#if i were to turn back time i would meet you again : tomoe.

[saviortrope]

TAG DUMP.

[lanymme]

Falls to my knees , hiii so like... the requests.... would you be so kind as to consider Ushiwakamaru|Yoshitsune (and her wife Shizuka Gozen....) (she gets 1 dialogue in Heian-Kyo (Incredibly romantic line about wishing to follow Yoshitsune until the very end) and mentioned in Little Big Tengu)

Scenario... Ushi getting reminded of Shizuka and realizing how much she misses her...im basic i am starved

The idea of Ushi joining the "i miss my spouse" club and Tomoe being there is hilarious honestly. I am rambling

I am very sorry if this ask was too late </3

The monkey's paw curls.

Sure i can write that for you!

/\/\/\/\/\/\

It’s a quiet, clear night, the full moon shining brightly down on the trees, the courtyard, the roof of the mountaintop compound.

Sitting on that rooftop, one knee tucked up and the other dangling casually from the edge, foot swaying back and forth, a figure clad in a Japanese armor sits alone, drinking and looking out at the light of the city far below, long unbound hair fluttering slightly in a gentle breeze.

Behind them, a scattering of gold motes of light blows into shape and coalesce, as a woman dressed in similar armor stands behind them, posture straight and proper, sharing the same view.

“Ah, Lady Archer.” Her voice, normally energetic or cheerful, is subdued yet friendly. She turns, casual and unmannered, to smile thinly through the weight of emotion at her guest. “Please, come,” she says, offering the bottle and a small cup to her visitor. “Share a drink with me, and some familiar company in this foreign land.”

Archer ignores her offer, continuing to stare out into the city.

“…Lord Saber. I would kill you here, now, if our Masters were not allied.”

“Mm.” She nods, acknowledging the statement as true, if not important. “Such is the nature of the war we fight.”

Archer’s eyes narrow.

“…I will state the truth plainly, then. I would kill you if there were no war. Knowing you live, I would seek your death. Only duty now stays me from seeking vengeance for my Lord.”

Saber takes in a deep breath and lets it out in a sigh, staring out over the city.

“…Fair enough. I can’t apologize for anything I’ve done to serve my own Lord. But, if my Master permits, once our alliance is over, I will give you a proper fight to the death.”

The wind blows through the trees, rushing, cool. The tips of Saber’s hair blow in the breeze. She takes a sip, and studies the bottle of alcohol with casual interest.

Archer’s fists clench, the sound of friction audible like a creak of leather, before she lets her fair, callused hands relax.

“I am surprised to hear you’d take consideration for anyone other than the master you serve.”

Saber’s head bobs in positive appraisal. She continues to stare out into the night.

“My Master told me to convey to yours that he is to meet her in the shed tomorrow in the morning to discuss plans regarding Caster and Rider.”

Saber nods again. She stares into space for a moment, as she convey the message through the link.

Then, she takes another sip of alcohol, looking up at the moon.

Archer waits a few minutes longer.

Her eye twitches.

Just as she prepares to leave, Saber speaks again.

“It was a night like this, when I last saw my love.”

Archer regards her carefully.

Saber smiles, wistful, fond. “She liked to go for walks at night, and I would go with her, and stand close to keep her warm. Even on hot summer nights.”

For a moment longer, she looks out over the edge, features softened into a sad smile.

Then her face falls.

“But the last night I saw her… we didn’t have time for such happiness, such peace.”

She looks down, now, into the courtyard, at the earth.

“My retainers managed to convince me to run, when my brother decided to put me down. I gave it my best, really. But I knew he would catch up to me. And… I think she knew, as well.”

Archer stares at her, uncompromisingly.

“She wanted to stay with me, even so. I never… really understood people, or love. I don’t know what I did to deserve such loyalty. Or maybe that’s just how she was. But I appreciated it. I needed it. To know there was someone with me who would never move, never leave, even as I am… how I am. Who really cared.”

“If you really appreciated it,” Archer says, voice heavy, tinged with venom, “then why. Why did you send her away, before the end?”

Saber turns and looks at her. She smiles, faintly.

“Because I wanted her to live.”

Archer snaps.

“Selfish! You say you appreciated her loyalty, yet you would trample it for your own selfishness!”

“…Mm. It was selfish.”

Archer stalks toward Saber, where she sits balanced at the edge of the roof, “If her love, her loyalty truly meant so much to you, then why deny her the chance die alongside her Lord!” she demands, breathing hard, long-restrained anguish bleeding through into her fury.

Saber makes no move to respond, to back away or take a defensible position. She curls, hugging the knee tucked up against her chest, eyes cast down.

“Because… I always knew she would die for me, but I… I would always serve my liege, first. In the end, though, when my brother decided I should die… I thought, for once, I would like to return that devotion. To thank her, for always… for always supporting me. If I was to die… then I could still give her a life, to live on. I could do that for her, at the end.”

“I was never good at expressing my feelings. I knew enough, to know it would hurt her. But still… I wanted to do that for her.”

She takes a sip of alcohol, and smiles ruefully.

“I failed in the end, though. My brother captured her anyway. I was dead, by the time it happened, but…”

Archer stares at her, still breathing hard, glaring, body tense. But the earlier fire is gone from her eyes, and they instead search through old emotions.

“… We do not decide how fate will turn. It is the choices we make that speak for us.”

A moment later, she turns away.

She pauses.

“…Saber. The Master you serve…”

“Hmm?” Her face brightens visibly.

“…” Archer looks up, over the compound, fists balled at her sides. “…That person is not worthy of your devotion.”

She dissolves again into swirling gold motes of light, and they blow away in the gentle night breeze.

“… I wouldn’t know,” Saber says, to the empty rooftop. “I'm not the best judge of people. All I want… is the chance to faithfully serve, until the end.”

—

Cautiously, Tomoe Gozen enters the ruined compound, the remaining fires burning low. The building where she spoke with Saber on that night in the first days of the War is rubble, pulverized by the shock of Rider’s Noble Phantasm, and then cleaved in half.

Master— she begins, reporting out of habit.

Foolishness. Her gentle, composed Master is gone. She feels the loop of prayer beads at her side where they hang under her robes.

Rest easy. For my Master’s sake… I will see your wish granted. I will save them.

She is cursed, cursed to always be the survivor.

She’s too late to witness the conflict, but the state of the war has shifted dramatically. She picks her way through the buildings to see what she can still learn.

The night is darker, now, the moon waning. The courtyard is in ruins, stones broken and split, the lonely pear tree torn up from its roots. Great slashes are carved into the walls of the sturdy storage building that makes up its other side, and the wall has fallen over.

As she proceeds toward the center of the compound, she finds the headless body of Rider’s Master, lying flat on its back.

One of Caster’s siege defense machines has fallen from the rooftops, burnt almost completely, its bolt still loaded lying on the floor.

She tightens her grip on her self control as her oni blood flares, threatening to overtake her reason. She looks up to survey the surroundings

The other giant crossbows that line the remaining buildings are mostly intact. The one farthest back is split in half, jagged wooden remains stained by a heavy spray of blood.

But they are pointed into the heart of the compound, not at its surroundings.

A trail of blood leads her way deeper into the compound

A pit of dread fills her stomach. She worries at the prayer beads that keep her temporarily sustained with mana, her Master’s parting gift to her.

She materializes her sword with a lick of flames, and raises it in preparation before turning the highly defensible corner.

She finds the remains of the body Assassin was puppeting, leaking black ichor.

A few paces away, one of the giant crossbow bolts has buried itself into the earth. It’s stained red with blood.

The trail of blood thickens beyond it. There are bloody handprints, smears against the walls.

Tomoe Gozen narrows her eyes, and steels herself, and proceeds through the bounded field into the heart of the compound.

It’s burning. Ichor and bloodstains everywhere.

At the far side of the space, the largest crossbow is spattered with blood. Beneath it, the severed sleeve of Caster’s robe lies trampled on the ground. And beside that, a mangled figure.

Maintaining her alert, she makes her way quickly across the space.

Saber—Yoshitsune lies slumped against the building’s wall, still clutching her sword in her hands. Her skin is blistered, her long hair burnt away. Cuts and pierces litter her ruined armor. And a crossbow bolt the size of a wooden beam pins her against the building behind her.

So it’s true. Saber’s Master has taken Rider as his Servant.

The loyal general Minamoto no Yoshitsune has once again been betrayed and cut down by the lord she serves.

Tomoe Gozen feels no joy at the sight of her husband’s killer.

The lively, energetic Saber is almost inert, staring blankly up at the sky with dulled eyes. But as she approaches, she looks up at her in awe. Her sword falls from her fingers. Her bare, dry voice whispers.

“…Shizuka?” Tomoe’s heart drops.

She kneels by her foe, and takes her remaining hand in her own. Sightless, dull eyes cast toward her, feebly.

“… ah. My Shizuka. You’re safe. I’m glad… I’m glad.” She sighs, shuddering. “If you live… then all was not lost. I—“ she heaves a breath, and smiles. “can meet my death, without regret.”

Tomoe takes a ragged breath. Suddenly, her vision is full of tears.

—

“Lord Yoshinaka, I beg of you—“

“I have given you my command!” Her husband shouts, voice trembling with fervor. “Leave this battlefield! I will meet my death with Kanehira at my side!”

He looks at her, then, and feeling flashes over his face. Love. Sorrow. Pain. “I will not—“ his voice chokes, rough, raw. “—be shamed by dying together with a woman.”

She takes in a deep breath, trembling, spine straight, mastering her feelings. Then she bows stiffly.

“—As my Lord orders it.”

Before she turns away for the last time, filled to overflowing with mastered emotion, tears leaking from the corner of her eyes—

She sees something like peace come over her husband’s face.

—

She trembles, kneeling before Saber.

Her mortal foe takes in a slow, desperate breath.

“Ah, but Shizuka. Your Ushiwaka… has so rarely received an injury. It really… hurts, after all.” she laughs weakly, and then coughs, and trails off.

Tomoe draws in a deep breath, steadying herself.

“Lord Yoshitsune,” she says. “Allow me to ease your pain.”

“…thank you,” that haggard voice says, relieved. “Thank you.”

Saber slumps forward, presenting her bare neck.

Tomoe stands, and draws her sword.

“…forgive me!”

With one swing, she separates Yoshitsune’s head cleanly from her shoulders.

A moment later, in a shower of gold mana, the body of her great enemy, of her husband’s killer, dissolves and fades away into the smoke-filled night air.

Tomoe stands alone. She cleans, and sheathes her sword.

“Lord Yoshinaka,” she whispers. “Your wife has avenged you. And if it gave you peace, then I will proudly carry forever the shame and sorrow of surviving you.”

With one final lingering glance at the place where a crossbow bolt lies embedded in the wall, she leaves the place of death behind.

Her Master, still, remains to be avenged.

There are yet more ghosts for Tomoe Gozen to carry.

[elixrr]

Here me out! So how about Kazuha getting reincarnated but he still remember his past life?

His past life where he has a lover (the reader) but both of them died in a tragic accident and Kazuha promise to meet them in another life.

But when Kazuha finally see them after many years of searching, his past lover doesn't remember him and the reader already have a family.

Of course he feels joy and pain. His happy to see them alive and happy with a new family, but he feels pain at the same time because his not the one by their side.

Thank you!

his love, yet left unanswered.

“ɪ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ʏᴏᴜ.” ʜᴇ ᴄʀɪᴇꜱ ᴛᴏ ʏᴏᴜ. ʏᴏᴜ ᴘᴜꜱʜ ʜɪᴍ ᴀᴡᴀʏ. “ᴡʜᴏ ᴀʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜ?”

➥ kazuha x reader：angst

➥ angst / slight comfort

➥ word count：2.3k (with a twist...)

It's as he feared. Kazuha's breathed in, the cold air hitting his throat harsher than he wished it would. The stench of your corpse laid dead on the muddy grass of the garden, and each crop and flower was torn and ravaged, as though it were a personal vengeful attack on the house. Flashbacks of Tomo sprang and rang in his head the more he realizes that he had just lost someone else that he loved- yet, it was you, his love, his only one.

The trauma didn't let him hear the rustling of the grass and the squelch of the mud nearby. Tears welled in his eyes when he knelt on one knee and grasped your hand. He kissed his and your bloody, muddy ring, and he whispered a promise to you,

"We will meet again. One day, I promise to you, my maple."

"Finally, I found you." A voice calls from behind, and before Kazuha could even think to turn around, there's a thud. The mysterious person honing the mysterious voice had struck the back of Kazuha's head, and your love falls to the ground, unconscious, but still alive.

Yet, he was not granted the ability to live much longer. With a single bullet provided from the Fatui of Inazuma, he was gone.

-

But that was several years ago- close to half a century ago, as Kazuha wakes up on a comfortable bed with comfortable sheets. There is no blood; there is no mud. There is no death, and there is certainly no funeral being held for the two of you. He sighs, relieved as the nightmare has ended.

The smell of melted wax whisks near, and Kazuha sits up and turns to look towards the door. His nightstand catches his eye. A large cupcake stands by his pillows, and a notecard stands shorter by it, reading, "Happy 24th birthday, roomie!" From Tomo.

That's fun, Kazuha thinks, getting up and walking to the bathroom to start his day. It's a new day, a new year as a twenty-four year old, and a completely new life. Despite the reincarnation, he still looks around the same— just as Tomo and others like Heizou and Beidou do. He wonders if you'd still look the same, if you were also reincarnated.

He also wonders if you remember the old life, too.

Strangely, Kazuha is the only one who can remember his past life as the true Kaedehara Kazuha. Heizou is training to become a policeman, and he doesn't remember that he was a detective before. He's been recommended, though. Beidou is a pilot, and she definitely doesn't remember ever sailing the Crux. She did learn about its history, and she's definitely still a leader. Tomo isn't a swordsman; he has no current occupation, but he's been fascinated by blacksmiths. Kazuha doesn't know what to do with himself, except for the fact that he wishes to travel the world— but in current society, he would end up homeless without a job, and so he picked up a job at a local café.

In your past life, you loved your job. Would you still be who you were back then?

Kazuha spits out the watered-down toothpaste and flushes out the rest of it with water. He takes the used floss on the sink counter and throws it out, then cleans the counter. Kazuha then goes on with the rest of his morning routine with thoughts of you. He loved you then, and because he still retains memories of you, he loves you even now.

As his hair dries, Kazuha grabs his necessary belongings and goes outside, walking to the café. It's a beautiful café, too, and he smiles every time he walks into it. It's 11 AM, and he opens the café doors. There are only four customers inside, three of which ordered and received their drinks, and one of them hadn't. The three are familiar regulars, whereas the other customer looked unfamiliar, yet it's like he's known them all of his life. He ignores it and walks behind the counter, entering the backdoor.

"Kazu, you're here, finally! I just got this place opened!"

"Good morning, Yoimiya."

Yoimiya, once a girl obsessed with fireworks, is still obsessed with fireworks but now works at a café. Given that she's a familiar face, Kazuha had asked her once what she wanted to do for a living, and she told him that she'd keeping working at this café and that she'd absolutely love to work around all of Inazuma, trying to help prepare festivals and watch the fireworks.

"Oh, by the way," she interrupts his thoughts, "can you help that person over there? I've got some dishes to walk really quickly, I sorta messed up steaming the milk for someone over there, and the milk sorta got everywhere."

With a laugh, Kazuha agreed and came back to the counter. You were there, standing and on your phone, and Kazuha stopped.

"We will meet again, I promise to you, my maple."

"Hi!" Your smile shed more light than the sun itself.

"H- Hello. How may… I help you?"

With a glance at your phone, you told him what you wanted.

"Is that it—Will that be all?"

"Yeah- Oh, actually, wait. Can I have one of the café specialty snacks?"

Kazuha's smile grew. He's lovestruck again.

"Of course. Which one would you prefer?"

"You know what?" You shifted your posture, "Surprise me."

"Sure can do." Kazuha immediately took the dessert he recommended for the café to add. He remembered which ones you loved most from the past, so he taught his boss the easiest one to make and modified it specifically to your liking. On the digital register, he selected that specific dessert and gave you a discount for everything: 40% off for the employee discount.

"Aw, thank you!" Your smile grew, and you were visibly surprised. "You didn't have to do that for me."

"Of course, Y/N." I love you, after all.

"Wait- how'd you know my name?"

"Oh! I, uh, haha, I read it when you swiped your card. It appeared briefly on the register."

".. Oh, okay. That's okay. Well, I've got to ask now, what's your name?"

His smile began to dissipate. So you didn't remember, huh. He pauses momentarily, but he answers, "Kazuha."

"Well, that's a cute name. As you now know, I'm Y/N." He didn't know how to respond to that. He didn't know how to respond— he thought you would've remembered, too. Quickly and kindly, he dismisses himself from the conversation and begins to make your drink. He does it perfectly, but there's no longer that everyday chill that he carries with him. His steps are cold, as cold as you were when you died that day. His movement seem more bitter than usual, much like the reeking smell of your blood in his nose; he as a whole shutters desolate, just as desolate as the house had become when the both of you had died. Did any of that matter anymore? Everyone is the same, but everyone is different now. Same names, same personalities, different tastes, different occupations, and different lives.

So, while you're Y/N, who are you?

"Your drink is ready, and here are the pastries."

"Oh!" You nearly spring out of the chair and pace over to the counter. "Thank you!"

Your smile brightens him up, and Kazuha isn't so downcast anymore. Courage creeps up to him, and, without much thought, he asks you,

"Say, how old might you be?"

"Huh? Oh, uh… I'll be twenty-eight soon." Kazuha jumps at the statement. You? Four years older than him?

"Oh! Are you sing—" mid-thought he wonders why he asked it, "—le…?"

"Uh, are you trying to hit on me?"

"Huh! Oh, no, no, no, I'm not, I was, well, just curious." Kazuha pulls an awkward smile and a comforting chuckle. Without a word, you shake your head and reveal your left hand.

A solid glowing, silver ring on your finger.

Kazuha's blood runs cold. His heart stops momentarily. You're… Married? An unfamiliar man and a younger kid walk into the café, but he doesn't notice entirely. Kazuha has been waiting for you his whole life after he learned that everyone from before was reincarnated. He's constantly been on a journey to find you, yet, because of his household, could barely venture out of his hometown to find you. You were his set goal in life, to find you, date you, and marry you again, but he was far too late. You were already married, and—

"Hello there! How may I help you two?" Yoimiya's bounciness distracts Kazuha, and he snaps out of his thoughts. You wave at Kazuha and sit back down to enjoy your drink.

"Oh, no, it's okay. I'm here for my love." The man smiles when he looks over at you, and he and the child walk towards you. The child, contrasting Kazuha's devastation, was more than delighted to see you. Kazuha watches you, his maple, kiss the man and greet your child. It seems that, when Kazuha was twenty and you were twenty-four, you had a child with this other man, and he was trying to find you desperately. He knows he should look away, something in his gut tells him to go to the back and hide away from the pain, but he watches as you grab the pastry he's made just for you and give it to your child, the product of another marriage, the product of you and another man.

Kazuha stumbles away, subtle tears forming in his eyes. He feels guilty for wanting you when you've already found your special someone. Why didn't he forget? Why did he have to remember everything, everyone, when nobody remembered him? Why did he think that you would be different?

Kazuha walks to the back, and Yoimiya continues to wash the extra dishes added on by Kazuha. After everything, he feels so selfish and useless. He had the feeling that he should let go and live life as it is now, but he wanted to see you. He wanted the chance, but there never was one. He feels as though the past twenty-four years of his life were wasted on a lover who never knew him and never loved him. From the frame of the door, he sees your husband hand Yoimiya the plate for the pastry. Kazuha walks over to the door and watches your husband and your kid leave. You walk back to the counter. Yoimiya enters the back to take a break, and Kazuha steps out to see you out.

"Kazuha." You begin.

"Y/N." He answers.

"I remember you, y'know? I had a feeling you remembered by the way you looked at me."

"You-" Kazuha's eyes are open wide now, "you remember?"

"Yes, I do."

Kazuha's heart swells with hope. "I- do… Do you still… are you still, uh, interested... in me?" You stand still at the words, and you say nothing for a few seconds until you shift your posture again and sigh.

"I'm married to someone else now. I'm sorry, but no."

He doesn't know why, but he suddenly blurts, "Why?"

"I looked for you for a while, too. I thought that you could remember me, and yes, you do, but I could never meet you in time. In fact, I met someone else before I met you." You close your eyes to reminisce properly, "I felt so selfish for catching new feelings because I still felt married to you. But then I saw people like Kokomi, Gorou, Teppei, and even Ayato move on with their lives. I found myself in love with another before I could find you first, and seeing everyone else forget and live left me to think that you probably forgot, too. And so I went with this new life, Kazuha."

A silence stands between the two of you. The air thickens, and there's a mutual yet different guilt in your hearts. You sigh, opening your eyes, and you see the distraught look in Kazuha's eyes. It's familiar. You were married to him for almost five years before your death, so you still remember. His mouth opens to speak, and you prepare yourself for it.

"I'm… I'm sorry that I couldn’t find you first." His voice is shaky and shattered.

"That’s okay. Actually, I want you to take this day and use it to forget and live, too."

"But I can't forget you, maple."

Your breath hitches at the nickname. You haven't heard the word maple like that in almost three decades.

"Then forgive me, forgive yourself, and let go." Your voice seemingly grows impatient. "You won't forget me for now, but you'll learn to truly live without me forever."

"I…" Kazuha is at a loss for words. You understand fully, and you give him your last soft smile.

"You'll learn, I know you will. Even if we run into each other again, you'll live. Besides, I'm moving away. It hurts to stray away from us, especially considering that you still love me years after not seeing me, but you'll do it. You'll always manage, no matter what."

"Can I at least tell you that I love you one more time?" Kazuha's tears finally break out and he breaks down in front of you. Instinctively, you reach out to comfort him like you used to do before, but you stop yourself. You have a new life with your new husband and your own kid. You aren't going back now.

"Don't. Please."

"Can you… Try the dessert? At least?" Kazuha's desperate.

You sigh for the last time. "I know it's my favorite. I'll… Take one. As a final goodbye."

Kazuha nods and goes to the back to get you the pastry, yet before the back door closes, the front door opens quickly and closes, too. He turns around.

You're gone.

You've been gone for a while.

And it's about time for him to move on.

–

[tartigglez]

If your event is still going on, can I have 💙 with Kazuha?

"ten-twenty"

・❥・TIME FOR MORE SHENANIGOOGLES HELLO ALL WELCOME TO "CAEL WRITES FOR CANADIAN JEAN" (i'm excited about posting)

・❥・kazuha x gn!reader

・❥・0.9k

・❥・(trauma) nightmares, tomo (kazuha's friend), grief, loss, crying, reverse comfort, physical contact, clingy kazu, lil l-bomb, just very soft but a little dramatic

・❥・i am sorry but i spent like,, way more than twenty minutes writing this bc i really liked the plan that i came up with and wanted to execute it in a way i liked xoxo, also this feels reminiscent of this

kazuha x 💙

your sleeping form was completely still as he shook, arm draped across his waist, fingers as still and steady as the gentle breaths which escaped your nose. quietly, almost unnoticeably, your hand began to shake, almost akin to the movements of a branch in a thunderstorm, which was what you were seeing in your own dream. mumbles of a voice were making their way through the wind, quiet drones… “please, don’t leave me… not again”, “don’t go like this, please…” however the one which would cut short the scene of the rain and the wind battering the leaf would be the shout, loud tenor piercing through your hearing…

“NO” 

the drawn out yell opened your eyes to the pitch black of your bedroom, in which the only thing you could feel was your love next to you, shaking and mumbling in his sleep. it was his voice which had weaved its way into your dream. of course, this was not the first time it had happened. 

kazuha often had dreams about his friend, killed by the musou no hitotachi all those years ago. it remains true that kazuha has been haunted by the wound left on his soul by the raiden shogun for all this time, and may always continue to be. 

you flicked on the bedside lamp, warm light filling the room, the shadows of kazuhas sleeping body -as well as your own sitting one- projected themselves on to the wall at the far side of the bed. just at this observation, his eyes opened, his breathing beginning to slow down.

next followed one of  the most painful sights anyone could imagine seeing, the love of their life crying at the thought of loss. the tears did not come slowly, nor calmly. he was obviously disoriented, eyes not meeting yours, not registering your presence. instead, his head was buried in his knees, which were now pulled against his stomach as he sat up. 

“hey,” you opened softly, “kazu?” 

you figured it was best not to touch him, he was clearly in shock, and although this dream happened often, it was never normally this bad. he turned to you, red eyes and puffed cheeks greeting you as his expression dropped, and he —within a split second— wrapped his arms around you, pulling you close to him. 

“you’re here,” he whispered, tears starting once again “you’re real” he spoke, shaking body gripping you like a stray kitten. 

“of course i’m here, darling” you said softly against his ear, “tomo again?” you asked, a hand slowly rubbing his back.

he shook his head against your body, burying it into the crevasse of your neck, seemingly inhaling your scent. “you” he spoke quietly. 

“me?” you questioned, still holding on to him tightly, grabbing the duvet to wrap it around the two of you, hoping it would slow his shaking.

“are you really here? please tell me this is not a dream…” he spoke, hoping and praying and wishing that you were not another figment of his dream, a symptom of his nightmare. 

“it’s not a dream, i’m right here, i've always been right here” you spoke into his hair, before gently kissing his forehead. this however, seemed to provoke an even tighter grip from him, an almost bone-crushing hug. you of course, reciprocated this squeeze for a moment before slackening again. Thankfully, he followed suit, mirroring you.

“please stay” he spoke against your skin, “don’t go anywhere.”

you giggled a little at that. kazuha wasn’t normally this outward with how he asked for commitment. generally speaking, he was poetic in all aspects of life, including his relationship with you. 

“i’m not going anywhere, don’t worry” you responded, pressing a kiss against his temple, then proceeding to move once again on to your back, head hitting the pillows with a gush of air escaping the fibres inside. you reached your arms out to him, gesturing for him to lay down on your chest. 

“may i?” he said softly, requesting permission despite the fact you told him it was fine on numerous occasions. you nodded gently, watching as he laid down slowly on top of you, the crown of his head placed just below your chin, his legs making their way to entangle with yours. 

there was a momentary silence between the two of you, which was not uncomfortable, nor awkward, it simply was. until he spoke once again.

“i’m scared,” he whispered, watching as your fingers tangled themselves into his silvery hair, calmly running through it, massaging his scalp.

“scared? you wanna talk about it?” you asked, careful with your tone, his head rising and falling slightly with each breath you took. 

“what if i fall asleep and it happens again? what if when i wake up, you’re not here?” he said sleepily, anxious voice still a little shaky. 

“if it happens again, i’ll be here to protect you. i promise that. i’ll be here when you wake up, and i’l-” you stopped mid-sentence, a gentle chuckle coming from you, realising he had fallen asleep. 

“i love you,” you whispered into his hair, turning off the lamp and closing your eyes, “forever.” 

sfw masterlist

taglist: @lioria @celestetalkstoomuch

© tartigglez, 2023. do not copy, translate or repost

[awarmbowlofhomemadesoup]

Leoichi but make it Oblivious x Oblivious Part 4

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

So what did Leo and Usag do after they both have their own separate revelations? Absolutely nothing!

Leo's Logic

The idea that he and Usagi might like like each other is enough to shock him. But it quickly dies down from the very idea that Usagi sees him in that light (*ding-ding! Leo's inferiority complex has joined the chat*)

But that leads to Leo wondering what he really feels about Usagi. The only thing stopping him from delving deeper into finding out is the fear of messing up again and letting down both his brothers and Usagi if Leo would take that path.

He is going to need some time. And by some time, meaning pretend there's nothing there.

Usagi's Thought Process

After a sleepless and bewildering night when Usagi's daydream about Leo took a slightly different turn, Usagi decides the best solution is to meditate.

Closing his eyes, he tries to quiet his mind.

His Usagi Yojimbo comics haven't prepared him for this. Mariko chose honor for both Miyamoto and herself over Miyamoto. The princess he escorted and fell in love with chose political peace over true love. Tomoe chose her own way of life twice over Miyamoto. 

But Leo isn't like any of them. Leo is his best friend first before anything else. Sure, Gen and Spot were also his best friends, but Leo is his best friend in a different way.

After all those times he worried about losing Leo's friendship over something petty like how his great-grandpa could've been friends with his rival if it wasn't for how insecure his rival was, what if this is what will ruin one of his best friendships he ever has?

What if this was how he loses Leo? Just because they talked about nuzzling each other's faces doesn't mean it's always a romantic intention.

Didn’t Leo say before that he didn’t feel like dating?

Usagi winced. His closed eyes frowned as his ears twitched. Wasn't he supposed to be quieting his mind?

Don't change the subject. Shut up.

You shut up.

But you know, dating Leo doesn't sound so different to them going to places to hang out.

Usagi doesn't know how to feel about that. I'm supposed to be quieting my mind right now.

But hanging out with Leo sounds nice.

Shush.

If this is how he felt about Leo, was this a plush, a squish, or a crush?

"Aaaaargh!" he yells out in frustration, opening his eyes to see that Kitsune is right in front of him.

Kitsune blinks. "I was just going to tell you Gen made lunch." She's already stepping back. "But I think this is a bad time."

"It's not you, Kitsune," Usagi assures, "I'm just yelling at the voices in my head."

"Stepping back faster!" Kitsune yells out cheerfully from a distance before disappearing.

Usagi face-palms with a sigh. Spot beside him chirped in question.

He's going to need more time to figure things out.

Conclusion

The next time they meet, they both pretend that nothing has changed. And thus, came the next stage of their relationship:

Leo x Usagi but make it Pining x Pining

We all know what will happen in the end, the curious thing is, how will it get there?

Next

[sena-shi]

your name etched on my skin as I wait for all eternity (KazuScara + Tomo)

PART 1/3

Soulmate AU (angst with HE)

Summary: where your soulmate's name appears on your skin, but what if your soulmate doesn't have your name engraved on his skin?

Note: Kazuha's friend is called Tomo as always

“Kaedehara Kazuha…”

“Hm?” Ei hummed in surprise as her normally shy and quiet child murmured something. She stopped brushing his hair when she noticed Kunikuzushi tenderly caressing something on his chest.

“Mother…” Kunikuzushi whispered softly, turning around to look up at Ei, his eyes filled with innocence and curiosity as his fingertips gently glided over the name imprinted on his chest.

"What is it?" Ei responded, gently brushing the boy's bangs away from his eyes.

“Kazuha… Kazuha—”

“Kazuha?” Ei asked, puzzled.

She then moved her gaze to the area where her son appears to be touching something, gently gasping as she noticed the newly engraved name blazing brilliantly on her child's chest.

There on her child’s chest, small letters were engraved.

The name Kaedehara Kazuha, burning brightly in a shade of red.

“Oh, Kuni…” Ei sighed, taking Kunikuzushi into her embrace and gently patted his hair in a comforting manner.

“Mother, why are there letters on my chest?” Kunikuzushi asked politely, allowing himself to be embraced. Ei looked down at his son, who was probing the letters on his chest with innocent curiosity.

“It’s the name of your soulmate, my child.”

From the comfort of her mother's arms, Kunikuzushi glanced up slightly and cocked his head to the side, looking obviously troubled.

“Mother, are puppets even allowed to have soulmates?”

There was complete silence, and all they could hear was the sound of birds chirping outside.

“Of course— of course…” Ei responded with a tinge of doubt after some time. She has never encountered anything like this before, and she never even considered that one of her creations might have a soul mate.

Makoto, her twin, and the person she considered to be her soulmate, passed away. It would be an understatement to say that it caused so much pain. She felt that she also died and that her soul had been shattered into bits, but no one was there to help her pick the pieces back up again.

Grieving was difficult but coming to terms with the fact that she would spend the rest of her life without her soulmate was even more difficult and frustrating for her.

Therefore, she created a puppet. Something that will be with her for all of eternity as she slowly tries to raise herself back up.

Kunikuzushi smiled softly as he gently caressed his skin with his fingertips. A companion for life, doesn’t that sound very lovely?

When he says the name Kazuha, he gets butterflies in his stomach and feels like bursting with excitement. The name just felt so appropriate in his tongue.

“Mother…”

Ei felt both anxiety and relief when she watched his child smile at her with bright eyes.

“I think I feel happy… is that… is that how humans call it?” Kunikuzushi asked with some uncertainty, entirely oblivious to the conflicting emotions that his mother was experiencing.

“Yes… yes, it is.”

The thunderous throbbing in Ei's chest did not even slightly subside as she clutched the boy even tighter. She wants to spare her child from going through what she did in terms of pain, but how can she even have the heart to stop him from going after his soulmate?

Kunikuzushi is a child who is full of goodwill and wonder at the world around him. Her son has a restrained personality, but once he becomes interested in anything, he is like a moth drawn to a flame; he can't help but pursue it.

Ei took a deep breath, observing how determined her son appears to meet and see his soulmate. She realizes she can't keep him forever, especially because his child has a soulmate somewhere in this world. It is only a matter of time before they cross paths.

She wishes, however, that her son will have the happy ending that she desired for herself, rather than the bittersweet one that she has received.

“Well then Kuni, would you like to come with me?”

“It’s the shogun!”

They all bowed down to Ei as soon as they saw her, and at the same time, they were all wondering who was the boy that was clutching their archon's hand. But once they noticed the similarity, they immediately understood everything.

"To what ways may we assist the great and almighty shogun?"

Ei acknowledged their presence with a hum and a nod, then gestured for all of them to raise their heads.

“I suppose a long conversation will be needed.”

They all moved quickly to comply with their archon's requests, and Kunikuzushi was more than happy to follow them and listen to their conversation about a person named "Kaedehara Kazuha."

He felt anxious, pleased, worried, and excited all at the same time. He was created to be together with his creator for all eternity, but fate seems to have other plans for him.

Every being has their own soulmate, and him not having one before is a slap in the face that reminds him that he is simply a puppet.

Thus, when he felt something burning in his chest, he was scared because he thought that he was experiencing some kind of malfunction.

And when he found out from his mother that he had finally earned a soulmate, he felt a sense of relief.

"Kazuha— Kazuha— Kazuha—" Kunikuzushi muttered under his breath as he tightened his grip on his mother's hand, a little smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as he thought about how pleasant and comforting the name sounded.

But, just as fate unexpectedly decided to grant him a soulmate, it appears that fate has something more in store for him.

“We are sorry to inform you that we are not familiar with anyone by the name of Kaedehara Kazuha, nor do we have any record of him in our family tree.”

"How is that even possible? Or has a member of your clan left Inazuma?"

In response, they shook their heads. “Everyone carrying the name Kaedehara is gathered here as we speak, our almighty shogun. There is no one with the name Kazuha, not even our children or ancestors.”

“Please accept our apologies, almighty shogun.” They all bowed down before Ei in an act of shame, but Ei didn't seem to notice or care. The fact that Kunikuzushi's palm had become ice-cold and stiff was the thing that concerned her the most.

Thump — thump.

Why—? Why?

Kunikuzushi felt as if his non-existent heart had plunged to the lowest ground in the abyss, his heart aching in desperation.

He was excited before, so why is it different now?

Mother— mother— what is this feeling? I can’t move… everything feels so heavy.

It didn’t take long for Ei to notice that her son was feeling sadness by the way his head drooped low and his hand trembling in her hold.

Her heart broke as she witnessed her child's mental breakdown. Her worst nightmare seems to be coming true.

"Notify me if you come across somebody using that name," With those final words, she turned around and carefully led her child out of the house, wrapping an arm around his shaking form while raising her other hand to block everyone else from approaching any closer.

Ei accompanied her child with patience. Each step Kunikuzushi takes feels extremely challenging, as if his body were too heavy to even comply with his requests.

His cheeks feel a light breeze that seems to be providing some sort of solace.

“Mother, what is happening to m—”

Before he could even complete his sentence, Ei had already wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace. His body immediately began to convulse into sobs that he had no idea his body was even capable of doing so. Large teardrops streamed down his cheeks, leaving stains on his clothing while Ei softly soothed the youngster while caressing his hair. 

Ei felt like crying as she listened to the boy whimper gently as he gasped for air and gave out noises of misery that broke her heart. It appeared as though she was seeing herself from her child when her twin perished.

“It’s alright, my Kuni.”

Kunikuzushi stifled a quaking sob as he clung to his mother for dear life, acting as though he would be sucked into the ground the moment he released his grip on her.

“Don’t lose hope, I will help you look for him.”

100 years have passed and there is still no man going by the name Kazuha— but the people of his clan decided to treat him like one of their own, and he even made a friend while waiting for his soulmate.

Niwa was a gentle person who treated Kunikuzushi as if he were his younger brother despite the fact that Kunikuzushi was older than him.

He even sought to assist him in his search for Kaedehara Kazuha in their spare time, to the point where it became a routine for them.

He was grateful for the time they had spent together, though he wished it had been "Kazuha" who had created those memories with him.

200 years— Kunikuzushi lost that friend due to old age, but he kept a promise that he would always look after his descendants.

300 years— He was beginning to show signs of becoming frustrated. It was beginning to feel like there was no hope for him, and he was becoming irritated and frightened. Something he had no idea he was capable of feeling, or that he could feel. It's likely that he's become too accustomed to interacting with humans, and as a result, he's beginning to act like one.

Throughout his life, he surrounded himself with humans, but eventually, they were all doomed to perish.

What if it's all simply a cruel joke played by fate?

What if the name that is written on his chest is completely made up? But somehow, he wants to wait more, maybe a little bit more.

He always has enough time to wait.

He doesn’t really mind waiting for all eternity.

Hundreds of years had passed, and he was still patiently waiting— how long had it been? 400? 500? He may be a puppet endowed with immortality, but that doesn't mean he doesn't get tired of waiting.

Every day, he wakes up with a deep aching in his chest, wanting for something, for someone, to fill the void.

Will he spend the rest of his days just waiting and waiting?

'Kazuha— Kazuha— how much longer must I wait for you? Are you waiting for me as well? Do you also need me as much as I need you?'

When Kunikuzushi returned to where his mother resides, he was met with the Sakoku Decree as well as the Vision Hunt Decree. Ever since he gained his mother's permission to search for his soulmate, he has been fully aware that she is already planning for it.

He walked quietly to Tenshukaku, his steps as light as the wind, and the shogunate soldiers didn't bother checking him because of the golden feather he wears to represent his relationship with the shogun.

He entered the doors, and the Raiden Shogun, another puppet used by his mother, acknowledged his presence, as though knowing of his arrival.

“Mother.”

The Raiden Shogun's face was expressionless as she looked at him.

"Kuni, have you decided to return?" The Raiden Shogun spoke up unexpectedly, although her tone is cheerful at the sight of him.

Kunikuzushi hummed in response, moving closer to the Raiden Shogun, who immediately hugged him lovingly.

“Is everything alright, mother?”

Ei sighed as the Raiden Shogun shook her head.

“I’ve found some information about Kaedehara Kazuha.”

“Resistance, huh…”

“Hm. Apparently, he is working together with the resistance.”

Kunikuzushi fiddled with his finger subconsciously, unsure if he should ask his mother whether he could go there or not.

Ei sighed deeply as she witnessed her son's habit. She not only acquired information on where Kaedehara Kazuha is staying, but she also received information about the boy's soulmate.

She couldn't bear it the first time she watched her child sob so intensely.

But now another challenge has been thrown in front of her child. The last thing Ei wants Kunikuzushi to experience is despair.

So how will he react when he discovers that the man named Kaedehara Kazuha has a soulmate named Tomo?

"Don't go," was all Ei could say.

"But mother," Kunikuzushi swallowed, something rising in his chest. "I've been waiting for him for almost 500 years— I want to see him— I want to meet him..."

"You've been waiting for him and seeking for him for almost 500 years," Ei said with a trace of fury, not for her child, but for herself. "But did he ever make even a single attempt to find you?"

The words that his mother had just spoken caused Kunikuzushi to pause and blink in response.

Was he — was he the only one making the effort for them to cross paths?

"Mother," he started saying, but Ei interrupted him right away.

"I'll give you one more chance," Ei murmured before kissing her child on the forehead. He doesn't want her child to be hurt, but she can't keep him in the dark while his soulmate has another soulmate he loves.

"But if you can't take it— return and don't leave anymore. Stay with me in Tenshukaku, and I will keep you safe."

Kunikuzushi was worried and confused, nodding absentmindedly in response to his mother's words.

What can't he stand? He's been waiting a long time, so why is his mother acting as if he won't be able to accept everything?

Is there something dreadful waiting for him at the resistance's base?

He left Tenshukaku with a muddled mind, still recovering from what his mother had spoken.

"Kazuha— Kazuha— Kazuha—" He tried saying, wanting to receive comfort whenever he speaks of his soulmate’s name, completely unaware of how his voice trembled.

The name, for some reason, does not bring him any comfort; instead, it makes his chest feel heavy. It almost feels like the same feeling he had experienced when he first cried back then.

What awaited him at the Resistance's base was completely unexpected.

Was this what his mother meant? How he wouldn't be able to take it?

His fingertips began scratching his chest, attempting to claw it out, rip his flesh, and pretend that the name Kaedehara Kazuha did not exist at all.

On top of a rock stood two soulmates, too close for his own liking.

His crimson streak on his hair resembles that of his old friend. He noticed a name on the samurai's wrist, even if it was only for a split second.

Tomo.

It's not Kunikuzushi, Kuni, or Kabukimono that he used to go around with.

And the man who is standing next to his soulmate.

He resents how he patted the samurai with the red streak hair on his hair, causing his sleeves to roll up.

Because there was a very recognizable letter engraved on his wrist that he also carries on his chest.

Kaedehara Kazuha.

"The vision quest decree is causing a lot of stress for everyone... but at least I have my soulmate beside me."

It hurts—

"I am truly fortunate to have you," Kazuha spoke to the other man, chuckling softly before blowing into the fallen leaf.

It hurts—

Mother, why am I feeling this way? Was this how you felt when you lost your soulmate?

He wants to scream, stab himself in the chest, or delude himself into thinking the name written on his chest was a mistake. That it was not supposed to be Kaedehara Kazuha.

That he was not supposed to wait hundreds of years for him.

That he was not meant to ever meet him.

That he was not supposed to get hurt at all!

Why give him a soulmate who already has another soulmate!?

Is this what he had hoped for after hundreds of years of waiting?

He sneered and scratched his chest until he bled. Why, after all, do puppets bleed? Why isn't he more like the Raiden Shogun? Incapable to feel emotions. Maybe if he were more like that puppet, he wouldn't be feeling this way.

“Kazuha—” He muttered under his breath. “Where can I fit inside your life?”

“I fucking hate you.”

"But I hate myself even more for wanting to keep waiting for you."

Kazuha blinked, , turning his head to gaze at the spot where he thought someone had just called his name.

"Is something wrong?"

"No," Kazuha answered, shaking his head.

"But I felt a tug in my heart somehow."

I was inspired to write this fanfiction to spread sadness after I maxed my artifact and it went to the HP substat ^_^

There will be three chapters. Well, I already finished everything but I'm too lazy to proofread so I decided to just divide it into three parts lmao

anyw kuni, stop crying who even told you to wait for kazu. oh right, I fukin did

TAGLIST: @yunareinhart

SOBBINGCRYJNG I JUST WANT CRIT DMG!

[maiji]

fight / flight: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 (this is it!)

Alt text, full transcript and commentary continue below the cut.

A YYH North Bound story. This is “fight / flight" part 5 of 5 parts. This takes place after I Heard A Cicada Cry and Survive.

[page 32]

*A flame on a stand flickers in a room. A pair of hands wring out a piece of cloth. Hokushin, hair loose at his shoulders and upper body and arms bandaged, is sitting up in a simple floor-bed, his armour off to the side. Tomoe Gozen, her back to him, is just to his left with the cloth over a wooden pail.*

[page 33]

Hokushin: Lady Tomoe... Thank you, but… I cannot help but feel that your efforts with me are wasted.

Tomoe: Was it not you who told me you were commanded to seek out a master to serve long and well? Are you going to fail him now?

[page 34]

Hokushin: *Tomoe's words sink in, and his expression is devastated. He lowers his head, face in his hands* Ha... ha ha ha... ha ha... *he lowers his hands* Lady Tomoe, I owe you a great deal-

Tomoe: You owe me nothing. You have saved the lives of a number of our men, and of Lord Yoshinaka himself, enough times. This is the least I can do. 

[page 35]

Tomoe: You may be a demon, but… *she gets up and walks over to Hokushin, cloth in hand, as he looks up soberly at her* I have seen the words your actions speak. And now you must go.

[page 36]

*Hokushin says nothing, only continues looking at her*

Tomoe: *closes her eyes and turns slightly away from him* I know what you are thinking. I heard what Enma Daioh’s emissary said. I will not leave.

Hokushin: It will likely be the path to your death.

Tomoe: Ha! You forget, rokurokubi. I am human. Every day I live is the path to my death. And what of you? Would you not have stayed with Semimaru till the end, had he not tricked you into leaving?*Hokushin looks devastated again*

Tomoe: *abashed* Ah, I did not mean- 

[page 37]

Tomoe: *reaches/sits down and places both hands over Hokushin's hand* …but you understand my feelings. My place is here with Lord Yoshinaka. Fighting at his side is everything to me.

[page 38]

Hokushin: And what if he commands you to leave?

Tomoe: *looks stricken, then determined* Only if he commands so. And even if he does, I will still fight before I depart his side. *she gets back to her feet* As for you, you must go. So that you can find the master you are destined to meet.

*Hokushin nods*

[page 39]

*A horse paces restlessly. Hokushin, hair tied back again and in full armour, reins it in and turns to Tomoe Gozen who is seeing him off.*

Hokushin: Lady Tomoe. If our paths should cross again, may it never be as enemies. *He reaches his hand out to her*

Tomoe: *grasps his hand* May that be so.

*Hokushin rides off through the tall grass, into the distance*

*fight / flight end*

---

Happy New Year!! I dddiiiiiddd it!! This is the last (planned/that my conscious brain is aware of lol) flashback of the North Bound prequel!! We now return to main prequel time with Raizen and Hokushin and Seizan. Or we will once I get around to drawing the next story. Every year we inch ever closer to the climax! Inch inch inch.

I love the idea of Hokushin and Tomoe Gozen building a relationship from suspicion and survival to a deep, platonic understanding full of mutual respect and support, especially due to their like-minded roles as loyal retainers wholly devoted to the ones they love/serve. I didn’t realize till after I had firmed up the script, but Tomoe’s response to Hokushin that “Fighting at [Yoshinaka’s] side is everything to me” is exactly Hokushin’s answer to Yusuke on why he follows Raizen. It just fit perfectly, and makes so much sense to me as a narrative reference. In this universe and version of events, we can imagine Hokushin’s words to Yusuke are tied to his memory of this conversation… 

Japanese history/culture buffs will probably notice that the irony(?) of Hokushin and Tomoe’s conversation is that Tomoe would soon find herself in pretty much the situation Hokushin warned her about. According to tradition, Kiso Yoshinaka refused to let Tomoe stay with him. Shortly before he died in his final stand at Awazu, he forced her to leave his side, saying her presence as a woman would only be a burden. Harsh words for such a trusted, valued warrior! Though by some accounts Tomoe was at the time pregnant with their child, which one can extrapolate would have been an influencing factor in Yoshinaka’s actions.

If you’re wondering what ultimately happens to Tomoe in this universe, there is a very big hint in the fic We Walked Through the Past, Carrying the Future when Yusuke, Keiko and Hokushin check out the museum. This is not the last you’ll see of Tomoe Gozen!! Assuming I get North Bound far enough...

EDIT: Sneak fixes as I realized after the fact I forgot to draw Hokushin's magatama necklace! It has no importance to this story, but is a detail I care a lot about...

[toujokaname]

Princess Kaguya / Epilogue 2

Author: Kino Seitaro with Akira

Characters: Hiyori, Kanata, Tatsumi, Arashi, Hokuto

"(Our growth may possibly exceed that of Princess Kaguya... Just kidding ♪)"

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Location: Princess Kaguya Stage

Season: Winter

Hiyori: (Finally, the last scene of the reading drama.)

(A touching farewell, and then everyone will sing a song wishing for a future reunion.)

("Moonlight Disco"—a most wonderful, dream-like night.)

"...We sure got immersed in reminiscing."

Kanata: "Fufu. Looking back, these were fulfilling "three years"."

Tatsumi: "Even the most difficult events are now pleasant memories."

"No matter how painful the experiences that lie ahead may be, I feel that I'll be able to overcome them by remembering the time I spent with you all."

Arashi: "Right. It's a shame that we won't be able to get together whenever we want to, since we all have different paths to follow."

Hokuto: "But I'm sure we'll meet again."

Hiyori: "It's sad to say goodbye, but let's all smile and sing our farewells!"

"♪~♪~♪"

Hiyori: (Thank you, everyone. Even though we only spent one week together, you empathized with my feelings and made it such an enjoyable performance.)

(Our growth may possibly exceed that of Princess Kaguya... Just kidding ♪)

(Thanks to you, it turned out to be wonderful weather! You did a splendid job!)

Kanata: "♪~♪~♪"

("Ohisama"-san. This is a temporary farewell.)

(It was a short time, but I will never forget the days I spent with you in the "same room".)

Kanata: ("Ohisama"-san, "Chief"-san, and myself—a very unusual "combination".)

(But to me, they were people I "fit in[1]" quite well with...♪)

Arashi: "♪ ♪ ♪"

(Tomoe-senpai. Thank you for your help in Pretty 5.)

(If you're ever in trouble, you can count on us, the idols of ES. We'll give you warm and caring advice.)

(Of course, if you wanna talk to someone, it can be anyone from Eden, our Shuffle Unit, or your Circle Members.)

Arashi: (You've made such an impact on so many people. It's only natural that we'd help you in any way we can ♪)

(So, please be at ease. Tomoe-senpai.)

Hokuto: "♪~♪~"

Hokuto: (Thank you. Thanks to Tomoe-senpai, my "wish" came true.)

(I feel like this is the "best broadcast in the history of the program" that I wanted—we did the best we could in this past week, and we got here.)

Hokuto: (This wouldn't have happened if Senpai hadn't been the leader of the unit.)

(If it weren't for Tomoe-senpai saying he was retiring—though it would be rude to say so...)

(If it hadn't been for that, we might have gone into this job without resolving our differences on the first day.)

(I will never forget the way Senpai shined as an idol.)

(For eternity, I'll burn into my eyes the spectacle that took place on this stage.)

Hiyori: "♪~♪~♪"

"♪ ♪ ♪ ♪"

Hokuto: (Fufu. His voice is so bright and graceful that it's hard to believe he's about to retire.)

(The way he only shows his cheerful side is exactly what an idol should be like.)

(...wait, no way. Did I just say that Tomoe-senpai saying he'd retire brought the unit together?)

(If so, then this Shuffle Project is—)

Tatsumi: "♪~♪~"

(Hiyori-san—)

(I knew about your sin. I knew it, and I stayed silent.)

(So, if you are to be blamed—I'll take the blame with you.)

(But. I'm sure it won't come to that.)

(If you look at this stage, you'll understand that you were in the right for lying.)

Tatsumi: (Just by looking at this stage, which is as complete as a full moon—)

(I will forgive you. And we will share the same sins.)

(That is—the only redemption I can give to you.)

Kanata uses the expression 水が合う, which refers to being able to adapt and fit in well in an environment. It includes the kanji for water (水), which is why it's fitting for Kanata to say.

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[hypn0sssss]

Not requested :3

--

Words: 695

Fandom: Ensemble Stars!!

Pairing: Aira Shiratori & Arashi Narukami

@badthingshappenbingo prompt: Insecurity

TW: Self/body confidence issues

I headcannon that Aira uses He/They/She pronouns, and changed pronouns every paragraph! I apologize if it ever gets confusing! Also this is my first time writing both Arashi and Aira, so I apologize if anyone is out of character!

You can also read this on AO3!

---

Aira had 10 minutes to finish their makeup before they had to go to a Pretty 5 meeting. They really didn't want to be late, considering how Himemiya-senpai might chew him out if they are. Despite that, they just… stare at themself in the mirror.

He had just put on some simple makeup, knowing that it would probably be wiped off by either Narukami-senpai and/or Tomoe-senpai for a more extravagant look. Despite the simplicity of it… it doesn't look right on Aira's face. After a moment, he grabs a makeup wipe and rubs it all off. After he does, he looks up at his face.

She's noticed little things about her appearance since becoming an idol. Things like her slightly crooked nose or slight chub on her stomach. But in moments like this, where there's no one and nothing besides her and a mirror… she notices it all.

Their slightly yellowed teeth and awkward smile, the bags under their eyes from staying up too late watching idol videos, their hands being a bit too big, and even some stretch marks that are peaking out from under the crop top they're wearing. They continue to notice all of the imperfect parts of their body. This isn't the body of an idol.

His hands are shaking as he puts down the makeup wipe (they don't look right, not like the graceful hands of an idol). He continues looking at himself, noticing how everything looks wrong.

She immediately grabs some more makeup. Maybe she just needs to put some on. It usually helps cover everything up.

They put some on, but just like before, it looks wrong. It looks unnatural. It truly looks like they covered something awful with makeup. Maybe they are. They don't look right. Nothing looks right.

Tears start to fill his eyes, and he wipes them away with hands that are shaking even more. Another makeup wipe is used as he wipes the makeup off his face again.

She jumps as she hears a knock. Both Tenshouin-senpai and Sakuma-senpai are gone, so that must mean…

“Ara, Aira-chan? Are you in there? Everyone is waiting!”

Narukami-senpai is at their dorm? How long have they been standing there? They grab their phone from the bathroom counter, paling as they realize it's 15 minutes since they planned to meet up.

“Aira-chan? Are you in there?”

Aira wipes more tears from his face, trying to make himself look presentable (as presentable as he can be, considering how-)

Another knock.

“I'm coming, Narukami-senpai! Sorry for making you wait!”

She opens her door, seeing Narukami-senpai looking down at her. As always, her senpai looked amazing, the perfect example of what an idol should be (and everything Aira is not).

As Narukami-senpai looks down at them, they can see her eyebrows furrow and expression turn concerned.

“Aira-chan… is everything okay? You don't look so well.”

Aira tries to nod, to brush it all off, but he can feel tears fill his eyes. Narukami-senpai kneels down slightly, wiping their tears from their face. Her hands are soft against his skin.

Aira feels even worse now. She's worrying her senpai, when she should've just pretended that everything was alright. This thought made her cry even more.

Narukami-senpai pulls Aira into a deep hug, rubbing their back as they start to sob in her shoulder. “Shh… darling, it's okay… Tell me, what's wrong?”

Aira shakes his head, his entire body shaking as he continues to cry. He's already bothering her, he can't make her listen to his stupid problems as well!

“Aira-chan, sweetie, don't worry about bothering me. Tell onee-chan what's wrong.”

Before she could process it, all of the words were spelling out of her. The feeling of not looking right, the feeling of looking ugly, of not being pretty enough to be an idol.

Narukami-senpai continues to rub their back. “That’s not true… not at all. Your brain is being harsh. You're very pretty, very cute, very handsome, I could go on and on.”

Aira feels his face flush red. “Thank you, Narukami-senpai.” He still didn't feel great, but knowing that someone was here for him, it made him feel better.

[milarqui]

Scarlet Lady: Ikari Gozen

Directory | Desperada

Everybody sighed in relief as classes for the day finally ended, and everyone stretched out as they put their stuff back into their backpacks and bags.

And, of course, the talk of the day was the 'Friendship Day' the city was organizing on the weekend, for people to enjoy time with their friends at cafes, shops, and other entertainment options.

“Hey, mec, got plans for 'Friendship Day'?” Nino asked Adrien, who gave a strange smile.

“Actually, I'm the 'Hidden Celebrity' for KIDZ+'s hunt,” he admitted, and Nino gave a jerk of surprise.

“Whoa!” That meant he'd likely be stuck somewhere while waiting for the contest to end.

“I don't mind!” Adrien added, still smiling. “I like meeting fans!”

Behind his back, his friends began to think.

Adrien's the prize?

Then a terrible idea came to mind.

What if the winner is a crazy fan?! Or a creepy old person?!

The mere idea that their friend could be in danger made them sweat in horror. And they all reached the same conclusion.

One of us has to win the game!

----

Ondine smiled as she read the message she had just received.

“Kagami, did you get Marinette's message about the KIDZ+ Buddy Game?”

“Yes,” her friend declared, as she pressed on her smartphone's screen. “And now it's deleted.”

“Wuh–?! Why?!” Ondine asked, shocked.

“My mother goes through my phone,” Kagami said, as if it were normal, and Ondine felt angry on her best (female) friend's behalf. “So I delete messages and don't save any contacts.”

“Huh? How are you able to text me without my number?” she asked again, and Kagami gave a small, bright smile.

“I've memorized it. And Marinette's. And Adrien's and Alya's and Kim's and --”

“Wow!” She doubted she could memorize more than her family's and Kim's numbers, and here Kagami was doing that with everyone she knew!

----

“Okay, Buddies!” Aurore announced as the countdown began. “When Adrien pushes this button, you'll get your first riddle!”

“This will lead you to your buddy!” Mireille continued, holding the large tablet with the image of a button. “From there you'll solve more riddles that'll lead you to Adrien!”

“I'll be waiting for the winners!” Adrien said, as the studio began the final countdown.

“3, 2, 1, GO!”

And Adrien pressed the button.

----

“'I'm the highest heart of the city',” Alya read, grinning. “Ah, the Sacre-Cœur! See ya!”

----

“'Where animals live next to dinosaurs,'” Rose read, smiling as she came with the solution. “Oh, the zoo by the paleontology museum! Fun!”

----

“'Once home of royalty, now home of art',” Alix read, smirking and pumping a fist. Seriously, the clue was aimed at what was pretty much her home! “The Louvre! Easy!”

----

“'With one turn of a handle I can raise the level'?” Marinette read, grimacing at the apparent nonsense she had been sent. “What's with this difficulty spike?!”

----

Kagami jumped back as her mother's bokken came too close to her face, before she could try to deflect it.

“Too slow! Remember the story of Tomoe Gozen!” her mother screamed. “A female samurai when warrior women were rare and scorned!”

Kagami took off her mask as her mother stepped back, marking the end of the bout.

“As elusive as the wind! As powerful as the flood! As swift as lightning!”

Ugh, this story again, she thought. Her mother wasn't much of a talker, but she loved to tell the tale of Tomoe Gozen. No matter how many times she had said it, she would always do so at least once more. Also, a deeper part of Kagami pondered her mother's hypocrisy in telling her to be like a woman who had gone after the expectations of society while stifling her opportunities to have a normal life.

DING!

Oops, she forgot to turn off her smartphone's warnings.

“What was that.”

And that was why she shouldn't have forgot.

“Um...”

Great, now she had to see how to get away with it.

----

She hadn't got away with it.

“It's for a game, Okaa-san,” she said.

“You don't have permission to play a 'game',” her mother declared, as if that were the end of the discussion.

“Adrien is participating,” Kagami pointed out. Not that it seemed to sway her.

“Hmph,” Tomoe Tsurugi growled. “Then Gabriel is more foolish than I thought, being so permissive.”

Given how much of a... alright, control freak Gabriel Agreste was, that said more about her mother than about the man.

“Regardless, this and that have nothing to do with each other. I forbid you to play.”

That did it. Every time she had wanted to do something for herself, to have what other people would consider normal, she had to hide, escape, lie. Because heaven forbid that Tomoe Tsurugi's daughter was more than a doll for her to play with when she wanted and kept in a box the rest of the time.

Today, she would do it again.

I'm gonna play even harder now! Kagami furiously thought, while her mother remained unaware of what was going to happen.

“Tatsu, to the Grand Palais,” Tomoe ordered. Unbeknownst to the woman, Kagami had recorded her voice. Hopefully, she'd be able to find where she had to go first and have the car lead her there.

----

As pairs of teenagers checked their phones and run around Paris to follow the clues of the Friendship Challenge, a certain someone was looking at them and discarding them.

“Too dumb looking. Too unfashionable. Too ridiculous!” Chloé Bourgeois said aloud, pointing at the different pairs, while Ondine and her friend Freddy looked at her with confusion and a bit of irritation.

“Chloé, what are you doing?” Tikki whispered from the bag.

“I'm looking for a smart-looking pair of 'buddies', duh,” she said. “That way I don't have to do the dirty work of finding Adrien! I'm so smart!”

Tikki raised an eyebrow.

“Why didn't you just sign up to play?” she pointed out.

“My application was denied for some reason,” Chloé pouted, and Tikki rolled her eyes. Right, the prohibition from the bowler hat competition...

----

It had taken a while for her to realize the meeting point was Canal Saint-Martin: one turn of a handle, and the water level would change for the connection between the Seine and the Canal de l'Ourcq. A different turn, and it became drained, which happened at least once per decade, as needed.

The best, though, what who she found at the point.

“Kagami's my buddy, yay!” she cheered, and Kagami replied with a smile.

“I'm glad too.”

Immediately, Marinette moved on to hook an arm around Kagami's and the two began to make their way out, and towards their next target.

“Between the two of us we'll win for sure!” Marinette happily declared.

“Un,” Kagami agreed. “So, the second riddle...”

Marinette pressed the button to declare that she had met her buddy, and got the riddle.

“'To get closer to your goal, you must explore further and deeper',” she read out loud.

“Hm. Further down the banks of the Seine, which is deeper than this canal,” Kagami suggested.

Behind them, out of sight, a girl they both despised was stalking her.

“Target acquired!” Chloé said. As she followed them, Tikki stuck her head out of her hideaway in Chloé's hair.

“Gawd, Chloé, leave Marinette and Kagami alone!” the Kwami chastised her.

“True, they're not smart enough to win,” Chloé answered, demonstrating, for the n-th time, her inability to understand such simple concepts as 'common decency'. “But, like, they might! And that's not fair! Adrihoney already plays with Dupain-Cheng at school and not me! And then he plays with Tsurugi after school and makes no time for me! The only way to make it fair is to make sure they lose!”

“Nooo!” Tikki complained. Once more, she wondered: what had she done to deserve this?! She had saved Joan from the fire, dammit!

----

“Why'd they only give us one pole?” Marinette pondered as she cast the line. She hadn't done this much, but she thought she could do it.

“So... do you prefer to be called by your whole name or a nickname?” Kagami suddenly asked as she looked away.

“Huh? What brought this on?” Marinette asked in a low voice, but she supposed there was nothing to lose in answering. “I don't really have a nickname. Though Alya calls me 'M' sometimes.”

“I see,” Kagami said, uncertain. Marinette, knowing what she did about her buddy, was certain she wasn't sure of how to continue, so she did it for her.

“What about you?”

“No one's ever given me one before,” the fencer admitted, which made Marinette a bit sad on the inside.

“Alya will for sure!” she tried to cheer her up. “Hope you like being 'K'.”

After a couple of seconds of silence, Kagami replied.

“... can I workshop that?”

Marinette smiled widely.

“Is 'Gami' good?”

“Not bad. I'd call you 'Mari-chan', but...”

“Yeah, not in French,” Marinette replied, laughing. It would certainly be awkward to be called 'husband' by her buddy!

----

“What are they doing?” Chloé asked, mystified as she saw the two girls talking.

“Being friends?” Tikki replied, dripping so much sarcasm that she could have probably filled a barrel with it.

----

Chloé had found a box, and was trying to get away with it.

“Hey, look, that's the box!”

Chloé threw the box away and ran.

----

Chloé had moved the box under one table.

“Marinette, I have found the box. It's strange that it was put under this table, though,” Kagami said.

Chloé bit her nails in anger.

----

Chloé had found another box, and quickly went to throw it out of the building.

“This is the box we were meant to find!”

“Good. We're getting closer to our goal!”

Chloé twitched as she realized she had actually helped those two!

Tikki just snickered.

----

“Last step: Trust Challenge. Take a selfie in front of a monument using each other's phone,” Kagami said, as she handed Marinette her phone, “then regroup and take a selfie together. Only then will you get Adrien's location.”

“We're so close!” Marinette replied as she passed her phone to Kagami. Since they were at the Place de la Concorde, there were plenty of monuments to take a selfie with!

“We'll meet back here and win!”

With cellphones exchanged, the two girls rushed to find different monuments to certify the first half of the challenge, and Pollen came out of the bag.

“You did it, My Queen!” the Kwami cheered.

“Almost! Teaming up with Kagami has been a total dream~!”

“DUPAIN-CHENG!”

“AHHH, CHLOÉ! MY NIGHTMARE!”

Great, even now Chloé was out to ruin her life.

“C-Chloé, wha–?!” Marinette asked, but Chloé interrupted.

“You finally got the last clue, right?” the major irritant asked, pointing at Kagami's phone in her hand. Before she could react, Chloé stole it off her hand and began to laugh. “Now I'm going to meet with myyy Adrien!”

“Hey!” she finally reacted, and began to run after her.

Only for a very furious Kagami to intercept the eyesore.

“EEP!”

----

In his lair underneath the Agreste Mansion, Hawkmoth perked up.

“Hm?”

Another potential Akuma?

----

“GIVE IT BACK!” Kagami shouted as she tackled Chloé, but found herself with an ugly sandal on her face.

“NO!” Chloé shrieked as she was tackled from behind by Marinette, grabbing her by the neck. “OH!”

“CHLOÉ!” Marinette shouted as well, grappling with her life's personal demon, when the phone began to ring.

And Chloé picked up.

“Hello~?”

“KAGAMI!” Tomoe Tsurugi's voice shouted from the other side, causing Kagami to let go in shock, allowing Chloé to escape. “WHERE ARE YOU?! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE AT HOME!”

“Ohoho! Little Kagami snuck out to play a game?” Chloé laughed, as she ran just ahead of Marinette and Kagami.

“Why are you so fast?!” Marinette complained, which was understandable, given that Chloé was wearing sandals while she and Kagami wore shoes that were better for running, and yet Chloé was staying out of reach.

“SCANDALOUS!” Chloé shrieked, as if she were an American schoolgirl called Ashley.

“GAME?! BUT I FORBADE HER!”

“Uh, I know? That's why I'm telling on her?”

The distraction from that was enough for Marinette to finally tackle Chloé and recover the phone, but the damage had been done already. Still, she had to try to fix it!

“Mme., don't worry, Kagami's with a friend, staying safe–”

“Kagami doesn't have friends!”

Marinette gave the phone a weird look, as she grabbed Chloé's face when she tried to steal the phone again. Either Mme. Tsurugi was willfully ignorant of Kagami's life, or she was another Gabriel Agreste.

Then again, Gabriel Agreste was willfully ignorant of Adrien's life as well...

“Wha–? That's not true,” Marinette replied, but then Kagami gently picked the phone and started to talk.

“Actually, Okaa-san, I do have friends! Lots of friends! Wonderful friends!” she said, her expression turning thunderous as she kept talking. “Friends I chose myself because I'm DONE with you CONTROLLING MY LIFE –!”

“With pleasure, Hawkmoth.”

“UGHHHHHH!”

Heaven's sake, one couldn't even berate their parent for being a control freak without them being akumatized.

----

It was only moments later that the Akuma, a large metal statue-like golem with the same colors as the Tsurugi's car, showed up at the Place de la Concorde.

“Kagami! You disobeyed me!” Yeah, this was Kagami's mother. “You'll never go out again!”

But, as she made to grab her daughter, Kagami dodged – and the red hand grabbed Chloé.

“Wha–hey!”

“Tsk! Missed,” the Akuma said with a gravely voice, but clearly it didn't care who she had grabbed – and opened its mouth wide.

“Ooooooom–”

“EEEEEEE! EW! EW! EW! EW!”

And Chloé disappeared down the gullet of the Akuma.

Kagami and Marinette looked at each other, a bit disgusted about what they had witnessed and also a bit scared at what was going on.

“You won't get away from me, Kagami!”

Yeah, it was time to run.

----

“ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE BLUETOOTH, THIS IS SO LAME!” Chloé yelled from the (surprisingly) comfortable seat in the 'stomach' of the Akuma.

Tikki rolled her eyes at the priorities of her wielder.

Not to mention you can't transform here without giving away your identity, she thought.

----

Adrien checked his friends' photos on the phone as he waited for the end of the contest. Aurore and Mireille had been updating him on how people were doing (in general – they couldn't tell him who was where), and he knew that the contest would end soon. If he was lucky, it would be at least one of his friends that won. If he was very lucky...

“AKUMA ALERT, AKUMA ALERT,” the loudspeakers announced, and he quickly turned off his cellphone to put it in his pocket. “WE ASK ALL VISITORS TO KINDLY EVACUATE THE PALACE VERY CALMLY.”

“Claws Out,” Adrien said as soon as he was somewhere out of camera sight, transforming into his superhero alter ego.

“REPEAT, PLEASE EVACUATE THE PALACE CALMLY.”

That was what he was doing, evacuating as he calmly whistled on his way out.

He hoped that the Gorilla would evacuate instead of just searching for him...

----

Marigold had been lucky when Kagami suggested splitting up, to divide the Akuma's attention: it had allowed her to sneak away to transform, and then she had tracked Kagami again, so she could protect her.

“I see you two made a new friend for Friendship Day, Honeybee!”

She turned to see Chat Noir, smiling at them both, and Marigold was thankful for the levity, even if it was not the time.

“More like she's jealous of Kagami's friendships!” she replied. “She captured a civilian trying to get her!”

That left Chat Noir worried: civilians being taken hostage by the Akumas was not fun, because you had to be careful when you fought them.

“Would Venom work on an Akuma that big?” Chat Noir asked, worried.

“Probably,” she replied, remembering how it worked on Animan when he turned into a dinosaur, “but then we wouldn't be able to get the hostage out until Scarlet Lady gets here.”

“Hm...”

Given Scarlet's penchant for not showing until the eleventh hour, it was better if they found a way to save the hostage.

“We'll probably need some help,” Chat Noir suggested. “One of us should go and one should stay with Kagami–”

The girl promptly hugged Marigold's arm, leaving both heroes bemused.

“Uh, guess I'll get help then,” Chat Noir said, stunned.

----

Adrien entered the parlor as quick as he could, not forgetting to take his shoes off.

“Hello, Master,” he greeted.

“Adrien! You got away from the competition,” Master Fu noted as he drank from his teacup.

“Heh, yeah,” Adrien agreed. “Anyway Scar's her typical no show.”

“Ah,” Master Fu said, quickly opening the Miraculous Box, having expected this to happen. “Adrien Agreste, pick an ally you can trust, blah, blah, blah, greater good, you've heard it all before.”

Adrien gave a small snort as he checked the options. The Fox and Turtle were out, so was the Snake, and the Mouse – he held hope that Marinette might be able to pick it again at some point – but then he saw one that he realized would be a good fit.

“Wind, water, lightning, perfect!” he exclaimed, picking up the Dragon. Then he looked closer. “Is this too obvious for her?”

Plagg just shrugged.

----

Marigold jumped on top of the chimney while carrying Kagami in her arms, and kept rushing – Ikari Gozen was getting closer, and she needed to buy time until the reinforcemens arrived.

“We just gotta hang in there until Chat Noir gets back (or the off chance Scarlet Lady shows up)!”

Then, she looked down at Kagami... who was smiling a bit too much for someone who was being the target of an Akuma.

“No rush,” the Japanese girl said.

… was that a blush?

----

Chat Noir gracefully landed next to his partners for the day, box secure in his hand, and gave a short bow to them.

“Ladies~” he greeted.

“Chat Noir!” Marigold greeted back. “Have you got something for our friend?”

“You bet!”

“Huh?” Kagami said, clearly confused.

It was time to undo that confusion.

“Kagami Tsurugi, this is the Dragon Miraculous,” he said as he offered the box with the choker. “With it, you'll help me and Marigold save your mother. When we're done, you'll return the Miraculous to me. Can we trust you?”

“Yes,” Kagami replied, gently picking the box from his hand. “I am grateful you recognize me as the perfect candidate.”

“Um...” he mumbled, not quite believing the fact that Kagami was preening. And Marigold seemed to be about to burst out laughing.

----

As she opened the box, she covered her eyes in reflex from the burst of light in front of her.

“Ah–!”

“Greetings, young lady, and good day to you,” a voice that sounded old and wise said. “Fear not, I am Longg, the Dragon Kwami.”

As she looked up, she saw a creature floating in front of her. About the size of her hand, mostly red and black with eight horns around his head, golden eyes, two long whiskers, two spikes on its (her? The voice did sound female) back, and a long tail. It (she?) looked like a dragon of Chinese mythology.

But, still...

“A what?” The term was unfamiliar.

“A kwa-mi,” the creature – Longg – repeated. “Allow me to tell you the many feats that a magic being like myself will help you accomplish by saying 'Longg, Bring the Storm'.”

She picked the choker and carefully put it aoround her neck, feeling it a bit constraining, but then it suddenly fit her just fine. This was magical, right?

“Using the element of your choosing – wind, water, or lightning – you can defeat Ikari Gozen with panache–”

“Uhuh,” she interrupted. She had realized that she could be a superhero like Marigold (and Chat Noir). And also the fact that she could finally get back a bit at her mother without fearing reprisal. So, perhaps one might forgive her for being a tad too enthusiastic about it all. “Longg, Bring the Storm!”

“Wait, I'm not doooo–” Longg said, before he was absorbed into the choker.

Her clothes transformed into a red jumpsuit with black accents, with the most impressive part being the dragon tail image on her torso. She could feel the horns that were now growing on the back of her head, and the half-mask covering everything from her cheeks up, save for her nose. And, as she moved, she felt the sheathe on her lower back, with the pommel in perfect reach of her left hand.

She smiled.

“Looking good!” Chat Noir said, smiling.

“What do we call you?” Marigold asked, and she thought on it. It was the same conversation she had with Marinette earlier, but now it was important. She was a dragon. A dragon's name had to evoke power.

Well, if the kwami's name sounded like the word for dragon in Chinese... why couldn't she do the same?

“Let's go with Ryūko,” she said. And, somehow, it felt like the name just fit her.

----

Happy that Kagami (or, rather, Ryūko) was good and fit with her new circumstances, Marigold decided to check at the other side of the wall, to see if she could find either the Akuma or some idea of how to deal with it.

“Still no sign of Scar,” Chat Noir commented.

“'Scar'?” Ryūko asked, shocked. “You call your leader Scar?”

“Gross, Scar's not the leader. She's a mascot at best.”

There was no one on the street, thankfully, but then a sign caught her attention. A cosmetics shop, one she had gone to a couple of times, was having a sale on bath bombs.

Ryūko should be able to do something with water, right?

That was it!

“Guys, I have a plan!” she announced. “I need you to distract Ikari Gozen!”

“HEHEHEH!”

Turning to her left, she saw Ryūko sporting a very unusual face, the kind that came out in slasher movies. A bit like her own, too.

“Eager, aren't you?”

----

Ryūko quickly ran towards Ikari Gozen, with her sword at the ready, followed by Chat Noir, while Marigold went to get the supplies they would need to succeed.

Then she was there, next to the Akuma, and she attacked, using all the skills she had learned in the art of fighting, but Ikari Gozen, in spite of her size, was agile enough to parry and attempt to counter, which was no easy feat: her mother's akumatization was clearly not impeding her own skills.

But it was enough to keep her distracted from Marigold, and she knew it. But, still, she had questions to make.

“You push Kagami to be strong willed yet shelter her from having friends?” she asked, laying bare her mother's hypocrisy.

“You know nothing! She doesn't need friends!” Ikari Gozen shouted as she slashed the air. “Friends only betray you, abandon you! Like mine did when I went blind!

She gasped. Given how her mother behaved, she had supposed she simply didn't want to have friends... but to learn that she had been left behind?

“STOP HAVING YOUR SOAP OPERA MOMENT AND GET ME OUT!”

Oh, right, the hostage. As irritating as Bourgeois was, they still had to rescue her.

“Ryūko! Now!”

Perfect! Now it was time to trick the Akuma! She jumped up and prepared her sword for a slash.

“You should have faith in your daughter to have her choices!” she shouted, and as expected, Ikari Gozen grabbed her.

“I've had enough of your opinions!” the Akuma shouted, and she closed her eyes. This was not going to be pretty. “OOOOOOOOM–”

And down the gullet she went... into something that resembled her mother's town car. Well, at least she knew what had happened.

“Hahaha!” Bourgeois laughed. “What a loser, getting caught–”

As if to mock the other girl for her hypocrisy, the box Marigold had procured entered and fell on top of Bourgeois' head.

“OW!”

“Heh,” she chuckled as she moved to grab the box.

“Bath bombs?” Bourgeois asked as she saw the box's contents.

“You're going to want to hold your breath,” Ryūko warned.

“What–?”

“Water Dragon!”

“Hey, wai–!”

This was not going to be pretty either.

----

Suddenly, Chat Noir and Marigold saw water and soap suds coming out from the seams that formed Ikari Gozen's armor, and Ikari Gozen's face twisted to a form that looked like something had really not sat well in her stomach.

“Ugh, urgh,” she mumbled, “I'm going to–”

The two averted their eyes just in time.

“BLARGH!”

Yikes. Even if they knew it was just Ryūko in water form with the result of the bath bombs, it was still disgusting.

“WAAAAAH! I HATE YOU, PUKE-KO!”

Well, at least Chloé was out of there. Marigold felt sorrier for Ryūko, who had had to share space with her, but she paid no mind as her classmate ran out of the way. With the Akuma incapacitated by her stomach's sudden rebellion, she summoned her power.

“Venom!”

One touch, and the Akuma was finally paralyzed.

But the fight wasn't done yet.

“We can't release her without the Ladybug,” Chat Noir said, and Ryūko growled in annoyance.

“Where is Scarlet Lady?!”

Someone landed next to them, and they saw it was the devil in red with black polka dots. She was drenched in water and smelling like bath bombs. She had likely been in the bath or something when the call got out.

“Worry not, my poor, lost sidekicks, I have arrived–”

He would rather save himself all the irritation of hearing Scar speaking, and quickly jumped to push her ahead, while the angered Dragon Heroine pulled from her arm.

“Hurry up, we need the Cure!” he shouted.

“HEY!” Scar shouted.

Nobody cared.

----

One Miraculous Cure later, Ryūko approached her mother, who was recovering now from her akumatization, and holding onto the car she had fused with.

“What happened to me? Where's Kagami?” she asked, and Ryūko smiled a bit. While the woman didn't show it much... perhaps she did love her daughter? She put her arms over the one holding her cane.

“Your daughter is safe, Madame. She'll be here soon,” she told her, and her mother nodded in quiet thanks. She turned towards her heroes, who were holding a fist in the air, with a space left for her.

She smiled wider. She had seen the duo doing this after defeating Akumas... and they were willing to allow her to join them. She held her fist next to theirs.

“BIEN JOUÉ!” they shouted in unison.

“Rest assured, everyone, I got Chloé Bourgeois to safety~”

“Who are you?” Tomoe Tsurugi asked, showing that, much like the rest of the world, nobody cared about Scarlet Lady.

----

With everything fixed and back into place, Ryūko followed Chat Noir to a secluded place, where she undid the transformation and took off the choker.

“Excellent work!” Chat Noir praised her, and she nodded.

“Well, you gave me the Miraculous with a sword,” Kagami replied. “It was practically made for me.”

Longg floated around before stopping, giving her back to Kagami.

“Such rudeness to cut me off when I'm speaking!” the Dragon Kwami declared. “There's wisdom in patience, you know! Youths these days.”

“M–My apologies,” Kagami said, bowing respectfully to the divine being. “Please forgive me, Kami-sama.”

Longg perked up, and quickly turned around to begin patting Kagami in the head, which she took with a smile.

“There is also wisdom in admitting fault, so this Dragon God will forgive you,” Longg replied.

Chat Noir just rolled his eyes.

----

The car was exactly where it had reappeared after the fight, and Kagami knew that it was because her mother was waiting for her. And, as she approached, she saw her, sitting in her usual place, looking as stern as always.

“Okaa-san, I'm sorry I wasn't truthful. But I'm not sorry for making friends,” she said.

“Friends can be disappointing–”

“I know,” she interrupted. “Maybe these friendships won't last forever. But I know I won't regret making the choices I did. Because you taught me to never second guess myself.”

“'GAMI!!”

Before she could react, her buddy had jumped on her back, put legs around her waist, and hugged her like a koala hugging an eucaliptus.

“M–Marinette!” she shouted in shock.

“I'm so glad you're safe!” Marinette replied, before she turned to look at the car. “Oh, hello, Madame!”

She heard her mother sigh.

“Be home by dinner,” Tomoe Tsurugi said, and the car door gently closed before the car drove away towards her home.

----

In the time they had spent dealing with the Akuma, the two of them got a message warning that the contest had ended. Kagami received a message, and semi-dragged Marinette to meet two of her school friends.

“Hey guys!” Ondine greeted with a wave and a smile. Next to her was a girl with two large ribbon-infused hairbuns, heart-shaped earrings and plaster over her nose. “This is Freddy!”

“Hey,” the other girl said, and Marinette saluted with a smile.

“I'm glad you avoided the Akuma,” Kagami said, and their phones vibrated.

“Looks like we lost,” Freddy said, seeing Adrien in the photo accompanied by the two winners, Aurore, Mireille, and his bodyguard (who was giving Aurore bunny ears).

“Oh, that's Alya!” Marinette said, happily. The other winner was a boy she didn't know, but he appeared to be nice, so she considered that a success. “Mission: stop a total weirdo creep from meeting Adrien,”

“ACCOMPLISHED!” she said along with Kagami.

“You guys know the game has an age limite, right?” Freddy pointed out.

“EH?”

----

That night, Paris' two heroes went on their usual night patrols, and they were now sitting in one of their favorite spots, which had a great view of the Eiffel Tower.

And now, their discussion had turned to their newest temporary partner.

“The Dragon's powers are really cool!” Chat Noir said.

“Yeah! Can you believe you can use three powers before the timer starts?!” Marigold replied.

“I call hax! How is that fair?! Imagine three shots of Venom!”

“Or three times the Cataclysm.” Marigold leaned back. “Well, technically the Ladybug has two powers – Lucky Charm and the Miracle Cure. It's just easy to forget since one leads into the other.”

Silence fell around them, as they considered the implications.

“You think maybe we have multiple powers?” Chat Noir asked.

“Maybe we should ask Master Fu...”

----

Crocoduel

@zoe-oneesama:

* Tomoe Tsurugi: You must be like the woman who ignored society's rules and her father's demands to become an independent warrior!

* Also Tomoe Tsurugi: How dare you ignore society's rules and MY demands and attempt to become an independent person!

Seriously, hypocrisy knows no bounds.

That's 466 pages, 186142 words, 1003366 characters

[mariabtsos]

Can I have this Dance? ||j.hs||

Description: Where Hobi asks you to his fraternity spring formal in cinematic way.

Genre: drabble, college au, fluff, smut, established relationship, Hoseok x f!reader.

TW: foreplay, protected sex, virgin sex (mentions of blood), vanilla sex.

Word Count: 2.2k

It wasn’t often that you skipped class, in fact, you kind of had a goody two-shoes reputation with your friends when it came to school, but when your boyfriend asked that you meet him at the roof of your school, you couldn’t say no.

You and Hoseok’s story was something out of a teen romance almost, you had met at a New Year’s party your sophomore year of college, when your parents’ work finally brought them back to Korea after spending years in the United States. You honestly didn’t want to go, afraid that although you spoke Korean often, you were terrified other kids your age would make fun of you, plus you weren’t big on this kind of parties, your parents knew that, but they’d be damned if you didn’t try to make some kind of friends, they didn’t want you to feel alone.

“Eomma, do I really have to go?” You complained whilst your mom put your hair in cute dutch braid.

“Yes, you’ll have fun! Plus you need to make some friends here,” responded warmly.

And so you went, you tried keeping to yourself for the most part, until a bright light shined blinding you, apparently you were chosen to sing with someone, and that someone was Hoseok.

And while you had never thought anything of that wonderful night, it turns out that it was all an elaborate plan from the universe. Because he saw you when you walked into the room, he found you interesting, definitely pretty, and wanted to find an excuse to talk to you, so suddenly he was grateful that the MC had chosen you.

“You’ll thank me later,” he said and walked off stage as the music started playing.

To say you guys’ chemistry was off the charts would be an understatement. You went from hugging yourself and being shy, to holding the mic and singing to your hearts content.

“I’m Hoseok, but my friends called me Hobi,” he introduced himself, semi screaming due to the loud music, holding his hand out for you to shake, which you did.

“Y/N, nice to meet you!” You smiled.

You and Hoseok were inseparable the rest of the night. Talking about your lives, your recent move, your parents. Eventually, you ended up outside just in time for the countdown to the new year, you watched the fireworks together for a moment, until you had to go back inside to wish your parents a happy new year.

“Wait, give me your number, that way we can keep talking later!” Hobi suggested with a smile. “Sure!” The exchange happened quick, he put his number in your phone and took a picture for his contact, making a little peace sing with a tight smile. You followed, simply taking a picture of you smiling. You handed your phones back to each other and Hobi took some time to make sure everything saved properly. “Would you want to go skiing tomo-“ you were gone before he could finish.

After that New Year’s trip you saw each other again at school, in an unexpected turn of events you ended up having the same theater teacher for your spring semester, at first Hobi thought his mind was playing tricks on him, so he called you to make sure it was you, you phone rang and got taken away for the rest of the class, your teacher saying she’d see you in detention later.

All the stress of that went away as soon as Hobi came up to you after class, you caught up on what happened after you left, turns out your parents needed to start work earlier than expected, so by the time Hobi checked with the front desk of the little hotel where it all was taking place, your family was gone.

The following months you guys continued to build your relationship, Hobi introduced you to his friends who were all on the basketball team with him. You made the last minute decision of auditioning for the spring musical, and Hobi reluctantly went with it. It was all a fun adventure, and you were dating by the end of the semester.

Now, you guys have had your fair share of struggles, because Hobi was Hobi, he got a lot female attention, including from one of the most popular ones Cha Soonhee, who took it upon herself to try and steal him from you a couple of times, the most evident one being during the summer before junior year, where she practically forced the two of you apart, you were able to reconcile eventually though, finally sharing your first kiss after singing on stage for the talent show the country club you all were working at hosted.

Junior year went by in a blur, but your relationship was well established now. At this time Hobi started to enjoy sneaking into your room through your balcony, multiple dates were had there, and even some other big milestones, like when you were home alone one day, you decided that you were ready for the next step in your relationship, so you asked him to come over to talk about it.

“Are you sure you want this Y/n? The last thing I want is for you to feel like you need to do it, I have no problem waiting,” your sunshine smiled sweetly.

“I’m sure, Hobi,” you snaked your hands around his neck, and he immediately responded by wrapping his arms around your waist “okay, let me know if you want me stop at any point,” he told you.

So you kissed, sweet at first, it started turning a bit more needy. You walked into your bedroom, pushing Hobi until he sat on your bed. You kept making out for a while, he squeezed your hips a bit, making you moan, and he took this opportunity to deepen the kiss, shyly letting his tongue explore your mouth, you did the same.

He put his hands on the back of your knees and pulled you forward, making you straddle him. He pulled away from your lips and moved to your neck, one of his hands massaged your thigh while the other played with one of your breasts. To say your were a whiny mess was an understatement and Hobi loved it, he especially loved it when you started grinding on him, he could feel his dick hardening with each of your movements. You took each other’s clothes off, and he laid you down on your bed and spat on his fingers, slowly making circles around your clit, you started being louder and when he slid his finger inside you let a long moan come out.

“Holy shit,” you moaned after he added a second finger.

This went on for a few minutes until you came for the first time, the feeling was so amazing it made your toes curl and your legs shake. Your boyfriend was so nice to you, you wanted to return the favor, you’d never done it before, and he knew you hadn’t — you guys had this conversation a few months back, after Hobi stayed the night during one of your escapades, and when he woke up he had a serious case of morning wood, which lead to your first conversation about sex, and what each other’s experiences with it were — so he guided you through it, once he felt it was enough to not hurt you or himself, he stopped you and laid you down one more time.

“Are you sure about this?” He asked again whilst putting a condom on, he ran to the store to buy one, after you had sent him the text about wanting to do this.

You took a second to think about it, “don’t think I’ll feel bad if you don’t, it’ll go back down eventually, I don’t want you uncomfortable Jagi,” he sat next to you, caressing your cheek.

You smiled at him fondly, “I love you, Hoseok, I want this,” you stated.

This was your first time saying those three words. “I love you too, Y/Nie,” he replied, hovering over you, with one hand by the side of your head and the other one guiding his member to your entrance, he slid inside you, the stretch he gave stung at first, so you held on tightly to his arms, “let me know when I’m okay to move baby,” he asked you, and after a minute, you nodded, “you can move now.”

Once you gave him the okay, he started thrusting slowly, mostly to make sure you would be okay, and also because he wanted this to be special, he didn’t want to just fuck you senseless, at least not right now anyway, not during your first time. The sting eventually went away, and you started to feel good, so good you started moaning again, calling out his name softly every so often.

“Faster please,” you pleaded, looking at Hobi with hooded eyes. “Anything you want love,” and with that he increased the speed of his thrusts, not all at once but gradually, where eventually you felt that little coil in you start to snap, “god baby, you’re squeezing me so tight,” he grunted, stopping for a moment to hold your hands and be able to get closer to you. You lifted your head up to be able to catch his lips, as he continued your orgasm hit you like freight train, having to pull away from the kiss to lay yourself back down, Hobi’s thrusts became sloppy and his grunts were louder. “Fuck you feel so good,” he praised you, then he let out a long breath, slowly stilling himself. You looked at each other, he smiled at you lovingly, reaching for your cheek and caressing your face.

He pulled out slowly, taking the used condom off, he was concerned when he saw you had bled, you quickly assured him, it does happen to some and that he shouldn’t worry too much. He went to your bathroom quickly and got a warm cloth, and a pad, then he went to your dresser and grabbed you some comfy underwear, once he had everything, he came back over to you, gently cleaning you up to the best of his ability before cleaning himself up, handing you the fresh undies and pad, you felt so loved and happy, Hoseok truly was perfect.

And if you were inseparable before, you had reached a new level of closeness, wanting to be with each other all the time, any time. So, that’s what you did during summer, as well as preparing for your Graduate school entrance exam which would be happening during the upcoming year, you went on dates, and looked at different Graduate schools together, it was a dream.

Which led you to right now, senior year, you were wearing on of those pretty, flowy, floral print dresses you liked so much, Hobi loved them too, you looked breathtaking when you wore them.

“You are crazy, Hobi!” You exclaimed as you moved up the last few steps, the roof was where the botanical club kept their plants, you and Hobi had been up here for lunch or on a free period once or twice.

“For you,” he said cheekily, sending a wink your way. You rolled your eyes, looking around at the plants to avoid him seeing your red tinted cheeks.

Hobi ran to the little bench that was at a sort of gazebo, the garment bag still crisp. He walked up behind you and resting his chin on your head. When you turned around he took a step back to open the garment bag and show you his suit jacket.

“What do you think?” He asked, making a silly model pose, taking the jacket out of the bag. “I think you look handsome, what’s the occasion?” You asked, helping him put it on.

He held your hip with one hand whilst showing you two spring formal tickets with his other hand, you didn’t know his fraternity was having one, so, you gasped, shocked and excited that he was asking you to it.

“Thinking about you in a pretty dress, with my arm around your waist just sounds right,” he said, turning to look at you, he was so lucky to have you. You felt those butterflies in your stomach again.

“Hobi,” you said, your voice breaking a bit. “If you’re struggling to find an answer I have a plan b!” He stated, running to his backpack to grab his Bluetooth speaker. You watched him intently, hearing the distinctive sound of it connecting to his phone.

He clicked play and grabbed you, taking you to a more open area of the roof, and you heard the distinctive notes of “Can I Have This Dance” from High School Musical 3. You started dancing to it, you had actually this dance sophomore year for one of your projects and you learned it together.

Suddenly he started signing at the very end. “And with every, step together, we just keep on getting better,” he sang to you and you joined “so can I have this dance, can I have this dance.” You kissed him sweetly.

“Yes, I’d love to go with you,” he smiled as your words, taking your hand and going to pick up all his stuff. “Great! Now let’s go so we can make it to the next class,” he was so happy he could bounce off the walls. “And don’t worry, I asked Jihyo to take notes for you,” he smiled.

God, it was scary how much you loved him.

[sasuhinasno1fan]

Wish come true - Adrien AUGreste Day 14+15

A bit late, but I was smart in asking EtherealGenie for help betaing, so there shouldn't be any spelling errors, at least not before the social media part, that I just added, so that was up to my spellcheck so fingers crossed. Also, it would actually take 6 hours for them to get to Saint Vincent Beach from Paris but for the sake of the story, we’re gonna say it takes less time. Anyway, enjoy! Passion

“No! Let me go, you can’t do this! I’m your daughter! I’m Lila Agreste!”

“Honestly Gabriel, you should have nipped this in the bud earlier. It’ll be difficult, but she’ll be disciplined and a different child by the time she comes home for break.” Tomoe said as they watched Gorilla carry the squirming girl to the red car. “My family will keep you updated. It’s laughable, how she doesn’t seem to realize how a name can’t get you far. You have to work for the respect you want.”

The designer could feel the judgment from the famed fencer. He still couldn’t understand how his daughter turned out like this. He thought back and realized times where she was caught, usually by her mother. Eventually she just got better at not getting caught and because he was so preoccupied with work or Emile’s health, he didn’t notice. Then she wanted to go to school and try her luck out there. She was quickly found out but it didn’t stop her. She kept trying to gain some attention, like something was supposed to change and nothing. And now it left her as this, a known bully who attacked a student with no motive. It took all his skills to keep the Rossi’s from suing, from having Lila removed to paying the hospital bills, and sending a check that was near 1 million euro. If he wanted any chance at saving his business, getting a new face for the company was critical. There were only so much his apologies could do. Honestly, after he got the Miraculous and got Emilie back, the business wouldn’t matter but until then, he had to focus on this, even if it meant turning his back on his daughter.

“I’ll fly with her to Japan and make sure she’s dropped off. Our security is going to meet us at the airport so your guard can stay here.” Good, Gorilla was not made for flying. “I should hope when I return that our business dealings won’t be putting my family at risk anymore.”

“Of course. Thank you again for doing this.”

Tomoe hummed before heading to the car, climbing into the passenger seat. Lila was still protesting as the car drove off.

“Master?” Nooroo asked once Gorilla had gone back inside leaving him and Nathalie on the front steps.

“Would I really not have been able to control her as an akuma? She would have been perfect.”

“But she wouldn’t want to give the wish over, even if she did know. She would be selfish. Even if she would have been your most useful or most powerful, she would have been the one you could never control.”

“Not to mention she still wouldn’t admit she stole the Peacock Miraculous.” Nathalie said.

“She didn’t have it. I couldn’t find it in any of her stuff. She might have given it away to keep it from you.” Nooroo said.

“To who? No one liked her.”

“Maybe she slipped it into a classmate’s bag. Unless Duusu came out, they wouldn’t know what it is.”

Gabriel thought of where Lila could have slipped it. one seemed the most obvious. “She must have slipped it into Rossi’s bag.”

“A-Adrien? M-Master, you can’t actually think…?”

“It makes the most sense.” Nathalie said. “She hated him and was constantly trying to get him into trouble. She left the book in the garden, no doubt because it was too big to hide away, the Peacock wasn’t. And it’s the one you want back the most. To hide it with someone who would be in bigger trouble than she’d been in would be the perfect place.”

“Um, uh, Master, I don’t think…you can’t go near him now.” Nooroo stuttered out. “Lila hurt him and his parents, they don’t want you around him. Even if he does have it, I’m sure he would have mentioned it.”

“He’s popular on Instagram, isn’t he?”

“His personal account is private, but he has a cosplay and food blog one.”

“Keep an eye on them. It might turn up.”

“But he might not even have it.” Nooroo said.

“Where else could it be? Do you know?” he ordered.

Nooroo stiffened as his ability to follow orders was triggered. “I don’t know.”

“Then we keep an eye on him. Now, what about Juleka’s contract?” he asked, heading back inside.

“Her mother has been going over it. Sir, she’s been checking everything from pay, to breaks, making sure it doesn’t interfere with her schooling and also making sure she isn’t working over a certain number of hours. You have to admit, the original contract violated a few child labour laws and she’s been spotting them like it’s nothing. In fact, she’s figured out how to get her daughter paid more.”

“Her mother? I suppose getting in trouble with the police makes it their job to drop by.”

“Actually sir…she graduated from law school.” At Gabriel’s stunned look, she continued, “Top of her class, was given the most offers after graduating but she didn’t accept any of them. Students in her class knew she had a deal with her parents to go to law school and she was allowed to do whatever she wanted after. Became a guitar player for Jagged Stone early in his career, got certified to be a ship captain, worked as a captain on a yacht for a while before becoming a freelance captain and had two kids. She knows how to get away with things because she knows the law. She’s making sure Juleka gets whatever she wants and that we legally have to give her.”

Gabriel sighed, looking to the ceiling. “The messes never end. Take care of it. If I want to fix this company, I need her.”

                                               _____________

Adrien watched his boyfriend and Rose go over lyrics. The two were focused, Luka coming up with a melody that fit the words Rose came up with. He felt like he was watching Marc and Nath work on the newest issue. The couple had a rough start as comic partners, even after the effort of stopping Marinette from going with her idea and acting as a middle man until Marc felt confident enough, but now they were a well-oiled machine, with Nath talking Marc through his drawings and then listening intently to the script Marc came up with from that. He looked over at Marinette who was using Juleka as a model for new outfits for Kitty Section. She worked tirelessly with ease, attaching the pieces until they became a cohesive look. She was the same when sketching designs, rarely able to be disturbed. Even Ivan has his private passion with poetry. He wasn’t attempting to sing it anymore, but Mylene swore that his words had a deep meaning. He seemed calmer working on it, even when Mylene wasn’t there to read his work after. Watching everyone work on something they were passionate about made Adrien realise something. He hadn’t been doing that. Food blogging was easy but getting lost and exploring and even cosplaying had taken a back seat. He hadn’t actually worked on anything since his Queen Serenity cosplay and the feather disaster. He had a few that he wanted to work on but another thing he realized was he was bored of doing it on his own. Sometimes he was able to get his mom involved and his dad loved doing it but he had to rush off after staying in Paris while he recovered from his concussion. Very few times had he gotten friends involved. For the most part now, Nino took his photos and Marinette helped him with the more difficult outfit builds, and of course Max helped with any tech stuff like the wings. He even brightened at the challenge of making a bow and arrow for his BOTW Link, lights and all.

He wanted to do a simple cosplay and just get lost to find a place for pictures. But with his mom busy with her own job, it wasn’t like they could take a train and be back before her next meeting. He could do it by himself, but it was so much more fun getting lost with someone.

“You ok?” noticing Luka was standing in front of him, he looked and realized the others were setting up to start practicing, though Marinette was taking the time to fit everyone into their costumes in case of issues.

“Yeah, just…seeing everyone so focused on working on their favourite thing I realized I haven't been able to cosplay in a while. I just want to get lost and take pictures and fall in love with it all over again.”

“Who would you be?”

“I don’t know. I have a few thoughts but I kinda want to do a pair cosplay. Getting lost with someone is so much more fun than going by yourself.”

“Guys!”

“Let me know a few of your choices after practise, ok?” Luka asked, leaving Adrien slightly confused. Why did he want to know that?

Practice ended with them going to Marinette’s to get the last pick of the day – and get extras – before Luka walked him home. They did stop by Andre’s ice cream cart to people watch.

“So, couples cosplays. What were your choices?”

“Couple?” Adrien looked at Luka. “Where did this come from?”

“I don’t actually think I’ve seen you in cosplay, I always see the pictures after. With everything you dealt with, with Lila, you kinda deserve to get lost. Maman has so many offers to borrow a vacation house out near the Rivera. So why not take a train and get lost?”

“I don’t think our mothers will be ok with us staying the night by ourselves.” Adrien felt like pointing out, if only to distract himself. He wasn’t upset with the suggestion, not at all. He just wasn’t expecting it.

“So, we go there to change into costume and back before we head home. Look, I’ve had those times where I feel like life is pulling me away from the thing, I’m passionate the most and having the time to do those things make your life so much better and less stressful. You’ve been through a lot recently and I want to do something to help you feel better. So, what couples cosplay do you want to do?”

“You’d really do that for me?” Adrien asked. He couldn’t remember any relationship where his partner wanted to participate.

“Yes, so come on.”

“Well, it’s a tossup between Ikuto and Amu and any of the main Mermaid Melody girls and their boyfriends. You know, with your hair, you’d do a pretty good Hanon, even though your personality is a bit more like Lina’s boyfriend.”

“Think we could do two outfits?”

How did he end up with this guy? Seriously, how was he real.

“If it’s closet cosplay, sure. I really wanna dress you up as an idol though. How do you feel about ruffles? And hair pins? Can I please put hair pins in your hair? Oh wait, I need to get you to listen to all the songs, even the openings and closings, I think you might like them. Is this, ok?”

Luka couldn’t help but laugh at him. “I don’t think I’ve seen you this excited in a while. You’re cute. I’m up for whatever, promise.”

Adrien couldn’t help but bounce a little. “You’re going to be the best mermaid prince idol ever. We need to stop at the cosmetic store. Hanon’s boyfriend has blue hair. I need to get temporary spray.”

“I think you’d rock blue hair.”

“In case I forget to in my excitement, thank you. really, you could have just come with me, but I’m glad you're interested in trying. I promise, I’ll make the experience awesome.”

“I can’t wait.”

                                       _________________

@lukarockstar

A story with a selfie of Adrien and Luka, sitting in train seats. A typewriter font in the corner with ‘Heading out for shoot day!’

Another story, a video focused on Adrien sewing the last of the light blue ruffles to the cuff of a sky-blue tailcoat. ‘Look at him go’ is cantered at the bottom of the video in the same font.

@adrigatto

A post with a picture of Luka, headphones on, focused on his phone propped up by a pop socket on the table. ‘@rosieheart, I think I got @lukarockstar hooked! He’s halfway through and calling Kaito stupid for not realizing.’

Another post with several pictures and a video. The video is from Adrien’s point of view as he follows Luka off the train, panning to take in the people exiting with them and heading for the station's exit. The next is a picture of the ocean and the one after that is a selfie of Adrien and Luka, Luka’s arms wrapped around Adrien who’s holding the phone. ‘@lukarockstar and I have arrived for our Hanon and Nagisa shoot!’

@lukarockstar

A reel with Luka filming himself. With his other hand he’s holding a piece of bread. “Just a piece of advice if you ever go to a new restaurant with Adrien. If they offer to bring chips or anything like that to the table, tell them to bring it with your orders, or else you have to watch this and starve.” Luka flips the camera to focus on Adrien, who’s standing and taking overhead shots of their food. Seeing his boyfriend filming, he refocuses with a smile on his face. “Leave me alone.” the camera flips back to Luka. “You’ll be happier, trust me.”

A post with pictures of Adrien opening the door to their temporary accommodation, a small Disney princess trunk themed carry on standing next to him, the cosplays hanging up on the door and a mirror selfie of Luka as Adrien does his makeup.

A story of a reposted TikTok with Luka and Adrien, Adrien leaning on Luka with his hands on his shoulder while Luka films. He shakes his phone and when the picture settles, they’re in costume, still in the same pose. Luka has star hairpins clipped into his bangs and the sky-blue tailcoat with ruffled cuffs match the pale blue shirt and white cravat which has a Shell Locket pinned to it. Adrien’s hair is now a pale blue, not true to Nagisa’s near black hair, but in a long sleeved white striped shirt and black short sleeved shirt over it and grey eyes.

@scarcatblog

A blurry picture of the Parisan skyline with a spot of red and black in the distance. ‘Spotted today was a new spotted hero with Catseye. Caught name was Ladybird, blonde hair and spandex suit. Witnesses claim this isn’t her first time out on the streets but second, but where has Scarlet Bug gone?’

@gattocosplay

A post with pictures, first with Luka on a dock. You could see his whole outfit now, including the dark blue bow attached to the tailcoat and the white slacks tucked into pale blue Doc Martens. An E-Pitch microphone is in hand as well. The first 3 photos are of Luka on the dock, either looking at the camera or of a profile of him. The next two are of him and Adrien by a rock wall. First is Luka sitting on it, looking down at Adrien who stood staring up at him between his legs. The next is Adrien dipping Luka as the two stare at each other. The one after that is on the sand, both holding ice creams, which are pressed against each other as the two share a kiss. The last two are close ups, one with Luka pressing a kiss to Adrien’s cheek and the last of them sharing the microphone, as if singing together. There’s a video at the end of Adrien and Luka by the rock wall. Adrien is trying to dip Luka, but Luka leans back too far and both go falling to the sandy ground, laughing when their attempts to stop fail. ‘Our Mermaid Melody shoot was a success! This was @lukarockstar ‘s first time cosplaying and I think we can agree he did amazing. Close up shots of the finished cosplay and more pictures and BTS coming soon!’

@hungrygatto

Pictures of their food from La Treille Tapas and a perfect shot of the ice cream used in the shoot, and a selfie of Luka and Adrien eating their ice cream. ‘A trip to Saint Vincent Beach means food fit for the seaside. Shared a traditional plate with jamon, cheeses and pain con tomate and 2 drinks. Altogether, no more than 25 euro. The ice cream was from a nearby passing cart, 3 euro each. I got passion fruit and @lukarockstar got mint chocolate chip. Very good, but melts very quickly. Already want to come back for a deeper dive.’

@lukarockstar

Story with a picture of Adrien, back on the train, asleep on Luka’s lap. The added gif of a cat sleeping tells all it needs. The next picture of the story is of Adrien as Nagisa sitting on the stairs, looking off camera. ‘He’s amazing’ is written in the corner in the same typewriter font.

[x-authorship-x]

I read your thoughts about Shisui/Tobirama and I am totally hyped.🥰 Might it be possible to get a tiny snippet about Tobirama being "enamoured" by Shisui? If not, it's totally ok.

Hey Anon, I'm glad you enjoyed my theorising! 🥰

Hmmm, I don't have anything established or enamoured 🥺 but I do have a snippet from another meeting between them? Its a Soulmate AU WIP I don't plan on posting (it's just not cooperating and I think it's a bust), so if you ask nicely I might spill some more 🤭

Tobirama’s gaze dragged sideways just in time to catch spinning Sharingan eyes unlike anything he’d ever seen before. They rested in a pale face, dried blood smearing over one cheekbone. A mop of ebony curls held back by a metal headband engraved with an unknown symbol. A widening grin that showcased two sets of the deepest dimples Tobirama had ever seen, the emotion displayed an obvious mockery of the severity of this new threat.

(Something in his senses, seeking, meeting, recognising-)

The katana didn't skewer Izuna, finally felling a foe too dangerous to be allowed to keep breathing.

No, the stranger did the impossible; running faster than the cutting-edge, space-time fuinjutsu of the Hiraishin.

He deflected it.

Time restarted.

Tobirama skidded as soon as his feet touched the ground again, digging in his heels and dragging his momentum round in a sharp turn. He was just fast enough to catch the blur of the stranger as he planted a sandal between Izuna’s shoulderblades and booted him clear across the field, where he landed with a shriek of rage on top of both Madara and Hashirama.

That was the two strongest Uchiha against his brother-

Tobirama tensed his thighs to launch himself after his opponent, only for the stranger to plant himself, faster than Tobirama could see but just slow enough for his senses to register, directly in his path again.

In his hand, he wielded a simple tantō.

“Senju Tobirama,” the stranger started, still smiling as if the sight of Tobirama was the best thing he’d ever laid eyes on. And those eyes- "I've been wanting to meet you for a long time."

Tobirama’s chakra fluctuated, resisting the usual iron-clad control he maintained on his core, and Tobirama ruthlessly wrestled himself into submission. He was a Shinobi before everything, and having a reaction changed nothing about the threat this second Uchiha presented.

Tobirama levelled his sword and refused to falter. “You interrupted my jutsu, Uchiha.”

He was undeniably one of them, his strange Sharingan as different as Madara and Izuna's variations were from the standard trio of tomoe. Even discounting how other he was - a tattoo on his exposed bicep, no Uchiha emblem but that same leaf engraved on his greaves and chest-guard - Tobirama could taste that specific flavour of fire-smoke-spice in his chakra that denoted Uchiha heritage. Even if his chakra cycled faster than anyone Tobirama had ever seen outside of a rare, enraged Hyuuga.

“I'm sorry, I've no doubt it would've been very impressive. That seal looks like a masterpiece.” He managed to convey genuine admiration, whatever his ploy was. “But I want lasting peace and letting you kill Madara-sama’s remaining brother would be pretty counterproductive.”

Tobirama tried to split his focus on how Hashirama was faring - Touka’s signature had raced over to support from one side, they were lucky that Hikaku wasn't present to face her today - but, for the first time since he was a child overwhelmed by Hashirama’s presence… Tobirama wasn't fully able to.

His every sense, physical and chakra alike, were honed on the Shinobi before him.

Tobirama tempered his breathing.

“Peace? The Uchiha have no appetite for anything but violence. And I have no reason to ever believe you, Uchiha.”

Hashirama could - would - take people for face value. Tobirama… couldn't. Everything was a trick, a ploy, had a price, and he’d paid it in blood and tears and the lives of his brothers because no ceasefire ever lasted and Tobirama wouldn't lose Hashirama as well.

“Shisui.”

The stranger - Shisui, Uchiha Shisui, and there was a errant thought noting how it meant ‘death water’, a match to Tobirama's own moniker of ‘Water Death’ - didn't do anything foolish, like lower his blade, but his expression remained open. Intentionally so. He wanted Tobirama to tear his words apart and check the validity of his earnestness. Even his chakra didn't contract away from Tobirama’s keen sensing, in fact it was leaning in-

"My name's Shisui and if it's a reason to trust the Uchiha that you're looking for…"

His eyes didn't match. In his peripheral vision, Tobirama could see that the left was the usual Sharingan-red but, instead of tomoe, had a thick, turning pinwheel around a crimson pupil. The right, however, was much more complex, a lattice overlaying the whole design, and the chakra that surged to the Dojutsu was massively lopsided, the right eye drawing so much more…

“-well, I’m hoping you recognise the resonance as much as I do. I wasn't expecting it, let me tell you now, but I can't say I’m upset to be paired with someone as impressive as you."

Enjoy! Sorry it's not fluffy 😅

[themoon-saturn]

Maroon

Kazuha x gn reader

(angst/comfort spoilers for the Inazuma/ Kazuha’s story quests. TW: cursing, drinking, mentions of de@th but nothing descriptive)

Note: okay this is my first fic I have written since like 2014 so I apologize if its not super put together. I listened to Maroon by Taylor Swift while writing it and have had this idea since midnights dropped and finally wrote it down. Pretty long so I'm sorry if there are spelling/ grammar errors. Other than that please enjoy!

When the morning came we were cleaning incense off your vinyl shelf 'Cause we lost track of time again    The sound of laughter cut through the autumn night air though you couldn’t remember what was so funny by the time you both regained your composure. “Ugh, I lost track of time again. I have to get back.” You groaned as you stood to your feet. “We always do. Here, I’ll walk you home.” Kazuha said picking a fallen maple leaf out of your hair. The blood rushed to your cheeks as you bent down to collect the bottle of wine you had brought. “Thanks, but I can manage on my own. I know Tomo is probably waiting up for you.” He chuckled a bit, his ruby eyes meeting yours. “You know I can’t let you walk home alone. Come on before it gets even later.” Kazuha extended his hand and you gladly accepted. You didn’t exactly know how to pinpoint your relationship with Kazuha. He came and went like the wind, but he was never gone for long. When he did return you, both would sit under a maple tree looking over the ocean, drink some wine, and talk for hours. Your company felt like “home” to him. He knew that no matter how far he went, you were always waiting for him to return. Once you both arrived at your home, you turned and hugged him as tight as you could. “Thank you again, Kazu. Be safe and tell Tomo I said hello!” He gives you a smile that could compete with the stars in the sky, “of course I will. I will see you soon. Sweet dreams y/n” his soft voice sounds like the sweetest song you have ever heard. You watch as he walks away from your home, disappearing in the distance. You wondered if he knew the effect, he had on you or when you should bring that conversation up, “This is good for now...” you say smiling to yourself. All is good for now..   

I feel you no matter what... The rubies that I gave up and I lost you... 

 It was storming that day. The vision hunt decree had begun, and you were trying to live life as normally as possible with how things were going. Earlier that day Tomo had told you and Kazuha that someone needed to stand up to the Shogun for the people of Inazuma. You assumed it was all talk... but it was anything but. A lightning strike so powerful and bright could be seen all through the island that you knew what it was. Your heart sank. You didn’t even have time to think when you felt a hand grab your arm and tell you to run. You felt almost numb as Kazuha led you out of the city and into your home on the outskirts. “He went this way!” “Find him and bring him to the Tenryou commission!” You heard soldiers shouting. Kazuha quietly sobbed into his hands, falling to his knees, “Sh-she... I watched him fall. She killed Tomo- “he choked out. He showed you the dying vision in his hands. Tears spilled from your eyes, and you held him tightly. “You are a wanted man, Kazuha; we have to leave.” You knew there was no time to fully mourn the loss of your friend right now and he did as well. Kazuha looked at you with pure desperation, “I refuse to let his light that shone so brightly, be extinguished by the hands of a god...” he whispered. You turned to collect your things, but he stopped you. “Kazuha, we have to- “you start before he kisses your forehead, “thank you...” he says. You try to muster up a reassuring smile and turn back to go into your room. Kazuha knew what he had to do. He left a pressed maple leaf on your table, “I’m sorry y/n” he whispers. He slipped out your door and ran with tears in his eyes. He hopes you understand and can forgive him one day, but he can’t let you get hurt because of him. He knows this means he might not see you again… his home. His muse. “May the winds of fate bring us together again” he says looking back once more. It doesn’t take you long to return but once you see he’s gone you assume the worst, that he was captured, when you see the maple leaf set neatly on your table a whole different pain hit you. You throw your door open and run outside, hoping he’s still in the distance but you can’t see anything with the rain. “Excuse me, but have you seen a man by the name of Keadehara Kazuha come this way?” an officer asked. You couldn’t speak so just shook your head no. He nodded and the rest you didn’t hear. Everything sounded static and you felt numb. He was gone. You had lost the two most important people to you in a day. How dare he? How could he leave you behind? Does he think you couldn’t keep up with him? Were you a hindrance? So many questions ran through your mind and all you could do was try and pick up the pieces of what was left of you. Tomo was gone, Kazuha left, and there was nothing you could do about it.   

And I wake with your memory over me… That's a real fucking legacy to leave 

 It’s been a year. One whole year, without a word from Kazuha. You had no idea where he could be, if he was safe, or if he was still alive. You still have nightmares of that day. You feel like his memory had infected every inch of yourself. It still feels like you are missing part of yourself, and nothing could fill that void. Trying to carry on as normal with nights spent at a tavern, hoping the alcohol will numb you enough to get so real sleep for once. You tried to distract yourself by wondering the city even though the Tenryou commission has its eyes on you now with how close you, Kazuha, and Tomo were. You tried to shake the feeling of their stares as you shop around while also trying to push the memories out of your mind. “There will always be those who dare to brave the lightnings glow...” you whispered to yourself. “Huh? Y/n did you say something?” The shopkeeper asked. “Oh, it’s nothing. Sorry just have a lot on my mind.” You try to fake some kind of composer as you hand her your items. “Take care of yourself and get some rest y/n,” she says with a bright smile while you take your things. You thank her and make your way out of the city, ready for the nonjudgmental stares of home but stop and look at the sky. The maroon hues remind you of him. Almost everything reminds you of him and it felt like a cruel trick of the gods. “Archons...” you mutter. Once inside you pull out the preserved maple leaf that he left you and hold it to your lips. “Kazu... I hope you are safe” you say, gently kissing the leaf. You hope the wind carries your sentiment wherever he is. You wake up in a cold sweat, another nightmare. Unable to sleep, you walk to your spot under the trees overlooking the wide ocean. Looking out to the almost endless sea of stars above you think that maybe Kazuha is looking out to the same sky, longing to see you again. You clutch the leaf to your chest, praying for this to end. “What a mark you left on me Kaedehara Kazuha... a real fucking legacy”   

The lips I used to call home, so scarlet (it was maroon) 

 A few weeks more have passed, and things have been changing. The vision hunt degree has been abolished and the people of Inazuma were celebrating the victory of the Traveler and the resistance. You were sitting under your maple tree, overlooking the beach, holding the leaf in your hand, with a bottle of wine at your side. “For you Tomo..” you say taking a swig of wine. “I miss you. Your sacrifice was not in vain...” you can feel the tears coming but you still smile. He wouldn’t want you to be sad. Taking another drink you look to the sky, “For you Kazuha... wherever you are...” All you can do is hope he is safe and that he may return soon, though you can’t decide if you should curse his name or hold him so tight, he doesn’t leave again. A familiar voice had snapped you out of your thoughts, “Y/n...” It felt like everything froze. You assume you must be hearing things as you take another big swig of alcohol. “Y/n is that you?” It’s another cruel trick. You slowly turn your head to face the voice as your heart feels like it's going to burst out of your chest. “Kazuha...?” He gives you a worried smile. He can sense the state you are in and knows he’s got to be as delicate as he can be. He takes a deep breath, “Y/n I-”, "Stop” you interrupt. “Why? Why didn’t you wait for me? I lost Tomo.. I didn’t want to lose you too.” Angry tears rolled down your cheeks. Kazuha didn’t know what to say to you. You stand to your feet and charge at him, punching his chest, “Fuck you! Fuck you for leaving without saying goodbye! I thought I meant more to you than that! I thought you loved me as much as I love you!” the words spill out without you thinking. He has been hurting too and you can see it in his eyes. He looks like he hasn’t slept well like you. His eyes expose himself, of the legacy you left on him. “Y/n please...” His voice was still as sweet as you remembered. “I don’t deserve your forgiveness... but I just didn’t want to see you get hurt because of me. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself. Leaving you was one of the hardest things I have ever done. I had lost my friend and I couldn’t bare to lose you in that way too. I’m sorry y/n.” He said softly. Your eyes stayed glued to the ground when he noticed the preserved maple leaf next to the bottle of wine. “You kept it...?” He said picking it off the ground. “It was all I had left of you...” you whispered as the tears fell from your eyes once again. Your eyes met his and all the feelings of anger melted away. You pulled him towards you, catching him off guard as you hugged him so tightly. He tightens his grip on you for a moment before he separates from you only slightly, his hands cupping your face, whipping your tears away. The sudden touch of his hand causes your face to burn red, “May I?” he asks, the distance between you both starting to close. You nod slowly. His lips meeting yours felt like a strong gust of wind calling you home. It was strong yet soft all at once. Once he pulled away, he smiled at you, “You know... the sky’s beauty doesn’t even begin to compare to yours.” You roll your eyes turning to the maroon sky above. You both sit in silence for a moment before you take his hand. “Thank you for coming home Kazuha.” He tilts your face to look at his, “Thank you for being my home y/n. I love you more than the gods can comprehend.” he says kissing you once more. 

[queentheweeb]

Eijiro Kirishima X Shy Female Reader

A/N: You have a shark quirk

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You were always self-conscious about the way you look. You had blue skin, black eyes with blue pupils, and a shark's tail. Your quirk was literally shark. You were made fun of for your appearance as kids all the way until you got to middle school where you met Mina and Kirishima. The three of you became the perfect friend group, you and Kirishima hanging out together whenever Mina was with her friends. You would stay by yourself as well when Kirishima hung out with Tomo. You hated him, he gave you the creeps. He was so fake. He had a crush on Kirishima but, not the healthy kind. He gave you the kind of energy that he would force himself on Kirishima so you never let him be alone with him. You somehow convinced Kirishima to always be with an extra person and not be with Tomo alone. Thankfully he listened and nothing ever happened. It could have been paranoia but, that paranoia could have saved Kirishima a whole lot of pain and suffering. It also had to do with the crush that you, yourself had on him. You weren't about to admit that to no one though. Let alone Kirishima. 

"Y/N-CHAN!" You jumped turning just in time to catch Mina who threw herself at you. She always did that. Didn't she realize that she was muscle and she wasn't light despite being small? "I was calling your name for the longest but, but you didn't hear me." Oops, you did it again. You got lost in thought thinking about Kirishima. No surprise there. 

"I'm sorry Mina, what were you saying? Can you repeat it for me please?" You had to be careful around Mina. She meant well but she was a magnet for gossip and crushes and she had an inkling about your crush on Kirishima. 

"I was asking you what do you think about going to the mall on Friday! I love to shop but, I hate going by myself, pleeeaaasseeeee come!" Her voice was high-pitched and whiny or maybe it was because you had sensitive ears. 

"Yeah, yeah I don't mind going." She yelled happily her eyes landing on her next target which happened to be Denki. Poor boy didn't even know what was going to hit him. You sat there at the lunch table listening to everyone else talk and jab around. You always hopped tables giving everyone in your class a chance to talk, even Mineta. That ended quickly though when he asked about your boobs and you threatened to eat him. He has avoided you ever since which is exactly what you wanted. He needed to learn to respect women and be decent human beings because not everyone tolerates that kind of behavior. You had chosen to eat miso soup with pork belly and white peach juice. You were in the mood for something hot anyway. 

"Y/N-chan! Do you want to spar if All Might sensei allows us to choose our partners?" You turned your head at the happy voice that belonged to the residential sunshine boy of the Bakusquad. Who can ever say no to that face? He was like an excitable puppy.

"I would love to spar. Better pray I don't beat you this time." You stuck your tongue out playfully at him enjoying the way he blushed. You knew he liked your new tongue piercing so you used every excuse in the book to show it off to him. It made you grin just as much as he did. 

"I'm going to win this time!" He bumped his fists together using his quirk only to jump when Bakugo hit him on the head yelling at him to finish his food. The rest of the lunch period went by relatively fast and, before you knew it everyone had to change into their gym uniforms and meet All Might out on the training grounds. You looked for any scent patches and with a curse, you saw you left them at your dorm. You had no time to go and come back so you had to pray that no one bled. Everyone knew how you got when there was too much blood, you went into an uncontrollable frenzy. One time Monoma compared you to Toga saying how the two of you will get along and Kirishima punched him in the face with no hesitation to the shock of everyone. Realizing you were wasting time you ran to the training grounds where everyone else was already lined up in front of All Might

"Alright, now young heroes! Today is a special day! I am allowing you to grab a partner of your choice and practice your special moves on each other! Take this time to hone in on your new skills and I advise you to fight with someone you normally don't fight with! GO PLUS ULTRA!" The man was so enthusiastic it was contagious. Everyone was hyped up and you ran straight to Kirishima. This is why he wanted to spar, he always sparred with Bakugo and Denki but, he needed to spar with someone different. This was smart on his part. 

"Are you ready Y/N?" He hardened completely as you got down in a defensive position.

"I'm as ready as you are Eji-Kun!" It was a low blow knowing that always threw him enough that he had to throw himself to the side to avoid your kick. The fight was on. The two of you exchanged blows making sure to never cut skin. Both of you had relatively hard skin so neither of you really bled. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case for the pairing by you guys. Shoji was fighting with Bakugo who showed no mercy and one of his explosions completely tore off one of Mezo's arms. Everyone froze at the yell that came from the normally quiet boy.

"WHAT THE FUCK KATSUKI!" Katsuki flinched hard at that. Mezo not only yelled but used his first name "YOU ARE LUCKY IT GROWS BACK!" Mezo was upset which was a rare sight.

"Shit, I'm sorry, I didn't mean-" That was another shock since Bakugo never apologized but if I was yelled at by Mezo I would apologize too. You sniffed the air and that's when you realized you were fucked. It was too much blood and you had no scent patches. 

"Oh no." You whispered it and the only one to hear you was Kirishima. He seemed to realize what was happening. 

"SHIT!" Everything after that was a blur. You could remember nothing except the smell of blood and the feeling of arms around you. You were thrashing and snarling wanting to get near the blood. You needed to have some. It smelled so good and all you wanted to do was sink your teeth into it. You kept thrashing as you felt yourself move further and further away. NO! Your prey was getting away! You needed to finish it! You started snarling more realizing you might need to call defeat. As the smell finally went away you slumped over into whoever was holding you breathing heavily. It was rare for you to go into a frenzy like that but, when it did happen it was always so draining and exhausting. It took a toll on you. "Come back to me Y/N" You turned towards the voice blinking rapidly to try and clear your vision. You were met with the worried eyes of Ejirou "How do you feel? You scared me back there." He did sound a bit scared but more worried than anything. 

"I-I'm sorry, w-what happened?" You had worked on your shyness your whole life and here was Eji making all your progress go down the drain. 

"Bakugo went too far and the smell of blood made you go into attack mode. I was the only one who can grab you without getting hurt cause of my quirk. I brought you to recovery girl and she told me that your patches were missing." You blushed your cheeks were tinged purple.

"I, uh, may have f-forgotten my scent patches at my d-dorm" Kirishima gave a huff. 

"Why didn't you tell me? I always keep extra for you just in case you forget." You blinked not expecting that tidbit of information. He blinked too realizing what he said "W-well uh, I always k-keep extra stuff for you, you know? I care about you a lot." You blinked not believing your ears. 

"You care about me?" You prayed he meant more than a friend. He nodded his head before furrowing his brow. 

"I care for you more than a friend...I was always so scared to admit it thinking you won't like me back but, it's not manly to hide my feelings for so long." You blinked at that. There was too much to impact at the moment but, you knew what had to be done right now. 

"Come here." He blinked leaning down and you quickly pecked him on the cheek near his mouth. "I like you too." You grinned at him loving his blush. 

"I WIN! YEAH!" He was shushed by Recovery Girl which made the two of you giggle. Yeah, the two of you could talk later but, enjoy the moment now.

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What do you guys think?

[musicfeedsmysoul12]

Pulling on the Strings of Destiny: Act 2 Chapter 6

Summary: Four days pass for Japan, and everyone is on edge.  They wonder, and wait. What will happen next for them? Will Midoriya  keep rising? What sort of things would she face. They all turned towards  the screens, wondering. None more so then the future class 1-A, more so  as they get a glimpse into their first sports festival, first  internship and their final exams. Watch as Midoriya’s future continues  to unfold, as she learns more about her family, society and herself.

Warnings: References to underage pregnancy and the assualt of a minor. References to child harm. Toga Himiko to, she is her own warning.

On AO3

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

 The door opened to the classroom, revealing Izumi. She paused, eyes wide as she took in her future classmates, all staring at her. Izumi took a slight step back, stopped by Shouta behind her. She glanced at him, nervous.

 “I know, kid, I know,” he said in exhaustion.

 “...Like me?” Tomoe suddenly said, staring out at the class. Her eyes were lingering on Shouji, who gave a slight wave. The little girl looked around, eyes wide, as Ashido waved excitedly from her seat.

 “We are Tomoe! And so happy to meet you!” the pink-skinned girl cheered. Tomoe made a noise before ducking her head into her mother’s neck. “Aww…” Ashido said.

 “It’s good to see you in person, Midoriya!” Uraraka said, waving at Izumi, who gave a small smile.

 “Nice to see you in person… and meet everyone. Wow.” Izumi adjusted her hold on Tomoe as she stepped inside, Hizashi and Toshinori coming in from behind to set up the playpen. “So everyone accepted Nezu’s offer?”

 “Yeah! Future 1A here and ready to learn!” Kaminari said, giving a pair of finger guns at Izumi. She gave him a nervous smile.

 “Well, I’m glad. I’ll be in and out of the classroom while doing my beach clean up,” she told the class. “So… wow, this is awkward. I feel like I know you all, but at the same time, I don’t.”

 “Oh, dude, same!” Sero said. “I feel like I know everyone here when like, none of us actually do.”

 “Guess that’s what happens when we see the future, kero,” Asui croaked out. Tomoe peaked out to look at the frog girl, who gave a soft smile to her. Tomoe blushed before sticking her face back into Izumi’s neck.

 “Indeed, seeing everyone going through high-risk events does affect us,” Yaoyorozu agreed. “As well, many secrets are being revealed in the future, so it makes us closer still.”

 “So… we’re just all friends now?” Jirou asked. Yaoyorozu nodded.

 “Alright then,” Izumi said after a moment. The class laughed.

 “What a mad banquet,” Tokoyami said dramatically. “All of us bonded-”

 “It’s so COOL!” Dark Shadow cheered, erupting from Tokoyami’s chest.

 “Dark Shadow!”

 “So MANLY!” Kirishima pumped his fists in the air as everyone laughed. Izumi smiled at the class, eyes glancing over the two empty seats. She wondered who would fill them in the future.

 Perhaps they would even find out!

 “Midoriya!” Iida said, standing up. “I brought a gift for Tomoe.” he held up the Selkie plushie as Uraraka jumped up.

 “I did too!” she held up the stitched-together bear. Tomoe poked her head up again and gasped.

 “Selkie! Like me!” she reached out, and the two walked over to hand the girl the toys. She hugged them tightly. “‘Ank you!”

 “You’re welcome, Tomoe!” Uraraka cooed. Sato held up a box.

 “I brought cookies! I thought I’d wait until we were all here to share!”

 “Cookies!” cheered the class.

 “Thanks, Sato,” Izumi said as Tomoe looked around the class, wholly overwhelmed but smiling. Things were going to be great; Izumi could already tell.

 As the class crowded around Sato to get cookies, the rest of Japan was informed of the update to the UA system by a Twitter announcement.

 “Wait, they got into the hero course early!? And are on UA grounds now?!” Hatsume cried out. “Man! That means other support students could snap them up! I have to up my game!”

 Shinsou felt a bit bitter about it but tried to push it down. It wasn’t their fault they would probably get targeted by villains. Instead, he focused on his grandmother’s words about a possible meal plan for him as he was finally getting serious about training. He felt that a bit unfair though he wouldn’t say anything.

 Many others, though, were angry, thinking it unfair. With the robots now revealed didn’t it mean that people would be on an even level? That they could potentially get in? It wasn’t fair that 1A all got in. It just wasn’t!

 “Hopefully, Nezu thought this through?” Chang muttered as she glanced at the announcement. “It could bite him in the ass otherwise.”

The screen began its final countdown, prompting people to pay attention, particularly Izumi, who went to place Tomoe into her playpen.

  The screen shows the beach where Midoriya cleaned up, her voice speaking up. “We began training for the sports festival a day after everything. I trained to forget my mother and her words. Others trained for other reasons, but we all had our eyes on the prize: we were going to try and win it all.”

Midoriya appears, running along the beach. With her is Shinsou, the purple-haired teenager looking like a wreck as he stops. He places his hands on his knees to double over and pant. Midoriya pauses in her run to turn to him, a smile on her face.

 “Man, you weren’t kidding that you aren’t used to exercising, were you?” she asks.

 “My own fault,” Shinsou admits. “But then again, you’re a monster here. Weren’t you already running when I came here an hour ago?”

 “Seriously?!” Shinsou asked, mouth dropping open as he stared at the screen.

 “She probably wasn’t going for too long,” Recovery Girl said to her grandson. “It could also be One for All affecting her. We may never know.”

 “Yep,” Midoriya laughs. “The sports festival is in two weeks and will be on TV. With us not knowing what the games will be until they throw it at us, best to train for all possibilities.”

 “You’re not wrong,” Shinsou sighs. “Man, I wish I could go back in time and kick my own ass for not training more.”

 “Well, you are now. And we’re alone, so… how do you activate your Quirk?” she asks. Shinsou pauses.

 “Verbal. When I ask someone a question, and they answer, I can use that to control them.” He admits. Midroiya frowns.

 “Really? So is it… hmm, is it just answers to questions, or is it any verbal encounters?” she asks. Shinsou hesitates for another second before sighing.

 “Any verbal encounters.” He admits.

Shinsou winced hard, looking down at his feet. He could hear the kids at school now whispering that he was a liar and more dangerous. They should shun him, mock him. Or just not talk to him at all. That was also very likely.

 At UA, Izumi perked up, leaning forward. “Oh, that is a very cool Quirk! It’s going to be so useful for heroics!”

 “It would be,” Ojiro agreed out loud. “Perfect for disarming people and helping terrified civilians, probably.”

 “Exactly!” Izumi said. Tomoe hummed from her playpen, which Izumi put her in so the girl could have fun with her new toys and the other ones they brought.

 “It’s harder when it’s just a conversation, sort of like running with fifty pounds on compared to running normally. Not impossible, but… not something I fully like to do.” Shinsou finishes his explanation with a shrug.

 “No, it’s understandable,” Midoriya says. “Does your Quirk work due to your ears, or would it target the language part of the brain…”

 “What?” Shinsou asks.

 “Well, if it relies fully on verbal responses, then without a doubt, it’s connected to your ears as well as your voice. But if it targets the language part of your brain and thus your target’s, it’s possible you can instead use that as a way to use your Quirk.” Midoriya muses out loud.

 “How so?” Shinsou asks.

 “Well, what languages do you know?” Midoriya asks.

 “Japanese, English, JSL, Cantonese, and some Sicilian,” Shinsou replies. Midoriya looks at him in surprise. “I’m good at languages.”

 “Which could mean that your Quirk works through that part of your brain….” Midoriya says. “I know like two words in Spanish. One of which is a colour. Ask me something and try to use your Quirk.”

 “…If you’re sure. Uhh… what is your favorite colour?” Shinsou asks.

 “Roja,” Midoriya replies. They wait. “It didn’t work.”

 “No,” Shinsou shakes his head.

 “Meaning that it isn’t your ears, I bet.” Midoriya lifts her hands. “Okay, I know one sign which is bell. Ask me something.”

 “Alright, what rings every day at school?” Shinsou asks.

 “Bell,” Midoriya signs, no words coming from her mouth. Her eyes become hazy and distant, hands still up. Shinsou jerks back, and Midoriya comes to herself. She grins. “So it’s not verbal! It’s all language based!”

 “... what the fuck?!” Shinsou asked, standing up. He… didn’t need a verbal response?! He could use language in general?

 He turned to his grandmother, who tilted her head. Confusion, he thought right before reaching out. It always felt like fishing, reaching out to grab onto the response. Basic conversations were complicated to grasp onto the fish for his Quirk and often not something he liked using, given that trying to hold onto the fish in the simile was like catching it with his bare hands.

 He could feel it. He could feel it!

 “Holy shit, what the….” Shinsou opened his mouth before closing it, throwing his hands up. “What the fuck?!”

 “We need to send you to a new counselor,” his dad said, sounding a bit weak. His son’s entire Quirk just got obliterated by a teenage girl. He felt that feeling a little weak was justified in that situation.

 “Holy shit,” Shinsou stares at her and then sits down on the sand. “You just destroyed like most of my Quirk counseling.” Midoriya shrugs, not looking bothered.

 “I bet that if you try hard enough, you can eventually use body language to ensnare people. Both from you and others!” Midoriya says in excitement. Shinsou stares at her. The sun is rising as she grins, tilting her head. For a second, she looks like she’s glowing.

 Shinsou turns bright red and then stands up, coughing. “Uh, run?”

 “Oh, right, yes!” Midoriya laughs, missing the blush still on Shinsou’s face.

 “What just happened?” Izumi asked in confusion as the class began laughing around her. Uraraka leaned forward to put her head on the desk, cackling.

 “Oh god, no one tell her!” Ashido said.

 “Hey!”

 Meanwhile, Recovery Girl was grinning at her grandson, who went from panicking over his Quirk to bright red, refusing to look at her or his dad, who latched onto that rather than his freak out over his son’s Quirk.

 Teasing his son about a crush was much more interesting than freaking out about that.

 The screen shifts and shows Midoriya and Uraraka sitting outside UA in the practice field. Tomoe happily plays with her bunny and the Ingenium toy, babbling away.

 “Ugh, look at this,” Midoriya snorts as she looks at her phone. She shows Uraraka, who wrinkles her nose.

 “Hero Ingenium purposely hires multiple side kicks and doesn’t pay enough? Wasn’t that their uncle?” she asks Midoriya.

 “It was, but this is Hero Bling.”

 “Oh god, them,” Izumi groaned. Many heroes in Japan agreed with disgusted noises.

However, at the office of the newsgroup, they were glaring at the screen. So they may only double-check some things! It wasn’t that bad! Sometimes it made things better to take a few creative liberties.

 Stain paused in his search for a new hero to kill, wondering why Limitless seemed distasteful of Hero Bling. It was an excellent website for information gathering, often going against the grain to promote the truth. They were an ideal site for their information and their skill! He trusted it more than the various articles endorsed by the fakes that only ever promoted their own greatness!

 “It’s the worst website for any information gathering. It’s mostly rumours and straight-up lies. I mean, look at this- pro-hero Native is apparently refusing to address the fact he’s using a culture not his own,” Midoriya rolls her eyes. Uraraka frowns.

 “…is he actually…” She asks.

 “Oh, he is.” Midoriya nods. “It’s on his hero website-“ she holds up her phone, and the screen shows the hero and his family. “His mom is from Canada and is Blackfoot.”

 The reporter who had been writing the article on that felt their cheeks flush. Oops.

 Stain froze, his stomach dropping. What? That couldn’t be… no! Hero Bling was a good site! He knew it was! It never spoke ill of All Might and only promoted the truth!

 “Ha, whose shocked?” Native asked dryly as the man walked down the street, speaking to no one. “Not me, not at all.” A few civilians stared at him in shock, which got a deadpan look from him. Assholes, no one just asked. If they had, he’d talk about it. If they didn’t, they were just dicks who decided to go off first impressions. It wasn’t like he looked entirely Asian, either.

 “… how has no one even looked at this?” Uraraka asks.

 “Stupidity mostly. I’ve seen some interviews with him where he just full-on stares and asks if they’ve looked up his website. He then makes them do it. The reporters' faces are hilarious.” Midoriya chuckles as Iida suddenly speeds to a stop in front of them. Urarka checks her own phone.

 “Five minutes! Thirty seconds better!” she tells Iida, who beams.

 “Excellent!” he says.

 “Unc!” Tomoe says, waving at Iida, who waves back with a smile.

 “You know, I thought Hero Bling was a good site,” Uraraka remarks. “Didn’t they uncover that huge conspiracy with the rescue heroes a while back?”

 Yes, the one where a group of heroes went around purposely weakening sites so they could save people then. They were also taking money to respond slowly for specific people or locations or accepting bribes to save certain people first! The entire situation was blown open by the website. Over fifty heroes were involved in the scandal, and Hero Bling was upheld as the great whistleblower. It was partly why Stain chose the site, plus how they never spoke on All Might. It couldn’t be fake! It couldn’t!

 Maybe… maybe it was a few bad reporters? No, why would it be posted… could it be lies? Could… no, Stain knew he was right to act on his info. He had to be correct; he was weeding out fakes. Perhaps…

 All Might was the world’s only true hero; Stain reminded himself. Limitless was the next option, an up-and-coming hero. They had wished to save people and took on a Quirk that made them true heroes! So perhaps Hero Bling was wrong. Perhaps like the fakes, their only interest was their greed and desire for fame. He would deal with them. It didn’t mean that the fakes he killed weren’t worth it. He would take their lives and remove them from the world so that the true heroes would shine.

 Stain would rid the world of false heroes, destroy them and pave the way for a new golden age! The man threw his phone away, uncaring of what would happen to it. He no longer needed it, with Hero Bling useless. He would only rely on himself to tell the false from the true heroes. It was all he needed.

 “Yeah, ONE time they got it right, and they love to keep printing their crap. Any other website or news source will have actual proof and facts but them? Nope.” Midoriya snorts. “It’s good for a laugh, though.”

 “It is,” Iida remarks. “Tensei has a collection of the most ridiculous ones.”

 “Heh, well, maybe we’ll find our own collection after the sports festival,” Midoriya chuckles as she fiddles with her phone. “Alright, so Orange Juice sponsored by Fatgum so far has given you the fastest time. Should we try Juicers next, or are you satisfied?”

 “Let’s try. I assume that Fatgum’s product is better because he requires food for his Quirk. Juicers is sponsored by J-Us, who uses juice as a weapon. It might be better.” Iida says with a nod.

 The two heroes mentioned made notes to send some free products to the Iida family. The name drop would be good for business which would help the charities their products supported.

 “Who’d think that Midoriya’s love of Quirks would give us such good training ideas… oh wait, we did.” Uraraka grins as Midoriya blushes.

 “It’s just a hobby.”

 “It’s a hobby giving us great ideas, thank you,” Uraraka tells her as Midoriya covers her face.

 The screen morphs again, showing them in class. Midoriya is writing down notes during Cementoss’s lecture.

 “And that concludes our lecture for today,” the hero proclaims. “I believe you have twenty minutes until Midnight is here to teach you History. Please behave.” He gives them all a look and then leaves the class.

 “Hey, Midoriya-“ Kirishima says, turning to her. “Is Tomoe still asleep?” Midoriya looks to the playpen, where Tomoe is wrapped in a blanket.

 “She is. She had a fever last night. I’m pretty sure it’s her Quirk still. Mental Quirks take longer to fully adjust after all,” Midoriya says softly.

 Izumi bit her lip, looking at her daughter. The future was painting a lot of long nights for Tomoe, making Izumi worry more. Would she be okay? Would the threads cause discomfort? Or would she be okay?

 “I remember,” Ashido spoke up. “When I was a kid, my horns growing in had me be so clumsy I kept tripping over my own feet.”

 “Man, that sucks,” Ashido declares. “I know when my horns grew in, they hurt so bad. Like I was sobbing for WEEKS.”

 “That too!” the pink girl said, pointing at the screen.

 “My engines ached when I was younger, all the time,” Iida agreed.

 “I gave myself my scar with my Quik!” Kirishima laughed.

  “I still need to wear gloves at night….” Uraraka said with a groan. The class trading stories made Izumi feel better, at least. Tomoe’s suffering wasn’t her fault, not at all.

 “Ribbit, I can’t think of how hard it is when it’s physical and mental,” Asui says thoughtfully.

  “It’s annoying,” Tokoyami voices as Dark Shadow peeks out of him.

 “It is,” the Quirk agrees. “So much stimulation and no one understands. I just wanted to play!!!” Dark Shadow huffs.

 “… Dark Shadow, I have a question-“ Midoriya beings. Uraraka giggles while Iida chuckles. “Both of you don’t.”

 “What is so funny?” Kaminari asks.

 “Midoriya loves Quirks. She already broke down Iida’s into like several different thought processes, and then we experimented. He can now go twice as fast as before,” Uraraka explains.

 “Truly?” Iida looked interested, turning to Izumi. “Have you thought of anything for me yet?”

 “Not yet,” Izumi admitted. She gestured to the screen. “I’ve been busy with the future and everything.”

 “Well, when you do, I am eager to learn more about my Quirk!” Iida said proudly.

 “Same!” Uraraka said, pumping a fist into the air. The rest of the class agreed, grinning at Izumi.

 “You already totally flipped one Quirk on its head!” Kaminari said happily. “I wonder what you’ll reveal about Tokoyami’s!”

 “Revelry in the dark,” the bird-headed teen muttered.

 “What does that mean?” Uraraka asked in confusion.

 “Indeed.” Iida agrees. Midoriya blushes, embarrassed, as the rest of the class looks at her in surprise.

 “I grew up thinking I was Quirkless; I developed a love for them anyway. I have notebooks upon notebooks of thoughts.” Midoriya says.

 “Your stalker notebooks,” Bakugou sneers.

 “Not stalking if we go to the same school and go on the same route home or so school,” Midoriya says very dryly. She turns to Tokoyami. “ANYWAY- Dark Shadow. Do you use he/him pronouns? Or do you use any other?”

 The Shadow poked out of Tokoyami again, eyes wide. “What?”

 The Quirks draws up a bit, the glowing eyes looking like they’re blinking. “I… I’ve never been asked that before….” The Quirk looks thoughtful as Tokoyami’s eyes are slightly wide as he glances at the Quirk. “I…. you know I don’t actually like them. I don’t know why.”

 “Are there any you do like?” Midoriya asks.

 “…I don’t know….” Dark Shadow says slowly. “Why are you asking me this?”

 “Because while sentient Quirks are possible, usually the intelligence is about the same as a dolphin. Smart but not truly human smart.” Midoriya explains. “You, however, can articulate your own thoughts, have your own feelings, and even do not identify as the gender of Tokoyami!”

 “Oh!” Yaoyorozu said, Izumi gasping it along with her. Izumi yanked out one of her notebooks to begin writing it down.

 “Oh!” Yaoyorozu gasps. “Like Anders?”

 “Exactly!” Midoriya says. She turns to the bird-like pair. “He’s a German doctor whose twin brother was absorbed into the womb. No DNA shows it, but they discovered that his Quirk was actually his twin who was absorbed into the womb.”

 “No DNA shows it at all?” Tokoyami asks, eyes wide.

 “None.” Midoriya nods. “So I’m not saying you are, but is it possible?”

 “… We need to speak with our parents,” Dark Shadow says. “Now.” Tokoyami stands up and hurries out of the room.

 “What the FUCK?!” Dark Shadow squawked as Tokoyami gaped at the screen. It looked a bit funny, given his bird features. “We might be TWINS?! I… oh god, I think I… AHHHHHHHH!”

 “Calm down!” Aizawa shouted as Tomoe let out a cry. Izumi stopped writing to get up and check on her daughter. Luckily she just looked stunned rather than scared.

 Meanwhile, the Tokoyami parents were trading extensive looks.

 “I… we need to contact a specialist.” Mrs. Tokoyami said.

 “Indeed.” Mr. Tokoyami agreed.

 “Midoriya, you just gave the two of them an entire shock,” Uraraka remarks. “…do someone else next.” The class laughs quietly but happily as Midoriya goes bright red, putting her head on her desk and covering it with her arms. Only Bakugou doesn’t, his face angry as he glares.

 The screen shifts again, showing Midoriya doing homework at a kitchen table. Across from her is Present Mic, dressed down once more. He is typing away on a laptop. Toddler babble is heard in the background, mainly containing the word kitty.

  “Can no one write?” Present Mic grumbles out loud.

 “No,” Aizawa said along with Nezu. The class was still a bit shaken up from the recent reveal, Dark Shadow panicking lowkey as they tried to think it through. Were they just a Quirk? Were they not? How could they TELL? What did it mean for them and Tokoyami!?

 “Wait, does this mean we’ll have 21 classmates?” asked Kaminari, frowning. “Man, that’s pretty cool!”

 “Wow, priorities,” Jirou said. Kaminari shrugged in answer.

 “Hey, sometimes thinking of that stuff helps.”

 “SORRY, STILL PANICKING!” Dark Shadow yelped. Aizawa hesitated before activating his Quirk. Dark Shadow hissed, jumping back into Tokoyami.

 “Apologies,” the future teacher said. “But we need to approach this rationally.”

 “I may have a sibling living in my head,” Tokoyami said dryly. “And it may be a sister.”

 “... doesn’t mean we have to panic.”

 “Writing in English is hard,” Midoriya remarks. “They have so many weird rules.”

 “You’re not wrong,” Mic sighs. “I before e except after c, the constant changing of the to word… I don’t blame them for being confused.” He shakes his head. “At least this is better than the first papers.”

 “The ones where we wrote down all the words in English we know?” Midoriya asks.

 “Yes. I always get a few jokers who write swear words. They always get a fail on that one,” Mic scoffs. Midoriya stares at him.

 The English speakers all looked at Hizashi. Toshinori even snorted loudly as the English teacher blushed hard.

 “I know English swear words, and I’ve seen some of your fights,” she tells him. Mic blinks and then laughs, a blush on his face.

 “Oh, I’m not against swearing. Let loose if you need to; forbidding words is stupid and does nothing but make them look shinier for kids. No, my issue is when that’s the only reason they want to know a different language is to swear in it. It’s ridiculous.” Mic scoffs.

 “Yeah!” Hizashi said instantly. “It’s rude and disrespectful. I sure hated it when what’s his face, the American transfer in our years, learned the swear words first.”

 “English has the best curse words,” Kaminari remarked. “But you’re not wrong. My cousins only ever wanna learn how to curse.” Hizashi pointed at him.

 “See? It’s just rude.” Hizashi shook his head. “And cheapens the entire experience of learning new words!”

 “Oh, that does sound rude,” Midoriya admits. I wonder who did it, she thinks before returning to her homework. A white cat suddenly jumps onto the table with a meow as giggles fill the room.

 “Kitty!” Tomoe cries. Midoriya cranes her head and laughs.

 “Yeah, one got away from you, but it looks like the others are good,” she calls. Mic chuckles.

 “Yeah, Bastard likes being played with,” Mic tells her. “Miss Fluffypaws less so.” He pets the cat, and Midoriya grins at him, even as the cat flops onto her homework.

 “That’s a cute cat,” Hizashi said, eyeing the cat as Tokoyami slipped out of the room to call his parents. “Guess we’re getting more cats.”

 Izumi spotted the grin on Shouta’s face. Someone was happy about that.

 “Kitty?” Tomoe asked, looking at the screen. She beamed. “Kitty!”

 “I think any cat you guys will get now is gonna be hers,” Izumi said.

 “Any cat we get!” Hizashi corrected her. “Your home is ours now!”

 “I’ll take that as a sign the cats think I’ve been doing this too long.” Midoriya laughs. “Do you want me to get started on supper?”

 “Only if you want to. Sho will nap for another hour, and then I have two hours before I need to head out to do the radio show,” Mic tells her. “Usually, the two of us just have sandwiches and some vegetables here.”

 “I tend to have a heavier meal,” Midoriya admits. “I do heavy meals at night to compensate for my workout throughout the day.”

 “Makes sense. We do heavy lunches,” Mic muses. “What did you do last night when Sho and I were at the doctor’s? The last few days have been all over the place.”

 “Iida invited Tomoe and me out to dinner since he knew you two were out,” Midoriya tells him. “We had American-style cheeseburgers. Uraraka was working, so she didn’t join us.”

 “Thanks, Iida!” Izumi said to Iida, who nodded at her.

 “Of course! You’re my friend, and I don’t mind treating you or Tomoe!” he said proudly. Izumi smiled thankfully at him. Ashido looked between them, a slight grin crossing her face.

 That was cute. Not that she expected anything- she might be excited if classmates would get together, but she’d never actually ship real people. That was way too weird to think about.

 “That sounds amazing,” Mic says. “Hmm, I think we have some chicken defrosting. What do you say we figure out something with it?” He grins at Midoriya, who smiles back.

 “Sounds good.” The screen moves, showing the two cooking and talking, though what they’re talking about is unheard. Instead, the smiles and laughing faces are what are focused on.

 In his lair, Izumi’s father frowned at the screen. The idea that his daughter was finding joy in others like that disturbed him. At least he had made contact with her now to establish himself as her father still. He may have accepted their part in his daughter’s life, but he would not allow them to take her from him.

 In a small room, a little girl watched with wide eyes. Limitless seemed so happy with the hero. They were making faces that meant happiness she saw in the anime she got to watch. Smiles, right?

 Eri clutched the soft toy in her arms tighter. Maybe she could have that too, one day. Maybe… maybe she could stand with the hero and Limitless one day. She just needed to get out. One of the men didn’t protect his keys as much as the others who escorted her.

 She wondered if she could make it for real if she tried again.

 The screen shifts again to show Asui and Midoriya at the pool. Both are dressed in the UA swimsuit, and Midoriya holds a stopwatch.

 “And go!” Midoriya calls out. Asui throws herself into the pool and dives deep to drag up a ball using her tongue. As she does, Midoriya picks up another and tosses it in, followed by another. Asui goes after each ball and swims up to the top after she’s got them all.

 “Ribbit,” she groans out as Midoriya looks at the watch.

 “Two minutes!” she chirps. Asui grins.

  “Excellent, ribbit.” She lifts herself out of the pool. “You want to try?”

 “Knowing me, I’ll kick all the water out of the pool.” Midoriya snorts. “Besides, I’m a terrible swimmer.”

 “Oh god, I am,” Izumi agreed with her future version.

 “Never learned?” Asui asks.

 “I can swim,” Midoriya tells her. “But I don’t like it. I can’t keep my head up properly.” She chuckles. “When I was training with my mentor, he had to get me a kickboard for swimming.”

 “It was like watching a dying seal,” Toshinori remarked. “Or a snake flopping around.” That got giggles that Izumi shrugged at while Tomoe looked around the class in confusion.

 “I won’t deny it.”

 “All Might, right?” Asui asks. Midoriya pauses. “I’m not stupid, Izu-chan, Ribbit.”

 “Yeah,” Midoriya agrees. “All Might is my mentor. We’re keeping it quiet, though.”

 “Makes sense; they’d expect you to be his successor in full, ribbit.” Asui nods. “You don’t want that.”

 “Rather not no, not with Tomoe.” Midoriya nods. The two sit together for a moment, neither speaking.

 “It’s hard being a teen parent.” Asui whispers. Midoriya glances at her. “It’s not the same, but… I’ve basically raised my younger siblings. I had to, ribbit.”

 Shouta looked at the frog girl, who looked back passively. “Are your siblings safe?”

 “Yes,” Asui ribbited. “Dad got a job working from home so he can be around to look after them.”

 Shouta nodded his understanding, even as he made a mental check to look into the family. Parentification was something very easily done, and it could ruin people. He didn’t want kids being subjected to it.

 “It’s not fair,” Midoriya says softly. “But I don’t regret her. I never will.”

 “Me either,” Asui says. “My mom and dad got sterilized because they know it’s wrong. Regular birth control doesn’t work for them. Dad got a remote job so he can work from home with. We’re still getting used to it since it was only a few months ago.”

 “Yet you still should never have faced that.” Midoriya murmurs.

 “Yeah.” Asui nods. “But I did.” She sighs. “You’re a good person Izu-chan, ribbit.”

 “Thanks, Tsu,” Midoriya says back. “I try to be someone my daughter can look up to.”

 “I think you managed.” Tsu nods seriously. The two grin at one another before the screen changes to show Midoriya and Kaminari walking down the hall. Midoriya has a bandage on her cheek, and Kaminari has one around his hand. They look tired as they walk down the hall, though Kaminari is also frowning, squinting at nothing. Midoriya glances at him.

 “You’re thinking hard,” Midoriya says to Kaminari. “What’s up?”

 “Oh well… it’s really stupid,” Kaminari admits.

 “Nothing is stupid,” Midoriya disagrees as she turns to frown at him. “…Okay, some things are, but you’re not.” Kaminari laughs before he shrugs.

 “Why can werewolves only be killed by silver bullets?” Kaminari asks. Midoriya pauses in midstride, turning to him.

 “What?” she asks.

 The question was mimicked in the classroom and around Japan as people looked at the screen in confusion.

 “That is a bit of a dumb question,” Z said as she stopped kissing Dabi. They’d made it to Z’s hotel room, a fancy place with a nice view of the city. Not that they were paying attention.

 “Agreed,” Dabi said, sighing. It was too weird to try and go further while this was happening, but he wished they’d kept kissing. Discussing his brother’s class didn’t appeal over that.

 “Aww, missing my mouth already?”

 “It’s a very nice mouth.” Dabi lazily defended himself, making Z chuckle lowly.

 “Flatterer.” she leaned back in to kiss him, Dabi happily obeying.

 “I was reading a pre-Quirk book about werewolves, and it got me thinking, why silver? A regular bullet to the head kills no matter what; why is silver specifically needed?” Kaminari asks. Midoriya opens and closes her mouth, blinking.

 “I… huh. You’re right. Why… why silver?” Midoriya frowns. “Is… is it like a pure metal?”

 “Wouldn’t iron work then?” Kaminari asks. “Iron works for other monsters, right?”

  “For fae and other beings, yes,” Yaoyorozu said cautiously.

 “Ghosts to right?” Kirishima asked. “If we’re sticking strictly to western versions.”

 “Wasn’t that just due to some old show?” asked Kaminari. “Super-whatever?”

 “I heard they really took liberties,” Ashido said. “Bad ones.”

 “Old shows were like that,” Kirishima said.

 “Shows now do,” Kaminari said blandly. “It’s pretty obvious.”

 “Possibly… you know, maybe it has something to do with the moon? Artemis from Greek Mythology wore silver and was the moon goddess, right?” Midoriya asks.

 “Right, but then it brings me back to my original point,” Kaminari says, lifting a hand to point a finger toward the ceiling, “a bullet is going to kill you if shot in the head.”

 “The authors wouldn’t have fun with the characters if a single bullet could kill them,” Midoriya tells him.

 “You’re not wrong, but again- it’s sort of shoddy storytelling if you don’t explain it,” Kaminari replies. Midoriya nods and then squints, staring at the wall. Kaminari waits patiently.

 “What if the werewolf is incredibly durable,” Midoriya muses, walking again. Kaminari follows, listening to her. “Like, let’s say that a werewolf’s bones are too tough for a regular bullet to be able to penetrate. But a silver bullet weakens the durability letting it be able to kill the werewolf.”

 “That makes sense… but the knock could make it worse,” Kaminari points out. “A bullet shooting you still could cause problems.”

 “You’re right,” Midoriya says as the two enter the classroom. Aizawa isn’t in yet, and the rest of the class looks relaxed. “I think there was a hero a few years back with durability who got shot in the head. He lived then but later had an aneurysm. So… again, why wouldn’t a regular bullet kill a werewolf?” The entire class stares at them in confusion.

 “If the durability extends to the brain, it could,” Jirou calls out. The two look over at her, and she shrugs, looking shameless. “I overheard. So, let’s say werewolves have extreme durability and can withstand being shot unless it’s a silver bullet which weakens their durability.”

 “Yeah!” Izumi nodded. “That would make sense, like a Quirk that gives durability, right?”

 “So silver would be like a purifier? Removing their curse?” Yaoyorozu hesitantly offered out loud.

 “Oh, that would work,” Kaminari said. “Lots of symbolism still then, too.”

 “Right,” Midoriya nods. Shouji speaks up then.

 “Would they be unable to use some medicines? Isn’t silver used sometimes?” he asks.

 “For infections, but if they’re super durable, they probably have some sort of healing factor,” Yaoyorozu speaks up slowly. “So they could avoid it.” Silence falls across the group before Uraraka slams her hands onto the table.

 “Zombies!” she cries.

 “Again?!” Iida asks. “Uraraka, we had this conversation with Midoriya already! Zombies would decay too fast to be a problem!”

 “Aww, she’s like any other teenager,” a woman said to her friend. “Discussing random things with them.”

 “It is cute. And that’s a good point; zombies would not be a threat.”

 “Especially in certain climates,” Midoriya agrees instantly. “The threat would be gone within a month.”

“Unless,” Aoyama speaks up, looking thoughtful. “The reanimation they have gone through keeps them in good condition, no?”

 “That would then beg the question,” Tokoyami says, leaning forward in his seat, elbows on his desk. “Are we speaking of magical zombies or disease-driven zombies? There is a difference there.”

 “Magic,” Midoriya and Kaminari say at the same time. The two share a quick smile before Midoriya continues. “Disease zombies are most likely still alive but are infected by a parasite. So if we want to discuss this, I vote we speak of magic zombies.”

 “Actually,” Yaoyorozu begins. “There’s actually a fungus that fits that description. It’s known as ophiocordyceps unilateralis. It only affects insects, though.”

 “The old pre-Quirk video game series The Last of Us has it affecting humans,” Satou says. They all pause to look his way. “I like video games; the retro ones are fun.” He says with a shrug.

 “They are,” Sato agreed. Yaoyorozu looked at him in surprise.

 “I didn’t know an old game would touch on that; it seems very far-fetched.” She said.

 “A lot of retro stuff works way better than the stuff today.” Kaminari voiced. “Lord of the Rings is way better than Heroes Among Magic.”

 “That series is so full of plot holes I wanna scream,” Izumi muttered. “I like Magical Academia better.”

 “That anime about the magical beings pretending their magic is actually Quirks?” Ashido asked. “It is pretty cute.”

 “It’s adorable and way better, given they lean into the magic rather than act as if Quirks solve everything.” Izumi agreed.

 “For the sake of our discussion, let’s say the zombies are magic.” Iida declares, one hand in the air.

 “Magic rules change depending on the world you’re in, ribbit.” Asui remarks, a finger poised at her mouth. “So what rule set are we talking about here?”

 “Perhaps the magic can preserve the body of a zombie allowing it to continue its rampage,” Tokoyami voices.

 “But then, if that’s the assumption, then anything that could cause brain damage would do it,” Uraraka says. The class looks at her in shock. She blinks back. “What? The head being intact is a loose way of saying it- any damage to the head could count as being unintact.”

 “True,” Midoriya says. She moves to sit at her desk, and Kaminari moves to his as well. The playpen is up with the cover over it, and the soft sounds of a toddler sleeping coming from it. “How about… the skull and brain must be in one piece to keep the zombie alive. No pieces can be missing. You can damage it all you want but removing the head removes it from controlling the body, and breaking the skull kills it.” Midoriya says.

 “Assuming that combat is the end goal, and magic exists,” Iida begins, moving to put his hand on his chin, “that would mean the smartest move would be to either find a spell that specifically deconstructs necromancy magic or otherwise fall into basic combat with the opponents head as the primary target.”

 “Or to blow them up!” Bakugou shouts, a grin on his face. Midoriya sighs, looking put out, until Kaminari groans.

 “No! That’s boring! No Quirks!”

 “Yeah, it’s no fun if we default to Quirks. Let’s assume that we can’t use them.” Ashido agrees. Bakugou looks shocked as he stares at the group.

 “Thank you!” Izumi said huffily. “Everyone always defaulted to Quirks before.”

 “Indeed, if we assume that this takes place in a world where perhaps only some of us have magic, it is more interesting.” Yaoyorozu nodded.

 “It’s Manly!” Kirishima cheered.

 “Yeah!” Kirishima agrees. “It’s more manly to think about it without Quirks!”

 “In this scenario, to best combat a zombie, you would want either a wizard or some sort of spellcaster or a trained martial artist,” Ojiro interjects.

 “You’d also want some sort of protection than to,” Hagakure voices. The arms of her sleeves lift up. “Possibly chainmail?”

 “It’s heavier than it looks,” Ojiro interjects. “I wore some for a renaissance fair.”

 Kouda tapped on his desk to get the class’s attention before he began singing, the screen showing a translation at the bottom. “If you have the right kind of teeth, you can bite through it without breaking it first, too. You’d want a cloth that’s highly tear resistant.”

 “That’s a good point; thank you, Kouda,” Shouji said to the quiet boy, who hesitantly smiled back at him.

 “Scuba diving gear would work,” Asui says, a ribbit softly following.

 “There’s this old book called the Zombie Survival Guide that suggests the stuff people wear in shark cages.” Kaminari offers.

 “Oh, that stuff has like three layers!” Kirishima says eagerly. “Most of the time, it’s made out of impact-absorbing foam, kevlar, and Kydex plating!” The class looks at him in surprise, and his face goes red. “I had a shark phase when I was little because of my teeth.” He admits.

 “That was adorable,” one of the Kirishima men said to the other. “Remember his little onesie?”

 “With the hood to give him a shark head? Yes. God, I nearly died from the cute.”

 In the classroom, Izumi also cooed a little.

 “Did you have a onesie?” she couldn’t help but ask. Kirishima flushed.

 “Yeah, I did.”

 “Awwww,” the class all said. Kirishima looked conflicted before he shrugged. It would be manly to accept the coos.

 “So a turtleneck of that would also work on things that bite. Like vampires and werewolves.” Kaminari says, leaning back in his chair to hang his head back, locking eyes with Kirishima.

 “Well, it depends on what sort of vampires or werewolves again,” Midoriya says. “With enhanced speed or strength, they could bite through.”

 “Indeed, we haven’t defined werewolves or vampires just yet.” Iida agrees.

 “Well, if we’re giving werewolves durability as we stated….” Yaoyorozu hums. “Let’s assume that we’re only talking about the ones who transform during full moons and can only spread the curse at that time. With features, let’s go with similarity to Hound Dog in shape. We have durability, some increased strength, speed, and senses, but nothing to a full-on inhuman degree.”

 Hound Dog chuckled, nodding his head. Hearing the kids happily discuss such a conversation was nice. Being children were what they should be doing, not worrying about villains and such early on in their high school careers.

 He also did nearly name himself Werewolf. He thought it funny but was told to go with Hound Dog to sound friendlier.

 “But theoretically, stronger than a shark,” Kaminari suggests. Yaoyorozu gives a half nod at that. “And vampires then?

 “What sort of vampire? Classic? Movie? There are a lot of vampire-like beings around the world, and just sticking to the regular type with Christian-based weaknesses doesn’t make sense.” Uraraka says.

 “How about the movie type with… any religious item that the person fully believes in working,” Midoriya proposes. “So, like, a cross works for a Christian or Catholic or whatever but won’t for a Buddhist.”

 “Meaning if you’re an atheist, then you have to rely either on something else or have someone who isn’t an atheist with you. Then omnists could use anything.” Kaminari interjects.

 “An atheist could use a science book.” Midoriya jokes. Ashido suddenly giggles and reaches into her bag. She pulls out the textbook and shoves it at Aoyama.

 “I banish you, foul vampire, with my high school science book!” She cries out. Aoyama gasps and dramatically covers his face.

 “Ah, my eyes! It burns!” He fake sobs. The class all laugh, even Bakugou chuckling as the door opens and the mummified form of Aizawa appears. He stands there for a second before speaking.

 “You haven’t discussed sunlight either.” The class gasps in glee grins spreading across their faces right before the screen goes black.

 The timer started though the class didn’t notice, busy continuing their conversation.

 “Oaky so sunlight….” Izumi paused. “Well, why do they burn?”

 “I don’t know. You know that old show? Twilight?” Uraraka asked. “They remade it a while back.”

 “Oh yeah, apparently the original was really like… not great, so when it became public domain, they happily took it over,” Kaminari said. The class doubletake. “What? I like romance movies. They’re nice and almost always get a happy ever after.”

 “Well, the shining in the sun thing feels more real than burning up,” Uraraka said after a moment. “They’ve probably had centuries to figure it out, right?”

 “Magic or potent sunscreen then.” Izumi nodded.

 “So, how would we fight them?” Jirou asked.

 “Silver still works for them, but a wooden stake could also help. And garlic.” Izumi pointed out.

 “So repelling them, we know how, but actually fighting it would be…” the class discussed the question, happily debating the silly ideas. The teachers looked on fondly, happy for them to have a reprieve.

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Notes:

-Guess who’s back? Yes, tis I! I wanna apologize again for the long wait. I feel much better, and even used NaNo this year to build a backlog for some of my fics! Mostly the ones I have an actual plot like… plotted out for. POTSOD was one of them! So boom!

-Shinsou blushing?! Awww… it’s nothing serious really. Just a really pretty girl in some lovely light who is encouraging him and saying he can be a hero and helping him with his Quirk… yeah, nothing serious.

-Hero Bling… well it’s time to talk about Stain and Rorschach. For those curious, Rorschach is a character from Watchmen. A lot of people like him buuuut… he’s a loose canon with balck and white mentality and a violent streak. He typically gets his resources from one singular news source which is basically the National Enquirer or some sort of conspiracy theorists magazine. A lot of people idolize the guy, and think he’s cool when really? The guy was a horrible person who thought himself righteous. He might have had his ultimate turn into what he became being a horrific and fucked up incident, but he was just a horrific person. Sure his experiences shaped him and they were messed up but at the end of the day he was a terrible person. You don’t get a free pass for horrific shit even if you have a sad backstory.

 I know some people are upset that I’m ‘having Stain not be responsible’ as he gets misleading information… which I’m not actually. Stain is responsible for his actions and the fact he relies on one news source and makes his own assumptions about things? That’s terrible researching skills. Stain is a bad person. He’s right about hero society being corrupt but his actions are not okay either. The guy wants a cause and wants to think himself the hero ridding the world of filth. Much like Rorschach.

-I have NO IDEA where the twins thing came. It’s a fairly popular idea I know, and I think I mentioned it earlier but couldn’t find me denying it or confirming it… so here it is. Confirmation! The whole ‘Dark Shadow isn’t a guy’ thing also came from some special/OVA whatever where Dark Shadow is like six and a girl.

-Ashido likes romance but will NEVER ship real life people. She finds it weird to think about.

-Mic and Izumi bonding! Totally done only because we’re going to get a lot of bonding with Aizawa later so we need some Mic.

-The very long debate was between me and my beta. It was a bit of roleplay because we agreed it would be in character for this mess to start. It was a lot of fun!