#yokai notebook whisper

[cvbullshit]

So I made a Yo-Kai Watch AU concept that people probably have already made before, here's some art on it

The concept is what if the Yo-Kai around Nate were a bit more harmful and "evil" than mischievous, maybe even more demonic even

Also have a video I made joking about it lmao

[under-the-cherrytree]

Can I get yandere teru with s/o who has no romantic feelings for him at all? Prefer gn but they stated that they fell with a yokai, but sadly teru kill them so s/o pretty much dislike him.

And no matter what he did, s/o didn't like him at all. So you could just say they stick to (yokai) till the end.

Till Death Do We Part❣︎

Warning: yandere behavior, manipulation, psychotic behavior, unhealthy obsessions, cussing, violence

A/n: Hello!! Yes you can!

This is a really cool idea, thank you so much for requesting and sorry it took so long to come out!!

This Yokai totally isn't based off my ghost ocs-

I could have just used Mitsuba or Hanako but I didn't want to kill them so GHOST OC!

I love Yandere Teru so much and I hope you enjoy!

“M-Minamoto! I-I like you! Please go out with me!” The girl's cheeks flushed as she held the box of chocolates to his face. 

“Oh… sorry, but I like someone else…” Teru looked sorry for the girl who he only met last week. 

“I understand…” She looked at him with teary eyes, knowing he was going to say no. 

“Well I should get going now…” He looked away from her, not wanting to see her anymore. He walked away from another broken heart, always apologizing, but he couldn’t care less. He only had one person he truly cared about. 

“Come on Akuji! Just give me my textbook back!!” You whined trying to reach the floating boy. 

“Aw~ but you are so cute pouting like this~!” He chuckled, holding your textbook above your head. Some people started to stare but you didn't really notice, you cared more about getting your books for your next class back. 

“Akuji!! Please!” You pouted. 

“How can I deny you when you are so cute!” He fell to the ground, handing you your books back.

Teru couldn’t watch the situation anymore as he felt his chest tighten. Jealous of how much attention you were giving a damn supernatural.

Akuji, just a small ghost who ended up wandering on campus. Not even attending the school in life, he felt comfortable here and stayed. He was a supernatural, a disgusting creature in Teru’s eyes. All supernaturals should be exorcised, especially the one taking up all of his darlings time. He always saw you with that ghost but you always begged him not to kill Akuji. He agreed but he didnt know how long he could keep that promise, he wanted you begging for him, on your knees begging for him and only him. 

You quickly ran next to Teru, walking to the same classroom. 

“Oh! Good Morning Teru!” You smiled and waved, holding your textbooks closer to your chest. He felt his cheeks turn pink just hearing his name come from your mouth. The way it rolled off your tongue 

“Good morning Y/n! How are things going today?” He smiled. 

“Things are going pretty well actually! I just got my books back from Akuji…” You sighed, cheeks turning a bit pink. You already knew Teru was an exorcist and he knew you could see supernaturals as well, which brought your guys friendship closer. But for Teru, it only made him want to kill that supernatural even more.

“Hm… supernaturals are annoying sometimes…” He said under his breath, opening the classroom door for you. You two walked to your seat and class soon started. 

Teru ignored the teacher, not caring about the lesson, only caring about you. 

But soon that peace was interrupted.

“Y/n~” Akujis whispered in your ear causing you to jump a bit. Teru felt his heart drop just hearing your name come out of that bastard mouth.

“Akuji-!” You whispered to him, hoping not to be noticed by the rest of your classmates. You quickly grabbed your notebook, writing on it.

‘What are you doing here??’ You wrote.

“Hm? Is it wrong that I miss you??” He pouted a bit, his pale red eyes staring into yours like a puppy. 

‘I guess its not… but dont mess me up!’

“I wont! Don't worry!” He quickly kissed your cheek before disappearing. You felt your cheeks turn red, he knew that would catch you off guard. You quickly tried to regain your composure turning to Teru, knowing he could see you two, you quickly mouthed a sorry before going back to your work. Teru smiled at you, nodding his head not wanting you to be embarrassed.

Teru felt the pencil in his hand break as he was becoming unable to control himself. How much he wanted to exorcise Akuji for coming between him and his one true love. For daring to kiss you on the cheek, he couldn't bear it anymore. He felt himself slowly go insane to the thought of losing you, he knew he could never let that happen. 

He does know what’s best for you after all.

＊┈┈┈┈＊┈┈┈┈＊┈┈┈┈＊┈┈┈┈＊┈┈┈┈＊

Class soon ended and the school bell rang, signaling school was over. Teru sat up, looking to see you were already walking out of the room. Teru decided not to follow you but to look for Akuji instead. Walking out of the classroom, he went the opposite direction you did soon making his way outside. 

“Akuji! I know you are out here.” Teru said in a dark tone, looking for the ghost boy.

“Ah~! Teru Minamoto, what do I owe the pleasure~?” He hummed, hugging Teru from behind. 

“Akuji, I’m done with your bullshit. I’m here to exorcise you…” Teru opened his katana, glaring at Akuji who only snickered.

“I figured it would come to this…~” He smirked at Teru “This is about Y/n, right? You like them as well?”

“How did you-”

“I know an addiction when I see one, and you are quite addicted to them. But I’m sorry to say, Y/n is mine~!” 

Teru couldn’t stand to hear anymore of his words as he set an electrical barrier around two of them. The two boys could feel the atmosphere get darker, now becoming more serious than a simple chat. 

“Oh!” Akuji still smiled sadistically, unfazed by the fact he is now trapped.

“Do you not care that you are about to be exorcised…?” Teru stated coldly.

“Oh course I realize that-! But the thing is… I can't be exorcised!” His eyes were dark as he slowly turned to Teru. Akuji soon placed his feet on the ground, walking to Teru slowly. However Teru didn’t wait before grabbing Akuji by his collar and pressing him onto the electric cage he made. Shocks went through his body as he only smiled at the pain. He soon looked at Teru again, revealing the dagger out of his pocket to stab Teru with; he quickly let go of the supernatural causing him to fall to the ground. 

“You might just be making… the worst mistake of your life, exorcist boy… you will never get them...” Blood dripped down Akuji's lip as he slowly got up, his black bangs hiding his eyes. 

“And you think you can be with them? You're nothing but a supernatural, I’m done playing these games of yours…” He walked over to him again. Akuji look for his exit but was caught off guard when Teru grabbed him by his collar again, and stabbed his katana in his chest. Akujis eyes widened seeing the katana slowly being removed from him, drops of blood falling from his chin. Teru threw Akuji to the ground as the electric barrier slowly fell down. 

“HAHHA! YOU FUCK UP EXORCIST BOY!!” Akuji laughed but only ended up coughing up more blood. “Have fun… trying to get them now…” Teru watched as his body went limp signaling he was dead. 

“Teru…?” 

Teru’s eyes widened in shock hearing your voice. He looked behind him to see your sparkling eyes filled with tears.

“Y/n… I-”

“How could you Teru!!” You fell to your knees, sobbing into your hands. “Why the hell would you do this?! You promised you wouldn’t hurt him!!”

“I know Y/n… but he was a supernatural, he would have hurt you eventually-”

“I loved him, Teru!” 

Those words cut through him. He was speechless. You loved… him. The fucking supernatural. How the hell do you love the supernatural and not him… he was a sadistic, pain loving bitch, what could you like in that. 

“Y/n-” He walked over to hug you but you slapped his hand away before he could dare touch you. 

“GET AWAY FROM ME MINAMOTO!! I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN!” You shouted at him before running into the school, leaving a shocked Teru standing by himself. 

“I… never… want to see… you again…” He repeated to himself staring at the last spot he saw you. “Never… want to… see you again…” He said again before chuckling to himself.

“Darling… you have no idea what is best for you, huh~? Don’t worry, love… I will take you and keep you safe... even if I have to kidnap you to do so~”

[mitta-likes-moths]

Aight, I’ve made a yokai Sona for yokai watch and I’m ready to share it!

Name: Melopod

Age: Unknown

Birthday: August 26th

Zodiac: Virgo R a t (Chinese Zodiac)

Pronouns: Depends, but they will share them

Sexuality: Proud Genderfluid Bisexual (Incorporated the colors in the flags onto some of their outfits and accessories)

Fears: Forever being alone( Forever, their fine for 5-6 hours before they’re having a meltdown), Everyone leaving/hating them, being abandonment and left for dead

Extra notes: They don’t remember too much about their past life, only zodiacs, birthday (not year though), etc.

Abilities:

-Is the reason you get various songs stuck in your head with an irresistible urge to start belting out a song with no visible shame

-Can transform into a bimac octopus and get stuff done with their multiple limbs

-Not perfect, but lovely singing voice

Physical Appearance:

-Resembles a magenta octoling with their tentacles down

-They usually wear a witchcraft related shirt with a pale yellow denim jacket, long grey socks, tennis shoes, and jeans

-Always has an art hoe themed bag on them filled with books, notebooks, drawing utensils, y-pad, food, etc.

-Nail art

-Hands are either really cold or really warm, there’s no in between

-Hands and feet can essentially be suction cups for various things

-Not seen very often without a y-pad in hand, probably scrolling through tumblr or drawing

Personality:

-Ambivert

-Hopeless romantic

-Very very physically affectionate

-Rushes of inspiration and motivation result in many bracelets/necklaces/drawings/whatever they were making

-Very musical

-Can be very mischievous when they want to be

-Not one to talk about it when they’re sad

-Very good advice giver, not so good at using it themselves *cough cough* ROMANCE *cough*

Things I didn’t sort:

-Probably has a Spotify premium account and kofi

-Can ramble for a long time about their interests and hold a very long conversation most of the time, will be even more excited if the other person adds their own things into the conversation

-Sometimes just sits on Whisper’s head because it’s comfortable up there, plus he floats so who wouldn’t

-Due to being an octopus, they can do some wacky things with their body

-Can talk in bubble language with other cephalopods because why not and confusing others is fun

-Long tongue in humanoid form, small tongue but sharp beak in octo form

-Nate is very much terrified of them when they’re climbing on the walls and ceiling really fast, nope scratch that everyone’s scared

-Now, not as much because of how common it is

-May or may not have a crush on Whisper 👀 but you didn’t hear that from me

-Goes to scream into something that will make it sound way quieter then it actually is/goes to destroy things meant to be destroyed for like 5 minutes and comes back calm when they’re mad and it actually concerns other

-Someone once made a ur mom joke at them and they responded with “Ha, jokes on you she’s probably dead! Or not, I’m not sure.”

-Can sing along to the In The Heights soundtrack without many flaws

-Would bite someone’s hand off

-Being summoned to help fight/talk with a yokai? They probably know them in one way or another

-Does karaoke because it’s really fun, especially when they do duets, trios, it doesn’t matter it’s still fun

-Has cried to POV playlists

[ruddcatha]

Guardian Chapter 15

SURPRISE, the next chapter is here!

Things are getting intense, can Kagome handle the pressure?

WARNING, ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION ARE THEMES IN THIS CHAPTER

Thank you again to @heavenin–hell for your inspiration, I hope this story does your work justice.

posted on Ao3: Here / FFN: Here

Guardian has been Nominated for the Feudal Connection  2020 3rd Quarterly Inuyasha Fandom Awards!  Thank you to all the supporters of this story!!  Voting is now open and  runs through August 12, 2020, click here to vote.

Nominated for: Best AU/AR

Kagome would never forget how she had felt that day as they were ushered out of the weapons lab, Sango, Kikyo, Miroku and Inuyasha circling her, hiding her from the Ookami who lived in the Compound who had come running at the massive surge of energy.  She was grateful she hadn’t hurt anyone, although it had been a close call.  She could see how tired Miroku and Kikyo were, it took a tremendous amount of energy to place a barrier, and they had needed to form large ones… and FAST.

As soon as they reached the cars Inuyasha had bundled her into one of the back seat with him, holding her as closely as he could.  She hadn’t been able to process anything he said to her, between the massive drain of energy and the shock, her mind had gone into shut down.  One thought kept haunting her.

She had nearly hurt Inuyasha.

The tears she had kept at bay broke through the dam and streamed down her face as she began to shake.

“Shhhh, Kagome, I’ve got you.” Inuyasha’s voice broke as he whispered to her, one hand stroking her hair while the other held her to his chest.  “I’ve got you.” 

Kagome felt his yokai surrounding her, gently pulsing around her in a soothing fashion.  Slowly awareness began to seep back in.  She looked out the window and saw Miroku and Kikyo in a heated conversation, well, it looked heated from the way Miroku was moving his hands, Kikyo had gone into priestess mode, showing no expression and staying still, without any errant movements.  Shippo was talking to Jinenji, he seemed to be the only excited by what had happened, she could almost see the young man quivering with excitement.  Rin stood off to the side with her head tilted, watching Kagome through the glass.

Toga, Sesshomaru and Koga stood near the entrance to the weapons facility, deep in discussion.  She saw Koga hand a wrapped package to Toga with a nod before all three looked in her direction. The sheer anger in Sesshomaru’s eyes frightened Kagome and she turned to hide her face against Inuyasha’s neck. 

Toga watched the pair carefully, the sinking feeling of dread growing at what he saw.  Inuyasha’s yokai had enveloped Kagome, surrounding her frantic and spiking energy. 

He had seen the difference in her energy the moment Inuyasha had reached her in the chaos in the weapons lab.  He had watched as their energies had melded together, the golden colors blending and deepening the longer Inuyasha held her and had seen how quickly Kagome’s energy had begun to calm. 

Spiritual energy and yokai should have been incompatible, and with Kagome’s instability Inuyasha’s unconscious actions should have increased the instability, putting them all at risk.

But… it hadn’t.  Kagome’s energy hadn’t rejected Inuyasha’s. 

The implications of what that meant for his son terrified him.  He only knew of one pairing between a powerful priestess and a yokai, Midoriko and her mate Hoshiyomi.  He was one of only a few that knew they had been mated, that Midoriko had needed Hoshiyomi’s yokai to be able to fully control her abilities.

Inuyasha was strong, but as a hanyou, would he be strong enough to be Kagome’s stability? 

Kagome stayed wrapped in Inuyasha’s arms until they were back at the university, and even then, she refused to leave Inuyasha’s arms.  He picked her up and carried her to her room, and sat down with her on her bed, just holding her in his arms, rocking her back and forth.  Sango had entered the room at one point, but Kagome had tuned everything out but Inuyasha.  Every time he moved to leave, she let out a soft whimper and held him closer. 

He lay down on the bed, cradling her in his arms, stroking her hair and kissing her forehead until she fell into a fitful sleep, once again plagued with dreams.  This time, when she woke in terror and reached out for him, he was there to sooth her back to sleep.  With his yokai surrounding her like a cocoon, she finally fell into a dreamless slumber, knowing that Inuyasha was there to protect her.

After that day, the training sessions had become torture.  If she thought Sesshomaru had been hard on her before, it was nothing compared to his cutting and biting remarks now.  He had made her demonstrate move after move, throw after throw, criticizing her form, her technique, her lack of strength, her lack of control.  After the first day Inuyasha had snarled back, but Kagome’s hand on his chest had him backing down.  She couldn’t fault Sesshomaru for his criticism, he was right, and she knew it.

She had taken to isolating herself during breaks, she couldn’t sit still, she just couldn’t.   She didn’t want to feel their stares, hear the whispers.  They all knew now, and of course the yokai were afraid of her.   She had seen the distance they kept during training, surrounding her with human partners to keep the yokai out of range.  So, she had wandered, she knew the living quarter well but only knew the training room on that level.  Exploring gave her something to do, something to focus on.  One room had caught her attention, it was empty except for one item, a light gray vessel with white and black flowers that looked vaguely familiar.  She saw the sutras around the door, whatever the vessel was, it was well protected.

She felt a tinge of guilt, she had been actively avoiding Sango, but she needed to do this, to train, to get stronger, alone.  She knew that Sango would have joined her training sessions, but… Sango was one of her oldest friends, she couldn’t bear to keep disappointing her too.

Inuyasha had insisted on coming over each night with dinner, watching her until she choked some of it down.  She started running every night round the campus, waiting until Inuyasha left her apartment before taking off.  For the past two nights she had run for hours, she could not get the looks of fear, the anger in her ally’s faces, the sheer terror in Inuyasha’s eyes.  She knew realistically the terror had been for her, not of her, but that hadn’t helped her dreams any.  She would stumble home around two in the morning, and every night she jolted awake around four.  Now, instead of seeing a yokai kill Inuyasha in front of her in her dreams, she was the direct cause of his death.  She had watched as she had purified him, or her shot missed its target to strike Inuyasha, both times watching as he turned to ash in front of her.  

She refused to go back to sleep, refused to face that in her dreams.  She was spending her early mornings trying to meditate by Sanshiro Pond as she listened to the world come back to life, the song of the birds strengthening as it moved to the early dawn hours.  Her concentration waned as the song of a new bird caught her attention.

FUCK.

Every single noise distracted her, pulled her focus.  Tears streamed down her face as she curled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.  She stared at the lake, barely seeing the majesty of the sunrise around her. 

She had never had a problem focusing on a task before in her life, and now, when it mattered more than ever, that concentration was just… gone.  The past few months, finding out about her spiritual powers, realizing the world was more than just what she saw, that yokai, creatures of myths and legends, walked the earth, went to school with her, that she was quickly falling in love with one, the physical exertion… 

In the middle of all this, she had lost Kagome.

Now she was just the sum of everyone’s expectations.  And she kept fucking letting them down.

She tipped her head back and let out a scream before curling back in on herself. 

She wasn’t some superhuman, she wasn’t a superhero, she was Kagome, just Kagome.  But she didn’t know who Kagome was anymore, and that thought terrified her.

The alarm on her phone broke her concentration, and she pulled it out, the screen blurry through her tears.

Shit. She hadn’t realized it was already Wednesday.  It was her seven am wakeup notification, she had Evolutionary Anthropology at eight thirty, and the professor did NOT like when they were late.  Kagome stood and wiped the tears from her eyes.  With effort she pushed her emotions down, forcing them out of her thoughts.   Thankfully, most of her credits were field study with Totosai, but she had this one physical class for the semester. 

She ran back to her apartment, sighing in relief when she did not hear Sango up and about as she snuck into her bedroom.  She hurried to get ready, as she exited the bathroom Sango handed her a cup of coffee and Kagome pulled the mask of the old Kagome over her, going through the motions of their usual morning routine with a smile on her face. 

It wasn’t until she left the apartment that she allowed the mask to fall, the smile to fade.  She had been getting good over the past month at hiding behind the mask.  She was reminded of a saying she had seen on Facebook, faking a smile is the most painful lie, but it’s the most effective way to hide from all the questions. 

She couldn’t let them know, couldn’t let them see.  If you smile broad enough, no one sees the tears.

She was getting exceptionally good at hiding them. 

She made it to class with minutes to spare, sliding into a seat at the back of the room.  Her classmates had noticed that she had started to draw to the back, but none of them knew her well enough to know how unusual that was.  Sitting in the back allowed her to zone out, to keep her attention on other matters… like saving the world. 

She pulled out her notebook and started making lists, a new habit she had picked up over the past month.  Lists of moves to practice, to do lists around the apartment, lists of places she wanted to show Inuyasha… and the new one, lists of where she had messed things up in her dreams.  That was the most important list to her right now, she had become almost obsessive with analyzing her dreams in detail, focusing on where something had gone wrong, she lost a weapon, she didn’t adjust her weight right, and its correlating list of what to practice to keep that from happening.  Her professor’s voice droned on and on in the background, it quickly became white noise until the words finally registered with Kagome.

“… forget, your final term papers are due this Friday by midnight.  The information is in the syllabus, and I hope you have all been working on them as the semester went on.” 

Kagome’s eyes went wide, and she pulled out the syllabus.  There it was… the research project, 30% of the grade.  Twenty pages in length with at least ten citations to peer reviewed articles and studies, due that Friday. 

She stared at the paper in shock.  She had lost track of time, how… how was it early July already?  She saw the rest of the class packing up and felt panic rise again.

“Kagome, could you see me please?”  Kagome’s head snapped up to see the professor gesturing to her.  Kagome hesitated, then walked to the front of the room.

“Kagome, you haven’t submitted your research topic for approval, I do hope you have been working on it.”  Kagome felt the walls of the room closing in around her as her panic rose.  “You have chosen your topic, correct?”

Kagome took a breath.  “Yes sensei.  My paper is focused on the behavioral changes of the Edo Period of rural settlements as they transitioned from worshiping yokai to Buddhism and Shinto beliefs.”  She crossed her fingers behind her back, hoping it would be ok… would maybe Koga and Shippo would be able to help her.

Her professor nodded.  “I look forward to your paper Kagome, that is a fascinating topic.”

‘Now I hope I can do this in the next two days.’ Kagome thought to herself as she rushed to grab her bag and hurry out the door.  She needed to get to the library.

She flew out of the building at a near run, only to come to a stop as she saw Inuyasha leaning against a tree, a steaming cup of coffee in his hand. Her eyes lit up at the offering of caffeine.

“My hero.” She cried out, running to him, and taking the offered coffee.

Inuyasha smirked as he watched her down half the cup without stopping. 

“And here I thought you were excited to see me.” He teased.  Kagome shot him a look as she finished the coffee., then leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on his lips.

“I am, I’m just more excited for the caffeine.” 

Inuyasha let out a playful growl at her words, and his arms banded around her waist to pull her against him.  That damn smell of decay was growing stronger, and it was driving him crazy trying to identify what was causing it.  After the visit to the Ookami on Sunday, it had gotten more pronounced, cloying, and overpowering her natural scent.  He cautiously tried to sniff out the location of the scent.

Kagome saw his nostrils flare gently and a shiver went through her.  He was the one person, the one being, she needed to protect.  She quickly rose onto her toes, sealing her mouth against his, her bag dropped to the ground as she tangled her hand into his hair.  She felt his rumble of pleasure go through her as she let all the fear, all the anxiety faded away, losing herself in his kiss. 

He made her feel alive, his arms were the only place she did.  She pressed herself even closer to him, elation running through her as she felt, really felt, his interest in her, the growing pressure against her stomach as he deepened the kiss with a growl.   He lifted her off the ground and pulled her even closer, and she stopped thinking at all.

Inuyasha lost himself in her kiss.  Kagome had been quiet and withdrawn for the past few days, and he had missed her fire, her spirit.  He had missed her, even when they were in the same room, he missed her.  The scent of ginger flooded his nose, drowning out all other scents as he picked her up and held her against him.  He could feel his blood rushing to his lower body, felt himself begin to swell against her and heard her soft moan.  The feel of her pressed against his body, her heat seeping through his clothes, Kami he wanted… more.  He released her lips to press kisses down her neck before licking the junction of her neck and shoulder.  He felt more than heard her gasp as he repeated the movement.  

He felt his teeth lengthen, drawn by the feel of her blood.  Her pulse called to him, and he scraped his fangs against her skin, he growled as she tilted her head to give him better access with a broken whimper, her hand holding his face against her neck.  The taste of her skin was addicting, he needed more of it.  He nipped her skin, not hard enough to break the skin but enough to leave a mark.  He pulled his head back and licked his lips, his eyes never leaving that small section of her skin, the need to bite her nearly overpowered him.

With a grunt he forcibly pulled himself away from her neck to quickly lower her to the ground and turn away from her.  He placed his hand on the tree next to him to ground himself.  His claws tore into the bark of the tree, his breathing broken at the effort to bring himself back under control.

 ‘What… what just… what just happened.’ Kagome felt herself shaking as she stared at Inuyasha’s back.  She didn’t understand why he kept pulling away.

‘What… what am I doing wrong?’ Fear ran through her as tears began to spill down her cheeks.  She wiped at her cheeks, trying desperately to keep him from noticing, even though she knew it was a futile effort.  The salty smell of Kagome’s tears broke through Inuyasha’s desperation, and he pulled his claws out of the tree, shaking it to remove splinters before he turned to her.

“I’m sorry.” He whispered.  His ears drooped as he faced her.  Kagome pushed the hurt down, forcing herself to push it to the side to deal with later… when she was alone.  She didn’t want him feeling worse than he obviously already did.  She didn’t need that on top of everything else.  She crossed to him to him and raised a hand to his cheek.

“For what Yash?” she said softly with a smile as he nuzzled his cheek into her hand before turning and giving a soft lick to her palm.  He pulled her close, the lingering scent of her tears blending with the soft smell of decay had him on edge.

“I don’t mean to dishonor you.” He said as he rested his head atop hers.  “I just… I lose my head around you.”

Kagome pulled out of his embrace to tilt her head at him. 

“What do you mean dishonor me?” she demanded, her voice sharpening before she could reign in her confusion.

He sighed.  “I want to court you properly.  To respect you.”

She smiled.  “Oh Yash.” She leaned up and kissed his cheek before taking his hand and pulling him down the path.

“Come on, walk me to the library?”

“The library?” Inuyasha was confused.  “We have training today.”

Kagome pulled away to turn to him.  “I can’t Yash.  I have a paper due Friday that’s a big portion of my grade, I won’t be able to train until its done.” 

He captured her hand again, raising it to place a kiss on the back of it.  “Then let me escort you my lady.” 

Kagome listened to Inuyasha as he talked about Sesshomaru’s latest exasperation with Jaken and Shippo, who had been joining them that week, the mask of old Kagome slipping once more into place as she smiled.

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

The next two days were a blur, Kagome existed in a sea of caffeine.  She could not remember a time when she had had so many cups of coffee, energy drinks, or 5-hour energy shots in such a short period of time. She had not slept in more than forty-eight hours, but she was on page fifteen of the twenty-page paper.  Her bedroom looked like a disaster zone, papers and books covered the floor, clothing was tossed on the bed and towards the hamper.  The only breaks she allowed herself had been a thirty-minute run to clear her head and taking twenty minutes to force down the food that Inuyasha had brought her Wednesday and Thursday evening.  She looked, bleary eyed, at the clock. 

It was seven am on Friday… she had seventeen hours to finish the paper, edit it and create the bibliography. 

She walked to the kitchen and poured herself another cup of coffee.  She downed the cup of coffee in one quick rush and stumbled back to her computer.  Just seventeen more hours….

She could do this.

@willowandfog​  @smmahamazing @clearwillow  @sticky-llama-perfection @alannada @shinidamachu @cstormsinukagblog@superpixie42 @nartista @neutronstarchild​ @i-dream-of-soup​ @hnnwnchstr  @fawn-eyed-girl​ @ all-my-cuffs-have-buttons @liz8080​ @pivora96​

[goodlucktai]

put your empty hands in mine

chapter seven: hold tight, we’re in for nasty weather

natsume yuujinchou pairing: kitanishinatsu word count: 2002 summary: Kitamoto and Nishimura are soulmates, to absolutely no one’s surprise. But they’re also soulmates with a very shy boy who lives somewhere far away, who writes to them in tiny, careful letters right before bed, who apologizes when the mimicry of bruises pop up on their arms and backs because of him. And that’s a surprise to a lot of people. read on ao3

x

With Nyanko-sensei around to keep an eye on things, Takashi’s life quiets down. Comparatively, anyway.

Nyanko-sensei can fly! Satoru finds on his palm on a school morning, the familiar orange letters rushed and excited. We went up so high I could see the whole city!

How did that little cat carry you? Atsushi asks before Satoru can reach for his pen and demand to know why he didn’t take them flying.

His true form is big, Takashi writes. Really big.

Tsuji is giving them a dirty look for writing notes during social studies, but he has no idea how interesting talking to Takashi is. Satoru pretends not to notice Tsuji’s pointed look at his workbook and instead scrawls a quick, How big?

Draw him! Atsushi adds.

Takashi must be in class, too, because the drawing comes along in bits at a time like he’s trying to avoid getting caught. Satoru’s elbow is propped up on his desk, chin tucked into his hand, so it’s easy to smother the grin on his face that grows a little more with each glance he takes at his arm. Across the room, Atsushi’s mouth wobbles as he tries to keep a straight face.

Takashi is no artist. The creature that painstakingly appears is something between a dog and a woolly sheep, with lots of curly fur and a long wispy tail. It has whiskers and a weird mark on its forehead.

Satoru is tracing this onto his notebook and keeping it forever.

The next time Takashi comes to Hitoyoshi, Shibata is with him. It’s been most of a year since that ill-advised phone call, and by now they’re comfortably joined at the hip. Satoru is jealous Shibata and Takashi are so close, but he’s not going to begrudge his shy soulmate any little scrap of happiness he can find. It’s good he has a friend back home.

And Shibata’s alright, he supposes grudgingly. Nyanko-sensei must approve of him if he’s still around.

“Shibata’s soulmate is someone named Tanuma Kaname,” Takashi says. Satoru and Atsushi are visiting him, this time, and they’re all sitting in Shibata’s kitchen while his mom makes lunch and cheerfully eavesdrops on their conversation. “Do you know anyone by that name?”

“There’s no Tanuma in our class,” Satoru says. He glances at Shibata’s arms, and the writing that peeks out from under his rolled-up sleeves. He feels the last bit of dislike fade away when Shibata rubs his soulmate’s handwriting with a careful finger, like he’s not even aware he’s doing it. “We can ask around when we get home, though.”

“Would you?” Takashi asks brightly. “Thanks, Satchan!”

While Satoru is trying to work a flush off his face, Atsushi asks Shibata, “Have you met him before?”

“We talk on the phone sometimes,” Shibata says slowly.

There’s something kind of vulnerable about him now. It is sort of a personal thing to talk about, and that’s probably why his mom is listening closely, ready to jump in if the conversation takes an uncomfortable turn. But Shibata glances at Takashi, like he’s borrowing extra nerve, and Takashi’s smile seems to settle him.

“Kaname’s really sick, is all,” he tells them. “He’s not up for traveling around, and he has-- “

He glances back at his mother for help. She reminds him gently, “An anxiety disorder.”

“Right,” Shibata says. “He has anxiety, and sometimes he works himself up over even little things, and our parents are worried he might get really stressed out when he meets me and make himself even sicker and-- I don’t want that.” His voice is small now. “So I can wait.”

Ugh. Stupid jerk, making it impossible for Satoru not to like him. He thinks of that day all those years ago, of realizing Takashi was out there somewhere and not even knowing what he looked like. He thinks of Shibata stealing Takashi’s phone to make sure his soulmates were real people, and wonders how much of it was just to be mean and how much of it was some strange, backwards hope.

Satoru reaches across the table, nearly upsetting their cups, and punches Shibata on the arm.

“He won’t be sick forever. I bet he’s probably trying to get better as quick as he can just so he can see your stupid face.”

Shibata blinks at him, and a smile darts across his face, and then he scowls mightily just for show. “I must really look pathetic if Nishimura is giving me advice.”

Atsushi and Takashi roll their eyes in sync, and Shibata’s mother sighs when the inevitable bickering picks up, and Nyanko-sensei pointedly settles in Takashi’s lap like the whole conversation is putting him to sleep, but Satoru thinks they all look kind of happy.

When they’re thirteen, Takashi moves again.

He stayed put for almost three years, the longest he’s ever stayed anywhere since his papa died, and he was happy. But his guardians’ children have outgrown the room they’re sharing, and there’s no space for Takashi in their home anymore.

In the privacy of his own mind, where his brother can’t give him a disappointed look for it, Satoru hates them.

It’s harder for Takashi to leave than it’s ever been; he’s never had a friend to leave behind before. According to Nyanko-sensei later on, Shibata swore up and down that they’d stay best friends no matter where Takashi ended up, and hugged him for so long he almost missed his bus, and made him promise to call his soulmates because he could tell Takashi wasn’t okay.

It’s been so long since Satoru’s had to listen to him crying on the phone that it hurts, this bone-deep ache. The afternoon sun was warm on his skin just a moment ago, but now it feels like he’s been plunged into an icy river. Atsushi says, “It’s okay, Okashi. You’ll see him again, I promise. It’s okay.”

“I never see anyone again,” Takashi sobs. “Everyone goes away and I never see them again.”

“You saw us again,” Atsushi counters. His eyes are shiny like he’s about to cry but his voice is as firm as it’s ever been. “You see us all the time. We haven’t gone away, and neither will Shibata. We all love you, and we won’t leave you.”

Kiyoshi isn’t there when Satoru goes home that night. He bursts into the kitchen expecting the noise to be his brother, but it’s mom, home early from her long shift at work. She takes one look at him, eyes all red and puffy, face wet with tears, and puts down whatever she was about to cook for dinner. Later on, he’ll wonder if Auntie called her and told her to come home.

“Come here, baby,” mom says, and he’s all grown up at thirteen years old, but he flies around the table and buries himself in the safety of her arms anyway. She holds him, and only holds him tighter when he starts to cry again.

And even that isn’t fair. Not really. Not when Takashi doesn’t have a mom to hold him when he cries.

But if there’s one thing Takashi is good at, it’s starting over.

“There’s a girl in my class,” he murmurs over the phone, a week after the move. “She’s really nice. I flinched at a yokai outside before sensei could scare it away, and my classmates started to whisper, but she came over and sat right beside me. She said if they’re gonna talk about me, they have to talk about her, too.”

“I like her,” Atsushi says decisively, pouncing on any good news Takashi has to give them. “What’s her name?”

“Ogata.” Takashi’s voice dips a little into something bashful and pleased. “But she told me to call her Yuriko.”

And so the next time they all meet, their group has gotten bigger.

“It’s nice to meet you!” Ogata says brightly, arm-in-arm with another girl their age. “This is Junko, my girlfriend. And we’re soulmates, too, but she would have been my girlfriend anyway.”

Junko shares a commiserating look of exhaustion with Takashi, who returns it simultaneously, and Satoru can’t help but grin. He’s made friends here, Satoru thinks. He’ll be okay, just like Atsushi said.

Nyanko-sensei, in a rare show of affection, hops down from Takashi’s shoulder and circles around to Atsushi instead. He paws at the leg of his pants.

“What? I don’t want to carry you, you’re heavy,” Atsushi says, bewildered. But the lucky cat just starts yowling, and heads up and down the sidewalk start to turn, so Atsushi stoops quickly to pick him up.

“You’re literally the worst cat in the world,” Shibata tells him succinctly. Since the girls are here, and Takashi doesn’t know them well enough to trust them with his secret yet, Nyanko-sensei can’t respond with anything more than a narrow-eyed glare. Shibata’s smug smile says he knows this perfectly well.

It’s a fun afternoon. They all exchange contact information, and Ogata says they should start a group chat, and Satoru laughs so hard he has to lean against Junko for support when he sees what she’s called it.

“‘The Natsume Protection Squad’?” Takashi’s face turns bright red. Even his cat is snickering at him. “I don’t like that name. Change it?”

“Nope, it’s perfect,” Shibata says, screenshotting it for posterity. “We’re keeping it like this forever.”

They spend the night at Junko’s house because her family is away. All of them know better than to ask why they can’t sleep over at the place where Takashi’s staying, and they keep him occupied with ordering food and picking out movies to rent. In that silent understanding, their friendship inches toward something unbreakable.

“You’re never really around town much anymore,” Tsuji remarks near the end of the school year. “When we have days off, I mean. You and Kitamoto are always gone.”

“Takashi can’t come visit us right now,” Satoru says, digging his gym clothes out of his bag once the girls have gone to change in another room. “It’s easier for us to go to him.”

“Maybe he should try to go to high school here,” Tsuji says. “I wonder if he’d be able to commute, or if someone around here could sponsor him or something.”

Tugging off his shirt, Satoru’s muffled “maybe” gets lost somewhere around the collar. It’s nice to think about, but he thinks if that were possible then Auntie would have brought it up by now. He may be an idiot, but even he knows better than to get Takashi’s hopes up about something that can’t be done.

There’s a loud noise, like a chair clattering to the floor, and by the time he gets his head free of his shirt and glances up, the whole room is staring at him. He stares back, a little self-conscious, and then Atsushi is shoving past the other boys with stark horror in his eyes.

“Satchan,” he says, like it’s all he knows how to say. Satoru follows his stricken gaze to his own stomach.

And he feels like he’s about to be sick.

His whole middle is purple, from the front of his stomach around to the side, a plum color so dark Satoru thinks he could sink his fingers into it like ink. There’s more marks along his chest, down his arms. He lifts a hand, and settles it there against the deepest part of the bruise. Tsuji makes a wounded noise and an aborted gesture, like he wants to stop Satoru from touching it and hurting himself.

“It’s not mine,” Satoru says numbly. He doesn’t recognize his own voice. “Acchan-- “

“Oh, no,” Atsushi whispers, “no, no, please.”

Adachi yells at their classmates for staring, and Tsuji orders someone to go and get the teacher. Everything sounds faraway and underwater, and the room is colder than it should be even when someone settles a jacket around his shoulders. Satoru stares down at his hands, past all the ugly marks and bruises, to the cheerful orange writing that he can barely make out anymore.

Takashi.

[amaanogawa]

will you stay with me my love, for another day?

Kurodai Weekend 2017 Day 1 | August 25: Spirits ( Shinigami AU | Yokai and Exorcist AU ) “Are you a Shinigami?” The man raises his brows, clearly surprised. “What makes you think that?” “You appeared out of thin air, you’re dressed in all black, you have a notebook with my name in it that tells you I’m sick, and you said that it was my time.” “…alright, I guess I was a bit obvious, but in my defense you’re not supposed to be able to see me. And the black is a personal choice, really.” Word Count: 3323

Also available on AO3

“Excuse me, it’s time to take your blood.”

Daichi glances towards the door as it rolls open, a nurse in pale blue scrubs and a white lab coat stepping into the room. He smiles at her and extends the arm without his IV. Green-yellow bruises pool in this crook of his elbow, still healing from when they last drew blood. It’s an accessory that he has been wearing for years now, just like his hospital gown and the needle in his other arm.

“Sure,” he says with a smile. “Be my guest.”

The nurse busies herself with the usual vitals assessment. Measuring his temperature, sticking the heartrate monitor on his index finger, taking his blood pressure. Daichi barely even notices the prick of pain as the needle is inserted in his arm anymore, instead he’s staring out the window at a flock of blackbirds taking flight in the distance. Daichi has always liked birds. Something about their freedom to go wherever they wish to go, soaring high in the air by their own ability, is enviable to him. He is a bird with clipped wings, stuck in this cage of pale green walls and the smell of antiseptic. It’s a quick process, and the nurse is already cleaning up her supplies by the time Daichi snaps out of his thoughts.

“How are you feeling today?” The nurse asks, flipping through the chart at the foot of his bed. “I understand you had some difficulty breathing yesterday.”

“Yes, it’s better today.”            

“Chest pain?”

“Around a 3 for now.”

“Good to hear. Well, I’ll be back to check on you in a few hours.”

“Thank you.”

The door clicks shut behind the nurse steps out, and Daichi returns to staring absently out the window. The days pass by, just like this. He feels as though his time has stopped, even as the rest of the world continues turning on its axis.

Suddenly, it’s as if the space between his bed and the window starts shimmering, streaks of movement pooling into a single point, a whirlpool of nothingness, and a pale hand is appearing from out of nowhere. Then an arm, and an entire body follows. A tall man steps out of the shimmering air, with piercing golden eyes and a head of messy black hair. He’s clothed in all black- black hoodie, black jeans, and thick black boots.

“There we go,” he huffs, brushing himself off. The man pulls a black leather-bound notebook out of his pocket. “So, what do we have here…Sawamura Daichi, 22 years old, congenital heart disease.”

Glancing up at Daichi, he raises his brows in acknowledgement. “And a pretty face, no less. That’s a shame, for it to be time so soon.” “Uh, thank you?” Daichi answers, less taken aback than he feels that most people would be after seeing a man appear out of thin air in the middle of their hospital room.

The man freezes, golden eyes blinking owlishly in bewilderment. Daichi frowns, wondering what on earth the man could possibly be bewildered about. It’s not like Daichi was the one who waltzed out of a magic portal into his private space.

“Are- are you talking to me?”

“Well, yes.”

“You can see me.”

“Yes?”

Stunned, the stranger clothed in black stares back at Daichi for a few moments before reaching up to rub at the back of his neck sheepishly.

“Okay, well this is awkward. I apologize for, uh-”

“Magically appearing in my room and calling me good looking?” Daichi laughs before tilting his head in thought. “Are you a Shinigami?”

The man raises his brows, clearly surprised. “What makes you think that?”

“You appeared out of thin air, you’re dressed in all black, you have a notebook with my name in it that tells you I’m sick, and you said that it was my time.”

“…alright, I guess I was a bit obvious, but in my defense you’re not supposed to be able to see me. And the black is a personal choice, really.”

“When?” Daichi asks, a cough bubbling out of his throat. He holds up a finger as his body starts shaking with deep, wheezing coughs. The man looks concerned, but only takes half a step forward before freezing in place. The coughing fit subsides after a few minutes, and Daichi takes a few deep breaths before continuing. “When am I going to die? Are you taking me now?”

“No, uh,” the man’s eyes shift between Daichi’s face and anywhere else. Daichi thinks the shade of shimmering gold is oddly hypnotizing. “Listen, I’ve never encountered anything like this before. I don’t know what the protocol is. You’re just…you’re being awfully calm about all of this. Most humans would be more, I don’t know, scared? Aren’t you scared?”

Daichi’s response is a wry smile, because he isn’t scared. He has not been scared of dying for many years now. It’s simply an inevitability, a mysterious mark on his imaginary calendar. “I’ve known I was going to die since I was 7. The doctors gave me 5 more years. I’ve lived triple that. The surprising thing isn’t that it’s my time, it’s that it has taken this long for it to finally come.”

The stranger stares at Daichi, scrutinizing, before huffing a sigh. His eyes are sad, filled with too much emotion for a literal god of death.

“Three days.” He says softly, mouth curling into a frown. “In three days, you’re going to go into heart failure.”

“Oh,” Daichi whispers. His heart beats weakly in his chest. He closes his eyes, leans back against his pillow and takes three shuddery breaths. “Oh.”

Day One.

“Are you going to stay in that corner the whole time?”

Kuroo chews on his lip worriedly, arms crossed tightly across his chest, before taking a few nervous steps towards Daichi’s bed.

“I’m freaked out, okay? Interacting with our humans has never been an option. This has never happened before.”

He looks like a terrified cat, Daichi thinks bemusedly, the way his shoulders are raised, tense, as if ready to bolt at any moment. Daichi reaches towards him, laughing just a little at the way he shrinks back warily. Honestly, just like a cat.

“I never thought a Shinigami would be scared of a human.” Daichi smiles, raising his brows. He opens his hands, waiting. “I won’t bite.”

“I’m not afraid of you,” Kuroo grumbles, eyeing Daichi’s hand. “I’m afraid of the consequences that might arise because of you.”

Despite looking like he’d rather be anywhere but here, Kuroo steps forward, lifts his hand hesitantly, and places it in the center of Daichi’s palm. He cannot feel Kuroo’s hand, and yet a cold chill runs up Daichi’s spine and goosebumps rise on his skin. It’s the strangest feeling of uncanniness, clearly seeing something there and not feeling anything at all. Kuroo has a look of awe on his face as he wraps his fingers around Daichi’s.

“You’re warm,” Kuroo says, soft, his mouth curving into a sad smile.

 —

“What happens? After.” Daichi is staring out the window again, at the great blue expanse of sky, the birds flying freely among the clouds. Kuroo looks up from where he is perched on the single chair beside Daichi’s bed.

“Well,” he says, pensive. “God judges your mortal life and if your soul is pure, then you get reincarnated. That is, if you so choose.”

“You have a choice?”

“Sure, some people don’t want to live again. So they just return to God’s grace.”

“And if your soul is not pure?”

“Then God returns it to nothingness.” Kuroo rests his chin on his palm, staring at Daichi thoughtfully. “Are you worried?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t had much of a chance to be a good person or a bad person. Just a sick person.”

Kuroo hums, drawing his knees up to his chest. They are an odd pair, a human and the Shinigami that will reap his soul, and yet Daichi feels strangely comfortable with Kuroo. He’s easy to talk to, and Daichi has very little people that he can really have a conversation with. The only person that is a constant in his life aside from the hospital staff is his mother, but Daichi tries to keep things simple in front of her- act like everything is just fine and that he isn’t sick or dying. But he is, and Kuroo doesn’t break down in tears when that fact is acknowledged. He’s a Shinigami, after all. He can’t afford to cry for every human soul he reaps.

“How did you become a Shinigami, then? Is that also a choice?”

The look on Kuroo’s face means that Daichi has asked something he shouldn’t have. But before Daichi can open his mouth to take it back, Kuroo is already speaking.

“I took my own life when I was a human.” Kuroo says, eyes glazing over. “That’s how you become a Shinigami.”

“Why?” Daichi asks, and perhaps it’s insensitive to ask such a question, but a burning nausea is rising at the back of his throat. For him, who has clung so desperately onto life for his entire hopeless existence, suicide is a concept that he cannot understand.

“I don’t even remember anymore. It was a long time ago.”

“So being a Shinigami, it’s a punishment?”

“No, it is an opportunity- to rediscover the beauty of life. Supposedly once we understand, we too can be reincarnated.” Kuroo sighs, slouching so as to bury his face in his arms. “Suicide is not a sin. It is a tragedy.”

Daichi reaches out to take Kuroo’s hand, and then it is silent.

Day Two.

Kuroo is surprisingly perky in the morning. He’s bouncing on the balls of his feet by Daichi’s bedside as soon as he wakes.

“Let’s go somewhere.” He says with a grin, offering his hand to Daichi.

“Uh,” It’s not to say that Daichi doesn’t trust Kuroo. He does, despite the obviously morbid nature of their relationship, but that trust is diminished a great deal when Daichi is still rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “How, exactly? I can’t walk more than a few hundred meters without having to sit down.”

“Silly, silly human.” Kuroo smirks, wagging a finger. “Have you forgotten who you’re talking to?”

With a roll of his eyes, Daichi takes Kuroo’s hand, and suddenly it’s like he was dunked into ice cold water. The pain in his chest, all of his weariness is lifted from his person and he’s standing beside Kuroo despite his body slumping back against his pillow in a deep sleep.

“What is this?” His body is glowing, the same sort of shimmery ethereal-like property of the portal Kuroo had appeared out of.

“I pulled your soul out of your body. Now we can go anywhere we’d like.” Kuroo reaches out to touch the air in front of them and the same magical whirlpool opens up before his fingertips. “After you.”

“You’re not going to tell me where we’re going?”

“Nope.” The satisfied grin on Kuroo’s face makes Daichi suspicious. “You’re just going to have to trust me.”

And because Daichi may possibly be out of his mind, he sucks in a deep breath and steps through the shimmering portal. One second he is in the dreary hospital room in which he has spent a majority of his time, and the next he is standing in front of a roaring crowd, the sound of sneakers squeaking on a court, and the deafening impact of a ball off the palm of a hand.

“This is-” Daichi pauses to swallow, and though he doesn’t have a physical body at the moment, he swears something is lodged in his throat. “This is Chuo university.“

“Yep.” Kuroo is still grinning as he stands next to Daichi, hands shoved in his pockets. “I figured from that big poster you have that you like their volleyball team.”

There’s not a single wasted movement as the players call out for the ball. The setter is fast as lightning and deadly accurate as he sets up the perfect quick attack to the wing spiker, who leaps into the air and draws his arm back like a whip, slamming the ball past three blockers to the other side of the net. Daichi might have forgotten to breathe.

“It was my dream to attend Chuo ever since I saw one of their matches on TV as a child,” he says, barely a whisper. “I mean, it was hopeless from the beginning because-”

He doesn’t want to say it. He has never said it out loud, even after the doctors delivered the news, because both he and his mother had just quietly never mentioned Chuo or volleyball ever again. Kuroo takes Daichi’s hand in his, and now that he is a spirit too he can finally feel Kuroo’s touch but it is ice cold against the skin of his palm.

“This is amazing.” Is all Daichi says, clutching Kuroo’s hand like a lifeline. He is afraid for this to end, and whether he will admit it or not, he is afraid for tomorrow, even if he has had more than a decade of preparation. “Thank you, Kuroo.”

“You’re welcome.” Kuroo’s smile is kind as he gives Daichi’s hand a fond squeeze.

“Are you sure you’re allowed to do this?”

“I mean, I was never told that I couldn’t do it, so…”

“Because there’s never been a human who could see you before?”

“Yep. You’re one of a kind.”

“I’m sure you say that to all the humans whose souls you’re about to take.”

“Only the ones with killer thighs like yours.” Kuroo says, fluttering his lashes.

Daichi laughs, giving Kuroo’s leg a light kick. “Thanks. My secret is never working out and lying in a bed all day.”

It feels good, to go somewhere with a handsome guy and laugh and joke like this. As simple as it is, for Daichi, it is a first. He feels normal, almost, if he could forget everything but the sight before him and Kuroo steady at his side. For the rest of the match, Daichi excitedly explains the game to Kuroo, who is a fast learner and seems to get genuinely interested as time passes. When Chuo wins the match 2-0, Daichi doesn’t remember the last time he smiled so wide.

He is reluctant to leave, but as they step back into Daichi’s hospital room, his mother is there by his bedside peeling an apple. Kuroo lets go of Daichi’s hand and he is plunged back into his body, with it the weight of the living, the warmth, but also the pain and the weariness. He blinks his eyes open, letting out a small groan, and his mother smiles down at him.

“Good morning, it’s rare for you to sleep in so late.”

“I had an amazing dream.” Daichi says, smiling sleepily. “I was at one of Chuo’s volleyball matches. It was everything I thought it would be.”

Beside him, Kuroo is comically re-enacting a block, jumping up with his arms raised high. Then he crouches languidly into a low receive, doing a backwards somersault before propping himself up and imitating a cheering crowd. Daichi stifles a chuckle.

His mother looks sad, as she always does when he speaks of things like this. Happy things that healthy people can do, not just in their dreams.

“That’s nice, Daichi.” She tries, before her lips tremble and a tear falls from her eyes. He shouldn’t have said anything.

“Don’t cry, mom. It was a very happy dream.” He holds her hand as she cries. Tomorrow, he is going to hurt her. But after tomorrow, she can finally start to heal and move on. Daichi knows she is going to be okay. He doesn’t know anyone as strong as his own mother. “Thank you for all you’ve done for me.”

“Why are you talking like that?” She looks frenzied, looking up at him with big eyes. “You’re my son, and I will be taking care of you for a long time to come. Do you hear me?”

“Yea.” Daichi smiles, pulls her into a firm hug. She is shaking in his arms, trembling like a leaf. “But I wanted to say thank you anyway. I love you, mom.”

Kuroo curls his fingers into a tight fist looks away.

Day Three.

Even if Kuroo hadn’t appeared in his life foretelling his fate today, Daichi thinks he would have known that it was his time. There is no other way to interpret his wheezing breaths, the drowning dizziness, and the way exhaustion is blurring the edges of his vision. Kuroo is beside him, grief lining his features.

“T-this is it, right?” Daichi asks, feeling very distant.

“Yes.” Kuroo replies. “In a few minutes your blood pressure will bottom out, your organs will fail and you’ll be unconscious.”

“Okay.” Daichi swallows, clutches at Kuroo’s hand with shaking fingers. “You’ll stay?”

“I’m with you.” Kuroo smiles sadly. “Until the end.”

Outside, Daichi can hear the nurses speaking to his mother. There is nothing left to be done. It is his time. She’s wailing, and it’s the most terrible sound Daichi has ever heard in his life. Tears run down the sides of his face because despite thinking that he was prepared for this, it’s still incredibly, mortifyingly frustrating.

“I’m afraid.” He chokes out, gritting his teeth. “I thought I wouldn’t be, but I am.”

“It’d be weird if you weren’t.” Kuroo says, brushing a thumb across his cheek. “But you’re going to be reincarnated. I know you are, because you are good. And in your next life I swear to you, you will have a healthy heart and you can play all the volleyball you desire.”

“How can you be sure?”

“I’ll punch God in the face if need be.”

Daichi laughs weakly. “Are you allowed to say that?”

“Again, they never told me I couldn’t say it.”

“Will you be there?”

At this, Kuroo’s face crumples, and he is silent for a while before he speaks again.

“I hope so, Daichi.”

He knows that it’s time, because the room is spinning and everything is fading fast. Kuroo sighs, gives Daichi’s hand one last squeeze before touching his index finger to Daichi’s forehead and it’s the same sensation as the day before, of being plunged into ice cold water. But this time he knows he will not be returning to the warmth of the living.

Kuroo is still holding his hand, firm, and Daichi hopes that someday they can meet again when they are both human, because he wants to know what Kuroo’s hand would feel like against his, skin on skin, alive and breathing and together.

“Take care of me, okay Kuroo?”

His spirit is disintegrating, breaking apart into a million small speckles of light. They share one last smile before Daichi is gone, his spirit reduced to a single burning orb, glowing brighter than any other that Kuroo has seen.

“I will.” Kuroo whispers, cradling the orb in his hands. “I will.”

It’s a sunny spring day as Daichi and his team arrive at the Karasuno Sougou Sports Park. Today they are meeting their fated rivals, the Nekoma volleyball team, for a destined reunion. Karasuno is embodied by a murder of crows, ready to take flight once again and reclaim their spot at nationals.

Daichi has always liked birds. They can soar above the clouds, take control of their own fates. Just as he can, just as his team will.

They form two lines, one clad in black, and one clad in bright red.

He and Nekoma’s captain stand facing each other.

“Greet your opponents! Let’s have a good game!”

The boy standing before him has piercing golden eyes and a head of messy black hair. Their eyes meet as they extend their hands simultaneously, enveloping each other and clutching on tightly.

Skin against skin.

Warm.