#her kyoto cover... insane

[aparticularbandit]

Okay but. Thinking more about Junk Co. having a magazine (I blame @princescar for this)—

The idea that every editor, every writer is a Junko.

Like - that's the brand. They're all Junko.

And you have Junko Enoshima, the head writer/editor/whatever she wants to call herself, and maybe Junko Matsuda (who no one can ever find because it's definitely not Yasuke), and maybe Junko...oh, I don't know, Junko Mioda to go into punk fashion.

Kind of like mods for groups are sometimes Mod [insert name here].

Or even the Junkos aren't named with their actual name but by their location - so Junko Enoshima, Junko Kamakura, Junko Tokyo, Junko Kyoto, Junko Yawata - all fashionistas to a certain extent, with particular fashion specifics.

Enoshima's the head because it's her company, but she's also the established authority on gyaru fashion, so it covers both of her Ultimate names.

But also means that everyone on campus would absolutely know that Junko Enoshima is not her real name, that it's just the name associated with her and her brand, even though she might never take that act off around any of them.

Also explains why Ryoko in particular would get so sequestered. Her classmates and friends understand that Enoshima wouldn't want them to know her true identity underneath everything, that even if she did, she wouldn't want them to find out this way, so they stay away out of respect for her insane amount of privacy regarding that.

Also would have the revelation of Mukuro being her twin sister as a BIG DEAL even early on because Enoshima never talks about her private life like that.

...this, however, does mean that the canon thh question of why Junko and Mukuro don't have the same last name no longer fits, so.

-shrugs-

[ikura-wa-ikura]

Full Day off In Kyoto

We started the day by walking over to our tour! Thomas thought it would take 20 minutes, but it was actually a 30 minute walk. We did it in 25. (Very proud of Meaghan and her still sore calves.)

We met the tour group outside of a FamilyMart at a train station nearby. There was an older Australian couple, a younger couple from LA (an Israeli guy and a Chinese woman) and then a young American-born Japanese kid from Mystic, Connecticut. We made a quick stop all together to have miso ice cream. It was good!

We hiked into the back of the temple and it was actually trickier than I would’ve expected. This is a theme with Japanese hikes I’m learning. I tried to hang back and help the older folks with the slick and steep parts. They’re 78 and it was definitely a little scary for them. The first stop was the old shrine. It was beautiful, moss-covered and full of fox statues. It is less visited because of the newer shrines at the top.

From there we visited a bamboo forest. It smelled of fish — apparently from the rotting of the new bamboo shoots. After that it was a hefty hike up to the gates themselves. We got to skip a lot of the tourists going this way! We saw shrines to many different Shinto deities and prayed at a few of them. The number of gates was insane. Most are donated by local companies as a thank you for the prosperity they’ve received. There are fox statues everywhere as they represent those specific gods. The foxes will hold specific things in their mouth- a scroll to represent wisdom and knowledge, a ball to bring your wishes to the gods, a key to bring benefits down from the gods to the people and a rice place to represent good harvest and business.

We walked up and down the ridge line visiting the different god’s shrines, and then climbed back down into town and the main temple area. It was pretty packed by the time we were done. Me and Meag immediately jetted out of there in an Uber because we wanted to make it to the Nishki fish market. We got there and it was a long covered hallway setup, like a lot of neat places in Japan.

We were both hungry so we stopped at the first stall. Big ole plate of that fat assed toro. Fuck me up with a little octopus with a quail egg brain on a stick. What’s next? Mother fucking EEL baby. Little beers.

After that we kept swimming up stream. Our next step was a little food hall area. Tempura shrimp & eel, eel on skewers, and a little horse sushi. All good. All groovy.

Next we stopped in a little shop and bought a few condiments. One was a nice furikake mix, another was a spicy miso, and then a chili paste. While Meag did that, I went and bought us little rice cake donuts with apples and nuts.

We loved this, and did a bit more wandering in the alley before calling it for nap time. Back at the hotel Meag sawed logs and I logged time in our outdoor bathtub. A tight hour later we were good to go! But go where? Anywhere.

We strolled one way. Nothing. We strolled another way: shrines. Temples. Towers! Cheese filled pastries in the shape of 10 yen coins. They have it all here folks. I tried to snap a photo of some ceramic wall titties and was accosted by the titty owner, and had to pay 100 yen copyright fee.

Having wandered a lot of alleys, we dipped into a beautiful little cocktail bar for a drink. I had a Japanese whisky. Meag had a shisho gin and tonic. My next round was their matcha old fashioned, but Meag stopped the show with the parmagiano gin mare. It had little peppers, drops of olive oil and cheese shaved right into it. So tasty!

Sadly we had to take off for dinner at this point, but dinner was a stunner in what had been a series of stunner dinners. Our first round was a wonderful sashimi. Then a seared eel and bonito. He seared it directly on a charcoal! That was cool. After that we had some amazing wagyu served on a hot ass brick.

We also had a little crab salad (don’t eat the leaf, I ate the leaf.) We also had the most amazing skewer of eel over rice with a raw egg. Not to be defeated by the end of our omakase I ordered an uni sandwich. So much uni! It fell out and Meag and I had to scramble to put it back in.

The chef was incredible! He suggested his favorite sake. He shared a bottle of sparkling sake with us for our anniversary (always lie when booking reservations, you never know what you’ll get!). It was great. He was so kind and his food was so good. The center of his kitchen was a charcoal grill with three stations. To our left, a steamer. It steamed plates, rice and fish! To the center: a super hot grill. There’d he’d top off charcoal, or heat… bricks. Then to the right was his multi-level grill. He’d move items up and down depending on their done-ness.

All and all it was great. Then we went home and realized I left my camera so we want back, said hi again, and then left for real! It was a really great way to spend our last night in Kyoto.

This morning we packed, we ate tiny hotdogs and egg sandwiches and hopped on the bullet train back to Tokyo. Tonight we hope to check out the Deaf owned izakaya, do another omakase and check out a bar we’ve been wanting to see.

[hieuthong]

Short Story 2

Flowertopia ‧₊��❀༉‧₊˚.

A few days ago, if you told Sayuri that she would be in some magical alternate universe where plants are 6 feet tall and can potentially eat her up, walking alongside a talking plant, she would have thought you’d gone insane.

***

It was a hectic day in ‘Flower Knows Florist’, it wasn’t just any day, it was the day of love — Valentine's Day. Sayuri has been non-stop preparing flower bouquets for her customers. Her hands were covered in plasters, bandages wrapped around her slim pale fingers. The red petals of the roses had left their mark, as tiny thorns had managed to find a way through her careful handling. Despite the pain, Sayuri continued to wrap the last bouquet of roses, her finger moving with practiced precision despite the discomfort.

A tall young man in his late twenties stepped into the shop, dressed in a white button-up shirt, hair neatly styled, and in a pair of black slacks — a sure sign of a planned romantic date night. Sayuri greeted him with a warm smile as she handed over the bouquet to him.

“Thank you so much, Sayuri-san,” he said.

As he was about to leave for his date, his eyes then caught sight of an unusual flower nicely placed outside of her store. “Where did find that flower outside your shop? It looks out of the world.”

Surprised, Sayuri peeked out from behind the counter at the unfamiliar flower.

“I’m not so sure myself, I have never seen this kind of flower before. Someone must have left it in front of my door.” She answered the gentleman. Curious, Sayuri walked closer to the plant, ultimately deciding to bring it inside and plant it herself. She was too tired to figure out who had left it at her doorstep and decided to leave it by the window.

***

The next morning, Sayuri was setting up her shop, she hummed softly to herself preparing for a busy day. The aromatic scent of the fresh flowers filled the air, and sunlight shined through the window, casting rays across the shop. As she went through her daily routine, she heard a faint voice coming from the window. Sayuri paused, her brows furrowing in confusion. She glanced over and nothing was there, thinking it was just her imagination, so she decided to carry on without a care. Again, she heard a voice coming from the window except this time she could hear full sentences.

“Ah It’s too hot here,” the voice said.

Sayuri froze, her heart racing with disbelief. Slowly, she approached the window, her movements hesitant yet curious.

“I SAID IT IS TOO HOT HERE, MOVE ME SOMEWHERE ELSE!” the voice demanded.

Surprised, Sayuri took a step back. Could it be possible? Could a plant truly be speaking to her? “I must be going insane” she murmured to herself, her voice trembling with uncertainty. “No way a plant just spoke to me.”

“No, you are not going insane.” The voice replied, “I’m in fact a talking plant or rather I’ve turned into one. Now can YOU PLEASE MOVE ME SOMEWHERE ELSE, IT’S REALLY DAMN HOT!”

Still shocked, Sayuri cautiously brought the talking plant to her countertop. “So you’re saying you got turned into a plant? And you were once a person?” Sayuri asked to make sure she wasn’t hallucinating.

“Yes,” The plant simply said. “But there's no time to waste I’ll explain to you later. I need you to water me right this instance or I’ll die or in this scenario, wilt”.

The plant explained to Sayuri that he was cursed. Before all this, he was a well-respected herbalist in Kyoto but because of his selfish intentions to steal an endangered plant — Sacred Sakura Bloom to benefit himself, he was cursed. It was said that if paired with the right herbs, the Sacred Sakura Bloom can give one immortality. The herbalist had planned to steal it, craft up a medicine, and make a profit from it. However, as he was about to, the protector of the Sacred Sakura Bloom had caught him red-handed. To punish him, the protector had cast a spell on him, turning him into a plant. They explained to him that to break this curse he has to find someone truly interested in the natural world, with no alter motives in using the knowledge gained to their own advantage.

“I don’t believe you,” Sayuri said.

“I can literally prove to you that what I said is true,” The herbalist said. “Take that voiletgrass there, crush it into small pieces, and brew it with some dandelion tea. I assure you, those scars on your hand will immediately heal itself.”

Sayuri was skeptical at first but followed through with the instruction anyway. She plucked out a few fresh voiletgrass from the brown ceramic pot and crushed them between her fingers. She then boiled a pot of hot water to brew her dandelion tea. She stirs the dandelion tea simultaneously adding the crushed petals in. The tea slowly turned from a brownish color to a purplish color. “How do I know you’re not trying to kill me with this?” Sayuri asked the plant.

“There’s no reason for me to do so. I don’t gain anything from you dying, in-fact I probably will be losing out if you die from this. Since I think you can help me,” the plant defends himself.

Sayuri looked down at the cup she was clasping tightly onto, debating whether she should risk drinking it or not. After giving a few more thoughts she decided to take a big sip. It tasted salty, definitely not what Sayuri had expected. Moments later the scars on her had magically disappeared.

“Believe me yet?” the plant asked Sayuri.

Still skeptical Sayuri silently nodded. “You mentioned earlier that you think I can help you.” She paused and looked at the plant. “What did you mean by that?”

“I was left specifically in front of your shop for a reason,” “And I think that you are the person who can help me undo this curse” the plant stated.

Sayuri stared blankly at the plant. “No. You’ve got the wrong person. There is no way. NO WAY. I’m helping you out”.

The plant expressed himself by curling down. “Let’s make a deal. I’ll teach you the secrets of the natural world and in return, you will help me break this curse” he bargained. Sayuri had always been interested in plants, thus why she decided to open up her own flower shop. She pondered on the offer, I could learn more about flowers, plus it could benefit my shop. After a moment of contemplation, Sayuri nodded. "Very well," she agreed, her voice steady with resolve. "I accept your offer.

***

Sayuri wrote a note on a piece of paper — ‘Closed for business, out of town for a few days’, she stuck the paper on her door and left.

Along the journey, Sayuri found out that the talking plant or herbalist was a young man in his mid-twenties named Ren. He guided Sayuri to a deserted place in Kyoto where they were met with a flight of stairs leading to a red torii gate covered in flowers and vines. The stone stairs of each step were covered with fallen petals of Sakura, painting a serene path. As they make their way up to the torii gate the surroundings appear to be gradually enveloped in a thickening haze as if they were on the verge of fading away into the mist. Pushing past the fog, Sayuri took a bow before entering the left side of the center path and walking through the torii gate. Passing through the gate, she felt a subtle shift in the atmosphere, revealing a realm beyond her wildest imagination. With each step, the landscape transformed into a colorful canvas swirling with shimmering energies, infused with magic that tingled along her skin. “Where are we?” Sayuri asked sounding mesmerized.

“We are in a different realm” Ren replied.

Sayuri said in a deadpanned tone, “Yeah I know Sherlock, I can clearly tell we’re in a different realm. Please elaborate more”. Ren internally rolled his eyes although it wasn’t visible to Sayuri since he was a plant.

“Geez… you don’t have to be so rude. You’re acting like I killed your mom or something,” Ren said in annoyance.

“Welcome to Flowertopia, grumpy”. Ren announced to Sayuri.

Sayuri was in awe of what she saw. She had never encountered anything that looked so straight out of a fairytale. Mushrooms were as big as buildings, flowers aglow with ethereal light, and what surprised her the most was the koi fish gracefully floating in the air, swimming swiftly in an upstream motion against an invisible current, with the water flowing in harmony.

Along the way, Ren told her the secrets that lie within this realm. Among the giant trees, flowers bloom in a way where it is unseen by mortal eyes, their petals imbued with the whispers of the wind and songs of the sky. Magic in this realm is intertwined with the core of nature's season. As the world transitioned from one to another, the magic within it shifts and adapts to the natural rhythms of the environment. Each season brings different flora and fauna containing different properties. Certain flowers may be tied to specific seasons, drawing their power from the energies that are most rich during that time.

“Snowdrops. Despite having the word snow in it they only bloom in spring”, Ren further explained, that flowers that bloom in spring are often associated with growth and renewal as spring represents new beginnings and transformations; it's a season that symbolizes starting fresh and starting over.

***

Sayuri and Ren hopped onto a wooden on the peaceful lake, surrounded by pretty lily pads. Beneath the boat, a shimmering shoal of fish swam around them as if they were leading them to a place. While Sayuri rowed, Ren shared more stories about the realm. She found out that this place was once open to the citizens of Japan to visit. However, people started exploiting the special plants here for their personal gain. So, to prevent it from happening the fairy guardian of this realm sealed it off and allowed entry to only those who possess the purity of spirit and boundless energy.

The shoal of fish guided them to what seemed to be an abandoned onsen. They got off the boat to take a closer look at what it was, the dried maple leaves on the ground rustled as Sayuri stepped onto them. Ren had told Sayuri that things may not seem like what they are in this realm and that a small innocent fern leaf could potentially end her life right then and there. Fearing she might make the wrong move, Sayuri cautiously made her way to the onsen. Flat stones laid unevenly around the onsen. “Hey, grumpy look-”, Ren was cut off by Sayuri.

“Call me that one more time and I will not hesitate to drown you in the onsen” she threatened.

“Okay, my apologies, missy. Look over there, there's something written on the stones” Ren pointed out. “If one dares to steal the Sacred Sakura Bloom, they shall bear the weight of the curse. To lift it, one must immerse oneself in the onsen and seek redemption.” Sayuri read the writings carved onto the stone out loud.

“Looks like I have to drown you after all” Sayuri jokingly said to Ren.

Sayuri gracefully immersed herself into the onsen, deep enough for it to examine Ren’s soul. Sayuri felt a clear shift in the air, dark clouds surrounding them, tones echoing through the steam-filled air. It spoke not in words but in a language of the soul, examining the very essence of Ren's being. It was as though the waters themselves became a mirror, reflecting the purity or taint of his spirit. Every ripple, every whisper of the currents, whispered secrets only the onsen could decipher, determining whether his soul was untainted or burdened with the weight of wrongdoing.

***

Years passed by swiftly, it had been 5 years since Sayuri helped Ren break his curse. Sayuri would often visit Flowertopia to take things off her mind whenever she was met with a dilemma. Although Sayuri would not admit it, she secretly hoped she would bump into Ren whenever she was there. Maybe luck was never on her side because never once in the past 5 years she had met Ren. Sayuri often wondered how his life had been since the curse had been broken. They had parted ways ever since the day he turned back into a human.

As the sun sets, a warm orange light shines across the ‘Flower Knows Florist’, as Sayuri prepares to close up her shop for the day. With her back facing the door, Sayuri swept the floors, the swish of the broom echoing softly in the quiet space. Just as she was about to lock up, the shop door creaked open behind her. Without looking up Sayuri said to the unexpected customer, “Sorry, we are closed for business at this hour”. Who could be seeking entry at this late hour, and what might they want? Sayuri thought to herself. The customer did not leave despite Sayuri announcing that she was closing.

Annoyance prickled at Sayuri's nerves. She just wanted to finish up and retreat to the quiet comfort of her home. “Sir, I said we’re closed for the day. Can you come back another time, perhaps tomorrow?” she pressed, her patience waning.

“Still as easily as annoyed as 5 years ago huh”. The mysterious man said.

Sayuri instantly recognized that voice, it was Ren. She spun around and there stood Ren, covered in a black hoodie, a mischievous glint in his eyes as he teased her. “Ren!” Sayuri exclaimed, a genuine smile lighting up her face.

“This has got to be the happiest I’ve ever seen you. How have you been grumpy”.

***

[chuluoyi]

UNHOLY MATRIMONY — 01

✩°｡ ⋆ to be wed

- fushiguro megumi x oc/reader - oc/reader's character name is hara sena, pronouns still refer to “you” and i won’t mention it often—just for the sake of aesthetic rather than repeatedly writing "y/n"

in another life, in which fate is still screwing his life over, Fushiguro Megumi finds himself in an arranged marriage―with you.

genre/warnings: arranged marriage au, family drama, angst to eventual fluff in later chapters, slight profanity (hopefully)

notes: in case you are wondering―no. this isn't a love triangle between you, megumi and naoya. naoya is an antagonist side piece to make this story spicier.

series masterlist | next. unholy matrimony

Megumi had known it all along, that sooner or later, his checkered past would come back to bite him.

When Gojo told him that the Zen’in had called to make him reclaim his birthright, he was at a loss for words. And when he further explained that to stake his claim he had to make his standing clear and strong by marrying a girl he barely knew, he was angry.

"I don't want a place in that Zen'in hell. Forget it, you're making no sense."

"Megumi," Gojo started, crossing his arms and looking at him with a meaningful smirk and Megumi so badly wanted to wipe it off his sensei's face. "It's yours by right. All those things you've endured until now? It's for this precise moment. They covet your Ten Shadows Technique, and so you already have an advantage against Naoya. You have the chance to save your sister, Maki and Mai from that hell."

He shot him an irritated look. "I like my current life now, why would I go back there? And how do I save Tsumiki by fighting over inheritance against Zen'in Naoya? Are you right in the head, Gojo-sensei?"

"When you have a clan as prominent as Zen'in at your disposal, you can find an easier way to break her curse," his teacher said, visibly proud with his suggestion. "And that's why I'm telling you―the Hara girl is your key for that. Naoya wants to marry her, but if you do it first, then everything is yours for the taking."

Megumi recognized you as the girl from Kyoto Jujutsu High in his school days. He remembered seeing you during the goodwill event, and the only lasting impression he had of you was that you managed to befriend Inumaki, even though he just babbled a bunch of random onigiri ingredients.

Aside from that, he knew too little about you to draw a conclusion on anything.

"Don't you want to save Tsumiki?" Gojo was playing with his weakness, and Megumi knew it. He was trying to get him to do this insane bidding, but found himself unable to reject him outright the second time.

Did he want his birthright? No. Of course not. Megumi had enough of shit in his life already, and he was content with the way things were now.

But to save Tsumiki?

Apparently he was crazy enough to go with this.

And that was how he found himself walking by the temples in the Zen’in compound with you.

“Do you despise this arrangement?” you asked him warily, trying to gauge his emotions at all, because ever since the talk inside he had been nothing but a straight face. Even faced with Naoya’s boiling fury, he merely kept his silence. Now only Gojo stayed inside to broker the agreement with the Zen’in for your hand in this marriage with him instead of Naoya.

He stopped walking, and paused a moment to look at you, before sighing. “Would it make a difference if I was?”

“I suppose not.” You looked away, suddenly feeling guilty. He didn’t know that you have forced Gojo’s hand, and for a long time, you certainly didn’t want him to know. Your cover story was your clan wanted you to be betrothed to the Zen’in who inherits their signature fatal technique. “But you’re still human, and have feelings. You must feel something right now, like resentment towards me.”

Megumi scoffed. He had learned from a long time ago that people didn’t care about his feelings, or about him as a person at all.

“Hating you doesn’t make it any better for both of us, does it?” his gaze remained impassive.

If he was already this prickly, what would he do when the truth did come out? You swallowed your worry though, and put on your brave face.

“I know you don’t want this. Neither do I. But I think it’ll do us better if we can get to know each other first.”

“Right now?” he looked at you incredulously, having the expression of someone whose patience was being tested. “What more do I have to know? You’re Hara Sena. You went to Kyoto High, we were in the same year. And Naoya seems to have some sort of obsession with you by the way he keeps glaring at me for this.”

You widened your eyes at the blatant refusal. “Fushiguro Megumi, you’re as unfriendly as everyone says,” you retorted, now vexed at his biting tone. “You certainly live up to your reputation.”

“I know.”

For the first time after meeting him today, Megumi's mouth twisted into a genuine smirk. A chuckle escaped him as he looked at the boring lengths of the trees around him.

"How did you live all this time without Zen'in clan's intervention?" you cut through the awkward silence beside him.

"Why do you care about how I grew up?"

"Nothing, just curious is all. You are to be my husband and we must at least be on talking terms."

He let out a groan. "You're really going to be this way the whole time, won't you?"

"Come on, answer the question. I'll answer too if you ask me next."

Megumi paused on his tracks, arms on his hips. "Gojo-sensei took care of everything. You've heard how the story goes―that's all there's to it. I owe him my life." He tilted his head to the side, his hands now deep into his pockets. "What about you? What drove you into this?"

You held back a smile. "You might hear it already, my father's principal wife isn't my biological mother. I'm a product of my father's affair. Now I'm plucked as a chess piece to marry into the Zen'in to do my duty as a daughter. We're not so different, aren't we?"

"Yeah, we're just alike..." he mumbled to himself with a heavy tone, continuing the walk. "But then you wouldn't know. I'm not some mistake that got kicked around. There was a purpose behind my upbringing. Gojo-sensei didn't take me in for free."

"Hah," you barked a satire laugh. The nerve of him. "A mistake, huh? True enough."

He side-eyed you, so you elaborated further. You were not above being petty too. "No, I mean I'm the mistake. But you have a grander purpose―that is to serve the purpose of the Zen'in, whatever it is."

Megumi rolled his eyes. He was irritated, but not just because of your snide remark. "Can't have me dying without an heir, apparently," he said dryly, but then his expression changed again to one of disgust. "This whole thing is gross, you know? Us being wed just for a cursed technique. Or filial piety. A bunch of bullshit."

"That's one thing we can agree on," you shrugged, now clearly amused. Hey, maybe a life with him won't be so bad after all. He's quite sarcastic and relatable.

Megumi grunted, and both of you walked in silence for a while. His pace had slowed down a bit and when he spoke, his voice came out softer. "So, you seem pretty level-headed with all of this, and you seem eager to get to know me, why? Not that I'm totally opposed to it, but it's not like we're going to become bosom friends or anything."

You threw him a look. "I'm telling you―I don't want a marriage in which we yell everyday. I don't expect us to fall in love or anything, but the least we can do is become friends, don't you think?"

"Friends?" Megumi wondered out loud. He thought over what you said for a few moments. "Ah, I get it. If you married Zen'in Naoya, you'd spend the rest of your life miserable," he concluded with a click of his tongue. "I am the lesser of two evils, that's why you're fine with this."

"More or less, yes." You shifted your gaze from him to the gardens. "Glad to know you caught on that quick."

"So that's that. And you're right about one thing... we can't just yell at each other every day." He paused for a moment for a dramatic effect and then he chuckled. You were quite scheming, changing sides the moment he was called back into the Zen'in, he thought. "Yeah, now I can see why Naoya was so cranky. You have a way to annoy people," he joked.

"I'm not! I'll have you know I'm quite prim and proper."

"Really? You sure don't come off like that."

You whipped your head at him, halting your steps. Okay, now it's on. You're going to take him with you whether he likes it or not. To hell with what you did behind his back. "Well, you will, dear husband."

You almost let out a snicker when he froze at your usage of that endearment. Oh, so he gets shy easily.

His grip on the fabric of his pockets tightened. "Don't you call me that."

"Why? You are, though."

"I'm not your dear anything!" Megumi snapped, his voice becoming harsher. "I'm forced to enter this shit of a marriage and nothing more."

"Are you blushing?"

He froze again and this time you really laughed at his face.

How could he be blushing right now? Why? He tried to deny it but his face felt hot. "No... I'm not."

"Ahh, so you're that type... Well noted, dear," you winked, and Megumi swore your bright face did something to his insides that made his heart beat a tad bit faster. "I'll make sure to express myself often so you won't have to."

He turned his face away, effectively embarrassed. You were getting on his nerves. "I hate it when you say that."

You literally beamed, peering at him. "No, no. You'll come to find it tolerable."

He frowned. This girl... no one would've expected that you were caught in an unwanted arranged marriage with how freewheeling you seemed. And all in all, you still resembled the happy girl in his memories who tried to make a conversation with Inumaki some years ago. If all he had to do to save Tsumiki was marrying you, then he supposed it wasn't a bad deal after all.

Megumi muttered something under his breath, grumbling to himself.

"...yeah, maybe. We'll see."

"You damnable woman..." Naoya hissed under his breath. His hands clenched as blood seeped between them.

He was a step behind! He could've lost his status as the heir! All because that Gojo Satoru and his very presence insisted that he'd be the sponsor for that washed up bastard Fushiguro!

And that scheming Hara wench... Even you wriggled your way out of his grasp. What sort of ridiculous notion was this? How could he let his pride be stomped twice over the course of one day?

All his life, Naoya was led to believe that he was groomed to be the head of the clan. He was praised, cherished and deemed as the most promising. Everyone else was like ants he could stomp all over. He was born to rule over them.

And he still believed that until now, even as his inheritance was slipping away from his grasp.

He stared at the dead body of a servant girl who just got him his tea with a blank look, and raised his chin up. Undiluted hatred shone right through it.

No one gets away after scratching his back. Maybe Gojo Satoru can, but certainly not a girl from an insignificant clan or a bastard who tried to usurp his place.

Starting from Hara Sena, he thought with a snarl. You might've gotten away from your marriage with him, but he wouldn't let you go so easily. He'd make your life so hellish even when you were not with him.

And then, Fushiguro Megumi. He already had plans for him right from the moment the clan elders showed approval for his claim. He had plotted a way to get rid of him.

A sneer cut through his lips as he kicked the mangled corpse away. "Heh."

next : unholy matrimony

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[ekaterinatepes]

Nothing but the Best

Author’s Note: Thank you so much everyone. Please know my tag list is open so if you would like to be added message me!

Warning: 21+ only! NSFW material (for smut and language) Minors DNI!

Series Master List

III.

/Flashback/

Moans and whispers filled the room, the sound of skin slapping rhythmically echoed against the pristine white walls of the master bedroom in the Gojo residence.

Sharing a deep and passionate kiss in the middle of their primal dance the strongest jujutsu sorcerer took his wife over and over, hands roaming over the fevered expanse of her sweet S/C skin clashing against his pale one. Satoru held her hips tightly, long digits digging painfully on the tender flesh leaving imprints of his hands on their wake, all the while ramming his big cock violently against her cervix with each deep thrust. The woman underneath his body was screaming incoherently as he pummelled her sweet spot into submission.

Using his six eyes Satoru committed to memory every single detail of his wife; from her soft S/C skin covered in sweat, littered in the marks he left on her; to her head, thrown back against the bed, messy locks spread around her like fiery halo. Her bruised and plump lips screaming for release, chanting his name like a mantra, her perky breasts sporting his marks and of course her juicy and tight little cunt wrapping tighter and tighter around his erection every-time he thrusted back in.

Fuck…. She was a goddess. An otherworldly being created for his pleasure. Only for him to adore and worship like the divine deity she was in his eyes.

Throwing her legs over his shoulders he deepened and changed the angle of his penetrations in order to completely drive her insane. Her breath caught in her throat when she threw her head back, her e/c rolling in the back as he fucked her harder than before “come for me princess” he whispered with a smirk, proud to be the only man able to cause this much pleasure in his wife. “Come around my cock and milk all of my cum doll” groaning he changed the tempo, this time slower but more forceful “I’m gonna fill you up with my cum baby and you are gonna love it” smirking he continued moving until her back arched almost off her bed when she came around him. Not holding back any longer Satoru rocked his hips faster, chasing his own release. A few minutes afterwards he came, releasing all of his seed inside her “well… I sure hope I put a baby in you” he added chuckling and kissing her lips.

She felt sick at his words and yet she allowed him to kiss her and waited until he removed himself from her; she couldn’t act harsh or he would suspect something was going on. Once Satoru rolled over on his side the h/c woman got off the bed and walked into the bathroom. Her husband arched a brow seeing Y/N almost jump off the bed. The shower running on the other side told him she was cleaning herself and normally this would be fine but… Y/N knew how much he loved it when she remained in bed in his arms as his cum leaked from her abused pussy. This was… strange but he didn’t think any of it so he just ignored it and rolled over to sleep. (He should have seen the signs right in front of him). The woman on the other side of the door stood under the warm stream of water running over her body, soothing her aching muscles. Grabbing her rose scented shower gel she scrubbed her body throughly, maybe too harshly. As if she wanted to erase any trace of ‘him’ from her being. Tears fell and mixed with water as they poured down the drain.

She… hated him…

Y/N knew he had been with his mistress today, before he came come to her. He spent the entire day with a jujutsu sorceress by the name of Sookie according to Detective Shinomori. She was a ‘colleague’ from Kyoto Tech who recently moved to Tokyo.

She felt stupid, how could she ever have thought Satoru would ‘settle’ for someone like her… normal, not remarkable… a powerless, magic-less human. A foreign girl who moved to Tokyo to dance ballet of all things. Resting her forehead against the cold shower tile she forced herself to suppress a sob and collect herself.

Self hatred was the only thing that filled her mind; she hated herself for caving into him every time he came back home and looked at her with those fucking gorgeous blue eyes she fell in love with so long ago. She hated how her self respect was tossed into the garbage when he told her he loved her. But she hated her body the most, it betrayed her when he touched her, reacting on instinct to his every whim as compliant as ever. She felt… dirty, used.

Half an hour after finishing her shower she finally built the courage to walk out of the bathroom to find her husband already asleep “Bastard…” whispered knowing he wouldn’t hear her, watching his sleeping form on the bed. Unable to stomach laying down next to him she went to the living room where she opened a bottle of Dom Perignon and drank herself to sleep while watching tv.

-

Y/N planned all of this… how long had she been planning to leave him!? More so… how was she able to hide she was planning this!? How could she hide it…from him?! He should have seen it coming a mile ahead! He never suspected his wife would just up and leave without a fight! Without a word! Without a letter! Something! Anything! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!

And now, standing before Suguru who regarded him with contempt he knew he helped her run away “why did you do it? Is it because you still wanna fuck my wife?” Asked in a cold but deathly tone. But Geto was not even bothered by it “I am not the one who slept around, cheated on my wife and knocked up some fuck buddy” retorted in an annoyingly serene tone. Satoru lost his shit in that moment. Charging at his best friend he grabbed Suguru from the neck of his shirt “shut the fuck up! You don’t know anything!” Growled a few inches from his face. “What don’t I know?! That you are a fucking coward and screwed over the only woman who has ever loved you?” Geto yelled back, tired of the hypocrisy.

Shaking his best friend Satoru snapped “don’t fucking talk about my wife! You don’t fucking know anything!”. “Really? And was she your wife too while you fucked Sookie?” Gojo punched Geto on the face making him fall on the carpeted floor. The raven haired sorcerer chuckled from his position, wiping the corner of his bloodied and broken lip. “You are fucked… you lost her… This! Is on you! You can try and beat me all you like. Fuck! You can kill me if you want to! But that won’t change the fact that you did this to yourself.”

Horrified with what he had done Satoru took a few steps back “Suguru…” he was never one to apologize and he wasn’t about to start right now so instead swallowing hard he added “I want to fix it… I want to fix this!” Despair and fear peaked through the statement.

Geto stood up and looked into Gojo’s eyes “there is nothing you can do anymore Satoru. Go take care of your kid and leave her alone! She doesn’t deserve this…” the sadness layered with anger in his tone let Satoru know that he wasn’t going to help him find his wife. But honestly, he didn’t deserve any help either.

Without another word he left the apartment not knowing where to start looking. He just couldn’t lose her! She… she belonged by his side, she was the one and only Mrs. Gojo, the owner of his wicked heart. Guilt started seeping through the cracks of his wounded ego.

His phone wet off, he grabbed it and saw a text from Sookie asking him if they could see each other tonight. But he didn’t want to see anyone other than his wife so he ignored her. He had much more pressing and important problems to deal with.

————> Chapter 4

Tags: @Sleepyamaya, @Cloudsinthecosmos, @Jxvajxy, @satoruhooraaa, @my-reality-is-in-my-head

[limitlessgojo]

Blood Bound: Blackened Bond (Ch 19)

Warnings: Action, Coarse Language, Fighting, Graphic Depictions of Blood and Violence, Death, Gore, Japanese Mythical Folklore, No Major Character Death, Slight Horror, War

Previous Chapter: 百鬼夜行 - Hyakki Yakou

Next Chapter: Home with My Heart

Word Count: 3.96k 3.97k ish like rounds up to 4K

Tags: Kamo Noritoshi x Reader, Soulmates AU, Angst, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Fem!Reader

Notes: If you want to be tagged for every update, and specify if you're okay with NSFW posts or not, please mention it in the comments below ty ❤

Extra notes: Long. I suggest rereading the last chapter if you need a refresher. This is like more than twice the length of my first chapter lol.

Chapter 19: Stay With Me

You remain silent.

"No answer, hmm??" The Kitsune grinned. But deep inside she was pissed. Another technique of hers lies in knowing who you'd prefer to save and manipulating you into hesitating so that you’d lower your guard down.

You are the largest threat to them here in Kyoto after all. But you didn't trust so easily. Especially the words of a Special Grade curse who obviously has something planned.

You carefully took in a deep breath. And in less than a split second, you turned and ran towards Noritoshi, with one hand pointing behind you towards your cousin.

Your barrier activated around Hiroki while you moved to position yourself in front of Noritoshi. You whipped out your blades, ready to parry her thorns.

As soon as your feet moved from position, the magic circles flared and activated their sequence. 

Both boys realized what happened after a few seconds, the Kitsune's attack and your movements were too fast for them to follow.

She had launched her thorns in your direction. You tried to block as much of them as you could, but some got through your openings.

There were too many, and it was much faster than you expected. It was hard, not fighting with a guard around you.

You numbly stared down at your open wounds, feeling the pain in a distant manner. She had cleanly pierced through your ribs. While her other large set of thorns had bounced off your barrier, protecting your cousin.

The magic circles beneath both boys disappeared, as did your warp around Hiroki.

“Y/N!!” Noritoshi stared in horror. Your back was still to him, but he could see the protruding blood-stained thorns. Time slowed down as blood gushed from your lips. 

He catches you as you fall towards the ground. An insane heat spreads throughout your body. Something was very wrong. 

She laughed maniacally at the scene unfolding before her. "Jujutsu Sorcerers are so weak. So easy! You all crumple at the sight of your most beloved ones in danger." 

It's scary isn't it? Putting your life on the line for your comrades. Will you die today? 

The Kitsune launches an attack at the both of you, but Hiroki quickly steps and defends against her. She is forced further back as Mechamaru shoots out a laser beam from a distance.

You were trying to use your reverse cursed technique, with no avail. Your hands and legs can't move. It's a temporary paralysis. So you couldn't pull out the thorns and then heal your wounds.

"Love! Talk to me! What's wrong?"

You couldn't even answer him or move your mouth. Blood continued seeping out of your wounds.

You slumped as Noritoshi gathered you in his arms. How unlucky. There were barely any curses anymore and yet this had to happen. But you had no regrets. 

You looked up at Noritoshi with so much love in your eyes. But his own were filled with agony, screaming at you to hold on while blood was pouring down the side of your mouth.

Tears streamed down your face. You were happy, because you had the power to save the ones you love this time. 

But you really wanted to grow old with Noritoshi. See the wrinkles line his face. Experience everything with him. You'd take him back in a heartbeat and tell him that he owned you and your heart since the day you met. That you loved him even when you thought he put on a farce to be with you.

Even if he were to love or be with another woman. Even if it pained you to think of him as a distant person in your life, being by his side was the happiest you've felt in your entire life. 

He pressed his lips against yours, trying to give you more air. His hands trembling against the thorns embedded inside of you. Your blood was spilling everywhere, and he didn't want to look down to see his hands covered in red.

'There's so much blood,' he thought to himself, panicking. It was staining both of your clothes, dripping onto the pavement.

"Your reverse cursed technique! Use it!" He yelled hoarsely. In smooth movements, he ripped out the thorns one by one and applied pressure onto your wounds.

His heart plummeted as nothing happened. But he didn't lose faith. If you were paralysed, it was up to him to save your life.

Noritoshi did some quick thinking, remembering the content in the Gojo family records of Soulmates. He bit his thumb and forced his blood into your mouth. 

"Drink my love, please drink it." Turns out you didn't have to do much. The blood hit your tongue, and he activated his technique on your blood. 

Usually this would be impossible. Blood Manipulation only works on the user's own blood, but the power of soulmates isn't one to be taken lightly.

He read through your vitals, RBC (red blood cell), platelet, and WBC (white blood cell) count, and saw the rising blood pressure and temperature. He did his best to stabilize your vitals.

It worked. Your head cleared, and even while paralysed, you quickly managed to seal your wounds. You continued activating your reverse cursed technique, not stopping for a moment.

If it was any minute longer, you would have died. But Noritoshi worked way too fast out of desperation to keep you alive. 

"Stay with me, angel. Good, your wounds are finally sealing." He leaned down and continued applying pressure onto the open punctures.

He continued to scan and manage your blood pressure, and found something. It was a foreign substance in your blood. Something like a black tar, attacking your insides and messing with your nervous system. Alongside with it was a poison slowly seeping through your blood.

"What on earth is that? Is that the technique of the Kitsune?" He furrowed his eyebrows. 

But with complete hold over your blood, he was able to manipulate it into leaving your body by going outside one of your wounds.

It was so painful, more tears fell down the sides of your face, while you were still in paralysis. 

"This will end soon, I promise. Hold on."

Noritoshi blocks out everything else. Completely ignoring Todo and Mechamaru who are facing the fox behind him.

As soon as the black substance was out, you finally could move, trembling and heaving out more blood. 

"No, calm down. Calm down! Y/N!" He pressed you back down onto his lap as you tried to sit upright. “Love, please!”

Hiroki was fighting the Kitsune with tears running down his face, screaming bloody murder as he striked and aimed at it. 

It seems as though the magic circles require a ton of cursed energy. The Kitsune doesn't seem to be activating them anymore. She was now on the defensive, not having expected reinforcements. Still, it was clear she overpowers them all.

A red symbol appeared on your right eye, a cross identical to Noritoshi’s red flowing scale mark. You bent over to the side and started puking out a blue substance mixed with your blood. Moving to kneel down on all fours, while Noritoshi held you. 

“Get it all out, love, faster.” He was frantic like he’d never been before. Pressing a palm against your neck and forcing you to remove this new poison right away. 

An alarming amount of blood came out of you and pooled on the concrete. Even though he knew you needed to force it out of your system, you were still losing blood fast, and it wasn’t good. Your skin slowly turns into a sickly pale shade.

Thank goodness for Noritoshi, who could help push out the poison with brute force. If you were stuck with anyone else, you'd be dead right now.

As soon as the poison is completely out, he pulls you up and away from the bubbling blue liquid on the ground. “Close your wounds. That’s enough. Anymore and you’ll lose too much blood.”

The mark on your eye disappears.

Noritoshi cradles you in his arms. Both of you were drenched in blood, the blood of the enemy and your own, but he didn't care as he held you close. 

“Steady darling. Stay steady. You’re okay. You’re with me.” Tears continuously fell from his eyes. You tried to reach up, wanting to comfort him, but your arms could barely move. 'Don't cry Toshi. Please don't' You thought.

"I love you, please don't leave me alone. I can't live without you." He choked. With one hand on your wounds, Noritoshi did his best to ensure you didn’t lose any more blood. He tried to make it stay within your system, circulating properly.

You looked up at him with blood and tears running down your face. 'I love you too, Noritoshi, it's always been you. It has to be you,' you thought out loud. 

You took deep breaths, grunting at the pain. The pounding headache you’ve had for a while slowly started to clear. You were now able to completely seal your wounds, trying to do it carefully to prevent scarring. 

Noritoshi placed a hand over yours as you healed yourself. You turned to look at the Kitsune that was preoccupied with other sorcerers. They were going to die at this rate.

You feel light-headed and your eyes keep fluttering. It was hard to stay conscious at this point. Noritoshi slowly lifted your hand to kiss your knuckles ever so softly. “Stay with me, my heart.”

You will. If it was the last thing you’d do, you’d do anything to stay with him.

The reverse cursed technique activated and the wounds sealed tight and clean.

“I think I’m good now..." You tried to sit upright, breathing heavily. He worriedly looked over at you.

"You saved me, so I now owe you my life. Not that it's never been yours in the first place. Thank you for that Toshi," You heaved yourself up to stand, spitting out another mouthful of blood onto the ground.

“You saved MY life, darling. And what do you think you’re doing? You’re still hurt. Let’s bring you to the clinic. Come.” He beckoned you there.

"I didn't lose THAT much blood. It just looks really bad. Maybe a pint or two at most. I'll manage."

"No, you stay back. You need rest." He tried to push you to the direction of the clinic but you held fast.

Noritoshi stared into your eyes. They reflected the light of the fires behind him, making them look like glowing orbs of flame. You were his Phoenix, he realized. And he was utterly entranced by your charisma.

"I can still fight."

You knew your limits well, having trained all your life for a situation like this. Even now, your reverse cursed technique was activated in the background, simultaneously with your combat techniques.

Now that all the poison was out of your system, you only had to worry about the physical injuries.

"I don't want to lose you," Noritoshi whispered, broken.

"You won't. Because I'm much stronger than this, I promise you." You grabbed his wrist, "So stay with me. You said that just now right? I’ll stay with you, I promise."

“I can’t ever keep you down, can’t I?” He bitterly smiles to himself as he presses his forehead against yours. Eyes filled with pain, because he knew you were right. Jujutsu sorcerers always fight to surpass their limits.

“No, you can’t. But you already knew that since before, didn’t you? After all, you’re the same as I am.”

Noritoshi couldn't do anything else, but to kiss you. You returned it with just as much passion. It tasted of dirt and blood, but to both of you, it was like a breath of fresh air.

Both of your red strings slowly crept out into the open, invisible to everyone else except the two of you. The broken ropes reattached and you felt your mark burn for the first time in weeks.

But there was no time to celebrate.

"I've got this bitch to kill. Just watch the other curses in the area. I've got her." 

He let out the biggest sigh you’ve ever heard. “Okay. I’ll be right here. Cleaning up the rest. Right behind you.”

Your eyes zeroed in on the Kitsune who turned to you, shocked that you had survived her poison.

She quickly pushed out another palm with the same insignia flashing in blood red. But you were faster, moving past Noritoshi's arms and in an instant, shoving both of your blades into her gut.

“Get back!” You yelled to everyone else. There was a reason as to why you were most effective when you did your missions alone. 

She tried to pull away. Flames suddenly engulfed the both of you. But it didn't matter, because you've got a hold on her.

You didn't hesitate to choke her and wrap your legs around her waist.

"Fucking bitch," You spat out.

Her eyes flashed a brighter gold and the flames surrounding the both of you went even hotter. Burning the lamp posts and pavement in the vicinity. The ground warped and started flowing a bright red.

Noritoshi was forced back from the insane heat. The other curses and poor unprepared Jujutsu sorcerers closer to the both of you burst into flame and disintegrated. 

You couldn't see anything at all. Just the Kitsune, and a wall of fire. You thought about the damages distantly, and automatically used your technique to fly high up in the sky with her still in your chokehold.

"We curses deserve to rule this land. Just as we did thousands of years ago during the Heian period. What makes you think you're any better than us? You pathetic Jujutsu sorcerers are slowly dying out while ignorant weak humans stay protected by their ignorance. What are you doing this for?" She hissed.

"I don't care about any of you curses," your throat closed up, anger rising at the thought of innocent sorcerers dying in the middle of combat.

"You could join us and be stronger!" She pleaded.

Fury was evident on your face. You gripped her throat tighter, your fingers wrapped in your spacial barrier to prevent you from her fire. 

"Or you can shut up and die right here." You snarled.

The Kitsune saw that you were going for it. She raised her hand and the flames turned blue. If you weren’t fast enough you’d melt. This flame was far more than what you were used to handling.

What is stronger? Flame or ice?

You set Niflheim to the lowest setting you could.

"Absolute Zero."

Immediately the flames extinguished and turned to cold smoke. Ashes and steam billowed in the air, making it hard for anybody to see anything.

The Kitsune under you screamed as she slowly froze over. But she was still moving. Not enough?

You released your technique and the both of you did a free fall from the sky. 

You took a leaf out of Satoru’s book and slammed her down hard on the pavement, simultaneously releasing Goldenrod with a proper activation at over 3000 volts. You've been perfecting this attack with Hiroki for weeks. 

A loud crack of thunder with a flash of lightning shot out of your hands, incinerating her on the spot. Not a trace left as the curse disappeared into black smoke. The remnants of her final screams echoed in your ears.

You placed your palm against the still hot pavement and activated Niflheim to cool things down within the area. Steam fizzed out as the flames were put out.

You crouched down low on the ground to catch your breath, those last two attacks took a lot out of you and you were running low on cursed energy.

You have a lot. But it wasn't unlimited, unlike how Satoru could regulate his to an insane extent. Even now, you can feel some pain in your chest and try to heal yourself further. 

You felt omnipotent. There's no other way to describe it. You say you hate fighting, but the rush of defeating a powerful opponent is like no other. 

This side of you that enjoys beating down curses is rising, you couldn't stop smiling. But you felt a soft hand bring you slowly back down to earth. 

"Darling?" 

You looked up at him, still grinning. Ignoring the blood running down one side of your face.

"Darling."

Ah. That steady presence. The beautiful person whom you live for.

"My love, let's clear up the remaining curses. Celebrate later."

"Mmmm." You smiled at him, feeling yourself come back down.

You squeezed his hand. Noritoshi could feel your elation. It was almost electric. That ego rising up too high. Pride.

He didn't mind seeing you like this, but you tended to get overconfident in battle sometimes. Not that you didn't have any good reason not to be. This side of you was very much Gojo Satoru like, he thought to himself. 

You helped clean up the remaining curses. Not much stronger ones were left. Noritoshi watched every movement of yours, staying right beside you to support you. 

You staggered after seeing that your areas were clear. Noritoshi quickly wraps his arms around you, “You’re coming with me to the clinic. And I am not accepting any answer other than Yes.”

“Yes sir.” You leaned into him as he lifted you in his arms. Some of your wounds had reopened, due to your reverse cursed technique weakening. The adrenaline coursing through your body was too much that you failed to feel the pain. Which means you failed to realize that some wounds were still bleeding.

He entered the clinic and quickly put you down on one of the empty beds. One of your uncles came to check on you. Running over with an IV stand in hand. They hooked you to one of their regular Balanced Saline solutions to help with your blood loss. 

Hiroki came in, battered with a bruise on one temple, but still very much alive. He was now off combat duty and on healing duty. Quickly coming over to press a hand against your chest to activate his reverse cursed technique.

Noritoshi sighed in relief, seeing your bleeding come to a halt. He winced upon feeling a sharp pain in his right arm, turning to look at the nurse that was dressing his wounds. He didn’t even notice them, being too focused on you.

He had fewer injuries than you did.

“Hemorrhagic shock sis. You scared the life outta me back there.” Hiroki groaned as he let his head fall forward. 

“I would never have forgiven you if you died on me too.”

“You’re such a loser bro. I won’t die.”

“Keep talking shit like that and you might,” he pinched your side making you hiss at him.

“No fighting with the sick!” Your uncle smacked him upside his head.

“We need Hiroki! Life support emergency please!” A nurse from the other side of the ward yells. Your cousin worriedly looks down at you, “I’ve done what I can. Can you manage?”

“Yep. Go. You know how I’m fine now.”

He nods and leaves you with Noritoshi, who was still staring at you. Now with his wounds fully dressed and cleaned.

He kneels down in front of you, looking up with such a soft expression. He stayed like that for a while, feeling your vitals stabilise further. His technique was still linked to your blood somehow, which gave him a deeper sense of relief, knowing he can help you if anything else were to happen.

You felt absolutely horrible. The man had shown you time and time again that he loves you and you doubted that. 

"I'm sorr-"

"Are you-"

You both spoke at the same time, eyes widening. 

He motioned you to go first, but you shook your head and let him go first. 

"Are you feeling okay?" He whispered.

You smiled. "I am. Just need to sleep it off. It's not the worst I've had."

He ran his fingers through his hair, seemingly distracted, before reaching over to link your right hand with his left one. "Good, good."

“Are you okay Toshi?”

“I’m fine. Hardly a dent in me today. Thanks to you.”

You gave a shy smile, quietly relieved. 

“Toshi… thank you…” you whispered. 

Noritoshi shakes his head, “You save me and I save you. That’s how we work. As soulmates.” He holds up your hands, marks burning brightly.

He could feel your emotions once again. It used to be this numb feeling, where you once were. But now, he can sense all the negativity in the back of your head.

Regret. A lot of sadness. Guilt. But also, a deep love for him. You never stopped loving him.

"Toshi," You started again with a bit more confidence. He looked back into your eyes, smiling and nodding.

You have to apologize. Go do it. The words were on the tip of your tongue, but somehow you were still tongue-tied.

"Noritoshi, I really owe you a proper apolo-"

"Hey," You both looked to the right to see your mom approaching you. 

"Mom!" 

Noritoshi jerked into a standing position, body stiff as he bowed a full 90 degree angle towards your mother. 

"Ah, it's nice to meet you. I'm Kamo Noritoshi and I'm y/n's- " He froze, not knowing what to say.

You weren't dating anymore. As of now.

"Soul-"

"Boyfriend and soulmate, mom. He's my boyfriend." You smiled up at both of them. 

His heart warms itself at your words. A humongous invisible weight lifts from his chest and shoulders.

She smiled and reached up to pull him into a hug. "You've made my baby girl so happy. Thank you. Call me 'Okaa-san' too."

He felt his throat tighten, "Not at all. She's been such a blessing to me. Uh- Okaa-sama." 

“I need to bring my baby girl home now. Do you want to come back to the Tsuchimikado estate with us? We can oversee your recovery as well.” She offers.

Noritoshi’s eyes widened. “Ah, I’d love to. I just have to check on with my father-”

“I’ve already talked to him. A pleasant man he is, the head of the Kamo clan. More than I thought.” She had a bit of a wary expression when she said those words. Clearly still unfamiliar with Noritoshi’s family.

“If he said so, then yes please. I’d like to stay with her.”

After that, it was a blur of activity. Your mom makes sure you’re both stable enough before bundling the both of you in a car back to the estate. Noritoshi quickly shoots a text to his father to confirm things, and was actually surprised to see a jovial reply. 

No doubt trying to help him patch things up with you. He closes his eyes. For now, he’ll take this as a solid win. It was working in his favor anyway for his father to so strongly support your relationship.

You squirmed uncomfortably against him, patting him to get his attention. 

“Do you need anything, love?” Noritoshi nearly tosses his phone away in his haste to turn back to you. But you shook your head.

"I love you so much, Toshi. And I’m sorry for hurting you." You whispered. You were unsatisfied; it was far from a proper confession. But for now, exhaustion overcomes you. His eyes widen, but you fall asleep against him just as you see him open his mouth to reply.

He looks over the top of your head and checks your condition. You had fallen asleep. It was a miracle that you even stayed conscious for this long. Noritoshi was prepared to catch you in the middle of battle, but you held on the whole time.

Still, he was happy to hear those few words, not bothering to hide the biggest smile on his face as he tucks you into his side.

Authors notes: Guess whose form the Kitsune took on when Noritoshi looked at her as he was put under hypnosis.

Blood Bound: Table of Contents

Taglist: @lessie-oxj @rizzo-nero @whoreuc @fkngkumiko @isl3t @gojoussunglasses @onepotatostand-blog @s-t-f-u-b-i-t-c-h @sunaswife @lordguameow @track5enthusiast @nayydoesthings @a1hina @r-rose08 @cherriesanwine @felicityforyou

[master-thief-gray-shadow]

Night Bus to Kyoto

Summary: In the morning, Futaba will see Kaoruko again. Takes place after the movie and therefore contains some spoilers.

Notes: After almost 3 months of not writing due to various reasons I somehow managed to pound out this short thing in a couple hours. Been having these thoughts since I first read the movie summary when it first came out and actually watching the movie has only made me think about it harder, heh.

The mountain scenery outside would have been beautiful, probably, if there was any light stronger than the soft, distant glow of a small scattering of stars. Massive, black shadows roll past the window, barely discernible from the dark blue midnight sky. It’s been this way for hours now, at least four. Futaba leans back into their seat and sighs, eyeing the bus route on the screen above them. ‘Current time: 3:14 AM’ it reads, ‘ETA: 6:04 AM.’ Yeah, about four hours. And there’s less than three left to get any sleep.

The other passengers are all asleep. Have been for a while now. The elderly woman in the seat behind them is snoring pretty loud for someone of such tiny stature. Then again, Futaba supposes, they should know better than anyone that being small means you have to do things big and loud. Even sleeping, apparently. Maybe they could even out-snore that old woman, if Mahiru’s comments last week were any indication. But sleep wouldn’t come. It refuses to. And at this point Futaba has given up on getting any.

Every time they lay back, every time they close their eyes, visions of her swirl behind their eyelids. Of her in a kimono, sometimes prim and proper like the photo on the Hanayagi School’s website right now, and sometimes the one she used to wear at festivals when they were younger. Or in her pajamas, barely fighting sleep throughout the late night video call they’re doing together because this is the only time the both of them are ever free and available. Sometimes covered in grease and paint, standing next to the bike so she can show Futaba how good she’s taking care of it. Sometimes in the sheer, lacy pink underwear she was wearing in the photo she sent last week, along with a text that read “just a little something for you to look forward to 😏” when they had been in the middle of a lecture. Sometimes she’s wearing her casual clothes, standing in front of a train, fighting so hard to hold back tears and drastically failing.

Kaoruko, Kaoruko, Kaoruko, every single thought racing through Futaba’s brain is Kaoruko, and it’s driving them insane. They haven’t seen her in person in four whole months, something that Futaba once thought to be completely insane, for a variety of reasons. And yet they had been apart for so long, and they were both doing fine. Great, even. They didn’t need to see each other, did they? They could both just keep going, only talking through text and phone and video calls, they would be fine. But that’s not what either of them wants. Kaoruko wants to see them. And Futaba wants to see her. To touch her, to hold her, to dance with her, to either whisper good morning into her ear as they lie quietly in bed or to loudly announce that it’s time to get up as they drag her to her feet. Either one. Kaoruko has been over the last thing for a while now, but it would be nice, just for old time’s sake.

They will see her soon. In less than three hours. In less than three hours Futaba will stumble off this bus, dazed and sleepless, straight into Kaoruko’s arms, and possibly endure a lecture about how rude it is of them to show up in Kyoto looking like a zombie, and Futaba will retaliate that it’s technically Kaoruko’s fault, because they were so excited to see her that they couldn’t get a wink of sleep throughout the whole trip. Then they’ll get onto the motorbike and go off to do who even knows what, but it won’t matter because they’ll be doing it together. They only have a week to be together now. They know they can’t afford to spend a second apart.

Futaba pulls out their phone and opens up the most recent chatlog, the one between them and Kaoruko. “on the bus now,” reads a message from their side, “see you tomorrow morning.” “just so you know i’m not getting up early to greet you,” was Kaoruko’s response. Futaba chuckles. Sure, maybe Kaoruko will force them to find their own way to the Hanayagi residence. It’s not like they don’t know how to get there anyway. But perhaps Kaoruko will surprise them, standing at the bus stop in the early morning, looking just as tired as they are because she couldn’t wait to see them either.

They will find out which one it will be in less than three hours. And the excitement coursing through their veins guarantees that they will not sleep at all until then.

[jungwooisms]

gekokujō | k.dy | official teaser

pairing: kim doyoung x female reader members: suh youngho (johnny), lee minhyung (mark), nakamoto yuta, lee jeno, kim jungwoo, jeong jaehyun genre: historical au (early 1900’s)/historical fiction, angst, fluff warnings: smoking, language, alcohol word count: 13k/? summary: kim doyoung left his home in search of himself; yet when a collection of both familiar and unfamiliar faces surface, he finds that he may just be a a part of something much larger than he anticipated.

| this will be a part of @puppywritings’ historical collab |

[1909.04.01. Boston, MA] ‘John,

I feel enough time has adequately passed to allow me to write to you. Although, there is not much news from home to tell you of. 

The snow is fast disappearing now. I came across an article in the paper the other day about Boston and it said that 14 or 15 years ago bears used to roam around the northern end of the city, but there seems to be nothing around now except the wild fowl, and an uncountable number of deer. 

How are your hands now? I know that the winter air dries yours as it does mine. Mine are very cut, so scattered with paper trails that I fear I should bleed ink from all the books that you left me. Have you been able to acquire any more on your travels? I find that the supply you gave me is running rather low now. 

You left for Munich inquiring after Daniel Lim if I recall the name correctly, I hope you found him in good health on your arrival. I also hope he does not overwork you, you said as much happened the last you worked under him in London.

I am very pleased to say I am keeping very well, and I trust you are the same. If anything happens, know that I will gladly storm my way across the sea and give your wrongdoers what for.

I miss you, John. And I hope you return soon, you know I love to hear about your travels.’

A short chuckle to yourself as you pull the pen away from the paper after signing your name, ink stains settling into the grooves of your fingers as you aren’t cautious enough with the writing implement. Short blows over the thin paper as you try to dry the ink as quickly as possible, although this isn’t the sweltering heat of the summer you’re unsurprised the ink hasn't run but so much. Carefully standing from your seat you begin your search around the room for an envelope, fingers brushing over various stacks of papers and novellas lying around your workspace. Eventually you find a weathered, but perfectly usable one underneath a dog-eared copy of Jane Eyre. You address the letter to his newest residence, some boarding house in Germany, but you aren't sure if he was even staying there anymore. If that doesn't work out and one of your letters was stamped “Return to Sender” once more, you’d just have to wait for him to send you something first. It seemed like you were always waiting after John. Not that you mind much, you had been as thick as thieves as teenagers and that had hardly ever changed, even after he’d decided to go abroad and study, then go onto some teaching stints wherever the wind blew him.

As you return to your seat you hear a gentle meowing outside, head peering over your desk and out of the glass panes into the garden below you spot a small black and white tabby looking up at you. A sigh escaping your lips as you move to grab your pen once more, beginning to write a post scriptum,

‘p.s. Your lovely feral cat has now decided that I take ownership of her in your absence. Is there a name you prefer I call her?’

You hope he can understand your tone, it’s an issue of yours that the words you write sometimes don't hit their mark. Regardless, you’d send the letter and hear his thoughts on it whenever he has the gaul to write back. You straighten your back from your hunched position and move through the house, your fingers tracing along the smooth walls until you reach the door leading into the garden, it lay nestled in the corner of the kitchen. There’s a faint scratching as you approach, only opening it to find the same tabby waiting for you, it barrels inside once it sees an opportunity.

“You wretch,” tsking as she begins brushing up against your leg. “What am I going to do with you?”

[1909.04.30. 今出川, 京都] The ground crunches underfoot as Doyoung walks; the pavement, covered with a thin layer of grit from a small windstorm that had picked up an hour or so prior, feeling as if it’s shifting as his leather soled shoes move over it. Storm having left its mark and not going to disappear until a rain shower decides to wash it away, he breathes in the particles still floating through the balmy weather. A small frown as he fans his jacket, allowing some air to circulate under the thick fabric. Had it not been impolite, he would have shed the garment as soon as he stepped out of the train station only minutes ago. His hand still wrapped around his bag he looks to the signs adorning the tops of businesses along the road. Doyoung was never great at learning hanja, so when it came time for him to begin learning the already different kanji and further hiragana and katakana that would come along with his trip abroad, he thought he might set out to find a tutor during his time here. Hand moving to rummage around the inside of his jacket, he procures a worn letter from its depths. ‘今出川 居酒屋,’ it is the only thing foreign to him within the contents of the scripture, the sender had asked to meet him there for lunch on the second day of Doyoung’s arrival to Kyoto.

Doyoung finds the bar after walking a few more blocks, north from the station and hidden away behind a bookstore in a back alley. Before he enters, he pauses. His grip on the letter tightening, the parchment creasing from the increased pressure as the slight tingly pervasiveness of guilt begins to wrack him from the inside out. A look to his left, and then to his right, a ghost of a figure in his peripheral, deterring him from running from the drinkery. It drives him closer, away from an inevitable future and towards the uncertain present. 

A haze of smoke blankets the air as he enters, that of tobacco intermingling with the small fire stoking in the back of the bar. It invades his nose rather viciously, itching the back of his throat and causing tears to form in the corners of his eyes as he greets the hostess with a small ‘Hello’ and ‘A table, please.’ She guides him and he settles down at a chabudai towards the front of the building, almost with enough of a view so that he can peer past the two small curtains at the entrance and into the street.

The letter now resting atop the table and his bag by its side, he reaches into his jacket yet again to procure an almost empty pack of cigarettes and a newly bought lighter. He had run out of fluid during his journey across the sea and he thought that buying a new one would be a novel idea to commemorate his trip. Doyoung’s eyes wander around the enclosed space as he scans the faces of the patrons. Most were men but there was the occasional woman mingling among the crowd as well. Cigarette placed on his lips, lighter spewing to life and igniting the end as he takes a deep breath in. Doyoung hates smoking, hates the way it pierces his lungs with its inky black vapors. It leaves his breath smelling awful, but it is just something people do to pass the time. Fingers finding the cigarette, he removes it for a moment, tapping it against a small silver dish atop the table, the ashes pooling at the bottom as he continues to look for someone he hasn’t met yet.

“Did you want to order anything else?” A voice to his right calls out, he jumps slightly before turning, only to find the kimono clad waitress at his side. She sets down a tray of dishes, some foods he recognizes, and some he thinks to be the local cuisine.

“Oh, no thank you.” As his eyes look over the food he moves to rest his cigarette in the ashtray to come back for later.

The woman gives a short smile and brief nod before speaking again, “Please let me know if you need anything.” Even after she had walked away, Doyoung could feel her eyes lingering on him like a child seeing some sort of marvel for the first time. This is not to say that he thinks that highly of himself, just that he knows that he is an outsider in a foreign place, his accent could tell anyone as much.

“I think she likes you.” A voice speaking up when Doyoung goes to take a bite out of the onigiri on his tray.

Mouth half full and brow furrowed in confusion, Doyoung turns to face wherever the voice had come from, “What did you say?” Chewing his food and swallowing rather harshly, he almost chokes as he thinks he’s going insane after hearing what sounded like Korean. This time it was a man who spoke, he was sitting at another table across from him, a shifty grin on his face. Something about him seemed different from everyone else in the bar, but the man couldn’t quite put a finger on it in this dimly lit room.

“She’s still staring at you.” The other man answers, now standing up and proceeding to walk over to him. “But it’s not like she’s hearing me say that anyway,” He laughs, brushing his hands against the lapels of his jacket.

Now in a better light, the man can get a better view of this stranger. “Are you Korean too?” He asks in his native tongue, feeling much more relieved that the burden of speaking a different language is momentarily sated.

“No,” Another laugh as the man settles down in the seat adjacent. “Just familiar with the language, is all.” He pauses for a moment, his eyes staring into Doyoung’s as if he’s trying to memorize his facial features. “You wouldn’t happen to be Kim Dongyoung, would you?”

“Doyoung, actually.” He clears his throat. “I am,” Eyes glancing at the letter still atop the table, Doyoung comes to a realization, “Are you Nakamoto Yuta?”

“I am,” A smile as he extends his hand. Less practiced with western formality Doyoung looks at the greeting for a moment before raising his own to formally address him, “It’s nice to meet you.” After a moment they drop their hands away from each other, Yuta’s gaze shifting to watch the hostess move his food from his old table to the one he now shares with Doyoung. “With an accent like that you must be from the south, Daegu, maybe?”

“Guri, actually.” He returns to his food for a moment, Yuta taking this time to also take a few bites from his own bento. “Where did you learn Korean?”

“Did Youngho not tell you?” Youngho is their mutual friend, he’d given Doyoung Yuta’s contact information to inquire if he had any availability to tutor him. “I studied with him when we were in college, I moved back here a year after we graduated, my mother fell ill and wanted to come back from living in Hanseong.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Doyoung frowns, shifting as he sets his chopsticks down. The two must have met after Doyoung had left his schooling to return to his family, per their wishes. 

A smile, “She made a perfect recovery, but now that she’s home she never wants to leave again.” Yuta reaches for the porcelain flask of sake the hostess had brought over, pouring himself a small glass then offering one to Doyoung. The younger politely refuses, still not accustomed to the savoriness of the drink, as Yuta nods and knocks back his own cup before speaking again. “When can you start classes? We typically meet for an hour or two every day if we can.”

“We?” Doyoung’s caught up on the word, he thought these would be private lessons, not an actual class. He leans forward, somewhat anxious at the thought of his abysmal language skills to be put on show for more than one audience member.

“Just a handful of other students from all over the place,” Shoulders shrugging Yuta leans backwards, hands placed atop his knees as he stretches his back. “We have a few Korean and Chinese kids, even a Canadian student as well. Not everyone’s at the same level so you shouldn’t worry too much about it.” He smiles, toothy and carefree as if there wasn’t an unhappy thought that had ever crossed him, Doyoung somewhat resents the uncertain assumption he made. “The schoolhouse isn’t too far away from here actually; did you want to stop by?” Hand motioning towards the doorway, Yuta’s head tilts inquisitively.

“I actually have to check in at the hotel I’m staying in, my parents told me to write whenever I got here and I’ve been putting that off for a while,” A sigh escaping him. Doyoung had been thinking about what to pen for the past day and a half but couldn’t muster the strength to go through with it. He’d left on rocky terms and was expecting to be hounded whenever they responded. “I’ll stop by tomorrow when you have class if that’s alright?”

“Fine by me,” He’s now searching his own pockets, finding a pen and reaching out for the letter near Doyoung. Yuta scribbles down something, a few kanji that Doyoung can’t decipher, and hands him the paper back, “Classes start at ten, when you’re in the area just ask someone if they know where this is and they’ll point you in the right direction.”

“Thanks,” Doyoung looks down to the paper, seeing in his periphery that Yuta was already on his feet, straightening his jacket as he begins to head over to the waitress.

Doyoung sees him say something but can’t make out what, it’s only when Yuta turns to him and speaks that he can ascertain the meaning, “Don’t worry about paying this time, you’ll have to treat me to lunch some other day.” And with that Doyoung finds himself alone once more in the tavern.

 [1909.04.30. Boston, MA] The letter had arrived early in the morning, but you had been out in town with your mother attending some group function that you didn't want to be a part of in the first place. So, when you walk into your own little study and see it lying atop your things you race over and tear open the seal adorning it.

‘When I arrived in Munich, my work left me so urgent that I could not write in time before I left again. I thus deferred it to a point where I once again found myself with solid footing. It rains heavily in Seoul today, my travels have taken me here instead of crossing the Atlantic.

Currently I am holding a tutoring position for the American consulate’s son. I expect to hold this position for some time before I return home to Boston. 

Tell my mother not to fuss over me too much, if anything I implore her to look after you. Of all people, other than your own family, she knows of the antics you pursue.

I was able to sneak out a few books from Munich, upon my return I swear to you that you will have the greatest library in all America- no, the world, even.

If I were a better artist, or wealthy enough to photograph, I would show you how beautiful my journey across the world has been. Although, so much has changed in Seoul since I held my studies here. I cannot help but have the inklings of melancholy eat away as I recall the memories and compare them to what I see now. This will come to pass, I hope. 

I hear the boy calling for me now— My writing will have to cease here, I fear. Send my affection to your family, I know they miss me as much as you do.

With all the love I can muster,

x John

p.s. I think I have decided to call her Minnie, please refer to her as that accordingly.’

While scattered with his familiarities and humor, the letter seems all too short, all too hurried. Your lips purse as you read over it, brow furrowing as a small knot in your stomach begins to form. Thumb rubbing over the x marking his name the worry only grows ever more prevalent, you pull your eyes away from the words and begin to rummage around for your own writing implements and paper, wanting to respond to him as quickly as possible.

‘John,

Your letter left much to be desired. Seoul? Your mother anxiously awaits your return any day now, before you left you said you would only be gone until early May at most. I hope that nothing unsavory has happened, God knows you find yourself in trouble more than any other man I know. 

Please let her know that you are safe, I fear that she may follow after you should you be gone any longer. A son should never burden his mother with his absence for an extended period, I can only keep her company for so long before her weariness sets in and she longs to see you. 

She also knitted you a pair of gloves, seeing as you left your moth-eaten ones behind. I know the air is growing warmer, but it is somewhat endearing to see how doting she is over you. Please, ease her mind by writing.’

[1909.04.30.-1909.04.31.  今出川ホテル, 京都] Doyoung eventually finds himself standing at the small entrance of a hotel, the name written in cursive English on a wooden sign above the doorway. Youngho had recommended the inn, saying that it would be one of the more accepting places to stay at as a foreigner. It has a somewhat Victorian looking façade, contrasting the traditional Japanese styled buildings around it, he wonders why that is as he ascends the handful of steps to the door, struggling ever so slightly while lugging his bag behind him. As the door swings open, he’s greeted by an elderly woman with a rather round face, “Good evening,” she smiles and ushers him inside. “Did you need a room for the night? Or do you have a reservation?”

Mind fogging as he struggles to keep up, “Apologies, my Japanese isn’t—” The stone floor clicking underfoot as he follows her to the main desk.

“Ah, Korean?” It’s accented, but he appreciates it nonetheless. “Do you have a reservation?” Her hands dance along a worn leather book atop the desk, flipping it open as she looks down a list of names, some of those which are crossed out and some of which are not.

“I do,” He nods his head with a short smile, “It should be under Kim.”

Humming as she runs her finger down the list, as her head turns upward it causes Doyoung to return his attention to her, “Kim Heesung or Kim Doyoung?”

“Doyoung,” he says, shifting his weight from foot to foot, mentally hitting himself as he should’ve been more specific. Eyes scanning the list, Doyoung takes a short look around the interior of the inn.The space is smaller than he imagined, but rather cozy. A glowing fire going to warm the chill of the night, large armchairs beside it and the largest bookshelf he’s ever seen built around the hearth.

“Wonderful,” She smiles, turning her back to him to find his room key from a small drawer behind the desk. Before she faces him again fully, she shifts through a small stack of papers atop the desk, “This also came for you,” The woman reaches to pull out a thin card from the stack, it has both hangul and kanji printed on it so it was easy to assume it’d come from his homeland.

“Thank you,” He smiles back before taking the telegram and tucking it into his jacket pocket. She hands him the key and he’s off to find his hotel room. It lays up the staircase and down a winding corridor, as he passes by some of the rooms, he can hear the muffled voices of a few of the other patrons, speaking languages he can mildly understand and others that sound alien. Once he finds his room, he’s all too giddy to throw himself onto the bed. Door locked, shoes and suitcase strewn aside he falls onto the plush bed, his eyes watching the ceiling as the weight of sleep begins to take over his vision.

Broken sunlight filters into the room, the shades drawn enough only to allow sharp slants of light to come through. The city outside is bustling whereas the hotel room seems almost vacant of any form of noise, save for the sound of soft breathing as the occupant sleeps. Kim Doyoung continues to snore  softly, dreaming of something sweet enough to add a slight curvature to his lips. He rolls in his slumber, the telegram received in the night folding under his weight, unbeknownst to him.

Three swift knocks awake him from the depths of slumber. He bolts up, raising a hand to run through his hair as a frown of confusing forms on his lips, wiping away whatever essence of his dream remained. “Are you awake?” A voice rings out seconds after the rapping. It’s the woman from the night before, Doyoung was too tired to connect the dots quite yet.

“Yes,” He responds groggily, moving to allocate his footing onto the floor. He hears soft footsteps leading away from his door, he supposes his wakeup call is completed. Rummaging around his wrinkled jacket-pocket he pulls out his timepiece, the clock reveals that it is seven forty-five in the morning, he has two hours before his lessons begin. Letting out a soft groan, he places the watch away and pushes himself onto his feet. His knees creaking and cracking as he rises and stretches out his arms, signaling that his sleep must’ve been docile. Once again, his hand moves to his jacket as he recalls the telegram, now crumpled in the crevasses of his pocket. Doyoung pulls out the letter, walking to draw open the shades to allow more reading light in.

“Kim Dongyoung,” He mumbles out, reading over the first, short line as the sleep is rubbed from his eyes. ‘Mom and Dad are going to kill you if you continue to ignore them. For my sake, please write. - Donyun’

An audible scoff after he’s finished reading, he can almost hear his brother’s tone. Doyoung does care about his family, but his brother is as much on his parents’ side as he is against it, it is a giant rift in their already teetering relationship.

The telegram tossed onto the bed as Doyoung takes off his jacket, he’d been avoiding his familial issues for a while now and it seems as if they’re coming back to bite him in the ass. It wasn’t entirely his fault for doing so, his father was never a good listener and Doyoung’s ideas were always pushed asunder.

A few moments later he finds himself in a fresh set of clothes, ready to face the day. In truth, he is dreading his lessons but at least it will provide some relief from thinking about the drama happening back in Guri. His shoes drag along the wooden floor as he steps out of his room, locking it with the small gilded key behind him. Once in the hallway, his posture straightens as he begins to make his way towards the staircase that would lead him into the main lobby. The crushed emerald green velvet railing runs under his fingers as he descends, swiftly moving into his pockets once his feet land on the granite tiles splaying out an ocean of deep gray below him.

A thin beam of light shines in through the slit in the door of the entranceway, the windows attached to the door are covered in the same crushed velvet encasing the staircase via curtain. It feels like he is in a black hole with how dimly lit the interior of the building is. Eventually he makes his way through the lobby, past the plumes of smoke belonging to the lackadaisical men resting in overly decadent armchairs smoking out of their kiserus.

Doyoung shuffles his way to the front desk, a younger woman manning it instead of the elderly woman from the night prior. “Can I help you?” Voice sullen sounding, or maybe tired, Doyoung still isn’t awake enough yet to dissect it fully. 

Reaching into his pocket, pulling out the letter from Yuta with the name of the school, “I’m looking for this?”

The girl leans over the desk, it’s easy to tell the yukata she wears is inhibiting her from her full range of motion. Eyes reading the characters carefully, “Whoever wrote this has awful handwriting,” She mutters under her breath and Doyoung can’t understand it entirely. “It’s about a fifteen-minute walk that way,” Hand raising to motion southward, “When you see the sweets shop you should turn right, and it will be a few buildings down on your right.”

A nod of his head as he thinks he caught most of her instruction. He takes the paper back and tucks it away, thanking her as he makes for the door. The heat greets him with a gentle breeze, an inkling of warmth as to what’s in store for later in the day. Doyoung looks to the sky, to see where the sun is positioned so he is able to gauge the direction he was supposed to go. He sets off, pace not brisk or lax, merely at a stride to absorb what’s around him. It’s still early in the morning, plenty of time before the school day begins to wander the streets for a bit.

The street’s crowded, thinning in places where it seems more residential than not, it reminds him of home. Different feel, different language but it has a strange nostalgic aura about it. A sweetness hitting his nose as he approaches a small wooden building, he can’t read what it is but by the smells emanating from it he supposes that it’s the sweet shop the girl at the hotel had told him to turn at. Head tilting to peer down the street, it looks like nothing of note. As he stands there, presumably looking more confused than the average local, he feels a finger gently tap on his shoulder, “Are you lost?”

The voice comes as a surprise, turning Doyoung on his heels to come face to face with a stranger. Eyes wide as he looks the boy over, “A little bit... I’m looking for,” reaching into his pockets as the other stops him.

“Are you Kim Doyoung?” It seems as if everyone here knew of him before he could introduce himself. Before he can speak, a nod of affirmation rattles through him and the other smiles, “Yuta said that we’d be getting a new student in today.” Hand outstretching, Doyoung’s a little more practiced with the greeting now, “My name’s Lee Minhyung, I can show you the way to the school if you want?”

“It’s nice to meet you,” He gives a brief smile before another nod of his head, “I’d really appreciate it.”

[1909.05.05. San Francisco, CA] If anything were to be your downfall, it would be that of your impatience. You’d been sitting down with John’s mother, a woman you likened to your own family when the one back home was too involved in her own business, when the news broke. She was kind, offered you tea and as always had the little tin of biscuits you loved when you were a child sitting atop the tea tray, and then graciously divulged to you that her son was currently under police custody in Tokyo when the last you’d heard he’d been in Seoul. It would explain the absence of letters, or inability to write. Upon questioning her further you realize that maybe he was in far greater a circumstance than he left you off thinking.

It isn’t a matter of asking your parents to ship you off to a foreign land, it’s a matter of when and how soon you can leave. The money sitting in the dank vault of your late grandmother’s account had laid in wait for some sort of use, and she had wanted you to use it to fulfill some sort of errant dream of yours after her passing. You couldn’t find it within yourself to touch it, seeing it as too prized and too treasured a thing to take away from for some frivolous means. But your grandmother had liked John, the late one on your father’s side and not the vile one from your mother’s. She had treated him kindly whenever he had stopped by, sometimes even saying that she had wished him her grandson more than the monsters that were your cousins. You think that is reason enough to pull from your funds and splurge on a rescue mission to Japan. There were several people you’d known that had been there before, detailing it as a curious place but had neglected to tell you why; you don’t think of the language or cultural barriers separating you until you’re standing on a pier in San Francisco, waiting for your ship to dock.

The brine of the sea had never settled well in your stomach, salty on your lips and your cheeks as the coastal winds torrent towards you. Your ship doesn’t leave for a while yet but the queasiness felt on the decks of other ships returns to the pit of your stomach with a ghostlike vengeance. Perhaps it is anxiousness that riddles you instead of the fear of the sea.

 “Im-a-de-ga-wa Gai-ko-ku-jin Ni-hon-go Ga-kko” words falling from your lips in strange and oblong vowels and consonants that were almost completely incorrect. John had mentioned it in the letter to his mother, detailing that should she not hear from him for another month to contact the school and ask for the aid of a Mr. Yuta Nakamoto, a friend that he’d talked about in passing a few times. Apparently, he is a persuasive sort that would most definitely help him out should the occasion arise. Or so John had put it, you aren't really sure what to think of him.

John’s mother had insisted that it had been a mix up at customs but a bitter taste in your mouth and gut wrenching feeling in your stomach told you otherwise. He was a rebellious spirit and had probably said a few choice words that had gotten him in trouble, he had said his Japanese wasn’t great but he had learned a handful of colorful phrases from the aforementioned friend in University that could definitely be taken the wrong way by unknowing ears.

If the seas were steady and your luck good, maybe you can reach him within a month. If not, a week or so longer but you’re not sure if the anticipation of it all would let you, you might jump ship and hope to swim there faster should such a situation arise. Again, impatience being your downfall you can barely stand just watching the large metal steamship land at port and empty its passengers before you were to board.

The air is salty, the gentle spray of foam from the shore landing on your cheeks carefully as you look towards the ship that is to be your dwelling for the next portion of your life. Maybe you shouldn’t have come alone, taken a chaperone or a friend with you, but you were worried, too crunched for time to even entertain the thought as you packed your bags and told your mother you were taking the first train out of town. Your face still stings with the remembrance of the slap she’d given you in her frenzy, calling you something along the lines of a girl too thoughtless to know her role. By no means a heartfelt way to leave her, but your father had said to go, knowing a little more than your mother how much John means to you.

Your bags, brown leather and worn from the days when your father was still youthful enough to travel, lay at your feet as the thin paper ticket folds under your grasp. The chatter from the crowds around you mixing in with shouts of vendors and merchants lining the docks over the squalls of seagulls overhead. It’s all too much when your mind is racing with concern, not too much though to deter you from a gentle tapping on your shoulder.

“I think you dropped this?” Deep voice causing you to turn on your heels and face the perpetrator. When you do, you’re greeted with your passport being held out to you and a dimpled smile to go along with a rather dashing face.

“Oh,” Eyebrows raised as you reach out to gingerly take your own booklet from the other, you hadn’t realized its absence since you had thought it stowed away in the depths of your handbag. “Thank you—?” A pause as you wait for an introduction.

“Jaehyun, or Jeffery, whichever is easiest for you,” he nods and then you offer your name before he speaks again. “It was really no problem,” he continues with a smile as he looks down to the bags at your feet, “Did you just get back or are you going somewhere?”

The innate curiosity of the stranger mildly perplexing, “I’m off to Tokyo.”

“Tokyo,” his tone faltering as his hand drops down to his side after you begin stowing the passport back away in the small purse slung over your shoulder. “What business is taking you there?”

You pause as you think, it isn’t exactly family troubles or business matters that are taking you across the Pacific, stubbornness, and inability to take your friend for everything he said, more like it. “A friend settled there a little while ago,” a nod after a moment of silence, “it seems that he has gotten himself into a little trouble so I am going to make sure everything is alright.” Absentmindedly patting the bag as you can see the other mull it over in his head, “What about you? Are you heading in or out?”

“Out,” The answer is almost immediate, a shift on his feet as he straightens his posture. “I’m heading to Korea; I haven’t seen my family in almost seven years.”

“Seven years?” The most John had been gone was the three years he spent studying abroad; you can’t imagine someone gone from your life for that amount of time. “What were you here for?”

“I was staying with a group of missionaries as I went through college,” Hands in his pockets as he turns to the blue horizon overlooking the ocean you were both meant to traverse, “Now that I’ve graduated there’s nothing keeping me here.”

“What will you do when you’re-” you begin to speak when a loud whistle blares from the port your ship had saddled up to. Growing quiet as you begin to hear the general buzz of the people around you grow as they begin to shuffle towards the bridge that linked the port to the steamship. “I guess it’s time,” Reaching to pick up your bags, the leather against your palm somewhat soothing your nerves, “are you boarding too?”

A shake of his head, “My ship doesn’t leave until the afternoon.”

“Ah,” the sound leaving your lips as the thought of, perhaps, having someone to accompany you on your journey was swiftly diminished. “Well,” A small smile gracing your lips, “It was nice to meet you, Jaehyun.”

“It was nice to meet you too,” smile returning, “Safe travels.”

“And to you,” You nod as you begin to walk towards the front port, looking down to your hand to make sure that your ticket is still in hand.

[1909.05.16. 今出川外国人日本語学校、京都] “It’s not kūremashita it’s agemashita.” writing on a chalkboard, the dust from the small white stick clinging to the ends of Yuta’s jacket as he scrawls out the hiragana. “Unless you’re thankful that Doyoung’s parents give him money?” A smattering of laughter echoing the room as he tries to teach the handful of students how to show appreciativeness and the reporting of it to others. “Try one more time.” Doyoung sits back in his chair and looks at a pink-cheeked Jungwoo who leans over his notes in an attempt to reconcile his verbal mistake.

There’s another try from the dark-haired man, it sounds good enough to Doyoung but apparently, the structure of the sentence needs more tweaking, as seen by Yuta giving out a small sigh before walking to Jungwoo’s side. Doyoung takes this time to look around the small, confined classroom. It was in no means shabby, but one could tell this building wasn’t meant to be a school, Doyoung thinks Yuta told him that it had been some sort of distillery prior to the deed falling into his hands.

From eleven in the morning, when the sun slants in through the two glass windows of the classroom just enough to see the dust flying through the air, to noon is when Yuta teaches the native Korean speakers basic Japanese grammar and vocabulary. It’s only a handful of students; Minhyung, whom Doyoung had met on his first day, Jungwoo, who is somewhat timid but roaringly confident at times, Jeno, a kid on some sort of exchange trip who hopes to build up his language skills before his university classes start in the fall, and of course, Doyoung himself. It is an intimate learning experience, perhaps that’s why Doyoung now feels miles more confident in his speaking ability now than he did a month prior. Hell, he could now converse freely, albeit somewhat confined in his topics, to the front desk woman at the hotel he still resided at.

There’s a knock at the classroom door, pulling the attention from the room’s occupants away from their work and now to the dark wooden door that leads out into the small foyer where the next group of students is presumably waiting for their lecture. “The next class doesn’t start until noon,” Yuta looks to the clock placed atop his desk, “You’ve got five minutes.”

The door opens with a small creak, shadows from the entranceway spilling in as Doyoung catches a familiar face standing there to greet the class. “I was actually hoping to sit in?” A voice Doyoung hadn’t heard since his university days accompanied the creak of floorboards underfoot as Youngho strides into the room. “I think my Japanese is a little rusty.”

A small laugh from Yuta as he recognizes his friend, “There’s the jailrat.” Yuta returns to the front of the room to stand in front of the taller, no doubt feeling the confused gazes of the students behind him staring past him and to the stranger. “I’m surprised they let you out that early.”

“You know I’m persuasive,” Smile lingering on his lips as his head turns and he catches sight of Doyoung looking at him quizzically. He is still caught up on the word jailrat and the connotation behind it, when had Youngho been incarcerated?  

“Well,” Yuta turns on his heels to address the class, “Why don’t we end early today?”

Minhyung’s already leaned over his desk to get Jeno’s attention, Doyoung thinks he hears him say something about grabbing lunch at the nearby market, but his interest is far too deterred to be paying full attention to the younger men. The class packs their bags, Doyoung taking the longest time of all as he tucks away his books into his makeshift bag. In all earnest it was a bag he’d borrowed from the reception at the hotel, he’d neglected to bring or buy a suitable bag for school when he left home and arrived in Japan. The worn canvas of the thing almost wearing through at the bottom, he slings it over his shoulder and makes his way towards Youngho and Yuta, who look to be in deep conversation.

Youngho spots Doyoung approaching in his periphery, turning to greet him with a jovial smile. “I see you made it here in one piece?” His eyes looked tired, his face gaunter than the last time he’d seen his elder, but he wasn’t going to question, it was neither the time nor the place.

“Mostly,” Doyoung replies, “Yuta’s been a great teacher.”

“Thanks for the ego boost,” Yuta’s fingers dance on the lapels of his jacket in mock vanity, only then moving into his jacket pocket for a lighter and his infamous pack of Chūyū cigarettes. He offers one to Youngho and then to Doyoung, to which they accept, pulling their own lighters out of their pockets and lighting the butts of the sticks.

“God, these are shit,” a grit through Youngho’s teeth after he pulls in a drag. “They confiscated my Lucky Strike back in Tokyo.” Doyoung’s brow furrows as the other begins to speak again, “Let me know when you’ve got a free night. I’d love to grab dinner and catch up; it’s been a while.”

“I should have time this Saturday?” Doyoung thinks of his schedule, it’s not that he had massive time commitments here, but he was making a point to travel around the city in his free time. “If that works for you, of course.”

“It sounds doable,” A nod as Youngho moves his hand to tap his cigarette against an ashtray atop Yuta’s desk, the wood around the tray stained with the ashes of past smoking ventures. “Are you still staying at that hotel I told you about?”

Doyoung shifts on his feet, “I am, are you staying there too?”

“Yuta has offered me residence in his home until he is sick of me,” Youngho nods to the aforementioned, “I can meet you in the lobby around five then?”

“Sounds good,” Doyoung agrees, looking at the clock hanging on the wall, “I think Jungwoo wanted to go over the homework together so I should go and help him out.” It’s something of an excuse but Doyoung could feel as if there was some sort of pregnant secret looming over the heads of the other two.

“Would you mind sending Sicheng and the others in?” Yuta asks as Doyoung snubs out his cigarette in the ashtray and makes his way to the door.

Metal knob in hand, Doyoung turns and gives him a brief nod, “Of course.”

There’s something that doesn't sit right with Doyoung. Youngho had noted that he’d planned on staying in Hanseong for a while in the letter he’d sent to Doyoung a few weeks ago. It’s not as if plans can’t change or anything of the sort, yet he’d seemed vehement about it, detailing something about a someone he was going to visit before heading home to America. He isn’t one to question where questions aren’t due, if his friend was to stay in Kyoto for the time being, he’d be nothing more than appreciative of having a familiar face around.

[1909.05.18. 今出川ホテル、京都] When Doyoung ascends the staircase, hands tucked in his jacket pockets, he can immediately tell that Youngho sits in one of the large armchairs by the hotel’s unused fireplace in the lobby. Although his face is obscured by the wings, with the way his hand taps in rhythm with the song wafting through the air, the excitedness of the movements are a telling sign that it is his friend. 

A glance to the victrola that lies in the corner of the room, the audio scratchy and soft as it emits a tune that Doyoung does not know. He strides over to the plush chair, glancing down to its occupant before speaking. 

“Good afternoon,” the words escape him and Youngho turns to him with a jump and widened eyes before he realizes who it is. 

“Dongyoung!” Youngho smiles from the armchair, rising to his feet to greet the other with a quick embrace, “Long time no see.”

“Actually I go by Doyoung now,” he nods awkwardly as Youngho steps back from him, his hand rising to scratch the back of his head, “helps me forget myself for a bit.”

“Still having family issues?” Youngho’s brow furrows as they break their embrace, “I thought you wrote that you had sorted that mess out?”

“More or less,” another awkward smile, “But enough about me— I thought you were supposed to be in Hanseong?”

“Change of plans, there was someone I was meant to meet in Tokyo, but they left during the time while I was imprisoned.”

“Yuta mentioned something like that when you first came in, what happened?” Youngho’s holds out his hand, motioning to the door, as Doyoung questions. The latter begins to walk forward, towards the entrance of the hotel as his friend trails behind him, “Were you really taken into custody?”

“They thought I had ties with Homer Hulbert,” A laugh as the two make their way out the front door, trapezing down the steps and onto the sidewalk, “Which is correct, but they had no grounds to imprison me on the idea that I know him alone or had one of his books in my possession.”

“Hulbert— is he the one that—?” 

“The very same,” he nods, “But that is more than contrived at this point, let me know how you are. It sounds like things are the same with your family the last I saw you.”

“If things were okay then I would have stayed home,” A huff of heated breath leaving him in something of a passive laugh. “My father is still trying to set me up with that girl, the past runs deep, I suppose.”

“I cannot agree with you more,” Youngho agrees with a nod, “Have you even met her yet?”

“The last time I saw Seungwon was when I was thirteen, even if I saw her I cannot say I could point her out in a crowd if you asked me to.” Doyoung's hands find purchase in his pocket, hidden away from the sunlight that falls onto his head and burns the back of his neck as Youngho and he walk further down the street, through the masses of people.

The older nods solemnly, almost as if he understands the situation, "I have a friend who's nearly in a similar situation as you. Although her parents haven't found her a match or approved of anyone she's liked, I'd say her feelings mirror your own."

"Is that right?" Doyoung questions rhetorically as Youngho digs through his jacket pocket for a pack of cigarettes, "Is that the girl who you spoke so much about during our classes together?"

Youngho sputters, his hands failing to ignite his lighter at Doyoung's words, a cigarette dangling from his lips, "Did I really talk about her that much?"

"So much so I feel like I know her," Doyoung smiles and shakes his head, a familiar pang hitting his stomach once he looks back to the street before them. "Do you want to grab something to eat? I don't think I've eaten since lunchtime yesterday."

"Too busy studying?"

"Something like that..." In actuality, he'd received yet another telegram, this time from his mother, scolding him for staying away again.

"You always were more studious than me," the other nods and looks to a small restaurant they begin to pass on their left before stopping in his tracks, "What about this place?"

"Soba?" The intensity of the sun once again baring down above him as he looks to the sign on the door, he nods quickly, "Sounds great."

The pair make their way inside, settling down at a small table in the back corner of the shop as they wait for their food to arrive. Doyoung moves his hand to unbutton a few fastens from the front of his jacket to allow some of the shop's cooler air to hit him. His hands then move to rest atop the table, his long and slender fingers tapping as Youngho smokes the last of his cigarette, snubbing it out on the ashtray settled at the end of the table.

"How's your family doing? Is your father's business going well? I saw a few copies when I was in Hanseong.” Lackadaisical in question, Doyoung can hear something edging behind his friend’s tone that tinges upon suspicion. 

“It’s going well,” a silent nod as a server comes to their table, the two order quickly, leaving little room for questions before Doyoung asks, “What about your family?”

“Willfully ignorant as ever,” Youngho frowns, shifting in his seat. It looks as if bitter words reside on his tongue but he swallows them down with a redemption of a smile. 

“About what?” Doyoung pauses as he reaches for the pot of tea the server had brought on her arrival, his hand hovering over the handle. 

“Everything.” Youngho’s shoulders shrug as Doyoung eventually pours himself and his friend a cup of tea. “Korean politics, American politics, hell- even the politics of their own inner circle. I refuse to believe they aren’t intelligent, they refuse to accept anything that isn’t affecting them personally.” 

“I see…” He winds off his acknowledgement with the abating of his words, woefully aware that his parents are of the same mindset. His own father being the worst of all of them, claiming that any interaction or deals with unsavory business men were for the benefit of the family, not to the detriment. 

“My father’s own brother died in ‘07 and he seemed unfazed by it at all,” Youngho huffs out, “At the hands of the Imperial Army, and yet, still, he said nothing.” 

Doyoung’s eyes widen and he raises a finger to his lips as if to tell the older to lower his voice, unknowing if anyone within the shop understands Korean. “Even if he did, there would be nothing your father could have done about it. Not only is he in America, he holds no authority in Joseon.” 

“No one wanting to do a damn holds any authority in Joseon anymore, you know better than me what the yangban have gone through, what everyone’s gone through.” Youngho leans in closer to Doyoung, ceding as he lowers his tone, “It may be easier said than done but I believe we have the ability to change that.” 

“How would-” Doyoung begins but is interrupted when the server comes back with their food, carefully setting each dish atop the table before retreating back into the depths of the kitchen. “How could ‘we’ possibly do that?” 

“There are ways, I know there are. I just need time to think of a proper solution,” Youngho nods as he reaches for his chopsticks, eager to sate his own hunger that had risen during their conversation. “If you’re interested I’ll tell you more when I have an idea.”

[1909.05.27. 今出川外国人日本語学校、京都] Doyoung’s mind doesn't return to that conversation with Youngho until a Wednesday afternoon about a week later. The sun begins to sink down in the sky as Youngho, Minhyung and himself were cleaning off some blackboard tablets in the main room of the school. Yuta was busy teaching a class and Doyoung’s fingers were pruned from what felt like endless scrubbing with a rag and vinegar ridden water.

“You know,” Youngho speaks up after what feels like an eternity of silence, brushing his hands on his pants after setting down a board onto the floor below. “I think we can really change something here.” His shoes quickly tapping on the floor in some sort of anxious apprehension, “Yuta and I have been talking and the resistance effort in Korea seems to be strengthening again.”

“What are you implying?” Doyoung asks, confused at the sudden statement. His brow wet with perspiration, even having the windows cracked open doesn't allow for much wind to travel throughout the building.

“I am saying that we can try and do something to change the… trouble happening back home,” Youngho shows no anger but a passion resides in his voice that remains hard to mask. “Do something before something more is done to us.”

“That is…” Minhyung begins, looking up to Youngho from his task of drying off the boards.

“Idealistic?” Doyoung interjects, biting his lower lip before continuing, “Youngho you do realize if someone hears you talking about that you’ll get thrown in prison again?”

Eyes trailing around the space as if he hadn’t already known they were alone, “Every one of us are sitting ducks. You know that,” a point to Minhyung and then a point to Doyoung, “and you know that. Is fighting back against that such a bad thing?”

“How do you propose we do that? Drop everything now, hop on a ship back to Korea and just roam the countryside looking for this supposed group?” Blood rushing to his ears as it sounds like waves crashing on a beach’s shore. 

“Not at all,” A shake of his head. “There are ways of resisting that do not rely on fighting, think peaceful, diplomatic.”

A nervous laugh escapes Doyoung, it’s involuntary but he can’t help it. “Suh Youngho I knew you were insane, but this is another level.”

“I— uh— I’m going to get some chalk refills from the storage room,” Minhyung excuses himself from the conversation, a glance at him as he walks away tells Doyoung that he doesn’t know how to interact with the situation and was looking for an easy escape.

“Doyoung if you would just listen to me and get that stupid doubt out of your head you might just be able to make some sense of it all.” A sigh from Youngho as he stands, reaching into his jacket to rummage around for a pack of cigarettes. “Can I bum one off of you?”

Cheek bitten as he grabs his pack out of his pocket and tosses it to the other, “Do you have any idea what they would do to my family if they knew we were having this conversation? Your family and Minhyung’s are across the world and have no worries about what they say or do. The other student’s and mine are not privileged with that.” Cigarette carton tossed back, the sound of a lighter igniting and the smell of smoke pervading through the air as he tucks the pack away into his pocket.

Youngho thinks, an exhalation of smoke through troubled lungs as his outward breath intermingles with the dust thick in the air. It dissipates without a sound, quietly invading the space as Doyoung is overcome with a sense of trepidation from the other, he picks his words meticulously, trying to string them together as carefully as possible, “This is not just about you or me or my family or yours. It is the fate of a nation on the line, is that so hard to understand?”

It causes the younger pause for a moment, his hand falling to his pocket, hovering there before he pulls on the fabric as if he’d meant to straighten the coat all along. His throat clears, thinking of his parents and brother he’d left behind in Guri, what any actions that Youngho’s ideals cause may entail for them. Even if he was trying to get away from his obligations back home, he’d never want to intentionally put them in any sort of danger. 

Doyoung opens his mouth to speak, before catching a bright glimpse of color passing by one of the front windows, followed by the school door opening with a large slam against the wall. Silhouette standing in the setting sun for a moment, not looking at all familiar to Doyoung. An equally confusing circumstance when the words, “John Suh,” spill from your lips.  It’s a confounded expression that crosses your face, standing in the front door of the school as the taller leans leisurely back against one of the walls. 

Cigarette in hand, Youngho turns at the call of his name, nearly falling over in surprise to see you standing there. No, not surprise- bewilderment, shock or some form of abject horror as you take a few long strides to stand in front of him. It’s as if a child’s been caught by his mother and Doyoung is playing witness to it all.

Doyoung watches the scene in a state likened to childlike curiosity, he understands not one word that falls from either of your or Youngho’s lips, but he can tell you’re angry and him beyond apologetic. Hand movements gesticulating, he catches the words ‘Seoul’ and ‘Tokyo’ at some point as you huff something out under your breath. Voices raising, Doyoung’s surprised Yuta hasn’t come out to tell them to be quiet, but if he were in Yuta’s shoes he wouldn’t as you sounded royally pissed. When you turn on your heels Doyoung looks to Youngho for some sort of explanation, but his gaze is solely locked on you leaving.

“Shouldn’t you chase after her?” Minhyung asks, the two others not realizing he had returned, box of chalk in hand as the three men watch you storm out into the crowded streets.

“She needs to calm down before I talk to her again or she might really kill me.” Youngho sighs, bringing the cigarette to his lips before taking in a long drag. A hand runs through his hair as it looks as if all of the blood had drained from his face upon your arrival.

“Is that the friend you mentioned a while ago? You showed us a picture I think.” Doyoung questions, somewhat relieved at your intrusion into their previous conversation.

“It is,” the answer not coming from Youngho, but from Minhyung. “And by the sound of it she’s ready to pack you into her suitcase and take you on the next boat home.” Head nodding as he looks to the space you once occupied, “You really didn’t tell her you were coming here?”

“You understood that?” Smoke leaving him he turns to the younger, “You didn’t tell me you speak English.”

“It never really came up.” Shoulders shrugging as he sets the box of chalk he’d been fiddling with down onto a nearby chair. “And I am from Canada, after all.”

“Son of a bitch, Yuta told me you were from Hanseong.” Youngho muses, tossing the cigarette from his hand and smothering it with his shoe. “But yeah, that’s her. I may have neglected to mention that but I was a little held up,” he looks confused as he pushes himself off the wall and makes his way to the door, peering out in the street. “I just don’t know how in the hell she found me.”

“She probably used the wrath of God to do it,” Minhyung suggests, “That’s how my mom says she knows everything I’ve ever done wrong.”

“Wouldn’t put it past her,” A shake of his head as Youngho turns to Doyoung. “She said she’s staying at the hotel you’re in. Would you mind meeting up with me tomorrow morning in the lobby to talk some sense into her and get her to go back home?”

“I don’t even know her though?” Hands dried on a nearby towel, Doyoung stands and reaches for the bucket of now dirty water. He walks past Youngho and into the street to dump its contents out, “I don’t even speak that much English.” 

“It’s more of moral support than anything,” Youngho steps aside to let Doyoung back in, “I wasn’t joking: she might actually kill me if she gets the chance.”

“Fine,” Doyoung sighs, walking to pick up his bag from the corner of the room. His hands smell of vinegar and he rubs his still pruned fingertips together as he thinks of what the next morning would hold. “You owe me, though.”

“You’re a lifesaver,” Youngho breathes a sigh of relief as Doyoung makes his way to the front door once again, this time with the intent of leaving. “Nine work for you?”

“Nine works for me.” A nod as he walks down the two steps and onto the dirt road below, the indentations from your shoes leading off down the almost empty road. He glances back to Youngho with a, “See you tomorrow,” and then to Minhyung with a question of “Do we have a quiz on Friday?” before waving it off and beginning his trek back home.

The night descends on Kyoto quietly and without noise, the stores closing long after the sun has fallen behind the western mountains in Arashiyama, lanterns aligning the street as Doyoung shuffles his way to the hotel. It’s quiet, the city typically is at this time of night, he’s learned over the course of his stay in the ancient former capital.

Before he goes inside, he stands outside of the entrance, hands tucked into the pockets of his coat as he stares up at the night sky blooming with stars. His bag lays at his feet, more worn now than it had been on the first day of class. Crumpled in his fists, buried away into the depths of his coat lies a letter, the ink that had adorned it far too smudged and water damaged to read now. Doyoung hadn’t meant to ‘accidentally’ drop it into a puddle when it had arrived that morning, so the contents lie unknown. However, on the corner of the envelope, a blurred name, ‘Seungwon’ stays virtually untouched as if to remind him of former obligations. 

It’s as if there’s a clock ticking in his chest, counting down to a day, a time, when he’s meant to take up the holstered responsibility of his family and place it onto his own shoulders. A burden not yet ready to bear, he sighs out into the balmy night and makes his way inside of the hotel. 

[1909.05.27. 今出川、京都] Doyoung wakes to the knocking on his door, his head burrowing into the tangled blankets and pillows from a restless night’s sleep. It takes a moment for him to find himself, writhing around the sheets before pulling himself out of his own stupor. Feet hitting the floor with a dull thud, he drags his lethargic body to the small bathroom, running his hands under the cool water of the faucet before splashing some onto his face to wake himself further. He meets his own gaze in the reflection, tired eyes and the slightest shadow of stubble beginning to darken on his jaw and upper lip. He’d have to visit the barber at some point in the coming days before he becomes totally unkempt.

He dresses himself in casual attire, a white linen button up, the most breathable thing he’d wear today, before he dons the dark blue of his three piece suit, a light gray and black one still residing in his wardrobe. He notices the threadings are nearly worn as he buttons the bottom half of his jacket, the things threatening to fall off should he exert too much force. The soles of his shoes too lie in disarray, wearing thin from endless wandering the streets of Kyoto after his classes have finished. It’s not that he’s searching for anything in particular, maybe a solution to his current situation. But he can’t find that at a merchant’s stall.

The route to the dining hall located on the first floor is a path easily tread, remembered in his first few days of arriving in Kyoto. The carpeted floors giving way to a wooden expanse the further he delves into the hotel, the scents of varying breakfast foods calling out to his aching stomach. 

His hands keep busy with the morning paper, perhaps yesterday’s or the day prior to that one. It takes a while for the Korean post to arrive in Kyoto, the postage system seems to take years for important things to arrive, yet the letters from home seem to be weekly. A sigh as he sets down the news, reaching out for the carafe of coffee situated some ways away from where he’s seated. He begins to pour himself a cup of coffee, only pausing when he catches something out the corner of his eye. 

A few darkened drips from the coffee pot settle into the white linen of the dining room tablecloth as he spots you stalking towards him. His eyes go wide and his breath hitches when your gaze narrows on him, almost causing him to choke on coffee he’d just brought to his lips.

The way you saunter over to his table reminds him of his mother when she’d be out to scold either him or his brother. Doyoung doesn’t know you but can easily tell that you’re not a force to be reckoned with. 

“Where’s John?” You ask, standing before him, arms crossing over your chest as you look down at him expectantly. “You were one of the men with him yesterday, right?”

“What?” Doyoung asks, trying to make some sense of what you were saying. When he was a young boy, his parents had allowed him to take English lessons with a handful of the Christian missionaries that had drifted through Guri, but seeing as he understands nothing of what you just said, it’s obvious he hadn’t retained much, if any, of his vocabulary. “What are you looking for?” He sees no glimmer of understanding in your eyes as your brow furrows, probably trying to decipher what he’d just said. “Youngho? Are you looking for Youngho?” It’s the common connection the two of you seem to have, it’s his best bet on trying to figure out what you want. 

You nod at the name, recalling that his mother shouts that at him whenever he’s angry. “Where is he?” If you’d taken up John on any of his invitational Korean lessons, you may have had much better luck in this situation. But you’d gone off to learn French because you were enamored with one of your classmates at the time, you could almost hit yourself seeing where it’s gotten you. 

“Whe-” Doyoung pauses, lips pursing together as he thinks of the word. Youngho was meant to be in the lobby when she came downstairs, but it’s now clear he’s nowhere to be found. 

 “School.” It’s one of the words he can pull from memory. “He’s probably at the school,” he says again and gestures in the general direction of Yuta’s academy. 

“The school- Imadegawa Gaikokujin Nihongo Gakko?” You’ve said the name of the institute hundreds of times to yourself that you think it’s the only Japanese you know. Not that you fully understand what it means, just knowing that it’s the name of the place. 

Doyoung nods, somewhat surprised that you know the name. 

“Can you take me?” The question falls out quickly and you see he’s confused, so you repeat it again slowly in hopes that he comprehends it. It seems that he does, reaching for his coffee and finishing the cup before rising to his feet, motioning for you to follow him as he heads towards the exit.

The walk to the school is painfully awkward, drenched in a silence that neither of you want to address. Both of you are not confident enough in the other’s mother tongue to make small talk as the two of you begin to walk the streets. 

“Hey!” Doyoung hears Minhyung call out as the schoolhouse nears, “Took you long enough, you’re almost late.” When the younger sees that you’re accompanying him he gives you a small wave, “You’re Youngho’s friend, right?” 

“I am,” You say after a moment, not having expected to hear English today. But with the company that John keeps, you can’t be too surprised at anything now. “Do you know where he is?”

“No, he’s not here yet,” he shakes his head and turns to Doyoung, “Didn’t Youngho say that you’d meet him at the hotel?”

“He did,” Doyoung’s lips curve into a frown as the three of you make your way into the school. “She’s been interrogating me about him, I think. Although I can barely understand what she’s saying.”

Minhyung laughs at the older and then turns back to you, “My name’s Minhyung, but you can call me Mark if that’s easier for you.” His demeanor has a lightness to it that descends onto you as something of a godsend. It’s an ease that you’d probably find with John if he were here and you aren't still angry at him. 

“It’s nice to meet you Minhyung,” you offer him a smile before your eyes go wide and you turn to your partner, “I uhm, I never asked him what his name is.”

“Doyoung,” Minhyung answers, another chortle leaving him and the elder looks confused as to why his name’s just been called out. “What’s your name?”

You respond quickly, glancing over your shoulder to see if John is on his way in, to your misfortune, he isn’t. Minhyung quickly introduces you to Doyoung, probably so he has a gist of who you are. It’s hard to tell if John’s said anything about you to these men, but it doesn’t look as if he’s said much.

“We’ve got class soon,” Minhyung’s voice pulls you from your search and you turn back to him, “I’m sure Yuta would let you sit in on the class if you wanted to, although I’m not too sure that you’ll understand much, I don’t even get all of it.”

“It’s alright,” you shake your head at him, “I’ll just wait out here for Joh- Youngho.”

The man in question strolls into the school around thirty minutes later, the local paper tucked under his arm as his brow raises in surprise to see you, “I thought I said I’d meet you at the hotel.”

“I got impatient,” a frown as your gaze flickers over to him. “Jail John? Jail?” You fume, storming over to the taller, “Do you have any idea how worried I was, how worried your mother was? God- If you don’t write to her today and tell her that you’re okay, I'm stuffing you in my suitcase and taking you back with me.”

He laughs heartily, despite you glaring him down, “I wrote to her as soon as I got out. I wrote to you, too, but it doesn’t seem like you got the message.” A few more chuckles escape him as he holds his arms out, “I missed you.”

You sigh, falling into his embrace, “I missed you too.” After a moment you pull away, stepping back from him, “I’m glad to see that you’re okay, but if you ever do something like this again-”

“I’ve missed your hollow threats,” John smiles and glances around the school’s empty halls, “Do you want to get out of here for a while? I know a good cafe nearby.” 

“Don’t you have class?” You question with a tilt of your head, the gentle murmurs from the classroom some ways away drifting out into the hall. “Minhyung said that Doyoung was already late, I wouldn’t want to stop you from your lesson.”

“I’m not a student,” John shakes his head, “I’m just… in town for a while and Yuta’s putting up with me for a bit.” He flashes you a grin before you have a chance to ask him exactly what he means by that, “Now come on before they run out.”

The two of you walk out into the dense heat of August, passing by a group of students as you do so. John recognizes some of them whereas you don’t, him saying something to them that elicits a laugh or two before you’re both back on your way to the city center. 

“Why were you arrested?” You can’t stop yourself from asking the question as you turn onto the main road from the alley in which the school is situated. There are only a handful of people perusing the streets, but none look interested in what you’d just said. “It wasn’t serious, right?”

“Of course not,” he reassures you and looks to a few buildings ahead, “We’re almost there.” John walks in silence for a moment, his fingers rubbing against his palm as he looks back to you, “I lost my passport, can you believe it?” You recall when you were leaving San Francisco and you had lost your own passport, if it hadn’t been for the man that found it for you, you’re not sure where you’d be.

“Well, actually, I didn’t lose it, it fell between the pages of one of the books that I bought, which reminds me- I have a few for you, I wrote you about them, just remember to tell me to give them to you,” John says quickly as you approach the building he’d been eyeing earlier, walking into the opened door confidently and heading to the nearest open table. 

You can tell he’s lying. You’ve only known him since you were children and he’s the closest person to you, you know almost every little quirk about him. And one of the first things you’d learned was that he talks quickly when he’s not being truthful. Yet, you don’t question him on it, seeing as you’d just calmed the tension between you, you don’t want to ignite it for the second time today. So, you just nod and follow him inside.

More oft than not, you hide your feelings behind a veneer of snark, of a bite that seems to sting but never lasts. It’s a sham way to hold yourself together, for if you let the dread of reality seep into your veins any longer than you allow it, you may just become the person you’re trying to hide. A vulnerable being who longs for the company of others but finds errant ways to keep them close instead of just outright saying it. 

John offers out a seat to you and you sit, hands folding neatly atop the tabletop as you look to the menu scrawled onto a chalkboard near the cafe’s counter. You’re not sure why you do, the mix of Japanese alphabets is still foreign to you.

“I’ll go grab something, just wait here,” he says, noticing your confusion, still standing before he turns on his heels and strides over to the counter. You turn away before he begins to speak to the barista, looking out of the glass window at the front of the shop, 

“How long were you planning on staying in Japan?” John’s voice stirs you some time later, the gentle sound of two cups being placed on the table making you turn in his direction as he sits down across from you. 

“As long as it took me to find you.” You smile at him, reaching out for the small cup, “I guess that means I can pack my bags and leave now.” The smile placated on your lips is joking, but you hold a sincerity in your gaze as if to ask him if that’s what you should do next. He was the entire reason you were here, to find him, to make sure that he was okay and to bring him home if you could. 

John’s finger traces the rim of his own coffee cup, gently lifting after a moment to tap along the surface of the tabletop. He hums, low and obstinate, as if to ponder the significance of you being here. 

“I guess you could,” a slow nod of his head, “You know, you were never obligated to chase me half-way across the world to try and get me back home. I’ve been detained before-”

“You have?” eyes widening as you look from your coffee to meet his eyes, “You’ve never mentioned that.”

“I’ve been detained before but,” he continues, gaze hardening at you as you interrupt him, “I really thought I had lost my papers so I sent my mom a letter saying I may need my official documents back home to get me out of the mess I found myself in. This was a little more serious than the others.”

“What happened the other times?”

“Well, in London they stopped me for taking too much tea out of the country, I guess they thought I’d run them dry of it,” a teasing smile twinges on the corners of his lips, “and in Cairo, I tried to sneak off with a few things from Cleopatra’s tomb.”

“You know,” you lean back in your chair, a snide frown on your lips, “lying less might help you out in the future.”

John laughs, reaching into his jacket pocket to procure his pack of smokes, it isn’t until he’s got a lit cigarette dangling from his lips that he speaks again, “Where’s the fun in that?”

He suddenly gasps, the smoke he’d been inhaling filtering into his lungs and causing him to sputter for a moment. You reach for and hand him his cup of coffee  so he doesn’t choke on himself. After a moment of hitting his chest and extinguishing his cigarette into the ashtray on the corner of the table, he speaks up, “You didn’t use your grandmother’s money to get you here, did you?”

“Well, technically it isn’t hers anymore,” a guilty exhalation of a chuckle, “but yes, I did.”

“Oh,” He’s crestfallen in the most faux of ways, “You said you’d take me to Italy with that.” It’s a joke, but you can see his concern wavering behind the sincerity of his words. 

Your hand falls to run over the textured brocades of your dress, a wavering smile delicately tugging at the corners of your lips, “I was just worried about you.”

“And I appreciate that, I really do,” brow softening as he reaches for his coffee, voice still a bit hoarse from his earlier choking. “But you don’t need to throw everything you have away for me, I know the trip probably wasn’t cheap.” 

John’s not wrong. It had taken quite a large portion from your deceased grandmother’s account to get you here, and the subsequent stay in the country. 

“I had to make sure you were okay,” you shrug your shoulders with a coy smile, reaching out to pick up your teacup and bring it to your lips. It’s then you realize something, setting the cup back down and looking around the shop, eyes wide.

“What is it?” John questions, noticing your shift in demeanor. 

“I haven’t ever been abroad before, I thought maybe I’d travel to Paris or London, Milan, even… Never…” A small hum as you turn to look back at him, “Never to Kyoto.”

“I’d have loved for you to see Seoul,” John smiles softly, his fingers tapping along the sides of the cup, “It’s beautiful this time of year.”

“You make it sound as if it’s impossible to go,” a tilt of your head. John had told you stories from his time studying abroad, of the antics he and his friends would get up to and of the history he’d learned. 

“It would be a little difficult to go back right now,” the smile lingering on his lips looks sad now, almost wistful in a way, “I’m sure we could go in the future if you want to.”  

“I’d love to,” you nod, glancing out of the window once more to watch the passersby walk up and down the crowded street.

[recentanimenews]

FEATURE: The Top 10 Fight Scenes Of 2021 According To YOU!

  When writing an article reviewing any aspect of a medium in review, it’s hard not to come away with the impression that “this year was a good one” for whatever the subject of your piece may be, but nevertheless, I believe 2021 has treated us quite well when it comes to animated battles. Black Clover and JUJUTSU KAISEN’s respective climaxes, BORUTO’s manga arc, One Piece’s build toward the Onigashima conflict, and a ton of smaller offerings meant we had huge battles to look forward to every month! With that in mind, a Top 10 article covers nearly the entire year?

  Much like this article’s companion pieces on 2021’s OPs and EDs, what follows is a list of the Top 10 fight scenes of 2021 as determined by viewership on the Crunchyroll Collection YouTube channel, weighted at 30 days so anime from earlier in the year don’t get an advantage and to balance flash-in-the-pan popularity vs iconic moments that will continue on in the fandom’s consciousness.

  What follows is 2021’s top fight scenes as determined by YOU!

  10. That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime - Hakuro vs Kyouya

    I knew Tensura was gonna make it onto this list but gotta say I’m surprised this is the fight that did it. My money would have been on Shion delivering an entire knuckle submarine sandwich to the back of Clayman’s head. I suppose there is something to say for this fight being one of the first to finally break an excruciatingly slow build-up to the hotly anticipated Tempest counterattack and watching the slimey Kyoya, in particular, get torturously put down was a major shot of cathartic schadenfreude after watching his group sadistically set the stage for the attack on Tempest. Hakuro’s revenge collected 1M views in 30 days!

  9. Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid S - Tohru vs Ilulu

    Kyoto Animation can do it all, delivering one of the best comedy slice-of-life series of the year that also has some truly spectacularly animated battles. After the insane “roughhousing” and dodgeball scenes from Season 1 we all knew to expect awesome fights in S. Although Tohru’s long-anticipated battle against Elma may have been the most destructive, it didn’t carry with it the same anticipation as the introduction of the new antagonist dragon Ilulu. Ilulu getting her house burnt down hit 1.2M views in 30 days!

  8. My Hero Academia - Himiko Toga vs Liberation Army

    Much like Tensura, I gotta say I’m surprised this is the fight that caught popular attention although Himiko has always been a fan favorite (are you all OK?) among MHA fans and one who hasn’t really gotten a proper fight. While I’m still not sure this exactly counts, this might be the single biggest body count created by a single attack in My Hero Academia up until this point and it was done copying the Quirk of a character firmly in the “support type” category. Himiko also awakening her Quirk is a big character moment so maybe it was that? Maybe it was just the title? The race between these next three was mega tight, with each hitting 1.3M views in days.

  7. To Your Eternity - Fushi vs Oniguma

    While To Your Eternity is unquestionably a masterpiece of fantasy and dramatic storytelling, I didn’t expect Yoshitoki Oima’s meditation upon mortality to make this list. Nevertheless, it seems Fushi’s battle as an immortal wolf vs the god bear Oniguma attracted interest for some reason. Although almost tragic in the manner in which the mighty bear is worn down by the relentless attacks of a wolf that instantly heals a variety of fatal wounds, Ryo Kawasaki’s amazing musical accompaniment deliver the impact of the scene as it irrevocably changes the course of fate for all who witness it. 

  6. Black Clover - Asta and Yami vs Dante

    Part three of my year in review article, and also part three of me talking about how great 2021 was for Black Clover, a series that was always fantastic but took a while to draw the attention that it deserved. When the power scale of the anime started increasing all the most important battles got tremendous fights which developed a strong visual language for Black Clover’s style of combat that some other battle anime never quite nail down. Yami is one of those characters that always got the A+ treatment from his very first battle against Licht, so Asta stepping up to fight alongside the captain of the Black Bulls as an equal was a huge moment that got a huge episode-long battle that blew out the choreography from the manga and displayed Asta growing from a liability in the early battle to the key to victory at the very end. If anything, this should be higher.

  5. Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles - Rio vs Assassin

    Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles isn’t slacking in the fight department but something about his first battle definitely stands out. A small child receiving a fantasy position that instantly downloads martial arts into his brain Matrix-style to embarrass a magically-boosted assassin is definitely up there in the embarrassing one-sided beatdown department. Since most of the first season was setting up major villains Rio will likely battle later on, this quick skirmish definitely stood out against his more muted conflicts building toward true action of the story (although him fighting his own imaginary girlfriend was also pretty funny). Rio beating up this sorry guy got 1.4M views in 30 days!

  4. TSUKIMICHI -Moonlit Fantasy- - Makoto vs Demon Army

    I’m gonna level with you: I have watched every single isekai without exception for the past five years. This genre holds very few surprises for me, but TSUKIMICHI -Moonlit Fantasy- still found plenty of ways to charm me. Maybe it was nostalgia from the Tenchi Muyo! energy of the two disasters Tomoe and Mio or the Tensura-esque homeliness of Makoto’s monster village led by the ultra-charming Saori Hayami-voiced Emma. The series threw me a curveball when it became a fantasy mercantile adventure and then ANOTHER curveball when it suddenly busted out this insane fight scene in the final episode featuring Makoto dropping the proverbial weights to deliver an attack so devastating the collateral damage destroyed an entire demon army I’m not entirely certain he was even aware was present. Definitely looking forward to Season 2. Makoto grabbed 1.5M views in 30 days!

  3. JUJUTSU KAISEN - Megumi Fushiguro vs Special Grade Curse

    My fellow Fushiguro fans, it’s our year. Although the second half of JUJUTSU KAISEN included Itadori and Todo exchanging supernatural high fives while doing battle with a flower monster and what can only be described as an anime music video of Itadori and Nobara going back to back against Kechizu and Eso, Fushiguro’s battle against the special grade curse took the top spot for this series this year. Sukuna knew all along Fushiguro was destined for greatness and seeing Megumi test himself by expanding his shikigami summoning powers into a giant inky pool of nightmare beasts was an awesome moment that promises some stellar fights in the future. The numbers start ramping up from here with Fushiguro collecting 2.7M views in 30 days!

  2. One Piece - Roger vs Whitebeard

    The Wano arc has been a revelation for One Piece fans. The series has been accelerating upward the past few years with a noticeable uptick in quality over the course of Whole Cake that also introduced a number of novel art styles — Wano came in with a whole visual overhaul and countless indulgent battle cuts during the early skirmishes of the arc. Oden’s backstory turned this up to 11, and rightly so, as it featured two of the world's greatest pirates in their prime. Although not a conclusive battle, One Piece had to show the titanic collision of power that was Roger and Whitebeard simply crossing weapons to let us all know what the power ceiling of the Grand Line really looks like. This titanic clash hit 5.3M views in 30 days!

  1. BORUTO: NARUTO NEXT GENERATIONS - Kawaki vs Garo

    BORUTO was a shoo-in for best battle of the year, 2021 being maybe the best year of a franchise that indisputably delivers the best battles of its genre. In fact, if I didn’t limit this list to one fight per IP, 9 out of the top 10 would all be BORUTO. One might expect the excellent hand-to-hand battle between Baryon Mode Naruto and Otsutsuki Isshiki to stand head and shoulders above all others. Nay. While I personally believe that will be the more enduring battle, it’s Kawaki vs Garo that takes the top prize, and y’know what? Good. This episode dropped to triumphantly kick off the BORUTO anime’s return to the manga storyline with a movie-quality episode featuring Kawaki showing us what karma can really do climaxing with one of the most merciless executions the Naruto franchise has ever seen. Kawaki’s entrance into the BORUTO universe scored 5.7M views in 30 days!

  Those were the best battles of 2021 according to you and, consequently, the last of this series of Top 10 lists for the year. Next year is looking bright with Onigashima having made its way to the roof, more BORUTO manga content on the horizon, and Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Entertainment District Arc heating up! Not to mention new titles like Chainsaw Man and SPY x FAMILY and returning champions such as Attack on Titan promising some beautifully animated battles!

  That does it for 2021. Hope to see you all at the same time next year.

  If you feel the fandom has missed a great moment, feel free to share it in the comments below!

      Peter Fobian is an Associate Producer at Crunchyroll, writer for Anime Academy and Anime in America, and an editor at Anime Feminist. You can follow him on Twitter @PeterFobian.

  Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features!

By: Peter Fobian

[shhhlikeme]

can I get hcs of kenma and tendou with a quiet and reserved S/O but she’s secretly really pervy? Nsfw maybe 👉👈 I love your writing!! (*^▽^*)

Thank youuu😘

You may! I‘m writing Kenma’s separately because my posts are too long so look out for pt. 2 later! Ps. Idk if it’s spelled ‘tendo’ or ‘Tendou’ so I might swap from time to time lol.

I literally love this one shot!

———————————

Tendou Satori x “Timid Girl by Day: Naughty Girl by Night” S/O

(Slight NSFW)

————————————————-

“I was in the chess club, too Y/N. State champ, 1984!” Exclaimed Tendou’s father loudly. His mother, who was sitting across from him at the restaurant dinner table beamed at him.

“She’s a keeper, Tendou. You better not do anything to lose her!” Satori’s mom reached over to hold onto your hand and you gave her a sweet smile, happy that you had won your boyfriends family over.

“I was state champ last year,” you mumbled to his family quietly and they practically gushed to death.

“How did our strange Tendou get you?” Questioned his mother rather rudely.

she shoulda kept that in the drafts

You shrugged, feeling the need to defend your love. “Tendou is the kindest, most gentle, honest boy I’ve ever met. I’m lucky to have him. Right, Ten?”

Your boyfriend Tendou had been staying out of yours and his parents conversation for the majority of the night, a little because his parents didn’t need any help in counting his faults but moreso because his girlfriend......had her foot pleasurably kneeding his crotch under the table. Very pleasurably, considering the man had a mild foot fetish. You were softly running the underside of your foot along his length that has hardened fully due to your ministrations. You used your foot to nudge his thighs apart and fondled his balls.

“Right, Ten?” You repeated.

Tendou looked at you across the table when you evilly invited him into the conversation, knowing that he wasn’t listening a damn.

“S-sorry w-what?” He pretended to cough quickly in order to cover his moan when you fondled his balls. You were literally going to make him cum and you haven’t even stuttered once when talking with his parents.

“Aren’t you listening?” His mother snapped.

“He never listens.” His dad muttered.

“Your parents were just saying how lucky you are to have me because of how quiet and reserved I am.” You gave him a sexy smirk and slowly grazed the length of his his member from top to bottom. Tendou had to increase the force of his coughing and look away because his eyes wanted to roll to the back of his head.

“Sweetheart, drink some water will you?” His mother waves the server over and points to the water pitcher.

“And Ten, I was telling your parents how you are the best boyfriend in the world because you......”

Tendou couldn’t listen to you when his thoughts were so consumed by lust. It wasn’t his fault that he hadn’t any more blood in his brain because it had all migrated south. He was so turned on by not only your movements, but the fact that everyone who knew you, including him, thought you’d be the last girl to be doing what you’re doing right now.

He fell in love with the shy girl in school—because you were so pretty and quiet and you spent all your lunches in the library like he used to do before Ushijima invited him to start joining him for lunch. You were very reserved, never choosing to roll your school skirt to make it shorter like all the other girls in school and Tendou saw that as endearing.

And you were nice to him. When he built up the courage to sit next to you and start a conversation, you were quiet but the nicest person he’s ever met..... Even though his personality should have scared you like it did everybody else.

you two started dating and you never changed from being mousy and reserved

That is.....until it came to anything sexual

Something intimate had only happened between you two once before and you had been interrupted by Tendou’s parents, but he caught a glimpse of your very strong naughty side

But even that brief moment was nothing compared to this

Touching him under the table while his parents were right there....this was one for the books

But what can you say? Your perversion came out like a bat of a hell when you saw Tendou so nervous introducing you to his family, looking so cute in his green tux. You’d never seen him so reserved but you knew it was because his parents weren’t his favourite people in the world. You don’t know why but seeing him like this made you want to make him orgasm, and he was rendered powerless to stop you

“Ten, are you not feeling okay honey? You haven’t been answering us.” You asked your redhead sweetly as you agonizingly-slowly removed your foot off of him and slipped it back in your flats. You gave him an innocent bat of your eyelashes.

Tendou held back his whine from your removal.

His parents asked Tendou if he needed to go see a doctor again due to his strange behaviour that he used to exhibit when he was young.

Satori only needed to see the doctor if they could give his gf a prescription of what to do with a bf’s serious case of blue balls.

Nevertheless, Ten tried to explain himself to his parents because the threat of seeing his childhood doctors was an absolute no.

“N-no I mean s-sorry! Y/N, parents, I-I’m fine, trust me—“

You interrupted him. “No, I don’t think you’re fine, Ten.”

“Yes I am—“

Irritated with him, you turned to grin at the older couple. “Mr. & Mrs. Tendō, your doctors are very unnecessary. I know just how to help your son,”

Tendou watched how you brought a glass to your lips after you spoke. You had asked the server for a straw earlier, which was pretty odd in a five star restaurant, but now Tendo knew why. With your eyes innocent and with his parents eyes on their son in worry, you took a sip of the water. Then, you slipped the straw further into your mouth suggestively. You circled your tongue around it for your boyfriend’s hungry eyes only. Tendou’s dick twitched under the table.

You rendered the sexy clown speechless momentarily. lets all applaud

“Son, I thought you got over that awful odd phase you’d been in because you got to Shiratorizawa....”

Your bf rushed to defend himself even though he barely heard his father. “Dad! I promise I have and that I’m fine! I don’t need any more help—“

“It’s nothing like that, Mr Tendo. But you do look like you’re a little under the weather, Ten. Maybe you need to leave early?” When your boyfriend’s eyes flicked back to you, you flicked the tip of your straw with your tongue— the same way you wanted to do to certain other tip.

How can your eyes remain so innocent as you do this?! Satori thought. Horny, annoyed with his parents, and confused, Tendou shook his head at his dad. “No! I’m okay, reall—“

You kicked him under the table. The idiot was not getting it! “No YOU’RE not, Ten. I think you’re feeling sick. With JUST a cold. And I think you need me to take you back to my house so I can nurse you back to health, correct?” You spoke slowly hoping your boy would finally get the gist.

Finally, that lightbulb turned on. 💡

Our cherryhead baby was like:

Bruh.

His eyes lighting up because the sexy redhead FINALLY understood your sexual innuendo, he nodded. His mind ran with thoughts of you and him in your bed: hopefully naked. Keeping up your impeccable sweeter than though charade that his parents ate right up, you turned to his parents. “I recently got my acceptance letter into the nursing program at Kyoto University.”

“What?!” Mrs. Tendō’s jaw dropped. She grabbed her husbands hand and squeezed it excitedly. “But that’s one of the top 2 Universities in Japan!”

You smiled, blushing shyly. Your boyfriend was shocked at how you are truthfully so insanely bashful and that it wasn’t an act with his parents. He couldn’t think about that for long though, because in that moment your foot unexpectedly grazed his erection again and it felt sooooooooooo good that he had to let out a strangled cough to cover his moan again.

You were happy with his reaction. “See, the poor thing is still coughing. Would you two mind if I took him home to help him? I promise he’ll be back to normal after.”

“Go ahead, chess champion, Kyoto U student!!!! Please keep our son and be a good influence on him!”

Satori couldn’t help but think, ‘Good influence?!’ As he bit back a moan of sexual frustration when you removed your foot again. He was embarrassed by how close he was.

“Great!” You smiled. “Let’s go, Ten sweetheart. The sooner we get home the sooner I can make you feel better.” You got up, straightening your humble dress and rounded the table so you were standing behind your sitting boyfriend. His parents began busying themselves with collecting their things.

From behind, you leaned over and whispered in your man’s ear,

“When we get to my house, I’m going to make you cum so hard that you’ll make a riddle about me, too.”

Your boyfriends eyes rolled back and his leg started tapping on its own like a dog wagging its tail.

Tendou’s parents were busy with the cheque.

“Our valet just pulled up so we are going to go now, but Thank you so much for joining us for dinner, Y/N.” finished his parents approvingly. “You are without a doubt the kindest, sweetest, most modest scholar we’ve ever met. And by some miracle you are dating our son! I hope you get out of that timid shell one day, Y/N, because you deserve all the praise.”

You blushed, giggling like a school girl as you hugged your boyfriend, just enough so that he could feel your boobs pressed to his back. He wagged his tail more.

“Thank you, Mr. & Mrs. Tendou. I promise that I shall work on my timidity and modesty.” On your son’s dick, that is, You thought to yourself, smirking because you were only a 10-minute drive to your house.

—————————-

Baby Kenma in part 2 later lol

[wherearemyglassesbro]

A h/etalia Umbrella academy au but it isn’t actually one, it’s just inspired by UA kinda...idk

//Uh keep in mind that this is going straight from the drafts onto your dash and uhhh there will for sure be spelling errors so don’t roast me lmao

Roman ‘Roma’ Vargas: An eccentric billionaire who founded the Academy of the World’s Finest (or the AWF for short). He gets bored very quickly and went from buying rockets to building hotels to managing casinos to buying children. A very crazy sequence of events! (Roma has many secrets but I don’t feel like fleshing it’s out rn this is just the bare bones of this just for fun!! And if you’ve seen both seasons of UA you probably already knows what you need to know). One faithful day, October 1st 1989, multiple beautiful babies were born from women who were not pregnant the day they were born. This phenomenon made itself known to Roma and he was off to find as many of these children that he could! He sent his staff all over the world to buy these children. He successfully purchased 9.

Number 1, purchased for $10,000 in Las Vegas: Number 1 was picked to be number 1 because Roma thought he was such a strong looking baby. Alfred was actually purchased fifth out of his siblings but no one knows that except Roma himself. Alfred, from a young age, was able to cause an obscene amount of damage. When he held Roma’s hand while learning to walk, he crushed the bones in his hand. When he kicked a soccer ball down the hallway, it went through the wall like a meteor. When he knocked on Arthurs door to bother him, the door snapped in half (and Art screamed bloody murder). He has an insane amount of strength without even trying! It was very hard for him to get a handle on it because he’s so spontaneous and isn’t really one to think before acting but once he and hs siblings started training for hero work?? That was his motivation to be better, to control his power to use it against bad guys!!! He’s the golden boy of the family, he never disobeys Roma and will never, even now, say anything bad about him. ‘Hey! He’s my dad, he saved me from whatever shithole life I was destined to have in Nevada. I couldn’t be more thankful for my life! And mom, if you’re watching this...Thanks. I don’t know who you are but...Thank you’

Number 2, purchased for $25,000 in Le Mans: Number 2’s power presented itself only after he learned to talk. Francis’s power of persuasion is both a blessing and a curse for him. He’s struggled greatly with being ‘number 2’, he wants the same validation and attention as ‘number 1’ gets. He doesn’t think it’s fair. He often used his power for bad things arond the house like ‘J'ai entendu une rumeur that you broke every finger on your right hand!’ that was a very gruesome morning for Alfred and the scolding that Francis got scarred him for life as he was insulted and cursed out in front of his family. Even after that, he still kept up his happy exterior. He was also usually the face of the AWF, appearing on magazine covers which he may or may not have influenced the writers just a bit. His power is strong but he does not use it on Roma because he’s terrified of what would happen if he did!! As he’s gotten older, he’s falls off the wagon a little but he’s trying to make a solid recovery. Also, when he was 7 he found out he was born in France! He then forced himself to become totally fluent in French and taught himself to have a French accent too. Whoopie....

Number 3, purchased for $1000 in Sicily: Number 3 is a dangerous child, he was from day one. When he was born, he was presenting a 116 degree fever yet he was acting totally normal. His mother was convinced he was the devil and was more than happy to sell him off to Roma. Roma felt a deep connection to Lovi from the start....Lovi looked like him. He looked like he could be his biological son. Lovi got special treatment from Roma often but he still felt overshadowed by his siblings. I mean, a majority of his siblings are pretty blondes. He felt left out often. But he would channel that anger into training and cooking! He has a trick that he likes to do, cracking an egg into his palm and cooking it. That one impresses Alfred every time! Not that he’s hard to impress. Lovi would often push himself too far in his quest to be the best and snap at his siblings, leaving him even more alienated from them. He spent a lot of time around Roma and Feli, mostly Roma. He got a lot of one-on-one training with him and a lot of praise too. All he ever wanted to do was be perfect for his father. He set bad guys on fire, did interviews on live tv, set fire to a warehouse full of gang members, all kinds of stuff that he never would have done on his own. Stuff that he didn’t want to do. All so he could impress Roma

Number 4, purchased for $700 outside of Berlin: Number 4 has always been hyper and loud! But his powers suddenly developed over night, which was terrifying for him. Gilbert awoke in the middle of the night to pee one night and was met with a ghost in the bathtub. Naturally, Roma encouraged him to speak with ghosts and would make him go to cemeteries to talk to the dead. Ghosts scared him so he’d secretly take Benadryl to knock himself out but as he got older, he realized that he couldn’t be scared anymore cause these ghosts needed a friend :( so he used these ghosts to fight in missions and in return, he’d play games with them and chat with them, just being friend with the ones who had a hard time crossing over :’) he likes using his powers for good but feels like he’s taking advantage of his ghost friends sometimes which took the fun out of crime fighting

Number 5, given to Roma for free outside of Kyoto: Number 5 got a late start compared to his siblings. His powers took awhile longer to manifest and he had trouble learning to read. But once he caught up, he proved himself to be the smartest out of all of them. Smarter than some of them combined, even. Kiku still often indulged in his siblings antics but at the same time, he felt he was somewhat superior to them. He learned to poof himself from one side of the room to the other, starting off small. He figured out he could time travel one night when Francis and Gil were hammered and knocked a vase over. Kiku felt every muscle in his body tense, then a sensation of falling, then he was suddenly 10 seconds in the past!! Wow!! He caught the vase before it could hit the ground and kicked Fran so he fell down, leaving him to sleep on the foyer floor while Gil just stood there like ‘wtf...?’. When Roma started berating him for ‘getting too cocky’, Kiku threw a bit of a hissy fit and decided to jump to the future!! He did and landed himself in the aftermath of the 2019 apocalypse, unable to get back home cause he wore himself out and had no idea what he had even done to get himself there in the first place lmao sucker.

Number 6, purchased for $10,000 in York: Number 6 was an extremely fussy baby. All he did was cry and cry and cry, it was very frustrating for Roma since the other babies were somewhat easier to handle. Arthur was indeed a handful. When he was hungry, baby food tins and spoons would float out of the pantry and over to his highchair. When he wanted to torment his siblings, he’d take their things and throw them across the room with his mind. When a sinking was annoying him, he’d simply lift them up and shove them out of his room. Easy. He is probably the smartest or second smartest of his siblings. He isn’t the most athletic but he spent lots of time studying, so much so that Roma had to constantly buy new books for Art to read to keep him mentally stimulated. He was often a voice of reason though no one listened to him. When fighting he was very useful!! He never needed to get close to the bad guys, he could throw them around without moving a muscle! The only downside is that it wore him out after awhile...Ugh. He avoided the media but did do interviews with his mask on, encouraging kids his age to stay in school! By the time Art was 13, he was taking college level tests and reading college level material so...he’s one smart cookie

Number 7, given to Roma for free in undisclosed location in Russia: Number 7 is too powerful for her own good. At a young age, Francis was told to convince her that she had no powers. This was done in secret, only Roma, the house staff, Francis and Kiku knew it happened. Everyone else was oblivious and left out of the loop. Vanya has the ability to shake the earth, to cause obscene amounts of damage in the blink of an eye. Her power was something that Roma could have never prepared himself for. So from that day on, Vanya was a ‘normal girl’. She watched from the sidelines as her siblings got to train and fight. She sat with Feli to paint or sew or just talk. She went through every day feeling worthless, like she wasn’t meant to be a part of this family. She channeled her feelings into art, painting canvasses worth of rainy cities or melting people. She made a series of paintings depicting her siblings’ abilities through chunky brushstrokes and vibrant colors. Each painting sold for over one million dollars. She thought her art career would impress her father. It didn’t.

Number 8, purchased for $15,000 and 10 cows outside of Oslo: Number 8 was always a quiet boy, he kept to himself and Roma thought he may be powerless as well for almost 5 years until lightning struck the house...on a bright sunny day...not a cloud in the sky. Turns out Lukas and Kiku were arguing. They were only 5 so they were just shrieking and yelling nonsense then BAM!!!! Lighting. Roma was so terrified but Lukas was giggling and shooting soarks out of his hands, his hair sticking up like crazy. He was always quiet and reserved, he spent a lot of time in the library or on the roof just looking out over the city. He didn’t like sneaking out of the house like his brothers and sisters did but he went ‘to keep an eye on them’...he always had fun though. He stayed away from the media and wore a mask that his most of his face so he wouldn’t be recognized. Sadly, in a tough fight in a hostage situation, Lukas was shot and killed when he was 15, right when he was starting to consider writing a book about hero work and how as he aged, he was becoming more confident in himself due to helping others. It was a tragic loss for his siblings

Number 9, purchased for $800 and a new car in La Coruna: Number 9 was successful from the start, surpassing her siblings in height very very fast. Her power just happens to be her speed. Carmen, as a baby, was a lot to handle since she crawled around the house at 40 miles an hour. Even her sleep schedule was quick, she’d take a 20 minute speed nap and have enough energy to run around for hours after. When she was introduced to the idea of being a hero, she agreed so fast that she nearly bit her tongue off. She always got her chores done quick, helped around the house, all of that since a task that would take 3 hours only took a few minutes for her. She was a great female role model and did many interviews for teen magazines to encourage girls to be their best, that has always been her message. She even wrote ‘GRLPWR’ on her cheeks in black paint before heading off to fight crime in case she had her picture taken. Roma wasn’t a huge fan of that but she didn’t care too much :) she has always stuck up for her sisters!! And she has always been close to Fran and Gil but as they got older, their interests began to differ so she found herself hanging with Vanya and Arthur more

Feliciano Vargas: Roma Vargas’s only biological son. He does not have powers and often felt left out when he was left behind while his siblings went on missions. He’s 2 years younger than the rest of them and is often referred to as ‘stupid little brother’ by Lovino which hurt his feelings. When he was a baby, they were like 2 and a half so they didn’t see him as ‘aww look my baby brother!’ They just found him annoying cause he cried a lot. Like his siblings, he never met his mom but he does feel good knowing that he will always have his dad. When he and the academy kids fight, he will often rub it in their faces that at least Roma is his biological dad. That really rubs salt in the wounds, huh? Feli has always gotten on well with Vanya, they got left behind all the time so they got to paint and play music together :) they made eachother very happy

Gilbert and Lukas: Gil didn’t really like Lukas much when they were younger cause Lukas was just...quiet and reserved. Gil is the exact opposite. But now that Lukas is dead, Gil pities him and hangs out with him. They trained a lot together but Gil got embarassed when they trained cause if someone were to walk in, they’d just see Gil shouting and punching at nothing so...They trained in the dark at 3am on the roof where they wouldnt be interrupted. Now that Gil is older, he can channel Lukas almostperfectly. Lukas has an almost totally physical form when Gil uses his powers, allowing Lukas to channel lightning the way he was able to when he was alive. Lukas doesn’t like doing that too often cause it’s a bit cruel, getting to feel alive when you’re not :/

Kuma: Kuma was a normal polar bear that was experimented on in a lab that Roma funded. The scientists combined his DNA with monkey and human DNA and after much trial and error, they were able to get his brain to process English. So he wears a collar that allows him to talk. He scolded the kids for running around in the house but then five minutes later he’d let them ride his back while HE ran around the halls :) he was like a fun uncle to them. He wore a bow tie :)

Wan yu: Roma fell in love with a woman from China when he was younger. She was studying culinary arts in Italy and he absolutely fell head over heels for her. But things didn’t work out. So once the tech came around, he had an advanced robot version of his first love created for the sole purpose of loving him and his children. She was programmed to be a great role model, compassionate, patient and...A good cook. The kids all called her mom or ma and even though she never technically had favorites, she was always fond of little Kiku. She was the one who taught him to read when he had trouble doing so and she’s stay up late with him in secret to help him catch up in other languages. The kids all had to learn Italian, English, Spanish, Greek and Russian bedore they were even 8 years old. Since Kiku took a bit longer to grasp that kind of stuff, she would sneak him down to the library to have one-on-one lessons with him. :) she was also very caring when it came to Alfred, she saw how hard he pushed himself sometimes and it hurt her to watch. She made cookies for him on especially rough days

Lukas’s death: Lukas’s death hit Arthur, Vanya and Gilbert especially hard. Arthur and Lukas bonded over similar interests, Lukas and Vanya played chess all the time and gossiped and Gilbert always thought that Lukas was the coolest sibling he had. His death was used as motivation for everyone else to continue training. Gilbert ‘summoned’ Lukas three days after his death and Lukas has followed him around ever sicne. Lukas wasn’t avtually summoned, he’d been secretly roaming the house for days and decided to just let Gil think he summoned him. Roma was depressed about his son’s death for a week or so but he never really allowed himself to feel negative emotions for too long so he was over it a bit...too quickly.

[popentertainmentconcertreviews]

Firefly Music Festival – The Woodlands- Dover, DE – September 23 to 26, 2021 (A PopEntertainment.com Concert Review)

Although this was the first Firefly Festival back after a year and a half off due to the COVID-19 pandemic – or perhaps because of it – fans were more eager than ever before to run through the gates to the four-day-long festival.

This was the second year of Firefly being under the ownership of AEG Presents, and the hard work the company put into creating the best possible experience for fans and artists definitely was clear. Taking place in The Woodlands of Dover, Delaware, right next to Dover International Speedway, this year’s lineup included Billie Eilish, The Killers, Tame Impala, Lizzo, Phoebe Bridgers, Cage The Elephant, Megan Thee Stallion, and many more fan-favorites. The diversity of genres of artists performing is what makes Firefly such a special experience. 

What makes Firefly unique isn’t just the performances, but the atmosphere and the overall experience. Since its start in July 2012, festivalgoers are offered the chance to camp at the festival, whether that be in an RV, a glamping site, or just a pop-up tent and sleeping bag. The ability to camp on festival grounds gives festival-goers easy access to the music, activities, shopping, and food that Firefly has to offer.

The festival has several options of different price ranges for camping at the festival. These includi South Tent Camping (within walking distance from the festival) and North Tent Camping (within walking distance from the festival and includes a private entrance to the event, as well as exclusive hang-out spots). There is also Meadows Glamping (includes twin or queen-sized beds, air conditioning, and concierge service), Infield Glamping (includes pre-set tents in the race track, complete with a private lounge, air-conditioned restrooms, shower passes, power courses, and shuttles to the festival), Then there is infield RV Camping (includes a plot big inside the race track, spacious enough for an RV and plenty of space to spare), and many more options from affordable to a well-deserved splurge! 

Even if festivalgoers are unable to camp at the festival, they are still able to have the full Firefly experience with the various activities inside of the festival.  This year, the experience includes The Treehouse, The Thicket Silence Disco, The Nest, The North Hub Beach Club, The Roller Rink, The Hammock Hangout, Firefly’s first-ever Pride Parade, and much more!

The Treehouse is perfect for festivalgoers who want to unwind and listen to acoustic performances, as well as interviews with budding artists. If you are looking for a dance break with friends complete with your own personal set of headphones to hear some tunes, The Thicket Silent Disco is right up your alley. If you want to continue the party with DJs nestled among the trees, even after headliners are finished performing, you should definitely check out The Nest.

The North Hub Beach Club, running all weekend long, is the perfect spot to relax, cool down with drinks from the Tiki Bar, play volleyball, and return later in the night for an electric silent disco. Need a break from the performances and want to let loose and have fun with friends? We would totally recommend checking out the new Roller Rink in the North Hub! Our favorite spot to literally hang out is back-- The Hammock Hangout! This year, we were so excited to attend the festival’s first Pride Parade, led by Monique Heart and LaLaRi! 

Firefly has always had the most fire food options, and this year was the best yet. The food option lineup included everything from “BBQ Bueno”, “Island Noodles”, and “Two Guys Chicken & Fries” to “Nomad Coffee”, “Carvel Ice Cream”, and even “Rita’s Water Ice”! The eating options at the festival have definitely been more inclusive and aware of food sensitivities and allergies, veganism, vegetarianism, and the basic picky eater. You can’t have a great festival without great food, and Firefly nailed it. 

Another aspect of this year’s festival that we love is that nearly almost every performance was live-streamed powered by Mandolin, so people unable to attend could watch from the comfort of their own home or campsite. Virtual meet and greet experiences were also offered this year to assure the safety of fans and artists, alike, which definitely makes the experience just as special for those who could not physically be at this year’s Firefly Festival. “Live From Firefly” also offered fans the option to be notified when their favorite performers would be on, so they wouldn’t miss a second of the action. 

Thursday night’s headliners included Billie Eilish, Phoebe Bridgers, Girl in Red, Marc Rebillet, and more. Even though there was a bit of a rain delay, festivalgoers kept their electric energy when the gates finally opened that night. While some walked onto the festival grounds admiring the sparkling LED lights all around, others ran to secure a spot at the stage at which their favorite performances would be held.

Phoebe Bridgers lit up the stage, stepping out in her iconic rhinestone-covered skeleton top. She played hits such as “Motion Sickness” and “Kyoto” as well as a cover of comedian Bo Burnham’s “That Funny Feeling.”

Up next was the iconic Billie Eilish. We spoke to several fans before the show and they said they ran straight to the Firefly stage the second the gates opened to see Billie, nearly 4 hours before she would come out. Once the stage lights went out, the audience went wild in anticipation of Billie’s long-awaited performance. She played new songs like “Happier Than Ever” and “Oxytocin”, then some older hits for her die-hard fans including “Ocean Eyes”, “bellyache”, and “ilomilo.”

Friday’s performances were definitely ones for the books. Headliners included Cage the Elephant, The Killers, Wiz Khalifa, Band of Horses, and Ian Dior. Multiple time performers, Cage the Elephant, took the stage by storm with hit songs “Come a Little Closer”, “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked”, and obviously “Cigarette Daydreams”. By the way that the fans sang their hearts out, we could tell this this performance was much needed. Up next on the Backyard stage, Wiz Khalifa fans who waited all day, finally got to catch his performance. Wiz got the crowd dancing with “Black and Yellow”, “Roll Up”, and “We Dem Boyz.”

 Saturday’s thrilling performances included those by Tame Impala, Roddy Rich, Diplo, Glass Animals, and many more. Tame Impala’s “The Less I Know the Better” and “New Person, Same Old Mistakes” took fans on a spiritual ride, complete with astonishing visuals on the screens, and a captivating light show. Though it was late in the night, Diplo got festivalgoers on their feet with his performance featuring rhythmic remixes of various hit songs. Fans were adorned with glowsticks throughout the audience, adding to the festival’s ambiance. 

Though it was the last day, headliners Lizzo, Megan Thee Stallion, and Machine Gun Kelly finished off Firefly Festival 2021 with a bang. Lizzo fans were ecstatic to hear top hits “Juice” and “Rumors”, accompanied by a breathtaking performance, Megan Thee Stallion fans were not close to disappointed after hearing and shaking it along to “Savage” and “Body”, and Machine Gun Kelly fans rocked out to “I Think I’m OKAY”, “ex’s best friend”, and even a cover of Paramore’s “Misery Business”. It is safe to say that this year had one of the best lineups yet. 

This year’s festival most definitely made up for lost time during the pandemic. Though this is only AEG Presents’ second year of ownership over Firefly, they did an outstanding job of organizing an insane lineup, fun activities, and creating a weekend that people will never forget.

While we are all sad to see this year’s Firefly Festival come to an end, we cannot wait to see what is in store for next year! 

Kayla Marra

Copyright ©2021 PopEntertainment.com. All rights reserved. Posted: September 28, 2021.

Photos by Isa Barnett and Kayla Marra © 2021. All rights reserved.

[shih-coulda-had-it]

the hours pass like molasses

Notes: courtesy of @thisauthorisscreaming, the tentative beginnings of a road trip fic, featuring a recurring fake relationship, Mom Shimura and Dad Torino Co-parenting their Summer Child, and for the sake of readers even though I didn’t put it in (yet), Toshinori doing his goddamn best to wingman his mentors into an actual relationship.

*Post Mr.Shimura’s death and Kotarou’s fostering. Road trip fics are kinda about running away from those problems, right? This particular road trip fics need more travelogue vibes, but I wanted to get the first premise down.

WC: 1,441

//

Yagi Toshinori’s first summer break was not, in fact, spent as a vacation. He begged to assist oshishou and Torino instead, as they ventured all the way to Fukuoka and the cities along the way to investigate cold cases and long-dead leads. Although Torino had scowled (he usually scowled, when Toshinori inserted himself into conversations), he said that Toshinori would be a useful cover.

Oshishou had been aghast. She first tried to tempt Toshinori out of the trip, then she warned him that it was not going to be fun. No beaches, no cool breezes, and oshishou couldn’t promise souvenirs.

“We’re building a profile of All for One, Toshinori-shonen,” said oshishou. “We’re not getting into any fights. This is a low-key work-trip.”

“That’s okay! I want to help, however I can!”

“Let the brat help, Shimura,” Torino intervened. They shared a look, one of those looks that Toshinori longed to understand or at least be a part of in the future, because to him, it seemed like Torino just tilted his head and oshishou folded like a house of cards.

“Yeah, yeah, okay, I guess you need to learn how boring stake-outs on the ground can be…”

Toshinori’s guardians had long since signed off on the pro-hero mentorship forms; Isshin waved his hand at Toshinori’s cautious mention of a training trip, and that was that. On the weekend going into summer break, Toshinori packed a duffel bag. He crammed his U.A. gym uniform at the very sides, then waffled back and forth over whether it would be necessary.

He didn’t have an official All Might set of gear yet. The gym uniform was his sturdiest outfit if they did get into scuffles.

Guiltily, Toshinori left the uniform where it was.

When Sunday came, Toshinori picked up his duffel bag and backpack, and he trotted off to the pick-up location, wearing a baseball cap over his hair and a white t-shirt tucked into his jeans. He slowed his pace when he saw the antique, boxy yellow car parked at the entrance. Oshishou sat on the overly-long hood, dressed in civvies, and Torino was leaned against the driver’s door, looking at her. Was that a smile?

“Good morning!” he shouted, picking up the pace. Oshishou turned her head and grinned at the sight of him.

Whatever was pulling at Torino’s mouth, it disappeared in a flash, and Torino had pushed himself off the car and moved to pop open the trunk. Toshinori could see two separate duffel bags: one hot pink, and the other a worn black. His own was navy blue, and slimmer than the others, but there was no sign of their pro-hero gear.

“Sorahiko,” oshishou said in a low voice. She slid off the hood, just as Toshinori got an arm’s length away from the car. Then Torino held up a hand. Toshinori froze.

“Ground rules,” said Torino flatly. Without his domino mask and the opaque white lenses, the murderous intent in his expression was magnified by several degrees. “There is no eating in the car. You will not spill a drop of water in the car. You will not get sick in my car. Clear?”

“Um,” squeaked Toshinori. “Understood, Torino-sensei.”

“It’s okay, Toshinori-shonen, I’ve brought snacks.”

The fierce glare in Torino’s pale brown eyes intensified. Toshinori self-consciously hid half of his face behind his duffel and made a noncommittal sound. In any case, Toshinori was allowed to store his bag in the trunk and climb into the backseat of the two-door car. Experimentally, he tested his leg room by sitting sideways—

“Shoes off the upholstery!” Torino barked upon entering the driver’s seat.

“Take off your shoes and then relax,” oshishou corrected. The anguished look Torino directed at her didn’t budge her stance. “It’s five hours to Kyoto. Let him be.”

“It’s my goddamned car—”

“We could’ve rented,” she reminded him.

In a fit of teenage pique, Toshinori kicked off his shoes and sat sideways with his feet behind Torino. He crossed his arms and glared back, ignoring the pang as Torino glanced at the rearview mirror and snorted. The car rumbled to life and smoothly, Torino got them on the road.

They hadn’t lasted half a minute before oshishou flicked the radio on. Pop music filtered through the speakers, and that soothed Toshinori’s jangled nerves—he was on a road trip! With oshishou and Torino! Cool!—to the point of loosening the tension in his shoulders.

“Hey, Toshinori-shonen, review this.”

A manila folder got passed to Toshinori; he took it carefully, and opened it to see an itinerary and a short profile for… him? His cover story? Civilian, fourteen year old student on summer break, being escorted by family friends back to… various fill-in cities in the south.

“Yamamoto Toshiro,” he tested. He made a face. Weird.

“Toshi-shonen,” oshishou teased him, and Toshinori went pink. “Aw! It’s okay, Toshinori-shonen, I’ll keep to ‘Toshiro-kun.’ How’s that? Better?”

“What about just ‘Toshiro,’” Torino said dryly.

“We’re family friends, I think we have the obligation to treat him with familiarity.”

“T-Toshi-kun works.”

Oshishou startled out of her playful bickering with Torino, and Toshinori shrank into the backseat, regretting every word that slipped his tongue. Too familiar, it was certainly too familiar for what was a master-apprentice relationship.

“Toshi-kun,” she said, thoughtful. “Just for this trip, I think,” and Toshinori wanted to bang his head against what was no doubt a priceless window, “and just ‘Toshinori,’ otherwise.”

A beat of silence, processing with all the speed of a plodding turtle.

“Yes, please,” Toshinori said to his knees, his heart feeling like it had been tenderized and cradled close.

“I’ll stick with ‘brat,’ since that fits my character so well,” Torino threw in unexpectedly. The subsequent banter held between him and oshishou, interspersed with peaceful silences as Toshinori took in the countryside and mountains for the first time, characterized that five hour trip to Kyoto.

Upon reaching the motel on the outskirts of the city, Toshinori was dispatched to claim their reservation. Social anxiety set in as Toshinori nervously approached the counter; the receptionist was popping pink bubblegum.

“Minors can’t buy rooms,” the receptionist snapped.

“I’m—I’m checking in for—for the Yamamotos—”

That was Toshinori’s first fuck-up. He was the only Yamamoto in the group; oshishou had reserved the room under… Oh, what was her pseudonym… At the rising suspicion in the receptionist’s reptilian eyes, Toshinori panicked.

“Sorry! My, my okaa-san, she just adopted me from Tokyo, she reserved the room under Shimura Nanase.”

“Just adopted?”

Damningly, the door opened without Toshinori hearing it, because he was committing his second fuck-up of the day. He gazed right into the receptionist’s eyes and glibly babbled his head off.

“Y-yeah, my okaa-san and otou-san, they finally got the paperwork in, and, and it’s been so long, y’know? Otou-san brought out his fancy car, and drove himself and okaa-san all the way up to Tokyo, and now I’m finally gonna have a home. I still, um, have to file the application to change my name, but I wanna wait until otou-san marries okaa-san, they’re so busy, they wanted to have me at home safe before they even got married—”

“Alright, kid,” the receptionist said, overwhelmed. They directed their next words over Toshinori’s shoulder, and Toshinori felt his stomach drop at the words, “You two adopted a real chattermouth, huh?”

He slowly turned his head to see oshishou and Torino, staring at Toshinori.

Oshishou recovered first. “He’s got a way with words, our Toshi-kun,” she said brightly and came to the counter, ruffling Toshinori’s hair. It was meant to comfort, which was truly a small reassurance once Toshinori peeked again at Torino. The vibes coming off Torino meant that the pro-hero desperately wanted to kick Toshinori’s ass.

‘When’s the wedding?”

“Ahahaha,” said oshishou.

“Next July,” Torino answered, gruffly. He stepped to Toshinori’s other side, and for one insane moment, Toshinori was sandwiched between two of his heroes that he desperately wanted for his parents, oh no. His ears burned, as did his face, and he ducked his head, using the baseball cap visor to shield his eyes.

He tuned back into the conversation when the receptionist sarcastically asked if they truly needed three beds (as oshishou had requested over the phone), or if the two provided were sufficient. Toshinori connected the dots in his head, and his eyes widened at the implication.

“That’ll work out fine,” oshishou said. “Turns out, that, uh, time of month just ended,” she winked conspiratorially. “So we can share beds again!”

“Key. Please,” Torino ground out.

Toshinori prayed that the next few days would not result in his untimely death.

[purplellamanator]

I saw your prompts and I actually liked them a lot and it was hard to choose one, but can you write the soulmate au for Heizuha? The color one? I love your writing and I’m a writer as well and I aspire to be like you one day 💗💗

A/N~ So sorry this took so long! It's pretty long for a drabble because I still have no self control. Since it has been so long, I hope you are able to see or are interested in this still and are able to read it! Hope you enjoy and thank you for the request as well as your very kind words! Also please ignore all my mistakes -_-  I’m sorry if this seems a bit messy towards the end <3

Color~ Only once you meet your soulmate can you see colors. Until then, your vision is grey

oOo

Admittedly, Hattori could be a bit dense. Especially when it came to the emotions of girls that apparently had a 'thing' for him. He'd almost argue it was because he simply didn't care about that aspect of his life. And something he'd be less vocal about- if it wasn't the attention from a certain person then he didn't want it anyway.

But this-! This was not his fault. No one had told him. There was really no way he could've just known this.

That he had known his soulmate the entire time.

Just thinking about the stupidity of it all had him placing an embarrassed hand to cover his face.

Because finally seeing the world in color was the sign. And seeing as meeting Kazuha was his earliest memory, he had completely missed it. He had no recollection of a moment in his life without color. He didn't even know it was a thing until junior high.

And now that he was thinking about it, people had tried to tell him before then. On the playground and his friends were making guesses about how bright the sakura blossoms really were.

Heiji had thought they were stupid; playing dense. "Are you blind? They're pink."

The moment the comment had left him though, his friends looked at him as if he were crazy before rolling their eyes and saying they knew he was lying. That they knew the flower looked the same bland and boring gray hue they could see.

It frustrated him because they didn't believe him and on top of that, they were acting like he was the crazy one. If they really couldn't see it was pink then they needed their eyes checked!

"That!" Heiji pointed sharply at the tree above them. "What color are those blossoms?"

He had dragged Kazuha all the way over to the park just to check if maybe it was him that was the insane one. Kazuha wouldn't lie to him after all. And though he was embarrassed to say it around his other boy friends, she was his best friend.

With her hair in a short ponytail, she tilted her head slightly in confusion as she looked where he was directing her. "Pink. . ?" She had answered slowly as if she was being tested and she wasn't sure if she was giving a correct response.

"I knew it!" Heiji jumped with his small, five year old hands clenched in a fist. And when he saw his other friend was confused he explained the previous incident with his other friends.

Like it had made him want to do then, the small girl laughed. "It sounds like they need their eyes checked," she giggled and he laughed in agreement.

Now eight years later, Heiji wanted to punch himself. It had been him that needed his eyes checked. Something was wrong with them- well not wrong . . . but different. They were the weird ones.

In junior high and sitting through that class. Heiji wanted to scream. Because by this point, Kazuha had moved. It had actually happened shortly after the sakura blossom incident. Her father had gotten a promotion and had moved the family to Kyoto. And now he was stuck sitting in this family life class all alone and getting hit with the realization that he met his soulmate- no, that he even had a soulmate. As if having to sit through a class detailing the birds and bees wasn't already bad enough.

Heiji couldn't believe it. And full of rage and frustration, he exploded on his mother the moment he walked through the front door. Because she knew. There was no way his parents hadn't known. They had to teach him what he was seeing after all. They knew what seeing the world in color meant. And they hadn't told him.

He felt like a fool.

"You two were too young to understand at the time," his mother spoke casually as she continued preparing their dinner. "Her parents as well as your father and I agreed it was best to wait for you guys to learn."

Her tone had the same calm bearing quality. In his annoyance though it was sounding uncaring. It was like she was shrugging him off. It was making him mad. But one thing just became glaringly obvious.

"Her parents knew and they still moved?"

"Heiji," his mother sighed giving the only sign she was getting irritated. "Yes, both her parents knew but again- we agreed. It was best for you two to learn about it the proper way like everybody else."

Which was fine. If he would've met his soulmate the proper way. It was practically unheard of to meet one's soulmate so early. An exception should've been made for people like them.

Shizuka could probably see that he was not happy with any of the excuses she gave. It was clear she had been hoping he'd be satisfied with those responses but that clearly was not the case. When Heiji continued to fix her with a pissed off glare, she finally put her spatula down and faced her son.

"When we all found out, us parents got together to discuss over a dinner. We agreed- all of us, that it would be best for you two to be separated. We were worried you would depend on each other too much. Having another half; just knowing about it is heavy. You two were too young," his mother reiterated that firmly and Heiji hated that he thought it, but he was actually understanding.

Sitting in that classroom not even five hours ago and for the first time learning about all of that- it was a lot. It was heavy. It felt like he had a weight on his chest and his head was about to explode. The only problem was he couldn't tell if that was because he just found out he had a soulmate or the fact he already knew who his soulmate was. Not to mention the inexplicable frustration he felt.

Heiji wouldn't lie and say he completely forgot about Kazuha. He hadn't forgotten about her at all. In fact, he had taken it pretty hard when she first told him that she'd be moving to Tokyo. He could remember trying to put on a brave face when his family went to their house to say their farewells. At the time and even now, he never thought anything of it. That his parents brought him to say goodbye. Did he think it was unusual for his stern father that did nothing but work to take off just so they could do that? Yes, but in his young childish mind, they were very close to the Toyama's. Both his and Kazuha's father worked closely together and since their children had been linked at the hip as well, Heiji didn't think anything of it.

Kazuha had been the opposite of course. She hadn't bothered to conceal her tears, which unknowingly to her, made it harder for his 5 year old self to do the same. She surprised him though. She had given him a gift- a charm. At first seeing it dangle from her clenched fist messily, he felt extremely guilty. He hadn't brought her a thing. But she gave him a bright, watery grin and a few sniffles to stop her tears.

"Don't worry about it! I had it for awhile and look!" After practically shoving the charm into his chest, she quickly pulled on something that was wrapped loosely around her neck. "I have one too!" she smiled cheekily.

Sure enough, a charm that was only slightly different in color hung from her two fingers pinched together.

After that scene, it was honestly embarrassing how long he continued to where that charm. When he was just about to reach junior high and one of his old classmates that had remembered Kazuha saw he still wore it, he had gotten the teasing of a lifetime. He had stopped wearing it the very next day.

And coincidentally, he was hit with a bout of horrendous luck. The incidents all ranged from something as small as waking up late for class to failing terribly on a test. That week also marked the worst he had ever done in his kendo matches. Finally when he had been walking home after a rainy day and a car sped by him, successfully drenching him from head to toe in the puddle they just drove through- Heiji had enough. He continued to wear the charm even as he slept and no amount of taunts from his friends would have him taking it off.

Honestly, it was weird how he was able to disconnect the fact that the charm had been given to him. How easy it was for him to not think about Kazuha even though technically he wore of part of her with him everyday. It just felt natural to wear the charm now. He didn't feel right without it and in most incidents would actually refuse to take it off.

Other than the charm, she was like a random memory that would float in at the oddest moments. Those moments usually being when he was laying in his bed waiting for sleep. Admittedly, the amount of time he'd spend staring at that charm at night being reminded of her- that she had given him this, was honestly more than what was considered healthy he was willing to bet. It was like his body and his mind were reminding him constantly not to forget where it came from.

And now he knew the reason why.

It took him a while to cool down after that. It wouldn't change anything. What's happened has happened. In all honesty he was mostly irritated that he was basically lied to for more than half his life. But in the end, he also understood why they did it and if possible, that made him even angrier.

Over time though, he got over it. Or more like he learned how to deal with it. After it was in the air and both him and Kazuha had been made aware of who they were to each other, they were allowed to exchange letters from that point.

The letters felt weird at first. Kazuha used to be his best friend. But the years of separation- it just wasn't the same. They didn't know each other really anymore. It was weird and clearly they didn't really know what to talk about with each other. The obvious topic would've been that they were bonded, but it was clear neither was comfortable or brave enough to start that conversation at first.

Over time and as the years passed by, it became glaringly obvious that they would have to though. They were both in high school now and with that came the obvious flaw in their logic. They could avoid it in these letters but sooner or later, they would hit a point where they'd have to acknowledge it. The two were soulmates and though they hadn't seen each other in person for a very long time, that would eventually have to change. The reality hadn't slapped him in the face till her next letter.

‘I have news (hopefully that is good). Dad just got reinstated in his old position working with your father so I'll be moving back to Osaka by next year. I don't know if you can remember it, but we'll be moving back to our old house again as well. Turns out dad never sold it and we've just been renting it out.’

Heiji wasn't stupid. He knew what that meant.The Toyama's had always planned to move back just like his father always planned to 'reinstate' Kazuha's dad into his old position. It was a temporary move that was done only to give them space.

But all he felt like it had done was make it so they'd have to have an extremely painful and awkward 'first meeting'. None of this 'sudden move' was a surprise but it admittedly was like a gut punch. He was not prepared at all. They didn't know what each other sounded like. What they looked like-!

What they looked like?!

It was embarrassing and quite ridiculous of him, but that one thought threw him into a panic. She had no idea what he looked like now. Obviously she had seen him as a child and he would look somewhat similar to that but. . . he aged. He hit puberty! And though he always thought it had been somewhat kind to him- as kind as that stage of anyone's life could be- believe it or not he also had his fair share of insecurities. Like his dark skin. Though it was something his friends liked to tease him about, it wasn't something that actually bothered him. He honestly didn't really care about it. He didn't have anyone he cared to impress.

Until now. Now he had someone to impress and the anxiety he was pretty sure he never had until this whole soulmate thing, hit the roof.

It was so dumb and immediately something he regretted doing after dropping his mail in the post box. To send a letter accompanied by a picture of him. Granted it wasn't just him in the photo. It was a picture of him with his parents that his mother had somehow forced him into being in. But he knew, he was well aware that Kazuha would know, that the intention of sending the picture was so she would see him.

He wasn't that much of a compulsive dork that he just randomly sent it without some sort of explanation- even if it were technically a lie. In the letter he mentioned that his mother wanted him to send their annually taken family photo. In reality however he sent it because he didn't want her to be disappointed. He wanted Kazuha to know exactly what was awaiting her once she returned. He didn't want there to be any surprises and if she had a problem with how he looked, for her to say it now.

What he had not been expecting was a photo in return.

‘I guess it's only fair that I have to send one as well’, had been her excuse for including it. That and on his photo, she said not a word about how he looked. She commented that his mother still looked as young and beautiful as she could remember and joked that his father still bore such a stern and serious exterior in a holiday photo. But she didn't say anything about him. There was no disgust or ridicule in her letter. Granted that also meant there was no praise but she didn't sound disappointed in her letter and surely she would've if she didn't like what she saw. . . right?

Her family however looked as he had remembered it. They appeared slightly more aged and it looked like her mother had cut her hair much shorter. But all in all they looked the same as he remembered. Not even Kazuha looked all that different. She had the blue eyes- which he could've sworn were teal but still close to the same. Her bangs were parted the exact same way as well as it was pulled up in one of those ribbons he could always remember her wearing. The only thing that was different was that she very obviously was not five years old anymore.

Blushing with a small frown at his thoughts, he couldn't help but think puberty must've been kind to her as well.

oOo

The picture she had gifted him had been a surprise but apparently a welcome one. He had been so focused and preoccupied on what she'd think of him that he hadn't stopped to wonder what she looked like now herself. It was safe to say if she was as worried like he had been, she had nothing to stress about because he was not disappointed. And though he wouldn't lie about it if she asked, he kept the picture of her on him at all times. Of course it was after he cut her parents out of it- which he felt guilty about doing. But carrying a picture of his . . . in-laws? . . . around would just be weird.

He was a real idiot though because no picture would've ever prepared him for seeing her again. The photo didn't do his soulmate justice and he would eternally be grateful for the fact that they happened to run into each other on accident and not in the company of their parents as had been planned. Because the moment they met eyes everything just burst. Color exploded around them but not into anything he hadn't ever seen before. Only something he had forgotten.

Her eyes were teal. He hadn't been mistaken. The color from his vision had been fading- dulling. Now taking in everything around him, he saw the world with a new vibrancy he had unknowingly lost. He saw the world as it really was.

And then after that, he couldn't logically explain what happened. They were both still staring at each other in shock but after taking a moment to look at his surroundings, his hurriedly turned back to her. Only for him to freeze in shock once more. Because he wasn't staring at the Kazuha from the picture. He was staring at the Kazuha he had met twelve years ago.

At first he had to wonder if he was going crazy- if he had lost his mind. The only thing that calmed him down and reassured him that this was normal was that Kazuha seemed as startled as he was. She was seeing it too.

That and-

‘The eyes are the gateway to the soul’, his mother had always told him.

A childlike giggle erupted out of the five year old Kazuha. "You're the same old ahou I remember," she sniffled and for the first time Heiji realized that she was crying.

He didn't like that and stepping forward slowly, he gripped her at her upper-arms, holding her back slightly as if to make sure she were real. To make sure she was really there. The moment he touched her arms however, everything changed again. He was back to staring at the now in high school Kazuha and his eyes blinked rapidly to refocus with the change. And he couldn't tell if she jumped from the sudden feel of his hands gripping her or the fact their vision once again changed as if flipping a slide on a projector, but he knew they were both experiencing the same thing.

They both saw each other as they had looked the first time they met. Something he thought he had long forgotten and could not pull from the deepest recesses of his mind.

The eyes are the gateway to the soul, he reminded himself.

oOo

Things were strange after that. He had wanted to hide the fact from his parents that he had already run into Kazuha again, but it became obvious that would be impossible when he wouldn't stop just looking at everything in awe. His mother had picked up on it right away but he couldn't help it. Though they had departed ways again briefly after that, the vibrancy of everything did not fade and he realized that must've only happened slowly over time from their extended distance to each other. He couldn't even be bothered by the fact that his mother was trying to tease and prod him. It was like he was seeing the world all over with a fresh, new pair of eyes. It took him quite awhile to get over this new reality.

Finally his mother demanded to know what had happened. When he still refused to open his mouth, she gave him one of her calm and at ease smiles. A smile that made him feel the complete opposite.

"I guess that's alright anyway. I'm sure Kazuha-chan would explain it much better over dinner."

There weren't a lot of people that could actually scare him. Even his father's intimidating demeanor had wore off on him. Something he was sure he'd never get over however, was how manipulative his mother could be. He had already been aware that the Toyama's would be joining them for dinner. He was also aware that his mother just threatened to have Kazuha expose the both of them over their family dinner.

With a heaving sigh and a mumbled, "Hag," under his breath, he gave an extremely brief rundown of what had happened between him and Kazuha earlier that day. Of course he left out the part of how suddenly Kazuha turned twelve years younger and how he was also not disappointed with her in the looks department. He did explain however that his colors had unknowingly been fading over time and suddenly things were so bright it almost hurt.

Sadly, the fact that he finally broke down and told her that did not make the dinner any less awkward. Both of their father's seemed content to discuss nothing but work but their mother's had apparently been adamant they would be talking about the fact their children were bonded. That and the witch still somehow managed to get Kazuha to go over her account of the previous evening. All he could do was sit and glare the entire time at his scheming mother whom likely had no intention of holding up her end of the deal.

Kazuha explained everything almost exactly as he had. It seemed that they had both silently agreed that it was not necessary to describe how they were both taken back to the first day they met. It made Heiji smile inside. He liked that that would just be for them.

Overall and besides the fact his mother lied to him, dinner had gone well. Heiji had been worried at first that things would only continue to be uncomfortable between them. They were soulmates but they hadn't known that and had gone years without even talking to each other in person. They had their letters but that still wasn't the same either.

But that dinner had made one thing clear. It seemed the only time either of them had the nerve to acknowledge the other as what they were- soulmates, was in front of their parents. Out in public or even alone, they held what was seen as a normal distance between each other. They could've been mistaken for just friends honestly. Truth be told, he wondered sometimes if that was how Kazuha saw him. A glorified best friend.

It was a little frustrating to him. At first he began to think it was partially his fault for her treating him like that. He hadn't made any efforts to take her on dates. He didn't invite her out to do 'overly couplely' things. That's when Heiji thought it had become clear for him. Sure, on their break he made sure to see her practically everyday. But maybe how they were spending their time wasn't enough. Maybe she needed more and didn't want to ask him for it.

Her family had moved during the break for school. The coming semester she would be enrolled in the same high school as him. She hadn't asked him to but he made it his mission to drive her to school with him every morning.

It was pretty rare to meet your soulmate while still in school. Even more so if you went to the same school. But it was practically unheard of to meet your soulmate at five. Again, at the time he hadn't realized just who Kazuha was to him nor had he or his classmates had any idea that soulmates were even out there. Sadly however, that had not stopped his classmates from making fun of him. Of course at such a young age, he had denied any and all accusations.

In high school now and facing the same taunts however, he realized that it was almost just as embarrassing. Maybe even more so because now it was actually true. Heiji never felt the need to admit that though and when Kazuha always remained silent at his side, he assumed she felt the same. That he wasn't ashamed to have a soulmate this early. He wasn't even disappointed. It was just simply not anybody else's business.

That's what he thought she had felt. But after how distant she still seemed to be, he stopped staying quiet. Most of the time it was his friends doing the taunts anyway so it was likely about time he got them to shut up.

He hadn't meant to embarrass her. He thought he had been doing the right thing- that he had been doing what she wanted. Apparently declaring to the whole school courtyard that Kazuha was his soulmate and if anybody had a problem with that they could answer to his fist, was just as humiliating as ignoring the taunts. Heiji hadn't meant to yell either. He to an extent had also gotten sick of the constant teasing from his friends and it wasn't his fault that his voice . . . carried a little. . .

Kazuha didn't seem to think so however and it was like all of her blood rushed to her face. Her mouth dropped open a few times silently as if she didn't even know what to say. She probably didn't but it was only once her eyes flickered around them that he realized practically the whole courtyard had gone silent and was staring at them.

That was the first time since Kazuha had moved back that she had actually yelled at him. So startled by her actually raising her voice at him, he barely caught anything she was saying to him. He was sure he heard a few 'ahou's and somewhere in there he caught that he was more mortifying than their parents. A little scared of her explosive temper he just stayed quiet and took it, thankful that his mom hadn't been there because she surely would've laughed at him.

When she was done though, she turned around and simply left. Now he was the one at a loss for words because all he could do was stare at where she had made her exit. He still could not believe someone had yelled at him like that.

"Well, you guys sure have bantering like a married couple down."

"Shut up!"

oOo

Kazuha didn't talk to him at all after that. It seemed like she wanted space but Heiji also had the sinking feeling that he should apologize. Which at first irritated him. Why should he apologize? He only told the truth. And to top it off he thought he had done what she would want him to do. In a way he thought he had been defending her because they hadn't just been teasing him alone after all. He shouldn't have to apologize!

Of course none of those thoughts changed the fact that he was going to anyway. The guilt was already eating away at him and if saying he was sorry was what got her to finally talk to him again, he would suck up his pride and do it.

Which all of that was easier said than done. It was quite sad but Heiji was quickly coming to the conclusion that he never really had to apologize for something before. It wasn't something that he actively refused to do. It was more of he never actually felt like he needed to. It was probably not a good thing that he could count on one hand how many times he had apologized. It worried him that he wouldn't seem sincere to her.

Apparently that wouldn't be his biggest problem. He wasn't counting on his soulmate being even more stubborn than he was. It was like she didn't want to give him the chance to say sorry. That or she just wanted to make him squirm more. They never had a chance alone. They usually walked home together but the past few days she always had something to do. Today she said she needed to stay after class.

Two could play at that game however. If she thought she was stubborn, she obviously still didn't know him well enough yet either. He waited for her.

The sun had already begun to set but Heiji refused to move. He had the idea to just wait at her house but he had a feeling that would do more harm than good. When he caught her expression when she realized that he had actually waited for her, he still felt like this maybe wasn't a good idea either.

"What took you so long?"

Her expression had been neutral up until that point. Now it was thunderous.

"Sorry to inconvenience you. I didn't exactly ask you to wait." 

Her tone was dismissive. 

Heiji scowled. "You haven't asked me to do anything. You haven't been talking to me," he accused. Briefly he had the reminder that it was him that should be apologizing yet he was already throwing around accusations.

"Oh, I haven't?" she asked with feigned nonchalance.

Her response had him forcing himself to take a breath. Remember why you came out here, he told himself adamantly. She's trying to distract you to hold onto her grudge. Remember why you're out here.

"I'm sorry!" he blurted out but with how frustrated he was, he sounded more angry than apologetic. 

His apology, whether it sounded mean or not, had her eyes widening slightly and her mouth falling open. "H-huh?"

That couldn’t be good. . . 

He didn’t like the sign of that. She sounded surprised. It was embarrassing and already he could feel the tips of his ears heating but there was no way he could take back an apology.

"I'm sorry," he said again only this time calmer.

It was a little annoying how she only continued to stare at him. As if she were still unsure if she had heard him correctly. But when it became apparent that she had indeed heard him right, she nodded her head.

"Okay."

What?

The irritation he had been trying to hold back blew.

"What am I supposed to do with that?!"

To her credit, Kazuha actually looked confused and shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. What am I supposed to do with your apology?"

Heiji actually felt a knot start to form at his temple. "You're supposed to say if you accept it or not, dummy!"

"Well how can I accept it if I don't know what it's for, ahou!"

Her response actually made him pause for a moment. Then her words registered.

"What?!" he almost exploded. "Weren't you mad at me?"

Her face was the perfect one of confusion. "Mad? Why would I be mad at you?"

"Two days ago- in the courtyard," he reminded and slowly he saw it dawn on her what he was getting at. When her face began to turn red he knew she definitely remembered. "You haven't said a word to me since!"

When it seemed like it had all finally settled in for her and she still looked confused, Heiji wanted to scream. Then why had he felt all this guilt? All the mental pep-talks he had to do just to get the courage to apologize to her and she wasn't even mad.

"You know what," he finally burst and turned around as if to head to the front gate. "Forget about it." He wasn't going to play this game right now. He apologized. He did what he felt like he needed to do. He reached out. Now he'd allow her the space she apparently so desperately wanted-

"I miss my friends."

So stuck in his head, he almost missed that she had said something. Freezing to look over his shoulder though, he knew he heard her correctly. She wasn't looking at him. If anything he'd guess she was staring at her shoes in . . . shame?

"I was a little upset," she admitted softly. If it wasn't for how somber she looked he would've demanded to know why she hadn't accepted his apology.

"I'm mostly upset with myself so I'm sorry if it seemed it was about you."

How was I supposed to know that if you ignored me for two days, he wanted to grumble.

"I just saw the way you and your friends were interacting and it . . . made me jealous."

"I mean- how stupid is that?" she shook her head as if scolding herself and it looked like her shoulders were trembling. "To be mad at you. Leaving my friends and my home is worth it if I have my soulmate waiting for me." And her voice finally cracked; her voice thick with tears. They started streaming down her face and her arm that wasn't carrying her bag came up to wipe them away hurriedly.

"But I'm sorry. I can't help it. Sometimes I just wanna go home," she hiccuped.

He had not been expecting her tears. He had not been expecting anything she had said. And for that, he felt he could never forgive himself.

How selfish was he? It hadn't even crossed his mind if Kazuha had even wanted to move back. He had always assumed she did. He never questioned if she liked it here. Because in his mind, she had to. He was here after all. If she wasn't saying anything, then nothing was wrong, had been his thoughts.

And watching her break down, arms shaking and voice quivering- the guilt he had felt before was nothing compared to this.

Gently, and slowly so as to give her a chance to pull away, he grabbed the hand that was still swiping at her tears that were still falling. She startled slightly but other than that, allowed his hand to hold hers carefully. When their eyes connected, it made his heart ache all the more.

He was sure his eyes reflected all the pain he was feeling as well. He'd be lying if he said her words hadn't made him feel the slightest bit inadequate as a soulmate. But it wasn't just about what he wanted anymore. His feelings weren't his priority anymore. Hers would always come before his own now.

Clenching his jaw, he still held her hand and he dropped his gaze to it. Her hand was smaller than his and much paler as well as softer. Swallowing the emotion down that was trying to surface he said, "Do you want to go back?"

He didn't want her to. It was strange how quickly the bond took control of his heart but each person experienced it differently. And for the first time he was realizing that maybe . . . she didn't want this yet. Maybe she didn’t want to acknowledge this yet. And she didn't have to. They were only in high school. They had a lifetime after this.

"No!" Her adamant response startled him but what was even more surprising was how her hand was suddenly gripping his back. "I don't think I could ever want that. I just have nobody here and sometimes I feel so . . alone," she whispered the last part slightly and Heiji once again took in her somber appearance.

Something finally struck him. Was she having a hard time adjusting because-

His mind blazed and his eyes narrowed.

"Is someone messing with you?"

"What- no, Heiji. I just don't know these people."

"Don't lie to me," he said sternly and he took another step towards her. The close proximity obviously made her nervous because immediately she was sputtering, going to take a step back. But in her panic, her feet tangled together and suddenly she started falling.

"Hey-! Careful, dummy!" And in his panic to grab a hold of her, one hand grabbed her arm firmly and the other had gone for the front of her uniform at the collar. But his fingers tangled in something and accidentally pulled too hard.

It happened like slow motion. A charm flew from under her shirt; the string that was wrapped around his fingers broke and the charm too went falling. Too wrapped up in the fact that he recognized that charm, he had almost missed the fact something had flown out of it. And almost comically they both watched it flutter to the ground slowly. It fell facing up and he could see perfectly what it was as well as recognize it. It had his eyes widening and his mouth dropping open in shock; the barest tint of pink dusting his dark cheeks.

He never told her he kept the charm she had gifted him all those years ago. Not because he was actively hiding it. It just never came up and like he said before, it was simply a part of him now. But not once had it occurred to him that she had kept hers as well. It hadn't even crossed his mind that she might've thrown hers away and thought he was weird for keeping his. But she didn't.

And even more startling was, she had a picture of him inside it.

He can see the embarrassment and just down right panic as she quickly dropped to snatch the charm up. And almost like someone was trying to torture her, each and every time she went to pick up the picture, she couldn't seem to get a good grasp under it. It stuck to the floor, his smirking face pointing upward as if mocking and he could feel her frustration grow.

Though he was shocked at first and that made him freeze up, when he realized what just happened, he couldn't help the smug grin that began to creep up on his features. He wasn't that terrible however, and he squatted down next to her, picking up the glossy photo from the floor easily.

Probably before thinking it through, she was already snatching it from his hand and holding to her chest protectively as if praying he hadn't seen it yet- which they both knew that of course he had. Her face was so red and she was refusing to look at him and looking closely, it looked like she was about to cry again from how mortified she must've felt.

He frowned. Why would she cry over that? Shaking his head slightly, he grinned slightly again.

"Kazuha."

Still, she wouldn't look at him at first. She clearly thought he was going to make fun of her, and though that was highly tempting, he knew it would've only been hypocritical. She still was stubbornly refusing to look at him though and he knew she had heard him.

Sighing, he slouched on the floor heavily beside her, hopefully as evidence to her that he would not be leaving. They were still at the school gates and any of their classmates that stayed behind could spot them if they walked by, but he didn’t care. He wanted her to realize that he had all day.

All it did was make her turn her face further away from him. It was clear she wanted to be left alone again after she was probably feeling so humiliated.

But Heiji didn't see anything humiliating about it. He felt giddy. Because she finally gave him what he had been needing. Seeing the way her blush went from the tips of her ears and down her neck, he felt his smile soften.

Dummy. All I wanted was for you to acknowledge this. To acknowledge me.

The rustle from his clothes as he shuffled for the yarn that was wrapped around his throat just under his own collar- he knew it got her attention from the way she tensed slightly. She stubbornly refused to turn towards him until, like he knew it would, her curiosity got the best of her and she looked at him confusedly.

By that point, he was already loosening the string keeping the charm cinched closed and tugging out something else that he cherished closely to him. She wouldn't look away though. He already knew she was probably surprised to see that he still held that charm around his neck. The real shock came when he held the small glossy square in his hand, angling both that and the charm so she could easily see.

"Don't worry about it, dummy. I have one too." The soft grin he gave her was not intentional, nor was it something he could hold back. A smirk or even a joke was probably more like his style. He couldn't deny how warmly she had touched him though. As he was almost positive was the same for her, he had no intention of showing her what was in his charm. He hadn't even thought to tell her he still had it let alone tell her he carried her photo around in it. But to see she did the same as well. . . He couldn't explain the sensations he was feeling right now. The way his heart kept stuttering in his chest- was that normal? Probably not but he liked it and he wanted her to experience that feeling as well.

What he was not wanting her to feel was the trembling of her bottom lip nor the tears that sprung to her eyes. He would've asked if she was upset still if it wasn't for the messy, watery grin she gave him. Her cheeks were still red but this time it seemed more from being happy.

Once she had the charm placed back in the bag, he opened his hand expectantly. After she complied, he began to reattach the string around her neck.

"You can go back if you need to," he spoke softly as he finished tying off the yarn. Her whole body tensed but he continued.

"It'll suck at first but I don't want you to be unhappy here." Throat feeling a little tight he added, "I can wait-"

A small noise of surprise escaped him when suddenly her hand was touching his cheek. Still looking down, he hadn't really paid attention to see she was now facing him. But looking at her now, he wasn't sure if it was the bond acting up again but her eyes felt . . . brighter.

And suddenly she was laying her head just under his chin. Her hand having slipped down to wrap around him tightly in an embrace. 

“I want to stay.” 

[obtusemedia]

Top 25 songs of 2020: Honorable mentions

2020 was not a good year in many respects. But despite the world collapsing around us, there was a shocking amount of great new music.

Some of 2020′s best songs were a good fit for this terrifying year — we’ll get to those ones much, much later in the countdown. But 2020 also gave us gorgeous folk ballads, euphoric dance music and infectiously fun pop and hip-hop that had nothing to do with COVID-19 or any other awful aspects of the year.

Before we get to the proper list, here are 15 nearly-as-good songs that juuuust missed the cut, listed in alphabetical order by the artist’s name.

“Shimmy” by Aminé

Oregon’s most prominent rapper — okay, fine, Oregon’s only prominent rapper — came out of the gates blazing this year with “Shimmy.” 

Aminé may have heavily sampled Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s classic “Shimmy Shimmy Ya” on his second album’s leadoff single, but he replaces ODB’s chaotic vibes with a cold, snarling precision. He almost evokes Pusha T in his gleeful takedown of his rivals over the ice-cold beat. Pair this banger with one of the year’s best music videos, and there’s no doubt it would sneak onto this list.

“Dakiti” by Bad Bunny and Jhay Cortez

I am all about this nocturnal, new wave-y style of reggaeton. The melody is catchy as hell, yet the production has a sinister, chilly vibe that wouldn’t sound out of place on an Italians Do It Better complication. 

Megastar Bad Bunny’s husky vocals and Jhay Cortez’s more nasally voice make for a fun contrast as they trade verses. It’s a winning and charismatic combination!

“Boomer” by Bartees Strange

When you hear the phrase “rap-rock,” you’re likely shuddering at the thought of Limp Bizkit. But that style can work, as promising new artist Bartees Strange — stage name of D.C. alt-rocker Bartees Leon Cox — proves on “Boomer.”

Cox spices up a solid mall-punk banger with some rap verses. And unlike the Fred Dursts of the world, he can actually, you know, rap. 

But it’s the song’s explosive chorus, where Cox unleashes his howling vocals over charging guitars, where “Boomer” goes from an interesting song to a great one. If there’s any justice, he’ll be rising up the indie ranks very soon.

“Kyoto” by Phoebe Bridgers

I think I might be the only music nerd who didn’t adore Phoebe Bridgers’ new album, Punisher. For me, her mix of hushed, mostly-sincere singer-songwriter ballads with snarky lyrics just came off as tonally awkward. Her quips about Scientology and outlet malls in otherwise-sad ballads left a sour note for me.

But Bridgers’ unique songwriting style shines most on the few uptempo songs on Punisher, particularly “Kyoto.” Her goofy non sequiturs fit much better in a driving, anthemic song. And I’m immediately primed to enjoy any tune with a strong resemblance to Sufjan Stevens’ “Chicago.”

“Dynamite” by BTS

I’m not sure what it says about me that I didn’t learn to love BTS, the insanely-beloved South Korean boy band, until they finally recorded a song in English. 

It’s not that I dislike their earlier, Korean-language stuff — “Boy With Luv” in particular is a banger. And BTS’ English-language lyrics on “Dynamite” don’t really have any meaning (they’re basically just a bunch of random catchphrases jammed together ... but they do sound good).

But there’s something immediate and pristine about “Dynamite” that makes it impossible to not adore. It’s a little too cleanly produced to be on the level of the Bruno Mars hits BTS were clearly aping, but the sense of fun is infectious. At the very least, it’s on equal footing with Taio Cruz’s classic of the same name.

“Comeback” by Carly Rae Jepsen feat. Bleachers

Carly Rae Jepsen can knock out wistful synthpop nuggets like this in her sleep. So can Jack Antonoff, who produced the track and provides some backing vocals. 

But just because this isn’t anything new for the duo doesn’t mean the winning formula’s gone stale. “Comeback” is a worthy addition to both of their catalogues.

“Hollywood” by Car Seat Headrest

I can’t, in good conscience, put this song in the top 25. It’s an intentionally abrasive misfire from the Seattle indie rockers, who’ve done much better. Complaining about the vapidness and sleaziness of Hollywood is an overplayed topic, and letting side members of the band rap some of the verses (in goofy voices, no less) was maybe not the best call.

...but at the same time, there’s something to this objectively bad song that I keep returning to. Maybe it’s the embarrassing bluntness of the lyrics. Maybe it’s the forceful guitar riff. Maybe it’s because the aggro, visceral nature of “Hollywood” makes it a perfect workout song. Maybe it’s the goodwill left over from Car Seat Headrest’s last two albums, which were both stone-cold indie rock classics. I’m not sure! 

But even though I know it’s not a good enough song to make the proper list, I can’t lie to myself and leave it out of the honorable mentions. It’s a banger in spite of itself.

“24 Hours” by Georgia

"24 Hours” is the best possible version of a left-of-center synthpop club banger. 

What makes it great — the pulsating energy, Georgia’s yearning vocals, the “whoo!” vocal samples — are obvious on immediate listen. But perhaps what makes “24 Hours” worthy of this list is its replay factor. It came out in January, and it still sounds great 11 months later.

“1985″ by Freddie Gibbs and The Alchemist (song starts at 1:35)

We already knew — thanks to his two collaborative albums with Madlib — that Freddie Gibbs’ gruff flow sounds incredible over dusty samples. So why not team up with another producer who does something similar?

“1985″ is a prime example of knowing one’s strengths. The Alchemist’s production is stunningly gorgeous in his typical style, with a soaring guitar solo and a shuffling, dreamy beat. Gibbs pounces on it with the same ferocious street-life verses he’s been spitting for years. I’m glad to see Gibbs has figured out exactly which production sounds best for him to make Tiger King jokes and tell coke-dealing stories.

“Say Something” by Kylie Minogue

Aussie icon Kylie Minogue has been at it for 33 years at this point, reminding us every decade or so exactly why she’s stuck around.

“Say Something” is one of those reminder tracks — a burbling, irresistible, futuristic-yet-retro disco banger. The production is stellar, from the clanging guitar riff to the bouncy synth bass, and Minogue has a winking confidence on the track like she’s been doing this for decades (which, of course, she has). It’s exactly what you want out of a bubblegum pop jam.

“Right Round The Clock” by Sorry

With their very-British boy-girl dueling vocals, new London indie rock outfit Sorry definitely have more of a whiff of The xx. But instead of hyper-minimalist, whispered tunes, “Right Round The Clock” has a thundering, droll swagger that grabs you by the throat when the chorus comes slamming in.

The thumping, piano-based sound of “Clock” has a bit of a jazzy flair, thanks to the flecks of sax that pop in here and there. And Sorry interpolates Tears For Fears’ classic “Mad World” in a gloriously tongue-in-cheek way on the chorus (at the very least, it’s far superior to that awful gloom-and-doom Donnie Darko cover).

“Brooklyn Bridge To Chorus” by The Strokes

In a year FILLED with improbable comebacks from ‘00s and ‘90s artists (we’ll get some of to them in the top 25!), The Strokes may have been the least likely. The early ‘00s indie rock standard-bearers had been in sharp decline for nearly 15 years before their new album, The New Abnormal, dropped and the group returned to form.

“Brooklyn Bridge To Chorus” is a prime example of The Strokes’ invigorating comeback. It’s a killer new-wave jam that could’ve been been written by The Cars, with its jittery keyboards and impossibly catchy chorus. And of course, The Strokes’ most valuable asset — lead singer Julian Casablancas’ impossibly cool vocals — is here in full force. 

It’s not quite Is This It, but “Brooklyn Bridge To Chorus” is still The Strokes’ best song in 14 years.

“Spotlight” by Jessie Ware

After a career making increasingly dull ballads, “Spotlight,” and Ware’s new What’s Your Pleasure? album, is a refreshing change of pace into sleek dance-pop. 

I don’t know if “classy” has ever been used to describe disco, but that’s the best way to describe “Spotlight.” It’s undoubtably a dancefloor filler, with a funky groove and ‘70s string stabs, but there’s also a stateliness to it. It could fit equally well at Studio 54 as it would at a black-tie affair. I credit Ware with that, using her breathy vocals and charisma to strong effect here.

“Lilacs” by Waxahatchee

Any time you can write a song that sounds like an outtake from Tom Petty’s Wildflowers, I’m on board. 

That’s a bit of a reductive way to describe “Lilacs” — Katie Crutchfield’s vocals are much more fiery, for starters. But there’s something nostalgic and welcoming about this southern-fried folk-rock song with oblique lyrics and catchy hooks for days.

“Mood” by 24kGoldn feat. iann dior

Much of this new wave of emo-influenced rap isn’t really my thing. Maybe I’ve grown out of super-angsty and blunt songs about depression? Although I still love Smashing Pumpkins, so maybe that’s not the case. I can’t really answer why I don’t adore Juice WRLD or Lil Peep like so many others seem to.

But “Mood” — an unabashed sell-out, watered-down version of that sound – immediately clicked for me. I know 24kGoldn is trend-riding here, and that this is essentially a wildly shallow pop song. BUT! It’s a really catchy wildly shallow pop song! With bouncy pop-punk production that sounds like trap-ified Blink-182! (okay, it’s much better than that sounds, but you get the point)

I allow myself a guilty pleasure or two on my lists. “Mood” is one of those guilty pleasures this year. As the kids (presumably still?) say, it’s a vibe.

[lorei-writes]

Together

Part 2 - The Present

Masamune x MC (Mizusaki Mai) Mostly feels, some fluff (I think) Previous parts: Part 1 - The Past

Okay, I think it’s all right.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, as Ikemen Sengoku is the property of Cybrid. Anything included in the story is not canon.

Briefly:  When the time comes, I will not hesitate.

Mai never intended to return. She locked away her fears and regrets, never once wanting to face them. After all, how could she? If she had any say in the matter, she would have approached the matters differently – she would have told her parents about the reason behind her disappearance, she would have said her goodbyes by herself, she would never have them worried like that. However, the stakes were stacked against her, the wormhole being too much of an unusual occurrence to even consider counting on another one to ever happen – all she could do was to give Sasuke hand written letters and hope that they'd believe her words. Not that she could tell them all the truth and risk having her sanity put into question.

Mai never thought she'd ever see her mother, even less so that the woman would be crushing her ribs in a tight embrace. “ Mum?” she asked, too puzzled to asses the situation. “ My little girl, where have you been all this time? You had me worried sick,” the mother sobbed. “ It's a long story. For how long have I been here?” The arms around Mai loosened a bit, just for the parent and the child to part seconds later. The woman sat back on the chair next to the hospital bed. “ A day. The doctors don't even know what had happened to you.” Mai raised her eyebrows. She sat up and stretched her arms. “ What do you men they don't know what had happened to me?” “ We... We did not expect to ever see you again,” she hesitated, as she choked on words, the tears threatening to spill over at any moment. She took a deep breath, trying to steady her uneven tone: “ Let alone unharmed,” she continued, rubbing at her eyes. “ Your father will be here in an hour. We were sure you got kidnapped.”

The days following the return were rather hectic, with her parents in a state of hysterical happiness and disbelief.  Their minds could not conjure any scenario probable enough to accept. How could they? For all those years they lived convinced their daughter was a victim to human trafficking, sold somewhere on an illegal market, never to be rescued. They had grieved her during the days, the nightmares sometimes twisting the dreams into horrible visions of abuse. For Mai to come back safely was miraculous, for her to be of relatively good health and to have seemingly lost all memory from the past years – it was next to impossible. In their minds, it was all an illusion. Partially, they indeed were right, as the woman never allowed her sorrow to surface whenever anybody was around, hence strengthening the image of a lucky survivor.

Mai wasn't one, though. If anything, she dreaded her fate, all too aware of the fact that even if the opportunity came to be, she could not return to her husband. The diagnosis didn't scare her at first – the doctors assured her that although the disease had progressed, all the effects could be reversed. Only later did she understand what they meant – it would get better, if she took the medicine, the very pellets that were manufactured only in the present time, a definite cure still remaining unknown to the world. As it was explained to her, her hypothyroidism was most probably a result of an autoimmune condition, a thing they couldn't help. She would be able to lead a happy life, to fulfill her dreams – yet only then and there, not back in time.

Mai did miss plenty of time. The trends had shifted and the technology had progressed. With her parents worried about her and the police insisting on continuing the investigation, she soon found herself moving to her hometown, where she worked on rebuilding her portfolio. While trying to convince everybody that she was in good condition, she adapted to the present, her spirit still stuck back in the past. People assumed it was ordinary, as something surely must have broken her in a way – why else she would have vanished?

However, she was not able to hide everything. To the surprise of her parents, her designs changed in a peculiar way – Mai did seem to become keen on a particular shade of blue, oftentimes using a moon theme in her work. It wasn't only that – her cooking improved greatly, she took a strange liking to cats and was awfully unapologetic. She also gained a rather weird interest in history, as if she had seen some things happen with her own eyes. Her attitude towards consumption changed as well, with nothing being destined to become waste.

On that morning, she was out shopping for dinner, hoping to fetch herself some fresh ingredients. She wondered which of the dishes she should prepare, when she heard a familiar voice calling her. She spun around abruptly, not quite believing her own ears. To her best knowledge, Sasuke returned to the present to continue his studies – what possibly could he be doing in her town? Yet there he was, carefully avoiding clashing into other humans, as he rushed to her side. “ Mai, I just... What are you doing here?” he asked, concern evident in his voice. “ I could ask you the very same thing. Care for a coffee?” Former ninja agreed with a nod and soon, they were seated in a small cafe.

Bitter-sweet aroma filled the space, as their orders got delivered. Not sure how to go about the conversation, Mai started: “ So, why are you here? I presume it has nothing to do with your research.” “ No, it doesn't. I do have an interesting observation, though. It seems that nobody but us is aware of the changes in the history we've made. Their memories just update to what presumably has happened.” “ And?” she nagged him to continue, as she dug into her cake. “ In last years it was noted that Masamune Date died leaving no heir behind. In past months it got updated to 'Masamune Date died leaving no heir behind, allegedly abstaining from any relationships with women after his first wife died in an accident'. Mai, history is changing at an astounding rate.” She bit her lip, trying to silence any hope welling up inside of her. “ Do you want to tell me that...” she started. “ I can't say anything for sure, but it's entirely possible more things will be discovered.” “ Thanks,” she mustered, an honest smile gracing her face for the first time in months. “ Friends in the past stay friends in the future, right?” Sasuke laughed. “ What even happened back there?” Mai shook her head, just to start explaining the recent events a few seconds later. ***

Masamune couldn't possibly tell everybody the truth. Having escaped the burning fire, he was greeted with compassionate looks – his servants and retainers had already made up the version of reality, in which the princess had died. Given the evidence and the almost supernatural nature of the  phenomenon that stole her away, it would be unwise to state otherwise. Whenever anybody asked, Masamune simply said: “She's gone”, never bothering to provide any further explanation. After receiving the letters with briefing on the events, his friends didn't even ask for details anyway.

He was restless. To the outside world, Masamune didn't change too much – he lived, as if his beloved wife was still by his side, at worst being even more eager to fulfill his duties. Simply, no eyes could see the insatiable hunger consuming him on the inside. Yet, in his misery, he couldn't say he'd do anything differently – the possibility of saving her was enough for him to withstand the poisonous effects of the feeling he was unable to give up on.

Torn apart by his desires and the better judgement, he sprung into action, using the information provided by his lover to speed up the cogs of time. If the reason behind the appearance of wormholes was restoring balance, he'd disturb it just enough to force one to open. At worst, he'd silence the yearning in his chest, so that he could live through another day. The nights, on the other hand... The nights were unbearable. At first, his bed still smelled of her, rubbing salt into the fresh wound. However, the scent started to fade out fast, making him miss her even more. Hoping to breach the gap between them, he wrote letters to her almost daily and hid them in his most prominent castles in an attempt to lure the researchers into finding them.

Though some part of him was certain, he'd have a chance to deliver them himself. ***

Almost two years had passed since their parting. Mai had moved to Kyoto, as she began to stand on her own feet anew. The place had some strange magnetizing effect on her and she couldn't help but listen to her intuition. She was cooking dinner, when the phone lit up. Sasuke had sent her a link. She frowned, turning the stove down.

The site opened. “A collection of letters discovered by the archaeologists”, read the title. Feverishly, her eyes scanned over the text, until the quotation and pictures of source material appeared. “ To my one and only beloved,

I miss your touch. I long to kiss your lips and hold you close. Whenever I close my eyes, you're in my dreams and I can't wait for the time we can meet in reality.

I can only hope you forgave me, as I know you won't be able to answer me. I did not lie in my vows.

When the time comes, I will not hesitate. Please, keep smiling until we meet and then, you'll have all the rights in the world to be angry with me. For now, just trust me.” The rest of the letter was smudged, but Mai didn't need to see the signature to know the sender. She covered her mouth with her hand, as her heart started to beat faster.

Another text appeared in her notifications: “I can see the dates changing. It's insane.” A few seconds have passed. “Mai, entire paragraphs are being rewritten.”

She didn't wait. She turned down the stove completely and barged out of her apartment, heading towards the monument she knew so well. The weather was beautiful, just like the first time. She didn't need any confirmation, she knew what would happen.

And it did.