pissbaby-lover

[pissbaby-lover]

Dark Era - The Fall [Takara and Draco Oneshot]

Title: Dark Era - The Fall Pairing: Takara Kari x Draco Words: 1547 Warnings/Rating: M, blood, death mention

~Deep in a cave in the northern mountains, Takara and Draco had taken refuge from the Filloa and Halion armies. After being hunted for days, they had finally been cornered.

Takara sniffed at the air cautiously, searching for an exit out of the back end of the cave, but to no avail. She cursed, heading back up the path and away from what felt like the hundredth dead end to meet up with Draco, her tail twitching in aggravation. The Halion army was closing in on them with the Filloa not far behind and they needed to find a way out soon.

A catastrophic sound from the main entrance drew her into a run, fearing the worst. Voices shouted angrily, vibrating off the walls tenfold. A loud cry, strikingly familiar, sounded through the stone halls. There was a muffled thump followed by nothing.

Takara drew her ears back and sped towards the entrance, the silence more deafening than anything she'd ever heard. The distance was longer than she remembered and in her haste, she had taken a wrong turn somewhere.

“Draco!” She called out for him in hopes he could guide her though the tunnels.

No answer.

“Draco!”

Nothing.

Takara shoved the panic back down in her gut and took a deep breath, trying to recall the way. After backtracking for a bit, her heart now racing, she reached the entrance. She was about to call Draco's name again when she found him. He was face down, blood pooling around him. His sword was a foot away from him, Draco's blood creeping towards it like some kind of fungus.

“DRACO!” The cave echoed with her anguish and in an instant, Takara was by his side, carefully rolling him over. Her attention was fully on Draco and she didn't notice the figure standing by the far wall, silently watching.

Takara clutched Draco tightly, cradling him in her arms, her eyes welling up with tears. He had been bleeding heavily, his body limp and unresponsive. Were it not for the ragged breathing, she would have thought he was already gone.

She raised her trembling fingers to his face, brushing aside his blood slicked bangs from his forehead. His skin was colder than usual, and it scared her. She dropped her trembling hand to his chest, carefully pulling his tattered blood soaked clothes away to examine his wounds.

The sight about made her scream; from the looks of the wound, he had been attacked from behind then struck again in the front after he had fallen. Though she couldn't be sure with such large quantities of blood obscuring the wound, she thought she saw bone.

“Draco...” she whispered, her voice cracking. Takara dropped her head beside his, nuzzling his neck. She could her his heart racing, and bit her tongue to keep from sobbing in his ear. Draco stirred slightly, his eyes opened, but his gaze was glassy and unable to focus.

“Takara? Where are we?” Takara pulled her head back and looked at him, her eyes wide.

“We're in a cave in the mountains, remember? Hiding from the solders...” She tried her hardest to keep her voice steady to keep him calm, but from the way he was looking around, he was too disoriented to realize what was happening. Takara bit her lip, her mind racing to find some way out.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed movement, her head whipping around to see none other than Tavish, her twin brother. His sword was unsheathed at his side, dripping with blood.

Draco's blood. Her ears flattened, and she leaned over Draco protectively.

“What the hell are you doing?” she hissed at him, her mind in disbelief. There were far too many guards outside for her to fight her way out with Draco. And even then, these were her comrades... her second family... though, her own brother had delivered the blow that had Draco in the sorry state he was in.

She glared up at Tavish, her teeth clinched in anger, fur on end. She knew Draco wouldn't last much longer in his current condition without immediate medical attention but there was no way out. Draco spoke suddenly, distracting her from her traitorous brother.

“We'll be going home soon, won't we my love?” Draco asked softly, his voice weak. Takara let out a shuttering sigh, closing her eyes to hold back her tears.

“Yes... yes we will Draco.” Her eyes opened, expecting a response. Draco lay unmoving in her arms. Takara's ears strained to pick up some hint of life in his body but found none. She stared down in disbelief calling his name again.

“Draco...?”

She knew no amount of calling would bring him back from where he had gone. She sniffled, the quiet sounds quickly turning to wails, the cave answering her back mournfully. Her brother shifted behind her but dare not move from his spot, letting Takara have her moment.

She was unsure how long she had cried before she laid Draco's body carefully on the ground, putting her hand on his cheek. His face was still and peaceful, almost as if he was only sleeping. Takara bent down and kissed Draco's lifeless lips.

“I love you... and goodbye...” She choked back her tears, a disturbing calm washing over her.

Beside Takara, Tavish stepped up to her, hesitant. He cast a wary look at the cave's entrance behind him and opened his mouth to speak, but Takara's head suddenly rose, her face smeared with Draco's blood. Her mouth drew back in a ferocious scowl, her ears drawn flat against her hair.

“Why? Why? I trusted you and you... WHY?! Look at me damn you!” Tavish leveled his gaze at her, his eyes colder than she'd ever seen them before. He spoke with a hint of sadness, but his words were steady and sure, rehearsed.

“You knew it would come to this Takara, I warned you. The honor of the family cannot be sullied by such common filth. Fath-” He didn't get he chance to finish. Takara was on him in an instant, blade drawn and swinging. A feral cry escaped from her throat making the guards tense up around her. Tavish barely had enough time to react, bringing his sword up just in time to block her strike.

“Honor of the family? What am I to them, some worthless blight that needs to be rubbed out? And Draco too? I'll kill you for saying such things!” To Takara, this was the ultimate betrayal; Tavish had been there for her when her parents all but dismissed her, stood up for her when she refused orders to marry an alley's son to gain favor in the upper branches of the government.

And after all that time being by her side helping her, he still dared to take away the only other person who considered her worth anything and expected her to just accept it.

She swiped wildly though the air in an attempt to catch him with her blade, her brown eyes burning like a firestorm. He parried her blows as quickly as he could but she was far faster than he and deadly in her rage.

Takara finally succeeded in disarming Tavish with her free hand. Her blade struck him across the face, leaving a long gash beside his right eye. A half an inch lower and he would have lost it. Takara swept her leg beneath Tavish's and he came crashing to the ground, his sister looming over him, a low menacing growl sounding from her throat.

Takara looked down at him coldly, her chest heaving; she could kill him right here and be done with it, avenge Draco with his blood on her blade... but what would that solve? It would not bring Draco back. She stared Tavish down, fist clinched around her dagger, her hand shaking.

Tavish drew back fearfully, intimidated by her aura. He looked around for his sword but it was out of his reach, laying on the ground a few feet behind him. Takara raised her hand once more and Tavish bowed his head, expecting her to finish him off.

Her hand went to her hip, ripping the family crest off her belt. She flicked the seal to the ground beside him, a disgusted look on her face. The tinkling sound of metal on stone made Tavish raise his head.

“You tell father...” Takara swallowed,  urge herself to remain calm enough to finish.

“Tell father he no longer needs to worry about my sullying the family name; I renounce my rights as a Kari and will answer to him no longer.” She turned and strode over to Draco, removing his sheath from his belt; he would no longer need it. Takara recovered Draco's blade, casting on last longing look at it's former owner.

A sudden thought came to mind and she reached in her back pocket, producing a small bag of coin. She tossed it Tavish's way, the bag skidding across the stone to rest at his feet.

“Give him a proper burial when you're through,” she spat. With that, she was gone, bounding past the bewildered guards and taking off deep into the mountains. Her heart was heavy, but her feet carried her on, out and away from the broken man and pieces of her heart that she left with him.

Thank you for reading; if you’d like to read more of my original writing, you can find the masterpost here. [X]

[pissbaby-lover]

Dark Era [Takara and Draco Oneshot]

Title: Dark Era Pairing: Takara Kari x Draco Words: 3888 Warnings/Rating: K

~Takara takes a load off at a military outpost while in between jobs. The war between the Animus’ Halion and Humans’ Fillola armies rages on.

Takara eased back in her chair at the end of the bar, sipping halfheartedly from her drink. She drummed on the rough wooden counter top with her free hand, eyes wandering around the dark, musky room. It had been several days since her last mission and she was feeling rather anxious to leave town.

'I am getting rather stir crazy here... I hope something comes up soon; I didn't join the Halion army to stand around and idle.' Takara sighed heavily before downing the other half of her glass. Though the war hadn't slowed in the slightest, it seemed to Takara that she was spending more and more time lazing around town and drinking.

Takara rapped her knuckles on the counter top.

“Another!” She called to the bartender, tossing him a silver coin. He caught the coin mid-stride and tucked it in his pocket, strolling over with a full glass. He grinned, sending her a wink as he grabbed her empty and returned to the far end of the bar.

He was young, within a decade of her own age and an Animus like her, though she couldn't tell if he was a dog or a fox. Takara let out an amused snort, her tail flicking back and forth behind her.

'Cute... but no... I'm not looking.' Takara raised her glass to take a drink when the door of the bar slammed open, letting in a blinding stream of mid-morning light. Takara raised her arm higher to block the light from her eyes, glass clinched in her fist. The patrons groaned in protest until the door was shut in the same violent manner in which it was opened.

Takara heard the sound of heavy boots on the wood paneling and the scrape of a chair being pulled out. She blinked her eyes rapidly, trying to clear the spots from her field of vision.

'Damn it all... I'm  not worth much as an assassin without my sight...' Her ears pricked up at the sound of a familiar agitated voice.

“Give me a glass of whiskey, no ice.” Takara's vision cleared and she turned toward the voice, her brow already set in a glare. There before her sat the Reptilian Draco, looking more ragged than she remembered. His hair had grown longer and his boots and pants were covered in dust from the road.

“Well hello there Snake, came crawling out from under a rock back to civilization I see.” Draco turned to her, his yellow eyes narrowing in distaste. The barkeep brought Draco his drink, sending Takara a lingering stare. Takara ignored him and instead propped her arm under her chin, eyes trained on the new intruder; the day just got a little more interesting.

“Tch, could this day get any worse?” Draco muttered angrily, turning his attention to his drink. He gulped it down and slammed the glass onto the counter. Several of the patrons glanced over at the source of the noise. Takara scoffed, earning another glare from Draco.

“Well, seeing as you're here, I guess it can't.” She said with a sneer. Draco's brow knitted in fury.

“Oh really?” He growled. His hand plunged into his pocket, coming out with a crumpled piece of parchment. He tossed it onto the bar in front of her, she could make out the silver and blue Halion seal within its folds.

“Take a look at that, then tell me what you think,” Draco told her, ordering another glass from the now disgruntled barkeep.

Takara dropped her hand from her chin to the parchment ball. She flattened the parchment, sending Draco a look of mild curiosity. He waved his hand, urging her to read it and Takara suddenly felt a wave of discomfort wash over her as she lowered her eyes to the carefully printed words on the page.

By order of the Halion Kingdom, Takara the Ferret and Draco the Snake Are hereby ordered to gather information on the Fillola camp spotted near the Valcanni Woods. Bring the information back to the Western Headquarters immediately.

Takara read and reread the orders for a few silent moments, trying to absorb the message, before she looked up to meet Draco's stony gaze. The most upsetting bit of the orders was the signature of approval in the bottom right-hand corner.

'Only a fool like Tavish would think this was a good idea...' She thought, clinching her teeth in an effort to control her anger, but her false calm didn't last long.

“Are you fucking serious?” she exclaimed, tossing the parchment to the side. It fluttered in the air for a moment before landing on the corner of the bar. Draco gestured with one hand, taking a swig before answering.

“It's kind of in bad taste for a joke... it's not like I'd ever choose to work with you.” Takara scowled in response, her fangs showing.

“The feeling's mutual Snake.” She spat.

“I'll take the job alone; I rather not have a simpleton like you slowing me down anyway.” Takara's words struck a sour note in Draco and his mood darkened in response.

“Me?! Slowing you down? How about you slowing me? You don't look like you've done any serious jobs in months!” Takara cackled in response.

“Of course someone as slow and stupid as you would think that; why else would I be drinking such expensive liquor and wearing quality gear like this?” She flung her leg up, planting her boot against the edge of the counter. Draco grumbled to himself; they were nice indeed, knee high oiled and sealed black leather, designed to withstand the cold and wet regions the Fillola were operating in currently.

“Silent as my blade pressed against your coldblooded throat,” Takara grinned sadistically at the reptile, lowering her boot to the floor. Draco looked less than intimidated, though her words lit a fire in his eyes that wasn't there before.

“Sounds like a threat Ferret, care to demonstrate?” he challenged, turning his body to face her full on. Takara's grin widened at the thought but knew it wasn't worth her time.

“Not now, little Snake; I have a job to complete.” She stood, swallowing what remained of her drink before swiping the parchment off the bar.

“Later Snake,” she said, shoving Draco in the chest, sending him backward onto the floor before he could catch himself. Takara tossed one final coin to the barkeeper before exiting into the searing daylight. Pocketing the orders, Takara's mind wandered to the past.

'It's been almost a year and a half since our little group split up... we were so naive back then...' Takara chuckled to herself. Hono and Crow were the first to disappear, leaving for other odd jobs. Wrath was the next to go; Takara still wasn't sure if he had been a Fillola spy or not, but didn't see how it mattered as the length of time they spent traveling together was more than enough reason to trust him.

'In that last month, Draco, Lilly and I were the only ones remaining.' At this recollection, Takara wondered where Lilly was exactly. She didn't have much time to mull it over as a rather angry Snake had caught up to her.

“FERRET!” Draco called, rapidly strutting up to her. Takara turned to him, an agitated look on her face. Her ears flattened against her hair.

“What is it Snake? I don't have time for you!” She said venomously as he made it within talking distance.

“As much as I loathe the thought of working with you again;” he stressed his loathing with his arms crossed and a disgusted look on his face.

“We don't have a choice in the matter. The director informed me we both have to be present to observe and report our findings.” Draco said with unsteady control. Takara stared at him, wondering if he was telling the truth.

Well, it's not like he has anything to gain from us working together... and that damned director is certainly capable of something as sadistic as this...' She sighed in exasperation, her hand now planted on the halt of her dagger. Draco noted the movement of her hand, gripping his blade in motion to her thinking.

“Fine. We'll leave now then if you're ready.” Takara turned her gaze to Draco's face, her dark brown eyes studying him intently. She only just noticed how tired Draco looked and that his dust covered clothes weren't the only thing in disrepair.

“I'm ready when you are Ferret,” Draco said solemnly.

'His eyes look so haggard and empty; he's been on the road a long time...'' Takara stared at Draco for a little longer than she intended to. Once she had realized this, she turned her head sharply to face the town square.

“Is your blade sharp?” She asked finally, crossing her arms.

“What?”

“Have you sharpened your blade Snake? The rest of you looks worse for wear so I'm wondering if you have taken care of your equipment.” Before Draco could reply, Takara's hands shot out and in two swift motions, she had unbuckled his sword belt. At first, Draco looked too surprised to respond.

“Hey! Give that back!”

Ignoring Draco's protests, Takara ran her hands over the sheath, feeling the minute nicks and pings in the metal. She unsheathed Draco's sword to examine the blade, smiling at what she found.

'Well, look at that. Not a single fault or scuff on the blade itself.' Takara turned to Draco, sheathing the sword and passing it back to him.

“Now how is it that your blade is the only thing on you that's being cared for?” Takara asked, an amused look on her face. Draco's brow furrowed.

“What's it to you? My blade's good and that's all I need.” He belted his sword to his waist once more, his eyes watching her warily. Takara shrugged it off; it was not her concern to began with.

“Well, let's go then. There's a province at the foot of the mountain we'll be crossing. We'll need to get there by nightfall.” Takara started up the main road, heading west. It took Draco a moment to realize what she said.

“Come on! We haven't got all day!” Takara called over her shoulder, flipping a strand of her fluffy brown hair out of her face. Draco hesitated then followed her up the road and away from town.

They walked in silence, and the farther Takara got away from civilization, the more she missed the slow, lazy days she spent relaxing at the bar. An hour or so passed without a word between the two of them and Takara longed for better company. Draco had done nothing but walk and sulk, staring off into the distance.

While they headed west toward the mountain, the temperature steadily dropped. Here and there, signs of a colder climate began to appear as the rich green grass was replaced by shorter darker sprouts. Lush evergreen shrubs became the most common sight on the side of the dirt road they were traveling.

Takara sighed heavily for the tenth time, earning a glare from Draco.

“Bored Ferret? Or are you getting tired from all the hard work?” Takara scoffed at the comment, her ears tilting toward him.

“Tired? Not so much. I could go for days at this pace without stopping,” she bragged.

I'm bored because you're not much in the way of conversation, even when you are talking.” Takara snickered, giving Draco a violent shove into a nearby bush.

“Though I'm sure if I wasn’t wasting my energy on tolerating you, I'd be far more energetic,” she informed him, adding a little skip to her step as she left him behind to pick leaves out of his hair. Draco growled loudly behind her.

“Wait up dammit!” Draco hurried to catch up with Takara, muttering under his breath.

'Working with Takara is by far the worst thing that could happen...' he thought to himself, glaring daggers into her back. The dark shorts and belted shirt she was wearing left little to the imagination and he was momentarily distracted by her figure, noting how she had developed a lightly defined layer of muscle over her thin frame.

He watched her long, sun-bleached, sandy hair sweep back and forth, the leather thong she had used to secure it at the nape of her neck struggling to keep it's hold on her messy mane. Her tail was swaying back and forth with each step, held high just like it's prideful owner.

Draco shook his head to clear it, trying to focus on his main objective which had nothing to do with their current intelligence gathering mission. Lilly, his long time companion and honorary sister had been missing for almost a year.

'If I hope to have any chance on finding Lilly, I'll have to work with that thief Takara... if anyone knows this area, it's her...' Despite this very real fact, it still left Draco with a bitter taste in his mouth to have a rival such as Takara help him in recovering his sister. He chose not to inform Takara at all of the reason he became a bounty hunter for the Halion army for his pride's sake.

'Surely she would humiliate me for not protecting Lilly... especially if Lilly is hurt... or worse...' Draco's teeth clinched in aggravation at the thought and he sped up his pace to match Takara's, the former assault on his person adding fuel to the fire that was his temper.

“That was uncalled for Ferret!” Draco snapped. Takara turned and looked him up and down, the corner of her mouth twitching in amusement.

“You know, you're kind of cute when you're angry,” Takara announced, causing Draco to stop dead in his tracks. Takara took a few steps past him before stopping and looking back.

“What did you say?” Draco asked carefully, making sure he confirmed exactly what she said.

“You heard me, I said you're kind of cute when you're angry,” Takara replied, getting too close to his face for comfort. Draco stared at her awestruck, his face tinged pink.

“Why would you say that?” He wondered out loud. Takara held his gaze for a minute before ducking her head and continuing up the road.

“Because it's true,” she answered simply, though she wondered herself what spurred her to say such a direct thing, and to Draco of all people.

Time passed with them lapsing into silence once more; the sun had set behind the edge of the mountain just as they crested the hill at the edge of the province.

“Finally...” Takara grumbled, a small shiver going through her. The air had developed a sharper bite as the sun had gone down, and the wind carried the scent of pine trees and storms.

“Let's find the inn and get a room and hot meal; we'll need to get up early to buy supplies,” Takara informed Draco. He nodded wordlessly in response, mind still occupied with unpleasant thoughts. Takara frowned.

“Come on! Get the lead out already! You can mope about once we're in our own rooms.” She slapped him on the back and trudged up the last bit of road into the town square.

“Yeah yeah...” Draco followed her inside the inn, hands shoved in his pockets in an attempt to ward away the cold. Takara was already up at the counter, and while Draco was used to her having an angry look on her face while she was around him, this look wasn't directed at him. Takara spied him out of the corner of her eye.

“Hey Snake!” She called, turning to talk to him.

“We've got a minor problem. Do you have any coin on you?” Draco looked taken aback. He shook his head slowly, jaw set in aggravation.

“No I don't, why? Do we not have enough?” Takara gave him a grim look, her ears dropping slightly.

“We have enough for food and supplies, but we'll have to share a room...” Draco groaned loudly, throwing his hands up.

“Well, one room it is than... we don't really have a choice...” Takara muttered something under her breath that Draco didn't catch, though he was pretty sure it was about him and even more sure it wasn't anything polite. Takara paid the innkeeper and headed into the mead hall on the opposite end of the inn.

“Come on, dinner first Snake,” she huffed, grabbing Draco's arm as she went. Draco stumbled at her motion but caught himself before he fell on her. He yanked his arm out of her grip and followed her to an empty table.

A young barmaid brought out their food, making a point to chat up Draco before skipping off giggling. Takara rolled her eyes at the whole display, her ears drawn back, though Draco hardly seemed receptive to the barmaid's attention. They ate their meal in the same heavy silence they traveled in, exchanging hateful glares.

“Man, I'm tired...” Draco sighed, dragging his feet up the stairs to their room. Takara looked behind her at him and smiled mischievously, her mood improved after filling her stomach.

“Aww, I could carry you up the stairs if you're too tired to make it,” She offered, earning a small dry laugh from Draco.

“No, I'm perfectly capable of carrying myself,” He informed her jokingly. From her view at the top of the stairs, Takara cocked her head to the side at him.

“I didn't know you were that talented...” she snickered.

“Ha ha, very funny...” Draco said sarcastically, stepping around her to open the door to their room.

“I get the bed.” Takara stated once they saw the size of the room and the lack of a fireplace. The room was narrow enough for them to stand hands against the wall, end to end with their arms outstretched and still be able to touch hands with each other. Not that they would want to of course.

The floor paneling was unevenly spaced, allowing small drafts in and the window was cracked open a few inches. The bed itself looked like the only warm place in the entire room.

“Fine,” Draco consented, digging in the small closet on the inside wall. He pulled out an armful of blankets, tossing the majority of them onto the bed; keeping one for himself. Takara, who had busied herself with untying her ponytail, looked surprised at the lack of argument but wasn't complaining.

“Good night then,” Draco said, setting his blade beside him before wrapping up in his blanket. Takara slid out of her boots and crawled into the bed, pulling the blankets up over her. She was quiet for a moment then spoke.

“Are you sure you'll be okay without more blankets?” Her voice sounded funny to her, considering she was talking to someone she absolutely hated. Any concern she had for Draco was not natural to her. Draco rolled over slightly to look at her.

“I'll be fine. I've slept in worse conditions.” For some reason, Takara found this rather humorous and laughed.

“Well, if you do get cold you can always join me,” she teased. Draco let out a snort in response but said nothing farther. The pair of them lay there listening to the wind blow outside before Takara drifted off. Draco was not so lucky; he lay there, mind racing with thoughts and anxiety.

To the right of him, Takara moaned in her sleep, sounding distressed. Draco tried to ignore it but when he found he couldn't, sat up to examine her. With her facial features softened and her long, fluffy brown hair splayed around her head like a halo, he had to admit she was far more inviting now than when she was awake.

'She's not so bad when she's sleeping... kind of... cute really...' The idea took Draco by surprise and he tried to push the thought away, denying he ever thought it in the first place. Takara sighed, muttering disconnected syllables to a conversation only she could hear.

'Ridiculous... what's wrong with me?' Draco sighed, taking a seat on the bed. He struggled internally to not look at his sleeping companion again but lost in the end. His hand absentmindedly stroked the curve of Takara's tan, wind-chapped cheek, noting how warm her skin was compared to his.

What happened next, Draco would in the future try to justify as a combination of emotional exhaustion and sleep deprivation; he leaned down slowly, pressing his lips to her cheek.

Quickly realizing his mistake, Draco stood, silently fretting over his actions.

'What did I just do?! This is the Ferret for divine's sake! What is wrong with me?' Draco lay on the floor, wrapped himself in the blanket, feeling incredibly relieved Takara hadn't stirred from his actions. He struggled to fall asleep but never got the chance as Takara shifted over and fell off the bed.

“Ooof!” Draco exclaimed as Takara landed on top of him, knocking the wind out of his lungs. She sighed, but didn't wake and Draco felt this was the beginning of a long night.

He struggled to get out from under her and eventually succeeded. He looked down at her on the floor and after a moment's hesitation, bent down to lift her back onto the bed. Draco placed Takara carefully so as not to wake her and covered her with the discarded blankets.

'Ridiculous...' he thought for a second time. The word seemed to fit his situation better than any other. Draco moved to lay back down on the floor, face flushed in embarrassment, when Takara's voice stopped him.

“...co... unn...”

Against his better judgment, Draco rose to the bed, taking his seat once more. Takara rolled away from him muttering something that sounded familiar. Curious, Draco leaned closer to hear.

'What is she saying?'

As suddenly as she had fell off the bed onto him, Takara rolled back over, pinning Draco's hips to the bed with her leg. Her arm slid around him, pulling him flat against the thin mattress.

“...nn... Draco...” Takara mumbled contently. Draco's face turned a brilliant red as he struggled to get out of Takara's iron grip.

'Are you serious right now?' he thought, looking down at what he thought was a sworn enemy.

'She said... my name...' Draco mulled over this thought, disturbed to find he was less upset over this than he should be. He knew if he tried to get up it would probably wake Takara. He also knew he was far more comfortable on the bed than he was on the floor.

Giving in to the fact that he was stuck in his current predicament, Draco pulled what blankets he could reach over himself and coincidentally, Takara. After some consideration, he eased his right arm around Takara so it wasn't pressed up against his side.

'Why... why my name?' After some time passed, Draco's mind calmed and he drifted off to a long needed peaceful sleep.

Thank you for reading; if you’d like to read more of my original writing, you can find the masterpost here. [X]

[pissbaby-lover]

My Reflection [Takara and Akira Oneshot]

Title: My Reflection Pairing: Takara Kari x Akira Eri Words: 2036 Warnings/Rating: K, alcohol

A few days had passed since they went into hiding and Akira and Takara lay on the floor in the tiny living room of the safe house, staring at the ceiling above them.

They had both been just talking and drinking for quite some time now, as they were bored and there was nowhere they could go outside the safe house without the possibility of attracting trouble.

“Ugh... this is so boooring...” Takara groaned, stretching her arms above her and clumsily knocking over several of the empty bottles of rum.

She cursed, brushing the empties aside and reached for a full bottle, her tail twitching in concentration. Grasping the bottle in her fist, she glanced over at Akira where he lay a few feet away from her. He was currently attempting to take a drink while still laying down and not having much success.

“How you doin' over there, handsome?” Akira's head lolled to the side to face her, his hand setting the glass down before he spilled it. A mild look of amusement graced his features.

“Psh... better now that you've found the liquor,” he smirked. Takara let out a loud snort, the sound funnier than normal to her for some reason. She giggled a bit, flipping over to her stomach and eying the vampire.

“Well I'm glad you decided to drink with me after all, seeing as James isn't here to make your fancy drinks.” Akira rolled his eyes but said nothing, tapping his finger idly on the edge of his glass.

When Akira ignored her last comment, Takara turned her attention to the bottle of rum, popping the seal with her claw and tossing the cork aside. She took a deep drink, licking up a few drops that tried to slip down her chin.

Fire went down her throat and she looked at the bottle; this stuff was a lot stronger than what they'd been drinking. Only other place that had liquor like this was Akira's pub; well, while it was still standing that is. She frowned at the thought, her ears flattening back against her hair.

Takara was thankful they had found a safe place for James to say while he recovered from his injuries. She had a nasty feeling that her brother would be more than happy to use him as a bargaining chip.

And he used to be so kind.

She hissed in disgust, her gaze returning to Akira, remembering she had some news to tell him.

“If all goes well, we won't have to be here much longer, but I've still got a few people to talk to first.” She grinned at him, her tail lazily waving back and forth.

“They've yet to discover where we are and I want to make sure we can cover our tracks.” Akira let out a heavy sigh, he wasn't too found of being hunted like this... not that it was really anything new for him.

“Good, cause I am quite sick of being here...” Takara tilted her head to the side, her eyes glinting with a hint of mischief as Akira shifted to his side to take a drink from his glass.

“Aww... but you've got me here with you...” she pouted playfully, caressing his cheek with the tip of her tail. The sudden contact was unexpected and Akira about choked. He swatted her tail away weakly, doubled over in a coughing fit.

Takara collapsed in laughter, wrapping her tail around her to keep Akira from grabbing it. She scooted closer to him on her stomach and pat his back, still snickering.

“Da... damn your bloody tail...” he managed once he could finally speak. Akira glared at the Animus, his eyes watering and face flushed. Takara brought her fist to her mouth to muffle her laughter.

“Hehe... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to take your breath away like that.” She teased, winking at him. Akira huffed lightly in aggravation and laid back on his back, setting his glass in between them. Takara noted that it was almost empty. She glanced at her bottle then at Akira.

“Refill?” Akira waved one hand dismissively, he didn't really care at this point and was already a little past tipsy. Takara poured the drink for him, not even waiting for his answer.

“Why not? I've already made the poor choice of coming with you here.” He smirked at her again and Takara looked surprised, if only for a moment.

“Maybe so, but you're also enjoying yourself. For once.” She poked his nose with her index finger. He cast a sideways glance at her as Takara went on, the excitement growing in her voice.

“We've got enough rum to last us for weeks. Let's get smashed!” Akira considered this notion, her enthusiasm was very catching and it wasn't as if there was anything else to do.

“Alright. To hell with it, let's drink.” Takara grinned, hopping up to fetch a few more bottles. After a numerous amount of empty bottles and glasses of rum, Akira was feeling good. Loose.

Looser than he had been in ages.

Takara was laying with all her limbs outstretched, her long, cream colored hair splayed out like a ray of light coming off her head. Her eyes were tracing the gaps in the rafters as she had been doing for the past couple hours.

A strange thought popped into Akira's head and his lips parted to speak, words dropping out in a lazy slur.

“You...” Takara's ear twitched at the sound of his voice and she tilted her head toward him.

“You're very pretty... you know that?” Akira blurted out suddenly, a faint blush tinting his cheeks. Takara giggled in response.

“Oh? I don't really look in the mirror much...” she chuckled lightly, rolling onto her side to get a better look at him, propping her head on her arm. Her fingers wandered to the bottle beside her, clutching it like it was a security blanket.

“I already knew I looked good... though... I don't really remember what I look like. It's been so long since I've looked in a mirror...” Takara looked a bit melancholy at the thought. Akira raised a brow at her, scoffing.

“Yeah... well... I've never known what I look like; I was born a vampire so seeing my reflection was never a possibility.” Akira rolled one shoulder, taking another drink from his glass.

He wasn't sure he even wanted to know what he looked like; his family had made sport of him, calling him all kinds of horrendous things... and while Akira couldn't look in a mirror, he felt that if he did, all he'd see is a monster.

Though... oddly enough, some of the things Takara had said about him over the course of this misadventure made him wonder if what they had said was wrong. He had a strange trust with her that he hadn't felt with anyone besides James, though he'd never admit such a thing aloud.

Takara looked at him in surprise before realizing what he was referring to. Her gaze dropped to her bottle in shame; while her statement was made in good humor, she didn't consider Akira's position when she said it. A strange thought crossed her mind and she decided to try it.

“You... you know... I could tell you how you look...” she said, pushing herself up to sit, her hair draping down her back like a curtain. Akira quirked an eyebrow in confusion.

“I could describe your facial features to you so you'd know what you look like and you do the same for me.” She grasped at his arm, tugging slightly.

“Come on...” She pleaded, her voice childish and pathetic.

“We don't have anything else to do... I'll start!” She took hold of his chin and turned his head toward her. Akira was too drunk to stop her and had grown used to her grabbing at him so he just stared blankly at her, waiting for her to speak.

“Your skin is like sculpted marble...” She traced along his jawline with her hand. Akira gave her a bewildered look from where he lay; what a weird complement. Takara kept pawing at his face and he realized she wouldn't stop until he agreed to go along with her little game. He pushed away her hand, defeated.

“Alright, fine...” he groaned, sitting up with some minor difficulty. Akira studied her face for a moment, trying to think of what to describe first.

“Your nose is the most noble nose I've ever seen...” Takara gave him a mock bow and a cheeky grin, her ears perking up; now that he was willing to play along, she turned her focus to him completely.

“Well you...” Takara wiggled an accusing finger at Akira, swaying a bit.

“Have the most perfect eyebrows I've ever seen...” She reached out and lifted Akira's bangs out of the way with one hand, running her index finger across his brow. Akira ducked his head slightly to shake free of her hands, looking flustered. She had a really bad habit of getting too close to his face, though it helped him notice the next thing to describe.

“Wow... your eyes...” he unconsciously reached out and tilted her chin up so he could see them better in the light, turning her head from one side to the other. Takara gaped at Akira; surprise did not cover her emotions from his actions. Akira was a little too out of it to notice, instead continuing his description with flourish, his hand dropping back to his glass.

“They're like... brandy... intoxicating...” Akira breathed, bringing his glass up to his lips for a drink. Takara giggled into her bottle of rum, draining the bottle and tossing it aside with the other empties.

“Your eyes... they're like the sun on a bright summer day... er... not that you'd exactly know what that looks like...” Takara wobbled slightly, struggling to find the right words.

“They're like... honey...” she decided.

“The perfect shade of gold...” She stared at him with a dreamy expression. His gaze on Takara, Akira felt that familiar lurch in the pit of his stomach. And he smiled.

Not a smirk, but a honest smile. Takara saw, her expression was one of pure joy. This time, Akira noticed. The smile dropped from his face when he saw the look Takara sent him.

The vampire blinked, wide eyed; he suddenly felt very self conscious and the liquor wasn't enough to hide it. Feeling as if her eyes were looking right through him, one hand came up and shielded his face from view, though the redness was visible around his fingers. He made a motion to stand but Takara stopped him.

“No, no, no...” she protested, tripping over herself as she scooted closer to him. Takara grabbed his arm to prevent him from escaping.

“But... your smile... that's my favorite...” Takara said, gently pulling Akira's hand away from his face. His eyes were wide and face flushed a brilliant shade of red. Takara went on, trying to convince him she was telling the truth.

“Cause while your eyes tend to try to hide things... your smile just lights up your face and takes away the darkness.” Her voice was earnest and Akira realized that she meant it.

“It's like... a rare gift to see... or something...” she hoped that her statement made sense, she was a little too drunk to explain properly and the room was starting to spin again.

“That, and... I like it when you're happy...” she added as she lay back down on the floor, curling up in a little ball on her side with her tail draped over her hip. She felt exhausted. Akira stared at her for a moment, thinking, his expression softening.

He was having a hard time focusing on anything as his head was swimming... and yet... her words had struck something deep within him that he wasn't sure what to do with.

Takara's hand was still loosely holding his wrist and he made no attempt to move it, deciding instead to lay on the floor beside her to try to sleep off his intoxication. His eyes fluttered closed and his breathing slowed as he relaxed.

Akira opened his mouth unexpectedly, his voice thick and drowsy, muttering a few words before sleep took him, the sound rousing Takara enough to respond.

“Hey T-taka...”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you.”

Thank you for reading; if you’d like to read more of my original writing, you can find the masterpost here. [X]

[pissbaby-lover]

Cold Snap: College AU Part 3 [Takara and Akira Short Story]

Title: Cold Snap Pairing: Takara Kari x Akira Eri Words: 4723 Warnings/Rating: K

Continued off of this. [1] [2] ~A few weeks have passed and Akira finally decides to make his move.

After their mildly successful mock date, Akira had taken Takara's words to heart and was set on asking her out on an actual date... although it took him a few weeks to finally work up the nerve to ask her.

Takara was laying on her bed reading, though the going was slow as her roommate was more demanding of her attention despite the fact he'd yet to speak to her at all today. She watched him squirm over the edge of her book, fighting to keep from expressing her amusement.

Akira stood in front of her bed, fidgeting excessively with the lining of his pockets, tripping over his words as his heart beat a mile a minute.

“Err... umm... so I was thinking... you know- well, I guess you don't... about... maybe... that second date?” Akira swallowed hard, his eyes darting over to the ferret cage where their two ferrets Luci and Natsu were lounging, taking a moment to mentally scold them for their lazy behavior... though it was more to distract himself from his own discomfort.

Slothful things...

Takara's voice startled Akira out of his thoughts and back to his present task.

“Of course, what day were you thinking?”

“Umm... S-Saturday...” A sudden thought came to him and with it a wave of panic. Akira waved his hand quickly as if taking back his statement but it was more of a fear that she would simply dismiss him for picking the day without asking her first.

“If that's okay with you! If you've got no other plans... that is...” Takara blinked once in surprise, casting a glance at her calendar before returning her gaze to Akira. A slow grin crept across her face and she let out a small chuckle. She was sure it was unintentional... but still...

He really was just too much.

“Saturday is perfect.” Akira breathed a sigh of relief.

“O-okay good...” He stood there silently for a minute or two, awkwardly tapping his hand on his leg before he left Takara to her book, ducking out of the dorm room and avoiding all eye contact with the other students while he made his way to the cafeteria.

He spied James at the far end of the cafeteria, thankful that his friend got the message about meeting him here; he needed advice -as always- about what to do next.

James greeted him with a smirk, the expression making Akira instantly regret calling him, but he went over and sat beside his friend anyways, bracing himself for the ribbing that was sure to follow.

“Hey Akira, looking like a nervous wreck as always.”

“Shut up James... I'm not in the mood...”

“When are you ever?” Akira gave him dirty look.

“...that's not the point...” James propped his head up on the table, his other hand tapping his leg.

“What? Did Takara turn you down?” James knew full well that wasn't the case, he just wanted to get a rise out of Akira. A small grin spread across his face as he asked his next question before Akira could reply to his last one.

“Or did you chicken out again?”

“I did not chicken out again! I asked her and she said yes!” Akira huffed, his voice dropping again as there were already a few students staring.

“We're going out this Saturday...” James looked momentarily startled; he really picked Saturday? James stowed that thought away for the time being and went back to interrogating Akira.

“Well then why are you so mopey and jittery?”

“I... I don't know what to do on the date...” James stared at Akira as if he'd grown a second head.

“Are you serious right now? Wasn't that the whole point of your first date together?” Akira sighed in exasperation.

“Yes... but we obviously can't go to the fair again, now can we? Not only is it closed, but I rather her not think I can't plan a date myself.” James sent him a smug look.

“Well obviously you can't since you're coming to me.”

“Shut up...” Akira grumbled.

“I'll figure something out... maybe just take her to dinner or the movies...” James shook his head.

“Dinner for sure, but you'll need to be a little more creative than that. Try to think about the things she likes, then incorporate them into the date.” Akira bit at his lip, thinking.

Something she would like?

He had known Takara for a while, so there must be something she'd be both interested in and would make an excellent date. While he sat there racking his brain for ideas, James watched in amusement, a small grin spreading across his face.

“So... Saturday huh?” he said nonchalantly. Akira looked up to him suspiciously.

“Err... yes? What, is that a bad day or something? Is is going to storm?” James shook his head again.

“Not that I know of, I was just confirming.” He pulled out his phone to check the time then stood, grabbing his bag.

“I've go to get to class now; good luck buddy! I'm sure you'll do just fine. She fancies you, you know?” He chuckled and sent Akira a wave, disappearing into the horde of students and leaving Akira alone with his thoughts.

Something Takara would like...

He let out a shaky breath to calm himself, the outline of the date slowly coming together in his mind. Maybe James was right; he could do this...

Now he just had to make it till Saturday.

“So are you wanting to go for a spin on the horse tornado? Or do you have other plans?” Takara teased, lightly bumping his shoulder with her own. Akira shot her a dirty look, then cleared his throat  and recomposed himself.

“It's a surprise,” he informed her, smirking slightly. It was early afternoon and they were headed up into town to began their night out.

He had already surprised her earlier that day with a bouquet of roses, though as it seemed every store in town was out of stock of red roses, he had gone for lavender instead of the more abundant yellow, as yellow roses on a second date was more of an insult than a gift.

Takara was thrilled with them either way and had immediately gone out to get a vase for them to set on her nightstand, explaining she wanted them to last as long as possible.

She was currently walking beside him with a spring in her step, her head tilting in interest at his response.

“Oh, alright then. Surprise me.” Takara gave Akira a genuine smile this time in trade of her usual grin and his face flushed pink, that unsettling feeling returning in his chest. Despite that, he still managed to hold one gloved hand out to her, which she took without hesitation.

Akira lead her up to the strip mall, looking down to Takara to speak to her, a sly expression on his face that caught Takara momentarily off guard.

“I thought we could spend some time window shopping before dinner as we left a little early. Where would you like to go first?” he asked.

Akira had planned this from the get go, intending on taking her out shopping -and buying an outfit or two for her- then it was on to dinner at a nice restaurant, and finally they would finish the night out at a local club, knowing Takara had a love for dancing.

Simple and suited his needs for something that both of them would enjoy, though he obviously put her interests before his own.

Takara hummed quietly, her eyes scanning over the various shops along the boardwalk.

“How about there?” She pointed to a moderately priced store full of nice casual wear. Akira noted the display of sweaters and long sleeve shirts at the front and chuckled, replying to her choice with a mild dose of snark.

“Oh, excellent. Maybe I can interest you in some new sweaters so you can stop taking mine?” he teased, earning a laugh from his companion.

“Hmmm... maybe... I do need some new sweaters, but I won't promise to stop taking yours.” She poked him on the cheek as they walked to the store, Akira letting go of her hand so he could hold the door open for her.

“Well it was worth a try at least,” he sighed, though there was still a smile on his face as he watched Takara traverse the store, happily picking through the sweaters and fondling them in an attempt to find the softest material.

They spent a good hour or so shopping, Akira kept choosing clothes for Takara to try on and most everything she picked up he ended up buying for her. Luckily for him, he was smart enough to set extra money aside for dinner as well as any emergencies.

Leaving the store in high spirits and with a few shopping bags, Akira lead Takara toward the restaurant he had planned on taking her to eat...

But soon they ran into a problem...

“Why is every restaurant we pass so damned full of people?” He grumbled, tugging at his scarf before taking her hand again. While normally the upper end restaurants were without excessive crowds, given this was a collage town, today was different.

He was now wishing he had made reservations as it seemed every place they passed was filled to the brim and had over an hour wait.

Takara gave Akira a strange look at his grumblings, realizing he really had no idea what today was.

“Because it's Valentine's Day.”

“Well I for one–” Akira paused and looked at Takara, his mouth still hanging open. A deep shade of red bloomed on his cheeks as he dropped his hand back to his side, looking away from her sheepishly.

He had completely forgotten.

“Oh... well fuck...” Akira muttered aloud. That explained why James made such a big deal about today... as well as a slew of other things he had failed to notice up until now.

But then again, Takara had said something about today as well...

Akira only needed to think about it for a moment before his brain happily reminded him what Takara had said earlier that week.

-Saturday is perfect.-

And she knew what today was...

The thought made Akira turn red and left him fumbling on what to do next as this wasn't really part of the plan.

Takara watched him, tempted as always to inquire what was wrong...

Not that she didn't already know.

“Are you alright?”

“J-just fine...” Akira said, his voice cracking. The implication behind this specific day only added more pressure to the desire to please her, and worsened the turmoil in the pit of his stomach. He swallowed and looked at her out of the corner of his eye as she spoke again.

“Don't worry about it so much, Akira.” Takara let out a tiny sigh, though that small sound carried more weight than he'd even heard in Isamu's angry rants.

“It's never really been that big of a deal for me.” She realized after she said it, that her words sounded a bit too dismissive and might discourage Akira, adding to her statement to farther explain and to put his mind at ease.

“As much as I can appreciate the sentiment, it's usually just another day for me, so you needn't be worried about the holiday. I'm just happy to be spending time with you.” Takara smiled encouragingly at him before tugging on his arm to redirect him to a tiny coffee shop on the other side of the street.

“Let's eat here. It's not too crowded and the food's delicious.”

“Ah... al-alright,” he said in a slightly defeated tone.

Here he was hoping to take her out to a nice high-end restaurant, but with all the places they had checked so far completely booked, there was few other options.

He guessed it was better than going back to the dorm and eating food from the cafeteria...

Musing over this as they headed to the coffee shop, he grimaced in disgust, snapping out of his thoughts long enough to hold the door open for Takara before trailing in behind her and up to the counter. Akira stole a glance from Takara, who was too preoccupied with the menu to notice.

The festive red and white hearts peppered around the border made Akira remember what she had said outside about Valentine’s Day.

Never been a big deal huh...

He decided that even if Takara never viewed this day as anything important, he was going to make today memorable -which was his intention in the first place, holiday or not. Her previous statement about being happy with his company alone gave him and extra dose of determination.

After placing their order they took a seat in a corner table at the far end of the cafe so they could have some privacy.

With the soft mellow music and dim lighting, it almost appeared that they were in one of those fancy restaurants up the street.

Might as well make the most of it.

Akira looked over in a not so subtle method, siding his hand over to take Takara's, his fingers gently wrapping around hers. Takara looked over at him in surprise but he was busy avoiding eye contact with her, intensely watching the barista preparing another order.

She smiled softly, knowing full well that any acknowledgment of Akira's actions would only send him retreating into himself. Her head turning to the same barista, she closed her fingers around his, looking content.

Akira's eyes darted down to their clasped hands then briefly to Takara's face and he seemed to visibly relax, the corners of his mouth turning up into a small smile.

They waited in a comfortable silence that was only broken once their food had arrived. Akira looked at their hands again and chuckled awkwardly, squeezing Takara's hand gently before retracting his own.

“I'll take this back for now,” he said, picking up his fork.

“Only if you promise to return it to me later,” she replied with a mischievous grin, her hand taking her spoon. Akira blushed a bit at her words, but as he was feeling a little more comfortable, sent her a charming smile before moving to eat.

“It's a deal.”

They ate their meal together, chatting endlessly about school and playfully teasing one another. Both were so wrapped up in each others company that neither of them noticed how late it was getting, even as the little cafe began to empty.

This wasn't so bad, Akira decided, watching Takara laugh at a witty comment he had just made. Though this wasn't his first choice in location, his date was enjoying herself well enough.

He looked over to the clock on the far wall and his eyes widened.

“Well, um... if you're ready, I've got one more surprise in store for you,” he said, standing and offering Takara his hand once more, the other grabbing the shopping bags beside their table. Takara hummed quietly and took his hand, getting to her feet.

“I am ready, lead the way.” She dipped her head to him, and Akira nodded back to her in return, leading her to the exit. When he opened the door for her, a sharp gust of wind blew in, the cold cutting through them both.

“Whoa...” Takara muttered, squinting into the wind as she took in the drastic changes that had taken place outside while they were eating.

The time was not the only thing that had slipped past them both, as there was a small blizzard outside that was steadily increasing in intensity. The pavement was already covered and there were small drifts forming alongside the walls of the cafe.

Takara glanced up at Akira, pulling her hood up to cover her head, an amused grin spreading across her face.

“Was this the surprise you had planned?” She asked.

“No... and I thought James said it wasn't supposed to storm...” Akira couldn't help but whine, looking around with a horrified expression. With no end in sight, the storm was far too bad for them to continue on to the dance club safely.

“Maybe we'd be better off heading back to campus...” Takara called over the howling wind, confirming Akira's fears.

“Alright... let's head back...” His quiet words were lost in the storm, but Takara read his face well enough to know what he said. She took his hand again and lead the way back to the collage, not that he really noticed as he was too busy wallowing in self piety.

Some date...

They trudged through the rapidly piling snow, stumbling here and there over hidden obstacles before they finally had reached the dorms, Akira finding himself long enough to hold the door open for Takara once more, though his expression was still grim.

They had walked outside without speaking to each other as the wind was far too loud for them to talk without shouting, but once away from the excess noise, Akira felt it was necessary to apologize.

“Ugh... today has been a disaster...” he muttered, looking down to Takara out of the corner of his eye. Her brows were knit in agitation at his words and it made him feel all the more worse at the way today had gone.

“I-I'm sorry... I really wanted... things to go according to plan...” he spoke, his heart sinking into his stomach at her dissatisfied expression and he turned his head away as he couldn't bare to look at it any longer.

“Akira...” She released his hand, which left a painful twinge in his chest, just adding to his list of disappointments until she placed her hand on his cheek, making him start.

They had stopped walking at this point and Akira hesitantly looked down at her, waiting for her to speak again.

“I know you probably had this extraordinary plan for today's date, and while it is unfortunate that I didn't get to experience that with you...” she trailed off for a moment as Akira had tried to turn his head from her again, but she stopped it, her hand moving to his chin and using a bit more force than before to make him look at her.

Her eyes stared intently into his and Akira could feel the heat rising to his cheeks again. Takara smiled suddenly, continuing on now that his attention was back on her.

“I still enjoyed myself. Like I said earlier tonight, I'm just happy to spend time with you. That means more to me than anything we could be doing together... alright?” She spoke earnestly, and despite how upsetting it was that his planning was wasted...

Maybe this was the better outcome.

“You... you're serious, right?” He asked, still feeling a tad unsure. Takara chuckled, her hand moving to pat him gently on the cheek before she withdrew it.

“I am.” She sent him a dazzling smile, which was by far the most reassuring thing that she had done thus far. He couldn't help but smile in return, breathing a quiet sigh of relief, grateful she was so willing to convince him that she had enjoyed herself.

“Good... I'm glad...”

“I don't know why you're so worried about winning me over or impressing me; you've already won me over. That's why I'm here with you now.” Takara leaned over and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before heading up the hall.

He stared at her, flustered, until a few snarky words and an idea popped into his head. A smug look appeared on Akira's face at the thought and he called to her on impulse, moving to catch up with her.

“Hey Taka;” She turned her head toward him, looking inquisitive.

“You missed.” He spoke simply. Takara raised a brow at the expression on his face.

“Missed w–” His lips met hers before she even finished speaking, hand sliding under her chin and tilting her head up.

The kiss, although brief was enough to stun Takara, and ended with her kissing back just as he moved away. She huffed quietly and then spoke, a sly edge sneaking into her voice.

“It's about time you did that...” she said, taking hold of his scarf and pulling him into another kiss before he could turn from her.

He stiffened momentarily, his face blooming into a brilliant shade of red, but relaxed into the kiss once he realized what was happening, one hand moving to cup her cheek.

After what seemed like forever, Takara broke the kiss, though she lingered close to him to say one last thing, her voice soft.

“I've been waiting.” Akira chuckled nervously in response, his hand traveling up to play with his bangs, his fingers combing through them in an anxious manner. His hand found hers again as they continued back to the comfort of their dorm.

“Well... was it worth the wait?”

Takara shook her head lightly.

Did he really need to ask that?

“Yes. Of course it was,” she informed him as they approached the door to their dorm. Takara smirked slightly and looked up to him, adding to her previous statement.

“But then again if you recall, I did say you only kiss me while your drunk and that I wanted that to change... or have you forgotten that already?” Takara quirked a brow at Akira as he unlocked the door. Akira merely cleared his throat, fumbling with the lock for a few seconds before managing to get the door open.

“I vaguely recall that conversation...” he muttered, swiftly stepping into their room to avoid her gaze, the blush returning to his face. Takara cackled and closed the door, relieving Akira of the shopping bags with her clothes in them and placing them onto her bed.

“Vaguely huh... I guess I'll need to keep reminding you.” She sent him a smirk as she got out of her coat, her words making his heart jump and sending a warm feeling throughout his body.

He looked at her as he removed his own coat, raising a brow in interest, willing himself to remain at ease long enough to enjoy this strange new feeling.

“Hmm... is that so? I don't think I would be opposed to this...” he replied slyly, watching the grin on Takara's face widen. She made a motion to step closer to him, but as was the theme of the day, she was interrupted halfway.

Just when the day was starting to get better, the lights in their room flickered once then sputtered out, enveloping them both in darkness.

Way to ruin the mood.

“You're kidding me right?” Akira muttered, flipping the light switch on and off again, but the light would not return. He heard Takara sigh as she pulled her phone out and used the screen to see, stumbling over to the window.

“Seems like the storm knocked the power out... look.” Akira could see a faint outline of Takara's face illuminated by her phone and made his way over to look out the window himself.

After Takara pocketed her phone again, the dark returned, stretching not only in their dorm, but throughout the courtyard and the buildings beyond.

Even the streetlights were out.

“Well... now what?” Takara asked. Akira was at a loss; even with Takara's support, the mishaps from today as well as... whatever that was that almost happened, had worn Akira out and he could barely think.

“Not sure... can't even read in this dark...” He heard Takara hum beside him, wincing at the light as she pulled her phone from her pocket again to see.

“Wanna watch movies on my laptop? I borrowed a few bad horror films from Isamu so we could make fun of them until we're too tired to watch any longer.”

Akira shrugged slightly, willing to just go with whatever she wanted as it was the easiest thing to do.

“Sounds good to me, there's not much else we can do without power.” Takara had a few ideas of what they could do, but was kind enough to keep them to herself for the time being. She really didn't think that Akira could handle anything else she suggested.

They settled in on Akira's bed, leaning against the wall and wrapped up in his blanket with the laptop sitting on Takara's knees.

Over the course of the first half hour, Akira had crept his arm behind Takara, slowly inching his way closer to her as she did the same. By the end of the first movie, they had their sides pressed together, his arm around her while she had laid her head on his shoulder.

They stayed like that for a few hours, watching movies and laughing until her laptop died.

“Well... that's the end of that...” Takara sighed, lifting her head from Akira's shoulder and closing the laptop. Though neither of them had class tomorrow, the power was still out and it was so late into the next morning that they were left with no other options besides sleep.

Takara made a motion to get up but did not get very far.

Akira leaned over and grabbed her wrist not unlike the night of their last date... save for the fact he was quite sober tonight, even if he didn't feel as such. He opened his mouth to speak but his mind went blank and he felt if he tried to talk, he'd only stutter.

“U-umm...” He struggled to express himself properly, but unfortunately for him, Akira could not find the right words to say what he wanted...

Not that it mattered as Takara had figured it out for him even without being able to see his face.

“Scoot over; it's chilly tonight, my bed's too far away and the blankets are cold,” she said, listing off excuses that Akira would otherwise have dismissed.

He silently slid over without argument, his cheeks slowly turning a bright shade of red, thankful it was too dark for Takara to see.

Though he was grateful she had figured out what he wanted, Takara's uncanny ability to read his mind made him incredibly uneasy at times.

Akira fixed the blanket so it was covering both of them when he realized that he only had one pillow. Once again, Takara found the solution before he had time to consider how to solve the problem.

She moved to lay her head on his shoulder as they had done earlier, the action making his pulse quicken, and yet he found himself less flustered than normal. He awkwardly wrapped his arm around her, letting out a breath of air.

“Thank you for sharing your bed with me,” Takara muttered quietly, making Akira start.

“I-It's not what you think... I just... don't want you to be cold...” He said, sounding defensive. Anyone else who heard him would almost be insulted by his words, but Takara knew Akira well enough and let out a quiet laugh, closing her eyes.

“How very chivalrous... I'm lucky to have you...” she teased, lifting her head up to give him a quick kiss on the lips, catching him off guard. He chuckled slightly, pleased, before whispering back to her.

“And I'm happy that I can say the same about you...” He smiled and pulled her closer, sighing in content. Her hand crept up into his hair and he let out another sigh, turning his head to look at her outline in the darkness, unaware that she was looking back at him.

Unbeknownst to whoever made the first move, it didn't take long for their lips to meet again, and this time they didn't part.

They had little trouble keeping each other warm despite the storm still raging on outside, falling asleep a short time later in each others arms.

Thank you for reading; if you’d like to read more of my original writing, you can find the masterpost here. [X]

[pissbaby-lover]

Mock Date: College AU Part 2 [Takara and Akira Short Story]

Title: Mock Date Pairing: Takara Kari x Akira Eri Words: 6424 Warnings/Rating: K, Drinking

A continuation of this. [X] Under the cut for length.

“Akira! Are you ready?” Akira looked at his own sulky expression in the mirror, grumbling out a reply as he brushed his hair.

“I guess...” He could hear Takara tapping her foot outside the door, and he knew she'd pick her way into the bathroom if he took any longer.

“You either are or you're not! Come on! I'd like to get to the fair this year if at all possible.” Akira grimaced at her words, setting the brush on the counter top with a bit more force than he intended, the brush making a sharp snapping sound against the cheap ceramic tile.

Takara and James had banded together along with all their other friends, -though at this point he'd use that term loosely- teaming up on Akira to try to get him ready for Valentine’s Day and dating season.

A prospect he was far from interested in.

Takara was the lucky volunteer who agreed at the coaxing of James to teach Akira the ropes of dating by going on a mock date with him and showing him how to talk to women.

She was probably one of the best choices for this as Arcene was far too shy and there was no way Greed would allow Isamu to go, though Akira had the feeling Takara was going to enjoy this a little too much for his taste.

“I can't believe I agreed to this...” he griped, unlocking the door to finish getting ready. His roommate was there on her bed, her arms crossed, eying him with her usual smirk.

“About time.” Akira responded with nothing but a huff. Takara watched him put on his coat and scarf before standing to leave, pausing at the door, her brow furrowed as she stared at him. She hummed lightly and walked over to Akira.

“Hang on...” Takara stood in front of him on her toes as she adjusted the folds in his scarf. Akira turned his head from her and leaned away slightly, embarrassed at how close she was.

You would think he'd be used to this by now.

Takara clapped her hands together, making him start.

“You're beautiful! Let's get going already.” She pushed him towards the door and he growled at her, using his height to his advantage to step out of the reach of her arms.

“Bloody hell, I'm going already!” He snapped, stomping into the hallway. Takara snickered, locking up the room. Then they were off to the winter fair on the boardwalk.

Cold air nipped at their cheeks as they exited the dorms and crunched their way across the frosted grass, the late January skies clear though there was reports of later days threatening to bring more snow.

Akira cast a glance over at Takara, who had pulled her hood up to keep warm.

It was bitterly cold, even for January but thankfully, Takara had started dressing appropriately for the cold weather and had put her shorts and tank tops up for the summer, switching to long sleeves, pants and sweaters.

Akira frowned.

His sweaters mostly.

He couldn't confirm how many she had as he still hadn't found where she hoarded them away, but whenever one of his sweaters went missing, Takara was his first suspect. He snorted in amusement, ignoring the look Takara gave him.

Just like a ferret.

Not unlike their two ferrets sitting back in the dorm, she had a bad habit of sticking her nose where it didn't belong, snatching things for her hidden collections...

That and Akira's not-so-secret fondness for her, though he'd refuse that fact with his last dying breath.

A cold breeze blew his bangs into his face as they entered the fairgrounds and Akira sighed to himself in exasperation, pulling one hand out of his pocket to run his fingers through his hair.

However, before he had the chance to stow his hand away in the warm safety of his pocket, Takara took hold of it, her fingers curling closed.

A jolt shot up his spine and Akira's face turned pink. His head tilted toward her, still too stunned to even snatch his hand away.

“W-what are you doing?”

“It's a date silly, -or it's supposed to be like one- so you need to act like it.” Takara scolded.

“You can't just silently brood the whole time, the girl will think you're a jerk.” Takara couldn't resist grinning at the last word. Akira puffed up, glaring at her. He opened his mouth to reply, but Takara slipped in one last statement before he could.

“Besides, my hand's cold.” Akira scoffed and rolled his eyes.

“That's what gloves are for... don't tell me; you left them on your desk in the dorm?” He smirked down at Takara, but she was unfazed.

“I did actually. That's alright, your hand is warmer than my gloves anyways.” Akira's eyes widened and he turned his head away from her to hide the red blooming on his face, feeling flustered at her words. He forced out a response, stumbling over his words.

“U-umm... that's... good then...” He really wasn't sure what to say to that. Takara snickered quietly and sensing his discomfort, took matters into her own hands and directed them to one of the booths.

“Come on! Let's get some cotton candy.” Akira composed himself once more, raising a brow at her suggestion.

“I'm not one for sweets,” He said tartly. Akira was sure Takara already knew that wasn't true as he had the sneaking suspicion it was she who dug into his stash of licorice last week, but right now he wasn't exactly in the mood for sweets... or sharing.

“You don't have to eat it, you can just accompany me.” Takara bounced over to the stand with Akira dragging along behind her as dead weight. She selected the largest roll she could find and was pleasantly surprised when Akira fished out his wallet to pay for it.

“It is a date after all...” he grumbled as he handed over his money, watching Takara eagerly accept the treat. She bowed her head at him in gratitude as they turned to leave.

“Thank you Akira.” she said in a sing-song voice, her fingers releasing his hand so she could eat the cotton candy. Akira waved her away, cramming his liberated hand back in his pocket. He sighed in relief.

“It's nothing, really.”

As the continued up the strip, Akira eyed the cotton candy.

For reasons unbeknownst to him, Akira reached over and plucked off a small wisp of the treat, popping it into his mouth and making Takara momentarily gape at him.

He let the sugar melt on his tongue, wondering what it was that spurred him to do such a thing.

Maybe after all this time together, it was his roommate's playful attitude wearing off on him. Maybe he just craved sweets a bit more than he thought he did.

Or maybe...

He just wanted to break the silence between them.

Takara stuck her tongue out at him, the middle of it turning blue from the dye.

“I thought you said you didn't want any.” Akira smirked slightly, reaching over for another helping.

“I changed my mind. And I did pay for it, so I can take what I please.” He pulled another piece of cotton candy off the stick, his eyes widening as he got a far bigger portion than he intended. Takara laughed at his expression, stealing part of Akira's piece.

“Got a little more than you expected huh?”

Akira bit back a chuckle, smiling slightly at her comment, which was more of an understatement considering he agreed to this ridiculous mock date idea of hers in the first place.

“Just a smidge.”

Takara had noticed the smile out of the corner of her eye, but Akira must have sensed her looking at him as his smile disappeared as quickly as it came. Takara was once again reminded of the flask of tequila James had given her.

She was told to use it if she needed Akira to loosen up a bit, and that he wouldn't need too much given tequila was his bane. Takara was ready to use the alcohol if it came to that, but she hoped that it wouldn't be necessary.

After finishing the cotton candy, Takara captured Akira's hand once more, grinning at his blush.

“Alright, let's go see the sights!” Akira trailed behind Takara, her grip on his hand like a leash and he the unwilling dog to be walked.

He was always letting her drag him around, he realized, though he didn't know why.

They traveled through the fair, skipping over the obvious swindlers running booths. Takara managed to with a small stuffed prize at one of the target shooting booths, but immediately gave it up to a small child who had won nothing.

They visited several different booths, and each time, Takara would release Akira's hand to play, or force him to join her, then she'd grab it once the game was over. At one point, reaching into Akira's pocket to take his hand in hers when he tried to hide it away.

Every time Takara reached for his hand, Akira became less and less inclined to try to slip it out of her grasp.

Even now, she was still holding onto his hand yet now he strangely didn't mind it, unaware that he'd been slowly closing his fingers around hers as they traveled on the main boardwalk.

Takara had noticed but wanted the opportunity to enjoy this fact for a little bit longer. She knew that the moment she mentioned anything about it to Akira he'd retreat from her and release her hand.

This was turning into a dangerous game for her and she was dancing a fine line between wanting to teach him what to expect on a date and wanting to be his date. The flask weighed heavily in her pocket and she considered using it but dismissed the notion.

Not yet.

They spent a few minutes in silence, looking around the fair for their next activity. Takara had several suggestions but wanted Akira to have the chance to come up with something.

Just then, Akira spoke what might have possibly been his best and worst idea ever.

“Why don't we go on the Ferris wheel?” Takara looked over at him, blinking in surprise. She was expecting him to sit and listen to her speak, maybe follow her around the park, not suggest anything himself.

“Are you sure you've never been on a date before?” Takara teased, tugging lightly at his arm. She gave him a dazzling smile that made Akira's heart skip a beat and his face turn red, realizing he'd have no choice but to go with her now.

Takara tugged at Akira's arm again to urge him to follow, choosing not to comment on his blush.

“Let's go then.” Akira finally found his voice again, managing to stutter out a single word.

“R-right...” Takara lead them to the end of the line, casting the odd glance at her companion. His uneasy expression lead her to believe that he wasn't as excited as she was.

And she was correct in her assumptions.

Looking at the size of the Ferris wheel up close did not help Akira's anxiety.

No matter what way you looked at it, Akira was not ready to get on that Ferris wheel. He may have been the one to suggest it, but that was more for show than anything else. He wanted to impress Takara... but he had the feeling he bit off a little more than he could chew.

There was something unsettling about not having your feet firmly planted to the ground... not to mention... the height. He shivered slightly at the thought, his gaze going to the front of the line which was rapidly closing in on them.

Akira swallowed hard, rubbing the back of his head nervously with his free hand. He hoped that Takara couldn't feel his fingers trembling... or that if she did, she would be polite about it and keep quiet.

As always, Takara was already fully aware of how uncomfortable Akira was, but she wasn't sure if it would be the wisest decision to call him out on it.

This was his idea in the first place.

As the minutes ticked by while they stood waiting, Takara frowned slightly, looking up to Akira. He looked rather pale and sweaty and given the temperature wasn't anything close to warm right now, she could no longer ignore it.

She spoke suddenly, making him start.

“Are you alright?”

“I'm fine.”

“Are you sure?” Akira did not answer her aloud, sending her a sharp look out of the corner of his eye as he tried to keep himself composed. Takara quirked her brow, returning his glare until he looked away.

Might as well go for it.

“Are you afraid of heights?” She asked quietly. Akira snapped his head around, gritting his teeth.

“No, I most certainly am not!” He bristled. Takara's mouth drew back into a subtle smirk at his hostile tone but nodded her head in dismissal.

“Alright, if you say so.” They purchased their tickets, settling in one of the cabins toward the back. Akira concentrated on his breathing to calm himself down, but it didn't help much when they started moving, his breath leaking out in a quiet hiss as his free hand clung to the seat.

Damn these rides for not having proper seat belts. There was only a bar to hold them in, but he didn't want to look like a wimp in front of Takara and had sat down without so much as a peep.

Akira was so worked up he hadn't even noticed she was still holding his hand, though at this point the thought was far from his mind. He lamented that his pride didn't help him in this situation.

If anything, it made it worse.

The Ferris wheel lurched to a stop to let more passengers on and Akira stiffened like a board as their cabin creaked back and forth. His hand gripped Takara's painfully tight, causing her to cry out.

“Oww!” Akira turned to her sheepishly, relaxing his grip slightly as his eyes darted around their tiny cabin.

“Uh... s-sorry...” Takara looked concerned. She regretted teasing him, as it seemed he was far more afraid than she first thought.

Thank the heavens she hadn't slipped him any tequila yet.

“So you are afraid of heights...” Akira said nothing, biting his lip nervously and avoiding her gaze. Takara huffed lightly, exasperated by his constant walls.

“It's alright if you are... here, close your eyes.” Akira opened his mouth to argue but Takara placed her finger against his lips, successfully stunning him to silence. He stared at her wide eyed, listening to her speak.

“Trust me; close your eyes and I'll tell you when to open them again.” Akira grumbled to himself, forcing his panic down the best he could and did as Takara told him.

He felt his cheeks heat up in embarrassment as she laid her other hand on top of his, her fingers stroking the back of his hand in an attempt to soothe him. As they began moving again, Akira could feel his heart jump in his throat.

“Just a little longer. It'll be worth it, I promise,” Takara said, squeezing his hand reassuringly. Akira's heart jumped again and he was beginning to wonder if this date would be the death of him.

The wheel slowed to a stop with a loud grinding sound and Akira assumed they'd finally reached the top. He swallowed hard, trying not to think of how far away the ground was as his fingers twisted at the end of his scarf.

Takara slid closer to Akira, pressing her side up against his. He didn't mind much as it was bitter cold and the wind speed was much greater at the top of the wheel.

She pulled their clasped hands down to rest on their legs, lifting the other to position Akira's chin up slightly so the ground was out of his line of vision.

He was already a bundle of nerves and half expected her touching him this much would make him more uncomfortable... but that was not the case.

Takara took a deep breath and let it out slowly, hoping this would work.

“Okay, are you ready? Just open your eyes and look out.” Akira exhaled, letting his eyes slowly flutter open. He'd been squeezing them shut for so long that it took a few seconds for his sight to clear.

Akira's jaw dropped open in a rather undignified way as he took in the view.

They couldn't have picked a more perfect night to do this; the sky was clear and lit up with a spattering of stars, little white dappled lights as far as the eye could see, stretching beyond the horizon.

“What do you think?” Takara asked, pleased by his reaction. Akira was awestruck; nothing could prepare him for this.

“It's breathtaking...” He managed, stretching back to see farther above them. Akira was even less prepared for Takara though; his stomach did a flip as he looked over to her grinning face, noting the way the starlight shone in her eyes.

He turned red, pulling at his scarf slightly to cover his face and almost missing what she said.

“I know you're not exactly a happy camper right now, but the sights make it worth it, even with the cold.” Takara shivered and Akira was reminded why they were up here to begin with.

Using one hand, he unwrapped his scarf from his neck, sliding it off and passing it to Takara. He looked away from her in embarrassment as not even the cold air was a good enough excuse for how dark a shade of red his face had become.

“Here.” Takara blinked and stared at the scarf for a moment, moved by Akira's sudden act of kindness. She took the scarf and on a whim, wrapped one end around his neck and the other around hers. The scarf was long and they were sitting close enough for both of them to use it.

Akira flinched as he felt one end of the scarf hit his shoulder, giving her an inquisitive look.

“It's windy up here. So we can share for now,” Takara explained, smiling softly at him. Akira nodded stiffly, though his posture relaxed slightly as he felt Takara squeeze his hand. He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding as Takara spoke to him once more.

“Let's just enjoy the stars.” She leaned her head against his shoulder and Akira swallowed hard before he answered her, his stomach in knots.

“Yeah...”

Though he was far from fond of heights, it felt as if the unsettling feeling in his stomach was from something else entirely.

After the Ferris wheel, Akira was in a better mood, grateful to have his feet back on solid ground. Takara had covered most everything over their traversing of the fair, and given how they'd yet to eat, had decided they finally head to the restaurant, a small Italian cafe.

Though it was late in the evening and would prove useless with the date almost over, Takara still managed to place the flask of tequila on the table, stowing it under her napkin so it was out of sight.

She figured if anything, they could share a drink after dinner... or if he refused, she could meet up with one of the girls and put it to good use.

Takara stared over her menu at Akira who was debating intently on which kind of pasta sauce to have with his order. She called to him finally to get his attention.

“Hey Akira.” He looked up at her, a questioning look on his face.

“Thank you... for the night I mean...” Takara gave him a quick grin, her gaze flicking down to her napkin and the hidden flask, then back up again.

“This was the most fun I've had in a long time... and it's nice... even if the date was only for educational purposes; it was the closest I've gotten to an actual date in a long time.” Her words brought a warm feeling to Akira's cheeks and a lurch in his abdomen that he wasn't quite comfortable with.

But as that warmth faded, it left him feeling a little... empty.

This wasn't a real date after all, and even then; this was Takara... his overly promiscuous roommate who had more ways to get under his skin then a surgeon.

So why should it matter?

Akira was drawn back out of his musings by Takara's voice as she continued her role as overbearing teacher, tapping the edge of her menu on the table.

“But anyways, this is the last lesson of the night; the closing kiss.” Takara laughed at Akira's uneasy expression.

“Calm down, kissing isn't required. And besides, this is just to show you how a date works anyways.” Her voice hid a morose tone that Akira did not quite understand. Was she upset that she had to so this? It was her idea originally...

Or maybe she was just regretting it.

“Unless that is, you want to kiss me?” Takara purred, sending him a wink. Akira felt his face grow hot and turned away from her.

“I should think not...” Takara gave him a pathetic look.

“Aww... if you say so...” Akira thought he had upset her until she smirked at him once more.

“Well, I've told you everything I can. Hopefully it'll be enough for even you to snag a girl.” She tapped him lightly on the nose, laughing at her own words.

Akira breathed a sigh of relief as she finished up her speech, swatting her hand away from his face in annoyance. They chatted briefly as the waiter brought them water before Takara excused herself from the table.

“I need to use the restroom; I'll be right back.” Takara stood and headed to the far end of the restaurant, leaving Akira to tend to the orders.

“I'll be right here,” he responded dryly. Akira shifted his legs, bumping into the table and making a wave of water crest above the overfilled glasses.

“Damn it all...” Akira grumbled, mopping up the spilled water with his napkin. He could tell one wasn't enough, so he quickly reached over to use Takara's to try to catch the water before it ended up on his pants.

He lifted her napkin off the table to finish cleaning up the water, revealing the flask Takara had smuggled underneath. Akira quirked a brow at the flask, setting the now sopping wet napkins aside.

Liquor?

He could use a harder drink than water...

Akira weighed his options, casting a nervous glance back in the direction where Takara had disappeared. His fingers drummed at the table in thought. Maybe some liquid courage would help him finish out this night...

Akira popped open the flask and took a few deep swigs, which was by far his biggest mistake ever.

Whatever this was, it went down smooth; that alone should have set off alarms in his head but for whatever foolish reason, he threw caution to the wind and polished off the flask, draining it of it's contents.

Not bad... not brandy, but not bad. The taste was rather familiar though...

As Akira swallowed the last drop, the afterbite kicked in, the flavor going from smooth and almost fruity to a spicy burn. Someone called his name, making him jump.

“Akira...” Takara stood above him, a look of disbelief on her face.

“Did... did you drink that whole flask?” Akira nodded stiffly, his mouth pursed in dissatisfaction, both at being caught and at the effects of the alcohol. He could already feel the liquor biting at his stomach and wished he at least waited for the food to arrive.

Akira had just opened his mouth to apologize when Takara busted out laughing, clutching her sides in agony. This was beyond perfect.

“Well... you sir, are in for a rough night...”

After leaving the cafe, Takara came to the conclusion that Akira might have had a bit too much. He was rather livid once he realized what it was in the flask, but seeing as he foolishly drank on an empty stomach, it didn't take long for the liquor to kick in.

“But I wanna ride the horse tornado...” Akira whined as Takara dragged him away from the carousal for a second time, giggling uncontrollably at his behavior. Akira stomped his foot like a child throwing a tantrum.

“Takaaaaa... horse tornado!”

“No, Akira... I don't think you'd make it halfway around before you'd lose your meal.” Akira let out another frustrated moan. He looked like he was on the verge of tears when his eyes suddenly widened, a hand going up to his mouth.

Recognizing the expression and wasting no time, Takara quickly stepped to the side, holding his hair away from his face while Akira puked over the railing, waving nervously to the people passing by.

“Good thing you weren't wearing your scarf...” she murmured, patting his back. Takara had decided it was time to take him home. He was heading on the downward slope and needed some food and rest.

That and his dramatic arm movements and slurred speech were attracting a lot of attention, and Takara feared someone might call the police on them; she rather not be arrested.

Takara escorted Akira away from the fair and back on campus as swiftly as she could, stopping only to force him to drink a bottle of water she purchased from a vending machine, though he used a third of it to rinse the sick taste from his mouth.

“A-and then I said to James...” Akira was doing better after emptying his stomach and went back to his endless, happy chattering.

“Damn it all, that hot roommate of mine's... strutting around naked again!” Akira threw his arms up in the air then shrugged sadly, causing his legs to wobble dangerously. Stepping closer, Takara slung one of his arms over her shoulder so he wouldn't fall.

“And... he just laughed...” His tone was melancholic, but he grinned at Takara when she moved closer to help him walk.

Takara snorted quietly while Akira hummed tunelessly to himself. Most of these stories Takara had already heard from James, but they were so much more satisfying coming from Akira.

They slowly made their way back to the dorm, Akira leaning heavily on Takara for support and still prattling on about everything.

“Y-you know Taka... you wouldn't believe h-how many times I thought to myself...” Akira held up one finger as if to emphasize his point.

“I should kiss her... right now.”

“Is that so?” Takara giggled quietly into her fist, holding her other arm out to steady him against the wall so she could unlock their door. She loved how much more vocal he was when drunk and made a point to add this statement to her list of things to tell him once he sobered up.

Akira sagged down the wall until Takara retrieved him. He slumped over slightly on her shoulder as he continued speaking.

“So many times... I...” Akira stopped suddenly right outside the threshold, the lack of motion almost knocking them both on the floor.

“I... should have just... went for it...”

With a surprising amount of motor control that he wasn't displaying before, he reached over and placed his hand on Takara's cheek. He tilted her chin up, his voice dropping to barely above a whisper.

Too astonished to respond, Takara just stared at him, her eyebrows arching.

“I-I've... wanted to do this for so long...” Akira bent down, his lips softly meeting her's. Takara could taste a tiny hint of tequila on his lips as they kissed, reminding her that Akira wasn't exactly in his right state of mind.

She went to push him away when Akira suddenly deepened the kiss, his arms sliding around her waist and sending shivers up her spine.

Takara's mind buzzed with confusion, feeling Akira pull her closer.

She was used to Akira's occasional drunken flirting... but this... she couldn't even find the right words for this.

When did he get so... bold?

And she be damned if she didn't admit she liked it.

Takara's arms wrapped numbly around Akira and she lost herself for awhile, just slowly kissing him outside in the hallway with their dorm room door only steps away, hanging wide open.

The first time this happened when he got drunk before Christmas, Akira had broken the kiss rather quickly, but she was starting to think this time would be a lot different.

After a brief internal struggle, Takara finally backed out of the kiss, gently but firmly pushing Akira against the wall to keep him from trying anything else.

He panted lightly, staring at her with a dazed look in his eyes, though there was a hint of sadness and Takara wondered if he was going to cry again.

“Come on Akira, let's go inside,” Takara coaxed, gently taking his arm and guiding him into their dorm room. Akira let out a small disgruntled huff, running his hand through his hair as his lips parted to speak once more.

“You confuse... and frustrate me so much and I... don't know why but I-I like it...” His words came out in a rush and despite a mild slur, he spoke pretty clearly.

Akira stumbled toward her for a moment before changing direction and flopping onto the bed. He looked up at her, pouting like a child would, his hands pulling at his coat in an attempt to remove it.

“You make me... feel things... that I don't understand. You're loud... and beautiful and kind...” He trailed off for a moment, watching Takara, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.

“And... I think... I want to kiss you again...” Akira sat up and extended a hand, reaching toward her. His fingers loosely closed around her arm and he beckoned her with a light tug.

Takara pushed the door shut behind her, the lock sliding over with a soft click. She looked from Akira, to the hand he had on her arm, and back again.

Her mind was racing. The way he said he wanted to kiss her again sounded a lot like he didn't intend to stop at just kissing...

What should she do?

This was the perfect opportunity, one she'd been given before with other people and took without hesitation.

And yet... with Akira... she just couldn't... would not take advantage of him like this. Having made up her mind, Takara let out a heavy sigh and smiled at Akira, laying her hand over his.

“I want to kiss you too... but not right now. We can wait and talk about it later.” Speaking these words out loud solidified her decision and Takara set to taking care of her inebriated roommate, trying to sober him up and put him to bed.

As expected, Akira protested the whole way, but soon calmed down after Takara agreed to share his bed with him.

Takara pulled her own blanket off her bed, cocooning Akira in his so he couldn't grab at her anymore; not that her efforts could stop him completely.

They ended up wrapped in separate blankets on his bed with Akira cuddling Takara from behind, his face buried in her hair. Thankfully he'd already emptied his stomach, otherwise Takara wouldn't have allowed him to be that close to her head.

“Taka... your hair smells good...”

“Yes, I know, you've told me that three times now.”

“I like it better blonde...”

“I'm glad you do... I do too.” Akira had somehow managed to get his arms free from the blankets, latching onto her waist. He clung close to her, sighing in content. His next words startled Takara more than his actions did.

“Don't leave me... I-I want you here...” A grin crept across Takara's face and she laughed softly into her pillow.

“I won't. I'll stay here all night,” she informed him in a mellow tone. Akira squeezed her waist for a moment before relaxing his grip. He spoke in a quiet voice, sounding satisfied with her response.

“Good...” Takara listened as Akira's breathing slowed, feeling her muscles slacken once she realized he was asleep. She stared at the far wall, deep in thought, her mind mulling over the eventful day.

Akira's words repeated on an endless loop in her head and she still wondered just how far he had been willing to go...

Takara forced the thought out of her mind as there was no need to dwell on what-if scenarios. Hoping Akira would forgive Takara for her current transgressions was far more reasonable than praying he forgave her if she had gone through with it.

Though...

There was still a good chance she could win him over while he was sober.

If she hadn't already.

Chuckling quietly at the thought, she drifted off to sleep not long after, Akira's body heat keeping her warm. Drunk or not, Takara was thankful he was there beside her.

Akira awoke the following afternoon to Takara prodding him.

“Good morning sunshine!” Takara cooed, her voice splitting through his head like an ax. Akira recoiled farther under the blanket, grimacing.

“Ugh... stop talking... my head is killing me...” Takara shook her head lightly, lowering her voice.

“I'll bet; you drank an entire flask of Patrón tequila... was almost the whole bottle's worth.” Akira groaned at her words in disgust.

Tequila... that explained a lot...

He felt the mattress shift as she sat beside him. Takara pried the blanket out of his grasp and Akira braced himself for the onslaught of sunlight, but it proved unnecessary as she already prepared the room for his hangover, blocking out the windows with a thick blanket.

Only her side lamp was on, casting shadows across the room with it's warm, soft light.

“I hope you learned your lesson; next time, we share.” Takara leered at him, the sight most unsettling.

“Speaking of sharing... would you like to hear all the wonderful things you said last night?” Akira flinched then glowered at her. He remembered up until the cafe, but everything after was either a blur or missing from his memory.

“Not really...”

“Let's see... you called our waiter a pompous, scum-sucking prick because he wouldn't let you play the decorative piano...”

“Taka no...”

“You almost started crying because I wouldn't let you go on the carousal. You kept calling it a “horse tornado”.” Akira scowled silently at Takara as she continued, his eyes narrowing until they closed, trying to shut her out anyway he could.

“And you told me at least three or four times that my hair smelled good, once stating that it smelled like pie... for some reason...” Takara's face briefly scrunched up in thought before looking back to Akira in amusement, who was already bright red out of humiliation.

Akira buried his head underneath his pillow to escape her stare, wishing he could just disappear. And here he thought he couldn't get any lower.

“I really said all that?” he whined, his voice muffled.

“You said... a lot.” Takara chuckled. She wasn't going to tell him everything until he got through his hangover as she also wanted to share a tidbit or two with James and the others.

Some things she was planning on keeping all to herself though, just like the last time they kissed. While not normally that secretive, that was no one's business but their own.

She slipped on her shoes and coat, pausing to look at Akira peeking at her from underneath his pillow.

“I'll be back in a bit with coffee and lunch. You feeling well enough to come with?” Akira shook his head once, the action bringing a wave of nausea to go with his headache.

“Just leave me here... I'll be waiting for death's sweet release...”

“Don't be so melodramatic... and drink your water!” Takara opened the door, tilting her head to the side, a mischievous look on her face.

“By the way; you owe me for not filming you.” Feeling grumpy, Akira stuck his hand out from under the blanket and made a rather rude gesture at her.

Takara snickered as she left, almost closing the door before popping her head back in to add one last thought for him to consider while she was gone.

“Well... you could always make it up to me with a real date... since you only kiss me when you're drunk. I'd like that to change.” Akira sluggishly pulled the pillow off his head to reply.

“Yeah, we-” He stopped mid sentence and looked at her dumbfounded, his brain taking a moment to process what he just heard.

“W-wait... I-I... I what?” Takara waved to the water and aspirin on his side table and left without another word, leaving Akira alone and flustered.

He had kissed her?

A feeling of dread crept up inside him as he wondered if they had done anything else...

He considered it for a moment then decided that was an idiotic thought. Akira knew Takara well enough. If they had done anything else, she would have told him right away... as part of her bragging.

And she already said that she didn't do that sort of thing to people who weren't willing or interested.

So that was the real question; was he interested?

Akira turned crimson at the thought, realizing that this was something he honestly wanted and could no longer deny, even to himself.

Maybe she was right about the real date.

And besides...

He did wonder what it would be like to kiss her sober.

Thank you for reading; if you’d like to read more of my original writing, you can find the masterpost here. [X]

[pissbaby-lover]

Sweater Weather: College AU Part 1 [Takara and Akira Oneshot]

Title: Sweater Weather Pairing: Takara Kari x Akira Eri Words: 1806 Warnings/Rating: K, none

It was late into the fall semester and Akira needed to pick up a few books for his Advanced English class. Dull as the class may be, there was no point wasting his time by failing it.

He stood in line to check out, books tucked under his arm and eyes darting impatiently up to the clock behind the desk.

Half past seven.

He needed to get back to the dorms soon to try to finish this project before bed. But then again... a mild look of agitation took over his features. That roommate of his would be there... Takara.

Akira wasn't certain what was wrong with her, or more accurately, what wasn't wrong with her.

She was inappropriate on all accounts, crashing in his bed after a night of binging, picking the lock and breaking into the bathroom while he was in the shower, stripping right in front of him with no regard for decency... the only good thing about her was she was the only person who was willing to room with him but even that point was debatable.

He didn't really need a roommate anyways.

He shuttered slightly, stepping up to the desk to check out his books. On his way out of the library Akira paused, something familiar catching his attention.

“Speak of the devil...” he muttered to himself, striding over to one of the tables where his roommate slept, bent over an open book, her arms folded into a makeshift pillow. Her auburn hair cascaded in waves down her back and one shoulder.

“And they will appear.” He noted the collection of open books on the table beside her; she must have been working on the same English project he was. He frowned, looking left then right before leaning over and giving her a weak nudge with his stack of books.

“Hey, Taka...” When she did not stir, Akira sighed impatiently and rolled his eyes, dropping his books on the table with a sharp smack. One of the librarians sent him a glare, but he ignored it.

Takara slept on, blissfully unaware of his or anyone else's presence. She shivered slightly and buried her face farther in her arms; the tank top and capris she was wearing wasn't enough to fight off the air conditioning.

Akira reached for his books, scooping them up and turned to leave, but for whatever reason, his legs refused to work properly. Takara sighed in her sleep and he glared down at her in accusation, like his being here was her fault. She shivered again and Akira frowned.

Stupid... he scoffed lightly to himself. He ran his hand through his bangs, ruffling them slightly as he looked around uneasily. She wouldn't be cold if she wore more clothes; it was the middle of October, foggy or rainy every other day, and she was still acting like it was July.

Akira stared at her for a moment longer, his face slowly turning red.

“I must be out of my mind...” he grumbled quietly to himself, setting his books, gently this time, onto the table and pulling his sweater off over his head.

Sweater in hand, he glanced around nervously to make sure no one was watching and draped it over her shoulders before rapidly gathering his books and making his escape, head down and face flushed. Akira burst through the doors, cursing mentally as the cold air bit at his skin.

“Damn girl better be grateful...” he muttered, trotting back to the dorms.

Takara slept for a few hours, waking only to the violent prodding of the head librarian.

“Closing time sweetie, time to get out,” the old lady crooned, waddling away to chase out a study group at the far end of the lobby.

Takara yawned and stretched, the motion sending the sweater sliding down her back. Feeling something on her, she reached one arm behind her to catch it before it hit the ground, bringing it around in front of her to examine.

Who's sweater was this?

The rich knitted maroon and black fabric was far nicer then most people on campus, so whomever had left it definitely wasn't poor. She shivered and looked at the sweater, as if it would tell her who it belonged to.

Takara shrugged and slipped the sweater on; she was too cold to care about randomly borrowing someone else's clothes, and seeing as they left it on her, it was pointless not to use it.

The sweater was huge on her, she practically swam in it, the sleeves being several inches past her fingertips. Takara realized that the original owner must have been rather big... or tall.

An image of Akira flashed through her mind but she pushed it away, gathering her scattered belongings and cramming them in her bag so she could go back to the dorm. She chuckled at the thought of a riled up Akira complaining that she disturbed his sleep for the umpteenth time.

There was no way that sourpuss lent her one of his belongings; Akira was far too stingy with his personal possessions to trust someone else with them.

Especially her.

She arrived at the dorm room and unlocked the door, surprised to find Akira still awake, reclined on his bed reading.

“Enjoy your little nap?” he inquired airily, turning the page. Takara gave him a weird look, slipping off her shoes and heading over to let Luci out of her cage for a bit. The ferret hopped up and down in excitement, racing up Takara's arm to hide in her hair.

“Umm... yes? And how did you know I took a nap might I ask?” she replied. The thought of him leaving the sweater passed through her mind again but she quickly buried it. What nonsense.

Akira raised his head to look at Takara, blinking once in surprise at the sight of her in his sweater, remembering how he left it for her. Realizing that his statement was incriminating, Akira quickly forced out a response, trying to cover his tracks.

“I saw you sleeping in the library of course; I have class projects just like you.” He shook his book at her as an example, his tone defensive and haughty.

Takara waved one hand at him dismissively, grabbing hold of Luci and settling on her bed to play with her. She had an overactive pet to interact with and projects to work on, so Akira could be harassed later.

“Yeah yeah...” Thankful that she ended her pursuit, Akira returned to his book, but found reading to be too distracting with Takara in the room. She wasn't even speaking to him and yet her presence disturbed him.

After a few more failed attempts to focus, Akira set his book down and turned off the side lamp, deciding he'd finish the project in class if needed. He was already almost done, just need to write every thing out.

As he lay there, mind buzzing with aggravation, Akira realized that he was probably not going to get his sweater back... even if he asked Takara for it.

His eyes wandered back over to where she was seated across the room on her bed. She was distracted by Luci who was darting in and out of the sleeves, and Akira was a little more appreciative of the ferret's presence for once.

Did he really want to ask her for the sweater back? He shook his head, a light blush blooming on his face.

Absolutely not. He wouldn't hear the end of it.

Takara tucked Luci back into her cage for the night, unaware that Akira was watching her. She plopped back down on her bed, rolling up the sleeves of the sweater so she could write properly. After settling cross-legged against the wall, she opened her book, pen and notepaper in hand, ready to take notes.

Unable to concentrate, Takara found herself fiddling with the hem of the sweater, the corners of her mouth pulling up in a small smile. Someone had thought of her well being for once, rather than the usual things everyone focused on.

Akira noticed Takara and smirked lightly, closing his eyes. For whatever reason, her actions amused him. Takara spotted the look on his face above the edge of her notebook. She tilted her head up and grinned, unable to resist teasing him.

“What are you so pleased about?” she inquired, making Akira jump.

Busted.

He rolled over in a huff and faced the wall, embarrassed at being caught. He fumbled for a witty reply but kept coming up empty handed.

“N-nothing...” Takara arched an eyebrow at the lack of snark in his response, her gaze dropping to the bit of fabric in her hands and returning to him.

Could he...?

Maybe...

Takara couldn't finish the thought, but the suspicious feeling wouldn't leave her, crawling around in her chest and stomach.

“Nothing huh? Doesn't seem like nothing...” Takara cooed, setting her notebook aside.

“Leave me be, I'm trying to sleep,” Akira growled quietly, his back still to her. He finally had found his attitude again and it showed in his voice.

Despite this, Takara still couldn't rid herself of the idea that maybe he had softened up just long enough to share his sweater with her. She found herself smiling at the thought and sighed, defeated by Akira's rebuffs for the time being.

She would definitely be asking him about this later.

“If you say so.” She returned to her studying, casting the odd glance at Akira every so often, who remained awake and staring at the wall for a good twenty minutes before finally calming enough to drift off to sleep.

Takara stayed up late into the night trying to finish her project, scribbling out the rough drafts of the essay portion. Akira found her in the morning when he woke up a few minutes before his alarm.

Confused and a bit curious as to why Takara wasn't already awake and loudly parading around the room half naked, his gaze wandered over to his roommate.

Takara lay curled up, asleep on top of her schoolwork, her face covered with one of her arms. A small lurch somewhere behind Akira's navel reminded him that she was still wearing his sweater.

He snorted quietly and walked over to Luci's cage, bribing the ferret with a treat as he often did when Takara wasn't looking.

Akira tiptoed around the dorm, grabbing his books and after a moment's hesitation at the door, walked over and turned Takara's alarm on for her. He left early for class, unable to face Takara after his awkward behavior the night before, behavior that she would most certainly question, knowing her.

He almost regret giving her the sweater in the first place... Almost.

Thank you for reading; if you’d like to read more of my original writing, you can find the masterpost here. [X]

[pissbaby-lover]

Dance With Me (All of Me) [Takara and Akira Oneshot]

Title: Dance With Me (All of Me) Pairing: Takara x Akira Eri Words: 1632 Warnings/Rating: K

Takara, Akira and the twins were sitting in the library relaxing. Fayre and Akira were busy reading their own books while Takara was, -once again- telling the story of how her and Akira got together to Fayne.

James had ducked in towards the end of the tale with the intention of giving the twins some time away from their parents, and the couple a much needed break.

“Tell it again! Tell it again! I love hearing that story!” Fayne gushed as Takara ended the tale, wiggling in his seat in excitement.

“No... not again...” Fayre groaned, the tip of her tail twitching in annoyance.

“Haven't we heard it enough?”

“Yes, can we not?” Akira said in an undertone at the other end of the room, sharply flipping to the last page of the book he was reading.

James couldn't help but grin at Akira's comment, considering no matter how may times Takara told the story to the twins, Akira remained in the room to listen.

“Maybe later Fayne,” Takara said, noting the disappointment on his face.

“There's plenty of other stories to tell.”

Takara pat her son on the head as she passed him, taking a seat on the armrest of the chair Akira was sitting in. Akira continued to read as if she wasn't there, though his eyes lingered on the corner of the book closest to her.

“Can I help you? I'm reading.” He said finally, a hint of agitation in his voice. Takara slipped off the chair and lowered her face so it was even with his, poking him in the cheek with her nose.

“I can see that.” Akira looked less than amused, though he made no move to push her away. No longer reading, he watched her from the corner of his eye.

“Then why are you pestering me?” Takara lightly pressed her lips against his cheek, a mirthful expression on her face.

“You know I like being the center of your attention.”

Akira sighed, defeated.

He tilted his head toward her and kissed her back on the lips, knowing full well she wouldn't leave him alone otherwise. The twins watched, though with different amounts of appreciation.

“Gross...” Fayre grimaced. Her brother looked at her, brows furrowed.

“No it's not!” he argued, crossing his arms. Fayre leveled a stony gaze on him, mirroring his movements by crossing her own arms.

“Yes, it is; it's distasteful to do in public.” Her tone was haughty and she stared down her nose, a stoic expression on her face.

“You're just jealous no one wants to kiss you with that frizzy hair of yours!” Fayne jabbed, sticking his tongue out at her. Fayre looked incredibly offended, the statement hitting home. Her face turned a bright, angry red, rivaling her hair.

“Hey! Don't be rude!” She hissed at her brother, her ears flattening to her head and hands balling up into fists at her side.

Fayne opened his mouth to reply, but at the look his mother sent him over his sister's head, he thought better of it, hanging his head in shame.

“Don't badger your sister Fayne,” Takara scolded, walking over to her daughter. She smoothed down Fayne's hair in a soothing manner. She knew how sensitive the subject was as Fayre inherited Takara's own unruly hair while her brother got Akira's sleek locks.

“Yes mother...” Fayne said sheepishly, his ears drooping. Fayre glared at Fayne from around her mother's arm until her brother looked away in a huff.

“Don't listen to your brother; there's nothing wrong with your hair, little one.” Takara gently tugged at one of Fayre's ears, smiling reassuringly at her.

“I know mom...” Fayre said, though she sounded unconvincing.

She moved away from Takara's hands and traversed past her sulking brother to one of the many high bookshelves, her tail held high. Takara shook her head slightly, her daughter's proud stance reminding her of another certain redhead in the room.

One ear perked up as a familiar song came over the radio in the corner. The music was slow and sweet, nothing but a quiet piano and a lone singer.

Takara cast Akira a longing glance, who had already immersed himself in another book. With the flick of her tail, Takara was standing over Akira with a charming smile plastered to her face.

James and the children watched as Akira eyed her over the edge of his book.

“You should dance with me.” Takara held her hand out to him, fingers splayed and wiggling in invitation. Akira stayed stationary for a moment, observing her with what most would consider an unreadable expression.

But Takara knew better.

She knew he'd eventually cave and join her, as he was more than willing to give into her whims so long as they weren't harmful. That, and while he did his best to hide it from others, he rather enjoyed dancing with her, though it was usually reserved for moments when they were alone.

As predicted, Akira slowly closed his book with a soft clap and placed it on the side table before reaching out to take Takara's hand.

“If you insist.” The devil alight on her lips as she helped him to his feet. They moved into position and began dancing, their steps precise and fluid as any professional.

“You don't sound very eager,” she pouted, looking up at him. Akira was briefly taken aback before coming to the realization that she was faking. He sighed softly, mouth drawn in a straight line.

“Well, I'm dancing with you now... aren't I?” The facade fell and Takara laughed, purposely brushing her tail on his side.

“That you are.” Her behavior amusing him, Akira's lips drew back in a smirk and he spun her once before pulling her closer.

Meanwhile, James had been trying to remove the children from the room as he knew what the couple was leading up to after the dance was over, but the twins were too enamored by the pair to budge.

Fayne snickered softly as Fayre seemed to be just as interested in their parents dancing as he, her eyes lit up in excitement.

“Aww come on Fayre, don't you think it's just a little romantic?” The blond leaned over and nudged his sister, who promptly rolled her eyes. She stared at the far wall silently, her gaze steadily traveling back over to where her parents were dancing.

“Maybe just a little...” she answered begrudgingly.

“But that doesn't mean I like watching them make goo-goo eyes at each other...”

Across the room, their parents were dancing closer than ever. Not an inch of space between them as they slowly glided across the wooden floor, speaking in a hushed tone to each other.

They were no longer aware of anyone else in the room.

“I do believe I've forgotten how well you dance. You might just sweep me off my feet.” Takara purred, lifting her hand from Akira's shoulder to poke his nose.

“I'm pretty sure I've already swept you off your feet,” Akira informed her.

“Though, I'm still better at seducing,” she teased, licking her lips. Akira shook his head once, a small smile on his face.

“You always go out of your way to seduce me don't you?”

“Now, I believe you underestimate me,” Takara replied playfully, biting back her grin as yet another thought came to her mind.

By now they had came to a full stop, barely swaying to the music. Takara leaned up to whisper in Akira's ear, the action making him shiver slightly.

“Besides, I've never heard you complain before when I seduce you.” Akira chuckled lightly at her comment. He stepped to the side without warning, dipping Takara low to the ground and successfully surprising her.

He arched a brow at her triumphantly, making no effort to hide his delight.

“Who says I'm complaining?” Takara blinked, her features quickly changing into a suggestive grin as Akira pulled her back upright.

“Well then...” she sent James a pointed look, the gesture so subtle, the other vampire nearly missed it. Takara already returned her attention to Akira, her tail slowly coiling around the back of his leg.

“Time to go,” James said with a bit of urgency, escorting the two children toward the door. Fayre made a disgusted face, snagging a few books off the couch she'd been sitting on.

“Why? Are they going to kiss again?” James nodded briskly, tapping them each on the shoulders to encourage a hasty retreat.

“Yes, now come on. We can go to the dining hall for now and practice piano.”

“Looks to me like they'll be doing more than just kissing...” Fayne muttered under his breath. James paled and looked down at the child, laughing nervously, his voice disappearing behind the heavy wooden door once it closed.

“I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that...”

Akira looked down at Takara expectantly, waiting for her to finish her sentence... though... he had a feeling he knew exactly where she was going to take this...

When she spoke again, there was an air of want touching her voice.

“Is that an invitation?” Akira quirked a brow at her and grinned, exposing his fangs. He bent down, his lips inches from hers, waiting.

“I do believe it might have been,” he whispered. Takara placed one hand on the side of his jaw, sliding her fingers back into his hair. She pulled his lips to meet hers, her words hanging in the air as the song came to a close in the background.

“If you insist.”

Thank you for reading; if you’d like to read more of my original writing, you can find the masterpost here. [X]

[pissbaby-lover]

Only One - Song Drabble [Takara, Akira, and Draco]

Title: Only One Pairing: Takara x Draco/Akira Words: 1576 Warnings/Rating: K

A song based bit of writing, can be enhanced by listening to Only One by Yellowcard.

Draco sat beside the fire, deep in thought. Takara and Akira had disappeared and weren't back yet. He was considering going to find them, as the more time those two spent together, the less of a chance he'd have to get Takara back, and time was of the essence. Footfalls announced the arrival of the pair... and yet... he only heard one set. Broken, this fragile thing now And I can't, I can't pick up the pieces. And I've thrown my words all around, But I can't, I can't give you a reason.

“DRACO!” Takara stomped back into the clearing, her fur on end. Draco rose to his feet, looking alarmed at her tone. Before he had the chance to act, Takara punched him full force in the face.

“What the fuck was that for?!” Draco held his nose, locking eyes with the angry Ferret.

Takara grabbed him by the shirt, shaking him, her claws digging into his collarbone. His breath caught at their proximity, but her rage took away from the moment.

I feel so broken up (so broken up), And I give up (I give up), I just want to tell you so you know...

“I told Akira I had made my decision on who I wanted to be with.” Draco's stomach jolted; judging from the look on Takara's face and the fact she hit him, Draco had a nasty feeling that he wouldn't like her answer. Takara soon confirmed his worst fears.

“W-we fought... I never got the chance to tell him I wanted to be with him...” She bit her lip, almost hard enough to draw blood, turning her accusing eyes on Draco. He then noticed how red and puffy they looked.

She released her grip on him, a disgusted look on her face that cut Draco deep in his soul.

Here I go, Scream my lungs out and try to get to you, You are my only one.

“You couldn't fucking leave me alone! Akira saw that you kissed me!” She jabbed her finger at him and for a moment, he thought she might hit him again. Her voice trembled with rage and something else... something Draco knew all to well.

Heartbreak. I let go, There's just no one that gets me like you do You are my only, My only one.

“He... he left me...” Takara said, tears now freely flowing down her face. She slowly sunk to the ground, her legs no longer able to support her. She had lost Akira again... and this time he wasn't coming back. There was nothing she could do to get him to listen to her anymore.

The worst part was she never got the chance to prove to him just how much she loved him.

Draco gave her the most hurt look she'd ever seen on his face, his heart sinking with her.

He suddenly was angry.

He felt betrayed.

After all this time he'd spent trying to find her... and it was all for naught, she already found a replacement. Made my mistakes, let you down And I can't, I can't hold on for too long. Ran my whole life in the ground And I can't, I can't get up when your gone.

“I've been looking for you for ten years! For ten years I scoured the world for you... I love you...” Draco's mouth was set in a thin line, his rage barely contained. Takara face crumpled at his words.

She was already distraught at the loss of Akira... but Draco... she didn't know if things could ever return to the way they were.

And something's breaking up (breaking up), I feel like giving up (like giving up),

Takara dropped her head, her eyes screwed shut to keep from crying again. Draco went on, his voice cracking slightly.

“And you just toss everything we had aside for this Akira guy-”

I won't walk out until you know...

“No! That's NOT fair!” She interjected, leveling her gaze on him. Draco's words had lit a spark in her eyes that wasn't there before.“For ten years I thought you were DEAD! I spent all that time pining for you and you... weren't there...” She inhaled sharply, trying to keep herself from sobbing.

“I never wanted you to be gone! I never wanted you to be dead... but... you-” Her voice was near hysterics and she had to swallow to try to speak again. Here I go Scream my lungs out and try to get to you, You are my only one.

“You weren't there and... I... I loved you...but...” Draco's heart sank at the way she said “loved”... there really was no way to get her back now.

“I mourned you... and at some point, I moved on...” Takara looked away again; she felt like she was talking to a ghost and the wounded expression on Draco's face was difficult to ignore. She still remembered being with Draco but that was something she counted as a loss, never expecting to see him again. I let go There's just no one that gets me like you do You are my only, My only one.

After a short silence that seemed to stretch on forever, Draco spoke again, everything inside of him was screaming to just stay quiet and hope that with Akira gone, she'd be his again.

“Is... is he the only one who will make you happy again...” Takara's head shot up, her expression one of awe, her ears flicking foreword for a moment. Draco slowly closed his eyes, heaving a sigh.

The look on her face was answer enough. He'd been with her for so long, known her to the very core of her being, and realized there really was no chance for him to have her.

Here I go, So dishonestly. Leave a note For you my only one.

Draco took off up the path Takara had entered from, fighting back the urge to turn around. His heart felt heavy and felt as if the weight would never lift off of him.

Here he was, on a hunt for the damned vampire that had taken his love away from him and then crushed her heart... but what else could he do?

He could not make her happy again.

Not like before.

Not like Akira could.

And if that's what it took to make her smile again, then so be it. Akira came into sight and Draco swallowed hard, this was not going to be easy.

“Hey!” Draco called up the path, panting from fatigue and the infection wreaking havoc on his body. Akira ignored him, walking on. Draco grit his teeth and tried again.

“HEY!” The vampire's head made a minute turn but he still did not slow. Draco was almost to him now. Once close enough, he roughly shoved Akira in the back to get his attention.

“I'm fucking talking to you!” Akira whirled around, eyes blazing red. And I know, You can see right through me. So let me go And you will find someone.

“If you know what's good for you, you'll go back to that Ferret and leave me be!” Akira made a motion to leave, continuing up the path.

“She's yours now anyway...” the vampire muttered under his breath.

Draco had enough.

He grabbed Akira by the shoulder with his one good hand, spinning him around. Draco swung his fist, clocking Akira right in the jaw. Here I go, Scream my lungs out and try to get to you, You are my only one.

Momentarily surprised by the assault, Akira stumbled back. He rubbed his jaw, looking livid.

“Do you think I want to be here talking to you?!” Draco shouted, fists clinched at his side. His brow knit and he looked at the ground, a scowl on his face. This was a lot harder than he originally thought. Every word he spoke felt like a piece of him was being ripped out of his body. He knew he was speaking the truth.

That truth hurt more than anything else.

I let go, There's just no one, no one like you You are my only, My only one.

“Do you think I'd be here at all if I was the one she wanted?” Draco huffed. Akira's eyes widened slightly at his statement; he did have a point there. Draco raised his head, a bitter look of acceptance on his face. His eyes bore into Akira's, and he jabbed violently up the path towards the camp.

“She loves you, you pompous ass! Now fucking go back and get her!”

Akira hesitated, thinking. Realization washed over him and he glanced past Draco to where he had left Takara.

It must be true; the Snake would never come to him unless it was. Without another word, Akira bolted back to the camp, Draco trailing behind him slowly.

My only one My only one My only one

His heart clinched and he did the best to ignore it. He didn't understand how he could feel so empty and still hurt this much. But it was the best he could do for Takara.

At least she would be happy once Draco was gone for good, though that thought did not heal his heart, he felt more at ease knowing Takara would be okay.

You are my only, My only one.

Thank you for reading; if you’d like to read more of my original writing, you can find the masterpost here. [X]

[pissbaby-lover]

School Dance [Isamu Short Story]

Title: School Dance Pairing: Isamu x Reno Words: 4900 Warnings/Rating: K, fluffiness

Under the cut for length~

“Hurry up Fujita! We're going to be late man!” Reno called, his arms crossed. Fujita looked at his reflection in the mirror, straightening his bowtie one last time.

“I'm coming! Shizu, are you ready?” he asked, closing the door to his room behind him.

“I've been ready brother,” Shizu said, stepping out of the kitchen. She gestured down to her dress; a flowing, sunny yellow A-line with a white silk bow stitched around the waist.

“What do you think?” Fujita smiled.

“You look beautiful sis.” Shizu beamed at the compliment. Reno looked Fujita up and down from his position against the wall, an amused look on his face.

“Umm, Fujita, you do know this is just a school dance. Why are you dressed like a butler?” He pointed to Fujita's outfit.

Fujita did seem to be a bit overdressed; he was wearing a long sleeve cool gray dress shirt, matching slacks, a black belt and polished black dress shoes. Around his neck he wore a black bowtie, which he proceeded to fidget with once more.

Reno on the other hand was more laid back; he was in a white button up tee shirt with the collar open and nice navy blue jeans. He spot cleaned his black sneakers and wore a loose blue and black striped tie around his neck.

Shizu giggled at Reno's comment. Fujita scowled momentarily until he remembered the reason he was dressed so fancy to begin with.

“Ha ha Reno... Come on, we still have to get Isamu,” he said, jingling his keys. Shizu shook her head.

“No, she said she's getting a ride from her dad.” The boys looked at her in surprise.

“I didn't know her dad was in town,” Fujita said, a little hurt he hadn't heard it from Isamu herself. He unlocked the car door and unengaged the locks. Shizu shrugged in apology.

“I'm sorry, I didn't find out until this afternoon. Apparently he got home early from the delivery he was making.” she explained, stepping into the car and folding her hands onto her lap. The boys joined her and they were off to the school dance.

“Tch, too bad she can't ride with us; we're the party!” Reno hooted. Shizu grinned; she already knew how Reno and Isamu felt about each other, even if neither of them realized it.

'The only problem is brother likes Isamu too... and I'm sure Reno would die before he admits anything about his feelings.'

“Well, I only hope she gets there soon,” Fujita muttered to himself. He really hoped he would get the chance to ask her to dance with him.

'And maybe I could even ask her- no! Only if the timing's right.' He decided, his face turning red at the thought.

“Dad! Come on, I'm going to be late!” Isamu fretted. She was pacing back and forth through their living room, silver heels clicking on the wood paneling. She only stopped to loom behind her father who was preoccupied with unfinished paperwork. Isamu's father sighed and looked up from the computer, his blue eyes dull with exhaustion.

“I know, I know. I've got to finish  this report before we leave; the paper copy was lost in the mail and my boss will have my ass canned if I don't send him these numbers by eight.” He turned back to the glowing screen.

“I'm really sorry honey.” Isamu looked agitated but was pacified for the time being. She strolled over to the couch and plopped down.

“Alright, just please try to hurry, dad.” Isamu wasn't mad at her father; it wouldn't be fair to him as it wasn't his fault the paperwork got lost in the mail. But seeing as it was Isamu's first school dance since junior high and she had already paid for her ticket, she rather get there soon and have fun with her friends.

'It's 7:15 now... he's got forty-five minutes tell his deadline... I hope he gets done soon...' she thought silently, propping her head up on her hand. She occupied herself for a short time by pulling small pieces of fluff that had gotten attached to her dress.

'Well, at least I'll arrive fashionably late...' Isamu chuckled humorlessly at this but in truth she was worried she may not make it to the dance at all.

By the time Fujita's car and tow had arrived, the dance was in full swing; they could hear pop music all the way out in the parking lot.

“Wow! This is going to be so much fun!” Shizu squealed in excitement; this would be her first school dance and she was excited.

“Yeah, sure is,” Fujita said absentmindedly, checking the time on his phone. Shizu and Reno exchanged glances.

'Seven twenty... I hope Isamu gets here soon,' he fretted, trailing Reno and Shizu up to the doors. Fujita was so distracted, he didn't notice Reno and Shizu had stopped walking until he ran into them.

“Ah, sorry... what's going on?” Fujita asked, looking sheepish.

“It's the line to get in,” Shizu said, pointing to the front of the line. Two students sat at a table taking tickets and stamping hands. Tomatsu strolled up beside them, unnoticed for the time being. He was just as casually dressed as Reno, wearing black jeans and a simple navy blue collared shirt.

“Hey Shizu. Fancy meeting you here,” he joked. Shizu giggled but the boys just shifted uncomfortably.

“Poor excuse for a joke...” Reno muttered. Fujita heard him and laughed lightly.

“Why are you out here? I thought you got here early to meet us inside.” Tomatsu held up his hand, displaying an animal paw print.

“I got bored and you were taking so long I thought I'd step out to get some fresh air.” The line slowly moved as students turned their tickets in and entered the dance. Shizu and Reno were stamped and stepped aside to wait for Fujita but when it was his turn he couldn't seem to find his ticket. He patted his pockets, looking worried.

“Fujita?” Shizu called, wondering what the holdup was. Fujita sighed.

“I think I left my ticket in the car, I'll be right back!” Fujita took off, feeling embarrassed. He called behind him while speeding across the pavement.

“I'll meet you guys inside!” Shizu and Reno blinked, exchanging glances.

“Well... let's go in then...” Tomatsu held the door open for Shizu, Reno following close behind. Inside, students streamed into the foyer to dance. Others gathered along the wall by the vending machines to socialize. Shizu turned to Tomatsu.

“Have you seen or heard from Isamu yet?” Reno, who was eying the concession stand, perked up in interest.

“No, not yet... I think her dad's in town. She should be here, she already paid for her ticket.” he chuckled, shooting a glance Reno's way, who having realized Isamu wasn't here, was on his way to get food.

“Plus, I'm sure there's at least one other reason for her to want to be here.” He said. Shizu followed his gaze and snickered.

“No doubt about that,” She said. As they made their way to the vending machines were Reno was busy stuffing his face, Shizu began to wonder how it would work out with both Reno and Fujita liking Isamu. Fujita was still incredibly shy about his emotions for her and Reno, well, he would always be in denial.

'I hope they both get here soon.'

Meanwhile, Fujita was out in the parking lot tearing apart the inside of his car looking for his ticket. He was slowly realizing that it was not in the car.

“Dammit,” he muttered, tossing his textbook back in the backseat. He'd already checked his wallet and if it wasn't in his car, he'd have to go home as, for whatever reason, they didn't sell tickets at the door. Fujita pulled out his phone and sent Shizu a text.

-Going home to look for my ticket. I'll be back even if can't get in.-

He pressed send, hoping dearly that he wouldn't be trapped outside while Isamu was at the dance. Fujita started the car and sped off toward home.

“Fujita's been gone for a long time now...” Shizu observed, panting slightly. They were sitting at a table in the lunchroom, taking a breather from all the dancing. Shizu pulled out her phone, checking the time.

“It's already 8:30... the dance is halfway over Fujita's not back yet and Isamu's yet to arrive.” Tomatsu patted Shizu's hand in comfort. Reno loosened his tie a bit more and leaned back in his chair, hands behind his head.

“It's a real shame Fujita's not here, he didn't get to see me demolish that freshman in that dance off.” He let out a short barking laugh, then sobered a bit.

“Well... I don't know about you two, but I'm going back in. I paid to be here so I might as well have fun.” His chair fell to four legs with a sharp bang and he strolled out into the foyer. Tomatsu shook his head.

“He's no genius, but he may have a point...” Tomatsu muttered, standing. Shizu looked sad, but stood anyways, following him. On their way by the refreshment table, Tomatsu grabbed a cup of punch, taking Shizu's hand in the other.

“Don't worry, they'll be here.” He assured her. Shizu smiled.

“Yeah.” Had either of them looked back, they would have seen Isamu speed walking through the lunchroom and to the check in table, her ponytail askew.

“My ticket,” Isamu said breathless. Once she had her stamp, she took off for the foyer.

'I feel asleep while waiting... I'm lucky my dad woke me up instead of letting me sleep...' She paused, looking around the cafeteria.

'I should call the others.' She reached in her handbag to retrieve her phone, only to find she didn't have it on her. She growled angrily, leaving her purse in coat check.

'I must have left it in my dad's jeep...' she sighed, heading toward the pulsing music, fixing her hair the best she could on the move. Isamu saw her friends before they saw her.

“Shizu! Reno!” She called to them. Shizu whipped her head around, a wide smile making it's way across her face. She ran over to Isamu and gave her a friendly hug.

“I thought you wouldn't make it!” Shizu exclaimed. Tomatsu waved in the background, stepping beside Reno, who was taking a break from dancing.

“I didn't think I would for a bit,” Isamu replied, admiring Shizu's sunny dress.

“I love your dress Shizu, it really shows your personality.” Isamu gestured down to hers, a strappy ankle length gown with a knee high split running up the right leg.

“Well, what do you think?” Isamu twirled around for Shizu, her azure dress shimmering at her movement.

“Oh I love it! The color looks really good on you.” Reno finally spied Isamu, a look of surprise on his face.

'Wow... she looks...' Reno couldn't put into words what he thought about Isamu. He wasn't very good with this sort of thing to begin with; not to mention he was still in denial about liking her in the first place. The girls chattered on about cheap dresses and fashion while Reno and Tomatsu looked on.

“I'll never understand girls' obsession with fashion...” Tomatsu sighed, gulping down the last bit of his punch. Reno nodded silently, his eyes glazed over. Tomatsu stared at Reno for a moment, giving him an exasperated look.

“Hey Reno!” Tomatsu barked. Reno about jumped out of his skin. He turned and glared at Tomatsu.

“What?” Reno snapped. Tomatsu smirked, crushing his empty cup and tossing it into a nearby trash bin.

“I was just saying that my cousin cleans up well; don't you agree?” Reno looked taken aback, his cheeks turning pink. Reno shoved his hands in his pockets and redirected his attention to the far wall.

“Yeah... sure,” he replied through clinched teeth. Tomatsu's grin widened at Reno's reaction.

“Something the matter?” Tomatsu cooed. Reno let out a feral growl.

“None of your damn business!” Tomatsu rolled his eyes dramatically. He pressed on just for the thrill of aggravating Reno. Not to mention his own curiosity as to his relationship with his cousin.

“Oh, nothing at all I'm sure...” Tomatsu said sarcastically to which the redhead replied with a nasty glare, but Tomatsu was unfazed. A mischievous spark twinkled in his eye, not unlike his dark haired cousin. He slung his arm around Reno in a friendly manner and leaned over to whisper in his ear.

“You know, if you're going to keep staring at her like that, you might as well ask her to dance.” Reno bristled, his face a brilliant shade of crimson. Instead of responding, Reno violently shrugged Tomatsu's arm off and made a break for the door.

“Where you going buddy?” Tomatsu called over the music.

“Punch!” Reno spat, refusing to look back for fear of the others seeing his face. Tomatsu snorted, unsure if Reno's reply was a cover for his exit or a truthful threat. Shizu and Isamu strolled over to him, confused expressions on their faces.

“What's wrong with Reno?” Shizu asked, looking past them to the entrance to the foyer. Tomatsu shrugged.

“He was thirsty.” Isamu's eyes narrowed.

“Looked to me like you pissed him off.” Tomatsu shrugged again, putting an arm around Shizu.

“Not like that's very hard to do.” Isamu opened her mouth, then closed it. He did have a point there. She gave him a hard look.

“While that may be true, you still shouldn't be doing it.” Tomatsu and Shizu exchanged meaningful glances, both looking amused. Isamu was currently distracted, looking around for Reno and Fujita.

'I still don't see Fujita and there's no way Reno will want to be around Tomatsu right now...' She was vaguely aware of the music changing songs. A viral pop song came on the radio and Isamu's eyes lit up.

“Come on Shizu! Let's dance!” she clamped onto Shizu's arm, forgetting about the boys for a moment. Tomatsu tried to wave goodbye but Shizu latched onto his arm.

“Come with us!” she pleaded. Tomatsu let out a tiny sigh and nodded, giving in.

“Alright,” he said with a smile as Isamu dragged the pair onto the dance floor.

“Not like it matters anyways; you probably would have had Isamu kidnap me with her demon-like strength.” At this Shizu laughed but Isamu looked agitated.

“Who's a demon now?” she asked, glaring at her cousin. Tomatsu gave her a weak smile.

“No one I know...” he said nonchalantly. Isamu chose to ignore him, dancing happily with Shizu. After two or three songs, Reno joined them again, determined to out dance Isamu's cousin. They traded moves, a circle forming around the pair.

'If I can't bet his face, I'll beat him at something else.' Reno thought, busting out a ridiculously dangerous move. Tomatsu threw up his hands in defeat, breathing heavily.

“I can't beat that! I'll break my neck!” Isamu and Shizu laughed at this. The circle dispersed and went back to dancing. Shizu's phone vibrated and she paused, her hand going to the mobile device. She read the text silently, the boys and Isamu looking over her shoulder.

-Found it! Was in my jean pocket from school. Be there soon.-

“Ah good! Fujita will be here soon!” Shizu said cheerily.

“It's about time!” Reno said, brushing a hand through his disheveled hair. Isamu looked confused.

“Where's Fujita been?” She asked, feeling guilty for not asking sooner.

“He left his ticket at home,” Shizu explained. Isamu nodded in understanding and Reno chuckled.

“He was in such a rush to get here too...” Reno turned and strolled away from the group. The others looked after him in confusion.

“I'll be back, I need a drink.” He called, disappearing into the crowd. The music shifted and a slow love song came on. Shizu looked excited. Isamu on the other hand, looked nauseous, moving to the edge of the dance floor.

“I think I'll sit this one out...” she said. Tomatsu and Shizu watched her go. Tomatsu turned and grinned at Shizu, holding out his hand.

“Shall I dance with milady?” He asked. Shizu blushed a little and took his hand.

“You may sir.” She giggled.

Isamu leaned against one of the decorative support pillars in the foyer. She watched the other couples revolving around the dance floor, a nameless expression on her face. She spied Reno out of the corner of her eye and sent him a tiny wave, her face brightening.

When Isamu's eyes met Reno's, she found for whatever reason, she could not look away. The music swelled slightly but it might as well be playing in some other galaxy.

Reno wasn't sure what came over him, but he went with it anyways, his body acting as if it had a mind of it's own. His heart racing, Reno walked slowly up to Isamu, his eyes never leaving hers.

Shizu and Tomatsu stopped dancing momentarily; observing their friends awkwardly approach each other during a social gathering was far more entertaining.

“What is he doing?” Tomatsu asked in a hushed tone. Shizu grinned widely.

“If he's doing what I think he's doing then it took him long enough,” Shizu replied in amusement.

'I must be out of my mind...' Reno thought, closing the distance between Isamu and himself, his face reddening slightly. Isamu watched Reno intently, a sudden wave of anxiety washing over her.

“Reno?” She whispered in a quiet voice that did not sound like her own. This voice sounded scared and a little apprehensive. Isamu waited for a response, and she was not disappointed.

Much to Isamu's and his own surprise, as well as everyone else secretly watching the couple, Reno extended his hand stiffly. It was only then that he broke eye contact, his vision rapidly swerving to the right.

“Dance?” He said simply, feeling the heat rise from his cheeks to his entire face. Isamu chose not to answer out loud, instead taking his extended hand. Reno's stomach lurched as her hand made contact with his. They silently made their way to the edge of the dance floor. The surrounding couples parted like the Red Sea, giving them room.

Reno stood still, unsure what to do next. He glanced around at the other couples nervously, trying to figure out how to act.

'Stupid me... asking her to dance; I don't even know what I'm doing!' Thankfully his stream of thought never touched on why he asked her in the first place or he would have turned and left her on the dance floor. Isamu seemed to sense his discomfort and let out a soft laugh.

“Here, let me show you.” Isamu guided his hands to her waist and placed hers on his shoulders, a light blush blooming on her face. She found she couldn't meet his eye, choosing instead to stare at his tie.

Reno seemed uncertain at first of how close his hands had to be to Isamu's waist, they barely skimmed her dress at first before eventually settling right above her hips. Reno and Isamu stayed rooted to the spot for the time being, barely swaying to the music.

“Don't worry if you don't know any steps; I don't really know any either...” Isamu admitted. Reno snorted quietly at the irony but said nothing. They lapsed into an incredibly awkward silence, both attempting to find some way to ease the tension without much success. Through some small miracle, the pair managed to string together a few steps into a makeshift movement most would consider a dance.

'Should I tell him? I don't know...' Isamu struggled with herself, trying to find the right words to say.

'This is the perfect opportunity... maybe my only one...' The music played on in the background, the song almost over. After some time passed, Isamu took a deep breath then exhaled, gathering some courage.

“Hey Reno,” she said, startling him. Reno's gaze shifted to Isamu.

“Y-yeah?” he stammered. Isamu opened her mouth to reply, but was never given the chance.

“Might I have this dance?” Fujita asked, popping up out of nowhere. The pair froze, blushing.

“Uhh... sure,” Isamu said, unconsciously squeezing Reno's shoulders before dropping her hands to her side. Reno's hands lingered longer than necessary at Isamu's waist. He played it off by running a hand through his hair then cramming them both in his pockets, uncomfortably aware of how sweaty his palms had become.

“Sure Fujita... I'll just... go over there,” Reno jerked his head to the side, indicating the double doors leading out to the cafeteria and the refreshment stand. He cast one last glance back at Isamu, his expression unreadable, then left.

'I wonder what it was she wanted to tell me...' He thought. A new song started and Fujita and Isamu began to dance. Isamu was surprised that Fujita knew the steps. He lead her around the floor with minimal effort.

“I didn't know you could dance,” Isamu said, impressed. Fujita blushed, looking away from her.

“My mom taught me,” he said, not adding the part where he had asked his mom to teach him so he could dance with Isamu. Across the room, Tomatsu and Shizu watched the pair dance. Shizu was amazed that Reno had asked Isamu to dance as she only expected her brother to ask.

“Wow, look at that...” Tomatsu said, and Shizu turned to see.

“Who is she?” Shizu asked. Tomatsu shrugged, his attention returning to the soon to be interrupted couple.

“You dance well, better than myself anyways...” Isamu laughed lightly, she found her eyes still wandered to the doors, searching for Reno.

'I shouldn't have waited so long...' She mused, sighing. Fujita noticed but before he could ask her what was wrong, he felt a light tap on his shoulder. He turned in surprise, expecting Reno but instead it was a short, pink haired girl. She was blushing profusely and avoiding his eyes.

“Umm... excuse me...but...” She fiddled with her hands and Isamu, who wondered why they stopped, turned and looked at her.

“C-can... can... I...” The girl murmured. Isamu smiled slightly, nudging Fujita.

“I think she wants to dance with you, “ Isamu whispered, watching the girl. Fujita's eyes widened.

“Well go on,” Isamu nudged him again, taking a step back and releasing his hand.

“Uh, would you like to dance?” Fujita asked the girl. She turned bright red and nodded. Fujita took her hand, looking at Isamu over the girl's head.

'I can't believe this... I wanted to dance with Isamu...' Fujita thought, upset. Isamu sneaked out of the foyer, hunting for Reno. Her eyes scanned the cafeteria but Reno was nowhere to bee seen. Isamu found she was disappointed, far more disappointed than she felt she should have been.

'Oh well... I think I'll step outside... it's rather stuffy in here...' Isamu glided over to the exit. Once outside, she wandered over to a small oak tree encircled by flowers and plopped down on the stone wall. Her presence startled someone she didn't expect to see.

"R-Reno?" Isamu managed, her heart racing a mile a minute. Here she was just thinking about him and he appeared. Reno looked just as surprised to see her, his face colored slightly and he looked away.

"Hi Isamu," Reno said quietly to the ground, he came out to get some fresh air and to get away from the others' prying eyes. The pair sat awkwardly in silence for a few minutes before Isamu decided to speak.

“I… I just wanted to say thank you… for the dance I mean…” Reno cast a glance at her, surprised she said anything. His face colored slightly when he realized what she had said and he hastily tried to answer her in the most neutral way possible.

“Yeah, it was no problem.” Reno tried to find more words to add to his statement but none seemed to fit. He wondered why he could never think clearly when she was around.

Isamu sighed, breaking him out of his thoughts. She stretched and reclined, her hands splayed out behind her for support. She tilted her head to look up at the night sky above them.

“Wow... look at all the stars tonight...” Isamu commented, attempting to start a conversation with him.

“I guess it helps that there's no moon out to distract from their light.” Isamu looked over at Reno and smiled, the gesture making his stomach lurch. He tore his eyes away from her to gaze up at the sky. There was something peaceful about all those specks of light up there and Reno found himself smiling along with her.

Reno's line of vision steadily dropped back down to Isamu. A sudden urge to take her hand overwhelmed him and he did his best to crush that thought. He could see it resting only a brick's length away from his own.

He didn't know when it happened but he was suddenly aware of his heart racing. He wiped his trembling fingers on his slacks, his hand inching back to it's original position then passed it, settling right beside Isamu's.

Reno swallowed hard; whatever it was in the air tonight, he was feeling far bolder than normal. He gave in, his hand darting over the last few inches and lay atop Isamu's. Reno opened his mouth to speak, his voice cracking slightly.

“I don't know about you, but I've had quite enough of distractions for one night...” Isamu was too wrapped up in the sights to notice Reno's internal struggle, but turned her attention to him when he spoke.

Isamu's mouth opened to reply but the sudden contact of his hand on hers made her voice catch in her throat. She stared at him, her lips in a small o of surprise. Their faces were an identical shade of red that made Reno's hair pale in comparison.

Reno's hand closed around Isamu's and he averted his gaze for a moment, looking back to her in shock when Isamu moved her hand away. Reno could feel his stomach drop until she clasped his hand once more, shifting closer to him.

'This... is nice...' he thought, smiling softly. Isamu found it too embarrassing to stare at him any longer, her vision lowering to the darkened courtyard. Someone whooped loudly behind them, making the couple jump but the noise was moving the opposite direction from where they were situated.

Isamu chuckled nervously, her grip tightened on Reno's hand. She was trying to work up the courage to tell him what she wanted to say while they had been dancing, but the sudden surge of chattering voices made the courage wither before she could even use it. She could pick out Shizu and the others calling for them.

“I... I guess it's time to go...” Isamu sighed, standing. Reno looked up at her, disappointed that their time together had been so brief. He had even forgotten to ask her what she was going to say.

“Yeah... I guess you're right,” Reno stood, looking sulky. He tried to walk around to the other side of the tree to meet up with the others but was stopped by Isamu pulling on his arm. He peered back at her, a questioning look on his face. Isamu took a deep breath, planning on telling him, when Tomatsu's voice called out again, sounding far closer than before.

Isamu acted quickly on impulse alone. She stretched up onto her toes and kissed Reno on the cheek, giving his hand a quick squeeze before stepping around the other side of the tree to greet the others.

“Yeah, we're coming!” Isamu called, thankful it was too dark for them to see the blush on her face.

“Come on Reno,” Isamu said in a hushed voice. Reno was still standing behind the tree, awestruck. He reached up and touched his cheek, a lopsided grin taking over his face. He cast a glance and Isamu then looked away again, feeling strangely shy around her.

“Yeah…” he muttered, still in disbelief about the kiss. They met up with the others in front of the school, Shizu sending Isamu a smug grin that made her skin crawl; it was almost as if she knew. Shizu winked at Isamu and said nothing, the group relocating to their vehicles.

“So did you have fun?” Isamu’s dad greeted her from the couch when she arrived home. Isamu looked up, surprised.

“Yeah, I did…” she said, smiling secretively. Though she had shown up late to the dance, the night was definitely one to remember.

Thank you for reading; if you’d like to read more of my original writing, you can find the masterpost here. [X]

[pissbaby-lover]

Frenzy - AU Canon [Takara Kari Oneshot]

Title: Frenzy Pairing: None (From the POV of Isamu) Words: 1870 Warnings/Rating: M, Violence, death, blood mention

At first, there was nothing but darkness.

Takara opened her eyes and was greeted by blurry treetops silhouetted against a reddish purple sky. It was already dusk and she could see the edge of the moon peeking out from behind the upper boughs.

She groaned and sat up, feeling something heavy around her wrists. Did she get too rowdy and get arrested again? No...

She was in the woods still, sitting directly off the rough dirt path surrounded by Halion soldiers. Her hands went to her side, feeling for her dagger. They confiscated them both it seemed.

Takara shook her head, feeling around for injuries yet found none save a mild headache. Tavish was there giving orders to the soldiers and casting glances over his shoulder at her. She tried to make sense of what was going on, her mind piecing everything back together.

She must have gone into shock... or blacked out.

Odd.

And where was Akira?

After little searching, she found him on the far side of the path still laying down with a small collective of Halion around him.

Mind still muddled, she stared at the soldiers as they wrapped up Akira in a rough burlap sheet and loaded him into a cart. Her brother was talking to her but she could no longer hear him, eyes fixated on the soldiers as they worked. Her insides ran cold as a thought came to her mind.

Akira would never let anyone manhandle him like that. He barely managed to tolerate her touching him, and these men?

Never.

She stared, watching one man toss Akira's sword beside him, the metal making a soft clang as it rattled against the wood, the sound snapping her out of her stupor. Reality came rushing back, and with it a stabbing pain in her chest.

Akira was gone.

He was dead and she could no longer save him.

A creeping sensation clawed it's way up her spine. A warm numbness that she'd never felt before. Her pain was gone... and yet... everything seemed, brighter... more vivid.

Takara stood suddenly, her chains rattling. The motion effectively silenced Tavish for the time being. He had been speaking about ways for her to earn back something, though Takara didn't catch what.

The soldiers closed in around her and she gave them a rather bored expression in response. While her stance was relaxed, she was far from composed.

Knowing what they did about her, they still chose to advance on her while she was in this state.

What fools.

Tavish spoke to her, brow knit in concern.

“Takara?” His voice was delicate, as if the use of gentle soothing words would quell the storm brewing inside her. His sister looked at him, shaking her head in disbelief.

“Tavish? Brother?” Takara mocked his tone, spitting out the second word.

How dare he think he had the right to talk to her. She raised her arms up and started picking at the locks, ignoring the guards' protesting her to stop.

“Come to play then?” Takara challenged, eyes flicking up to the men surrounding her before returning to her work. She could very well float right over to those guards and snap their spines before they had the chance to move.

And maybe she would.

She logged that thought away as she continued, her tone bitter.

“Funny... I've always wondered if it would come to this.”

She had one cuff off before Tavish gave the order to charge. In her new, more aware state, the fight ended as quickly as it began. Takara took out the guards with the ease, managing to remove the other half of her shackles mid battle.

She dropped the chains to the ground, turning to Tavish when he drew his own blade. The first hint of amusement graced her features.

“Don't you think you've had enough, brother?” Takara wasn't sure why, but she couldn't stop saying it like that. Tavish looked disturbed and tried to intervene with a question.

“Enough? I don–”

“You've gotten everything my dear brother. Everything!” Takara was well past hysterics at this point, but everything in her head was going at half speed.

“And yet... you still must take away what little I've had... what little I fight for...” Takara's eyes found Akira and she sobered momentarily.

But that moment was fleeting and over as if it had never been. Tavish stared her down, his blade ready if she came at him.

“Takara! Be reasonable! This is your last chance to redeem yourself!” Takara showed her first signs of her rage at his words. She straightened, ears drawn back against her skull and tail lashing wildly.

“I don't need redemption.” Her response was closer to a hiss than actual words. She leapt at him, unarmed save for her claws and fists.

Takara didn't mind; she wanted to feel her claws in his flesh.

They darted around the tiny clearing and Tavish found himself blocking far more than striking. No matter, given she was faster than him; she'd always been faster.

Takara disarmed him rather quickly, pinning him to the ground with her hands on his throat.

“Ever predictable Tavish...” she said in a sing-song voice, tapping him on the nose with her claw. Though she'd always done that to him since they were kids, there was something sinister about the action that made Tavish shiver.

“Always leaving his right flank open.” Tavish made one last attempt to reason with his sister, fighting the panic rising up in his chest. She was going to kill him this time, he could feel it.

“Is this really what you want to become? Do you have any sense of remorse for those soldiers -your brethren, that you've killed?” At his words, Takara tossed her head back and cackled, her hair flying haphazardly through the air.

“You truly think you can appeal to my better nature now brother?” She leveled her gaze on him, her expression cold.

Colder then he'd ever seen it before.

Right about then, Tavish realized there was no bringing her back now... not for nothing. She had slipped well past the edge of sanity and her next statement only punctuated that fact.

“You've just killed my better nature.” Takara was done talking after that, slitting her brother's throat with a flick of he wrist, disappointed he didn't put up more of a fight.

She looked down at her hands, muttering.

“Messy...” Takara knelt down and cleaned the blood off her hand on one of the fallen soldier's shirt. After picking the gore out from underneath her nails, Takara wandered over to Akira's side, claiming his sword as her own.

She lifted a trembling hand to pull back the cloth but could not bring herself to follow through.

This was not how she wanted to remember him.

“Forgive me... my love... I could not protect you.” Her voice sound hollow but it could not capture how truly empty she felt.

But the emptiness did not stay long.

Something dark had crept it's way inside Takara and having nothing else to hold on to, she embraced it. Everything she loved...

Everyone she loved... either betrayed, abandoned her or was taken away.

Never again.

She rose to her feet once more, her hackles raised and face twisted into a grotesque smile. Takara headed up the path, a new mission in mind.

She would make them all pay dearly for their errors.

Days had passed and Takara continued on the warpath to Akira's hometown.

Nearly naked, half starved, and running on nothing but instinct and anger, Takara burned a trail through country after country on the hunt for those she had deemed guilty.

She left nothing but slaughter in her wake, and soon enough, the authorities had started alerting in advance those who were unfortunate enough to be caught in her path.

Eventually she found herself at what felt like her final destination; Akira's family castle. She scaled the walls in the middle of the night for while she knew she could easily dispose of them in her sleep, she wanted the fight.

Takara had cornered the last living person in the castle, the man which she assumed was Akira's father. They had been trading blows for what could have been hours and Takara was having the time of her life, berating the vampire every chance she got.

“I do not know why you'd ever reticule him so. Treating him like he was a monster.” She thrust Akira's blade at the man with the intention of ending his life but he dodged at the last minute and countered.

Takara took a blow to the gut, the sword piercing her abdomen. She doubled over for a moment before merely looking up at him and grinned, taking the opportunity to grab the man's arm so he could not escape. She quickly wrestled him to the ground, gripping his head in her hands.

The vampire's eyes widened as Takara whispered to him, her words tumbling out in a breathy jumble.

“You won't regret your mistake long.”

There was a loud snap followed by a sick, wet ripping sound as she promptly removed his head from his shoulders.

She looked down at his face and let out a quiet laugh, tossing his head aside as she got to her feet.

“For if anyone's a monster it's me.”

Takara did not know if she spoke her last line aloud or not, but that no longer mattered. She had wiped the castle clean of it's inhabitants, painting the walls red with their blood as well as her own.

She could hear the sound of reinforcements approaching. Her head tilting to the side and a sadistic smirk on her face, Takara stepped to the entrance to meet the new arrivals.

One hand went to her abdomen and she traced along the wound to feel it's severity. Even deep and as fresh as the wound was, the pain was dull and felt as if it was a mile away.

Not fatal.

How disappointing.

As the army crashed against the gates, somewhere in her broken mind, Takara decided she would fight on until she either victorious or struck down.

Something wet hit her hand and she tightened her grip on Akira's sword. Curious as to what it was, she raised her arm. At first she could see nothing, and it took her a minute before she felt the warm crawl of moisture on her cheeks.

Takara scoffed.

Now of all times, she chose to cry.

The sound of oncoming opponents grew louder and she merely cried on, sobbing softly. Though the depth of her failure to protect Akira weighed heavily on her, that wasn't the reason for her tears.

She'd overturn heaven and uproot hell if she thought it would bring him back... but it wouldn't.

And she couldn't live with that.

But she could no more take her life herself either.

Instead in her desperation for peace she chose to set fire to this world, to leave a scar behind so that no one would question her motives, no one would dismiss her again.

Thank you for reading; if you’d like to read more of my original writing, you can find the masterpost here. [X]

[pissbaby-lover]

Witch-hazel AU [Takara and Akira Oneshot]

Title: Witch-hazel Pairing: Takara Kari x Akira Eri Words: 2577 Warnings/Rating: K

~Takara and Akira meet as humans in an AU set -roughly- in the 1800s in a small English village. I have no idea how long this will be... it’s already long...

Akira stepped outside to greet the day, breathing in deep and letting out a sigh. Spring had finally arrived and the flowers were in full bloom, dripping with morning dew.

The first clear day was a welcome relief, seeing as for the first few weeks of spring, there had been nothing but fog, cloudy skies and endless rain.

While he did not mind the rain as much as others, he still missed the warm sun nonetheless and given he worked indoors most of the day, his shopping trips into town were about the only thing that got him outside.

Akira was just about to leave when his neighbor across the way opened her door. He froze halfway up the path, deciding that maybe now was not the best time for shopping and scurried back into his home before his neighbor could catch him.

Closing his door dejectedly, he raised one hand to feel his face which had grown hot, blaming the early morning sun for his slightly flushed skin... though that was likely as not that case.

In a truth that he was slowly and unwillingly coming to terms with, it appeared as if his neighbor was the cause of these... little fevers so to speak. Not that he liked to admit such a thing, he only seemed to fumble around when the thought of her came to mind.

Normally something like this wouldn't have happened as she wouldn't step foot outside until half past eleven. But she was out early today... and Akira assumed it must have been the nice weather that brought her out, but now he couldn't leave until she was... well...

Out of sight, out of mind.

Not that he had anything against her... he just...

Couldn't see her.

He knew her well enough even though they'd never spoken.

Takara, an outsider who moved into the village as he had done about half a year ago, but she looked to be far more foreign then his pale skinned self. Her skin was dark like the rich clay ridden earth in the quarries, long cream colored hair that looked to be unnatural against her complexion...

But her eyes...

Akira had only seen them once, and at a distance at that, but they were a sight that was hard to forget. Eyes cut from hardened amber, brilliant on their own but they shone with their own otherworldly light.

Eyes that trapped you in their depths.

Eyes that held secrets...

But Akira willed himself not to dwell on such things.

He was a doctor, her a herbalist and his biggest competition in the way of treating patents. She already had a step above him given she had been in the village longer then himself, though exactly how long, he was unsure. There was little professionalism in focusing too much on your competition.

Still...

He found her rather hard to ignore, given she was right across the street from him, his wrought iron fence facing her handmade wooden one...

Letting out a huff of air, he decided that sorting his papers for his oncoming patents would be the best solution to make time pass until the coast was clear.

Heading to his office, it took no time at all for Akira to remember he had one other problem.

His office window was directly across from Takara's garden.

And he may or may not have placed his desk in such a way so all he had to do was lean back slightly to look out of said window...

After glancing at the pile of paperwork on his desk, he let out a long sigh, slumping into his chair for a moment before straightening and getting to work.

Or at least he tried.

Takara was still going through his mind, and try as he may, he could not remove her...

She was right outside...

Soon, he had abandoned his papers and was peeking out his window even though he knew better then to tempt fate. She had her back to him for the time being, pulling the weeds that had sprouted in her rows of herbs, and he found himself -as always- staring at her as she worked, a dazed expression on his face.

Akira always thought she must smell of leaves and sunshine, of the herbs that he always saw her tending in the garden, not that he ever got close enough to find out for sure...

Or ever would.

She turned to her roses so he could see her profile and his face tinted a light pink as he watched the sun shining though her tresses.

He idly thought how her hair was like the sun's rays... or gold, watching the strands tumble gently in the breeze and suddenly feeling more thankful for the sunny weather. Takara's eyes flicked over towards him, catching his gaze.

Busted.

Akira stiffened, shakily pulling the curtain over and backing away from the window. Maybe if he just... went about his day and pretended that didn't happen, he would be okay...

He sorted through his paperwork, and about a half hour later and a peek out the window to make sure Takara was not in sight, Akira set out on his way to town to pick up his groceries.

Given how small the village was, there was only one choice for shopping if you wanted goods that came from out of town, and though the shop was about as small and remote as the village it resided in, the proprietor made certain that he had a generous selection.

The owner of the general store, James, greeted him with a friendly smile and a wave as he entered.

“Hello there doctor, come for your medicine then?” James bent down and pulled a small package out from underneath the counter as Akira approached. He opened the package to show Akira everything was there then re-wrapped it, chattering idly.

“Lucky for you, we just got in this shipment yesterday morning. And I had feared the other half would not be here until tomorrow.” Akira sighed slightly, giving James a small smile as he fished the payment for his order out of his pocket.

“Lucky for me indeed... I'll have need of those medicines when all the children get into the wilderness today and succumb to poison oak,” he shook his head and passed the coin over to James, whose eyes were not on him at the moment, his attention directed to the far corner of his store. The grocer snapped back to Akira, sending him a grin as he took the coins and returned Akira's change.

Akira was about to grab his groceries and leave when he stopped, looking thoughtful.

James always brought in interesting things on every shipment so Akira was curious as to what he added to his stock. That and he was already up here so it would be pointless to waste another trip coming back later to browse.

“I'll be just a moment longer, I need to get some more tea and flour... and maybe just a look around.” James waved his hand, the other patting at Akira's medicine sitting on the counter, The gesture almost looking like he was keeping it hostage and making Akira feel uneasy.

“Take your time. Today's a nice enough day not to rush to work for once, right?” he said earnestly, though his eyes had flicked over to the back of the store again, this time with a grin on his face and Akira wondered what exactly he was looking at for when he looked, there was nothing notable.

Seeing as he had no time for such silliness today, he paid the grocer's strange behavior no mind, wandering along by the shop windows where some of the sterling silver tea sets were kept.

He admired them for a moment, then moved to the back of the store to fetch some of the imported tea he was so fond of.

Right about the same time he reached the shelves and was scanning them for his future purchase, he sensed someone approaching. Akira turned, his heart almost leaping out of his throat as Takara was standing behind him...

“Hello doctor, beautiful day, isn't it?” She spoke to him in a musical tone, a mischievous smile spreading across her face that sent his pulse racing.

Her hands were occupied by a large jar of honey and basket full of flowers; small bouquets of lavender and baby's breath adorned with cream colored ribbons, the largest one having small white tea roses mixed in the middle.

His eyes slowly returned to her face, the fact she had spoken to him finally sinking in.

“Eh... u-urm...” A few stuttered syllables and half a nod was all he could manage, darting out of the general store as quickly as he could and nearly tripping over another villager as they tried to enter.

Had he looked back at Takara before leaving the store, he would have seen the expression on her face, a mixture of surprise and sadness that the guilt alone would have stopped him and made him apologize for giving her such a reaction...

But that might have been for the best as he could not even handle a simple conversation with her.

He ran almost the whole way home, only slowing to open and close the gate to his fence as he passed through. As soon as his front door was shut, Akira crumpled to the floor, dropping his head into his hands at the shame of his actions.

Why couldn't he just speak to her?

It wasn't as if he hadn't talked to women before... what made her so difficult to talk to?

Physically, there was nothing but their two fenced in yards and a little dirt road separating him from just walking over there and properly introducing himself...

It was almost rude that he hadn't done so yet, given how long they had been neighbors.

But his own reservations were far too great for him to be able to get to that point, feeling there was no way she would want his company in trade for anyone else in town and that he would only be bothering her if he tried.

Though she did greet him first...

But he felt it was out of curtsy and nothing more... the fact that he was most likely in her way while she was shopping, and she didn't want to be rude to him.

Happenstance.

Yes, that's what it was.

Akira let out a heavy sigh, running a hand through his bangs before reaching down to pick up the parcel of medicines he had retrieved from the general store... only to discover them absent.

He searched frantically for a minute or two by the door before realizing what had happened, hanging his head in exasperation.

In his haste to exit from Takara's presence, he had forgotten his groceries on the counter.

Just what was it about this woman that made him turn into a bumbling fool?

Cursing at himself for doing such an idiotic thing, he decided to head up there later that afternoon as he had no time now with his usual crowd of patents arriving at any minute. That and he knew James would set his belongings aside for him as he had already bought them.

Though no doubt he would be jousted for his actions...

“Excellent job Akira... what a great way to start the day...” he said sarcastically, pulling himself up off the floor. After flipping the sign over to show he was taking patents, he went to go sit in his office and read, as he already prepped everything for the day -save the medicine he left at the store- and wanted some sort of distraction before dealing with any more people.

Maybe he would get lucky and one of the girls would bring him food...

Although he'd have to listen to their squawking for a few minutes, it was worth it since he hadn't much talent for cooking himself and more often then not, he had little to no food in the house.

He had just settled in his chair with a book when the bell rang.

Great.

Akira rolled his eyes as he set his book aside, standing and tugging at his coat to straighten the wrinkles out of the fabric as he went to retrieve his patent. Before he opened the door, he cleared his throat and plastered on a pleasant smile, although it faltered slightly as it was his usual patents.

Three young girls who frequented his practice most every day with one illness or another. Most of the injuries or illnesses they brought to him were really nothing at all, and the ones that were real were grossly exaggerated.

One of them pretended to have the measles by covering her whole body in bruises, or so she said the marks were everywhere, claiming to need a full body exam. But one check of her vitals, temperature and a close look at the bruises on her arm proved that she was faking and he informed her that a full body examination would not be needed.

Most of the village girls made a habit of coming to see him for every little thing, from splinter to hangnail and he just could not fathom why.

Ridiculous, the whole lot of them, but these three were the worst.

He bowed politely nonetheless and waved them in, greeting them as he did everyone, feeling slightly disappointed that they hadn't brought him any food this time.

“Good morning ladies, please do come in.” The girls giggled and Akira fought himself in attempt to not roll his eyes once more, shutting the door once they were inside and ushering them into his office.

“Alright, what seems to be the trouble?” He looked to each one of their faces, waiting to see who stepped forward first. The tallest one brushed past the other two extending her hand to him.

“I... I don't know what it is doctor... I'm worried it might be that black rot...” The girl spoke in worry, the other two nodding along in agreement though made him suspicious, but Akira looked down to examine her hand anyways, his eyes widening slightly.

At first he was alarmed at the sight; her whole hand up to her wrist was pitch black and it almost made him think of some serious infection...

That is until he saw the smudging up her arm and on her dress.

He raised a brow at the girl.

“Ink. That's printing ink on your hand.” The girl blinked in shock, proving him right with her silence alone. Her friends remained quiet behind her as Akira went on, his tone sounding cool and detached.

“Nothing too serious, it should wash off in a few days... try to use some warm water and soap to remove it, and let it soak for a bit to remove the stain from your skin.” He gave her a polite smile as she dejectedly went to the back of the group, then returned his gaze to the other two, far more relaxed as they always presented their best hoax first.

“Now, who's next?” The remaining two began elbowing each other, squabbling in a decisively healthy manner on who got to go first. Akira let out a faint sigh.

This was going to be a long day...

Thank you for reading; if you’d like to read more of my original writing, you can find the masterpost here. [X]

[pissbaby-lover]

Forgetting and the Forgotten [Arcene Drabble]

Title: Forgetting and the Forgotten Pairing: None (From the POV of Isamu) Words: 799 Warnings/Rating: K

Writing 101 Isamu Fahrenbach

Arcene is a strong woman.

Though it may be hard to tell at first glance, given she's so prone to tears and losing her way. But she is resilient.

Persistent.

A survivor.

For when she was just a babe, her family traveled the world, visiting hostels and small villages in the most remote parts of the world. What little she remembers of them, they were kind and giving people who loved helping others as well as socializing with them.

Though their wanderlust would be the death of them, for they had picked up a virus and brought it back home with them, entirely unaware they were even sick until it was to late.

Having just moved to a new place, they were planning on spending their first few weeks unpacking before inviting their fellow neighbors for a meet and greet...

But they never got the chance.

No one knows exactly how long they had been ill, or young Arcene had cared for her ailing parents, but everyone on the block remembers the day she came out onto the lawn in the middle of the night, wailing at the top of her lungs.

She was six.

Both her parents were dead.

Covered in blisters and boils, blood and pus leaking from every orifice... and the now orphaned child in hysterics on her front lawn, the neighbor went inside to see what was the matter as he could not get Arcene to calm herself enough to answer, calling the police as soon as he got over the gristly sight that lay upstairs.

Arcene sometimes remembers these moments in her nightmares, faint disturbing images that twist the few pleasant memories she has of her parents. Her foster family worried for her, but in time, she no longer had such dreams and lived her life as a normal child from age ten onward into adulthood.

But there was so much more to the story, as the part she doesn't remember is the hospital shortly after the police and ambulances arrived. Her physical came back with a few red flags...

For she had contracted the same illness that took her parents. Some strange strain of jungle fever that although treatable, was quick and more often then not, fatal.

The most crippling part was how much she lost, and never even realized it. Both her parents were of high intelligence, and she took after them... up until the sickness that had taken her family.

It was the fever that addled her brain, and the fever which took her life.

But she took that life back.

She may not remember it, but in her death she made a promise to herself to live her life to it's utmost potential... though unfortunately for her, the damage the fever had caused makes others less apt to see her as anything more then just an adult trapped in childhood.

Her focus may be lost, but she is by no means stupid, her brain managing to salvage a few scraps around the fever damaged parts.

Her love and talent for puzzles... and disturbing abilities in math and physics. Should she find her focus in some way, she could excel in most any scientific field... given someone take her notes for her, as she is as methodological as she is forgetful.

But her desire for the arts, though she is not what one would consider talented, save for her writing skills, have her attention above all things, and she refuses to take any naysayers opinion as anything more than constructive criticism.

Had anyone known exactly how intelligent she is, or maybe made some effort to work with her around her disabilities, Arcene could have gone on to do amazing feats within her lifetime... but through her own determination alone, she is striving to improve herself beyond the shortsighted goals everyone else has for her, despite they only knowing her at first glance.

Arcene is truer to her emotions than most, and knows herself as well as she can, given parts of her have been lost. She may not remember everything about who she is, but I will never forget, and I will never forget about her.

I only knew her as the little girl who lived up the street from me; his bright young thing whom became a shadow of her former self...

Nay.

She may have lost a bit of her history, but the woman she has become is far greater then where she could have ended up. I only wish I had the same determination as her, and am blessed to have had the chance to meet her once more.

She is and will always be my best friend, and I will protect her with everything I have, just to see her go to the places I cannot reach.

Thank you for reading; if you’d like to read more of my original writing, you can find the masterpost here. [X]

[pissbaby-lover]

Sunburn [Takara and Akira Oneshot]

Title: Sunburn Pairing: None (yet) Features Takara Kari and Akira Eri Words: 1354 Warnings/Rating: K Nothing but some fighting

Akira and Takara trudged across the desert, the afternoon sun blazing above them. While they had made great progress in their escape, both were less than pleased about their situation, though none more disgruntled than Akira.

He was hot, tired, and covered in sweat, sand and grit, not to mention sweltering underneath his hood and cape. Takara was wearing her cloak as well in attempt to ward of the sun's rays but unlike him, she had the freedom to wear less underneath.

Not that she didn't already.

The pair had traveled for two whole days with little rest, during which Akira regarded Takara as a slave driver, insisting they press on for as long as they could hold out.

They had lapsed into silence to conserve energy and prevent farther squabbling as the heat was getting to them both.

Lately, Akira sensed Takara was getting increasingly nervous as they had yet to be detected, something she explained earlier she expected by this point.

As if summoned by the thought, half a dozen men emerged from the sand dunes before them, their weapons ready. Akira tensed, swiftly drawing his sword and straightening.

One of the men brandished his sword at Akira, speaking a single word, his voice gravelly and threatening.

“Surrender!” Akira could see Takara out of the corner of his eye; she had her dagger drawn beside him and a confident smirk slowly spreading across her lips. Akira glared at the group from under his hood, mouth drawn back in a snarl.

“Like hell I will!”

The two groups collided.

Takara had already taken the three men on the left, parrying their blows with minimal effort, but Akira had to be more careful on account of the sun.

While a necessity, his cloak was rapidly becoming a hindrance, giving him blind spots that could prove fatal.

One man slipped behind the vampire unnoticed as Akira struck another down. Their numbers were small, but these men were rather quick.

“Got you devil spawn!” the man cried, catching Akira off guard. He lunged at Akira, snagging his cloak in his fist.

There was a loud tearing sound as the assassin ripped the cloak from Akira.

He hissed sharply in pain as the sunlight hit his face, the exposed skin sizzling. Barely able to block the next swing from his opponent with his blade. He staggered under the blow as his angle was bad, the strike nearly disarming him.

Akira cursed loudly as he countered, knocking the assassin off balance. His golden eyes darted to the side in frantic search of shelter from the sun.

Traveling through the desert was dangerous enough for a vampire with the lack of cover, but the broad daylight would prove fatal soon enough if he didn't rid himself of their pursuers.

“Akira!”

Before he knew it, Takara had bowled him over, swathing him in her cloak.

They rolled once or twice before skidding to a stop against a small sand dune. Takara's hands were all over Akira, pulling the fabric over his exposed skin. She unexpectedly stuck her head under the hood, her face inches away from his.

“You alright?” She asked, her ears drawn back against her hair. Akira scoffed and turned away from the overly concerned expression on her face, embarrassed at her proximity.

“I'm fine...” He growled softly, irked that she had to come to his rescue, though her being there brought him some strange relief.

At his answer, the Animus looked more at ease, her features softening slightly. She tapped him lightly on the nose with one clawed finger.

“Keep covered handsome,” she ordered.

“There aren't too many so I should be able to take them alone.” Takara pulled her head back and grinned, sending him a quick wink before turning her attention back to the enemy. There were four men left and they were closing in around them.

As a last minute thought, Takara glanced over her shoulder at him and quirked her brow. She spoke, her voice light and cheerful.

“Besides, I've been aching for a good scrap. You've taken far too many battles from me lately.” The Animus flipped her blade once in her hand then returned to battle, her movements quicker now that she  had removed her cloak.

Akira shook his head at Takara's antics, watching her take down the assassins with ease and he couldn't help but feel... grateful of her presence.

She was brash and impulsive, often getting them into trouble as quickly as she got them out and perverted as all hell, fondling him constantly as if her life depended on it.

And yet... she fascinated him for some odd reason.

Even with her being less than a tenth of his age... she'd already lived a fuller life than he.

Akira was still foggy on the original reason he took her along with him to his pub. Her endless energy baffled him and despite her troubles and burdens, she was so free.

Maybe... he just wanted to know how she did it.

He closed his eyes and smirked to himself, unaware that Takara had finished off her opponents and had walked back over to him.

“Are you alright?” Takara asked again, peeking under his hood to examine his face. Her voice startled him and he opened his eyes to look at her. She had something green clutched in her hand and Akira wondered what it was.

“Aloe. These will help,” Takara said, answering his question before he spoke. Akira huffed, and attempted to stand so the could continue to the Animus city but Takara halted his movements with a firm hand on his shoulder.

He grumbled a bit, settling back down on the hot sand and crossing his arms. The burns weren't anything serious, just a light first degree that stung and would eventually peel if his healing rate wasn't as quick as it normally was.

“It's just a little sunburn, it'll heal.” Takara chose to ignore him, stripping several of the plants of their skin to get to the gel inside. She crouched beside Akira, applying the gel to the burns, her tail swaying back and forth in concentration.

Akira braced himself for the sting but it proved to be unnecessary as her touch was gentle and the plant brought relief almost instantly, cooling the fire burning on his skin.

“Better?” She asked, a hint of amusement creeping into her voice. Akira remained silent as he felt the blood rushing to his cheeks. He averted his gaze from her as she worked, spreading the aloe across his face and neck.

Whether she had mistaken it for burns or just dismissed it, he was thankful she said nothing about his blush.

“I know you heal fast, but on the chance that you lose your cloak again, it would be better to have something to ease the burns... and your bellyaching.” She stood and grinned, offering him her hand to help him up. Akira reluctantly took it, relaxing his grip as soon as he was standing to brush the sand off his pants.

“Right... uh... shall we get moving then?” Akira said hesitantly, taking a few steps forward so his face was out of her line of vision. He could almost hear her smug comments before she spoke them.

“Hehe... very well. Just what would you do without me?” Takara chirped on cue, dragging her tail up his back. Akira shuttered, pushing her tail away from him.

“Cut it out, Ferret...” he warned.

After collecting his torn cloak they traveled on, returning to a comfortable silence. Takara hummed quietly to herself as Akira returned to musing over their journey thus far and his strange relationship with his current companion.

He cast a sideways glance at Takara, a strange calm washing over him once he saw she was there. Her presence... always seemed to bring him comfort. Akira wasn't sure if he'd ever understand it fully.

His surname meant “Protector” and yet...

For what he could figure, it was always she who was protecting him.

Thank you for reading; if you’d like to read more of my original writing, you can find the masterpost here. [X]

[pissbaby-lover]

OC Profile: Takara Kari

Takara is an old OC from an ancient roleplay I did in high school. She’s brash and playful, (and can be a bit of a handful) but is a kind, caring person… she just enjoys teasing… a lot. Say hi Takara. (Images are borrowed from other sources for reference only.) 

“Hey there!” She looks you over and grins, her furry ears twitching. “You’re kinda cute… so tell me about yourself; we can talk about me any day.”

Full Name: Takara Dawn Kari (Though she dropped her surname after she became estranged from her family)

~Called “Ferret” by most people who know her as her Animus form.

~After their relationship is more developed, she’s called “Taka” by Akira as he has difficulty pronouncing her name properly on account of his accent.

Birthday: May 2nd

Default Age: 115 (23 in appearance)

Human Form: 23

Nationality: Ferret Animus

Human AU Nationality: -

Default Appearance: Takara has rich brown skin, bright amber eyes and long fluffy, cream colored hair that rests right below her belt when down. She normally has her hair in a high ponytail and dyed brown as she dislikes her natural hair color.

She has large round ferret ears and a matching tail, dyed to match her hair so no one suspects it’s not natural.

Due to her non-human race, she has a slightly longer torso than an average human. Her nails are slightly elongated and she has small pointed canines. She has above average breasts (about C cup) and is moderately curvy. She stands at 5’ 6” in height.

Human Appearance: As a human, her features will be the same save for the animal ears and tail. Her hair is a tad shorter, the longest part measuring at the middle of her back when down.

Default Attire: Short brown shorts, a small green corset and long black leather boots. She wears minimal armor the occasional knee or elbow brace but tends to wear the most reviling outfit possible as she feels clothes “get in the way” and help her in her line of work.

She has a black belt with a visible dagger attached to it and a hidden blade in her left boot.

It is important to note that no matter what version I play of her, she often has the tendency to run around either scantily clad or in some cases completely naked as she has no shame.

Human Attire: Takara doesn’t have much of a preference for clothing as long as she’s comfortable and looks good in it, she’ll wear it.

Default Universe: Takara lives in a medieval fantasy era where the humans and the Animus, a race of animal-like humanoids are in constant war with each other. The countryside and towns alike show numerous scars from the battle fought there and both races have divided up territories they control.

There are few places where humans and Animus peacefully coexist and the prejudice runs deep on both sides. Humans claim the beast-like hybrids are no better than the feral animals of the wastelands, while the Animus say they are still far more civilized than the barbaric humans.

The differences between a human and Animus are very slight; noticeable feature changes from breed to breed, the reptilian Animus having small, fine scales covering their bodies and an aversion to cold. Aquatic types can swim and some even breathe under water. There’s several avian breeds that can fly or glide and mammalian types who behave vary similarly to humans themselves save for animal tails and ears.

The Animus also support a faster healing ability than their human counterparts, thus obtaining a longer lifespan. That being said they take longer to mature into adults and hundreds never see past their adolescence thanks to the human armies. (Dystopian) Future AU: (Age 23) Takara is a mutant who grew up in the slums after running away from home.

She’s a hoodlum and a sneak thief, working alone though her early adolescence until she encountered Tasuki, rescuing him from a spot of trouble. They were fast friends and now are as close as siblings, constantly squabbling with one another.

Collage AU: (Human, Age 18) Fresh out of high school, Takara enrolled in an out-of-state collage to get away from her family. She lives in the dorms with her roommate Akira, contently causing problems for him with her erratic and inappropriate behavior.

She drinks and parties excessively with her friends, but somehow manages to pass all her classes with honors despite her laid back attitude. Takara has a female pet ferret named Luci.

Default Personality: Takara has slight animalistic tenancies, such as enjoying climbing and burrowing in piles of clothes or blankets. She’s a very physical person and will prod, hug, grope, or jump on people she’s just met, or on occasion, people she doesn’t even know.

As Takara was the black sheep of the family, she tends to feel as if others are judging her character; but these instincts of hers only drive her to act the opposite of what society wants her to be. She’s always has a bit of inner turmoil before she acts, but that can’t always stop her from doing something inappropriate.

She is not afraid to show some skin, or use her assets as a means to get what she wants. Though she’s quite the tease, she’s unlikely to “put out” as she’s more in it for the chase than the prize. Takara enjoys riling up the men to get their attention, then disappears with a valuable or two while the squabble among themselves.

Takara has a playful personality and is very clever, often mocking others in good humor, only to upset them with her harsh words. She doesn’t intentionally hurt other’s feelings, but because she doesn’t always show remorse for her actions and can sometimes brush off another’s pain, she can come off as a tad insensitive.

While she’s not a very angry person, upsetting her is never a wise decision as she will often hold grudges and go out of her way to get the person back.

When in a relationship, most of her flirtatious behavior dies down and she turns her full focus on whomever she’s involved with. Takara tends to get jealous very easily and will hover around her lover or corner the opposing person and attempt to run them off with threats or violence if necessary.

She has a take charge personality and is not afraid of leading others when needed, though her tendency to joke around makes her difficult to take seriously.

Default Background: Takara is a ferret Animus, a race of human-animal hybrids that exist in a fantasy rendition of the feudal era. She works as a former thief turned assassin. Because of this, she’s sneaky and quick, making her incredibly skilled at pick-pocketing others as well as driving her dagger in the backs of targets.

Takara was second born in a set of twins to her Animus parents, the only thing she ever allowed herself to be second to her older brother in.

When Ferret Animus are first born, they have pale white or cream colored hair and fur that gradually darkens as the child reaches five years in age. Her brother Tavish Kari gained his coloration as normal, his hair and fur turning a rich burnt auburn.

Takara was not so lucky and her cream colored hair and fur never darkened, leaving her prideful military family to hide her unnatural coloration with henna dyes to prevent any possible scandals or rumors as the light haired ferret Animus were not native to her homeland.

Her mother and father are both high ranking military officials and her brother decided to follow in their parent’s footsteps. By this point in her life, Takara was tired of being treated as an outcast despite outperforming her brother on all combat tactics, their father still favored him over her.

Takara grew more and more rebellious with each passing day, and after a particularly nasty fight with her brother, Takara renounced her family name and disappeared into the night.

She joined up with several bands of thieves over the years, quickly becoming a skilled pickpocket and lockpicker though she rarely took more than what she needed. Her stealth skills caught the attention of a quiet organization of assassins and they quickly recruited her.

Unbeknownst to Takara, the organization was part of secret Animus military branch, run by none other than her twin brother. While she was miffed at first, her love for her brother kept her there as long as Tavish agreed to never reveal her location to their parents. She continues to work for the Military in secret, her quirky personality being the perfect cover for a killer.

Additional Notes: Despite being fraternal twins, Takara’s brother is two inches taller than her, standing at 5’ 8” and has brown hair (and fur) instead of blonde.

~All drabble written about Takara is canon to her character unless otherwise stated.

~Takara retains a prior relationship history with Draco, a Snake Animus and former rival.

They were together for 7 years before he was killed by Takara’s brother Tavish.

Human AU: Takara dated Draco in high school for about a year before he died in a car accident during their summer break before her Senior year.

~Because of Draco’s death, Takara is a borderline alcoholic. She won’t drink alone, but if you hand her any kind of liquor, she usually doesn’t stop until they run out or she passes out.

~Takara can play the piano fluidly, though she’s out of practice and won’t sound up to par when she first starts playing again.

~Takara is canonly paired with Kita’s OC Akira, and is single ship because she refuses to pair up with anyone else. I can still play her in friendly situations, but no romance whatsoever.

Drabble Links: ~In chronological order according to canon storyline~

Dark Era: Rediscovered

Dark Era: Rediscovered - The Fall /// blood tw, gore tw ///

Takara and Akira Drabble: Sunburn

Takara and Akira Drabble: My Reflection

Draco and Takara (Akira): Song Drabble - Only One

Takara and Akira Drabble: Dance With Me (All of Me)

Non-Canon Drabble:

Takara and Akira: (Collage AU) Sweater Weather

Takara and Akira: (Collage AU) Mock Date

Takara and Akira Drabble: Frenzy /// blood tw, gore tw ///

[pissbaby-lover]

OC Profile: Arcene Marquette

Arcene’s a spunky, happy-go-lucky person who’s capable of speaking for herself. She can be a bit shy at times, but is usually the first person to start a conversation if she’s lonely. Without farther adieu, Arcene! (Images are borrowed from other sources for reference only.)

“Oh hi! I didn’t see you there. I was just on my way to dungeon grind in my newest Dragon’s Dogma file. Yeah… I’ve got a bad habit of spending too much time playing games. Especially if I can make my own character! The more design features the better! I do that a lot on Skyrim too.” She stops her spiel long enough to take a breath, and a swig of water. She looks back at you, her brow furrowing. “Hmm… what was I talking about? Oh! I was talking about me. So, I like video games, obviously, even though I’m not very good at them. I’m friendly enough, don’t really bother with other people unless they upset me first. I like cooking, I love music, writing about my game characters, and chatting with… well, just about anyone! Wait, who are you again?”

Full Name: Arcene Tara Marquette

Birthday: August 21st

Default Age: 20

Nationality: She’s a mix of Russian and Greek on her mother’s side and half French from her father’s side. Despite her dad being a French immigrant, Arcene cannot speak a word of French so don’t even bother trying.

Arcene’s default appearance: Light sandy blonde hair cut in a shaggy pixie cut, always messy. Light grey eyes and peachy pale skin (as she doesn’t go outside much). Average build with small sized breasts, measuring about 5’ 2”.

Default attire: Most AUs will have her in some kind of casual wear; hoodie or a light jacket with jeans. Skirts are only worn if it’s a uniform requirement. Tends to carry a small notepad and pen on her and an I-pod or other device that plays music.

Default Universe is modern or as close to real world as possible. Anything else is AU. (an AU exists of her in my D&D group with her having electric based powers and a decent skill with a dagger.)

Pirate AU: (Age 18) Arcene is the Master Gunner, serving Isamu through her expertise of high quality explosives. She cares for the weapons on the ship and always has a pistol or two handy. She’s indifferent to most of the happenings of the ship due to being far more concerned with tinkering with her guns.

Her appearance is about the same, save for her skin having a deep bronze tan from all the hours spent under the sun. Her hair is cut short and choppy, and is bleached to an almost white blonde. She wears simple black boots, grey men’s pants, and a navy blue vest. She carries a custom pistol on her with a lengthened barrel for improved accuracy.

Demon/Monster High AU: (Age 15) Arcene is a lightning elemental, and a hyperactive one at that. She met Isamu at a young age as their parents know each other and is always dragging her unsocial demon friend around.

While not the fighting type, she greatly enjoys using her electric powers to play pranks on others. She unfortunately doesn’t always have the best control of her powers and can end up accidently shocking Supernaturals that get too close to her. As a side effect from her powers, her hair is always statically charged and frizzy.

Magical Girl AU: (Age 17) Arcene is the Element of Light. Her manifested weapon is a Halberd and she can summon a circle of light to use as a shield.

Her powers didn’t manifest until about middle school, where she ended up overcharging all the lights in the gymnasium after an argument with a fellow student. The bulbs all burst, leaving the students startled and her scared as she’s afraid of the dark. The same student she got in a fight with had to help her out of the gym, with Arcene sobbing the entire time.

Honor Among Thieves AU (Medieval Fantasy/RPG) (Age 19) Arcene is a member of the royal court. She’s training up to be a Master Flame Mage but can only preform basic fire spells.

She spends much of her time studying artifacts of the old world and is one of the top experts on the subject despite her young age.

Arcene was sent to head an operation to retrieve some of the artifacts lying in the abandoned ruins. Her long suffering friend Isamu was put in charge of guarding Arcene and commanding the hired hands Arcene recruited.

Arcene’s judgment could be called into question as she spent most of their recruitment funds on thieves and outlaws. she still believes they will preform well enough and is more concerned with the artifacts than the treasure that my lie in the old ruins.

Default Personality: Arcene is as carefree as a person could possibly be and still survive. She floats around, interacting with others freely regardless of possible stipulations behind it. She will sometimes cross lines without meaning to. Her behavior can be erratic and unpredictable, but her moods are something of a mystery; it’s hard to tell what she’s thinking, or if she’s even paying attention. She’s also got a poor memory, forgetting important dates and events, even people she’s just talked to. She misplaces things often and has bad habit of getting lost. While she enjoys the occasional harmless flirting, she’s too romantically inexperienced to go very far and tends to get easily embarrassed as the other party advances. She’s a bit boy-crazy, and ends up finding herself in awkward situations as a consequence. Arcene rarely gives her opinion on things unless asked directly and tends to stay out of arguments where she might find herself choosing sides between people she cares about. She could be considered kind and sociable, but she’s just as happy in a room alone with a game or hobby as she is in a crowded room.

Default Background: (to be added later)

Default Sexuality: Straight; though she really doesn’t know what she wants.

Gender: Female, though it probably wouldn’t make a difference to her anyways.

[pissbaby-lover]

OC Profile: Isamu Fahrenbach

This is an old OC of mine that insisted on coming back! She’s hard to ignore and highly demanding; introduce yourself Isamu. (Images are borrowed from other sources for reference only.)

“What the hell do you mean by “highly demanding”?! I’m just as demanding as the next person and I don’t appreciate you talking about me in such a crass way!“

Full Name: Isamu Brianna Fahrenbach

~Known by Takara as “Izzy”

Birthday: October 5th

Default Age: 21

Nationality: She’s a mix of German, Scottish, Irish and Japanese, the German being on both sides of her family. Her mother favored her Japanese roots, hence Isamu’s Japanese first name.

Isamu’s default appearance: Long black hair with face hugging bangs, tends to wear it down unless she needs it out of her face. Hazel eyes and cream colored skin. She has a lean build with average sized breasts, measuring about 5’ 4”.

Default attire: Isamu can usually be seen in jeans and a nice top or the occasional large sweater and skirt. She doesn’t mind wearing feminine clothing and can act the part as a woman, but she avoids excessive amounts of pink, yellow and other brighter colors. She enjoys dressing up for important occasions but doesn’t always like showing off her curves.

Default Universe: Modern or as close to real world as possible. Anything else is AU.

Exorcist AU: (Tangent Modern) Isamu is a retired prodigy exorcist/demon hunter trying to disappear back into the crowd. Once upon a time, she would alternate between hunting and preforming complicated exorcisms. After a few years went by, Isamu decided she had enough and closed shop.

She’s still well known, (A fact she is none too pleased about) and will get the odd person every now and then trying to get her to use her talents.

Pirate AU: (Age 23) Isamu is the ship’s Captain and top authority. She carries a sword and pistol at her side, a dagger in her boot, and welds a whip. While the whip’s mostly for show, it doesn’t mean she cannot use it and won’t hesitate to prove her mettle as Captain by literally whipping her crew into shape.

As Captain, Isamu must dress to impress. She wears a long blue coat embroidered with gold trim, long black boots with a thick heel, cream colored pants secured with a thick black belt (to hold her sword and pistol), and a sleeveless white blouse. Her hair is always done up in pins or tied back.

Unfortunately for Isamu, her pale skin can be somewhat of a problem when you stand on a ship in the sun for months on end. As such, she always wears her Captain’s hat when out on deck unless there’s no sun to be seen. Even though she tries to cover up, she’s prone to sunburn and needs to use various ointments to keep her skin from blistering and peeling.

Magical Girl AU: (Age 20) Isamu is the Element of Darkness and the agitated leader of the group. She was an isolated person and had little encounters with other people on account of her powers. When she gets angry or upset, she causes massive blackouts, draining all electronics and extinguishing any fires.

Eventually, her power grows enough to inflict blindness in her opponents and lock them in black balls, completely void of light and sound.

Demon/Monster High AU: (Age 17) Isamu is a Nightmare demon. She can control shadows and enter other’s dreams. This version of her has black horns and pointed ears. The red and gold markings around her eyes are natural.

She normally wears nothing but a traditional kimono, occasionally changing into a school uniform when required. She also always has a black parasol on her to block out the sun’s rays, since too much sunlight will make her nauseous.

Isamu is burdened with watching out for her family friend, Arcene. Though she won’t admit it to anyone, she really enjoys Arcene’s company and looks out for her like she would a younger sister. She finds herself intimidating Supernaturals who would pick on Arcene, as the young elemental tends to get in trouble often when one of her pranks go too far.

Honor Among Thieves AU: (Medieval Fantasy/RPG) (Age 21) Isamu is a high ranking guard for the royal family. She has been charged with overseeing the young court Mage Arcene in her quest to find ancient relics hidden deep in the old world ruins.

Arcene has made Isamu’s job extremely difficult, hiring a large number of thieves and rogues to aid them. Isamu now has to keep her eyes on the whole motley crew as well as the rambunctious Mage. The only members of their band of misfits that Isamu currently trusts is Akira and Arcene.

(Dystopian) Future AU: (Age 21) Isamu works as a high-ranking bodyguard for Kendrick, an executive level worker for a shipping agency.

She’s a quick draw and favors the pistol, though she’s trained in all forms of firearms and is skilled in hand to hand combat. her strong sense of justice pulls her into Greed’s band of rebels as she highly opposes they way the government has been operating.

Default Personality: Isamu is quite temperamental and can become easily agitated by the smallest of things. Her hot-headed nature tends to get her in trouble as she’ll mouth off at any given opportunity. Despite not being very big, she’s not afraid to throw around her weight and won’t think twice about swinging on someone or picking a fight with someone larger than her.

While she’s got a temper, Isamu’s still a kind and caring person at heart. She was mistreated a lot in her younger years and has a difficult time trusting others because of it. After a particular incident in her middle school days where she lost most of her friends, Isamu mainly stuck to herself, spending all her time and energy in her singing and painting.

Isamu’s not afraid to tell you what she thinks, even if she knows you won’t like it. Her harsh nature only widened the gap between her and the rest of her peers; and even if she won’t openly show it, long periods of isolation wear her out.

She longs for friends she can trust, but rarely lets her walls down long enough for anyone else to get in. Once you get on her good side, she’ll be the most protective friend you’ve ever had, going out of her way to keep her companions happy and safe.

Isamu’s also a bit of a hopeless romantic but is still skeptical of any suitors that come her way as she’s not yet noticed she’s grown into an attractive young woman. She tends to overlook her own beauty to see the beauty in the world around her. Though she secretly hopes for the story book romance, she has a strange attraction to conflect.

Her sense of humor is often the only thing that can get people past her crude and somewhat inappropriate behavior. She has a hard time noticing when someone flirts with her unless they’re direct.

Default Background: Isamu grew up in a small suburb as an only child with her mother and father. Her mother ran a small floral shop from their home and her father was a truck driver.  Isamu’s father spent long periods of her childhood on the road but even with the distance between them, Isamu was always closer to her dad.

Her mother got sick and died shortly after Isamu turned ten, and she was left alone in the house while her father was on the road. Her aunt (on her mother’s side) and uncle would check in on her until she was about fifteen and trusted enough to be fully on her own.

It was during these years that she gained and lost most of her friends. When she was thirteen, her cousin Tomatsu started dating one friend and then cheated on that friend with another. The other girls started fighting and pressured Isamu into taking sides. When she refused to do so, the tension in the group became too great and they all went their separate ways, cutting ties with Isamu and effectively isolating her.

She never recovered fully from the way her cousin and friends acted, choosing to stay separated from everyone until her sophomore year in high school where she slowly built a small group of trustworthy friends.

Default Sexuality: Straight

Gender: Female

Additional Notes: Since she was left home alone, her father would need to set money aside for her during the time he was on the road, so she had to learn how to budget her money and cook her own meals.

~Isamu loves video games and is quite good at RPGs and versus. Though she’s lacking in the puzzle skills as she gets too frustrated to work on them for long periods of time.

~In her original universe, she’s got a black cat named Mika.

~Isamu knows how to sing and play the piano.

Drabble: ~In chronological order according to age~

High School High-jinks Short Story: School Dance

Isamu Drabble: Sinner

[pissbaby-lover]