. Was it really you standing in front of him? Your laugh pulled him out of his trance. “Xiao, why are you standing there like a pillar? Come, take my hand,” and at that you wiggled it a bit, signalling him that you're waiting for him to take it. “(Y/N),” Xiao repeated, standing still and looking at your hand, then to you. “What are you doing here?”. Again, you laughed as if what he said was the silliest thing you ever heard. “What do you mean by that? Xiao,” you shook your head and then you shoot him a bright, warm smile. “You wanted to come here, remember? Now come, take my hand and dance with me before the music stops.” Dance? Music? At first Xiao did not understand what you meant, but then he heard it. In the distance, the low sounds of a flute, a sweet melody that sounded strange but all too familiar. “Xiao”, he heard you whisper his name, speaking so gently. Slowly, he was still a bit hesitant, he reached out for your hand, taking it in his. A smile came across your face at the touch of your hands. With a swift motion Xiao was pulled into your arms, you both at first staying still in that embrace. “Xiao, lets dance, okay?”. With that you both started to waltz around the field, Xiao not knowing how he knew to dance like this, but somehow, he did. The dread that started to spread in his chest earlier was now gone, replaced by the feeling of love he felt for you. Still, there was something tugging at his mind, telling him something was amiss here. It felt familiar, yes. However, it also seemed to be strange to him at the same time. Though Xiao tried to push the nagging feeling away, wanting only to enjoy this pleasant moment with you. Which is why he at first didn’t notice how the sky darkened above them nor that the music had stopped a while ago. As you both stopped to dance, still holding each other in your arms, he heard you call out to him again. “Xiao”, the sound of your voice was filled with pain and when he looked at you in his arms the light behind your eyes was gone, your face stiff and emotionless. At the sight of your dead eyes, he wanted to part from the embrace, but he couldn’t let you go. Xiao saw the blood, saw the bruises and suddenly he was on his knees again, you are laying in his arms. He wanted to cry, wanted to say your name but he couldn’t. It was as if there was no air to breath so he could speak. And then – “Xiao.” His name. “Xiao.” Again. “Xiao.” Over and over again he heard how his name was spoken, but with every whisper of his name the voice became more distorted, louder. Until he cowered in pain at the sound of it, wanting it to stop, wishing for it to stop. “Xiao”.
With that Xiao woke up, his body covered in cold sweat and his breathing erratic. Another nightmare of you, another nightmare of something he wished the both of you could’ve done but never did – because of his shortcomings. Xiao sat atop of a rock, looking over the forest in which your ghost continued to wander aimlessly around. He had been watching you for a few weeks now, trying to figure out what kept you here and how he could help you. However, Xiao was clueless at what could be the cause of this. It was clear to him now that he couldn’t help you, he needed to find someone who could. Looking down at the forest, seeing your ghost wander around between the trees, he softly whispered. “I will be back soon, I won’t leave you again for long, I promise.” There weren’t many people Xiao could ask for help. Back when you were alive Xiao wasn’t the most social, wanting to keep his distance from humans. After you died this habit of his, avoiding others, only worsened. So, the only person Xiao could think of to ask for help in this matter was the same who saved him from his servitude as a bloodhound. Zhongli spend most of the last hundred years among the people of Liyue, but for a few decades now he lived in a remote house. It was now the door of said house Xiao knocked on, knowing that although he could easily enter the house, Zhongli preferred it for him to knock. “Ah, Xiao, it is nice to see you,” Zhongli greeted the adeptus. As Xiao entered the house and followed the tall man into his kitchen, it was a standard practice of Zhongli to drink a tea with anyone who visited, he couldn’t stop to notice that the notebooks scattered around the house grew in number. “So,” Zhongli began his question, “what brings you here? From your troubled look I can tell you didn’t come for the tea or my company.” With that Xiao didn’t waste any time on more formalities, explaining his predicament to the former Geo-Archon. “Mmmh, I see,” he replied, taking a sip from his cup. “I fear I might not be much of help in this case, although I have some knowledge on the topic of the human afterlife, I can’t think of a solution to this. However, it might be best to go ask Hu Tao on advice, as she is way more… let’s say, perceptive when it comes to the dead.” How bothersome, Xiao thought at the mention of Hu Tao. “Zhongli, Hu Tao is long dead”, was all Xiao could say. It happened more frequently now that Zhongli seemed to forget things, small ones but also important pieces of information and this filled Xiao with unease. He didn’t like it that the erosion of Zhongli already was set in motion, thinking about that one-day Xiao might have to face him in battle should he lose all sense of self and sanity. Neither did Zhongli enjoy slowly losing his memories of the past – although he wrote down as much as possible, it bothered him that he had to even rely on his notebooks. “Ah,” Zhongli replied, setting his cup down on the table and with a troubled look, “I seem to have forgotten something again. Would you please help my memory, when did this happen?” “One thousand years might have already passed,” Xiao saw how much it stirred Zhongli up that he had forgotten the passing of a friend. “She had a good life, right? I’m sorry for asking, but I somehow can’t seem to remember much about her later life.” “Yes,” Xiao answered, thinking about the 77th Director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. There weren’t many humans he tolerated or even enjoyed being around, but Hu Tao was one Xiao always was fond of. She was also the one at the Parlor that day you died, when Xiao came in with your dead body in his arms, he hoped he might find Zhongli maybe he could do something about it, but… Xiao knew there was nothing anyone could do. Hu Tao understood his pain, without a word she showed him where to put your body and prepared your funeral, without even asking for a single Mora. “Then, “Zhongli pulled Xiao out of his thoughts, “maybe you might find help with the new Director, her family always had some knowledge about that human afterlife that’s even a mystery to me.” With that
Xiao said his goodbye to Zhongli and made his way to Liyue. The city of Liyue changed over the last thousand years a lot, but the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor was still one of the constants in the city. Xiao couldn’t remember the last time he visited the city, though it must have been a few hundred years ago for sure. He just never really liked it and since, what the humans called a ‘industrial revolution’, the city was even more crowded and overwhelming for Xiao. “Welcome to the Wangshen Funeral Parlor, how may I help you?”, a young person greeted Xiao as he set foot into the building. At the enthusiastic way the person greeted him as he entered a funeral home, Xiao was sure this was one of Hu Taos descendants. He barley could imagine anyone else be so happy surrounded by death. “Are you the director?”, Xiao asked in his usual stern voice. “The 107th Director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, yep that’s me!” “I may need your assistance.” ���Wonderful, I’m always happy to help- oh well, not happy as I am happy for your loss, my condolences by the way, but in happy as I am happy that I can be of help. So, what do you need help with? We have some wonderful new coffins out of a wonderful wood, really they are also very comfortable, not that comfort is that important for someone who’s dead, but I thought it might be also of interest to say that they are really comfort-“, ah yes, Xiao thought, definitely related to Hu Tao. “I don’t need a coffin”, he interrupted the young director. “Oh, um… what can I help with then?”, they asked and then Xiao explained everything to them. At first, he wasn’t sure of the director would be of help, most humans have long forgotten the existence of the gods and adepti, as most of them died or lived a life among humanity, but sure enough the director did turn out to be well versed with the forgotten knowledge of the world. “So, you say the ghost is just roaming around those woods? Nothing else happens?”, the director asked, sitting in their chair in the back office of the Parlor, and they had their hand on their chin, looking like they were thinking about something “Will you be of help now or why do you keep repeating the same useless questions?”, Xiao became a bit impatient now. He just needed to know if someone was able to help you. Without even answering the question the director stood up from the chair and walked towards a bookshelf, pulling a big and old looking book out and opening it up on the table. “Mmmh, from what you’ve described it seems to be nothing to grave, they don’t seem to have become an evil spirit just yet, moreover it seems like they are just one who got lost, though it is surprising that after such a long time the spirit didn’t just turned into something malicious. Normally for most human ghosts it takes a few hundred years until they go insane and well, you know all too well what then happens with an evil spirt I guess.” Xiao was aware what happened to the evils in the world, because it was mostly him. Though he didn’t like to think about it what it would have meant if you- no, he didn’t even want to finish that thought. “How do I help them?”, he didn’t care about any of the other information, he just wanted to find a way to help you. The director pointed at a passage in the book in front of them and continued. “What we have to do is easy if you think about it, I just need something that belonged to the deceased they held dear, a few materials like Qingxin flowers, around twenty should be enough, and the next part is more tricky if you don’t know the deceased that well, which shouldn’t be a problem here, but we need to, well you need to, speak some words that you know are important to them. A story or something like that, sometimes even the voice of a loved one is enough to help to guide the spirits back. Though I will definitely have to accompany that spirit to the border, just to make sure it won’t happen again, you know getting lost, because I can’t guarantee this method will help a second time.” Xiao was quiet. Something that belonged to them, when the director said
those words, his hand immediately flew up to the necklace with the small pendant he wore. Xiao wasn’t the most adept with words, he rather enjoyed listening to what you had to say to him most of the time. He enjoyed the sound of your voice; it was so much more pleasant than his own. One day, Xiao still remembers it so well, your voice said something he did not expect for you to say. “Xiao, I love you.” It took him by surprise, standing on the balcony of the Wangshu Inn, watching the night sky… he suspected that you liked him that way, he did too. Oh, but how he hoped that you wouldn’t say anything about it, like he planned too. Your openness scared him. The idea of being loved scared him, for what was there to love about him? He didn’t want to be a burden to you, his karmic debt, his burden – he feared it would all just make you hate him one day if he let you see it all. That night, after you said these words, Xiao disappeared without a word from your sight. He wasn’t far away, but he wished back then that he teleported out of his hearing range. The sobs that came from you after his departure broke Xiaos heart. After this he avoided you, which wasn’t too hard because you did the same thing too. But with every day that passed when Xiao didn’t see you, hear your voice, his heart grew heavier. Asking himself if he really did do the right thing. Verr Goldet approached Xiao a few weeks after your confession, inquiring why now you didn’t come to the Inn anymore. Xiao did not answer her question, but Verr was a smart woman and at the look in his eyes she understood. “Don’t give up someone you love, only because you are scared of the love you both feel for each other, Xiao”, was all she said. This was the final push for Xiao to finally get over himself and embrace the feelings he felt for you. He didn’t know anymore where the idea came from, but he decided to gift you a handmade necklace along side his confession. Xiao was scared that it might be too late for telling you that he felt the same. However, he knew he had to do it and he wanted to give you something that showed you how he felt too. So Xiao collected the material all around from Liyue, creating a metal necklace and using a small piece of Cor Lapis, your favourite you told him once, as the pendant. With that he looked for you, finding you sitting in the middle of a flower field. “(Y/N)”, he said, stopping himself from continuing when he saw how you jumped at your own name. “Xiao! You scared me!”, you quickly stood up and turned around to him. Xiao wasn’t the most adept with words, he enjoyed listening to you – but you stayed quiet after facing him and you kept quiet when Xiao came closer. “I-“, he began, but unable to speak the words he so wished you to hear from him. Instead, he took your hand and put the necklace in it. “I- I made you this,” was all he could say, feeling how fast his heart pounced in his chest. The look in your eyes, Xiao saw the love you felt for him in them. “Xiao, I-“, he saw how you viewed the necklace in your hand, tears starting to form at the corners of your eyes. Before you were able to finish the sentence or let the tears fall down, Xiao took your face in his hands and kissed you. Yes, he wasn’t the most adept with words, but he learned that he could show you how much he loved you in other ways.
From that day on you wore that necklace every single day, never taking it off since Xiao but it on you after the shared kiss. You joked that it was a physical representation of your love for each other, though Xiao felt like you actually meant it. And somehow it really was. Xiao remembered how that necklace was still around you neck when he took your body to Hu Tao, he remembered that it was covered with your blood. He didn’t even think about taking it off you. It was Hu Tao who gave him that necklace after your burial and since then he hadn’t taken it off. It was the last thing he had of you, the last reminder of your love for each other and every night after your death, when he cowered in pain because of his karmic debt, the cool touch of the stone on his skin helps him to stay sane. Just like the flute he heard even long before he met you.
When Xiao and the director arrived at the forest, they collected the flowers on their way, he could see your ghost again. Walking around, calling for him. His heart breaks every time he had to witness your suffering. “Okay, we have the flowers… do you have something that belonged to them with you, Xiao?”, the director asked, and Xiao shifted his focus from you to them. Slowly he took the necklace off, feeling somehow so vulnerable without it, and gave it to the director. “You know where they start their walk and end it right?”. Yes, Xiao knew that. He had watched over your ghost for the past couple of weeks and noticed that you were walking in circles, without even knowing so it seemed, starting from the place you died and ending up there again. Although your body was buried in another part of Liyue and already long gone, taken back by nature, you stayed here. Where you died. Xiao wished he had come here earlier. Together with the director Xiao made his way to the place where your life ended and your endless suffering in a sort of limbo started, laying down the flowers and the necklace. “And how is that supposed to help them now?”, he asked, not sure how any of this will work. “Like I said, we put down something that belonged to them and was important because they will gravitate to the feelings still connected with that object. The flowers are helping, because they built a bridge between the living realm and what state they are in. Now we just need some words that they have a connection with, in the past it used to be certain prayers because people kept using them a lot, but you know it honestly doesn’t matter what you say, it just needs to be connected to them in some way. Maybe their favourite story or a lullaby, there are many possibilities.” “A lullaby, huh,” this was something Xiao hadn’t thought about in a long time. “Xiao, are you alright?”, he heard your voice from across the dark room. It was the middle of the night, normally he would be out killing monsters, but for tonight you were able to make him sleep with you. When you found out that he never sleeps you were shocked, though he tried to calm you saying that an adeptus didn’t need to sleep. “Maybe you don’t need to,” you told him with a stern look, hands on your hips, “but it will be good for you too, believe me!”. And somehow, after each of you confessed the feelings for the other, you were able to make him sleep next to you some nights. Just for that night his karmic debt plagued Xiao. He sat in front of your window, trying to keep his distance from you, not wanting to disturb your sleep and he didn’t want to worry you. “Xiao?”, you asked again, but instead of an answer Xiao growled in pain. Suddenly you were beside him. “Don’t”, he said through gritted teeth as you tried to touch him. “You’re in pain, let me help you.” He saw your worried painted face, ashamed that you had to see him like this. “It’s fine, I’m used to it. Don’t worry.” “Don’t tell me not to worry when I see the person I love most suffering,” and with that you took his hand. “Please Xiao, let me help you.” Even when he wasn’t in such a weakened state it was hard for Xiao to refuse you and now – all he wished for was your comforting touch. You led Xiao back to bed and when you noticed how he had a fever you quickly prepared a cold and wet towel for him. As you both lied down in bed you took Xiao in your arms. “I don’t know if this will help,” you began after a short amount of silence, “but when I was a child my mother always used to sing this lullaby to help me fall asleep. She even continued singing it when we were older and got sick… it always helps me feel better and at ease, shall I sing it to you?”. Xiao only gave a small nod, not believing it would help when you sang that song for the first time. But it did, you soothed his pain and helped him fall asleep. From that night on you would sing it more often to Xiao, he never asked for it but you somehow always knew when he wished to hear it, especially on the nights when is karmic debt caused him great pain. That lullaby became
another sign of how much you loved each other – the necklace was Xiaos gift, the song yours.
Now there he stood, in this forest that once was just a plain field, the flowers and necklace to his feet singing that lullaby. Xiao never sang it when you were alive, he never sang at all. No matter how much you begged him to sing for you, this was something he always refused to do. Thinking about how beautiful your voice sounded, he never wanted to soil this song with his voice.
It felt like you screamed for Xiao for hours and hours on end, but your voice doesn’t hurt. Where were you? What had happened? In your head you repeated and repeated the last things you could remember again and again. You were walking in the fields, wanting to collect some crystal flies for a commission. Then you remembered that you were attacked, who or what attacked you slipped your mind. However, the fight was tedious and hard… and then you called for Xiao. That’s it. That’s all you could remember. But where was he? Where was Xiao? Didn’t he say he would always come when you called out for him? Why didn’t he come now? You feared that he was still angry with you, though you didn’t know anymore why he even should be angry with you in the first place. The two of you had a fight yes, but… was that it? You spend so much time apart, did he just decide you weren’t worth his time anymore? Did he maybe stop loving you? Those thoughts filled you with dread and you wanted to cry, cry at the thought of Xiao not loving you anymore, but somehow you couldn’t. So you kept calling for him, over and over again. “Xiao,” you screamed. “XIAO!” And then you heard something, at first you weren’t sure what it was, but there was a noise. You stopped calling out for him, trying to focus on where the sound came from, following the direction. It got louder and – was that Xiao singing? The closer you came towards the sound, towards Xiaos voice singing that lullaby… your mothers’ lullaby, the lullaby that became yours and Xiaos. Which he always refused to sing, no matter how much you pleaded. The closer you came you started to remember the things that happened more clearly. How you didn’t want to call for Xiao at first that day, how something hit you in your stomach and how you felt the blood gusher out of you. Yes, you remember how you couldn’t stand anymore and all that was on your mind was Xiao, you wanted to see him again. Just once. You wanted to tell him how sorry you were, how stupid it was for you to fight and how stupid it was to wait this long to call for him. You wanted to say this to him, all of it. But all you remember you said was his name. “Xiao.”
He stopped singing, his head flying up seeing your ghost stand right in front of him. His name. You just said his name. “Xiao,” you said it again, this time he heard you say it clearly and you looked right at him, not through. “(Y/N)”, it came more out as whisper. This is what he wanted. He wanted you to see him, to get out of that limbo, but why does it still hurt as much? “Ah, seems like it worked, great!”, the director interrupted the moment, looking at Xiao and the ghost of you. “I ummm- I’m gonna leave the two of you alone for a while, so you can talk things out, say your goodbyes, yadayadayada.” With that the director walked away and it was just you and Xiao.
“I-“, Xiao began, but somehow his voice failed him. What was there to say? What should he say? “Xiao,” he heard the hesitance in your voice. “Xiao, I am dead, right?”. He couldn’t stand looking at you, his eyes avoiding yours as he gave his short answer. “Yes.” “I see,” you replied quietly. You slowly started to remember the nights you stood on the field, waiting for him to come. “Why,” you weren’t sure if you wanted an answer to your question, “why didn’t you come? After, you know… I- I waited for you. I called you. Why-?”. “I felt guilty. It was my fault, if I just hadn’t tried to push you away again, then you wouldn’t have died, I’m so sorry,” his voice was so quiet, but you could hear how he tried to hold back the tears. “Xiao,” at hearing his name again he looked back at you, you now seeing the tears that pooled at the corner of his eyes. “It wasn’t your fault. I shouldn’t have pushed you… and I should have called for you earlier. But Xiao,” you saw how the tears started to fall down his face, “it wasn’t your fault.” He couldn’t hold it in any longer, Xiao fell to his knees, hands in his face and crying. “Please,” he sobbed. “Please, forgive me. I should have protected you that day, I should have come here earlier and see what was happening… please, forgive me.” You walked towards Xiao, reaching out your hand, wanting to touch him. Wanting to take him in your arms, but you couldn’t. It broke your heart. “Xiao, please, please look at me,” he did, his eyes red and filled with his tears. “There is nothing to ask for forgiveness for, you did nothing wrong Xiao. It’s alright. I’m sorry for leaving so soon, for running away that day we had this stupid fight. I don’t even know what it was about…”. “I don’t know either”, Xiao admitted and somehow you had to laugh a bit at that. None of you ever remembered why you fought even in the first place, all of this nearly felt so normal. But it wasn’t. Xiao wiped away the tears from his eyes and stood up again, this time to be able to face you. You looked just like he remembered, except for the see-through part but… your smile hasn’t changed. Even if this was a sad one. “Xiao, how much time has passed since I died?” That question surprised him. “Around…”, he was hesitant to tell you the truth. Should he really tell you? “Xiao,” and you looked at him and he knew that he couldn’t hide the truth. “A thousand years perhaps.” Thousand years, you thought. For thousand years he walked around with this guilt, for thousand years he kept that necklace that still was on the ground… for thousand years he lived his life, still mourning you it seemed. “Did you get over me?”. Again, another question he didn’t expect. Why were you asking him this? Did he get over you? “No, every single day since you died you were on my mind, I couldn’t forget you and I do not wish to. I can never get over you.” This wasn’t the answer you hoped for. “Xiao, I’ve been dead for thousand years. Even if I hadn’t died that day, I would have died on another one. Thousand years compared to what, sixty? Maybe seventy years if I had lived a full life is nothing. Humans are weak after all, aren’t we?”. You didn’t mean to stir him up with your last comment, it was more intended as a joke, alas a sad one, but somehow you struck a nerve within him. “No, they are not. I always said that, but I was wrong (Y/N). I don’t understand how you human can live your life, knowing that you will die, that those you love will inevitably die. How you can idly sit next to people you care about forgetting important things, things about themselves, struggle to remember who they are, seeing them die… and you move forward. I watched over you humans for such a long time, protecting you and I still- I don’t understand how. How can they love again? Where does the strength come from to keep moving forward?”, Xiao’s voice was full of pain, you heard it clear as day, seeing how tears rolled down his face again. You felt that there were even other things weighing heavy on him, not only you, but you knew that you couldn’t comfort him. That this was
something he needed to figure out himself. “Xiao, you will learn. You will understand it one day, it just takes time.” Your voice heavy with sadness and oh, how you wished you could take him in your arms, wipe his tears away and kiss him.
Before Xiao could reply anything in return the director disturbed the two of you again. “So, are you ready now?”, looking directly at you. “No, but I stayed here for far too long now, didn’t I?”, a sad smile coming across your face. You really didn’t want to leave, but you knew you couldn’t stay any longer. It was time. “I will come with you as far as I can,” Xiao had wiped his tears away and stood now right next to you. If you still had a body your shoulders would touch.
Xiao and the director accompanied you to the border of life and death in silence. Before you crossed it you looked at Xiao. He looked so sad, as if he was to lose you a second time. “I wish,” you heard him say, “that you could stay just a bit longer. I know it’s selfish, but I just wished you could have stayed by my side forever. But you can’t stay, and you shouldn’t.” “Xiao, I feel the same. I wish I could have spent eternity with you, but I can’t and it okay. I just want to ask you for one thing, one last promise before I go, okay?”. Xiao looked at you with a heavy heart. “Yes.” “Promise me you will try to find happiness for yourself again, okay? Promise me you will love again, please. Don’t stay alone.” Silently Xiao looked at you to then finally say “I promise.” “Thank you Xiao,” Archons, you wished you could take his hand. “Now then,” you said looking in the directions you had to go. “Time to go.” “(Y/N)”, you heard Xiao say before you left. “I love you.” “I love you too, Xiao.” As Xiao and the director left the border, he stayed quiet, the atmosphere being quite sombre. “Maybe,” the director pulled Xiao out of his thoughts, “there is nothing behind the border and they stopped existing completely. But maybe their soul will now find a way back to you, just in another way? Who knows,” and with that the director left. Xiao didn’t know if he believed that you would find a way back to him, but as it started to rain and as it fell down on his skin, Xiao felt now lighter as if a heavy burden was taken off of him. With that he started to move forward again.
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arievir · 2 years
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Chapter 16 - Light At The End Of The Tunnel [END]
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Warning: mentioning coma, suicide, attempting murder, death, hospital, implying domestic violence, and a word bully, sexual suggestiveness, family issue, and emotional issue, age gap relationship [mainly Toji x you/ Yuji x you] (please be aware of these)
Masterlist LFTM
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Satoru was at his company when he received the urgent call from Shoko. He slumped down on his expensive leather chair which wasn’t able to carry the heavy feeling he was experiencing after hearing what happened to you.
His chest was torn. He was horrified to learn you were in a coma again. He ordered his secretary to process the medical repatriation. No matter how much he had to pay he was willing to as long as he could bring you back home quickly.
He wasn’t conscious of how much his tears kept dropping from his baby blue eyes and how much his hands were shaking. He kept thinking about what he would do if he lost you for real this time.
“N-no. Y/n, y-you can’t leave me here all alone like this. I-I I’m not gonna live without you in this world” Satoru didn’t hear what he said but he repeated these sentences again and again in his mind.
….................
Yuji just got home from his school. He was thirsty, so he looked for a glass to drink some water. Suddenly, his hands felt weak. The glass slipped out of his hand. The cracking sound of the clear glass that hit a white marble was loud, but his heartbeat was louder than anything.
For an unknown reason, your face was the first thing he imagined. His forehead was sweating. His breath was quicker. He had no idea what happened but he was worried about you, so he decided to make a call to you.
He was delighted for a second when his call was picked up, but that wasn’t your voice. His knees touched the marble floor immediately after a woman said you were in a coma.
He didn’t remember what the woman's name was because his brain was shut down when he heard what happened to you. She said she was your friend but all he could memorize was that you hadn’t woken up for 3 days.
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The last thing you remembered was Shoko’s voice. When you opened your eyes, you realized right away where you were. It was the same lovely and colorful garden as a paradise, but the vibe was full of sorrow as always.
Everything was delightful with many kinds of flowers fields such as roses, lilies, camellia, or violet; it was supposed to feel fresh, yet it felt despondent, empty, and lonely.
Runa was there next to the daffodil field. You used both hands to get up and approached her. You never realized why every time you visited holy places, those bitter feelings and painful symptoms always happened until you understood you were living unnaturally.
No one should get a second chance after they died, but because of Runa’s determination and love, the miracle happened. It was a shame, she deserved this wish more, a lot more than you.
“How do you know I deserve this more than you?” Runa spoke.
“H-huh?” you widened your eyes.
“R-Runa, did you hear what I thought?”
Runa giggled softly. ���Silly, I’m a soul. Did you really think we couldn’t hear or understand? Even if you speak another language and meet ghosts in another country, they still know what you say. This is not a human world, we communicate through our soul”
Your mouth was opened for a while without your realization. You were aware a moment later when Runa gave her hand to you.
You tilted your head in question.
“Let me repay you back for everything you did for us, for me” Runa said.
Once you clasped her hands, suddenly everything was dark and foggy. You stood up and turned around to find Runa was gone. A while later a fog slowly faded, you were in the hospital, standing next to the patient bed. You glanced down at your sleeping body on that bed, the chest rising and falling.
You had modestly downcast eyes. A moment later, you heard the door thud, the lady walked in. She began to change the flowers next to the bed. She used the wet towel to wipe your face and body, and applied the powder all over your face, the same way she did to you when you were a baby.
She sat next to you and began to read a book. You smiled sadly to recall your mom was the one who made you want to be an novel author. She always read books to you and all the books she read were her favorites. She loved reading so much. You dreamt to write a book that she could enjoy.
However, your dream changed when you grew up. Both brothers were smart doctors. It added pressure when relatives complained to your mom and dad that being a writer was poor and had no future.
They even said not everyone would be born to be a skillful writer, were you that skillful? They also said it ruined the image of their family if you were unsuccessful. Right...your family in this world was quite recognized though it may not be as much as the Gojo family in that world.
The first time you practiced writing a novel story, you asked your professor to read it. You remembered the professor said it was awful. They only read 2 pages out of 145 pages and could tell the plot sucked. The professor said that it was better to write academic books.  
You admitted it sucked since it was your first try. You just expected they could give you constructive feedback rather than saying it sucked and how would you know what you could do better?
Your parents said you didn’t need to listen to what everyone said and kept doing what you wanted. Your brothers even said they would carry the family names, so they wanted you to live carefreely. Your younger sister also told you life was ours to define.
Nevertheless, you couldn't stand how your relatives dispraised the way your parents raised you to have too much freedom, you couldn’t stand how others said your parents weren’t wise to raise a child, you couldn’t stand to listen to others accused because you were the middle child, so no one expected anything from you.
You knew your parents loved all children the same and you had the best siblings. Still, it was difficult not to listen or ignore the impact if you decided to do as you wished.
You chose to make a name from being an author of academic books. It brought you money and the name of being an intelligent person. However, it didn’t bring you happiness at all.
It was depressing to always doubt yourself and your choice. It was exhausting to think why you had to do this and why you couldn't do that.
Once your mom was done reading, she started telling you about her daily life. It was good to hear your dad was getting better due to the treatment. There was a higher chance to get rid of the cancer in his body.  
Your younger sister launched her construction company. Right, it was funny to think of an event when your sister fought with the relatives to mind their own business and not to pry about her future. The relatives were scared of her.
You didn't know how long you were there next to your bed. When you looked up from the floor, you met your mom's eyes. Your heart raised so quickly for some reason though you realized you were a soul and had no body!
You reached your arm and used your hand to cup your mom's face. Yet your soul was transparent, you could sense the tenderness from her body.
“y/n, I have a dream that you live happily somewhere. That makes me so happy. Because I always know, you aren’t truly happy and there are a lot of things in your heart that you never tell me.
My daughter, I love you sooo much and your dad loves you too. You are a good daughter and it was the gratitude that drove you to do a lot of things for us though you didn’t want to do” you observed your mom pausing her speaking and closing her eyes and looking in your direction again.
“Y/n, you may be my daughter but I’m not the owner of your life. If you want to show us your love and gratitude, live your life as you want and be the happiest y/n in your own version” your mom gradually bent her body to kiss the forehead of your sleeping body.
It was so silly for you when you were a soul with a transparent body that couldn't touch anything. Your heart felt warm and full of love. You bent your body to kiss your mom’s forehead. Your eyes were full of tears as well as your mom’s eyes.
You closed your eyes and reopened to let the tears fall. You then whirled around to see Runa was there.
“I’ve made a choice, but before I go, can I ask you something?” Runa nodded. Then, you and her disappeared from the hospital.
A little while, your mom heard the sound of the Heart Rate Monitor continued the long beep. She looked up to see the monitor showed the long straight line of your heartbeat.  
She then reported the doctors and nurses outside, and made a phone call to inform her husband and your siblings.
Your mom smiled with tears coming down her cheeks and kissed your forehead once more and whispered “Thank you for being born to be my daughter”.
____________________________________________
You slowly opened your heavy eyelids. The first thing you saw was the white ceiling. You eyed around and found a familiar figure sleeping on the couch not so far from you.
The corner of your mouth lift up slightly and you whispered. “Shoko…”
Abruptly, Shoko's eyelids were opened. Her eyes met yours. She almost fell from her couch and rushed to be next to your bed.  
“Y-You woke up!!” Shoko hugged you and shoved her face on your chest. You could hear her sobbing and sense the wetness of her tears.
“Shoko…” you patted her head and hugged her back.
“Shoko, I’m sorry.”
Shoko glared at you fiercely. “Of course! You should feel sorry. You passed out and slept for 2 weeks. I’m glad Gojo is rich he paid for everything to take you back”
“2 weeks?” you widened your eyes.
“H-how’s everything?” you continued.
“What or who do you exactly ask for?” Shoko raised her brow before continuing.
“Gojo visits you everyday in the morning, Itadori visits you after his school every evening, Oh, your ex comes almost every day though sometimes I want to punch him. And there is a daddy guy who visits you a couple of times with his son” Shoko clarified.
“Thank you Shoko. You must be tired because of me. I love you, Shoko. I really did” you grinned brightly. Shoko was shocked by your sudden confession. She was speechless and only gazed at you with her ruby cheeks and clutched you tight.
You both were stunned to hear the door open loudly. You and Shoko turned to see the white haired man rush into your room. This brought back your memory of the first day that you came into this world. Satoru opened the door so loud and came to see you just like this.
“y/n!!!! W-why don’t you call me when you wake up? If I don’t come here out of my worry about you, I wouldn’t know you woke up. I was supposed to be the first one you saw! Shoko, was this your plan to make me lose? You can't win over me!!” Satoru scowled. He shoved Shoko out from your embrace and tried to slide himself inside instead.
“Well, maybe because I’m the only one who can always stay with her? And I’m totally the winner and you’re a loser!” Shoko said and shook her head in annoyance.
Satoru stuck out his tongue to Shoko and gazed at you. “Lemme call doctors to examine your body” Satoru spoke and smiled cheerfully at you.
The doctors checked your health and did all the tests that Satoru asked them to do. You knew you were fine, but you chose to let Satoru do what he wanted because you understood how much he was worried about you.
“Y/n, just stay here one more week and then you can go home. Pleaseeeeee” Satoru blinked his eyes many times as begging you.
You chuckled before nodding. Later on, you watched how Satoru asked, or actually more like commanding Shoko to leave you alone with him. Shoko bid you farewell. She was about to hug you, but Satoru stood between you both without moving. Shoko frowned but had no choice and left furiously.
“Why did you do that? She’s my friend” you asked.
“I’m jealous. I don’t want anyone to touch you” he pouted and snuggled his face into your chest.
“Oh, but you ARE the one who didn't pick up my phone, DATE with women, and AVOID to meet me, ain't that right?”
“I don’t like them...” he mumbled with his puffy chubby cheek.
You watched at how his sky blue looked everywhere in the room as if he tried to find a good excuse. You used your palm to cup his face to make him lock his eyeswith yours.
“Satoru, I have something to tell you. I’m not her, your lover. I’m from a different world” you said.
You examined how Satoru would react. Nonetheless, he was quiet and didn’t show any sign of surprise or doubt at all. You decided to explain everything to him. You told him how it happened, where you were from, who you were and what happened to Runa and you.
Satoru only watched you without moving. It made you anxious because you had never seen him be silent before except when he slept. You stared at him and he stared back at you.
Satoru exhaled. “I see”
You were the one who was in surprise. You expected he would ask many questions or make fun of it because what you told was unbelievable.
“Runa, huh? It was a beautiful name for her and fitted her perfectly, just as wonderful as I remembered. Did she forgive me?” His face was distorted in pain as he was struggling not to cry.
“She did and she always loves you, she has always loved you and she always will. The day she died, she prayed for your happiness. She gave me a chance to choose and that was why I could come back here and tell you about what happened” you combed his silver hair gently.
“Satoru, do you believe me?”
“You never lie to me and I don't think you’ll gain anything from lying to me too”
Satoru had a lingering mournfulness in his sky blue eyes. He gasped and paused for a moment and looked straight into your lovely eyes.
“I’ve felt you’ve been different. It was doubting how people could change a lot, not even leaving the trait of your past personalities. Even though you lost your memory, your personalities changed like you were a completely different person.
I thought that made me let you go when you said you wanted to go to America. Nonetheless, when I saw you again at the charity gala, my feeling for you is the same, like there is nothing change at all”
Satoru eyed his large hand that slowly clasped your hand and he continued.
“As for Runa I loved her, I have always loved her and I always will, but I didn’t know how to express it at that time. I hurt her and killed her with my own hands. I couldn’t do anything because she was gone. I-I’m so glad she forgave me. I really am” he said with a sad voice.
“As for you, y/n, I love you. I don’t want to lose you by death. If today you don’t love me back, it’s okay. You don't have to be by my side, just at least be in the same world with me, be happy, and do everything you want. I-I know there is nothing I can fix, I can't make up for the time I hurt you. And I'm totally a selfish person, at least let me see your smile though I'm not the reason for it.
From now on, you and I are friends. Y/n, one thing I think I can do for you and Runa is I-I will be happy. I am r-ready to let myself go from the pain that my family poured into me. I won’t forget my past, but I won’t let it take me down or make me sad. I will be the happiest, the most handsome, and the richest man in the world for you and her”
You gazed at how his eyes were shimmering with tears, you could tell those tears weren't desperation but tears of liberation. You could tell because his smile right now was as bright as the rays outside the window, as cozy as the breeze at the beginning of the spring, as carefree as the clouds in the sky.
You jumped from your bed and wrapped your arms around his neck. “Thank you for everything, Satoru”
“Oi oi oi, you’ll hurt yourself” Satoru giggled and kissed the top of your head before bringing you to sit properly again on the bed.
“Y/n, thank you for choosing to be here. Your parents will be proud of you” he said with his deep voice.
“They will and I will miss them. My parents chose my happiness, so I want to do the same with them. I chose their happiness that chose my happiness” you explained cheerfully.
“I’m not surprised why you are positive and confident because you really have a good family who understand you. They raised you well. Hmmmm, I think we’ll be good parents and raise our children very well” Satoru smirked naughtily and encircled you in his arm.
“I thought we are friends” you pushed yourself out from his embrace and rolled your eyes.
“We can change if you want. I’m up to you” Satoru replied.
“I have something important to do, sorry I’m occupied with my dream and I’m not ready until I achieve it” you smirked at him.
“Well, I’m good at waiting too” Satoru stroked your head with his long fingers. Instantly, you both heard someone open the door and footsteps walked into the room.
“Y/n!!” Yuji shouted your name.
“Yuji? Megumi? Nobara? Nanami? Chie? Toji? Kiko? How do you know?” you asked.
“Shoko called me and I called Yuji” Nanami replied calmly.
You heard Satoru grumble something but you couldn’t hear what he said. Without you listening, he actually mumbled to curse Shoko to fall on the floor 100 times today.
This was a warm welcome. You couldn’t believe your eyes. The day that many characters would gather together in one room to visit you. It was unimaginable.
Yuji was awkward. Still, he slowly neared you. He clenched your tiny hand in his firm hand. The touch he made was tender. It made you feel safe and generated another foreign feeling you could sense.
“Y/n, do you hurt anywhere? I-I should come here every day to take ca-” Yuji didn't complete what he wanted to say because Satoru interrupted and wrapped his arm around Yuji’s neck.
“Yuji, ma student!!!!! You looked skinnier OMG!!!!! This is a world issue. I can’t let my lovely student looks less handsome~~~~~~”
You wished you could roll your eyes into the back of your head at how exaggerated Satoru was.
You also glimpsed at how others rolled their eyes in annoyance too. You giggled softly before feeling someone got close to you.
Nanami patted your head and leaned to look into your eyes. “How do you feel? I’m worried about you. I-I don’t know what I would do if something happened to you. I-I was scared to death. I really mis-”
Toji brushed away Nanami’s hand and caught your chin with his thick fingers to make you look at him. “Hey princess, good to see your smile like this. Don’t do this again. I don’t allow you to leave me. So, I think it’ll be better if you can be min-”
“Move dad, I want to talk to y/n. Let’s talk about Fumi-” suddenly, Megumi was shoved out of your sight by the white haired man.
“Y/n, can you share your bed with me? There are so many people. I have no place to sit” Satoru looked at you with his puppy face.
Shortly, all the men shouted in solidarity and pointed to the couch where Shoko slept earlier. “There it is!!!!!”
Satoru scowled and huffed at how everyone tried to thwart his time with you.
Kiko understood what these men were doing. She then decided to take the action in hope to save your life.
“All men, please be quiet for y/n sake. Chie, Nobara, and I will have some time together with y/n” Kiko spoke calmly.
She was gorgeous, well-mannered, and motherly. People usually respected her because of those characteristics. She only said some sentences and then all people were quiet. You could hear Nobara and Chie giggling.
All the men looked at you as they were waiting for your final order. “Please do as Kiko said”
You could hear the sound of exasperation and sigh before they all left.
The rest of the evening went well. You got some time to chat with Chie, Kiko, and Nobara. They updated about their life and how those men were doing. They prepared some fruits for you to eat before they left. You said goodbye to them as well as the men.
Nanami said he would meet you once you felt better. Toji invited you to have dinner at his house when you were discharged. Megumi would call you later to meet. However, two men still stood next to each side of your bed.
“Ahh, Satoru Yuji, you both should go home” you looked between the left and the right sides.
“Of course, I’m waiting for Yuji to go home first” Satoru clarified playfully.
“I-I’m waiting for Gojo san to go first too!” Yuji shouted out.
You sighed, “Satoru, can you leave me alone with Yuji? I have something to talk to him. We didn’t have a good conversation before I left for Turkey” you looked at Satoru nodding sadly and came out of the room.
“Y/n, I’m sorry. You must be disappointed. I-I told you I like you but I didn’t do anything good. I can’t manage my life. I didn’t mean it to happen and… I- I’m sorry” Yuji paused before saying again. You could tell he was too nervous to express his thoughts
“Can you listen to me what I want to say?” Yuji looked at you with his steady chocolate brown eyes.
Once you nodded, he inhaled deeply. “It was my fault that I let it happen. I let her kiss me. Whether it was an accident or not, it shouldn’t have happened in the first place. I can’t do anything since it has already happened. However, can you give me one more chance?”
“What chance are you asking for?” you asked.
“A chance to be your lover, a chance to prove that I really like you” Yuji answered.
You closed your eyes for a moment to think about what you should say or do in this situation, think about yourself whether or not you were ready, think about what choice you could make.
“Yuji, I’m not mad at you. Never once in my life I would feel that. I can’t give you those chances for now, but I want us to be friends. I’m not ready to think about having someone in my life. I have something I need to achieve first”
You observed his face. He had large sad eyes. You felt bad of course, but Runa lost her life for this second chance and your parents lost their daughter to let you be happy, you didn’t want to waste the opportunity. You want to do the best things for your life, to find yourself first.
“Can I ask why? But, if you aren’t comfortable telling me, please don’t. I accepted your decision” Yuji smiled gently.
You smiled back at him and explained what happened when you slept, how things happened and your decision to choose to live in this world instead of your own world. While you were telling him, you didn’t notice he stuck his bottom lip out, his face contorted, teardrops slowly flew down from his eyes.
Shortly, you were aware when you heard someone sobbing softly, you turned to see Yuji covered his face with his larger hands. He whimpered and you knew he felt sad for you and your family. You could tell because you learned how considerate he was always toward you.
You gradually grabbed his arm and pulled him towards you and enfold him. You sensed Yuji wrapped his muscular arms around your waist and buried his face in your neck. You rubbed his back gently at the same time he stroked your head softly too.
The vision was getting blurry from tears that flooded in your eyes. Yuji made you vulnerable in a good way, because he made you feel relieved, you could let things out easily. His warmth fluttered inside your heart and caressed your whole body until you fell asleep.
____________________________________________
You were discharged from the hospital. Shoko was the one who picked you up. She spent a lot of time with you lately. You cherished the friendship with her since you didn’t have any close friend in your world who was with you through thick and thin like Shoko was.
Shoko was going to America soon, so she was determined to be with you during the time she was in Japan.  She was one of the best wishes you could ask for. Not only she was with you in various moments, but also was helping you from…a bizarre moment too...like now...
Satoru and Nanami came to have dinner at your place. Nanami was cooking while Satoru tried to cuddle with you on the couch, but your arm was tangled with Yuji.
Satoru glared at where Yuji wrapped his arm with yours. “Say Yuji, how do you know about my dinner with Y/n?” Satoru was the one who broke the silence.
“Nanami san called me, and Gojo san, it’s not your dinner with her alone. Nanami san is here to have dinner with y/n too” Yuji said before squeezing your arm tighter.
Satoru was resentful. “Whatever”
“Gojo, you don’t have a right to ask him too. Shoko called me to have dinner here, but you tagged along because we happened to have a meeting today” Nanami said in annoyance.
“Y/n, they’re bullying me. It hurts hereeeee” Gojo pouted and brought your hand to touch his broad chest.
“It’s okay Gojo san. You're an adult. If you can’t handle this pain, you can’t take care of y/n!” Yuji said in a happy mood.
You pressed your lips together to cease your laugh. You knew Yuji said that to comfort Satoru but somehow it rather sounded like mocking Satoru.
Luckily, Shoko came to rescue you. Shoko pushed Satoru's arms out of you and unwrapped Yuji's arm. She then took you in her embrace, she brought you to sit at the dining table.
The dinner was chaotic but it made your heart melt with warmth. It was like you could take out one of the big mountains out of your heart, your chest was lighter.
Before everyone left, you watched Satoru, Nanami, and Shoko fight with each other about how Satoru wanted to sleep with you tonight. You laughed at how they tried to deal with Satoru’s personality.
Shortly, you were startled because Yuji pulled your arm to get inside your bedroom. Yuji placed his both hands on the wall to cage you inside his body. Your cheeks burnt at how close you were with him.
“Let’s make this quick. Can you have dinner with us next week” Yuji said in a serious tone.
“Us?” you asked confusingly.
“Yes, me and Megumi. He wanted to meet you, but I-I think i-it’s not appropriate for him to be with you alone, so I insisted on going to” Yuji bit his lower lip lightly.
Your mouth formed the ‘o’ shape expressing as showing understanding. “Sureeeee, and why are you doing this? Like is it a secret or something? Why did you need to take me to my bedroom to talk to me?”
“Ohh, ahha I-I don’t want Gojo san to hear” he nervously replied.
You chuckled and slowly placed your hands on his chest in an attempt to push him out of you. But it was too late, Satoru found both of you and screamed like there was no tomorrow. He thought you both were doing something dangerous and sexy behind his back.
It took an hour to explain to Satoru that nothing happened and another hour to influence him to go home in exchange for the next time you would sleep over his home.
____________________________________________
A week later, you received the text in the morning from Yuji to meet him at the building after his class so you both would meet Megumi together at the restaurant. You prepared yourself and dressed up a little bit. You decided to go with a minimal clothing style today.
Lately, you’d been working on your novel book as well as trying to wear many new styles of clothes that you had never done before. It was so much fun like you got to explore the world on the new side.
You took public transportation to his university and waited for him. You were worried because he was late. You knew him for a while, he was never late when it came to you.
You started to worry and were about to call him, but you found the text he sent a while ago. You scrutinized his text. He said to meet in front of the university, next to the traffic light on the main road instead.
There was a strange feeling forming in your chest though you didn’t know what it was. You decided to go to the main road to wait for him as he asked.
There were a lot of people in the university. It was impossible for you to be aware that someone was following you. You walked until you arrived at the meeting spot. While you were looking around, there was the hand that was attempting to touch your back.
“Huh?” you were stunned after feeling someone pulling your arm. Your head hit Megumi's strong chest.
“Megumi, don’t need to hurt me, you know” you looked up to meet Megumi's eyes. Weirdly, you observed his expression. His face was like he just saw a ghost. He acted like he was frightened of something.
“Megumi, is everything okay? You look pale”
“U-umm, I’m okay” he replied shortly.
“Where is Yuji?”
“He has something to do. Let’s go to the restaurant first and wait for him” Megumi held your hand firmly and took you close to him.
You arrived at the curry restaurant. You ordered chicken curry and saw how Megumi looked around all the time. You called out his name many times, so you chose to grab his hand.
“Megumi! What’s going on? Are you in a hurry to meet Yuji?”
“U-umm. Let me order first” Megumi said.
After Meguni ordered his food, you decided to ask him a question. “Megumi, last time you said you wanted to talk about Fumiko right? What’s it?”
Megumi enlarged his eyes. “Umm, I heard what happened from Yuji at the baseball game last time. I want to tell you he doesn't like her”
“Ohh I know, Yuji told me. Even If I was on the planet Mars, I could tell from there that he doesn't like Fumiko. Yuji always expresses his opinions and emotions straightforwardly” you revealed.
“Also, Yuji told Fumiko that he doesn’t want her to disturb you too. He drew the line between them. I think he doesn’t just like like you. He is crazy in love with you” Megumi said in a soothing voice.  
You deliberately moved your eyes from your phone on your hand to meet Megumi’s chest and landed on his dark blue eyes. “D-did Yuji do that? Is Fumiko okay?”
Megumi placed his chin on his hand and reached another hand to stroke your head kindly. “Always care for others huh? We believed she was fine, but I don’t know now”
You were startled to receive a text from Yuji saying that he couldn’t come, but he would pick you up later. You pouted unaware. You then told Megumi. You were even more surprised when Megumi just nodded and asked no questions, why or how.
You enjoyed the food with Megumi and chatted with him about his plan for the future. He was in his last year of university, so he intended to work with his dad. You nodded and kept listening to him.
It was pleasant to see, in this world, Megumi got a happy ending with his family. He needed not risk his life to help people, fight with curses, or lose his loved ones. He could continue to live as he wanted.
You stayed outside the restaurant to wait for Yuji until you noticed the model x Tesla car parked in front of you. You lifted your brows to see the door’s car automatically opened.
Yuji was in the driver's seat and gave you his sweet smile. You waved your hand before getting in the car. On the way to your home, Yuji was quiet, which was unusual, so you chose to break the silence.
“You bought a new car? I haven’t seen you use this one before” you asked him.
“No, I got this 2-3 years ago for my birthday. I don’t usually use this one. It’s quite big, so I borrowed my uncle's car. The uncle was actually my grandpa's driver. He drives his personal car to our home before changing to drive a Mercedes-Benz which is my grandpa’s personal car” he answered.
“You used a personal car of your grandpa's driver?” you asked in shock.
“The uncle uses a Toyota , which is good. It’s small and easy to use in a busy city. He insists me on using it otherwise I wouldn't drive his car” he explained.
“That uncle is nice. Anyway, Yuji, why didn’t you come for dinner?”
“I-I got to meet some people. It’s an emergency. I’m sorry. I’m hungry right now, can I eat at your place tonight?” Yuji cursed himself in his mind. He didn’t mean to lie to you. It was important for real, but he didn’t want to tell who he met. You hummed and nodded.
At your place, Yuji ate instant noodles while you were taking a shower. Once he was done eating, he washed dishes. Later on, he moved to the sofa and recalled the moment in the evening before picking you up.
He came to the building on time though Fumiko asked him to drop her stuff at the professor's office. The office was far from the building where he asked you to meet, but he was the fast runner. He ran to the office and went back quickly to see you.
When he ran back, he caught a glimpse of Fumiko that was secretly watching you, so he waited. Then, he saw you walking from the building to the main road which was odd. He was even more confused when Fumiko followed you. He then followed her.
It was disappointing and unacceptable to find out Fumiko attempting to push you out onto the busy road where there were so many cars driving fast.
Luckily, Megumi was there too. Megumi could snatch you first when Yuji yanked Fumiko’s arm to him. Yuji pulled her to his car and drove her home.
Yuji said nothing on the way to Fumiko’s home. Once they arrived, he got in her house. He questioned her. “Before the class ended, you asked to borrow my phone right?”
“Y-Yes, my phone was dead. I-I need t-to call my dad” Fumiko answered nervously.
Yuji nodded and asked. “Though I saw you use your phone after that. Anyways, where are your parents?”
“W-why do you ask?” Fumiko knew Yuji for a long time. It wasn’t hard for her to predict his move.
“Yuji, listen to me. I didn’t do anything. I was about to greet her. I-I heard she was in a coma. That was all” Fumiko hugged Yuji’s torso and buried her face in his chest.
“It seems we knew each other for a long time. I haven’t asked you anything, but you already knew what you did, didn’t you?” Yuji looked down at Fumiko.
Fumiko was trembling from fear. She didn’t realize he would see what she did to you. She was about to make an excuse but it was too late. Her dad was here to greet Yuji. She couldn’t do anything to stop Yuji when he asked her dad to talk privately.
It took almost an hour and Yuji came out of the room. She could feel her dad's anger. She peeked at Yuji who had no expression on his face.
“Fumiko, you’ll transfer to study abroad next week. I’ll ask my secretary to work on the document. Prepare yourself and you can’t leave this house from now on. If you do, you’ll know what’s gonna happen” her dad said angrily and left upstairs.
Fumiko glared furiously at Yuji. She approached him and held up her palm in the air to slap Yuji’s face.
“How dare you do this to me? You knew what he would do to me and you still told him!!! M-my dad is so stupid to believe you over his daughter! I-I didn't do anything!” Fumiko yelled.
“He believed me because he knew you well. Fumiko, I gave you a chance. I know what you did with my ex-girlfriend, Megumi told me when you came to visit my grandma. Yet, I chose to let it go because I believed that you could change, because it was in the past.
I forgave you because I understood what you went through. After all, you were my friend. Fumiko, today was too much. I cannot accept that you did it again with y/n. I love her and you knew that” Yuji explained with a harsh voice.
Fumiko laughed in a mocking tone. “You think I want your forgiveness? You’re worthless and useless like my dad. Y/n has nothing compared to me. Your family won't accept her. You’re the heir. A-and my dad can't send me to study abroad either. I-I’m not gonna acce-”
“I told him if he didn't do something, I would expose what you’ve done, and might as well hire a lawyer to work on the law. And you realize I can do that as the heir of the Itadori clan right?
From now on, Don’t worry about my family or my life, just worry about your life. I think you should know by now, I’m not the only heir because I have a brother. Y/n is the best woman and I only want her. If you dare to touch my y/n, you'll know how much power we hold”
Yuji recalled the tough event he had with Fumiko. He closed his eyes and murmured sorry. He was sorry for Fumiko.
He didn't mean to hurt her like that. He learned her family destroyed her, but he couldn’t think of a better way to handle Fumiko. He wasn't a part of Fumiko’s family, he had no right to interfere with them.
He understood why Fumiko was like this. However, it wasn’t like you had a happy life and deserved to be harmed.
He had to be fair in this situation and decided logically. He rested his head on the top of the couch. Shortly, he breathed in the scent of the body wash and body lotion of yours, he realized instantly you were done taking a shower.
He opened his eyes to find you were out of your bedroom and gave him a soft smile that patched up the wound in his heart. He watched you sit next to him and asked if he wanted to watch a movie with you.
He nodded and let you choose the movie. You both watched Train to Busan. The movie was great. He heard you sob. He deliberately glanced at how you wiped your tears. Yuji leaned his head on your shoulder and let the tears fall from his chestnut brown eyes.
He assumed you might have thought he cried because of the movie. He was thankful for the movie that did a good job to make you cry at the end. He guessed you cried because you must have thought of your dad. He inhaled your scent and his heart was warm and light. Gradually, his eyelids were heavy and he slept on your shoulder.
____________________________________________
3 years later
You had been working on your novel book for about 2 years. You chose to write something you could express your true thoughts and feelings. You also wanted to appreciate Runa.
It may be her who prayed for this thing to happen, it may be because you both were born on lunar eclipse day, or it may be you who actually prayed to get a chance for your life. Whatever it was, you wanted to choose how to live your own life.
Your first novel was published several months ago. Nanami helped you a lot as your personal advisor. You still remembered his shocked face when you told him you wanted to use ‘the happiest me’ as your pen name for this book.
Toji personally called you to congratulate you on your new book. He even made fun of your new pen name that was so you, as silly as you were but cute.
Your novel was about a woman who got transmitted into a different world and learned how to live and be happy in the new world. You named the book ‘My Love My Life’
The common feedback you’d seen on social media would be the way the book described the emotion was so real and they liked how the main characters developed their personalities. Some people said they wanted to be in another world too. You chuckled and thought they didn’t know how difficult it was to live in a different world.
You were pleased to receive a compliment and beneficial criticism to develop your skills. There were some bad comments, but you chose to ignore them since it was more like they gave feedback out of hatred rather than out of kindness.
You sat on the balcony to watch the widespread ocean and listened to the waves crash with gigantic rocks at the shore. The sun was still glorious. The soft wind crawling in your skin was still cozy. You could also smell salty in the wind.
Everything in Mie was still the same. It had been a month since you lived here. The memory of the past that you came here was still vivid. You had traveled many places alone in Japan just to change the environment of writing for these 3 years. Mie was the last destination of this long journey.
Today, you asked Yuji to meet you at the Ise shrine. You prepared to leave before hearing the engine car. You assumed it was Yuji. He always picked you up as usual though you asked him not to come. You knew he would close his coffee shop earlier because he didn’t want you to go alone.
You were mistaken. It was Satoru who came here. You were surprised because he said he would come tomorrow. Well, he was always like this, appeared any time and place as he wished.
You comprehended why he was here. It had been 3 years since Satoru waited for you. You had told him you wanted to achieve your dream before deciding about your love life.
You went down to pick him up. He shoved you in his wide chest and encircled your body with his muscular arms. You felt like you would die if he kept hugging you too tight.
You dragged yourself out of his firm body. You walked ahead to take him upstairs. You stopped for a moment to wait for him to follow you.
You observed the way he walked conspicuously like the most stunning white sakura among pink sakura trees in a huge park, the way he smiled dashingly like the sunshine in the morning, the way his sky blue eyes gleamed like the waves in the ocean reflecting the sunset.
He was still gorgeous like an angel, yet still arrogant like owning this whole world. He wasn’t different from the first time you met him.
____________________________________________
Yuji was on cloud nine when he heard from you that you would come to visit him at his coffee shop. It was his dream to show you his own coffee shop that he inherited from Mitsu and Taro.
After he graduated, he disclaimed to inherit the Itadori chain restaurants business.  He had an argument with his grandpa that he wanted Sukuna to take over everything. He didn't want to be a part of it.
Sukuna knew why his brother did this. Even though Sukuna hated to take responsibility for the business and Yuji never once asked him to help before, he accepted his position as the only heir to help his little brother and to protect his little brother's happiness.
Sukuna understood Yuji did this because of you. Yuji wanted to protect you from all the bad situations and news that could have hurt your feelings at all costs.
Being a coffee shop owner may not be rich enough to take care of you, still, he had built this business until he successfully opened the second branch in Tokyo. He wanted the business to be successful by his effort.  
He wanted to be ready to ask you to marry him. He wanted to protect your happiness and wanted to be the reason for your smile.
He arrived at your place but found someone’s car. He was fearful. You didn't have many guests who had the black Ferrari. Only one person Yuji could guess and he was right. He saw Satoru kiss you.
He wiped his tears and drove to the Ise shrine. He knew now why you wanted to meet him today. You wanted to tell him you chose Gojo san.
Now, he didn't want to meet you, but how could he do that? He made a promise to meet you, he would rather die than make you wait or reject your request.
He drove to the Ise shrine and his brain recalled the image of seeing you kissing Gojo. He shook his head and began to sort out the memory he had with you.
He smiled with his tears to memorize the first time he met you at the Charity gala. You were the most stunning at the gala in his opinion.
The second time he tried to approach you at an alumni event. He swore he saw you took a glimpse at him from the corner of your eyes, but you may not remember.
He remembered he drove past your car when he dropped Megumi at his house. This was your first time visiting Megumi’s house, but it was the third time he encountered you.
When he and Sukuna picked up Megumi at the library, he sat in the back of the car. He was jealous of Megumi to meet with you there and that was the fourth time he encountered you.
At Shibuya, you met with Megumi at the coffee shop. It was the fifth time and this time he saw you with his friend. He watched you walk down to the train station until Nobara arrived. You looked so sad and he knew later you just broke up with Nanami.
The sixth time he walked past you in the coffee shop. It was the first time you visited his grandparent's coffee shop. For some reason, he was late on that day. He actually wore the cap, so you might not see him, but he caught the glimpse of you leaving the coffee shop.
Finally, he got to talk to you when he met you for the seventh time at Ise shrine. Those memories earned him learning how long he’d been hopelessly in love with you, how long he yearned for you. Nevertheless, he wasn’t the one who deserved you.
____________________________________________
You arrived at the Ise shrine. Everything was still the same except, you felt more comfortable to walk around. This time you decided to go straight where the Amaterasu shrine was located.
Once you found the main shrine, you stopped at the front of it. You placed your palms together and closed your eyes.
You thanked for whoever who listened and gave you a second opportunity in your life, you prayed for Runa to be happy and hope for her next life to end up with Satoru if they could love each other again, you prayed for your family to be healthy, and you prayed for yourself to be strong with him…  
You opened your eyes and began to walk back to find a place you could call Yuji. You wondered what happened to him. It was okay he didn’t pick up at your place as usual, but he didn’t even call or tell you anything.
You took a rest at the Torii of Uji bashi bridge. You began to search for your phone in your bag. The gentle wind ruffled your hair and it made you feel refreshed. You heard someone shout out your name. You looked up to see a tall male run across the bridge.
The ray of the sunshine turned his pastel pink hair to a rose gold color.  He was more muscular and his figure was more aged. He was getting closer and you could see the shape of his jaw was shaper. He wasn’t the young man you knew anymore. However, he still wore his signature cheerful smile.
“Y/n! I found you” Yuji shouted.
“Yeah, you did find me again” you murmured when your eyes still focused on him.
“W-why did you call me to come here?” Yuji asked nervously.
“Ahh, I called you because this is the place we met for the first time” you replied.
“Well, it wasn’t the first time I saw you but yeah it was the first time we talked to each other” Yuji looked at the ground.
“Ohh, and I also have something to tell you” you eyed his face.
“U-um, go ahead” Yuji smiled sadly.
“I want you to be my boyfriend. I chose my own faith, and I chose to love you. When I look at you, I don’t need to look at your back or I never see you behind me. I like that I can see your shoulder next to me” you said happily.
“Okay…” Yuji answered.
1...2...3…4…5…6…7
“H-Huhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh” his eyes widened in every second had passed and stopped after realizing what you said. He slowly stepped back. He noticed your mouth movement and concerned expression but he didn’t hear anything.
Shortly, he realized you said to be careful because he kept stepping back and stumbled on rocks. Like now his butts just hit the ground, but his eyes were still on you.
“Are you okay? Yuji” you crouched down next to him.
Yuji nodded.
“Yuji, it’s okay if you don't want to be my boyfriend. I know I make you wait for-” you stopped when Yuji covered your mouth with his hand.
“Aiii ai I wa-wan-t want to beee. Ppplese don't chmage your minddd” Yuji sobbed softly.
“Don’t cry Yuji. It’s okay. I-I’m sorry” you muffled your voice not to laugh at his crying face because he looked adorable like a baby crying. You hugged him tight and stroked his back.
You and Yuji got back to your place. You and he stood outside your home and looked at the ocean. He told you what he saw. You explained that Satoru came to meet you and you both said good luck to each other, it was more like you told him what you felt toward him.
You thought of the event when you talked to Satoru earlier.
“My baby I miss you” Satoru hugged you tight.
“S-Satoru, I can’t breathe” you used your hands to push his chest.
“So, how have you been? Miss me?” Satoru grabbed your hand. Then, you walked ahead of him to lead him sitting next to each other on the fabric cream sofa set.
“Things are good and I’m glad you’re here” you replied.
“Umm, I know I’m not the one who you choose to love right?” Satoru looked at the hand he held you.
The look in your eyes was as painful as him. “I’m sorry. I realized it when I met Runa. I-I asked her if it was okay, I didn’t choose you. When I asked her, I wasn't sure who I love, but I didn’t know why I asked that either. I spent these 3 years trying to understand myself and Yuji is the person I think about when I wake up and before I sleep. I also think about you too, but it’s more like worrying about your health. I’m sorry I’m selfish, I made you wait without knowing anything”
“Y/n, I already knew that. I could tell that the feeling you have for me it’s not the same love I have for you. You always allow me to do what I want without telling me ‘No’. Don't get me wrong, I’m glad you do that, but I don't want a relationship like that, a relationship that you always pamper me… Also!!!, I didn’t wait for you because you asked me to, but I waited because I can’t love anyone else” Satoru smiled.
“Satoru…” tears brimmed in your eyes.
“At this moment, you’re still single, so can you kiss me first for once?” Satoru asked softly while using his finger to brush your tears from your cheek.  
You bent your head to the side and moved close to him. You saw him close his ocean orbs and there was a drop falling out from his eye. You placed your lips on his juicy lips.
You nibbled his upper lip first and repeated the same action with his lower lip. Satoru opened his mouth and you slipped your tongue to tangle his tongue with you. His taste was sweet like candy.
His cheeks were as flushed as yours. You looked into each other's eyes before laughing together. Satoru insisted on dropping you at the Ise shrine, he said something that bothered you a lot.
“Baby, I may give up now but if you’re single again, you'll be mine no matter what. Although this life I wouldn't be with you, next life I won't let you go I swear. Welllll, we can be a lovey-dovey couple next year or MAYBE next month” Satoru winked to you.
You shook your head to forget his playful expression.
You stood next to Yuji. You were sweating to see Yuji’s expression was lifeless after hearing everything. He’d improved and you couldn’t tell what he thought now.
“You kissed him first huh?” Yuji looked at you with his dead expression.
You swallowed and nodded. You were startled to see Yuji standing behind you. Yuji came close to you wrapped one arm around your waist and another around your shoulder tight to his body. His face was buried in your neck.
“Y-Yuji?” you blinked rapidly.
“Y/n, I’m not the young man you knew from 3 years ago anymore. I’ve learned a lot too. I’ve chosen to love you for a long time and will always love you. Please allow me to prove to you how much I love you for the rest of my life. Please allow me to show how many mistakes I can make. Please allow us to learn about each other until you don’t want me anymore. Yet, I’ll make sure that won’t happen. I want to walk next to you for the rest of my life”
Yuji slowly turned your body to face him. He delicately landed his kisses on your forehead, your eyes, your nose, your ears, and from your neck, he traced wet kisses until your shoulder and left the red plum speck below your collarbone.
He then used his lips to caress your upper lip and lick your lower lip passionately and whispered ‘I love you’ softly with his husky voice. He gradually carried you in a bridal style and took you to your bedroom.
Yuji gently placed you on the king-size bed. He rested his elbow on one side next to your head. His other hand caressed your soft skin in a circle on your waist. You also wrapped one arm on his neck and stroked his flushed cheek with another hand.
You watched Yuji lean his head near your left ear. He whispered with his husky voice. “I love you so much. I’m on the top of the world to have you as my girlfriend. Please let me be yours forever and I want you to be mine from now on”
You gazed into his shimmering brown eyes and nodded lightly. You observed how he gave you a sunny smile. It assured you that you were truly ready to start a new journey with him. Honestly, you still didn’t know whether he was destined to meet or to love. In fact, no one knew what fate or future would wait for us.
You’d discovered a lot from your past and at this moment you just preferred to move forward with him, just wanted to focus on a present and built new memories with him. One day in the future, if you looked back at your past, you just wished no regret in anything.
.
[THE END]
Chapter 15 < Chapter 16 END > Special Chapter 1
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