#i have a tiny crush on this yokai

[meowufff]

EMBER

Alright mighty!

Finally having some free time threw me into thinking about my lil fennec guy.

So! Here's some background about him!

Ember, just a normal teen Yokai, living in the hidden city, one day crossed path with two mutant turtles. 

Being the youngest of a litter of 5 he enjoys many advantages of being the littlest and knows how to use them. Due to the exceptional good hearing of his family, they all learned using ASL at a very young age to prevent unnecessary noise while being home. 

His parents are proud about their familys well known hearing but not all of their children are sharing that feeling. Some of Embers siblings deliberately damage their hearing capacity to be less sensitive to the loud noises of the world. His oldest brother, who was looking after the youngest when being himself quite young, at some point just couldn't handle the high pitched cries of his tiny baby siblings anymore and made a desperate, rash and not well thought thru decision which ended with him now being deaf on his right ear. 

Even if their parents are strongly against these tactics, they accepted their decisions and provided help to prevent the same happening to the rest of their children who decided to decrease their hearing. Together with the use of spells found in Witch Town, buying enchanted talismans from scryers or finding gadgets from the humans above, they try to bring as much relief to their children as it is possible for them without actually harming themself.

Ember is one of the few who had denied that "procedure" and is still capable of hearing every little sound in a 15 miles radius. He is experiencing regular meltdowns and gets overwhelmed hard from time to time but he is still gloating with his capability to catch all the tea going around in their neighborhood. 

After meeting and getting to know Mika and Oron a bit better he spends a lot of his time with them, roaming thru human trash or just adventuring the nature around the hidden city. He even tries to teach Oron some ASL due to him denying to learn speaking, so they can have little conversations. 

Seing Mika handling being alone with Oron and doing quite well for what he's having, Ember is quite fascinated by him. He loves hearing him tell story's about fights and dangerous situations he tumbled into. After endless begging and pleading Mika eventually even teaches him some fight moves and tactics he learned over the years on the streets and in no time Ember found himself crushing head over heals for the red turtle mutant.

After Mika and Oron met the Hamato brothers and finding a more stable home among them, they invited Ember to lessen his worries of them being so close to humans.

Ember, who never ever left the safety of the hidden city since being a pup, needed a bit time and some self convincing pep talk to himself to eventually make his way up and into the sewers of New York.

In the depth of the night he made his way into the lair, having no problem to follow the faint sound of Mikas snoring and Orons little thrills to guide his way thru the labyrinth of the tunnels. Avoiding an insomniac Leo cooking tea in the kitchen and making a big sidestep around the metal doors with the obnoxious dub step seeping thru, he found his way between the two turtle mutants he knew and spend the rest of the night just listening to all the new sounds around him.

The next day he eventually got the meet the Hamato Brothers properly and apologized for his secretive invasion.

--------------------------------------------------

That's all I got without extending this even more! I hope you enjoyed reading that and thank you for hanging on till the end!

Next up will definitely be Mika! >:D

Here are some close ups for the better quality!

[gosecretscribbles]

Rise August 2024 Day 11: Mud Dogs (What Doesn't Kill You Is Great Comedy Material 1/2)

Summary: The Mud Dogs haven’t been giving Mama enough loot, so she has other plans for them. 

Trigger Warning: short Battle Nexus fight, non-graphic injuries, Big Mama-style manipulation and traps via contract.

Keeping the pace pretty brisk to match the style in Raph’s Ride-Along.  Had a lot of fun with this one!  Enjoy!

Loathsome Leonard dumped the bag of loot on Big Mama’s desk.

“There you go, Big Mama! That’s, uh, that’s actually more than the usual cut! Like fifty percent of it! Haha!”

The loot was a single gold cup and a handful of coins. Leonard knew it wasn’t enough, but he kept up a wide grin anyway.

Big Mama looked down at it for a long moment. Then she lifted her eyes to Loathsome Leonard and his three chums crowded behind him. Leonard didn’t dare turn, but he could feel Dastardly Danny and Malicious Mickey wearing identical nervous grins. Heinous Green grunted. Big Mama still hadn’t moved.

Leonard started to sweat. “See, uh, we haven’t had the best luck, and we haven’t gone out as much – we’ve sort of been running a –”

“Not to worry, my dearwiffle darling,” she purred. “I think this could be your most valuable donation yet.”

“I-it is?”

“Oh yes.” She snapped her fingers. The panels along the walls slid open and the Mud Dogs were immediately surrounded by two dozen of Big Mama’s beefiest body guards. “Take these charming young clowns to the Battle Nexus. They’ll make marvelous entertainment.”

“Hey – wait!”

“We can’t!” Mickey yelped.

“We got prior obligations!” Danny shouted.

“Unnnngh,” Hank groaned.

But the four of them were tied up and tossed into the dungeons anyway. It was one of the bigger rooms, at least, but even at Hank’s smallest size, there wasn’t a lot of room.

Mickey grabbed Danny’s jacket. “What’re we gonna do, Danny?!”

“Cut it out!” Danny planted a clawed hand in Mickey’s face and shoved him away. Then he took a tiny shitzu out of his bright purple jacket. “You’re squishin’ Chaos!”

Chaos yipped adorably.

Mickey clutched at his chest. “What about all the other doggies we’ve been rescuing? They’ll all starve if we can’t get back to them! And Mrs. Num-Num needs her tummy rubbed!”

Leonard stood and ran his hand grimly along the stone walls. “No way outta this, boys,” he said darkly. “This ain’t prison. We can’t escape like we did before. We gotta think of another angle.”

Hank grabbed at the wall. His fingers crushed the rock. He pulled a brick out and chewed it.

Mickey beamed at him. “Aw, Hank! We love you, too!”

Danny scowled. “It’s your fault we’re in this mess, Loathsome Leonard! If we’d stolen the Chalice of Prophetic Destruction, we’d have had enough to keep Big Mama happy! But no! You wanted to steal from some cheap human museum. Who cares about the Holy Grail? It ain’t worth nothin’!”

“Guys, guys!” Mickey pushed the two of them apart. “Fighting won’t get Mrs. Num-Num her belly rubs!”

Leonard growled and looked away. “Fine. I got somethin’ Big Mama’ll want. Oi!” He stuck an arm out of the cell and waved for a guard’s attention. “You hear me? I got somethin’ Big Mama will want more than a buncha rodeo clowns!”

The guard, a bright pink squid yokai, oozed its way down the corridor. “You sure?” it burbled.

“I’m sure,” Leonard said.

The guard blew a bubble between the bars. It blooped over Leonard. The guard reached in and attached a tentacle to the bubble. Then it pulled Leonard out and down the hallway, Leonard bobbing up and down like a balloon.

Mickey looked nervous. “What d’ya think he’s gonna do?”

Danny scowled. “Something dumb.”

Hank groaned, pulled another brick from the wall, and chewed it.

A look of realization crept over Mickey’s face. “Heeey, I think I’ve got an idea!”

It took a couple hours for Hank to eat his way through the wall. They made a mistake the first time and ended up in someone else’s cell. Then they tried getting Hank to tunnel under the cell door, but the floor was made of dirt and even Mickey’s famous mud pies couldn’t make that very appealing. Eventually Hank got annoyed and punched the back wall. The new opening brought them into the long hallway that led straight to the Battle Nexus Arena. As they crawled out, there was a loud cheer. A battle! The three of them rushed to the barred opening, eager to see a good fight.

Mikey screamed. “Leonard! NO!”

Leonard couldn’t hear him. He was battling a massive black scorpion yokai with a whip-like tail and pincers big enough to snap even Hank in half. Leonard darted in and out of the scorpion’s reach. The red stripe over his left eye now had a matching stripe of blood over his right. He was breathing heavily.

Mickey grabbed Danny. “We have to get him out of there!”

“I’m on it!”

Danny shoved Chaos at Mickey and then squeezed under the barred door, contorting his rat yokai muscle and bone. He popped up on the other side just as the scorpion landed a lucky hit, smacking Leonard in the chest so hard he went flying several feet across the gritty arena floor. He didn’t get up. The crowd went wild.

“LEONARD!” Mickey and Danny both screamed. Then Danny had to dive out of the way because Hank ran head-first through the entrance, the bars caught around his neolithic skull. He kept charging until he rammed into the scorpion yokai. It hissed and whipped its tail at him. Danny grabbed a conveniently broken piece of bar and leaped forward to block the blow. Mickey passed Chaos back Danny and leaped on Hank’s fist. Mickey’s eel body lit up with an electric charge and Hank rammed him into the scorpion’s head. The scorpion dropped. The crowd went even wilder.

Mickey and Danny were already sprinting for Leonard. Hank lumbered behind them, groaning. Leonard was still conscious, but his eyes were glazed with pain.

“You’re an idiot!” Danny barked at him. “How is getting yourself killed going to help anything?”

“I’m fixing it,” Leonard coughed. “Big Mama said she’d let us go if I won a fight.”

“You didn’t win,” Big Mama called from her box. The four of them looked up at her.

“He ain’t standin’ up!” Leonard called, pointing at the scorpion.

“Neither are you,” Big Mama cooed. “I’d say it’s a diddly-draw, but your brothers in crime did most of the work!”

She snapped her fingers. Panels around the arena opened, and the same two dozen guards stepped out. They all zeroed in on the Mud Dogs. Danny bit, Mickey cried, and Hank groaned ominously, but the four of them still wound up in a cell – this time with a badly hurt Loathsome Leonard.

“At least get him medical attention!” Danny snapped at their squid guard. The squid guard blew a bubble that went around Danny’s head. He yelled again, then pulled at the bubble, but no sound came out. He sat down in a huff.

“We gotta,” Leonard started, but trailed off coughing. Chaos peeked out of Danny’s jacket and yipped with concern.

“We gotta find help,” Mickey said confidently. “And I think I know just who to ask. Hank! Did that big fight work up an appetite?”

Hank blinked one eye at a time. Then he pulled another brick from the wall and chewed.

“Great! I need to get into the sewers. Danny, you stay here and take care of Leonard. Leonard, you stay here and take care of Chaos. She turns inside-out when she’s stressed.”

Chaos yipped. Then she turned inside out. Leonard braced himself and reached over carefully to tap her nose. She turned right-side out again.

Mickey directed Hank to a spot where he could smell water. Hank pulled and chewed bricks until a new hole formed, this one leading straight down to a tunnel of sewage. Mickey popped the head bubble off of Danny, crammed it onto his own head instead, and dove head-first into the murky water.

Just as he’d thought, the sewage system of the Hidden City connected to the sewage system of New York. (Danny once said this was how New Yorkers got myths about alligators in the sewers. Mickey knew that was dumb – the alligator yokai really did live there! Along with actual alligators.)

Eventually Mickey found a part of the New York sewers covered in turtle-themed graffiti and even one of Lou Jitsu. He brightened. He loved Lou Jitsu! He was a big fan! Maybe if he met another fan, they could help him find the turtles!

He swam further until he heard the sound of voices. A sudden water current dragged him sideways, then straight up until he hit his bubble-helmet on a metal lid. The bubble popped. Mickey held his breath and tried to head-butt the lid, but it wouldn’t budge. Did it unscrew? Oh! Maybe it was like those push-then-unscrew medicine bottles! But how could he push down?

Suddenly he heard voices. There was a rusty squeak and the lid popped off.

“ – when it’s 4 AM, Mikey, there are no alligators in the –”

Two turtles looked down at Mickey. One had a blue bandana and the other had an orange one. All three of them screamed.

“AAAH! IT’S AN ALLIGATOR!” screamed the orange turtle.

“AAAH! IT HAS TERRIBLE SKINCARE!” screamed the blue turtle.

“AAAH! I’M SCREAMING!” screamed Mickey.

“Okay okay okay!” the blue turtle held up its hands. “Who are you and what are you doing in our pipes?”

“I’m trying to find Evil Emerald!” Mickey said, pulling himself up. “My brother in crime has been badly hurt, and we need help escaping Big Mama’s Battle Nexus!”

The blue turtle sighed. “I knew we should’ve shut that thing down, but Donnie’s got such a soft spot for adults who compliment his genius.”

The orange turtle cocked his head. “Evil Emerald? But we don’t have a turtle named Evil. Or Emerald!”

A turtle dressed in purple popped his head out of a ceiling vent. “Why are we discussing Raph’s villainous alter ego?”

“We need his help! My brother in crime is hurt!”

“RAPH’S INJURED BROTHER SENSES ARE TINGLING!”

A huge red-clad turtle punched his way through the nearest wall.

The blue turtle groaned. “Guys, we just moved into this lair, can we not destroy city infrastructure when it directly affects us?”

Mickey’s face brightened. “Evil Emerald!”

The big turtle scowled. “Oh. Evil Mikey. What do you want?”

“It’s Loathsome Leonard! We haven’t been stealing as much because we’ve been running a dog fighter racket –”

“What,” Mikey said flatly. Suddenly he was somehow much bigger and literally glowing with rage. “You run a dog fighting racket?”

“No-no-no, a dog fighter racket! We take people who make dogs fight, steal their dogs, then put the owners in cage matches to fight each other instead. The racket pays for the dogs’ food and vet bills! We’ve rehabilitated several aggression cases and given them super-cute haircuts!”

The red turtle grimaced. “Raph’s sense of justice is conflicted.”

“Mine isn’t,” the orange turtle said, smiling serenely.

The blue turtle shook his head. “Why does something sound so evil but feel so right?”

The purple turtle extended a metal arm to pat the blue one’s head. “Because morality and legality are not the same thing.”

Evil Emerald’s face set in a determined scowl. “We can’t let those poor doggies go hungry! We gotta help the Mud Dogs!”

“Great! Follow me!” Mickey dove back into the sewer.

Unfortunately, Evil Emerald wouldn’t fit through the pipe, so Mickey followed them to the surface to take a portal back to the hidden city. He kept looking around as they walked. The Human City was so big! And colorful! And way less mystical! He learned all the turtle names. It was so weird that Emerald was calling himself ‘Raph,’ but another alias just showed he was a real bona fide criminal. Definitely trustworthy in Mickey’s book!

Finally, they reached the outer wall of the Battle Nexus.

“How are we gonna get in?” Mickey despaired. “She has guards everywhere, and I don’t see another sewer grate.”

“Oh ye of little mystics,” Leo said smugly, and slashed his sword. A glowing blue portal appeared in the air. It led straight into the Mud Dogs cell. Leonard was still laying on the floor, wheezing harshly. Chaos was curled up next to him, yipping anxiously and turning herself inside-outside-inside-outside. Danny had Leonard’s head pillowed in his lap.

“We’re closer than brothers in crime,” Danny blubbered. “We’re – we’re twins in crime!”

Leonard quirked a grin. “I’m older,” he said, and coughed.

“OMIGOSH!” Mickey and Mikey yelled, and dove through together.

“You guys are so close!” Mikey bawled, tears in his eyes.

“I knew you’d make up eventually!” Mickey cried.

“Doctor Leo in the house!” Leonard announced. “Followed by his own and much cooler twin Donnie! And Raph.”

Danny looked up. “Hey, Evil Emerald! Long time no see!”

Raph grunted. “Danny. Leonard. Where’s Heinous Hank?”

Danny looked around, confused. “Hey. He was JUST here. Chaos, did you see where he went?”

Chaos yipped and pointed to a very large hole in the righthand wall.

Donnie stared at the Mud Dogs, then turned to his brothers. “Gentlemen, I apologize for any and all aspersions cast upon your intelligence.”

Danny scowled at him. “’Eeeey, I understood most’a that! I’ve had my hands full, Mr. Fancy College Degree!”

“Scoff! College is for those who wish to clay in the hands of greedy capitalist corporations!”

Leonardo knelt next to Leonard, stethoscope out and ready. “Ignore him, he plans to attend all the Ivy Leagues simultaneously when he hits 18. Okay, I’ve gotta listen to you breathe for a sec. Inhale, aaaand exhale. One more time?”

“What’s the diagonal, doc?” Mickey asked anxiously.

“He means Diagon Alley,” Mikey corrected.

“I hate all of you,” Donnie muttered.

“About six broken ribs and a nasty concussion. You’re gonna want to be totally lazy for like, six months, minimum.”

“But we still need to find Hank!” Leonard cried.

“Uh, guys?” Raph gestured to the bars across the cell. The squid was waving for their attention. It made a series of odd squiggles with its tentacles.

“Big Mama wants to see us?” Mickey asked.

Mikey looked back and forth. “How’d you guess?”

“Oh, I’m real good at charades!” the eel said proudly.

Raph’s face lit up. “You ARE?!”

“Oh, sure! Hank doesn’t talk much, so we gotta be good! Chewing a brick is his way of saying ‘I love you!’”

“Or ‘I’m hungry,’” Leonard added. “Depends on context.”

Leonardo stood up. “Alright, guys, let’s go see Big Mama.”

The squid burbled at them and blew a series of bubbles. They were grouped together in twos, Mikey with Mickey, Leonard with Leonardo, Donny with Danny, Raph with Chaos. The squid toted them through the dungeons, the servant’s quarters, the vendor guest rooms, the guest rooms, and up to Big Mama’s personal office. The doors were opened by an owl and fox youkai pair. Big Mama sat at her desk in human form, smiling primly. The bubbles popped once they floated inside. Leonardo tried to catch Loathesome Leonard, but he still grunted in agony when his ribs shifted.

Big Mama clicked her tongue. “That’s a nasty wickle bruise, Loathesome! But I have some exciting news. You are all free to go!”

Raph raised an eyebrow. “Just like that?”

“What about Hank?” Mickey demanded.

“What about him, dear?” Big Mama simpered. “I said you are all free to go. Hank, on the other hand…”

She gestured. Hank stepped out from the shadows, looking vaguely nervous. It was not a look Hank’s face was used to making. Big Mama held up a new contract and smiled with all her teeth.

“Hank is my new assistant.”

Part 2

@sariphantom

[goodlucktai]

run, boy, run

chapter five

natsume yuujinchou pairing: one-sided kitanishi word count: 2k summary: Nishimura has a cursed mark on his arm, a crush on Natsume’s famous idol friend, and a whole lot of brand new problems that start and end with the taboo circle he found. full circle au

read on ao3

x

Satoru keeps looking over his shoulder at Hiiragi, just to make sure she’s still there.

“Watch where you’re walking or you’ll fall, Nishimura,” she says after the third backwards glance, voice low and monotone and still, somehow, entirely reassuring. She’s looking at him, talking to him, and he can hear her.

“No, I won’t,” Satoru argues cheerfully. Natori’s hand on his shoulder steers him around a crack in the pavement before he can prove himself wrong. And he’s still holding a sleeping Nyanko-sensei, so he definitely would have eaten dirt.

They’re south of town, much farther down the highway than Satoru ever has reason to go on his own. Matoba must have had his yokai chauffeur drive them for longer than Satoru realized. He’s pretty sure there’s a gas station nearby, and he thinks this is the road his old elementary school is on, but other than that he’s got nothing.  

Natori’s rental car is parked in a tiny lot outside a Western-style building with a rustic cottage vibe. Satoru expects to be sheparded into the car, but instead Natori leads the way up the brick steps and through the lattice-patterned front door.

The inside is cluttered and cozy, warmed by potted plants on every available surface. A smiling young woman behind the pastry counter encourages them to pick any table they’d like.

There’s an older couple seated in the back corner booth, and a grizzled man reading the paper in a squashy armchair shoved next to a bookshelf overrun with paperbacks and waving cats. Natori guides Satoru to a table by the window, points him into a chair, and then slides over the laminate menu. Satoru remembers, abruptly, that he skipped breakfast and missed lunch.

“Order whatever you like,” Natori says, sounding distracted. “I need to make a few calls. I will be right outside. Okay?”

“Do you want something?” Satoru asks. He settles Natsume’s cat in his lap, relieved when the lucky cat actually stirs a bit and grumbles before tucking himself into a comfortable-looking loaf and going back to sleep.

“No, but Hiiragi has a sweet tooth. Pick her out something with strawberries.”

The shiki makes a noise that could, by generous definition, be considered a scoff. Natori leaves, and the cheerful woman who greeted them by the door takes Satoru’s order for hamburger steak and an ice cream parfait with all the extras. She looks indulgent when he tacks on the dessert and he can’t exactly explain it’s for a ghost.

The ghost in question sinks into the chair across from him only after the employee has dropped off a glass of melon soda and gone again.

“Your friends were very scared for you,” Hiiragi says without preamble. “They’ll be relieved to know that you’re safe.”

Satoru’s heart makes a sudden glad leap. “You saw them?”

“I did. Natsume called Natori-dono this morning when you didn’t arrive at school on time. And your little bird warned them you weren’t safe. You were missed immediately.”

It seems like she’s making a point, and Satoru can’t say he knows why, but he’s grateful all the same. It’s good to know that the whole time he was in Matoba’s dubious clutches, rescue was imminent. It’s really, really good to know that Fish didn’t just fly away in a panic, she flew away to the rescue. 

“Do you know if they told anyone else?” Satoru thinks to ask after a moment.

“Just your brother,” the shiki replies. “Kitamoto informed Natori-dono that he had two hours to find you, after which time he would  also be telling his mother.” If she considers it strange that Satoru’s own mother wasn’t a part of the equation, she keeps it to herself. Yokai probably don’t have strong feelings on humans and their relationships with each other anyway. She does add, “It took Natori-dono an hour and a half. …He was stressed.”

“I bet.”

Kitamoto can be kind of intense. Sure, Natori deals with curses and ghosts and what have you, but that’s nothing on Acchan when he’s in a mood.

Natori doesn’t come back to the table until after Satoru has started eating. He orders a cup of coffee and seems content to sit there for an indeterminate amount of time. Even though he’s busy—living a double-life, with double the work—he makes pleasant conversation with Satoru and teases Hiiragi about her ice cream and does nothing to rush either of them out of the restaurant.

Digging the tines of his fork through the sauce left on his plate, Satoru carefully doesn’t look at anyone in particular when he says, “Um. I didn’t say earlier. Thanks.”

Natori doesn’t speak up right away, and the silence is excruciating, even though it’s only like two seconds long. Satoru rushes to fill it.

“For—you know. You didn’t have to. I know you don’t really—uh, I just meant, thank you.”

Please stop talking! he begs himself.

The coffee cup lands against its saucer with a solid click and Natori’s hand comes to rest on the table between them. Satoru catches the little dart of a lizard tail disappearing up his arm, beneath his sleeve. It’s distracting enough that he almost forgets to be mortified that Natori Shuuichi is giving him his undivided attention. Almost.

“You’re a good kid,” Natori finally says, sounding, somehow, as if he means it. “And you have nothing to thank me for.”

Nyanko-sensei wakes up for real in time to finish the rest of Satoru’s hamburger steak. Natori gives sensei a dirty look, but Satoru is so relieved that he lets him have the fried potatoes and broccoli florets, too.

———

Less than an hour later, Satoru is delivered to the temple doorstep like he’s a Lotteria burger and Natori-san is a very stylish, very single-minded Demae-Can driver.

At around two in the afternoon, anyone who might be happy to see Satoru turn up out of the blue is almost definitely still at school. Satoru is opening his mouth to explain as much when the door rattles open hard enough that it crashes into the wall, and half a dozen voices yell, “Nishimura!”

It's a little funny. The sudden chaos settles something jangly and jittery in his chest that the quiet ride back into town couldn’t. Natori’s hands on his shoulders propel him gently forward and Satoru is folded into the crowd. Nyanko-sensei is lifted from his arms. Kitamoto is there.

He looks paler than he should. His eyes are dry, but red-rimmed, and while he usually greets Natori with a glare for whatever reason, this time he doesn’t seem to see the man at all. He’s staring right at Satoru from the second the door opens. He yanks Satoru into a hug that feels like it could go on for years and years, warm and tight and safe.

For the first time since he left his house that morning, Satoru relaxes fully. He can’t move his arms enough to get them around Kitamoto in turn, so he clutches fistfuls of his best friend’s shirt and sinks against him. He could probably fall asleep standing up right there if they’d just give him about five minutes.

“Come in, please,” Tanuma is saying, his tone equal parts gentle and stressed out. “I’ll make tea.”

Natori helps shuffle the Kitamoto-and-Satoru package into the genkan. The door rattles closed, and Satoru floats through the motions of exchanging sneakers for house slippers, peeling out of his sweaty school jacket and pulling a hoodie over his head instead.

“I know for a fact that you should be in English right now,” is the first thing he says, to Natsume, who looks like he doesn’t know if he wants to hug Satoru or shake him like a terrier would a rat.

“If anyone should have been anywhere, ” Taki says, and lets the statement hang there ominously.

“Shibata will be here by dinner,” is what Natsume settles on saying. He has Nyanko-sensei nestled in one arm, petting him gently with the opposite hand. Sensei’s eyes are slitted, his purr a quiet, rumbly thing. “He’s getting on a train after school.”

“Ogata’s volleyball team is away at a tournament right now, but she’s going to be livid she missed all this when she checks the group chat,” Taki adds.

Tanuma returns to the crowded hall with a tray of tea and glasses, and since he looks like he’s seconds away from a nervous breakdown if he can’t host them properly, everyone finds a place in the living room to sit. There’s one too many cups on Tanuma’s tray, but after the day they’ve had, Satoru doesn't blame him for miscounting. 

Kitamoto doesn’t even pretend like he’s about to let Satoru go anytime in the immediate future, keeping an arm wrapped around him like it belongs there. Satoru, for his part, doesn’t pretend like that’s anything but a comfort. 

A clatter on the engawa is the only warning any of them get before a frantic magpie bursts inside, silent except for the noisy scrabbling of her talons against the floor, wings half-spread, beak ajar.

“There’s my best girl,” Satoru says brightly. “Fish, you’re a hero, you know that? Hiiragi told me what you did. They should write songs about you.”

“satoru,” she cries, hopping across the room with gusto. “the scary human took you.”

“That he did.” Satoru puts the cup down and offers his hands to his bird instead. “But thanks to you, he gave me back.”

With Fish nestled under his ear where she belongs, her warm, slightly oily feathers and rapid little heartbeat against his cheek both a touchstone, Satoru accepts the cup of tea that’s pressed into his hands. He opts to just hold it for a while, breathing in the fragrant steam, shaking off those last, clinging fingers of anxiety.

“Wait,” Taki blurts. “Hiiragi told you?”

Oh, yeah. “There’s been a new development,” Satoru tells the room at large. “I can see yokai without the circle now.”

For a beat, no one moves except to stare at him blankly. Then all heads swivel toward Natori, who only says, with feeling, “It has been a very long day.”

“And it’s only halfway over,” Hiiragi comments plainly. 

Since unpacking the yokai thing is going to be a conversation and a half, Satoru interjects quickly, “Before we get into all that, can we talk about how much trouble I’m in at school really fast?”

Natsume and Taki look too frustrated to speak for the moment, so Tanuma says, “You’re not in trouble, Nishimura. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

Refusing to let Tanuma’s whole soft-spoken, gentle self get to him—he was kidnapped today and didn’t cry about it, he’s not going to cry just because his friend is being nice —Satoru replies, “Okay, we know that, but Nomiya-sensei doesn’t.”

“He does,” Tanuma insists.

It turns out that Satoru won’t have after-school suspension after all—because Kiyoshi, in a bizarre, uncharacteristic turn of events, covered for him.  

“Sorry, I forgot to let his homeroom teacher know this morning,” was his brother’s story. He had called the school and lied directly to the principal herself, according to an impressed Taki’s eyewitness account. “He has a stomach bug. Can one of his friends bring by his homework later?”

“We had to call Kiyoshi-niisan when you didn’t show up,” Kitamoto says doggedly. It’s the first thing he’s said since Satoru got here. “I didn’t tell him everything, but I had to tell him something.”

Fish tugs on a piece of his hair with her beak. Satoru leans his head on Kitamoto’s shoulder.

“Acchan knows best,” Satoru says, because that was true even when it wasn’t. Of course, this meant that Satoru owed Kiyoshi the truth, whether he was ready to have that conversation or not, but at worst, he would just think Satoru and his friends were crazy. And he kind of already thought that, so no harm done. “At least that’s future-me’s problem,” he goes on, smiling around at his friends. “He’s taking a mock entrance exam for Kyushu University today, up in Fukuoka. That’ll keep him busy and give me time to spin a story.”

They frown back at him. Even Natori looks over, a crease in his brow.

“You think he still went to Fukuoka?” Taki says slowly.

“Nishimura, you were missing, ” Natsume adds, bemused. “Someone took you right off the street.”

“It sounds bad when you say it that way.” Satoru can feel the twinge in his arm that means the cursed bruises are coming back. His heart rate picks up a little, too, for good measure. “But it’s his mock exam. Mom’s been hounding him about this school for ages. He wouldn’t do anything to mess this one up.”

He wouldn’t let me mess this up for him, is what Satoru doesn’t say out loud. He digs his fingers into the overlarge hoodie he’s wearing, twisting the cuffs all out of shape.

Natsume glances at Natori quickly, concerned. The man sets his tea aside and stands up, moving around the table and then settling tailor-style in front of Satoru and Kitamoto. 

“I think there is a reason your brother studies so hard,” Natori says. “And I think it has very little to do with your mother.” 

“You haven’t met my mom,” Satoru says. It makes Natori crack a smile. 

“I haven’t had the pleasure. But Kiyoshi told me plenty. And while you might think he’s doing everything he can to please her, from where I’m standing, it looks a lot more like he’s doing his best to spite her.”

Natori Shuuichi spoke to Satoru’s brother. They talked about personal stuff. Satoru wants to bury himself under a rock. 

It doesn’t sound like Kiyoshi at all to trash-talk mom in any capacity. He’s her shining up-and-coming med student, bringing home perfect scores and skipping weekend trips and holidays to study. She doesn’t really care about Satoru, but she loves Kiyoshi. He has no reason not to love her back. 

But if his friends are to be believed—and of course they are—then Kiyoshi covered for him today, even without understanding what, exactly, he was covering for. Why would he do that?

Footsteps from further in the temple draw nearer, along with a voice that Satoru would know anywhere. He whips around, spilling tea over his fingers, because that’s his brother’s pissed-off tone, here, in Tanuma’s house, where Satoru and his friends and Natori and the ghosts all are. 

As he gets closer, his words get clearer, until Satoru can make out, “…my problem, remember? Not yours. Please don’t trouble yourself.”

“Nii-san has always had the best timing,” Kitamoto mutters. 

“Kyushu was a compromise, ” Kiyoshi is saying, his voice making it easy to trace his progress down the engawa. “Fukuoka is three hours away, I didn’t want to go to school there in the first place. Kumamoto University is much closer, and it’s a good school. My friends are applying there, too. It’s where I want to go.”

Fish is poking insistently at Satoru’s ear and chin, so he lifts his hands mechanically and moves her down into his lap instead. She busies herself with snapping at the drawstring of his hoodie instead, unbothered by the force of nature headed their way. 

“Um, so he knows some stuff,” Satoru hears himself say weakly. “How much exactly is that?”

“Enough,” Kitamoto says, which explains nothing. 

The porch doors rattle the rest of the way open from where they were cracked, presumably to let nosy spirit birds in and out, and Kiyoshi stands there backlit by afternoon sunlight. It’s impossible to make out his expression. Satoru thinks he’s more nervous now than he was with Matoba. 

“Bye, mom,” Kiyoshi says, and hangs up without waiting for a reply. 

“You wanted to go to Fukuoka,” Satoru blurts before anyone can say anything else. “You made me memorize the train line.”

“That was just in case, brat,” Kiyoshi replies, crossing the room in long strides. Natori moves and Kiyoshi takes his place, looking over first Satoru, then Kitamoto carefully. “I was probably going to throw the mock exam anyway. I was just going today to make mom happy. I’ve been accepted at Kumamoto Uni already. An hour-long commute will be annoying, but it’s better than the alternative. Heaven only knows the kind of trouble you’d get into on your own.” 

“And us,” Taki pipes up. “We know.”

“Right,” Kiyoshi says, sitting back. His expression is no-nonsense, gaze level and boring into Satoru’s. “And now me. Start talking, or I’ll make your life miserable.”

Now that, Satoru thinks, is the first believable thing anyone has said all day.

[so-called-yokai]

What's Your Favorite Flower?

A little thing I wrote after considering what Eshra's answer would be. Takes place during the Bad Future™.

Rating: G

It’s such a minuscule thing, really, and in a normal world, a sane world, he never would have noticed it. Why would he? But the world isn’t normal, and it isn’t sane, and it hasn’t been for years, and so in this hellscape of shattered shades of gray all overlaid with a hellish red sky, the tiny splash of yellow catches his eye.

On feet as quiet as a cat’s paws, the yokai dips and darts across the torn up, rubble-strewn asphalt of… Bleecker Street, he thinks, near 11th, his dancer’s steps carrying him towards that incongruous dot of color. Every sense is in overdrive, like they have been since the invasion, but nothing trips his internal alarm, and he allows himself this brief moment of curiosity.

It’s a dandelion, he realizes after a frankly embarrassing number of seconds. Miraculously, the little yellow blossom is still clinging to life in this broken world, stubbornly reaching for the demonic sky and spreading its leaves to catch what little true sunlight might still filter through the red haze.

Eshra’s breath catches in his throat, an unexpected upsurge of emotion he has to swallow down hard, lest he risk making a noise and giving away his position. He reaches out almost without realizing it, his fingers stopping a hair’s breadth from the sunny petals. Somehow, even here, at the epicenter of the apocalypse, life endures. It persists, in spite of death, in spite of ruin, in spite of the krang.

The urge to protect the tiny flower, to uproot it and carry it somewhere safe, out of the reach of careless hound claws and crushing droid feet, is almost overwhelming. The fear of some mindless krang zombie shambling across this particular patch of broken concrete and heedlessly snuffing out this tiny spark of life has Eshra reaching for the dandelion again, for a moment intent on digging it up and spiriting it to safety. He nearly has his claws in the dirt before he stops himself, something that might be his conscience nipping at the edge of his mind. What right has he to impose his will on this precious, stubborn little thing? Why does he think he knows better? He draws his hand back, clutching it against his chest and instead simply taking a few cherished moments to just… look. Look and breathe and have just a minute’s worth of peace.

He goes back every day after that, each time terrified he won’t remember where the dandelion is, or worse, that something has happened to it while he’s been away. Each time, though, his fears are unfounded, and he finds his flower right where he left it, still as bright as the sun they can no longer see and still as insistent that it is going to live.

The day he spots a puff of white instead of the usual splash of yellow, Eshra’s heart jumps in his chest. Almost without care he hurries the last few dozen yards and crouches down next to the dandelion, which has turned from a sunburst blossom to a tiny cloud, and he's smiling a smile he’s forgotten he has. The yokai cups his hands around the seeded flower, a scrap of cloth in his fingers as a shield between the dandelion and the rest of the world. Then carefully, so very carefully, he blows on the puff, which shivers and quivers and at last releases its grip on its scores of minuscule seeds, allowing them to float safely into Eshra’s makeshift net.

After folding the cloth into a secure little sachet and tucking it into one of his supply pouches, Eshra finally lets himself touch his flower, a single delicate fingertip resting on the now bare seed head.

“Thank you,” he whispers, soft as the dandelion’s seeds, “for reminding me.”

[art-of-the-harp]

Yo-kai watch 30 Day Challenge Day 18:FULLY EVOLVED YO-KAI

Smogmella | Enraenra ( えんらえんら)

"Her vaporous nature means she can take on any form she chooses, but this shape in by far her current favorite."

[merakiui]

Okay, I just had a thought... imagine Cannibal! Itto. Of all the things you could get from your Oni heritage, it had to be the need to consume human flesh. He won't need to eat it all the time, but he has to at least do it twice a month, or else he might risk the life of more that just two individuals if he ever goes berseker.

And it is very hard to believe, Big goofy Itto, self appointed "Evil" title that might actually hide more truth that it lets on for those who don't live in the village. The same guy who shouts at the top of his lungs that he is the best leader his gang ever had, even though they are a first generation. That big, muscled man who loves bug fights, and is always happy to teach kids how to get and train their own Onikabuto, still bruised by the fight he just had with Sara but he always finds the time to amuse them.

All of these things makes the mood shift more cruel, as the second weekend of the month arrives faster to the demise of all adults. The only moment in which every villager view Itto as what he truly is: the descendant of a demon. Parents ran with panic after their child as they caught them causally tugging at Itto's pants while they try to show him the big bug they caught! All thanks to His advise. The kids yell and trash as they are dragged away from the man, the mother not even sparing him a glance to see if He is looking at them, but the sudden cold feeling crawling over her back answer her question.

He resembles more like those Yokai statues scattered all around Inazuma, but at least those can only haunt them in their dreams. Itto still has his trademark smile, but his eyes are open instead of close, dragging over every citizen trying to push trough the day, scrutinizing and remembering certain details: 'Oh, this one owes me something', 'He lost against me in a fight, I have yet to claim my reward'. He browse over the crowd just like a housewife views the vegetables for today's dinner, picking what will cater best to their appetite.

But lately, there have been a shift in this pattern.

It all began when the Demon developed a crush on you. He never was subtle about it, and while you were flattered to have such a handsome man showing interest in you, you were far too busy trying to settle down after moving from one of the adjacent islands, setting up business and making new friends. The locals eyes only drowned in more pity as you turn down every attempt the Oni made, as if they knew something that you weren't privy of but is quite the crucial information.

The first two months after your arrival played the same as the ones before you. But at the third month, one of your first friends went missing. You hoped they got lost or something silly, as they were an adventurer, but on the middle of the third week, three members of the Shogunate passed though the main venue, two of them rolling a wooden cart with something hidden under a white blanket. The third one was stopping Shop by shop, raising a piece of paper to the owner and moving on when they just shake their head. It was but the kind middle aged lady who pointed at your stall, that finally alleviate your raising curiosity, as the man whose eyes where hidden by his helmet just silently repeats the same action as before, and you finally understood what happened:

The body of your lost friend, almost every part of their body sporting big bite marks with chunks of flesh missing just like their right arm. The joints were resting in unnatural angles, obviously broken, only the face remained intact.

You could barely point the direction of their house before you bolted to the small bathroom your tiny store had and emptied your stomach. The smell of food surrounding you only worsened your gags, as the way your friend perished clearly speaks of a wild animal who feasted on them. You closed shop early that day, mind only focused in getting home that you missed the tall man with a bouquet of flowers in one hand while the other picked something under his black nails. Itto tried to call out to you, about to offer another dinner date, when the scream of a woman caught his attention. He didn't even need to see what made her react like that, just a peek of purple and black armour was enough to tell him that they found your friend. The look of the locals weights a little on his conscious, but he can't deny the skip on his steps as he makes his way to your house, ready to comfort you and happy to have you all for himself.

Over the next couple of months, the same thing happened, twice a month, to be exact. And Itto never failed to be there for you, as the message of every loss finally settle in the locals heads. To went to managing a small but on the raise restaurant, to barely even having a costumer to ask about the menu of the day. For some reason people stopped talking to you, maybe they reason that you were cursed in some way and everyone who you interacted with was bound to perish, but the only one who stayed beside you was Itto. You no longer bothered to make more friends, and at some point you wanted to return back to your homeland. But Itto said he can provide for you, you only have to take care of his injuries and make him company, you can even stay at his own hideout. A pretty tempting deal, and one that you took as you couldn't keep paying rent with your business now closed.

The month after your decision came, and with that the rumours of another death softly floated as two of Itto's members chatted between them. A small beam of hope flashed within you since, as Grimm as it is, this could be good proof to the other villagers that you weren't cursed, only had a streak of bad luck and maybe, just maybe, you could reset to the original course of your plans.

You were very excited about this idea, as you prepared Itto's bento for today's lunch. You can't wait for him to finish his daily speech to his members to drop your decision, he would certainly be happy for you!

Anon, this concept is SO GOOD!!! :O I’m actually so blessed to have received it in my inbox and read it.

[mefiman]

Hamato Family’s First Visit to the Hidden City

Story request by @rottmntrulesall. Hope you enjoy the story, bud! ^^

"C'mon, everyone! Hurry up!" Michelangelo's impatience was obvious in his excitement. He and his siblings were finally going to show their dad's relatives for the first time to the Hidden City for two reasons; one: to view the many wonders of the other world and two: to have a formal, proper meeting with Draxum's parents. The latter part had instilled some unease into the Hamato siblings, especially Saki who was wary about stepping foot into a mysterious world and was about to see for himself the father and mother of the "monster" who altered his younger brother many years ago.

"Are you sure this place is safe?" Hamato Kenji asked. Raphael glanced at his uncle, understanding his uncle's concerns. "We've been there a lot, Uncle Kenji! We did encounter a few dangers there before but other than that, the people there don't usually attack humans unless provoked." Raph assured his uncle.

"There are a lot of places to visit like the many resorts and spas if you want to have a massage and ooh, Señor Hueso's Run of the Mill Pizza where they make one of the best pizzas! I know the manager of that place, we're amigos~" Leonardo took the chance to quip in.

"I can't wait to see Grandpa Mons again! Wait till you guys meet him yourselves, he's the nicest, sweetest grandpa you'll ever meet! He's still as strong as he's gentle!" Mikey said happily.

"I wonder if Grandma Chemia has some wicked new inventions to show me!" Donatello exclaimed.

"This would be my first time seeing my grandparents, Arachne..." Ariadne whispered to her best friend, Arachne.

"You've never seen them before?" Her friend asked.

"Once when I was a baby... I haven't seen them for years." The yokai femme told Arachne.

"Alright, kids, you've shown us all that you're excited to bring us to visit the Hidden City, Mikey, can you open the portal now?" Splinter asked.

"Sure, Dad!" Mikey got to work quickly.

Draxum felt a tinge of anxiety inside himself. He could not recall the last time he visited his creators ever since he moved out of home to pursue his alchemy researching, away from his parents' constant arguments, half of which is about their preferred methods of raising him. It was a surprise how those two still manage to live under the same roof despite their obvious clashing personalities. He guessed that they tolerated each other just for his sake. His parents had never produced any more offspring after him and one of Arachne’s parents...

"Hey, are you okay, Dad?" A female voice asked him. Draxum jolted from his pondering to find that his daughter, Poison Ivy asking him out of concern. He just gave a small smile as he ran his clawed hands over her helmet. "Am fine, just thinking about your grandparents." He assured her. He marveled how Ivy much had grown from the last time he scientifically created her with his and Lou Jitsu's DNAs; she being so tiny as a developed newborn infant growing in a liquid chamber to a young lady around the boys' ages. From what he knew later on, Splinter raised her along with the Turtles. Ivy had lived her life at first as a normal human teenager until her yokai genes started appearing. The initial discovery of her origins did shake her world but over time, she had learnt to accept and use them to assist her brothers in their adventures. She was intelligent like Draxum and his mother with his father's gentle, mature nature as well as Splinter/Lou's sassiness. She loved to study on botany and coincidently, her powers involved using vines and summoning plant like monsters at will. She recently revealed her sexuality preference as a lesbian and had a girlfriend who is a fellow classmate and witch trainee/apprentice in disguise. Both her creators and siblings were happy for her. As of now, she was cradling her younger sister, Venus de Milo was giggling and squealing as April, Ariadne and Arachne cooed and tickled her belly.

The group watched Mikey draw a symbol on the wall at an alley. Once the symbol was drawn, an open portal revealed. The Hamato siblings' mouths went ajar, not believing what they just saw. "if you think that's mind blowing, you haven't seen nothing yet!" Mikey grinned. His three other brothers and the three girls each took hold of one of their Hamato uncles and aunts's hands. The moment they all jumped into that portal, they found themselves staring at a massive part of a what seemed to be a huge city. The sky above was unlike Earth's skies; instead it was orange with some brown. The architecture of the buildings there were monster shaped with some tall, castle like structures far away from the city. There were a lot of people of all shapes, sizes, colors and appearances walking, running, passing by each other, buying their needs or doing their usual business trades. The Turtle family allowed their Hamato relatives to take in their first view around them. Saki's eyes were bulging out of his sockets, he could not believe for his life what he was seeing. Anthropomorphic, mostly consisting of animal, everyday objects, monstrous and supernatural like individuals roamed every part of the streets around him, he felt as if he was having a strange dream that defied logic! Nori on the other hand, looked right and left, taking in interesting sights that captured her attention. Underneath a calm façade, Kenji was freaking out internally at the new, foreign view. Hiroki was squealing in delight similar to a child had just discovered a world made of toys and sweets. Her twin, Hikari was a bit calmer than his sister, feeling a thrill of danger running through his veins. Last but not least, the youngest Hamato sibling, Mei's stance looked poker face yet she looked around to see if there were any Gothic like people that she can interact with. The Turtles and the girls grinned, seeing the reactions of the others.

"What do you think? Surreal, huh?" They ask.

"Amazing.."

"Fascinating..."

"I can't believe what I'm seeing..."

"Someone please tell me that I'm dreaming..." Saki mumbled, still not believing.

"No, you're not," Draxum replied, going straight to the point with an indifferent expression. "May we please hurry to my parents' house, I bet they're waiting for our arrival..."

"Oh yeah!" Mikey clapped both his hands once. "Lead the way, Draxy!"

Draxum sighed as he took the lead of the group. Along the way, there were a few whispers around and behind Draxum coming from the city people but Splinter and Ivy took hold of both his hands and gave a comforting, assuring squeeze, making him feel better. Ariadne gave her uncle a comforting hand on to his shoulder. They were soon out of the main city square to a further distance into the woods. They had to climb up a hill for a while until they reached a big mansion residing there.

"We are here at last. My childhood home..." Draxum said, looking at the grassy, serene valley below, reminiscing the times where he as a little one ran galloping around the field, cartwheeling with glee among the flowers and his sire teaching him the basics on how to defend himself the predator way. Both father and son spend their days in the early years, sparring with each other...

"Draxum, my son!" The former alchemist warrior villain snapped out of his memories to find himself being engulfed into the arms of none other than his dear, loving old father, Monsrage who brought his only son into a crushing bear hug which knocked the wind out of his lungs. "How have you been, my little baby boy? It's rare that you visit us but it's so wonderful to see you bring your family along! How delightful!" the older yokai gushed, his bushy tail wagging with unlimited enthusiasm like an excited puppy. Monsrage was rather huge and muscular with perked up, pointy ears, silky straight black hair unchanged through time and a fairly long beard to match. Like Draxum before, he wore a battle mask. He had a significant dark upperlip. His body had different shades of blue just like his son, Draxum when he was armored. Monsrage's eyes were the same like Draxum's. His feet in particular, was a noticeable difference. Unlike his wife and son, his feet were shaped like a lion's paws, fitting for him coming from a predator species.

"Father, it's great to see you... but can you please let go now? I can't breathe..." Draxum choked out, being smothered by his sire's busty chest. Monsrage immediately loosened his grip, apologizing profusely while checking to see if he had accidently broken any of his son's bones. Draxum shook his head, smiling a little. His sire had never changed all these years, still a concerned worrywart. And he bet his mother had not either...

Chemia on the other hand, was greeting the rest of the visitors with feverish energy. She was a redhead with shades of pink for her skin colour and her ears, long and drooped. Her eyes had a little twinkle in them, a part of her eccentric personality and plump, red lips. Like her husband, she wore a mask. Donnie, April, Arachne and Ivy were given a whirlwind hug the moment they came in front of her. Monsrage went back to the mansion with his son to give the new visitors, the Hamatos, April, and Arachne a warm greeting as well as welcome his beloved grandchildren with his signature bear hug and proceed to pepper their faces with smooches which they were delighted to have especially Mikey, Ariadne, Ivy and Venus. Monsrage and Chemia ushered them all into their humble abode. The Hamatos were initially skeptical about meeting Draxum's family but they were soon warmed up to them. Later on, the mansion was filled with guffaws of laughter as Monsrage showed them all baby pictures of his son which embarrased the poor warrior scientist. Donnie, April and Ivy were treated to Grandma Chemia's latest creations. Monsrage himself had a blast, playing with Venus and sparring with the Turtles and the girls. Arachne was delighted to meet her grandparents as a young adolescent, telling them about her achievements, adventures and that her own parents are doing well. The Hamatos became comfortable talking with Draxum's parents over some snack delicacies. Overall, everyone had a wonderful time at the Hidden City.

I had fun writing this! Was tiring but oh so worth it.

The Hamato siblings (minus Lou/Splinter) and Venus de Milo belong to @rottmntrulesall while Ariadne and Arachne are the OCs of @mikeykawaii/@mikey-ho. Monsrage, Chemia and Poison Ivy along with the mention of the witch girlfriend belong to me, @mefiman. I hope you don’t mind me incorporating your girls into this story, @mikeykawaii but I’ve been dying to add them in, especially Ari meeting her grandparents! ^^ 

[guesst]

some of the best fantasy au fics for bnha that i've read

i decided to make a fic rec list of one of my favourite aus/fusions. mostly midoriya-centric, there are some crossovers (with hp), and a lot of different ways in which the authors have taken them - so it could be Quirks, ghosts, outright fantasy aus, spirits, witches etc etc. there isn't a specific order and there aren't a tonne (these are the ones i could find buried in my bookmarks lol), but the ones on the list are all really well written i love them.

i've tried adding relevant information, the summary (shortened if it's pretty long) and just. adding some random tags that may be important. not all of them though. obviously this is not a complete list and there will most definitely be more fics out there, if there are some really good fics that you know that aren't on this list, feel free to tell me, i'd love to read them!!!

i hope someone enjoys these!

Faith Becomes You by SugaSuga

oneshot | gen dfo, quirkless midoriya summary 'There's a tiny shrine in Musutafu that's overgrown with kudzu vines between Izuku's apartment and his middle-school. There may very well still be a god inside it. There may be nothing but the myth of a man from when Quirks were first emerging. Izuku hides in its walls for a while and ends up tending to the forgotten shrine. All good deeds have their impact, don't they?'

Of Mythos and Men by Oceanbreeze7

oneshot | gen spirit animal au, kinda summary (shortened) 'When he was young, Midoriya always wondered what his mythos would be. The matching half to his quirk, the ancestry of its power. Mythos were strange things, not linked genetically like quirks seemed to be. [...] Midoriya hadn't met his mythos. Even in UA. (In his dreams, something called to him, 'Chase me!')'

what a lion cannot manage by LadyLiterature

multichapter | ongoing | f/m, m/m kitsune au, female izuku, future bakudeku summary (shortened) 'She wants to be a hero. Wants to save everyone she meets and even the people she hasn’t. [...] A smart fox avoids fights. A smart fox does not seek them out. A smart fox does not fight for everyone. A smart fox, when they absolutely must, only fights for themselves and what is theirs and nothing else. Izumi, for all that she tries to be, is not a good fox.'

My Magic Academia by Kiterou

series | oneshots and multichapter | ongoing | gen HP crossover, wizard midoriya, platonic bkdk, some ocs summary (shortened) ' [...] In which Midoriya Inko is a witch and Izuku a wizard and even after 150 years of quirks taking over the world, Izuku still couldn't tell Kacchan that he isn't worthless and that he still could become a hero all on his own.'

A Lonely Windchime Makes No Sound by Musecookie

multichapter | ongoing | multi reader/shinso, total fantasy au, very wholesome summary (shortened) ' [...] You enjoy visiting your slightly creepy local library. When you accidentally befriend the elusive owner's familiar, he begins to appear more and more when you visit. You don't really mind, and he doesn't seem to hate you, even when the two of you become tied up in each other's fate as you pursue the secret to reviving a magical species of flower. Soft Strangers to Friends to Lovers type beat with lots of fluff and naps! Sleepy cuddles included.'

The grapes of friendship by Gentrychild

oneshot | gen crack, dfo, vampire izuku summary 'Izuku, a dhampir hiding his real identity as he goes to UA, the best wizard school in the country, spends the day with his friends. None of them are aware of it.'

Yesterday Upon the Stair by PitViperofDoom

multichapter | complete | gen less supernatural, izu's quirk lets him see ghosts, he still has ofa summary (shortened) 'Midoriya Izuku has always been written off as weird. As if it's not bad enough to be the quirkless weakling, he has to be the weird quirkless weakling on top of it. But truthfully, the "weird" part is the only part that's accurate. He's determined not to be a weakling, and in spite of what it says on paper, he's not actually quirkless [...] Not that anyone would believe it if he told them.'

sum of all (and by them driven) by Elemental

series | multichapter | ongoing | gen dadzawa, spirits give quirks, izu sees these spirits series summary 'Quirks aren't what you think they are.' first part summary (shortened) 'Midoriya Izuku is medically quirkless, not technically homeless, perpetually exhausted and doing his damned best despite it all. He also sees spirits, which might be cool if not for the fact that a) no one else does, b) they really don't like him very much, and c) he's pretty sure the heroes now think he's a villain working for the League [...]'

The Struggles of a Modern-Day Vampire by miraculousemily47

oneshot | gen crack, 1-a shenanigans, vampire midoriya summary 'After Midoriya Izuku is turned into a vampire towards the end of his first year at U.A., he decides he wants to tell his classmates about his condition. The only problem is that he can't physically say the words, and his classmates are fucking idiots.'

Lights in the Dark by FrostKitten

series | oneshots | ongoing | gen supernatural au, izuku can see demons etc, quirkless/magic au summary (of first part) 'Midoriya Izuku, like most young kids, knows there are monsters. They live in closets, under beds, and occasionally in the park. As he grows older, his friends stop seeing them...but he still does.'

Hand in Unlovable Hand by jumbletea

series | oneshots | ongoing | gen vampire midoriya (and aizawa), dadzawa, toga n dabi n mido being siblings summary 'A collection of stories surrounding a not-quite-human Izuku and everyone he meets along the way.'

Simply Superstitious by CryCaladrius

multichapter | ongoing | gen lots of folklore and yokai and stuff, 'quirkless' magic user izuku, decent dad hisashi too summary (shortened) 'Izuku Midoriya’s father is a Hou-ou — a Japanese phoenix. For some reason, this means yokai have a standing invitation to pester Izuku with their existence. Birds assemble choirs for his birthday. If there’s no cedar leaf under the welcome mat, the amazake babaa that lives two apartments over will be knocking on their door by evening. His yokai-purifying excursions get mistaken for vigilantism far too often. [...]'

Cuckoo Bird (anonymous author)

multichapter | ongoing/maybe discontinued | gen it may be discontinued but theres lots of fae folklore, deku is a changeling, deals etc, plus some platonic shindeku building up?? summary 'There's something off about Midoriya Izuku. (change·ling /ˈCHānjliNG/ noun a child believed to have been secretly substituted by fairies for the parents' real child in infancy.)'

tread softly as you go by IceEckos12

oneshot | gen if you read any fae au please let it be this! has faeries but mido is not one summary 'Humans used to be good at the old ways. They used to know how to bait the trap, to spin a web of words and lies that would ensnare even the most wily. Humans used to be able to twist deceptions around knots of iron and turn them into weapons of power. They forgot a long, long time ago. A boy unwittingly makes a deal with one of the fae, severing his ties to humanity. However, he finds that the fae world is far more strange and complex than he ever could have imagined.'

Hell is just a shoujo manga by supercrunch

multichapter | complete | f/m fantasy au, bakudeku, fem!izuku, isekai, dekusquad stuff, also some iidachako summary (shortened) 'Izuku wakes up crushed under a statue, trapped in the body of a princess who doesn't exist. Turns out she's a demon, which is weird. What's even weirder is the déjà vu that surrounds Kamino palace, reminding her of the events of this one manga she used to love. [...] But that's probably just a coincidence. [...] The problem here, obviously, is that Izuku's the demon princess. Ergo, she's a villain. And that means she's going to die at the end of this manga. Again.'

hold your breath as you cross by cassiopeia721

oneshot | gen dadzawa, another 'quirks are from spirits au' (expect more of those actually), mido is sad :( summary 'As the bridge between the world of guardian spirits and the quirk users who are blessed by them, Izuku's duty is to clean up the mess his predecessor left. It's taken what feels like an eternity worth of work, but Izuku's finally finished, and he's ready to rest at last. Unfortunately, the pro heroes who just watched him take down the Scourge of Kamino have no intention of letting him just wander off, and he finds himself stuck in an interrogation room with a bunch of humans who he's sure will never believe a word he says.'

To See with Eyes Unclouded by CrazySatan

series | oneshots | ongoing | gen witch au, witch midoriya, quirkless mido, bkg is not a good friend series summary 'Midoriya Izuku is a witch. A powerful witch. And even though he doesn't have a quirk, and magic doesn't Work Like That, Izuku ends up a hero. Somehow.'

Demons and Darkness by wolfsrainrules

series | oneshots | ongoing | gen dadzawa, shinso and mido and bkg are becoming friends, they can see monsters/spirits/bad things summary of first part 'Izuku has believed in the things that go bump in the night since he was small. That means he can see them, and almost everyone he knows....can't. So he decides he's going to be the shield humanity needs, no matter what. Eventually, he finds others that See too.'

know what i've made by the marks on my hands by simkjrs

multichapter | ongoing/maybe discontinued | gen dadzawa, quirk spirit au (this inspired most of the others on this list), also eri summary (shortened) 'Midoriya Izuku just wants to lead a quiet, peaceful life. This is foiled by the fact that a) he can see spirits, b) his good nature demands that he help anyone he sees in trouble, and c) he, by all rights, should not exist. [...]'

Izuku haunts class 1-A by Artistic-Gamer

series or multichapter whichever floats your boat | incomplete (hiatus) | other there are some triggering themes! such as suicide, blood, body disfigurement! please take care of yourself and avoid reading if this will hurt you! in other news: so much dadzawa, so much friendship, hurt mido summary (of first part) 'Class 1-A is rumored to be haunted, only the residents are aware it’s more than just a rumor..'

U.A's Resident Ghost by BeyondTheClouds777

multichapter | ongoing/maybe discontinued | gen ghost midoriya, dadzawa, friendships!!!! summary 'There is a ghost at U.A. Not haunting U.A. Not even hanging out at U.A. There is a ghost. Enrolled. As a student of U.A. And it's just Shouta's luck that he has everything to do with it.'

and now, the weather by xylophones

oneshot | gen CRACK, paranormal/ghost hunters au, dekusquad stuff summary 'Izuku runs a fictional horror radio show. Because ghosts aren’t real. Right? (“Holy shit, ghosts are real,” Izuku whispers. Then, with the smugness of a sixteen-year-old who just won a decade long bet, “I knew it! Kacchan owes me five hundred yen!” “Midoriya,” Todoroki sighs, “this ghost is trying to kill us.”)'

U.A Unsolved by handcrusher(ameliafromafairytale)

oneshot | gen (it's a fic of a fic, so if you've read yesterday upon the stair then you'll understand better) izuku can see ghosts thats his quirk summary ' "Hey there, ghosts," Midoriya says, "it's me, ya boy." The dorms are haunted. Shenanigans ensue.'

The Haunting of Class 1-A by BritishRobutt

multichapter | ongoing/maybe discontinued | n/a ghost midoriya, vigilante au, crack, the ghost bit is izu's quirk summary 'Everyone always told Izuku he couldn't be a hero, so when he dies and discovers his quirk, he becomes a vigilante out of spite. Whoops. After becoming Spectre, Japan's most wanted vigilante, Izuku realizes he can just fulfill his dreams of going to the top heroic school- after all, who can physically stop him from attending UA when he's a literal ghost?'

Caged by SternStunde

oneshot | gen tododeku, fantasy au (todo is a dragon, mido is a princess), genderbent deku (fem deku) summary 'Then she held up one of the books and smiled. "Want to learn an ancient language with me?" She was kind of a nerd, and she really hoped the dragon was too.'

Magic Runs Deep by draconicschinx

multichapter | ongoing/probably discontinued | gen mido has a quirk and he can see mythical creatures. summary '"Midoriya Izuku has always been good at making friends. Not human ones, really, but they are good friends nonetheless. " Izuku can see and talk to and interact with mythical creatures. It's not exactly the quirk he was hoping for, but he's going to use it to help humans and his non-human friends all the same.'

[recentanimenews]

FEATURE: Japanese Myths And How They're Depicted In Horror Anime

  No matter the time or place, the folklore and myths of the past always persist. The same can also be said for anime, especially when it comes to horror. Certain franchises, such as Shigeru Mizuki’s classic GeGeGe no Kitaro, have solidified the omnipresent status of traditional Japanese folk monsters in popular culture. Other series, such as Osamu Tezuka’s Dororo interpret traditional folklore in relation to historical periods and changing attitudes toward religion. More recently, series from the 2010s and 2000s, such as Bakemonogatari and Ghost Stories, interpret the classics with modern sensibilities. When it comes to stories with a penchant for horror, it would be far more surprising if they didn’t allude to a shared supernatural mythology — the ubiquity is the point. 

  Neko-Musume on her smartphone

The best horror always tries to do something new. While creatures like yōkai (a wide umbrella of supernatural entities) are well-known among English-speaking fans today thanks to series like Yokai Watch, these re-imaginings always tend to play fast and loose with fidelity. Wouldn’t it be boring if every vampire movie started and ended with Dracula? In a 2016 interview with The Comics Journal, veteran manga translator Zack Davisson emphasizes this important tendency to re-contextualize old folklore:

  “It’s a tricky question, as it is impossible to say what is ‘actual folklore.’ Vampires bursting into flame is considered ‘authentic,’ but that actually comes from the films, not folkloric sources. Folklore evolves and [Shigeru] Mizuki is an important part of that evolution. If you trace them back, most yokai we know come from Toriyama Sekien, who also just made things up. In fact, I would say that making up yokai is part of the grand tradition of yokai! If you are a writer/artist working with yokai and not making up at least a few of your own, you are missing the point!”

  The original spirit gun

  So that’s all to say — there really is no such thing as a definitive, one-to-one story based on centuries of tradition. Yōkai, as endearing as they are, are also just one part of the equation. Long-running anime such as Folktales from Japan and fantasy series Inuyasha-continuation Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon either re-tell or draw inspiration from that folklore. But that’s beyond the scope of this piece. Whether it be adaptations of urban legends about school bathrooms or vengeful spirits, I hope this round-up helps any casual or long-time anime fan appreciate how these series reimagine supernatural traditions.

  Fantastic Folklore: GeGeGe no Kitaro & Mononoke

  The late Shigeru Mizuki’s most influential character, Kitaro, hardly needs any introduction. In his book Yokai Attack! The Japanese Monster Survival Guide, translator Matt Alt describes yōkai as “the attempts of the fertile human imagination to impose meaning and rationality on a chaotic, unpredictable, often difficult-to-explain world.” Many yōkai are quite strange and sometimes even comedic. Scholar-artists, such as the previously mentioned Toriyama Sekien, are largely credited with inspiring their uncanny visual representations, making them the perfect subject matter for an accessible series.

  The tanuki plot world domination

The titular Kitaro himself is a half-human, half-yōkai one-eyed boy who travels between the human and spirit world to resolve monster-of-the-day conflicts with his friends. Although Mizuki’s Kitaro as we know it began serialization in 1960, Mizuki originally received permission to re-imagine the character from Masami Itō, who first created Kitaro in the 1930s in pre-war Japan. The most recent 2018 anime series re-establishes Kitaro in a modern setting, yet still adapts many of the most iconic stories. Characters such as Neko-Musume, based on volatile cat spirits called bakeneko, are updated with new designs while Kitaro mostly remains the same. Mizuki’s older creations, such as the jubokko (vampire tree) yōkai, are still featured alongside a new re-imagining of the “wall monster” nurikabe — inspired by the discovery of an Edo manuscript in 2007. The appeal of Kitaro isn’t so much the meticulous adherence to yōkai mythos, but rather Mizuki’s continual improvisation of the folklore-informed monster-making tradition.

  The Medicine Seller

Beyond Kitaro, other series, such as 2006’s Mononoke, dedicate entire storylines to a wider category of ayakashi (sea-bound yōkai) and funayūrei (boat spirits) written by none other than Chiaki J. Konaka. Later episodes feature bakeneko and nue (chimera monsters), but with a twist. The term mononoke itself refers to a variety of yōkai specifically referring to vengeful spirits possessing people or things. When it comes to series taking a more “fantastical” approach to folklore, both Mononoke and Kitaro thankfully never dissolve into simple rogue galleries of monsters — their (mostly) human protagonists largely remain the heart of their chilling saga.

  Horror-Historical: Osamu Tezuka’s Dororo

  Lord Kagemitsu Daigo makes a pact with the demons  (Source: Amazon)

  In Anime and Its Roots in Early Japanese Monster Art scholar Zília Papp comments Mizuki’s “Kitaro characters became synonymous with yōkai in the postwar period, continuing to the present time” compared to his peers like Tezuka. But if Kitaro made yōkai big in comedic manga, then Tezuka’s short-lived Dororo manga drove this interest toward the historical context of the Sengoku Period, or the “warring states” era of feudal Japan. 

  Rather than depicting spirits as purely whimsical mischief-makers, Dororo’s inciting event is a feudal lord of the fictional Daigo clan forging a pact with 48 demons, who persist to hunt his son long after the pact is forged. In his feature The History Behind Osamu Tezuka’s Dororo, Marco Oliveros comments that by depicting yōkai during this period, Dororo draws inspiration from actual shifts in changing Buddhist attitudes toward these entities:

  “One of the foremost examples of this change to yokai is the tengu. Wrathful and demonic, the avian creature tricked and assaulted Buddhist clerics and civilians alike, becoming characterized as the sworn enemy of Buddhism. The apparent hostility of these yokai to Buddhism makes their dark deals with Dororo's Daigo an unsurprising turn of events for the Sengoku Jidai era.”

  The Amanojaku is captured and sealed inside a Buddhist temple (Source: Amazon)

  Matt Alt’s 2016 translation of Japandemonium Illustrated: The Yokai Encyclopedias of Toriyama Sekien describes the tengu (mask-wearing entities usually depicted as half-man half-bird) as “deeply associated with the religion of Shugendō,” which originated during the Heian period; however they were depicted very differently in major Buddhist sects of the same era. Unlike solely “fantastical” stories of the supernatural without much acknowledgment to historical context, Dororo is interested in this context regarding capricious attitudes of spirits of people alike. Impressive malevolent entities such as kyūbi (nine-tailed foxes) also fight against Dororo’s protagonist, Hyakkimaru, typical of supernatural jidaigeki (period drama) horror stories set in feudal Japan.

  However, Dororo also features lesser entities such as amanojaku (tiny, goblin-like demons). According to the influential illustrated encyclopedia Wakan Sansai Zue compiled by Sekien-predecessor Terajima Ryōan, amanojaku and tengu were described as paired descendants of the evil goddess Amanozako (literally "tengu god"). According to scholar Haruko Wakabayashi in The Seven Tengu Scrolls: Evil and the Rhetoric of Legitimacy in Medieval Japanese Buddhism, tengu were symbolically invoked in inter-personal and religious feuds amongst Buddhist sects during the Heian period. The amanojaku depicted in Dororo is minor. But with a (simplified) understanding of its affiliation with tengu’s pre-Heian origins and its subsequent disavowal by influential Buddhist sects, Dororo's amanojaku cameo is an undeniable nod toward its theme of “old ways” impacted by a "new" institutionalized status quo.

  Hyakkimaru battles the nine-tailed fox spirit in its spectral form (Source: Amazon)

  While the nine-tailed fox spirit is flashy, Dororo’s amanojaku ends up pathetically sealed inside a Buddhist temple. Ironically, the amanojaku trapping scene pans from the top of a Buddhist statue, ending with the cartoonish amanojaku crushed underneath to visually imply its irrelevancy. Dororo is a story about the cultural and religious tensions brewing during this violent episode in history — making Hyakkimaru’s journey one that doesn’t simply depict supernatural folkloric tradition in stasis, but as something always under complicated socio-political stakes.

  Modern Ghoul School: Ghost Stories & Bakemonogatari

  What do you do if you can’t solve your evil spirit problems with a sword? For the most part, classics like Kitaro and Dororo take place in the past, or at least worlds very unlike our own. A traveling demon slayer never has to deal with student council or smartphones. 

  In a previous article, From Bakeneko to Bakemonogatari, I discussed all the possible lineages of the catgirl character archetype. In that piece, I claimed one of the more accurate representations of the bakeneko today was Bakemonogatari’s Tsubasa Hanekawa’s cat spirit-possessed alter-ego. It’s not simply because she is a supernatural catgirl, but rather her portrayal was obviously informed by the wider context of pre-existing bakeneko mythos. Is it possible for a “modern-day” series to tackle yesterday’s folktales while still preserving the uncanniness of the past?

The spirits possessing Bakemonogatari’s cast, referred to as “oddities,” all nearly function like vengeful mononoke spirits. For example, Bakemonogatari’s first arc, Hitagi Crab, features a crab “oddity” haunting classmate Hitagi Senjougahara. The existence of heikekani (face-shaped crabs allegedly the spirits of drowned Heike warriors from the Sengoku Period), might be a parallel, considering the arc’s theme of unresolved conflict. Another arc, Suruga Monkey, features an “oddity” taking the form of a beastly paw growing on classmate Kanbaru Suruga’s arm. Senjougahara and Suruga's crab/monkey relationship can be read as alluding to the well-known Buddhist tale “The Monkey and the Crab.” According to The National Gallery of Art on its 2019 The Life of Animals in Japanese Art exhibit, the monkey and crab are usually depicted as friends, then compete until they either make amends or resolve their conflict. Often the subject of artistic interpretation, it’s no surprise this tale found its way into anime as a metaphor for teen drama.

  The kids scan a talisman and e-mail it to exorcise internet demons. Yes, this really happens.

  In comparison, the 2000 series Ghost Stories is best known to English-speaking audiences for being an edgy comedy. However, its original source material, a book series titled Gakkō no Kaidan (School Ghost Stories), is more akin to a heavily researched Goose Bumps. Written by folklore scholar Toru Tsunametsu, the series showcases various urban myths and monsters, most famously “Hanako” a ghost girl who haunts school bathrooms. A 2014 NPR piece describes the most popular version of Hanako being a schoolgirl in WWII “using the bathroom when a bomb fell on top of the building.” Although Hanako gained enough popularity from the books to warrant her own spin-off anime series in 1994, she only makes a handful of cameos in the 2000 series. Entities like the previously mentioned amanojaku also appear, alongside shinigami (death gods) depicted in many other anime.

  How to channel your ghost powers for success (Source: Funimation)

  Hanako, because of her relatively modern backstory, is just as ubiquitous. Versions of Hanako appear in an episode of the 2018 Kitaro and most recently in the 2020 series Toilet Bound Hanako-kun. Tsunametsu currently edits the Folklore Society of Japan’s official academic journal, no doubt a testament to his priceless contributions to folklore representation in anime.

  Who You Gonna Call?

  There’s no way to tell the same ghost story twice. With such a layered history, contemporary anime have a nearly endless well of folkloric material to pull from. Recent series like the hit Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba and Toilet Bound Hanako-kun prove that fans will never get enough of the supernatural, just as long as things stay fresh. 

  Hanako politely warns the ghost-hunting kids

  Long live artistic liberty and specters trying to watch you pee.

      Blake P. is a weekly columnist for Crunchyroll Features. His twitter is @_dispossessed. His bylines include Fanbyte, VRV, Unwinnable, and more. He'd like a tiny yōkai cat.

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

By: Blake Planty

[puppys-rhythm-heaven]

it is time.

uh i mean- i'm bored so. only seems logical to name every rhythm heaven character. i have no idea how to word some of these but whatever- it is time.

samurai drummer

karate joe

hair vegetables

squadmates

sarge

air batter

space umpire

the clappy trio

the barista

sneaky spirits

the wandering samurai

yokai

rats

miss whiskers

doctor cutlery

viruses

donpans

yagura-chan

the wizard

uhhh. girl

monkey

gwen (gray penguin)

glacier (big penguin)

gonzales (small/white penguin)

rabbit

tram

pauline

space dancers

space gramps

host

contestant

play-yan

mini chounin

uh. do the akai mono count- cuz uh. them

the rapmen (pretend that's in caps. it ruins my typing style otherwise and i am lazy)

akata to. something or other. i don't know the names that're gay-up (yes i did just say that) japanese-

ninja

lord (such great names here)

the toss boys (aka-chan, ao-kun, kii-yan)

g i r l

monkeys

(do i wait to list tanata orrrrr,,, ?)

cosmo dancers

cosmic girl

the rap women (wow can't believe they don't get capitalization rights)

salu (/mak-k. i never know what's something silver made up and what isn't)

tanata

uh. the ninja reincarnate girl. her

electric fish

i'm not a hundred percent sure on some of tengoku's character names but everything else should be good so onwards.

g i r l (i think she's a different girl-)

note

bandleader

widgets

the conductor

the chorus kids

robo-m

robo-l

pop singer

monkeys

paddlers

blastronaut

shoot-'em-up radio lady

the blue birds

captain blue bird

moai kids (they have separate names but i do not remember them)

moai birds

the love lizards/güiro lizards

stomp farmer

t.j. snapper

the dazzles

munchy monk

dj yellow

student

(they're the best ones- i mean uh-)

taiko rally squad

rally girls

research scientists of love lab

the three synchrettes

the tiny ghosts (spooky, ecto and boo-boo)

dog ninja (is the exclamation point required-)

the frogettes

space kicker

stepswitchers

j.j. rocker

student rocker

(god what is it with students and not getting name rights-)

airboarders

heehee i'm a master at ds' lore but anyways.

marshall

cam

miss ribbon

monkey

mandrill

golfer

robots

see

saw

a boy

his crush

weasel couple

f o r k

monkey

executives

assistant

small monkeys

dough dudes

baxter

forthington

muscle doll

reporter

wrestler

employee (insert the numbers here, if you read it as text its eee-a-spider)

treat spider (almost forgot-)

microbes

demons

ann gler

quicknibble

pausegill

threefish

captain tuck

flippers

pitcher

slugger

huebirds of happiness

rhythm rockets (don't remember the individual names apart from the family model)

uh... these guys? (clearly the best rhythm heaven characters)

bossa

nova

the love posse ft. mc adore (why's she just tacked on at the end-)

tall tappers

the shrimp scamperers

the library school pep squad

thank god we're almost done-

(i'm doing story characters too)

tibby

boondog

plalin

alalin

dieter

courtney

saffron

saltwater

paprika

shep

translator tom

martian

donna

chameleon

(do the tongue lashing guys have names-)

hairold

woodcutter bear

lumbercats

eglantine

trey

the sumo brothers (idk their separate names but they have them)

inu-sensei

monkey/josé (french rhythm paradise megamix)

tangotronic

bertram

mako

monkeys

betty

beary

bearbara

philip

kitties

colin

tibby's mom

monkey/emma (french rhythm paradise megamix)

karate joe's father

hooooo boy i'm never doing this again- this took like. half an hour-

[remmushound]

Curse of the Clan part 57! @selfindulgenz @scentedcandlecryptid

Content warning! Injury, cauterization, burns, minor blood

The floor under April’s feet sloped as the press of Krang’s button. The angle became so sharp that April couldn’t resist it and started to slide toward the back of the mech. Her feet fell off the edge, but she managed to cling on just barely by locking her fingers into the curve of the wall. Her muscles ached after hardly any time at all, climbing on tight enough to pale her knuckles. Her muscles worked and they burned, but they held on for a long minute.

Krang’s face split in a cruel grin. “Bye bye!”

April could hold on no longer. She fell, the darkness swallowing her entirely.

***

Bishop moved like a whip around the enclosed space, alluding attacks and capture with all the determined agility of a slippery eel. It didn't take a genius to figure out what Bishop was trying to do as he weaved between the family, knocking them apart with powerful swipes of his tails. They were more vulnerable when they were alone, so they couldn’t be forced apart. Bishop lunged once more, dividing Leonardo from Donatello before turning his attention toward Michelangelo. The box turtle had a tight grip on his chain weapon, spinning it around and around while his ruby eyes kept track of Bishop’s every move.

“What’s the plan?” Michelangelo asked, yelping as he had to sidestep to avoid a vicious strike.

“I was kinda relying on my portals working.” Leonardo admitted, much to the dismay of his family. He moved back in closer to Donatello, both of them falling flat to avoid another pounce.

“You can’t run forever.” Bishop hissed; the demeanor of the snake had changed completely from a suave agent to a beast frustrated he couldn’t land a hit.

“He’s right.” Leonardo said, grabbing Donatello by his mask tails to yank him so they could join Michelangelo. “We gotta find a new way up!”

Bishop had them cornered now, his body swaying from side to side as he sized them up with hungry eyes. Leonardo’s eyes darted around to look for some escape, and the opportunity came in the form of Splinter throwing his full weight against the snake and making Bishop’s attack falter. Splinter was more pin cushion than rat, his fur spiked up and standing on end while his teeth and claws flashing a sharp threat. His fangs sank into where Bishop’s shoulders would have been if he had arms, his claws finding purchase and tearing anywhere they could.

Bishop retaliated by latching onto Splinter’s neck, fangs sinking into the soft flesh and the muscular body immediately wrapping around Splinter, starting to squeeze

“DAD!”

Michelangelo was the first to separate from the safety of the group, his face distorting in fury as he swung his weapon to wrap the chain around Bishop’s neck and tighten it, using the secured weapon to swing himself onto Bishop like a jockey taming a wild bronco. Bishop gave a growl of displeasure that, to the horror of the onlookers, quickly turned to cries of pure agony as his flesh started to sizzle and pop wherever Michelangelo touched him. The pain overwhelming, Bishop let go of Splinter and Leonardo was there to catch the rat, immediately assessing the punctures while Donatello stood back to witness the fury of Michelangelo.

“Get— off of— me—“ Any sense of dignity Bishop may have had were burned away with Michelangelo’s frenzied, furious strikes; his hands had erupted into a blaze that, while they scorched and seared Bishop wherever they struck, didn't seem to hurt Michelangelo in the slightest.

“NO!”

Bishop reared up to slam Michelangelo against the wall, crushing the turtle with his weight, but Michelangelo hung on tight.

Donatello looked up but he didn't know why. He eyed the wires that were above them, and he witnessed them moving and tying around each other like they were alive. On the end of each long tendril were tiny suction grabbers that looked, quite frankly, sticky.

Donatello was being grabbed. Grabbed and snared and squeezed by the wires as they secured a grip on him, yanking him upward. They dug into his flesh but it didn't hurt; each touch of the wires were like ten hands supporting him, sending pulses through the muscles that made them relax so that the wires could do their job. The wires were good, and they were reaching down at them, trying to grab the mutants in their suction grip.

Bishop had finally managed to toss Michelangelo off, but not without suffering significant damage to his scales and to one of his eyes.

“I’m a firebender!” Michelangelo declared, laughing maniacally as he looked down at his flaming hands.

“You’re a pyromaniac.” Donatello breathed, hardly in control of his own words.

Bishop pulled his lips back as he spat his fury; some of him seemed to be peeling, like dead skin after a sunburn healed, showing nothing but red, inflamed flesh beneath. There was no blood, the heat of Michelangelo’s touch having been enough to cauterize the wound. Cauterize. That was it—that was what Leonardo needed! Splinter’s wound was bleeding badly, but Leonardo knew it wasn’t an artery bleed. The flow and position of the strike wouldn’t have resulted in that, and it seemed to be mostly tissue that Bishop had pierced. The bleeding needed to be stopped, even if they would have to deal with a burn later.

“Mike, I need you over here.” Michelangelo was at Leonardo’s side the moment he was called, kneeling beside Splinter and staring in horror at the blood staining his skin red.

“What can I do?”

“I need you to press your hands to dad’s neck and seal off the wound okay— can you do that?”

Michelangelo nodded numbly and did as Leonardo asking, wincing as he felt his fathers flesh and fur burn under his touch. The smell was indescribable. He pulled his hands back quickly and looked up to Leonardo, hoping that had been enough.

“Good— the bleeding stopped.” Leonardo let himself breathe

“Guys.” Donatello’s voice felt painfully dry as he spoke, and then pointed skyward to the wires. “We should go up.”

Leonardo followed his brother’s finger and spotted the wires reaching out for them. Then he looked back down and seen Bishop making rapid advancement toward them, each movement awkward with the pain of his body, and Leonardo felt he didn't have much else of a choice. He grabbed Splinter and heaved the unconscious rat over his shoulder as he and his brothers started their upward ascent toward the wires reaching out to them.

~~~

April landed feet-first in a deep pool of chilling water that sucked the breath right out of her. She kicked out her feet from pure instinct and resurfaced as quickly as her frost-swallowed body would allow her, padding toward what she could only assume to be the shore. When she felt her feet sweep against metal at the bottom, she was greatly relieved, and she followed the upward slope until she was able to collapse onto solid ground.

“Oh, ground, sweet ground.” She kissed the floor and then immediately regretted it when she got a mouthful of bitter cold. “Ah… S-Sunita!”

“In here…” The yokai’s voice carried, and it was the only thing April had to guide her in this dark place.

She held her hands out in front of her, feeling her way through the open, pitch room until her hands touched a wall. She used the wall as her guide, leading her to an open doorway, and only when she had gotten a few good feet inside did she spy a faint green glow.

“Sunita!”

April ran when the light was bright enough to let her, practially sprinting right into the slime yokai. She sank slightly into Sunita’s form, quickly pulling away with a disgusted grunt and tried to shake the goo off of her. The slime naturally left to return to their host, but Sunita didn't seem to care either way. The yokai had hardly reacted to the impact! Something else had caught her full attention, and pretty soon it had April’s too.

“Woah…”

Both girls found themselves standing before a giant glass chamber, and in the chamber was a great amount of green that April could almost mistake for mutagen! Then she realized it was too vibrant, too fluid! Mutagen was thick and dark and clumpy, but this was almost like water! She knew exactly what this stuff was.

“Empyrean…”

[singthebodyelectric-tmnt]

Intermission

Donatellos in Untitled Goose Game:

It was a lovely day in New York City...therefore statistically, something horrible will happen. There is a bush in Central Park, and in that bush, a honk sounded. Out popped a Goose with a purple bandana tied around its neck. He looked left, then right, then gave out two honks. Two goslings popped their heads out and they each gave out an affirmative honk. The Goose emerged from the bush with its goslings tumbling and waddling after him. It was a lovely day in New York City...and the Donatellos are horrible Geese.

“Oh fuck, it’s the horrible Goose and its spawn,” groaned a vendor of the gardens. “It’s just a goose, how bad can it be?” “When you see it in action, you’d take back those words” Riri and Cass were having a staredown across each other. Their respective counterparts looked at each other, then at the girls, then at Sunita eating nachos on a bench in between the two booths.

Sunita shrugged, “When it comes to cookies and brownies it’s serious business with those two”.

Riri grit her teeth and forced a smile, “At least I’m selling cookies for a cause. TO SAVE TREES CASS!” Cass smirked and thumped her chest, “HAH! When I take over the world with these brownies, WE WOULD  BE ABLE TO SAVE MORE TREES BY FORCE”. Lillie and April squinted at the Caseys. Casey shrugged as CJ carried over more boxes of brownies, “At least she’s enthusiastic”. April was about to comment back when she felt a tug on her pant leg. She looked down to see a little gosling with a little violet cape happily waddling up and down and honking at her now he has her attention. “Aww!” Both Lillie and April cooed. April set down the box of cookies and picked up the gosling. “Hey, there little guy! Oh my gosh. His little cape! So cute!”. The gosling preened at the attention. “He’s a very enthusiastic baby for something with a broken wing,” observed Lillie. The gosling honked and wibbled its tail feathers. Lillie smiled, “Aw cute baby! Riri get over here! Look at this cutie pie”. Riri came over to see what the fuss was about. Cass grinned, “Not that they’re distracted, we’re gonna crush these sales!”. She then turned to her brothers to see them huddled over something that was hiding under their booth. “Guys?” CJ was the first to surface with something cupped in his hands, “Look Cass, the little guy was stuck on our tablecloth” A sad, quiet honk came from the little gosling with red eyes and a lavender ribbon loosely tied around its neck in CJ’s hands. It trembled fearfully. Cass dropped the box she was holding and rushed over to CJ, “Oh no! Poor thing! Where’s its mama?” So busy were the Caseys and Aprils with the two goslings, no one noticed the Goose took a box of cookies from the Aprils’ table, casually waddled over to the Caseys’ booth, and swapped a box of cookies with a box of brownies. He then waddled back to the cookie table and placed the box of brownies on it. No one even noticed the switch.

No one but Sunita, eating her nachos in amusement. The Goose waddled over to her side, settled there, and then gave a loud honk. The two goslings honked back and scrambled back to the Goose. The red-eyed gosling buried itself under its parent’s feathers, the caped gosling took its time, honking and twirling in glee to the joy of everyone witnessing it. There was a screech and then, “THE HECK IS THIS APRIL!? Why did you sneak your wares into mine? That’s playing DIRTY !” Riri pounded her fist on her table, “Pot calling the kettle dirty, Jonesy? What about this box of your brownies mixed in with mine!?” “I DIDN’T DO IT!” “NEITHER DID I!” “HAVE AT IT O’NEIL!” “PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE YOUR MOUTH IS JONES!” April and Lillie looked at each other, then at the Caseys. Oh no.

Sunita watched the ensuing carnage then eyed the Goose. “Good job raising hell guys,” she divided her nachos and gave the non cheesed bits to the Goose and its goslings. The goslings happily snack on their hard-earned loot. The Goose gave a hjonk of thanks toward Sunita’s way and waited for its children to finish before it ate.

They need the energy to cause more mayhem and the day is long. --- It was noon. Foot Brute and Foot Lieutenant surveyed the city from their vantage point. “Well Brute, what is our agenda for today?” The Brute smiled and said, “The same thing we do every day, sir. Try to take over the world”. The Lieutenant smiled, pleased that his partner and daughter were still in the business, despite their initial struggles. Leading the Foot Clan is exhausting without backup. There was a tiny honk in the vicinity of their feet. They both looked down to see a gosling with red eyes staring at them. “Aww”, Foot Brute cooed. He picked it up gently and asked, “Where’s your parent, little one?” A scream curdled the air and they looked down to the streets to see their daughter screaming her lungs out being chased by her friend...and chasing after them some kind of robot. Foot Lieutenant sighed and massaged his temples. “Oh, Casey… what now?”

Foot Brute put down the gosling in a safe place, “I’m sure your parents will find you little one. Stay put”. He then followed his husband and easily hauled a large contraption upon his shoulders. They did not notice another gosling hopping off the contraption proudly holding a screw in its beak. Out of the shadows, the Goose emerged. The goslings regrouped on their parent’s back and the Goose fluttered down to a staircase. There were more denizens of New York to bother. ---

Baron Draxum stared down the pest of New York City, the great Goose of Central Park, as screams erupted all around them. The Goose narrowed its eyes at the sheep yokai and raised its wings in a threatening manner. They were at a standstill. “NOT THE FACE, NOT THE FACE!!!,” pleaded Warren as a gosling with a cape cackled in glee over the worm mutant. “Darling, hold still, please! I’m trying to not harm you and the little one,” Hypno said nervously as he tried to grab the little dramatic gosling.

“Well, if you don’t do anything fast, I’M GOING TO GET EATEN!”

Draxum looked to the side to see Todd gently picking up the red-eyed gosling that had outsmarted Repo Mantis and Meat Sweats from a pile who were now screaming at each other. Draxum glared at the Goose who seemed to radiate smugness back at him. “If I give you what you need, will you and your children leave this human-mutant soiree alone?” The Goose seemed to think about it. It lowered its wings. It agreed. Draxum sighed. Can this day get any weirder ? ---

“Oh my, my! What a delightful treat to watch!,” Big Mama clapped her hands excitedly as three of the Mud Dogs tried capturing the Goose, who was nonchalant about the damage it was doing.

It popped up behind Heinous Green and honked. The oni stiffened then slowly raised his fist to grab it. The Goose then jumped as Heinous’s fist connected to his face. Mickey and Leonard both made a grab for it and slammed their faces together for their efforts. The Goose plopped around Big Mama’s office in search of something. Danny raised a perfectly trimmed eyebrow at Big Mama. “Are you sure you don’t want me to let this creature out of your office, Ma’am?” Big Mama put a finger to her chin. “Absolutely. Not until I find out what it’s looking for”. Danny shook his head and then looked down to see two goslings hiding behind a potted plant watching their parent cause chaos. Ah . That explained it. He kneeled and reached inside his suit to take out a couple of crackers to give to the goslings. The caped one gleefully grabbed a cracker and began munching. The red-eyed one with the ribbon fluffed up its feathers and began to cry. At once, the Goose hurried toward him, put its children behind it, and hissed at him. Danny put his hands up, “Easy. I know why you’re here. I got kids too, a tiger cub and a kit. You can leave after we give you food, right?”. The Goose had bared its terrifying numerous sawed teeth, then it stopped. It huffed when it noticed that its other gosling was also eating. Danny offered the Goose the wrapped package of crackers. The Goose narrowed its eyes at him. Then it honked and took the crackers from Danny. The Goslings climbed up their parent’s back and the Goose plopped out the office with its beak in the air. Danny sighed. Those crackers were for his little Alopex and Tigerclaw, damn it. Big Mama patted his shoulder with a small bag of unicorns and gold. “Well spotted. I too have children, four teenage boys to be exact, and I do know how they get hungry easily. Buy your children a good meal instead of light snacks, yes?” ----

“It is a wonderful evening in this rooftop garden, Master Splinter,” Splinter said arranging a potted plant on the ground. “It is, Master Splinter,” Lou agreed, sitting crossed-legged on the ground with a tea set in front of him. Next to him was the Goose with a purple bandana around its neck, sitting peacefully, eyes closed. Splinter sat in front of them and poured himself a cup of tea. A few meters away, the two goslings were trying to scale a miniature tower. In the background, screams of despair rose as mild annoyances cropped up across New York. Splinter raised a brow, “You were busy today, Goose-san”. The Goose did not bother to answer. The caped gosling hauled its brother onto a platform and used itself as support so that the red eyed gosling can reach the bell at the top of the miniature tower. “Incredible display of acrobatics from your children, Goose-san. We prefer this to your usual method of pecking the base of the tower until it topples over and you can reach the bell. It is very expensive and time-consuming to keep rebuilding the tower”. The Goose opened its eyes and stood up, welcoming its children for their victory, the red-eyed one holding the bell in its beak and the caped one hopping up and down and around them. The Goose waddled away from the garden with its children and Lou waved, “See you next week, Goose-san!” More screaming and wailing can be heard in the background. ---- The Goose of New York carried the bell to their little neck of the park. It carefully hung the bell on their security, which was a long line of yarn and bells hanging on it. The Goose gently put its sleeping children under their favorite bush. It stared at the lights of New York City. The silence of their little spot was quite calming and the Goose decided it was done for the day. It was a beautiful night in New York City and the days that follow will be beautiful as well. The Goose thrummed pleased at the day's events. But not for long. Peace was never an option.

[sleepdeprivedheretic]

Tongue Tied

Notes: This is another Valentine’s Day fic, except it’s a bit shorter.This is for those who rather have pure, straight up fluff

Setting: I wanted childhood friends au. OOC Tai, kinda. Tried to make it short and sweet for Valentine’s Day, along with my other fic that’s more plot-y and smutty tOTALLY does revolve around yokai: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29427309

 When you first met him, you were both about eight. He was round, cheeky, and friendly, greeting you to the new neighborhood. Only being eight, and not really having any friends, you were rather shy. He grinned, holding up a bag of blue gummy sharks. Eagerly but hesitantly, you complied, and he beamed at you with a blush, seemingly to rival the sun as he introduced himself.

“-but ya can call me Tai-chan!”

Regularly, his mom and your mom became close friends, and often brought the two of you to the park. Him being the only familiar, friendly face, you followed him everywhere, like a little puppy. He would be always smiling and talking, falling in step beside you as he munched on whatever or whichever his mom had brought for him, sharing with you, and you offered your own snacks.

He grew on you, taking you everywhere, creating blanket and pillow forts, and promised that the two of you will be best friends forever. Although rather shy, you were extremely protective of him, finding your young self snapping at bullies when they’ve made fun of his weight, and making sure that he was alright. He would look at you shyly yet with a soft grin and rub the back of his head, telling you that you were amazing.

………………..

You were both ten. In two years, you’ve grown very close to him. Of course, his family and doctor worrying about his weight, had put him on a diet. He was still a little round, but had grown a few inches taller. You didn’t care, as long as he was your friend. Who you totally did not have a small crush on. Nope.  

The two of you were in his living room, resting in your own separate sleeping bags as Bambi played on the VHS. No matter how many times the two of you seen it, his eyes would always water up when a particular scene came along as he shoved popcorn in his mouth. All you could really do was pat his shoulder gently, causing him to stutter and have the same odd red tint to his cheeks as he laughed nervously. You stared at his odd behavior, but shrugged, reaching for the popcorn as the two of you talked about future dreams and other things as the sleepover crawled on.

By this time, you’ve knew him a bit more, use to hanging out at his house, and his yours. Cooking and baking with each other’s respective moms, was a common weekend thing.

……………………………..

 He’d gotten a bit more loud and rowdy, but was still sweet as ever. Of course, being twelve, the two of you were experiencing your own physical and mental changes. Voice cracking, outgrowing baby fat, the two of you were still close. He’d gotten many scrapes and bruises, however, while being rowdy and not as careful, and he’d grumble a little with a pink tint to his cheeks, as you hushed him, placing a Hello Kitty band-aid on his cut.

Although a bit more older, the two of you still drank Capri-sun, watched classics on his VCR, and he didn’t mind that you tagged along wherever he went. Imagine his surprise when you’ve gotten a little braver, not hesitating to cheer him on during sports tryouts, or started doing more things of your own without him. Of course, the both of your parents were wary of the two of you spending the entire night for some weird reason, but you still hung out for most of the day, swapping Pokemon cards and playing on the old gaming system while mindlessly talking like you’ve always done.

…………………..

  High school was somewhat different. He was an awkward fifteen year old boy, but head-strong, tall, and a bit more lanky. You were still a little quiet and shy, but the two of you stuck close to each other like glue. He’d drag you to his baseball tournaments, and you’d invite him to your archery ones. He still was rowdy and somewhat of a hyper, cute klutz, grinning from ear to ear with pink cheeks as you sighed, wrapping yet another band-aid around his cuts.

 You, being still young, had to bite down an odd feeling that came over you when he was surrounded by girls. You didn’t understand it, they were just being friendly, right? He looked rather uncomfortable, but was still red in the face as he kept making glances at you, a silent plea for help.

 It’s when the bullying had started. The whispers and rumors, all because you helped him escape from a gaggle of young teens. He, being protective as always, shot glares and scowls at those who dared even came close to you, telling you that it was alright to defend yourself, and to call on him if he needed anything. So, while there was some bullying, the budding attention from kids hitting puberty, was a bit worse.

He was agitated for some weird reason, yet kept a dopey smile for your sake when you kept receiving love letters and confessions. You didn’t miss the relief in his eyes when you turned them all down, and vice versa when he stated that he wasn’t really interested in most of the people in your school. You didn’t fail to notice that he kept looking at you for an extra two seconds, but dismissed it.

……………

Senior year wasn’t as bad as freshman year. He, with all of his practice in sports and such, grew a bit of muscle mass, but at eighteen, was round and taller, around six foot, easily dwarfing you. Although older teens, you’ve kept in touch despite the crazy amount of tests, finals, and new friends. People were murmuring in awe at how the two of you were so close, and yet weren’t a couple. It didn’t stop either of your ears burning, but neither of you had either dated, only fueling those rumors.

He was very popular, as were you, despite your shyness and liking to blend in. Two peas in a pod, yet almost opposite personalities described him and you. You liking to read, and him liking to play sports and be outside. It didn’t stop you from following him around, him chuckling and ruffling your hair as you played a few games with him, or him hanging out with you at the library.

 Of course, a lot of admirers from both sides were jealous because of the two of your closeness. You still politely refused the applicants of the love letters, and he, gaining more courage, stated that he wasn’t really interested in the gaggle of fawners who surrounded him. The two of you had constantly protected each other from unwanted bullies and too pushy one-sided interests while living your own lives.

It took longer than you’d like to admit, but you’ve gotten a part-time job as well as your license, him not wanting to be left behind, followed after. You forever had the image burned in your brain that Monday morning. He, waiting for you, sported a Letterman jacket, beat up sneakers, grinning wildly and proudly as he leaned against his new car. It was an older model, but you were proud of him, and plus, he was still doing things to your chest that you did not understand.

“Get in, Sugar, we’re goin’ fer a spin.” He smiled, holding up his new keys, and you couldn’t help but feel cicadas buzz gently within your stomach.

Prom was different. You weren’t really interested in going, and instead, the two of you spent the night at your house, baking cookies and listening to old songs on the radio. He smiled, wearing your mom’s apron as he swiveled to the music, causing you to laugh more than you should as he mimicked her, cursing about the neighborhood children and gushing about soap operas.  

The tiny desserts ended up being burnt, his hair was wild, and the two of you were a laughing mess, reflecting childhood days.

By the end of the night, he looked like he wanted to say something before he left, but instead, gave you one of his warm, gooey smiles that made your heartbeat quicken.

……………..

College had a unique spin to it. Tests weren’t as frequent, but they were a bit harder. There were online classes, more deadlines, and yet, despite it all, nicer, calmer teachers. You, being an excellent student, earned your funding through the school. Of course you broke away from living at your parent’s house, and had to support yourself further by working, but it was worth it.

The dorm rooms were roomy, and your roommate, who was blessed with common courtesy, was kind and distant. He, attached to you at the hip, followed the same pattern, almost, except he’d chosen a different career. Oddly, he wanted to become a teacher, but the more you thought about it, the more you could see it. Always friendly, warm, and generous, an inner part of you knew that he was good around children, and it’d be a perfect career choice.

You yourself, only nineteen, had liked the idea of biology, studying animals and their habits. It also put the two of you in a lot of the same classes for the next four years. Despite studying, working, and worrying, the two of you had seemed to find extra time for each other. Granted it was more to study, but a lot of places were in the cafeteria, at the local coffee shops, and sometimes in your dorm room if your roommate was out. Within the four years before graduating, you’ve discovered more about your own feelings for the blond, and had secretly accepted them. You didn’t know of his own feelings towards you other than a very close friend, but you were surprised that he turned down popular, pretty people.

To say that you were relieved, was an understatement, but you couldn’t fathom why he’d turn down so many nice admirers. You’d accepted the fact that he might be asexual, or aromantic, and cherished him as your close friend no matter what the outcome might have been.

 ……………….

 Graduation was celebrated with lots of laughter and cheer from both of you and your families. Not really having a place, the two of you, being really close, decided to rent together on a lease. Age twenty-three, the two of you had to struggle a bit to find jobs, but luckily, with his charm and endearing personality, it didn’t take him too long to land as a kindergarten teacher, and you, with your experiences and tenaciousness, landed in the science lab some miles over.

   The two of you worked perfectly together, splitting bills and chores, making meals, it was almost as if the two of you were a couple, due to your wishful thinking. Which, to be fair, you thought and wondered a lot. What was the two of your relationship, what were you waiting for, and so on. It was growing on you, and you were feeling as if you had enough. Although not blaming him, you wanted to spend as much time at work as possible, staying away from the very being who made your heart soar and yet hurt from the questioning and pining.

He, being very keen, noticed immediately of your sudden absence. Going early and coming home later, eating briefly with that odd, distant look in your eyes as you joined in on his conversations, but it was as if you were replaced by something else. It was driving him mad, because in all of his years of knowing you, it didn’t add up.

One night, you came home to an odd sight. The table, although already set neatly, had your favorite dish set out on a platter. He sat there, pouring two glasses of wine as he stared at you.

“This ain’t like ya, Chickadee.” He stated bluntly, setting your glass near the platter, and you sighed, sitting down. Of course he’d notice, and although you felt guilty, you needed to give yourself space from the accepted, yet buzzing emotions welling within you.

“Ya wanna talk about it?” Was the silent plea, and you, caught off guard by the sheer hurt in his voice, found yourself nodding.

…………..

Present. The two of you, adults, sat at the table as he stared at you intently with a look of worry and hurt. He was your friend, and you guessed that it wouldn’t hurt to let loose your feelings, so he could know, and let you down, gently. Taking a breath, you started.

His eyes were widened, but he didn’t speak as you spoke. Letting the weight of your concerns and feelings be lifted off of your shoulders as you could only briefly make eye-contact. He was stunned, to say at least, but it’s what you’ve been feeling for years. As soon as you finished, you bravely stared at him, to drink in his reactions to your inner conflict. Swallowing thickly, he set his utensil down as he gave you a warm, heated stare.

“We’re both a lil’ dense, ain’t we, Sugar?”

You couldn’t help but nod a little as he stood up, walking over towards you to stare at you. It was your turn to look surprised, letting him cup your face, and lean in. Soft and warm, just like him, you couldn’t help but think as finally, finally, the two of you shared a kiss. The soft fluttering of butterflies within your stomach melted with a warm heat within your gut, surprising you in an instant as the two of you had broken away, him staring at you with a soft smile and a hot blush to his cheeks.

“Ya know how long I’ve been wantin’ to do that?” He asked rather shyly.

“Since we were eight?”

“Right on the nose. Ya as well?” He grinned, kissing your forehead gently at your nod.

“We gotta lotta talkin’ to do, but how ‘bout we start things proper with a date?”

  You gently took his hand within yours, rubbing your thumb over the back in soft circles.

“Sounds perfect.”

………………

Short bc I had a 12k fic already done not too long ago, and this is for the crowd who just wanted fluff and cuteness.  

[cartoonsliveon]

Reactions to Big Hero 6 Season 3 Premiere

Okay so this is going to most definitely be all over the place. But...

1) Fred, what were you thinking having the graduation party at a place where the mascot is a hippo???? How could you do that to Honey Lemon? Also Gogo wanting to destroy the robot hippo was relatable. Super relatable.

But why can’t Sarah just have a business mascot who she can love that doesn’t turn evil???? Noodle Burger Boy why must you continue to break Sarah’s heart???

2) Bragtech is evil. You can’t tell me that it isn’t. Not after everything that’s happened with Sycorax and how we’re constantly being reminded about how sketchy Krei Tech sort of it (we thought Krei was Yokai after all!!!!). You can’t tell me that it isn’t oddly convenient that this business operates in a different city and that Honey Lemon, Gogo, and Wasabi might potentially get their first post college jobs there. 

What is Bragtech anyways? Why haven’t we heard of it before? 

3) Hiro and Fred’s feelings were incredibly valid though. Personally, I don’t believe Honey Lemon, Gogo, or Wasabi will take a job that will take them ridiculously far away from Fred and Hiro and San Fransokyo. I don’t believe that any of them would do it if it can be help. Because they love their friends and have a responsibility and commitment to the city.

But it made a lot of sense for Fred to be freaking out about it, and for his anxiety about the situation to instigate Hiro’s. Because Hiro is fourteen, he’s still a kid and doesn’t really see or expect things to change like they are. He isn’t at that life stage yet like the others. And when he does realize that his friends might leave and changes are happening, he’s scared. Because Hiro’s never experienced having to say goodbye or adapt to such drastic changes involving the people he cares about. He didn’t have to say goodbye to Tadashi when he started college because Tadashi lived at home and he never got to say goodbye. Throughout his life, the people he loves and care about leave very suddenly, very abruptly. He’s never had a final goodbye. 

Fred knows though, because if he were part of their graduating class he’d be dealing with the same type of growing up and adult transitioning as the others. But Fred isn’t part of their graduating class, he isn’t someone straight out of college in need of a job and needing to start post-education adulthood. He sees all this change happening and he can’t stop it and he knows he can’t. And that’s terrifying to him. He doesn’t want to get left behind.

4) I genuinely expected Mini Max to have a crush on the animatronic hippo. Really disappointed, but it makes sense why not. Why would Hiro think to give Mini-Max romantic feelings or stuff when the little guy was built to be Fred’s sidekick?

5) Gogo catching Hiro out of the air! Oh my god! And all the hugs!?!?!?!? ALL THE HUGS! 

6) That pose they did when they defeated the simulator. They all just looked so happy and proud of themselves!

7) Honey Lemon needs to face her fears and fight that animatronic hippo. She just has to. I want to see it.

8) Does anyone else really want Noodle Burger Boy to break Trina out of jail with all of his new “sisters”? Because I am dying to see Trina’s reaction and how done she will be with all those tiny knee high robots.

[goggles-mcgee]

Hello! I was wondering if we could see your take on Oni-Chan, if those asks are still open? Maybe with a bit of Kagaminette? Love you!

Oni-Chan??? With a side of Kagaminette???? YES PLEASE, you dear anon are a blessing.

Okay it would start the same, Lila convincing Adrien to tutor her and all that, Marinette is super worried about naive Adrien and Lie-la and she does follow them, I may be a bit salty but everyone does think it's out of jealousy. And yeah she still has a slight crush on Adrien still but she's growing out of it since she's been hanging out with Kagami and talking with the girl. They are friends but both like each other as well but both think the other still is in love with Adrien.

Well Marinette messages Kagami an SOS because of Lila, despite knowing Kagami is practicing and won't be near her phone but she desperately wishes she would because Marinette doesn't know how to deal with the situation and Kagami is 82% of her impulse control and she knows Kagami would talk her out of trying to scale trashcans in order to save Adrien because that boy be their dumb friend and he needs protecting. Kagami of course doesn't answer and so yeah....Marinette about to scale them cans. Give it up for our boy Fire Chief who is so down to help out this tiny tot.

The picture is still taken and sent to everyone. Marinette had fallen and is so frustrated she's crying a bit but she's worried about Kagami seeing that picture and getting her heart broken so she calls her and leaves her a message that's just like "Gami? Did you see the picture?" And she's trying to not to sound like she wants to cry and she really doesn't know what else to say and she wants to comfort her friend in person so she's making her way to Kagami.

Kagami now taking her break opens the picture first and is really confused as to why Adrien would ever want to be in that harry's presence and she has a thought about if Marinette has seen the picture and that makes her look to see if Marinette messaged her and she seems the voicemail and hears it, she becomes pissed. Instead of being akumatized over a boy, she's akumatized because these two people have hirt her dear friend who is trying her best not to cry because of them (she doesn't know Marinette fell into a pile of trash cans nor how frustrated she is and that's why she wanted to cry).

I dislike the name Oni-Chan because the Oni is a Yokai but when they added the Chan it's confusing because it sounds like older sibling (specifically older brother) and that's just....not the best at all like wow....but I do like that they based her look off of the yokai Oni because the horns fit and it fits the horn Lila gets in a way. And she does, design wise, look like a yokai. I honestly don't know what I would change the name too but like work in something protector wise?? Because I think it would be great that yeah she's a yokai but she wants to protect at the same time you feel?

Well she goes after Lila and Adrien, since she can't find Marinette, so her goal is to get Adrien away from the danger which is Lila. The chase and the horn thing still happens the same but after the fight Chat is all like still trying to be like "I'll take her home." But Kagami isn't having that because she need sto check on her friend first. And Marinette is like "Oh that me!" So she goes to detransform and Chat is like "Oh that me!" He doesn't know about Mari and Kagami being close friends not because they are hiding it, they just haven't mentioned it. He just thinks they've met and are sort of friends. Anyways so he's watching Kagami calling someone and he's waiting for his phone to ring but he here's another ring and turns to see Marinette running towards Kagami who stops calling and both girls are hugging and Adrien is just like ?????????????????

Tender moment between Mari and Kagami where they explain at the same time that they are sorry about the photo and they hope the other isn't hurt and then they both process what the other said and just stare at each other like ???????? Kagami softly yet confidently declares she doesn't love Adrien, she's in love with Marinette. Cue blushy Mari clumsily telling Kagami she feels the same. More hugs.

Adrien in the back be like ??!!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?!?!

[nocturne-inuyasha-ff]

Chapter Eight: The Edge of Light

Nocturne - Chapter Eight: The Edge of Light

Rated - M (for suggestive adult themes, references to some violence, and coarse language)

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

Kagome nearly thought she saw a semblance of a smile on Sesshomaru's face, but the light must have been playing tricks on her eyes.

"Are you returning to my brother?" he asked.

"No, he is...he's away," Kagome responded, finding cause to look elsewhere. Inuyasha had stormed off after a fight they'd had several days ago and had yet to return. This was becoming a rather common occurrence.

"I know," Sesshomaru stated.

Kagome's brow crinkled quizzically, "You know? But you just asked..."

"What you see in him, I will never comprehend," he said icily and flew away without another word or glance.

                                               o - o - o - o - o

It was not challenging to locate the witch. The smell alone was a beacon for any who dared seek the oni out. Just as Jaken had said, Sesshomaru found the onibaba's domicile on the mountain-side located within an abandoned shrine. While it was now dark, Sesshomaru could see the disheveled mess that lay before him. His nose wrinkled as another scent assaulted it. The smell of spellwork permeated the area, masking everything else.

He alighted upon the doorstep to the house and entered without waiting for a greeting from the witch. He, a daiyokai, had nothing to fear from the likes of an onibaba — even one as fabled as Yamauba. Still, upon entering, he was greeted with an odd sight.

A black cauldron lay on its side, a congealed mess spilling out onto the ground and adding to the horrendous odor of the area. He raised a sleeve to his nose to fend off the assault to his senses. Stepping carefully around the upended pot, he noticed a disemboweled horse laying off to the side. The sight did not bother Sesshomaru but was rather intriguing.

The animal seemed relatively fresh, judging from the blood that pooled around its carcass. The creature's presence indicated that someone else had been to visit the witch fairly recently. There was not a chance any animal would willingly come this far into the witch's territory. The harness was evidence enough that the horse had recently belonged to some unsuspecting mortal. Perhaps what remained of the mortal was now spilled upon the floor, cooked into a meal for the witch within her cauldron. That was likely, given the witch's penchant for eating any who were mad enough to come calling.

He glanced around the room, looking for the witch. There had been a scuffle here, as evident by the toppled pot and large hole in the wall. But the question was not why this had happened, but who had done it?

He stepped closer to inspect the hole in the wall and peered out into the darkness to see nothing. Yamauba was near, he could sense her.

Within an instant, the onibaba to come flying in a rage towards him.

Sesshomaru side-stepped the attack and used a clawed hand to slice the witch down the middle. The witch cried in surprise and pain, falling to the floor in a heap and grabbing at the dark blood that spilled from the cut. Her wild eyes looked Sesshomaru up and down, and she began to laugh, sputtering blood.

"Ye look like him," she spat.

"Who is that, Onibaba?" he inquired.

"Inu….taisho…," she responded. She coughed and spat blood onto the floor through her broken teeth.

Sesshomaru walked over and knelt beside the tiny body of the haggard old woman, careful to avoid her mess of blood. "My father," he stated.

"Y-your father?" she asked, one hand moving towards his face.

Sesshomaru slapped her gnarled hand away as if slapping an annoying gnat. "Yes. He is dead."

She cackled again, and her hand fell limply to her side in dejection. "Then the bone was yours, careless boy?" She chuckled with realization.

"Bone?" he questioned, rather demanded.

"Aye. Tis the bone I used to create the spell," Yamauba chortled. She looked at her overturned cauldron and pouted a bit.

Her eyes slowly made their way back to rest upon Sesshomaru's face. "I required a piece of him to set him loose upon the human woman he desired. It t'was a summoning. And the call was answered." She saw that she was not getting a rise out of the yokai lord and merely cackled to herself and grabbed at the hole in her middle, seemingly pleased to waste out onto the ground of her abode.

Sesshomaru, disinterested and disgusted with all he could see, smell, and hear, stood, and walked from the room but stopped before stepping outside. Something out of place caught his eye, and he turned his head. A large pack leaned against the wall with a bow and quiver of arrows propped behind. How he had missed it before, he did not know. Useless items for an onibaba, he established, and Sesshomaru moved with lightning speed over to the items and picked them up. He brought the pack to his nose and inhaled. A familiar sweet scent accosted him, his brow coming together in concern, marring his clear countenance.

He took the bag and snatched up the dying witch. Her head lolled to the side, dead already. He could see the small demons from hell dancing around her waiting to take her soul.

No, not yet, witch.

Sesshomaru threw her to the ground, her limp body landing in a heap of rags and gangly limbs. He pulled out Tensaiga with a flourish and sliced through those demons. After a few seconds, the onibaba drew in a shaky breath, and her sunken eyes blinked rapidly.

"Wh-where?" she asked with marked confusion.

Sesshomaru reached down, grabbing Yamauba by the collar and shook the hag, drawing her attention solely to him. He did not have time to answer where she was or why she was not dead. He brought the pack up, placing it in front of her eyes. "Where is the woman?" he asked icily.

She eyed the pack, and her eyes widened with recognition. "The mortal girl?" Yamauba asked incredulously.

"Where?!" he growled through clenched teeth. His eyes began to glow red, indicating the level of his fury.

Yamauba could tell she was finally getting a rise out of him and knew that her second death lurked near. "Gone," she answered with a smirk.

"You will tell me, witch! Or you will wish I had not revived you. I will ensure you live a long life the second time around, with each moment filled with pain and misery beyond your wildest dreams. Long have I awaited the opportunity to whet my claws upon the flesh of one who will not succumb easily to my sinister ministrations," he explained in a cold, quiet voice, "If you do not give me what I demand," he finished.

Yamauba cackled loud and incessantly. Her voice grated upon Sesshomaru, who snarled and elicited a backhanded smack to the witch's head, causing her entire body to turn from the force of the blow.

Still, she laughed, and more blood poured from her maw. "Son of the great Inu-Taisho. Infatuated with a mortal woman, no less! The pompous yokai who would not give me the time of day. Kukuku, how fitting."

"What have you done to her?" he demanded, holding the hag's throat in his hand and issuing a tiny squeeze for emphasis.

The witch's eyes lit up with amusement even as her hands scratched at his iron grip feebly. "The child...is...thine," she pieced together.

Sesshomaru's eyes went wide with shock. It could not possibly be. The thoughts of that night reverberated through him all of the time, haunting him night and day. Yet, he had denied the plausibility of sirring a...

"Of course ye are too full of pride to admit ye have fathered a bastard half-breed," she spat, interrupting his thoughts. "Thy father was also arrogant. T'was my aim to bring him low. Seems instead, I have brought dishonor upon his name through his son."

He scowled and squeezed tighter, eliciting a satisfying gurgle from the witch. "Answer me, witch, while I am still feeling in a gracious mood." His words were clipped and spoken through clenched teeth. A snarl pulled up a lip to reveal long, sharp canines.

"Such a treat," Yamauba said, her eyes glazing over. "To have feasted upon the flesh of such a tender morsel," she gasped as her windpipe was crushed. Sesshomaru continued to squeeze until the skin beneath his grip ruptured and spilled out, muscle and sinew burst, and bone snapped. The dead oni's head and body fell to the ground in separate thuds. Satisfaction coursed through him with the oni's second death, but the feeling was short-lived and quickly replaced with another nearly unknown feeling: Dread.

Haste! the deep voice from inside urged him.

He acted on that urge immediately but paused when something else grabbed his attention. An image played out on the spilled contents of the cauldron. He stepped over and saw a glimpse of the woman, the miko. She was alive, and a small relief flooded through him. Her face, her kind, gentle features were skewed in pain and she gave a soundless cry. He watched, transfixed for a second, as she reached out towards him as if seeing him through space. The voice called to him again and the need to find her filled him.

He still could not smell her scent, masked by the oni as it was, and there was no sure way to know where she had gone, but there was no time to waste if the image was accurate.

Without a backward glance, he was off and out of the stinking hovel. He flew out the door and down the stone steps, noting the disturbance of leaves and skidmarks of a body crashing down the hillside. She had come this way, falling, but had made it down the hill nonetheless.

Reaching the bottom of the stone stairs, he looked both ways and continued, marking the slight footprints embedded within the ground leading away from the old shrine and following them as far as they would take him.

Kagome groaned weakly, wracked by pain. She never in her wildest dreams imagined she would go into labor alone. Even though she'd seen it happen to others and often assisted in the process, her mind was feverish and unreliable at present.

The warmth from between her legs had not stopped, instead, coming out in a steady flow. Amniotic fluid should not still be seeping out at this rate, she thought she remembered from the textbooks. Kagome reached down with a hand and brought the hand back to her face. In the darkness, she could even see the thick, dark substance staining her fingertips. "Shit," she said aloud.

Blood was not a good sign, but she did not have the time to think about it much before another contraction gripped her, and she cried, reaching a blood-soaked hand into the air.

                                              o - o - o - o - o

Sango had busied herself from constant worry by completing katas in a field away from the village. She'd entrusted Rin with her children until she returned from releasing this pent up tension.

Kagome had snuck off a day ago, secreting herself off to visit a witch who would supposedly give her answers to her nonsense questions. The kicker was that Kaede had not told them until this morning, giving Kagome nearly a full day's head start. The woman had fallen asleep waiting for Rin's return and ended up sleeping through the night, as she was oft to do. Of course, Rin would not attempt to wake the sleeping woman until the morning.

Sango cursed and stopped mid-form. She wanted to reach out and touch something, or someone, but that particular person was off gallivanting around. Unfortunately, there was nothing she could do at the moment outside of what she had already done.

She had sent a messenger off to her brother first thing this morning, requesting aid. Sango hoped that she could use Kirara's speed and her brother as a babysitter so that she could search for her errant friend, but who knew how far away he was or how long it would take for him to receive the message. She took a deep breath and eased into another kata. The repetitive forms were enough to school her mind and empty her thoughts, allowing her to focus solely on her body's motions.

The forms carried her through an hour undisturbed. Winded, she sat down upon the grass and rested her chin on her hand.

The entire situation was ludicrous, and Sango could not wait for Miroku to return so she could have someone to vent to about all this nonsense to.

It was apparent to everyone except Kagome and Inuyasha that they had fallen out of love. Now they stayed together only because they felt they didn't have any other choice, and neither of them was able to admit it even to themselves. Afterall, Kagome had returned from another time to be with Inuyasha, leaving her family, friends, and all she had known behind. Where else could she go?

Inuyasha was in a similar situation. He had waited, sullenly, for years before Kagome finally came back. Sango had never seen such a love-sick man, but it was the years in between Kagome's disappearance and reemergence that had tempered his feelings. Neither had expected to see one another again, but fate had a way of twisting things beyond one's expectations.

For instance, Kagome and Inuyasha had expected to live happily ever after with one another but soon found that their newfound relationship was not the stuff of fairy tales. They fought and bickered, just as they had those years ago, and there was nowhere for either of them to go when trouble came knocking. And it came knocking often. The pair were both notoriously stubborn, something that had not diluted with time.

It would be a lie to say neither cared for nor loved one another. No, the fact of the matter was: these two people who had grown apart, despite their desire to stay true to one another.

As Sango sat speculating, she could hear in the distance the voices of men. Her head shot up. Could it be? It would be a happy coincidence.

She jumped to her feet and put a hand over her eyes to block the glare of the sun. It was! Miroku had finally returned with Inuyasha by his side. A grin broke on her face, and her heart swelled. Sango broke into a sprint to greet her husband.

"Miroku!" she shouted, taking in lungfuls of air as her legs pumped underneath her.

Miroku, who had been riding a cart laden with items and supplies, saw his wife running towards him. He jumped down and ran to meet her. They met, arms locked around one another, and Sango gave a joyful sob.

"It's been so long this time!" she cried. She pulled away quickly to give her husband a brief scan before burying her head in the crook of his neck.

He rubbed his hand up and down her back, attempting to console her. "I know, but I'm back now."

Sango pulled away and punched him square in the shoulder, "You idiot! Don't you go off again to fight another man's war!"

"Ouch!" he cried out at the force of the blow and rubbed his arm. "I did it so the chaos would not spread here, woman! You should be thanking me," he said.

She grabbed his face and pulled him close for a kiss, which he suddenly did not find cause for complaint. Sango broke their kiss only after hearing the clearing of someone's throat.

Inuyasha scoffed, "Save it for later, you two. I don't need to see you both swapping spit." He crossed his arms and looked relatively annoyed.

"I'm so glad you are both here. It's perfect timing!" Sango exclaimed. She looked at Inuyasha with a straight face. "It's Kagome."

His arms dropped to his sides, and he looked ready to run at a moment's notice, "Where is she? What's happened?"

                                              o - o - o - o - o

The pain was insurmountable. Nothing that she'd ever felt before. How could Sango do this? Willingly?!

Kagome had a tiny moment of reprieve, with the pain subsiding. Attempting to relax was another thing altogether. Weakness had wracked her body; each contraction was draining her shallow stores of energy.

The blood had finally stopped, and Kagome idly thought she might be okay. That was until the pain began to blossom in her belly and radiate down to her core. She barely had the strength to cry out anymore, but she did, screaming for anyone within miles to hear.

Her head swam with dizziness now, and she struggled to stay awake. She had to stay awake, but sleep seemed so inviting. Darkness was calling to her.

Maybe if she closed her eyes for a second, she would feel better? Her eyelids drooped, and her breathing became shallow.

Another contraction gripped her, but it didn't hurt so much this time, only causing her to grimace and grunt. See? Sleep was her friend. She did not want to do this alone anyway.

A bright light shown in front of her, pulling her forcefully out from the darkness. It shook her and called out her name. Kagome did not want to open her eyes and leave the comfort and pain-free darkness that cocooned her within its embrace.

"Kagome! Wake up!"

No.

"Wake up, dammit!"

Not yet.

A sharp sting across her cheek made her eyes fly open.

"Sango! What the fuck?!"

"She has to wake up. It was the only way!"

Kagome's vision was blurry, and her head still swam. All she could see was silver hair and golden eyes. A smile broke on her face, and she reached a shaky hand to touch the apparition before her. Had he come for her?

"Se-" she began but was shushed.

"Hush, Kagome," Sango whispered. "We are here. Inuyasha is with me." The taijiya was crouched next to her, supporting the back of her head. "Kagome, listen to me now," she commanded in a reassuring but authoritative tone.

Kagome's eyes began to roll back up into her head.

"No, no!" Sango said swiftly, patting Kagome's cheek in sharp swats. "Stay with me. No going to sleep. We have a baby to deliver."

"I can't," Kagome cried. "He's not here," she murmured.

Inuyasha looked at Sango; concern etched on his every feature. He held Kagome's hand. "Hey, I'm right here."

Kagome drew in a broken breath and looked over at him, "Inuyasha?"

"Yes, right here," his voice cracked. He'd never seen Kagome in such a state. Delirious, weak, and close to death.

Sango pushed Inuyasha away, giving him a stern look. "Give her some space. The baby is coming now and I have to help her deliver it." Satisfied that he had moved back a bit, Sango positioned herself in between Kagome's legs. She could see, even in the darkness, the pool of blood that she now knelt in. Her heart stopped in her chest, and she shook her thoughts away, instead focusing on the task at hand.

"Kagome, look at me," Sango commanded.

Kagome blinked and nodded. Her dark hair was matted to her forehead in sweaty tendrils, nearly covering her sunken eyes, giving her a disheveled look unsuited to her.

"You need to push….now!" Sango yelled at her. "Push!"

Kagome cried pitifully but did as instructed, grunting with each breath. "Push, Kagome! You're nearly there. Just a little more," Sango instructed.

She sobbed and covered her face with a hand. "I can't. Please don't ask me to do anymore," she cried pitifully.

Sango grit her teeth, "Yes, You can, and you will. Now stop blubbering and push!"

Kagome sucked in a breath and tried to push again. She grunted and bore down as much as she could, and could hear Sango gasp.

The pain had gone, as if by magic, leaving Kagome panting and looking up at the black canopy above. Was she done? She struggled to sit up and felt a steady pair of hands grip her, and an arm slip behind her to help her sit up a bit. Kagome looked over to see Inuyasha by her side, his face unreadable. Why was it so quiet, she wondered. Why wasn't anyone saying anything? Why was there no squalling?

"Where's...where's my baby?" Kagome asked.

Sango's face looked pained, and she glanced up at Inuyasha, avoiding Kagome's eyes. "Your suikan, Inuyasha," Sango requested.

He wordlessly removed the garment, careful not to jostle Kagome too much, and passed it to her.

She worked out of Kagome's sight, and Kagome felt her heart thump within her chest. "Sango!" she called out with a quiver in her voice.

Sango brought the bright red bundle to her chest and stared down, tears streaming down her face. "So-so perfect," she nearly whispered.

Inuyasha laid Kagome back against the tree and jumped over to Sango. He stood over her and looked down at the child. He took an involuntary step back, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"Sango!" Kagome called again, this time her arms outstretched before her, demandingly.

Her friend's lips went into a straight line, and she reluctantly passed the child to Kagome's waiting arms. As she laid the tiny wrapped infant into Kagome's arms, Sango whispered, "I'm so sorry."

None of this seemed real. Everything seemed to be happening in flashes, and Kagome cradled the child, looking down upon its cherubic face. So quiet, so still, so pale and upon the child's forehead was a tiny crescent moon. She reached and touched a lock of silver downy hair that curled upon the child's head. Sango was right, so perfect.

All of the fear and pain and doubt rushed to the surface, and she let out a wail, keeling, long and drawn out. Tears dropped onto the infant's face, spilling down from its mother's face. This could not be real.

No one heard the arrival of another, all caught up within their reveries. No one moved as the arrival padded over to Kagome's side and looked down.

"Sesshomaru?" Inuyasha snarled with disbelief.

Sesshomaru did not look up, transfixed on the babe within Kagome's arms. At the mention of the name, Kagome looked up to see the daiyoukai standing over her. 'He came,' she thought, fuzzily, happily.

"You fucking bastard! I will kill you!" Inuyasha screamed and barrelled forward to tackle his brother where he stood.

Sesshomaru jumped backward and pulled out his sword. "Be still, Inuyasha, I have no quarrel with you."

"You fucker," Inuyasha growled. "You couldn't leave what was mine alone." He hadn't bothered to pull free Tessaiga, instead preferring to use his claws. His eyes glowed red with fury.

"I do not want to hurt you, brother," Sesshomaru called out. "But I will not allow you to kill me."

"You won't haveta allow anything. I will rip you to shreds with my bare hands. You will feel pain!" Inuyasha barked and jumped to attack.

Sesshomaru easily side-stepped and dodged each furious swipe. Rage had blinded Inuyasha, and likely nothing would bring him back now that he'd been pushed over the edge.

"DIE!" Inuyasha screamed, finally pulling Tessaiga free. The large fang sword clashed heavily against something, but not Sesshomaru's blade. He was pushed back and saw that a giant boomerang had thwarted his attack.

"Stop it! Both of you!" Sango yelled.

"Get outta my way, bitch, or you'll die, too!" he answered, running to attack Sesshomaru, who stood with his blade in a defensive position.

"No! Stop!" Sango yelled again, whipping her boomerang around to push the raging hanyo back again. "This isn't helping anything! We need to get her out of here, you idiot!"

"After I kill him." His eyes continued to glow red, and he threw Tessaiga towards his brother.

Sango whipped her boomerang in an effort to stop the blade from hitting its target, but it had been a feint. Inuyasha used the flying sword as a distraction and then used the momentum from the boomerang to catapult himself towards Sesshomaru.

Sesshomaru brought up his blade and carefully blocked his brother's wild attack. If it came to it, he would kill the hanyo. He gripped Bakusaiga and spun to meet another lunging attack from Inuyasha, who had retrieved Tessaiga and came for him again.

Their swords clashed against one another in a deafening cacophony of steel. Sesshomaru waited for Inuyasha to tire himself out before attacking. He raised the blade overhead and brought it down, only to be blocked by that cursed boomerang. The taijiya had thrown herself in between the pair, her face drawn in agony.

"Kagome…" she said in between sobbing, broken breaths, staring down the warring brothers and pointing a shaky hand. "She's…she's...gone..."

                                              o - o - o - o - o

The taijiya's words broke through Inuyasha's bloodlust. Both brothers pulled up and turned to see what had caused such distress to the warrior woman, enough for her to risk her life by interrupting a feud by two competent opponents.

Resting with her back upon a tree, one arm cradled around the still form of a mixed breed child, the other lay lifelessly by her side, was the blank-eyed woman. Her eyes, usually a dark vibrant blue were now a dull dark blue, stared towards them without seeing.

Sesshomaru, standing his ground, gripped Bakusaiga tightly. With the immediate threat gone, he quickly sheathed the weapon and watched as Inuyasha rushed over to her side; his quarrel forgotten. Sesshomaru watched as his brother shook her still form and urged her to look at him.

"Kagome?" Inuyasha asked gently, grabbing her arm and shaking.

She did not stir. All of her life had poured out of her and into the ground beneath her.

The taijiya sobbed openly and walked over to his brother. She dropped to her knees and wrapped her hands around his shoulders, weeping into his back.

"You idiot!" Inuyasha yelled. "Why didn't you tell me!" he screamed at her. He pulled her still form closer and groaned into her shoulder, "Dammit, Kagome!"

Without giving any thought to what he was doing, Sesshomaru strode over to her body, looking down upon them. It would be a lie to say the situation did not present a welcome reprieve to his current circumstances. But, somewhere inside, he could not help but feel...sadness? Regret? Or something else altogether.

Seeing his half brother cling to her body filled him with resentment. A part of him longed to bat Inuyasha away like a child who was underfoot. But, she would not like that, he knew. And a queer part of him empathized with his brother's mourning.

As much as he fought with himself to deny it, he could not bring himself to feel nothing at all. Like a star, sparkling and bright in a clear night sky, the reminder of her was always present. A tiny sun that never dimmed though it may be overcast and out of sight that was always there.

Sesshomaru recalled a moment from years ago, a time when a similar situation played out. It was a moment that haunted him, much like the woman did. He had been too late to do anything back then. He would now allow that moment to play out again!

Tensaiga pulsed. He looked down at the sword in his hand, having drawn the blade the second the Bakusaiga was safely sheathed. His father's sword could sense what was in his heart, even if he tried to deny it.

He brandished the blade, ready to strike as the pallbearers danced around, touching her and the child. There were so many. They had all come to collect the souls.

He would not let him.

His brother, Inuyasha, still cradled her body, lamenting her loss. It only took a second for the hanyo to look up and see Sesshomaru standing above, looking down upon him. Inuyasha moved away, pulling the taijiya back with him.

"Please, Sesshomaru...bring her back," Inuyasha pleaded. He was on his knees; his hands clasped before him. "I-I beg of you. Don't let her go. I'll do anything!" he implored his elder brother.

Sesshomaru flicked the blade, Tensaiga, up, and Inuyasha moved back further. He turned his head to focus on the pallbearers. Even more had come. They rejoiced over the souls they had come to collect, their scythes swinging back and forth in wild movements.

It was nothing to slice through them, like a blade through silk. Only one deft movement was required to dispatch the pallbearers back to hell. It pleased him to watch their bodies disintegrate into nothing, and he would not sheath Tensaiga before he had been satisfied they were all gone.

With the sword still out, he watched unmoving, unblinking, waiting for any sign of life. For but a second, he had cause to doubt the power of Tensaiga. It was with a shrill and breathy cry of a babe that allowed him to release a breath which he slowly exhaled through his nose.

No one moved as the cries grew louder and louder. They all watched and waited...for her.

Finally, that still hand which had lain by her side twitched and raised to console the child within her lap. Tears spilled down her face, and those once dead eyes brightened, finally able to see. She looked down, and her voice quivered while she let out breathy sobs.

"Kagome!" the taijiya moved to her side and touched her face. "You're okay!"

The woman merely nodded her head and brought the squalling infant to her chest, hugging it close. The infant quieted from the contact, knowing its mother was near. She drew in a shaky breath and took a moment to look around and noted his presence. She seemed to know that he had brought her back. Perhaps it was the naked blade, hilt still in hand, that gave it away. He turned his head and returned it to his side in one quick motion.

A woman's haughty voice broke the silence, "Oh, ho ho! Is this a bride gift, beloved?"