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senju-sekhmet · 3 years

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The Leash (Part 10)

Summary: Your rescue was supposed to be as smooth as these missions can be. However very quickly, Tobirama faces off against an enemy that has no form, color or smell - and time is running short, very fast. Unless he figures out what truly holds you hostage, your life will be lost. Warnings (for the finished work): Blood, illness, descriptions of heavy injuries and graphic violence, torture (both depicted and implied), needles, morally grey territory, human experimentation, panic attacks, character death, angst with a happy ending ~8100 words (this chapter, finished work: 80.000) Previous: Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5; Part 6; Part 7; Part 8; Part 9 Read on AO3! Disclaimer below the cut! again, used for updates too. sue me

DISCLAIMER! PART ONE of the finale! READ THE WARNINGS... especially the last one... Other than that: enjoy my very self indulgent work, filled with my own headcanons and angst galore. Let me know what you think and thank you so much for reading!!!! ________ The next few days became a blur. Tobirama cycled between the laboratory, your room, and the interrogation and information headquarters - just like he had been the last few days. Sleep was scarce, if he allowed himself any at all.

The pace was dictated by your condition pretty much, which did not fare any better. Quite the opposite.

Every passing turn, the interval by which they could stretch the administration of what remained of the leash diminished. You, on the other hand were paying a price that was nothing less than your sheer life force, it seemed. The amount of support they had to provide via the seals increased constantly. As time passed, they couldn’t lessen it anymore during your lucid phases, even - rather, only increase it further, step by step. A couple of seals were added when your chakra overload allowed it - as they had not been tending to your injuries from the torture anymore, they gained a little manuverability in that regard. It was not much, but you dearly needed any edge you could get. Both of your legs, arms, your abdomen, your chest were painted with medical seals that each supported your cardiovascular system, retained organs' functions, everything. There was little of your skin left unused.

It was painful to see.

“I surmise this is why the Stone did not use the withdrawal as an accessory means to put a victim under more duress,” Tobirama stated utterly caustic tone once. You’d been sedated after they had administered they leash again and both he and his brother were monitoring you while the war inside your body came to a well-known break. “Putting someone under the physical and mental strain of torture while also dealing with the effects of the withdrawal could easily kill a prisoner.” His bluntness hurt him - thinking about how you might be the one dying - but what was the point in sugar-coating anything?

Tobirama's mood was dismal, though his resolve still zealous.

“Indeed,” Hashirama agreed, slightly strained by the focus he’d been keeping up. “Frankly I’m wondering how they managed to not overload the amount of what foreign chakra Y/n could take with how they… injured her and the poor quality at which they kept healing her.” In the end, there was sorrow in his voice.

Tobirama instead felt anger overshadowing his ache. “I don’t think that ever was a concern of theirs, anjia.” In fact, Tobirama could hazard a guess as to what fate would've awaited you had they finished torturing you - had he not found you in time.

They shouldn't call it the Leash - the Noose seemed to be a better fit.

Still, chakra overload was unpleasant - uncomfortable, and to a point medically concerning, too, but lethal? Hardly. That is, if a patient was not in such a grievous state you found yourself in.

Yet the worst was your loss of vitality overall. It manifested in more agonising ways - it wasn’t as though you were becoming more haggard than you had been since the rescue - it was the way your hair lost its shine, the paleness of your skin, the tired gaze of sunken in eyes, the rasp of your voice as wheezing coughs wrecked you.

Numerous of your organs had begun to show signs of failure more and more rapidly as soon as the withdrawal settled in. Soon, they barely had enough time to recover during the times you weren’t under the effects of the withdrawal - a vicious circle Hashirama monitored closely and one Tobirama dreaded like little else in life. If the balance tilted - if your body couldn’t recuperate enough any more - then your life was all the more on the line.

Those hours - they felt the longest. He’d pace anxiously in your room, demand updates until Hashirama allowed him to join in his efforts. Or until he did politely tell him to wait. Politely.

Tobirama couldn’t remember when last he had felt so miserable in his life. He was watching you wither away in his hands, in the safest place he could think of in the entire world, due to a decision he had ultimately agreed to. Whenever he was with you the pain in his heart froze his entire being, his breathing was felt as laboured as yours and all of the world was numb besides the plight you were suffering. And he - he had allowed it. And if he hadn’t - if he hadn't… he didn't want to finish the thought, ever.

Worse yet, your consciousness began to wither more and more during the precious phases of lucidity, when the leash spared you from the hellish withdrawal. You simply were too weak to stay awake for long. But you tried. How you tried - and he knew why. For him. Your fierce spirit would keep fighting.

“How… is it going, Tobi?” you’d ask him always, your voice no more but a broken whisper.

He nearly collapsed by your side, the guilt corroding him inside out for not having accomplished his task yet. Every time his hand was under your head to stabilise it some as you looked at him; wanted to look at him - while the other held yours to his chest, stroking it tenderly. “I’m getting there, Y/n. Rest, please,” he implored you brokenly, each time, “I’m here, Y/n. I’m here.”

His heart broke when you didn’t find the strength to quip back at him like you usually would.

You just smiled bravely.

For all the agony this put him in - all the torment you went through - it only fuelled his resolve to recreate the leash. The extra time you were giving at such great expense he put to good use - and there barely was a time there weren’t some shadow clones working on refining his copy of the leash. The price he paid for this was staggering. Each time he released them, the exhaustion almost floored him. Their experience and memories were invaluable for speeding up the process infinitely - to even give him a sliver of hope to make it in time - but a few days in and Tobirama was forced to sit down before he let go of the very jutsu he devised. Practical, it was. But the toll it took on one’s body was hellish - his vision would blacken, his knees shake and he was sure he fainted a couple of times, too, for the sheer amount of concentration each of his clones had poured into the task at hand.

Yet every time Tobirama felt he was teetering on the brink of a collapse, he simply reminded himself of what was at stake here.

Hellish became a relative term, then. He paid the small price, he figured.

And there were ways and means to keep going beyond any physical signs of exhaustion. Tobirama turned to them quickly when the usage of his shadow clone technique became too taxing - various medications starting with simple caffeine to more sinister substances if taken for too long a time. He didn’t care for that risk. Sleep simply was lost time. Needed, surely. He’d catch up, eventually. Because ultimately - ultimately, this whole game would be over very soon, way too soon. Cynically he did wonder sometimes when he’d start to see white mice running up the walls, hear voices whisper or other hallucinations - but his thoughts never strayed from either creating the leash or your current condition. There was no room for anything else. And he was nothing if not focused on his task.

Kimi’s blood samples had been valuable leads in the whole process of making this damned drug. They demonstrated how his alternative had affected her - which wasn’t far off the shot when it came to the muting component of the leash. The disruption only rudimentarily resembled the real leash. Nonetheless, he felt confident with enough shadow clones - he’d continue down this path and start to weave his chakra in better and better to get where it had to be. After all, the result had been promising. Lucky for him, because it did strongly suggest no jutsu was involved in creating the leash as such. It really boiled down to the weaving process and its complexity. He wondered how long it had taken Zenji to master creating the leash.

Weaving - as such it seemed to be a process that couldn’t just create a leash but any other kind of chakra infused drug.

Interesting.

His experiments on the prisoners supported his theory about the weaving further. Progress was exponentially accelerated due to his shadow clones, and as such the intricacy of his own weaving pattern made for better results. More and more, the immediate effects of the leash were becoming comparable to the actual leash - with no small amount of satisfaction, he observed how their chakra became just as muted and sluggish as yours, longer and longer. And with the same satisfaction he meticulously examined every second of their quite painful withdrawal to compare it to your symptoms and sufferings to ensure it’d be exactly the same - the fact the prisoners didn’t just harbor the same dislike for him they did for everyone at the headquarters but rather flat out hated him was entirely beyond him. He didn’t care. They were means to achieving a goal, nothing more.

Especially Zenji used every opportunity to count down the time to what he believed would be your demise. His perception of such must be entirely broken, as he missed the mark he prophesied would be your end - much to Tobirama’s smug glee. Though he knew better than to let anything on. Bickering with this man - with any of them - was just more waste of time. He simply went in with Ikuro, sometimes one of his subordinates, to brutally administer the leash and start to observe the prisoners and take blood samples. If any of them acted up in whatever ways they could - which wasn’t much, given their restraints - they were punished, harshly. He couldn’t risk spilling these experimental drugs, either. As Tobirama’s patience wore down alongside the remaining supply of the leash - and ultimately, your life force - more jaws were broken.

Naturally, his cold, almost brutal demeanour wasn’t noticed by the prisoners only. More than once Ikuro had to call him off for pushing the limit on what a subject could take - or disagree on continuing interrogation. Things Tobirama mentally rolled his eyes at but never spoke up against save for curt affirmations past his clenched teeth. Ikuro would be well within his rights to stop his proceedings altogether - or worse, report to Hashirama. It was a silent understanding that if the experiments became too dangerous, Tobirama had to stop and provide medical aid to the stone shinobi. As much as he hated it. He had to make better progress. You were paying the worst price.

Unfortunately the leash’s creation proved to be about the best guarded secret of Zenji’s mind - and with how he was biding his time, he was extremely determined to last longer than Tobirama, or rather, you. They gleaned all kinds of information not just from him, but also the other prisoners - the better Tobirama became at replicating the leash, the more effective the interrogation was. He surmised there may be even more complex machinations at work in how this drug worked in a person’s mind, but he had no proof of this, only theories. Not that he cared - it didn’t matter right now. Still, Zenji remained the toughest fortress; he’d die before cracking. Although Ikuro did appear to be more lax when it came to torturing and experimenting on him; Tobirama was not.

Just like Zenji, Kimi was refusing to surrender what little she knew of the leash, no matter how extreme the pressure. Two of their compatriots had cracked while under the effects of Tobirama’s leash-copy, a victory he did not celebrate at all. It was useless unless Zenji broke or he perfected the recreation of the leash. Anything else would result in your death. Still, it was one of the rare occasions he allowed himself a moment of smugness in front of Zenji.

No more than a sneer did Tobirama give him.

Zenji was fuming. “You think you’re so fucking clever-” he spat.

Tobirama raised an eyebrow and cut him off coolly. “I am. Despite your assertions, I am getting closer to recreating this precious leash of yours every day. And after that, you will be useless, given how your fellow shinobi keep cracking.” The last bit was spoken as darkly as he meant it to be.

Zenji bared his teeth - but not out of anger. He was grinning. “I’m sticking to my word, Senju - I will relish telling you the secret once Y/n died one of the most painful deaths imaginable while you sat by.”

Tobirama knew better than to let the ire that was flooding him show. Zenji’s jaw was barely healing.

Well, there were other bones to break, though.

“You might get closer to creating the leash, but you won’t succeed, and I’d give my damn life to see the helpless look on your face when Y/n takes her last, tormented breath, whispering your name in sheer agony as life-”

Tobirama’s arm shot forward before he could think. But he knew better than to punch the prisoner again. His vice grip had seized the broken jaw, nails digging into his cheeks to prevent so much as a scream coming out. Only a slow moan of pain. His scarlet gaze was murderous. “Actually, your pathetic life hangs on Y/n’s survival, Zenji. Do you realise that, you very, very clever man?”, Tobirama explained, frightfully calm.

Zenji stilled completely.

“I care not for something petty like revenge or your fate ultimately,” he continued icily, “but Konoha does not need to feed mouths that are useless to us nor send them back to the enemy to use them against us again. I think you can figure the rest out.” He released him as brutally as he could, turning on his heel. He had to leave before he did more to this man.

Zenji stopped shouting at Tobirama after this.

Even so, Zenji’s words had not rung hollow. As much progress he made when it came to the weaving process, permanence of the effects would not be attained. The more time - really, each passing hour - pressed him, the more desperate he became to solve this riddle - this seemingly last riddle stopping him from creating the perfect copy of the leash.

It was after yet another quite fruitful session of experimentation that he -

“Damn it!”, he shouted, smashing his balled fist on the lab bench after analysing the yield of the day thoroughly. The woven pattern was swirling brightly like it would in the leash, the complexity well fit the real drug and the experiments were showing promising results.

However… “It’s not a damn leash yet-” he breathed through his clenched teeth, swaying back, vision tunneling. He gripped the edge of the table just in time before he lost his foothold. The exhaustion from releasing his clones before had struck viciously again.

Hitting inanimate objects out of frustration was one thing. Talking to himself another. He dragged both palms over his face. By his current calculations, they had about sixty hours left.

Sixty hours, then they’d be out of leash and your time was cut very short.

Ice flooded his veins and his vision blackened completely briefly.

It couldn’t be helped. He needed a jutsu - or a seal - to perfect the leash. At this point - with this little time left - his previous evaluation of such a technique being an obstacle he'd scale easily compared to what he had done so far seemed quite daring. In fact, how could he have thought anything about this was going to be easy? Even when he had already guessed he’d need this, sooner or later.

Ultimately he started to divide his shadow clone force between perfecting the weaving process and starting to figure a seal out to make the effects last - rather, the disruption. Since the muting component did wear off at a comparable time in his own creations now, it was a fair assumption no technique sealed this effect in. And the way the disruption almost branded itself into a victim’s blood - that was all the more telltale. But how to create a seal that worked in a liquid? Back when he initially assumed such a seal to be of inferior quality due to a lack of external evidence, he automatically assumed it should be simple to create one himself. Now, it almost felt like starting over again - like when he was weaving the second component in. A seal that did not just ensure permanence of the effects but rather only concern a single effect - ridiculous. Somberly he realised actually back then, he simply had not grasped the complexity of all this fully to make such an assumption in the first place.

More guilt to burden him, ultimately.

Just as he feared, initial tests proved to be difficult in the way a seal damaged the delicate weave of his chakra in the base liquid. He quickly discarded the approach in favour of starting from scratch - if only the disruption stuck, then it was quite possible a seal was applied before the second component got woven in. That worked better - slightly, if just for the fact the substance was less intricate like this and a seal was simpler to apply like this. Even so, Tobirama could think of a handful of seals to preserve chakra in some capacity. He’d have to take a logical approach: given there had been no outward sign of a seal being used, it must be a simpler one. Furthermore, he knew from your blood samples the way the drug didn’t just cling but nearly branded itself to you; therefore there must be a way for the seal to interact with the victim’s organism as well. That seemed doable; seals followed the rules the user created. Like a string of orders. He felt confident in his skill to pull it off - if it wasn’t for the fact he was trying to place a seal in a liquid substance right now. A seal on a parchment, sure. Medical jutsu that required seals, absolutely. Seals in combat, too - but in a liquid?

He had no time to dwell on whether or how that was possible. Once more his shadow clones would aid him in trying out different approaches: applying seals to the vial first, weaving the disrupting component in and then trying to seal it off, or even trying to weave in a seal alongside the disruption. The last of the approaches appeared to be more fruitful than the others truth be told, but the more effort he gave it, the less the tender fabric of the drug tore apart for it in either one. The leash really was about patience, a knack for handling very fragile threads of chakra and a lot of concentration. None of which Tobirama could claim he had in great quantity right now. By the end of this session releasing his clones resulted in him losing consciousness for a solid thirty minutes. When he woke, he had a headache as though someone drilled a hole into his skull.

Naturally that didn’t stop him. All three of his experiments were tested right away and despite Ikuro’s concerns to not divide Tobirama’s attention between three prisoners, the man enforced his will by ultimately reminding everyone of the ticking clock. Each passing second made him more desperate and the life of a Stone shinobi less valuable. Even if he lost all three. He still had three more.

“They still hold information we have not yet cracked,” Ikuro warned sternly.

“Testing each of these one after the other is going to cost hours that Y/n doesn’t have,” Tobirama spat back, unfazed. “I’m here, I can use a shadow clone to divide my attention if need be,” he elaborately nonchalantly.

Ikuro crossed his arms. “That’s not the same.”

Tobirama growled exasperatedly. He wasn’t about to explain his own damn jutsu to Ikuro now. “I assure you, it is. Let’s use the broken prisoners, they’ve lost value, if that eases your concern.” The coldness of his tone made clear what he was implying.

Unsurprisingly, Ikuro wasn’t taken aback by his lack of regard for human life. His job demanded a certain detachment from just that, Tobirama figured. “Alright.” Even though Ikuro still didn’t seem quite sold on Tobirama’s plan. The life of a Konoha shinobi still bore greater weight than that of Stone prisoners.

At the end of that day, Tobirama realised his intuition had been right: the test subject with the third method showed a prolonged phase of withdrawal, serious symptoms - serious enough to warrant medical observation that Tobirama left to the unit with clear instructions. He didn’t have time now. Sadly the seal’s permanence was not on par with the leash’s yet - the withdrawal had been fading, too.

But this - all this, it was the right direction. He knew it. If he gave his all into his and worked with the time he had left, he felt he could reach this insane goal of recreating this drug.

Following the experiments, he sat by your side that evening while you were allowed a short moment of simple sleep. No withdrawal, no terrors under the effects of the leash. He dared to feel a sliver of hope. No more. Gently, his hand stroked your forearm as his heart ached from watching you. You’d open your eyes briefly and recognition flashed in your gaze - he simply let his chakra coat your network in a warm embrace. Stiffness eased out from his shoulders as his eyes prickled again.

“I’m getting there, Y/n,” he simply whispered, tenderly.

You gave no reply or notion of having gotten the message. His heart hurt more for it.

Of course he already had a handful of clones working on the approach before he left for your side to join them in the endeavour.

The final race began after that. Using as many clones as he possibly could, he started to create the leash - really create it, not just parts of it, practicing weaving or trying seals out. This was it - he would need to perfect this procedure until an immaculate result in a prisoner was achieved. Once he tethered one of them to the leash, he knew he had succeeded and could make more for you. The proverbial light at the end of this hellish tunnel kicked his system more into overdrive than any substance he could take to keep himself on track. It was a real high, almost.

Hashirama tried to get him to rest once he caught wind of the fervor with which he worked.

“You’re doing what?!”, his brother near shouted, horrified.

Tobirama rolled his eyes. He didn’t have time for this. “Get out of here and back to Y/n,” he ordered sternly, not even looking back at his brother, standing in the door of the makeshift laboratory.

Hashirama’s footsteps drew closer, a hand on Tobirama’s shoulder had him whip around with unconcealed fury. “What.” Tobirama’s voice was an infuriated growl through clenched teeth. A warning everyone heeded. Except his brother, of course.

Hashirama didn’t pull his figurative punches now. “You’re using way too many shadow clones, you’re not sleeping and is-” he pointed on the lab bench, eyes wide now as he recognized the substances Tobirama had been taking, “-is that-”

“You worry about your work, and leave me to mine, anija!” Tobirama shouted back with unbridled ire, seizing his brother by the shoulders to start shoving him out.

Sadly, he was determined to stand his ground, swatting the hands away. “Sure, destroy yourself so the first thing Y/n can do after recovering is mourn you!” His dark eyes were ablaze now. Even for a non-sensor shinobi, the magnificent aura of his riled up chakra was easy to pick up on. For Tobirama’s senses, it was suffocating, like staring into the sun. The overload just fueled his anger more.

“Get. Out.” The heat was gone from his voice. It was a threat now.

Hashirama held Tobirama’s scarlet gaze for far longer than anyone else did. Wordlessly, he summoned a wood clone. “I’ll watch you. You’re not going to kill yourself, brother.” Then, he turned on his heels to leave the laboratory.

Tobirama was floored for a moment. How dare he. Then, he proverbially exploded as the fury burned so bright inside of him, it was painful. “You will do no such thing!” He yelled after his brother, following with swift stomps. “Take your damn babysitter with you, I don’t need one!”

Hashirama all but ignored him and simply kept on walking down the corridor. Tobirama rushed back to the laboratory where his clones were still at work to eye his brother’s wood clone with sheer antipathy. Briefly, he contemplated destroying it - but ultimately decided against that just for the fact that might break anything precious in the laboratory.

That meant he just had to conceal his exhaustion better now. And no more help from additional medication.

The rush to the finish line of the gruelling race was just as Tobirama had expected it. He didn’t measure time in days anymore but hours you had left. Your condition kept on worsening and ultimately, Hashirama decided they no longer could risk you going into withdrawal at all. That cut back the time slightly, but not much. Enough for Tobirama to not even feel the slightest bit of exhaustion anymore. Frankly during his work he was nothing but sharply focused. It was when he was by your side the emotions boiled up - the ache that teared at his heart, the suffocating sensation of sorrow, guilt. Overburdening protection paired with crushing worry. Your sheer will had bought them necessary time, he’d just make it work now. It was all he could do.

But now, even in what should be your rest - the precious hours in which you may wake - you barely opened your eyes anymore. They were forced to amp the seals up to a maximum of support to deal with the backlash of all the times you had suffered from the withdrawal, and either Hashirama or Tobirama constantly found themselves at your side to ensure your condition didn’t worsen. Every bit of additional chakra your strained system could take went into stabilizing you further from the inside. It was an extremely fragile balance they upheld - but the truth was, in the Stone shinobi’s hands your body had suffered grievous, outward wounds and now your inside was just as impacted by everything it had gone through.

Your path to recovery would be an arduous one. One Tobirama did not doubt one second you’d walk strongly and gracefully, one on which he’d not leave your side, at all. He still felt tremendous guilt for everything they - he - had been forced to do to you, everything you went through under his watch. Even now, what little time he spent monitoring you, examining your condition, he never let the warm connection fade - hoping you might at least feel that.

That you weren't alone.

Progress on the leash was as exponential as expected. His shadow clones and his own vigour ensured as much. Over and over he perfected the results he produced. Time would not allow for lengthier tests anymore as the better his craft became, the longer a test subject suffered from the effects of his leash. He had to cycle through the prisoners who barely caught a break now, not that he cared, of course. But every experiment needed to start from a fresh slate, otherwise the result might be muddled. What he could do in the laboratory was to compare his own substance with the actual leash - which he did with unmatched diligence. Once a confusing swirl of chakra, intricate and impossible to pick apart easily, he now saw structure in it. With the experience of not just himself but many copies of himself, he now was sure: learning to create the leash might take months, if not years.

When your hours were down to a single digit, he was unable to find a difference between his version of the leash and the actual drug.

An eerie kind of excitement gripped him. His head spun dizzily from it. Had he done it? Was this it?

Only one way to find out. And no time to waste. They had just a single dose of the leash left to give to you.

Tobirama turned to what he sarcastically dubbed his babysitter. “Tell my brother with luck, I’m off to the interrogation headquarters for the last time.”

The last time he slept was forty-one hours ago. Involuntarily, at that. Overwhelmed by releasing the shadow clone jutsu, as it was.

The wood clone nodded and turned to leave.

Tobirama used his hiraishin seal to teleport to the interrogation headquarters after slipping the vial into his pocket - he had placed a branded piece of parchment there days ago. Another way to save time.

He headed straight for Ikuro’s office. By now the members of the interrogation unit knew when not to stand in his way - it was the kind of thoughtfulness he appreciated, even though he never uttered a word to that regard. Given the time of the day, early morning, Ikuro was behind the desk. Tobirama didn’t even knock but tore the door open.

“We need to start another test now.”

Ikuro glanced up from the document he was reading. By now he knew not to expect ‘good morning’ from him anymore or other pleasantries. Still, this was quite straightforward even for Tobirama’s standards. “You’ve been here last night,” he replied evenly, raising an eyebrow.

“And I’ve made progress since then. I have reason to believe I’ve done it.” Finally.

That elicited a whistle of surprise even from Ikuro, who seldom did more than smile slightly at whatever was tossed in his direction. But a frown followed. “I don’t need to tell you that-”

Tobirama slammed his palm on the table a huffed through clenched teeth. “I know and we don’t have any time left,” he hissed, borderline desperate now. The fact this would be his last shot before you - he refused to finish the thought.

Ikuro’s mien was stony, but he rose to his feet. “Kimi should be most recovered.”

He followed silently down into the holding block. Whatever gazes he might have felt upon him he either was accustomed to or forgotten. Except for Zenji’s stare. The damn, knowing stare. He never looked more than a spare second into his eyes.

Upon unlocking Kimi’s door, the woman’s head raised up slowly to muster her new company with contempt. The last days had left traces on all the prisoners. Like her compatriots, even the mental bulwark of seeming sheer insanity was showing cracks. Kimi had dark rings under her eyes and the proverbial paint was flaking off. “Is Y/n not fucking dead yet?”, she commented lazily, gaze settling on the vial in Tobirama’s grasp. They had long passed the stage of feigned pleasantries, inquiries about your wellbeing, or even Ikuro behaving like a friend towards her.

All of this had become a well practiced ritual the prisoners knew better than to resist. In a way, they had broken them all in that regard.

Ikuro seized the back of her head already and gave Tobirama a nod.

Kimi’s nostrils flared. “Can’t be much longer now. Y’still gonna keep trying to make the leash after she’s dead, by the way?”, she spat, fighting against the vice hold of the interrogation master.

Tobirama walked closer slowly, expression steely. As cold as he felt inside. He always did when he was down here - these people were barely human to him, anymore. Threats like Kimi’s were their favourite to make. He knew better than to react. His hand shot forward to grasp her jaw - her resistance was notably weaker than it had been a few days ago.

Good.

Easily, his hand could coax her jaw forward to open her mouth and pour only a small portion of the vial in. Ikuro shot him a questioning glance. “I’ll explain later.” Tobirama answered gruffly as he secured her throat to prevent her from spitting anything back at them. She gagged briefly, prompting Tobirama to up the pressure until she swallowed.

“Fuck you,” she spat, but her pupils dilated already.

Ikuro closed his eyes to get to work. Tobirama monitored the effect of his leash unfolding briefly and with no small amount of satisfaction. The muting component hammered Kimi’s chakra network just like yours had been. His heart beat faster. Swiftly he withdrew to take a first blood sample of the initial effect and continued to monitor Kimi, who had surrendered to the torture silently by now. Unusual. Most of the time, she found ways to spew colorful insults at either him or Ikuro.

Interesting.

The rest of the experiment proceeded just as perfectly. Tobirama felt near dizzy from the nervousness that gripped him and he was surprised to find he wasn’t shaking from excitement when the withdrawal began to hit the stone shinobi as the muting component wore off - sooner than usual, thanks to the smaller dosage, but it still took quite a while. Ikuro wasn’t finished with the mental interrogation yet, but a frown wrinkled his forehead.

“She’s becoming weaker,” he noted.

“I know. Keep on going.” Hell, they might even crack her now with the added pressure. After all, Tobirama was painfully well-versed in dealing with withdrawal effects, and Kimi’s body was not suffering from chakra overloading at all.

The shift in the dynamic hadn’t escaped Kimi, either. Restlessness was gripping her. “This doesn’t change anything,” she pressed out, breathing laboured. Her forehead was covered in a fine layer of sweat. It wouldn’t be long now until the withdrawal will become painful.

Tobirama ignored her and gripped her throat tighter as he examined more closely. If the disruption didn’t fade he -

“It doesn’t change-,” Kimi choked out again, against the vice grip he held her in. “-fucking anything!” Her voice had become a fine sneer in the end.

Tobirama opened his eyes to find the prisoner grinning, staring at the ceiling with a hollow glance. That didn’t sit well with him. Kimi knew more about the leash - knowledge they hadn’t yet gotten out of her.

They’d still proceed now. No turning back.

More time passed. She shouted out again a couple times, more slurred than the other before a tremor gripped her body and the words became gargled moans of pain. Inflammation began to kindle inside of her in an awfully familiar way. The disruption was starting to wreak havoc inside of her. Time for the next blood sample, which Tobirama took swiftly.

“Her mind is becoming fragmented, Tobirama,” Ikuro warned, pale eyes opening. That wasn’t good. He wouldn’t continue like this.

“I’ll stabilise her. I need to know if this fades or not,” he answered tersely, blood rushing in his ears. If it didn’t fade - then he’d -

One step after the other. Carefully he let his chakra strengthen each of Kimi’s organs somewhat, only enough to keep her going. The tormented groans subsided if just slightly, and Ikuro closed his eyes again as the haze that surrounded Kimi’s mind became thicker again. So close. They were so close.

Relief did not last long for her. Very soon, the prisoner was deteriorating again.

Tobirama almost shouted from the utter relief he felt. It could only mean one thing. His heart beat so frantically it might as well jump out of his chest at this point.

Ikuro gave him a stern reminder to watch for Kimi again, but Tobirama’s hand had seized the spasming jaw of the prisoner already. Silently, Ikuro watched as he poured the rest of the vial in only to directly continue monitoring her again.

The disruption subsided swiftly as her chakra network became near mute again. Kimi stilled completely, raising her head slowly to let out a drawn-out groan. Her gaze fixated Tobirama, pupils blown wide. There was recognition in it, but in a deranged, wild way - akin to an animal rather than a human person.

Tobirama's scarlet gaze was ablaze, his eyes widened. A low, utterly satisfied growl resounded through the cell - "Yes," he muttered, entirely absorbed in his examination.

Her reply hit like a kick to the gut.

“The leash is tied to a person… and the hand that holds it.”

Right after, her body went limp again as she surrendered to the psychotropic effects of the drug.

Tobirama took a step back, reeling. The blood still rushed in his ears and the elation had cracked like glass that had been put under too much strain. What the hell was that supposed to mean? What was it now? What else did he possibly have to think of? The experiment's result was perfect.

By all means, this woman was tied to the leash now, the leash Tobirama had created.

He just had to make more of it now - you’d be safe and he could work on a cure. But why was he feeling like his breath had been stolen from him? As though he had run the mile, won the race and yet still had to keep running, or else? His hands trembled slightly as he kept staring down the limp prisoner.

Ikuro cleared his throat. “That’s enough for today. Follow me, Tobirama.” His voice sounded urgent. Startled, Tobirama’s eyes widened slightly, he nodded only.

As they passed Zenji’s cell, the man stirred. “So,” he called out, chains clinking as he threw his body against them. “You made it? Tied Kimi to the leash?” His tone was about as icy as one might get.

Tobirama stopped in front of the cell to give him a lethal glare, all nervousness subsiding in favour of sheer fury. Ikuro stopped as well, giving Tobirama a warning glance.

“I won,” he sneered back, eyes narrow. “As I said, I recreated that little tool of yours.” His voice was dripping with caustic arrogance.

Zenji attempted a grin that looked crooked by how swollen his face still was. “I wonder about that.”

Icy dread was pooling inside of Tobirama faster than he could control it. His mien turned stony as he tried to just not rush in and break Zenji’s jaw again for his insolence. And yet the words were haunting him. Just like Kimi’s had. “You had better start thinking about another way to appear useful to us.”

Without allowing another word from the prisoner, he walked towards Ikuro, heading for the office. Surprisingly, Ikuro shut the door as soon as they were inside.

The burly man cut straight to the chase. “Kimi’s mental defenses were extremely low today,” he began. Tobirama’s heartbeat picked up again. Ikuro frowned. “I was able to glance at her knowledge about the leash. Perhaps she wanted me to, I don’t know.”

“What did you learn?”, Tobirama snapped back before he even realised what words his brain had chosen. His tone wasn’t just stern - it was commanding.

“The Stone’s interrogators use the leash frequently.” Nothing new there, Tobirama figured. With how much effort that went into this drug. He was ready to ask for more information, but Ikuro beat him to it. “However, it seems once the leash is administered to a prisoner, they always receive it from the same creator, or one of his students.” Ikuro’s frown deepened.

The realisation hit Tobirama before he could coherently process the words. The dread that had formed earlier spiralled out into every vein of his body, an ice cold shiver ran down his spine. No, he had not come this far to learn this - all this-

“What does that mean?”, Ikuro inquired when Tobirama gave no answer.

He turned around slowly to put his hands against the doorframe, taking deep breaths now. His head was swimming. This information - all he knew about the leash - it was already pooling into his mind to form a muddied mess that wouldn’t produce a coherent thought.

His breaths were raspy and short. Finally, he swallowed against the lump in his throat. He didn’t want to speak about this. He had to return to the lab. Now.

“It means Zenji might be the only one able to create the leash for Y/n,” he answered, voice dead.

_______

He had precious little time left until you needed the last dose of the leash. After that, your lifespan was down to a mere few hours. Tobirama’s heartbeat never slowed down as he arrived in the laboratory, his shaking hands placing Kimi’s recent blood samples in the rack containing a great variety of vials now. His vision was tunneling.

Only one shot.

Kimi’s statement - Zenji’s following it - and Ikuro’s information pointed towards one thing: the creation of the leash and the following interaction with the victim’s body was such a complex reaction that it didn’t allow for a different torturer’s leash to be administered to the same victim. Why was that? Tobirama could easily guess. With how much time he had spent weaving this damned drug all the little intricacies, the finicky process, it was easy to think there might be different ways to create it. Different patterns. The leash demanded repeated doses of the same drug for the disruption to be muted by the muting component - they were woven together like threads of fabric. A different pattern would not fit. That much his experiments had ascertained, too.

Lucky for him - for you - he had stuck closely to Zenji’s sample and while primarily trying to imitate the effects of the drug, he had unintentionally copied the weaving pattern of the man himself. That much he was sure of - he had analysed his version and Zenji’s, finding no difference.

Did that mean Kimi and Zenji just thought Tobirama had - somehow - found out how to weave the leash differently? It was a possibility.

He grabbed the blood sample that contained Kimi’s blood right after administration of Tobirama’s leash. Closing his eyes, he began to examine it in great detail. The drug had spread through it hazily, coating it thickly - clogging and fuzzy. Just like it had been in you. No, exactly like it had been in you.

A first wave of relief washed through him. There was no doubt about it - had someone placed a vial of your blood under the initial effect of the leash in front of him and that of a prisoner under his own, he could only tell the difference by the innate chakra signature every body part carried, available to his fine sensor skills only. Otherwise, this was the same.

His body vibrated with tense energy, teetering on the fine edge between nervousness and sheer panic. Things he’d never show to anyone. But in the privacy of this lab - his hand shook, his heart was jumping out of his chest.

Now to the second sample.

He clasped Kimi’s blood sample tightly and shut his eyes again. Examining closer and closer, the disruptive component became obvious - the sharp edges of the chakra that had coated the blood’s cells, scathing as they went, damaging, scratching. Just like in Zenji’s leash. That, also was to be expected - after all, he had tailored the effect as per the example he had been given.

Then why did he feel on edge? Why was time still running out? Something - something -

He took an even closer look.

And almost dropped the vial when it struck him.

“It’s the seal,” he muttered, shock and frustration fighting inside him as he felt as though he was bursting inside. The way his leash had near branded itself to Kimi’s blood - it was different, in such insignificant and tiny ways, Tobirama would’ve overlooked it. Were it not for the damned comment the lunatic witch had made, the information Ikuro had gleaned - there was no question about it. Zenji must use a slightly different sealing technique in his own version of the leash.

What would happen if he administered his own leash to you now?

Tobirama groaned painfully, rubbing a palm over his face.

This is a nightmare. It can’t be. You only had little time left until the next - the last dose of the leash. And he had no idea how to even figure out how Zenji sealed the disrupting component of his leash.

His breaths were coming faster now and the tightness in his chest became painful - so painful he clutched the black fabric of his shirt, wheezing. Closing his eyes, his other hand reached for the edge of the laboratory bench for support as his knees shook. Distantly, he realised what the panic attack for what it was, now. Logically, he recognized it. While all the same he figured he did not have time for this.

He had to work now. He had to try - to try and do - do something-

“Damn it,” he panted. His breaths were coming in abruptly, rashly.

His vision tunneled.

He had no time- He had to work- This wasn’t-

Darkness crept from his peripheral reception into the center and Tobirama closed his eyes to force his breaths to slow down. Weakness. This was nothing but temporary weakness he had to overcome swiftly.

By sheer willforce only quite possibly, he was riding the anguishing sensations out slowly before his body would obey him again.

Then, he grabbed the precious tiny sample of Zenji’s leash and did the only thing that came to mind: to try and dissect it for any clues. Anything at all that might tell him how Zenji sealed off his leash - anything for Tobirama to guess at the process to copy it. He began the procedure much like he’d perform an autopsy on a cadaver: from the outside to the inside. Peeling off layer after layer, removing bits and then cutting them apart into tinier pieces to examine them more closely. Systematically - thanks to his extended knowledge about the leash, there was some of that to his approach here. Of course the leash didn’t have organs like a body did, however since he knew how it was woven, he was able to trace it back this way, sort of.

Zenji’s seal was woven into the disruptive component like Tobirama’s was, intertwined in an intricate fashion he frantically sought to unravel.

But try as he might - it was impossible. Since there was no ink work - no physical trace of the seal left save for the chakra threads alongside the disruptive component - there just was no telling just how his sealing technique might be working. Tobirama knew this.

He knew - he knew it simply was not possible.

Yet he kept on looking, searching for any clue - until the last bit of the tiny sample was entirely dissected.

And he was left empty handed.

His heart stopped for a moment and ice-cold shock burst in his chest.

Was this it, now? Had he come this far to surrender to this damn detail? He closed his eyes slowly as breaths came in faster and faster again, more ragged each time. The world was frozen. Time stood still for a moment as his mind raced faster into nowhere, while his heart, his heart knew well enough there was nothing left.

Crushing sorrow followed the shock, his lip quivered. Wetness formed under his lids and quelled down his cheeks.

“Fuck!”, he shouted - no, roared as he smashed the vial containing the useless sample of the leash against the wall.

“Fuck, fuck, -” he kept yelling the profanity over and over as if that brought any relief, his hands in his white hair, pulling. He didn’t feel any physical pain - he felt nothing except for overwhelming despair that filled every crack of his mind and emotional pain too great to put into words yet his heart was being torn into two.

He’d lose you - you, the only person he’d ever entrust that silly organ to.

He had promised you -

After all he’d done -

Limply, he sunk down with his back against a wall of the laboratory, having no idea how he had gotten there. Tears were streaming down his face freely now, he didn’t even make any effort to wipe them off or reign in any feeling anymore. It was all too much. Wheezing and sobbing he sat there for who knows how long - letting desperation and grief crush him like metal between hammer and anvil. Jaw taut as he clenched his teeth, eyes hidden under his palm - he couldn’t move. He didn’t want to.

He had failed you.

And now you’d die. ______ the story isn’t over yet! but i reckon I should be hanged for this cliffhanger. STAY WITH ME THOUGH OKAY!!

#tobirama #tobirama senju #tobirama x reader #tobirama senju x reader #sekhmet writes

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picturejasper20 · 3 years

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Nephrite Character analysis

Nephrite (also known as Centipeetle) is a secondary character that was first introduced in first episode of the series (Gem Glow) as a gem monster. Her form resembled a giant centipede with the ability of making copies of herself and spiting very acidic venom from her mouth. She was like the ¨mother¨ of the centipedes since they all were born from her.

Like many gem monsters, Nephrite in her true monster form was extremely agressive. In the episode itself it was not explained in detail why she attacked the Crystal gems, though it is easy to assume she just was trying to defend her ¨kids¨ or was confused as many gem monsters would be in that type of situation.

When the Crystal gems were hiding from the acidic spit of Nephrite, Steven threw a refrigerator to her, electrocuting her. The Crystal gems took advantage of the situation to finish Centipeetle and bubbled her gem.

(Nephrite trying to reform to her original gem form but she's unable to since she is corrupted)

In the episode ¨Monster Buddies¨ Steven accidentally released Nephrite from her gem bubble. She tried reforming to her original gem form but noticing she was unable to she took a very small form which looked very much alike the small centipedes from ¨Gem Glow¨.

Instead of hurting Steven, she remained in her spot shaking in fear. This is very likely due to being released in a new enviroment that she had not recollection of. Seeing that she wasn’t trying to attack him unlike the last time and that was actually very scared, Steven asked her to approach him, showing he didn´t mean to do any harm.

(The images show that when she calmed down, she pulled her mane hair down much like a feline would)

He tried explaining to the gems that Nephrite was different from the other monsters since she acted friendly around Steven and seemed to use her powers only when she saw a weapon or something tried hurting Steven.

¨No! It didn't do anything! Garnet, don't hurt it! I accidentally let it out of its bubble, but it didn't even try to hurt me. It's not like the other monsters, it's just scared and confused. Please Garnet. I'm begging you.¨

In her small monster form, she was capable of understanding other characters when they talked to her. She could also followed orders, like when Steven asked her to use her spit to melt the rocks that prevented them from accomplishing their mission.

Her behaviour was a mix between gem and animal behaviour. She could understand when Steven spoke to her and she reacted when he reminded her that she wasn't a monster anymore by near the end of the episode. On the other hand, she behaved like a dog when Steven fed her with chaaaaps and learned how to do tricks.

She also had her own "trigger" in this form: When a gem summoned her weapon she would act by pure instinct and start spitting acid. This was when even the gem in question didn't want to hurt her, just by seeing a gem weapon was enough for her to make her panick.

(Example: Garnet summons her gaunglets to grab the shooting star and when Nephrite notices this, she gets visually very stressed).

Unfortunalety, later in the episode when they found the shooting star and Garnet tried grabbing it with her gaulglets, Nephrite became extremely frightened and threw her acidic venom all over the cave ceiling making the cave start to collapse.

Before she hurted the Crystal gems, Steven intervened by reminding her of their friendship. He told her about the moments they bonded together and how she didn’t have to fight.

¨Stop! You don't need to fight! This isn't you! You're not a monster anymore! You're more than that. We have so many memories now! Remember the chip times? And how you saved me from that vicious seagull? And how we became best friends? You have to remember! This all happened today!¨

This made her calm down, knowing that Steven wasn’t his enemy and was trying to help her.

Suddenly, she saw how a stalagmite was about to crash the two of them. Quickly,she pushed him out of the way and sacrificed herself to protect Steven.This showed that she could be healed and was a well meaning gem that cared about others.

Steven promised her that he would find a way to heal her and the rest of the corrupted gems. He bubbled her and the bag of chaaaaps as a remider of the time they bond.

¨It's alright Steven. Remember, she's not cracked, she's corrupted, and that's something different, something nearly... impossible to describe.¨

¨It's sort of like if MC Bear-Bear didn't tear the fabric of his arm, but the fabric of his mind.¨

In ¨Monster Reunion¨ Steven regained his healing powers and asked the gems to try healing Nephrite. The gems were skeptical at first but after insisting in a few times they allowed to him to unbubbled her.

When Steven used his healing spit on her, Centipeetle’s gem form turned more human like: She was standing on two legs and had two arms. Her head, however, was still pretty much like his corrupted form. She could only growl and squawk. This became an issue when Steven tried communicating with her.

In this state, Nephrite was more conscious of her sorroundings and didn’t attempt to attack the Crystal Gems. She was able to write on her own gem language and remember what her life was like before she became corrupted. Her only problem was not being able to speak properly.

Her friendly personality remained intact as well as her memories when she befriended Steven back in ¨Monster Buddies¨. She still remembered when she ate chaaaaps and the song that Steven sang to her. She showed to be intelligent since she quickly understood what Steven asked her to do.

After being asked to tell him about her origins, Nephrite used some crayons to draw what happened to her when she first arrived on Earth: She used to be the captain of her Nephrites crew. She was sent to Earth to help with building the Gem colony. When the gem war started she joined the fight along with her crew.

After the shattering of Pink Diamond, all the homeworld gems were asked to leave the planet as quickly as possible. When her commander give her the order to return to her ship it was too late, Nephrite was separated from her team and corrupted by the Diamond light.

Talking about her memories made her start crying and losing control of her form.It’s likely that this being remined of her past and the Diamond corruption light caused her great turmoil. While trying to get to her ship, she kept changing between her humanoid form and her corrupted form.

When she and Steven arrived to the ship it was revealed that Nephrite was just trying to meet with her friends who had waited for her and became corrupted as result.

¨You brought the Centipeetle back to her ship. You brought her back to her crew. They've been waiting here for her. They didn't want to leave her behind.¨

Nephrite made a brief cameo in the episode ¨Legs From Here to Homeworld¨: Steven, Blue and Yellow tried healing her from her corruption. For a few moments she returned to her original form before she was corrupted and apologized to the Diamonds for failing her superior’s orders.

¨Nephrite! Facet-413 Cabochon-12! I’m sorry for my failure to heed my Hessonite's evacuation orders... My team and I tried our best to make it out before the attack, but... You're here and it must've worked! You finally avenged Pink Diamond! You destroyed Rose Quartz!¨

She was finally cured along with the rest of the corrupted gems in ¨Change your mind¨ and met with her cured crew members. It’s implied that she now lives on Little Homeworld and assists Little Homeschool to learn how to live on Earth.

Gifs and images source: Steven unieverse wikia.

#Steven universe #Nephrite #nephrite steven universe #Centipeetle #healed corrupted gems #gem monsters #corruption #Diamond light corruption #Monster buddies #monster reunion #legs from here to homeworld #SU Analysis #su character analysis

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recentanimenews · 3 years

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Jahy-sama wa Kujikenai! – 17 – A Better Bed to Lie In

While she was just a lowly underling in the Dark Realm, Druj has risen in the human world to lead a Fortune 500-equivalent company, and even launched a highly-successful line called For J, inspired exclusively by her desire to see Jahy in outfits other than her usual strappy black number.

But Druj is still miserable as long as she’s not by Jahy’s side, and furious when she finds out Kyouko works for her at her pub (even though Jahy neither employs Kyouko nor owns the pub). Druj still manages to divine a convoluted reasoning for Jahy is still the Same Old Jahy…without any input from Jahy needed.

Jahy has been doing well of late in all aspects of her life in the human world, but she can’t get a decent night’s sleep, and blames it on the grungy futon the landlady gave her when she first moved into her apartment. Feeling like she deserves a reward for everything she’s accomplished, he hits up a home goods store and buys the best futon they’ve got.

Ryou-chan comes by and tells Jahy she’s been scammed, but that claim is undone when moments after testing out the futon, both the landlady and Jahy fall right to sleep next to each other. This is the scene that greets the manager, who is happy to see what good friends Ryou-chan and Jahy have become.

Unfortunately, the sisters came to Jahy’s to deliver a spot of bad news: the water of the apartment building has to be shut off for three days. Instead of going without a sink and toilet for that time, they invite Jahy to their apartment above the pub instead.

Jahy accepts the offer, and suddenly her living situation has been upgraded considerably. Little does she know the manager had been hoping Jahy came around her place so she could dress her up in all of Ryou-chan’s old clothes and then snap photos of her. Like Druj, the landlady wants variety in Jahy’s wardrobe.

The reason the clothes fit now is that even in her child form, Jahy has physically grown since first arriving in the human world. Jahy warns the landlady that this also means she possesses the power to destroy her at any time, but the landlady trusts that Jahy would never do that. And judging from what we’ve seen of Jahy, she’s absolutely right.

Besides, the true destruction comes shortly after the manager suggests she, Ryou-chan and Jahy put their futons together for the night. That’s when Jahy learns that despite her sweet nature while awake, the landlady is an absolute menace while asleep, flopping around like a fish and throwing vicious kicks and jabs. Ryou-chan, obviously used to this, retreats to the edge of the room, while Jahy plans to return to her apartment ASAP.

The post-credits sequence is actually the most significant part of the episode, overarching plot-wise. At first it seems to be a series of running gags where the Magnificent Saurva thinks of various ways to torture and torment Jahy, all while doing good deeds around town: picking up litter, returning a lost girl to her mom, and helping an old lady across the street.

The dissonance between Saurva’s thoughts and actions and idea of herself as the ultimate Evil Bad Guy finally comes to a head when some kind of sparkly benevolent being—who vaguely resembles the Demon Lord and may be her good counterpart—bestows power upon Saurva, and turns her black uniform white.

It’s possible Saurva accidentally became a magical girl, as she’s given the same mission: destroy the mana crystals. In addition to being an interesting twist in Saurva’s fate and potentially setting up the series’ endgame, it’s also immensely funny development to behold.

By: braverade

#Anime #News #RABUJOI – An Anime Blog

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justjessame · 3 years

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Hellfire and Angelic Grace Chapter 14

“John,” Lilana was cradled against his bare chest, Lolly snoring at their feet, so her voice was a breath above a whisper. His lips brushing her hair was all she needed to go on. “If you knew more -” stopping to gather her thoughts, her fears, she snuggled closer to him and his warmth, and he tightened his hold on her in response. “If you knew more about me, and what I am, you’d tell me, wouldn’t you?”

John took a deep breath, thinking of how difficult it must be for the young woman he held so tight against him, to come face to face with her biological father and to learn that she wasn’t quite human. “Lilana, I swear if I knew anything more than you’ve been told, I’d tell you.” And he would, because he knew what it was like to not know everything you should know. He’d do everything in his power to make sure that Li-Li wouldn’t have to go through it alone, not anymore.

“Thank you,” she murmured, her eyes closing despite her yearning for more of him, of his touch and his taste, because even if her parentage was part angel and demon, she was still housed in a mortal body and rest was necessary, even if she wanted John Winchester like most humans wanted air, water, and food.

Lilana was up and ready for her day before dawn crested, John right beside her as she let Lolly out and went through her morning routine that he’d never witnessed during he and the boys’ surveillance. Lolly woke up anxious to baptize the grass in the backyard already glistening with dew and Li-Li ws giggling through her yawn as she opened up the sliding glass door that he’d barely noticed the first time he’d shared her bed.

With a crack wide enough for her big ball of fluff to come back when she was finished, Lilana crawled back into bed and woke reminded John of all the reasons why waking up before the sun could be rewarding for more than just the early birds. Once Lolly was back inside, Li-Li used all the persuasion in her tiny body to convince John Winchester to conserve water by joining her in the shower, then they made a simple breakfast, quiet enough to let the boys sleep in, letting it be just the two of them - Lolly’s tiny grump of a quiet bark correcting their calculation to three, before Lilana had to head to work.

“Are you joining me today?” She asked as he leaned into her from behind, while she rinsed the tiny pile of dishes they’d used for their start of the day, smiling at how easily he’d taken to the natural way they fit together.

John considered her question as his chin rested on the top of her head, his hands linking around her stomach. “Do you want me to join you?”

She hummed, as if he really needed to ask. Finishing her task, she turned, grinning up at him. “If I could have my way, I’d have you next to me every second of every day from here on out.”

John’s lips were twitching as he stared down at her. “I’m starting to see the family resemblance, Lilana.” Her eyebrow went up a notch. “Temptation is a defining characteristic for your father’s side of the family tree.” A giggle bubbled up and before he knew it, she couldn’t hold it back and he felt like he’d finally done it, broken through the last bit of tension she still had from Crowley’s unexpected visit. Mission accomplished. Bending down, letting their lips meet, he hoped that either he, or the boys, would be able to figure more out, before another hiccup hit and Lilana took it.

Sam and Dean woke up minutes after John and Li-Li left, a wake up courtesy of Lolly and another unexpected visitor. The barking was growing into a deep, low, terrifying growl and Sam was the first on his feet with Dean not far behind.

Castiel, standing in the middle of the living room with Lolly growling low in her fluffy throat with her curls bristling in a completely foreign way, sighed when he saw the two Winchesters leave the hallway. “Banish the hellhound, please?” He waited as their eyes widened, but Sam rushed forward, calling for Lolly and opening the sliding glass door while Dean grabbed one of the many squeaky toys laying around and gave it a squeeze before tossing it to his brother.

“Come on, Lolly,” Sam urged, smiling nervously as the ball of fluff’s attention refocused on him and the toy he was squeezing in his hand. “Come on, girl, go get your toy.” He tossed it into the backyard, careful of the pool and let out a breath when the dog chose to go for the toy and leave the angel alone. Once she was outside, he slid the glass door shut and prayed it would hold her, if Cas was right about her real nature.

“Did you call that beast ‘Lolly’?” Cas asked, squinting at Dean and Sam in quick succession. “And was that a dog toy?”

“She’s a dog, Cas.” Dean offered, shrugging and yawning. As he looked around the living room, he realized they must have missed Li-Li and their dad leaving for the day. “I wonder if Li-Li made breakfast before she left.” He headed for the kitchen, the scene he’d woken up to already fading from his mind, replaced by hopes of bacon or more French toast at least.

“It’s a hellhound,” Cas reiterated, following behind the elder Wincherster son. “It might be wearing a glamour to look like a fluffy mutt, but it’s a hellhound.”

Sam shot Lolly, chewing happily on the toy in the warm morning sun, a disbelieving look before following behind the duo to the kitchen. “Are you sure, Cas? I mean, we’ve been in this house with her for days and she’s never once made a move to -”

Cas sighed. “I can’t explain why the beast from hell didn’t attack you, all I know is that it is one.” He watched as Dean searched the kitchen for food, opening the refrigerator and cabinets, finally finding a covered dish in the microwave and muttering a moan of delight. “There are rumors circulating about something unnatural being unleashed on earth.”

Dean uncovered the dish to find more French toast and a few pieces of sausage, while not bacon, they’d do in a pinch. “Something unnatural?” He was focused on the plate and wondering if he had to share with Sam, when his brother rolled his eyes and reached around him to pull a second plate out of the oven. Grinning at his good fortune, he refocused on Cas. “OK, so what kind of weirdness is going on now?”

“A girl who can vaporize demons with a single touch.” Cas offered, and Sam and Dean went still and silent. “You two haven’t seen or heard of anyone like that, have you?”

Sam glanced around the kitchen, buying time and nudged Dean when he noticed that the coffee pot was half full and still on to keep the lifeblood warm. “What would someone who could do something like that be called?” Dean was going for the coffee cups while Sam was taking their plates to the small table they’d shared breakfast with Li-Li that first morning. He went back for the syrup and forks, and joined Dean while Cas studied them and took the seat that she’d sat in that first day.

“I guess that would depend on what created her.” Cas answered, eyes not leaving them as they ate without making eye contact. “No one seems to know where she came from, which makes things rather harder to decipher. Unnatural is the only word that seems to work.”

Dean snorted, cutting into his slice of toast. “Seems kind of crappy, don’t you think?”

“Yeah, I mean if you don’t know what she is, why assume she’s ‘unnatural’? The word has dark connotations, doesn’t it?” Sam offered, picking up his coffee cup.

Cas sat back in his chair, observing the two men that he felt he knew better than most angels he’d known since before the dawn of it all. “You know something.” He waited, but neither said a thing, they simply ate and drank through their breakfast, waiting him out. “The demon, it was extinguished in a bar in this town.” Nothing. “A bar owned by the same woman who lives in this house.” Not a peep. “I suppose I could just go there and ask to speak with her myself.”

“Cas,” Dean’s eyes went wide. That was a horrible idea. If Lilana had vaporized a demon wearing a meatsuit, then what would happen if she touched an angel in the same situation? “I think you should do more research, I mean you just heard the rumor.” Come on, Sammy, help me out here.

“That’s right, Cas,” Sam picked up on the almost audible plea for his aid. “Learning that Lilana owns the bar that it happened in is a great start, but that’s all it is, a start.”

“It’s a start to know that this Lilana woman owns the bar where a demon was vaporized from the person it was possessing, and she happens to have a hellhound for a pet?” As if Lolly heard her cue, her nails were scratching on the glass door to be let back in. “I think I should go introduce myself to Ms. Monahan.” He stood up and Sam had to give him credit for doing his background on Li-Li. Cas sighed. “I’d hoped you would be upfront with me about what was going on here, but -” Before Dean could open his mouth to argue, Cas was gone and Sam had his phone out as he went to let Lolly in, warning his dad and Lilana that an angel was coming was paramount. As was keeping a hellhound from clawing through the glass -

#john winchester x ofc #crowley daughter #supernatural #angel/demon #mention of smut #alternate universe

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whittakerjodie · 4 years

Text

You’ve Changed ( 13th Doctor X Reader )

Prompt: I’ve always had the like idea of dating the doctor since 9, what if you and the doctor got separated towards the end of 12 and then finding the doctor again and reuniting with 13 and being so shocked but so happy to see the love of your life? Me, soft? Yeah. - Requested by @hazydespair

A/N holy shit did I have a nice time writing this. Thanks for the request! hope you enjoy. Slight missy x reader / master x reader because I couldn’t help myself.

Words: 2.3k (AHHHH)

Warnings: Violence, the Master being a dick in general, etc. Brief POV change? Wonky writing probably

You walked with the two Masters, keeping an eye out for the cyber men. With the exception of the Masters boasting about their recent conquests (Missy making the interesting decision to leave out her time in the vault,) it was silent; too silent. You desperately needed to know where the Doctor was, and if he was okay. He’d spent so long trying to get Missy to change, and here she was in front of you pretending like the past 70-something years of progress didn’t happen. You knew that alone had to be an emotional blow, not counting her earlier incarnations arrival and - you winced - what had happened to Bill.

You liked Bill. You liked all the humans the Doctor traveled with, becoming good friends with all of them; it hurt you just as much when they left. The pain welled back up within you as if it’d all happened seconds ago, making you pause.

“Keep up,” The Master demanded. The lift in the middle of the clearing opened, waiting for the three of you to head down to the Master's TARDIS.

“Come here,” Missy told him, before you could come up with a snarky response. You felt your stomach churn as she embraced him, whispering something in his ear. All those years wasted.

But they weren’t.. You watched her shove a small blade into his stomach with a move so graceful you almost didn’t notice it. You stepped backward out of shock, hand flying to cover your mouth as the Master coughed up blood, complimenting his future self.

“He said keep up,” Missy shifted the Masters weight onto her shoulder, letting him lean into her for support. You couldn’t take your eyes off the blood dripping onto the grass. Missy rolled her eyes. “Well don’t just stand there.”

You nervously stepped forward and helped her carry him into the lift. They began discussing the quickly approaching regeneration, and you stepped back once he could lean against the wall. You felt a tug on your heart strings as the Master asked Missy Why? Enemy or not, it was hard to see anyone slowly bleed out.

“Because it’s time to stand with the Doctor” Your head whipped to meet her eyes, gasping. She had changed. The Doctor had actually managed to help her. A flicker of hope decimated the fear and hurt as you thought of how proud and happy the Doctor would be if he could see her now. Your adrenaline spiked. Somehow, this horrible adventure could end happily.

But it didn’t.

You tried to shield Missy from the Master’s laser sonic blast, but it happened too quickly. You helped her to the ground as he escaped, panicking.

“No, no no no!” You shouted. She lightly gasped for breath, unable to draw in enough air. You scanned the area, trying to find anything that could help; Part of you knew it was foolish. Nothing could help her. But you couldn’t let her die… the Doctor needed to know, not just through you but with his own eyes, that she’d done the right thing- that she’d stood with him. Her eyes were glazing over; she didn’t have much time at all.

You cursed, your mind urgently trying to comb through hundreds of outcomes to come to a decision on what to do. You threw them all aside in favor of instinct. You gently cupped her face, her eyes widening as she realized what you were doing. The regeneration energy burned painfully as you directed it through your hands. Every molecule in your body knew that you probably shouldn’t do this.

For a moment, it seemed Missy was having the same thoughts. She tugged at your hands, as if she were about to stop you. Eventually, she began to change and her own pain forced her to stop trying and curl up, howling as the regeneration progress tore through her. You fell back after you were sure it was going to work, unable to stay standing. Giving an entire life understandably put a strain on your consciousness and you found yourself laying there, staring up at the sky. It seemed like hours before Missy- or rather, the Master once again, stared down at you blankly. He silently picked you up and carried you away from the clearing. You wanted to tell him to stop so you could find the Doctor, but you weren’t able to find the words.

The escape from the colony ship was a bit hazy, but it must’ve been easy because it wasn’t long before you and the master were somewhere different. Unbeknownst to you, the Doctor’s escape was considerably worse. You had no idea how hard he looked for you, holding off his regeneration until he’d looked through nearly every floor of the ship in search of you and then longer, desperate to see you one last time before he changed. You weren’t there to help him accept the regeneration that he was trying so hard to stop. You weren’t there, and he didn’t know where you were. You were just… gone.

This was the case for both of you for a long time. The Doctor crashed to Earth and found her new companions, showing them the universe and trying to return back to normal without you. You traveled with the Master, which was only fun for a little while. Every adventure he would show small signs of returning to who he was before the Vault, and the reversion was only exacerbated by what he’d found on Gallifrey. He wouldn’t tell you what it was, or what had happened. All you needed to see was the madness returning to the back of his eyes to know that it was bad, even by the Masters standards. It scared you.

After that, he’d changed the TARDIS controls. You couldn’t leave, nor could you control the machine. You’d fought with him for years over it as he left you trapped, gallivanting across the universe to stir up trouble once more. Eventually you’d given up. You let the days blur and bend around you, filling your time with whatever entertainment his TARDIS could conjure up for you. It barely worked; even having everything you could ever need at your disposal, you couldn’t cure the pain of being stuck and without the Doctor.

When the Master mentioned your fellow timelord, your ears perked up immediately. He’d been planning something for the last few days and you suspected it had to do with getting the Doctors attention, but you didn’t get as excited as you were when he actually confirmed it. You nearly leaped out of the chair you’d spent the last two days reading in. The Master took note of your excitement and chuckled darkly.

“You won’t be there, of course.” He crossed the console room, lifting your chin up so you could meet his eyes. “As much as i’d love to see her try and get you back, it might take too much of her attention away from what’s really important.”

You didn’t say anything, not wanting to give into his obvious attempt to try and get you riled up. You tore your eyes from his and he laughed again, brushing his fingers against your temple. The psychic link he established allowed you to peek at his intentions and you tried to fight his sudden tug on your consciousness. The element of surprise gave him the upper hand, however, and you cursed at him as many times as you could before your vision gave out.

It was a dreamless sleep, but you were vaguely aware of the sounds around you- or rather... above you? You couldn’t tell. It seemed like there was yelling at one point. There was an unpleasant feeling encompassing you as it went on, like you were sensing some unseen but immense danger. There was also a small tinge of warmth that you couldn’t come up with a reason for.

When you finally came to, you felt the pain in your wrist first. Your left arm was chained to the short ceiling, bearing your entire weight. You tugged at it, cursing your stupidity as pain shot through your arm. Wires ran along the wall and down into a hole in the floor, their source humming above you. You deduced that you were being kept underneath the console, probably in an effort to stop you from trying to alert the Doctor. It was frustrating, but you weren’t exactly surprised.

“Hello?” You cried out. When no response came, you kicked at one of the wires on the floor. A light flickered above your head and you heard the familiar sound of the Master grumbling. Part of the ceiling opened up, his angry expression peering down at you. He threw a key onto the floor, not bothering to unlock the chains himself.

You crawled out of the small space, stretching. You raised a brow as you took in the new interior of the TARDIS. It wasn’t Gallifreyan in any aspect. In fact, it had a great resemblance to a house. A messy one, too. The Master busied himself with something at the console you’d just crawled out of, but threw out an explanation.

“Just a little cover. I’ve been too busy celebrating my victory”

“Your victory?” You scoffed, peering around at the trash and clutter that covered the floor. It was almost funny to see someone as uptight and dramatic as the Master in such a… human space. The humor faded when you saw the giddy expression on the Masters face.

“You should’ve seen me, Y/N. I was great” You became more and more uncomfortable. The Master wasn’t ever this happy- even when he burned whole cities.

“What did you do?!?” You whispered. You tried to stop your trembling as you ran back to the console, taking in everything that was on the screens. He laughed as you shoved him aside, piecing together what he’d exactly he’d accomplished on his latest mission. You fell to the floor, clutching at your hearts. Not the Doctor. She has to get out of this one. Him- her and the Master had fought for lifetimes but the Doctor always ended up okay. You needed her to be okay. How else were you going to see her again?

________________________________________

The Doctor was okay. At least, she thought she was. She was 70% sure she was. If she wasn’t, she could always deal with it later. For now, she had a world to save. She rubbed at her neck, still sore from being choked by the Master. She tried to push the pain aside, convincing herself that if anything, it helped boost her adrenaline.

She rushed to the Master's TARDIS, Ada Lovelace and Noor Inayat Khan in tow. She threw open the doors, unaware of what (or whom, more accurately) she was about to find.

___________________________________________________________

You didn’t think much of the door opening, sure it was just the Master coming to complain again. He was beyond annoying when he threw his tantrums, but you were thankful for the last one as it’d reassured you that the Doctor was, at the very least, still alive. You leaned against the bookshelf, turning the page without looking up.

“Back so soon?” You teased. “Guessing it didn’t go well? Again?”

“y/n?” You tensed at the unfamiliar voice. You nearly dropped the book when your gaze landed on the Doctor, frozen in the doorway of her enemy’s TARDIS.

Her eyes were wide, looking over you frantically as if trying to figure out if it was actually you standing there. You actually did drop the book, running towards her. The two women with her stepped back in surprise as you hugged her tightly, lifting her off the floor. Her arms flailed for a moment before squeezing you back just as tightly, her voice rambling in your ear.

“I found you” she was whispering. You wanted to hold her tighter, but it wasn’t physically possible. You tried to wrap your head around the reality that it was really her in your arms, after all this time. The love of your life, who you’d lost so suddenly, here with you once again. The Doctor moved away first, but only so she could look you in the eye.

“I found you,” She repeated. Her face became blurry as tears swarmed your eyes, and she wiped them away as they fell. She pressed a kiss to your forehead before pulling you back into her arms. You let everything else fall away as you sobbed into her shoulder, letting your mind do the work of showing her just how much you’d missed her, and why you’d been gone. You held each other for a long while, neither of you wanting to let go in case the other disappeared again.

Eventually, the two other women spoke up, and the Doctor helped you sit on your reading chair so she could take them home. When she finished and landed you wherever she was parked, she took a seat next to you. She placed her hand in yours, lacing your fingers together.

“You’ve changed,” You commented, stroking the back of her new hand with your thumb. She nodded, lifting the joined hands to kiss the back of yours.

“Bit of an accident on the colony ship. Had to let go.” She whispered sadly. You tucked her hair behind her ear, not moving back afterwards. Instead, you placed a soft kiss on her lips, squeezing her hand.

“I like it.” You assured her. You didn’t want to ruin the moment by discussing the events that tore you apart. She smiled, pushing the thought of them aside as well. There would be time to reflect on them after you were done catching up.

“I think I do, too.” She sat up, pulling you with her. “Let’s get you out of here. “

You took your first steps outside of the Master's TARDIS after years of being stuck inside, trying not to break down again at the sight of the blue police box.

“I’ve got some friends I’d like you to meet,” The Doctor said excitedly once you reached the doors. She snapped her fingers and they flew open, giving you a glimpse of the new console room. You gasped, eyes dancing over everything.

“You’ve even redecorated!” You exclaimed. The Doctor grinned from ear to ear, nodding.

“Come, y/n. We’ve got loads to do.”

After everything that had happened, you were free. You and the Doctor had found each other once more, and the Master was nowhere to be found- presumably sulking somewhere. You didn’t care, frankly. There was only one time lord you wanted to think about right now. You followed her into the blue box, just as you always had and always would.

#13th doctor x reader #13th doctor #13th doctor imagine #dhawan!master #Dhawan!master x reader #missy #missy x reader #doctor who #doctor who imagine

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koorinohebi · 3 years

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@super-kame-love

Continued From:

I am curious: how would you describe Kiomi's relationship with Jiraiya? And with Koji Kashin? What you've shared about them so far seems very interesting and I must know more!

+ + +

Sorry for breaking it into two different posts, Kame-san. The other one felt so long already.

Quick note: IF you haven't read or watched Boruto, this will definitely contain spoilers.

So for this second one, we have...

Kashin Koji

So the main reason I was interested in him was when rumors were floating around that Jiraiya or someone that resembles him is back in Boruto. One look at his design and I was like, yeah. Unmistakably related in one way or another. Lo and behold my friend, lo and behold.

I have 2 verses for Kashin Koji. One is the one where you often see me mention Takeda. That one is an on going RP with @ambitiousparagon, and the other one is a verse where I pen Koji myself. The one with Takeda is still in the works and currently still very unpredictable, so for this instance I'll talk about my own version of Kashin Koji, which actually...more than Kiomi being the main focus, I tend to lean more towards the man himself. This is heavily influenced by headcanons that are based on what I noticed his personality being based on what we know so far.

So when I first encountered Kashin Koji there was hardly anything on him, which is to say, still very true currently. He hasn't been seen in the manga after his crushing defeat against Isshiki, and in the anime, they've given him a voice, and we see how he acts, but ultimately it doesn't differ from what we've already read in the manga (if you or any of the ones reading this have read it).

So Kashin Koji is, despite being quite whimsical, a no nonsense kinda guy. So he is very...well, I wouldn't call it by the book, but as a shinobi, he chooses the most efficient way to carry out the mission, which is...by default, how Amado had initially programed him-- Not as a perfectionist, no, but as Isshiki would say it, Amado's programming of Kashin Koji rode on his maker clinging onto Jiraiya's mighty fate. However, with Jiraiya being the template, it's not a surprise if Koji would inherit the man's sentiments, principles, and even slight eccentricities as a Shinobi (which I believe Amado had predicted and saw as a weakness. He needs and creates tools as he sees fit, and he'll use whatever he can to further his agenda). Amado strives to emulate within Kashin Koji the "star of change" which Jiraiya possessed. As we know, thanks not only to the prophecy, but also due to Jiraiya's diligence in searching for that revolutionary that could change the world, he was able to bring together (in one way or another) three of the most powerful game changers that we have who affected the course of the current History. If they wanted to defeat Isshiki, he needed that kind of trick up his sleeve. Because however, Kashin Koji has imperfections, and someone Jigen had deemed weaker than he is (because Jigen told Amado to dispose of clones more powerful than he was), our good professor faces a setback and thus needs to come up with a new plan (going to the Hokage, and asking them to kill Isshiki instead while having Kashin Koji show them the "ropes" on how it's done).

My take on him stems from this human weakness. Kashin Koji is aware of who he's supposed to be a clone of. We see this when he comments on his fate being tied to Konoha and the like. And admittedly, knowing your predecessor's legacy, not to mention having been able to perfect something that the original couldn't gives him a bit of an ability to brag, and believe that he can be just as great or even greater than Jiraiya.

But the question is how convinced he is of this himself. I do believe that Kashin Koji wants to be a person of his own, and in being the perfect heroic shinobi tool, even if he dies, it wouldn't be for naught so long as he brings down his target (which happens to be the biggest threat since Madara, Tobi, and Kaguya). Believing that Amadao was entrusting the fate of the world in his hands bolstered his confidence. However, when Isshiki pointed out the painful truth of Amado's betrayal and deception, he internally refuses to accept it. That he was just a pawn, and that he'd never break free from being nothing but Jiraiya's shadow. I always felt that if at the baseness of Jiraiya's personality, you have a decent grasp of his shortcomings, regrets, and insecurities, you'll get a good grasp of Kashin Koji too. Although it's just my headcanon (and people dont really have to abide by it), Koji too, is plagued by this ever looming sense of not being good enough, as well as not living up to the name of his original (very much like how Jiraiya felt his accomplishments dont match that of Sandaime or Minato).

So after this long explanation on my take on Kashin Koji, you may ask where Kiomi comes in. Well, she comes in as a form of support.

Just as with Naruto's unreasonable worry, the first time that Kiomi sees Kashin Koji, she's instantly unreasonably bothered by him as well. Worse, when the mask comes off, and she sees his face she is instantly appalled and angry because everything that she's been keeping inside is dragged to the surface. Of course, none of this was Kashin Koji's fault. It was more of Kiomi's own regret, and seeing him was like opening a can of worms for her, reminding her of all the things she wanted to do and say had her teacher been alive. At the same time, she's very irked that someone was running around with his face, because someone had the gall to deliberately make a "knock off" as she calls it, of the man she respects the most.

With this much animosity, one would wonder how Kiomi becomes his support. While Kiomi and Kashin Koji initially dislikes each other, the woman rejects the fact that he's just "some clone", as he is also a person who deserves to live his life as himself regardless of whether he was created as a tool or as a clone. If you remember from my first post about Kiomi and Jiraiya's relationship, this was exactly the same kind of treatment that Jiraiya gave Kiomi when she viewed herself as nothing more than a disposable chess piece. She doesn't say this outright to Kashin Koji though. He learns this on his own. Seeing that someone believed in his own possibilities gave him a little peace of mind, just a little. In effect, this draws his curiosity. Kashin Koji being an Inner of Kara does his assignment pretty well, so he would by effect, know who she was as too. He believed she would be one of those who would constantly see him as a glorified Kagebunshin, but surprisingly she didn't. In fact, seeing as he was who he was, it would make him a perfect replacement, but she didn't treat him like that. This makes him loosen up around her, enough that his usually snide and sarcastic remarks are now laced with a hint of fond teasing. Ironically, she hates it when he does this, as it reminds her of Jiraiya. (Because Jiraiya often teases her about one thing or another.)

One of my favorite interactions of them is probably this one, just because it shows a little bit of both their internal struggles and how they deal with each other.

===

“Tell me,” Instead of standing to leave, he remained seated opposite from her. Kashin Koji removed the mask which barred a portion of his face that she was surely uncomfortable seeing. And he was right. She averted her eyes briefly, before putting up a look of feigned indifference once their optics finally met.

There was relative distress in her features, that much he could tell while staring at her…curiously, seriously. “Do I resemble him? This Jiraiya of yours.”

Looking at him was like staring into a nightmare, a stark reminder of what she could never hope to have. However, she understood his question. They were past simple notions of physicality. It wasn’t just about his face, nor was it about his origin. It was deeper than that. For Kiomi’s alleged simple-mindedness, this concept was not something so hard to grasp. Not when this was the very base of the learnings she had inherited from the mentor she respected the most. Despite Jiraiya and Kashin Koji’s shared similarities, they were still two very different people, each with their own uniqueness. Besides, denying a man his own identity was probably the cruelest judgment any living being could impose on another.

“You don’t.” The answer came simply; however, he did not miss the semblance of melancholy that lingered upon her visage. To him, it felt indicative of disappointment…such fragile and complicated feelings.

“I see.” Kashin Koji had closed his eyes then, satisfied with the answer. In a sense, he felt his lips curve into a smirk. Two words of reassurance; to think that hearing something so simple had such a significant impact. And as for Kiomi who had only seen the man scowl at her existence, this look on his face for the first time caused her chest to ache. Perhaps in her words, she knew not if a lie existed; if only because such an expression looked frighteningly similar to her teacher’s.

“The two of you must have loved each other very dearly.” At this point, he had refocused his gaze upon the female, only to raise a brow shortly after. He had never seen anyone choke on air before. Her flustered features shouldn’t have been anything extraordinary, but it felt amusing. “Was I mistaken?”

“Yes, you’re wrong! You’re very wrong!” She retorted, her flushed face, easily beating the most crimson of fruits. “Everything, this…my…they’re all just…” She tried to calm down as she explained. “…they’re all just…what I’m trying to say is…whatever they are, they’re all just one-sided emotions…” She looked downtrodden. He recalled Naruto saying that their mentor died while she was away figuring out herself, and had carried a burden none of them could share. Jiraiya had meant everything to them, each within varying degrees unknown just how much to the other.

After learning that all of this was one sided, he looked at her with lethargy. “Are you actually an idiot after all?”

“Oi, you actually dare to call me an idiot in my own house? Besides, it’s not like I stood a chance against the person he sought after.” It wasn’t a secret to her after all, that he had his eyes on Lady Tsunade. What chance did she have against someone who had shared in his losses, successes, strife, and victories?

“Was what you felt actually so flimsy that it lost to someone else’s? Did you confirm it with your own mouth?”

The questions that bombarded her, matched with such an unexpected interrogator threw her off. So much that when she had come to her senses, she found herself face to face with Kashin Koji. If she was distraught earlier, then the ante had been upped then and there. Trapped in between his arms, being stared at, it felt horrible and suffocating for many reasons that she convinced herself that she couldn't understand. “Should I teach you just how lofty your feelings are?” He lingered so close, too close for comfort. But that was where she drew the line. Steeling herself, she pulled her head back just enough to give her some room to drive her forehead down against his. THWACK!

Both of them found themselves clutching their heads, one clicked his tongue and the other was cussing up a storm in her mind--and verbally, apparently.

“Don’t you dare mock me—“

She was on the verge of throwing him out, but there he was, laughing, collapsed on the floor as he held onto his forehead. She stifled her annoyance because she remembered how; pranks of the same nature had been done to her, by none other than her favorite mentor. And he would laugh just the same. At least sensei’s were a little more innocent and subtle. “Don’t laugh at me either!” She demanded with childish vigor, kicking him in the shin repeatedly. He fended them off well enough, which added to her irritation.

“That’s enough out of you.”

“You don’t get to tell me what to do in my own hou—hou—“ That was to say, if she wasn’t going to stop her assault, then he would have to play along. Grabbing her ankle when she struck, he pulled her over; just enough to make her balance crumble, bringing her down effectively.

“What the actual hell is wrong with you?”

“Even now, you’re struggling to protect what’s important to you. You may be a bit weaker than others, but it doesn’t seem like you’re lacking in persistence and perseverance. What are you so afraid of?”

Again with questions and commentaries that she did not ask for…

Her silence was enough of a response. Regrets, apprehensions, guilt, it was painted on her face. Shaking his head, Kashin Koji came to a stand and dusted himself, thereafter extending a hand for her to take.

“At the very least, come up to the starting line and show that mentor of yours your resolve.”

She begrudgingly looked at the hand that was offered to her. She felt ashamed and annoyed at herself because she knew that his point was valid. He wasn’t wrong, and in fact, he made more sense than she had wanted to admit. With an inward sigh, she took that hand and he helped her to her feet.

“…” Their grasp on each other persisted for a while. There was no warmth there; no comfort of a familiar friend, but there was a firmness that was enough to uproot whatever doubt it was that crept within the confines of her mind. She wouldn’t exactly call the other’s presence reassuring, but in a sense it was something close to it.

“Tsk, just who do you think you are? Acting all high and mighty?” Compared to before, the scowl had turned a bit friendly, but a scowl none the less.

“In case you haven’t heard or have been mistaking me for someone else, it’s Kashin Koji.” He replied with a tinge of whimsy in his voice. Matched with that was a tighter grip on the female’s hand which she reciprocated in kind. “Kiomi.” She rebutted against his satirical introduction.

When they at last released each other, there was probably a reddening mark there, but it also seemed like they’ve come to a certain understanding. “With a grip like that, what do you even hope to accomplish?”

Everything that comes out of his mouth is a fucking insult… Kiomi mused, unabashed by such a sentiment. Still, she watched him retrieve his mask only to wear it over his face once more. “I’ve a scouting mission at the Hokage’s behest. Two days time.” He stated out of the blue, walking towards her direction, incidentally near the exit. “Join me.”

“And why exactly, should I do that?” Folding her arms over her chest, she asked.

“Learn something useful rather than wallow in your self-pity.” Just before he could pass her completely, the intruder halted to cup her cheeks, moving it side to side casually.

(I made a thing.Lol Kiomi and her tendency to get manhandled.) There was no tenderness there, rather it seemed like he was inspecting a toy for some kind of defect. “You dont seem outclassed by anyone, not even by the Godaime. Put yourself to good use. You are a Shinobi, after all.”

“What does Lady Tsunade even have to do with this?”

“Who else would you feel so inferior to? It doesn’t take a genius to put two and two together. Besides,”

Finally, he’d relinquish his hold to observe her frame carefully. She was a slender woman, possibly bordering voluptuous underneath all that fabric. From the wrinkles and silhouette of her attire, he could tell that she was filled out in all the right places. Fair skin, a set of apprehensive platinum orbs…among other things. “You have the curves. Maybe not the appeal and self confidence, but you have the curves. You’ll be fine.”

Perhaps it was in that retort that Kiomi ran after Kashin Koji as he left her place, albeit with a senbon or two hurled at the man. “I was wrong; you’re probably just as much of a letch as sensei!”

The projectiles were caught between the fingers and twirled around with ease, no troubles at all. He contemplated for a mere second before deciding to keep them as a souvenir. “You wound me with your presumptuousness. I'm a busy man, and have no time for countless women. Such a disappointing assessment.” He waved her off, walking away and finally disappearing from sight.

===

Pardon the length, but this is how they normally interact in my story.

Koji serves as a challenge for Kiomi, while Kiomi serves as a "net" for Koji so that when he falls pray to his feeling of incompetency, he remembers that she expects him to plainly be Kashin Koji, and no one else. Both of them remind each other of something important which they both hope would make them better versions of themselves.

So what kind of relationship do they have? I'm pretty sure it's along the lines of frienemies.

#|| Breaking the Ice || Answered #super-kame-love #I told myself this was going to be an quick explanation for both #Lol. 10 hours later...#Kashin Koji has reached that level of comfort with her where he can just use his face to piss her off.

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letusmeetagain · 4 years

Note

Hey..

I just wanted to ask what are the chances of ANR theory coming true?? I mean the way this story is heading I am not sure if alliance is actually going to pull it off. .so how do you think it's going to end?? and I think Final panel is going to be historia's child because if not why would isyama even put this plot?? and everything is coincidentally happening at the same time so I am not sure if it's grisha and Eren ( I am hoping it to be them tho)

Hi anon!

Well that PV was and is still a big deal in the fandom...This answer will be very long and I’m sorry for that... :( But it’s because AnR theory is related to a discourse that is more complex that changes the whole meaning of the story and what’s happening now.

I had a thread on Twitter I made a while ago to offer my perspective about this video (I was annoyed so it might be a hard reading... I have less patience on Twitter). Actually... my conclusion was that there aren’t compelling hints in the PV about Eren having a child nor surviving this. I do believe it’s full of spoilers, just not that everything is meant to come true as the theory says.

I’m talking now from my own intuition... so... I might be wrong ofc:

The rumbling will be stopped. The question is whether all the members of the alliance will survive or not.

1. Eren never said he is unstoppable. He said he won’t stop until the end because the only people who know the truth are those who keep moving towards the future. This attitude doesn’t mean he will be successful since he doesn’t know everything about the future and it doesn’t seem that he wants to win like a traditional villain. And even things that were supossed to be unstoppable were stopped. For example, Ymir when Zeke gave her his command. Eren stopped her with compassion (just let us leave aside the way he did it in the end. He was still the only one who responded her call, then he messed up things). I expect him to be stopped in the right time like how it happened with Ymir.

2. Isayama is almost impossible to understand when it comes to his interviews. The kind of ending he will do is still a mystery. He said once he wanted to write an ending like in MuvLuv, then like in the Mist and the last time he talked about Guardians of the Galaxy II and that he was shifting the feeling of his ending. But recently he gave details about it and said he would be doing the ending he planned since the beginning. So he isn’t helping us to know what kind of feeling he will be heading to. But from the endings he ever mentioned: (you can skip this)

a. an ending like in MuvLuv Alternative: everyone dies but the mission is accomplished and humanity has a future to keep working for. Just the male mc survives who it’s not related to Eren but to Mikasa. Another character survives that has some similarities with Armin.

b. an ending like in the Mist: everyone dies because the mc took the wrong choice and if he hadn’t chosen it, everyone would have been well. A nihilistic ending.

c. an ending like in Guardians of the Galaxy II, just one person dies but it’s actually a sacrifice. It’s a hopeful ending and they managed to destroy the enemy and save the universe. Let’s say the villain was a kind of paths? It would mean the the end goal is to break paths.

d. an ending like the Watchmen. A kind of Code Geass Ending (that is actually happening because the world is starting to let go of hatred)They accomplished the mission but in the end there is a plot twist and every single sacrifice turned out to be for nothing. Another nihilistic ending.

e. an ending like in Ellysium: the mc that was about to die and tries to reach his own benefit changes his mind and helps his childhood friend/lover and her daughter to become citizens of a kind of paradise where (only rich) people could live a happy life. He fullfiled the promise he made to her about taking her to Ellysium and have a better life when they were children. He dies a hero having changed the unfair system. He dies also remembering the voice of the nun that raised him to be proud of his origin in the Earth. (<-- I go for this kind of feeling mixed with the GGII and Watchmen!)

From my perspective... It’s dull to expect for an ending where hope isn’t there. It would be wrong for the manga to end with the epilogue “every sacrifice was for nothing” like in Watchmen or in the Mist. Even the Uprising has an emotive message there that it’s still promising a twist. Thank God he is not Kafka.

About the baby... well. I don’t expect Eren to be the father at all. Plotwise, there is no need for it. The connection between his plan and the pregnancy is based just on Historia’s safety and...he isn’t the only person who conveniently cared for her well being throughout the story. Even if you see their conversation... he never said to her something related to her as individual but as a royal: “I can’t let you keep with this system and condemn more children to be raised as livestock” (almost in the same way Krüger cared for Dina). The baby was a step for her to be free from the first king’s command. In the end, the baby will probably play a major role in the outcome but it can be explained through Ymir’s curse as I wrote in this post. Whether Eren dies and pass down the power to the baby or not... I don’t know. The baby might be the only way to join every part of Ymir’s soul... I thought about it too.

If Eren will succeed and go back to his wife and child...? There is no hint of that and no logic in such an outcome. The only possible way for that is that he held romantic feelings for Historia and it doesn’t seem to be the case.

If I see some members of the alliance dying? Yes. Probably... meant as the last sacrifices for this change of era. Because that’s what Eren is doing even if he isn’t willingly trying to kill them, he is just letting things happen, gambling the future because he either thinks he can’t change it or because he just lets the world decide its future: “It’s all still ahead of us.” (->as if he couldn’t control things).

Eren being the father is something a part of the fandom interprets in AnR because they are willingly wanting Eren to succeed, Historia to be his partner and (here comes why this isn’t coherent with the truth of Eren and Historia’s roles:) Eren being a kind of king that ends up fullfiling the wishes of the first King.... of exterminating everyone that isn’t part of their race....? to perpetuate a world ruled by titans when Eren wants the opposite (to end the cycle that started with Ymir’s story)? I can’t see it. They started the theory imposing on the video their own expectations more than to think about what kind of meaning would be coherent with the 100% of the story that never actually changed. Betrayals or not, we are still carrying the sacrifices made since Krüger having to give them meaning. That's why I say also that those sacrifices have to be paid. But not for Eren's secret love story.

About the last panel... I think it’s very possible that is Grisha. Since Eren can’t define his own concept of freedom and the story is pointing out this misconception and agency in this plot, where he was given (?) the role of a devil and accepted it... Considering also his duality and the contrast between his own life raised as a free child and Ymir’s life raised as a slave??? The last panel is about Eren and his own truth 80% sure (it also resembles Ellysium’s ending). And Historia’s child isn’t the only baby anymore.That’s something to consider too.

Summary:

chances that Eren survives to go to Historia and their baby: 0,1%

chances that some more of the alliance die: 99%

chances that Eren survives after this: 20%

Sorry again for the length of my answer... I hope I could help you.

Thank you!

#snk ending #shingeki no kyojin #I'm also gambling I have literally no idea what's going to happen #AnR theory #last panel #snk #aot #attack on titan

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writingfish · 4 years

Text

He can feel the ice, cold and deep in his veins. There's chatter below, sharp high frequencies that meld together. Joy.

Swallowing hard, he turns away from the glass. He needs to get his suit if he is to go down to the planet. Grale is inhospitable to humans otherwise.

The corridors are brightly lit, a sharp contrast to the dark outside. He stands in the opening, blinking. There are spots in his eyes and eventually, he shakes his head and steps onto the smooth metal. He is comfortable without his sight, has been since birth.

He reaches the branch off and turns right. Above him, a voice rumbles. It is still odd to hear speech, even after five years in space. He was still used to the clamor of frequencies that resonated in his bones. He could feel them, confusion, joy, anticipation. It was getting stronger as the ship entered the atmosphere.

At the end of the corridor, the metal door was already opening and he could see the captain's large shadow.

"Captain Alandra," he said wincing at the feel of words escaping his throat. Was he too loud again?

Alandra smiled at him, shaking her head slightly. The bells at the bottom of her hair chimed with the movement.

"Seres, I was just coming to get you. "

He nodded at her, raising an eyebrow in question. She stepped out of the doorway and his eyes were drawn to the ship's insignia on her left shoulder. A sun engraved on a flask, it was the favored ship of his parent's science expedition.

"We'll be on the planet in a few minutes," she said. "Do you have everything? We won't be coming back for at least a planetary rotation."

He nodded again, tapping the bag dangling from his right shoulder as he stepped through the doorway. He paused, licking his lips and swallowing.

"Thank you for taking care of me"

Alandra smiled and inclined her head, before striding off to leave him alone with the suits. He watched her until she turned the corner and then turned to look at the suits.

His own was in the farthest corner. Mostly black with a few shades of blue, it contained a small radio clipped to the belt. He stepped up to it and turned the dial to make sure it worked before removing the suit from the hook and laying it on a nearby bench. He unzipped it and stepped in, finally relaxing for the first time in days.

He wasn't home quite yet, but he was one step closer.

___________________________________

The ship touched down, gently on the ice. Seres hovered by the ramp, twisting his fingers together. The radio on his belt exploded into a high-pitched screech that resonated in his teeth. He reached for his own frequencies, softer than the ones the locals used, but no less strong, and a high buzz emerged from him, spread through the ice to the tower in the station. The antenna would transmit it below the ice where J'na and Kita would hear it, know he was saying hello.

The door opened with a groan and the ramp hissed out, settled on the ice with a soft thump. He held himself back, vibrating in place. Captain Alandra would be the first person off the ship as protocol dictated. Then, he would be free to join her having taken the diplomat's place on the ship.

She walked past him, bells chiming with every step. Her boots clanked on the ramp and he tracked her progress by the sound. The sound changed as she stepped onto the ice and he stepped up to the opening of the ship, peering out into the white.

For a moment, he couldn't see anything. Then there was a flicker of movement and he could barely make out the Zadgo slithering up to greet the captain. He squinted, shuffled a little closer to the opening. The pale blue markings on the Zadgo's head resembled a five-faceted diamond. He didn't recognize it, but he had only seen a fraction of Grale before his parents had sent him off planet.

Captain Alandra fiddled with the radio on her belt and a loud burst of noise sprang forth. It gave him the jitters and he moved back a little. Zadgo greetings were always too enthusiastic as they traveled for miles under the ice without seeing another. More noise, sharp bursts of high pitched sounds and a low thrum underneath it all.

He sank into it, relished the feel of the vibrations in his bones. The captain was greeting the Zadgo, an observer by the name of J'aarl and explaining that they had come to drop him off. J'aarl let out a medium burst of sound, a more reserved greeting and he could feel the question in his lungs.

He took a breath, gripped the straps of his bag tightly and started down the ramp.

_________________

J'aarl looked up as he came towards them and inclined his head. It was a very humanlike gesture and Seres stopped for a moment, blinking. Then, he bowed, turning the dial on the radio to express his thanks for the welcome. J'aarl rumbled back acceptance and carefully, turned his body back to the Captain.

Seres turned away from their conversation and headed to the right. The entrance to the city would be below and there were a few pods that would take him to the science station. Ice crunched under his feet as he walked. His eyes adjusted quickly to the light and soon he could make out the pale metal structure in the distance.

Powered snow topped the structure and he kept a wary eye on the icicles as he passed beneath the arch. A strong wind could knock them down and they were sharp enough to tear into him. The door slid open with a loud groan as he neared it and then immediately slammed shut behind him.

It wasn't lit; it never was. The lights had long since burned out and they never bothered to replace them. Seres didn't mind. He had lived in the dark for longer.

His footsteps echoed on the metal, rattled his teeth. In the distance, he could hear a faint hum. It was probably the machine powering the gate.

Soon, the air changed. It smelled wet and he could hear a lapping sound. He could barely make out the faintly glowing pool in the dark, but his eyes were quickly adjusting. The algae were growing in it again and they lit up the water with a soft purple glow.

Their light reflected off of the pod bobbing on the other side. It was anchored to a small dock and it creaked as he walked upon it. There were algae growing on it too, though this particular strain glowed green.

He stepped forward and a small screen slid out at a touch. He put in the authorization code. They never changed it. There were only eight people on the station after all. There had never been anyone new in his lifetime.

With a beep, the screen slid back inside and the metal of the pod slid open to reveal a padded chair. He settled himself in, felt the metal come back to cover him. Then, with a rumble, the pod moved and sank into the water with a faint splash. Soon, it was heading down into the deep black of the sea.

_____________________________________________________

He walked through the station, keeping a careful distance between himself and the glowing algae. He had been fascinated by it as a child, but then he'd had one too many brushes and even now his skin tingled upon seeing it.

The corridors were empty as always, though the few rooms that he poked his head into had a few experiments running. The room full of multi-colored rocks that floated in a tube was his favorite. He could have spent many an hour in the room just contemplating the colors, but he had a mission to accomplish. He needed to find the Head Scientist, Tiegerin and deliver the new data from Kobolla.

He was so lost in these thoughts that he didn't see the other figure until they were both on the ground. Automatically, his hand went to the radio and twisted the dial so that a low hum emitted from it. The other person made a confused noise and looked up.

Pale eyes met his own. They reminded him of the light purple algae that only bloomed when the water was at its warmest. The other frowned and got to their feet, offering him a pale hand. Seres took it, tried to switch his brain over to using actual words instead of radio frequencies.

"Sorry," he said. The words scratched at his throat and the other person winced. Oh, he must have been too loud again.

"Sorry," he said again, trying for a quieter tone. This time the person has to lean in to hear him and he can see that their skin is made up of blue-green scales. They're thick on their throat and ripple as the other speaks.

"No, no, it's my fault. I should have looked where I was going. I wasn't expecting anyone else to be in this part of the station."

Their voice was a light current that dipped into a lower register at the end of the words. It was a nice sound and Seres hoped to hear more of it.

"Empty," Seres said.

The other nodded.

"Yeah. It's usually empty. The other scientists work in the north corridor with the Zadgo. But, I'm here to study the algae, so I got the entire wing to myself."

Seres nodded, then started to walk past the other person. Tiegerin would be close by, they always liked the quieter parts of the station.

"Hey," the voice said again. "What's your name? I'm Akian"

"Seres"

#the caretaker #digging around in my drafts and found this #mywork #fiction

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crescentdream24 · 4 years

Text

Chance Encounters

Fandom: Star Trek Alternate Original Series

Word Count: 7k

Pairing: Dr. Mccoy x Reader.

Prompt: Literally just a random little fluff piece. How reader and Dr. Mccoy meet and get together aboard the Enterprise

Rating: T+

Warning(s): mild injuries, nothing major

Chance Encounters

You fell in love with the Enterprise the minute you stepped foot aboard her with the rest of the new recruits. The sleek lines of the ship were breathtaking as it was from the outside, but on the inside it was even more than you could have ever imagined. The bowels of the ship literally hummed with life—instruments gleaming and the crew bustling about in a way that resembled some sort of uniform chaos. For everything going on through every ship deck, it all had a purpose, everyone had a duty to perform. And now you were there to carry out a duty of your own.

The first few weeks were the hardest, as you’d expected. Everything was new and very real---no more simulations like you were used to back at the learning academy. It felt like you were introduced to a hundred new faces with a hundred new names in a matter of hours, and you were terrible with names. You were given a quick ship’s tour that glossed over many important areas which left you scrambling to find your own personal quarters at the end of the day. The food on board was hit or miss--- the food replicator could only do so much, and its version of chicken noodle soup left much to be desired.

But you quickly found solace in your work, living out most of your hours in one of the many laboratories aboard the ship. You delighted in wearing your science- blue uniform, and felt a sort of humble pride bubble up within you for all you had accomplished.

Even more exciting than finally being on the Enterprise in person, was the fact that you were now working on the Enterprise. You got to dive head-first into categorizing all the fresh samples of flora and fauna sent down to your lab from various away missions, testing soil samples and blasting open several rocks with a high-powered laser. Everyone you worked with was just as enthusiastic about their work as you were, and you made many fast friends with the crewmates that you shared your shifts with.

A few months into your first year on the ship, you made your way down to the science lab you were scheduled for that evening, trying to stifle back a yawn half- heartedly as you strode down the deserted hallway. Evening shifts were your least favorite. You’d always considered yourself a night owl back on Earth, but these last few months in space had been proving you wrong. You thought it was funny that even though there was no natural sunlight to queue your brain into when it was morning or night, it still took its cues from the brightness of the interior ship lighting, which dimmed noticeably in the evening hours to help keep the appearance of a day and night cycle.

Rounding the corner, you stood in front of the entrance to the science lab, pausing for a few seconds to punch in your keycode and letting the doors pull back automatically to admit you. You entered and stood there a moment, taking in the sight of the lab, the polished instruments glimmering under the overhead lights like jewels. You would never tire of working here, not in a million years.

You nodded your hello to the only other crewmate in the lab, a slim brunette about your age whom you’ve worked with a few times before. Her name was Rochelle, and she was timid but quite clever once you got talking to her. It was a person you didn’t mind having on the night shift with you----you weren’t especially talkative in the evenings, anyway.

Making your way over to the far wall of the lab, you awakened the touch screen panel that was mounted to it, calling up your shift schedule for the next week. It was the duty of each crewmate to double-check their work assignments for the following week in case there were any errors. Your eyes took in the schedule, expecting it to show you stationed at your regular post here in the lab as usual, and you were----except for one day in the middle. Away mission.

Your eyes widened as you re-read it. Away mission? But the captain of a starship usually didn’t bring anyone planet-side until at least their second year of active duty if they could help it. A ball of tangled nerves settles in your stomach, and you turn away from the screen, looking out into the lab but not fully registering it.

“Are you okay, Y/N?” Rochelle is looking up at you from her microscope, sensing your mood change.

“Oh....yeah. I just, uhm. I saw that I'm slated for an away mission next week.” You swallow down some bitter saliva, trying to wrap your head around it.

Rochelle puts down the glass slide she was inspecting and nods in understanding. “I heard Mr. Spock discussing it in the hallway briefly when I passed by him and the Captain yesterday. They decided to choose you because of your past history with the planet.....I think it’s called Vater Epsilon V?”

Your heart begins to pound as the pieces finally fall together in your head. Your father had done considerable mining on the planet for several years and you had accompanied him in your youth. The trip was actually what you credit for sparking your interest in intergalactic space travel as a career path. It had been a wonderful trip that you look back on fondly; so many new things to experience. It hadn’t been without its danger though---most of the vegetation on the planet was extremely poisonous to humans if ingested or even with contact to the skin for a short period of time. You and your father had been in the mines for most of the trip, so there had been little danger. But, the locals have given you both a detailed tour of the area and you had read up on the planet even more on your return home. You assume your expertise of the planet is the reason you were being chosen. But it didn’t do anything to calm your racing heart.

“Right, that must be it. I’ve been there before, actually.”

Rochelle’s eyes light up with enthusiasm. “Really? That’s so exciting.” You make your way over to the station beside her, washing your hands and donning your work goggles, trying to put your nerves behind you. You tell Rochelle all about your trip as you remember it, and you two work away the hours quickly until your shift is almost over.

“Wow, I can’t believe we’re almost done for the night.” Rochelle says as she checks the time read-out on the console beside her. “It hasn’t even felt like.......” Her voice trails off and you look up at her, seeing that her skin is now startlingly pale.

“Rochelle?” She doesn’t answer you and wobbles unsteadily. Your instincts take over and you spring into action, taking a large step towards her as her knees buckle under her and she falls to the ground, steadily guiding her to the floor with your arms as she faints. You remember your training about falling with the person that’s fainting instead of trying to catch them. Guiding them to the floor instead of trying to stop the fall altogether and potentially hurting you both.

You lay her on her back, and her head lolls to the side, eyes closed. Trying to shake her awake gently yields no response. You shout her name as your fingers urgently such for a pulse against her neck, finally covering over one of her carotid arteries. The pulse beat feels steady underneath your fingertips, and you relax slightly although not enough to calm your own frantic heartbeat, backing away towards the comm unit on the wall to hail a medical team to come assist you.

They arrive a few moments later with a stretcher in tow, and you recount what happened to one of the nurses on the team as they carefully load Rochelle and carry her to the sick bay. You follow them, not wanting to leave your friend when she’s in such distress.

The bright lights of the medical bay are startling contrast to the dim light of the hall, and you blink a few times as your eyes re-adjust. The bay is mostly empty, rows of beds lining one wall off to your left with larger cubicles surrounded by privacy curtains on the other side. The medical team transfers Rochelle to a med bed and you stand back to give them room as they work, quickly hooking her up to the vital signs monitor mounted overhead. The sound of her steady heartbeat fills the room as the team clears away, leaving only a nurse to attend to her for the moment.

“What’s going on out here, Nurse?” A rough voice breaks through the relative silence of the sickbay and you turn your head to see a dark-haired man stride into the room to stand at Rochelle’s bedside, ignoring you altogether. He’s clad in medical blues and his eyes are already assessing her, retrieving more information in one quick glance than the nurse would ever be able to tell him. The nurse gives him a run-down on her vitals----all normal except for the blood sugar levels.

He runs a quick scan with his handheld tricorder, hovering it just above Rochelle’s body in a slow, steady motion. His eyes are intent and laser-focused, and you sense he’s taking in every minute detail of her condition in a way only achieved by years of experience. You listen to the low beeps of the tricorder and swallow, wanting to add something to the conversation but feeling strangely intimidated at the moment.

“I...I was working with her when she fainted,” you start as the doctor continues scanning. “I noticed she’s wearing a medical bracelet. I believe she’s a diabetic.”

The doctor’s eyes flicked up at you then, and you’re startled by them. You’ve seen hundreds of people with dark eyes like his before, but none of them had ever seemed so....brilliant.

“Did she hit her head when she fell?” He asks you as he sets down the tricorder, walking over to a medicine cabinet a few feet away as the nurse prepares a hypo needle.

“No, I got to her in enough time to ease her fall. And her pulse seemed steady when I checked for it. She just wasn’t responsive.”

He grabs a vial out of the cabinet, handing it to the nurse as he turns to face you again. “Are you medically trained?” He asks offhandedly, raising an eyebrow. You swallow again, wondering if you did something wrong. Shifting on your feet you shake your head. “No, just the basic Starfleet training.”

He doesn’t acknowledge you as he makes his way back to Rochelle and the nurse passes him the hypo, injecting it swiftly into her upper arm. You watch with worry in your stomach, hoping that her condition would be easily remedied. Diabetes nowadays was easily controlled with a simple daily pill and a strict diet, but you had read during your studies at the Academy about how serious a condition it had been in the past. People used to need constant insulin injections and daily blood tests centuries ago to remain stable. It still wasn’t anything to mess with today, either.

The nurse leaves to tend to the other few patients in the medical bay, and the doctor finally looks up at you again, his hard expression softening somewhat. “You did great. She is diabetic, her sugars were just out of wack there. That hypo should set her right again, but she’ll probably sleep for a few hours now.”

“So, she’s going to be okay?” you add hopefully.

“Most definitely.” He had a pleasant Southern twang to his voice, one that inexplicably put you at ease. “You did exactly the right thing.” He went to leave but paused, turning back on his heel. “I didn’t catch your name?”

“Oh,” you put a hand on the bedrail in front of you. “It’s Y/N.” You inspect the insignia on his blue medical uniform. “And I’m assuming you’re the CMO?”

He flashes a tight-lipped grin, only for a moment. “Unless there’s someone else here claiming to be chief medical officer. If there is, you send ‘em to me. Name’s Mccoy.”

Your mouth twists up into a smile as he continues. “I better get back. No rest for the weary.” He nods his head towards you once, looking down to pick up the tricorder and inclining it towards Rochelle. “And your friend there is damn lucky you were workin with her tonight.” He adds as he leaves, making his way into one of the exam rooms on the other side of the med bay. You realize you’re still smiling awhile after he’s gone, and you shake your head abruptly. Time for bed.

OOOOOO

You quickly slung the slim utility belt across your hips as you stood just outside the transporter room, preparing for the away mission you were about to embark on in a few minutes. Mentally, your brain did one last run-through of checklist-- your phaser was set to stun, you had all your scientific supplies safely tucked away along with your scientific recorder, and you had brushed up on your knowledge of the planet in the days prior so you would feel prepared. You’d checked all the boxes and anticipated every scenario. So why were you standing there shaking like a leaf?

Taking a few deep breaths in an attempt to steady yourself, you finally bite the bullet and step into the transporter room, Captain Kirk and Commander Spock already standing on their respective transporter pads. You give a quick nod to both of them. “Captain. Commander.” Spock returns your nod.

“Ensign Y/N.” The captain regards you carefully. “I’m betting your knowledge of this planet will come in handy. Initially, it was supposed to be a quick stop for some supplies from the mines, but there’s a group of villagers that have come down with what looks to be Andronesian encephalitis that we need to check out first.” He flips on his communicator, testing its signal strength. “And Starfleet would love to get its hands on some more information about what makes those poisonous plants so potent.”

You nod, trying to will away the unsettled fluttering in your stomach. “I’m quite familiar with the area we’ll be transporting to. I’ll try my best to collect some worthwhile environmental samples.” You step up to the transporter, standing just to the left of the captain and a security officer, who offers you a tight smile. You assume this is the entire landing party when you hear the doors open again in front of you. Dr. Mccoy rushes in, a look of annoyance clearly written across his face. You feel your heart skip unexpectedly.

“Do you really need me for every god-damned planet-side escapade, Jim?” He quickly slung his tricorder across his shoulder, hopping up on the transporter pad near the other side of the Captain.

“I believe the chief medical officer is a vital member of the landing party when the natives of such planet are afflicted with ailments they are otherwise unfamiliar with.” Spock’s statement of fact was met with an eyeroll from the doctor.

“It wouldn’t be any fun without you, Bones.” Kirk smirked, clearly enjoying the frustration of the CMO.

The transporter energized then, and you experience the familiar odd, fuzzy sensation spread throughout your body along with a split-second of darkness to your vision that always puts you on edge. Suddenly, you find yourself standing on a patch of grass in the middle of a heavily-treed area, feeling the sunlight pour in from the sky above and relishing in its warmth. You’ve missed being outside on solid ground.

“Could they have picked a deadlier place for us to beam in?” Mccoy looked around warily, and you immediately recognized his concern. On Earth, a place like this would be harmless, even sought-after. But here, most every tree and bush held some amount of venom, and your group would have to tread very carefully.

“Alright, crew.” Kirk began, completely ignoring Mccoy’s disdain. “Y/N will lead us through until we hit the village which should only be a half-hour walk to the east.” Kirk glances over at you from over his shoulder. “Ready?”

You press your lips together, taking in a big inhale. “Yes, sir.” Carefully, you step ahead of the group and slowly begin to pick your way through the trail flanked with dense foliage on either side, avoiding all contact with the more lethal plants. Your mind is honed in on the path in front of you, eyes taking in every new area of greenery you encounter and analyzing their respective dangers in your head. Soon, you make it to another clearing and the group decides to take a short break to cool off from the mid-morning heat.

You take a small handheld recording device off your belt and decide that this would be a good time to try and collect a few environmental samples to analyze later. As you cautiously kneel down next to a gathering of particularly lethal shrubs, a shadow falls over you and you tilt your head up, seeing Dr. Mccoy duplicate your posture beside you.

“I guess saving your co-workers on nightshift isn’t the only thing on your resume.” His lips cock up to one side as he regards the plants in front of you warily.

You give a light chuckle as you slowly pass the recorder over top a thick violet-colored shrub. “Yeah, that wasn’t exactly an everyday thing. I’m trained in the sciences, not medicine. Although I do have an interest in it. My mother was a nurse.” A question suddenly pops into your head and you blurt it out. “What made you get into medicine??”

He snorted, resting a hand on his knee. “I guess certain people would say it was a “calling.” After you see the world kick people down enough times, a part of you gets fed up and wants to help.” You take in his answer as you quickly skim over the readout on your recorder. His character was so gruff and off-putting on the outside, but you sensed that his inner workings held a deep sense of duty and rigid moral character that you wanted to learn more about. You’d been told in the past that you were a good judge of character, and you had a nagging suspicion that this doctor held one as solid as any other.

“Hm, so that explains the doctor part.” You shift slightly, reaching out to hover the recorder over a small outcropping of rock. “What about the Starfleet part?”

He smirked again. “I feel like I’m in a courtroom here with all this questioning. Anyone ever tell you you’d make a damn good detective?”

“I’m just curious, is all,”you intone innocently.

“Well, I’d about had it with being on Earth. Living in space seemed new and exciting. Don’t really have much tying me to the ground, I figured I might as well be tending to aliens and saving Kirk and Spock from themselves. That’s practically a full-time job right there.”

You laugh out loud and your eyes meet, briefly pulling your mind away from your work. “You must have the patience of a jungle cat to deal with that every day.”

You start to feel a tickle on your hand and look down, seeing some sort of insect crawling across your knuckles, about the size of a horsefly. You recognize it as a pill beetle, nothing to be too alarmed about, although you remember from your research that it does pack quite a painful bite. You slowly shake your hand up and down, hoping to shoo it away. Your grasp on your recorder slips, and on instinct you try to catch it. The sudden movement startles the beetle and a strong pinch drills into the top of your hand.

“Ugh!” You drop the recorder in the bushes as the beetle flees into the sky, feeling the sting of the bite quickly grow in intensity. You sink onto both knees, holding your injured hand as a few drops of blood escape between your fingers.

Dr. Mccoy reaches out for your hand instantly, pulling it towards him to inspect. “What was that? Do you know what bit you?”

“Yesss...it was a---” You suck in your breath as the sting of the bite rises exponentially with each passing second. The literature you read about this bite greatly underestimated its intensity. “It’s a pill beetle.....it’s not....lethal.” You hiss through your teeth, trying to keep your composure but the pain is racing through you like fire along a tightrope.

Mccoy gently turns your hand over in his grasp and bends over to the side, quickly flipping open his small medi-kit and cleaning the wound with an antiseptic wipe. The sting of the alcohol amplifies your pain and you feel tears spring up, gritting your teeth and cursing your stupidity. You were supposed to be the expert around here, and in your first ever away mission you managed to get bitten by a worthless beetle that now had you almost sobbing on the ground.

“I know, it hurts, I know,” he tries to soothe you as he applies a slim medicated bandage across the bite. “This is infused with a numbing agent, it should help with the pain a little bit. Just give it a second to work.” He presses his thumb on top of the bandage, then slowly rubs it back and forth with light pressure, trying to aide the release of the medication from the bandage.

You try to hold it together, but the fire in your veins is only ramping up and you feel a sweat coming on, wondering if the beetle had injected some sort of venom along with its bite. “I---ughhh! This isn’t going away.” You bow your head and try to focus on something else, anything else. He draws your other hand into his and grips it tightly, trying to draw your focus away from the burning sensation of your wound and you bite your lip.

“I know it hurts, darlin’. You’ll be okay.” The drawl of his voice calms you slightly as he grabs out a small travel hypo, hurriedly loading it with a clear liquid. “Here, give me your arm.” You slide closer to him and he injects you with it so swiftly you’re barely even aware of the pinch. You instantly notice the drug kick in as it works to dull the sharpness of the pain. Slowly, your body relaxes until the burning fire is nothing more than a dull throbbing. Still quite noticeable, but much improved.

You let out a big sigh of relief and look up at him with gratitude as the tension begins to leave your body. “Thank you....so much. That was...unpleasant.”

He gives you a soft smile. “All in a day’s work. You let me know if it starts to feel any worse, alright?” He still has your hand in his grasp, and you stay in that position for a few moments longer, letting the relief flow through your veins like cold water on a hot summer’s day. The warmth of his thumb radiates into the top of your hand as it continues to firmly trace over the bandage. You watch as he strokes your hand, marveling at how someone so rough around the edges could be so gentle. You would willingly stay like this for a few hours but soon you reluctantly pull your hand away, nodding at his instruction wordlessly.

You both stand together to go meet up with the others, and you have a hunch that the medication isn’t altogether responsible for your sudden good mood.

OOOOOOO

The long streams of distorted starlight streak across the blackness of space as you idly watch from a small circular viewing port, worshipping the sight of the ship in warp drive. It always amazed you that you and all the other crew aboard felt exactly the same no matter how fast the Enterprise travelled, and could only begin to imagine what the crew of the first ship to enter warp would have felt. Enraptured? Terrified? Probably a mix of both.

The cozy seating area off the mess hall was empty, as it usually was at this late hour. You had found this little haven tucked away from it all a few weeks into your first month of duty, and ever since you sought it out quite often, especially when you felt particularly reflective as you did now.

With your arms crossed lightly, you leaned a shoulder against the space-grade glass of the viewport, looking out into the stars that were especially illuminated tonight in the dim interior lighting of the ship. Your mind wandered, thinking of your family and wondering how everyone back home was doing—there were quite a few friends you had left behind, but only a few you actually missed. You would give anything for one of your father’s hugs or a bite of your mom’s homemade casserole right about now.

“I see you’ve found one of the hidden gems of the ship.” A male voice breaks the silence behind you and you turn to face the dark brooding eyes of the doctor. You sense your pulse excite as if on cue, giving him a slightly startled look.

“Oh, I didn’t.....yeah, well. S--sometimes I come here...just to think and look out at the stars.” You stutter as you lean against the wall again, facing him this time. He comes nearer to the viewing port, looking out into the abyss of starlight. He’s quiet for a moment, as if marveling at the wonders of space himself.

“No matter how many times you look at it, it never gets any less breathtaking.” His eyes flick over to you then, and you feel a slight flush wash over you, as if his words are meant for you and you alone. He always had a way of making everything sound so intimate, with that warm southern drawl.

You clear your throat softly, trying to dispel some of the butterflies in your stomach. "It's easy to forget where we are, easy to get caught up with other things while we’re busy working. So, I like to come here to remind myself.” You turn your head to look out again, sliding a bit closer to his side. He nods at your comment and you both stand in silence for a moment as you take in the view from the viewport, relishing in a shared appreciation for where you both are.

“Hurtling through space in nothing more than a tin can,” he says with his voice low, almost to himself. Finally, he looks down at you. “How’s that hand treatin’ you?”

Before you can answer, he reaches out and takes your hand gently, pulling it toward him to examine as he runs a thumb over the ridge of raised skin where the small scab has formed over the imprint of the insect bite.

“It’s good. Finally starting to heal.” Your mouth goes dry at his touch and you swallow as your pulse races to life again. It has a funny little habit of developing a mind of its own whenever you and the doctor are alone like this. You can feel the tremor of your heart’s increased pace against your ribcage, as if fighting to break free.

You expect him to let go of your hand but he continues to drag his thumb back and forth across it and you perceive yourself inching closer to him—almost unconsciously, drawn in by the gentleness and warmth of his touch.

His hazel eyes flick from your mending wound back up to your face, holding your stare intently. “You know, space is a pretty dangerous place,” he utters slowly. “I better keep my eye on you.”

You suck in a small breath, sensing your heart about to ram itself clear across the room. “I’d like that.”

His other hand lightly presses to the small of your back and you step in closer to him, tilting your head up as he bends down slightly to meet you. You feel your eyes begin to flutter closed as you place a hand on his chest, and the drumming of your heart in your ears so loud you’re almost certain he can hear it.

The piercing wail of the klaxon suddenly screeches out through the halls of the ship, and the bright red alert lights flash to life. You open your eyes abruptly and Mccoy drops your hand.

“Damn,” he curses softly as your face falls in disappointment, your other hand dropping away from his chest. The red flashes of the alert bounce across his uniform and a few crewmen quickly dash past you both.

“Go.” You urge him, fighting against the strong desire to stay exactly where you are together for the full entirety of the alert. “Be safe,” you manage to add, trying to fight down a wave of uneasiness.

You go to turn away and make a run for your emergency posting, but his grip at your arm stops you, facing you back to him.

“We’ll finish this....later.” His voice is full of meaning and promise, and you feel your heart skip yet again as you afford him a soft smile of hope in return. You sense the grip he has on your arm gradually slip away and both of you reluctantly turn in opposite directions to answer the insistent wailing of the klaxon.

You dash down the hallway, careful to avoid colliding with other crewmates as everyone rushes to their posts as orderly as possible. You had to respond to a red alert only one other time before, and it hadn’t lasted very long. It had been scary at first, the sheer suddenness of it, but after the initial shock and boost of adrenaline faded away, everything had kind of calmed down, and you expected it to go that way again. Captain Kirk was one of the best captains in all of Starfleet, and you had complete and utter faith in him.

Racing around a corner, you make your way toward the other side of the ship, trying to calm yourself a bit in the process. Nothing seems to be out of the ordinary yet, but you can’t quite shake the imposing heaviness of dread that was now settling in your stomach. You silently will your feet to keep up their pace as you pass a few more crewmen heading for the turbolift behind you, both in security red. Are they going to the bridge? Maybe something’s happening up there....

Without warning, the Enterprise forcefully pitches to one side and you tumble into the wall, jamming your shoulder harshly. The hum of the warp engines intensifies over the cry of the red alert as they work overtime to compensate, and the rattling of the hull echoes around you. You try and continue your way down the hall but it’s increasingly difficult to fight against the force of an unbalanced ship. After a few seconds, you feel everything begin to steady back out and slowly take a breath, not realizing you’ve been holding it in this entire time.

You pass through the end of the hallway into the open deck that runs overtop the engineering room, connecting to the rest of the ship deck farther down. It has waist-high railings on either side, and you can see the Enterprises’ inner workings in a glance as your race across the deck, hearing frantic voices shouting out orders from down below. Suddenly, the ship is pitched to the side again and your eyes widen in panic as you lose your footing and slide towards the railing. The drop from this deck would be several stories high, something you have absolutely no intention of experiencing. You see a few other crewmates scramble in front of you to keep their balance as you all slide for the railing, but fortunately everyone manages to brace themselves against it, including you. The overhead lights flicker a few times, and the engines roar in your ears as they’re brought up to their full potential.

The ship slowly begins to steady out once again, and you loosen your death- grip on the railing at your side, cautiously starting to make your way back to the middle of the deck.

A deafening crack echoes down through the hall behind you and the ship abruptly heaves. This time, you are un- prepared and you tumble back towards the railing full force, the right side of your ribcage making full-on contact with the unyielding metal as your body tries to bend in half around it. You gasp out in pain as both your hands shoot out to clamp down on the rail, stopping yourself from being tossed clear over to the other side and down into the engineering room. Another crew member isn’t so lucky and you hear his anguished scream as his body is flung off the steep drop of the deck.

You’re breathing in and out in raspy gasps, panic spreading through your veins as you try to keep your hold. Your ribcage is screaming out at you from the blow to the railing and you slowly sink down to your knees, trying to catch the breath that was knocked out of you before. You feel your legs quiver in your boots and you try to steady yourself once again, rationally reminding your brain that you have to perform your duty and get to your emergency post. The ship has steadied for the moment, but you don’t trust it this time, giving it a few more seconds before you dare to stand back up. You claw yourself across the railing, pulling yourself upright, and you realize you’re in one of the most dangerous places on the ship right now. As long as you make it to the end of the deck and back into the hallway, you’ll be in way better shape than you are now.

You decide to make a dash for it and run as fast as you can down the deck, trying to push the anguished scream of the crewman out of your head. Your ribs burn daggers through your uniform as you run, and you wouldn’t be surprised if you’d fractured a few. An image of Dr. Mccoy flashes through your mind and you wipe it away as soon as it appears, not wanting to acknowledge your mounting fear for his safety.

The wail of the klaxon abruptly ceases, and the red flashing lights turn to ones of cautionary yellow. You halt your run as you enter the hallway, a huge sigh of relief escaping you as you lightly cover over your ribs with one hand, taking a moment to calm your breathing. We did it. We survived.

OOOOOOO

You had decided to wait until the night after the red alert to make your way up to medical, knowing that Mccoy and all the rest of the med staff would have their hands full of injured and critically wounded. The ship had come under a surprise attack and one of the upper decks had received some heavy damage, and there had been a few casualties. But you knew for certain that the CMO hadn’t been one of them, and for this you were relieved beyond words. As happy as you were that disaster had been averted, the nagging tenderness across the right side of your ribcage had only gotten worse as the day passed, and you could barely lift your arms above waist level while working your day shift at the lab. Now that your shift was over, you decided that it was time to seek out some proper medical attention.

You rode the turbolift up to medical, wincing as you reached out to indicate your desired floor on the touch panel. The doors slid open and you made your way gingerly into the brightly lit med bay, cupping a hand lightly across your ribs to help contain some of the discomfort. You saw that most of the med beds were currently occupied, with several nurses making their rounds, arms full of medical supplies. Some patients looked almost fit enough to jump up and walk out, while there were a few others with privacy curtains drawn carefully around their beds.

One of the nurses spotted you and immediately recognized the look of pain written across your features. She hurriedly guided you over to an examination room and drew the privacy curtain, sitting you down on the stiff exam table to give you a quick once-over. When she was satisfied that you weren’t in any immediate danger, she straightened up. “I’ll go get a doctor for you.”

You nod in thanks and she leaves, pulling the privacy curtain closed behind her. You wonder if you would be lucky enough to have Dr. Mccoy examine you, and feel a certain level of anxiety to think that it could be someone else. Sure, your mother had been a nurse, but that didn’t mean you were completely at ease when it came to your own medical visits. You were sure that all the doctors on the Enterprise were perfectly capable to handle your situation, but you knew none of them would do it with the care and understanding of the chief medical officer. You felt a small wave of panic swell in your gut and you swallowed it down, even though you could feel your nerves getting the best of you. Especially now, when your entire right side was throbbing incessantly, seemingly getting worse with each passing hour. You didn’t want to admit it, but you were starting to fear there was more extensive internal damage than you first thought. You pressed your left hand overtop the area again, hissing out from in between your teeth.

“No, no. It’s alright, I’ll see to her. You go take a break.” You hear a muffled voice from behind the curtain, and suddenly it’s pulled back roughly, revealing hazel eyes dark with intensity as he immediately starts to size up your condition.

“Dr. Mccoy,” you breathe out in relief.

He cocks up an eyebrow at you as he walks into the room, readying the medical equipment on the table beside the exam bed you’re perched on top of.

“That’s Leonard to you.” The hint of a smile traces over your lips as he picks up his tricorder and begins to pass it across your body slowly, and you feel the tension leave your shoulders.

“What happened here?” he askes curtly, attention focused on the readout of the tricorder.

“I fell into a metal railing during that alert yesterday. Right on top of my ribs....it’s been hurting pretty bad ever since.” You drop your hand away from your ribcage, wincing again as you accidentally twist your torso a fraction.

Your pained expression doesn’t escape his notice and he puts down the tricorder, stepping close in front of you. “Why didn’t you come up sooner?” His tone is accusatory and your gaze points down toward the white tiles of the exam room floor guiltily.

“Well, I figured you’d be pretty busy....I didn’t want to make anymore work for you. It wasn’t urgent....”

He shakes his head, and takes a small amount of antibacterial soap into his palm, rubbing it briskly into his hands. “I don’t care if half the medical bay is going up in flames, you come here if you’re hurt, you hear me?” The look in his eyes is stern, agitated that you let yourself go without proper care, and your heart rate accelerates.

You nod your head and his expression softens. “I just don’t want you to do anymore damage, is all. Lord knows we’ve got enough injured as it is.” He stands in front of you again, looking you in the eyes, assessing your condition.

“I want to get a good look at it now, mind if I lift this up?” He motions to your uniform and you nod wordlessly, bracing yourself for the pain that will inevitably follow. Before he touches your uniform, he places a light hand on your knee. “I’ll be as gentle as I can, I promise you.”

“I know.” You trust him completely, but still dread the thought of getting your ribs poked at.

He carefully rolls up the edge of your blue uniform, all the way up until it hits the underarm. You move your arm forward a bit so he can look around it, and you can see the large, swollen bruising feathered along your side in the reflection of the mirror beside you. It’s a deep purple with blue hues around the edges, and you could have sworn it wasn’t that big when you’d inspected it yesterday. You hear the doctor curse under his breath softly as he examines you.

“Really, darlin’. You waited much too long.” he gently scolds you as he hovers a hand just above the afflicted skin. “May I?”

You nod again, steeling yourself as he lightly places a hand over top of your ribs. He starts up high and you can tell he is applying gradual pressure with his fingers, trying to find any weakness in the bone. The pain is uncomfortable but bearable so far, and you lean in closer to him a bit as you close your eyes, trying to think of something else to get your mind off the throbbing. His chest is directly in front of you and you wish you could lean your head against it.

“How’s this?” he asks, starting to slowly move his hand down your ribcage one rib at a time. “Here?” “It’s okay,” you answer as you feel the pain starting to intensify again.

“Here?” His warm palm encircles your bruise, just above the very middle, his fingers playing at your side with measured pressure.

“Getting worse,” you mumble, wincing again. He moves down half an inch. "Here?”

“Ah!--” You bend forward and hiss out an exhale, your left hand darting up to hold onto the blue cloth of his uniform shirt.

“Sorry, sorry. It’s okay, sweetheart,” he soothes as his fingers nimbly dart across the tender area. “Just a bit more.”

Your fist balls up the cloth of his shirt as you grit your teeth, the pain searing across your right side like a bolt of lightning. Just as quick, his hand is gone and tugs your uniform back into place, looking down at you but not moving away.

“Looks like you got a few fractured ribs there. It’ll be painful for a while so you gotta take it easy.” His eyes are warm and re-assuring, and you feel the fire of your ribcage receding back to more acceptable levels. “I’ll try to do what I can with the regenerator but unfortunately it doesn’t have the best success rate when it comes to ribs. The easiest way for them to heal is still the old-fashioned way. Get plenty of rest.....and a “light duty only” order.” He sees your face fall a bit at that, knowing that most everyone aboard hated having limitations to their work duties. “And I want you to come see me every few days so I can make sure everything is healin’ like it should.”

You perk up a bit at that, and realize that you’re still holding the fabric of his uniform sleeve hostage in your fist. “Oh...I’m sorry,” you say as you slowly let go. He places a hand gently to your waist on your un-injured side and you look up at him with wide eyes.

“I’m not.” Faster than you can think, his head dips low and his lips find yours in a light kiss. You sink into his hold like melted butter, placing a hand on his chest as you kiss him back tenderly. Your eyes close and you take in the smell of him---a unique mix of coffee, medical sanitizer, and just a hint of cologne. Its an odd mixture but fits him perfectly and you sigh into his lips which are still pressing into yours.

Eventually you pull away for want of breathing, and your eyes lock, a lop-sided grin spreading across his face as he looks down at you. “Now Y/N, you don’t have to keep getting hurt just to see me.”

You chuckle up at him, shaking your head. “You have some ego on you, you know that?”

He squeezes your hip once and steps back, purposely ignoring your last comment with a glint of humor dancing in his eyes. “I’ll go get you some painkillers.”

You’re sitting in a stupor as he leaves, your mind racing so fast it’s practically blank. He re-appears in seconds, injecting you with a hypo carefully and giving you a small bottle of pills. “Take one twice a day and you’ll be feeling a whole lot better.”

You curl your fingers around the pill bottle, looking up at him with gratitude and more affection than you’ve ever felt for anyone. “Thank you....Leonard.”

He holds out a hand to help you off the exam table and you step down gingerly, wincing again but already feeling the positive effects of the hypo flow through you. “Now, let’s go give the regenerator a whirl there, darlin’. It should help you out a bit.”

Before you both step out of the exam room, he turns back to you and you stop, looking up at him in puzzlement. A warm hand finds your cheek, fingers splayed out under your ear and he kisses you again, except much deeper than the first time. Your mind is nothing but the streaking stars of space at warp speed as you return the kiss eagerly, enjoying the closeness you’ve ached for ever since you first saw him. His lips are tender but firm, making his feelings known to you in a way that makes your body crave the taste of him even more. After a long moment, you both pull away slowly, his hand still at the side of your face.

“That’s what I wanted to do ever since that damn red alert finished my thought for me.”

You smile up at him and he takes your hand, pulling open the curtain for you and gently guiding you back out into the med bay.

END

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