#irun to go extract

[barneysbigstompers]

WHAT THE FUCK?????

[demonslayerscript]

Episode 17 : You Must Master a Single Thing / 第十七話『ひとつのことを極め抜け(Hitotsuno Koto'o Kiwame-nuke)』

*Green colored words are only in anime, not in original manga, and we usually call them “ani-ori(anime-original)".

竈門炭治郎（十二鬼月の血は、鬼舞辻の血もかなり濃いはず…!! 血を奪えれば、禰豆子が人間に戻る薬の完成に近づく!!）

Kamado Tanjiro (Juni-Kizukino chiwa, Kibutsujino chimo kanari koi hazu…! Chio ubae-reba, Nezukoga ningenni modoru kusurino kanseini chikazuku!)

Tanjiro Kamado (The blood of the Twelve Kizuki should have a high degree of Kibutsuji’s blood. If I can extract it, the medicine that will turn Nezuko back into a human can be completed sooner!)

炭治郎「ハッ！そうだ、伊之助!!」

Tanjiro “Ha! Soda, Inosuke!!”

Tanjiro “Hold on! Inosuke!”

嘴平伊之助「倒したかよ!!」

Hashibira Inosuke “Taoshita-kayo!!”

Inosuke Hashibira “So, did you defeat it?”

炭治郎「体は大丈夫か？伊之助…」

Tanjiro “Karadawa daijobuka? Inosuke…”

Tanjiro “Are you all right, Inosuke?”

伊之助「倒したかどうか聞いてんだ！」

Inosuke “Taoshitaka-doka kiitenda!”

Inosuke “I asked you whether you defeated that thing or not!”

炭治郎「ああ、倒した。それより伊之助、体は？」

Tanjiro “Aa, taoshita. Sore-yori Inosuke, karadawa?”

Tanjiro “Uh, yeah, I did! But anyway, Inosuke, how are you feeling?”

伊之助「俺に対して細やかな気遣いをすんじゃねぇ！いいか？わかったか？お前にできることは俺にもできるんだからな！もう少ししたら、俺の頭はお前の頭より硬くなるし、それからな、それから、あれだ…」

Inosuke “Oreni taishite komayakana kizukaio sunja nee! Iika? Wakattaka? Omaeni dekiru kotowa ore-nimo dekirun-dakarana! Mo-sukoshi shitara, oreno atamawa omaeno atama-yori kataku narushi, sorekarana, sorekara, areda…”

Inosuke “Don’t go showering me with your sensitivity and kindness! You hear me? Got that? After all, anything you can do, I can do, too! Before you know it, my head will be harder than yours! Not to mention… Not to mention…Um…”

炭治郎（ひどい怪我だ…… 他の仲間も助けられなかった。あの人からは、恐怖と苦痛の匂いがした。死を切望するほどの…）

Tanjiro (Hidoi kegada… Hokano nakamamo tasuke-rare-nakatta. Ano hito-karawa, kyofuto kutsuno nioiga shita. Shio setsubo suru hodono…)

Tanjiro (He’s wounded severely. I couldn’t save our other friends, either. That person gave off the scent of terror and suffering. Enough to make her yearn for death.)

炭治郎（この山は一体どうなっているんだろう。十二鬼月がいて、鬼の一族が住む。でも、鬼は群れないんじゃなかったか…）

Tanjiro (Kono yamawa ittai do-natte-irun-daro. Juni-Kizukiga ite, onino ichi-zokuga sumu. Demo, oniwa murenainja nakattaka?)

Tanjiro (What’s the deal with this mountain anyway? With one of the Twelve Kizuki present…and a demon family living here… But…I thought demons never herded together!)

炭治郎「伊之助、動くな！」

Tanjiro “Inosuke, ugokuna!”

Tanjiro “Stay still, Inosuke!”

伊之助「いらねえ、やめろ、俺は何ともねえ！」

Inosuke “Iranee, yamero, orewa nan-tomo nee!”

Inosuke “Cut that out! I don’t need that! I’m totally fine!”

―――――――――――――――――――――――

我妻善逸「いてっ！痛～っ！」

Agatsuma Zen’itsu “Ite! Itaaa!”

Zenitsu Agatsuma “Ouch!”

善逸（なんかチクッとしたぁ～っ!! なんじゃああも～っ!! 腹立つぅう～～っ）

Zen’itsu (Nanka chikutto shitaaaa!! Nanjaaa mooo!! Hara tatsuuuuuuu.)

Zenitsu (Something just pricked me! What the hell? This is so annoying!)

善逸「炭治郎たちも見つかんないし最悪だよ！どこ行ったのよ！どっちよ!! そしてくさいんだよ、この辺!! くさい!!」

Zen’itsu “Tanjiro-tachimo mitsukan-naishi saiaku-dayo! Doko itta-noyo! Docchi-yo!! Soshite kusain-dayo, kono hen!! Kusai!!”

Zenitsu “I can’t find Tanjiro and Inosuke anywhere! This sucks! Where did they go? Which way? And it stinks around here, too! Stinks!”

チュン太郎「チュン」

Chuntaro “Chun.”

善逸「もう泣きたい!! 蜘蛛がカサカサする音すごい気持ち悪いし！いや蜘蛛も一生懸命生きてるんだろうけどさ！」

Zen’itsu “Mo nakitai!! Kumoga kasa-kasa suru oto sugoi kimochi-waruishi! Iya, kumomo issho-kenmei ikiterun-daro-kedosa!”

Zenitsu “I think I’m gonna cry! And this sound of spiders rustling around is so creepy! I’m sure these spiders are doing their best to survive, too, but still!”

善逸「も――っ、うるさいよ、じっとしてて!!」

Zen’itsu “Moooo, urusaiyo, jitto shitete!!”

Zenitsu “Dammit! Shut up! Just stay still!”

善逸「こんなことある～～？！」

Zen’itsu “Konna koto aruuuuu?!”

Zenitsu “Is this even possible?”

―――――――――――――――――――――――

善逸「い～～や～～！！人面なんですけど、人面蜘蛛なんですけど!! どういうこと、これ！どういうこと?! 夢であれ、夢であれ、夢であれよ、お願い!! 夢であってくれたなら、俺頑張るから！起きた時、禰豆子ちゃんの膝枕だったりしたら、もうすっごい頑張る！」

Zen’itsu “Iiiiiyaaaaa!! Jinmen nandesu-kedo, jinmen-gumo nandesu-kedo!! Do-iu koto, kore! Do-iu koto?! Yumede are, yumede are, yumede areyo, onegai!! Yumede atte kureta-nara, ore ganbaru-kara! Okita toki, Nezuko-channo hiza-makura dattari shitara, mo suggoi ganbaru!”

Zenitsu “That’s a spider with a human face! What’s up with that? What’s up with that? Please be a dream! Please be a dream! Please be a dream! If this can just be a dream, I promise to do my best! If I wake up to find myself resting my head on Nezuko’s lap, then I promise to give it all I have!”

善逸「畑を耕します！一反でも二反でも耕してみ���る!! だから！！悪夢から覚めてくれぇ――――っ!!」

Zen’itsu “Hatakeo tagayashi-masu! Ittan-demo ni-tan-demo tagayashite miseru!! Dakara!! Akumu-kara samete kureeeeeeeeeeee!!”

Zenitsu “I’ll even plow fields! I’ll be glad to plow a whole acre, no, even two acres! So, please! Let me wake up from this nightmare!”

善逸「はっ…」

Zen’itsu “Ha…”

善逸（何あれ何あれ何あれ!! 人間が…蜘蛛に…されてんの?! 家浮いてんの?! なんかチラチラ見えるけど糸？）

Zen’itsu (Nani are, nani are, nani are!! Ningenga…kumoni…saretenno?! Nanka chira-chira mieru-kedo, ito?)

Zenitsu (What the heck is that? Are those humans who got turned into spiders? Is that house floating? I can see a glimpse of something, but are those threads?)

善逸（そしてくっせぇ!! 刺激臭すげぇ!! 鼻が利く炭治郎なら死んでるわ!! 喉まで痛くなる匂いだ…涙出てくる…目も痛い）

Zen’itsu (Soshite kussee!! Shigeki-shu sugee!! Hanaga kiku Tanjiro-nara shinderuwa!! Nodo-made itaku naru nioida…Namida dete-kuru…Memo itai.)

Zenitsu (And it really stinks! Talk about pungent! This would kill Tanjiro with his keen sense of smell! This smell is making my throat ache! I’m tearing up! My eyes hurt, too!)

善逸「きゃ～！」

Zen’itsu “Kyaaa!”

兄蜘蛛「ヘッ」

Ani-Gumo “He.”

善逸「へぐっ……!!!」

Zen’itsu “Hegu…!!!”

善逸（でか!! でっか!! でかいわ!! でかすぎるよ!!）

Zen’itsu (Deka!! Dekka!! Dekaiwa!! Deka-sugiruyo!!)

Zenitsu (It’s huge! It’s huge! It’s huge! It’s so huge! That thing is too huge!)

兄蜘蛛「ヘヘッ」

Ani-Gumo “Hehe.”

善逸「俺、お前みたいな奴とは、口利かないからな!!」

Zen’itsu “Ore, omae mitaina yatsu-towa, kuchi kikanai-karana!”

Zenitsu “You know what! I refuse to speak with anyone like you!”

兄蜘蛛「くふっ、逃げても無駄だぜ。お前はもう負けてる」

Ani-Gumo “Kufu, nigetemo muda daze. Omaewa mo maketeru.”

Big Brother Spider Demon “It’s no use running away. You’re already losing.”

善逸「何適当言ってんだよ！いいから話しかけんなよ!! 嫌いなんだよ、お前みたいな奴!!」

Zen’itsu “Nani tekito itten-dayo! Iikara hanashi-kaken-nayo!! Kirai nan-dayo, omae mitaina yatsu!!”

Zenitsu “What are you muttering about? I don’t wanna hear it, so stop talking to me! I don’t like guys like you, all right?”

兄蜘蛛「もうわかってんだろ？やばいことになったって」

Ani-Gumo “Mo wakatten-daro? Yabai kotoni nattatte.”

Big Brother Spider Demon “You already know how dire your situation is, don’t you?”

善逸「どういうこと！」

Zen’itsu “Do-iu koto!”

Zenitsu “What are you talking about?”

兄蜘蛛「手を見てみな」

Ani-Gumo “Teo mite-mina.”

Big Brother Spider Demon “Take a look at your hands.”

善逸「はぁ?! 手?!」

Zen’itsu “Haa?! Te?!”

Zenitsu “My hands?”

兄蜘蛛「フハハハ…」

Ani-Gumo “Fuhahaha…”

善逸「手が何さ!! なっ……これは……」

Zen’itsu “Tega nanisa!! Na……Korewa……”

Zenitsu “What’s wrong with my hands―　What’s this?”

兄蜘蛛「毒だよ。咬まれたろ？蜘蛛に。お前も蜘蛛になる毒だ。くふっ、くふふふっ」

Ani-Gumo “Doku-dayo. Kamaretaro? Kumoni. Omaemo kumoni naru dokuda. Kufu, Kufufufu.”

Big Brother Spider Demon “It’s poison. You got bitten by a spider, right? That poison will turn you into a spider, too.”

兄蜘蛛「四半刻後には俺の奴隷となって地を這うんだ……くふふふ……見てみろ、時計だ。わかるか？この長い針が一周した時、お前も蜘蛛の仲間入りだ」

Ani-Gumo “Shi-han-koku-go-niwa oreno doreito natte chio haunda……Kufufufu……Mite-miro, tokeida. Wakaruka? Kono nagai hariga isshu shita-toki, omaemo kumono nakama-irida.”

Big Brother Spider Demon “In another 30 minutes, you’ll be my slave, crawling all over the ground! Look at this. It’s a clock. Do you understand? By the time this long hand goes around once, you’ll have become a member of the spider clan!”

兄蜘蛛「針がここに来ると、手足に痺れと痛みが出てくる。ここへ来たら、めまいと吐き気が加わる。ここで激痛が来て、体が縮み出して失神する。そして目覚めた時には……くふふふ……くふふふ……」

Ani-Gumo “Hariga kokoni kuruto, teashini shibireto iaitamiga dete-kuru. Kokoe kitara, memaito hakikega kuwawaru. Kokode gekitsuga kite, karadaga chijimi-dashite shisshin suru. Soshite mezameta-toki-niwa……Kufufufu……Kufufufu……”

Big Brother Spider Demon “When the needle arrives here, you’ll start to feel tingling and pain in your limbs. When it’s here, you’ll also feel dizzy and nauseous! Here, you’ll experience intense pain, your body will start to shrink, and you’ll black out! And by the time you wake up…”

―――――――――――――――――――――――

善逸「ギャアアアッ！ギャ―――ッ！ん？」

Zen’itsu “Gyaaa! Gyaaaaaaa! N?”

善逸「あ゛―――っ！ひぃ―――っ！」

Zen’itsu “Aaaaaaa! Hiiiiiii””

兄蜘蛛「くふふ。逃げても…」

Ani-Gumo “Kururu. Nigetemo…”

Big Brother Spider Demon “Running away…”

善逸「無駄ね、ハイハイハイ!! わギャってんだよ、わかってんの!!」

Zen’itsu “Mudane, haihaihai!! Wagyatten-dayo, wakattenno!!”

Zenitsu “…is futile! Right, right, right! I know that, all right? I know that!”

兄蜘蛛「ハハハハ!! 何してんだ？お前」

Ani-Gumo “Hahahaha!! Nani shitenda? Omae.”

Big Brother Spider Demon “What do you think you’re doing?”

善逸「うる��――よ!! うるせぇ!!」

Zen’itsu “Uruseeeeeyo!! Urusee!!”

Zenitsu “Shut up! Just shut up!”

兄蜘蛛「怯えること��ないぞォ。毒が回りきって蜘蛛になったら、知能もなくなる」

Ani-Gumo “Obieru kotowa naizoo. Dokuga mawari-kitte kumoni nattara, chinomo naku-naru.”

Big Brother Spider Demon “There’s no need to be afraid. Once the poison makes its rounds and you turn into a spider, you’ll lose all intelligence, too!”

善逸「いや～！だからそれが嫌なんだわ、それが!! なんでわかんないの、お前さ…!! 友だち・恋人いないだろ、嫌われるよ!!」

Zen’itsu “Iyaaa! Dakara sorega iya nan-dawa, sorega!! Nande wakan-naino omasa…!! Tomodachi, koi-bito inai-daro, kira-wareruyo!!

Zenitsu “No! That’s just what I don’t like about this! Why can’t you understand that, huh? I You have no friends or girlfriend, all right? No one will like me you!”

→They are terrible mistakes! Zenitsu is not talking about himself, but about Big Brother Spider Demon!

兄蜘蛛「チッ。毒を追加されて、早く蜘蛛になりたいようだな」

Ani-Gumo “Chi. Dokuo tsuika sarete, hayaku kumoni naritai-yodana.”

Big Brother Spider Demon “Huh! I can see that you want an extra dose of poison to turn into a spider faster.”

善逸「ええっ！」

Zen’itsu “Ee!”

兄蜘蛛「ヘッ」

Ani-Gumo “He.”

善逸「ひぃいいい！ひぃいい！嫌だ嫌だァ！あんなふうになりたくない！ひぃいいいい!!」

Zen’itsu “Hiiiii! Hiii! Iyada iyadaa! Anna-funi nari-taku-nai! Hiiiiii!!”

Zenitsu “No! No! I don’t want to turn into that!”

―――――――――――――――――――――――

桑島慈悟郎（善逸の師匠）「しっかりしろ!! 泣くな!! 逃げるな!! そんな行動に意味はない!! 善逸！下りてこい！修行を続けるぞ！」

Kuwajima Jigoro (Zen’itsuno Shisho) “Shikkari shiro!! Nakuna!! Nigeruna!! Sonna kodoni imiwa nai!! Zen-itsu! Orite-koi! Shugyo’o tsuzukeruzo!”

Jigoro Kuwajima (Zenitsu’s Master) “Get a hold of yourself! Stop crying! Stop running away! Doing that won’t get you anywhere! Zenitsu! Come down from there! We’re going to continue traning!”

善逸「いやもう死ぬと思うので！これ以上修行したら、死ぬと思うので!!!」

Zen’itsu “Iya mo shinuto omou-node! Kore-ijo shugyo shitara, shinuto omou-node!!!”

Zenitsu “Oh, no! I’m sure I’ll die if I do any more training! I’m sure that I’ll die, so…”

桑島（善逸の師匠）「死にはせん、この程度で!! 下りてこい、この馬鹿者!!」

Kuwajima (Zen’itsuno Shisho) “Shiniwa sen, kono teidode!! Orite koi, kono baka-mono!!”

Kuwajima (Zenitsu’s Master) “You won’t die! Not from this level of training! Come down from there, you little moron!”

善逸「じいちゃん!!」

Zen’itsu “Jiichan!!”

Zenitsu “Granps!”

桑島（善逸の師匠）「師範と呼べ!!」

Kuwajima (Zen’itsuno Shisho) “Shihanto yobe!!”

Kuwajima (Zenitsu’s Master) “Call me ‘Master’!”

善逸「俺じいちゃんが好きだよ!!」

Zen’itsu “Ore jiichanga suki-dayo!!”

Zenitsu “But I love you, Gramps!”

善逸「惚れた女に別の男とかけおちするための金を貢がされて、借金まみれになった俺を助けてくれたしね!! まあ剣士育てたかっただけかもしんないけど！」

Zen’itsu “Horeta onna’ni betsuno otokoto kakeochi suru-tameno kaneo mitsuga-sarete, shakkin-mamireni natta oreo tasukete kuretashine!! Maa kenshi sodate-takatta dake-kamo shinai-kedo!”

Zenitsu “When the girl I loved made me raise money so she could run off with another guy, you did rescue me from my mountain of debt! Well, maybe all you wanted was to train a swordsman!”

善逸「じいちゃんの期待に応えたいんだよ、俺だって!! でも無理なんだ!! 申し訳ないと思ってるよ、こんな俺でさ!!」

Zen’itsu “Jiichanno kitaini kotaetain-dayo, ore-datte!! Demo muri nanda!! Moshiwake-naito omotteruyo, konna oredesa!!”

Zenitsu “I want to live up to your expectations, too! But it’s totally beyond me! I do feel terrible about the fact that I’m like this!”

善逸「じいちゃんに隠れて修行もしてんだよ！全然寝てないの俺!! なのに全然結果が出ないわけ!! どういうこと?! もう一体どういうこと?!」

Zen’itsu “Jiichanni kakurete shugyomo shiten-dayo! Zen-zen nete-naino ore!! Nanoni zen-zen kekkaga denai wake!! Do-iu koto?! Mo ittai do-iu koto?!”

Zenitsu “Just so you know, I’ve been training on my own in secret, too! I haven’t been getting any sleep! But I have absolutely nothing to show for it! What does this mean? I mean, really, what does this mean?”

桑島（善逸の師匠）「落ち着け善逸、お前には才能が……」

Kuwajima (Zen’itsuno Shisho) “Ochitsuke Zen’itsu, omae-niwa sainoga……”

Kuwajima (Zenitsu’s Master) “Calm down, Zenitsu! You do have the ability to…”

善逸「もう俺は――」

Zen’itsu “Mo orewa――”

Zenitsu “I’ve had enough!”

桑島（善逸の師匠）「善逸―――っ！！！」

Kuwajima (Zen’itsuno Shisho) “Zen’itsuuuuuuu!!!”

Kuwajima (Zenitsu’s Master) “Zenitsu!”

善逸（やな人生だよ……雷に打たれてさ……髪の色、変わるし。生きてるだけ、ありがたかったけど…）

Zen’itsu (Yana jinsei dayo… Kaminarini utaretesa… Kamino iro, kawarushi. Ikiteru-dake arigata-katta-kedo…)

Zenitsu (How tragic is my life anyway? I got hit by lightning. My hair color changed. I was thankful just to be alive, but…)

―――――――――――――――――――――――

善逸（俺は、俺が一番自分のこと好きじゃない。ちゃんとやらなきゃっていつも思うのに、怯えるし、逃げるし、泣きます��）

Zen’itsu (Orewa, orega ichiban jibunno koto sukija nai. Chanto yaranakyatte itsumo omou-noni, obierushi, nigerushi, naki-masushi.)

Zenitsu (I… I hate myself more than anyone else. I always think I have to get my act together, but I end up cowering, running away, sniveling.)

善逸（変わりたい。ちゃんとした人間になりたい）

Zen’itsu (Kawari-tai. Chanto-shita ningenni nari-tai.)

Zenitsu (I want to change. I want to be a competent person.)

善逸「でもさァ、俺だって精一杯頑張ってるよ!! なのに最後髪ズル抜けで化け物になんの!? 嘘でしょ!? 嘘すぎじゃない!? うっおえっ…」

Zen’itsu “Demosaa, ore-datte sei-ippai ganbatteruyo!! Nanoni saigo kami zuru-nukede bakemononi nanno?! Uso desho?! Uso-sugija nai?! U, oe…”

Zenitsu “Even still! I’m doing everything I can, all right? So, why do I have to end up going bald and turning into a monster? It can’t be true, right? It so can’t be true!”

兄蜘蛛「ああ？なんなんだ？コイツは…」

Ani-Gumo “Aa? Nan-nanda? Koitsuwa…”

Big Brother Spider Demon “What’s up with this guy?”

善逸「ヒッ！ギャッ！登ってくんなよ！ちょっとでいいから一人にして!! ちょっとでいいから～～！」

Zen’itsu “Hi! Gya! Nobotte kunnayo! Chottode iikara hitorini shite!! Chottode iikaraaaaa!”

Zenitsu “Oh, crap! Don’t climb up here! Just leave me alone for a minute! Just for a minute, all right?”

善逸（え？えっ？もうこの段階で抜けるの？毛の抜け始め…あいつさっき説明しなかった!!）

Zen’itsu (E? E? Mo kono dankaide nukeruno? Keno nuke-hajime… Aitsu sakki setsumei shinakatta!!)

Zenitsu (My hair’s falling out already? My hair is falling out. Hey, he never mentioned that part to me!)

兄蜘蛛「くふっ」

Ani-Gumo “Kufu.”

善逸「ひゃあ…ばうっ」

Zen’itsu “Hyaa…Bau.”

兄蜘蛛（なんだ？コイツは…俺たち一族を殺しに来た鬼狩りではないのか？失神？なんという腰抜けだ）

Ani-Gumo (Nanda? Koitsuwa… Ore-tachi ichi-zokuo koroshini kita oni-gari-dewa nai-noka? Shisshin? Nanto-iu funukeda.)

Big Brother Spider Demon (Who is this guy? Isn’t he a demon hunter who came here to kill our family? Did he just faint? I can’t believe how spineless he is.)

兄蜘蛛（頭から落ちて死ぬぞ。何なんだ……）

Ani-Gumo (Atama-kara ochite shinuzo. Nan-nanda…)

Big Brother Spider Demon (He’s gonna fall onto his head and die. What the hell?)

善逸（雷の呼吸、壱ノ型）

Zen’itsu (Kaminarino Kokyu, Ichino Kata.)

Zenitsu (Thunder Breathing, First Form.)

兄蜘蛛「ん？」

Ani-Gumo “N?”

兄蜘蛛「斑毒痰（ふどくたん）！」

Ani-Gumo “Fu-Doku-Tan!”

Big Brother Spider Demon “Poison Sputum!”

兄蜘蛛（空中で身を捻(ひね)って避(よ)けるとは……先程までとは別人のように冴えた動作）

Ani-Gumo (Kuchude mio hinettte yokeru-towa… Sakihodo-made-towa betsu-jinno-yoni saeta dosa.)

Big Brother Spider Demon (Did he just twist his body in midair to dodge that? Such quick reflexes! It’s like he’s a totally different person!)

善逸「雷の呼吸・壱ノ型…」

Zen’itsu “Kaminarino Kokyu, Ichino Kata…”

Zenitsu “Thunder Breathing, First Form.”

兄蜘蛛「お前たち、飛びかかれ!!」

Ani-Gumo “Omae-tachi, tobi-kakare!!”

Big Brother Spider Demon “Hey, you guys! Pounce on him!”

善逸「雷の呼吸・壱ノ型…」

Zen’itsu “Kaminarino Kokyu, Ichino Kata…”

Zenitsu “Thunder Breathing, First Form.”

兄蜘蛛（さっきからずっと同じ構えを何度もしている!! フフハハハ、間違いない。コイツは……一つの型しか使えないんだ）

Ani-Gumo (Sakki-kara zutto onaji kamaeo nandomo shite-iru!! Fufuhahaha, machigai-nai. Koitsuwa…hitotsuno kata-shika tsukae-nainda.)

Big Brother Spider Demon (He’s been assuming the same stance over and over. No question about it. This guy… is only capable of that one attack!)

―――――――――――――――――――――――

桑島（善逸の師匠）「いいんだ善逸。お前はそれでいい。一つできれば万々歳だ。一つのことしかできないなら、それを極め抜け。極限の極限まで磨け」

Kuwajima (Zen’itsuno Shisho) “Iinda Zen’itsu. Omaewa sorede ii. Hitotsu dekireba ban-banzaida. Hitotsuno koto-shika dekinai-nara, soreo kiwame-nuke. Kyokugenno kyokugen-made migake.”

Kuwajima (Zenitsu’s Master) “That’s all right, Zenitsu. That’s good enough for you. If you can master one, that’s cause for celebration! If you can only do one thing, hone it to perfection. Hone it to the utmost limit!”

善逸（いや、じいちゃん、ちょい前までブチ切れだったじゃん。雷の型六つあるのに、俺が一つしかできたことないから）

Zen’itsu (Iya, Jiichan, choi mae-made buchi-gire datta-jan. Kaminarino kata muttsu aru-noni, orega hitotsu-shika dekita-koto nai-kara.)

Zenitsu (Hey, but Gramps… Just a little while ago, you were hopping mad. Because Thunder Breathing has three six forms, and all I can manage to do is one.)

→This must be a mistake again. The correct number of Forms of Thunder Breathing is six.

桑島（善逸の師匠）「刀の打ち方を知ってるか？」

Kuwajima (Zen’itsuno Shisho) “Katanano uchi-katao shitteruka?”

Kuwajima (Zenitsu’s Master) “Do you know how to forge a sword?”

善逸（知らんよ。ずっと叩くの？泣くよ俺）

Zen’itsu (Shiran’yo. Zutto tatakuno? Nakuyo ore.)

Zenitsu (I have no idea. Will you keep hitting me? I think I’ll cry.)

桑島（善逸の師匠）「刀はな、叩いて叩いて叩き上げて、不純物や余分なものを飛ばし、鋼の純度を高め、強靭な刀を造るんだ」

Kuwajima (Zen’itsuno Shisho) “Katana-wana, tataite tataite tataki-agete, fujun-butsuya yobunna mono’o tobashi, haganeno jundo’o takame, kyojinna katanao tsukurunda.”

Kuwajima (Zenitsu’s Master) “The thing about swords… You strike and strike and strike to get rid of impurities and anything you don’t need, and to increase the purity of the blade, so a durable sword can be forged.”

善逸（だからじいちゃんは俺のこと毎日ぶっ叩くのかよ。でも俺は鋼じゃねえよな。生身だからさ）

Zen’itsu (Dakara jiichanwa oreno-koto mai-nichi buttatakuno-kayo. Demo orewa haganeja nee-yona. Namami dakarasa.)

Zenitsu (So that’s why you keep clobbering me day in, day out? But I’m not made of steel, am I? I’m living flesh, you know.)

―――――――――――――――――――――――

兄蜘蛛（ククク…大したことのない奴だ。この程度が鬼狩り。毒でもう体も動かなくなってくるだろう）

Ani-Gumo (Kukuku… Taishita kotono nai yatsuda. Kono teidoga oni-gari. Dokude mo karadamo ugoka-naku natte-kuru-daro.)

Big Brother Spider Demon (You’re not much of a threat, are you? You call yourself a demon hunter? Any minute now, you’ll be rendered immobile by that poison.)

―――――――――――――――――――――――

桑島（善逸の師匠）「善逸、極めろ。泣いていい。逃げてもいい。ただ諦めるな。信じるんだ。地獄のような鍛錬に耐えた日々を。お前は必ず報われる。極限まで叩き上げ、誰よりも強靭な刃になれ！！」

Kuwajima (Zen’itsuno Shisho) “Zen’itsu, kiwamero. Naite ii. Nigetemo ii. Tada akirame-runa. Shinjirunda. Jigokuno-yona tanrenni taeta hibio. Omaewa kanarazu mukuwareru. Kyokugen-made tataki-age, dare-yorimo kyojinna yaibani nare!!”

Kuwajima (Zenitsu’s Master) “Zenitsu, perfect it! It’s all right to cry. It’s all right to run away! Just don’t ever give up! Just believe. You endured all that hellish training! You’ll be rewarded for that without fail! Hone it to the utmost limit! Become the most durable blade of all!”

桑島（善逸の師匠）「一つのことを極めろ」

Kuwajima (Zen’itsuno Shisho) “Hitotsuno koto’o kiwamero.”

Kuwajima (Zenitsu’s Master) “Hone that one thing to perfection!”

獪岳（兄弟子）「消えろよ」

Kaigaku (Ani-Deshi) “Kieroyo.”

Kaigaku (Zenitsu’s Superior) “Get out of my sight.”

善逸「えっ」

Zen’itsu “E.”

獪岳（兄弟子）「何度も言わせんじゃねえ、消えろよ。わかるだろ？朝から晩までビービー泣いて恥ずかしくねぇのかよ」

Kaigaku (Ani-Deshi) “Nandomo iwasenja nee, kieroyo. Wakaru-daro? Asa-kara ban-made bī bī naite hazukashiku-neeno-kayo.”

Kaigaku (Zenitsu’s Superior) “Don’t make me repeat myself. Get out of my sight. You know what I’m talking about. Aren’t you ashamed of crying like a baby all day long?”

獪岳（兄弟子）「チッ、愚図が。お前みたいな奴に割(さ)く時間がもったいない。先生はな、凄い人なんだ」

Kaigaku (Ani-Deshi) “Chi, guzuga. Omae-mitaina yatsuni saku jikanga mottai-nai. Sensei-wana, sugoi hito nanda.”

Kaigaku (Zenitsu’s Superior) “You laggard… Any time spent on you is wasted. Sensei is an extraordinary man.”

善逸「でも、じいちゃんは…」

Zen’itsu “Demo, jiichanwa…”

Zenitsu “But Gramps said―”

獪岳（兄弟子）「じいちゃんなんて馴れ馴れしく呼ぶんじゃねぇ!! 先生は‘柱’だったんだ！鬼殺隊���強の称号を貰った人なんだよ！元柱に指南を受けられることなんて滅多に無い！先生がお前に稽古をつけてる時間は完全に無駄だ!! 目障りなんだよ、消えろ!!」

Kaigaku (Ani-Deshi) “Jiichan-nante nare-nare-shiku yobunja nee!! Senseiwa ‘Hashira’dattanda! Kisatsu-Tai saikyono shogo’o moratta hito nan-dayo! Moto-Hashirani shinan’o uke-rareru koto nante mettani nai! Senseiga omaeni keiko’o tsuketeru jikanwa kanzenni mudada!! Mezawari nan-dayo, kiero!!”

Kaigaku (Zenitsu’s Senior) “‘Gramps’? Don’t speak of him in that familiar way! Sensei is a former Hashira! Someone who earned the highest title in the Demon Slayer Corps! Almost no one ever gets the chance to be trained by a former Hashira! The time Sensei spends training you is all for nothing! You’re an eyesore, okay? Get out of my sight!”

獪岳（兄弟子）「なぜお前はここにいるんだ!! なぜお前はここにしがみつく!!」

Kaigaku (Ani-Deshi) “Naze omaewa kokoni irunda!! Naze omaewa kokoni shigami-tsuku!!!”

Kaigaku (Zenitsu’s Senior) “Why are you here? Why do you insist on clinging here?”

善逸（親のいない俺は、誰からも期待されない。誰も俺が何かを掴んだり、何かを成し遂げる未来を夢見てはくれない。誰かの役に立ったり、一生に一人でいいから誰かを守り抜いて、幸せにするささやかな未来ですら、誰も望んではくれない。一度失敗して泣いたり逃げたりすると、ああ、もうコイツは駄目だって離れてく）

Zen’itsu (Oyano inai orewa, dare-karamo kitai sare-nai. Daremo orega nanikao tsukandari, nanikao nashi-togeru miraio mitewa kurenai. Darekano yakuni tattari, isshoni hitoride iikara darekao mamori-nuite, shiawaseni suru sasayakana miraide-sura, daremo nozondewa kurenai. Ichido shippai shite naitari nigetari suruto, aa, mo koitsuwa damedatte hanare-teku.)

Zenitsu (I have no parents, so no one has any hopes for me. There’s no one who dreams that I’ll grasp or accomplish something one day. That I’ll prove myself useful to somebody. That I’ll manage to protect somebody and make that person happy, just once in my life. Not even a simple future like that. There’s no one who hopes that I’ll have one. If you fail, cry and run away even once, they say, ‘Oh, this guy’s no good,’ and they walk away.)

善逸（でも、じいちゃんは…）

Zen’itsu (Demo, jiichanwa…)

Zenitsu (But not Gramps!)

善逸「ぐえ…」

Zen’itsu “Gue…”

師匠「ぐっ、ぬぬ…」

Shisho “Gu nunu…”

善逸（何度だって根気強く俺を叱ってくれた。何度も何度も逃げた俺を…何度も何度も…引きずり戻して）

Zen’itsu (Nando-datte konki-zuyoku oreo shikatte-kureta. Nandomo nandomo nigeta oreo…Nandomo nandomo…hikizuri-modoshite…)

Zenitsu (Time and time again, he steadfastly reprimanded me. All those times I kept running away… Time and time again… He’d drag me right back.)

善逸（明らかに、ちょっとアレ殴りすぎだったけど。俺を見限ったりしなかった）

Zen’itsu (Akirakani chotto are naguri-sugi datta-kedo. Oreo mihanashi-tari shinakatta.)

Zenitsu (Clearly, he did smack me around a bit too much. But he never abandoned me!)

―――――――――――――――――――――――

兄蜘蛛「刺せ!! もっと毒を打ち込め!!」

Ani-Gumo “Sase!! Motto fukaku dokuo uchi-kome!!”

Big Brother Spider Demon “Pierce him! Inject him with more poison!”

善逸「がっ…」

Zen’itsu “Ga…”

兄蜘蛛「くふふふ、これでコイツも…」

Ani-Gumo “Kufufufu, korede koitsumo…”

Big Brother Spider Demon “That should do it for him!”

兄蜘蛛（なんだ!? 空気が揺れる!!）

Ani-Gumo (Nanda?! Kukiga yureru!!)

Big Brother Spider Demon (What’s this? The air is vibrating.)

善逸「雷の呼吸、壱ノ型。霹靂一閃」

Zen’itsu “Kaminarino Kokyu, Ichino Kata. Hekireki-Issen.”

Zenitsu “Thunder Breathing, First Form… Thunderclap and Flash!”

兄蜘蛛「うわっ！」

Ani-Gumo “Uwa!”

善逸「六連！」

Zen’itsu “Roku-Ren!”

Zenitsu “Sixfold!”

兄蜘蛛「消えた!?」

Ani-Gumo “Kieta?!”

Big Brother Spider Demon “He vanished?”

兄蜘蛛（えっ…斬られたのか？俺が？斬られた？アイツに？あんな奴に…）

Ani-Gumo (E…Kirareta-noka? Orega? Kirareta? Aitsuni? Anna yatsuni…)

Big Brother Spider Demon (Did I get slashed? Me? Slashed? By him? By a guy like him?)

兄蜘蛛「ぐあっ！そんな馬鹿な！毒でろくに手足が動かせない奴に～！」

Ani-Gumo “Gua! Sonna bakana! Dokude rokuni teashiga ugokase-nai-yatsuniii!”

Big Brother Spider Demon “But that’s absurd! By a guy who can barely move his arms and legs?”

善逸「がはっ…」

Zen’itsu “Gaha…”

善逸（夢を見るんだ。幸せな夢なんだ。俺は強くて、誰よりも強くて、弱い人や困っている人を助けてあげられる。いつでも…）

Zen’itsu (Yumeo mirunda. Shiawasena yume-nanda. Orewa tsuyokute, Dare-yorimo tsuyokute, yowai hitoya komatte-iru-hito’o tasukete age-rareru. Itsu-demo…)

Zenitsu (Dream… It’s a happy dream. I’m powerful. More powerful than anyone. I can help the weak and anyone in trouble. Anytime.)

善逸（じいちゃんの教えてくれたことは、俺にかけてくれた時間は、無駄じゃないんだ。じいちゃんのお陰で強くなった俺が、たくさん…人の役に立つ…夢。）

Zen’itsu (Jiichanno oshiete kureta kotowa, oreni kakete-kureta jikanwa, mudaja nainda. Jiichanno okagede tsuyokunatta orega, takusan…hitono yakuni tatsu…yume.”

Zenitsu (Everything that Gramps taught me, all the time he spent on me… It wasn’t for nothing! A dream that, thanks to Gramps, I became powerful and helped out a lot of people.)

善逸（でも…もう…駄目だ…）

Zen’itsu (Demo…mo…Dameda.)

Zenitsu (But now, it’s all over!)

チュン太郎「チュン」

Chuntaro “Chun.”

善逸「チュン…太郎、ごめん…な」

Zen’itsu “Chun…taro, gomen…na.”

Zenitsu “Chuntaro… I’m so sorry.”

チュン太郎「チュチュ��ン」

Chuntaro “Chu chuuun.”

桑島（善逸の師匠）「諦めるな!!」

Kuwajima (Zen’itsuno Shisho) “Akirameruna!!”

Kuwajima (Zenitsu’s Master) “Don’t ever give up!”

善逸（諦めるな。呼吸を使って少しでも毒の巡りを遅らせる。痛くても、苦しくても、楽なほうへ逃げるな。じいちゃんにぶっ叩かれる。そうだ、炭治郎にも…怒られるぞ…）

Zen’itsu (Akirameruna. Kokyuo tuskatte sukoshi-demo dokuno megurio okuraseru. Itaku-temo kurushiku-temo rakuna-hoe nigeruna. Jiichanni buttatakareru..

Zenitsu (Don’t ever give up. Use the breathing technique to slow down the poison as much as you can. Even if it’s painful, even if it’s agonizing, don’t try to take the easy way out… or Gramps is gonna let you have it! Right. And Tanjiro’s gonna yell at you, too.)

―――――――――――――――――――――――

炭治郎「今の音、雷が落ちたのか？

Tanjiro “Imano oto, kaminariga ochita-noka?”

Tanjiro “What was that sound? Did lightning just strike?”

伊之助「知るか!!」

Inosuke “Shiruka!!”

Inosuke “How should I know?”

炭治郎「雷雲の匂いはしないと思うけど……刺激臭が強くなってて、わからない…」

Tanjiro “Raiun’no nioiwa shinaito omoukedo……Shigeki-shuga tsuyoku nattete, wakaranai…”

Tanjiro “But I’m not smelling any thunderclouds. The acrid odor in the air is stronger now, so I can’t tell.”

炭治郎「伊之助」

Tanjiro “Inosuke.”

Tanjiro “Inosuke!”

伊之助「はあ？」

Inosuke “Haa?”

炭治郎「俺はちょっと向こうに行ってみようと思う」

Tanjiro “Orewa chotto mukoni itte-miyoto omou.”

Tanjiro “I think I’ll go that way.”

伊之助「好きにしたらゃいいんじゃねえのォ」

Inosuke “Sukini shitara iinja neenoo.”

Inosuke “Go ahead and do whatever you want!”

炭治郎「伊之助は下山するんだ」

Tanjiro “Inosukewa gezan surunda.”

Tanjiro “Are you descending, Inosuke?”

伊之助「は？」

Inosuke “Ha?”

炭治郎「山、下りて」

Tanjiro “Yama, orite.”

Tanjiro “Are you going down the mountain?”

伊之助「何でだよ!! 死ねよ!!」

Inosuke “Nande-dayo!! Shineyo!!”

Inosuke “Why would I? Just beat it!”

炭治郎「あっいや、怪我が酷いから」

Tanjiro “A, iya, kegaga hidoi-kara.”

Tanjiro “No, no, because you’re severely wounded.”

伊之助「俺は怪我してねぇ!!」

Inosuke “Orewa kega shite-nee!!”

Inosuke “I am not wounded at all!”

炭治郎(ええっ!?)

Tanjiro (Ee!?)

炭治郎「い…いや伊之助、その体の傷、誰が見たって……あっ」

Tanjiro “I…Iya Inosuke, sono karadano kizu, darega mitatte… A.”

Tanjiro “N-N-No, Inosuke! Your injuries… Anyone can see that…”

伊之助「ん？」

Inosuke “N?”

姉蜘蛛「あっ」

Ane-Gumo “A.”

炭治郎（鬼！この山全体に流れる匂いのせいで全く気づかなかった！）

Tanjiro (Oni! Kono yama zentaini nagareru nioino seide mattaku kizuka-nakatta!)

Tanjiro (A demon! Because of the odor wafting all over this mountain, I couldn’t pick it up at all!)

伊之助「しゃあ！ぶった斬ってやるぜ!! 鬼、コラ!! 待���やがれ！」

Inosuke “Shaa! Buttagitte-yaruze!! Oni, kora!! Machi-yagare!”

Inosuke “I’m gonna tear you to shreds, you damn demon! Come back here, dammit!”

炭治郎「伊之助！」

Tanjiro “Inosuke!”

Tanjiro “Inosuke!”

姉蜘蛛「お父さん!!」

Ane-Gumo “Otosan!!”

Big Sister Spider Demon “Father!”

伊之助「誰が父さんだ！」

Inosuke “Darega Tosanda!”

Inosuke “Who are you calling ‘father’?”

炭治郎「伊之助！」

Tanjiro “Inosuke!”

Tanjiro “Inosuke!”

父蜘蛛「シャアアア！」

Chichi-Gumo “Shaaaa!”

炭治郎「いっ…」

Tanjiro “I…”

父蜘蛛「オ゛レの、家族に゛、近づく、な゛!!」

Chichi-Gumo “Oreno kazokuni, chikazuku, na!!”

Father Spider Demon “Don’t come near my family! Stay away!”

姉蜘蛛「後は任せたわよ、お父さん」

Ane-Gumo “Atowa makaseta-wayo, Otosan.”

Big Sister Spider Demon “I’m leaving the rest to you, Father.”

炭治郎「水の呼吸・弐ノ型。水車！うおおおお～！」

Tanjiro “Mizuno Kokyu, Nino Kata. Mizu-Guruma! Uooooooo!”

Tanjiro “Water Breathing, Second Form! Water Wheel!”

――――――――――――――――――――

中高一貫‼ キメツ学園物語

Chuko-Ikkan! Kimetsu-Gakuen-Monogatari

Combined Junior and Senior High School! Tales of a Demon Slayer Academy!

善逸「風紀委員は朝が早い。正直辞めたい。だけどこれがあるから辞められない。それは、服装チェック！女の子をいくら眺めていても怒られないんだ。禰豆子ちゃん！」

Zen’itsu “Fuki-iinwa asaga hayai. Shojiki yametai. Dakedo korega aru-kara yame-rare-nai. Sorewa, fukuso-chekku! Onna’noko’o ikura nagamete-itemo okorare-nainda. Nezuko-chan!”

Zenitsu “A prefect’s day starts early in the morning! Honestly, I’d like to quit! But there’s one thing stopping me from ever quitting! And by that, I mean ‘dress code check’! I can ogle the girls all I want and not get yelled at! Nezuko!”

善逸「真菰ちゃん今日も可愛らしいな。あの先輩もきれいだな。ハッ！冨岡先生！」

Zen’itsu “Makomo-chan kyomo kawai-rashiina. Ano senpaimo kirei-dana. Ha! Tomioka sensei!

Zenitsu “Makomo’s looking cute today, too! And that senpai’s gorgeous, as well! Mr.Tomioka!”

善逸「ひっ、違うんです！俺はただ服装���チェックを…」

Zen’itsu “Hi, chigaun-desu! Orewa tada fukusono chekkuo…”

Zenitsu “It’s not what it looks like! That was just a dress code check!”

冨岡義勇「人の服をああだこうだと言う前に、お前の髪だ！」

Tomioka Giyu “Hitono fukuo aada kodato iu-maeni omaeno kamida!”

Giyu Tomioka “Before you start finding fault with other people’s clothing, fix your hair!”

善逸「地毛なのに！？」

Zen’itsu “Jige nanoni!?”

Zenitsu “Even though it’s my natural color?”

義勇「次回、第十八話『偽物の絆』」

Giyu “Jikai, dai ju-hachiwa, ‘Nisemonono Kizuna’.

Giyu “Next, Episode 18, ‘A Forged Bond.’”

善逸「地毛なのに…」

Zen’itsu “Jige nanoni…”

Zenitsu “But it’s my natural color.”

(Continue to episode 18)

[dearophelia]

gonna set your flag on fire - chapter 9

chapter 09: the house don’t fall when the bones are good

operational security [read on AO3]

it’s been a hot minute with this one, whoops. eternal and forever thanks to @tarysande and @nightingaleseeking for their cheerleading through this.

“Olivia?” Garrus calls. The audible panic in his subvocals makes him wince.

“Bedroom!” comes the answer.

Garrus takes a moment to breathe. The Normandy won’t be here for hours yet and packing won’t take long. He can spend these thirty seconds to breathe now, before walking upstairs and seeing Olivia. He might not have them later.

Good air in, bad air out.

He allows himself to take a full minute in the silence of their home for a moment of calm and quiet. The hour since Olivia called him has been pure chaos: reschedule his week, call the Primarch, don’t forget the dinner party tonight for the new quarian economic delegation or tomorrow's breakfast with the forensic auditors from Irune Galactic, find suitably-important people to replace him at both events (and everything else this week), have someone pick up his gear, avoid looking panicked while doing any of this.

The silence is overwhelming and welcome. He closes his eyes and takes another breath before going upstairs.

He finds Olivia kneeling on the floor of their bedroom, packing.

Thirty years ago, chasing Saren across the galaxy, he’d watched in awe as his commanding officer stood firm and stoic in the face of utter mayhem. Nothing rattled her, nothing shook her steady posture. He’d never had a CO before who was that calm.

He knows her better now. The calm is how she gets through things. The calm is how she’s made through to the other side of trauma and crisis in one piece over and over again. Her voice doesn’t shake and neither does her resolve, but there’s a certain fragile steel in her spine that betrays the façade.

She may look calm to anyone else, but Garrus knows that Olivia is fucking terrified.

She’s thrown a sheet on the floor and laid her armor out on top of it. Shiny black and purple, with a scratch she never bothered to buff out on the left thigh. Her Black Widow and Avenger lay next to it.

“Vega’s letting you on the ground team?” It’s not the first thing he anticipated saying to her. He’d planned to say something idiotic, like are you okay. Of course she isn’t. He’s so far from okay that it doesn’t sound like a real word. Olivia can’t be closer.

She pauses, hand on her visor. “I’d like to see him try to stop me,” she says, slow and low and even.

Garrus would too, but Vega’s not that stupid. Olivia may not have seen any action outside the Arena in twenty years, but she has standing platinum matches three times a week; if he’s available or any of their friends are on the station and willing, she’ll pull them into it – otherwise, she goes solo. Last he checked, her stats were 7:1 extracting.

His are 6:1 and his assistant picked up his armor this afternoon.  “He’ll have to go through both of us.”

She finally looks up at him.

He swallows. The expression on her face is identical to the one she wore while staring down a reaper. “I’m going.” Olivia isn't the only unstoppable force in their family. There are a million reasons he shouldn’t even be on the ship, let alone groundside, but not one of them stands up against Cerberus having control of his daughter. This mission is too important to leave solely in the hands of other people.

Olivia sits back on her heels and sighs. “Wasn’t gonna stop you, Garrus,” she says softly. “Vega's meeting us at Soyuz-Janiri tomorrow with whatever resources he can scrounge up.”

Garrus steps around her, letting his hand briefly brush against her shoulder. He ducks into the closet to change out of his robes. “Good.” That was the last part of the plan, the only piece she didn't have locked into stone when she called. He exchanges his council robes for a pair of comfortable loose pants and a tunic. “When does the Normandy arrive?” he asks, stepping out of the closet. She told him the rest of the specifics this afternoon, but everything is a dull roar after Cerberus has Nora, Garrus: they activated the chip. Some part of him thinks he should be upset that she waited to tell him last. Another part of him knows that he'd call her last, too.

“4:45 in the morning.” She closes and locks her armor trunk and then stands, gathering the sheet. She balls it up and drops it in their laundry basket. “So we have,” she checks the clock, “ten hours to kill.”

Garrus takes a step forward and draws Olivia close into the hug he’s needed to give her – and needed to get from her – since she called. He wraps his arms tight around her, flattening his hands across her back as she tucks herself against him. He feels her breath shake and her arms circle around him just as tight.

After a few moments, he bows his head and kisses the top of her head. “We’ll get her back,” he whispers into her hair. They have to. They’ll rescue Nora and her team from that facility. And then they’ll turn the chip off again, this time for good. There is no alternative.

“I know,” she says quietly.

Tugging her closer, Garrus hums softly, a low, gentle, calming rumble he knows she likes. He ghosts his hands over her, slowly rubbing her back in soothing circles.

After a few moments, Olivia briefly tightens her hug and then takes half a step back. Garrus looks at his wife, keeping his arms still loosely wrapped around her. His heart twists in his chest. The lines on Olivia’s face, earned from decades of smiles and laughter, now look hollow and haunted.

He remembers the night in their quarters after Thessia, when the light hit just right and he thought for the briefest of moments that she was becoming a ghost before his eyes. She’d shattered in his arms, wild and feral and desperate, in a way he’s so grateful he hasn’t seen since. But as Olivia looks up at him tonight, twenty-five years of motherhood in her spine, Garrus knows that the night after Thessia fell will pale in comparison to how both of them will shatter if this doesn’t work.

So it's going to work.

Leaning down to bump his forehead against hers, he lets his subvocals shift a little deeper into a tone that will settle them both. “Let’s get some food.” Ten hours is a long time to have nothing to do. Neither of them will spend any of it sleeping.

As if on cue, her stomach growls. She laughs softly at herself and steps away.

“Have you eaten since breakfast?” Garrus asks as they walk downstairs to the kitchen. Food is the first thing Olivia always forgets during a crisis, followed very quickly by sleep. He can’t change that about her, but he can encourage her to get both.

“I had coffee?” she says, half a question, as if the whipped cream on her afternoon frozen coffee might qualify as food.

“Coffee hasn’t counted as food in the thirty years I’ve known you, Liv,” he gently chides. “It’s not suddenly going to start counting now.”

Olivia ignores him and opens the refrigerator, only to stare blankly at the levo side. "Takeout," she decides. Neither of them are in the right headspace to make anything. She sits down on the middle stool at the counter and opens the delivery app on her omnitool. He sits beside her and does the same.

“Oh,” she says after a moment. “You should order for two.”

Garrus raises a brow plate.

“Nico’s coming.”

The plate rises higher. Nico’s been working at the bakery for the past eight years. He officially took over from Hannah two years ago when she and Zaeed moved to Earth. Out of their two sons, he is not who Garrus would guess if asked who was coming on this mission.

She sends her order off. “We need a decryption specialist and he’s the best one I know.”

Garrus can’t fault that logic; Nico’s knee kept him from an active combat position and his entire deployment was spent in intelligence programs so classified Garrus didn’t even know they existed until he became councilor. He quickly orders for himself and his youngest son and then looks back at Olivia. “He’s staying on the ship though, right?” While their other two children took to combat like it was in their blood, Nico counted down the days until basic was over and he could get away from gunfire.

Olivia nods with a smile. “That’s the first thing he asked me, too. Yes.”

“Good.” Worrying about one kid is enough; he’d rather not have to worry about two. Or three. He wonders if Quentus has somehow found out and is currently badgering Solana to divert their current mission to Zorya.

***

James blinks as the airlock door opens to reveal not only Liara, Miranda, and Wrex, but also Deck and her entire team. “Thought you were on the other side of the galaxy,” he says, stepping aside to let everyone past him.

“I cashed in a favor,” Deck says. “Incidentally, the Blue Suns have some pretty wicked experimental quantum drives.”

He holds up his hand before she can continue. “I don’t want to know,” he says. “Find a bunk downstairs. Briefing’s in thirty. We’ll debrief on your thing once this is over.”

“Roger,” she says and gestures for the other three to follow her through the CIC to the elevator.

Wrex nods as he passes, revealing Jack and Tali standing in the space behind him. James looks over at his wife. Liara shrugs and gives him a small smile. He’s not sure whether the extra reinforcements are a good thing, but he’ll never turn down help. Tali hugs him, Jack gives a curt nod, and then he’s finally alone with Liara.

“Hi,” he says, drawing her into a hug. He wraps his strong arms around her shoulders and kisses her forehead. Nora’s family to him, but so are the other five trapped in that base. He’s had to mount rescues before, but this keeps getting worse the more he learns about it.

Liara hugs him back, just as tight. “Hello,” she says, giving him a gentle squeeze before pulling away. “I thought you might need the extra backup; I did not realize you’d have Anubis back.”

“Neither did I,” he says, walking side-by-side with her through the CIC to the war room. “The more the merrier.” He nods at the crew they pass. Everyone looks so young. He supposes he’s gotten old.

James feels the Normandy shudder as the docking clamps release, followed by a brief wobbly moment before the inertial dampeners kick in. He gestures for Liara to go through the war room security checkpoint first. Three days. He takes a deep breath. He needs his guys to hang on for three more days.

“You’re the reason I have children,” Wrex is saying when James enters the room. “You think I’m not gonna come help you get your kid back?”

Shepard looks like she’s about to cry.

Jack crosses her arms and shifts her weight; the red holographic display casts angry shadows across her face. “Cerberus doesn’t get to fuck with kids as long as I’m alive.”

“You’re my friend,” Tali says. And then she shrugs. “Plus, I was already on the station.”

At that, Shepard laughs. “I’m glad you’re all here, thank you.” And then her eyes settle on Liara.

James doesn’t know what it is that Liara sees, but she lets out a soft, sad sigh before making her way down the stairs and over to Shepard.

Liara hugs Shepard tightly and doesn’t let go. Everyone talks around them, letting the two of them fade into the background and share their quiet little hug in the corner alone.

Out of the corner of his eye, James sees Garrus step into the room and stand beside him. He turns. Garrus is watching Shepard and Liara in much the same way he was.

“How’s she doing?” James asks. He wishes he could just ask as her friend. But Shepard's on the ground team and he needs to know.

“Not good,” Garrus says.

The understatement in Garrus’ voice is crystal clear and James looks up at him. “How are you doing?”

Garrus slowly turns and looks at him. “Not good,” he repeats, with the same clipped tone.

Exhaling, James nods. If their positions were reversed, not good would be an understatement for him, too.

***

“Why do I always have to be the one to do this?” Rachel asks with a sigh. It’s almost time for them to come collect the empty lunch trays. She’d actually enjoyed lunch today; there was an apple.

“Always?” Micah asks. “You mean this is not the first time you’ve done this?”

She shakes her head.

“It always has to be you because you look the least intimidating,” Jonah says.

“People underestimating me is largely how I've gotten this far,” Rachel says cheerily. The door opens and a single guard enters while another stands at the door. “I hate this part,” she murmurs to herself.

Rachel waits until he’s deactivating her forceshield and then bends over, her hair hiding her face from them. She dry heaves a few times and then makes herself throw up the remnants of lunch. She stands up straight, stumbles a little and pushes her hair back out of her face. “I don’t feel good,” she tells the guard.

“Sorry,” he says.

She gags again, making sure to aim in his direction. She wipes the back of her hand over her mouth when he looks up at her in disgust. “Told you.”

The other guard sighs. “We should take her in to medical. Turner says we need these guys alive for the time being.”

“Fine,” he says, gesturing for her to come out of the cell.

Keeping her hands up, showing that she has no intentions, Rachel follows the guards out.

“Hey!” Carlos shouts after them. “Send someone to clean this up! It’s gonna smell!”

Rachel counts guards and doorways and turns, making a mental map of the immediate area around the cells. They pass a stairway marked roof access, and there’s noise coming from the closet next to the stairs. It’s quiet, but definitely music. She listens as hard as she can without revealing herself.

Love beyond moons, love beyond stars!

They walk past the closet and take another turn to the left, but Rachel bites back a smile as the song fades. She’s found their gear.

***

Her caffeine load inevitably crashes and Olivia stumbles into bed beside Garrus. Though she’s exhausted, and even took a sleeping pill, sleep eludes her. Olivia rolls onto her side, then her stomach, then her back. She waits twenty minutes and then tries the whole cycle again. After three attempts, she gives up and stares at the ceiling while Garrus snores softly beside her. He's always been able to sleep anywhere, anytime, as long as he knows someone's keeping watch.

She could lie here in bed and get increasingly more annoyed about being awake, or she could do something useful. She brushes a kiss to Garrus’ forehead and then noiselessly slips out of bed.

Tugging a blue Alliance-branded sweatshirt over her head, Olivia stuffs her feet into her boots. Her black pajama pants get stuck in the cuffs and she pulls them out, wishing she’d had the foresight to bring sneakers. She really ought to change into BDUs since she’s going to be out of quarters, but she’s a civilian now and it’s the middle of the night.

She and Garrus are in a two-bunk officer’s quarters, sharing only with James and Liara. It’s small, but it isn’t sleeper pods and it isn’t the barracks-like atmosphere downstairs: with fifteen extra passengers, there aren't enough bunks for everyone and they've thrown every spare couch and chair and pillow into the lounges for impromptu sleeping space. Olivia tiptoes around the other bed, noting that James is the only one in it, and grabs her tablet before slipping out.

Yawning, Olivia steps onto the elevator and presses the control panel for Deck Four. If she’s not going to sleep, she’s going to need coffee. They still have two days; she’ll properly crash later. She runs her fingers through her hair and yawns again before the elevator doors open. The Normandy’s nighttime lights are dim and soft, and she’s in the galley with her hand on the coffeemaker before she notices the figure sitting at the table, hunched over a glowing tablet.

She starts a fresh pot and then walks over to him. “What are you still doing up?” she asks quietly, softly rubbing her son’s back.

Nico sighs and looks up at her. “Trying to break this. I think I’m close to the second decryption level.” He blinks. “Didn’t you and Dad go to bed?”

Olivia slides into a chair opposite him. “He did,” she sighs. “I gave up.”

He looks at her, then over at the coffeemaker burbling happily as it drips into a mug. “Going the Nora route of staying up until your body can’t take it anymore?” He lifts a browplate.

She shrugs and curls a little into her sweatshirt; she’s not proud to say Nora didn’t develop that habit in a vacuum. “Works every time." She reaches across the table and clasps his hand. “I’m sorry I pulled you away for this.” Nico chose a non-military life and it was for a reason. Desperately needing his decryption skills doesn’t change that she feels guilty pulling him away from his own life and back into one he left.

He smiles as she stands to get her coffee. “She’s my sister,” he says simply. “I have people who can handle the bakery for a few days and Lucien can feed my fish.”

Smiling, Olivia returns to her seat, steaming mug in hand. She takes a sip; Alliance coffee hasn't gotten much better in the years since she left, but it’s still tolerable. “Have you two found a place yet?”

“We have a few in mind,” Nico says. “But trying to find something that’s close to the bakery and his precinct and in our price range is harder than we thought.”

Olivia nods. “Apartment hunting sucks,” she commiserates. She does not miss it; designing their home from scratch was one of the best decisions she and Garrus ever made. “What are you going to do with the one above the bakery?”

His tablet beeps with a sad noise and he sighs. He types a few thing and then looks up at her. “I’m thinking about keeping it for when my brother needs to drink himself silly again.”

Olivia winces. “How’s he doing?” She’s had a few emails from Quentus since he left the Citadel. He’s excited about his new assignment, but rejection has always stung strong for her eldest.

Nico shrugs and pushes his tablet aside while the program runs. “He’s upset. But the new assignment’s helping. Solana has him leading a ground team and they have some crazy new tech he can’t tell me about.”

“It’s stealth,” Liara says around a wide yawn. She drops into the chair next to Olivia. “The Hierarchy’s working on no-discharge zero-emission stealth drives.” She picks up Olivia’s mug and takes a sip.

“Get your own,” Olivia says, sliding the mug out of Liara’s reach once she’s set it down. “What are you doing up?”

Liara yawns again. “Talking to vorcha.”

Olivia silently slides her mug back toward Liara. She gets up to pour herself another. “Anything useful?”

“Updated topographical maps, a weather report, and a headache.”

Nico’s tablet beeps, happy and successful this time. “Finally.” He looks up to find both his mother and Liara looking at him expectantly. “Updated base schematics, guard rotations, rolling door codes.”

“Nicely done,” Olivia says, leaning against the counter.

"The base is definitely central ops for Project Damocles, but I'm also finding something about a Project Gemini. No assets on base, just some bio metadata in cached email."

Olivia glances at Liara. "What are the chances that's not what I think it is?" Under normal circumstances, hearing about a Cerberus Project Gemini would cause her stomach to drop all the way through the ship and out into space. As it is, she's not sure her stomach has been inside her body since she got the call from Vega.

"Slim," her friend confirms.

Sighing, Olivia shakes her head at Nico's raised browplate. "Way above your clearance level," she tells him. "Forward all of it to Alliance Central Intelligence." Leave it to Cerberus to keep that particular project going. She never thought she'd label her clone a Tomorrow Problem, but a lot of things she never thought would happen have happened in the last 48 hours.

"And me," Liara says.

"And her."

The observation bay door opens, and loud, excitable indistinct conversation filters out before being silenced again as the door closes. Ashley walks into the mess and straight for the coffee. “We’ve officially given up on stealth,” she says, pouring herself some coffee and setting it to brew more. “Just rush the gates.”

“Blowing the door down has always worked well for us,” Olivia muses.

“That’s what I thought,” Ashley says, sitting down beside Liara. “They’re still working on a way past the AA guns that doesn’t involve a two-day hike through the jungle, though.” She looks at the clock and then back in the direction of the observation bay. “Were we ever that young?"

"No," Olivia says.

“Speak for yourselves, please,” Liara says with a grin.

Laughing, Ashley lightly shoves Liara’s shoulder.

“Uh, Captain?” Joker’s voice crackles over the comm.

Ashley sighs with a distinct tone of I don’t want to hear it. "Yeah?"

“We’ve got a ship on intercept course. Unknown configuration.”

“Keep us quiet,” she says. “I’m on my way.” She gestures for Olivia to follow her.

Olivia stands and takes one last sip of coffee. "Keep working on the AA guns," she tells Nico before following Ashley.

“What’s the likelihood this is just a coincidence?” Ashley asks once they’re both in the elevator and rising.

There’s math she could do to figure out the exact probability, but Olivia knows a rhetorical question when she hears it. “First time for everything,” she says.

“They’re hailing us,” Joker says when they walk into the cockpit. “Unknown frequency.” He turns in his seat and looks at Ashley. “What do you want me to do?”

"They shouldn't even be able to see us," Ashley says.

"And yet." Joker gestures to the communication panel and its blinking light.

Ashley waits a moment, shares a long look with Olivia, and then shrugs. “Here’s hoping no one’s dumb enough to fire on us,” she says. “And here’s hoping today isn’t the day that logic runs out. Answer it.”

The viewscreen flickers on. Olivia smiles.

“Heard you were on a rescue mission,” Solana says, Quentus standing behind her. “Anything we can do to help?”