#like. if students can risk not only their future but their wellbeing for this and you can’t even NOT talk about a song

[acebytaemin]

just so we’re all clear if i see any skz x mr zionist content you’re getting blocked

[1mlostnow]

OK!! I WANNA TALK ABOUT BEING GAY!!!

I hope that caught your attention :)

I’m also hoping to get more input from the queer community here so please comment or rb with anything you have to say.

Please read I think this is incredibly important.

Okay ⬇️

I am a trans man and I have only socially transitioned. I don’t usually like to talk about the fact that I’m trans, because I have this underlying fear that it will somehow remind people that I’m “not really a man” or something. Internalized homophobia, I guess. But this feels really important to talk about.

The 2024 Election. I am confident in my belief that we will have a second trump term. It is so incredibly important for trans kids to build community. If he gets elected, that puts us and queer people as a whole at risk.

Depending on which state you’re from, you may have already gotten a taste of this. I’m from a primarily red state and we’ve got bathroom bills, book bans, and transparency bills.

Bathroom Bill -> bans trans folks from using the bathroom which aligns with their gender identity, requires them to use bathroom that corresponds with their sex at birth. I know for a lot of states, this also removed gender neutral bathrooms in a lot of places.

Book bans -> thank you Ron Fucking DeSantis (florida governer, ran for president but dropped from race in January 2024(?)) Lawmakers can decide what books they consider inappropriate for schools, and have them removed. They defend it by saying they’re banning “sexual content” but majority of it is mentions of queer folks in books. To them two boys holding hands for one sentence may as well be a book full of smut. Overall, they’re only retracting what they want to, excluding gender/sexuality mentions and critical race theory.

Transparency -> OH MY FUCKING AHSHDHDRRR. Okay so. In my state and many others, there’s something referred to as a transparency bill. It was advertised as transparency in education and a right for parents to know what the schools’ curriculum consists of. Part of this bill requires teachers and administrators to out a student to their parents or guardians if they come out at school. — Going into this school year, I was unaware this bill had passed. I emailed my teachers the week before school and on my second day, the principal was legally required to phone home. Luckily, everything was fine on my end and my mom already knew.

Now these are the things that have already happened. There is so, so much more. Bans on gender affirming care, legally classifying marriage as between a man and a woman, and SO much more that I can’t even comprehend enough to type out. Please do your research.

It’s so hard to stay positive when I fear for my wellbeing, my future, and my life. I am a teenager. I am meant to be going to school to learn math and science, not the Ten Commandments. I’m meant to be able to use the bathroom without feeling out of place, no matter where I am.

I know this focused primarily on trans people but this also affects the queer community on so many levels.

I cannot be happy in a country that believes that being queer is a mental illness.

I hope to god I’m reaching people. I think building community is one of the most important things that we could be doing right now. As well as educating and encouraging others to vote blue.

It’s between a man on his deathbed and a felon.

It’s between a man who doesn’t know where he is and a man who claimed this country would become a “unified reich.”

A democracy or a dictatorship.

[angnienajira]

Influencing the Future through Dance

As students head back to school, a bustling schedule of classes, assignments, and socializing awaits them. It can be hectic and it's easy to overlook an essential aspect of overall health and wellbeing: physical fitness. Engaging in regular physical activity can not only keep the body healthy, but it can also contribute to better academic performance and improved mental health .Dancing can be a way to stay fit for people of all ages, shapes and sizes. It has a wide range of physical and mental benefits including: improved condition of your heart and lungs increased muscular strength, endurance and motor fitness increased aerobic fitness improved muscle tone and strength weight management stronger bones and reduced risk of osteoporosis better coordination, agility and flexibility improved balance and spatial awareness increased physical confidence improved mental functioning improved general and psychological wellbeing greater self-confidence and self-esteem better social skills. Getting started For those who prefer a less strenuous activity, yoga or pilates can be a great option. These activities improve flexibility, balance, and strength and can also help reduce stress. Maintaining physical fitness along with an oftentimes hectic school schedule can indeed seem like a challenge. However, with the practical and engaging approaches mentioned in this blog, students can easily incorporate physical activity into their daily routines. Remember, the goal isn't to become a marathon runner overnight but to make small, consistent changes that foster a healthier and more active lifestyle. So, take those extra steps, join a club, dance it out or simply stretch between classes – your body, mind, and grades will thank you for it. Let's make the new school year not just academically enriching, but also foundationally healthy!

[deanncastiel]

2024 Book #148

Title: Prince of the Sorrows Author: Kellen Graves Genre: Fantasy, Romance, LGBTQIA+ Series: Rowan Blood, Book 1

Without an academic endorsement to make him valuable to the high fey, Saffron will be sent back through the veil to the human world. The place he was traded from as a changeling-baby, and a place he is terrified of. And while getting an endorsement shouldn't be impossible, it's hindered by the fact his literacy is self-taught, using books stolen off of Morrígan Academy's campus of high fey students.  When mistaken identity leads to Saffron learning the true name of brooding, self-centered, high fey Prince Cylvan, what begins as a risk of losing his life (or his tongue) becomes an opportunity to earn the future he wants. In exchange for an endorsement, he and Cylvan form a geis where Saffron agrees to find a spell to strip power from Cylvan's true name. While Prince Cylvan doesn't know Saffron can barely read, Saffron is determined to meet his end of the deal in order to remain in Alfidel—or, maybe, just to remain by Cylvan's side, as affections grow stronger every night they spend alone in the library together.  But as other human servants soon fall victim to a beast known only as “the wolf”, Saffron realizes he has embroiled himself in a manipulative reach for power like he never anticipated—and even Prince Cylvan cannot be trusted. Between the wolf, uncovering forbidden magic, and his growing feelings for the prince, Saffron will have to decide which is most important to him—his endorsement, the lives of his friends, or the prince’s life and wellbeing.

Rating: 3.25 ⭐

Quick thoughts: again liked the concept and premise, but this time the story and worldbuilding weren't quite fleshed out enough for me, bc the logic of some of these plot beats just didn't follow.

[fanelesibongeneneot3]

The Importance of Maternal and Child Health in Society and How This Has Implications for Occupational Therapy Practice at the Community Level

Around the world, keeping mothers and children healthy is super important for making our communities strong. Maternal and child health isn't just about individual well-being; it's about the health of society as a whole. This blog will outline the importance of maternal and child health in society and the challenges. It will also analyze on how this has implications for Occupational Therapy practice, at the community level.  

Maternal and child health is a field that focuses on the wellbeing and healthcare services provided to a woman during pregnancy, birth, postnatal period, as well as the health and development of infants (WHO, 2015). Maternal and child health are important as they ensure the healthy growth and development of the child. Maternal health can also help to reduce poverty and promote gender equality, as women who are healthy are able to work, improve their economic status, Shaw (2006). In the community where I am doing my fieldwork block, we went to the clinic and observed that there are many mothers seeking medical help for their children at the clinic, appearing stressed and depressed. This affects their well-being, making it hard for them to take care of their families, leading to increased financial strain due to costs for transport and referrals to other hospitals.

The focus of occupational therapy interventions that can be offered to mothers in the above-mentioned situations, can start by assessing the mother's background and needs, focusing on reducing stress, coping strategies for depression, and improving wellbeing. Student therapists can help by providing intervention to their children and conducting home visits, as the rehabilitation team only comes once a month to the clinic. Advocating for them to community leaders is also part of the intervention, as the mobile delivery of medications doesn't fully address maternal and child health needs, especially for conditions like burns, cerebral palsy, down syndrome, and developmental delays. 

“When we see the face of a child, we think of the future. We think of their dreams about what they might become and what they might  accomplish," by Tutu (2021). This quote is about the importance of nurturing and supporting children, as they represent the future generation who will shape the world to come. The statistics show that South Africa is working hard to lower the rates of maternal mortality. Mothers and children are the foundation of society, and they are important because they help communities grow and stay strong. The roles of occupational therapy in the community include doing health promotions, teaching mothers about the importance of regular prenatal check-ups, proper diet, ultrasound screening, screening tests, and breastfeeding. In the community where i am doing fieldwork in, there were a lot of mothers with their children, which is good since they are ensuring that their children are healthy all the time.

According to King et al. (2006), maternal and child health are influenced by various factors, including social and economic factors. Unemployed women who only receive social grants are at a higher risk of experiencing poor maternal and child health due to a lack of access to healthcare, malnutrition, and inadequate living conditions. According to Winchester et al. (2021), social grants are not enough to cover all the needs of individuals. Maternal and child health is affected by mortality rates, with causes including HIV/AIDS, pregnancy complications, and inadequate healthcare access. In the community where I am doing fieldwork, some of the information was not obtained regarding the above conditions, but the occupational therapy intervention can focus on assessing their skills, interests, and abilities to help them find suitable employment opportunities and advocate for them. Occupational therapist students can conduct the gardening programs. Health promotions are to be done in clinics and in schools because there is a high rate of pregnancy in their schools. The mothers have to be educated on how they can protect or keep their children healthy during their development.

Substance abuse can impact maternal and child health, leading to complications such as premature birth, miscarriage, low birth weight, developmental delays, and maternal health issues. Bhengu (2020). In the community where I am doing fieldwork, there is high substance abuse. Both females and males abuse substances and this was observed in the community, since it was my first week in the community, I couldn’t obtain much information on pregnant women who are using substances. According to King (2004), being around the community of people who abuse substances is affecting both maternal and child health since it results in high levels of violence, sexual assault, suicide attempts, and other aggressive behaviors. Occupational therapy intervention can include health promotion, build insight, and focus on social skills training.

According to Signore et al. (2011), physical disabilities can impact the health of both mothers and children in several ways. The physical disabilities of mothers may limit their ability to engage in prenatal care, leading to poor maternal health outcomes. When a child has physical disabilities, it can be very stressful for the mother. This stress can lead to feelings of depression. In my community block, we were not yet exposed to pregnant mothers with physical disabilities since it was our first week. During the home visits, we encountered many women with physical disabilities, including a patient who has been bedbound for more than 10 years without a wheelchair. This situation has affected her children, and the ability of a mother to engage in community programs is affected. It will be beneficial to advocate for a wheelchair and do caregiver training on how to relieve pressure.

The picture shows a pregnant woman smoking, which is really dangerous for both her and the child. It is important for pregnant women to avoid smoking to keep themselves and their children safe and healthy.

The well-being of mothers and children is important for nurturing communities globally. By giving priority to maternal and child health, we not only enhance personal wellbeing but also society itself. Occupational therapy plays an important role in providing support and interventions within our communities. It’s important to remember that investing in maternal and child health isn't just about today; it's about securing a brighter, stronger future for us all.

References

Bhengu, B., Tomita, A., & Paruk, S. (2020). The role of adverse childhood experiences on perinatal substance use behavior in KwaZulu-Natal Province.

King, G., Flisher, A. J., & Lombard, C. (2004). Substance abuse and behavioral correlates of sexual assault among South African adolescents. Child Abuse & Neglect.

King, M. S., Mhlanga, R. ., & De Pinho, H. (2006). The context of maternal and child health: maternal, child and women's health.

Picture: https://raisingchildren.net.au/pregnancy/health-wellbeing/healthy-lifestyle/smoking-pregnancy

Shaw, D. (2006). Women's right to health and the Millennium Development Goals: Promoting partnerships to improve access.

Signore, C., Spong, C., & Blackwell, S. C. (2011). Pregnancy in women with physical disabilities. Obstetrics & Gynaecology.

Tutu, D., (2021). https://blog.pssremovals.com/famous-south-africa-quotes

Winchester, M. S., King, B., & Rishworth, A. (2021). “It's not enough:” Local experiences of social grants, economic precarity, and health inequity in Mpumalanga, South Africa. Wellbeing, Space and Society.

World Health Organization (WHO); 2015. Available from: https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/172427

[firstplanit]

The school Concrete Crisis: RAAC and the value of using the right materials

Between the 1950s and 1990’s, hundreds of schools in the UK were constructed using Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) instead of traditional concrete. At the time, RAAC was believed to be a cheaper alternative to standard concrete, but it is now known that this alternative lacks the durability and strength of its counterpart and is susceptible to failure. As a result, the schools with RAAC structures pose a significant threat to health and safety and need to be refurbished. Amid the typical back-to-school chaos, schools are now scrambling to find out if their buildings are safe to use. This ‘concrete crisis’ is leading some schools to start the term off remotely out of fear for the wellbeing of their students.

How does this relate to sustainability?

Sustainability principles focus on making future-proof decisions, especially when it comes to the built environment. The choice of material in a construction project is central to maintaining not only safety standards but also minimising costs and environmental impact in the long run.

Structures should be designed to last and be functional for as long as possible. By increasing the longevity of a building, the associated carbon and financial costs of development throughout its lifecycle are far reduced, diminishing the accumulated environmental impact. The choice of materials used in construction should, therefore, reflect this objective.

The concrete crisis is a clear example of how many issues can arise from incorrect material choices. Many of these public buildings have a significantly reduced lifecycle resulting from a failure to select the right construction material. This has ultimately risked the safety of the public, incurred large and avoidable financial costs and caused significant disruption.

The services provided by Firstplanit are designed to aid in making future-proof decisions. We offer a detailed evaluation of construction materials that can aid in selecting materials fit to last for their intended purpose as well as many other factors, including embodied carbon, cost and even an environmental health risk analysis of your project location using GIS. 

We assess materials over 18 different metrics using vast amounts of data and compare them to up-to-date environmental targets and industry standards to provide a comprehensive assessment so that you can make the most informed decision for your build.

If you’d like to look at a more detailed investigation into the characteristics of RAAC you can look at this report by the Institute of Structural Engineers.

Learn more..

If you’d like to look at a more detailed investigation into the characteristics of RAAC you can look at this report by the Institute of Structural Engineers.

If you’d like to learn more about the services offered by Firstplanit check out our Features page.

[yijingluu]

Opportunity cost in psychology and human wellbeing

Since I’m a psychology student who is choosing Econ as minor. I’m always trying to combine two related concepts. For example, opportunity cost is an important economic concept that is often used in psychology to understand how people make choices when faced with limited resources. Opportunity cost refers to the value of the next best alternative that must be given up in order to pursue a particular action. In other words, opportunity cost is the cost of making a decision, in terms of the potential benefits that could have been gained from the next best alternative.

For example, let's say you have $100 to spend and you are trying to decide whether to buy a new video game or go to a concert. The opportunity cost of buying the video game would be the value of the concert you could have gone to instead. Conversely, the opportunity cost of going to the concert would be the value of the video game you could have bought instead.

In psychology, the concept of opportunity cost is used to understand how people make choices when faced with limited resources.

For example, in the field of health psychology, researchers have used the concept of opportunity cost to understand why people make certain choices related to their health. By understanding the opportunity costs associated with different health behaviors, researchers have been able to develop interventions that encourage people to make healthier choices.

Since I’m a psychology student as well, I read a health psychology research article recently. Researchers have conducted experiments to understand how the concept of opportunity cost influences people's decision-making regarding their health. One example of such an experiment is a study conducted by Peter Ubel and colleagues, which aimed to investigate the impact of opportunity cost on people's willingness to engage in preventive health behaviors.

In this study, participants were asked to imagine that they had just found out that they had a high risk of developing a heart attack in the future. They were then presented with two options: taking a daily pill that would reduce their risk of heart attack by 80%, or engaging in a daily exercise routine that would reduce their risk of heart attack by 20%. Participants were told that both options were equally effective in reducing their risk of heart attack, but that each option had a different opportunity cost.

The opportunity cost associated with taking the pill was the financial cost of purchasing the medication, as well as the potential side effects and inconvenience of taking a pill every day. The opportunity cost associated with exercising was the time and effort required to engage in physical activity on a daily basis.

The results of the study showed that participants were more likely to choose the preventive health behavior that had a lower opportunity cost. Specifically, 63% of participants chose the pill, while only 37% chose the exercise routine. The researchers concluded that opportunity cost plays a significant role in people's decision-making regarding their health, and that interventions that reduce the opportunity cost of engaging in healthy behaviors may be more effective in promoting behavior change than interventions that focus solely on the benefits of the behavior.

In conclusion, the concept of opportunity cost has been used in health psychology research to understand why people make certain choices related to their health. By understanding the opportunity costs associated with different health behaviors, researchers have been able to develop interventions that encourage people to make healthier choices. These interventions may include reducing the financial, time, or effort costs associated with engaging in healthy behaviors, and can be an effective way to promote behavior change and improve health outcomes.

Work cited

Ubel PA, Baron J, Asch DA. Preference for Equity As a Framing Effect. Medical Decision Making. 2001;21(3):180-189. doi:10.1177/0272989X0102100303

Post by: Yijing Lu

yijinl17@uci.edu

[kuroopaisen]

brat || gojou satoru

➵ gojou wants you to pay attention to him. and no, he doesn’t care about how annoying he’s being. 

wc: 2k

warnings: gn!reader, gojou is Annoying, mild spoilers i guess? 

a/n: hi welcome to my gojou brainrot i would like to escape and yet i cannot,,, will i deliver more mindless fanfic? who knows! 

You sigh, turning the page of your book with an exhausted kind of resignation. Had you even comprehended what’s in the last paragraph? Or had you just let your eyes gloss over it, admiring the shape of the letters without actually taking any of them in?

Reading a book isn’t so difficult under normal circumstances; sure, you’ve got your own concentration to wrestle with, but that’s an (occasionally) tameable beast.

The man sprawled on the couch next to you, however, is not.

“Are you done yet?” Gojou hums, sticking his legs straight up in the air.

“I’ll be done sooner if you shut up,” you mumble, starting from the top of the page for what feels like the thirty-second time in the past five minutes.

Gojou’s not handling the boredom well. He’s spent the past five minutes cycling between humming Danse Macabre in an octave too high to be comfortable while swinging his legs in circles and poking your cheek as he crouches next to you on his knees.

“You’re the one who said I could come over,” he chirps, completely unfazed by your words.

“I never said that,” you mumble.

It’s not a lie. Earlier today, Gojou’d asked if you were going out tonight. You’d said no. He’d decided to take that as permission to crash at your place.

Although the onus is at least a little on you; he has a habit of doing things like this. You’ve got to be one step ahead of him if you want to win against him on a petty debate like that.

A head of white hair wriggles its way onto your lap.

“Satoru?”

“Hm?”

“What are you doing?”

“I’m bored,” he hums.

That much is obvious. But you know it’s not that simple; he’s bored, yes, but more importantly, he wants your attention. Even your chest flutters at that.

“You’re a grown man,” you smile. “Entertain yourself.”

A well-worn coquettish smile plays on his lips. “I can’t tell if you’re being lewd or not.”

You slap his chest.

“Ow!” He gasps, placing a hand over his heart. “I can’t believe you’d be so cruel to me!”

“Then stop being annoying.”

“I’d like to think I’m ‘charmingly playful’.”

“Do you take constructive criticism?” You tilt your head at him, biting back a smile.

“I would,” he muses, “if I weren’t already perfect.”

“That ego of yours is going to get you into serious trouble one day,” you grin, flicking his forehead gently.

He lets you, grinning back. “Ah, but you see, my dear,” he hums, grabbing your hand before you draw it away and lacing your fingers with his. It’s a bit of an awkward angle, but you don’t mind.

“I’m simply stating the truth.”

“Well, the truth hurts,” you mutter, “so it’s no surprise no-one wants to hear you gassing yourself up.”

Gojou laughs. His hair tickles your inner thighs and you’re almost convinced to give in. But it wouldn’t be good form to feed his ego after chiding him for it.

You’re well-aware his ego’s already gotten him in trouble – many times, in fact. But Gojou seems to have a way of wheedling his way out of anything.

And, of course, you know that his ego doesn’t come from nowhere.

Doesn’t stop it from being annoying, though. The fact it’s at least partially well-founded makes it worse.

You take a deep breath, turning your attention back to this blasted book. Gojou will just have to wait.

“Why are you even reading that brick?” He muses, tapping the bottom of the book’s spine with one long finger. “You look bored out of your mind. And, you’ve been on the same page for the past five minutes.”

“You know,” you tilt your head to the side, a sour look on your face. “‘Adult stuff.’ Upskilling and all that.”

“Ah,” Gojou grins. “Career work.”

“Mhm,” you sigh. “And some of us can’t just learn on the job.”

Although, you ponder, the thought blurred with gentle melancholy, some of us aren’t constantly risking our lives.

Gojou always tells you not to worry; he’s the strongest jujutsu sorcerer there is, after all. But even that’s not enough to lull you into an uneasy sleep, to bring you warmth when your bed is cold.

You’re never truly at ease until you feel him slip into your bed in the early hours of the morning, his arms slinking around your waist and pulling you towards him. It’s like clockwork how he buries his head in your shoulder as every muscle in his body relaxes. He always thinks you’re asleep – and honestly, it’s easier to let him keep believing that.

What you’ve got isn’t exactly a ‘relationship’. At least, not in the most traditional sense of the word. Gojou’s never pretended to offer you that. But it’s not so simple as a ‘friends-with-benefits’ arrangement.

Gojou Satoru doesn’t suit the domestic. But he relishes in it, the same way a child might enjoy playing at high tea with little plastic teacups and cupcakes made of playdough. Some might find this frustrating – the idea of existing in this grey, a dark, nebulous unknown stippled with moments of affection and vulnerability.

But there’s still comfort in it; a sense of understanding, a place to let loose and relax. Being part of this world is hard. It’s so cruel – sending children out to fight things they barely comprehend, letting them suffer and even die. And what do they have to show for it? A future of doing the same thing while also having to navigate just how shit the world of sorcerers truly is?

Why aren’t more of your colleagues angry about this? One counsellor isn’t enough to maintain the wellbeing of these children. Do the higher-ups even care? Well, you know the answer to that question – it’s enough to make you want to throttle each and every one of them—

“Hey.”

You clatter back to earth, met by a pair of electric blue eyes. It’s easy to forget just how striking they are; it’s like they can stare right into your very core, laying out secrets you never even knew you had.

“Hm?” You blink at him. You can’t risk him knowing you’re worried. He doesn’t stand for that sort of thing; he’ll just tease you for being concerned about him. Though, you’re well-aware that he enjoys being doted on.

“You’re spacing out,” he smiles. “Again.”

Sure, he sounds like he’s joking. But even he can’t disguise that little flash in his eyes, the slight tension in his face. It’s the same expression he has when he talks about that new student of his.

Gojou understands you better than you’d like. Every little tell, every tiny hint towards what you’re actually thinking. It’s near impossible to hide anything from him; it’s irritating, really.

But, at least he’s got the decency to leave the direction of the conversation in your hands.

You weigh it for a moment, deciding how exactly to respond. Should you play it off and throw his brattiness back in his face? Or should you pry open that conversation like the doors of an old temple?

Today’s not the day. Neither of you are ready for that.

You stick your tongue out at him. Perhaps it’s not how an adult should behave, but you don’t care. Neither does Gojou.

“I think,” he sighs, plucking the book out of your hands and tossing it across the room, “it’s time you took a break.”

You yelp a moment too late, watching your book slap against the wall and flop to the floor. It’s only a paperback – thank God – but you’re not ready to fix another dent in the wall caused by the force of mayhem known as Gojou Satoru.

“And I have been waiting long enough,” he grins, wrapping his arms around your neck and launching forward.

“Satoru—”

It’s too late. He’s got you pinned beneath him – and not in a sexy way. All six feet and three inches of him is laid flat on top of you, your face smothered by his chest.

You punch his side weakly.

“You’ll have to do better than that,” he laughs.

“Fine,” you try to say. All you get is a mouthful of Gojou’s shirt. You slip your hands up said shirt and tickle his sides.

“Hey, hey, hey—” He splutters, grabbing at your wrists.

“Isn’t this what you wanted?” You smirk, continuing your assault.

Gojou whines, propping himself up by his palms and arching his back like a cat in an attempt to shake you off.

“Get back here,” you grin, lifting your torso in response.

His arms are immediately wrapped around you, pinning your own arms to your sides. You yelp in surprise, finding yourself laid gently against the couch with your face pressed against his neck.

“Much better,” Gojou chuckles, still on top of you as he nestles his head into your shoulder.

It’s not the most comfortable position, but that’s rarely a priority when it comes to Gojou. You wouldn’t be surprised if this wasn’t just his way of goading you into relocating to your bed for ease of cuddling (although you have your doubts that it’s the only thing on his mind).

“You want attention that bad, huh?” You chuckle, pressing a gentle kiss to his neck.

“Mhm,” he smirks, bringing his head up to get a proper look at you. “I’m a busy man, you know. I don’t think you’re appreciating my free time enough.”

“And yet, you never seem to leave my damn house,” you muse. “I’m starting to think you don’t actually have a job.”

Gojou laughs, leaning down and kissing you properly.

“That’s not an answer,” you say against his lips.

He ignores you, taking the opportunity to slip his tongue into your mouth.

You sigh, conceding. His lips are so soft yet so persistent, somehow both desperate and playful. He’s aggravatingly good at this sort of thing – before Gojou, you didn’t really understand what it meant to be a ‘good kisser’. But of course, he manages to excel at this, too. And annoyingly enough, he’d been right to brag about it.  

He brings one hand up to cup your cheek and moves another down to your waist. It’s a surprisingly chaste move for him, but you don’t mind. You tangle your own hands in his hair, resisting the urge to tug it. If you do that, you’ll officially lose any chance of getting more reading done tonight. Although your ability to focus on anything other than him is waning quickly.

When Gojou pulls back, he’s got that look in his eyes. The one that always makes your cheeks flush, makes your heart feel a little lighter. The one that almost makes you say something stupid.

Thank God you always have your wits about you.

“You get five minutes,” you sigh. “And then you’ve got to let me finish the chapter I’m on, okay? Then I’m all yours.”

Gojou’s grin blossoms with delight.

He slots himself beneath your chin and rests his cheek against your chest. A hand snakes around your waist, pulling you closer to him.

You smile, propping your chin on the top of his head and wrapping your arms around him.

Despite all his big talk, his irksome demeanour, even his obnoxious height, Gojou Satoru loves to be held.

You always oblige. He never asks – that’s too close to admitting weakness.

But you understand. He needs this. Sometimes he just wants to be tended to.

Being let in like this is an honour. He’s letting you be part of his life, despite his grand plans. Plans that, when he’d told you them, shifted your whole understanding of him.

Gojou represents change.

You have to have faith in him. You have to believe he’ll make good on his promises and turn the sorcerer world on its head. It’s no easy burden; and despite what he claims, even he falters in the face of something so monumental.

But despite all that, he’s still him. He hasn’t let the weight of his goals crush him; at least, not entirely. He finds the little joys, indulges in mundane delights, sees the humour in things.

Gojou Satoru wants to change the world, but he still lets himself be a part of it.

Perhaps that’s why it’s so easy to love him.

Even if he can’t offer the stability and promise of a stable relationship.

Even if he’s a little brat.

[misedejem]

I drew some adult!headcanons for the Investigation Team~~ I have some specific headcanons under the cut as well, but the most important thing to mention is that the found family lives on!

Yu Narukami

Yu moved to the U.S for college with his parents, and stayed there until 2017 when he graduated - which was also when his parents’ marriage fell apart and his mother returned to Japan. His major was going to be in Law, but part way through he realised that he was better suited for psychiatric work, and now has a degree in Psychology. He currently lives in a Tokyo apartment with Yosuke and their kitten, where he’s doing an apprenticeship at Maki Sonomura’s mental health clinic. He doesn’t do much with Persona anymore, but he did take up kendo, not quite certain how true Sho will be to his ‘I will kill you’ promise.

Rise Kujikawa

Rise’s idol career peaked in 2015/16, but she’s still nationally recognised as one of the most popular performers in her field. The biographical album she’s currently working on, ‘Never More’, will likely be her last, though she fully intends to remain in showbiz as long as she can hold out - only as an actress instead. Notably, in 2018 she played the role of the antagonist in the Featherman Musical. Her grandmother retired in 2019, so her parents moved to Inaba to take over the tofu shop, and she intends to follow suit once her idol career ends.

Yosuke Hanamura

Yosuke still has no idea what he’s doing with his life. He studied business in college just because he was good at it, but spent much more time enjoying his student life than studying. He’s currently living in Tokyo with Yu, supervising a newly built nearby branch of Junes, and plays bass in a band with his college friends on weekends. Around 2016, at the height of the Phantom Thieves incident, he became very self-reflective, and set out to better himself, working hard to atone for the Yosuke he had been in high school. His friends agree he’s the one who has changed the most.

Teddie

Teddie (and Labrys) decided he was going to try to become more of an ‘independent bear’ when Yosuke left for college. He attended and graduated Yasogami High, and then kept his job at Junes for a few years while he learned the basics of adulthood, though he remained in the Hanamura household in Yosuke’s old room. Eventually, he collaborated with Kanji to produce a line of Teddie merchandise at Junes, which gave both of their careers a huge boost. His current business venture: selling his custom glasses frames. 

Yukiko Amagi

Though Yukiko was determined to take over the family inn, she did not actually do so completely until 2019. Instead, with a push from her friends and family, she took a brief apprenticeship through college, assisting the management of a huge hotel in the city. During this time, she realised she actually did have feelings for Chie, and they started dating in 2018, moving in together back home in Inaba after her apprenticeship ended and Chie graduated. (Plot twist, none of her career choices last. In her 30s she realises she should have - as all her friends did - listened to her Shadow and not taken over the Inn.)

Chie Satonaka

Chie pretty much did everything she said she was going to do after graduating high school, only with a slightly supernatural twist. Due to Inaba being the most high-risk place in all Japan for Shadow incidents, the Kirijo Group set up a headquarters there and the Inaba PD was given a group of Persona users masquerading as regular officers to protect the town from any future attacks. Realising she could combine her new skills with her unique Persona ability, Chie volunteered to be part of this group. She now lives with Yukiko and their dog in Inaba, fiercely training herself for when the world needs her.

Kanji Tatsumi

Defying all odds, Kanji attended college after graduating high-school, majoring in textiles and later going through teacher training so he could pass on his skills. In the meanwhile, thanks in part to Teddie, his work became known online, and he started selling his plushies all over the world. In their third year of high school, he finally became close with Naoto, and they eventually started dating. They’re married now, and they currently live together in a Shibuya apartment with their two cats, where an entire room is just filled to the brim with Kanji’s plushie commissions. It’s the cutest room in the house.

Naoto Shirogane

Naoto became more well known across Japan after the Inaba murders became publicised nationally and they set off on a solo career without the aid of their grandfather. Notably, the Shirogane Agency became the Shadow Operatives’ most trusted ally, and when the mental shutdowns began, Mitsuru asked Naoto personally to look into them, and they ended up closely investigating one Goro Akechi. They took a prolonged leave of absence at the tail end of the Phantom Thieves incident, when their grandfather suddenly died and their mental wellbeing took a serious hit. It wasn’t until late 2018 that the original Detective Prince started working again.

[sly-merlin]

Killing Me - 2| n.y

pairing : law student!reader + yuta

genre :    angst , mafia au/ arranged marriage au 

warnings : curse words, mention of murder, guns etc

words : 2908

summary :

“life’s never fair y/n. realise it as soon as you can . it is the only secret for living a regretless life.”

                                                  0r

                  “curiosity got the cat hitched!!

K.M Masterlist

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taglist :: (not tagging the old ones because they have read it already bt if u want , lemme know! )  @yiyi4657​ @sorrywonwoo​ @sillywinnergladiator​  @suhweo​ @exfolitae​

‘Where is she?’ a voice echoed from behind you. The police officer woke up from his little slumber one more time and stood up to greet the owner of voice. Before you could turn around, a fair, young man sat down in the place previously occupied by the officer. You straightened your back before taking a look at him. He was not too broad but couldn’t be considered lean either. His hair were darker shade of blue hooding his eyes. He looked too young to be a senior but who were you to judge someone’s capabilities.

“Is she alone” he asked the other officer, who nodded his head in response. The officer’s demeanour took a 180 degree turn from his previous one. He had a smug look on his face.

“Where’s the evidence?”

“Here it is!” your phone which was resting on the desk until now was in the hands of the senior officer. You watched him carefully going through the photos. He turned the chair to face the back wall hiding himself from you. You couldn’t understand why he has to be so sceptical about the evidence. It was enough to punish the criminal. And you weren’t even informed of the results of the search party that was sent earlier. You were cut out of your thoughts when the man turned in the chair and extended his hand towards you with your phone. You took the phone but didn’t open it.

“Is he dead?” he questioned the officer.

“Yes, but his body is disposed of. Nobody can trace anything back to him. Give me few days and I’ll delete his whole existence.” that being said, your heart stopped and a loud gasp left your lips. Their conversation wasn't giving away anything but you were smart enough to realise the scenario.

“Good. That’s exactly what I wanted to hear. You would be rewarded nicely. But she didn’t go to the higher officer, right? It’d take more time to clean it.”

“No. I know he is a pain in the ass, there was no need for you to come this far though .I could’ve handled this minor inconvenience all by myself.” he smirked towards you.

So he’s not the senior.              

Then what is he doing here?.

“Mr doyoung, what are we going to do with her” he pointed towards you like you were some disgusting rat he’s trying to get rid of.

“Taeyong would deal with her. You don’t need to worry. Your work is done here”.

Your hair fell on your face when the cloth was removed from your head. You tried to blow them out off your face but your action merely resulted in you breathing all the air through your nose.  Someone removed the tape, causing you to cough violently. Your cheeks pained, your lips felt like they were stung by bees. Your chest heaved up and down when you tried to take a breath. A soft hand removed all the hair from your face and tucked them behind both ears. The man then rubbed your back to help you regain your senses.

Following that everything happened in a blur. The said man, doyeon or something got up abruptly from the chair, took your phone, yanked your hands backwards and handcuffed them. He was so swift in his movements that few seconds later you were ushered into a small car. You tried to speak but he taped you and face was covered with a cloth. You shuffled in the passenger seat but the man didn’t seem to be fazed by your antics as he drove wordlessly.

After travelling for what felt like hours he finally pulled up somewhere. You were forced out of the car by your arm. The only thing you were sure of was that you passed 3 doors, following which you were made to sit on a metal chair.

“Hey, you alright?

You gestured towards your arms instead of responding.

“What’s your name” you looked up to see another blue haired man asking you in a hoarse voice.

“Open her cuffs doyoung!” your saviour, what it felt like at the moment, ordered the man. He came forward and did as told. Once free, you got up from the chair while rubbing your wrists and took shelter behind the same chair.

You scanned the room to find about 10 men, in their pyjamas, staring at you. They didn’t look dangerous, at least not in their current state. Out of nowhere, you felt something on your head. Of course, there was someone behind you. You tried your best not to show any panic on your face, but it was an impossible task for someone who’d be dead in a few minutes. You didn’t know what to do next. Your hands found solace in the hem of your shirts which you continued to twist and turn until one of them spoke,

“y/n” you answered timidly, purely to show them that you were nothing more than an innocent girl caught up in a wrong situation. It was the only way you’d be back home safely.

“What were you doing near that street and what did you see?” the same man questioned again but with more irritated voice. You parroted the whole story in the same way it happened. It was like giving report to the police officer. But this time a slight fear was in charge of your senses instead of the confidence you had earlier. The more you explained, the more ridiculous it sounded to you. Your courage and zeal were your best traits, as told by many people including your professors and these two traits were going to lower you in the ground today. being courageous and senseless was serving as the dangerous combination for you.

“You are quite amusing and smart, miss. Had it been someone else, we’d have let you go but it’s about yuta so we can’t take any future risks, you know” a man who was more on the shorter side, spoke. As said, you were a risk to them but eyeing your current position, you felt more threatened than they were by you.

“What are you going to do with me?” you blurted.

“Kill her” the voice behind you advised in a harsh and growling voice. His voice was rougher than the other one and he sounded like he was getting impatient in your presence. You felt tears prickling in your eyes at his statement. Prediction of your death and hearing a declaration made to that effect, the latter sounded scarier without doubt. You never wanted to die like that. You wanted to make a good life for yourself. The rational part of your brain was suggesting to beg for your life but another was telling you to hold it till last. Your dilemma was causing an incessant headache by now. Because of your reckless act of bravery, you were now at the mercy of some criminals who probably killed humans for their jest.

“Anyway, where are the photos, doyoung?” a man with red hair spoke.

“She’s quite a photographer you know” doyoung says slyly to the red haired man while handing him his phone. He went through the photos with stoic look on his face. He didn’t look scary but you could only hope if his heart and brain tallied with his face.

He curtly nodded before handing the phone to person standing next to him and just like that the phone was passed to everyone in the room where at last it reached right behind you. The man with the gun gave a snort which you assumed was his reaction to the photos. Nobody looked pleased. why would they be!The quietness of the room was taken over by soft whispers which did nothing more than to increase your anxiousness. The red haired man whose name was yet to be unveiled, was having a kind of discussion with everyone. One by one, all men gathered around him except the one who you dreaded the most in this state.

“I’m taeyong, the leader of Neos.” the red haired man said and your countenance at his words stopped him from further explaining anything. He watched your wide eyes and now trembling hands.

“You are a feisty one, ain’t you!” you yelped at the voice which surely didn’t go unnoticed by others but they rather chose to ignore it. Why they would be worried for your wellbeing, you thought. You’ll end up dead, if not by a gun, then by heart stroke from the sneaky little bitch. To distract yourself, you looked around the room but found nothing worthy of your interest. The room was medium sized but there was only one tube above the door which shone its lightening down to where the chair was situated. Everything else was void of any light, now including you and your possible killer.

A loud cough from the men interrupted your screening of the room. You were anticipating the outcome they had possibly reached at but that didn’t mean you were ready for it. Your stoic face was hiding your faltered confidence and their glaring eyes weren’t giving anything either.

Neos didn’t have a face!

Until now.

“And we’ll deal with you in the morning.” he waved his fingers in your direction and before you could comprehend his actions, you were knocked out with a press of fingers on your neck.

You woke up from your enforced sleep with a pounding head and a numb side. You tried to wake up, propped on your elbow but your effort remained futile. You were once again lying on the cemented floor with your arms placed on your middle. The room was not as dark as it was earlier. There was a small window giving its way to the rays of the light but it wasn’t enough to lighten the whole room. The electric tube was off. You were in a basement. It was morning, you realised. And it was no dream. Yesterday’s acts would serve as life lesson for you, that is, if you lived.

Your train of thoughts came to a halt when the metal door opened with an ear screeching noise. You got up hurriedly on your feet, the dizziness you felt making you stumble a little on your feet. Your body was poorly soar. A giant figure walked towards you. He handed you a water bottle. You were indeed thirsty. You gulped half of the water down your throat, the liquid filling you with relief.

“What if it was poisoned?”

“The bottle was sealed.” you immediately replied. He seemed to be impressed by your quick wit answer.

“I’m Johnny” you would’ve thanked him for getting you out from those restraints yesterday, had they not knocked you out of consciousness. He was heads taller than you and broader as well. You couldn’t even take a glimpse of the door behind him.

“I’m going to tell others that you are up!” with that he waved you goodbye but before he could close the door, you shouted-

“How long I have to stay here? “You questioned innocently with hope that maybe he would drop a hint about their verdict but he only chuckled in response, leaving you alone with your thoughts.

Not long after Johnny was gone, the door opened again with same noise. But this time, the whole army was there. You stood up from the chair in defence as you saw them approaching you. The red haired man walked with long strides towards you and stopped before you with crossed arms.

“Read doyoung.” he ordered.

“y/n l/n, orphan. Parents died when she was 4. Grew up in an orphanage. No siblings. Lived in the orphanage till university. She started working in high school to make herself independent though her orphanage is fully funded.Got a full scholarship in SNU in law department and is now pursuing masters with same benefits. Her dorm number is XXX. Her roommate’s name is chelin. She is in psychology department.  Y/n has 4 friends including her roommate. Very antisocial. She has special inclination towards music and books. Never had a boyfriend or girlfriend. She wants to be an attorney under Choi’s but they didn’t had an opening last year so she took up master’s course. No current internships. And she gives tutoring to law students on weekends. Her other source of income is freelance writing. And she loves green” he sighed before putting his phone in pocket.

You gasped loudly at the end of his speech. You were stunned. Doyoung recited your whole life story like a mantra in span of few seconds. Each and every word was correct. They caught up to your past in such a short time and now your future was in their hands too. You felt your eyes moistening as you took in everything. They were a lot more powerful than you had thought. They were Neos after all. One of the best.

“Do you know why you aren’t killed yet?” taeyong said monotonously. You shook your head as no.

“because yuta is the one who needs to be reprimanded from being careless not you but here we are. we are mafia. we are supposed to be careful so common people doesn’t get involved in our mess. But as you can see we can’t let your little curiosity ruin our business. Hence, I’m bound to take action as the leader here. You have seen yuta on a crime scene. You have seen all of our faces making you the sole outsider to know what neos look like.  We can’t let you get out of here-

“What if I stay quiet? I won’t tell anyone about you people. Take my word for it! and I didn’t ask for your name anyway” you interrupted him to state yourself.

“That’s the problem here! We can’t trust you. I don’t have anything personal against you but it is what it is. We can’t just leave a mole out there! And besides it’s a mutual decision. We decided to find a middle ground. Both of you are going to solve this amicably or else I’ll have to take some strong measures”. He finished with a sigh. He was awfully calm for someone whose business was on the verge of expose.

“b-both of us?” you stammered. Your voice turned smaller and eyes glossier.

“You and yuta” he pointed towards a blonde man who was standing uninterestingly at the back. He was the same killer. A smirk and wave was sent your way. You turned your head to face taeyong again.

“What about me and him?” you were now tired of asking questions.

“There’s no easy way to say this, but if you both get married then I can make sure that-

“I’m not going to marry him or anyone for that matter.” you exclaimed loudly to make yourself clear to each and every person in the room. You were horrified to say the least.

“You will! He retorted with same aggression. “You will marry him. You don’t need me to tell you the other option, kid!” he said with a raised brow.

“Kill me for all you want” you mouth blurted out without any second thought. You wiped your tears with rough motion. No way in the world you were going to marry the man who was a brutal murderer and this was only one side of him that you had witnessed yet. Dying suddenly sounded like a better option.

“How about we convince you” taeyong proposed as he put his hands in the pocket.

“I won’t let you” you spitted.

“Give me a chance, then decide”

Earlier in taeyong’s office

“For fucks sake, stop shouting yuta!” Johnny cursed at yuta who was causing a havoc in the room. He was just informed about his penalty and he had lost his shit since then.

“You ain’t the one getting married, so shut up! Yuta growled at Johnny who only glared at him.

“This isn’t your first time yuta! And we can’t waste more of our time in cleaning up your mess. You need to improve your manners. You are getting reckless and this is not how underground works. You almost exposed us. Apart from doyoung, nobody is aware of the members and even he has to go every other month to clean after you. This has to stop and I’ll make sure you don’t forget the consequences ever in your life.” taeyong fumed at yuta while swinging your bio data papers on his face. Donghyuck had worked for whole night to collect your information.

“She’s not trustworthy”

“I’ve thought it through! Just agree already.”

“I’m not doing it”

“If you don’t then mark have to! You have an hour to think. You or Mark.the finality in taeyong’s voice was clear.

“Why can’t you just kill her?”

“You already know why!”

And yuta knew he had no choice. Taeyong was a man of his words. And mark won’t even try refuse him either. He picked the papers up and stormed out of the room.

“Wasn’t that too harsh. You are practically throwing him into hell. Are you sure about this. She’s a mere girl. We can just get rid of her with money as well!” jaehyun, who was standing beside taeyong, questioned the leader’s absurd decision.

“I know we can. But I want him to learn a lesson and besides she’s not just a girl. She’s going to be an asset.”

feedback is always appreciated. i know there are plenty of grammatical mistakes as english is not the local communication language so i tend to make mistakes!

WELCOME NEW READERS! I HOPE YOU ENJOY THIS !!

[lostcoves]

– pinky promise?

+ ft. ejiro kirishima 

+ wc: 1.0k

+ format: one-shot

+ premise: a late night trip to the park reveals hidden feelings and uncovers ugly truths

+ note: happy 100 followers! here’s a treat! enjoy!

your lipstick matched the red of the apple you had bitten into, chewing it in front of eijiro kirishima. absentmindedly twiddling his pencil between his fingers, he set aside his homework and let out a defeated sigh. nights like these were always boring. kirishima craved some action, something interesting.

“you bored, red?” you questioned to the hero in training. kirishima hummed in response before focusing back on his english homework. verbs, pronouns, adjectives spun around in his mind. 

“need some help with your homework? i already finished mine,” you offered.

kirishima shook his head and pushed away his homework, stretching out his sore muscles. quirk training did a number on him earlier that day, “nah. i just need to take a break.”

you rose from his bed and extended a hand to kirishima, who was sitting at his low-rise table, “let’s go to the park.”

kirishima- although hesitant- took your hand and pulled himself up, “you sure we won’t get in trouble for sneaking?”

“not if we go to the park on the outskirts of the campus.”

fair point, kirishima thought, “okay.”

the two of you climbed out the balcony and scaled down the side of the dorm building. going out through the front door would have alerted class representative tenya iida, something neither of you could risk.

you two made it to the park, the streetlights were out since it was passed midnight. the night sky’s illuminating stars were your only source of light. of course, it was empty but that meant more fun for you and kirishima. you made a beeline for the swings and beckoned kirishima to join you. 

“it’s been a couple of days, hasn’t it?” you spoke your thoughts aloud to kirishima, pushing yourself on the swing. kirishima mimicked your movements and swung on the swing quietly. 

it had been a couple of days, kirishima was exhausted. too many villain attacks, too many battles. of course, that came with hero work but you two were still students. you deserved breaks and chances to be.. to be normal.

“i think i’m gonna leave the hero program.”

kirishima stopped swinging.

“what? leave the hero program? why would you want to do that?”

you looked back at kirishima, your eyes clouded with sadness. the past few days had been rough on you. failed tests, losing training battles, your teachers expressing concern for your wellbeing; they piled and piled on one another until it became unbearable.

“you’re not a quitter, though.”

kirishima’s words were a stab to your already frail heart. you weren’t a quitter, he was right about that. yet, rationally.. leaving the program would be the best choice for you in the long term.

“my quirk isn’t the best for combat or rescue missions,” you explained to kirishima softly, “i barely passed the entrance exam, i’m failing at the hero-related courses, and it’s just..” you blink back your tears, “i’m no hero like you, kirishima. i really want to succeed but i can’t. i’m not cut out for this.”

kirishima stared at the mulch-covered ground that surrounded the swing set, “you can be a hero, too. i believe in you, (y/n)-chan.”

you sniffled, tears falling down your cheeks in fat blotchy streaks, “k- kiri.. kiri, i can’t! i really can’t! i’m no hero, ejiro kirishima! i really am not! i’m not a hero! i’m no hero at all! i wasn’t born with the flashy quirk needed to make it in the hero world! i’m a zero, not a hero! why can’t you get that, kiri?!”

kirishima bore his eyes into you, shocked at your vulnerability. he turned away and cursed to himself, he didn’t mean to upset you. he just wanted the best for you, he wanted to be with you.

“if you leave the program.. then i will, too.”

“what?” you gripped the chains of the swing tightly.

“we’re in this together, aren’t we?” kirishima asked, “if you go.. then i go.”

“kirishima, no!” you exclaimed, jumping up to your feet. kirishima smiled at you and stood up, taking you by the hands. he looked you in the eye and whispered, “i don’t want to lose you, (y/n)-chan. i don’t. i will give up being a hero if it means we remain on the same path together.”

“kiri..” you cup his cheeks and hold them, you just hold them and stare at kirishima. you cared about him, you cared about him so freaking much. dare you say that you loved eijiro kirishima. 

“eijiro, i love you.”

kirishima touched his forehead to yours, your lips dangerously close. your confession was sudden and out of place but kirishima didn’t care, he did not care one bit. 

“(y/n), i love you.”

he pressed a kiss to your forehead.

“i want to be with you, no matter.”

“and i want you to follow your dreams.”

your words made kirishima’s heart tightened and he sighed to you, “but i want to be with you.”

“you’re no quitter, eijiro kirishima.”

kirishima stifled back a laugh at the fact you had used his own words against him. ironic, wasn’t it? he huffed to you, “then don’t quit either.”

“let me decide my future,” you argued. kirishima flinched and pouted like a wounded puppy. you were right, he had no say in what you could or couldn’t do. he finally relented, “okay.. follow your dreams, (y/n).”

“i will, eijiro. i will and i will support you, no matter what.”

“promise? promise to support me, (y/n). i’ll promise the way to you,” kirishima pulled away and held up his pinky finger to you. you laughed at the gesture and intertwined your pinky finger with his, making a promise to kirishima.

“i promise.”

you would support eijiro kirishima to the ends of the earth. no matter rain or shine, you would be there for him. you may not become a professional hero but to eijiro kirishima, you were a hero to him.

his hero, his darling.

“i love you.”

“i love you, too.”

kirishima vowed to love and protect you to the ends of the earth in return.

[catflorist]

The Time Being (ao3 / ffn) catflorist Summary: Time-slipping is a side effect of wielding the Rinnegan. When Sasuke slips through time, he always goes to Sakura, whether he wants to or not. 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8

pt 7: seasons

SUMMER

Flowers and garlands decorated the village square, packed with bodies wearing their finest clothes. The guests milled about endless rows of chairs, gathered under the shadow of trees, and stood on benches for the best view. Heads were turning to the podium, and chatter was beginning to die—Sakura made it just in time. Her geta tapped out her quick steps as she weaved her way to the front row.

"You're late," Sasuke muttered, removing his haori from the seat next to him. How he succeeded in saving a place, she didn't know. The square appeared to contain every chair in the village, and still the crowd spilled into the streets.

Sakura smoothed the skirt of her pink dress. "It was your fault," she said, settling in her chair.

Halfway through shrugging the haori over his shoulders, Sasuke halted, peering at her face with new scrutiny. Sakura peered back, comparing this Sasuke, in his formal wear, breeze rustling the hair he asked her to trim a few days ago, with the Sasuke she just met—bleeding and weary-eyed, wearing a purple obi and a permanent scowl.

"How is your head?" she asked.

A smile grew on Sasuke's lips.

Sakura wanted to enjoy Sasuke's smile for longer, but she felt eyes boring into the back of her neck. Across the crowd, Tsumiki Kido turned his head, too late to disguise his staring.

Sasuke frowned, following her gaze. "Who is that man?"

"Someone who isn't happy you're back in the village," Sakura said. A chill traveled down her spine, though it did not matter now if Tsumiki or other members of the council saw them together. As a war hero, owner of two legendary doujutsu, and friend to herself, Naruto, and the Rokudaime Hokage, Sasuke was untouchable.

"Are you happy?" Sasuke asked, eyes stern.

"Of course I am," Sakura said.

"Then I have no other concerns," he dismissed. For the second time that day, pink tinged Sakura's cheeks, and she found herself at a loss for words.

A bright, cloudless blue sky shimmered above, promising to give way to a clear and starry night. When the wedding ceremony was over, they offered Hinata and Naruto their congratulations together.

.

.

FALL

In the warm climate of Fire country, the changing of seasons was gentle, but distinct. A chill grew in the air each day until it was difficult to remember anything different.

The moon hung in the sky when Sakura left the hospital one night. She worked late, reinvigorating her proposal to create a pediatric center at the hospital. Besides on-call staff, the only person working later than her was Karin. After sharing one of Orochimaru's radical techniques to preserve chakra network samples, the scientists of the research lab had claimed her of one of their own.

Walking through the quiet and peaceful streets on the way home, Sakura was confident she would not face rejection this time. The village was changing.

Sakura approached her building. A carving of a blooming tree decorated the door. Jugo's artisanry had quickly gained Konoha's attention. His work was everywhere around the village––hand-painted signs, wooden figurines and statues, delicate carvings around door frames. After Suigetsu asked Jugo to create wooden shuriken for his three Academy students, it seemed every young student passing by held one in hand. Reaching for her keys, Sakura pictured wooden carvings on the walls of her pediatric center.

She was not alone.

"Sasuke-kun," she murmured. He was bonier than she remembered him being. His jaw was only beginning to sharpen. "I see. You're leaving now, aren't you?"

She already knew the answer. It was obvious in the way his hands trembled, in the way shadows were collecting in his eyes. He was clutching the left strap of his backpack. Against the warm hues of her street, he was a patch of deep blue and darkness, a shard fallen from the night sky. This was Sasuke on the night he left the village.

A street lamp buzzed and flickered on. When the light caught his face, his cheeks glistened. He took a small step towards her and exhaled a ragged breath.

This was too much for Sakura. She knew what it was like to be left behind. To face his back and beg him to stay, trying to glean from the still line of his shoulders if her words were working. She did not know, all the while, this was what leaving was like for him.

"Wait," she pleaded, but even before the word formed on her tongue, he was gone.

Sakura's feet led her to Sasuke's apartment. He opened the door after the first knock.

"Sakura," he said, opening the door wider.

One step forward was all Sakura needed to take. Sasuke's arms surrounded her without hesitation, as if waiting all this time for the sign to hold her close.

"I just saw you," she murmured, lips brushing his throat. "You were leaving…"

"I'm not leaving anymore," he promised.

"I missed you," she said, though they had eaten together yesterday, and he had walked her home the day before that. There was hardly a day since he returned to the village that they had not seen each other.

Sasuke's chest rose and fell with a soft sigh. "We are tied together." He said it in the same way someone might say the sun is up or north is this way.

Was it always like this? Sakura wondered.

Sasuke reached for her hand. "I want to always be near you," he confessed.

Sakura brushed the hair out of his eyes, traced his cheek, his brow bone. He blinked, and his eyelashes kissed her fingers. The rings of his left eye were like the ripples a stone made as it fell through the surface of water.

"I never stopped loving you," she said. "I love you as much as I did then."

Sasuke's forehead fell against hers, waiting for her kiss. Sakura did not leave him waiting.

.

.

WINTER

Sasuke appeared in Sakura's apartment in the middle of the night, wearing the Akatsuki robes, carrying the weight of a decision. He fell asleep on her couch. It was a long time before he slipped away.

When she was alone, Sakura removed her robe, which she had worn to conceal the Uchiha crest on the back of her borrowed shirt. She returned to her room and settled back next to Sasuke, asleep and unworried, in her bed.

.

.

SPRING

Before Sasuke climbed in through the window of her third-story office, Sakura was basking in the glow of good news.

She read the message on her desk for the third time. Out of the blue, the council greenlighted her pediatric center, offering her a budget larger than she had dreamed. It was enough to build a facility solely dedicated to children's health. No child in the village would ever be left behind again, the way Naruto and Sasuke were.

A soft footfall interrupted Sakura's thoughts of all the work ahead. Sasuke dropped inside the room, the scent of pollen and oncoming rain drifting in behind him.

Sakura leapt up from her desk and locked the door. "What's wrong?"

"I just received this from the council," he said, passing her a scroll before blinking away his Sharingan.

With trembling fingers, Sakura read over Sasuke's new mission assignment.

The scroll described a mission of indefinite length. A haphazard journey across the shinobi world, doing nothing in particular. Escort this noble. Deliver this message. Check on the status of this favor. Refusing the mission, or failing the mission's terms, meant abstaining Konoha citizenship and willfully accepting exile. The text outlined required checkpoints every five days, the first in Suna.

Sakura threw the scroll to the ground, cracking the wooden spindle within. Suna was a two-week journey from Konoha for the fastest of travelers. There was nothing subtle about the council's true intentions.

"Tsumiki Kido delivered the message," Sasuke said, his face even. "He said it would prove my loyalty to Konoha."

"They can't do this," Sakura spat. "You don't have to leave if you don't want to!"

Sasuke gripped her wrist. "He said leaving would be in my best interest, if I cared about the wellbeing of the village."

A buzz filled Sakura's ears. The threat was a familiar one. It reused works she had spoken herself, in a council meeting before the war, as she pulled dangerous strings to keep Sasuke safe.

They will be upset, Shizune had warned.

"We don't have to accept this. We can change things," Sakura said. "Right now. We've already done impossible things..."

A just, peaceful, village was not too much to ask for. Sakura's surroundings faded away, a plan organizing in her mind. She and Sasuke comprised two-thirds of the new generation of Sannin. With Naruto's influence, they could sway their old classmates, and other skilled shinobi, to their cause. They could reach out to Gaara, who had already implemented structural change in the Sand. Tsunade and Kakashi could leverage their political power and Hinata could reach the Hyuuga clan. Sakura herself carried a well-loved reputation among civilians and in the broader world. If anything, they could use brute force to overthrow Konoha's government. They were not powerless, especially not with the help of their teammates, friends, and allies. They could shape their own world and the future they wanted.

Sasuke shook his head. "They wanted my clan dead, so they killed them. Now they want me to go. I can't risk anyone else being hurt." His hand on her wrist tightened, like holding a lifeline. "I can't lose you."

Sakura's mind stopped spinning. "All right," she whispered. "Then I'll come with you."

"You have matters here." Sasuke placed a second scroll back on her desk. While she was plotting, he was reading the news she received this morning.

The timing suddenly made sense––why Sakura's proposal was approved now, of all times, after months of silence. Of course she could not go with him, if building the facility meant protecting and caring for the lives of Konoha's children.

"We haven't had much time," Sakura started, but her throat closed. He was supposed to stay. Why did he have to go again?

"Finish your work," he said. "Then I'll find you."

"Where will I be?" Sakura asked, because a glint was growing in Sasuke's eyes. This happened sometimes, whenever he knew something she didn't. It happened last week when Sakura had brought home an abandoned black kitten, naming her Hime after the dignified way she perched upon Sasuke's shoulder. It happened when she had pulled away from their first kiss.

Sasuke passed something into her hand. A pebble the shape of old dreams, of crashing waves and salt.

He asked, "Have you ever thought about going to the ocean?"

.

.

SUMMER AGAIN

Sasuke was gone, yet he was here again, in the dark of Sakura's bedroom.

"I'll be with you soon," he promised, after kissing her.

Before he left, Sasuke had recounted every detail he could remember about what Sakura should expect at the ocean––every rejected cup of tea, every question. But he hadn't told her about this.

Sakura understood why. When living out of order, some knowledge could not be disclosed. It was too precious, or too painful. Some things were best left for discovery. .

.

.

.

Up next: Everything comes together. 

Notes: where the daylight begins by ohwhatsherface inspired the sentence about lifelines.

thank you for reading :)

[myaekingheart]

For Thirsty Thursday. Tell me about your fav oc! Anything goes, ramble away! Infodump me, baby!

[thirsty thursday]

My favorite OC is definitely Rei 😂 But she's also the one I talk about the most and focus on the most, too, so I should probably pick someone else for this, but...

You're all gonna hear it again because I love her.

Basics are that she's the only daughter of Hana (née Yamanaka) and Yuruganai Natsuki, who own the local bookstore Kaminoki Shop. The bookstore itself was founded by Rei's grandfather, Oku Natsuki. She grew up in a little house on the outskirts of the village with her parents and her paternal grandmother, Teiko Natsuki, with whom she shares a really close bond. Their next door neighbors were Hana and Yuruganai's childhood friends Sakumo and Aijo (née Inuzuka) Hatake, so Rei and Kakashi grew up together and were super close. Rei really admired Kakashi and she desperately wanted to pursue a career as a ninja just like him, but she had very little support at home except for grandmother, who was actually the one who signed Rei's permission slip to enter the academy behind Hana and Yuruganai's backs. Kakashi supported her, too...until he didn't. When he started losing everyone, he did a complete 180 and basically told Rei "forget it, you're too weak, you'll never make it as a ninja so quit while you're ahead" and basically just detached himself from everyone. So that of course broke Rei's heart in pieces. Her childhood best friend, one of the only people who ever supported her, just leaving her in the dust. So she took this as an opportunity. She took that anger and hatred she felt toward him and everyone else who told her she wouldn't make it and she used that to fuel herself further to prove that she belonged there. And by the time she was 18, she was appointed into the ANBU. To train under Kakashi. Things were really tense at first as the two of them tried to navigate this abrupt reunion but ultimately, they couldn't avoid the fact that they still cared very deeply for each other after all these years. And as they grew closer, Rei discovered that sometimes things aren't always as they seem, that Kakashi never actually stopped caring about her, that he detached himself from her because he cared about her. That he tried to deter her from her dreams because he didn't want her to put herself in danger, he didn't want to risk losing her, too. Throughout the years, he'd peer around corners and from behind trees sneaking around to check on her and make sure she was safe. He of course missed her deeply and desperately wanted to spend time with her but he felt that keeping his distance was what was best. Now that she was in the ANBU with him, though, he knew that was no longer possible and neither was avoiding the way he felt about her. At 18 and 20 respectively, Rei and Kakashi ultimately had to admit their feelings to each other and started pursuing a romantic relationship.

Even when things seemed well and good, they were reunited after so many years and Rei had felt like she had finally proven herself to him and her family, things were still rocky. Rei lost her best friend in the line of duty, thanks to her own leadership skills, and spiraled into a deep depression that led her to temporarily break up with Kakashi under the excuse of needing space. It took almost a year for Rei to finally return to him and Kakashi decided quickly afterward to ask her to marry him. And even then, things still manage to go haywire as they try to prep for the wedding and cope with some very rapidfire changes that occur during this time, like their decision to try for a baby being very quickly scrapped by Rei making ANBU captain which is then in turn very quickly scrapped by Rei unexpectedly getting pregnant right after her and Kakashi decided to stop trying. And that's about the point in the story I'm at currently, but things are also about to get even more hectic for reasons I won't delve into now for the sake of ✨spoilers✨

But ultimately Rei and Kakashi do eventually get married and have six children together across a span of ten years: Nariko, Rokurou, Sutego (who is adopted), Katsuro, Keiko, and Kazuhiko.

Personality-wise, Rei is intelligent, a little sarcastic, guarded but also deeply caring, and []. Her paternal family's kekkei genkai is actually founded in empathy through a jutsu called chakra tethering. It's basically the ability to not just channel one's chakra into an object but lock it there so that you and that object are linked, and wherever that object is, you can sense what's going on around it--which is very useful for espionage. Rei can also use herself as a vessel to channel other people's chakra into objects, which is something she uses for a personal thing she has called chakra plants. Her chakra plant project is actually a deeply personal and special thing she reserves for only those she cares the most about like Kakashi, her family, and her closest friends. It involves a very intimate ritual of choosing the perfect flower to represent the aforementioned person, the perfect pot to house that plant in, and then the chakra channeling itself. Once this is complete, the cherished person and their chakra plant are intrinsically linked so that based on the chakra that's locked in the plant, Rei can estimate the morale of that cherished person no matter where they are in the world based on the wellbeing of the plant. So for example, with Kakashi, he and Rei picked a cornflower because it reminded her of scarecrows, she planted it in a pot, and then she siphoned a bit of Kakashi's chakra from his body, channeled it through herself and into the plant, and then locked it in the plant so now if Kakashi is off on a mission and he gets seriously injured, Rei will know something is wrong because the plant will respond to the wellbeing of his chakra and begin to droop or dry out or wilt depending on the severity of his injuries. I feel like it's all kind of complicated, and I should probably draw a diagram of something one of these days to make it a little clearer, but I'm doing my best 😅

And then training-history wise, Rei entered the academy at 6 and made genin at 10. She was placed on a team with her schoolmate and best friend Naru Fuzuki, the daughter of local socialites involved local government and finances, and her bully Sekkachi Fumeiyo, a girl from a downtrodden clan known for being liabilities in battle thanks to a chronic illness that runs in the family. Their sensei was Chikara, a wise and proper woman with a background in, believe it or not, dance. She used those experiences in dance, however, to strengthen her students' teamwork, espionage, and awareness skills by having them create a group alter ego as young idols/rave dancers and perform choreographed dances at a club where they learned how to disguise themselves, change the way they act, and discretely keep their eye on large crowds while doing something else. And of course the importance of being in sync both on the stage and on the battlefield. Despite the fact that they have all since grown up and grown apart in ways, however, they still keep in touch as best as they can. Chikara is out of the village often but she and Sekkachi, specifically, share an extremely close, sisterly bond so Chikara is always the first one Sekkachi goes to for advice or some tough love. And over time, Naru brought Rei and Sekkachi closer together, too, to the point where the two of them are now damn near inseparable and like sisters--they butt heads a lot but there's nothing they wouldn't do for each other and they are always there for one another which is great since neither of them have biological sisters themselves but they're close enough and have known each other long enough that they might as well be sisters. And in the future, Sekkachi ends up becoming sensei to Rei's firstborn, Nariko, as well as Mirai Sarutobi.

There's honestly even more I could say about Rei, her story, her relationship with Kakashi and my other OCs, etc. but by now I feel like this response has gotten long enough so I'll stop it there but the ask box is always open for even more information if anyone is curious enough 😅

[southeastasianists]

Mental health advocates and professionals agree that one of the biggest obstacles to address mental illness and mental health problems in Malaysia is removing the stigma and dispelling public misconceptions. The situation seems to be worsening. The 2015 National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) showed that the prevalence of mental health problems in Malaysian adults has increased to 29.2%, a three-fold increase from 1996. While there have been many initiatives and programmes on mental health carried out in Malaysia, and even an attempt at drafting a national strategic action plan on mental health in 2019, de-stigmatising mental illness remains a challenge.

Past research has indicated that stigma is caused by a variety of factors that include lack of awareness and lack of viable information. Notable mental health experts such as Associate Professor Dr Sivakumar Thurairajasingam from Monash University, have lauded the significant improvements in mental health awareness in Malaysia. However, the stigma remains pervasive, making it likely that Malaysians will continue to keep their mental illnesses hidden.

At the macro-level, mental illness negatively impacts the economy. According to RELATE Malaysia, the estimated business cost of mental health disorders among employees in 2018 stood at RM14.5 billion. This is roughly equivalent to 1% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) for that year. As Malaysia seeks to transition to a developed economy, mental health illness is a sizeable economic lost that Malaysia can avoid. With pervasive stigma, Malaysia may incur larger economic costs.

Mental illness is often associated with suicide. In Malaysia, attempted suicide remains a controversial issue due to Section 309 of the Malaysian Penal Code, under which someone who attempts suicide can be punished by up to one year in jail, or a fine, or both. The World Suicide Report released by World Health Organisation (WHO) showed that Malaysia is included in the minority group of 24 countries which still legislate against attempted suicide. Punishing at-risk individuals for attempting suicide further perpetuates the stigma of mental illness, making it more difficult to solve the problem.

Community-driven initiatives can be avenues for solving problems that affect the individual, even for de-stigmatising mental illness. The SJ Care Warriors initiative, kick-started by assemblywoman YB Michelle Ng, is a notable example. SJ Care Warriors is a mental health programme initiative which focuses on building the community’s resilience, through training for early intervention and suicide prevention. It is important to increase the number of community-driven action groups in both rural and urban areas making mental illness assistance more accessible and the outreach more prominent. But solutions must be in tune with the needs of the local population. Local municipalities and state governments can provide initial seed funding for community-driven programmes. Mental health professionals could lend their expertise, either on a permanent or rotational basis.

Data collection on mental illness remain non-centralised, making monitoring and evaluation challenging. Malaysia needs a national research institute dedicated to mental health and illnesses, acting as a centralised data hub to provide accurate and viable information. Such information could be disseminated to the public via simple infographics and easily understandable data, thus improving the Malaysian population’s ability to debunk myths and inaccurate assumptions about mental illnesses. Data and research findings from this institute could also be used by the government ministries to formulate policy solutions. A prime exemplar of this kind of agency would be the National Institute of Mental Health in the USA, which is the lead federal agency for research on mental disorders. A federal-level mental health research institute not only ensures consistent and sizeable funding, it also shows that combating mental illnesses is one of Malaysia’s top priorities in its development agenda.

Malaysia’s labour force has recently seen a spike in mental illness. According to Malaysia’s Healthiest Workplace survey by AIA Vitality 2018, mental illness has increasingly affected Malaysian employees over the years. This can lead to staff absenteeism and high turnover rate which in turn negatively impact the productivity of a company. This highlights the importance of having an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) that focuses on handling mental health and preventing the onset of mental illness in the workplace. Malaysian companies should, at least, provide some form of service to safeguard employees’ mental wellbeing as well as an avenue to which they can freely ask for meaningful support. Only a handful of Malaysian companies, such as the Malaysian Aviation Group (MAG), have incorporated provisions for mental health for their employees.

Technology yields enormous benefits toward de-stigmatising mental illness. A paper published in the Taiwanese Journal of Psychiatry found, that as of July 2018, Malaysia had only 410 registered psychiatrists. This amounts to a national average of 1.27 psychiatrists per 100,000 people, far below the recommended ratio of one psychiatrist per 10,000 population. Since Malaysia is sorely lacking in trained mental health professionals, technology may fill in the gap. With widespread access to smartphones, chatbots could be an alternative to in-person mental healthcare as well as normalizing mental health well-being. The famous mental health chatbot, Woebot, uses cognitive behavioural therapy along with recommending exercises to combat negative thinking and ways to manage mood disorders such as depression and anxiety. Perhaps in the near future, there could be a Malaysian-version of Woebot.

Most importantly, public schools represent ideal sites for addressing stigma around mental illness. The latest figures from the National Health and Morbidity Survey 2019 showed that about 424,000 children in Malaysia were experiencing mental health problems, which accounts for about 8% of those aged five to 15. Every school should inculcate mental health literacy programmes to improve the negative perception toward mental illnesses and to act as effective platforms for the dissemination of useful information. Students who have the right information can exercise more control over their mental health and assist other students. One such programme could be mental health first-aid to teach students to correctly identify and respond to mental illnesses. Unfortunately, in Malaysia, mental health literacy programmes are often organised only at universities and private education institutions.

Therefore, the Ministry of Health needs to make the strategic leap from awareness of mental illnesses to de-stigmatising it altogether. The most important outcome is to bring about positive change to Malaysian lives, and this starts with dispelling the public misconceptions about mental illness.

[chocoluckchipz]

The Other You - 10

Read it on A03, FF.net, WattPad

< Previous

Being a physics teacher, Adrien was used to solving problems. Yet, finding a competent assistant for Marinette fast enough was proving to be more difficult than he’d ever thought possible.

Sure, there were hundreds of applications and resumes stored in Gabriel’s database but none of the qualified people contacted in the last two days had agreed to come for an interview. Most had already had a job. Others, though jobless, were not willing to give a seemingly doomed company a chance.

Adrien shouldn’t despair though… or at least, that what his HR manager had said as he left for the day. Surely, tomorrow they would find a person crazy enough to jump on board. They might need a little training and time to work on their skills but at least they would be there. Right?

Adrien sighed, leaning into his chair. No. Marinette needed a professional, not a student to teach right now. At any other time, that might have worked but not this close to the show that bore her professional future on its metaphorical shoulders.

Adrien glanced at the clock. Half an hour until nine. A smile found its way on his face, his mouth salivating from just the memory. Yesterday’s meal was the best he’d had in a long time. Marinette was an amazing cook. Adrien knew his cuisine. He could recognize quality when he tasted it.

“Time to go.” Adrien stretched, standing up. “Ready, guys?”

“What’s the rush?” Plagg yawned, lazily flying out of his basket. “You need five minutes to get there, tops.”

“We need to drop by a store and my apartment first.”

“What for?” the kwami grumbled. “Didn’t you run enough today?”

“I thought it’d be polite for us to bring a dessert,” Adrien replied. “And Duusu needs more grapes.”

“Yippie!” The peacock kwami flew out from one of the shelves, doing a flip in midair. “Can I get the sweet green kind with a little pinkish tint on them?”

“They are called Cotton Candy, Duusu,” Nooroo said, getting out of his pile of fabric. “And they're not in season now. You know that.”

“But what if they are?”

“They are not.”

“But what if they are?”

“Duusu—”

“If they’re in stock, I’ll make sure to buy you enough for a week,” Adrien interrupted, putting on his jacket. “Otherwise, I’ll stock on a variety for you to try. Sounds good?”

“Yes!” Duusu squealed. “Thank you! You’re the best Master ever!”

“Nooroo, you can take some of those cuts before we leave. I noticed you like them.”

Nooroo’s eyes lit up. “You’re so generous, Master! Thank you!” He dove into the pile to gather as many pieces of silk as he could.

Plagg huffed, rolling his eyes. “Nuisances. Did we really have to take them with us? They would’ve been perfectly fine staying home. Better yet dormant back in their miraculouses.”

“They’ve been isolated for long enough,” Adrien replied. “I think they deserve some freedom for once.”

“Not at the expense of my peace,” Plagg grumbled.

Adrien reached over and scratched his kwami under the chin, evoking an involuntary purr from him. “You’ll benefit from being around other kwamis, Plagg. Maybe then you’ll become less grumpy.”

“Being grumpy is not art just anyone can muster,” Plagg mumbled under his breath, flying into Adrien’s bag. Duusu and Nooroo, with his pile of silk cuts, joined him a moment later. Adrien turned the light off and walked out of the office. After a quick visit to a nearby grocery store, he transformed around the corner and headed home to drop off Nooroo and Duusu. Appeasing the kwamis with food and Netflix, Adrien changed into his loungewear so he’d be able to just plop into a bed right after Marinette’s, then headed off to collect his rent fee.

At exactly nine o’clock, Chat Noir knocked on her window.  

“Good evening, Chat,” she greeted with a smile.

Chat grinned and inhaled, stepping into the room. Delicious. His mouth watered. “What’s for dinner?”

“Quiche Lorraine.”

“Sounds yummy. Smells heavenly.”

She giggled. “It is yummy. Go wash your paws while I set the table.”

Chat obeyed, though it was awkward at best to wash his gloved hands, but he supposed it was justified, seeing as he touched all kinds of surfaces on his way here. As he settled down in front of a steaming slice of quiche, Chat could hardly contain his excitement. This genius rent fee was his best idea ever. Period. “Itadakimasu.”

Marinette snickered, putting a slice of quiche on her plate. “Careful, Chat. Your weeb’s showing.”

He grinned. “But it’s you. You know all my flaws already. I don’t have to pretend.”

She cocked her head to the side. “I thought you would have overgrown that stage by now.”

Chat gasped dramatically. “You can never outgrow the wonder that is anime! It’s not a phase. It’s a part of me! How could you imply so, Princess?”

Marinette laughed. “Alright, alright. Eat before you choke on your drool.”

“Don’t mind if I do.” Chat grinned before stuffing his mouth full of what he immediately judged to be the food of angels. “This is good. Very good. I could live off this my whole life.”

Marinette started on her own meal. “I learned my quiches from Papa. He’s the real deal when it comes to those. Mine aren’t up to his standard yet.”

“Says who? I remember your dad’s pies. They were delicious, but they weren’t better. In fact, in addition to being delicious, this quiche is also somehow different. There is something distinctly yours about it. So don’t you go selling yourself short.”

“You think so?”

He nodded. “You could make a fortune selling these. Marinette the Quiche Queen. I can see it now.”

Marinette laughed. “Dork. Don’t talk with your mouth full.”

“Then tell me how your day was while I indulge myself in this heavenly food.”

Marinette frowned, shifting her eyes to the side immediately.

“That bad?”

She nodded. “Since my assistant quit, I have to do twice the work now. And I was already struggling to keep up with my own portion. That’s why I’d stay overtime to finish whatever I couldn’t during the day, but now I can’t do even that so I’m falling behind already, and it’s only the first day.”

“Because of me and my rent fee?”

She shook her head. “Even if I didn’t have to cook for you, today my new boss enforced a curfew for us to leave the premises at the end of each working day. I have to be out of the building by eight or risk being sent on a mandatory day off the next day. And if that happens, I’ll fall even further behind which means Gabriel’s women’s line won’t make it to Paris' Fashion Week at the end of summer.”

“It’s good for your health and sanity, though, no? To get enough rest.”

“Not if I spend all of my ‘rest’ time worrying sick over not finishing my collection on time and losing my job, possibly my career, as a result,” Marinette grumbled. “Stupid curfew. Stupid Adrien. It’s like he doesn’t care in the slightest. Then, why should he care? Gabriel’s men’s line is on time and looks good. Adrien has nothing to worry about. It’s not like his whole future career hangs on that damned line.”

“I’m sure he realizes how important this is for you,” Chat said carefully. “Maybe he’s just trying to prevent you from killing yourself by introducing this curfew? Overworking and exhaustion can kill you, you know.”

“Then he could’ve just hired a new assistant for me instead,” Marinette murmured. “It would’ve been more effective.”

“And I’m sure he’s realizing that too and I won’t be surprised if he’s trying to find you one as fast as he can.”

Marinette fell silent as they continued to eat. When her plate was clean, she quietly added. “Sorry for being a downer. It’s just that… my whole career, my entire future is tied to that stupid line and this upcoming Paris Fashion Week. It will either make me or break me and after how much I’ve invested in this already… I’m not sure if I can handle the failure.”

Chat reached out, putting his hand over Marinette’s. “If I can help in any way, just tell me.”

She lifted her eyes full of tears to him, a sad smile on her lips. “You’re already helping, Chat. You gave me a roof over my head and a bed to sleep in. And honestly, this ridiculous rent fee of yours is kind of a godsend. I always enjoyed cooking. It helps me relax after a stressful day and knowing I have a friend to share my dinner with gives me the strength to hang on. So, thank you.”

“No need to thank me.” Chat shoved the last piece of his quiche in his mouth. “It’s not like I am not the one benefiting from this arrangement the most. Can I have one more slice, please?”

Marinette giggled, ruffling his hair. “Sure. And I’ll pack you some to take home.”

He closed his eyes in delight. “Thank you. Now I don’t have to admit I was already thinking of ways to beg you for thirds. This is undoubtedly the best meal I’ve had in the past few years.”

“Speaking of meals,” Marinette perked. “There is one good thing Adrien did with all the changes he’d implemented today.”

Chat quirked an eyebrow. “Oh? What is it?”  

“Well, I have no idea why since Gabriel is a huge company but his father never had a cafeteria on site. We had to either go out for lunch or bring our own, and with all the stress and rush, I did tend to forget my meals until I was starving. But then with all the work on my plate, I wouldn’t have time to go out, so I’d settle for a snack from a vending machine. But today, Adrien announced that starting tomorrow, we’ll have our own cafeteria with freshly cooked meals on-site. The best part—the company pays. All employees get food for free.”

“Wow,” Chat tried to look surprised. “Isn’t Gabriel in trouble? How can he afford that?”

“I have no idea,” Marinette replied. “But I’m not complaining. It’ll be nice to eat normal meals again.”

Chat Noir smirked. Money wasn’t an issue. Having a cafeteria on-site didn’t cost as much as everyone thought, and his father had left behind a far bigger fortune than anyone had realized. It was only fair that some of it would go into replenishing the health of employees who’d sacrificed their wellbeing catering to his father’s every whim.

But!

Marinette thought he had a good idea! Huh! What happened to that annoyed and grumpy Marinette that glared at him at this morning’s meeting when he gathered his lead employees and announced new implementations?

“Seems like this new boss of yours isn’t so awful after all. Those new rules don't sound too bad.”

“Free food—yes, not bad at all. Curfews—no. Burn them with fire.”

Chat cocked his head to the side. “I suspect there is a reason you’re huffy about the curfew. Don’t tell me you were planning to sneak back in to work after feeding me?”

Marinette stilled for a brief moment, then cleared her throat. “That’s ridiculous. Why would you think such a thing? Are you done with that?” She pointed to his plate, standing up.

“Marinette, no,” Chat sighed, now reassured he’d made the right decision with that curfew. It seemed ridiculous to enforce it in the first place since all but Marinette left work at a decent hour, but it was the only way Adrien could think of forcing Marinette to go home and rest. “Please, promise me you won’t do that. You have all day for work. At night, you need to rest. You already collapsed once. Let’s not repeat that.”

“Don’t worry, Chat. I wouldn’t sneak back in.” Marinette shrugged. “I can’t afford to get caught and be sent home for a day. Not this close to my goal, but—” she smirked, “—a curfew doesn’t mean I can’t take work home, right?”

“I guess it doesn’t.” Chat sighed, standing up. “I’d better get going then. We wouldn’t want you to spend all your evening entertaining me and then lose sleep working.”

“You know if not for work, I’d totally kick your ass in a video game now.”

“Well, then let’s hope your boss will find you an assistant soon, so you’ll have free time to do that.”

“Let’s do that.”

Marinette packed him half of the leftover quiche and half of the macarons he’d brought her, both of them agreeing that they were too full after the main meal to have dessert right away. Then, she promised him not to stay up too late, and with that Chat Noir departed. He did have a patrol to get to.

Chat stopped at a nearby roof, wondering if he should even bother with patrolling. Hawkmoth was gone. So was Mayura. Whatever small crime was going on, the police could handle it. Paris didn’t need Ladybug and Chat Noir anymore. They didn’t have to patrol. They could go back to a somewhat normal life. Take those masks off. Maybe, finally, start a relationship. They could be free.

He only wished he could tell that to Ladybug.

But…

That sort of revelation would entail a conversation Adrien wasn’t sure he was ready for yet. He would eventually… if only because Nooroo and Duusu needed to go back to the Guardian. But not now. Not yet. He needed time to wrap his mind around it all himself first before opening up to someone else. It pained him to keep a secret from his Lady. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to look her in the eye next time they met, but what could he do? How would he explain? Would she understand the shame and anger and confusion that was consuming him?

His baton beeped.

Ladybug: I hope you’re enjoying the weather, Chaton, and I’m sorry to ask, but would it be okay for me to miss a few more days? Work’s gotten harder for me to manage.

Chat Noir: Of course, my Lady. Take all the time you need.

Ladybug: I really am sorry. Message me if something happens.

Chat Noir: Not a problem. Good luck with your work! Hope it goes well.

Ladybug: Thanks. I’ll see you in a few days. <3

Chat Noir: <3

That settled it. Patrol abandoned, Chat Noir headed straight home. Once back at his apartment, he detransformed and plopped on his bed.

“Are you alright, Master?” Nooroo asked, floating closer.

“He’s fine,” Plagg grumbled from nearby. “It’s his normal state of brooding.”

“Are you sure?” Duusu frowned from his place in front of Adrien’s laptop. “My wielders—”

“Your miraculous was broken at the time, Duusu, wasn’t it?” Plagg rolled his eyes. “I know my kitten, and I’m telling you he’s fine.”

“I am fine,” Adrien decided to end the argument before it started. “Just tired. Lots of work. Lots of things I have to think about.”

Once again trying to concede his own father was Hawkmoth, Adrien’s mind raced to the events of the past. Little details. Tiny hints. Bigger slip-ups. How could he never have suspected anything? Even Ladybug figured him out that one time until…

“Say, Nooroo?” Adrien turned over and propped himself up to lean on his elbows. “If my father was Hawkmoth, how could he be akumatized? The Collector?”

“It can be done,” Nooroo nodded. “The butterfly wielder’s power is to give supernatural abilities to anyone, including themselves.”

“As long as there are strong negative emotions, right? That’s what we gathered over the years.”

Nooroo shook his head. “Not necessarily. Your father searched for people who were upset and angry because they were easier to manipulate. But when he akumatized himself or Mme Nathalie, for example, neither of them had strong negative emotions, just a goal in mind.”

“Wait!” Adrien sat up. “Nathalie? Are you saying Nathalie knew and was helping him?”

Nooroo lowered his eyes, glancing at Duusu, who promptly bowed his head.

Gears clicking in his head, Adrien stared in shock at the peacock kwami. His eyes bulged. “Mayura… Nathalie was Mayura, wasn’t she?”

Neither kwami spoke. Neither looked at Adrien.

Silence enveloped the room, no one daring to move or say anything until a quiet why slipped Adrien’s lips.

“We don’t have a choice but to follow the orders of our masters,” Nooroo mumbled.

Adrien shook his head. “I know that. I don’t blame you. I just… I don’t understand. Why would Father want to terrorize the city in his spare time? Why would Nathalie… She was… Why would she help him? Why would she know and do nothing about it? I just can’t…”

“For your mother,” Duusu spoke, flying closer. “Your mother was her best friend and your father had a special place in her heart. Everything she did was for them.”

“My mom?” Adrien frowned. “What does Mom have to do with all of this? She disappeared when I was fourteen…” His eyes widened as he sucked in the air. “A few months before Hawkmoth first attacked.” Looking straight at the butterfly and peacock kwami, he pressed his lips together. “What am I missing? Tell me everything.”

Nooroo glanced at Duusu before murmuring, “I don’t think that’s—”

Adrien stood up, a tight, uncomfortable feeling gripping at his chest. “This is my family we’re talking about, my father and his assistant who terrorized this city and tried to kill me for years, supposedly for my mother. Don’t you think I have the right to know?”

“Spill it, guys,” Plagg said, flying to sit on Adrien’s shoulder. “I’m rather interested myself.”

Duusu lowered his head even further as Nooroo sighed and gave in, disclosing to Adrien the story of a young Gabriel and Emilie, two adventurers in love who found Duusu and him buried under the snow on a random Tibetan mountain on one of their expeditions. They brought them back to Paris, Gabriel choosing Nooroo as Emilie favoured Duusu. Only the peacock miraculous was broken and an unfortunate accident soon after left Emilie in a magical coma.

“She didn’t disappear?” Adrien whispered, his head feeling dizzier and dizzier with every word that left Nooroo’s mouth.

The kwami shook his head. “Your father put her on life support and hid her in the basement under your house.”

Adrien’s eyes widened. “No. That can’t be.”

“He hoped that by obtaining Ladybug and Chat Noir’s miraculouses he’d be able to bring her back to life.”

“Why didn’t he take her to a hospital? They could’ve saved her.”

“A coma caused by magic cannot be resolved by human medicine,” Nooroo sighed.

“No.” Adrien backed away, shaking his head. “This can’t be right. You’re mistaken. My mom disappeared when I was fourteen. They pronounced her legally dead a few years ago. We even had a funeral! I attended that funeral! Don’t tell me she’s still in a coma in the basement of my father’s house!”

“She’s not,” Nooroo replied. “There was a really bad rainy season a few weeks before that funeral. The basement flooded. The system that kept her alive was damaged. The back-up sustained substantial water damage as well and couldn’t kick in when her life support failed. Every minute counted, and your father and Nathalie were both out of the house that day. When they got back, it was already too late.”

Nooroo paused for a moment, letting his words settle in before adding, “Your mother’s coffin at her funeral wasn’t closed because it was empty. It was because your father had no way of explaining how after years of claiming his wife was missing, he suddenly had her body, looking just as young as the day she’d disappeared. I’m sorry, Adrien.”

Stunned, Adrien continued to shake his head, his feet and hands going cold. A chill ran down his spine, skin tingling with discomfort as he struggled to breathe. “No. You’re lying.”

“Kwamis can’t lie,” Duusu whispered. “We can avoid saying things but we can’t lie.”

“No,” Adrien kept repeating. “This… this can’t be true.”

“That’s why Hawkmoth vanished around that same time,” Nooroo said. “Your father had no one to save anymore.”

“No!” Adrien swore under his breath, turning away. This was too much. His mom had still been alive all those years. In a coma but still alive. His father fought them all that time to save her? Was it even possible? Ladybug explained the whole “ultimate wish” to him once, and if Adrien remembered correctly it was more of an ‘equal exchange’ deal than a wish. Was his father aware? He must have been. He had that book on miraculouses. Was he then ready to sacrifice another life for Mom? Someone just as dear to him?

Nathalie?

Or him?

His head spun, stomach violently churning. He leaned against the wall. Neither of those choices made it right. Mom would’ve never wanted that. She’d hate him for doing so. Heck! She’d snatch those miraculouses off him and reverse the wish! Adrien could see it even now. Fierce, always ready to defend justice, and immeasurably kind. His mother was his role model. And as much as Adrien would love to see her again, he knew she’d never let someone else die for her sake. Father should’ve known it as well. How could he claim to have loved her if he was ready to violate something so fundamental to her beliefs? And at a price she’d never agreed to pay?

“Adrien?” Plagg appeared in front of his face, looking rather distressed himself.

Adrien raised his watering eyes to his kwami. “He was a monster,” he whispered. “He was insane. I need… I need to go. Plagg, claws out!

A bright flash of green and Chat Noir sprinted across Paris, not bothering to choose a direction. He just ran. Ran until he collapsed from exhaustion on a random roof, unable to contain his tears anymore.

Next >

[fuwafuwamedb]

Golden Foresight Pt 5 (Gilgamesh, Rin)

Thus Far: 1, 2, 3, 4

__

“GG…”

The feeling of his master in the basement, lingering with that speaker of his broadcasting about that Caster servant, was leaving an ache in his bones. He could feel his stomach churning slightly, something that was no doubt from his master’s own wellbeing.

A pair of hands moved before his face, clapping softly.

“GG!”

Gilgamesh jumped slightly, his eyes going to the girl nearby.

“GG, did you even hear my question?”

“I did not.” Gilgamesh raised a brow at her, setting aside tonight’s wine of choice. Something called a Bordeaux Merlot. Bitter thing it was, although the potency-

“I asked what you would do if someone you cared about was in danger. Would you disobey your master and go save them?”

Rin’s little blue eyes were glued to him, currently looking wide eyed and curious. If it wasn’t for the near pout, he supposed he probably would have been harassing her.

But she was not asking to annoy him and she was not in here to waste his time, if her talents this evening with tracer magic were anything to say. He found himself closing his eyes, fighting off a yawn for a moment before he shook his head.

“You want to know what I would do?”

Rin nodded.

“I would kill the one who is interfering with my own wishes and do what I please. I do not care about many things so a treasure that manages to capture my interest as well as my concern would be worthy of killing some useless mongrel with a contract to me.”

He gave a smile to the girl as he leaned back.

“Some things, little gem, are worth killing for. Someone whom I care for is one. Although I would be sure to have several plans in place. A man who cares without thinking is a dead man.”

Rin hummed, her hair falling into her face once more as she looked down.

“Is there something you are concerned for? Your sister is long gone, is she not?”

“She is… It’s not about her.”

Those brows were furrowing, her hands brushing both sides of her hair back only to have it fall in her way again.

Her scowl grew.

Such a tiny and ridiculous thing. Take away the pretty bows and all that was left was a being no better than-

Gilgamesh set his cup down, beckoning the girl closer.

“What is it?”

“You need your hair tied.”

Rin pressed her hands to her head. “No- I don’t want to have my twin tails. You don’t like them!”

“Ah, you foolish thing.” He had to ruffle at that hair, hearing such complaints. “Let me see this mane of yours. You cannot even act properly for a king with your hands pawing at this hair.”

“I need to go soon.”

“Oh?”

His fingers were working on threading the hair carefully down her back, twisting it up carefully once that was done and beginning to pin it into place. His attendant had once held similar problems. Their hair was quite similar, both overly indulgent and sporting silken strands that tried to prove stubborn.

“And where do you think you are going?”

“I am going to find and save my friend.”

“Does anyone else know of this plan?”

“No.”

“Do you have someone you are planning to take with you?”

“No.”

Truly?

His hands paused, having pinned the last bit of hair into place.

“So you are planning to wander about outside, searching this large and overly flashy excuse of a kingdom for your friend, despite the dangers of other servants and of foul beasts roaming here and there?”

“My friend is important to me,” Rin told him simply, that gaze looking back at him again. “I can’t stop thinking about what’ll happen if I can’t spend time with her again. She’s not a smart student, but she does her best and she makes me laugh. There are other children that are going missing too.”

The missing children situation was that broad then?

The girl pulled back, pressing her hand to the golden pins and gems in her hair.

“I’m going to find her,” Rin declared.

“Only a fool would go alone.”

“Then I’m a fool, GG. Like you said, if I think someone is that precious, then I should just do what I want. I want to protect my friend.”

Why did he like that about this girl?

Those blue eyes were glaring straight at him, unwilling to look away until he found himself standing up. His fingers snapped, trading the snakeskin and his white shirt for something… sleeker.

“That was cool, GG.”

“A king is always cool, little gem.” His hand pat at her hair lightly. “Go change. I will join you for the excursion, since you have teased me with entertainment for the night.”

“REALLY?”

“A king does not lie.”

“Thank you!”

Her arms were wrapping around him, squeezing at his waist before she flashed the largest smile he’d ever seen at him.

“Thank you, GG! I’ll be right back! I have to go get cool clothes on too. Hold on hold on!”

Her rush was a mess of grabbing at the door and remembering that she needed to be silent in the house. Her stray wisps of brown hair were a flash before she was gone, off to dress.

Caster was meant to be dealt with, if what he had heard from the basement was any indication. His own master’s feelings on the matter were still coursing through him a bit, bringing a sickly feeling to his soul.

Tokiomi needed to be dealt with.

“GG?”

The girl’s head poked back in, her voice a soft whisper.

“Are you ready?” he asked.

“Mhmm… Do you think I should bring more than my necklace for protection?”

He rolled his eyes, shaking his head.

“Oh… Okay.”

So much for the wine.

He would return at a later time to drink the rest of it, perhaps with the head of Caster lying in the other chair for staring into the eyes of. Perhaps he would leave the head at the top of one of the buildings, or deep in a pile of dog shit.

There would have to be judgement of the other’s actions before he proceeded any further.

Before then, he had to find them.

His movements were soft, barely audible as he made his way through darkened rooms. Rin’s little hands wrapped around his, holding him close as they moved down the stairs and made it to the front door.

He could see her eyes stray to her father’s workshop door.

“Scared?” he whispered.

“Some things are worth killing for,” she whispered back.

Yet it was not that bravado that looked again towards the basement as he opened the front door. It was not that confidence that those words assumed that made her hesitate on the edge of the property.

She had mana though, an abundant amount, now that he was thinking about it. Removing Tokiomi and opting for a master of a more malleable nature…

“This way,” Rin told him. “I’m going to do that tracer spell from my friend’s home.”

Her little hand was shaking in his own as they walked. She moved through the streets, guiding him through one after another. Her eyes would drift to his own, her hand tightening on his whenever another shadow of a human being would appear and drift in the scenery around them.

There was tremendous fear.

It was almost tempting to use his clairvoyance a bit to dwell between the present and the future once more, but the risks of someone attacking them were great.

His eyes drifted over the world around them instead, taking in the darkened streets and the rainy weather in the distance.

“She lives here,” Rin murmured.

“Then begin your tracing.”

“…Can I do the stronger one?” Rin asked, her eyes drifting to him.

“Your body- Ah. Ah, I see.”

Clever kid.

He was here accompanying her. If she were to allow herself to trace with more of that mana of hers, her body could be carried by him, easily able to be used once more after she found the location or if someone tried to get to them.

“Is it okay, GG?”

“I suppose. A mentor must let their apprentice be a little reckless, so long as it is within reason.”

She moved closer to him, pulling her necklace off and focusing for a moment.

The ruby mouse dropped. Her body fell into his arms, barely caught before he held her close.

“Let’s see what use you have become, little gem.”

The tiny thing ferreted through the rainy streets once more, pausing at lights and passing through the outskirts of the city. Her little object delved between the grasses of the parks, dipping beneath the lights of the lampposts and leaving him to carry her body in his arms.

The mana was stronger now.

There was something wrong, something itching under his skin as he paused near one of the buildings.

The little mouse no longer rushed along, pausing as it reached a door.

The necklace was on the ground in mere seconds, Rin’s eyes opening once more.

“Here… She’s here.”

Rin looked up, staring at him.

“Why would she be here, GG?”

“Caster is here.”

“We have to save my frien-“

He pressed a hand to her lips, glancing into the building’s glass that they were beside.

Figures lay inside.

“Follow me quietly,” he whispered.

Rin nodded.

His hand tried the door, only to find it refusing to move. They would have to move to the back, figure out if the door there was locked and, if not, perhaps they would enter from the roof. It would take a little patience, but-

A small flash came, Rin’s hand pressing to his as it happened.

“It was in your book,” she whispered.

“Clever,” he murmured.

They moved in, closing the doors behind them.

Children lay strewn about. No families, no life; the room itself felt as though Ereshkigal had come calling. He could sense the impending deaths more than he could sense the liquor still coursing through his veins.

“AH! You’re here!” Rin rushed past him, grasping one of the children. “Are you okay? Can you hear me?”

The mana in the area was rising.

Gilgamesh glanced around, taking in the scene once more.

“GG!” Rin looked to him. “We have to move them!”

“And how do you expect me to do this?”

“We could… um…” The girl paused, her eyes widening.

There was someone behind him.

It would be unfortunate to do this, since it would tip of Tokiomi that he was in the midst of disobeying him. It would mean no more visits to the church in the depths of the night, but- quite frankly- he didn’t really care.

The other’s lunge at him was met with a blade striking down, slamming into the man’s knee.

“You think to approach me?”

Gilgamesh turned, motioning with a hand for Rin to do whatever it was that she had planned.

“C-C-CASTER!”

A vile smell rose around them, the darkness was growing. Behind the fool, the door flew from its hinges, the windows breaking, sending a series of scared children into screaming in terror.

The laughter was ill mannered, given the circumstances.

All for a woman.

Gilgamesh shook his head at his own foolishness, his gates opening again. The sides of his jacket flapped in the winds, his hair whipped around, falling where it may as he waited for the attack.

And there it was.

He slammed the swords down before Caster could pass him, throwing the other off kilter. They tumbled out the broken window, the Caster’s body slamming into the ground.

The beast spoke to him.

“GG!”

Gilgamesh glanced back, finding himself smacked.

“Go! Run straight home and don’t look back,” Rin told her friend, ripping the enchantment from her person and pushing her off.

“Rin!”

“I AM WITH MY DAD!”

The girl looked his way before running.

“NO!” Caster’s master lunged, but there was no time to look. There was no time to do anything more than to drop a weapon near the girl and stop the Caster from hitting him again.

“You don’t act like a servant,” Caster drawled. “Where is the glorious heroic nature? Where is the fire? You are nothing more than a free human to kill!”

The beast of a man’s hand dared to reach for his own.

“I shall kill you slowly, listening to the pretty screams you make!”

His hand grabbed that wagging jaw, gripping it tight before he flung the man into the bricks.

A scream ripped out into the night behind him as he did.

Another servant had appeared.

He turned, glancing back, sensing the figure before he saw the blue sweatshirt. The white haired man was moving between Rin and the Caster master, pulling the blade Rin had slammed into the man’s leg out.

Caster dematerialized from near him, their arms grabbing their master and vanishing.

The battle was taken from them, in essence.

“Rin,” the other murmured. “What are you doing here? Where is your father and mother?”

Rin looked up at the man, her scowl forming. “Unc-“

“Go home,” he warned. “Straight home, Rin. Do not tell your father that you were here. Do not tell anyone what happened. You take your bloodied clothes straight to the laundry, alright?”

He dematerialized himself before the other could look to him, following after Rin.

More death.

“GG?”

“Did you sense me?”

Rin looked to him, nodding softly as she looked at her hands again. “…GG… I don’t think I killed him. I’m sorry.”

“It was not your goal to kill him, little fool.”

His body was back, his footsteps keeping in time with the young girl’s own.

“We were here to save your little friend and the others. That is done, is it not?”

“It is. I put my necklace on my friend before she ran away.”

“What a waste of a necklace.”

The girl smiled. Despite her state of dress, she reached up, wrapping her hand around his own.

“Such a fool, to be pleased by so very little.”

“Thank you.” The girl looked up at him, same senseless smile as someone else he had known. Same trusting attending to his side. “You are the strongest hero.”

“You do know how to give proper adoration to your king, don’t you, little gem?”

A proud nod, a glowing expression; Rin strutted along, pride in her little lioness behavior higher than ever before. After all, she had hunted, fought and survived against someone older and more adept at killing. She had stabbed him, threatened his life and here she was, with a friend alive and him at her side.

“You’re bathing when we get inside your home,” Gilgamesh told her, dispelling his thoughts.

“Can I stay with you again?”

“Since tonight was your first hunt… I suppose.”

The girl jumped animatedly around him, cheering as quietly as any child really could.

“I will bring my book with me. I found one that is about ancient kings that would be fun to read with-“

Rin paused as he pushed open the doors.

Tokiomi stood in the foyer.

“…It would seem that you’ve found my daughter while you were out amusing yourself, Archer.”