#the game is just. sitting next to me. akira is just staring at the ground in leblanc

[townslore]

i dont know why but one of my favourite lines from goro are “lets make a deal, okay? you wont say no, will you?”

i dont know it just. it sounds kind of.. intimate to me? like, this is kind of the only deal akira makes with goro.. at the end of his confidant. every other confidant starts with a deal; something akira has to fullfil for the other person, getting something in return. after that, their bond is strong, but.. they have no reason to meet up anymore, basically, at least on the surface level.

it was never like that with goro. they just hung out for the sake of it. akira listened to him because he wanted to, not because goro asked him to as part of a deal. and the part that sounds intimate is just.. well, the “okay?” sounds very soft, but then theres the “you wont say no, will you?”

its all so. familiar. goro knows akira will do this for him.

goro knows akira.

[hockeyforthefirsttime]

Speechless- Nolan Patrick

AN: Is the ending literal trash? yes, do i care at this point? also yes, but not enough

Word count: just over 3k

TW: none that I can think of, but let me know if i need to tag something:)

i

Nolan is definitely bored at the bar. He is out and supposed to be celebrating a win, but third wheeling with Tavis and Karly, simply is not fun. Not that it ever has been, but as he watches them laugh at each other on the dance floor.. well he takes a deep sigh and an even deeper swig of his beer. Some of the team is gathered around the bar ordering another round of drinks, and as he is scanning the crowd a woman walks in front of him, making him look up at her. 

And stop dead in his thoughts. 

She is wearing jeans that cling to her curves just right, a deep magenta top that seems to wrap around her stomach, before it reveals a little more than he can handle, and he looks up at her and sees the ghost of a smile on her lips. She isn’t looking at him though. She seems to be looking into the crowded dance floor, and Nolan desperately wants to know who she is looking for. 

In any other situation like this, he would have swept her off of her feet and wouldn’t have put her down until they’d reach his bed. But her obliviousness to him has knocked him off balance it seems. 

“Hey Patty, me and Karly are gonna head home. Want a ride?” 

Travis comes up to Nolan, Karly in tow and the mysterious girl moves with a quiet sorry and a fleeting smile. Nolan can feel his eyes drift after her before he meets Travis’ eyes, which are brimming with amusement. 

“Nah, I’m good.” 

He answers, and Travis bursts out laughing. 

“What, so you can sit here and stare like some kind of creep the rest of the night?” 

Nolan sees Karly gently shoving on Travis, also having noticed Nolans lingering gaze. 

“As opposed to going home in the same car as you two rabbits? No thank you.” 

Travis and Karly bid their goodbyes as the rest of the team and their significant others appear back at the table. Nobody seems to take notice of the Nolans distantness though, pinning it down as just his Philly personality. Nobody really sees him staring at this girl dancing in vans and a pink top. 

As the song ends he watches her go up to the bar, so in normal Nolan fashion he gets up and heads in that direction. He takes a look down at his watch and in a second, a split fucking second, she is gone. 

ii

He’s so fucking tired. The game last night had been decent. They’d won in overtime and Nolan had the assist, yet he keeps going over the chances he had and the chances he missed making in his head. Driving to the rink is dreary but even more so than usual. It’s not until he stops at a red light that he wakes up. He’s supporting his head on his left arm and looking out the passenger seat window. His eyes widen when he sees who is in the beaten up truck next to him. 

The girl from the bar three weeks ago. She has her hair down her shoulders and is looking at him through her own window. When she catches his eyes, she gives him a wink. As if she recognizes him. And if this was anyone else he might have given her a half smile, or even a wink back. But no. He can feel his cheeks heating up and getting rosy. God how he wishes he could be as confident as he usually is. The girl in the other car seems to be laughing a little, a smile on her lips. Nolan swears she starts slipping away from view, and in that second he remembers. He’s at a fucking red light. Except it isn’t red anymore, made obvious by the boisterous truck behind him, basically laying on his horn. 

Quickly he presses his foot down on the gas pedal and looks for the beaten up truck, which is nowhere to be seen. 

iii

It’s still winter and Nolan for some reason unknown to him decides to take a walk in the park not far from his apartment. He blames it on his restlessness, which stems from sitting inside the entire weekend. It’s nearing Christmas time and the main section of the park is covered in fairy lights and christmas decorations. There’s even a stand that sells hot chocolate. 

He buys a cup, puts in his earbuds and starts walking. It is nice out, he decides, with all the people out enjoying the snow on the ground. There are even some kids out rolling big snowballs, which turn into snow men and women. He feels a sudden wave of content roll over him. And a smile subconsciously finds its way onto his lips.

Nolan walks a little further, and doesn’t really stop, until a ball of golden fur is at his feet, almost making him trip. The wagging tail is making the entire body of the dog move and he catches himself smiling and taking out one of the earbuds. Immediately he hears the voice of a girl shouting. 

“Akira!”

The dog at his feet, looks around eagerly as her owner sprints up to him. And Nolan can hardly believe his luck. It is the bar girl. 

“I’m so sorry, she usually doesn’t run off like that.” 

And judging by her attire she is out for a jog, which would explain how out of breath she is. Quickly she pulls a leash out of her pocket and hooks it onto Akira’s harness. 

“Oh there’s no worries.” 

Nolan manages to stutter out. He sees a little smirk on her lips and curses his reddening cheeks for being so obvious. He bends his head a little and scratches Akira behind her ears. The golden retriever leans into his touch and a soft chuckle escapes the girl standing in front of him. 

He is just about to ask the girl her name when a phone starts ringing. It’s hers. Quickly, from another pocket, she pulls out a phone and answers it. He watches with steady eyes as a frown starts to grow on her face. 

“Fuck, okay yeah, I’ll be home in a few.” 

She hangs up the phone and pockets it, before she turns to look at him again. With a wink she turns around and Akira follows. 

“See you around Shy Guy!”

And just like that she’s gone. His chocolate is no longer hot, so he tracks back to his apartment, with discouragement sitting in his chest like a rock.

iiii

The Starbucks is so full, the line goes through the door and that’s the reason why Nolan doesn’t even consider entering it. He turns and treks back a block until he sees this quaint little cafe he’s never really noticed. Which is no surprise, because it seems to be mostly inhabited by students. With the amount of computers and books up at the cafe tables and its location closer to UPenn it should come as no surprise. 

And maybe he gets a little hopeful that the bar girl will be there, so despite his logical mind, he enters through the glass doors and goes straight to the counter. The boy has to be around his own age, but a fair bit skinnier and with glasses on. It makes him look a bit too young in Nolan's eyes, but it doesn’t really matter. 

“Hey, what can I get you today?” 

The young boy asks as he wipes down the counter. 

“Ehh, just a large black coffee, please.” 

Nolan says and pulls out his wallet. He doesn’t completely register the bell over the door ringing, not until the gust of cold air washes over him. Instinctively he turns and spots a smaller frame entering the cafe. A hoodie over their head and a black jacket, lightly dusted with quickly melting snow.  And a pair of beaten up, black vans on their feet. His hopes rise, and yet again he is rewarded with the presence of the bar girl. She shakes out her hair a little as she pulls the hood off of her head. Nolan could swear his heart stopped right there. The evening sun shines through the window, making her hair appear as a halo around her. 

She hasn’t noticed him yet. So he turns and tries to calm his blush. The guy behind the counter has begun making his coffee so he doesn’t really know what to do. The bar girl comes up behind him. He can tell by the way the barista nods at her with a smile. 

“Hey Dylan, how are you today?” 

And Nolan is instantly a bit jealous of this Dylan, who gets to hear his name falling from her lips. 

“I’m good Rory, thanks, how are you?” 

Dylan answers, and it feels like his heart is in his throat. Her name is Rory? It suits her. 

“Could be better to be honest, this paper on existence due next week is really kicking my ass.” 

She answers as she comes closer, and Nolan moves further up the counter to give them room. 

“Tell me about it, you want the usual?” 

She nods and slings her backpack off one shoulder to unzip a pocket, and pulls out a card. Dylan finishes Nolan's order and places it on the corner of the counter. Nolan can feel his chance slip through his fingers and begins to panic a little. 

Until he spots a pen on the counter near his cup. Quickly he grabs it and scribbles his name and number on the cup. And he couldn’t have cued it better for AV to call him. He puts the cup down again and picks up the call. 

“Nolan, have you looked over the videos yet?”

Alain, straight to the point as usual. 

“Yeah, saw them yesterday, and I have some ideas in mind for me to improve.” 

He speaks into the phone, while he puts a hand on the back of his neck. 

“Good good, I will see you tomorrow then?” 

“Yes, sir. Bright and early.” 

And then they hang up. He sees that another cup has appeared beside his. He throws a quick glance at Rory, who is still talking to the barista,  and turns his cup the other way so the writing isn’t visible and grabs her cup. Then, he nods a goodbye to Dylan and exits the door. 

He’s almost half a block away when his phone rings. He hasn’t drunk out of the cup, but it smells a little sweet and enticing. He looks at the phone and sees an unknown number. He lets it ring twice more before answering.

“Hey, this is Nolan?” 

He tries to sound nonchalant. 

“Hey, Shy guy. This is Rory. You didn’t by any chance grab my coffee on the way out?” 

Despite the fact that he doesn’t actually know her, he swears he can hear a smile over the phone. And he is a little bit shocked by the nickname. 

“Oh, so this is who it belongs to?”

She lets out a little chuckle, before she answers. 

“Yeah, mind returning it?” 

He smiles at the laugh. 

+1

Nolan is different, not that he will admit it, but the team can tell. He seems to be more patient, more focused on practicing drills and getting them right, and also for some reason, more ready for practice to be over. At first it’s a subtle change, but after a while and two games where he plays over all very well, it seems to be more than just determination. It seems like he wants to impress someone. 

At first they shake it as him wanting to prove himself to.. well everyone. But one day when Oskar asks him who he is texting so frequently, Nolan can feel his cheeks and ears tint even more than usual. Damn her and the effect she has on him. He tries to play it cool with a casual shrug, but half the locker room seems to burst out laughing. Quickly he puts his phone in his pocket and heads for the door. 

“Have a good weekend guys!” 

He calls out behind him out of habit, as it is a weekend without games and he is taking a short trip home. Various chirps get called out behind him, but Teeks seems to be the loudest one. 

“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” 

And all hell breaks loose as they all start on chirping Travis about how he can do anything then. With a fond smile, Nolan heads for his car, where he has a pre- packed bag as well as his passport and a carryon. 

He parks his car in the airport parking lot and he swears, there is something familiar about the truck beside his car. He shoves it to the back of his mind and starts crossing to the terminal. He’s late tho, and only half an hour to get on his flight, so as he anxiously stands in line for check in he pulls up his phone and sees a new text from Rory.

Hey, I’ll be gone for a couple of hours, text when I can:)

It was sent five minutes ago, and he groans a little at the fact that he has to wait faster, very bored. Finally he has checked in his bag and been cleared to enter the airport all the way to his flight. 

In a half jog, half sprint he manages to make it just shy of ten minutes before the gate closes. He pulls his cap further down on his head and puts his ticket and passport on the desk. The hostess scowls at him but lets him enter the already boarded plane. 

The smell of too many people and bad flight food smacks him in the face as he enters the plane with another nod to a different flight hostess. 

34B seems too far away, but he bites his tongue and keeps walking. He looks at the bald man in 34C and the hooded figure in 34A. He swears, there is something familiar about this too but his mind is a little fuzzy and he can’t quite place it. 

“Scuse me.” 

He mumbles to the man and he politely moves so Nolan can find his seat. The girl in the seat next to the window turns and looks at him, and finally it seems that he has steady ground under his feet. 

“Well, seems like I won’t text you in a couple of hours then.” 

Rory smiles at him. And he smiles back. 

“Nope you’re stuck with me for the next five and a half hours.” 

He teases and plops down in his seat. 

“What the fuck are you going to Winnipeg for though?” 

Nolan asks as he fastens his seatbelt and ignores the security instructions completely. 

“Oh I haven’t told you? My family lives there.” 

He feels flabbergasted, how in the living hell has he forgotten to ask? He always assumed she was from Philly.

“Why are you going there anyway?” 

Rory asks, but he sees the twinkle in her eyes, she’s just joking with him.

“I’m visiting my girlfriend.” 

He decides to reply dead serious. And the twinkle in her eyes disappears, a frown begins to form between her eyebrows and he instantly feels a little bad. 

“I’m- sorry, that was a really bad joke.” 

This time it seems, it’s her turn to get embarrassed. Neither of them get time to think it over though, because the plane starts accelerating and her hand immediately lands on his. He sees her jaw tense and feels her hand tighten around his knuckles. Nolan doesn’t want to comment on it though, and just lets her hold on. 

As they lift off the tarmac her hand slowly starts easing up and when they level out in the air, she seems to have realised that she’s holding his hand. Quickly she lets go, and Nolan already misses it. 

“Sorry about that, I get a little nervous about the take off.” 

She seems a little nervous to admit it, but he asks anyway. 

“How come?” 

“Oh, ever heard of the irresistible force paradox?” 

He shakes his head no, and that launches her into an explanation of what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object. It’s obvious she loves theories like this, with the way she talks and moves her hands. 

“- which stems from both a chinese and a roman legend. The roman is about Zeus and how he fixed the Teumessian fox, who can never be caught, and the hound Laelaps who never misses what he hunts to the sky in constellations.” 

She stops, and Nolan really wishes she wouldn’t. Her voice is so calming yet enchanting at the same time, he could listen and learn every day for forever. 

“But wouldn’t that mean that the fox wins? because it never gets caught?” 

He questiones. 

“Exactly! I’ve been thinking about it for days now.” 

And the plane ride goes on like that, until Rory has heard of most of the flyers and Nolan knows the name of almost all her professors. It’s closer to night time when she starts to slur her words, because of tiredness. She ends up with her head on his shoulder and his hair a little bit in her face. But the weight of his head leaning against hers is priceless.  

Nolan wakes up a little bit before her and sees that they’re landing soon. So he shakes Rory awake with a promise of a date in the morning. Since they don’t live too far away from each other. And she agrees. 

They step off the plane together, collect their luggage together, Nolan’s arm slung around Rory’s shoulder, and hug each other so long, before departing to their own separate families. 

“Hey, see you tomorrow shy guy!” 

She winks at him, rendering him speechless in front of his family. His sister glances at him with a questioning look as she watches the other girl walk away. Usually few people render Nolan at a loss for words. 

[dragonrajafanfiction]

Tokyo Love Story (Part 5) The Truth of Black Swan

The following Scene takes elements and themes from the novel scenes and game quests surrounding Akira and Kogure Sakurai and weaves them into the MCs journey in a way that is meaningful. This scene does not appear in the Novel or the Game.

Please Enjoy

You’re riding in the passenger side of Chance’s Audi R8, the city lights flashing across the pale makeup on your face. Caesar might have turned up his nose at the car, but you found it very stylish and unpretentious. It was a sports car you could drive to work. You stare out the window at the many people walking down the streets. Tokyo’s nightlife was just as vibrant as the daytime. Only, instead of being locked in the offices for work, people spilled into the streets to visit karaoke bars and eat street food. There were also plenty of couples holding hands and laughing. Girls in skirts and women in tight dresses walking with friends. Men in sports jackets and a few in suits and ties. The people your age were casual in t-shirts and jeans.

When you imagined going to the big city, it was something like this. Having lots of friends, going out on the town, enjoying food and walking under lights.

Chance’s phone vibrated. “Yes, she’s with me, we’re on our way to the safe spot, notify me of the all clear.”

His expression was grim and he spoke like a soldier reporting to his commander. You’d only seen him as a carefree guy but now he was acting as a member of the Devil Clan, a Yakuza organization. Looking up at this, you notice that he’s no less muscled than Caesar, but he was a bit more wiry and lithe.

“We’ll give it a couple of hours to let things calm down before taking you back.” He said, stuffing the phone in his pocket.

“Thanks,” you say. “I have a question.”

“Shoot.”

“Did Izanami really love Izanagi?” You rest your head against the window.

“That’s a matter of philosophical debate, even among White King Descendents. Her motives were selfish. She fooled him and lied to him. But when he betrayed her, no one can deny her emotional reaction had to be rooted in some genuine attachment.” He maneuvered the car as he spoke, keeping his eyes on the road. “The common consensus is, for dragons, love is never the goal. It’s a means to an end. Once that end is fulfilled, love fades or dies completely. If the object of the dragon’s love refuses to cooperate with the end goal, that love can quickly turn to hatred. Humans pursue love for the sake of it. But Dragons do not. The emotions are real, but they’re not the goal.”

“That seems manipulative.” You say.

“It can be. Keep in mind that Izanagi wasn’t exactly the best example of human love either. Bottom line, it’s not good for humans and dragons to fall in love. They both will end up hurt somehow. But it does happen.”

He keeps driving until the city spires flatten to more residential spaces. You pull into a small park with rolling terraformed hills and tiled roof shelters. Chance killed the lights on his car and opened the door, getting out with a briefcase. “We can hide out here for a while.”

At the center of the park is a large dark lake. The stars couldn’t be seen over the lights of the city and the moon was shrouded by dense clouds. He leads you by the hand through a pea gravel path. You could feel your cheeks grow warm. The idea of running away to hide from the world with a man was depicted in TV shows you watched and in magazines you read, but now it was happening to you.

“It’s going to rain tonight, so let's stay under the shelter until we get the all clear.” He said.

He settled you down on a bench and sat next to you. He was handsome, with his red hair in his ponytail and his green eyes in the dark. He took a deep breath and let it out. “Now comes the hard part.” He opened the briefcase and took out a thin yellow folder.

“Ruri Kazama wanted me to give this to you.”

You accept the folder and open it. Much to your shock, you immediately recognize the title. Black Swan Harbor Initiative! 

“You’re from Siberia right?” He looks at you. Those eyes glittered like jewels.

“Where did you get this?” You ask, anxiously flipping through the pages. There were photos of Black Swan Bay, just as you remembered it. There were even photos of orphans that you remembered, ghosts of the past. Vera, Khorkina, Anton… you pause. A knife of pain piercing your heart.

Renata’s picture stared at you, smiling from the yellowing paper, her eyes sparkled too, even in black and white.

“Ruri Kazama had it. I don’t know what it all means or where he got it from.” He reaches over and flips the pages back to the beginning. “He wants you to understand your situation. The reason why Black Swan Harbor was created. Black Swan Bay was like a dragon graveyard. Even though Cassell holds a lot of ancient artifacts, Black Swan Bay had the actual specimens for direct study of the creatures. You were created there as part of a study on making perfect, super hybrids.”

“What?” You whisper.

“I’m only telling you what I read. None of this makes sense to me either. You’re an 18 year old girl from 20 years ago. I…” He shook his head. “It must have to do with your bloodline, that you can rest so long and retain your youth. Anyway, because you’re not perfect, you will eventually become a deadpool. You’re a ghost. There’s no changing this.” 

He flipped over a page in the folder leading to Anton’s file. “This is from one of the research papers. The average lifespan of the Black Swan Bay children is 20 years before they lose their grip on humanity. This orphan was eliminated because he’d reached the end of his life.”

You stare blankly at the page. You remembered Dr. Herzog tested hybrid children thoroughly and then, around age 20, some were selected to go to school in Moscow. Back then, you had excitedly chatted with Z about how one year you might be selected. But instead of feeling excited for you, he led you to a lab. There, you saw Anton, who had been selected to go to the capital, sitting in a wheelchair. Despite his power to stop a bullet, he couldn’t stand.

Dr. Herzog was like your father. So your mind rejected his words when he said that going to Moscow was a lie. And when he shot and killed Anton, it was something your mind couldn’t fully process. This all happened 20 years ago but for you it was only a few weeks ago, and you realized you still couldn’t process it. It was like a missing puzzle piece, floating on the side table, waiting for its place in the picture. And now it snapped into place. 

Anton wasn’t ever going to Moscow. None of you were. Khorkina, Vera, Renata… You were all going to die by euthanasia. As deadpool.

Chance reached over and massaged your shoulder silently. You closed your eyes. No wonder Ruri Kazama told you that you were a perishing flower. No wonder he sang that happiness was fleeting. Ruri Kazama knew that you were going to turn into Deadpool. That you were going to die.

“So I only have a year and a half left?” You ask after a moment.

“I’m afraid that’s the maximum. You might have even less. I’m sorry.” Chance says. He drops his hand in his lap.

You take a deep breath, absorbing this terrible blow in still silence. “Thank you for telling me. I will show this to Caesar.” You close the folder and sigh again. Your hands are pinching each other hard to stem your roiling emotions.

Chance marvels at your reaction. “You’re a really strong woman. A lot of people would scream and cry in denial at this news.”

“I’m strong because my friends are strong.” You look out over the water, expressionless. The reflection of the moon peeked from its cloudy veil. It rippled but when it stilled, you could see the shadow of the moon, shaped like a rabbit. You weren’t sure what you could do to stop this eventual demise. Caesar promised he wouldn’t let you die. No… it wasn’t a promise, he just wouldn’t let it happen.

“Hm.” He chuckled, elbowing you. “Do I still have a chance to get a star-heart ticket?” He was attempting to lighten the mood.

You allow yourself the distraction. “Maybe.” You smirk and swing your legs under the bench. The wind was starting to blow, bringing the smell of rain, pulling leaves and cherry blossoms down from the trees to land on the water and make little ripples. The gusts disturbed the glassy water. It wasn’t the time for cherry blossoms, but odd weather had caused them to bloom twice this year. “Let me ask you something to test you. Do you seek death?”

Chance gave it some thought. “It’s not a matter of seeking it. I know it's coming. I just try not to think about the future. Live my life one day at a time, appreciate every moment.”

You nod and your eyebrows lift. It was a good answer. “I’ll ask you something else. Given the circumstances, if you knew you had to give up your life so I could live, would you do it?”

He laughed. “In a heartbeat!”

You turn to him and frown.

“What? Don't tell me you don’t like that answer. What do you expect me to say? It’s an honor for a man to give up his life for a lovely woman.” The stiff breeze had teased some hair out of your comb. He brushes your hair  from your face and tucks it behind your ear. The wind stirs the flowers in your hair while he watched you.

You shake your head. “Well, in that case, you’re not getting a star heart ticket.” You cross your arms and look away

“Oh come on, you’ve gotta be kidding me.” He leaned forward, trying to catch your gaze when you turned away from him. “What am I supposed to do? Just let you die? Look at you! You’re beautiful and smart and … and… you’re so strong!” Chance was shaking his head in confusion. “If that’s not the right thing to do, please tell me the answer.”

You turn to him again, your eyes blazing. “And you’re not beautiful and resourceful and strong? Why is my life, somehow, worth more than yours?”

Chance’s good humor suddenly fades and he lowers his eyes, damping his mood like a lantern lowering its wick. He turned back to face the lake, looking down on the ground, but his mind was somewhere far away. When he speaks again, it’s with a lump in his throat. He swallows hard. “You have people. I don’t have anyone any more.”

You knew that look. You had that look. It was the look of someone who had nothing else to lose, so why not give up his life for you? You reach out and put your hand over his and look him in the eye, even as the fires of grief ignite in your chest.

“The Hydra came for my family last week. We all lived in the same apartment block, but we’d never done anything. We were just an extended family buying out condos and dealing in real estate. But they were merciless. All my brothers and their wives were killed and f…” His voice caught and his eyes sparkled with tears. “My five nieces and nephews were taken prisoner.”

“Prisoner?”

“Yes!” His voice turned hoarse in distress. “Back in World War II, Hydra had these black prisons to lock up unstable hybrids. When the government found out about them, they ordered them closed. But twenty years ago, they started operating them again. If you resist and fight, they kill you. If you give yourself up… they lock you away in those prisons forever. I had been working when the raid happened. When I turned the corner on my way home, the whole apartment block was on fire! There was nothing I could do, so I ran away. That’s how I ended up at Club Takamagahara. That’s where Ruri Kazama found me.”

He turns back to you, his green eyes as dark as an endless forest. “It’s either death or prison and then death for me. So if I can make my death mean you get to go free and shine under the sun like you did tonight… I will absolutely take that.”

Your heartaches in sympathy. You scoot closer to him and rest your head on his shoulder and he wraps his strong arm around you and holds you close. “You’re not going to accept my next words, Chance. Because I didn’t want to accept them either. But I will say them because they’re the truth. Chance… you have to live.”

He let out a single bitter laugh, but he turned away and blinked away tears. “Didn’t you listen? Life isn’t in the cards.”

“You think it isn’t. I didn’t think so either.” You reach up and turn his face back to you. The tears wet your fingertips and sink into our nails. You’re willing him to listen but you understand that it might just be too difficult to accept. “But… you will be shocked at how long you can live if you really try.”

“What? Really try? Are you saying my whole family didn’t try hard enough?” His voice breaks with grief and anger.

“That’s not what I’m saying. If death comes then it does, but what I’m saying is, you shouldn't just… give up your life. Not for me. Not for anyone. Make death fight you for it.” You whisper. Your throat hurts. Your eyes burned..

“And then if I don't give up my life for you… what will happen to you?” Tears were slipping down his face and he trembled against you.

“I will fight too.” You reach out and twine your fingers in his hair. “We will both fight death.” You look up at him, determination filling your dark eyes, defying reality. You knew he probably thought you were a fool, that you were just fantasizing that you could both fight the fate you were given, hit the ball out of the park, and live happily ever after. “What’s the point of love if you both don’t make it out? If Izanami taught me anything, it’s better to end up in the Yomi-No-Kuni together.”

He sighed softly and he leaned forward until your noses touched, your faces wrapped in night shadow. “You already gave me permission.” He whispered.

“I know…” You rise up to meet him halfway. This kiss was nothing like Z’s. Z took you like something that belonged to him. In this case, your kiss was a gift, a bow to tie your words in an oath upon his heart. 

Chance was overcome. He rested his head against your neck, crying. He held you so tightly your ribs resisted against his arms to breathe. You held him like that until his sobs subsided. But you were in no hurry to part, instead you leaned against each other, watching the wind play against the water until your emotions calmed. Every few minutes, he would sigh deeply and kiss your cheek.

In the distance, thunder rolled. Chance’s phone buzzed. He reached down and looked down at it. “That's all clear. Let’s go.” He gave you one more kiss. “Here, you keep this.” He tucked the folder into your dress. “Thank you. I..” He paused for a moment and then just stood up.

He doesn’t remove his hand from yours as you make your way back to the car, but as you’re turning the corner on the path to the parking lot, he yanks you back! “Damn it!” He hisses.

The car was surrounded by men in black trench coats armed with swords and powerful guns. The way out of the park was blocked by a huge van. The park was so small, it would only take a minute to penetrate the entire space and there was nowhere to hide. Chance urgently whispers. “Quick! Let’s go to the other side!” 

How could they have found you? Kaguya?

There was no way to hurry and stay silent. The pea gravel made too much noise. If you stepped off the path the surrounding vegetation rustled against your clothing. You can only use your method of stepping in his foot prints to hide your own sound and it was hard in your ornate gown. Your heart was screaming with adrenaline as you started to hear voices behind you. In the back of the park, behind the trees and fountains, there was a high eight foot stone wall that enclosed it from the rest of the neighborhood. You hurry to it.

“I’ll lift you over the wall!” He said. “If you jump, you can make it over!”

“No, I’m not leaving you. We need to find a way out together.” You say, planting your feet.

“You’re serious? There’s no way! We can’t fight all those guys!” He hissed.

More voices are coming. You must have been heard! Bright beaming flashlights are sweeping the park. The men from Hydra are bounding up the hill behind you! The group fanned out. One member was sweeping up against the wall you were next to and heading straight for you. More voices are coming from the opposite direction up the path ahead of you. Apparently, the Hydra following you had alerted more men on the other side of the park who were coming around the other side to encircle you and cut off your escape.

Chance pulled you along the wall and together you crawled carefully against it, staying away from the ones approaching from behind and getting to the other side of this dragnet. As you came close to those approaching from the front, you noticed that there was no one sweeping the wall! If you could sneak past through this gap, you could make it past them!

You hurry through the gap and crouch still. The Hydra were only a few feet from you. You could see the shine of their leather shoes and hear them talking, but you couldn’t understand their Japanese. One of them laughed.  All they had to do was sweep their flashlights to their right to find you. You both hold your breath even though you felt breathless from running and staying low to the ground. You tremble there until their shoes turn away. Their footsteps finally started to fade, but you couldn’t wait for them to fade completely. 

“There’s a backgate this way.” Chance whispered as quietly as he could.

You could see it. It was covered in vines and looked like a maintenance entrance. It didn’t look locked but even if it was, it was less than four feet high  and you can both make it over. Your heart beams with hope. He returns your smile. You couldn’t wait to tell Caesar. He was right. His justice was right. You don't have to leave friends behind.

A sudden sharp hiss and a burst of wind rushes by your head! A silver projectile blade cut through the air and embedded itself into Chance's calf! Chance gasped and howled in agony! He fell to the ground, clutching his leg. You scurry towards the gate and dive behind a statue of a praying Buddha.

Chance is writhing on the ground, and moving away from something looming in the dark. Someone is approaching him as he scoots frantically away, begging. “No… No!  No! Please!”

Out of the shadows steps a young dark haired man. His silver-blue long sword glowed in the dark like a shattered piece of moonlight. His trenchcoat caught the air and it waved like the hem of the Grim Reaper’s cloak. He stood over Chance like a towering god, gazing at him with frigid black eyes.

Chisei Gen!

[sunaswife]

🔪: I was going through my drafts and I found this piece that I never published nor deleted so I guess it’s another extra lmao! Hope you enjoy!

THESE ARE ALSO UNEDITED IM SORRY

“Y/N senpai! What a surprise!” Hinata yelled when he saw you pop your head in the gym. You smiled softly and waved. “Hello, I hope I’m not interrupting. I brought snacks!” You said and coach Ukai called break. Immediately Yachi who was now the new main manager grabbed the bag from your hands and told Yamaguchi to bring you a seat. When you finally got to sit you sighed and leaned back on the chair. Your hand rested on top of your growing belly, you were already a few months and received info that you were not expecting one, but two babies.

You were pretty stressed and worried if you could even afford to take care of two of them but you had to at least try. It was your decision to keep them and now you can’t leave them. “Thank you for the food!” They all said and you nodded and smiled softly. “How’s everyone captain?” You asked as Ennoshita sat next to you munching his onigiri. “I don’t think you can ever calm Kageyama and Hinata but surprisingly we’re doing pretty well. I’m still getting used to the whole captain title.” He chuckled and you nodded. “It’s okay, I know you can do an amazing job. If my cousin brings you trouble you let me know alright? I’ll make sure pound him to the ground. I don’t care if I’m seven months pregnant.” You said and he laughed.

“Psst is it me or does captain have a crush on Y/N-Senpai.” Hinata whispered to Nishinoya. “Impossible! I already swore I would marry her. I don’t care if she has kids I’ll raise them as my own!” He huffed and you and Ennoshita turned to give him a glare and he shuttered. “Sorry, Kageyama.” He immediately apologized.

It was honestly a surprise to everyone that Nishinoya was your number one simp. Even when he found out you were pregnant he still said he’d marry you and you quickly declined him. He was sweet but not your type and you were not looking for a relationship any time soon.

“Nah they’re just friends, since she’s doing online classes, Ennoshita helps her a bit or vice versa cause they’re both hella smart.” Tobio said as he stared at his cousin. As much as he loves having you around, you shouldn’t be coming to his school by yourself. “What does vice versa mean?” Hinata asked and Tsukki sighed at how stupid the ginger was.

When they finished their snacks you had to sit outside the door with the net covering in case the ball came flying and you wouldn’t get hurt. You honestly couldn’t get over your new student Hinata and your cousin Tobio with their quick attacks. They were certainly going to be a unstoppable this year or even better if they keep going the way they are.

When practice ended you and Tobio were walking home with the team in front. You were kinda slow but Tobio was always patient. Hinata would ask you a whole bunch of questions regarding your time at Inarizaki and your just awkwardly smile and tell him what he wanted to know. You didn’t have anymore ally’s in the volleyball team, only Hitoshi and a few of the old first years so you decided to spill all the secrets you knew as revenge for when they made it back to nationals.

If Inarizaki even goes.

But yet again as much as you’d hate to admit it, they’re an amazing team. Especially Atsumu who was the star player in every game. “Y/N-senpai, have you picked the names of your babies? Please don’t be like my mom and hide the name until the day of because then I’m going to get impatient.” He asked hopefully.

Tobio was listening intently because you haven’t told him either. “Well for a girl I was thinking Akira, and for the boy, Rini. But I’m having twins so I can have both.” You giggled and his and Tobio’s eyes widened. “Those are such beautiful names!” Hinata gasped. “Thank you! I tried so hard to pick the right one and I think they’re perfect.” You said with a soft smile.

“They are perfect. I can’t wait to hold them. I’ll be the best uncle ever and I’ll teach them volleyball for you!” He said excitedly. “I’m sure you’ll be amazing.” You giggled and pat his head. He smiled back and continued to much his onigiri.

🏷: @therealwalmartjesus @differentballooncollection @aaesuki @atsunflower @dope-squish @prettysetterboiss @june-phantom @tomo-uwu @austriasmariazelle @xrnia @katsulia @aprettyfruit @shut-your-eyes-kiss-me-goodbye @tvbiio @sun-daddy-yoriichi @kamenoyaki @ppangiiroo @loeyprivvv @kmskj92 @lovinnoya @sarahvvictoria @tris-does-stuff @mokkeguts @sunaluvr6969 @bara-rose-would @sempiternal-amour @volleybloop @leykyuu @bokutoichigo @stfucanunot @iloveanime691 @tpwkatsumu @ohrintarou @shoutosimp @mqrinqcele @bokutosdivineass @anngelllla @toworuu @hidden-otaku-stuff @seijohiselite @caxsthetic @aquariarose @hhwanggu @bakuhoetoedoroki @yoozuku @osamus-onigiri @akaashi-todorki @donica95 @kakaokenma @airheadpillar

[yusuke-of-valla]

The Best Laid Plans (Are Not Thought of in Half A Second)

[a/n]: I finally wrote that hurt/comfort! This was supposed to be like 500 words but it got away from me.

Set vaguely in some period during Strikers before Zenkichi joins because I’m not that far into the game

TW: concussions, falling off of high places, descriptions of injuries that get healed via Persona magic

AO3

~

“Mine, mine, mine!” the High Pixie giggles, the desires it’s stolen floating around its head. The Phantom Thieves try to cut a path towards it, but the horde of other shadows just won’t stop coming. It doesn’t help that the cramped rooftops of the Shibuya jail don’t leave a lot of room to maneuver. 

Yusuke grunts, parrying shadows left and right. Just when he’s cleared through enough of them to have a second to breathe, he spots a shadow lunging towards Ryuji, who's too busy fending off three other shadows to notice.

At first Yusuke tries to summon Goemon, but he’s met with a gnawing hole in his mind as he realizes he can’t remember how.

Forget spell, fantastic.

The shadow trips Ryuji with it’s baton, tripping him. It’s about to charge a spell, so Yusuke grits his teeth and runs forward to tackle it before it can get another hit in.

The good news is he does cause the shadow to stumble, and it’s attack just misses Ryuji. 

The bad news is the shadow stumbles backwards.

Over the edge of the building.

And it pulls Yusuke down with it.

Yusuke feels the shadow dissolve right before he crashes into the ground. 

Everything hurts.

Well, Yusuke thinks, struggling to force himself onto his back, at least the shadow’s dealt with. 

Spots dance in Yusuke’s vision, and each breath is accompanied by a sharp pain in his chest. He thinks he can just make out the sound of someone screaming, but that might just be the ringing in his ears.

I think I’ll just wait for the others, is the last thought that crosses his mind before Yusuke passes out.

*

Ryuji just barely clocks Yusuke straight up tackling a shadow, and is about to thank him for the save when Futaba screams and Ryuji realizes:

Oh. 

There’s no more roof there.

The battle seems to slow down as everyone stares at the part where Yusuke went over the side.

The first to move is the High Pixie. 

“Mine!” it squeals, swooping down and scooping Yusuke up under one arm. He’s barely moves and is pretty banged up. “All mine!” The shadow starts to fly off, and that snaps the rest of the Phantom Thieves into action.

“Um, I think the fuck not.” Ann shouts, quick to wrap her whip around the shadow’s leg. 

Sophia follows suit, using her yo-yos to help pull the shadow and Yusuke back towards them. The High Pixie pouts and with a flick of its hand launches the back with a gust of wind.

Ann goes down hard, and Morgana stays back to heal her while Akira starts leaping across rooftops after the shadow, Sophia, Ryuji, and Makoto right behind him. Unfortunately, the High Pixie is fast, and keeps. Eventually they’re stopped by another group of shadows and forced to deal with that.

“Shit,” Akira pants, once the enemies are taken care of and the High Pixie is nowhere in sight. “Oracle can you-”

“No. I can’t pick up the shadow or Yu- Fox.” Futaba says.

“...Alright, we’ll head back to the crossing and see if you can pick up a signal from there, or Mona can sniff out the desires.

Futaba nods stiffly, then starts walking away, fists clenched. Akira and Ryuji share a look, and Ryuji sprints after her. “You ok?”

“Nothing’s happened to me.”

“You know this place is huge, don’t beat yourself up for losing them.” Futaba keeps pushing forward and Ryuji jogs to stand in front of her. “Fox’ll be fine, ok?” he says, patting her on the shoulder.

Futaba stops. “I hope you’re right,” she mutters before pulling away.

They meet back up with Ann, Morgana, and Haru, and all head to the crossing.

“I’m picking up the desires!” Morgana announces. “I think the smell’s coming from Maruku City.”

They leap from car to car across the crossing until they’ve arrived. Once they reach their destination, Futaba perks up.

“Got it,” Futaba announces. “I think the shadow made a nest at the top of the keep.”

“Do you have a read on Fox?” Makoto asks.

“...Yeah.” Futaba says. “He’s not worse than he was before he fell, at least.”

“Good job Oracle,” Akira says.

“We should try and draw the shadow’s attention,” Makoto suggests. “That way someone can grab Yusuke while it's occupied.”

Akira nods. “Queen, you,  Panther, and Noir are with me. Once we have its attention, the rest of you guys grab Fox and get him out of the line of fire. Skull can take the lead.”

Everyone nods, then the two groups split up. Akira’s group sneaks around the base of the keep, out of sight. The High Pixie is floating around the top, pleased with itself. Once it’s in position, Akira shoots. 

The High Pixie is instantly caught off guard, and before it gets the chance to call for backup, Haru follows up, knocking the shadow to the ground. While they go all out attacking the shadow, the others race up the steps of the keep.

.Pennants, broken decorations, a skateboard, some stolen desires, and a bunch of other random knick knacks are scattered around. Yusuke’s lying on the ground looking much paler than usual. Ryuji notices Futaba’s shoulders relax when Sophia and Morgana start to heal him up.

Yusuke’s eyes flutter open as the color comes back to his face. “Where...” 

“You got nabbed by that shadow after your swan dive.” Futaba explains, kneeling down next to him.

“O...k…?” Yusuke starts to sit up, but Futaba stops him.

“Don’t. You’ll hurt yourself more.”

“Did you have to be so loud?” 

“Excuse me? You do not get to complain about your rescue.”

Yuuske just groans, closes his eyes, and lies back down.

“Uggh. Stupid Inari. Mona, Sophie, heal him again so Skull can carry him.” Futaba says. They do, and Yusuke’s breathing starts to get better. Ryuji picks him up carefully,  and with some help from Futaba and Sophie, get Yusuke onto Ryuji’s back. 

“My head hurts…” Yusuke mutters, laying his head on Ryuji’s shoulder.

“Well, that will happen when you dive over the side of the building.”

“‘S just… trying to help.”

“I know, and I appreciate it, but for now let’s get you out of here.” Not wanting to risk Yusuke falling off Ryuji’s back and taking another fall, they back head down the steps. More shadows have shown up while the others fought the High Pixie, so Morgana clears the way for Futaba, Ryuji, Yusuke while Sophie covers their backs. 

Once they’re a safe distance from the keep Ryuji sets Yusuke down on the ground.

“Ok. You’re safe now.” Futaba says, taking a deep breath. “So seriously, what were you thinking?”

“Do you have to be so loud?” Yusuke mutters.

“I’m not being loud.”

“Are you sure?” Yusuke replies, squeezing his eyes shut.”My ears are ringing.”

“Oracle, step aside for a second?” Sophia asks. Futaba does, and Sophia neals down next to Yusuke. “What is your name and how old are you?”

“17 years old.”

“Do you know where you are right now?”

Yusuke blinks. “The… Shibuya Jail?”

“What year is it?”

Yusuke frowns. “I’m not…”

Sophia nods. “Ok, I’ve got it. Based on his symptoms, Fox has a concussion.”

“Concussion…” Yusuke repeats. “Alright, I’ll just take a nap then-”

“No sleeping!” Futaba snaps. 

Yusuke winces.

“Sorry,” Futaba says, quieter. “But I’m pretty sure you’re not supposed to sleep with a concussion.” She pulls out a soda and hands it to Yusuke. “C’mon, try and have something to drink.”

“Thanks.”

The sound of the High Pixie being defeated rings out, and soon enough the rest of the team joins them.

“Are you alright?” Haru gasps as soon as she sees Yusuke. 

“Not so loud, please. Concussion.” 

“Sorry!” Haru whispers.

“You’re fine.”

“He has a concussion?” Makoto asks, kneeling down next to Yusuke.

Sophia nods. “Most likely. He has demonstrated several symptoms, such as headaches, a ringing in his ears, dilated pupils, and disorientation.”

“Healing spells haven’t worked?”

“We’ve used a bunch and he hasn’t gotten better.”

“Could be because it’s a head injury, and those are weirder than just healing a cut or something,” Futaba suggests. “Or it could be that Yusuke was so banged up there’s a limit to what can be healed at once.”

Makoto sighs. “Fair enough, it’s not like we’ve ever had to treat a concussion in the Metaverse before. We should take him to a hospital.”

“Sounds good,” Akira says, watching the desires the High Pixie had stolen return to their owners. “We’re done here anyway.” He and Ann help Yusuke up, and they leave the Metaverse.

*

Several hours later, Futaba’s pacing is the only noise in the RV. “What is taking them so long?!”

They were crowding the ER, so Makoto stayed in the hospital to answer their questions while everyone else went back to the RV. 

“Makoto said Yusuke’s gonna be fine.” Akira says, petting Morgana. “They just have to wait for Zenkichi.” According to Makoto, the doctor confirmed Yusuke had a concussion and should be observed for the next 24 hours, but they wouldn’t let him out of the hospital without a parent or guardian. So, they’d called up Zenkichi.

“Maybe it got worse somehow! That happens you know, someone looks like they’re fine, and then suddenly they’re not.” 

“Futaba, there’s no need to get so worked up,” Haru says.

“You wouldn’t be saying that if you saw what I saw!” Futaba snaps. “Necronomicon showed me all of Yusuke’s vitals, I knew exactly what happened to him after he fell. He broke pretty much everything.” Futaba shudders. “One nudge in the wrong place and a rib could pierce a lung or something, if that hadn’t happened already. He had a hip fracture too, do you know how bad those can be? He might never have walked again before Morgana and Sophia healed him, and even after all of that he wasn’t even healed all the way! If we hadn’t gotten there in time-”

Futaba pulls off her glasses and wipes her eyes.

“Futaba,” Ann says, pulling her into a hug. “It’s gonna be ok. Yusuke’s walking, he’s breathing fine, and he just needs to rest, ok? We were able to find him quickly because you picked up his signal.”

“Not to mention you stopped him from hurting himself more when we found him.” Ryuji adds. “Yusuke’s gonna be fine, and he’s gonna be fine because you were there to help him. We just gotta hold on, ok?”

“I didn’t realize I worried you so much, Futaba.”

Everyone turns to see Yusuke, Makoto, and Zenkichi standing in the doorway.

“Yusuke!” Futaba pulls away form Ann and grabs a bag from the hospital gift shop. “That was so stupid of you,” she says, pushing a “Get Well” Mothman plush into Yusuke’s arms.

“Sorry.”

“Well, I mean, you did save Ryuji’s butt so you don’t have to be too sorry.”

“Yeah dude, I totally appreciate that,” Ryuji agrees.

“I just wished you saved him using your Persona instead of, you know, yeeting yourself off a roof.” Futaba points out.

“I couldn’t, I was hit with a forget spell.” Yusuke pouts.

“You could've used your gun.”

Yusuke doesn’t say anything.

“Did you seriously forget about your gun?”

“I forgot we were on a roof, Futaba, clearly I forgot about a lot of things.” Yusuke says, hugging the Mothman plush defensively. “I’m really sorry though. I tried to help and only created more problems for all of you, and now you’ll be shorthanded-”

Morgana jumps onto the table in front of Yusuke. “Hey none of that. Let us worry about you for a few days, ok?”

“Yeah dude,” Ryuji says. “I say, let’s just blame the shadow and it’s weird desire to hoard things, and go out to eat instead.”

“Um, maybe a loud, bright, busy, restaurant isn’t the best place to take the concussed teenager?” Zenkichi points out.

“Good point,” Makoto says. “Guess you can get us take out then.”

“Are you-” Zenkichi sighs. “Fine, alright. What do you want?”

“I could go for some yakisoba,” Yusuke says. 

“I want sushi!” Morgana adds. 

“I’m feeling like nikuman, actually,” Haru adds.

“You know what? Just text me your orders,” Zenkichi says. “Call if you need anything else. But you kids stay safe ok? I have no clue what happens when you do your whole... thing , but you know, don’t get yourselves killed?”

“Gotcha!” Akira says.

Once Zenkcihi leaves, Futaba turns to the group. “Now, it’s on to Operation: Take Care of Inari.”

Yusuke looks up from his Mothman plush. “You don’t have to do that, I can handle myself.”

“Nope. Part of being on a team means you have to put up with us looking after you.”

The rest of the Thieves nod in agreement, and Yusuke sighs. Looks like there’s no fighting this.

“Fine,” he says, smiling. 

They eventually agree on settling down to watch a movie— Yusuke’s choice— and eat their dinner on the floor of the RV in the middle of a large pillow fort. 

“Thank you..” Yusuke says under his breath, leaning into his blanket and his friends’ warmth.

[wildgoose97]

In a Perfect World

Words- 1043

Summary- After losing in a water fight, Akira and Akechi have a casual conversation...but somethings not right.

Genre- Humor...Kinda? Angst...Kinda?

Note-  It's (P5R Spoiler redacted)'s world, I never got the bad ending from that part but I'm guessing it's basically everyone's happy, Akechi's friends with everyone and is a phantom thief, and Akira never leaves Tokyo, That may not right but it's what I wrote.

“Joker, I can sense Crow near, we need to prepare!” Futaba whispered to Akira.

Akira nods, “Then we must reload and be ready to fight to the death!”

“Yes, sirrrr!” she responded as she dipped her gun into the bucket full of water. She turned to Fox who was standing farther away, by the water ballon bucket. “Inari you heard the man! Get to work!” She yanked her gun out and pumped it once. Fox quickly picks up the water balloon bucket and sprints over to Akira.

“Well Joker, do you believe we’ll win this?” Yusuke asked while sitting down the bucket

Akira firmly nods, “Of course! With me on this team, we’ll-”

“Cockiness will be your downfall!” Akechi exclaimed, jumping out from behind a close tree.

Water shot Akira right in the face, “Ahugh!” Akira stumbles back and trips over, falling into the water bucket, as Akechi unloaded the rest of the gun’s content into Akira’s face.

“No cockiness will be  your  downfall!” Futaba yelled and hurled a water balloon straight into Akechi’s face.

“Ack!” The detective was stunned, as he stumbled back.

Akira smiled from his seat in the bucket, “Good job, Futaba!” He praised as he lifted his hand, Futaba hit it and cheered.

Akechi sighed and lowered his gun, “Well it looks like we’re both out.”

Akira nodded and tried to get up but he seemed to be stuck in the bucket. “Uh, can you guys give me some help?” He asked, trying to shimmy out of the bucket.

“You’re stuck?” Futaba laughed. “Hey guys, time out! Akira got his butt stuck in the bucket!” She announced to their scattered water gun-wielding friends. “Inari, Crow, get on it!”

“Why us?” Yusuke asked but still walked over to Akira.

“Do I look strong enough to lift Akira? He has like 60 pounds on me!” She responded, and walked over to the water balloon bucket to reload.  

“Hey!” Akira yelled back. Akechi laughed but grabbed onto one of Akira’s arms while Yusuke grabbed the other, they managed to yank the waterlogged boy out of the bucket. The boy was absolutely soaked. “Come on Akechi, let’s head to the loser’s corner,” Akira groaned, as he rang out the bottom of his shirt.

Akechi sighed, “How unfortunate for the best competitors to go first.”

Futaba rolled her eyes, “If you two were really the best you wouldn’t have got out first!”

Akechi smiles and walks with Akira to a faraway tree, they both plop down on the grass. “Soooo, what should we do next?” Akira asked.

“Hmmm,” Akechi pondered.

“Oh if you’re free of course, I know how busy you are with colle-”

Akechi waves his hand, “No it’s completely fine, I’m not that busy.”

“Oh cool! You wanna go for ice cream after this?” Akira asked.

“With everybody else?” Akechi tilted his head.

Akira blushes, “I was actually wondering if it could just be you and I.”

Akechi tilts his head more, “Hm? I guess that’s fine,” He shrugs. Akira squeals in his mind, finally being able to spend time with the detective alone.

Akira smiles, “I’m so happy you decided to stick with us.”

Akechi face suddenly grew serious with a hint of confusion, “... I did…?”

“Huh?” Akira looked confusingly at Akechi.

Akechi shakes his head, “Ah, nevermind...It’s just that…”

Akira suddenly became worried about the boy, was something wrong? “What’s wrong?”

Akechi sighs, “Lately I’ve been having these weird dreams, but they feel strange….”

“Strange?”

Akechi nods, “They feel real…”

Akira stares at the boy for a moment before asking, “May I ask what your dreams are about?”

Akechi sighs again, “I hope you take no ill intent from this, but in my dreams, You and the rest of Phantom thieves are in them...and…” Akechi bites his lip.

“And what?” Akira asks.

Akechi shifts uncomfortably, “And we’re all fighting each other...and...I hated you for some reason,” he continues, “I’m sorry.”

Akira shakes his head, “No it’s fine, it’s just a dream, try not to think too much about it.”  

Akechi sighs but nods, “Yeah I guess you’re right.”

Akira is quiet for a moment, he didn’t want to admit he had similar dreams. “Anyway I’m taking Futaba to Destiny Land on Saturday would you-”

“Are you happy with your decision Akira?” Akechi says with full seriousness, his voice sounded way colder than usual.

Akira cocks his eyebrow, “What?”

“Hm?” Akechi looks at him confused.

Akira just gets more confused, “What did you just say?”

“Huh? I didn’t say anything,” Akechi remarked.

Akira shook his head, “I could have sworn you said something…”

Akechi looks a bit concerned, “Are you alright Akira?

Akira nods, “Yeah, I might’ve just imagined it, I didn’t get much sleep during exam week.”

“Well, you should get some rest, it’s summer vacation, you have time.”

Akira picked up on two words, “Summer vacation...Huh?” This is his 2nd summer vacation in Tokoyo. ...Wasn’t he only supposed to be here for a year though? Wasn’t he supposed to go home in march? But the memories of playing video games with Ryuji and Yusuke felt so distant along with Futaba’s palace...They all felt like dreams.

Akechi smiles, “Let’s hope we’ll all have many summers together.”

Akira nods, but still looks at the ground pondering, “Yeah.”

“Is something wrong-”

“Akechi, when did you join the phantom thieves?” Akira suddenly asked.

Akechi looked confused, “During Nijima-san’s palace.”

Akira stared at his friend’s water fight in the distance, “Did we ever steal her treasure?”

Akechi rubbed his chin a for a second, before responding, “No...What’s with all these quest-”

“Why didn’t we steal her treasure?” Akira asked as he continued to ponder. “Wasn’t I sold out?”

Akechi thought for a moment, “From my memory, I can indeed say that’s true.”

“...”

“...”

“...”

“...”

“...But Akechi…Who sold me out?” Akira asked nervously as he tried to think of the day he got arrested

“...”

“...”

Akira sighed and turned to watch their friends, Futaba was currently on Yusuke’s back while hurling water balloons Ann and Ryuji.

“So you finally noticed it,” Akechi said in that cold serious voice again.

“Huh?” Akira exclaims.

“Hm?” Akechi turns to Akira, he smiles, “Are you imagining things again Akira? You really need some rest.”

[chisie12]

Kisame Week Day 2: Hidden in the Abyss

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20036536/chapters/47594251

The next chapter for Breathing Under Water :D ! 

It doesn’t start with Kisame but he does appear early on! Hope you enjoy reading! 

~*~*~

The Autumn dawn was about to break, quietly and slowly lighting up the concrete pavements. Crystalline dew hopped off the bouncing auburn leaves as Akira stepped through the large white pine door. Nodding her head at the guards, she silently walked through the crimson carpeted floors and stopped before the double doors.

“Come in, Akira,” said a deep voice.

Her solemn countenance cracked with the betrayal of a smile. You can’t get past shinobi instincts after all, especially when it’s –

“Good morning, Hokage-sama.” She bowed her respects before greeting a bubbly Minato and a grumpy, definitely sleepy, Shikaku who stood by the side.

The old man, weathered by the vicissitudes of life smiled warmly. “A very early one indeed. What’s your report?”

“There are some correlations, Hokage-sama,” Akira began. “It will still need more testing for a definitive answer if we wish to know whether Eden can improve our strength in real life, but training in that world is possible. In terms of testing out skills and movements, I believe it’s doable. Because of the nerve connections and realism that Eden utilises, one would really feel like they’re fully immersed in the game.”

“What level are you, Akira?” Minato interjected excitedly. His blue eyes lit up, shining brighter despite the time.

“Only 35.” Her voice was small, shy even. Because it’s been three months since she started, having played since the launch, but her level was rather... miserable. “I've spent too much time figuring out the possibilities of utilising my character differently,” she harrumphed. “Of course I cannot compare to a level 47 Shadow Hunter like you. Aren’t you at the top of the leaderboard?”

Minato shook his head with a small smile. “Supposedly, yes.” Seeing Akira’s raised brow, he continued with a grin. “If you did it the conventional way too, you'd top me.”

Akira didn’t suppress her snort at his comment or her smile. A teasing glint shone in her eyes, leaning in front of a grumbling Shikaku to wink at Minato. “I would top you if Kushina-hime allowed it. Oh, maybe we could both top you.” Dark giggles danced out of her lips, the sly smile widening bit by bit into a full blown grin at the blond’s reddening face. “The hime will probably love that.” The flush was darkening, almost to the beautiful fire of his said wife’s hair.

Shikaku groaned as he painfully squeezed his eyes shut.

Despite the difference in their ranks, Konoha City’s Hokage Sarutobi chuckled, feeling a little wistful yet nostalgic at watching the younger generation. He used to be one of them once upon a time, and the only regret he had was not eliminating the wars as they grew up. “Alright, before my Commander embarrasses himself further, what of the swordsman that you found a month ago?”

Akira straightened her back and replied solemnly, “As previously reported, I’ve already established contact with him, Hokage-sama. He seems to linger around areas near the sea.”

He laced his fingers, nodding at her words. “You know what to do, Shimizu-san.”

Basically, determine whether to ally with him or kill him. An absolute joy.

“Yes, Hokage-sama.”

Sarutobi stared at his commanders, inwardly sighing at the sight. They were young, too young for such bloodshed, but it was necessary, lest the enemies come knocking on their door.

Minato, Konoha’s Forces Commander, Akira his vice, and Shikaku, the Tactical Commander straightened themselves when Sarutobi looked at them.

The meeting then began.

Iwa City and Kumo City had been knocking down Leaf City’s border patrols recently and Konoha were no strangers to the frequent skirmishes that were happening. After the Second Shinobi War, power of the Five Great Shinobi Countries was declining, and more and more task forces were being sent out to man the border stations, only to end up in another scuffle.

Hokage Sarutobi only hoped that it wouldn’t blow up into a full scale war. He wished for his people to live in peace, to go about their lives without a worry of bloodshed, for their children to grow up healthy and strong, both shinobi and civilians alike.

Because his life hadn’t been like that. It was always a war after the other, eliminating threats and protecting his family. Throughout the years he reigned as Hokage, he managed to give birth to a full technologically advanced city, the village now a city with a stable economy and good education.

Eden was secretly a Konoha government project after all. Even though Mad Games hailed from the Akibaba City nearer to the Country of Merchants, Konoha had managed to reach out to the team, promising support and massive investments, if certain programs could be implemented. They agreed, easily enough (Konoha’s happy tree huggers reputation does come in handy), if not for the investments, but for the challenge and wish to create a game closely linked with reality.

When the sun was high in the sky did the talks end.

And then it was back into the land of Eden...

 ~*~*~

 Thick blood drifted on the sea, like celebratory crimson streamers. His blue hand loosened its grip on the sword’s handle and he was enveloped in a white light. Tailless Beast was finally at level 40.

He dropped to sit on the empty sands of Faraway Beach, an area where level 40 to 50 monsters roamed. The rush of his bloodlust calmed with every lap of the waves, fingers softly digging into the sand, drenched by the pushing water, cold and chilly, yet welcoming to his mind. And then he saw it floating on the surface, riding the wave to the beach, only to get stuck within the grooves of rolling sand. Memories, like the slow whoosh of the waves, drifted into his mind; Of laughter and of smiles, of a moment of normalcy, of a simple friend.

‘But she’ll never be my friend now if she saw me.’ With a sigh and a push off his hand, he stood up, strapping the plain silver steel broadsword on his back and picked up the trash.

Ding!

[Picked up ‘Trash on the Beach’. 1/20]

His small black eyes widened in surprise. Looking around the beach, he spotted a broken beer bottle sticking out in the sand nearby. Digging his toes into the sand below the glass, feeling the cool hard surface, he flicked his foot up and perfectly caught the bottle in his hand.

[Picked up ‘Trash on the Beach’. 2/20]

A soft rumble vibrated in his chest, a gentle sound unlike the usual snarls and growls. Such an odd quest, totally unrelated to the any classes, but he continued picking up trash acquiescently. Each time his hand reached out, a phantom shadow of a smaller, tanned and not blue hand would appear in his mind, and a smaller, petite silhouette would occasionally emerge at the corner, figure bending down wordlessly, soiling her fair fingers with trash and dirt. Kids, an innocent time; freedom unrestrained by many forces. His childhood wasn’t anything nice to look at, and if anything, those from Konoha would be appalled, pale faced and shocked if they knew what Kiri subjected him to. Training grounds filled with blood and gore, harsh vomit and burning tears, bloody screams of innocent children and the whistling of the blade slicing through soft flesh.

With a tired sigh, Tailless Beast shook those thoughts away, flinging them far away into the abyss of the sea and focused on the silhouette that’d occasionally emerge. He felt peace when he remembered the clear joyful chortle bubbling from her chest, the small tilt of her lips and provocative look she’d send his way, the crescent shaped eyes and grin from the joy of swimming in the salty depths. He remembered it all, down to the same flower kanzashi she always wore in her high ponytail.

When he picked his 19th trash, a notification popped up.

[Clear Shadow sent you a friend request. Accept? Reject?]

The wistful happiness from a moment ago was doused like a bucket of water onto the fire, replaced by sheer irritation and sharp teeth grinding against each other.

He instantly rejected her.

“Hewwo.”

Immediately after, he received a text message from Clear Shadow. He ignored it and went to look for another trash to pick up, somehow seemingly finding none. Frustrated, he walked further down the beach, further from the vast sands through an area of grassy patches where a natural rock archway of the cove presented itself up ahead.

[Clear Shadow sent a video message. Click to view.]

He was stopped in his tracks at the message that came through, staring at the message’s preview and like an automation and the subconscious dreaded curiosity of a hungry fish staring at the worm, a screen popped up before him. He could only curse at his brief stupidity as he stared at the short two second video. On loop. That blue furry looking monster (if he recalled correctly) was an alien named Stitch, who was holding his claws out, curling slightly while his mouth attempted at what should be a friendly grin as he greeted in a dragged out “Hi.”

“Hewwo,” Clear Shadow said the moment the video replayed. “I thought you were ignoring me!”

“I was,” Tailless Beast replied curtly.

“Not anymore.” And he swore she (it’s a she, right? No sane male would do this video sending and ‘hewwo-ing’) was giggling to herself.

A growl ripped out of his throat as he closed the chat with her, scolding himself for allowing her stupidity to spread to him.

He walked closer to the cove, frightened seagulls cawing in the air.

[Clear Shadow sent you a friend request. Accept? Reject?]

Rejected.

The hell was wrong with her?

Another message came this time and his impassive expression cracked, lips tilting into a manic, feral grin.

“Notice me, senpai.”

Irritation flared, clouding his mind and words danced across his screen, his finger hitting send before he could process what just happened. “Go away! The hell is wrong with you? I’m not your friend or your senpai! Go bug someone else!”

And then came a silence, pervaded by confusion and unsettled anger. Tailless Beast scoffed, jabbing at the ‘x’ to close the chat window in an attempt to satisfy his desire for a fight. Bending down after nearing the cove, he picked up the trash and it displayed that he had picked up a full 20 out of 20, but... the quest remained incomplete.

“What the heck? Is there a bug?”

A female voice cursed, the voice a little echo and distant. Rounding up the natural rock archway, he saw a level 40 female Elementalist cladded in a red robe. The hell? Wasn’t she level 35 yesterday?

“Why won't the quest complete?”

He'd go up and ask her, he really would. The quest was baffling him too. Not only was it totally random, it seemed to be bugging as well. But he couldn’t, wouldn’t, step forward. No. The confusion and curiousity in him melted in the wrath of unsettled, rekindled annoyance, all because the mage’s ID was “Clear Shadow”.

As though sensing his gaze on her, he watched the surprise flit across her face before her mouth curved into a mischievous smile. No, don’t start –

“Senpai noticed me!”

Fuck.

He turned around to leave when the tide rushed in, a wavy crystalline surface rippling across ashy brown coloured rocks, crashing into him and her, drenching their armour. He dropped his lifted foot while the water receded, cringing in pain when a sharp object pierced through his steel boots and a small damage floated above his head.

“What the hell?”

A softer voice meshed with his, words overlapping each other in the same mix of annoyed confusion, yet in an odd presence of tacit understanding, they bent down to inspect the items. A crisp ring rang as they both received notifications.

Tailless Beast: [You have discovered the tooth of Sharkman Kelo. Follow the clues to unravel the truth of the fall of Atlantis.]

Clear Shadow: [You have discovered the tears of Mermaid Knight Rie. Follow the clues to unravel the truth of her death.]

A lilt voice, soft and gentle sang a sorrowful tune. The crashing waves seemed to have calmed, as though mournful at hearing the voice, now mere small ripples swimming in the natural grooves on the ground. A salty breeze drifted in, picking up strands of their hair and caressed their cheeks before dipping into their bags. An azure halation lit up in the shallow water and small glowing beads appeared before the surface. They congregated near both players’ bags and the twenty trash items floated out, hanging around their figures in two perfect dancing circles. The blue light pulsed and they watched as the items started breaking down, integrating with the shrinking glow that nestled itself around their necks. A thin azure line stretched out. Both the shark tooth and pearl were lifted off their palms, moving towards their neck and attaching themselves to the dimming glows. When the rock archway calmed and returned to normal, with the voice turning silent, there was a pair of matching necklaces hanging around their necks. The chain was shimmering in a translucent pale blue from glass beads strung together, with the only difference the shark tooth and pearl hanging in the centre.

 Sharkman Kelo’s Ring of Promise (Legendary): Ornament.

Requirements: Level 0, male.

Properties: Strength +227, Strength +293 (in water), Speed +100 (in water), Dexterity +100 (in water).

User will also gain the ability to breathe underwater.

 Restriction: Bound to Tailless Beast.

  Mermaid Knight Rie’s Tear in the Abyss (Legendary): Ornament.

Requirements: Level 0, female.

Properties: Intellect +426, Strength +112 (in water), Dexterity +100 (in water).

User will also gain the ability to breathe underwater.

 Restriction: Bound to Clear Shadow.

 Tailless Beast pursed his lips and looked at Clear Shadow. Clearly, the quest to Atlantis was related to hers and he didn’t know if he wanted to complete it or not. He preferred grinding solo, with no annoying bugs in the way, but what truly caught his attention was that she seemed to have done the same quest he did: Picking up trash on the beach. Was it merely a coincidence?

Akira returned Tailless Beast’s stare, a myriad of emotions filling her mind. Like him, she figured it was a quest they both had to embark on together, but she had a special mission to complete. But she also had the mission to tail him. What to do!?

Tailless Beast took in her silence curiously. Maybe going on a quest with her wouldn’t be so bad after all? “How did you trigger the quest?”

Akira arched a brow. “By picking up trash. Didn’t you trigger it too?”

His mouth opened and closed, words twisting in his head as he tried to form a sentence. “But why would you?”

She shrugged her shoulders. “Habit, maybe. I used to pick up trash on the beach when I was younger. Watched a friend do it, so I started doing it too.”

Something nagged at him, something he couldn’t quite pinpoint. Dejected, he turned to leave, the new emotions swimming in him foreign and confusing, and he wanted to find a quiet spot to stew in his thoughts. He only took one step, a simple one tiny step, when a system notification popped up.

[Clear Shadow sent you a friend request. Accept? Reject?]

A vein bulged on his temple when he saw it. Pursed lips parted into a snarl, black beady eyes glaring at Akira when a new message popped up.

Clear Shadow, “It’ll be easier to do the quest this way.”

“Who said I wanted to quest with you?”

“What? Are you afraid of a little competition? Can’t handle a small mage like me?” Akira taunted.

“I'm not afraid! I just don’t want to carry you!”

“Pfft, I’ll be carrying you in the end.” Akira replied. She waited a beat then continuing, “Forget it. You're just going to drag me down. I'm gonna level up myself.”

Before she could cancel the friend request, it disappeared, replaced by a system notification displaying [Tailless Beast accepted your friend request.]. A smirk made its way onto her lips and she quickly smoothened her expression out.

“Senpai did notice me after all!”

“Fuck off. I’m not your senpai.”

“You can’t regret becoming my friend.”

“I already did.”

“You suck. You just don’t want to admit I'm better than you since we’re both level 40 now.”

“Fuck no. Someone probably carried you.”

As they bickered back and forth, the same lilt voice appeared again and a glow appeared within the deep blue sea. That was their clue.

Their words got stuck in their throats, their argument forced to die as they exchanged a glance; one grinning, one grumpy. They really were going to do this.

In the back of his mind, something was nagging at him like an annoying scratch, that he never fully noticed before, but... she wasn’t finding him weird or scary from his ‘choice’ of appearance. She never questioned or judged it (to be fair on his part though, she was probably weirder than a blue-skinned, shark-looking Blade Master).  

“Last one there is a rotten fish!”

She’s definitely going to be the death of him.

The pair dashed into the waves and leapt simultaneously, body arching in a perfect curve and they dove down into the depths with only the mysterious glow guiding them. The necklaces worked their magic, only glowing a faint azure colour before returning to its unassuming state. Lines were carved onto their necks, thin black lines that opened and closed with their every breath, filtering out oxygen from the salty depths. Excitement gleamed in their eyes, endless possibilities suddenly available to them with this gift, when they noticed exactly who it was that they shared this joy with, there was a mix of reactions; one of tease and the other of grumbles. The vast golden sands stretched out far and deep, rocks standing strong and steady with beautiful coral reefs steadily appearing with seaweed and small schools of fishes waving their greetings. Darkness flooded their vision the deeper they went, yet that mysterious glow was still so far away. Small fishes gradually grew larger to the point the pair had to hide as the monsters slowly grew stronger as well.

Tailless Beast watched the giant angler fish swim past the tall rock pillar, barely thick enough to conceal both players. Akira huddled close to the near two-meter-tall giant, whose hand stretched out in front of her. To hold her in place? To protect her? They both held their breaths, heart beating steady as they kept their calm. She peeked out from over his shoulder, observing the monster.

 Revengeful Angler (Level 60)

HP: 450,000/450,000

 She gulped the lump in her throat and subconsciously inched closer to Tailless Beast. When he felt her figure closer to his, silk robes caressing his skin, his eyes darted to her fair fingers gripping tightly onto the stick she called a wand, illuminated ever so slightly by the lone light of the Revengeful Angler. Lifting his eyes to steal a glimpse at her panicking gaze, he decided against commenting on her actions, smirking instead to himself at the new memory.

“The hell you smirking at, big blue?” Akira sent him a whisper when she caught sight of his upturned lips.

“You’re a scaredy-cat,” he sent back, eyes still glued to the retreating figure of the monster. “And why big blue? Cause I'm big and blue? You get 0 points in creativity.”

“Oh, we’re counting points now? I at least get a point for coming up with a nickname. And no, I'm not a scaredy-cat. You try going up and killing that fish. Maybe I get to eat sashimi tonight.”

“That sashimi will poison you, I'm sure. You get a point for creativity and a penalty for coming up with a shit one. So you're at 0 points. Also, I don’t have a death wish. I'm not going up against it.”

“Senpai, I didn’t know you were such a scaredy-cat.”

“Shut the fuck up with the ‘senpai’.” All traces of his mirth disappeared.

Seeing his snarl, full of pointy teeth and huge frame towering in fury, Akira’s bottom lip jutted out into a pout. “Sorry, sorry, Beast. Don't get mad, okay?”

He scoffed, turning instead to Revengeful Angler that was circling back to the stone pillar they hid behind. “We might need to make a swim for it.”

He growled when she leaned too far forward, her ribs pushed against his still outstretched arm. “Not so far!”

Fighting the urge to roll get eyes, she chose to rather merely nod and agreed to his earlier suggestion. “When it swims back out, we will.”

And so they waited, storing their weapons away to reduce their burden when they swam. Tailless Beast nudged her back a little, scooting further to the other side as the large monster swam past, its light gleaming over the hidden players only for a brief moment. They attentively watched it swim, awaiting the moment that they wanted.

“Now!” he called under his breath, a calloused hand tugging at her smaller one as he started swimming away, towards the mysterious light that no other lifeforms could somehow detect. They kicked their legs hard, stretching their arms out as far as possible and pushed as hard as they could. A monstrous roar shook the sea as Revengeful Angler spotted the escaping duo and immediately chased after them.

Soon, the gap between Akira and Tailless Beast widened, but she remained calm, fighting hard to swim faster but the difference in strength directly affected their swimming speed. Even though she wasn’t an orthodox Elementalist with high intellect but rather an odd mix of intellect and strength, she would never be able to catch up to a Blade Master whose strength stats were high, and higher in the water.

He swam fast and swift, an unrestrained joy washing his every nerve and muscle while he swam, just like a fish in water. He turned back towards Akira, that joy blanking into panic when he saw the tens of meters of distance between them. Seeing the mage robes billowing in the water and the monster not far behind her, he realised there and then that he forgot; forgot of their differences, forgot to support another fellow party member. Now he wasn’t swimming away anymore. Mists of tiny bubbles shrouded his rushing body, thick muscles of his legs kicking up a storm with eyes focused on both Akira and Revengeful Angler. An arm stretched out, slender desperate fingers finding their way to his and surprised blue eyes, the colour deeper in the sea lit up only by the angler fish’s light, stared at him incredulously. He ignored her stare, instead pulling hard at her much smaller hand towards him.

A heat wave behind her broke their trance and they turned to see Revengeful Angler charging an attack with her esca. The light grew brighter, stronger and the water fifteen meters around it rose in temperature until it began bubbling. A chill ran down their spines.

“It should only be a linear attack! Move!” Akira yelled out and pushed Tailless Beast away no matter how much she enjoyed whatever it was before.

In the split second Revengeful Beast let out its attack, Akira and Tailless Beast were separated, and the beam shot right through their middle, extending another twenty meters with the heat strong enough to make them boil despite the distance of a few feet. Tailless Beast immediately pulled Akira next to him again when the attack ended and started swimming again. The light started to fade, returning to only light up the area around the Revengeful Beast and shrouded in darkness, the two were safe. Moments after, when they were tired and irritated at the long distance, they finally neared the mysterious light. The small ball of white flames was flickering alone in the deep sea.

“This is it? I don’t see Atlantis anywhere.”

Akira remained quiet while she observed the flames, somehow seeing the illusion that a mermaid was crying in the embers. She reached out a finger as Mermaid Knight Rie’s Tear in the Abyss started to glow in correspondence. It was surprisingly cool on her skin, comforting and gentle like a spring breeze when everything suddenly plunged into darkness. The fire was snuffed out, the pearl’s glow disappeared.

And then, a horizontal white slit appeared in the abyss, widening with a blurry vision a mix of blue, green and gold entering her sight until sharpness returned.

 [You have discovered the fallen land of Atlantis.]

[thermopylod]

Yutaba + 46

Futaba x Yusuke, “I’m in love…shit.”(~1900 words)

Futaba and Akira were 3 hours and 2 plates into their afternoon of retro gaming and curry-eating, and Futaba had been trouncing him well and good at Power Intuition and Punch Ouch. That must have been why he suddenly decided to use dirty distraction techniques to try to win a match.

“So, when are you going to ask Yusuke out?”

Yutaba jumped so high she knocked over the chair she was sitting on and fell down, prompting Akira to rush over to make sure she was ok. She shoved his well-meaning hands off, blushing a deep scarlet.

“Why would I do that?!”

Wasn’t Akira supposed to be super perceptive? He must be off his game if he thought Futaba had any interest in Yusuke. Which part of him was supposed to be attractive to her? The beanpole physique? The propensity for drinking paint water? The continuous flow of supremely boring art discussions? The horrible dietary habits? (Not that Futaba had much room to talk, but at least she ate, which was more than some people could say.) She stood up, brushing herself off, and glared at Akira. If he wanted to play matchmaker, he could go do that with Ann, or Haru, or hell, even Makoto would be a better target for his unnecessary meddling than Futaba.

“Because you’re into him?” he asked like it was some sort of obvious fact while he picked the chair up, proving that for all his interpersonal skills he really could be quite dense.

“No I’m not,” Futaba replied as she dropped onto the couch, assuming the conversation would end there. She’d had quite enough of fighting games for now; maybe it was time for round three of the curry…

“Coulda fooled me.”

Her head snapped up. So he wasn’t going to drop it. She sighed; Akira could be so persistent when he thought he was right, and she really had better things to do with her evening than explain to him why Yusuke wasn’t remotely attractive to her. Things like… cut her toenails. Or trim her split ends. Or maybe even color-code her closet. Anything had to be better.

She could feel her face still flooded with heat; she hated that that was her automatic reaction to awkward situations, and now Akira was going to read it as a sign or something, and had he gotten into Ryuji’s weird romantic manga stash again?

“I mean, you two hang out together all the time,” he continued.

Well, of course they did; Yusuke spent a large amount of his free time at Leblanc’s, and so did Futaba. He said it was for the atmosphere which “inspired the creative mind,” but she was pretty sure it was mostly because Sojiro always ended up feeding him when his stomach growled too loudly.

As for Futaba, since she didn’t go to school, it was either the cafe or her empty house, and since her change of heart she found that she appreciated being around other people sometimes. Not all the time, of course — she was still an introvert, nothing would change that, and closing the door onto her silent, quiet, empty bedroom was as relaxing as a hot bath after an excessively long day in the Metaverse. But sometimes, it was nice, having a few living, breathing people around to reminder her she wasn’t alone anymore.

And of course she often ended up talking with Yusuke; he was usually the only person under thirty in the cafe, and even his endless explanations of art movements couldn’t be as bad as discussing politics with the close-minded old regulars. If she got him on the right subject he could even be rather entertaining. He had a way of making scathing, offhand remarks without even appearing to realise it; sometimes it was like reading an oblivious snark blog and it took all she had not to laugh out loud, which inevitably broke the spell as he asked, completely confused, what was funny about the fiscally irresponsible choices of his classmate.

So clearly that didn’t mean anything. She opened her mouth to tell Akira as much, but he spoke first.

“Didn’t you even take him out to dinner the other day?”

She frowned. Take him out to… oh, right. She’d noticed he looked even paler than usual, with greenish undertones to his skin that he usually didn’t have unless he’d accidentally gotten paint on his face — not that she was paying any specific attention to his usually porcelain tone or perfectly blemish-free appearance. When she’d asked whether he was sick he’d told her to “please, not worry on his behalf,” which was the best way to make anyone worry.

(Futaba had read about reverse psychology, and decided that she was immune to that sort of mind manipulation trick. Therefore, the fact that she often felt the need to do the opposite of what she was told was simply her asserting her right to make her own decisions, and had nothing to do with any sort of psychology, reverse or otherwise.)

“When was the last time you ate something else than curry?” she’d asked him.

“Hmm… oh, yes, I had some bean sprouts on Monday. They were quite refreshing.”

“That… that was three days ago, Inari.”

“Well, I do have to wait for them to grow back. If I eat them too quickly, then there will be none left.”

Futaba had stared at him. It was a miracle he didn’t have scurvy at this point, really, and even if he was obnoxious and exasperating he was also a key member of the team. His ice skills were unmatched, so it would be a problem if he ended up in the hospital or on bed rest because he got less vitamins than a pirate from the 1700s. Figuring she could do something helpful for the team for once, she’d dragged him out to the closest restaurant that served salads and forced him to eat at least 3 different veggies, and also made him get a smoothie at the station on the way home too. He’d been excessively grateful, thanking her over and over, but he always acted like that around food. It hadn’t been a date or anything, just a smart tactical decision for the team.

“Then there’s the way you always hold his hand when we’re outside.”

Futaba blushed. That one was weird, she had to give Akira that. She’d just about fainted from embarrassment the first time Yusuke’d grabbed her wrist to drag her along in a crowd, but it had been a very efficient way to get through it quickly without getting lost — he had such long legs, she often had trouble keeping up. From then on, she’d started grabbing his hand anytime they were in a crowded area, and maybe when they weren’t too. It wasn’t some sort of romantic thing; she just felt safer that way. His warm hand in hers reminded her that she wasn’t alone, like a physical memento of the whole team’s support, and made it easier to deal with the slew of fears she still had. And if she’d started interlacing their fingers, that was only because their grip felt more secure that way. It had nothing to do with how soft his fingertips were against the back of her hand.

“And when we’re in the Metaverse, you always cast your support spells on him first.”

Now Futaba was getting annoyed. Had Akira been studying her or something? This was starting to sound like an interrogation, and he wasn’t letting her get a word in edgewise. He was wrong, and that was that. Did she boost or heal Yusuke first? Well, he was taller, so he probably just attracted her skill to him automatically; after all, she was casting them from above, so that would make sense. Or maybe he was the most injured, which meant he needed her help the most, and was she supposed to ignore that just because Akira would get weird notions if she didn’t? Clearly it wasn’t like she was doing it on purpose.

“But the main reason I asked, is that lately you’ve only made time to hang out with me when he’s not available.”

“How do you know when he’s available?”

“I am the leader, of this team, you know. I have all your calendars memorized so I can choose the best days to take us into the Metaverse,” he replied, ruffling her hair. “For example, I know Fridays are bad because that’s when your favorite anime airs and you’ll be distracted the whole time over missing it.”

“I am not — anyway, that’s not true, I don’t pick him over you!”

“Really? So you could have seen Yusuke tonight, but you came here?”

“Well, no, he’s at an art show, but that’s not the point! Anyway, I know you’re only here because Ryuji’s busy with his mom today, so you’re one to talk!” She stuck her tongue out at him, proud of her retort.

“Ah, but I have no issue admitting I love Ryuji,” he replied with a smug smile.

Futaba froze, and all her thoughts from the last fifteen minutes suddenly caught up with her. She spent all her time with him. She found him entertaining to listen to even though he was, objectively, really boring. She was familiar enough with his appearance to notice a slight change and worried about his health to the point of buying him dinner. She liked to hold his hand, felt safe in public when he was around, unconsciously prioritized him for support spells if Akira was to be believed, and would always choose hanging out with him over anyone else.

She slid limply off the couch into a pile on the ground, hiding her head against her knees.

“I’m in love… Shit!”

She heard Akira come to sit down next to her, and lifted her head to look at him when he laid a hand on her shoulder.

“Why him? Why me? Why? I never asked for this!”

Akira shrugged. “If you find out, let me know. I still can’t understand why I fell for my dorky best friend with the terrible fashion sense instead of one of the many gorgeous girls who throw themselves at me daily,” he said, trademark flirty smile on his lips as he posed with a hand beneath his chin.

She swatted at him and rolled her eyes. “You absolute narcissist.”

“I can’t help that I was born beautiful,” he said with a silly, over exaggerated pout, before smirking in a dangerously playful way. “So, back to my original question. When are you going to ask him out?”

“Never, oh my god, Akira!” Not in a million damn years. There was no change of heart strong enough to give her the courage for that, and obviously Yusuke didn’t like her back, so there was no point, and —

Akira was pulling his phone out, and she jumped at him. “Don’t you dare tell him! Or anyone else!”

He pushed himself away from her with his hands up, one holding his phone with the screen towards her. “I wasn’t going to, I just got a message!”

She looked at the screen suspiciously. There did seem to be a notification from the Phantom Thieves chat dating back just a few seconds. Still…

“If you tell anyone, I’ll send your full chat history with Ryuji to the group chat,” she threatened.

His gasp, entirely genuine, made her wonder if she ought to check it, then just as quickly realise the last thing she wanted to do was check it. “You wouldn’t!”

“Try me.”

[charmergirl2468]

Akeshu (Selfshipping)- A Peaceful Sanctuary

HEADS UP: SPOILERS!!!!

This is just a small slice of this weird daydream where I’m in Akira’s body and go through the main game, except with my own persona being Atalanta! And mostly a fantasy of being able to talk Akechi down from the end game. Please enjoy this small sliver of insanity~

Walking into La Blanc was just like every other since I came here. The bell ringing from the front door, the smell of coffee swirling in the air, and Sakura’s greeting of “oh, you’re back”. There’s even that comfortable aura I’ve always headcanoned was permeating the place. It was a grounding place for me, seeing as most of this world is still a vast, confusing maze for me. Seriously, I bet none of the Lets players have tried to walk in the city without using the quick travel.

But the one thing that always disrupted the picture of Le Blanc that’s kept me sane is one Goro Akechi showing up randomly, just like today.

I have nothing against Akechi personally, despite my private nick name of him being Sketchy Akechi. But him showing up without a schedule, something I can keep track of and prepare for, makes it harder for me to be at ease with him. Especially considering what’s to come… I shouldn’t think about it now!

I was at least familiar with the time frame, where Akechi was getting scorn from the public eye for calling out the Phantom Theives. There’s at least that comfort in this crazy mess. But I’m not comfortable with how miserable Akechi is feeling, even if he doesn’t know I know. Something about Akechi finding solstice in Le Blanc felt like daja vu, but I couldn’t pin point what.

Still, just because I know what happens doesn’t mean I can’t be nice. I walk around the counter, putting the bag with Morgana by the stairs to slip into the attic, and pulled out a glazed chocolate chip scone from my secret stash. Akechi stared at me when I put it on a small plate and placed it in front of him. He made a move to grab his wallet, but I quickly stopped him.

“Woah woah woah!” I went, waving my hands side to side, “No need! It’s on the house. We can call it an active detectives discount”

“Oh…” he breathed, putting his wallet back and looking slightly shocked, “That’s very generous of you, but won’t Sakura-San get upset over you handing out product like that?”

“No need to worry, my dude. That delicious glazed scone with delectable chocolate chips is an Akira original from my own secret stash~”

So what if I’m showing off? He gets to be a detective from the cases he creates with the Metaverse, and is a conspirator with an attempted rapist. I’m allowed to let my old Anglophile phase shine through for a bit. ‘Sides, scones never hurt anyone.

“Amazing…” Akechi quietly gawked, taking the first bite. His eyes went wide open from the surprise deliciousness. At least, that’s what I’ll tell myself. “You made this yourself, Kurusu-San?”

“Not really, I mostly followed a recipe online and added chocolate chips and glaze. But I still loved playing with the dough and making this yum-tastic!”

I decided to sit next to him with a scone of my own, taking huge bites compared to his tiny ones. Seriously, who feeds this boy and is it enough? He looks normal but no human takes that tiny of bites. Than again, someone getting sucked into a game and becoming the protag, cis-gender and all, isn’t in the realm of normal either.

Akechi interrupted my train of thought with “Do you enjoy baking, Kurusu-San?”

“Oh, oh yeah!” I stuttered out, “Mostly stuff I hear about online or see on tv. There was one time I baked and frosted cookies at like 11 at night and made them look like different country flags!”

That story at least got a chuckle out of him, making me blush a little. Dammit, why does he have to be so evil and yet so hot!? I know I shouldn’t be attracted to him, all things considered, but something draws me to him. Like how flys will hang around any kind of sweet. Maybe I’m over thinking it.

Once his chuckle was over, his eyes returned to a saddened gaze at the counter. The whole world is ridiculing him, even though it’s part of his plan. No amount of mental fortitude or after school programs can prepare for all those angry, violent, hateful words. He reminds me of…

I put an arm near his, getting him to look at me. “Listen, from one dude to another, don’t worry about the people tweeting or whatever about hating you. They’re the kind of people who follow trends for the sake of trends and throw logic out the window. I’d bet my bottom dollar that they’ll find another sap to get pissy about once this blows over.”

His eyes looked glossy, like he was holding back tears. Maybe he was and I couldn’t tell.

“Honestly, if they’re going to judge you based on this incident alone and ignore the hard work you put in to being a damn detective at our age, they can fuck themselves with a cactus! Just because you were cautious of the Phantom Thieves doesn’t make you a monster. It means you were analytical and wanted to make a decision with all the facts! If they have an issue with that, they’re dumber than an anti-vaxxer!”

Akechi surprised me with something I’d never in a million years thought I’d get to see; he genuinely smiled at me. Not his fake polite smile, not his crazed hopped up smile, just a smile of relief and comfort.

“T-That was a surprising speech…” he muttered out, probably trying his damnest not to cry. “D-Do you speak from personal experience?”

I looked at the counter myself, thinking back to all the things people have said about me. I shake my head like it’s an etch-a-sketch and return my attention to Akechi.

“Maybe a little…” I answered quietly, stuffing my mouth with scone so he can’t ask me anymore questions.

Akechi returned to his fake smile and turned to Sojiro.

“I should be going” he said, moving out of his seat “Thank you for having me. The coffee was delicious! As was that scone~”

He walked out of the store without looking back.

Once I swallowed my scone I excused myself to the attic and sat on the futon with a sigh.

“Charm?” Morgana pipped up, “What the hell was all that? You sounded… experienced…”

I ran my fingers through my hair, the same stress tick I’ve had for years.

“Just stuff from the past back home. Nothing to worry about.” I excuse with a faint smile, “I’ve buried most of it anyways so it doesn’t bother me anymore”

“If you say so…”

I laid out on the makeshift bed and covered myself with a blanket, Morgana curling up near my feet. The attic wasn’t well insulated in the slightest but it’s livable with a fan and a space heater. Plus one cat warming my feet for free isn’t bad.

“Do you mind if I ask you something else?” Morgana questioned as we settled down.

“Go for it” I replied while glancing at my phone in case Yuki gives us a request.

“Why were you trying to comfort Akechi? People are being mean to him but he brought it on himself by trying to doubt us”

I stared at the ceiling for a second, phone hand resting on the mattress.

“Mostly because… he shouldn’t have this huge a back last to being cautious. He didn’t dance on graves or isn’t a racist asshole. He’s a teenager who didn’t know how we’re doing things and was very skeptical of that. He has every right to be wary of us, but people are treating him like he’s the devil incarnate. It’s not fair to him… he’s still a kid, like us…”

“I… I guess that makes sense” he admitted.

We really didn’t do much talking after that. I just stared at the ceiling until I fell asleep. I couldn’t remember much of my dream, but I do remember seeing a red crow chilling on the back of a grey wolf laying down.

[velvetroom--imagines]

Can I request that the Phantom Theives react to s/o doing a death drop to avoid a fatal attack. Like have you seen cheerleader/drag queen deathdrops? My jaw was on the floor the first time I saw it

I looked it up and mine dropped too, I think it reached the bottom of the ocean. Seriously though, I’d snap both my legs off if I tried doing that. 

Phantom Thieves react to S/O doing a Death Drop

Akira Kurusu

He’s met a talking cat, was dragged into a crime he didn’t commit, and probably accidentally fused a di– Mara. What else could possibly surprise him next?

It was a battle against a Rangda, and at that time, no one knew that it could repel physical attacks. When Akira went forward to strike it, he immediately flew back when he felt his own blade swipe against his body. “Be careful! Physical Attacks just bounce off this one!” Futaba cried out, watching as he tumbled backwards. 

You weren’t the only experimenting with this new foe, despite your exhaustion. Raising your pistol up to the Shadow, your finger idly waited by the trigger. “Is it my turn?” You asked, already having shot the bullet. Your eyes widened as the projectile was caught, only to be thrown back towards you. 

Akira’s eyes widened in fear, having calculated the result in his head. If that bullet hits you, you’d be hurt badly. He had run out of Life Beads (All thanks to Confusion) and he was too tired to cast Samecarm at this point. “S/O!” He growled out, hoping that you would be able to evade this attack.

“Not yet!” You yelled out, praying silently that your timing was correct. Bending your leg in an difficult angle, your body dropped down onto it’s back. By just a few inches, the bullet flew by into the depths of the room. Immediately getting back up, you grinned at the Leader. 

“I’m alright!” Akira stared wide eyed, blinking to himself. How was that possible? Is it even possible for the human body to bend so far? You seemed fine, standing on your two feet with no problem. He locked eyes with yours, letting the silence sink in.

“Can you teach me?”

Ryuji Sakomoto

Ryuji worked out with you sometimes. You’d accompany him to the gym, and do some stretches with him at a time. He’d often make comments about how flexible you can be, but he didn’t pay too much mind to it. 

In this battle, Akira was low on energy. Morgana was knocked out, and the only two people available to fight were you and Ryuji. It pissed the Leader off how people get easily tricked by the enemy when they casted Marin Karin.

Panting heavily, you could feel the scars on your body weigh you down. Every scratch felt like they were on fire, and it didn’t seem like you could hold your body up any longer.

Ryuji missed his attack, the grip on his bat tightened with frustration. Before he knew it, he glanced at the Shadow to see it lunging towards you, seemingly powered up. His eyes widened as a yell tore through his throat. “S/O! Look out!” 

When your body bent in a way deemed impossible, he immediately thought you had broken your back. His jaw dropped, eyes popping out of his sockets. His mouth was open but he couldn’t make any sound as you easily got back on your feet without any difficulty.

“… Damn, I love you.” He blurts out, running up to the Shadow and smashing it down with his bat. Once it dissipated into dust, he approached you, slinging an arm around your waist. He really did feel lucky that you were still awake, who was going to heal his wounds?

Ann Takamaki

Ann had already known about your attempts to flexible a long time ago. She had been trying to perform a Death Drop herself, for modeling purposes however.

She never did expect a technique to be used in the Metaverse though.

It was an attack gone wrong. Akira had been sneaking up on the shadow, failing to realize one had been following from the back. Before the Phantom Thieves knew it, they were surrounded.

The Battle was going on and on, and it felt like it wasn’t going to end. Everyone felt exhausted, and it seemed like the odds of winning weren’t high.

You weren’t paying attention to your surroundings, dizzy from dodging each and every attack the Shadows were throwing at you. You wanted to sit down and rest, but there was just no time.

Ann felt the same, weary and tired at the same time. She wanted to collapse so badly, but before doing so, she noticed a Shadow headed towards your way. Snapping awake, she gasped out towards you. “S/O! Behind you!”

Frightened by the sudden yell, you looked around in a frazzled state. “Where!?” On instinct, your body dropped down, your leg twisted all the way to your back. By a mere inch, a blade missed your hair. 

At first, Ann thought that the Shadow had decapitated you. Her eyes widened, tears threatening to spill once your face was no longer in her view. “S/O, no!”

Too caught up in her tears and agony, she glared at the Shadow and showed it no mercy. Without even sparing a glance at your body, she faced Akira. “Joker, S/O... T-They---”

“Ann...” Corspes weren’t supposed to be talking. Twisting her head to the side, she saw your head titled upwards, a pained expression on your face.

“Help me up, will you?”

Ever since, Ann practices doing these with you. You know, just in case a Shadow’s after you. 

Yusuke Kitagawa

When you allowed Yusuke to model you, at first, he didn’t make you do very complex poses. Initially, he just had you standing or sitting by the windowsill. 

Nowadays, he likes teasing you by putting you in some very complex poses. Imagine having to stand on one foot with your back leaning backwards. Somehow, you always seemed to amaze him by being able to pull them off.

He never really took the fact that you had become flexible thanks to his poses into account.

When that Shadow decided that throwing projectiles at the enemy was a good idea, the Phantom Thieves found it hard to land a hit without getting a scratch. 

In the midst of dodging all sorts of blades, Yusuke was deflecting all the attacks that were sent your way. He seemed to be able to block every single one of them, except for the final blow. He didn’t have time to unsheathe his blade once he saw that blade headed towards your head.

“S/O--” He pales when he looks to see that your face was no longer in view. That was until he heard a snapping from underneath.

“Yusuke, help me up.” A sigh of relief leaves his lips, noticing that you were just a bit shorter than usual. “Please.”

He really doesn’t realize that the average person can’t bend that far. To his luck, he turns your new talent into another pose for his personal view.

Makoto Nijima

Makoto has her own tricks of fighting. Rather than focusing on the flexibitlity her body can take, she focuses on how aggressive she fights. She uses force rather than grace, and can’t imagine her body bending to such extents.

It was in the heat of a spar, Makoto had requested to fight you in order to hone her own skills. It wasn’t as heated in the beginning until she found herself missing all her targets. 

Determined to at least get one hit, she didn’t seem to notice how you were beginning to tire out. For a moment you wanted to take a break but you had to keep up your pride as a Phantom Thief.

Suddenly, you found yourself nearing a wall. Any longer, she would push you into a corner and beat you at this game. You weren’t going to have any of that at all.

Makoto threw a fist forward, only to miss and hit the palm of your hand. With a smirk, her foot rose in an attempt to lock your head down. Eyes wide and alert, a squeak left your throat as you jumped down, successfully evading the blow.

Now that move caught Makoto’s attention. Pausing in her steps, she took a step back to see what had become of your form. A flash of surprise appeared over her face, taken aback by your position.

“S/O? How did you do that?” She asked, eyes sparkling with renewed determination. Perhaps that move may be very useful in the Metaverse, she thought with interest.

Futaba Sakura

Futaba was not an athletic or physical person. She was the Oracle, whose skills can only give support to her vassals. 

As long as her allies are capable of fighting, she had no worries except for the one time she thought you had died.

From her Persona, she can only watch as the Team scrambled to aid you. It was just your luck, the Shadow used attacks that happened to be your very weakness. As much as she wanted to help you, she couldn’t do a thing.

Akira casted a ‘Mahamaon’, hoping to end the battle quickly before you were beaten. He was just as unlucky, taking out everyone but one. A curse left his lips as he realized what the Shadow was going to do next.

“S/O, you need to dodge it!” She cried out from above, watching as the Shadow moved forward to finish you off.

For a moment, you really looked helpless and defeated with no other way to run. You were too exhausted to hold up your health any longer. Unknown to your partner, a lightbulb flashed over your head.

“Oh yeah? Watch this!” You growled out, lifting your self up the ground for a second. Swiftly, your body bounced downwards with your head thrown back with a smirk.

From her point of view, Futaba watched as the attack was made, eyes widening in horror. “No!” She hissed, watching in fear. Closing her eyes, she refused to see what was left of you.”No..”

Suddenly, she hears you laugh. Looking at through her Persona, she drops her jaw in disbelief. You were grinning right at her, victorious of your evasion.

After the battle ended, you approached Futaba smugly. “Hey, like me new trick-- Ow!” She pinches you, an annoyed expression on her face.

“What was that for!?” 

“Don’t scare me like that again, you idiot.”

Haru Okumura

Why do I have a nagging feeling that Haru might’ve actually taught you this move? She’s the type of person who probably attended a lot of dance and aerobic classes in the past thanks to her Father.

Initially, she and you learned this move together when you accompanied her to a class. It was a date but she was occupied with the schedule. In the end, it was a very fulfilling date.

Despite the class, Haru wasn’t sure you could do it so easily. It was just one class after all. You couldn’t possibly be able to stretch your leg out in that short span of time.

Luckily, it came to use in a battle against a Shadow. It was a desperate time, and the team was just begging for someone to miss an attack. On the way to exiting the palace, an Elite Shadow had come to block the path.

It was just before your turn to attempt to beat down the Shadow, but it had other plans in store. You appeared weak to it, making you it’s next target. Smiling eerily, the shadow approached you, a claw ready to strike your figure into Heaven,

“S/O!” Hoping to take the blow for you, Haru scrambled to her feet but it wasn’t enough. She watched as the claw made it’s way across your supposed figure, nowhere in sight. To her surprise, your remains weren’t scattered all over the floor.

You were looking upwards, your legs contorted in a painful manner. “I’m fine.” You said through gritted teeth, smiling forcefully. “Perfectly fine.”

Sighing in relief, Haru took this chance to attack, reducing the shadow into dust. Once it was over, she approached you with an innocent smile. “S/O, don’t scare me like that again.”

“I won’t, but will you help me up?” She was too angry at you to even get you back on your feet. She was scared to death, really.

Since then, Haru had been taking you to the same class, hoping you would become more flexible to use that move. “Please, for me? You really scared me on that one battle, you know.”

[furederiko]

Countdown Counter: 11. Kyuranger 38 is a martial art fan-service fest! And a story of a Commander and his hesitation regarding his chain of command...

- The downside of having a large team is that every now and then, several members would be eclipsed by the others. Such is the case for Commander Xiao who unfortunately happens to be NOT Red, thus his leadership is being overshadowed by both Reds. Tsurugi is calling the shots to the operation, and Lucky gets to lead one Away Team. Xiao (and his rigged Kyulette) is definitely ignored! - There are some neat little things in the opening scene. Though it's disappointing that all of them are seemingly male, we get to see the 4 Barrier-breaking Sages in Tsurugi's story. I don't know about you, but I would love to see more of the 88 Warriors of the past, like these guys and also Kuervo whom we'll see more in the episode. And then there's that bit with Lucky taking off his new white royalty coat, and exchanges it with the usual Rebellion jacket. He might be a King he says, but when he heads out for mission, he's a regular Kyuranger like everyone else. No special treatment. Nice excus... I mean attention to details! - The team is split in two as they head towards different directions. Tsurugi, Garu, Naga, Hammy, Raptor, and a slumped Xiao head to the Yin-Yang landscape of Planet Atchaalk in the Cepheus System, while Lucky and the others depart to play video game Planet Ghem in the Perseus System. The latter team immediately runs into a newly upgraded Mecha-Madako. She's now the Menaster of the system and is exclusively tasked to stop their mission. Hmmm... first Akyanba, now Madako, Toku designers sure are obsessed with mechanical boobs, huh? - Team Tsurugi arrives at the Kyulin Temple. In the past, Tsurugi and Kuervo had to overcome the Nine Trials of Cepheus before they could gain the trust and assistance of its warrior. This time around, the Kyurangers need to defeat Menaster Deathgong, if they ever want to move ahead to locate the Constellation's power. Let the trials begin!!! Fun fact: Setting for Kyulin Temple is a commonly used Chinese-themed location in Tokusatsu. In Super Sentai alone, it has been used plenty of times, most notably in the wushu-themed "Engine Sentai Go-onger vs Juuken Sentai Gekiranger". Then again, I think pretty much every scenes involving Gekiranger's Rin JuuKen practitioners were filmed here! As for the 'Trials', it's obviously just another playful use of the number 9, and doesn't have anything to do with mythology. In the Greek stories, it's Herakles who had to undergo 12 Labors, and none of those was even related to King Cepheus. Sure, the demi-God hero DO know of a King by the same name, but he's a completely different person unrelated to this Constellation. - 1st Trial - 'Hellish Chamber'. The team needs to defeat 99 Indavers in just one minute. Phoenix Soldier takes care of this in a zippy, by Phoenix End-ing more than 1/3 of the army. Gotta love Garu's reaction to being outmatched by Hammy. LOL. Draco Commander's back gets in the way, so he only gets 5 Indavers. Ouch! Tsurugi tells Xiao to don't mind that, because Kuervo also scored the same number back then. Team encounters the first crossroads, so they pair up and split into three groups to take on challenges in separate paths. - 2nd Trial - 'Muscle Building Chamber'. Basically, they need to perform 9999 sit-ups. Tsurugi gets to deliver another sweaty shirtless fan-service scene, while Raptor... cheers. Yep, lately the extra member seems to be in charge of shirtless fan-service spree, and Tsurugi firmly joins Zyuohger's Misao and ToQger's Akira in this category. To be honest, what he's doing is a little cheating, because a proper sit-up requires to lean a liiiitle bit lower. This is more in the line of abs-crunching. But I guess there's no definite rule for this trial, and it's still a demanding task nonetheless. Hold on... I wonder why Raptor doesn't take this challenge instead? She's an android, so doing repetitions like this shouldn't be 'exhausting' for her, right? - 3rd Trial - 'Kitchen Chamber'. Hammy and Garu are tasked for a cook-off and impress the Indaver-judges. This one is another cheat, because they immediately contact Spada for clue despite being star systems away. Hammy whips up the Pisces Kyu Globe, and the two serves... fresh SUSHI to win the trial. For the record, making Sushi isn't as 'easy' as this episode suggests. But it's reasonably quick, and can be done by people with limited cooking skill and utensil knowledge. So uhm... you get the point. LOL. - 4th Trial - 'Game Chamber'. Red Light, Green Light. I'm personally not familiar with this game (we don't actually play it in my country... but I'm an introvert, so who am I to say XD), but once again, the team has an upper hand in Naga's ability. Xiao and his weak back might not be up for this posing game, but that's not a problem for Naga's freeze glare. - 5th Trial - 'Dance Chamber'. The title says it all, as the team unites for a quick rock n' roll... I mean Kyulette the Chance 'Just Dance' session. Daang, I wish this scene is muuuch longer. Seriously producers, we need a Kyuranger Musical!!! - 6th Trial - 'Resilience Chamber'. Hammy partners up with Raptor for... a nice hot spring bathhouse challenge! Yep, we finally get the ladies moment, and it's totally fan-service. Aaaawwww.... *v*. But really, I wish this scene plays out muuuuuch longer too. Not because I'm pervy or anything, but because we rarely see the female members in this show hug... I mean hang around casually like this. I could be mistaken or anything, but we haven't had that annual girl-power trope episode so far, have we? By the way, I'm surprised that Raptor can endure this challenge without getting... rusty. Oh well, carry on! - 7th Trial - 'Funny Face Chamber'. Garu and Naga engage in a staring fight against the Indavers, a challenge that even yours truly would lose pretty instantly. It's a nice callback to the fact that neither of them knew the Indavers are wearing masks! Naga is hilarious, and it's even moreso because he doesn't realize it. LOL. - 8th Trial - 'Shooting Chamber'. Tsurugi steals Xiao's thunder all over again, by blasting all the targets away... with his SHIELD-BLADE. I did NOT know his armaments can do that. Even Deathgong sees Tsurugi as the only major threat of this group, a premature assumption that would backfire very harshly. - Before they head to the last one, Xiao and Tsurugi have a sweet heart to heart moment that pretty much serves as the highlight of this episode (at least for me). Ignoring how or where Tsurugi can even obtain those canned coffee, it's a surprisingly stark metaphor to real life situation. In all honesty, Xiao is like an old man whom his family slowly ignores the more they grow up, while Tsurugi is that hip trendy outsider who just recently becomes a new addition to the pack. This sweet intimate moment gives Xiao a chance to reflect on his limitations, but also allows Tsurugi to prove his kindness and wisdom. "You assembled the brightest stars in the universe into a single team", he praises. To which he also reminds Xiao that the Commander has his own way of handling thing. As in, everyone has their own role and place in the world. That's a strong message right there! - 9th Trial - ''Infighting Chamber'. Expecting a Jark Matter MotW to play fair and square would be a fever dream. Deathgong has captured Garu, Naga, Hammy, and Raptor as soon as they completed their challenges, and now pits them against the Cold-Sleep Duo. This is where the Menaster learns that underestimating Xiao becomes his fatal error. True to his words, Xiao knows each and every Kyuranger thoroughly (most of them at least... am I right, Naga?). It doesn't take long for him to realize that the seemingly-controlled Kyurangers attacking them are nothing but FAKES. This is how he's be superior than Tsurugi, because he has the power of perceptive! Aside from spending more time with the team to know that their reaction feels off, of course. LOL. - Freed from Deathgong's clutches through Xiao's signature sleazy trick, the four Kyurangers get to perform wushu-style attacks against the Indavers! Aquila Pink uses #81 Grus, Chamaeleon Green uses #85 Lynx, Ophiucus Silver uses #65 Hydrus, and Lupus Blue gets to shuffle (to genuine hilarious effect) both #52 Canis Majorand #66 Canis Minor Kyu Globe. Totally neat! Too bad Tsurugi doesn't get a part. He could've used the Bird of Paradise or Peacock constellations, if you ask me *grins*. - Draco Commander closes the curtain with a flashy end though. In a neat wushu-showdown serving as a cool homage to "Gosei Sentai Dairanger", Draco Commander utilizes his 'RyuKenpou' and blasts Deathgong to defeat with a Kameham... er, Dragon Ba... I mean, Energy Ball! - A fun trick is also utilized in the mecha battle. Ryutei-Oh has always been limited as a three-people robot. By borrowing Phoenix Voyager's rocket booster components (that form the hands of Kyutamajin), Draco Commander turns it into a FIVE-people combo. While benching out Phoenix Soldier on the ground as a cheerleader passive spectator. LOL. It's a nice change of pace that probably only toy collectors are aware of. I do hope we'll get to see this form more often, but that likely won't be the case and just a one-off thing. - On the other planet, Mecha-Madako uses a special controller to trigger Champ's malfunction. A not-so-mysterious person handed it to her earlier. Things are only starting to get serious there, but that will be our story for next week. On the bright side, the Kyulin Temple's Head Monk (at least, he looks like one?) is freed. As a token of gratitude, he grants the Constellation System's power to create the #54 Cepheus Kyu Globe. That means TWO down, and two more to go...

Overall: This episode was Goofy Fun! I'm a little disappointed, because I was expecting it to be 'crazier' and MORE comedic. But overall, it had truly fine fan-service heavy moments that once again, would've been even awesome had they played out a little bit longer. Garu and Naga were the MVPs, they stole the scenes and made me LOLed real hard. The warm interchange between Xiao and Tsurugi also worked in favor of elevating this rather hectic episode into a different level. Yep, this was a fantastic focus episode for Xiao, that smartfully harkened back to his early dilemma in the series. Being a hero is what Xiao had always wanted, so it's only natural that he started recognizing his own limitations and doubted if he's even right for the job. I think we can all safely say that this was a nice wrap to Xiao's personal arc. Next week: Fight on R.P.G. Knights, and reclaim your Champ!!!

Episode 38 Score: 7,8 out of 10

Visit THIS LINK to view a continuously updated listing of the Kyutama / Kyu Globes. Last Updated: November 22nd, 2017 - Version 3.06. (WARNING: It might contain spoilers for future episodes)

All images are screencaptured from the series, provided by the FanSubber Over-Time. "Uchu Sentai Kyuranger" is produced by TOEI, and airs every Sunday on TV-Asahi. Credits and copyrights belong to their respective owners.

[ryntaia]

Shuake where they have an argument and Akechi goes full on asshole mode and instantly regrets it, thinks Akira will hate him forever and leave like everyone else so Akira gotta smooth those ruffled feathers lmao at the end he's just like "dude plz I've seen you throw your worst tantrum already & you're a jerk but I still love you

Okay anon sorry this one took too long, I got really into it hahaha! It got a little bleak and depressing at the beginning but it gets super sweet and stuff near the end! Hope you enjoy! 

And pssh you be quiet it doesn’t sound dumb at all. 

           Akechi couldn’t decide how long he had been living up in this solitary attic, staring out the window morosely and wishing it would all go away. Watching his past replay before his eyes, hearing the sound of the gunshots that had rung out and the many anguishing hours that had passed as he sat there across from his own dead body with a bullet lodged firmly in his side. Feeling as his life faded away, as his Personas clamored for a solution inside of him, as his visor faded away to thick and messy brown hair flecked with blood. As his body seemed to move on its own into a small cell with walls that held a faint glow that he couldn’t stand to look at. Feeling as he was uncomfortably lifted, taken away from that unknown dark blue prison, waking up in an attic with a group of people surrounding him.

           He closed his eyes and bit his lip. He hated all their eyes on him, each and every member of the group he had betrayed. The conflict was clear in their eyes and the betrayal was apparent in their tone. They spoke with a familiar cadence, comparing him to them, never forgetting what he had done but somehow acting like they understood him and how he was feeling. He had just zoned out mercilessly and stared with dead eyes at the wall, nodded every now and then to placate them.

           They had pulled him out of something called a ‘Velvet Room’, not that Akechi could figure what that was. He hadn’t much of any idea what had happened in the last few months and no one was keen to fully fill him in yet. He knew they didn’t trust him—he didn’t trust them either. He was just sitting here staring blanking out the window waiting for the day when one of them brought their gun in and took him out. Or went into his mind and did what he had done to them…

           …No, he admitted painfully, they wouldn’t do that. The Phantom Thieves were not the murderers that he had so precisely and painstakingly worked to profile them as. They made to change hearts, not destroy them. Not like he had. It made him wonder, had he known about the Treasures and their effect two years prior, if he would’ve followed the same path as them. Probably not. He hadn’t had a light to guide him like they did. They had Akira Kurusu to exert that comforting authority to assure them that their petty vengeance would give them nothing.

           And Akechi had nothing. Just an empty cup of coffee and a window to stare out of while they waited for him to recuperate. As if he would ever do that. He knew he was just waiting out the clock to see his own sins paid in kind.

           He jumped slightly when he felt a hand over his own; looking down, he saw the slate gray eyes of Kurusu. No, he remembered, the boy had demanded to be called Akira. Like they were friends or something. Like you could really be friends with someone who took a gun to your forehead without a second thought. But he could play Akira’s game, he could do it as long as the other boy wanted to, because he knew it was all going to backfire on him in the end—

           “Goro. The team got you something.”

           Akechi looked up slightly, uninterested, at the box that Akira held in his hands. He tried to squash the small feeling of hope in his stomach, the flare of warmth that spread through his chest when Akira referred to him by his first name. No one had ever done that since his mother had died. He had always been Akechi—there had been no Goro. That was a person who was hidden under shade after shade of Akechi’s immaculate grooming and lies, impossible to reach with even the most desperate of measures. Yet somehow here he was, being called Goro by another person, that person having finally reached Goro.

           He studied the other boy as his thin, practiced fingers unwrapped the small box. Akira had attracted his attention from the beginning. Akechi wasn’t sure why. It was not like he had walked up to the boy knowing that Akira was the leader of the Phantom Thieves. No, it was more like there was something in Akira’s eyes. There was a statement there, underneath the messy hair and slightly askew glasses. There was a person that he was refusing to let other people see and it reflected in those slate gray eyes. Perhaps, the detective mused, that was why he let himself become so fragile in front of Akira. Perhaps that was why he felt to pieces because of Akira. Perhaps that was why Akira, of all people, got to meet and be around ‘Goro’.

           He restrained a snort. As if it was some kind of prize to be around Goro.

           “You want me to cut you a slice?”

           “Huh?” Akechi looked up from his musings; the black haired boy had finished unwrapping the box. He let his eyes wander across the presentation—he supposed it was supposed to make him feel happy but it just brought bile to his throat. A cake. An immaculate, perfect little vanilla cake with a mocha frosting and the words ‘Get Well Soon’ scrawled across it in red frosting. It made him sick, made him disgusted, made him angry, made him…

           ….it made him feel bad.

           As if he couldn’t control his own body, Akechi’s arm swiftly sweeped out and smacked the cake to the ground. It smashed against the ground, the frosting splattering all over the ground. The red text and the brown icing seemed to smush together, mixing and becoming a vomit inducing mess. The vanilla cake itself crumbled across the floor. Akira stared at the gift on the ground with wide, almost shocked eyes, and for a moment a rush of fear and horror ran through Akechi.

           He didn’t know why he felt it. He had expressed exactly how he felt about the stupid cake and the stupid sentiments of those stupid people. And yet sitting here with Akira in front of him, looking almost crestfallen at the clearly homemade cake smashed against the floorboards, a rush of self-loathing and fear induced nausea rose in Akechi’s stomach. He suddenly felt almost as if he could vomit all over the other boy—as if Akira needed another reason to hate him.

           As if he ever liked you to begin with, you self indulgent waste.

           It wasn’t until Akira’s slate gray eyes locked onto the detective that Akechi realized he had said that out loud. Body trembling slightly, his mouth immediately curled into a defensive sneer. This self defeating habit he was frequently returning to thanks to these kids, the urge to drive them away by sneer and yelling and spitting and screaming and throwing a tantrum. To make them go AWAY, to make them hate him, to make them give up so he could die already.

           “Do you get it now?” He said, his own voice ringing in his ears. “Are you ready to give up already and accept that you hate me?”

           Akira was silent for a moment—because when wasn’t the boy silent, really—then his arm darted forward to hook around the back of Akechi’s neck and draw the brunette closer to him. Immediately Akechi felt his body freeze up, as if his blood as turned to pure ice and his skin to solid stone. He didn’t know what to DO. Akira had yet to pull a stunt like this. So he was just left with his nose buried awkwardly against the bespectacled teen’s broad shoulder, red eyes wide with confusion.

           “Do you really think….” Akira whispered into the brunette’s ear as one of his thumbs comfortingly massaged the detective’s chestnut brown hair. “…that you throwing a cake on the ground is going to make me hate you? I’ve seen you at your worst. I’ve seen you at the end of your gun and I’ve seen you at the end of your sanity. And I don’t care. There’s nothing you can do to make me stop caring about you whether you like it or not, Goro.”

           Shivers ran across Akechi’s entire body.

           Only, he realized, it wasn’t shivers.

           It was sobs.

           He stayed there for what felt like hours, clinging to the other boy in a way he had never clung to anyone else. His fingers dug into the fabric of the Shujin Academy uniform as he held himself closer to Akira, head burying against the black jacket as he emptied his sorrows onto the other boy. Throughout the entire tantrum, as long as it may have lasted, Akira sat with him with one hand petting comfortingly across the detective’s hair. He didn’t need to ask when had been the last time Goro Akechi had let himself feel his true emotions and release his true sorrows. It was clear in that moment that it hadn’t been in years.

           “I-I…I…you…” He managed through hiccups. He wasn’t even sure if it was his state that was ruining his speech right now and preventing him from saying it, or if it was his own nerves. But it didn’t matter.

           “I know. I do too.” Akira held Akechi tighter, almost possessively. “But next time, don’t mess up the cake. Ann and Morgana spent a long time working on it with me.”

           And to his surprise, Akechi found he could still let out a shaky laugh at the idea of the cat, the model, and Akira making a silly cake for him. Somehow, it made everything feel a little less bleak. His fingers had loosened their grip on Akira’s jacket as his eyes lidded, anger washed away with his tears and hatred purged with his sobs. Somehow, SOMEHOW, after such a long time…

           Goro Akechi felt like maybe everything wasn’t so bad after all.  

[spectrumscribe]

Ordinary she is not.

For the April for April monthly prompt courtesy of @tmntflashfic, I present a collection of snippets and drabble prompts for everyone’s viewing; regarding canon events and how April coped and grew with each one. Because April’s character was just too multifaceted to restrict to a single story.

May the next incarnation of TMNT utilize this amazing girl better than 2012 did.

-------------------------------------------------

That’s no longer relevant.

April looks at books she hasn’t read in ages, clothes too flimsy and light for combat, and makeup and jewels she never has time to use. Most of these things she hasn’t spared a glance at in months.

Her sword and fan lay on her desk, along with her jumpsuit and armor. They’re waiting for her to finish up, and then for her to don them and escape into the night. Her friends wait for her there, and she just needs to finish cleaning out her room so she can join them.

April moves items that used to mean everything to her into a box for give-away, and closes the lid on what her younger self had imagined to be valuable.

 He can’t do that to us.

“He can’t do that to us, right?” April asks, shooting a look at the four brothers as master Splinter shuts the dojo doors. With him out of the room, her frustration is free to be expressed. “I mean. More specifically, can’t do that to me. He’s not my dad. He can’t ground me, right?”

“I think he just did,” Donnie says with an awkward, apologetic smile. Leo shrugs, and maintains a similar expression; while Raph just grumbles along with Mikey.

April throws her hands up in the air, and slumps onto the lair couch morosely. “I blame all of you. I wanted to see that movie.”

“Me too,” Mikey sighs in agreement, flopping dramatically onto the couch with her.

“And yet, you were the one who let slip we were going to it,” Leo points out, sitting down with less drama than Mikey, but with an air of disappointment regardless.

“I forgot, alright? Besides, can you blame me for getting excited? The original version of Akira, playing in a theater, like, not even twenty blocks from here!”

Raph whacks Mikey’s shoulder as he and Donnie join the pile of disappointed teenagers, and Mikey whines wordlessly about the punishment.

April just sighs, and tries to remember when she agreed to having a second parent in her life.

 Why did you shift the tone?

April just wanted to have a nice dinner out with an admittedly cute girl who’d helped her out with a vending machine. Not this. Because this is definitely not what she intended to happen, but someone is insisting on being what April can only describe as a flirt.

She feels her heart stutter every time Harmony looks over, or smiles, or tilts her head just right and her bangs fall out of place. And the way Harmony wears a too big jacket and makes it look as flattering as an evening gown, and the perfectly sharp eyeliner that should clash but doesn’t, is just driving April crazy.

April focuses very hard on keeping her words steady and her eyes from staring at Harmony’s lips. It’s a hard thing to do, especially once they leave the restaurant and Murakami’s slight barrier between them.

April O’Neil has a quiet sexuality crisis for about two hours, and doesn’t know what to do with it even afterwards. She never really thought about girls like that, but oh does she now. She definitely does now.

Even after Harmony turns out to be Karai, and tries to kill her, April very guiltily admits that yeah, she’s still cute. Foot clan ties and all.

 I ache all over.

“Ninjutsu sucks,” April proclaims, lying on the floor of the dojo and not even caring about appearances anymore. Everything hurts and she is never moving again.

“Welcome to the club,” Mikey says in an only half mocking tone, slumped against the random tree the family has growing in here. Seriously, April doesn’t understand why or how the tree is here. But it is.

“Diligence is rewarded with… something,” Leo says, clearly trying to start a leaderly speech, but also clearly too tired to do so. “Wait I know this one, hold on.”

“Everyone stop talking, I’m trying to die in peace,” Donnie mutters belligerently from his position splayed on the floor. Raph grunts an agreement, and makes no move otherwise from his spot beside Donnie.

“Sucks,” April says with more emphasis, because when she signed up for ninja training, she did not think it would include six hour plus sessions of pure and utter agony.

 Let’s wait for them.

“Can we just give up and leave them?” Mikey asks April, once the second hour rolls by.

April scans the alien market they were- not lost in, just momentarily confused by- checking again for any sight of Leo and Raph. “No, I’m pretty sure we still need them.”

Mikey makes a drawn out sound of annoyance, and flops his head backwards against the bench they’re on. “Oh my god, how hard is it to get one measly electro-converter-whatever?”

“Apparently hard enough it takes two plus hours,” April says dryly, shielding her eyes to the blinding three sun sky. Why was it always desert planets lately; she had sand in places she never wanted to.

Something catches her eye, and April turns her search towards it. Then she grimaces.

“Uh oh,” She says.

“Why the ‘uh oh’?” Mikey asks in a wary voice.

“Uh oh because it looks like the deal went bad,” April says, grimacing further as she watches the two brothers try to run through the thick crowd. Their pursuing enemies look really angry, and April isn’t eager to find out why.

Mikey doesn’t move from his slump, apparently unbothered by the turn of events. “Welp, can’t say I didn’t expect that one. Should we wait for them to escape, or help ‘em out?”

April watches the way Leo and Raph scurry through the throngs of people, Leo carrying the engine part they need for the ship. None of them aliens pursuing them have drawn weapons yet, but April doesn’t like the look of the swords on their backs.

“Let’s wait for them to escape,” April says, leaning back and pulling up her hood. They’re both tucked into their sand-resistance cloaks, and seem innocuous to the aliens passing by. Hopefully. “If they can’t shake them in five minutes, we’ll intervene.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Mikey agrees, still not bothering to even lift his head.

 It wasn’t very convincing.

April grins for her aunt, and swears it’s just a self-defense club. That’s why she’s asking for money to buy new workout clothes, and why she’s been keeping such weird hours.

She conceals the guilt of having to lie about her friends, about her father, and about why she comes home with bruises and cuts not caused by training. She tells her aunt that the self-defense club is because she’s still shaken up about losing her dad, and can’t handle being unable to defend herself anymore.

It’s partially a lie, that explanation. April is past being shaken, and moved onto being angry. So very angry.

She conceals that anger too, and smiles for her aunt every time she asks about her martial arts.

April keeps things vague, and knows that it’s not as half convincing as she needs it to be.

 It went to dark places.

She listens to his half mumblings and shrieking shouts and shuddering, slow breaths as he calms down, and sometimes wonders if she really saved her dad at all.

Kirby O’Neil is not the man he was, and April O’Neil isn’t the girl she was either. Neither of them are the same anymore; and hearing the pained, distressed sounds her dad makes in the dead of night, trying so hard to cope with the things he endured for her, breaks April’s heart in ways she hadn’t thought it could still break.

The sound of her father breaking down takes April along with him, because she can’t stop the vague connection of empathy she has. Her powers are still something new, and she doesn’t have enough control yet to completely shut everything out. Including the strangling, terrifying fear and despair that sometimes grips her father.

Even if she knows that he’ll recover, stand back up and smile like none of this happened at all, and go to work the next day like any other normal dad- the anxiety attacks and night terrors still drag April down. Down into visions of metallic cells and cold restraints and dark things that make her fear spike without fail, and she struggles to pull herself free each time.

 We like the darkness.

April doesn’t know if she was ever afraid of the dark. Maybe as a small child she’d been, but now, she dances through it without fear.

After all, her closest friends dwell there, and she’s learned the shadows better than the light.

And as she does, she learns how to melt into it, to make it a part of her very being. Learns what shadows can hide her wholly, and how to make them cling to her like a second skin.

Her four friends, strange and otherworldly as they are, are much better at this than her. A lifetime of experience makes them masters at something April has just begun to take into herself.

It doesn’t bother her often, because she’s far too busy racing with the night wind and playing training games in the slanted dark of each street.

 I was ready to go.

April glances back at the farm house, thinking about the temporary peace it’s given them all the last few months. But also, about how the basement had held secrets she wasn’t ready to learn, and how those secrets weigh on her still.

It’d been a place to hide and heal their wounds, a beat of quiet in a time of raging wars and hard losses, but it had also slowly become a place where the walls felt too tight. So tight and cramped that April had wondered if they were getting smaller by the day. The six of them all but snarling at one another some days, when cabin fever became too much and there wasn’t enough room in the world for them to feel comfortable with their lives. A sanctuary that had slowly turned prison.

“Are you ready to go?” Donnie asks, calling over from the Party Wagon. They’re all piling in, food and weapon supplies already inside and locked down for the drive. Casey honks the horn once, and the other boys shout at her as well.

April smiles, shakes her head, and starts towards them. Turning her back on all the things she doesn’t want to linger on any more than she has. “Ready when you guys are.”

 We all talk about it.

Sometimes, when one or more of them hit a wall and just can’t anymore-

April, and her five closest, (only), friends will sit down in a great big pile, and just talk.

Especially after they lose the earth, and they drift through space and galaxies, someone will have a nightmare or an anxiety attack or just a bad day in general; and so they all react accordingly.

Sometimes it’s April’s turn for those. Bad moments where everything is just too much and too heavy, and she’ll just want to curl up and not be. Those moments are made so much easier, because she has five willing ears to listen to her, and she pays them the same affection.

Sometimes she talks about her dad, about the Kraang, about being something that’s neither human nor alien. And they listen, and she listens to them.

They talk about the Shredder, and what he’s done and taken. They talk about how they miss home, and how they miss things from before. Maybe they weren’t as close back then, because trauma and war ties people together tighter than anything, but they’d had less to worry about. To fear.

They talk about master Splinter, they talk about April’s father and aunt, they talk about Casey’s own father and sister, and they talk about the mutant allies they’ve made. They talk about who they count as their family.

They talk, and it makes things easier. And then they keep going, until the next time one of them needs this.

 Can we kiss you?

“Can… can we kiss you?” April asks tentatively, because this is really, really weird if she’s honest with herself. Even by their standards.

Donnie blinks, eyes darting between April and Casey on his other side, and the way they’re all a little too close to be platonic. No one else is in the room, Donnie’s brothers taking their turns for a sleep cycle while the three of them keep watch of the ship.

Or. They’re supposed to be. They’re doing this instead.

“Uh…” Donnie glances between them both again, looking confused and lost. “Both of you?”

“That is the plan,” Casey confirms, and April can sense the nervousness squirming in his aura. They’ve all been dancing around this for a long time, and now, with space from the earth, lost in literal space as they try to catch up with the timeline, they can’t dance any longer.

Donnie’s eyes widen, and his lips purse in the anxious way they always do. “I. I’m not really sure how to respond to that?” His words turn into a question, as he shifts uncomfortably on the sofa between them. “I mean, um, I wouldn’t be- be upset if you did, but are you sure-?”

“Yes,” April says, and cuts Donnie off by catching him in a messy kiss. She used to take her time deciding her actions, but these days you just did or didn’t, and chances passed by in blurs. They have this moment alone, finally, and she’s going to seize it before it’s gone.

It’s probably wrong, what she and Casey are trying to make happen. But monogamy is for ordinary people, and the three of them are anything but that.

April watched an entire world die, and then went back in time to save it. She can handle a little thing like having two boyfriends, who happen to be boyfriends with each other.

When April leans away from their kiss, Donnie’s staring at her with a sort of awe that makes her insides warm pleasantly. He’s been giving her that look for so long, and now she feels she’s returning it.

Of course, Casey breaks the moment they’re having, and April can only smile in amusement as he and Donnie start something that’s both a kiss and an argument at the same time.

She winds her hand into Donnie’s, as he and Casey break apart to stare at one another like the quarreling yet affectionate idiots they are. April gives Donnie a grin as she leans across his lap, and meets Casey at the halfway point for a kiss just between them.

The look on Donnie’s face is shy but attentive, and he watches them the whole time. It makes the exchange all the more exciting.

Things get a bit blurry from there, but April finds she doesn’t mind that at all.

 Can we shoot them?

“I’m just saying-”

“No, April.”

“-if we shot them, this would be over,” April says, pointing her laser gun at the captured aliens they have. “Seriously, we could just go ho- back to the ship if we shot them. Like, one blast for each of them, and I wouldn’t miss from a point blank range so it’d be a quick death-”

“April!” Leo scolds, giving her a wide eyed look. “We’re not shooting them! Jesus!”

“It’d destroy their connection with the machine!” April says, waving her gun and free hand at the giant whirling death machine they accidentally got tangled up with. How many plots for world destruction could one universe hold anyways? This was ridiculous.

“We’re waiting for Donnie and the professor, and we are not shooting people.”

April threw her hands up. “Oh my god, literally just one shot each, and then this’d all be over-”

“April!!”

“Fine! God!”

 These people are ridiculous.

April can’t help the laughter that comes out of her nose, and struggles to not swallow her now burning drink down the wrong hole. Her laughter is half snorted, and she coughs as she keeps going anyways.

Leo’s embarrassed shouting is barely heard over the howling laughter of everyone else; Mikey’s cheeky, completely unrepentant smile only egging both reactions on. April’s lost the thread of conversation between them now, but the growing noise serves to bolster her laughter anyways.

She’s returned to this, after weeks of fiercely refusing to see any of them, and it feels as though she never left. They’re all here, even with the new addition of Casey to their group, sitting around a kitchen table and eating a combination of pizza and Japanese takeout. Like nothing ever drove them apart; like there wasn’t a period of heavy, furious tension at all.

April has walked out of the lair so many times, away from it and the bizarre family living here, and once swore it would be the last time.

And yet.

Here she is, warm and welcome and laughing so hard her sides are aching. Accepted back even after the things she’d screamed at them, and finding herself having well and truly forgiven her friends.

The four brothers and their father, they always seem to accept her back, bring her home, no matter what happens. That sort of unfaltering loyalty astounds and warms April, and she can’t help but think how ridiculous it is that they would give so much of it to her.

April’s laughter, shared with four and now five people who seem to stand by her no matter what, makes her feel lighter than it has in weeks, and she hopes to never fall so low again.

 It’s not fair at all, is it?

April tries not to think about it too much. Dwelling on anything that makes her upset is dangerous these days, trapped in the farm house while Leo sleeps and New York burns. She knows her powers are growing, and the plate she accidentally threw across the room just yesterday - without even looking at it, let alone touching it- says all that needs to be said. If she lets her thoughts get too loud, too angry, she’s not sure what will happen.

But it’s not fair.

She’d just gotten her dad back, her life on track again, and now he’s gone and so is master Splinter. So are her aunt and every friend she has in school. All of them. Gone. Warped into mindless creatures or- or-

Or presumed dead.

April hunches her shoulders, and tries not to drown in anger and sorrow as she makes lunch. Because cracking the salad bowl in two won’t help anything, or alleviate the ever louder chant in her mind that it’s not fair, why me, why always me, it’s not fair.

But things haven’t been fair for her in a long, long time, and that knowledge gives her no comfort. Just a grim reminder of how things are, and will be for the foreseeable future.

 Are you crying?

April wakes up a day later, after That Night, and doesn’t want to.

She doesn’t go back to sleep though, because what’s waiting there could be even worse.

She doesn’t bother dressing, because she isn’t going out. She’s taking sick leave from school and training, and trying so hard not to feel the absent weight around her neck.

She makes herself breakfast, listless and not actually hungry, and finds herself reaching for a necklace she doesn’t have. To toy with it, like it really was a harmless pendant.

There’s nothing there, and she drops her hand. Ashamed.

She eats tasteless instant oatmeal, and barely finishes the meal. She doesn’t have any real appetite, not with the images and sensations still rising up her mind in unwanted, stinging flashes of memory.

It’s still raining. The windows of her apartment are streaked with it. The rain has just kept falling and falling, ever since…

Ever since the night she killed Donnie, and attempted to do the same to the rest of their family.

That thought remains lead like and suffocating on April’s consciousness, and it’s why she’s here at home. Because she doesn’t trust herself yet to look her friends in the eye, and not break.

But also because… she still wants the crystal back.

The sensation of Power, roiling and endless, still tingles at the tips of her fingers. The voice of Za’naron remains in her head, an echo of the alien’s soothing, sinking, strangling influence on her mind. The scene of her powers, her powers, tearing her best friend apart plays on repeat in her memories, and April feels heavy with exhaustion and guilt.

But outside of that guilt, that exhaustion, the feeling wanting remains. And April feels like the worst person in the world for that.

“April?”

April doesn’t have to turn around from the window to know it’s her dad. She’d felt him moving through her ambient senses long before he’d approached the living room.

“April, honey… are you crying?” Her dad asks, stepping further into the room.

April blinks, and hastily wipes away a few tears that escaped without her permission. “No,” She says, forcing her voice to remain steady. She can’t burden her dad with yet another one of her problems. “No, it’s just the rain. I’m fine, dad.”

Her dad seems pale, paler than he usually is these days, and a stricken emotion crosses his face. April can feel his concern, his worry, and she can’t bring herself to look at it too closely.

Her dad crosses the room, and with gentle care, pulls her into a hug. Its warmer than how April feels- which is cold, cold and hollow without the burning power she’d held just hours ago- and she lays her head against her dad’s shoulder.

She’s so tired of this. So tired of tragedies and fights and seeing her friends get hurt.

She’s so tired.

Her dad strokes a hand down her back, and April closes her eyes as he murmurs to her. “I know you don’t want to tell me what’s happening, but please know I’m here for you. Whenever you want to talk, I’ll listen, April.”

April tries to suppress the emotion welling up in her, and only barely does.

She wants to talk about it… but she also just wants it to disappear. She wants the nightmarish experience of killing her own friend to fade into nothingness, and for everyone to forget the time April lost herself in her own powers. She wants the memories, Za’naron, and the crystal gone forever.

April carefully bundles up her grief and tears, and pushes them far, far into the back of her mind.

“Thanks, dad,” April says quietly. “But I don’t have anything to talk about.”

Nothing at all.

Her father doesn’t have anything to say to that, and just holds her tighter.

It takes another few days, meditating on and off to fold the frayed edges of her powers and mind up and away…

…tucking the worst parts into themselves, hiding them so far inside her mind not even she can find them anymore…

…and then April can wake up again, and smile, and go on about her day like nothing ever happened.

She picks up her sword, her fan, and sweeps her hair back into a ponytail. She heads out into the night, and steps placidly over the still ongoing repairs to the lair.

She ignores the sideways glances she gets from her friends, and keeps complete and total iron control of her abilities.

She smiles.

And there’s not a tear in sight.

 It made no sense.

It made exactly zero sense to April, sometimes. How Leo will constantly say “Sorry April, ninjas only.”

Like she’s any less of a ninja. Like all her hours and hours of training mean nothing. Like she hasn’t spent the last year plus working her literal ass off to keep up with them, and damn near succeeding sometimes, despite their very large gap in years to learn ninjutsu. She’s done everything they’ve done, faced the same dangers and enemies as they have, with half the weapons and less than half the experience.

And yet.

“Sorry April, ninjas only,” Leo says, limping along like he didn’t still have a bum leg or needs help walking when he strains himself, like she hasn’t put her all into keeping their family afloat and together while he slept, like she doesn’t deserve to have a mystical ninjutsu camping trip too. And then they all just leave, and April has to stand by and watch their shells disappear and ends up going and breaking the skin on her knuckles pounding those stupid planks right after.

And she still fumes through the night, the next, and the next, until the day they walk back out of the woods.

April may have been imagining Leo’s face, the moment she finally broke the board right down the middle.

 I was in love with them all.

Originally, April had imagined herself to not fall for anyone easily, if at all. People and relationships were just such a hassle, and she had her schoolwork. She’d thought she didn’t need anyone.

But then there’d been Donnie, and then there’d been a certain kunoichi masquerading as a normal teen, and then there’d been Casey, and before she’d turned out to be a spying robot, there’d been Irma…

At some point or another, or even currently, April had felt something dangerously close to love for each of them. Or at least slightly off-kilter attraction, mostly inspired by the desire to simply beat a certain someone at their shared profession. (She hasn’t gotten her yet, but April would give Karai her just desserts one day. Some day. Maybe a kiss too-)

April’s brain fizzles, and she hunches a little more over the lair’s kitchen table.

Ooh boy.

She needs to slow down on the crush accumulation. Seriously. Two boys are enough; adding a highly trained and girl of dubious morales to the roster isn’t necessary. Even if said girl pulls off armor like high fashion and somehow never has her makeup out of place and god dammnit did Karai sometimes make April want to wipe that smirk off her face forcibly through a furious sort of kiss-

April makes something close to a whine, and covers her head with her arms; feeling quite sorry for herself and her late blooming bisexuality, with the addition of the inability to just choose someone.

“What’s botherin’ you tonight, April?” Mikey asks, flipping a few midnight pancakes on the stove. “You feelin’ sick?”

“I’m dying,” April mutters miserably.

“…huh. That’s a shame.”

April groans again at her friend’s lack of serious sympathy, and thunks her head against the table top.

God. Dammnit.

 Does anyone really want the ordinary?

April O'Neil isn't an ordinary girl in any sense. Hasn’t been for a long time.

Not since the night she fell into an alien conspiracy, and gained the strangest friends she could ever imagine. Not since she picked up a weapon, and decided she liked the sense of power and thrill that came with ninjutsu. Not since she spent the formative years of her teenagehood fighting one war after another, and somehow managing to still have teenage drama throughout it.

She isn't an ordinary girl at all, and she thinks that's fine by her.

 None of it mattered.

More often than not these days, April looks at her assigned schoolwork and just… can’t see the point of it.

College preparation used to be so important to her. Getting good grades and impressing her teachers used to rank close to the top of her priorities. She used to spend hours and hours studying, and love every second.

But now she’s seen and done so much more than those things. She’s fought crime lords and ninjas, aliens and mutants; defeated each one and come out of the fights even stronger. She’s learned how to manage finances and budgets and a household, lest she and her friends have starved while they were without parents those three months so long ago. She’s been to the edge of the universe and back again, and won’t ever be able to forget the other worlds out there, the other possibilities.

Looking at her math and history assignments, April can’t shake the feeling that it doesn’t really matter. Not in the grand scheme of things, and not to her.

Not for the first time, April wonders just how she’ll ever be able to live a normal life, now that she’s experienced the extraordinary.

 They know how to do this.

After master Splinter passes, after they made sure the Shredder would never hurt anyone ever again, and after they returned home to a home that felt empty…

April realizes with a heavy heart, that they know how to do this.

They know how to grieve, and they know how to move on. It’s happened to them before, the loss of the brothers’ father and April’s second parental figure. They’ve seen him die too many times, and now…

April hurts, bone deep and then to her very soul, and yet… feels almost numb.

There’s a gravestone this time, and that may be the only difference from all the others.

Splinter’s death flashes before her eyes often, the powerless moment she’d had watching the blades emerge from his torso. The world shattering second between feeling as though they might have finally won, and the moment she’d known they’d instead lost.

She feels grief, and sorrow, and regret for not being strong enough to save her second father figure. She wades through those emotions, and mires in nightmares and flashbacks that come to her in bad moments.

But more so than that, the feeling of vicious triumph of the Shredder’s death come to her, and April is far past being unsure if she likes it or not. She’s seen and done this more times than she ever should have, and she knows how to deal with it. Knows how to handle the balance of welling grief and whirling fury at losing someone so dear.

They all do, these days. The brothers and Casey and her. They’ve done the song and dance of losing someone so vital to their family twice before, and perhaps the greatest relief is that this will be the final time.

April hopes so. She’s not sure if she could do it a fourth time over.

 I have the sun.

A sun burns inside April. It grows brighter all the time, and sometimes she wondered if it would swallow her.

And then it did, for a single night, and she tore apart herself and someone she loved. It’d raged and roiled and burned her from the inside out. With the voice of a fallen angel ringing in her ears, screeching and singing and urging her on, April had lost herself in the torrent of white hot power.

And then she’d come back, the sun inside her not extinguished, but doused enough that she was herself again.

And just as that burning, ever growing sun had dimmed, she’d fanned its flames and torn apart reality one more time. To bring him back.

The power to change reality as she saw fit, it’s a dangerous, terrible power. Forged in her from the moment she’d been born, and designed to be used as a weapon by creatures that’ve done nothing but hurt her family since before she’d even existed. Yes she could use it to protect her family, her new one made of odd and wonderful people, but the things she’s been used to do already, the things she’s been forced to commit…

They weigh heavy on her, as heavy as the pool of energy inside her body. The one that feels like an ocean sometimes, and one she has yet to see the bottom of. An ocean of fire and white energy, bigger and brighter than April herself ever will be.

She’s scared of it. She worries about it. She loves the feeling of it. She can never let it tempt her again.

April has a sun inside her, one meant to break everything she sees and remake it in a twisted image, and she will never again let it burn her away.

 Celebrate them.

In between patrols and fights and tragedies-

-April learns to love the small things.

To celebrate them as they come and go, because everything is tenuous these days.

The days when her dad can walk out for work and come home with a smile, and then last the whole night without a panic attack; April celebrates them with extra-long hugs and truly bright smiles as they share dinner together.

The nights when she lands a jump just right, or executes a move perfectly, or earns an extra moment of praise from master Splinter; April beams and pushes herself harder, because she knows that now that she’s done this she can do better.

The moments that she gets to share with her friends, any and all of them, during patrols and training; when Donnie and Casey make the tips of her ears a little red, or Mikey and Leo make her laugh a bit too loud for ninja-ing, or Raph challenges her to a foolhardy bet neither she or anyone else in their group is going to really be able to win- April’s heart swells, and she lets herself experience the split seconds they’ve got with no other thoughts in her mind.

There are too many things that could interrupt those things, lately. Too many dangerous events and people that could take them away.

April’s learned, though. Learned that she has to celebrate them while they’re here and hope to god that there’ll be more in the future.

So as the moments come and go, the small interactions and smiles and hugs; she treasures and celebrates each and every one.

[sweetbunpura]

I’m Your Sword and I’m Your Shield Ch. 13

9/13 The sound of pounding on your door breaks you out of your gaming coma. You blink as your consciousness returns to you and you pause the game, taking in the sound of heavy raindrops hitting your window as you try to pinpoint if the pounding was real. The sound comes again and you're out of your room in a flash, barreling down the stairs, and throwing open the door to reveal a soaked Ryuji. You usher him inside and quickly go to the bathroom to retrieve towels. When you come back, Ryuji's standing in the place where you left him but his head's lowered and his fists are clenched. You can visibly see him shaking from where you're standing. You frown heavily and set the towels down on the coffee table.

"Ryuji?" You slowly and quietly rest a hand on his shoulder. "What's wrong?" He's quiet for a few moments and he still hasn't raised his head. You place your other hand on his other shoulder and squeeze them in a sign of comfort. "Am I... useless?" You almost didn't catch what he says because of how soft and quiet it was. "No. You're not useless. Who would tell you that?" He clams up again and you have a feeling about who would tell him that, but you don't bring it up. You instead hug him, ignore the feel of drenched clothing in the process. Ryuji goes ridged before slowly hugging you back, he buries his face into your shoulder and takes a few deep breathes. It's not long before he pours out what happened between him and the other earlier that day. You listen intensely as his voice gets louder in pitch and his hands curl into fists at the back of your shirt. You rub his back as he continues, recalling everything from the past that the others had said or did. By the time he's done, you both had found yourselves on the ground. "So you left them?" You reach for one of the towels nearby and begin drying his hair. A nod. "After everything you've been through with them, you just snapped." "Constantly hearin' stuff like 'you're pathetic' and 'useless idiot' really hurt, y'know?" He softy says. "I know I've got thick skin, but even that can wear over time..." 'And break.' You finish drying his hair. "So you ran to me? All the way from Yongen-Jaya?" "There was no where else to go." You can practically hear the whimper behind the words. "Look at me, Ryuji, please..." For a second, you think he's not going to comply, until he takes his head off your shoulder and casts hollow brown eyes into yours. Your heart breaks upon taking in the sight of the slightly red and teary orbs. Your shield has been broken once again and this time it wasn't by an adult with too much power, but by a group of teen whose lives were dedicated to stealing the hearts of those adults. The sword is left, sunken into the ground with the shattered remains of its' partner scattered around it. "My shield..." You quietly say, placing your forehead against his and closing your eyes. Ryuji's breath hitches and all you can hear is the rain hitting the roof and the desperate sound of your best friend trying not to cry. Your hands clench the back of his purple jacket and the dam bursts. You both cry, although Ryuji's sob are louder than yours. By the time your both done, the rain outside has fallen to a patter as you drape the used towel over his head. You make to get up, only for Ryuji's hand to shoot out and gentle grab your wrist. "Where are you gong?" He quietly asks, only one brown eye is visible through the multicolored material. "I'm running a bath for you." You reassure him. "I want you to soak for a while and try to de-stress. Afterwards, I'm making tea for both of us. Okay?" He nods slightly and lets his hand fall, You stare at him for a few moment before retreating into the bathroom. You quickly run some water and wait until it's hot enough to plug up. Opening the cabinet, you pull out various bath bombs and set in the the basket next to the tub. You set a clean down on the towel rack above before returning to Ryuji. He hasn't moves much, just blankly staring at the turned off T.V before him. His eyes flicks over to you as you approach him. You jerk your head towards the direction of the bathroom and he stands without a word. Ryuji shrugs off his jacket and makes quiet, defeated steps towards restroom. You pick up his jacket and start walking towards the laundry room when a chime from the pocket goes off. Curious, you reach in and pull out Ryuji's phone. There's another chime as you unlock the phone; you expect to see texts from his mother, but instead see messages from....the others. You squash down your anger and read the messages as you throw the purple jacket in the dryer and turn it on. Ann: Ryuji Ann: Ryuji Ann: Ryuji, come on Ann: You can't keep ignoring us Akira: Leave him be, Ann Akira: After what happened, we deserved to be ignored. Futaba: I think he just took it too seriously Futaba: We were just joking

A vein in your forehead pulses with anger as you prepare the tea. Your hands clench the counter as another message chimes. Makoto: We should've been more considerate of his feelings. Makoto: I know you all tease him, but people can only take so much. Yusuke: The force behind that slam still echoes in my mind. Yusuke: Perhaps Makoto is right. We should have considered out friend's feelings.

'At least Makoto and Yusuke understand.' You take the pot off the stove and pour the hot water into a container. 'To a point...'

Futaba: Morgana's the one that set him off Futaba: Why should the rest of us have to pay the price? Akira: Because we didn't step in and stop it. Akira: I'm to blame for this as well. Akira: If I had corrected Morgana at the beginning instead of just letting it happen... Akira: Then we wouldn't have had this conclusion. Ann: How are we gonna apologize if he won't answer? Makoto: Give him time and space. Makoto: If we try to talk to him now, he'll ignore us. Futaba: How long will that take? Akira: As long as it needs to. The messages stop after that and you lock the phone, you stare at the black screen and you take in everything the others had said. "As long as it needs to..." You set the container on a tray with some packets of tea, sugar, honey, and a pair of white mugs. "After everything Ryuji said, that might be a while..." You place his phone on the tray as well before opening the back door to the patio. It's still raining as you set the receptacle on the table in front of the porch swing. You sit down and pour the drinks, watching the rain fall on the grass as you wait for the bags to soak. The sound of the door closing causes your gaze to switch over to Ryuji as he sits besides you. He's only wearing a pair of old pajama pants as he scouts closer to you. You offer him your shoulder and he rests his head on it without a word. You pour some sugar into the mugs and a bit of honey into yours; you hand him his cup and take your own. He takes it quietly and sips from it slowly, you watch him for a bit before drinking your own. You both quietly watch the falling rain while drinking every now and then. "(Y/N)." You were about to take a drink before he spoke, you lower the mug and turn to look at him. "Ye-" Your answer is cut short as he reaches up and kisses you softy on the lips.

Inspired by:

This

This

This

and This

[fuckerdoodles]

Good Morning, Good Night (Day 27- “I Can’t Walk”)

I lightly groaned as I woke up, my dreams fleeting past the edges of my vision as I slowly opened my eyes, just to snap them shut as the light of the room made my head pulse. I placed an arm over my head, taking a minute to listen to the birds happily chirping before attempting to piece together the night before. Thorin and I had arrived at the inn- mostly due to him not wanting to camp again that night- and we had gotten to know some other travelers at our table through a quick, friendly competition. A drinking game. I knew I would regret it every morning after, but in the moment I was never willing to pass up the contest. We had partied, and when we retired to our rooms…

I had gone with someone.

I sat up quickly as I heard a groan from next to me- someone who sounded worse than I felt. The stranger next to me covered his eyes with his arm as well, his tanned skin clashing against the light green scales on his cheeks. Soon enough, his eyes flew open and looked to me, my scales casting a golden hue on him as the sun reflected off of them. I shrugged, offering an awkward chuckle.

“Good morning?” I asked, not sure how exactly to deal with this sort of situation. Wonderful, I couldn’t wait for the uncomfortable-

“I can't walk.” His response came out as almost a hiss as he looked at me with wide green eyes. I blinked a few times before raising an eyebrow, leaning towards him

“Come again?”

“No, do not, that's the reason I can't walk.” He hissed again, staring me down. I felt my face heat up as I started spouting apologies, just to be cut off by a quiet chuckle. “I think I might just have to keep you around- I don’t know if you remember my name, but I’m Altlu.”

“Akira. Akira Tealeaf.” I said after a moment, offering the stranger- Altlu a hand. He looked at it before giving me an amused grin.

“Are you seriously wanting to shake my hand after we had sex last night?” He asked, lightly laughing. I rolled my eyes, standing up and stretching, feeling my head start to clear as my blood started flowing properly. I heard the bed creak a bit before a large thump, turning to see Altlu leaning against the wall, his legs shaking as he looked up at me.

“You might have to carry me- I seriously can’t walk straight.”

Blood pulsed in my ears as I ran, my feet slamming against the ground as my chest heaved. This wasn’t happening, this couldn’t be happening- I swallowed my disbelief as I turned the corner and faced one of the masked figures, slamming their head into a wall before they could react. They fell to the floor in a heap, blood streaming from their head as I kept running, still trying to process everything around me.

Quantum had been compromised.

Delta was being raided.

I had no idea where my party was.

I stumbled slightly as an explosion shook the building. I hoped it was Vlad, still fighting against these sons of bitches, rather than another large casualty of my friends. I jumped most of the way down the stairs into the main hall- the first part of Delta I had ever seen, taken from it’s pristine glory and ransacked, doors broken and some walls even having holes in them. I dashed towards the mess hall, feeling my blood curdle as I looked across the havoc- so much blood, and ash, and tables thrown everywhere. One of the outside walls had been caved in, causing most of the damage, and there were bodies strewn about the floor- some of the masked figures, quite a few office workers- almost nobody I recognized, except for-

“Akira?” The usually smug voice choked out, sounding strained and cracked. I rushed towards part of the broken wall, throwing tables out of my way until I got to the source. There was Altlu, his hair a mess, caked with ash and blood as the lower half of his body was pinned underneath rubble. He looked up at me as he continued to try shoving rubble away, his hands scraped and caked with even more blood- blood I could only hope wasn’t his. I dropped to my knees, wiping some blood off of his face as he looked up at me with tears in his eyes.

“Akira, I’m sorry-” His voice shook, quieter than I had ever heard it.

“No, don’t- don’t you dare apologize. We’re going to get you out of here, we’re going to find the others, and I’m going to personally kill the sonuvabitch that did this to you.” I hissed, feeling a pit in my stomach starting to form. I started moving around the rubble, struggling with some of the larger pieces.

“Akira-” He whispered, trying to sit up.

“We’re going to get out of this-”

“Baby, please-”

“Just let me-”

“Akira Tealeaf.” Altlu’s voice was nearly firm, getting my attention as he reached up towards my face. “Listen to me. The others- they’re with Corianne- go-”

“Not without you.”

“You have to-”

“I’m not leaving you. Not now, not ever.”

“Akira, I can’t walk.” His voice was afraid, almost terrified as tears started flowing from his eyes. “Even if you move the rubble, I can’t walk. I can’t go with you.”

“I’ll carry you. I’ll carry you to Dessa, and she can heal you, or-”

“There’s no time.” Altlu cut me off, grabbing my wrist. “The others are in danger. They need their tank.”

“I need you!” I nearly yelled, feeling tears flowing from my eyes. I took in a shaky breath as I cried, leaning over the large hunk of rubble that had pinned Altlu’s midsection. “I can’t do this without you.”

The room was silent for a moment- just a moment before I could hear more shouting and fighting. I felt Altlu’s hand brush against mine before weakly grabbing it. I turned my hand over, almost on instinct, to hold his, feeling his thumb rub the scales on my palm.

“Akira. Protect them.” His voice was quiet, and calm. Way too calm. I looked up at him, just to see a small smile on his dim face. “Protect the others. And… kill the sonuvabitch who did this, alright?”

I felt my entire body shake as I held Altlu’s hand to my chest, already feeling him slipping from me before I leaned down, placing a kiss on his forehead.

“Good night, Altlu. I’ll see you again soon.”