#i feel like he does this so frequently that it'd be justified

[karleksmumskladdkaka]

DIABOLIK LOVERS DAYLIGHT Vol. 7 Mukami Ruki Animate Tokuten Drama CD: “Sleeping Together ★ With Vampire"

Audio

No, not that kind of sleeping together.

...And yet somehow not really the other kind either because despite it's title there is LITTLE TO NO SLEEPING TOGETHER GOING ON AT ALL except at the very end TᴖT TᴖT TᴖT My disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined.

Ok ok I'm obviously being overdramatic. Misleading name aside the CD is enjoyable and cute just...not at all in the way I was expecting (that being something akin to the Sleeping Vampire Scenario from Vandead Carnival but, alas, no). But oh well, I got to hear Ruki be all deredere towards the end so it's fine I guess lol

Ideally I'd create an actual translation to go along with this (I might do so sometime in the future, unless someone more competent does it first) but for now I've put a summary of the story under the cut. I ask that you please have mercy on me though, I am not used to writing this kind of stuff and it probably shows >﹏<;

Regardless, I hope you enjoy ( ﾉ^ω^)ﾉ ⋆⁺₊☽⁺₊⋆

UPDATE: The CD now has an actual translation courtesy of my fellow Ruki stan @otomehonyaku o(^o^)o please go check it out if you haven't already!

[Disclaimer: I always allow my stuff to be used for translation purposes, as long as I am credited. BUT DO NOT REPOST THE AUDIO ON ANY WEBSITE WHATSOEVER. I bought the CD with my own money and as such this audio belongs to me.]

Summary ~*×*☆*+*~

[Please note that there may be mistakes or I might've misinterpreted parts of the CD. I apologize in advance (╥﹏╥)]

The CD starts with Ruki encountering Yui, who is carrying an unusually large package. Curious, Ruki asks her what she's doing, and learns that Kou has tasked her with delivering the package to him (Ruki). Ruki is somewhat perplexed as he doesn't recall requesting anything of the kind. Yui suggests that it might be a surprise gift, but Ruki is skeptical. He wants to ask Kou directly but is reminded that he is currently away on a location shoot. With a resigned sigh, Ruki decides that he has no choice but to open the package in Kou's absence. He asks Yui to hand the package to him, and then invites her to come along to his room to find out what's inside. She eagerly accepts, and they head off together.

In Ruki's room they take a seat (on what I assume to be the sofa) and open the package. Inside, there are various wooden pieces resembling parts of something, along with a letter from Kou. Ruki reads the letter aloud and it's revealed that the package contains a (*drumroll*)... puzzle! And not just any puzzle but a ✨️3D puzzle✨️. In the letter Kou encourages Ruki and Yui to assemble the parts together to discover what they will form. Since he's got spare time on his hands Ruki decides to have a go at it, with Yui joining in.

After a while of working on the puzzle, Ruki asks Yui how her part is coming along. She shows him, and he comments that she's doing better than he anticipated. He helps her out with some difficult pieces before instructing her to continue on her own. Yui asks Ruki if this is his first time putting together a 3D puzzle, and he replies that he's tried some before, but that this particular type is new to him. Yui is eager to learn what it is they are building, and Ruki, not wanting to dampen her anticipation, pretends he still can't quite figure out what the finished thing will be either (awww ♡). Ruki suggests that rather than moving their mouths they should focus on moving their hands as with their current pace the puzzle won't be finished. He reasons that the faster they move the sooner they'll have their curiosity satisfied. Yui agrees to work faster and Ruki promises to do the same.

They pick up the pace and eventually the puzzle is done. The assembled pieces have formed a small foreign castle, and Ruki reveals that he suspected as much from the start. He surmises that Kou must have remembered their expressed desire to visit such a castle after seeing one by chance on one of his TV shows. Ruki acknowledges Kou's attempt to make the two of them happy in his own way. He praises Yui for doing a great job despite not knowing what they were actually assembling, noting that the part she made fits perfectly into the castle.

However, there is no response from Yui, causing a puzzled (ahaha) Ruki to remark on her lack of reaction to something she had been so excited about. Turning his head to the side to look at her, Ruki discovers that she's fallen asleep with her head resting on his shoulder. He comments on the privilege of such a sleeping position but acknowledges that it's understandable she'd fall asleep since it's past their usual bedtime. She had seemed so engrossed in their work that he didn't notice her drifting off.

Ruki carries Yui to his bed and gently places her there, saying that she should have just told him that she was tired. He realizes that she likely made an effort to stay awake until the end, though she ultimately fell asleep. Deciding that it would be a good time for him to go to sleep as well, he tidies up and hides the little castle under the table, so that he'll be able to see Yui's reaction to it in the morning.

Returning to the bed, Ruki asks Yui to scoot over to make room for him, but she's sleeping too soundly to hear. He lies down next to her and (in true Mukami Ruki fashion) begins observing Yui's sleeping face. He notes how relaxed her expression is and wonders if it's because she's tired out from using her brain (lmao rude). Ruki then ponders what kind of face Yui will make when she wakes up—will she feel guilty for falling asleep before the puzzle was finished, or will she be surprised and embarrassed to find him laying next to her? Regardless of what her reaction will be, Ruki knows that it'll be enjoyable to witness. But he's certain she'll be happy once she sees the completed puzzle and admits to himself that he really wants to see that expression on her face. He's aware that it's out of character for him, and thinks that he might even have trouble falling asleep from the excitement (asdfsdjfj this is too fucking cute I can't)

Ruki decides that he should thank Kou for the useful gift by making him his favorite food for dinner tomorrow. The mention of dinner causes Yui to stir (what a relatable Queen), and Ruki teases her for being greedy. He assures the still-sleeping girl that she doesn't need to worry; he'll make her favorite dish as well as a reward for her hard work on the puzzle.

The CD ends with Ruki saying how he looks forward to seeing Yui's reaction the following day.

Fin ~*×*☽*+*~

- _(´ω`_)⌒)_

[winterdying]

Hearts: Ace, 2, 6, Queen

card suits

Ace - How easy is it for any sort of relationship to develop with your muse?

hm... this really and honestly depends on the other person. mithra considers himself a nice and kind individual, because he's so totally warped in terms of socialization he doesn't really realize or recognize that he's a total monster. which means... depending on how the other person reacts, it can be incredibly easy to form a relationship with him or it can hit a brick wall.

you kind of have to work with him and his entitlement and selfishness while at the same time make sure to knock him down a peg (gently), if that makes sense?

Two - How often do things go well for your muse in their relationships?

not often. until the main character of the game shows up, almost every 'deep' relationship mithra has is based on subjugation and violence and power- of course, this isn't a mithra problem, this is a problem with the country he was born in!!

still, despite the aforementioned subjugation and violence and power, i think that earns him some begrudging respect; his closest allies are bradley and owen, yet the trio frequently tries to murder each other. that's uh... gotta count for something, right?

Six - How does your muse handle blossoming feelings for another?

i don't even think mithra realizes he has feelings outside of basic things like 'anger' and 'happiness' and 'confusion' and things like that. things that he doesn't understand are usually approached with violent annoyance. so if mithra was to fall for someone- seriously fall for someone- it'd probably be an extremely confusing and tumultuous time, riddled with outbursts.

Queen - Does your muse pay back kindness that is offered to them? If so, then how do they go about doing so?

lol.

(on a more serious answer, he rarely does unless he feels it's completely justified- northern wizards are extremely prideful and being the second most powerful wizard means mithra assumes that people being nice to him is just deserved by him being alive. he might- might- consider paying you back in his own twisted way if he fancies you.)

[thejustmaiden]

Jaken = Rin's Dad?

Okay, is this how a daughter treats their so-called father?

Most definitely not.

Rin and Jaken's relationship clearly screams of your typical sibling rivalry punctuated with cute and silly moments of playful bickering.

Yes, Jaken may technically be her main provider, but that doesn't necessarily equate to him being more of a father than Sesshomaru. If anything, he demonstrates more of a brotherly love towards her. As we all know, parents (which Sesshomaru embodies more based on real life patterns and parallels) will leave their older more capable children in charge of looking after their younger brothers and sisters. In this case, that would mean making Jaken responsible for watching over Rin and protecting her if need be. Ah-Un offers protection, too. Think of it as Jaken as the big brother and Ah-Un as the family dog who are babysitting while Sesshomaru as the parent of the household is away at work or taking care of business. I mean, they literally fit that description to a tee and I'm dying at the accuracy of it all! 🤣👌

[Quick! Someone write up a modern au where Sesshomaru finally gets out to have a nice date night but everything goes wrong in the most spectacular way. Like maybe Rin and Jaken catch a ride on Ah-Un to go spy!]

I recently revisited some episodes from The Final Act, and I couldn't believe how many moments like this there were where Rin got after Jaken or when she would "put him in his place" so to speak. Obviously, all of it is mostly harmless. I was only surprised by how often it occurred, not to mention how Jaken would just stand there and take it. Towards a supposed father figure, Rin's behavior is downright unacceptable. There's a certain level of respect a child is expected to show their parents/guardians, and that's just not what I'm witnessing here between them. Like at all.

Rather their dynamic has the nature of some sibling relationships like I mentioned above. So I really wish fans would stop pretending otherwise, because based on what we know of father-daughter relationships- healthy ones at least- they don't appear anything like what Jaken and Rin have. If you could please provide me other examples of where we've seen similar portrayals in fiction or in real life, then perhaps I can get on board.

Look, that doesn't have to mean that because Jaken isn't her father then Sesshomaru must be. They can both be her caretakers without necessarily filling that traditional father role. I'm just saying that if we're going to start assigning titles to characters, let's make sure we are accurate and truthful in our assessments. If you're going to label anyone Rin's dad, then it needs to be Sesshomaru. Jaken doesn't have precedence over him in terms of fatherly attributes, that just wouldn't make sense.

After all, this isn't about what you want to see, this is about what Rin very likely sees. It's safe to assume that she views Sesshomaru more like a father than she does Jaken. She knows she's safe with him (broadly speaking lol) and that he'll come for her no matter what. That sense of security and comfort is what a child seeks and what they should always feel in a parent's presence. She trusts and even idolizes him, just as a young and innocent child tends to do with their parents. At that age, parents are perfect and could do no wrong in their child's eyes. Idk about you, but this describes perfectly how Rin is around Sesshomaru.

Rin adores him and will follow him anywhere- yes, even into danger! That's what the innocence and unconditional love of a child will bring them to do if necessary. Fortunately, at the end of The Final Act we learn Sesshomaru takes Kaede's advice when he realizes that leaving Rin with her in the village is in her best interests. That way she'd be able to lead a more normal and safer life alongside other humans. Remember, Sessrin shippers, that doesn't mean he wasn't still a part of her life and didn't witness her become a young woman over the years right before his very eyes. Therefore, if they eventually do become romantically involved, then most if not all of those gifts had intimate and seductive intentions and it essentially constitutes as child grooming.

I understand from a Sessrin shipper's point of view why it'd be so much easier to claim Jaken as the father. In doing so, they diminish Sesshomaru's role in her upbringing. By refusing to acknowledge the real role he had in helping raise Rin (short periods can be crucial and impressionable too esp. in a child's early years so yes they did assist in raising her not only Kaede), these shippers are better able to justify how their filial-like relationship evolved into a romantic one. So yeah, I get it, if I were a Sessrin shipper I'd probably do the same. It's one of the more plausible arguments available to them, after all. "Let's pin Jaken as the father to fend off antis!" is the best chance they've got, but even so, it's still not good enough. But if you insist Jaken is indeed like a father to Rin, then Sesshomaru is most certainly one too. Who says she can't have two fathers anyway?

The thing is however much you want to deny or downplay what Sesshomaru truly means to Rin and vice versa, nothing will ever change or hide the truth of the matter. Please, stop acting like they're only traveling companions and nothing more. Some of y'all even go so far as to say that they're like strangers. Knowing potentially little about a person is not equal to a lack of love and affection. Making big assumptions such as this to defend your ship is actually doing you more harm than good. Let me elaborate.

According to your reasoning, if that's all Rin ever was to him was a companion and Sesshomaru had no real attachment to her, then what precisely is the basis of your ship? Recall that Adult!Rin doesn't exist yet, thus we have no real idea what she will be like or if she's even alive. So how can you make comments like that but then go on later to say "they have such a unique and unbreakable bond" or "only Rin can be the mother because she's the only human he ever cared for" if all that time spent traveling together didn't amount to much in the first place like you claimed to believe beforehand? Do you see how your rationalizing is confusing?

Contrary to what some of you may think, I'm not just saying all this because I'm an anti and I'm obligated to disagree with you, or whatever other excuse you want to tell yourself. Believe it or not, I'm attempting to give as unbiased and objective of an analysis I can based on widely accepted interpretations of family dynamics, development, and any history we know of.

Of course I respect that at times fans will perceive things differently since that's bound to happen. What's hard for me to wrap my head around however is the unwillingness of some fans- not exclusively Sessrin shippers- to apply basic common sense and sound judgment to their observations and deductions.

Looking at all our facts, then taking the small handful of scenes Sesshomaru and Rin do share together into account, one can logically conclude that their dynamic is akin to one found in a typical parent-child relationship. If you still fail to recognize Sesshomaru as a parent to Rin, then that's fine too. In the end, that won't really change the fact that he'd still take on a role resembling an adult figure overseeing a young child's care and protection. Be it as a vassal, guardian, what have you. Plus, nobody is saying here that Sesshomaru doesn't make mistakes regarding Rin's general well-being, but so do all parents. Overall, I think the majority of us agree that Rin is in good hands. Whether it's in his direct company or in his occasional supervision from his frequent visits to the village.

In other words, it doesn't really matter what exact title you assign him in relation to Rin, as the distribution of power is all inherently the same with any and all adult-child relationships. That bond never changes once you've established it either, seeing as it's a special kind of connection one can only form with a child and a child alone.

I was a teacher for a few years, and speaking from personal experience, you don't need to be a parent, per se, to take on a role of authority in a child's life. I know without a doubt that I could never and will never view any of those kids I taught in a sexual/romantic light later down the road; yes, not even once they become grown-ups who are independent and more than capable of making their own decisions. Those of you who disagree are usually missing the whole point though, because we're not trying to dictate what Adult!Rin can and cannot do like many tend to accuse of us doing. This isn't a question of taking away from her autonomy nor does it fall under "purity culture," which is why people shouldn't continue jumping to these outrageous conclusions and really listen for a change. You're deflecting from the real issue here when you choose to misinterpret what we're saying by ignoring the problem we're actually referring to. You cannot present a valid counter-argument if you persist in twisting our words.

Bottom line: once these kids become old enough to pursue a sexual/romantic relationship, of course they have that right if they're ready. All we're trying to say is you guys ought to stop pushing forward this it's-completely-normal-to-want-to-bang-your-adoptive-dad-since-you're-an-adult-and-can-do-as-you-please agenda and not expect backlash. Ship it if you want, but please stop acting like their romance would be the epitome of a pure and healthy relationship.

Sesshomaru may not wear his heart on his sleeve, but it's foolish to presume he didn't actually care about Rin during their whole time together just because he didn't openly express his feelings until the very end. Surely everybody can comprehend that people handle and process their emotions differently. The way Sesshomaru chooses to is completely valid for the most part, so let's cut him some slack regarding this already.

What I'm trying to get at is that any child whose life you played an influential role in will always be a kid in a lot ways to you even when they're old and wrinkly. Just as they will always picture you as the loved one who guided and protected them when they were most vulnerable and couldn't always fend for themselves. Can't we relate this to children we know personally and apply it accordingly?

Finally, I want to end on this note. Could you kindly take a look at these two images below for a second?

The reason I ask is because of something I recently read that's relevant to the topic. There was this pro-sessrin tweet I saw that stated Rin trying to take care of Sesshomaru when they first met is what a mom would do for a child, which in their opinion, translates to Rin being more like a mother than a daughter if anything.

First off: are you freaking kidding me????

Seriously, so now children aren't allowed to tend to their sick or injured parents?! Parents are apparently superhuman and shouldn't be offered a helping hand from a child, even if they mean well and want to help their parent who's in pain?? Now this Twitter user was mostly being a smartass, but at the same time, it was evident they genuinely thought they offered a valid enough point that warranted no further explanation or clarification.

Secondly, by saying this Sessrin fans don't seem to realize that in actuality they're contradicting themselves and proving the point we've been trying to make all along. Glancing at the first picture and moving down to the second, the role of the one being cared for and the caretaker is reversed. So then by their own logic, Sesshomaru IS in fact like a father to Rin.

What it comes down to is the names you give to the roles these characters play aren't as crucial as the dynamic they share. The specific characteristics of that dynamic are what define the importance of said role, not so much the name in the role itself. So real father or not, Sesshomaru and Rin clearly mean a lot to each other. Close relationships are defined and solidified by the devotion and belonging they have to one another, not solely by the duration of time spent together and their proximity.

Well, that's a wrap! I hope you guys got something outta this blog, and that you enjoyed or found some portions of it interesting. I would love to hear your thoughts on the subject from this fandom, but only engage in conversation if you plan to be respectful. Thank you!

[warm-starlight]

Hello! I'm wishing you a good day and less hateful anons lol

Um, I would like to talk a bit about how it's a little problematic to interpret Levi as having ocd. Disclaimer: it's ok to hc ig, but to an extend.

I believe that most likely people who say he has ocd have a pop culture understanding of what the mental illness actually is and take a somewhat detective monk approach to it? Even in that show though it was shown as a much deeper issue than just obsessed with cleanliness.

As a person who suffered from years bc of ocd I have to say that first of all, not everyone has the same symptoms. Rituals and intrusive thoughts are a big part but also anxiety, depression, and stuff that are trigerring to mention here and traumatic to deal with that your own brain literally tortures you with. Levi apart from insomnia hasn't shown much that can indicate to an actual mental illness.

And when I say rituals I mean: have to press this button exactly fifteen times otherwise there will be dire consequences that your mind makes up, I have to organise everything to a T bc it is driving me crazy to the point I can't function if I don't, I have to step inside the lines of the pavement and touch every pole I pass etc. Levi hasn't expressed such tendencies.

Yes, he's a clean freak but it's not crippling his everyday life in any way. And yes, not everyone has such severe case but if yams really intended for him to have ocd he would touch upon more on these. Using his cleaning tendencies to justify it is wrong... And more so to justify his interactions with others? Yes, I'm referring to people who think Levi is repulsed by Hange bc of that. Newsflash, if Levi had such a case of ocd to the point of not standing to touch someone it wouldnt stop on hange (who's not nearly as unhygienic as you all make them to be), he wouldnt be able to touch anyone bc of the anxiety and the intrusive thoughts. It would be dysphoric to do so with everyone not just one person. And most of all, he wouldnt be able to do his job with such symptoms. If you get to the point of not touching and obssesively scrubing dirt then you can't do the work the sc does. They getting constantly dirty, bloody, sweating etc. He wouldnt be able to function in that enviroment, it'd be crippling.

And while he really likes his personal space he's never shown such dysphoria from being touch or touching others.

Stop blowing up the whole clean freak thing in general? You're sterotyping a character the same way mikasa is only there to obsess over "ereh", Hange is the shallow comic relief mad scientist and Erwin is the mastermind genius idol. These are just some recognizable characteristics not their main ones or the only ones.

That's like saying Hermione should be a ravenclaw and not a gryffindor bc she loves reading and is arguably a nerd.

Anyways, I mostly dealt with the intrusive thoughts part and less the scrubing myself clean but, as someone who feels certain dysphoria from the simple task of putting dirty dishes in the dishwasher and have to wear gloves to do so and frequently wash my hands bc I don't like how they feel, I feel confident saying Levi doesn't have ocd.

Stop promoting harmful stereotypes to justify a ship. If you do have ocd and feel comfortable in relating to Levi for whatever reason then you do you and I wish you all the best but, if you hc for your personal agenda of promoting a ship please don't???

Thank you so much for sharing!

I think i only ever saw one character with OCD and that was dr. Kevin Casey from the Scrubs series. I thought the portral of him was accurate.

We can HC Levi having depression, severe insomnia and PTSD episodes because of the life he led, but OCD is a complex of very specific symptoms and a person who is more tidy than others and simply finds blood gross doesn't exactly fit the description.

[inrainprose]

Fic tidbit if interested, so I always thought it'd be an interesting headcanon if Naruto grew up in/near the flower district and was raised/befriended by those ladies of the night. They get looked down upon for their profession he gets treated like shit, etc they have comraderie. And it was through that association that he learnt/developed sexy no jutsu. Like srsly where else does a 10yr old come up with that sort of modelling? Doesn't even find porn until meeting Jiraiya. Look and learn mb?

Never gave it much thoughts, but here we go now haha.

cross-posted on ao3

Red Flower, Strong Heart

“Tell me again what happened exactly.”

“He jumped me for no reason, that’s what happened!”

Iruka winced at the loud, angry tone, and by his side Naruto flinched too. But he said nothing.

“Naruto,” the Sandaime urged gently, “is that true?”

The boy only shrugged, looking sideways. His face was scrunched up in a sulking frown, and he had been stubbornly silent ever since the shopkeeper had dragged him all the way to the Hokage office to plead his case. The man’s chin was red and puffy and still sported specks or dry blood – small as he was, Naruto had elected to jump up straight toward the man’s face, crushing the man’s chin with the top of his head. He had bitten his cheeks hard – his teeth were read when they flashed as he spoke.

“Why did you do it?” the Hokage asked again, to no avail. Naruto refused to answer. “If you won’t explain…”

The threat hung in the air – if he didn’t try to defend himself, they would take the man’s words as the truth and punish the boy accordingly. Iruka had stumbled upon the scene purely by chance, and he was glad he would be here to soften the blow as best as he could, but still, this was pretty serious.

“Naruto, why don’t you tell us what happened?” he tried, puzzled by the boy’s reluctance.

“He doesn’t want to get us into trouble.”

They turned to see two women strolling in, one barely older than Iruka, looking shyly down at the ground and backing up the older one, who was closer to her fifties and stood proud in front of them. He didn’t know them, but he recognized them all the same – the flashy colors of their tight kimono, wrapped low on their shoulders, their outrageous makeup and intricate hairstyle.

No doubt coming straight from the Red Flower District.

“Why’d you come?” Naruto exclaimed, displeased. The older woman ignored him, but when she stepped in, she came to stand at his side and rested a light hand on his shoulder.

“Naruto only came to Himitsu’s defense,” she said, pointing at the younger girl. “But it was her mistake for being out in the shopping district in the first place. Please don’t put the blame on him.”

Both women bowed deeply, graceful. An elegance lessened by the vast expanse of exposed skin displayed by their clothes. The oldest had crimson chrysanthemum printed on her kimono, the symbol of their cast.

One of their matriarchs then.

“Defend you from what?” Iruka asked, unable to hold his tongue and unwilling to let this go. Naruto was turbulent and aggressive at times, but it was rarely devoid of meaning or reasons.

The woman pinched her lips, cast a sideways glance at the shopkeeper who huffed, disdainful.

“She had no business being here at this hour,” he defended. “I was in my right to tell off that b…”

Displaying a speed that was very commanding for his age, Naruto zoomed past Iruka in a second and kicked the man in the leg as hard as he could. He aimed well too, straight on the bone. The man howled.

“Don’t insult my friends!” the boy yelled, furious.

“You little…”

“That’s enough!”

The Hokage’s firm voice cut through the altercation, stopped the man with a hand raised midair and Naruto bracing up for the blow, fully intending for it to land.

“It’s not your place to police anyone’s whereabouts,” the old man said to the shopkeeper. “This is what the actual police is for. And you should know better than to wander in such ways,” he added to the two women. The man swallowed his indignation with great difficulties – the women remained impassible.

“As for you, Naruto. You don’t get to hit people like this, under any circumstances.”

The boy had the gale to snort.

“I’ll hit anyone being mean to the girls,” he declared defiantly, with a hard gaze at the shopkeeper, who was more than twice his size and looking more pissed off by the second.

The Sandaime sighed, weary.

“The matter is closed, you’re all dismissed.”

“But…!”

A cold glance was enough to keep the man silent when he was about to protest. He spun around with a dramatic flurry and left the room without another word. A little stunned, Iruka turned to Naruto, ready to walk him out too, but the boy wasn’t paying attention to him.

“Come on, Naruto,” the older woman said, hard face broken into a gentle smile as she took the boy’s hand. “We’ll take you home.”

“Okay!”

He seemed unfazed by the whole thing. Being scolded by the Hokage himself had worked for a while, but he seemed immune now.

Mostly though, he probably just felt justified in his actions, and in such cases no reprimand could have any impact on him. He had gotten into plenty of fights, and he was never apologetic about defending himself or others against words and punches. Iruka supposed injunction against violence ought to be pretty useless when one, the kids were taught to fight at school, and two, none of them bothered to hold back either.

Iruka watched the two women walk out with Naruto, wondering when that had happened, what he was seeing there exactly and what he was supposed to think of it. Feeling utterly useless, he followed in silence.

.

“That shitty fucker, I’ll fucking kill him!”

“Natsuko! Mind your words in front of the kid!”

Naruto giggled as Himitsu tried to wrap her hands around his head to shelter his ears, but he kept wiggling around so that she couldn’t get a good hold. Natsuko waved her hand as if to sweep the words away.

“You should have kicked him in the balls, Naruto.”

“Natsuko!”

Naruto laughed again and popped another dango into his mouth. The sun was yet to set, so the girls weren’t at work, and they could hang outside the inn and eat the lunch’s leftovers. The others were scattered around too, talking and relaxing before they would have to go change and prepare themselves for the night.

He couldn’t pretend to understand what work they did exactly, but he knew that people looked down on them for it, and yet those same people they came to visit the Red Flower District, nights after nights. Naruto wasn’t allowed to stay out past dinnertime. The girls made sure he went back to his apartment just a few streets away and went to sleep at a reasonable hour – usually one of them who was off duty would accompany him. Sometimes they helped to tidy up his place and wash his clothes.

He didn’t get why people were so mean to them. But then again, he didn’t get why people were mean to him either – it was just… one of those things.

“You’re right, Himitsu, a kick in the balls is effective, but it’s not very subtle. You need to learn something else, Naruto. Something that will knock down most men instantly.”

“Really?” he perked up. If there was such a thing, he was very interested. He was small and weak for his age, and often wanted to fight with people who were older and stronger. Having a winning trick up his sleeve wouldn’t hurt.

“Natsuko, really…” Himitsu pleaded, although there was the barest hint of amusement on her face, despite the bruise darkening under her eye where the man had hit her earlier. Naruto greeted his teeth.

“Please teach me!” he said, earnest. He needed to learn. He needed to know how to deal with those bullies.

How to protect the girls, who were so nice and smelled so sweet, who gave him food and had taught him how to read, who were never turned him away. He wouldn’t let them get hurt.

Natsuko grinned.

“Alright, here’s what you’re going to do.”

.

Iruka heard the commotion before he spotted Naruto running down the streets, dirty brushes in hand and a delighted grin on his face. A few steps behind him a man was giving chase, clothes and hands smeared with paint, shouting threats.

Just when Iruka was about to step in, Naruto spun around to face the man and joined his hands into a seal.

“Sexy no Jutsu!”

In a puff of smoke, the eight-year-old boy was replaced by a tall, blonde and completely naked young woman, bearing striking resemblance both to Naruto and to the young girl from that time in the Hokage’s office.

The man stopped dead in his track, stumbled on nothing and crashed on the ground, at Naruto’s feet. The girl laughed, pleased, and stuck her tongue at the man, before changing back and running away.

“Suck it, you pervert!”

By the time his pursuer could get back on his feet, Naruto was long gone.

It was probably bad of him, as a teacher and an adult, that the only thing he could think of was that at least Naruto had managed to learn a jutsu properly at last. And even a useful one, quite tragically.

As for Naruto’s dubious frequentations, Iruka would feel like the worse hypocrite begrudging the boy the few scraps of support and companionship he had managed to find for himself, no matter how unorthodox.

All in all, he decided the matter was best forgotten entirely.

And that he ought to thank those women, maybe.