#clamp school paranormal investigators | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

vannahfanfics · 3 years

Text

Before you read, here’s the previous chapter. New? Start from the beginning!

The Creepy Capers of U.A. Paranormal Investigation Society

Book 1: Poltergeist Panic!

Ao3

Chapter 2: Mysterious Happenings... Or A Lack Thereof

With a high-pitched screech, Hanta jumped into Denki’s arms, causing the blond to drop the flashlight. The light bounced across the floor and wall as it rolled across the floor, and as they caught across the pale girl’s face to throw spooky shadows across it. This just made Denki and Hanta scream louder.

“OH MY GOD!”

“I KNOW, MAN!”

“IT’S A GHOST, MAN!”

“I KNOW, MAN!”

“Excuse me,” the girl said suddenly, then flinched when they both screamed again at the tops of their lungs. She scrunched her eyebrows with a disdainful pout and continued, “Please stop screaming. It’s giving me quite the headache.”

Denki and Hanta obediently clamped their mouths shut. Hanta continued to cling to Denki while being held in his arms, though he didn’t seem to mind the fact that Denki’s legs were quivering like egg pudding.

“Can ghosts get headaches?” Hanta whispered in his ear.

“I dunno, man, but I’m not gonna contradict her!” Denki hissed back. Apparently, their feverishly whispered conversation was not quiet enough, as the girl gave them a reproachful look.

“I’m not a ghost,” she sighed. “I’m a telekinetic. You two have been indulging too much in that girl’s fantasies…”

“You’re not a ghost?” Denki echoed, his body going slack with a mixture of disappointment and relief. Hanta yelped as his friend’s arms went lax underneath him, causing him to slip down his body. He grabbed onto the waistband of Denki’s pants as if that would stop his descent, but all he accomplished was pulling Denki’s pants down to his ankles. The girl raised her eyebrows at his duck-patterned underwear, and Denki hastily grabbed his pants to tug them back up, smiling sheepishly.

“I just answered that,” the girl replied matter-of-factly. She looked down at the erasers and chalk bits littering the floor around her, then inhaled. Once again, that strange white aura began to emanate from her body. Denki’s eyes blew wide like golden moons when the erasers and chalk began to float up from the floor, wobbling a bit while they swirled around the girl. His body went slack again with his awe, causing his pants to drop back down and catch on Hanta’s head, and the girl smirked in amusement.

“You sure are some funny boys.”

“I’m told my sense of humor is attractive,” Denki grinned, then remembered that he was standing in front of her in his boxers and that wasn’t exactly charming. Cheeks a raging pink, he pulled them back up again and gave the girl a bashful smile. “A telekinetic, huh?”

“That’s right. I come here sometimes to hone my abilities. It’s kind of hard to explain your belongings floating around your room to your parents.”

“Yeah, man, ain’t it a drag when they just bust in on ya without asking?” Denki laughed and ran his fingers through his hair. He was surprised to find his fingertips coated in a thick layer of perspiration when he pulled his hand back.

“He’s taking this awfully well,” the girl remarked to Hanta, who was still sitting on his rump hugging Denki’s legs.

“Yeah, he uses humor as a defense mechanism,” Hanta shrugged. Denki’s blush deepened and he shoved Hanta in the side of the head, ignoring his pained yelp to flash the silver-haired girl a suave smile. Well, he thought it was suave, but in reality it was all wobbly and shaky and totally unimpressive.

“What’s your name?”

“Reiko Yanagi.”

“Cool! I’m Denki Kaminari and this is my best friend, Hanta Sero.”

“‘Sup,” Hanta said from his spot on the floor, giving the girl a wave. She laughed, which Denki supposed was a good sign— girls laughed when they liked you, right? “So, you mentioned Kinoko earlier— do you not believe that the school is haunted?”

“It’s not true that scary stories have filled the school with dark energy, no,” Reiko quipped. The white aura brightened as the objects began to float higher and spin slowly in a circle around her. “There is no dark energy, and therefore, there are no ghosts.”

“But what about all the reported sightings?” Denki interjected. Reiko gave him a look that made him gulp; her eyes were piercing, so much so that it felt like she was staring straight down into his soul. It was kinda hot, honestly.

“Have you actually seen any of these things happen?”

“No,” he grumbled, clasping his hands behind his back and scuffing the tile floor with the toe of his sneaker. “But there’s no smoke without fire, right? Something’s going on.”

“That is true,” she relented. She turned to face them fully, leaning back against the teacher’s desk while the objects continued to float around her in that creepy yet beautiful way. “Something is going on in this school, but I’m afraid that Kinoko is completely off the mark. She’s using it as an opportunity to call attention to herself.”

“That’s a little mean,” Hanta frowned. When he pressed his cheek against Denki’s leg, Denki remembered that Hanta was literally still sitting there holding his legs— so he jerked his leg violently in an attempt to get his friend off. Hanta pouted— apparently he’d found it quite comfortable to cling to him like a koala bear— but obediently climbed to his feet. “Well, I guess we won’t be needing this tonight,” he sighed and powered off the camcorder.

Denki poked his lips out in a pitiful pout. It felt wrong to just dismiss everything so suddenly. He could feel it deep in his gut— there was something spooky at this school. Or maybe he just had to take a shit. It had been a while.

Focus, Denki. Pretty girl. Pretty girl with ESP powers, he reminded himself.

Reiko suddenly staggered, causing the white light to fade from her body and the school supplies to drop back to the ground. Denki moved on instinct. He jumped forward to catch Reiko by the elbow as she slipped to the side, and then he looped an arm around her waist when it was clear that she couldn’t even support her own weight. He gently helped her into a sitting position on the ground, where she sat there panting and even paler than before.

“Hey, hey, what happened?”

“Ah, this is normal,” she puffed between quiet wheezes. “Using my powers is very taxing… I come here to try to increase my endurance. I kind of lost track of time talking to you.”

“Oh… I’m sorry,” Denki mumbled, not really sure what to say. Reiko leaned back against the desk with a shaky sigh, using her hand to push her bangs out of her face. The moonlight filtering in through the window illuminated her pale skin, which shone with perspiration.

“I’ll be all right in a few minutes,” she smiled. “So tell me, how did you two end up here?”

“We were looking for the ghost, of course!” Denki declared. He sat back on his heels while he gestured wildly with his hands. “I want to establish a paranormal research society here at the school so we can help the community with paranormal cases that don’t necessarily get attention from bigger ones! Hauntings are way more common than people realize, and a lotta people don’t know what to do— so that’s where I wanna come in! I wanna help people with their ghost problems!” He grinned over his shoulder at Hanta, who just shrugged.

“I’m just the cameraman,” he said with a look down at his camcorder. “And I kinda keep Denki out of trouble.”

“It doesn’t sound like you’re doing a very good job, considering you let him break into the school in the middle of the night,” Reiko laughed.

“Hey, bold words from somebody who broke into the school themselves!” Hanta retorted, which made Reiko shrug in surrender. “How did you even get in here?”

“The same as you. I’ve had a copy of the janitor’s key for months now.”

“Wicked,” Denki grinned in admiration. He was liking this girl more and more.

Reiko grabbed the edge of the desk to haul herself to her feet. As she wobbled a little, Denki’s hands fluttered around in front of her body, wanting to support her but not wanting to overstep her boundaries. He’d just met her, after all. Thankfully, Reiko gave him a grateful smile while she rested against the desk. After half a minute, she straightened up, and though she looked tired, she seemed to be able to walk just fine.

“I should be getting home before I’m missed. You two had better clear out, too. You won’t find anything happening tonight,” she said, running her hand through her silvery hair again.

“You seem awful sure of that,” Hanta said suspiciously.

“That’s because this school’s not haunted, at least not by ghosts,” Reiko shrugged. As she walked past Hanta, his mouth fell open in confusion and he looked helplessly at Denki.

“What does she mean? How can a school be haunted but not haunted?”

“Think on it, Mr. Paranormal Research,” Reiko smirked over her shoulder at Denki, giving him a playful wink that made his heart play his ribs like a pair of bongo drums. “I’ll see you tomorrow?” It was a question, an invitation, and like hell Denki was gonna refuse a proposition with a cute girl who was into paranormal investigation!

“Absolutely! See you tomorrow, Reiko!” he chirped with a wave.

As she turned the corner, Hanta sniffed disdainfully and gave Denki a chiding look.

“Dude, you’re a total sap.”

“Maybe I am, but the pretty girl said see you tomorrow,” Denki retorted with a cavalier waggle of his head. “You’re just jealous that she’s into me.”

“Dude, she’s not into you!”

“She totally is, and you’re jealous!”

“Whatever! I wanna go home, it’s dark, I’m starving, and my dignity is a little damaged,” Hanta huffed with a look down at his camcorder. Hanta hadn’t been the one caught with his pants down, literally, but Denki decided not to comment on it. “I can’t believe you roped me into this… All this for nothing, the place isn’t even haunted.”

“Ah, ah, ah,” Denki corrected, wagging his finger, “it is haunted. What Reiko meant is that the entity probably feeds off all the energy of people, and so the activity is going to be nonexistent when the school’s empty like this.”

Hanta blinked at him, then whistled appreciatively.

“Wow, really? How’d you get that?”

“Because I am a paranormal whiz, that’s why. Now come on! Reiko got me thinking, so I’ve got research to do.” As he marched out the classroom, Hanta trudged behind, groaning.

“Can we research some hamburgers and fries first?”

“Of course! We need brain food!”

“We?” Hanta whined, and Denki looked over his shoulder with his eyebrows raised.

“Yes, we. I can’t do this by myself! Come on, I’ve roped you into worse.”

“I dunno, man. You know what they say, ghost-hunting is the gateway to burglary and theft.”

“I’ve literally never heard someone say that. You’re just being a stick in the mud,” Denki huffed, falling back so he could elbow Hanta in the ribs. Hanta hissed, looking offended, then elbowed him back. Denki elbowed him again, and they stopped in the hallway to get into a small scuffle that ended with Hanta in a headlock.

“Okay, okay, I’ll help you hunt the stupid ghost! Now, please, can we go get some hamburgers? I’m so hungry I feel like I might die!” Hanta whined while he wiggled in Denki’s grasp. Grinning triumphantly, Denki released him. Hanta shuffled back to his feet, straightening his disarrayed hair, and then gave Denki a small grin. “I guess it does beat staying at home doing lame homework and stuff. It would be cool if we found something.”

“Exactly. Now, let’s go acquire that brain food! And call your mom, you’re staying at my place tonight. We got lotsa work to do.”

“Yeah, yeah, you got it, boss,” Hanta mumbled as he dialed his mom’s number.

As they strutted out of the school, a bright smile played over Denki’s lips. Maybe the ghost-hunting tonight was a bust, but they’d still acquired some useful information— and maybe an ally, too. He snickered quietly to himself as the next phase of his plan hatched in his mind. He was closing in on the mysterious happenings occurring at the school, and one way or another, he was going to get to the bottom of it!

Enjoy this story? Here’s the next chapter! Please consider perusing my Table of Contents.

#kamireiko #kaminari x reiko #reiko x kaminari #my hero academia #mha #boku no hero academia #bnha

2 notes · View notes

thecleverdame · 4 years

Text

Control and Release - 31

Series Masterlist

TEDTalk!Sam x Reader

Summary: After the rest of the staff is caught in a snowstorm, you find yourself acting as a personal assistant to the notorious Sam Winchester. As the arrangement becomes more defined, you and Sam begin a sexual adventure with dangerous consequences.

Warnings: Dom/Sub, humiliation, embarrassment, sexual objectification, mutual masturbation, spanking, cum play, fingering, anal play, orgasm control, nipple clamps, dub-con, breath play.

Beta: @ilikaicalie

Parts 1-39 are currently available on Patreon for a monthly pledge of $2.50. This includes early access to all my stories, including Patreon exclusive content. >> CLICK HERE <<

“These are all my dirty secrets?” You look in trepidation at the folder on the table in front of you.

It’s thicker than anticipated.

“Everyone one of them.” Charlie is a perky, energetic redhead that’s the exact opposite of what you expected. Sam’s talked about her like she’s Sherlock Holmes, and to be honest you assumed she was a man. “Or least what I could dig up. I can confidently say that if I couldn’t find it, no one else will either.”

Glancing at Sam you open the cover and scan over the top page. It’s a basic list of your personal details, where you’ve lived, who you’ve dated.

“Is there anything we should be concerned about?” Sam asks. He slides his arm over the back of the couch behind you.

Charlie hesitates, looking at Sam and then speaks to you.

“Are you comfortable doing this with him here? I mean, it can get real weird real quick for both of you.”

“I can leave if you want,” Sam offers.

“No.” You swallow the urge to take him up on the offer. “No secrets, right? This is my life.”

“Okay.” Charlie opens her laptop. “There was a polaroid of you in your underwear at a party in your senior year of high school. But we had it taken off Facebook and I was able to purchase the original.”

“It was on Facebook?” You’re both horrified and impressed. You had no idea “How did you even find it?”

“It’s what I do,” she chirps, already moving on. “You’re pretty boring compared to the people I usually investigate. No DUIs or cheating. But you did date a man named Jasper.”

“Oh Jesus.” You want to crawl under the table. Your time with Jasper wasn’t as much a traditional relationship as a hook-up that lasted a year. He never came close to what you and Sam enjoy together, it was all about sex. “I’m sorry.” You turn to Sam who’s throwing you a terrifying, forced smile.

“Don’t be sorry,” he murmurs, a hand slipping over your thigh and wedging between your legs.

“Did you make a sex tape with him?” Charlie asks and you choke on your own spit.

“No, I mean, I don’t think we ever…”

“Is there a chance he recorded you without your knowledge?”

“Maybe.” You search your memory. Everything from that time is hazy, the two of you drank a lot. “I mean, I don’t know. You think he recorded me?”

“I think he has something.” Charlie’s attention switches to Sam and she morphs into all-business mode. “He was interested in why I was asking questions. When I made an initial offer for any videos or pictures he might have he acted like he had something. But I think he realized it was valuable and kicked me out of his apartment.”

“You offered the maximum?” Sam asks.

“Yeah, he didn’t go for it.”

“Double it and see what he does.”

“Got it.” She stops to make a note.

“He has a sex tape with me in it?” You’re not past this yet. You look to Sam who’s unreadable. “I had no idea. I mean I eventually realized he was a creep but I never thought he would do something like that. What if he posts it?”

“Don’t worry,” he nods, sliding a hand over your knee. “I’ll handle it.”

“Other than Jasper, you and Sam are actually the biggest potential issue. I read Cole’s report. It’s concerning despite your prior relationship. If the wrong person got a copy of his written complaint it would be damaging. I think you can expect the real story to revolve around the fact that Sam intervened when a mad man was shooting up the office. You can choose how you want to spin that. If you decide you want some heroic meet-cute to be the official story then I can erase any trace of your relationship before the shooting happened. If you want me to leave some crumbs confirming you were together prior, I can do that to. And if you want a lid on the whole thing, no problem.”

“People will care?” you ask.

“Oh, for sure.” She chuckles, looking at you like you’re a moron. “Sam’s personal life has been a lockbox. You’re the most interesting thing that’s ever happened to him.”

“Wonderful.” This would all be so much easier if he wasn’t so well off. If he hadn’t been quite as successful all these precautions could be avoided.

“Just tell me what kind of story you want out there and I’ll start planting the seeds.” She grins at Sam with a warm familiarity. Few people interact with him this easily. There must be quite a back story.

“We’ll talk about it,” Sam answers for you, shifting in his seat. “Anything else?”

“That’s all for her.”

“You have my background as well?”

“I do.” She pulls a thinner file from her bag and you look at him in surprise.

“She did one on you too?”

“Charlie has been the keeper of my secrets for a decade. She makes sure any possible indiscretions stayed buried,” Sam explains.

Charlie is looking between you and Sam, asking a silent question.

“You can say whatever you need to in front of her.” Sam turns to you. “You can leave if you feel uncomfortable.”

You find yourself suddenly nervous. Sam’s past is largely a mystery and you’re not sure if you want to know. Were there others before you?

“The woman you had a financial arrangement with is not a problem. It’s Madison I’m concerned about.”

Financial arrangement? That piques your interest but the conversation moves on.

“It’s been years. You don’t think she’s gotten past it?” Sam shifts beside you, betraying his discomfort for the entire situation. He’s rarely visibly distressed but there’s no covering this up. His reaction may be subtle but it’s there.

“She still Googles you once a week.” Charlie turns her computer toward Sam. You don’t understand you’re looking at, but he seems to. Sam takes interest in something on the screen and you feel him stiffen beside you. “She’s living in Boston again?”

“She moved back last year,” Charlie confirms.

“You didn’t tell me.” Sam’s tone shifts to his trademark disapproval but it doesn’t seem to phase the perky redhead.

“I update when I think there’s a concern. This wasn’t a red flag for me. She’s from Boston. Her father is sick. She got a good job at a tech firm. It looks to me like she came home to be near her family...or...”

“Or?” Sam asks.

“Or she came back to be close to you. It’s hard to tell with her. Madison has always been a wild card. You know how to pick ‘em.” Her eyes dart to you, offering an apologetic grin. “Present company excluded.”

You just sit there taking in these new tidbits of information. A trail of breadcrumbs that lead to the story that was Sam’s life before you.

“Do you think she would try to hurt Sam?” you ask and two pairs of eyes look at each other before turning to you. “Or me?”

“She’s not that kind of crazy,” Charlie assures you. “But she would love to embarrass Sam. Make things hard for him. She’s still pissed he cut her off.”

“I see.” You sit back as they continue talking details. You’ll have questions for him later but right now your mind is swirling. Your ex hook-up has a possible homemade sex tape of you doing God knows what, and Sam apparently hired a hooker.

“And what about Dean and my father?” Sam squeezes your knee, bringing you to attention.

“What about them?�� You lean forward with interest.

“They’re hard to track.” Charlie closes her computer and sits back. There’s no documentation of this inquiry. Nothing to tie either of them to the wanted Winchesters.

“That can’t surprise you.” Sam nods. “But you’re good.”

“Yes, I am.” She offers a little bow of her head. “I had to track the weird to find them.”

“What do you mean?” you ask.

“They like the crazy stuff, ghosts, and monsters. So I kept an eye out for any weird happenings. Some lady in New Jersey claimed a sewer monster stole her baby. And you’ll never guess who popped up in town at some shitty motel the next day.”

Taking out her phone she pulls up a photo and holds it out for you and Sam to see. It’s a grainy security camera shot of Dean with a baseball cap pulled over his face.

“When was this?” Sam inquires.

“Six weeks ago. Your brother is staying along the eastern seaboard. Investigating paranormal bullshit in Vermont, Maine, Connecticut. Occasionally he’ll pop up in the midwest, but for the most part, he’s staying close.”

“To me.” Sam’s not asking, he already knows.

“Yeah, that would be my guess. I did a sweep of your office buildings, homes and so on. I found a digital hole in your home security cameras. Someone created a backdoor into the system so they could have unfettered access.”

“He’s watching us?” Dean’s been on your mind ever since the encounter in the kitchen over a year ago. But now it seems your concerns were in fact warranted.

“Maybe,” she continues. “It’s hard to tell with him. He might be watching. Maybe he’s visiting, editing the footage to cover his tracks. Or maybe it’s not Dean at all.”

“Who else would it be?” you ask, afraid of the answer. “FBI?”

“My father,” Sam sighs.

“It’s a possibility.” Charlie shrugs. “Unfortunately it’s impossible to tell what they’re up to.”

“What’s your gut instinct?” Sam asks Charlie.

“I think they’re keeping an eye on you...and her.” She looks you dead on. “If you want to know why your guess is as good as mine. They believe some insane stuff, Sam. End of the world, apocalypse wack-a-doo shit. They could just be trying to keep you safe. But there’s always the possibility of something else. Y/N was right to be concerned.”

“Perfect,” Sam laughs dryly, rolling his eyes. “This is the last thing I need right now.”

“I liaised with your new security guy. He knows what’s going on with your family, Madison, the whole shebang. He’s working on Y/N’s apartment and your house to seal the leaks. I’ll schedule a meeting for the three of us when you get back to Boston.”

“Sounds good.” Sam stands as Charlie collects her things and you stay seated. “Thank you for everything. As always, you’re invaluable.”

“That’s why you pay me the big bucks.” She laughs. “Nice to meet you, Y/N.”

“You too.” You wave her off, watching as Sam locks the door after her departure. He shoves a hand in his pocket, the two of you staring at each other in silence.

“What are you thinking?” he asks.

“Oh, more than you wanna know.” Running a hand down your face you categorize the evening. Sex scandals, stalkers, fugitives from justice...where to start. “You paid for sex?”

“Technically, no.” Sam walks over to sit on the couch across the coffee table.

“What does that mean?”

“It means I never fucked her.”

“Okay, but you hired a hooker?”

“Yes.”

“And didn’t have sex with her?”

“No.” His jaws ticks. He doesn’t want to answer these questions. “She sucked my dick. She allowed me to do things to her, but I never fucked her. Would you like the details?”

“Jesus,” you sigh. “No. God...fuck. And the other woman, Madison, she was your girlfriend?”

“No. She and I had an arrangement. The same as you and I had when this started. She worked for W & S. It only lasted a few months. She became attached, somewhat obsessive. She believed we were more than our arrangement and I put an end to it.” He stares at you, still as a statue.

“Okay.” You hate the very idea of him with someone else. The thought of another woman makes you angry, but he’s being honest, and honesty is everything so you swallow the urge to take it out on him. “What are we going to do about your family?”

“I’ll give you the details as soon as I have them,” he offers. “We’ll have increased security.”

“Good.” Racking your brain you try to make sure you’ve covered everything. “Oh! Jasper, are you sure Charlie will be able to get that video...if there is one, I mean.”

“She has her ways and I have money. Everyone has a price. We just need to find his.”

You’re both quiet again. Things feel unsettled, awkward for the first time in a long time. And you only know one way to reset this feeling. There are times when having Sam in complete control makes you feel the safest.

“Sam,” you start, watching him sigh in response. He’s expecting more questions.

“Yes?” he asks, looking at you expectantly.

“I’d like you to spank me now.” This request makes your cheeks hot with anticipation. His face morphs from controlled irritation to pure lust, eyes narrow, a grin pulling at his mouth. “With your belt.”

“Take off your clothes and lay across my lap,” he instructs, already working at his buckle. “Get the gag. We can’t have you making too much noise.”

#sam winchester x reader #sam winchester fanfiction #sam winchester smut #Sam Winchester

139 notes · View notes

ladylynse · 5 years

Text

Part II of this Dani-centric fic!

-|-

Danielle sucked in a breath through clenched teeth, clutching her right shoulder tightly.

She’d always thought she’d return to Amity Park under happier circumstances than these, that she’d come just to visit rather than because she had no one else to turn to for help.

But this wasn’t something she could treat herself.

She’d stayed in ghost mode for as long as she could, but the pain was more excruciating. It seemed to…eat at her from the inside, burning and burrowing deeper into her flesh. It wasn’t a bullet, and turning intangible earned her no relief. She’d thought she’d just sustained a wound from some sort of laser weapon.

The constant pain made her question that.

The constant pain, and the fact that the shooters had been the Guys in White. She’d managed to avoid them more often than not, but she’d crossed paths with them often enough to know that they were no longer a threat to laugh off. But even with that knowledge, they’d gotten better than she’d given them credit for.

Apparently.

Dani, who was currently leaning against the side of a building she’d crashed into not ten minutes before, tried to convince herself she had to start walking. Flight was really no longer an option, and she was, frankly, lucky she’d made it this far. She couldn’t maintain her ghost form, and flight in human form was too draining, especially now.

She pulled her toque off her head and pressed it to her wound. It was starting to bleed now, reinforcing the fact that this wasn’t an ordinary laser wound (as ordinary as laser wounds could be, anyway), and that she needed treatment of some sort sooner rather than later.

Now would be a good time to have a cell phone or money for a pay phone with a phonebook on hand, providing she could find one, but she had neither. If she could avoid it, she didn’t want to resort to knocking on doors and begging to use someone’s phone, not when she couldn’t think straight enough to recall Danny’s number.

It was summer holidays, so Danny wouldn’t be in school, but it also meant he might not be home. But surely someone would be, right, even if Danny was out with his friends? She could come up with some story, some excuse to wait for him or for whoever greeted her to contact him in the first place.

True, she didn’t know how to find his place when she wasn’t flying, but it couldn’t be that hard, could it? Anybody she asked would know. Even if it weren’t for the fact that the Fentons were the town’s ghost hunters, their house didn’t exactly blend in.

But she’d never find him unless she started moving.

Danielle groaned and forced herself to move, stumbling a bit but managing to keep her balance. Falling right now would not be good, because getting up would be extremely painful. But she had to get to Danny somehow, and that knowledge kept her going. If she could at least get to a part of town she recognized from ground level, she might be able to find her way from there. Maybe.

For the most part, Dani kept her head down and avoided looking at anyone. She just walked, ignoring everyone else and, as she’d expected, being ignored in return. She didn’t see any second glances she might have gotten, didn’t hear any sudden questions about her well being. She just focused on keeping on her feet and keeping her feet moving forward.

She didn’t stop until someone caught her arm, and then she realized that she’d heard her name being called. Glancing over, she saw none other than Valerie Gray.

Valerie Gray, the girl who had become the Red Huntress, the Hunter Girl, the one who had, in one future, discovered that the ghost she’d hunted down with a single-minded vengeance was actually her friend, Danny Fenton, and had accepted it.

Danielle, to her knowledge, had changed that future, but she hoped Valerie’s reaction would be the same.

If the past was anything to go by, it would be; Valerie had helped her, the girl who was part ghost, at Danny Phantom’s behest. Though Dani didn’t expect it would be particularly easy for her to reconcile everything, she was sure Valerie would forgive Danny—and more importantly, herself—when she learned the truth.

“Dani?” Valerie whispered as Dani swayed on her feet. “What happened?” She was staring at Danielle’s shoulder.

Dani swallowed. “Got…shot with…something,” she answered finally. “Guys…in White.”

“You need help,” Valerie said bluntly.

Danielle tried for a weak smile that may have come out like a grimace. “Yeah.”

Valerie stared at her for a moment longer. Then, “I don’t know if Phantom can help you.”

“I’ve…gotta try.”

Valerie’s lips thinned. “I’m gonna take you to the Fentons.”

Danielle blinked. “What?” Of all the things she’d thought Valerie might say, that one had never crossed her mind.

“They might be ghost hunters,” Valerie said, “but they’re the only ones besides Vlad who would have the technology and the know-how to treat you, and I don’t want to take you to Vlad any more than you want to go there.”

Valerie evidently took Dani’s silence for the agreement that it was, for she pulled Danielle with her into an alley before calling out her suit. She helped Dani up onto her jet sled and, when Dani admitted that she was ready, told her to hold on before taking off.

Danielle had definitely had more pleasant flights, since despite Valerie’s relatively slow speed, the pain emanating from Dani’s wound just increased until the throbbing was nigh on unbearable. But she did her best to ignore it, and she had her good arm clamped tightly around Valerie’s waist to keep steady.

It still felt like an eternity before FentonWorks came into view, however, and an eon until Valerie finally landed and Danielle could stumble off the sled and collapse onto the ground. Her toque was gone, and the stain on her shirt had spread, but she didn’t think the wound was bleeding too badly now.

Not by her standards, anyway.

“You’re shaking,” Valerie observed, crouching down beside her.

“I just…need a…minute,” Dani insisted, gritting her teeth as the pain flared up again. Her right arm was numb, and she almost wished the sensation would spread to her shoulder, just so it wouldn’t hurt anymore.

Valerie helped her to her feet, and Dani leaned on her heavily. She tried blinking the spots away from her eyes, but they weren’t going anywhere. More spots just came to join the first ones, and by the time they were at the Fentons’ door, Danielle could hardly see anything at all.

But she had to hold on until Danny got here, until she could explain. She had to.

“Hi, Mrs. Fenton!” Valerie. When had she knocked? When had the door even opened?

“Valerie? Who’s this? What happened? Was it ghosts?”

“Hunters,” Danielle managed as Valerie pulled her forward. She hissed when Maddie Fenton tried to support her from the other side. At some point, she lost track of the conversation, lost track of whatever lie Valerie was spinning for the Fentons, and soon after that, she lost her tenuous grip on consciousness entirely.

XXXXXXX

Danielle groaned and blinked before squeezing her eyes tightly shut again. It was too bright. And her head was pounding in time with her heart, and her shoulder felt like someone had taken a shot at it.

Nothing new, then.

Cool hands helping her up, then, “Easy now; you don’t want to overdo it.”

Dani opened her eyes more cautiously now, and she managed it without her head swimming. Danny’s mother stood before her, dressed in her ever-recognizable blue HAZMAT suit that Danielle knew better from Vlad’s hologram programs than from her brief times in Amity Park.

Maddie looked much nicer in person.

“I’m Maddie Fenton, sweetie. Valerie said your name was Danielle?”

Dani nodded mutely, unable to keep from darting glances at her surroundings. A nearby bench of scalpels and needles caught her eye, and she had to remind herself, sternly, that this wasn’t Vlad’s lab. She wasn’t back there, and she certainly hadn’t been caught by the Guys in White. It was just Danny’s parents.

Just his parents.

She’d been in their house before. She’d even been in their lab before. It was no different now that she was in the lab with the ghost hunter, right? All those tools she saw—especially the ones she couldn’t name—weren’t for dissection. Not for dissecting her, anyway.

She was safe.

She had to be safe.

“From what I understand,” Maddie was saying, “you were over by Elmerton when you ran into the Guys in White and were caught in the crossfire. Is that correct?”

It was close enough, so Dani nodded again. She still didn’t trust herself to speak.

“Jack—my husband—went to investigate. We’re ghost hunters, honey. Paranormal experts. That’s why Valerie brought you to us: we have a better chance of understanding what affect the weapon had on you than someone at the hospital.”

“You’re the famous Fentons,” Dani whispered.

Maddie smiled. “Only in certain circles, I’m afraid. But you needn’t worry; paranormal studies may have been my focus, but I am competent in the medical field as well. You’re in good hands.”

It was just Maddie Fenton, Vlad’s college sweetheart. The Maddie program was based off this woman. So why was it that now, once Dani was finally meeting her face to face, all she could focus on was Danny’s remarks that his mother was a much better ghost hunter than his father?

And that she was on a cold, stainless steel table in the lab, mere inches away from a variety of tools that could be used to tear her apart, armed with the knowledge that if she looked just a little bit different, the woman in front of her would be smiling for a very different reason as she advanced on her?

Maybe coming to Danny wasn’t such a good idea after all.

Then again, she hadn’t had any other choice. No good ones, at any rate. “My shoulder….”

“I’ve done the best I can,” Maddie said, “but I’d like you to stay here until I’m confident time is all you’ll need to see that shoulder as good as new. Ecto-weapons don’t normally have such an effect on humans, but the Guys in White have become more desperate and their tactics more extreme. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised that they are compromising the safety of innocent bystanders.”

She didn’t know. It was perfectly fine. She didn’t know. Danielle had nothing to worry about.

Except for, possibly, the whole ‘staying here’ part—because as much as Dani would love it, she couldn’t.

She could understand how Danny managed to live under the same roof as ghost hunters. They were his family; they loved him, and he loved them. It was enough to suppress the shivers that would otherwise run down his spine, the tingling sense of danger that raises the hairs on the back of the neck, and the feeling of dread that settles in the stomach.

But this wasn’t her house, and it wasn’t her family, and she couldn’t rid herself of the feeling that she should get out before they discovered her.

Coming when they were all asleep was one thing; when they were awake and in easy reach of weapons? That was something else entirely.

She’d learned to avoid being vulnerable like this, and it was hard to pretend that it was her shoulder that worried her the most right now.

“I’ve dressed your wound and I don’t think it will get infected, but I’m afraid you aren’t out of the woods yet.” Maddie paused. “Do you know what they hit you with?”

Danielle shook her head. “Not really. Some kind of laser gun thing, I guess. I’ve never seen it before.”

Maddie raised an eyebrow. “Unless you cross paths with the Guys in White often, I wouldn’t expect you to recognize it.”

Dani bit her lip. “I meet them more often than you’d think,” she confessed. If she was going to spin a lie, she needed to tell a good portion of the truth. “I want to be a ghost hunter. So I…. Look, you’re going to say it’s dangerous. I know you are. But I’m not going to learn anything unless I get out in the field.”

“You sought them out?”

The surprise in Maddie’s voice was clear, and Danielle knew that was one assumption she’d have to correct. “No. I was…going after a ghost, and they turned up. I lost my own weapon in the scuffle. It’s not much, anyway. Something similar to your ecto-guns that I tried making myself. I was going to field test it, and….” She trailed off. “I never got the chance.”

“You took a weapon out into the field before testing it?”

Dani flinched, wishing Maddie didn’t sound quite so incredulous. But being thought a foolish girl was infinitely better than the truth. “I couldn’t just keep teaching myself based on theory. I needed practical experience. Finding a ghost was the best way to get it. I was headed to Amity Park but saw some before I reached it.”

Maddie’s earlier frown had returned, completely replacing her surprise. “You’re by yourself?” Danielle hesitated a beat too long, and Maddie’s frown deepened. “You’re not running away?”

“I don’t have any parents,” Dani mumbled, tearing her eyes away from Maddie’s searching gaze and wondering how she could possibly change the topic.

Maddie sighed and put a hand on Danielle’s good arm. “Honey, I know life can be difficult, but whoever is taking care of you loves you very much. I’m sure they’re worried sick about you. We’ll just call to let them know you’re spending a few days here, all right?”

So much for sticking to as much of the truth as possible. Danielle sighed. “I was staying with my cousin,” she said, not offering an explanation about her parents. Maddie could make her own assumptions. “I’ll call him. He’ll understand.”

Danny’s cell phone number was the only one she had memorized besides Vlad’s.

Maddie fixed her with a searching gaze, and Dani found it difficult not to squirm. “This isn’t the first time this sort of thing has happened.”

Dani started to shrug before a shooting pain stopped her, and she settled for twirling one finger in a circle on her leg. “I get a lot of free reign. He trusts me.”

“He’s your guardian, then.”

Danielle didn’t correct her. It was better that she didn’t. She didn’t know what would happen if Maddie decided to play the Good Samaritan. What would she think if she realized the girl who sat before her had no records? That she was living a lie? That she didn’t officially exist?

That she didn’t belong to anyone, didn’t belong anywhere?

“Tell me the number and I’ll call him.” Dani’s head shot up, and Maddie added, “I’m perfectly capable of leaving a message if he’s not home.”

“No,” Danielle insisted immediately. “I’ll do it.” Having dealt with enough adults to know that she’d have to have a better argument for Maddie to concede, Dani added, “He won’t be as alarmed if I talk to him. I’m feeling better now. He’ll be able to hear that. He won’t worry as much.”

As Dani had anticipated, it worked. Maddie relented, finally bringing her a cordless handset, and Danielle lost no time in phoning Danny’s number. He didn’t pick up—the phone went straight to voicemail—but that worked out better for her. “Hey, cuz,” she said once the tone had sounded. “I just thought I should let you know I’ll be crashing in Amity Park for a few days. It’s fine. I’m with friends. I’ll call you later. Bye.”

Maddie arched an eyebrow. “No explanation?”

Danielle smiled sheepishly. “Not in a message. He does worry.” She handed the phone back, hoping Maddie wouldn’t ask any more questions about this.

Or hit re-dial.

But all Maddie did was put the phone down on a workbench and turn back to Dani, eyeing her shoulder again. “It’s seeping. I’ll have to change the dressing.”

Dani’s smile this time was a rather weak one. “Thanks for patching me up.”

Maddie sighed. “It’s little trouble, but I wish I didn’t have to in the first place. What you were doing was dangerous, Danielle. Promise me you won’t do it again.”

For a brief moment, Dani wondered if this is what having a mother was like.

It felt…nice.

And it made the thought of lying to her again even worse. Danielle settled for a small shake of her head. “I can’t.”

“You can,” Maddie countered, producing some gauze and a roll of tape. “It’s not simply a matter of being more careful, Danielle. I understand being eager, but you cannot let that eclipse your common sense. You should never have tried to face a ghost by yourself, especially with a homemade weapon you haven’t previously tested in a safe environment. When the Guys in White turned up, you should have gotten out of there. And you always need to remember to watch your back.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

Maddie frowned. “Sweetie, I’m not looking for an apology. This is important. You aren’t invincible, and you could have been seriously hurt. As it is, I think you’ll have to keep your arm in a sling for the next few days. Every time you move, you’re aggravating the wound. You need to give it a chance to heal.”

She shouldn’t need to. It should be well on its way to healing already. But Maddie didn’t know that. She didn’t know how quickly Danielle normally healed. She didn’t know that the fact that the shooters had been the Guys in White meant that this situation was much worse than it appeared to be.

Because while Danielle had, at times, wished she had no powers or anything else that set her apart, wished her history was uninteresting and unremarkable, the fact remained that she was not and would never be an ordinary girl.

“I will,” Dani whispered. “I promise.” She wasn’t sure what Maddie had already done, but whatever the ministrations had been, they’d been effective. She was no longer in agony. She was pained, but not to the point that she couldn’t think.

It was, she imagined, as if she were a normal girl and this a normal wound.

It wasn’t a pretence she could keep up forever, but it would be nice while it lasted, for all that she wouldn’t care for the shattering point.

After a few more minutes of fussing, Danielle’s arm was safely in a sling, and Maddie had brought her upstairs to the kitchen table to get something to eat. Danny’s father was still out, presumably searching for any sign of the ghosts or the Guys in White that Danielle claimed to have run into. She hoped that, when he returned without finding a trace, they wouldn’t question all the holes in her story.

She suspected that was wishful thinking, though.

“You don’t mind grilled cheese, do you, sweetie?”

Dani smiled. “That’s fine, thanks.” A larger part of her than she cared to admit loved this feeling of being fussed over. Vlad had never fussed over her. She’d spent her time trying to please him; he’d spent his time trying to create the perfect clone. But she hadn’t seen that until later. She hadn’t realized he’d thought her a mistake. She’d loved him and thought he returned the feeling, and then when she’d found out he’d only been using her....

Then, when she’d realized that he wanted no record of his mistakes anywhere, that the best thing for her was to melt her down….

She’d gotten very good at putting up walls, at not getting attached. She knew how easily the life she built for herself could be torn away and she could be left with nothing. She knew what it was like to be abandoned. She knew how simple it was to exist in the shadows, being too afraid to risk darting into the light.

But she liked this feeling of not having to be by herself, this feeling that she could depend on someone. Maddie was a ghost hunter, yes. But she was Danny’s mother, and her mothering instincts had come out in full force. And Dani relished that.

Maybe it was because she was no longer in the lab. Maybe it was because Maddie didn’t seem as much like a ghost hunter when she wasn’t down there under harsh fluorescent light with sharp, glinting tools. Or maybe it was because Danielle couldn’t help but wish she had a real family. A real home. A real life.

Danielle wasn’t sure how long she was lost in her thoughts, but she was startled out of them when Maddie put a plate in front of her. The sandwich was cut into quarters—something easier to handle, Dani realized. Maddie poured her a glass of water as well, adding, “I’d offer you milk, but I’m afraid Jack put it a bit too close to the ectoplasm samples. It’s harmless, as far as we can tell, but it’s not something I’m willing to offer guests.”

Maddie was smiling, a clear indication that she was trying to get Danielle to relax by sharing this tidbit of information. She was trying to get her to laugh. Trying to get her to feel more comfortable, if not comfortable enough to share information in return.

All she’d achieved was to firmly remind Danielle that this was Danny’s family, not hers.

She was just a guest.

Guests were temporary.

Danielle reached for a section of sandwich. “Thanks,” she said again. She took a bite, savouring both the simple delight of a warm, freely offered meal and the fact that, with her mouth full, Maddie wouldn’t expect her to answer any questions.

It worked out well, all things considered.

But Danielle should have known that her luck was too similar to Danny’s for this to last.

In the end, all it took was one word to shatter the tentative reality she’d built. One single word. It was all so simple, and then…it wasn’t.

Because then, Danny came home, walked into the kitchen as he rambled something off to Maddie about the happy reprieve of ghost activity they were experiencing, caught sight of her, stopped short, and said, incredulously, “Danielle?”

3XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Danielle, Maddie decided, was a sweet little girl on the whole. She was polite and considerate of her guardian, and she was respectful while in another’s house. But while Maddie had expected some secrecy—she certainly hadn’t expected to hear the girl’s life story—she had thought she’d hear a bit more than she did.

Valerie had said next to nothing about her. She was a friend. She was interested in ghosts. She had, by her own admission, run into the Guys in White and become a victim of friendly fire.

But Maddie had learned much more about her current houseguest by observing her than through any of the answers she’d managed to get to her questions.

Danielle wasn’t shy so much as guarded. She was wary, and more nervous in a lab setting than she let on to the unschooled eye. For all that someone was looking after her, she had the look of someone who had spent far too much time on her own.

She looked like a kid who had run away too many times.

Maddie suspected, though her heart ached to think it, why Danielle—Dani, Valerie had said—had said she didn’t have any parents. It wasn’t that she had been orphaned and finally taken in by her cousin; it was that her parents had not been deemed fit to take care of her.

Maddie knew both she and Jack were guilty of being caught up in their work, but they did not neglect their children.

And they certainly did nothing that would even qualify as—

Well.

She couldn’t quite say that.

Before they’d known that Danny was Phantom, they’d done…. They’d done horrible, unforgivable things. The only saving grace was that they had never had the opportunity, in their ignorance, to go too far. Danny insisted that he was fine, of course. That it was all right, because they hadn’t known, and now that they did, they’d stopped.

But she’d overheard him talking to Jazz a bit more often than she would have expected, considering they were both teenagers. She’d never heard what they’d said—she couldn’t bring herself to eavesdrop after everything that had happened, and she didn’t need a lecture from Jazz on respecting Danny’s privacy and his right to silence, to telling them on his own terms in his own time, if she was caught at it—but there was no mistaking the muffled murmurs from behind Jazz’s closed door.

That was how she could tell when Danny went to Jazz: the meeting took place in her room. If the reverse was true, it was typically in Danny’s room.

And, if Danny wasn’t feeling up to a lecture from his older sister, the conversations were always a good deal louder.

She’d heard snatches of one or two from down in the lab.

But Danny’s case was unique. Danielle’s, unfortunately, might not be.

#danny phantom #dani phantom #maddie fenton #dp fanfiction #phanfiction #lynse's random WIPs #dp wip #dp snippet #my writing #ladylynse #if I don't notice this pop up in my queue and don't link it #someone let me know

59 notes · View notes

houseofclamp · 1 year

Text

#CLAMP #CLAMP School Paranormal Investigators

67 notes · View notes

the-corvus-luna · 4 months

Text

This is the summarized CLAMP School TRPG, which is a prototype for an eventual transcription/translation of the Clamp School Detectives Guide Book. The Guidebook features Clamp School Paranormal Investigators and contains this TRPG.

The fun thing is that if you don't know anything about CLAMP School or don't care about it, that's perfectly fine! You can play in any agreed upon universe in anyway you wish, as long as your players know the established universe.

Talking about players, any amount will do. you could play this game solo if you wished. The game thrives on improvisational narratives through random card draws...

And a lot of charts.

So many charts. I'm sorry if some of them are messed up. That's why its a prototype. <3

[I figured it was hard to vote on terms if you didn't know on how they are applied in game play.]

CLAMP TRPG Quick Start

CHARACTER SHEET

CHARACTER CREATION

GAME PLAY

EXAMPLE CHARACTER SHEETS (From Paranormal Investigators)

This Character Start Guide is a Prototype, since some of the terms are being decided by polls. This guide is meant to be a quick guide of how to make a character by using translated excerpts from the Clamp School Detectives Guidebook. This is not the book fulltext, as this guide was written by myself. The charts are copied from the book so the translations are rough.

#clamp #clamp trpg #clamp paranormal investigations #trpg #clamp manga #clamp school detectives

18 notes · View notes

yrpspiritsintheshadows · 5 years

Text

Real Monsters

Hideki didn’t go back into the classroom after that. Eiji wasn’t about to make him do it either. Instead, to give the kid his space, he let him sit out while he took care of last minute arrangements.

“Is Hideki okay?” a student asked.

“He…. He will. Just give him time, that was a pretty bad scare. Are you guys alright?” Eiji answered.

The other students shook their heads or simply looked away.

“We’re fine.”

“I-I’m good, Teach, honest.”

Eiji nodded, sighing heavily.

“I want you guys to finish up the book this week. I want a two page essay about it as well. About the world of the book and similarities you can find to our world and its world.”

“Yessir!”

“Good.” He glanced at the clock. He had just a few more minutes left. He hurried about, getting his things packed up while his students kept reading, albeit silently. “I’m very sorry for how things turned out today.”

“I-It’s fine. Right?”

“Yeah!”

He smiled softly.

“You guys are the best students I could’ve hoped for.”

Soon enough, the bell rang, signalling the end of the school day. Eiji hurried out before everyone else, this once.

Hideki was still waiting, knees tucked up to his chest.

“Kid?”

He looked up, exhaustion in the boys eyes.

“You ready to go?”

“Yeah…” He got up, dusting himself off. “You… You still mean what you said?”

Eiji squeezed his shoulder, giving him a reassuring look.

“Meant every word.”

Hideki sighed shakily. He was still in shock from what had happened.

“I don’t know what I’m gonna do…”

Eiji started to lead him down the hall, hefting his messenger bag over his shoulder.

“You already did enough by being honest with me. It’s my job, as the adult and your teacher to make sure you’re okay.”

Hideki gave him a tired grin.

“Like mandated reports apply to what happened to us…” He muttered loud enough to be heard.

“We’ll see about that. I know a few people. Some people owe me favors.”

The boy gave him a bewildered look. He never pegged his English teacher of all people, as someone anyone owed. Even being slightly aware of what he did as a part time job.

Just… who is this guy?

Eiji made a mental note to call the team later. If it wasn’t for the fact that he was worried about scaring the boy he would’ve hunted Chase down right then and there.

Right now, his paternal side was taking over mainly.

Come to think of it… He looked him over out of the corner of his eye. When was the last time he ate…?

It was right out to his car after that.

“Where are we going?”

“First off, anyone looking after you currently?”

Hideki shook his head, giving a sheepish look.

“I’m pretty good at forging signatures nowadays.”

Eiji frowned, concern going through him.

“You haven’t had any decent food in awhile, have you?”

Hideki fumbled with his fingers, giving a shrug.

“The free food’s pretty good here. The lunch lady sometimes gives me food in a lunch sack and tells me it’s on her.”

Eiji winced before unlocking the car, gesturing to the passenger side.

“Get your butt in the car, we’re getting you food on the way and we’re heading to my house.”

Hideki got in, giving him a puzzled look.

“Don’t you mean your headquarters?” He asked.

Eiji pulled out of the parking lot, turning his focus to the road.

“Yep. My house. We live up in the woods. It’s a pretty huge house with a fairly giant garage. I use that as my office… and training course.”

Hideki blinked in confusion.

“... Those parkour rumors are real?”

“E’yep.”

“... Just who are you, seriously?”

“Just a guy who wants the best for others.”

It’s a good thing Carmen’s doing pick up today.

oooooo

Eiji pulled into his driveway, sighing in relief at the familiar sight of home.

"Here we are. Casa De Miyamoto."

Hideki got out of the car, looking around in curiosity. The house was quite large, as the man had said, at least three levels. A large stairway lead to what he assumed was the main floor, the garage was far off to the side, attached to the building.

It looked older, the bricks all a multitude of color, the paint a dark grey, almost black color. The roof, from what the boy could see, was painted pure black as well.

He was stunned to say the least.

"How many people live here?"

"Me, Carmen, our son and the dog. But we wanted plenty of room and... yeah." He chuckled, heading up the deck's staircase, pulling out his house key. "C'mon, you'll love it. Wait till you see the kitchen - you're in cooking club aren't ya?"

"Y-Yeah."

Hideki shook off his surprise, heading up the stairs after him, looking around. Not a neighbor for miles. Only the woods surrounded the home, almost enveloping it in its embrace, tree limbs growing in front of large windows, the faint call of birds echoing.

This guy... This guy lives somewhere as cool as this?

The boy leaned over the rail, peering down at the forest floor below. They didn’t need a backyard. The entire woods was their yard.

He closed his eyes, focusing. The forest had energy in it as well. The spirits of the trees and the faint hint of something old… something ancient, all around.

Beautiful.

He opened his eyes, smiling a little.

“Wow…”

“OOF!”

THUD!

The boy jumped, whirling around… trying not to laugh, clamping a hand over his mouth.

Eiji was flat on his back, being licked by Okami, the large dog practically enveloping him.

“ACK! Ahahaha OKAMI! Down girl!”

She whined, bumping her head against his, licking him again.

“Down, down! Where’s your puppy, huh?” He rubbed behind her ears, earning a tail wag from the canine.

“I’m here!”

Eiji was just getting up when he was tackled down again by Ken, the little boy giggling up a storm.

“Oof! Nooo!” He laughed, lifting him up so Ken was mid air a bit. “I’ve been attacked by the cutest paranormal investigator ever!”

Ken giggled.

“And the toughest!”

“Darn right.” Eiji brought him close, finally getting back to his feet. “We got a guest too.”

Ken blinked, looking behind him at Hideki.

The teenager waved a little.

“Hey.” He knelt down to Ken’s level as the boy was set down. “My name’s Hideki.”

“I’m Ken.” The boy tilted his head. “Are you a friend of my daddy’s?”

“I’m his student, actually. Your dad’s my English teacher.” He frowned a little. “He’s… He’s gonna help me.”

Ken frowned before recognition came to his eyes. He didn’t say it out loud but he could see it now.

He could see the dead couple all too well in the boy before him… and quite literally as they manifested behind him.

Ken scurried behind Eiji, giving them a terrified look.

Eiji patted his head.

“Go inside. It’s okay, Kiddo. Go tell your mom I need to talk to her.”

“Okay, Daddy. C’mon ‘Kami.”

Eiji shook his head, watching them run off.

“C’mon, Kiddo, make yourself at home.”

Hideki followed him, shuddering as a cold chill brushed past him. He looked around, curious, before hurrying to the kitchen.

He swore he wanted to cry, right then and there. It looked as if it was from a restaurant.

“Oh my GOSH! Does that stove have two ovens!?”

“And a fish grill.”

“Seriously, who the heck are you!?”

He chuckled, watching Hideki go around the kitchen, looking at everything. The boy’s eyes were wide in wonder, examining every inch of the room.

“You really like cooking, don't you?”

“It’s my favorite thing in the world.” He admitted, with a sheepish smile.

“Here’s a secret - it’s one of my favorite things to do too.” Eiji grinned.

Seriously, who is this guy?

“Eiji?”

They both looked over as Carmen entered the room, concern in her eyes. Ken was beside her, holding onto her right hand.

“Ah, mi amor!” Eiji hurried to her, kissing her cheek. “Sorry for the suddenness but we have a guest.”

Hideki bowed his head quickly.

“M-My names Hideki. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Miyamoto.”

“Hey, no need for that missus stuff.” Carmen gave him a gentle smile. “Just call me Carmen.”

“O-Okay.”

Carmen’s gaze softened.

“Please, make yourself at home.” She moved to the fridge, peering inside. “Have you eaten yet?”

Hideki shook his head.

“N-Not since lunch. I usually don’t…” He fumbled with his hands, ashamed as his stomach growled. “Have… dinner.” He mumbled the last part.

This is so embarrassing… Guh, I’m such a weakling-

“Stop that.”

Hideki jumped, looking up. Carmen was giving him a stern look as she pulled out a container of food.

“Your not a burden. I know that look.”

“H-How?”

She thumbed to her husband, who gave a sheepish look.

“This idiota, gives me the same look when he thinks he’s not helping out enough. You’re a kid. I got this.” She opened up the container, peering inside. It was one of the lunches she had prepped for the week for Eiji to take to work. “Are you allergic to anything?”

“Nope. I can eat pretty much anything.” He went to her, looking inside. He could see grilled chicken, some kind of pasta salad and… his stomach growled. A little section had several large cherries.

Carmen slid the container to him, along with a fork.

“Eat up.”

Hideki didn’t hesitate this time, tucking in at a rapid pace.

Ohhh gosh this is amazing. The chicken’s smokey and charred a little, the tomatoes are just weeping with flavor from the vinaigrette and… is this garlic? Ohhh this is good…

The boy wiped at his eyes quickly. It had been a long time since he had eaten anything like this. Even the school lunches didn’t compare. Sure, it was simple, but it had those personal touches.

Carmen stroked his shoulder.

“Eat as much as you want.” She pulled out two more containers. “Here, the first one you’ll have to heat up, just take the lid off the box, It’s chicken alfredo pasta and the other one is a sandwich with some potato salad.”

“T-Thank you.” He smiled a little, going back to his meal.

Carmen squeezed his shoulder before going to Eiji, tugging him away a little.

“Kenny, can you keep Hideki company while he eats?”

“Si, Mommy!” Ken sped off to join the teenager, leaving the adults alone.

Carmen waited until she heard the boys start to talk, turning to her husband.

“Do I need to make up a room?”

Eiji nodded, sighing heavily. He wasn’t going to beat around the bush.

The truth needed to be out there.

“His parents are dead and his twin brother is missing. He’s been trying to look after himself but had no idea where to go. His parents haunted my classroom today trying to get my attention.”

Carmen covered her mouth, eyes going wide.

“What…? Eiji, that’s awful!”

“I know… I hope it’s okay that he stays with us. I’m gonna get to the bottom of this. One way or another.”

“We’ll need to get Skyler involved.” Carmen crossed her arms, concerned. “He’s just a kid. He shouldn’t have to deal with this.”

Eiji nodded, looking to the kitchen. Ken was sitting next to Hideki, prattling on about something, the older boy still wolfing down his food, on the second container now.

“He hasn’t had it easy.”

“No, he hasn’t.” Carmen narrowed her eyes. “And if he doesn’t have anyone to take him in when this is all over?”

Eiji took her hands into his.

“Carmen… What are you comfortable with?”

If I was dead… and someone I knew was coven born could take care of Ken, if there was no one else… No one else at all?

She had resented the dead couple for the terror they had put Ken through… but knowing WHY they were here…

She could empathize.

Carmen squeezed Eiji’s hands, giving him a serious look.

“If we died and there was no one for Ken, absolutely no one…. I’d want someone to take care of him and make him happy. I’d want someone to try to preserve what would be left of his innocence. We should be those people to make him happy.”

Eiji smiled softly, bringing her hands to his lips, kissing them.

“You’re incredible…” He gave her a warm look before pulling her into his arms. “Goddess above, I love you so much.”

Carmen hugged him tightly, kissing his chin.

“I love you too Eiji.” She pulled back a bit. “It’s a good thing your parents insisted on giving us the house, eh?”

He chuckled, resting his chin atop her head.

“... Yeah. Yeah it is, isn’t it?”

“Yup… Now…” She gave him a sneaky look. “I need you to go to the storage room and get the extra quilts for the guest room.”

“B-But it’s cold up there!”

“I’ll rub your back later.”

Eiji hugged her quickly.

“Be right back!”

oooooo

“Thanks for coming at such short notice, Sky.” Eiji ushered the woman in, semi-relieved.

“No worries. Anything for a kid.” She gave him a gentle look. “This is exactly why I do this job… But you know, if things get too hairy…”

“We’ll involve authorities. No worries about that.”

“Great… and if he doesn’t have family?”

“Try to get him placed with us. Me and Carmen already talked about it.”

Skyler nodded, following him to the family room, heading through the first hallway.

It was the sun room initially before they had converted it. Night had fallen by this point as the gentle glowing lamps inside illuminated the room.

There were several large chairs, including a massive bean bag chair near one of the bookshelves, a few small altars to the four elements set on end tables on the four corners of the room.

Ken was currently sitting with Hideki, huddled up to the teens side as the older boy read to him.

“Is Edmond gonna make it, Deki?” He whispered, briefly interrupting him.

Hideki smiled, turning the page.

“We’ll have to see kiddo.”

“Yay!”

He was finally able to relax. After the feast that was early dinner, Hideki had been allowed free reign of the house to look around and just get used to his new surroundings.

He was still getting used to this, it had been a while since… he actually could just be calm and be a kid again.

It had been awhile since…

“HIDEKI RUN! JUST RUN!!!!”

“M-Mom, what’s happening!? Why are they doing this!?”

“Hikaru, go! MOVE IT!”

Since everything was taken…

“Hideki?”

The boys looked up. Hideki was confused, seeing there was a new person with Eiji now.

She was just a head shorter than him, wearing the same hoodie he did with the PACK insignia, her long curly hair was tied back in a ponytail, keeping it out of her face. She had concern in her eyes.

Hideki opened his mouth to question this, only to be interrupted by Ken bolting right to her.

“AUNTIE SKY!!!!” The little boy squealed, throwing his arms around her legs.

Skyler’s gaze softened, scooping him up.

“Awww, hi baby!” She ruffled up his hair before leaning him backwards, earning another squeal as Ken started giggling up a storm. “How’s my favorite little nephew?”

“I’m good!” He hugged her around her neck, giving her a nuzzle. “Are you here to do investigation stuff?”

“Some. Mostly my other job though.”

Ken pouted.

“Awwww…”

Skyler nuzzled him.

“But we can play plenty when work is over. I’m still taking you to the park on Sunday, yeah?”

“Yeah!”

“Then we’ll play then.” She kissed his head. “Now, the grownups gotta do some adulting.”

Eiji offered his arms for his son as Skyler pouted.

“Sky.”

“But… But Eiiiijjiiii!” She hugged the six year old close. “He’s my nephew! I missed my favorite lil guy!”

“Yeah, I missed my auntie!”

Eiji gave a dramatic sigh, bringing a hand over his eyes.

“I… suppose you must… I guess I’ll just have to eat the papico I bought yesterday aaallllll alone.”

Ken was wiggling to get out of Skyler’s arms in seconds.

“Papico!”

Skyler groaned, passing the boy back to his father.

“Auuugh, beaten by ice cream. I can’t compete with sugar, obviously.”

Ken smiled, nuzzling Eiji.

“I love you, Daddy.”

“And I love you, Little Spirit.” He cradled him a bit, before turning to Hideki. “Deki? We wanted to get some info from you if that’s okay. This is an old friend of mine.”

At the confused look he got, he nodded to her.

“My name is Skyler. Eiji’s been one of my best friends since we were in high school. I was also one of the founding members of our paranormal team… but I’m not here just for that.” She went up to Hideki, kneeling in front of his chair.

“What are you here for then?” Hideki set his book aside, crossing his arms.

“I’m a social worker. Specifically, for your kind, kiddo.” She smiled. “I know all about the other side of Fantasma County. I’ve been tight with Eiji’s family that long that I dedicated my life to it.”

“... What?”

“I wanna help. Right now, that help means if you’re comfortable, we can talk a bit about the situation. Then later, we’ll gather up the team so we can make sure you… and your brother, have a place.” Skyler explained, noting the terror that went through Hideki’s eyes at the last part.

“I don’t wanna get separated from Hikaru!” He blurted out. “I don’t wanna get sent away from Geistville!”

“And you won’t, you won’t sweetie. Is there anyone I can get my people to place you and Hikaru with when we get him back?”

Hideki frowned, shaking his head.

“Nope. No one. No one else but me and my brother.” He looked down, fidgeting with his hands. “If there were, I’d have gone to them.”

“Oh, sweetie…” She frowned. “I’m so sorry. That must’ve been pretty scary.”

“Yeah…” His voice cracked as he lowered his head. “I… I just want my parents to rest in peace. They won’t leave until they know we’re both okay.”

“Then… we’ll make sure. And you two won’t be separated again. I promise you that.” She gave him a reassuring look. “I’ve helped lots of kids just like you, Hideki. No one’s gonna cause you any more pain if me and the team have a say in it.”

“Promise?”

“I promise. Only tell what your comfortable with though. But I do need some things in particular.”

“L-Like?”

Eiji set Ken down, going to him again, sitting in a chair near him.

“Like your parents’ names. That way we know something about them to help them cross.”

Hideki frowned, sighing heavily.

“Aika and Daisuke… Aika and Daisuke Kishimoto.” He said after a moment. “We moved here from Tokyo, when Hikaru and I were really little.”

“Thank you.”

Skyler jotted it down.

Hideki brought his arms around himself. He didn’t want to talk more about it… It hurt so badly to even say their names out loud.

But it was for his brother. So he would at least still have one member of his family alive still.

Hideki closed his eyes tightly, biting his lip.

Eiji brought an arm around his shoulders.

“Hey… We can go over this a different day, Hideki. You don’t have to right now. We still got leads to uncover-”

“No.” He sighed shakily. “I… I want to.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah…” Hideki took a deep breath, before giving a serious look.

“Mom and Dad were murdered.”

4 notes · View notes

morganthefae · 6 years

Link

#CLAMPFemslashWeek #clamp school paranormal investigators #yuki ajiadou #sumika sakimori

2 notes · View notes

mldrgrl · 6 years

Text

In Another Life 7/7

by: mldrgrl Rating: PG-13 (at the most) Summary: See Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6

On Monday, Mulder went to work with a bucket of cleaning supplies and starting clearing and somewhat organizing the files in the basement. The storage room was actually fairly large, and once he’d sorted some things out, moved boxes, and got rid of a lot of excess junk, he had a lot of room to work with. It took nearly all week, and by the time he was finished, it had started to dawn on him that instead of bringing the files upstairs, he might as well just move his office where the files were.

He got approval from AD Skinner, who looked at him like he was crazy, but still signed off on his requisition for a desk. The deliverymen thought it had been a mistake and called him several times to confirm the desk was being brought to the basement? Are you sure?

After he was settled, he was actually pleased with the space. Sure, it was a basement, but he had a nice skylight and two rooms. He’d found a few boxes of old equipment which still worked and though someone else found useless, he set it up in the secondary room that had once gated off whatever someone felt was important enough to gate off in storage. He now had his own slide projector, lightboard, and a large magnifier that clamped onto a table.

What took him the most time, and would continue to take weeks or months, was classifying and cataloging the x-files into something that might be easily referenced. He’d started out with general categories, but the more he found, the more he’d had to break those into smaller subgenres. It wasn’t enough to label a pile PARANORMAL, he had to then separate sets of files into HAUNTINGS, POLTERGEISTS, ECTOPLASM, and PSYCHICS.

The missing persons stack is the one that really bothered him. There were hundreds of accounts of people just vanishing off the face of the earth. At least a dozen of these files, eye witnesses reported seeing strange lights in the sky the night someone vanished. He separated those files into a group he tentatively labeled ALIEN ABDUCTION.

Even though he poured all of his energy into the x-files, every night Mulder went home, he played Scully’s message on his answering machine until he had it memorized. Sometimes he would pick up his phone and dial part of her number before hanging up.

******

Mulder’s in depth review of his alien abduction and UFO sightings files turned out to be extremely valuable in the first two cases he was assigned as x-files. The first was investigating reports from a space program employee on possible sabotage of recent launches. What he found was an astronaut haunted by his previous missions and his belief that an alien entity had possessed him. The sabotage was his way of protecting other astronauts from suffering the same fate. Mulder suspected PTSD and ordered him into immediate psychiatric care.

“You believe him?” Skinner asked, when he filed his report.

“It doesn’t matter whether I believe him,” Mulder answered. “It matters that he believes.”

And that was his philosophy going into his next case. A man claiming to be a multiple abductee was arrested sneaking into a crash site of a military test flight. Everything Mulder had read about in his files encompassed this one man, Max Fenig. He was so thorough in his story that he almost had Mulder convinced it was true. When Mulder started a deep dive into Fenig’s life, trying to corroborate his account of events, the jittery guy vanished without a trace. Only this time, it was Mulder who could attest to seeing strange lights in the sky the night Max Fenig disappeared.

“Is this really how you want to spend your time?” Skinner asked. “Chasing lights in the sky?”

“Sometimes it’s the journey that’s the reward,” Mulder answered.

“Holly has your new file. No little green men in it, I’m afraid.”

“Grey.”

“Hm?”

“You said green. A Reticulan’s skin tone is actually grey. Allegedly due to iron depletion in the Reticulan Galaxy.”

Skinner’s eyes twitched behind his glasses and he started at Mulder. Mulder gave him a slight smile.

“Makes you wonder what liver and onions goes for on Reticula, doesn’t it, Sir?” Mulder asked.

“Go get your file, Agent Mulder.”

******

Mulder gets two more cases in before everything shuts down for Christmas and New Years. Both cases bring him back to Quantico, where the halls feel empty to him without Scully there. He knocks on her door, ‘shave and a haircut,’ but no one answers. It’s not like he expected to find her there, but his heart still pounded with a nervous, quick-flutter of anticipation.

One of the cases, in addition to forcing him to deal with a childhood fear of fire, also put him in contact with a classmate from Oxford. He hadn’t known Inspector Phoebe Green very well in school, mostly because she was a year ahead of him and they didn’t travel in the same social circles, but universities are like small worlds, and he certainly knew of her. She apparently knew of him as well and asked for his assistance on a matter in Boston, where she was acting as security for a British ambassador.

Inspector Green made no secret of the fact she was interested in Mulder, and let him know she’d had a crush on him in school. They attempted a date, which consisted of an awkward dinner at his hotel that was interrupted by a fire alarm, and when it turned out she happened to be sleeping with her married boss, amongst a variety of other men, it was just as well that Mulder was too preoccupied with daydreams of Scully to care very much.

On Christmas Eve, Mulder headed to The Headless Woman for a drink before heading home. The place was packed, something of an agent hangout, and by the looks of it, they all had the same idea. He tossed one back with a guy he used to work with in VCU and they played a game of catch up. He showed Mulder a picture of his daughter, told him his wife was expecting next month, which reminded him that he needed to call Samantha.

After parting ways with his old friend, Mulder took a seat at the bar to finish his beer and order one more. He caught AD Skinner’s eye when he sat down, and his boss nodded and then approached, taking the seat next to Mulder.

“Sir,” Mulder said. “Happy holidays.”

“You as well, Agent.”

“Can I buy you one?”

“It’s on me, actually.” Skinner flashed two fingers at the bartender.

“Thanks.”

“I’m glad I caught you in here, actually. I just spoke to the British Ambassador regarding your arsonist case.”

“Did the Marsden’s get back to England alright?”

“As far as I know. They’re requesting we extradite L’Ively to stand trial in England.”

“We’d only have him for attempted murder here. They can pin six murders on him back in jolly old England.”

“Attempted murder of a federal agent.”

“The burns are minor.” Mulder shrugged and took a sip of his fresh beer.

“According to Inspector Green, you ran into a burning house.”

“There were kids upstairs.”

“You need to think about getting a partner, Agent Mulder.”

“There’s only one person that qualifies, Sir, and she’s unavailable.”

“You’re referring to Agent Scully, I take it?”

“I am.”

“I see.”

“And in the interim? Should I let you get yourself killed?”

“Like I said, the burns are minor.”

“Luck runs out eventually. You need someone to watch your back.”

“I know. But, I happen to think she’s worth waiting for.”

“If you don’t get yourself killed in the meantime. Do you even know if she would want to take this on? She’s a pathologist, not a field agent.”

“Something tells me she would.”

Skinner sighed and downed a generous swig of his beer. He pushed off the barstool and opened his wallet, taking out a few bills and tossing them onto the bartop. He looked like he wanted to say more, but he put his wallet away and rested his hand on Mulder’s shoulder for a moment.

“I need to get home to my wife,” he said. “Enjoy the holidays.”

“I didn’t know you were married.”

“20 years.”

“Happy holidays to you and your wife.”

“See you in the new year, Agent.”

******

Mulder’s favorite piece of equipment, by far, was his slide projector. He liked standing in front of magnified images in the half-dark, focusing on details might normally be lost to the naked eye. It helped him put information together and visual a crime scene better. And it was just fun to click through each image. He even enjoyed the click and shuffle sound the projector made when he changed slides.

It was just after New Years and he was sorting his slides on his lightboard, numbering and marking them to drop into the carrel. There was a knock on his door, which was unusual. Someone must be lost, he thought.

“Nobody down here but the FBI’s most unwanted,” he called, without even looking up from his slides.

He was sure whoever it was on the other side would go away, but the door opened, and he heard the tap of high heels approach. He looked up and felt his cheeks burn with the pull of a suppressed grin.

“You lost?” he asked.

“No,” Scully answered. “I’ve been assigned to work with you.”

“Who did you tick off to get stuck with this detail, Scully?”

“Actually, I’m looking forward to it.”

“Well, isn’t it nice to suddenly be so highly regarded.”

“I’ve always regarded you highly, Agent Mulder.”

“Likewise, Scully.” He didn’t stop the smile from spreading this time.

A moment passed where they gazed at one another in silence and then Scully turned her head slightly to inspect the room. She walked it slowly, touching his equipment with her fingertips, leaning closer to get a better look at the photos he’d tacked to a corkboard. She looked up at the skylight and then turned back around to face him.

“Well, I’d say you moved up in the world,” she said. “But, that’s not really the case.”

“It’s still the nicest office I’ve ever had.”

“It’s a little small.”

“Well, don’t worry, I’m sure we can squeeze another desk down here, maybe put them face to face and we can play a nice game of Battleship.”

Scully chuckled. She looked past his shoulder at the poster behind his desk and moved closer to it. It was of a blurry UFO in flight with the words I WANT TO BELIEVE underneath.

“That’s interesting,” she said.

“I found it in a head shop on Avenue M,” he answered. “Seemed appropriate for the new digs.”

“I like it.”

He had a million questions for her. How was she? What had she been doing the past two months? Did she really want this job? Was she still with Daniel? Did everyone eat the pumpkin pie after he’d stormed out? She turned away from him like she knew what he was thinking and inspected the second cork board next to his poster.

“You know,” he said. “I was told I’d have final say on who they assigned down here.”

“Would you like to see my resume?” she murmured, fingering the corner of the Jersey devil tacked to the lower left side of the board.

“How about a test?”

“I was always pretty good at pop quizzes.”

“I bet you were,” he answered, loading the carrel on top of the projector. “Could you kill the lights?”

Scully crossed in front of the light of the projector, creating a silhouette of herself on the screen. When the room was dark, Mulder dropped the first slide. It was a photo of a young girl. He clicked his remote to move to the next slide, a photo of a young man.

“Elizabeth Hawley and James Summers,” he said. “Both 19. Two days ago, they were reported missing from Jackson University. One year ago, another couple went missing from Duke University. One week later, they found the bodies of both students.”

As he spoke, he shuffled through a few more slides from the Duke University murders. Photos of the bodies, the crime scene, a newspaper headline.

“The Duke kids were kept alive,” he continued. “Tortured throughout their seven day ordeal, before they were killed.”

“You think we’re looking for a serial killer or a copycat?” she asked.

“No arrests were ever made. Police believed it to be a one-time offender at the time. It now appears it may be a serial.”

“If he holds true to form, that only gives us five days to find these students.”

“Pretty grim deadline.”

“I’ll say.”

“Well, here’s another grim deadline.” Mulder handed Scully a file before he clicked to another photo of a death row inmate. “In one week, Luther Lee Boggs will take a seat in the North Carolina gas chamber.”

Scully looked up briefly at the slide and then perused the file in her hand in the light from the projector. Her head was bent over and the spotlight caught her cheek in a way that made her look ethereal. Mulder swallowed, losing his train of thought.

“How is he related?” Scully finally asked, lifting her head.

“Uh, he claims to have information relating to the kidnapping,” Mulder said, touching his wrist. “He described Hawley's bracelet down to the last detail, information that only family members could have known.”

“I don’t understand. Is he the killer?”

“Not likely. He’s been in prison for the last seven years. My profile actually put him there.”

“Maybe he’s orchestrating the killings from the inside.”

“He claims to have obtained this information through psychic transmission.”

“Psychic transmission?” Scully closed the file in her hands and crossed her arms. She raised her brows at Mulder in the habit he’d grown accustomed to.

“Do I detect a hint of skepticism?”

“No, I can’t imagine why you’d think that.”

“If it’s any consolation, I don’t believe it either.”

“Really?”

Mulder shrugged. “Boggs has been in the chamber before. He was actually strapped to the chair before receiving an executive stay. He claims that this experience activated in him the ability to channel spirits and demons.”

“That’s what you don’t believe.”

“There are scores of x-files on psychic ability. I have to believe there’s some truth there, even if it can’t be proved. But, not in this case. Not Boggs.”

“And I take it you’ve read all those files.”

“I did.” Mulder waved his hand towards the filing cabinets in the shadows behind him. “They’re all there, in alphabetical order if you want to take a look.”

“That might prove helpful. So, if you believe in the phenomenon, why not Boggs?”

Mulder raised his finger and brushed past Scully to turn the lights back on. He took the file she’d closed from under her arm and flipped the pages until he found the one he wanted. He folded the page back and gave the file back to Scully.

“At the age of six, Luther Boggs slaughtered every pet animal in his housing project,” she read out loud. “When he was 30, he strangled five family members over Thanksgiving dinner and then sat down to watch the fourth quarter of the Detroit-Green Bay game. Some killers are projects of society. Some act out past abuses. Boggs kills because he likes it. This is from your profile?”

“It is. Boggs has read it and he believes I'm the only one who truly understands what he is. Anyway, I leave for Raleigh this afternoon. But...”

“But?”

“I only put in a travel req for one ticket. We’ll have to grab another TRA.”

“Do I have the job then?”

“You have the job.”

Scully smiled a little and looked down at her feet for a moment. “I should tell you, so you’re aware, I left Daniel. I’ve filed for divorce.”

Mulder opened his mouth, but hesitated to say anything. He was glad, but he couldn’t tell her that. “I’m sorry, Scully.”

“I’m not.” She looked up at him and gave a swift shake of her head. “It needed to be done.”

“Still though.”

She stared up at him with a passive smile. Her eyes held his and he found it impossible to look away. The air between them felt thick. He wished the lights were still off so he could see her in the glow of the projector again. He wondered if her cheek was as soft as it looked and he reached up to touch it.

“I am sorry,” he said, softly.

“And I’m not,” she said again, reaching up to put her hand over Mulder’s.

“I told myself it would be enough to just see you again, to work with you, and nothing more.”

“You tend to believe some pretty fantastic things.”

“This is probably the only time I’ll ever say this, but I hope you prove me wrong.”

“I think I’ll make proving you wrong a part of my job description.”

“I don’t want to be a rebound for you, Scully. So, whatever time you need, whatever space-”

“If you need time and space, Mulder, that’s alright with me, but I don’t. I didn’t leave Daniel for you, I left him for me. You were right. It’s something that I needed to do. And what I want now is to be with someone who likes who I am.”

“Oh, I definitely like who you are. A lot. A lot, a lot, a lot.”

She smiled and pressed her cheek a little more firmly into his hand. He pressed his lips together and swallowed. He wanted to kiss her, but she had a way of throwing his confidence off-kilter. It probably wasn’t the time or place, either. They were at work, they had a case to solve. They had to be able to focus and if his lips were introduced to hers, he knew he wouldn’t be able to think.

“I guess we better get to the airport,” he said.

“I guess so.”

He nodded and started to pull his hand away.

“There is just one more thing though,” she said, reaching up to curl her hand over the back of his neck. She pulled his head down and tipped her face up to press her lips to his. Their mouths moved open to each other at the same time, no coaxing or hesitation. Both her arms went around his neck and his around her back. She had to arch and he had to bend so that their bodies pressed flush against each other.

For however long it lasted, too long and not long enough, Mulder felt the whimper she gave vibrate from her chest to his. It made him gasp and their mouths broke apart, but they stayed locked together, her forehead pressed to his cheek and her breath on his jaw.

“Sorry if that was unprofessional,” she breathed. “But, I had to.”

“I won’t be filing a complaint with HR any time soon.”

They both took a few more moments to breathe and then relaxed their holds on each other in increments. Scully finally stepped back and immediately he felt the loss of her. She ran her finger along the bottom of her lip where her lipstick had smudged, which he knew she’d have to fix before they left, but he also kind of didn’t want her to. And then she was reaching up and rubbing her thumb against the corner of his mouth and he couldn’t keep the stupid grin off his face.

“Do you think Blevins had this in mind when he assigned you down here?” he asked.

“Blevins didn’t assign me, AD Skinner did.”

“Skinner?”

“He called me yesterday. Asked me to meet with him when I returned from my leave.”

“If you need more time.”

“I do not need more time. I had to get some things sorted out, but I am back where I want to be.”

“It isn’t pathology.”

“My place is here with you now. On the x-files. Where I choose to be.”

“Raleigh, then?”

“After you.”

“Got your Dramamine?”

“I think I’ll be okay.”

“I should call the airline. Ask them if they can book us seats together.”

“If they can’t, I’ll just ask the person in the middle to switch. I’ll tell them I need to sit with my partner.”

“Wait.” Mulder stopped just before they went through the door and went back to his filing cabinet. He searched for a file labeled DC-X-167512 - VISIONARY ENCOUNTERS WITH THE DEAD and took it out, along with a few files behind it. He gave them to Scully. “Some light reading for the plane.”

“This is going to be a hell of an adventure.”

“Sometimes the journey is the reward, so some wise woman once said.”

“Sounds like you know a lot of wise women.”

“I guess I’m just pretty damn lucky in this life.”

“Come on, Mulder. Take me to Raleigh.”

The End

#i wrote this #xf fanfic #au #season 1 #msr #slow burn #thanks for sticking with me

220 notes · View notes

houseofclamp · 1 year

Photo

#CLAMP #Clamp School Paranormal Investigators

70 notes · View notes

the-corvus-luna · 4 months

Text

How to Play CLAMP TRPG

[This Game-play Start Guide is a Prototype, since some of the terms are being decided by polls. This guide is meant to be a quick guide of how to make a character by using translated excerpts from the Clamp School Detectives Guidebook. This is not the book fulltext, as this guide is a summary of the game rules. The charts are copied from the book so the translations are rough.]

START HERE : Making a Character

Gameplay

This game can be played solo or with any number of players. First, determine the first player to play with “Rock, Paper, Scissors” and go in a consistent order, either clockwise or counterclockwise. It will also help to select a mediator; to make decisions on rules, and an archiver; to record what is happening during gameplay.

First, establish "what their character wants to do" and "what situation they want to be involved in." and establish reasonable boundaries for the session. This is the initial setting of your character, meaning they start their game from a stated location and doing a stated activity.

This is what a player’s turn looks like as a flow chart:

What is a Check and How to Use Them

Checks are decided by group majority, as a game wouldn't be fun if you had a Check for each mundane activity such as walking or breathing. Checks are meant to see if your ability is high enough for the task your character is going to do, but only if it seems unreasonable to the group.

Compare the "difficulty level" of the task that the group selected and the "ability value" of the chosen character, and compare them to the table (Note: The table to be compared is different depending on the Check Difficulty.)

Determine the "Reference Value".

Draw a card at random from the deck of cards, and compare the number shown on the card with the “Reference Value”. In this case, "A" indicates "1," and "J," "Q," and "K" indicate "11," "12," and "13," respectively.

If the number on the card is equal to or smaller than the check threshold, the action is successful.

If the number on the card is higher than the check threshold, the action fails.

If a joker is drawn, another card is drawn, and if the color of the suit is "red", the action is a success, and if the color is "black", the action is a failure.

For Example, Character wishes to pick a lock on a door, [Character Rank: Professional, Ability Values: Int:B (9) Str:E (6) Luck: G(4), Special Ability: Lock-picking] and the group determined that the lock isn't that difficult but someone without some skill would face difficulty. so the decided Check Difficulty is D.

Since lock-picking in this character's case was a learned ability based on their background, the Ability Value checked would be Intelligence. Since the Ability Value is +2 above the Check Difficulty, we would need to draw a card that is equal to or less than 9 to pass the check. If the number drawn is higher than the threshold, the check failed.

If a Joker is drawn, the next card drawn determines whether its a instant success or an instant failure. If you draw "red", it will be a success. On the other hand, if you draw "black", it will be considered the worst possible situation that could have occurred.

Destiny Draw

After you have declared a character action and after deciding whether a check is needed, draw a card. This card will determine the outcome of the desired action.

If a red card (Hearts or Diamonds) the action is allowed to happen unchanged.

If a black card (Clubs or Spades) the action is changed. If its a Spade, its an unfortunate change.

Changes are determined by drawing 3 cards and creating a scenario using the keywords from the selected cards, referencing the charts below. These changed scenarios will happen in place of the declared action. If you encounter a Joker, keep drawing 3 cards until no Jokers appear.

For Example, I decided on an action to go to the library (no checks were needed), I drew a Club. The 3 cards that I drew to decide the change was A of Hearts, 9 of Hearts, and King of Spades. Those terms could be interpreted as Surprise, Emotions, and Disappointment. The scenario could be "While trying to go to the library; I got surprised by some dark figure. It scared me a lot so I ran away, but it was just the statue at the front of the library so I felt disappointed and embarrassed."

This is the part of the game that requires improv, as these randomly decided scenarios can be serious, or absolutely silly.

Dealing with Misfortune or How to Change Destiny

Misfortune is inevitable in some cases, but we still need to determine a few things before an unlucky event happens. Primarily, who the Misfortune will affect:

If your character wants to change Destiny (Hell, which respectable CLAMP character wouldn’t want to change Destiny… or at attempt it), they can reject Misfortune one of two ways:

Redraw Points: Deduct one (1) Redraw Point per turn to Redraw the Destiny Draw, but it can only be done once per character turn. Once your Redraw Points are 0, you’ll have to wait until next session for them to be restored.

~OR~

Bounce-back: Draw a card and compare the number on the card to the Ability Value Luck. if the drawn card is equal or less than the Ability Value, you have bounced back the misfortune and your character is unaffected. If the drawn card is greater than your Ability Value, you will be affected by the misfortune. If a Joker is drawn, draw one more card: If the suit is red, success and if the suit is black, unsuccessful. Bounce-back can only be attempted once per Misfortune. Whether or not the player receives the misfortune, he or she must draw three new cards and perform the "Situation Change" 3 card draw.

After we decide Who will be affected by misfortune, we have until the end of the player turn to declare whether we want to use Redraw Points or Bounce-back to reject the Misfortune.

Misfortune Points

In Destiny Draw if you draw a Spade card, you acquire one (1) Misfortune Point on your Character Sheet. These Misfortune points can add up because even one point can affect a player. If you have more than 9 Misfortune Points, you cannot bounce-back Misfortune.

If a Misfortune is Bounced back by a player, the misfortune will happen to the player with the highest Misfortune Points and the player will receive a Misfortune Point. Successful Bouncebacks do not gain Misfortune Points.

Fortune Points

Fortune points can only be granted to players who have accumulated Misfortune Points. If you have more than 14 Misfortune Points, you must convert them to Fortune Points immediately upon accumulation.

Fortune Points can be used at any time during play through one of two ways:

Spend 1 point to automatically succeed in any check.

Spend 1 point to manipulate the scenario as you see fit.

Collective Actions

Whenever two players are in the same location, Collective Action can be declared (or not declared). This allows for players to discuss their actions and to decide the order for the chosen actions. This could be seen as these characters “taking their turns” all at the same time, or in a sequence as it's up to the group to decide. Ensure that everyone gets to speak freely. The individual actions still are subject to the Destiny Draw outcomes, though.

If a character leaves the location of the other players or any changes happen, the Collective Action automatically ends. The next player continues normal play.

Creating a Story

Games must have excitement and this game should be exciting for people to be interested. Misfortunes can be terrible, but also create a captivating story. Players are encouraged to make their characters’ performance dramatic, as it will naturally create interesting stories.

Ensure that everyone is involved in the game, as this creates excitement! Avoid situations where only one player experiences exciting scenarios or one player can’t experience exciting scenarios. This game is a group activity, be sure to leave nobody out of the fun!

Ending the Game

Your characters will be changed by the story’s progress, some changes might affect the next sessions. For Example, a Character sprained her leg or the character's personality has changed. These changes are to be recorded on the Character sheet and could affect other play sessions.

Once game play has gotten to a stopping point, discuss the game. Check up on any problems or questions that you had about the session. Declaring a definite end to a game allows players to know the game’s story has ended, as most games don’t get played forever.

Recording Sessions

The archiver has the most important job as they record the story as its unfolding. This will serve as a memory to lock back on or to see new aspects of the game you didn't notice during play. Recording is vital as a narrative device too, as that’s how Clamp School Paranormal Investigators started out as.

To Be Continued…

You made a good captivating story that people want to continue. Congratulations! It’s encouraged to continue playing with the same character as the previous session so that personality traits can be developed.

This is the end of the quick start guide, I hopefully covered most of the game-play to at least give people some sort of idea what this game even is. Again, this is a very early prototype of a translation. <3

#clamp #clamp trpg #clamp paranormal investigations #clamp school detectives

11 notes · View notes