#in which iori will not leave anyone else behind if iori can help it

[violettelueur]

— JUJUTSU KAISEN EPISODE FIFTEEN || KYOTO SISTER SCHOOL EXCHANGE EVENT - GROUP BATTLE 1

↳ featuring : basically everyone at this point from jujutsu kaisen

↳ warnings : EXTREME grammar issues

↳ form : story

↳ published : 22 march

↳ pronouns : she/her

↳ word count : 3.6k

↳ synopsis : within the jujutsu world, there were three famous clans to be aware of, the Kamo clan, Zenin clan and the Gojo clan. However, unknown to many sorcerers there was one last family that was known to be apart of the three, only for them to disappear after the golden era leading some to speculate that they had died in battle after the sealing of ryomen sukuna, but....

↳ previous episode : kyoto sister school exchange event - group battle 0

↳ next episode : kyoto sister school exchange event - group battle 2

↳ barista’s notes : let me admit...i can’t wait for my school term to finish...i am so done with education at this point ʕ ꈍᴥꈍʔ but other than that, i will continue my best to study for my last four exams (ugh) and get the best grades that i can  ╲ʕ·ᴥ·　╲ʔ i hope you enjoyed this episode and let’s be excited for your coffee orders (requests) to be given at the 31st of March or 1st April ʕ≧ᴥ≦ʔ

BEFORE READING, I NEED YOU TO BE AWARE OF THIS:

1. the whole story belongs to Gege Akutami and the credits go to them and them only.

2. the spell curses used belong to Tite Kubo due to them being the ‘Kidos’ being used on the manga and anime ‘Bleach’ - but none is mentioned in this chapter.

2.5. for the ‘cursed spells’/kidos (bleach) i will link this video here and tell you the time stamp to check out what i am intending to show - remember i add a few twist here and there by adding the katana to link with Y/N’s cursed technique

no cursed spells used this episode..

3. if you are confused on anything, please don’t hesitate to message me since i know this whole thing is so confusing.

“We’re starting in one minute”

“Now, let’s hear a few words of well-appreciated encouragement from Iori Utahime-sensei,” Gojo suddenly declared, leading the mentioned teacher to look at her colleague in complete shock before quickly beginning to sprout out whatever came into her head.

“U-Uh...Um, some degree of injury will be unavoidable, but, um..now and then, help each other out..or something…” Utahime stuttered out causing you and everyone else from the Tyoko team to look up at the speakers in both confusion as well as fed-up expressions since all of you knew that it was one of Gojo’s teasing antics again.

“Times up,” Gojo quickly stated in a playful tone leading you to look off to the side as you began to look around the area since you were wondering how the principals, teachers and possibly other jujutsu sorcerers were observing you since there were no cameras located to which caused you to suddenly come in eye contact with a pair of piercing pure onyx eyes that were staring down at the group you were with now making you come to the conclusion that someone was using a technique that allowed them to share sights with crows or have their sense being shared with them...either way, it was like having someone watching you 24/7.

‘Creepy...it’s like they’re sensing my death’

“Hey! Gojo, you little…” Utahime yelled out, irritated that she was interrupted out of her little encouragement speech - well, it wasn’t like she had a lot to say to you all anyways.

“Now, let the sister school exchange event...begin!” Gojo enthusiastically yelled out like it was a sports match, encouraging everyone in your team to start running forward in order to gain a head start on whatever the plan was.

“Respect your seniors!” the Kyoto teacher exclaimed loudly through the speakers after since it seemed like she wanted to remind your adoptive father that she was older than him, which can to a surprise for you since she looked much younger than you thought she was - well...you could say Gojo was a bit of the worst end when you found out his age, he seemed completely younger than he had mentioned to you when he took you out to a dessert place after a mission he set for you.

“Ichiro?!” Itadori questioned as he turned back to look at the speakers as if he was going to get the answer he wanted while Fushiguro looked at him with a non-chantant look on his face.

“So stupid,” Kugisaki commented as she gave off a disappointed look as she continued to run.

“Where do you think the cursed spirit boss is?” Itadori asked both Panda and Maki as he came toe to toe with them as he ran since he was truly determined to win this event as soon as possible.

“It was probably unleashed halfway between both schools, but it’s not just going to sit still, we just need Gojo to get there first to exorcise it since she isn’t allowed to fight anyone,” Panda answered, as you managed to catch up to your first-year classmate leading him to question how fast you could actually run since you didn’t show any athletic signs back when you and him were students at Sugisawa Municipal Highschool.

“At the time we agreed upon, we’ll split up into the Megumi squad and the Panda squad for scouting, we’ll be counting on you after that, Yuji,” Maki stated while turning her head slightly to look at the younger student leading Itadori to give her an encouraging salute and smile informing her that he knew what he had to do.

As you all continued to run, the black demon dog was running in front of all of you while barking to indicate where he was going leading you to quicken your speed to make sure you didn’t lose track of it since you now had the role to exorcise any curses that were around with the help of Maki, no matter what grade they were.

“Where are you going?” a spider curse questioned as it began to hang down by a string of its web, trying to seem intimidating when in reality it really wasn’t.

“That's a small fry,” Panda commented, leading you to unhook your katana that was behind your back from its position as you prepared to exorcise the thing by sliding it with the wooden stealth one since it was an extremely weak curse anyway. However, before you could even push yourself forward to cover the remaining distance that was between you and the disgusting spider curse, the demon dog that was in front of you turned it’s head to the side as if it had sensed something else from a distance.

“Gojo, stop!” Fushiguro shouted at you causing you to turn back to him before pressing your front foot to the ground to help slow down and halt your movement causing the demon dog to stand proactively in front of you as a sudden eruption of broken tree trunks as well as a huge cloud of debris covering the remaining path that everyone was running in leading them to pause around you.

Rapidly, as fast as the destruction came was as fast as the instructor appeared from the mist as Todo struck everyone was a confident grin since he was joyful that he had found everyone from the Tokyo team right in front of him - it was as if he had struck gold.

“Great! You’re all here! Come at me altogether! I want a re-match, Gojo!” Todo declared ambitiously as he pointed at you, leading everyone to go into a fighting stance since they didn’t want the possibility of losing you even when you knew that they knew that you could defend yourself, just not attack your opponent back at all.

As expected, Itadori took the first step as he ran towards the large student before suddenly jumping up to reach and grab onto Todo’s face as he proceeded to slam it against his knee, causing you to slightly cringe since you didn’t want to know how much pain his nose might be going thought at the very moment in time.

“Gojo! Don’t worry, I got Todo in check!” Itadori informed you, leading you to smile and nod at him as a way to thank him, causing Maki to shout out the command that everyone needed to do right now.

“Scatter!” Maki yelled out causing everyone to run off in two different directions with Kugisaki, Panda and Inumaki going to the left side of the forest, while you, Fushiguro and Maki took the right side, as you all needed to go in different directions to cover up a large amount of area you all had to cover in order to find the grade two cursed that was released for the players to exorcise to win the event for today.

“Todo was alone, it seemed like he really wanted to fight Gojo though,” Fushiguro commented as he turned back to look at you and Maki, while still running since there was a possibility that the grade-one sorcerer would come looking for you.

“We were right to swap Gojo with Yuji into that role,” Maki stated as she turned to you with a confident smile on her face leading you to give her one back before shifting your eyes to the dark blue metal pole that was dangling on the side of your hip, where you held it in place with a black belt that Kugisaki had gifted you one day during one of your random shopping trips.

‘I’ll thank her again later when all of this is done’

                                          ꕥ

BEFORE THE EXCHANGE EVENT STARTED:

“Todo will absolutely be out to crush us straight away, Mai might follow behind him to come after me, too,” Maki mentioned to everyone, as she held her chin in a thinking posture as you sat next to her with your arms placed behind you to help support your upper body.

“Todo’s a monster, the worst possible outcome would be that we all face him and get wiped out,” Maki explained before turning to look at you before letting out a sigh of disappointment since she needed to change the current plan due to the fact there was a few new little rules being placed upon you to make the game fair. “So our plan was to leave just one person, that’s why we wanted Gojo to take him on since she is the most capable of keeping him at bay or more like knock him out to give us some time but rules are rules. Itadori, we’ll leave that role to you,” your senior classmate declared as she took in yours and Fushiguro’s suggestion from before leading to the mentioned sorcerer to point at himself with a little uncertainty.

“We’d rather not lose anyone who can scout out our enemies, you don’t have to beat him, just hold out as long as possible and buy is time,” Maki said with a smile as she lifted a thumbs-up to somewhat cheer up your classmate since she wasn’t completely sure on how well this plan would work, but she had a gut feeling that it was going to go well due to yours and Fushiguro’s previous statements.

“But you can be daring against him! To be blunt, we weren’t counting on your abilities anyway, so it won’t affect us too much if you have to quit,” Panda teasingly commented while giving him another thumbs-up, leading Itadori to inform his upperclassmen on how ‘mean’ his comment was in a whining tone.

“Sorry, Y/N. You wanted to face Todo, didn’t you?” Panda asked as he leaned his body forward to get a quick look at you.

“I’m good either way, it’s such a complete drag to fight him again anyways,” you answered before leaning your head back to face the ceiling as it seemed like a wave of unnecessary tension has been lifted from your shoulders - even though you knew you were more than capable of beating Todo, you weren’t too keen on fighting the close-ranged sorcerer since he was just plain annoying in your mind.

“But Senpai, if I’m gonna do this, then I’m gonna win,” Itadori declared with determination laced in not only his tone but his posture as well, leading you to look back down at him before gifting him an assured smile that quickly displayed itself of your face as you then gave him the final thumbs-up of approval that he needed.

‘Yeah, he’s got this’

                                              ꕥ

While you, Fushiguro and Maki continued to run in whatever direction you three were going in, you were more focused on locating the second-grade curse you needed to exorcise to get this event done and over with since today you weren’t really in the mood to get into many first - you didn’t even have a single drop of orange juice today, and that already made you irritated.

However, as you continued sensing for the cursed spirited that you required to know the location of, your mind couldn’t help but get distracted by the amount of cursed energy that was looming around the area Itadori and Todo were located before at least four people from the ground and one person from above started to unexpectedly move away from leading you to become perplexed but slowly beginning to understand what was happening as you looked up to the sky to find a familiar blonde-haired sorcerer as she rode a broom across the sky.

“Fushiguro, use Nue right now,” you commanded, leading your classmate to look at you before looking up at the direction you were staring at to finally understand what you meant, which caused him to quickly summon the owl-like shikigami right in front of you.

“Take her down,” Fushiguro demanded his shikigami leading to the bird to unexpectedly appear behind the flying sorcerer with purple electricity enveloping his wings before flapping them down to transfer the high voltage lighting bolts to the third-year student leading to her falling from the sky into the maltitude of trees below to break her falling or possibly help her land somewhere that was not the ground to have a lighter impact than it should really.

“That’s strange,” Fushiguro suddenly commented, as you and Maki halted on your sprint since you all knew you couldn’t discuss the matter in hand while running to god knows where you three were planning to head to.

“All the Kyoto students are moving together, they’re all going to the same location,” you mentioned as you continued to survey where they were heading off to with your sense still enhanced.

“You mean that’s where the target is?” Maki asked you since she didn’t have the ability to see cursed energy at all, unlike you and Fushiguro, while the divine dog decided to nudge his snout against the back of your hand leading you to rub its head causing it to emit a rubble/purr as it begins to lavish on the affection it was receiving from you.

‘Not really the best time, but why not…’

“No, unless the second-grade is especially cunning, my demon dog would have noticed it,” Fushiguro said in a stern tone causing the dog to bark once in response before returning back to the attention you were giving it. “They’re trying to kill Itadori, aren’t they?” Fushiguro rhetorically questioned, leading a sigh to come out of your mouth before you turned your head towards the predicted location where you could sense the Kyoto’s students' cursed energies.

“It’s possible,” Maki replied as her gaze moved downwards, trying to understand why they would attempt an assassination during the Kyoto Sister School Exchange Event, especially since the act of killing was prohibited as one of the main rules.

“I don’t sense that much hostility from them, but due to Itadori’s surprise survival, it is possible that Principal Gakuganji ordered then to that but to be honest, that was quite stupid of him since they don’t have the strength to even fully commit the assassination,” you quickly mentioned to your teammates leading them to look up at you with confusion on their faces.

‘I have to thank Gojo for this information later as well’

“Zenin Mai: grade three, Miwa Kasumi: grade three, Nishimiya Momo: semi-grade two, Muta Kokichi: semi-grade one, Kamo Noritoshi: semi-grade one and Todo Aoi: grade one,” you listed as you adding in their grades to make sure Fushiguro and Maki got an idea on what you were about to explain to them. “Out of all of them right now, Todo is the only one that has the capability to fight Sukuna, so Principal Gakuganji was willing to sacrifice his other students really quickly for the execution of Itadori since the rest of them wouldn’t survive,” you informed your schoolmates causing them to shudder at the fact on how informed you already were about the other students without them even ever mentioning about them to you.

“We’re turning back, guys,” Maki stated, causing you to turn to look at her before giving a nod to indicate to her that you understood what she wanted.

“Sorry,” Fushiguro unexpectedly apologised, while Maki just turned away and started to walk back in the opposite direction where everyone was running from.

“What are you apologising for, dummy? There’s no point in winning or losing the exchange event if your friend dies,” Maki said in a disappointed tone, leading to both you and Fushiguro to look at each other before starting to slowly follow her from behind leading you three to go back into the wooded area in search for the other Kyoto students, who were technically on the run now since they seemed to have failed to execute Itadori from what you could sense in the back of your mind.

‘Team Panda is probably doing the same right now since I can faintly sense Panda and Kugisaki going into the forest again, where is Inumaki though?’

                                            ꕥ

“They’re up ahead,” you informed both Fushiguro and Maki since you could feel a stronger presence of cursed energy that was in front of you, leading you to realise that there were at least two Kyoto students since the rest of them seemed to split off somewhere.

Maki turned back to you and gave you a nod before fastening her pace as she suddenly noticed a shine of blue hair coming into her view leading the weapons specialist to prepare her red spare before quickly appearing out from your guys hiding spot to attack Miwa, who quickly managed to notice your upperclassmen as she pulled out her katana from her sheath to deflect Maki’s surprise as well as incoming attacks.

“Gojo, go ahead and find the curse, I’ll take care of Kamo-san,” Fushiguro informed you to which you replied to him with a nod.

During that second, Fushiguro came out from the side and headed towards Kamo leading you to take the small time that you were given to go on ahead and search for the grade-two curse that you needed to exorcise, only to suddenly feel a presence coming from behind leading you to rapidly turn around while raising your katana at the same time, only to discover Kamo standing right in front of you with his bow making direct contact with your weapon, leading you to become confused on why the semi-grade one sorcerer would even try to sneak attack you from behind.

‘Huh?’

“You didn’t even unsheathe your weapon, that’s strange,” Kamo commented, leading you to give him a deadpan look since you didn’t want him to notice or sense your confusion right now.

“Didn’t your little principal inform you to not fight with me or are you just getting a little too confident? That attitude of yours is going to be a drag,” you stated back in a nonchalant tone.

“Kamo-san, are you guys planning to kill Itadori?” Fushiguro asked from behind causing the mentioned sorcerer to turn his head back to view the erratic-haired sorcerer, leading you to smirk before you switch your hand that was holding the katana as you swiftly pulled it back to thrust the tip of your katana into Kamo’s stomach causing him to widen his eyes in shock as an immense pain started to engulf him as his body was pushed back with vast pressure causing Fushiguro to move out of the way to avoid his body colliding with Kamo’s.

‘Don’t get distracted next time, you drag’

Holding onto his stomach, Kamo slowly looked up at you and Fushiguro before coughing out in pain since your attack was more than what he had expected.

“And if I said we were?” Kamo answered, causing you to look at him with massive suspicion in your eyes.

“You failed, then. Itadori wouldn’t go down in such a short time,” Fushiguro declared with a small praise for his friend as he raised his tonfa in a defensive pose while you just straightened yourself up since you had no worries about being attacked again.

“We have no reason to kill him,” Kamo stated with a smirk on his face causing you to turn your head to the side and scoff at him since it was hilarious that he was acting so confident after just barely managing to withstand a simple physical attack from you before you turned back to face him again.

‘What a drag~’

“Yes, you do. The higher-ups and the three major clans have plenty,” you mentioned before resting your katana over your shoulder to relax for a second since you could sense that this fight was either going to be easy or too easy for your liking.

‘It’s surprising that he is attempting to fight me though, I wonder if Gojo-sensei forgot to inform them about this little extra rule but I still need to find out about that mole...’

                                              ꕥ

“Ah~ I thought I told you to tell your students to not attempt to fight Y/N? they’re only going to get hospitalised in the process,” Gojo playfully asked, as he turned to look behind his seat to be eye to eye with the Kyoto Principal, who was in charge of informing his students about this new rule that he and Principal Yaga implemented.

“Well, she attacked Kamo, so she’s breaking the rule isn’t she?” Utahime asked as she took a sip from her cup leading Gojo to turn to look at her with a slight frown on his face.

“Well, your student did attack her first, she can’t help but retaliate since that was her normal strength right there. If it was any other student, they would have been eliminated real quick,” Gojo informed his colleague causing her eyes to widen before turning back to the screen to only discover your eyes were directly looking at her since you were directly looking at the crow that was inspecting you right now.

“She’s quite an interesting girl,” a sorcerer from behind commented as she proceeded to open her eyes. “Not only did she notice my crows looking at her since the start of the event, but she’s also quite strong, no wonder you took her in,” she mentioned as she faced forward to notice Gojo looking at her.

“She’s a tough cookie, isn’t she Mei-san?” Gojo said with a proud smile on his face before he processed to face the screens again with the smile now straightening.

‘I don’t know what he’s trying to do, but I know Y/N won’t fall for it naively, she’s more the type to manipulate his plan...besides, it’s as if she’s giving him a death glare right now’

This thought of his caused him to giggle lightly, creeping out Utahime as she stared at him in pure confusion.

‘I know she can do it’

© violettelueur 2021 : written and published by violettelueur - do not steal or repost

[nanaminokanojo]

Play the Game | Nanami Kento X You | Part 5/8

CHARACTERS: Nanami Kento X You (fem!reader | PLEASE READ THE NOTES BELOW*) | Gojo Satoru | Geto Suguru | Shoko Ieiri | Utahime Iori | other JJK Characters CHAPTER COUNT: 5/8 WORD COUNT: 3,900+ GENRE: romance | fluff | slight angst | smut | ooc depictions | female reader with described appearance* | modern au | rich people au | aged up characters CHAPTER TRIGGER WARNING: profanity| cigarette smoking | age gap | strong/mature/suggestive language | drug use SPOILERS: n/a STATUS: COMPLETED

collection masterlist

one - two - three - four - five - six - seven - eight

"Play the Game" Masterlist

The autumn winds heralded more clement weather, carrying the tart scent of peaches and pine in the air. With the balmier weather, everyone in the estate had taken their opportunity to be outdoors. Nanami himself had been dragged out and was walking with everyone who cared to go to the private orchards when at breakfast, the groundskeeper announced that everyone can go peach picking.

He watched from across the table as the object of his attraction visibly lit up, your glorious blue eyes brightening exponentially. You loved peach picking and he loved seeing you all excited over small things. But it turned out to be something of a disappointment when your attention turned to Geto instead of him, inviting him to go with you.

“You’re coming, aren’t you?” you asked expectantly, giggling like a little girl when Geto nodded, placing an arm over your shoulder and hugging you to his side while he said, “Anything for my favorite girl.”

My favorite girl. He had to stop himself from being petty and scoffing at the very thought of it. His annoyance was further validated when you generalized your invitation, saying anyone who wished to could come, voiced out by Yuuji who pouted at you and said you should have been inviting him since he loved picking peaches as much as you did.

That was just how it was with you when it comes to Geto. You forget everyone around you the moment he makes an appearance, and it seemed Nanami wasn’t an exception. He could accept that in the past. Ever since, you had been vocal about your preference for the dark-haired man who spoiled you to no end, letting you have your way and without fail made you smile and laugh like you never do with anyone else. When their group would go out, travel or do something else recreational, you’d always be where Geto was, dangling by his arm. You mellowed out with him when you met Yuuji, but the truth is that Geto Suguru is your favorite among your older brother’s friends.

This time, however, he couldn’t rest easy with you interacting that way with said male. If he was being honest, he only agreed to go peach picking after Gojo made him tag along because he wanted to keep a close eye on you. He was also being obvious about it with the way he was trailing you with his eyes every other five seconds, the realization dawning into him when Shoko walked beside him, grinning as she took a long drag from her cigarette.

“If you want to be with her, just do it,” the woman told him, easily reading him as usual. “You look like you’re about to blow your top.”

Nanami just glanced at you, his eyes involuntarily flicking to your familiar figure now circling around Geto as you walked, your hands and arms animatedly making big gestures as you seemingly explained something to him. He felt his temper rise when the male grabbed your arm, pulling you towards him so he could wrap an arm around you, his dark eyes finding Nanami over his shoulder in a sly taunt.

Shoko clucked her tongue, shaking her head. “We all know, Kento.” She glanced behind her where Gojo and Utahime were walking. “Only that white-haired idiot seems to know nothing. Or he pretends not to know.” She sighed. “I can’t blame him though. She used to be this really cute bundle of joy, but look at her now. She’s a grown woman.”

He couldn’t disagree with that. He knew exactly just how much of a woman you have become physically and mentally. What he doesn’t understand was why you weren’t walking with him instead while you’d be sneaking around with him, stealing kisses and hugs from him since the previous day when the pair of you returned from the lake.

At the rehearsal the previous night, you had stuck to him like glue, not that he minded. You purposefully touched him even when everyone was watching, running your fingers over his arm, leaning against him while everyone waited for their turn to practice their part for the ceremony and holding his hand while he sat with you in the garden during breaks, all the while feigning innocence to your actions. You even went to the extent of wrapping an arm around his waist while Gojo was speaking to you. The man, obviously aggravated, narrowed his eyes at you before turning on his heels and leaving.

“God, he’s so frustratingly dumb,” you muttered under breath, watching him leave. Only you had the guts (and right if Nanami was being honest) to call your brother dumb. It somehow made Nanami think that you were really just doing things to get a rise out of Gojo for whatever reason or whatever complex you had with him, but what confused him was that you didn’t stop even if your male clone wasn’t looking.

It was no different at the dinner that followed at the restaurant the family had rented for the night. You purposefully said you forgot something, declaring that you will be riding with Nanami instead, tossing your car keys to Megumi who saluted him while snickering with Nobara. Yuuji, being the most annoying of your three friends, deliberately bumped against him and said, “Make the most of it, Nanamin.”

He would have smacked the boy at the back of his head if the conniving little sprite dragging him around didn’t pull him towards his car. “Wait for them to leave,” you told him as you boarded his car.

“I thought you forgot something.” His lips quirked upwards, already realizing what you were playing at, but before he could say anything more, you grabbed him by the collar, silencing him with your lips. That ended up with you two being half an hour late to dinner after that one kiss turned into a full-on make-out session in his car with you sitting astride his lap while he kissed you stupid.

When both of you finally got to the restaurant, he expected you to let go of him, but you boldly walked with him to your designated seats, holding onto his hand as you led the way. He did not miss the way your parents were looking at the two of you, but he pretended not to notice. Your father was rather approving which was a relief but your mom was just confused. He could just surmise that your friends were in on it when you ended up sitting on the same table, reserving two seats for him and you, further proven when you exchanged high-fives with Nobara who, in turn, winked at Nanami. Of course, he thought, they knew.

You engaged in conversations with your friends for most of the duration of the dinner, but you never failed to smile his way or wink at him when you think no one’s watching. You didn’t ride home with him since he had to drive stupid Gojo after he got too drunk to function and instead drove your car with your pals. You and your friends didn’t come back for another hour, but when you got home, you rifled through the house, loudly asking everyone where he was.

Nanami had to suppress laughter as he crossed the foyer on his way to the stairs and saw how you pushed past Suguru to make your way towards him, latching onto his arm and announcing to everyone that you will walk him to his room cause he might get lost. You had giddily stuck to what you said you’ll do when he noticed how your eyes were bloodshot and you had that odd smile on your face.

“Sweetheart, are you high?” he asked, gently holding you at arm’s length. He already knew the answer to his question when he caught a whiff of weed on your hair. Typically, he’d scold you, but the way you were tittering for no reason was just too adorable for him to handle.

“Don’t be mad,” you said to him, attempting to pout, but you couldn’t in your state. You then started poking his cheek that he eventually had to hold your hands away from him. When you finally stopped laughing, you blinked up at him and said, “I want you to kiss me.”

He didn’t have to be told twice as he pulled you to a side hallway, pushing you against the wall, giving you a peck. You whined loudly. “You call that a kiss?” you complained.

“Be specific, love. How do you want me to kiss you?” he teased, leaning his forehead against yours, trying hard not to laugh as he held you back, preventing you from touching him. He was already aware of how you could easily take the reins and dominate him.

You smirked at him. “Kiss me dumb. Pretty please with a cherry on top, Kento?” You seemed to have discovered that calling him by his given name has become his weakness, and you succeeded because in the next second, he was all over you, prying your mouth open with his tongue as he pressed you against the wall with his body. You submitted to his touches, pulling him closer, your sensuous lips and the sweet flavor of your tongue driving him insane. Before he lost control, he walked you back to your room, defeating the purpose of you walking him to his.

But now, he had to watch you being monopolized by Geto.

He sighed. He could trust Shoko to shed off pretenses for once.

“You okay?” she asked.

He nodded. “I know she’s really fond of Suguru, but I can’t help but –” What was it that he felt exactly?

“You’re jealous. It’s natural especially when she was all clingy with you yesterday.” She chuckled. Shoko couldn’t have been more right, but the scene playing out before him was the least of his problems. It ran deeper than just the moment at hand.

Nanami promised to keep it a secret as Geto’s friend although it killed him a thousand times when three years ago, just a week before the time he had to haul you out of a bathtub after your cocaine episode, the male came to him, confiding that he wanted to pursue you romantically.

“Good luck on that,” he remembered telling Geto, feeling that same pang of envy pervading his system, but then the latter said, “It’s just that she said she likes someone else.” He looked at Nanami sharply as if he was angry at him for some reason, but retracted to his easy-going mood. “Forget I said anything. I can’t have her.”

“Why is that?” Nanami asked then.

At that, Geto smiled, sadness crossing his features. “I don’t deserve her.”

At odd to his words three years ago, Geto was as close to you as ever. You’re obviously still very fond of him. Still, Nanami wasn’t sure what the intention was behind Geto’s calculated actions. The man was just as aggravating as you are with your mutual penchant for games and keeping people on their toes.

Shoko stole him back from his reverie. “Just put a label on it already. She likes you, too, you know.”

“How do you know that?” he asked.

“Seriously?” She burst out laughing then. “Men are such dense creatures.”

“That’s offensive.”

“So is your obliviousness.”

“What does that even mean?”

She shook her head, her laughter dissipating. “Talk to her and find out.”

**

“I saw what you were doing with Kento last night.”

You looked at Geto who was walking beside you, not really knowing how to respond to his observations and settling for twirling the wicker basket you were holding. He flashed you a knowing smile, already used to your behavior when you were puzzling something in your head, caught up in your own bubble.

“I’m not as frustrated about Nanamin as much as I am with Satoru.” You sighed, remembering how your brother just walked away when he saw you holding onto Nanami, annoyed as if he thinks you were just trying to rile him up. “He’s so dense with things like this.”

“You’re one to talk,” Geto stated frankly, snickering at your appalled reaction. “On a more serious note, why?”

Letting up on your scowl, you said, “Well, he’s being a bitch about how I never tell him anything anymore. He asked whether I liked Nanamin and what was going on when I was being very obvious. I kissed the man in front of him, for heaven’s sake.”

��Sweetie, that’s not straightforward at all. You know yourself better than anyone, and seriously, even I get all confused as to whether you’re just messing with everyone, not to mention that you’re so erratic that we just don’t know what to expect from you.” Geto eyed you placatingly, letting you know that he was being earnest.

You easily laugh and smile because of him, but he just as easily offends your by being so brutally straightforward. You’re realizing that now that he was acting more like your older brother, and you knew you couldn’t get offended when you wanted assurance. “I just want to include him all the time but his reactions are so fucking infuriating. He treats me like a kid crushing on his friend if anything.”

“So, why not talk to him about it?”

“I don’t want to sit down and talk to him about it as if I’m asking for permission or approval. I love Satoru to smithereens – don’t tell him that – but he doesn’t get a say about what I want in life especially not where the people I date are concerned especially since he seems to have an aversion to me being attracted to any of you guys ever since I turned twelve.”

Geto chortled. “So you’ve been crushing on Kento since you were a kid?”

You made a face at him, punching him on the arm. “No, idiot. I liked you first.”

His eyes widened in surprise. “What?”

You momentarily stopped walking. “Yes, but then I found out what a womanizer you are but I won’t even venture into that. I’m not really fond of martyrdom,” you deadpanned.

Not even hiding his affront, he walked back to your spot and flicked you on the forehead. “I’m very offended you’d say that to me!”

“It’s true though.” You laughed, reaching over to squish his face before walking around him in circles. “If you think I’ll cry over your pretty face, you couldn’t have been more mistaken. Besides, I don’t want to share.”

“Now you’re just being a jerk.” He placed a hand over his chest, feigning insult. “I’m hurt, baby.”

“You deserve it for kissing that cheap model wannabe in front of me on your first runway show.”

“My, my. Your tongue’s loose today. Tell me more.”

“I settled for thinking I’ll just steal you from Satoru to be my best friend. Well, that’s before I met Yuuji. I guess I was just really jealous of what you and Satoru had. I wanted everything he had anyway until I realized that’s now how it works and there were things about me he couldn’t have either. Makes it fair.” You chuckled, finally making it in front of him. “Like that personalized plush bear you gave me on my eighteenth birthday. Man, that was huge.”

Laughing with you, he held onto your arm, pulling you close to him, glancing behind him.

“What are you looking at?” you asked, still giggling.

“Your boy toy would have killed me with those looks he’d been throwing at my direction since breakfast,” Geto whispered to you, making you look over your shoulder, too. There, you found Nanami, looking so breathtakingly gorgeous with the rakish way his hair had been styled and his chiseled physique outlined by the long-sleeved running top he had on. He’s been dressing more casually recently much to your satisfaction.

“Don’t call him that, He’s not my boy toy.” You couldn’t help but smile like an idiot. “Sometimes, I have to stop myself from jumping his bones.”

It was Geto’s turn to make a face at you. “Sweetheart, I love you, but don’t say those things to me. Anyway, are you two together now?”

You tensed slightly and shook your head. “That’s up to him.”

“What?” He scoffed. “In case you’re not aware, you’re a prize. Don’t go doing all the work.”

“I know.”

“He should fight for it, too, if he wants you.”

“So Yuuji says.”

“He’s right.” Geto stopped walking, placing his hands on your shoulders. “You know I love you right?”

You nodded, poking fun at him. “More than your hoes, I hope.”

He clucked his tongue, rolling his eyes at you. “I’m being serious here. You may think I’m a hedonistic bastard who only thinks about getting laid all the time, but you’re a different story, sweetheart. I treasure you like Satoru does, and if I see something wrong, it’s my duty to tell you.”

Seeing the somber look on his face, your smile dropped. “What are you getting at?”

“I don’t want you to get hurt,” he began. “Kento is a good man, better than Satoru and I combined to tell you the truth. But when it comes to things like this, he has the tendency to be indecisive.”

Your heart dropped, feeling nervous all of a sudden as your eyes widened in fear at the prospect. “Are you saying he doesn’t like me?”

“Honey, he loves you. I know so.” He snorted. “Bastard can’t even resist you anymore by the looks of it, but trust me when I say he’s going to over-analyze things because there are so many things to consider instead just going for it.”

“You mean Satoru?” you griped.

“One of them anyway.”

“O…kay.” You pouted in perplexity. “How would you advise me to proceed?”

Geto finally let up on the seriousness, bursting out laughing. “The gods are fair, aren’t they?”

Understanding why he was laughing, you punched him on the arm again. “I know I’m dumb at this, but at least try acting like the older, more mature one here. You should be flattered I’m coming to you for shit like this at all.”

Still laughing, he pulled you close and hugged you, planting a chaste kiss on the top of your head. When he was calm enough, he breathed out and squeezed you tighter. “Talk to him and be direct about it.”

**

You decided to approach Nanami when you spotted him alone under one of the trees, reading a book. The forgotten basket of peaches beside him, only half-filled, was indicative that he forgot about the activity at hand and is in his own world again. You adored his quiet side, the way he kept to himself, unafraid to be alone and always comfortable in his solitude, so much so that you hesitated to disturb him.

Quietly, you stalked towards him, making sure not to make any sudden sounds, but being him, he was immediately able to perceive your presence.

"You have a very dark taste in literature as a child," Nanami spoke when you’re within earshot, sensing your presence.

You frowned, sitting beside him, confused at first but upon seeing your battered copy of "Coraline" sitting on his lap, you understood what he meant. "Where did you find that?"

"In the library." He finally met your gaze, his expressions unfathomable. "I remembered you gushing about it when you first read it."

You nodded in understanding, but couldn't quite keep your mind in the conversation, plagued with thoughts of what Geto told you earlier. He was saying something about your fascination for the horror genre, but you cut him short, saying, "Can I ask you something?"

Nanami tilted his head slightly at the question, his quizzical gaze prompting you to proceed.

"What are we?" you blurted out, your blue eyes quite unable to meet his dark ones. You don't exactly know what was making you behave with such uncertainty. After all the times you had been confident where he was concerned, you were suddenly scared. You didn't fear being rejected by anyone. It has always been the case for you since you’re younger, but you were afraid of not knowing, of not being sure.

Nanami looked at you, deep in thought for a few moments until he finally told you, "That's up to you, isn't it?" His tone had a bite to it.

Unable to place where he was coming from at the moment, you hesitated. You rummaged through your head about what his response to you could imply, frowning when you came up with nothing. "What?" you said, thinking it better to ask.

"You heard me." He shrugged, opening the book to the page he was reading. By the looks of it, he was trying his best to ignore you.

You fought the urge to pose barb at him, too, wanting nothing but to get a straight response from him. "Why is it up to me?" You totally didn't understand, thinking it ought to be a decision the pair of you should make. Wasn’t that how it worked?

Silently cursing at the whole situation, you contemplated on your past relationships. All of them seemed less complicated. They liked you, you liked them. You decide to date, and when things don’t work out, the arrangement is broken off. High school and college boys were irritating to say the least, but you were expecting it to be a lot more straightforward with Nanami because he’s a mature adult. Now it seemed like you were in one of those previous relationships again.

“Elaborate on that,” you prompted him, seriously at a loss.

He closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Is this another game of yours?"

To say you’re appalled by his odd line of questioning was an understatement. Unable to control your emotions anymore, you stood up. "What are you talking about?" You burst out laughing without mirth. For once, you’re being direct with what you wanted. For once, you weren't playing and yet all you get are questions being thrown at you.

"Go play with Suguru. He seems to enjoy your antics more than anyone," he told you coldly.

"What are you on about?" you demanded from him. “I’m asking you a simple question.”

Nanami flashed you a tired smile. "Nothing."

"Nothing?"

He also stood up, obviously exasperated. "Look, I honestly don't know what we are. I'm not sure." He sighed when you eyed him in disappointment but that expression turned into icy indifference very quickly.

"You don't know," you repeated, nodding. "Okay. I see how it is."

For the first time in years, you felt stupid, so much so that you felt like tearing all the hair off your scalp. You didn't understand what was wrong with Nanami but so many thoughts ran through your head at the same time. You thought you might have asked too early. You thought maybe you read things between the two of you wrong. On top of all that, you felt so overwhelmed with anger over his response that you couldn't think straight, but you were also afraid of saying anything else in case your inner demon decides to jump out.

Turning away, you started walking away. You heard him call your name but you didn't look back, suppressing the urge to go back to him and instead storming out of the orchard. You didn't understand what the dull ache in your chest meant but you knew you couldn't handle it.

-end of part 5-

*I used “you” here, but since my character is Gojo’s little sister who is established to be his female clone for reasons essential to the plot, she possesses the same blue eyes and white hair. I did not exactly want to create an OC (although technically, I did by describing Y/N), but I opted for the best of both worlds in this fic, leaning more towards the literary aspect of it as opposed to it just being reader/you-oriented. I hope this isn’t iffy to anyone, and yeah, i’m not being exclusive or whatever.

Thank you so much for reading. Likes, comments and reblogs are deeply appreciated! Hope you enjoyed it.

© ORIGINAL WORK BY nanaminokanojo. CHARACTERS ARE INSPIRED BY GEGE AKUTAMI'S “JUJUTSU KAISEN.” [20210731]

PHOTO/IMAGE/GIF/FANART CREDITS TO THE RESPECTIVE OWNERS.

[ahiddenpath]

Epilogue Celebration: Family

I keep running behind with these, there’s so much going on!  HOW ABOUT THAT STEVEN UNIVERSE FINALE, EH?

I keep intending to write a ficlet, but I can never seem to stay on top of it.  I hope you’ll accept some miscellaneous 2028 family headcanons below the cut.

-Taichi is one of the last Chosen to have his first child, age wise.  This is partially because he’s busy representing digimon in human government, and humans to digimon.  It’s a difficult and demanding job, both in terms of the work and the emotional toll as a subset of humans exploit digimon and a large swath of humans fear them.  It often feels like Taichi is standing alone in a huge chasm between the two parties, trying to bring them together with little interest from either side.

So, yeah, he’s not really thinking about kids and family...  Except that he is, and he’s eating his heart out with indecision over it.  I think it takes a ton of courage and time for him to decide to become a father.

Like many of the Chosen, Taichi can’t spend as much time with his child as he would like because of his career.  Still, his son adores him and thinks he’s the best Dad in the world, an attitude helped along by Agumon constantly saying so!

Taichi is a laid back and indulgent dad, except when his Worry kicks in.  His wife has put him in parenting time out when he gets into his head and starts hovering too much.

-Yamato and Sora also waited a while to have kids because of their family backgrounds.  They wanted to really be sure that they were ready first, committed to each other and to their new family.  (I wrote a drabble that gets into it here, if you’re interested).

Because Yamato is an astronaut and Sora is a clothing designer, they rely heavily on their parents and Takeru for help watching their children.  This is difficult for them, because they very much want to be with their kids...  But they also want to achieve their own aspirations.  Luckily, their parents and Takeru all dote on the kids, and sometimes squabble a bit over who gets them next.

Yamato tries to be chill about it, but it’s embarrassingly easy to get him gushing about his kiddos and the wife.  Like, he’s that guy who starts every sentence with, “My daughter/son/wife/brother/Gabumon/nephew...”  Missions are really hard on him for this reason.  He’s known to tear up when talking to his family from space.

Sora is Best Mom, having trained since age 11 by handling the Chosen.  Even when she’s away, the kids can’t get away with anything; her Mom Powers elicit confessions without much effort.  The trick is that the kiddos just can’t lie to their adoring mother who takes such great care of them.

Sora does have to monitor herself closely.  When her emotional state is poor, she sometimes snaps at the kids for normal kid stuff.  Meanwhile, Yamato has to watch out for his tendency to send mixed messages by retreating when his emotions act up.

-I talked about Koushiro as a Dad a lot both here and here.  His Dad strengths are supporting all of his daughter’s interests and engaging with her via activities and teaching opportunities, but he’s not skilled at understanding and meeting her emotional needs and giving social advice.  Happily, I headcanon him marrying a lady who is well-equipped to cover those areas.  He also sometimes just... gets scared of doing the wrong thing and retreats, but again, his parents and his wife quickly learn when to intervene.

-Mimi also has a parent post here.  She’s great at interacting with her kid and having fun with him, and as an adult, she’s learned how to set boundaries.  Still, she has a tendency to spoil her son, so luckily, there’s a wide network of beloved people helping to raise him to balance that out.

-Jyou!  Oh my god, Jyou would be the most amazing dad, fight me (there’s likely no need). 

The thing I most want to say here is that Jyou goes out of his way to expose his son to all kinds of careers and hobbies.  In fact, he asks his friends, including the Chosen, to allow his son to participate in their “take your kids to work” events.  He tells his boy that he can be whatever he wants, and that while he wants his son to find his passion and succeed in it...  If he ever needs a place to fall back on, Jyou will be there.  

He doesn’t want his son to experience the pressure he felt.  Still, he is sure to instill the virtues of hard work and service.

Honestly, I think his only major flaw as a parent is worrying too much about his kids, and also spending too much time at work (he’s a doctor, so that’s inevitable).  Luckily, Gomamon is around to keep things light-hearted, and to remind Jyou that is family needs him and he needs to go home now.

-Takeru is a great dad, and I think having his own family was really...  A dream?  Just a dream come true for him.  After his parents divorced, I think it’s clear that Takeru wanted his family back, the way it used to be.  These days, he has both parents (and they love babysitting), his brother, his sister-in-law, their kids...  And he has his own wife and child.  Things are no longer quiet at home or awkward with his parents.

Honestly, I think Dad Takeru is living his best life and organizing play dates and is just so happy.  He’s amazing with children, and they love him...  But his adult friends know to be wary when their kids and Takeru huddle up.  What the hell kind of mischief is he encouraging?  At least they never have to wait long to find out.

-Hikari is also an A+ Mama.  Her warm, sweet aura soothes kids and inspires good behavior, but don’t think she can be walked on!  A teacher takes no guff and knows how to convince kiddos to behave.

Hikari needs to learn to tend her mental health with love, care, and regularity.  Teaching saps her emotional strength, and she often feels depleted, but forces herself to keep smiling and giving her all.  There are times when everything just reaches critical failure levels, and she melts down.  

So, Hikari...  I’mma need you to love yourself the way you love everyone else.

-Oh my God, Daisuke.  Sometimes, he acts more like a brother or uncle than a father, so his kid gets away with things that he... probably shouldn’t.  I’m hoping he is with someone who disciplines instead of joining in on nonsense!

I can tell you that his son adores him, though.  They live a fun, loud, and noisy life!  Daisuke and his son both wish that Daisuke wasn’t so busy as an entrepreneur, but the good news is that Daisuke’s parents, sister, and Chosen friends (especially the 02 crew) are always willing to babysit.

-Miyako and Ken might have the most... stable????  Presence for their kiddos, since Miyako is a stay-at-home-mom.  I do think that, when her youngest goes into kindergarten, she starts working part time as a researcher for Koushiro’s company, but...  She’s always wanted a big, happy family, and she is always, always there for her kiddos.  I really admire that.

I think the kiddos might favor Ken, just because he’s not at home all the time, and...  Well, who doesn’t love Ken-chan?  I bet Miyako gets a little miffed when the kiddos rejoice when daddy comes home after she cared for them all day...  But she’s probably just as excited to see him!  

I kind of think Ken and Miyako are That Couple.  You know, the one that makes everyone think, blech, get a room, just from the way they look at each other.

Miyako is the kind of mom that can cheerfully yell at kids XD  Like, the standard speaking volume is pretty high in this household.  They’re the kind of sibling group that bickers one moment and cuddles and plays together the next.  She always sees to everyone’s needs, knows how to discipline, but also brings on the fun.  The only issue is that her emotions get carried away sometimes, and she needs to reel herself in before she riles up the kiddos to the point where they’re impossible to calm.

Ken, I think, is like an oasis for his kids.  Calm, soothing, understanding, patient, quiet...  He might not be as good as talking and taking charge as Miyako, but he’s an amazing listener, and he gives the world’s best hugs, certified.

He has his hands full with the bedtime routine, trying to wind everyone down after a loud, fun day with Miyako and each other.

-I believe that leaves Iori!  Ugh, I love him, and I love to think of him as this strong, capable man who dedicates himself to service.  He’s like a pillar to his daughter, who is likely the sweetest and kindest gen 2 baby.  Like so many of the Chosen, Iori’s career is demanding, but his wife, mother, and grandfather step in.  In fact, they might all live together?  And while his daughter loves all of them, Iori is her favorite.  In her eyes, he is just, kind, capable, dedicated, and strong, always helping the digimon and people who need help.

I think the only issue is that Iori doesn’t realize how big of a shadow he’s casting.  His daughter pushes herself to be everything that she sees in him, which is a lot for anyone, let alone a kid.  The good news is that her great-grandfather sees everything, and he is always telling her that she is more than enough.

I LOVE THEM ALL, THANKS FOR COMING TO MY TED TALK.

[tigerintokyo]

IDOLiSH7 Part 1, Ch 4.3 side story

Side Story: A Man Very Much Still Involved

(other parts in the directory)

Translation under the break.

-

Audience: Kyaaaaaa! TRIGGER!!

Audience: Tenn-kuuuun!

Tenn: Everyone! Thanks for tonight!

Tenn: Ah.... ............ .....Riku is in the audience....

Riku: ............

Tenn: Next up is our new song.....

Riku: Tenn-nii!

Tenn: ..…….

Riku: Tenn-nii, are you happy?

Riku: Are you happy going off on your own and leaving us behind?

Tenn: ...........We have another song for you. Our new song.....

Riku: Don't act like you can't hear me!

Tenn: SECRET NIGHT!

Riku: Tenn-nii! Tenn-nii! Haa....... H-haaa, u....ugh.....

Tenn: Riku......

Audience: Kyaaaaaaaa....! Tenn-kuuuun!

Riku: Hee......ugh......

Tenn: Riku......! ........Somebody, help him! He's having an attack! Somebody help him get out of here!

Audience: Kyaaaaaaaa....! Tenn-kuuuun.....!

Tenn: Help Riku! Don't push him!

Audience: Kyaaaaaaaa....!

Tenn: Somebody....!

Tenn: ........ugh

Tenn: .........what..... ..........a bad dream.......

Tenn: .........where am I? I wanted to get some rest and fell asleep. ......It's cold.....

Tenn: ........I have to go. I have to find a taxi to the venue.

Tenn: The fans are waiting for me.

-

Ryunosuke: What should we do about this song? 

Gaku: It would flow better if you sing Tenn's part in this one, Ryuu.

Ryunosuke: OK. We have to change a lot more than I thought. I have to make sure I remember the lyrics......

Gaku: I'll cover you. Besides, it's not going to be perfect with just the two of us anyway. TRIGGER needs all three members.

Gaku: He would probably complain hearing this, but if someone is missing, it should feel like there's a hole that can't be filled. 

Ryunosuke: Haha....... Gaku, this is what I like about you. I think he would appreciate that.

Gaku: I'm glad you like it. But, I'm not sure what he would think about us.....

Ryunosuke: He would appreciate it. Oh, also, did you see the t-shirts this time?

Gaku: Oh, the ones with our faces on them?

Ryunosuke: How about wearing the one with Tenn's face on it for one of the parts? Maybe it would feel like all three of us are dancing together.

Gaku: That's not a bad idea! That cold-blooded kid would be moved while he's lying in the hospital.

Ryunosuke: Right?

Kaoru: Please stop.

Gaku: ......Manager? Why?

Kaoru: TRIGGER's brand is more luxurious than that. A messy, sweaty performance doesn't fit the brand. It'll ruin your image.

Gaku: Tsk...... Ryuu was just making a suggestion.

Kaoru: If you're worried about Tenn, then just send him a RabbiChat. Right now. Come on.

Gaku: I'm not worried about him.

Ryunosuke: Hey, let's all wear the t-shirt with Tenn on it and send him a get well message!

Gaku: I'm not sure about that.....

Ryunosuke: Why?

Gaku: He's going to make fun of us about it for the rest of our lives.

Kaoru: It's fine if you send it in private. But, I gained a little weight recently. I hope I still look OK in a t-shirt.

Ryunosuke: You always look beautiful though, Anesagi-san.

Kaoru: Oh my, thank you. Ryuu, you're a good man. 

Kaoru: Gaku isn't as thoughtful though. He's more like his father, cold to any woman who isn't the apple of his eye.

Gaku: .....I'm not like him... Wow, so pretty, so beautiful.

Kaoru: W-what an annoying child.

Kaoru: Fufu. I'm just kidding. Gaku and Ryuu and Tenn are all my stars. I'm proud of all of you. I'm leaving Tenn's parts in your hands, today. 

Ryunosuke: Will do!

Gaku: Tsk........ Got it.

Kaoru: Even so, will the fans be alright today? I heard they closed off a lot of streets today. I hope everyone can make it on time.....

Ryunosuke: It would be good if they all can make it here safely. I've been looking forward to seeing the fans tonight.

Gaku: That's right....

Gaku: There was an alert and an evacuation because of hazardous materials.

Gaku: I want to help them forget their worries by having a night with us. We'll have to do our best to make sure they have fun tonight!

Ryunosuke: Yeah!

-

Tamaki:  I have to move now? To where? But if the bomb is moved around, it'll go off, right?

Female detective: Yes. We'll have to move carefully. Just a little so you're a little more shielded off....

Tamaki: This is so scary.....

Female detective: It'll be okay. Like a tightrope walk. It'll be your circus debut.

Tamaki: Haha...... I want to do the ball walk.

-

Yamato: Why are they moving Tama? Isn't it more dangerous if they move him around too much?

Nagi: It's because he could be sniped. If I were a terrorist, that's what I would try to do. If you shoot him and he falls down, the sensor would be triggered.

Yamato: Then why are you still here?

Nagi: I'm hoping the terrorists will get confused again and think I'm holding the bag with the bomb in it. Yamato, you should go with Tamaki.

Yamato: You're making yourself the bait..... If that's what you're trying to do, I'm staying with you.

Nagi: Why?

Yamato: Because I want to read the manga you're carrying. I need to protect the manga from getting damaged. 

Nagi: Yamato, you're not very good at this. Now is the time to be giving me a passionate, heartfelt message .

Yamato: Isn't there a good line you could give me?

Nagi: ………...! Yamato, duck!

(Sound of a gun shot)

Yamato: Ahh....!

Yamato: What was that?! Did they shoot at us?! How did you know it was coming?!

Nagi: There was a laser mark. I know which direction it came from. I'm going after them.

Yamato: Wait! How the hell do you know all this?!

Nagi: I read too much manga!

Yamato: Yeah, I know that!

-

Suspicious guy with stubble: That guy is running this way.... Shit, he was a decoy.

Suspicious guy with stubble: We're surrounded by cops..... .......We have to get out of here! Where is the bomb?! 

(Thud)

Yamato: Ugh........

Suspicious guy with stubble: ......! A bystander running away..... ……….

Yamato: Wait! Please don't kill me....!

Suspicious guy with stubble: Don't yell! .......Should I take him as a hostage.....? ..........hands up! Hands behind your head!

Yamato: Don't kill me! Please, I won't tell anyone.....! ....Please, let me live....

Suspicious guy with stubble: Stay on your feet! Come this way! ........?!

Yamato: ...........Cool down as much as you want!

Suspicious guy with stubble: Agh......!? Tear gas?! My eyes.....!

Yamato: Nagi!

Nagi: HEY!

Suspicious guy with stubble: ...............!

(Pow!)

Suspicious guy with stubble: .........ugh....ahhh.....!

-

Narration: Meanwhile....

Mitsuki: We bought so many concert goods!

Sogo: We sure did!

Mitsuki: When you wait in line too long, you end up wanting to buy even more!

Sogo: I'll have to make one of those shrines you were telling me about. I'm really excited for the concert now!

Mitsuki: Right?!

Mitsuki & Sogo: ♪~ Ikou~ Wake me up~♪

-

Suspicious guy with stubble: ..........m-my gun......!

Nagi: Yamato, hold onto the gun! Be careful of the trigger!

Yamato: ........Nagi, behind you....!

Suspicious guy with stubble: Damn you.....!

Nagi: Dear God, please forgive me for the act of blasphemy I am about to commit.

Suspicious guy with stubble: What the hell are you saying..... ......!?

Nagi: 27 Volume Manga Attack to the Face.....!

Suspicious guy with stubble: Gah......!

Yamato: Manga works well as a weapon!

Nagi: Good boys and girls don't try this at home!

Suspicious guy with stubble: ......ugh......ugh.....! ......these fucking brats.....!

Suspicious guy with stubble: I'll kill you.....!

Yamato: Hey, Nagi.....! He's got a knife on him!

Nagi: .......OH....... My brand new manga....... I'm sorry you got hurt.....

Yamato: You can be sad about it later!

Suspicious guy with stubble: Aaaaaahhhh......!

-

Narration: Meanwhile....

Tenn: .........Ugh....Taxi......

Tenn: .....They're not stopping for me..... They usually always stop here..... ........t-taxi...... 

Tenn: ............ Maybe I'm too weak to be noticed........

Tenn: Hey....... haa...... I need to have a good performance.... for the fans....

Tenn: ………….

Tenn: TAXI~! Excuse me. I need a lift. 

(Gets in) 

Taxi driver: Hello! Where are you headed?

-

Yamato: Nagi, watch out!

Suspicious guy with stubble: Die......! 

Nagi: .......... The only person who can attack me from behind is a woman waking up with me.

Suspicious guy with stubble: ........How could you see me?!  I was behind you?!

Nagi: I don't like persistent men. Let's get this over with.

Nagi: Farewell. 

Suspicious guy with stubble: Fuck.....!

-

Narration: Meanwhile....

Tamaki: Wow...... I'm surrounded by riot shields. Like I'm some kind of monster....

Female detective: They're here to protect you. You said you were hungry, right? How about some yogurt?

Tamaki: Thanks.

Female detective: Here, say ah.

Tamaki: Ahh.

Female detective:Thank you for trusting us. You guys are something else. I think I want to be your fan now.

Female detective: I'm looking forward to seeing you guys a year from now.

-

Nagi: Whew....... He finally stopped moving.

Yamato: Ah..... We managed somehow....

Nagi: Yamato, nice acting. I didn't get to see it, but your voice alone was a true performance. 

Yamato: Well, I'm good at bluffing.

Nagi: Oh...?

Yamato: Where did you learn how to fight?

Nagi: I practiced fighting because of Kokona.

Yamato: Really.....?

Junior detective: Are you guys okay?!

Yamato: Oh, Mr. Detective. Can you take this old guy for us?

Junior detective: ......! This man..... He's the mastermind behind a terrorist group! A major target!

Junior detective: We've been catching his men around here. Also, the bomb squad arrived to help your friend.

Yamato: That's great.

Nagi: We can head over to the concert with Tamaki! How long will it take to disarm the bomb?

Junior detective: Maybe one or two hours!

Yamato & Nagi: What?!

Junior detective: After that, we'll have to debrief him. It'll be OK! We'll also buy you guys katsudon! [1]

Yamato: .......Hey, hey. Right after you finish disarming Tama's bomb, we have to take off..... Otherwise we won't make it to TRIGGER's concert.

Nagi: .......That's right. We absolutely cannot be late today.

-

Iori: There's already a lot of people here.

Riku:………….

Iori: Nanase-san?

Riku: Ah......... Yeah. It's a lot of people. 

Iori: You've been pretty quiet since we left. Also, you look a little pale.

Riku: It's nothing! I'm fine.....

Iori: ………….

Iori: .........I'm not sure what kind of dream you had last night. As I said, there's no way I could know what it was. 

Iori: But, this isn't a dream. This is reality. I have the same dream as you, Nanase-san. That dream is IDOLiSH7.

Iori: I don't know what's going on with you, but how about cheering up a little? Nanase-san.......

Riku: What? Did you say something? Sorry, I'm a little out of it....

Iori: .......Could you at least listen when someone is talking to you.....?

Tsumugi: Riku-san, Iori-san, sorry if I kept you waiting!

Iori: Manager.

Mitsuki: Iori! Riku! We're over here!

Sogo: Thanks for waiting!

Riku: Mitsuki, Sogo-san!

Tsumugi: It's almost time for the doors to open! When we have everyone, let's all go in together!

Mitsuki: OK!

Tsumugi: I'm so excited! For TRIGGER!

-

Next episode

-

T/N:

katsudon = deep-fried pork cutlet on rice with egg

-

Please do not use my translations without my permission.

[ioriku]

ahhh i am so new to the fandom I am mostly clueless ;-; Do you mind helping me out with some of the biggest ioriku moments that happen in canon? I am so clueless ;-;

Welcome to the fandom, anon!

Sure!!!!! In my humble opinion, each part of IDOLiSH7′s main story has their standout ioriku moment (some good, some bad I’m looking at you, Part 3 lol 😒). Of course, there are even more ioriku moments than this scattered throughout IDOLiSH7′s massive franchise (See: the manga, the novels, the Rabbit Chats, etc etc etc), but I’d say when it comes to ioriku, these are the biggest moments in the series that everybody definitely knows about and quotes frequently to one another when talking about the pairing~

(※ Note: I’ve gone ahead and bolded the most famous ioriku lines in the main story in their respective excerpts to make things easier for you as a new fan to follow along when you see older fans referencing these scenes in the future with one another. Also, I assume you’ve already read Part 1/watched the first season of the anime which is what prompted this ask, so I won’t be putting Part 1′s ioriku moments under the cut; however, I will be doing that for the other ioriku moments in the series since a) not everybody has caught up to the main story’s translations yet and b) they haven’t been animated yet either, sooo… just fyi… 😊)

Part 1:

Chapter 3.2

Iori: Nanase-san, aren’t you a bit too pampered? Please try to properly act your age.

Riku: …..I-if you’re ever in trouble, don’t expect me to come help you!

Riku: Please excuse me!

Iori: …..

Iori: What a cute person.

Chapter 8.2

Iori: Are you watching TRIGGER’s concert videos again?

Riku: Ah…

Iori: You don’t need to watch something like this anymore.

Iori: Don’t chase after Kujou Ten’s shadow anymore. Please sing your own song, Nanase-san.

Iori: I will absolutely make you into a superstar.

Riku: …you will?

Iori: ….. With Manager. Or well, it’s mostly Manager’s work.

Riku: No, I know that, but…

Iori: As long as we have your singing ability, I’m sure we can produce results that will please the president.

Iori: Even if you don’t believe in me, at least believe in my management ability… no, my analytical power.

🚨 WARNING: Parts 2-4 Spoilers Below 🚨

Part 2:

Chapter 10.4

Izumi Iori: …I have gained invaluable experiences these past few months standing at the center. Thank you very much. Furthermore…

Izumi Iori: Nanase-san is cowardly, unreliable, and careless. Even though he’s older, he’s quite lacking in several regards.

Nanase Riku: Hey now…

Izumi Iori: After standing at the center myself… I couldn’t help but think, once more, that Nanase-san is an amazing person.

Nanase Riku: …..

Izumi Iori: I love Nanase-san’s vocals, just like everyone else… No, I love them the most out of everyone in this venue.

Part 3:

Chapter 18.5 (There are a couple different interpretations of this scene floating around on tumblr, and I’ve talked about this scene in particular in further detail in an ask before here when it first came out, but I’m going to use pinyaaples’ translation of Chapter 18.5 in your ask because they took over translating Part 3 when life got too busy for seigyokus to be able to update as frequently as before.)

Iori: I’ll say it plainly.

Iori: Nanase-san. Please allow me to control you.

Riku: …Huh?

Iori: Please make me your compass. Watch my expression when you’re deciding how to proceed. I want you to follow my directions and requests no matter what.

Iori: No other human being is looking out for your well-being more than I am. There’s no one more suited to guide you.

Iori: You can dislike or detest me if you want. But please don’t doubt my words. Please believe me when I say this is for the sake of granting your wishes.

Riku: …You know what I wish for?

Iori: Of course.

Riku: …

Iori: My cynical words will do you better than any amount of decorative compliments.

Iori: My smile will cool your heart faster than the most pointed and knifelike criticisms.

Iori: I want you to be more conscious of me than anyone else.

Riku: …

Riku: …Do you have any idea how brazen your request is?

Iori: I do. …Probably.

Riku: …

Riku: Ok. I’ll try it.

Iori: I may not be in a place to say this after being the one to make such a shameless request, but you sure accepted it easily.

Riku: Iori’s my friend after all… I basically trust your judgement.

Iori: Ah… Thank you.

Riku: Hey, can I ask for something too?

Iori: What is it?

Riku: Don’t leave me behind. I won’t leave you behind either, I promise.

Iori: …

Riku: Even if you think it’s what’s best for me, don’t leave. Whether we’re headed towards heaven or hell, I won’t run ahead of you, and I won’t let you run ahead either.

Riku: If that’s fine with you, you can try controlling me.

Iori: …I understand. It seems we’ve come to an agreement.

Part 4:

Chapter 5.3

Iori: No, I… isn’t there anything? Like… something to you that is like “King Pudding” to “Yotsuba Tamaki”…

Riku: You’re relying on items?

Iori: Tools are humanity’s wisdom, right?

Riku: Hmm… Try some fan service.

Iori: Huh!?

Riku: It might make me feel better.

Iori: Here? To you!? I don’t want to… why should I…

Riku: You wanted to console me right! Also, you said you’d control me! Maybe it’ll let you control me!

Iori: No, there’s no way that—

Riku: Fan service is humanity’s wisdom too! An idol’s job is to make people happy, right! And I never received any fan service from you!

Iori: … Just one second.

Riku: Yaaay!

Iori: Ba… bang.

Riku: …? What even?

Iori: I-I shot you! The thing Kujou-san does often! You watched that DVD countless times, didn’t you!?

Riku: Ah. Well your face wasn’t a fan service face at all so…

Iori: I can’t do a face like Kujou-san…

Riku: I want to see your version! Do it once more! Ah, my phone…

Iori: No taking pictures!

Riku: Ahaha. The office is harsh.

Iori: Seriously… Nanase-san. You are a kind, honest person. That is why Kujou-san and everyone else wishes for your happiness. 

Riku: My happiness…? What should I do? What can I do to answer them?

Iori: Please stand on stage and sing. I believe you can overcome this. You are IDOLiSH7’s center, Nanase Riku, center of the idol group that is going to become a legend. Don’t mind trivial things.

Riku: …

Iori: Did you calm down?

Riku: … Yes…

Iori: Raise your head.

Riku: What?

Iori: BANG!

And thus, concludes our “biggest ioriku moments that happen in canon” lesson~ For other ioriku moments that happen in canon, check the bottom of my FAQ for links to other asks over the years that I’ve gotten about Iori and Riku (though mostly Iori if I’m being quite honest with you pmsl).

P.S. If anybody else has any other suggestions for “key ioriku moments in canon”, drop me a message, and I’ll answer it publicly, so this anon can see them!!!!!

[flyswhumpcenter]

Bad Things Happen Bingo! The event where you send me requests according to this marvelous card! (Red cross is the completed prompt, dark red crosses are already completed fics and mint lambda-ish signs are prompts I’ve gotten requests for already).

Good news: my friend @nehamerchant123 still has my back and still sends in the good prompts in. Love ya friend.

This is officially a follow-up to a 2018 fic of mine named Clé de Voûte. It's not mandatory to read CdV to read this one (it's in English, btw, not French), but it's still advised as to get some context. This may have gotten a bit too angsty considering what I was going for, but man it was a blast to write (and really quick to), I love this association so let's all give a big round of applause for good ol' Neha who knows me and my tastes very well!

------

Singed Snowdrops

Summary: Iori is kind of a failure and he knows that. Someone doesn't agree with this idea.

Fandom: IDOLiSH7 (Part 1 spoilers) Ship: IoTsumu (pre-relationship, more implied than anything)

Wordcount: 2K words

Event hosted by @badthingshappenbingo

AO3 version available here.

------

It’s with a pounding headache, shifting temperatures, sweat pearling down his bangs and ragged breathing that Iori realizes something: he’s kind of a failure. A kind of a dull failure.

“Kind of”, because he still has skills and talents for a wide variety of things. He’s still good at accounting, at singing, at managing stuff here and there. “Dull”, because there’s nothing noteworthy about him compared to literally everyone else around him, because he can’t surprise anyone from how boring he is. “Failure”, because that’s what he is no matter what everyone says: he failed twice in a row. Someone like him shouldn’t have forgotten to sing on stage, then collapsed during a live for the unit’s fans. It soured the mood and killed their momentum back to fame, despite everyone’s efforts. It’s simply something he shouldn’t have allowed to happen, no matter what. There’s no excuse for it, that’s it. How hard is it for everyone else around him to accept that?

Maybe they’re doing that because his brother is here, fretting over him like he’s always done. They shouldn’t, to be honest: he’s not worth it. He’s not worth their care, their precious attention. They should give that to people who are actually worth it, like Mitsuki, like Nanase and his condition, like MEZZO” and their rocky beginnings. He shouldn’t be at the centre of anyone’s attention, right now, or ever in fact: there’s always a point where he’ll mess up and ruin everything for everyone because he wasn’t capable of handling things correctly. That’s it, that’s the truth nobody wants to admit.

Not to mention, they’re losing their time on him. He’s never been a full piece of puzzle, merely a keystone that’s not truly needed to keep the building up. He’s no Atlas like he thought he was before yesterday’s live; but Atlas wouldn’t have made people worry for him over a thing as little as some insomnia-induced sleep deprivation. Atlas wouldn’t have panicked on set and had his vision twirling and twirling around him because he was too stupid and incompetent to deal with things efficiently.

Atlas’s shoulders never gave in, but his couldn’t bear the weight of just an unit’s co-management. He’s a damn failure.

 He’s useless, right now. He’s not allowed to leave his bed and help with anything. Maybe they have noticed he’s a failure, after all: if he wasn’t, they would allow him to participate in practice with them, their manager would have allowed him to speak with her about the management of the unit. They’re in a time of crisis and, before, he’d have believed he was able to handle it flawlessly: but he isn’t perfect. In fact, he’s never been, he’s always known that; yet it’s easier to pretend that he is, easier to ignore all that he’s failed before that live concert, before the live show on the Web.

He doesn’t want to cry, since it’d be pointless to weep in silence while everyone around him shines like a bright star, while all he’s ever been is a black hole mercilessly trapping the chances of anyone he’s ever cared about to succeed in life, wasting their opportunities and destroying their hopes like a crushing machine whose jaw is uncontrollable. That’s happened to his brother before, it’s happening to IDOLiSH7 now, and that’s all his fault.

 Even then, Iori cries, because he’s exhausted, because he’s weak, because he’s stuck here with his black clouds and cannot see a shooting star in the sky that is his bedroom’s ceiling.

 He doesn’t want to worry anyone: really, he’s just not worth it. He’s not worth anyone’s commotion. He simply doesn’t want to be a burden to his friends, to the people he loves: his parents shouldn’t be concerned about their son. His brother shouldn’t be fretting about him when he could be working on his next show, their next song, the next step in the career he’s finally gotten a chance to start. His unit mates shouldn’t be thinking of him when they should focus on what’s truly mattered: their future, their fans, their image, their debut.

The debut his inability to make things blossom to their true potential before withering away under his malevolent influence killed in the egg.

 Iori cannot stop crying and it’s an issue. He’s not a kid anymore, he needs to handle his stuff correctly and not sob like a toddler whenever things don’t go his way. It’s all his fault anyway, so he better swallow his misery in soon and stop being such a weakling. He won’t get anywhere in life if he does.

Nobody around him is ever going to need him, to want to stay with him if he keeps messing things up, if he keeps dragging the ones he wants to help in the mud, making them fall backward and fail in the end. That’s a fact he cannot brush aside, a fact he cannot bring his overexerted mind to get over. He’s broken, he’s down the drain.

 Someone like him doesn’t deserve to share an unit as luminous as IDOLiSH7, doesn’t deserve a brother like Mitsuki Izumi and doesn’t deserve a manager as good and motivated as Takanashi Tsumugi. All he deserves is to be left behind until he can handle something right.

Which he’ll never do, obviously. If he could, he’d have done that when it mattered and not messed up on stage twice in a row.

 He’s too caught up in his own pity party to hear the manager enter his room, after he assumed the soft knock on his door was only his elbow or knee hitting the wall or an edge of the bed.

 “Iori?”

Her voice is soothing. Too much, in fact: here’s one more thing he shouldn’t be allowed to hear.

“Manager…?” His is rough around the edges and he wants to cough his lungs out so he not to speak anymore. He’s rotting her ears by speaking to her anyway.

“Are you… are you alright, Iori?!”

She panics and climbs the ladder of his bed at an unbelievable speed and, until she’s safely on his level, he’s afraid she’s going to slip every step of the way. He’s not sure if his reflexes could catch her in case she’d fall. If he ever could, that is.

 “I’m…” He hates lying. “…fine.”

Tsumugi’s face doesn’t show anything that isn’t doubt at what he’s just told her. Should have seen it coming: he’s a terrible liar on top of being a terrible idol with no capacity to react to happenings.

“Be honest, please. You’re always so frank, Iori, I hate seeing you lie all of a sudden…” Her face changes drastically as soon as she focuses on his. “Wait, have you been crying all this time?! I should’ve noticed that earlier, please excuse me!”

She’s about to get something from her pocket, but she stops midway through her gesture and instead looks on the side.

“…can I climb to you?”

“If you want, I guess…”

 In a swift move, albeit not without almost falling, Tsumugi gets right on top of him, her legs by the sides of his chest. It’s awkward, but it’s amusing at the same time, so he retains a giggle in as not to look stupid or mocking. He doesn’t deserve her light and warmth, of course he knows that; but that part of him that’s always been craving for validation and attention caves into the touch.

She looks more like a nurse than a manager for a moment. She hands him her adorable embroidered handkerchief which smells like red bean paste to dry his ugly tears, he hesitates to use it, but she insists, “I mean it, please don’t cry, Iori!”. He can’t refuse her much, not when she looks at him with these eyes, not when she knows better than him, so he delicately taps it against the water flowing down his cheeks. She presses a hand against her forehead, then his, exhales a sigh of relief when she realizes out loud that his fever has lowered.

 When he’s near her, without any exception, he feels like he’s worth something – but it’s a feeling still so foreign to him. Maybe he’s worth a lot in her eyes, but in his, he’s still the scum of the earth abusing from her kindness and patience, and he wants to cry again at that. He doesn’t deserve her, that’s it. He doesn’t deserve much, of course, but he especially doesn’t deserve her.

Still, her hand lands on his, and she smiles at him, like sun brushing a dead tree. He’s crying in all the ugliness he could display, physically beaten by his own dark thoughts and trapped in the middle of wallowing in his misery when he should have been doing something to mend his errors and fix what he’s broken. But they don’t allow him to do that, so what’s the point of this circus routine?

 “I’m sure you feel bad about everything that’s happened, Iori, but you need to understand it’s not a big deal! We’d rather have you in good health than push you to the edge like you’ve done… You don’t even know how much we’ve been worried for you!”

That’s no pleasant to hear, but that’s also not surprising to listen to her say. Her tone just makes it sound better than it is, that’s it. That’s… it. It’s not like it could be true, right?

“But that’s normal, isn’t it? You worry about the people you care about. I’ve been worried every day of my life for you guys ever since I’ve met you, and it hurts me to see you in such a state… But I also can’t tell you to recover quickly, because that’s a thing that can take a long time. It’s something you have to do alone, and we can only help you if you allow us to. So, if you need it, don’t hesitate telling us, okay? We’re your comrades, Iori.”

She has a disappointed look on her face, biting nervously on her lip.

“So… Remember that, okay? We’re here to support you. We don’t hold anything against you, so don’t isolate yourself, I beg of you…!”

 She looks like she wants to cry, and that makes him feel even guiltier.

“I… just want you to understand that it’s alright if you’re under the weather, sometimes. It happens to us all, and while I know you’ve always wanted everything to be perfect for us all, it’s also okay to mess up. I’ve done so before, but you’ve always forgiven me after scolding me, so why can’t you forgive yourself, Iori?”

The tears are back, his vision blurs, and he clutches her against his chest before she can see it, arms wrapping around her like he won’t ever see this warm smile of her again.

“It’s… It’ll be fine. Give yourself time and peace of mind, vent to us if you have to. We don’t hate you. Ainana isn’t Ainana if you’re not with us, so lean on us from now on, okay?”

“I…”

No. Yes. No, you shouldn’t give in. Yes, she’s right, it’s useless to cry over it and not do anything about. No, you don’t deserve the happiness she brings you. Yes, you deserve a second chance, a means to save everything from rotting.

“I’ll try…”

 He lets go of their weird embrace, admiring her slightly comforted features before she has to go back to her regular life. She’s red all over, but his own face is burning, so he doesn’t dare comment on that, even to tease her. He wishes he could, but it doesn’t come to her; and even if he already misses her gentle warmth, he knows she’s needed somewhere else, so it’s the least he can do to see her fly away. She’s beautiful either way.

Instead, he lets go of some of his guilt as much as possible and focuses on what’s to come, with the bitterness of their aborted debut remaining in the back of his throat despite the honey. Only time will tell, sadly so he lies back down and lets his eyes close, as staying awake is only detrimental, today.

 He’s just in a bad phase, right?

[pulaasul]

Femoral Meeting - C10

One day after school, Ryuji stumbled as his broken leg was acting up, and because of that, he met one of Gekkoukan High’s former athletes. Kazushi Miyamoto.

FFN I AO3

Prologue I C1 I C2 I C3 I C4 I C5 I C6 I C7 I C8 I C9

------

After the dinner between his benefactors’ friends, he suddenly found himself with Yukari, Junpei, Ken, Fuuka, a blond girl in a suit and tie and a white haired man in a police uniform.

The group Ryuji was with were inside the same office he was in earlier. His doctor’s office.

“I thank you all for coming.” Mitsuru stated as she walked inside the office. “Sakamoto, the new faces you see are Aigis and Police officer Akihiko Sanada.”

“Nice to meet you kid.” Akihiko greeted.

“It is nice to meet you.” Aigis bowed in respect.

“Even if you arrest me.” Ryuji glared. “I’m not telling shit.” He snarled, suddenly defiant to everyone in the room.

Everyone else in the room looked at each other, confused at the younger boy’s exclamation.

“Calm down.” Ken tried to diffuse the situation. “What are you talking about Sakamoto?” He questioned. “No one’s arresting anyone here.”

“Oh right.” Yukari perked up. “I think the way Mitsuru-senpai demanded how the change of hearts occurred gave him the wrong conclusion.” She explained. “I mean it was kinda similar to how Fuuka was recruited to become part of our group back then.” She continued. “So I thought nothing of it.”

“To be fair, the higher ups at the National Police Agency have been hounding Mitsuru and I for answers of causes of the mental and psychotic shutdowns.” Akihiko piped in. “They just want to save their asses and not get caught up in the crossfire that was Shido’s confession.” He finished.

“Don’t forget the change of hearts the Phantom Thieves were involved in.” Aigis supplied.

“So you guys, adults, thought that hounding a kid, abused by an adult, is going to make him talk?” Ken questioned.

“You’re an adult yourself Amada.” Junpei countered.

“I believe that having a police officer in our group also enforced the idea that he is being arrested.” Aigis supplied. “Considering his status as a Phantom Thief.” She continued.

“I suppose when you put it that way.” Mitsuru began. “It was a bit forceful of us to demand answers from you.” She admitted to their guest. “Which lead to him making the wrong conclusions.”

“Let me clear things up for him.” Ken volunteered.

“Everyone, let’s leave things to Amada.” Mitsuru ordered. “We will reconvene once he’s finished clearing things up.” She finished as she prompted for everyone to leave.

“Wait, what’s happening?” Ryuji asked. “What is going on?” He glared at Ken.

“Don’t mind them.” Ken started. “They’re going to their prior commitments.” He explained. “For what it’s worth they just don’t know the first thing to do with kids like you.”

“Kids like me.” Ryuji repeated. “What about you then?” Ryuji’s eyes narrowed at the Akechi-look alike.

Maybe Futaba was right, this guy was really Akechi. If her hunch was right, he doesn’t know if he’s prepared for the things that Akechi’s going to do to him.

Granted, Akechi wasn’t the person responsible for torturing Ren while in captivity.

He only killed him.

“I was a lot like you once.” Ken started. “I didn’t trust any adult, or anyone older than me for that matter.” He continued. “After a rogue Persona killed my mother, and the police mocked what I saw, I lost faith in them.” He admitted.

Maybe this wasn’t Goro Akechi at all. Maybe this was simply Ken Amada, like he claimed to be from the beginning. After all Akechi did say that his mother died because she killed herself. Amada’s mother on the other hand was killed.

Wait did he say a rogue Persona?

“I lived my life consumed by revenge until Akihiko-senpai and the others made me see the error of my ways.” Ken added to his earlier admission.

“What does that have to do with me?” Ryuji asked, calming down from his recent outburst.

“It was something Mitsuru-senpai was indirectly part of.” Ken continued with his story.

“I still don’t see how this connects to me.” Ryuji interrupted.

“My point is that Mitsuru-senpai can be trusted.” Ken answered. “She can be a bit forceful but you can trust her.” He continued. “You’re not being arrested.” He informed the young boy. “We just want to know how the stealing of hearts occur.”

“If I’m not being arrested,” Ryuji trailed off. “Then what was up with the men in black that were questioning about my days before that green surroundings thing happened?” He questioned. “It’s what made me and my friends conclude that I was being arrested.”

“That…” Ken trailed off. “We’re going to open that up with them.”

------

Mitsuru and the others reconvened inside the office of Ryuji’s doctor. They were all seated in the same place as before. The person named Akihiko was only wearing a sleeveless tank top and holding some kind of drink while the person named Junpei was in the process of removing his blue baseball jersey.

The group had a new addition was with them. A female dressed as a maid from a maid café.

“Sakamoto, this is Kikuno Saikawa.” Mitsuru introduced.

“It is nice to finally meet you in person Sakamoto-sama.” Kikuno greeted as she bowed.

“Y-yeah.” Ryuji was caught off guard at the address. “S-same to you.”

“Amada has told me that you and your comrades concluded that you were going to be arrested because of the inquiries about you made a few days prior.” Mitsuru stated.

Ryuji merely nodded at the statement.

“Kikuno?” Mitsuru looked at her maid, prompting her for an answer.

“A few operatives had heard that you had a conversation with Sakamoto-sama and promptly investigated.” Kikuno answered. “Before they could launch the investigation, however, Sanada-sama’s office received a call from a concerned citizen about someone not getting the justice they deserve.” She continued. “And a few moments later, Sakamoto-sama’s mother called Sanada-sama’s office and wanted to file a case.” She added.

“Who were those that launched the investigations Kikuno?” Mitsuru asked.

“I believe they were also the ones responsible to follow Ren Amamiya back to his hometown, following his release.” Kikuno answered.

“Wait, Ren’s involved in this too?!” Ryuji’s exclaimed.

“He was your leader no?” Mitsuru asked.

Ryuji fell silent at this inquiry. He can’t say anything or he’ll get Ren in trouble again.

“Kikuno, please continue.” Mitsuru prompted her maid to continue with her report.

“I believe they wanted to redeem themselves after failing at the task that was assigned to them.” Kikuno complied. “They weren’t able to follow Amamiya-sama’s trip due to a single missing part of the car they were using.” She finished.

“Thank you Kikuno.” Mitsuru smiled at her maid.

“By your leave Kirijo-sama.” Kikuno bowed.

“You may continue your duties Kikuno.” Mitsuru dismissed her employee as she looked at the youngest boy in the room.

“I should apologize for the misunderstanding my employees caused.” Mitsuru apologized “I am pretty sure my demands for information weren’t any help to dissuade you from the conclusion you and your comrades drew.” She bowed as she finished her sentence.

Ryuji was at a loss for words. He didn’t expect a big shot like Kirijo would apologize to him, let alone bow before him.

“We would really appreciate if you could shed some light on how these changes of heart occur.” Yukari spoke up.

“I imagine he’s going to need his team’s approval to disclose anything.” Ken offered.

“Why does he need that?” Junpei questioned. “The Shadow Operatives is sanctioned by the government isn’t it?” He continued.

“I see.” Mitsuru nodded.” I think I see why you are reluctant.” She nodded.

“What do you mean senpai?” Junpei asked. “Why does he need the approval of his friends when the government is asking them for information?” He continued. “Wouldn’t that count as treason if he won’t say anything about it?” He added.” This is a matter of National Security.” He finished.

“You misunderstand Iori.” Mitsuru spoke up. “You forget that some politicians still blame the Phantom Thieves of Hearts for the evolved cases of the Apathy Syndrome.” She continued. “Any information about the other members could put them behind bars.”

“I see.” Fuuka perked up. “Masayoshi Shido is still viewed by his allies to have been a victim of the Phantom Thieves.” She stated as she typed on the laptop she brought. “Most of them are still saying that the disgraced politician was a victim and Japan lost a capable Prime Minister.”

“The hell!” Ryuji reacted to Fuuka’s statement. “He forced his son to induce both Mental and Psychotic Shutdowns across Tokyo.” He growled. “He ain’t innocent in all this shit!”

Ryuji’s eyes soon widened at the realization of his words. He just revealed more information to these people.

“I see.” Mitsuru responded. “Just as we feared.” She sighed.

“Forgive me for intruding.” Makoto’s voice was suddenly heard.” I had Alibaba bug Skull’s phone to eavesdrop on the conversation.” She admitted. “I’m the Phantom Thieves’ Queen.” She introduced herself.”

“Queen.” Ryuji started. “Sorry for not keeping my mouth shut.” He apologized.

The members of the Shadow Operatives looked at each other at the sudden interruption. The spying and the eavesdropping. They also took note that Sakamoto didn’t react negatively to the interruption.

“No Skull.” Makoto dismissed the apology. “Oracle has told me about how you three reacted to Amada-san’s appearance at school.” She continued. “I am pretty sure Kirijo-san’s organization has already connected Akechi to our cause.”

“You are right Queen.” Mitsuru nodded as Ryuji placed his phone on a nearby table. “We concluded that the missing Goro Akechi was likely a Persona user and a member of the Phantom Thieves.” She finished.

“He was a member at a certain point.” Makoto confirmed. “But we claim no connection to his deeds for the Mental and Psychotic shutdowns that has proliferated Tokyo in the last year.” She added “We intervened so that we can distance ourselves to the deeds Masayoshi Shido had ordered Goro Akechi do.” She finished.

“Can you confirm Sakamoto’s statement?” Akihiko voiced his question.

“Yes, we can confirm Skull’s statement that Goro Akechi is indeed Masayoshi Shido’s son.” Makoto stated. “Including the deaths caused by Akechi like Shujin’s principal Kobayakawa, Okumura Food’s CEO, among others.” She finished.

“This is Alibaba.” Futaba’s distorted voice was heard next. “You promised Oracle, Panther and Skull that you’d explain how and why the green surroundings with coffins happened.” She demanded.

“The speaker is right Mitsuru-senpai.” Fuuka voiced out meekly.

“Save the explanations for later.” Makoto interrupted. “I’d like to request for Skull’s release.” She demanded.

“You can’t do that!” Junpei exclaimed!” This is official business.”

“You misunderstood, while we lack the ability to change hearts, we can still use legal means.” Makoto started. “I could have all of you sued for warrantless arrest and kidnapping.” She threatened.

“You got balls for threatening Mitsuru like that Queen.” Akihiko commented. “Even the National Police Agency won’t dare cross her.”

“She is after all, the Imperious Queen of Executions.” Aigis piped in.

“Queen is right.” Mitsuru voiced out as she stood up. “The Shadow Operatives are walking on thin ice as it is.” She continued.” With Minazuki’s escape a few years earlier, we can’t have a legal battle in our midst.” She added. “I do hope you would share any information you have with us Queen.” She finished as she gave Ryuji a stack of papers.

“Are you sure Mitsuru-san?” Aigis questioned. “Is it right for them to know of the Dark Hour?”

“It’s alright Aigis.” Mitsuru nodded.” If they hadn’t experienced the phenomenon, I would have preferred to keep this a secret from them.” She explained as she placed a small set of papers beside Ryuji’s phone. “Queen.” She turned her focus unto Ryuji’s phone once more. “I gave Sakamoto a detailed explanation about the Dark Hour.” She added.

“Dark Hour?” Ryuji and Makoto questioned in unison.

“The phenomenon where you saw coffins standing.” Yukari supplied.

“That and how they came to be.” Mitsuru continued her train of thought.

“We thank you for complying with our request.” Makoto voiced her appreciation.

“You basically blackmailed us into releasing your friend.” Junpei bitterly commented. “We were doing official work here.”

“I understand that Iori-san.” Makoto responded. “However, I was not about to leave Skull to be eaten in a Lion’s den.”

“Magnifique!” Mitsuru praised. “You’d make a fine addition to our organization Queen.”

“I am flattered.” Queen acknowledged the praise. “I just want Skull released from your custody.”

“I understand.” Mitsuru nodded. “Now for the next agenda.” Mitsuru voiced out. “Iori?”

“Next agenda?” Ryuji, Makoto asked in unison, quite alarmed.

“Don’t worry.” Mitsuru assured. “This won’t take long.”

“I told you before Mitsuru-senpai.” Junpei stood up and went towards Ryuji. “I don’t know how to control Chidorita’s ability.”

“What about the times when the kids you’re training were injured?” Yukari asked. “Didn’t you heal their bones and scrapes?”

“They just come out spontaneously when I fuss over them.” Junpei admitted. “And I wouldn’t say I healed them completely.” He corrected. “It’s more like they’re being healed up until basic first aid can do the trick.”

“What do you mean Iori?” Mitsuru asked.

“Say a kid I was coaching got a nasty scrape on his knee.” Junpei answered with an example.” I rush in and look at the wound, by the time one of my hands are close proximity to the boy’s wound.” He continued as he hovered his hands over his own knee. “Chidori’s ability kicks in and heals the boy’s injuries up until the bleeding stops.” He added. “But the wound is still there, but not as serious as it was before.” He ended his explanation.

Junpei knelt before Ryuji and hovered his right hand over the knee of the youngest in the group. He closed his eyes as if in concentration but nothing happened.

Ryuji just looked at them with a confused expression. The conversation shifted from one topic to another with a few words. He then realized that they were attempting to use their Persona abilities to heal his leg injury.

“Why don’t you try summoning your Persona?” Akihiko suggested.

“Akihiko-san is correct.” Aigis agreed.” Maybe summoning your Persona can help you better control Chidori-san’s ability.”

“I agree.’ Yukari nodded.

“Well Iori?” Mitsuru prompted.

“If you say so.” Junpei sighed. “But I can’t promise anything.”

Junpei then got a silver gun from behind him and pointed it on his head.

“What the eff!” Ryuji yelled! “You don’t gotta kill yourself for not being able to heal my leg!”

“Skull! What’s happening?!” Makoto demanded.

“They made some guy heal my leg with his Persona and now he’s pointing a gun to his head!” Ryuji answered, still in panic mode.

“Calm down.” Ken voiced out as she clasped the young boy’s shoulders. “He’s not committing suicide, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“The hell?!” Ryuji snarled.” What part of that is he not committing suicide?!” He yelled his question as he pointed at Junpei.

“Trismigistus!” Junpei announced as he pulled the trigger.

“What the hell?!” Ryuji yelled. ”That’s how you summon your Personas?!”

A figure in reed and gold appeared behind Junpei and seemed to glow golden light.

“With enough practice, we can summon them without the aid of our evokers.” Akihiko supplied.

“Stay still kid.” Junpei ordered.

Ryuji obeyed the command as Junpei once again hovered his hand over his right leg. A soothing feeling flooded his senses as the older man’s hands glowed a golden light.

It didn’t take long for the glowing to stop and the older man to sit on the floor as his Persona faded from view.

“Before anything else.” Junpei spoke up.” I don’t know if I healed you or anything kid, so don’t get your hopes up.” He cautioned as he stood up and stored his evoker back inside his pant pocket.

“It was worth a try Junpei.” Akihiko nodded.

“Hey.” Ryuji tried to put some weight on his leg. “This feels great.” He exclaimed in glee.

“Hey, hey.” Junpei tried to get the boy’s attention. “Don’t go straining your leg kid.” He cautioned. “There’s no guarantee that I completely healed your bad leg.” He explained.

“A-aah o-ow.” Ryuji flinched as he sat back down.

“See!” Junpei exclaimed.

“Skull!” Makoto’s panicked voice.

“I’m fine!” Ryuji managed to voice out in between his whimpers. “It’s fine.”

“That didn’t sound fine to us.” Futaba’s Alibaba voice responded.

“It’s alright.” Ryuji managed to wheeze out. “I had that one coming.” He explained in between his breaths. “Nothing’s probably broken.”

“Call for the doctor immediately.” Mitsuru ordered.

“On it.” Yukari nodded as she fished for her phone and dialed the doctor’s number. “Hello sensei.” She started the phone conversation. “Could you hurry back to your office?” She asked. “It’s about Sakamoto.” She explained. “He says it’s nothing major.” She continued. “We can never be too sure.” She supplied. “Thank you sensei.”

“What did the doctor say Yukari-chan?” Fuuka questioned.

“He says he’ll be here in a minute.” Yukari answered as she stored her phone back inside her purse.

[theshatteredrose]

The Treasure Seeker - Saga 1 (Etrian Odyssey 5 Fanfiction)

AN: I fortunately had this done a few days ago but wanted to stay on schedule~ Also the last couple of days were spend nursing migraines and trying to keep the Christmas tree unscathed and upright. But with two kittens, well, I’m sure you know how well that went. Anyway, I hope you’ll enjoy this chapter and be sure to check out the characters post to see what our new characters look like. And do let me know whether you like it or not~

AO3 | Wattpad | FFNet

Chapter 4:

Drayce made his way quickly through the streets, paying attention only at the street signs and markers. Ashton said that the healer he knew of lived relatively close by, so he was rushing to meet with him and ask for his help.

He rounded a blind corner quickly, paying no mind to whether or not someone else was close by and taking the same path as he was. And, just his luck, he found himself colliding with someone. Someone taller than he was by at least half a foot. They also seemed to be quite muscular too.

Uttering a low 'oof' from the shock more than anything, Drayce stumbled back a step only to feel someone latch onto his upper arms and holding him in place. Startled, Drayce blinked as he found himself staring into an obviously male chest, a chest that was completely free from any type of clothing. Muscular, taut, the skin was a dark mocha brown and seemed to have several jagged scars.

Tilting his head back, Drayce found himself looking into a pair of narrow blue eyes. The blue of the person's eyes were quite striking; a vivid blue, like that of crystal clear water.

The man appeared to be a Celestian. His elven like ears, however, were scarred, as if torn and was forced to heal quickly, but roughly.

When the man blinked slowly at him did Drayce realise that he was standing chest to chest with him, the man holding Drayce by his arms, essentially holding him in place. Against his chest.

Naturally, Drayce uttered a sound of surprise before placing his hands on the man's chest and launching himself back away from.

"Whoa, hey, totally sorry about that!" Drayce exclaimed as he stumbled back. "I was in a hurry and wasn't looking where I was going."

The tall Celestian said nothing, didn't seemed to make an attempt to reply. He just stared back at him. Though his eyes were narrowed, he had this rather curious expression on his face. As if something was piquing his interest.

"You should not be in such a hurry," he unexpectedly said, his voice quite deep and surprisingly lethargic. "You could hurt yourself."

Drayce gave a nervous laugh. "Y-yeah, I normally don't rush like this," he said. "But I need to find a certain address as it's really important. Are you, ah, a local? I'm new, you see. Arrived yesterday and stuff."

"What address are you looking for?" the man asked, thankfully interrupting Drayce's surprisingly nervous ramblings.

Drayce snapped his mouth shut as he lifted up his hand that had the now rumpled piece of paper with the address on it. He handed it the other man, who took it from him wordlessly.

As the man unfolded the paper to read it, his eyes unexpectedly narrowed further and there appeared to be a flicker of realisation on his face that lasted only a minute. He wordlessly folded the paper and handed it back to him.

"Why?" he suddenly asked.

Drayce was honestly caught by surprised by the man's short and abrupt question. At first he was a little irritated by the man's abruptness, but he remembered that brief look of realisation and wondered if, perhaps, the man knew of the Botanical Genius that Drayce was looking for.

So he decided to simply tell the truth. He didn't want to be forced to make something up and lie. One, he wasn't good at it. Two, he didn't want to be caught out in a lie.

"There's someone very ill back at my guildhouse," Drayce explained. "He has a fever and is unconscious. I only moved here yesterday, so don't know anyone really. Someone suggested I visit the Botanical Genius as he might be able to help."

The man seemed to listen intently, though his eyes never straying from Drayce's. It was a little unnerving, to be honest. But Drayce couldn't look away. He didn't want to appear as if he was being untruthful, which he wasn't. And he didn't want to appear intimidated, which he kinda was.

There was also something...strangely familiar about his eyes. Something that was drawing him into them. That...was also a little unnerving.

"A friend?" the man asked abruptly, of which seemed to be his usual speaking manner.

Drayce shook his head. "A kid, he passed out in front of my guildhouse. I couldn't just leave him there."

The man arched an eyebrow at him, somewhat sceptical. But Drayce was being completely honest. And he was also starting to become annoyed.

"Look, I'm telling the truth," Drayce said as he frowned. "Come back to my guildhouse if you want. I don't care. I need to find a healer for this kid. And I need to find one soon, ok? Since you seem to known this Botanical Genius, either show me the way or tell me. Or don't, I'll just find him on my own."

Once again the man just stared at him. This time, however, his gaze was that of contemplation. And interest.

"He is close by," he said as he suddenly turned on his heel and started to walk away. "This way. I will show you."

Relief flooded Drayce as he followed the Celestian. "Thank you," he said in earnest.

The man simply glanced over his shoulder and nodded his head at him, seemingly giving him a sign of acceptance. He then turned his attention forward to the path in front of him.

They walked in silence for a few minutes, the man leading Drayce through the crowded streets seemed either oblivious to the bustling people around him, or simply did not care for their presence. Perhaps a bit of both.

After a while they reached a small white building. A small shop it seemed. Or maybe a clinic of sorts. There was a small group of people outside and they appeared to be dressed in the garbs of explorers. And they were talking amongst themselves.

As the man daftly led Drayce past them and up the small flight of stairs of the front poach, he overheard a few sentences from the group. Eavesdropping was a habit of his. An unfortunate one, according to others, but as a treasure hunter, it was sometimes the only way to get any information.

And from the sounds of things, they were complaining. About some 'shorty' being a right jerk and he is the one who should be grateful that a guild was allowing a 'useless' healer into their party.

Honestly, if the short conversation he heard was any indication, the short healer was indeed wise to turn down a bunch of ungrateful little snots.

"Ignore those fools," the man suddenly said to Drayce as he opened the door at top of the porch. "They wanted a healer, not a teammate."

"Yeah, I overheard," Drayce said as he followed the bronzed skinned celestian inside.

He stopped awkwardly at the foyer, though, as the man continued inside. Though he needed to meet with this healer quickly and though it was his treasure hunter nature to simply launch himself into any new environment and look around, he felt it would be at least polite not to do that.

This healer was the only healer that he was aware of.

The man that had led him to the address stopped and turned to look at him, probably puzzled that Drayce hadn't moved further than that of the foyer.

Drayce scratched the back of his neck in a nervous manner. "I, ah, do need to speak with him, but this is his place, right? Would be rude to waltz in without invitation, yeah?"

The man tilted his head to the side to, yet again, stare at him curiously. He, however, soon straightened and nodded his head. "It is fine," he said. "Follow me."

Ah, well, that appeared to be an invitation to enter.

Silently, and honestly quite awkwardly, Drayce followed the still unnamed man as he stepped through the closest doorway from the foyer. As Drayce moved closer he could hear another voice. Rather high-pitched and squeaky. They also sounded agitated.

Very agitated.

Must be the Botanical Genius he needed to find.

Stepping into the room and choosing to stay behind the Celestian for now, Drayce's gaze fell upon a Brounii, male in appearance, with pinkish-red hair, light-coloured skin, and green eyes. He was also pacing back and forth as he waved his arms irritably at his sides.

"Standing in a hole indeed! Bitch, try me! I'll put that bitch in a hole!"

Drayce tilted his head to the side as he watched him continue to pace and rant. He was a Brounii, so he was naturally short. Something that couldn't be helped. Could anyone really be that rude to mention it to him? Sheesh, some people.

"Fiorello," the Celestian called out.

The Brounii that must be named Fiorello stopped mid-pace and turned to face the one who called his name. His annoyed expression stayed on his chubby face as he planted his hands on his hips and frown at him.

"Zohar, where have you been?" he asked. "You will not believe the stupidity of these new explorers. A fencer asked me if I was standing in a hole. Can you believe that? Have these explorers no manners?"

"Rude indeed," the man now known as Zohar replied in a deadpan voice. He then stepped to the side to allow for Drayce to be fully seen.

Fiorello immediately locked eyes with him and his annoyed expression morphed into that of genuine confusion and surprise. "Eh? Did you actually bring a friend home?" he asked.

Home? Oh, so Zohar lived here, too? Now wonder he was so protective to start with.

"He requires the aid of a healer," Zohar answered, to which was met with an incredulous look from Fiorello.

"Really now?" Fiorello mumbled before he turned his attention back to Drayce. He looked cautious, yet there was a sense of intrigue in his eyes. "Let me guess; new explorers looking to conquer the labyrinth and be the strongest guild in Iorys."

Drayce shook his head and took a second to muse about how he should request assistance from Fiorello. Ashton had said that he received invites to join other guilds daily. That would mean that he was quite the skilled healer. But that also meant that other guild saw him as someone to ensure the success of their exploration.

From the suspicion in his eyes and the protectiveness Zohar had shown previously, Drayce would surmise that the guilds who had approached him weren't interested in him as a living being, but as a means to an end. As a healer. Someone to patch them up if needed, to give them free healing, and to stay out of their way as they continue their goal of being number one.

That was...really quite sad.

"Ah, no, you see," Drayce started to explain. "I'm not looking for a guildmate. I mean, I am and I am looking to enter the labyrinth, but not right now."

Fiorello arched an eyebrow and folded his arms across his chest, so Drayce decided to screw it and be totally honest with him. As plainly as possible. Though the Brounii was reputed to be a skilled healer, the kid back at the guildhouse had to be getting sicker by the minute. If he was unwilling to help, for whatever reason, Drayce needed to know quickly so he could go in search for someone who was willing to help.

"I'll be honest with you; yes, I am looking to form a guild. And yes, I am looking for guild mates. But as of right now, that's been put on hold. At my guildhouse is a young rover who is very ill with a fever. He's unconscious but clearly suffering. I don't know his name or who he is, but I won't stand by and watch as he suffers. Now, all I'm asking of you right now is to come to my guildhouse and help him. I promise that there is no ulterior motive here. And yes, I will pay you. That doesn't matter. Just...will you see him now?"

After he was done, Drayce felt slightly breathless because, wow, he said a lot in a short amount of time.

The silence that followed, though, was a little uncomfortable. Especially with the way Fiorello was looking at him with a somewhat surprised look on his face. And though Drayce couldn't see him fully, he felt that Zohar was also staring at him.

Talk about being the centre of attention.

Unexpectedly, an impish and cheeky smile appeared on Fiorello's lips and his eyes held a mischievously curious glint.

"Ok!" Fiorello said cheerfully as he spun on his heel and headed toward another door in the far corner of the room. "Let me grab my bag and books."

To say that Drayce was relieved would be an understatement. "Thank you," he said in earnest.

He could finally get that kid some help. And maybe scold him later for walking around with such a fever in the first place.

Before that, though.

Drayce turned his attention back to Zohar, only to realise that the other man was already looking in his direction. "Ah, thank you for leading me here. It would probably have taken me a while to find the place."

"Not at all," Zohar replied rather quickly. "I am relieved."

Relieved? About what?

Before Drayce could wonder if he should ask him what he meant or not, Zohar simply picked up a coffin that was leaning against the wall by the door, called upon a light green spiritual light to pull the two pieces apart and floated them on either side of him. Without another word, or even a glance back, he left through the door and seemed to exit through the front doors as well, opening it before allowing it to slip silently shut behind him.

Ah…ok?

Jeez, that man was quiet, wasn’t he? He was obviously a necromancer, so that was a given?

It didn't matter. Each to their own.

After a few seconds of standing awkwardly in the room by himself, Fiorello thankfully reappeared with his bag and medical book with him. He glanced around, no doubt looking for Zohar, only to roll his eyes when he realised he wasn't around.

"Zohar just took off again, didn't he?" he asked. "Honestly, that boy."

"He does that often?" Drayce asked.

"All the time," Fiorello replied. "Such a loner. Prefers to do things on his own. Never mind that now. You have my attention, best show me to your guildhouse pronto."

"Yes, thanks once again," Drayce said as the two of them made their way to the front door.

... ... ... ... ...

Drayce had remembered the way back to the Crescentia. Only natural, really. He always had uncanny navigation skills. He was still relieved that he had them. One, it would be embarrassing after going on a mini-rant about needing Fiorello's help only to lead him around lost. And two, a treasure hunter and explorer needed reasonable navigation skills. If he somehow got lost in town, he would definitely have gotten lost in the labyrinth. Something he and his future guildmates didn't need.

Thank goodness his dad and grandfather taught him well.

As Drayce invited Fiorello into the guildhouse, the botanist looked somewhat surprised. Probably from the sheer size of the place. Not even Drayce himself hadn't even been to the third floor yet.

Ashton had been waiting for them, and he seemed somewhat surprised himself. And yet, he smiled knowingly and greeted Fiorello politely.

After a short meet and greet, Ashton led them both upstairs to a bed located closest to the stairs. Blayke was waiting outside, keeping one eye out at the stairs, the other in on the kid.

Upon being shown the room, Fiorello wasted no time in making his way over to the dog-eared rover. After a quick once over, the botanist made a light tisking sound as he opened his bag and pulled out a few bottles, along with a mortar set to crush more herbs if needed.

"You had the right to be worried," Fiorello said. "Despite the fever, I can see that he's malnourished and dehydrated. You said you found him?"

Drayce lingered near the doorway so not to get in the way. "Yeah, he collapsed outside on the sidewalk. I obviously couldn't leave him there so brought him here."

Fiorello nodded as he mixed a couple of the bottles of medicine together. "And you don't know him?"

"Nope, not at all."

"Hmm," Fiorello murmured. "This is a little surprising, to be honest. Anyone else would have left him or dumped him at the inn to have someone else take care of him. But to bring him into your own residence without knowing a thing about him takes quite a bit of courage."

Drayce frown slightly. "Does it? I mean, I couldn't leave him. And I can't imagine anyone else leaving him."

Fiorello unexpectedly chuckled. "New to Iorys, aren't you?"

"Yeah, so?" Drayce asked, confused.

"With the reopening of Yggdrasil, explorers had flooded the city," Fiorello explained as he concentrated fully on the mixture of his medicines. "Some are interested in the legends, others focus only on whatever they can get. Money, weapons, fame. They're willing to use anyone or anything to get their guildname known. Anyone who could be a liability, or heaven forbid, slow them down in anyway are promptly replaced and forgotten."

Drayce...couldn't comprehend that.

He grew up in a community. A community that took care of each other. A family. A tribe. Whatever it was called, he grew up with other people. His dad. His grandparents. Blayke's parents. He was never on his own. He never had to struggle with anything on his own. He had people willing and waiting to help him with just about anything.

To him, that was normal. Was it...not normal here?

"For a stranger to help a stranger," Fiorello continued as he finally turned his gaze away from his herbs and medicine to look at Drayce with a peculiar smile on his lips. "It something unusual indeed."

Drayce shook his head. "No. This might be unusual to you, to Iorys and to the explorers, helping a stranger like this. But it’s not to me. I grew up in a community. A community that took care of each other. Helped each other out. That was how I was raised. And I’m not going to stop doing that. If someone needs help and I’m able to do just that, then I will. There are no ulterior motives with me."

For the second time since he had met him, Fiorello looked at him silently, probably gauging whether or not he was being truthful or was just saying it because it sounded right.

"I like you," Fiorello unexpectedly stated as he smiled that same impish smile as before. "You're a good kid. A rare one, but a good one."

Drayce wasn't sure how to take that, let alone respond to it, so was thankful when Fiorello turned his attention back to his medicines.

"I can make something that will bring down his fever, but he really needs some proper food and liquid. He'll also need to rest for a couple of days, so if you're willing, he will need to stay in bed here."

"That's completely fine," Drayce said before he made a motion with his hand to their surroundings. "It's not like he's taking up too much space or anything."

Fiorello gave him a sideways glance. "I'd take up less room."

Drayce arched an eyebrow. That was totally a test, wasn't it? Not falling for it. "Not making a comment to that."

"You are a good boy," Fiorello surprisingly chimed with a sing-song voice. "Because if you mentioned my height, I would have cut you like I did with that fencer bitch."

"If I made a rude comment like that, I'd deserved to be cut."

Fiorello laughed high-pitched and cheekily. "Good. In any case, I do need to stay for at least a couple of hours to ensure this medicine sits right with our patient. He's in good hands now, don't worry."

"Ah, that's a relief," Drayce replied. "And stay as long as you need. I'm not adept at healing, so it would be best if I stay out of your way."

He needed to do some more cleaning, anyway. He hadn't seen all the rooms of the guildhouse yet. Heck, he hadn't even been to the third floor!

"Ashton, Blayke, and I will be hanging around somewhere, so give a shout if you need anything."

"Will do~"

[emilyplaysotome]

Part 31 - Popped

Down the Voltage Rabbit Hole is an ongoing story about our MC, who could easily be anyone in voltage fandom. She woke up in hospital bed only to discover that she’d somehow been transported Voltage universe.

This story is ongoing, so if you missed a part, or are new to the story, please use the links below to catch yourself up:

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6 - Part 7 - Part 8 - Part 9 - Part 10 - Part 11 - Part 12 - Part 13 - Part 14 - Part 15 - Part 16 - Part 17 - Part 18 - Part 19 - Part 20 - Part 21 - Part 22 - Part 23 - Part 24 - Part 25 - Part 26 - Part 27 - Part 28 - Part 29 - Part 30

Part 31 - Popped

I showed up at Revance’s doorstep looking like something that had crawled out of the sewer. Without an umbrella, the rain had soaked to the bone, and my hair was plastered to my forehead while being simultaneously frizzy thanks to the residual humidity.

My eyes were still puffy and swollen, and it’s safe to say that I was still in a fragile emotional state as I rang their intercom.

Ryo buzzed me in, but upon seeing me ushered me towards their bathroom, insisting I take a leisurely soak to warm myself up. 

I suspected that, being an artist he was also perceptive of my emotional state, which was yet another reason as to why he was so insistent that I take my time in the bath. He provided me with a change of clothes that had no doubt been left behind by one of Kyohei’s groupies judging by the amount of animal print in the outfit. 

Ryo and I shared a laugh as I noted that off-the-shoulder leopard print shirts paired with black leggings were not exactly my style. That said, based on his initial reaction to seeing me it was clear that anything was an improvement compared to my current state. 

He effortlessly brushed aside how I looked and instead offered up the washer/dryer in the small room next door. Once I’d bathed and changed, he recommended that I dry my regular clothes so I wouldn’t have to leave their residence in the tacky ensemble he’d loaned me. 

True to the sensitive soul Ryo was, before handing me a fluffy towel and leaving, he quietly noted that no matter what state I was in, it was clear to him that I was beautiful as there was no way an ugly person would be capable of writing such honest and heartfelt lyrics.

Realizing that I’d sent the lyrics to “cry me a river” I began to put the pieces together, and figured that Ryo had tied my emotional state to the lyrics - assuming that my fragility was a result of a cheating partner. 

It didn’t seem to be something worth correcting, so I just thanked him for his hospitality and headed towards the bath.

It took a few minutes in the murky, soapy water to get myself feeling warm again, and I was grateful to Ryo for forcing me to do so. 

The small tub was not very luxurious compared to the bath at the God’s mansion, but considering I had no desire to go back, I was happy to get the chance to freshen up. 

Ryo had been kind enough to offer up his shampoo and soap, but I found myself looking through their large selection of bath products. It made sense that Ryo opted for a somewhat neutral, clean smell whereas Kyohei and Nagi used this world’s equivalent of Axe Body Wash. Takashi’s soap obviously smelled of caramel, and Kota’s name was scrawled on what appeared to be his personal skincare line for men which smelled faintly of strawberries.

Out of all of the products, I chose to indulge myself in Iori’s, which was labeled “springtime freshness” and smelled vaguely of how I pictured it would smell at his summer home.

In the small, silent bathroom I allowed myself to get lost in thought as I contemplated how up and down the past few days had been for me. I’d been acting overly emotional (even for me), and couldn’t quite put my finger on why I was acting so erratically. I chalked it up to how fast and hard this world made me fall, and on Zyglavis for getting my hopes up only to break my heart in such a spectacular fashion.

I felt myself wince a little at the thought of Zyglavis, and wondered what was going through his head the entire time he’d held my hand at the planetarium. At the time it had occurred to me that he might be stringing me along for the sole purpose of preventing me from additional romantic encounters, but after he’d stood up to Leon on my behalf, I just found that doubtful. 

None of it was adding up to me at the moment but I didn’t have time to think much more about him as my thoughts were interrupted by the bathroom’s doorknob which began to jiggle. Before I even had time to realize that I’d left it unlocked, who should barge in but the man I’d been looking for, Iori Enjo.

Unable to fully grasp what was happening Iori squinted at me, trying to figure out what, or rather who he was seeing in front of him. Without the help of his glasses or contacts it was clear he struggled to identify me, but I still instinctively covered my bits.

His hair was all over the place and even though it was almost lunchtime it was fairly obvious he’d just woken up. He had some dark circles under his eyes, and the stubble on his face made him look more manly and less bubblegum pop star. He was naked from the waist up and had the same build that all the men in this world had, slim but muscular, with defined abdominal and pectoral muscles.

Seeing him out of his pop star persona was a bit jarring, but truthfully I found him far more attractive this way. I was slightly star struck but when he rubbed his eyes and started to come closer, I immediately snapped out of it and prevented him from coming any closer by calling out at him.

“Hey - the bathroom’s occupied!” I yelled, sinking further into the murky tub hoping it would obscure my imperfect body.

“O-oh! Sorry!” Iori called out surprised, “Didn’t realize one of the guys brought home a chick last night.”

I started to explain that wasn’t the case, but Iori fled the bathroom before I had the chance. 

Not wanting to repeat this encounter (especially with Nagito who I worried wouldn’t be persuaded to leave as easily as Iori had), I decided to cut my leisurely soak a bit short. I wrapped the towel Ryo had left around me, and locked the door before properly taking the time to towel myself off. Once dry, I changed into the ridiculous outfit that had been left for me which I found to be surprisingly comfortable.

Being the lazy, low maintenance woman I was, I didn’t want to bother with having to blow dry my hair. Instead, I opened the bathroom cabinet hoping to find some product that would allow me to let it dry naturally and luckily enough for me, it turned out that there was a plethora of styling products for me to choose from. All of the bottles were labeled with KYOHEI in bold, black letters and I found myself snickering, without a care in the world as I isolated the product that closest to my set it and forget it leave in conditioner back home.

It was sort of amazing how many different skin and hair products were jammed into the small space and even funnier to me that they were all Kyohei’s. 

Truthfully he had always struck me as a high maintenance kind of character which was why he had never been my favorite member of Revance. As I evenly distributed the product throughout my locks, I wondered if he would noticed that one of his precious bottles of product had been used, and I couldn’t help but giggle at the mental image of him scolding the rest of the band because of it.

With my hair de-frizzed and drying, I opened what appeared to be a makeup bag that was hiding off to the side and behind the rest of the bottles. 

Like everything else in the cabinet, its entire contents was Kyohei’s and I decided to use a bit of his concealer to mask the circles that had cropped up under my eyes from crying. With my complexion now smoothed out, I also decided to borrow a bit of his eyeliner and mascara. Not being very talented with makeup I had no idea what the rest of the products in this bag were for, and left the bulk of the contents untouched, returning what I’d borrowed to its rightful place.

Once I was satisfied with my general appearance I braced myself for what was to come. 

Today would most likely be the day in which I learned if I was stuck in this world or not. 

I prepared myself to speak with Ryo, but mostly, pick Iori’s brain. Even though I was wearing what I considered to be a ridiculous outfit, I found myself feeling surprisingly hopeful, and ready for anything.

I was no longer a pathetic, drenched, sniveling little girl - I was now a confident, clean woman wearing leopard print and a little makeup borrowed from the pop sensation otherwise known as Kyohei Rikudoh.

...and I was okay with that.

I found Ryo and Kyohei sitting in the living room, waiting for me to get out of the bath. Upon seeing my attire Kyohei burst out laughing.

“Oh shit - you gave her Akari’s clothes?”

Ryo didn’t respond, and instead just smiled at me with his usual soft smile and said, “Did you put your things in the dryer?”

“Yeah, thanks.”

Kyohei dabbed the corners of his eyes, most likely not wanting to let the tears that had appeared smudge his makeup, and I pretended not to notice that his perfect complexion was in fact far from perfect. 

Taking a seat next to him it was obvious that Kyohei, while incredibly handsome had terrible acne that he was clearly self conscious of. He caked on concealer in an attempt to hide it from the world and had done so successfully seeing as how it was only now as I sat a foot or two away from him on the couch that I realized how bad his skin actually was.

Ryo continued to keep things on track, sliding the “cry me a river” lyrics I’d sent him back to me with minimal comments. It was funny that he had any comments at all on a song that was arguably one of the biggest hits of the 2000s, but I pretended to read over the suggestions Ryo had made.

“About these lyrics...can we buy them from you?”

Ryo spoke exactly the way I imagined he would. His voice was low in register, but quiet and thoughtful. If he had lived in my world, I would have equated it to that of a yoga teacher’s, calmly guiding his students through the poses and various meditations.

“I’d love that,” I said to which Kyohei gave me his signature popstar smile.

“Awesome! And we want you to write more songs for us too!”

“I would need to think about that,” I said.

“What’s there to think about?” he asked, clearly perturbed.

I found Kyohei’s aura similar to Eisuke’s as I noted that both men were unaccustomed to getting pushback from people. As long as you did what they wanted they could affable enough, but the second you challenged their desire their moods shifted, almost as if they were irritated you didn’t realize that you would eventually submit to their wishes.

“Hey Kyo,” Iori said interrupting, “next time you have a chick stay here could you give the rest of us a heads up?”

It was clear that he’d thought I’d left for the morning, as the bulk of his statement was said absentmindedly. He’d entered the room with his full attention on his mobile phone, and it was clear that he was in his “dark prince” mode considering the tone he took with Kyohei.

Not taking kindly to Iori’s attitude, Kyohei aggressively introduced me as Ryo’s friend and potential lyricist to which Iori’s head shot up and for the first time he finally got a good look at me. I watched with baited breath for any signs of recognition, and much to my delight Iori’s jaw literally dropped upon seeing me.

“You…”

“Yes?” I asked, holding my breath. 

This was it. This was where I’d find out if Iori was the man I was looking for.

With a dubious expression he addressed Kyohei and Ryo who appeared to be confused as to what was going through Iori’s head. 

“Are you guys fucking with me?” he asked, rather aggressively.

“Messing with you how?” Kyohei shot back with annoyance.

To that, the dark prince dissipated and his tone turned serious.

“This is the girl I found in the park...the one I brought to Ebisu.”

The amount of relief I felt was indescribable, and before there could be further talk of lyrics or employment I sat with Iori and squeezed out every last detail out of him from that day.

He told me that he’d gone for his usual run in Yoyogi Park, wearing his typical disguise of sunglasses and a hat (which struck me as a piss poor excuse for a disguise). On that particular morning he’d gotten an early start to the day and had enjoyed the solitude of running through a park that was typically crowded. He had just made his way around the inner garden by the Meiji Shrine when he saw me, slumped over on a bench and clearly unconscious.

With no one around he approached me, concerned that I had been a victim of assault. However, upon studying me he didn’t find any obvious evidence of bruising or marks, and thought it best to take my pulse.

He’d noted that my clothes were immaculately clean for someone who appeared to have slept overnight in a park, and even though my pulse was faint I appeared to be breathing. He maintained that there was nothing unusual about the scenery around me (which to me indicated that there hadn’t been any obvious oddities or portals in the area). 

From there he’d attempted to wake me with the hope that I’d been careless the night before, indulging on too much drink with the explanation my presence had simply been a result of stumbling into the park to sleep off my drunkenness. However, when light shake didn’t wake me, he decided to take me to Ebisu general by car. 

He was worried that if he were to call the police, considering his identity as a pop phenomenon, the incident might hit the tabloids which was effectively career suicide. That said, being the decent human being he was, he couldn’t in good conscience leave me in such a vulnerable state. 

So, he carried me to the main road, flagged down a cabbie (who luckily didn’t ask any questions), and drove so fast that the usual 15 minute drive to Ebisu General took only 7.

Still concerned about causing a scene, he said that he’d grabbed the first man who he presumed to be a doctor, and handed me off. The part he’d mentioned on the talk show about needing to get to a concert had been a lie - in actuality he’d had plenty of time but had been so spooked about the possibility of his image being hurt that he’d quickly run off, despite the fact that in actuality he’d been a good samaritan.

He explained that was why he’d refused to give his name, and instead slipped out as Doctor Irie prepped a stretcher to take me to the examination room. 

He bowed low to me in apology and I quickly told him to raise his head, and thanked him for helping me. I asked if it would be possible for him to take me to Yoyogi Park in order to show me the exact bench he’d found me on.

I could tell that Kyohei was losing patience with the situation, but I wasn’t about to agree (or not) to work with Revance until I had all my answers. 

It quickly became evident to him that it was in Revance’s best interest to cooperate, so despite Kyohei’s grumbling he allowed for Iori to skip their dance rehearsal and instead take me to the park. I suspected that Ryo was in a bit of a writing slump considering how persistent Kyohei was being about everything, but with the answers I’d been searching for at my fingertips, I chose not to involve myself further in whatever was going on with Revence.

With that in mind, Iori donned his terrible costume and I changed out of the Akari’s ensemble and back into my clothes which were now dry. Feeling like myself again, I said a silent little prayer I’d finally get the answers I wanted and we were off to the park.

“Over there,” Iori said, casually pointing to a bench that was currently occupied by a young woman with toddler.

The little girl struggled to climb up on the wooden bench that faced a placid lake. Though the park was busy, filled with office workers taking lunch outside, the bench felt serene compared to the open areas where people picnicked.

Not caring that the bench was occupied I marched up to the woman and her child to examine it. When she gave me a cautious look I disarmed her by explaining I thought I’d dropped something earlier in the day, to which she relaxed and let me go about my business.

After much scrutiny of the bench, the bushes, and the surrounding area I was left with...nothing.

There was no portal, no odd ripples in the lake, or strange trees that indicated something unusual was afoot. It was simply a park, and I was clearly out of luck when it came to making my way back home. 

It was all extremely anticlimactic, and as the reality of my situation began to sink in, I could feel my lip start to quiver as I thought about the fact that I’d never see my parents or friends again in this lifetime. 

Not wanting to startle the young woman whose world I was now a permanent resident of, I headed back towards Iori who was waiting for me a few feet away from the bench. Seeing my forlorn expression caused him to look at me with a concerned expression and he reached out to me as I walked by.

“Hey, you okay?”

I shook my head no, adding, “But I will be at some point,” and kept walking, shaking off his outstretched arm which attempted to grab my shoulder.

With nothing left to do or see, and with most of my hope gone for the moment (as far as getting myself home), I walked the streets in an aimless fashion. 

I think Iori tried chasing after me in an attempt to get me to return to the Revance house, but I must have ignored him and kept walking. I was in a zombie-like state, unable to feel or react to what was happening around me and solely occupied with the task of putting one foot in front of the other.

Back home, when things weren’t going well I found myself walking from neighborhood to neighborhood, allowing my brain to shut off as the repetitive motion reset whatever was happening in my head. There were times in the past when I’d walked around central park, or home from my office in lower Manhattan and that day I found myself getting lost in a version of Tokyo that was arguably now my home. 

I walked until I felt nothing other than the soreness of my feet, and until I was incapable of taking another step. My stomach growled, and my feet hurt, but the grief of burying my old life in exchange for accepting that this world was now my reality was finally dawning on me.

I had no idea where I was in the city, and with nothing more than my phone which had a half charge and my close to empty wallet, I looked for a cheap place to grab something to eat. I found an affordable ramen stand a block away, but with no one waiting for me there, and this world not offering a chance encounter like it usually did in my darkest moments, I found myself eating alone. 

It was fitting seeing as how I’d never felt more alone in my life.

Like any runaway would, I pulled out my phone and found a nearby park where I hoped to find a bench, or comfortable spot under a tree and nap undisturbed. Even though I’d walked for a few hours, the time was just approaching 4 PM and since I was now stuck here, I needed to figure out where I was going to spend the night.

The idea of returning the mansion made me feel physically ill, and my options were pretty limited at the moment considering I’d spent the last few days chained to Zyglavis’ side in an attempt to quiet the wishes in Leon’s head. 

I hugged my knees to my chest as I curled up under a big cherry blossom tree whose flowers were not yet in bloom and thought about whose place I could spend the night at. My first thought was to call Shunichiro but quickly thought better of it, considering it looked like I’d soon be signing on to the team at Addison & Rhodes. My other option was to call Jin Namba, and as bold as it was to try and arrange a sleepover with a man I’d barely met, I struggled to find another alternative. 

I had little cash on me, which meant it would be impossible for me to book a hotel room. Hiroshi and I had severed our ties, and even though I could probably get free room and board again at the Tres Spades I was not willing to put myself back in the bidders’ world. Most of my week had been spent with Zyglavis, pretending to be his girlfriend, thus not connecting with anyone new. I was too embarrassed at the moment to return to Revance’s house, and I didn’t feel comfortable hitting up anyone at Conte and asking them for a favor.

The more I thought it all over, the more I decided that if I was going to stay out tonight, Jin Namba would be my best bet in doing so. 

Feeling especially stubborn, I took out my phone and messaged him, asking if I could take him up on his offer to have ramen together. Unlike Hiroshi, he made me wait a bit before answering, and after thirty minutes sent me an address, then a time (1800h), followed by a weird cartoon cat giving me a thumbs up, which I assumed meant he was willing to meet up.

With a distraction on the horizon and a way to avoid returning to the Gods’ mansion, I decided to take a quick nap. I wrapped myself in my jacket, and took the knit hat out of my pocket and pulled it down so it covered my eyes, effectively acting as an eye mask of sorts. I popped in my headphones and set an alarm to go off so I wouldn’t over sleep, and with that I closed my eyes.

After all, if I was going to indulge a bit with Namba, I’d need my rest as it would most likely be a very long night.

To be continued…in Part 32

http://emilyplaysotome.tumblr.com/post/160297574032/part-32-new-beginnings

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[higuchimon]

[fanfic]  Crafted For Command:  Chapter 11

If it hadn’t been beneath his dignity, Jikomon would’ve exploded into gales of triumphant laughter once he swooped out of range of the Kaiser’s fortress. Getting in there without being detected had been difficult enough in the first place, though not impossible.

Very little was impossible for him when he put his mind to it. This wasn’t any exception.

Akigaramon hung in his arms, still dazed and unaware, and Jikomon intended to keep him like that. Conversation wasn’t one of the purposes that he had in mind for his new toy.

He is beautiful, though. I wonder how much more so he’ll be when he evolves.

Jikomon looked forward to finding a way to spark that evolution. Doing so would be risky: sometimes evolving meant he had to work on the hold he had over someone else’s mind all over again. He’d been able to do so for Akigaramon because the other had already been distracted and confused by the Kaiser’s machinations. Starting from fresh could be more difficult than he wanted to try, given the chances of a different evolution.

His lip curled for a moment at the passing thought of the Kaiser. He did the beginning work, at least. But did he really think that he deserved such a prize?

The Kaiser might well be Piemon’s spawn but in Jikomon’s mind, that gave him no rights at all to owning Akigaramon. Only Jikomon could do that, and only due to certain reasons.

Without warning, the voice pressed into his mind.

Take care of him. Use him as you will but harm him not.

Jikomon shuddered at the words, more from how they echoed in the depths of his mind than anything else. He swallowed, steadying himself, and kept on going, not wanting to lose his grip on Akigaramon.

“I understand, my lord,” he replied, keeping his voice low so it wouldn’t wake up his precious passenger.

He’d never been so grateful not to get a reply back as he was this time. He’d never seen the owner of the heart-shaking voice, but he’d heard stories, and he didn’t want to see him.

How someone like that could create beauty such as Akigaramon’s baffled Jikomon. Beauty should come from beauty, not from hideousness. There shouldn’t be a shred of ugliness in all the world.

But he could deal with that another day. What he wanted right now was to get home and install Akigaramon in his new quarters and begin to teach him his new lessons. Whatever Kaiser taught him needed to be wiped away.

In Jikomon’s mind, beauty started with one and only one place: obedience to him.

Kaiser watched the security recording, lips pressed together, eyes flashing in ways that would’ve made almost anyone else seeing him look for the nearest exit.

His fingers brushed against a few keys and an analyzer screen came into existence.

“Jikomon,” he murmured, reading it over. “A Perfect-level Digimon whose attacks are Hypnotic Wing and Wing Daggers. One of the few Digimon never born at the Village of Beginnings and also one of the few to have known kindred: one sister and one nephew.”

Once again his fingers flew across the keyboard, and another face showed up. Kaiser read the information, then turned to the two Digimon who watched him in terrified silence.

“V-mon,” he snapped. “You’re going to the Chosen. You’ll tell them nothing of what’s happened until I give you the command.”

“But Daisuke...” V-mon tried to protest and the Kaiser cut him off at once.

“You can listen to me because this will bring Daisuke back, or you can ignore me, and I’ll put a Ring on you and you’ll do what I want anyway. The choice is yours.”

He looked to Wormmon. “I expect you to actually be useful in this.” He cast a quick glance back to the analyzer and the image there, then to Wormmon once more. “Do you understand me?”

Wormmon scuffled a bit. “Yes.” He didn’t look any happier about it than V-mon did.

“Good. Now escort V-mon out of here. I expect this won’t take long.”

He didn’t want it to. The longer that Daisuke was out of his control, the more chances that either Jikomon would find a way to assume mastery of him, or even worse, Daisuke would star to think for himself, and that definitely wasn’t what the Kaiser wanted.

Why didn’t he listen to me the first time? That would’ve kept him right where he was, completely safe. If Jikomon dared to approach Kaiser himself, Kaiser wouldn’t have let him leave with his wings or his life intact. But something had gone wrong, and Kaiser had no idea of what.

He would find out, he would correct it, and Daisuke would be his once more. Daisuke needed a master, needed someone who could control and tame him, and Kaiser knew there wasn’t anyone better suited to the task than he was.

Not to mention he thoroughly enjoyed the process of taming Daisuke, of feeling his warmth against his body, knowing that Daisuke thoroughly enjoyed his time in Kaiser’s bed, even if he hadn’t properly admitted it yet. He couldn’t read Daisuke’s mind, but he could read his body very well indeed.

A soft smile touched on his lips for a few heartbeats as a thought occurred to him.

This may be what needs to happen for Daisuke to understand his proper place. Jikomon won’t treat him as well as I will. Daisuke will come running to me when he sees me again, no matter what Jikomon does to him.

He did want to find them before Jikomon did anything to him. He wanted to be the only person that knew what Daisuke looked like in the throes of orgasm. He couldn’t guarantee that, though. No one knew where Jikomon lived, which meant they could get there far too quickly for Kaiser’s own taste. And he knew if it were him, then the moment he had Daisuke hidden away from all others, he would embark on seducing him quite thoroughly.

After all, that was what he’d been doing here all along, and doing quite successfully. It would’ve taken only another few days, at most, because Daisuke would’ve craved him so much that he would beg to enter Kaiser’s bed, for far more intense sex than they’d had until now.

I was looking forward to that.

And now because of Jikomon, it would be put off. Not for long; Kaiser would find Jikomon and either send him straight to the Village of Beginnings as an egg, or find out if his Spirals could work on him.

His gaze moved back to the scene on one of his screens, where the Chosen, today including Ishida Yamato and Izumi Koushirou – both of whom he’d marked for future trials with advanced Spirals – searched both for his Towers and for Daisuke.

They hadn’t found a trace of him in the handful of days that Kaiser had him, but Kaiser made certain they wouldn’t. Keeping the base moving helped with that. He’d long since intended they would see neither hide nor hair of Daisuke until he’d finished his training, accepting his place in Kaiser’s arms and bed.

Then he would take the rest of them and this foolish war would be over with.

He hadn’t changed his mind a great deal on that score. There would just need to be a little revising of his personal timeline before it all came out the way that he wanted.

A single flick of his fingers brought the image of Daisuke in Jikomon's arms back up. Kaiser growled just at the thought of it, but refused to look away. Daisuke belonged to him. Daisuke would be back where he belonged soon enough. And once he had the entire Digital World crushed beneath his feet, no one would ever dare to take what was his away from him again.

Daisuke groaned, his head spinning, trying to figure out what had happened. Vague memories flickered, but nothing very solid, just images of flying… had Kaiser taken him somewhere?

No…no, it hadn’t been Kaiser. He did remember hearing Kaiser’s voice, telling him to stay where he was, and for once, it hadn’t affected him. He’d been able to run. So he had run. He didn’t understand that, especially not when the next set of orders struck hard into him.

A gentle hand pressed against the side of his face and he blinked. Someone who wasn’t Kaiser touching him? He moved away without thinking, and the hand turned not so gentle, gripping onto him.

“Don’t do that,” a far too pleasant voice spoke. Hearing it brought back other memories and he tried to open his eyes.

What – who – he saw in front of him was an angelic face of beauty, with a cascade of reddish-blond hair, eyes as startling green as fresh leaves, and a body that would’ve made most models weep in envy. Shimmering wings rose up behind, drawing Daisuke’s attention at once, before the stranger touched him again.

“I’m so glad to see you awake, Akigaramon. I’ve been looking forward to this for a very, very long time.”

To Be Continued

Notes: Next week, the last chapter of this story!

[tigerintokyo]

IDOLiSH7 PART 3, CH 10.5

Wait For Me

(other parts in the directory)

Translation under the break.

.

Ryo: It’s about time to finish it.

Torao: What are you talking about?

Ryo: Not you. I’m talking about Trigger.

Ryo: Trigger cancelled last minute on Sound Ship. Once can be “due to unforeseen circumstances.” But twice, it’s due to their bad character.

Ryo: Trigger has a chance to recover their image with a strong performance that even Re:vale and IDOLiSH7 can’t do at the Tokyo Music Arts Fest.

Ryo: But, Trigger will be absent.

Minami: How would that happen? If you say it’s a chance of a lifetime, they should be thinking the same thing.

Ryo: Before becoming the president of this agency, I was in the trade business with a dangerous crowd. I can use my connections...

Ryo: and abduct Trigger.

Touma: ….Hey. I’d rather not be involved in a crime.

Ryo: Ahaha. It won’t involve us. Trigger are popular stars. It’s just the work of a little stalker.

Isumi: ……….heh.

Isumi: ...Anything is fine. As long as I can see that family cry.

Isumi: As long as everything they’ve done can be denied, and they fall into hopelessness.

Ryo: Ok, now then. Who wants to call Trigger?!

Torao: Do you know their numbers? I know Ryunosuke’s number though.

Ryo: My friend Momo is a little careless. His password on his smartphone is his birthday, 1111. I extracted all the phone numbers.

Touma: Oh no, I have to change my password...

Minami: You should, because nowadays, even the president of a company will extract personal information from their friend’s smartphone.

Torao: You should change it on a regular basis, in case a woman wants to peek into your phone.

Isumi: But if you change it, isn’t it hard to remember? Is this necessary….

Touma: What did you use?

Isumi: My school grade, class number, and student number.

Touma: Oh, it’s nice being a student.

Torao: But, to have your birthday as your code when you’re an entertainer is stupid. Anyone can know it from looking at your profile.

Minami: Mido-san, you know that Inumaru-san’s was his birthday too, right?

Touma: I’ll change it to a super complicated number!

Ryo: Hey everyone, let’s stop messing with our smartphones. Are you listening to me?

Toaro: Ryo-san, if you use Rabbit Chat, I’ll send you some fun stickers.

Ryo: Eh? What kind of stickers?

Minami: Shall we all add each other? Isumi-san, do you know how to do it?

Isumi: I’m not sure how to… Do it for me.

Minami: You do this and then shake it [1]…. See, everyone else, try it too.

Touma: Wait! I’m still changing my password. I’m not sure what we’re talking about now!

-

(phone rings)

Tenn: … Who’s calling? An unknown number...

Tenn: Yes?

Isumi: It’s me. Do you want to stop the attacks on Trigger?

Tenn: ……….

Isumi: After you accept our conditions, you can give it some thought. Can you come out now by yourself?

Tenn: … I got it. I’ll get ready now.

-

(phone rings)

Gaku: ...Hello? Who are you?

Touma: Wow, it’s Yaotome Gaku’s voice… I’m so freaked out I could die...

Gaku: ……….ah?

Touma: You want to help Trigger and your father, right?

Gaku: …. you….

Touma: If so, come out by yourself now. After you accept our conditions, you’ll want to do it.

Touma: Of course, don’t tell anyone else.

Gaku: I won’t. ...Where should I go?

-

(phone rings)

Tsunashi: Hello? Torao-kun?

Torao: Hey. It’s been awhile.

Tsunashi: I’ve been trying to contact you. About Hanamaki-san… And then, about your debut...

Torao: Shh. Right now, I have a secret deal for you, because you’re my friend.

Torao: There’s a way to stop the attacks on Trigger. It might be a bit dangerous, but do you want to know what it is?

Tsunashi: Of course.

Torao: I knew you would say that. Come here now without letting anyone else know. The place is...

-

Tsumugi: Today, it’s great that we could all have a day off together!

Mitsuki: We have to go and cheer on Trigger! I made cheering fans! It’ll be great to wave them at the music fest, right?

Sogo: I also brought penlights for everyone!

Yamato:  Oh! What’s that over there? It's really flashy with the Trigger logo painted on it. An ita-car [2]...?

(car pulls up)

Yamato: …. And it stopped right in front of us.

Okazaki: Hello! Is everyone doing well?

Tamaki: Okarin?! What is this car?!

Okazaki: It’s the Re:vale station wagon. We got it from the car manufacturer.

Riku: You made a Trigger ita-car?!

Yuki: Because we’re celebrities.

Momo: We did.

Nagi: Oh! Amazing! How fantastic! I also want a Kokona ita-car!

Sogo: What should I do… I just came with penlights. How embarrassing...

Mitsuki: Ah… And I was all excited over just bringing fans.

Iori: The manufacturer must’ve been surprised to specially make a car named Re:vale into a Trigger ita-car.

Momo: Let’s all cheer on Trigger together! And, I still haven’t heard back from them, but if you’re heading over there, let’s go eat together!

Riku: Yes, let’s! This morning, I tried inviting them too! But it seems like they haven’t been responding for awhile.

Sogo: They’re probably getting themselves pumped up and doing rehearsals!

(phone rings)

Momo: Ah, it’s from Kaoru-chan! ……. ……. ….eh?

Momo: Everyone, do you know where Trigger is?

Mitsuki: Where they are? They still haven’t gotten to the venue?

Momo: She says they haven’t been able to contact them since this morning...

Riku: Eh?!

-

Tsumugi: Anesagi-san, are you okay?! I heard you can’t contact the members...

Anesagi: They’re not answering any calls, and everywhere we checked, we can’t find them. The office is searching for them in full force, but...

Okazaki: It’s strange that all three of them disappeared. Did you contact the police?

Anesagi: Yeah, I filed a report, but it’s only been half of a day since we lost contact, so they said they can’t do anything about it yet.

Anesagi: ….It’s the work of that Tsukumo guy! He’s been trying to keep Trigger from getting on the stage! If anything happens to those boys...

Riku: I’ll go to Tsukumo Prod. and look for them...!

Iori: Please wait! It can become a big problem if we just jump to conclusions!

Yamato: They’re not stupid either. They’ll just put up a front like they don’t know anything.

Riku: But…!

Momo: I know you’re worried, but let’s leave it to the Yaotome Prod. staff. Everyone, it’s not good if we get in their way, so let’s leave.

Momo: Okarin, Maneko-chan [3], stay by Kaoru-chan’s side.

Tsumugi: Leave it to me…. Anesagi-san...

Okazaki: It’ll be okay, for sure.

-

Iori: If they can’t perform tonight, they can be attacked with last year’s Sound Ship incident too.

Riku: Those bullies!! They keep making Trigger look like the bad guy! Was Tenn-nii kidnapped…?

Sogo: The performance will have already finished if we wait for the police to move. Now, the police report itself is difficult to handle...

Momo: Don’t worry. I will go talk with the president at Tsukumo. I’m going to pay him back in full!

Yuki: I’ll go too.

Momo: You can’t!

Yuki: Why?

Momo: I’m really fast, right? You’re slow though, right? When that guy tries to run off, even at full speed, you’ll be left behind, Yuki.

Yuki: You're right.

Momo: And then, because I love you, I’ll stop chasing after him and just come back for you, Yuki.

Yuki: Momo...

Mitsuki: Umm, I shouldn’t be saying this to my senpai, but … Now is not the time for that!

Momo: Anyway, Yuki will be the house-sitter. You’re all good guys, so all of you are also house-sitting!

Yamato: We will go with you. The underaged [4] guys can stay behind...

Momo: No way! That guy’s really toxic! My cute IDOLiSH7 will get corrupted!!

Sogo: I didn’t even notice when we became Momo-san’s…?

Riku: Is that president that scary?! Did he treat all of Trigger really horribly too?

Momo: He doesn’t do the acts personally, because he’s really smart. But his personality is really bad.

Nagi: Why did you become close with a man like that?

Momo: He helped me when I was in trouble, so I thought he was a good person. When I didn’t have anything to live on, he even gave me delicious organic vegetables.

Iori: When Chiba-san was around, he did the same. Weren’t the members of Re:vale being fed too much then…?

Mitsuki: What about this time? Let’s all do it together, with everyone! Then, it won’t be dangerous, right?

Iori: We can’t do that! Nii-san…!

Mitsuki: I’m asking this just in case something happens, but are you guys good at fighting?

Iori: I said we can’t do that!!

Riku: I can fight!

Mitsuki: Riku is a “no.” Ossan, are you in?!

Riku: I’m not a “no”!

Yamato: This onii-san is a “NO”!

Iori: Idols getting into fights is absurd! Nii-san, you’re acting recklessly...

Mitsuki: I said it was “just in case something happens”! It’s not like we’re going to start fighting right now. How about you, Tamaki?

Tamaki: So about me, I’m big, right? So, if I let out a big “gah!” then they’ll shy away like “shuu~”

Tamaki: But, if the guy doesn’t back off, that means he’s good at fighting. So, in that case, I would shy away like “shuu~”

Mitsuki: So then which is it?!

Yamato: He’s the henchman role.

Sogo: Tamaki-kun is underaged, so if it is completely necessary, then I will go.

Yamato: You said you did kendo? What’s your best technique?

Sogo: Tsuki (thrust to the neck) [5].

Yamato: If you use tsuki on a guy with no armor, it’ll really be serious. Sou, you’re the trump card role.

Sogo: Understood.

Mitsuki: How about Nagi?

Nagi: No problem. But, since I left my magical stick at home, I can’t use my full power.

Tamaki: Nagicchi, way back, before the Trigger live concert, you protected the tower from terrorists after all.

Mitsuki: We’re not gonna fall for that story. How many times are you going to tell it?!

Tamaki: It really happened!

Yamato: Yuki-san, can you fight?

Yuki: Despite how I look, I’m a black belt.

Yamato: That’s got to be a lie!

Yuki: Yup.

Yamato: …. Indoorsy Yuki-san is with Riku as the childhood sweetheart roles. If you cheer for us from the bench, we’ll get energized.

Riku & Yuki: Fure fure!

Iori: You cannot do this! I do not accept this!

Momo: That’s right! If anything happens to you guys, I won’t be able to face Ban-san again!!

Momo: Ah…. If Ban-san hates me, I can’t go on living.

Mitsuki: It’s okay! We’re just looking for Trigger, like normal!

Mitsuki: If, in the very unlikely chance, you get yourself into some trouble, at that time, you have to keep the Basic Idol Rules!

Momo: Basic rules?

Mitsuki: Basic Idol Rule, #1! Even if you pick a fight...

Tamaki: Do not strike unless you’ve been stricken!

Mitsuki: Basic Idol Rule #2! If regular people see you...

Yamato: We’re “filming.”

Mitsuki: Basic Idol Rule #3! The face...

Nagi: I will defend it with my life.

Mitsuki: If we just keep these, then it’ll be fine! After all, we all don’t want to see Trigger being treated like this anymore, right?!

Mitsuki: If you let the Yaotome Prod. people handle it, it could take a weird turn for the worst. Let’s take care of it ourselves!

Iori: ………. You really aren’t going to do anything violent, right?

Mitsuki: Yeah! Don’t worry, Iori!

Iori: ……. I’m worried.

Momo: Don’t get into any bad situations… Ban-san will kill me.

Riku: Tenn-nii, wait for me. I will definitely save you...!

-end-

Next chapter

T/N

1. A popular messaging app in Japan called LINE allows friends to add each other on the app by shaking their phones next to each other. I guess Rabbit Chat also has this function. [youtube video]

2. ita-car (or itasha, see: itabag): a car decorated extensively for a famous person or character, in this case for Trigger. [wikipedia]

3. Maneko-chan: Momo’s pet name for the player. It combines “manager” (pronounced maneejyaa) and ko (Japanese for “child,” can be used to refer to people younger than the speaker; also often used in girl’s names).

4. Underaged in Japan is under the age of 20. [wikipedia]

5. Tsuki is a technique in kendo in which the sword tip is thrusted directly at the throat and gains a point if successful. [wikipedia] [youtube video of the technique]

(Please do not use my translations without permission. Do not copy & paste them. I don't actually know anything about kendo. Sorry if it seems like I did.)