#nanao wants to read but she gets your attention

[channwie]

𓍯 MIRAGES OF YOU ( A MINI SERIES ) ⋆ FEAT. BYAKUYA KUCHIKI & AIZEN SOSUKE ─ ⋆

001 — the beginning after the beginning.

“Aizen Sosuke has been sentenced to nearly twenty thousand years in Muken."

hello.

hello…?

“Lady Kuchiki!”

“Sorry, what?” Your head snaps sideways to where Hitsugaya, Captain of the Tenth Division is standing in front of your desk. “Apologies, I must be–”

They don’t know who you are.

“–tired, or something…” You trail off, how strange, that voice– it’s so close yet so far. Hitsugaya frowns a little, placing a sealed set of papers on your desk. “You should go home.” He says, straightforward. It’s not like your job is all that demanding either — you could miss a few days if needed.

“Nanao doesn’t need any more stress than is,” you skim through the papers Hitsugaya has brought – orders from the Onmitsukido, deliveries for Lieutenants Yachiru and Matsumoto, along with whatever nonsense Captain Kurotsuchi wrote to request clearance for. “Won’t take long for me to sign these anyway.”

“Don’t overdo it.” He scolds, and a chuckle escapes your lips instinctively, this kid…

Toshiro, you’re just like your grandmother.

“Relax—” you stretch your arms, then push your chair back, to pull out a stamp from one of your drawers. “Lady Kuchiki—” he interjects fiercely.

“Toshiro.”

He hangs his head for a moment, watching as you stamp the first paper, Lieutenant Matsumoto’s ridiculously long list of snack items, plus a few lip glosses. “You haven’t fully recovered from Karakura, don’t be an idiot.”

You sign your signature at the bottom a little harsher than you need to, “I feel fine, thank you.” Hitsugaya grunts, unimpressed.

You’re his friend. He hates how stubborn you are.

“Reiatsu depletion isn't just a cold—”

You ignore him, folding the paper neatly, sliding it in an envelope, stamping the Kuchiki seal on the front flap. “Want some natto?” You smile, sliding the envelope across the desk for him to take.

Hitsugaya huffs, taking the envelope in his hands, studying the seal for a moment.

“Let Matsumoto know she can come pick her package up in five working days.”

“Hm.” He opens his mouth to say something, but quickly closes it, a thought coming back to him. “You said you had… natto?” He grumbles beneath his breath, turning his head away.

You laugh, nodding firmly. “Do you want some, Captain Hitsugaya?” He sucks his teeth in response and you shake your head in amusement, reaching down to rummage through another of your drawers, miniature square package of natto soon in hand.

“Thankyou.” He breathes, embarrassed. You move on to the next paper, reading line after line.

“About the Tenth Division’s comfort packages—” he starts, but you're too focused on the paper right in front of you, your mouth hanging agape.

Hitsugaya calls your name, and you barely turn your attention back to him, complete bewilderment in your eyes at what you've just read. “What is it?”

“This is Captain Hirako’s phone bill!” You shove the paper in front of Hitsugaya who pales, that amount of human money…

Who the hell is he even calling so damn much?

“Urahara Kisuke.”

“You spent nine thousand yen this month calling Urahara Kisuke?”

“That's what I said..?”

“With my department's money?”

Hirako stills, tilting his head to the side to figure if this is some kind of trick question. Women always do that sort of thing. “Uh, yes…?”

A vinyl goes flying his way, smacking him on the cheek.

You lean against the bookshelf in Shinji’s captain quarters, arms crossed over your chest. “Don't run up the phone bill again—” you warn him, pointing an index finger at the blonde who’s rubbing his cheek — still reeling from the aftermath of your scolding.

“I won't.” He grumbles, lies. “Shinji—”

“I won't!”

You sigh, waving a hand in disbelief, getting ready to bid your farewell before the sun sets. You still have paperwork to drop off at the Twelfth Division’s barracks, then go back to the Kuchiki Manor and finish signing off the Stealth Corps’ orders.

God Killer.

You pause as you're about to slide the door open to leave, “Hey, mind giving me Urahara's number?” Shinji turns around, white haori lopsided on his shoulders, mid removal. “Why? So you can beat him up too?”

You glare.

“Tsk!” Shinji trudges over to where his record player sits, rummages through his desk for pen and paper, scribbles the number down and folds it to the size of a thumb. “Thank you.” You mumble, sliding the paper into the inside pocket of your shihakusho.

“Mhm, better gimme’ a discount for the ne—”

Shinji never finishes his words, as the moment you turn to walk off, you're half unconscious, heading straight for the floor.

Shatter, Kyoka Suigetsu.

You're falling. Eyes shut tight, bracing for impact.

You've been falling for a while now. It feels like it's been an eternity.

You wish you'd collide with something right now.

“Ah, you came back.” A voice in the back of your head. You feel a pair of arms wrap around your waist, familiar.

When you finally open your eyes, it’s autumn, leaves falling delayed, as if suspended by time.

This one is your memory.

The Shino Academy gardens, just beyond your private quarters back when you were in school. Soft autumn breeze, freshly bloomed akizakura, the tree you used to sit at and practice reiatsu control — it’s the place you’d imagine when anyone asks you to think of your happy place.

And he’s here. Again.

“Let me out.” You thrash in his grip, arms firm around your waist, grounding you. “Let me out!”

Aizen Sosuke isn’t a man of extreme violence, he finds the effort one would go to such lengths as unnecessary, foolish. “Behave.” He cautioned, more for you than himself.

You shove him, palms colliding with his chest, scrambling to your feet — why is he wearing that haori? It’s disgraceful. A man like him shouldn’t even touch the Gotei’s garbs.

“Oh you think so?” He smirks, unrelenting, you can feel the pads of his fingers digging through your shihakusho. Like he’s starving, desperate for something. He's in your head.

“Aizen…” you croak out, he’s holding you a little too tight. “How?”

Desperate for you.

Something changes in his gaze, and he loosens his grip on you, a swift pull of your sleeves sends you toward him. “You let me in.”

“You’re lying.”

“Have I ever lied to you?” He smiles, devilish. But he’s right. He’s never lied, maybe excluded the truth, but never lied, not to you. Aizen’s arms keep you planted firmly where you stand, he leans into you, a strand of his hair tickles your forehead, you wince.

“You’re in Muken.” You say, moving to shift away. “Kyoka Suigetsu is locked away—”

“Don’t be foolish.” He pulls you back once you move a centimeter backwards, gazing down at you. “We’re connected.” He whispers, goosebumps rise on your flesh and you squeeze your eyes shut.

You are nothing like him. You will never be.

“Is that what you told Kuchiki—” He tilts his head to the side, dragging an index finger across your cheek. “Shut up—”

“So he’d marry you?” He relents, dipping his head to your neck, apex of his nose against your jugular. You can feel him breathing, your heart pounding in your ears. “Save you from shame?”

“Aizen—” you’re barely breathing. His lips ghost over the curve of your collarbone.

“No, don’t beg, it’s unbecoming.” You feel him smirk. “And what would Kuchiki think if he saw you?”

“Don’t speak his name.”

He hums, watching from the corner of his eye as your eyes flutter open, your pointed gaze directed at his soul. “You don’t get to talk about him.”

“Would he do the same?” Aizen lifts his head. “Defend you like you do for him?” He darts a tongue out, licks his bottom lip — there’s traces of you there, but not enough. Never enough.

“You don’t know him.”

“But I do, don’t I?” He makes you want to scream. “Everything you hide away in this little world of yours — you know that — you think about it all the time, don't you?”

“Shut up!”

Aizen looks as if he’s about to say something, to taunt you some more. “Too bad.” Instead, he releases his hold on you, leans closer, your noses touching. “Now you’ve gone and woke him up.”

“What do you—”

Shatter, Kyoka Suigetsu.

Your eyes shoot open, it feels like the wind’s been knocked out of you. It’s nighttime already.

Kuchiki custom thread count sheets. You’re at the manor, in the east wing. But this isn’t your bed—

Why are you in the infirmary?

“You’re awake.”

Byakuya stands in the doorway, dressed in his captain’s attire, kenseikan missing, hair falling loose over his shoulders.

He looks like he just woke up, maybe he fell asleep at his desk again.

“I don’t remember falling asleep.” You say, and he walks over to you, taking a seat at your bedside.

“You fainted earlier.” He clarifies, leaning his head in your direction, eyes scanning you up and down — assessing for any visible damage.

“How do you feel?”

You twist your arms, stretching. “I feel great—” You move to sit up, but Byakuya outstretches his hand, stopping you. “Byakuya, wh–”

“You’re not great.” He scolds. “You fainted in Hirako’s quarters.” You shrink in on yourself just a little bit. “If he hadn’t been adept enough to break your fall—” He sees the way you look almost crestfallen, caving in on yourself, and he stops.

There’s a wisp of silence.

“You went back to work.” He begins, softer this time. “Why?”

“My department needed me.” You answer curtly, head flat against the pillow. It’s stiff, you miss the pillow Byakuya neglects sleeping on.

“You didn’t say I couldn’t.”

“No.” He leans back in his chair, a soft sigh escaping him. “Because I assumed you’d make the logical decision to remain.”

He’s being naive, he thinks. There’s nothing anyone could make you do, nor a decision they could influence without your will.

You concede, turning your head, cheek pressed against the pillow as you look at him. “It isn’t much, but I enjoy doing it — it’s important to me.”

“I never said your work was unimportant.” Byakuya’s slate gray eyes meet yours, and you feel guilty. You shouldn’t have left the manor in the first place.

“The Divisions can live without their material things and the HR will function without supervision—” he says, and you want to crawl into a hole and die. “But I cannot live without my wife.”

Your eyes go wide for a moment, and his gaze hasn’t faltered. “Byakuya—”

“Heal.” He commands, and you soften. “Heal and you may return to your work as you wish.”

Would he do the same?

You push the voice away, and smile.

Byakuya Kuchiki is more than your husband, he’s your friend. He’s depending on you. You won’t fail him as you’ve done others before.

“I’ll do my best.”

[hakkyoken]

starter - @absurdjustice​

Definitely he’s not one of those lost people from Seireitei as Nanao would wonder about him. Reading books inside Spirale’s library is something a little habit for her asides from wandering around the fields. He might be looking at her, so she looks back at him as she asked about what does he want while standing still.

“What can i do for you? I was about to visit the library to read books just in case if you ask.” She may never read minds but she can guess what others’ intentions are and this is a succession. Nanao cared less now since he is human and she isn’t but a shinigami.

“You wish to read with me inside?” Maybe he likes to read books or something but she will never know.

[bleachhaven]

Soutaicho’s Secret Admirer (Shunsui x Reader) — Part 5/6

Author’s Note:

It should be noted that this story is almost coming to a close...I’m sad to stop writing about Shunsui but it’s time to wrap this one up. So there’s maybe 1 or 2 more parts left.

Warning: A bit of smut ahead. One can only be seduced endlessly for so long without something happening about it.

–

Read Part 1, Part 2 , Part 3  and Part 4 first!

Uncharacteristically, Shunsui was late to arrive at the office. It was almost ten in the morning when he finally strolled in. Nanao would have admonished him without a thought but the dark circles beneath his eyes revealed he had already had a terrible night. She didn’t want to make it a terrible morning as well.

Shunsui didn’t have the excuse of drunken debauchery at some late night party for his tardiness. The last party he’d been to had been Lisa-chan’s Valentine’s Day celebration and that was over two weeks ago.

It was more or less about how his loneliness and melancholy had kept him up late into the night. Something he definitely didn’t want to burden sweet Nanao-chan about.

He had found himself strolling randomly in seireitei at around three in the goddamn morning because simply staying in his bed staring at his ceiling felt impossible. He didn’t have these kind of difficult nights too often but when he did have them, they were quite terrible.

Sure, he missed Juu. But his loneliness was a bit more than that this time.

It has been over two weeks since he had received anything from his beloved Secret Admirer. Fourteen whole days of complete silence from her was quite unusual, and he felt it acutely. Where was she?

The darkest of thoughts had plagued him at night. What if she was sent on a dangerous mission? What if she had been injured? He hated to think it...but what if she was never coming back? Hadn’t he honestly lost enough? 

The thoughts spiraled as the evening progressed into the wee hours of the morning, growing darker and more melancholy.

He knew he was not the greatest catch in the Soul Society. That title fell to Byakuya, uncontested. Shunsui was older than everyone in seireitei - a thousand years too old, he’d say. He was nobility too but he wasn’t one to truly fit into that mould, which deterred most noblewomen from considering him. 

He wasn’t what one would call conventionally handsome either. He knew he wasn’t ugly...but he wasn’t exactly...whole. Not anymore. Maybe once he would have held some appeal and he had many lovers who thought him handsome enough to have a tumble with him... but the eyepatch never failed to remind him that he was never going to be good looking, by anyone’s standards, with a goddamn hole in his face.

Most days, none of this would honestly bother him. But last night it did.

His beloved Secret Admirer probably came to the conclusion that he wasn’t worth all the trouble after all. Surely, there had to be a reason why he had never been able to have a long term relationship. He blamed it on his job but...was that all it was? Maybe he was just not meant to have a happily ever after with someone.

As romantic as he was, he didn’t really believe in the concept of happily ever after. He knew relationships were work. It was a commitment between two people who cared about each other to work on staying together through whatever. With time, he had put any thoughts of a relationship on the back burner. With his duty to the Gotei 13, and his responsibilities as well as the added burden of maintaining his reputation as the Soutaicho...it was a practical choice. 

But his Secret Admirer had made him want. Had made him yearn for a happily ever after for himself in a way he never had before.

He wanted to be loved and cherished as much as he wanted to love and cherish that one special person in his life. But did he really deserve it?

He knew it was her silence that had his latent insecurities rising to the surface keeping him up at night.

So as sleep deprived as he was, he came to the office with a plan. He couldn’t bear her silence anymore so he was not going to. With everything that had come up in the office, he hadn’t been able to finish up the letter he had started to write to her. At that time, it had felt futile considering there was no way to send it to her. 

But he had a brilliant idea. He would have it published in the next installment of the Seireitei Communication including just enough information so that she would know it’s him while withholding enough details to still keep it anonymous. He could trust Hisagi-kun to be discreet.

He had a plan, and it could actually work!

If only he could actually find that bit of lavender paper he had left on his desk.

“Nanao-chan, did you remove anything from my desk by any chance?” he asked, opening up drawers and bending down to check under the desk.

Nanao looked up from the training schedule she was working on. “Nothing more than the usual paperwork. Why what have you lost now?” she asked with an overexaggerated sigh.

“My, my, Nanao-chan. You make it sound like I lose things on a daily basis.”

“The only thing lost on a daily basis around here is my sanity,” she said, rolling her eyes. Still she relented. A distressed Taicho always meant a distressed Nanao. “Fine. Describe it to me and I will tell you if I saw it anywhere.”

“It was nothing official. Just a bit of lavender paper I had been writing on…” he trailed off seeing the look on her face. “What? Did you see it?”

“You lost the letter you were writing to you Secret Admirer?” she asked.

“Nanao-chan! How did you…?”

“You forget, Taicho,” she said quite matter of factly. “There’s nothing that goes on here I don’t know about. But I haven’t seen it. Maybe it got mixed up in some paperwork and got sent to another division. I don’t think anyone would recognize your flowery handwriting which you reserve for your personal correspondence anyway. So nothing to worry about.”

Shunsui simply stared at her. He has known his little fuktaicho for too long to not notice that something was off. All this time, he thought she was just laughing at his expense because he was mooning over someone he didn’t even know. But now...that look...the way she said it without even having to think about it...it all felt fishy somehow. Nanao-chan was up to something.

“Why are you staring at me like that?” she huffed, correcting the papers on her desk that didn’t need correcting. A nervous habit that always gave her away. “If you don’t have any serious work, I have a pile of forms…”

“You know perfectly well who it is, don’t you, Nanao-chan?” he interrupted her attempts to distract him.

“I don’t know what you’re…”

“Please, Nanao-chan. It’s perfectly obvious you know exactly what I am talking about. Just...tell me…” he said.

He was so serious and intent. Nanao had only ever seen him like that in the heat of the worst kind of battle. She dropped her pretenses as well.

“She and I have both left enough breadcrumbs for you as it is. So if you’re so desperate to know who she is, why don’t you do the work to actually find out?” she asked him. “Clearly the girl cares about you but is terrified to approach you. Who wouldn’t be considering who you are and the position you hold. She is a nice girl, Taicho. But as things stand, she wouldn’t be the one to approach you so maybe you should find out for yourself who she is and do the approaching.”

So Nanao did indeed know who his Secret Admirer was. He understood her reasons why she couldn’t tell him. It wasn’t really her secret to divulge. Shunsui had to respect that despite his desperation.

“Is my sweet Nanao-chan giving her taicho dating advice?” he teased instead.

“Yes, I am,” she declared with a raised brow. “For even I can see how far you’ve fallen that you need advice from me to get yourself a date!”

Shunsui gasped, buying into the friendly teasing. “Nanao-chan is so mean to her taicho!”

Finally, they both got back to work, but Shunsui’s mind was still thinking about what Nanao had said. Apparently breadcrumbs were laid out and he hadn’t even noticed! He clearly had to pay more attention.

He tried to outline the facts in his mind. 

The letters were always lemon scented. It could be a shampoo or some kind of scented cream...but it smelled fresh, almost as if unintentional. Something to further ponder upon. 

The gifts were always elaborate but simple and he hadn’t been able to trace it through any vendor. The chocolates were handmade so his little Secret Admirer was probably very good with cooking and baking. 

The handwriting was very distinctive as well. Especially the way she looped all her Ls and Bs with a distinctive flowy curve. 

So far, the facts didn’t fit well into place to identify her as anyone he knew...but somehow, it felt like it was just barely within reach now. As if it’s only missing one final puzzle piece for the whole thing to come together.

__

That night, sleep evaded him once more. He couldn’t deny it. He missed her! He couldn’t help but wishing that she was right next to him, romancing him with more than just her words. He wished he could cherish her in all the ways he desperately yearned to.

 He took the letters he kept at hand in the drawer of his bedside table. He found that he liked to read them sometimes, and no matter how many times he read her words, they still managed to make him feel things. The shape of her words, the texture of the paper...it comforted him.

However, the sensual seductive ones were his downfall.

With all the time he has been alive, and all the experience he’s had, one would think he would be able to resist the temptation. But he often couldn’t.

Reading those letters, describing how she wanted to make love under the moonlight or how she yearned to taste him...it had him imagining soft feminine hands touching him. His hand would unconsciously reach into his hakama of its own volition and grasp his manhood, wondering what it would feel like to be touched by someone who ardently wanted to please him.

It wouldn’t take him too long at all. He would cum, gasping into the empty bedroom, wishing he had a name he could moan. Wishing she was here for him to hold.

Sated, he’d finally fall asleep. Yet though his body was satisfied, his mind wasn’t. He couldn’t help but feel alone on this big empty bed.

__

That coveted final piece of the puzzle arrived as, of all things, more paperwork. He was mindlessly flipping through some reports after lunch the next day when it popped out at him like well-lit beacon.

It wasn’t anything special. Just a request for more funds to be allocated for a better training ground for the 13th division. Except it was filled out by his beloved Secret Admirer. The handwriting screamed her identity at him, looping Ls and Bs and all.

“_____-san,” he whispered to himself, wondering how he could have missed it.

Suddenly, everything was perfectly crystal clear. 

Everyone knew that while Kuchiki Rukia settled in enough to pick her own fuktaicho, the 3rd seat of the 13th was acting in that role in an unofficial capacity, putting her in-charge of all the paperwork coming and going from that division. A reason why she was always showing up at the 1st...giving her ample opportunities to learn his habits well enough to leave behind those delightful missives without ever getting caught.

The lemon scent was from all the lemonade he knew she made for her division and for some special occasions in the seireitei. It was her specialty, a way of creating comfort and homeliness for her subordinates. He had tasted her chocolates twice - once at the Valentine’s Day party itself and then when she gifted them to him specifically. Both facts which had been pointed out by Nanao-chan while _____-san stood right next to him. No wonder she had flushed red then. It hadn’t been out of embarrassment but possibly from thinking she might get caught. The little minx.

He couldn’t help but remember every encounter he had with her in the recent past. Her cute blushes...the way she gasped out “Soutaicho!” Come to think of it, every time he saw her, he felt like she almost called him Shunsui out of habit only to change it to his official title at the last minute. He even recalled the twinkle in her eyes every time she looked up at him.

He couldn’t believe it. He finally knew who his Secret Admirer was and she’d been right before his eyes, had he only known where to look. He couldn’t help smiling, thinking about all the ways he would get back at her for running him around in circles. He would torture her so, so deliciously…

“You have that dopey smile on your face. Should I be worried?” Nanao asked, breaking him out of his thoughts.

“Hmm…? Of course not, Nanao-chan,” he said, not really reassuring her at all. “I am heading out. Be back soon!” 

“Taicho!” she called out but he was already gone.

__

...to be continued.

__

Tags: @seawater-aurelia-writing  @xerneussenpai​ @yakuzussian-3rd @94z-93 @anywaffle @flower98child @sadhoewinter @mindyourbaynay

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[awxward]

Potential

gen // 3.7k words

I had the idea of Juza hugging Kumon and his mom, crying bc he was finally able to audition/get accepted into theatre, and then I wrote this.

read on a03

gift for @xxxbookaholic

Juza had told his mother and brother about his dreams of being an actor a lot. They supported him through it all. He went to auditions for the school plays and was turned down immediately. In his first year of middle school, he stopped going to auditions. What was the point if he was only going to be turned away in the end? Juza had long since given up hope on his dream, yet now, just a few years after he had given up he got to see his cousin on stage. Muku who had always been anxious and shy was standing boldly on stage and being a new person. Juza wished he could do that. To stand on stage and be someone that people would be afraid of or start fights with. He wanted a place to escape. After the play had ended, Juza got up to leave, he didn’t want to embarrass Muku by showing his face backstage, besides Mom was back home with Kumon who was sick with a fever and could probably use some help around the house. A small flyer caught his attention. He wasn’t sure why he grabbed it, he just knew he had to keep it away from his family. He had long since given up on his dream to stand on stage, he hadn’t auditioned in years, he hadn’t been to a theatre in years before tonight, and still, he found himself folding the paper into a small square and shoving it in his pocket.

Mankai Company is looking for actors for the new Autumn Troupe. Auditions are going to be held tomorrow, August 28, at 9 am in the Mankai Theatre.

When Juza got home he kept the paper in his pocket so it wouldn’t be found and put his jacket on his bed. All auditions ended the same for him. He knew he’d be turned away at the door. If he didn’t tell mom or Kumon, well it’d just keep them from feeling sad for him. He went to check on Kumon who was sleeping, and made his way back to his room to get ready for bed. He fell asleep to thoughts of standing on stage.

The next morning, Juza got ready quicker than normal. He didn’t want to be late to the auditions. Better to be early so nobody else could see him get turned away as soon as he walked in. He checked his jacket pocket and sighed in relief, the paper was still there so nobody knew. He checked on Kumon, who was still sleeping and feverish, before hugging his mother and telling her he’d be back a little bit later.

Juza would have been on time had it not been for the punk Banri following him and trying to pick fights with him every other minute. Now, because he had to spend so long trying to ditch Banri, he was late and would have to deal with the embarrassment of everybody seeing him turned away at the door.

He looked at the theatre sign. Maybe he could just walk away now and forget about all of this.

“Excuse me, are you here for the Autumn Troupe auditions?”

Juza turned around, very surprised at the sudden voice next to him. It was a shorter man with glasses and a really bad sense of style.

“Don’t be shy, come on in!”

“Who are you?”

“I’m Isuke Matsukawa, the manager at Mankai. The director is inside with the Summer Troupe and a couple others who just walked in. Would you like me to show you to the stage where the auditions are going to be?”

Juza was confused. This short man, Matsukawa, was offering to show him to the stage for auditions? Was he really not going to be turned away? Would he actually have a chance? For the first time since he saw the paper, he wished he had mentioned it to his mom and brother. They’d be so happy he’d get to actually audition.

“Thank you. That would be nice, sir.”

“You can drop the sir part, it makes me feel old. Anyway, follow me!”

Matsukawa led Juza into the theatre where he had been the night before, watching Muku shine on stage. Today he saw the summer troupe in casual clothes and two boys who were chatting with everybody there. In the middle of the group was the odd one, the only girl. She had long brown hair that went down to her waist and Juza thought her eyes looked like they were the same color as caramel.

“That’s Izumi Tachibana, the director. She’s doing the auditions today!”

Juza suddenly felt his heart drop. Girls tended to avoid him or run away from him and if she was doing the auditions, she probably wouldn’t take him seriously, if she even let him up on stage at all.

“Director” Matsukawa called out and Izumi looked up and smiled. “I found someone interested in auditioning!”

He led Juza down to the group, and suddenly he was standing next to Muku.

“Ju-”

Juza slightly shook his head. He didn’t want them to think any less of Muku because they were related. It’d be best if Muku didn’t talk to him casually.

“What’s your name?” Izumi asked as Matsukawa made his way outside.

“Juza Hyodo.”

“Hi, Juza, I’m Izumi Tachibana, the director of Mankai Company. The summer troupe is here helping with auditions!”

“I’m Muku Sakisaka.”

“Kazunari Miyoshi, my dude! Nice to meet you!”

“I’m Yuki Rurikawa. Yes, I wear dresses and yes, I am a boy. Hack, just because you’re a celebrity doesn’t mean you happen to be exempt from introductions!”

“I know that! And I’m not a hack! Tenma Sumeragi, Summer Troupe leader.”

“Hiiiiiiiiiiiii! I’m Misumi! Do you like tri-tri-triangles?”

This was a weird bunch of people. “Nice to meet you all and triangles are cool I guess?”

The purple haired one, Misumi smiled at him and shoved something in his hands. “Here’s a Mr. Triangle for you! He’ll give you good luck!”

“Misumi.” Izumi called out. “We’ve talked about this. You have to ask if it’s okay to give them a Mr. Triangle.”

“Because people may not like it being shoved at them and I need to wait for an answer?”

“Exactly! I’m glad you remember it, but you should apologize and ask if he wants to still hold it, okay?”

“Okaaaaaay.” Misumi turned away from Izumi back to him. “Sorry for shoving a Mr. Triangle at you. I should have asked if you wanted to hold him before giving him to you, because it’s rude to randomly shove things at people and I should have waited so you could answer. Do you still want to hold Mr. Triangle?”

Juza smiled at him. “If it’s okay with you, I’ll hold him. Thank you.”

Misumi smiled. “Yay! Juza likes the Mr. Triangle!”

“Alright boys, if you’re auditioning I want you to line up in front of the stage! Summer Troupe, you can sit down along the first row if you want.”

Juza made his way to the stage next to two others. A man with brown hair and a scar on his chin and a boy with red hair. They both smiled at him and he smiled back.

“I found another one interested!” Matsukawa burst in and Juza felt his heart drop as he stared at the face who was beside him, Banri Settsu.

“I didn’t say I was interested, asshat! I was looking for someone to fight!”

“What are you doing here?”

Banri noticed Juza standing there. “That’s my line, asshole.” He took a step forward and Juza followed suit. Red hair looked like he was trying to solve a puzzle. Brown hair had a look on his face that Juza couldn’t read.

“Well, this isn’t very peaceful.” Brown hair spoke up.

Suddenly Red hair’s face lit up. “I know you, Juza! You go to my school!”

Banri shot off another insult and Juza fired one back. They kept this going until a voice cut through.

“Will the both of you stop with the shouting! If you don’t wanna be here then leave. The only fights that should happen in theatre are stage fights!”

Juza and Banri both froze to see a blonde man standing in the doorway with a very serious look on his face. Juza stepped back beside red hair. Banri stood on his other side. Izumi’s face lit up. Juza noticed Muku looked scared. If he learned that the blonde man had somehow hurt Muku, he would fight him right here.

“Thank you for coming! I didn’t think you’d make it!”

“Wait, Sakyo was the other person you scouted for Autumn?”

Juza filed this information away. If Muku knew the man’s name was Sakyo and looked scared of him, something might have happened and Juza was ready to throw punches if he learned of any incidents.

“It’s the Yakuza.” Green hair said, Juza thought they said their name was Yuki, but he couldn’t remember.

And then his full line hit Juza as red hair spoke up. “Y-yakuza?”

“Now, now, looks can be deceiving.” Izumi spoke up. “Sakyo has watched over the theatre for years. He knows and loves this company more than anybody else here. I think he’s a necessary asset to us.”

“So he’s not just a scary debt collector?” Tenma asked.

“Can we stop with the idle talking and get on to acting? I have other things to do today.” Sakyo spoke up.

Izumi nodded and gestured for him to join the line and then passed lines to everybody. “When you boys go up on stage I want you to introduce yourself and tell us your experience with acting, then recite the lines I gave you.”

Brown hair went up first. “My name is Omi Fushimi, I’m a uni student at Yosei University, and I’m in the photography club. I’ve never acted before.”

Juza thought Omi did well. His voice was loud and clear, even if he didn’t know how to move. He finished and Izumi gestured for him to join Summer Troupe in the front row.

Red hair walked up. “My name is Taichi Nanao, and I’m a second year at O High! I’m a total newbie to this as well!”

For being a total newbie, Taichi did amazing. His voice was loud and clear, and his actions were a bit clumsy, but you could tell what he wanted to show.

Izumi pointed at Banri and he went up. “Banri Settsu, Hana High third year. Never been on a stage before.”

Juza hated to admit it, but Banri was good. He had good timing for pausing and expressed his emotions clearly, his voice was loud and clear. He was even better than Taichi had been.

“Are you sure you’ve never been on stage before?”

“Yeah, but it ain’t no problem for me.”

“Alright. Can you come join the others on the front row? Juza, you’re next.”

Juza was terrified. “I’m Juza Hyodo, a third year at O High. I’ve never acted before.”

He went through his lines and when he was done he looked into the audience seats. Summer Troupe looked intrigued, Omi had a sad smile on his face, and Taichi gave him a thumbs up. Banri started laughing.

“You are the worst, Hyodo, I swear-”

“Banri, if you are going to bully Juza or anybody else you will not be allowed to join this company do you understand.” Izumi had a steely look on her face and Juza imagined that if she got really angry she’d be scarier than the Sakyo guy.

“I want to join the theatre, please.” Juza ignored Banri and bowed as low as he possibly could.

“Stand up, Juza. You can join.” Izumi smiled softly at him.

“Really?”

“Of course. Go sit in the front row.’

“How do you plan to improve Hyodo’s acting?”

“Izumi makes training regimens for each actor so they can work on the things they struggle with! They’re really fun and the others are always happy to join you if you want them too! They helped me be less anxious!” Muku spoke up. Summer troupe nodded.

“Yeah, Sakuya, the Spring Troupe leader, said that she’ll adjust the regimens as needed!” Tenma added on. “She does her research and thinks about what would be best for each actor to develop and grow, both on and off stage!”

“So he’s really going to join?” Banri seemed like he was trying to convince himself it was a joke.

“It’s better to have someone with little talent and lots of passion than someone with some talent and no passion. If you don’t like it, you can leave, the door is back there, boy.”

“What’d you just say to me, you old man?”

“Alright, both of you, stop it. Juza is joining and that’s final. Juza, you can come find a seat down here.”

Juza sat beside Misumi and pulled the Mr. Triangle out of his pocket. “Do you want your triangle back?”

Misumi smiled at him. “You can keep him! He’s going to bring you good luck!”

Juza smiled at him. “Thank you, Misumi.”

Sakyo walked on stage. “I’m Sakyo Furuichi. I work with the Ginsenkai Family. I acted as a kid, but I haven’t been on stage since.”

Though he said he hadn’t been on stage since he was young, Juza could tell he remembered the basics. His voice was clear and smooth, and his actions were clumsy like Taichi’s but he was able to cover up some of the clumsiness by changing his actions.

“Welcome, boys, to the Mankai Company Autumn Troupe! Now, for some smaller details now that you’ve joined. Mankai company has dorms that are available if you want to stay there. If you are a minor, I will need to call and talk to your parents to get their permission. If you don’t want to stay in the dorms, or you are unable to, you can still travel between the theatre and your house.”

The other four boys volunteered to stay in the dorms and after some phone calls Banri and Taichi were allowed to join Omi and Sakyo in the dorms.

Izumi turned to Juza. “Would you like to stay in the dorms? Moving day is next Saturday.”

“Can I talk to my family first and talk to you about it later?”

Izumi smiled. “Of course. Sakuya from Spring Troupe is usually here practicing, but the others come in often as well, so stop by here and someone can lead you to the dorms to talk to me, okay.”

Juza nodded. The boys all went their separate ways.

Juza felt like he was in a dream his entire walk home. For the first time in his life, he was able to audition and he got accepted in, even though he was so bad compared to everyone else. He opened the door. “I’m home.”

“Welcome back, Juza!” His mom poked her head around the corner. “Juza, baby, what’s wrong?”

“Huh?”

“His mom wiped her thumb across his face. “You’re crying. Did something happen? Are you hurt?”

“I- actually, is Kumon awake?”

“Yeah, his fever went down a bit. He’s been waiting for you. Let me check you for injuries.”

“Mom, I’m not injured, I swear, but I need to talk to you and Kumon together, so I’ll bring him to the couch, okay.”

“If you insist you aren’t hurt, I’ll believe you, but if you are lying to me, you’ll be in trouble.”

“Understood.” Juza smiled and made his way to Kumon’s room. He knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

“Hey, Kumon. Are you feeling better?”

Kumon beamed at him. “Yep! My fever went down a bit! Are you crying? Is everything okay? Did you get hurt? Does mom know?”

“Kumon, I’m not hurt.”

“Pinky promise?” Kumon held up a hand, pinky extended.

Juza linked their hands, “Pinky promise.” Kumon smiled. “Good.”

“I do need to talk to you and mom together. Are you feeling well enough to go to the couch?”

Kumon nodded. “Yeah, I can do that.”

Juza stayed by his side as they made their way down the hall to the living room. Kumon sat on the couch and tried to catch his breath. Their mom walked in and handed Kumon a glass of water before sitting down next to him. Juza sat across from them on the other couch.

“I didn’t tell you where I was going today.”

“Yes, you did leave that detail out when you left.”

“I found a flyer last night. For auditions for a theatre troupe.”

Kumon looked up with wide eyes and his mom smiled at him gently. “Is that why you were crying? Did you get turned away again?”

“No, they let me audition.”

His mom and Kumon froze for a moment before smiling like crazy.

“What happened, Juza?” Kumon was vibrating in his spot.

“I got accepted into the theatre company.” Juza was aware that tears were falling down his face again, but he couldn’t find it in himself to care as his brother and mother ran over to hug him.

“Which theatre company did you join?”

“Mankai Company.”

“I’ve heard of them somewhere.”

“Auntie and Uncle mentioned them. It’s Muku’s theatre troupe.”

“You’ll be acting with Muku!”

“No, Mankai is split into four sub-troupes based on the seasons. Muku is in the Summer Troupe. I am in the Autumn Troupe.”

“That’s amazing!”

“There’s more. They have dorms. The director wanted to know if I’d be interested in staying there. Moving day is next Saturday, and she’ll need your permission to allow me to stay there.”

His mom smiled at him. “Do you want to stay in the dorms?”

“I do. There are other actors there I can learn from and I want to stay close so I can get along with my troupe mates.”

“Then I give my permission.”

“I’ll visit often, I promise.”

“Juza, what’s in your pocket?”

Juza pulled out the Mr. Triangle. “When I first walked into the theatre one of the Summer Troupe boys, Misumi, shoved it in my hands. He said it was a Mr. Triangle for good luck. He also told me I could keep it.”

“That was very kind of him.”

“It must really have good luck in it! You get it and then you can audition for the first time and you get accepted into the same troupe as Muku!

Juza smiled. “I think you’re right, Kumon.”

“When can I talk to the director about you staying in the dorms?”

“She said that tomorrow there’ll be guys in the theatre who can take us to the dorms to talk to her.”

“I wanna go too.”

“If your fever is still there, you’ll be staying in bed. If it’s gone, you have baseball practice.”

“Oh, yeah.”

“Don’t worry Kumon. I’m sure you can stop by to visit the dorm sometime.”

“Okay.”

The next morning Juza wove through the streets with his mother until they were in front of the theatre. Juza opened the door.

“Citron, I don’t think that prop can be used as a sword1” A pink-haired boy was frantically trying to take a prop away from a man in a foreign looking outfit, who was laughing as he swung the prop around. The pink-haired boy looked up. “Oh, hello! I’m Sakuya, leader of the Spring Troupe! Can I help you?”

“I’m Juza Hyodo, this is my mom. I auditioned yesterday and needed to talk to my family about the dorms. I was told I could come here and someone would be able to bring me to the Director?”

“Nice to meet you, Juza! Nice to meet you, ma’am!” Sakuya smiled and jumped off the stage, the other one (Citron?) following close behind. “Just follow us!”

“Hi! I’m Citron!”

“Hello. Thank you.”

Sakuya and Citron led Juza and his mom down the road until they were in front of a large dorm building. Misumi was laying on the ground with a boy Juza didn’t recognize from auditions. Kazunari and Yuki saw Juza and made their way over.

“Hey! It’s Hyodle! What’s up, my dude? You here to talk to the director?” Kazunari was bouncing with energy.

“Hyodle?”

“Sorry, Friendly McExtrovert here gives everybody nicknames like that. I’m Yuki, in case you didn’t remember my name. There were a lot of names to remember yesterday.”

“We needed to talk to the director. Sakuya and Citron brought us here.” Juza looked around and realized the two had disappeared.

“They probably went back to the theatre. If they brought you here then they probably went back to clean up and lock up the theatre. They’ll be back soon.” Yuki turned and waved for them to follow.

Inside was chaotic. Several boys were running around. A couple of boys were arguing in the corner about something. Izumi stepped out from the hallway and all the boys froze.

“Please keep it down, I’m on the phone with Sakuya. He did well on his history test so he gets to choose what dinner is tonight.” She looked up and smiled at Juza and his mom. “I’ll be with you two in a moment, please, have a seat.”

Several boys finally noticed Juza and his mom standing awkwardly off to the side. Izumi stepped back into the room. “Would you two like to talk in the courtyard outside? Or maybe the kitchen?”

“The kitchen would be fine, dear.”

Juza and his mom followed Izumi back.

“Your name is Juza Hyodo, right?”

Juza nodded.

“Great! I wanted to make sure I remembered it properly.” She sent a smile to him and directed her attention to the side. “Are you his parent?”

“Yes, I’m his mother.”

“I’m assuming you’re here to talk with me about whatever decision you’ve made regarding the dorms.”

“You would be correct, dear. I wanted to let you know I’m giving permission for him to stay here.”

“That’s great! Saturday is move in day and we’ll decide roommates then too! Do either of you have questions about anything?”

“I have a few for you, dear.”

“Okay, ma’am. Juza, if you don’t have any questions you are more than welcome to go introduce yourself to the spring and summer troupes and explore the building.”

Juza nodded and got up.

This would be the start of a new Juza Hyodo.

[recurring-polynya]

Hi Polynya! Love your stuff. I saw you mention that there are some “Rukia gets jealous” fics. Do you have any that you would recommend? And if you would make something like that, what canon character(s) can you imagine Rukia getting jealous of (romantically)?

Thank you!

The best example of the genre that I can think of, in the sense that it really goes into the jealousy aspect, is A Taste of Affection and Jealousy by Magpie_Game. Nanao and Renji bond over their respective one-sided affections while dragging Shuuhei’s drunk ass home from the bar and start up a cute li’l relationship, which sends both Shunsui and Rukia into panic. I do not care for the ShunNao ship, but I sort of skimmed those parts and enjoyed the fic very much overall (ngl, I kept yelling at Nanao to go for Renji). Rukia does not come off super-great in this fic, but I am very forgiving. There’s also a part where Renji and Izuru go to the batting cages that I think about a lot.

Hey Jealousy by ehvul_butterfly is a slightly silly one about Rukia getting pissed when all the other female lieutenants are horny for Renji.

What I Came for and What I Didn’t by eosdawnaurora (one of my fav Renruki writers, btw) is a bit of the same idea, slightly more serious, only it’s ladies of Squad 6, who, I may point out, are canonically hot for their assistant captain.

Hanami by Bukittyan is a very cute fic overall, which has a bit of Rukia being (irrationally) jealous of Momo in the beginning.

As for me, I did, at one time, write a fic, A Supposedly Fun Thing We’ll Never Do Again, where Renji sets Rukia up on a date with Momo and, in revenge, she sets him up on a date with Nanao, and then they have “why did I do this?” regret, so it is like jealousy in it’s mildest possible form.

I’m not trying to be a pedant about the difference between the words “jealousy” and “envy,” but it’s relevant to what I want to say. “Jealousy” is being possessive over something or someone which you regard as yours, “envy” is longing for what another person has. Usually, “jealousy” is the only one that applies to romantic scenarios. In this sense of the word, though, “jealousy” is not a thing I am interested or capable of writing about. To me, it is an ugly emotion that reveals a very distinct character flaw (which isn’t to say I don’t enjoy reading stories about jealousy, it’s just not my wheelhouse as a writer)

In order to write a Renruki story where Rukia is jealous of Renji, it either has to be a) a misunderstanding that contains poor enough communication to persist throughout the story, or b) Renji actually has to pursue some other relationship. As far as a) goes, I like to have Rukia and Renji be pretty honest with one another and have a good understanding of one another, and want the best for each other, so it just doesn’t ring true to me. As for b), the way I like to characterize Renji is that he is hopelessly devoted to Rukia-- he is not going to move on unless she explicitly rejects him. This is certainly a good framework for a story-- she rejects him, he finds someone else, she gets jealous, but there’s a certain meanness in it that isn’t what I enjoy writing.

On the other hand, I have often interwoven into my stories the sense that Rukia envies some of her and Renji’s mutual acquaintances, primarily Momo, and to a lesser degree, Nanao. Even though, from an exterior lens, everyone regards Rukia as a million miles above Renji, she, herself, doesn’t think she’s good enough for him-- that she thinks he would be better off with someone smarter, more feminine, more traditional, more organized, more disciplined. She’s also somewhat envious of Renji himself-- at how well he’s done for himself, at how he present himself to the world in a way that’s true to himself, at how many friends he has. Rukia may think of herself as badass, but she rarely thinks of herself as attractive. If there is one way I have imprinted myself on my characterization of Rukia, it’s that she’s able to find self-worth in what she does, but not who she is, which is one of her main character arcs over the course of my long series The Heart is a Muscle. It’s interesting to me that (in my writing) she’s not really envious of Rangiku, who is objectively beautiful and cool, but also a hot mess, which is not what she sees Renji going for in the long term. Rukia also has a brief bit of enviousness when she finds out that Renji used to date Shuuhei, but once she gets to meet Shuuhei and very quickly realizes that he is also a rampant disaster, it fades.

I think if I had to write a story on the topic of jealousy, I would probably set it in the Academy days, and the enviousness would be directed toward Momo. I think Momo and Rukia were both very envious of each other in those days, primarily because I like that a backdrop to them overcoming it and becoming friends in their post-trauma adult years.

A runner-up concept is that I am mildly fascinated with the idea that Renji, as a Vice-Captain and person-close-to-Byakuya ought to be a major catch as far as the social climbing minor nobility goes. I could see a fic where he catches the attention of various Kuchiki-family hangers on, and Rukia loses her mind of the idea that he might accept a very generous marriage offer to some beautiful and charming daughter of a mid-level house, which seems like a rational and sensible thing to do. Renji, of course, would never, we all know what he cares about.

As usual, I encourage my readers to add their own fanfic suggestions in the comments or reblogs!

[cycbean]

Hello there

Wanted to dip my toes into this pairing. Don’t mind me...

This is a really (really) rough draft of the first chapter of a concept I had. 

Quiet Minds

Chapter 1

‘…there she stood in the doorway,

I heard the mission bell,

And I was thinking to myself,

This could be heaven or this could be hell…’

“Sir? Is that all?”

The cashier behind the counter looked at Ichigo expectantly. Ichigo couldn’t hear her thoughts but there was definitely disapproval in her eyes, probably due to the fact that he had not removed the headphones from his ears when he had come up to the counter, and his music was so loud that she could undoubtedly hear some of it. Ichigo was unbothered by this. He was already used to receiving this look.

He nodded. “Sure.”

“That’ll be four-hundred yen, then.”

Ichigo watched the way her lips formed the words and withdrew the correct amount of cash. Waving off her proffered plastic bag, he pocketed the cigarettes and gum and stepped out of the convenience store to the sound of Don Felder’s electric guitar.

When he was a bit away from the store he retrieved a cigarette and lit it, trying to relax himself.

Standing on a street corner, he watched the other people milling about. Some of them were also freshmen and would be his peers for the next year, and perhaps even the next four years. He considered, briefly, if he should remove his headphones and listen for a bit. Three years ago, he had similarly stood before the front gates of Karakura High School and thought the same thing. Back then, he hadn’t started smoking yet.

Ichigo put the cigarette out, stuffed a piece of minty fresh gum in his mouth and headed off to the Student Accommodations office.

&&&

“I’m sorry, Kurosaki-kun, there’s nothing we can do.”

The bespectacled woman, Ise Nanao, her staff badge read, shuffled through his papers like there might appear information there she hadn’t already been through.

“Though your circumstances do seem somewhat special, it’s not enough to warrant any special kind of accommodation.”

Though Ichigo still hadn’t removed his headphones, he had turned the volume down, so he could hear her voice a little. She sounded genuinely regretful.

“I understand,” he said. “Thank you, though.”

He got up, accepting the file of his documents from the woman. She gave him a sympathetic look.

“Although,” she said suddenly, “If there is a short number of lodgers this semester, I can make sure that you get a room to yourself. However, I don’t want to get your hopes up for this. Admissions this year has already reached capacity, so it’s unlikely it will happen.”

“Thank you,” Ichigo said sincerely before he left.

When he had been applying for universities far away from his hometown, he had known that this would be an issue. The dorms didn’t allow for single rooms, not for freshmen at least. To be by himself, he would have to rent outside the campus, something the rich kids did with ease but which was too expensive for Ichigo, considering he would be paying for it himself given that his scholarship only covered tuition and books. He had expected, with his luck, he would end up rooming with someone. Despite this expectation, he hadn’t quite figured out how he was going to survive that yet.

Outside Ise Nanao’s office was a small reception room. Walk-in meetings took place here, with more staff members seated behind small wooden desks with a few chairs before them. One meeting caught his attention.

It was a small family, what looked like a grandmother and two grandchildren.

The grandmother and her granddaughter, a pretty young woman, were seated before the staff member. Behind them stood the grandson, a boy about a head shorter than Ichigo but probably around the same age. He stood out by his rather stark white hair.

At first, Ichigo just gave them a passing glance. But as he did this, his eyes caught the movement of the young woman’s lips and he stopped short.

Able to read lips.

That was what she was saying. It struck Ichigo as funny that the thing she was talking about was what he was doing to her right then. Intrigued, Ichigo continued to observe her, basically eavesdropping. From his angle, he could only see the face of the young woman and the staff member.

From what he could gather, the young woman was describing a person who could at least be able to read lips, while the staff member was, regretfully, informing them that that was a skill they had no way of knowing if other students possessed, as it wasn’t usually mentioned on any official documents.

The staff member could only suggest that they put out some sort of advertisement for such a roommate.

This caught Ichigo’s attention. So, one of the grandkids was a student then, and they needed a roommate who could at least read lips. Though he couldn’t hear her, it seemed like the granddaughter could speak and hear just fine, so it probably wasn’t for her. It had to be for the boy then.

Ichigo lingered longer. At this point, the granddaughter shifted her body and Ichigo could no longer see her face. He hesitated for a moment and then did something he hadn’t done in public in years—

He took off his headphones.

Hanging them around his neck, he was immediately assaulted with the sudden influx of noises—a copier somewhere nearby whirring, the squeaky wheels of an office chair being rolled across the floor, and of course, the indistinct sounds of people chatting. Worse than that, though, were the sounds of thinking.

Lucky for Ichigo, there weren’t many people around. Behind him, he thought he heard Ise Nanao think about whether she should have lunch with her uncle or not. A maintenance man working on an elevator nearby was wondering where his screwdriver was. And of course, there was the family before him.

Ichigo focused in on the granddaughter, just in time for him to hear, quite distinctly, Poor Tōshirō.

Tōshirō, he assumed, was the white-haired boy.

The staff member: I wish I could help, but I can’t do anything for you.

The grandmother: Tōshirō, this school is so big, will you be okay here?

The granddaughter: Don’t worry, Shiro-chan, it won’t be so bad. We’ll put a message up on the freshman Facebook page and work something out.

Ichigo couldn’t pick up anything from the boy himself, so he tried to focus on him, almost burning a hole into the back of his head.

But there was nothing. Not even white noise.

But then the granddaughter thought something that lit a lightbulb in Ichigo’s head.

Shiro-chan’s been deaf since he was born, he’ll have to get use to things like this sooner or later.

As Ichigo watched, the girl turned to the boy and signed this to him.

So he was deaf, and had been since he was born. Was this why Ichigo couldn’t hear his thoughts? Because he had never learned how to verbalize them?

Ichigo would have continued to listen, but then the door behind him opened and Ise Nanao stepped out. Ichigo became aware of her presence because he distinctly heard her think Oh, Kurosaki-kun’s still here, and he swung around.

“Kurosaki-kun? Was there something else?”

Ichigo quickly returned his headphones to his ears, to which she raised her eyebrows.

“Is there a freshman Facebook group?” he asked.

“There is,” she replied, surprised. “There’s a flyer in my office of all the social groups, give me a moment.”

She quickly retrieved the flyer and handed it to Ichigo. By this time, Tōshirō and his family were leaving the office. Ichigo watched them go, catching sight of the other boy’s face for the first time.

He had a very young face, one that hadn’t yet lost the last of its childish roundness. His frown made him seem very serious though, thin white brows furrowed over rather large green eyes. He was signing something to who Ichigo guessed was his sister, though they didn’t look alike, so quickly that Ichigo was only able to discern Don’t bother.

“Will that be all, Kurosaki-kun?”

Ichigo turned his attention back to Ise and nodded.

“Yes, thank you.”

Ichigo didn’t see the small family when he walked out of the building, but he took the flyer with him back to his aunt’s car, slipping it into the folder with his other documents.

When he was safely inside the car, he finally took his headphones off and tossed them in the passenger seat. It was a long drive back to his aunt’s house and he was looking forward to relieving his ears of the headphones. Instead, he turned the radio on.

Adele’s Rolling in the Deep was just getting into its first chorus. He turned the volume up to a level he knew couldn’t be heard outside the closed windows and pulled out from the parking lot.

When Ichigo turned into his aunt’s driveway, his uncle Ganju was waiting for him.

This uncle of his was born too late for Ichigo to call him uncle—he was only a few years older, after all, though when the man wanted to be a special pain, he’d harass Ichigo about his lack of respect for his elders.

Ichigo quickly put his headphones back on, clicking the little Bluetooth button to connect to his phone.

The heavily synthesized beats of Cher’s Believe slowly built up in his ears, effectively deafening him to the sounds around him. Ichigo retrieved his things from the car and stepped out.

“About time you got back,” Ganju greeted him, holding a hand out for the keys. “I’m late for a movie with the boys!”

Ichigo dropped the keys into his palm. “You sound like a girl,” he said flatly.

“What was that, you punk? What part of boys sounds like a girl?”

“Whatever.” Ichigo walked away from him. It didn’t look like his aunt was home yet, so if Ganju was going out then he’d be alone for a few hours.

Behind the wheel, Ganju laid on the horn for a moment, the only way to get Ichigo’s attention when he wasn’t facing him.

“What?” Ichigo yelled at him over his shoulder.

“Give. Bonnie. A. Bath.” Ganju enunciated to him.

Ichigo rolled his eyes. He was pretty sure his Aunt Kukaku had told Ganju to bathe Bonnie this morning.

Bonnie, the little pink pig, was in her playpen in the living room. Neither Kukaku nor Ganju had children, but they did have a pig.

Bonnie squealed and bounded up to Ichigo when he came in. He reached down to pet her head, smiling.

Animals couldn’t think, at least not in a way Ichigo could pick up on, so he removed his headphones and set about filling the bathtub with water. While Bonnie happily splashed around, chewing on some squeaky rubber toy, Ichigo pulled out his phone.

He had been staying with his aunt and uncle for a week and had been mostly ignoring the texts and messages from back home during that time. He had only replied to the ones in the family chat, since it was usually Yuzu checking up on him and it wouldn’t be in his best interest to needlessly worry her.

But his friends had been sending him messages too, and Ichigo had left those unread.

The most recent was from Tatsuki in the group chat: Let us know what time you get back into town, we’re having dinner at Orihime’s.

Ichigo hesitated, but the message had already been open so, at least in a group chat, they would be able to see that he had read it.

Not sure, might be very late, he replied and then quickly put his phone away.

While Bonnie was rolling around on the towels Ichigo had laid out for her on Ganju’s bed, he opened up his laptop. He wasn’t much of a Facebook person, preferring platforms like Reddit and Discord for his online socializing, mostly because he didn’t know another person who used them. But he kept the account around because his friends and family were very much active on it. Bypassing the unchecked notifications, updates, and game requests, he retrieved the flyer and searched for the university’s freshman Facebook group.

It was a very active page, mostly stylized, preppy posts by the admins welcoming the new students and advertising the freshman orientation events that would be running for the next week or so, and also people asking questions.

It seemed like Tōshirō’s sister had wasted no time putting a post up on the page. Her name was Hinamori Momo and her post was asking for a male roommate who knew sign language or lip reading who could room with a deaf person for the next semester. If they were interested, they could contact her via her Facebook profile.

There wasn’t much engagement on the post, a few likes and reactions, but no replies. Ichigo figured anyone serious about it would message Hinamori-san directly. Clicking into her profile, he found pictures of the young woman he had seen at the office before. He had to trawl her page for a moment before he found one with the white-haired Tōshirō.

The picture had been posted only a year ago but had been clearly taken long before. Momo and Tōshirō were much younger, probably in their early teens. They were sitting behind a Harry Potter themed birthday cake, dressed in Harry Potter robes (complete with the pointed hats and all), with Harry Potter decorations in the background. Tōshirō was wearing the iconic round glasses and he was holding a wand. His face was serious even back then but one side of his mouth was tilted up in a little half smile.

Hinamori-san’s caption was:

‘Spent my day celebrating with this guy. Don’t blame me for the picture guys, this is the only one I have. Yes, really.’

And then she followed up with a line of smiling, laughing, and birthday-themed emojis.

Unfortunately, Tōshirō wasn’t tagged in the photo, and a search of Tōshirō Hinamori didn’t yield any results.

Nevertheless, Ichigo opened up a chat with Hinamori-san and quickly typed up a message, letting her know that he knew sign language and lip reading, and was looking for a roommate himself.

He left it at that and closed the laptop.

Bonnie had taken up chewing on the edge of the magazine Ganju kept hidden under his pillow. Ichigo picked her up and brought her back downstairs. The front door was opening, and Ichigo scrambled to get his headphones on while balancing a squeaky pig.

His Aunt Kukaku stepped inside, toting in a few shopping bags.

“Ah, Ichigo, come help me with this.”

Ichigo deposited Bonnie on the couch and went over to her.

“How was registration?” she asked.

“Fine, mostly hassle-free. My move in day is next Wednesday.”

Kukaku leaned a hip against the kitchen counter. “That doesn’t give you much time to spend at home,” she said thoughtfully. “Maybe you should leave today. I don’t mind driving you tonight.”

“No, it’s alright,” Ichigo quickly said. “It’s already late and you just got home from work. Plus, there’s an issue with my roommate I want to sort out here first before I go back.”

“You didn’t get through with the administration then?” his aunt asked, frowning.

He shook his head. “It won’t be so bad though,” he reassured her. “I think my roommate is a quiet guy. I’ll manage.”

Aunt Kukaku looked like she wanted to say more but Ichigo turned away from her, putting away the groceries.

After they had eaten dinner and Ichigo had showered, he opened up his laptop again. There was a message from Hinamori-san.

‘Hello, Kurosaki-kun! Thank you for messaging me! We’ll be on campus tomorrow…how about we have lunch together at the café in the Student Building? Around 12? Let me know. Looking forward to seeing you!’

Hanging his towel over his shoulders to catch the rest of the water dripping from his hair, he quickly typed out a reply:

‘Sure. See you then.’

&&&

Oh, my God, they were roommates. What Hogwarts House would Toshiro be in?

[bleachcracklist]

Captains grocery shopping in the human world (toilet paper edition)

It has came to captain´s attention that toilet paper has became a very important item in the human world. So here is how each one of them handle this situation.

Also this is to make fun of the toilet paper meme that has been going on now. Why does people feel the needs to panic buy so much toilet paper?

Yamamoto

He would hit people who are fighting and tell them not to panic buy, then get angry at them.

Sasakime: Sir, how were you able to buy toilet paper?

Yamamoto: I used my zanpakuto.

Sasakime: Did you burn them?

Yamamoto: No, I hit them

SoiFon

While everyone is in the middle of a battle for the last bag of toilet paper, Soifon is too fast for regular humans. So she activates Shunko in the middle of the supermarket, destroying parts of the property.

Omaeda: Captain… you just destroyed 3 shelves.

Soifon: You´ll pay for the repairs. Right?

Omaeda: …

Omaeda: Yes, Captain, but please don’t hurt me.

Yoruichi

She would enter the shop naked to distract the people then get the toilet paper, but her plan backfired when she got arrested for nudity.

Urahara: Yoruichi-san, did you get the toilet paper?

Cat Yoruichi: Nope, sorry, just escaped prison.

Urahara: What did you do?

Cat Yoruichi: My plan was to go in there naked, but apparently it’s illegal to walk around naked.

Gin

He would do anything for Rangiku, even if it means losing his life in the process. He fights bravely for the last bag of toilet paper.

Gin: Izuru-kun, please get this to Ran-chan, I’m counting on ya.

Kira: CAPTAIN! Please don’t die!

Rose

He’s quite indifferent about this entire shopping for the toilet paper thing, why bother when he can just stay in his office reading manga. And when he needs something he could just take them from Kensei.

Kira: Captain, shouldn’t you go shopping?

Rose: It’s fine, there is no need.

Kira: ...

Unohana

She tries not to use her bloodthirst side too much so she tries to stop the fight in a friendly way, but when the people don’t listen to her, she uses her intimidating smile. They all parted away.

Unohana: Hanataro, why were they so scared when I told them to stop fighting?

Hanataro: I-I am not sure Captain.

Unohana: Oh well, at least we got some toilet paper.

Isane

She would be too scared to get close to the people fighting. So she'd wait until everyone calmed down.

Kiyone: Why didn’t you get anything sis?

Isane: There were so many people fighting and I was afraid. When they left, there was no more toilet paper left…

Kiyone: ...

Kiyone: You’re not going shopping next time.

Aizen

Aizen wouldn’t bother with the actual shopping, he uses his zanpakuto to trick people into believing that there is no toilet paper left.

Aizen: Shatter Kyoka Suigetsu!

Aizen: Minions, go get them all.

Aizen: This is all according to my perfect plan.

Shinji

Gets distracted by all the young women in the supermarket and he tries to flirt with them all.

Momo: Captain Hirako, care to explain why you came back empty-handed?

Shinji: …

Momo: You got distracted and started calling everyone your first love, didn’t you?

Shinji: Maybe?

Momo: Captain! You need to stop doing that!

Byakuya

Byakuya is so rich, that he wouldn’t even bother with going shopping himself. He would send his servants to the world of living to do those peasants errands.  

Renji: Captain, why didn’t you go shopping like everyone is doing now?

Byakuya: There is no need for me to personally do such activities such as shopping.

Komamura

He wouldn’t be allowed in the shop… need I say more?

Officer: Sir, please you need to take off your um… fursuit before entering the shop.

Komamura: What are you talking about? This is not a fursuit…

Officer: ...

Iba

Gives his all in the fight, but when he is about to grab the bag, Nanao grabs it. So they start a fight, in the end, someone else got it and they both lose.

Iba: This toilet paper is finally mine!

Nanao: Not so fast, this belongs to me, Captain Iba.

Iba: What are you talking about? I touched it first.

Nanao: You are delusional.

Kyoraku

He isn't interested in toilet paper so he goes to the alcohol section instead, leaving the actual shopping to Nanao.

Nanao: Captain, stay away from the alcohol, we came here to buy food, not sake.

Kyoraku: Nanao-chan, don't be mean!

Nanao: Sir, you are the head captain now, you should learn how to behave.

Lisa

She wouldn’t bother buying toilet paper as the only thing she wants are those questionable magazines.

Hiyori: What the hell are you doing? Shouldn't you be shopping?

Lisa: Who needs toilet paper when I can get all this magazine?

Tosen

Since Tosen really care about justice, when he entered the supermarket the only thing he thought to do was to start a monologue about justice, no one is listening to him as they are all too busy fighting for that last bag of toilet paper.

Hisagi: um… Captain?

Tosen: What is it Hisagi?

Hisagi: Captain… nobody was listening…

Tosen: The path to justice...

Kensei

Kensei being quite aggressive in battle doesn't really care about the outcome, as long as he got what he wanted.

Mashiro: Ohh, I see that you got the toilet paper.

Mashiro: How did you get it?

Mashiro: Did you just send the other people flying?

Mashiro: Come on tell me!

Kensei: Shut up!

Isshin

Just being his goofy self, when people saw him cry to the picture of his wife they took pity on him.

Isshin: MASAKI, I'M ABOUT TO SACRIFICE MYSELF FOR OUR CHILDREN.

Isshin: WE WILL SEE EACH OTHER SOON.

Isshin: I’M SORRY, MY CHILDREN, I CAN'T BE HERE FOR YOU ANYMORE.

Ichigo: I don't know him, I swear.

Hitsugaya

Hitsugaya is tired of being always shoved to the side by the people twice his size. He uses his bankai to grow up a bit.

Hitsugaya: There Matsumoto, the stuff you asked for.

Rangiku: You were even able to get toilet paper?

Rangiku: How? The last time I went there, people were fighting for it.

Hitsugaya: I have my ways. Now go back to work.

Rangiku: Captain… you used your bankai, didn't you?

Hitsugaya: ...

Kenpachi

He would join the fight, because let's admit it, there is no way he will back away from a fight. And so... he forgets his original objective.

Kenpachi: Is that a fight?

Yumichika: It is, but we didn't came today to fight, we need to buy toilet paper.

Yumichika: Captain?

Ikkaku: He didn't hear you. He's already fighting them.

Ikkaku: We need to stop him before he kills those humans.

Urahara

After Yoruichi´s failed attempt to get toilet paper, Urahara thought it was better to send his clones to do the dirty work.

Jinta: Oh my god, how the hell did you get this much stuff in just one shopping trip?

Urahara: I used myself.

Jinta: What?

Urahara: It's nothing.

Mayuri

He tends to have a lot of illegal drugs, and nobody is willing to test them for him, so he thought the human world is the best place to put those drugs in action.

Mayuri: Nemu! Paralyse them.

Nemu: Yes, master Mayuri.

Ukitake

Ukitake would want to go to the human world but couldn't, because he is sick and has to stay in his room instead.

Sentaro: Captain, please, you have to stay put.

Ukitake: But I need to get some new candy for Shiro-chan.

Sentaro: Please don't make me call Captain Unohana.

Ukitake: ...

Ukitake: On second thought, I will stay in my room.

Rukia

Rukia being a bit more familiar with the human world thanks to her constant visits, she learns not to make a huge scene like the rest of the captains. She often watch videos from the human world and she learns how humans fight for toilet paper.

Ichigo: Is she... pulling on that other woman's hair?

Renji: Yeah…

Ichigo: Why is she doing that?

Renji: Well she thought that's the way human fights.

Ichigo: We need to stop her…

Renji: Nah… She will be fine.

[darisu-chan]

whatever our souls are made of (his and mine are the same), pt. 8

Hey guys!

Welcome back!

Hope you guys like this one-shot too!

You can also read it here.

See you!

the girl who is supposed to have him

Prompt: east of the sun, west of the moon

Summary: It doesn't matter how much fate tries to keep them apart, Rukia won't ever let him go. Because she knows they are meant to be together.

Rukia waits outside the Captain Commander’s office, not knowing why exactly she had been called here.

 When she had received a hell butterfly that morning, she had believed maybe the sōtaichō wanted a full report on the state of her division, now that Ukitake-taichō was gone and she was in charge.

 However, she has been waiting for too long, so she fears this is not a normal meeting.

 And the way Ise-fukutaichō keeps avoiding her stare makes her think something is terribly wrong.

 She is proven right when finally Nanao tells her that Kyōraku-sōtaichō is waiting for her, but there is pity in her eyes as she says this.

 This spells doom for her.

 Fearing the worst, Rukia goes into the room to find the leader of the Gotei 13 sitting on his desk, drinking sake.

 “Ah! Rukia-chan, welcome, welcome. Sit down, please. Want a cup of sake?”

 To his credit, Kyōraku Shunsui is as friendly as always.

 He still wears his pink kimono, his straw hat and, as far as she knows, Nanao still has to remind him to check all paperwork and to attend meetings.

 But beyond his amicable appearance, Rukia knows he hides a lot of darkness within, like most Shinigami do, especially those in high positions inside the Gotei 13.

 And she wonders why exactly he needs her there.

 What had she done as of late that had warranted a private meeting with the Captain Commander?

 The only way to know is to go through this meeting, so she takes a seat and drinks the sake that has been offered to her.

 “So how are things in the division? Everything going well? The new trainees are behaving?”

 Captain Kyōraku makes small chit chat and Rukia answers in the best way she can, being as respectful as possible.

 He politely asks her about some issues inside the division, chuckles every now and then, congratulates her on her paperwork, and, finally, he reclines on his chair and smiles.

 “Jūshirō would be so proud of you, Rukia-chan. You’re guiding the 13th division in the way he would have wanted. Keep up the good work and you’ll make captain soon.” The Captain Commander congratulates her and Rukia feels a bit of shyness creeping in.

 “Thank you very much, sōtaichō-dono.” She bows down her head, out of respecy but also to hide her burning cheeks. “I will be sure to keep working on bettering the state of the division.” She solemnly vows.

 The older man chuckles and waves his hand.

 “Ah, don’t be so formal, Rukia-chan. You make me feel old. Well, older than I am.”

 The two share a smile, and suddenly the peacefulness of the moment is shattered when Kyōraku turns serious.

 “Anyway, you’re probably wondering why I asked you to come here.” He asks her and when Rukia nods, he continues, “You see, it’s come to my attention that you have been spending a lot of time in the world of the living this past year. And I’ve also seen Ichigo-kun quite a few times visiting the Soul Society. Well, sometimes more than seen I’ve felt his massive reiatsu.”

 “Yes. Sometimes I visit Ichigo on his hometown, and other times he comes here to see everyone.” Rukia explains their agreement without revealing too much about it.

 “I see.” The Captain Commander sits back and stares at her with his unyielding eyes.

 She feels a chill running down her spine and she realizes in that very moment that something is about to change.

 “Do you know why we Shinigami exist, Rukia-chan?” He abruptly questions her.

 She’s caught by surprise, but she still answers.

 “To lead the spirits of those who have just died to the Soul Society, to purify the Hollows that eat spirits, to protect the spirits residing in the Soul Society and to maintain the balance of the universe.” She recites as if she were still a student.

 “Very good, Rukia-chan. That’s a great answer. But it’s not always as easy as it sounds, right?

 In the past few years, there have been many threats and even without them, there’s a lot of injustice in the Rukongai, as you’re surely aware.

 A lot of souls fear Shinigami more than they like them.

 And then there’s the fact that we’ve been meddling too much in human affairs.”

 During this last part, the captain looks pointedly at her and Rukia gulps.

 “But we still have a duty to fulfill. As we’ve experienced before, the balance of the universe is a delicate thing. If you tip the balance even a little, our reality might unravel, and we cannot let that happen.”

 He explains matter-of-factly, while she can only nod in agreement.

 “Which is why I have to wonder about the ramifications of a human and a Shinigami spending so much time together.”

 Kyōraku says at last and Rukia finally understands what is going on.

 “I can assure you, sōtaichō-dono, that I do not use my powers while visiting Ichigo and I am inside a gigai most of the time.

 Ichigo, as it is his duty as the Substitute Shinigami of Karakura, does use his powers but he has learned to suppress his high reiatsu levels while on the human world.

 He only lets loose when he comes here.”

 She explains, trying to be as reassuring as possible.

 “And I am sure you do, Rukia-chan. You’re responsible like that and Ichigo-kun probably does all he can to protect his town from Hollows and the like.

 But my question is, what are you two doing? No matter how much of an extraordinary human Ichigo-kun may be, he’s still a human. And you are a Shinigami. Your place is here. With all the other Shinigami.

 And Ichigo-kun’s place is in Karakura. Until he dies, that is. Which is not something either of us wishes to happen soon, right?”

 She furrows her brow at these statements.

 “We didn’t think we were doing anything wrong. We didn’t think it was forbidden for Ichigo to come here to visit or for me to go to Karakura.”

 “No, no. It is not forbidden.”

 The Captain Commander shakes his head.

 “Ichigo-kun can come here whenever he wants. Gods know I even thought he would be a permanent resident here after the last war. I believed maybe his new powers would be too much for the human world.

 But, no.

 I’m not worried about that. Whom I’m worried about is you, Ruka-chan.”

 “Me?” She’s dumbfounded at hearing this. “Why would you be worried about me?”

 “Well, because Ichigo-kun is human, he may continue on living a very human life, one in which a Shinigami like you won’t fit anymore.

 I and quite frankly other Shinigami are worried that if you two keep going like this, you might end up hurt.

 Ichigo-kun will keep growing up, getting older each day, appearing older.

 And you, my dear, will stay just the same for the foreseeable future.

 His goals may be different five years from now than your own goals will be for you.

 Will you still feel comfortable when you go to the human world still looking young and beautiful while he’s already an old man?

 What if he gets married and forms a family of his own?

 And don’t get me wrong, Rukia-chan, I want Ichigo-kun to work closely with the Gotei 13. I’m just not sure that is the life he is going to want.”

 Rukia considers her superior’s words carefully.

 In a sense, he is right.

 Ichigo and she are from two very different worlds.

 And it is true.

 Eventually, Ichigo might want something else.

 To be normal.

 To live a more mundane life.

 There is even the possibility he will want a regular job, a marriage, children, and the like.

 And as the decades pass, Rukia will remain the same.

 But that is not exactly true either.

 She had already changed from who she was when she had met Ichigo, and she had become better after that.

 She had wanted more from life.

 Different things than just her duty as a Shinigami.

 And she had decided that it was okay for her to wish.

 And it was more than okay for her to want Ichigo.

 Because it doesn’t matter how much fate tries to keep them apart.

 Or how much everybody thinks it is wrong.

 Rukia won’t ever let him go.

 Even if a future in which their goals align is as improbable as going east of the sun and west of the moon, still Rukia won’t let Ichigo go.

 Because she knows, deep in her heart, that they are meant to be together.

 And nothing can change that fact.

 “With all due respect, sōtaichō-dono, Ichigo is not a normal human being. And I am also not like other Shinigami.

 The bond he and I share is not like any other.

 And it doesn’t matter what happens in the future, we will find a way to stay together, no matter what.”

 The Captain Commander listens to her intently, and at the end of her short speech, he starts boisterously laughing.

 “Oh, Rukia-chan! That is what I was expecting to hear!”

 “Wait, what?” She asks, mouth agape.

 “I wanted to see how serious you were about each other, but don’t worry, you passed my test with flying colors!

 You don’t have to worry anymore.

 So long as your division is being managed neatly, you can go visit Ichigo-kun whenever you want. And of course he can come to the Soul Society at anytime!”

 “I… I’m not sure I understand…?” She blurts out, flabbergasted.

 Kyōraku just chuckles.

 “I was just tricking you into admitting your true relationship with Ichigo-kun, to see if I had to worry about his continuous visits.

 But it is fine.

 I see how it is.

 Well, I’m not even surprised.

 You’re the girl who is supposed to have him, after all.

 Don’t let others stop you from pursuing your own happiness, and if anybody gives you trouble, let me know.”

 Rukia is still not sure what is going on, but, nonetheless, she smiles at him.

 “I will do that, sir.”

 The captain keeps chuckling to himself, but smiles brightly at the young Shinigami.

 “You can go now, Rukia-chan. And please, tell Ichigo-kun he should come visit me one of these days. I hear he’s now old enough to drink now, and I want to toast with him.”

 “I will tell him, sōtaichō-dono.”

 With that, Rukia bids Captain Kyōraku goodbye and she leaves to her own division, trying to process the strangeness of her visit.

 She’s still not quite sure she got what her superior tried to tell her, but it is alright.

 Maybe Ichigo will get it once she tells him.

 Or that is what she hopes, anyway.

 Meanwhile, the Captain Commander is still chuckling to himself.

 “Ah, to be young and in love.”

[unohanadaydreams]

Hello again! I'm probably gonna chuck a few different asks at ya but first I wanted to invite that ramble on Mayuri and the dynamic he has with Jizo or about him in general if you'd like~ I'd love to read more character analysis about our fave clown scientist.

I am reserving my spot to over analyze Mayuri. It’s very rambly sorry.

Okay, so Jizo is a protector of people/deceased souls of children.

This tells us a few things.

1. Mayuri is protected by Jizo.

2. Mayuri craves protection.

3. Mayuri either died as a child or went through something traumatic enough as a child that it immediately ended with the event aka. the metaphorical death of childhood. My guess is on the latter.

Mayuri is protected by Jizo through the obvious means of poison. But also by his zanpakuto itself. Jizo’s appearance and abilities are off putting. This heavily reflects Mayuri--his appearance and abilities (extendo arm, ect) are off putting to most people.

I believe Mayuri calls attention to himself through his appearance, while also masking himself in strange, off putting attire so that people do not look TOO close. They see what he wants them too.

And likewise, people see what they want out of Jizo, while ignoring the meaning of the zanpakuto’s name and TRUE nature. Jizo is part of a shield Mayuri has constructed to hide his vulnerabilities as a person with feelings and flaws. (He refuses to alter his brain in the same way he alters his body bc Intellect)

Mayuri craves protection and it’s evident in how he raises Nemu as well as how he attacks others AS WELL as how he treats Jizo. Nemu, from the very start, bodily shields him even when it isn’t explicitly necessary. She was created by him and therefore her feelings of gladness for him continuing to live and her arc of understanding that her true objective was ALWAYS to protect him was pretty fitting.

Mayuri can not even face let alone acknowledge his love for his daugther until she is dead and he does so vaguely, merely calling her a great Experiment. His kindness was relayed only through Akon and even then, he does not refer to her as anything other than an accomplishment to lord over Urahara (which like BIG LMAO).

Literally admitting to Nemu that he even viewed her as his biggest accomplishment, as one would speak about an object, was embarrassing for him.

He straight up can’t admit he is PROUD of making Nemu because that would imply he in any way cares about her. Fucking astounding, the lengths he will go through to deny he knows what affection or love or anything approaching those emotions are.

With his attacks--he often uses methods physically impede his opponents from approaching him. He prefers long range or ‘stealth’ methods. Blowing up his own people, stabbing opponents through Nemu, ect. He does not have any large, impressive displays of sword fighting. He prefer to flex his mind and be creative in proving he is Superior to others.

And with Jizo, he literally punishes his sword for attacking him. While many captains would understand that an enemies abilities were at fault, Mayuri isn’t one of them.

He snaps off Jizo in Szayelaporro’s body and states directly that it’s because the sword attacked him. Obviously there is a large theme of ‘control’ going on here in tandem with his need to be protected. But nevertheless: he purposely breaks his sword like a kid having a tantrum that caretaker didn’t keep them from scraping their knee.

Mayuri’s childhood ended suddenly/early or he simply never had one. It was gone before he realized he should’ve had one, maybe.

This is evident in how he treats Nemu, yes, but also how he treats Akon. From the very start, Akon is not treated with the same kiddy gloves we see Hiyori, Nanao, or even Byakuya given in the pendulum arc. And Mayuri isn’t even fully in control here.

And that’s not even getting into how Urahara releasing Mayuri with no further consequence or stipulation and then leaving him the research & development center was essentially rewarding whatever behavior got him in isolation within the Maggot’s Nest and is the start of his decent into what he be becomes.

Or that Urahara knowing he was down there means he knew what he did and knew that only the promise of Control and Power would sway him out--presumably a promise to restore or trump what he lost when arrested.

It’s further evident in how he acts as a person. He explains things to excess, a sign he did not feel listened to or his opinion valued as a child, and will go off if he feels ignored.

He is quick to throw literal foot stamping fucking fits. Like a toddler. Over small things. He seeks approval from people like Urahara and intellectual opponents alike--he wants it to be acknowledge that he is Smarter.

Trauma wise, he has low empathy for others and the people he does care about are still treated like shit. This is VERY common for abused children. He does not value his physical form. He’ll turn himself into fucking goo--he doesn’t care. That goes beyond ‘scientific improvement’ and straight into ‘i have only been valued and validated for my intellect so that’s all that matters’.

He also hides his physical body behind clothes baggier even than the soul reaper uniform already is, paints over his skin, and generally wears eye catching clothes that distract from HIM. Making one’s body repulsive and offputting is specifically a common response to sexual abuse.

Which would also help to explain his adversity to affection tbh.

It’s very possible that all of this happened while he was a living soul and his arrival to the rukongai was after for a further and more literal interpretation of ‘deceased soul’.

ALSO Look at literally anything the science department designs and tell me it doesn’t fall into the following categories: 1. edgy my chemical romance teen who reads cosmic horror or 2. legitimately cute and child friendly designs that activate your Animal Crossing brain.

IN conclusion:

Mayuri was abused, he craves protection, he finds any form of emotion that pertains to human connection horrible, he portrays only valuing intellect, and Jizo is not ironically named such.

I DEFINITELY went off on some tangents but uuuuuuuh (:

[act-addict-actors-matchups]

❀ ｡˚ Taichi Nanao x F! Reader┆What The Heck I Gotta Do

1.6K Words ⋯ Sorry, there isn’t any ‘read more’ option. I’m on mobile. 😔

Sighing, Taichi rested his head in the palm of his hand, eyes gazing dreamily at the back of your head.

Wait, was that weird?

Bright blue eyes darted back down to the mindless notes he'd been taking on and off during the lesson. What class was this again? Maybe he should've paid more attention, because his notes didn't give him any hints. The entire paper was basically just one big ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

Sighing again, Taichi looked up, trying to pay attention to what the teacher was saying instead of wondering what you were thinking.

'She can probably feel you staring at her, idiot! Don't be weird!' he scolded himself, face reddening just the slightest. Could anyone really blame him for staring though?

Not only were you the one of the regular audiences and pretty much befriended everyone in the company but you just so happened to be a classmate of his as well! The fact that Taichi found you the most beautiful person he had ever met didn't help either.

Needless to say he switched seats so that you sat in front of him, sharing little conversations with you whenever the opportunity presented itself. He even got to eat lunch with you!

Now by no means was Taichi a prideful person, but he had to admit he harbored a faint smugness over being the only member able to interact with you inside and outside of the classroom. Aside from Tenma and Juza, the others could only talk to you through the chatrooms, via phone calls and messages or whenever you decide to visit the dorms, but he was able to see you face-to-face five days a week without a miss and he felt closer to you because of it.

What drew him to you in the first place? True, your personality shared a faint resemblance to his first crush’s, but there was something different about you, something that made his heart swell and flutter like a lovestruck schoolgirl's. You were so mature and kind, diligent in your work, not to mention strong and serious when the situation required it. As time went on and he grew closer and closer to you, he found it wasn't hard to fall in love with you.

There was only one problem. He had no idea if you felt the same.

When the other members of the company flirted with you, you responded in kind, but that was just being playful, right? It didn't really mean anything, right?

Whenever Kazunari in particular openly flirted with you, Taichi couldn't help but feel all tingly and wrong inside, the urge to draw you away from the tall, handsome blonde making his hands clench. He wanted to think you showed a special interest in him, but he had no way to know for sure.

Except...

The beginnings of an idea began to take shape in his mind, an idea that could end in extreme awkwardness or charming success.

Pulling out his phone, Taichi made sure to keep the device safely out of view beneath the desk, hiding it from any prying eyes. His fingers seemed to move on their own, typing out a message he probably should've checked before sending. When his brain finally did catch up and register the words he'd written, his heart dropped into his stomach, a small gasp escaping his lips.

"What the heck I gotta do to be with you?"

Followed by:

"Who do I have to be for you to be with me?"

'What are you thinking?! How cheesy can you be?!' Red haired boy screamed internally, his horror growing as he saw you pull your phone out of your school bag, it's screen illuminated with a new notification.

Gluing his eyes to his notes, he tried to act like nothing happened, hastily scribbling whatever the teacher was saying. A few seconds later his phone vibrated with your reply and he couldn't disguise his fervor as he answered it, dread and excitement making his stomach turn.

Unlocking his phone and tapping on your message he found a neutral smiley face staring up at him.

'Yes!!!'

It wasn't quite an acceptance of the feelings he'd made so obvious for you, but it most certainly wasn't a rejection either!

From that day on you and he texted day and night. He really hadn't met anyone like you before. You listened to all his problems and even let him copy your notes from the lessons he spent daydreaming about you!

The redhead couldn't remember the last time he felt this way, if ever. It was like a ray of sunshine had made its way into his heart, filling it with warmth and light. As cliche as it sounded, you were his angel.

Well! There was only one thing left to do!

Gathering his courage, he called you one night before Omi caught him in action going to sleep, ready to lay everything on the line and confess.

...He went straight to voicemail.

Blinking, he stuttered for a few seconds after the beep went off, leaving a jumbled, "H-Hey, I um...I just wanted to call, but uh...I had something really important to tell you, but I guess you're busy right now, so um...call me back when you can!"

His brow furrowed as he stared at the piece of technology, your number flashing on its screen. You never missed a phone call and it wasn't even that late.

'Did something happen to her? What if there's been an emergency?! What if she's in trouble?!'

Pulling up the messenger, he sent you a quick text, asking if you were okay. The minutes ticked by with still no response from you and Taichi’s worry only grew, leaving him unable to sleep as he stared at the phone lying peacefully on his nightstand. Turning to bury his face in the pillow, he groaned.

Reason told him he was probably overthinking things. Most likely, you were okay, safe in your apartment and he was just being clingy.

His adoring heart told him otherwise. It told him you were kidnapped, lost, alone and scared somewhere he couldn't find you, and that he needed to see you and make sure you were okay.

Unable to decide which to listen to, Taichi didn't get a wink of sleep that night, relying on the magical powers of coffee and Omi’s delicious breakfast the next morning to give him life. When he got to school, his first priority was to find you and make sure you were okay.

He didn't think you would be the one to find him.

"Morning, Taichi!"

The redhead whipped around at the sound of your voice, the contact of your hand on his shoulder. For a moment, all he did was stare, expressionless. Here you were, perfectly fine, nothing wrong.

Your face shifted as he continued to regard you so blankly, confusion replacing your morning happiness. "Are you okay? You look a little t-!"

Before he knew it, your name had already left his mouth as he threw his arms around you and buried his face in your neck, relief making his knees tremble. "I was so worried when you didn't answer me last night! I thought something horrible had happened to you! I thought maybe you had been kidnapped and that I wouldn't be able to find you and then I would never get to confess to you and-!"

"Taichi!" Your hands cupped his cheeks, forcing him to look at you and effectively silencing his rant. "My charger broke yesterday! My phone's dead until I can get a new charger this afternoon! I haven't seen any of your messages!"

He blinked, his confusion present on his face. "Y-You haven't?"

"No! I'm okay, see! There's no need to worry!" The concern on your face softened, affection taking its place. "You said... you were going to confess to me?"

Taichi could feel the blush creeping up his neck. Had he really let that slip? "...Maybe?”

You smiled, eyes bright as you looked up at him, hands still on either side of his red face. "Silly. It was pretty obvious already."

Blue eyes glanced downwards, breaking eye contact. "I know, but...I wanted to make it clear."

Lips brushed his cheek after you let one of your hands drop and his eyes darted back up to yours, wide with surprise. "Then I might as well make it clear that I like you too, Nanao Taichi."

"Y-You do? Really?" he asked, excitement and a kind of happiness he had never felt before replacing his embarrassment.

"Of course! How could I not?" Leaning up, you pressed a kiss to his cheek one more time, smiling against his skin. "You're wonderful, Taichi! You don't have to do anything to make me like you except be you!"

His arms wound around you again with renewed enthusiasm, drawing you against him as he smiled into your hair. “Thank you! Thank you so so much!"

"You don't have to thank me, but Taichi?"

"Hmm?"

"You do realize everyone's watching, right?"

Glancing up, he realized that you were indeed correct. Everyone in the hallway, including the bright orange haired and purple slicked-back haired boys much to his embarrassment, had stopped to watch as he practically broke down sobbing at your feet. Beneath the icy numbness of pre-mortification, he knew he was never going to live this down.

His blue gaze returned to you when he heard you giggle softly, your eyes sympathetic as you took his hand and led him down the hallway to your first class. He still felt horribly self-conscious after his emotional display, but there was warmth there too, requited love giving him all the strength he needed to push through.

As your hand held his beneath the desk, giving him little, affectionate squeezes from time to time- you had switched seats to sit beside him- he couldn't help the tired, longing sigh that left his lips.

Why was falling in love so wonderful and so terrible at the same time?

[bleachhaven]

Soutaicho’s Secret Admirer (Shunsui x Reader) — Part 3/6

Author’s Note:

I know I said I’d have something for you this weekend, but all the love ya’ll showed Part 2 of this story had me super inspired that I just sat down and wrote this out. After all, feedback is what fuels writers xD There should be a few more parts left after this. I know I know...the 2-parter story has evolved into a 5-parter :P

First off, thank you so much for all the love! Secondly, I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. 

A very special thanks to @sexintheseireitei​ for all the encouraging words! This chapter is dedicated especially for you!

--

Read Part 1 and Part 2 first...

As much as Nanao-chan strictly insisted that today was just like any other day, the bits of pink and red popping up all over the black and white of the seireitei said otherwise. Of course, Squad 1 was devoid of such nonsense, despite Shunsui's several clandestine operations to host a party in the 1st for the last decade. He had been sternly thwarted by his fuktaicho who did not believe this day to hold any meaning at all.

Maybe that's why it was that much more fun to bother her thoroughly with something she would definitely think to be too extravagant.

"Happy Valentine's Day, my sweet, sweet, Nanao-chan," Shunsui said with a cheeky smile, plopping the gift down on her desk.

She stared at the little teddy-bear donned in red bows and holding a red plushy heart saying "sweet, sweet, Nanao-chan!"

Her gaze turned upwards towards him. "This is a highly inappropriate gift to give to your fuktaicho."

"Ah, but we are practically family. And you are my sweet, sweet, Nanao-chan after all..."

"Hmm..." was all she said in response.

Even if she said she hated the gift, she dared not move it. She allowed the fluffy thing to take space on her desk and carried on working.

Shunsui continued to stare at her, waiting impatiently and expectantly. She continued to look over another expense report from the 11th for property damage, but Shunsui didn't move.

Finally she looked up. "Did you need something?"

He pouted at her. "Did Nanao-chan forget?"

She wanted to pretend and feign ignorance but she just couldn't do it. She has clearly gone soft in the past couple of years if his pouting face could make her cave this easily.

"Fine," she sighed, and reached into her desk drawer. In her hand was an assorted box of chocolates all complete with a white ribbon tied into a bow. "Happy Valentine's Day, Taicho," she said.

"Why, thank you, Nanao-chan! You really shouldn't have," he said making Nanao snort a bit. He was already opening it as he sauntered towards his side of the office.

On top of his desk was...well, nothing but paperwork, and he had to say he was just a little bit disappointed. He had been wondering what his beloved Secret Admirer would give him this Valentine's Day. Truthfully, it was all he had been  looking forward to this week. But there was no love letter hidden beneath other official mail or left on top of his window sill.

He sat down at his desk and pulled out his latest project. He popped in one of Nanao-chan's chocolates, the taste of salted caramel teasing his taste buds, and spread out the fancy lavender colored paper.

After all, she wasn't the only one with a way of words.

Even after becoming the Soutaicho, he continued to write a few chapters for "Rose-Colored-Path." Sure, that was mostly erotica but writing a love letter couldn't be that difficult, could it?

He already had a bit written out. He was still trying to figure out how to tell this sweet Secret Admirer he would want to get to know her, without making it sound like either its a command from the Soutaicho, or as if he was a complete and utter lecher trying to score a night or two of fun.

Then of course there was the bigger problem. How in the world was he to get this love letter to her? He still had no clue who she was let alone if she was actually serious about the things she said. It was both frustrating and romantic.

Right now, as things were, it was mostly frustrating.

It was in times like this that he desperately wished Juu was around. He was certain his best friend would have had some kind of solution or at least some words of wisdom to offer to this heartbreaking dilemma. Or maybe he would have admonished Shunsui for falling for someone he hadn't even seen yet. With Juu gone, and with the position he now held, he had no one to talk to about things that bothered him.

He had no peers after all. Being the man at the top was not easy. He knew it would be a difficult job when he stepped up to it, but he had no idea that it would be this lonely.

All of his quiet sighing and restless shuffling naturally drew Nanao's attention.

"How difficult is it to read through a missive and stamp your seal of authority?" Nanao asked, stepping up to his desk. He tried to hide what he was working on, but Nanao's sharp eyes would not be waylaid. "Unless...you are not working on the paperwork as you were supposed..."

"No, no!" Shunsui insisted, knowing the lavender paper was peeking through his hands. "It's just a bit of difficult paperwork. Strictly official business, I assure you, my dear Nanao-chan."

"Oh I see," she said, and Shunsui hoped she really didn't see at all.

"What is it?" he asked warily.

She had a strange smile on her face. One that had Shunsui wanting to run for cover. It did not bode well when Nanao-chan bared her teeth like that.

"Does this have anything to do with...your Secret Admirer perhaps?"

Shunsui could swear he tried to remain expressionless as to not give anything away, but maybe his heart stopped a little."I don't know what you are talking about."

She raised a brow at him. "Really? Do you really think anything would get by me in this office? That I wouldn't notice the fancy little letters you've been hiding from me?"

"You knew?" Shunsui asked, a bit shocked. And here he was thinking he was being so hush hush about the whole thing.

Nanao rolled her eyes and returned to her desk. "It offends me that you thought I didn't."

Interesting turn of events this turned out to be. He couldn't help but wonder. If Nanao-chan did indeed know all about his Secret Admirer...maybe...

"Do you know who it is?"

Nanao, who had picked up her paperwork again, smiled down at the form before her. "Maybe I do, maybe I don't," she said non-commitedly.

"Please, Nanao-chan! Don't be so mean to your Taicho. Just tell me."

She shook her head, denying his request. "I'm not telling you anything about anything. Now, please either do your work, or run along and let me do my work in peace."

"So mean," Shunsui mumbled, picking up the brush once more and dipping it in ink.

However, the whole conversation planted a terrible thought in his head. What if there really was no Secret Admirer? What if it was some elaborate prank on the poor lonely Soutaicho by someone? Maybe the SWA was having a laugh. He wouldn't put it past Matsumoto-san honestly. Or even his own Nanao-chan. The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. And the more it made sense, the more it made his mood plummet.

But he didn't want to believe it. He longed for these letters to be true, for it was too late now. He was halfway there...falling for a nameless, faceless woman who had romanced and seduced him with just a sweet words. How cruel would it be for it to now turn out to be nothing more than a prank?

A few minutes passed by, the silence broken only by the scratch of brush on paper. Then a commotion outside startled Shunsui out of his reverie.

A sharp knock, and a bid to enter, was followed by an officer of the 1st relaying some strange information of something or the other that Squads 11 and 12 had gotten up to. A fight or a brawl.

Nanao sighed, standing up from her desk. "Not again."

"It's alright, Nanao-chan. I'll take care of it. You carry on with whatever it is that you were doing," Shunsui said making a move towards the door already. His mood was feeling low and this was the perfect excuse to get out of the office for a while.

Once he was gone, Nanao cleared up the completed paperwork on his desk to be sent to the relevant divisions. If the little lavender paper got stuffed between some forms and approvals, it was purely an accident. If that specific set of forms ended up in Squad 13, it was surely unintentional. If it was found by the third seat of Squad 13 it was only because their squad was without a fuktaicho still and all the paperwork fell upon her.

Nanao definitely couldn't have predicted any of that after all. But then again...Ise Nanao almost always knew exactly what was going on, did she not?

—

Shunsui was in a glum mood when he finally returned to the office. Nanao had left a message with another officer to let him know that she had a SWA meeting so she would be leaving the office a bit earlier than usual to attend that before the Valentine’s Day Party at the 8th.

He almost thought to go straight to said party. Lisa had continued with his silly tradition as the current Taicho of Squad 8, and she went all out. He dared not be too late and risk all the good sake provided generously by Squad 6, and the cellars of  Kuchiki manor itself, running out. But he had to finish his love letter, even if he knew he might never get to send it to the relevant individual...if there even was an individual in the first place.

When he stepped in, he couldn't see the lavender paper on his desk. Truth be told, he couldn't see anything on his desk at all.

It was covered with a huge, and by huge meaning gigantic, bouquet of red roses. He shunpoed to see if there was a card left for him, and there definitely was.

Dear Shunsui,

I have to say I don't need a special day out of the year to show you how much you mean to me. Still I know how much you enjoy this day. I used to love the parties you threw back then. Yadomaru Taicho carries on the traditions but I feel it's not just the same. Not without you.

Every day feels like a day dedicated to love when thoughts of you haunt me always...but what a beautiful way to be haunted indeed.

Happy Valentine's Day, Shunsui!

These roses may one day fade, but my love for you never will. I've loved you for a lifetime already, and I know I would love you for another lifetime more.

These are chocolates I made especially for you, infused with your favorite sake, just the way you like it. Every time you taste one, I hope you'd think of me thinking of how much I yearn to taste you.

With love,

Your Secret Admirer

He picked up the box of chocolates he hadn't noticed earlier as it was hidden behind the elaborate bouquet of roses. It was an elegant box with a pretty pink print of sakura blossoms, tied together with a pink bow. It almost looked too pretty to undo. Almost.

He slowly opened it and popped a cute heart-shaped chocolate into his mouth, savoring the taste of delicious chocolate mixed with the mild bite of the sake. It tasted absolutely divine.

He was floored. If this was a prank, it was truly an unnecessarily elaborate one.

But he allowed himself to cherish this moment in the solitude of his now quiet office. Handmade chocolates and flowers...it was something he would do for someone he was romancing. Now to be romanced by someone so extravagantly, it felt truly amazing. He couldn't believe someone made these with her own hands just for him. He didn't think he had something so sweet done for him in a very long time...maybe not forever.

He was the one who had always played the role of the romantic, the seducer, the lover...it did indeed feel nice to have this kind of charm turned on him.

But as much as he devoured the attention, he also felt strangely dismayed. Instinctively, he was a giver. It applied to his family and friends, and it definitely applied to his love life. Even if it was a summer fling, he still treated his companions with respect and adoration. In whatever way possible, he tried to give everything he could to those he loved and valued. It was not in him to not reciprocate. He didn't know how to not be a giver. It wasn't in his nature.

This time, he truly desperately wanted to shower his admirer with so much love and affection, and it killed him inside to not know who she was...

—

Read Part 4 next!

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[athela-3]

mankai company: cyberpunk

I never asked for this. But that’s just how ideas work, ain't it? One minute you’re mindlessly going through the daily grind, and the next moment it hits ya like a sucker punch to the gut. Then your mind’s racing, and you think: Why not? Whaddaya have to lose? You’ve rambled your way through semi-coherent flashes of inspiration before. Why should this one be different?

Note: everyone is aged up, oh, let’s say at least five years. Also, long post is long. I’m not joking. The page break is there for a reason.

Mankai Company is a modest-sized corporation specialising in biotechnology and cybernetics. But operating beneath its public face is a semi-covert band of mercs, private eyes, and fixers called Kaga Solutions, fully-equipped to navigate the mean city streets on command. Their founder and CEO, Yukio Tachibana, has recently disappeared; as per his express wishes, the company leadership is transferred to his estranged daughter, Izumi. 

Izumi Tachibana: the new CEO, more experienced in programming than in biotech, she wants to lead Mankai in a new direction focused on augmented reality and fluid human-machine interfacing, while also investigating her father's disappearance with its covert Kaga operatives.

Isuke Matsukawa: Yukio's—and now Izumi's—personal assistant who also handles most of the day-to-day finances, a seemingly bumbling man with hidden talents. He has more connections than you'd expect, and his loyalty is bone-deep.

Yuzo Kashima: a major shareholder in the company whose investments helped Yukio jump-start his dream into reality. Initially skeptical of Izumi's direction, he slowly grows to believe in her vision, even if he's still brutally honest about many things. He's aware of Kaga and the hidden side of Mankai, and is implied to have once partaken in it more personally.

Tetsuro Iwai: the local hardware genius. If you need something built, he'll figure out how to do it in record time. He's happy to work with the old boss' daughter, even if her ideas can stretch him to his limits sometimes.

Ken Sakoda: nobody's really sure what his official job is. He's just always there, usually appearing out of nowhere to do whatever Sakyo asks him to (there's rumours of a personalised cloaking device). This ranges from coffee runs to, ah, semi-legal inventory procurement.

Kamekichi: a robot parrot Yukio personally built as a pet project. Originally a prototype for robotic therapy animals, his code gave birth to his own emergent sassy personality.

Sakuya Sakuma: head of Engineering, what he lacks in experience he makes up in talent and dedication. Has politely declined playing a more active role in Kaga's assignments, declaring his current job to already be his dream job anyhow.

Masumi Usui: a tech prodigy, a quick learner who's always keen to impress Izumi for reasons which may not be strictly professional. Built his own memory implants from scratch, and is always willing to help with Kaga if ever asked.

Tsuzuru Minagi: the top dog when it comes to programming and software. Tends to overwork himself, especially at crunch time, but he writes top-notch code that leave Mankai's competitors scratching their heads. Also helps oversee and plan Kaga's missions, especially when it comes to concocting cover stories and identities.

Itaru Chigasaki: yet another punch-clock worker whose only skills lie in testing and bugfixing… or so he'd have you believe. In reality, he's one of Kaga's most reliable operatives, using his salaryman persona to relieve suspicion and gain people's trust. By the time his targets notice the "GG EZ" hacked onto every screen, it's too late.

Citron: another Kaga operative, people see him and think he's the expat office worker who struggles to string a coherent sentence together, so they don't always pay attention to what they say around him. Big mistake. If he can't evade you in conversation, then he'll evade you the traditional way and vanish seemingly into thin air.

Chikage Utsuki: formerly Itaru's senior at their old job, who followed him to Mankai for reasons of his own. He does minor coding for them now, but his primary focus is on being a field agent for Kaga, where his charm and covert investigative skills really come into play.

Tenma Sumeragi: a former child actor, now the company's face, appearing in advertisements and endorsements. He's great at both presenting Mankai's personable, human-interest agenda and selling Kaga's sharp professionalism to potential clients.

Yuki Rurikawa: hired fresh out of university, his sharp sense of aesthetics led Izumi to trust him with practically all of their product design. Every concept has to have his seal of approval before moving to the production stage. He also handles disguises for Kaga's operations.

Muku Sakisaka: formerly slated to compete in the Olympics before an accident, he now provides another public face for Mankai alongside Tenma. He writes a good deal of the company's promotional material, and has a strong sense of what would affect their clients.

Misumi Ikaruga: officially, he tests the more physical cybernetics, such as Sakuya's impact-dampeners or Tasuku's mountain-climbing legs; his videos performing literally superhuman parkour feats often end up as promotional material. Under the table, he's Kaga's go-to operative for situations requiring speed and agility.

Kazunari Miyoshi: head of the PR department, in charge of keeping their public image in the positive while also keeping Kaga’s activities mostly out of attention. He keeps everyone in the loop with current affairs, often feeding intel to his old friend Tsuzuru for planning.

Kumon Hyodo: baseball's new rising star, he started doing sponsorship and endorsement deals after Muku and Juza introduced him to Izumi. He's enthusiastic about working with them and often helps coming up with ideas for reaching into the sports demographic.

Banri Settsu: a bio-augmentation enthusiast and grey hat hacker, he once breached Mankai's firewalls basically out of boredom; when Izumi tracked him down, she decided to offer him a job in her cybersecurity division, and he agreed. Of course, as soon as he hears about Kaga, he all but jumps into it headlong.

Juza Hyodo: wanted to be a cop as a kid; that was before the city's corrupt police force disenchanted him of the idea. His cousin Muku convinced him to work for Mankai, so he thought he'd give the corporate samurai gig a chance. His earnest dedication quickly wins him a spot on Kaga, as do his excellent combat skills.

Taichi Nanao: initially a mole from Godza, sent to tear Kaga apart from within, he went turncoat within months and is now their primary source on Godza's methods and internal affairs. He balances quick and dirty combat tactics with his boyish charm and knack at appearing harmless.

Omi Fushimi: former military, honourably discharged after a terrorist attack took out his best friend and left him heavily injured. Now he works for Mankai as head of security, with a bit of unofficial HR thrown in there. Unlike the rest of Akigumi, he isn't part of Kaga, as he believes his focus should be on keeping the company safe and secure.

Sakyo Furuichi: head of Kaga, and its oldest member still on active duty. These days he mostly sticks to mission control, but occasionally lends support on the field if he deems it necessary. His sharp mind and eye for patterns makes him particularly good at planning missions, exit strategies, and backup plans.

Azami Izumida: the son of a yakuza boss who decided to leave the family business behind to strike out on his own, he still keeps a number of his old underworld contacts. Officially an intern, he's also eager to get into fieldwork with Kaga, putting his years of swordsmanship lessons to use.

Tsumugi Tsukioka: head of biotech, his research on how cranial implants can be used to treat sleep disorders turned him—and Mankai—into a household name. He infrequently lends a hand to Kaga by developing and fine-tuning their cybernetics.

Tasuku Takato: a former member of Godza, he quit his job to work for Mankai instead, and is now a valued member of their biotech team. He specialises in developing prosthetics for their more athletic clients, and like Tsumugi, focuses on his R&D most of the time.

Hisoka Mikage: formerly working for a similar fixer/PMC group, a near-fatal neuro-implant malfunction caused him to forget everything that happened since its installation. As Mankai found him, removed the bad implant, and nursed him back to health, he thought it's just apt to repay the debt by working for them. One of Kaga's most well-rounded operatives, he is strongest in stealth and wetwork.

Homare Arisugawa: an eccentric professor to his core; his studies range from urban to agrarian, sprawling across fields and topics, but his passion project lies in developing ocular implants that can read micro-expressions on the fly, allowing its owner to identify and record people's emotional reactions easily.

Azuma Yukishiro: the face of the biotech divison, he works closely with Mankai's clients to help them find the perfect cybernetics for their personal needs. He also often gleans information and gossip from his endless well of unsuspecting acquaintances and old contacts, passing them on to Kaga for their missions.

Guy: a friend of Citron's from his homeland; extensively cybernetically augmented after a major accident years ago, he claims to be more machine than human by this point. Ostensibly Homare's research assistant, he is a field agent for Kaga, equally skilled in hacking as he is in hand-to-hand combat.

[recurring-polynya]

First off, I love your work! Both formats— written and drawn. Second, I know it’s a long shot but I’m salivating over the idea of a Drabble featuring the Shinigami women’s association having a gossip fest (my fave setting besides anything RenRuki) about their latest sexcapades 😳 also Rukia having a moment where she says “it’s just so... big.” 🙈

Thank you so much, Anon! I fell down a little on the gossip half of it, mostly because I don’t really have any ships for the other ladies in the SWA, so I just used this as an excuse to have Rukia think about how much she likes banging Renji. I almost had Nanao read off her list of this week’s conquests as blind items, and decided that was too weird, even for me. (I still maintain that Nanao pulls and also, she has maintains a list of sex idiots so that she doesn’t curse anyone)

Anyway, here you go. I officially had to bump the rating of my drabble collection up to “mature” for this, although it’s more suggestion than description.

You can read this and my collected drabbles on AO3 or ff.net

Rukia fiddled with her teacup nervously, while Isane tumbled off on a long tangent on the best methods of sanitizing medical grade silicone. Next to her, a red-faced Kiyone stuffed rice crackers in her mouth and sank deeper in her seat. Usually, Rukia found Isane’s “fun facts!” to be rather interesting and informative, but Rukia’s mind was rather occupied at the moment.

Kusajishi Yachiru had many fine qualities. (Probably? Rukia wasn’t sure what she would say if called upon to list them) Punctuality was not one of them. There was nearly always at least 45 minutes between the time a Shinigami Women’s Association Meeting was supposed to start, and when it actually did. No one seemed to mind all that much, though, because that time was devoted to discussing things that were not appropriate to discuss in front of Yachiru.

Rukia had never had the opportunity to contribute to these discussions before.

She certainly could have. She wasn’t a virgin. It’s just that she was a rather private individual, and none of her previous dalliances had been public knowledge, and she wasn’t the sort of person to prance in, yodeling “Guess who got laaaaaaaaid this week!” (That was Rangiku. Rangiku got laid every week, but it never stopped her from announcing it.)

As it happened, Rukia had also gotten laid this week. She had gotten laid every night this week, actually, and the way Nanao and Rangiku kept eying her, she knew she was going to get asked about it, just as soon as Isane finished rambling.

That’s what happened when you started dating a hot stack of red-headed sex appeal, she supposed. She had long maintained a stoic silence every time the “how far down do you think the tattoos go?” conversation reared its head, no matter how many pointed glares were directed her way. There was no way they were going to let this pass without comment.

It’s not like she could have kept it a secret, even if she had wanted to. Renji had been grinning like a doofus ever since they made it official. Rukia was naturally a more private person, but she couldn’t possibly bring herself to tell him to tone it down. He’d been so patient and had worked so hard to get Byakuya’s approval, she didn’t want him to think for a second that she wasn’t just as proud to be his partner as he was to be hers. And to be honest, he wasn’t the only one walking around with a stupid grin on his face these days.

It would be easy enough to demur, to say they were taking it slow. Everyone knew who her brother was, after all, and even if they didn’t believe her, they would believe that a Kuchiki did not kiss and tell.

There was some part of her, though, that was dying to talk about him. It was so easy to look at a guy like Renji and jump straight to asking how she liked getting her back blown out every night. But the fact was, he was so sweet and so considerate. They’d been friends for ages, and it would have been easy to keep their lives as they were, just now with make-outs. But instead, he brought flowers to her office, and they’d had three dress-up dates. His attempts at fancy cooking had been a mixed bag, but she was really growing to appreciate eating by candlelight, and especially what it led to, more often than not.

Renji was stupidly romantic, actually, and not in that fake way that guys did things sometimes because they thought it would get them some action. No, he did things the way he thought she deserved. Not because she was a Kuchiki, it’s just the way he had always thought of her, as a person who deserved nice things. The time he covered his futon in rose petals was a little over the top (she was still teasing him about finding rose petals in inconvenient places), but she could feel it in the way he talked to her when they made love, the way he touched her, almost reverently. He took her happiness and pleasure as seriously as he took all his duties, and carried out his work with the same diligence and, ahem, attention to detail.

Which wasn’t to say they didn’t have fun! Despite her public, formal Kuchiki exterior, Rukia had ideas and a collection of things made of medical grade silicone. She had been a little nervous broaching the topic at first, but it turned out that Renji was up for adventure. At a few of her suggestions, he had made a face like he was trying to conjugate a verb in French or possibly do trigonometry, but he had yet to tell her no. Not everything they tried turned out to be a home run, but there had been some notable successes.

And when you got right down to it, Renji was also pretty damn good at everything his appearance promised he was. Six feet, two inches of iron muscle wrapped in tattoos, hair that looked like fire and felt like silk, sharp teeth, sharper eyes, smoldering over the top of his flashy sunglasses. He was a romantic, sure, but he was also horny as hell, and she had learned the hard way that if she asked for it rough, she was getting wrecked.

Rukia liked learning things the hard way.

She was in fact, reflecting on something she had learned the other day. Rukia had found physics class at Karakura High to be transcendentally boring, but the way Renji explained it gave her a newfound appreciation for forces and angles. She was just contemplating his take on pressure and volume, when--

“Hey! Rukia!”

Kiyone’s sharp elbow jabbed into her rib, and Rukia’s tea sloshed over her hand. “Eh?” she grunted stupidly.

“Well?” Nanao was staring at her.

“What?” Rukia sputtered.

“Tiger Stripes! How is he in the sack?” Rangiku demanded.

“Very large,” Rukia responded automatically. She sat for a moment before horror began pouring through her veins like ice water.

“Called it,” Captain Soi Fon announced. Rukia hadn’t even seen her come in.

“We all called it,” Nanao waved a dismissive hand at her.

“MEETING TIME!” Yachiru’s squeaky voice rang through the room. “I think we should plan a trip to the ROLLER RINK!”

Rukia sat stock still, tea dripping through her fingers.

Rangiku shot her a wink, taking her seat.

“I have some good lube recommendations,” Isane offered cheerfully, patting her on the shoulder. “We should talk about the meeting.”

“Yeah,” said Rukia, stiffly. “Let’s.”

[irondamsel]

Let’s talk about Lisa and Shunsui

Based on what little is shown in Bleach, thanks again to Tite (now referred to as a Monster) and what I perceived from it. Sit on tight because this is probably going to be a long ride, albeit limited to THREE impactful moments

So let's start with the the first one.

1.- The "Spanked your Ass" moment. Lisa and Shunsui first panel during past arc is this little gag. During Turn Back the Pendulum, they show us the real deal with all the Vizards, and the first scene Shunsui arrives, they introduce us almost implicitly that Lisa is his Lieutenant, and judging by this wording, it has been that way for more than a while, the way Lisa treated and adressed Shunsui as a Captain was much more physical and direct than her successor, who despite keeping him in “line”, she kept her distance, just like the rest of the Lieutenants. And yet, Lisa spanked her Captain’s ass and made him FLUSTERED. SHE FLUSTERED SHUNSUI. 2.- The “Can I count on you?” moment.

aka the longest scene we see Shunsui and Lisa interacting, thanks to whom I previously referred to as The Monster (smh). Once Kensei's Squad disappeared, we see Hiyori going after them, and a worried-to-death Kisuke. To give this inexperted Captain a lesson, Shunsui decided to send his own lieutenant, instead of Tessai to the Rescue Mission.

And I need to stop here to take something into consideration.

We have three Captains in this rescue group Yamamoto decided to send: Shinji, Rose, and Love, and the Commander and Vice Commander of the Kido Corps, Tessai and Hacchi respectively. We've seen Hacchi's potential during his fight with Baraggan, since the second most powerful Kido master defeated Baraggan. And Tessai, only a bit later than the scene we're talking about here, manipulated Time and Space with "relatively" ease.

Now, I'm not saying Shunsui is stronger than Time-Lord Tessai and Death-Berserker Hacchi, but Shunsui recognizes Lisa (his Lieutenant) is strong enough to convince Yamamoto to let her go. More about Lisa's true strength in another post, let's head back to Shunsui and Lisa.

During the scene, two things are noticeable. The first one, there's this emergency meeting late at night and Lisa is, not only aware of it, but she goes and spies on it, justifying herself saying it's just "human nature". Shunsui, on his side, is shown, on the contrary with Nanao, as the one who has to put boundaries to his Lieutenant, with little to no success whatsoever.

And then we have the summary of their relationship in four sentences.

Between the previous scene, and this one, there's no time in between, they come one after the other, and you can see Shunsui's easygoing personality against Lisa's fierce one, and they're not clashing, they flow with mutual trust and respect for each other. Shunsui deeply trusts and knows all his Lieutenant’s flaws and perks, and Lisa knows her Captain’s the same way, breaking the boundaries a professional relationship had to turn it into much more. Shunsui has an innate talent at reading people, yet Lisa was able to read him in return. But then everything goes to Hell and Shunsui decides to forget he had a lieutenant for a hundred years, which takes us to the THIRD and last scene. 3.- The "Reunion" moment. I have to say I’ve never felt so many emotions with so little dialogue in between. A hundred years later, the Vizard arrive the scene and we have the moment when Shinji asks if anyone wants to talk to someone of the Gotei. Answers are blunt and uninterested. Except for one:

Shunsui’s and Lisa’s reunion starts with a comic-relief moment where Lisa seems particularly aware Shunsui’s overall fine after Coyote attack.

We also see a not-at-all surprised Shunsui that Lisa’s there (after being hollowfied-sentenced to death-exiled for a hundred years) safe and sound. Which of course grants me a tad little more of comic relief violence. But also, he makes her blush. B L U S H Not even Ichigo calling her a pervert (Something that really TRIGGERED her) made stone-cold goddess blush. But Shunsui using the lamest cheesy line in the story of Lame Cheesy Lines did it. After a hundred years of abandonment.

Then, comic relief is over and the angst comes . She doesn't storm at him, there’s no fight, no blames. Instead, her attention is completely in the fact she failed him a hundred years ago, that she didn't get the job, and she now is ready to show him she’s stronger than she’s ever been. And most importantly, she doesn't need him anymore.

And to that, Shunsui doesn't have anything to say. He grants her with a smile and a word of acceptance. It wasn’t what she was expecting, but it was enough for now. Then she leaves, and his smile vanishes as if it wasn't there to begin with. It didn’t matter how stronger she had become, in that little moment, Lisa was still broken. During a hundred years, she needed her Captain with her, she needed his support. And he wasn’t there for her. And he knew that all too well.

There's no other scene after this. We can just assume he went back to the Gotei and she went back with the Vizards and they never spoke to each other again for the next two years. Even when she returns during the Quincy War, there's no interaction. Except for this moment.

And then, in the epilogue, Lisa is proudly wearing the Captain robe. Why she decided to return? I had a few theories. Unfortunately, her fear to be treated like trash again was greater than her sense of duty after Karakura’s battle. But she does return after ten years. The two reasons I decided were crucial for Lisa to return were: The Vizards, and Shunsui. (more about the Vizards another time, lets focus on Shunsui. Which is my favorite thing to do btw). This time, we have a broken Shunsui, one who has lost everything and has been condemned to all the burden Yamamoto used to carry. Two of his pillars are gone, and he has no one but his dear niece. And Lisa. It doesn’t matter how much resentment she could hold due to abandonment. She swore to be his Lieutenant until her death. And if Shunsui needs her, she will be there for him. She does fear rejection, she does fear abandonment (hence why she needed an extra push, her family’s safety). But Shunsui is her Captain, and she will always be there having his back. And Shunsui knows it.

So, to wrap it up, I think time mattered little when it came to them, they didn’t have to start all over again, they still hold their mutual respect and caring for each other. And this proves you don’t need a thousand scenes to show how strong a bond can be. It can be just three simple scenes.

[jkrobertson]

UlquiHime Week 2019 Day 6: Possession

Read on Ao3 |  Fanfiction.net  

Or read under the cut.  This is the last piece originally earmarked for a Vega + Altair UlquiHime zine that was cancelled, but it fits today’s theme in a lemon-flavored way.  Enjoy! @ulquihimeweek​

Also another shoutout to Beta @slytherkins​!  THANK YOU!

 Vega’s Corruption

She was known as Vega to most, but to those who knew her best, she was called Orihime.  Vega was a name passed down to her from her mother and her mother before her. Her line had been tasked by the gods to protect the pocket of brambleberry bushes she called home.

 The problem was, no one really ever bothered to traipse through this dark, secluded area of the woods.  Orihime often found herself lonely, and frankly, bored.

 She filled her time the way her mother had, except that Orihime had no daughter to dote on and tell stories to.  Her own mother had absconded with a green-haired centaur years ago. The previous Vega had told her that her time as guardian of the brambleberry patch had run its course and wished her daughter luck, presenting her with a golden lyre and hair ornaments in the shape of sacred six-petaled blackberry blossoms.

 A clear brook cut a path through the forest, and occasionally a water sprite would pass through and tell her the gossip from upstream: general goings-on and who had been smote by whom; that kind of thing. She also learned who had been fornicating with whom.  Just a fortnight ago she had learned that a beekeeper by the name of Nanao had been chased from her post by a jealous goddess after falling pregnant by the god of wine.  

 They were worrisome, all these cautionary tales. Orihime would listen to these sordid stories with rapt attention and then fall back, mindlessly strumming her lyre, sighing in relief that no charming demigods ever wandered into her brambleberry patch. 

 It wouldn’t be until after she retired into her thicket that the images conjured in her mind by those stories would replay behind closed eyelids, causing her belly to squirm and her thighs to tremble.

 Her peace collapsed one evening when the forest stilled just after dusk.  It was an unnatural silence. Orihime ducked into her thicket just in time to avoid a phalanx of bats coursing over the brook, chasing away the fireflies that had lit up the waning moon evening.  After the shrieks and fluttering wings had quieted, she stepped back out of her den and cautiously looked around. She did not anticipate finding herself nearly nose to chin with a pale face containing large, deep jade and amber eyes.

 “Oh!” she yelped, taking a hurried step back and observing his form. The face appeared to belong to a male, and as she looked down his body she found that she was correct.  This satyr had unconventional characteristics, but she was able to place the tall, ear-like horns and long, prehensile, tufted tail. The wings were different. “Who are you, what are you, and what are you doing in my brambleberry patch?” she demanded in an unsteady voice.

 The satyr’s heavy brows lowered, eyes narrowing slightly.  “I seek the Vega.” He took a firm step toward her. “Have I found you, woman?” 

 “Who are you?” she asked again in alarm, taking a half-step back before her retreat was halted as her back made contact with the thicket.

 “Like you, I have many names--Niulang, Bunji, Altair-- but you shall call me Ulquiorra.  What shall I call you?” he asked, expressionless eyes boring into her soul as he voiced the question.

 She sucked in a quick breath, responding before thinking about whether it was wise to share this information, “Um, uh, my name is Orihime.”

 “Orihime,” the dark being let the name curl around his tongue and slide out of his lips with an understated sensuality.  “I see. Orihime, I will return on the seventh night of the seventh moon, and on that night I will be prepared for you to accept me.  Before then, I shall present you with three offerings.” Ulquiorra took another step toward her, his breath warm on her face and his leathery wings shielding her view from anything but him.  “Until next time, Woman,” he said, then flew away.

 Orihime released the breath she held with a gasp and clutched her chest, her heart racing below the surface.  She did not sleep easily that night, her dreams plagued with images of reptilian eyes and black fur.

 ***

 It was only ten days before Orihime was once again visited by a cloud of shrieking sky creatures announcing her strange visitor’s return.  This time she cowered inside of her den and waited until he called to her.

“Orihime.”

 Why her legs unfolded and her feet brought her to him mystified her.  When she stood before him, they regarded one another in silence for several moments.  The only sound that could be heard in the quiet was their soft breathing.  

 The pressure of the silence became too much for her to bear as those tense moments passed, but before she opened her mouth to speak, he relented, stepping to the side and breaking their eye contact. Ulquiorra pointed a clawed finger toward the heavens and asked, “Do you see that, up there, Woman?”

 Orihime’s line of sight followed his arm towards the night sky and to a smattering of stars.  “Yes. That’s Lyra. That’s where I am from,” she answered, referencing the constellation in the shape of a lyre.  “The brightest of those stars is Vega.”

 “You have learned well.  And you are indeed brilliant, Vega,” he said, his voice dropping to a deep tone and his eyes returning to hers, this time with a hungry glint.  “My first offering attempts to capture your nocturnal brilliance so that you may carry it during the day. Wear it and remember who gave it to you,” he murmured as he slipped a golden necklace, with a perfectly clear crystal amulet, over her head.  “Until we meet again, Woman,” was all he said, without allowing her the chance to speak before flying off again.

 ***

 The next morning, a friendly water sprite passed through Orihime’s brambleberry patch. The guardian of the berries was more distracted than usual, walking slowly, examining the sparkling ornament that she still wore around her neck.

 “Vega?  Veggga? Vega!  Did you lose your hearing?” the sprite barked.

 Orihime’s head snapped to look at the figure in the brook.  “Ah! Rukia! I’m sorry, I was lost in thought.”

 “I see that. I’ve stopped by to pass on a tidbit of information.  The fireflies told the bees, and the bees told the beekeepers, and the beekeepers told the meadmakers, and the meadmakers told me, that a dark visitor has been through this part of the woods, not once, but twice in the space of two weeks.  Rumor has it that the dark one is none other than new Altair, and that he seeks a mate.”

 Orihime’s eyes widened and her breath caught in her throat as she fingered the amulet.  “Altair, you say? What can you tell me of this creature?” she asked after finding her voice.

 “Well,” Rukia began, her eyes darting from one side to the other before looking at Orihime with a knowing smirk, planting her elbows into the mossy bank of the brook.  “I heard that he is a huge black demon with glowing red eyes and a cock the size of a centaur’s.”

 “Rukia!” Orihime whined. She didn’t want to hear about something like that.  Then again… She bit her lip and looked away for a moment, her cheeks turning pink before she turned to kneel on the bank before the water sprite, her brow worried and small fists pressed into her knees as she asked, “It can’t possibly be  that  big, can it?”  She had to clear her dry throat.

 An evil glint sparkled in Rukia’s eyes as they trailed from Orihime’s face down her neck, before landing on the amulet that now swung freely above her breasts.  The sprite chuckled before responding, “Maybe not  that  big, but certainly impressive.  The meadmakers may have exaggerated a bit, you know how they can get after a few mugs.  Why does it concern you so, Vega?”

 Orihime swallowed and nodded in understanding before she replied, “Oh, um, no reason.  Just curious.” She took a small comfort in the fact that Rukia’s description was only somewhat close to the visitor she had received the night before… The one with deep green and yellow eyes that her memory got lost in…

 “Vega?  Vega… Yoo-hoo,” Rukia said, waving a hand in front of Orihime’s face.  “Where did your mind go?” The sprite’s expression was suggestive.

 Orihime’s russet hair whipped back and forth as she shook her head.  “Um, nothing, really. Just, um, hoping that he doesn’t come to visit me,” she answered, her fingers closing over the amulet.

 “Uh huh, sure,” came Rukia’s dubious reply.  “Anyway, just wanted to warn you. Take care, Vega!” she said before disappearing under the surface of the water.

 ***

 Only a soft flapping sound disturbed the silence of the night a week and some days later. No bats, no scattering of fireflies.  “Vega? Orihime? Come out,” the now familiar voice called from outside Orihime’s den.

 The woman came out quietly, stopping short when her eyes fell upon the figure waiting for her.  The eyes were different, only green on white sclera. The wings remained, but now, regular, more human-looking hands replaced the clawed, furry ones she had first met with.  She took a step toward him, examining the white robes and horned helm he wore. “Ulquiorra?” she asked after a moment, unsure that it was still him.

 “Of course,” he answered, thrusting something toward her chest.

 She looked down to see a bouquet of jasmine and other night-blooming flowers.  “What’s this?” she asked, looking up from the flowers to his face, observing the black streaks that ran from his eyes to his chin and how his stature seemed slightly smaller and less intimidating than before. The corners of her lips tilted up as she began to realize what the object he held was before he had a chance to answer.

 “They are flowers, Woman.  My second gift. Their bloom and beauty are a pale reflection of your own, but by presenting them to you, I am attempting to capture your favor.  Is it not a common wooing practice?” the dark-haired creature spoke in a flat tone.

 Orihime choked on a giggle.  What kind of person was this?  Certainly a forthright one. “It is.  And I thank you. I never had an opportunity to do it last time,” she murmured, blushing and smiling down at the flowers.  

 Heavy black brows rose marginally, and Ulquiorra’s chest expanded with a slow, deep breath as he took in the image of the bashful woman before him.  “I must go. Our next meeting shall be on the date we previously discussed. Until then, Orihime,” he said thickly before he seemingly disappeared into the night sky.

 “Until then, Ulquiorra,” Orihime replied in a soft voice toward the star that shared his other name.

 ***

 The seventh day of the seventh month was upon her.  Orihime spent the day pacing and nervous. Was she really going to do this?  Was she prepared to submit to this mysterious being that had appeared to her only briefly on three occasions until now?

 It surprised her as much as anyone, if she had the nerve to tell anyone, that her answer was yes.

 Rukia had been by again in the days since his last visit, as had Rangiku, the frequently inebriated wife of a meadmaker.  Others had come and chatted with Orihime, sharing stories of a dark being on the prowl.  

 She never let on what she knew.

 This night, after twilight faded, Orihime did not retire to her thicket. She had prepared for this meeting, washing her body and hair, brushing out the long chestnut strands until they gleamed. She wore a fresh set of robes and waited outside, fondling the gifted amulet, and smelling the night-blooming flowers that had sprouted around the entrance of her den.  

 She did not have to wait long.  This time there was no flapping of wings, only soft, steady footsteps that announced his arrival.

 “Woman, you are not hiding,” he observed on seeing her standing amongst the flowers.

 “I’m not.”

 “Do I frighten you, Woman?”

 “No, I’m not afraid,” came the honest reply.

 With that, he strode before her, looking more like a man than he ever had.  The black markings on his face were reduced to thin, teal-colored lines. His hair was shorter, and his overall appearance completely unmenacing.  “Good. My final gift to you, Woman, are these words,” he said, taking her hands into his and looking into her eyes. “Your light has beckoned me from the heavens.  Your beauty and brilliance are beyond compare. You are my star, my soulmate. We were born for each other; destined to meet. As you can see in the skies above, our celestial homes are linked together on this night. It is my intention to make this a permanent connection.  If you will accept it, I will entrust my heart to you.”

 She didn’t know why, and she didn’t know how, but her answer was effortless when she replied, “Yes.  I accept.” 

 That was all it took.  The impassive, stone expression she had come to expect cracked as Ulquiorra’s eyes narrowed and one side of his mouth curled up slightly into a pleased expression laced with desire.  “Then, my woman,” he began, reaching out to touch her throat, trailing two fingers up the front of the delicate column until they stopped to grasp her chin, “are you prepared to unite with me and consummate our union?”

 A gulp.  Orihime’s mouth felt dry and her lips parted.  Her eyelids felt heavy. This was really happening.  “Yes,” she breathed, finding her subsequent breath difficult, shuddering past her wet lips.

 Ulquiorra took another step towards her and tilted her chin up.  “Then from this night forward, I belong to you, Orihime,” he whispered before lowering his lips to hers, their deceptively soft surface pressing against hers firmly; insistently.  It felt like he was trying to pass a part of his soul to hers as his breath filled her nostrils.

 Orihime was not prepared for her body’s reaction to his kiss.  Her hands moved on their own to his chest, slowly sliding up to his neck until her fingertips reached the sides of his face.  Her lips parted further then, and her sweet breath ghosted between their faces as she tilted hers slightly to the side.

 A deep rumble that started in his chest and growled past his throat left Ulquiorra as his mouth opened and his tongue found its way to hers, its textured surface sliding against hers in a slow, dragging motion, in and out, pulling hers into his own mouth from time to time. He tasted like wine and she couldn’t get enough of it.  As difficult as it was to breathe, Orihime found herself trying to drink his tongue into her body. Every time it retreated, she followed it, desperately whimpering for more.

 His hands began to explore her body, the one on her chin sliding down her front to cup her breast, the other finding her ribs and sliding down the side of her waist to her hip. Both hands then reached around her back and pressed her body to his, breaking their kiss.

 “Vega, I have waited for you for so long, you have no idea…” Ulquiorra’s whispers were harsh between heaving breaths as he held her tightly, burying his face into the side of her neck.

 Her fingers wormed their way into his silky hair, and she felt a swell of affection bloom in her chest, temporarily drowning out the lustier thoughts clouding her brain.  “I’m here,” she replied in a gentle voice.

 She watched his pale face pull back from her and find her eyes.  She was surprised to see a mix of emotion swirling below his row of long black lashes: longing, hope, lust, affection, and most surprisingly, fear.  He swallowed as an ivory finger brushed a stray lock of hair out of her face and admitted, “I don’t know what I’m doing…”

 The affection she felt earlier surged, and she smiled, pulling down at the base of his skull and rising onto her toes to kiss him.  “Neither do I,” she whispered after the kiss was broken. “But I think you were doing just fine.”

 He nodded, releasing her from his hold and taking half a step back as his hands began to release the fastenings of his robes.  When they were free, he allowed them to fall to the ground and stood before her, his white skin luminous in the starlight.

 Orihime was dazzled for a moment, breathing shallowly and letting her eyes wander over his form.  She chanced a look between his legs and suppressed a scoff. She hadn’t seen  that  many centaurs, but what she saw now was nowhere near as intimidating as what those beasts carried.  Her shoulders relaxed and she took another step back, this time releasing the pin at her shoulder that held her robes in place.  All at once she was bare to him, and she stood still, watching his face as he gazed upon her.

 It did not last long.

 His eyes traveled from her face down her body and his nostrils flared. His eyes narrowed, and in the next instant they were on the ground, her discarded robes providing a slight cushion for their bodies as he ran his hands over her, from her throat to the tips of her swollen breasts, following them with his mouth.  His lips left a trail of kisses down her belly. His hands paused at her pelvis, kneading at the sides of her hips as his mouth reached her curls and the scent of her arousal hit his nose.

 One hand traveled from the side of her body to the juncture of her legs, spreading them gently and watching how her body parted for him, the glistening surface a pretty reflection of the stars; an intimate replication of the jewel she still wore around her neck.  His long fingers reached out to touch the slick surface and he hissed.

 He bit his lip as he allowed one digit to penetrate her, nearly choking on his own tongue in response to the sensation.  His thumb drifted toward the top of her slit and her reaction seemed to please him as she moaned softly in response to it reaching her nub.

 He could wait no longer. “Are you sure, Woman?” he asked, looking up at her face with fire in his eyes.

 She nodded.  “I’m sure,” she finally murmured, spreading her legs further still and raising her hips, pressing his finger into her more deeply before he withdrew it.

 He slid both hands back up the sides of her body, pausing to press her breasts together, lapping at her taut nipples as he positioned his hips between her thighs.  When his face reached hers, he looked into her eyes. He said nothing as he shifted his hips towards hers. The head of his cock dipped between her folds and wetted itself on her essence.  He probed the space between her legs and watched her face intently.

 She hummed and sighed and twisted her body, her instincts pushing her to find the connection to him it wanted. She tilted and squirmed, her movements lead by an increasingly frantic need that she did not understand until it happened; just the right angle, just the right twist, and the head of his cock breached her entrance.  Her breath left her softly and she let her head fall back, her eyes closing. A small smile pulled on her lips, despite not knowing what to expect next.

 Ulquiorra whimpered as he felt his member swallowed by what felt like a hot, damp sheath made to his exact specifications.  He took several shallow breaths before working up the courage to push into her further, his brows furrowed and his eyes trained on her expression.  What could she be thinking, looking so serene, so perfect? “Woman?” he breathed, not sure what he was asking.

 “Yes, my love?” The words fell from her lips without forethought.  Her heart had the reins.

 It was all the encouragement he needed.  His face relaxed a bit and he pushed into her with purpose, slow but steady, pausing only briefly as her brows twitched and her expression grew tense when he filled her completely.  Once he was completely seated inside of her, he stopped again and waited for her features to relax and open up to him. When they did, and her eyes were open, he replied, “Tell me if it’s too much.”

 She opened her mouth for him when his lips came down onto hers, letting his tongue fill it as he began to move inside of her.  Her soft, high-pitched moans filled the brambleberry patch as their movements synchronized into a rhythm. She felt the heat within her grow and the tension between them intensify as their bodies slid against one another, slick with the sweat of their exertion.  Her feet planted into the soil to help lift her hips up to reach his thrusts and her fingers clawed at his back as he broke their kiss with a snarl and latched on to the side of her neck, increasing the pace of his pounding hips and grunting into her skin.

 This had to be heaven, she thought, as Orihime’s blood raced through her veins and her ears filled with the sounds of his growls, which morphed into pleading whimpers as he chased his goal.  She felt her core pulse around him, her toes curling into the ground as she raised her hips and held, her entire body clenching as she cried out and the bliss of her undoing overwhelmed her. The patterns of the Milky Way appeared behind her closed eyelids with each beat of her heart.  Her body drank Ulquiorra’s seed from his as he joined her, falling apart as jet after jet filled her body, his choked groan in her ear announcing her victory.

 After the last spasms of pleasure sparked through her, she relaxed her legs, lowering her hips to the ground slowly and releasing the tension in her fingers to trail her hands up his body to his face.  She cracked an eye open to see his flushed cheeks and swollen mouth. He looked stunningly erotic as his breath puffed past his lips and just a sliver of emerald green glimpsed through the thick black lashes that obscured his eyes.

 “Are you…?” he asked her breathlessly.

 “Perfect?  Happy? Fulfilled?  Yes,” she provided answers to his unasked questions.

 He smiled then and let his face fall onto her chest, one hand grasping at his robes that had fallen somewhere off to the side, and then pulled them up to cover their cooling bodies.  “Then we are both satisfied, Woman,” he murmured as his eyes closed.

 “Ha,” she chuckled, her fingers raking through his hair lazily before she tilted her head to kiss his brow.  “For now, anyway.”

 A smirk and a sleepy laugh answered her.  “For now.”

[recentanimenews]

Bookshelf Briefs 5/28/20

Dr. STONE, Vol. 11 | By Riichiro Inagaki and Boichi | Viz Media – Balloons! Yes, Dr. STONE is taking it upon itself to do something it does best, which is show off the gorgeous vistas of this not-really-that-explored future Japan it takes place in. And that means hot air balloons. It also means speedboats! But alas, just because Senku is a scientist does not mean he can cook. So they use some of the last remaining fluid to un-stone a butler-cum-chef-cum-everything, Francois, who is flamboyant and also a lot of fun. There’s actually some really good humor in this volume as well, be it the reporter getting her camera and its undercutting right afterwards, or Senku’s Einstein impersonation. This remains one of the essential Jump titles. – Sean Gaffney

Dungeon Builder: The Demon King’s Labyrinth Is a Modern City!, Vol. 2 | By Rui Tsukiyo and Hideaki Yoshikawa | Seven Seas – After wrapping up the cliffhanger from the first volume (he names his first monster girl, which gives her the power-up (and bust expansion) she needs to win), the cast gets down to the nitty-gritty of what he wants to do: build a city, not a dungeon, which feeds on positive emotions. Of course, there are a few problems. Location, labor costs, the neighboring demon lords, and of course Marcho’s impending death, which she seems to have accepted more than Procel has. This remains sort of mid-tier manga—not interesting enough to stand out, but the pages turn easily, and you could do worse. Also, brilliant pun for the back-cover blurb. – Sean Gaffney

Éclair Blanche: A Girls’ Love Anthology That Resonates in Your Heart | By Various Artists | Yen Press – The second of the Éclair anthologies to come out over here, this one seems to focus more attention on love that is already in bloom when the story begins than love that we see the start of. There’s a nice mix of funny, heartwarming, sad, and generally melancholic. Some highlights are “Azalea Corner,” about a minion’s crush on the arrogant ojou she follows; “The Unemployed Woman and the High School Girl,” which should be awful but is by Canno so is cute instead; and “That Summer Won’t Come Again,” about a girl trapped in her sister’s past who bonds with a senpai and learns to swim again. There’s good and not-so-good here, but overall well worth buying. – Sean Gaffney

Éclair Blanche: A Girls’ Love Anthology That Resonates in Your Heart | By Various Artists | Yen Press – This is the second Éclair anthology, but aside from two continuations, all the stories here are new. The quality varies, and it seems the better stories are in the front. The first story, Fly’s “Flowers in a Storm,” sets the tone for bittersweet, ambiguous endings with the tale of a first kiss that comes too late. There are also several stories about unrequited love for a friend who loves someone else, be it another girl, an idol, or a guy. Kabocha’s “Though Summer Won’t Come Again” is a standout, about a girl who assumes the senpai she’s developed feelings for prefers her older sister, as everyone else seems to. Unfortunately, I found the stories toward the end of the volume to be less enjoyable, particularly the final one, which includes the most awkward teacher-student embrace I have ever seen. Still, I will read the next installment when it comes out! – Michelle Smith

I Didn’t Mean to Fall in Love | By Minta Suzumaru | Futekiya (digital only) – Yoshino Kiritani is a beautiful 30-year-old salaryman who happens to be both gay and a virgin. With no relationship prospects on the horizon and wanting to finally have sex, he goes to a gay bar, meets a charismatic college student named Rou, and sleeps with him. The back-and-forth that follows between these two guys is so well done. Rou is a notorious playboy with a hot-and-cold routine he has employed many times to manipulate his conquests into falling for him and confessing their feelings. He tries this on Yoshino, even though he’s actually serious about him, but it doesn’t work. Self-effacing Yoshino genuinely thinks Rou wants nothing more to do with him, forcing Rou to face the seriously scary prospect of rejection by declaring his feelings first. There are a few explicit scenes, but they serve the characters and story well. Highly recommended! – Michelle Smith

Love Me, Love Me Not, Vol. 2 | By Io Sakisaka | Viz Media – First of all, a word of advice to the author: don’t sink people’s ships in your author’s notes, OK? Secondly, this continues to have the strengths of Io Sakisaka titles—it gets teenage love in a good way, has characters who are likeable but clearly flawed, shows gradual character growth, and has clean, easy-to-follow art. She’s still trying to balance out the idealistic girl with the realistic girl, though it may be leaning towards the former. Sadly, it also contains what’s always been one of this author’s big weaknesses to me—I like her series but never love them. Each volume is fun to read and I’d call it good, but it’s never going to be tops in my favorite shoujo manga lists. It’s not life-changing the way a Yona of the Dawn is. – Sean Gaffney

Ping Pong, Vol. 1 | By Taiyo Matsumoto | Viz Media – Ever since Matsumoto was a guest at TCAF in 2013 and spoke in depth about the series, its development, and how it fit into his overall career, I’ve been desperately wanting to read Ping Pong in English. When the excellent anime adaptation came and went soon after and the original manga still hadn’t been licensed, I didn’t expect that we’d ever see it translated. But it is actually here! The first of two beautifully designed omnibus volumes. And I am absolutely in love with Matsumoto’s Ping Pong. Ostensibly a high school sports manga, Ping Pong spends very little time explaining the ins and outs of the game even though table tennis is essentially omnipresent; instead, the series devotes its attention almost entirely to the characters themselves. With strong psychological elements, in part the work’s themes explore talent, motivation, and self-determination, all supported by Matsumoto’s distinctive and spectacularly dynamic and expressive artwork. – Ash Brown

Prince Freya, Vol. 1 | By Keiko Ishihara | VIZ Media – The land of Tyr is threatened by Sigurd, the empire to the north. Our “wimpy and weak” heroine, Freya, happens to be the spitting image of Prince Edvard, who’s just been poisoned by Sigurd, and so takes on the role of impersonating him to protect her country. Alas, Freya’s performance as Edvard (and characterization in general) is inconsistent and in a way that doesn’t seem intentional on the mangaka’s part. Sometimes she boldly and capably takes action, sometimes she just cries. In my notes I wrote, “This ain’t no Basara,” prompted by a panel in which Freya is making an extremely insipid face because of something sappy her love interest has just said, but then something super dramatic and unexpected occurs and… well, now I’m cautiously on board. It may turn out to be fluffier than I would like, but I will at least give it a couple more volumes. – Michelle Smith

The Quintessential Quintuplets, Vol. 9 | By Negi Haruba | Kodansha Comics – There’s less swapping in this one, but the one time there is a swap it blows the reader out of the water. I suspect Ichika’s popularity took a nosedive after this volume, as her ideal of “all’s fair in love and war” is taken to a somewhat cruel conclusion. She’s not even the thirstiest of the quints, as both Nino and Miku are trying to make their feelings for Futaro as clear to him as possible. Meanwhile, Yotsuba is trying the opposite tactic, saying that she’ll support whichever sister that isn’t her he picks, showing off a core of self-deprecation that we’ve seen before, but never to this level. And then there’s Itsuki, who seems to have forgotten she was supposed to be first girl. Great harem antics. – Sean Gaffney

Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts, Vol. 9 | By Yu Tomofuji | Yen Press – I missed reviewing the eighth volume of this, for some reason; I’m not sure why. It continues to be quietly sweet, with a heroine who perhaps leans a little too much towards “can save everyone by the sheer power of being really nice.” That said, nice can only go so far, and when she discovers a country that’s being blackmailed into slavery, nice becomes determined and fierce. There’s also some tortured romance at the start—the king’s chief bodyguard and the princess’s attendant clearly are headed towards each other, but there are a few steps back here before we can move forward once more. I admit that I’d likely enjoy this more without its central conceit of animal people, but oh well. – Sean Gaffney

Snow White with the Red Hair, Vol. 7 | By Sorata Akiduki | Viz Media – I admit I was a bit more surprised than Shirayuki was at the identity of the leader of the Lions of the Mountain. That said, it does remind us that Shirayuki is another one of those great “shoujo heroines who underreacts to everything,” which can be quite amusing when done right. That said, this volume is when the series transitioned from the quarterly DX to the main LaLa magazine, and as such much of the middle part is taken up with introducing new readers to the main cast and the situation. This includes an amusing “personality reversal” chapter where Mitsuhide starts acting like a chivalrous knight. the book ends with the implication that their love is going public. How will that go? Great shoujo. – Sean Gaffney

Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina, Vol. 1 | By Jougi Shiraishi, Itsuki Nanao, and Azure | Square Enix – This is a manga adaptation of the first fourth or so of the light novel, and it’s a very good adaptation. I will admit that Elaina is a lot more expressive than I was expecting… her delivery in the novels is somewhat cool… but it makes sense given the manga’s visual medium, and she’s cute. This volume shows off what we’re going to get from now on: some cute fluffy stories, some melancholic stories with deaths, some stories of Elaina having to extricate herself from a situation, and some backstory showing how she came to be wandering. The final story was one of my favorites in the book, and it’s the best one here too. A nice adaptation. – Sean Gaffney

By: Ash Brown